#His character is fascinating and I wish we had gotten more of him outside his romance plot with Chay

[yujeong]

So, I've caught myself thinking about this particular exchange between Porsche and Pete in episode 2:

and how it says so much about both Porsche and Kim, in retrospect.

Porsche's mentality is that of an older brother; essentially his life goal is taking care of Porchay, his younger brother, so when he hears about a younger brother leaving the house and his family behind, he finds that a selfish act. Never mind the fact that he's a hypocrite, because in Porchay's eyes, what he did at the beginning of the show can be very much viewed as selfish; he left his house behind and Porchay alone to pursue a high paying job. We know it's not that simple of course but in Porchay's POV, who very much told him the previous night to stop all of this and just sell the house, to not do so much for him, only for the next day to find his brother gone, how else would he see it other than egoism and stubbornness?

Now, all of that is good but, the main reason I created this post in the first place is to talk about Kim.

On the surface, what Kim did can seem a bit selfish no? He is not part of the mafia, he has a music career, - Kinn's dream which is delicious when you think about it - he is free to do whatever he wants basically, which he does by investigating his family history using main family bodyguards no less to do so. The main mafia plot has to knock on his door for him to get involved in ep 10 onwards, it's wild. But is it really selfish? I think not, or at least not like Porsche says it. Kim is allowed to live on his own due to Kinn mostly taking the heavy handling of the mafia business but he's not out. The scene with his father in ep 5 proves to me that he's expected to show up more, to be more involved into what they're doing. It's also the fact that Korn sent Big to guard him, which even Kim found strange, like he's monitored or even if not that, like he still has the family status so he's supposed to be guarded. His investigating tells me that he always found dead ends, no concrete proof into whatever he was looking for, so we could theorize that either Korn knows and is taking care of it or that Korn knows and allows it because he is aware that it will lead nowhere. (I'm not even entertaining the idea of Korn not knowing about the investigation Kim is doing, that man knows everything)

And the most important argument of them all, Kim isn't selfish for leaving the main family and living on his own because half of his life - when he's not Wik - he spends investigating his family's history, all to keep his brothers safe. He doesn't trust Korn at all and once he finds out about Porsche, he thoroughly checks up his past to ensure he's not a threat to Kinn. That man loves his brothers and he does what he can to protect them. And he can't do that in the main family compound now, can he?

[quarkmonger]

I struggled to get into Prodigy for a handful of reasons mainly animation, why are humans designed that way when everyone else looks sooo cool?? but I started watching once I found out Will Wheaton was going to be in it. I went in thinking I would Endure It for new Wesley content because I have been desperately hoping for more of his story since he showed up in Picard.

BUT PRODIGY SO GOOD!!

I have gotten so completely caught up in the story and main characters I forgot about this cameo, the show is fantastic. It's 20 episodes a season, so there's filler and development. It's episodic, classic Trek adventures with that over arching Big Bad Problem at the same time like DS9 or Voy. It's totally unique to the star trek universe, but also has enough connections to what came before for it to feel comfortable, familiar. It gives that distinctive feeling of acceptance and found family, that I think is part of why we all love Star Trek so much.

I am fascinated by Zero, utterly enthralled with Dal's struggles with wanting to captain but not being ready, Gwyn + Rok finding themselves. Percussive maintenance is a new favorite catch phrase, feelings of Voyager Nostalgia and my beloved EMH. I also wish I could understand Murf. I was so distracted by the fact that there's still opportunities for real original Sci fi species and tech that I screamed when Wesley showed up. In genuine delighted surprise. I was thinking it was Daniel's from ENT helping them

Outside of the current Situation™ they're trying to fix (I'm not done with s2 yet) Wesley seems happy. Challenged, making a difference while carving his own path, like he always wanted. Still pushing back against authority when it's the right thing to do. Like he's found himself and his place. He needs to call his mother more though.

I am curious though how much input Wil had on how he was presented, because this adult Wesley feels like he's been developed by someone who loved him.

[oodlyenough]

apollo justice: ace attorney thoughts

over the weekend I finished playing AA4 so I wanted to try to put my thoughts in order. much to think about etc

spoilers for the whole game obv, but i haven't played AA5 or AA6 yet so any mention of those are speculation lol

I had heard some pretty mixed reactions to AA4 and I had a lot of reservations going in. It's also probably the AA game I've played that I've been the most spoiled for, which is a shame but probably an unavoidable consequence of waiting for the port while engaging with the fandom. I don't usually like being spoiled but I think knowing the broad strokes of what to expect actually helped here. I can imagine an AU where I blitzed through the first trilogy and onto 4 with no idea of what was coming and being... very upset and disappointed by the direction it took. Having several months to brace for things like Phoenix's disbarment, the 7 year gap, Trucy, etc definitely softened those blows and made me more amenable to them than I would've been otherwise.

Cases

For the most part I thought the puzzle solving was good and the pacing was solid. The puzzles were mostly challenging enough to be satisfying to solve but not so challenging as to be infuriating, and I don't think I needed a walkthrough at all. 4-1 is one of the best tutorial cases in the franchise so far (though I'd give the edge to 3-1) and 4-4 was a really cool finale. The middle two cases tbh I also found fairly charming, and there's usually a least one case in the middle that seems to drag forever, so that was a pleasant surprise. I played Investigations 1 right before this, and I thought both the puzzles and pacing in that game were frankly horrible, so AA4 won a lot of points just with that.

I did think Turnabout Corner and Serenade would be more relevant in the grand scheme of things. The half-spoilers I knew had me expecting a much bigger web of conspriacy than we ended up with -- I expected it to be more than coincidence that Phoenix got hit by a car, more than coincidence that the Borginian egg coccoons are related to poison etc ... like... I fully assumed this was going to tie into the atroquinine plot. But I guess not ... ? Lol

Characters

The new main cast are all very likable, despite my initial reluctance to have a new main cast to begin with. Klavier was an interesting change of pace as prosecutor, in that he wasn't particularly antagonistic outside of the court, nor was he particularly preoccupied with winning, but he was still fun and challenging enough to face off against. Trucy was fun and delightfully bonkers as all assistants should be. Apollo's longsuffering exasperation was hilarious. Ema is the BEST I loved having her as the detective I wish she was there all the time.

I loved Beanix, for the most part. I can see why he rubs some people the wrong way, and tbh I'm glad his last canon outing isn't ... this. But I didn't find him wildly out of character, or at least, when he was feeling "out of character" vs the trilogy it made sense given the intervening events. I also thought it was fun to see him from the outside and see what a galaxybrain 5d chess master he is. I do wish we'd gotten to see more genuine moments of him with Trucy.

Kristoph was fun as a villain, though I have to say fandom led me to believe he was much more of a mastermind puppeteer than he seemed to be in reality. I was expecting a whole decade worth of conspiracies! Instead he fucked up once and struggled to fix it for seven years, lol. I also found the Kristoph/Phoenix relationship a) very fascinating, b) not really what I'd been led to believe by fandom (shocker). I like the canon more though -- I like that instead of being a retread of the Dollie betrayal-from-someone-you-love it was two guys who hate each other being forced to play nice as part of their own schemes.

Criticism

I think it's fairly obvious AA4 was meant to be a soft reboot of the series, to pivot away from the trilogy cast and set up our new heroes in Apollo, Trucy, and I guess Klavier. I think this is probably the entire explanation behind Maya and Edgeworth (and others but lbr those are the big two)'s conspicuous absence... but that doesn't make their absence any less conspicuous. I can squint and forgive neither of them being there when Phoenix is accused of murder, even though I find that insane. I can squint around Maya maybe being off in Kurain during the Enigmar trial, even though I think they could've used a line of dialogue to explain it. But then we started playing past-Phoenix for huge portions of investigation and that started to fall apart for me. Sure, maybe he's pushing his friends away because he's depressed, or maybe he wants to keep Maya out of things because he thinks it's dangerous, or whatever -- you could at least throw in a line or two saying as much. Not mentioning them at all and setting AA4 so closely after AA3, where Phoenix fell through a bridge to save Maya and Edgeworth chartered a private jet, just feels ridiculous.

I also think, at the end of the day, the story here was focused on and pivoting around Phoenix. The core question of the game is "what the hell happened to/is up with Phoenix Wright?" I love Phoenix, so that alone isn't a negative -- except that I think it meant Apollo, Klavier and even Trucy felt underwritten. Trucy and Klavier have such personal stakes in the unfolding events with the Gramaryes and Kristoph, but we only spend a little time and hints on how that might influence Trucy, who mostly falls into the AA weird girl pattern of brushing off major trauma instantly. (Maya got this a lot too in the original trilogy.)

Klavier ... I like Klavier, but they did not do much with him. How did he feel about Kristoph going to jail? He doesn't seem to hold it against Apollo, which is uh, noble, but perhaps not believable. He says he values honesty and truth but do we know why?

Apollo, likable as he was, felt like a passenger in his "own" game, rather than a major character. He doesn't even solve much of the stuff happening in the big overarching mystery -- he is Phoenix's avatar in court, presenting evidence and clues Phoenix left for him. Unlike Trucy and Klavier, who I am pretty sure take a back seat from now on, I guess Apollo still has two more games to try and flesh himself out ... lol but I also know fan reception of those two is not great, so my expectations there are minimal.

Overall

A really solid game that I enjoyed playing, though I can see why it's controversial and not some people's favourite, if they really loved the trilogy. I think it's debatable whether this was the best/only way to continue the series after AA3. And I am excited to read and write a billion 7 year gap fics now.

