#I like to imagine their more reliant on each other than it first seems

[ohno-the-sun]

Pfpffppt I’ve been tagged!!

I’m so glad you are intrigued 😭

I have so many thoughts on the au

Bearz wait bearz in your Frankensteinesque au is moon able to stop doing whatever's corrupting sun?

Also why would sun die and if he does wouldn't that kill moon too since they're the same?

Anyways my theory is that y/n will convince moon to somehow grow around the important bits of sun's inner mechanisms badda bing Bada boom happy ending love your au even though I can't find it ok bye *crawls back into your ceiling*

Yes it’s possible for Moon to stop whatever he’s doing by him changing host, but he has consumed too much of Sun’s body at the point that if Moon leaves, Sun dies immediately. Sun’s needs this parasite to survive, but Moon doesn’t necessary need him (Moon doesn’t know that yet and Sun definitely won’t tell him)

Sun’s death is when he’s brain dies, he’s body will still be alive in a weird way controlled by Moon

You can find the original post here for more info, i hide it because I wasn’t very satisfied with the story but @ohno-the-sun brought it back to life I’m very very intrigued and I’m as much curious about what’s going on in the story as you guys are ekhddkbeisbsjdg

[mordaciousmurderer]

“Tomorow” John ‘Soap’Mactavish x fem!reader

A/N: HI GUYS! Recently went through a really REALLY rough breakup and I’ve been spending a lot of time just sitting outside and thinking. So imagine: reader and soap end up meeting each other every single day and then suddenly Soap disappears. GAH I LOVE IT

cw/ literally none. it’s just wholesome fun, cute, if i continue this reader is gonna be an addict in recovery, implied sexual stuff if you really look, fem!reader, no use of y/n

Every day like clockwork, you dedicate a half hour to sit on a bench across from your favorite sandwhich shop a few blocks down from what would be considered the exact middle of town. Your therapist had recommended getting out more and allowing yourself to think. You took that rather literally and have stuck to the routine for almost 6 months now. This time of reflection has promoted much thought, providing you vital insight you’d been desperate for. Subconsciously, you had become rather reliant on this time. It was something to look forward to every single day. You learned that you couldn’t control everything in your life but this, you could.

So imagine the internal panic that consumes you when you lay eyes on the first person you’ve seen sit on that bench aside from yourself. Never in the 168 days you sat at this spot had you encountered anybody on this bench. You’re here for 30 minutes out of the day, and there just had to be somebody sitting there. Once again, another loss of control that you weren’t ready to tackle. Your mind raced as it questioned your options; ask him to move, or sit there anyways. The prospect of leaving was out of the question.

You’d been staring at him from about 20 feet away for almost a minute straight now. A new source of anxiety came into play as you realized how creepy you most likely looked right now. In a split second decision you began walking towards the bench.

As you got closer, the details of this guy became visible. Shit, he’s hot. He was a rugged looking man, absolutely built, with a little mohawk. He didn’t look up from his sketchbook until you were within 4 feet of him. He looked up at you with piercing blue eyes, a vague look of sadness deep within them. He was absolutely gorgeous, so goregous that you realized you should be a hell of a lot more nervous than you were right now.

“Uh,” You began, quickly realizing you hadn’t thought of what to say. “Sorry, hi, sorry. Um, I sit here every day, is it okay if-“ You awkwardly gesture towards the bench and mentally berate yourself for the awkward request.

“Oh, go right ahead!” He chuckles and shifts himself down the bench a few inches. The Scottish accent caught you off gaurd. You blink and sit down next to him, folding your hands tightly in your lap.

“So you sit here every single day? That’s some serious dedication.” He comments, shutting his sketchbook and tucking it in his pocket.

Unprepared and shocked by his attempt at conversation, you snicker out of nervousness. “Yeah. Everyday like clockwork for almost 6 months now.”

“Impressive!” With a grin he angles his body towards you, indicating clear interest in conversing. “I’m surprised we haven’t crossed paths before, I’m here pretty often myself.”

“Really? How often?” You ask, facing out yet turning your head to look at him.

“Not nearly as much as you. Maybe once a week. Not in town too often though.”

“How haven’t we seen each other yet?” You laugh.

“Good question. I’m John by the way.” He leans back in his seat.

You give him your name in response and any previous anxieties seem to melt away with more conversation. He was charming and his humor meshed with yours scarily well. You somehow had everything to talk about. You he conversation ranging from what your favorite food was to what you hoped to achieve in your life. Before you had even realized it, your 30 minutes had passed long ago. About an hour into conversation, he gets a call.

“Shite! I was supposed to meet my pals a half hour ago.” He stood up suddenly, glancing at his phone.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” He calls out, hurrying off to wherever he came from.

Tomorrow? You figured he just said that by mistake and took that as your cue to head back home as well. You found yourself disappointed, you didn’t even grab his number. Reflecting on your hour, you find yourself looping around his confident yet courteous manner. The two of you clicked well, yours and his laugher playing on repeat in your mind.

He wasn’t joking about tomorrow. As you headed towards your bench the next day, there he sat waiting for you. As soon as he laid his eyes on you, the both of you grinned.

Your time on that bench slowly turned into both of yours’ time. As weeks went on he slowly started showing up every single day. The shared time became something to look forward to for the both of you. Despite your desires, it never progressed past the bench. Neither of you had requested anything more and neither of you seemed to mind. Despite your clear feelings for him, you figured this was better than nothing at all. A month passed since that first interaction and at that point the two of you hung out every single day. It was comfort. It was routine.

Suddenly for the first time in weeks, Johnny wasn’t there before you. You assumed he would get there later but no luck. You waited for an embarrassing amount of time with no luck. It’s okay, he would be there tomorrow.

He wasn’t. Day after day, he didn’t show up. Each day more disheartening than the last. The time on the bench has morphed back into exclusively your time to think. Of course, you really only thought about him and justifications for his sudden absence. Regardless, you showed up every single day. It was your coping mechanism to begin with. You didn’t want to admit that you missed him. You didn’t want to admit that his unforeseen disappearance was concerning to you.

It wasn’t until 3 weeks later that you saw him sitting on the bench again. You didn’t register that it was him at first, just another random. Then you realized the mohawk looked too familiar. With that realization you hurried over, excitement bubbling up in you. As you approached he stood up and turned to look at you, immediately engulfing you in an unexpected hug. An eager smile spread across your face. You were taken aback to say the least, but you hugged him back. This was the greatest extent of physical affection the two of you had exchanged. Aside from the occasional hand on the leg or grab to the shoulder, you guys never were physically affectionate.

“Johnny..” You had to repeat his name and squeeze him tighter, like he might disappear if you don’t repeatedly acknowledge his existence.

New interaction aside, he didn’t dare let you go until he felt you pull back, letting his hands linger on your waist. “Where the hell did you go?!” You give him a light hit to the chest. No intention of actually hurting him, but needing to communicate your point. You stared up into the blue eyes you’d missed so much.

“Work I’m sorry. We had to-“ He begins then stops himself. He’d always hated the secretive nature of his job. “I got called away I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay don’t apologize.” You sighed as you stepped away from him and sat down, crossing your arms. The two of you had talked about his job before but he refused to go into detail past ‘SAS, get called away for missions’. “You don’t have to tell me… I just wish I had some warning.” You declare before sitting down on the bench. “I was worried about you.”

Johnny crouches down in front of you, perpendicular to you and the bench. “That’s my fault. For never giving you my number. Or inviting you somewhere aside from this bench.” He places both his hands on your knees. He oozed sincerity, something you had rarely gotten before.

“Why didn’t you?” You asked, a twinge of hurt in your tone.

Johnny went quiet for a moment, his gaze dropping to where his hands sat on your legs. He pushed himself up and sat next to you on the bench. You watched him intently. One thing you’d noticed over the weeks was that he seemed to need to move in order to think. You remained patient in await for an explanation.

“I didn’t wanna start anything. My job makes it hard.” He finally says, his eyes coming back up to yours.

“Start anything?” You inquire.

“With us. Because I’m-“ He huffs, shifting his position. “I want to work around my job. For you. But I didn’t know if…”

“If I wanted to work around it too?” You interject, trying to assist him. You’d never seen him have this much trouble verbalizing his thoughts.

“Exactly.” He gestures.

“Well… Do you know what I did every day for the last 3 weeks?” You asked him, expecting a very different answer than what he said.

“I’m guessing you came here. This is your spot.” He responds.

You just gazed into his eyes, a slight smile on your face. “I came to our spot and hoped that you would show up.”

His eyes lit up at the acknowledgment of the shared space. You both couldn’t help but stare at each other for a beat or two. The air grew still and he reached up, his calloused yet gentle hand cupping your cheek and jaw. He moved in slowly, taking his time to nonverbally confirm this was okay with you. You pushed forward slightly, pressing your lips to his for the first time. The kids was gentle yet long awaited. It was evident in every tiny movement.

After a bit, he pulled away to look at you once again. “Do you wanna come back to my place?”

-

masterlist

[sewerpalette]

Subnautica headcanon designs part 1. I might make another one with Jochi, Hollister and a couple others. I’m not entirely happy with it but I’m not getting it to look any better so might aswell post it!

Second image was the thumbnail, as you can see, I didn’t capture a lot of likenesses and also decided to scrap doing ryley, but the shading was kinda fun so I guess there’s that. Seems like this page is going to become a dedicated subnautica brainrot page now, I think my OC stuff should stay on insta.

