#I have so many thoughts about this episode

[manchesterau]

[abbulark]

It's still happening! I was obsessed with Law & Order in high school, and that's copaganda. Sometimes it's very bad at being copaganda, but it's very interesting to see how things changed over the years. In a season 5 episode of Law and Order that aired in 1994, S. Epatha Merkerson's character Anita Van Buren shoots a young black man who is mugging her at an ATM. It later comes out that he is intellectually disabled. The episode is about her trying to come to terms with the fact that she shot a child that isn't that much older than her own sons, and knowing that even if she gets in no legal trouble, she still did it. Dick Wolf definitely wanted to repair the reputation of the police in New York, but he couldn't go hard against public opinion. But then, public opinion has a tendency to shift.

Twenty years later, the year that Trayvon Martin was gunned down in the street by a civilian PRETENDING to be a cop, the episode ripped from the Trayvon Martin headlines was ALSO ripped from the headlines of Paula Deen saying slurs. It was watered down, had very little message, and was weak. This was clearly on purpose. They didn't even have to justify it, because it was already justified. They just wrote a story about how scary young black people are and called it a day. Here's Jezebel's contemporary review.

I definitely ate the copaganda watching Law and Order contemporaneously, especially when SVU was at the height of its popularity. But Law and Order has such a huge body of programming, some of which is less copagandic than others due to the effect of history. There are shows that came behind it that are straight up glorifying cops killing, like Blue Bloods, The Shield, and one of the worst of all, NCIS.

NCIS has a special place in my hate because it was a clear arm of propaganda for the Israeli military in the era of anti-terrorism task forces. They kill so many fucking people on NCIS, even when they're not doing it with Israeli secret police. Many people in America who justify the genocide in Palestine are doing it with vague memories of episodes of NCIS they've watched.

Anyway. Most of our parents are probably a loss when it comes to not thinking cops are cool and great. But my brother told me that when he watched the video interview our dad gave before his death, dad said he thought my brother would never become a cop. He was right. My brother wanted to save lives, and he never became a cop.

Public opinion does have a way of shifting, after all.

I have to admit it annoys me when folks talk like 1990s media was so daring for mildly disrespecting cops. "Oh, The Simpsons was ahead of its time" no, that was a completely normal level of contempt for the police at the time. There was a big wave of pro-cop media in the early 2000s from which we have yet to fully recover!

[jeo9n]

INSTAGRAM

you’ve been texting jungkook on instagram non stop ever since he opened his account as a joke. but what you didn’t expect was for him to actually text you back.

౨ৎ

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader

genre: fluff, slow burn, friends to lovers, future smut

warnings: none

wordcount: 2k

you get woken up by your alarm at exactly 6am. like everyday, you open your eyes and the first thing you do is check your phone. catching up with everything that happened while you were asleep. texting your friends back that live in a different time zone than you.

you’re tired but you get out of bed anyway. you have to get ready for work. even if your body is screaming for you to stay in bed.

the first thing you do is make your bed so it prevents from laying back down. you already took a shower yesterday night, which you thank yourself as it saves you time this morning. so all you have to do is brush your teeth and wash your face.

when you’re done with that you make yourself a coffee and start to get dressed. you keep your outfit simple with some baggy jeans and a black long sleeve top because you’d rather be comfortable than fashionable. you always make sure to never leave the house without spraying perfume everywhere on your body. you forgot to but some on one day as you were running late, only noticing when you were already at work and someone might say it’s stupid but you didn’t feel good that day, you didn’t feel like yourself without your sweet perfume. you love to smell good, you love getting compliments on your scent, you love people smelling you before they even see you.

ever since that you never forgot to put perfume on again, but carrying around a travel size bottle of your favorite perfume in your bag just in case.

you pet your cats goodbye one last time before you leave your apartment. you hate leaving them home alone but thankfully they have each other so they are not really "alone" but it still hurts you.

you’re already on the way to the small coffee shop that you work at , as you remember you haven’t texted your boyfriend (jungkook) a good morning text yet. so you pull your phone at your pocket and text him right away. the chat is filled with hundreds of your messages texting him random stuff about how your day was and occasionally sending him some memes and reels you thought were funny.

y/n: good morning jungkoookkk!!

y/n: i’m on my way to work.

y/n: you’re probably asleep but have a good day.

you smile to yourself as you double text him. your not texting him in hopes to get a text back, cause that would be crazy. i mean, that guys is crazy famous of course he’s not going to text me back. you just think it’s funny, although sometimes you think it’s actually kinda weird and you should probably stop, but you never actually do.

as you open the door to your workplace you’re instantly greeted with the delicious smell of coffee, which reminds you, you still have your empty cup of coffee in your hands which you forgot to throw away. your coworker greets you good morning as she looks up from behind the counter.

"good morning. leslie." you greet back as you throw your coffee away. "ugh i really don’t feel like working today." you tell her, while taking of your jacket. she laughs and agrees with you.

"girl, i literally stayed up all night binge watching true crime documentaries." she tells me. "look at my eye bags! i can’t even cover them up with makeup." she says as she lifts up her hand to show me her dark eye bags. "but i guess it’s my own fault. i knew i should’ve turned the tv off after the first episode." she says in frustration and it makes me laugh. i can totally relate to her. you tell yourself one more episode and suddenly the sun comes up and you finished the whole show, wondering where the time went.

happened to me one too many times.

"yea…" you say, tying your apron at you back. "been there, done that." and she smiles softly in response. "should i make you a coffee? cause you really look like you need one." you tell her as you point to your eye bags, mocking her.

she laughs and kicks you jokingly "yes please! make it extra strong."

"will do." you say in a laugh, already on your way to the coffee machine. it’s definitely gonna be a long day for leslie today.

you put the coffee down carefully, not trying to spill the hot coffee all over the counter. "here you go, extra strong for you, your highness. " you bow to her jokingly while laughing like an idiot.

"you’re so stupid." she laughs with you, bringing the coffee up to her lips, trying to take a sip.

you worked a little longer today as usual since it was busy. but you don’t mind. working extra hours means extra money and you would never complain about that.

you take you shoes off and wash your hands as soon as you get home. after that you change into more comfy close just some sweatpants and hoodie and you already feel way better. you walk to your kitchen to feed your cats, who are acting like you leave them out to starve and never feed them. after your done with that you wash your hands again and make yourself something to eat since you only had breakfast today. you decide for pizza today as it doesn’t take long to be ready. you shove it into the oven and while you wait you brows through your phone. you lean against the counter and watch some tiktok’s to make to the time go by faster.

the pizza is done in under 20 times. thankfully. you cannot wait longer or else your stomach is gonna start eating itself. you sit down on your couch with your pizza on your lap. you try to take a bite but it’s still too hot so start browsing through netflix instead to find something to watch while your eating. when you find something your pizza has cooled down already so you start eating.

after your done, you get up and do the dishes right away so you don’t have to worry about it later. after that you decide to take a bath since you haven’t done that in a while and after that hectic day today you really need it.

the warm water hugs your body as you lay down in your bathtub. you feel your body start to relax enjoying the temperature of the water. your eyes are closed as you hear the notification sound from your phone, but you ignore it. you feel so comfortable right now you don’t want to move. so you stay put, enjoying this bath maybe a little too much.

after like twenty minutes you start to get bored and the water has gone cold, so you decide it’s time to get out. you quickly wash your body and get out. you do you skincare and brush your teeth while your body dries, after that you put some vanilla bodylotion on, quickly change into your pyjamas and head to bed, your cats joining you seconds after. one sleeps on top the pillow next to you while the one sleeps between your legs.

you go to grab your phone from your nightstand, checking it one last time before you go to sleep. your just scrolling trough your notifications not thinking anything by it. you stop at one particular notification and your hearts starts to beat faster. sitting straight in your bed, rubbing your eyes to make sure your seeing correctly. you cannot believe what you’re seeing.

jeon jungkook has fucking texted you back.

not only once. he double texted you back.

is this really happening right now?

abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz: woww! how long have you been texting me for ? there are like a thousand messages lol

abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz: i hope you had good day at work! i just woke up.

abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz: i saw your message and there are so many. i felt bad so i texted back. looked like your were talking to yourself haha.

wait. i cannot believes this. am i dreaming?

your hands shake and you’re not sure what to text back. should i even text back? would he text back again?

