#also the reason you don't remember it happening is because it didn't happen

[chaeinedup]

If only you knew

"How have you been?"

"Don't ask dumb questions Yunho, I text you like every day."

"Yeah which is unusual. Are things that bad between you two?"

"I wouldn't say bad, more like awkward. I think he thinks I don't remember what happened last week. Since I was a little under the influence."

"And you didn't tell him that you remember?!"

"He seems so nervous around me, I can't seem to find the right timing. Every time I try to bring it up I look him in the eyes and he looks so.... I can't even describe it."

"He's probably scared to lose you, so he would rather die than bring it up. It's gonna have to be you."

You looked at Yunho with a certain glint in your eyes and immediately he knew what you were thinking.

"No, you guys are grown ups, I'm staying out of this."

"Fiiiiiine ugh. I'll tell you how it goes."

It was currentely 9:00pm, Wooyoung wasn't home so you had dinner by yourself. The unusual emptiness gave you time to think, even if that was the last thing you wanted to do. Washing the dishes normally is fun, one washes the other one dries, the kitchen is full of laughter and time goes by very fast. Not being as close to Wooyoung was slowly affecting you. And it was for sure affecting him too.

The reason why he wasn't home was because he was having a very serious talk with Seonghwa and San about this entire ordeal. Both boys did their best to try to comfort and advise Woo but ultimately, it was up to him. To you both.

Even if you asked everyone you knew for opinions this is only getting fixed if both of you are willing to do so. All the fear and worries have to be put aside.

So you sat down on the couch waiting for your roomie to comeback home, you put on the show you watch together and order his favourite snacks. You're trying to win him back, even if you didn't actually lose him, it felt like it and it was eating you from the inside out.

Time was passing frustratingly slow, and your thoughts were getting to you. You pulled a blanket on top of you and watched the TV as your eyes welled up with tears. Was he really that mad at you that he wasn't coming home ?

Grabbing your phone you decide to call San.

"Y/n is everything okay?"

You held back your tears as best you could, you didn't want anyone knowing you were actually falling apart at the absence of Wooyoung.

"Yeah I just wanted to ask if Wooyoung is still with you, he hasn't said anything and it's getting late..."

"Don't worry, he just left so he shouldn't take long!", he said while kicking Wooyoung off the bed.

As they were silent fighting you made peace with the situation, tonight wasn't the right time yet again. You thanked San and said your goodbyes, settling back down on the couch.

Somehow wearing one of his sweaters was the worse decision you've made today. You thought it would bring you some kind of inner peace to have 'him' with you, but the outcome showed otherwise.

Wooyoung decided to walk home, despite the weather forecast advising everyone to stay inside due to heavy rains, he didn't listen. He needed the cold breeze to knock some sense into him, the water to wash away all his cowardly behaviour. He couldn't stand what he was doing to himself, agonizingly torturing himself. But as long as it wasn't affecting you, if you continued your day to day life not suffering then he would gladly carry all the pain by himself.

But reality is never kind to the ones who deserve it, and he found out the hard way.

Stepping inside your shared apartment, he came across the saddest realisation he had in a while. Not only was he a coward but also selfish. The view of the TV, playing what seemed like ending credits, as the only light source in the room, while you layed on the couch wearing his favourite hoodie. Hesitantly he made his way to you, thinking you were still awake. He noticed the convinience store bag untouched with all his usual picks for movie nights. The more he saw the more it hurt. He kneeled down, carefully, infront of you trying to read what was on your mind right before you drifted to wonderland. Or so he hoped.

Your puffy face and wet sleeves told him everything he needed to know. He blames himself, he knows he did this to you and he has to fix it or he won't be able to live with the guilt. He picked you up bridal style, doing his best not to disturb the little peace you've managed to find.

Settling you on his bed, he layed down next to you, admiring you, thinking about all the times you've made him laugh, all the bickering and how that made you inseparable. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to the best thing that happened to him. He caressed your cheek. The icy touch of his hand causing an almost chemical reaction with your burning hot skin. He didn't feel worthy of you as much as he wants to fight that feeling his brain is playing tricks on him.

Tears started rolling down his face. He closed his eyes trying to clear his head, convincing himself all was gonna be okay. But what really made it all go away was your hand wiping his tears. You sat up pulling him to your chest, playing with his hair just like moms do when their kid cries. He sobbed more knowing you were and will always be here for him. Your heart showed no indifference towards your wounded lover, it was aching at every hiccup.

previous// //next

[azaharinflames]

Can you give some examples of how OS spoke of the BuckTaylor relationship in S5? I wasn't around back then.

Hi! I received two asks about this, so I am answering both with this one ☺️

Now full disclaimer: I wasn't in the fandom to the level I am now back when Season 5 was airing. I did do a deep dive once I went into the fandom, because a deep dive hates to see me coming, and I found out some stuff from that. I am sure I am missing stuff because of that. But there is also the fact that I have seen fans that have been here since S5 (and before) that do also say it all feels very different. More under the cut, because it is a long one.

That being said. I did another deep dive just so I could pull some things for evidence, and here are some interesting things I noticed, based on interviews for Hello (several with Hello - I, II, III), EW, Decider*, TV insider, and Fox. My thoughts aren't exactly organised, and more things that I noted down while doing the deep dive (huge thanks to 911bts, they were incredible at their job and it's a shame they were run off the fandom because of them. I hope they're doing okay now)

Oliver was actually really excited about the cheating storyline, as he believed Buck and Taylor had stalled and weren't that interesting anymore (for the audience).

Overall, there were way less post morterms after an episode. And when I say way less, I do mean it. I don't know if 911bts just didn't post the blogs, but from what I found, not too many were posted.

Interestingly enough, the post mortems we did get back then were directly tied to the episode. Crazy, I know! And by this I mean that it wasn't Oliver, Tim, and sometimes Ryan doing an interview after every single episode. Rather, the interviews were with the actor that had something important happening to them during the episode, and that's it.

