#again i'm so sorry to everyone who does not enjoy tragedies

[daemon-in-my-head]

4 & 6 pls. And 28 please

Hehe, thanks a bunch dear let me just drop some more tragedy over here. From this lil ask game.

4. What's it like being known as a hero? Do they enjoy it? Are they getting shy whenever they hear a bard recount their tales? Is it too overwhelming, and they decided to try and escape it?

He doesn't particularly enjoy it, doesn't believe hes a hero either. And that's perhaps the one respite I gave him. Since he was gone for 40 years and he's changed quite a bit, people, at least at first, didn't realise who he was. He was, ofc, eventually recognised by someone who knew him as a prominent figure when he was still haunting the local nobility for temple funds. Still, before that, he gets away with pretending to be just another stranger. Until he fucks it up for himself and reveals the truth.

6. Have we learned from the mistakes of our predecessors, or are we fully embracing the Abdel Adrian route? Are they trying to establish themselves as an influential figure or trying just to live a lovely little peaceful life?

This flows wonderfully from the earlier question; he's attempting to do both and failing brilliantly. He and Gort aren't really on great terms in the beginning. But Gortash holds a significantly greater amount of power than he does within the city. And Fine rather quickly figures out that he's pretty fucked without any significant backing, but most of the people in power are very much on Gortash's side.

So the mf enters politics. But not as Fine, or a Starym, or the relative of the Bormuls he posed as. No he does it as the hero who once saved the city and Gortash’s political enemy. Because, surprise, surprise, the people remember their heroes. And not everything that glitters is gold, much less if a tyrant sits at its helm. He basically tries to imitate Abdel perfectly, but to absolutely nobody's surprise, challenging the local authority while trying to keep your kid safe doesn't really work that well, no matter how many ordinary citizens you have backing you.

He too was is a schemer but unlike Gort who's been playing in politics for decades all he has done was enjoy family time and the occasional battle field. Saying he's rusty is putting it lightly. He very much nearly started a civil war himself.

28. Wild card / Dealers choice.

Okay well this is just plain sad but I adore it about him; his favourite flowers are forget-me-nots.

Which, by itself, is not that special. But then I tell you that the only reason he even managed to survive the shadowfell and Bhaal was because he swore to himself he needed to remember his adopted family. That he owed them this. That its the only way to make up for what he's done, even if he never wanted it to happen. That's this is the only way to retain whatever little of himself and his humanity is left even when he's supposed to be just another monster.

And because that wouldn't be enough tragedy already, I will then tell you that thanks to Orins intervention, he completely forgot about them. And that he will never truly remember for as long as he's alive, especially not that oath he swore to himself. But he will remember the flowers because he kept accessories and a tattoo with them, and he knows they are important, even if he doesn't know why.

He will never remember them. But he himself will never be forgotten.

[dykedvonte]

Silly ask incoming: what video games would the crew enjoy, in your opinion? Especialy, multiplayer games they can play together on their rare breaks? I think Anya eats everyone up in mario cart (she is picking princess peach probably)

-💀

Okay so I know everyone always tries to do cop out answers with saying "They wouldn't play video games yadda yadda" but I'm giving everyone something:

Curly

I think he likes those mindless sort of games. Not like easy but ones where they are a bit methodical.

Likes games with options but also set rules/restrictions. Endless creativity would overwhelm him and make him frustrated as he wouldn't know what to do and when

Honestly? Sims, minecraft, stardew, terria, games where there's options but at the end its like an inverted funnel. Start the same each time but you make it what you want in the end.

I also think he'd love VR type games like Super Hot and Beat saber just for the physicalness and kinda not having to be in reality.

Not into multiplayer too much mainly cause he's actually not that competitive but because he always drags out matches by being the worst

Will happily join a server or world in the games he does play even if it gets abandoned. He's the type to log on for notalgia

Daisuke

We know he's a gamer already. QnA said he likes to go to the arcade and waste time losing.

Also has his little handheld so I think he's into retro games, no specific type just likes how creative they are for how simple they tend to look

Def likes management games. I see him as being into figuring out pro strats and gamer shit like that.

Pikmin, Katamari, Resident Evil, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, etc... He likes the older stuff with a challenge, but proponent in wanting games to be mean to you again.

Gamer rage but in a sulky way like he misses a jump and just turns off the entire TV

A Mario Party instead of Mario Kart guy. Like the random chance of it all and to get aggressive and hype over like line tracing the mini game

Anya

And if I said Anya is like a strict multiplayer competitive like COD lobby girl then what?

Honestly I think she likes games with a lot of story and depth but has guilty pleasures in FPS and competitive games.

Like those RPG maker games a lot Mermaids Swamp, The Crooked Man, Ai Oni. Not for the horror, its a bit cliche but often time its the real people monsters or tragedy that captivates her.

Me thinks she's the type to scroll like Itchio or Game Jolt and plays whatever's free and looks interesting, gamer in the way she's just played games.

Ofc she's competitive, likes any game where she can show off or win, so she's always upset during chance games. Sorry girl, Daisuke won the draw no mario kart for you

Though I think her favorite would be like fighting games just to have subtle shit talk like "Are you sure you're not just button mashing?" Tekken Girlie

Swansea

This was hard cause like I genuinely think he wouldn't care about games and just plays them in the way like parents beat levels for their kids.

Platformers. Idk why but I think its just like its good hand eye coordination, keeps him feeling spry mentally.

Rhythm games honestly but in the sense of like how like piano tiles is a rhythm game.

He's like basic older man who plays like bejweled, solitaire, maybe even penguin diner.

I know this is almost a cop out but like I can't imagine him like being into gaming even if he was young, like I think he'd like card games, jacks and dice.

Honestly he plays online dominos vs the computer online and complains to his family or the crew (depends on where he is) about it cheating whenever he loses.

Jimmy

For real he's harder than Swansea's cause man doesn't even have hobbies like I don't know what he would actually like and it scares me

I think he's somewhat elitist with his gaming views because he just always thinks he's write but I know he plays everything the bad way

Honestly I think he likes games like Borderlands for the humor and the like fantasy power. Like Handsome Jack's humor a bit too much

Played Halo and Cod but either is so mid it's just not enjoyable enough for him to continue. Like he needs the instant gratification from gaming or he's not playing it anymore

Maybe GTA but again he annoys too many people and gets banned from servers and doesn't care about story mode.

LIkes the sims but in the fucked up girl way where he makes all the sims like live in his basement and paint for him while he get mad over storylines he made up.

I like think they all play monopoly like my family where it takes days because we treat it like real investments and alliances are formed and relationships ruined.

[fishermanshook]

Forever Yours (yan!timekeeper x gn!reader)

tw: mentions of kidnapping (ooc as shit)

yan!vertin who, at first, wasn't interested in having a relationship with you that wasn't purely for work reasons. As the timekeeper, she simply just doesn't have the time to support your relationship and it wouldn't be fair to either of you. So, she keeps her head low when the two of you pass by each other. A simple nod and small smile was enough for the both of you as you trekked in different directions.

yan!vertin who starts to see you more often. Not on purpose and certainly is just coincidental that you get put in her group for a mission. Whether it be to stop an accident from taking place or trying to change the past, she finds herself looking for you in her crowd.

yan!vertin who starts to walk by you on purpose now. Doing anything in her power to be able to get to talk to you more. You don't seem to mind though, putting your work on hold just to have a conversation with her. How sweet, she thinks. You have to care, even if it may be only an inch of your heart that does.

yan!vertin who starts taking more of a liking to you. Finding herself stumbling on her words and turning beet red whenever you’re around. Sonneto catches on, as it’s obvious to see what’s happening. But that’s just what she thinks. What she doesn’t know, is that these pure affectionate thoughts she has of you start to turn more obsessive by the second.

yan!vertin who catches herself thinking about you more than she should. It’s becoming a problem and both her and Sonneto know it. Yet, she can’t bring herself to confess, let alone get over you. She’s to scared of rejection, too scared to be left without love again. But the storms coming soon, she better think of something quick.

yan!vertin who explains the situation to you. Saying you must come with her or you and everything and everyone you love will be wiped from existence. Vertin knows you know about the storm, but your knowledge of it is so small that she can design intricate lies that weave into each other like a web. She extends the tragedy to something even more horrifying that at first, she struggles to get you to go. But after a lot of convincing and tears (yours and hers combined), you agree to come with her. Vertin takes your hand in hers and leads you to elsewhere.

yan!vertin who brings you to a different area, and while you're still struggling to wrap your head around everything, you can barely make out the mumble of words coming from behind you.

"I'm so sorry, you'll understand soon."

Before you can comprehend what she means, you black out. You still won't know what she means until you wake from your forced slumber, and find yourself inside of her suitcase. Alone and cold, you wait for her presence.

She's the only person you'll ever see from here on out.

note: happy holidays everyone! enjoy this first (of hopefully many 🤞) reverse 1999 fic! stay safe, love y’all! #vertins wife #i wanna redo my entire blog you guys

(2023)©️fishermanshook — do not steal, translate, plagiarize, or repost my work on any other platform

[the-raven-lady]

Psychoanalyst anon here. ‘Why does every warhammer x reader fan have a breeding kink?’ ‘why do we keep writing about astartes nutting inside us??’ Look, and I’m metaphorically grabbing you by shoulders here, 99% of the x reader fics everyone writes are about the Horus Heresy narrative. The very famous 60-something book series called the Horus Heresy. The very famous book series about a family tragedy.

The entire premise of it is not only about daddy issues, but also about how extremist beliefs destroy families, and it’s also about how you can never leave a family, no matter how hard you try. 10,000 years in and every single space marine still carries a legion/chapter specific bit of trauma with them, I mean take a look at the blood angels, they straight up have their dad’s ptsd. It’s not something any of the marines or the primarchs or the custodes can’t run away from, a tapestry cannot run from the thread it’s weaved from, a person cannot run from the genetics that created them. And the genetics that created them are like, the literal worst, straight up coloniser dna.

In many books they refer to each other as ‘blood relations’, and in many books that blood is spilt over and over and over again. On first glance the space marines, primarchs, and custodes seem to be just a parody on that ‘manly macho man’ trope, but the closer you look at it you start to realise that it’s all about the cyclical nature of generational trauma.

So is it really that surprising that a lot of people who enjoy the ‘worst family ever’ book series would also have a breeding kink about it? I think that what we’re doing is just engaging with the source material in a meaningful and slightly kinky way.

The other reason for why most people here have a breeding kink about it is even more obvious. The entire kink is just a part of your brain that controls reproduction going a tiny bit overdrive sometimes. And how could it not? The characters in the HH series are always described as either being the most gorgeous, powerful, or intimidating people to ever appear in your pitiful baseline field of vision. So of course the ‘maybe I should have kids’ part of your brain would fixate on a big strong beautiful guy that could protect from all harm.

Especially so when it comes to the primarchs, because that’s literally how the Emperor intended them to work. ‘You see how hot this man is? Yes? You want your kids to be 50% him, don’t you? Well congrats because you can! All you have to do is just send any young children you already have to your nearest astartes initiate program-’

But again, I’m not a licensed anything so don’t take my word for it. I don’t know your brain.

Thank you for blessing my inbox. I'm sorry I fell asleep before you appeared.

I know for me personally, my breeding kink existed far before any interaction with 40k. I actually think the assessment of "Big man who is pretty" is closer to my side of things than the daddy issues side of 40k.

Now that I'm sober, I posit another explanation as an addition to what you've already given: It ties back into domination and devotion.

Being marked and claimed by someone large and powerful who can protect you definitely appeals to the lizard brain, but I think there's a little bit more to the consensual domination of being marked with someone's seed that appeals to me personally. And generally, the before, during, and after tend to be full of praises and devotionals and excitement from your opposite. "You're going to look so good carrying my children," etc. Getting doted on and taken care of by a devoted partner is probably the second largest appeal to me, but you've already eaten us alive over that and left no crumbs, so I digress.