I’m not very happy with how the proportions turned out, I’m sorry lol. But I guess it’s some progress from the usual. I originally wanted to give danby black hair too but I realised that that’s just kinda what I default to and there are already so many characters with dark hair so I changed it to a blonde tone. I also tried to create more variety in face shapes but I’m still relatively new to that so I’m sorry if everybody looks kinda same-y or proportionally off.

Danby and Avery were done on the first day, then I drew Ozzy, then drew Yu on another day with much demotivating wich is why she kinda looks different to the others, then drew Keen and overhauled Yu again.

The artstyle was inspired by the Subnautica character concept art of Ryley!

(Headcanon time)

To be honest, I’d imagine most of them know each other (except for Avery ofcourse), I’d like to believe that Danby doesn’t usually talk to people unless it’s for his job, but is still generally known and liked by the others, he finds his job boring but believes it’d be stupid to stop after studying for so many years.

I think they’d all be around 25-60 in age, with danby maybe being the youngest with about 28-31 years of age, matching with ryley who I’d imagine is around the same age.

I think Yu would be very goal oriented, but also trying to find solutions with wich everyone involved would be happy, wich mean that she’d know a bit about everyone, wich is why she feels so attached to the crew and wanted to disobey orders to try and save them after the crash.

I think Keen would really thrive in his job, similar to Yu, but be a lot more reliant on orders, somebody who likes to follow them more than to give them. He puts much trust into his captain and any other sort of authority figure above him, whilst feeling maybe a little too responsible for those under his command.

I believe Ozzy would be a very talkative person, like Yu he knows everybody a little, and everybody knows him. Except for ryley, who at this point has become kind of an outsider for just how much he tries to fit in with everyone else. Most people feel indifferent towards him.

I don’t think avery would be fond of being the captain of a ship, I don’t think he’d mind that much but I think a lot of the legal stuff he has to handle because of it would probably be really frustrating in the long run. He enjoys to talk to people though, and tries to help people in need if alterra doesn’t prevent him from doing so.

[messiisgodibeliveinhim]

Argentina NT and Their Capitan, Lionel Messi

I've been thinking about the Argentina NT team dynamics. How they are so friendly with each other. How they always talk about how nice it is be back practicing with their NT teammates. The early morning mate, their interactions during and after training sessions, the protectiveness over one another during matches, some of the selfless on pitch moments that helped win matches, their silly Instagram posts, stories and comments, their remarks about a fellow teammate during interviews and finally, their love and respect for their Capitan, Leo Messi!

And their dedication towards him.

I don't think you'll ever find any team that is sooo happy to be part of a team. And so caring and committed towards their leader.

Yes, Leo Messi is the best player in the world. But what counts in a team more than skills is leadership and teamwork. I remember pundits and haters saying that Messi is not a good leader. He cannot lead a team, bring about unison and motivate them to win. If Argentina plays badly, it's because of him. Not just cuz he didn't produce goals during the match ("He dissapears at the big moments!"), but also because he just can't seem to get his team to play as TEAM ("All they do is pass the ball to him, hoping he could pull a trick out of his football cleats. There is no team here, just Messi + 10 men."

To some extent, this is true. The team was not cohesive. They were over reliant on Messi and the team was built around him. The NT had world class players, but they were a bunch of players put together and not really a unit. But due to the amount of talent in the team, they were expected to perform great. To produce results. The amount of pressure put on Leo due to this is only something I can imagine.

From an outsider's perspective, it did take a while for Messi to embrace the role of a leader. Everyone believed that he didn't do what a leader does to motivate his team. Hell, some believed that HE is the cause for dressing room unrests. But none of the outsiders really saw what went on in the dressing rooms. We saw how he interacted with his players on the pitch. And to most, he looked detached. They didn't see him egging his members on to play better, they didn't see him encouraging them, they didn't see him helping them out from the sidelines when he's not playing ("like Ronaldo does").

He was quite. He was tense. He looked like he didn't care.

("He's just in his own world when he's with the national team")

But things started to change. We saw him step up for his team (not for the first time, but this was what everyone remembers). The Argentina NT was getting bad press and media attention in 2016. Reports had come out that Ezequiel Lavezzi had smoked marijuana during NT training camp. Leo took the initiative to bring the whole NT to the press conference room and announce that the team wont speak to the press anymore. “We received a lot of accusations, a lot of disrespect. The accusations against Lavezzi are very serious.���

It's safe to say many were surprised. Leo Messi was officially taking a stance and standing up for his teammates. It was fresh to see Leo taking his captain role so seriously and protecting his members.

And we started seeing more of this side of Leo. The captain side. We saw him really being there for his teammates. And maybe this side of him increased the trust his teammates had in him.

With Lionel Scaloni coming in as coach, it changed things up. More young players were brought in. Players who grew up watching Leo Messi play. They considered him their role model. They felt inspired by him.

(15 year old Enzo Fernandez's letter to Messi after his retired from his International Career in 2016)

Team dynamics changed. The Argentinian National Team liked coming together for the international matches, meeting their teammates and doing familiar Argentinian things only they know of. They hung out on each other's rooms. They grew fond of one another. They became good friends.

As for their captain, they loved him. They were protective of him. Praised him. Not only for his skills, but his humility, his leadership and his attitude. They'd take any chance to talk about him. Though they admired and looked up to him, they worked with him, then for him. They worked together, as a unit. They were there for each other and Leo. And Leo was there for them. Together.

AND THEY WON.

You get it? It's like poetry, it rhymes!

Anyways, Argentina NT is the best team ever. They were a joy to witness, their interactions with each other, how happy they seemed when they were together and also their play during the matches. This team deserved to win the World Cup. No doubt.

The leader and his devoted followers.

The GOAT with his team of World Class dedicated players.

THE ARGENTINA NATIONAL TEAM.

Part 2

[sorcerous-caress]

Ok ok ok I'm very new to the human kink thing but I'm wondering if there's some kind of planar effect associated with it??? Like I can just imagine the idea of star elves and other eldarin who come from the feywild and spent their whole lives being so immersed in magic that if they ever encounter a non-spellcaster human for the first time it's just like wow. this mf has zero magic about them. I wonder if it's a strange sensation, like noise cancelling headphones, and that lack of magical energy might feel relieving or sexual for them. Idk if it's exactly dnd canon but I've always imagined magic aligned entities to be able to sense magic like a buzzing in the air, so a lack of that buzzing would be entirely wild for them. Either way, magical radio silence = sexual exploration for eldarin and I fully support it

(also I love love loveeeee your work and your dnd theories and fun inquiries have led me to learn so much more cool lore and it's shaped some of my interspecies interactions in-game as a DM so tysm for everything you do 💜💜)

Wait really? I inspired some of your moments as a dm? Omfg please tell me I'd love to listen if you're willing to share <33. Thank you so much for the praise!

Also I love your theory! I hold similar ideas, that concept is too cool to pass on.

I've seen one similar to its concept in a game called "Echos of the Fey"

So elves in this game, average elves not just eladrin, are all born with magic. Because all magic comes from the fey and all elves share a connection to it.

Humans can learn magic too by using the hammer method and seeing what sticks on the wall, but they can never connect to the fey.

And the fey is exactly like you described. It allows to elves to effortlessly connect to each other, feel and sense each other's presence before seeing each other. It allows parents to feel when their children die and allows lovers to sense when their elf partner is in danger.

Elves can share their emotions through the fey too, they don't need to use words or explain things. They can let the other person feel exactly what they're feeling.

It was described as a constant song, a different melody from each elf in the sanctuary they all lived in. Going on at all times. And sure one elf can supress their own song but they can't stop hearing others'.

You can also speak words into the other person's mind using the fey. If they give you permission to dive deeper into their soul, you can even tell if they're lying about something or being honest.

But again, all of this only applies if the two people are elves. Even sorcerer humans wouldn't be able to feel it or connect to the fey.

It's also why elves seem cold or detached to humans, they are so used to the fey and the immediate connection and trust it gives them in other elves, that they don't bother to learn how to properly express their emotions with words or facial expressions. As a society, their inner personal relationships are always reliant on the fey.

In that game, one elf does move to a human settlement and he describes it as radio silence. That sometimes when he's around so many elves, he wonders if his ideas are truly his own or simply from other elves through the fey.

That being near humans gives him more individuality, forces him to work hard to establish trust with someone rather then immediately earn it. To learn to express his emotions rather than assume the other person can feel them.

It is radio silence. There is no music except for the ones humans deliberately play with their instruments. Even then, anyone can misinterpret its meaning with no definitive answer.

In that game, there are no other races besides humans and elves. And no sub-races for elves, they're all high elves.

But that theory still holds up if we integrate it to dnd! With some adjustments. It explains why elves are so reclusive, why they prefer the company of other elves over other races, and why two elf strangers seem to almost click immediately.

The fey is a constant overstimulatation, like getting constant ads in a video. Some elves learn to tone it out while others are so fed up with it that they'd rather lose their own magic than stay connected to it.

Which is why those ones would move to human cities, would prefer the company of humans and find joy at how expressive they are, at the long trials each friendship has in order to earn their trust.

For once their mind is clear, no meddling fey making them feel other's emotions or hear their thoughts. Only their own thoughts in their brain, everything they feel is truly their own.

Except when another elf is nearby.

But again, each elf can choose to suppress their own presence in they fey, just not others'. So, I like to think that elves in human cities came to a collective agreement to supress their own presence in the fey to not bother each other, also to not make the humans feel left out.

Anyway, exposition over, time to talk about the actual kink.