i take a deep breath. my head is going crazy right now.

after you collected yourself , you text back.

y/n: lol this is awkward.

y/n: i wasn’t thinking you would actually text back.🫣

y/n: i hope my message weren’t bothering you or anything.

you struggle sending the message back cause your hands won’t stop shaking. but can you blame me? the love of my life just texting me back and my stupid ass ignored it because of that stupid bath i took.

i bite on my nails nervously, my heart is beating so fast it might jump out of my chest at any minute.

i wait for an answer back, which is stupid, i know.

just because he texted me back one time doesn’t mean he’s going to do it again.

you know he won’t. but still, you wait.

you wait for like an hour until you realize he’s actually not responding anymore so you decide to go sleep. or try to go to sleep i should say, since your mind won’t stop thinking about what had just happened.

after a while you eventually fall asleep after what felt like hours.

the next morning you get woken up again by your alarm. this time you grab your phone a little faster than usual. scrolling through your notifications with tired but curious eyes.

you eyes widen as you find his notification again.

abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz: haha no, you don’t bother me. i read through your messages last night.

abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz: you’re funny haha.

abcdefghi__lmnopqrstuvwxyz: judging by the time i usually get the first message from you, i should get a message soon right?

you read the last text and it says sent an hour ago.

okay wait. he texted again? and he thinks i’m funny?

im definitely dreaming because there is no way that this is fucking happening.

your thumbs moves fast as you reply to him.

y/n: no way!!!

y/n: am i dreaming?? please tell me im not

y/n: is this really jungkook?

y/n: no, it can’t be

y/n: is someone playing with me?

someone definitely must be playing with you. because what do you mean jeon jungkook texted me back not one, but twice?

you actually cannot believe it yourself. this is crazy.

you wait a little bit to see if he’ll respond again. but nothing comes so you start getting ready for work.