Again, I don't know if the account just didn't post them, but the interviews I found with Oliver were 99% from big outlets/official ones. That means that, as a result, they are very neutral, and do not dive into the Buddie of it all. The journalist would ask him about the episode and the show and about working on it. It was refreshing to read, ngl.

* Funny to note, Arielle and Oliver did a co-joint interview for Decider. Kinda interesting taking into account that Taylor was still very much in the picture, yet she was pretty much ignored during this whole interview. I cannot help but think that, had Arielle been received positively (perhaps she could’ve if they hadn’t introduced her by cheating), she could’ve been Buck’s LT LI (once they saw Taylor didn't work). Be it an on-and-off situation or something more solid, I can see how the show could have played the long game with them. It’s worth noting, too, that Tim wanted to bring back Lucy during Season 7, but Arielle was just unavailable. And then he remembered Lou, and the rest is history. But my point is - I do think there was an intention to make Lucy a more solid LI, and potentially the person Buck was going to be with LT by season 5b. It’s just funny they were given an interview.

(I wanna do a small note here to point out that it is funny when you remember Oliver and Lou also had an interview together. Only, with two main and very telling differences. 1. The Decider interview was tied to what had happened on screen - aka Lucy and Buck kissing -, whilst Lou and Oliver didn't really have a reason to do the interview. Their arc had been done episodes prior. 2. A written interview that not a lot of people were gonna read (GA, I mean), vs. a televised interview that a casual viewer can catch and go: ohhh, they're a couple! Yk? Very stark differences, no pun intended)

There was a weird way of approaching his interviews, and what is notable is that it was both, from the journalists and Oliver. And, sure, you can say: arwen, that's what they're doing now! But, the difference? Back then the interviews were done by neutral, official outlets (aka Entertainment Weekly and Hello). Ignoring Taylor and putting her relationship with Buck on the background whilst focusing on Lucy very much was intentional.

Overall, it feels as if, when the show hit 5b, it stopped caring for Taylor entirely, and starting making an effort to try and introduce a new LI for Buck (aka, Lucy). This is just my theory, and what I perceived after my deep dive. And, once it did not work out with Lucy, they got rid of her, too.

I think, in general, the not Buddie interviews we get now do not ignore Tommy, and do not pretend he doesn't exist. Even when we receive a world salad for an answer, he is not being ignored.

I think Oliver is more insightful this time as well. He is putting himself on Tommy's shoes and, in a way, making sure the audience is still feeling sympathetic towards him. Whereas before, he didn't care to talk about Taylor much, if at all.

I will also add there was some interesting SM activity (I tried to find the screenshots the whole day, because I remember seeing them more than once, but alas, I couldn't. If someone has them, please send them my way! So I can add for evidence). Oliver had either the worst timing ever, or purposefully posted insta stories just as the BuckTaylor scenes were airing, usually covering his face with an emoji that showed some disdain. I think he deleted them pretty quickly (which he usually does), but enough fans would see them. There was one time where he posted one just as Buck and Taylor had their ILY scene. So. Could have it been a coincidence? I mean, sure. I won't outright assume things here. But it was an interesting choice to post that, especially when it made so many people sure that he didn't exactly like their scenes together.

Anyway. Long answer, and I am sure I am missing lots, but I hope this was helpful!

TL;DR: Taylor was pretty much ignored during interviews during 5b in order to promote Lucy, and Oliver didn't care to dwell too much into his storylines with Taylor. Likewise, you can tell he makes an effort to make sure the audience still has sympathy for Tommy and still is a positive character, whereas he didn't do that when talking about Taylor (that I've personally seen).

My inbox is open for ranting, venting, giving your opinion (unpopular or popular, I'm happy to receive and discuss both), and even confessions! However if you don't want yours posted, please make sure to say :)

Take care <3

[theroundbartable]

@groundbreakingdot872

Arthur would never admit it out loud, but he often invented reasons to take Merlin out for a drink.

Now, he couldn't do it as much. After all, a King cannot be seen buying drinks for his servant (as he used to tell Merlin back when Uther was King and a rule he threw out the window the moment he himself had assumed the throne). But it was fine if he bought the drinks for all his knights as well, if they just weren't alone.

The first time Arthur had taken Merlin out for a drink had been a surprise on many layers. A) he had not planned to buy them drinks, but he'd lost a bet against Gwaine. B) He'd assumed Merlin was a regular at the tavern but the man couldn't drink more than a cup of wine before he was dancing on a table. And C) his final dilemma, Merlin kept complimenting him.

Okay, to be fair, not just Arthur. He was complimenting everyone. He told Gwaine about his pretty hair and Lancelot about his pretty eyes and Gwen about her perfect skin and Morgana about her make-up skills and Elyan about his empathy and Percival about his strength and Mordred - okay, Merlin had never complimented Mordred. But he'd complimented Leon's cooking skills. Which was strange, Arthur didn't even know Leon could cook.

The point was, Merlin always, always ended up complimenting Arthur, and Arthur kept melting whenever it happened. A drunk Merlin didn't know personal space, didn't have any inhibitions. He always somehow ended up sitting half in Arthur's lap, grabbing him by his chin and sparkling like crazy as he complimented Arthur to his face. It felt like Merlin were counting Arthur's freckles, the number of hair on his eyelashes, the pulsing beat of his heart. "You're beautiful" Was a sentence that paled to the look alone that Merlin gave him and still, he wouldn't stop telling Arthur how pretty he was.

Arthur shouldn't be instigating these moments as often as he did. But he couldn't help doing it. He loved Merlin that close to him, his devotion evident with every brush of their touching skin, only inches away from kissing each other.