So remember that dog drawing contest meme? This one?

Where, yes, the second drawing was so beautiful and amazing, but the first place one held an undeniable charm to it.

I think that's how eladrins and star elves view humans.

Ofwjofwjofjwks now hear me out!

They're so used to everyone around them brimming with magic, for other fey creatures' appearance to change drastically through the season, wearing the ocean waves aa a dress or growing a cherry blossom tree as hair.

Imagine a human in comparison, how simple and plain we would be, how utterly new and adorable in their views.

Simplicity has its merits, if done right then it can be as beautiful as complexity if not more.

A human, devoid of any magic and only wearing their own body and clothes as decoration, would be beyond this world for elves and eladrins, literally.

There is another game i played that had human wizards talking about the fey world and the dangers of it, i don't remember its name.

But the main reason why humans were told to avoid the fey world and never go there, is because their souls shine bright like a beacon amidst it.

Every person and creature in the fey world knows magic beyond our comprehension, and all of them know how to hide their souls and lock it. Like installing anitmalware and a firewall on a computer with proxy to prevent tracking.

Humans are the boomers who uninstall system 32.

Our souls are just up for grabs, literally on a silver plate for any fey who comes waltzing in and tricks us into some verbal contract. We have no magic to detect them or to prevent them.

Humans don't last in the fey realm, everyone wants them. Even the most talented wizards who live there, never stay for long or always take a break every now and then.

You are literally the lighthouse, siren and mist amidst the fey sea.

To an elf who is tried of the magical noise, you're like a comfort blanket. Warm and makes them ignore the world outside.

They're beyond infatuated with how much you steal all of their brain's attention, focus all of their scattered thoughts on you or the simplest of things.

How you express your joy with laughter, how you spent time cooking a meal, how tears collect down your face when you cry, how you tap your feet or click your tongue.

Primal life in its purest forms, the most bare form a soul could ever take.

You're the most simple shape, and for that, you are loved, adored for how much you hold. How easily you adapt, a white light containing a rainbow inside.

Humans fit anywhere and everywhere, even in places they're not supposed to. They still tried and will keep trying forever, that's why they keep stepping to the fey realm and keep attempting on befriending the elves or building houses there.

It's hard not to be blinded by their light, let it outshine everything else around them.

In a sexual context, I think elves and eladrins would be so used to magical sex or soul connections that with a human they get to experience having their soul grounded into earth.

The simplest touch of fingertips trailing up their skin, the silence except for the occasional gasps and groans of the human. For the first time their own moans are so clear to their pointy ears, they're forced to drown into their own emotions and melt into the bed.

And the humans seduction and pleasure somehow clicks with every single race, somehow surpasses so many cultural barriers. Experiencing pure pleasure with all the small awkwardness and discomforts, being acutely aware of the pillow under their head or the drumming of their heartbeat.

It's how humans don't need magic to thrive, have fun or give pleasure. How these things are second nature to them, you could strip them of all of their fancy science and magic and even then they'll still find a new way to climb up.

That's the human condition That's the human spirit, to care in the face of uncaring world. To love despite your own limitations, to be kind to something you can never understand.

Every wizard who has ever lived in the fey realm speaks of it fondly, like an old friend. Despite the countless attempts on their life, despite the times they almost lost their mind. Humans see beauty in everything, dangerous or soft.

And they infect others with their softness, make the elves and eladrins addicted to their comfortable silence. So much that they wonder how did they ever live before in the constant noise and buzzing.

Humans are like a vacation you go to when the polluted cities start to drain your soul, they're the fresh water running rivers through the dandelions filled fields.

And so many long to live there, to abandon their apartments and start over there. But they're afraid to steal the humans' light from them, to infect them with their magic and poison the waters.

So only a few go down there at a time, for a vacation length to an eladrin is akin to a lifetime to a human.

[amphibifish]

anon gave me an excuse to finally make this post soo....

REASONS WHY HEIMDALL FROM MATANTEI LOKI IS MY FAVE HEIMDALL !!!! ↓↓↓ (major spoiler free, with minor spoilers)

there is a bit of me complaining tbh, so this is really just me explaining why heimdall maloki gives me food for thought instead of why his character is actually good LMAO

-> It explores his relationship to Loki

i feel like their relationship is one seriously under utilized in a lot of norse mythology media. HOWEVER, matantei loki makes their relationship one of the driving conflicts of the show and first installment !

Their relationship in maloki is really interesting, with the way Loki seems to guiltily feel the need to care about Heimdall despite his resentment and Heimdall relentlessly hunting Loki for what he'd done to him.

Loki and Heimdall's relationships to their respective companions (mayura, freyr) and odin alongside their personal issues with being on midgard also parallel eachother in an interesting way.

unfortunately this conflict is never given any sort of ending or conclusion in the manga--and i don't mean that in a "they never make up" way i mean it just actually never really develops despite three installments and what developments there are gets immediately forgotten about. sad! what is there is fun to think abt though

it is also a little open ended in the anime but i think the anime ending is more acceptable and generally i like how they resolved heimdalls internal conflicts too.

-> It explores what Heimdall could be like without his duty as watchman

He isn't the watchman here, with a new duty: hunting down Loki. It's interesting how it shows how he feels almost purposeless without his job, which is partly why he becomes so obsessed with loki and idea of killing him. in the manga he states how his life has all just been shit ever since he lost his job.

his ex job as watchman also makes him incredibly reliant on odin for validation and approval. despite his outward arrogance and confidence it is a bit of a coverup to hide his own self esteem issues since he tied all of that with his job. its a bit like watching a fish out of water.

his short temper and loki's plot armor does not help.

mildly unrelated but the anime attributes a lot of titles to him though that make no sense ? like god of strategy and god of dawn idk why. they also take freyja's falcon association and give it to him for some reason. i don't mind it too much i guess it's cool. i can write a whole other post about how much i hate maloki!freyja though they did her SOOOOO dirty she deserved a better character.

-> he's the straight laced one in an odd couple duo. also his relationship to freyr is just interesting

this is just personal preference because i love odd couples and i always gravitate towards the uptight ones in those duos. him and freyr are great and his relationship to freyr is also like the only healthy one he has.

i do find their manga dynamic fun to think abt though, mostly because despite considering each other friends or at least allies they never see each other as equals and constantly try to put themselves higher than the other.

freyr also gives like almost no fucks about loki outside of the context of freyja and heimdall gives every fuck about loki. they also deal with their issues in very opposite ways, with freyr being one to ignore his problems and heimdall forcing himself to relive his most traumatic event every day.

-> the concept is just funny

can u imagine heimdallr the norse god comes to earth. and he's like a middle schooler for no reason. and also incredibly homocidal and keeps writing his school projects about this other random schoolboy he hates so so much. and he's alt. his roommate is a wanted criminal. that's just so funny to me.

CONCLUSION

there's other things that make him interesting to me like his potential in episode 7's plot line but that is a lot on the potential side than what i have here. honestly his character is wayyyyy better within the context of norse mythology too outside of that he's kind of meh. being so real. i wish they took more from the mythology when writing his character.

i'd still probably have him as my fave maloki char even without my norse myth knowledge though because he checks every box in my favorite character checklist anyhow, the norse myth is just a bonus!

there's a lot of potential he has that is lost to bad writing so this is sort of like my idealized version of him. the anime is so so much better handling his character imo even if it dropped the ball so hard on ep 7. i don't know how i feel abt manga!heim he gets really flanderized at the end. anyway. that's it that's the post.

[mitziholder]

I was catching the perfectionism vibes, it's shame if it hinders your progress. Your characters and style seem so cool so I wanted to probe. Comics really are a marathon to create. Losing steam is natural and maybe switching up your conception of your project can help. Not trying to pressure you in any way, just hoping to provide some food for thought.

How do you feel about comics as a medium? You mentioned you mostly "skim" comics for inspiration and love Wimmen's Comix but is it a medium you feel very connected to in general and for your story idea?

I've seen multiple webcomic artists unfortunately struggle with the labor needed for drawing panels and incorporating prose along with art and regular comic panels to maintain progress. If you are more into writing than drawing, maybe incorporating prose along with comics/art is an option you'd be interested in. Don't have the best examples but thinking of Homestuck's long script-format convos that follow panels. And for a comic that later incorporated prose, the webcomic Paranatural went from all comic panels to mixing prose and art. I'll be honest that I stopped reading Paranatural as a teen before the shift so I can't speak to its writing/art quality.

“skimming” was a little disingenuous. I have read a lot of comics, but very rarely have I felt that they fully utilized the affordances of the medium. the reasons for this vary; comics are plagued by many issues deriving from the fact that they were, at one point, both extremely popular and cheap (low-brow) - kneecapped by the CCA and warped into something stupid and trivial for children. even today, that perception remains. I would say the majority of people aren’t capable of recognizing comics as a mature medium. lots of comic writers have a chip on their shoulder about this… particularly Alan Moore.

