#'i don't see him making any character growth he seems like he would be find just vibing'

[stellamancer]

okay i am finally home and i can ramble about adrien.

he is just!! baby. he was kicked out of his villiage as a child for taking in a violent plant monster as a 'pet' (he rescued it as a seedling and it's more his best friend than a pet)!! he nearly died in the woods afterwards!!

he has so much trouble talking to people because he is constantly afraid of failing to meet the expectations people have of him because as a child his father expected and wanted him to fulfill HIS dreams and ignored anything adrien might have actually wanted. no one takes him seriously!! and while he can't speak clearly most of the time, he's pragmatic and has good battle sense!! all he has ever wanted was to have friends who were patient enough and kind enough to accept him (and his violent murderous plant dog bestie)!!!

coughs.

[photogirl894]

I can't keep quiet anymore. I've got some things to say about the whole Tech situation from Bad Batch...

I've kept a lot of this bottled in for a long time, but now, I just can't. Long rant ahead, be warned.

First of all, I understand he was loved by many people and seeing your favorite characters die is extremely hard. Believe me, I swore I would quit the show if Hunter died. Though, some of the fans' reactions and the things fans are STILL saying to this day a few months after the show ended, I feel need addressing because I think people are missing the bigger picture here.

"Tech deserved better"/"They killed the only 'neurodivergent' character"...

Frankly, I don't think it would've mattered who they killed because people would've found something negative to say about it.

Hunter: "Of course, they would kill the mentor/father-figure!"

Crosshair: "Why did they have him die to redeem himself?"

Echo: "They killed the disabled character!"

Wrecker: "Why would they kill the big teddy bear character with the biggest heart?"

It wouldn't matter who it was, people would still find some way to complain about it. But of all the Batch to die, I do agree with what the creators said in saying it had to be Tech because things would've been much easier if Tech had lived. Now, hear me out! I'm not saying I wanted him to die or he deserved to die; heavens, no! I was devastated by his death and he's not even my favorite Clone. But if you think about it, his death was what paved the way for everything else that needed to happen.

If Tech had lived, they would've tracked the shuttle to Tantiss, probably stormed the base, broke out Crosshair, gone back to Pabu, end of story. But here's the thing: the mending of the sqaud's relationships with Crosshair probably would've been a bit rougher. Crosshair's relationship with Omega would most likely be different and that all just seems too easy.

Because of Tech's death and what happened on Eriadu, Omega wouldn't have been taken to Tantiss and formed a relationship with Crosshair as well as restore his hope in escaping. They wouldn't have needed to go to Barton IV, which is where a LOT happened in the Batch rebuilding their relationships with Crosshair, especially Hunter. If Tech had been there, he might've had Crosshair check his hand much sooner, which wouldn't have led to Omega bonding with Crosshair over trying to help him and teaching him to meditate. Everything else that followed involving Crosshair's growth, Omega's growth, the Batch growing closer as a family, etc, would not have happened had Tech lived. What we might've gotten would've been vastly underwhelming. Tech's absence made the Batch have to work together more to achieve their goals, which brought them closer together by the end of the show.

Granted, I do believe it still would've been nice to see Tech be a part of the family dynamic after Crosshair's return, but I don't think it would've been remotely the same. I could very well be wrong; maybe what we could've gotten had he lived might've still been just as good, but that's all pure speculation now. But I know there are moments we all loved from season 3 that wouldn't have happened had Tech survived and would've vastly changed the story.

As to the "killing the ND character" thing, I highly doubt that was why they did it. There was no agenda there and I feel that point is just something people want to say to justify hating his death. I understand if you're ND and seeing a character like you/you relate to die on screen is hard, but that doesn't mean that the creators are out to get you and they're "taking away representation". Like I said earlier, you could make any excuse to why they'd kill any of the characters, but that's not what they were doing with Tech. Tech's absence created the most challenges for the Batch, which was what led them to work more together and grow closer as a family. It still sucks we had to lose him anyway, but his loss had more impact on the story than anyone else's would've. Characters are killed for "plot purposes" all the time. That's just part of storytelling and driving a story forward. (Unless you're Game of Thrones and you just kill characters left and right for the hell of it)

"CX-2 should've been Tech! They manipulated us into thinking it was him!"

Here's where I might get a little controversial, but just hear me out.

Here's the thing: I only believed CX-2 might've been Tech when he used the word "domicile". And even then, that was a loose belief because I didn't want to be disappointed if it turned out not to be true, which it did. Everything else people were saying was "proof" that the assassin was Tech, I personally couldn't see it. And I'm someone who closely analyzed a LOT of things throughout the show.

I'm gonna come out and say it: I think a lot of fans were heartbroken over Tech and wanted him to be alive that they saw what they wanted to see in order to justify that want.

I wanted Tech to be alive, too, and I even said a couple times to people "we didn't see a body" or "if X character (like Maul or Palpatine) can survive a fall, then Tech can", but I never firmly held onto that belief. Because I wasn't so set on "he's alive and he's going to come back", I didn't see all the things people claimed they saw that "proved" CX-2 was Tech. They claimed he walked like him, I honestly didn't think so. They claimed he talked like him/sounded like him. How could you tell? He had a voice modulator and frankly, he sounded like a mix of Clone voices and I never heard Tech's voice.

I honestly believe a lot of fans saw what they wanted to see in order to justify saying "Tech is alive" because they were angry or sad that he had died in the first place. Then to find out in the finale that they were wrong, they got angry and claimed the creators "manipulated" them into thinking Tech was the assassin. Which was not what they did. Also side note: with how the actors and creators were vague on talking about Tech's death, which I think was also a contributing factor to people thinking Tech was alive; that could've possibly been handled better, yes, but think about it: they loved Tech as much we did. Maybe they didn't want to outright say "he's dead" because they were struggling with it, too. I don't think those vague statements were made to mess with us. I think the cast and crew were still trying to cope with Tech's death just as much as the rest of us.

This is part of why I say making theories or speculations about shows is dangerous because when you hold on too closely to them or convince yourself your theory is right, it ruins things for you when you turn out to be wrong. Some people get too convinced they're right about certain things and then when they're not, they get angry and hate the show. That's part of why fans got angry at "The Last Jedi"; fans were convinced Rey was a Kenobi or related to some other big SW character and then it was revealed that her parents were nobody, which made people mad cuz their theories were proven wrong. (Not gonna go into how they backpedaled on that in Rise of Skywalker, but my point still stands). I know some people may not agree with what I'm saying to this point, but I assure you, I'm not trying to invalidate anyone. I'm merely pointing that what everyone thought was there was not actually what was happening, which unfortunately soured your opinions on the show/how they handled Tech.

Which then brings me to this point:

"They never mentioned Tech"/"They never mourned Tech"/"They wrote him out of existence"...

First of all, the first and last sentence couldn't be farther from the truth. They reference Tech several times throughout season 3.

And here's the thing: after his death, Tech is mentioned more times in season 3 than several other Clones were ever mentioned after their deaths throughout the entirety of Clone Wars combined!

99: 1 time

Hevy: 2 times

Fives: 3 times

Hardcase: 0 times

Waxer: 0 times

Cody: 0 times (I know he's not dead supposedly, but he's still disappeared and hasn't been mentioned since)

Echo: 1 time, but only just before it was discovered he was actually alive

Gregor: 0 times until it was revealed first he was alive in Rebels

Jesse: 0 times

Mayday: 0 times, but shown 1 time

Tech: 13 times

If you don't believe me, I will give episodes, scenes and/or lines for every single time he's referenced.

The show did not forget him. The Batch did not forget him. If they had completely forgotten about him, they would not have referenced him by name or alluded to him with his goggles or datapad several times. So please, can we stop saying they forgot about him? Cuz it's just not true. Just cuz they didn't all sit down at a table and full on talk about him at length doesn't mean the characters or the creators forgot about him. His absence was still very much felt, but he still had a presence throughout the last season.

Which leads me to the Bad Batch not properly mourning him. First of all, everyone mourns differently. My husband is a good example. Both of his grandparents died within the span of a couple years, but he didn't cry at either funeral because he knows he'll be reunited with them in heaven one day, which I know too, but he chose not to cry. Whereas I was a mess at both funerals and I didn't know them nearly as well as he did.

Same with the Bad Batch. Keep in mind, they are soldiers. They've probably gone a long time knowing any one of them could die throughout the Clone Wars. Most of the Clones knew that. Honestly, when did we ever really see the Clones "properly" mourn their brothers other than the CW series finale? Fives or Rex didn't mourn Echo after he "died". No one properly mourned Fives. Or 99 or Hardcase or Waxer. Most Clones didn't get "properly" mourned because they were soldiers. Rex even says in Clone Wars s7 ep2:

"I have watched so many of my brothers fall during this war, and I try not to hang on to any one of them."

The Clones are taught/programmed to not really mourn their brothers because they are soldiers in war and any of them could die at any moment. The same applies to the Bad Batch. Now, the argument could possibly be made that the Batch are a smaller squad and closer than most other Clone groups, so they should be different, but that still doesn't take away from the fact that they were still born and raised as soldiers. The way they handle death is different than how we might in real life.

The bigger fact of the matter is, right after Tech died, a lot happened. The Batch were all badly injured and then Omega got captured. Their attention was then focused on finding Omega instead of Tech. Plus, what did Tech say in "The Crossing"? That "change is a fundamental part of life" and "we have to adapt and move on". I really think that's what the Batch did: they had to adapt to the change and move on. They couldn't take time to mourn Tech because finding Omega took precedence.

And if you really think about it: that's what Tech would've wanted.

He was adamant about rescuing Crosshair and I honestly believe, if he could speak from beyond the grave, that he would've been adamant about them rescuing Omega instead of wallowing in sorrow over losing him. We all know how much he loved his brothers and his sister, so I firmly believe he would not have wanted them to focus on him.

That all, of course, is more speculation, but it is just something to think about.

If you've made it this far, my point is: I'm not trying to invalidate anyone's feelings about how things with Tech were handled. I think a lot of us were just shocked with his death and plenty more coped with it by essentially denying it and finding things to justify him being alive in the hopes that he would come back somehow. I've seen people act like Tech still being dead is, like, the first time a character's death has been actually final, but this isn't the first time a beloved Clone has died and his death was final.

Fives is still dead.

99 is still dead.

Jesse is still dead.

Mayday is still dead.

Plenty of other Clones are still dead.

The only exception so far has been Echo and Gregor (the first time) for reasons I don't know. So Tech's death being made final after the Bad Batch finale is nothing new, so I don't know why people are so up in arms like it's the first time it's ever happened. I know it sucks other characters in SW can die and come back by some means, but with Clones, this is how it's been.

I miss Tech, too. I struggle watching "Plan 99" and thinking about him being gone is hard even for me...but don't hate on the Bad Batch because they didn't bring him back. They gave us an incredible story; probably the best in all of Star Wars animation and I'm afraid people are losing sight of that because they're mad about Tech not actually being alive like they thought. We didn't see him in season 3, but his memory and legacy was still ever present. Hell, the show ended with Omega becoming a pilot just like him and wanting to help the Rebellion. If that's not perfectly honoring Tech and his sacrifice, then I don't know what is.

If you disagree with me, that's fine, but please keep things civil if you choose to say anything. These are just my thoughts and observations. I felt many of these criticisms were unfair and needed to be addressed.

I love the Bad Batch so much and I just want other people to remember their love for it, too, despite the tragic loss of Tech.

[anghraine]

It's a very little bit funny that I used to be mildly notorious in my corner of Austen fandom for disliking Colonel Fitzwilliam, who at the time was extremely idealized in those fandom spaces, particularly by contrast with Darcy having things like "flaws" and "character growth."

I still don't like Colonel Fitzwilliam as this perfect ideal apart from maybe some extremely minor, defensible faults because he's human after all, someone who would have been exactly suited to Elizabeth really and did love her but truly is too poor to choose her (alas!) and totally is handsome, to boot.

