#I've had plenty of positive interactions

[othellotron9000]

hello, just wanted to say I enjoy your post have a good day!

So many nice people online, thank you ^_^

[aeithalian]

What even are the ancient laws?

I've been meaning to get around to this one for ages.

Anyways! Good question, guys! Answer: nobody fucking knows. Sure, we have good ideas. The laws are mentioned every now and then as a "oh, no little mortal child I can't help you - that's against the ancient laws. But hey! You can help me."

Let's be honest: the ancient laws, while there might be legitimate reasons for some of them, have transformed into yet another way that the gods hold themselves as the high and mighty overlords of the world, and keep their mortal offspring below them at all costs. But... why? Are the demigods really that dangerous to the gods? The answer: yes, but not to the gods - to Zeus.

Let's start from the beginning and list out everything we know about the laws. I did the hard work, you're welcome:

1. Gods cannot steal each others' symbols of power.

2. A god cannot initiate a fight with a mortal.

3. No direct interference - gods are not allowed to interfere in the lives and ongoings of mortals or monsters.

4. No more than 3 people are allowed on a quest.

5. Harming the sacred animals of a god is forbidden.

And that's it. Those are the only true mentions of the Ancient Laws in the entirety of the Riordanverse (at least, the Greco-Roman books).

And I think we all know what the most important one is. Direct Interference is the only one we see Zeus actively enforcing (or at least attempting to). But why is that? Well, stealing another god's symbol of power and initiating a battle with a mortal are physically impossible for gods, and the ban on harming a sacred animal is very commonly accepted already, as it's a guaranteed way to get your ass whooped. And the rule about having 3 on a quest isn't really something Zeus is going to spare the effort to enforce - starting a quest with more than 3 will typically guarantee that you come home with only 3, if at all.

But Direct Interference is the most interesting law, simply because it's the one that our demigod narrators are affected by the most, either in the ways their godly parents violate it, or refuse to do so.

There's plenty of instances where this law has had quite a bit of impact on the story and relationships. For example, Hermes used this law as a major reason why he could not help Luke or prevent him from raising Kronos. But let's be honest: besides Zeus himself, Hermes might be one of the only gods that actually obey this rule, despite the fact that he wants to break it. Just off the top of my head, I can name an instance in the series where every single Olympian at least toed the line of violating Direct Interference, except for maybe Demeter. And I'm not sure Dionysus counts, since he has contact with his half-blood children because of his position at CHB.

But there's something interesting even about the ways these gods break the law of Direct Interference. In most instances, these interactions with mortals happen when the god is in disguise, or through dreams. And, based on how little it seems like the gods get punished for breaking Direct Interference, we can only assume that Zeus is not aware of when gods talk to demigods via dreams. I mean, he's probably aware that it happens: Apollo, Poseidon, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hera, Ares (who occasionally follows the rule, but only as an excuse to not help a demigod out), Artemis (although she is subject to exceptions due to her domain), Dionysus, Athena (I think?), and Hades all do it at least once in the RRverse. I mean, you could also argue that dreams are a more indirect means if interference, but I can also see how that's an iffy argument at best.

So, what does this mean? If there is one thing I know about laws and rules in general is that people tend to break laws if the direct consequences of their own actions don't directly apply to them. Gods would probably respect the law of Direct Interference more if there was an immediate negative effect on themselves, aside from just the punishment.

Think of a law or a rule that people break all the time. Littering, for example. People do it all the time, even though it's bad. But why is it bad? A person who doesn't have a lot of forethought will drop a piece of trash and say 'hey, that doesn't affect me. The planet will suffer and this will be a pain in the ass to clean up, but I'm not the one cleaning it up, so why do I care?' If you don't care about the planet or other people cleaning up your trash, the only reason you have to not litter is that you're afraid of the punishment.

I think the attitude towards Direct Interference is similar. The only reason a god would obey is if they're afraid of the punishment, or if they respect Zeus enough to follow his laws (which, clearly, is not the norm in godly society). And even then, what is a punishment to an immortal being? The only way Zeus punishes gods that really matters to them is turning them mortal - and that's a very rare occurrence.

By that logic, we can assume that a violation of Direct Interference does not actually negatively affect gods all that much. To be honest, it doesn't negatively affect mortals either. Maybe monsters have the short end of the stick, but monsters didn't write the law of Direct Interference - Zeus did. So... why? Why does it exist?

My first thought was the Fates and prophecy - if gods can interact in mortal life without recourse, then it might fuck with the way the Fates operate. But gods have been interfering for the entirety of civilization. If they really had a the power to alter the future just by dipping a toe in mortal life, don't you think it would have been obvious? Even in the RRverse, there are plenty of instances, as I've mentioned, that gods have interfered in a quest, and said quest wasn't severely fucked over because of that interference. Take, for instance, Percy's quest to save Artemis - Apollo intervened, but where were the consequences of that? Where were the earth-shattering effects?

So what gives? Also, I'd argue that the gods would actually obey the law more if they knew it had such a negative effect on the proper functioning of the Fates, especially Apollo since that's his domain. So I'm going to say that's not the case.

So we're back to the first question: why does the law against Direct Interference exist if it has no effect on the gods or the Fates? In all references to the law against Direct Interference in the Riordanverse, never once is it explained why this law exists. Why would Zeus create it if violating it doesn't have some major world-ending effect? Gods are gods: what could make this law so important that it's the only one Zeus makes a true effort to enforce?

Well, it makes sense to me that Zeus would create the law if he's the one who has to bear the immediate consequences of it. Which raises the question: what are the immediate consequences? What reason could Zeus possibly have to separate half-blood children from their godly parents? HMmmmmmmMMMM.

Well, there's another interesting thing about the Ancient Laws: some of them don't apply to mortals. Mortals can steal a god's symbol of power, and mortals can initiate battles with gods. Imagine with me a scenario in which your enemy has an army that is not subject to the same laws you are. Gods are (as far as I know) physically incapable of stealing symbols of power and starting battles with mortals, but what does that matter if they have half-blood children that reach the power of minor gods, like Percy, who can do that for you?

It's a terrifying premise, if you're Zeus. And before you start telling me that I'm going down yet another far-fetched rabbit hole (listen - I always make sense in the end), we've seen Zeus go down this line of thought before, all the way back in The Lightning Thief. Remember???

Chiron said that the reason Zeus blamed Percy for stealing the Master Bolt was because the mines the Cyclopes used to forge the bolts is close to Poseidon's domain, and he thinks Poseidon has it out for him. Now, there's a theory running around the TOA fandom that gods can control how much power they hand off to their children (as seen with Apollo's children, who rarely inherit the power of prophecy, which we're willing to bet is something Apollo is controlling from behind the scenes), and if Zeus knew that Poseidon had had a child, it's possible Zeus thought Poseidon was trying to create a super-child just for the sake of overthrowing him. I'm willing to bet that one of his greatest fears is that an über-powerful child of one of his brothers would be used to steal his symbol of power and then overthrow him. He views demigod children like weapons that his enemies can use because they could be inherently dangerous to the standard structure of godly society. His main fear is somebody with the motivation of Luke having the power of Percy. And what do paranoid kings do when presented with the idea of their greatest fears? Make laws against them.

The only way Zeus could be sure that Poseidon would never intentionally have a child like Percy, then bring him under his wing just in time to start a rebellion against him is to ban that kind of interaction at all.

Counterpoint: you could also say that the law against Direct Interference was a way to protect the mortals against the gods who might harm them or do them dirty. Like getting women pregnant while in the form of a swan. Ahem ahem. Do you get my point, though? It's not like Zeus has any real reason to protect the mortals in this way, since he was one of the main perpetrators anyways, but it is a damn good excuse if he also wanted a reason to prevent a potential revolution led by demigods.

Now, if you'll bear with me for a little bit longer, there is one more interesting thing I'd like to point out: In the entirety of Trials of Apollo, Apollo (a god, obviously) only mentions following the Ancient Laws once. Unsurprisingly, at the time he's mentioning the law against Direct Interference, he's also violating it - when he kills Commodus to save lives, Rome, and for his own peace of mind. So, to me this basically means that Apollo doesn't give two single shits about following laws against Direct Interference.

Connect that with everything else we know about Apollo post-trials: he loves his kids, doesn't want to see them hurt, and is trying to distance himself from Zeus and godly society. Even pre-trials, he doesn't have any trouble admitting that Zeus makes his rules and laws difficult to follow - nobody is good enough in Zeus' eyes. I truly believe, if there's any person who, given the proper means and motivation to overthrow at least some aspects of the Direct Interference law, he would.

Just saying. Feel free to add on if anybody else has more thoughts!

[a masterlist of my other metas]

[12raccoonsinadress]

Hello, first time requesting in general. But Im wondering if you could possibly do some more x male readers, bc as someone who respects a well written fan fiction, the majority of them are x fem reader. Thank you and have a nice day and drink plenty of water!

Of course! Also here's everyone's reminder to drink water, take your meds, and relax your jaw.

Btw, this one is my big boy enjoyers. Lil bit of praise, lil bit of overstimulation ~ 💚

Nothing More Manly: Kirishima x Masc!Reader (Smut)

Word Count: 3,891

Third POV:

You were still unsure about this whole thing. Since the new year had just begun, you'd promised yourself that this was the year you got into shape. You just wanted to be stronger was all, nothing too intense. It wasn't until you actually got into the gym that you started to question the decision though. You weren't particularly self conscious, at least, you didn't think you were until now. So many of the people here were so... built. Literally everyone looked so good. Toned or jacked or some variation, and then there was you. It really felt like no one else in this gym was starting out like you were. You really contemplated abandoning this whole "New year, new me" thing. That is, until you noticed the particularly attractive looking redhead using one of the weight lifting benches.

You didn't approach him as much as you simply decided to use a machine that happened to give you a fairly good view of his workout. You mentally chalked it up to envying his build and being curious as to what all he did to get that look. You didn't want to imagine yourself being no better than those guys that stalked women on the ellipticals. You noted how much he was lifting. It was more than you weighed. Thinking too much about it right now probably wasn't a good idea, but, of course, you did, and you felt your face get a bit warm. And it wasn't just because of the exercising. You pretty much watched him until he left the gym, which was when you realized that you'd also been working out that entire time and were kind of exhausted. Maybe this whole working out thing wouldn't be so bad, as long as you... had people to inspire you to keep going. Yeah, that's most defiantly what this was.

You didn't go through the trial and error of figuring out what the redhead's exact gym schedule was, but you did find that the time you had caught him the first time would be a weekly occurrence. And, via another gym bro's conversation with him, you found out his name. Eijiro. Eijiro Kirishima. You didn't see much of an issue with the way things were. You didn't have to endure the social awkwardness of trying to actually interact with him, and you got yourself to work out once a week. Seemed like an all around win to you. That is, at least until things took a bit of an.. unexpected turn.

It was any other work out session. Except, Eijiro wasn't there. You hadn't seen him walk in and he wasn't using any of the equipment you typically saw him using. You had to admit, it was disappointing, but you were already here and who knows, maybe he was just running behind today. Maybe there was a positive to this though. It gave you a chance to try out the equipment you always saw him using. Surely, it couldn't be that difficult.

You found yourself on one of the benches, trying your first bench presses. You didn't have a ton of weight on there, but it was definitely more than you probably should have started with. You did about two reps before you felt the weight suddenly get lighter and noticed someone above you.

"Whoa, man, you probably shouldn't be benching this much without a spotter."

You felt your face go red. Well, at least you would have if it wasn't already red from the exertion. There he was. The hot redhead, looking down at you with a surprisingly sharp smile. He helped you put the weight up, and you sat up, trying to find anything to say to this guy.

"Hey, I think I've seen you before. You're usually on the treadmill, right?"

He gestured over to where you usually planted yourself for about half your work out. That would mean... Oh god he noticed you. You tried not to stammer like a complete fool.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I was just trying something different today."

"If you want some tips, I don't mind helping you out and spotting for you."

He winked. Internally, you swooned. He was even more attractive up close. He chuckled a bit and you quickly made sure your expression wasn't completely awestruck or dumbfounded.

For the rest of your time that day, he helped you learn some of the equipment, even helping you find your boundaries and weight limits. He also showed you how to spot for other people, using himself to teach you. It felt like a blur, like it was happening all too fast but in slow motion at the same time. Soon enough though, it was getting late and you were both bit tired from it all. Well, at least you were. If he was tired, you wouldn't have been able to tell.

"So, same time next week?"

He asked. You took a moment to process what he was actually saying before quickly answering him.

"Yeah, yeah. Next week."

