#AFTER SEVERAL TIMES THE SHOW HINTED AT THEIR RELATIONSHIP BEING PARENT/CHILD

[hannigramislife]

Who's gonna explain this absolute fuckery to me—

The fuck you mean, little brother!?

[hualianisms]

Not father & son, not master & disciple, but a secret third thing

First of all, let me preface this by being clear that everyone is free to headcanon anything they want and like/dislike anything they like/dislike! That being said, sometimes I see international fans interpret FDB as LLH's son, or their dynamic as parent-child or otherwise familial, and as a native chinese speaker, I just wanted to share some reasons why I personally did not interpret them as familial.

Granted, at the start of the show, FDB is kept in the dark and also not up to LLH's level of skill in solving cases. However, FDB quickly catches up in crime-solving skills, intellect and maturity by the 2nd half of the show, after a well-written growth arc. I think the beauty of the characters and relationships in this show is that they grow & evolve, and are meant to do so. The dynamic that LLH & FDB had in episode 1 is quite different from their dynamic at the end of the show. By the later episodes, they are 2 adults who are very much equals.

Why I don't read them as father & son:

LLH & FDB act and speak in a manner that is far too informal & familiar with one another, which would be extremely inappropriate for any kind of parent & child, even a surrogate one. Several times, FDB calls LLH by just his first name "Lianhua", and sometimes even calls him "Damn Lianhua" when he is angry/upset at LLH. This would be extremely rude for a disciple to call a master, or a son to call a father. No son talks to his father the way FDB talks to LLH, and no disciple talks to their master like that. Unless the son/disciple hates the father/master, and is outright rejecting his father/master altogether. As we see in the show, not only does FDB not hate LLH at all, he instead cares deeply for LLH and would do anything to save him. Why, then would someone scold/curse someone they care about? Does the trope of the upset spouse/partner sound familiar?

For comparison, see FDB's interactions with He Xiaohui, who he is close to - he is informal & affectionate with her, but never calls her anything other than "娘 niang" ("mother"). I can't emphasize enough how taboo it is in Chinese culture to ever call your parent or parental figure by their name under any circumstance.

2. In ep 31, FDB himself explicitly rejects the idea of LLH as his shifu and himself as LLH's disciple, responding that he is too old to be LLH's disciple and it was merely a joke. He clearly sees LLH as an equal, and rejects the notion of their relationship being anything other than that of 2 adult equals. LLH also tells his shiniang that FDB is not his disciple, and a few episodes ago LLH told FDB that he has never understimated FDB.

Coding/hints as something other than platonic:

Zhiji/zhijiao - FDB calls LLH his 知交 zhijiao in ep 19, and 知己 zhiji in ep 34. "In this life, I, Fang Duobing, recognize you as my only zhiji." is practically a love declaration. And this bond is reciprocated by LLH, bc in a deleted line in ep 19, translated by forayuarchive on twitter, LLH is the one who first calls FDB his zhijiao.

To clarify, Zhiji is not specifically a romantic term, but it's what was used in both The Untamed and Word of Honor - both dramas based on danmei novels with canon gay main pairings - to bypass censorship, to code the bond between the main duo as deeper than your typical platonic male friendship. (See this post for a detailed explanation of the significance/history behind the term zhiji, and see this twitter thread for an explanation of the meaning of zhijiao in MLC - especially how zhijiao is specifically mutual, reciprocated).

2. Married bickering - forayuarchive on twitter has discussed in these twitter threads how the tone of many of LLH & FDB's interactions (especially FDB) is similar to how married couples or romantic partners speak to one another bc of the level of familiarity, tone and language. For my fav example, see this note (translation by forayuarchive) that FDB left LLH in ep 35, which reads pretty much like a note that a spouse/partner might write when leaving their shared house in a hurry.

3. "Xiaobao" - Personally as a native Chinese speaker, LLH calling FDB "xiaobao" in front of everyone is a level of intimacy that genuinely would make me feel embarrassed to hear as a third party. 小宝 xiao bao (literal meaning = "little treasure") is usually something you call actual babies/children AND is FDB's family nickname for him, so if you're calling a grown man that in front of everyone including his colleagues, family and even strangers, then one might assume he is likely either your biological family or your romantic partner. (For comparison, just imagine calling your s/o their parent's special childhood nickname for them at work.)

4. Deleted lines where FDB calls LLH "xiaohua'er". 小花儿 Xiaohua'er ("little flower") is very intimate and feels like something someone might call a lover. Or, at least, definitely not a platonic shifu, even less so a parental figure. (For meta on the names that LLH & FDB use for one another, see forayuarchive's twitter thread.)

5. More deleted scenes (translated by forayuarchive on twitter), perhaps cut due to censorship, which make apparent LLH's high regard and deep care for FDB. For e.g., a line of internal monologue by LLH in ep 40, translated here by forhenjun, shows that LLH thinks of FDB as the only person in his two lifetimes who has always treated him as a human being rather than putting him on an unfair pedestal.

6. Official MLC accounts act like as if they ship them.

As murderedbyhomework mentioned, there is a song in the official soundtrack of MLC called "Fanghua's Day-to-Day Life" (yes, the exact same words as their ship name). Sounds like a couple's daily domestic life, doesn't it?

The official iQiYi Romance youtube channel lists clips of LLH & FDB under the romance category.

The official MLC douyin account posts MVs with emotional captions (e.g. this one translated here by forayuarchive) that emphasize how much both LLH and FDB mean to one another. Another official MLC douyin calls LLH & FDB the person each other trusts the most.

The MLC clips posted by the official Guangdong TV weibo account also has captions such as these (translated by rice_jpg) that straight up describe FDB's feelings towards LLH as "when you like someone" (very similar CN phrasing as the phrasing used to describe romantic crushes).

7. They are subtly paralleled with a canon straight romantic couple (see fanqxiaobao's twitter thread on the parallels btwn LXY/QWM scenes and certain LLH/FDB scenes). MLC also made a distinct change from the novel by not having FDB get married to Princess Zhaoling, even though the drama could have easily given FDB a romance with her.

8. If you're familiar with chinese romantic tropes or the danmei genre, LLH & FDB fit many common romantic tropes e.g. sharing a drink on the rooftop under the moonlight, forgotten first meeting in childhood (and then meeting again properly as adults), power couple fighting side by side (they even held hands!), nianxia, protective younger ml, sickly older mc - just to name a few. Danmei even has many stories of shizun/shifu & disciple pairings who fall in love as adult equals.

There's honestly lots more but these are just some off the top of my head. Again everyone is free to interpret anything! This is just me explaining why as a native chinese speaker I personally did not read their dynamic as that of a father and son.

[bwat5-blog]

Another Look at Jinx

**Spoilers for all of Arcane**

*Disclaimer- Jinx is an immensely complicated character with mental health playing a big part of who she is. I am in no way a mental health professional, or in any sense qualified to speak to a condition she may or may not be dealing with, or how that should be handled. I am just a huge fan of the show discussing one of its best and most interesting people*

So, why talk about Jinx? She has been lauded as many peoples favorite character, she is the subject of a titanic amount of fan art, fan fiction and so on. Her death (clearly alive but not the point) in the moment devastated the entire fan base to a degree not seen since the Red Wedding. If you have seen anything else I've written about, I am primarily focusing on some of the most fantastic bits of this story that it really seems like people are misinterpreting or missing. For this one, I am referring to what I can only think to call the "Smol-beanification" of Jinx.

Now let me start by saying this. I am NOT judging anyone for loving this character for any reason. Because while I believe all of the things I am about to cover are being underappreciated and undervalued, if you love this character because she is funny and cute and witty, and you like her music and her blue hair and her attitude, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. MY concern is that this fan-base swung really wide into crazy town after Act 3. So I am championing an understanding of just what a gift we were given with this show.

As far as I'm concerned there are 4 topics that need exploration regarding this character:

Powder's childhood leading to birth of Jinx

Relationship to Silco and its impact

Relationship to Vi and its impact

Journey to self-acceptance as Jinx

Powder's Childhood, and the birth of Jinx:

When we first meet Powder she is with her sister on the unification bridge, witnessing the fighting that claimed her birth parents lives. This is a horrific situation that really sets the tone from the beginning and lets us know these kids DO NOT have it easy.

It doesn't take away from the hardships of every day life in the undercity. But, being taken in by Vander gives her and Vi a chance at a peaceful life for a short time and we see how she flourished:

She is immensely clever building various gadgets and being noted as the one who fixes their shooting range.

Has a loving relationship with Vi and looks up to her.

Is loyal and wants to fight for her family.

We do also see a hint at the trauma lurking in her. When Vi (after being lectured on her responsibility to keep Powder safe, and seeing how dangerous the people who took Vander really are) tells powder to stay home she has a severe panic attack. Given everything this poor child has been through I don't blame her. But it is important to note the seeds are already planted for what's to come. Clearly demonstrating her terror at being left by herself and losing her loved ones.

The End of Powder-

We all know what happens here so I won't point-by-point it. But the primary event here is the death of Milo, Clagger, Vander and as far as Powder knows, Vi (after they have the heartbreaking confrontation over Vander's body). In a matter of seconds this terrified, wounded little girl goes from thinking she saved her family to having lost everyone, and believing her sister blames her (Not Vi's fault either but I'm here for Powder/Jinx this time, see my Vi post if you care) for it as well as later believing her sister to be dead. Her fear of being left behind and all alone is violently and brutally made real in the worst way. Until Silco comes. He kneels down over a broken, terrified, angry Powder, and leaves with Jinx.

Relationship with Silco and its impact:

Where a life with Vander offered Powder a brief few years of piece, a life with other side of the coin (Silco) takes the frightened child in Power and breaks her down until all that's left is Jinx. Violence, revenge and intimidation take the place of Love, support and peace. Now, it should be said, I believe Silco loves Jinx as a daughter in the best way he knows how. But he himself is a broken man (touched on this in another post). And his role in Jinx's life is not to her benefit:

Takes her guilt, rage, fear and pain and instead of trying to help her heal, he teaches her to weaponize it

Promised Felicia to make a better Zaun for her children, and was fully prepared to murder them both.

Despite knowing her immense guilt over the loss of her family, upon learning Vi is in fact alive, he lies to Jinx about it, and immediately moves to try and kill Vi or at least discredit her. Someone pointed out on another of my posts that this is probably due to his fear of losing Jinx himself which I believe.

Years of being raised as his daughter leave her manic, violent, hallucinating and out of control. She kills several enforcers leading to renewed hostilities from Piltover, almost kills Vi and Caitlyn more than once, almost kills Echo and herself, kills Silco, and Kills 3 piltover council members moments from Zaun achieving independence, and making the dreams of her birth parents, Vander and even Silco himself real.

During the events of her "Dinner Party" Silco aggressively tries to get her to Kill Vi and Caitlyn, denying Vi's attempts to help Jinx reclaim who she was.

In season 2, Jinx even admits that her head has been much quieter since he died. He only appears to her twice, briefly when Isha is taken, and again when Isha is killed. Both times at her lowest points. As far as I am concerned, Silco made Jinx out of the broken and volatile pieces of Powder, unable to understand how he'd harmed her.

Relationship with Vi and its impact:

Vi and Jinx's relationship is the driving force of the show to me when it comes to the most human aspect of the story. Strip away all the grand disasters, the hex tech, the war, and at is base most raw this show is telling us the story of two sisters driven apart by the darkness of their world until they fight their way back to one another. I have an entire post pertaining to peoples wild and baseless accusations of Vi's character so I will spare you all that tangent again and keep it to my thoughts regarding how Vi and Jinx's relationship impacts her:

Many people attribute Vi's lashing out at Powder as children for the creation of Jinx. This is simplistic and false in terms of it "creating Jinx" but it does matter. That event leads Vi to struggle with the guilt of that incident, focusing on finding Powder and making things right during her terrible years in Stillwater. Therefore when she finds Jinx in the world it is much more difficult for her to see the truth of how her sister has changed and that conflict continues to fracture Jinx's mind as well as their relationship for a time.

Jinx has already been struggling and suffering from the loss of her family, self hate for what she has done, and the feeling of having lost everyone. So when she gets Vi back we see the first thing she feels is worry and shame over who she has become. Then when things go badly and Vi chooses Caitlyn over her (not actually this simple but Jinx is not well) Her conflict and loss go through the roof. "I thought you could love me like you used to.. even though I'm different".

The entire Dinner Party is a war for Jinx's soul it seems. Jinx tries to make it out like its all Vi's choice. She blames Vi for making Jinx but says all she has to do is "Make Caitlyn Go Away" and Vi can "Have Powder Back". But of course.. its not that simple. As Powder would never do something like this. Powder has been gone a long time but this conflict raging in Jinx pushes her until finally she does something she can't take back and attacks the council chamber

Jinx's journey to self acceptance:

Season two sees the breaking of "Jinx" as we know her and the re-forging of her after the long brutal journey to allow herself to move forward. In the beginning she has given up. She wants to die. She doesn't care. She wants to watch it all burn and no longer sees the point. Then little by little, reasons to live start to creep back in and she starts to reclaim her will through brutal trials and heartbreak and victory.

Isha- Isha is undoubtedly the driving factor in Jinx's salvation. Even though her story ends in tragedy little by little she brings joy and a sense of responsibility into Jinx's life impacting all areas. Even though its to protect Jinx from Vi Isha is the reason both fights between the sisters end before they go too far. She also give Jinx a sense of what Vi felt and went through caring for a younger girl (sadly probably including realizing why Vi left her at home all those years ago when Isha dies), and she shows Vi that Jinx really is changing. That manic, aggressive uncontrolled violence is being tempered and restrained.