how am i going get through work today, when all i can think about is him. you think to yourself.

~~~~

i hope you enjoy this chapter because im definitely excited about this fanficton ahhh

[hunniebunniebear]

Ik there’s plenty to be said abt arcane season two and like, yeah 100%.

But I wanna talk abt people saying Silco wouldn’t be able to forgive Vander JUST from that letter. Because they’re right! That letter alone would do nothing to heal the raw infected wounds that vander left Silco with, both physical and mental.

But it would get him to talk

Vander wrote that letter because he wanted to communicate his guilt and regret and the fact he at least bloody recognises that what he did was a mistake/wrong. And its a dogshit apology but its a start. In the canon timeline that start comes far far too late.

Reconciliation is an arduous fuckin task, forgiveness like this is extremely hard earned Amd both of these requires a shit tonne of communication. lets be real neither of them are brilliant at that as a skill. So even if all that letter does is cause a confrontation, thats a place to start!

Idk idk idk, this post isnt well thought out, i just have so many feelings about these guys. Ik season 2 arcane isnt the best laid out and tye Good Au is just a snippet of an episode so it has no chance to communicate this but like yeah. Its abt the implication!!

I have ideas for a couple ways the letter confrontation could go down as well as further thoughts on pre and post betrayal. But yeah!

[vague gestures]

[mandoriana]

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

I imagined a similar story, but full of anguish, where Arthur was born a woman, but Uther wanted an heir and forced his daughter to be a boy. However, Arthur is not trans; she is not a boy, even having muscles, wearing pants and armor, or even working with the knights. Arthur is a woman, and looking in the mirror and seeing a man is torture for her. No one besides Gaius and Uther knows about this. Morgana suspects that Arthur is gay but doesn’t know that Arthur just wants to be seen and looked at as a woman in the same way Morgana is seen. Basically, it’s a body dysphoria that many transgender people experience.

Since Arthur was always raised as a man, she doesn’t have a feminine name and hates being called Arthur, so she insists that everyone calls her Sir or Prince (I don’t know about outside my country, but Sir and Prince in Brazil are neutral names/nicknames).

When Merlin arrives in Camelot, he quickly clashes with Arthur and then saves her life, becoming the prince’s servant (Uther forgot that Arthur was a woman). At first, Merlin finds it strange that Arthur doesn’t let him help with anything, not being able to put away Arthur’s clothes, not helping her dress in normal clothes, only in armor, and not being allowed to wash her clothes sometimes (due to menstruation). Merlin also notices that the prince has strange behaviors, like staring too much at some ladies’ clothes like a pervert (Arthur was just envying the dress), getting more irritable and emotional once a month (PMS), and burning bloody cloths in the fireplace. Merlin saw this only once, and Arthur was so embarrassed that she kicked and yelled at Merlin to get out (medieval pads).

Anyway, Merlin starts to notice these details about Arthur while getting closer to the prince. One day (perhaps in the episode where Sophia enchants Arthur), Merlin needs to take care of an unconscious Arthur and decides to dress her in more comfortable clothes. When he opens the wardrobe, he is surprised to see feminine underwear and a crumpled dress hidden at the back. At first, he worries that he is serving a pervert, but he realizes there are no male underwear in Arthur’s wardrobe and starts to piece together that maybe the prince owns the feminine underwear. Merlin, always open-minded, decides it’s none of his business and grabs a soft white tunic that Arthur used to sleep in and goes to dress his prince, only to almost have a heart attack upon finding breasts instead of a muscular chest.

When Arthur wakes up and realizes someone changed her clothes, she panics and starts crying when she sees Merlin. She wanted to get angry and yell, but she can only beg Merlin not to tell anyone. Merlin approaches carefully and hugs Arthur, apologizing and saying it wasn’t his intention to hurt her and begging for forgiveness for violating her honor by seeing her body without permission. From then on, the two become even more inseparable than before. Merlin listens to what Uther forced Arthur to be and decides he will do everything in his power to make his PRINCESS the happiest woman in the world. Merlin starts spending his salary on dresses and corsets made to fit Arthur’s muscular body, starts calling Arthur by feminine pronouns when they are alone and neutral pronouns in public, refusing to call his princess by masculine pronouns. What I mean is that Merlin becomes the knight in shining armor that Arthur was forced to be, and Arthur finally gets to be the princess she always wanted to be.

I think the most exciting part I thought about this story was Merlin having the honor of naming Arthur, removing the name Uther forced on his heir and giving her a name worthy of the future Queen of Camelot. So one day, Arthur is wearing one of the dresses Merlin gave her and smiling at herself in the mirror, and Merlin calls her Astrid, making the princess cry because it was the first time in her life she felt like herself.

In the end, Merlin reveals his magic to Astrid, and Astrid reveals it to Morgana when Merlin tells her that Morgana has magic. This way, Morgana doesn’t become the villain, joining her beloved sister to overthrow Uther. It all ends with Astrid being crowned Queen, Morgana as the regent princess, and Merlin as the king

😊👐

Genderswitch AU.

Because Uther never had a son, his daughter, Arthuria has to present as male (whether Arthur is trans or not is not relevant to the concept. I shall use they/them pronouns to keep it optional and call Arthuria/Arthur Arthuri in the following bits).

So, when Uther declared Merlin Arthuri's manservant, Arthuri panics. The relationship between prince and manservant is always intimate, their father should know.

Uther is, at this point, so ignorant, that he forgets sometimes about Arthuri's situation and how it affects them.

Uther is reminded of it long after Arthuri has gotten used to Merlin's kind and charming ways.

Uther, walking in on Arthuri, half naked, throwing a pillow at Merlin.

Uther: OUT!!!

Merlin: *hurries to leave*

Arthuri: Father!!!! What is the meaning of this!!!!

Uther: you let him see you like - this??!?!

Arthuri: *brow raised* when I told you my concerns, you wouldn't listen. But it's no worry. Merlin is an idiot, he doesn't even know. (Merlin does, in fact, know, he's just unaffected and openminded)

Uther: he can't be that much of an idiot

Arthuri: really? Have you talked to the guy?

[rootspiral]

I was rewatching the end of WandaVision recently and I was struck by the parallels between Wanda and Vision's last kiss and Agatha and Rio's, with how both Wanda and Rio are left standing frozen, hands outstretched as if they're still holding their lover's face even as Vision dematerializes/Agatha slowly falls. I just think it's kind of interesting how the two shows echo each other in so many ways. This isn't really a question lol I just remembered while reading your posts and thought I'd share.

There is a lot of intentional rhyming between WandaVision and AAA, you're absolutely right. Even down to the structure of the episodes and overall arc, we start with hilarious little episodes and then the comedy gives way more and more to big scale tragedy. (And I suspect the two last WV episodes would have been much angstier if not for the stupid CGI battles they were forced to add.)

Wanda/Vision and Agatha/Rio exist on the same narrative wavelengths, they are doomed from the start and yet you root for them because they are so so deeply in love - despite the happy ending being so completely unlikely (Vision is a figment of Wanda's imagination, Rio is literally Death) we leave them at the end of the show with a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe they'll meet again and things will work out. Like I said, it is rhyming and it's intentional, there are some very specific themes that Jac and Co. set out to explore.

I find it funny though that despite the parallels between Agatha/Wanda and Rio/Vision, one couple works so well together while the other is such an egregious dysfunctional mess. The endings are complementary, but on one hand we have Vision and Wanda being so sweet and reassuring and helping each other through this horrible ordeal. Like, Vision is so suave and wise, "stands to reason we'll say hello again" etc. Meanwhile Agatha who cannot talk about 1 (one) feeling without screaming in terror kinda just... sticks her tongue down Rio's troath and dies. The icon, the legend, the clown she is.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I read two days ago that 4book yuu will be a boy، Is that true? 💔😞

That would be false. We currently do not have any official information on our Yuu for the Episode of Scarabia. I believe that this belief originates from a tweet (I saw it the other day, but won't be linking it so as to avoid spreading potential misinformation). The original poster shows a screenshot from an online article which claims that the Scarabia!Yuu is a "boy". However, the website where they got this information from is a random anime news site. Is that credible? What are their sources? Don’t accept everything you read as fact, think about whether it can be trusted or not first.

It's entirely possible that the author of the article mistook Yuu for being male because of precedent. The very first arc, Heartslabyul, featured a boy Yuu. The most recent arc, Octavinelle, also featured a boy Yuu too. The only arc with a girl Yuu, Savanaclaw, is stuck in the middle of the two boy Yuus which makes it more psychologically difficult to notice in a pattern.

It is also possible that the author Google translated the Amazon Japan pre-order listing for the first volume of Scarabia, If fed into Google Translate, the manga synopsis will refer to Yuu by masculine pronouns by default even though the original Japanese text uses NO gendered pronouns. This is entirely possible to do in Japanese--but it's not in English, so the machine most likely inserted he/him pronouns to make the translation make sense in English. In this case, he/him refers to the gender neutral he/him, since a non-human doesn't know how to use they/them in the place of he/him.

Side note: I understand the desire for a femme Yuu--especially seeing as much of the fandom is composed of women. But also??? Some of the comments I’ve seen seem really disappointed or even outright hateful towards the mere possibility of a male Yuu, and that saddens me 💦💦 Like... I understand that people are hype for more femme Yuu representation. Many Twst fans are femme and see themselves in Yuu or have femme Yuusonas. I would never want to detract from that excitement--however, that doesn't make it okay to dismiss male Yuus as a whole. Think about what that says to masculine and/or nonbinary Twst fans or those with masc/nb Yuusonas. It makes them feel alienated and unwelcome :/

