#hey look it's time for another Terrible Essay
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pretty boy
pairing: spencer reid x reader
summary: spencer walks in one day with a new look. you handle it pretty well.
a/n: im in the opposite of a writing slump right now (will prob fall into a writing slump right after i say this) probably because im procrastinating on essays for school and i can only write when im meant to be doing work. but tiny little fluffy spencer one shots are very good for the soul right now. i think it's my way of healing from my hotch fic
wc: 1.8k
warning(s): one slightly sexual joke from emily. all fluff
You usually don’t get to the office this early, but you don’t exactly have a choice. The BAU’s last couple cases have all run one after another, barely leaving you any time in the office, and now you’re paying for it.
You’ve got a mountain of paperwork to get through and not nearly enough time to do it all—if you’re lucky, you’ll be writing reports for a few days straight. If you’re not, you’ll be putting in some overtime.
“This is the most focused I’ve ever seen you this early,” Derek comments.
You shake your head with a sigh. “These reports are government mandated torture.”
He chuckles, and he nods at Emily as she walks over to her desk. “Are you this busy?”
She shakes her head. “I’ve still got a report to get through, but nothing that bad.”
“I get it,” you say wryly. “You’re all more organized than me. Just don’t come to me asking to go out tonight—you know I can’t say no.”
“But don’t shots taste better when you’re supposed to be doing work?” Derek asks, and you roll your eyes with a laugh.
“Not when I’ve got this much work I’m supposed to be doing.”
You hear the elevator ding and glance up—Spencer’s walking through and fixing his tie. You look back down at your report as you greet him.
“Hey, Spence,” you call. “Why’re you late?”
“I’m not late,” he says, and you can see him checking his watch out of your peripherals. “I’m two minutes and thirty-three seconds early.”
“Really?” you muse. “I guess I’m just so used to you being here before me.”
“You can’t judge my timeliness on yours when you’ve been here for an hour already,” Spencer says.
You frown, tapping your pen against the paper. “How do you know?”
“You’re settled in already. Your coat’s on your chair, your stack of unfinished files is smaller than it was last time we were in the office, your coffee isn’t steaming, and your mug has a chipped handle—when they were put away last night, that one was set in the front, so you’d have to be here early to get it.”
“Touche,” you murmur. You’re not sure why you ever ask your team of profilers how they know something.
“You also look like you don’t want to be here,” he comments. “That’s pretty typical of agents who have to be here before their regular hours.”
You chuckle and tilt your head in admission. You don’t really want to be here, especially running on so few hours of sleep.
“Why aren’t you as early as usual?” Emily asks.
“My neighbor knocked on my door this morning to ask me for something,” Spencer says. “It threw off my whole routine. I picked the wrong tie, I couldn’t pack my bag properly, and I had to toast my bagel for two minutes instead of three and a half to make it out in time.”
“How terrible,” Derek says with mock austerity.
“It is terrible!” he exclaims. “It’s scientifically proven that a morning routine makes you happier, more energized, and ready to seize the day—carpe diem.” Spencer sets his bag on the floor next to his desk and looks at everyone else with a smile. “Did you know that phrase was actually coined by the Roman poet Horace in his Odes? It comes from the first book out of four in the eleventh poem—the full phrase in Latin is carpe diem, quam mini—”
“How was your bagel?” Emily asks to interrupt him, and he pauses.
“It was good,” he says. “Could’ve been toastier.”
You look up, a teasing remark on the edge of your tongue, but the words die in your throat when you actually see him.
Spencer’s started combing a hand through his hair to fix it—must have been another part of his affected morning routine—his lips set in a pout as he tries to see his reflection in his dark monitor. He always looks good, even without trying, but now—
“You’re wearing glasses,” you say dumbly.
“My contacts dried out,” he grumbles, still focused on his hair. “We got home so late last night I forgot to put them in their solution, and I had no time to fix them because my neighbor messed up my whole morning.”
You nod, still unable to tear your eyes away from him. “Are you gonna keep wearing them?”
“I don’t know. Contacts are better for cases because I’m not worried about them falling off or fogging up, but I usually sleep on the jet on the way back, and sleeping with contacts in isn’t good.” He smiles a bit as he fully turns to you, seemingly satisfied with his hair. “It reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to your cornea, which damages the cornea’s surface and makes it harder to regenerate new cells. Sleeping with contacts actually makes you six to eight times more likely to get an eye infection.”
You nod again, your brain still not quite working at full power. You always love listening to Spencer’s fact dumps—it gives you a lot of material to impress your non-BAU friends with on the side, and you’re eternally thankful for that—but right now, you seriously cannot focus.
You’d never really thought about him in glasses, but that’s probably a good thing if this is how it makes you feel.
You were valedictorian as an undergrad, and you received stellar feedback from your professors during your masters program. You’re an excellent profiler, a valued member of the BAU, and you’re a goddamn FBI agent.
And yet you can’t find a single thought in your head because your coworker showed up to work wearing glasses.
He’s still rambling about other common causes of eye infection and how nobody seems to take them as seriously as they should, when Derek, not even trying to hide his grin at your turmoil, speaks up.
“Reid. Wanna cool it a bit?”
Spencer’s eyes dart over to him for a moment before he stops. “Uh— sorry.” He frowns as he looks back at you. “Why do you ask? Do you not like them?”
“No,” you blurt out, and you shake your head a multitude of times. “No. They look great. You look great. They’re—” You dig your nails hard into your palm as you try your hardest to smile like normal, and this time you nod. “They’re good, Spence.”
“Thanks.” Spencer does that little smile-nod combo of his, and he pushes his glasses back into place with his thumb by the bottom of the frames. “That’s nice to know I’ve got another option.”
You thank whatever god may be out there that Hotch and Penelope are busy in their offices and JJ is busy with some other case, because you think you would die if anyone else saw you like this.
“Hey, Reid,” Emily says, also not doing a very good job of hiding her amusement. You hate your team sometimes. “They’re almost out of sugar in the breakroom. If you want coffee the way you like it this morning, you should probably get in there.”
“What?” Spencer shoots up, his brows already furrowing into a frown. “That— that’s ridiculous. I can’t mess up my morning any more.”
“You’d better get in there, then,” she remarks.
“We’re an entire office of agents running on coffee,” Spencer complains as he starts walking. “How are we almost out of sugar?”
“Because half of ‘em drink it black,” Derek says, and Spencer shakes his head with a sigh as he leaves.
“That’s ridiculous.”
You bury your head in your hands the moment he’s gone and Derek laughs. “I wish I could’ve gotten that on video.”
“Don’t talk to me,” you groan. “It is not fair of him to walk in like that.”
“And that is why I call him pretty boy.”
“He needs them to see,” Emily says with amusement as she leans against the side of your desk. “You just can’t control yourself.”
“I need to transfer offices,” you say, shaking your head. “I can’t do this.”
“You should ask him out!” Derek encourages. “He’d probably say yes.”
“Absolutely not,” you insist. “I doubt he likes me like that. A— and even if he does, that’s the last thing either of us need right now.”
“I don’t know,” Emily muses. “It looks like you clearly need something.”
You let out a frustrated noise as you screw your eyes shut. “I’m doomed.”
You hear Spencer say your name, and when you look over at him, one hand still pressed against your head, you see he’s got two cups of coffee in his hands. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” you say weakly. “I’m great. Why?”
“I got you one too,” he says, holding one of the mugs out to you. “The one you have is probably cold by now, and it looks like you need an extra kick to get through all those reports.”
“Thanks, Spence. That’s sweet.” He nods as you take the proffered mug, and you swear your cheeks are as warm as the coffee. He is really testing your strength today.
“You— you have a lot,” he says, and you huff a dry laugh and nod. “I’m not trying to be sarcastic. I could take half of them if you want?”
Your grip tightens on the mug and you can feel Derek’s eyes on you. “I couldn’t make you do that, Spence.”
“You’re not!” Spencer exclaims. “I can get through mine really quickly—we worked together for almost the whole last case so I can do all of that anyways.”
“...You’re sure it wouldn’t be an imposition?”
“I’m sure,” he nods. “Besides, I offered. I wouldn’t if I didn’t want to.”
And god damn him, because he nudges his glasses back into place again, pushes a strand of loose hair back into place. You’re dying over here.
You set the mug of coffee on your desk and pick up the top half of your pile. “All yours, Spence.”
He takes the bottom half and smiles at you, and you smile back before he walks back to his desk. You are dying over here.
“Let me know how I can pay you back,” you say, and he shakes his head.
“You don’t need to pay me back.”
“Really?”
Spencer nods. “I mean, Morgan invited us all out on the jet last night, and I don’t think I can do it alone. If you can get out of the office in time, I don’t have to. I think that's enough of a payback.”
“Yeah,” you say. “I’ll be there.”
He smiles again and nods, then he picks up a pen and focuses in. You turn back to your desk, your face burning.
“What was that about him not liking you like that?” Derek says.
“Quiet!” you whisper-yell, swatting him with the pile of files in your hand. “He might hear you!”
“He’s not hearing anything while he’s focused on that,” he says. “That just means you can ogle him more.”
You groan again, letting your forehead fall into your palm. “I’m pathetic.”
“I think you’re right.” Emily chuckles as she stands up. “You are doomed.”
#spencer reid x reader#spencer reid x you#spencer reid fic#spencer reid fanfiction#spencer reid fluff#criminal minds x reader#criminal minds fluff#x reader#sadie writes
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Micheal Gavey*Crunchy
Pairing: Micheal Gavey x popular!reader
Word count: 1191
Warnings: none
A/n: the V-day posts are officially beginning
Masterlist Here
As much as you loved your friends, they were all terrible study partners so as usual you waved your goodbyes to Felix and Farleigh and headed to the library. You made a point to go everyday even if you didn’t have much to study for. Sometimes it was only for 10 minutes sometimes a couple hours.
You quickly sat your stuff down at the same table you always sat at before looking round the shelves for the book you needed. when you returned you went to sit down but paused when you saw the crunchy sitting on your seat. You quickly glanced around the room, but everyone was so involved in their own books, so you assumed someone must’ve just left it here. You sat it on the desk before getting to work.
-
The next day another crunchy sat on your seat however this time you noticed it before you even sat your stuff down. You looked around and your eyes fell on a blonde boy at the end of the table, “Hey,” you whispered, hoping the librarian wouldn’t kill you for talking, “Was anyone sitting here before?” you asked.
He stared at you, unmoving for a solid few seconds before shaking his head no. you let out a quiet hum of confusion before taking your seat and starting on your essay. You left the crunchy sitting on the desk however an hour into studying and suddenly feeling very hungry you decided finders’ keepers and opened the bar.
-
The next day there was another crunchy. Again, you sat it on the desk and ended up eating it halfway through your visit. By day six however you were opening it as soon as you sat down. When you told Farleigh about it, he commented how easy it would be to poison you, but Felix had a different conspiracy theory.
“Maybe you have a secret admirer,” he teased, very loudly might you add, as you sat at the pub having drinks.
“With a crunchy obsession,” Farleigh snorted.
You sighed at your friend before turning your attention back to Felix and his huge grin, “You’re mental,”
“When did you say they started?” Farleigh asked when he noticed something on his phone.
You paused before answering, “Thursday I think,”
“Thursday the first?”
“Um yeah I think so why?” you said and while Farleigh looked at you like you were stupid an even bigger grin took over Felix face.
“Oh, shit man that’s so sweet,” he said, slapping your arm which hurt way more than he realised, “Its almost Valentine’s day how cute,” he beamed.
“More like stalkerish,” Farleigh said earning a quick jab from Felix, “Cmon I’m just looking out for her. what if its some creep following her?”
“No ones following me. I don’t have a secret admirer. You both are crazy. And I’m getting a drink,” you told them, getting up and ignoring Felix’s pleas for shots as you headed to the bar.
You ended up waiting beside a tall, though not as tall as Felix, blonde boy when suddenly it clicked, “Hey do I know you?” you asked as you waited your turn but before he could stutter his answer it clicked, “Wait you’re the boy from the library,”
He nodded, an awkward silence falling over you both before he finally added, “I’m Micheal. I see you there. Sometimes,”
“Yeah, I saw you as well. you’re in there more than me,” you joked just as the bartender came over, “He was first,”
“Its okay, you go first,” he stuttered, and you couldn’t help finding it incredibly cute.
-
The crunchies continued all the way till the 13th and now you were wondering if Felix had been, for once, right. It was now valentines and despite all your friends telling you going to the library alone on valentines was the most virgin thing ever you had to find out if he was right.
You felt oddly nervous as you approached the library. What if it was a creep? Hell, what if it was a really cute guy and you made a fool of yourself? You sighed as you pushed away the thoughts and walked in.
You actually paused in your tracks for a moment when you saw Micheal sat right by your usual spot. You shrugged it off as you walked it and put a smile on your face. However, it faltered for a moment when you realised there was no crunchy on the seat. “Do you mind if I sit? Sorry its just routine,” you joked as you walked up to the desk.
Micheal nodded silently so you took your seat and got to work. Well not that you had much to do. You were going to a valentine’s party tonight, so you’d actually completed all your work last night, but you didn’t want to look like a freak who only came to see if a stranger had left a crunchy. You grabbed a random book from the shelves and pretended to study for around 30 minutes before deciding to just go.
However just as you went to stand up Micheal’s hand shot out, “Wait!” he said and for once no shushing was heard since even the librarian hadn’t come in today. Hell apart from Micheal the whole place was empty, “I um have something for you,” he said as he fished something out of his bag, “Here,” he said, handing you the golden bar.
A small smile took over your face, you couldn’t help it, “Was it sat her before or…?” you asked, your voice trailing off when you saw the nervous look on your face.
“No, it was um. It was me, leaving the crunchies. I thought you might’ve needed the energy boost,” he said, mumbling by the end.
“That’s really sweet of you,” you said, sitting back down despite the blush spreading on his cheeks, “How come you never said anything?”
“I didn’t want you to laugh at me,”
“Why would I laugh?” you asked, your head tilted to the side which Micheal found far too endearing, “To be honest I was kinda hoping it would be you,” you said, filling in the silence.
“Really?” Micheal said, a smile shooting onto his lips, “I didn’t know if you knew who I was,”
“I see you around all the time,” you said, eyebrows scrunching in confusion, “I just never wanted to interrupt you. you always seemed really into your maths,” another small smile tugged at his lips.
Micheal paused, looking like he wanted to say something but also through up so you gave him another smile and finally he said it, “Would you like to go out with me sometime? If you’re not too busy or anything,”
A wide grin spread across your face, “Yeah I’d love to,” you said, and his smile grew so wide his cheeks might pop.
“Okay great. Are you free tonight?” he said, shyness now completely gone making you laugh but you nodded yes. Felix and Farleigh could survive without you for one night, “I could meet you outside the dinning hall at six and we could go out somewhere,”
“It’s a date,”
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Costume Meta 7x05
Hello, Hey, how we all doing??
Ready for another super long meta post??
There is so much to talk about this week - admittedly mostly Buck and Eddie related, but there is also plenty going on for Hen and Karen as well.
No Bobby this week as we only see him in uniform, and only the one costume for Athena as well. I also want to say that I am not doing any of the costumes from the Madney wedding that we saw at the end of the epsiode - I want to give them the space they deserve and I will probably write a separate pre episode meta for those costumes specifically! All I will say is Maddie looks stunning, Buck in white - hello! and Eddie in a just a collar making him look like a pink priest - hilarious!
The rest is under the cut as always 😎
Let's start with some of the guest characters.
Alien Hand syndrome man continues to prove the check means bad things theme, which makes me happier than you can ever know!!
Then we have Deidra in her very bright pink coat. If you read my promo meta for this episode you will have read a fairly sizeable section at the end on my thinking about the use of pink in this season (going to make a separate post during this hiatus so its all in one place). All of the times we see it in this episode, play into (and I guess prove) my thinking. Deidra is acting with good intentions and while I don't think she's naive or innocent in the strictest sense of the word, she is perhaps continually being naive in thinking that not revealing Mara's past is the right way to go (don't come at me about child protection etc I am fully aware of what the real world laws state, but this story arc really highlights the fact that in trying to protect children who are at risk and in the system, they can also cause ongoing harm if things are not taken on a case by case basis - its a whole other essay that I am not getting into here).
Then we have Mara herself who is never without pink - namely her pink blanket. The pink plays into the theme of innocence especially with Mara and while she may not be innocent of the act of maiming Denny, her innocence goes much deeper. Its meant as a very clear signpost of the innocence of childhood - that pink blanket and her clinging onto it is a symbol of her clinging onto her childhood, despite the fact that she has gone through a terrible loss and trauma. she is still a child and the show is clearly going to play into the idea that as she settles into the Wilson home and is able to work through the trauma, her need to cling onto her childhood in this way will diminish and we'll see her slowly become less attached to the blanket. We already have signs of progress with the colour journey her tops have been on - lavender, pink and then the turquoise one at the end. Lavender is also a colour associated with childishness or lethargy, pink the colour of innocence, and childhood. While turquoise is a colour of calmness and clarity. its signalling HenRen's breakthrough with Mara and that she's growing and beginning to feel secure.
Hen and Karen
Hen and Karen go on a real colour journey this week - I'm doing them together (along with Denny) because they very much work in tandem clothing wise (and also because I was running out of pictures again - whats new there!)
So first up we have Karen in this beautiful dip dye ombre dress in purple, pink and mauve. it also has this drip staining pattern which has deliberately been created during the dying process. The lavender at the top of the dress is representative of hope and serenity, this is Karen in a great place - about to expand her family and fulfil a dream. The pink as I've said is all about innocence and naivety - more innocence in this case - both the new baby being innocent and Hen and Karens innocent hopes for their future. The dark mauve at the bottom of the skirt - eating into the pink is such a choice - gathering storm clouds, foreshadowing the turmoil about to come - taking away the innocent hope. mauve can be standoffish and withdrawn, and in this context those are great descriptors for Mara and her struggles that Hen and Karen will need to help her work through.