Vander- The reveal of Warwick/Vander (while being a twist most of us saw coming) was another huge device in terms of Jinx's redemption. It is because of her discovery of Vander that Jinx makes the first move in reuniting with Vi (which also saves Vi from her downward spiral).And their mission to save Vander however ill-fated, brings Vi and Jinx together for the first time since Vi got out of prison and met the person her sister had become. You see in that moment at the end of "Blisters and Bedrock" she is truly terrified that by getting Vi to trust her she has killed her, only to be beckoned by her older sister into a hug because she.. Jinx.. has reunited their family.

Vi- The sisters could not start off the season in more opposite camps. Vi is after Jinx to end her life for what she has done, and Jinx intends the same for Vi after seeing her in uniform. But is only through their reconnection and learning to trust each-other again that they both really start to heal and move forward. Vi completely believes in Jinx by the end which Jinx even says aloud in her prison cell. Even though its at her lowest point and she is leaving to end her life Jinx realizes and tells Vi that Vi deserves to be happy. She deserves to know love and peace with Caitlyn and stop feeling guilty. Think about and compare that to Jinx from season 1, blaming Vi and telling her if she will kill Caitlyn she can have powder back.

Caitlyn- the connection between Caitlyn and Jinx is not being discussed enough. They are linked. They both lose their parents, they are both taken in by an older, cleverer surrogate who weaponizes their grief and pain, they are both warped into something darker and more violent than they started, and they both have to learn to walk away, to break the cycle and stop hating.

Finally, after almost ending her life and being brought around by Echo Jinx, fully realized, fully accepting of herself leads the undercity in saving the day. After so much hostility and pain she tells Vi they will always be together (side note- pain and tears) and in the end, appears to sacrifice herself for the older sister she knew would never give up on her, smiling and at peace.

Conclusion- I am sorry yall. I know this is so long. Jinx is an immensely complex character who goes through so much. But I hope I communicated my feeling that she is worthy of so much more appreciation than as the "Silly little funny crazy girl". She starts life as a child in a world of trauma and pain, and even though she is broken down and remade, does terrible things and causes so much pain, through the interactions with those who love and those who hate her, and through her own realizations, and pain, and struggle, she ends the schism in her soul and finds the road to make a life for herself, away from the pain and darkness of who she was before.

[iamsherlocked-1998]

A Harmless Indulgence.

You have something very important to tell Din.

Warning: Just something sweet, reader is blind, petting, a touch-starved Din has his own warning.

Words: 845

════ ⋆★⋆ ════════ ⋆★⋆ ════

You stood next to the window of your small cabin holding a good cup of cocoa, the signs of an unusually cold winter were beginning to be noticeable in Nevarro. Time in the past few months had passed so quickly and couldn't say it bothered you.

A few years ago you ended up here after a turbulent existence on your home planet. You were never very handy with your hands, but after an unpleasant incident in which lost your parents and the virtue of the sight, you tried hard and investigated some things, without the support of your beloved family had to learn to defend yourself in addition to a endless theoretical questions. When the underworld was expelled and the school established, Karga thought of you, had already helped him on some occasions and he knew that for now you were someone wandering, the magistrate offered you to teach special children and you were delighted to keep active and settle down.

You were on the volcanic planet when the pirates attacked, contributed everything you could and there you met your Mandalorian, who didn't even realize that you were blind at first, leaving him comically confused. After several not very long conversations in the midst of the conflict, you were fascinated by the man and wanted to know more. One day he disappeared and feared you would never see him again when heard that he intended to retake Mandalore with his people.

That's why you almost jumped for joy when the little green guy showed up one day at the school where you worked. They had returned and apparently intended to stay. You saw each other again by chance when he was picking up Grogu at the end of the day and you haven't been apart since then. The man was kind and calm yet reserved, when he opened up to you discovered that he had many incredible stories to tell.

Today you didn't need your old apartment, you shared a house with them when they weren't on a mission for the New Republic or training the child. It turned out that with your vision missing there was no danger to his creed and Grogu considered part of the clan, which is why in the privacy of your surroundings he wore his helmet less and less frequently.

Despite being as close to him as you ever imagined, there was something that was always on your mind, guilt clouded feelings, couldn't help but wonder what would happen if you came clean.

You heard Din walking in the kitchen, preparing what assumed was an appetizer for his son, you decided that if didn't do it now nothing would never happen.

-Din, can I ask you something?

You noticed how the bounty hunter turned towards you, giving his full attention.

-Sure, is something wrong? (You heard a hint of concern in his voice).

-No, no! (You reassured him) I was just wondering if the creed mentions anything about...touch, would it be wrong if I touched...your face?

The sense of sight was not needed to notice how the man tensed. Your relationship was physical, but in moments of intimacy he never undressed completely and his helmet was always on, on the occasions when that barrier was eliminated and he was more happy and relaxed you had managed to feel the warmth of his hands or the firmness of his shoulders, brushing them as passed, but never his face against the tips of fingers. The silence became uncomfortable and your nerves ate at you.

-I...I shouldn't have said it, it's wrong, nothing happens, let's just ignore it.

-I want to do it.

Then the words stuck in your throat, he was being sincere, he wanted to do this for you. You would never cease to be amazed by the depth and richness of his unmodulated voice.

-Really? (Your voice came out like a thin thread) You don't have to...it's just...

You noticed that Din approached you, caressing the skin of the arm until he gently reached for your hand. Your Mandalorian was shaking.

He guided your fingers until noticed his unshaven cheeks, he leaned into the touch releasing a subtle sigh.

You explored his face, feeling his eyelids closed and ending up caressing his tangled curls, everything seemed surreal, like a dream. He had a small scar on his hooked nose that you swore were going to memorize. Then you lowered yourself until met his lips, his forehead pressed against yours.

-Can I kiss you? (You noticed how he blushed, were surprised by his request, didn't realize that this could awaken something in him, you smiled at the realization).

-Please.

Djarin eliminated the distance between you, it was just a touch of lips but he brought light to your world of darkness like nothing before, as you separated you heard a wave of wind pick up, the temperature was lower.

-Looks like we'll need more blankets.

You could hear the smile in his voice, since then knew that winter would be your new favorite season.

💕 Hope you have a nice december @immarocketman

[theshenami]

On the remarkably consistent childhood friends to lovers romantic trope in the Final Fantasy series

Following my playthrough for FF7 Rebirth, I have been thinking about romantic tropes in the FF series more broadly. The stories that have romantic relationships that develop between the main cast (or at least guest party members) seem to all follow the childhood friends (or, at least, childhood/family connections) to lovers trope. Just wanted to list the examples I can think of that follow this paradigm. (Disclaimer, I have never completed FF6, so cannot speak to that game).

FF3: Ingus and Sara grow up together in Sasune castle, and become a couple at the end, with Ingus declaring that he will follow her anywhere and stay by her side. This is the well-known trope of the knight and princess falling in love.

FF4: Cecil and Rosa grow up together along with Kain, with whom they are in a love triangle. Kain sort of runs off in the end because he can't deal with the other two being together at the story's end.

FF7: I know, it's really the only debatable one due to the narrative and affection mechanics of the OG, but the plot clearly shows that Cloud and Tifa have harbored romantic feelings since childhood, and they are obviously a couple raising a family together in AC and DoC. ToTP and OTWTAS delve further into their feelings, but are really just the devs clearing up things they did/could not get into in the OG. The remake trilogy adds more depth to the relationship as well, since Square couldn't really use tone of voice or body language in the OG to express the clear romantic chemistry and tension between them in the first two trilogy entries. In fact, it is so obvious that other characters and party members actively bring it up (Marle, Johnny, Yuffie, Barrett, even Aerith at times).

FF8: This one is a childhood/family connection one, as Squall and Rinoa's parents had a unresolved love story. It's a bit of stretch, I know, but it does loosely fit in with the other couples' arcs.

FF10: Similar to FF8, this one involves Tidus and Yuna having a connection through their fathers' having been comrades during Yuna's father's pilgrimage 10 years prior to the main story. Yuna even goes so far as to state that it must be fate that brought them together, during their voyage from Besaid to Kilika. It is worth noting that this one is a two-fer, since Wakka and Lulu are also childhood friends who become lovers, especially if you incorporate the 10-2 subplot in which Lulu is literally pregnant with Wakka's child.

FF12: This one only hints at two childhood-friends-to-lovers couples. Basch and Ashe have history as it seems he was a knight in the Dalmascan military when they were both younger, and their history is hinted at rather than directly addressed as in other games. It is suggested that they may develop romantic feelings some time after the main story ends, but are both bound by duty to be apart. Vaan and Penelo fit the childhood friends to lovers trope much better, but their relationship is only ever implied: Balthier constantly teases Vaan about Penelo by calling her "your girl" multiple times (which Vaan never refutes), and the final scene of the game is literally Vaan returning to her as he says "I'm coming Penelo".

FF13: Snow and Serah are the childhood friends to lovers couple here, and they do end up together in the end if you ignore the two sequel storylines.

FF15: Noctis and Luna start off as childhood friends destined to have an arranged marriage, but they develop strong romantic feelings for each other despite being apart for several years (yet again, by tragedies befalling their families/homes), and are reunited in their love both in adulthood and in the afterlife.

FF16: This one is another two-fer, with the obvious pairing of Clive and Jill growing up together and having romantic feelings as children, then being forced apart due to tragic circumstances (anyone sensing a theme here?), only to be reunited and fall in love as adults. This one mirrors FF7 quite a bit, complete with the memory loss narrative elements where Clive and Cloud both forget about the key roles they played in their respective childhood tragedies, only to rediscover the truth while on a journey of self-discovery where they battle with their own subconscious to rediscover their true pasts, with their childhood love interests at their sides. As a bonus, Jill also goes through her own journey of self-discovery at Drake's Breath with Clive at her side, much like Tifa does together with Cloud in the Lifestream. The less prominent pairing is Dion and Terence, who mirror the FF3 arc of Ingus and Sara, with the knight and prince (rather than princess, bold move SE) declaring their mutual love by story's end.

Please let me know if I missed/misrepresented anything, and I hope you find this remarkable consistency in the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope in the FF series as interesting as I do.

[minevn]

SPOILERS

It's a bit of a mix, I feel like Kei would honestly be down to give and receive anything you wanted to lol. So all of those technically DO count as Kei's kinks as well, but it's mainly because it's YOU and Kei will just take/give anything you want. But at the same time, since Kei hasn't had a relationship before he doesn't know what a lot of these feel like so while reading them I think he'd get off of imagining the both of you doing them but he also doesn't know for certain if he likes it(He does, he'll take/give literally almost anything you want from him with so much happiness and pleasure)

Yes, Kei created EVERYONE in Mine! There's multiple reasons, one is because of the research he's done on parents, most parents would be disappointed or even begin to hate their child after they commit a crime so atrocious. Kei knows that want he's doing is bad but he loves his feeling of love and growing obsession for you just as much as it completely rips him apart. Another part was to bring pain to these characters he created, they're really just pawns to him so he kind of wants them to suffer, even if he created them, even if parts of him are in them. For his parent being cruel towards you, that's to bring your own mental health down, and Kei could be there to comfort you and show you that despite how awful his parents are being towards both of you he still loves you. Another part of it is Kei's mental health, it's really not well, and he put that into Mine, if he doesn't get a happy like then neither does the rest of the characters(It also gives them a bit of spice). Life being difficult for the MC is for the same reasons as Kei's parents being cruel towards you, so Kei could be there and comfort you, he could be your hero, your perfect boyfriend. Hoshi and Habiki being bad is to show just how good of a boyfriend Kei would be.

Not really giving you a hint, they didn't think about it like that, they were honestly just stating facts LOL(That was more so ME giving hint LMAOOOOO) Yani could and would since they're so blunt and open about everything, but yeah, Yani is pretty scared of Kei so they KNOW the repercussions of exposing something so severe. Kei is the real villain, not Yani :,( free my girl/j.../hj

[veryferaldistributions]

The Blatantly Queer Episodes of “My Two Dads” (Another Short Essay)

So, there are essentially two episodes from the series that cemented in my mind that Joey and Michael are meant to be seen as a serious domestic couple, these being set aside from the MANY winks to the camera throughout the show’s run. These episodes are “The Only Child” and “Joey’s Mother-in-Law.”

The first episode depicts a situation where Nicole is trying to manipulate her fathers into letting her do something they wouldn’t agree to otherwise by asking them for something she thinks they can’t give her: a little brother. And that should be the end of it…but then Joey and Michael actually consider adopting another kid. And DO end up fostering a child named Ben for a short period of time. And, make all the arguments you want for them just being friends in regards to them parenting Nicole, but it is a WHOLE ‘nother ball of wax for them to agree (as “friends”) to adopt a second child. And aside from the wink-wink implication that they themselves cannot reproduce, it’s not seen as a joke.

And the story then pivots to being more about Nicole being jealous of her dads’ affection towards Ben as a boy, with her insinuating they didn’t want a girl. After he’s adopted by another family, Ben never reappears after this episode, unfortunately, and I do somewhat wish he had, if nothing else as Nicole’s friend/pseudo-brother. Again, as someone who is a “donor kid,” I have several half-siblings I’ve gotten in touch with and it would’ve been nice to see Nicole maintain that relationship.

The second episode in question is taken even more seriously than the first, despite the tongue-in-cheek title and the somewhat joking sentence of Joey calling Mrs. Taylor his “mother-in-law” aloud. In this episode, Michael’s mother comes for a very abrupt visit and quickly starts trying to control everything and everyone in the family. This builds to a very serious, very heartfelt confrontation between Michael and his mother, where Michael point-blank states that his mom doesn’t think of him and Joey as “real parents,” and that he knows she wouldn’t be the same way if he was married to a woman and had a baby with her.

