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devildom-moss · 8 months

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PDA - kissing their cheeks (the demon brothers)

What happens when MC decides to kiss their cheek around others? It couldn't possibly go wrong, right?

(Lucifer x gn!MC) (Mammon x gn!MC) (Leviathan x gn!MC) (Satan x gn!MC) (Asmodeus x gn!MC) (Beelzebub x gn!MC) (Belphegor x gn!MC)

(Suggestive)

Word Count: +4,200 (oh no wonder it took me a while. Mammon got a longer one because things occur, I guess)

Lucifer

Lucifer had another late night in his study yesterday, and it left him a tired husk of a demon. He was even nodding off in the middle of his meeting with Diavolo and Barbatos. Asmo and Mammon were in attendance as well, and their pointless questions gave Lucifer a cover to send you a message.

Your screen lit up: Could you bring coffee to the student council room for me at your earliest convenience? Black, iced if they have it. I’ll make it up to you later. You sent back an “ok” sticker and informed him that your class would end in 15 minutes.

When you arrived at the council room, the meeting had temporarily concluded while Diavolo held another meeting with the head of the art department about an upcoming student showcase. In Diavolo’s absence, Asmo had decided to paint his nails while Mammon was on his phone – no doubt attempting to check his recent bets. Barbatos was the only one getting any work done.

Mephisto, who had entered shortly after Diavolo departed, had taken the opportunity to whine to Lucifer about the newspaper’s budget, despite Lucifer’s half-conscious attempt to inform him that Satan had approved the paperwork that Diavolo signed off on. This had nothing to do with Lucifer. Luckily, Mephisto was too wrapped up in his complaints to notice that Lucifer had once again nodded off.

You walked straight to Lucifer – not even stopping as you returned Asmo’s cheery greeting with a soft, “good afternoon, Asmo.”

Mephisto turned around at the sound of your voice. “Second human.”

You assumed he intended to rank you under Solomon. While it was true that Solomon was more powerful than you, Mephisto could at least learn to use your name, so you decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. “Ugly tie demon.”

If Lucifer was awake, he would have chuckled. You noticed his even breath and his closed eyes. It was a rare and rather adorable sight, but you figured you should wake him up before anyone noticed. This was the sort of sight Mammon would try to exploit for money (and Asmo for likes, and Barbatos would share a picture with Diavolo just because he could). You set the drink down to the side and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

A soft moan left Lucifer’s mouth as he reluctantly opened his eyes. In a daze, he smiled at you, attempting to look seductive, but he only managed to appear cuter than before.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” you teased, but it didn’t wipe the smile from his face. What did that was Mephisto’s subsequent annoyance upon realizing that Lucifer had been ignoring him.

“You no-good, arrogant bastard. How dare you fall asleep while I’m talking to you about important matters!”

Lucifer had enough of Mephisto for the day. He got to his feet and walked to the other side of his desk. Grabbing his coffee in one hand and your hand in the other, Lucifer sighed and turned towards Barbatos. “I need some fresh air. I’ll be back in 20. Alert me if Lord Diavolo returns before that or if you find my presence is necessary.”

“Understood.” Barbatos nodded.

Lucifer ignored Asmo’s whining about how jealous he was and Mammon and Mephisto’s insults as he pulled you out of the room with him. With their noise in the distance, and comfort in the fact that Barbatos would not allow anyone to disturb his break unless necessary, Lucifer chuckled.

“Thank you for that. You went through the trouble of getting me coffee, but nothing restores my energy like you do. Will you help me wake up until I have to return?”

Mammon

It had been a long, shitty week, and Mammon could tell you were running on empty. The way you walked to school was as if every movement was an unimaginable effort. He wanted to ask if you needed to take a break, but he didn’t want to bring any unnecessary attention to your slow pace that morning; if it was him, he would be mortified – but he would also be so happy that you noticed. That made his decision even harder. Maybe he should just say something? Or maybe he should just do something to help you out? He could try to carry you the rest of the way to school. Hell, the Great Mammon could carry Beel when he needed to – certainly he could handle his favorite human. His mind raced in his indecision.

To his absolute awe, you both arrived at school – on time and without a single complaint from you. If he was having a bad week, no doubt he would be talking your ear off about it. Did you not trust him? No, just chill Mammon, he thought to himself. Focus on them today.

After you completed your classes, you returned home with Mammon. He had been almost suspiciously well-behaved today – he even stopped a fight between Asmo and Levi. You could question him, but you were too grateful to care. When you stepped into the entrance of the House of Lamentation, Mammon dragged you directly to his room and pulled you into his bed. It smelled like him.

“Why?” you asked, only half-concerned about the answer.

“Shush. I want ya to take a nap for me, ‘kay?” Mammon laid you down on his pillows and gently stroked your hair. “You’ve done such a good job. The Great Mammon’s gonna show ya a good time tonight – but ya gotta rest first.”

That would have sounded like such a lewd offer if he hadn’t said it in such a tender voice – and if you weren’t so comforted by his touch. Mammon eased you into sleep, and when you woke up, there was an outfit laying at the end of the bed. All the clothes appeared to be yours, but Mammon had styled it for you.

Mammon entered the room with a sandwich and a large bottle of sparkling water. “Happy to see ya awake. Ya hungry? Eat this before we go.”

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere fun – just trust me and stop askin’ questions, alright?”

“Okay,” you nodded, “I trust you.”

Mammon tried to hide his smile as he handed you the food and unscrewed the cap on the bottle before giving it to you. As you ate, he changed – noticeably grabbing clothes that would match the outfit he picked out for you. He glanced back and saw you staring at him. Something about having your eyes on his half-naked body delighted him, but this wasn’t the time.

“Oi, if ya want a show, pay up. Otherwise, finish eatin’ and get changed.”

You followed his orders. Upon further inspection, not all the items laid out on the bed were yours. Mammon had set a gold bracelet on top of your clothes.

“Mammon, this isn’t mine,” you told him.

“Lemme see.” You handed him the bracelet. He gently grabbed your wrist and put it on for you. “Is now.”

Mammon was careful to sneak you out of the house without anyone noticing. You held your questions until you arrived at a club. You heard music blasting from outside the door.

It had been a while since Mammon had taken you out – and even longer since you had danced, especially with him. Maybe the movement was cathartic. Maybe watching Mammon dance by your side – and occasionally feeling him grind on you – simply made you happy. Maybe you felt adored when he kept his eyes and hands on you. You couldn’t stop smiling, and Mammon noticed.

“Feelin’ better?” he asked.

You wrapped your arms around him and kissed his cheek in the middle of the dance floor. “Thank you, Mammon.”

Someone had to have seen that, right? Mammon was as thrilled as he was embarrassed, but he tried to play it cool.

“Good.” Mammon offered you a shy smile. “Wanna get outta here?”

“Are you bored or something?”

“Nah. Nothin’ like that.” Mammon shook his head and brought his lips right up to your ear so only you would hear him when he whispered, “I wanna take ya back to my room and show ya an even better time.”

A kiss on the cheek wasn’t enough. He needed more of you.

Leviathan

“Why did I have to come to school today?” Levi asked – rhetorically, of course.

“Because you can’t do a lab from your room at home,” Satan replied, annoyed by Levi’s complaining. Levi knew the drill by now, so there was no point in asking.

“How is it my fault that RAD isn’t equipped to do remote labs? We should have more otaku-friendly courses.”

“How ‘bout you shuddup and do classwork like the rest of us?” Mammon rolled his eyes.

“If I did classwork like you, I’d be failing all of my classes.”

“I mean, you’re not too far from that,” Belphie added, only half awake. That was uncalled for, but Levi took it without protest. Belphie was the only slacker with good grades, after all.

“Enough,” you sighed.

You sympathized with Levi for not wanting to show up in class. He was an indoor-demon – so long as the “door” part of “indoor” was his door specifically and maybe your door on occasion. Maybe you were being soft on him, but you didn’t care. All you really cared about was Levi not feeling bad about being a shut-in. The longer this conversation went on, the more likely it was that someone was going to say something cruel.

Determined to cheer Levi up and reward his effort, you pat his head and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I’m very proud of you for coming into class today, Levi.”

Levi’s eyes widened and his face burned. He screamed – and he was only partially muffled when he buried his face into his arms at his desk. You kissed him. You kissed him – in front of an entire class of demons and Solomon, no less. Levi wasn’t sure if he was going to die from embarrassment or if he just had his social battery supercharged. His arms were hiding his huge smile as well as his blushing cheeks.

He could nearly taste the jealousy in the room. For once, it wasn’t coming from him. It had been so long since anyone was jealous of him that he forgot how amazing it felt to be envied, especially when he was being envied because you kissed him. Just a minute ago, Levi was anxious and upset about having to leave the comfort of his room today, and now he was overjoyed and wouldn’t change a thing about the day so far – although he knew he still had plenty of time to ruin it.

While Levi took a minute to calm himself down, you waved off any protests and complaints about you kissing Levi’s cheek. You also had to shut down the incoming requests for a reward from you – including Asmo telling you that if you offered him a reward, he would be such a good boy.

Levi clung to your side throughout the lab, glaring at anyone who got within a foot of you. He wondered what kind of reward you might be willing to give him if he went to school for the rest of the week – or if he got a good grade on this lab. He wanted to make you proud. He wanted you to kiss and touch him more.

Satan

It was a rare sight to see Satan not reading in the library. He was on his phone, and that look of joy on his face meant one thing: he was watching cat videos again. You came up behind him and leaned over his shoulder before wrapping your arms around his neck. If it had been anyone else, Satan would have been irritated – and a violent outcome would have been a possibility.

“Having fun?” you asked him.

“MC, I was just about to send you this video. Have you ever heard of a sand cat?” Satan didn’t even wait for your response before he restarted the video for you. “Look at their big ears! Do you think that the person filming was able to pet them? I wouldn’t be able to resist.”

You watched the adorable beige cat scurry across the screen. Normally, you would entertain Satan’s love of cats, but that grin on his face distracted you.

“There are so many cats that I want to pet. I wonder if I could summon one,” he mused.

“So cute,” you whispered into his ear before placing a kiss on his cheek. You could hear him gulp hard.

“The cats or –” Satan paused, choked up on his shock and embarrassment, “or me?”

“Both.” You kissed his cheek again.

He was comfortable with you wrapping your arms around him, but he hadn’t expected you to kiss him. Twice, even. His face burned as he felt a demon, who had previously been studying, staring at him.

From behind you, you heard another demon ask her friend, “did that human just kiss Satan?”

“Oh my, how scary. They must be brave to attempt that.”

“I think that’s Solomon’s apprentice.”

“I don’t know if that makes it better or worse.”

“Me either, but it makes sense, right? Someone like that has to be brave.”

“I don’t care how hot Satan is, I’d never have the nerve.”

“He must like them a lot.”

You wondered if they knew how loud they were speaking. You turned their conversation topic to Satan, teasingly, “well, do you?”

“What do you think?” Satan set his phone down on the table and made room for you to sit on his lap at the desk. He pat his thigh, expectantly. “Well?”

Ignoring your concerns about the library chairs not being built for two people (luckily, they were surprisingly sturdy) and the few added stares from demons around you, including someone who was definitely in your Seductive Speechcraft class, you took Satan up on his offer. His arms engulfed you, and his chin came to rest on your shoulder.

“You didn’t answer me. Do you think I like you?” Satan whispered seductively against your neck.

“Of course.”

“Wrong.” Satan clicked his tongue. “I don’t like you – I adore you. I love you more than anyone. Now, can we watch cute cats while your cute lover holds you?”

“Of course,” you repeated your previous answer.

“Good. But MC?” Satan dropped his tone and whispered, “when we get home, it looks like I’ll have to show you exactly how strong my feelings are for you.”

Asmodeus

You were comfortably settled into a window nook in a quiet part of the library, trying to read the book that Satan had lent you the other day, but when Asmo stumbled upon you, he decided to disturb your peace. You couldn’t really be annoyed with him, though, when he took a spot next to you and gave you that charming smile of his.

No, what annoyed you was that as you continued to read, Asmo was trying to get a picture with you. You didn’t want your picture taken.

“MC, lean in, come on! You could be at least a little affectionate with me,” Asmo demanded. He was usually spoiled with affection; it wasn’t as if you had been particularly neglectful of him. His whining – and his presence in the library in general – was starting to attract attention.

Eager to appease him, and in the hopes of not attracting anymore onlookers, you pulled Asmo a bit closer and rested your chin on his shoulder. As he adjusted the angle of his camera, you kissed his cheek. Asmo managed to snap the picture, and he immediately checked it – in part to see if it was good, because this was definitely going up on Devilgram, but also to make sure that you had really just kissed his cheek. He wasn’t just dreaming.

He turned with a smirk and hopped into your lap. If you had been in a chair, you probably would have fallen. Instead, Asmo pushed your back gently against the wall and started kissing you all over your face and neck, whispering about how adorable you are between kisses. It felt impossible for Asmo to hold back. He kissed your lips once. Twice. He couldn’t seem to stop, and it wasn’t long before he was making out with you.

One of the problems with Asmo was that he was an amazing kisser – which usually wasn’t an issue. But right now, the feeling of his lips on you made it hard to care about any onlookers. He was all you could think about – until his phone rang next to your leg on the seat.

Asmo pulled away, irked by the interruption. His fingertips teasingly traced down your thigh as he lowered his hands to grab his phone. The name on the screen didn’t ease his annoyance, and he reluctantly accepted the call.

“What do you want, Mammon?” Asmo placed one hand on the wall behind you and held his phone to his ear with the other. As irritating a distraction as this was, Asmo was determined to shower you in affection, so he lowered himself to your neck and began to kiss and suck at your skin.

“Get the fuck outta the library, Asmo.” You heard Mammon screaming through the phone. Did Asmo have to keep the phone so close to you? You were already trying to keep it down because you were in the library, and now there was a chance that Mammon would hear even the smallest moan you made.

“Why?” Asmo asked between kissing your neck.

“Someone’s live streaming you and MC! It’s up on DevilTube right now. 500-some people are watchin’.”

Still focused on your neck, Asmo wanted to shrug it off with a “let them watch” and keep going – as long as you were into it, at least. However, another voice boomed in the background of Mammon’s call. “Meet me in the student council room, immediately – both of you.”

Lucifer. Now it was serious. The line dropped and Asmo sat up.

“Show’s over,” Asmo said – mostly to you, but also loud enough for anyone nearby (especially a particular live streaming voyeur) to hear. He helped you to your feet and sighed. “Sorry, darling. I got us in trouble again. I couldn’t resist.”

You had a long lecture ahead, but Asmo promised to make it up to you. At the end of the night, you both were of the same mind: worth it.

Beelzebub

Beelzebub was determined to win his match when you told him that you were coming to watch. It wasn’t like he would have been embarrassed to lose in front of you – he had lost in front of you before, but knowing you were going to watch him lit a fire in Beel. He wanted to win more than ever.

All his effort was worth it when he spotted you among the cheering crowd. He rushed to you after the final whistle blew.

“You were amazing, Beel.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Don’t worry, if you can’t reach, he’d pick you up. “Congratulations.”

Normally, Beel would feel self-conscious about you touching him after a match when he was coated in a layer of sweat, but right now, he was all smiles. You were so proud of his victory that you kissed him. He didn’t mind that his team members and the entire audience could see – that might have made it better. Sometimes, even Beel wanted to show off that you loved him.

His chuckle rang out in your ear. “Thank you, MC. Do you mind waiting up for me?”

“Of course not,” you held Beel’s face in your hands. “I wanted to go home with you.”

“Thanks,” Beel grinned. “Wait for me outside of the locker room. I’ll try to be quick.”

Beel was true to his word. He showered, changed, and hurried out to see you – taking just enough time to quickly congratulate his teammates before leaving. His teammates were used to a bit more talk about the ups and downs of their match from Beel, but after they saw you there, they knew exactly why Beel was in such a rush.

He spotted you in the hall immediately.

“Ready to go?” you asked with a smile.

“Yes – well, no. Not yet.” Beel furrowed his brows, and a faint blush painted his face. You tilted your head in confusion. “MC, can I kiss you back?”

He melted your heart. “Of course, you can, Beel.”

You expected a kiss on the cheek, but his lips met yours, instead. His hand slid up the side of your neck to your cheek. Beel had a tender touch that caused your skin to burn. Even when he caught you off guard, he was so sweet that you would let him do whatever he wanted. His tongue teased you slightly. The footsteps and chatter further down the hall didn’t cause either of you any hesitation. Both of your minds were clouded with desire, and who knows what would have happened if Beel’s stomach didn’t interrupt you with a loud growl.

Beel pulled away, embarrassed that his own stomach had betrayed him. There goes the mood. He gave you a sheepish, apologetic smile. “Sorry, can we get something to eat on the way home?”

“Don’t apologize. You must be starving after all that exercise.” You caressed his arm. “We can get food on the way back.”

“Good. I wanted to take you out on a date, anyway.” Beel took your hand and headed towards the exit.

“You did?”

“Yeah. You made me so happy when you kissed me earlier. I wanted to spend more time with you.”

“Beel.” You could feel your heart melting all over again.

Beel stopped in his tracks, and with his free hand, he tilted your chin towards him and ran his thumb across your lip. “Besides, we have to eat while we’re out. Once we get home, I want to focus all my attention on making you just as happy.”

Belphegor

No one could get Belphegor to wake up that morning. Beel had gotten him dressed in the same way one changes the clothes on a doll. Lucifer was determined to get him to school on time – even if that meant that he or Beel had to carry Belphie there themselves.

It was lucky, then, that you arrived to walk them to school. Lucifer pleaded (or at least in his own, prideful way, he was pleading) with you to help him wake Belphie up. He was already dressed, so there went the option of dumping water on him. Sometimes Belphie was a hassle, even for you, but other times, all it took was a simple trick.

Despite everyone watching on in anticipation, and Mammon rudely trying to make a bet against you – one which Levi and Satan gladly took him up on, you leaned down towards Belphegor’s ear and whispered, “it’s time to wake up, Belphie, please?” before you placed a kiss on his cheek. The protests came flooding in, as you expected. Belphegor moaned sweetly into your ear as he stirred from his sleep. He sat up to drape himself around your neck.

“Carry me, please?”

Asmo shrieked in response. “Belphie is so cute when he’s sleepy, but this is so unfair. Stop clinging to MC like that!”

“Don’t compliment that jerk for cozyin’ up to MC!”

“I’m so jealous. If I knew MC would kiss him, I would have stayed in bed, too.”

“If you spoil him MC, everyone in the house will start refusing to wake up,” Satan scolded you to mask his own jealousy.

“All of you, shut up and head downstairs,” Lucifer shouted. “We’re leaving in a minute – and if any of you attempt to sleep in tomorrow, I will tie you up and drag you to school myself – and we’ll take the roughest, most jagged paths to get there.”

That sent them all running, except for Beel. “I’ll grab you a snack from the kitchen before we go. You have to eat breakfast, Belphie.”

“Make it quick, please Beel,” Lucifer sighed. “Can I trust you to get him down the stairs and out of the door?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you,” Lucifer offered you a guilty smile – the kind a parent gives when someone else soothes their crying child in their stead.

Belphegor pulled you in tighter and rested his head on your shoulder.

“Oh no you don’t, you have to get to school.” You made a half-hearted attempt to push him away, but you caved and allowed him to snap back into the warmth of your body.

“I know. I was just thinking,” Belphegor hummed and nuzzled into your neck, “I wish you could wake me up like this every morning. Getting up wouldn’t be so bad if you were the first person I saw. It’d be even nicer if you were the last one before I went to sleep, too.”

You placed another kiss on his cheek. “That’s very sweet, Belphie. If you hurry off to class, maybe I’ll find a way to sneak you into my bed tonight.”

“You mean it?” Now he was alert. An adorable smile formed on his lips. You really knew how to incentivize a demon.