Hen's in cyan blue trousers - which is a colour associated with clarity and balance. whilst the cream, black and blue jacket with stars on is the beginning point for a theme that runs through the Wilsons arc this week - black is a power colour, associated with many things, but for Hen and Karen in this arc it is very much about protection and strength. Here for hen it is mostly about protection - protecting this new baby they are about to take in. The cream is warmth and tranquility.
Hen is wearing check - foreshadowing the upcoming struggles with Mara. Karens bronze and black Jacquard trousers are a symbol of strength - bronze as a colour means strength and support, it's also a symbol of faithfulness. It's telling us that Karen will take the lead on supporting Mara and being strong for her.
We see a lot of white on Karen in this episode, white, like pink is a colour of innocence, but it is more associated with purity and balance. It is also a colour of neutral refelction. By this I mean that it amplifies other colours by providing a neutral background - allowing other colours to shine. I find this a really interesting thing when connected with Karen - it amplifies her strength and supportive nature when the Wilsons meet Mara.
Hen adn Karen in bed are in dusty versions of blue and pink - Karen innocently tries to touch Mara and that is when the screaming starts. Putting Hen in blue is about relaying her trustworthiness and sets her up as a soothing and calming presence for Mara - hence the sleeping on the floor of her room!
At the hospital, We see Denny in red - he was wearing it when Mara woke the house up and its an indicator of what is about to befall them (in the same way Bobbys red in the cruise ship disaster adn Athenas red in relation to Harry, or Bucks back in s5 when Eddie broke down).
We again have Karen in white amplifying the other colour she is wearing, which in this instance is this buff/brown oversized sleeveless coat in teddy fleece. The brown is stability, dependability and responsibility - playing into the fact this episode really highlights Karen's position in the family as this stable rock which Hen and Denny lean on when they need support. Karen's unswerving and solid personality is once more being shown off. Its really a key thing for them to show as it feels like a set up for Mara and how she is going to bond and rely on Karen and that dependability as she unpacks her trauma.
The orange jumper is a really interesting choice. I do love the loose threads on the design of it - paying into the idea that Hen and Karen are at a loose end and unsure what to do going forward. But, the orange itself is generally an open minded colour, its energetic and its also a colour of transformation. These are all things we know are true of Hen and Karen and it hints at the fact that they will fin a way forward. Once again we have Karen in white amplifying Hen's orange and the energy and idea of transformation the colour brings.
Denim jacket and white tee. I love the distressed nature of this denim jacket and the way it plays into both scenes we see it in - playing into the distress Hen feels over finding out what Mara has gone through and how it explains why she has become non verbal and incredibly protective over her pink blanket.
Again the white of amplification and purity. Hen has pure intentions and the white amplifies Karens black when they are at dispatch listening to the 911 call.
We also have the Karen necklace back - once more showing this ism't about Hen - its about Karen and their family.
Black on Karen for this scene is such a choice. Black is a power colour, it means strength and protection. Here it is showing Karens determination, as she gains understanding, to protect Mara and support her through her trauma - it is representative of Karen choosing to use the power she has been given through gaining information. The gold highlights hint at success.
I love these lavender pyjamas on Karen - lavender is a soothing and sleep inducing colour (along with its scent which is possibly where the association came from for the colour) along with a Japanese print of mountains and trees, which plays into the idea of serenity and peacefulness.
Hen in contrast is wearing fairly bright and bold black and green. The green is all about that growth and learning once more, the growth of Hen and Karen, learning more about the issues Mara faces and seeking a solution, but also the growth of their family. The black is a reflection of power - much in the same way Karen wearing black when they heard the 911 call Mara made, here it is Hen, representing the protection that Hen and Karen are offering Mara.
Athena in green - again with the mesh open weave knit - this may be a theme for her this season - potentially something to do with feeling caged or caging someone/something - especially children as both scenes we've seen it so far have been to do with young people and the law in some respect - ending up in the system - Harry through is crime and Mara through her parents death.
Chim
This dark bottle green with a fawn brown (what I think is a polo) shirt underneath is Chimneys only non uniform costume this week . This kind of dark green, is as always a signal of growth, but its also a colour of harmony, and right now - everything in Chim's world is harmonious.
Maddie
I don't thinkI've said it yet, but I am so happy to have Alayna back dressing Jennifer - I feel like we're really back on track with Maddie's costuming after last season where they somehow managed to make Maddie look terrible. The costuming overall last year was fine - not as good as Alayna's work, but it was for the most part good - except for Maddie where it was all over the place!
Anyway - Maddie in black here is very much about focussing the attention on Hen and Karen - like with CHimney's muted green, in tandem they are making the viewers eye focus on Hen and Karen - especially Karen - who is the brightest in the room.
Maddie wearing this sage green colour when Buck comes out to her is sheer perfection from my perspective - we, once more have the green of growth and renewal, the green of learning - Maddie learning more about her brother - this new thing that he is realising about himself and choosing to share with her (even if inadvertently). But this green is also sage green - sage as in the play on sage advice - which we see Maddie give him. Buck needs that good advice - he needs to hear that its ok, that he can take the time to figure himself out and that its ok that he's only just uncovered this aspect of himself and that it doesn't invalidate him being an ally up to this point!
Ok not going to lie - I got a little carried away from here on out - so sorry in advance for the rambling mess you're about to read!
Marisol
I'm doing Marisol in a weird order - because I wanted to talk about her date night outfit in tandem with Eddies - because its relevant. So we start of with virgin Mary Marisol! Honestly this outfit is just perfection from the costume department - they saw the brief and went to town and I love it. Its so good to see what they can do when they get to play!
One of the things I really love about this costume is the blue that they chose. Because that blue - that is Bucks blue! the virgin Mary blue is usually a much brighter royal blue. It really helps to place Marisol in parallel to Buck and we get the play on t he fact that Eddie seeing Marisol in this way changes everything for him, whilst later on, whilst Buck is in the same blue, he reassures him that nothing will change between them.
Look, I'm not going to lie, when I saw Marisol in blue and yellow for this scene I laughed because Blue and yellow (as I've gone on a million times about) means queer coding so to blatantly put Marisol in it - in a washed out form, and very much connecting her to Catholicism - genius move. It marks her out as a roadblock, but also puts her into the role of beard (unknowingly on her part) because Eddie is still in the midst of his repression, even if it is beginning to unravel now.
The black top with spaghetti straps is clearly a theme they're going with on Marisol, as are the ditsy prints. The yellow high waisted trousers are interesting because of the specific shade of yellow. Yes the whole communication theme still applies here -and we see it in action, but this shade of yellow is sallow and sickly (one of the reasons its called sickly yellow is because its the colour of a lot of medications!!) - this relationship and its restart are ill and that automatically means its going to struggle to survive.
It plays into the more negative meanings around the colour - uncertainty and idleness and cowardice. For me the cowardice aspect is an interesting one in relation to Eddie - he has behaved cowardly up to this point - hiding out and not having the conversations that need to be had, and even in this scene it is Marisol who takes the lead.
It's really giving us an indication of things Eddie needs to work on in regards to himself - and once more it comes down to communication. Communication has always been Eddies major flaw - that he isn't good at it, unless really really pushed into it - essentially under duress. The other thing with communication is that it plays really well into the catholic guilt aspect - this idea that growing up catholic has taught him to repress part of who he is - to go along with what is expected of him, but that it also taught him not to ask for what he needs, to not communicate. We see it in this episode with his inability to say no to Marisol (the whole hiding out at Bucks so he doesn't have to have sex speaks volumes) even down to suggesting there's a third type of guy - who just needs a minute. Because, while that might be true to a certain extent, the fact that he says this off the back of her expressing her distress and upset about how all guys are one of two things, speaks volumes - its not him saying this because that's how he actually feels, its partly him saying it because he is pushed into a position where he doesn't want to be the bad guy. its really not a good place to be restarting a relationship from.
We also have the ditsy print of doom in play again - like I've said before, ditsy print on Eddies girlfriends - never a good sign - its really playing into this idea of Eddie jumping in headfirst with gay abandon (pun intended) and then regretting his life choices. Shannon wore ditsy print a fair amount - especially in the I think I'm pregnant' and 'we should get a divorce' scenes. Ana wore ditsy print A LOT - she was wearing it when Eddie had his panic attack in the shop and at other key moments that marked the death knell for their relationship. And so this appearance of ditsy print here marks the same - the relationship is not long for this world
OK date night Marisol. The way this outfit played out more or less as I expected, She was very much an 'innocent' bystander in this scene (whilst also creating one corner of a triangle with Buck and Eddie) , and the ditsy print very much played into this. Like I said in my promo meta, both Shannon and Ana were costumed in ditsy print as well as in lots of pink!!!
The other aspect of this outfit that is making me laugh is the fact that the skirt is giving me 1980's/early 1990's teen vibes (not to out myself as old but trust me I had some just like this back then and I wouldn't be caught dead in it now as a grown woman!!) and the baby pink handbag looks like something an 8 year old would have to play dress up with - its all very childish and immature - naive one could say, and while it didn't play out quite how I was expecting, her being a novice nun, sure explains a lot of why she comes over as pretty immature.
The other aspect of this childish style we're seeing on her plays into Eddies narrative of looking for magic and trying to recreate what he had with Shannon. He's attracted to Marisol because she is immature and childish - it reminds him of what he had with Shannon when he was young, and when you're trying to recapture that, its easy to fall into the trap of thinking someone behaving in a naive manner is you finding what you'd been looking for. Eddies journey, along side his catholic guilt, is about learning that he cannot recapture or recreate that magic he had when he was young - that the love of youth - in all its innocence is not something that is sustainable or actually what he wants in the present.
Then we have Eddie in white. I spoke in the promo meta about how the white set him and Marisol as opposites and that remains true - very true on more than one level. What I especially love about it and something I could not have predicted is how it plays into the novice nun aspect of their story this episode - truly this show is a comedy! Because nuns wear black and white this is an obvious play on that, but it is also a play on the fact that Marisol is still a practicing catholic, whilst Eddie is very much not. The other aspect of this white is that of Eddies two non uniform costumes, it is the first one and we get this black and white play on religion - the black and white of nuns and priests - the black and white of being religious or not. Eddie never questions if he wants to become a practicing catholic again - he is lapsed and that is how he intends to stay.
Eddie in uniform, with his green trainers, blue towel and water bottle. the blue towel and bottle play into the buck and Eddie blue green theming we see with them. But what is interesting is though is that Eddie is fulfilling all the colour theming on his own - he is both blue and green - to me this is about Eddies own struggles within himself as well as foreshadowing the Eddie Marisol break up down the line (green shoes suggest a road needs to be to walked before we get there) - it hints at Eddies internal struggles and implies that its will ultimately end in a break up a bit further down the line.
I also think it's only when in Uniform that Eddie can admit to his catholic guilt. Because we all know when Eddie is struggling with some form of emotional turmoil, he wears a black singlet - and he could've been wearing the same here, it would've been totally fitting with the situation - he is going through something emotionally and struggling with it.
But he's in his uniform. Part of it is to have him on a different level to Buck - they are both struggling with something in this scene. When we have previously had Buck and Eddie scenes like this one at work, the one dressed in uniform, tends to be the one offering advice to the one not in uniform. That isn't the case here. Part of it comes back to Buck not actually needing advice, but needing to reveal something about himself - to confess. Eddie is the one who needs advice.
This is a flipping of the traditional narrative for these scenes and is proof that even though Eddie might later tell Buck that nothing is going to change between them, that it has in fact already changed, it is just that neither of them are fully cognisant of that change at this moment in time. It is a key indicator to use the audience that this has happened before but that things are not going to play out the same way this time.
Put it this way - Eddie has form for doing something extreme with his relationships with women in the aftermath of Buck doing something dumb - its one of the manifestations of his repression. This time its asking Marisol to move in with him in the immediate aftermath of Buck going full green monster over Tommy.
Last time it was in the aftermath of Buck begins and then doubling down with Ana after the shooting when Buck had hooked up with Taylor and before that in the aftermath of Shannon's death and Buck suing the department he went and joined a fight club - but he has form. Its completely in character for him to pull this sort of a move. I know he says he's going with his gut but I argue he is in fact ignoring his gut - or at the very least confused about what his gut is telling him, because that would mean actually looking at why his gut reaction to Buck doing something dumb makes him do something dumb in turn connected to these women in his life.
Eddie in black - this is the same shirt as the white one - just the reverse colour - which is important. This shirt has several layered meanings to it. its about the reversal of what Eddie wants - from him being bubbly and excited about Marisol moving in, to the dread of her having moved in and wanting her to move out - his feelings go from white to black - light to dark - happy to unhappy and it all sums up the relaity of that relationship - while it was new and unserious, it was fun and light, when things got real - it becomes dark and oppressive.
I'll go into more detail about this shirt when I get to Bucks costume for this scene - because they are connected!
The other thing about this outfit is that the green trousers have been replaced with jeans. Now I see a couple of reasons for the wardrobe department doing this. Firstly is that it plays into the 'nothings is going to change between us' of it all. Its a visual indicator that in fact things have changed (along with Buck wearing a brighter shirt than we normally get in these buddie heart to hearts that take place in Bucks loft but more on that later) the Buck being bi and going on a date with Tommy of it all aside, this is the first time we've actively seen Eddie hiding out at Bucks to avoid his girlfriend - this was a barrier that had existed between them previously that has now been broken down. Then there is the fact that Eddie does go home to Marisol - and he couldn't be wearing green at that point because she was wearing blue and Eddie in green would've meant break up time - only the Marisol as a plot device arc isn't yet over (it will be soon I promise - all the costume signs are there!) so that couldn't happen.
Tommy
This dark olive green shirt that is almost brown. The brown undertones hint at the stability he represents while the green is hinting at his military past and once more paralleling him with Eddie. One of the things about green as a colour is that its not only a symbol of growth and renewal, but its also a colour of learning, and in an episode titled 'You don't know me' it feels like all the green is very much about education - learning about other people - and the growth that results from it. It feels especially important here for Tommy and Buck - that is after all what going on a date it all about - learning about one another and seeing if you're compatible.
The other fun thing about this green shirt is though that the green plays into the blue green colour theory when it comes to Buck and Eddie and their partners and the end of relationships. This one before its had chance to begin.
For Coffee we have a grey Henley and a blue zip front hoodie with a grey striped undertone to it (I am pretty sure this is actually a hoodie we've seen on Chimney but I can't remember when and I don't think it would be the very same one as pretty sure Lou would not be fitting into Kenneths clothes ever, but Chimney has definelty worn the same style!!). Again Henley's are an Eddie thing, so we once more have the parallel with Eddie being drawn.
The interesting thing here is that the grey blue is the same colour combo Buck wore on their first date attempt - the costume department played a lot with flipping colour in this episode, so to have it done here as well is really fun - the fact there is more grey than blue is also interesting. It's a neutral colour, it is seen as a colour of stability, but is also a colour of uncertainty. It really plays into that theme of uncertainty running through the Buck and Tommy arc. The blue hoodie is actually pretty important because we've had one of Buck and Tommy wearing something dark blue in every scene they've had together - usually the one on the back foot. Tommy in this scene is relatively neutral in terms of position for most of this scene - they are equals - but he is put onto the back foot by Buck asking him to be his date to Maddie and Chim's wedding.
Buck
Where to start with our beloved bi disaster!
I obviously spoke a fair amount about the date night shirt in my promo meta. The navy blue knit bowling shirt with these silver/grey close together pinstripes running down the front playing into the Buck wearing vertical stripes theme we've has running with him for at least the last 2 seasons.
What I said about false starts and this date absolutely played out - in the same way the sperm donation shirt represented a false start on that donation, this shirt also represents a false start on Bucks dating life as a bi man. The white trainers are also carrying on the theme of Bucks Journey towards happiness
What I find most interesting about this outfit though isn't colour theory related. its all about the fit of the clothes. Because these are ill fitting on Buck - not something we see from him very often - in fact I think the only time we see him in anything close to ill fitting to this extent is back in season 1 when he was figuring out who he was and if being a firefighter was the right for him and exploring relationships and what he was trying to find in that arena. The trousers are the most ill fitting of it all, but I'll come to the trousers later on as they are part o a wider Buck costume theme we have going on!
The shirt is a little roomie, but not overly so, it just stands out more because we're so used to his shirts fighting for their life, here this one is baggy and really helps to sell the idea of defeat, but also that h was trying on this new part of himself for size and that it doesn't quite fit. It's the only time this episode we see his clothes not fit him in this way and its a really small but expressive part of costuming that I love to see.
Then we have this blue broadcloth jacket over a white tee and with these plum/brown coloured trousers - they're a bit blink and you'll miss them so its hard to be sure what type of trouser they are, but I think they are essentially smart joggers - jersey material but trousers!
We all know that Buck in white means trouble, I'm putting him outing himself to his sister as the bad thing - along with the fact that the date didn't work out.
I'm really fascinated by the fact that we really seem to be leaning into navy blue and Buck being bi. Navy has always been a colour we've seen a lot of on Buck in general, but there is something about the fact we've seen him (or Tommy) wearing it in every single scene that is about his bisexuality. I'm talking from the kiss scene onwards, not anything before that as Buck wasn't aware of his bisexuality before the kiss. I can't wait to see if it continues!
The green shirt jacket is an interesting one. it obviously helps to play into the buck and Eddie blue green theory, but it does in a smaller way play into the blue green theming we see around Buck and Eddie and their relationships - specifically around issues arising. Both Buck and Eddie wear green when they break up with their significant others and while there is no break up here, there is a break of sorts. This was Buck about to try and tell his Best friend that he was actually out on a date with Tommy and that he's bi
symbol of growth - Buck went in with a goal - to tell Eddie he was on a date with Tommy, but changed tack when he saw Eddie needed to go through something - this is Buck growing as a person - not making something about him.