But I do like Colonel Fitzwilliam as a man who is fundamentally decent, good-natured, intelligent, and strong-willed, but with a fundamentally aristocratic perception of himself and the world. I like that he's willing to tease and criticize Darcy as part of flirting with a pretty girl, but leaps to Darcy's and Georgiana's defense when he thinks it's important. I think it's interesting that it would be so easy for him to resent Darcy, and instead they seem to be genuine bffs with healthy respect for each other (likely for a very long time given their blood relationship and close ages) as well as co-guardians and amicable relatives.

Darcy is not a man prone to overstatement, so his description of his relationship with Colonel Fitzwilliam as one of "constant intimacy" is really intriguing to me—far more than Fitzwilliam's casual and rather shallow and self-interested flirtation with Elizabeth, tbh. It's doubly interesting because Fitzwilliam seems to only sort of know the Bingleys, and while he approves of Bingley, my impression is that he knows the whole family through Darcy rather than as general social acquaintances. We never see the Bingleys and Fitzwilliam in the same social settings, even ones where they might credibly interact like Pemberley, and Fitzwilliam makes a point of clarifying to Elizabeth that he only slightly knows Bingley's sisters. There are all these gradations to how Darcy interacts with both social sets, his mentorship-type friendship with Bingley and his intimacy with his cousin, that I don't think a simple consultation of the table of precedence fully explains.

I do find Colonel Fitzwilliam deeply boring when he's reduced to Darcy's rival for Elizabeth's affection despite never having any serious interest in Elizabeth—the kind of "so there, Darcy" vibe that underpins Fitzwilliam-as-rival is meh given their own relationship. But for such a minor character, there is genuinely quite a bit going on, I think.

[mswyrr]

They presented the possibility of older women--who were repeatedly described as "covenless witches" in a story that also repeatedly told us a witch needs a coven--finding community again and a new reason to live in each other and their own power and then "subverted our expectations" with these women dying to serve a male character's story.

That was the point of their stories. Him.

It isn't common for older women in US pop culture to get depicted as people who are capable of rebirth. Of lives, desires, hopes and dreams that matter beyond solely being a mother. It rarely happens, and it didn't happen here.

It's rare for stories to deal metaphorically with real things - like women who get clean or make positive change in their 40s or 50s. Women who find each other and aren't alone and "forgotten" anymore. These things happen -- yes, sisterhood is sometimes a lie and sometimes "people never change." Sure, those things happen. But sometimes sisterhood isn't a lie; sometimes people make change in their lives.

You don't see these stories when they're women though, especially not older women, especially not gay women.

I'm glad for Jen. She doesn't have a community, though. A witch needs a coven they told us, over and over again. They showed us them getting one small taste of the joy they could share together, in their scene of flight. But that was just for Billy too. And now everyone else is dead. To serve the male character's journey, give him some angst.

Agatha is forever spiritually dead--not experiencing any kind of emotional breakthrough or change--because she's not the lead, so she's static so she can serve as a device within the true lead's journey.

She can't even be allowed the growth I pictured as the worst case scenario - where she dies for *the coven*--so they can live and have community and spiritual rebirth together--and makes enough peace to go with Rio. She doesn't even get that much, to get to have a real death that matters and has a sense of completion to it, where we can imagine her reunited with her child and/or at peace with Rio. She can't have that because she has to be Billy's amusing sidekick, his Jarvis, his moral warning lesson about his powers and the witches he got killed and his angst. Because his story matters and theirs didn't.

I was talking to a friend the other day about how love stories often have a "point of symbolic death, when all hope seems lost" (concept from Pamela Regis's study of romance novel structure) and with mf couples they get to rise again from that, into rebirth, into new life. Ff canon couples in stories often, due to a bunch of reasons, aren't allowed that narrative power. They remain trapped in tragedy and despair. I thought surely Agatha herself though, as the lead character, would get to have some kind of change or rebirth as part of a community of women, given that her core wound is betrayal by community -- but she, as a character, doesn't get to go into the symbolic underworld and change and be reborn, because she was never the lead character to begin with.

Sapphic love remains broken once it breaks, the "point of symbolic death" is literal death or a shattering end, there is no rebirth. We, I guess, lack the symbolic potency to come back, in the eyes of the world? We are not generative. "Which one's the man?" "How do they even have sex?" "Your marriage isn't real because you can't make babies." (Kudos for subverting that one, though, show! Except... a child born of women, without a man, cannot live a full life I guess?) And specifically, as a 30something queer woman, people who call my wife, after I've described her as my wife, my "girlfriend" and are shocked by how long we've been together. That we're grown women and our commitment is right down to the bone, that it has blood in its veins. We are not little girls playing dress up. But that is how a ton of nice people see us; we exist but we are spiritually empty, lacking potency. And the stories reflect that. That energy, that core belief that we are the juvenile, non-generative form of love and relationships. And this woman too, she remains in a kind of eternal spiritual death.

That's why people are mentioning the Hayes Code, they're feeling how that aligns with larger cultural prejudice against us and our humanity and capacity to have the kind of power of living and loving that is ascribed to mf love and that more (though not always, misogyny is a hell of a thing) straight women get in stories.

The idea that it's GOOD for a story to do this, because "sometimes sisterhood is a lie" and "sometimes people don't change" ignores that context of who precisely this narrative "subversion," this spiritual aridity is given to. And who gets to live and grow and be reborn and strive and learn and become in stories, to be allowed to connect with the transformative potential inside themselves and each other.

The show did give us a lot -- I think it's important to recognize that. The canon ff love; I would have never expected that. The canon kiss. They put a lot into that and I honor that. This wasn't a classic "bury your gays" and I'm not mad at them. They did their best. A lot of the issues I have are probably due to the problems of the mcu overall and how static it is. But the deeper themes are also just incredibly disappointing to me, and I wanted to outline why.

It's entirely possible to be disappointed but appreciate context and not be unkind to creatives who did their best within overall industry/cultural limitations, which is where I am at and what I mean with this.

[rei-ismyname]

X-Men #6 FROM THE ASHES

Last issue is starting to make a lot more sense - I think Jed McKay might have strong feelings about the Morrison era. Spoilers, obviously.

Hi Xorn! Hi Magneto! Good to have you join us. It's nice to see Magneto is progressive, polite and welcoming. It's still an ideological regression from where he was at in X-Men Red/RoM/Uncanny X-Men #700, but I guess he's mostly scenery in this comic sadly. As a fellow disabled burden on society I empathize with him, but I'd like to see him still be a character of focus. Otherwise, why put him in the book? It's a shame his moment makes Xorn look like a fool - is that really his first question? Dude is a fucking monk and these people are right there.

He's wearing his Morrison/Quitely uniform too, which is not a great comparison to be drawing imo. He was last seen hanging out with his brother and Legion in Way of X, but I suppose this is as good a place as any for him to be now. Hopefully we see more of him.

Look how much Quentin has grown since Riot at Xavier's. Or maybe he's depressed. Either way he's definitely looking sharp. Idie notices one of the protesters throwing up the M.

People want Beast to solve their problems but he doesn't have the same experience and knowledge as old Beast, not that X-FORCE Beast did any of that. It's a character beat, but one we've seen before. Maybe he'll learn magic again! Magik is still very defeatist it seems, and perhaps her determination is waning. Can't say I blame her.

Quiche is dope but jokes about it aren't. Not this millennium. The Glob/Quentin dynamic is another Morrison callback. Don't worry, there's plenty more this issue 🙄. One pitfall with light-hearted quippy nostalgia is it undermines serious events happening next to it and gives mood whiplash. Somehow Idie knows Ilyana is communicating secretly with her brother. It doesn't come up again. Based on how McKay has been seeding beats we'll find out in issue #10.

Okay, so we know Magik is smart and now Idie does too. It'd be nice if more of this team started acting like friends - maybe this is the start of something beautiful. I can't say I buy Magik undermining Cyclops on a whim but she lays out the dilemma then puts Idie in charge.

They walk into the trap by putting Cobb Sr to sleep. Idie's secret is pretty cute and an effective 'cost of magic' shorthand. I am wary that it refers to nostalgia about a time that was already hyper nostalgia, but I'm getting used to it. We get to see the Cobb family dynamic, utterly predictable.

I enjoy everything on this page.

- Cyclops and Psylocke sparring

- Expanding on Hank and Mags' budding relationship with reference to their history.

- Building on Beast's fear of becoming a monster again.

- Magneto being emotionally supportive.

No new information here, though I love a jab at Fabian Cortez. This is more of a reference than anything else, though it's good to see some self awareness from Max. Although, Cortez showed a lot of growth on Krakoa.

This is a nice moment too. This version of Hank was a massive horn dog. Not saying that's where it's going but he's gregarious and it does make sense to have him be welcoming to another non-passing mutant. Glob too, though he comes off as massive dork. We still don't know much about Jen or Ben which makes it hard to get invested. If they do stick around they'd be inflating a cast that's already being covered unevenly.

Okay, Piper is here and Scott isn't pleased. Idie would have a point but it would have taken 2 minutes to talk about it. Yeah she asked for help and came willingly but as Scott says she's a minor. Her home life looks miserable and tracks closely enough to many queer experiences, but society unfortunately says children are property. It sucks, but she needs support. Nobody wins when her mother calls the cops. Is this about Piper or Idie here? I would love to see Idie being the moral core of the team but this just makes her look naive and impulsive - which is at odds with her 15+ years of characterisation. She was in jail last year!

Piper reveals that the 'Wild Sentinel' was after her and the Iron Night was her 'fault.' It's left on a cliffhanger but let's hope this doesn't torch the X-Men's relationship with Merle, Alaska.

The Morrison thing - Psychic rescue, Quentin and Glob, scientists making mutants, Cassandra Nova, Xorn is still in his uniform from the time, wild sentinel mention (which is super bizarre and out of place.) It's a lot and I'm probably missing stuff. My question is who this is for? New readers will just be confused. Morrison super fans are more likely to roll their eyes, judging by responses to last issue.

Overall this issue was pretty good. It progressed the plot, gave us time with the 3 characters who'd been ghosts, introduced new information and setup conflict with the town for next issue. I really wish the creative team would get their batting average a little higher in terms of solid issues. 33.3% is low enough in the abstract to make me drop the book - and this is one of the better ones. I know we can do better than this and it disappoints me how aggressively mid the X-books are right now.

I'm starting to recognise the formula they're working off, with information dribbling out at a snail's pace to the point that any issue becomes skippable then ending on a cliffhanger that's rarely paid off quickly. Uncanny has the same issue, which makes me think it's an editorial problem. Hell, solicits usually give more information than issues do. I'm not talking about tropes, I'm talking about the narrative tricks that allow them to publish issues that move at a glacial pace and use nostalgia to disguise the characters not being developed. One can hope :)

[geekgirl101]

More 8x06 thoughts. Still processing

I've been trying to express my feelings about 8x06 on paper, and there's still so much swirling in my head. So apologies if this is too long and ranty.

The GA isn't happy for a lot of reasons. One was that Tommy did fit with the 118, he was friends with Eddie and Chim. Two: they were happy Buck was in a relationship, and it seemed like (at least in season 7) that he was finally off the hamster wheel. And they like Eddie and Buck's friendship and don't want to see them together. After all the BS takes I've seen from you-know-whos, I can't say I disagree at all.

It's like neither Buck nor the writers have learned anything from past love interests. Tommy is the one with the most potential because of how well he fits, and he clearly has a lot of abandonment issues. Hey, so does Buck. That could have been a great point to explore.

I don't think Buck needs to sleep around to explore himself. But I do think Buck never fully processed anything.