(the dateables version) | (the side characters version)

#lucifer #mammon #leviathan #satan #asmodeus #beelzebub #belphegor #gn!mc #obey me demon brothers #obey me short fic #obey me #obey me luficer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #shhh I'm hiding this in the tags but does anyone want some more Mephisto smut because I had an idea...

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mokulule · 1 year

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The Number You Have Called Cannot Be Reached 1

So figured I could show what else I am working on aside from Salt in the Bones with @clockwayswrites. I still blame Clock for this though, they are way too fun to brainstorm with, and I have too many WIPs already. Ship: Dead on Main (Danny/Jason) Warnings: angst/depression and canon typical violence

Danny was sick and tired of this city, this entire dimension in fact. And this vigilante family, or whatever they were, were more dogged in their pursuit of him than the GIW or his parents had ever been - all this for a few gizmos.

Danny rolled his eyes and ducked a kick from the most violent midget since Youngblood.

Seriously he was just trying to build a portal home, and it wasn’t like he was hurting anyone. He’d mostly stolen from villains anyway! And Wayne industries was like a multibillion dollar company, they shouldn’t miss a few scraps or prototypes. It would hardly put a dent in their budget.

Midget was back on his feet and had now drawn a freaking sword. Yeah, this was it, Danny needed to leave before bigger and battier arrived. He faked left but then spun right around the probably actual literal kid with the real sword, jumped to the railing and kicked off towards the next rooftop. Ignoring gravity’s pull for a just a couple of seconds was the only reason he landed safely on the other roof.

He felt a moment of worry that the kid would try following him and glanced back, but the child was fuming in safety on the other side, having lost that grappling gun thing he used earlier in the chase, it seemed Danny was safe for now. The kids mouth was moving, probably talking to more of the heroes.

He wasn’t gonna be safe for long, but Danny allowed himself a moment to breathe in relief. Suddenly his breath stuck coldly in his throat and he froze. Impossible! The shades of this city barely tickled his throat, he hadn’t met anything that would even halfway classify as a ghost to his senses. Urgency was like a cold hand around his throat, a desperate longing hummed in his core as he slowly spun trying to get a sense of where - he only managed to see a blur of red before a heavy weight knocked into him slamming him to the ground. The cold mist in his throat was pushed out in a pained oof, and his head bounced first on one thing then another, but that didn’t matter because his core was singing; close, not alone, hug!

Danny’s head spun, his whole body felt pained and smushed. A man, no a freaking tank, was laying on top of him. Body armor dug into his ribs, probably something there was bent or broken and he felt certain that ominous red helmet had left a mark where it hit his forehead. Also his hair felt a bit wet beneath him. Yet that didn’t matter because he was so overwhelmed, warm with hands and feet tingling from the humming joy in his chest. Hug! His core sang again.

Somewhere in the fog in his head he recognized this was no hug, but he hurt, his head was spinning, and he was not alone and he was happy and wasn’t that more important than a bit of pain? Oo o oO

Jason was unsure what was going on.

He’d managed to tackle the elusive thief Dick had so “creatively” nicknamed the Ghost for his ability to go invisible and the inability for them to land a decent hit on him. In fact if he hadn’t seen footage from previous run-ins with the man, Jason would have thought they wildly exaggerated his skills.

After all the man had frozen up strangely when Jason pulled himself onto the rooftop as he listened only with half an ear to the demon brat angrily grumbling in the comms, that he would have had him had he not been a coward who ran away all the time. Their thief was slowly turning around as if looking for something, the green glass of his goggles reflected in the moonlight and for a moment gave the illusion they were glowing.

Jason had not wasted a moment, got to his feet, crossed the distance in a mere three large steps before he crashed into the man - so, he’d halfway expected the man to move and therefore hadn’t prepared to soften another person’s landing. His helmet hit the shorter man’s forehead and his head rebounded and hit the roof with a sound that made Jason internally wince. The next moment there was a snapping sound and a gasp as the man’s ribcage was caught between the roof and Jason - he really wore no armor, just that thin hoodie. No matter what B said about the danger of the stolen items, Jason was really starting to doubt they had a budding super villain on hand.

He immediately made a move to get up, but stopped, a strange feeling of something overtaking him. It took a moment for him to discern because of the dichotomy, but it was… happiness? What the fuck, it wasn’t his emotions, that made no sense. The pits had only ever sent him rage and in rare moments gruesome satisfaction. This was joy, he felt almost like he was floating caught in a wave at the beach, weightless, happy, warm in the sun. He shook his head pushing the foreign emotions away like he would the pit and focused on his dazed perp.

There was something wet glistening in his unruly black hair.

“Fuck,” Jason muttered, thankfully too low for the helmet to project, but loud enough that he got a breathless but insistent “report” back from Bruce where he was clearly hurrying toward their destination.

“I knocked the Ghost down, he’s bleeding from a head wound,” he muttered at his comms as he pulled the goggles up to get a look his eyes to check for signs of concussion, but immediately froze. The goggles, he’d thought it was a trick of the light earlier, but no, his eyes were glowing - bright and green and just a shade lighter than the Lazarus pits. A shudder ran cold down his back. Somehow the foreign emotions were coming from him, Jason was sure of it, but it explained absolutely nothing! Unrestrained joy? Was this some kind of shock response?

More footsteps landed on the roof and Jason didn’t need to look to know it was Bruce with the Brat along for the ride. He finally remembered he’d been trying to get off the other man at some point.

Oo o oO

No, no, no, Danny’s core protested when the other ghost moved away, and he clutched onto what he could grab, which he dazedly recognized as a very nicely muscled arm. The other arm, because human shaped ghosts have two arms (good job Danny), supported Danny by holding onto one of his arms and that was good. Getting upright gave him the worst moment of vertigo, and his breath whooshed out of him. His legs were like jello and didn’t support him, but that didn’t matter, because his new friend had a good firm grip, could probably even hold him up entirely without Danny clutching his arm, good friend, mine. He butted his head into his chest because that was what he could reach and just leaned there. His core hummed so happily he felt like he’d almost shake apart.

Friend.

Mine

Good friend

…

Why no response?…

Hello? Danny was confused, why wasn’t he getting a response. Also why did his head and chest hurt so bad?

“Tt, what is the matter with him?”

The question, delivered in a haughty voice was like a bucket of ice water on his senses. He gasped and pushed away from where he’d been nuzzling some guy’s chest! Alarmed, he stumbled, but dodged the hands reaching for him, to support him, to catch him, he wasn’t sure. There was the big bat and the midget and the tank in the red helmet; the guy who felt like a ghost and he just wanted nothing more than to go back to him, and- Danny shuddered taking another step back, his face was hot and flaming red right now. This was, this was- he couldn’t-

Hiding his powers be damned; he sunk through the roof.

So embarrassing! He closed his eyes fighting tears as he sank down down down, all the way into the ground where they for sure couldn’t follow him. All the while his insides screamed, because he didn’t want to be lonely anymore. Fuck, he just wanted to go home.

He was so sick and tired of this city.

So... yeah hope you enjoyed this, now I can reveal why I blame Clock, they said and I quote "Danny, like a cat with catnip suddenly" and now Danny is a cat, what can you do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Jason's gonna have to lure this feral ghost in slowly with food and hugs.

edited with link to the next part:next Masterpost where you can subscribe: link

#dead on main #dp x dc #Jason is catnip to Danny #Missed connections #cause that's a shorter tag for this story than the title #long title is long but it makes sense #because danny is in a another dimension and missing his friends and family back home #angst #cw depression

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allmyloveandyours · 10 months

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Actor (12238) and your Roles, Scripts, and Acting Ability

I found this persona chart neat and if y'know you wanted to act but didn't know where to start/wanted to know the vibes, sweet! There you go, read this.

I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL just a silly lil fella take everything I say with a grain of salt or sugar idk you pick

Houses to look at that may be important: 1st (for casting), 3rd (scripts), 5th (fame), 7th (contracts), 10th (awards), 11th (fans and goals), others look at anything you want idc. There'll be asteroids at the end with basic meanings to plug into the chart if you'd like. Have fun and if you have any questions/corrections lmk :D

Asteroid Number: 12238

☆Ascendant/1st House☆

Headshots, castings, and the vibe you give out is what to analyze in this house. This can tell you the style of headshots you should get by looking at the sign for colors/vibes to give off. This house is all about first introductions. What do you want them to know about you? Casting could also be dependent on this house, as it could rule over people simply looking at you to see if you should audition or not (like what vibes do you give off and why would cast you for blah blah blah). Your outward personality also shows in this house, and it could give you a type of act they could steer you to playing (like bombshell, crazy fella, fem fatale, things like that).

✯Roles

The roles you get could be because of the vibe you give off (look at the planets/sign teehee). Your personality could carry you more than your ability, (if you have HEAVY placements tho) granting you more roles. For roles you might have a specific type of outfit and right off the bat you know what you’re dealing with kinda characters. In my mind it’s what you see is what you get with the planets in this house, so the roles you’d get would fit that saying. Are you a detective, boom, you look like one. Bombshell? Bomb you look like a mf queen, like shit like that. Aries gets straight to the point, so does this house, and so do your roles. This placement also reminds me of like, idk like John Mulaney, Awkwafina, y'know people who don't necessarily embody a character but people go "oh it's them!" On the other hand, you could be known for your expressions (like the Kubrick stare of something), like something that people again notice right off the bat. With roles your appeal comes from the vibes rather than getting an assigned thing if that makes sense (I know this house is a mess okay work with me)

✯ Sign: Aries

Aries' straightforward nature, ability to take initiative and leadership qualities are something to admire as a whole, and when it comes to acting, and get you where you need to be and fast. This sign may have more of a penchant towards sportier and physical roles, not wanting to be limited to sitting and talking, and the temperamental nature could make you a sight to see. Where Aries sits in your chart is where you need to take the lead, pave a new way, and walk down it. Embrace the confidence that Aries gives you and chart forward where Aries rules.

☆2nd House☆

The attire you may be put on (we’re talkin costumes babyyy). What colors would you look nice in, or what kind of costumes would you be more likely to put into kinda deal. More in depth this house could talk about your skills and how to approach gaining new methods for the craft. To me this is similar to 9th house of figuring out what tools to put under your belt in order to grow, but it’s more centered around money rather than just self growth. Use the skills you have and can gain to get roles (like for example if you’re a contortionist you might for your horror movie roles kinda thing). This could also tell you how you handle your money when it comes to films, a part of me wants to say budget-but budget like what of your own money to you put into projects, and what would they go towards (depends on the planets and sign yknow the drill). This can also point to talents you could have (like you could look at comedy related asteroids or something and see if they’re there you know the vibe)

✯Roles

Characters that involve opulence, style and class may be roles to lean towards. Being able to dress up and show out may appeal, like the exact opposite of a role you have to de-glam for. Since this is the house of skills and values, you may shift toward characters that put them on display, and you put a lot of value into said skills, regardless of what they are. Roles for these placements remind me of the old Hollywood kinda classics like Breakfast at Tiffany's and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, that glamorous kind of role that give enough space to show off your skills. Roles at involve slow burns or sometimes even food as well (if not chef, there could just be a lot of dining room scenes of that makes sense idk I just thought I’d throw in the Taurus food cliche thing here)

✯Sign: Taurus

Embodying the down to earth nature that comes with Taurus is the way to go. The classy and luxurious vibe that Taurus naturally gives off should bleed into wherever Taurus is/rules in your chart. Approach things with caution, put in that earth sign slow work ethic, and work your way into wealth using the Venus ruled sign. This in your chart tells you where you may need to slow down, bring class into the mix, and be stubborn. It can also show you where you may be stubborn/slow to change in acting, like if it’s in 3rd you may have a specific way of delivering lines you may need to change/ work on slowly.

☆3rd House☆

In the house of writing, ALWAYS look at this house (empty or not) to see the vibe of the scripts you may get as an overall. This could also tell you how you need to write/deliver lines, and the uniqueness you can bring when it comes to speaking. You can track your mentality when it comes to acting when it comes to his house. Like for example I have Capricorn ruling it, with Aquarius Neptune as well, and I've always liked the idea of a long term web series, as it gives more freedom than traditional Hollywood projects. This to me can also explain how people react to you online, for example Drew Barrymore's 3rd starts off with 29° Libra, and from what I've seen, people LOVE her talk show, like the jokes of "I just NEED to talk with her" come to mind, and from what I noticed, it was pretty out of nowhere (like people didn't expect her to get a show), and the rest of the house is Scorpio with North Node in Sagittarius 1°, and people often talk about her carefree nature to talking about deep topics. Obviously it's not exactly acting, but still found it interesting as it is the social media house.

✯Roles

The house of Gemini goes give MAJOR versatility (for example, Marilyn Monroe has Gemini ruling her third, and she did have versatility she wasn't granted that you can see bits and pieces of when watching her movies like Bus Stop (straight up rage) and Seven Year Itch (comedic timing)). Comedy could be one of your talents, along with generally being able to deliver lines in a way that caters to to role. Chatty siblings, witty side characters, or a smart lead is something that could fit you, just know it'll involve a LOT of talking. Work on being able to deliver long winded rants and monologues.

✯Sign: Gemini

You can tell I have a bias towards Gemini placements in the actor persona chart, as the "two faced" nature of Gemini is something that works well with acting. Like I said in the rest of this section, versatility is key for Gemini. Being able to think of something on the spot and fit to the situation is the best thing to use to your advantage. The personality you embody can be whatever you need it to be at the time. To be clear, this can show where in the chart you're more equipped to change and able to adapt when it comes to acting.

☆4th House☆

The house of the home, comfort and self security is under scrutiny when it comes to acting, as acting requires you to go out of your comfort zone. Now this could mean that you stay close to home, only working with family or doing local theater. Something I've noticed is that if you have a "positive" planet there (like Venus, Sun, etc), you may not want to act outside of your comfort zone. A lot of people I know who stuck to high school theater/had no desire to expand out had more planets in this house. This can also talk about how your family supports you, and how your inner security is impacted when it comes to acting.

✯Roles

Hereditary immediately came to mind LMAO but home roles may be something you consider/get. That doesn't mean you immediately get parental roles obviously, but it could mean that you do family environment roles. He's not the best example since he doesn't have this in his chart, but like Bryan Cranston going from Malcolm in the Middle to Breaking Bad, and being a father in both, or Toni Collette being again the mother in Hereditary but also the mother in United States of Tara, still family roles but dramatically different and more serious tones. You could also be known as a family name with placements here, like you could be on repeat in people's homes with this placement, like Disney or Miss Rachel kind of thing. Known in families.

✯Sign: Cancer

Emotionally driven roles are something you could like. With a personality that can offer comfort and emotional security, utilize those elements to get roles and give personality to them. Another thing I've noticed is that with cancer placements, people's parents could know about you (ik that sounds weird but you could be known more either intergenerationally or as an actor older people would like). This can show where you bring emotional comfort/stability in your acting.

☆ 5th House☆

OH YEAH BABY THIS IS THEE HOUSE!!!! The house of Leo and acting and fame as a whole is an important house to look at. Don't worry if there's nothing in it, look for the sign that rules it. This can tell you how you work the stage, and the uniqueness and fire you bring to your roles. Like the 4th house, this can tell you about theater or just plain old acting in a general sense. Leo can tell you what kind of creativity you may have and bring to the table, the energy you bring to fame, and it could even tell how well you do with younger generations, as the house does rule over children.

✯Roles

This can talk about the starring roles you could get, as it is Leo's house. The spotlight is put on you in this area, and the planets can let you know how to use it to your advantage. For example, Aaliyah has 23° Venus, and 29° Mercury in Libra, 18° Uranus and Vertex in Scorpio ALL in her fifth, and she utilized her well-known voice and beauty to get roles that put her in a spotlight, as although she only got a couple of roles before her death, they weren't your typical musical star roles, as she got an action movie, dark vampire and was almost in the Matrix, she used that Scorpio deepness and depth and sexiness, and that Uranus weirdness to her advantages to get roles that wouldn't confine her like it has other stars. Put the spotlight on the planets/sign in this house and it'll help you. This one is VERY straightforward. Shine a light on this house and it will shine back on you.

✯Sign: Leo

Leo can tell you where you may simply succeed as an actor. Like 5th, Leo is where the spotlight and creativity is in your chart. The personality to use may sound a little shitty, but put yourself where Leo is. If it's in 6th, do it daily and when it comes to co-workers, if it's 11th, make yourself shine in groups of people. Obviously, it won't be hard, but don't let your light get dimmed where Leo is. The personality to bring is first and warm, and use that Leo charm to show off the showmanship. Embrace the fiery nature and ego (responsibility) here.

☆6th House☆

Virgo's house of health, co-workers, pets and daily life can talk about the mundane side of acting. How often you work and how you take care of your health is the important thing to look at. It can show if you're a bit of a workaholic or a perfectionist, your emotional investment, how your health reacts. Depending on the planets, it could point to how often in your daily life you act or are theatrical. For example, Markiplier (don't bring it up I just got like a set list of people I use and an example ok) has North Node in Aquarius in his 6th, pointing to the fact he may like to act daily, or puts his acting talent into his work (like In Space with Markiplier and such), or would prefer to work as often as he could when it comes to acting, like he worked on his birthday this year for Iron Lung and ended up in the hospital as he got fake blood in his eyes. Not exactly an exciting house, but important. It could also talk about your co-stars/extras and how you interact with them. For example of you got let's say a water sign in this house, you may want to get to know them/befriend them.

✯Roles

John Krasinski has a HEAVY 6th house, which drum roll omg he was in The Office (I just thought I would check it and it made me giggle, he's got like 8 objects and planets in there). Office roles, roles about Mundane tasks, and general health may be roles you get. In my brain, I kinda think of this as the house of The Office and Grey's Anatomy. Realistic roles that talk and delve into daily life are roles that could work well for you. Not that you couldn't do bigger things, Black Mirror also reminds me of this house, as while it is fantastical, it is about daily life in a different universe.

✯Sign: Virgo

Virgo's perfectionism and analytical nature fits well with acting, as the studious nature and attention to detail can attract people to your performances. As an earth sign, you may not be the most outwardly shiny, and prefer a calm nature, the accuracy you bring to roles is something to use to your advantage. Biopics could be something you're good at, something I thought of was like Christian Bale coping Tom Cruise for his role as Patrick Bateman kinda deal, you notice the little things that's needed to get into a role. This in the chart can point to where you excel at paying attention to details and where you aim for perfection.

☆7th House☆

We're talkin' contracts, we're talkin' relationships, we're talkin' marriage that's right baby this is the house of one on one. This talks about the kinds of contracts you may get (or if you should sign to them,) and how they benefit you. This is an important house as contracts are typically needed when it comes to acting on sets. This can also discuss the kind of on screen romances you may get into, or just even pairings on screen. This can tell you how your fans could react to your romances (or even ship you with others), and how you react to your own romances (like do you hide it? Work with your partner?). It can also talk about the people that openly dislike you and how easily you attract envy from others.

✯Roles

To me this is the rom-com house, like to me it's that balance of romance and humor that just appeals to Libra to me. Balance is the word for this house. Give and take between a pairing can be something you shine in. It makes me think of like Bill & Ted or Harold & Kumar or Kristen Wiig & Maya Rudolph, you shine on your own but the partnerships you act in make you shine brighter. That, or you could just be the ideal person to star as the romantic lead. That, or you could be good in roles that are designed to be the mediator. Lawyers, therapists, or just a role that puts you in the middle of conflict you need to calm down.