"Awesome. See ya, man."

You walked out of the gym that night feeling lighter than air. Part of you convinced this was all some weird dream. He noticed you. Not only that, he recognized you, which means he's noticed you at least more than once. You felt like that luckiest guy in the world right now.

It became a new routine for the two of you. You never thought you'd be so excited to go to the gym, and yet here you were, looking forward to getting to see your hot work out buddy. Time passed and you only found yourself falling for him more. His laugh, his bad jokes, his confidence. Everything about him made you feel more sure that you were in love with him. You just didn't expect him to feel the same. One night, after a particularly late running workout session, he looked over at you.

"I'm thinking about hitting the showers. You coming?"

That one was new. You knew he tended to shower here after workouts, but you always went home to do so. He would know this too by now, so the offer felt kind of weird. He continued.

"Your problem with showering here is cause usually there's more people right? It's pretty dead right now. I'm pretty sure it'd just be us."

He shrugged a bit, but he was right. Aside from a man and woman walking side by side on treadmills having their own conversation, you two were the only ones here. What's the worst that could happen? So, without thinking about it too much, you responded.

"Yeah, okay."

He grinned, a slight mischievous glint in his eyes as he grabbed his water bottle and started off for the men's locker room. You followed, not having too much of a second thought about it. You hadn't really seen the locker room, since you never had a reason to go inside until now, so you weren't sure what you had been expecting. It seemed like a normal locker room. Walls of lockers, an area off to the side with bathroom stalls, urinals, and sinks, and a wall of separated curtains, which you assumed were showers. A thought dawned on you.

"Wait, I can't actually."

"Why not?"

"Didn't bring a towel."

Or a change of clothes for that matter. He grinned.

"Hey, no worries. You know, I was hoping after this we could head to my place and hang out, if you didn't have plans or anything of course."

You looked at him a little puzzled by the way he worded it, but also with a slight blush. He wanted to hang out with you? Like actually? Not just here, working out, but actually hanging out. He continued, blushing a little bit himself.

"What I'm trying to say is if you wanted to hang out, we could both just shower at my place."

Ah. You took a second to shake your thoughts together.

"Yeah. Yeah, alright we can do that."

He grinned, picking his bag back up.

"Awesome. It's not a long walk from here. Do you walk here?"

"I usually take the train."

"Cool, just wanted to make sure you weren't, like, leaving your car here or something."

The outside air felt amazing after how hot you'd been between working out and blushing. Eijiro seemed relieved to be outside too, sighing contently with his head tipped back ever so slightly. You wondered what he could be thinking right now. The walk was peaceful, though still filled with the usual city sounds of cars, people talking, and trains. You usually didn't find it all as comfortable as you did right now. In a way, it was the familiarity of it while you otherwise dipped into an unknown territory. You followed him up to his place.

"Sorry if it's kind of messy."

He said, though you didn't see much. A few pieces of clothes and an empty soda can on the table was really the extent of what you'd consider a "mess."

"It's fine."

You hummed, looking around a little bit. His place was nice. You could definitely tell he was a gym bro between the workout posters and gear in the living room. Nothing excessive, a couple dumbbells on a rack in the corner near the tv and what could possibly be a medicine ball next to it. It definitely felt like he lived alone based on what you could gather just looking at the living room.

"So.. uh.."

You looked up, only now noticing that you had sort of zoned out looking at the room. Now you noticed something different though. Eijiro looked nervous, an expression you hadn't really seen on him before. He was blushing, harder than earlier, almost like how he looked right after finishing a particularly grueling set. You were sure you were matching his hue, simply because of the way he was looking at you. He continued.

"I.. you know, if you're even into that sort of thing, it'd be faster if we uh.."

He made a gesture, pointing with his thumb back behind him down the hall, looking pretty much anywhere but actually at you. You felt like you might explode if he didn't just spit it out. Was he asking you to shower with him? Was this actually happening? You opened your mouth to say something, whether that be helping him clarify his offer or burst into however many ways you could say "Yes, please wreck me in your shower," you didn't get to find out, because he finally finished his thought, though sighing in defeat as he decided to go for a more blunt approach.

"Look, I'm gay, you're really cute, do you wanna shower with me? I won't be offended if you say no, cause I get this is really sudden."

You took a second to scramble for any semblance of your composure. You nodded.

"Yeah"

"Wait, really?"

"...Yes?"

He grinned.

"Oh man, I was super worried you'd think I was a freak or something. C'mon, lets go."

He grabbed your hand and practically pulled you down the hall, not that you were complaining, he was just really excited. This was actually happening. You were half convinced this was some hyper realistic dream. Once in the bathroom you realized that yes, this was real, and he was really standing there, excited at the prospect of getting you into the shower with him. He didn't hesitate in taking off his tank top, unceremoniously dropping it on the floor before pausing to get the water turned on so it could warm up. You were hesitating. He turned back to look at you with this sort of reassuring half smile.

"Need a hand?"

He offered, though it was unclear if he was joking or not. You shook your head, pulling your shirt off. You already felt like you were about to combust, you didn't think you'd be able to handle it if he were to actually touch you in any way right now. He chuckled a bit before turning his attention back to himself, kicking his shorts off and into the pile with his top. You did your best not to stare, though it was proving very difficult. You felt your breathing grow more shallow when his thumbs hooked into the top of his boxers. You swallowed hard, half mindedly pushing your own shorts off, but not looking away from him. He was already so perfectly built, you shouldn't be surprised that he was also very well endowed. You were suddenly feeling more nervous. He grinned. Clearly, your reaction was boosting his ego.

"Good to know I don't have anything to worry about."

He joked. You almost stumbled over your shorts at your ankles. You kicked your shorts away from you, taking a pause. A few things made this embarrassing. One, you were being as graceful as a baby horse. Two, he was built like an actual god. And three, words could not do justice to how insanely hard you were right now. All of this mixed with the fact that he was staring at you, with this slight grin on his face. You decided to just do it. Rip it off like a bandage. You tossed your boxers aside, looking over at him now.

"C'mon. Let me know if the water is too hot or anything."

He said, way too casually for the situation in your opinion. But you did follow him into the shower. There was a comfortable amount of space considering there were two of you. You looked at his face. He was looking you over, slowly, taking in details. It made you want to squirm out of your skin. He traced back up to your face. He had a softer expression. Lidded eyes and a slight smirk.

"I'm glad I was right about you."

You were confused, your face expressing as much. He continued, seeing you didn't get it.

"You're really bad at being subtle, man. Don't think I didn't see you staring from the treadmill. You were practically drooling."

Despite his words, he sounded so genuine. It was weird. What he was saying made you want to lay down and die, but the way he said it just drew you in more. He put his hands on your hips, surprisingly gentle.

"And, uh, stop me if I'm getting the wrong idea, but if I had to guess, you're just as excited as I am to be like this."

His voice lowered a bit near the end. It made a shudder run down your spine. His grinned a bit wider.

"Yeah?"

He looked at your face, waiting. He wanted to continue. He wanted you. He wouldn't though, not unless you told him he could. You swallowed hard, but nodded.

"Yeah."

"Awesome."

He brought one hand up to cup the back of your head and pull you into a soft, yet firm kiss. It caught you off guard, if not just for a moment, before you melted into him. He held you close to him, feeling his body pressed up against yours. This was crazy. You were kissing him. In his shower. You felt like you should have at least played a little hard to get. This felt too easy. You didn't dwell on that thought too long though, because all of a sudden you felt the cool tile wall of the shower against your back. You hadn't even realized he was backing you up. You gasped against his lips. You could feel the smirk in the kiss.

His hands slid down to your hips, squeezing. One moved further, reaching around to feel your ass. You wished the sound that came out was less pathetic, but it was. You underestimated how desperate you were for this. Or maybe it was just for him. He broke the kiss, just sort of mumbling against your lips.

"You cool taking it?"

The question was vague, but you knew what he meant, and it made your face and chest flush red. You definitely weren't opposed. In fact, when you had occasional indulged yourself in letting your mind dip to dirty places, having him pin you to the wall and fuck you senseless was a reoccurring theme. So you nodded, a little too quickly to come across as anything but needy and desperate. You felt his hand move further back and, carefully to start, a finger pushing into you. You grit your teeth.

Yeah. It'd definitely been a minute since you'd done anything like this.

"Relax, you're doing great. Don't worry, alright? I'm taking care of it. Just focus on me."

His voice was a gentle tone, cooing you into submission. It made you wonder how many tense partners he's had to deal with. I suppose everyone has a type.

His motions started slow, careful, like he might break you if he didn't. As he started to open you up, he seemed to be less focused. He buried his face in the side of your neck as he added another finger. You felt his teeth graze your neck. It sent a delightful tingling sensation down your body, landing in your stomach and twisting around in there like a herd of butterflies. You willed yourself not to cum from just this. How pathetic would that be? Cumming before he even got to the good part. You groaned softly, almost painfully.

He added a third finger. You had seen how big he was, so you understood why he was prepping so much. That didn't keep you from wanting him to hurry up and just fuck you already so, if nothing else, you didn't look completely desperate when you finally gave in to the intense feelings. You managed though, because soon enough he was pulling his fingers out and turning you around to face the wall.

"How's this angle?"

He asked, almost teasingly, emphasizing with a squeeze of your ass.

You were practically panting at this point.

"Eijiro, please."

You managed, hoping to not sound like a complete fool. If you had been looking, you'd have seen the confident smirk on his face. He could not wait to wreck you. You felt him pressing against you, holding your hips firmly in place. You pressed your forehead to the wall, trying not to audible sob at the feeling. If you hadn't seen his dick already, you'd simply assume his quirk was that he had a monster cock. After slowly pushing in for what felt like an eternity, he stopped. You were already breathing heavy. He leaned down to your ear, talking in that low tone.

"Half-way there. You doing okay?"

HALF??

You opened your mouth to respond, but much to your dismay, all that came out was a mix between a moan and a whine. He kissed behind your ear.

"You're doing so good, y/n. So fucking good. It'll be easier next time."

He tried to reassure you as he slowly pushed in more. It was almost enough to distract you from the fact that he said next time. You knew he'd bottomed out when you felt his hips against your ass. You felt so full in the best way possible. You could hear how hard he was breathing. He gave you some time to adjust, gently massaging your hips as he did.

You thought you were doing great at holding yourself together, at least considering the circumstances. Then he pulled out about half way and slammed his hips back into you. That's all it took. You moaned out as you came. It was so much, too much. You took a second to catch your breath.

No. No way. You did not just do that.

You felt a mix of embarrassment and shame in your chest. You went to say something, but then he did it again, pulling out and snapping his hips. It just about knocked you over with how little you were expecting it. Though you couldn't see it, he grinned.

"You can handle a little more, yeah?"

You pressed your forehead to the wall, taking a moment. He waited. You eventually nodded. Yeah. You could handle it. You just hoped he'd be willing to carry you out of the shower afterwards. It was the least you could do though. You didn't want to leave a bad impression.

"I'm gonna need a little more than a nod."

Part of him wanted to hear you say it because it would be really hot, but truthfully, he wanted to make sure you were okay. He didn't want to hurt you. You took a minute to find your voice.

"Yeah... Yeah, I can take it."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

His hips snapped again, his hold on you getting a little tighter as he braced you, not wanting you to slip. He wasn't holding back anymore. He found a decent pace, not too fast, more so focusing on how hard he was going. He wanted to ruin you. He wanted you to be his. If he had it his way, no other guy would ever get a chance to have you like this.

You felt like you were falling apart a little more with every snap of his hips against your ass. You felt your legs getting weaker beneath you. Thankfully, he had a good hold of you. You never thought you'd be as vocal as you were, but here you were, groaning and whining, pretty pathetically in your own opinion. You weren't too focused on that now though, because he was picking up the pace, and you were effectively fucked stupid.

"Almost there, y/n. Fuck, you're doing so good."

His voice was rough, out of breath. You didn't realize it was building until all of a sudden, you were cumming again. You slumped against the wall a little more. Thankfully, it wasn't much longer before he pulled out, groaning through gritted teeth. You felt your back and ass getting painted as he finished on you as opposed to in you.

The room got quiet, aside from your combined heavy breathing and the shower running. After a moment, you felt his arms around your waist, pulling you into him.

"At least we're already in the shower, right?"

He joked lightly as he got you more directly under the water. It felt nice. He must've turned it down or something, because the water was pleasantly cool against your skin as he washed you off. You wished you could have been of more help, but you were honestly sort of useless at the moment. If wrecked is what he wanted, it was what he got. Not that he minded much. He thought you looked cute all dazed and tired.