It's wild that Buck and Tommy dated for six months and NEVER had any real conversations about exes? Tommy does strike me as the kind of person who keeps people at arm's length, who maybe doesn't say much about his past unless he has to. He could have also held back because he was letting Buck set the pace. I know Tommy isn't a main character. But they could have done so much more with this and with him. Hopefully its not the end.

The show also did nothing to show Buck's growth in a relationship, aside from the fact that he kissed a boy and liked it.

8x01 showed us that Buck was competent, professional, and mature, and stupidly I was hoping that would extend to his relationship too.

I think Buck has to figure out what he wants out of a relationship, I hope we see more of Buck talking to Josh or Hen and then he and Tommy work on making a relationship that's lasting, honest, and full of love (if we're grudging up Abby, we can continue the red string here and make that nod too)

What also bothers me is they took 3 episodes to build Buck and Tommy and show us that they have chemistry and that Tommy shows up for Buck, they had two more moments where it was clear they were getting to know each other and were solid in season 7.

And then it took them 1 episode to tear it all down without ever showing Buck showing up for Tommy. They were supposed to be getting to know each other. But six months in, it's like they didn't even know each other at all... or actually. It's like Buck didn't know Tommy at all.

I find it frustrating that we got to see so little of them, and most of it was Tommy doing things for Buck, showing up for Buck, complementing Buck, and taking care of Buck. A relationship has to be a two-way street. You show up for me, I show up for you.

And I'm glad Tommy showed up for Buck. Buck deserves love. But so does Tommy. Tommy was clearly looking for love, IDk if he was looking for a family or anything long term. Maybe he was dealing with a bad breakup and Buck was adorable, and he thought, maybe this could be a thing for now, but he ended up falling for him, clearly, and panicked. But I think on some level he was looking for someone to show up for him too, even when things got hard. And maybe this is foreshadowing. I hope it is. But I refuse to get my hopes up about it, or about Buck's love life ever again.

[buckevantommy]

What fic tropes do you most want to see for bucktommy?

big fan of hurt/comfort and some angst, which i think we will get.

i want them to be settled in their relationship and be solid and be each other's home, and then comes the angst, but not in a way that threatens their relationship, more like: one of them gets hurt on the job for physical hurt/comfort - i would love to see tommy get hurt actually, and buck stays at his place to take care of him; proof that this capable brickhouse of a guy is not invincible. and he struggles to let himself be taken care of, and evan helps him realise that he has people who care about him - not just buck; maybe eddie visits! chim! hen! he's been on his own for so long he's quite self sufficient but buck isn't having it; this allows for some first fight potential, where tommy insists he can do it himself (bc he doesn't want to be a burden or seem weak) and buck being frustrated and a little hurt that tommy doesn't want him in his space or want his help, which makes buck feel like he's being too much and caring too much.. but they work it out! but maybe before they do we get chim/hen/eddie paying tommy a visit to check on him but moreover spend time with him and also talk things out a bit; tommy realising it's okay to let people in (chim would be perfect for this callback).

and tommy dealing with his asshole father for some emotional hurt/comfort - i just really want to see a less coolcalmcollected tommy, and i think buck seeing that and being there for him and tommy realising he has someone to lean on will strengthen their relationship.

and early season 8 with gerrard in charge is perfect for some emotional support and understanding: tommy being there for buck as he vents. and tommy confronting gerrard (not just about his treatment of evan and the 118 but about who he is and how he does not deserve to be a captain at all) which doesn't go well and brings up a lot of issues for tommy (his past self, his father and upbringing, etc) and results in him being riled and losing some of that cool calm composure buck is so used to - maybe we get buck finding tommy at the gym, or tommy and eddie doing muay thai because tommy needs the release. and eventually we get buck calming him down or tommy running out of steam and breaking down a little.

(this is all very tommy-centric i know, i just want more of him! more screentime! more emotional variation! more character and relationship growth!)

and as much as i want them to be a solid couple, i want there to be moments of uncertainty: jealous buck when he sees tommy is friendly with one of his exes or sees a guy flirting with tommy. tommy being so sure about a future with evan -has never been more sure of anyone in his life- but holding himself back because he doesn't want to move too fast for both their sakes - but he opens up by the end of the ep and it culminates in him asking evan to move in with him.

open and honest communication is integral to their relationship so i don't really want to see any secret keeping, but i could see one of them keeping a secret about the gerrard/ortiz drama to spare the other one worry or to keep them out of the crosshairs. but it won't be a lingering issue, preferably sorted in an ep or two.

also just: gimme friendship for tommy! gimme tommy and chim and hen and eddie hanging out (separately or together) because we know they're friends. gimme tommy and karen, tommy and maddie brunch dates - with jee! gimme tommy babysitting jee and the others! would also love to see some of tommy's coworkers and friends. basically let tommy have some platonic relationships because it's important to show he has a place in the 118 extended family even when evan isn't in the mix, and that he has a life outside the 118 too.

since tommy is a first responder i think it's a safe bet we'll see him working with the 118 at some point - lafd is linked from the streets to the skies - maybe buck doing a rope rescue out of the chopper or tommy rescuing buck and some civilians from a cliffside or highrise. maybe the 118 responding to a chopper crash. so many scenarios they could give us, and i want tommy working with the rest of the 118, too.

[emeryhiro]

My Thoughts on The Book Of Carol Episode 1

-Spoiler Edition-

Firstly, I wanna say I absolutely LOVE this episode. What a mind-blowing way to start a season and what a beautiful start for Carol's journey to finding Daryl and, in the process, dealing with and healing from so much of her past trauma.

If this episode is any indication of how the rest of the season will go in terms of pace, then we're in for what could potentially be the best story ever told in twd history (at least for me).

If you'd rather avoid the spoilers, I have posted a spoiler-free version of my thoughts on the episode, which you can find [here]

!!Spoiler Warning for episode 1 of The Book of Carol!!

Carols mindset

From the very first scene with Carol, we see that she's in survival mode. She has shifted her focus onto her one and only goal: to find Daryl.

I absolutely adored the way she stood up to the men at the gas station, followed by her standing on the beach looking out toward the ocean that's separating her from Daryl. This was especially true of the way it mirrored Daryl's looking out toward the ocean that's separating him from Carol at the end of season 1.

Connection between Daryl and Carol

We know that throughout the seasons, Daryl and Carol and have helped each other heal and taught each other sooo much, and one of the things that I absolutely adored is how, in several instances throughout the episode, they showed how Carol was utilising so many little things that Daryl had taught her in the past in order to help her on her journey to finding him, like tracking Daryl, riding his bike, using his crossbow, finding the traps that Ash set and knowing how to get around them.

Yes, Carol is separated from Daryl, but he's still with her in all these little ways, making her stronger and braver.

Carols Growth

I love the way Carol stood her ground, apologised, and took responsibility for what happened to Ash's greenhouse after she broke in and accidentally led all those walkers in, destroying much of what was in there.

This showed a huge change and growth from the Carol we saw in season 10, where she would internalise all her guilt and allow it to consume her.

Introduction to Ash

It's only been one episode, but I already adore this character. It almost seems too good to be true that someone like this could have survived alone for so long. Don't get me wrong; he's clearly very intelligent and capable of protecting himself if needed, but he's also kind, forgiving, trusting, and innocent. We know from many seasons of this show that the world they've been living in has a tendency to break people like that in the most devastating ways.

The flashbacks and the music box

The two flashbacks we saw in this episode, the first one of Sofia at the barn and the second of Daryl giving Carol the Cherokee rose, I think are perfect memories to pull from to give us a glimpse of Carol's mindset.

They show us the people who mean the most to Carol, the events that led her to where she is and who she is right now, what brought her on this journey to find Daryl, and why she's willing to fight and do anything to save him.

One of the most heartbreaking scenes in the episode was when Carol found the music box on Avi's grave. The box played the melody of the song 'You are my sunshine', which Carol sang along to as her voice broke and tears fell down her face. All I could think of at that moment was how this song was almost like a plea from Carol, how she's already lost Sofia and how she is terrified of losing Daryl as well, the one that represents the sunshine that's left in her life. The person who held her when she she lost her children. The person who knows her better than she knows herself. The person who stood by her even when she lost herself. The person who she bound to by one soul.

Carol and Ash's relationship

This was, BY FAR, my favourite part of the episode. The layers. The parallels. The Tragedy. This duo's storyline is literal GOLD.

And fair warning because I have so much to say about them.

In the beginning when Carol gets herself "trapped" in one of Ash's traps, we can see her putting on her act, the innocent damsel in distress act which we love and have seen her do so many times before.

But when she started to speak to Ash, asking him for help, and he agreed to help her and believed her when she said she was alone, I could see the slight hesitation in her behaviour because she probably expected more resistance from Ash.

As they spend more time together, Carol starts to feel for Ash. She very quickly drops her act and begins to see how much they actually have in common, how much pain they've shared. Especially the loss of a child, a child that they each had to raise alone, blaming themselves for letting their child wander off and not being able to protect them the way a parent should.

However, despite dropping the damsel in distress act, Carol still lies to Ash. She tells him the story that she thinks he needs to hear to manipulate him into empathising with her and taking her to France.

But there's something incredibly important to note here. Carol may be intentionally manipulating Ash for her own ends, but it's clear that she's absolutely torn because of it. Yes, Carol has manipulated many people in the past (fair game), but she has never done it to someone she knew didn't deserve it. After seeing who Ash really is, it obviously becomes painful for her to keep up the lie, but in the end, she internalises that pain and guilt because of how much she loves Daryl.

Because even if taking advantage of this genuinely kind stranger makes her the villain, then that's what she's willing to become to save Daryl.

Carol & Ash's future and an important Parallel

Going forward, I expect Carol to grow to care for Ash even more and start to see a true friendship between them. There may be conflict between the two when Ash finds out that Carol lied to him, but I think that he's too pure-hearted to stay angry with her for long and will come to understand and forgive her. I also expect Carol to become very protective of Ash, firstly because of everything he's doing and giving up for her, and secondly because she'd feel responsible for his life, considering that her lie was the reason he ended up in this situation and that if anything were to happen to him, it be her fault.

I also see a clear parallel between Daryl/Connie and Carol/Ash's friendships.

Both Daryl and Carol have found someone in Connie and Ash who has somehow remained pure and kind despite the world they live in.

Both Connie and Ash are intelligent, brave, kind, forgiving, and heroic, and rare remenant of the goodness that's left in their world. Making both Daryl and Carol, who see themselves as realists, feel a sense of responsibility to protect them.

I could also see a potential parallel storyline here where there's tension between Caryl, as Carol gets frustrated with Daryl for butting their lives (including Ash's) in danger as he's chasing after revenge in France, just like how Daryl was with Carol and Connie.

The Nest and Daryl's storyline

I won't go into details about this again, as I talked about it in my initial S2EP1 thoughts post from Tribeca [HERE]. But to summarise, overall, it was clear to me that Daryl isn't happy at the Nest and doesn't think he could ever be. Yes, he's grown to care for Isabelle and Laurent, but they don't mean the same to him as the people he left behind.

Isabelle will never fill Carol's place in his heart, the person he's bound to by one soul, and Laurent will never replace Judith, the child he held in his arms, loved, and fought to protect from the day she was born.

Additional thoughts and details that I loved:

When Ash and Carol are sitting in the plane and ready to take off, Ash takes one last look at the greenhouse where his son is buried, then looks at Carol, reminding himself of who he's doing it for. This was such a poetic and heartbreaking moment to witness because, as the viewer, I was happy that he was finally moving forward and doing something that he believed would make his son proud, but I was also heartbroken knowing that it was all a lie.

The way Ash comforts Carol, who's feeling claustrophobic as they're taking off in the plane.

Genet's staredown with Daryl was such a powerful moment and honestly had my heart racing. I can't wait to get more of her story!

Losang and his crew at the Nest are look shifty af to me. There's something seriously sinister going on behind doors.