[moonlit-dreamers]

Can you rate all TSAMS characters?

oh dear lord- i can certainly try tho i get the feeling i'll forget some lol

in order of favorite to least favorite

sun - 10/10 - hes perfect, nothing can change my mind. hes heavily traumatized and incredibly anxious. hes the perfect specimen for whump AND hurt/comfort. im also just Heavily biased

ruin - 9/10 - yall cant fight me on this hes one of my favorites. hes a tragic, morally gray villain that did what he thought he had to. hes a sad pathetic wet cat of a man who i bet all my money on (a whopping 500 bucks) that he doesnt even know who he is as a person

eclipse - 9/10 - him being below ruin on the list means nothing bc theyre equal in my heart. again, tragic wet cat of a man whos too damn tired to deal with this shit any more. i also relate to him in ways that probably arent healthy <3

solar flare - 8/10 - BRING MY BOY BACK HE DID NOTHING ‼️

dazzle - 8/10 - sweet baby girl she can do no wrong

jack - 7/10 - he can do many things wrong but nothing could make me hate him forever <3

molten - 7/10 - he baby. he sweet. he dont know the world and thats okay. maybe i just like it when murder machines turn into pacifists and just want to have fun.

dark sun - 7/10 - he fascinates me. i want to put him in a lil test tube and study him under a microscope. i need to ask so many questions, most of them being some form of "what is wrong with you"

computer/spaniard - 7/10 - we dont talk about the previous 2 computers we dont care about them (i dont hate them im just biased <3) i only care about SPANIARD. i miss my boy why did they have to kill him he couldve been so good. sun needs his husband back/silly

old moon - 6/10 - he is... certainly a specimen. i keep bouncing between "i hate him i want to rip his head off" and "im wrapping him in a blanket so tight he cant breathe". before he died he was an absolute prick and the fandom ruined him for me bc everyone fell for his manipulation and blamed sun for shit moon did and bc i was so biased towards sun it was difficult for me to not hate him. after he came back hes more fun (and tolerable) due to him actually improving but i wish he had more set-backs bc like. to him he'd been dead for like. a week. he should be struggling more <3

earth - 6/10 - cant quite pinpoint it but i Do feel like she could be done better as a character. she... doesnt really change that much? idk how to describe it. maybe i just find her boring lol

solar - 6/10 - yes i am putting him this far down on the list bc i feel like he couldve been done SO much better. he has so little flavor it hurts. what are his struggles? what is his goal? what does he even do outside of sun n moon?? and dont even get me STARTED on how little his past is brought up in a meaningful manner, let alone be something that effects him. you could say "oh hes gotten better" yeah but we saw none of it so like?? fbkdsgnjkds i'll need to rant about his character another day smh my head

killcode - 6/10 - it was fun while it lasted or something like that. he was interesting and i Do wish they had just.. left him alive? not bc he would be "useful" or wutever but just bc like. wut if he wants to come back randomly? like he wouldve just been a fun side character

nexus/new moon - 5/10 - listen. i dont wanna put him down here. but his current arc fucked him over. he was so fun and whimsical before! he was just a silly lil guy trying to navigate the world around him and desperately trying to fill a role he couldve never filled. his current arc couldve been SO much better. but its not as emotionally charged as it could be. like. they just completely threw away his original motive! and now he doesnt care?? not even the slightest??? booooo tomato tomato tomato throwing tomatoes/ref

lunar - 5/10 - again, you can fight me, but current lunar just isnt it for me. lunar before he died? hell yeah. he was such a lil shit that only cared about stuff if it benefited him. he didnt care that he was hurting moon with his movements, he just switched sides bc moon actually paid attention to him. him and bm couldve been SUCH a good duo too OTL

bloodmoon - 5/10 - honestly i liked v1 bm more than v2. idk man. something about their energy was so different and it lured me in. v2 kinda just felt.. boring. no critiques on his character, just not for me *shrug*

gemini - 5/10 - i dunno. just boring to me

monty - 4/10 - yet another moment of "no direct hate on the character just uninteresting to me" with monty. theyre just. boring. also another moment of "i liked them before [insert event]" with the event being before earth.

the creator - 4/10 - just. meh? he could be better as a villain but hes like. been here for so long that i wonder if he really does much of anything? idk man. im losing steam atp dnf,jsdgndkj

this might be all of them..? i dunno. probably missed a bunch (and yes im aware i shoved in some laes characters shush). im gonna leave out eaps characters so this doesnt get longer and so i dont go on a hate rant about puppet/j

[bleuangel88]

But bad things happen when they go about them alone, and my heart ached for Spoon when he got carted away. It was also frustrating that the girls mostly took for granted that he'd find his way out of a mess that they knew led to Mickey facedown in the sand by the water and in a hospital bed.

Not that Candy wasn't a great assist, but they also knew there wasn't much the poor girl could do. Otherwise, she would've freed herself or saved Ashely a long time ago on her own.

Interestingly enough, it was chilling when Agent spoke to Spoon about his tattoo and loss during Harlan Coben's Shelter Season 1 Episode 5.

Not only did Agent imply that Spoon is no stranger to loss, that it's a familiar bedfellow for him, and that there is some profound sadness behind Spoon's smile and deflection via humor, but Agent suggested that Spoon would experience great loss again.

They also offered to have a special someone placed in the tattoo whenever Spoon was ready. And up until this point, it's felt like Mickey is Spoon's entire world and that somehow, in some way, that person would be Mickey.

But then we had Spoon's connection with Candy, and it was pure devastation as things went from bad to worse for them.

Spoon recalled a time he spent with his grandparents, and seeing Candy in her former life, when she was a young, happy kid with her mother before life dealt her shitty hands, her mother died, and she got human trafficked.

And it just hit you in the gut that Spoon Spindell, as pure of heart as he is, could represent a time that Candy loved most in her life, of innocence, happiness, and hope.

Spoon got to represent all of those things to Candy in her final moments, and he gave her that gift; he was that gift.

But in turn, like a sin-eater, it came at a significant cost to him, as he had to watch her die in front of his eyes, and with her went a bit of his innocence and purity.

The light left his eyes every bit as much as the life left hers.

She got shot trying to save him, and you know he will internalize that a bit. He looked so shaken and thoroughly traumatized from that point forward, even though he must've had the ability to communicate with Mickey so they could rescue the girls in time.

For as long as Spoon has that temporary tattoo, Candy's name will slot into that spot. And this work will keep taking all these bits and pieces from Spoon in a way that makes you sad.

It also makes you reflect on things like Bat Lady's tombstone as an ode to the loss of her childhood because of the Holocaust.

While what she has these teens doing is far from comparable, it makes you a bit angry that she's subsequently stripping these kids of their childhood and innocence by encouraging them to be part of this world.

It was also noted that Spoon was on Bat Lady's wall, and it's evident that Mickey's presence and friendship have saved Spoon from something, seemingly a lonelier life. But goodness, I'd love it if this series delved more into who Spoon Spindell is beyond the supportive instant best friend who found a sense of purpose when Mickey arrived.

And I sure as heck wish we could understand the depth of how Candy's death affected him without the narrative shifting because there wasn't enough room to cover that ground within this hour.

He's a fascinating enough character who we haven't gotten to spend a lot of up close and personal time with outside of his role as a supporter, so now is the time to dive into that.

[burningdarkfire]

nearly just hit the unfollow button instead of the ask button . N, R, & U?

awww thank you for the ask (and not unfollowing!) 💕

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

N really is my lucky letter because i've gotten it three times thus far so your theme is going to be really specific wants i have about my little guy caleb widogast:

moooore blumendrei; the wizards definitely do have a small and loyal fanbase that i am very happy to be a part of, and also this fanbase is always welcoming new blood 🤗 i think caleb as a character is haunted so much by his past, it's odd to me that so many of his fans don't contend much with it directly

caleb actually being a middle-aged man and everything that entails; i don't think the fandom is really that bad about randomly twink-ifying him or anything, but i do feel like we could often be a little more specific in describing his body, and also i feel like hardly anybody ever deals with what it must feel like to finally have a life again for the first time since you were 17 and now you're like 34. i mean happens to all of us but i do want to read more of it

shadowgast breakup taken seriously; this is very specific because i was spinning ideas for it today but i really do want to read a fic where caleb and essek break up on purpose and it is not actually a grand misunderstanding where if only they had clarified that they still love each other it would all be fixed!

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?

my hobby is staying up late blurring the already non-existent line between platonic/romantic/sexual relationships so i don't have a real answer for this! and tbh the more i think about it, the more i realize that there are very few "strictly platonic" relationships in critrole that compel me - it's often the mess that makes them attractive

outside critrole my default answer would probably be campal from the locked tomb series, but i would go on record saying that they're the ideal platonic relationship and i think they become very slightly more interesting if we assume there was a sexual component involved

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites

well we all know who number one is going to be

caleb widogast; you were not born with venom in your veins, you learned it!! you learned it!!!!! it's actually almost ridiculous to look back in time at the person i was four years ago before i knew that this fictional character was going to save me. i was a shitty teenager and i hurt a lot of people and i'm going to carry that with me forever! but also maybe there is still a life for me even after all of that! and also he has beautiful hair and unmatched hubris

iron man; i've been casually dipping back into the mcu so thinking about him again and unsurprisingly i'm also here for the unrelenting guilt and incalculable hubris (with bonus daddy issues!) but part of what i like about tony stark so much is that he takes all of his personal problems and makes it the whole world's problems. the whole universe's problems. and i just think that's fascinating

cersei lannister; every single hotd thought i've had this year has inched me ever so slightly closer to reading got again, because sometimes i'm reading fic about women in horrible situationships and thinking about how i could just be reading about cersei instead. like unfortunately tywin lannister's trueborn son and heir was born a girl and she proceeded to make that everybody else's problem as well, and in this way, we are sisters

(send me an alphabet fandom ask!)

[silverwings22]

Song of the Sea: Chapter 25: About Us

Chapter warnings: tentacle porn. That's it. If you've read this far, you knew what you were getting into. Series Warnings: explicit smut, alien anatomy (it's a monsterfucker fic, guys), major character injury, grief, canon typical violence, autistic meltdowns, and my terrible attempts at Mando'a

Previous chapter

Next Chapter:

The ship was empty when Shiani woke up from her couple day nap, the rest of the Batch at the bar and Tech staying behind to keep vigil over his siren while she’d been healing. She yawned sleepily and looked down from the bunk, her wakening unnoticed as he worked at something on his datapad. She liked watching him work, forever fascinated with the sure way he moved and the adorable scrunch of his nose when he was concentrating. She might have watched for hours, if she hadn’t woken up with a question buzzing around her brain. Maybe it was because they’d seen Crosshair on Kamino, that her brain kept circling back to it.

 “Tech?" 

He looked up immediately, smiling when he saw her smile up above him like a star peeking through cloud cover. He immediately got to his feet and came to the side of the bed. "Yes, cyar'ika?"

She propped herself up on one elbow, looking at him thoughtfully for a moment. Even in just his blacks, he looked like the weight of the galaxy was sitting on his shoulders. “Do you remember what Crosshair said about you and me on Bracca?” 

His face turned red immediately. "That is rather difficult to forget."

"You never explained what he meant." Shiani sat up, waving for him to come closer. Theirs was a top bunk, so when he shuffled to her his head was even with her knees. She leaned down and cupped his cheeks, forcing him to look at her when he'd rather keep his head down. "Will you tell me now?"