Once he'd clean you both off, he helped you out of the shower, wrapping a towel around you. He grabbed one for himself too, drying off. The two of you went into his room and pretty much collapsed onto his bed. He looked over at you, smiling.

"I've been thinking about doing that for weeks."

He laughed. You smiled.

"We might have to wait weeks before doing it again."

"Aw, what? How come?"

"Because I don't think I'll be walking until then."

He wrapped an arm around you, pulling you closer to him.

"It'll be worth the wait."

You kissed him. You were more than sure it would be.

[starsenha]

[4] FIRST IMPRESSIONS - no more glaring

synopsis: riki was a big fan of your group Devilish, but when he met you for the first time, he made a very bad first impression and now you hated him. rumors started to spark saying how you hated each other and to calm the rumors, the company decided to make you two hosts a variety show together for two months. wc: 1,3k

You, Youngji and your manager, Jiyeon, entered the HYBE meeting room. You were so nervous, but tried to stay professional. You had opted for a casual outfit, but still putting in some efforts.

On the other side of the room, Riki, Jungwon and their manager were already seated. When they saw you enter the room, they all got up and bowed. Riki's eyes involuntarily flickered to you. Tou looked so different, so casual and accessible. And somehow, even more beautiful. He quickly adverted his gaze though, praying no one caught him staring.

"Thank you all for coming," the PR manager of Hybe started. "I think you all know why we're here today."

Youngji shot you a quick ‘don’t-say-anything-stupid’ glance before Jiyeon responded. "Of course, we’re here to clarify any misunderstandings between the two groups."

You forced a smile, clasping your hands together to stop yourself from fidgeting. "I’d just like to say—I don’t hate Enhypen sunbaenims, or Niki sunbaenim, or anything like that."

Riki perked up slightly at her words, but Jungwon, ever the professional, jumped in. "We appreciate you saying that. Honestly, we never thought there was an issue. Right, Riki?"

Riki coughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah, no hard feelings here."

The PR Manager smiled, sensing the tension. "That’s good to hear, but as you know, the internet doesn’t quite see it that way. The ‘glaring incident,’ as fans are calling it, has gone viral, and while it’s mostly lighthearted, we want to ensure there’s no long-term narrative of bad blood between your groups."

Youngji leaned forward slightly, her tone calm but firm. "So, what’s the plan?"

The PR Manager exchanged glances with the Devilish and Enhypen managers before speaking. "We’ve decided the best way to address this is through positive interaction. Yn and Riki will co-host a new seven-episode variety show. Each episode will feature fun activities, idol interviews, and chances for you both to show camaraderie."

You blinked. Your professional mask slipped for a moment. "Wait, co-host? With… him?"

Riki’s eyebrows shot up. "You mean… with her?"

The PR Manager nodded, unfazed. "Yes. The two of you are in the spotlight right now, and the fans already enjoy the dynamic—whether they think it’s rivalry or something else. This is a perfect opportunity to shift that narrative into something more positive. And I've seen plenty of fans shipping you together, so that could bring good publicity."

Youngji quickly stepped in, shooting you a calming look. "What exactly will this entail? We’d like details before agreeing to anything."

Jungwon nodded in agreement. "Same here. We want to make sure the schedule and activities are manageable."

The PR Manager opened a file. "The show will be shot once a week for seven weeks. Each episode will involve various segments, including games, challenges, and interviews with other idols. Think of it as a blend of fun and candid conversations. It’s lighthearted but engaging."

You stayed quiet, trying to process the situation. You sneaked a glance at Riki, who seemed to be doing the same. Your managers and leaders were already in negotiation mode.

"I assume this will require some prep time before each shoot? Who handles the scripts and activities?" Jiyeon asked.

"The production team will handle scripts, but we’ll consult with you to ensure it aligns with both idols’ comfort zones. And yes, there will be prep time, though most activities are straightforward."

Riki leaned slightly toward Jungwon, whispering, "This sounds like a lot."

Jungwon gave him a look. "You’ll survive. Stay professional."

Youngji tapped her pen on the table, addressing the room. "I’ll make sure Yn is prepared for the shoots. As long as the schedule doesn’t conflict with Devilish’s existing commitments, we’re open to this."

Jungwon nodded. "Same for us. We’ll cooperate to make this work."

You finally spoke up, your voice steady but a little exasperated. "So, just to clarify… this is seven weeks of me and Riki being buddy-buddy on camera to convince the internet we don’t hate each other?"

The PR Manager chuckled. "More or less. Though ‘buddy-buddy’ is optional. Just show mutual respect and have fun."

You nodded and you saw from the corner of your eye Riki nodding too.

As the meeting concluded, the groups stood to leave. You adjusted the strap of your bag, your mind swirling with thoughts about the upcoming variety show. Youngji was chatting casually with Jungwon about logistics, but you remained silent, trailing slightly behind. Riki, spotting an opportunity, decided to approach you.

He hesitated for a second, then fell into step beside you. Clearing his throat, he started, “So… I guess we’ll be working together a lot now.”

You glanced at him, your expression polite but icy. “It seems so,” you replied curtly, her tone professional.

Riki tried to maintain his grin despite the obvious frost in her voice. “I just want to say, I really respect your dancing. Your stage at MAMA was insane.”

You slowed your pace slightly, looking at him out of the corner of your eye. “Thank you, sunbaenim. I appreciate that.” The words were formal, almost robotic, like you were reading from a script.

Riki blinked, caught off guard by the sudden formality. “You can just call me Riki, you know.”

You gave a small, professional smile, the kind you reserved for interviews. “Of course, Riki sunbaenim.”

Riki opened his mouth to respond, but Youngji, catching the interaction, stepped in. She slid between the two with a practiced ease, flashing her trademark grin. “Riki sunbaenim, it’s great to know you appreciate Yn’s work. We’re all looking forward to the show, aren’t we, Yn?”

You nodded, your expression neutral. “Yes, unnie. It’ll be… a good opportunity.”

The way you said “good opportunity” sounded more like “seven weeks of suffering,” and Youngji gave her a subtle nudge with her elbow.

Riki laughed nervously, glancing at Jungwon for backup. “Uh, yeah, it’ll be fun. Right, hyung?”

Jungwon, who had been listening quietly, nodded. “Definitely. I’m sure you’ll both do great.” He turned to you, his tone warm and respectful. “If there’s anything you need to make the shoots smoother, let us know. We’ll make sure the team takes care of it.”

Your expression softened, and you nodded. “Thank you, sunbaenim. That’s very thoughtful. I’ll be sure to let you know if anything comes up," and you smiled.

Your demeanor toward Jungwon was completely different—friendly, collaborative. Riki couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast. “Wow, no cold shoulder for Jungwon?” he joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Your smile didn’t falter, but your voice took on a sharp edge as you turned to him. “Jungwon sunbaenim is very easy to work with.” The implication hung in the air: You, on the other hand…

Riki raised his hands in mock surrender. “Got it. I’ll try to earn your approval too.”

Jungwon, sensing the tension, decided to steer the group toward the elevators. “Let’s head out. We’ve all got a lot to prepare for.”

As you reached the elevator, Riki tried one last time, turning to you. “If there’s anything I can do to make this easier, just let me know. Seriously.”

You finally met his eyes, your tone still polite but colder than before. “I’ll keep that in mind, Riki sunbaenim.”

The elevator doors opened, and Youngji gently guided you inside. As the Devilish duo stepped in, Youngji glanced over her shoulder at Jungwon, her expression shifting back to friendliness. “Let’s coordinate schedules soon. Thanks again, Jungwon-ssi.”

Jungwon nodded. “Definitely. Take care.”

Riki, left standing in the hallway with his leader, scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “That… didn’t go great, huh?”

Jungwon smirked, patting him on the shoulder as they walked toward their own elevator. “Not your smoothest moment. But hey, at least she didn’t glare at you this time.”

Riki sighed, leaning against the wall. “Yeah. Progress, I guess.”

Jungwon chuckled. “Baby steps, Riki. Baby steps.”

previous / m.list / next

TAGLIST: @pkjay @d-dilemma @heartheejake @lunaritex @dreeki @inishij @rikirritated @whoiss4m @sleepyxxhead @aanniikkaa @right-person-wrong-time @aespaqq @starry-eyed-bimbo @nerdywitchcrown @yuniesluv @lovestruck-sky @ariluvssssss100 @rei4sunoo @wildtigerlili @jakef3ver @seungminsapuppy @kittsnewera @regalfoxbunny @rairaiblog @pairinnn

[shadowed-dancer]

Villains and Their Fates - A Tragedy Would Have Been Fine By Me

I've seen a lot of people who try to write off frustration with the league's fates by saying "you just wanted them to survive" or "you're just upset your favourite character died". And while that may be true for a few people, I know that it's at least not true for myself (which must mean there are others who feel the same way). So today I'm here to share my thoughts. Despite liking the villains and wanting them to be redeemed, I was also willing to accept a well written ending if they died. I just wanted to ramble a bit about the three main villains (mostly Toga) and how I felt a tragic ending could have been improved.

The only villain I felt should have lived is Dabi, but that's more because of the awkwardness his unconfirmed death caused for Shoto (read this beautifully written analysis for more). If Dabi had to die, he should have died on the battle field OR in the hospital surrounded by family where he gets a few last words in. Leaving his fate unconfirmed leads to the ruined Shoto arc, but is also just weird for a character who has existed for so long. You're telling me that even Overhaul gets a confirmed ending but DABI doesn't?

I've also talked a bit about how Endeavor's survival ruins the subplot, and in 426 he continues by making Touya's final appearance about him (rather than the two brothers) but that's something I've talked about too much. If Endeavor has to be alive and hogging screen time, the least Hori could do is imply Touya will survive rather than die, so at least Enji isn't literally stealing time from his other family members to have some interaction with Touya.

If Touya has to end up in that machine, an ideal ending would have been the doctor saying "it will be a gruelling and near-impossible uphill climb to recovery" and then Shoto can smile and say "he's done it before". Boom. Simple as that. Leave it open, but at least on a positive note so we can assume that the family will have plenty of time to reconcile, as opposed to an unknown (but limited) amount of time that Enji vows to use to talk to him (yeah I know it's supposed to be a sweet gesture but even Touya calls bullshit on it). Let Shoto and Touya eat their soba, damn it!

For Shigaraki, my grievances extend to the writing of the entire final battle between him and Deku. As such, I don't have much to say aside from that because it really is just a product of poor writing. Neither were really allowed to talk before the big moment (hell, the vestiges were narrating Deku's emotions half the time like "he must be upset, this quirk meant so much to him". Why not let him tell us???) and the back-and-forth of Shigaraki being destroyed and then not only to be destroyed again was too much. It felt sloppy and hard to follow, and once you figured it out it just felt dumb. It's as if each chapter needed some massive reveal, but the story had done it so much at this point that it just felt tired and like it was happening "because Hori said so", and that should never be what drives a story.

Speaking of "because Hori said so"...

Oh Toga. Out of all the villains, I actually liked her confrontation the most. (Lies. If Dabi vs Shoto was the end of Dabi's fight, THAT would have been the best. But the Endeavor fight ruins it). Despite having limited screen time, Toga and Uraraka had a surprisingly well-built dynamic. Their few interactions were actually meaningful and created a strong foundation for a fight, and at the very least they had more of a personal connection than Deku and Shigaraki ever did. I think that Toga giving her blood to someone she loves (as opposed to drinking/taking their blood like she had said the whole series) is a beautifully tragic end to her character, but still something that could have fit.

To me, the problem comes with how she died. Let me replay the scene for you: Toga stabs Uraraka in the stomach and Uraraka bleeds too much because she keeps moving around. Toga then realizes she doesn't want Uraraka to die. To save her life, Toga has to do a blood transfusion with herself as a donor and she dies because she has to give ALL her blood.

Now... sure. Ok. Fine. Yeah. Maybe by real-world logic this makes sense. I guess. Whatever. But within the world of MHA, this setup is laughable.

Here's a list of things characters survived (or at least, they survived LONG ENOUGH to get to a hospital rather than dying on the battlefield): Deku shattering his bones with 1 million percent, whatever happened to Best Jeanist when AFO attacked him, Nighteye getting a massive spike through the torso, All Might with "his entrails strewn across the ground", Bakugo becoming Swiss cheese, Grand Torino being punched so hard a crater forms beneath him, Touya being a literal flaming skeleton, Bakugo's heart exploding, Edgeshot becoming a worm. Mirko getting a limb ripped off and then running full speed at Shigaraki. That's just off the top of my head, I know there's probably more.

