#100% going to make all the same decisions again as always but I don't care

[moongothic]

Rereading Dressrosa for the first time in quite a few years, after having become a Crocodad Truther specifically, was a really interesting experience, mainly due to the relationship between Kyros and Rebecca and Luffy's very strong feelings about those two in particular

Starting with the latter point; watching Luffy get really passionate about making sure Rebecca reunited with her father, instead of the two never seeing each other again as Kyros had planned, was just really facinating to me.

Now there ARE layers to this; Luffy saw first hand how much Rebecca and Kyros love each. Even if he didn't know or understand all the details, he knew these two were family forced to live apart due to Doflamingo's rule and that, even though Rebecca didn't know Mr Soldier was her father all those years, he still looked after her and did all he could to protect her. Luffy understands how much they matter to each other. Luffy also gets that Kyros was trying to make a sacrifice out of self-loathing; Kyros saw himself as a bloodstained monster who did not deserve to be by his daughter's side, thus his insistence on them going their separate ways. But not only is that "sacrifice out of loathing" not a thing One Piece rewards within the narrative*, but Luffy emotionally understands what Kyros was trying to do was stupid as hell. *(See; Robin trying to save the crew in the CP9 Saga, Sanji trying to offer his head to Kuma to spare everyone else (because he saw himself as the "least worthy", compared to Zoro who believed he was the only one who could actually tank Kuma and survive), Sanji again during Whole Cake Island, etc)

Adding to that, in what I feel also harkens back to Alabasta (vaguely important since Dressrosa in many ways is a reflection of Alabasta); Vivi made her decision to stay in her home because that's what she wanted deep in her heart, because she loved her country. Just the same way, dethroning Doflamingo, getting revenge for her mother and reuniting with her extended family were all fine achievements. But all Rebecca wanted deep in her heart was to stay with Mr Soldier (regardless if he was her father or not). That's what mattered the most to her.

How could Luffy even think about leaving without making sure Rebecca was able decide on her own if she wanted to stay with her father, instead of him making that decision for her, not because it was truly "for the best", but out of Kyros' own guilt and self-loathing.

All of that to say; Luffy becoming so emotionally involved in Rebecca and Kyros' father-daughter relationship is perfectly normal and on-brand for him, it's not strange at all.

...At the same time. I could not help but to wonder if those two's relationship could somehow reflect Luffy's relationship with his estranged parent(s), and more importantly, kind of debunk the fandom idea of Luffy as someone who 100% does not care if people are related or not and has ZERO interest in Dragon etc

Like I have discussed this before but I've been meta posting for so long on here I'll repeat myself just a lil; I feel like it's less "Luffy doesn't care Dragon is his father" and more "Luffy doesn't know HOW to feel about Dragon". We don't know what Garp told Luffy about his parent(s), presumably and based on the conversation post-Enies Lobby it just seems like Garp never mentioned ANYTHING to Luffy? Like he didn't even tell Luffy a white lie about why his parents weren't there for him? We simply do not know. But what we do know is these three things: 1. Luffy hates being alone, even more than "being hurt". Being alone is his worst fear 2. Although Garp was responsible for raising Luffy, he wasn't always there, meaning other townspeople and Shanks' crew alike were equally "responsible" for looking after Luffy. 3. Meaning Luffy was essentially an orphan. Fans will joke about Luffy's surprise at him having a father being because he's stupid, an asexy and doesn't know where babies come from, and while I may not be fully able to debunk that conceptually. Like. It's just as possible that because Luffy was raised like an orphan, he might have assumed that either his parents were dead or had abandoned him because they didn't want him. And I'm going to argue that if that's what Luffy always assumed was what happened, yeah, it'd contribute to his fear of being alone. It'd explain why he'd be surprised to find out he actually does have a father out there somewhere. And yeah, Luffy might not know how to feel about Dragon if that's the case. Should he hate Dragon because he wasn't ever there for him (from Luffy's POV)? Why wasn't Dragon there for him? Did he really not want Luffy, or did he have some reason for leaving Luffy? What is he like anyways, is he nice or cool or a dickbag?? Should Luffy even care about any of that stuff??? All of that to say; I don't think Luffy is completely disinterested in Dragon, I think he doesn't know how to feel or think about Dragon, and it's not relevant to Luffy right now anyways because Dragon's like, out there somewhere while Luffy is on his journey. Where as, if Luffy were to meet Dragon, get to know what he's like, why he wasn't there for Luffy and most importantly, how he feels about his only son (does he care about Luffy and his wellbeing? Is he a Kyros or a Kaidou?)- yeah, I think then Luffy COULD learn to be interested in Dragon and care about him Not out of obligation (because of their blood) but out of Luffy's own will, out of Luffy's acknowledgement of Dragon's love for him

And yeah, then we get to add the ever-delightful layer of Crocodad Trutherism to this mess.

You know how my personal theory goes; that Crocodile's been trying to find a way to overthrow and nuke the WG (potentially with an Ancient Weapon) to make sure his long lost child would be able to live freely and do whatever the hell he wanted without having to fear the WG would ever target him because he has Evil Revolutionary Leader Blood coursing through his veins. That's what makes the most sense to me as Crocodile's ultimate motivation. To protect his child, no matter the cost, even if he had to become the devil himself.

And hey, what was the story between Kyros and Rebecca again? Kyros trying to overthrow a corrupt government (a fallen Tenryuubito to boot) to protect his child so she could live freely without having a target on her back?

I don't need to explain how One Piece does have repeating themes and motifs, surely. (Also there's something to be said about fathers in One Piece who would go to hell and back for their daughters, Kuma being another example, but that's a whole different essay. But Oda's Girl-Dad Agenda is showing)

But yeah, what's even more interesting here is how Kyros believed he didn't deserve to have a reunion with Rebecca. He commited a murder decades ago, and although everyone else seems to have forgiven him for that crime, Kyros himself still thinks of himself as a horrible murderer with bloodstained hands. Not helped by how Kyros thought him teaching Rebecca self-defence skills was a failure on his part as a father (instead of him doing all he could in the horrible situation they were stuck in; teaching Rebecca how to defend herself was absolutely justified, and Kyros shouldn't have blamed himself for anything there).

Kyros didn't think he deserved to be with his daughter because he wasn't a good father, because was a monster. And Kyros could not believe anything other than that until Rebecca essentially forgave him, by explicitly telling him she wanted them to stay side-by-side. That she wanted him, and no one fucking else, as her father.

And I once again repeat myself just a little as I ask; how would Luffy feel if he found out Crocodile was his father? How would Luffy feel if he found out the reason Crocodile was going to destroy Vivi's country was because he was trying to protect his son from the WG? And that son was Luffy himself? How would Luffy feel that the asshole who stabbed him through the gut, mummified him and poisoned him was his very own family? Who also saved Luffy's life the second he learned of their blood connection? How would Luffy feel in that situation, if he found out Crocodile cares about Luffy, and wants him to be okay? And how does Crocodile feel? After stabbing Luffy through the gut, mummifying him and poisoning the brat, does Crocodile feel like he has any right to call himself Luffy's parent, let alone father? He knows Luffy rightfully hates him for all the horrible things he has done, how could Luffy ever accept him?

The past is in the past and it can't be changed. But you always have the choise, the free will, to change yourself and become a better person. You can choose to do better things, to help others and be kinder. You can have a second chance.

Robin was given a second chance. Hacchi was given one too. Kyros was given that chance to become better. So why not Crocodile?

[warblogs17282]

The signs and clues that always pointed towards Stella being a shitty mother to Octavia.

A revamp of an old post that I really should've gotten to earlier but hey, I'm in the mood now to catalogue literally everything pointing to Stella being a shit and neglectful mother.

Evidence 1: S1 E2.

Pay attention to the fact that Stella is not concerned in the slightest about the fact that Octavia is very clearly upset and is actively calling for both her and Stolas, which is very obviously seen by the fact by she makes Stolas deal with Octavia, not even bothering to even move a muscle to help calm Octavia down, already showing us our first signs of Stella being a neglectful mother towards Octavia.

Plus, Octavia's nightmare was specifically about her not being able to find Stolas, Stella wasn't involved in the nightmare at all, which I believe was another very intentional writing decision to subtly point to how little Stella is involved in Octavia's life.

To add onto this, look at some of the drawings that Octavia drew as a child that we see in the same episode, pay close attention to the rightmost drawing, we see a drawing of both Stolas and Octavia, but what I find interesting is the fact that we don't see Stella in any of the drawings at all, in pictures like that drawn by young children you'd normally expect the whole family to be in the picture or there to be another drawing including Stella, but we don't see that happen at all, we only see a drawing of specifically Octavia and Stolas, also giving us another clue that Stella isn't involved in Octavia's life much.

This appears to be a pattern as well, in Sinsmas we see yet another drawing of specifically her and Stolas, with us still not having any drawings of Stella, only Stolas.

Which I believe shuts down the argument that I've heard before that goes something like 'there could be more drawings that we haven't seen yet', because the team is 100% making it a recurring pattern that Stella is suspiciously absent from Octavia's life for the most part, as we can infer from these drawings.

Evidence 2: Literal fucking child abuse.

I think we can all agree that this section of s1 e2 is just Stella blatantly committing domestic violence against violence against Stolas, not even bothering to give a single fuck that Octavia is awake and is actively witnessing the event go down, showing us even further how self-centered and neglectful Stella is,

and giving us airtight evidence of Stella committing child abuse, by actively abusing Stolas right in front of her.

Evidence 3: Stolas' assassination plot.

Other than the fact that Stella is completely willing to rob her own child out of a caring and loving father to fuel her own self-centered agenda without even a second thought, as is most obviously seen by this scene where Stella literally screams that she wants Stolas dead right in front of Octavia as well. (The fact she was wearing headphones is entirely irrelevant to the point I'm making, she still said all of that right in front of Octavia.)

Which very clearly shows us just how self-centered Stella is, and how little she actually cares about Octavia's feelings as well.

Which is something we see happen again in that conversation with Andrealphus in s2 e4, alongside not giving a single fuck about how Octavia might feel if her dad is killed, we also see that Stella literally did not even consider Octavia into her self-centered assassination plan before this point, so forget about Stella caring for Octavia emotionally, she never even really considered Octavia in a practical sense as well, because truth be told, I cannot attribute that moment in the show happening purely because Stella is just being stupid.

It very clearly shows that Stella is purely interested in what she wants, her own agenda.

Evidence 4: "You leave with Via on weekends."

We never see this get expanded on at all, it's literally just that and nothing else, we don't hear any specifics of what Stella does with Octavia while she has her for the weekends, which if we consider how Stella behaved during the whole of Sinsmas, it really points to the fact that Stella did not make any attempt to bond with Octavia at all while she had her over the weekends, instead just choosing to her own shit while leaving Octavia to her own devices all the time, showing even further how absent Stella is in Octavia's life.

