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redpandaramblings · 3 years

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A Taste so Tempting- Yandere Fatgum x Reader

🔞DEAD DOVE; DO NOT EAT🔞

Content Warnings- Dark Fic, Cannibalism, Forced Cannibalism, Yandere themes, Mutilation, Body Horror, Amputation, Medical horror, Mind Break, Not SFW, Dub Con/ Non Con

18+ MINORS DNI

This was written for the Spud Corner collab, Blood. So sorry it's extremely extremely late. It's a little sick, a little twisted, but it this kind of thing is your cup of tea, hope you enjoy.

You knew he was there. It was easy to tell as the sounds of slurping and chewing filtered into your ears. You shuddered, biting your lip to keep from whimpering at the noise of him licking and sucking grease from his thick, meaty fingers. You hadn’t paid much attention to noises like that until a few months ago when a man you had thought was a hero had kidnapped you and brought you to this remote cottage. Now you dreaded them, feeling nausea and anxiety with every crunch and every smack of the towering man's lips.

“I know you’re awake, Poppet.” Taishiro rumbled from his seat close to you. “You’ve been asleep for so long, you naughty thing.”

You blinked slowly awake, knowing he’d anger if you tried to feign sleep. Your head felt like it was full of wool. What had you been doing before? You couldn’t quite remember. You turned your head to face your captor.

The wide smile that greeted you was unsettling. How had you ever found comfort in that wide display of gleaming teeth? A mammoth hand reached out and stroked your cheek, leaving uncomfortable greasy trails in its wake. “There’s my pretty girl. I love seeing your eyes on me.”

He reached out of your view, grabbing something and then bringing it to your lips. You opened your mouth dutifully, letting the chunk of meat be placed inside. You knew the danger in refusing.

“How long was I asleep?” You mumbled as you chewed.

The food was good, like it always was. Perfectly cooked, richly seasoned. You couldn’t place exactly what the flavor was at the moment. You couldn’t bring yourself to care much, usually. You wished you could say it tasted like ash, but it never did. You could never accuse Fatgum of not knowing how to create delicious food.

“Been a couple days.” He hummed, pressing another piece to your lips. “You gave me a bit of a scare, Dumpling. But everything is going to be alright from now on.”

You nodded as you opened your mouth again, letting him feed you. You closed your eyes as you tried to sort through your confused thoughts. A couple of days? Had you been sick? No… You didn't think so, anyway. Could have been an accident? But you were barely allowed anything that wasn’t absolutely safe. Something must have happened. He only kept you asleep like that as punishment. What was the last thing you remembered?

Oh.

Of course.

You had tried to escape.

You swallowed quickly, and choked on your food. You tried to gasp for air, coughing. Fatgum sat you up and began thumping you on the back until your coughing subsided. When the coughing stopped, he laid you back down with a concerned look.

“Hey, now, you need to be careful, Sugarpop! Chew carefully. Can’t have you hurting yourself. And shouldn’t waste such precious food, either. It’s really special today, after all.”

“Yes, sir.” You whispered.

He was in a good mood. That was strange. Usually after you misbehaved, the large man would growl and rage. You’d be locked in the cold, damp cellar to think about what you had done; until you got so desperate that you begged him to let you out. He loved it when you begged, after all. So why was he in such a good mood? You had done the worst thing you could have done. You had run. You had tried to leave him.

So why was he happy?

Why was he smiling down at you?

What had happened those days you had been asleep?

You looked at your captor, trying to assess. He popped a piece of meat into his mouth, moaning obscenely in enjoyment as he began to chew. There was an easy way to find out what was going on. Risky, but certainly would be the clearest answer. After all, despite all his sins, Taishiro had never lied to you. Taking a deep breath, you murmured quietly. “Tai?”

He perked up immediately, grinning brightly. He loved when you called him Tai, loved anything that made it seem like you two were domestic. “Yes, Sweetpea?”

“I… I was a bad girl. Why aren’t you angry with me?”

His gaze was soft as he cupped your cheek with a large, greasy hand.

“I was at first. But then I realized. I finally understood why you fought and tried to run. You didn’t trust me to take care of you, that I’d keep you safe. Now yeah, that made me upset, but then I figured it out. I realized how to prove I’d always take care of you, to show how good we can be together. And well…” He giggled, high pitch and off putting. “You certainly can’t run away anymore.”

Chills ran down your spine and bile tickled your throat. A chilling realization was coming to you. You slowly tried to sit up more to look down at yourself.

“Tai?” You whispered, praying to whatever gods who were listening that you might be wrong. “Tai, why can’t I feel my legs? What happened while I was asleep?”

“Well, sweetness. Hard to feel what isn’t there anymore.”

Numbly, you tugged off the blankets covering you. Your legs were gone. Mostly gone, your mind supplied morbidly. You still had cloth wrapped stumps that seem to have been cut off above the knee. You could barely process it. It felt like they belonged to someone else, like this couldn’t possibly be you. This couldn’t be your body. But the stumps wiggled when you tried to move them. Fatgum’s hand engulfing your thigh stilled your movements.

“Isn’t it perfect, Dumpling? I have a friend who was able to help me and get you fixed up right away. Now there’s no more temptation to run. No more worrying about being bad. You don’t have to worry about being a bad girl for me, because you won’t be able to get into trouble this way. I’ll be here as much as I can to help you. Sure, I’ll have to carry ya around a little more, but that was no trouble before, and you’re even lighter now. Besides. Doing this came with a few perks. I got to experience your sweetness in a whole new way!”

You could barely keep up with what he was saying. His voice seemed muffled and far away, as if you were hearing him from underwater. You kept trying to wiggle your toes. Like, maybe if you could just wiggle your toes, they’d appear again. You could almost feel them. If you closed your eyes, it was like nothing was wrong. Nothing was wrong. Nothing except the hand on your thigh and the voice of your ear murmuring to you about how sweet you taste. What?

“I taste sweet?” You asked, managing to keep the hysteria out of your voice.

Fatgum moaned lewdly, giving your thigh a squeeze. “Darling, you’re the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Juicy, tender, so incredibly succulent. It was all I could do to pace myself. I needed it to last. Don’t plan on ever getting any more, since you’re going to be a good girl now, aren’t you? But it’s so good to taste you like this, experience you like this.”

He reached down to the plate he had been feeding you from, popped a piece of meat in his mouth, and moaned again,his hips bucking inadvertently. He continued in a rough, breathy voice.

“You nourishing me like you? God, Sugar, it’s so amazing. You’ll be a part of me forever. We’re part of each other now. Oh, y/n, don’t you think you taste so good?”

He grabbed a piece of your flesh from the plate, warm, fresh, smelling wonderful and shoved it into your mouth. You chewed out of habit. The flavor was as good as it had been the first time you had tasted it. You tried not to think about what it was you were eating. Who it was you were eating. You managed to swallow. Your stomach roiled. You couldn’t vomit. He’d kill you if you did. You’d put your head between your knees but… You begin to giggle hysterically. You have no knees. Your laughter starts soft but quickly raises in pitch and volume. No knees!

Taishiro kissed the top of your head, nuzzling you.

“See?” He rumbled and stroked your hair. “There’s my happy girl. You’re so good in every way.”

He tilted your chin up and smothered your laughter by covering your mouth with his. He picked you up, placing you in his lap, even as his meaty tongue forced his way past your lips. He tasted like you. You tasted like you. You whimpered into his mouth, overwhelmed. Encouraged, he placed his hands on your waist. It was easier than ever before for him to manhandle you, moving you so that your panty covered fold rubbed over the obnoxiously large bulge in his pants. You didn’t fight it. What could you do, press your stubby thighs together? As if that would work. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling away from his kiss so that you could bury your face in his neck. If your eyes were closed, you could pretend this wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real. This sick fuck wasn’t rutting against you. It didn’t feel good. You didn’t enjoy him treating you like you were his greatest desire.

Fatgum reached down again grabbing another chunk of warm, tasty meat. He popped it in his mouth, chewing a few times. He gripped your hair, pulling your head back just enough for him to slam his lips against yours, forcing his tongue and the warm, chewed, succulent piece of your own flesh into your mouth. Startled, near panicked, you tried to use your own tongue to push the meat back. All you did however was encourage the large man. Though it had never been your intention, soon the kiss intensified as the two of you passed the meat back and forth. The world narrowed. There was only you, and him, the movement, the taste. The fucking taste. Why did it taste good? Feel good? Why the fuck was it good?