This is a real conversation MANY queer parents have with their own moms and dads. (One that, I am certain, at least one of my moms had with theirs.)

I was absolutely floored that this conversation was treated as dead-serious as it was. And then later, without any laugh track or hint of humor (or even the dreaded implication that Michael is Joey’s “wife”), Michael’s mother refers to Joey as her “son-in-law” and asks him to drive her to the airport, as “that’s what son-in-laws do.” I wanted to kiss this episode. It was glorious. And, truthfully, it’s probably my favorite episode of the series.

(For all that, and the pointedly hilarious segment where Joey tries to suffocate Michael with a pillow, and Nicole walks in on them in an implied “intimate moment.”)

So, despite the show’s constant winks at the audience, these were the two episodes I found to be the most compelling arguments for Michael and Joey being legitimate domestic partners as well as just being Nicole’s dads.

[xlliot-walkxr]

( adam dimarco  +  twenty eight  +  he/they  )  look who has entered camp halfblood college !  meet ELLIOT WALKER ,  the child of DEMETER .  they have been living in long island for six years and are currently wilderness survival instructor. when someone describes them, they are often described as DUTIFUL and INTOLERANT. zeus believes they are responsible for stealing the lightning bolt but is that something they are capable of doing ?

𝐀𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬—.҉

Sunset rays filtering through greenhouse panes, tight hugs, orange wine on a summer's day, honeyed features with a tender tongue, warm fingers tracing your spine, scribbled notes on Herodotus, fresh baked pastries, teeth chewing against your cheek, corduroy jackets with patchwork hems, hints of fig and fresh cut grass, Taurian delights and cheeky grins, grudges held like seasons last, chaste lips holding back just enough.

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬—.҉

Agrokenisis: Elliot has found that his ties to wood and the control or growth of roots far stronger than that of his siblings' talents with fruit and flowering plants.

Green Speak: The ability to communicate with plant life and vegetation,

Toxikinesis: Limited but potent manipulation over plant based poisons, spores, or fungus. Bluntly, Elliot finds fungus disgusting but necessary, he chooses to focus on more botany-based poisons over spores any day.

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬—҉

full  name  :    Elliot  Walker nicknames  :  L, Eli, Walker (to those he spars/trains with) birthday  : April  29  zodiac  sign  :  Taurus age  :  28 sexual  orientation  :  Bisexual romantic  orientation  :  Demiromantic relationship  status  : Single parentage  :  Demeter position  : Wilderness Survival Instruction

𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭—҉ 

Given to him after protecting a sacred grove from peril, Elliot’s mother gifted him a golden harpe. Formed from one of the cypress trees he protected, his mother's gift demonstrates what grit and devotion can produce. The handle is knotted like cypress roots that grow into a golden hilt before sliding into this sharp blade, that when in the light, shimmers like grain caught in the wind..

𝐁𝐢𝐨—҉

PAST

  The love that produced you was arduous and stubborn, like a sprout through substrate it took desire to grow. Those signatures that birthed you were revealed as you grew and blossomed; that by the time you were a child you were a cut above those your age. The ichor that laid dormant within your blood was like sap hiding beneath bark that by your teenage years others couldn’t help but see you as prickly. Stern not guarded, focused but open to distraction—the exterior you put up only hid the sticky, sweet truth beneath it all. You bore kindness for all things that live and breath within nature, a tenderness that warranted work to ever taste it. Again the themes of your parent’s love, the strife and joy they nurtured, showed up within you like ringlets of a tree. From the mightiest of oaks to the sturdiest of a cypress, one can not hide what it took to make them. Neither did Elliot. Only years of work, of acceptance and mistakes would lead him to answers. That particular age, eighteen, was the start of new seasons for Elliot. 

CAMP

   It would take time for Elliot to find permanency; to place down roots. The soil that birthed him instilled obstinacy whilst the stars above dictated his bullheadedness. Life among mortals those years felt polarizing. Nothing more than normalcy, the young demigod craved it, and did anything he could to stay attached to it. However the news of his patronage, his powers, the monsters that came after him began chipping away at the half-blood. It took little over three and a half years later for the son of Demeter to accept his life at camp, an additional more for him to truly make his name and prove his claim, countless months of training, to several days cursing his fates, to a couple of those nights basking in his titleship. Being a son of Demeter, a child of the seasons, meant something truly. To be her’s, to be bud among the vast meadows of Demeter’s creations and delights, meant that there was purpose to be lived. That was all he needed to believe in for him to rise to whatever glory was waiting for Elliot.   

   UNIVERSITY

   Elliot’s time being on the road and escaping from monsters; along with the gifts his mother gave him only lent to his skills being sought out after University. Becoming an instructor wasn’t exactly on his mind, yet he wasn’t always sold on them becoming nothing but warriors. The son of Demeter’s hopes was to teach that there is honor in survival and that not everything can be solved with a blade. Accomplished fighters as the man was, his skills have always shown themselves when in the wild. Connected to the earth, to be able to hide in the thickest of green, his classes on survival have proven valuable to a few demigods that have been graced with quests.

  NOW

 Seasons have changed and cycled many times over the years, however nothing recently has reminded Elliot more of his place within the world. Half-blood, demigod, a pawn among an impending war. Since the proclamation of the bolt being stolen, there has been an unsettling sickness that has churned in him. Afraid of what this could mean along with so many forbidden children and a lulling peace these years, the now pliable and softened son of Demeter finds himself pruning his edges for the future. Nature and its laws, the forces of his mother’s domain, seem to ready themselves within him; hardening for what’s to come next.

[destinyc1020]

Oh girl, your blog is an oasis for those of us Austin appreciators that are in other fandoms. I just read some tomdaya blogs claiming that Austin is a social climber 🙃. A guy that has been working in Hollywood since he was a preteen. I see many similarities with him and Z: their middle class parents encouraged them to act to deal with their severe childhood shyness and were grinding for many years in child entertainment. Then they really had to dig deep to be able to be taken seriously in the industry

Yeah, a lot of people would have liked if Vanessa and him had stayed together or at least stayed friends, but their relationship was not brief or springboards for fame. Vanessa's career has not been easy after HSM. She has had some nice projects but not huge success. And Austin stayed with her through it all. At the end it seems that he got so obsessed to get Elvis absolutely right that he neglected his relationships (even with his own family). But everybody that meets him remarks how nice and endearing he is

Anyway, thanks for keeping this space

First of all, thanks so much for the kind words Anon. 🥰

It's nice to be known as an "oasis" lol. 😄

Yea, I try to keep my blog pretty much fun, positive, and lighthearted for the most part. I like discussing a wide-range of things on my blog, but I don't enjoy ppl being negative about others for practically NO good reason. 🥴

Personally, I think some ppl are unnecessarily hard on Aus (or his voice) for some reason. I just hope it doesn't end up making him self-conscious about his voice or whatever. I don't know him personally, but he seems incredibly sweet and grounded, and everyone who meets him says he's very kind and genuine. I just don't get the hate for him honestly. 😔 Thank goodness he's not very big on social media.

Even Tom has hinted at the fact that he's had to take a break from social media for his own mental and emotional health, and worrying about his looks, etc. Even so-called "fans" can make you self-conscious sad to say. 😔 I just think ppl these days can be unnecessarily cruel online and don't realize that celebrities are REAL ppl, with REAL feelings that they're talking about.

You don't have to like everyone, but to "just not care for someone" "just because", or for petty reasons, when you don't even know them personally, and they haven't done or said anything horrific in the public eye is just weird imo, and not my style at all. 🤷🏾‍♀️

There are soooo many more horrible ppl out here to hate or dislike who really have said or done some crazy hurtful things. 🥴

Re: The Zendaya Similarities....

You know what Anon, I never really thought about it, but you're right. 🤔 Both Z and Austin came from humble beginnings, and their parents probably encouraged them to get out of their comfort zones to try some acting because they were both extremely shy growing up. 😊 I know Z was so shy that ppl were worried when she was in school. I can definitely relate because I was really shy growing up too, and I had a hard time speaking up or raising my hand in class. I was so quiet! Rofl 🤣 Austin is still pretty shy... you can tell... but I think acting and being someone different onscreen has really helped him to get out of his shell, just like with Z.

As much as I complain about Sam's writing and the length of time it takes to film that show lol, I think the Euphoria role especially really helped Z to get out of her comfort zone and to be seen as a "serious actress".

Re: Vanessa...

Look, I loved her and Austin together, but the fact is, they're no longer together, and that's that. 🤷🏾‍♀️ And it's not like she was Meryl Streep, and he was some penniless, out-of-work actor lol. Dude was working.... and even was on several popular shows. True, it was mainly fluff stuff, but let's not re-write history here. Vanessa was more popular and well-known obviously due to HSM, but it's not like she was in the stratosphere and he was in the depths waaaaaay down below lol. 😂

Anyway, I'm not gonna pretend to know exactly why they broke up.... That's btwn them. 🤷🏾‍♀️Fans can speculate all they want, but I try to remember that only THEY know the reason. It could be smthg simple as they were already having difficulties and were just trying to stay together just because they had been together for so long. Who knows? Either way, it's not really my business. As long as they're both happy with their new significant others (and it seems like they are! 😃) that's all that really matters at the end of the day imo. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Nobody tells me what to do, what to be interested in, or what to post on my OWN freakin' blog.

ANYWAY.....

With all of that said... No, I am NOT going to "shut up about Austin Butler" like that one Anon suggested. 🙄 Who are they, my mother???

Sorry! LOL 😁😅

[marineclan]

Skystar - Leader

Responsible, skilled mediator, good speaker

Bio below:

Close with parents and very social as an apprentice. Has been uneasy since the deaths of Primrosepelt and Gentleburst, his littermates. Finds comfort in Butterflymoon, and was happy to become his mate. After he had their first litter of kits, he happened upon a kittpet who had also recently had kits. The kittypet brought Sneezekit to the clan after being convinced that the clan could provide a safe home for him.

Skybeak was surprised to be named deputy by Reefstar, but quickly became excited. After all, he had the support of Butterflymoon and his kits had just become apprentices. He began to set his sights on what the future of Marineclan might look like.

Unfortunately, his enthusiasm was shortlived as he came to terms with the fact that his mischievious nature would only get him into trouble in his new leadership role. Feeling a need to change quickly, he began to lose confidence in himself despite the support of Butterflymoon and Reefstar.

Things only got worse after Leaopardburst was killed by rogues and Butterflymoon drowned while saving a clanmate. Heartbroken, Skybeak turned to his only survivng kit, Cicadaflicker. The two weren't close, but Skybeak hoped to bond more with him in order to keep him safe.

One night, Skybeak was visited by Butterflymoon in a dream. Butterflymoon told him that although they both still loved each other, it was very important that Skybeak take another mate as soon as possible. His mate showed him the blurry reflections of several clanmates, hinting that each would make a fine choice.

Skybeak was hurt and confused by this vision, and asked Heavyfoot for help interpreting it. When Heavyfoot listened to him carefully and agreed that Butterflymoon was probably right, Skybeak felt that he had no choice but to listen. Remembering his adolescent crush on Lilactuft, he asked if she'd be his mate. She was hesitant, but when he explained that Starclan had guided him to her she accepted his offer.

Skybeak was forced into temporary leadership at only 61 moons when Reefstar went missing for a few days. The clan was able to determine that he'd been taken by twolegs, and hoped that he would return to them soon, but the experience was still frightening for Skybeak. He did his best to maintain order despite his fears, especially since there was no way to know when or if Reefstar would return. Luckily, his absence only lasted a short time and things quickly returned to normal.

What didn't return to normal was his relationship with his only surviving child, Cicadaflicker. He found himself consistently disappointed with his son's dismissive attitude toward Lilactuft, and Skybeak's attempts to correct his behavior only resulted in arguments. The closer he became to Lilactuft, the more difficult it became to empathize with Cicadaflicker at all.

Skybeak was overjoyed when Lilactuft gave birth to her first litter, Cherrykit and Tumblekit. He was proud to see them apprenticed, but his pride only lasted a few moons before his mate was tragically killed by a monster.

He could blame no one, as Wildeagle had also perished in what could only be described as an unforseeable accident. With no one to blame, he could only slip into the belief that maybe the deputy position was truly cursed with mate death. If that were the case, then it must be him who was to blame after all. Lilactuft had only agreed to his proposal because Starclan had willed it, and now she had joined their ranks for her selflessness.

Skybeak was very proud of his two kits, but he never reconciled with Cicadaflicker. When Cicadaflicker succumbed to yellowcough, Skybeak was left feeling extremely conflicted about his treatment of his son. Suddenly, there was no one left to symbolize the losses he'd suffered throughout his life. There was no one left to blame and project his internal struggles onto.

Reefstar was only getting older, and with Skybeak's time as leader approaching he had no choice but to dedicate himself to healing the old wounds that he'd allowed Cicadaflicker, his own son who'd lost his mother, to represent.

By the time Reefstar peacefully joined Starclan, Skybeak had already become a very senior warrior. He was relieved to see both Butterflymoon and Lilactuft during his leader ceremony, and somehow even more overjoyed to see Leopardburst there as well. Although Cicadaflicker's absence was a bit painful, it did not surprise him. All things considered, Skystar had all of the support he could have asked for.

What Skystar didn't have were viable successors. He had long considered several cats to be ideal candidates, but none had ever received an apprentice, and by the warrior code were forbidden from becoming deputy. Of his own kits, only Tumblecreek was eligible, but his childishness made him a poor fit for leadership and would only make Skystar look biased and weak.