✯Sign: Libra

Calm, zen, and pretty vibes are what you bring. Like Taurus, opulence is something that you could bring to a role. Even in the most I guess "un-insert synonym for glamorous here" role", you bring a quality of polish to roles that comes naturally. Where Libra is in your chart is where you can appeal the most to people, or where you could even have the most consistent need to appeal to people, therefore making it easier for you to work with roles. Libra's air sign nature makes them adaptable, but to work with people. Libra's may be the perfect person to work well with directors, and be able to take notes well and fit into what they need. In your chart, this points to where you may fit other needs, along with bringing a natural polish and balance to your craft-but remember to put yourself first.

☆8th House☆

Hahaha this is the s*x house, but also death and depth that's needed as an actor. This could tell you about the darker side of being an actor. It can tell you how you handle yourself in private and prepare for roles, and how well you keep yourself in check almost. This can point to how you feel about any sort of intimacy on set, or how you deal with s*xual topics and even if you want to period. Do you talk about death in your roles? Are things that are hidden things you want to bring to light with acting? These questions are answered with this house. This can also point to how people treat those topics with you. It can show how people may view your attractiveness or how much they want to know your secrets. This house can also talk about the depth you long for when it comes to acting.

✯Roles

While the first thing I do was to cover is how you may be viewed as a s*x symbol, it does cover other roles, don't worry. Simply it can point to if you may get roles where you're s*xualized or viewed as anything like the other woman/man, or simply just the hot one of that makes sense. Marilyn had her moon in Scorpio in this house, and while she did want emotional depth in roles, others rather wanted to view her as something sexual and sad as shit (I'm looking DIRECTLY at the movie Blonde right in its fuckin eyes I hate at movie). This can also talk about all the darker topics you act in, so topics of dr*gs, death and even simply keeping a secret are roles you excel in. Anything others may not want to do, you would. You require emotional investment in your roles, or nothing. Depending on the sign, it could point to either faking emotional depth, or needing it so much you refuse shallow roles regardless of how good it is.

✯Sign: Scorpio

Scorpio as an actor scares me. Not in a spooky way, just in a way where I think they'd be method actors. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Scorpios like to get their hands dirty. The personality you bring obviously could be mysterious, sexy, and charming, but something I see more is dirty-but not in the gross way, but like I said in the houses section, you need to get your hands dirty and take roles others normally wouldn't-skill or reputation be damned if that makes sense, like playing a serial killer, or like Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones. You take roles others may not have the heart to. This is the house where you bring depth to the table, and where (or what) you're willing to dig your hands into to become the perfect person for the role.

☆ 9th House☆

The house of expansions, overseas/travel, philosophy and higher education leaves a lot to work with for this house. While this house could just be "oh travel different locations" I do notice that this placement might like press tours, or traveling to promote movies/shows in different countries. This could also tell what you may wish to expand and understand more in your acting. This house normally reminds me of people who like to learn and grow as people, so for acting and writing, you may never be satisfied with your performance, and therefore would like to get better, all with a feel good attitude. This house would do well with going to schools for the arts and expressing your inner thoughts and philosophy through your career. I feel like they may be heard better if that makes sense? Or your views on life could gain you respect. OR (I'm sorry I keep saying or just bear with me) it could even show how you go about learning new roles/methods of acting. 9th can also tell you about types of shows you could get cast in (or write, as it rules over publishing therefore screenwriting is in the mix.

✯Roles

Right off the bat, roles for this placement do kinda scream travel TV, like food or just traveling to explore foreign places and give your insight on them. And if you're not interested in the Travel Channel kinda vibe, roles that could work for you are ones that expand your life view. You may not like repeating roles, and sticking with the same thing for too long as you need to grow constantly with your roles. Roles like teachers, lawyers and religious figures may be things you like to play. Exploration of yourself and the way things are could be roles that fit for you. And if that sounds too heavy, don't worry. You don't need to dive into something serious right off the bat. It could be an exploration of simple things. Idk why but I just get Aang from ATLA even thought that's an animated series, it still works.

✯Sign: Sagittarius

Carefree attitude is the first thing that comes to mind, second is comedy. Acting as a Sagittarius embodies the Jupitertrian nature of almost overdoing things, but mannerisms? Like out of all of the actors I imagine using your hands and body language to act more than your voice. Like I said before, comedic timing could be your forte, like a lot of Sagittarius actors who do serious acting but are often overlooked when it comes to comedic talents. This in your chart can also tell you where you have the most expansion as an actor, and could have the most range/potential for range, but overall, where you may also need to have a more carefree attitude when it comes to the craft.

☆10th House/MC☆

The general house of success and awards can tell you just that. It can tell you the type of awards you may get/why, or how you go about accepting them. Like in terms of speeches and such (like if you got moon there or something they could be more emotionally driven you know the deal). This can also tell you the type of dedication you have to acting and the craft itself. Whatever rules/or is in this house could talk about how people also view your success, like I said before let's say you get an award, it could be how the public acts when it gets it, good or bad. Idk if I explained it correctly LMAO but it's kinda like the dedication you put in > how people see you (audience and critics) > how you get awards/public response to you winning them. Does that make sense? No? That's okay. This can also be a house that goes into casting, as it deals more with your public perspective.

✯Roles

Literally Succession LMAO. But roles revolving around reestablished high status (like I'm not talking about rags to riches with this placement, I think more of already having some sort of standing and fighting to keep it), or hierarchy are roles that would work for you. Roles involving royalty/history, similar to something like The Crown or Reign, things that like. Like genuinely could go more into detail but Succession is the best straight up explanation I could give 💀. Rich people doing rich people things and fighting to keep those riches. Very straightforward. Another role I almost forgot to mention is A Star is Born. That working up into your success may be something people like to see, real or fake. Use it.

✯Sign: Capricorn

Hard work and discipline is what Capricorn does best, and same with being straight forward. Look at where Capricorn is in your chart to know where you need to put hard work and put elbow grease into. Embody a natural (yet humble) boss energy, and bring it to the table. Don't let your standards drop wherever it rules, and because Saturn is Caps ruler, don't try to cut corners wherever it lands for you. Put in your all to get the benefits and rewards you deserve.

☆11th House☆

Goals! Aspirations! Friends! Fans! Humanitarianism! Look at all of that shit oh boy, you can see why in natal this is the house you look for when it comes to getting attention. But in this case, it can talk about the goal(s) you have when it comes to acting. What message do you want to get across? It can tell you where/how to set your sights to achieve the goals you want. It can also tell you how you channel your giving nature when it comes to acting/writing. Having heavy placements here could point to wanting to get a message across with your acting (like don't do drugs, murder bad, you know the drill). This can also tell the kind of friends you make, or how you evolve them. You may have a preference for working with people you're already friends with/attempting to lift them up (which sorta pairs with humanitarianism if you squint). This can also tell you how your fans may perceive/treat you. That's more straightforward like if you got Neptune there boom they're delusional. You got Mars? Mean as hell (I'm joking I'm 5 drafts into this post work with me here)

✯Roles

Ensemble roles may call to you, as this house is opposing 5th, there's less of a want of the spotlight on you, while still remaining the center focus (like for example shows like The Office and Brooklyn 99 are ensemble, but the main couples of those shows are considered the main characters). You may get roles that involve a community setting such as school, some form of class (dance, music, etc), something that brings society (or a micro version of it) under a microscope. This placement could point to friendlier roles, or if not friendly, the characters you play may be played by friends like I mentioned in the general section (working with the homies). Tech related roles may also appeal to you (like heavy CGI, playing the tech wiz friend), the syfy genre, or a futuristic setting are things you may like to play.

✯Sign: Aquarius

Uniqueness, individuality and a new perspective is what this sign brings when it comes to The Craft™. The Aquarius Leo axis is (imo) important to look at when it comes to things such as creativity and fame, so if Leo shows where you need to step out and shout to show your uniqueness, Aquarius shows where you need to step back and let your uniqueness shine on its own. Wherever it is in your chart is where you may need to think outside of the box and bring a new perspective. Use the classic Aquarius quirkiness to your advantage with whatever placements you have under it, and don't be afraid to be different from the rest.

☆12th House☆

In acting, this house is you. While 8th house does rule over hidden and can be what you keep private, 12th can just be what you do in solitude. It can tell you how your mental health could be affected by acting/how to heal it. This can tell how your spirituality comes into play when it comes to acting (do you do any sort of rituals kinda thing). The vibe of this house is to remain hidden, and most likely to keep to yourself, so it can say if you like being in front of the camera, or simply in back of it. Heavy 12th house placements could point to working well behind the scenes to direct, or produce instead. It can also tell you how people may hate you. That's pretty straight forward, but keep in mind it's always hidden.

✯Roles

Like I said before, these placement roles may be better suited out of sight, meaning, directing work, editing, and generally keeping hidden may be things you like. Other roles could be more mental and quiet ones. Like 8th house, these roles require you to dig deep. Method acting could be something that appeals to you to get yourself in the headspace required for acting. With heavy 3rd house placements it could point to voiceover/audio work (just wanted to make that clear). Roles that talk about mental health and the brain activity behind it could appeal to you.

✯Sign: Pisces

One of the natural signs of creativity and daydreaming, it can well, tell you where you daydream too much. Where you're so far up in the clouds you need to ground yourself in order to make things happen. Use the Neptune ruled planet to take the projection you get from others into attention, and wow them with the creativity you were born with. Where Pisces is in your chart, you may need to remember to stay focused, bring creativity into it, and could just simply tell you where you harbor the most dreams. This, like other water signs, can tell you where you may need to trust your intuition more when it comes to acting.

Ok planet time teehee

Sun: The roles you shine in and the environment you thrive in, what you may be known for acting wise and simply which roles you slip into the easiest.

Moon: The emotional energy you put into your roles, how you can tap into your emotional side when getting ready for a role.

Mercury: Your style of speaking/line delivery, how you write scripts, + 1 for voice acting.

Venus: Love interests (who you play or you you’re paired with), the style of clothing you may wear the most, aesthetics you may embody.

Mars: What topics you may have a passion for, the kind of anger you can have as an actor, or just general frustrations others may have with you, the driving force of your acting.

Jupiter: The success you get as an actor, what area of your life expands with it, how/what kind of travels you may take, your general acting philosophy.

Saturn: What you may need to work the hardest on/just constantly work at, restrictions you may have as an actor, delays you could have if you don't work with Saturn, and where you could reap the most benefits.

Uranus: The uniqueness you have as an actor, (looking at aspects) things about you that may stand out, the part of your life they could get shaken up/changed the most because of acting.

Neptune: A big indicator of the roles you'll get as it rules projection, also what part of your career people will project onto the most, what misconceptions others may have about you as an actor.

Pluto: What transformations you may have as an actor, there you may experience a downfall (and we do a lil trolling), where you may have more intensity when it comes to your career/how intense people are with you.

North Node: A path that may appeal to you when it comes to acting/things that are outside of your comfort zone that you need to master

South Node: Where you’re the most comfortable/your comfort zone, things that come easy to you

Common Elements (I literally forgot to add this section so I’m naming it what it’s called in Astro.com lmao)

Pars Fortune - Where you may be fortunate in terms of acting

Vertex - Qualities/Situations you’ll be destined to go down

Lilith - What feminine qualities you embody and where you may feel the need to have liberation

Chiron - Where you can experience the most pain when it comes to acting, or experience the most healing/be healing to others

Ceres - How you take care of yourself and others in your work

Pallas - A natural skill you may have when it comes to acting

Juno - The partnerships you may form in your time acting

Vesta - Where you have an undying dedication when it comes to acting

Asteroids to plug in teehee (Feel free to suggest more PLEASE)

Starr (4150) - Stardom and where you shine

Glo (3267) - Where you have a general glow/stand out compared to others

Fama (408) - Fame and Gossip that could revolve around you

Fan (151590) - The fans you may have/why they like you

Talent (33154) - General talent/a specific knack you may have

Fortuna (19) - Where you’ll experience the most fortune)

Thalia (23) - Comedic presence/ability

Copy:

4150,3267,408,151590,33154,19,23,

Ok!! There it is there's the post I've been sitting on like a silly little fella who just hates posting. Let me know what placements you have! I'd love to hear it/if you have any questions let me know, and I'll see you next posts ok now stop reading seriously get outta here

#astrology #astro notes #astrology observations #astrology asteroids #astrology chart #acting #actor 12238 #zodiac signs #midheaven #ascendant #astrology career #career #astrology persona chart

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torturedpoetemotions · 3 months

Text

Light & Framing in WWDITS: Nandermo Edition

I really have to give props to whoever does the lighting and cinematography for What We Do In The Shadows. They took what could easily have been an excuse to cheap out on those things--the show's format as a half-hour comedy mockumentary--and said a resounding fuck that.

Every frame of this show is gorgeously and thoughtfully lit and shot and colored, and not just the big pivotal moments. Truly every shot. The sets and the costumes also do a lot of heavy lifting here, but still everything is framed so carefully and intentionally. And considering this show is at least 55% fucking improv? That is seriously impressive. I've seen big budget network cornerstone series take less care with their most pivotal moments than this show takes with like...any random moment (I know, I know, it's okay, I can say Game of Thrones).

Take this shot for example (thanks to @indashadows!):

Now bear in mind, this is ONE shot in ONE scene in an episode. An important scene, but not a long one. And yet in this scene, every single detail--from the actors' body language to the framing to the lighting to their fucking outfits--reinforces the underpinning context and subtext of the scene.

Look at Nandor. His posture is so open and vulnerable. He's facing directly toward Guillermo, looking slightly up at him actually instead of down at him like he usually would be. They're almost eye level but not quite. His face is fully lit, and his body is more in light than shadow, with the parts facing Guillermo lit and the parts facing away from him in deep shadow.

Nandor is being very open, honest, and vulnerable with Guillermo in this scene, probably more so than he's ever been before! All the pretense, the aloofness he usually hides behind is now shoved to the back. They're also on nearly equal footing compared to their usual situation, with Guillermo possibly having a slight upper hand due to how thrown everyone, including Nandor, is by the revelation that he's a vampire slayer.

(I know Nandor knew he killed Carol and the Baron, but given those were both accidents I think it's reasonable to say Nandor was still surprised about the slayer from a long line of notorious slayers aspect of the revelation.)

Another way to read this is that Nandor is at a disadvantage because of what he doesn't know in this scene, i.e. that Guillermo can leave any time he wants, that Guillermo has been listening to their conversations, and that Guillermo is using that information now to manipulate him. It's left somewhat up to interpretation whether Nandor actually knows any of this or not, so YMMV there. But the point stands that in either interpretation, Nandor is on his back foot here a bit and the framing and lighting of the scene reflects that.

Now contrast that with Guillermo. His posture is closed off, he's hunched in on himself. He's leaning toward Nandor, but he's not facing him or looking at him directly. His eyes are downcast. He's positioned a little above Nandor, but he's not acknowledging or reveling in that change of position in any way; in fact, he seems to be minimizing it with the way he's standing. Almost his entire body including his face is in shadow, with only the parts facing away from Nandor receiving any light.

Guillermo is not being vulnerable, open, or honest with Nandor in this moment. Whether Nandor knows everything or not, Guillermo thinks he's playing Nandor here. He thinks he has information Nandor isn't privy to (the hole in the cage and the hidden cameras) and knows things Nandor doesn't know he knows (the conversations he's overheard). Guillermo is normally much more open and vulnerable with Nandor, which often results in him getting his feelings (at the very least) hurt. But this is one time when he's consciously choosing to push his care for Nandor to the backburner in order to take care of himself for once.

(I also have FEELINGS about light representing emotional honesty and vulnerability between these two characters in the show about vampires and what they do in the shadows. Maybe I'll scream about them later.)

And here's the real kicker: they are so in odds with their approach here, their usual roles in the relationship are being reversed in ways neither is fully comfortable with...and yet they're still on the same damn page.

They both have the same ultimate goal in this scene: to get Guillermo out of the cage and have the other vampires in the house accept him and stop insisting on killing him. They are both trying to take care of Guillermo in their own ways. And as the show often does, it underscores this in part via the similarities in their outfits (but that is a WHOLE other fucking massive meta-post currently sitting in my drafts).

#wwdits #what we do in the shadows #what we do in the shadows fx #wwdits meta #my meta #nandermo

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juyeonszn · 8 months

Text

DIVE TO YOU

PAIRING lee sangyeon x f!reader

WORD COUNT 2.61k

GENRES fluff ﹒suggestive

WARNINGS 18+ MINORS DNI u already know, roommates to ;) type beat, ummm they’re naked, they are in a bathtub, sangyeon is… wow sangyeon just deserves a warning on his own, he is A Lot, there’s a mention of a voyeuristic moment but it’s nothing crazy, he massages reader, they make out, i tease u all bc i’m evil like that

SUMMARY you’ve never really thought of sangyeon in an explicit way, but now that you’re stuck in this position, it’s going to be difficult for your thinking to go back to normal.

MORE SURPRISE ALLY (@winterchimez) MY BELOVED THIS ONE IS FOR U <<<3 i hope i didn’t kill u </3 this is another request from my 100 followers event! prompts used are: 9, 16, 17 🤞

PERM TAGLIST @winterchimez @maessseongs

You hated your job more than anything in the world. It was mind-numbing. All you did was stare at a computer all day and type type type, responding to emails or drafting up documents for your boss. It was exhausting. To be honest, you were sick of it.

But you needed it, unless you wanted to get kicked out of your apartment for not making your share of the rent. Sure, having a job you disliked wasn’t ideal, but you were surviving and wasn’t that all that mattered?

Besides, you’d probably die if you were forced to move out of your apartment. Your roommate was the only reason you moved in to the damn place despite rent being so fucking expensive.

You remember the day you stumbled upon his ad like it was yesterday, though it had already been exactly one year. You’d just finished your first month at your job and you were growing tired of dealing with your parents. Yeah it was nice that you didn’t have to worry about half of your current expenses while living under their roof, but you knew you needed to ship up and move out eventually. You figured this was the perfect time to do so.

You scoured the internet for apartments, but soon realized that living on your own would be way too much, considering all of the other things you also had to worry about now. As you started filtering through listings that requested a second habitant, you stumbled upon your roommate’s. The rent itself was a little bit over your budget, but the way he worded his ad had you hooked.

Just an hour later you were emailing him and setting up a meeting to discuss important details. You met up at a cute little coffee shop a few days later when you both found some free time. Being the punctual person you were, you arrived earlier than planned, ordering your go to and picking a two seater in the corner by one of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

You had always been the type to psych yourself up before doing anything major. You needed at least half an hour of prep time if you were making any important decisions, because you could not handle things going wrong. Everything in your life had to be carefully and methodically done. You liked to say you were thorough, but everyone else called you a perfectionist. It is what it is.

And because you didn’t know this guy, you had no idea what he looked like and you weren’t aware that he had the same mindset. You glance up from your drink to see the most handsome man you’ve ever laid your eyes on walk into the cafe, ordering something you can’t make out. He looks like something straight from a drama, his hair styled neatly and his outfit put together. Even under his thick coat, you could see how well sculpted he was.

You don’t realize that you’re staring until he’s suddenly walking towards your direction, his coffee in his hands. He furrows his brows and clears his throat. “Hi, I don’t mean to bother you, but do you happen to be Y/N?”

Oh my god. No way. There was no way this hunk of a man was your potential roommate. It was impossible.

When your lips part in shock and you don’t respond for a couple seconds, he blinks at you. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that impossible. You nearly facepalm for already making such a fool of yourself before you’ve even held a proper conversation. You stumble over your words as you gesture to the chair across from you. “Y-Yes! Yes, that’s me. Please, take a seat!”

He smiles politely, setting down his drink and shedding his coat. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Sangyeon.”

You wipe your hands on your jeans before reaching to shake his hand nervously. If you could hardly handle this simple meeting, how could you handle living with the guy? He might send you into spontaneous combustion by just looking at you.

Sangyeon had the patience of a saint, and you would be eternally grateful for it. After getting to know each other better and growing more comfortable around him, the two of you discussed the roommate situation. You truly lucked out in finding him, seeing as you shared a lot of similar ideals. He even offered to lower your part of the rent as much as he could, explaining that you were by far his favorite candidate for the second room.