Conclusion and final thoughts

I'm going to repeat some of what I said in my first post from June because it's still accurate to how I feel after watching it again.

I now know beyond a doubt that Melissa has the talent and Carol has the depth to be a brilliant leading character. Her storyline can fill an entire episode, and there would not be a dull moment; on the contrary, during the episode, I constantly had chills because of the absolute power of Melissa's performance, and I'm dying to see more.

Episode one has planted seeds to potentially resolve many of Caryl/Daryl's storylines that were left unresolved in the main series in a way that's true to who Carol and Daryl are and how even we, as viewers, envisioned it should be. And if the current pace is continued, then I genuinely believe that we'll find Carol and Daryl finally on the same page again after so long, only this time, they will have dealt with a lot of the pain and trauma that has kept them apart. ♡♡♡

~~~~

Thank you for stick with me and reading through this post! I would love to hear what you guys though of the episode aswell.

There are just so many amazing things for us to look forward to, and I'm honestly over the moon with officially having Carol back on the show. I'm already counting down the days till next week ♡♡♡

[cinderella-ish]

Fruits Basket Queer Headcanons

The more I watch and read Fruits Basket, the more I get the sense that no one is straight here. Well... almost no one. So, in honor of pride month, here are my queer headcanons for the cast of Fruits Basket!

(Disclaimer that these are my own personal headcanons, obviously nothing official, etc... I try to draw on evidence from the text, but I'll admit I'm occasionally going purely off vibe. Also, I'm bi and genderfluid, so that's the lens I'm bringing to this. I'd love to hear your headcanons, especially if they differ from mine! Enjoy!)

Genderfluid and/or genderqueer: Ayame and Ritsu

I (probably somewhat controversially) think a lot of the gender non-conformity among Fruits Basket characters is just that: gender non-conformity. Momiji is one example; he dresses in girls' clothing (though not "like a girl") until his growth spurt, but it seems important to him to be seen as a man from at least that point forward.

Ritsu is someone whose gender identity and/or nonconformity really should've been explored more in the manga - as written, it feels like Ritsu's exploration of gender was viewed as something he'd grow out of, rather than a search for understanding himself. He doesn't really seem to mind being identified as either male or female, though he obviously feels a lot of shame about his comfort with wearing women's clothes (though no one around him when we meet him really seems to mind, which is nice-- I also appreciate that Ritsu was shown to have friends who adore him outside of the Sohmas). Anyway, the fact that he seems okay with being referred to as both a man and a woman is the entire basis for this headcanon.

Ritsu also idolizes Ayame, and I think part of this stems from Ayame's own security in his non-traditional gender presentation. We don't really get a lot of Ayame's thoughts on gender, despite his line of work, but he strikes me as the sort of person who would enjoy playing with his own gender presentation and would be more than open to exploring his gender identity (and probably has!). I think Ayame would lean more toward having an expansive view of masculinity rather than dressing more feminine when he feels more feminine, but I also think he would embrace the different ways people might perceive his gender.

Transgender Woman: Akito Sohma

This I think is quite clear in canon. Akito was assigned male at birth, then transitioned to female.

What makes it hard for some people to see Akito as trans is that the reason she was assigned male at birth was not the typical reason people are assigned male at birth in our world (it was her mother's demand, rather than a guess based on the shape of her genitals), but I don't think that makes her any less trans.

Under the Ace and/or Aro Umbrellas

This umbrella is a little tricky for several of these characters, because they've been forbidden from dating, or had very controlling parents, or thought they'd only hurt anyone they loved, so they haven't necessarily had time to figure out whether they've just repressed that part of themselves or they just don't experience attraction at all/without a strong emotional connection first. (Not everyone needs time to figure that out, though!) But anyway, here's who I think would eventually find themselves under at least one of these umbrellas!

Asexual/Aromantic: Kazuma

I love the tidbit that Kazuma tried dating women, but talked so much about Kyo that he never got a second date. I like the interpretation of him as a gay man, but to me, he reads as asexual/aromantic. Dating just doesn't even seem to be on his radar!

Demisexual/Demiromantic: Kyo, Shigure, Machi

A lot of the fandom sees Kyo as demi, and I'm totally here for that interpretation of him. He generally seems annoyed by or frightened of girls who aren't Tohru (frightened either when there's a risk of transforming, or when Kagura is involved). Also, it's CUTE that Kyo takes after his dad (Kazuma) in this way.

At first blush, it seems very unlikely Shigure is under the ace umbrella, but I couldn't stop thinking about his brief relationship with Mayu. He's the one who suggested they date, yet he seemed completely disinterested in her. He did sleep with Ren, but that was only for revenge and because he imagined Akito would look like her if she'd been allowed to grow up as a woman. I genuinely believe all his "high school girls" ickiness was an act, much like most of his personality.

It doesn't seem like Machi can totally tell if/when she likes something (or someone!). This makes me wonder if she's just never had feelings for anyone before Yuki.

Demiromantic: Rin, Hiro

Rin seems open to sexual relations with people other than Haru, but I genuinely can't see her having romantic feelings for anyone other than him. I see Hiro similarly with respect to Kisa. I think, if they ever split, it would take an extremely long time for him to even be open to falling for someone else.

Under the Bi/Pan+ Umbrella

So, I'm not making a distinction between these two (and other orientations that fall under the same umbrella, like poly- or omnisexual) because that seems like a very personal, internal conversation. I know some people make a distinction between the way bi and pan people experience attraction, but some don't, and that feels too prescriptivist for my purposes here. So, these are characters who I think experience attraction to multiple genders!

Tohru obviously falls for Kyo, but she also thinks Akito is cute, she thinks Rin is "shapely" and "beautiful" (her words!), and she goes along with it when Saki talks about them getting married.

Yuki ends up with Machi (and I love them together!) but I think Kyo was his first crush. His arc is also very relatable for a lot of queer folks (myself included!). And he's a disaster. Long live bisexual disaster Yuki Sohma!

Shigure is tricky, because the flirtation between him and Ayame could just be a joke, but I personally think it's a joke that arose out of some fun nights spent together...

Akito obviously likes men, but she also flirts with Tohru when they first meet.

Saki talks about marrying both Tohru and Kazuma. She's probably joking about Kazuma, but she's generally a very literal person, so I don't think she's joking about Tohru. She also marries a foreigner canonically, and that foreigner is probably a man.

Momiji talks about finding an amazing sweetheart-- not an amazing wife or girlfriend!!-- one day. I think he was being very intentional in not specifying his future partner's gender.

Hatori is the one I feel least sure of, but my headcanon is that he gets so annoyed and embarrassed by Shigure and Ayame because he doesn't want anyone to know he was totally part of at least a few of those trysts...

Mutsuki and Hajime are definitely together, right? And it seems like the fandom mostly sees Mutsuki as bi, which... yeah, that tracks.

Hatsuharu's first love was Yuki, and his last love was Rin.

Kakeru has a girlfriend, but for some reason, I have it in my head that he always refers to Kyo as Yuki's "hot cousin"? Did I just imagine that? Anyway... even if I did make that up, I think his backstory is a great analogy for the experience of coming out. He was trying to fit in a box and decided he was done with it. Pure chaotic bi energy.

For Ayame, see Shigure and Hatori above. (Also, “I am a bottom ALL THE WAY!!!”)

Mine is admittedly here just based on vibes.

Mitsuru likes Ritsu even though she's not entirely sure of Ritsu's gender!

Kimi is also here purely based on vibes.

Gay and Lesbian

Hiroshi has always struck me as gay. I can't really explain it. I usually have absolutely awful gaydar, so it's odd that he gives me such clear gay vibes. I wrote him as gay in my longfic, Bloom Within Us, and I'll probably always write him as gay.

President Takei obviously has a crush on Yuki. We don't really see him show interest in anyone else (partially because he's such a minor character). He also seems to still be a bachelor in Another, which could be because he can't legally marry yet...

My headcanon that Kunimitsu is gay kind of popped up as I was writing Bloom Within Us. There's no particular reason, and he doesn't give me strong gay vibes or anything.

Hajime and Mutsuki are definitely a couple! (Right?!) And it seems like most of the fandom sees Hajime as gay which... yeah, I can get behind that.

Akimoto (Arisa's senpai from her gang) is another character who gives me such strong vibes that I thought it was canon that she was a lesbian. Whoops. Anyway, I headcanon that Akimoto is gay, and referenced that in one of my oneshots.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Controversial omission: Arisa Uotani. She says she likes Kureno because he reminds her of Tohru, but she doesn't like Tohru? Yes, she gives me major queer vibes but this to me points to her being straight. Also, based on the way she reacts to her friends developing crushes or falling in love (and the way they react to her falling in love), I don't think there's anything between her and Saki or her and Tohru (as much as I love fics that pair her with Saki!). I also think not every relationship with lots of physical affection and strong feelings of love has to be romantic.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading my queer headcanons! This has been in my drafts for months, so I'm really glad Pride Month gave me a reason to finish this post!

Happy Pride!

[trina864]

Affection and Seduction | J.JK

Summery: Tuesday arrives, and Jungkook takes it a step further. He promises that it gets better and wilder the further you go, but right now? He just loves to make you all flustered. Paring: Jungkook x Reader Lyric: "I take my hands and trace your lines..." Genre: Fanfiction, Romance | Smut. Fluff. Word Count: 4.5 K Chapter Guide: Tuesday Previous / Next - Coming Soon Warnings: Female Reader. Mature themes. Explicit Words. Making out. Smut. Jungkook x reader. Naked reader. Naked Jungkook. Fingering, F!recieving. Sɛx. Dry humping. Very very little voyeurism. Mentions of ropes, ball gag and crops. Brat Reader. Dirty Talk. Female on the pill. No condom sɛx. Friends having sɛx. Not a couple. Friends 2 lovers. Jimin as readers friend. Jimin loving drama. Mentions of past feelings.

Tuesday arrives and you're actually looking forward to whatever Jungkook has planned.

The whole deal is still new to you, and the fact that you're having sex with Jungkook is even newer. But you can't find it in you to complain. You have always wondered what it would be like, that it's greater than you had imagined is your own fault.

Monday had been lovely. You and Jungkook had fallen asleep on either side of the bed, and when you woke it was to the morning sun warming you like a soft blanket. You had spent the morning making breakfast together and dancing to the beats of quiet R&B.

The morning felt like any other whenever you and Jungkook had sleepovers, and that made you feel relieved. Nothing has changed between you, you're still just Y/N and Jungkook.

"Y/N?! Hallo, are you even listening?" Jimin says and waves a hand in front of you.

Jimin sits besides you on your baby green couch, the exact same place where Jungkook sat just this morning.

It's late morning, Jungkook left not even two hours ago. You had totally forgotten the breakfast deal you had made with Jimin and it was only when he knocked at your door that you remembered that the pretty man is visiting.

You come out of your daydream and look at Jimin. "Hm? Yea, sorry what did you say?" Jimin watches as you shake your head and rub a hand against your head.

It's clear to Jimin that you're acting weirder than usual, he just can't figure out why or if it’s a good thing. "Is something wrong Y/N? You seem like you're in another world." He says and you have to keep your laugh.

If only he knew what you and Jungkook have been doing he would understand right away, but you're hesitant on telling him.

He won't understand the situation, he’d just assume you and Kook are in a relationship, even though that certainly is not the case.

"It's nothing Jimin, just work." You say knowing damn well that's a lie. You do feel bad for lying to your friend, but you would feel even worse if he teased you about something that isn’t true.

"Oh yea! How is it going with that book?" He asks and you smile. "It's going well, I just have to figure out how to write the best character growth, and I have no inspiration." You say and Jimin looks at you with empathic eyes.

He knows all about not having inspiration, if he isn't inspired when dancing it usually isn't a good dance.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, just give it some time." He says and you're about to answer when a sudden noise of your phone has you checking what it could be.

Kookie 🍪🐰:

{ - Come to my place at 18:00 tomorrow?

Y/N:

{ - Sure (; Eat from home? Or no?

Kookie 🍪🐰:

{ - No. Eat dinner here.

{ - Looking forward to seeing you Goddess.

The smile that covers your lips are shocking to Jimin. The way you giggle as you text back a reply to whoever texted you can only mean one thing.