Tech sighed, leaning into her touch slowly. "I do not wish to make you uncomfortable."

"I’ll be fine." She shifted her grip to pet his hair lightly. “But he’s still with the Empire. I don’t want anything he knows about you  to ever be used as a weapon against you again.” 

"Crosshair was referring to… an old conversation. One we had while somewhat intoxicated." He mumbled, eyes sliding to the side 

"You’re embarrassed." She said knowingly. She knew he’d somehow mentioned to his brother than he wanted to sleep with her before they’d gotten together, but the specifics of the conversation he seemed to avoid at all costs.

"Yes. It is… highly uncomfortable to have my brother bring up a drunken sexual fantasy in front of anyone else. Particularly you, my partner.” He shook his head faintly. "That was something you and I should have been able to discuss on our own."

"Would you ever have told me if I didn’t ask?" Shiani leaned over a little further to kiss Tech's forehead.

"... Most likely." He sighed. "But certainly not this early in our relationship…"

"You think I’d… what did he say back then? Swim away?" She chuckled. “You don’t ever have to be afraid of that.”

Tech leaned his head on her knee. "I cannot help it."

"Why?"

"What Crosshair was talking about… may be a bit more deviant than you are willing to deal with. You are from a relatively conservative culture-"

"That I left." She reminded him. “Twice, if you consider the exile and the fight with Kashae.”

"It is also outside of the traditional sphere of masculinity. I cannot stand the idea that you would think less of me."

"I would never. You’re the bravest man I know. Now come up here and snuggle with me, we’ll figure it out." She encouraged him, scooting over so he could kick off his boots and climb into the bunk. He laid on his back and she settled on top of him, arms crossed over his stomach with her chin resting on them. "Sometimes the fact that you only have one heart amazes me. I can feel it pounding." Her observation was soft-spoken, but he flinched. 

"Yes."

"It's okay. It’s just me, don’t be nervous. It’s not like we’ve never made love before."

Tech's mouth was dry as Tattooine as he looked at her. "Easier said than done, mesh'la."

She smiled. "Everything is."

He fidgeted under her for a moment before turning his eyes to a section of paneling above them. Eye contact was difficult at the best of times, right now it felt impossible. "What Crosshair was referring to is an… interest in additional forms of stimulus during sexual contact. Specifically stimulation of the prostate."

Shiani rolled back her memory to the human anatomy scans she'd spent forever looking at during her assisting him with his brain scanner. Prostate… "Oh! I know what that is. Only in males."

Tech turned another shade redder. "Y-yes… he was specifically referring to the fact you have additional appendages that could be used for that purpose…"

She cocked her head to the side, like he'd make more sense to her at a 45° angle. "That’s what he meant by my tentacles?"

"It is perfectly reasonable for you to have no interest in something so out of the ordinary-" A clawed fingertip pressing to his lips shut him up. 

"Tech. To me, you are an alien. Everything we do is out of the ordinary." Her smile was sweet, not a trace of judgment in her eyes when he finally made himself meet them. "If that's what you want, we can try. If we don't like it, we stop. I know you, you’re a scientist. Your brain will never let it go until you give it a shot."

He stared at her until she removed her finger from his lips. "... that is your answer? I have been agonizing over this for months."

"That's because you overthink."

Tech sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "You are too good to me."

"I have a name again, and I’m on a starship and in bed with prettiest human in the galaxy. Because you’re good to me." She snuggled happily into his chest.

He kissed her head, smiling when her suction cups stuck to his glasses. "And you are sure you're interested in this… little experiment?"

"As long as you promise to tell me if anything feels bad. The last thing I want is to hurt you." She nodded. 

"Agreed."

"Then I’m happy to try. Tell me what you want."

Tech relaxed some and sat up, pulling her with him. "Perhaps we should lock the door first? Everyone is out of the ship, but there is never any real communication about when they are coming back."

She stretched a tentacle and hit the lock, shifting to sit on her knees in front of him. He leaned forward and kissed her, gentle at first but with a flavor of grateful longing that lingered on her tongue. They fell into each other, the near-death experience of Kamino a stark memory against the quiet of the room. When they broke apart, Tech cradled her face in his hands for a moment. Her wide eyes gazed back, entirely adoring, and he wondered once again how he'd ended up this lucky despite everything. "Lie back for me, cyar'ika." He breathed. "And… one final question."

"Yes?"

"May I record this? No one will see it but me… but I would like to revisit the moment."

Shaini smiled as he caught the hem of her shirt. "Okay.' She dropped onto her back as he pulled the garment over her head and let it fall to the floor. Tech took a moment to admire her stretched out before him before setting his goggles on the shelf and hooking his fingers into her waistband. She helpfully lifted her hips, the stark absence of her chains’ rattling when she moved dawning on her. She didn’t have them anymore. She never would again. 

But she did have Tech. 

Once she was bare, Tech quickly discarded his own blacks and set his lips against her skin, watching the way she shivered as he moved from one breast to the other. His tongue lathed over the sensitive flesh, half wondering about the biological purpose of pronounced breasts in an aquatic species… maybe he'd ask later. He had other, more pressing interests at the moment. 

Her stomach jumped slightly when his kisses moved downward, and he smiled faintly against her skin. "You are ticklish."

"Yes. Don’t tickle me now, Tech. We’re busy." Her chiding was playful at best, so he tucked the information away for later and continued his descent. When he reached his prize, he lightly dragged a fingertip across her folds. A soft gasp was reward enough, and he dropped his head between her legs. 

She hummed, pitching upwards as his tongue located the precise point that would undo her. He consumed her like a man starved, squeezing her hips lightly to hold her in place whenever she squirmed. She tucked her claws against her palms and drummed her knuckles against the mattress as the winding coil built rapidly in her core… Tech was was always good at this. Of course he was, Tech was good at everything and she loved him so much, and he was pulling her spirit out of her body at the moment without a word of complaint from Shiani. 

The one brain cell she still had possession of flew back to that first night, when she'd put her mouth on him like this and her carefully composed Tech had swore like a dock hand and forgot how to finish a sentence. If she could suck the intelligence out of a genius, she supposed it was only fair he could snatch her soul in the same way. It had belonged to him for years anyway. 

The orgasm snuck up on her almost embarrassingly quickly, and she lost her hum in favor of a desperate whine. It might have been his name, but it muddled into whimpers as she bucked against the hold he had on her. Tech wasn't willing to let up on her though, slowing down but never stopping his teasing kitten licks until she had ridden out her high and was trying to escape him and the overstimulation. 

When he finally took mercy on her and rested his cheek on her thigh, the blue pulse of her bioluminescence was bright enough to see with the lights on. She smiled, panting, and reached for his face. A clawed thumb wiped her slick from his chin. "M-messy." She giggled. 

"The best meals tend to be." He smirked, beyond pleased with himself, sitting up to crawl over her again. She squeaked when his weight settled atop her and he rolled, laying her across him. Her hands settled on his pectorals, pushing herself up to look at the clone. 

He was so pretty, she thought. Angular face, serious eyes, and the still-fading scar from where his chip had been removed all those months ago. She leaned down and delicately kissed the scar, grateful he really was free of that awful monster lurking in his skull. She never wanted to imagine him like Crosshair, stolen away from her by something that made him believe the ones who loved him most were his enemies. “This is supposed to be about you.” She teased. 

“On the contrary, I believe this is about us.” He leaned back, looking up at her. One arm stretched up towards the shelf on the side of his bunk where he kept a disorganized mess of chalk, machine oil, and little bits of scrap parts he’d tossed to the side. Behind the clutter, hidden on purpose, was a squeeze bottle of bacta-based medical lubricant. He sheepishly held it up to Shiani, who took it to inspect the label. “This should reduce any concern for injury or discomfort.” 

She giggled. “How long have you been hiding this bottle behind chalk box?”

He flushed. “Probably longer than necessary, seeing how well the conversation leading up to this went…” 

Shiani nodded, fiddling with the bottle lid. “Always preparing. So how do you want to do this?” 

He rubbed her hips with his thumbs, thinking, before lifting her up slightly. “Shift to the left, cyar’ika.” 

Agreeably, she wiggled her hips until Tech was notched at her entrance. His usually steady hands shook slightly on her hips. "At the… same time." He mumbled. 

Shiani shivered and nodded, uncapping the bottle and squeezing the slippery, cold substance onto one of her tentacles. Tech watched, eyes wide as she slicked it up carefully, her other limbs writhing to wrap around his legs and pull them apart. Finally the prepped appendage slipped from his sight as Shiani got a devilish look on her face and seized his wrists, pulling them over his head and pinning him flat. The vulnerability and sudden helplessness had the clone's head spinning when her lips parted, fangs inches from his blurry vision. "I’ll take care of you." She said sweetly, kissing his lips before shifting her hips. 

As he slid into her, she slid into him. The intrusion was much more slow than her seating herself, caution keeping her eyes screwed firmly onto his face for any signs of discomfort. Instead, his mouth was half open and his eyes crossed. He'd forgotten how to breathe.

Shiani kept her hips still as she pressed into him, searching for what he'd asked of her before she'd worry about her own pleasure from the throbbing cock inside her. It only took a few inches of feeding herself into the man below her until he jolted and whined.

"There?" She grinned breathlessly. 

Tech tried to jerk, searching another glowing brush of her skin against the most sensitive parts of him. Instead of a clear affirmative, he could only manage a pitiful "uh-huh…"

That was all she needed, rolling her hips smoothly as she began to ride him and twitched the dexterous muscle in him against his prostate. Tech was a mess, incoherent babbling of her name and pleas for what was most likely more, harder, faster. 

She only held onto her self control by a thread of delight at his debauched state. This was power, the ability to undo a man so tightly wound. Her body, her hands and mouth and flesh could brand something so intimate and mind-numbing into this man she loved so much…

She pressed her forehead against his, closing her eyes and focusing on the genius's feelings as his every nerve ending was shot to scrap. "That’s right. Come for me." She cooed, grinding her hips down a little harder as she pressed the magic button in him that made him lose his mind. 

She needed him to come, and take him with her, so that she could ease the burning under both their skin. They'd have this, something he could never recreate with anyone but her, to be theirs forever. 

"Sh-shia-ni!" He groaned, and her lilting siren's kiss followed the broken sound of his voice. 

Tech unraveled, blood burning with electricity as he came harder than he'd ever done. Too many sensations fried his brain, til there was nothing left but the siren's song and touch. Dimly he heard her voice catch and she squeezed tight around him, his frenetic spasm grinding him right where she needed him most. She followed him to bliss, like she'd follow him anywhere. 