Fatgum pulled away, leaving the piece of you in your mouth, and you swallowed unthinking. Dazed, you looked up at him, eyes half lidded. Your hips continued to rock against each other. His eyes were tender, but hungry as he smiled down at you. His thumb whipped over your lips, and you opened your mouth obediently. His grin grew. “Good girl” he murmured as he placed another piece of meat in your mouth. You moaned softly. You hated him. You hated what he had done, what he was doing. You hated his fucking smile, this fucking taste, the way your cunt was getting soaked from the steady grinding against his stupid huge cock. You hated how amazing it felt. With a groan, you leaned up, pressing your lips to his. He held you close with one arm, using his other hand to shove your panties off. They fell to the floor and you were pressed against him again. You tried to rut against him but it was hard to gain traction. Your stumps wiggled in frustration as you tried to gain more friction. Tai chuckled softly, reaching down. His greasy fingers found your clit with expert precision and your whole body jolted. He nipped at your bottom lip, teasing you. After months of being able to have you in his arms, he knew how to play your body like a fiddle. He teased you, gently rubbing the sensitive area around the clit before flicking it directly. The calluses on his fingertips added the perfect friction. He rapidly brought you close to the edge before slowly bringing you down again. You focused on the feeling. Whining, desperate. You didn’t want to think. Couldn’t think. You only could concentrate on the feel, the taste, the need between your legs. You trembled, wet and whimpering. This could continue for hours. But today… Today you needed the comfort of his cock rubbing your insides. The rumbling praise of being his good girl.

“Tai,” you panted. “Tai please, Darling.”

No name got him riled up more. It was easy enough for Taishiro to lift you up enough to unzip his pants and tug them and his boxers down. His cock sprang free. Long, and so terribly, wonderfully, deliciously thick. He didn’t bother to prep your sopping cunt before he started to push in.

Pain. Sharp, focused, burning pain where you were being forced open. This was what you wanted. No other thoughts could exist in this moment. Only this pleasure and pain and dred and acceptance. This was your life now. What else was out there for you? It was best to give in. Just give in. You rocked your hips, taking him in deeper, hissing at the burning stretch. His hands stilled you, petting your back and forcing you to slow down.

“There, now, don’t hurt yourself, Gumdrop. Let me take care of you. Be my good girl.”

You nodded, though you still lightly rocked your hips. Yes. Maybe… Maybe you should. Give in. He’d take care of you. Tai could be gentle. Could feel good. Did feel so good. You moaned when he bottomed out. It felt like he was deeper than ever before and you clung to him for comfort. Your grip tightened as he began to thrust. This could be so good sometimes. And… you liked when he called you good girl. And his. And you were his. You shuddered, arousal spiking at the thought. You were his in a way no one else had ever been, would never be. Tai groaned, picking up the pace when you tighten around him. “Like that, don’t you, good girl?” he panted. “Like when I fill you up, like when I call you my good girl. Gonna be my good girl from now on, won’t you? Only mine.”

You nodded as you were bounced on his cock. Every time he called you by that name, your pussy tightened and squeezed around him. He knew exactly how much he was affecting you. And you were so tired of fighting him. You wondered why you ever had.

“How about you cum for me, Dumpling? Come for me like a good girl, and I’ll fill you right up.”

You moaned and whimpered, beyond words and you fruitlessly tried to rut your hips. You were so close! Fatgum understood, kissing your neck as his fingers once again found your clit. A few firm strokes was all it took before your orgasm hit you. You clung to Tai, half sobbing as you came. It only took him a few more thrusts to follow you, keening and biting your neck hand enough to bruise as he came, pumping his large, thick load into your waiting womb. You both held each other, panting and quiet in the aftermath.

This is where you usually would fight. You’d scream and yell, hitting and kicking to let out your rage. But this time, the rage didn’t come. You were so tired of fighting. Fighting had gotten you nothing. You collapsed forwards, snuggling into Taishiro’s ample chest. He just wanted to take care of you, after all. Everything he’d done was for your relationship. He just wanted to take care of you. You should just give in.

Yes, you thought as he held you close, and lazily began to feed you once again.

Just give in.

#fatgum x y/n #fatgum x reader #taishiro smut #Taishiro x reader #Dark fatgum #Yandere fatgum #Dark Fic #Cannibalism #Forced Cannibalism #Yandere themes #Mutilation #Body Horror #Amputation #Medical horror #Mind Break #Not SFW #Dub Con/ Non Con #collab piece #Spud Corner

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headfulloffantasy · 4 years

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Smile for me

Part 2 of Patch me up

No disclaimers, just mentions of past injuries and a lot of sap ;)

“Nines, can’t you tell me where we’re going?”

“No. It’s gonna be a surprise.” The doctor only smiled as he turned the car off the main road and onto a small gravel path.

“Seriously, I’m starting to feel kidnapped.” Gavin grumbled, but his heart beat in anticipation. It was the first time leaving the hospital since … since that incident with the drug dealers and the fresh summery wind coming into the car through the slightly opened window felt amazing in his hair.

“Maybe I am.” Nines winked at him, causing the Detective’s heart to skip a beat.

“Oh nooo, someone save me,” he replied in a monotonous voice, but with an audible smile.

Nines just threw him a warm glance and reached out to take his partner’s hand, raising it up to his mouth and pressing a quick kiss on the back.

Gavin felt a traitorous blush expand over his face at the tender gesture. He still wasn’t used to someone treating him like Nines did, who somehow managed to be gentle and at the same time didn’t touch him like he was made of glass. The medical was the only person he didn’t feel pitied by and his presence wasn’t making him miserable. When everyone else had tip toed around him, trying to avoid upsetting the injured man, Nines had stayed and told him his honest opinions. And when the Detective’s emotions had boiled over from frustration over being bed-stricken for months, he had fought with him. Gavin still had to smile at the image of the doc dodging the pudding cup flying towards his face, that horrible hospital food hitting the wall and splattering all over the wallpaper. But the most important thing was that he had stayed, even after being attacked with desert. He had held Gavin in his arms as the Detective bawled his eyes out from the constant pain of his healing wounds straining his nerves, he had stayed at the hospital overnight so Gavin wouldn’t be alone, even crawling into that uncomfortably small bed to soothe the nightmares the Detective jolted out of from time to time.

Looking to the side, Gavin let his gaze rest on the man that had sat next to his bed day and night over the last few months, watching over him and talking to Gavin even in his coma. Nines’ voice was the only thing he remembered from those weeks right after the operation. It had been his anchor in that time of fever dreams and blackness.

“Alright, there we are.”

The Detective’s head turned around to look at where they had come to a halt. Outside the car stretched a wide patch of grass before the ground ultimately fell down a small cliff. The setting sun glowed over the horizon, painting the sky a variety of orange and pink colours.

When Gavin turned back and was about to say something, Nines had already left his seat and rummaged around in the trunk of the car. He walked past his partner’s door with an arm full of stuff before stretching out a blanket on top of the cliff and setting down a seemingly heavy basket next to it. Was … was this a picnic? At 9 pm?

The doctor came back and opened the door to the passenger seat where Gavin still sat with big eyes.

“You’re not serious right now, are you?”

Nines just laughed and reached down to put one arm beneath his former patient’s knees, the other behind his back. Right. Being carried always was a grim reminder that Gavin still wasn’t strong enough to walk on his own, but as soon as he was lifted out of the car, he felt a pair of lips on his temple.

“Stop frowning. You will be able to do everything on your own in a few months.”

The Detective held onto his partner’s neck and threw him an annoyed look while Nines pushed the door close with his elbow.

“You a mind reader now?”

“No, just know you enough to guess what that pout means.”

Gavin hid the small twitch around the edges of his mouth by leaning over Nines’ shoulder as he was carried to the blanket. On one side it felt great to be held by those strong arms, but on the other it always brought home the fact that the Detective himself felt like he wasn’t able to lift more than a penny. Even earlier, when the doctor had picked Gavin up from his room with a wheelchair, it had made him uncomfortable.

Nines set him down before slipping behind him.

“I just hate how weak I am at the moment.”

“Gosh, you must be the most impatient patient I’ve ever had,” the medical chuckled behind him, a warm sound rumbling from his chest while he opened the basket to pull out some candles. Gavin watched as he lit them with a small lighter.

“I’m a Detective, I can’t stand being useless.”

Nines put down the last candle around the blanket, the expression on his face turning serious all of a sudden when he looked up at his partner.

“You’re not useless, Gavin. Goddammit, you barely escaped death. It’s normal for that to take a while to heal.”