You hear a gasp come from Jimin as he turns his entire body towards you and takes the phone from you. You're about to protest when he again gasps and claps a hand over his mouth.

"Don't tell me you and Jungkook are finally together." He says and you snatch the phone back from him. "What!? No! Why would I and Jungkook be together?" You say and already dread what you know is about to happen.

“I knew it! Fuck Taehyung owes me 15 bucks, I have to tell him.” Jimin says “You guys betted on us?” You ask, you would’ve tried to stop Jimin if it wasn’t because you knew there is no stopping your drama loving friend.

“Of course we did.” He says his gaze fixed on the phone in his hands, “Honestly Y/N you two are very obvious. Again why are you guys not together?”

You sigh knowing you’ll have to explain yourself again for the 100th time. “Jungkook needs his freedom and I do too. We can’t commit.” You say but the sad tone in your voice is not unnoticed by Jimin.

He knew there was a time when you were totally obsessed with Jungkook. You hung him on the moon and stargazed after him every day. Jimin never knew when or why you stopped loving him.

And to be honest he didn’t dare ask. There was just something so sad and unsettling surrounding it that he couldn’t get himself mixed up in.

Jimin stayed with you the rest of Monday, even when you had to work he stayed in the living room stealing your food and binging tv shows. Jimin has always been like this, especially with you. There are times you think he may have separation anxiety, but you know he really just likes to be together with people.

He leaves when the time hits 10 pm and you can finally get your well deserved sleep.

The next day at 6 pm you stand in front of Jungkooks door. The whole day you have had butterflies storming around in your stomach. Jungkook had texted with you all day and you swear you have never gotten so much attention from anyone before.

He had written good morning, and asked how work was, he had written he was looking forward to seeing you, and much more.

As the door opens and the man finally shows himself in front of you all the butterflies makes a twirl. You know it's not even been 24 hours since you last saw him, but the new deal between you two is still so exciting.

"You look good." Jungkook says as you enter and give him a hug.

You smile before saying “You don’t look too bad yourself.” He laughs and walks into the apartment. His white tshirt is not hiding much, the see through material makes it so easy for you eyes to peek at all the tattoos adoring his body.

Jungkook is a walking sin in your eyes, but maybe that’s just the idea of what’s going to happen later that’s making you feel like this.

The new feelings around Jungkook are so foreign, you’ve never felt like this ever.

Sex and the world around it isn’t a stranger for you, but you’ve never been this far off into the world.

You’ve never been this excited about sex.

You walk in Jungkook's heals all the way into his luxurious kitchen. His apartment have always been your favorite, not even your own could compare with the comfort and style Jungkook's has.

“I would say I hope you like spaghetti, but I know you do so I’m not going to say that.” He laughs and it infects you too.

The silence afterwards as Jungkook cooks dinner and you admire the smell of Jungkooks famous spaghetti, is nice and easy.

In the background you hear notes of Frank Ocean, and outside the sun is settling down.

But the curiosity which fills your limbs are too strong and you break the silence. “So what do you have planned for us after dinner?”

On Jungkooks face the little mischievous smile shows on his face again and he shrugs leaving you in the dark.

“What do you want to happen?” He asks daring and stirs in the spaghetti without looking at you.

“You know…-“ you walk closer to him, you stand behind his back and go up on your tippy toes to reach his ear. “Maybe I want a bit more this time.”

The reaction is instantly, he turns around leaving the stove, and presses his lips to yours. If it hadn’t been because of the stove he would've lifted you up on it and taken you right there.

But the stove is on, and he only just manages to get his tongue in when the clock goes off and you have to break free from each other.

It’s hard to let go of him and his arousing body, but you’re also looking forward to that spaghetti, and if he accidently overcooked it you would be very mad.

A minute or two later he's leading you into the dinning area together with the hot pan. As you reach the table a gasp reaches your lips. The table is covered with a red tablecloth, burning lights are placed between two white plates and wine glasses are standing proud on the table.

It's very beautiful... and maybe a little too romantic?

A weird feeling bubbles up inside you and you can't decipher it. It's a mixture of awe and yuck. Old feelings comes to the surface, but you quickly pushes them down again.

Jungkook's happy face and hoping eyes makes you hesitate on telling him how weird you feel about this, and instead you go with it.

You hurry over to a chair before he can pull it out for you, and you sit down with a more than a forced smile. Jungkook doesn't notice though as he places the hot stove in front of you and sit down before you.

From the window behind him you see how dark the night is getting and small lights from the city shines behind him, it looks as if he's surrounded by stars. You pull your eyes away quickly as the word 'beautiful' crosses your mind.

"This is so pretty Jungkook, I can't believe you've done this. How long did it take?" You ask to ease the nauseas feeling mixing with something really old.

"Not too long, I just thought I'd do something nice for you, y'know as a way to show you that I'm grateful you accepted my offer." He says and that eases some of the heavy feelings which swept over you.

"Well you sure did do something very nice." You don't mean to make it sound like it does, like you're ungrateful, but just as the words leave your mouth and his face falters slightly you know it's too late.

"You think it's too much?" He asks and the insecurities shines through, all of those you have spent hours talking with him about.

"No! Not at all Jungkook, I was a little frightened at first why it was so romantic, but it's very nice I love it." You sugarcoat the words a lot and make sure to not hurt him again, you hate hurting Jungkook.

Jungkook has always seemed tough, he says things like he thinks them, but he has so many emotions that one would never think about.

You do though, but that’s just your person, you think.

The two of you eats after that awkward moment and you quickly forget about it as the food touches your mouth.

Jungkook's spaghetti truly is the best!

He laughs as your face converts into a look of overwhelming joy. His secret weapon to get to you is food, it has always been food.

As the plates slowly gets emptier and emptier your anticipation rises, so does goosebumps on your arms as Jungkook's leg roams yours under the table.

His poker face is too good, not even the slightest hint of a smile on his face as he talks on about a funny encounter he had with Namjoon a day ago.

You don’t hear anything he says, all you hear is your own heartbeat, and his breathing.

You can’t look away from his lips even when you try your hardest. It’s frustrating to lose control like this, but you’ll admit that it’s also exciting.

Jungkook stops talking as he notices where your attention lies. A look plays on your face, a look he’s slowly getting very familiar with.

“Are you listening Y/N?” He asks, and you shake your head no, too allured to pronounce words.

It’s just the entirety of him that’s way too enchanting.

Suddenly he gets up and you sit still in your chair as he walks beside the table and over to you.

His right hand takes a hold on the backrest, and his left on your thigh, then he gets closer, lower. You both hear the gulp you make. Your cheeks are burning with the heat from Jungkook.

It’s the same feelings as yesterday, excitement and lust.

When he finally connects his lips to yours it’s in a hungry kiss. He doesn’t waist any time today and opens your mouth and lets his tongue in.

The game has started and you can feel it quickly escalating. The both of you stands up and Jungkook immediately starts undoing your pants and rips the shirt over your head.

You’re left in underwear, which you feel is very unfair, but as you pull the white thee off Jungkook's body and his tattoos shows up it isn’t as bad.

You don’t know what it is about his tattoos, but they turn you on so much that you get the thought you want to lick every dot and line of them.

His arms wraps around the back of your thigh and he pulls you up. You wrap them around his waist, and it surprises you how thin his waist is. Yesterday you were too overwhelmed with other parts of his body to notice his waist, but damn did you miss that beautiful waist.

You kiss him harder and press yourself deeper into him, and down by your womanhood you can feel Jungkook growing.

Before you even notice Jungkook has walked you into his bedroom, where purple led lights are shining and making him glow.

You’re in awe at how handsome he is and you stop for just a second to appreciate him.

“What is it?” He asks very lustily and very gently.

“You’re just very beautiful right now.” You answer honest and almost cringe at how that sounded. Normally you would never say something like that, but whatever it’s just one time.

In the corner of his mouth a small smile rises, but he hides it by kissing you again.

Small and light kisses all over your face, and it makes you laugh. He slowly goes over to the bed and lays you down carefully.

You love rough sex more than anything, but this right now is not bad, it’s different, and you need to get used too it, but it’s sure feels amazing.

Then the happy hour breaks as you remember this isn’t forever, and you shouldn’t get used too it. And old feelings play through your mind. You push them away.

When you’re finally laying on the bed, Jungkook crawls up from the foot end to where you’re sat at the top. His back muscles flex and unflex, and his tattoos dances across the skin.

You don't understand the attraction between you two, it's so strong, yet still too weak. But you don't need tro understand it to act on it.

His sweatpants are still on, but you can clearly see the bulge he's hiding in them. It’s big and ready for your touch.

As if it was a lifeline you grab onto his cock and Jungkook’s response is instant. A moan, a grunt and then he manhandles you up over his lap.

He softly guides your trembling hips over his crotch, and the pleasure extends over both your faces. Jungkook's fingertips traces the line of your panties and he smiles at the cute small bow.

So extremely sinful, yet that little bow just makes him look at you with the tenderest grin. Not that you notice you're too hypnotized by the work of his crotch and his cock hitting you. Even thought it's covered by clothes, you can imagine the way it would slide into your pussy.

Jungkook can see a wet spot on top of his sweatpants, which makes him pant harder. Your thighs around his hips makes him hard, and you feel that, as his dick pushes up underneath you.

You make sure to sway your hips extremely careful and precise over it, Jungkook's face trembles into pleasure.

“Hmm, you like it when my hips are on top of yours like this?” You ask and press harder.

Jungkook knows what he must look like, but right now he doesn’t care.

Until he suddenly does, and something between you switches. The little dominance you had overtaken shifts and Jungkook pushes you onto your stomach.

His hand stays on your lower back, pushing your cunt into the madras, and making sure you feel the friction, and it’s obvious that you’re feeling the friction, your moans are loud and clear, and very begging.

“Jungkook! Jungkook please, please do something!” You say and Jungkook only mocks you by pushing you deeper onto the madras.

"What? Hm? What was it again that you chanted yesterday?.. Something about my dick?" His voice is deeper than usual, much like it was yesterday, and you can feel him at the shell of your ear, breathing into it.

"Mhm! Yes, yes!" You stutter and hump into the madras. Jungkook chuckles looking down yours and his body. You're laying flat on your stomach and he on top of you.

His dick is uncomfortably hard, laying flat across your ass. The power he has over you right now is unbearable, he's sure he could suggest anything right now, ropes, crops, ball gag, he could pull up the weirdest shit and you would jump in with both feet.

But he has a plan that he wants to follow by, and even if the thought of you gagged up and bound, is very intriguing he has to wait, just a little longer.

“Mhm, well then you’ll have to be a good girl for me.” Jungkook says and his lips drags across the skin on your neck. You only whimper which is enough signal for Jungkook to go on.

“Let me watch as you touch yourself,” He says and kisses behind the shell of your ear, “Show me how you please yourself.”

The image of you touching yourself with Jungkook's eyes watching your every movement is both sensual and anxious. Will he be satisfied with only watching?

Of course he won’t. Jungkook plans on burying his cock deep inside your pussy and drown it in your juices. But he has always had a deep desire to see you touch yourself, ever since the day you spoke to him. Were you chanting his name when your fingers graced your pussy? Or were you thinking of his body?

He needs answers to that question.

You moan as Jungkook humps over you, a little warning hump, on what’s going to happen afterwards.

Your hands reach down quickly and it’s a little difficult getting under your stomach and down to your clit as Jungkook’s weight also pushes down over you. But once your hands finally touches the fabric of your panties, you hump down over your hand.

Jungkook’s name immediately leave your lips, as if it was him who did it. And you do it again and imagine his long fingers doing it, just like yesterday.

Watching you like this, all fucked out and needy does things to Jungkook. He felt it yesterday, but it has come back today.

“Yea just like that baby.” Jungkook groan, and his hand finds it way down to yours. As his hand takes over the speed involves and you can feel yourself falling into a deep aroused hole, which you’re not sure you can come out of.

