#an active attempt to be good to his friends and family despite not actually caring abt it

[genderkoolaid]

i think "love" and "empathy" get misused (or just used harmfully) in similar ways. in that both of them are used to describe a kind of emotional experience (feeling a certain type of strong affection for someone/feeling what you think someone else is feeling). and there are people who don't have either or both of those emotional experiences, and get seen as cold, cruel, inhuman monsters.

but the thing is, what makes "love" and "empathy" be seen as good things isn't the emotional experience. its choosing to trust people, helping them when they need it, connecting with others. you can feel empathy/love and choose to do none of those things. you can not feel empathy/love and choose to do those things. but we've tied those actions (which are choices) to emotional experiences (which are not choices), and so you have people thinking that the emotional experience is the only way someone can make those choices.

[tiesthatbind-tf]

If you’re on a desktop, please full-view these lads if possible! Tumblr  compressed the hell out of the preview unfortunately, but so much love was poured into them that it’ll be a shame if y’all didn’’t full view for the goods ;u;b (click, then right-click and open image in new tab!)

I’ve always held a deep fascination of for the Lambros, though for whatever reason, media beyond G1 seem allergic to actually making them brothers, or at least brothers who LIVE till the end and have something resembling a healthy/active relationship, so it was something I wanted to explore with TTB’s version of The Lads--Serafino and Sergio Saverio--who, despite being Twins, are very distinct individuals (Sideswipe in particular has a narrative focused on self-realization after a past of being constantly second best/in Sunstreaker’s shadow, and establishing healthy boundaries, even with those closest to you) with their own occasionally intertwining stories

They’re the team’s Battlefield Hellions, a pair of Feral Elric Brothers willing to punch open multiple Gates of Truth for each other, and who despite their flaws---especially Avowed Bastard Sunstreaker, whose protectiveness and care for Sideswipe is, at times, seemingly his only saving grace---will never have anyone questioning their love for each other. 

You can find their (2881 words, this one’s a doozy!) pre-war full story below the cut! 

Born to a Manual Class couple in the Little Italy neighbourhood of Lower Manhattan, the Saverio Twins could have easily gone the path of Cain and Abel, and given the lopsided treatment they received from their parents as children, it was a miracle that they didn’t. 

Serafino Saverio — hair kissed by the sun — was the much-welcomed firstborn upon whom their hopes were pinned on. 

Sergio Saverio – hair tainted with blood – was the surprise second and didn’t even have a name until after a week of his birth (he could only assume they were hoping he didn’t make it that long, being the twin with ‘complications’) as the unplanned and unwanted spare mouth to feed in a household which had always been intended for a family of three, and not a day of his young life passed that he wasn’t reminded by his parents that they had kept him as a favor.

The favoritism was as blatant as it was malicious when it came to food, praises and gifts—all of which were afforded to Serafino, all of which were an afterthought for Sergio who always took everything with a smile, having been told to simply be thankful he had a family, and that Serafino had to come first.

However, Sergio’s treatment didn’t go unnoticed or ignored by Serafino—sharp and cunning for his age—who began to question why his brother had less than him, why his brother was beaten for doing the things which he himself would simply be given a stern talking to, why his mother’s tone fell and rose so drastically between her sons and why his father never had a kind word for a boy who constantly bent over backwards for a fraction of the love they afforded him. 

The aching sadness the older twin saw in his brother’s eyes when they were seven and had received their birthday gifts—a beautiful hand-crafted wooden sword for him, a cheap gas station tin Lamborghini for Sergio—gave birth to childhood defiance as he exchanged his gift with Sergio to the surprised dismay of their parents who were stuck awkwardly trying to explain why he couldn’t do that and why they saw it fit to treat two brothers so differently on they day they were born together, only seconds apart. 

It was here that the seed was planted of Serafino’s protectiveness over Sergio–his best friend, his playmate, his shadow—and Sergio’s near-unwavering loyalty to Serafino—his defender, his confidante and the only one of their family who truly cared for him. 

They grew up tight as thieves as Serafino’s disgust at their parents’ attempts to drive a wedge in between them burned ever brighter, because if they would not treat his brother the same as he, then he would act out in defiance until they treated him the same way they treated Sergio out of sheer frustration. 

They walked hand in hand in the streets, always looking out for each other, and sparred fist to fist on the apartment rooftop where they would learn to fight together because the world wasn’t kind to little Manuals—and they had the cuts and bruises to show for it—but from up here where that world seemed so small beneath them, they could dare to dream of a better one where Sergio could be the dashing fighter Serafino’s sword allowed him to see himself as, and where Serafino would be able to one day own and drive a car similar to the little model he had traded that sword for.

School was no more kind to them than the streets were—at twelve, Serafino had learned to read the people around him and kept an aloof and guarded presence, but Sergio — eager for warmth and connection — forged friendships openly and recklessly, class divisions be damned.

His perceived insolence to The Way Things Were earned him the ire of a group of law enforcement prodigy picks when he befriended a girl among their ranks, and they set out to teach him a vicious lesson about staying in his lane despite her protestations. 

He fought back hard, but it was Serafino’s fury that was unmatched when the older twin came across the assault in progress and leapt into the fray to back him up. 

When the dust had settled, the brothers stood tall among the twitching bodies of five prodigy picks, the leader of the group beaten up so severely by Serafino that their dislocated jaw had to be wired shut for a month. 

Serafino earned the scar on his jaw from this altercation, and as the twin who had dealt the most damage, was suspended from schooling indefinitely and put to work to help pay off the medical bills forced upon his family despite open confirmation from the girl at the center of the fight that the brothers’ role in it was that of self-defense (and it was reasoned that if he was so quick with his hands, he best put them to a more productive use). 

His reputation as a pugnacious, split-knuckled hellion preceded him among the rough-and-tumble warehouse workers he was stationed with, and, for better or worse, they accepted him into the fold as ‘one of the lads’ despite his youth.

Over beer and cigarette smoke—a vice he embraced too early—he became privy to how truly hopeless their lives were, born in the same class as their parents and their grandparents before them, destined to die in the same class no matter how hard they worked to climb a ladder whose rungs seemed to increase every year, and it made him all the more bitter to the world. 

When he crossed paths with one Tulio Hoffman — a stag Beastman attempting to evade authorities in an alley — while on his way back to the workers’ hostel, he made a split-second decision to cover the man’s tracks and pointed the cops elsewhere out of spite for them. His chutzpah, as Tulio called it, earned him the Stagman’s respect, and having seen the calluses on his palms and the crowbar he wielded with unusual expertise for his age, Tulio—who revealed himself as the elusive Thunderhoof, an up and rising don— extended a hand to him with the promise of a better life, one that didn’t require him to slave away in a warehouse for an eternity. 

He agreed, seeing a chance to wrest the life he wanted for himself—and by proxy his brother— by force, and pledged loyalty to Thunderhoof who initially employed him as a scout and informant. It was work Serafino excelled in — his relentlessness to get the job done won the Stagman over, and he was quickly promoted to Thunderhoof’s personal assistant, following the don on business deals and clandestine meetings across the city and helping the man keep his ledgers and income on track.