When he went limp, she lay her head on his chest and shuddered through the combined aftershocks of their releases. He took a long time to drift back into his consciousness, like a leaf fluttering to the ground. When he did, her nail was lightly tracing the skin of his pectorals. "Tech?" She cooed. "You okay?"

"...fuck." He mumbled bluntly. 

She giggled. "Experiment success?"

"I believe we will… require additional testing. But not right now. I don't believe I can move."

She carefully pulled off and out of him, Tech shuddering at the loss of her warmth. She quickly pulled his blanket over the both of them and curled up to his side, unlatching the door as she did. She petted his hair, turned off the recording feature of his goggles, and returned them in the sweetest display of aftercare he'd ever experienced. "You don’t need to move. I’ll take care of you." She breathed. "Go to sleep."

He nodded, managing to flop over on his side like a landed fish to hold her. "You are spectacular, my cyar'ika." He mumbled, exhausted and spent. 

"I love you." She whispered back, mulling over the bits of Mando’a she'd struggled to teach herself. "Ni kar'tayl su."

Tech smiled against her ear fin, the hand on her hip squeezing three times. "Clever girl."

[dulcewrites]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

So I decided to three different parts for the three stars (idk if each star counts for a separate but that is how I’m gonna do it lmao)

From fmo part 1: Is this why you don’t under the understand the obsession with dragons. You hate the ludicrous insistence that you can control them. That if you give them enough love and patience that they will need you the way you need them. Good behavior has gotten you nothing. Doing right by the dragons in your life has gotten you nowhere. Aemond is not yours despite the vows you took, or sacrifices you’ve made for him. The same way your children will never be yours despite the pain you take to have them. You’ve been burned by the very dragon that’s supposed to protect you.

I thought about this part bc I saw post on here about no matter how much you do for dragons ie the Targaryen family, they cannot save you. It was like a gif set with of course the iconic driftmark knife scene. But it also had the scene during the stepstones fight where one is the soldiers said that daemon is coming and will save him… just to get crushed by caraxes 😭. One of the reasons why I am taking fmo in the direction I am, away from a cheating/love story and broaden things, is bc I am so fascinated by how the Targaryens as a family really ruin everything they touch (including each other.. irony of the incest). So many people devote their lives to them, it is a very thankless task imo

From fmo part 3: Opposed to the elation you felt after having Daella. Dread creeps in; dread that comes from a place of sadness and protectiveness. All you have is your children. Even with the bonds and alliances you may have made, only they are extensions of you. Daella, your sweet girl, a reminder of what could of been. You have Alaric, the flesh and blood reflection of what you have been through.

Another central theme of the fmo is motherhood. Also love versus duty. Rightful or wrongly, fmo reader sees her kids as direct extensions of her. Daella being the reminder of what could have been is about the happiness she felt in her family/role after she was born. Alaric is a reflection of the the situation she is in. Aemond would’ve never pushed for a baby if he didn’t feel like she was onto him cheating and he was trying to recapture the ~magic~ of having his firstborn. Also alaric resembling aemond is just another twist to the dagger. Reader’s love for her children is her strength… it is also her downfall :(((

From untitled work (ie I could use this for a number of works lol):

The mass amounts of guilt and embarrassment had cooled. Instead of using the moment as an indictment on her character, she chose to look at it as a reason to reconnect with things she had slipped away from. Her faith trying to heal the wounds left by those around her.

One fit of rage and the whispers of a queen gone mad started. She began to reinstate herself firmly in the hands of the Seven, and she is called an overdramatic zealot. Better to be been as mad or self righteous than to be dead.

Despite being the Queen or the mother to Princes and a Princess of the Realm, she is still a non Targaryen woman amongst dragon riders. She has seen how non Targaryens have faired against this house. Even ones that share Valyrian ancestry and own dragons are no match for the ways of House Targaryen. She will always be the outsider. Alicent was reminded of that when Viserys insisted on Aegon and Helaena getting married, even despite the pleas to rethink the decision. Bond Targaryen blood he said.

If Targaryen blood is untarnished, what does that make her?

So this is bit of character study I did about my bestie, my pookie, my loml Alicent. One the I do wish we would’ve gotten in the show is Alicent’s psyche directly after driftmark. Her journey about her faith, how she tended to Aemond, and ofc hel and Aegon getting married/having kids. That’s a… lot to happen in six years. I feel like she would’ve been a bundle of nerves (even more so) right after driftmark. Her fears were basically confirmed. Also I would’ve killed to find out how she found out about Rhaenyra and Daemon getting married… perhaps I will write something that includes that. Maybe if I ever get to the Daemon/laena daughter oc 👀

Send in a ⭐️

[kunosoura]

My final rating of the Crown of Stars major PoV characters after book 7

Top tier:

Liath - her growth from an abused girl clinging desperately to any affection she could and trying to build the strength she knew she needed to the confident and powerful sorceress we see in the end was SO satisfying. I love that in the end she felt no need to be cruel or vindictive toward Hugh and merely did what was needed so he could never hurt anyone ever again. I love that we see how the world outside views her - as a dangerous, mysterious witch with inscrutable motives and an unknown agenda - while also showing us her internality (that of a woman dedicated to peace, truth and knowledge, with stunted social skills).

High tier

Hanna. Last time I talked about how her narration was always refreshing because it wasn't maudlin or centered around trauma, and instead was just her doing her job. Boy did I not know what was coming in the back half of the series. For all that I didn't love that we lost what made that perspective so refreshing after the Quman business, I guess it was unfair to hold her up on that pedestal in a series ABOUT trauma. And anyway, she bounced back and, though never quite the same, became a complex character who still got her shit done and always remained a low-key fixture of the plot, giving us a PoV on important events without eating up too much airtime with her own issues.

Alain. I like how he's clearly meant as some saint-like figure, but isn't perfect. He resents Tallia for abandoning him while "accepting" Conrad even though he knows she's never really had a choice in her life. He hates Lavas's brother for scheming to depose him, and then later tormenting him and hauling him around for weeks while he was suffering from severe physical trauma. Despite all that, he's still a fundamentally decent man who does what he can to see that the right thing is done. Is he some half-divine saint sent to guide the world through a time of trials? I think it's more likely that he's just the sort of person that treats people well, who gets entwined with big destinies because he's a good person who wants to help.

Antonia. Delusional QUEEN. I love how she steadily gets more self righteous and less connected to reality as the series progresses to the point that she's in a contentious alliance with Queen Betrayseveryone Evenherbelovedhusband and General Machiavelli Turncloak, casting dangerous evil spells left and right, and doesn't seem to realize she's in danger. She died as she lived: fucking clueless and with way too much power.

Mid Tier

Rosvita. Girl I wanted to like you so bad but your PoV just never had a good hook. I wish more had been done with her fascination towards sorcery and the arcane that tugged at her otherwise straight-laced personality, but we didn't get much and the remainder is just her being a not particularly interesting PoV to some major events. Still, she had a compelling and steely core, even her chapters lacked bite.

Sanglante. Blissfully absent as a PoV for most (all?) of the final book. Muh duty to my dad muh deadbeat wife.. Idk he was never that bad but his PoV never compelled me that much either. Liath wasn't even a deadbeat he literally saw her getting kidnapped by angels of course she might take some time getting back. And then he slept with another woman after learning she was Alive and Trapped. Come on man. I always wanted her to dump him. But his chapters weren't that bad. For how much all the other characters have their internalities defined by trauma and how they're recovering and moving on from it, he weirdly seemed to have completely gotten over the whole "kept as a squalid human dog by the former king of the lizard men for over a year" pretty conclusively by the last few books.

Stronghand: A victim I think of how much the author was tired of writing the series by the end. The early to middle parts of the series, where his stoic cultural condition has been alchemized by Alain's kindness into a sort of justice and compassion that's almost alien to medieval alt-europe, is really compelling, and there's the ~bones~ of a resolution to his character arc in the end, but it just sort of landed without fanfare. I wonder if he and Theophanu ever ended up consummating

Secha. Our crucial eye on the inside for the Ashioi, introduced a bit too late to really have her own arc and given no real resolution either. The idea of there being deep rifts between the Ashioi who'd been caught in the exiled country, doing whatever they could to survive including casting off their religious caste and letting their hatred of humanity simmer down, and the Ashioi who were caught in the world between, experienced the hundred+ years the others did as a scant few months, bear all the old prejudices and hatreds fresh, and are appalled that the others cast down the castes, is SO fascinating, but I think it's clear Elliot just wanted to be done with the series by the end.

Low tier:

Ivar. Boy I'm never forgiving you for fumbling Baldwin because you were too lost in your incel cups about Liath to appreciate him. And then you go off and get thrown together with Hanna by the narrative? I'm laying the blame on you for that shit, Hanna went through a lot and never even got laid so of course she'd nurse a flame for her childhood crush but with you it seems like you just shacked up with the first blonde woman who gave you attention so you could get over Baldwin. Yeah you weren't as insufferable in the last couple of books I guess but it's hard to outrun how bad you were in the first like. two thirds of the series.

Zacharias. For all that he's someone who's objectively gone through some of the worst trauma of any of the PoV characters, and we're supposed to be uncomfortable with how everyone dismisses or distrusts him, it still feels like even above that the narrative punishes and dislikes him disproportionately and I can't fathom why. I really wish he could have met Liath because the two would have gotten along so well. The Hugh thing was just cruel. I get that's the point, he died early and tragically, able only to reclaim a fraction of his dignity, but it really was just something sour to me. Not to mention how forgotten the old gods were after his death.

Bottom tier:

Anna. what was the fucking POINT. She just seemed to be there so we'd have a Blessing-proximal PoV. No character arc except getting depressed because she had no real identity. Her reuniting with Papa Otto might have have redeemed her character, given it some sort of closure or bookend but for some reason we didn't even get that. Come ON.

[jamiewintons]

I had to ask for the fluff prompts: “Have you seen my hoodie?” “Noo.” “You’re wearing it, aren’t you?” for Jamie (poor Jamie, he keep getting his clothes stolen 😂)

From this prompt list.

Warnings: One s*xual reference.

Today was the day that you were finally moving in, and Jamie was excited. He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he got ready to go over to your place and help you pack your things up. He'd showered, gotten dressed, and was almost prepared to walk out the door, but there was one more thing he needed, as it was a rather cold day outside.