The doctor’s eyes fell to Gavin’s stomach where he knew to be band aids under a loose shirt, covering slowly healing bullet wounds and the cuts of the operation he had performed himself. The Detective’s stomach contracted at the thought of how he must have looked that night. He himself hadn’t witnessed a lot of it, but he knew that it had been Nines sewing him back together. By now his broken ribs had grown together again, but he still earned several scars and a metal plate on the back of his skull as it had been cracked like a nut. A pierced lung, internal bleeding and an abdominal trauma. All those horrors reflected in Nines’ eyes as he stared at his lover’s body, reminding Gavin that he hadn’t been the only one suffering. In Nines place, he would have gone crazy.

“I know.” The Detective skidded closer and intertwined their fingers. “Thanks to you. Without you, I wouldn’t be here anymore.”

Those ice blue eyes jumped up to his, filled with anxiety, while he leaned his forehead against the doctor’s.

“I don’t know what I would have done if you had died under my hands,” Nines whispered.

“Stop thinking about it. You saved me, Nines. In more than one way. I owe you my life.”

Gavin closed the space between them and laid his lips on his lover’s as gentle as possible. The touch was soft and reassuring, conveying everything the Detective didn’t find the words for. When they leaned back, both of them wore a small smile.

“So, will you tell me what all of this is?” Gavin asked and gestured towards the basket and the candles.

“I still owed you a date, didn’t I?” Nines smirked at him as Gavin settled between his legs, back leaned against the medical’s chest.

“You don’t owe me shit, Nines,” the Detective replied, pressing a quick kiss to his partner’s cheek though without trying to hide his happiness.

“I promised you and I will keep that promise.”

Gavin turned his face upwards. “How did you even convince the other doc to let me go outside? He said I wasn’t allowed to leave for another week minimum.”

“Well, this doc says otherwise.” He placed a kiss on the bridge of Gavin’s nose, right on top of the old scar. “You could call it a special authorisation. I pulled a few strings because I thought it would be good for you to get outside for a bit. And I am here, should anything happen.”

The Detective nodded at that and directed his gaze back on the setting sun which set the sky on fire, Detroit’s outline standing out black from the colour fest. The view was incredible.

His attention was caught when he heard Nines pulling out stuff from the basket. Cutlery, grapes, some cheese and salad, several sauces and baguette appeared and were arranged next to them.

A warm feeling spread in Gavin’s chest and stretched out into his stomach at the thought of Nines planning this for him. An evening picnic under the open sky, with candles and food while watching the sunset, just them alone on a cliff. A breeze ruffled through the Detective’s hair, warm and pleasant despite the cooling evening air around them. He couldn’t have been happier right now.

“Thank you.”

“Hm?” The doctor turned towards him.

“Thank you. For this. For everything you do for me.”

Nines gaze softened at those words and he wrapped his arms tightly around the Detective’s torso.

“Of course. Always.” While pressing a small kiss to Gavin’s neck and nuzzling his nose behind the man’s ear, he reached for something still lying in the basket. He pulled out a silver thermos bottle and put it into his lover’s hands. “Don’t tell the medical staff I gave this to you.”

The Detective looked down at the jug between his fingers. “What is it?”

“Open it.”

“Uh, more surprises I guess,” Gavin sighed, feeling the lips on his skin turn up into a smirk.

The moment he unscrewed the cap, the smell of freshly brewed coffee was released into the air, steam rising from the hot beverage.

“Is-is that coffee?” The disbelief in his voice made Nines chuckle behind him and the arms around him tightened.

“Thought you would appreciate a cup after only getting that lukewarm swill at the hospital every now and then.”

Gavin was speechless as he stared at the can on his lap, eliciting another wave of warmth washing over him. Never before had anyone listened to him as intently as Nines did. The man even remembered his favourite brand of coffee beans, the smell was unmistakable the strong brew only the Detective seemed to enjoy.

“You remembered.”

“Couldn’t forget my boyfriend’s favourite brand of coffee, could I?”

That made Gavin stop in his motion for a second.

“Sorry, was that too much?”

The Detective hated how insecure and worried Nines’ voice sounded, making him quickly shake his head.

“No, I was just a little overwhelmed. I guess you’re the first person to refer to me as his boyfriend.”

Tilting his head back and turning his face up towards the other with a wide smile, Gavin leaned back into the embrace.

Nines looked down at him, the emotions swimming in his eyes almost causing the Detective’s heart to stop.

“Gosh, did I miss that smile.”

Gavin didn’t know how he had enough sense left to put the lid back onto the can and place it aside before pulling Nines down into a kiss and crashing their mouths together, but apparently he had. One hand was interlaced with Nines’, the fingers of the other tangled in that dark soft hair. He deepened the kiss through pulling the man’s head closer as their lips moved over each other in an intense rhythm and he felt a thumb caressing his jaw. Eagerly opening his mouth, the Detective let his partner’s tongue enter while his own started to explore. God did Nines taste sweet.

With a swift move, Gavin pulled back and turned around before attacking Nines’ lips once more, this time pressing his chest to the medical’s and hitting him with enough impact to make him fall back. The Detective crawled on top of his boyfriend’s torso without stopping to kiss him hungrily, elbows set down to each side of Nines’ head and hands buried in his hair. His tongue had conquered the man’s mouth as he couldn’t get enough of that taste, a row of sharp teeth in the front and warm wetness at the back. Nines’ scent lulled him in, one that always managed to calm Gavin down and he knew he couldn’t fall asleep without anymore. The doctor’s hands roamed over his back, drawing gentle patterns on top of his boyfriend’s shirt and pulling him closer to press their bodies together.

When Gavin finally managed to break away from the other’s soft lips, they were both panting heavily.

“I am so grateful for you,” the Detective whispered breathless, still close to Nines’ face with their noses touching. The other man looked so beautiful in front of him. Shiny, kiss swollen lips, a soft gaze in those silver-blue eyes, ruffled strands of dark hair falling into his forehead. The candlelight and last rays of the sun danced over his pale skin, giving it a warm glow.

“I love you,” Nines breathed against Gavin’s lips before catching them with his own in a slow tender kiss while the first stars of the night appeared above them on the darkening sky.

#reed900 #gavinreed #nines rk900 #dbh #sweet sweet fluff #making up for yesterday #happy end

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exhaustedfander · 4 years

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NFWMB: Part Two

Previous Chapter

a03 link

Word Count: 2,300

Summary: Roman comes to the rescue, offering his much-needed aid. Afterward, he and Logan have a very emotional conversation.

“What in the world are you doing here, Logan?”

Logan flinches at the sound of Roman’s voice, not too far off. He’s here, thank god he’s here.

“And what do you need my help with. From the sounds of things, it was pretty –.” Roman stops dead in his tracks when he lays eyes on his twin bleeding profusely and unconscious, Logan hovering over him and sobbing.

“Oh- oh my god! What happened? Remus? R-Remus, hey,” Roman gasps, quickly rushing to their side and kneeling by his brother.

“Roman, you’ve – you’ve got to do something,” Logan says, still trying, in vain, to hold the piece of sleeve already so soaked in blood to Remus’s wound. “You need to get him out of here. I – I can’t do it, a-a-and –,” Logan pauses, wheezing for breath. Quickly, Roman pulls his sash off and tosses the blood-drenched piece of cloth away, holding the red garment to Remus’s side.

“Remus, can you hear me? Remus? Come – come on,” Roman begs, turning to Logan with panic wide in his eyes. “He isn’t answering. Logan, why isn’t he answering?!”

“He – he lost consciousness a few moments ago.” “What happened to him?”

“A bat,” Logan sniffles, watching as Roman tries to constrict to blood flow, “It – it swooped down, a-and picked him up and bit him. Please, he needs stitches, he needs help a-and we can’t give it to him here. Who- who knows what else might be lurking! The creature could come back.”

Roman snaps his fingers, and in an instant, they’re in the Common Room. It’s a blessing of some kind that none of the others are there to see the gruesome scene unfold. A table is conjured bellow Remus, as well as a good deal of medical supplies. Logan wouldn’t have known how to get out of the imagination, not on his own, but now Roman’s here. My god, he’s really here.

“His – his breathing,” Logan comments in horror, holding the sash to Remus’s gash as Roman fumbles around in the suddenly manifested medical bag. It’s so shallow, Remus looks a few breaths from, from – Logan can’t stop himself from thinking it, no matter how hard he tries. Certainly, a side can’t really die. It wouldn’t – it wouldn’t make any sense! Remus won’t die; Remus can’t die.