He experienced the High Life for the first time—fine clothes, good food, a fast car—and it was a lifestyle he grew an insatiable taste for and was desperate to keep for himself (attempts at sharing this life with Sergio were politely declined, and there was an understanding of their different approaches to climbing out of the dregs, even if they did not always agree with the others' methods)

The big money Thunderhoof made from taking part in illegal pitfights seemed like a natural progression given his prodigious skill with fisticuffs, and his first win when he was 18 was one the Stagman—who had taken on the role of a somewhat twisted adoptive father—celebrated and honored by gifting him the neck chain he wore, which also served as a symbolic gesture from Thunderhoof that the business would one day be passed to him. Serafino continued his career as a much-feared pitfighter with a rumored body count— the dreaded ‘Aureleone’ (Golden Lion) of the rings — all the while rising up the ranks of Thunderhoof’s mob until he was the man’s underboss, and keeping an eye out for Sergio like any good big brother worth their salt.

Sergio’s scar above his eyebrow remains a daily reminder of the day the system came for him and his brother, and while he was allowed to remain in school, he was transferred to a heavily-manual establishment which would ‘better suit those like him’. 

The situation at home became even more unbearable than it already was, as his parents blamed Serafino’s downfall on his carelessness and stupidity—despite Serafino’s assertion that the bullies deserved everything that happened to them and he would reoffend on sight if they hurt Sergio again—and he began to spend more and more time outside, visiting Serafino at work whenever he could to repeat the day’s lesson during breaks so his brother still had access to education and sneaking into worker’s rallies by the docks. 

It was here that he was drawn to the music and effortless charisma of a young dock worker and union figurehead, Jace Zayden (Jazz), which whom he struck up a friendship, and where Thunderhoof brought Serafino deeper into the underbelly of the city to escape the system, Jace gave him hope that change could happen on the surface, in the sun. 

After a blowout with his parents when he was 16 where they’d made it clear he should never have been born, he finally left the house. Not wanting to burden Serafino who had already suffered enough for him in his eyes or be indebted to Thunderhoof (who he respected for taking care of his brother, but understood was a dangerous man with an agenda), he roomed with Jace who had taken on the role of his mentor and helped him find employment as a warehouse worker so he could save up to afford rent for his own place once he was old enough to sign a lease. His nights were divided between helping Serafino with supply runs and stock-checking for Thunderhoof’s contraband goods, and joining Jace at union meetings as well as helping the man with his activism and protest plans. 

When Jace was arrested after a brutal crackdown on a workers’ rally and never came back to the neighborhood, Sergio feared the worst but wasted no time stepping into Jace’s position when their local union chapter began to flounder so he could continue their fight for a better life. 

Like his brother, he had become intimately acquainted with the injustice perpetuated by the neverending cycle of poverty their class was intentionally, systematically trapped in, but rather than abandon it and the people in it as Serafino had chosen to do, he wanted to help break it so his community could rise above it with him. 

As the most prominent figurehead of an unprecedented, rising tide of unionization in Manhattan  which started from across the pond in the UK, he was marked out as a person of interest by local officials desperate to keep the status quo, and his increasing clashes with local cops tasked with bringing those behind these ‘public disturbances’ to heel brought him in contact with a face he remembered from his school days—the same upperclass girl he had tried to befriend, whose testimony had helped keep him and Serafino out of juvie and who was now a tough-as-nails rookie with a reputation for breaking ranks. 

Stella Armstrong (Strongarm) was more than a little surprised to find out that the scrawny, bright-eyed Manual scrapper who had suddenly disappeared from her classroom after the Big Fight was now a feisty, quick-talking, hot-tempered rabble-rouser with a careless smirk and a witty comeback for every police warning lobbed at him. 

Regardless of his teasing and her scoldings for the ‘trouble’ he made for her whenever they crossed paths, Sergio kept eye out for her on the streets—good cops didn’t last long in the ranks, he knew this much—and vouched for her being an ‘honest one’ whenever she was stonewalled for information regarding her cases. 

In turn, Stella spoke out in defense of him whenever her colleagues brought him in and attempted to remand him for a period much longer than the minor infractions he was hauled in for could justify, and stopped any attempted violence on him and his community in lockup, making enemies among the force in the process.

When several prominent union supporters began turning up dead to the radio silence of the police, Sergio approached Stella for help in investigating the matter, and she agreed to do so after finding out that reports filed on the murders had been closed before any investigations had wrapped up. 

She gave him a burner cell to keep their communications private after the two agreed that something about the situation smelled like a cover-up.

All of this was confirmed when Stella called him with a warning that the killings were tied to the current mayor who had pro-functionist ties, cops on payroll and was desperate for a re-election in the coming month.

She had also found documents approving the use of Mnemosurgery on a list of union figureheads to turn them into Trojan Horses on their own movement and communities—a list which Sergio’s name headed, which meant he had to go into hiding before the next minor infraction brought him back to lockup. 

When she couldn't give him an answer on if the breach of classified information could be traced back to her, he feared for the worst again—the unsolved fate of Jace still hung heavy in his mind—more so when further calls he made to her went to voicemail. 

The next call Sergio received from her sent him on a hunt for her in the winding alleys of Brooklyn, where he found her bleeding out from a through-and-through gunshot wound to the stomach she received from her own colleague, after it was revealed that the drug bust she was a part of was a front to get her in a vulnerable position so they could take her out.

Her refusal to back the thin blue line at all costs, newfound knowledge of wide-spread corruption in the ranks and growing friendship with a ‘target’ had made her a liability, one they had orders to get rid of. 

He raced her to a back-alley clinic, unable to bring her to the local GH because of the real danger of the rest of the force coming over to finish the job. 

Stella survived the ordeal with his help, and the two of them went into hiding together to plan their next move; As she had never turned off her body camera, she had damning evidence of the hit which she had immediately downloaded to the burner cell for safekeeping in case the footage was later remotely wiped, and she had taken pictures of the documents beforehand. 

To Sergio’s surprise, help came from two unexpected places; Jace, who returned from self-exile in the UK after it was discovered that the same thing planned for Sergio had earlier been planned for him, and Serafino, who had broken the Mafia Code and put aside mob work and pitfighting the moment he caught wind of the target on his baby brother’s back. (When Thunderhoof had demanded that his loyalty to the mob come before his loyalty to his brother if he were to take over the mantle of Don, he balked at the idea)

As it turned out, Jace was part of the Resistance movement back in the UK which had branched out worldwide and inspired the rising workers’ protests in the States as well, and worked as a saboteur who had experience in exposing corrupt men in power for filth. 

Stella’s near-death experience and the ongoing risk to her life made a strong case for her filming a dying confession which Sergio delivered along with her body cam footage to her father, who then passed both to an attorney whose services her family had employed to find justice for their ‘missing’ daughter. 

The documents and list made it to the ACLU’s New York office, while Serafino and Jace both worked on a sting to catch the mayor red-handed, as they posed as bounty hunters looking to collect on Sergio’s head. As Sergio played his role as defiant captive and tactically bandied words with the mayor to lead the man to a full confession, Jace’s colleague, Brandon Shen (Blaster) hacked major digital billboards at Times Square to air the footage in real-time, destroying the man’s name and political career in the span of fifteen minutes. 