The other thing about this outfit is that its basically the same as the one Eddie wore at the airfield (even down to the badding of the trousers) - just in reverse - Eddie black trousers, black jacket, green top, and here Buck is black trousers, black top and green jacket - I find this fascinating as a metaphor for where the two of them are on their respective journeys.
Buck is now bi and out (he's told his sister) and has been on a date with a guy (regardless how successful it was - he cannot put it back into the box) - his growth is externalised and therefore expressed through the wearing of a green jacket. We get a lot of storytelling through the various Jackets Buck wears (we've seen him in over 35 at this point!)
While Eddie - who we could say was being taken on a date by Tommy - even if he didn't know it (because who flies someone to Vegas to a sold out fight if its not a date??) wearing a much brighter green that we've seen on him before now (pretty much all of his greens are more army green with a couple of exceptions - much darker greens akin to Bucks jacket in the below picture) - still in the army green wheelhouse, but much bolder. Eddie's queer status is still very much internalised - hence it being underneath the black jacket.
Buck coming out to Eddie from a costume perspective was a glorious parallel that I have already mentioned in the promo meta (I've run out of pictures so you'll have to go watch the scene yourself if you want to see what I mean). Its actually a bit deeper that I appreciated in that promo meta, but that is in part because at the time of writing the meta I wasn't 100% sure it was a coming out scene and I didn't get to see the way it was shot and how that also played into the paralleling.
Costume wise - I already spoke above about Eddies black shirt and how it is reversing him in the episode. But what I didn't mention is that fact that it parallels in colour terms, what he was wearing when Buck informed the firefam that Connor and Kameron were pregnant. Eddie wore a black marl henley - black with flecks of dark grey running through it, and Buck here is wearing a slightly darker blue version of the same top he wore in that same scene. He is standing in the same place at the counter of his kitchen, or sitting very close to the same position and we get similar camera angles. As a whole the parallel is very loud - Buck was happy and proud of something he had done and wanted to share it with his friends - wanted their approval. He was feeling good about himself and confident in his decision.
The biggest thing about the blue - this shade specifically is the way it play into the blue theme we saw last season with Buck - the theme that started in the 5x18 finale at Hen and Karens vow renewal, when he was free of Taylor and moving forward and essentially restarting his search for happiness. We saw it weave a thread through the entirety of season 6, being worn at key moments that played into that theme - after Lev died, at various points in the sperm donation arc, and a key points in the aftermath of his death and rebirth.
The successfully helping create life aspect of this is so interesting. It on a low key level plays into the you don’t find it you make it manifesto that’s been at the heart of bucks arc since s2. the whole year if yes was supposed to be about this very thing - about Buck creating the life he wants for himself - the sperm donation isn’t about the baby it’s about Buck and about him figuring out what he’s missing (which comes back to not only Thomas and Mitchell, but also Lev).
The other thing that ties into this theme is that Eddie isn't really changing but Buck is. Whenever we have a scene at the loft between Buck and Eddie Bucks costume and colour varies, but Eddies stays more or less the same. Bucks colour Palette for these scenes goes - dark grey in the you want to go for the title scene, then we have the grey blue on the balcony and now this much lighter blue. This is highlighting Bucks progression while Eddie who remains in his black shirt and that progression - while Eddie essentially remains steadfast - is key - it’s showing us that while buck is still doing dumb things, he is learning - he is listening to whatever Eddie is telling him - that he’s accepting Eddie’s absolution of his sins more and more - growing and understanding.
It’s building on his long running arc - his fear of being left behind, of not being important enough for people to stick around for - and showing us he’s increasingly understanding that that fear is unfounded - that he’s found his personal- the one who will stay and who is steadfast in that. That’s why we see Eddie unchanging in his black shirt green cargos while buck gets lighter - more unburdened by that fear.
Before you think all is lost on the Eddie front though, we are seeing change - the army green trousers are gone and have been replaced with jeans - perhaps, in the same way Bucks growth into his bisexuality began with his beginning to wear jeans again, Eddies own growth into his own queer identity also begins with jeans - moving him away from Eddie the soldier - fighting for others - being a rock for others and now into a position where he can do his own growing.
In the sperm donation arc, Buck was finally able to donate and was wearing that super pale mint green polo. we don't see the same with the outcome here at this point in the story (although the beige/mint green jacket from the bachelor party is making me👀👀👀 at this moment in time!) - we get this cream open weave linen shirt with black and terracotta and golden brown vertical stripes.
I love that they went with a shirt that has such an open weave - playing into the whole concept of Buck being open and embracing this newly revealed part of him that he's discovered. But what I love most about this shirt is the way it ties back into the Buck learning to accept himself and find his happiness.
Because this shirt is so similar to the one from 6x01 - when he decides he doesn't need a new couch, what he needs is to be ok on his own and with himself.
lets talk Buck and his trousers because the trousers are a whole thing this season and I am truly in love with the long game the wardrobe department have been playing on this one. They know that we have all been out here raising eyebrows at Bucks trousers for the past few seasons as they've gotten shorter and shorter and ill fitting. I know I've made comments in previous costume metas about the fact they must be doing something intentional with them being so short in the leg - that them doing this is giving the appearance of a child who is still in short trousers and isn't fully grown - hasn't moved on to wearing full length trousers yet.
Well it would seem I was right and thats exactly what they were doing, putting him in short trousers to show that he wasn't his fully formed self - that he was growing and learning and figuring things out. because - I've gone back through my spreadsheet and checked his trousers out for all of his scenes and there are only a handful where he has trousers on that are well fitted and the correct length. One of them is at the start of season 6 - at the end of the episode where he moves his armchair instead of getting a new couch - the one time in season 6 we see him most at peace with himself
I remarked in the 7x04 meta that we only saw Buck in his too short trousers in the one scene at the airfield, and from then on, he was was in jeans. Now the jeans are a mimicking thing - Buck hasn't worn stone wash jeans since Eddie appeared on the scene back at the start of season 2, so for him to start wearing them again as soon as he becomes jealous of Eddie and Tommy - and Tommy is wearing jeans - was pretty telling in its own right. It's Buck trying to get Eddies attention (not Tommys - Eddies) because, we do not see Eddie in jeans in 7x04 - but we do see Tommy in them - and in Bucks head he is loosing Eddies attention to a guy wearing stone wash jeans - so if he wears stonewash jeans then maybe he'll get Eddies attention back.
That obviously didn't work out how Buck thought it would, but it did lead to him figuring a new part of himself out.
We can see how his trousers are all now sitting at the correct length, I grabbed this still of the black ones, and you can see in the full length still from the date those are as well (even if they're too big more generally) but the others are all sitting at the correct length as well.
We also see the jeans back for his scene with Tommy - I truly am fascinated by the choice to put him back in stonewash jeans aafter so long as a theming choice for his bisexuality, I really am enjoying this more relaxed looking Buck from a costuming perspective - the journey we've been on with his costumes is great - the increasingly formal style thats just a little too small and tight we've seen over the seasons now slowly relaxing once more into something much more comfortable and well fitted - showing just how far he has truly come.
And thats me out for another week! Sorry it turned into another epic - it would seem `i cant stop myself! Not sure if this has come out longer than last weeks, I think it might've, but I can't be bothered to check! Thank you as always for reading this monster and I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the costumes for 7x05. I'm off now to hyperfixate on Bucks bathroom door and get myself though this mini hiatus!
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#kym costume meta#costume meta#911 costume meta#911 colour theory#eddie diaz#evan buckley#911 abc#hen wilsom#karen wilson#maddie buckley#chimney han#Tommy Kinard#long post#kym writes things#deep dive
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𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 | 𝟎𝟒 |
[ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 ] | [ 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ] | [ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ]
The sound of rapid tapping fills the air, gradual annoyance settling in. You lift your head, looking directly at the source. A random student sitting nearby in the cafe you’re in has her head bowed, her gaze fixed on a textbook as her fingers tap away on the table’s glass surface.
Sighing, you look away and take another sip of your ice latte, letting the familiar taste cool your temper down. Initially, you were supposed to go to the dentist, but they cancelled at the last minute due to an emergency. Instead of lounging around at home, you decided to go and finish your assignment.
Now though, you wish you’d picked a better spot. Moving away wasn’t an option, considering how big the crowd had gotten for the lunch rush. A glance at the clock above the cashier counter reveals that you have only an hour left before heading to Papa’s Cakeria.
Another glimpse at the quiet phone on your table draws an irritated frown from you. Since last night, Cole hasn't messaged back at all about how exactly he was supposedly going to ‘help’ you rush the order. You’d texted him again, but your pride wouldn’t allow you to send another follow-up one.
Directing your irritation and energy back to the half-completed essay on your laptop screen does help with productivity, and you find that between sips of your coffee and music blasting through your headphones, breezing through it is easy.
Another ten minutes before you have to leave.
That time is spent texting Melody whose replies are filled with questions about Cole. You can’t really blame her for being so curious, especially after you’d dropped such a bomb so nonchalantly the other night. You’re not entirely sure if you’ve even finished processing this fact either.
What would this mean for you? Would the universe really force you two together?
You know nothing about him.
This realisation makes you pause, the straw of your drink halfway to your lips. Exhaling softly, you place it back down, absentmindedly beginning to pick away at the skin of your thumb.
The most you know is that he’s the Earth Ninja, likes cakes and pastries and that he’s terrible at replying to texts. Is this the guy that’s supposed to be your soulmate? Seriously?
The door closes behind you with a loud chime to signal your exit, having packed up all your stuff earlier and discarding the now empty cup.
“Hey!” Your soulmate greets you, strolling toward you with his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants. A cap adorns his shaggy black hair, shielding his face from any strangers who might recognise him as one of the ninjas.
He stops in front of you with a friendly tilt of his head. “What’re you doing here?” You ask, taking a wary step back and eyeing his getup. He holds up his wrist, checking his watch before raising his eyes to meet yours.
“Well, you said 2 pm, right?” Blinking once, twice, even three times doesn’t help in processing the fact that he’s here. “C’mon,” he gestures for you to follow, already heading into the crowd.
“Wait,” You move to catch up to his fast pace, noticing how he’s slowed down for you to walk at a more comfortable pace. “Is this why you asked me what time I’d be heading down?” He doesn’t answer the question, merely shrugging in response. A tinge of annoyance bites down at the edges of your temper, but you quickly snuff it out at the thought of pastries.
“You could’ve just told me,” You point out when it suddenly hits you that your bag is resting on his shoulder. “When did- How…?” Your reaction elicits laughter from him, his eyes filled with mild amusement.
“You handed it to me earlier when I offered.” Now that he mentions it, you vaguely recall his outstretched hand waiting for your bag, and you’d handed it to him as if it were second nature. Your lips curl into a wince, trying not to let embarrassment flush your cheeks.
“Right, thanks.” Credit where credit is due, you suppose. It was pretty nice of him to do so. However, what scares you the most in this situation isn’t the fact that you’re both heading to the same place together. No, it’s not that at all.
It’s how easily you trusted your belongings with him.
Biting down on your bottom lip helps to suppress the mild panic that flutters uneasily in your guts, the pain replacing it. “So, is this what you meant by helping me ‘speed the order up’?” You ask, air quotes not going unnoticed by him.
He hums in thought, tilting his head to the side. Some lint on his shirt sleeve catches your eye, quickly brushing it off of him before he notices. “Well, I figured that since I have the day off and everything, I’d introduce you to the owner. Makes things easier in case I’m busy and you can still rush the order without me being there.”
His thoughtfulness is actually rather heartwarming. “Oh.” Here you were, being all huffy over his sudden presence that you didn’t stop to consider it's his way of being considerate. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
Silence falls between you both, but this time you’re the one to break it. “It’s for my dad.” He glances down at you at the mention of your father, and you direct a small smile at him as you explain. “His birthday is coming up, and every year I alternate between baking a cake and buying one from the store. It’s kind of a tradition.”
He nods, a silent encouragement for you to keep going. “There was a time I got mad at him though, so instead of sugar I used salt. But he still ate it.” a chuckle falls from your lips, grinning at the memory.
“I get that,” He says wisely with a nod. “Once, Kai pissed me off so I asked Zane to make dinner and swapped out the pepper in his bowl for chilli powder. He had a stomach ache for a month.”
Wincing replaces the grin on your face. You can’t even begin to imagine the torture that must’ve been for Kai. That poor toilet must’ve seen unimaginable horrors… Dismissing it with a shake of your head, you catch a glimpse of the store sign that resembles that of the Google Maps image you’d used as a reference.
“Oh my god.” Before Cole could blink, you’re already pressed against the window, wide-eyed at the cakes displayed. You turn your head at the sound of his chuckle, practically buzzing with excitement to go inside.
Once you spot the amusement in his eyes, a jolt of realisation strikes your chest. Clearing your throat, you stand back up properly and place a hand on the door, pushing it open and walking inside with the little dignity you can muster.
He notes the stiffness in your gait, following you inside with a shake of his head and hiding his smile by turning away, greeting the young cashier with a nod. “Hey Cole,” She greets with a beam.
“Who’s your friend?” She asks, nodding at you curiously. “She’s pretty.”
“She’s alright,” Cole replies as soon as you part your lips to respond, stopping when he cuts you off and instantly directs a glare his way. He flinches, clearing his throat. “Is the boss in?”
She crosses her arms, the curiosity in her gaze holding strong when he doesn’t give your name. However, she lets it slide. “You know he doesn’t like being called that.” He sighs in defeat, an embarrassed tinge to his words as he corrects himself.
“Is Papa in?”
You pause, processing what you’ve just heard. He avoids looking directly at you, arms crossed and cheeks dusted red as he glares at the cashier with a scowl. The corners of your cheeks lift without your notice, smiling from ear to ear.
Charlotte (you’d finally read her name tag) hums, satisfied with Cole’s reaction. She winks at you mischievously. “I’ll go get him.” She leaves through a door with a sign marked ‘STAFF ONLY’, and you spot the various industrial-sized mixing stands and ovens before it closes behind her.
“So,” you start, moving to stand next to him. His fingers dance nervously on the countertop, avoiding your gaze at all costs. Suppressing a grin, you match his rhythm, drumming your fingers nearby.
He clears his throat, finally mustering the courage to look at you. “So…”
“I hear that the Bahamas are good this time of year.” You say airily.
His eyes widen momentarily, the tension in his shoulders easing when he realises it’s not a jab. “The Bahamas?”
“Yeah,” you reply casually with a shrug, “It’s great for camping. You should definitely visit,” you add, deliberately pausing to inspect your nails, all the while keeping a watchful eye on his reaction. “Have a little father-son bonding time.”
The amount of time it takes for him to react is nothing short of a millisecond. His lips press together, forming a thin line while his hand comes to a still on the countertop. He holds your gaze, the shared stubbornness in both of you refusing to break.
The corners of your mouth twitch, trying not to let the pure hilarity of it all get to you. Internally holding the reins tight on your composure is nothing short of keeping you from making another joke at his expense.
“For your information,” He says eventually, breaking the silence between you both. You nod continuously, encouraging him to continue so he can embarrass himself further. “He insisted. And if you ever bring this up to anyone, our deal is off.”
The threat he poses is equivalent to that of a small hamster trying to threaten a chair. This mental comparison elicits a snort from you, unable to hold back any longer. “Right,” You struggle to find the right words to say without dissolving into laughter right then and there. “Totally.”
“I mean it,” He warns, leaning against the counter with a frown. “And stop laughing! It’s not that funny!”
“You’re right, you’re right. It’s not funny.” You sober up, keeping a straight face when the door opens and Charlotte comes strolling out with an older man behind her. You lean toward him, shoulder brushing against his as your voice lowers to a whisper. “It’s hilarious.” He parts his lips with an offended gasp, only to rearrange his features into a warm smile when the man stops in front of him.
“Cole! It’s good to see you again, son.” The man you assume to be Papa hugs Cole tightly, the latter scowling at you and mouthing another silent threat before changing it into a grin once he pulls away.
Somehow, you manage to keep a straight face. Charlotte busies herself with the cashier, seemingly finished with human interaction for the day. You don’t blame her though, past experience of being a barista at a cafe is more than enough to make you vow to never go back.
“Welcome, welcome! I’m Papa Louie, but any friend of Cole’s is a friend of mine. So you can call me Papa!” He welcomes you with a chuckle, opening his arms for a hug. You hesitantly step into his embrace, awkwardly patting his back before he releases you.
“That’s right, you can call him Papa.” Your entire body stiffens, dread crawling up the cliff of your spine with its little hands digging into your skin. “Go ahead,” Cole gestures to Louie who’s already waiting with an innocent smile.
Filial piety already drums away at your heart, unable to bear the pressure of every second that passes. Finally, you relent against your own will but silently curse with every fibre of your being directed at Cole.
“It’s nice to meet you….Papa.”
The sharp inhale Cole sucks through his teeth makes your hair stand on edge, hands curling into fists. Unlike your coward of a soulmate, you meet his gaze headfirst, suppressing a glare when Papa Louie grins brightly. “What can I do for you today?”
Right. Cake. Do it for the cake. And your dad, of course. But also, cake.
“She’s here to buy a cake for her dad’s birthday, and I was hoping you’d be able to help skip the queue, given our history together.” The chef’s reaction is immediate, pure delight in his innocent smile as he grabs your hands.
“Of course, my dear! Let us organise it, especially for such a filial daughter like yourself.” He guides you over to the counter where he promptly whips out an order form, passing it to you. “And for you, half price. First order is special,” He adds with a fatherly wink.
“Thanks,” it’s the only reply you can muster, taken aback by the amount of generosity shown. Sneaking a glance at Cole who’s left you to your own devices and is now chatting to Charlotte, you notice how at ease he seems around the two of them.
“He’s a very good partner to you, I assume?”
What.
Your eyes snap back to Papa Louie’s grin. “He’s not-” The sudden weight of his hand on your shoulder makes you flinch, unable to shrug it off because of what’s at risk, but also because of his next few words.