With this in mind, let's please be more mindful of how we're phrasing our thoughts regarding Yuu(s) and their genders.

[nghtwngs]

teach me the rest

description; unable to withhold your feelings any longer, you confess your more than friendly and familial affections for the second-born bridgerton.

genre; fluff, slight angst, friends to lovers, mutual pining, love confession

pairing; benedict bridgerton x fem!reader

word count; 0.8k

warnings; implied masturbation (non-explicit), slight corruption kink, suggestive themes, overly dramatic period drama love confession

a/n; please don’t come for me if there are inaccuracies—i have seen one (1) full episode of bridgerton (i know) but i have read like 50 benedict fics so there’s that? but as an sea, i WILL be imagining myself in sophie’s place when their season comes out so more content on the way in the near future?

“Benedict Bridgerton, if you do not wish to marry me right this second, I will wait until the next minute, day, week, month, season, year… I will wait for every desert to flood, for every ocean to lose colour. I will wait until the earth destroys itself again and again because there is no amount of time in which I could no longer love you. I beg of you, take me as I am yours, but do not take me if you are not mine. Spare me the embarrassment of my confessions.”

You feel as though you cannot breathe each time you avoid his gaze, but once yours return to his, you inhale more oxygen than you could ever dream of. Benedict looks just as breathless as you are, and you can only hope that that means he too feels what you so unceremoniously conveyed.

But unfortunately, you’ve turned him speechless, so you continue speaking in fear of his rejection of your affections—“I realize my father, although ever the artist and drinker of the elixir of life, would prefer Anthony’s hand over yours—you may recall my frankly naïve crush on your older brother—“

You both wince at that.

“—he is no longer the one I foolishly love, and my father would not argue against someone he treats as his own son, one whose passions for painting are one and the same. Please, Benedict, for the love of God, shut me up like you’ve always wanted. I fear I am incapable of not embarrassing myself.”

Benedict, on the other hand, believes he has just taken his first good breath since you first began your declarations. “Is that your wish, darling? To be shut up by me? Because I am afraid it is not mine. I would listen to you waxing poetic about me every second I continue to have ears. And I do believe I will not lose them anytime soon. Even if I lost one—hopefully not my left one, so I may continue to stand right by your side—I will hang onto your every word, as your pretty lips haunt my dreams, waking or sleeping. I did not before desire marriage because I had yet to understand what it does to souls—I thought Anthony would never marry, and yet, here we are. I worried for him after father died, but now, I know that love can melt even the coldest of hearts. Teach me, my heart, each and every way I can love you, for I am now nothing but your student.

“Teach me the art of love—“

In an odd turn of events, you initiate the kiss, the first since the many you shared before either of you quite knew the weight of them, or love. You had once seen Anthony in the Bridgertons’ backyard many, many years ago, lips locked with a girl whose identity you never found out. Thankfully, you think now, you did not stay for very long, or else you might’ve tried to sway young, sweet Benedict into an experiment beyond either of your comprehensions.

After your first kisses as children, he soon learned of the passions people could have for one another and of the cost it could have to your dignity. So, regretfully, dear Benedict would never again know the touch of your lips until now.

“Do not,” you begin breathlessly, achingly, “think for a moment, you have not learned every way in which to please me.”

“If I am out of line, I do sincerely apologize and will let you slap me if only you could forgive me—but I have not yet learned every way to please you. Should we marry, I will learn each sound you’re capable of making, every taste of you, every touch you will learn to take from me. I will offer all of life’s greatest pleasures and indulgences, and I know of no one in this universe more deserving of them.”

You believe that he is the only person who could make you feel better than you dare to yourself, alone in the silence of your bedchambers, masking your pleasure through a trained, quiet mouth.

“I have only known touch through the stories I indulge myself in…” Embarrassed, you continue, “And through my own hand.”

The sound your beloved makes should be quite shameful to the ears of any maiden like yourself, but you can’t but hope to hear it over and over.

“You know, then, only a fraction of what a person can feel.”

“Teach me the rest, so that I may be fulfilled?”

Benedict groans loudly, suppressing it with the palm of his hand. You both pray no one is awake at this hour. You’re oblivious to the double entendre you voiced in your yearning, which for some reason, grows his aching need for you.

He so earnestly murmurs your name. “I will marry you, only if you will marry me.”

“I believe that is how it works,” you tease him.

“But you had such little choice since we were children, so I want you to have this one.” He then admits lowly, “And I wish to hear it from you again.”

“I will marry you, Benedict.”

[mandoriana]

I imagined a story, where Arthur was born a woman, but Uther wanted an heir and forced his daughter to be a boy. However, Arthur is not trans; she is not a boy, even having muscles, wearing pants and armor, or even working with the knights. Arthur is a woman, and looking in the mirror and seeing a man is torture for her. No one besides Gaius and Uther knows about this. Morgana suspects that Arthur is gay but doesn’t know that Arthur just wants to be seen and looked at as a woman in the same way Morgana is seen. Basically, it’s a body dysphoria that many transgender people experience.

Since Arthur was always raised as a man, she doesn’t have a feminine name and hates being called Arthur, so she insists that everyone calls her Sir or Prince (I don’t know about outside my country, but Sir and Prince in Brazil are neutral names/nicknames).

When Merlin arrives in Camelot, he quickly clashes with Arthur and then saves her life, becoming the prince’s servant (Uther forgot that Arthur was a woman). At first, Merlin finds it strange that Arthur doesn’t let him help with anything, not being able to put away Arthur’s clothes, not helping her dress in normal clothes, only in armor, and not being allowed to wash her clothes sometimes (due to menstruation). Merlin also notices that the prince has strange behaviors, like staring too much at some ladies’ clothes like a pervert (Arthur was just envying the dress), getting more irritable and emotional once a month (PMS), and burning bloody cloths in the fireplace. Merlin saw this only once, and Arthur was so embarrassed that she kicked and yelled at Merlin to get out (medieval pads).

Anyway, Merlin starts to notice these details about Arthur while getting closer to the prince. One day (perhaps in the episode where Sophia enchants Arthur), Merlin needs to take care of an unconscious Arthur and decides to dress her in more comfortable clothes. When he opens the wardrobe, he is surprised to see feminine underwear and a crumpled dress hidden at the back. At first, he worries that he is serving a pervert, but he realizes there are no male underwear in Arthur’s wardrobe and starts to piece together that maybe the prince owns the feminine underwear. Merlin, always open-minded, decides it’s none of his business and grabs a soft white tunic that Arthur used to sleep in and goes to dress his prince, only to almost have a heart attack upon finding breasts instead of a muscular chest.

When Arthur wakes up and realizes someone changed her clothes, she panics and starts crying when she sees Merlin. She wanted to get angry and yell, but she can only beg Merlin not to tell anyone. Merlin approaches carefully and hugs Arthur, apologizing and saying it wasn’t his intention to hurt her and begging for forgiveness for violating her honor by seeing her body without permission. From then on, the two become even more inseparable than before. Merlin listens to what Uther forced Arthur to be and decides he will do everything in his power to make his PRINCESS the happiest woman in the world. Merlin starts spending his salary on dresses and corsets made to fit Arthur’s muscular body, starts calling Arthur by feminine pronouns when they are alone and neutral pronouns in public, refusing to call his princess by masculine pronouns. What I mean is that Merlin becomes the knight in shining armor that Arthur was forced to be, and Arthur finally gets to be the princess she always wanted to be.

I think the most exciting part I thought about this story was Merlin having the honor of naming Arthur, removing the name Uther forced on his heir and giving her a name worthy of the future Queen of Camelot. So one day, Arthur is wearing one of the dresses Merlin gave her and smiling at herself in the mirror, and Merlin calls her Astrid, making the princess cry because it was the first time in her life she felt like herself.

In the end, Merlin reveals his magic to Astrid, and Astrid reveals it to Morgana when Merlin tells her that Morgana has magic. This way, Morgana doesn’t become the villain, joining her beloved sister to overthrow Uther. It all ends with Astrid being crowned Queen, Morgana as the regent princess, and Merlin as the king

😊👐

[barblaz-arts]

I know you've been making a lot of art of it lately, but out of curiosity, what's your opinion on Hazbin Hotel in general? I'm referring to both the show and the fandom here. Just curious.

God. What a loaded question. Are you ready? Bcuz I'm fresh from Vaggie discourse on twitter and I have a lot to say.

I think that Hazbin Hotel seems worse than it is for people who know the fandom but haven't actually watched the show. Honestly, I think it's a fine show. It isnt super incredible and I'm not gonna sing praises about how deep and thought provoking it is or whether it's an artistic masterpiece. It never tried to be that and was never advertised as such(to my knowledge) anyway. I just had a lot of fun. Like, yeh sure the cussing in the dialogue can be a bit much, especially in ep 1, but there are different writers in other episodes, so it gets better. It can be super crude yeh, but I grew up watching things like the Scary Movie franchise and other dumb american movies (yes, i was too young for them. yes, i still watched them), so it's pretty tolerable for me. It also helps that Charlie is the main character. That's one of the main reasons why I watch HH but dont watch HB. It's probably a fun show, but without a sweetheart like Charlie to balance things out, I'd just get tired of the sex jokes and mean jokes.

Compared to my last hyperfixation, I think I have more things to love about Hazbin Hotel, believe it or not. With Netflix's Wednesday, I had already been an Addams Family fan for a while and hung on because I loved the family and eventually Enid and wenclair. The show itself was honestly meh... so far! I'll give season 2 another shot.