The question kept him awake the entire night following his ceremony, as he poured over names and faces for an eligible candidate. Briefly he considered stalling the decision long enough to provide his most trusted warrior, Thriftface, with an apprentice to fulfill the requirements. But this would only throw the clan into uncertainty and he refused to make such demands of them.

Finally, after considering nearly every cat in the clan, he settled on Rushsurf. He didn't know the younger shecat well, but her family had strong connections to the clan and she had a profoundly wise head on her shoulders for her age. She was experienced and had mentored Reefstar's own gradndaughter, Frostshiver. Surely she would be deserving of a chance to prove herself.

After a brief rest before sunrise, Skystar immediately took Rushsurf aside to offer her the position. And to his great relief, she accepted. Even after he explained the weight of the responsibility, and the potential losses she could suffer, she appeared unfazed. That was the least he could ask of any cat in their position.

Tragically, Rushsurf's position of deputy was shortlived. She succumbed to greencough less than a year into her new role, and Skystar was once again faced with a difficult decision.

Although he had had the opportuntity to give his trusted warriors apprentices by this point, Skystar had long since realized that this was not the simple solution he had believed it to be. As much as he wanted to see Cherryfreckle or Thriftface as his deputy, neither had the tempermant for mentorship. And by extension, neither had the tempermant for leadership.

Skystar cursed the situation, his circumstances, and the apparent curse that still loomed over Marineclan's leaders. Whether this was mere superstition or not, the deputy role was of vital importance and he finally settled on Crookedbird as an appropriate candidate. The young tom was still training his first apprentice, but he was loyal and settled with a mate already. He and his family were clanborn as well, which at the very least would hypothetically make it more difficult for him to suddenly turn the clan over to rogues.

When Skystar finally finished mulling over the decision, he emerged from his den after another sleepless night to speak with Crookedbird. The young warrior was hesitant to agree to the position, but Skystar gave him time to think it over and his patience paid off. Marineclan finally had another deputy.

Skystar went on to lead his clan for many more moons, until the day finally came that a pack of dogs descended on his patrol. He found himself in Starclan soon after, and reunited with Butterflymoon, Lilactuft, and his kits. Because he had never gotten very close to his deputy, he could only hope that Crookedstar would lead the clan toward peace and happiness.

[autumntouched]

Top Gun Headcanon - Birth Order Theory Edition

If you’re reading Talk to Me on ao3, then you’ve probably noticed that siblings play a huge role in the story and that’s not an accident.

There are so many things that influence our personalities, and I love observing the role that siblings or no siblings plays in that. So here’s my headcanon for our favorite TGM characters’ family dynamics.

Phoenix - Phoenix is the third of four children with two older brothers and a younger sister. She has the adaptability and peacekeeping skills of a middle child but knows how to manipulate alliances to get what she wants when she wants to. As the younger sister of two brothers, she has no trouble or lack of confidence fitting into the male-dominated world of the Navy. While she has an easy relationship with her older brothers, her relationship with her younger sister is more complicated and they are most likely to take their frustrations out on one another. Phoenix’s parents divorced when she was young so she felt extra pressure to hold the family together. Her brothers’ protection became her source of stability, but she can sometimes unfairly place all of the blame for conflicts on her younger sister. Family nicknames: Sasha/Sash because there was another Natasha in her class and she didn’t want to be Natasha T, kids made fun of her for Nat, and Tasha seemed like a butt. Chickadee (her mom) for her bright nature and obsession with the sky. Nasha because her older brother couldn’t pronounce her name as a toddler.

Rooster - Rooster is very much an only child. He’s independent, sensitive, a little self-absorbed from time to time, and unable to shrug off (or at least pretend to ignore) Hangman’s teasing the way the other pilots do. He can find it hard to relate to his peers, especially because he matured so quickly after losing his dad at such a young age. As the only child of a single parent, he feels a huge sense of responsibility toward those around him. Family nicknames: Booger or Boo (Carole may have had too much of a sense of humor), Nicky (Goose) short for “Nicholas,” his middle name

Hangman - For much of his life, Hangman was the adored younger brother. His parents may have told him they’re proud of him one too many times. As the younger sibling of a sister, he has a sensitive streak that often catches people off guard. He’s outgoing with a lack of a sense of responsibility for others. An attention seeker, he knows how to turn on the charm or push people’s buttons as only a younger sibling can. Then his older sister died when they were in high school. He struggles with the responsibility he feels as his parents’ only surviving child and the feeling that he can never live up to his sister’s memory. Hangman was extremely close to his sister but doesn’t feel like he has the right to grieve her in comparison to his parents’ loss of a child. Family nicknames: Jakey

Bob - Bob is the youngest of four with two older sisters and one nonbinary sibling who spoil him as much as they gang up on him. He’s used to being drowned out and overlooked but accepts it as a fact of life rather than with resentment. However, he’s not without a spine and can give as good as he gets when he needs to hold his own. His parents gave him the confidence to let others take the lead and growing up with three assertive siblings, he has no problem playing second fiddle to any gender. Family nickname: Robby (and ONLY his family is allowed to call him this, with the exception of Phoenix in private)

Payback - Payback is in some ways the quintessential oldest child. He’s a little more reserved, an overachiever, and expects everyone to take responsibility for themselves and others. He has just one younger brother but grew up around several sibling-like cousins. Among them, he’s the middle child so he shows hints of peacekeeping, adaptability, and rebelliousness. He’s not opposed to breaking the rules, but he doesn’t like when people do it at someone else’s expense. He can see an argument coming from a mile away and, like a parent, will redirect the conversation rather than lowering himself into the immature fray. Family/Childhood nickname: He’s a third, so Trey and at school Fitch.

Fanboy - Fanboy was an only child when his parents got divorced and then became a younger step-sibling when one remarried and later an older half brother to a sister and brother when the other remarried. As someone forced into a position of fluidity, he prefers to hang back and observe but can work well with just about anyone. He has a natural, easy going nature and with so many different familial dynamics, he’s not as intimidated by established or de facto authority. Family nickname: None, he liked Mickey. 

[orphaned-kiirokero]

Outro: Love is Not Over (Epilogue)

Pairing: Daycare Teacher! Hoseok x Single Mom! Reader.

Genre: Single Parent! AU, Teacher! AU, Hybrid! AU, Fluff, Angst, Adorable Kids,

Warnings: Um, Hoseok cries but they’re happy tears, like very brief mentions of kids without parents. 

Word Count: 4.3k

Note: Oh no.. Writing this made me sad :( It’s really over? (I don’t know why I’m asking that... I’m the author...)

Summary: Years after a relationship goes south. You are the single mother of a beautiful 6-year-old golden retriever hybrid who you named Yunho. He is the light of your life. Yunho is everything to you, and you’d do anything for him. But you’re a human. Yunho doesn’t care, he will tell you he doesn’t. “You’re still my Eomma. No matter what.” He says. But you can’t help but feel like you will never be enough for him. You can’t be the mother he deserves. You can’t show him the ropes of being a hybrid, and you can’t teach him things the other moms can. But you try. You try your damn hardest. So, when a handsome German Shepard hybrid comes into your life, helping you and guiding Yunho in a way you can’t, you can’t help the cozy home he sets up in your heart.

Chapter Guide:

Previous / The End ❁

Masterlist

I’m not a morning person. 

Never have been. 

   I used to dread the signs of a new day. I used to go to bed and groan at the thought of the sun peering through my curtains and calling me back to the real world. I’d curse the morning birds and their repetitive song and roll my eyes at the overly cheerful morning news host, who obviously sported a fake smile every time she was on air. 

The only reason I used to wake up was for Yunho. 

   When my alarm went off, my first thoughts were getting Yunho ready for the new day, so he didn’t have to hate it like I did. I’d wake him up, help him choose his outfit for the day, make his breakfast while he got dressed, and send him off to school. With a genuine smile. Even if I wasn’t a morning person, I’d be one for him. 

But things are different now. 

   The sun peeked its soft, pale yellow rays through the sheer ivory curtains that covered the windows of our bedroom. The sun’s warmth laid over my face like the hand of a mother trying to rouse its child from sleep. I was familiar with the motion. Several birds sung their morning tune, perched up on bare branches as they serenaded the woods like they have been since the first time they peeped. It was winter, meaning the birds have migrated to warmer places, although Busan’s climate didn’t make it feel like such. Yes, it was cold, but it was no winter wonderland.  

   Despite the slight chill outside and the slightly cloudy skies, everything felt pleasantly warm. Like the house was on its own schedule, changing seasons whenever it deemed necessary. It felt like the perfect April spring day under the white sheets of our bed, wrapped in a pair of gentle, slightly tanned arms. My body cradled in the embrace of my shirtless lover. 

   “Ma! Hobi! Wake up!” A giggle voice called, followed by the patter of running feet. Hoseok and I grumbled, playfully ignoring the hybrid and snuggling deeper into the covers. We heard Yunho scoff as we held back our giggles, waiting for him to do what he always did. He indulged our silent expectations. Yunho jumped up on the bed, shaking the mattress and us as he hopped up and down, laughing. 

   I relented and peeked my eyes open. My heart softened when I saw Yunho’s smile (Which was missing a couple of teeth) “Well, good morning to you too,” I chuckled, moving to sit up. “No...” a gruff voice from beside me grumbled. Hoseok tightened his arms around my figure, trying to persuade me back down in bed so he could snuggle me more. 

   I smiled, petting his bed head as compensation for my utterly rude movement. He grumbled again, opting to just snuggle into my side. “Hobi!! Wake up!” Yunho whined, bounding over to the older hybrid, jumping on top of him and grabbing his face with his hands, which were comically smaller. Hoseok let out a little “oomph” sound before he let Yunho move his head around and poke at his cheeks. 

   Hoseok’s eyes were still closed, but the heart-shaped smile that graced his face gave off waves of happiness. “Okay, champ, I’m awake,” He chuckled, peeking his honey eyes open to look at Yunho. The ten-year-old cheered in victory, scrambling off Hoseok to sit in my lap. “Do you know what day it is?” He grinned, his missing front teeth on full display. 

   I hummed playfully, tapping my finger against my chin as Hoseok watched us with a smile from where he was laying next to me. “Hmm, well, today is a big day, am I right?” I teased. Yunho nodded vehemently. “A very big day,” Hoseok commented. “Could it be... Your big day?” I asked. Yunho giggled. “Yes!” He exclaimed, wrapping me in a hug and nuzzling his face in the crook of my neck. I wrapped my unoccupied arm around him, giving him a kiss on the top of his head.

  “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll make your favorite breakfast?” I offered. Yunho pulled back and looked at me with stars in his eyes before chirping out an “okay!” before he squeezed me one last time, bent down and gave Hoseok a hug, and scurried out of the room. The two of us watched him go with warm, melted hearts. “He gets cuter as the years go by,” I sighed. “Wait until he’s a teenager,” Hoseok poked. I looked down at his teasing smile with a pout. “Don’t say that!” I whined, doing my best to wiggle out of his grasp. 

   Hoseok didn’t let go, he just held me tighter while he cackled at my attempts. “You’re mean,” I chuckled, pushing his face away from my side. Hoseok playfully nipped at my hands with his sharp canines, fighting them off like his life depended on it. All with a smile on his face. “But you love me,” He gushed, nuzzling his face into my stomach once he won the fight against my hands. 

   I rolled my eyes, giving him one last scratch behind the ear before I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Hoseok whined, but let me go. “Come on, you menace. Put a shirt on and help me with breakfast.” I said, throwing on one of his sweatshirts and making my way downstairs. I heard him dramatically groan. 

   I made my way to the kitchen and got out the ingredients for blueberry pancakes, Yunho’s favorite. Today was January 14, Yunho’s 10th birthday. He’s been eagerly waiting for this day since December, constantly dropping hints of what he wanted and what he’d like to do. So for today, Hoseok and I planned to take him out to a new amusement park with Hyejin, Yoongi, and Hajun (a different from the one we frequented), go out for dinner, and come back home for ice cream. (and presents of course)

   “Hobi!!” I heard Yunho call from upstairs and the aforementioned man responded with a “Yes?” before I heard his footsteps trail through the upstairs hallway. When Yunho was about 7, he started calling Hoseok “Hobi” instead of “Mr. Hoseok” once he realized that Hoseok was sticking around for a bit. I think it was because Yunho fully accepted him into his life, but Hoseok argues that “Mr. Hoseok” was just too much of a mouthful. 

    “Eomma... Where’s Hobi?” Yunho mumbled one morning while I fiddled with the coffee machine. I looked down at him with a quirked brow. “Hobi?” I asked, and he nodded. “Yeah, Mr. Hoseok. Where is he? Did he leave?” He pouted. I gave him a reassuring smile as I picked him up and sat him down on the counter. 

   “Hobi went out to get some breakfast, don’t worry, he’ll be back,” I said, petting his head. Yunho leaned into the touch, looking up at me with his puppy eyes. “Promise? Promise he’ll come back?” He asked, sticking out one of his pinkies. I chuckled, grabbing his pinky with my own. “I promise. Hobi wouldn’t leave us, bub,” 

   Right on cue, the front door opened. Yunho’s ears stood at attention, and he quickly jumped off the counter. He ran over the Hoseok who had a box of donuts in his hands and latched onto his leg, nuzzling his face into the material of his jeans. “Hey, champ. Are you okay?” He asked, moving the box over to one hand and resting his newly unoccupied one on Yunho’s head. “Don’t leave like that!” He whined. Hoseok frowned, bending down so he could look at Yunho properly. 