And today, today Arthur was on it again. Downing shot after shot in order to prepare himself so he could deal with what he believed inevitable to come. Merlin was busy talking with Gwaine, but also drinking wine from time to time and Arthur could feel that moment approaching. He grew lightheaded with each drink, his mind filling with anticipation and hope and all those things he never dared to name sober.

It got later and later in the evening. People already leaving, his knights saying goodnight and Arthur was way beyond the point of tipsy while Merlin remained surprisingly formal with everyone.

It didn't dawn on Arthur until his seventh drink that Merlin must not have been drinking alcohol at all, if Arthur's vision doubled while Merlin remained static and fine.

"I think you've had enough, Arthur. We should leave. You have a tournament tomorrow, remember?"

Arthur's world focused on Merlin's lips, everything else a faint memory in his mind. "Why are you not drunk?" He slurred, surprising himself with how normal his voice sounded.

"I had water. I have a long day tomorrow and don't want to be hungover. Last time you nearly killed me for sleeping in, remember?"

"'d never kill you." Arthur responded blurrily. "Luv' ya too much for that." He closed his eyes, feeling tired all of a sudden.

"What did you say?" How had they ended up outside? The cold wind was brushing through Arthur's hair, cooling his heated skin. Merlin was grinning amusedly. It looked pretty. Merlin always looked so pretty.

"I like you better drunk." Arthur accused half heartedly, realising faintly that Merlin was the only reason why he wasn't already falling right on his face. "Like it when ya compliment me."

Merlin had stopped them, his brows furrowing. "Is that why you keep filling me up at taverns? Because I can't shut up when I'm drunk?" Pink spread adorably around his nose.

"You like my eyes." Arthur grinned at him, teasing him.

"You like it when I'm drunk because I say your eyes are pretty?" Merlin snorted, nearly overbalancing Arthur when he stumbled over nothing.

"You're pretty." Arthur said, somehow not following their conversation, revelling in Merlin's touch. "And I love you very much." He found himself laughing. It sounded ridiculous out loud. Never mind that it was true, it was weird to hear it coming from himself. It was unheard of, basically illegal.

"Arthur, are you okay?" Merlin asked, suddenly sounding worried. "You're too drunk. Gods, you'll have my head for this tomorrow." Merlin sighed and pulled Arthur forwards.

"I'm tryin' to make you kiss me. You always look like you wanna kiss me." Arthur wondered at Merlin's reddening cheeks. "Wish, ' cld tell yu. You'd look so good in a crown." The end of that conversation slurred after that.

When Arthur woke up the next day, he had no recollection of the night, only a vague image of Merlin staring at him with wide eyes that had captured the sky.

Send me a standard fanfiction trope and make me fuck it up.

I have no idea what to write, but my brain likes to do weird shit over normal stuff.

[nami-treasure-trove]

I was rewatching Fishman Island arc through the remaster. Points for Nami and Jinbei who predicted Luffy's reaction to Hody's acts on Fishman Island. Although I know the other Straw Hats would also reach the same thoughts if they were present to see Hody and connected the dots, this is also a smart setup from Oda in order for Nami and Jinbe to meet and talk about Arlong later.

Also, it's great that later when they start talking about Arlong, Sanji is present. Being one of the East Blue gang who have fought against Arlong's crew and supported Nami back then, his presence added to the seriousness of the discussion. Luffy's a no-go. He didn't even remember Yosaku mentioning Jinbe.

How that would bring Jinbe to really bow his head down in apology.

But for Nami to then rise above her past and relieve Jinbe of his heavy burden because she understood the layers behind it all. She will not forgive Arlong. But his crew's actions is not a reason to hate other fishmen. Nami is but one example of what Otohime wanted to pass on to the future of fishmen. To go above their hate and racism towards humans, and get along.

I like to think that the reason he says this is because he used to not believe Otohime's way of thinking about humans. He had prejudice against humans. He went on a journey for the sake of the fishmen, but also to see for himself what the human world is really like after meeting Koala and after Fisher Tiger's death.

Jinbe having witnessed it time and time again (Ace and Whitebeard), and even more personal here with Nami, it really just proved that there is hope and goodness in the world if we embrace that. It was a genuinely powerful scene that I hope nobody glossed over. Nami's kindness is different from Whitebeard's or Ace's, since neither of them had a reason to hate fishmen. Nami, however, was tortured by fishmen. She could have chosen to hate their race, but instead, she only blames it on Arlong and his crew. And she's not even that unfriendly towards Hachi.

Also, let's not forget the fact that Shirahoshi was listening the entire time, AND KNEW HODY KILLED HER MOTHER, and all this was happening near Otohime's grave!

Oh, you sneaky, sneaky, Odacchi! This was definitely foreshadowing Shirahoshi's similar trait with Nami. Back then, I just thought she feels a little close Nami because I thought they shared losing a mother by the hands of the opposite race. But it's actually deeper than that. It's because Shirahoshi heard Nami not hating her race despite her experiences! BECAUSE SHIRAHOSHI'S MOTHER WAS KILLED BY HER OWN RACE AND SHE STILL DOES NOT FALL TO HATRED! Holy shiiiiit! I mean, I know Nami hates Arlong, but as far as Shirahoshi understood the conversation she heard, Nami is not a person who harbors hate herself.

THE LAYERS OF THIS SCENE. God, I hope Otohime heard them talking here fr.

Meanwhile, at this exact moment, Hody's crew were forcing fishmen and merfolk to step on Otohime's picture. The audacity. God they're the worst villains in the series. Hody and his crew are pure evil. EVIL. At least Doflamingo has a desire to have a family of his own, even if it twisted. Blackbeard, at worst, is just a greedy, ambitious mofo.

This is an incredible arc. I genuinely think it's up there with Enies Lobby, Marineford, Wano, and Egghead. The symbolism and setup is just crazy good. (We don't talk about the anime pacing. Only story-wise.)