I appreciate

[robby-bobby-tommy]

Okay, I'm obsessed with the lore.... So here's some of me theories/stuff I've noticed. It's gonna be rambling in it's worst, cuz I'm way too excited.

Firstly, let's welcome Madagio! I don't know what's up with him, but here's some info we know:

- he's from some island who is connected to Quesadilla through some system.

- he can travel through servers.

- cats are his eyes and ears.

So with this out of the way, here's some of my thoughts.

- Body language -

Honestly, it's not something important, but I really love how cc! Fit uses body language to convey his character. q! Fit doesn't sprint much, cuz he knows one misjudged step, one unnoticed trap and he's dead. He looks around, afraid of every lighting, every strange noise. He looks at cats cuz how are they even here, if not every person can survive here?

Madagio himself very reserved. He doesn't move much, showing us a difference between him and Fit.

- Roses -

Boy oh boy, do I have something to say. Despite obvious connections to Pac, recently there was another moment with exactly this kind of roses. At Philza's stream on 29th of December, at one point Ramon came to Titan and started to give away these rose bushes to some eggs and Phil. It might be a stretch, but it was very strange. Ramon explained that he gave away the roses, cuz he saw one in Chayanne's arm. But with this added context, I think Ramon's admin kinda hinted at this rule. Like the rose bush is a symbol of connection and love/trust. Fit loves and trusts Pac, Ramon, Chay and Lullah, and Phil too. I might be insane, but I adore this kind of symbolism. The roses show us who he has connections to. And now we understand what's at stake for Fit.

It's not only Ramon, who's in danger. Phil, his kids and Pac (probs Tubbo and Sunny too, but they didn't get roses) are also in the middle of crossfire. Madagio knew that it's in human nature for us to connect and getting attached to others even if told otherwise. Contractor knew that Fit won't be able to cheat or escape the deal, cuz he knew the veteran will have a lot at stake. He made this contract unavoidable. I love it sm.

- Music -

Since my post about Fit and his tragedy, I believe that a lot of decisions made about videos/lore streams are intentional. Like, back in a day, when we saw first dream, we heard "Étranger au Paradise" ("Stranger in Paradise "). And this song like fits Fit (pun not intended) like a friggin glove. Cuz even still, Fit feels like a stranger, undeserving this the heaven that is Quesadilla island. For example literally today he said smt along the lines of "What did I do to deserve a son like him[Ramon]?". He loves people around him, yet he can't show it, when everyone does it quite easily. I think Stranger in Paradise can be seen also in light of relationships. Like Fit considers Pac better, he loves him, but doesn't deserve his love. Agh

So why am I saying this? Well, you see. Cc! Fit uses a few songs to use before cinematic. And today he used "We'll meet again". And there's no connection, right? But what if it's a hint to contractor? Fit'll have to meet Madagio. Veteran has no idea when or where. But he knows they'll meet again some sunny day. Like, mb it's a stretch, but I really enjoy finding this connections. To this point cc! Fit was very intentional, so mb I have something here.

- Mon Dieu éternel, je te prie -

(sorry for probably butchering it, but anyway)

Well, now I have the most unimpressive and obvious theory, that leads to more interesting one.

During this stream it wasn't confirmed that contractor is a god, but there are a lot of hints. His name being an anagram to "I am a God" (Thank you, Tumblr user, who noticed it), he can't be hury, but is able to travel through the servers, and his first words to Fit are literally a rephrased "be not afraid", that is usually connected to angels.

Also his unusual connection to cats, that are his "extensions" Doesn't seem humain at all. Yet it isn't confirmed so idk.

Now, Black Concrete is closely tied to Cucurevil and can have bad effect on a person. The only people, who interacted with it and weren't affected at all, were Fit and Philza. Why? What if it's because they're protected by Gods? Like, fitza have a lot parallels in their lore, and mb it also hints at devine nature of Madagio? Rose protects Phil and his close ones out of kindness (I guess) and sends birds to cheer up her protège or show her support. Madagio literally does the same thing. But he sends cats not to show support, but to remind that he is always there, he sees and hears everything. Does it prove my theory? No, I guess. But it gives smt to think about.

- End -

At the end we see Fit waking up (smt that we've never seen before) and sees a cat. They look each other in the eyes and veteran convulsively shakes his head, refusing to something implied. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, and I didn't really understand what he refused to? Was he saying he didn't need contractor's help? Idk. And this whole montage of moon, cat, and Madagio is very interesting, but I can't put my finger on it.

After browsing for a literal second, I have some ideas. Moon typically represents the rhythm of time, as it symbolizes the cycle. So maybe Contractor reminds Fit how little time he has. Like, time's running out. Cats, though, have a lot of different meanings, but I guess the most important to this case are freedom and mystery. Madagio is free and mysterious, so ig it fits.

- And just my thoughts ig -

God, i loved it so much. Fit's lore is subtle yet very important and interesting. It shows a character and builds on it so much, while explaining the world itself. Guuugh I love it so much.

And here's just some screens that shows how much Fit has grown.

He is no longer doing everything for himself only. Now he cares for others, breaking a simple rule made by contractor.

P. S.

I feel like this picture rn

[variousqueerthings]

watching a thing that's going through why someone enjoys doctor who, and it's gone on a little tangent about why romance on doctor who doesn't work (in their opinion, and in mine), and how it made s2 and s7b the creator's least favourite -- and while I would need to rewatch s7b to remember that, I do think that the-doctor-and-rose at least doesn't have to be read as romantic if one doesn't want to

which isn't to say it wasn't intended as such, and also that it was somewhat based in dtennant and billie piper and jenna coleman and (to some) matt smith being hot (sorry matt smith, he looks like a teenage boy, the dichotomy is not hot or ugly, it's does-or-does-not-look-like-a-teenager), which is kind of *sigh yeah okay you're appealing to the people who think people are hot so they wanted a bit of that sexy sexy romance (I guess)*

however I don't think that things that are romance-coded need to be engaged with on that level, as someone who's had to make that translation many many times, and I think especially with the doctor-as-character, including and especially ten when one reads ten as being projected onto, it's actually incredibly fun not to/not even really a translation so much as a textually supported read

what's especially good about the doctor and rose dynamic is specifically that the doctor never gives rose the exact thing she's looking for, and that part of the doctor's heartbreak is that he can't -- take that as a "because I'm immortal and you're not," if you want (and that's also a textually supported read), but it's also very very easily read as "because what you want and what I can give is not compatible so that I will always end up letting you down like I do everyone, and I would rather you be happy than assert what I might want, and in the end everyone leaves for one reason or another"

which... the doctor basically says to wilf. they leave. they find someone else and fall in love. they forget. they break the doctor's heart. not just rose, but everyone. rose is simply the first to remind the doctor of this fact after bringing him back after a massive traumatic event

and I think it elevates s2, which I've now seen a couple of people go "oh because of the romance it's one of my least favourite seasons," which is so fascinating to me, because s2 isn't at all about a romance through my eyes. it is for rose, because she's in love with the doctor, romantically, and that's part of her tragedy, as a mortal, as someone who's in love with her doctor and doesn't want that doctor to go or to change or to... be alien, perhaps (now I do reach, but it's open to reaching) -- and who is growing up throughout, as the first person one sees grow up in nu!who

and the doctor is constantly struggling for words: tell rose... oh she knows. and i suppose. if it's my last chance to say it. rose tyler...

rose tyler essentially brought the doctor back, made the doctor fall in love with the universe again, and brought back a childlike wonder that the doctor had had before the timewar, and how do you encompass that into simple human concepts of "romantic" or "platonic" and know

that this person is romantically in love with you in a very human way

that there is an end-point to this, which is something this person will never fully grasp until it's happened (or that person is dead)

that you do not age. that you change. that you are aliene

that you are fundamentally, always, left on your own in the end

that you have put all of your sense of your new self onto this person and it will eventually fuck everything up

so yeah, there's some heavy-duty emotional subtext in s2, but because of the deliberate lack of clarity given to that subtext, it's very very easy to take it in various kinds of directions. of course rose and the doctor are Like That in s2, they're living a little fairytale life that's about to fall to pieces (something the doctor knows, but won't admit, and rose doesn't fully understand or believe)

when rose asks the doctor how long they'll travel and the doctor says "forever," it's absolutely 100% a lie, and that is... very tragic... thinking back to their first scenes together, which were incredibly simply sweet, and you know it's stretching thinner and thinner in ways I don't think you see with any other companion

the thing is I do personally think that rose as the romantic arc makes rose less interesting than she is, and that's a flaw in the show, but I think giving hers and the doctor's run a slightly different eye, that is absolutely supported by the canon, also opens up all of her other traits, that make her so iconic -- only seeing rose through the lens of romance does her a disservice, there is a bunch more going on there in s2...

but like yeah, I get that there was some david tennant so-called sex appeal, which, yeah whatever, and billie piper was a former famous popstar, and people also do ship them romantically (and that's fine), but I think to focus on that aspect in order to say why rose isn't appealing kind of ignores everything else she is and represents on the show for something you can just read in another way easily and more interestingly and supported by the text

like people will throw around "asexual doctor" but I don't think they know enough about aromanticism (which is what they really mean) to understand how to read that in a text. deeply symbiotic relationships can be aromantic, can be platonic, and can be one-sided or messed up or or...

embrace the symbiosis of the doctor and rose in s2 that is inherently also kind of fucked up and doomed because of their deliberate blinkered perspective of the future even after the sarah-jane episode and the madame du pompadour episode which are screaming at them that things are ending soon!!! It's compelling stuff. it's not necessary to read it as romantic

give rose tyler her due as the ghost that haunts the narrative

[lagingersnapz]

Some Rain Must Fall - (Fallout Fic) Chapter 9: Punishing Road

Chapter: 9/?

In the past, the Ghoul does his best to continue pushing Lucy towards her breaking point.

In the future, a fresh tragedy on the road takes the group of survivors by surprise.

Characters: Lucy MacLean/Cooper Howard(The Ghoul), Dogmeat(CX-404), Original Characters

Word Count: 5817

Warnings: Violence, Swearing, Death

Author's Note: If I remember right, this is the longest chapter of the fic so far, so brace yourselves. Gonna be a few deaths in this chapter, so I'm sorry about that. Kinda. I saw a few of the people that liked the fic posts on here had gone over to Ao3 and gave me kudos over there. Thank you so much. I honestly didn't think anyone would be interested enough to move to the other site to keep reading, so I am incredibly grateful for that. I hope you continue to enjoy.