“Hey, no, don’t talk like that. He’s going to be fine. I’ve seen him in worse shape before, this – this is nothing,” Roman says, though they’re both painfully aware of the fact that it’s a blatant lie. A side has never been in such a state, plunging them into terrifying unknown territory.

“The creature came out of nowhere. It tried –,” Logan struggled to take a breath, “It tried to take him away.”

“No one’s taking anyone away,” Roman says, seriousness etched into his words. “This thorn isn’t my side isn’t going anyplace that easy."

Roman works with great precision, cleaning the injuries and beginning to stitch the wound at Remus’s side. He works with the practice of a medically trained doctor, and if Logan was in the midframe for it, he’d ask how the hell he knows how to stitch a wound so well. Instead, Logan cards a hand through Remus’s hair, soothingly despite the fact that the Intrusive Side is unconscious, his eyes scanning over his chest over and over, continuing to check for a sign of life.

He helps Roman where he can, even in the state that he’s in. Presses a damp cloth to Remus’s temple, administers pain medication, bandages the less pressing injuries. Patton walks in for a moment, panicking immediately. It takes everything that Logan has in him to express that things are fine, Remus will be fine, don’t worry, don’t tell anyone, not yet. It’s impressive, considering how much Logan is beginning to think that things will not be fine, that death is moments away from rearing its head and taking Remus away for good.

But, somehow, Roman manages to stitch the wound closed and take care of Remus’s other injuries to the best of his ability. Amazingly, there aren’t any broken bones, and Remus is still breathing.

Remus is placed in Logan’s bedroom, as his own is most likely far messier and less sterile than a condition he should be in, and because Logan insists. The moment that Remus is out of the woods, at least as far as they can tell, Logan expresses the fact that he will keep watch of the intrusive side until he awakens.

“I can, too,” Roman says, “You don’t need to be alone.”

“It’s fine,” Logan responds, amazed he’s gotten through a few moments without bursting into tears again, an intensity of emotion he is entirely unfamiliar with, “You’ve done an exceptional job here. You’ve – you’ve saved him, Roman. You should rest, I’ll stay.”

And Roman begins to insist that he should stay and that he’d be perfectly fine with it, but Logan ultimately shuts him down. Defeated, Roman slinks to his room with a heavy heart and exhausted mind, troubled sleep gracing him for a few hours as Logan stays put and sits, his eyes not leaving Remus for anything more than a blink of the eyes.

=+=

“You’re still up?” Logan tilts his head, glancing to see Roman standing in the doorway.

“What’re you doing awake? You haven’t been asleep for more than four hours.”

“And you haven’t slept at all,” Roman points out, stepping into the room and standing beside where Logan is sat. “It’s late, specs.”

“I’m aware.”

“He’s going to be okay,” Roman insists, manifesting a second chair and taking a seat beside his friend, “I promise. It… well, it might’ve been a close call. I don’t know, I still don’t know, if we can die, that is. It’s a wonder I haven’t found out myself, considering all my own close calls,” Roman laughs, though the sound lacks any humor. Logan doesn’t find it funny, either.

“I’d still like to make sure he’s okay,” Logan says, though exhaustion is achingly present in his voice. “I can’t leave him.”

“You’ll exhaust yourself to a point of shut-down, if you aren’t careful,” Roman says, speaking from experience. Logan pinches his temple, his eyes still trained on a sleeping-Remus.

“I don’t care. All that matters is that he's safe.” Silence hangs heavy between the two for a long moment before Roman speaks up, evidently intent on staying with Logan for a while.

“So… you and Remus, huh?”

“What about us?”

“You guys are, like, a thing, right?” Logan shakes his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, Lo. I’ve seen you two. I’ve seen the way you look at each other.” The inflection in Roman’s voice is edging on romantic and Logan doesn’t care for that at all.

“We don’t “look at each other” in any way and I have absolutely no idea what you’re referring to,” Logan says tersely, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Logan…” Logan’s heart clenches in his chest. This isn’t a conversation he was intent on having. In fact, he was sure it was one he’d never have, yet it seems Roman has foiled that plan.

“I… care for Remus, very deeply. That's all. I don’t understand why you’re looking into it the way you are.” Roman sighs, the sound heavy with exhaustion and tension.

“I’m sorry.” Logan tilts his head, eyes still settled on Remus.

“What for?”

“For being such a dick to you lately,” Roman sighs, “You and Remus have been spending so much time together and… I dunno… I’ve been a royal prick, haven’t I?” Logan wants to say no, but he can’t entirely disagree. Roman has forfeited spending time with him a great deal lately, and he’s known it has to do with his friendship with Remus. Logan’s silence speaks volumes.

“I know I have. All because you’ve been hanging around my brother, I’ve been ignoring you and that… that wasn’t very princely of me. Jesus, I’m sorry, Logan. I’ve failed to even try to have a relationship with Remus for so long, and now I’ve let it hurt our friendship.” Roman exhales sharply, his shoulders sagging as he buries his face in his hands.

“I don’t hate him, you know. I know it must seem like I do, and maybe once I did… but I don’t hate Remus. I don’t really have anything to hate him for anymore, do I? We’re so different, he’s so much cruder, so much unlike me… but that isn’t grounds to hate a person, to hate a brother.

I’ve told myself for years that I don’t want to be anything like him but… he’s made you so happy, lately. I’ve seen you light up around him, specs, more than I’ve seen in a long time. My brother makes you happy, and god, we’ve been so rude to you lately.” Logan’s ears perk up at that, and for a moment, he finally turns to face Roman.

“We haven’t been listening to you, not enough. Virgil, and I. Even Patton, sometimes. We’ve pushed you aside… I’m so sorry, Logan. We all are. I – I promise we never meant to hurt you.”

Logan wishes he could relish in the feeling of finally being apologized too. He wishes that he could finally embrace some change and have the others listen to him a bit more; this should feel incredible. Except… Remus is lying in Logan’s bed, asleep and having just faced the icy brink of death. Logan can’t bring himself to focus on much other than the fact that Remus is still alive, despite all that’s occurred.

“It’s… it’s alright, Roman,” Logan manages to respond, his voice weak. It’s clear that isn’t the end of the conversation, not nearly, but now just isn’t the time. Logan’s eyes settle back onto Remus, tired but wary.

“He does,” Logan blurts suddenly after a long while of quiet, “Make me happy, I mean. I enjoy the time we spend together. The conversations we have fascinate me greatly, he’s – he’s nothing like what I imagined at first, and I enjoy that. Remus challenges me. He engages in inane experiments with me,” Logan chuckles lightly, amazed that he can find the humor in much of anything right now, “I’ll admit, sometimes our experiments are little more than ‘blowing shit up,’ as he might say. It’s illogical... but quite fun.”

“What were you guys doing in The Imagination?”

“He promised he’s show me the river of blood,” Logan says, the pain so terribly evident in his voice. Roman can’t help but smile at the mention of Remus's side of The Imagination.

“Oh, yes, he’s very proud of that. You don’t know how many of my creations of drown in that cursed thing!”

“When the creature dropped Remus…” Logan says, voice wavering, “And he lay, so still on the ground, the bat came towards us, a-as if to inflict more damage.”

“What did you do to get rid of it?” Roman asks, curiosity peaking.

“I picked up his Morning Star and started swinging,” Logan states, earning a gasp of surprise from the creative side.

“Wait, are you serious?”

“I am.” “Damn, pocket protector. I didn’t know I had it in you.” Logan sighs.

“Honestly... me neither.”

“He’s so quiet when he’s asleep,” Roman muses and Logan hums in response. “So much more peaceful than usual.” A beat. “It feels so wrong, doesn’t it?”

“Incredibly so.” Logan pauses lost in thought before something occurs to him. “Roman, how is it that you stitched up Remus’s wound with such tact?”

Roman bites his bottom lip, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, which is odd because Roman is very much not a sheepish person.

“Well, you know how it is.”

“I do not.” Roman lets out a sigh.

“I get hurt in The Imagination kind of a lot, okay?” Roman says, gesturing to the small faint scars that litter his face, the others that must litter his body invisible under his princely garb (minus a sash), “I mean, look at me, it’s not exactly a secret that I’m stupid and reckless sometimes.” Logan’s mouth thins into a frown.

“I didn’t call you stupid.”

“How’s about reckless?”

“Oh, undoubtedly so.” Roman laughs faintly at that, and it can’t help but bring out a small smile in Logan.

“Anyway, that’s why I’m good at doing stitches, I’m used to doctoring myself up. Done it enough times to get the hang of it. I bet if Remus hadn’t been so hurt, he could probably do it himself. He gets hurt nearly as much, if not more.”

