#I will eloborate on any of these if anyone asks

[river-neurodivergent-willow]

No, advocating for all AAC users to have every single word in the dictionary/as many words as possible in their AAC is not liberating.

No, advocating against all ABA therapy is not liberating.

No, advocating for people to never restrain any/all autistic people in a meltdown is not liberating.

No, advocating against all institutions for any/all autistic people is not liberating.

No, advocating that all autistic people need to be in a mainstream class and special education is segregation and always bad is not liberating.

It is not all black and white, these things can be bad and terrible, but also not and keeping people safe and/or helping them.

[forsty]

If you don't mind, could you elaborate on your “The dagger squad is taken hostage by some Bad People who are after Mav, Rooster is shot in a skirmish,” whump idea?? (if you can, if not it's all good) I am intrigued 👀👀👀 Please take this an invitation to talk about it as long and in depth as you’d like 😊

Anon you are just enabling me at this point!!! A dangerous thing to do!!! OF COURSE I would LOVE to eloborate, don't have to ask me twice!

Overall concept/idea/story:

The dagger squad (minus Yale, Omaha, Harvard, Fritz and Halo) all meet up at Mav's hangar to hang out (not sure what for? maybe they planned a BBQ?). They all arrive a few hours early, so Mav isn't there yet. They know it could be a few hours before Mav shows up so they all just hang out at that point, trying their best not to snoop in Mav's things.

Rooster goes outside for a moment to pick up something from his car, the others are startled when he returns shortly after along with another person who unfortunately is holding Rooster at gunpoint. A few other armed (mostly with guns) folks show up, surrounding the other pilots really quickly. Obviously Rooster was jumped when alone outside. Additional: They could have punched him when they jumped him

The others are immedietly on edge while the BAD GUY who got a gun on Rooster starts going on about what's happening/going to happen kinda vaguely. The reason they're being taken hostage isn't revealed before Mav actually shows up abit later.

It becomes clear all of them are being targeted, as the bad guys know their call signs from before (but only their callsigns, not their names), and that they're being targeted because they mean something to Mav (who is technically the real target)

I'm unsure about how many enemies we're talking about here, I'm thinking maybe around 4 guys who has surrounded the others and 5 with the guy who has Rooster at gunpoint. Though none of these are the actual "leader", he has yet to show up. since they are all nameless I'll do it like this: #1: The leader dude #2: The one who has Rooster at gunpoint so far #3: Goon #4: Goon #5: Goon #6: Goon (I'll talk more about them later)

All the dagger pilots are SUPER tense, looking for any moment of opportunity to get a upper hand. I always imagine this scene to be like... VERY heavy on the facial expression and talking without speaking. Rooster's locking eyes with all of his squadmates and literally begging either of them to leap into action, regardless if he gets shot or not (cause I mean). and WHILE this wordless conversation is going on between them all, some of the goons have started to tie up the pilots. Bob and Phoenix are being cuffed to the couch that Mav has in his hanger, I'm abit unsure where the others are being cuffed to, but theya re at least being tied up.

After Fanboy has been tied up, and Payback is next, the guys start stressing about all of them being tied up before anyone can do anything, so in a very spontanous act, Hangman launches at the nearest goon, which creates a window for Rooster to wiggle free from the grip #2 has on him. There's some fighting, Payback, Coyote, Hangman and Rooster throwing hands with the goons, and just when it seems like they're about to get the upper hand, a loud gunshot rings through the hangar.

Rooster has been shot in his abdomen and he immedietly tumbles to the ground. The three others who aren't tied up all freeze up, looking at their FALLEN FRIEND and then at #2 who had fired the shot. He looks PISSED, his gun still aimed towards Rooster. The other goons use this opportunity to restrain the last pilots, and maybe Phoenix shouts at them (you know, just horrified reactions from all of them).

Once all pilots (except Rooster but he's not considered a threat anymore) have been restrained and is under control, #4 rushes over to #2 and starts asking why he shot the guy and that nobody was supposed to get THAT much hurt. It's revealed that all the goons knew who Rooster is to Mav, and that Rooster was a priority because of that, but they didn't know which of the pilots was Rooster (somehow the information about who belonged to which callsign got mixed up). So #2 figured he could shoot the guy, cause he was being annoying

So now the situation is really bad OBVIOUSLY, and it becomes clear that it still might be awhile until Mav gets there. All the pilots are tied up and Rooster is just laying there.... bleeding... Phoenix and/or Bob start to plead or convince #2 to at least let one of them loose so they can help Rooster, make sure he doesn't bleed out. After some convincing, Phoenix telling #2 that it will look real bad if they actually ended up killing someone, #2 lets Phoenix loose (but with her hands tied in front of her) to help Rooster. (I kinda change up who ends up helping him, sometimes it's Phoenix, sometimes it's Bob, sometimes it's Hangman... can also be Fanboy, Coyote or Payback too just to bring them more into the story)

A little bit of time pass, and the whole time it's just super tense. The other pilots trying to find ways to get loose, Phoenix stressing over Rooster, who's CLEARLY in pain and struggling. Maybe Phoenix and Bob talk abit (cause they're close enough to talk quietly). One of the other Bad Guys brings Phoenix some extra towels, they seem kinda remorseful over the situation.

Then Mav shows up. They hear the rumble of his bike approuching, and I have this VERY CLEAR IMAGE of Rooster looking at Phoenix with so much dread. Mav enters his hangar and is immedietly put at gunpoint of course, and he’s just SHOCKED AND CONFUSED? Here he was expecting to find his pilots but instead he finds a bunch of armed strangers and his pilots all tied up?? It takes him a moment before he spots Rooster, and the moment he sees him it takes Mav like 0,01 seconds before he’s at his kid’s side.