Previous Next

Ao3

~~~

Even though Lucy knew what she was seeing, her brain was having a hard time processing it. One minute Roger had still been there, about to share a memory about his mother with her, and the next he was a lifeless pile in the sand. Before she could even finish taking in that information, the Ghoul had holstered his gun again and trudged over, grabbing Roger’s corpse and rolling it on its back.

Lucy’s mouth opened and closed a few times as she struggled to find words. “Wh-why’d you do that? He was sick!”

The Ghoul didn’t seem to pay her any attention, taking off his hat and plopping it down on a nearby stool so he could work easier. He was panting a little from flipping over the body, but didn’t stop him as he pulled out a few tools from his saddlebags and went to work checking the corpse. In Roger’s mouth he must have found something worth his time, because he took a set of pliers and with a sharp grunt he yanked out a tooth.

“Stop. Stop! Stop, please. I-” Words continued to fail Lucy as she watched the Ghoul turn the body over again so it was laying on its stomach, and he pulled up the shirt on its back, revealing the weathered, strange looking skin. “Now, I know it’s hard up here, but you don’t have to resort t-to-”

“What’d you say your name was?” The Ghoul paused long enough to cut her off.

“Lucy MacLean.” There was still pride in her voice. Whether the name meant anything to this surfacer, it still meant something to her, and saying it out loud reminded her of who had taught her the morals she was so adamantly holding to.

Now the Ghoul looked fully over his shoulder at her, and she could read a slight look of confusion on his face. “MacLean?” he asked.

Lucy couldn’t imagine why he might know the name, but somehow he seemed to. She nodded her head, a look of uneasy confusion twisting her mouth into a deeper frown.

“Huh.” He looked at her a moment longer, then sighed and turned back to Roger’s corpse. “Well, Lucy MacLean, it ain’t all canned peaches and marmalade left up here, Sweetheart.” He pulled out a knife and started cutting into the body. “Sometimes, a fella’s gotta eat a fella.” The Ghoul pulled away a strip of flesh, which squelched in a way that made Lucy’s stomach seize violently. Then he started sucking on it, humming in apparent approval like it was a Thanksgiving turkey.

Lucy gagged and looked away, trying to get her stomach back under control before she lost what little she had in it, while the sounds of eating continued from the Ghoul. How could she make him understand? Lucy was no stranger to difficult circumstances, but to resort to cannibalism?

“You know, my vault has endured hardship, too.” She focused her gaze back on him, refusing to look away again. “In the Great Plague of ‘77, everyone had to quarantine, they couldn’t work the farms together. People starved.” Her eyes dropped to the floor as she remembered the difficult time. “My mother included.” With a helpless shrug she struggled on. “My dad dropped to 128 pounds, and he still refused to do anything like this.”

To her disbelief, the Ghoul started laughing.

“What? What’s so funny?” That he could be laughing at her as she told him about one of the most difficult periods in the history of her vault made Lucy’s fear start morphing into frustration and anger.

The Ghoul paused his butchering to speak again. “Well, there’s what people say they did,” he looked at her again, “and what they really did.” He turned back to his task. “Well, I bet your daddy was first in line at the cook-out. I bet he had a bib with a drawing of his neighbor’s ass on there.”

Insults to herself were bad enough, but hearing the Ghoul insult her father was a step too far. “How do you live like this?” she asked, voice cold. “Why keep going?”

The sounds of cutting and flesh tearing stopped, and for a second Lucy wondered if she might have gotten through to him about how horrible what he was doing was. Then he stood up, turning to fully face her, and she saw from the look in his eyes that she certainly hadn’t done anything but make him angry. Not that that seemed to take much.

He started to stalk towards her. “Well, one good question deserves another.” Holding up the blade in his hand, a sick smile twisted over his mouth, and Lucy fell back a step. “Why the fuck am I doing all the work? Now, come on, Vaultie. Ass jerky don’t make itself.” He turned the blade a little in his grip so the blood on it shone in the dim light filtering through the shattered window panes of the room.

Lucy’s gaze darted between the knife and the Ghoul’s sunken eyes, but she couldn’t find any hint that he was joking. Of course he wasn’t. Why would he joke about something like this? Finally, when it became apparent that he wasn’t going to budge, Lucy reached out with her bound hands and took the knife from his grip. It occurred to her, however briefly, that she could try and use it on the Ghoul, but with her hands bound and him armed with guns, it would have been nearly impossible. So, instead, she took several deep breaths and wordlessly bent down to pick up where he had left off with the corpse.

Butchering a corpse wasn’t one of Lucy’s many practiced talents, and it wasn’t long before the Ghoul was next to her, directing her on what to do, and Lucy followed his instructions. It was easier if she convinced herself it was some sort of wild game, like a deer, rather than a man. Eventually he must have been satisfied that she had been put in her place, because he took the knife back and shoved her off to the side of the room to finish the job much more efficiently than Lucy could have, even if her hands hadn’t been tied together.

With the meat tied to his saddlebags to dry and any supplies left over from Roger collected, the Ghoul herded Lucy back out into the punishing sunlight, and the grueling trek continued. Lucy still had no idea what their destination was, or how long it would take to get there, and part of her was wondering if she would even still have a foot left by the time they arrived or if the burning sand would grind it down to her ankle.

As they walked, Lucy noticed that the Ghoul was starting to cough more often. Was this the beginning of whatever was happening to Roger before? His growls had been mixed with coughing. And what had been happening to Roger? The Ghoul had referred to it as ‘changing,’ whatever that meant. Obviously it hadn’t been a good thing, from how somber they had both been about it. Roger had even warned that the two of them should leave before things got worse. Would he have turned violent? There had certainly been an air of ferocity around him when his humanity would flicker away in his eyes during a growling fit.

The sound of Lucy’s Pip Boy RAD meter peaking again drew her out of her thoughts and she looked over to find some sort of old overturned piece of metal with a bowl shape in it. Inside was a puddle of alarmingly green water which was the source of the radiation. To her horror, Lucy realized she was contemplating drinking it anyway. She wasn’t even sure she still had a tongue in her mouth anymore, and her lips felt like they were made of sand themselves.

While she struggled internally over how bad it would be to have a little drink of the stagnant water, the Ghoul unscrewed the top of his canteen and cleared his throat, casually dipping it into the water for a few seconds before bringing it back up to his lips and sloppily dumping it into his mouth, dribbling as much down his chin as he did into his mouth. The entire time he drank he looked over at her, a smug smile on his face.

Droplets fell from the canteen into the water, tinkling tauntingly at her until finally her resolve broke, and Lucy stepped forward and fell to her knees next to it. The Pip-Boy on her wrist protested loudly, but she did her best to ignore it. With a final deep breath, Lucy dipped her hand into the water and brought it to her mouth. The taste of it had her gagging, and for a second she wondered if she was going to throw it back up. Stubbornly she pushed through it, taking another sip.

“Now you’re gettin’ it,” the Ghoul said smugly from above her.

Lucy did her best to ignore him, putting her full attention into keeping her stomach from rejecting the water, but the Ghoul was apparently determined to get a reaction from her, because he crouched down to put himself more on eye level. Lucy stopped drinking to look at him, and in her stare she hoped she conveyed the depth of hatred she felt for this man, which was more intense than she had ever known before, even for the Raiders that had invaded her home. At least with the Raiders it hadn’t felt personal, even when it was her own new husband she was fighting off. With the Ghoul it was most definitely personal.

“How does that Golden Rule jibe with what’s goin’ through your mind right now?”

Lucy was panting as she studied his face. “What… are you?” Her voice came out thick and unsteady.

The Ghoul cocked his head to the side. “Oh, I’m you, Sweetie. You just give it a little time.” He broke off into a smile that Lucy wanted to wipe off his face. Luckily for her, it didn’t last long, as once again the Ghoul broke down into a fit of coughing. Only this time it didn’t let up, and turned into full body heaving and hacking as he turned away from her, spit dribbling from his lips and spraying out into the air as he tried to get his breath back.

Knowing there wouldn’t be a better moment than this, and unwilling to continue to meekly accept his abuse, Lucy realized what she had to do. While he was still doubled over, she used the metal object to shove herself to her feet and took off running down the street. She didn’t know where she planned to go, or how she was going to free her hands, but she knew she couldn’t stand another moment where she was. Anywhere else had to be better than this.

***

The night had passed as sleeplessly as Cooper had thought it would. Half the time he was expecting more kids to come trailing out of the tents until he had the whole group of them piled up around him. Thankfully, nobody else came out. It was just Cooper, Lucy, Kelly, and Nate, with Dogmeat laying by his feet. Even so, Cooper felt more and more out of place. It felt like he was pretending to be someone else by letting these kids trust him this much. Lucy was one thing, she was a grown-ass woman and could make her own choices, but the kids wouldn’t have known any better than to trust him, would they?

As dawn approached, and his limbs fell asleep, another concern started to wriggle in his gut. If he was still outside with all of them curled up next to him, what would the rest of these people think? Most of them were other kids, and he hadn’t been cruel to any of them, but he had tried to keep his distance as best he could. If they saw him like this, would they start seeing him as being more approachable? What if Kelly wasn’t the only one that started following him around? Cooper was desperate not to get attached to these people. Their presence in his life was temporary, after all.

His fears of being discovered were realized just after dawn when Irene came shuffling out of the tent, the blanket that must have been Lucy’s clutched in her hands. It took her a moment to realize that the Ghoul wasn’t sitting alone, but when she did a frustratingly knowing smile spread over her weathered face, and she approached quietly. She draped the blanket over Cooper’s coat on Lucy before wordlessly squatting down to pick up Nate and move him back into the tent.

Cooper breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t said anything, then eased his arm out from under Lucy, tucking the coat and blanket around her so she wouldn’t be laying in the dirt once he moved away, then collected Kelly up and followed Irene, putting the sleeping girl down next to her brother.

Irene led the way back out of the tent and went to the firepit, which was still smoking, and started stirring up the embers. “You a coffee drinker?” She didn’t look up at him as she spoke.

Cooper was standing nearby, looking over at Lucy curled up on the ground. Dogmeat had moved to curl up next to Lucy, rather than following the kids back into the tent. Part of Cooper wanted to go back over there and pull her up against him again so she’d wake up leaning on him just as she had fallen asleep. It took more than he expected to resist the urge and stay by the firepit with Irene.

“You got coffee?” he asked.

“I may have squirreled a little away. Not easy to find these days, and the quality isn’t great, but I couldn’t just leave it behind.”

Cooper grunted. “Well, if you’re willing to spare some, I’d take a bit.” He wasn’t about to turn down a little coffee, especially after not sleeping the entire night.

Irene chuckled, glancing up at his face. “You know, I didn’t know if ghouls could have bags under their eyes, but you’ve answered that question for me.” She went about setting up an old coffee pot, and a little metal pot for their breakfast of oat mash.

“You really know how to charm a fella, don’t ya, ma’am.” Cooper flashed her as charming a smile as he could muster with his ruined face, and he dug through his saddlebags to pull out his inhaler. It was oddly routine at this point for him to wake up before everyone else to take a hit of medicine so nobody could ask him about it. It wasn’t that he cared if anyone saw him doing it, but he got annoyed when people would ask him what it was. Especially since he didn’t really know what it was. All he knew was that it helped slow down going feral.

“I’ll have you know I can be very charming, Mr. Wyatt, but at my age it just seems like more trouble than it’s worth. Why be charming when I can be honest instead? Being old comes with its perks, and being blunt is one of ‘em.” She grinned at him, and for a second Cooper got a glimpse of what she must have looked like as a much younger woman. “People just chalk it up to my mind going.”

The two of them sat next to the fire in surprisingly companionable silence for awhile longer, until the sounds of stirring behind Cooper let him know that Lucy was waking up. Her hand clenched and unclenched,  and she uncurled herself from where she was laying under the coat, rubbing her eyes and looking around in evident confusion. Dogmeat huffed and sat up when Lucy did, and Lucy’s hand came down to give her a thorough scratch on the ears. The ponytail she had worn to bed was mussed, especially on the side that she had rested against his chest.

“Mornin’, Darlin’,” he said, tipping an imaginary hat at her. Lucy looked around, spotting his hat on the ground where he had left it the night before, and she picked it up, plopping it down on her head so she could tip it to him.