“You two are so thoughtless when it comes to your well-being it’s positively infuriating,” Logan seethes, though there’s very little bite to his bark.

“And yet you loooove us anyway,” Roman says, and that can’t help but stir something in him. Had it been a few months ago, Logan would’ve insisted that he was incapable of emotions, and thus, enable to love. But that isn't a lie he can bring himself to believe anymore.

“I… I do,” Logan breaths out, and the raw vehemence of his tone must surprise Roman.

“Hey, Logan, it’s okay –.”

“I love him,” Logan admits, unsure of he’s just come to this conclusion or if it’s a truth he’s been keeping hidden from himself for some time. His breath hitches as he feels the tears return to his eyes, his vision blurring. “I love him, Roman. A-and he’s been so hurt, Roman I a-almost lost him.”

Logan gasps as he feels Roman’s arms around him, the embrace firm.

“I know,” Roman shushes, beginning to rub circles into Logan’s back as he sobs into his friend’s shoulder, past the point of caring how terribly unprofessional he’s been, “Shh, I know. It’s okay, Logan. He’s going to be just fine."

Logan nods against Roman’s shoulder, sobs still bubbling as he clings tight. Remus is going to be alright. Logan loves him, and he’s going to be alright.

=+=

Taglist:

@nadiestar

@unoriginalgayboyalex

#intrulogical #romantic intrulogical #angst #angst/fluff #hurt/comfort #Logan and Roman bonding over sadness #something I enjoy writing a bit too much if I'm honest #Remus Sanders #Logan Sanders #Roman Sanders #blood #blood tw #gore tw #exhaustedfander writes #exhaustedfander #injured!Remus

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alexisluthor · 4 years

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Prodigal Son Deep Dive - “The Professionals” *SPOILERS*

*PRODIGAL SON SPOILERS AHEAD*

A lot happened in the latest ep of PSON, “The Professionals.” As soon as Malcolm walks into the station and everyone’s staring at him, you know something bad happened. Plus, Gil was drinking. During the day.

So, Eve’s dead, that’s a bummer. We also miss getting two episodes of the show due to the virus, so who knows what those two episodes contained. What we have to work with is a seemingly all-powerful Nick Endicott who promised Whitly in 1999 that he’d…sleep with…Jessica and destroy his family if he ever reneged on their agreement. He’s made good on the first point and is working on the second.

It is my theory that when Malcolm went to “interview” Eddie, the man in the room wasn’t even Eddie. If the team were smart and trying to intercept Nick Endicott’s attempt at framing Malcolm…they would have a bandaged man sent to the hospital – have Malcolm show up with orders from Gil to interview him (which is weird bc he’s a profiler, but whatever). They’ve already got the assassin in their pocket. She goes to Endicott, tells him she killed Eddie and planted evidence after Malcolm’s visit. Voila. Nick thinks he’s got the upper hand.

The team has to keep Malcolm in the dark, to make everything look believable. But notice, at the end of the ep, Dani is looking upward. As if searching for cameras or something. Eve’s place had been spied upon and I think the team hoped that Malcolm’s place was bugged as well so that Nick would get the confirmation he sought. Malcolm gives an amazing ‘shocked’ performance, because it’s not a performance. He really thinks he’s being arrested. Although, if you watch his face carefully, you watch his expression shift to something…else. Less shocked and more… ‘aha, I know what you’re doing here.’

Maybe he’s safer in the clink than anywhere else at the moment – at least until Nick is…taken care of. But the promos for the next ep indicate that he’s not in jail.

Speaking of “taken care of…” as soon as it’s mentioned that Mr. David was sick, alarm bells went off in my head. It was nice to see Martin ‘caring’ about his ol’ pal, and even nicer to hear him hiss at Eddie that he’s, “not like other prisoners.” Is Mr. David still alive? Did Nick kill him?

Now we know that Martin’s cushy existence behind bars is because of Nick. But at what cost? The way Endicott threatened Martin…talked down to him…offered him his little rug. I would say that Martin is a…dominant…type. I think it’s killing him that Nick has infiltrated his family so thoroughly. That pent up rage is probably not doing good things for him, mentally. I think a lot of that rage comes out when he’s brutalizing Eddie.

The scene where Eddie tries to kill Martin was fantastic. Martin being choked…Malcolm unable to get into the cell. As he was being choked out, it was like Martin had all but given up until he heard Malcolm scream, “Dad!” It was a moment that so perfectly echoed that scene when Martin was in a coma. It was Bright who brought him back to the surface. Martin’s eyes snap open and he gets the upper hand, going into full kill mode, and all Malcolm can do is watch. I think Malcolm watches in both horror and fascination. This is the first time he’s really seen his father do real damage, revealing his animalistic nature in the most brutal fashion.

What’s just as shocking is the way that Martin attacks Eddie. He goes for the eye sockets, which is one of the ways he’d mentioned previously, to a collegiate Malcolm, how he could kill him. He tells Eddie, “this is for my boy,” and grins wildly at Malcolm as he does it. It’s like watching his sanity snap in real time. And Malcolm can’t pull his eyes away.

I think part of Malcolm…a part that he’d never admit to having…wasn’t too terribly upset by his father’s brutal treatment of Eddie. That is the man who killed Eve after all… The look on his face is more one of fascination than disgust. Despite not being >>as<< panicked as when Martin was being attacked, he still urges Martin to stop. JT pulls Martin off Eddie and Martin has this moment…it’s almost like he’d disassociated a bit. He almost has to come back to himself. Hmmmmm….

And poor Gil and Jessica, talking about Malcolm – drinking – reconnecting. Their night had been going well. Jessica is right, she sure can pick ‘em. And to find out that she did have a history with Gil is beyond satisfying and something I think we all suspected. But to hear that she had turned him away – made him think he wasn’t good enough for her – that was brutal. Poor Gil. Still, he got to have his life with Jackie. And now he gets Jessica. Or does he?

Boy…what a time for Martin. He lost Jess both to his enemy Endicott, and to his enemy Arroyo. That rage will really boil when he hears about Gil. He already fears that he’s lost his boy to the lieutenant and now his ex? Ouch.

We get that lovely kiss between Gil and Jess and several other incredible moments with the rest of the team.

Ainsley puts herself in danger as she tries to investigate Nick. But part of me wonders…if she’ll be the one to kill him. I think Martin went after the wrong kid to try to convince to be a killer. If I had to put my money on it, I’d see her killing someone before Malcolm would. Then again, he did stabby stabby his very own daddy daddy but I think the reasons behind that were more complicated than – well, he’s a killer. I digress.

And poor Eve. No wonder Malcolm is haunted by her specter. In a way, it is because of his family that both she and her sister are dead. She had just begun to taste hope, had just renewed her spark, and boom – her life was snuffed out. I think Malcolm’s psyche is more fragile than ever as a result… How many ghosts can haunt him before he cracks apart entirely?

And what of Nick’s fury? What happens when he finds out Jess has moved on to Gil? When she says “no,” to him? Eeeeek. Martin is the big, bad predator, but he can’t do much protecting from behind bars. And judging from the ‘upcoming ep’ scenes, there’s a bounty on Martin’s head. He’s going to be in gen pop – all of his cushy privileges bestowed upon him by Endicott revoked. There is a prison free-for-all in the promo for the finale so I still hold out hope that Martin could manage a jailbreak, or at least a chance at staying alive.

Tangent --- If Martin does stay alive (which he better), how would his dynamic with the team be altered now that he’s a ‘regular’ prisoner? No more private room? No more desk and books and surgical consulting? No more Mr. David, lion nature specials, and extensive private phone time? His own sanity would probably begin to splinter. Maybe his work/cooperation with the NYPD and surgical consultations would be enough to get him some old comforts back? As much as Malcolm professes to hate him (and does hate him), I don’t think he’d like these changes for Martin either (because part of him, also begrudgingly loves him). Perhaps he himself could rescue Martin from the lost privileges? After all, is it really a GOOD IDEA to mix Martin with a bunch of other prisoners? He is a puppet master, a mastermind. So maybe Mal gets him his old existence back. Wouldn’t that be a twist? >evil grin<

What I need is Mal and Martin in the same prison. Malcolm protecting him from getting whacked while the team and Ainsley try to bring down Nick. But if Martin is urging Malcolm to kill Nick, that means that Malcolm’s free. No Prison!Malcolm for me unfortunately.

I think it’s also highly unlikely that Malcolm will kill Nick in the end.