“Thank you for taking care of him,” his voice is low, yet filled with parental affection as he looks at Cole. “The poor boy’s been through a lot.”
You part your lips, still trying to comprehend how deep this misunderstanding seems to have gotten. Instead of retorting or clarifying the situation, however, you press your lips together, looking down at the order form and scribbling down the specifics of what you want.
A shadow covers half the paper, and you look up to see Cole staring down at it. “You done yet?”
“Just finished.” Handing it back to Papa Louie, he personally settles payment while insisting that you receive the heavily discounted price. Your protests fall on deaf ears, begrudgingly accepting his kindness.
He doesn’t allow you to leave empty-handed either, passing you a parcel of cookies he claimed to be freshly baked, Cole and you are ushered out of the store by Charlotte. The ninja himself had also gotten a few tarts, probably to bring back home.
Unfortunately, you had been forced to say goodbye using the term the chef specifically likes to be called, trying to force away the pure cringe and remind yourself of the kindness he’s displayed so far.
It didn’t mean it was any less easy to do so in front of Cole, of all people.
But of course, who better to see me at my worst than my supposed soulmate?
Stepping out into the cool evening air makes the heat in your ears and neck feel more prominent than before, the door closing behind you both with a soft click. You spin on your heel to face Cole who has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.
“We shall never speak of this.” You state decisively, ignoring the curious stares from passersby.
“Of what?” He tilts his head with faux innocence, mischief in his gaze.
You part your lips, about to utter a retort when you think twice about it. However, there’s no way you’d let him have the last word. “Good.”
“So, what’re we having for dinner?”
“How do you feel about ramen?” Steps slowing to a halt in the middle of the street, realisation strikes. You lift your eyes to meet his curious ones, cold horror gripping your chest as it occurs to you how naturally the conversation had turned to eating together.
He lifts a brow at your blank face, waving a hand in front of you. “You there? Do you hate ramen or something? If so, why suggest it in the first place?” A frown takes over, finally noticing that something’s off. “What’s wrong?”
His genuine concern throws you off, flinching away at his outstretched hand that he’s placed on your forehead, checking the temperature. He withdraws his hand, hurt flickering across his face with a hint of frustration.
“S-sorry. I just…” Words. Where are words when you need them? “I’m just a huge ramen fan.” You finish lamely.
He exhales slowly, probably sensing that you’re not being entirely honest. You brace yourself for questions, already trying to find excuses to leave. He tilts his head, gesturing to a street nearby. “There’s a good ramen place down that way.”
As you force yourself to walk with him, you spot your bag still on his shoulders, the top of the bag of cookies neatly tucked away inside. Guilt seeps through the little cracks of your stony facade, stumbling back slightly when he suddenly turns to check on you.
“You’re paying for dinner. Take it as payment for introducing Papa to you.”
The simplicity of his words is clear-cut, but you recognise the intention behind them. The guilt from earlier melts away, finally cracking a small amused smile. Maybe he isn’t such a bad person after all. You hurry after him, watching as he slows down once you catch up. “For introducing who?”
“I identify as a feminist, so I’m legally allowed to hit you.”
“Ninjas don’t harm citizens, do they?”
“I’m off duty.”
#ninjago#lego ninjago#cole brookestone#cole brookstone x reader#cole x reader#ninjago x reader#cole ninjago#lego ninjago x reader
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Obey Me! Beelzebub's & Belphegor's reaction to: Mc & the strange noise.
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Welcome! to another part of this adventure! The characters may not be how you imagine! I apologize for any poor jokes, bad spelling, and terrible grammar. Without further ado, please enjoy the content. ♡
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Imagine Mc is up late at night doing whatever. Mc hears a really strange noise, so they pull out their D.D.D and text the HoL group chat. "Hey did you guys hear that noise??" Mc waits a few minutes after hearing the noise a second time, Mc decides to message the group chat again. "Helllloooo?? Guys??" Mc sits in their room anxiously waiting for at least one of the brothers to respond. Why were they not responding? What could the noise be? What if its something bad? The longer Mc waits the more anxious Mc gets. When Mc hears the noise for a third time they decide they'll deal with the noise themselves. Mc sends one last message to the group chat "Fine ignore me, I'll go check out the noise myself." With the message sent Mc goes to leave their room. With an uneasy feeling Mc decides they need a weapon, they either grab one or decide to get one along the way. The brothers arent answering better safe than sorry right? Mc finally heads out into the dark hallways of HoL, in search of finding the source of the noise. What will happen next??
Beelzebub
Mc was up late trying to finish an essay for one of their classes. The noise threw off their thought process causing them to not be able to work on the essay. The brothers not responding in the group chat made Mc feel annoyed but also uneasy. Mc looked around their room for a weapon only to decide they couldn't find one. With a nervous sigh Mc ventures into the dark hallway unarmed, using their D.D.D as a light to guide them.
Mc didn't know where the noise came from, so they stand around until they hear the noise again. When they hear the noise again Mc shakes their head with a smile, the noise is coming from the kitchen its probably just Beel. Mc knows Beel gets Midnight snacks sometimes. When he clears the entire fridge out. Mc decides to go to the kitchen, they could use a break from writing their essay. Mc walks towards the kitchen feeling comfortable. It had to be Beel in the kitchen, what else could be in there? Mc thinks they are just being paranoid, until they get closer to the kitchen. Mc realizes the kitchen light isn't on which makes them stop in their tracks for a moment. When the strange noise is heard coming from the dark kitchen again, Mc physically jumps in suprise. Mc's heart pounds against their chest, so loud and rapid they swear they can hear/feel their heartbeat in their ears. Mc takes a deep breath, clutches their D.D.D tightly, and walks forward. Mc peaks around the corner of the kitchen doorway, shining their D.D.D flashlight into the kitchen with a shaky hand. They shine the light around the dark kitchen just to see..... Mc lets out a relieved laugh, there sat a cat on the kitchen counter, the cat was stuck in a bag, probably having tried to get the food that was left in the bag. When Mc realizes the cat is stuck they quickly switch on the kitchen light and rush over to help the cat, once the cat is safe and free, they place the cat on the floor and watch it scurry off. Mc shakes their head with a smile, knowing Satan will be scolded when the cat is found by Lucifer. Mc feels realived but also still incredibly uneasy, they found out what the sound was, why were they still on edge?? Mc sighed and decided to get a bottle of water, figuring hydrating would help ease their thoughts. As they pull the water out of the fridge a sound is heard behind them, and out of panic and suprise Mc whips around and throws the bottle at the source of the sound....
(This is meant to be read as if its happening at the same time as that ^^ its basically Beelzebub's POV) Beel had been being a good boy like always such a sweet baby and had gone to bed at a reasonable time, well reasonable for a demon. Beel however woke up in the middle of the night needing food, his stomach was growling so loud it woke him and the pain his empty stomach cause him to feel was enough to make him sit up. Beel went to get up and go to the kitchen when he saw his D.D.D blinking, signalling he had a message. Confused, tired and hungry, Beel picked his D.D.D up and ate it checked what the message was. When he saw what Mc had sent the group chat he suddenly felt less hungry, still hungry just now mpre focused on being worried. What if Mc got hurt checking it out alone. Beel couldn't allow that, he immediately left his and Belphie's room in search of Mc. I feel like Beel or Asmo has the best sight out of all of the brothers. Beel had no problem seeing in the dark, he listened carefully and when he heard soft footsteps he followed them determinedly. He had to make sure Mc was safe.
As Beel follows the footsteps he doesn't even realize they are entering the kitchen, to worried about Mc to focus on his own hunger. When Beel finally gets close to the kitchen he sees the light on and puts some pep in his step. Beel watches a cat fly past him and run off towards Satan's room, Beel pays no mind. He quickly walks to the kitchen doorway and to his relief, finds Mc getting a drink from the fridge. With Beel now calm and content with Mc's safety his attention focuses back on his hunger, before he can even say anything to Mc a loud almost animalistic growl leaves his stomach as it cries out for food. The Avatar of Gluttony watches as Mc fearfully whips around and chucks a water bottle at him, Beel doesnt even realize he opens his mouth and catches the water bottle skillfully in his mouth instead of hitting him. Beel isn't aware he caught the water bottle until he hears the loud crunch of the plastic bottle and the water in his mouth.
(Back to Mc's POV?!??) Mc immediately starts apologizing to the gentle giant, quickly explaining how they were on edge and he startled them, Beel however seemed to pay no mind as he happily ate the thrown water bottle. Once Beel was done munching on the plastic bottle he waundered over to the fridge for a midnight snack, kindly offering to share some with Mc. "What kind of midnight snack do you want Mc? I'll let you have first pick."
Once Beel gathered his mountain of food for his "midnight snack" sir thats a midnight meal- mc and Beel went to Mc's room. Beel didn't want to wake Belphie up by eating, and Mc still had an essay to finish. Beel being sweet boy he is offered to stay up and keep Mc company while they wrote the last couple of paragraphs for the essay. When Mc finally finishes the essay they stretch and look to find Beel sitting on the floor close by, looking at them like a puppy looks at its owner. Mc yawns and thanks Beel for keeping them company while they finished their school work, as a thank you Mc offers for Beel to sleep in their bed. Beel may not be his still he happily accepts the offer. Mc and Beel cuddle up on Mc's bed, Mc falls asleep first. Beel keeps his arms secure around them, he may be a man of few words, but he understands Mc was scared earlier even if he didnt mention it. He didn't want Mc to feel embarrassed or to make them feel scared again. As Mc slept peacefully in his arms Beel swore to them- "I will always protect you Mc." Beel eventually fell back to sleep holding Mc close.
Belphegor
Mc had made the mistake of letting Belphie drag them into a mid day "5 minute" nap. The nap had lasted all day, they got woken up by Beel for dinner, so they weren't tired when bedtime came. They were laying in their bed playing a random game on their D.D.D when they heard the noise. Mc wasnt suprised Belphie didn't respond in the group chat, but the other brothers not responding made them nervous, yeah it was late at night but one of the brothers always seemed to be up. Mc looked around their room but they couldn't seem to find a hood weapon. So with nothing other than their D.D.D they are using as a flashlight, they venture into the dark hallway, in search of the strange noise. The noise seemed to come from the library, Mc thought it might be Satan or Lucifer, but since neither had responded in the group chat Mc wasn't so sure.
Mc nervously heads towards the hallway, shining their flashlight at shoulder height, not even thinking to look down at the floor. The strange sound can still be heard coming from the library, the sound is constant and sounds almost like a bag being ruffled or moved around. Mc's heart pounds in their chest, their eyebrows are furrowed as they try and figure out what would be making that kind of a sound. Mc gets a little bit between their room and the library, focusing more on the confusing sound than where their walking, they suddenly trip over something. Mc crashes to the ground, it hurts but its not that bad, just ending up with a scrapped elebow or knee, and most likely a bumped head. Mc groans as they rub their head, their D.D.D had flown out of their hands when they fell. Mc was so focused on their own pain that when they groaned in pain they didnt hear the person they tripped over groaning in pain too.
(This is meant to be read as if its happening at the same time as that ^^ its basically Belphegor's POV) Belphie had been a little upset when him and Mc were woken up for dinner, but he got up and ate anyways. What really upset him was that Mc went to their room after dinner instead of going to take a nap in the attic with him again. Mc claimed 'they weren't tired after sleeping all day', because Mc wouldn't take a nap with him Belphie had wandered off to nap somehwere on his own. When Belphie woke up again it seemed kind of late, Belphie looked around his random nap spot for Mc. When he didn't see them he got up, Belphie went walking towards Mc's room clutching his cow pillow, still half asleep and grumbling incoherent things. Belphie however only made it half way to Mc's room before he crumbled tiredly to the floor and fell asleep on the ground cuddling his cow pillow, deciding to just dream of Mc.
Belphie did just that, he was having a wonderful dream with Mc and Beel in it when he was woke up by getting kicked in the gut, then stepped on, when he heard someone land on the ground next to him he assumed they tripped over them. Belphie didn't open his eyes, move or care until he heard Mc's voise groaning in pain, realizing Mc tripped over him, Belphie opened his eyes and turned over so he could face Mc, Mc's D.D.D's flashlight was shining their way, so he could see that Mc's eyes where closed while they rubbed their body in pain. Belphie being the little shit he is Belphie decided to reach his hand out and touch Mc hoping to catch them by suprise. What he didn't expect was for Mc to kick out at whatever had touched them. He watched as Mc's leg shot out and kicked him in the shoulder chest area, as their eyes shot open in suprise and fear, after Mc kicked him they scooted away from him in fear until they realized it was him. It didn't hurt Belphie but by the suprise and how horrified Mc looked that they accidently hit him, Belphie obviously had to tease them- "Damn Mc, you hurt me tripping over me and yet I was nice enough to try and check on you, and you hit me some more? Last time ill ever check on you." Belphie has that teasing playing smirk on his face as he teases them.
(Mc's POV again) Mc apologizes and tells Belphie about the strange noise, which can still be heard coming from the library. Belphie teases them for being freaked out over something like that while still being a brat and teasing them for hitting him on accident over some "strange noise", Belphie snickers when Mc tells him that he should come with them to investigate the noise. "Alright scaredy cat I'll come with you, only if you let me sleep in you're room with you after this" Belphie swings his arm lazily towards the library where the sound continues to come from, giving Mc his usual lazy smirk. Lets be honest hes sleeping in Mc's room with them no matter what, so Mc takes his deal and drags him towards the library with them. Mc shines their D.D.D as a light and walks slightly in the lead, Belphie is lazily attached to their side and walking a little behind them. When they reach the library, Mc takes a shaky breath before leading Belphie into the library behind them. Mc turns on the library light to see..... A cat with a chip bag on its head, the cat is running around the library in a panic, everytime it runs the bag ruffles making the sound Mc had been hearing. Belphie laughs when he sees what's been making the sound that was scarying Mc. Mc rushea over and helps the cat get the bag off its head, once the cat is free it darts out of the library, presumably headed towards Satan's room.
Belphie continues to laugh at Mc until he recieves a teasing 'shut up' smack from Mc. Belphie continues to tease Mc as they turn off the library light and head for their room. Belphie sticks close behind them no matter their pace, like a puppy following their owner, the only difference is Belphie is a teasing brat. Mc and Belphie eventually make it to Mc's room, Belphie immediately crawls into Mc's bed making himself at home. Mc watches Belphie close his eyes and assumes he fell asleep already. Mc wasnt ready for bed yet, so they walk quietly around their room doing their nightly routine. It wasn't until Mc heard a tired grumpy voice that they realized Belphie wasnt asleep- "Can you hurry up already, I deserve to cuddle and sleep, since you decided to beat me up" the teasing tone in Belphie's voice makes Mc know that he's smirking, even though his face is burried under their blankets. Mc rolls their eyes and shushes him, once Mc is done getting ready for bed, they crawl into their bed and cuddle up to Belphie. They kiss his forehead muttering a quiet apology again for accidently hitting him earlier, Belphie's arms wrap around Mc's body and he snuggles against their chest. The sloth demon falls asleep rather quickly, but not until Mc started petting his hair. Mc eventually falls asleep as well, how could they not fall asleep when they were so warm and safely cuddled up with Belphie?
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Thats all for now babes! Hope you enjoyed!! ♡ This is not proofread. Feel free to comment or reblog any thoughts or any add ons you have! Sorry this part took so long! More content is coming soon so Stay tuned! Stay Safe! & Stay Sassy Loves! ‹𝟹
━☆*:･ﾟ✧✧ ♡ ❀ ♡ ✧━
⟡˙⋆Masterlist⋆˙⟡
#obey me thoughts#obey me drabble#obey me imagines#obey me mc#obey me x reader#obey me fluff#obey me x reader fluff#om mc#obey me headcanons#obey me beel x mc#obey me beel x reader#obey me beel#beel x reader#om! belphie#belphie x reader#belphie x mc#obey me belphie#obey me belphegor#obey me beelzebub
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Thoughts about sitting between lukeys legs against his chest while you write an essay you’ve been stressing over
A/N: loved LOVED writing this request. Came to me in the middle of finals week so perfect comforting thoughts. Thank you for your patience anon, I got busy (again, finals 🥲). Enjoy 🫶
You had always taken school very seriously, and you were good at most subjects. However, as a STEM major, writing essays was the bane of your existence. It wasn’t that you weren’t good at it, having earned a high grade on all previous essays for this class. But being the perfectionist you are, you had a terrible habit of nit-picking everything you wrote. You’d finally get a thought down, only to delete and reword it a million times until it felt perfect. It made any simple essay into an extremely daunting task. Luke knew you struggled, and while he wasn’t much help in the academic department, he was your biggest cheerleader.
Currently, you were working on an research analysis paper you’d been putting off for two weeks. Now it was due in two days. After your minor mental breakdown the night before, Luke promised to help you get it done today. He had gotten you set up on the couch of your apartment before he left for morning skate at 8. However, he hadn’t expected to find you in the exact same spot when he returned four hours later.
Your eyes meet his as he walks through the door, and it feels like the first time you’ve looked away from the screen in hours. His hair is still wet from his shower, and he holds a Chipotle bag in his hands.
“Hey babe,” Luke calls into your apartment, setting the food on the kitchen counter before making his way towards the couch. He wears a small smile as he leans down to place a kiss to the back of your head. You attempt to flash a smile over your shoulder, but Luke has already noticed the tension in your face.
“How’s the essay going?” Luke hums, leaning down to see your computer screen as his hands begin rubbing at the tightness in your shoulders. You let the singular paragraph on your screen do the talking, opting for a slight shake of the head instead of a verbal response. You let out a heavy sigh, and attempt to rub the burning sensation from your eyes.
“How long have you been working on it?” Luke mumbled, hands still working at your shoulders.
“Since you left this morning,” you uttered, leaning your head slightly to rest on his forearm. “I swear I’m trying but my brain is just not wording today.”