“Morning, Sheriff,” she replied, voice soft from sleep. Then she proceeded to pull on the duster, pushing up the sleeves a little, and stood, stretching out the kinks she had definitely acquired sleeping the way she had all night. “Morning, Irene.” She smiled at the older woman and came over to sit between the two of them, though she kept the coat and hat on.

“Good morning, Lucy.” Irene gave the pot of oats a little stir. “How was your night? Get some good sleep?” She checked the coffee and took out a couple old mugs, pouring a cup for Cooper. Lucy smiled, glancing at him.

“Yeah. Nice and cozy.” She took off the hat and handed it to Cooper, who took it without comment and put it on his own head. The coffee was fabulously bitter and he drank it so hot it scalded his throat a little bit.

“Careful,” Irene said, “or steam’ll come out of your nose.”

“If he had one,” Lucy said, holding up a hand to turn down Irene’s offer of coffee for her. Irene laughed out loud, and Cooper was taken aback to hear her talking about what many people considered his most off putting feature so casually, playfully, even.

“Don’t worry, Wyatt, you’re handsome, even without a nose,” Lucy continued.

Shaking off the comment, Cooper laughed. “Trust me, it’s an improvement.”

Lucy shook her head, locking eyes with him, and he felt her gaze searching his face, and she didn’t look disgusted or like she pitied him. “No, I mean it. You look good, nose or no nose.” The intensity of her gaze didn’t falter, and in the end it was Cooper who cleared his throat and finished his coffee, handing the mug back to Irene.

“Ladies, I’m off to do a bit o’ scouting. Enjoy your breakfast.” He tried not to feel like he was running away when he stood up, but he ended up hurrying away so quickly he forgot that Lucy was still wearing his coat.

It wasn’t until late morning, just before they all left for the day, that Cooper returned for the duster, and he found Lucy still wearing it. As he approached she beamed a smile at him and shrugged it off, holding it out for him. Cooper wanted to ask her how she could smile at him like that, so openly and honestly, after everything he had done to her and everything she had been through. How could she trust him enough to curl up at his side at night and sleep soundly? Instead of asking, though, he simply accepted the coat back and put it on. Despite his own body temperature, he was pretty sure he could feel her lingering body heat on the worn leather.

***

The morning went as smoothly as the previous day had, and Lucy was starting to hope against hope that they would make it to Vault 4 without any major difficulties. Knowing what the surface was like, she knew it was unlikely to happen, but if she could just have this one thing, to get these people to the Vault in one piece, then when the Ghoul questioned her optimism she could at least hold this up to remind him that things didn’t always take a turn for the worse.

It wasn’t until they stopped for lunch that Lucy found out just how little her hopes meant. Something started to feel off, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. It was the sensation of being watched, though no matter how much she searched she couldn’t see anything around them. There were plenty of places someone might be hiding, and when she brought it up with the Ghoul he agreed with her that something didn’t feel right, and he left to look around.

It seemed prudent to keep the lunch short, and Lucy had them start packing up as quickly as she could without making it obvious that something was wrong. Privately she spoke with the other adults, letting them know what she was feeling and that the Ghoul was out looking around, but that they didn’t want to scare the children.

Irene took more of the kids than usual into the wagon with her. The canvas cover of the wagon was pitiful as far as protection went, but at least nobody outside could easily see the occupants to target them if they were about to be ambushed. 

The explosion took all of them completely by surprise. One moment they were all moving along as quietly and carefully as they could, and the next her ears were ringing and Lucy realized she was laying on her back on the ground, with bits of road raining down around her. At first she couldn’t even figure out what had happened. Turning her head she saw the wagon turned on its side, the brahmin freed from its ties and fleeing into the trees.

The first sounds to come back to her were screams, and it took a moment for her to pick apart the screams of fear from the survivors, and the screams of triumph from their attackers. Coughing, Lucy pushed herself to her feet, pulling free her gun as the first shots started ringing out. It was like she was thrown back in time to her Vault all over again. A group of Raiders started to swarm over them. It wasn’t a lot of them, but the explosion had crippled the survivors, and they were slow to pull weapons to defend themselves. Many of the kids were too young to wield weapons at all. Lucy’s thoughts turned to Kelly. Was the little girl okay? She was one of the ones they had reluctantly trusted with a gun after her help out in the swamp had proven she knew how to use it. Was she alive to fight back now?

A Raider was coming straight at her, and Lucy pulled up her gun and fired. The man went down and she realized too late that there had been another one behind him. Her next shot missed and the Raider tackled her, wrapping their arms around her middle and driving her to the ground. The air went back out of her with a grunt. The gun was knocked away from her hand and that’s when she saw the knife in the Raider’s other hand start to come down.

Reaching up, Lucy grabbed the man’s wrist with both of her hands, struggling to push the knife back. With a twisted grin, the man started pushing down harder, and it was clear to both of them what the outcome of this was going to be. Lucy needed help. The man was taking his time, clearly enjoying watching her struggle, but her strength would fail eventually. Was the Ghoul back? Had the explosion drawn his attention to them? If he was here, she needed his help, and the only way she could think of to get it was to call out for him. Not by the name she had given him, but by the name she had started to suspect was his true name. The name he hadn’t wanted to tell her. Drawing in as much breath as she could manage, Lucy cried out for him.

“Cooper!”

The Raider wasn’t phased by her call for help, but the pressure he was putting on her increased until she knew she wouldn’t be able to call out a second time without losing the strength to keep him back. The knife blade inched closer until she felt it pressed to the skin of her chest, and then started to press a little deeper. Lucy felt blood trickle from the small wound.

The man above her suddenly went still, looking confused for a second, but that was all Lucy needed to push the knife away and slide off to the side so it plunged harmlessly into the ground. The man fell to the other side, and behind him Lucy saw the Ghoul. His shoulders were heaving with his panting breaths, and he was looking at her with a swirl of emotions so frantic that Lucy wasn’t sure she knew what they were. Fear, confusion, relief… anger? Her doubts about his real name fell away with that look.

Without a word, Cooper strode forward and reached down to the fallen Raider, pulling a knife out of the man’s back with a sharp yank. With his other hand he reached for Lucy, and she put her hand in his, letting him yank her up from the ground in one fluid motion, bracing her body against his when she staggered. There wasn’t time to talk about his name now. Not until the Raiders had been fully handled. Cooper sheathed his knife and drew one of his guns, and Lucy retrieved hers, and the two of them went to work.

By the time Lucy got back to the fighting, it was almost done. Kelly was hiding behind a rock with her brother and another child next to her, and she popped out to fire off a shot towards one of the surviving Raiders, catching him in the shoulder, then finishing him with a shot to the chest. As the last of the attackers turned to flee, Lucy raised her gun, but Cooper beat her to it, and the retreating woman’s head exploded into a red mist.

In the absence of gunfire things were eerily quiet, save for the sounds of crying. Slowly the other survivors started coming out from their hiding places, all of them disheveled or injured or both. Bea and Sam went straight to the wagon and pulled out one of the young twins, Camille, who was bawling loudly and wordlessly, followed by another child named Eleanor who was in a similar state. Baby Anna was strapped to Bea’s back and was also wailing loudly enough that Lucy was hopeful the baby was okay. A silent baby would have been a much worse sign.

While Lucy was doing a headcount, Cooper ran for the overturned wagon, passing Bea as she moved away from it to try and calm Camille and Eleanor. He flung aside the remaining canvas covering and when his footsteps faltered Lucy felt her heart drop into her stomach. Immediately she started hurrying over to join him, but Cooper turned, seeing her approach. Holstering his gun, he moved forward to stop her before she could get close enough to see anything of the occupants, shaking his head as he did.

“Lucy, no,” he said, raising both hands to take her by the arms. Lucy tried to push past him and he tightened his grip, turning to put himself more between her and the wagon.

“I need to see,” Lucy panted, fear and adrenaline stealing her breath away. Again Cooper shook his head.

“No, you don’t. You don’t need to see it.”

“Let go of me, Cooper!”

The use of his name again seemed to shock him, and Lucy used the moment to tear herself free of his grip and run the short few feet between her and the wagon. Inside was a mess, and it was hard to tell what was what, but Lucy knew at least one thing: Irene was crumpled, staring sightlessly and wide eyed up at the opening Lucy was looking down through, and the stare felt accusatory. Several other bodies lay twisted and partially covered by their store of supplies, though what exactly had killed them Lucy couldn’t tell. Bullets, the blast from whatever explosive had been used, or something else entirely.

Lucy fell back from the wagon and turned, heaving, unsure if she was going to throw up; tears poured over her cheeks. She felt a small hand on her arm and looked to find Kelly standing next to her, looking sorrowful and scared and so very very young in that moment. Lucy sobbed once, loudly, then swallowed down the sounds, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.

“Kelly, are you okay? Is Nate okay?” she asked, voice raw and hoarse. Kelly nodded her head, but she was looking past Lucy to the wagon, tears welling up in her eyes.

“We- We’re okay. But the wagon…”

Lucy shook her head and looked up to see Cooper had moved away and was checking who else was alive.

“I need you to stay away from the wagon, okay?” The meaning was clear to Kelly and she started to shake, but nodded, holding her brother a little closer to her side. When all was said and done, they had lost five more survivors, leaving one more child in the group freshly and fully orphaned. Lucy felt a little more of her will stolen away. Despite it all, she helped Cooper salvage what they could from the wagon. She wanted to bury or burn the bodies, but when she brought it up to Cooper he shook his head.

“Raider groups tend to be a lot bigger than what we saw. I think if we stick around any longer we’re gonna be seeing more of ‘em. Ain’t no time to bury them.”

Lucy nodded reluctantly at his words and didn’t offer an argument. Vault 4 was still at least a day away from them, maybe even a little more, and now they had no wagon to help transport supplies or children.

As soon as they had all they could salvage, Lucy picked up Nate, putting him up on her back and fashioning a long strip of cloth into a makeshift seat for him so her arms would still be free, and one of the other surviving adults, Sam, picked up their newest orphan, a four year old named Ben. The older children would have to walk. Irene’s blank stare sat in the back of Lucy’s mind, watching her long after the remains of the wagon had disappeared from sight.

Kelly stuck close to Lucy’s side, and neither she nor Camille complained about having to walk. Even after the sun had set and their punishing march continued. None of them wanted to stop. Nobody wanted to spend any more time out there than they needed to now. There wouldn’t be time to mourn until the rest of them were safe again. Every moment of peace they had had before felt like a mistake now. Every time they had stopped to rest seemed like an error made. If they had only kept going, maybe the Raiders wouldn’t have caught them.

The dark thought weighed as heavily on Lucy as all of the deaths. She thought a lot of Irene, who she had hoped could live out the rest of her life comfortably and unafraid in the Vault. With how old she had been, she deserved that much. Not to die in a wagon on the road between their old destroyed home and their new home.

The sun was rising again when Lucy saw the entrance to Vault 4 that she and Max had been sent out through a lifetime ago. Cooper had picked up Camille, but Kelly had refused being helped or carried in any way. Dogmeat stuck close to the girl’s side, and Lucy was grateful to the animal, because hers was the only support Kelly would allow, even if it was just her presence. Red stains still adorned Dogmeat’s muzzle and chest from their fight, and Lucy had no doubt she had done her share of fighting to protect them.

The group came to a stumbling stop outside the doors of the Vault, and Lucy went to the panel to plug in her Pip-Boy. It didn’t take long for a voice to crackle over the intercom at them.

“I thought we told you you were banished, Lucy.”

Lucy sighed with relief to hear Birdie’s voice, rather than that of the Overseer, who had not been as fond of letting people in.

“Please, it’s not for me. We found a settlement. They were attacked. We have children with nowhere else to go.” Lucy hated to beg, but if anyone would understand, it would be Birdie. There was silence for long enough that Lucy was getting ready to plead her case again, but then the door groaned and hissed and started to move. Lucy stumbled in relief, managing to catch herself at the last second on the console, though she felt a hand on her arm steadying her, and looked over to find Cooper at her side. In the early morning light it was easy to see the disgust on his face as he looked at the Vault door. Lucy was reminded that he had some sort of bad history with Vault-Tec, though they had never spoken about what it was.

Once the door finished opening, Birdie and a few other Vault-dwellers came out, casting their eyes over the disheveled group. Lucy saw pity in Birdie’s eyes, and the woman nodded with a heavy sigh. She looked to Lucy.