   “I just went out to get donuts, bub,” He explained, opening the box in front of him. “I got your favorite,” He smiled, motioning for Yunho to take one. Yunho complied, picking up a regular glazed donut and taking a bite out of it. “Did Hoseok scare you because he wasn’t here when you woke up?” I asked, leaning against the wall. Yunho nodded with a slumped head. 

    Hoseok looked at me with sad eyes before he turned his attention back to Yunho. “I’m sorry, I’ll tell you next time, okay? And if I’m ever not here when you wake up, know that I’ll always come back.” He smiled. Yunho looked up at him. “Do you promise, Hobi?” He asked. I could tell the new name caught Hoseok off guard, but he shook it off, holding out his pinky for Yunho. “I promise.”

And he’s been calling him that for three years now. 

   Suddenly, Hoseok came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on top of mine while I mixed the pancake batter. “What was up?” I asked. “His adult canines are sore again, so I gave him some medicine,” He explained. I sighed, “Hopefully they’ll settle soon, and correctly.” Hoseok moved his head to rest over my shoulder and reached over to pop a blueberry in his mouth before saying, “It’ll be okay. I remember when mine started growing in, I cried until they settled. He’s already stronger than me,” He chuckled, giving me a kiss on the cheek before he pulled away. 

  Not long after, Yunho came running down the stairs, bouncing over to where Hoseok was leaning against the counter and plastering himself to his leg. Hoseok smiled down at him and ruffled his hair. “How are you feeling?” He asked. Yunho shrugged, “Okay,” He answered. “Do you think you’ll be able to eat?” I asked before actually cooking any of the pancakes. “Mhm! I can eat,” He reassured. I chuckled, “Roger that,” Hoseok and Yunho both gave me a kiss before they moved into the living room to watch cartoons. 

I never thought I’d be a morning person, but damn, waking up next to Hoseok really changed that. 

   Since that day at Geumjeongsan, Hoseok and I took things slow and steady. Nothing changed at first. Hoseok would come by for ice cream nights like he always did, but then he’d stay after I put Yunho to bed. Then he took me on dates. Then he’d stay over for a couple of days. Then I asked him to move in with me. And now here we are, about 4 years later, with a new Jung Hoseok added to Yunho and I’s little family. 

  My bed never felt cold anymore, nights weren’t lonely or silent, and I looked forward to the morning. The mornings where I could peak my eyes open and see Hoseok’s sleeping face right in front of me, his hair all tousled. The mornings where I could wake up and hear his laughter mixed in with Yunho’s downstairs. The mornings when I was roused from sleep with a gentle, “Wake up, baby,” or “Honey~ wakey wakey~”

I’ve never been a morning person.

But Hoseok and Yunho made me one.

   The joyous screams of amusement park visitors echoed through the chilly air. The grind of rollercoasters tracks and other thrill rides hummed in a familiar rhythm. The smell of popcorn and cotton candy wafted past our noses as we entered the gates of the amusement park, keeping an eye out for a certain cat family. 

“If it isn’t my favorite sister! Ready for some amusement park fun?”

“Hyejin, you’re an only child. You basically adopted me in college to fill the little sister role. And yes, of course.” 

   Hyejin cackled as she ran up and wrapped me in a hug, while Hoseok excitedly greeted Yoongi, his best friend, with a hug of his own. Yoongi grumbled, but I could tell liked it by the way his noir tail swished back and forth. Yunho ran over to give them a hug as well, a blinding smile plastered on his face. 

   Hyejin pulled away and greeted him enthusiastically, picking him up and spinning him around. Yunho squealed in delight, their giggles intermixed with each other. Once Hyejin let him down, Yunho gave her a proper hug before bouncing over to Yoongi to give him one, too. “Oh god, you're getting big,” Yoongi commented, sounding exactly like an old man. “You’re going to be taller than your mother when you 're an adult,” He snickered, and I whacked his shoulder in defense. He let out an “ow” but continued to laugh. 

   “You know, that means he’d be taller than you too, Yoon,” Hoseok said, and Yoongi immediately cut off his chuckles to give the taller hybrid a shoulder whack of his own. I watched the interaction with a satisfied grin before I felt a tug on my shirt. I looked down to see Hajun looking up at me, silently asking for a hug. “Well, isn’t it my favorite nephew,” I said, kneeling down to wrap Hajun in my arms. He wrapped his arms around me in return, quietly nuzzling his face in my chest. 

   After we all exchanged our greetings and went over the rules with the kids, Hyejin clapped her hands together with a smile. “Alright! Let the adventure begin!” She exclaimed. Hajun and Yunho cheered with her as we started walking through the park. Yunho grabbed onto Hoseok’s hand while Hajun took Yoongi’s and the two of them pulled the grown men every which way. Hyejin and I lagged a bit behind, lost in our own conversation. 

   We walked through the food stands and carnival games, collecting drinks and a couple stuffed animals that Yunho and Hajun guilt tripped Hoseok and Yoongi into winning for them. “Look Hobi! It looks like the dragon from my show!” Yunho grinned, pointing up the red dragon plushie that was one of the prizes for winning the “Throw the ball and knock down the bottles” game.

   Hoseok looked at what he was pointing at and nodded in agreement. “Do you want it?” He asked and Yunho quickly nodded his head yes. “Now, now, I think you’ve won enough for right now,” I said. Yunho pouted, about to whine out a “But Ma...” before Hoseok beat him to it. “It’s fine, baby, just one more? Then we’ll stop,” 

   I sighed, relenting pretty quickly under Hoseok’s persuasive smile. He and Yunho cheered, going over to give the stall employee his money. The employee gave Hoseok three balls and pointed at the stack he’d be aiming at. Hoseok gave one of the balls to Yunho and asked him to take a shot at it. Yunho stuck his tongue out in concentration and threw the ball. It completely missed, but Hoseok was quick to turn his pout into a smile when he threw one of the other balls, successfully knocking down some of the bottles.

   Now, a man throwing a worn out baseball should not be attractive. But it was. It was attractive. I knew Hoseok went to the gym whenever he could with his friend Jeongguk, and it obviously paid off. He was fit, and his flexing biceps only proved that fact further. 

   Hoseok threw the second ball and knocked down the rest of the bottles, winning the dragon for Yunho. Hoseok handed the toy to Yunho, but before Yunho took it completely, he rubbed it all over Hoseok, getting his scent on the toy. Hoseok let him with a smile on his face. Once he deemed it scented enough, he hugged it to his chest and grabbed Hoseok’s land, running back to where I was standing. 

   “Look Ma!” He said, proudly showing the stuffed toy to me. “Wow!” I gasped in that typical “impressed mother” way before I shot Hoseok a grateful smile. “What do we say?” I asked. Yunho turned around and hugged Hoseok’s leg, “Thank you, Hobi,” He said in a singsong voice. Hoseok chuckled. “You’re welcome,” 

   We continued on our journey through the park, occasionally stopping to get on rides like the teacups and the merry-go-round. I made sure to take plenty of pictures of Yunho’s bright face and Hoseok’s heart-shaped smile. (And occasional face of fear when the rides suddenly sped up)

   “Ma! Can we go on that one?” Yunho asked, pointing at one of the rollercoasters. It was quite tame, nothing crazy, just fast paced and a couple of small drops. I looked at it, feeling my stomach go a bit queasy. I was never the best with rollercoasters. “Go with Seok and see if you reach the height limit,” I said. Yunho grabbed Hoseok’s hand and shook with excitement as he led him to where the height limit board was set up. Hajun also pulled Yoongi over. 

   Hyejin giggled. “They look absolutely adorable, don’t they?” She asked. “Who? Yoongi and Hajun? Yes, Yoongi and mini Yoongi are the cutest,” I chuckled, but Hyejin shook her head. “No, silly, Hoseok and Yunho,” she clarified, and I let out an ‘ohhh’ before I nodded my head in agreement. “Yes, they are also the cutest.” I smiled, watching as Yunho bounced up and down in excitement when Hoseok told him he reached the limit. The two of them looked over at me and I shot them a thumbs up, waving them off as they got in the queue. 

   “I’m proud of you, ya know,” Hyejin spoke up, turning to look at me. “Why’s that?” I asked. Hyejin playfully rolled her eyes because to her it was so obvious what she was alluding to. “The little family you’ve made with Hoseok,” She said, “You changed so much, and for the better. You’re literally glowing every day and so is Yunho. You don’t have that doubt anymore, and that feeling isn’t rubbing off on him anymore.” 

“Really? I mean, I definitely feel better, but I didn’t know I was looking like it too.”

“I’m just happy to see you so happy.” 

   I smiled, looking back at where Hoseok, Yunho, Yoongi, and Hajun were standing. The four of them in their own little world as they talked about whatever. Probably music, which was what the boy’s new obsession was about. “My boys make me happy,” I said with a shrug. 

“Have you ever thought about marriage?” Hyejin blurted out. 

   I choked on the water I was sipping, coughing it up as it made its way down the wrong pipe. Hyejin gently pat my back, like a gentle form of the Heimlich manoeuvre however the Heimlich wouldn’t help in this situation since water wasn’t a solid. “W-What?” I stuttered out, looking at Hyejin with wide eyes. 

  Hyejin took the fact that I wasn’t dying as an invitation to start laughing. I swatted at her with a pout. “Don’t laugh! You caught me off guard!” I whined, and Hyejin laughed harder. After she had calmed down, she took a deep breath and cleared her throat before looking at me again. “Have you ever thought of marriage? Like, marrying Hoseok?” She asked for the second time, but this time I didn’t choke. (Luckily)

   “Um... No? I haven’t, isn’t thinking about this a bit too soon?” I argued. But Hyejin shook her head. “You’ve been together for like, 4 years. I don’t think it’s early at all,” She said, crossing her arms. “You’re saying you haven’t thought about it at all? Like never?” She questioned, and I shook my head. “Not at all. I just, live in the moment and appreciate the fact that Hoseok is with me in the first place,” I gushed. 

   “Do you want to though?” She rose a playful brow, nudging me softly. I spluttered, “I um. I don’t know...? Yes...? Marriage is expensive, though. The venue, the dress, the food-” I listed, but Hyejin quickly cut me off with a finger to my lips. “Gosh don’t think about that, think about if Hoseok were to get down on one knee and pull out a ring right now, would you say yes?” She asked. I chuckled, “Hyejin that’s-” “Nope! Answer the question!” She chirped. 

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah... Yes, I’m sure I would,” I answered truthfully, feeling my ears heat up in embarrassment. Hyejin squealed, bouncing up and shaking me out of excitement. “Ah! So cute, I can’t wait for the wedding,” She gushed, wrapping her arms around me so I’d bounce up and down with her. “Hyejin! Stooopp” I whined, feeling the stares of passersby. 

  Hyejin pulled away once the excited cheers of rollercoaster-high Yunho and Hajun came bounding over to us. They cheerfully told us all about how Hoseok screamed and Yoongi closed his eyes the whole time. Hoseok walked over to me with a pout, clearly embarrassed about his lack of courage. He wrapped his arms around me and whined about how awful the rollercoaster was. But I could only blush as I thought about what Hyejin had talked to me about. 

“Happy birthday, dear Yunho, happy birthday to you!” 

    “Is the cake good?” I asked Yunho who had a forkful of ice cream cake in his mouth. He nodded with a smile, his face scrunching up cutely. I chuckled, petting Yunho on the head before I started to clean up the mess we had made, which was mostly wrapping paper mess from Yunho’s gift unwrapping extravaganza. 

   As Hyejin and I went to put the dishes in the sink and throw the trash away, she spoke up with a pout. “We’ll have to get going... All three of us have things to do in the morning,” She sighed. “Why do you sound so guilty?” I chuckled, patting her on the back in reassurance. “Because it’s so early! And I wanna hang out with you longer,” He whined. “Hyejin, you see me like all the time. It’ll be okay. Why don’t we meet up for coffee on Wednesday?” I offered. 

   Hyejin immediately cheered up, enthusiastically agreeing to the plans and wrapping me in a hug. “I love you,” She said. “I love you too,” I responded. Yoongi came back in from where he and Hoseok had disappeared out back, keys in his hands as he looked over at Hyejin. “Ready?” He asked, and Hyejin nodded. 

   Yoongi told Hajun to say his goodbyes, which he did, albeit reluctantly, as Hyejin and Yoongi said their own. “Take care,” Yoongi whispered to me, and he gave me a shoulder hug. “You say that like you 're going away for a long time,” I said. Yoongi just shrugged, “I’m not, but still, take care.” I smiled at him. “Will do and I love you too,” Yoongi looked away with a blush, running off to hide behind Hyejin. 

   “Bye!” We all waved as we watched them go from the front door. The Min family reciprocated with their own set of waves and chorus of “Bye”s. Having guests leave after a party aways feels so odd. I never realized just how quiet the house was at night. 

   “Okay! Time for bed,” Yunho chirped, padding over towards the stairs. Hoseok and I raised our brow, looking back and forth between each other and Yunho with wide eyes. That was abrupt... “You don’t want to stay up? This is the only day I let you,” I said, utterly confused. Yunho turned around and shook his head no. “Nope!” He said, popping the ‘p’ “I have school tomorrow,” He said. 

   “Alright, since when do you want to be ready for school?” Hoseok chuckled, tilting his head at the younger hybrid. “Tomorrow is Appa day, where we’re supposed to bring our Appa to school with us,” Yunho smiled, like what he was saying was nonchalant. I cringed. I never really like the concept of “Eomma days” or “Appa days” because, like Yunho, not everyone had an Appa or Eomma. It just seemed harmful, in a way. 