But with Hazbin Hotel, it catered to a lot of things I've always loved. Found family with a bunch of misfits? We didnt get to see it much bcuz of the fuckass 8-ep per season format we have nowadays, but its fine its there! The juxtaposition of a kind hearted woman in a harsh world? Love love Charlie for that, I watched the show in the first place because of her. A canon lesbian lover with a "fuck the world cuz my world is you" type of love for the protag? Fuck yes. How very Pearl-from-Steven-Universe of Vaggie. And the music? The music is soooo good. I didn't know the songwriter prior to watching, so I was nervous about the songs, but I knew most of the theater actors they cast(still cant believe Jeremy fucking Jordan is Lucifer) so I figured even if the songs are mid, at least the performances would be topnotch. And they were! But the songs were a pleasant surprise. Sam Haft did real damn well. I still listen to the soundtrack to this day.

The fandom, however, is probably the worst one I've been in. And I've been in a lot in my big age... Just... lacking media literacy, and based on the replies I get when I say something on twitter, it seems a lot of them lack reading comprehension and just plain emotional intelligence too.

There's a lot of criticisms about this show that I honestly think is fair. Pacing, character design, overuse of the F word, whatever. But in my opinion, claiming that Hazbin is a male-centered show is an unfair misconception that is mostly the fault of the fandom.

Bcuz, sure, the male characters are uber popular. Alastor, Vox, Lucifer, Angel Dust and the many web of ships they're involved in went trending every few business days. But come on now. How often does a fandom even have their main protag as the most talked about character? This has been going on for ages. Just because the boys have the most merch and fics and fanarts and thirsty fans doesn't mean that they had the spotlight for most of the show itself. It only meant that they were the ones the viewers paid attention to, in a fandom filled with people drooling over the next tumblr sexyman and toxic yaoi ship of the month.

But if you actually look back at what the show gave us so far, the boys didnt outshine the women. I actually think the women got to do more and be more as characters than the men did. Let's take a look at the male characters.

Alastor was not in all the episodes. In fact, he was MIA in two out of the eight episodes. In all the episodes he was in, he was a mere side character. His purpose in season one was to stir the pot and be the intriguing mystery that occasionally quips. But he was not the one whose deeper thoughts were explored and whose character and goals was challenged THROUGHOUT the show, merely alluded to at the VERY END of the season, which is hardly him taking the spotlight away from Charlie. If you merely looked at the fan content of him, you'd think he were a father figure to Charlie(or a love interest. whatever) and that he has developed a soft spot for the Hazbins deep down in that cannibal heart of his. But if you pay attention to the show, he never had even a meaningful one on one conversation with the Hazbins. The only time that happened is when (a)he threatened Husk's life (b)when he constantly mocked Charlie while she was down in the dumps and used this as an opportunity to manipulate her and (b)when he told Niffty watching the crew sure can "make one sentimental", even tho he had taken no prior opportunity to bond with them! There's no foundation for all the fandom's claims that he could be redeemed bcuz of a budding fondness for the group, but that's all you see of his fan content(aside from the horniness). I dont have any problem with his lack of an actual relationship with the Hazbins bcuz I believe redemption for him is not what the show is going for, but it's frustrating to see people interpreting it that way BUT not seeing how horridly developed it would be if that is the case, meanwhile they turn around and say that Vaggie and Chaggie as a ship "had terrible development".

Then we have the male Vees. Vox was only ever in episode two, and was essentially a youtube reactor in episode 8. He was in ep 4 but had no speaking lines. We only know of his obsession with Alastor and the toxic relationship he has with Val. Val, meanwhile, is merely shown as the sex obsessed fiend behind Hell's sex industry and Angel's abuse. They did what they needed to do with minimal screentime. It was fine, but that's IT. Despite what little CANON gave so far, you have hundreds of people writing essays and fics and fanarts about them being complicated characters. But to reiterate, this does not mean that they are bad characters or that they don't deserve the fame. But to say that these men are better written within canon than the women is such a bold statement when most of the depth they knew of these characters were lore drops given before the show and their own speculations as they dug into the shallow soil of what the show has so far.

I'm not gonna speak about Angel and Lucifer. Because I think they were characters who were legitimately well-explored so far.

Now onto the women. So many of them were given the opportunity to have their characters challenged or given the agency to push characters and the plot forward or give you intrigue about implications of what's to come for the characters and the plot. I've talked a lot about Charlie and Vaggie. So let me talk about the other, terribly underrated women of Hazbin.

Velvette and Carmilla were the ones who advanced the subplot in the war against Heaven. Because of Carmilla's love for her family despite being a demon, an angel was killed. It gave Heaven the excuse to escalate things, but it also gave Charlie hope later on in the season that they're not powerless. Carmilla was also the first demon shown to make selfless actions that is contrary to what is expected of demons, making it proof that Charlie's belief that demons deserve a second chance isn't unwarranted. She's an interesting character, as an overlord who hangs on to power but clearly has morals. But how often do you see people writing essays about her? Eating up the fact that she's a powerful overlord but would sacrifice anything for her daughters? If Carmilla were a man, hundreds of girlies would be drooling over the crime boss who has a soft spot for his daughters.

Meanwhile, Velvette got to demonstrate why exactly she's an Overlord despite being the youngest demon in there. She's calculating and observant. She gives off a haughty vibe and constantly boasts about how she's young and fresh, but she isn't naive. During that meeting, she paid attention to Carmilla and Zestial's relationship. In order to find out who killed the angel, she riled everyone up, and when she got the feeling it was Carmilla, she mocked Zestial so that Carmilla could slip up. By playing these Overlords who are older and more experienced than her, Velvette showed what exactly her asset was to the Vees and why she's a threat, something that Vox and Val have yet to be given the opportunity to do when they were busy eye-fucking Alastor and literally fucking Angel. But in fan content about the Vees, Velvette is almost treated as an after thought to the boys...

Then we have the Seraphs. Not only were their designs gorgeous, their dynamic and presence as characters had impact to the plot and main characters.

Emily is a much needed character to show that this story isn't meant to tell you that Heaven = bad; Hell = good. There is good and bad in both, and it is so important for the protags to know that they have an ally in Emily who represents the true virtues that heaven is supposed to uphold. And I love the confrontation she had with Sera when her own view of what's right and good was challenged. We got to see the strength of her character and started the seeds of what could be heaven's acceptance of Charlie's goals.

Sera is such an interesting character to me. She was also important to show that not all angels were sadistic like Adam and Lute, but not in the same way Emily was. I have no idea so far which direction this show would go with her. But I'm intrigued by the fact that she seems to be driven by fear, unlike Adam and Lute's cruelty. She knew Lucifer and was there when he was cast out for his disobedience. Whether everything she's doing is to prevent that from happening again remains to be seen, and I'm looking forward to this kind of subplot for her.

And then Rosie! I really really look forward to seeing more from her. Spoilers aside, something I barely see people talk about is how interesting it is that Rosie is every bit the leader that Charlie hopes to be. Rosie is able to be a respected overlord in her own faction without needing to sacrifice her love for showmanship and music and her positive disposition. When we were officially introduced to her, they show how she seems to care about actually taking care of her people, not JUST ordering them around, by talking to them personally and giving advice. That's exactly what Charlie wanted to do for her people, isn't it? The hotel to Charlie was what the emporium was to Rosie. They have a lot of similarities that could set up for Rosie to be the one to teach Charlie in becoming a leader. Now whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen, but it is rather compelling.

So yeah! With all that said, I really dont think this show ignores its women at all. Just because a bigger part of the fandom gravitated towards the men doesn't necessarily mean its a misogynistic show so far. But if certain people are claiming that the women are badly written, then I hope they also own up to the fact that their blorbos are just as shallowly presented within the show, maybe even more so. Which wouldn't even be a bad thing! Since when did a show or character have to be amazingly written for a person to like them? That's just no fun at all. All I'm saying is... Fuck this fandom's double standards, hiding behind claims that it's the writing's fault when the problem is they couldn't be bothered to think about the women.

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

Hey, I read your post about the harmful impact of saying "going nonverbal" and the like. As a low-needs autistic person who has speech loss episodes, it was really helpful in educating me on circumstances that I never considered, and I really appreciate that!

I have a bit of a question, and if you feel uncomfortable answering for whatever reason, feel free to delete this ask. I also apologize in advance if I say anything disrespectful, and if you can correct me on those things I will be glad to hear it so I can learn to be better.

I have DID and therefore am part of a system. We are all autistic, though we each showcase symptoms differently. Some of our alters showcase symptoms more severely than others, in that they cannot speak and cannot communicate their needs because of various reasons (severe dissociation with body, trauma response, etc). Since I now know nonverbal isn't an appropriate term for us, I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on how we can describe those headmates. I'm not sure if they fully fit saying that they have "speech loss episodes", because they are fully unable to communicate at all times (even with the rest of us), though they are not always "in the driver's seat" of the body, so to speak. What do you think would be an appropriate term for them? (I know this might be a bit out-of-bounds of your experience as it's more about dissociative disorders than autism, but if you have any insight, that would be great! I definitely don't want to be using the wrong terminology.)