Finally, I find it fascinating that Martin urges Malcolm to be the killer, rather than Ainsley, even though he’s talking to both of them. He points out that HE is a Whitly. Like…hello? So is she? (THIS REALLY BOLSTERS MY THEORY THAT SHE IS NOT MARTIN’S KID – that and the way he barely acknowledges her existence) Maybe she’ll take Nick out in the end? Who knows.

All I know is that the team is more kickass than ever. Malcolm improvising with that knife and ketchup? Perfection. Dani taking out the assassin. Beyond amazing. The director actually giving us a LIT SHOT OF TOM PAYNE’S FACE…YESSSSSS. There were plenty of wonderful moments in this ep that have me screaming at FOX to renew this show.

PS If Edrisa is the ultimate Malcolm Stan…HOW DID SHE NOT KNOW THAT HE HAD DATED EVE? LIKE…what kind of stalker are we here Edrisa? You can do better. Plus, no one from the team thought to CALL HER? Give her a heads up maybe? “Yo – Bright is coming in. He dated the dead girl. Act somber.” NOTHING. She just had no idea. This from the same woman who HAD MAL’S MEDICAL FILES after he got kidnapped? I just…. sigh…come on team. Come on Edrisa. (GIF courtesy of MyBoy)

#prodigal son #prodigal son theories #pson #pson theories #malcolm bright #jt tarmel #dani powell #edrisa tanaka #gil arroyo #jessica whitly #ainsley whitly #martin whitly #nick endicott #tom payne #michael sheen #lou diamond phillips #theories #the professionals

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cookinguptales · 6 years

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SO. Some thoughts on the shorts presentations.

(Note: I only go to the live-action and animated ones; the documentary shorts are harder to see in my city and frankly, they’re often too intense for my current mental health.)

I went to see the shorts yesterday and like I said earlier, I thought the live-action shorts were generally very good and the animated shorts were generally a waste of time and In A Heartbeat was fucking robbed. The live-action shorts were mostly based on true stories, oddly enough, but they were still beautiful.

(This is two years of underwhelming animated nominees and I’m like ughhhh bc some years everything is amazing but recently I’ve not been agreeing with their picks at all.)

I’m about to discuss like 13 shorts, so it’s all under a cut.

Live-Action Shorts

DeKalb Elementary

I have to be honest with you, considering our current political climate, I started crying from the moment this short started until it ended. Like I saw the title come up on the screen and I was like OH NO. The short is based on the real-life school shooting at Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, and I teared up just typing that sentence. However, this school had one of the few “happy” endings of a shooting; a receptionist at the school started talking to the shooter and calmed him down until he could admit that he really needed medical help and didn’t want to hurt anyone. She probably saved a lot of lives, and this dramatic interpretation of her 911 call is really deeply touching. The acting was really incredible, and the connection between the two of them was palpable without lessening the terrifying suspense of the moment. A really beautiful and deeply affecting short.

(Though, all that said, I wonder at the decision to create a mostly apolitical short about school shootings in today’s climate…)

(cw: guns, threatened violence, mental health issues)

A Silent Child

Surprise, I cried through this one, too! A Silent Child is a short about a young deaf girl in the UK whose parents refuse to learn sign language or teach it to her. This is a depressingly common experience in real life, and watching this girl’s nanny teach this girl sign language and seeing her really come alive now that she could truly communicate, neither the mother’s jealousy and self-consciousness nor her eventual decision to fire the nanny and forbid her child from ever using sign language again surprised me.

To keep a somewhat objective approach, I do think the end of the short was a bit maudlin; it seemed kind of odd that the girl, in that situation, would choose to sign “I love you” — this seemed more heartstring-yanking than something that felt realistic. That said, the rest of the short was really heartbreakingly realistic. It’s a personal subject for me; deafness runs in my family and my little sister is profoundly deaf. My parents started learning sign language the day she was born and made sure I did, too. I grew up in a truly bilingual household and didn’t understand until I was much older that many hearing parents don’t do this for their children. At first I was sitting in the theater like “well, my parents knew it might be a possibility; they were prepared before she was born” but then it is revealed that the mother in this short knew of a family history as well; her utter self-involvement and ego become more and more clear throughout the course of the story.

The short presents a very complicated familial relationship that felt very foreign and very familiar to me at the same time, and I’ll admit I cried a lot. Despite some shortcomings in the character writing, it really is a very important topic to talk about. I think I would have preferred that the emphasis be a little less on the nanny’s feelings and a little more on the girl, but it was overall a very good short — and notable for using an actual deaf actress and real BSL.

(cw: Ableism, child abuse)

My Nephew Emmett

This is a dramatic retelling of the experiences of Mose Wright as he tried to save his 14-year-old nephew, Emmett Till. If that name is familiar to you (and if it’s not, google this important case — but guard yourself for some deeply upsetting events and imagery) then you can probably figure out about how this short went. The story is a familiar, if horrifying one, but this film is interesting in that it doesn’t show much of the part we’re all familiar with. There isn’t that much graphic violence (IIRC, punching a boy in the stomach, manhandling him, and threatening folks with guns is the extent of it), and the very famous pictures of Emmett Till post-attack are not shown. (Though they are evoked in animation during the credits.)

Instead, this film really focuses on the emotional build-up of the event, and very palpably expresses the horrors and tensions of living during this time period in this place while black. There is some absolutely gorgeous imagery in this short, and some of the images of Mose sitting up all night with a gun, waiting for his nephew to come home, will stay with me forever. The acting and cinematography are top-notch, and there is a sort of dignity to these people that is not always afforded in shorts that can easily become misery porn for fascinated gawkers. Really just beautifully, meaningfully done. Media based on true stories like this can sometimes be wooden or insensitive. This was neither. A familiar story, but a breathtaking short.

(Cw: extreme racism, including racial slurs, violence, child death)

The 11 o’clock

In a year full of strong contenders, this Australian short was a glaring weak point. It’s a film about a psychiatrist who gets a patient who believes he’s a psychiatrist, and the rest of the fairly predictable short is pretty much just who’s on first shenanigans that get annoying very quickly. Also, after the powerful DeKalb Elementary, it felt uncomfortable poking fun at people with mental illness and using personal delusions for comedy.

But hey, at least it was short.

Watu Wote (All of Us)

Though it was a great year, this was probably my favorite of the shorts. As the film introduced itself as being about racial tensions between Christians and Muslims in Kenya, I was kind of bracing myself for some of the frankly racist/xenophobic content I’ve seen in some past years. However, this short was actually about an event in 2015 during which the militant group Al-Shabaab stopped a bus with an eye towards killing the Christians onboard, but were thwarted by the Muslim passengers who protected their Christian co-riders with, quite literally, their lives.

The short follows a Christian woman who is traveling home to visit with her sick mother, and the trip clearly terrifies her. It is later revealed that her husband and child had been killed by anti-Christian radicals years before and she still views Muslims with a large amount of wary mistrust. She clashes with other passengers on the bus, but she is shocked when the bus is pulled over and the Muslim passengers immediately move to protect and hide her. There are some truly tense scenes during which she is hiding from the militants and Muslim passengers are arguing with them about how un-Muslim their actions truly are. The short is not without bloodshed.

The short could have veered into being preachy at any time, but was instead a very raw depiction of these religious and ethnic tensions in this part of the world. While you could not fault the protagonist for being wary after her experiences, a lot of catharsis is felt when she realizes that there is a large difference between the men who killed her family and the terrified yet heroic passengers on her bus. It’s a true story and one respectfully told. I��d heard about the event when it happened, but didn’t know all the details; it was nice to have these heroes (particularly the fallen ones) commemorated in a moving short like this. The acting and directing was incredible, and again, I cried. A lot. I cried through basically this entire shorts presentation with a short break during the psychiatrist one, during which I ???ed a lot.

In a time where there is so much anti-Muslim sentiment in the world, I think this film made a very powerful statement, and I was glad to see it. I cannot believe this was a student film.

(Cw: ethnic/religious discrimination, blood, violence, death, child endangerment, mentions of dead children)

Honestly, this was a very strong year for the live-action shorts, and I would happy if any of the non-Australian shorts won.

Who I think will win: My Nephew Emmett or Watu Wote

Who should win: Very, very narrowly, Watu Wote

Animated Shorts

Negative Space

This is a French stop-motion film, and probably my favorite of the animated shorts this year — not that that’s saying much. It was kind of slight, frankly speaking, but the animation was really inventive and it was a joy to watch, at least, even if it was mostly just a guy relating a brief anecdote about his deceased father. Besides praising the really visually interesting animation, I’ll admit there’s not much to say about this one.