I bring him up because Watchmen was one of the first pieces of media that really opened my eyes as to what comics were capable of as a graphic medium; people regularly recognize the visual artistry of film, the (often) invisible work done in blocking, cinematography, effects, and editing that makes movies feel like art. comics should be art. every frame should be a painting. panels should fit together into a larger picture composed with thought and care. Dan Gibbons did so - with regard not only for how panels fit next to each other but also for how they fit within the page and the page within the chapter and so on… rich with detail, of equal weight to the dialogue in conveying narrative and thematic meaning. it amazed me because of how little the art actually matters in so many comics, only there by obligation (because without art it would no longer be a comic). why is this? I don’t know. profit? but you see it in indie comics, too. that part confuses me. why would you make something if you don’t want it to be good? what’s the point?

anyway, I found that the story I wanted to tell would not fit within the bounds of a stage play. it has continually resisted (with some notoriety on this blog) my attempts to fit it into prose. the dialogue is what moves it, and with my sort of shaky aptitude for art and love of the medium’s potential, I felt that making it a comic was the natural choice. I don’t particularly enjoy the process of drawing, but without art I felt something was missing - a void that couldn’t be filled by anything else. I never wanted it to give the impression that the art was done by rote, incidental/inconsequential, a pure and thoughtless representation of the dialogue… but that is sort of what it has to be at this point. I wish that integrating the visual half came more naturally to me, but I’ve accepted that it’s a skill I’m going to have to hone with much practice. it’s something I’ve struggled with quite a bit as someone who is borderline aphantasic. very little of the art that I make comes directly from my brain. it is not intuitive to me at all. I am so reliant on references, have no imagination, am very rarely struck with the idea for a bit of visual humor or detail that adds meaning rather than merely visualizing the existing script - the words. I am obsessed with words, clearly. meaning and rhythm and punctuation. I’m a word person. I want to be an art person. I want so baaaadly for my work to be good. I try so hard.

I’m often tempted to throw in the towel and admit that my brain doesn’t work that way - that I’m aiming too high, stubbornly set on something I can never really have - not to an extent that I’m satisfied with. but if I gave in to that feeling, I would never finish anything. I feel like once I am done with my classes and my living situation is more stable, I’ll be sort of okay - or at least more consistent - when it comes to the art stuff... worst-case scenario, I cave and go the homestuck route (which is not something I thought I’d ever say). I don’t know. we’ll have to see. once this semester is over...😮‍💨

[awaffledreamer]

A Bridgerton Tale

Based on The Bridgerton series on Netflix and by Julia Quinn. This is a fanfiction story based on "An Offer from a Gentleman", Benedict Bridgerton's story. I'm not the best writer but these are just outlines for a story that I thought would be great for Benedict's character. If interested, I could see about writing more for FanFiction. Changed some of the characters names for this story but I just had to share it.

We know the story. We have seen the plotlines. We watch the timeline. We understand the assignment. There is a girl. There is a boy. There is a missing shoe. The girl is mistreated at home. The boy believes he must do more to improve himself. They meet. They are captivated by each other. One runs away. The other runs toward them. They meet once more. And fall in love.

Please. How many times does this story need to be re-told? How about a little…spice?

Outline of story: Benedict Bridgerton is an artist. Doesn’t want anyone to take that from him but unfortunately he takes it away from himself. Not wanting his family to pay his dues, or his way, he declines offer after offer believing he is not worthy of such things.

Nora Huntington is the law. After the tragic loss of her mother at a picnic, her father steps into the shadows with no ambition to come back into the light. She is left taking care of her two siblings, sister and brother while also taking care of the family business. Constables. They are the law. No one is exempt from it, not even the Crown. She laughs, she loves, but she doesn’t see the world in color anymore. Only black/white. She has hope that her siblings can move on from this life and see the world as it should be seen. Not in bloodiness or madness.

There is a ball. Girls are dancing their way into men’s hearts. Men are eyeing the prize. Nora’s sister wants to partake in the dances to see about a husband. Nora’s brother wants to tag along. Nora has so much already on her plate with a few cases taking over Mayfair but she agrees to take them. Not knowing much of the society rules for she doesn’t need them as a constable.

Benedict has taken the role in helping his sister, Hyacinth, find a match. He approaches the ball with his mother, Lady Violet Bridgerton, his older brother and his wife Viscount Anthony & Viscountess Kate and of course his other brother Colin and his wife Penelope. Benedict helps as much as he can but he is also trying to get away from expectant mamas trying to secure a match for their daughters with him. He stays close to his mother but mamas are reluctant to say the least.

Nora sees everything. She can look at a person and see where they were in the last 24 hours, whom they were with, what they had to eat, and how the person grew up without ever meeting them in the first place. She has a gift. To her, it’s a curse. But she sees is just the same and it works for her…in some cases. She tries to let her sister work out the dances with the men, but Nora can’t seem to help deduce the men that are dancing with her sister.

Her sister has picked a partner to dance with. Nora is trying to get a good read on him but must move to the other side of the dance floor when she accidentally bumps into a man. She apologies without looking up. As she is talking she finally turns around and splash! Colors beyond the imagination floods her mind as she sees the most dashing, carefree, smiliest man she has ever laid her eyes on. She is deducing too much of this man while at the same time, everything is calm in her mind. How can such a person send her on a whirlwind and then bring peace at the same time?

Her brother seems to be intrigued with Hyacinth, so Nora and Benedict must see each other more often than she would have liked, but she relishes the day if she is to be honest with herself.

Throughout the times, she is proven herself to be reliant, self sufficient, and able to be the best shot in the ton. She also takes down 4 men who try to steal from the Bridgertons showcasing she can fight. Come to find out before she became a constable she was going to tour as a cellist with her beau, Archibald. A man so stunning, even the Queen has to do a double take. She plays the cello for the first time since her mother’s death to the surprise to herself, but to everyone around her including Benedict. {Plays Paint It Black orchestral classical piece}

She has trouble deciding on whom now to put her heart towards for Archibald brought passion, but really nothing else. Benedict brings passion, but also an ease to the mind, and more color to her world. While she is daydreaming of dancing with the two, like deciding which one brings her the most joy, she plays on her cello Vivaldi Storm by 2CELLOS. Her father finally comes out of the shadows to help, he reminds her of how much her mother helped him. He was a storm with cases and the only person to still those storms was her mother reading a passage in a book, or making him laugh with a joke or two. When Nora hears this, she instantly choose Benedict. {In the background, you can hear 2CELLOS play Hallelujah} Nora rides her horse to the Bridgerton house to find Benedict in the backyard painting again. He hasn’t painted in a while, and he is loving it. When he finishes he looks up and see her. He smiles. She doesn’t return the smile. He hesitates for a moment until she runs to him and kisses him. They sway back and forth turning this way, basically dancing while kissing. Total make out scene.

She works on a certain case that has her stumped. She figures it out with the help of her father who comes back to life to help with the securing of the betrothal of Hyacinth and his son, while seeing who this Benedict is who has captured Nora’s heart.

When Nora gets ready to head into battle, she goes to Benedict, kisses him and says, “You brought color back to me. I saw only black and white. You…you showed me more colors than I could ever imagine. Every feeling has a particular color to it and if I had time I would tell you what each one means. I was a blank canvas for so long and you just waltz in and create something magical. You bring calmness to my storm of a mind. I am now a burst of color because of you and I love you for it.” She leaves to protect him. To protect Mayfair of course, but now it’s to protect him. Her wonder of wonders.

She gets harmed in the face but it doesn’t not matter to him. Benedict still asks her to marry him. He takes all of her, her many scars, her busy mind, all of it. She walked down the aisle to the song Perfect by Ed Sheeran played by 2CELLOS.

[timedthirteen]

* concerning yaz, graham and ryan.

the well-documented problem with these three is that ( to me, and to others i respect ) they feel like plot more than people, only speaking as is germane to the narrative, only there to make the doctor look more interesting. i've gone to great lengths to flesh them and their relationships to the doctor out, so as to earn the intimacy they say they have at various points across canon. i do not expect any portrayals of these muses to adhere to what i've written here, and if i end up writing with anyone who writes these muses, that may alter my thinking. for now, this is a good jumping-off point into how i approach these dynamics.

yaz: as i've already discussed here, yaz's chosen profession represents a sticking point between them in a world where yaz sticks to what seemed to be an authoritative, duty-bound nature. i imagine this as a broader conflict that develops throughout thirteen's first series, with thirteen going to at times extreme lengths to expose yaz to the systemic corruption inherent in the police system. it's messy, morally complicated, both of them in the wrong at times, and they both come out of it with a better understanding of each other. thirteen does not refer to her as yaz until at least the end of her first episode; for the entirety of that first adventure together, the doctor continues to refer to her as pc khan, neutral-to-disdainful.

graham: i feel that the doctor has a very close bond with graham, and that begins by connecting with him over grace's death. they have so much in common, actually, and she sees a lot of herself in him - he's (mostly) kind, curious, courageous, and at times deeply angry. he has so much left to learn, reliant on his creature comforts, and she wants to teach him. she wants to help him become the best version of himself, to transmute his grief into something better. when he expresses his fear over his cancer returning, she hugs him, tells him that she understands; she's afraid of death like she's never been before, but endings are what make anything worth doing. all they can do is to live in the now, and make the most of this time, because they never know what day will be their last. she then gives him a choice, where there is no wrong answer: if he wants to, they can pop to a future hospital, and make absolutely sure he will never have to worry about this ever again.

ryan: honestly, ryan strikes me as someone who would piss the doctor right the way off - not, obviously, because of his disability, i am disabled, don't even try it - but because he's so ... immature. he's nineteen; so was rose, and it's absolutely night and day between them. i genuinely cannot find much of worth in his characterisation when 99% of the time he just asks plot questions, and the rest of the time he's pretty ineffectual in spite of apparently being very bright - studying mechanical engineering and the like. i've been thinking on this for awhile and i'll have to keep letting it run in the back of my brain, bc i genuinely cannot figure a way round it.