   “Are you sure you don’t want to stay home tomorrow?” I asked, but Yunho vehemently shook his head no. “Then Hobi and I would miss Appa day!” He whined. Now if Yunho surprised us with his enthusiasm for school, he rendered Hoseok and I... Well, speechless. 

   Hoseok coughed, taking a minute to process the meaning of Yunho’s words. “Is that okay...?” Yunho cautioned after seeing Hoseok’s reaction. “Yes! Yes. It’s perfectly okay. We can, um, we can get donuts for breakfast, yeah?” He sputtered out. Yunho’s face lit up. “Okay! I’m going to go take a shower,” He proclaimed before he ran up the stairs towards the bathroom. 

Silence. 

There was nothing in the air but silence between Hoseok and I. 

Until Hoseok’s soft sniffles reached my ears. 

   I made my way over to Hoseok and cupped his teary face in my hands. “Hey... Why are you crying?” I asked with a worried look. Hoseok didn’t answer at first, and I gave him the space to calm down and gather himself. “He-He wants me for Appa day, so does that mean...?” He sniffled, looking at me with pleading eyes that silently asked me if this was real and not a dream. I nodded. “I think it does,”

  Hoseok cried even harder, burying his face into the crook of my neck and wrapping his arms around me, holding me tight. “He sees me like that?” He cried. I didn’t realize just how seriously Hoseok took his role as a father figure, and I guess the conformation from Yunho that he was, in fact, his father figure made him feel like he had won the World Cup. “He does. You deserve that honor, Hoseok,”

“I just... I don’t... Appa”

“Shh, take a deep breath, okay?”

   I let him cry in my neck until he pulled away by himself, leaving me with a saturated collar and sleeve. Hoseok looked at the wet spot and chuckled. “Sorry,” He croaked out, but I shook my head and took one of his hands in my. “No need to apologize, it’s just a shirt. Let’s get ready for bed, okay? You have a big day tomorrow.” I smiled. 

Yunho was my light.

And now he has a father could be things that I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Just Yunho, Hoseok, and I

“What’s stopping you, Seok?”

“I’m just nervous, Yoon. What if she says no?”

“Why would she say no?”

“I don’t... Know...”

“Exactly, so just take her somewhere nice and ask. That’s how I asked Hyejin,”

“You make it sound so easy... But alright... I’ll do it.”

Tag List: @kurochan3​ @mrcleanheichou​ @anonymous-armys-blog​ @bella-raina @purelyecstacy​ @lindsayjoy444  @unicornbabylover​ @xicanacorpse​ @creatorspalace​ @thesweetest-peas​​ @fangirl125reader​​

© KiiroKero

Another Note: I have drabble plans for the OLINO universe that I might write and post. They won’t be out for a while but I might write them. 

[ilikekidsshows]

Hey, I was wondering if you could talk more about what you thought about the conflict that happened between Ladybug and Chat Noir in the new york special?

Certainly. Mainly, it’s the same issue we saw in ‘Glaciator’ but manifesting in a different way: these two tend to misunderstand the relationship between them because of their personal experiences and expectations, which tend to naturally be in conflict because of the very different pasts the two characters have. I also think the conflict was two-sided and only one side of the issue at hand was solved. We had Cat Noir’s dishonesty and Ladybug’s inability to act as a comforter, with only the former being solved.

Since it's the one that gets resolved and it's more straightforward, let's start with Cat Noir's side. He's the child of a strict, emotionally abusive father and we've repeatedly seen that he projects his relationship with his father into his relationship with Ladybug, and here it happens again. Gabriel would not let Adrien do what he doesn't allow and we've seen what he does when Adrien disappoints him: punishes him severely.

Strict parents don’t raise obedient children, they raise children who lie well. And Adrien had more of a motive to be deceitful than most. This special was the first time Ladybug gave him responsibility over something. If he said he couldn’t do it, would she ever trust him with anything again? Or, would she simply tell him to suck it up and do as he’s told, forcing Adrien to choose between her and his father in their demands of him? And Plagg, who I will point out, has been actively more helpful in season three, actually helped Adrien come up with a plan that, to their reasonable expectations, would not have led to anyone being hurt or disappointed, so Adrien obviously saw that simply not letting Ladybug know that he wouldn’t be physically present in Paris would work out. Adrien even was responsible about it; he kept himself actively informed of the situation in Paris up until he was made to put his phone away. And then things went to hell in a handbasket at the worst possible moment.

However, here comes the fault in Adrien’s reasoning, which was very reasonable to him and his implied-to-be equally abused Kwami: Ladybug is nothing like Gabriel. Marinette would have heard him out and they’d have come up with a plan together to deal with the situation, as long as Cat Noir got a hold of her soon enough for them to meet up and make a plan. We don’t really know what the time frame is between Adrien finding out and the departure of the plane to New York, but, considering Plagg stopped Adrien from contacting Ladybug, and no time constraint was mentioned, they’d have had plenty of time.

This is the beginning and end of Adrien’s half of the conflict. After this point, he’s merely reacting to what he thinks are clear signals from Ladybug. He tries to help with the villain the best he can, while Ladybug keeps distracting him by berating him in the middle of the fight, finally breaking his will to fight entirely by declaring she can’t trust him anymore, one of the nightmare scenarios I mentioned earlier. Add to that the villain using his power to harm Uncanny, he was convinced that Ladybug would be better off with any other partner. When Ladybug didn’t refute his assessment that he was a failure and no good hero, he decided he was right and abandoned his ring. However, when Uncanny revealed to him that Ladybug did, in fact, still need him specifically as her partner, he came back, deciding that it didn’t matter if he was a worthless failure as long as Ladybug would find a use for him anyway. Adrien repeatedly describes himself negatively in comparison to others, his self esteem is awful, but that wasn’t really a matter being handled in the special.

When Cat Noir made it to Ladybug and was instantly welcomed back, he apologised for not being honest and Ladybug signalled her forgiveness with a fistbump. This gesture signalled to Adrien that he could trust Ladybug and that Ladybug trusted him back, that the things she’d said in anger were just that. This showed Adrien in a blatant way that Ladybug was nothing like Gabriel, who would have lorded Adrien’s failure over him and punished him, instead of accepting his assurance that he’ll do better next time. This was an important lesson to Adrien, because he needs to be as honest with Ladybug as their secret identities allow because they’re a team and can’t go doing things independently when it affects them both. Adrien’s experiences in the special are ones that will specifically help him overcome his character flaw of being too distructful of others’ intentions when it comes to Ladybug.

Then comes Marinette’s side, and this one is more complex. While how badly she was distracted in that fight and how badly she distracted Cat Noir was an issue in and of itself, it wasn’t the thing on her part that escalated the conflict. It was merely what set up her state of mind. What escalated the conflict were the things she said in anger that she didn’t take back while Cat Noir was clearly falling apart. Marinette was understandably upset by what happened in Paris, but she made a very big mistake with how she handled that: she focused only on herself. Marinette needed comfort because she couldn’t heal Paris, but Cat Noir needed comfort because they could do nothing to help Paris, he’d just temporarily killed someone and he felt like a failure as a partner. But, when Cat Noir didn’t instantly move to assure her that she was fine, Marinette turned her back on him and walked away. She wanted space, because Marinette usually finds a quiet corner to think when she’s dealing with something, but Adrien saw that as a rejection. And when Cat Noir voiced all these things going on in his mind, she was silent, making him feel like she was condemning him, seeing him as worthlessly as he did. So he decided to leave her so that she could find a better partner.

Marinette also has her own misconceptions about her and Cat Noir’s relationship. This is another thing I noticed in ‘Glaciator’: Marinette doesn’t think Cat Noir is an actual human being with real human emotions and problems. She got better about it after ‘Glaciator’, like accepting his feelings for her as genuine, but she still doesn’t understand that Cat Noir can get hurt emotionally and might need a bit of support every once in a while. In fact, in ‘Timetagger’, she blatantly shuts him down when he’s looking for affirmation, claiming he “already knows he’s the best”, when Adrien actually has very poor self esteem. I mentioned in another comment that Marinette sees Cat Noir as a fae-like being, someone who only goofs around and supports her, and is never touched by worldly things like pain and sadness. The only threat to him are the supervillains they face. Every time one of them has shown a need for comfort, it’s been Ladybug, and Cat Noir has always been the one to comfort her. They’re stuck in these roles, and Marinette doesn’t know how to break out of them when Cat Noir is the one needing comfort and support. To drive this aspect of the conflict home, this is the direct reverse of the situation in ‘Miracle Queen’. In ‘Miracle Queen’, Marinette makes a mistake with real consequences, gets Fu’s identity revealed to Hawk Moth which led to his capture, but Cat Noir overlooks that to support her instead. In the special, Cat Noir’s mistake causes property damage in Paris that they can’t undo, but Marinette can’t overlook it to support her partner through his mistake.

Here’s the thing: Marinette has a good life. She has a supportive family and supportive friends. This gives her a solid foundation as a superhero and it means she’s used to people picking her up when she falls down. It’s not just her relationship with Cat Noir that’s characterized by the idea that support just shows up when she needs it. Heck, at the end of ‘Love Hunter’, Luka seemingly magically appears for the sole purpose of giving Marinette some comfort. However, we’ve seen some hints, mostly in ‘Weredad’, that at least her dad wants to overly protect her. We don’t know how well Marinette would actually take Adrien rejecting her, but, considering how miserable she was repeatedly in season two over just not getting to see him, I suspect not well, and her dad was convinced she’d go as far as being easily shattered by that. Children need to feel small disappointments to be able to handle the actual hurdles they’ll face later in life. The way Marinette becomes an anxious mess over failing at something reminds me of myself as a teenager, and I was a very shielded child. My mom pampered me, not by much, but enough that I had to learn to pick myself and others up at a later age. And I feel that’s a lesson Marinette needs to learn as well.

We saw from what Marinette said to Uncanny that she didn’t think Cat Noir’s mistake was irreparable. She didn’t mean the gestures I described earlier as how Adrien saw them. She didn’t mean to turn her back on him to reject him and she didn’t mean her silence to be read as her agreeing that he was a bad partner. But she never once considered that she might be sending Cat Noir these signals, even as Cat Noir told her how he felt about himself in relation to her. Instead of supporting her partner by saying anything to refute his self-disparaging comments, or even sharing their pain together, Marinette remains silent, experiencing her own pain alone and leaving Cat Noir with his. Marinette is a good leader, but she’s not a good partner, because she lacks the ability to support Cat Noir. This isn’t her fault, it’s a character flaw like Adrien’s distrust of others to consider his well being in any scenario. However, it’s one that’s harder to fix than Adrien’s, because Adrien’s flaw is one of perception, so he just needs to see contrary evidence to learn better. Marinette’s issue is that she lacks important skills for comforting someone: spotting a need and responding to it. I’m pretty sure we haven’t seen Marinette actively comfort anyone during the entire series. It’s very likely she’s never had to do so before the moment with Cat Noir in this special.

This is why Adrien leaving her was so important to Marinette’s future growth as a partner specifically. Technically Marinette needed it to happen. Marinette had to learn that you can’t expect someone to be there indefinitely if you never let them know you want them there, and she had to learn that Cat Noir needs her to reciprocate the supportive relationship between them instead of only enjoying the benefits of her partner’s almost unwavering support. An unequal relationship will not last. If you just keep someone around for their comfort, they’ll leave you once they have none left to give. If you just keep someone around for their good days, they’ll leave you once their bad days come. But in this special we saw Marinette taking the first steps towards realizing her partner’s humanity, ergo, fixing the part of the issue that’s in her perception: she was still thinking about him when she was Marinette. I noted in ‘Glaciator’ that Marinette usually stops thinking about Cat Noir once she’s Marinette again, which is part of that whole “seeing him as otherworldly” thing. Breaking out of that mindset is as important as it is for Adrien to break out of the “everyone would turn on me if I didn’t please them 24/7” one.

Basically: the conflict was resolved, but it showed where development still needs to happen.

[picturejasper20]

Pink and the Diamonds

The relationship between Pink and the Diamonds is always presented in the series as very complicated.There is this side of them that shows they really care about Pink such as in the song ¨What´s the use of feeling blue?¨, when Blue and Yellow found out that Pink wasn´t shattered or when we see Blue mourning over Pink´s shattering in ¨Steven Dream¨.It´s easy to guess from many moments and lines that the Diamonds really loved her.

On the other hand, there was this more cruel,controling and abusive side of them. Those moments when they ignored her constanly, when Blue would lock up Pink inside a tower or when they kept her separated from ¨lower gems¨. This cruel side seemed to be motivated by them trying to make Pink act like a Diamond and follow their role in Homeworld´s system.

To analyse their relationships i´m going to talk about them separately since each one is different from the other:

Blue Diamond and Pink

¨I should've done more. Yellow says it'll all be over soon. I wonder what you would think. This is your planet, after all. I still think it is.¨

Out of all the three diamonds,Blue appears to be the one that was closest with Pink. According to ¨Familiar¨ Blue loved watching Pink singing on the bottom of the pool. When she first found about the truth about Rose she held Steven near her while crying tears of happiness, relieved to see Pink again. She also appeared to be the most affected by Pink´s shattering, severeal hints in the series show she suffered from depression and she deeply regret her ¨death¨.

 While all the three Diamonds represent a toxic mother figure to some extent, Blue´s case is the most obvious one. She appeared to be the one that used her powers against Pink the most. She tried teaching her how to ¨behave¨ and the one who was in charge of her punishments.