Regardless of their victories however, both Sergio and Stella had become far too big of targets to remain where they were, and Jace offered to bring them all into the Resistance’s fold. 

Sergio, for his own safety, had to hand over the reins of leadership to a new leader of the Manhattan Movement, though his community, knowing full well the risk he had put himself through for them, encouraged him to find safe harbor with Jace’s team mates who could afford him the protection he needed. .

He had carried on Jace’s work when Jace had to leave, and there would be others to continue the work here.

Serafino, chafing harder and harder against the control that Thunderhoof was rapidly losing on him, threw all caution against the wind, chose the codename Sunstreaker and joined his brother. --now codenamed Sideswipe -- as the new frontliners of the wider Resistance movement.

Whether he would come to regret the decision was still up in the air, but brothers stuck together, and the path ahead was one both of them would forge back to back with each other as fate damn well intended. 

[hello-nichya-here]

Hello, whats your opinion on this as a mai fan

I think this person is either misremembering the show or deliberately mischaracterizing what Mai, because what they're claiming she revealed on The Beach is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what she actually said.

She doesn't say "My parents used me as a pawn in their game to get close to royals" or "My parents never wanted me to learn anything about combat." She tells us that her parents will let her do whatever she likes - as long as she BEHAVES. As long as she's invisible. Out of sight, out of mind. They don't care what she does, as long as it doesn't affect them, as long as she's quiet. And that's what she says in an attempt to DOWNPLAY how bad her relationship with them actually is and how it affected her emotionally.

When Mai is complaining that she doesn't like Omashu because there's nothing for her to do, her mom doesn't try to talk to her about activities that could keep her busy/entertained, or show any concern about how she's adapting to moving to a whole new country, to a city where she doesn't know anyone. Instead, she ignores her daughter's attempts to talk about her feelings by reminding her that this is important for her father. There's no attempt to make this situation benefitial for her as well, it's all about how she needs to be grateful that someone else is happy about it.

Yes, when Tom-Tom is "kidnaped", they won't stop panicking, and are overjoyed when he's brought back safely. But there's not a word on them being concerned over Mai's well-being when she's leaving in a potentially dangerous mission. They don't show up to congratulate her at any point after she helps the Fire Nation conquer Ba Sing Se, even though that is a legendary feat. Favoritism much?

In book 3, literally the only adults we see in her home are servants, and considering one needs an airship to go to the island where the boiling rock is, it's pretty safe to say her uncle can't be dropping by too often. They let their 15-year-old daughter live in a different country, without any adult acting as her guardian - that's how much they don't care about her.

And speaking of her uncle, yes, he is doing a good job of being an attentive family member (is aware of her situation with Zuko, immediately lets her out of prison the second he knows he can get away with it) - but using that to claim "Thefore her family life is fine" is absurd because, again, that's her UNCLE, not her parents. By that logic, Zuko shouldn't be complaining about his family either, after all he has Iroh and somehow that is supposed to cancel out being raised by freaking Ozai, riiiiiiight?

And speaking of Zuko, there's a reason why, in a finale where everyone is being reunited with their family and friends, even when the travel time doesn't make any goddamn sense, Mai's happy ending involves a heartwarming reuining with him, and he's delighted to see her - but there's still nothing about her parents. Their daughter was sent to prison for life, then her boyfriend became Fire Lord giving them THE perfect chance to come rescue her, and they STILL are nowhere to be found.

For fuck's sake, AZULA showed more love for Mai than her parents did. Girl was clearly happy to see her again, and even gave her a "hug" that wasn't that touchy because Mai doesn't like it. In "The Lost Adventures" we find out that she was also the one who pushed for her and Zuko to get together (though that also ties into her knowing that was the only way to make Zuko come home despite his guilt over what he did to Iroh). Even on The Beach, she's the one who first connects the dots and realizes that Mai is always so aloof because she's used to being told to shut up when she says something inconvenient.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying her parents had no political ambitions (the Yang comics leaning into that was one of the few good things about his writting). Obviously they were happy that their daughter was best friends with the princess and dating the heir to the throne, and I'm sure Mai didn't appreciate being treated more as asset than as a daughter.

But her complaint was not about that. It was about how her parents are simply not part of her life at all. She's an outsider looking in. She can stand next to them and do as she's told, or she can leave. What she can't do is actually engage with them, mean anything to them, expect anything from them, rely on them at all.

Mai's parents are neglectful to a degree that, in the real world, could potentially have them lose custody of her because she consistently has to turn to literally anyone else instead of them whenever she needs anything.

Is it really any wonder she had a soft-spot for Zuko, aka the boy that is always disregarded by his father, to the point of literally being kicked out of his home, and is actually openly pissed off about it and will let everyone know it?

[meloriri]

thinking about ren. thinking about how he's not the self principled, righteous person others think he is. thinking of how he adores his mask of anonymity, because he doesnt care for himself as a person. as a person, he's whatever other people want him to be. to use as a punching bag, to use a shoulder to cry on, to use as someone to rant to, to use as a friend. he doesnt oppose to it unless its directly affecting other people negatively. but joker; joker is everything about him that he's not, in a sense. a strong backbone, a leader, a strategically sound, skillful person uncaring of outside opinions. someone that follows their heart with perseverance regardless of the consequences. ren IS that person, he wants to be that person, but he cant fathom that being him as a person. he is glad he can live himself as a second person as joker, but glad to be able to stay in his safe, conforming box as ren.

thinking of how he hates society's norm of "minding your own business" and not interfering with other people's upsetting scenarios. he lived his life feeling that way but keeping it in and just keeping to himself, not complaining, not saying a thing. despite that, he knows he hates it, and because of the way others put him down for it, they both tell him he needs to fix his pickiness on morals, and he also repeats it to himself

the love he's recieving; the love he gets from being a people-pleaser---sometimes it humiliates him, it degrades and defiles him. it disgusts him--But not disgust at the person sending love, at himself. For tricking people, for acting how they want him to despite not believing a word he says. despite him actually being rebellious. he is disgusted by his own act of pretending to conform, but he cant defy it.

And once the world is bright, when the world is good; He'll only be left behind as an afterthought. Someone erased from society's memory.

he only yearns for the ideals of other; he wishes to see the way they do, to conform, but he is unable. He wants to fit in, but never can. he burnt his individuality, his opinions, his feelings and his rebellion to an ash, an ash that takes the form of Arsene. the very spirit of his heart, from the ashes of the identity he left behind.

he is unable to understand what love really is, if it's real, if it's honest; if he even actually feels it. this is why he's so monotone even when confessing to his love interests; he still doesnt quite understand. what love is supposed to be, the different kinds of love, how one experiences falling in love. Such a complex is explained by lack of love presented towards him. a lack of attention, of praise, and most of all, of any care. family, friends, anything.

one of the most inspiring parts of his story is how he learns to experience love, from familial to platonic, and understands it; how he uses it and lives by it.