Later that same day, you went over and got an apartment tour prior to signing a lease agreement. And then the rest was history.

You sigh as the clock finally hits 6, signaling the end of your very long work day. One thing you disliked about getting off at the time you did was the fact that it was always snowing. It made it hard to navigate your way home, since most people packed around the bus stops like sardines. You hug your coat to yourself to block out the harsh winds, your scarf wrapped up to your nose.

You were tired and cold and all you wanted was to be inside the blanket that was your apartment, soaking in a hot bath with a glass of wine beside you. Sangyeon was supposedly working late today, which meant you’d have some much needed alone time.

The entire bus ride, you find yourself drifting off and then startling awake when you drove over a bump. You don’t remember the last time you were this drained after a work week. It could’ve been because you stayed over time a couple days, but you didn’t think it would affect you that badly.

When you finally arrive at the stop near your apartment, you’re almost in a zombie-like state, trudging through some of the snow that has started to stick. The only thing keeping your eyes open was the obnoxious chattering of your teeth.

It feels like a millennia by the time you’ve reached your front door, hands shaking as you attempt to unlock it. You’re partly surprised you didn’t drop your keys. The moment you step into your home, it’s like a huge weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

From the lingering scent of your peppermint and vanilla candle to the warmth of the building’s heating, you felt like you’d just been cuddled by a teddy bear. You shrug off your coat and hang it on the set of hooks beside the front door, leaving your shoes on the rack just beneath. Your sock clad feet drag you towards the kitchen, where an unopened bottle of wine awaits you.

You’re tempted to just drink straight from the bottle, but you didn’t want to get shitfaced, you just wanted to feel relaxed. Nevertheless, you pour yourself a… hefty… glass and waddle to the bathroom. A mental note was made to thank your coworker for the bath salt and bubble set she got you as a gift, seeing as it was finally being put to good use.

It doesn’t take long for you to peel off your layers of clothing after you’ve turned on the faucet and adjusted the temperature to your preference. You watch with heavy eyelids as the bubbles begin to form along the surface of the water, rising up and filling the tub. You dip your toes in while simultaneously taking a sip of your wine, damn near moaning at how much better you felt.

You press play on one of your playlists and light a candle before finally sinking into the water, succumbing to its serenity. Your eyes start to flutter shut and you don’t even try to fight the sleep that calls your name.

You’re not sure if hours or minutes have passed since you fell asleep, but the creaking of the bathroom door opening stirs you from your slumber. Most people probably would’ve had a bigger reaction, considering someone just walked into the bathroom without checking if it was occupied first. And also because you had assumed you were home alone.

This was one of the various times you wished the earth would just swallow you whole.

Lee Sangyeon stands in the doorway, shoulder resting against the threshold with his arms crossed. His dress shirt from work is unbuttoned all the way to the third from the top, his muscular frame stretching the fabric deliciously. You wondered how he was comfortable, since he wore such tight shirts. Occasionally you truly understood why the term ‘Take A Picture, It’ll Last Longer’ existed.

You were extremely thankful that you added bubbles to your bath, the foam covering up your body where the sun usually doesn’t shine. Sangyeon has an amused glint in his eye and even with the fogginess of your partially awake brain coupled with the few sips of wine you’ve had, you know it’s off brand for him.

“S-Sangyeon, what are you doing in here?” You trip over your words, wrapping your arms around yourself tightly.

“Well, I just got home and I was planning on doing the same thing as you,” he rolls his neck as if to display his own tension from a long day. “But it looks like you’ve beat me to it.”

You blink at him. Why was he still standing there? Staring at you like… that?

“Um… Why haven’t you left?” You swallow, but your mouth is dry.

“Is there some space in that bathtub?”

He asks the question so smoothly, the words rolling off of his tongue like he’s asked to join you in the bath on numerous occasions. You gape at him, your head spinning in circles. Perhaps you were still half asleep and your mind was playing tricks on you. That made the most sense. Perfect, sweet roommate Sangyeon would never ask you a question like that.

“I’m sorry?” Part of you feels stupid, gawking at the male and stumbling over your speech. It’s like you’ve completely malfunctioned, every logical point of your body shutting down for unscheduled maintenance. You had to recalibrate your systems fast.

Sangyeon repeats himself, not skipping a beat as he does so. You do a 180, glancing around the room as if someone else was present. You jab a finger into the only exposed part of your chest and then at the water with scrunched eyebrows.

“Yeah, is there some room in there for me to fit? You know, Y/N,” he shrugs, going for the next button on his shirt. “I have seen you naked before.”

You nearly drown yourself on the spot. Lee Sangyeon has seen you naked? This was news to you. Last you checked, neither of you had ever done anything intimate enough for that. He laughs that attractive laugh of his, his eyes forming crescent moons. You’re enticed to drown yourself a second time.

“Y-You have?” This was probably single-handedly the most embarrassing moment of your life.

“To be fair, it was an accident. I walked past your room while you were changing once but you didn’t have the door closed all the way, and well, I am a man so, I couldn’t help but take a peek.” He scratches the back of his neck, letting out a small chuckle. Okay so God definitely had favorites and you weren’t one of them. Nice to know.

He unbuttons another button, stepping closer to you, closing the distance between you. He crouches next to the tub, finally at eye level with you. Oh, what you would give for a moment of this man’s time. Here he was, handing you just that on a silver platter and you were royally fumbling the bag.

“So is that a yes?”

You really don’t trust your own voice, so you merely nod, biting back the urge to groan when he grins at you, standing upright. It’s like you’re stuck in a trance, watching him clear the rest of the buttons of his shirt like light work. The sight of his abdomen on full display has you releasing a tiny squeak. Then comes the unbuckling of his belt and that alone is a mental image you don’t think you could ever forget. You dip your chin into your shoulder, looking away when he strips the rest of his clothes.

You feel him before you hear him, his leg brushing against the back of your arm as he slips behind you into the tub. He exhales deeply, exactly like you did when you got in. You’re as stiff as a board, not sure what you should do with your roommate naked and sitting behind you, sharing bath water like it was a regular Friday night. You keep your focus on the faucet, too afraid to make any sudden movements.

“Relax, N/N,” he pins his chest to your back, hands coming up to massage your shoulders. “You’re so tense.”

The way he works his thumbs into your skin has shivers running down your spine, your entire being feeling like it’s lit up. You suppress a whimper when he kneads a knot just below your neck, squeezing your eyes shut and biting your lip. Before today, you’ve never really thought of Sangyeon in an explicit way. Sure you thought he was extremely handsome, but that had always been just a surface level notion. You’d never fantasized about a crazy, fan-fiction type moment like this. But now that you’re in it, you don’t think your thinking could ever go back to normal. You could never see him as just your handsome roommate.

You have half the mind to scoot into his lap, but it seems like he’s beat you to it, sliding his hands down to your waist and pulling you towards him. Your eyes widen when you feel him, hard and pressed to your lower back. At that, you finally make a noise; something between a strangled moan and a whine.

Sangyeon brings his lips to your ear, grazing them along the shell of it. “Can you feel how much I want you?”

“Y-Yes,” you gasp. “I can feel you.”

This is insanity. Were you still waking up, conjuring up this entire scenario with your half conscious mind? Maybe some sick and deluded higher power wanted you to realize the possibility of having feelings for Sangyeon, and this was their way of doing it.

But then one of his hands trails to your thigh and he pinches you lightly. That’s how you know this is real, this is actually happening. You crane your neck slightly to glance at him. His eyes are darker than usual, a deep brown swimming with lust that almost looks black. It’s similar to how a predator would stare down its prey and it’s a look you could get used to.

Sangyeon’s gaze flickers down to your lips and you just about lose your last bit of clarity, leaning forward to connect your mouths. It’s kind of messy, kind of rough, but the way your stomach twists into knots and goosebumps litter your arms makes you think that the higher being you were cursing minutes ago was actually doing you a huge favor. You’d have to thank them later.

One of Sangyeon’s hands comes up to cup your cheek, his thumb caressing your cheekbone as he does so. Without parting, you turn around in his lap, straddling him as best you can in your limited space. If you thought you felt him before, you definitely feel him now, his cock pulsing against your aching core. Your need was carnal, primal even. He hisses when you grind down on him, gripping your hips to halt you.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish, sweetheart.”

#the boyz #the boyz x reader #the boyz suggestive #tbz #tbz x reader #tbz suggestive #the boyz sangyeon #tbz sangyeon #lee sangyeon x reader #lee sangyeon suggestive #sangyeon x reader #sangyeon suggestive #juyeonszn #juyeonszn.100🪩

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the-once-ler-in-superjail · 9 months

Text

CHAPTER 35: The Asylum - Part 1

Thanks for holding on again, we hope your patience was worth it! Went with a slightly different presentation style this time round (more comic page form) so expect these uploads to not always be the same format- that's part of the fun we're having with it.

Lineart/cleanup, flats & writing- @wiggybe

Layout/roughs, shading/lighting & writing- @self-made-madman

(TW: Mental illness/health/asylums.)

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Once-ler: *Sitting at his desk in his office with his curtains closed, his hands through his hair and he's staring tiredly at a messy desk of papers in front of him. He was once reading them, but he's gotten to the point where he's so tired-out and stressed that he just stares at them without taking in any of the words, his eyes move over the same sentence he's been reading over and over again.*

Warden: *He just bursts through the door without knocking- though this is normal. He never knocks in his own jail, ever.* Good afternoon!~ *He's been... not perkier (it's impossible to be perkier than the Warden already is) but more bulletproof than ever since his breakdown. It's like a big weight off his shoulders.* How's my favourite accountant? Working hard or hardly working? Ha! You know, this place could use some sunshine! *Skips through the room poofing vases of flowers and other decorations around the room, as the curtains magically open.*

Once-ler: *Gasps at the sudden disruption of his silence and looks at the Warden with wide eyes which then squint at the sudden light. He almost hisses like a vampire bat when his perfect darkness disappears. He relaxes and then frowns a little.* It looks fine the way it is. *Leans on his elbow so he doesn't look at the Warden and takes his pen in his hand. He taps it a few times on the desk as he tries to read the papers again.*

Warden: *Pauses, and all the flowers in a vase he's holding wither and die.* Heeeey... *His voice softens down, actually showing some initiative and care for once.* You okay, buddy? *Walks over and rests a surprisingly parental hand on his shoulder. He looks down at Oncie's head with worry.*

Once-ler: *Sighs and drops back in his chair, throwing the pen onto the desk and his chair rolls back a little on the floor. He might have responded more callous if the Warden hadn’t picked up on his mood this time, and then adjusted his own mood to better console him. Instead, he sighs and drops his pen. His shirt is untucked and his braces hanging down by his waist instead of over his shoulders.* No. I'm not okay. *A bit of a whiny teenager voice. Then he frowns more seriously.* And I don’t appreciate you bursting in unannounced when I’m trying to work.

Warden: *Gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze.* What's up? I thought you liked that math-y boring stuff. *Sounds honestly like he cares. He really has grown very attached to his Oncie- enough to actually think of him as a human and not a toy. Which is just why he falter slightly when his sudden burst-in is mentioned.* Oh!-Uh… *Clears his throat then laughs awkwardly.* Sure, buddy! I hate it when Jared bursts in on me too- Not that I’m anything like Jared. *At least when HE suddenly shows up it’s for fun reasons, not boring annoying Jared reasons, and who wouldn’t want that? But he’s starting to learn that Oncie has his own feelings and ways of doing things, and that’s good, because if he was the same as everyone else then he wouldn’t be what makes him so great. He tilts his head.* Anything other than that your all-powerful prison-warden can do to help?

Once-ler: *Shakes his head, but he's really very grateful that he can feel the Warden concerned for him.* Not really. I have work to do for Superjail and then even more important work for my business. *Stands up and points at the Warden.* You've been spending too much over the budget again. *He points his thumb towards himself.* I need to get to Thneedville to sort out my factory. *His hands flick in mid air, flat, vertical and parallel to each other, like he’s showing a box size.* But I cant go to Thneedville, *then points at the floor,* Because I’m stuck here.

Warden: *Brightens up again* Weeeell, why didn't you say so?? *He completely glosses over, or doesn't even hear that he's over-budget. He never does, and probably never will. But, somehow, Superjail always survives.* How about you and I take some time out and go back? You can set up all your... *wiggles his fingers in midair,* factory doowhatsists, and I'll, I dunno, take in a tour! *The thought of Oncie going back alone doesn't even cross his mind. They're a duo.*

Once-ler: *Huffs and strokes his hand through the back of his hair. That’s not a terrible idea. Who’da thought he could just disappear? Maybe he’s becoming somewhat institutionalised here already and is still living with a prisoner mentality. He takes a glance at the papers and then frowns.* Yes! Yes! Okay, just take me out of here.

Warden: Alrighty! *Smiles and pulls Oncie backwards so he's suspended on the back two legs of his chair. He gives him a big kiss before they disappear, then reappear in a hover car on the coast of Superjail’s island. The car shoots off and off they go through the outer world back to mainland and back to Thneedville. There go his powers though- he won't be getting them back until Jailbot comes to get them. He did not think this through very much, but it's a perfectly reasonable plan so far.*

Once-ler: Hmph! *Gasps into the kiss and feels very dizzy once his powers take effect, the dizziness of the powers and the sudden romantic flutter in his stomach at the kiss, make stars appear as his eyes clench shut and they vanish. He snaps forward once they arrive in the car and gives a little shudder, feeling disorientated.* Uurgh…

Warden: *They land outside The Once-ler’s Lerkim and drags them out to the front door, before the car takes off again to leave back for Superjail. He pouts at him good-humouredly.* Enough moping! It's time to take care of your factory! *Wheels around him and moves to push him away from the building.* We'll meet back here in a few hours~

Once-ler: Wh- *Lets himself be walked out.* Where are you going?

Warden: Me? *Juts out his jaw as he thinks.* I guess I'll go exploring. We were so busy the last time we came here that I hardly saw any of the town~ *They were too 'busy'.* Now stop worrying! You're draggin' down the vibe.

Once-ler: You want to go exploring the town alone?- *His initial reaction to that-* No. *- and stops letting the Warden push him.*

Warden: Oof! *Crumples into the back of him, not ready for Oncie to stop moving.* *Pouts, speaking into Oncie's back with his nose and eyes visible over his shoulder.* Meanie.

Once-ler: *Looks over his shoulder.* I just don't want you getting into trouble. You'll probably end up punching a barbaloot or something *Frowns as he just put that image in his head. He might slap the man if he dared to harm any of the animals.*

Warden: *Gasps and straightens up.* The very idea! *Huffs with his hands on his hips.* I'll have you know that I am a grown man! *Shakes his finger in midair in a very old-fashioned way of making a point.* I can walk around town all I want completely unsupervised! *He doesn't sound angry, and he's not. He's just doing that automatically-appalled thing that he does.*

Once-ler: *Turns to face him.* Well, from what happened last time, you can understand why I wouldn't want you to be unsupervised around here. No slapping women! Or getting into trouble! This place is my place, it belongs to me its Thneedville. So I'm not letting you go out alone here.

Warden: Okay! Okay, geez, Mister Territory-Pants *Throws up hands in defeat.* What would you suggest? I'm not following you around all day doing accounts! *Grumpy face, hands on his hips.* If I wanted to do that I'd just leash myself to Jared's big, stupid head.

Once-ler: *Huffs in thought and thinks- that’s a good point. Then chuckles at the little Jared insult* It is big, isn't it?

Warden: Like, enormous, am I right? *Measures it in his hands, momentarily distracted.*

Once-ler: *Keeps laughing at him* Haha-! Totally~

Warden: *Frowns* Ababab! Don't distract me. *Grumpy point. However, throughout all this he's still been perfectly happy and in his usual safe half-sane space. No breakdowns or real arguments seem likely. He folds his arms.* Are you gonna arrange me a babysitter or something? *Sounds like he'll put up with it to humour Oncie's 'insane overprotectiveness'.*

Once-ler: Ppppffffff... *Rubs his neck* I don't know any-...I wonder who I could hire... *He ponders for a looong time, genuinely considering hiring a minder for his own boyfriend, which causes the Warden to almost start spluttering in incredulity, and then gives up with a little smirk.* Alright. *The smile drops and he looks him dead-on and serious.* You can go out alone, if you promise not to get into any trouble. No fights, no tantrums, nothing. *Smiles, softening his voice.* You gotta be good and polite and nice to people. You're not the Warden here, okay? You're Edmund Theremiah, so act normal and mature, okay?

Warden: *Squints in submission.* Fiiiine. *Hates the thought of being 'Edmund Theremiah'. It sounds boring and uninteresting, and he takes GREAT pride in never being boring and uninteresting.* Scouts honour. Best behaviour. *Stuffs his hand in his pockets and kicks a rock poutily.* I'll be good.

Once-ler: *Smiles at him calmly* Good~ Because you’ll be in trouble if you aren't, you hear me?

Warden: *Juts out his jaw in grumpiness again.* Yes Oncie. *Deflates slightly.* Stupid Thneedville. Can I go now? *Sounds so childish.*

Once-ler: Here, take this. Then if anyone questions you, you can just tell them that you know the Once-ler. *Reaches into his pocket and pulls out the pink truffula pin that usually goes on the lapel of his green tailcoat. *Strokes under the Warden's jaw and then pulls him into a little peck on the lips. Then tilts his head to the town.* Okay, off you go then.

Warden: *Blinks innocently when he sees the pin and takes it from his hand* Uuh- *The peck comes as a surprise, he pecks back with pink cheeks and a small eyelash flutter, then jumps up and down on the spot a few times.* Yeah! See you later, Oncie! *Pockets the pin and then leaps off to go and explore.*

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Once-ler: *Stood outside his factory gates in his green suit, all dressed up for opening his factory again. He's holding a pair of scissors, cameras are flashing everywhere and girl are screaming at him.* -And I am very proud to finally re-open the new and eco-friendly Thneed factory!~ *Cuts the red ribbon across the gate. People are cheering and photographers are flashing, journalists go to smuggle him.*

Lorax: *He's sitting on top of a small wall nearby, watching the proceedings. He refuses to go down just yet because he hates publicity- especially after the media circus he was dragged into when Oncie ran the factory before. All that 'Lorax approved' bullshit left a bad taste in his mouth. Still, he looks proud of him now and has already had a peek at all the inner workings of the factory. So far it honestly looks eco-friendly, and so he's very pleased. Cautious, but pleased.*

Once-ler: *After talking to a few reporters, talking to a few fans and signing a few thneeds, shirts, bra's and breasts, he eventually starts to bat a few of the bothersome public away.* That's enough attention for one day I think, thank you all for coming~ Once-ler out. *Enters his factory and shuts the door behind him, letting out a tired sigh as he does, but he straightens and walks to his office. He goes over to his huge balcony and leans over the edge of it, smiling broadly at the very few truffula trees that managed to survive his onslaught and then dropping his smile when his eyes fall on the many stumps he left behind. He chews on his cheek… He should really do something about them.*

Lorax: So! Looks like you managed to turn it all around, huh? *He's above Oncie's head, sitting on the top of the window-frame with his little legs dangling over the edge.* You look tired. You been eating properly?

Once-ler: Hm? *Looks up at him and smiles. He's gotten so used to the Lorax randomly popping up in places that it doesn't make him jump anymore. He can almost predict when it'll happen by now, which isn’t something he can say for the Warden just yet.* Oh, naah, I'm fine. It's just difficult to be in Superjail and have everything else here. *Rubs his face with both hands and yawns out a word-* Tiring. *Sniffs.* All these fans and reporters too. But I can handle them, no problem.