His favourite red hoodie was nowhere to be found. He'd checked everywhere around the house, but it just seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Jamie thought back to the last time he remembered seeing it, and…

Ah, that explained it.

It seemed that Jamie's favourite hoodie happened to be your favourite as well. Ever since the first time he'd given it to you to wear when you'd forgotten to bring a jumper of your own, you'd been mildly obsessed with it. Oftentimes you'd be wearing it when you were at his place, and conveniently "forget" you had it when you left. Honestly Jamie didn't mind if you wanted to keep it, he just didn't quite understand your fascination with it.

Knowing that he wasn't going to find his hoodie anywhere in his own house, Jamie grabbed a different jacket, along with his phone so he could call you before he left. He opened his phone and called your number, patiently waiting for you to pick up.

It only took a few rings before he heard your tired voice on the other end. "Morning Jamie," you said, clearly trying to fight off a yawn.

"Good morning, love, I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I've been awake for a while. I just had a bit of trouble getting to sleep last night, I guess I was just too excited." Jamie's smile widened when you said that, because he'd felt the exact same way. It had been a struggle to shut his brain off and drift off to sleep.

"Well, do you want me to come over now? The sooner we get everything sorted the sooner we can relax." To be fair, it probably wouldn't take that long, since a lot of your stuff was already at Jamie's place anyway.

"Sounds good. I'll see you soon, then?"

"Wait, before you go, have you seen my hoodie?" Jamie asked, pretending like he didn't already know the answer to his question.

You were silent for a few moments until you spoke up again, giving a rather unconvincing, "Nooo…."

"You're wearing it, aren't you?"

"…Yes."

"Why don't you just keep it? It looks better on you anyway." Jamie had offered it to you many times, but you always refused, only to steal it again at the next given opportunity.

"That's not how this works, Jamie. If you let me keep this, I'll just have to steal another item of your clothing… and if things continue like that, you'll end up with no clothes to wear at all." You hummed in thought momentarily. "Actually, that doesn't sound so bad…"

You didn't need to see Jamie with your own eyes to know that he was blushing, by the way he stammered over his words as if he'd forgotten what he was going to say. You weren't able to help yourself from giggling at how easy it was to fluster Jamie. He was just too cute.

"Don't worry, Jamie, I'd never do something so cruel," you told him, wishing that you could see the expression on his face. "Come on, let's get this over and done with. I'm sick of not living with you."

Jamie's smile returned. Once again, he felt the exact same way.

Requests for fics/drabbles, headcanons, and character preferences are currently OPEN!

[youn9racha]

I Know (Part I)

Pairing: Changbin x fem!reader

Genre: suggestive

Word count: 1.9k

Warning: slight adult content, swearing, suggestive actions, elements of stalker behavior

Extra notes: characters mentioned are all above the age 21 years, a lot of hatred towards the male figure lol. Also this is my first time writing on tumblr, so please bare with me, it may not be the best, but I still hope you enjoy it :)

And baby, I know, I know whatever city you’re in, you’re still the boy that I’d pick…

part ii is up !!!

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This is no way representative of the way Stray Kids act. They’re nothing but references of character, and in no shape or form is this how they act. And I am in no way romanticizing or glamorizing any toxic behavior exhibited, they’re just stories that is meant to be read. Readers discretion is advised

—————————————————————————————————

Men…

Truly the scums of the Earth, who do no good for no one, and are an absolute menace to society. But oh, do I enjoy the looks of their faces at times. The way they would look at me with full hope and infatuation, with full beliefs that I would step down and give them all they want from me.

Hmph. How cute… and pathetic. How pathetic to assume and lower my standards for them. They all are the same. All but one however.

All that men hating… and yet, only one I’d be willing to go down to his level.

Yes, its him… He whom a lot would have not sought to be with, not many would expect a bombshell like myself would be with. But I do not see that in him, not an ounce of what many insecure individuals would see. I see something striking that not many could see, an underrated dignified beauty that anyone could wish to admire. A fanciable and irresistible personality and face.

He was a man.. but a pleasant one.

It all started when I moved in into a new flat for myself. I previously left the old complex due to the cramped environment I had that left me feeling uneasy and stressed, as well as it wasn’t even my apartment, it was for my partner, well, ex-partner. It was simply wasn’t working out, due to our seeming never ending conflicts. But enough of the past, let us move on..

I found this flat that is comfortable and the rent pays well, its only downside is that my room’s window is faced to the next door’s flat, however it’s not a big detriment or big turn off for me so it was fine by me, and also it was prone to have random, yet rare, blackout, but then again what neighborhood doesn’t have that. Anyhow, I was set to take the complex, but before I did, I have noticed something about the neighbor’s window next to me. It was a man. A really good looking one too. Giving his side profile, he was laying on his bed, his black hair covered head bopping with earphones placed in ears, laptop placed in his revealing shorts adorned lap. My eyes began started to stare into his arms then onto his naked well built chest, which indicates that he likes to keep up with his health, as his ring adorned hands was tapping away in his keyboard. I quickly looked away when I saw him repositioned his laptop, and walked out of the soon-to-be my room.

Great… I’ve entered Hell.

But I didn’t let it affect my decisions and got the apartment nonetheless, here I am now, weeks after the incident, sitting in my car, outside of the building, still thinking about the man in his laptop. Has he noticed that I was staring at him? Does he know that there’s gonna be someone living next to him? I hope not. And if he has, I must apologize to him. But before that, let me unload my car. I have gradually put my stuff into the complex as the days go by, it seems dragging, but it felt like the time went by fast, so I’m glad I have done that. However, today was different, as I took stuff more than I usually did, as I desperately do not want to go back to my ex. Typically, I never had assistance, as usually my best friend would join in and help out, but at a time I needed them the most, they had to be really sick. They still were willing to help, but I insisted that they shouldn’t and should rest.

After thinking, I sighed and got out my car, ready to fight the battle that is putting my stuff into my complex. I opened the trunk, eyes meeting my stuff, and I begin to groan. ‘Dammit, (y/n), why do you have that many stuff?!’ I thought to myself. I really should’ve had at least one more visit to my ex, but alas I picked to just take all all together in one day. I picked up a box until..

“Need any help?” I heard someone behind me asking me. I turned around and looked at the source. ‘God damn, is it just me, or does this town just bring out more attractive people?’ I thought to myself, as I see a man that looked like he could be at a museum. He had a sandy brown curly hair, slightly tanned skin, really plump and a crazy jawline. He donned a tank top that barely covered his side torso, and basket ball shorts that complimented his really nice, thick… thighs… yeah… Needless to say he was really attractive.

It seems that I was ogling him, rather than responding, as he shyly smiled and waved his hand in front of my face, “hello,” he softly said as I shook my head and looked back at his face apologetically.

“I am so sorry, I am just really tired, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” I cringed at my pathetic way of justifying of me literally internally lusting over him. I really am turning into someone I dread to be. How can I forgive myself?

“That’s okay, I know how moving can get tiring, and I sense that you’re alone, so please let me and my friend help you out.” He said, sympathetically smiling a sweet smile, already grabbing a box out of my hand. God, if this man has a partner, then they’re the luckiest person ever, and if he’s single, I’ll gladly hand him a ring. What am I saying? (y/n), what the hell has gotten into you?!

“I’m Christopher, but you can call me Chris or Chan, whichever you prefer is fine, what’s your name?” The generous man’s voice interrupted my inner battle and I found myself looking at him again. “(y/n)” I smiled at him, which he nodded back.

“Nice to meet you,” Chan said, looking back and see that his friend showed up, meanwhile, I went back to my trunk and got out more stuff from my car “oh, there he is!” Chan enthusiastically announced.

“(y/n), meet my friend and roommate, Changbin.” Chris said, while I got out the box and looked at the other man, my face shifted from contentment to horrific.

Its the man with the laptop.

“Hello? Chan, are you sure she’s okay?” Changbin looked at Chris with worry. “Yeah, she’s just tired, just nudge her.”

It’s like Chris knew me too well, despite meeting for less than 10 minutes, as Chris slightly pushed me with the box, not enough to hurt me, but enough to put me out of a trance.

“huh? I did it again, did I?” I looked at Chan, worryingly, which he nodded. I looked back at Changbin and the pathetic act was brought up again.

“I am so sorry, I don’t know what has gotten into me.” I apologized once again, which Changbin only smirked. “Don’t worry about it,” He said, carrying a box. Something about that smirk and tone seems off. Not off in a menacing way, but off in a… coy way. Maybe not the best term to use, maybe I am just over analyzing, but I am for sure either winning the lottery tonight, or convinced that the sun will rise from the west tomorrow, since I have two very attractive men helping out, one of which is someone whom I may have an odd fascination for a while now.

~~

The two have been nothing but a delight to interact with, their help with the stuff had done me even more than just a solid. However, I still in a way feel a bit unsettled by Changbin. It wasn’t that he was a creep, or did anything to make me uncomfortable, its just this feeling of guilt I carry with me. Meanwhile, I didn’t attempt anything, and I just simply just admired him from afar, it still felt wrong that I was just looking at him while he was barely wearing anything, let alone while not him paying attention. Despite this, it seems that he doesn’t know that I did what I did, which is why I chose to confront him about it when the time is right, which is probably when we start getting even more comfortable. I have exchanged numbers with both men, even though I could probably just go out my window and yell out their names, but I’d rather not disturb the peace.

Two good looking men are now my neighbors… Who would have thought? Whichever entity that is in existence have decided to play with me, because to them, my humiliation would be their laughing stock, because they definitely would have seen what is to become of me.

Its been a week in since I moved, and interacted with the two Chans, and I am glad that a curtain was installed onto my room, just so I wouldn’t carry even more guilt than I already do. But the thing is, I would lie that I still haven’t thought of Changbin. While I would have thought that Chris fitting into more of my ideal type, Changbin however held a mysterious power that Chan didn’t.

Ever since the time I first laid eyes on Changbin, he has never left my mind. He has started to creep up in my fantasies and dreams in every way shape of form. I couldn’t stop thinking of how his arms would look around my waist, how his lips would feel in my skin, or how his hands would wander around, exploring places that many men often fail to find to make me feel good, or how his voice would be like when talking as he puts his mouth by my ear— God, this is getting out of hand, I would think.

What if he had a girlfriend? What if he wasn’t attracted to women in general? What if he finds you a creep?

So many more endless questions would come in to ruin me, but its not like i have a choice, he just happened to settle into my dreams and thoughts, and went with it.