A lynch mob is a group of people to lynch others. The religious society is the self righteous, conforming society. The phantom thieves are the lynch mob; despite not actually HANGING people obviously, it stands as a metaphor for them actively punishing the poor actions of others while the rest of society is against the meddling, seeing nothing wrong with the corruption. in a religious world, joker is portrayed as SATAN. he actively KILLS GOD. to society, he is an absolute evil; someone only there for the joy of destroying others. to himself, its only righteous punishment. stopping corrupted actions of others. like how satan is seen to be truly evil for his betrayal to god (think about some of things god did for a min. like tell ppl to kill their first born sons for him, hitting people with a huge tsunami......) and for being the ruler of hell, without realizing that satan stands for the PUNISHMENT of those who go to hell. hes not there to ruin others life, ren is there to save them by exorcising the evil. despite the way society treats him as person, despite them going directly against his attempt at helping them, he doesn't let it break him. he keeps fighting for people even when they hate him for doing it.

He's putting his ego, his self acceptance in conformity, the mask he's perfectly crafted as someone that anyone can like to the ground. he's putting his greed, his greed to have the ideals of all others, to understand society, along with it. He's finally himself, and he can announce that to his family, to those who wanted him to conform proudly and unafraid, uncaring of their opinion on who he is.

with a newly, fully solid grasp on rebellion, he will stand with his hell, as satan, punishing the evil until the bitter end of it. So he pleads that just for this time, until this end, that the world will go along with him, with their feelings; their own desires to conform, to please others, ripped out of them. To have their original feelings; their values, opinions and lifestyles revealed from the depths of within themselves and shown to the world. These feelings that they were once unashamed of, before being taught to conform, the feelings from childhood.

and at last, with the person he now is, he will finally be remembered. noted by others, and seen. But now seen as who he is instead of who he acted as. Not someone serious, not someone only there to please others; someone entirely unrecognizable. Someone who has come to complete terms with their own rebellion.

could u tell all of this was from bitter choco decoration by syudou?

[sebbyisland]

Blitzø as a character makes me so sick because he believes he’s doomed to never be loved and ruin everyone’s lives, and then acts accordingly in a toxic self-fulfilling prophecy. Literally everyone knows this it’s so obvious. Yet despite all of that the show is telling us he is actually ACTIVELY MAKING PEOPLE’S LIVES BETTER!!!! His re-kindled friendship with Fizz, his affirmed relationship with Loona, his mentorship and protectiveness of Moxxie when they meet his father(sorry not a lot of Bltz and Millie moments), his attempts to reconnect  with his sister, and even the pity-fuck-turned-it’s-complicated with Stolas. CLEARLY season 2 is trying to tell us something about the love and care Blitzø has for the people in his life. Stolas coming clean about his feelings and giving him the Asmodeus crystal is going to be a major turning point not just for their relationship, but for ALL of Bltiz’s relationships, because whether or not he can move forward with Stolas reflects whether or not he’s ready to let go of the preconceived notions of himself I mentioned either. Whether or not he knows he can and already does make a positive difference in people’s lives. My biggest questions for “The Full Moon” episode:

1. Can Blitzø accept that someone would love him as an equal, or will he regress into a Verosika repeat? (Remember—Blitzø was hired to be Verosika’s bodyguard, who was a break out star. So it was never a 100% equal playing field. His betrayal was a twisted way to feel like he had power. Probably similar insecurities led to why he wouldn’t try to help her get off in bed. Idk that whole relationship sounds like a mess but we know the main issues came from Blitz. He needs to get over this hump to move forward, especially when Stolas is clearly doing the work to be more sensitive to their power imbalance)

2. Can Blitzø accept that he WANTS someone to love him as an equal, and this isn’t a sign of weakness? He is able to openly ask Loona for affection but this is only because of the established father/daughter dynamic that HE initiating by adopting her. Admitting that he wants Stolas as a romantic partner requires a different kind of vulnerability. Loona will always be a daughter to him, Barbie will always be his sister, Fizz basically grew up with him, but people can come and go from romance. It takes a lot of trust to make a partner your family. Can Blitzø take the first step to show Stolas that trust?

3. Can he accept that he is capable of loving someone romantically? Because truly no one hates Blitzø more than Blitzø. Even if he makes it through the other two hurdles, if his self doubt is strong enough, nothing will be resolved. This is my greatest fear, that because he’s afraid that HES not good enough, he acts out in anger and pushes Stolas even further away. 

We haven’t really seen Blitz directly process his feelings about Stolas this season besides adamant denial, so honestly idk how TF the next ep is supposed to go. Literally anything could happen all I know is someone is going to cry. I don’t think Blitz will completely blow up on Stolas, but guys….don’t be shocked if he blows up, okay? I’m really 50/50 on this. I think it’s more likely we get some kind of secret third thing, where maybe Bltiz doesn’t completely reject nor accept Stolas. Maybe they try to be friends? Man idk I already said anything could happen

[foreveralwaysanauthor]

I know you said in your comments on my last post that I didn't need to make you anything as congratulations, but girl, I've been concocting this thing in my head for the better part of a month and finally had the time to work it all together the last day or so. You're getting this thing one way or another! It's not perfect, but I've been watching edits for all sorts of fandoms with this song on TikTok for a while now, and it was too great of an opportunity to miss. Plus, this trend came about with perfect timing, so it works for both a mental plot eraser and a graduation gift all in one!

Now, although I'm sure you can piece it together yourself as it comes from your idea of what I've been calling The Playhouse Playoffs, I'm going to kind of explain how I thought things would go down/why I used the clips I did. However, first, please take a minute and fourish seconds to watch this thing that's been festering in my head for the last... I don't even know how long, honestly. Also, Tumblr screwed up the timing a bit in certain parts if you're watching it on a computer, but if you're watching it on your phone, it should be fine.

My take on the little story within the clips:

Part 1 - The camp is the gun.

If they're not riding together to camp, Riven and Vivien have a yearly race to the grounds to not only see who can get there first, but also who can be the one to claim Lakeside. Lakeside isn't a first come, first serve type of deal as their group (friends and family) always stays there, and Grandpa George and Nonna Dawn know this, but the person who claims it first gets to pick out group activities outside of planned events. Riven has beaten her almost every year, even when they were just riding down from Hill House on their bikes. In this case, Riven gets there first and is quick to see Nonna to claim Lakeside, but Vivien is more concerned with getting there with her friends for once and doesn't really care until he begins teasing her about it. Given her already rough start to the summer (as you saw in my preview of the first chapter), she finds it hard to take his light teasing as light.

Part 2 - The playhouse is the gun.

As the only two senior staff members who actually enjoy anything related to theatre (sadly, Carrie doesn't count as it's only her second year working there), Riven and Vivien are tasked with figuring out what show to put on. When neither can come to a clear choice in their meeting, Nonna suggests they do both - a battle of sorts to see who could take seniority for the next year based on ticket sales. Vivien, in a desperate attempt to prove herself capable so that her grandparents know the camp is in good hands when they eventually hand it off to her, agrees despite dreading how hard she knows she's just made her summer when she wanted nothing more than to enjoy her time with her friends.