Lorax: *Jumps down and lands in front of Oncie's feet.* Aww, well make sure you get enough Zs, got it? I don't like the thought of you runnin' yourself out. *Turns around to look up at the much nicer factory and gives a low whistle.* You know, much as I hate commerce and capitalism and all that crap, you really have done me proud. This is somethin' good. *After how far they've come together, he knows that those words are ones that will mean the world to him. He looks back over his shoulder at Oncie with a smile.* So where's your guy? He back in that jail of his?

Once-ler: *Smiles broadly at him, feeling very happy with himself that the Lorax feels that way about his hard work. There’s a warm swell in his stomach at hearing those words of pride, and that sort of feeling is so rare to him. He goes quiet for a moment, so happy he's finally been able to please him and hasn't messed up this time.* No, he came with me here. But he's out right now to explore Thneedville. *His voice sounds a little unsure at the end, and his smile has relaxed a little. It's more like a slight mask over his worry.*

Lorax: *Sounds very sympathetic as he groans,* Uh-ooohhh... And Thneedville's still standin'? *Turns around properly to face Oncie as they talk.* Ah, he's probably fine. *Gives him an encouraging smile.* That town is harmless - he's the most dangerous thing in it. You've got nothin' to worry about. *Still sounds more like he's comforting Oncie than actually giving his honest opinion.*

Once-ler: Yeah, exactly! I'm not just worried about him, I'm worried about the town. He doesn't know this place very well and this place doesn't know him at all. *And maybe the fact that the Warden might be the most dangerous thing in Thneedville isn’t actually that reassuring.* But- yeah... I'm sure everything will be fine.

Lorax: And if not, it's nothin' you can't fix. *Gives him a grin and holds out a paw for him to take.* So! You got a kitchen in this place? I'm starved and I'm sure you owe me a meal for somethin' or other.

Once-ler: Haha- sure *Takes his hand but pulls him up onto his shoulder. Then walks back in, removing his hat and placing it on his chair.* So how've you been? I haven't seen you since I got my eyesight back.

Lorax: *Punches the side of his head gently.* And it's damn good to see you... Seein' again! You gave me the shock of my damn life. *Relaxes.* But I've been keepin'. Joints gettin' stiffer every day I swear to God. *Gives a happy hum. As old as he is, he's got a ton of years left in him.* But nothin' much is different. Had to screw with a couple of lumberjacks up in the Arctic National Preserve and then make it down in time to stop an oil drillin' down in the swamps of Tennessee. Whole lotta trekkin'.

Once-ler: *Laughs at his ‘seeing’ joke, and can only laugh more in relief at the fact that whole chapter is over now.* Aaah, man, that sounds like a busy day. *Pulls his gloves off and drops them onto his desk as he walks to the kitchen.* Did you fix it in the end?

Lorax: *Heavy sigh.* Temporarily. They're more thick-headed than you were. *Gives him a friendly hair-ruffle, showing that he didn't really mean it.* Just once I'd like a guy to go "Gee, maybe the little fella is right. Let's all go home and have some hot cocoa." *Pauses, then adds.* "And while we're at it, let's invite the little fella over for that, too." *Frowns* Geez, I really am hungry.

Once-ler: *Laughs.* That's where we're going now. Anyway, it certainly worked on me... eventually. And you can come to mine for cocoa anytime you want~ *Gets to the factory kitchen.* What do you wanna eat?

Lorax: *Jumps onto a countertop.* A cheese sandwich would go down well right about now. *Frowns to add gravity to what he's saying.* A responsibly farmed cheese sandwich. You humans have a way to make everything suspect. *While he still seems very proud and happy for Oncie, he's got the grumpiness of a guy who's just come of a far too-busy day's work.*

Once-ler: Uh- ahaha, sure.*Begins making him a sandwich, sometimes feeling awkward about his race when the Lorax starts complaining about them, but he supposes it’s justified considering what he himself did to his forest. It is the critters job after all.*

Lorax: *Bops up and down on his heels as he waits in excitement for the sandwich.* So how are things with you? Besides being all better? He proposed to you yet or whatever? *Sounds like he's kidding.*

Once-ler: Pfffthbth! *Gets a little embarrassed and shakes his head quickly.* NO! *Gives him the plate with the sandwich on and pouts with a raised eyebrow.* Of course not.

Lorax: *Cackles in a joking meanness before stuffing the sandwich in his mouth.* Well good. You're still far too young! *Points his sandwich at him... or the crust of it, which is already all that's left.*

Once-ler: Thank God! I hope that doesn't cross his mind *Scratches his neck and laughs.* I have a feeling I wouldn't have a choice if he demanded it, if anything because he’s such a romantic and he’d love an excuse to throw a party about us.

Lorax: *Gnaws on the crust of bread.* Would you say no if you had the choice? *Sounds amused and gossipy, but he's always been a little worried about their relationship. Anybody responsible would be.*

Once-ler: *Thinks to himself, tapping his finger on his chin, and then nods slowly.* I know we're like, together and stuff, but just feels weird to get married to a guy, ya know? My mom is really old fashioned in that way, *he sighs,* I doubt she’d ever approve of us, not that she approves of me much anyway. So I guess it's hard to think otherwise. *He shakes his head.* I'm way too young anyway to even think about marriage.

Lorax: *Nods* Smart. Don't tie yourself down to that place. *Still, his expression darkens.* Call me a new-age tree-hugger or whatever you want to call it, but your mom is full of trash. *Finishes sandwich decisively. He's had a long day, and he's not got the energy to put things in a nice way.* You marry a guy if you want to.

Once-ler: *Jolts at hearing the insult to him mom and then panics a little.* Hey! She is not. Don’t say that about my mom. *He’s still in some denial about who his mom really is. He always has been, but at the very least he just thinks it’s rude to say such things about a man’s mother. He’s still finding it difficult to digest what she really is.*

Lorax: Ppft. *Flaps his hand at him but doesn't press the issue. Recently he's been more respectful of Oncie's family- at least when talking about them to Oncie- but he has no patience for it today.* Alright, fair enough. The important thing is that you can marry whoever you want. Whether that be man, woman, or manchild.

Once-ler: *Still tense about that comment, but tries to get back into the conversation.* No- yeah, I know. And it's not that I wouldn’t want to some day... *Gets a little fuzzy feeling.* Like- it'd be totally awesome! I mean- so awesome! *Getting a little excited but relaxes.* And I would, just not now, not this early. I can't get married to someone who won’t say he loves me.

Lorax: *A biiig cat-like grin crosses his face when Oncie gets excited, but it falls immediately when he finishes that sentence.* Wait, what?! After all the crap you've helped him with he's still holdin' out on you?! The jerk! *Dusts his hands clean from crumbs.*

Once-ler: *Looks back at him wide-eyed and quickly realises he said that wrong, and tries to correct his screw up.* N- no, no! I didn't mean it like that. *Trots forward and puts his hands out to the Lorax* He does love me! He just cant say it. But he does. He definitely does! But he can’t admit it.

Lorax: *Squints at him, not sounding very pleased.* Explain.

Once-ler: *Cowers a little. He has no choice but to obey his surrogate parent now. He shrugs.* He- just can’t. He's very complicated. *He sighs.* Right, this is all very new to him, I think he has a real struggle about saying those words, he seems to think that every time he admits to loving something, he gets punished for it. *He frowns* His dad used to tell him it was bad, that it makes things weak and useless to know love. He trusts me more than anyone but its still in there. *That angry frown becomes a sad one.* I think he thinks that whatever he loves will always die, usually by his own hands, whether that’s forced on him or an accident or… I don’t know. *He looks to him with big remorseful eyes.* I think that’s another reason why he doesn’t want to admit it, I've been in more than enough accidents thanks to him. But he does feel it because he's almost been able to say it to me! It’s just that the words get caught in his throat.

Lorax: *Sighs. He's always had his worries, but he does respect that Oncie can handle it.* You'll be the death of me, you know that? *Gestures for Oncie to come over for a hug.* C'mere. Damn, kid, you've got a whole lot baggage wrapped up in this relationship, huh?

Once-ler: *Enters the hug like a normal grip, but half way though he hears that last sentence and his weight falls onto the Lorax in mental exhaustion. It does take a lot to handle the Warden, along with all of his other work, and he does so well to completely hide it that it never crosses his mind. No-one's brought it up before, not even himself, and to hear the Lorax so perfectly know him and know exactly what he thinks, it makes him drop it all out on him accidentally. Like it's okay for him to admit that it's tiring him. He doesn’t even have the strength to respond to that at the moment, he’s too bewildered by that last comment.*

Lorax: Woooaaah, you're okay. *Crumples a little with the sudden weight, but manages okay and gives him a big hug, stroking his hair gently once he's regained his balance.*

Once-ler: *Nods into him but doesn't leave the hug.* I'm fine- I'm fine.

Lorax: Of course you are. *Continues to stroke his hair, one little hand sorting out any stray flicks while the other just holds him.* But if you weren't that'd be okay too.

Once-ler: *Shakes his head.* It wouldn't. *He's not had a breakdown since he's been in Superjail. It's been a long time since he last snapped. He's had the odd cry every now and then, but that’s about it. It was probably when his dad left, or something his mother did, or most likely when the stocks of Thneeds crashed, not that they ever have in reality. There is always so much going on in Superjail, and as much as it all is too much for him sometimes, it’s as if it’s impossible to dwell on anything for too long because you need to be prepared for the next thing. Maybe that’s why it exists in the first place, to keep the Warden’s mind from thinking too much. In a way that’s good, but at the same time it forces a lot of things to become repressed and compressed, until suddenly, someone’s having a breakdown, whether that’s an inmate finally snapping, Jared returning to tears and drinking again, or the Warden literally falling apart at the seams and going on a crying-murder spree. And it was almost him the other day. If the Warden hadn’t been fixed by that rant then there’s a good chance the Once-ler would have given up too. It’s not just that though… How could he ever have the time to have his own breakdown when he’s so busy trying to help the Warden with all of his?*

Lorax: Kid, it'd always be fine. If it's not fine around your fella then it's always fine around me. I can take it. *Takes Oncie's cheeks and makes him look at him. He's frowning, but it's the frown of a kindly father, rather than any form of disappointment.* Bein' around him has turned you into one a' the most amazing people I've ever seen - he's challenged you and forced you to grow and, *he smiles,* now look at you. All grown up and already too good for anybody I can think of. *Rests their foreheads together, glaring at him straight in the eyes.* I can't tell you how proud I am of you. But part of bein' so strong and so capable is knowing when it's okay to stop.

Once-ler: *He hadn’t expected to feel a lump in his throat, and he doesn’t want to, but everything the Lorax says is exactly what he's been waiting to hear. He lets out a quiet, dry sob as he sighs out and then his arms loop around his fluffy friend and cling closely to him. It’s being told that the Lorax is proud of him, the Lorax proud of him after all he did to the forest, that makes a few small tears prick up at the corner of his eyes.* Th- Thank you, *He sniffs a few times, clenching his eyes shut in an attempt to blink away the tears, but a lump still resting in his throat.*

Lorax: *Gives a short chuckle that rumbles through his fur, hugging Oncie tightly.* It's what I'm here for. *Rubs the back of his head, keeping Oncie tightly pressed against his fluffy, warm body. He lets him sniffle all he needs.*

Once-ler: *Sniff against him and squeezes the hug for moments and then pulls away to wipe his eyes. His shoulders hang heavily but he sighs out and feels a little better.*

Lorax: *Smiles at him in a calm and loving way.* You gonna be okay tonight?

Once-ler: *Nods* I… *His chest shudders with an outward breath and he gives him a weak smile.* I should be.

Lorax: *Chuckles at him.* I'm sure your Warden won't mind. He might not even notice if you don't sniff too often. *Plods over to the roll of kitchen paper towels and tears a piece off, then holds it up for him.*

Once-ler: *Chuckles back at his little tease and takes the tissue to finish up mopping his eyes.*

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Once-ler: *It’s the evening after the Once-ler had finished sorting what he needed to in his factory, he’s been waiting at home for the Warden, but so far he’s heard nothing from him and he hasn’t returned from Thneedville. He’d tried to contact his communicator but no-one answered, he even went to look for him in Thneedville after work and couldn’t find him, he called Jared just in case he might have returned to Superjail for whatever reason and he was told they’ve seen no sign of him. As much as he wants to helicopter around him to make sure nothing bad is happening, he does want to trust him on his own- he doesn’t want to go back out to look for him and turn the whole town upside down, looking like a maniac in the process. It’s just that it’s getting to the point now, as he paces around the lower ground of his Lerkim and checks his pocket watch while the day gets later, that he really thinks he should go and turn the town upside down. He doesn't know what to do, he paces his living room while trying to think of a solution, his fingertips in his mouth to chew on and his eyes tense with concern. He thought he’d be okay, but now he’s disappeared and Once-ler doesn’t know what to do or where to go, and he has no idea why he let him go alone. He looks a bit of a mess, in his half/half outfit with his braces hanging down from his waist. Too worried to make himself look that presentable.*

*There's a brisk knock on the door.*

Once-ler: *Jumps a little at the knock and then goes over to the door, suddenly feeling a wave of relief as he hopes that that’s the Warden returning after his day out, but then he considers that it’s a little strange the Warden would knock when he would usually just stumble in and announce his presence. Unless he really took what he said that morning in his office seriously. He winces, straightens himself up and tries to make his appearance better, but he hopes to heaven that it’ll be his boyfriend. He clears his throat, and then opens the door.*

*Outside is a stern-looking, boring man in a white lab coat. He has thick glasses and looks like an immovable, business-like sort. He waits for the door to be answered before speaking, being too strict and professional to call through the house.*

Once-ler: *Looks the man up and down with a confused, slightly concerned frown.* Uuh... Can I help you?..

Doctor: *He nods, his face expressionless.* I am truly sorry to bother you, Mr. Once-ler, but I'm here on behalf of the Thneedville Psychiatric Institute. *Flaps his hand a little in small gesture.* Merely a formality we have to conduct, but we have a patient with us who insists that he knows you. You'll understand that we have a number of patients who make claims of knowing celebrities and usually we don't follow these accusations up, but he's been very insistent. *Coolly he reaches into his pocket and brings out the lapel pin that Oncie owns, the one with the small truffula tuft.* He also had this on his possession. We simply want to make sure that he's deluded, for the sake of his ongoing treatment. He claims to be... *briefly fishes for the word,* a jailer of some sort. *Seems a little embarrassed by how ridiculous a house call this must seem.*

Once-ler: *Squints and tilts his head at him as he listens, wanting to ask questions but they get answered straight away. His tongue goes numb, but he thinks for a moment that this could be a misunderstanding, but then he reveals the pin. He stares at it with horror and takes it slowly, his eyes having to be forced away from it to look at the man again. His stomach has been getting tighter all through this explanation, still clinging onto hope that this could still not be real,but his stomach plummets at the last thing said, and he stares at the man it utter shock, feeling sick to his stomach* No- he’s in a-? *He gasps, suddenly knowing what that means. He feels like he might be sick. He snaps out of it, trying to act sensible and try not to panic, but he is, and suddenly he grabs his coat and top-hat* Thank you. *Then bolts out of his house, almost knocking the man over and slamming his door shut.*

*This is his town, he funds all of its institutions, he practically runs it and he knows where everything is and the quickest way to get to places. In just a few minutes he’s at the asylum and bursts in, slamming the doors open as if anyone would dare to tell him not to. He’s The Once-ler, he practically owns this town, he built it into what it is today. If he wasn’t there then it wouldn’t be able to run properly without him, let alone have such a great economy, and everyone knows it. He bursts in, his tailcoat fluttering behind him like a demons cape and his hat stretched up to the ceiling as intimidating as one of his factory chimneys, puffing the smoke he burns to keep all these businesses alive.*

Receptionist: *Jolts upright at the sudden entrance and in a small explosion papers addresses him nervously.* Oh! Mr. Once-ler! Can I help you? *A few people are picking up and moving damaged furniture and strewn documents from the reception area- something akin to a hurricane passed through here at some point. Clearly the Warden didn't go down without a fight.* Th-this is very sudden- do you have an appointment? *Everything here is very normal and grey, though it does have the rounded edges and slightly off-kilter angles and asymmetry of any Thneedville building - nothing out of the ordinary as far as Thneedville goes, very professional. There's a small piece of very worrying information, however. Perched on top of the receptionist's outbox are the Warden's glasses- a glint of bright yellow in this otherwise drab place. Of course he wouldn't be allowed to wear them if he were an inpatient. They'll be taken to a small holding area until he's let go... but that could be any time.*

Once-ler: *He stops for a moment to look at the mess, he doesn’t even have to question it, he knows it was the Warden's fighting back that caused such a chaos and it makes him worry even more. Then he snaps his head over to the receptionist and struts over to her dangerously* Do I need a goddamn appointment?! Do you really need to ask me th- *Then his eyes catch the glint of yellow and they notice the Warden's glasses. His mouth goes dry and his eyes look at them in complete horror. Okay- NOW he’s panicking. And he whispers, terrified* Y- you-... took them off him.

Receptionist: *Recoils a little.* Uh, well yes! Of course! They'd be classified as... as contraband... sir. *Pauses and tries to avoid looking at him head on- intimidated by him immensely.* I assume... that this means you're here to see the man who was brought in last night? The, uh, *makes very, very meek quote signs with her fingers,* "prison warden"?

Once-ler: *Scowls at her when she quotes with her hands and places both hands on hers and pushes them down.* He is a prison warden, and everything he says is the truth. He knows me. *Clears his throat and tries to calm down- this isn’t her fault.* He was brought in here last night you say? Why? What for? *He demands an answer quickly.*

Receptionist: *Panics a little and immediately starts typing at the computer to one side, pulling up the Warden's record.* Oh, um. *Reads, readjusting her glasses* He was found at the scene of a fight. Apparently there were, uh, weapons involved. He was brought here instead of to the police station because... well... *She ducks a little, not wanting to be the one to say it.* He was claiming some rather outlandish things. I'm sorry, Mr. Once-ler, sir, but I'm not legally allowed to say any more than that. *Quickly adds, hoping to get rid of him as soon as possible.* Would you want to be taken to him now?

Once-ler: *Is about to snap more demands but stops immediately at the question. That’s definitely what he wants out of this, so it works to get him to go away* Yes please. Right now.

Receptionist: *Immediately snaps her fingers at one of the men in coats walking around.* Excuse me! Could you take Mr. Once-ler to see our newest patient? He's... uh... *She looks to the Once-ler and then immediately lies to make things easier.* Family! Yes.

Doctor: *He squints at the Once-ler, then takes some documents from the receptionist's desk. He cringes.* That patient? I'm afraid he's not approved for visitation right now. *He looks down at the notes and snaps them to a clipboard.* If you are family, we will require some... *Again his eyes rest on the Once-ler, knowing exactly who he is but being as careful as possible in regards to protocol...* Documentation.

Once-ler: *He doesn't like the way he said 'that patient'. His brow tightens and his shoulders stiffen at the resistance shown.* There is no paperwork because the man is no longer in contact with his biological family. I'm his significant other. We have photos together, his things are in my house, and the fact that you picked him up with my lapel pin in his possession and I'm not charging him for being a stalking fan but instead am here trying to represent him, should prove we have a relationship. *He breathes in a sharp breath and huff it out of his nostrils like a steaming bull. He tries to hide the pain in his next statement.* He has no one but me who can care for him. *He points his finger sharply down at the ground.* I demand to see him!

Doctor: *He appears completely dispassionate as the Once-ler talks, even though he believes the man is telling the truth - he is the Once-ler after all, everyone knows that and this is Thneedville - because this isn't a court of law and he isn't looking to be convinced. There is protocol to follow, documents to be inspected, because if they make a mistake by taking a shortcut then they could be sued into the ground.* You can demand all you want, sir, but I'm afraid that until I see documentation proving that your relationship is as you say it is, we can't allow visitation until he's gone through our screening process. He was violent with the nurses as he was brought in, and we have no guarantees that this won't continue to be the case. *When he says 'violent', it's highly likely that he just resisted them as they dragged him in.* He’s a very sick man.