I decided to take a shower to try and distract myself from these thoughts, which didn’t help at all, as the hot water cascading my skin did nothing but accelerated my lustful thoughts. I decided to get out of the shower, as it didn’t help my case.

Damn you, Changbin.

I sighed, put on some underwear and a robe while having a towel wrapped around my hair. I got out of the bathroom and back to my room. It was dark out, and in my room, the only light came out of it were my night lamp, which barely lit up the whole room. I checked the window, making sure Changbin wasn’t there, or at least not facing the window, only to see his window being covered with curtains.

Great timing, could’ve used that when I first saw you, dipshit.

But nonetheless, I was really glad at least he wasn’t visible. I laid back on my bed, and decided to look through social media, as anyone should. While in the middle of a instagram scroll, I see a caller popping through at the top of the screen…

It was Changbin.

[birb-tangleblog]

Do you have any fic recs for brotherhood content?

Ok so! I feel like there's a decent amount of fics that include the Brotherhood out there, but full disclosure- I'm honestly pretty picky. So I can try! Just know that this list won't be exhaustive- and reflective of my prefs! Here we go:

on broken ribs and brethren traitors - One of my favs focusing on the relationship between Hector and Adira, and the aftermath of the Great Tree falling. Emotional beats, conflict, and catharsis I wish we’d gotten in the series. I think this is one of the few fics that captures the deep familiarity and shared history that exists between these two, and the bond that endures despite their ideological differences. Shades of angst and hurt/comfort, but with enough resolution and reconciliation to end on a hopeful note.

So Pardon the Dust & words cannot say (what I want them to say) - So both of these are actually Eugene’s POV, but touch on his relationships w/ the individual members of the Brotherhood- which is smth I hadn’t realized I wanted before, but now feel like we totally missed out on. Works that focus on the ‘negative space’ between characters are fascinating to me, and both of these accomplish that as post-humous character studies of King Edmund. Very bittersweet.  

Idt this one has a title? but it’s another one by Kingrey, and its adorable. Quirin’s relationships over the years, told through pie. Short and sweet.

Roots & its sequel, Uprooted - I feel like it’s cheating to feature these, b/c I commissioned them and had some input so... ofc they appeal to me lmao, but LEGIT they are both so good. Canon-divergent AU where Hector takes Var under his wing, and a mentor/mentee bond develops between them- but done with fidelity to Hector’s character, and the abrasiveness and hard edges that make him so interesting. An elegant take on ‘Uncle’ Hector thanks to Hic’s writing, thoughtfulness, and character voice.

Looking Through a Window & its sequel, Happy Endings Exist Only in Fairytales - Ok, this one is an OG villain!Quirin fic, from 2018, with the first one being written before S2 even premiered-  this author was a VISIONARY. I know some fans might not like fic that's been jossed or made outdated by canon, and this was published before Hector appeared and when moonsonas were just a wish- but I think it holds up really well and is still intriguing. An emotional, believable, and more subdued take on Quirin turning against the crown.

brilliant d’os - A sweet missing scene set immediately after the finale, with Var doting on his dad, Hector, and Adira. Quite fluffy, it’s literally them getting pampered and taken care of, but there’s a core to it. The descriptions of breakfast in this one remind me of an old Redwall book and make me hungry...

torche à flamme noire - Same author! Less fluffy, more angsty- of the Var and Hector variety. Grittier, but there’s a touching ending and some softness to it. Slight canon-divergent AU, set during and after the finale

everything stays (but nothing's quite the same) - Technically Quirin and Varian-focused, the other Brotherhood members don’t make an appearance- but I’m including it, because it’s nice to see a character study on Quirin as a father, with him as the POV character, and how he’s processing the events of S3. Canon-compliant. I like that this one has Quirin actively striving to become a better parent and learning to be emotionally available and present for his son.

It Wasn’t Just a Dream - LEILEEEEEIIII! I almost just linked her entire Ao3 lmao, b/c she deserves a shoutout for writing so many diff takes on these 3- but I really like the ideas in this one in particular, and the mindtrap being given a lot of gravity, recovery not happening overnight, and the exp having long-term effects on H + A’s lives. Angsty, but it’s still optimistic and healing. Somft... (also note her account features some Bhood ships.)

the outsider perspective - Another oldie, from just after the S2 premiere. A short character piece that still captures Adira’s quirks and personality nicely, and holds up well.

Memories of the Brotherhood - flashbacks mixed with scenes set in the present- glimpses of their history and conflicts, with an undercurrent of eeriness. Always cool to see formats like this.

I think there are also some good fics out there that feature parts of the trio in smaller roles or as solidly-written background/supporting characters! But I’m not including those b/c I wouldn’t quite class them as “Brotherhood” content, where they’re the focus.

I tried to think back on what I’ve read, but hopefully I didn’t miss anything obvious!

[hpalways]

A New World || Albedo

I decided to make it an AU, so it'll take place in the modern world, and not the Genshin world. 

The request: Albedo x Gen Z! reader (made on Quotev)

RAIN pelted against the glass panes, rolling down like blobs of slime and making the world outside a blur. Down below was the city, filled off honking cars and traffic. It was always quite the ruckus living here, but you supposed you had gotten used to it. Planting your arms against the sill, you leaned your chin down and released a sigh. What was planned to be a day for you to go on a date with Albedo was now cancelled. It somehow decided to rain at a 20 percent chance. Life sure liked to ruin you. 

The ashy blond haired male was sitting at your desk in the other corner of the room, completely focused on his current research. You could never get over how pretty he looked, hunched over doing the mundaneness of things. His hair tied up halfway into a neat braided ponytail, he was always ready for business. Teal eyes locked upon his large textbook, he was in his own world. He truly did not care that the date was cancelled, was he? Slightly pouting, you crossed your arms across your chest and slumped down to the floor. 

At the sound of your actions, his eyes flitted over to you and he gave you a smile. You were beginning to feel childish under his stare. Maybe you should just be glad that he was here to spend time with you. 

Slowly getting up from his seat, he lumbered across the room and sat down beside you. "It's raining," he murmured. "The soil is moist and it would be nice to collect samples of some of the plants I'm studying."

Your features contorted in slight annoyance at the mention of this. Research this, research that. That was all there was in his mind. Couldn't he please take a break? "That's it. You're not going to be researching for the rest of the time you're here," you snapped at him, a stern look on your face. 

"What...?" he uttered, growing blank as if no one had ever said that to him. "But... it's raining."

"We can still have a date at home, can't we?" you pointed out. Pushing yourself from the floor, you stood up and held a hand towards him. Lips curling upward, you were getting excited for the ideas that had entered your mind. And when his cold hands clamped around yours, you knew that this date was not yet a failure. Nodding in agreement with you, he stood up and followed you to the couch. 

The two of you sat down on the couch and you turned the TV on. "We're watching something?" he asked, seemingly confused as to why you would want to spend a date in front of the TV. 

"Yep. Anime," you told him, using the remote to enter Netflix.

"Anime? I have not watched anime before."

"I figured as much. You're quite the uncultured swine, aren't you? I can't let my boyfriend stay like this," you said, dramatically sighing with your hand placed over your heart. He cocked an eyebrow up, shaking his head at your remark. "Anyway, yes. We're gonna watch One Piece. Any objections? No? Okay, perfect. We would have to break up if you said no."

He chuckled under his breath. "You're something, [Y/N]. You never fall short of fascination."

Knitting your brows together, you burst out laughing. He blinked at you, his cheeks growing slightly red. "Is that supposed to be a compliment? Don't describe me like one of your studies," you said, laying your head upon his shoulder. "I appreciate the sentiment though."

The brightly lit show began on the screen and the two of you fell silent, focused on the show. Nostalgia began to brim out from you, reminding you of the days when you had first watched the anime. It could never fail to pull your heartstrings and belonged in a special place within you. It was why you so dearly hoped that Albedo would like it. 

An hour or so went by when you decided to take a pause. Giving a glance towards Albedo, you could see him scribbling something down on his notebook. Curious, you took a peek and saw that he was taking notes about the show. You dropped your jaw and had no clue what to say. He turned his head towards you and beat you to it instead. "I like it so far. The guy who ate that gum-gum fruit... I would study him some more later on."

Of course he wished to study Luffy, the main character of the show. But perhaps, this was also to appease the urge of wishing to study his actual research. To see his gaze flashing towards the window every so often to check if it was still raining was a no-brainer. Albedo was Albedo. Nothing could stop him from pursuing his ambitions... his truth. "Go do your research," you said, placing a hand over his. 

"You've noticed, huh," he breathed out, lowering his head in shame. "This is unfair to you--"

"Not really," you said. "Let me go with you. Walking under an umbrella sounds romantic. I've always wanted to do that with you, Albedo."

He immediately grew flustered at your explanation, now truly red as a tomato. Averting his eyes from you for a bit, he had managed to calm himself down, before giving you a kiss at the top of your head. His lips brushed your hair, leaving a warm aftertaste that reached to your core. "If that is what you wish for, I will do my utmost best to satisfy you."

"You're so silly," you giggled, stretching and yawning. Getting up from the couch, you found the umbrella hanging on the jacket rack, waiting to be used. He took it from you and with that, you left the apartment and entered the thrumming rhythm of rain. 

Bunching closely to him, you could feel his body heat waving off. The roof the umbrella pattered loudly and the gray pavement below were filled of puddles. Too much noise and water was seeping through your soles, wetting the socks inside. This was a lot less romantic than you anticipated. How unfortunate. 

“Watch out!” he suddenly hollered, pulling you towards him. Face stuffed into his chest, you could feel your heart racing at the close proximity. He smelled of pine and cinnamon, a scent that reminded you of home. He was your home, after all. A splash! interrupted your thoughts, bringing you back into the present. Pulling away from him, you saw that a biker had zoomed straight through where you were originally standing. It was a mystery why someone would be biking in such weather, but what angered you more was how Albedo had taken a hit from it. His long trenchcoat was soaking wet... and so was his hair. 

“You got wet for me...” you murmured. 

He wiped a side of his face off and looked off into the distance. “Of course I did. A promise is a promise.”

Leaning in even closer to him, you gave him a soft kiss, your lips brushing against his warm ones. It wasn’t long or deep, but it was enough to erupt flutters in your abdomen. You tilted away to find him taken off guard for the millionth time today, his hues wide, his cheeks blazing, and a hand covering half of his face. Adorable was an understatement to describe him. 