While all this happens and Jungkook adds two fingers into your pussy, he plants small kisses of affection all over your neck and upper back.

"More... More Kookie." You moan, and Jungkook can't control his smirk. "More Yea? Then turn around." He says as he raises himself off you and pulls his hand away.

The missing action makes you want to pull him back, but the thought of Jungkooks dick finally entering you is so much more appealing, so you control yourself and turn around like Jungkook had told you to.

Jungkook waits until you're finally laying down, head against his pillows which he knows is going to smell like you tomorrow. When your big eyes all needy for him looks up at him like this, he is reminded why he asked for this deal in the first place.

You're very beautiful in his eyes, and never being able to just tell you is killing him. But at least he can show you now.

Jungkook unties the straps of his sweatpants and your eyes follows every move. It's sensual and sinful watching the buff man peal off his clothes for you.

And when he finally pulls his boxers off as well and his cock jumps up to his abdomen, you're panting and rubbing your thighs against each other. Jungkook notices and that only feeds his ego.

"Take your underwear off, Y/N." He says, adorable smile playing on his lips, in contrast to his angry dick.

You immediately follow suit and pull your bra and panties off. You stay like that for a minute appreciating each other bodies. The erotic picture of Jungkook naked in front of you makes the sheets wet under you.

"Shit, Y/N, you look so good right now-" He says, but you cut him off by pulling him down and kissing him.

The way your lips move against each other is a new feeling. The both of you have gotten used to how the other kisses, and it gets better and better for every time you do it.

Between kisses Jungkook whispers all sorts of dirty things while he closes in on your body. "Mhm, I bet you're wet enough for the neighbors to hear it through the wall." "My sweet little baby, all needy and whiney for me." "I'm gonna coat you in my cum."

All these sorts of things leaves his mouth, and if you weren't this turned on it would probably have been gross, but his words only adds to the pleasure between your legs.

It's you who breaks the kiss. You lock eyes with him, they shine purple in the shadow of the led lights. Your hand slides over his cock, giving him a few pumps, and Jungkook moan in surprise.

"I want you. Right now." You say and Jungkook sees how serious you're trying to be with this. "I'm all yours Y/N." He says and line his dick up with your pussy, and finally you moan in union as he slips into you.

You've had sex many times with different people, but there's something totally different and even more intimate about this. The sounds you both let out are loud, and Jungkook moves fast from the beginning grinding into you with force. "Ah.. Fuck Y/N."

Your legs close in to get even more pleasure, but Jungkook rips them apart and pushes each of your knees down to the madras. "Shi- it." You say in response and Jungkook smiles down at you and bends to kiss your forehead. Your hands on Jungkook's back scratches as his dick hits your g-spot and his pelvis hits your clit. "Kookie.." You moan and turn your head, too deep into the pleasure to keep up. It doesn't take long before you feel your orgasm build up. Your whole body is glistering with sweat and so is Jungkook's. The white sheets are wrinkled up underneath you. Jungkook's hands leave your knees and instead takes a hard grip around your waist.

"I'm gonna try something baby, tap me twice if you want me to stop, okay?" You can't answer, no words will leave your mouth so you only nod.

When Jungkook said he wanted to try something you had not imagined that meant turning you over and onto all fours.

You're placed on all fours and Jungkook knows exactly what he's doing. He knows this is your favorite position, and you also happen to know it's his.

Jungkook's dick is still inside you, but he slowly pulls it out leaving only the tip. "Lay down for me goddess." Jungkook says and pushes on your upper back. With the little energy you have left you fall down, and only your ass is in the air now.

His hands hold tightly around your waist, and suddenly Jungkook hammers his dick into you with a force that has you nearly banging your head into the headboard. "Shit...!" You yell and are aware that the neighbors have full access to the noise you’re making.

His dick slide in and out of you and Jungkook can feel your walls tightening around him. It only adds to his desire and makes him push into you with even more force. His hands on your waist are giving electric shocks, and he lowers himself over your back and whisper into your ears.

“Do you feel that huh? How my cock is fitting so good into your pussy. Such a pretty little pussy, so tight and ready for me.” He says and that plus a very good hit in your g-spot is what tips you over.

Your orgasm hits, your back arches and it’s Jungkook’s weight over you that keeps you pressed down into the bed. You walls clench so much that Jungkook’s grinds slows down and it’s not long after you feel him twitch inside you and he pulls out and cums on your back. "FU- U- CK, Y/N..." He says.

He collapse on top of you and the white stripes of his cum mixes in between you. Not that you care, you’re both basking in the silence and satisfaction after the sex.

It fees magical, this moment. His body warmth is like a blanket, you want to keep him around you forever.

But after a few minutes he rises and the sticky noise form his cum fills your ears. He kisses you, “let’s get you cleaned up.” his arms sneaks around you and lifts you up.

Carrying you through the house and over to his bathroom he places you in the bathtub and fills it with water. There’s not once where he turns his back to you or his attention away, and you feel like a wanted person.

The water is hot and suites into your muscles loosing them up.

“So what happens afterwards?” You ask when you sit in the bathtub, asking yourself if he would kick you out now or not.

“You stay the night and we wake up together tomorrow, sounds good?” His hands play around with the water from your bath. His eyes are locked with yours and it’s weird seeing Jungkook this affectionate.

Usually when you see him with other girls, it’s sex and goodbye. You never knew Jungkook could be such a gentleman.

A smile plays on your lips, “That sounds good.” You say and try to hide how giddy you feel.

After the bath Jungkook carries you back to the bed. A movie is rolling in the background as you lay cuddled up by Jungkook’s side. You’re mostly watching the movie, but Jungkook just can’t pull his eyes from the small creature which is you laying in his arms.

When you fall asleep Jungkook turns off the movie and he too falls asleep next to you, with you pulled tightly into him.

Next morning you wake up first. Your legs are sore and your hair is a nest. But even so you lie smiling looking at Jungkook taking small puffs of air and clinging onto you like a little child.

You wouldn’t change this morning for anything in the world. This deal is the best thing you’ve ever agreed to.

Mini Taglist:

♪ @ahgasegotarmy116

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[teamsasukes]

ok in my opinion, many things are wrong with the idea that sakura viewed sasuke only as a prize to be won to boost her self-worth; that when it comes to sasuke, she's forever frozen in time as a 12-year-old girl who can't see beyond his good hair and great grades. this post is my attempt at thoroughly unpacking and refuting that notion

when we meet sakura in part 1, she is obsessed with societal standards and her admiration for sasuke is almost entirely rooted in that. he's the ideal future husband -- from an ancient clan, stoic, intelligent, skilled, and by sakura's own description, "cool" -- these are things that she has been conditioned to want! so this is the sasuke that she envisions, until...

until they get put on a team together, and sakura gradually comes to realize that perhaps sasuke is not what she's made him out to be in her mind. he talks about crying, about being afraid. he's paralyzed with fear in their first mission. naruto may very well be stronger and more capable than him! oh, and sasuke gets into silly fights with naruto all the time. none of that is "cool." suddenly he seems less like the ideal future husband and more like a real person with flaws and baggage of his own.

that sakura's view of sasuke changes is so apparent through how radically her behaviour around him shifts between the early formation of team 7 and the chunin exams (and any point after). sakura goes from being unable to listen to a bad word about sasuke (maybe even the ones that are deserved) to defying him when she deems fit. she even praises naruto at his expense, because societal views are not at the forefront of her mind when it comes to the two boys anymore -- they're just naruto and sasuke. they're her friends! she goes from calling kakashi out for bad-mouthing the uchiha clan because she's doesn't want to risk sasuke getting mad at her, to calling naruto out for a similar statement, not due to personal involvement in the equation, but simply because it's not right.

and people typically agree with me up to here. it's when we get to sakura cutting her hair in the forest of death that opinions diverge, and some people tend to think that sakura should have "gotten over" sasuke to propel her character development forward. i don't necessarily find this reading invalid -- it's certainly a more straightforward direction for her character to take. sakura's goal was sasuke, now sakura's goal is to be strong. the problem is that there was always more nuance to her goal of winning sasuke's heart than people afford it in fandom discussion, and similarly, i don't think that the progression needed to be as clear-cut as "sakura gets over sasuke" to still be meaningful. in this case, i feel like people's expectations about what should have happened following this scene might preclude them from seeing the growth that this moment did produce.

sakura cutting her hair in the forest of death is the critical point her arc built up to for all of part 1. sakura is insulted by the sound nin for pouring so much time into her appearance when her training is clearly not up to par, and she cuts her shiny and perfect hair in a declaration that she will no longer derive her self-worth from the validation that would come from romantic attachment (to sasuke, or anyone else). instead, it will be from standing shoulder-to-shoulder with (or even ahead of) her teammates in battle -- so that she can protect them rather than the other way around. then the flashbacks during her fight with ino make it explicit that sakura has wanted to become a skilled shinobi -- one who could match up to ino -- all along, but since that is not a socially acceptable goal from a girl, she instead declares them rivals over sasuke's heart. the boy is not important here (haha, it always sticks out to me that when she asks him out before the chunin exams, sakura is more bummed about sasuke's assessment of her skills than his rejection). she doesn't even think of sasuke while fighting ino, lol -- she grandstands about how only she can "get him," but that's for the purpose of riling up ino, so that there's no chance she'll go easy on sakura. sakura wants to know, definitively, that she can match up to ino. and she does.

in light of all of this, people often say sakura had "no reason" to like sasuke -- after all, i did spend the entire last paragraph establishing that sakura's pre-series crush on sasuke was an immature infatuation that had nothing to do with sasuke and everything to do with ino. but, again, team 7 spent months together on a team and sasuke and sakura became actual friends! he was a good teammate to both naruto and sakura, if a little rough around the edges. i don't think it's implausible for sakura to develop real feelings for sasuke during this time. and if that is not enough, if you need deeper, thematically fulfilling reasons -- well, i sort of object to that on principle. i think friendship, having fun with one another, being at ease around each other -- these are all perfectly good reasons to fall in love with someone. and you may say that naruto also fulfills this criteria, but if sakura was physically attracted to sasuke and not naruto -- well, i think that's fine too, and it certainly doesn't warrant any moral judgment. people say often that sakura should have ended up with lee or naruto -- the first of whom stated outright that he loved her because she was beautiful, and the latter who introduced her as a "pretty girl" -- but whether their feelings are shallow is not endlessly dissected. (it's not narusaku or leesaku i protest to here, just the double standard)

but for the record, i think kishimoto did write in enough for us to understand why sakura would fall for sasuke in particular. i discussed this in another post, but alongside ino, sasuke sparked the most significant character growth for sakura. he was the first to make her reevaluate her treatment of naruto (and by extension, her rose-tinted view of the world), he was the first (and only) of their teammates to express disappointment that she wasn't investing in her own skills, he figured out when she felt insecure and reminded her of the areas in which she was more proficient than the rest of the team. sakura's initial idealized view of sasuke does not endure for a number of reasons, one of which is that the real sasuke actually expects her to hold her own and sees potential in her. for sakura, whose main motivation as a character is to become stronger for her teammates, this must mean a great deal! we mostly lose track of this element of sasuke and sakura's dynamic in part 2, which is a shame, but when she cracks open the earth with only her fist, naruto and kakashi are utterly astonished, while sasuke just smiles -- like it is no surprise, like she's been capable of it all along -- so there is that, i guess.