Again, apologies if this is in any way disrespectful. I see now what you mentioned in your post about how true nonverbal folks are drowned out by folks with speech loss episodes, so I figured it would be best to ask you directly, but if you are unable to answer for whatever reason, feel free to delete this ask! No worries.

We hope you're having a nice day!

no worries, not out of bounds for own experience

yep, you exactly right that alter / headmate / system member / etc who can’t mouth speak in system that can mouth speak, is not nonverbal. even if feel like or is own separate person, even if don’t have so called body verbality because so blendy. — just like how alter who can’t hear in hearing system not Deaf, how darker alter in white skin system not Black or Brown or Asian etc. (though these also continue be issue in system community) — n really glad you noticed (genuine)

personally find best n clearest say “[alter] cannot speak”.

have heard people try coin new adjective identity words for this experience. can look those up if want, but for me they 1) too many n confusing n new n thus inaccessible to keep up so don’t, 2) niche micro label which have its purpose n you may or may not find useful, but in situation of limited communication n time, give unheard of term you then have to define take more time n effort than just quick “can’t speak”, 3) some of them suspiciously way too close to “nonverbal” “nonspeaking”

thank you for question!

[alkhemeya]

The Magnus Archives, Episode 1 - The Anglerfish.

Statement Begins,

First listen to this podcast, that pops up in my feed on youtube a lot, and tumblr, and gotta say...

Love it. Especially the first episode.

Anyway, I have so many thoughts and opinions, and I need to scream into the void.

1. Jonathan Sims is also spelt Johnathan Sims? I'm using the fucking... uh... script thing while listening and I've noticed the difference in spelling??? I did see some posts (all were ship stuff, something about a Tim and Jon?) And I'm so confused on why everyone uses Jon while the script has Johnathan. Wild.

2. Why does Jon/John(???) feel Albino to me?? Like, I'm pretty sure this guy has no description, he is a voice. So Albino??? Huh. Like, immediate thought while listening to him yap was 'this bitch is albino.' He also gives stoner vibes. I can't explain it, but I know I am right.

3. Love how he is skeptical, it's great. Tbh, the first episode statment guy sounds like the he was tripping. I'd also think the statement was fake if I was him.

4. John/Jon (I need to pick a spelling.) Sounds, specifically, British in a 'born and raised in cardiff' type. Do you understand??? Do I make sense??? He's the bitch who went to a posh private school and you just knew it. He also stands weirdly I bet.

4.5. Also, Jon/John has assistants, which seems like a Head Archivist needs. Tim, Sasha and Martin. Bet one of em is like, an alien. (It's Tim. Who the fuck names their kid TIM???)

5. The Anglerfish story. Again. Sounds very much like a bad trip, or like, a hallucination. The missing people thing though makes it less. Not fake. But it could be, like, those stories that pop up when people go missing. My primary school used to make rumours of aliens and shit when some kinds went missing.

5.5. Like, the rumours and horror stories that would pop up is wild. Jon/John is me and I am him. We are the same.

5.6. Oh my god what if its aliens. That'd be funny as shit.

6. John/Jon is such a hater. I love him. He definitely gets no bitches and I can fucking tell (we are the same)

7. Bet aliens happen here, I can't stop thinking about it. I couldn't stop with how the guy described the Anglerfish thing. Definitely alien behaviour. There's no like, supernatural shit as in vampires, but its aliens. I think it'd be fucking funny. (I just know even from the singular mention Tim is an alien.)

8. Already, I love the format and setting. An archive??? In London? I can see it. London is too fucking posh and far, but you could tell me this place existed and I'd be like 'yeah that tracks'.

That's my thoughts for now, and yes, I was really hung up on aliens. Because I feel like it's aliens. Also, why is the podcast genre tradegy and horror? Horror is a given, but why tradgey?

Oh my god they all die. Like, from aliens. Funfact, I don't really believe in aliens, but I do love alien based fiction, I.e Xenomorphs and shit. I know my shit.

I'll probably encase multiple episodes into a post since I just realised there's 200 episodes. Like damn???

Statement ends.

[calsvoid]

ten (sorta) thoughts on squid game season 2 (SPOILERS):

1. holy fuck this season was so beautiful and the creative genius behind it was so wonderful

2. the rock paper scissors minus one scene has got to be the most intense game scene out of every single one (not game, but game SCENE, as in watching these two friends who i didn’t even care about half a second before be forced to bet their lives against each other only for one of them to be placed with a guaranteed win and not take it was probably the craziest thing to ever happen and fuck having that be the first episode truly through me for a spin)

3. speaking of, the guy that lived (who is known as guy with the wife because me and my brother kept saying that he has a wife as a reason why we want him to live) is one of my favs for no reason, i hope he gets out alright DONT YOU DARE DO ANYTHING TO HIM CAP’N I TRUSTED YOU

4. i knew as soon as they started having two girls bond i was done for and i spent every moment of theirs begging for both of them to live because i think i’ve seen this film before and i didn’t like the ending

5. soooooo many characters and character dynamics were just absolute chef’s kiss and it helps so much with that buildup of hope and tension; last season obviously had some wonderful people and relationships (i’m still not and never will be over the marble game) but something about this new cast was just absolutely wonderful. there were almost no characters i didn’t like or wasn’t invested in, and i am very excited to see how they turn out next season. hyun-ju’s group, gi-hun’s group, hell even thanos’s group i enjoyed all of them. min-su’s betrayal fucked me up so bad though and him failing to save her and having to see her die FUCK. also young-mi’s death was so painful, especially since she was the first main group member death. the mom and son were hilarious im going to fight god if they don’t end up together in either life or death

6. all about women’s rights and women’s wrongs this season, number 11 i love you and i hope you find your child i will kill your almost rapists for you. i don’t care that i hate the military hyun-ju is hot with a gun and she can fuck me with one of she wants. i pray for that fetus please let them get out alive. the mom was fantastic and such a nostalgic character, very accurate portrayal of an auntie and i love her for that. shaman queen is batshit crazy and good for her

7. the set design yall fucking BEAUTIFUL. i can’t describe it, but it just adds so much to that deceitful hope with all the rainbows and clean lines. and also the use of the stairs during the gun fights, ugh so amazing what a great way to repurpose that set

8. ALSO THE ADDED KNOWLEDGE OF THE SOLDIERS SIDE, god i love the extra lore behind their recruitment, their system, all that. loved the twist and as i’ve said i love number 11 shes my queen

9. god seong gi-hun had me ROOTING for him. his sheer determination was felt by me too and i really hoped that he would finally get to get justice, that finale just hurt all that much more

10. i wanted so badly for inho to end up having a semi-redemption arc even though it was unlikely, i unfortunately fell for his manipulation and wanted to believe in him god it hurt watching him use the sounds of someone else’s death to trick gi-hun

[dragqueenstarscream]

shelter from the storm

monsterformers firedrake!optimus x harpy!starscream

my first transformers fanfic and they're not even robots. oh well, c'est la vie! this is the first fanfic for my monsterformers au, featuring my favorite transformers ship out there! it's based on optimus' hike through antarctica from "triangulation", or, as i call it, the starop episode. if you wanna know more about this au, i have the monsterformers au masterpost pinned for all who may be interested.

contains: cuddling for warmth, pre established relationship, mentions of megatron being megatron, starscream having a flashback, no smut

throughout his life, starscream had many things to regret.

he regretted believing megatron's lie that joining the talons of unicron would restore him to his former glory. he regretted leaving his home world at all. he regretted getting cocky and not outright killing the old dragon when he had the chance.

he regretted ever leaving skywarp and thundercracker behind. primus, he regretted that more than anything else.

but now, as he trudged through the hellish blizzard ripping through the snowy wasteland he'd found himself in, his wings wrapped around his body as his only source of warmth, he realized that he'd soon have another regret to add to his ever growing list.

because when he'd found the location of another relic which might help him should megatron ever come searching for him again, he'd been ambushed by megatron's new favorite, dreadwing. the snarling gargoyle had bound him in cuffs and was ready to take him back to megatron before help arrived. but, of course, because the universe seemed to laugh at starscream whenever given the chance, he'd been rescued from being dragged back to his dragon master by another blasted dragon.

well. a firedrake. but the technicalities didn't matter now.

what did matter was that optimus prime, the most powerful voice of primus, a colossus of scales and horns and teeth, terror of the talons of unicron, was currently looming over starscream as he guided the overgrown lizard to the destination of the apex armor. the harpy would rather be anywhere else, with his only comfort being that no drones or homunculi of shockwave's would be dumb enough to attack either of them, not when optimus could easily set them on fire.

fire. the thought of it chilled starscream to his bones.

he'd pleaded with optimus to set him free from his cuffs - he already couldn't fly in this weather, removing his binds wouldn't do much - but someone must've stolen from optimus' hoard earlier that day or something, because he wasn't having it. much to starscream's dismay, the cuffs stayed on. so, that was how the two traveled, starscream navigating towards the armor, optimus right behind him. he tried to fill the silence by talking with optimus, but the dragon, firedrake, it didn't matter to starscream, seemingly wasn't in the mood for conversation. after a few minutes of talking to himself, starscream fell silent.

the snow stretched on endlessly overhead, only broken by mountains pushing up through the snow like giant horns. the black sky seemed never ending, the whirls of snow covering up the starlight which guided starscream's way. and, of course, the air felt blisteringly cold, seeping beneath starscream's feathers and skin to try and freeze his organs.