“You returned our fusion core to us after we banished you before. You won’t be offered a permanent place with us, but I can offer you a little time to settle your people in and recover. No more than a night or two. Then you’ll have to be on your way again.” She glanced to the side at Cooper, and for a moment Lucy thought Birdie was going to say something about him, maybe tell them he couldn’t come in at all, but then she nodded her head at them, and turned to lead them inside.

As the group started to move, too tired to be nervous, Cooper hung back, and Lucy looked at him. His face was twisted into a look of confusion and doubt.

“Come on. It’s just for a little while. I promise, Vault-Tec isn’t running this Vault anymore. Its survivors and surfacers.”

Cooper looked at the little girl in his arms, who was too tired to cry anymore but refused to go to sleep, and then nodded his head. Lucy saw him swallow hard, and when he lifted his foot to move forward it looked like it was made of iron and he struggled to lift it. But after another step he was at her side and the two of them entered the Vault, Dogmeat trotting along ahead of them with Kelly. Behind them, the gate screeched and groaned again, and the morning light started to fade until it was replaced entirely by the artificial lights of Vault 4.

[cr0g-0]

Yall on the topic of titanic oceangate bullshut(as usually Imm not one discussing things like this)

And before anyone reads and yells at me in the tags or reblogs-I know that they are upper class rich people but this take on this event is more so a question as to why the fuck are people hoping people die for spending money. People go on vactions for plenty of money that they could put to charity yet I haven't seen one person say I hope that family dies cause they spent 2k on a Cruise cause they wanted to spend time together.

The people their may have spent 250k to go on that trip but somepeople have the money to do things they want? I get it- they should obviosuly seen the flaws in the submersible and been smarter but saying rhey all deserve to die what will be a likely horrible death in a small, claustrophobic tube is not alright!

Most people will say they'd donate money they win in a lottery. But people are people and unless they have a very good reason to do something they probably won't do it.

Also-people spend thousands of dollars to go on vactions and cruises to enjoy themselves or spend time with family. It may not be as much money as this cluster fuck but god how would you feel if you got rescued and found people wanted you to die? Their is a teenager on that submersible that most likely uses social media a lot more than the other people-if any of them live how do you think that'll affect them?

They may be 5 rich people who spent 250k on this trip and their is an immigrant ship off the coast of Greece that sank and only 105 people as of now lived

But they're all still people? How can you shame the world for not paying attention to a tragedy off the Grecian coast and then simultaneously root for 5 people to die in a submarine simply because they spent money to go do something. The company ain't cheap and some people might be intrested from a purely historical standpoint

It's like watching a documentry about a serial killer and hoping he goes and murders 5 people because you want them to die for being stupid and spending money.

Money is dumb. I'll never not think that. Its stupid people need it to live and for those who don't have the money they need to live I'm sorry and I hope you will get the help you need to stay on your feet.

But to the people who don't have money troubles and are hoping these 5 people get the 'karma they deserve'

How would you feel if you were on this submersible? You'd probably be hoping that people were looking for you or were worried. You'd hope people would be in your corner.

People if you don't know the many ways they could or will die in that thing I implore you to research those so you can tell me your hoping they all suffocate slowly in that cramped fucking vessel. That you hope if it hasn't, that it depressurizes right now.

Loss of human life is awful. Some people deserve death, especially those who have fucked over others.

But god these people don't deserve to die thousands of feet below the water,not getting to say a final goodbye or i love you to their families.

Because if you were going to die wouldn't you want to say goodbye to your loved ones? Wouldnmt you want to tell them you loved them one last time? Probably.

Not a lot of people are afforded that much but everyone deserve that. Even if they don't get it they don't deserve to not say goodbye.

I sincerely hope these people get found and I hope the accident in Greece gets coverage world wide. I hope more people get found from that.

Just please stop hoping these people die. Because all that does is show me you don't care if people never see their families again. You can hate rich people-go ahead. Just please be respectful about this. Their are plenty of rich people to hate that are not in a horrible submersible with 40 hours of oxygen left. If they get out alive? Go ahead hate them for being rich. At least then they could see their families again and tell them they love them and tell them goodbyes

[chromotps]

The thing about Ace/Sabo is that the ship is less about them being brothers but more like them sharing a childhood friendship? That had the potential of becoming something more in the future. Except it didn’t, for obvious reasons. And yeah not everyone’s a fan of that, but people also like the raised by wolves/son of a noble dynamic they had as children. While I agree Sabo does kind of feel like he was stuck to Ace&Luffy as an afterthought, with a piece of chewed-out gum — his existence doesn’t… I don’t know, feel out of place? I also enjoy how kinda tragic his character is, and how he carries that tragedy with him? In the form of Ace’s devil fruit (Sabo also canonically hallucinates and there was an instance where he admitted to hearing Ace’s voice, during his fight with Burgess? so yeah, not everyone’s cup of tea again but I’m a huge fan of hurt/comfort so having a character go through a psychotic depressive episode because of the insane guilt he feels? Just, yeah. Plus there’s something really poetic about him literally eating Ace’s DF and still considering it „Ace’s powers” etc) and the way I see Sabo/Lu is through Ace/Lu (and partially Ace/Sabo) anyway. Because Sabo is trying to fill out the role of an older brother/friend for Luffy that he’s well aware is impossible to fill — because nothing ever will be the same for Luffy. Nothing or no one could even come close to making it up for Ace’s loss to Luffy, and Sabo knows he’s kind of a cheap copy of that (figuratively and literally lmfao, as I know people have been calling him low-budget Ace), but still he tries to? And the fact that Luffy is technically his only remaining family (or at least someone he willingly considers family). And I kind of see it as a parallel to how Ace’s approach to Luffy changed after Sabo’s „death”? Because Sabo was the „kinder” brother, the nicer one, the smarter one, it was usually him who took Luffy’s side whenever Ace was annoyed with him? And the one who explicitly asked Ace to look after Luffy — which then was one of the direct reasons why Ace changed the way he treated Luffy, forced him to be more patient/learn to love and eventually led to Ace willingly becoming the „older brother” figure for Luffy. I’m in no way trying to convince you to like Sabo, don’t get me wrong!! I’m just trying to show an example how Ace/Sabo isn’t necessarily brotherly either (like, I don’t know, Sabo/Luffy seems to be?). And it’s just that while I’m first and foremost a huge Ace/Lu enjoyer I also think Sabo did have a significant impact on their relationship both before and after Ace’s death.

((!! sorry i took a while to reply! i made that post before work on Friday and then got slammed until just now fdghjgk)

the odd thing is, I mostly agree!! I think I had to vent bc i saw ppl (a few specific sabo fans haha) on twitter acting like luffy would feel nothing toward ace but be obsessed with sabo. and, lol, no. but what YOU said makes total sense. like, yes, Ace + Sabo definitely has a different, more involved feeling to me than Ace & Luffy. I've had some ships in the past that fit the raised by wolves/runaway noble trope... the charm of the noble feeling like "this is the only person I feel like I can really be myself around" and the wild one thinking "i like spending time with this noble—they're tougher/kinder/funnier than i gave them credit for" AND/OR "society has always rejected me, but this 'cultured' person accepting me heals that pain a little bit"—all of those things are really charming.

Maybe if we'd seen more about how ace and sabo became friends, or if there were more emphasis on sabo's acceptance being what helped ace's anger (instead of, just from how i saw things, it being mostly luffy's unconditional warmth toward ace that did it?) then I'd personally be more feral about that dynamic, haha. But it's like you said, I guess it all depends on what we each connect with. I dont find tragedy alone compelling... I'm depressed enough already as it is LMAO!! if I think too hard about how viscerally sad Sabo only remembering Ace after he'd died is, my brain just shuts down. But I've got really good friends who would EAT THAT UP. Like, yeah, it is beautifully poetic... hahaha now i'm laughing thinking about my friends who were really into Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet finding out about Sabo & Ace and being obsessed, ahaha (they're not so into One Piece tho, only jjk... at least, for now!! 😈)

it's hard to put into words, but there's something about Sabo being a revolutionary vs. ace and luffy being pirates, that kind of explains why my brain sees A+L as very very very different than A&S or L&S. But like, that's just my brain and how my heart likes to focus on characters with really codependent relationships/dreams/themes, hahaha...

[nyaagolor]

Love your art and shitposts so much!

I was wondering if you had any thoughts about PMD explorers of sky like the characters or storybeats you enjoyed the most or random hcs and stuff like that.

If you don't feel like it, feel free to ramble about anything like mainline pokemon, your PMD SV au, or even kirby!

Hope you have a nice day!

HI SORRY IT TOOK ME 80 YEARS TO GET TO THIS. but holy shit yes I do

Grovyle's story is genuinely such a tragedy to me. I cannot fathom being one of the few revolutionaries in a world like the dark future, only to lose the only person you cared about and could trust in pursuit of your goal-- but then you still keep going despite thinking your partner had died. And then! and then!!!! You find your beloved friend again and realize their experience took them through complete egodeath and that they made a new life with someone else. They found a future to look forward to and a happy ending and you're not in it anymore. And then you have to tell them-- this version of your best friend who finally got the chance to be happy-- that they have to give it all up again, to reopen all those old wounds again-- to ensure the future of everyone else. like man what the hell give this lizard a break

But even outside of Grovyle and Dusknoir (aka the best written character in pokemon history this is a hill I will die on) every character is so fleshed out? The guild is one of my favorite groups of companions and despite there being so many of them I just adore how well characterized each of them is! I think something PMD does that really just nails this for me is how they handle dialogue. If you fail a dungeon or mission you can try again, but going back means that you get a whole fresh set of dialogue from practically every character for every mission and it really shows the lengths the writers went to give these little guys personality. SV is the only game who even comes close to having a cast of characters I like as much as explorers and I'm literally not even halfway through all the content

This isn't super organized and I'm stopping here bc I didn't want this to get too long but ohhhh my god I love pmd sky. I need to play the other games in the series eventually. Also!! Thank you so much for the kind words I really appreciate it <3 I hope ur having a great day too

[awholelottayeehaw]

I know, another post by me. If you're going "oh my god not again just stfu Billie" I absolutely will not and I am not sorry so anyone who doesn't want spoilers, just skip over this, otherwise enjoy my 3/5 A.M episode 7 thoughts/theory.

Who's Behind the Betrayal?

I know, another post by me. If you're going "oh my god just stfu Billie" I'm not sorry so anyone who doesn't want spoilers or to hear my dumbass 3 A.M thoughts on who it could be just skip over this, otherwise enjoy. Or suffer. Whichever you prefer.

The Armorer

I know a lot of people have their eyes set on The Armorer, but I'm not completely sold on her being the one who sold everyone out. I could see The Armorer wanting Bo out of the picture so that she can go back to having a tight lead on her cult again and didn't plan on Din or even Paz getting hurt, but it's still a leap of faith to trust someone like Gideon to keep up his end of any bargain. One I can't see The Armorer risking. She's not dumb. But in terms of not wanting to get people hurt, I honestly wouldn't put it past her that she doesn't care. I know people may get offended over that but after 35+ years with Din, she was willing to toss him out the moment he admitted he had gone helmetless and that was all I needed to know that her loyalty ends the moment you stop following her standard of the Creed. Even her reaction to being at the forge surrounded by the empty helmets of following Mandos in Season 1 felt empty, like she's able to disconnect from loss like that and she either has experienced it enough to where it's water off her shoulders or she just doesn't care.

It IS suspicious as hell that Gideon's goons had Beskar armor, but she would have had to sneak away from the covert enough times to not be detected and I have a hard time believing no one would notice her constantly coming and going at all hours. Even if she came up with an excuse to go off world, it just feels contrived that no one would pick up on odd or questionable behavior like that. We're assuming one must be trained to forge the Beskar armor and isn't something anyone can just pick up and do, but someone from the Survivors on Mandalore or even Bo's fleet could easily have been Armorers before the Purge.