Once-ler: *Takes a step forward assertively but not aggressively, and he cuts in before the man can really finish.* He won't be aggressive to me! *One eye squints and he snarls,* But alright, if you want to play that game, how about this for 'documentation'. When was your last unscheduled routine humanitarian check at this establishment, huh? *Straightens up and folds his arms.* By Thneedville law you're permitted to accept an unscheduled visit by a city representative to check that the treatments, handling and facilities provided to patients are humane and up to human rights standards at all times. *Places his hand on his chest and raises his eyebrow.* As the city's main representative, I've authority to instigate this operation when I see fit, as well as appoint the individual in charge of carrying it out, which can also be myself. So consider it your unscheduled investigation, and I request to see the most recent and most volatile patient checked into the facility within the last twenty-four hours to best review these conditions. *He frowns.* I wouldn't recommend objecting to this kind of operation, it tends to look very bad for an institution of people holding medical licenses.

Doctor: *His eyes widen. Oh crap. He straightens up coldly, his shoulders drawing back defensively and his chin lifting, and for a moment he looks him dead in the eyes, lifting his head slightly as if almost daring to challenge him before remembering who he is. Cold grey eyes unpleasantly squinting. They haven’t had an investigation in a long time. The cultural era that they exist in Thneedville doesn’t pay much attention to the well being of mental patients, but if he doesn’t let the Once-ler in to see just the one patient, then he might put a bigger focus on them overall. He might take it to the press and demand a large-scale investigation as revenge, but maybe if he’s let to see the one man then that’ll be all he wants. Finally he quakes, watching the Once-ler's bright blue glare, as the math clicks and he feels a tiny shudder rattle through him. He is the Once-ler after all, and he’s caught him in a bit of a tough place with all that practical, systematic business talk especially when he tried to just throw the same at him about protocol. He's forced to nod with a slightly unhappy curl to his nose.* Very well. Right this way.

*The receptionist moves to escort him, but the doctor holds up his hand.*

Doctor: No-no, I'll handle this. Right this way, Mr. Once-ler. *He turns on his heel almost like a soldier and glides on sharp feet down the corridors of the facility. He doesn’t seem particularly happy with the way the Once-ler has worked around the rules, but he can’t say anything, the man is too powerful. Never the less, he is hiding an attitude with a bitter sneer, holding his head up and glaring out the corner of his eye at the businessman. The doctors here don’t like it when outsiders try sniffing around their patients and the facilities, they just want to get on with their jobs, with unfeeling. What does the Once-ler anyway? He doesn’t know better than they could about this sick man and what he needs.* You will see that we have everything up to code when it comes to exiling lunacy. Out here are our less volatile inpatients, but I'll take you to our secure wing where the worst are. You’ll see, since you’re here to review our establishment, that the mad man you’re talking about is in the perfect place. *There’s the tiniest hiss sound from his nose that indicates a smirk. To him, the people here are nothing more than animals.*

Once-ler: *His eyes are just as unfeeling to the man’s opinion or reaction, even more so, because he owns this damn town and no-one dares to look at him like this man is daring to. He either doesn't know who he is, which is ridiculous, or he's the most stupid man on the planet to exist in Thneedville and look down his nose at The Once-ler like that. Especially when he's standing in the way of something the man wants and will take. He won't be stopped, nothing can stop him, the only thing this man will succeed in is guaranteeing to make his own life worse by trying to slow the businessman down. He lifts his own head and if he were some sort of demonic creature, his claws and fangs would be unfurling at him right now; he's lucky that they're meant to be existing in a civilised society else the Once-ler would have torn him to shreds as easily as the Warden does to the prisoners in Superjail. ‘The perfect place?’ He picked up on that vile, snarky tone towards himself and his boyfriend- his boyfriend who right now is vulnerable and suffering in his worst nightmare. One thing is for certain, this man is losing his job by the end of today whether or not he's taking him down to the Warden right now. He could write a very convincing report on him and have it approved in seconds. He's not in the mood to stare down a more pathetic predator that apparently doesn't know what lions nest it's poking at.* Good. *He says when the man states where he’s taking him, the word coming out as a stab as he follows him down.*

*Naturally he doesn't really care about the facility's humanitarian standards protocol right now, the Warden is the only thing on his mind and he wants to go there immediately, he doesn't even look around or pay attention to the man as he describes the hallways, but he will write a report like he promised once he has his boyfriend back, and as he makes his way through the corridors, he does start to see just how miserable this place is as well as hear the distressed sounds groaning from the rooms… It reminds him of Superjail on a slow day. Maybe he should investigate here- the thought comes to mind for a moment.

He's a man of doing things by the books most of the time, if he declares an investigation then he'll follow through, if he promises a report then he'll write one, but that's already played them perfectly into his hands now and he knows it. They might call his bluff here, thinking he's just using this reason as an excuse to get into the facility and humouring it to save their reputation, when really he wont write a report in the end. But they would be wrong to do that, because this isn't just a one-off excuse to get into the facility, he knows full well that he's opened up the door to further threats that he'll follow through with. Oh he'll write a report, and it'll drag them all through the mud so violently that they'll forget their names because his own will be etched into their ID cards like branded cattle.* Mh-hm. And Doctor. *That last comment stings. Do they talk about all of their vulnerable patients like that? He nods his head when he's told they're going to the secure wing. Then he looks to the Doctor and scowls at him like a feral mountain wolf ready to claw his eyes out. If he's going to get what he wants, people here need to remember who they're talking to in this city. He seethes with a dark voice.* Don't you ever look down your fucking nose at me again, and don’t you ever say anything like that about one of your patients either, or you can kiss your medical license goodbye. *He's lucky he's only losing his job, maybe then he'll learn the most blatantly obvious lesson of the town named after the Once-ler's very vision.*

*The doctor doesn't mess around, taking him straight to the room with their most volatile and most recent patient, but he nevertheless points out the important things as they make their way through - maintaining the paper-thin pretense of legitimacy. This place, like all of Thneedville, is filled with swirling tubes, old-fashioned copper machinery, big buttons beside each rounded door with chunky plaques declaring the rhyming name of each ward or in-patient. It's a large place, or maybe just seems that way because of its labyrinthine layout, but beyond pointing out the appropriate security measures, the basic facilities and gesturing towards continued areas of the building, the doctor says nothing. Like all of Thneedville, this place was sponsored by the Once-ler himself to some degree if not designed outright by him, so it's all good. It's just, unfortunately, old-fashioned.*

Doctor: *Turns when the Once-ler speaks to him. He doesn't expect the way in which he's spoken to, or the dark tone of the man's voice, and it honestly shocks him. He definitelydoesn’t expect the cursing, because thneedville is almost ‘family-friendly’ in the way it’s inhabitants barely acknowledge curse words to be a part of language. It makes him gulp. He isn't about to fight the man, both because he wouldn’t be that dumband also because he's a professional doctor in his place of work, and drops his steel-grey expression immediately. Suddenly his ego vanishes over realising how seriously the business man is about all this. He can’t even see what’s wrong with speaking about one of these patients like that- Is he actually going to investigate them?* O- of course, Mr. Once-ler.

*They get to the door at the end of the secure wing - another rounded door with a little, wonky, barred window, with a big red button to the side and a plaque that says 'Max Security'.*

Doctor: Here we are, sir. *He thumps his fist on the big red button, and the door swings open.*

*The Warden is lying on the ground of his padded cell, curled up and facing away from the door. It's difficult to judge what state he's in, but it's never a good sign when the Warden is sitting still. Sitting still and wearing a straitjacket. Only that and the hospital patient uniform, which is a grey and shapeless outfit with nothing to cover his feet. It's the last thing he'd ever choose to wear himself.*

Doctor: I have.. aah.. much to do, and he's not dangerous like that. *Likely he just wants to get the hell away from the lions gaze. He passes Oncie a small buzzer.* Let the nurse know when you're ready to leave- visiting hours shut at six. *Gives a small awkward frown* Usually patients in the maximum security area aren't allowed to have visitors in the first place, but since it's you... *He knows Oncie owns their ass. He won't do anything.*

Once-ler: *He gasps, his heart breaking when he sees that curled up, limp figure, and if he had zero social instincts, he’d have sprinted over and curled over him by now just to hug him up and protect him. Instead he takes the buzzer off of the doctor.* Right. Thank you.*He waits for him to leave and then steps into the room. His face drops at the sight, he can’t even see the Warden yet, and yet he can feel how much confused agony he’s in. Hopefully it'll be somewhat less painful once he knows that Oncie came for him. Taking a deep breath he goes over to him, his feet picks up with a desperate need to be with him but also not wanting to startle him with sudden movement, and squats next to him. Then places a very light hand on the wardens shoulder and turns him over to face him.* Warden? It's me, The Once-ler. *Gulps, his mouth is dry and his heart is racing.*

Warden: *He's easily rolled over, and the scary thing is that he doesn't even flinch at the sudden touch. He's limp and docile even though he's conscious. He does, however, immediately wince and let out a small, pathetic moan when he meets Oncie's eyes and their brightness hurts him. Without any usual trappings - no hat, no glasses, not even any fancy clothing - he just looks like a crazy middle-aged man. Not a rich eccentric, or some wacky visionary. Just a very tired and sad old man. Still, he loosely smiles up at his saviour, even if it doesn't look like he believes the other man is really with him, and even if it almost takes him a moment to recognise him. It’d have taken longer though, if it weren’t for those blue eyes. More like he's humouring his own mental images.* Hello Oncie~ *He speaks slow, like he's having to concentrate in order to form words. He then corrects Oncie calling him 'Warden'.* It's Edmund.

Once-ler: *He can’t stand to look at what’s in front of him and just wishes this was an awful nightmare, his heart pounding in his chest, chased by horror so fast that it’s begging his brain to wake him up. How could they do this? He knows he’s unstable, he knows he has problems, but he still can’t imagine something so bad, so depressing, so directly out of the worse pages of the warden’s worst fate, happening to his little bunny of a boyfriend. He has no idea what the Warden is thinking or what’s going on his head but he can see that he’s been completely sedated by them, bound and left in a dark corner- the poor thing. Once he's corrected and been told to call him by his actual name, he gasps and swallows as his heart thumps with grief and worry. He doesn’t know what that means, what state of mind that means he’s in, but he holds himself together and grips the Warden’s shoulder a little tighter.* O- okay. Um- E- Edmund? H-how are you feeling? *He’s not entirely sure what the hell he’s meant to say here, but it’s worth asking the question.*

Warden: *His body can actually be felt untensing when Oncie touches him - as defeated as he is, Oncie is still his safe place. Apparently it's so deeply ingrained now that it's instinct.* It hurts. *Sounds a little pouty, but not in the usual joking, playful way. It's the pout of a real child who can't handle what's happened to him.* This jacket. *Gives a very half-hearted fidget.* And.... everything is very... dull. *Shuts his eyes tight all of a sudden.* And too close. *Curls up a little more, tensing up again.* Right in front of me. *He has no shield in front of his eyes. Those glasses are a barrier that have always kept the world out, and kept him in a nice fantasy world. Now he's clamped up in a ball, eyes scrunched up closed.* I missed you. *Now sounds slightly blaming. He's jumping all over the place because he can't hold a thought in his head for very long.* Where were you?

Once-ler: *Watches him with concerns and horror, but then that blame comes and hits him to his core. He completely blames himself for the position the Warden is in, the guilt is starting to drill a hole through his chest, he hisses at the grief and pain in his stomach, but having it directly pointed at him by the suffering man makes it all the more real. He messed up. He shouldn’t have let him go out alone, he knew he'd get into trouble and now he might have truly scarred him for life. Sure, the Warden might have been erratic, but he knows how his boyfriend was last time, and he knows his townsfolk, and the only reason why he let him go along was because he was too focused on work. Now he’s kicking himself for it. The business isn’t important, the money isn’t important, this is important! He leans forward and presses his face to the Warden's, sliding his arms around him and squeezing him into a close embrace. He feels cold.* I'm sorry. *He gasps and shakes his head* I’m so sorry. I- I'm here now though. I'm here. And I'm gong to get you out, okay? *He plants a slow lingering kiss on the Warden’s head, one protective and promising, as he feels his throat close up.*

Warden: *Another small, sad whimper escapes his throat and he shuffles forward as best as he can into the cuddling and kissing. He's not quite coordinated to kiss back.* I.... *For a moment he sort of drifts off, like he's lost focus, but then he returns with a small shake of his head - like a nervous twitch.* I always do this. *His voice is quavering and almost a whisper. His body is trembling, too, weakened and reacting unfavourably to whatever cocktail of sedatives they've given him. The scary thing is, though, that even if he weren't drugged he'd probably be just as still and broken.* Why... why can't I handle being Edmund? *Presses his face into Oncie's collarbone. He has this low-grade terror running through him for as long as he's without his glasses, but after a whole day of that he's snapped and this has somehow made him okay to talk while internally screaming.* They said there's no War... Warden... but I'm not good at being normal. S- *He has trouble getting the last word out.* Sane.

Once-ler: *Hugs him tightly and lowers his voice, because that’s all he can do to force it to be comforting and kind rather than panicking. It’s what the Warden needs, but his chest is fluttering and there’s a lump in his throat.* I shouldn’t have said- I didn’t mean- *He tries to smile, feeling guilty for asking him to act normal earlier that morning.* You shouldn’t have to be normal because you're special, remember? I told you, people can’t see that yet. All sane people are boring anyway. *He tries to let out a little laugh but he pauses for a moment as his nose becomes tingly and he wells up. He stuffs his face into the Wardens neck and clings tightly onto him.* You are the Warden, he is real, and so is Superjail, and we’re going to go back there the moment I get you out. I’m going to take you home. I promise. *He searches for the buzzer and presses it to call someone in.*

Warden: *He's too drugged to cry, or even feel much beyond the floaty, hazy emotions he's swimming through right now. But he does feel Oncie's tears.* Don't cry... *Sounds like he's attempting to be comforting, even with his voice sounding half-asleep.* You're not in trouble... *He sees Oncie press the button and foggily realises that people are going to come in and interrupt them. He gives a short, futile, struggle.* No... no don't call them... I need to- There's something I meant to say. *Falters, looking scared.* I think... I don't know. *Winces.* It's hard to concentrate... *Slightly begging sound, like he wants Oncie to fix his head.* Oncie...

Once-ler: *He places his hands on the Warden's face and looks at him with worry, feeling a jolt of sickness as the Warden begs him.* What? What is it? *He breathes in and out heavily.* I- Its okay. I'm still staying here with you. I wont move an inch, so then I need them to come to me because I won’t leave you, okay? *He pulls him into his chest again and cuddles him. He’s going to fix this. He swears on his life that he’s going to fix this.*

Warden: *Looks very troubled, but also like he's somewhere else. He's not able to fight the drugs combined with the protective fog his brain is trying to wrap itself up with. It won't let him come to his senses, because if he actually realises what's happened and where he is there's no telling what sort of damage that'll do to him. He's already been utterly destroyed- this is his mind's last-ditch defense effort.* It's just... I...

*At that point two nurses come to the door and hurry in. The door is swung open, and just as the Warden immediately sees them, he pushes his head into Oncie's shoulder, diving as heard as he can into his protectors arms for safety and in a desperate attempt to express how much he needs him. He's so scared of them.*

Warden: I LOVE YOU! PLEASE DON’T GO!

Once-ler: *His breath chokes in his throat. It's as if everything’s suddenly gone silent, like time has stopped. For a moment he really thinks he’s in a dream, some twisted thing that is part nightmare and part everything he’s wanted to hear. But it’s not. The Warden said it, and he said it during the most devastating and horrible situation possible. He said it because he's frightened and confused and desperate, desperate for Oncie, the only thing that he recognises and trusts and loves, to save him from the white-coat monsters coming to hurt him again. His heart skips a beat in that moment of the world pausing, and then suddenly races forward as he comes back to reality. Emotions soar through him, grief and love, guilt and gratitude, horror and hope, and he wells up with large flooding tears as he clutches his soulmate so tightly in his arms that they’d have to kill the Once-ler to pry the Warden from him. Out of his cold, dead, greedy fingers, like all of his riches, except this man is infinitely more valuable to him than any dollar bill or any shining jewel.* I love you too! *He gasps* I love you so much, Edmund! I’m not going, I’m never going! I’m staying right here with you forever and I’m going to fix this, I swear! *He suddenly looks over his shoulder and snaps at the nurses like a feral animal.* GET ME HIS GLASSES! Don’t you dare even think about denying me!! *He’s never sounded so furious and threatening before, but he could make their lives a living misery if he wanted to, and if they do not obey him right now then he will certainly rain hellfire upon them all.*

*The nurses gaze at him wide-eyed - at the whole situation, really- and then scatter like frightened gazelle. The Warden will be getting his damn glasses back. There is no question about that.*

Warden: *Has his eyes tightly shut, not at all scared of the way Oncie is shouting. But he's still overwhelmed by this whole situation and has no energy or lucidity left in him, so he clamps up and burrows himself as close as he can into that hug. His emotions are still dulled by everything, but hearing Oncie talking to him - saying that he loves him and is going to take care of him and that he's never going anywhere - is affecting him so deep down that he starts crying even when he doesn't directly feel the emotions he's supposed to. He doesn't wail or sob, he just wells up and the tears stream freely. The emotions are so deeply there that even when he can't think about what it means, or even consciously feel them, his body reels under the effects of it all. He knows what he’s meant to do here, what his body wants, and what his heart needs to express, even in all the brainfog. He sniffs heavily, and a small pant of crying does make itself heard. It's a single bleat, a shudder of his shoulders, and it's all his damaged mind has left to give. He loves him, that’s all he knows to be real when he has nothing left, that’s what the thing that makes sense and knows to stay, and he’s so relieved Oncie is here.*

Once-ler: *Strokes his hand through the Wardens hair and rocks him back and forth, his chin protectively hooked over his head as the tears stream down his face.* Okay- *Sniffs again and leans down to plant kisses on the Warden's head, talking into his ear and doing his best to deliver as much comfort and love to him as he can.* I love you too. *Kisses him again and repeating the words as a mantra.* Everything's going to be okay, everything's going to be oka- ay.

Warden: *Nods pathetically into his front, trying to believe him that things will be okay, because the only hope he can hold onto now is that he trusts Oncie. His facial expression is blank, even though so much stuff is churning up inside of him. Oncie smells so familiar this close, and that particular sense is a vivid experience in his current state. Fresh grass, butterfly milk, sweet flowers, the forest- with a hint of smoke and copper from his factory, and a faint smell of the signature cologne he wears for business. It’s the most perfect scent in the world because its his, and it’s a lifeline for his muddled synapses to cling onto. He never wants to be let go from from this.*

*The nurses scurry back down the corridor for the glasses, they didn't even ask permission to take them from the front office - they just want to swipe them so that they can hand them back to the frightening man - but run straight into the doctor who brought the Once-ler here. He frowns and shakes his head - no. They're not giving an unknown and dangerously unstable man anything that can be broken into shards. It's policy. One brow raises up from behind his thick glasses, reminding them that this is their job, and they're not just here to placate the guy making the loudest demands in the room.*

*Besides, he thinks. They're just glasses.*

*The nurses twitter amongst themselves, because nobody wants to go back in there and tell him. As they twitter, one sneaks past and dashes for the front office because maybe if she can smuggle them in, the Once-ler won't fire her at least.*

*She gets to the front desk, reaches for the glasses stacked on top of the filing cabinet, but is then stopped by a wiry hand with sharp nails. Jumping a mile, she looks up into the eyes of a very severe-looking woman with horn-rimmed glasses, a grey beehive hairstyle, and a long, pristine white coat.*

Female Doctor: What do you think you're doing?