Part 3 - Carrie is the gun.

As you've established (and I love), Riven steals Carrie away before Vivien has the chance to. Frankly pissed off by her lack of opportunity, she takes out her frustration on Riven, who reminds her that she had the chance to snatch Carrie up early, but was too caught up with everything else to even try. Despite her reluctance to admit it, she knows he's right and backs down, but the stress of everything is mounting, and she refuses to return to Lakeside that night as she knows Riven will have his show's crew over for a script-reading party, resigning to watching from afar.

Part 4 - The shows are the guns.

In my opinion, a lot will have happened between the initial reading party and the actual shows - apart from the obvious passage of time, I mean. While Riven’s been gliding through things without much stress due to having Carrie and a few stragglers from Vivien’s group on his side, Vivien’s been struggling with making things as perfect as possible. On top of this, things have been rocky in her personal life. She-who-must-not-be-named has been poking her nose where it doesn’t belong, rumors have been spread like wildfire, and the people she cares about have been keeping so many secrets that she feels like she’s drowning. Now, two days before the weekend their shows are set to perform, she finds all of the handmade costumes she and her group have worked so hard on sitting torn to shreds in a mud puddle after a particularly rough storm. The only person other than herself who has access to the locked area of the playhouse where they're keeping the costumes is Riven, making her believe that he must have had something to do with it despite his claims that he had no idea. Things get fiery between them as Vivien unleashes all of her previously withheld thoughts and emotions, and Riven argues that if she thinks he had anything to do with her show crashing and burning like the literal fire in the script, she must not know him at all. Riven walks away to pour his feelings into making his show great while Vivien picks up the pieces of the mess she's created and tries to figure out a way to get things back on track.

Part 5 - The actual performances are the guns, and it's not just the two of them reaching this time. The casts are reaching too.

After everything blows up between their directors and neither returns to the cabin that night, the two casts join forces the next morning to fix things without their directors' knowledge. They find ways to repair the damages done while Butchy and Miles try to talk Vivien out of her lockdown at the Hill House, and Carrie works on prying Riven out of his basement. Butchy convinces Vivien to at least try talking to Riven after his show's final rehearsal and, despite herself, she allows them to drag her back to the camp and waits out back for the cast to leave before slipping inside to talk with him. They've never really had a falling out before, and it takes a while to work through things with Vivien on the brink of an emotional breakdown and Riven sitting there, stonefaced, but they talk nonetheless and decide to work everything out as much as possible before the weekend so that they can comfortably enjoy each other's shows and go back to something resembling the "normal" they're used to.

I'll leave it at that for now, but just know that I have a lot of ideas for that storyline and really needed to get them all written down so they wouldn't bounce around in my head for the foreseeable future. I hope you enjoyed my little video and the thoughts behind each part, but honestly, El, I love this idea for Camp Wanamaker and am so excited to finally be able to post something for it!

[evillillad]

Can we maybe get some character sheets for your ocs and id like to write about them!!

👉👈

AAAHH i really wanna do updated character sheets WITH personality and lore i just aint got time rn!! BUT thank you for being interested!! 😭😭

to make up for the lake of sheets, heres some facts and lore typed out lol

Molly: (based on persona) secret demon being attached to Nina

Mollys kind of a strange case. Not quite puppet not quite...other creatures. She popped into existence around the time nina was born, hence the shared birthday. Shes a bit scatter brained, very easily distracted but once she has her mind set on something, nothing can get in her war. She's quite inquisitive and is constantly asking questions. Her first day in the neighborhood was basically asking every neighbor she met the most wild and intrusive questions she had. Little to no filter, says exactly whats on her mind. Doesnt understand why that makes some people so uncomfortable. Isnt it good to be curious? To tell the truth? To be honest? Man these creatures are strange. Also doesnt have any boundaries, is an absolute open book and for some reason is suprised when not everyone else is too. Think of her almost like a more unhinged wally, very naive to the ways of the waking world, but well verse in the night time activities. frequently takes long walks alone in the middle of the night. she sees them. she knows them. she keeps them away. some have gotten a bit too close to the neighborhood for comfort, is it because of her? do they know shes one of them, if not atleast similar? shes suspicious wally knows whats going on, its not normal for these beings to be here, but what draws them in?

^ongoing plot line of Molly spying on Wally constantly. A bit obsessive with him-she cant tell WHAT he is but she knows he isnt like the other neighbors but hes also not like her. Constantly pushing and manipulating him to break, but he seems either annoyed or oblivious to her attempts. otherwise, general nuisance to Wally, Frank (eats his bugs), Eddie (stares at him thru the post office window), Poppy (constantly getting herself into trouble) and Nina (personal demon).

Also maybe kills the nighttime creatures?? it seems like shes protecting the neighborhood from an outsiders perspective but those that REALLY know her know its territorial...somehow isnt intimidated by home tho. maybe shes trying to work with home? two demon things band together?? idk lmao

clumsy but also graceful? very bendy. no bones...crawls around like a creep sometimes.

Nina: (self insert oc) regular spider gal with a knack for art

Ninas quite normal actually. She was raised by a normal family within normal circumstances, but found herself with the strangest imaginary friend. She was never quite sure why one day everyone was suddenly able to see Molly but shes glad she finally isnt crazy. Now she cant get rid of the annoying asshole. Stuck with this annoying ass demon puppet thing, Nina moves to the neighborhood to get a new start on independence. With her new home, Nina spends most of her days painting, sewing, crocheting, and sculpting. Of course she always has her music going on, its never quiet in the house. Wally spends lots of time with her, they will frequently setup figure drawing sessions where their fellow neighbors will pose for them. Howdy seemed more than happy to constantly volunteer, maybe a tad bit overzealous to show off his muscles. Nina was more than excited to have such an interesting subject to create art of, although with Wally by her side, he always seemed to end up drawing an apple. There wasn't even an apple in the set. Nina doesnt care, shes just happy to have her little darling with her!

Despite being easily excitable and down to earth, shes actually quite timid and easily flustered. Howdys first few advancements had Nina trying to come up with some sort of lie so she could hurriedly get out of the bugdega and hide her beet red face. After this its just the rom com do they like me pinning i love so much lol

Unlike the other neighbors, she is somewhat aware of what goes bump in the night. Shes not sure what exactly it is, but she knows its dangerous...and she knows Molly has too much fun dealing with it. Despite Mollys homicidal tendecies, Nina is NOT scared of her. Shes aware of the fact that without her, Molly wouldnt have a host to stay alive. She cant do anything to harm her and even if she did, Ninas not afraid to grab her by the tail and launch her into the sun (Molly is actually somewhat intimidated by Nina, so she shows some level of obedience).

and thats it for those two!! I also would like to add that I wanna work on an oc of my dog and make goofy content of him and barnaby being like dude tf are u doing. also i know i have other ocs but either they arent quite fleshed out (lilith, betty, batsy), they arent technically mine (tilly and mitzy), or im just really tired and its late rn.

but if u got this far wow ermgee thanks for reading my late night rambles im dying

TLDR: Mollys homicidal, stupid, cant read a room, and is a demon. Ninas just a timid, excitable, down to earth, artsy spider with a weird demon imaginary friend that came to life.