Bonus: It's so wholesome every time Nami hugs Jinbe. I cry a little inside whenever I see it. Happy tears, ofc.

[jonathan-cranes-mistress-of-fear]

I'm so sick of people depicting Scarecrow as only the dude with needles and a hood. Arkham Scarecrow is the only thing a lot of people talk about instead of the OG with a hat and scythe. If we get a live action appearance, I hope it won't be widely different and we actually get a comic accurate one. The joker is an example of what I don't want. We haven't gotten anything comic accurate in ages and some scarecrow "fans" just keep talking about the needles as if it's all his character is about. I mostly got this from the person who was disappointed Cillian Murphy's scarecrow didn't have needles. I found it so cringe because THAT'S THE THING THEY REALLY REMEMBER? Poor classic Scarecrow, he needs some love. Arkham Scarecrow gets too much attention.

Sorry, I left this in my inbox for a couple days. But I do want to say before I get into it, please remember to be kind. This is not a place for call outs and while disagreements are bound to happen, I think we can all get along if we could just see each others point of view. Calling one of my askers cringy is not welcome here. That sort of thing is detrimental to them, yourself, and the fandom.

Sure, the original Scarecrow was iconic but he was pretty bare bones. Fear toxin didn't even exist for his first handful of appearances, and was actually created by Huge Strange before becoming Scarecrow's iconic weapon.

Speaking of iconic, the syringes ARE iconic. At least, now a days. I don't know very many modern designs who don't have some sort of needle gauntlet or use syringes at some point. Now, I don't think that's everything that makes a Scarecrow a Scarecrow, it's a combination. Stuff like the scythe, or glowing green feat toxin (or orange, heck it's been most colors lol) and a myriad of guns and weird blasters, his superior intellect and penchant to be manipulative is important as well.

Arkham Scarecrow gets the attention he does for several reasons, his design in Arkham and Knight where both unqiue for the time and wholly original from any previous design. Like many, it was my personal first Scarecrow and that's one of the reasons I like him so much. (The same could be said for Nolanverse, who was a first for many. Just as BTAS might have been an older fan's first) I think it's an exaggeration to say he's the only thing fandom talks about. I see stuff about him often, but I also see other designs and even original designs that are so unqiue and different from what comics are doing today.

I think we can all find some designs more palatable than others, and not everyone is going to have the exact same favorite. Some popular ones are hated, and some hated ones are loved. That's what makes fandom beautiful. You can find your niche if you look around long enough.

[anadrym]

Extended Author's Notes for Left Behind Ch12.

Spoilers!

Chapter title is from "Still Here" from the League of Legends 2024 Cinematic. That's the same song as the work title is from. ;)

In case you missed it (because I forgot to post it when I posted the chapter), there is a post linked in the end notes that has the general dialogue that Vi couldn't understand.

When I imagine the ballroom, I think of something between Beauty and the Beast and Sound of Music.

The feline woman's interest in Vi is mostly due to their past. It's brief, but in the dialogue, the Baroness mentions that she "bought a corpse" from the feline woman. She was part of the group that caught up to Vi and Caitlyn during the Purge. She wasn't the one who shot Vi, but she was there when it happened. She's fascinated by what Renata was able to do with what was left of Vi.

Super minor, but Vi pressing on a Kiramman's wedding ring while remembering the family name? :(

And we come back to Renata's fatal flaw: she's too confident in herself. She's been underestimating Caitlyn and Vi this whole time. She knows that Vi's still in there - that's why she's gone to such lengths to keep her supressed - but she honestly didn't think Vi could break free.

Originally, the feline woman still had her knives and Vi got ahold of one to stab the Baroness's arm. I couldn't get the scene to work that way and stressed over it for days before removing the knives and putting in the mirrors instead.

Actually, originally, the feline woman wasn't here at all. Vi's intended victim was actually one of the maids whom Renata suspected of being a mole. (There was supposed to be a moel in the previous chapter too. I really like moles.) I dropped it for several reasons: 1. I didn't want to introduce more characters here and complicate the escape. 2. I think it's more impactful for Vi to refuse to kill someone who is definitely still an antagonist (especially one of the people who sold her into this situation, even if she doesn't know that). 3. I wanted to bring back the feline woman anyway, and her wanting revenge on Cait worked perfectly.

I went back to earlier chapters to double-check and the feline woman lights the house on fire but otherwise hangs back. She's not as tough as a few of her group and tends to let them do the hard parts. Which is why she immediately starts begging for her life once she realizes the danger she's in.

I really like the parallel and contrast with Vi and Caitlyn here. Both ordered by the Baroness to kill specific people and refusing to kill those people. But while Vi refuses to kill (she didn't even try to kill Renata here), Caitlyn immediately guns down the real threat.

Something about them calling her "Number 6" because of her tattoo and Vi using the tattoo to remember her actual name.

Of course, as soon as she refuses to be the Baroness's weapon/slave anymore, we switch from "the girl" to "Vi." But we also completely stop using "master" in regards to Renata. :)

Vi knows, without a doubt, that she cannot win against the handler by himself, let alone with the Baroness. But it's Vi. She can't not fight back, surrender's not in her nature. She's gambling on the idea that she's more valuable alive than dead - Renata wants Caitlyn, after all - and she's hoping that she can at least clear Caitlyn a path to get them both out.

I always feel iffy about writing action, but it's so fun and I generally like the result. But it still makes me nervous. Not sure why.

I know it's not realistic, but it is so badass for a character to shoot someone without even looking at them.

I don't know a lot about Renata Glasc's prosthetic arm in LOL, but in this universe, I imagine there are gaps between the metal plates so that it can move, especially at the joints. That makes it weaker there.

Renata is absolutely furious that someone got the best of her here, in front of somone she was trying to intimidate and one of her employees. She's especially furious that it's someone she's proudly shown off as an example of how well she can control her enemies. Also, that arm was fucking expensive.