[kitkatixx]

kirukiyo headcanons (long ish)

If you haven’t noticed-- these two are my otp, and v3 did them both dirty... both in terms of plot and their few interactions (hi, utdp, i’m surprised they didn’t have an event with direct interaction)

I haven’t done these formally but figured I’d drop a few of my headcanons as of now, since the ideas I have for these two are fluid, but the base nature of their relationship remains about the same. You’ll see below the cut, they’re fairly in depth and give some flavor to the characters (especially Kirumi) 

general summary 

Subtle, subtle, subtle. 

These two are experts at keeping their relationship under the table, and it takes the rest of the class--perceptive ones included-- quite a bit of time to figure out they’ve been together, even though many a student (Kokichi, Miu, Rantaro, Kaede) have made jokes about their likeness to a married couple. 

While they are more than capable of adapting to the scenario, both of them are private individuals at heart, in spite how their talents require them to be around people nearly at all times. So for Kirumi especially, she prefers someone mature who can respect her desire to keep the limelight out of her personal life. After all, she prefers to keep her home and (incredibly taxing, chaotic) work life separate... 

That being said, it is no secret to Class 79 (what I’ve dubbed the v3 cast in my HPA AU) and the upperclassmen (SDR2, DR3, THH) that the Ultimate Maid is a stubborn workaholic.

Thus, it takes a specific type of person to ‘get through’ to her-- specifically requesting her presence at refreshments, politely stopping her in the hallway for a conversation, all as cleverly disguised ‘breaks’ without infringing upon her time and duties. Even if it’s only momentary, small steps, persistence, and patience are key with her, as there is a fine line between obligation and devotion to one’s craft. 

Korekiyo happens to be able to see past the professional ‘selflessly devoted’ front that Kirumi maintains nearly at all times, having had the opportunity to observe numerous types of people in his time as an anthropologist, and given what was seen in canon, it’s fairly evident that he was intrigued, speaking highly of her post trial (he even has a FTE in her lab!) 

Initially, her insistence on wholeheartedly embodying the values of a proper maid piqued his attention, leading to him to take an interest in getting to know her more-- what makes Miss Tojo who she is, exactly? What motivates her to behave in such a way? And what of the human side of the Ultimate Maid? Such were the questions he wished to answer, and as any good researcher would do, it was necessary to approach this in a straightforward, concise manner.

Because of this unorthodox approach to getting to know her (indirectly) for a scholarly reason, Kirumi had no reason to decline his invitations to converse or shoo him away from observing her everyday duties as she would have done under normal circumstances. This in particular gave Korekiyo an advantage over many of his other peers, who would have had difficulty a) approaching her b) maintaining a sizeable conversation with her before moving onto her next task. 

Eventually, the two would find they share similar interests (Victorian customs, tea preparation, etc), and get along well with each other; the meetings that began as strictly for research evolve into moments where two friends are talking. 

Down the line, someone catches feels. 

Now as for who that could be... let’s move to the next section to answer that.

a few typical who does/is relationship headcanons:

1. Who makes the first move and how?

Korekiyo does. While Kirumi eventually does develop feelings for him first, she won’t act on them out of concern that the quality of her work will be compromised, and stays quiet. Korekiyo, however, takes a little longer after mulling over whether his emotions can be chalked up to his general adoration for all of humanity or genuine feelings for her. He does pick up on small changes in her behavior and routine-- serving his preferred meals and tea at just the right temperature, being especially open to assisting him even when she’s terribly busy, and so on, which motivate him to make the first move. Very small, but incredibly thoughtful of her. He’s always liked the details. 

The anthropologist is quite capable of being romantic if he so desires, but decides that with her in particular, it would be best to be polite and to the point. Of course, this is Korekiyo we are talking about, so he’ll still put his own twist on it-- so most likely discreetly slipping her a letter with a proper wax stamp on it expressing his feelings and a carnation, which in Japanese flower language is associated with fascination and distinction. 

The letter’s contents include notes of the uniquely human aspects of her he finds especially beautiful, and are highly specific: the faint curve of her mouth that appears for a split-second (when she thinks no one is looking) after someone receives retribution for their antics, her deft, graceful movements as she slices into vegetables and pours tea, the glint in her eye that appears after a particularly challenging request is given... the list could go on and on, he writes, but it would be far too long to be appropriate for this letter, yet Kirumi Tojo’s identity is so much more than only the Ultimate Maid. 

Lastly, it finishes with an attached sketch depicting one of the moments ‘when she is the most beautiful,’ showing her in her element... broom in hand, small frown on face, and scolding someone (read: Kokichi) After all, while many miss it, Korekiyo has picked up on the angry micro expressions that flit across her face after something particularly irritating has just occurred, and he loves them-- they make her humanity shine through. 

Subsequently, it would prompt her to meet somewhere secluded in the evening if she reciprocates-- her missing presence would be more than enough for him to take the hint. Not that she intended on doing so.

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better?

You’d think it would be Kirumi, but no, Korekiyo is, beneath his unusual charm and charisma, by a margin. After the passing of his sister, it left him hesitant to get close to people at a personal level, which contributes to how he ended up choosing anthropology-- not only to travel and experience the world when she could not, but because it allows for one to be ‘close’ to humans in a removed manner. So while he can easily wax poetry about nearly anything about humans, cultures, or a person, he does this in a very ‘scientific manner’ at times, preferring to view things as an observer rather than a participator. Of course, this aspect of him was integrated into his identity long before HPA, but it is this distanced nature that contributed to his initial indecisiveness about whether his feelings are organic, and the occasional concern about how much emotional intimacy he is obligated to show in a relationship. Luckily, Kirumi isn’t the type to absolutely need direct communication in a relationship, and is more subtle in demeanor as well.

Having been in the service industry for years and hiding her own emotions (from herself as well), Kirumi is proficient at recognizing others’ needs, and picks up on these issues seamlessly. She isn’t exactly the best at opening up either (this is an area of improvement for both of them), but still makes attempts to directly talk to him about this. Generally, their form of communication is largely nonverbal, being highly in tune with each other-- to this couple, actions speak louder than words, but issues like these are best addressed face-to-face, with words, before they fester. 

3. Who is the most romantic?

The anthropologist takes the cake here by societal standards-- his love language is giving gifts and words of affirmation, whereas Kirumi prefers acts of service (no surprise there!) but both share quality time as a commonality, and are very attentive towards each other. Regardless of the gift, Korekiyo is always sure to pick something thoughtful and practical, the way she likes things-- though now and then there’s something more material with emotional value in the mix, which she secretly likes. Kirumi is not used to people being so direct in this department with her, so while she’ll politely cite her preference for gifts as something useful, the silk gloves and other paraphernalia he gets her are a nice way to validate she has an identity outside of being a maid.

Not to mention that he has a way with words, and is incredibly proficient at finding 50 unique ways to compliment her in public, much to her chagrin (and hidden embarrassment,) but he takes pride in, citing that she should be more proud of her accomplishments. Nevertheless, Korekiyo still finds her indirect way of showing affection endearing, especially when she attempts to politely deflect compliments as ‘doing what any maid worth their salt would have done.’ 

Some things never change... even though he and the other members of Class 79 have slowly gotten her to be more open about accepting assistance from others (she’s overworked herself and passed out once!) 

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

Again, while both of them are capable of (and prefer) being lowkey in public, it’s free real estate in private, so once again, this goes to Korekiyo. His official love language isn’t physical touch, but he embodies all five of them quite well, this one very much included. 

Kirumi, on the other hand, doesn’t like PDA out of professionalism, which makes her a bit hesitant, even in the privacy of his or her room to be comfortable with it. This isn’t to say she isn’t curious or won’t even consider the possibility, but it takes her a considerable amount of time to warm up to it. Initially, the most you’ll see from them in public is subtle touches on each other’s hand-- little playful taps here and there-- which then morph into holding hands when no one’s around to see it. In private, they’re more willing to be physically close (think head in lap while reading), and Kirumi’s brushed his hair on more than one occasion. It should be noted that one of the most intimate moments the two have had was holding hands in private without any sort of fabric acting as a barrier. 

However, Korekiyo does have a cheekier side that slips out (more slyly playful to incite something interesting/fluster her) and is known to slip an arm around her waist, pulling her in close. If you squint, you might catch a faint flush on the usually unflappable Kirumi. Bonus points if this is during the evening, and a breeze blows by. Bonus bonus if this is in public, during broad daylight. 

The ‘class dad’ has to assert his dominance every now and then over the unruly children, no? 

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?

Love comes in a lot of different forms and of course, at each person’s pace. Both of them circle around this topic and have essentially said it nonverbally before, but the first to vocalize it is most likely still Korekiyo. It’s not in Kirumi’s nature to be direct about her emotions (but for duties and professional matters, absolutely), so it’s up to him to say he loves her first. 

It’s most likely uttered in private, accompanied with a small kiss, and very quietly-- so quiet you can barely catch it, but that doesn’t matter, because only the one who needs to hear it the most will. 

conclusion

Three words best describe this relationship: mature, meaningful, and synchronized.

Both of these individuals are aloof and formal on the surface level, but if one takes the time to truly get to know them, there’s quite the intense fire burning underneath in the form of being utterly devoted to each other every step of the way. Of course, this is all done in a very reserved manner, and if they don’t want you to know about it, you won’t. 

Well, if you got here, thank you for reading all of this. I’ve liked this ship for a while, and I remember being nervous to create content-- I’m sure know how volatile fandom life can be, no? Hope you enjoyed my take and spins on their relationship, and I might post more later. 

Feel free to request or drop something in the askbox for these two.

[hmslusitania]

I see we're going ape over buddie and Choices tonight so

Yknow in 2.07, when Shannon comes back and her and Eddie have their first scene together? The argument at the end, after Eddie says it wouldn't be a good idea for her to see Christopher bc she left them, she says she needed him, she needed a husband and a co-parent - and "I needed someone to have my back!"

To which EDDIE says, "I always had your back"

*insert Incredibles "coincidence? I think NOT" gif here*

(Also side note, I do like that the show doesn't try to sugarcoat what Shannon did being messed up, and that Eddie's own actions weren't really the right thing either[thinking about his conversation with Buck where he says he got to pretend he left for a noble cause even tho he was running], and that it was just a sticky situation that neither of them were equipped to handle in any way, and snowballed. I do kind of wish we could've gotten post-divorce Shannon and Eddie and Christopher interactions, figuring out how they fit together, if at all, bc I like those intricate and messy situations but I could see how that might get too close to retreading old ground re: Michael and Athena's divorce. But I do hate how ive seen the fandom like. Seem to oversimplify things with Shannon sometimes? And make her the ultimate villain, and Eddie Did Nothing Wrong, Ever)

Hi Anon!