Then there’s like... mostly just a lot of conversation? Mav demanding to know what the heck is going on and that they need to get Rooster to the hospital (which ofc... the bad guys say no to because they ARE after all in the middle of a hostage situation here). 

THIS IS ALSO when the leader/boss shows up, and turns out, Mav knows him. (I’m thinking it’s someone he and Goose met at flight school, but said person got kicked out and is forever salty about it). SO the big plan is finally revealed, these people want Mav to steal some.. government secret aircraft.... ? because they think he can get access to it. Maybe he can.. maybe he can’t... but they also say if he can’t they’re sure Mav can just talk to Ice about it lol... and ofc the whole “If you DON’T do this... we’re gonna kill all your little pilot friends here” so MAV FIGURES HE DOESNT HAVE A CHOICE and agrees to do it but ofc they can’t do it right away, they have to wait (i dunno something about scheduling) which really adds to the tension considering THE SITUATION

This is where I sometimes change things up, either they remain where they all are (Mav being cuffed to the couch or something I dunno). Sometimes they plead to move Rooster over to the couch. The more in detail continuation is that the bad guys move all the pilots into Mav’s caravan that’s in his hangar (oof crowded, but at least they can put Rooster on Mav’s bed)

AND HERE ARE SOME EXTRA ADDITIONS OR POSSIBLE CHANGES OR RANDOM INFORMATION

 we’re not opposed to others getting hurt in this scenario either. I mean they would try to fight back... maybe Hangman or Coyote gets some brusies etc etc

I also ponder on the idea that they somehow manage to call for help, and it’s the rest of the squad that comes to their aid (cause I like being able bring them more into the stories ya know)

Rooster is shot and the bullet DOESN’T go clean through (cause I enjoy the added drama <3) 

TBH this entire scenario is very inspired/based on an episode from the a-team 

I like the idea that one of the goons is actually kinda nice and tries to help and deflate the situation. 

I also just LOVE the idea of Mav trying to do his best to keep Rooster alive while they’re kept in his caravan, in a super cramped space with very little equipment in terms of first-aid..... (maybe he even tries to remove the bullet... not that im a doctor and knows if thats smart or not but ya know..... angst)

there might be some things i’ve forgotten BUT THAT’S ABOUT IT... AT LEAST THE MOST IMPORTANT DETAILS PFFT.. i also apologize if it’s messy my thoughts are quite jumbled most of the time 

[femmeslash]

Hello, could you eloborate on the reasons why you think Maki is a lesbian? I absolutely see her as a lesbian as well and think she thought she liked Kaito because it was the first time anyone cared about at all, is it the same with you? I'm just asking because I think you'd perhaps be better at explaining?

i absolutely can! i made a twitter thread on this once, but im always willing to rehash my favorite topic, Why Maki Harumaki Is Gay.

tldr: emotionally constipated shithead mistakes friendship for attraction

maki is a character that doesn’t really interact with anyone at first, either because she doesnt want people to get too close to her or because she pretty much hates everyone or both. when she opens up a little and you’re allowed to do her free times, you learn she’s actually had two notable friendships in the past, both with girls. she mentions the daughter of some guy she had to kill (i believe she was forced to kill her friend as well?), and her friend from the orphanage. she loved to play house with this girl, and apparently cared so much for her that she was willing to risk her life to become an assassin in this girl’s place.

maki’s love hotel, her ideal fantasy, has her playing house with a childhood friend from the orphanage, and then the friend basically proposing. i know the love hotels aren’t exactly canon, but maki’s is one of the nicer ones, where no one is being coerced or anything weird (miu, tenko, tsumugi, SHINGUUJI). i just think it’s interesting that out of all the things that could have been maki’s ideal lover, they went with… basically a description of someone she already knew and cared for deeply.

like i said, maki is really standoffish, and only goes along with kaito because he’s annoying as fuck and physically dragged her out there. i think that’s REALLY important for her, actually - kaito is the first person ever to know who she really is and still isn’t afraid of her, and goes out of his way to make her feel accepted. that’s huge! kaito is a dumbass, but he believes in her and knows she’s not as dangerous as everyone thinks.

maki has spent most of her adolescence repressing all her emotions. she even says this to kaito and shuuichi. she can’t get emotional, because that interferes in a huge way with her work. she was trained to withstand torture as a young teenager or maybe even younger, which is an absolute nightmare situation to put any child through. she cried herself to sleep every night, and eventually, i think she just… shut herself off. it’s much, much easier for a human weapon to not be able to feel. but kaito MAKES her feel something almost… pleasant? and she doesn’t really know what it is.

but he’s a boy, right? and she’s a girl, and she feels wanted and appreciated for probably the first time in a long, long time. it has to be romantic attraction.

except so, so many lesbians have been in this exact same boat, traumatic childhood or no, where we convince ourselves we’re super into the nearest acceptable man because that’s what girls are supposed to do. “oh, i like him, but i don’t want him to touch me at all haha i guess i’m just shy!” “my boyfriend is so perfect but i get nauseous whenever i think about kissing him” shit like this is all over every wlw blog on here! that’s what maki is going through.

this is just my headcanon, of course, but i’ve thought a lot about it. ultimately it boils down to “i’m a lesbian and it makes me feel comforted to see my favorite girl as a lesbian”, but i hope that this can help some people see my reasoning behind it as well.

thank you for the ask 🍒