I don't know why, but I love a character being physically forced to their knees. It's just… *chef's kiss*

I am very fond of my death similies/metaphors. The fresh-dug grave. The hammering of nails into a coffin. Even the blade to the throat.

Vi, having essentially been reduced to an animal for the past five years, snarling and snapping at the Baroness to protect herself and Caitlyn? We love guard dog imagery in this elevator.

The "shooter putting a gun to their victim's forehead and the victim daring them to shoot" was heavily inspired by a scene in War for the Planet of the Apes.

Chross is another League character. He and Renata are tenuous allies in this. She actually repairs and maintains her own prosthesis, but has to go to him to acquire the parts she needs. Since she doesn't fully trust anyone else, she brings quite an accompaniment for protection. Which leaves the mansion less protected and gives Cait a way in and both of our girls a way back out.

That little bit at the end ("and she will, she will, she will") has to do with Vi's trauma. Yes, she did push Caitlyn into the river. No, Caitlyn didn't mean to leave her. But it's gonna be a while before Vi doesn't outright panic at being left behind.

One of you pointed out how Cait and Vi are souImates, each plotting an escape attempt without telling the other, which made me laugh. But it's really more that neither of them has much of a plan but, together… they still have no plan. At least the Baroness is out of the way for the time being.

Teaser for next week:

Before the body even hits the floor, Caitlyn is turning her gun on the other man.

"The basement," he gasps, pale and jittering. "She's in the basement. It's - the door is under the staircase. They keep her down there."

"Where?"

"I don't - I don't know, I don't go down there." His still-raised hands are shaking and his eyes are blown wide. "You'll hear it."

[the-irreverend]

Great take @featherspiral (and btw your art is fantastic!). Oh and forgive me for the long ass essay that follows.

"I actually draw chara a bit more charitable than I actually see them, tbh."

Well I wouldn't call your art of Chara an inaccurate portrayal, I don't doubt there were many happy moments between Chara and Asriel. It just wasn't enough to make Chara the friend Azzy wanted in the end.

I remember when I first read the tapes in my first playthrough of Undertale and was quite bothered by how Chara treated Asriel. It isn't a stretch to say that Chara was manipulative and even a bit of hurtful sometimes with Asriel, even if there were good intentions behind it.

But I also believe it's important to remember that just because Chara was manipulative or even hurtful, doesn't make them irredeemable, especially considering pretty much all the main cast has done terrible things themselves. Just look at Toriel and Asgore: the latter hurts a child with fire magic just to test their strength and the latter... goes without saying.

"and speaking of that dialogue, I think it very strongly implies that the reason chara made asriel pick up their body and bring it to the surface was because they knew he didn't want to do this, and wanted to force him into a self defense situation. I know that sounds like an unfairly cruel analysis..."

It's not an "unfairly cruel analysis" to take into account the failings and felonies of a not irredeemable but still deeply flawed character like Chara. It is unfair to disregard their complexity and positive/negative qualities to portray them as someone who "did nothing wrong" or "did nothing BUT wrong" which was sadly a huge trend in the early fandom and only has just now started to cool down as ppl started to accept the merits AND flaws of Chara's character.

I believe they definetly prioritized the plan over asriels safety,

Totally. I definitely interpret them as an "ends justify the means" kind of character: They wanted to do the right thing and help those they loved, but the trauma they endured was so great that it left them with a warped view on how to achieve their goals and help those they cared about, which resulted in stuff like reprimanding Asriel for crying and the infamous buttercup plan.

"and maybe they want that strength to ensure some kind of safety for themself or the ones they love (nothing can hurt you anymore, nothing can hurt anyone anymore etc etc...)."

My thoughts exactly! Chara did care about others but when the geno came along two things happened that twisted their "drive for efficiency":

A) they lost their soul and therefore their ability to feel compassion/love like Flowey.

B) the only way they could achieve that strength so nothing could hurt them was to take part in the carnage you/Frisk was inflicting.

Though tbh, my interpretation of them in the genocide run does differ quite a bit from the mainstream. But that's a whole different can of worms, and a very large can of worms seeing how I wrote a 5000 word essay on it lol.

Thanks for answering my question. Best of luck with your art! I love your UTDR art!

Hi again! Fan of Chara here!

Do you think Chara still cared about Asriel and his family despite theIR love for efficiency and maximizing everything?

They did say in the newsletter that once they became invincible, "nothing can hurt anyone anymore."

Just love to hear your thoughts if it's no trouble at all.

oou interesting question!! thank you very much I looove when ppl ask me about characters teehee

I actually draw chara a bit more charitable than I actually see them, tbh..

the way I interpret it is that chara DID care for the family, certainly. someone who doesn't care doesn't make a pink "mr dad guy" sweater, assuming that was made by them lawl, but also... I don't think chara was the nicest individual tbh. I always thought the small bits of characterization we get of them before death is very indicative of someone who probably wasn't treated very well, and thus has warped perceptions of what a loving environment should be and how to reciprocate these things

specifically, in the true lab, even though we don't know directly what they say, the tapes very much imply that they probably belittled asriel for things like crying, showing weakness (which certainly did NOT help his mindset down the line) and that they seem to bring his faith in them into question as a way to goad him on when he showed hesitation ->

not that I'm on the "chara popped out a villainous monster" train ofc, I very much think these things are even more evidence they didn't have the best life ever on the surface. and that's pretty much confirmed with asriels dialogue from the pacifist ending where he says chara "hated humanity" and climbed the mountain for an "unhappy reason"

and speaking of that dialogue, I think it very strongly implies that the reason chara made asriel pick up their body and bring it to the surface was because they knew he didn't want to do this, and wanted to force him into a self defense situation. I know that sounds like an unfairly cruel analysis, but there isn't really any other reason we would've been given that information in the way we were, just like.. narratively speaking. I believe that they either DID want to actually free monsterkind, or, less charitably, destroy the humans they held a grudge against (i could accept this either way because i dont think the core reasoning is actually integrally important to how the events ended up playing out, and its fun to keep things flexible here). in any case, I believe they definetly prioritized the plan over asriels safety, which isn't all that surprising considering they prioritized it over their own life.