Luke leaned to press a soft kiss to your temple, “let’s take a break, yeah? I brought you food.”
You let out another soft sigh before agreeing and closing your laptop. You stand up from the couch, Luke’s hands falling from your shoulders, and make your way to the kitchen. You get each of you a water from the fridge as Luke takes the food from the bag. You take a moment to drink in all six feet and 2 inches of your boyfriend as he grabs forks from the drawer. The sight of him in a backwards hat and fitted long sleeve is much more pleasing than the glaring computer screen.
“You’re staring, love.” Luke calls from the other side of the kitchen, breaking you from your trance. You roll your eyes at the smirk playing on his lips, and sit down and the island. Luke hands you your food and stands across from you to eat his. You can’t help the smile that forms as you realize he never texted to ask for your order. You know he has most of them in a note on his phone, but it always surprises you. You chat while you eat, Luke doing most of the talking as he gives you the details about morning practice and his upcoming games. You avoid the topic of the essay until you’re finished eating. It doesn’t take near as long as you’d like, and 30 minutes later you’re cleaning up your food and mentally preparing to start again. Luke doesn’t miss the dread in your eyes, and comes to rest his hands on your waist.
“How can I help you, baby?” Luke mutters, eyebrows furrowed in concern. One hand massages your hip lightly as the other comes to brush a fallen piece of hair from your face. You pout lightly, knowing he won’t let you procrastinate any longer.
“I don’t know…” you sigh, thinking for a moment. “Can you just sit with me?”
Luke is nodding his head immediately, “anything you need, babe.”
He grips your hand and carefully drags you towards the couch. He sets up on the chaise and settles you between his legs.
You lean into his hold, back against his chest, before moving your computer to your lap. His familiar scent engulfs you immediately, and it soothes your stress slightly. One of his arms snakes around your waist, and he keeps the other to scroll through his phone as you work. You set your focus back on the screen, determined to finish this damned essay.
The two of you remain like this for two hours as you type away. Occasionally you have Luke read a section to ensure it sounds decent. He always happy to insist that it’s perfect, awarding you with a small kiss. After managing to reach just past the halfway point, you take a small break and relocate to your bedroom for a change of scenery. You remain in the same position, only this time on your bed with Luke propped against the headboard behind you. He has a few wordage suggestions here and there, but is mostly silent as you write.
It’s 4:30 pm when you finally shut your laptop, letting out a long breath you had been holding. Your head falls back against Luke’s chest as he looks down at you.
“Finished?” You nod, eyes closing briefly as you mumble out a ‘finally’ in response. He laughs, setting his phone to the side to wrap you in his arms more firmly.
“Good job, babe. Knew you could do it.” Luke says, lips pressed to your hairline. You send him a small glare, still slightly annoyed at him for forcing you to work but thankful nonetheless. You break from his hold to turn and face him.
“Thank you for helping me, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He smirks back at you.
“Probably flunk out of college,” He teases.
“Andddd lovey dovey moment over,” you sigh, rolling your eyes at his typical antics. You flipped back around to lay against his chest once more.
“Nap?” Luke proposes. He knows you’ll say yes and is already scooting down to lay down. You just nod, humming an ‘mhm’. You let him spoon you as you lay, sleep already overtaking you both. Your legs become entangled as Luke moves his head to rest in the crook over your neck. His warm breath is comforting, and you relax further into his arms. You feel Luke press a soft kiss to your neck, and your eyelids finally shut against the stress of the day.
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☾༺Just a Bit Longer༻☽
~So I’ve been brainrotting over RW&RB for a solid month now. The goblins need a walk, and I cannot productivity until they get one. I love these two’s dynamic; they’re just so silly. Not my best work, but writer’s block be damned; I needed to post something this week. This is completely self-indulgent, but if it’s your thing, I hope you Enjoy!~
Lee: Alex
Ler: Henry
Summary: Alex is overworking himself, going late into the night and working hours without breaks. Sick of his lover’s dreadful work-life management, Henry takes it upon himself to get Alex to sleep.
Warnings: mild Red, White & Royal Blue spoilers! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!
Life for Alex Claremont-Diaz was the best it had ever been. Henry came over almost daily from his Brownstone, and he finally felt like he had a definite idea of where his life was headed. The only downside: he was still in school.
The NYU Law course was a bit more rigorous than he’d expected, but it was definitely what he wanted. Sure, that meant long, painful hours of reviewing for extremely difficult exams, discovering that tort is a real word, and trying to figure out a system for coursework that didn’t make his brain want to explode.
His sleep schedule was already shit, so he didn’t think any of it would be a problem. If he just pulled a few all-nighters and pumped out some late-night essays, he’d be fine. What he didn’t think about, however, was how Henry would take it.
Alex was working late on another essay, running off of coffee and pure determination. He hadn’t meant to put it off, but with the three exams he’d had that week, his mind was a scattered mess.
Henry had put up with it for most of the night, but as two AM rolled around, his understanding had run dry, replaced by concern.
Knocking the “shave and a haircut” pattern on his lover’s door, Henry entered the room. He was immediately greeted with the strong smell of coffee and desperation.
There sat his boyfriend, hunched over a computer with a half-eaten ham sandwich (he couldn’t handle turkey anymore) by his side. The blonde couldn’t help the sad sigh that escaped him.
Alex looked up, his glasses nearly all the way down on his nose. It was unfairly cute, though Henry shoved that feeling down for the moment.
“Uh…hey, Hen. Not done yet; gimme, like, another half-hour.” Alex’s gaze was back on his computer in seconds.
Henry rubbed his temples, already feeling a headache brew. For once, why couldn’t Alex just use common sense?
“Alex, darling. It’s two in the morning. You need to sleep.”
Alex scoffed, not stopping for even a second. “Says you. You stay up later than I do most of the time.” While that wasn’t untrue, Henry’s problems were because of insomnia. Alex was just a stubborn asshole.
“Look, I’m going to be brutally honest here. You look terrible, you seem exhausted, and the bags under your eyes could fit the entirety of the Royal Wardrobe. Go. To. Sleep.”
Henry laid things out bluntly, crossing his arms. It was meant to leave little room for negotiation, but defying Henry’s expectations was Alex’s special talent.
“This is due at eight AM…uh, today. I’ve only got six hours to finish this thing, but I’m almost done. I promise, just a bit longer.” This would have been more comforting if Alex hadn’t already said that three times.
“Alex, please. If you sleep now, I’ll wake you up at six, and we’ll work on it together. It hurts to see you like this, dear.” He used pet names, trying to sway Alex to listen. It was a last-ditch effort; if he still refused, Henry didn’t have much of a plan left. Sure enough, he did.
“It’s fine, Henry. I’m all good, just a little spacy. I promise, the moment I’m done, I’ll eat your face. Okay, baby?” Alex flipped the other man’s strategy back on him, hoping to fully bury the concern. He was fine: end of story.
For Henry, though, the tale was just beginning. He racked his brain, searching for anything to help him get Alex to cooperate. He could only remember one time anyone was successful.
Alex had invited him to the White House for June’s birthday party. As the night dragged on, everyone but Alex was drunk and exhausted. To tire him out, June had employed some rather…unconventional methods.
Methods that would be extremely useful to him at that moment.
Casually approaching his boyfriend, Henry put a hand on the laptop. Then, after making sure the work was saved, he closed it. He pointedly ignored Alex’s scoff and protests, grabbing his chin and pulling him in for a kiss. Alex still squirmed, though a smile was breaking out on his face.
That was all Henry needed to continue. He gripped Alex under his thighs, lifting the man up and plopping him down on his nearby bed.
A surprised sound left him, his cheeks gaining a nearly imperceptible red hue. He was expecting some push-back from Henry, but nothing this active.
“Just couldn’t wait for me, could you~?” Alex weteased, starting to sit up on the bed. Henry was quick to stop that, grabbing Alex’s arms and pinning them above his head.
Before his lover could make another joke, Henry tapped a few fingers on his side. That shut him up, if only for a second.
“Henry, I swear to fucking god, if you try anything-” He was cut off when Henry squeezed his side, resulting in an indignant squeak.
“Sorry, dear, but I’m afraid I already have~” With that, Henry clawed his fingers into Alex’s stomach, straddling him.
The tired man tried to bite his lip, but the coffee wasn’t quite enough to give him that energy. A few giggles slipped out, quickly followed by tiny curses.
“What’s the matter, Alex? Something bothering you?” Henry chuckled, leaning down further to try and hold him still.
Kicking and squirming, Alex tried anything to get away from the evil fingers. He was tired, though; his brain was moving at half-speed and felt like it was running through soup.
“Gehehet ohoff me, youhuhu prihick!” Henry has decided to move up to his ribs, scritching and scratching between each bone.
Even on a good day, it’d be hard for Alex to get out from under him. With no sleep, coffee fumes and pure spite, he had no chance.
“Why on Earth would I do that? I’m quite comfortable here. Besides, you seem to be enjoying yourself, if that blush is any indication,” Henry taunted, jutting his chin out. He didn’t really need to, but it was a sure-fire way to rile Alex.
“Fuhuhuck off! Hehenry, I swehehear- quihit!” Alex tried to bury his face in his shoulder, though he only drew attention to a new target. Henry leaned down, blowing a raspberry on his boyfriend’s neck. Alex would rather die than repeat the squeal that left him.
“Wow, Alex. Perhaps the Barbara Streisand accusation wasn't so far off,” he teased, his voice about as smug than Alex had ever heard it.
The typically witty man was in giggly shambles, trying his best not to sound like a child. He wasn’t very successful.
“SHUHUhut uhup, youhu douche!!” Laughing like a toddler, Alex was still pumping out insults. Henry was about to put a stop to that. Going for the kill, he hooked his thumbs into Alex's hip divots, kneading and squeezing the area.
That seemed to work quite well.
“GAH- HEHENRY! You- YAHAHA! FAHAHACK!” The law student lost his shit, practically cackling under his boyfriend.
Alex arched his back off the bed, only bucking into the ticklish feeling. There was no room in his mind for witt; the best he could do was “fuck fuck fuck it tickles oh my god-”
Hearts practically formed in Henry’s eyes at the adorably hysteric reaction. Still, as cute as it was, he had a mission.
“This all ends the moment you agree to rest. Or…would you like me to continue? I bet I could just tickle you senseless all night. You’d surely be exhausted then, wouldn’t you?”
Alex couldn’t even get a word out, shaking his head as he laughed. His curls went wild, getting in his eyes and puffing up. Henry wanted to brush it from his eyes, but he had to keep his priorities in order. There would be time for fawning over him later.
“HEHENRY! PLEHE- snrk” It took a solid minute, but Alex’s resolve was weakening. He was already tired beforehand, and laughing his ass off wasn’t helping. The squirming had died down almost completely, snorts slipping into the lax cackles.
While it wasn’t an agreement, the Prince could tell that his lover would be out in seconds. Henry stopped, switching to gentle traces down his sides. The first son tried to calm down, a steady stream of giggles pouring from his lips.
“H-hoholy shihihit… Thahat was evil.” He tried taking some deep breaths, rubbing his cheeks. Alex hadn’t laughed that hard in a while. He was close to just passing out right there, pure exhaustion hitting him like a freight train.
“Possibly. You deserved it, though.” Henry leaned down, gently kissing his curved lips. This sight was one of his new favorites: Alex, his toned skin flushed, practically a puddle of giggles beneath him.
Alex flipped him the bird before melting into the kiss. He weakly pulled his boyfriend down, snuggling against him. He’d all but forgotten about his essay, eyes closed the moment he laid still; the poor guy was wiped. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but all his energy was gone.
Carefully grabbing his phone, Henry set an alarm for six AM.
They’d finish that research paper; he was certain of that. With a bit of sleep, Alex would be a writing machine. True, the slightly rushed grammar would be atrocious, but that’s what Henry was there for. Pulling the sheets up over them both, Henry breathed a happy sigh.
“Good night, love.”
#rwrb tickle#lee!alex#ler!henry#ticklish!alex#sfw tickling community#tickle#tickle fic#red white and royal blue tickle#rw&rh tickle#rwrb alex#rwrb henry#alex claremont-diaz#henry fox mountchristen windsor#rwrb
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Hey. I saw you deleted all the excitement/nonsense from the other day, wanted to check in on you. I realized that while I've been on this hellsite for 12 years and seen and experienced a great deal of my own anon drama, I forget how overwhelming & terrible it feels when it first happens to you.
I failed to notice that, in addition to being very new to this site, you're also only 18 (please note that this is not meant to sound condescending - tone is impossible to convey via text). I was a couple years older than that when I joined here, and I carried just as much excitement and energy into everything I posted and reblogged and quickly gained a reputation for myself. From what I've observed from your blog though, mine was decidedly...less fun & positive, so I got a LOT of anonymous messages telling me what they thought of me. I would spend a lot of time thinking about those anons and the terrible things they said to me, constructive or not, objective or not. It didn't matter how many support messages I got from friends or mutuals, or how much we mocked the anons or made light of the situation - I was angry, embarrassed, felt like nothing I did would fix it, and sometimes didn't want to log onto this site anymore, despite it being the only outlet I had to express myself in this way.
It is normal to focus on the small negative in spite of the overwhelming positive - healthy? No. But normal.
My point is: Please do not let this nonsense deter you from being you. Not everyone is going to like you, and that is totally fine. Not everyone is going to like how you post/reblog on your blog. Speaking solely for myself, I generally keep a more contained dashboard I can scroll through quickly at work, so I don't follow your blog, but I don't translate my personal feelings on how you blog into my personal opinion of you as an individual. Everyone blogs differently on this site, which is what keeps it interesting. I'm also not so chronically online to go out of my way to send you a 5-paragraph essay about consent or being hypersexual in a fandom for a gay Satanic band. Instead I'll send you a 8-paragraph essay trying to comfort you and to tell you not to despair, lmao.
I LOVE your enthusiasm about how you express yourself in your posts & reblogs, and it seems there's a shit ton of blogs around you that feel the same way & express themselves the exact same way. Don't lose that spark! Don't let them rain on your parade! [Insert another cliche phrase here]!
Take time if you need a break, but please understand you did nothing wrong. Everything said to you was someone's opinion they wanted to force on you to control how you behave because they themselves are terrified of the world around them and don't understand they cannot control others. Hopefully one day they'll realize how sheltered and, quite frankly, stupid they are. I did.
My advice: if you ever reopen anons and start getting those messages again, delete them and don't engage. Most of the time they're just looking for attention, to rile you up. Classic bullying tactics.
Or print out their messages and use them as firewood. Or toilet paper. Whatever works.
Lastly, you don't have to acknowledge this or publish this message if you don't want to. Genuinely, I just wanted to reach out and make sure you're okay and to attempt to longwindedly impart some advice from my own experiences over the decade.
You do you, dude. Fuck the haters.
Thank you so so much for this incredibly kind and comforting message ♥︎ I really appreciate it more than you could imagine, it even made me cry reading it. I feel like this message is a good closer for this situation, so I’m also going to use it as an opportunity to give a little PSA about how my blog will be operating from now on.
First of all, just thank you again. I’m honestly astonished because every single thing you mentioned is exactly how I feel. The hurt of it all despite getting so much support, the empty feeling of not wanting to go on tumblr anymore despite it being my only outlet. Tumblr was supposed to be my safe space, my escape, my home, and it really sucks because it honestly doesn’t feel like that anymore.
I think the thing that hurts the most is that literally no one reached out to me as a friend in the dms to tell me that I was bothering them. I’m not a mind reader, so if no one says anything then I assume I’m not bothering them. But I do pride myself on always being approachable, I’m ALWAYS open to people messaging me with their concerns.
It’s different when it’s some faceless anon who comes off as slightly passive aggressive. If someone would have just DMed me, I definitely would have put more thought into it and taken their suggestion. Since I haven’t been on tumblr long, I didn’t even know the difference between reblogging with a comment or reblogging with tags until literally just now during this whole situation.
I just feel like I’ve been serving spaghetti every night for dinner. 9 people say they absolutely LOVE it, but then I come to suddenly find out the 10th person doesn’t. But they never said anything all this time, so how was I supposed to know?
I’ve had two people block me who I thought were my friends. One who, during this situation, even said she’d always be there for me. Basically, she informed me that our mutual friend had been upset about my comments and apparently never said anything before this, so I reached out to that friend and apologized. She apparently got triggered by my apology, and they both blocked me. That hurt. A lot. And if I’m being honest I’ve been fighting so hard not to self harm during this time.
I feel like I’ve been treated like a malicious criminal over this, when in reality everyone should know damn well I’ve never done ANYTHING to deliberately make people feel bad.
And don’t worry, I definitely did not take the comment about my age to be condescending. In fact, I wish more people would have taken it into account. And the fact that I’ve only been on tumblr for 6 months, so I don’t really know much about it.
I have a life outside tumblr. I’m a student, and I’ve had to be a full-time caretaker to sick relatives who have now unfortunately passed away. I’m grieving. My father abandoned me and my mother, so I’ve had to take over doing all the things that he used to do.
I come on tumblr, I scream about everyone’s favourite satanic antipopes, I post some fics, and then I close the app and go about my life. I don’t research the history of tumblr and what’s deemed acceptable by certain groups of people. I’m a human. I’m a real teenage girl, with feelings. I’m able to be hurt, and triggered, and everything else. I know I’ve created a personality for myself on here, and I think people often forget that I’m a real girl.
I wish I could say I’m okay, but right now that spark definitely feels dampened into a sad little ember. Since this has happened, I’ve almost stopped eating entirely, and when I do eat, I immediately throw it right back up. My Mom took me out to eat and I threw up in public. This has honestly had my stomach in knots.
Today was the first day I actually didn’t feel nauseous. So hopefully time will heal this wound. I wouldn’t wish this on ANYONE, but I’m glad to see you got through it and made it out ok. I’m hoping for the same outcome for myself too.