The other thing that tripped me up at first and I know many others is why she changed her mind so quickly to make Bo out to be this person of prophecy after dismissing her Mythosaur claim when she warned Din in BOBF that:

"Bo-Katan is a cautionary tale. She once laid claim to rule Mandalore based purely on blood and the sword you now possess. But it was gifted to her and not won by Creed. Bo-Katan Kryze was born of a mighty house, but they lost sight of the way. Her rule ended in tragedy. They lost their way, and we lost our world."

At first, I had a hard time believing The Armorer would willingly follow someone who she knows was the reason for Mandalore's downfall. But after re-thinking it, I realized The Armorer never went into detail as to how Bo was a cautionary tale outside of being a tragic leader victim of circumstance when the Armorer only mentioned "they" and not "she." Pair this with how she told the Mandalorian Survivors that

I realized The Armorer may not have any idea that Bo is the reason for Mandalore's current state nor does she realize that Bo had been a member of the very terrorist group she mentioned. The Armorer said she was from the Moon just like Din was, and it's possible that everything she heard was second hand information because she genuinely didn't seem to know that Bo has a crime rep sheet as long as she is tall.

Bo, throughout this season, has been made out to be a broken leader who lost her way and Bo has been playing into that. This is probably the first time she's had a semi-clean slate. And if the Armorer knew about Bo's past and is just fucking with her... I guess we'll find out but I genuinely do think that The Armorer wouldn't follow someone like that if she knew they were part of their people's/planet's downfall and is doing this purely out of a change of heart for Bo, but we'll see.

Koska Reeves

I know others are guessing Axe, but between him and the Armorer it feels way too obvious. We already know Axe's loyalty starts and ends with whoever he thinks is worthy of owning the darkaber, and we already know even then there's no true loyalty to Bo or anyone else from him, so I honestly wonder if the spy/whistleblower would be Koska and not Axe. Koska's loyalty to Bo is much like Axe's despite the fact that Bo treats her like a close friend/confident. When sitting together on the survivors' ship and Bo barely scratched the surface as to what she had done and her involvement in Mandalore's current state, Koska opened her mouth as if to spill the beans and Bo just waved her off like

Koska clearly knows of Bo's tragic past to some extent, probably the most out of any of the other Nite Owls, and would be the last Bo and Axel would expect to be a spy. However, I just can't think of a good motive for her to side with Gideon. But it's hard to rule her out when, as I mentioned, the whole fleet and even Din's cult behind Bo aren't there because she's a worthy leader to follow, but is someone that Din has put his faith in and is the current "owner" of the darksaber." Loyalty to Bo, outside of Din's naivety, doesn't exist. At least, not without major conditions. And this leads me back to...

Bo-Katan Kryze

Do I think Bo is the spy/traitor? No. At least not intentionally.

If you've seen Bo in CW and Rebels, there's two things that have always been consistent about her character: Bo will do anything to achieve her goals regardless of who or what gets hurt and she never learns her lesson. In the past, she worked under both Maul and Count Dooku until both betrayed her. Her loyalty starts and ends with who best benefits her goals, and that has remained the same even in Mando. When she mentioned:

“In exchange for submitting to the Empire and disarming, all remaining cities and Mandalorian lives were to be spared. It was the only chance I had to save our people.”

I couldn't put my finger on why that confession bothered me the way it did. And it clicked: that doesn't sound like Bo. This is Bo-Katan Kryze, the woman who joined a terrorist group because she disagreed with her sister's pacifist ways. This is the woman who burned down a village and enslaved the people there for fun. This is the woman who trusted TWO Sith lords to help her and her fellow terrorists to achieve their goals and only fought against them the moment they were betrayed and not because "Siths are bad." This is the self serving woman who will do anything to get what she wants, including hiding the Mythosaur from Din after gaslighting him that it doesn't exist, and I have a very hard time believing what she said is true when she's never done anything like that in her history as a SW character because it requires the type of sacrifice that Bo wouldn't do willingly. So her comment made me wonder if that was a white lie pertaining their current predicament.

I could see Bo originally planning on sacrificing Din and his cult to Gideon in exchange for them to leave Mandalore alone and the darksaber so she can rebuild the planet just as she's been saying she's wanted to for decades. It's the only reason I can think of (other than bad writing) to explain why she openly lived in a castle in the same sector as Mandalore despite knowing an Imperial presence was present. It would explain why she felt so confident walking around Mandalore despite knowing the true threats were Imperial and not the Troll species or angry robots. It would explain why TIE fighters chose to blow up her home only AFTER Din was in her presence and wasn't too bothered by it. And it explains why she hide the Mythosaur from Din. Bo losing her home means now having a reason to be welcomed into Din's cult and earning their trust to push them into Gideon's trap, but I don't think Bo expect to end up experiencing what it's like to actually like to have people around you who are there because of honor and loyalty and not because you're waving around an ancient, glowy sword that people need to listen to.

Bo witnessed first hand, finally, how respected Din is within his covert and even the people of Nevarro. She saw how much foundlings meant to them, and how far they'd go to ensure the safety of their people that didn't come with strings attached. She witnessed Din's selfless acts and how he gave her unfair credit for a lot they got accomplished and, even if all of that was part of her initial plan, I don't think Bo realized how good it felt to be seen and welcomed as a hero for once and not a terrorist. Although she made a weak attempt at admitting out loud how she may have had a part in Mandalore's current state, she still hid the truth from everyone to have control over the siege because she knew people would back out of helping her. Because until Din volunteered himself and Grogu

No one was willing to volunteer. As I said: no one here willingly follows or trusts Bo. She hasn't earned that trust between her history and her "onward!" and not "follow me" leadership tactic. So with Din not only volunteering but saying this to Bo:

Bo, for the first time, experienced someone believing in her and willingly following her as a leader and not as a resented leader who people only follow because she had the planet's royal talking stick in hand.

She expected Din to reject her as a leader after her weak admission to her sins and that look she gives him after he walks away isn't because she's fallen for him (I won't piss on people who want to see it as such), she's looking at him with awed guilt. She's touched that she finally has someone who respects her as a person and not as the Heiress and that makes her feel guilty if it is revealed that she had planned on sacrificing him and his covert to Gideon all for a chance to rule again and awed that maybe, just maybe, she could be something other than a selfish jinx to their people. Her expression is very bitter sweet.

So where I think, if my theory is right, that her intensions had originally been malicious, I think her experiences with Din's cult inspired her to try to turn the tables on Gideon. That would explain why he wasn't surprised to see her but was surprised to see her fleet working with Din's cult. I don't think Bo knew or expected there to be a full on base built right under her nose like that nor did she expect Imperial soldiers to have Beskar armor. I have no doubt her reaction to Din being kidnapped and Paz potentially killed was genuine, along with her trembling in panic not just from losing her two best fighters, but also from the grief of once again setting history up to repeat itself. I think she'll try to use the darksaber to get people to help her save Din and Paz but will be met with silence because she's not the person they followed and believed in in the first place. I can see her trying a last ditch attempt at winning everyone over by finding and riding the Mythosaur but will be unable to find it. I'd put money on Din, Grogu, or even Boba being able to ride it before Bo does. And I know some people may be upset by this, but I also wouldn't be surprised if she dies doing the first selfless thing with her people in mind in her decades long journey. When Din mentioned Bo's song was not yet written without realizing that it's been told three times over, it was a perfect set up for Bo's death to be a "Swan Song." It would honestly be a beautiful way for Bo to go and giving the saber and title to Din before going out with a bang, recognizing that he's the one that the galaxy and strangers on the internet trying to figure out how to get to him through their TV would follow and be the peace bringer the galaxy has longed for. But like I said: we'll see.

No One's a Spy

I know some of you may be wondering why I didn't mention the surviving Mandalorians they run into, which is fair, but I think they'd be too obvious to be the spies. I am surprised Bo and Din's respected people didn't suspect them of anything and trusted them right off the bat on top of them somehow not knowing that the Empire built a whole base without their knowledge and somehow either forgot or choose to forgive Bo for being the reason they're even like that in the first place, but I would put money on that being bad writing cause it would be really out of character for Din and his people at the very least to not suspect these strangers of any malicious intent. They're so distrusting it wouldn't be logical for them to be blindsided by the most obvious choice. So in the end, the other option is no one is the spy. No one set anyone up to be betrayed and it was an unfortunate circumstance cause by poor planning and strategy and now everyone's paying for it. But we'll see tonight/tomorrow!

I meant to post this earlier this week but I've had a bad chronic flare up from a food allergen. I'm fine, but I'm exhausted and in a lot of discomfort waiting for the flare to pass. Until it does, I'm curious to hear all of your thoughts and I'll see you on the other side.

[galvanizedfriend]

Klaroline Fic: Like It's Christmas Again [2/2]

Summary: As Christmas approaches, Caroline Forbes, a New York-based event planner, is sent to a quaint small town in Virginia to organize their holiday festival. But her plans are momentarily hindered by the presence of Klaus Mikaelson, the Mayor's brother and a grumpy billionaire lacking in holiday spirit, who's in town to close the sale of his family's manor - the charming estate she was hoping to use as a venue.

[AU/AH, Hallmark-movie inspired (I kid you not), Enemies-to-friends-to-lovers Holidays fluffapalooza]

---

Part 2: Jingle All the Way 🎄

"You gave me one condition when you agreed to let us use the manor for the festival," she points out. "All I had to do was make sure that your single and very straightforward condition would be met, and I couldn't even do that. I was sloppy and inefficient and you shouldn't be repaying my lapse with kindness." Klaus laughs, a full, hearty laugh, and Caroline scowls. "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. That has to be the first time I get complaints for not being an absolute bell-end." He laughs again. Caroline stifles a chuckle on principle. She doesn't want to lose track of her responsibilities again, but it's hard not to give in to the rich sound of his laughter or those annoying dimples cutting deep into his cheeks. It distracts her from her own self-recrimination. "Relax, Caroline," he says lightly. "I suppose it's not the end of the world."

She turns to him like he's an alien. "Really? That's not what it sounded like when you were snapping at Josh and grumbling all day."

"That's just a normal Tuesday for me, love," he dismisses it.

"What if there are TMZ paps on your front door tomorrow?"

He scoffs. "I'm a businessman, not a movie star. I assure you TMZ does not care about what I do for Christmas."

"And if the story makes it back to New York?"

Klaus shrugs. "I'll just have to bite off some heads to remind everyone I'm not to be trifled with. It's not exactly a tragedy. Gives me the perfect excuse to be at my absolute worst."

Read the full chapter here 🎄 Or start with Part 1 here 🎅

---

I have managed to get this out before the end of January! Victory! 🙌 We can still count January as part of the Holiday spirit, right? OK, then. 😁

Thanks very much to everyone who read and left me a note on this story! So happy you folks enjoyed this fluff-Hallmark-fest! :)

As always, big shout out to @recyclingss and @definedareasofuncertainty for all the support, cheerleading efforts an for enabling me to write this festival of fluffy holidays tropes. 🤣

Your comments, kudos and reblogs are so, so welcome and make this fic writer very happy! ❤️ Hope you guys enjoy the end of this story!

[serial-doubters-club]

InuSan or SessSan and why? Go!

I was not prepared for this one! 🤣🤣🤣

SessSan all the way! But I can't deny that InuSan doesn't make me go 👀👀👀.

InuKag is way too precious to me, and most of the time I find it hard to ship Inuyasha and Kagome with anyone else but each other. But if I had to ship Inuyasha with anyone else besides Kagome it would indeed be Sango. They could easily bond over their passion for fighting and combat, and I can see them spending long hours training together. Throughout the series they formed a strong friendship, and who knows, during the heat of fighting practice, I could envision a little somethin' somethin' going on between those two. I may have a little headcanon going on that Sango had a crush on Inuyasha throughout the story, and had Kagome not returned to the Feudal Era, they would have grown closer and eventually fallen in love. I offer you this link of an InuSan moment/comic I found a looong time ago that sparked my interest in InuSan. FYI, It does depict Inuyasha and Sango having a moment while they're already with Kagome and Miroku, respectively. Just giving a heads up in case that situation makes anyone uncomfortable. Also, my brother was working on translating the comic for me. He forgot, but this was my reminder to remind him to finish it.