overall I think their drive for efficiency and getting stronger is a product of the more than likely poor environment they came from, and maybe they want that strength to ensure some kind of safety for themself or the ones they love (nothing can hurt you anymore, nothing can hurt anyone anymore etc etc...). I think that whole attribute is a sort of vessel through which they show how they care, but it gets twisted into something more heartless through the genocide run. anyway this is long as hell. my god

[melancholic-pigeon]

@vaspider @mistresskabooms @nerdykeppie I'm the one who's being weird? Me? really? You are absolutely sure you're not the asshole in this situation? You're ABSOLUTELY SURE this was a justified response to my polite confusion?

Wow. I really misread you.

[rhytmrocket]

hi so uh

i have a playthrough of pokemon shield in which im only using poison types (as soon as i got access to them) and so uh here's my team of dumbass creatures

explained below the cut (left-right, top-bottom), we have:

Bria, a sassy roserade who's kinda just there cuz i like roserade, and is thus a swing slot. functionally, she's kinda just a diet nikki with grass stab who happens to also serve cunt

Chia, a quirky garbodor who's my lead in major battles. she sets up spikes+tox spikes and explodes. the sweetest fuckin thing

Niro, a timid low-key toxtricity who mainly functions as electric stab. he's the resident chill guy who lowkey (heh) doesn't give a fuck

Nikki, a timid haunter who's my special-attacking nuke. she's kinda just Bria +speed, ice coverage, and stab on shadow ball but -grass coverage. but who needs grass coverage. she is a nefarious schemer

Ura, a quiet skuntank who's my physical attacker and main source of coverage. dark stab, flamethrower, dig, and a psychic immunity are quite nice to have. she's a powerhouse in battle and incredibly sleepy out of battle

and Quoisse, a bashful toxapex who stalls and has water stab. also my primary second-choice in double battles cuz blockhaus (i forgot its english name) is cool and it's cooler than protect. ironically, she highkey hates everyone except me

i also have Vic, a bashful toxicroak who shares the swing slot with Bria, but i didn't have space on the canvas to draw him and was too exhausted to do him separately. so i'll draw him later. he's basically just fighting stab and earthquake user since dig isn't really the best ground type option bc it's vulnerable to said eq (which Ura is already weak to) and two turns is a long time. he likes breaking things, such as the bones of steel types (do steel types have bones?)

so yeah those are my dogs :>

[bumblingbabooshka]

B'Elanna, Neelix, Tuvok and Chakotay needed to star in an episode where they just talked about their different beliefs and approaches to spirituality/religion. Paired off and all together. I need to gain more insight. I need characterization and I need it to be messy.

[flaming-thing]

If tumblr let its users be mysterious and menacing, I fear the app would break in a day

He probably does know it's amaya because of skors reaction to it, but he's gonna completely forget and bring her up again i bet

He's gonna have to get like 3 different people to confirm that he heard what he thought he did

Ah yes I forgot about the Stubby Horns. I was gonna say we could use terry to compare AFAB and AMAB earthblood elves, seeing as he's trans, but then I remembered its very likely he's already undergone some sort of transition, and we don't really see any AMAB earthblood elves anyway, apart from the drakewood guy. I would just like to offer a counter on the sunfire elves, though. Have you seen janai. She is a giant

YOURE ONE TO TALK GREN. Amaya would find it hilarious though

My exact thought process here was: 'pft ye that's tr- wait was that a Hamilton ref- THAT *WAS* A HAMILTON REFERENCE' and yes, I did read it Burr's voice. Before i even realised it was a Hamilton reference

I'm going with the 'phoe-phoe bent reality' theory, I refuse to believe the continent that houses 5 different human kingdoms, a large population of dragons and at least 6 different elf societies can be traveled across in ~3 weeks

Way to go ram! Introduce therapy to the group i beg, they all need it

Ye, I think you brought it up in chapter... the one where andromeda and rayla talk? But it seems like it's not the fact that she didn't kill Marcos that was the problem (I mean. It was a problem but still), but rather the fact that she lied about it. That couldve been interesting if callisto hadn't spoken for her though, would they have gone on to kill her? Or would they still realise that the responsibility was somewhat shared? Would skor have suggested to kill runaan as well? I don't think he would, because runaan didn't betray them or anything, he just made a slight mistake in bringing her, but still

He had none to begin with. He was born with his sanity already on the negative numbers

Anyone who found the body would probably think that it was an animal thag had been mostly eaten or something

Oooh I wonder what zubeias reaction to seeing the entire group she sent out to kill the king and Prince turn up with said Prince but also her son who was presumed dead. That'll be interesting (in a good way). Also I think I've asked this before but are you going with the harrow-is-a-bird theory, or are you going with harrow-is-actually-dead?

He seems to be a very 'I know exactly how I feel' guy about everything except his family. I mean, I think tiadrin and lain definitely *did* love rayla, they just had a very, very different way of showing it. And obviously no one knows yet that the dragon gaurd didn't run away, so everyone's just left with a sense of 'damn these two suck' because in their eyes these 2 abandoned their daughter for something (in their culture, at least) arguably more important, but then abandoned that as well. So most people have their opinions on the whole situation, because like you said they didn't know tiadrin and lain that well, but runaan has no idea what to do because they're still his best friends/siblings, and raylas still their daughter, but also they just haven't been there for the vast majority of her life, and pretty much told everyone that they wouldn't come back for her by abandoning the egg. Anyway idk if that mare any sense it was just me rambling but that's what u make if the whole situation

We just love to watch people suffer lol

Harrows mistakes are the entire reason the show happened in the first place tbh

Oh you just know that the moment his quiet kid persona is needed, it's absolutely nowhere to be found and he is suddenly the most socially inept, clueless person you've ever met

Rams spent his whole life being an only child, and now he has two younger siblings to compete with that his dad dosent even know about yet

Different Path Taken Ch19 P1: Runaan and Skor's Discussion

I'm not as happy with this section as I have been with some of the other tough ones, and I haven't quite isolated what the problem is. It might end up going through some bigger edits? I don't know, I kinda wanna just be done with it, since while it feels clumsy, it did go over what I wanted it to do.