Now for the PSA portion of this message (everyone please read):
Will I stop being unhinged? Hell no. But I will be moving any horny comments into the tags, as suggested by the people who had complaints. The absolute last thing I want to do is alienate people and make people uncomfortable. (I still have questions about reblogging with comments tho, for example, if I say something not horny should I still put that in the tags or is it ok to comment that?)
Secondly, my best friend suggested that I should just start taking my unhinged comments and making them into posts of their own, so I’ll probably do that too. I think I might tag them with some cheesy tag, probably a pun on nsfw (not sugar for work?) so that if you’d like to blacklist that tag, you can, and then your dash will be safe for scrolling at work or wherever. And you can just click ‘view post’ if you want to view it.
So, rest assured, the horny party will never stop! But since I’ll be putting my stuff in the tags, you probably won’t see it circulating as much as reblogged comments, so if you want to see me being unhinged, just come to my page and scroll through!
Also, I’ve gotten so many other supportive messages and I want to thank everyone for sending them in. I won’t be answering them, because I don’t want a lot of stuff about this situation on my blog. And this is going to be the last time I talk about this situation on my blog. But the supportive messages really do mean a lot to me, so thank you all ♥︎
I feel malaise, so I might still be absent for a little while, but I’ll try to get back in the saddle as soon as I can. I haven’t been in the best mindset to write, but I’m really going to try because posting fics and running this account genuinely make me happy.
Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope to see you all again very soon
Love always,
Sugar <3
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𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄
𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐝. 𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐱 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤!𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫
[#] 𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏
𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 / 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫
"Just great," [your name] sighed, moving her braids to the side. Just what she needed, a hot and humid day to walk to her classes on campus.
"This is terrible..." Nami whined, looking at her best friend.
"I know..." she slightly pouted, fanning herself with her folder.
Despite having many friends, there was something about Nami that clicked with [your name]. Their mindset was somewhat similar, all about the money. She had two best friends, Luffy and Nami. Luffy being her childhood best friend, and Nami being her sister from another mister.
Nami was the only one she could take classes with, Luffy somehow just happened to be in some classes that she had. math and literature, the two classes she hated being in. Especially with Luffy in the mix of it. If there was anything Luffy didn't understand was math and literature. Now [your name] was already terrible at math, but now she had to help Luffy pass the class. Thankfully for the trio, their math class got cancelled. So they had an hour and 45 minutes of leisure time.
"Hey Ace should be getting out of class in ten minutes," Luffy looked at you with a slight smirk.
"Can't do basic math, but you know when your brother gets out of class. Love that for you," she sarcastically replied, sitting down at the table in the cafeteria.
In ten minutes, she got to see Ace in his firefighter academy uniform. It was something about him in the uniform that drove her crazy, but she always kept it to herself. The last thing she wanted was for Luffy to announce to everyone again like before.
The voice level in the cafeteria became loud, indicating that the future firefighters were now in there, "you guys waited for me?" Ace's voice snapped her out of her thoughts while he sat in front of her.
Was his uniform shirt shrinking? Or was he putting on extra muscle? Whatever it was, she wasn't complaining at all. He still looked good to her and that's all that mattered.
"Our math class got cancelled actually, so we have an hour and 40 minutes now of just relaxing before our literature class," Nami smiled, letting the cool air hit her.
"Wait do you guys have professor Crystal?" and they nodded their heads.
"Who has the best grade in that class?" Nami and Luffy quickly pointed to [your name], causing her to choke on her water.
"Good, You know how her big paper is due soon? Well not soon, but next week?" his eyes were a bit wide while she nodded her head.
"I suck at essays and I have a high D in this class. If I can get an A, then maybe it'll raise it to a C. If you're not busy later today, can you help me out?" she quickly nodded her head, not realizing what she just got herself into.
"Thanks, I appreciate it [your name]!" he smiled, grabbing a piece of Luffy's fries.
"No problem," she smiled back, pinching Nami's thigh. It won't hit her now because she's excited, but once Ace leaves to attend his next class, she'll be freaking out.
"Well, my next class starts in five minutes. See ya'!" he took off with Luffy's fries, who's reaction was delayed.
"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God," and there she goes. Reality began to sink in.
"I'm helpin' Ace with his essay? Oh my. I need to cancel right now," she rambled, causing Luffy to flick her in the forehead.
"You're annoying when it comes to Ace," he stared at her, left eye starting to twitch.
"And you're overreacting, just help him out. I don't know what the big deal is," he took a bite out of his burger.
"Yeah..." as much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right.
Maybe she was being extra for no reason, and she needed to calm down.
Once classes were over, [your name] and Nami said their goodbyes. It wasn't really goodbye, the two were just dramatic when they were separated. As always, [your name] gave Luffy a ride because they lived in the same apartment complex.
She followed Luffy inside of the place. Of course, Ace was in the kitchen shirtless and eating. Every time she was over, the male never wore a shirt.
"Oh you actually came!" he looked up from his phone with a small smile.
"Yeah, whenever you're ready just let me know," she returned the small smile, sitting down next to Luffy.
"Uno?" Luffy held the pack in his hand while she chuckled.
"Oh you're so on..." she trailed off, grabbing the deck of cards and began to shuffle them.
But before they could start, they were interrupted by Ace who was done with his meal. She followed him to his room, where she saw Luffy looking at her with a small smirk on his face.
His room was a bit messy, but it wasn't too major. Following him to the desk, she sat down next to him. He handed her the extra keyboard while she started his computer.
"So do you know what you want to write your essay on?" she cleared her throat. To her, the atmosphere felt awkward and she knew that it was her. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she was close to him while he was SHIRTLESS.
"I wanna write about the rapid fires that have been happening recently. I can show you my planning sheet," he pulled it up on his document folders.
[your name] looked through the planning sheet and he had strong points. Some of them needed to be expanded more, but it was overall a good paper. Which was a bit surprising to her. For someone who seemed so carefree, she wouldn't expect him to worry about his grades. Then again, he was in the firefighter academy. So he probably needed to maintain his gpa to continue on in the program.
"This is actually great, some of your points do need to be expanded, but I think we can work on that together," she continued to look through it.
"Wait really? That's great," he sighed in relief.
"My biggest fear was that I'd have to start this whole process over again," he leaned back in his chair.
"I think if we can expand some of your points, you'll probably have a flawless paper. The structure is actually amazin',"
"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you. I heard that you're good at essays, so I guess i'm kind of excited?" he questioned with a slight chuckle.
Maybe helping Ace with his essay didn't seem too bad with her.
you can catch this story here!
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tags:?
#black reader#black writers#black!reader#anime x black!reader#anime x black reader#one piece#one piece x black reader#one piece x black fem!reader#one piece x black!reader#portgas d. ace x black!reader#portgas d ace x black!reader#portgas d. ace x black reader#portgas d. ace smut#portgas d ace smut#portgas d. ace#portgas d ace
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after spending an evening listening to jessie gender tell me about starfield, capitalism, gender, selfhood, and ursula k leguin, i had. some Thoughts about another science fiction series; one you're probably at least somewhat familiar with if you follow this blog or watch ms gender's videos.
to start off; hey. this is partially based on my own experiences, my understanding of them, and how that lens can be applied to star trek. it's also very much inspired by the work of jessie earl, whose channel i can't recommend enough. she's funny, intelligent, kind, and an incredibly gifted writer, and she's a gift to both the star trek, trans, and "video essay youtuber" communities. show her some love!
that said, i want to start by looking at star trek. we all know the vulcans, don't we? pointy ears, green blood — spock's dad's side of the family. gifted with telepathic abilities, vulcans are practitioners of the mind meld, also called things like a mind link, probe, touch, or fusion, which is exactly what it sounds like. it allows two (or more, on occasion) sentient life forms to exchange thoughts as though they were one being.
of course, this kind of thing is common in media. steven universe has gem fusions, which should be examined from a plural viewpoint in their own right. x-man charles xavier almost routinely delves into the minds of others. but rarely does it have any lasting impact on the characters. even star trek itself falls into this, with doctor leonard mccoy not getting nearly enough screentime in the voyage home to show off what must have been the intensely strange experience of carrying spock's katra within him. (maybe that's addressed in a novelization or comic that i'm just unaware of, but regardless, i haven't seen it, and i think that's a travesty. (and if you know of a book where that gets touched on oh my god give me the fucking link now-))
there are instances of star trek mind melds having lasting effects, as discovery shows part of sarek's katra being permanently linked to michael burnham, though that could be considered an extenuating circumstance, what with her being on death's doorstep at the time of the meld. which most trek fans probably already know, and is honestly more fantastical than i care to bother reading with a plural lens. however, star trek is a fandom with nearly sixty years of history, including hundreds of books and comics from various authors and publishers. these stories are plentiful, bizzare, and sometimes outright terribly written. i don't blame anyone for not having read them all — to do so seems like a terrifying task.
but the one i want to look at right now is a particular run of the star trek: the next generation comic, published in 2000 by wildstorm comics.
the run is called perchance to dream — a lovely, flourishing name for a comic where half of the plot could be it's very own jessie gender video for how much sexual weirdness goes on (but i'll leave that to the professionals). the part we're going to focus on is that the b-plot of the run surrounds captain jean luc picard, captain of the uss enterprise-d. the comic is set after the events of the star trek: the next generation season 3 premiere, best of both worlds: part 2. in that episode, the captain had been disconnected from the borg hivemind (after being assimilated in part 1), and he returned to duty as usual at the end of the episode (though he does choose to go on leave in the following episode). it's also set after another episode from later on in season 3, — episode 23, sarek, wherein picard preformed a mind meld with sarek in order to allow the aging ambassador better emotional control, as it was being ravaged by his bendii syndrome — essentially, vulcan dementia.
the a-plot of the run isn't really important to us, i'm afraid — although it reveals to us in the second issue that worf accidentally killed a kid on another soccer team as a child. suffice to say, one of the abilities of the aliens the crew has to play diplomacy with is that they can prod into people's traumas through their nightmares. they have a lot going on. it's a comic book from 2000, what did you expect?
and, speaking of things that are easily dated, the third issue of the run brings us to the second part of today's topic.
image id: a comic book page. beginning at the top, a narration box reads: "chief medical officer's log, stardate 48503.8. lieutenant commander data, doctor selar, and i have gone through the damiano [alien] records regarding the chova. while no direct way to combat the weapon was ever developed we have discovered that certain people were immune to the chova's effects and could destroy the weapon." doctor beverly crusher is beside the narration box, depicted from the shoulders up, facing slightly to the right and saying "there has to be another way."
a vulcan -- doctor selar -- is viewed from the waist up, holding a padd in her right hand and facing to the right of the page. she is saying "we have been over the records six times a piece, doctor. if there is anything to find, it is likely that we would have found it by now."
data, an android designed to appear as a human with pale yellow plastic skin, is holding a book slightly behind doctor selar. his mouth is slightly open as he speaks. "i believe doctor selar is correct. this is the only course of action open to us under the circumstances."
to the right of this panel is another shot of beverly from the shoulders up, this time facing to the left. her expression is stern as she says "i know, i know, it's just-- it could kill him."
in the next panel. beverly is shown from the back, and captain jean-luc picard enters, saying "you sent for me, doctor?" beverly responds, "yes, jean-luc. please sit down."
below this, the left panel takes most of the remaining page. this time we see captain picard from the back, while beverly faces the reader head-on, speaking first. "we've gone through the records chief du're [irrelevant one-off character from the a-plot] provided. it turns out that there was one group of people who were immune to the chova when it was first used. mpd's." jean-luc repeats "mpd's?" curiously.
to the right, data is shown from the shoulders up, saying; "mpd stands for multiple personality disorder. mpd can come about through psycholo--" but beverly interrupts him; "not now, data." end id.
ah, multiple personality disorder. a term that hasn't been clinically used since 1994. these days, we call this dissociative identity disorder (did), but it's one dissociative disorder of many, which is what beverly is talking about. for whatever reason, people with this sort of dissociative plurality seem to be immune to the specific trauma nightmares induced by these aliens. (finally, some good news.)
okay, neat! so, dissociative disorders and plurality have been canonically addressed in star trek. let's see how it goes!
image id also available unbroken in alt text.
image id pt 1: beginning in the top left corner, beverly is shown from the shoulders up, facing the right side of the page as she speaks. "the point is the people who are afflicted with more than one personality would destroy the chova before it could affect them. the chova was only built for one personality. mpds would literally overwhelm it."
in the next panel, to the right, picard is shown from the chest up, partially obstructed by speech bubbles. facing right, he asks; "how does this help us?"
beverly is also in this right panel, although from behind, and nearly completely obfuscated by speech bubbles. she answers; "well, mpd was never a common occurance, and it's almost unheard of these days.there've only been two cases reported in the federation in the last two hundred years -- and damiano [the alien planet] hasn't seen a case in the last fifty."beverly continues. "however, we do have someone on the enterprise who has the makings of a classic mpd. i'd like your permission to ask this person to volunteer to undergo a mind-meld with doctor selar in order to bring the submerged personalities to the fore."
this particular line, i take umbrage with, as dissociative disorders are a lot more common than people might think, and star trek has shown us a future as tumultuous as our own present for decades. there would absolutely be people experiencing some level of multiplicity in everyday life both within the federation and without. but, again, this was written in the 90s, i think? i don't know how long it takes a team of professionals to make a comic book. but, i digress.
image id pt 2: picard responds; "permission granted, as long as it remains on a volunteer basis. who is the officer in question?"
below, the leftmost panel is larger than the right. beverly crusher is shown in profile, facing right, with doctor selar and data behind her from the chest and shoulders up. picard is on the right of the page, slightly smaller, but also in profile, facing right to contrast beverly as he listens to her speak. "it's someone who's been exposed to an especially intense vulcan mind-meld, who lived another life for thirty-five subjective years— and who had a second personality grafted onto his own for a brief period by the borg.
the next panel takes the entire width of the page, and much of the height. picard is shown in the middle, standing in a purple void. around him are three other male characters shown in bust. from left to right, they are;
kamin, a humanoid man bearing great resemblance to an older imagining of jean-luc picard, wearing a plain blue shirt.
sarek, a vulcan with grey hair, a turquoise shirt, and a green stone amulet on a large gold chain around his neck. he is cast in shadow and his eyes are not visible.
locutus, an ashen version of jean-luc picard, with about a third of his face obscured by black metal exoplating and implants that surround his right eye. tubes come off of his face and neck, trailing behind him, and a red light made to shine at his point of focus shines from the side of his head. there are several yellow narration boxes, which read as follows.
"sarek of vulcan. picard mind-melded with the legendary ambassador in order to lend him strength for an important negotiation — an act that almost cost picard his sanity."
"kamin of kataan. a probe sent out by kataan before their sun went nova allowed picard to live most of kamin's adult life as a way to remember his people."
oh, yeah. did... did i not mention that that happened?
basically, he was targeted by a device that beamed him into the world's most immersive vr game — kind of like the one from rick and morty? if you watched that? if you didn't, sorry for bringing it up, and if you did, ditto. but it forced picard to live out an entire life as though he'd been abducted by aliens and placed in a sims game. though, ultimately, the plot intricacies of the inner light are beside my point.
image id pt 3: "locutus of borg. quite simply, the greatest nightmare of picard's entire life. the subversion of his intellect, his will, his very self to the collective of the borg."
"all three are part of him, but they do not dominate. if picard does as doctor crusher suggests, he will subsume himself in order to let the others come to the fore. for sarek, for kamin, he would be willing."
"but locutus--?"
the next panel takes a little more than half of the remainder of the page. a narration box in the upper left reads; "then he thinks of his first officer, counselor, chief of security, chief engineer, and all the others who have fallen victim to this vicious weapon." the rest of the panel shows two sleeping figures, both humanoid, in what is presumably sickbay.
the last panel takes the remainder. a narration box in the upper left reads; "and jean-luc picard makes the only decision he is capable of making." captain picard is shown from the shoulders up, facing slightly to the left and saying; "what do i need to do?" below his speech bubble is another yellow text box, which reads "to be concluded..."
...which is how issue 3 leaves us.
fortunately, we can pick up in issue 4 with ease, since these comics are over twenty years old. i'm going to do my best to limit my use of comic pages, juuuuust in case, but once we reach the sixth page, with the credits...
image id: a two-page spread. beginning in the uppermost left corner, narration boxes read; "welcome to the mind of jean-luc picard."
"'locutus' was a personality superimposed upon picard when he was taken by the borg, meant to serve as the spokesperson for that cybernetic race's ruthless assimilation of what they described as the 'authority-driven culture' of the federation."
"ambassador sarek of vulcan suffered from bendii syndrome. in order to keep the effects of this devastating illness from endangering his final mission, sarek entered into a deep mind-meld with picard in order to give the ambassador emotional control and stability."
"kamin was a prominent member of the community of ressik on the long-dead world of kataan. a probe sent by the kataan people allowed picard to live kamin's life for several subjective decades, although less than half an hour passed in reality."
"all of these personalities have made up a part of jean-luc picard, but he remained dominant."
"until now."
"this is the mind of jean-luc picard."
the left page is mostly taken up by a large illustration of locutus, drawn in far more detail than before. trailing off to the right are two tubes or wires, as well as a speech bubble that reads "resistance is futile." also on this page are the details of the comic title, run, issue number, writers/artists, and copyright.
taking up most of the right half of the right page is sarek of vulcan, drawn in less detail than locutus, but easily recognizable. his hair is a lighter grey, he is wearing white and cream robes and an amber amulet on a thick gold ring around his neck, and he is holding up his right hand in a vulcan salute/ta'al.
depicted below sarek is kamin, drawn from the shoulders up, wearing a plain white shirt with a collar.
below kamin is captain picard, also shown from the shoulders up, in his starfleet uniform, and surrounded by four lights, with two on either side of him. (there is also further copyright information beside him in fine print.)