hours passed, and starscream could feel himself growing weaker by the minute. right as he felt as if his knees might give out beneath him, optimus broke the monotony of the wind whipping around them by growling, "here. this way."

"s-sir?" starscream asked between chatters of his teeth. he turned around to find optimus diverging from their course, making for something starscream couldn't make out in the hellstorm of white. as he came closer, he realized that optimus had found a cave at the base of one of the mountains. the harpy felt relief wash over him at the thought of rest, though it was quickly followed by uncertainty. surely, something else would've found this cave and called it home by now.

optimus stuck his giant head into the cavern and sniffed the air. after a minute, he declared, "the scents in this cave are old. nothing has been here for quite a while."

"a-are you sure, sir?" starscream asked. optimus just snorted and made his way inside.

"we'll rest here for now," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. starscream grumbled and followed optimus into the cave, not in the mood to argue with someone much bigger (and much grumpier) than himself.

the cave, thankfully, was big enough that they could both fit inside without being pressed up against each other. optimus began sweeping away snowdrifts with his tail, revealing the hard stone underneath. glancing to the stone walls all around him, he gave them one hard whack with his tail, shaking free some loose stones and debris. starscream shrank back beneath his wings, trying to hide from the falling stone. thankfully, optimus seemed satisfied, because he began collecting the fallen stones and arranging them into a circle near the middle of the cave, away from the entrance. starscream watched from a distance, curious.

once optimus had his stone circle complete, he took a step back to examine his handiwork. then, he drew his head back, like a snake about to strike, and opened his mouth.

starscream felt his heart leap into his throat as he saw the smoke furling from the corners of the dragon's mouth and the orange glow from within his open maw. with a terrified shriek, he scrambled backwards and pressed himself against the cave wall, covering his face with his wings. a few moments later, a fireball erupted from optimus' jaws, filling the cave with a flash of white light and searing heat.

for the briefest moment, starscream was back at the gemstone mine, cowering against the rock beneath him, as megatron reared over him, jaws open and ready to breathe a sickly purple fire. he could hear thunderous pawsteps approaching him, and he knew that at any moment, flames would erupt around him, setting his wings ablaze. he had to get out of here, had to fly away. storm be damned, he couldn't stay here with-

"starscream?"

a gravelly voice which definitely didn't belong to megatron disrupted starscream's panicked state. the harpy slowly lowered his trembling wings to see-

this wasn't the mine. and that wasn't megatron.

he was back in the cave in the middle of a snowy desert, with optimus standing in front of him, his head tilted like a confused dog. beside him, a bright orange and yellow, not megatron's unnatural purple, fire crackled in the center of the stone circle.

a fire pit. optimus had been building a fire pit.

you idiot, starscream. getting this worked up over nothing.

"why, you... watch what you're doing, you mindless brute!" the harpy squawked, clambering to his talons. "you could've killed me with that!"

optimus lifted his head just slightly, and his expression shifted, the confusion on his face washing away. starscream gulped. he knew what that face meant.

he knows.

"and anyways, what if i don't want to stay in here, hmm?" he challenged. he would've crossed his arms had his hands not been bound. "you seem very sure that i won't just leave this cave. what makes you think i won't go find the apex armor on my own? you need me to find it. what if i don't want to stop here?"

optimus just watched starscream for a moment, his scaly face still as stone. then, he started making his way over to starscream, making the harpy back up against the wall.

"i am giving you a choice," optimus said. he turned around and plodded over to the fire, laying next to it with his back to the cave wall. starscream's eyes lit up as he realized that not only were his hands now free to move independently, but the entrance to the cave was also open.

"w-what are you doing?" he asked in a shaky voice. optimus didn't respond. instead, he used one claw to lift starscream's bound hands closer to him, and with a single swift movement, snapped the chain keeping the cuffs together, like it was made of twine.

the harpy excitedly made his way to the cave entrance and rushed outside, only for the harsh blizzard wind to furiously buffet his wings, the cold sinking its claws into his skin. starscream felt like a fool as he realized the choice optimus was giving him. he could either venture out to find the apex armor and risk freezing to death, or worse, getting caught by dreadwing again... or he could stay in the cave, where he could rest, stay out of the nasty weather for a while, warm up by the fire, and find protection from optimus should dreadwing return.

even with his intense fear of dragons and their kin, starscream knew which choice he would make.

grumbling under his breath, starscream trudged back into the cave and sat by the fire, making sure to keep his distance from the dragon lying in the cave with him.

firedrake. whatever.

now that he was calm, he had to admit, the fire felt nice. he spread his wings in front of the flames, and he had to bite back a groan of relief as warmth sank into his aching muscles.

"why are you doing this?" he asked after a few minutes of awkward silence. "if you need to find the apex armor so badly, why are we stopping here?"

optimus stared into the fire, and starscream could tell that he was collecting his thoughts. "i have wanted to talk to you for a long time, starscream," he finally said.

"what do you want from me?" starscream asked.

"to talk," optimus repeated. he began tracing odd swirls and shapes into what little snow had settled on the ground as he talked. "your loyalty to megatron has been questionable for quite some time. the fact that you seek the apex armor now that you're not under his command tells me everything i need to know."

"i'm not joining you, if that's what you're asking," starscream snipped. optimus turned to give starscream a slightly frustrated stare, the tip of his tail twitching like that of an irritated cat. his body language said, just let me finish, and starscream got the message loud and clear. he cleared his throat and went quiet, allowing optimus to speak again. he turned to look back into the fire as he continued.

"you and i both know what will happen if megatron ever returns home," he said. "not only will he conquer both this human world and our own, but he will try to remake them in his image." he glanced at starscream and said, "no matter who may stand in his way."

the gentleness in optimus' eyes set starscream on edge. "i don't need your pity," he hissed, his wings bristling. "if that's the only reason you wanted to talk, you can keep it to yourself."

"that's not why i wanted to speak to you," optimus said flatly.

"then spell it out for me!" starscream snapped, his feathers puffing up out of exasperation. "if i wanted to hear someone talk in riddles at me, i would've sought out a sphinx!"

optimus went quiet for a minute, allowing starscream to collect himself. once the harpy had calmed down, optimus continued, "i'm offering you a chance at a new life. i won't lie to you, what i am offering will not be easy. you would be serving as an informant for the voices of primus, gathering intelligence on where the rest of the relics might be."

"you want me to be a spy," starscream huffed.

"correct," optimus said with a nod. starscream humphed and crossed his arms.

"and what's in it for me, if i risk my hide sticking my neck out for you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. at that question, optimus' face shifted, quiet confidence etched into his features.

"if you decide to help us," he said, "then, once this war is over, if we win, we will help you rebuild your home."

home.

starscream's eyes widened. his breath caught in his chest. the word hung heavy in the air like the smoke from the fire before them. the one thing starscream had missed from the moment he'd joined the talons of unicron, and optimus was offering to help him rebuild it.

no, he thought, forcing himself to hide the hope in his eyes. he could be lying to you. don't give in so easily.

"i don't need your help to rebuild my home," he sniffed. "i don't need anyone at all. i can do fine on my own. i did just fine on my own before this war, anyway."

"you'll forgive me if i find that difficult to believe," optimus said. "you must've had someone who cared about you before the war began."

"i did, once," he grunted. with a harsh, hollow laugh, he added, "primus knows where they are. they're probably both dead by now, for all i know."

optimus was right. there was no denying it. starscream felt his heart grow heavy with the memories of his brothers, still fresh as the day he left them.

optimus bowed his head, and to his surprise, starscream saw grief in his pale blue eyes. he reached out one big paw, as if to rest it on starscream's back to comfort him, but stopped and pulled away when he saw starscream lean away from his touch.

"starscream," he said softly, "i promise you that, should you decide to help us, when this war comes to pass, i will do everything in my power to help you find those you have lost."

starscream wanted to laugh. he wanted to ask optimus how dare he come up with such an audacious lie. but as he searched every inch of optimus' face for any sort of tell, any giveaway that he was lying, he couldn't find one. either optimus was a fantastic liar or he meant every word he said.

"why me?" starscream asked, his voice quiet and unsure. "why are you asking me to help you with this?"

"you are megatron's second in command," optimus explained. "you know more about his plans than anyone else in the talons of unicron, partially because you had a hand in some of his works. you would be the ideal choice for a job like this."

"well, at least you're honest," starscream mumbled, pulling his legs up to his chest and resting his head on his knees. he stared into the fire, letting the orange and yellow tongues of light consume his vision.

"and, starscream," optimus said after a moment's quiet, "i know what it's like to lose someone you love in this war. but unlike you, i now know that i can never get him back."

starscream turned to look at optimus, incredulous. he couldn't figure out who optimus was talking about. possibly someone from back home before the war? or did he mean-

"i'll give you some time to think about my offer," optimus said, interrupting starscream's thoughts. "but for now, we need rest. i'll wake you when it's time to get moving again."

unless...

with that, optimus closed his eyes and rested his huge head on his front paws. starscream watched as the big beast's breathing slowed and face relaxed as he started to fall asleep.

the harpy didn't move, still sitting in the same spot. how did optimus expect him to get any sleep in a place like this? the only thing in this stone hovel that was even remotely comfortable would be the snow.