On the other hand she let Pink bend the rules at times and sometimes encouraged her fun side. Blue also preserved the zoo, earth gems and Rose Quartzes just to not forget about Pink. As she said to Yellow in ¨That will be all¨: 

¨Yellow, she made them. This is all we have left of her. These Gems, this place, and the Earth.¨

Blue´s abuse to Pink is more subtle since her niceness was sometimes used to emotionally manipulate Pink by treating her like a child who is not capable of taking care of herself.

Yellow Diamond and Pink

¨I want my own planet! I deserve it! I'm just as important as you!¨  

¨Then why don't you act like it, Pink?!¨  

Yellow is a gem who prefers hiding her emotions. She seems to be more focused on her Diamond duties than Blue is. Homeworlds system is very important to her but so its her love for Pink.

Yellow considered that Pink wasn´t ready to run a colony on her own. Often she treated her more like a annoyance when she had to spend time with her. She was quite neglectful because she was always busy with giving orders to other gems and checking her colonies.

While Yellow appears to be rational, she can get very emotional when it comes to people she cares about: When Peridot mentioned that she didn´t approve Yellow´s plan to destroy the Earth, she became incredibly enraged and put the  Diamond Communicator on self-destruct mode. This was because Yellow wanted to get rid of everything that remind her of Pink, like Earth, the zoo and the Rose Quartzes.

¨Drowning in all this regret? / Wouldn't you rather forget her?

Ohh! Won't it be grand to get rid of it all?

Let's make a plan of attack! Start looking forward and stop looking back!¨

In the song ¨What´s the use of feeling Blue¨ her desire to destroy the Rose Quartzes and Earth seems to be motivated by her wanting to forget about the past on contrast with Blue Diamond. Yellow blames herself for Pink´s shattering saying they shouldn´t have given a colony to her.

¨How miserable. I knew Pink couldn't handle her own colony. But, I gave in. And now, I'm to blame for her fate.¨

In the end, Yellow cared deeply about Pink, she just doesn´t show her emotions as often as Blue does.

White Diamond and Pink

¨As for me, I'm certain I don't need you. After all, I'm every color of the light! But you're a part of me… the part I always have to repress¨ 

White and Pink is one of most mysterious relationship in the series. However, through small hints and additional material, it´s easy to see that White was very controlling with Pink and their relationship was very distant.

¨Pink was as silly as she was small. She was impossible to understand, impossible to ignore, and impossible to control.¨  White Diamond, The Tale of Steven.

Blue and Yellow mentioned in ¨Familiar¨ how they used to be closer and how White locked herself up in her own head after Pink´s shattering. It´s very likely that White did this as way to pretent that nothing ever happened and to not show any emotions since emotions meant weakness to White, and weakness meant to be flawed.

White always assumed what it was best for Pink, she knew better than her. In her eyes, Pink was a silly naive gem who couldn´t make choices on her own and needed to be controlled every second.

And while she didn´t say it out loud, her love for Pink is her weakness. In Change your mind she thought that Pink was hiding in Steven, she was desperate to prove that the little gem was still alive and didn´t want to believe she was gone.

Finding out that Steven was just Steven was what made her break down and realize how wrong she was about everything. In reality, she was in denial of  Pink´s shattering and wanted to pretend to that she was fine. 

That´s why she hide in her own spaceship and avoided talking with everyone. She was obsessed with being this perfect flawless leader that knew what was best for all gems.

While their relationship was cold and distant, she still cared (and cares) about Pink. 

In conclusion: Pink´s relationship with the Diamonds was very complicated. In this analysis i talked about how they really loved her. The main issue was that their very toxic and controlling parenting pushed Pink away. Their obsession with keeping everything under control on Homeworld prevented them from having a healthy relatioship with her and was what finally broke them apart.

I think it´s very interesting how the writers showed that an very authoritarian regime can destroy families and make parents develop a very toxic mentality that ends up hurting their kids. It not only hurts the society but also what is personal for us.

Note: Gifs are from Steven universe wikia

[mybg3notebook]

Gale: Hypothesis and Analogies – Part 1

Here, I compile several hypotheses that are pretty common to find around, expressing my opinion on them and showing what EA has given us so far to justify them or not. 

Disclaimer Game Version: All these analyses were written up to the game version v4.1.104.3536 (Early access). As long as new content is added, and as long as I have free time for that, I will try to keep updating this information. Written in June 2021.

Disclaimer about interpretations of Real Life concepts: I’m not a fan of bringing real life issues into plain analogies/allegories in a game which intention in doing so was not made explicit, but the fandom seems to like this aspect and therefore I would like to share those opinions here as well since some seems reasonable despite not being of my taste. This topic may be sensitive for some people. Be aware of it.

Hypothesis: Gale was groomed

Concept

Grooming is building a relationship, trust, and emotional connection with a child or young person (and sometimes their family as well) to lower the child's inhibitions with the objective of sexual abuse. Grooming allows offenders to slowly overcome natural boundaries long before sexual abuse occurs. On the surface, grooming a child can look like a close relationship between the offending adult, the targeted child and (potentially) the child’s caregivers. The grooming process is often misleading because the offender may be well-known or highly regarded in the community. As a result, it’s easy to trust them. Although grooming is more common among children, it may happen with adults too, especially in work environments.

Stages: First, perpetrators may target and exploit a child’s perceived vulnerabilities: emotional neediness, isolation, neglect, a chaotic home life, or lack of parental oversight, etc. They work to gain the trust of parents/caregivers to lower suspicion.

Once the perpetrator begins to fill the child's needs, they may assume a more important role in the child's life. Perpetrators utilize tactics such as gift giving, flattery, gifting money, and meeting other basic needs. Tactics may also include increased attention and affection towards the targeted child. The perpetrator uses isolation tactics to reinforce their relationship with the child by creating situations in which they are alone together or by cultivating a sense that they love and understand the child in a way that others, even their parents, cannot. 

Once emotional dependence and trust have been built, the perpetrator progressively sexualizes the relationship. When sexual abuse is occurring, perpetrators commonly use emotional manipulation; they make the child believe they are the only person who can meet their emotional and material needs. The child may feel that the loss of the relationship, or the consequences of exposing it, will be more damaging and humiliating than continuing the unhealthy relationship. 

Behavioural consequence

The consequences on victims of grooming tend to be very different depending on the victim's age, personality, and psychology, but some broad leftover traits or behaviours can be summarised as:

They are too eager to please and have a great avoidance of angering others.

Big desire for privacy: they know others will not understand what they lived.

The victim becomes withdrawn, or they may seem troubled by something but unwilling to talk about it. Alternatively, their emotions might become more volatile.

They tend to be unaware of the abuse for a long while even after the relationship ended. 

If they are aware, they tend to display shame and embarrassment for what happened.

They can suffer abandonment issues depending on the way this relationship ended. 

They tend to develop difficulties to maintain relationships.

This situation tends to be particularly invisible or dismissed for men and boys due to social norms about masculinity.

Inside the context of BG3

First, it's important to estimate Gale's age. More or less the fandom agrees he is currently (1492DR) in his early 30s. Mystra returned in 1479DR (read the post about "Mystra and her Chosen ones" for details), so Mystra may have lured Gale into serving her as Chosen when he was around 17 years old (this depends on every player’s perception of Gale’s age)

This gives us a good estimation of the context: When Mystra returned thanks to Elminster—who gave her most of his Silver Fire—she immediately started to strengthen her network of Chosen ones and to work on repairing the Weave to its original state. Due to this unique context, Gale may have been observed by Mystra as a precious asset: a very young wizard who could not only control the Weave but compose it: a great skill to repair a still weak Weave. Furthermore, in the novel Dead Masks (1491DR), it is stated that the best way to cast a spell with a weakened Weave is to "twist" it instead of using it for tapping into the Raw Magic. In this book it is not clear if this is a skill that only Chosen ones have, but it has a strong similarity with Gale's skills.

Although we don't know much about Gale's childhood, if he was neglected or not as a child to be more easily lured by the Goddess, we can agree that it's most likely that Mystra has been watching him as a potential candidate since a child. Gale explicitly says: "I’ve been in touch with the Weave for as long as I can remember". And as far as Forgotten Realms lore goes, Weave and Mystra are the same. We also know that this is a common behaviour of Mystra who has been watching precocious, skilful wizards before choosing them for her goals: for example, Midnight. 

When Gale reached an age that could be considered a "(very) young man", she seduced him, using his passion and love for Magic to lure him. She offered him a deep connection with her and with the Weave: with Magic itself. After seeing Gale's passion for magic, it is understandable that he—as a teenager or a young man—must have been dazzled by her and her proposal. We know that, in the novel Elminster: a mage in the making, she offered to Elminster exactly what he wanted the most: power to make his revenge possible . By the end of the encounter, Elminster became “charmed” by her despite hating her throughout all his life, turning into her devotee. This situation can be interpreted as another example of how Mystra works: she seems to lure her potential Chosen with the promise of giving them what they are most passionate about.

Once Mystra slept with her Chosen, and imbued her divine essence on them, she left them to their own devices, making them wait for her commands. In Elminster’s and Sammaster ‘s case, both were put under tests, being forced—by their own drive to please the Goddess—to develop more magic and personal skills to serve her. In the process, both developed an obsession for her. Elminster's seems to be less self-destructive than Sammaster's, but the latter could be understandable since he always suffered from madness. My point is, the pattern continues with Gale: driven by this obsession of wanting Mystra close, to please her, Gale tried to control an ancient magic, and failed, being abandoned by Mystra due to this mistake.

Gale, according to this interpretation as a victim of grooming, is still stuck in the process: he wants to please Mystra, wants to right his wrongs, even though in some scenes he seems to have been over her, in others he still seems to be very attached to her (it's hard to know which is the most accurate since it's EA and Gale was rushed), he keeps all this trouble in private because he knows nobody will understand.

Unlike an adult who realised he was victim of grooming, Gale seems to be still not over that relationship, showing many of the behavioural consequences: 

Gale is a person who is always eager to please and avoid confrontations. If there is no choice he will use violent means, but he will always push for diplomatic approaches [1,2]. This trait seems to favour this interpretation.

He has a strong sense of privacy to the point that he is considered "shady". A lot of that desire for privacy may come from the fact that he knows no one will understand the unique relationship he had with a bigger entity. This can be seen by choosing the meanest options during the Weave and the Loss. Despite his many troubles, he remains secretive, acknowledging that "some things can't be spoken". 

He is completely unaware of having been a victim of such power imbalance. He doesn't see abuse in it, and he is not performative about this fact, since he is very private on the topic until very late in game.

Nobody can deny his abandonment issues (which are even explicitly pointed out in the dev's notes) [20]

We can infer, by all the information given, that Mystra has been his first (and presumably only) relationship so far, giving a possible hint that he may have decided not to enter another relationship again or may have felt apprehensive about it (even though I personally think this impediment is mainly caused by the “orb”).

I don't completely subscribe to this interpretation because I don’t think Mystra’s main goal has been sexual abuse, but the creation of servants and devotees that allow her to expand her power. To do so, she uses sex as part of the “ritual” that transforms certain mortals into Chosen Ones. The way in which this is indirectly explained in the novels makes me remember the concept of Zeus and his abuse of mortals: he spreads part of his divinity in the form of demi-god offspring. In Mystra’s case, she seems to leave part of her divinity in the Chosen one that slept with her: the “seed” of semi-divinity. 

However, it’s not clear if sleeping with her Chosen ones is a procedure she always does. Her daughters may have inherited her divinity when she conceived them while possessing a mortal body, but other female Chosen Ones seemed to be out of this process. Ed Greedwood also has a constant discourse in his novels where he explains that magic is “better” understood or much easily wielded by females because “they are connected to their emotions” and another stereotype of this kind. What seems to be clear is that Forgotten Realm lore hides as much as possible its queerness, and when it comes to Mystra, this habit of sleeping with her Chosen seems to apply (or at least make it more explicit) only to male mortals. So in short, her main goal was to catch another useful mortal to her group of Chosen Ones, and to do so, she lured Gale with all what she could offer. I also believe gods are gods, and they are immensely overpowered and entitled to do whatever they want in this fantasy world. They don't follow mortal rules, so they may have little scruples to do anything they see necessary to achieve their own goals, no matter if the consequences of their actions affect children, teenagers, or adults. 

Mystra in particular has been a very neutral goddess (due to her many rebirths), not particularly cruel as an evil deity could be, but not completely selfless either: she has conceived her daughters using a mortal vessel who previously gave her consent but without knowing the consequences of giving birth each year for a decade while containing a goddess inside. Mystra also profited off of Sammaster's madness (some Harpers who wrote Sammaster’s reports suspect she could have been able to cure him): she may have actively decided not to in order to let his genius madness increase her realm of power/magic. Therefore, Mystra may have had little scruples to use a very young Gale enamoured with magic to turn him into another Chosen whose skills could fix the Weave given the context that it had been severely weakened after the Spellplague. So the grooming is not completely misplaced in my opinion.

Gale's Chosen selection process is not different to what we can read in the book of the Cult of the Dragon, where Sammaster became obsessed with Mystra after sleeping with her and developed metamagic as a consequence to impress her. Or in the novel Elminster, the making of a mage, where Elmister originally despised Mystra and every magic user. However, after being in her presence, he fell for her charm, and never could get over his "love" for her, suffering a lot of painful circumstances to just be a "good devotee" and serve her.