(and for more on thematically fulfilling, see this post on what i think could have played out if sakura were not relegated to a side character in all but panel presence in part 2. but really, i find it so interesting that sasuke and sakura both repeatedly have a lot of trouble suppressing their compassion to do what is expected of them as shinobi. apart from sasuke, i think sakura is also the only character to express that human life has inherent value -- at least, she says something along those lines when she fights sasori.)

anyway, post-forest of death, sasuke version 1 has pretty much dissipated in sakura's mind -- the only place he ever existed -- and sakura's treatment of sasuke changes further. she stops intruding on his physical boundaries, stops flirting, stops asking him out -- she's there for him, but as a friend first. she hugs him in the hospital, but that's not necessarily a romantic gesture (she's physically affectionate by nature, which is why she ambushes naruto with a hug in the same manner at the end of the pain arc) and sasuke finds it comforting (signalled by many things, chief among which is that naruto leaves the room after observing sasuke's face). and yes, she confesses to being in love with him twice afterwards, years apart, but that is only because she is extremely stressed and panicked and wants him to stay for his own (and the second time around, add in naruto's) safety. her first confession is too centered on her own feelings, while the second is just woefully oblivious (through little fault of sakura's -- she doesn't know why sasuke is so intent on destroying the shinobi world), but neither of them come with the condition of sakura wanting sasuke to stay only so he can be with her. sakura wants sasuke to be safe! she wants him to be mentally sound! she lets him know that she cares about him!

i absolutely need to reiterate: at no point in part 2 does sakura display any sense of entitlement to sasuke. she always pleads with him to stay, rather than demanding anything of him. and even in the privacy of her own thoughts, sakura ponders bringing sasuke back in a few contexts: she wants sasuke to be okay, she is so sorry for burdening naruto, she needs to help naruto, and if sasuke comes back, they can all be a team again. romance does not even enter her mind. it is such a willfully egregious misread of the text to say that she only wanted sasuke back so they could be together.

moreover, it is honestly just nonsensical to me when people say sakura wanted sasuke as a prize, because it laughs in the face of her entire character arc and completely ignores why her pre-series crush existed at all. back then, sakura wanted sasuke as a status symbol. as of part 2, though, he is decidedly not what konoha's society would see as the ideal man. in the eyes of the state, he is a wanted criminal. sakura, meanwhile, is a student of the hokage, one of the most skilled medics in konoha at the ripe age of 16, and one of the most powerful shinobi of her generation (a feat achieved entirely through her own labour). she has stood next to her teammates in battle and helped take down a literal god. she does not need sasuke to feel fulfilled. nevertheless, she chooses, every day, to care about him, even though it would be infinitely easier not to. and if sakura wanted to haul around a status symbol in the form of a boyfriend, if only to bolster her already impressive profile (which she would not. that's the point!) -- naruto, konoha's new favourite traumatized teenager, is like. right there. but sakura loved naruto before he was proclaimed a hero by konoha, just like she continues to love sasuke even though he is very far from the coolest boy in their class.

my feelings on chapter 699 are... mixed, because the way things resolve for sasuke is just so sad, but what we see play out between him and sakura is: 1. sakura asks to come with him 2. sasuke is 100% comfortable saying no (how do the "sakura forced sasuke to be with her" truthers reconcile with that one, lol) 3. sakura appears mildly disappointed but like. she'll survive. that's it. then he thanks her, taps her on the forehead (but promises he'll see her soon, in an inversion of what that gesture meant from itachi), and we leave them in a pretty hopeful place, all things considered. there's room for reconciliation, for growth, for love. (and i don't want to hear about post-699 because i don't care. i don't consider it canon, and pretty much no one on tumblr does either, except to occasionally shit on ships they don't like)

this ended up being way too long, but i want to say: if you don't like sasusaku, that's your prerogative. i'm not here to change your mind. i certainly think they should have been written better in part 2 (but i'd argue that, like, 99% of those issues are just a natural consequence of sakura being continually sidelined by the narrative, rather than problems inherent to the relationship itself). regardless, i think too often people let their opinion of a ship impede character analysis. to claim that sakura relentlessly propositioned sasuke and that she saw him as a prize does such a huge disservice to how much she has grown and what she has accomplished over the course of the series.

[codenamesazanka]

I love your spinaraki fankid! I hope you don't mind receiving asks about him, if so, then please ignore.

In your AU, would Masanori be inclined to meeting mr. compress, if he's still around? Like, if compress was able to get out of jail, would he try to find Masanori (maybe not try to interact but just out of curiosity to know what happened to the kid)? Or Masanori could get Deku to let him speak to compress if he's still in jail? Does compress even know about Masanori's existence?

Ahhhhhhhh I'm so glad you like Masanori and thank you so much for the ask! Please, send all the asks you want. I'm just really happy people like him. 🤗🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🏼

In this AU, Mr. Compress is still around - though still in jail, on death row.* Execution could happen any day now.

(*As part of a terrorist group that was involved in kidnapping, insurrection, multiple murders, etc., he's definitely getting the death penalty. All prison/legal aspects here is based on irl modern-day Japan.)

Compress does know about Masanori's existence! The League (+ the PLF leadership + two or three PLF medical workers) all knew that Spinner laid an egg. And just like Spinner, none of them knew what became of the egg - if it ever hatched, if the kid is doing okay, if they're even alive. Having guessed correctly that Spinner never told the Heroes anything, and with the subject never brought up in interrogations, they all intend to take the secret to the grave.

(Tho you're right: if Compress had ever broken out of jail because he totally should, he definitely would have tracked down the kid! And watched him from afar, to make sure he's okay. As much as Compress might want to make contact, he probably won't, to give the kid a chance at a non-villain, non-fugitive, non-League-bleak-end life. Though he may meddle with some things behind-the-scenes to make sure the kid stays on the straight path.

However, in an AU of this AU—if, like, fate ever puts Masanori in life-threatening danger, Compress would def rush there to save and protect him.)

Masanori - at first - actually has no interest in speaking to Mr. Compress. He knows about the guy, via reading Spinner's memoir and research, but since Masanori decided not to get sentimental about his parentage, he doesn't care to get in touch with Mr. Compress.

Not that Masanori can in the first place - by himself, he's got no way to establish communication with a death row prisoner, no good reason for it should he have to give one, and no one other than family and lawyers can contact Sako Atsuhiro anyway. That also lowered any incentive to act on any curiosity he might have had.

*

It's actually this lack of desire that gives off a red flag to Deku, as part of a series of red flags regarding Masanori. See, Masanori has closed his heart off - doesn't want to know more about his parents or lineage, doesn't want to bond with anyone, doesn't even want friends. (Even Shigaraki had friends and held the League close to his heart!)

It just seems very sad and lonely to Deku. Masanori is not a villain and has firmly declared that he won't be one, so everyone can rest easy, but Masanori sure acts like a Villain, clearly broken and rejecting a world that had rejected him and "too far gone" for any of Deku's (or anyone's) attempts to Make Him Smile. (Metaphorically.) (Also literally - not a smiler, Masanori. Or emotes much.)

So of course obviously, for the story development, for Masanori's character growth, and Deku to for-real save Masanori, kid does eventually have to open up and develop connections. Deku actually takes the first step in facilitating this - getting a stay of execution for Mr. Compress so the kid can still have the only connection left in the world to Shigaraki and Spinner.

Plus for Deku - Compress will also probably be the first person to really take Deku to task about caring for Masanori, for Masanori's sake - if Deku's serious about helping this kid, without forcing his shallow and egotistical heroic ideals on him, and to continue helping him no matter what, no resorting to punching even if the kid fucks up, even if people finds out about Masanori and Deku'll have to defend Masanori's very existence against the world.

*

Anddddddddd I've also toyed with the extremely terribly too-sappy idea that Masanori thinks of himself as a mistake, someone who shouldn't exist. Not only because of his villain lineage, but because clearly he's the result of some awkward situationship between Spinner and Shigaraki, two loser 20-somethings who were each other first friends because they were both gamers. While being boss and underling. Kinda cringe, you know? If they were sensible, they wouldn't/shouldn't have had him. Of course a pair of criminals would end up with a mess of an egg.

But it's Mr. Compress who'll be able to back up everything Spinner says in his letter to Masanori, and more. He'll tell Masanori that Spinner and Shigaraki really did care about each other very much. Masanori is a child born of... maybe not love, but definitely affection. And while he was indeed a complete surprise and accident, that wouldn't have mattered to his parents. Once he was in the world, once he existed, that would've been reason enough for Shigaraki and Spinner to fully accept him and fight to create a world that he can be free in. They surely would've done that. Wanted to do that. That's something Compress can say with 100% certainty. And it'll soothe such an important part of Masanori.

Also once Masanori does open up his heart and he and Compress do bond, I think they can have a good time chatting about stuff. Not just League stories, but also like, history details that Masanori can't learn from books, tips on thievery, the terrible name Shigaraki and Spinner would've came up for Masanori, how to survive having notable bloodlines weighting on you, expensive foods Masanori should try on that Deku Hero's budget.

*

Thanks again for the ask!!! For allowing me to ramble on about this!!!! 🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🏼😭

[asherisawkward]

My reaction to the below post

Hello! Fan of Philip here. (I do NOT think he did nothing wrong. He did quite a bit wrong.)

I can’t help but notice that despite your claim of attempting to see things in an unbiased manner, you clearly have made no effort to step outside your favorite character’s side and look at things objectively.

So, I will list the facts:

Fact one: The Wittebane brothers were orphaned at a young age. This resulted in Caleb becoming entirely responsible for his little brother, who was dependent on him physically, financially, and emotionally. Especially when it is strongly implied that they had difficulties fitting in, as referenced by Masha, “They tried to fit in with this town, and its unsavory practices.”

Fact Two: Caleb participated in and even supported Philip with the witch hunting culture. Masha said, “They became witch hunters.” They, not he. Additionally, Caleb is seen in Hollow Mind making the mask that Philip uses when he plays “witch hunt” with his brother and interacts with the witch hunting community. There are also scenes of them witch hunting together.

Fact Three:Caleb met a witch named Evelyn and began to communicate with her. It’s never specifically stated how they met or when, but the memory painting below indicates that it was during a witch hunt. Take note of the pitchfork in Caleb’s hand.

Fact Four: Caleb and Evelyn kept their interactions regarding the Boiling Isles a secret, as noted by the rebus, Marsha’s statement of “They used a secret code to travel between worlds,” and the buried Titan Blood. They took great care to ensure that nobody would be able to find them out, including Philip.

Fact Five: Caleb is never mentioned detailing his change of heart and opinion to Philip, nor does he make any apparent interest in introducing the pair to each other until the scene depicted below, which is after years of Philip struggling to survive in the demon realm and thinking his brother was kidnapped. This leads Philip to having no reference for his brother’s growth and thinking that such an extreme change could only happen because of witchcraft.

Fact Six: Caleb and Evelyn had a constant method of transportation between the realms. This is supported by Masha’s previous statements, the buried vial of Titan’s Blood, the abundance of the aforementioned liquid and knowledge of how to get it, and the designated arch they used to travel between the realms.

Fact Seven: Caleb canonically abandoned Philip. This is not an opinion or a take, it is fact. One day, Caleb stopped coming back to the Human Realm and decided to live in the Boiling Isles with Evelyn. Not only did he ignore the fact that his brother was still clearly a child who seems to be closer to Gus’ age than any other members of the cast, but there is no proof that he even left a note behind to is brother or tried to take him along. Instead, Philip witnessed his brother seeming happy and free with a witch, something his entire society and even Caleb had taught him to hate, and he never comes back again.

Unless this portrait is just make believe?

If Caleb really didn’t intend to get stuck on the Boiling Isles, then why didn’t he try harder to get back to his brother? Philip has shown from his time on the Isles that it takes some dedication and knowledge of the dangers of Fool’s Blood, but it is entirely possible to get access to Titan’s Blood again. Caleb either was not nearly as motivated at getting back to his orphaned brother or he was not nearly as intelligent as we were led to believe through Hunter.