Not to mention Stella literally sidetracks that line from Stolas with "I like tormenting you."

Evidence 5: "What? No! I'm not turning her against you--"

Let's be real here, we all know that Stella doesn't care for Octavia, not to mention that Stella was already screaming at Stolas over petty shit before this, so it's pretty obvious to me that Stella is not actually worried about Stolas turning Octavia against her, it just screams like she's using that as a weaponized statement of sorts against Stolas instead of actual concern.

Plus, that's very clearly also just Stella projecting like crazy, as we can see by the fact that Stella is literally just insulting Stolas right in front of Octavia as well, calling him a deadbeat in this scene.

Evidence 6: "I'm glad one egg fell out of me."

The fact that Stella called Octavia as "an egg" has always irked me, like, out of any possible way she could've phrased that statement she chooses the one way that refers to Octavia as "an egg", instead of saying something like her name or her daughter for instance, which even furthers points to me that Stella does not care for Octavia at all.

Plus, this is also a pattern, we see a very similar event play out in Sinsmas as well.

Instead of saying something like Octavia's name or our daughter for instance, she chooses to say "his daughter", Stolas' daughter, which really gives me the impression that Stella doesn't even consider Octavia to be her daughter, something that appears to be further backed up by the fact that Stella referred to Octavia as "an egg" in s2 e1.

You could argue against this point, but personally I really think it was an intentional decision to have Stella say "his daughter" for this exact reason.

Evidence 7: The portraits.

The main example here has to be the Loo Loo Land picture, and I say that because of the fact that you can see Stolas actually be happy in this picture, while if you look at Stella, that smile is barely there for her, like she's forcing herself to smile.

Plus, you can see the fact that she also has her arms crossed, which while I could be reading into this a bit too much, I believe further points to the fact that Stella is not happy to be at Loo Loo Land with Octavia at all, and is forcing herself to smile as a result.

Plus, in Sinsmas we also see quite a few new portraits involving Stolas, Stella and Octavia.

Let's look at the first one, we see something extremely similar to the Loo Loo Land picture, we see that smile from Stella that appears to be barely there while Stolas has the whole open mouth smile thing going on with him, and she's also crossing her arms in that portrait as well, further pointing me to the fact that Stella doesn't even want to be in those family portraits at all, which really points me to the conclusion that Stella doesn't care to be in Octavia's life at all unless necessary for whatever reason.

Plus, I want you to pay attention to the 2nd and 3rd portraits here, pay attention to the fact that while Stolas' smile fades significantly with each progressing picture, Stella's smile seems to grow and grow, which if we remember the line of "I like tormenting you.", very clearly shows us that Stella is taking joy in beating Stolas down, taking joy in tormenting Stolas on a daily basis, not because she actually cares for Octavia at all, she is smiling in those two portraits because she takes joy in tormenting Stolas and nothing else, further showing just how self-centered and cruel Stella really is.

Evidence 8: Parental Isolation.

Again, let's look at this scene early on into the Sinsmas episode, we see Stella completely snatch and confiscate Octavia's phone from her the moment Stolas tries to call her in order to make contact with her following the Mastermind episode, and we know that Stella has never given Octavia her phone back at all during the month that passes in this episode, considering that Stella says that Stolas has been trying to reach Octavia for a whole month, and the fact that when we see Octavia again later on in the episode, instead of having her phone, we see her holding some sort of music player that really looks like an iPod.

Which in turn, shows us that Stella is employing a parental isolation tactic by preventing Stolas from making contact with Octavia via phone calls and/or messages. It is also completely irrelevant to discuss the specific reasons as to why Stella did this as well, what actually matters is the fact that Stella confiscated Octavia's phone from her, which in turn, helps to prevent a method Stolas had to easily make contact with Octavia, which in turn makes me believe that this is a parental isolation tactic that Stella used here.

With parental isolation also being commonly referred to as a form of child abuse as well.

So in conclusion, I have pointed to a number of different ways throughout the show that shows just how much Stella was absent in Octavia's life, alongside her also being neglectful and abusive towards Octavia as well.

[anachronistic-falsehood]

Vash and Femininity: Trigun Stampede and its Themes of Bodily Autonomy, Exploitation, and Vague Gender Fuckery

alright sit the fuck down. we're gonna talk about THEMES

I was on Twitter- terrible idea usually, but a couple people I follow made some tweets that got me thinking about Trigun's overall themes, and here we are. So let's talk about some themes in Tristamp! And I'll take a couple looks at Trimax as well, just for fun :3

Let's look at how the showrunners utilize gender roles and exploitation of feminine characters to show how unhealthy Knives' obsession with his ideal of Vash is, and how horrific his exploitation of Vash and the Plants is.

Vash, from the beginning of Tristamp, is someone who cares about people's choices. When people kill others in front of him, he reiterates that whether someone lives or dies is not another person's choice to make. This is something he learned from Rem (a prominent female figure in his life). He refuses to kill people because that is not his choice to make. To kill someone is the ultimate removal of their bodily autonomy. They can no longer make any choices at all; they're dead.

Vash is also someone who has almost no choice in what path his life takes. He's constantly dragged around by outside forces, namely situations that are caused by Knives (which we'll get into later). Vash doesn't make things happen, things happen to Vash. The majority of events that occur are not his fault. He's pushed and pulled in a thousand different directions. His entire life is completely out of his control.

This can be seen as early on in his life as the Fall, something he had no control over and had no idea he even had a part in. Even later, in the ship with Luida and Brad, after he's been rescued from the desert, he's kept in handcuffs right up until he's shown to be of use to them and the Plant on their ship. After that, he could theoretically say "no, I don't want to go to other ships and heal their plants," but he doesn't. He's Vash. He's helpful and nurturing at his core, and these people have done so much for him just by letting him stay, so he'll do whatever they ask, no question.

This carries over into his adulthood. At Jeneora Rock, he goes to look at their Plant at one simple request, doesn't protest when he's dragged into a duel-- he doesn't take initiative unless someone's life is immediately at stake. He lets people tell him what to do and lets himself get dragged around by the wrist. He doesn't even pretend to have control over his life like Trimax Vash does, which I mean. Fair. Why pretend to have a grip on your existence when it's impossible to do anything without a gun pointed at your head?

Vash is a very passive character. He's nurturing, kind, gentle- he's a guy that fits a lot of very typical feminine character stereotypes. If you wrote this same story but made him a woman, I wouldn't bat an eye (but I would definitely be looking at it a lot more critically, what with the amount of stereotypically nurturing/motherly female characters in media already.)

This contrasts directly with Knives. He makes a decision and carries through no matter what stands in his way. He takes initiative. If Vash is a passive character, Knives is an active character. Wherever he goes, he leaves a lasting imprint. He makes shit happen! If outside forces make things happen to him, he'll go out of his way to make sure that particular force doesn't affect him again.

These two tweets I saw are what got me thinking about this originally. I just feel like here's a good place to put them as a segue into talking about episode 11.

Episode 11 is where a lot of this feminine imagery really just. Explodes in your face. IT'S RIGHT THERE. You can't dance around it if you try. And it kind of reaches a peak when the connection reaches 100%, the gate opens, and. well. THIS happens to the Plants.

Plants, in both Trimax and Tristamp, are almost always typically feminine-looking. Knives and Vash are the only two who are male or even masculine at all. Knives, as the most masculine out of all of them, is the one trying to take charge, and mould the world as he sees fit, to a degree that is detrimental to both him and everyone else. And Vash-- passive, feminine, kind and nurturing, whose Angel Arm in the manga always sprouts decidedly feminine-looking Plant parts-- is the one being exploited for Knives' plans. It's no mistake that they made the giant plant formation at the end of ep 11 look like a giant woman that almost resembles Rem.

Vash wants people to make their own choices and keep their autonomy when it comes to their bodies and lives. Knives is the exact opposite. He wants all Plants to become independent and he uses Vash to achieve that goal, without asking what Vash wants or even knowing what the Plants themselves would prefer. He exploits Vash for the soul purpose of trying to make these Plants have Independent Plant babies. He's completely incapable of seeing that his choices are not for the greater good! He thinks he's saving them, but none of his actions are for the good of anyone but himself. He’s just violating them for his own gain.

They're really leaning into gender roles for these guys, but in a way that screams "HEY, LOOK AT THIS! ISN'T IT FUCKED UP? LOOK AT HOW FUCKED UP THAT IS. LOOK AT THIS, AND BE UNCOMFORTABLE, AND KNOW THAT IT IS FUCKED UP."

Because it is! It's so extremely fucked up. They're using this imagery and these roles, something that makes most of us intrinsically uncomfortable, to drive home how unhealthy Knives relationship with his ideal of Vash is. That's the point. We're supposed to be uncomfortable with this.

Now of course there's some nuance to it. Like, you could see Knives as somewhat of a feminine and/or queer-coded figure as well, ESPECIALLY if you look at some of his panels in the manga, which could in turn lead to themes about infighting and control within marginalized communities, but that might be something for another post. :3

And there's definitely different ways you could take this! Vash, with all this feminine imagery, could be either transfem or transmasc coded, depending on what way you'd rather see it, which could lead into themes of how people outside the norm constantly face a lack of bodily autonomy and are exploited for purposes outside their boundaries. We could also look at Wolfwood and his lack of choice over joining the Eye of Michael and becoming the Punisher, and how masculine men (particularly men of colour) are often forced into violent roles against their will. If we look at Trimax, the exact same could be said for Livio/Razlo and people with disorders such as DID/OSDD.

There are many different ways you could spin these themes, some of which I don't feel personally qualified to discuss. If anyone who is qualified to talk about Wolfwood or Livio/Razlo or even other characters related to these themes, then god PLEASE add onto this post or make a post and tag me or something. I would love to read it!

Anyway, in conclusion: Vash is a feminine figure constantly taken advantage of and exploited and and he's so incredibly trans/nonbinary-coded that it drives me insane. Thank you

[butmakeitgayblog]

Ahhhhh Lexa is so cuddly in that oneshot! 😍😍

She had to be

Listen to me

She had to be

Because this little ray of sunshine?

Deserved to be allowed to be cuddly

Because the thing is, she always wanted to be. She did. Even when she didn't know how to ask for it. Even when all she knew how to do was nudge the door open for Clarke and wait silently to see what she'd do

Even when she didn't feel like she deserved to want it.

Lexa spent so much time worrying about Clarke's comfort and boundaries. So much time carrying the weight of her decisions like a scarlett letter on her chest. She lived with the guilt - not for the decisions themselves - but for how those decisions hurt Clarke, and how it all ultimately lost her the girl she had fallen so hard for, so fast.

But still, there were so many instances where she wanted nothing more than to be allowed to be soft. And you could see it.