But you want to tell me that Uraraka getting stabbed and then moving was a fatal wound that required ALL TOGA'S BLOOD? ALL OF IT? The reason Toga's death bothers me is that the setup cheapens the actual moment of sacrifice. It feels preventable, so when she tells us that Uraraka is going to die without her blood, all I could do is roll my eyes because I'm not allowed to use critical thinking skills, I have to just accept what Hori says and take it at face value.

If the author wants you to live as Edgeworm despite saying you were gonna die, you can. But if the author needs a stab wound to be fatal and require ALL of someone's blood? Well tough luck bud, that's just how it goes. Mirko can run and move all she wants after having a limb ripped off, but moving a bit after one stab wound is fatal. Why? Because I say so.

If Uraraka's wound was actually serious then this ending would have been a beautiful tragedy. But as it stands now, the ridiculousness of her wound makes it all feel preventable.

Oh, there's also the fact that Toga switching blood types when she transforms was never established, but I've rambled enough.

That's it. Thanks for reading!

[glassica]

Second Male Lead

Notes: M!yan 2nd male lead, Gn!reader*, jealousy, reincarnation, obsessiveness, possessiveness, implied potential kidnapping and murder *reader is more like an observer, not shipped with anyone

-> part 2 with different yan

You got second male lead syndrome.

No matter how much author emphasizing the undeniable chemistry and love between the main couple your eyes only had him. With brownish eyes reminded of untouched sacred woods and dark silky hair slicked back, he was a perfect balance of not too interesting to overshadow the male lead while unique enough to stand out from the extras. Friend of female lead from childhood, he'd always been by her side protecting and looking out to her well-being, hardly be wavered unless it was a matter regarding the heroine. His silent thoughtfulness reserved only for the main character had charmed thousand fans of the series, which included you.

In the previous world you kept daydreaming about travelling inside the novel just to whisk him away. After all, you read countless isekai stories where protagonists from your world winning the heart of abandoned side characters. You were sure you could do the same to him, by showering him with endless attention and love he didn't get from the female lead. In no time he'd be head over heels for you!

"Apologize, but I fear I'm unable to return your sentiments."

Giving you a polite bow, he gently turned down the bouquet of roses which you'd painstakingly catered to match his taste. Today was the equivalent of Valentine in your old world, you were determinded to catch the love of your life at all cost. His rejection throbbed your heart a little, but you weren't the one to back out easily. That's right, you'd been waiting your whole life (actually two) for this moment, you just needed to keep up a little more.

"No sir, please don't be sorry. I'm the one who out of the moon confessed to you. Of course you would be startled!" - you replied cheerfully, trying the best to hide your disappointment. "My feelings came out too strong, but if you don't mind, would you mind joining me for a dance later?"

"I'll have to decline that. I've never been a fan of dancing. I'm really selective in choosing partner and to be honest, there's only one I ever want to take to the dance floor."

You knew right away who he was talking to. The nobleman didn't even bother to be subtle, as the whole time talking to you his eyes unchangingly laid on her. Shining with glitter and lace, basking in attention of the whole ballroom, the heroine was there, hand in hand with her royal lover, rejoicing herself to the dreamy sound of orchestra. The scene was wholly magical, breathtaking,… and perhaps jealousy-inducing.

For obvious reason this lit a fire in your stomach. You cursed the author for making it almost impossible for you to leave any impression on his mind, when your competition was the center of this universe and everyone’s darling. In the midst of envy, you blurted out words that forever detrimented his opinion about you

"She’s engaged to the Crown Prince."

"I know."

"Sir, she would never look at you with those eyes. Perhaps you should look for someone who will appreciate and reciprocrate your passion."

Now you had his full attention, not a positive one mind you. Shooting an icy glance visibly filled belittlement and fury, as though he was sneering at you extra character for having audacity to dictate how he should live his life.

"Oh well, she will soon. You don’t just assume I’ll sit there and let any vermin taking what’s rightfully mine, no? You believe I would be that selfless of a man?"

For the first time ever in your interaction had you sensed enthusiasm in his often monotomous voice. That’s right, the second male lead never got emotional by any happenings until it was about his target of affection. In other words, he would get ruthless, pretty, pretty ruthless, when anyone ever presented as a threat to his relationship with main character. He clashed plenty of times with the Crown Prince at the beginning of the book, then slowly retreated to the background after realizing his childhood friend was serious about His Highness. Lots of readers pointed out how odd he waved the white flag so effortlessly considering he had vehemently expressed dislike towards the male lead. Everyone collectively chalked it out as plot hole, but what if…

No, you shouldn’t dwell further than that. Epecially right at this moment you witnessed with your own eyes two extremes of emotions on the man’s face. The intensely lustful heat and adoration following every movements of the heroine, the bloodlust and pure venom on his pupils when looking at the Prince. You vaguely had a gist of what was going on in his mind, and it wouldn’t bode well for you to stick your nose into that.

Funnily, all that jealousy for the main couple you felt earlier was fully replaced by pity and well wishes now. Perhaps staying as an extra wasn’t a bad thing after all.

[bippityboppitybabe]

The Sleepover

Summary: Sometimes, good things do come to those who wait.

Pairing: Andrew Byrne-Hozier x reader

Warnings: fluff, friend-to-lovers, cursing, CONSENTING ADULTS DOING THE DEED - MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Word Count: 3266

Author’s Note: I've always felt a little weird writing/reading about a real person. However, I've been in a writing slump for literal years and Hozier's music has always been inspiring. So morals be damned, right?

Disclaimer: Ya'll, I don't know this man. This is just the musings of a perpetually single lady and this should not be taken seriously whatsoever. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone (#noproofreading), and to be totally honest I just found this gif on the internet.

(Also, Mr. Hozier, I do apologize if you somehow find this on some dark corner of the internet. Please keep on scrolling.)

You hadn’t meant to stay the night— no really, you hadn’t. But there you were, tucked underneath a blanket as the day’s morning sun rays streaked across the hardwood floors. You could hear Andrew still snoring just behind you, he was probably asleep in the reclining chair you teased him senselessly about (“What are you, a seventy year old man?” / “Hey, once you fall asleep in one of these you’ll never say a bad word about them again”). 

And maybe he was on to something. An achiness had already begun to settle in your lower back, and your right arm seemed to have permanently lost feeling from where you’d slept on it apparently all night.

Blearily, you groped around with your left (and thankfully still operational) hand for a phone. Nearly jumping out of your skin when you saw the time.

“Andy. Andy!” You hissed, (regrettably) throwing the warm quilt off your body as you scrambled to an upright position. “Andrew, wake up! We overslept!”

The plan had been for a casual movie night. You showed up at a respectable six o’clock with both your favorite candies, and he’d prepared the popcorn and drinks. There wasn’t much of a chance to do this sort of thing anymore— you had your boring 9-5 big girl job, and Andrew was more often out of the city than in it. However, whenever your paths crossed you both made the effort to spend at least a little time together.

But when Andrew had texted you last week, revealing he had an actual free Saturday night, you’d practically burst from excitement. Andrew Byrne-Hozier was your favorite person in the world— he was funny, and kind, and considerate. And while, sure, you were a little in love with him and every moment in his present made your heart feel more like molten honey than an actual organ, his friendship was too important to risk.

So, for the last four years, you’d watched as he shuffled through a couple of relationships (it was worse when you actually liked his partner) and went on tour and recorded songs. You were always there with a funny meme or thoughtful advice or listening ear, and sometimes you were just there for him when it became a little too much.

And sure, you’d also dated a few people (nothing ever serious) and you’d adopted a cat (whom Andy had nicknamed ‘Jammy’ because one time he got his head stuck in a jam jar) and you’d switched jobs and moved into a new flat— so you wouldn’t say you were pining for your best friend. It was just a crush. (A crush that made your head spin and your heart stop but who cared?)

But back to last night. You were supposed to leave right after the movie ended because Andrew had some important interview via Zoom in the morning— and while you had been in the background of plenty of interviews, you’d both decided the risk of you being spotted or heard was too high with all the relationship rumors swirling. Andy had wanted the focus to be on his music and the charity a portion of the proceeds of his latest single went to— not add fodder to the fire of him dating someone (and that someone was, well, you. You get caught one time by the paparazzi leaving his house and all of a sudden the internet was desperate to know who you were).

But that interview was scheduled for fifteen minutes from now, and the man of the hour was still sleeping off the sugar crash you’d both apparently succumbed to last night.

Pulling on your socks that you’d somehow kicked off during the night, you spared a moment to throw one of the decorative pillows littering the floor at Andrew. “Andy, wake up!”

He just groaned and covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow. “Leave me alone, it’s too early for that.”

“No it’s not! You whisper-yelled, finally launching yourself up to properly shake him awake. “It’s 8:45 in the morning, you’ve got that meeting in fifteen!”

At that, his eyes shot open, and he looked at the leather watch he’d left on overnight. “Shit.”

You nodded, giving his pant leg another tug. “Shit is right. What do you need?”

“I need to brush my teeth and get dressed.” He started, taking your hands as you helped him up. “I need a glass of water and my notes.”

You nodded, already mentally searching his apartment for the things you could gather for him. “I’ve got the water and notes, you get dressed. Whoever’s finished first can set up your laptop.”

So quickly you barely felt it, your best friend kissed you in the corner of your mouth (definitely by accident, he’d obviously missed your cheek). “Thanks babe— thank god you ended up staying the night. I’d’ve slept right through till the afternoon.”

Ignoring the butterflies that suddenly erupted in your stomach (he’d called you babe a few other times and it always got the chrysalis’ hatching), you nodded and gave him a little shove towards his bedroom. “Of course, now get going!”

You remembered seeing his interview notebook on the kitchen table, probably from where Andrew had been working on it the afternoon before. Moving with efficiency, you gathered it up, tucking in any loose papers into the pages tightly as you could, before flipping to the last page so it would be open for him.

But there, in the corner, he’d written your name. Not super unusual, he’d probably been thinking about your plans for the evening as he wrote down any points he wanted to discuss, but right next to it was a tiny heart. 

And sure, Andy doodled all the time— on napkins and music sheets and even sometimes your hand, but nonetheless the sight of that little heart warmed your own. 

Shaking your head, you picked up an empty glass from the table and filled it from the tap. Beggars couldn’t be choosers and Andrew was lucky he was getting anything hydrating right now. You glanced at the oven clock.

“Seven minutes!” You yelled, rushing into the living room and setting down the notebook and water glass. Without overthinking it, you grabbed as much as you could off his de facto interview table (usually it served as his entryway table, but it was in front of the only blank wall in his home and was the best backdrop for any business conducted over his computer).

You dumped the junk that had been littering the surface onto the couch you’d just been sleeping on (giving the quilt you’d just been shrouded in a few minutes ago a longing glance), before scooting out the table just enough to fit a chair behind it. Andrew, finally exiting his bedroom and only looking a modicum more put together than when he entered it, snagged one of his kitchen table chairs before beelining for you.

“Andrew, your hair looks awful.” You stated as you looked for a pen in the pile on the couch. You tossed it to him, and he caught it with a well practiced ease.

He laughed, plugging in his laptop before scooching into the chair he’d just placed and powering on the computer. “There’s not much I can do about it now, but you always know just what to say to make me feel good about myself.”

Rolling your eyes, you pulled out your own hair tie and motioned for him to scoot. “I’ll braid it while you pull up the link.”

Andy complied, turning himself sideways in the chair and starting to log in. As gently as you could, you brushed your fingers through the wild curls to get out any major knots— then deftly sectioned it off into three parts and started braiding.

You would never admit this, but you loved braiding Andrew’s hair. Men always had the best hair (you were pretty sure it was scientifically proven) and he was certainly no exception. His hair was thick with so much body to it— some of your favorite pictures of him on tour were the ones where his hair grew wild from humidity. It never got quite so unruly in your hometown, but there was still something untamed about his hair you couldn’t get over.

But it was over before you knew it. Deftly tying off the end, you pulled the braid a little looser— picking out a few strands to artfully fall in Andrew’s face. You tugged the finished hairstyle before glancing at the clock. Finished with two minutes to spare.

Andrew adjusted himself in the chair, pulling up the Zoom chatroom and taking a sip of the lukewarm water you’d set out.

“Thank you,” he mouthed, before turning his attention to the screen.

As quietly as you could, you backed into his bedroom and closed the door behind you. Unsure of what to do with yourself or how long you’d be trapped, you crawled into Andrew’s bed and snuggled down into the sheets (surely it wasn’t crossing a line to take a deep sniff of his pillow, right?) Pulling out your phone, you plugged it into his charger and started scrolling on social media to pass the time…

… “Hey, wake up sleepy head.” A voice softly whispered, a warm hand brushing some hair out of your face. “My interview’s over and I got us some breakfast.”