Nurse: Th-there's a very upset patient who needs them, Dr. Zazzerzump! And... *she hushes her voice* Mr. Once-ler demanded we get them!

Doctor Zazzerzump: Mr. Once-ler 'demanded', did he? *Her birdlike face hardens like thunder.* Is Mr. Once-ler the Medical Chief of this hospital?

Nurse: N-no Doctor. But none of us want to be the ones to go in and tell him-

Doctor Zazzerzump: Oh, for goodness' sake. *She storms past the nurse with clipped, high-heeled strides and heads straight for the secure wing.* And Dr. Snickberry-Shoo? What did he say about all this?

*She walks straight past Dr. Snickberry-Shoo as he continues to berate the nurses for trying to get past him. But when he sees his superior come striding past, he takes a step back away from her.*

*This might be the Once-ler’s city, but this is her hospital, and he can’t just waltz in and take a patient from one of their cells like the man belongs to him. His name is on their paperwork now, he’s in their branded straightjackets, he’s in one of their cell rooms, and he has a long, tiring schedule of tests, medication and treatments already being prescribed and planned that’ll last him years until he’ll be allowed to be released. Once he’s proved to be mentally unfit for the outside world, he’ll be institutionalised here, and then he’ll belong to her and to the system.*

*Although relief floods through The Once-ler to finally have his beloved safe in his arms again, this isn’t the end of the road like he hopes. He doesn’t realise the approaching battle coming on the horizon. He doesn't realise what a terrible ending they might be met with if he doesn’t win it. He doesn’t realise, that in a cruel twist of irony, the Warden might finally become the Prisoner.*

To be continued...

#the-once-ler-in-superjail #superjail #the once-ler #the warden #wardler #the lorax #thneedville #wardenler #comic #chapter 35 #part1 #the asylum #tw mental illness #wiggybe #wiggy #self-made-madman #self made madman #ilpentamerone

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ranticore · 1 month

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I saw the zeta post and I adored the concept and it left me with a million questions. If the zetas lack tongues are they incapable of speech? the post also mentioned that a kattakani's bodies don't comunicate with each other much, is that part of the reason why? Do they have some kind of sign language? Also I 've realized that the company that was settling Siren with all these GMO's was wildly unethical at best (love sticking a guy in a dream and then making him turn into a whale) -but what the hell was even the reasoning behind trying to make a sentient sapient human derived creature incapable of community empathy or solidarity? Was there a running office game of 'who can think up the experiment that crosses the most moral lines'?

Hiii

zeta had to re-evolve speech all on their own because it wasn't just a lack of tongues holding them back but also a lack of certain language centres in the brain - they could understand speech but struggled to produce it. they use sign language now due to a lack of tongues (it's why they wear hand-guards, their hands are very important to their social functioning so they get protected well). but the reason the kattakati bodies don't talk much is the same reason why most people don't talk to themselves anyway (some do ofc it's impossible to make really sweeping statements about a whole population); they tend to turn their communication outwards to other people than keep it internal.

Honestly there was an effort in the company's HQ to think up the worst stuff they could do and still turn a profit because they found Siren a perfect place to experiment without any oversight so if they were going to need to do something horrible in the future, they might as well test it out here. The dream thing is just an example of corporate penny-pinching - sure they could commission a bespoke dream for Ishmael and the beta phocids that matched their future lives a bit more, but that costs a lot of money and they really just needed the bare minimum, why not just use one of the pre-made dreams. It's not like they'd remember the dreams anyway. They were not interested in the minds of their first three design iterations (or the harpies), only their bodies. Even though they had a massive budget and were seeking huge profits they still did everything as cheaply as they could get away with; the pilots who surveyed the planet even had to bring their own equipment from home because it was barely provided.

As for the zeta and why they were made like that, well, it's basically just preemptive union-busting on a genetic level. Workers who only follow orders but never talk amongst themselves, never show curiosity towards their neighbours. A hyper-atomised taskforce.

#setting: siren #I'll post the follow up chapter to 'forward from the author' soon #anyway the promise of a huge stake in future speculative profits will make people act up

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gothhabiba · 9 months

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Forgive me if this is a bad take but like. If one wanted to like. Do outfits based on where you're going. Why not just buy some when you get there? Like. Surely that's in budget for "go to a country across the world", gets you something more authentic, does the "supports the economy" thing people always claim tourism does (without exclusively supporting the tourism economy, in this case) and like. Isn't just broadcasting your preconceived notions.

I get what you're saying! I do think buying clothing in a specific place makes sense. though there are drawbacks to that plan for anyone who has really specific needs with regards to what clothing they wear.

I'd question what "authenticity" really is or means, though. the thing is that there are malls in Morocco (and a lot of other places) that sell clothing from major global brands. for better or for worse, the global export of "Western" fashion has impacted what people wear almost everywhere on Earth. you could buy blue jeans and a moto jacket from any random Zara in the US or Europe and you would look more "Moroccan" than someone chasing a made-up idea of "Moroccan"-ness, whether they're purchasing those clothes inside or outside of Morocco.

"authenticity" is a trap that destroys what it searches for. it can only ever chase after the ideal, the stagnant, the atavistic. if it cannot find what it searches for (because tourists and industry, in encroaching further into areas they deem "remote" to find the "untouched" and "authentic," by their own logic deplete the exhaustible resource of "authenticity" that they imagine exists), it creates it—there's a "race to the bottom" where anything familiar is deemed inauthentic (even if it "really" represents the lives of people in a certain location), and anything bizarre, odd, strange, or gross is deemed authentic (even if it really doesn't). people in "remote" villages in Africa straight-up invent fake weird rituals to satiate this desire amongst Western tourists and photographers. you see a similar pattern with food culture.

there's this idea that you travel to "explore," that there's something daring and intrepid about going specifically to certain locales, because you're encountering the unfamiliar and becoming "cultured" and learning more about different people. yet in order for this self-concept of "daring" and "intrepid" to hold, what you encounter must be sufficiently shocking. white / Western people will travel to a "third-world" country supposedly in order to expand or challenge their own expectations, and then get angry and complain whenever they don't find exactly what they already expected!

to return to the question at hand—you're going to be able to find kaftan and gndourat and djellabat and blaghi in the souaaq of any city, yes. whether these are "authentic" "Moroccan" garments is a more philosophical question, as many of these shops primarily cater to tourists and sell garments in a Moroccan style that have in fact been imported from China... and, because the shops stock what sells, and tourists buy what they like, and they like what they already expected to see, the shops are geared towards what Westerners associate with "Morocco"... meanwhile, many of the garments that e.g. Zara stocks in their European stores were in fact assembled in Morocco! so what constitutes an "authentic," "Moroccan" garment, exactly?

#to be clear I'm not implying that any of this is news to you #just following my train of thought #travel #authenticity #mine

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loveroftoomanyfandoms · 6 months

Text

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 11

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, idiots in love, Kelsie is her own warning 😈

Word Count: ~1k

A/N: Super short but super important chapter here! This is setting up our Mega Angst for the story, which will be coming next! 👀

As always, thanks to @theradioactivespidergwen for the stellar divider! 🥰

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment @roseslovedreams

Ugh, why isn't this coffee kicking in, you thought to yourself while you sat at your desk attempting to proofread several articles for the Thursday digital edition of the paper later that morning. I've read this same sentence no less than 5 times.

You shook your head, trying to clear it. The unusual quiet in the normally bustling office definitely wasn't helping your sleepiness. Maybe some stronger coffee will help.

You stood up and walked towards the break room. Skyler had brought a bag of espresso roast coffee in the previous week and you were pretty sure there was some still left.

You paused as you spotted Ellison at the Keurig. "Copier's on the fritz again," you said, walking over towards the cabinet that held the coffee mugs. "Thought you should know."

Ellison nodded as he waited for his coffee to finish. "Hopefully there'll be enough money in the budget to replace it next year. Damn thing's probably older than I am."

He looked over at you and squinted. "No offense, but you look like shit."

You huffed out a laugh. "Gee thanks, Mitch. You sure know how to make a girl feel special."

"Rough night?"

You shook your head. "Just tired. I only slept about an hour last night."

Ellison studied you for a moment. "Look, why don't you take the rest of the day off? Go home and get some rest."

You opened your mouth to protest, then thought better of it. You were still exhausted and a nap honestly sounded wonderful at the moment. "Are you sure?" you asked instead. "I was just going to get some more coffee and try to power through the rest of the day."

Ellison nodded. "Absolutely. It's been a slow news day, and besides, you've been working your ass off lately and deserve a break."

You smiled. "Okay. Thanks, I appreciate it."

Ellison shrugged. "Eh, don't get all sappy on me. I just don't want you burning out on me, otherwise who else would tell me if my editorial column sucks or not?"

You grinned. "Oh I'm sure people would be lining up for that privilege."

Ellison chuckled. "Seriously, go get some rest."

You nodded. "I will. Thanks, Mitch. Really. I'll see you tomorrow."

You walked back out to your desk and gathered your things, then stopped by Skyler's desk. "Ellison gave me the rest of the day off, so I'm heading home. I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?"

Skyler nodded. "Okay. Get some rest."

As you headed down to the first floor and out the door, you considered stopping by Daredevil on your way home so you could apologize to Matt in person.

You headed towards your apartment building, sighing happily when you finally walked in the door.

You shook your head. You were so tired that you honestly weren't even sure if you could come up with a coherent apology. I'll talk to him after my article is turned in.

You peeked in your pantry and refrigerator, wrinkling your nose at the paltry options you had for dinner that evening. Instead of a choice between boxed pasta, instant ramen, or leftover Chinese takeout you wished you had Matt's spaghetti carbonara, pesto-parmesan linguine, and tiramisu. Maybe I could order something for delivery later, try something else on the menu.

You headed into your bedroom, changing into something more comfortable before climbing into bed.

Your mind drifted to your article. You really didn't want to have to replay the last few minutes of the blind tasting yet again, but you needed to add a bit about it at the end so you could give it a quick read-through then send it to Ellison.

You sighed. You were a professional, dammit, and no matter your feelings, you were going to write a damn good article about Matt… Even if you never spoke to him again after it was all over.

I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night… No, take responsibility for your actions, Matthew.

I'm sorry for trying to kiss you last night… Actually, no, I'm really not.

I apologize for my behavior last night. I must have misread the situation and… Ugh.

Matt sighed as he rode the elevator up to the Bulletin offices, wishing he would have had time to make a fresh tiramisu for you.

He stepped off the elevator, unable to detect your now-familiar heartbeat among those of the rest of the Bulletin staff.

"Can I help you?" said a woman's voice to his left.

"Uh, yeah." Matt turned towards her and asked to speak to you.

"She's not here."

Matt sighed. Damn it. He probably wouldn't have time to come back later and based on what Foggy had said about you looking miserable he wasn't sure if you would be willing to come by the restaurant either. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"Actually ," the woman continued, "she's out on assignment for the rest of the day. You know those investigative types, always looking for their next big scoop."

Matt furrowed his brow. That had been the exact opposite of the type of stories you had told him you were interested in writing. "I thought she was in Features."

"Oh, yeah, she is, but she really wants to be an investigative journalist, you know, digging up the dirt on people, finding out their deepest, darkest secrets and publishing them for the world to see." The woman paused. "Nothing nor no one is going to stand in the way of her and a good exposé… even if she has to make one up."

She made a dismissive sound. "Anyway, would you like to leave a message for her? I'll make sure that she gets it."

Matt shook his head. "Oh, uh, no, that's okay. I'll… catch up with her another time. Thank you."

"Sure thing. Have a nice day!"

Matt walked back to the elevator then headed down to the first floor. He had thought that he was getting to know you, but after that surprise revelation from your coworker he wasn't so sure.

He shook his head. Could you have been lying to him this whole time?

#lotmf writes #Cooking Up Love Masterlist #Chef! Matt Murdock x Reader #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x fem!reader #matt murdock x female reader #matt murdock x you

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mama-qwerty · 3 months

Note

Eclipse is a rare mix of after living on the comet, he'll eat almost anything, so he's a good eater. But he will complain the whole time about the foods he doesn't like.

"What's this?"

Eclipse poked at the green thing on his plate. It looked like a little tree. Why was this woman feeding him trees?

"It's broccoli," she said, scooping a spoonful onto Silver's plate. "It's good for you. Helps you poop."

"I don't need help to do that." Eclipse curled his muzzle, shoving the green thing off his plate. "I don't want it. Give me more meat."

"Number one, that's rude. Number two, I can't keep feeding you nothing but meat, that will blow our whole grocery budget in about a month. Number three, I've smelled what happens after you go to the bathroom. Humor me and eat the broccoli."

"Why should I?"

"Because it's important." Silver popped a floret in his mouth, and pointed toward Eclipse with his fork. "If you don't eat enough vegetables, you could get sick. Maddie says."

"I won't get sick," Eclipse sneered. "I'm the ultimate weapon, created by the brilliant minds of the Black Arms. I can eat anything and not get sick."

"Good!" Callie said, taking her seat and picking up her fork. She used it to place the green thing back on Eclipse's plate. "Then you won't have any problems eating it."

The darkling snarled at the tree. "I don't want to."

"Then no dessert," she said with a shrug.

"That's not fair!"

"Then eat it. Seriously kid, you'd be done by now if you'd just eaten the thing instead of argued about it."

She was so mean. Horrible woman. Terrible, evil, cruel woman.

Eclipse grabbed his fork and violently jabbed it into the stupid green thing, before shoving it into his mouth. His sharp teeth made short work of it, and it honestly wasn't that bad, but he wasn't going to let her know that.

"I hate this. It's terrible. No wonder it helps you poop because that's what it tastes like. Ugh, why do you weird humans grow this stuff, let alone eat it? I'm the best parts of the Black Arms! I'm stronger than any of you! I shouldn't have to eat this! Why would you make me do this??"

He'd swallowed the gross green thing halfway through his rant. The woman was just sitting there staring at him, a tired, bored look on her face.

"Finished?"

Eclipse curled his lip into a snarl. "Yeah."

"Then have another pork chop and see if you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

He jabbed his fork into another meat slice and dropped it on his plate before grabbing it with his hands to tear into.

"I'll think about it."

"I wait with anxious anticipation for your decision."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Just eat."

Eclipse grumbled as he finished his pork chop. Humans were so weird.

#ask shortie #ask me #ames stuff #eclipse the darkling #callie macpherson #silver the hedgehog

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lgbtpopcult · 4 months

Text

Streaming Services & LGBT+ Women Representation in 2024

Let's do a raking of where we stand and what has been going on in the last few months in streaming...

Grades: A+ highest and F lowest/fail

Max C

Max has been having trouble getting any hits in recent years. Though they are not purposeful about giving us representation they do have some gems. There's no quantity but there's some quality stuff. First and foremost. Harley Quinn the Animated Series. The animated series, now renewed for a fifth season and with a spinoff, has gone where no series has gone before. Yeah, animated series have given us representation before there's been Adventure Time, Shera, The Owl House, Steven Universe and more. However, two popular, important characters that are part of a huge franchise getting together in an animated series geared towards adults? And the representation being romantic and sexy and a healthy relationship? Love that for us and at the same time should be the standard. Max also has The Last of Us which was the biggest hit of last year and is returning next year, the lead Ellie is gay and will have a stable relationship next season. However, there's serious lack of quantity. There's some side characters here and there in shows like Peacemaker and The White Lotus but most shows don't have gay women or if they do they get cancelled or leave or handled badly. The gay lead in The sex lives of college girls is leaving, in Vilma Mindy Kaling made us think she's giving us Vilma and Daphne only to go "just kidding she's in love with her guy best friend after all" and the new Pretty Little Liars show original sin? Has no gay girl in it. Hubris.

Apple TV+ A

Apple TV+. For everyone asking what's the best platform for gay girl content that is consistent and of high quality that is your answer. Apple TV+ is not just the place for Dickinson and For all Mankind. It is consistent in giving us wlw in its shows whether that's The last thing he told me, See or Invasion. It is also giving us leads in its big budget, important projects not some small show they made on a dime and nobody noticed while they were advertising straight romcoms. In The Morning Show one of the leads is queer, in Bad Sisters same and of course our best show you could be watching right now, Monarch legacy of Monsters. It also usually renews its shows for at least 3-4 seasons. So, yeah if ur a gay girl you can get an Amen. On Apple TV+. Yeah there's some good stuff here and there on other platforms, Max has Harley Quinn which is revolutionary and The last of us which is one of the best shows of the year, Amazon's best and most successful show Wheel of Time gave us a queer woman lead, Netflix...used to include us in its important projects back in the day when they weren't the Facebook of streaming? But the important thing is, Apple TV+ has the most quality and quantity in its recent projects we've seen in a while. The effort to cater to us is clearly there.

Amazon Prime Video C+

Amazon Prime tries. We have to give them that. They have greenlit some important shows with good budgets that included gay leads. Some of those were The Wilds, A league of their own, Paper girls, Shelter. Notice a pattern? Yeah, cancelled. To be fair that is not always the case. The Wheel of Time, one of their most important shows has a gay woman lead played by fan favorite Rosamund Pike of I Care a Lot fame. They also gave us a whole reality show about Latin American super couple Calle and Poche. However, their misses are way more than their hits and they never give shows room to breath and grow an audience. You can't trust them to do that. Hopefully, they will at some point give us stories that they can finish but for now their efforts are subpar.

Hulu: B-

Hulu has been ramping up its efforts for representation and it shows. While for a long time aquired content was their gayest content (movies like Happiest Season for example) they have some interesting stuff recently. They made a more inclusive How I Met Your Father, with a lesbian being part of the group and treated well, they of course have our fan favorite Killing Eve, and they made a gay romance movie, Crush, casting two actual bi women to play the leads (Rowan Blanchard and Auli'i Cravalho). They have some shows that have important gay women characters like Class of 09, Only Murders in the Building, Dopesick, Little fires everywhere and even their new big bet Death and other details. Hulu has only started focusing on original content in recent years so we'll have to see how it goes.

Netflix: F

Netflix as been very focused on straight people in their 30s over the past couple of years. Gone are the days when they first started with shows like Orange is the New Black, their flagship show, having a wlw couple as its main couple. GenZ, the gayest generation yet(and this research doesn't include genz under 18 or that number would not be what it is😂), will probably be their downfall so there's that but for now it's an important streaming service that has turned into network TV.

It's a shift we've seen happening gradually but became apparent in the last few years the most as there was not only very limited content for us to watch but queer characters have not been given important stories or romantic relationships. The few bright spots (like Fear Street and I Care a lot) are acquired content that they didn't greenlit themselves, they just happened to buy. On the other hand, they have endless reality shows about straight romance and straight romantic comedies. Big budget, well promoted series always have a straight lead (even if they have to straight wash her from the source material *cough archive 81 cough*). Gay women are the gay friend/side character if they exist at all. In the past few years there were some lead characters in shows with miniscule budgets that were not given any importance like First Kill (which they set up to fail by giving it a bad budget, unknown leads, untested writers etc.) and warrior nun that were swiftly cancelled. Similarly, some small budget foreign shows had some gay women leads like Feria The Darkest Light (which was very good but was not promoted at all), and Everything Now(ditto). There were some side characters here and there most notably the ones in The Fall of the House of Usher and Elite but little else. Sometimes they even make it seem like they'll be giving us a show in which the lead girl has an actual romance storyline with another girl (Chosen) only to out it's not that way and the girl is just one of her love interests, given 2 minutes of screentime and not treated all that well.

Good reenactment of how the Netflix experience has been for queer women in the past few years:

Netflix: straight romcom, straight romcom, straight reality show, straight lead, straight romcom...

Other streamers and networks: increased representation

Netflix: one lesbian side character, straight romcom, straight romcom, straight reality show, straight lead who was a lesbian in the original but was straight washed, straight romcom...