So many times when she put herself out there just to feel like a fool in the end.

You could see it in these tiny glimpses of moments, her hesitation. Her disappointment. Her wanting so badly to reach out. But not letting herself.

Always waiting to be pushed away. Always accepting when she was. Always swallowing the pain of her own heartache while aching to be let in...

Which is why the second Clarke said yes? Lexa absolutely let the floodgates open.

While we saw after their first time she had given Clarke space again, had rolled away to recover from being fucked into a nap the intensity of finally getting to have that intimacy with Clarke, I don't think it was because it was what she wanted to do. I think it was pure instinct. Fear. A learned habit to always give Clarke space, and always another chance to push her away should Clarke want to. Seeing how Lexa operated when it came to Clarke, I don't think she took them having sex for granted in the aspect of "oh now all is forgiven." I think even after having Clarke make love to her, a piece of Lexa would've been careful not to push for too much too soon. Been too clingy. Assume Clarke woukd want to cuddle with her, to hold her. To even want Lexa to touch her the same way so intimately.

But.

When Clarke gave the ok? When Clarke made it clear that she was open to that?

Oh she smiled.

And she was happy

She held her hand during sex for godssake, you can't get more mushy than that

And even in her final moments, what made her break? What was the only thing that really truly cut through the pain and the strength of Heda, and gave Lexa a moment of solace?

Clarke's touch.

Clarke's comfort.

Being able to soak in another moment of just being close to her. Loved by her.

Lexa was always a touchy a person. She craved that physical intimacy with Clarke from day one. I mean we're talking about a woman who decided to casually ~take a nap~ on her canopy bed with the drapes open while an almost complete stranger waltz around her tent. She was always sending out the signals out that not only did she want more emotionally from Clarke, but that she wanted more physically. And I don't mean sex (ok well not just sex at least), she wanted that soft comfort of just being near her too.

So yeah. 100% I believe if given a chance to have more moments together after they'd both finally let each other back in, every time Clarke even halfway made it seem like she was open to it, I think Lexa would've become more and more comfortable letting go of her fears and been as affectionate as she'd always wanted. I think she would've become more and more snuggly, more tactile in her expressions of love and pride, to the point that when they were alone I don't think Clarke would've quite known what to do with herself and her little commander-noodle-arms shaped shadow

They still would've argued all the time tho

[cfr749]

Initial Thoughts on Chenford in 6x07

All right... I'm feeling... a lot at the moment, so just sharing my initial reactions before seeing anyone else's. I'm sure my feelings will evolve. Also this turned into a GD essay and I'm sorry.

The Good

Grey acknowledging that Lucy was going through a lot ABOVE & BEYOND the break up. I just wish he'd mentioned the shooting, too. Lucy deserves to be more than her relationship with Tim and I need to actually see that in the future.

Lucy laying out 2 key things in her conversation with Grey - how easily Tim walked away and that he had no right to make that decision for her

Prior to the last scene (see The Ugly below), I thought Tim's interactions with the therapist were reasonably well done; if only therapy was that easy in real life lol

"You've always got a home with me" - I loved this final scene between Lucy and Tamara. I don't really have feelings either way about Tamara at this point, and this still hit me right in the heart.

Smitty's poll made me laugh, but also another solid indicator that these writers / producers do in fact really enjoy laughing at the expense of the fandom and shippers (which, whatever, I don't care that they do, I'd prob do the same; but it does irk me when people act like these writers should be worshipped because of all the things they "give" us)

The Tim

"I'm not depressed. I broke up with her."

"I was her TO." Not her friend, cuz god knows Tim has yet to deal with the fact that he started banging his former Rookie I suppose.

I dunno whether to put this in The Good or The Bad at this point; it depends on where they take it, so instead Tim gets a section all about why he's a dick.

To be clear, I do not like that Tim is a dick. But I actually do kind of like that it is very clear TO THE AUDIENCE that Tim is being kind of a dick. Do I still think people will bend over backwards to defend him? Of course they will.

From my perspective, I love Tim, I understand that he thinks he's doing the right thing, and has lots and lots of trauma. I've never seen Tim as a character that magically healed at some point between Seasons 1 & 5 (please see his storyline with his dad, his ongoing issues with UC work and unwillingness to confront or deal with them, his feelings about therapy historically, his inability to dump Ashley, etc. etc.). He's never been perfect and he doesn't need to be.

All of those things are true. None of those things give him a free pass to be kind of a dick. He still has to take accountability for how he treated Lucy (which, to be clear, was like sh*t).

The Bad

Lucy being petty AF with the invites to Tamara's dinner - let her be ANGRY, but give me villain Lucy over this dumb sh*t.

Lucy having no one other than Grey to talk to.

Others acting like Lucy is actually kind of pathetic (why do these writers love sh*tting on her so much? girl could not be down and kicked any harder at this point) -- Celina / Nolan and the double dumping crap, Lucy thinking Grey paid actors and him telling her she was out of her damn mind

The last interaction between Lucy and Tim. I am so angry for her. I needed to see that from her, but instead it felt kind of like her being dumped / a kicked puppy all over again. We got it, thanks. What's next? Lucy being incredibly happy with the hottest man on earth? I'm here for it tbh. Lucy plotting Tim's murder? Also here for it at this point. LOL.

The Ugly

I could not hate the implication of that final scene with Tim and the therapist and the door shutting more. There was ZERO reason they couldn't have had him show up during the day, and it actually disgusts me that they are pushing this line again, but especially with Tim. I am literally NEVER this dramatic, but in this case I really hope they did that to just get a reaction, because if anything were to actually happen between Tim and the therapist, I'd be 100% done with this ship and show as would a whole lot of the audience (I think). If I kept watching, it would only be to see Lucy be absurdly happy without Tim.

Well, what'd I miss? What did y'all think?

[magic-is-beauty]

Sweet tooth headcannons (mostly bear and tiger because I have brainrot)

Both Bear and Tiger know how to sew like fairly well and have become the resident fixers for both the animal army and the hybrids. Tiger also knows how to embroider and one year for bear's birthday embroidered her denim vest that she wears through season 1.

The animal army usually shares clothing since they're all fairly the same sizes but they don't do it as often as Bear and Tiger do it. One day Bear will wear a piece of clothing and then the next day Tiger wears that same piece of clothing.

Bear and Tiger also share jewelry and are constantly trading pieces which makes the animal army laugh at their very obvious feelings for each other. Bear throughout the show wears this necklace that I swear I saw Tiger wear.

No one else in the animal army shares bedrooms except for Bear and Tiger. They say it's because of them being leader and co leader but the animal army knows it's because they sleep better when in the same room.

Bear is a bandana fiend like is obsessed with them and every time they raid the last men either Tiger or someone from the army will bring one back to her.

Bear is a starfish sleeper and Tiger is constantly rolling around in their sleep so most nights they end up either on top of each other or end up accidentally cuddling.

Bear is 100% a folk music girlie i don't make the rules

Bear is always the one to help Tiger with their hair (with dying or cutting) and Tiger tried a few times to help Bear with her hair but has given up and now helps from the sidelines.

A way to calm down Bear and Tiger after a nightmare is to play with their hair it instantly calms both of them down.

Bear loves forehead kisses and Tiger loves shoulder kisses

When watching stuff with animal army everyone has their own bumper car but Bear and Tiger are determined to sit in together which is quite amusing to the rest of the army ; It never works and they usually just pick two next to each other.

The animal army finds this whole situation between Bear and Tiger hilarious and constantly call them a old married couple.

When Bear left the animal army Tiger refused to get rid of anything Bear related and wasn't getting as good as sleep without Bear sleeping next to them.

After Tiger and some of the animal army got injured during the fight with Abbott, Bear wasn't sleeping and was determined to learn everything about cleaning up and taking care of wounds that serious so that she never had to see all her family almost die again.

A small amount of the animal army did end up surviving and most went back to the headquarters to continue their work but Tiger stayed with bear to help take care of the hybrids ; The animal army understood but gave them pleading looks which meant "please get your shit together and actually confess your feelings".

However instead of rescuing and releasing hybrids the army gave hybrids the choice to stay with the army,go to where the other hybrids were,or they helped the hybrids track down and reunite with family members.

It was a united decision with the army to release Daisy into the wild because of their awful treatment of her and she did leave at first but then years later came back which was quite a shock to them ; Daisy now has free reign and can leave and come back whenever she wants too.

Tiger and Bear picked up sign language fairly quickly and were able to communicate with the hybrids ; True to their word tiger taught a lot of the hybrids curse words which in turn stressed out both Jepp and Bear.

Some of the hybrids did eventually begin to open up and talk but a lot of them just stayed with sign language which was all good.

Bear and Wendy did become closer and acted more like sisters over time learning nearly everything about each other including Bear's obvious crush on Tiger.

Most of the hybrids teased both Tiger and Bear about their obvious feelings for each other but the two worst ones were Gus and Wendy since their teasing was relentless.

For some reason Gus and a lot of the other hybrids enjoyed booping each other's noses and running away laughing ; Bear tried this once with Tiger and she ended up on the ground with Tiger of top of her.

Both Bear and some hybrids get fidgety with their hands so they have fidget rings to help.

Jepp with the help of Bear,Tiger,and the hybrids built tree houses for them to share but ended up surprising Bear and Tiger with one all to themselves.

Bear can't cook for shit and Jepp can make sometimes decent food and sometimes edible food so Tiger with the help of Bear and Wendy make the food since Tiger and Flamingo when she's around can actually cook good edible food.

Tiger was at first terrified of the hybrids not liking them but the hybrids actually adore them including Wendy who is constantly hinting at her to ask out Bear.

Bear and Tiger eventually confess their feelings and go stargazing together ; Their dynamic really doesn't change since they already acted like a couple.

The teasing from Gus and Wendy stopped for a while but it came right back when Bear and Tiger became a couple.

The animal army,Bear,Tiger,and the hybrids keep in contact constantly and are always looking after each other from a distance.

The animal army adore all the hybrids and are always excited to see them when they can ; The army is kinda like the really cool relatives that let you do what you want when you see each other.

Rosie,Ginger and the boys see Bear,Tiger,Jepp and the hybrids pretty often in order to get the boys socialized and are kinda a apart of the family after some time.

Rosie and Ginger were waiting for Tiger and Bear to get together and were ecstatic when they found out they finally did.

The animal army's reaction however was the reaction of pure excitement but also ultimate relief that these two idiots finally got their shit together ; They were very happy for both of them in the end and had a giant celebration animal army style.

Both Tiger and Bear retired (but still kept) their animal army outfits in order to wear things that were a little more comfortable ; Bear started wearing overalls and more lighter/brighter colors with her famous bandanas and Tiger stuck with more earthy/neutral tones.