You blinked your eyes open, struggling to focus on Andrew’s face in the dim lighting of his well-darkened bedroom. Your phone, which you must’ve fallen asleep on, was lost in the abyss of the crack between bed and nightstand so you had no way of knowing what time it was.

“How’d it go?” You slurred, burrowing a little deeper into the warm bed.

He smiled, “The interview went well thanks to you and your internal alarm clock.”

“Can I have just a little bit longer in bed?”

Andy sighed dramatically, “Only if I can join. I’m still half asleep.”

You laughed, but raised the sheets as he crossed over to the other side and got in. You two had shared a bed before, you reasoned as you turned to face him, once, a couple of years ago when he’d gotten too drunk for you to leave alone after a night out. And while intoxication was markedly missing in the scenario, you and Andrew were adults and could nap together.

“Thanks again for waking me up,” He whispered into the darked, turning to face you. “My agent would have been really pissed if I’d missed that. And I would have felt awful for wasting everyone’s time, of course.”

Gently, you pressed a finger to his mouth, “Shhhh, I’m sleeping.”

Andrew chuckled, but then took your hand in his and kissed your finger across his lips gently. Surprised by the tenderness, you opened your eyes to look at your best friend.

“I’m serious, thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you most days.” Andy said, his voice, while still quiet, had a gruffness to it you didn’t quite recognize. 

“Well, good thing you’ll never have to find out what life is like without me,” you whispered back, softly smiling. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I think, sometimes, the thing I’m scared of most is losing you.”

The confession took your breath away for a moment. Of course, Andy was the most important person in your life, but neither of you had ever said anything so… vulnerable to the other before. It had always struck you as funny— while it was no secret Hozier regularly barred his soul in his songs, the Andy you knew was fairly reserved and quiet. You knew where he stood not by his words, but by his actions.

You bit your lip, wanting to word your response carefully. Slowly, you moved your hand to his cheek, cupping his face. “I’m not sure there’s anything you could do to lose me.”

Your eyes locked for a moment, and you could tell he was looking for something in your face. You stayed still, like he was a deer you were scared of frightening away, and then the smallest smile on his face broke the trance.

“What about this?” He breathed, turning his face so he could kiss the inside of your wrist. Your face broke out in a hot flush, the feel of his lips against your skin causing the butterflies you’d been fighting with to begin anew.

You shook your head the tiniest bit, “We’re still friends.”

He leaned forward, and it was only then you realized how close the two of you were in this bed. The warmth of his body and the feel of his hand moving to rest on your hip nearly sent you overboard. Slowly, as if he was now the one afraid of frightening you, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss right on the crook of your neck. “And this?”

Your toes curled and you almost gasped involuntarily, but you just managed to catch yourself. “We’re— we’re still okay.”

Andrew moved again, this time pulling you towards him so suddenly, his body was all you could feel. You looked up, his warm eyes searching your face again before gently, oh so gently, he brushed his lips against yours. “What about this? Are you okay with that?”

Words were lost to you as your eyes fluttered closed. You reached up and wrapped your arms around his neck, pushing yourself against him and somehow, even closer.

When your lips met again, there was no longer a question between the two of you. Suddenly, you were nothing more than the feeling of his fingers digging into your soft flesh, the scratch of your nails against his back, the heat that seemed to blossom in the space between your bodies. He groaned as your hips (involuntarily, of course) rocked into his, and you moaned at the feeling of his hard member against you.

“Andy,” You gasped, breathing hard but unable to even open your eyes— lost in the feeling of his lips trailing down your neck. “Andy please.”

Finally, you were able to crack your eyes just the tiniest bit, and almost gasped again at the sight of your best friend. He looked up at you, his beautiful hair already escaping your neat braid and his pupils blown wide as he seemed to drink you in. “Please what, darling?”

“Don’t stop.”

He didn’t. Gentle fingers eased your shirt over your head, and you didn’t even have time to feel an iota of self-consciousness before your sports bra gave way next. Bare to him, Andrew gently turned you on to your back so he hovered over you, one of his legs cutting between your own.

Slowly, almost tortuously slow, he lowered himself and placed his mouth over one of your nipples— teasing the sensitive skin before moving onto the other side. Your hands, desperate to do something, wove into his hair as you held him against your body.

His hand skated across your stomach, moving lower and lower until it slipped past the loose elastic of your sweats and underwear— those long fingers you loved watching play music parting you and dipping inside for a brief moment.

You arched against him, gasping at the sudden feeling of him. Part of you still didn’t believe this was real, that surely you still had to be sleeping, even as he deftly pulled your remaining clothes down your legs.

Kicking them off and into the room, your own hands pulled at his shirt while raking your fingernails across the pale skin of his back. Now chest to chest, you couldn’t help but grind down onto the sweatpant clad thigh between your legs, desperate for any friction to try and relieve the growing pressure. 

Hot kisses trailed down the side of your neck as you felt him laugh against your skin, “Someone’s a little impatient.”

You groaned again, your chest heaving against his as a hand reached to slowly knead a breast. “You have no idea how long I’ve been patient for,” your voice was breathier than you’d ever heard it. “How much I’ve been wanting you.”

A cry filled the dimly lit room as those long, tortuous fingers found you again— Andrew expertly rubbing your clit with a thumb as he shifted his weight to start taking off his remaining clothes. Your hands reached behind you, searching for something (anything) to steady yourself against as the sweet, familiar pressure started to grow.

He bent your right knee down with his free hand and spread you even wider. “Say that again,” he whispered as he laid down at your side, his voice barely audible over the rushing in your ears. 

You gasped as the crescendo started, two fingers now inside you— their movements exquisite and maddening. “I want you—” you paused for a moment, your eyes squeezing closed against the incoming tide. “Only you.”

Shuddering, you barely had a moment to catch your breath in the seconds after your first orgasm before Andrew was reaching around you, fumbling for a moment before finding a familiar foil and ripping it open. Planting a kiss on your temple, the two of you locked eyes for a moment. You smiled, tenderly stroking a finger down the side of his face.

Andy shifted his weight so he was hovering over you again, his eyes searching your face with a question. Barely coherent (and dazed from how quickly you’d just orgasmed), you leaned over to answer with a lingering kiss— resting your forehead against his to pause for a moment.

“Please, Andy.”

In response, those tortuous fingers curled around your hips, your best friend kissing your neck as he positioned himself right at your entrance. “Tell me,” he whispered against your sweaty skin. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”

Your hips jutted upwards, and you groaned at the feeling of him brushing against you for just the briefest of moments. “I’ll never want you to stop,” You breathed, reaching up to stroke his face with your thumb. “I’ll never stop wanting you.”

The feeling of him, all of him, was more than you had ever created in your daydreams; you couldn’t have imagined how his hair would tickle your face as he leaned down to kiss you, you didn’t take into account the visual of his long, lean body as he thrust into you again and again and again, and never in a million years could you have conceived how beautiful of a sound he would make as he climaxed inside you.

Afterwards, glowing in the aftermath of your orgasm and the feeling of Andrew lingering on your skin, you turned over to face him. His hair, now completely fallen out of the braid you’d hastily pulled in it, spread out over the pillow like a halo. His cheeks were flushed (as were yours, you felt sure), the high spots a delicate pink as he breathed heavily and stared up at the ceiling.

“Hey,” you whispered softly, almost afraid to break the spell of the moment.

He turned to you, and his liquid brown eyes caught yours as a huge smile spread across his beautiful face. “Hey yourself.”

“You still have me, you know. If you want, I mean. I’m still not going anywhere.”

Andrew reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, pressing a kiss to your temple. The actions, so sweet and tender, made your heart squeeze with affection and hope. “Good, because I still don’t know what I would do without you.”

[purple-dreams9]

If Thea was Theo, a controversial opinion

I want to preface this post by stating that this is not meant to change anyone's mind or opinion. I am not here to tell you to like a character or to ship a certain ship. You are free to hate Thea, write her off your fics, ignore her existence, and ship Kevin with the milkman if you so desire. This is also not an essay. Instead, think of it as the thought dump of someone munching over it for days.

This all started with a conversation about Thea with a couple people on a Discord server. I've been mostly neutral about Thea, not understanding the overall hate but not knowing much about her either. It led me to read Nora's most recent post about Thea, the replies and the "Why do you not like Thea?" poll, and I've seen plenty of Tweets about her, too.

In general, I noticed one main element when people explain their stance: it is not because Thea is a woman and people want to ship Kevin with male characters. The real reason(s), branched in different directions: the age gap, the lack of building of her character, how little she shows up/how little we know about her/the feeling of her being shoo-ed in out of nowhere as Kevin's love interest, and her attitude (inc. her lack for communication with Kevin after he left the Nest, her comment to Jean in TSC, etc.)

I have been in many fandoms for over a decade, some with more prominent mlm ships, and to be honest, none of those reasons seemed to truly justify the dislike of Thea to the degree she is disliked in the fandom as a whole, especially as the romantic interest of a main character. It seemed to me that most of it is rooted in the desire for Kevin NOT to be straight, but to be gay and be with a guy (or bi, but I see more people using "gay" for Kevin. And some prefer Aro/Ace Kevin, but these fans are a bit more quiet and subdued with their headcanon.) See, even taking Thea out of the equation, there are no popular mlw ships for Kevin with characters from canon, and even in fanon ships the counterparts are mostly (if not all) men.

That got me thinking: "What if Thea was Theo? How would that change how fans interact with this character, even if her personality was the same? What about the relationship with Kevin? Would fans approach the ship differently if he had had Theo as a boyfriend instead of Thea as a girlfriend?"

Of course, it is all hypothetical. For one, a big part of her character is that she is a woman of color (note that I am not black, so I am in no position to talk about how her race plays out with her character) in a predominately male and white team (violent cult) that had to fight her way to the top. It wouldn't quite have the same weight or the same background if she was a male. For two, I am aware it would bring another discourse to the table, that of the "predatory gay men stereotype" (even though there was nothing predatory or "grooming" in their relationship, but that conversation is not for this post.) I am sure plenty of fans would still hate the Kevin/Theo ship, and Theo himself.

Still, I allowed myself to picture it. I read, once, that women used to ship male characters together because female characters were underdeveloped and were not interesting. I wondered if this applies to fandom as well, how certain fandoms prefer to develop and grow male characters.

Things like "lack of canon information about Theo" would not be an issue. Fans are very good at filling in the blanks and building a character from the few spare parts given by the source. This also applies to "there is almost no interaction with Kevin" because let's be honest here, guys, ships are sometimes made from nothing. Rarepairs exist, and even ships like pre-TSC Jerejean can explode in popularity.

With how big of a part Kevin plays in the books and how big his shipping fandom is, if Theo was a thing, I truly believe we would have seen him bloom in fanon spaces. He would have given space and opportunity to grow, change and develop both as a character and in his relationship with Kevin.

The "forbidden relationship" trope and the possibility for angst would have fans foaming, fics working around Theo's past and how he had to fight his way to the top would be written, AUs where he leaves the beliefs of the cult behind and reunites with Kevin would also exist. We would see stories about how his and Kevin's love story played out before and after Kevin left the Nest (at least one primarily focused on the notes they used to pass each other in secret). His mean comments and bitchiness would be ignored, played down, understood, forgiven, or found charming (like Andrew's throughout the series, or even Abby's in TSC.) In a few words, he would be more present and less disliked.

AFTG is a predominately queer fandom, and there is nothing wrong with wanting representation, but I also think it's necessary to use the same scale for female and male characters that are romantically or sexually involved with more popular ones. It's fine not to like Thea, but also to sit and think: would I asses a male character in the same way? How would my view of them change regarding their gender? Just food for thought, I guess.

Again, this is not a call to action of any sort. It is just me, rambling and putting my thoughts down. I can't see different realities so this is basically all fiction. I wanted to take it out of my brain, hear what others think and that's it. Ship what makes you happy. Create what inspires you. Curate your experience. All that being said, Id love to hear your thoughts, but I wont debate anyone's opinion because that's truly, not what Im seeking.

This got longer than I intended so I'll end this here. If you made it, thanks! I hope you have a nice day.

[rottenlightart]

I've often heard the opinion, that Catra was a terrible friend to Scorpia, and that she didn't care about her. To be honest, I don't agree with that, Catra wasn't the worst friend for Scorpia within her capabilities, and really disagree that Catra didn't care about what will happen to Scorpia. I think their relationship is a little more complex than it seems.