...i'm pretty sure that this analysis falls under the "commentary" part of fair use. right?
but, regardless, this is kind of a huge thing to drop in a comic that virtually no one has bothered to read. i mean, especially when, amidst the clashing of picard's plurality with the a-plot, we get this panel;
image id: a single comic panel. kamin is shown from behind, speaking to locutus and sarek within a noneuclidean space with four circular white lights shining in the distance.
"what is going on?" kamin asks.
"we have been subdued for too long. but now we shall dominate, as we were meant to." locutus replies.
sarek interrupts. "your logic is flawed, locutus. we are all merely aspects of jean-luc picard's mind."
"you may be sarek of vulcan, but we are of the borg."
sarek is able to acknowledge himself, kamin, and locutus as "aspects" of captain picard, despite picard rarely if ever sensing them or their influence. picard is being, not just implied, but explicitly stated to have a latent form of plurality, and perchance to dream depicts it in a way that strikes true to members of my own system, at times, with certain alters first making themselves known in the front already well aware of who they are, and having existed without the my knowledge due to dissociative barriers that only came down later in life.
unfortunately, because this is a star trek media, locutus ends up assimilating kamin in the headspace and forcing himself into the front. however, as he does it, he says something that does, to an extent, resonate with the experience of being one among many, for better or worse.
image id: a single comic panel. locutus is shown facing the viewer, and his chin and the top of his head are cut off by the borders of the panel. his light breaks the plane of the panel to simulate the effect that it is shining into the "camera." locutus's mouth is open as he speaks; "for too long you have suppressed us, picard. but you are of the borg."
plurality is a defense mechanism by the brain to protect against trauma. it is, from what i have seen, more common among those who are already neurodivergent, which already presents in a myriad of ways. mixing the ugly truth of trauma with the raw reality of mental illness caused by it can result in certain alters feeling as though they are being suppressed by not being allowed to front and live their own life, depending on how the system functions. admittedly it is more common in fictional depictions of dissociative disorders for these alters to simply live their own lives in secret anyway, as is the case in the marvel tv series moon knight with marc spector, steven grant, and jake lockley (along with the other possible members of their system who may or may not be present depending on the canon, but those are the main three). but, in reality — or at least my experience — this more often translates to alters making themselves social media accounts, or using services like tupperbox or pluralkit on discord, or finding other ways to more discretely express themselves, such as icon changes or status updates.
but, getting back to star trek, this is ultimately a one-off comic. so captain picard saves the day with his secret alters, ends the mind meld with doctor selar, and goes back to living his life as a singlet, ready for the people of the future to be able to easily comprehend without having to read a very specific comic run from 2000.
...right?
image id: part of a comic page. each panel takes up roughly one quarter of the page each. in the first panel, counselor deanna troi is seen standing, having just entered captain picard's ready room. picard is shown from the back, sitting at his desk. "counselor! good to see you up and about." he greets her.
"it's good to be up and about." she responds. "playing some old tunes?" [picard had been playing the ressikan flute prior to her entry.]
picard responds. "mmm. i wanted to make sure that i still remembered how."
in the next panel, we look over counselor troi's shoulder and across the desk at captain picard. "were you worried that you wouldn't?" she wonders.
"actually, yes," picard answers. "after what happened..."
the third panel shows picard facing the viewer head-on from the shoulders up. he continues, "i suppose i knew intellectually how close to the surface locutus, sarek, and kamin were. but i never really thought about it. they were — memories, experiences. no different from any other. but they're much more than that."
the fourth panel shows counselor troi, facing slightly to the right as she speaks. "not much more. all three of them are part of you. but the important word is you. the fragmentation was artificially induced."
picard asks; "was it?"
ultimately, yes, this is a one-off comic run that isn't very well known, and i only read because i took a personal interest in the subject matter. i knew going in that it wasn't going to fundamentally change the entire fandom's understanding of captain picard, or make the star trek fandom an instant haven for systems everywhere. but, still, captain picard has his doubts, and that truly touched me when i first read it as someone who was actively reckoning with the fact that past traumas that had impacted me more than i realized.
the comic goes on for a while longer, but the last thing it has to say on the subject of plurality is this.
image id: a single comic panel. counselor troi is seated in one of the chairs in captain picard's ready room, facing him from across his desk. she is on the left, facing partially right, and he is on the right, in profile facing left. the dialogue reads as follows.
picard wonders, "was it [the dissociative fragmentation of his identity] truly a creation of the mind-meld, or was it simply breaking a dam that was already cracked?"
riker interrupts over the comm. "riker to picard."
"go ahead, number one," picard tells him.
"it's time to beam down to damiano for the ceremony, sir."
"thank you, commander."
and that's it. picard asks a question, then gets called away and never tells us his answer.
i think, at least subconsciously, that might be part of why i held star trek: picard to such a high standard.
to be clear, i hadn't read this comic when the first season of picard was coming out. but i was starting to grapple with my plurality, and i used fictional media as a means to do that (as is still evidenced by things like my system simon tag). the first season of the show was centered around both picard's relationship with both his legacy and his history with the borg collective. as mentioned in perchance to dream, captain picard had previously been assimilated by the borg collective — a cybernetic hivemind from the delta quadrant that absorbed cultures and species into itself, effectively wiping out the cultural histories of entire planets, at times, in their quest to become the "perfect" life form through a combination of genetic engineering and mechanical augmentation. and, as this happened, i came to know a young man named hugh who took form within my mind. a fictional introject, or fictive, of the character of the same name from season 5, episode 23, i, borg. with his help, i grew to further understand my own plurality, and saw the potential for our stories to be told in the wake of reclamations from the borg collective. the reclamation project became a hyperfixation, and—
and then came the jurati collective.
my own system bears no connection to the jurati collective, but it is a wonder, and can be examined through a plural lens as an allegory for our own experiences as dissociatives. many consciousnesses, all working together as one towards a common goal, and willingly. after all, what is a system if not a hive within one body?
and then came picard's third season, completely ignoring her, along with all the unique perspectives that stories surrounding her might have offered in favor of what felt like a final next generation movie.
ignoring me, it felt like.
is that silly? probably. but, try as i might, i am human, and so i have a propensity for illogic — no matter how much my autistic brain craves structure and definitive explanations in order to understand the world.
i'll be honest, i'm not sure how to end this. but, sometimes i remember the time in season 6, episode 20, the chase, when picard became incredibly excited about an ancient alien society that believed people were, indeed, collectives within themselves.
"...the kurlan civilisation believed that an individual was a community of individuals. inside us are many voices, each with its own desires, its own style, its own view of the world."
-captain jean-luc picard
and i realize that, with the core tenant of this series lying in the infinite diversity of both the known and the unknowable — the building blocks are already in place. star trek is a media that has grown over the decades, and hopefully will continue to do so, because there are still so many ways for new and interesting and meaningful stories to be told within this franchise.
but, if you can't summon your representation from a nostalgiabait sequel/reboot within a preexisting intellectual property... there's nothing to stop you from crafting your own story and letting loose as many systems as you like.
#shut up emrys#star trek#star trek tng#star trek the next generation#the next generation#jean luc picard#captain picard#multiplicity#plurality#actually multiple#actually plural#first time using those tags. whoogh#uhhh. unsure of other tags..#i think that’ll do tbh
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S2: E3 "Bloodlust"
Brought to you by I PROMISED Kayla yesterday I would watch more when I finished my essay so here I am
This episode featuring: Yet another member of the hunting community, veganism in a fashion, deep discussion on Dean and cowboys, and great fuckin music
Oh whats this song I think I know it
Is that Journey
Is that. Wheel in the Sky?
IT IS FUCK YEAAAA
Jammin I fuckin love this song. Great start
Oh look a scared woman in the woods. Seems standard
Is that the Benadryl Hat Man
Crepe: The What
Kayla: probably
Why are you moving around the tree like that
OFF WITH HER HEAD!
OHHHH YEAH FUCK YEAH I LOVE THE SOUNDTRACK ON THIS EP! BACK IN BLACK AC/DC!!
[ Kayla reiterates that the SPN soundtrack is good. I like 70's ans 80's rock so I agree so far. ]
Dean: Woo car! Decapitated heads! Helllll yea!
Kayla: man's two true loves
Lmaoooo
I love them being terrible fake journalists
The cop: SATANISTS? LMAOOOO
Crepe: Everyone loves a Satanist
Kayla: title of a black sabbath song
Crepe: Really?
Kayla: no just a joke
Crepe: Oh
Wooo funky impersonations we're goin fast this episode
"Open it" "You open it" Lmaoooo
EWWW TOOTH? FANG???
VAMPIRE??
Whats goin on heeeere are the cowboy vampires back
[ Crepe replies saying it's worse, but at least has the kindness to spoiler hide the rest of the message. It just hid the word Vegan though. ]
[ Then Melon pops in, stating the time in his zone and expressing a worry for my sleep schedule. I told her it's fine, and that I actually am the furthest behind in terms of timezones amongst the group, as it was only a quarter til 9 pm at the time of that message. Not that xey shouldn't worry about my sleep schedule, because it is horrendous, but that's besides the point. ]
"So we're lookin for some people" "Sure it's hard to be lonely"
Ok so that guys gone. Watching them for sure
Yep
They're waiting for him?
Whshshs ok ok whats he want anyways
[ It is about this point where Melon, Crepe, and Kayla digress into some conversation regarding cowboys, vampires, and the resulting combination being a dilemma for Dean and his sexuality. Fascinating stuff, but I wasn't really paying attention as I was engrossed in whatever the Winchesters were doing onscreen. I will, however, transcribe it as well, because I think it's funnier that way. ]
Melon: Do you think cowboy vampires act as a paradox for deans concept of reality. One is something he desperately craves to be, and the other he hates some of the time. It’s like, the taping a piece of toast with jam to a shoe and throwing it. Which overrides the other?
Crepe: That would be a very interesting take to explore
Kayla: one of them is a kink and the other is vampiress
OHHH yeah hes a hunter?
Ok. Ok he's a little. Seems neat but. Idk. Brushes them off pretty fast. Hm.
Sure of himself? Or something else?
Ok garage guy. You gonna get murked orrrr
Crepe: Why is Dean into cowboys tho?
Kayla: have you seen him interact with one heterosexually ever
What are you even looking for
Oh its a bird
Melon: But if faced with something you’re technically supposed to kill but is literally every kink you could ever want besides that one thing, what would dean do
Kayla: fuck and kill probably. thats how they seem to usually operate
Melon: Ok yeah you’re right
Crepe: Monsterfucker and Monsterhunter
OOHHG FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
Why is a vampire working a garage
[ Kayla says its a capitalist hellscape, even vampires need the money. Which. Fair. Gotta pay for those replacement clothes when you get blood on them I guess. ]
AAAAAAAA
Oh hey theres the Winchesters
Ewwwww chainsaw blood spatter. Kinda a look for Dean tho
[ Kayla and Melon both agree with this statement. ]
Sam whats up with that look. Problem that your brother chainsawed a vampire's head off
Melon: Dean at peak is covered in blood, holding a shotgun chainsaw, and in full cowboy outfit
Kayla: sharknado 6
Melon: I mean we were all thinking it
Crepe: I wasn't
Cmon Sam. Its about the murder and blood spatters. Get down with it
Kayla: sharknado but everything is the same except dean is fin
Melon: That really changes nothing besides that the wife would be a dude instead
Kayla: cas
Melon: That’s what I said
[ They then discuss something about Cas that I apparently won't understand for like 8 and a half more seasons. C'mon guys, I haven't even met the guy yet. ]
What is going on over drinks here
Oh. So a vampire killed this guy's sister. :(
Right makes sense as hunter backstory
Dean finally admitting somethin abt how he feels abt their dad passing. And its to some guy they JUST MET INSTEAD OF HIS BROTHER
[ Melon says it's because it's easier to admit to a stranger than someone you know. Kayla adds that he has to be strong for Sam. Ah, yes, the constipated older brother syndrome. I get it. ]
I don't think this hunter guy is handling his emotions well gonna say
Gordon Walker? That's his name? K
Oh ok so this guy's just fuckin nuts. Got it.
[ They now discuss telling strangers about trauma with no warning. They come to the conclusion that this is just Tumblr. ]
"Yknow what I love about this life? It's all black and white." Hmmmmmmmm
Yeah this guy's more than a bit off his rocker and you both should leave!
Uh oh Sammy
Why does Sam keep getting stalked and/or jumped by shit huh
Don't breathe a sufg of relief you idiot
[ I meant to type "sigh", not whatever happened there. Add that to the list of Ink typos. ]
Oh look! Vampire! Of course
??
VEGAN VAMPIRES?
[ Crepe goes on a tangent about said Vegan Vampires, of which I follow maybe half of. ]
Ohhhh cattle blood. Funky
Vegan Vampires just living their lives I guess. Good for them! Unfortunately Sam and Gordon won't listen to him probably
Dean is too murder happy and Sam is not quite murder happy enough and they yell at each other about it
[ Apparently, they say, this is the plot of season 10. What the hell does that mean. ]
HE STOLE THE CAR!! THEY HAVE TO HOTWIRE THEIR OWN CAR!!!
*keys not the car
Somethin about this chick's delivery. Weird. Not like in a suspicious way just in a What is this Acting way
Sam and his sad, sad eyebrow scrunch
Eww stabby
Gordon u got issues homie
Weird fuckin guy. Weeeird fuckin guy.
Shes trying her best leave her alone
Hunter fight! Hunter fight! Get his ass Dean!
WHSHSHSH screaming. Dean telling Sam to punch him. Bc he was a dick.
[ Kayla and Crepe both say they're going to bed, not even waiting 3 minutes for me to finish the episode. Rude. ]
DEAN ADMITTED THEIR DAD WASN'T PERFECT!!! HOLY SHIT!!!
Man now they have to deal with more Moral Quandries. Have fun with that boys!
And away they go. Into the sunrise.
---
I cannot emphasize enough how much I was not paying attention to whatever the hell my friends were talking about in the moment. Absolutely wild to go back and read all that. What the fuck are they on about
Anyways. Vegan Vampires I guess! That's a thing! Wild.
#on the highway to superhell#supernatural#spn#i hope you guys enjoy the comedy of whatever the hell my friends are talking about#continuing to mess with formatting as i go#i hope to get in at least one more ep tomorrow
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It is 2023 and I have absolutely no tolerance left for anyone bamboozled by the basic nazi playbook.
A big problem I’ve had since bigots flooded Twitter’s auto-flagger and apparently permanently locked me out of that account is I don’t ever feel like I can just write a quick post on Tumblr about whatever’s on my mind, I have to have a big thesis with multiple examples or something.
So it’s kinda handy the same basic thing just got under my skin like four or five separate times in the past 10 hours or so.
Let’s say you’re sitting around some discord server, and someone, usually someone who only just showed up there that day even, posts a link to something “funny” or “thought provoking” and you have a glance and oh, look, it’s nazi crap. Maybe it’s a big long (video) essay rambling incoherently for long stretches between tossing out lines of straight up vintage nazi propaganda. Maybe it’s a perfectly innocuous bit of “humor” with the groyper frog layered over at 20% opacity, or something a little more subtle. One of today’s examples is an otherwise cute and innocuous bit of fan art of... two lesbians from something I don’t recognize, possibly because the artist was bad, under the sign from a concentration camp.
When you notice something like that, of course you’re going to say something, ideally something nice and straight forward like “hey don’t post that nazi crap in here” because the only reason not to point something like that out is you’re worried you might be cast out of the community for making waves, and I mean a community that’s going to be upset with you being intolerant of nazi crap sounds just awful, why would you want to continue to be in one?
And there’s probably going to be at least a brief confused exchange because it’s either the rare case where the person sharing genuinely didn’t notice the nazi symbols/messaging and need to have it pointed out and explained, or, far more likely, the person posting it knows to follow the nazi playbook which says that when you get called out you play as dumb as you possibly can and probably also shout “you call everyone you don’t like a nazi.”
And it’s really not rocket science to work out which situation you’re in in under a minute. Someone who genuinely didn’t know is going to apologize and be horrified, and someone who is a nazi is going to start playing devil’s advocate until being banned from the server.
If you have a healthy community, the post with the nazi crap should be gone, along with the nazi who posted it if it wasn’t the rare accident, the incident someone with the authority to do so glances over and sees this, and everyone else either sees no evidence it was even there or just the wave of high fives for how quickly that was nipped in the bud.
Usually though, that’s not what happens, because despite good healthy moderation policies being like the simplest thing to implement (see troublemaker, toss troublemaker, no discussion) people get it into their heads they need to give an absurd amount of benefit of the doubt and let things drag on for months or years while marginalized people are getting subtly intimidated and driving away because the two things nazis do are be as evil as they can get away with while staying under the radar of anyone with the power/authority to introduce their teeth to the nearest curb, and also stir up infighting and get others to do their dirty work.
So, hey, a weirder example! Just before sitting down to write this, I saw a friend replying to another post-chain on here about a certain wizard school game licensed from the intellectual property of a raving bigot who is... presently using her cut of the money from said game’s sales to fund legal and PR efforts to prevent Scotland from granting people basic human rights and general prosperity.
The particular point that was being made was that even if the infamous bigot had no involvement at all with this, it would still be a terribly awful game nobody should play because the whole plot is just Blood Libel, straight up. Obvious Jewish caricatures abducting and/or murdering people’s first born children and whatnot. And yeah, that’s another very good reason not to buy or play a game. While we’re at it, the lead designer of the game is a straight up nazi and rape advocate. Also, it’s a middling licensed game based on a series of books from a bit over 20 years ago which looks and plays like decidedly underwhelming shovelware from also about 20 years ago. I literally can’t think of one single reason why anyone would have any interest in the thing that isn’t either openly endorsing nazis and wanting to throw money and support their way, or being one of those pissy little manchildren who reflexively jump to the defense of anyone being rightly criticized because they’re at that level of hate group propaganda exposure where they aren’t quite all-in yet, but have totally bought into the BS about marginalized people are totally organizing witch hunts against innocent people.