The animal army also retired some of their outfits for more comfortable clothing as well since they weren't doing as much fighting.

However now Bear and Tiger have 10x the amount of clothing to sew and fix (from both the hybrids and the animal army) so they're now teaching some of the hybrids and animal army members to sew.

Tiger and Bear still get extra energy from their animal army days so they now run laps in the woods with some of the hybrids to get out the extra energy.

Most days the hybrids play games,swim,screw around in their new home,help around, or drag both Bear and Tiger into their shenanigans ; Luckily for them Bear and Tiger adore being part of this and happily join in.

When everyone does play games or take part in shenanigans it is very competitive and is always a challenge.

The hybrids love hearing stories about the animal army and their adventures with Bear,Tiger,and the animal army happily complying to what the hybrids want to hear.

The hybrids are now getting the childhood they deserved and the animal army including Bear and Tiger are finally getting to experience being teenagers and maybe getting to heal their inner child along the way.

Jepp does eventually find a therapist for both the hybrids and the animal army to use to unpack all their trauma's and feelings ; It is definitely not easy for most of them but after a while (maybe even years) it does get a little bit easier.

Eventually all the members of the animal army with Bear and Tiger get matching tattoos ; None of them really flinch or are really in pain when getting it.

Some of the animal army does change their names with Bear going by both Becky and Bear while Tiger is still deciding.

Both Bear and Tiger are huge musical fans (Bear's a little more open about it than Tiger is tho) ; Bear loves Alice by heart and Tiger loves Hadestown.

All right that's most of my headcannons for right now i know it's a lot (also sorry if there's any spelling mistakes i finished this at 4 am) ; You don't have to exactly agree with me on all the those since we all have different opinions but that's all for now !! (More character text posts coming out in the next few days)

Tagging those who replied to my post before : @punkishtoxtricity @availian @maruheree @koi-fish-boy @lycansprites @braveasnouns @jkriodanverse

[not-goldy]

All I gotta say is thank goodness Jikook didn't let me down & enlist with someone else, because I would've threw in my shipper hat. The way everyone is losing their minds with excuses & miserable. Could never be me. There'd be no reason to stay in the shippersphere, cause it would be proven they're not real, cause I'm sorry, you don't enlist with someone else when you have a chance to be with your partner. You'd go ALONE if there was a reason you didn't want too together. Not disrespect your partner & go with someone else. And this is why everyone is mad, cause they know it too. Going alone is one thing, that wouldn't affect them being real. Going with someone else, yeah you wouldn't find me making a 100 excuses for them, cause the outcome would still be the same. My ship isn't real. I'd take the hint. You don't make a life decision to enlist like this with someone other then the person you are closest too. Does it mean they're dating? NO, I'm not saying that. I'm saying, would it mean they aren't dating if they enlisted with another member or outside friend, yes. It would be the straw that breaks the camels back. That or them claiming someone they have leaked pics with or go public holding their partners hand or out right telling me to get out of my imagination. I'd pack it up & peace out & immediately stop thinking they're together & just enjoy their friendship. You'd never hear me making excuses again because I'd always remember they chose someone else, when it really mattered & wouldn't bat an eyelash to their behavior anymore. And seeing how people still ship their favs after Taennie and now enlistment. I REFUSE to reach that level of braindead insanity. No thanks.

I see what you mean but I hope you are exaggerating when you say you will throw in your shipper hat had jikook enlisted with other people.

Cos, if it were Vmin enlisting together that wouldn't be sooooo like ship shattering you know 🤧

I mean it's Vmin.

But then I get you cos if jikook are a couple you'd expect them to do couple things.

Enlisting together IS A BIG DEAL

If there were best friends or a couple in a group it's more likely they would be the ones to enlist together. And since Vmin didn't do it together, we are left with the couple.

I for one will not chalk it down to the fact Jikook are "friends" which is why they enlisted together for the simple fact they don't hold themselves out to be the besties of the group.

I recall saying to someone that Vmin calling themselves the soulmates of the group affects the status of Jikook as friends cos on the face of it,one would think Jikook were the soulmates of the group- for whatever soulmates means and whatever its worth.

You can't call yourselves best friends when yall are best friends with other people in the same group😩

Which of course is not to take away from Vmin's friendship.

But it begs the question, if Vmin are soulmates what are Jikook and I don't think Jikook themselves have cared to straighten it out.

Had they not enlisted together there are others out there who would never have assumed perhaps that they are the closest in the band. Simply because they are lost in the crowd and are drowned by lots of barrel ships making loud noises.

The barrel is noiseist when it's empty.

But of course if Jimin could serve 2 years with another person away from JK we would all pack our bags and close down shop cos then it would be so obvious we are WRONG about them.

I recall us expressing concerns about them not being able to handle being away from eachother for 2 whole years and the trip they took together before service was consoling because it's very normal for couples to want to spend quality time together before sending eachother off.

I won't lie, I felt that trip was too short and too close to service to mean anything to me💀💀💀💀💀💀

My reasonable expectations was for them to spend a whole lot of time (however short) together factoring in their schedules and the fact some of them were released from work so they could spend time with friends and family before leaving.

So when I heard they were still filming content for hybe so close to leaving for MS I was concerned. Either hybe wasn't thoughtful enough or sensitive enough or these people didn't really have intimate relationships or relations that mattered to them. Cos if they did they would want to spend sometimes with them before leaving.

Like I don't expect them to spend a week with their friends right before leaving, but a week with family would be reasonable.

I've said and will maintain this position, Jikook behave very much like any reasonable couple hiding their relationship in broad day would more so than any traditional ship I've seen in a decade.

You can lie about who you are intimate with but you can't hide that intimacy. not for this long.

[blacklesbothatlovestowrite]

Telekinesis Pt 3

Slight Smut, Petty activity and Drama.

"I don't like your hardheaded ass but I love you all the same." Lexi rolls her eyes as she hugs you. She came over first thing in the morning with fresh pomegranate juice and avocado egg toast with chili oil from your favorite food spot.

"I love you too but you gotta chill. I am an adult, I am more than capable of making my own decisions. Even if you don't agree with them." You scold her. You couldn't imagine her not caring about you but you needed her to also not judge you for being human and a lovesick fool.

"I don't." She quickly responds and you purse your lips. "But I will try not to be too opinionated about that trifling hoe."

You laugh, knowing that was the best you were going to get from her. Lexi was beyond protective and it was something you matched 100%. She was your best friend, your other half.

"Full disclosure, Shuri and I are going to dinner tonight. As friends." You bite your lip as Lexi takes a deep breath.

"I'll pray for you." Lexi sighs, moving to your kitchen to rummage through your fridge. "You went grocery shopping without me?"

You scoff a laugh. Dylan had surprised you with impromptu Whole Foods groceries. She personally picked up your groceries when she got hers and dropped them off after leaving this morning before heading to work.

It was something that made you like her even more. She always did thoughtful things. Bringing you flowers, food, books she thought you'd enjoy, vinyl records of music you loved, essentials your home needed when you were running low.

She catered to you completely and that baffled you. How she could so easily do right by you without even being asked. It drove you crazy at times trying to rationalize why she cared for you so much.

"Dylan actually did it for me." You look at your hands. You didn't want to see any judgment from her, she was team Dylan from day one.

"Hmmmm." Is all she says, and I know it's meant to be as annoying as it sounds. She wants to point out just how good Dylan is for you, you know it.

"I need to go workout and do some work. I'll hit you later." You say, heading for your bedroom to get dressed for the gym.

Having skipped the gym and any actual physical activity in the past three days had you itching to get back to your routine. You couldn't stomach being lazy, it led to very unhealthy habits. You'd promised to never get big again and that meant moving a lot as you loved food.

The gym wasn't as packed as normal, so you found a corner and did your glute warm up. Once you were done and had stretched, you went to do the stair master for 15 minutes then started doing RDL's, Hip Thrusts, Sumó Squats and Deadlifts. By the time you'd gotten through your strength training, you moved on to the stair master for 45 minutes on a higher level than normal pushing yourself as punishment for skipping three days worth of workouts.

By the end of your workout you were a sweating, out of breath mess. You wiped the sweat off your forehead and stretched again to cool down before heading to take a cold shower to help your muscles after such an exhausting workout.

You had plenty of time before Shuri was set to pick you up so you decided to go shopping. You wanted something new, something to make her eat her heart. You needed the validation, you wanted the confirmation that you could bring her to her knees.

You walk into a high end boutique you'd heard of. Everyone knew of it, you'd never dared to step foot in the store. However you were feeling bold and petty, so you were ready for anything.

You stared at a few dresses before you found one that made you stop in your tracks. It was beyond gorgeous, sexy, a definite jaw dropper.

"Hello!" A bright voice says, breaking you from your gaze. You turned to see the short girl from the club. Miss Riri Williams.

You'd stalked Shuri enough to know this girl was a regular. No one had lasted as long as Miss Williams. Shuri was a love them and leave them type but for some reason she'd been linked to Miss Williams for six months.

"Hi." You reply, staring at her. You sized her up discreetly. She was pretty, it was obvious and that shook you to the core to admit.

"How can I help you today?" She says, her eyes widening a bit as she recognized you. You could tell by the way her eyes widened slightly.

"I'm looking for a dress for tonight." You take a deep breath. "I'd like that one." You gesture towards the dress you'd been staring at.

"Oh, ok...." She mutters, her eyes moving from you to the dress and then back. "What size?"

"10." You mumble. You felt uncomfortable at times with sizes and admitting them.

"Let me grab your size and I'll meet you in the dressing room. Did you see anything else you might want to try?" Riri asks.

"No, just the dress. I have the perfect shoes in mind." You assure her, before heading to where you see the dressing room.

While you wait for her to bring the dress your phone rings.

Incoming call - Lexi 🤞🏾

You rolled your eyes and sent it to voicemail as you pulled off your clothes. Stacking them neatly on the lounger. You stared in the mirror at your frame. You were thick, with a semi flat tummy.

You could see the glute pump from your workout as you turned slightly in the mirror. Your ass was a definite obsession for you. Coming from never having an ass to having a whole shelf was a huge confidence boost. You'd always been sensitive about having no booty, having no body that you would binge eat.

"Ok, I have--" Riri stopped talking as she walked in and saw you standing half naked on the small platform. Her eyes rolled over your frame. "Uhhhmmmm. I have the dress."

You smirk internally at the look on her face. Before taking your bra off and taking the dress from her to Slide over your head. The slinky dress hugged your every curve. It had slits in the sides that showed quite a bit of skin. You would definitely have to go sans panties.

"Are you going on a date?" Riri asks, clearing her throat. You knew she was uncomfortable and you were loving every minute of it.

"I'm not sure what to call it." You shrug as you turn to see yourself in the mirror at different angles.