[ramblersaccount]

18

In 2020, like much of the world, I experienced a lot of change. However, it felt somewhat less disruptive for me personally than for many others. Yes, the global pandemic turned our world upside down in a matter of days, but it was also the year I turned 18 and was supposed to transition into a young adult – Aaliah, version 2.0, with newfound independence and cooler vibes. I had anticipated a grand transformation in the way people perceived and treated me. I imagined myself becoming more sociable, attending parties, and embracing a more carefree lifestyle, no longer reliant on my parents for permission. Well, as it turned out, that's not quite how things played out. *Cue the sad trombone*

But that's perfectly okay; I could undertake the "Aaliah transformation" right from the comfort of my own home. TikTok had already gained considerable popularity as a social media platform before the pandemic, and I had recently created an account. The platform was rampant with self-proclaimed "self-care" gurus offering advice on how to take care of yourself during lockdown. They covered everything from skincare routines and dietary tips to picking up new hobbies. These content creators were there to both entertain and educate the masses. I found myself saving videos on the best recipes for weight loss, effective at-home skincare remedies, and guides on discovering my personal "aesthetic." Before I knew it, I was comparing myself to the people I saw on the app, wondering why I couldn't look more like them. Unfortunately, this remains a habit I struggle with to this day.

At that time, I weighed 115 pounds and really only had one proper meal a day. Even before the pandemic, I rarely had breakfast or dinner but would grab a sandwich or a snack after school and before my sports practices. Now that I was spending my entire day at home, my eating habits started to change, and I developed a fear of becoming "too big." I was a self-conscious teenager, plagued by worries about whether I was good enough.

My school was relatively small and predominantly Hispanic. In my grade, I could only recall about seven Black students, with me and one of the boys having the darkest skin tones. I also had a bit of a tomboyish style. This combination of factors made me feel somewhat less attractive than my peers. Additionally, I sometimes felt as though I was pigeonholed into the category of the "angry dark-skinned social justice warrior." 

I had never been in a relationship, and it seemed like no one had ever shown genuine interest in me, so I felt the need to reinvent myself. Despite my best efforts, I began gaining weight, and to my surprise, I actually liked it. I had always had curves, but now they were more pronounced, making me appear older and healthier, and I thought it suited me. I started experimenting with makeup and trying out new hairstyles and clothing, and I had mixed feelings about the whole process. Each new style I tried seemed to meet with resistance from my parents, making me feel like nothing ever looked quite right on me.

My excitement soared when I received acceptance to Lincoln University. Located in Pennsylvania, it meant I would be on my own, and being an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) meant I'd finally get to experience being around more Black people than I ever had in my previous schools, truly immersing myself in American Black culture. I knew I'd never fully grasp it, coming from a West Indian household, but I was thrilled to be around people who looked like me.

When I moved into my dorm, the pandemic was still ongoing, so we had to quarantine for about a week. But after that initial period, college life began to unfold just as I had envisioned, at least for the first week. I hung out with a random group of people initially, only to never talk to them again, as it turned out. However, I embraced the clothing I wanted to wear and felt confident, albeit with a sense of artificial confidence. Strangely, every time I stepped out of my room, I felt a subtle tightness in my chest. Were my hand movements awkward? Why did I make eye contact with that person? They probably think I look out of place. These thoughts weighed on me with every step I took.

In time, I found myself leaving my room only to eat and occasionally get some fresh air. Surprisingly my anxiety about people had nothing to do with COVID and everything to do with my self-esteem. Luckily my room never felt like a prison; it was simply my sanctuary. I oddly never felt lonely, even though I spent most of my time by myself. I would read, watch TikToks, practice my dancing, paint, and do anything I wanted. I even tried out new recipes using a little toaster I definitely wasn't supposed to have. I felt free and content in my self-imposed solitude.

The only thing missing was my family, the food I loved, and the familiarity of my city. Lincoln was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farms. There were only fake Italian restaurants and Domino's for dining options. The cafeteria's ethnic food could only hold me over for so long. I missed my mom's pelau and the ability to buy doubles. I longed for visits to the deli and taking the train. Living by myself made me happy, but I wished I could do it back home. 

Reflecting on it now, I regret missing out on the opportunity to socialize, but I am grateful for the time I had to be with myself. In hindsight, I see that it was essential for my personal growth. During that time alone, I discovered a deeper understanding of myself and learned to appreciate the journey of self-discovery. In moments of self-reflection and solitude, we often uncover our true selves, which can grow and flourish as we become more self-aware. Life's paradox is that while we seek connections with others, we must also connect with our inner selves. This inner journey helps us become more complete and better at forming meaningful connections with the world. 

[goldenworldsabound]

1, 6 & 9??

Cannon Busters Asks

Thanks @heatobrienswife!!! I will do...the Devil fkjdsahkjd

“High Risk, Low Reward!” How do you and your f/o prefer to travel? Car? Boat? Train? Spaceship? Walking?

teleporting skjhfdskja the Devil seems REALLY reliant on that I'm imagining he literally doesn't walk more than a few feet ever if he can avoid it. Scares the shit out of me the first few times! I prefer normal vechicular transportation for quite a while until I get comfortable with it.

“Unfettered” Are there any secrets you or f/o had to keep from each other? Did you end up sharing them? Were there consequences?

Well I can't really think of any my SI would keep 🤔 it seems like based on an ep in s3 that the Devil gets a big ol book with information about everyone who's dead (I guess I'm...not dead...? Come to think of it he just brought me to hell but fjksdhafkj) so I couldn't really anyway.

I'm sure there's some things he's kept from me 🤔

“Lullaby of the Stars” Do you or your f/o sing? Are either of you good at it? How do you feel about each others’ voices?

He sings so incredibly well AND he dances like. Excuse me. fkjdafka I perished. I love listening to him sing and seeing him perform and he loves attention so it works out PERFECTLY. He laps it up!

He thinks my voice is adorable!!! I am shy about singing and my voice is definitely not as good as his, but he still really likes hearing me sing, or better yet singing together!!! He'll need to bully me into it though fdsakjfhksaj I'm SHY.

[muerteporfavor]

I failed yesterday.

I hate the person I see in the mirror, the clothes I see in the closet, the bookshelf I've owned since elementary school, the room that isn't technically mine but also is all the same.

I had an interview today. I think it went well. It's good pay, the company is part of a union, I have hope in that regard but not much else. I almost didn't go at all because all my clothes were wrong and then last minute I just went business casual instead. (An outfit I have for professional reasons, but the pants are from an 8th grade transfer ceremony and the shirt is from when I needed a last minute light colored shirt for a fraternity meeting because I was very briefly apart of a coed fraternity during my first year of college. I didn't recognize that girl back then either.)

I can't wear makeup right now because every time I try it causes irritation in my eyes every since I got pink eye. I hate how unfamiliar I look without it. Like somehow I am less me without it, like I've lost a part of myself. Perhaps I did. Is that so wrong? Maybe it is.

I want to curl up in bed and read fanfic and listen to sad music.

I want to book a airbnb two cities over for the weekend and walk around a market and maybe sit in a cafe and read and write. Write for the joy of it not for a goal. Maybe see the boy who lives there I've been talking to for almost a year, probably not because I'm at a low and I don't want him to see me like that as our first meeting. (Also because he is so busy the idea that I would manage to pick the perfect weekend for him to meet is kind of unrealistic.)

My friendships feel like they are crumbling but I can't tell if it's real or imagined. Will I have to start over again? It feels like this happens far too frequently (every few years) for it to be mere coincidence. Perhaps there is something wrong with me. Maybe it's the mimicry. The way I only do something because the other person did it. (They start sending me video messages instead of texts so I do too, etc.) Maybe it's because if they get too close, want to see each other too often, I feel like I've lost myself because the true me is holed up alone. Either in coffee shops or bookstores or libraries. Living in my mind alone.

I love being alone more than most people. I can go on four day trips alone and not talk to another soul other than brief interactions and feel perfectly fine. Not lonely. Happy. Peace. However, when I feel my connections slipping from my grasps I wonder if I'm not doing enough. But enough for them feels like removing my happiness. I don't want to meet up three days in a row for an entire afternoon each time as we flounce around to different stores and buy things we don't necessarily need.

Or the way I start to become reliant on the routine so much I stop running errands alone like I used to. Now I run errand with a person and I don't want to be like that. Only traveling, only running errands when there is others to follow me on the journey. Sometimes life is meant to be walked alone. And it isn't lonely. It's calming.

I love being in my head. Sure I have bad days where being in my head feels like a death sentence, we all do. Or at least all anxious people do.

I could just ask. If they hate me. But usually all that does is invite lies and bearing my weakness of self on display for others to see. Which is embarrassing because it only ever seems to make things worse. Or it did. I don't know. I just have to wait and see I guess.

Tick Tock. Tick Tock. The clock keeps ticking anyway.

Muerte Por Favor

[daily-media]

A camp teaches Ukrainian soldiers who were blinded in combat to navigate the world again

Over several weeks, the men would learn to navigate the city of Rivne, prepare their own meals and use public transportation while travelling solo.

RIVNE: Along a bustling street in a western Ukrainian city, Denys Abdulin takes his first independent strides since he was severely wounded and blinded while fighting invading Russian troops more than a year ago. The 34-year-old former soldier, wearing black glasses and gripping a white mobility cane, steps onto a more crowded stretch of sidewalk. His movements become tentative and tense. He accidentally blocks the path of a woman approaching an ATM to withdraw cash.