Fact Eight: Evelyn is in the late stages of her pregnancy when Philip finds them, implying Caleb was there for at minimum 8-9 months, which could play a factor in him not wanting to leave the isles and return to Philip. When Philip first arrives in the Isles, he is in his late teens or early twenties, as seen by his appearance below.

When Philip finally sees Caleb again for the first time, he has a beard and his face has matured to resemble his thirties. That is about ten years that Philip believed his brother to be kidnapped and brainwashed, if we believe both the math and Philip’s diary.

Credit to Teasnap on Duscord for fact eight.

Fact Nine: When Caleb and Philip finally do reunite, the former takes no consideration for Philip’s struggles to survive the Isles, the fact that he grew into adulthood with the same people reinforcing his biases as when he was a child, the terror and confusion he must have experienced at losing his only connection/parental figure, or any of the other trauma and issues that happened because of his choice. What does he do instead? He hugs Philip and introduces him to the woman he abandoned him for.

None of this is to say that Caleb is an inherently bad person or that he deserves to die in the manner he did, but he made some serious mistakes by choosing to leave his family behind for the Demon Realm, much in the same way that Luz does to Camila. What it does characterize him as is selfish and thoughtless.

I could go on a tangent about how with the way Philip was conditioned, he would have considered any kindness coming from a witch or demon to be a falsehood made to ensnare him and steal his soul, or I could do a lengthy analysis on how Philip desperately needs Evelyn to be evil or else the only person who ever mattered to him chose to willingly abandon him to a town that likely hates him. I could even do or link some explanations of the Boiling isles policies on magically weak or magicless beings are considered inferior and tormented (including Philip) (also note Hunter and Willow as victims of this).

The point is that Philip grew up in a place that taught him everything different, including himself (note his use of his left hand), was bad and needed to be destroyed. These assumptions were never challenged by anyone who could get through to him, and eventually he became a victim of the Sunk-Cost Fallacy.

Sunk-Cost Fallacy: the phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial. (cited: Oxford dictionary).

Philip mutilated himself physically and corrupted his very being and humanity in order to save humanity and atone for his brother’s sin of loving a witch. It’s even implied that he doesn’t have any real plans for living beyond completing his goals, at the end of “Elsewhere and Elsewhen,” he says, “It doesn’t matter. I just need to live long enough to see this through.” None of this is indicators of someone who only wants to play the hero and be lauded with applause and praise.

All of this indicates that he is genuine and serious about his beliefs regarding witches, demons, and humanity. The change from a scared child to a horrific abuser planning genocide that is shown through the evidence I’ve detailed proves that Philip is anything but a one dimensional caricature of a villain, and that to say such is an insult to all the hard work that was put into making him.

[sapphic-agent]

I'M BACK WITH MY HAZBIN HOTEL BS!

I think one way Vaggie could be saved as a character is if in one of the later seasons she ventures through Hell to find other Fallen Angels like herself and wants to either help them get redeemed or find a place in Hell.

This would provide Vaggie the character growth she desperately needs AND would help give her an identity outside of Charlie.

Plus it's super unrealistic that Vaggie seems to be the ONLY Fallen Angel in Hell when there could clearly be more.

I've actually wondered whether Vaggie can really be counted as Fallen before.

When Lucifer Fell, it was dictated by Heaven. It's unclear as to who was behind it (God himself, probably, or Lucifer's other siblings if they exist in HH), but we see him and Lilith banished. He Fell because he brought sin and evil onto Earth, disobeying Heaven's will.

In comparison, Vaggie's banishment to Hell is a lot different. Her wings were ripped off (interesting to note that Lucifer still has his) and she was abandoned and outcast by the Exterminators.

I'm going to say something crazy and make the claim that Vaggie never actually Fell. I just feel like Adam doesn't have the authority to do so. And if she really was Fallen, could he really give her a place back in Heaven like he offered to do so?

Also, Vaggie still bleeds gold blood. Lucifer doesn't bleed, so it's hard to compare to him, but I'm assuming his has been red since he Fell. That's just speculation on my part.

I think the Exterminators just abandoned Vaggie in Hell, I don't think she's an actual Fallen Angel.

(Viv or any other crew members might have confirmed that she did and I'm wrong, in that case disregard this)

BUT ANYWAY I got off track.

I agree! It would be nice to see Vaggie find Fallen Angels and either find a place for them at the hotel or reflect on how they've adjusted to life in Hell. Some people think Carmilla is one, which is a theory I actually like a lot. Unlike the other Overlords she seems less bloodthirsty and has more penchant for kindness (I know Rosie). It would also explain why she made an Angelic Weapon for herself and knew the Angels' weakness (fighting like they can't get hurt).

She also just looks less like a demon, I guess. Now that I'm looking at her, she actually shares more similarities with Vaggie and Lute than any other demon in Hell. The grayish skin, the white hair. Even their face shapes seem a bit similar. But hey, that's just a theory, a film theory.

This would make her interactions with Vaggie a lot more meaningful

[scoobydoodean]

I think people tend to view Dean as more unhinged about Sam because Sam seems to be the one shown consistently "fine" living without Dean. Like S8 Sam and series finale Sam. Like not trying to get Dean back. Whereas in S6 Dean said he tried to get Sam out of the Cage but kept hitting dead ends. But he didn't just let Sam go like he said he would. Sam seems to be less hesitant to just let Sam go and more able to live on without Dean. Idk what are your thoughts on this?

Context

The thing is is that I don't feel the need to respond to the notion that being willing to sacrifice yourself for your brother is more unhinged than killing people to keep him alive or get him back or get revenge on his behalf. Because I don't think that's true at all. All that difference reflects is Sam's willingness to go to morally questionable lengths beyond where Dean will go. Dean's moral compass will cause him to hit a point where his only option is self-sacrifice long before Sam ever hits that wall.

That said... some of what you've said is extremely misleading.

Between season 3 and 4, Sam ignored Bobby's calls and spent months in a bottle stumbling drunk, drinking hard liquor straight from a bottle. He captured a crossroad's demon and tried to trade his life for Dean's (Gifset), and tried to open The Devil's gate (Gifset). He at one point planned to charge into battle against Lilith knowing he would lose and die—it's an intentional suicide mission (4.09). He also readily rejects Dean's dying wishes by working with Ruby for revenge against Lilith (Gifset).

Contrast this with season 6: Dean researched how to get Sam out of The Cage—in books--on the side while living with Lisa and Ben, without risking his own life or anyone else's, and without trying to make any demon deals or do anything else reckless, and while managing PTSD.

Which of these people actually sounds more "fine"? Because there's an objectively correct answer here and it's not Sam.

Season 8 Sam is an exception—not the rule. What we're looking at is not character growth (we need no more proof of that than season 10 and The Book of the Damned). The Reason Sam Is Like That™️ is because he's experiencing a break from reality.

As for 15.20 Sam, we have no idea if Sam tried to find a way to bring Dean back. SPNWin might actually suggest Sam has been trying to get Dean back the entire time Dean's been dead (depending on whether you think "Clarence" is an obvious Cas reference, whether the brother relationship makes it clear he's Sam, or whether he's both). Regardless, at that point we are dealing with a Sam who has maxxed out his knowledge about the pitfalls encountered when you try to bring back your family (this includes Jack). This makes him generally less reckless because he vividly understands the consequences. We see the same thing with Dean as early as season 6, and again in 13.21, when he thinks Sam has been torn apart and is convinced to leave Sam behind and prioritize the safety of the people around him instead.

Additionally, a lot of the less versus more reckless plays the brothers make with their own lives have to do with how badly they might be struggling with suicidal ideation at one point or another. This is a massive motivator for Dean's deal in 2.22 for example. His actions aren't just about Sam—they're also about his belief that he "came back wrong" and shouldn't be alive, and that dying will set the universe right. Literally the entire season he is struggling with the intense guilt and a sense of wrongness over being alive.

So yeah. One time, Sam abandoned Dean to die. At other times, he came up with plans that involved sacrificing himself, or other people, or dedicated himself to revenge to the exclusion of all else.

[kae-karo]

my "sae has to return for the world cup arc" theory, based around 3 key things:

narratively speaking, isagi needs someone a step up from kaiser (or at a similar level) to continue his own growth and evolution

it would be challenging to introduce a new character that is not on the japan u20 team to serve as isagi's next antagonist/rival

sae's introduction during the u20 arc leaves his character arc unfinished, both wrt his own evolution and his subplot with rin

longer explanations below the cut lmao

okay first, isagi needing someone at or above kaiser's level to evolve - up to this point, isagi's evolution has been at the hands of increasingly more skilled characters (bachira, niko, nagireo, rin, barou, aiku, rin again, and now kaiser) - at this stage, we have a member of the ng11 that's pushed isagi to his next evolution. beyond that skill level, it's really just the pros or other ng11 members, according to the roughly established hierarchy of skill beyond blue lock

now imo, isg as a player has been set up as a mix of striker and offensive midfielder - unlike characters like kaiser, rin, nagi, and barou, he's not exclusively a striker, nor his he exclusively serving as a midfielder like kurona, hiori, and reo. at this point, i think he's reached a high tier evolution in following and surpassing strikers' skills, but he still heavily leans on his metavision and working himself and other players into his vision to score goals even when they aren't his own goals

so, i could see a midfielder pushing his evolution even further or rounding it out more completely to give him the full spectrum of evolution for both striker skills and midfielder skills - or perhaps he ultimately needs to surpass a combination of an extremely talented midfielder and an extremely talented striker (aka sae and rin)

okay but to be fair, there are other characters that would be at or above kaiser's level to push isagi to his next evolution - noa, for example, or any of the world players we've seen. but that brings me to my next point - this is the world cup arc, which would theoretically involve a training period + the world cup games, so putting isg up against someone that isn't on the japan u20 team (and would be absent for the training period and most of the world cup games) seems like a challenging way to concretely and consistently establish a rival

and, unfortunately, i think the only character in blue lock that's even capable of pushing isagi would be rin - but we've already seen the rin v isagi dynamic when they're on the same team, i think it'd be hard to highlight how rin could make isagi evolve dramatically this time around without it feeling repetitive or underwhelming

so, introduce a new character then - and in theory, this could be another random japanese player (lmao kira) but i'll admit, i'd find it contrived and a little disappointing to throw in someone we've somehow never met before this point, given that we've already met the previously established u20 team and have eliminated literal hundreds of other talented japanese soccer players

but the thing about that is that we already have a character that 1. can play for japan on the world cup u20 team 2. is at or above kaiser's level in terms of skill to push isagi to his next evolution and 3. has unresolved plot. i don't think knsr introduces things just for fun, and sae's plot with rin remains completely unresolved at this stage. further, his own backstory has yet to be touched on, and as an antagonist introduced during the u20 match for isagi, he remains the only antagonist that has yet to go through a breakdown/rebuilding of ego due to isagi

and i think that's relevant - for reasons that could be as simple as sae wanting to see what becomes of japanese soccer at the hands of blue lock (and isagi), sae could join the u20 team for the world cup and serve as an instigator both to push rin to improve and, by virtue of his own skill and rin's improvement, to push isagi to his next evolution

and in that process, i suspect we'll see 1. the resolution of rin and sae's subplot 2. sae's backstory and the crushing of his ego (a la aiku's backstory) and 3. the resurgence of or genuine creation of his new ego, whether that's to be a striker or to stay a midfielder, or whatever it ends up being

all in all, i think this direction would tie a neat bow on top of sae's character as well as really honing both rin's and isagi's skills and character arcs without introducing contrived reasoning for a new antagonist that we've somehow never seen before