"Well you look amazing." Riri compliments, and you could telll she meant it.

"Let's hope my ex thinks so too." You say, suggestively. A smirk on your lips, as you turned your gaze towards hers.

"You're meeting up with an ex?" She raised a brow. The connection was made and you could see the frustration in her eyes as she fought to remain professional.

"You know what they say 'Can't leave 'em alone' and all that." You joke, watching as she tensed slightly.

A few moments pass as you continue to stare blankly wanting her mind to conjure up the many possibilities of what could take place tonight. A small part of you felt bad knowing she'd done nothing to you to deserve any of your energy.

"I'll take the dress." You say, before slipping it off and getting dressed. You hand the dress over to her and watch as she heads for the counter.

"Have a good night." She says, her tone wavering. You had to give her credit, even though she was upset she was respectful.

As you paid and wished her a good night, you made sure to make one last comment to solidify trouble for Shuri.

"If she really appreciates what's underneath the dress, I'll definitely be back." You leave with a quick wave.

The moment your back home you quickly refresh yourself, have a smoothie to fill you up a bit and get ready while listening to music. Once you're finished getting ready, you snap a few pics and save them.

Hair (Minus headband) and Makeup

Your dress

"You look good.... like really good..." Shuri mutters, swallowing hard. As you open the door for her. You watch her, in a black blazer with no bra, giving hella peekaboo but classy and matching fitted wide leg pants and heels.

"I know." You say, mustering up every bit of confidence you can manage.

As you get into her sports car, she stares at you her eyes full of curiosity.

"Why did you go see Riri?"

"Why did I go shopping at your little girlfriend's job?" You snort, your eyes rolling. Noting the clench of her jaw. She hated when you did that.

"Y/n." She scolds.

"I wanted something to wear and I found it. This dress was made for me." You say, seductively as you crossed one leg over the other.

"You're something else." Shuri laughs, as she starts the car and drives off.

"Sorry if your girlfriend was offended by me giving her a pretty nice sized commission." You smirk. It was clear that Riri had ran to Shuri to either complain or accuse her.

"Not offended and she's not my girlfriend." Shuri shakes her head.

"Ah, I'm sorry. The girl you're fucking." You correct yourself, pulling your phone out. You were too bothered and that in itself told you that you shouldn't have come.

"Why do you care?" It made you angry at how easy Shuri could play anything off.

"I don't." Is all you said. The rest of the car ride was silent despite Shuri trying on several occasions to start a conversation.

When she pulled into the familiar neighborhood, you tensed. You'd thought she'd be taking you out, somewhere public. Yet here you were at her home, the familiar massive piece of scientific design in all it's glory.

Instead of saying anything you left the car not waiting for her to open your door like she'd done when she'd picked you up. You head straight for her front door that swung open the moment you touched the pad by the door.

She either kept your information in Griot's system or went back and added it after she'd talked to you. You stepped in, feeling the heat of her body behind you. Your eyes taking in the familiar decor.

There were quite a few new things to add to the old things since you'd last been there. The first time you'd come it looked very lonely and felt cold. This time it looked lived in, there were portraits of various times in Shuri's life with her family.

"You kept it." You say, looking at the biggest piece of artwork she had. You'd painted her mother.

"Or course I did." Shuri says, incredulously as if she could not believe the question.

"Your Home looks lived in..." You comment on the decor. Feeling strange in her private space after so long.

"Riri helped me decorate. She said it looked like a rental rather than a private residence." Shuri reluctantly admits. The comment angers you, knowing she let the girl have rule over her domain.

"She did a good job." You had to admit the girl had good taste.

"I had a chef come in and prepare your favorites, everything's on the warmer. If you'd like to go have it?" Shuri asks, and you nod as she leads the way to her dining room.

"What have you been up to?" Shuri inquires. You idly wondered if she ever checked up on you like you had her. As the two of you sit side by side, she pours wine for the both of you and fills the water glasses.

"Work, Gym, Lexi, and Dylan." You shrug. Your life was in a semi better place. You went out more, you traveled, you had fun with Dylan. Then of course there was the obsessive stalking Shuri's every move on social media.

"Is it serious, you and Dylan?" You could see how bothered she was by the way she said Dylan's name.

"I don't think that’s your business." You quickly shut that down.

"Yet Riri is yours?"

"Considering you lied to me about her... I'd say I'm right in keeping my private business just that; mine." You shrug.

“What lie?” Shuri looks confused.

“You said you’ve never fucked her but the two of you are pretty touchy. And the way Riri looked today, there’s no denying she’s your woman.” You grab the glass of wine and down it, feeling frustrated with the topic. You lean over a bit to grab the bottle to pour more.

“I’ve never fucked Riri.” Shuri raises a brow. “We’re close. I mean we’ve been dating but nothing has happened as it stands… We aren’t exclusive.”

“Love that for you.” The words like acid on your tongue. Now your visit to the boutique felt right. You hoped it shook the tiny girl to her core.

“Y/n…”

“What have you been up to?” You wave her off not wanting to be treated like a delicate flower. She had no reason yo apologize or try to coddle you. She wasn’t yours.

“Well lately I’ve been working on businesses that hire African Americans, trying to bridge the gap in the economy that’s screwed them over for so long.” Shuri grabs the plates of food off the warmer; placing one in front of her and the other in front of you.

“That’s really amazing.” You commend her, she was fulfilling her brother’s goals.

“I’m working on buying up land to make communities for black people only, as problematic as that sounds they deserve their own space free from outside interference constantly trying to bring them down systemically. They deserve protection and—“

Your phone rings, interrupting her and you bite your lip as you take it out of your bag.

Mi Sol 🧡

You look up at Shuri who’s face is blank. You give her an apologetic look as you answer the call, you’d told yourself you’d be more present and put in effort with Dylan and that meant taking her serious and making her a priority.

“Hey!” You greet her.

“Hi, mami.” She returns, her voice full of warmth. “You’re so gorgeous.”

“Thank you baby.” You smile, compliments were something you enjoyed and compliments from Dylan were even better because she constantly hyped you up.

“I miss your beautiful smile, your luscious lips, your other lips…” She giggles and you realize she’s tipsy. She’s horny whenever she gets tipsy. More than normal.

“Baby…” You whine, as you think of the many good things that happen when she’s tipsy.

“Whaaaaaaat?” She says, innocently. “I can’t say how obsessed I am with my girlfriend? How she has the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen? How I wanna taste said pretty pussy?”

“Lani…” You sigh, knowing exactly what she was doing. She was trying to get you to either come over or go back home. You had a feeling Lexi told her exactly who you were with.

“You know that thing I do with my tongue… that thing that has your toes curling and your eyes rolling into the back of your head?” She continues.

“Ay, mami…. No me jodas.” You pout, knowing she was purposely making you wet.

“Your bed is mighty lonely without you…” She says and you roll your eyes as she giggles again.

“Baby, I’ll be back soon.” You tell her.

“Hurry…. I know my pussy misses me.” Dylan declares and you cross your legs.

“I’ll be back soon.” You repeat before hanging up. You look at Shuri and your brows furrow at the look on her face. Her veins are showing in her face and her jaw is clenched.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Shuri mumbles. “I take it you have to leave?”

“Not right now. You were telling me about what you were doing.” You remind her, watching as she slowly loosens up.

“I don’t want to keep you from your girlfriend.” She snaps and you stare at her in surprise.

“Ok, then.” You nod to yourself before pushing your chair back and standing. Just as you’re about to walk off, Shuri’s quickly at your side with her hand clasping your wrist.

“Wait Sthandwa, I apologize. I was wrong to speak to you like that.” Shuri pleads, her eyes begging me to stay. I exhale, pulling my wrist from her hold.

“Seems we both care more than we should.” You point out, sitting back in your seat.

The rest of the dinner is tame. You both steer away from heavy conversations and focus on your career, and what you’ve both been doing to better yourselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The last one is shocking to you when Shuri admits she believes in the Ancestors now and the saying ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’

For the longest time she was so angry at everything. When she’d lost her family it’d seemed like she’d lost herself as well. Sitting and conversing with her as she reflected on how much she’d changed and matured over the years made you feel slightly envious that you couldn’t do that for her.

It went without saying that Riri was the one that helped her and that made you feel worthless. You’d tried when you were together to help her, to heal her, to be her peace and she seemed too combative against it. She warred with you when all you tried to do was make her smile, bring happiness into her life.

What did Riri do that was so different from what you tried to do? How was she able to awaken the loving Shuri you’d heard so much about and could barely get. What did she have that you didn’t? Sure she was a pretty girl and she had a skinny, tiny body but it couldn’t just be looks. Shuri had been with enough women that looks couldn’t be the factor.

“You deserve every piece of happiness you can find.” You sum up the strength to say, feeling guilty for the anger and jealousy that was stirring in you.

While it was clear Shuri had grown. It was even clearer that you hadn’t. You’d changed for sure. But it clearly wasn’t for the best.

[allbluedepths]

This was originally part of the ship bingo post, but it spiraled out of control and became a very large pile of thoughts. So instead, the Wings of the Emperor AU is getting its own ship dynamics post for Shanks, Mihawk, and Benn because it's sorta its own thing, and I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out how to even tag for it because none of their relationships fit in neat boxes very well.

(Wings of the Emperor AU is my early Red Hair Pirates era AU where Mihawk chooses to not become a Warlord and ends up not joining, but semi-sailing with the Red Hair Pirates. It mostly focuses on Mihawk's early dueling years with Shanks, his interactions with the Red Hair Pirates, and eventually getting swept up into their sailing shenanigans. TL;DR: I had the thought of "who would Mihawk be if forced to answer the question of 'who am I beyond just being a swordsman'" and it all spiraled from there.

For the record, some of the earlier posts aren’t 100% accurate anymore — big one being that I traded the “Mihawk was almost Shanks’ first mate” bit for something else — but this is an indulgent ship post, not me correcting my own lore post LOL.)

So, here’s a pile of thoughts to get my brain in gear to actually write more of the fic itself, haha. : )

This AU is… complicated? I'd say it's endgame Mihawk/Shanks/Benn triad in a very non-traditional relationships way. For example, by the time Mihawk semi-joins them and turns down the Warlord position, even Shanks and Mihawk don't have a concrete romantic relationship, and theirs is still the closest to that, haha. I guess it's best classified as:

Shanks and Mihawk: close relationship bordering on romantic; there's mutual interest, but their definitions of romantic also don't match "standard" definitions of romance, so it doesn't always read as that to others. Rivals/partners with a romantic flair?? Since Mihawk turning down the Warlord position and choosing to join them comes with a good chunk of other upheaval, there's a conscious decision to not really label anything, but they're on the same page of being mutually interested.