(I'm not claiming that their relationship is “healthy and non-toxic,” and etc, I don't want to put any moral judgment on them because I'm not interested in it)

(I'd write many posts about my thoughts on some of the details of the series, but language barrier is eating me alive. Yes, it's a longread with bad English. I hope my attempts to translate this text are successful, but if it's an unreadable mess, let me know 🥲)

Yep, Catra in s1-s4 screws up with communication. The reasons, as I see it, are pretty obvious— she didn't get proper socialization, and on top of that, she was live in constant danger from birth, which had a big impact on her perception of people and contact with them in general. She never had examples of normal relationships in front of her, but she had plenty of things that would convince her to avoid people. Society around her was built on force and violence, she received a clear message that if only she will be strong people would not be able to harm her. (But Catra had Adora, yes. But their friendship, as perceived by Catra, was clearly antagonistic towards the world. Catra wanted to conquer the world with Adora, not be part of it with her)

Plus in s1 Catra has just lived a situation where the one person who promised her safety left her and started fighting against her. This fact, overlaid with the fact that every person she has ever known in her live, be hostile at her or straight threatened her life , explains to me her inability and unwillingness to have friendships. Perhaps she just doesn't see the point of them, because she never thought she could trust anyone but Adora, and after Adora run away from her life, that option was closed in Catra's perception.

(About "every person she known" - I'm not sure how close it is to headcanon, but I suspect that the other cadets could be bullying Catra behind Adora's back. In her perfect version of reality she interacts with other cadets much more often than in real life, this also convinces me of this)

Why then do I say her relationship to Scorpia is not clearly indifferent when I just say she didn't want friendship? Because I think she did care about Scorpia, but in ways that were possible to Catra. 3 facts speak to me about this. 1 - despite her outbursts of anger, as boss Catra is actually patient with Scorpia

Their relationship until the end of Season 4 would be easier to describe as a partnership; it was like a classic villain-sidekick duo. Scorpia acted like Catra's subordinate (she even call Catra as "our leader"), despite the fact that they were of the same rank, Catra repeatedly gave orders to Scorpia

Catra is bad as a friend who doesn't want to share standard friendship signals, but as a boss she is very patient with Scorpia. The only time she snapped at her, I'll describe below. This may sound rude, but as much as I love her, Scorpia… was a terrible employee. She often fails at tasks that are delegated to her.

She's losing the outposts she's guarding, she's failing with paperwork, she's failing to protect an important artifact... Scorpia screws up almost every order.

(Just in case, I say this without any negativity towards the character, she's not bad, she just wasn't suited for her position.)

And Catra is very patient with this. None of her commanders have ever demonstrated tolerance for failures. Her superiors strangled Catra just for self-affirmation of them, tortured her with magic for her insolent phrases and wanted to execute her for failures, while Catra was rude to Scorpia at worst. Catra showed uncharacteristic restraint with her.

2 - Catra defended Scorpia

There are several episodes where this may be shown The most controversial moment is the prison scene. I'm not sure if Catra's refusal to be rescued was a desire to protect Scorpia from the consequences, rather than emotional vulnerability after being stabbed in the back

Perhaps something in between is true, it's a complex scene. After all, she had nowhere to run, and she knew it.

But next scene is much more indicative. Their relationship changed after Catra's emotional outburst in s4. It was rude and unpleasant, but immediately after that moment Catra takes blame for failure on herself.

She didn't say that important data was lost because of Scorpia (as Catra thought it that moment).

Catra knew that Hordak could kill her for failing, which had almost happened in the past, and Catra was clearly scared in that moment. If Scorpia wasn't important to Catra at all, there wouldn't be any point in protecting her. In fact, there is no rational reason, other than affection, to risk her own life for it.

(In addition, Catra was a victim many times, and standing up to the aggressor from your childhood is an action that requires enormous willpower (trust me I know lol))

3 - Catra was worried about Scorpia when she didn't answer on her call

(It doesn’t look that obvious in the screenshots, but her voice at that moments is very expressive) I think no comments are needed here. Scorpia's departure affected Catra so much that she started looking for her through the security camera. Their breakup was one of the reasons that led to Catra's meltdown.

I could probably take more points, but I think my point of view is already clear.

As I said, their relationship does not seem to me univocal. Their relationships are complex and greatly influenced by the context of their life. This is why I love this series.

Perhaps, if they had more time, then even within the Horde their relationship could have come to balance. In any case, it's pretty bittersweet stuff.

[youandthemountains]

What are some of your favorite trek novels? sorry if this question is hard to answer, I'm looking into reading some myself but I know it can be hit-or-miss with a lot of them 😅

Oooh no, thank you for asking!!!

I am by no means an expert - @electronickingdomfox is definitely more widely read in terms of trek books.

Obviously I'm also biased, but as a Bones Enjoyer, my favorite trek books I've read so far have been:

Dreams of the Raven by Carmen Carter - so good for bones backstory, especially what he was like as a fresh faced intern and how his beliefs and self perception changed over time. Very good if you enjoy pacifist, anti-hierarchial organization bones. It's very much a bones-centric triumvirate book. It's also had some of the best writing of bones as a doctor specifically that I've read so far, in terms of how his career shaped his worldview and how he interacts with people. It even gets into the different constitution of the work - for instance there's scenes in the autopsy room where Kirk wonders how McCoy works down there. There's also other medical staff with different personalities which also helps bones shine - really highlights that what stands out about him isn't just that he's the Doctor Character, which can sometimes be his flattened role, but the way he chooses to handle his position. The plot itself gets a little silly but I adore the character work.

Sarek by AC Crispin - an interesting look into Spock's relationship with his family, with plenty of triumvirate scenes and a really beautiful sense of how he sees McCoy as a comfort. Also really beautiful and mournful story about Sarek and Amanda, as she passes away. A lot about grief and the ways a family deals with it so def a warning for that too.

The Autobiography of Mr. Spock by Una McCormack - SO MUCH good stuff in here, ties later trek into Spock's life so well and bones is so ever present in it <3. Such a good Spock character study, lots of interesting insight into his beliefs and psychology bc it's the perspective of him reflecting on his life so you see more of how he changed and grew. Loved a lot of what they added to his early life, and his relationships and how his perspectives changed as he grew older and learned more. Like I particularly enjoyed all the insight into his family life, and how during the 5YM he was only aware of the parts of his life story you understand as a child, but over time has learned about wider things going on that affected the events in his family's life which in turn affected how they raised him, who could only react to their actions without knowing their context. Also enjoy its perspective on Vulcan in general - a very good shades of gray book.

Shadows on the Sun by Michael Jan Friedman - I can only half recommend this book honestly. It's a McCoy's Divorce book which actually I do enjoy and some of his characterization makes sense in terms of how he was in their marriage. I also like the idea of McCoy having a little chip on his shoulder about growing up lower class - fully just a characterization I made up that this book and some other beta canon leans into. As the book goes on though, McCoys written a little too damsel in distress-y and just seems way less competent in general which is annoying. Also while I do believe he'd still carry love for everyone he's loved including his ex-wife, I don't believe he'd go back to her or become her affair partner like the book has him do near the end (after these scenes where she gets him drunk and basically forces some kisses on him, like WHAT is going on here.)

Haven't yet read, but recommend:

Diane Duane books including The Wounded Sky, Spock's World, the Rihannsu series. Haven't yet read them because they're my treat for when I run out of trek novels. Every quote I've seen from them looks sooo enticing.

The Entropy Effect - again haven't read it yet, looks great

Ex Machina - have not yet read, intriguing quotes

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

If I have to deal with brain rot about this absolutely awful man, so do y'all! Really looking forward to playing Dead Money so I can torture you with more.

Dean Domino (Fallout: New Vegas, Dead Money DLC) NSFW Headcanons

Is the King of Swing good in bed? Complicated question; he's too selfish to say that he is with any confidence. It depends on the day, frankly. He was a massive slut back in his prime, and he's perfectly well acquainted with how to show you a good time when the two of you are in bed together. Whether or not he cares enough in that moment to bother to make you cum is an entirely different matter. There are days he wants to show off, wants to hear you tell him how good he is, but there are also plenty of days where he'll happily use your body to jerk himself off and won't think for a second about your pleasure beyond what it'll do for him. On days like that, he wants you wet/stretched enough to take him, but that's all he cares about.

I've discussed this with folks a bit in replies on other posts, but I think it's very worth elaborating on: he would be so fun to dominate. He'd be the world's most petulant, bratty sub, and so confident that you wouldn't be able to break him, that he'll stay cool and in control of the situation, no problem. However, he's sorely mistaken. Dean Domino is a brat who was made to be broken. Tie his ass up and beat him a bit. Edge him until he literally cries. He insists he won't beg; prove him wrong. It's the sweetest sight you've ever taken in. I've never met a single character who needs to have his cock slapped like a million times more than him. And honestly, I think if you gave him the full routine and then treated him completely neutrally over the proceeding few days, as if nothing had even happened, he'd beg then, too, desperate to experience what you made him feel again...though not without a lot of petulant bitching first. How dare you act like you can drag him around by his prick, just because you absolutely can if you do it right...?!

Any ongoing relationship with Dean is going to be a constant power struggle. As insecure as he obviously is, he's forever rearing to "put you in your place" in a litany of ways; talking down to you, insulting you flippantly, all the nonsense you see from him when you interact with him in-game. If you don't push back at him (or show him where his place is, per the previous point), he will absolutely walk all over you, including sexually. Maybe that's what you're into. He doesn't really care all that much as long as he's getting whatever he wants out of you.

Biter. Always has been. Used to get a kick outta fucking actors and actresses and just covering them in bite marks and bruises that would be incredibly difficult to cover with makeup, because he likes attention and he's possessive, even of toys he doesn't particularly want to play with anymore.

Almost never takes off those goddamn sunglasses (because, in my mind, he thinks they make him harder to read...plus, he has super light-colored eyes, and once he's traveling the desert, he's constantly blinded by the sun), but one of the rare times you can guarantee he'll remove them is when you're giving him head. He wants to be able to see every detail of you worshiping him with your lips and tongue.

Obviously he's big into degradation, which is clear in the way he speaks to you, about you and others. He can, however, be persuaded to be rather sweet (though still entirely self-aggrandizing) when he's in a good mood. He'll tell you how gorgeous you look...on his cock. What a pretty voice you have...why don't you sing for him some more so he can hear how good he makes you feel? Every compliment also has to basically be a positive comment to himself, as well.

Leg and ass man. He makes some comments about Vera that hint at this, but he's not usually quite so tactful about it. Will openly grope you in public, both to embarrass you a bit and because he doesn't care enough to hold back when he feels like touching you.

Really enjoys a giving you a good cum facial. He finds it just the right mix of disgusting, dominating, and possessive. If he can find a way to force you to keep his cum on your face, he will. Even better if someone else sees you that way.

[sporesgalaxy]

honestly fascinated by volo not recognizing scrangle as inhuman in the postgame stuff you offered earlier (which HAS been extremely helpful! i've been chewing on it in my brain) because to me volo's whole deal is so entrenched in his own humanity as compared to the world of dangerous creatures and equally dangerous deities he inhabits. like in pla itself and in much of his pokemas dialogue he emphasizes the frequency that someone with his profession and his background finds themselves in life-or-death situations, and for all he's willing to condemn the hisui he knows to unmaking he doesn't seem to view the suffering motivating him as exclusive (between "i imagine we all go through something like that" with his childhood issues and his expectation that the player has dreams of their own + acknowledgement that those dreams don't "leave room" for his own rather than being shocked or even accusatory that someone would be able or willing to stand against him) - like, in rebelling against the god he reveres even through his obsessive anger towards it ("what is it, then, that you find so lacking in me?!" furiously demanded from arceus after he's already professed his intentions towards it is probably my favorite line of his. fucking hits) he's already positioning himself as fundamantally below his opposition, but that's borne out even further by the hisui situation of humans struggling to compete in general. in a weird way him lumping in scrangle with the people he belongs to draws MORE parallels between the two than are even presently there by his own standards

OKAY HIHIHI SORRY I LEFT YOU HANGING A MILLION YEARS. I LOVED THIS I just had to go back and reexamine every decision I ever made about Volo in relation to Scrangle because YOU RAISE GREAT POINTS!

I admit that I think I got my character motivation timing mixed up when I wrote Volo saying "...Whether you are creative or delusional makes no difference to me, little girl." I don't think he'd have THAT much resentment toward Scrangle BEFORE they revealed that the Tyrant they want to destroy is Arceus.