[bisthefairy]

As fake Reddit stories slowly converge in content, optimising themselves for maximum drama, relatability, catharsis, etc, it's possible to see certain common narratives form. One I've seen a suspicious amount of times is "The Reddit Man Hero's Journey"

There is a good man

In a long term relationship, or marriage to a woman

Things are good

Until some bad influence enters his partners life (feminist best friend, ego-boosting promotion, new social circle)

And causes her to do a 180 from loving partner, to either distant and cold, or ungrateful and vindictive

She cheats

Then she does something suspicious (like suddenly showing interest in having an open relationship (which is *always* a confession of infidelity in these stories))

The man realises he has some way to undermine his partner's privacy, and does so (her phone plan in in his name, or she never logged out of Facebook on the old Ipad ETC)

And immediately what he finds is bad enough to vindicate him for snooping

So, despite being a kind and loving man, he is able to immediately shed all care and consideration he had for her wellbeing. Immediately recategorizing her as an enemy, or mere obstacle

He doesn't confront her immediately, and either pretends to be his usual loving self, or intentionally acts as cold and distant as possible while refusing to acknowledge anything is wrong (this often causes the partner confusion and distress)

He compiles a fuck ton of chat logs/other evidence, and puts everything in place for a grand master plan

The grand master plan is put into action, meaning...

Cheating partner is likely caught in the act

Evidence is sent to friends, family, employers

If there was a marriage, then divorce lawyers with air tight cases are deployed

Angry at being confronted/caught, the partner will often try to weaponize her womanhood at some point during all this, and/or turn into a double standard spouting straw-feminist

Despite any complications and hardships, the man will manage to swiftly and successfully disconnect his and his partner's lives/living situations

This will usually prompt an accelerated downfall to the partner's life

Family and friends abandon her due to her infidelity

Sometimes key members of her family will actually stay friends with her now ex, but not her

She gets sacked?? From work?? For what she did??

The corrupting influence either pulls her down to more depraved lows, or, being fundamentally unloyal, abandons her in her time of need

Whoever she cheated with, also abandons her, or ultimately ends up sucking in some way even she realises eventually

Now ex partner realises she fucked up and ruined her entire life

Suddenly wants the good man (op) back

Spams him with messages, begging him to forgive her

The man exercises his right to not reply or acknowledge any of this (but may conspicuously not bother blocking her number, making absolutely sure she's able to throw desperate pleas into the void continually)

Ex partner gradually gets more desperate, sinks lower and lower, tortured by the lack of response, until eventually

Ex partner commits or attempts suicide

The good man expresses some token sympathy

But feels absolutely 0 sense of responsibility for how tragically things worked out

Because his snooping was justified by her infidelity

His plotting and lies came after hers

It's not his fault what people thought of the truth he told them

It's not his job to show any care or concern for his cheating ex

It's a story where an everyman, gets betrayed by a woman who's just a stand-in for the audience's fears of betrayal

And manages to side-step all the messy mixed emotions

And go immediately into calculated revenge mode

And via a contrived series of events

Manages to entirely destroy the person who hurt him, but without ever *actively* doing anything, without having to be held responsible

(Obviously not all these elements are present in every example, but this is sort of, the platonic ideal of this kind of story, based on a load of stories I *mostly* remember) (Also clarifying, no, I don't think it's necessarily your necessarily responsibility to engage with an ex who hurt you, and it's not your fault if they hurt themselves. Just, this kind of story absolutely wants to have its cake and eat it, absolutely wants to imply that the man/op/protag's refusal to acknowledge the ex is causing pain and suffering, and it might even be intentional, but in a way that's technically within his right, so he has no social crimes to his name, while the ex is *a cheater* and thus very easy to demonise)

[vamxxpire]

Now that I’ve had some time to think about Red Queen’s ending.. I actually think their separation in the fourth book was needed. I realized my problem with the ending was that it’s not properly executed, or explained at least.

Mare and Cal had gone through various traumatic events, and were living/active in war. While the war and tragedies makes them seek support in each other and strengths their bond — it is still frail and unstable because of how their traumas make them respond to situations and to the people around them.

— Mare lived through poverty/starvation, witnessing her brother die, was made to kill people, captured and tortured, and used various times in politics. She watched various people she cared for and love get hurt because of her. Mare is betrayed various times, and is made to be something she’s not by both sides. She was used as a pawn by both Silvers and Reds, even if it was for a good cause in the Scarlet Guard. She’s used as the face of the revolution/Newbloods, but is merely just 17-18 when she’s made to go through all of these things.

— Cal was made to kill his father, betrayed by his brother, his mother was murdered by his step-mother, along with his only brother gets killed by the person he loves the most. The people who are in his corner are Annabel, Julian, and Mare; but even then Annabel wants to push a certain standard for Cal, and Cal had only started to repair his relationship with Julian after he’s rescued in near end-Book 2.

While his status as royalty / Silver continued to encourage the oppression of Reds, everything he knew was ripped from him. From Book 1-2 he was left with no one else. The closest person to him that could understand what he’s going through, is Mare, who even then he felt betrayed by in the same books.

Neither of them seem to enjoy war, or what comes from it. We see this many times in Mare’s pov, going as far as trying to not look at the people’s face she kills out of fear of them haunting her. Along with feeling like a monster and someone entirely else because of her actions. And while we don’t get many Cal povs, from Mare’s narration and descriptions he doesn’t enjoy killing and fighting as well. They are both made to do things they don’t like, one born for the role and the other doomed for it by conscription. They have a multitude of reasons as to why they seek comfort in one another. Ranging from their responsibilities, the traumas of war, losses, to being betrayed by the same person.

Despite this, I particularly enjoyed how their responsibilities and view of the war differ so much. With Cal seeing the throne as a means to end the war/oppression, and Mare seeing the Scarlet Guard as liberation of Reds. They both want similar things, but because of upbringings seek different methods. It shows how Cal was raised privileged and molded to be a certain way, while Mare had to sit back and watch her family & people she knew be sent to their deaths because of Silvers.

Their separation in Book 4 felt very much needed. They’re both damaged and hurt people who need time apart to learn to love each other in a healthy way, one not fueled by war and need of support for each other. Now my complaint is that, VA doesn’t update/follow up their relationship or the war until Book 5 / Broken Throne. And while I haven’t read Book 5 and can’t confidently say what happens, I have some basic understanding of it.

2 routes could’ve been taken with Book 4’s ending.