The decision to have Buck and Eddie's first bonding moment end with "You can have my back any day" and "or, y'know, you could have mine" only to then six episodes later find out that at least a contributing factor to Eddie's marriage dissolving was that he "didn't have her back" is like. Such a galaxy brain chaos move for them to take, honestly. Like?? They could've had the phrasing be literally anything in 2x07 but instead they had it directly echo Buck and Eddie in 2x01. What was the reason? Why did they do this?

As for the rest of your ask:

(gosh this got long and, uh, opinionated. It is Not Pretty below the cut)

One of the things I really liked about Eddie Begins is that we did get to see him at the beginning of his journey in being Chris's dad because it gives us an opportunity to appreciate how amazingly he's grown as a father. Like, he didn't start out as a perfect dad and he was definitely kind of lost in the woods at the beginning there when it came to the whole "how do I parent" thing. And before Eddie Begins, we'd only ever seen the end result of the growth he's gone through, where he really is a fantastic dad whose son is basically his entire reason for being. Before Eddie Begins, we get to hear him say things like "I left first" and "I've failed that kid more times than I can count but I love him enough to never stop trying" but we kinda have to take that on faith? Because we hadn't actually seen him be anything besides a good dad until we saw his Begins episode. (And even then in his begins it's like "area man in his early 20s unsure how to care for small child while also coping with PTSD and a toxic support system" which like. yeah. no shit. there's one hell of a learning curve there)

The thing about Eddie and Shannon as a couple and as parents that always gets to me is that they were so fucking young. We don't know exactly how old Eddie is in the show, but we can guesstimate pretty safely that he's around the same age as Ryan which would make him between 23 and 24 when Chris was born, and it seems reasonable to believe Shannon was around the same age. It's also a pretty common reading in the fandom -- although I'm not sure how much canon support there is for it because we really, really don't know anything about their relationship pre-Christopher unless I'm forgetting something -- that they got married because Shannon got pregnant and that was the Done Thing. And when you're 23-24, baby on the way, freshly married, that is just like. So much. It sure as hell ruined my parents' relationship when they did that exact thing, and then they disliked each other until they were 27 and then they got divorced, and no one was happier than me about it, I have to tell you.

Back to the show, I can only give you my impressions, obviously, but the impression I have always gotten from the whole "I left too" conversation and the context that goes into it and the different behaviours we see exhibited by the characters is that Eddie "left" first and it comes across to me that he was basically an early twenty-something kid running scared from the abstract concept of being a father in general, and then when he was forced home by an honourable discharge, and was confronted with the reality of Christopher, he managed to step the fuck up and become Christopher's dad. It's there in 2x02, right? "Oh, you've got a kid? I love kids!" "I love this one." Eddie doesn't strike me as a Swiss Army Knife all-purpose Dad(tm) the way Bobby is. Eddie is Christopher's dad. (and like, of course, he's obviously moved by kids when he's on a call, we've seen that enough times to know that if there's a child who can even glancingly remind him of Christopher, Eddie's sense of self-preservation goes out the window, and I love that about him as heart-stopping as it can be in practice)

Shannon, on the other hand, didn't run from the idea of being a mother -- at first. When she left, it wasn't from the abstract. She left Chris (and "gave up" on Eddie, thanks Helena). She was not running from a concept, she was running from a reality. I think Shannon is a fascinating character to include in a television show as a side character, because she really isn't a one note character. Like, she was unarguably a bad mother, and from what we saw, she was a questionable romantic partner to have (but as you said, anon, Eddie was also not 100% the best romantic partner when he was with Shannon either; their entire relationship so far as I can tell was built on sexual chemistry which, uh, super does not sustain a relationship), but she also seems to have been a devoted daughter? I mean, yeah, it's entirely possible that her mom being sick was a convenient excuse to bail -- and obviously she didn't come back after her mom died, and didn't, y'know, contact her son or husband in the interim, so yes, I can see that being a valid way to read the situation. I don't think she's the Ultimate Evil, because she strikes me as a very human character in all the ways that people are more often than not really fucking flawed.

But then we get back to the actual break-up scene. The first time I watched it (and second, and third; then the fourth time the person I was watching with was like "I mean, sure, but it could also be read in this light") her "I'm just learning how to be someone's mother" speech really bothered me? Partly because it was the abstraction of it, right? Eddie doesn't like kids, he likes Christopher, and Shannon sort of had the inverse journey there, I guess, where it went from she didn't know how to be Christopher's mother, to she didn't know how to be a mother. And that speech bothered me because it always sounded to me like she was bailing again. She begged Eddie to let her back into Christopher's life (guilt? I guess?) and like, straight up bribed him with sex which was sure a choice, and then decides -- for a second time -- that she's out. It sounded, to me, she was handing Eddie papers and maybe, in a few years, possibly, once she'd had "time" to "figure out how to be someone's mother" she would try again. Just like she had in the interim between leaving when Christopher was little and the time of season 2.

And like, that could totally be a misunderstanding of the scene and what she was saying. It's what I took away from it, but that could very well be influenced by the fact I was raised by divorced parents and my dad had custody and if you count up all the time I spent with either parent when I was a minor, I was predominantly raised by my father and have had an especially tempestuous relationship with my mother that is mostly (sometimes) repaired now that I'm in my late twenties and have not lived with her since I was sixteen.

Back to the show, and to your comment that the fandom tends to treat Shannon like the Ultimate Evil and act like Eddie Did Nothing Wrong, I mean. Yeah. Fandom as a rule tends to shirk nuance. We're all fools here on the internet sitting in our blue industrial waste container crying about a wee woo show. I personally believe a more nuanced take on that might be that Eddie has shown a great capacity to learn from his mistakes (sometimes to make fun, shiny, new ones, but for the most part, just like ends up doing better the next time) and Shannon did not show that capacity in the time we knew her.

I think, depending on what they did with it, there was potential for an interesting storyline if they'd played through the divorce. I don't think it would've been rehashing ground covered by Michael and Athena's divorce because I can't see Eddie and Shannon having reached a point of amicability and friendship. The only thing we know they had in common was Christopher, and frankly, when you boil it down, the ways they engaged with Christopher as a person were so disparate that -- to me -- it really didn't seem like they had Christopher in common when you get right down to it. But I wouldn't have wanted to see Christopher and Eddie dragged through an ugly divorce process. They deserve better than that.

There's also a conversation to be had about Shannon's blatant ableism towards her own son, but that is extremely not my lane since I am not disabled myself. But even from an outside perspective, basically their entire parking lot conversation in Haunted, uh, haunts me with it's repugnance and the fact that instead of calling her on any of it, Eddie "Chronically touch starved" Diaz's response was to kiss her? Gosh golly do I wish that was one of the mistakes he learned from properly instead of finding a new, shiny version.

ANYWAY this got long, tl;dr (although if you clicked on the read more, you probably read it) version is No, Shannon is not the Ultimate Evil, she's a shitty mom not a demon in a skin suit and a pretty yellow sundress; and No, Eddie is not a flawless human who's never done wrong in his life but holy fuck is he trying and he'd be the first person to tell you he's made mistakes (and often has been); and no, sorry, I don't want to see the divorce storyline play out because we probably would've had to see either Eddie Bashing, Shannon Redemption, or Shannon turning up again like a cardboard cut out of a cartoon villain the way Eva did and I want to be witness to exactly zero of those things.

[beeexx]

I honestly wouldn’t mind the pregnancy storyline so much if Lone Star was a different show. I wouldn’t mind the pregnancy storyline if the show spent time on its other characters. I wouldn’t mind the pregnancy storyline if Paul, Mateo, Marjan, Carlos and Grace got enough screen time to be developed characters beyond what we have gotten so far. I wouldn’t mind the pregnancy storyline if Owen wasn’t in every goddamn episode somehow managing to be central to every storyline, stealing development from others. I wouldn’t mind the pregnancy storyline if Gwyneth didn’t only exist for Owen’s benefit and was allowed to be a character outside of him. 

If all of the other characters were developed by this point, much like the 911 characters who have arcs spaced out between each episode, where trauma just doesn’t disappear after we’ve given them screen time for one ep, but is a continuous journey as the show moves forward, then sure the pregnancy storyline would be fine. It would also be a really good interesting study of Gwen and Owen as parents, if I trusted the show’s writers to include past issues, but they most likely won’t. 

What I would really want out of the storyline is some accountability, for Owen and Gwen to realise that yes they did love TK, we know that, but they really did let him down. I mean the show has hinted before of TK being neglected as a child and left alone a lot because Owen and Gwen were so focused on their own careers they kind of forgot to care about the most important thing in their life. And I think it’s fascinating that they talk about TK in this ep, showing baby pictures, Owen smiling when he talks about TK at the station. No one doubts that Owen loves TK (I mean Gwen loves him too but they have had no scenes sooo....yeah not gonna say more) but the fact is that Owen has in this episode, this very much idolised view of how he experienced raising TK, meanwhile from what we kind of now, TK has a different view of it. And Owen and Gwen don’t seem to actually see the disconnect there, that yes your child is amazing, but it wasn’t easy for him being second to everything else in your lives and it led him down a route with his own sets of issues. And it’s kind of on Owen and Gwen that they didn’t see that. And it’s exactly like Carlos said, parents are nice people and they’re not bad because of their shortcomings, but neither are they perfect and neither is Gwen and Owen.

I also think, and this is my own personal view, that there is a little bit of shame and pressure on TK when it comes to Owen. Because Owen, to the outside, is kind of perfect. He’s adored by his whole station, he’s liberal, accepting, cool and obviously TK thinks those things too, but he was let down by Owen, he was. And to come to terms with that part of his life, while everyone adores Owen the way they seem to do (yes they know he can be a mess I’m sure) must be really hard, because how can someone who is so accepting of his own son, have made mistakes? And how does that even make sense? How do I even begin to understand it myself? Or tell others about it?

I just hope it’s a route the show would go down...it would make it more interesting. Also, if Owen’s about to be a father I’m hoping he learns to take a step back and let the others do the job and he stays on the side like an actual realistic captain would do. Lol, this is wishful thinking on my part. 

And I also wouldn’t mind the pregnancy storyline if Paul, Carlos and Mateo had developed arcs by now and the whole fandom could write pages worth of meta. As it stands, it’s even hard to know what they like doing on their spare time, who are Mateo and Paul outside of the station, who is Carlos outside of TK...