HOWEVER, the other thing motivating that line from Volo was a potent mixture of disappointment and jealousy, which I think he'd already have plenty of by that point. Scrangle FELL FROM THE SKY in OBVIOUSLY ARCEUS-THEMED CLOTHING, and yet at every turn she shows TOTAL irreverence or even malice toward any suggestion of a higher power. Volo DOES have an odd sort-of humbleness about his place in the universe, despite his ambitions to ascend beyond that. So I imagined that someone like Scrangle acting like they're already above everything would really rub Volo the wrong way.

And then to see someone who acts and talks like Scrangle end up battered and bruised by the Frenzied Nobles just like any other human...what a letdown! None of Scrangle's victories against the Nobles were exactly clean-- well, her Pokemon could win cleanly once the Noble could be wrangled into an actual battle, but Scrangle always got pretty severely beat up in the process. Scrangle is good with Pokemon, but in every other respect they seems like theyre every bit the brash, clumsy, foolish child they appear to be, even moreso than the canon PLA protagonist. A Volo who was reckoning with a STRANGER appearing to have been chosen by Arceus from the beginning of the game (thanks to Scrangle's outfit) would I think be more susceptible to skepticism toward Scrangle, for the sake of his own ego as a "humble" pious scholar & Arceus devotee, who nonetheless thinks he can pull of rebuilding the entire world.

I really need to review Volo's interactions with the player thruout the middle of the story to get a finer tune on their whole thing, though. I have vague memories of thinking they'dve had some sour interactions at least one of the times Volo was investigating those runes...

[dayntee]

So I finished Veilguard a while back, and of course I have thoughts. I'm sure none of them are original and have been plenty stated, but hey, we all need to mourn a game when we're done with it for better or worse, so here's mine.

Note: I wrote and queued this before I was aware of the layoffs at Bioware today. This is, in no way, meant to rub salt in the wound or point fingers. If anything, I'm gutted for the people who poured their heart into this game only to be found jobless today. I'm in the exact same position myself, and have nothing but empathy for the situation. To spoil what's below - I enjoyed my time with Veilguard. It could have been better, and if you're a dev that worked on it, you probably know that. I'm sorry it's turned out the way it has, but thank you for the experience regardless. It was a fun game.

Spoilers after the break, obviously. Be aware there will be discourse, but I'm not here specifically to bash. If anything, I'm actually still grateful for the experience.

Overall, I did enjoy my time with Veilguard. After all, my final save file was around the 85 hour mark, so clearly I had no issues continuing to sink time into the game. I itched to play when I wasn't, and I got my Solavellan ending I've been waiting 10 years for, and I damn near 100%'d the whole thing (including getting the hidden cinematic after the credits). So what went wrong? What did I not like? Why do I feel so… empty now that it's over?

If I were to summarize my issues and feelings with Veilguard, it's that it felt like it gave just enough to be passable content, but never committed to being a truly exemplary experience. In every way, from system design to companion design to overarching story to itemization, everything is fine… but not great.

Knowing that DAV went through development hell contextualizes a lot of these issues. If the art book is to be believed, the project had two full blown restart buttons pushed and many leadership handoffs. I've been in conversations, though, where folks ask "Why on earth could DA2 pull off a great storytelling experience, but DAV couldn't?"

There's something else at play, and after my own experiences in the game industry and squinting between the lines to try to glean what I think may have gone wrong, I have a hunch. Pure speculation ahead: I don't think leadership ever fully agreed on a committed vision.

The broad strokes are there, and they are strong:

The Lighthouse is a cool fucking hub. It grows with your group, responds to their needs, and shapes itself around you as you experience the world. The concept of this is dope AF.

The goal is closure on all the questions left unanswered after DAI. It does get to most of these, even if not as fully and as satisfying as some of us lore nerds would have liked.

Combat is fluid and pretty engaging (at least at first). It's simple, fun, and generally fulfills power fantasies well (for context, I specialized as a full Veil Jumper Archery Rogue).

WE GET TO EXPLORE NORTHERN THEDAS. This is so cool and a place we've all wanted to go for ages. TEVINTER. NEVARRA. WEISSHAUPT. All exciting prospects.

Level design and map design are pretty A+, imo. Landscapes and set dressings are beautiful and artfully crafted. Even if there are aspects of the visual design you disagree with, they committed to it and fulfilled it well.

Exploration is fun. I rarely hunt down every chest in a game. I could not stop treasure hunting for the life of me, and some of those hidden treasures felt really special and rewarding to uncover.

The cast of characters and factions you interact with are interesting and very different - from one another and from previous casts. It's nice to see some new tropes that either haven't been used or have been out of rotation for a while.

Solas is a good antagonist. He was before, and he still is, and biased Solasmancing aside - I always looked forward to the breaks in the game where I got to banter with the Egg.

Voice over cast is fantastic. I know some folks were less fond of non-British/American accents, but honestly, I was very fine with it. It reinforced that this part of Thedas, and this time in the overall storyline, is new and different. Thedas is changing, and so are its people.

All these things said - every single positive I have above feels like they were baseline requirements for a AAA Bioware RPG. That they don't go above and beyond these bare minimums is where the game feels like it fails, especially as a payoff for a critically acclaimed entry that's 10 years old and has a passionately dedicated fanbase.

A phrase I've been using a lot with folks is that DAV feels like the Lacroix of Dragon Age games. It's got the branding, it looks like Dragon Age, and it kind of tastes like Dragon Age, but… just barely. It leaves you feeling like it's lacking. It's a hint of it, and going back to drink it again doesn't quite satisfy you.

What we call this in game development is minimum viable product (MVP), which is usually trotted out at the point by production and/or leadership when you realize you've meandered on the project for so long that you just gotta ship something. This works if you're actually going to commit to polishing it up and continuing to make it better after launch for a live service game; fix it later is fine when that's a reasonable expectation.

But Veilguard walked back on that concept. It no longer was going to be live service, but a one-and-done, and the final, late pivot meant it just had less time to cook in its final form and likely a ton of wasted work that got chucked out. There are so many places where the experience feels like an alpha or beta version of what they actually wanted to do. The Lighthouse and Companions as a whole both exemplify this; they feel and look cool, but the experience of both are shallow and underdeveloped. They felt like they were missing something.

The most egregious issues, in my opinion, in no particular order:

Apologies in advance if they're your favorite, but Rook is probably the worst protagonist we've ever been given. Not because their concept is inherently bad, but because I couldn't really make them mine. Rook has no arc, makes few decisions that truly matter, and no moral conundrums barring maybe the Treviso/Minrathous decision. Even then—it feels like there's a right answer to that decision.

To explain: Minrathous gets fucked at the end of the game anyway. If you pick to save Minrathous, you've just doomed two metropolis level cities to excessive death and destruction AND locked yourself out of a potential romance option for no particular reason.

Rook's actions in Thedas also matter the least. The end state of the game is the same no matter what: the Evanuris fall, and the Veil is preserved. How you do it is largely immaterial. In every other game entry, shit can seriously go sideways and it's always directly because of your decisions.

Companion arcs are largely shallow and so reliant on Rook, they fail to feel real. Some of these arcs are more egregious in this manner than others, and some of them have truly excellent stories to tell (oh, hi there Emmrich). But even with the best arcs, this person asks you to make utterly life-altering decisions for them and you've probably known them for like a month or two at best. It just doesn't feel like I, as the PC, have the right to make that call, or that I've earned it. There's not enough time nor enough high stakes prior to those moment.

I won't beat this one to death, but the limited amount of previous choices not mattering in this entry hurts, and I know how complicated it would have been to explore all of them. That said, there were a few that had a ton of specific investment that deserved better resolution: Kieran in particular would have mattered so fucking much if he existed as canon. I understand that's the crux of the problem, but it makes it so that if he was part of your world state in both DAO and DAI, his absence is all the more noticeable.

The South being destroyed off-screen through text will never not bother me. The Inquisitor is apparently faffing about doing fuck all with the resources they've built over time, especially if they chose not to disband the Inquisition. They didn't chase after Solas, who they knew was going to be a problem, and then they ALSO let the South fall? I'm sorry - it does a hero that the majority of this fandom is most likely heavily invested in the worst service no matter which way you look at it.

Veilguard feels like a game that couldn't get out of its own way. The part that has me grieving the most is that you can see under the surface a great game was there, but just not fully realized.

Without being one of the people who made the game, we can only speculate and can't presume the cause for why we got what we did. Hell, as someone who works in game development, sometimes you never get the answer yourself as to why things went so horribly sideways. The larger the game and studio, the more blind spots you're likely going to have on the overall project.  That said, I have nothing but empathy for the Veilguard team. It's very clear that at least the majority of folks working on it poured in a ton of work and cared a lot about it.

It's not my place to blame anyone in particular for it, because I don't have the first-hand knowledge necessary to cast that judgement. I hope the folks who worked on this don't let it get them too down; you still made a fun game. And I'm sure you're just as disappointed it wasn't the love letter to Dragon Age that you probably wanted it to be, as much as any of us fans who feel it didn't meet the bar.

You had an impossible job to do; the expectations here were so high, and you had more obstacles than any dev team should reasonably have during their project, regardless of the expected fires we all run into during development. Despite that, I still had fun, and I still care quite a bit about these characters.

That's worth something. Thank you for the experience.

[khruschevshoe]

OFMD Critique: Finales, Writing Backwards, and the Importance of Building Relationships

Continuing on the rambling meta bc it turns out there are a couple of people that responded well to my initial thoughts...

Am I the only one that felt like the OFMD Season 2 finale suffered from the exact same problem as the Game of Thrones or the How I Met Your Mother Season finales? Well, not exactly the same, but lemme explain.

The treatment of Izzy Hands in Season 2 of OFMD feels like when they sat down to write this season, they wrote his death scene first (for whatever reasons that might be, though likely for the sake of Ed's arc- we're not going to address my feelings on THAT rn), THEN backfilled his arc for the rest of the season based on that, but then didn't rewrite his death scene to address the stuff that organically happened when writing the rest of the season.

Like, for example, I've seen plenty of people point out that the deathbed apology from Izzy to Ed doesn't really work (I fed your darkness) both in regards to the sheer imbalance of damage shown onscreen between Ed and Izzy, but also doesn't work as a "putting Blackbeard behind us" scene when Izzy figuratively (and literally, if you count him as part of the group with the cannonball) killed his half of Blackbeard in the storm scene in 2x2, with whatever parts lingering in him killed with the unicorn scene in 2x4. After this point, his arc and his focus has very, very little to do with Blackbeard or hell, Ed in general besides the couple of comments made to Ed and Stede that cement that Izzy is happy that Ed moved on and found someone that makes him happy.

Izzy's arc has left Blackbeard behind already. He has already hit the emotional beat that the finale wants to retread.

And then the other part of his deathbed comments to Ed- "the crew loves you, Ed"- makes no sense from the Ed side of things. The show built up an arc for Izzy that would make people care when he died, but that arc was literally about the crew literally putting aside their differences/fear/distrust of each other to help, support, and accept Izzy as their figurehead, their protector, their friend, their recovery, their family, their (insert positive symbolism/metaphor for all of the VARIOUS implied flirtations here).

What did they have with Ed? Other than his moments with Stede and Fang, what relationships were built up before Izzy's death? Calypso's birthday included no scenes of the crew interacting with Ed other than the short Archie/Ed/Stede convo at the beginning. We get none of him talking to them when prepping for the party. He spends 2x7 and 2x8 with Stede, only having scenes with Stede, never building anything with the crew.

THE LAST SUBSTANTIAL INTERACTION ED HAS WITH THE CREW BEFORE IZZY DIES IS THE "INFLUENCER APOLOGY" IN 2X5 (other than with Fang in the boat). Holy shit, I didn't even realize that until I got to this point in the meta. I had realized that something felt wrong/off about the "the crew loves you line," but I thought that it was because 2x1-2x3 cast such a long shadow on the rest of the season that it was impossible to escape. No, there were cracks in the back half of the season as well.

All of which is to say: if you have to kill Izzy (which you really, really don't, btw, it makes little sense in a show where pretty much every character has survived a near death experience with nary a scratch, but for the sake of hypothetical), there is a way you can pull it off: you have the crew at Izzy's side as he dies instead of Ed. You have their relationship with Izzy at the forefront, because their relationship is the one that matters at this point in the narrative. You have Izzy die trying to save one of them, not by random gunshot.

And then after Izzy dies, you finally give the crew their agency back. You let Izzy's death be the last straw in THEIR arcs. You let them tell Ed that they cannot allow him to stay on the ship after everything. You let them tell him that they are putting their foot down, and he can go retire if he wants, but they will not let him destroy this crew anymore.