Like many other pedestrians, she responds with a compassionate smile and gracefully moves aside. Gradually, Abdulin covers 600 meters (almost 3/10 of a mile), guided by a trainer walking ahead of him with a bracelet of small metal bells.

Five other Ukrainian military veterans conquered similar challenges while attending a rehabilitation camp for ex-soldiers who lost their vision in combat. Over several weeks, the men would learn to navigate the city of Rivne, prepare their own meals and use public transportation while travelling solo.

Daily tasks they previously performed without thinking now demand focus, strength and dedication. “Everyone pays their price for freedom in Ukraine,” Abdulin, who spent months confined to a hospital bed and rarely takes off his dark shades, said.

The war Russia launched in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, has killed tens of thousands of fighters on both sides. Countless others, both Ukrainian military personnel and civilians who took up arms to defend their country, have been maimed or suffered other injuries that irreversibly reshaped their lives.

No statistics currently exist for how many service members have lost their sight due to severe wounds sustained in the war, according to Olesia Perepechenko, executive director of Modern Sight, the non-governmental organization that puts on the camp. But demand for the program is growing as the war nears its year and a half point.

Over the course of several weeks, the veterans, accompanied by their families, reside at a rehabilitation centre outside of Rivne. Most receive their first canes here, take their first walks around urban and natural environments without assistance, and learn to operate sound-based programs using cell phones and computers.

“Our goal isn’t to retrain them, not to change them, but simply to give them a chance to become independent and self-reliant,” Perepechenko, who is herself blind, said.

Abdulin voluntarily joined the military when Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 18 months ago.

Completing the 600-meter walk marked a new phase in his recovery following the wounds he sustained when a mine detonated a few meters (yards) behind him in Sieverodontesk, a city in eastern Ukraine now occupied by Russians. “It seemed to me that a flame flew out of my eyes,” he said of that day in May 2022.

“I immediately realized that I had lost my eyes.”

“Of course, I expected everything, but becoming blind, I couldn’t even imagine,” Abdulin continued.

“I thought that I could lose an arm or a leg, and I didn’t want to die at all. I never even thought that I would become blind. Therefore, at first, it was very difficult.”

In 2014, when Russia unlawfully annexed Crimea and armed conflict erupted in Ukraine’s Donbas region, Perepechenko yearned to be on the front lines helping in some way. Her request to join the army was declined, so she decided to embrace a new mission: helping soldiers who lost their sight to reclaim a sense of autonomy.

Modern Sight held its first rehabilitation camp in 2019 and organized around 10 more since then. However, only two camps have taken place during the war. Although there is a waiting list of 30 people for the next session, the non-profit’s primary hurdle is funding: each camp costs about 15,000 euros ($16,400) to put on.

Abdulin spent almost a year receiving treatment for his injuries, which included a shattered jaw from the shrapnel that also stole his vision and left him with breathing and balance problems. His wife, Olesia Abdulina, returned with their two children from Lithuania, where the three of them sought refuge after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“His eyes were still so swollen, with bandages over them, covered in cotton pads,” Abdulina said of seeing her husband at the hospital for the first time after their months of separation.

“The main thing is that you’re alive,” she said she responded when he told her he would never see her again. During the months after that, she fed him with a spoon and rarely left his side.

At the Modern Sight camp, the two of them were learning how to integrate his impairment into their family life. While Denys attended physiotherapy or cooking classes, Abdulina and other women with husbands or boyfriends in the program go through their own training exercises. One purpose of the camp is reminding the spouses they are not “nannies” but life partners to their men, Perepechenko said.

During one such session, Abdulina is blindfolded and given a long cane. She tentatively probes the floor while another participant holds her hand. The purpose of the exercise is to help the women better understand what their partners experience and need.

“We remain the same people. We have the same capabilities,” Ivan Soroka, 27, who joined the Ukrainian army on the day Russia invaded and was attending the camp for a second time. “We need to stand up, take control and work on improving ourselves.”

A projectile wounded Soroka near Bakhmut in August 2022, when the longest battle of the war so far was just beginning. Russian forces ended up taking the city in eastern Ukraine in May after more than eight months of intense combat.

“I lost my sight immediately, thrown by the blast wave. I felt that I was dying,” Soroka said. “I lay there for about two minutes. Then I realized that no, someone isn’t letting me go there.” As he recalls those moments, he implies it was his fiancee, Vlada, now sitting beside him, who kept him alive.

The couple met when Soroka was participating in the defence of the Kyiv region in the spring of last year. Their love blossomed swiftly against the backdrop of war. Prior to Soroka’s summer deployment to the Donetsk region, he proposed to Vlada. She agreed to marry him.

But soon after, the two were spending days and nights in a hospital instead of preparing for a wedding. The happy occasion that was postponed because of Soroka’s injury is now planned for early September; after months of rehabilitation, he feels both physically and psychologically strong.

“I’ve realized that unless I rise on my own and start doing something, nothing will change,” he said.

The men and their partners spend camp breaks and evenings in a gazebo on the rehabilitation centre’s grounds. An atmosphere of tranquillity prevails, occasionally interrupted by hearty laughter and jokes from their time as soldiers.

By the time they leave the centre, the men will know they have the tools to get around a city and gain something equally vital — a sense of community forged through shared experiences and common trauma.

One evening, when the day’s activities were completed, the camp participants gathered in a courtyard to celebrate Oleksandr Zhylchenko’s birthday. He lost his sight late last year, though did not share details about the circumstances.

“I’m drawing you into a circle, into your family’s circle. There are about 50 of us here,” Perepechenko said, handing Zhylchenko a heart-shaped balloon in the yellow and blue of Ukraine’s national flag. “This is our collective heart.”

The trainers and trainees stood in a circle and, one by one, shared their birthday wishes for the man of the moment. Careless days. A bright future. Patience, confidence, faithfulness. A peaceful sky. The final wish was for “victory for all of us and for Ukraine.”

Moved, Zhylchenko held the balloon a moment longer, silently conjuring his own wish. Then, he released it, without seeing it swiftly ascend into the sky.

[everythingelseisextra]

Well shit. I don't know what I expected given the title, but it was not this. What an emotional rollercoaster, and Lucy as a character felt very, very real. She's actually a little similar to my reader insert in Wild Ones; they're both fiercely independent and tough as steel. I loved her relationship with Tommy. Even from just this one part, I could tell that they're attached by the hip, reliant on each other, but also respectful of each other's boundaries. I really appreciated that. It's a kind of dream of a relationship with him.

Here are my favorite parts and why:

Prior to Tommy, she’d never thought she would even feel safe enough to be with a man after what happened with Matthew. This got my attention. Sometimes I forget that characters have their own backstories and get so engaged in the story that everything just seems simple. You wrote this reference to her past with such a light touch that it would've been easy to miss, but it's vital, and I really appreciate the implications here. I'm intrigued.

Tommy had once told her that Polly was a more accurate pregnancy test than going to the doctor. I laughed at this. As proven in canon, Polly really is talented at telling when someone is pregnant, and I liked the red flag of Polly not noticing anything was different. It brought a little more curiosity to the story.

“I can’t have children.” Oof. That hits hard. The realization and shock must've sent Lucy spinning. I felt my heart drop when I read this, a sort of aching feeling in my chest, because even though she might not have wanted kids, it's still a door closing and locking.

You’re empty inside. Polly had said to her shortly after she first joined up with them. Turns out she’d been right in more ways than one. Ah, Polly. Always the one to predict the different shocks of someone's life and be horribly blunt about all of it. She's quite poignant when she wants to be, always able to make her point with a little bit of spite every time.

Sweet man, much as he might try to hide it. YES. THIS. He IS. He's much, much sweeter than he lets on, and he genuinely deserves better than what he gets in canon, even though a lot of it he did to himself.

There would be no locking her away in a house, to cook and clean and sew and change diapers, waiting anxiously each day for her man to come home to her. This line caught my eye because it's exactly what my character in Wild Ones would think. She would hate to lose her autonomy and be at the mercy of the man she was impregnated by. I personally feel the same, although it likely will never be an issue for me.

Poor Tommy nearly dropped the opium pipe he was busy cleaning with a cloth, going rigid against her, lips parting. LMAO POOR TOM. I can imagine his mind speeding up so fast that he completely loses track of what exactly he feels or thinks. He's far more sensitive than he'd like people to know, and I believe that his reaction to a confession like that would be exactly this.

“That would be up to you,” he kissed her softly. “Either way, I’d hold your hand in the delivery room or in the clinic. I want you to know that.” THIS. This would be so hard to hear. It's a promise of freedom in the circumstance of pregnancy, and it would really show her that she, if the time came, would've been safe with him, if only that was possible.

Thank you for recommending me this fic. It was quite the ride to read and I really enjoyed it. <3

Barren

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x OC

Summary: Lucy receives some news.

Notes: Some light angst for y’all. Takes place before the events of season 1. Warnings for mention of periods, pregnancy scare, allusion to past sexual assault, brief mention of sexual content, a character being sterile, very slight mention of drug use, and mention of abortion.   

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[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

Just got back from L&T. Thoughts under the cut. But first, a pic of my girl (sorry, I mean, Your Majesty 👑):

So I have a few negatives to talk about but let's start with the positives.

The scene with Thor and Zeus when he's trying to convince him to join him against Gorr reminded me so much of his talk with Odin in TDW. At some point I thought they were trying to draw some parallels... but honestly I don't know if it's just me seeing things when there's nothing. Either way, I liked it.