1. Mare/Cal’s fighting comes to an end; Mare and Cal are two traumatized people and it makes sense they no longer want to participate in war. This could be portrayed in the end by showing them rekindling their relationship and becoming friends months after, then attempting their relationship after a year(s). I say this because trauma takes time to heal especially when it’s tied so tightly between those two, and because they end up getting married/having children in 5. This could’ve been a perfect opportunity to portray their trauma and what they do to deal with it and better their relationship with not only each other but loved ones. (This one isn’t quite my favorite in the context of RQ, because the war is still ongoing, but it feels somewhat realistic considering war takes a long time. Life continues, people settle down and have children. 🤷🏽‍♂️)

2. Mare/Cal continue to fight; While they both need their time to heal from the war, oppression of Reds continues to be rampant in other Silver-ruled countries. After rekindling their relationship and it being stronger, their dynamic in fighting against Silver-Oppressors would’ve been much more stable. The fight is far from over, and at the very least a time skip portraying the liberation of Reds would’ve been nice. (I know writing out a war and it’s end can be difficult, especially when you’re on your 4th book lol, but Mare and the newbloods are meant to represent the ‘tide’ or shift in the war/history that leads the downfall of this oppression.) I say this because the fear of conscription was so strong in Mare, and I don’t think she would’ve had kids unless she was sure her children and other Red kids were safe from it.

(An example of ending 1-2 being done wonderfully is the Hunger Games! Recently reread the books and it’s how I came to the realization of this post. I love it’s ending imo.)

3. A secret third thing; The story could’ve been shifted to another character, preferably Farley/Carmen/or even Kilorn (I learned to love his character sorry guys). This way the liberation of Reds could’ve been portrayed, but characters like Mare/Cal who are done fighting can get their well deserved rest. It also gives opportunities to expand your characters, and the world you’re building through different lenses.

It felt as though she was rushing the end, or as if she were tired of writing the series. The story is meant to be about the liberation of an oppressed group, yet that is not achieved in Book 4. And while I’m not saying that every book needs a happy ending, it just felt odd to not do so when the story is meant to be a change in an oppressive system. This also gave Book 5 the impression of being a cash grabber (am I using that term right?? lol) especially when various other people/reviewers felt as though Book 5 could’ve been fit/included in Book 4.

TDLR; I love the ending’s concept but feel like it wasn’t executed properly. It’s a story meant to be liberation of the oppressed yet we’re left with a route of them not being liberated at the end. Many things are left unsaid and done poorly which just leaves you feeling disappointed by it. There’s different things that could’ve been approached to end the series, and I wish they were taken rather than giving us a 5th book that barely gives us that closure as well.

[witchering10123]

I’m curious about Amaruq and prison AU!

ah ok i love these ones :)))

amaruq:

the gaang spends a little extra time in the northern water tribe (not like a lot, just to really solidify yue and sokka's relationship), and sokka and yue get to know each other ✨very well✨

when yue sacrifices herself for the moon spirit, the spirits are like, "well, there's two of you here, and we only need one, so we'll send the kid back" and yue's like "wat"

she compartmentalises very quickly however (good for her) and when she appears in the oasis before them, she's holding the baby (who's development and growth got expedited as a gift from the spirits don't question it)

sokka's sitting there like "how did this happen" and yue's like "gurl how do you think" and then she names the kid 'amaruq' (firstly, thank god she had the common sense to name the kid rather than letting sokka "foo foo cuddly poops" of the southern water tribe name their child, and secondly potensh is she naming the kid after a certain uncle of hers in another au of mine that i am command ceeing command veeing over? yes. yes she is)

the fic is essentially sokka raising baby amaruq from the end of the nwt siege throughout the war (and yes, he did ask arnook to care for amaruq so that the baby wouldn't be in an active war zone, but it seems to be a running theme in my fics that arnook is... not the nicest of men when it comes to maintaining his reputation and traditions and what he thinks is right)

(i love how much i've written here and yet the wip is... one chapter maybe??? the prologue chapter at that haha there's not a lot there)

prison au:

this one is dark: includes cop racism, violence, murder, the amercian legal system, prison life

modern au, zukka, setting is that everyone's at the beach and sokka offers to take six year old kiyi on the ✨adventure✨ (twenty minute walk) to the nearest ice cream shop that actually has reasonable prices

there are some cops hanging around on one of the streets (they're all drunk btw that's important) and they stop sokka, ask him what he's doing, essentially they think sokka is kidnapping kiyi and sokka is explaining that she's a family friend but they don't believe him

one of the cops advances and sokka, trying to protect himself and kiyi, steps back, but the cop is drunk af and he trips on the sidewalk and cracks his head open and dies

all the cops immediately go to blame sokka, despite it not being his fault at all, and arrest him, taking him and kiyi back to the station

sokka isn't allowed to contact bato because they don't believe that bato is a lawyer they think that sokka's lying, so they fob him off to some other guy who basically tells sokka that he's going to jail whether he likes it or not on the charges of attempted kidnapping and murder

but yeah, because the police are all drunk still and the police back at the station recognise this, they're trying to cover their tracks as best they can, so they pack sokka off to an adult jail (not believing him when he tells them that he's only 15) on those charges, and to finalise it they bring in the deceased cop's father, who happens to be a judge

bakoda and the other adults go to the police when sokka and kiyi have been missing for hours and haven't answered sokka's phone, and the police realise that sokka was in fact telling the entire truth, and so they pretend that sokka was actually kidnapped in the kidnapping, and essentially threaten kiyi that if she says anything it will be worse for sokka (it's all very messed up)

essentially sokka can't contact anyone in the prison because the police ensure that he is declared 'civally dead' which means that there is no record of him in any government files, which means that he can't contact anyone because he's technically dead, and the outside world have no way of finding out that he's in prison

...so when i say i ramble i ramble that is all literally the first couple of chapters, the rest of the fic is sokka in prison, meeting his cellmates (some familiar characters are there for yall) and then getting out when bato visits the same prison for a different client and sees sokka being escorted from solitary

[wyrdle]

Sharing my Clavell/Turo/Sada hc/au ideas here because I can. It is partially mixed into my trainer clavell au lol, to explain Arven getting him to help hunt the titans.:

- They all met as young adults, furthering their studies at the Academy together. Picture the trio documenting Paldea's Pokemon by hand together, the intensity and detail of Turo, the loud excitement of Sada, and Clavell enjoying the moment/present.

- This leaves room for a looooooot of college shenanigans. Typically Clavell keeps out of it, but someone has to be the mature one when Sada wears down Turo's hesitance so easily lol 😂

- Eventually, they get the funding to head to area zero lab, researching and working together in close proximity. It's likely here where I'd sprinkle the romance in, though the three have been living together in close proximity for a while already so there's little difference

- Unlike the other two however, Clavell sorely missed heading back to Paldea. Turo and Sada's discussions about the scarlet violet books is met with some hesitance from Clavell, who dismisses the worry. They've been friends for a while, he knows who they are. They're not heartless, they'll listen to his reasons if he stays... right?

- Sada and Turo eventually tie the knot, and I actually like the thought that Paldea was still progressing in terms of accepting queer families. The founding of the Tera orbs is quite the pivotal moment, with a new chairwoman (Geeta), who gets shit done and changes Paldea into the idyllic paradise it is (There are a few bumps, but the gyms were only more properly set up and as enriching as they are now with her time and effort.)