Shanks and Benn: hellooooo complex intertwined captain-first mate relationships. The fun duality of being both incredibly simple and incredibly complex. I'm team "many working captain-first mate relationships basically become life partnerships", and they're probably the prime example of that. Inconveniently for tagging purposes, it's smack dab in the middle of "&" and "/" relationships for AO3, so… eh, the vibes are vague. The details past the fact that they're basically each other's most trusted person stop mattering at a certain point.

Benn and Mihawk: Complicated, haha. By far the side of the triad with the most development to be had; right now, it's more like they're separate sides of a V polycule, rather than a triad, but the foundation's there. An odd, unexpected friendship turned an even more unexpected camaraderie as the years go by and Mihawk's around more and more. Absolutely no one outside of them (and occasionally Shanks) can really parse out what's going on here. Again, just over the line of what I'd tag as "&", and develops veeeeeery slowly over the years in its own undefined way.

…That ended up as a whole ass wall of words, haha. Shorter summary if you're looking for general relationship shifts:

Mihawk sails with the Red Hair Pirates (~6 years after the RHP start): only Shanks/Mihawk are semi/almost-romantic

Sailing time until Dawn Island: Shanks/Mihawk slowly get their shit together; Shanks/Benn inch toward maybe another realization or two, Benn/Mihawk "two introvert cats" bond starts really kicking in

Post-Dawn Island: Shanks/Benn get their shit together (thank you, realizations about mortality)

The decade-ish between Dawn Island and current canon: It's a polycule between an Emperor, an Emperor's first mate, and the World's Greatest Swordsman. Who cares if it makes sense to anyone else; it works for them, lol.

If you read this far, thank you, and I hope you enjoyed an unexpectedly long analysis drop for an AU I haven't posted for in a while and mostly exists in my brain right now, haha!

[alloveydovey]

Mid month dramaaaas, 2024 is giving quality content 🙌🏽

Lovely Runner, 2024 (kdrama) 8.5

FL is a fangirl who goes back in time to save her idol who ended his own life. (very shortly put lol)

I have thoughts!!! It's gonna be long because my expectations with this one were really high. Don't torch me please lol. If I have to be 100%, this drama wasn't what I expected at all. That being said, loser boy Byeon Woo Seok and cutie patootie Kim Hye Yoon were the real deal here. I came for the premise (okay, and because Byeon Wook Seok is fiiiiine) and stayed because of them.

Here's my deal with Lovely Runner. I didn’t read the webtoon or anything, so in my mind, I assumed they would explore what took Sun Jae to make such a decision in the first episode before Sol went back in time to try and fix everything. The drama starts pretty heavy with both main characters attempting in some way to take their own lives. So to go from that to absurd comedy was a bit extreme for me at first. I thought we would do a little mental health introspection here, a bit of commentary about being an idol and all. Then because the first episodes also focused a lot on Sun Jae's dream to be a professional swimmer and the doomed reality that it would not happen, I thought they would center around that as well. I guess I was picturing some sort of mix between 2521 and Twinkling Watermelon. Plus the whole aspect of Im Sol being disabled. But they didn’t really give any more thoughts to these aspects of the characters.

Moving on from my own expectations and a little disappointment that the drama headed in a different direction, I overall enjoyed watching most of it. To be honest, this is the type of drama you just have to go with it, no heavy thoughts included. It gives major classic rom-com kdrama vibes. The cast absolutely takes the cake, the adorable moments are overflowing, comedy hits and the OST is a 10/10.

I don’t mind time travel plot holes but there are still some thing that bugged me, though. One: The whole taxi guy story. I will admit I was extremely disappointed the moment he was introduced. It’s probably when I started lowering my rating. Why do writers (or webtoon authors) feel the need to just randomly pull out these guys? And this drama being so cute and funny... It didn’t need that at all. Specially, since he seemed really poorly written. Two: I might not get over the fact that these two characters both start in really dark places but it’s never really acknowledged in any meaningful way and instead the drama just does a 180° on that. If these subjects hadn’t been introduced then it would have been fine. But in comparison with what happens next, the rest of the drama felt a little superficial to me. Three: it ended up becoming really repetitive. Sol once again ignoring Sun Jae “for his own good”, Sun Jae going after Sol because he doesn’t really care, Sol ending up crying. All this mixed between cute and silly scenes.

Happy ending did make me the happiest, though 🥹

Will Love in Spring, 2024 (cdrama) 9

When they were kids and FL became disabled due to a car accident, ML’s words made her change her whole perspective. He goes on to become the town's mortician, and she becomes a successful saleswoman in the city. And you know the rest, sparks fly when they meet again.

Oof. Cdramas aren’t supposed to be this good, bro. Like… everything about it is just a chef kiss. Characters and their complexities, OST, cinematography, chemistry!! (It's crazy, for real) It presents the same problem as Meet Yourself, even with Li Xian back as the ML. But whereas Meet Yourself is a little lighter and deals with this problem in a respectful and thoughtful way, ML and FL here are filled with angst and tension. The drama itself is a lot heavier, which is not bad, but it's not always nice, and sometimes very frustrating. I saw comments saying that they found the characters to be rather toxic, and that is such a childish way of seeing their relationship. Not everything is red and green flags. This is not that type of drama. People throw the word toxic around everything nowadays. I’d say they were realistic. Both FL and ML make mistakes (because they both have issues) and the drama makes sure the audience knows they were wrong. Because, you know, humans fuck up and stuff. I liked that. But because I can't help but compare it to Meet Yourself, I gotta admit that even though I liked the pace, the OST, and the cinematography more here. MY remains superior, and therefore, I don't feel like I can give it a proper 10. I will say, though, last two episodes gave a bit ot a bittersweet ending even though it's supposed to be a happy one, and I didn't like that much.

Queen of Tears, 2024 (kdrama) 8.5/9

A lawyer from the countryside marries the top heiress of a leading conglomerate. They marry very much in love, but find themselves almost not communicating or holding much feelings for one another three years later.

I completely get why this got everyone hooked. Overall it’s a great story, and very well produced, but at the same time I gotta admit I was hoping for something a little more… exciting. Specially because it was written by the same screenwriter that did Crash Landing on You and The Legend of the Blue Sea and those two were a 10 for me. It might also be personal taste. Some people are into chaebol family dramas that focus on business with their villains cartoonishly evil. Me, personally, I get a bit bored and this is sort of what happened. Even though Kim Ji Won and Kim Soo Hyun got me hooked with their marriage story and the romance of it all, the rest was a bit 💤. Although both families living together was really cute and I loved those scenes. I’d say that’s where the magic of this drama was. The last episodes after her memory gets erased are a bit messy, but the ending still made me sob dramatically lol.

A Good Day to be a Dog, 2023 (kdrama) 7.5/8 (girl what are you doing still here?)

Because of a family curse if FL kisses someone she turns into a dog at midnight… which she does after accidentally kissing a fellow teacher. She can only break the curse if he kisses her again in dog form. The only problem is he’s scared of dogs and doesn’t seem to like her that much.

This is the first time I put on hold a drama and actually go back to finish it lol. I’m proud. This starts off very very cute. Cha Eun Woo but specially Park Gyu Young are really funny and both have great chemistry. The problem here for me is, once again, the past life storyline. I know this is based off a webtoon, but I swear that whole thing is what ruined it for me. I wasn’t into it at all and so the last 4/5 episodes I spent them skipping scenes. Howeveeer, if someone were to ask me if they should watch, I’d say yes. Because romance wins lol.

[razberrypuck]

Jay's ep 100 speech to jayson :) wrote it down during my liveblogging but may as well put it in a separate post

"You keep saying that people took me away from you. No one took me away from you, dad. You haven't had me for a long time. You lost me. You lost me in the lies, the training, your obsession with your work, it was all you cared about. Things change, dad. After ava died, you weren't there. You weren't there for me or for mom. And when I tell you we hurt, we struggled, I say we hurt and struggled so goddamn much. And I'm sure you did too, but you made it so goddamn clear where your priorities lied with the family. And in my grieving, you were the only one who wasn't there. Jayson Ferin, you are someone I've known my entire life. You've known me longer than I can remember, and maybe I've made decisions that you don't agree with, but they are my decisions, and I would've hoped that in the years you've known me, that you would give me even a modicum of trust, a modicum of what I saw in you my entire goddamn childhood. And now, you stand here in front of me again, you're making the same mistakes... You don't get to just take me back, you need to earn it. And the way it stands, you're on a fast track to lose both me, and your wife. You are the strongest man I've ever known but you are a fucking pathetic father. So come on. Go ahead, finish it, do your fucking job-- if that's where your priorities still lay, as they always have."

[sword-brainrot]

Hello, I am in love of your touken ranbu child headcanon. really give me the warmth in my heart HAHAHA. May ask what happened if the child saniwa has a twin? like they’re both living together with the toudans after their grandparents of parents passed away. And the government had no choice but make them both saniwa or the grandparents/ parents requested them to be the next saniwa.

Very sorry that it took so long for me to do your request (‘～`；). I'm not sure what swords you wanted for this request so I chose some at random but feel free to request this again with different swords! ( ･_･)♡ I always love doing these requests for child saniwa!

Child!Saniwa with Twin Living With Nikkou Ichimonji, Jizou Yukihira, and Akita Toushirou!

♡ A child? With a twin no less? Oh boy...

♡ It would be a lie to say that Nikkou wasn't a bit hesitant about this ordeal. He was suppose to serve his master's every order... And yet his young masters didn't even reach up to his knee-

♡ The day the two was brought in before him while he was the attendant of the citadel, only to be told this is the new master of the honmaru... Nikkou doesn't show much facial expressions but you could visible see his eye brow twitch at the notion.

♡ This was no longer a master he had to serve.... This was two masters that he would have to raise. How the hell was the Left Wing of the Ichimonjis suppose to take care of children?

♡ The first day was hell for everyone involved. Him trying to show his new masters the honmaru... only for them to run around and him always losing one of them, somehow-

♡ You know those child leashes? Yeah, he invests in them so he never loses them.

♡ You think that would solve all his problems... until they tangle him up and he falls to the ground. Goodbye to the leashes after that because that was so embarrassing.

♡ He actively tries to be a teacher to the saniwas but doesn't truly understand how to give the information at their level and makes them all confused.

♡ Nikkou truly doesn't understand how they don't get the lessons he presents them. He explained it clearly and gave them plenty of details to understand???

♡ Luckily he doesn't have to raise these kiddos alone for too long before the next sword manifests and starts to help out.

♡ Jizou manifests only to be met with the sparkling eyes of the twin saniwas and an exhausted Nikkou.

♡ How fitting that the first sword they manifest is the sword shoulders the divine protection of Jizou Bodhisattva, the guardian of children, travellers, and those suffering in hell.

♡ Unlike Nikkou, who is all about order and getting the saniwas prepared for their life as the wise sage and protecting history, Jizou takes the time to sit down with them and learn about the twins.