Skor wasn’t far away when Runaan found him.  He didn’t even need to track prints through the snow, as the other swordsman was sitting on an outcropping of rock within sight of the cave entrance, eyes fixed on the human village below.  Runaan made sure to crunch a bit of snow on his approach, and saw Skor glance at him, so he wasn’t startled when Runaan sat down on the rock beside him. 

“How stable are you?” Runaan asked softly, without looking directly at him, just looking out of the corner of his eye.

Skor sighed through his nose. “He’s coming with us, isn’t he.”

“I asked first.”

“That’s a yes.” Skor rubbed his forehead tiredly, and when Runaan looked a little closer, he winced internally at the exhausted lines around his eyes and the tight pupils.  He wasn’t panicked anymore, but this was taking a toll on him. 

Runaan sighed, not bothering to contradict him, and cast his own eyes down to the village.  He spared a moment to hope Rayla - and those he had sent with her - were doing well, and the humans had found some help for the egg. “It seems the most viable option going forward.”

“We can’t trust him.” Skor growled. “You know better than anyone, Runaan.  Humans can’t be trusted and that one works for her.”

Runaan tilted his head at him. “And what makes the princes so different?”

Skor pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. “Nothin’.  Small children don’t have higher morals, they have needs and people who fill them, and human children grow up slower than ours in that way.  Right now, that’s us, so of course Ezran wants to help.  It might even work for a few years.  But once he goes home, is surrounded by adults that hate us the way they do for enough years?  I doubt it will last.  Callum is old enough t’ have his own values, but he won’t be the one on the throne that could actually harm us.”

Runaan frowned a bit and looked back down to the village, where he had sent them, entrusting the future of the world to the boys Skor now spoke of with such skepticism. “I don’t think either of them are young enough to be in that state of mind,” He said carefully. “While it’s true that human children mature . . . slower, Ezran should be around the same mindset as Rayla was when I took her in.  She was more than capable of this kind of planning and reason - as you well know.”

Skor shook his head. “Does it matter?  We’ll do this, and it’ll be a reprieve for a few years, if it works.  It’ll save our home from Zubeia, at least.  I don’t doubt their intentions now.  I just . . . don’t trust them to keep them.  Especially back in Katolis once it’s over, with her counsel.”

“Perhaps,” Runaan conceded, reluctantly, after a moment. “But while she is vicious to us, she is a general in a war.  We have never been given a reason to believe she would turn on her own people, and these are her own nephews.  I do not believe she would give Corvus orders that would lead to their harm.”

“Like your friends would never have abandoned their posts or their daughter?” Skor asked, and the words struck Runaan so close to the heart that he couldn’t even process the tone that they came with.  He flinched involuntarily.

He didn’t grit his teeth, but it was a near thing, and he groaned softly into his hands as he rubbed the stress lines from his own face. “That was different.”

“Yes, it was,” Skor growled. “We knew them better than we know her.  What makes ye think we can trust her more than we trusted them?”

Runaan growled right back at him. “I am not saying we should trust him, and certainly not her.  Even if she would turn on her nephews, the tracker may not be willing to harm them.  He knows he can’t fight us.  We keep him with us, keep him close, to keep an eye on him.  If he stays true to his word, he may be an asset.”

“And when he doesn’t?”

“We put him to sleep, and drop him as far off our trail as we can, and leave.” Runaan said, meeting his burning golden eyes again. “If he continues to chase after that, you and Ram may deal with him as viciously as you choose.”

Skor held his gaze for a long minute, searching, before finally giving a huff and looking back down at the village, his shoulders dropping in concession.

Runaan kept looking at his profile, and sighed again, softly.  He placed a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder, and Skor leaned away from it for a moment before settling, pushing back against the weight of it instead. “I know how difficult this is.” He said. “Believe me, I understand what I am asking of you.”

Skor shook his head. “It’s what’s best for the mission.” He replied, voice brittle. “What it does to us is secondary.” He looked over at Runaan through his hair and acknowledged, softer, “I lost my voice, but you lost four lives to her.  That’s far worse.”

Closing his eyes at the memory of the elves he had been forced to abandon inside the caves, Runaan took a deep, even breath, and shook his head. “I will not quantify suffering.” He said after a moment. “You lost a life, too, in a way.  The life you should have had.”

The thought hung in the air between them for a moment, both well aware that if things had turned out differently - if Skor had not lost his voice, and his pride had not been killed under Runaan’s command - he would likely have retired several years ago.  He would not be in Katolis at all.

“I’ve made my peace with that.” Skor said softly. “Have you?”

Runaan blinked at him. “Have I made my peace with what?”

Skor glanced at him through his hair. “Losin’ the life you should have had.”

“What are you . . .” the question died in Runaan’s throat as Skor tilted his head towards the village below, the implication from before pressing in like blades around his ears.  He laid them back a little defensively.

“You set all your plans aside for two elves who’ve gone on t’ betray you.” Skor pointed out softly. 