Thor's speech to the kids towards the end was touching.

Val handling King duties and enjoying it was lovely to see.

Jane explaining the Einstein-Rosen bridge while under chemo. She was never boring and that enthusiasm is contagious. "You just destroyed your book!" - "Yeah! But now you understand wormholes!". She's lovely and I'll miss her.

Heimdall! My beloved. Only for 10 seconds but hey, I'll take whatever they give me, I love that man. Shorter hair too!

And this is something between a positive and a negative: I like that Thor said to Quill something in the lines of (I'm paraphrasing here): "You have a team that cares for each other, I never had that". I actually liked it because from what we've seen in the movies he had 4 friends who seemed to follow him and look up to him but we never saw him having a deep conversation with them, to me they were more party/battle friends than anything and Thor always stroked me as a very lonely person despite being a prince. Not to mention the Avengers never truly showed any interest, let alone compassion, especially in EG. So that line is interesting to keep in the movie...... that is, if you do something with it. But they just had him say it then ignored it for the rest of the movie. It's such a lost opportunity. Imagine Thor shit-talking the Avengers and setting the record straight after EG... if only.

Now, the negatives.

I don't understand all this talk about worthiness. If Ragnarok was supposed to teach Thor and the audience anything is that being worthy is utterly meaningless! Lifting Mjolnir was always entirely subjective, reliant on a bunch of rules dictated by a deeply flawed character like Odin. Thor is supposed to know he doesn't need that hammer or the axe or anybody's approval. He's the golden child, if he doesn't learn that then his arc keeps going in circles, and round and round it goes. It makes no sense.

I can't believe 2 movies in since she was introduced and my girl Val does not get a name. I appreciate people calling her Val but surely she's got a name, right? And her horse? I'll say this though: I don't remember them giving him a name but I'm grateful, if they call him anything but Aragorn my URL is truly fucked 😜

Why bring Sif back? She's the LAST connection Thor has to his old life. I was so happy to see her again since I genuinely thought he was going to lose it or they were gonna have some chat or something, but nah, they share one scene that's eerily similar to Thor 1 and they're good to go.

Once again character development is done in a rushed one-minute sequence. I watch these movies because I care about these characters, if that means you add 25 minutes to the damn movie then do so. If that means you cut a few fights then do so.

Thor realizing he wants and needs love is nice but giving him a kid is not the way to go, that's giving him someone to care for when he should be caring ABOUT AND FOR HIMSELF.

What kind of relationships does he have with Val and the others? A bunch of scenes with the Guardians and all I saw were screams and nothing more when that team is more a family than anything else, they wouldn't go about it like the Avengers (battle together then each member goes their own way), the Guardians care.

I would have wanted to see how the Asgardians are adapting to Earth or a bit more from New Asgard. Jane gets a statue, that's cool, no statues for anybody else though?

Oh the """queer rep""".... we were told she would look for her Queen but of course that didn't happen, I wish I could say I'm surprised but I'm not. And she doesn't even get to say anything, it's Korg who says "girlfriend" and leaves it at that? You know what, it's far worse to have this, I'd rather not have anything. If this is as far as they're willing to go please STOP. Everyone is straight, that's easier to digest.

Also, it's so fucking annoying to see people erasing her identity and saying she's a lesbian. No she isn't, Valkyrie is bisexual. We have enough bi erasure as it is, don't contribute to it.

And speaking of my girl... where the fuck is her arc? She gets no story, her pegasus is only on screen a couple times, she seems to be enjoying being a King so why not show that and how she's growing from being a warrior raised to kill to becoming someone trustworthy who loves her people and learns the humans' rules so she can defend them? Also she's still not redeemed, she has never said anything about how she feels after being raised to kill and commit genocide, how she felt about Odin (when Gorr was telling her I was almost begging! for her to speak up). I will admit I jumped when she was stabbed though. I may have a weird definitely non-healthy attachment to her lol

The problem about introducing new and powerful cities and weapons while Feige keeps parroting all that bs about "connected universe" is that it makes previous movies absolutely useless. So Thor knew about Omnipotent City? Why not go there in IW instead of Nidavellir then? Once you open the portal to Eternity why not kill Gorr and ask for anything...

Gorr the God Butcher who's shown on-screen killing the crazy amount of......... one god in the entire movie. So much for butchering.

"Lady Thor", "the name is Mighty Thor or Dr Jane Foster", I knew she was going to say that. Way too forced. You want feminism, Marvel? Flesh out the female characters and stop giving them the suits and powers of their male counterparts.

And lastly, what Mjolnir means to Thor. What that hammer represents is his past, his family, the time when stability was ensured and he had everything he wished for, back in the day when he didn't know the lies and what was hiding underneath the golden palace and his father's machinations. His attachment to Mjolnir in reality what it hides is his subconscious desire to go back to that time, which is exactly why he should despise that hammer! Not through hate for Hela but disappointment and anger towards his father.

All I keep seeing in these movies is Thor not growing up or out of his golden child status and I HATE IT. And it seems the only way they know to make characters "grow" is by giving them a romance or a kid... these characters need self-love, how is it possible that these writers and directors don't understand that familial, romantic, etc love is not the same as self-love? That you can have a million people who love you and still not love yourself?

Overall this is clearly the worst Thor movie for me, worse than Ragnarok, and I give it a 4/10 and I'm being generous (3,5 of those are for Val 😂). I still love Thor though, there are.... flashes of his old self and while short they remind me why I've always been a big fan of his.

Thor honey, you deserve so much more than this.

[aspoonofsugar]

what ships do you like or think will be canon in rwby? :)

Hello anon!

I don't think I am the best person to answer this tbh because I am really not a shipper :''')

Anyway, I have some thoughts about ships in RWBY, but before properly disclosing them I would prefer to receive some more confirmation by the story itself :P

As for now, I'll do my best to answer your question, but this post is highly speculative, so take with a grain of salt :’’’)

Also, tagging @hamliet because she is a shipmaster :P (also tbh... our ships are just the same :'''))

I also advise you to check out her meta on chemical weddings in RWBY.

BEFORE STARTING

There are two assumptions I am following when it comes to ships in RWBY and I am curious to see in-story if they are correct or wrong. 

Complementarity

Ships in RWBY are about complementarity. This obviously means the characters have complementary arcs, but superficially, it is also about motifs and symbolism.

In short, characters in RWBY have common motifs going on (moon, sun, shadow, light, elements, etc.). There is the tendency in-story so far to pair up characters with complementary motifs.

Equality

So far, ships have been between characters that have a similar importance/focus in the story. So, we do not have a love interest who waits home or who is less iimportant than their partner.

So far, RWBY seems to be integrating ships in character arcs and it builds them through parallelisms and foiling as well.

Now, the problem with these two assumptions is that so far there are too few ships that have been confirmed by the story :’’’). So, they fit and I think they will fit for other ships as well, but it is a little bit too soon to say for sure. 

SHIPS THAT ARE BASICALLY ALREADY CANON

Renora

Ren and Nora are basically canon :’’’) As Nora would say, they are not together-together, but they are clearly heading there.

They have admitted their feelings for each other and by now the structure of their arcs is clear.

The first part of the story is Ren’s focus with Nora as the helper.

The second part will probably be Nora’s focus with Ren as the helper.

Atlas is where they share focus in two separate and parallel journeys. Ren ends his arc, while Nora starts hers. It is clearly where there is a shift in their dynamic.

I would love to write a longer meta on them when the story is over, but as for now it will have to wait because I need more material on Nora. Anyway, their arcs are clearly complementary and they must integrate and become more like the other if they want to be together. So, Ren must accept his feelings, while Nora must become more self-reliant.

Complementarity: they are introduced as complete opposites. Nora is overly energetic, while Ren is overly stoic and calm. Moreover, Nora’s surname links her to air (Valkyrie) and her red hair and lightening powers associate her to fire. Ren’s surname instead means lotus and links him to earth and water.

Equality: they are introduced together and clearly presented as a set. Not to count that their arcs clearly revolve around each other. Moreover, they are MC, but slightly less important than the rest of the group imo (byt this I mean their arcs are not as intertwined with the main plot as the others’ are).

Bumbleby

Yang and Blake have received a lot of teasing these past volumes and they basically only need some kind of mutual aknowledgement.

I wonder if this aknowledgement will partly come after some focus on Yang and Ruby’s bond. I think volume 8 is clearly setting up some kind of exploration of how Ruby has been depending on Yang since a little child. In coming of age stories it is common for children to overcome their dependence on an older role model, so for Ruby and Yang’s dynamic to slightly change as they grow would fit. If so, it would be interesting if symbolically Ruby grows independent, while Yang fully embraces a romantic relationship with Blake (and yes, I know this is already partially happening, I am imagining it not as something big, but more as a top-off).

Anyway, personally I love the ship and I think it was planned since the beginning, but I think the set-up has been kind of blurried by all that teasing between Blake and Sun. I am not a fan of how Sun/Blake’s relationship has been handled tbh.

Thematically, Yang and Blake’s arcs are clearly intertwined. Yang needs to control her feelings better and to accept help and support, while Blake needs to learn not to run away. Their conflict around being left/leaving is very interesting and it was cool to see how they overcome it through facing the people responsible for their trumas (Raven and Adam).

Complementarity: the Beauty & the Beast, Sun and Moon/Shadow, Day and Night, Light and Dark, do I need to go on?

Equality: Yang and Blake are both MC and partners.