♡ He is always smiling ear to ear as he listens to the twins go on and on about the animals they saw outside and what they colored in their notebooks.

♡ Jizou is 100% the one that actively goes with them and plays with them. They see a frog? Jizou is kneeling down to point it out to the twins and teach them interesting facts that they would be able to remember.

♡ Jizou asking the twins what certain animals sound like and crafting cute songs about animals for the twins to repeat.

♡ Meanwhile, Nikkou is in the kitchen making food and wondering how this is going to help protect history.

♡ The day he sits in on a Nikkou lesson... oh boy, does Nikkou get an earful about how bad it was after. "By the heavens, have you no wit to understand how to teach children, Nikkou Ichimonji?"

♡ It gets a bit tense in the citadel since Nikkou truly doesn't understand what he is doing wrong. Sure human children are smaller and younger than his past masters, but they have to be able to comprehend the lessons all the same, right?

♡ While Nikkou is worried about protecting history and raising the twins so they are prepared for any difficult decision that may come their way - He lacks the understanding of how to raise a child and comes off very strict. Sometimes, even unfriendly.

♡ Meanwhile, Jizou is all about raising the children so they can enjoy their youth and go at their pace. He wants to protect them from all the bad karma in the world. If it was up to Jizou, he would resign them from being saniwas so they never have to face the harsh realities of history.

♡ Jizou and Nikkou never quite see eye to eye. A tense atmosphere lingers between them.

♡ Even so, Jizou always pushes it aside when the twins are around to have a smile on his face and listen fully to what they want to talk about.

♡ Jizou is a very spiritual being and will teach phrases to the children. Such as: "Om! Ha ha ha! O wondrous one, svā‎hā‎!"

♡ Even if they don't understand or have any interest, he makes sure that he will live up to his name and always protect his adorable saniwas.

♡ While Jizou is always active in the twins life, Nikkou is much more distant and closed off. He sees himself as purely a mentor until he can be a warrior for the young masters.

♡ The next sword to manifest is Akita Toushirou, a tantou who is only a fit taller than his new twin saniwas.

♡ Unlike Jizou and Nikkou, who are very much trying to raise the twins correctly. Akita is also learning about life and shares their curiosity of the world.

♡ He is more so a friend for them to play with. They are always outside playing. From going to the beach, to bird watching, to playing in the dirt, or planting flowers together - They are best of friends.

♡ You know Akita is going in their room for sleepovers. It's a bonus because that means Jizou will also read them a bedtime story, normally some type of poetry that they don't completely understand the deeper meaning... But the thought is what counts!

♡ With a new sword in the citadel; Nikkou takes it upon himself to start teaching Akita swordsmanship.

♡ The twins will quickly realize that their new best friend has suddenly not been around as much to play and find themselves also signing up for Nikkou's lessons.

♡ Jizou is also there to give a watchful eye and make sure Nikkou doesn't overdo it.

♡ As terrible as Nikkou is at giving them lessons on history, or math, or really anything - He is actually an amazing teacher at swordsmanship.

♡ They all get wooden swords and he teaches them how to stand, where to place their feet, adjusting their grip on the sword, etc.

♡ The twins do a great job at preforming the move that Nikkou just showed them? They are getting head pats because he is proud of them but can't express it accurately with words.

♡ Nikkou always coughs nervously into the back of his hand when he catches the gaze of Jizou, who is wearing a proud smile upon his face.

♡ The aura of the citadel becomes more easy going and more like a family. Jizou and Nikkou still don't completely see eye to eye but they are more understanding of one another.

♡ One day, Akita suggested that they draw a picture of the citadel to the twins.

♡ It was not a masterpiece, but it was an adorable stick drawing filled with character and heart. And very very colorful.

♡ In it, the twins were holding Nikkou's hands while Akita and Jizou took hold of their free hands.

♡ At dinner, they presented their drawing to Nikkou and Jizou as they sat down.

♡ Jizou was full of compliments, of course.

♡ But it was Nikkou's expression that told it all. He didn't say a word but his mouth hung open and his eyes wide.

♡ A normally tense face now looked at this colorful drawing like it was the most stunning thing imaginable.

♡ A mischievous smile on Jizou's face as he asked, "Do you like it, Ichimonji-san?"

♡ Clearing his throat, he puts it aside and tells everyone to eat.

♡ The next day, it is hung up for everyone in the citadel to see.

♡ Nikkou actively goes to Jizou to discuss his teaching plans for the twins and how to make it more kid friendly for them to understand.

♡ From investing in child leashes to investing in gold star stickers, Nikkou goes out of his way to change and become someone that the twins would look up to and want to grow to be.

♡ Any activities that Jizou, Akita, and the twins would go together together (like firework shows or the beach), Nikkou is now tagging along and offering to carry the little ones whenever they get tired.

♡ He is still rather dense with raising kids and not understanding their jokes ("Why did the pony get sent to his room?" "Aruji, horses don't have rooms. I don't believe it's wise for them to be in any household room because-" "He wouldn’t stop horsing around!" "...What?")

♡ Nikkou learns how to treasure life in the moment instead of worrying about the future. He is normally the one that takes care of internal affairs and missions but that doesn't mean he doesn't ask for them for their input.

♡ Especially with who is on farm duty, kitchen duty, etc. He allows them to pick whoever they want.

♡ Nikkou never sees himself as the leader of the citadel. He may give the orders for now, but he will forever be the wing to make his masters fly.

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 s02e18 Confessions and Lamentations s02 table of contents • previous episode

Lt Keffer has been looking for an unidentified ship he saw once in hyperspace. That's potentially deadly! The mystery of the shadows and the different threads all feel strung tightly. I always want to know more than they reveal.

A Markab ship is late/missing, and four Markab have died of natural causes on the station in the last few days. Interesting to have them be involved in two, simultaneous mysteries. Connected, I wonder?

Date night is levelling up! Delenn is reciprocating the human style date with a Minbari ritual dinner. Lennier hasn't slept in two days in order to ritually prepare it correctly, and now they must eat it ritually/

Terribly amusing that this is her date night. Like, is this super romantic to Minbari? Lennier cooked, is that normal romantic behavior, too? Too funny.

Markab ship found, but everyone on board is dead! The mystery deepens. Trying to figure out if it could be a life stage thing, or if not, then what else it could be.

Sheridan is gratefully free of the dinner invitation. Hoping, for Lennier that it isn't so labor intensive or require fasting for two days as he prepares it!

Ah, plague among the Markab. It's "100% terminal and 100% contagious," which is horrible, but it appears to only effect Markab? Recorded history, but also a legend and strange occurence that only happened once, a thousand years before.

I'm impressed they recognized it again so fast!

Bad govt pandemic planning and response for ratings, relevant in 2023. C'mon society.

Indeed, it is to be earnestly hoped that the disease can be studied and stopped, and that it isn't communicable to non-Markab.

Sounds a little like rapid-onset rabies, tbh. Pandemic lockdown and quarantine!

A terrible situation to have to manage. Large scale people management and crisis management is so not my thing.

Sheridan doesn't want to give Delenn permission to go into the isolation zone to help care for the self-isolated Markab, because she'll be at risk and he can't authorize her and Lennier to come out of it again till the crisis has passed.

"Don't look away, Captain. All life is transitory, a dream. We all come together in the same place, at the end of time. If I don't see you again here, I will see you in a little while, in the place where no shadows fall." "Delenn - when I do see you again... call me John?"

awww, it's so sweet.

Garibaldi-special fighting! The fight choreography is good, but Garibaldi fights with such a panache. It's entertaining every time. The Markab who aren't self isolating are having such a hard time. The quarantined ones' lack of privacy and general tension would be miserable, too.

Little history lesson on the black plague. I like how Dr Franklin says so confidently that it was in the 14th century, like it's a universally known measure of time and this Markab doctor would know earth's calendar.

Also sad times to be dying in a lab sealed in with a corpse of a patient you didn't save, and being studied as you die of the disease.

Using the least common sense possible while deciding how to look for a little Markab girl's mother. Lennier and Delenn are so intelligent and make the funniest decisions sometimes, anyway.

Dr Franklin used to hitchhike on starships. That's pretty cool. Dr Franklin has done some cool stuff in general.

The plague has officially jumped species!

It's dangerous business, being old friends with Dr Franklin. Almost everyone he knows that gets introduced in the show, dies. I rather feel like his father is the only person from his past who's been on the show and lived.

Dr Franklin has a breakthrough and a potential treatment! But it appears that the only living people inside the quarantine zone are Delenn and Lennier. That would be horrible! This has got to be as heartbreaking a conclusion of their earlier conversation there could be. I didn't think they were going to fail to discover a treatment in time to save any of the Markab! All known Markab everywhere are dead. Wow, they really did that!

Dang, they went to a dark as fuck place with the conclusion of this one! It was compelling! Another I think of as a little, self-contained horror story. Especially dark for Delenn and Lennier, and Dr Franklin. I hope Dr Franklin has his own therapist or at least some really good coping mechanisms, at least Delenn and Lennier have each other and highly ritualized Minbari life to help them cope.

Really, no one did it like B5. I'm so impressed by the storytelling and how well contained the episodes are while still advancing the overall plot.

"When I do see you again...call me John?"

I'm gonna fuckin cry!

what excellence lies ahead...!

[contentloadingandstuff]

And here is the 2nd idea for now. This being again the same reader as in the Fatui reader requests (if you don't want to write more on this, I understand 100%). This one is for Sara only as you covered what I am going to ask a bit in the Yelan post injury request. But the reader being put on trial in Inazuma for the deaths of Sara's troops that accompanied her, and for just generally being a part of the Fatui. And due to Sara's position, she is unable to help him put. (Bonus points if you can find a way where Sara is the one forced to be the prosecutor)

The Aftermath - Sara x Fatui! Reader

A/N: Hello everyone. I'm not dead (yet). Sorry for not posting a lot recently, but life leaves me in pieces. Enjoy.

CW: Swearing, reader death. Male reader.

Sara tried. 

She really did. After you’ve saved her, it was only reasonable to repay you. When you got to the infirmary, she quickly shut down any questions with flat-out lies. Nobody really believed them, Sara could tell by the look in their eyes. She was lucky the common nurses and medic had no way of checking if you were actually a part of Shuumatsuban. Or at least she thought she was that lucky. 

But things in life are rarely that simple. 

Of course there had to be a third party. 

The real Shuumatsuban. 

Sara wasn’t sure whether they had investigated you on their own or were ordered to do so by some curious politician from the Yashiro commission. Either way, there weren't many ways of defending your privacy from them. Despite her sleepless nights, she always slipped into unconsciousness at one point or another. Unavoidably, they got their hands on your insignia, your coat, your documents and even your weapon. 