I definitely prefer SessSan, though. Even though Sesshomaru isn't at the top of my favorite characters list, I have so much fun shipping him with everyone looool, especially Sango. Iirc, it was a fanart of the pair that sparked my interest in them. They just look so good together! But as I started formulating headcanons for how their interest in each other and their relationship would start, I realized that they have one very important thing in common - Kohaku. At one point Sesshomaru spared Kohaku's life and later in the story Sesshomaru becomes his protector. I like to headcanon that in seeking out her brother time and time again to try to reestablish their connection and help Kohaku regain his memories and heal from his trauma, Sango would inevitably run into Sesshomaru time and time again. Sorry, a lot of this is just headcanon, so I apologize for the rambling, but this pair just gets me so excited! I imagine that Sango would visit Kohaku regularly, and with time Sango would gain Sesshomaru's trust, respect, and admiration.

We all know that Sesshomaru is worse than scum for everything he did to Inuyasha, but I think that in watching Sango go above and beyond to save Kohaku and help him heal, while also seeing how strong, powerful, brave, and optimistic Sango is in the face of all of the tragedy she's experienced, Sesshomaru would at least witness how powerful a sibling bond can be and that might move something inside of him. I'm notorious, at least in my own eyes lol, for attributing emotions to Sesshomaru that seem unrealistic for him to develop (but I believe, dammit), but I sincerely think that Sango and Kohaku's relationship might move him to at least recognize that he was cruel to Inuyasha and maybe (strong strong strong emphasis on "maybe") even ask him for forgiveness. I don't imagine them ever being as close as Sango and Kohaku, but I think there is a possibility that they could grow to tolerate each other better and even become allies.

Also, what's not to freakin' love about Sango??? She's strong. She's smart. She's profound. She's beautiful. She's a QUEEN BAMF. I also enjoy the headcanon that when Sango first encounters Sesshomaru in her attempt to make contact with Kohaku, she kicks his ass and hands it to him. This boy would fall head over heels for her, and I have already made plans to have my funeral on this hill.

In conclusion, Sango and Sesshomaru would make a badass couple. There's emotion, passion, romance, tenderness, angst, conflict, tension, and drama in that story and you bet your bottom I am on the case and have SessSan fics in the works to address it all. Cause I mean, what about Miroku, amIright? And Sango's a demon slayer while Sess is a demon *eyebrow wag*. THE POTENTIAL ANGST AND INTERNAL CONFLICT IS DELICIOUS.

So, yeah, if I had to choose, I'd choose SessSan.

I love you for sending me this question @sassybratt9791! Thank for the ask! <3 <3 <3

[atlasshrugd]

Hi seeing as you seem to be the only sorta active britin blog I can find lol I wanted to ask you about some of your favourite moments for them, as I'm kinda new to the fandom whatevers around lol, and would like to hear peoples thoughts on them if you don't mind answering 😊

Hey there! Sorry I am answering so late, but WOW this is a big ask because there are SO many favorite moments.

So I have narrowed it down to my Top 5:

1. Prom (obviously)

Okay this is a no-brainer. This is literally the most romantic sequence in all of television history. I still have not found something more beautiful, moving, triumphant, loving, and groundbreaking than when Brian and Justin danced to 'Save the Last Dance for Me' at prom. Obviously barring the horrific events of what followed, this scene transcended all stereotypes and barriers and allowed us as the viewers to feel pure happiness and pride as queer people. I remember seeing it for the first time at 14 and feeling so unadulteratedly happy and validated. This was a scene of two gay people unapologetically showing the world that they did not give a shit what anyone thought of them. The only thing that mattered was this thing between them; this unspoken understanding, solace, love, and pride. I still moves me to this day whenever I watch it, no matter how many times I do.

And of course we must talk about the implications of Brian's character in this scene. Throughout season 1, he has been an emotionally stunted and cold individual who does not believe in love, relationships, or trying to make other people happy. Here, in the finale, we see Brian finally putting away all his ego bullshit ("I wouldn't be caught dead in a room full of 18 year olds"), and going out of his way to make someone he cares about happy. The fact that he even showed up at Justin's prom is a direct U-turn from the moral principles he has been reinforcing all season. And by dancing to a "ridiculously romantic" corny song, waltzing, and kissing Justin in front of everyone without giving a shit — that is pride. That is one of Brian's long-accustomed walls tumbling down.

"And don't forget whose taking you home and in whose arms you're gonna be..."

2. When they make love for the first time after the bashing

Now these scenes...how do I describe the sheer profundity? After Justin's bashing at prom, Brian is left in shambles. He blames himself for everything, and it is just further proof that Brian's love always causes further destruction. Justin has lost all memory of that night at prom, and this is one of the big tragedies. Justin had promised that he'd never forget it, and that it was the best night of his life. That proof of Brian's love that he had for so long been longing to experience — has disappeared as if it never happened. Now, Justin's confidence and surety of the world has been distorted. He is no longer sure of anything, including himself and Brian. He needs reassurance and things spelled out for him.

When Brian and Justin sleep together for the first time after the bashing, it is not like all the other times they had sex. This, in fact, is the first time they make love. Justin is telling Brian that he trusts him wholeheartedly, enough to allow him in his body again after his own agency had been ripped away from him. This is where Justin absolves Brian of his guilt. He takes the blood-stained scarf off his shoulders, lets it fall to the ground. He gives Brian the forgiveness that Brian cannot offer himself.

"Like the first time?" Brian asks, because it is the anniversary of their first meeting, but at the same time—it is nothing like the first time. Now, they are not strangers. They are more acquainted with each other than they have ever sought to be; know each other in such profound depths. They are forever linked by this thing they have both experienced, but it is not just that shared trauma. It is based off deep understanding and love. They have, somehow along the way, become more each other than themselves. They know that they have become irreplaceable and inseparable parts of each other. And Brian has been holding onto that guilt for so long that it has become rooted deeply within him. SO when Justin absolves him of it, Brian allows himself to truly feel for the first time since the bashing. He gives himself to Justin, in that moment, as Justin gives himself to Brian. It is a brilliant and tender scene of trust, devotion, acceptance, and absolution. Something they both needed to soothe their troubled souls, and a new basis for their relationship.

3. When Brian helps Justin walk down the street after the bashing

Again, this is Brian showing nurturing, care, patience, compassion, and selflessness to another person. Justin trusts him enough to rely on him, and Brian doesn't take this trust lightly. These are some of the sweetest scenes of the whole show, because this is when Brian is completely focused and devoted to Justin. He wants to help him, more than anything, to get better. And he accepts and takes up this role of carer, not because he has to, or because he is obligated or forced to. But because he will do anything to ensure that Justin will be okay, and that he gets the life he deserves.

Specifically, my favorite scene is when the song 'Grand pianos crash together, when my boy walks down the street...' is playing. Justin is walking through a crowd and Brian has his arms outstretched. When they come together, they hug deeply and easily. This scene is so simple and pure, so chaste, but it shows the true essence of their relationship, beyond all the facades and bells and whistles. At the heart of it, Brian and Justin care about each other more than they care about themselves. They have established a stable foundation of trust that they can rely on. And it also perfectly encapsulates just how far Brian has come once again. He is showing such selfless care and devotion to a boy in public daylight, kissing and hugging him and not wanting to let go of his hand. Season 1 Brian would have never even considered that. This just shows how much the events of the prom changed him, and shows how his desire for responsibility of another person has matured him. He had been forced to face his inner feelings, fears, and truths. Now, they are out in the open for the first time and Brian accepts this. This alone is a huge development.

Brian is also afraid to let go of Justin. When Justin says he can walk back himself and says 'Later,' Brian repeats it apprehensively as he holds Justin's hand until he can't anymore. Then, he watches Justin go, walking through the crowds. The look on his face is wistful, a little troubled. He hasn't wanted to face just how much he enjoys Justin's presence and how much happier and content he is when Justin is with him. He hasn't wanted to face just how afraid he is to lose Justin again. Their words of 'Later' are a direct mirror of their last words on prom night, just before Justin got bashed. Brian had watched Justin walk away, too. And a second later, he was gone.

4. Pride

This is probably one of my all-time favorite scenes in television ever. I have cried each time I've seen it. There is something so pure, essential, liberating, triumphant and tender about this scene, and the song that plays (Chiquitita by ABBA) certainly shows it. Firstly, Justin accepts Brian in his entirety and doesn't expect him to change. He knows how much Brian has been devoting to Justin in his recovery, and how strange that role is for Brian. Here, he tells Brian to 'go find a stud, ask him to dance,' — because he knows how much Brian has been sacrificing for him. This alone shows Justin's maturity and inner strength. He loves Brian, so he will not try to change him or shackle him. He wants Brian to be free to choose and live the way he wants, and that is what he fell in love with.

But when Justin shows this sacrifical and detached love for him, Brian realises that there is nothing he wants to do; no one he wants to be with more — than Justin. He is aware of the myriads of choices he has. But he chooses Justin. (Technically, for the first time, perhaps aside from prom. But even at prom, he had been running from something [turning 30]. Here, he chooses Justin without pressure for the first time.)

So, he follows him outside. He ask him "Hey, stud. Wanna dance?" Justin doesn't believe him at first, because he is not used to Brian choosing him by his own volition. He cannot imaging Brian passing up getting laid, especially after being celibate for the whole day. He also feels like a burden; like Justin's recovery has been inflicted on Brian, stopping him from living his life normally. Justin loves Brian enough to let him be free, but the biggest part? Brian loves Justin enough to choose him in that freedom.

So this marks another checkpoint in their relationship. Not only is there trust, understanding, and love — there is also desire. Sure, they have always desired each other. But this desire is not the physical kind or one born out of loneliness. This is desire for the other person as a whole. This is desiring another person's company because theirs is the only company you want. This is desiring to be with someone when there are so many other options. This is real desire — the kind that originates from the heart and not the flesh.

"I promise you won't forget this one." Brian is promising Justin that this dance will be theirs, just theirs. Not to stick it to anyone, to show anyone anything, to make some kind of point, or to make somebody happy. This dance is theirs, for the reason that Brian wants Justin to have this: this moment where Brian only wants Justin, where he dances with him simply because he wants to. And he wants Justin to have this memory, to overcome all the vague blurriness of their past. He wants this dance to be the one he remembers when he questions himself. And so they dance, and they sway, and they kiss, and they press their heads together, and the lights are bright and colored on Liberty Avenue, and everywhere people are free and joyful, and there is nothing to prove, no one to run from, nothing to hide. Their arms are wrapped around each other and the sound of 'You'll be dancing once again...and the pain will end...you will have no time for grieving...' tumbles through the air and all around them. 'But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you.' Now: there is nothing to be afraid of, and everyday life is full of reasons to be alive. To be proud.

5. Their reunification

This is one of their main checkpoints. This scene is the moment they finally become equals. Justin had left Brian for the reason that Brian could not give him what he needed to be happy, which was: reassurance. After the bashing, Justin lost all sense of who he was. There was a huge gap in his memory, therefore a huge part of himself he could not claim. He had lost partial use of his dominant hand which took away the only thing that gave him solace; his drawing ability. He was no longer sure of anything and needed things spelled out for him. He needed to talk about it. 

But Brian was not willing to do that, because he himself was struggling with trauma from the incident that he did not want to face. Where his love language is in acts of service (letting Justin live with him, paying for his tuition, helping him recover) — Justin needed to hear the words. He needed verbal affirmation to prove that he wasn't crazy and just projecting his feelings onto Brian. He could no longer trust his own perception and interpretation of things whereas in the past he could read Brian's mixed signals easily without needing confirmation. This is the part Brian failed to understand. He was not willing to concede his identified notions of 'relationships' and 'love' — no matter how far he came. He had not accepted that his feelings for Justin were love, and that scared him. So he refused to compromise with Justin, believing that his actions were enough when they weren't. But all Justin needed was to be heard, and for someone to love him enough to give hime what he needed sometimes (which was, verbal and emotional affirmation).