Mystra is written in most novels as the living allegory of the beautiful "mean" woman who will always ask for more from her poor captivated men, but she will never be completely satisfied, no matter how much they sacrifice. She acknowledges the effort, but she is always asking for more. Only with Elminster she actively tried to save him from the Hells, showing, for a change, that her Chosen can be a bit more than mere pawns in the big game of divine power. However, it's important to highlight that the last rebirth of Mystra has changed her: in the novel Dead Masks some of the Seven Sisters explicitly say that Mystra has turned paranoid, asking each of her Chosen to do missions that the others cannot know. She has become more secretive and cryptic than ever. 

Mystra's actions seem to have worse connotation if we think that she can have visions of the future, as she had when she decided that Sammaster had to be her Chosen: she had foresaw the death of another Chosen and she wanted him to fill that vacuum before the event happened. So she may have foreseen Gale’s actions in his naive way to impress her. Maybe she wanted him to do it, so she could have a new piece of magic in her realm. But this is mere speculation, we will need the full release of the game to have the answer.

As I explained, despite not being a fan of it, the interpretation of grooming is not a bad one. It fits mostly if it's applied to a teenage boy, and probably it would have been taken a bit more seriously and less prone to jokes inside the fandom if Gale were a female character and Mystra a male God. 

Hypothesis: Gale has abandonment Issues

Concept

Abandonment issues arise when an individual has a strong fear of losing loved ones. A fear of abandonment is a form of anxiety. It often begins in childhood when a child experiences a traumatic loss. Children who go through this experience may then begin to fear losing other important people in their lives. Some individuals continue to fear abandonment as they grow older. Although it is less common, abandonment issues can also sometimes begin in adulthood. 

The loss often stems from a trauma, such as a death or divorce. Emotional abandonment, where a parent or caregiver is physically present but emotionally absent, may also give rise to abandonment issues later in life. It is not clear what makes one person develop this fear, since not all humans who have experienced similar losses do it. Trauma — potentially from abuse or poverty — may play a role, as may the level of emotional support that a person receives following a loss. These issues can have a significant effect on a person’s life and relationships because they fear that the other person will leave them at any moment. 

Behavioural signs/consequences

Being overly eager to please ( a “people pleaser”) 

Pushing others away to avoid rejection

Jealousy of the partner or the others when in a relationship.

Trouble trusting their partner's intentions.

Feeling insecure about their relationships.

Codependency

Need for continuous reassurance that others love them and will stay with them

Persisting in unhealthy relationships

Inability to maintain relationships: or moving quickly from one relationship to another or sabotaging them

Inside the context of BG3

I'm not going to explain this in great detail since it's spread in most of the posts I’ve done about Gale's analysis. What it's clear is that Gale has a constant fear for abandonment once he starts caring for Tav as a friend or/and lover, and this fear makes him prone to do things of poor taste. This fear seems to make him look for acceptance that only through a night of intimacy can give him. This information is apparently in the book he read, making us guess that his experience with relationships is rather poor if nonexistent. Dev's notes also reinforce the idea that Gale fears abandonment:

Gale: It is my truth, finally revealed. It is this folly that led Mystra to abandon me completely. I can only hope you won’t abandon me as well. After all we’ve been through. After the night we spent together. Surely we can brave even this side by side Dev's note: Solemn. Full of yearning, his news will not lead to him being abandoned by the player. 

Gale: Loyalty is such a… such a very rare commodity. Dev's note: The reference to loyalty foreshadows Mystra leaving him. 

So far in EA, we can see that Gale checks some behavioural consequences of this fear: he is always eager to please, approaching Tav with courtesy and jovial manners, only displaying his most acidic side to a Tav whose actions are evil. In that case, Gale cares little if Tav leaves him. With the Loss scene we can see that it is hard for him to give his trust to others, pushing them away because they would not understand the grave mistake he made. His trust demands constant progression from the Stew scene, to the Weave, to the Loss scene. If he is romanced, he asks several times if Tav is thinking of the Weave moment. When Tav asks him this question, Gale will deflect, always asking back to have Tav’s answer first before giving his: it could be interpreted as Gale looking for constant reassurance in the blooming relationship. 

However, in my opinion, the best situation that shows his abandonment issues is during our meeting with Gandrel. Gale disapproves of handing over Astarion, by telling Tav about an anecdote of a dog turning old and mean: how his friend got rid of the animal just because it was an inconvenience. This is very curious since Gale's mistrust for Astarion is not a secret: he stated many times that Astarion is a danger to the group, and his wickedness causes him to strongly dislike him. The reason for this is quite obvious if we see both lists of approvals: mostly what one approves the other disapproves. Despite all this, Gale strongly judges Tav for handing Astarion over, and his disapproval for doing it shows that Gale is not lying on the matter: the meta-knowledge is trustworthy information. 

This can be understood better when Tav defends Astarion against Gandrel: Gale approves twice of defending him. If Astarion is not in the group when meeting the monster hunter, the first approval happens when Tav recognises that Astarion is part of their companions/friends (therefore, Tav is showing care for their group). The second approval happens when Tav reinforces their loyalty to Astarion insisting that they won’t give his location (this is a clear display of loyalty that Gale acknowledges as rare. See the post of "Gale Hypotheses- Part 2", section: "Proposition to Cheat" for more details). Although Gale will explicitly question this decision, he secretly approved it (the approvals we saw are meta-knowledge: only the player sees them). Considering the undeniable context that Gale deeply dislikes Astarion, we may interpret this as Gale seeing in Tav a loyal person who will not abandon someone they care for, even if that person endangers them. Loyalty is something that resounds deeply in Gale due to his abandonment issues. 

 Another detail on this matter can be seen during the party. If Tav arranges spending the night with a companion and then asks (non-romanced) Gale the same, he will answer:

Gale: You are all too quick to abandon the one you promised yourself to. It’s not a quality I admire.

This line shows that first, Gale is not interested in casual sex; he needs the connection that the Weave provides and Tav’s explicit, previous romantic interest in it. Second, when Gale is romanced but Tav sleeps with someone else, Gale will not interfere in that affair, but he may not like it (due to his, I suppose, jealous comment since he doesn’t display an approval penalty for this). However, he seems to equate loyalty with commitment, understanding that affair as a fling but believing he still holds the romantic interest of Tav, hence his proposition the next day. More details in the post of "Gale Hypotheses- Part 2", section: "Proposition to Cheat".

---------

Sources for both parts:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( 5V)

Some concepts were summarised from: https://melcrowecounsellor.com www.d2l.org/child-grooming-signs-behavior-awareness/

This post was written in June 2021. → For more Gale: Analysis Series Index

[ender-baggins]

Just watched 14x13 Lebanon.

Will preface with the fact that this was a bit of my commentary on the previous episode, and that I do think John Winchester was a crap parent

Lebanon was a pretty good episode, actually. I know some people hate it, and I started off prepared to seethe every moment that John was on screen. but then I managed to get one foot out of the John-crit zone and put it in Sam and Dean’s shoes, and looking at it from both perspectives? The episode has a lot of nuance to it.

Spoilers for this 14x13 Lebanon (obviously)

Overall I think the most important thing to remember about this episode: the theme is that some things are too good to be true.

I knew which episode it was, but I was surprised because I thought it has been in season 15, and then John didn’t show up for a while, so I thought I was wrong until the Pearl came up.

I gotta hand it to Jensen. When John appeared, there were so many emotions packed into Dean’s face in that first short scene, I had to rewatch it several times to get them. Part of it was simple shock, but I could also see… something a little like panic in his face, along with Waay too many emotions for me to name.

The conversation between Sam and John was… I started off mad and then focused more on Sam’s perspective and realized that… yeah, Sam isn’t the same person he was last time he saw his dad. And he didn’t get closure. He never got a chance to get real closure on it, and then here, he did, at least in some form.

Also, interesting thing I noticed- I could see the beginnings of how it could turn into another argument, and John said something that seemed a little accusatory, “you didn’t have a problem talking about it before you left,” and then Sam was like “nope, not gonna argue, not gonna do it, REDIRECTING-“ Which, after what Dean said in the scene before—

—Sam doesn’t want to mess this up for Dean. No way is he gonna start a fight, not now, not when they just got their dad back.

I don’t like the last line of Sam and John’s conversation: “But you did your best, dad. You – you fought for us, and you loved us, and… that’s enough.” Because honestly- it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t. And… dammit he could have done better. But then again, that’s Sam’s dad, and he’s been dead for over a decade, and sometimes people tend to put rose-colored glasses on over the past. So I’ll still happily condemn John’s parenting but I won’t condemn Sam just because he’s unable to see things for what they are in this case.

Now- my absolute favorite part of this entire episode is the section of Sam and Dean going to get groceries and noticing things are changed, and realizing “oh shit, what else is different?”

One, gotta love Dean for implying that Sam being a kale nut is a worse thing than Dean being considered a serial killer by society (which, it’s not like society is wrong??). Like, ah yes, wonderful priorities there, Dean. You’re a wanted killer with your face up in the town, but clearly Sam giving a lecture about the wonders of kale is a much worse thing. (If you can’t tell, I’m being incredibly sarcastic here)

And then here. Castiel’s appearance. I was screeching watching this. Completely freaking out- so much adrenaline. I bet if I’d taken my pulse it would have been skyrocketing-

This was followed by the scene of Castiel and Zachariah in the restaurant, which was Awesome, very clearly highlighting the difference that Dean and the Winchesters made in Cas’s life (later this will be relevant in the Confession - “You changed me, Dean”).

*cue me posting an unnecessary amount of screenshots*

Castiel unfurls his wings—

(Note the messy hair from flying around everywhere. Not the same as his old haircut, but they did what they could with Misha’s hair at the time)

Notice that Dean’s got the angel blade point down, and when he attacks Castiel, he’s using the blunt end to hit him, not the sharp end

(On the other hand, Sam uses the sharp end of the blade to swipe at Castiel. No judgement from me here, Sam sees this as “not our Cas” while Dean still sees this as “my Cas, I can talk him away from Heaven again.”)

Then, the most interesting thing here- when Cas pins Dean agains the wall, Dean’s not even trying to fight Cas here.

See how his hand settles on Castiel’s chest? Not really pressing, just touching. His other hand is gripping Castiel’s wrist, I imagine to try to remove enough pressure from his neck that he can speak. Trying to use his connection to Cas to get Castiel to stop hurting him. And it doesn’t work. Castiel stares him the eyes, not even a flicker of doubt or questioning.

You’ll note that I referred to alternate Castiel in this episode as exclusively “Castiel” and not “Cas.” Because it’s not Cas. Cas is the angel that saved Dean from Hell, and the angel that’s been by Dean’s side for 11 years (at this point in time). And this Castiel has not done that. So he is not Cas.

I’m reminded of the scene wayy back in season 5 where Cas beats Dean up in the alley for trying to give up and give in to Michael. There, Dean actually encouraged Cas to kill him, at the end, and Cas softens. Can’t exactly parse out the parallels there because my brain isn’t working, but there you go.

Now, probably my favorite conversation with John is this one, with Dean.

Right here. The way that Dean says “I have a family.”

It feels almost defiant. “I do have a family. I have Sam, Cas, Mom, Jack. My mother, my brother, my best friend… and I have a son, we all have a son. And beyond that, I’ve got Jody and Donna and Claire and the girls. I do have a family. Yeah, it doesn’t look like the apple pie life, the white picket fence, wife and kids, and yeah, our son is the child of Lucifer, and yeah, I’m in love with my best friend who’s an angel in a man’s body, and I wouldn’t trade him for any woman, and you’d hate that. But they’re my family. And I’m good with that.”

It’s proud, it’s a little defiant, it’s also a little bit of a reassurance, as we see from John’s smile afterward. I don’t think John caught the hint of a challenge in there.

I loved that moment. That might be my favorite line in the entire episode. “I have a family.”

I also like… Dean’s acceptance, “I’m good with who I am.” Part of that… I think it’s both a good thing and a sad thing and also a half lie at the same time. I think he’s good with who he is, in the sense that he’s accepted that he and Sam are the people that have to fill this role in the world, y’know, saving everyone. I think he loves the people he’s with, he loves his family and wouldn’t trade them for anything, not even having John back. No way would he ever trade Cas or Jack or Sam, or Mary, for anything else, ever.

It’s sad, though, because it’s like… he can’t imagine who he’d be if he had a different life. Yes, he’s had a few runs at an apple-pie life, but they weren’t happy, there was always something wrong nagging at him. He… I think he believes there’s no way for him to be happy, and that this is the best he could have.

I’m not even sure how to analyze the goodbye scene. I mean, the clearest thing here is just so much grief from everyone. They got a taste of their father back, and now he has to go back to being dead. There’s so many complicated feelings for both of the brothers, because of the complicated relationship with John, but in the end? They can’t help but love him, and they can’t help but feel grief at losing him. I won’t fault them for that.

In short, I wanna give Dean a gigantic hug and also give him therapy-

And then Cas coming back to the bunker when he did. I bet he sensed something and headed back to the bunker as fast as he could. Also, no clue what he experienced during the whole “Castiel and Zachariah are alive” thing. I imagine it’s possible there were two Cas’s running around for a bit? Because Mary didn’t get affected by the pearl. And Sam was there with his own memories, despite there being videos up of him doing things in the parallel universe. As for Cas, he’s part of Dean’s group of “people” so my guess is two Castiels running around for a little bit.

I like how Dean looks at Cas at the end. He’s relieved to have his angel back.

In summary-

The theme of this episode is “some things are too good to be true.” John came back, the four of them got their moment together, but John couldn’t stay. Things were good for that single afternoon, because everyone was just happy to see each other again, but it sent so much stuff into chaos that it couldn’t last, it had to be undone. And even then, if they’d tried to keep going with it, I know it would have degraded, the illusion of perfection would shatter, and they’d fall into old habits, old arguments and new ones.

And so it had to end.