You were still recovering in the hospital when a group of samurai from the Tenryu commission entered the room, and forced you outside, with merely a word of explanation. You didn’t need it anyway. 

You knew full-well why they were here. Your injuries hurt too much to put up anything like a fight anyway, so you didn't resist. Sara attempted to use her status as the general to have them dismissed, but they revealed the order came directly from the shogun. The only thing she could do was go with them to the palace, where the trial would take place. 

When the group crossed the threshold, you were led up to and thrown before Raiden's throne. The judgment was swift, and efficient. No chance to argue, to defend you. The puppet sentenced you to death. And her word is law, not to be challenged by mortals. 

But Sara tried anyway. She first reasoned, pointing out the fact that you quit, that you saved her. Then, as the guards got you up and led you out, she started pleading. She served the shogun well for her entire career. She never once wavered, she never once disobeyed. Surely this one mercy she deserved? 

Yet the puppet remained heartless, blind to her subject's anguish. Sara even fell down to her knees and bowed, begging her to let you live. As she saw the cold, unshaking decisiveness in her Archon's eyes, a realization dawned upon her. 

This was not the god she swore allegiance to. 

All those years back, when she was granted her Vision, she made a pledge. A pledge to serve the shogun, with no consideration for her own, personal needs and beliefs. But she swore her loyalty not to the merciless, cold tyrant before her. 

She wanted to serve the shogun from the stories she was told as a child. The stories about a peaceful ruler who loved mortals, who cared for them deeply. A ruler who promised the people eternity, yes. But an eternity of prosperity for the nation and their descendants. Not for herself. One who couldn't fight, and so needed mortals to do that for her. 

She promised to serve what she would later come to know was Makoto, not Ei. 

Sara, tears welling in her eyes, got up and ran out of the palace. She didn't know if she would reach you in time. The Tengu wasn't sure what she would do, or if she would even make it in time to reach you. She made a sharp turn, and faced the town square. A small crowd gathered around the platform. 

Her eyes landed on you. She couldn't see your face through a simple, mesh bag covering it. Your posture, however, was pridefully straight, head held high in front of your executors.

Before Sara could push through the crowd, a snap echoed through the warm, humid air. Her heart dropped, and she froze in place. 

She stood there, head glued to the stone flooring, tears streaming down her cheeks for the first time since her childhood. Sara was too scared to lift up her sight, scared to see what was once the love of her life. 

It all happened so fast. Within merely a week she had lost everything she gained in the last three years. Every happy moment she remembered, your smile, your laugh, your soft embrace, the gentle touches on her cheeks, your lips against hers… 

All of those memories seemed so much more painful now, placed against a backdrop of the rope's awful creak. 

Good ending 

"Halt!" 

The crowd looks to Sara, who is now brandishing her bow. She keeps it aimed at your would-be killers. A few murmurs of horror or excitement can be heard among the onlookers. 

"You dare attempt to kill a wounded man?! Where is your honor!" 

The samurai look to themselves, unsure of what to do. Sara rushes forward and boosts herself up with her wings, landing on the hanging platform, right in front of them. Thanks to her shoes, she is of equal height. Sara looks them in the eyes, and almost growls at them. 

"If you do it, your family names will be condemned for all living memory. Is that what you want, you scum?" 

Sara raises her voice, causing the samurai to flinch and lower their heads. She gets even closer, now almost pressing her forehead against the soldier's. 

"The simple fact that you thought to kill him speaks about you! You are unworthy neither of the blade, nor the emblem you carry! You are more deserving of the title 'ronin', you pathetic fools!" 

To the crowd's shock, Sara detaches the man's blade from his hip, doing the same with the other. She turns to the mass of people watching. She lifts their blades in the air.

"Swords of the unworthy! Shame on them!" 

"Shame! Shame! Shame!" the crowd responds in unison. 

Sara turns back on her heel. 

"Shame. Now, take him to prison." 

"Y-yes General!"

Sara watches, wings twitching with pure rage, as the men untie you and lead you down. Before you get down, however, Sara grabs the other soldier by his shirt, and turns him around roughly. 

"And you - listen, and listen well. If any of you put a hand on him, I will make sure that both them and you stand here the next day. Do you understand?" 

"Yes… g-general…" 

Sara practically shoves the blades to the samurai. He scurries away quickly, and Sara watches as he disappears in the streets. 

After that, Sara had to seriously think about her next move. 

***

If there was a way to get to the real Ei, it was Guuji Yae Miko. As much as Sara hated the idea of having to beg Miko for anything, there was seemingly no other way. 

It turned out that Miko was aware of Sara's little drama scene in the capital's square. In return for the great amusement she provided to the kitsune, Miko would try and convince Ei. 

And she did convince the archon, only after telling her that someone like Sara exists in her service. Pleased with her loyalty, she allowed you to leave the prison. 

Sadly, the calamity that the Traveler brought extended your sentence. Aether was a dangerous agent on the enemy's side, and Sara thought that you would be safer in confinement. On the other hand, you were lucky enough to have Miko's favor. She was so kind to remind Ei about her promise to Sara, and you were released in no time. 

Your embrace, after two months of constant stress and longing, never felt better.

Thanks for reading!

[straightlightyagami]

sorry i would really like to have the patience to be nice and engage in discussion with everyone as i once did but i genuinely have a hard time believing someone can be THIS stupid for real and not just be trolling or baiting. this is the condescending 20 paragraph ask i got before. like genuinely 2 years ago i would have answered it point by point but at this point frankly if you don't put in the fucking effort to think and to make a coherent argument i'm not putting it in for you. i'm not steelmanning a position of someone who engages with this level of lack of respect, this is my fucking blog and maybe i would have a modicum more of patience if you had the decency to send this off anon or in dms but you didn't. don't fucking talk to me like this and expect me to hold your hand and explain to you like to a 5 year old more than i already did

transcription of text under cut

Anon ask reading:

I am the anon about the climate migration

Not sure your intentions by moving the goal post with your answer but i will try again. Bear with my bad english and lack of editing.

you are using the dimished responsability falacy. climate change is global. it comes from humans everywhere. EVERY COUNTRY HAS TO CHANGE.From the poorest to the richest. From the islands to the landlocked. Everyone can do their part. Decisive collective action is the solution. Everyone who thinks fleeing will save their lives, meet the exhausted from the fight. Europe and europeans are not magic people that create all the problem and solve all the problems but if they are ready for this mess, applauses from me and keeping doing it because I am 100% sure europe is going to suffer with the rise of sea levels (already are) and the desertification (of the south specially).

Others countries need to refocus. They need to care about climate change. Is your invasion of papua new guinea that important indonesia??? shouldn't you be worried about the rising sea levels???? i see your people knocking on europe's door... But where is the FOCUS.

Now if Europe is the good student and tries to change it's ways, why do we have to give them extra problems. A sudden increase of population that's hard manage in climate crisis (now add every otherissue). The boat sinks.

If this about people drowning in the mediterranean sea, not one of them is moving because of climate change. Be real please. And why don't hold northen african countries accountable in the same way? you say by ANY MEANS NECESSARY but only europe et al. has to work on it. I mean whatever hits Morocco, hits Spain (both colonizers, both imperialist, both monarchies, similar location and Spain is richer but also the one with more internal conflict), but for you the people of one are guilty and the other are a victim. Many means necessary were not used before they reached Europe...

Nationalism has always being worse than fascism. Fascists betray their own much quicker than nationalists. And honestly they can both die in the next two seconds and I wouldn't miss them.

now your response

I am looking at ND Index you sent. HOW is it possible that brazil... one of the most powerfull economies, huge country that very much could just stop bulldozing the amazon for cattle is worse... than UKRAINE? I am sure ukraine would love to be worried about climate change only right now... I sawthe brazilian floods earlier this year and also saw them wanting more picanha (also pretty low on the readiness) and making sure they have it.

India is worse than Fiji? Fiji knows it's coming and tries but India is chilling what is this about? IS ABOUT FOCUS! India is worried about idk but it isn't climate change (or femicide but that's another global issue)

looking at the lowest how do you justify Angola? Another huge country, not an island, not at war, full of natural resources but the most powerfull people come from the oil industry don't they? did we find any points for change instead of PACK YOUR BAGS PEOPLE WE ARE MOVING TO SAN MARINO!

Look at the readiness index of Tuvalu and Barbados. Tiny islands! they beat Spain and Turkey! FOCUS AND CHANGE PLEASE

remember the critical thinking i asked you to do? do it!

Now the internal climate migration chart. how is this relevant to your europe et al are bad people for their laws? subsaharan countries are pretty big compared to european countries. Easily you move away within a larger country than a small one. In a small one i would assume the migration would be away from the country. Again decisive action seems to help with it all (orange bars).

now the personal question,

why are people being displaced? multiple reasons. War, Greed, Tourism, Agriculture, Invasions, Occupations, Human Ego.

a non evil reason why are people being displaced? You are right to say climate change is the less evil one because it's human action versus earth/nature/ecosystem reaction. Everyone is guilty in some capacity. Following that logic, I guess it has to be ego from the displaced. build your house on the river bed all you want but don't tell me you are drowning when the raining season comes. I guess they become displaced by their own actions versus nature. Non humans are always innocent. rivers are innocent, plants, beasts, mountains, rocks, bacteria, etc... all innocent.

What should be done about the non evil reasons?? More protected areas interdicted to human settling. let nature be nature. let some ecosystems not have humans directly in them. No fishing no cattle no hunting no housing no mining. Human protecc for once!

[1941-crowley-slut]

Listen, LISTEN.

I am totally and completely 100% understanding of Aziraphale's decision and why he made it. I have gone into detail about it before and I will again if I need to.

HOWEVER.

I just rewatched season 2 all I can think about is how when Crowley had the opportunity to return to hell, to ask ANYTHING he wanted (he could've been Duke of hell! He could've ruled the place!) his brain just completely skipped over it. All he heard was Beelzebub say that anyone found affiliated with Gabriel would be erased from the book of life and he was like GOD FUCKING DAMMIT AZIRAPHALE NOW I GOTTA COME PROTECT YOU AND STUFF. He couldn't have cared less about hell.

When Aziraphale got the news he was welcome back in heaven, his immediate train of thought was "Oh! I can take Crowley with! We'll make it okay! We'll be okay! We'll be good!"

I know very well that rejecting hell and rejecting heaven are not the same thing and I know that Crowley has always been a misfit in hell (and obviously doesn't want to return to heaven because of all the corruption and because of how badly he was hurt there) meanwhile Aziraphale has always longed for heaven, for what he thinks is good.

But still. On a surface level, Crowley just said "Fuck heaven, fuck hell, all I want is my wife" just for Aziraphale to turn around and be like "Come back to heaven with me, and if you don't I'll still go" and it HURTS.