So their relationship ended, and Justin thought he could get what he needed from Ethan, which proved to be another big lie. So at the end, Justin still cannot trust his own perception, but — he finally knows what he wants.

He comes to the realization that while Brian could not give him the words, he gave him honesty. He learned from Ethan that words without action had no meaning. So he prioritized what mattered more to him: hearing that Brian loved him? Or, knowing that Brian loved him. So he chose honesty.

And this is when they could get back together without that imbalance and insecurity.

"And you are never to play violin music in my presence again." This single line is the only thing Brian needed to say to indicate to Justin that he was hurt by Justin leaving. Brian has been putting up a front of indifference for their entire break up, only indulging in pain management in private. Justin leaving him irrefutably hurt him more than he could have ever anticipated. But he did not show it.

So, Justin smiles — a little nod of awareness — because that is all Brian needed to say. And he says, "I promise."

"And it's time...that we...grow old and so some shit..." plays in the background (Lover's Spit) as they start to undress each other, because they are now on the same playing field. They have no illusions, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations anymore. They are starting anew; a little older and a little wiser than before. Brian knows how painful it is to lose Justin. Justin knows how skewed his perception had been, because he had been so caught up in his isolation that he could not see the truth of Brian's actions.

But they both know at least one thing: that life is better together than apart.

Tbh I could go ON and write a dissertation about each of these individual scenes, but I hope this made sense and gave a little more insight on these scenes and characters. Thank you for the great question!

[theemptyskies]

Real talk.

Note that this is all my own opinion.

In an Azula Redemption fic, in my opinion, she would not have to apologize for anything she did during the war to anyone. Not Aang for shooting him with lightning. Not Mai or Ty lee for imprisoning them. Not the Gaang for chasing them. The only one I might concede is targeting Katara during an Agni Kai.

What she probably should do, is apologize for the way she treated Mai, Ty lee and Zuko when they were children. If it takes place post smoke and shadow then she should apologize for what happened then as well.

She does not owe Ursa anything. While Ursa did love her, she very much neglected Azula which left her feeling that something was wrong with her. She has every right to never let Ursa in her life again. There is no argument that can be made against it. Azula's feelings are valid. She was neglected by her mother. Ursa's personal feelings don't matter. She may have loved her but I don't recall any instance where she actually told Azula that, or spent time with her, or showed even close to the same level of affection. Ursa did kiss her on the cheek the night she left, however I will point out that she woke up Zuko and made sure the last thing she said to him was basically I love you while she left Azula unconscious, unaware of the action. We never even see a scene where Ursa says "I love you" to her.

It's what makes the hallucinations so tragic at the end of season three. Those scenes can be read in a multitude of different ways. My reading of them, examining Ursa's relationship with Azula, noting that every interaction they had was shown to be confrontational, referencing "The Beach" where she did show that Ursa's relationship and abandonment did hurt her deeply, implying that she did want her affection, is this.

Ursa's neglect of Azula throughout her childhood caused Azula to develop feelings of inadequacy. This feeling pushed her to try as hard as possible to earn Ozai's affection, where she succeeded until he left her behind before the final attack in the Earth Kingdom. Coupled with Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal, this caused her feelings of inadequacy to resurface stronger than before. Everyone left her behind. Her mind conjured the image of Ursa, the origin of her feeling, saying "I love you Azula, I really do.", things we never saw her say.

I read these scenes as the hallucination saying things Azula always craved to hear. Affections that were always withheld from her, hammering away at her already fragile psyche. Reminding her repeatedly that she was never good enough for either of her parents.

So no. I don't think Azula ever needs to forgive Ursa or give her a chance and there isn't an argument that could be made to convince me. At most, I think Azula should confront her as the core of a majority of her trauma, similar to how Katara did with Yon Rah.

For me, an Azula redemption is about her coming to terms with her trauma. It's about her finding her place in a post war world. Her rebuilding her relationship with Zuko, the only family she was ever truly close with. It's about her seeing through the lies and manipulations implanted by Ozai from a young age. It's about her gaining a good, healthy support system that won't give up in her.

It's about her, in the end, finally finding peace, whatever that happens to mean for her in your particular fic. If it involves romance, that's great. A lot of people who make "shipping tier lists" rank almost every ship with Azula at the bottom, often saying things like "nobody deserves to deal with a relationship with Azula" which, as someone who grew up in an abusive household who also relates a lot to Azula, I gotta say it kind of hurts hearing people say those things. Everyone deserves love.

If your fic doesn't include romance and focuses on her familial relationships then that's also great. She definitely has a lot on her plate and building that healthy support system is an amazing route to take your fic, leading to a great heartfelt ending.

Please note, Azula's misdeeds should not be overlooked. Anyone you want to have her connect with, she will have to earn it. But I feel like it's important to understand why some people behave the way that they do. Not excuse thier actions, but to help map out how they can make up for them. That's why we were shown Zuko's tragic past while also seeing him burn down a village and threaten defenseless elderly people.

With the way she's portrayed, it easy to forget this powerful, intimidating character, is just a child. She's just 14 years old. It's something I think a lot of people who write off her character as irredeemable don't account for. Whenever I dig past her surface level "bad guy" traits with this in mind, admittedly, I'm often brought to tears. She's very much a product of her environment. It's because of that, that I think she can learn to be a better person.

To recap, an Azula redemption in no way shape or form NEEDS to include Azula trying to make the Gaang like her. It was war and every one of her actions during it have no bearing on her, from her perspective. If you want her to connect with them then you can, just don't be someone who talks bad about a redemption fic because she doesn't. 🙂

She did treat Zuko, Mai, and Ty lee very poorly as a friend and sibling. So she does owe them an apology and they are also under no obligation to give her another chance.

Ursa does not need to be forgiven, nor should it be portrayed that Ursa did nothing wrong. Azula's feelings are valid.

The core of a redemption fic (for me) is character growth, in this case for Azula.

Romance is ok in an Azula redemption fic. I personally enjoy Azutara fics where she helps Azula through her mental health recovery and trauma. Citadel is an interesting fic that takes place several years into Azula's stay in a mental institution. Here's a link if you wanna check it out. Keep in mind, it's nine years old so comic events aren't a thing 🙂 https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6939866/1/5

Not having romance is equally ok. There are a multitude of great fics both post canon and AU that follow this route. Here is a fic recommendations for it. This one is an AU taking place during the war.

Her actions should not be excused because her story is a tragedy. She still did bad things.

Hopefully you all enjoyed my little ramble that I also hope is understandable. I tend to go off on tangents a lot. Considering it's 6:30 am where I'm at and I still haven't slept, this probably has horrible grammar and is likely riddled with typos. So I'm sorry about that bit lol 😅

[admirableadmiranda]

Thank you so much for your wonderful answers....🤩

First of all, sorry if I'm bothering you with my ask, please ignore it if you don't want to answer it.....It's just that you are the second person from all of the people that I ask (and from other people's asks, that I found) that loved SVSSS more than TGCF....And it's very interesting....

If you don't mind me asking (again), can I ask, who are your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from SVSSS? And why? And what are your top 5 fav moments from the novel? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks.....

That is very interesting. I'm sure there's a few others like me, SVSSS definitely has its fans and it and TGCF are very tonally different.

Oooh now I get to remember everyone! That'll be fun!

1.) Shen Qingqiu/Shen Yuan/Shizun. Hands down my favorite. He's so sassy and witty and I feel like he'd be a blast to talk to after he got the ranting about PIDW out of his system. He's charming and funny and I don't get why people aren't charmed by him too and would prefer his original body's host over him. He's just such a sweetie once you get past the tsun-tsun.

2.) Zhuzhi-lang. Snakey-boy! I enjoyed him and his loyalty every time he popped up. I always feel sad when many characters that are loyal to the first person that was kind to them show up because usually it's used to show them how that trust was misled and abused. But with him it isn't really so much. Both Shizun and Tianlang-jun are kind to him and don't abuse him (much). I hope he has a happily ever after with more kind people in his life.

3.) Luo Binghe. Our little white lotus who manages to avoid blackening by falling for his teacher. I love his struggles, I love the person he grows up to be, I love that he has his eyes fixed forwards and does not look away or give up on what he wants. I am also kind of a sucker for characters who would rather die with their lover than live on alone. Yes, it's very tragic, but sometimes you just want a good tragedy and he would be the hero of the best tragedy. Thank god for the system, amiright?

4.) Ning Yingying. I don't know why she's so high up, but I love this sweet girl with a spunky core that comes out as the story changes a hell of a lot. She doesn't have a lot of screentime or heavy character, but she makes me smile and laugh and I like her development into being a cool shijie in her sect and growing up to be helpful and wiser than she would have been in the original story. She's just fun.

5.) Liu Qingge. I didn't adore him at first, but I'm warming up to him a lot on my reread. There's just something about beautiful man who can and will fuck up your day because you insulted someone they care about that's very appealing. As well as he's easily one of the most determined characters in the book, which is saying something! I'm looking forwards to seeing him more as I reread.

As for my top favorite moments...even though it's shorter than MDZS and especially TGCF, I bet I can find five moments I really love pretty easily.

1.) Shizun's first time mixing his energies with Binghe to stop him from losing control and the fallout from that. It's a very dramatic turning point. It shows how far he would actually go when pushed, gives Binghe a very dramatic understanding of his Shizun that he did not have (even if it's very painful) and fundamentally alters the story in a way that cannot be understated. Literally everyone in the story is fundamentally changed by that action. His students grow up, his martial siblings are united, his white lotus is never the same after that moment and even the enemies are caught off guard by such an act. It is literally world turning and I cannot overstate how much I love moments like that. No one is unaffected.

2.) The whole mausoleum chase. At this point we know how much Binghe cares for and what he would do to protect Shizun, but here we see it the other way around. Binghe is in no state to fight his way through, they are vastly outmatched by an enemy they cannot hope to win against but the absolute last thing he would do is leave Binghe behind. It is Shizun's second act of ardent devotion, by the end of it, he is battered and bruised and wounded and at the end of his rope, but he will not let Binghe be hurt or left behind. And of course we have a coffin scene, which is just lovely.

3.) Papapa to save the world. I'm sure by now you've noticed a trend in my favorite moments...A third great act of love and this one unlike the others is not guided by desperation in the same way. Binghe is in a bad state, but they are alone, they are not being chased or hunted by anyone else in the moment. He just wants to help the man he can admit to himself that he's fallen in love with in the only way that he can think of, stop him from being controlled by this sword any longer. It isn't a pleasant scene for them, but I don't get the feeling that he regrets what he's doing at all, only that the inner romantic in him didn't think this is how everything would go down. If this is what will help him save Binghe, he will do it. And it works, after a fashion anyway.

4.) The deep dream record extra. It's sad, wistful, a little funny and full of Shizun just adoring Binghe and being sad for what he missed and what he went through, and then ends with him initiating intimacy of his own accord. A shorter moment than the rest of them, but I like how it shows that they are continuing to build a relationship that makes them happy.

5.) Bing-mei and Bing-ge's climactic showdown! The price, one Shizun- who will win this fight of evenly matched jealous men? It's just tons of fun and I enjoy Binghe getting to let loose and beat up someone for daring to try and hurt his Shizun for once with no consequences.

Thank you so much for the asks! I hope you've enjoyed my ramblings. Feel free to drop more if you wish. My inbox is always open.