(Cw: death, you see an open-coffin funeral)

Garden Party

Beautiful animation, for the most part, but like. The entire plot is that a bunch of frogs take over this rich guy’s house after he’s murdered, which is…again, not that much of a plot. I guess the main point of it was “nature doesn’t care about riches or human life” and “corpses are funny”, which I’d tend to agree with and disagree with, respectively. While I appreciated the rising tension as you notice all the creepy details of this broken-into house in the background of cute frogs cavorting, the “punchline” of this short, which was a detailed close-up of the prior resident’s mutilated, bloated corpse that’d been sitting in the pool is just like. Pointlessly disgusting, and after watching a short about Emmett Till, it felt almost unconscionably callous. Honestly I was like. Mildly interested for most of it, and completely repelled by the end. People talk about this short’s “dark sense of humor” and I’m mostly just reminded of all those edgy assholes I met in college and was happy to never meet again.

(Cw: violence, very, very grotesquely graphic depictions of a corpse)

Lou

This one is Pixar’s inevitable nomination, and it’s very… Pixar. Idk, this one was kind of fun to watch, had a typical slightly-maudlin moment of sentimentality at the end, but it really wasn’t Pixar’s finest. It’s a pretty slight film about a bully befriending a sentient lost and found and learning to Be A Good Dude along with some stuff about the cycle of bullying that was dealt with too briefly to really be hard-hitting. What was odd to me while watching it is that I found myself thinking “wow, this animation does not seem up to Pixar’s usual standard”, which really surprised me. Like, it’s by no means bad! It just reminds me of the work that Pixar was doing several years ago, y’know? All in all, kind of cute but ultimately forgettable.

Revolting Rhymes, Part 1

(Longer review because this one was a half hour long as opposed to the rest, which were all 5-7 minutes.)

Ugh, okay. So the Academy, in their infinite wisdom, keeps nominating children’s specials for this award. They’re typically long-winded, rhyming adaptations of children’s picture books with subpar animation, and while Revolting Rhymes was better than The Gruffalo or Room on the Broom, I still felt my eyes glazing over. Plus, frankly, I take issue with this “short” even being eligible. It’s not a short. Shorts (in the Oscars) are 40 minutes or less. Revolting Rhymes is a two-episode miniseries that makes up one hour-long children’s program. In other words, if you see this at the short’s presentation, you will only see the first half of the story. (I googled the second half when I got home so I could properly review it.) They just split it into two; that doesn’t make it two discrete shorts. But I digress.

So this is your typical fairy tale retelling, and while I liked some aspects of it, others were trite and overdone. It was fun seeing Red Riding Hood go full vigilante, I suppose. It was actually frustrating as hell, especially because of In A Heartbeat’s snub; Revolting Rhymes really seemed like it was about to go to the f/f place with Red and Snow White. I was starting to get interested. These women were fighting for each other, giving each other flowers, embracing, leaning against each other, they eventually move in together… Like it was pretty fucking gay. AND THEN THEY NO HOMO’D IT AT THE END. I even looked up the second half to be completely sure. So that was really going to turn me against this film anyway because there’s nothing more tiring of getting one of those “in the future, they are gal pals and Red grew up and had kids!!” epilogues, especially when an actual queer love story was utterly ignored in favor of subpar shorts.

That aside, though, it’s just overly long, predictable, and kind of dull after a while. Frankly speaking, it’s for children and it doesn’t really have great crossover appeal for adults.

(Cw: pretty intense non-graphic violence, some sexist overtones, no homo-ing)

Dear Basketball

This short is just incomprehensible to me. It’s a short poem by Kobe Bryant that’s animated by the legendary Glen Keane with music by John Williams. Which should tell you how bewilderingly weird this whole scenario is. The whole time I was like “Is this a vanity project? How did he get such talent to sign on for such a self-indulgent little film? Did he just start throwing money around? Are both of these men closet Kobe fans?” Like I really don’t understand what even happened for this film to get made. It was inexplicable.

I guess it’s exactly what you’d expect. Kobe Bryant has written a saccharine poem about how much he has always loved basketball, and how he is now sad he has to give it up. It’s beautifully animated with a sweeping score. I am deeply confused, and cannot understand why this was even nominated in the wake of the #MeToo movement, considering the allegations against Bryant.

*shrugs???*

(And the highly commended shorts. IN A HEARTBEAT DIDN’T EVEN FUCKING MAKE HIGHLY COMMENDED, FUCK THE OSCARS COMMITTEE TBH.)

Lost Property Office

Another short about a lost and found…? I mean, okay, why the fuck not, this year is clearly a debacle anyway. This one was basically about a guy who works for the MTA lost and found, and he’s being let go because no one ever claims anything. The film, to be fair, does have a really interesting visual aesthetic… But the direction it goes in, again, is just kind of like. Okay. Not exactly emotionally gripping.

(Cw: no one actually commits suicide in this, but the short very clearly utilizes imagery that conjures up suicide)

Achoo

Trite little film about a dragon I’m supposed to think is cute but I really thought was kind of gross and annoying. It’s this thing about how this annoying dragon wants to make a fireworks display better than the mean bully dragons and he sneezes goop everywhere and uses chemicals (which feels like cheating..?) and accidentally invents fireworks. It’s always, uh, awkward when there’s a piece of animation that does some cutesy depiction of another culture’s faux “mythology”, and this one really didn’t particularly do it well.

Weeds

Short about a dandelion (I guess? They didn’t really look like dandelions, but oh well.) trying to move from a dead yard to the yard next door full of sprinklers. It dies before it makes it and its seeds float over to the lawn. Then you get some inspirational quote about NEVER GIVING UP and I’m like okay but it died???? It didn’t make it????? Is this some really depressing point about the struggles of immigrant parents or something or did you actually think this was inspirational?

Forgettable.

Who I think will win: Negative Space or Revolting Rhymes Who I think should win: In A Heartbeat

IN A HEARTBEAT WAS ROBBED NEVER FORGIVE NEVER FORGET.

#oscar nominated shorts #long post

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stripesquadsideblog · 6 years

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Tsurushi Hachiya headcanons

Poor boy is a mess. He comes across all tough but really he is a smol squishy cinnamon roll who cries when he stands on ladybugs.

He has 0 self confidence . i think his parents have him that way unintentionally by constantly going on about how great and successful his sister is. They don’t put him down per say its just that now when he accomplishes anything he doesn’t feel like its worth mentioning in comparison to her.

Has an older sister who is a pretty high ranking Jōnin. She currently lives in Kumo as a teacher in a sort of exchange program teaching the kumo kids the ways of the hidden mist sword techniques.

Although she actually specializes in barrier and sealing techniques.

She loves Tsurushi dearly but isn’t above smacking him for his stupidity .

His parents call her over after the field trip incident because they just don’t know what to do with him anymore and she is 1000% ready to murder him ...until she sees all the cuts and scars and bruises that shizuma gave him.

He lied to his parents and told them he got carried away in training but his sister waS HAVING NONE OF IT WHO DID THIS TO YOU I WILL EAT THEM.

PROTECTIVE SISTER MODE ACTIVATED.

His parents are non ninja and have absolutely no idea how dangerous being a ninja actually is.

His mom knows some techniques but shes more just a stay at home cookie baker

Unless one of her kids is out of line then its more like “by kami not in my damn house may the lord have mercy for i will have none”

His dad is kind of dippy . like Tanaka from black butler. He mostly leaves the kids to his lovely wife because shes got this ,she knows what shes doin

Even when shes about to murder someone he’d probably be like “ ill just hold your flower bby, go kick some ass”

Basically his parents are cool.

That being said they do remember how bad the village was during the blood mist days and are ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED TO FIND OUT THAT TSURUSHI WANTS THINGS TO GO BACK TO THAT , PLZ NO SON OF MINE.

They do their best to dissuade him with all the horror stories of stuff they saw but mostly they just hope hes going through a phase

However after the field trip arc when they catch wind of him being around a bad influence like Shizuma .they decide theyve had enough of his delinquency and poor grades and send him to Kumo to live with his sister.

Initially he doesn’t like Kumo but as hes pretty handy with a sword and one of only a few Water style users in the village he eventually comes to love it.