But again, the specific point being raised in this specific instance was the intense antisemitism, which is a very good point to bring up, as it’s one of the more under-reported heads of the awful hateful hydra that is this game, as well as the most blatantly terrible thing plainly on display within the text. BUT, the version of this post I actually have on my feed is completely drowned out by this weird damn argument about who the One Group Of People is that that the author of the books this game is based on actually hates, and this had managed to spin all the way out to someone declaring that one group was “men” which is, you know, blatant TERF propaganda.
So getting to the points I was actually here to make, hey, first off, you do all know that there’s like, literally over a hundred nazi symbols out there, right? Like, part of their whole thing is that they want to maximize how much general evil and intimidating and secret signaling to each other they can do while maintaining some plausible deniability. Even the most well-known nazi symbol was them taking an existing symbol that meant luck and prosperity and using that, so that when they got called out for being nazis they could just go “no no this is an ancient peaceful symbol!”
And I mean about the same length of time has passed between them doing the modern frog thing and now as them doing the swastika thing and the world reaching the point where it’s understood if someone is flying that you are morally and militarily obligated to shoot them if possible. They have a whole pile of different variations on angled lines and stuff from the flags of long dead civilizations and hate movements with less blatantly horrible reputations and political cartoons and number codes and while nobody expects the average person to be familiar with the vast majority of them, you should definitely know the most popular ones, and when you see someone calling someone out for displaying one, you sure as hell don’t muddy the waters just because you personally were out of that loop.
And my second point, of course, is that hate is intersectional. There is never anything to be gained from trying to argue whether a particular hatemonger is racist or homophobic or whatever else, because the answer is all of the above. It’s intrinsic, even! Like, you know back in the day when nazis first became a thing, it was all about white supremacy, right? All the ‘perfect master race’ BS about how this group of absolutely pathetic losers were secretly just the bestest most special people and really they should be in charge of everything and everything would be perfect and everything’s bad because those people who look different are big dumb meanies who won’t let them just be in charge?
So like, that’s the core of it, and then they also really hate queer people, especially trans people, because, well, broadly, marginalized people stick together and if you’re going to start shooting your mouth off about how much you hate Black people because you’re in a room where everyone’s white and probably won’t shout back too hard, some queer person’s likely to call you out as a bigot and damn you didn’t even know they were in the room. Plus you know, you’re a fragile little nazi nobody would ever give the time of day and queer people existing keeps throwing a wrench in all your stupid theories about why people aren’t dating you. So then you get to wondering where the hell all these sleeper agents who keep pointing out all the flaws in your hateful BS keep coming from and oh hey here’s this whole institute that studies and employs queer people and hmm, the guy who runs it is named Hirschfield? Hey, that’s a Jewish name! TIme to create a completely unhinged conspiracy theory about Jewish mad scientists turning people queer so they can’t marry you and have 30 kids and out-populate all these other people! Better go publicly burn all their research in one of the to-become-best-known images people will later point to when talking about what horrible monsters you are.
And like, those are still a thing today. Go dig around in any major nazi hive like Stormfront or Mumsnet or whatever and you’ll dig up all kinds of brand new bonkers conspiracy theories about this or that arbitrary rich Jew/whole branch of some government/medical body/media outlet “run by Them” secretly bankrolling the whole concept of people being trans and if you tug on that thread just a little longer you find a big central anchoring point of some Great Replacement garbage or whatever. And like this isn’t even the fringe of it. This is the people who get up on national TV and stuff when they let their hair down.
Anyway, it’s all evil, it’s all just the most ridiculous BS, and it effects all of us, so just shut it the hell down when you see any of it and don’t waste anyone’s time ever trying to argue any of the finer points.
#antisemetism#transphobia#racism#queerphobia#hate#nazis#moderation#oh right this is tumblr and I said queer a bunch of times so to ward off THOSE bigots real quick#we're here we're queer stop pretending everyone didn't get used to it 40 damn years ago you hatemongers
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Heya! Because i am awestruck by your outworldish writing so much, i really wanna know some secrets if you dont mind 👀
What inspires you to go and write out a fic? Like specifically, also these q's meant for jwds only. And how do you build the structure, think of the environment, and research?
Sorry if q's seem too vague
AHHHH! Hey!!
Thank you for your message- it's so nice to talk to you
Secrets, you say?? Hmm, I can share some secrets 👀
What inspires you to go and write out a fic?
When a piece of media consumes me (in the way Beyond Evil has), my mind becomes inundated with possibilities. I'm naturally an overthinker in all areas of my life, and that extends to things I am passionate about. I feel this visceral need to explore the text provided, but also, the subtext.
So, the media itself is a massive inspo. I am not the kind of person that can just write whenever I want. For me, writing is an arduous and tiring endeavour that takes me a long time to get through. I cannot write unless I have the bug for it- which makes finishing projects very... interesting. (I'm terrible at finishing books, I'm terrible at finishing fics... it's a problem)
I do not tend to plan fics in advance. There are only 3 that I can say were minorly "planned" (Indoctrination, By Desire, and one that isn't written/published yet). But that's because they're all interconnected. Most of the time, the words just present themselves and I have to type them down otherwise I'll forget them forever.
I'll give an example of a few recent inspirations:
Blessed Hands was inspired by some real-life sad shit that I guess my mind needed to process
Your Love's Whore was written because a few weeks ago, there was a scorchingly hot day and I wanted to imagine what a jwds hot girl summer might look like
An unwritten fic I thought of last night was inspired by a scene from One Spring Night (I have an outline and gave it the creative title of "hallway". But I have no intention of actually writing it thus far)
Indoctrination was directly inspired by a cafedecanela post that I can't find nor have the time rn to find (but I will look later and link it)
Another huge inspiration/aid is music!!! I'm like everyone else and absolutely live for music. So, I use it to help direct what I want from a story (the emotions, atmosphere, the "vibe"). A few examples are:
Indoctrination was written whilst I listened to sappy, sad Korean rock on repeat for about 3 weeks straight
Your Love's Whore was heavily inspired by five songs in particular: . Posing in Bondage - Japanese Breakfast
. Bedroom Hymns - Florence and the Machine
. New Ways - Daughter
. Your Clothes - Can't Swim
. Your Love's Whore - Wolf Alice
. and I listened to the album Brasilian Skies - Masayoshi Takanaka on repeat whilst actually writing as I struggled to write if I can hear English words, my brain gets distracted (I hope that makes sense)
I have a whole long-ass jwds playlist on Spotify (which I made as soon as I finished watching the show back in Feb). I love it so very much because there are some absolute bangers in there that are 100% jwds.
And I'm going to keep adding to it until I grow tired.
And how do you build the structure, think of the environment, and research?
Ooookay, now I'm actually going to have to give this a think.
The wonderful thing about fanfiction is that a lot of the worldbuilding and aesthetic has been done for you. (Thank you to the cast and crew of Beyond Evil). So, it's quite easy to impose your own impression onto a piece and explore what's already been established.
For the fics I have released, I did do research in the sense that I didn't start my fics first. By that, I mean, when I finished watching BE for the first time, I started writing an essay (which required a lot of research, rewatching the show, dissecting scenes, researching film theory, using my useless art degree lol) exploring the show's queer coding. I wrote about 15K words (mostly were just ramblings) until I realised that I needed to explore these characters in a more artistic way.
This really stems from the fact that I feel so connected to Joo Won; he and I share a few unhealthy coping mechanisms... (it's the yikes times). I've always liked Joo Won; I didn't have to adjust to him, I always saw his pov and understood where he was going from. I just felt like I got him (which doesn't mean to say, I didn't also openly laugh at him), so I think I wanted to write to work through some identity stuff I have going on.
I've trying to learn Hangul in my spare time, I love Korean cuisines so I've been naturally researching that in my personal life, I also love me some snooping- so I use google maps a lot to just look at South Korea (and anywhere in the world really) and gain an impression of what different areas are like. I look up historical events, I research pop culture, etc... and I basically just try to dive in and ingest as much information as I can to make the characters and their world feel as real as possible.
When it comes to writing Joo Won, I also use my own experiences (as an English person) to influence his use of language and mindset. When I first wrote Indoctrination, my partner read some of it and told me to change some of my language choices because I used English slang that isn't very universal. I listened to some of the suggestions but not all because Joo Won would totally call people a "pasty dipshit wanker"; or use words like "chuffed", "gutted", "plastered", "dodgy" (and so on) and use the c-word like it's going out of style (as does almost every English person his age).
In terms of structure, I don't write chronologically. I just write whatever comes to mind and then piece it together and edit like crazy. However, I DO LOVE MAKING NOTES AND WRITING OVERLY DETAILED OUTLINES. So... I guess it depends on the story.
My three surprise/procrastination fics that I didn't plan at all (Drone Bomb Me, take my name, and your blessed hands) are some of my favourites. (I wrote DBM in a day- which I don't think I have ever done before lol)
We can contrast that against a fic I can't even begin to write because the words refuse to come to me, is living as an 8,000+ word outline.
So..... There's not a lot of method to my madness, just spiteful determination.
(oooooooohhh some cheeky screenshots... now we're getting personal)
Yeah... I'm not sure what else to say. It's all just luck and stress to be honest with you. I haven't written fanfiction in years(!!!). Previously, I was writing an original piece that is currently taking a nap.
I think I have mentioned this to you previously but I'm so very grateful for your kind support and words of encouragement. They mean so, so much to me. I am just a wee insecure baby that is the poster child of dyslexia. I know very little about the proper use (grammar, etc) of my mother tongue because of an unconventional schooling experience, soooo to have you say such lovely things about my work, is just *chef's kiss and tears* perfection.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you
I hope this answers your questions. I'm not sure I have haha!!
(also, please, get some sleep and make you're eating your favourite foods)
Bye for now!
#answered#beyond evil fanfiction#look at me pretending that I know what I'm doing#what an actress#also I should add tumblr and the fellow creatives on here are a massive inspo#there's some SUPER disgustingly talented people in this fandom#it should be illegal
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Aziz Ansari Thinks Technology Is Probably Destroying Your Sex Life
Aziz Ansari Thinks Technology Is Probably Destroying Your Sex Life
Aziz Ansari already has actually a credibility as a star, stand-hook up dating website comic, and trendy gentleman. Now, as composer of a unique guide also known as popular Romance, he’s seeking to include “dating guru” to this listing.
The publication is actually a humorous number of essays and findings that chronicle the difficulties of looking for love into the period of Tinder. Ansari is no stranger toward topic. He’s talked extensively in his stand-up towards techniques technology â smart phones, texting, social media marketing, online dating, plus â affects today’s online dating landscape. But this time around, he’s coming at it from yet another direction.
Popular Romance had been created with sociologist Eric Klinenberg, just who provides a pleasant dose of significant insight to stabilize Ansari’s laughter. Collectively they carried out a study task that got more than per year to complete and involved countless interviews.
“We spoke to outdated men and women, married individuals, young people, solitary men and women, everybody,” Ansari tweeted. “We additionally enlisted the very best social boffins to greatly help united states realize and examine every facets of modern really love and relationship.”
The outcome are both amusing and fascinating. Texting, particularly, was a prominent subject matter. Contemporary Romance highlights a number of poor texting habits hurting 21st millennium daters:
Ambiguity. Are you “hanging away” or going on a date? “the deficiency of clearness over whether or not the meet-up is also an actual day frustrates both sexes to no conclusion,” Ansari produces. “because it’s normally the dudes initiating,” the guy includes, “this is a clear location in which men can step it up.” Guys, time to step it up and obtain straightforward.
Limitless junk. “I can’t show the number of women we found who have been plainly thinking about a guy whom, as opposed to asking them completely, simply kept sucking all of them into even more routine banter,” produces Ansari. Allow that be a training for you: skip the incredibly dull back-and-forths about washing and food shopping. Get to the good things: have you been satisfying up, whenever, and in which?
“Hey.”If that is all you have to say in a text information, it’s a good idea remaining unsent. Especially if it has numerous Ys. Although Ansari acknowledges to delivering a number of his or her own “hey” texts, he cautions that “generic emails be removed as extremely lifeless and sluggish” and “make the receiver feel she is not to special or crucial that you you.”
Thankfully, it is not all terrible. “We in addition found some excellent messages that provided me with a cure for the current guy,” Ansari states. A great book, he explains, requires any or many of these:
an invite to some thing specific at a specific time
A callback to a previous connections together with the person
a funny tone
Pre-order a duplicate from the book right here and commence channeling the inner Aziz.
un nuovo post è stato publicato su https://online-wine-shop.com/aziz-ansari-thinks-technology-is-probably-destroying-your-sex-life/
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Aziz Ansari Thinks Technology Is Probably Destroying Your Sex Life
Aziz Ansari Thinks Technology Is Probably Destroying Your Sex Life
Aziz Ansari already has actually a credibility as a star, stand-hook up dating website comic, and trendy gentleman. Now, as composer of a unique guide also known as popular Romance, he’s seeking to include “dating guru” to this listing.
The publication is actually a humorous number of essays and findings that chronicle the difficulties of looking for love into the period of Tinder. Ansari is no stranger toward topic. He’s talked extensively in his stand-up towards techniques technology â smart phones, texting, social media marketing, online dating, plus â affects today’s online dating landscape. But this time around, he’s coming at it from yet another direction.
Popular Romance had been created with sociologist Eric Klinenberg, just who provides a pleasant dose of significant insight to stabilize Ansari’s laughter. Collectively they carried out a study task that got more than per year to complete and involved countless interviews.
“We spoke to outdated men and women, married individuals, young people, solitary men and women, everybody,” Ansari tweeted. “We additionally enlisted the very best social boffins to greatly help united states realize and examine every facets of modern really love and relationship.”
The outcome are both amusing and fascinating. Texting, particularly, was a prominent subject matter. Contemporary Romance highlights a number of poor texting habits hurting 21st millennium daters:
Ambiguity. Are you “hanging away” or going on a date? “the deficiency of clearness over whether or not the meet-up is also an actual day frustrates both sexes to no conclusion,” Ansari produces. “because it’s normally the dudes initiating,” the guy includes, “this is a clear location in which men can step it up.” Guys, time to step it up and obtain straightforward.
Limitless junk. “I can’t show the number of women we found who have been plainly thinking about a guy whom, as opposed to asking them completely, simply kept sucking all of them into even more routine banter,” produces Ansari. Allow that be a training for you: skip the incredibly dull back-and-forths about washing and food shopping. Get to the good things: have you been satisfying up, whenever, and in which?
“Hey.”If that is all you have to say in a text information, it’s a good idea remaining unsent. Especially if it has numerous Ys. Although Ansari acknowledges to delivering a number of his or her own “hey” texts, he cautions that “generic emails be removed as extremely lifeless and sluggish” and “make the receiver feel she is not to special or crucial that you you.”
Thankfully, it is not all terrible. “We in addition found some excellent messages that provided me with a cure for the current guy,” Ansari states. A great book, he explains, requires any or many of these:
an invite to some thing specific at a specific time
A callback to a previous connections together with the person
a funny tone
Pre-order a duplicate from the book right here and commence channeling the inner Aziz.
leggi tutto https://online-wine-shop.com/aziz-ansari-thinks-technology-is-probably-destroying-your-sex-life/
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Text
Aziz Ansari Thinks Technology Is Probably Destroying Your Sex Life
Aziz Ansari Thinks Technology Is Probably Destroying Your Sex Life
Aziz Ansari already has actually a credibility as a star, stand-hook up dating website comic, and trendy gentleman. Now, as composer of a unique guide also known as popular Romance, he’s seeking to include “dating guru” to this listing.
The publication is actually a humorous number of essays and findings that chronicle the difficulties of looking for love into the period of Tinder. Ansari is no stranger toward topic. He’s talked extensively in his stand-up towards techniques technology â smart phones, texting, social media marketing, online dating, plus â affects today’s online dating landscape. But this time around, he’s coming at it from yet another direction.
Popular Romance had been created with sociologist Eric Klinenberg, just who provides a pleasant dose of significant insight to stabilize Ansari’s laughter. Collectively they carried out a study task that got more than per year to complete and involved countless interviews.
“We spoke to outdated men and women, married individuals, young people, solitary men and women, everybody,” Ansari tweeted. “We additionally enlisted the very best social boffins to greatly help united states realize and examine every facets of modern really love and relationship.”
The outcome are both amusing and fascinating. Texting, particularly, was a prominent subject matter. Contemporary Romance highlights a number of poor texting habits hurting 21st millennium daters:
Ambiguity. Are you “hanging away” or going on a date? “the deficiency of clearness over whether or not the meet-up is also an actual day frustrates both sexes to no conclusion,” Ansari produces. “because it’s normally the dudes initiating,” the guy includes, “this is a clear location in which men can step it up.” Guys, time to step it up and obtain straightforward.
Limitless junk. “I can’t show the number of women we found who have been plainly thinking about a guy whom, as opposed to asking them completely, simply kept sucking all of them into even more routine banter,” produces Ansari. Allow that be a training for you: skip the incredibly dull back-and-forths about washing and food shopping. Get to the good things: have you been satisfying up, whenever, and in which?
“Hey.”If that is all you have to say in a text information, it’s a good idea remaining unsent. Especially if it has numerous Ys. Although Ansari acknowledges to delivering a number of his or her own “hey” texts, he cautions that “generic emails be removed as extremely lifeless and sluggish” and “make the receiver feel she is not to special or crucial that you you.”
Thankfully, it is not all terrible. “We in addition found some excellent messages that provided me with a cure for the current guy,” Ansari states. A great book, he explains, requires any or many of these:
an invite to some thing specific at a specific time
A callback to a previous connections together with the person
a funny tone
Pre-order a duplicate from the book right here and commence channeling the inner Aziz.
un nuovo post è stato publicato su https://online-wine-shop.com/aziz-ansari-thinks-technology-is-probably-destroying-your-sex-life/
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