SHIPS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE CANON AND THAT I LIKE

Rosegarden

Honestly, romantic or not, there is not doubt Oscar and Ruby are major foils either way...

Their first meeting makes it abundantly clear. Apart from the symbolism explained in hamliet’s meta linked above... the whole set up of the meeting is basically screaming to the viewers WARNING WARNING THIS MEETING IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR THE STORY!

Anyway, Oscar arrives at their room and asks specifically for Ruby Rose - and yes, it is because she is Qrow’s niece and Qrow is drunk, but the point is that since the beginning he singles her out among the others. This is not by chance, it is to make clear his character is going to be linked to her specifically. That + the silver eyes line clearly set up their bond as important.

Other than this, it has been made clear as day Oscar is crushing hard on Ruby :’’’) He has barely met her and he is already basically telling her she has pretty eyes and calling her one of the best Huntresses in the world :’’’)

Ruby instead has been supporting Oscar since day one, telling him he is his own person and that he is brave. Even her first line to his (Who are you?) is clearly linked to Oscar’s arc - who is Oscar? That is the fundamental question Oscar himself must answers while struggling with Ozpin merging with him.

In fights, we see Ruby often supporting Oscar and Oscar keeps singling her out - for example, he calls her name at Heaven when Emerald hits her. Later on, he once again calls out for her when Cordovin shoots her cannon at boht her and Weiss (poor Weiss, lol).

Anyway, all these little things are not there by chance. They are hints to tell the viewers... look these two’s relationship is gonna be important.

Even thematically, we can already see that Oscar and Ruby have been foils since volume 6. In volume 6 they both must step into Ozpin’s role. Ruby as the leader of the group, while Oscar as “the wizard” of the group.

Their roles are complementary in the fight against Cordovin as well.

Oscar figures out a way to destroy the cannon from the outside, while Ruby uses Oscar’s information to destroy the cannon from inside.

In general, that whole fight is the fight that cements Ruby’s role as the leader of the group and Oscar as a part of the group:

Ruby: Hey, stop it!

Ren: You petrified a Leviathan... after diving down the barrel of a cannon!

Ruby: Don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before! I mean, Oscar made a successful crash landing! He's a fourteen-year-old farm hand!

In Atlas, their parallel journeys continue as they develop opposite approaches to the theme of trust and challenge each other when it comes to this.

Right now they are separated, but Neo changing into Oscar to trigger Ruby clearly foreshadows him together with Penny and Yang as a pretty important character in Ruby’s development in volume 9.

Anyway, among the yet non canon ships, I personally think this is the one with the highest chances of becoming canon.

Complementarity: Silver and Gold, Moon and Sun.

Equality: They are both MC.

White Knight

Tbh... I hope they get focus together next arc, romantic or platonic I do not care. I simply think their relationship is super interesting to analyze, hence I hope it gets focus and payoff.

Anyway, I like White Knight because if it turns out canon, it would simply be very well done structurally.

Weiss and Jaune are hands down the two characters that receive the most focus in volume 1. Moreover, their focus has really nothing to do with the main plot. Weiss’s two eps about accepting Ruby’s leadership and Jaune’s Jaunidice mini arc are there only for respectively Weiss and Jaune. Nothing else. Differently from Blake’s runaway arc, that ties with Torchwick, the White Feng and the main plot... Weiss and Jaune’s episodes are there only for the characters to develop.

This is not by chance because initially Weiss and Jaune are the characters that need to develop the most and interestingly their development is the same and yet opposite. Both are just defined by their legacies and trapped in their respective stereotypes. Jaune is the comic relief loser, while Weiss is the spoilt little princess. Both are trying to outgrow these personas by entering Beacon. In short, neither of them really wants to be the damsel in distress and they both want to be the Knight :P

They wanna be heroes to prove themselves to their respective families.

However, this wish is also what initially gets in the way of their developments.

Weiss is so obsessed by the idea she should be the leader that she forgets to be a teamplayer to beging with.

Jaune is so obsessed by the idea he should be a warrior that he forgets his role as a leader.

Basically in volume one both Weiss and Jaune must find their place in their teams, accept their limits and grow to become better. Both are able to do so through their relationships with their respective partners (Ruby and Pyrrha).

Then of course there is their whole relationship that is interesting.

In short, their dynamic in the Vale arc is just a huge game of mirrors...

The only reason Jaune starts crushing for Weiss is that he hears her sarcastic line to Ruby:

Weiss: Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there!

And interprets it as genuine XD

Because of this very stupid mistake, Jaune just keeps flirting with Weiss and completely ignores Pyrrha who has feelings for him.

So, really Jaune initially falls in love with a mirror image, with an illusion.

This is Weiss’s worst nightmare:

Weiss: All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name.

Someone loving her not for who she is, but for her name or status. Someone loving her superficially...

Except that when it comes to love, Weiss is pretty superficial as well:

Neptune:  And I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel.

Neptune is nothing, but a “cooler” and Up to 11 version of Jaune. Same pick-up lines. Same flirting tendencies, but worse. And yet, Weiss crushes on him simply because he is “cooler”. Not to count that deep down Netpune and Jaune are actually very similar :P

So, Weiss says boys do not take the time to really know who she is. However, she herself does not really take the time to know others and is judgemental of them.

This is also why Neptune turns out to be actually pretty important to develop Weiss and Jaune’s bond.

Weiss thinks Jaune is interested on her only superficially, but as time goes on it becomes clear Jaune is really growing to genuinelly like Weiss, the more he knows her:

Jaune: It's Weiss. I'm completely head-over-heels for her, and she won't even give me a chance. She's cold, but she's also incredible. She's smart, and graceful, and talented. I mean, have you heard her sing? I-I just wish she's take me seriously, y'know? I wish I could tell her how I feel without messing it all up.

He is not interested in her only because she is beautiful or rich, but she grows to care for her as a friend and this emerges in how he calls out Neptune on his shitty behaviour:

Jaune: Do you like her?

Neptune: Yeah, I mean I don't know her too well yet, but she seems pretty cool.

Jaune: Then just go talk to her. No pickup lines, no suave moves, just be yourself. I've heard that's the way to go. (he crosses his arms)

Neptune: Yeah, but then-

And this leads to Neptune helping Weiss realize Jaune is truly a friend of hers:

Weiss: You said you were embarrassed at first. What made you come talk to me?

Neptune: You're looking at him. You got some good friends looking out for ya.

So, Jaune and Weiss’s relationship starts off as superficial, but as time goes on they grow to care for each other as friends.

Obviously, their focus stops being romantic because after Pyrrha’s death Jaune’s focus needs to be on grieving for his fallen love. Still, it is precisely when it comes to Pyrrha that we have another pivotal moment in both characters’ arcs and it is a moment they share:

Jaune unlocks Aura Amp to save Weiss and Weiss uses his aura to summon her Queen Lancer for the first time. They unlock new sides of themselves (a new semblance, a new summon) through each other. Both Jaune and Weiss highly struggle in the first half of the Heaven fight.

Jaune loses himself to anger and recklessly attacks Cinder disturbing the whole group’s flow. Weiss instead is outmatched by Vernal and is unable to use her summons. Thanks to each other they are able to find their respective roles in the fight, though.

Moreover, Cinder specifically impales Weiss to torment Jaune and draws in this why a strong parallel between Pyrrha (Jaune’s past love interest) and Weiss herself. Finally, when it comes to Weiss, this moment can be seen as a nod to her Snowhite allusion. Snowhite dies, but is saved by the prince.

Apart from that, they have not received many moments together. This makes sense because after Mistral Jaune goes to the background for a while and Weiss’s focus is limited to her interactions with her family.

That said, it is clear they are on good terms with each other. They go to the movies together (in what is a call back to Weiss’s volume 2 refusal to go to the cinema together) and at the end of the Atlas arc they are the two last fighters standing against Cinder.

We’ll see if they will get focus next volume, especially considering Weiss was there when Jaune had to give Penny the finishing blow.

Complementarity: They lack this! Specifically, they start the series as both silver and moon, but I like hamliet’s theory Jaune will grow to be more like Pyrrha (hence gold and sun), so that he can complement Weiss. We can already see more gold appearing in his outfit and his weapon recently broke, so...

Equality: they are both MCs plus they getting similar focus in similar moments and as parallels to each other.

Emercury

This is my favourite relationship in the series :’’) and I am okay with it being either romantic or platonic. I literally do not care.

Anyway, I have talked about them at nauseam, so this is going to be quick.

Emerald and Mercury are two kids trapped in the cycle of abuse for opposite reasons and different coping mechanisms. Em is blinded by her desires, while Merc is frozen out of fear. Despite this, they have clearly grown fond of each other, but still struggle to help each other because of their flaws.

Mercury has been Emerald’s family much more than Cinder, but Emerald could not realize it until the Atlas Arc. And by that point Mercury is simply taken away from her and she finds herself alone.

Emerald is clearly Mercury’s only hope to save herself. She is the only person he has shown some care for. Not to count that she is really the only person he can be himself with. With all the others, he puts on a facade, but to Em he shows genuine feelings, be them anger, affection or vulnerability.

I am really interested in seeing how their relationship will evolve now that they are on opposite sides.

Complementarity: Soul and Body, Heart and Mind, Earth and Water/Air, Day and Night, Wishes and Fears, Semblance and Weapon.

Equality: they are introduced as a set (like Renora) and are clearly going through parallel and complementary arcs.

And this is all tbh. I also like Arkos, but Pyrrha is dead, so :’’’).

Have a nice day and thank you for the ask!