no. no, you're not going to become bedfellows with a beast like him.

it didn't matter that optimus was probably the most comfortable spot for starscream to rest his head. he was still optimus, the foremost voice of primus, not to mention he was close enough to a dragon for starscream to want to keep his distance. no, he refused to entertain the thought any further. he could sleep just fine on his own, thank you very much. he backed up against the cave wall and wrapped his wings and tail around himself before closing his eyes, determined to get some rest.

five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen. sleep evaded starscream, no matter how he reconfigured his body to make himself more comfortable. in his sleep deprived state, he weighed his options, few as they were, and came to as logical of a conclusion as his drowsiness addled brain could muster.

one time won't hurt, but just this once. and you speak to no one about this.

setting his pride aside for the sake of sleep, starscream got up and walked over to optimus, sitting in front of him. he turned over onto his side and started to lay his head down on optimus' ribs, when he looked up and found himself staring right into one open blue eye. he let out an embarrassing squawk and stood straight up, afraid that optimus might swat him into the fire with his tail for being annoying.

if optimus was annoyed with starscream in any capacity, he didn't show it. instead, he slowly rolled over onto his side, exposing his underbelly. starscream couldn't believe his eyes. no monster in their right mind would ever expose their most vulnerable side to an enemy, unless...

he believes i won't hurt him.

and to starscream's surprise, he had no desire to. in that moment, he had every opportunity to gain the upper hand over the voices of primus, to plunge his talons into optimus' stomach, tear him open, and leave him to bleed to death right there. he could send the voices of primus plunging into darkness, and maybe even return to his seat of power at megatron's side.

but he didn't want to. not after optimus had offered him home, offered to help him find skywarp and thundercracker. he still wasn't entirely sure about this offer, but it was better than going back to megatron.

no, he didn't want to hurt optimus. right now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

starscream knew that a dragon's underbelly was the weakest part of their body. it was valuable knowledge to keep in one's back pocket when living under the rule of a dragon like megatron. this seemed to apply to optimus as well, for when starscream experimentally rested a hand on optimus' belly, he felt not diamond hard armor, but smooth, almost leathery scales, its softness only marred by raised, puffy battle scars. when he finally laid down on optimus' belly, he could feel the warmth emanating from deep inside him, the perpetual dragonfire burning within. starscream couldn't help himself as he groaned softly in satisfaction, both from being surrounded by warmth and having a comfortable surface to sleep on.

he finally rested his head on optimus' side, and with his ear pressed to his chest, he could hear the slow, steady rhythm of optimus' strong heartbeat, and he felt the gentle rise and fall of his broad chest. in a bizarre way, starscream found it soothing.

hearing a dragging sound behind him, starscream turned his head to see optimus had moved his tail so it was curled up against his body. then, as if it had a mind of its own, it raised up and slowly wound around starscream's midsection. its grip wasn't constricting like a giant snake, as starscream had anticipated it might feel. rather, it felt more like a very strange, yet comforting one armed hug. starscream reached out to touch it, then looked back up at optimus, who was still watching him expectantly. he made no move to stop the harpy as he wrapped one arm around optimus' thick tail and squeezed gently, as if to silently thank him.

that seemed to satisfy optimus. he closed his eyes and let his heavy head rest on the stone floor. it might've been a trick of the flickering firelight, but starscream could've sworn that for less than a second, he saw a small smile on optimus' scaly face.

starscream took one last glance past the fire to look out of the cave entrance. truth be told, he had no idea how he'd let himself get here. one moment, he'd been hunting for the apex armor, with a certain gargoyle hot on his tail. he'd never imagined that, at the end of the day, he'd find himself huddled up next to optimus fragging prime in the middle of a mountain cave, but sometimes, truth was stranger than fiction.

at least things were now looking up. at least he knew another path he could take.

starscream smiled in disbelief and shook his head. his past self wouldn't be caught dead in a situation like this. once he'd realized just how megatron had deceived him, he'd sworn that he would never trust a dragon again.

but, as he reasoned, optimus was a firedrake, not a dragon. he didn't count.

with exhaustion weighing heavily on his body and mind, starscream closed his eyes and fell asleep, uneasy yet hopeful for what the future would bring.

i've never written fic for these two before, so i hope i didn't mangle their characters too badly lmao. hopefully i'll write more for them in the future!

[respectthepetty]

Hello @respectthepetty 👋

I realy looove your colour analysis you put for every show, but specialy for this one.

You keep bringing up questions like why Kant doesn't show his true colours and why he is wearing different colours every episode.

So it got me thinking and I re-watched the show from the start. And I think Kant is "wearing" blue colour because it is Babe's colour. Frome the very first episode, we see Babe wearing blue. So I think why Kant is wearing so many colours and especially blue because he "lost" his true colours while he was raising his brother, like he "lost" himself.

What are your thoughts? 🤔

I hope my mumbling makes any sense.

Also, thank you so much for your work, and it is always fun to read your colour analysis.💙

~ Anna.

By "colour analysis" you mean my fixation on Fadel with some mild commentary about colors each week?

If so, I also love writing them, so I'm glad you are enjoying them! I truly didn't believe a Director Jojo and Cinematographer Rath show would give me colors in the first place, so I was only really showing up to watch JoongDunk, and the colors are just an added bonus!

But that is also the problem because I wasn't expecting color-coded boys in love, then Joong said he believed it was color coded, and then the show said it was color coded, and now I'm stuck in this loop of trying to figure out how Kant is colored blue instead of going with my instinct that he is green (or yellow). It's like his car which keeps changing colors.

And as much as @slayerkitty wants me to recognize bi-colored characters, I'm not there yet. Instead, I'm working to an answer that doesn't align with what I'm seeing, so now I'm at a loss for words.

So let's test out your Babe is blue theory (and Kant lost his green/yellow color)!

Don't worry! I can focus on two things at once like how I write about Fadel being attractive AND colors! Right? Right!

I need to breathe first though because to go on this journey, I must face my sworn enemy — school uniforms.

Okay. I'm ready! Babe wore blue in the first episode. He also has a blue backpack. Note that green and yellow are on the couch and pillows, while Kant wears yellow socks.

Also note, Kant also has yellow shoes in the green lit bowling alley scene.

Kant's studio is also green (and yellow).

And so is his room.

But I'm supposed to be focusing on the blue (and not the green creeping out of the corner).

But it's just soooooo loud!

Okay! Refocusing! Babe is reading a blue covered version of Othello while wearing a dark blue and . . . OH GIVE ME A BREAK! Is that yellow?!

Babe is wearing a dark blue and yellow striped shirt with green shorts while eating in his green kitchen with his brother who is in blue.

I GIVE UP!

I can't keep fighting myself anymore! Babe can be the Blue Boy (even though I think Style is becoming a loyal and stable Blue Boy as he falls in love with Fadel).

Because I think Kant, in his heart, is either yellow or green. OR BOTH! Ya hear that @slayerkitty. I acknowledged the possibility of bi-colorness.

THE BOWLING BALLS ARE THEIR COLORS FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!

And now I have to wait two weeks before I can see Style in blue, Fadel in black, Bison in red, AND KANT IN GREEN AND YELLOW!

Thank goodness Fadel is beautiful because I am stressed about this show!

*clings to Style in pink knowing he loves Fadel and will do anything for his Black Brooder while KANT STAYS ON HIS COLOR BULLSHIT*

I have not been this upset at a man for color games since these two pendejos.

Kant with his color nonsense is my enemy until further notice.

Is that . . . it is . . . yellow on Bison's collar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[clemelntine]

Heartkiller episode 6 uncohesive stray thoughts

With screenshots because, as always, I took too many and feel the need to make them usefull

Oh how sweet

Oh how horny

Oh how sweet

Oh how horny

No fr tho fucking rollercoaster of a morning after scene. Couldn't decide between morning sex and cuddles so they just did both ig.

Styles dad is such a consistantly real character. Like objectively he isnt that chill but also that is just a dad tho

Does he have the embarrassing fliphone because it is harder to track/easier to replace, or is he just a nostalgic piece of shit millennial

That is such a sick ring setup. Like, two rings on one finger and the rest just bare. Bold fucking move Style

Dont make me cry

My eclipse rotten heart cant handle this, please

Look at him fisting that bottle. Least casual person ever.

Hes such an emo piece of shit

I cant handle this episode and it just being Kant and Style trying to subconsciously convince Bison and Fadel to not continue to be hitmen :(

God this montage made me so soft

I am absolutely feral over this shot. Like ofcourse they are really cute laying there, but also that little piece of Kants stomach.

Haha that is so funny. Kill me

Omg thay finally makes four asses grabbed

Hot

Fadel real for that tho. Obsessing over your hands cuz you touched your fav band. Peak fanboy behavior.

He is so fucking sappy it makes me stupidly sad.

I stood strong for quite a bit but omg he so hot i cant handle it anymore. Where did they even find a man like that.

Liar. Litteraly full face on cctv, is he really oblivious to that. Didnt think they would have some kind of protection

Fadel mostly being there to make sure Bison doesnt reak havok to the world is my fav little suprice from this show.

Simp

What kind of restaurant does he run

Holy shit he is fucking cooked

Oh the parallels, oh my heart

I think they're are trying to kill me

Favorite scenes

Ofcourse their dates and the little montage

But Style and Kant missing their boyfriends also hit like a fucking truck

Love the amount of friendship/brotherhood we got this ep

For anyone curious about my screenshot statistics I took 125 screenshots total. 81 of Fadel and or Style, 30 of Kant and or Bison, 9 of Kant and Style together, 4 of Fadel and Bison together and 2 of Captain Christ.