After meeting sarada he was pretty smitten. He was incredibly grateful to her for healing him and allowing him to help fix his mistake, but he was also pretty taken in by her skill. Not only was he impressed she could take on Buntan despite only being a Genin but he was amazed by her medical abilities

because of this he decided to become a medic ninja himself

As i mentioned boi is a mess. He does eventually manage to learn how to heal people but its mostly small stuff ( idk like all the knife and swords wounds his friends get after training )

If he panics he loses any ability to fine tune his chakra so hes not really dependable in a high stress situation

But speaking of chakra hes actually pretty versatile in a fight. jack of all trades master of none sort of thing. He’d be pretty good at filling in any gaps in a team but just don’t expect anything higher than Chunin levels of skill from him

Right now water style is his best but after moving to Kumo he learns wind style to upset the lightning users

Being the little ball of Panic he is he really works better in a team than by himself

This isn’t to say he COULDNT work alone. But he’d spend so much time second guessing himself it’d likely get him hurt

NGL hes a bit of a drama queen . one of the main reasons he fell in with shizuma was because he is an attention monster and shizuma knew how to prey on that.

He’s not attention starved per say but of you want to get on his good side you better make everything about him till hes hooked in

When you have hooked him in he will follow you like a lost puppy

Speaking of slightly unhealthy relationships, i know hes only a bby BUT hes defiantly a sub. Like really “YES MISS SARADA” while hes carrying her on his back? BOI IS WHIPPED

That being said hes not spineless...at least not totally. He will actually turn the air blue swearing at stuff. A habit he picked up from his older sister and mom.

His first complete sentence was “ where the shit are my keys”

His favourite food is castellan and coffee icecream. He lives off of Mochas

His least favourite food is anything pickled

@dreamer-and-rude thanks for all your help with these

#tsurushi #tsurushi hachiya #headcanon #boruto

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a-shmeeb-abroad · 6 years

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On the Complete and Utter Overhaul of My Life and the Transformation of This Blog

Good Morning everyone, long time no see. Just checking in to see how yall are doing and was wondering if I could possibly tempt you with another blog post. Lots of things have happened and I am eager to share them with you, so as my first major post from my new apartment in Tokyo (we’ll get to that in a second), I wanted to give you a not-so-short update on life. As the title suggests, my life has gone through a thorough overhaul in the past year and so-many-months and things are completely unrecognizable. Why don’t we pick up where we left off for the sake of time?

In my last post I mentioned I had taken up a position on KAJET as the communications coordinator. In total, I served 2 years in the position. During that time, not only was I moderator of the Facebook and Email account, I also dipped my toes into web design and completely overhauled the website. As if that wasn’t enough responsibility, that summer I decided on a whim to run for National AJET’s position of Block 11 Representative, and my successful bid essentially threw me into the national spotlight as the representative of the 4 southernmost prefectures in Japan, which I served as for one year alongside 11 other amazing Reps doing the role of C.C. times two on a much…larger scale. The year of 2017 gave me invaluable experience in coordinating large-scale events, planning, organization, and networking and I truly believe that everything fell into place because of my sudden drive to do the – what I thought was – impossible. The shy and self-conscious girl I once was blossomed into a confident leader who beamed at the idea of meeting new people from all over the world, and I cannot put into words how proud I am of myself.

In addition, many areas of my life saw a boost in academics. Most notably, I started more serious after-school tutoring with my students for an English exam called EIKEN, and thanks to their incredible drive and perseverance, we had a going rate of about 90% of them passing each round. These kids had become like little brothers and sisters to me so seeing them facing their fears of speaking another language and absolutely blowing the exam out of the water brought me so much joy, and I am endlessly proud of how much effort they made to improvement.

After the exams quieted down for the summer, my friend and I (kind of on a whim, honestly) decided to enroll in a Japanese language school in the Shin-Okubo neighborhood of Tokyo in order to study seriously for the JLPT. For those who don’t know much about it, Shin-Okubo is the Korean area of Tokyo, so study sessions after class were spent lounging in cafes blasting the summer’s hottest K-Pop songs or chowing down on fried chicken and melted cheese takkgalbi in crowded, smoky lunch spots. I’d grown up in the suburbs, spent 4 years hopping about a sizeable college town, and then settled into the quaint countryside of southern Japan, not once stopping for but a moment in a large city. But somehow through the unbearable heat, the full-to-the-brim trains, and impenetrable crowds of slow walkers and umbrella-toting old ladies, I found myself growing deeply fond of a city I was never too keen on.

As we know, however, all good things must come to an end. As summer began to wind down, my friend and I finished our month of school with resounding praise from teachers certain we would pass our exams, and my year-long relationship came to a close as we agreed it was time for him to focus more seriously on studying for his medical school exams. Though it was with a heavy heart that I left Tokyo and returned home, I persevered and continued my roles in the community while cramming those last few months for our exam. Thankfully this came with a happy ending as both my friend an I achieved a solid “PASS” on the N2 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, the second highest level test takers can achieve. With this certificate in tow, I began my job hunt.

Yes, that is correct. I began job hunting.

But didn’t I love my job and want to continue teaching long term?

Yes, I did. Let me explain.

In November, participants on the JET Program are given their contract to re-sign for the following year and, depending on the school or board of education, usually have until January to turn in their acceptance or declination. Schools usually hire for up to 3 years, and then in the case of exemplary behavior (or honestly sometimes just bare minimum effort, if we are being so honest) we can stay up to 5 years at the same school and then finish the program. I received a letter telling me that my school wished to recontract me for a 4th year and I was very pleased, but I also felt a deep knot in my stomach as I accepted the paper. You see, while I was in Tokyo, I had done a lot of thinking about what I was looking for in my life and my future from many different angles, and with my two…well, 3 leadership roles, as I was also serving as the block leader for Kanoya and the surrounding areas at that time as well, the taste of real responsibility and challenge was exhilarating to me. Constantly having things to do with multiple levels and scopes of responsibility was something I had never experienced, and I HAD to have more. I just had to. At the age of 24, I realized it was time to search for a more long-term career with upward mobility. I wanted something that allowed me to climb some sort of ladder. In one of the hardest decisions I had to make since coming to Japan, I declined the request to recontract and made the decision to leave Kanoya, the place that had become my second home.

To make a long story short, I threw myself into job hunting for 4 months. I applied to almost 30 jobs and attended scores of interviews while working and holding my 3 volunteer positions. In the end, after weeks of stress, tears, and almost zero down time, I received and accepted a job offer for a career in the international events and conference industry at a company headquartered smack dab in the center of Tokyo.

I don’t know how many of you readers have moved across the country before, let alone in a foreign country, but let me tell you, it is no joke. I could write an entire separate blog post on the trials and tribulations of finding an apartment meeting all my requirements and budget that would also rent to a foreigner, or having to pay almost $2000 in deposits and key money (basically a ‘thanks for letting me rent from you’ gift to the landlord which has been in practice since the post-war era), but all I can say is that I’ve never been so happy to be completely finished with something in my entire 25 years of life. I settled down in a 200 square foot flat in the Suginami ward of Tokyo about 3 weeks ago. I can see both Mt. Fuji and Tokyo Skytree from my house. It is minimal chic and very clean. It’s loud sometimes, but there is a sweet pair of pigeons that perches below my window and I can walk to Dominos Pizza. All in all, it works for me.

Work has been going very well. The company language is, as expected, Japanese. Most of my work consists of translating important documents or proofreading, and my first big project was constructing a now-30-page operations manual entirely in Japanese for The Asia-Pacific WFSBP Conference in Kobe as well as working the IWA World Water Conference in Tokyo for a week. As we work with extremely confidential information, I can’t be more detailed than that, and of course the learning curve is steep, but please rest assured that I am doing extremely well for what I have been given and I thoroughly enjoy the work I am doing so far. Finding out that, despite the horror stories of 18+ hour workdays and unpaid overtime of the Japanese workforce, I receive overtime pay, I am literally not allowed to stay in the building past 8 pm, and I may actually have some sort of work-life balance while working here. This entire situation was one of the greatest gifts I could have ever received and I truly do not know how I got so lucky.

And with that, it looks like you’re about caught up on what’s been happening with me. I’ve not yet hit the two month mark here, so things don’t really feel as permanent as they should be. The sadness of leaving my coworkers, students, and friends still lies deep within with me, but their unwavering kindness and generosity up until the last moments of my time at Kanoya Senior High School keeps me moving forward as I do my best to make them proud. It still feels like I’ll be going back any day now, but the busyness that my life has taken on since coming here has kept me occupied enough that I don’t dwell on that fact. There are a lot of other exciting things in the works for me right now, and I hope someday ill be able to update you on them (top secret until then, though), but until then, I’ll leave you with this. Feel free to contact me any time with questions or requests to visit (not spring, though, as I am booked solid already) and I will do my best to respond as quickly as I can. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and supporting me through this crazy journey across the world. Who knows what life will have in store for me next?

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