Other providers: Movies are becoming gayer look Scream, Mean Girls even the Purge movies got gay! In Yellowjackets you have a lead lesbian with romance and friends cheering her on, in NCIS Hawaii Our lead couple is two women, in Monarch legacy of monsters the lead is a queer woman and in meaningful relationships with women....

Netflix: In Chosen the lead sleeps with a girl, then sleeps with a guy, then has like two conversations with the girl before the season is done then the show is never heard from again. Also, we've been sitting on the rights of The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo forever. Plus we took a successful podcast with a lesbian lead and ruined its live action adaptation by making her straight and we're always willing to throw in a gay girl side character XO XO

Paramount+ C-

When you think of Paramount+ and gay women you think of Special ops lioness. And that is a good show to think about. However, outside of that Paramount+ is a mixed bag with not a lot of choices. They don't have a lot of original programming, most of their stuff is CBS stuff. Other than Lioness in the original programming category we got dating show Love ALLways, a fun bisexual dating show. In the CBS shows they have NCIS Hawaii, which is awesome and has a wlw as its most important couple. They also bought Paper dolls which is another hidden gem you should definitely check out. Star Trek: Picard gave us two lead women in a relationship only to break them up. You'll find some side characters here and there like in The good fight. What adds some value is some acquired shows they have that you can also find elsewhere, like Showtime favorite Yellowjackets and MGM+ gem From. Still, definitely not enough for anything more than paying for a couple of months to watch Lioness, From and Yellowjackets.

Peacock C

Peacock has had trouble getting any of their shows to resonate with viewers. Most of their shows are the NBC shows. With their limited selection of original programming though they have shown a willingness to maje a real effort to be inclusive. The Saved by the Bell spinoff, which only run for two seasons(most of their original programming are lucky to get that far), made one of its leads bi and gave her a girlfriend. Bel-Air, one of its few shows to survive, made one of Will's sisters gay. Their miniseries The undeclared war has a gay woman lead. Their NBC shows are the ones that add some more quantity. You can find Law & Order: Organized Crime, one of the leads is gay in that one and any NBC show with a gay character from New Amsterdam to Manifest. What they don't have is some shows that you'll really want to watch and get a subscription for but to be fair, that goes for everyone.

Disney+ D

To be fair Disney+ has started its efforts for diversity and we suspect this grade will change in 2025 but for now it's a D. Right now only some small (but important) steps have been made in the right direction. Big Shot was their first show to include a lesbian kiss on the platform, it has since been cancelled. High School Musical The series took an important step by making an important side character bi and giving her a love interest...in its final season 🙃 Andor is really our big win when it comes to Disney+. A successful, already renewed show that introduces two gay women, who are important characters, and in a relationship, to the Star Wars universe. Marvel show She Hulk also threw us a marvel bone by having a gay girl side character. They also have The Owl House which is not nothing. But we need more than that, way more.

#streaming wars #hulu #Netflix #lgbtq #lgbt #lgbtqia #disney+#lesbian #gay #wlw #bi #girls who like girls #tv #sapphic #streaming #max #peacock #paramount+#apple tv+#amazon prime #prime video

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theambitiouswoman · 11 months

Note

Hello, I've been following your post because you're so inspiring and brings motivation. I'm 28 but I just started to take care of myself I know I'm a bit late because I was depressed and anxious before. If it's not too much to ask can you suggest things to make my smell last longer and what are your suggestions like body wash. I'm not really particular on what are the things I should do when it comes to keeping my hygiene. Thank you so much 🙏

Thank you very much <3

Congratulations on prioritizing your self-care! It's never too late to focus on your well-being, and it's commendable that you're taking steps towards that now. When it comes to making your scent last longer and maintaining good hygiene, there are a few simple suggestions:

Choose a long-lasting body wash: Look for body washes that are specifically formulated to provide a lasting fragrance. Many brands offer body washes with scent-boosting properties that can help your fragrance linger throughout the day.

I don't know what your exact budget is but here are some of my recommendations:

Ouai, Necessaire, Aesop, Byredo

2. Use a moisturizing lotion or oil: After showering, apply a moisturizing lotion or oil to your skin. Hydrated skin can help retain fragrance for a longer period. Opt for products with subtle scents that won't overpower any cologne or perfume you choose to wear.

3. Select a suitable deodorant or antiperspirant: Use a deodorant or antiperspirant that suits your body's needs and offers long-lasting odor protection. Look for products with fragrances that complement your personal scent preferences.

4. Layer fragrances strategically: Consider using a fragrance-free or lightly scented body wash, lotion, or oil to avoid clashing scents. This will allow your chosen perfume or cologne to be the dominant fragrance and last longer on your skin. Remember to keep your perfumes away from direct sunlight as it could alter the fragrance and reduce its longevity.

5. Hormonal changes: Hormones can influence your natural scent. Hormonal imbalances can cause changes in body odor. Make sure you are ingesting the proper foods and taking supplements. Typically Chlorophyll, Magnesium and B vitamins are used to help with this.

Remember that personal hygiene goes beyond scent. Regularly washing your body, including all areas, is important for overall cleanliness. Additionally, maintaining oral hygiene, such as brushing your teeth and using mouthwash regularly, is essential for fresh breath.

I will write a separate post on more hygiene tips <3

#hygiene #self improvement #self care #self love journey #self development #self esteem #selfhelp #levelupjourney #glow up tips #that girl #self confidence

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maletfsstories · 2 years

Text

Budget Diversion

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-"Brah this whole thing is bullshit," Thad said angrily while on his phone.

-"Totally dude!" Lance his bro and teammate responded quickly and with the same anger in his voice.

The reason the both of them were so angry was because their University board had suddenly decided out of the bloom that the football team wasn't important anymore, little by little each month the budget previously assigned for the football team shrunk considerably while the budget for the science-oriented faculties grew.

Because of the budget cuts, the team had to use spare old equipment and their experienced celebrity coach had to be let go as the board didn't want to pay his high salary anymore.

To add insult to injury the University board also forced the closure of the largest frat on campus, Delta Zeta Pi (∆ZΠ), they then proceeded to demolish the historic frat house in order to make way for a new scientific research building.

The homeless frat boys were then relocated all over campus. Thad, Lance, and another teammate called Jason were relocated to a dorm that was next to the main science faculty building, meaning that every time they walked through the hallways of the dorm they would bump into hundreds of science nerds of all shapes, sizes, and nationalities.

Things were hard but Thad and Lance tried to keep a cool mind, that was until the board announced that they were going to be cutting all of the lacrosse team's budget, meaning that it would have to be dissolved until "further notice" by the board.

-"I mean dude if that can happen to the lacrosse team it can happen to us right?" Thad said as he walked in circles around his cramped dorm room

-"Your right brah!" Lance responded -"I mean this college was known for its elite sports teams, we put this place on the fucking map and now they want to throw us away like trash!".

-"I know dude but it's all because of those stupid nerds".

-"Totally, I mean all those smart Asians that have started to appear all over campus probably convinced the board to leave us in the gutter" Thad said as he remembered seeing the four-eyed freaks everywhere when walking through campus.

-"Fucking fags, I mean why don't they stay back in China or India, why do they have to come here and ruin the fun for all of us!".

-"Don't know dude but we have to do something, we can't just stay here without doing anything".

-"Im already ahead of you brah, just wait till I get to the dorm and I'll tell you my plan" Lance said as his tone became sinister.

-"Okay brah, see you later" Thad said with a cocky smile as he thought about all of the ways he could abuse the nerds that surrounded him.

-"Sure brah!" Lance finally said as Thad ended the call and jumped into his bed, as he looked at the ceiling he couldn't stop thinking about what was happening, everything he valued in his life was being taken away from him, ever since he was a kid Thad had loved to watch and play football, even the reason why he was studying in one of the best colleges of America was because of football as he had won an athletic scholarship that paid almost all of his tuition.

-"Fucking budget diversion..." Thad whispered to himself -"I wish things could be different".

As those fateful words left Thad's mouth an almost invisible multicolored shimmer started covering his surroundings, because Thad continued looking up towards the roof he didn't notice the formation of said shimmer, furthermore, he didn't even notice that it slowly started changing his belongings and those of his roommate Lance.

The dozens of dirty and smelly clothes on the floor vanished in the blink of an eye, in both Thad's and Lance's closets their dozens of pairs of sleeves shirts designed to perfectly show off their muscles were replaced by some formal button-up shirts, simple yet colorful graphic t-shirts with typically nerdy iconography like that of sci-fi shows and math jokes, and two or more jackets, their shorts became jeans and the dozens of colorful sports shoes they loved to flaunt because of their high cost became simple yet functional oxfords or sneakers.

The four plain walls that made up the dorm were then covered by dozens of posters of different sci-fi shows and movies, the shelves on said walls that were previously covered in sports trophies were now proudly displaying books in every scientific field and some small chess and math competition trophies.

The computer where Thad used to make mediocre assignments and watch porn was replaced by a high-end tech machine that could do any task that was thrown at it, no matter how big the numbers it had to process.

As the changes around Thad continued at a steady pace it was then time for his body to change as well, the first major change that manifested was a sudden decrease in his height from his imposing six feet four to a more compact five feet seven, Thad didn't notice this even though his feet couldn't touch the end of the bed frame like before or that his clothes felt slightly bigger.

Said clothes would become less tight over time as Thad's muscles started to dissolve back into his body, his defined six-pack was the first to go as it sank into an almost flat surface surrounded by a small amount of fat, Thad's hard-earned pecs were next as they also deflated like balloons and disappeared out of sight. Thad's bulging arms were not spared either as his huge biceps and vein-filled forearms deflated as well, leaving behind a pair of useless sticks that couldn't carry any significant amount of weight on their own.

-"What the?" Thad thought as he looked down and for a moment saw that his muscles had disappeared, he quickly blinked and as he did his vision blurred slightly. Which gave the illusion that his large muscles were still there.

-"Must have been my mind playing games" Thad concluded, after all, it had been a long day for him, he had to go to football practice in the morning, go to the gym before lunch and then go to a few tedious classes in the evening, this combined with the fact that he had been to a party last night meant that he had slept only three or four hours -"Maybe I should call it a day..." Thad thought as he got up from his bed and readied himself for the long night to come while still not noticing the changes happening around him and to himself thanks to his blurry vision.

-"Here it is!" Thad mumbled as he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste from his now orderly drawer, he then proceeded to walk towards the small bathroom adjacent to the exit of his dorm room, once inside he washed his mouth with some water and then placed some of the toothpaste onto the toothbrush before proceeding to brush his teeth.

As he brushed each tooth carefully the changes all over his body increased in pace, his previously muscled ass became a well-proportioned bubble butt while his defined legs lost their musculature.

Thad's dick which was his pride and joy lost almost five inches leaving behind a three-inch nub, his giant and fertile balls also shrank with his manhood, and finally, his smaller equipment became covered in a dense forest of black curly hairs.

These hairs then proceeded to grow all over Thad's carefully waxed body, because of this his slightly chubby stomach now had an abundant treasure trail leading towards his flat but hairy chest whose pink nipples were surrounded by smaller black curly hairs.

This sudden hair growth was followed by a subtle change in Thad's skin tone as it went from a tanned white to a dark brown tone, first, it was his feet, then his legs, and then this new brown wave rapidly climbed upwards past his small dick, abdomen and towards his chest were his small nipples increased in size and became even darker.

The wave of brown was then stopped around Thad's neck where his adam's apple shrank giving him a more prepubescent cracking voice.

Up until this point, Thad's face was unchanged but this wouldn't be the case anymore as a messy brown beard grew into place and the previously contained brown wave rushed through his face, by doing so it quickly changed Thad's facial features as seen by his bigger lips, straight but wider nose and softer cheekbones, thus giving him a more South Asian appearance.

The last major changes were those to Thad's eyebrows as they became bushy with black hairs while his blonde buzz cut changed in color to black while also growing into a curly mess. Even Thad's eyes changed in color as his beautiful deep blue irises became black.

As Thad finished brushing his teeth and spat the water out of his mouth, his loose clothes that at this point were dangling from his body changed in order to better fit his new reality, Thad's tank top grew a pair of sleeves and changed in color to grey while a "time travel" graphic motif of a famous show formed on the front. His pair of shorts that seemed to be about to fall to the floor changed into a pair of blue denim skinny jeans that accentuated his behind, the jock underneath said jeans also changed as it became a simple pair of white briefs, finally, Thad's barefoot feet became covered by a pair of old sandals.

-"Shid" Thad said with an accent as he looked up toward the mirror, at this point his vision was so blurry that he couldn't even see anything more than a weird blob of mass reflected by the mirror.

In an almost instinctual manner, Thad's right hand started desperately searching for something on the counter, finally, after a few seconds, it reached the thing it was looking for, a pair of glasses with round lenses that had appeared out of thin air.

-"Dhere dhey arre" Thad said as he placed the glasses on his face like it was the most normal thing for him to do despite the fact that he had never needed to use glasses before.

Once Thad's vision cleared up he pretty much gasped in terror as he finally noticed the extensive changes his body had undergone.

-"Whad happened doo me?" Thad said as he proceeded to gasp gasp again when he noticed that he was speaking with a heavy foreign accent -"Whad happened do me voice!".

Gone was the prime beef of a man that could pick up any girl from the cheerleading team with ease, and in its place was left a skinny Indian nerd.

-"No dis can be happening" Thad said as he ran out of the bathroom and into his changed dorm, everything he owned was either gone or replaced by things only nerds have.

-"No please!" Thad cried as he fell to the floor in defeat, his body, his room, maybe even he as a person was probably erased from reality, replaced by an inferior him.

Thad rummaged through his pockets until he found his student I.D that was previously stored in his shorts, the face in the I.D was the exact same one he had seen in the mirror, instead of Thad Kirkman the card now displayed the name Tanish Kumar, furthermore the faculty the card was registered to changed from the physical sports faculty to the biological sciences faculty.

-"Hoow dis even possible" Thad said as he continued looking at his I.D, maybe it was the wish he made on his bed, maybe it was his harm-filled words when talking to Lance on the phone, either way, he was now stuck with no probability of changing back to his old self.

As Thad stayed on the floor and reflected on his changes, his mind slowly started to be filled with other memories that weren't his own. memories of being born to a middle-class family in the suburbs of New Delhi, memories of dozens of nights of studying that translated into the best grades in his school, memories of not doing any exercise as gaining knowledge and not muscles was his only focus in life, memories of being the loner nerdy kid that was made fun of by the more popular kids at school, and finally more recent memories like that of his temporary stay in the United States.

-"No ged oud of me head" Thad said as he tried to fight back the foreign influence that was taking over his mind. Yet there was no stopping it as Thad now remembered that he got into college not by being the best at football but by being one of the best applicants for an international scholarship program that would pay all of his expenses while abroad.

-"But I'm goot at foodball!" Thad whispered but his changing mind immediately countered this with memories of his bad experiences with sports, he hated p.e. class from pretty much the start of his school life, he now remembered that he would countdown each second of class in wait for the ring of the bell so that he could go to his math or biology class and do more productive things.

Now that he was studying in the states he had been hit hard with the football culture that was almost everywhere around him, this was because he didn't understand the sport at all, not the rules, not the ways of playing it, and certainly not why it was called football when you're supposed to play it with your hands, it was just a stupid game for equally stupid himbos that ran around chasing a ball.

-"No... sdop radionalizing!" Thad shouted as his brain and intellect became much more self-aware, millions of pieces of knowledge were being beamed into his mind with each passing second and slowly but surely they replaced everything that once made up Thad, he wasn't in the football team, he wasn't part of a frat, he wasn't an all American jock, he was just a simple smart hardworking student from abroad doing his best.

-"Tanish al you okey?" A heavily accented voice said behind him.

Thad turned around and looked at where the voice was coming from, a Chinese guy that looked just as nerdy as he was looking down at him with worry from the now wide-open door of his dorm room.

-"Why you in flool?" He said as walked closer to were Thad was.

-"Nodhing I jusd led my I.D fall" Thad said as he got up from the floor.

-"Ale you sule you okey?" The young Chinese man asked as he was now next to Thad.

-"Yes Lin I'm alrighd" Thad suddenly said which worried him even more as he had never met the guy in front of him yet he somehow knew his name.

-"Okey then, you heal the gool news?" Lin asked as he walked past Thad.

-"No whad goot news?" Thad asked as he concluded that Lin was probably once his bro and teammate Lance.

-"See fol youlself" Lin said after turning on Thad's computer and opening their university's main website.

Thad nervously walked towards the computer and sat down on his seat, he then looked at the screen and started reading out loud what he was seeing.

-"Dhe Howard Universidy board is pleaset do announce dhad dhe sdudends Tanish Kumar (Biomedical Engener Sdudend) & Lin Ru (Biomedical Engener Sdudend) have won a grand for dhe realizadion of dheir healdh nano-bod invesdigadion" Thad said and as he finished he felt slightly proud and happy of this achievement.

-"Isn't it gleat?" Lin asked as a huge smile formed on his face.

Thad turned around towards Lin, and for a moment he felt a huge amount of horror, his old bro, now a Chinese guy happy that he was getting a grant for his... Their investigation.

-"Our investigation..." Thad thought as he now remembered that the idea for the project was concocted the week after he had met Lin during orientation week almost a year before.

The more Thad thought about the project the more he lost his will to keep fighting, Lin seemed unfazed by his change, did he even remember who he was previously?

-"Forget it... Your Tanish Kumar, you've always been Tanish" a voice suddenly said inside of Thad's mind -"Think about the project, you're destined to help millions of people thanks to your vast intellect, forget football, football doesn't save lives, your old self lived for himself, you will now live to save others... Forget everything and be happy".

Thad closed his eyes for a fraction of a second as he readied himself to fight against the foreign influence once more but he quickly stopped, Lin was happy, he and Lin now had a better life ahead, and by the looks Lin was giving him, Thad knew that the life he had ahead was to be permanently connected to Lin in both work and love.

-"Why fight anymore, I'm Tanish Kumar, I've always been Tanish Kumar" Thad thought as the last parts of his old self were eliminated from existence and the shimmer that changed him disappeared.

-"My god dhis is gread" Tanish suddenly said with a happy grin of his own.

-"I know light?" Lin said "Appalently some of the budget cuts the boald made to the spolts teams is being used for more glants like ouls, remember Takahashi, he also won a glant for his locket engine ploposal"

-"Really?" Tanish euphorically asked as he got up his chair -"I can'd believe dhis place is finally daking us seriously!".

-"It's just amazing!" Lin said as he jumped and hugged Tanish who quickly responded to the hug.

-"Dis needs a celebradion..." Tanish stated while his face was inches away from Lin's -"Doesn'd it...?"

-"Yes I aglee" Lin said as he came closer and passionately kissed Tanish in his sensual brown lips.

Lin then proceeded to remove Tanish's shirt in a romantic manner while Tanish carefully laid on his bed.

-"I hope youl leady baby" Lin said as he played with Tanish's large brown nipples which made him moan -"Oh I am..." Tanish said as he turned around and by doing so exposing his behind to Lin.

-"Today I eat curry" Lin jokingly said as he proceeded to remove Tanish's jeans and underwear which gave him ample view of his brown hole.

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-"Gosh would you two stop it you Asian fags!" Jason blurted out as he punched the wall, the nerdy asian boyfriends next door seemed like they had been fucking for hours, and because of it he couldn't fall asleep.

Ever since he had moved from his old and now demolished frat house to the nerdy dorm it had become almost impossible to sleep peacefully without hearing moaning all night.

-"Let's hope I don't turn up gay by staying here" Jason whispered as his eyes finally closed while the familiar colorful tones of a magical shimmer formed all over his room.

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Wanted to try something a little different than my usual story subjects, hope you guys like it! 🤭

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#reality change #race change #mental change #solo story #Muscle loss #smarter #gay tf

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