(Or, you know, you can have all of that with a death SCARE instead of an actual death, and allow Izzy to sail off into the sunset as a first mate instead of as a dead body. Because that would suit the tone of the show and the story better.)

But I have the feeling that point B (Izzy dying/his death scene) was the thing that was decided on first, and so the budget crunch/other factors may have led the writers into making the same mistake as so many before them have: writing point A out organically, and then failing to change Point B when it no longer fit the story they had written.

[dalekofchaos]

William Afton is not a loving father and is not sympathetic in anyway

Might be a hot take. But I honestly feel like William Afton always being awful works.

William Afton being an unfeeling psychopath who kills because he gets some sick pleasure out of it and because he discovered remnant is better than William being a loving and caring father who turned mad because he lost CC and Elizabeth.

Some people are just evil. William Afton is just pure evil. Freddy Krueger nor Pennywise needed motivations on why they killed kids. Not knowing why Afton does what he does makes things better.

And its probably the most engaging thing about Afton. Also his always coming back thing is the only instance that I accept a character coming back from the dead. Like, I've never seen this trope work EVER except FNaF.

William Afton just being a garbage person just WORKS. He is so evil that his eternal hell is facing torture at the hands of his creations and the one vengeful child who wants him to suffer.

You know the meme

“Cool story, still murder”

For William it’s

“I’m just awful, it’s murder time children”

Also, William using his kids as an excuse to justify the murders does work, but only because he likes using his children and only wanting to bring his kids back in animatronic form can only work so they can do his bidding and collect more remnant so he can always come back. William being awful works.

Henry might've been neglectful of Charlie and Sammy, but William canonically abuses Elizabeth. He did nothing to help CC against Michael's cruel bullying and no, being the probable voice for psychic friend Fredbear is NOT a sign of good parenting. He used Michael to help him in his experiments and used him to clean up the mess HE MADE. William Afton is not a good father.

And if Midnight Motorist is about the Aftons, how is that not an abusive home? "leave him be, he had a long day" "I TOLD YOU not to lock the door" and then either it being CC or Michael, they broke the window to literally get away from the unhappy home.

And let's not forget he experiments on children in his fear experiments to recreate the events that lead to the death of his son.

William doesn't love his family. He sees them as objects he owns, and wants to force them to be perfect. And when they fail them, he replaces them.

There's a reason why Unbroken to me is the definitive Afton song.

He's so goddamn happy that he committed murder because of the remnant it gives him and doesn't give a shit about anyone else. It's chilling to watch. And the last line is so goddamn evil that it's amazing: "If I can't have my perfect little family, well, now I'll have plenty of time, to make a better one."

People have to realize that William never meant anything good whenever he wanted to "put something back together". It's referencing combining souls into one thing. When he did this in the novels, he did it because he believed it would somehow help him achieve eternal life. When he scooped a collection of remnant that came from who knows where into the Funtimes, it was likely for the same reason. He didn't want to help the Crying Child. He wanted the Crying Child to willingly give himself to him.

So I think Unbroken really shows how he is. Break them and put them back together. Let their combined cries build immortality.

This is why I use Unbroken as the definitive song and basis for William's motivation and goals. An unfeeling psychopath who sees killing kids as a fair trade for immortality and if he can't have a perfect family, then he'll just build a better one.

William in all his iterations is never shown interacting with his children in a positive way. The closest we get to him is telling his daughter Elizabeth not to go near Circus Baby. And even though Sister Location is when voice acting began to take hold of the franchise, we never hear how William speaks to his daughter. In these moments, the only instance of him speaking about his children in the games is up for debate. But if you believe the orange man in Midnight Motorist is Afton, he speaks about the runaway child with disdain and frustration. "he will be sorry when he gets back" whether it's Mike or CC he made them sorry either by locking CC in the parts and services in FNAF 4 or made Mike sorry via Nightmare Animatronics. All throughout the FNAF 4 cutscenes, he neglects his children entirely. Even when he is AT THE PIZZERIA with them, he doesn't acknowledge them during his own child's birthday party whose death is meant to be the catalyst for his descent into madness that the fandom widely believes and as that child cries out in fear, he is nowhere to be found.

Moving on from the games. Nothing about the books paints William to be a warm person. He's depicted in the novels as not only neglectful to Elizabeth, but physically abusive to her as well, even after she's killed by the animatronic she idolized, William does not soften at the loss of her, we do not see him grieve and he treats Circus Baby just as poorly as in the games, only thing missing is a scene of controlled shocks. Circus Baby is just a vessel for remnant and a devoted follower who is helping him with his experiments.

Game Michael is tasked with potentially cleaning up after William, but definitely with putting Circus Baby back together just as his father asked and his reward is getting scooped, being injected with remnant and having his body filled with animatronic parts and when Ennard abandons his body. Mike is left confused, alone and slowly rotting, but never dying. Immortal and restless.

In the movie William treats Vanessa like a tool to be ordered and it's implied Vanessa helped William cover up the the murders or killed as she was tasked with killing Mike and she lives in fear of him. When Vanessa finally stands up to him, he doesn't hesitate to dispose of her.

Whether it's the games, books or movies. William treats his living children as tools at best and obstacles at worst. I believe there is more than enough evidence to say that William Afton is not motivated by a design or desire to reunite with his lost loved ones or recreate some beautiful family. I don't think he wants to play pretend the way Henry seems to do in the novels with Charlie. Afton never really appreciated a single thing he ever had, not when he had it and certainly when he lost it. In Afton's eyes he only sees what others have and views things and other people through the lens of what they can do for him. He needs to be in control of his environment and everything should be at his disposal.

What motivates William Afton? He became enthralled with Henry's creations, jealous even. Perhaps they made him feel inferior as they were better than anything Afton had ever been able to create, so he studied Henry. The resentment in the obsession growing inside him as they became partners and their business was a success, it wasn't enough. He wanted the animatronics to be his own. He deserved them, he built the business and he shouldn't have to share the success with Henry, but he knew he needed Henry and that was infuriating to him and seeing Henry having the perfect family William always wanted was what caused him to kill Charlie that night. He wanted to take something from Henry and William needed to feel in control and for Henry to be vulnerable just to prove it could be taken away from him if William really wanted to and he did. What William wasn't expecting was that the security Puppet assigned to Charlie's bracelet would do exactly as it was programmed to do, it found Charlie and as she died, her soul fused to it. Upon discovering this, it would set William on a new path. He needed to understand why this would happen and how. Not because he was desperate to see his son or daughter again. But because he needed to be able to harness this ability to control it. His son lying in a coma would be brought back by his hands and he'd have the power to do something Henry cnever could. However he came to the conclusion he decided he'd need to kill again and he did. Stuffing bodies into the animatronics to see if they too would become possessed. Besides, who was going to go looking for the missing children in the suits? From here he would learn about remnant and conducted a particular gruesome experiment. What if a person died inside a spring lock suit? The result was something more powerful, but it was less predictable and obident than the others had been, but he did learn a valuable lesson about spring locks. He created the Funtimes to keep collecting and experimenting with remnant and he used electric shocks to keep them obedient and when he was no longer able, he enlisted Michael to continue his work.

We don't have all the information, but from what we do have, these motivations track with of Afton. Far more than the idea of a grief stricken father. If something happened to William to make him an insecure jealous man whose morality was shaped only by his own selfish desire. It happened before the events of FNAF. I don't think that's unsatisfying, I think it's a reminder of what we become when we reject humanity when our insecurities turn to jealousy, when we refuse to accept that some things are out of our control and allow fear to become hatred. While we can point to Henry and Edwin's rage against their respective machines, we also see the other side of them, the love of their children. You never see this human or soft side of William and personally I believe that's because it isn't there. William Afton's choices were not the choices of a man acting out of love or grief and that is why he's not a sympathetic villain and that is why it works so well and how it gets under our skin. When his actions are explained by those emotions because he's never been shown expressing them. If Afton is trying to rebuild his children, he is doing so to create loyal and obedient versions of them to do his bidding to make sure his work can continue and that he can always come back.

"YOU WILL DO AS I SAY. YOU WILL BRING ME WHAT I WANT AND IF YOU FAIL ME, THEN YOU WILL, BOTH OF YOU WILL BURN"

I believe this is what the original Security Breach story was meant to be. Vanessa was meant to be Elizabeth reborn and Gregory CC reborn as robots and tasked with slowly replacing William's body with animatronic parts injected with remnant and it lines up with what we know from the books. But Sony fucked the game and the original plan fell through and they course corrected.

Last few paragraphs from this video

But bottom line is, I don't believe William is this loving father with originally noble goals as the fandom likes to paint him because Scott writes William anything but than what the fandom portrays William to be and I think it's good that he's not a sympathetic villain. Sometimes some people are always awful and they don't have to have something bad happen to them. The masses have forgotten the simple pleasures of experiencing a nasty villain who delights in their crime and is the pettiest specimen one could ever design. William Afton to me is Scott pouring every negative/evil trait he could think up into the shape of a character and I just think it's good way to write William Afton.

There’s a reason the Afton Amalgamation is one giant Bunny made out of trash.

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

i was talking about how i like to have s1 trent get his brains kissed out (bc he deserves it) and also how if it's ted like. the earlier in the season it is the funnier it becomes. when you're not taking it too seriously. ANYWAY. and now i'm thinking about like. okay, so, ted charms trent pretty early. obviously. he wins him over in episode three, with the interview, but i think he was already at least a little bit reluctantly charmed by his second press conference in episode two. now, i've done plenty of scenarios where they meet pre-canon/ep1 for whatever reason, and i've done plenty where they end up kissing/become closer than in canon during s1. usually during or after episode three. however i am now thinking of what would happen if they somehow met, in a relatively in private, non-professional, one-on-one (or with only their kids, no other adults?) context, etc, between episode one and two, when trent's opinion of him is at the lowest it ever gets (and honestly, probably vice versa, too). and i am just... spinning that.

because, i mean. you know ted's gonna charm him. even if he isn't trying quite as hard without the interview giving him a direct reason, he's gonna charm him. just by being his kind, goofy self, he's gonna charm him, and without the interview to give context and reason to be talking professionally--assuming they are still talking and not avoiding each other, for whatever contrived reason--it's gonna put poor trent in such a snit. liking ted personally, so much, and not knowing how to handle it because as far as he's concerned, this is still someone who is putting the team and everyone who cares about it in a bad situation, but also, even after talking to the man for a few hours, it's already hard to believe he would do that. trent catching on to the fact ted lasso is smarter than he pretends, catching on to the fact that nice and kind and positive attitude is at least mostly if not completely and utterly sincere, and all that--just a little bit earlier. not enough to really make a difference in canon but. idk man. a) assuming this is a barely canon divergent thing it's just kind of fun to imagine that happening b) however back on my s1 trent gets kissed agenda i have literally no idea what circumstances could possibly arise to make that happen however i am CACKLING at the thought.

ANYWAY, back to the point: i just think there's something kind of compelling about that. between episodes one and two, when both of them have the lowest opinion of the other they will ever have, meeting in some innocuous way and being helplessly, unwillingly charmed. ted sees That One Reporter outside the press room only he's affectionately wrestling a frog hat onto a small child, grinning at her when she boops his nose, and can't help a smile at the reminder that even the coldest, rudest people are people, capable of kindness and goofiness, and he hadn't forgotten but it's still nice to see. trent, confronted with the full blast beam of The Lasso Effect right to the face and up close and outside of the press room, away from where he feels most confident, off duty and balance, sans notebook and pen, stumbling just a little into awkwardness, the edge of rudeness that comes from dislike that's tempered by some standard of british politeness and a hint of confusion and then quickly melted away entirely into utter bewilderment and oddly endeared charm, because what. trent crimm has no idea what to think of him. ted finds he actually likes trent, quite a bit--their conversation, however odd, had been entertaining, and despite their, uh, eventful, less-than-ideal first impression, ted may or may not have a favorite journo suddenly. because that sharp-cutting no-holds-barred journo from the press room is also strangely warm, and perpetually bewildered at the smallest kindnesses, and a good dad, nevermind that ted's heart is aching interacting with little kids like that.

idk man i'm just going in circles here i'm rotating and spinning because something something each seeing a better side to the other just a teensy bit earlier and it doesn't really change that much in the long run, unless it does; something something ted has only seen trent once, at his worst, being outright hurtful, and now here they are outside of that context, and trent has only reasons to think ted's incompetent, careless, greedy, an asshole, or some combination of the four, and yet here they are, and just. idk man! something