Runaan rubbed the marks across his nose, closing his eyes against the darkness pressing in from his sides. “You know as well as I do the Dragonguard had no choice in leaving,” He said slowly. “What was I supposed to do?  I had been a part of Rayla’s life since she was born.  Was I to leave her with someone else?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Skor said, tilting his head to look at Runaan around the hair that fell over his face. “That was seven years ago, an’ she’s only fifteen.  They didn’t have a choice about leavin’?  They left t’ protect her?  They threw her life away along with the rest of us when they ran.  Saved their own skins instead.”

“Skor-”

“We’ve all a right t’ be angry with them for that,” Skor pressed. “But even before that, Rayla’s only fifteen.  She’ll remember more of her life with you than with them.  She’s practically grown, and they did what, sent letters?  That’s not parenting, and you know it.  They dropped that on you, an’ never let ye take the title ye deserve for the responsibility ye took, too selfish to let her have a family they weren’t a part of.”

Runaan flinched, hand dropping from Skor’s shoulder and covering his own face as he grimaced. “That doesn’t - Skor, I can’t deal with this right now,” He said desperately. “She is their daughter, she is the one who suffers the most from what they’ve done.  Her feelings on the matter come first.”

“That’s my point.” Skor shifted his weight onto his opposite hip to turn a little more towards Runaan, arching his brows pointedly. “You’re the only adult in her life that always puts her first, except Ethari, and honestly, my friend, I’m not as sure as you are that he’d choose her over you.”

He would.  Runaan was more than confident of that.  He grimaced at the very thought of making him choose, though, and shook his head.

“I’m not sayin’ ye should talk to Rayla about it.” Skor said. “It’s not her job tae take care of you.  But I knew them, too.  Ye do have other friends, not all of us willin’ to fuck you over for seven years and end it with a stab in the back.”

Runaan flinched again and snapped. “Alright, yes, I am angry!  I am confused, and frustrated.  I do not understand what changed, I trusted - I loved them as my brother and sister, and I can’t - I don’t understand why they would betray us like this.  But I cannot deal with this right now.  I must do what I can to minimize the damage from what they’ve done, to Rayla and to our people’s reputation in the eyes of the dragons.”

“You’ve been cleanin’ up after those two your whole life.” Skor observed softly.

Runaan grimaced. “That will no longer be an issue after this, will it?” He said bitterly, and then narrowed his eyes at Skor. “And you are deflecting.”

Skor wrinkled his nose at him and lifted his lip to show one chipped fang in halfhearted spite. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Runaan showed his own fangs right back, heart aching at the memory of when that fang had been chipped, but appeased when Skor’s mouth closed again under his show of dominance. “I will not force you,” He said anyway, a little wry after Skor had done exactly that to him. “But know that I am here if you need it.  I know, better than anyone, why this is difficult for you, and I share your concerns.”

“It’s what’s best for the mission.” Skor repeated reluctantly, and groaned softly as he leaned back on his hands, raising his face to the sun’s heat and closing his eyes against its light. “Runaan, if he says anythin’ else about that woman’s honor -”

“I will not restrict his right to speak,” Runaan said, but shrugged when Skor scowled. “But I will not restrict yours, either.  If he offends you, respond as you wish, just - verbally.  We don’t resort to violence until he does.”

Skor’s eyes remained shut but he nodded slowly. “Fine.”

He would not have returned to the field, and Runaan would not have allowed him to stay there, if he weren’t capable of stabilizing even under circumstances that brought up plagues from his past.  Runaan accepted this answer and looked back down to the village below.  He took note of a small group of people - four - one smaller than the other three - leaving the well-trodden path towards where he and Skor sat up on the slope. “The children are returning.”

“Then we should do the same.” Skor said, sounding far calmer than he had when Runaan first approached him, at least, and nodded with eyes open when Runaan looked at him again.  They both stood up and dusted the bits of snow off of themselves, and took a few breaths to clear their minds after the discussion they’d had.  Skor returned to the cave, ducking inside with only a glance at Runaan.  Runaan remained by the entrance, waiting for the children to return.

For all they weren’t all his children, he couldn’t help his growing concern for the human boys, and he had known Ram since he was quite young as well.  They were all his responsibility.

He shoved Skor’s words from earlier out of his mind.  Rayla’s needs came first.  He knew what he had to do about his friends’ betrayal, and processing his reaction to it could come later, when he had less on his plate and could justify devoting precious energy to doing so.

[naamahdarling]

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[rosie-tyler]

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[forcebookish]

one of the things that has me nonstop thinking about topmew is that they're actually a very unique type of couple in fiction but not in real life. in most fiction, people are always falling in love by accident. they meet, circumstances put them together, they're caught by surprise when they fall in love. but though both top and mew had never been in love before and didn't totally know what to expect, it wasn't a complete shock. they met through a mutual friend, they found each other attractive and interesting, so they decided to date. they fell in love because they went on dates and did romantic things together on purpose. i think neither of them expected to fall so hard, but still, the point of dating is to see if you're compatible and fall in love and maybe build a life together. and that's what they did.

i don't think that makes them boring, i think that makes them relatable! i think that makes them stand out from other fictional couples! you know, people claimed they wanted more realistic BLs, but for some reason when topmew came along, a ship based on a real life gay couple, they didn't like them?

[ourceliumnetwork]

it is not slacking off to write or create it is not slacking off to do things that are fun i am not slacking off or procrastinating right now i'm allowed to do things i enjoy doing for fun including playing games and writing and such

[david-watts]

sitting here overheating because my room really does get super fucking hot in the late afternoon and takes fucking forever to cool down. but it got me thinking about how damn I used to never get dressed during the day during the summer even though I really wanted to. and it was because my m*ther never bought me clothes that were wearable when it's twenty degrees plus, sunny, and as humid as it gets here. and if she did it wasn't for wearing everyday. like poverty is one factor in that but seriously I straight up didn't have enough regular clothing to last a week, especially since I wasn't allowed to wear a shirt more than once and trousers/skirts thrice without washing. that and I was rarely able to choose outfits out for myself either.