- Unfortunately, the whole tension about continuing to stay in area zero despite funding pulls (Initial post tera orb discovery hype died down, and the trio weren't seeing any results, so slowly the labs become as empty as we see in present day). This strains their relationship even further, Arven being Clavell's priority and the two profs rift with him becomes something neither party attempt to mend for years. (Basically Clavell was with them for a bit, for the time machine project, but left quite quickly)

- Clavell takes up other research work above ground, being Arven's guardian. Meanwhile Sada and Turo self fund their research, holes up in the crater. Unfortunately, and this will become her greatest regret in present time, Geeta overlooks the profs unsupervised research project, operating under the guise of researching crystals to further tera orb capabilities+ supplying with more crystals. Geeta first hears about the time machine only in present day.

- Fast forward to present day, Clavell takes up the director's position at the Academy. Arven has a decent childhood actually, but his curiousity for his biological parents burns. So during one fateful treasure hunt gone wrong, Mabosstiff is injured, and Clavell is eventually recruited to help hunt titans.

- The other shenanigans involving MC are dealt with as Clive Lol. I'll leave that to your imagination.

- The professors actually both tragically die in their experiments. The first in an experiment gone wrong, the second by the dangerous miraidon/Koraidon. The second continued their work, devastated by their loneliness, falling even further to their obsession with the machine.

- Clavell and co eventually face off the AI replicas of people he once cared for a lot, Arven actively denounces them as his parents, and overall, everyone has someone to count on to heal and move on. jfdhsiw idk. 😂

TLDR I like these three pretty people, beyond mushing them together, the angst and proceeding bittersweet resolution is so good. Turo represents the future, Sada represents the past, Clavell represents the present. The end moral of the story is that living in the moment is key, surrounded by that which you treasure.

[sillycyan]

40 41 42 43 FOR FUN FACTSS

HELLLOOOO WHATSUPP HELOOWAHTSUPP I only had one prewritten so I had to write those reall quick.. OKAY WELL WRITING THIS PART NOW I FINISH AND DAMNN HOLYY YAPPATRONIII THIS IS GETTING THAT LINE THING FOR SUREE- but thank you for more numbers I'm really trying to get these out!&(!&!!!

40. Donis used to live in “model apartments” so he didn’t take up his aunts space. He now has compensated for the lack of space and privacy by owning a huge condo.

Donis grew up in North Prale, in a wealthy neighborhood, living with his aunt. As a teenager, he started hearing stories from other young models about their experiences living in "model apartments", small, cramped spaces shared with other aspiring models. These stories usually came from those whose families weren’t as well off, with some even being kicked out of their homes to make more room. These stories stuck with Donis, making him question if he was taking up too much space in his aunt's life, maybe even holding her back in some way. He was very determined to give his aunt more space and gain some independence for himself, Donis made the decision, not even asking for a second opinion, but a decision to move out and live in model apartments. His aunt was baffled, stunned even, by his choice and tried to talk him out of it, not wanting him to leave. But Donis was adamant, seeing it as a good opportunity to gain life experience and humble himself, something people said he needed. However, life in the model apartments was far from what Donis expected. The apartments, located in Manviet, were small and uncomfortable, 90% of the time having him to share a room with multiple other models who were constantly being rotated in and out. It was intense and overwhelming for him, as everyone was desperate to keep their jobs and would do anything maintain their appearance. It was a new environment, and Donis struggled to adapt. Though he had enough money to stay for a while, the experience opened his eyes to the darker, more niche parts of model culture. Eventually, Donis had enough. He decided to leave the model apartments behind and get his own place. He bought a huge condo in Manviet, a city he had grown to like despite everything he experienced in it. He 100% has some horror stories he’s been keeping down for years..

41. Nori and Donis fake dated.

It all started with a fan posting that they'd pay a lot of money to see Nori and Donis on a specific gameshow, one that typically was meant for couples. The idea quickly gained traction, and many others joined in to agree. Nori saw the post first and suggested it to Donis, thinking it would be a fun way to hang out and an excuse for her to fly back into the country. Donis started off confused, but he wasn't against it. They went to Reign, who managed both of their things (Nori is basically in Reign's care while she is the country), and, even with his attempts to talk them out of it, he eventually helped them in coming up with a safe plan. The plan was simple: they would pretend to date for a while, appear on the game show as "new lovers," and then stage a public "breakup" making it clear they were still friends. Everything went as planned. They started posting photos together, Nori "moved in" with Donis for a short time, and they were seen doing couple-like activities in public. Getting on the game show was simple, they answered a few questions, won, and created some merch that sold out quickly. Despite it being an act, it’s easy to think that if they had kept it up any longer, they might have developed real feelings for each other. However, they were both focused on the money and the fan praise, which stopped them from recognizing what was going on between them. A few weeks after the "breakup," some people began to wonder if it had all been a hoax, and why they would go to such lengths to fake date. They were just chasing that bag..

42. Donis is actually very self conscious about how others think of him.

On the surface, Donis shows up to be confident, carefree, and always does what he wants without any hesitation. But beneath that exterior, he is highly conscious of how others perceive him. He often thinks about what others say about him, both online and in person, and sometimes even second-guesses compliments. This concern he had with how others see him is a big reason why he works so hard to stay on top of trends and keep up with his appearance. He shares a moment with Meil while working on a commercial that intended to challenge gender stereotypes. Donis was comfortable wearing a skirt, dress, and even more feminine, bright makeup for the shoot, but he was concerned that people would perceive him differently as almost a type of consequence. He was concerned that they would think he was doing it for the money, rather than genuinely caring about the issue. Donis talked with Meil about these feelings, unsure of why he felt that way. Although Meil had some trouble completely regaining Donis's confidence back, it was comforting for him to hear that he did not view him negatively.

43. Reign secretly keeps close contact with Ameriel for the sake of Meil.

Since the "Three Day Incident" (I have yet to explain that sorry) that landed Meil in the hospital, Reign has kept in close contact with Ameriel, Meil's doctor. This setup most likely violates some sort of rule, but Ameriel wanted to keep a close eye on Meil in case something similar happened again or if she couldn't reach him directly. Reign agreed, and the two have remained in touch ever since.

[single-malt-scotch]

of course i have things to say about lim life and bdubs. you know its funny and great- of course i would love his pov. but i still feel satisfied by what i saw and i dont feel like i do. there is something very different about witnessing a player this way, something we really havent had at all. and of everyone its bdubs. the guy who is associated with time and the guy who acts out so well to the narrative in front of him. and we dont lose anything- bdubs is still bdubs.

after double life we see him team up with people he hadnt from LL-DL. something fresh. together they create a family themed around time and at the center of the map they make a clock tower. they watch every death that spawns for entertainment. regardless of his need to stay with the clockers he continuously shows attachment to TIES/etho (mostly etho). it may be in jest but the clockers point out numerous times that this behavior doesnt shock them, that of course hes like that with etho and of course its muddying his alliances. and lets not forget the grudges held by most members of TIES (eventually Skizz on the list for a bit due to killing him), a neat detail in this funny little situation.

and then for a good whole episode it does make a problem- in the sense it confuses him and everyone else as to where he lies. he later defends the hell out of etho even from the meta jokes of being washed up, later in game of putting himself in front of a group that wants to kill etho, again in offer his life that etho doesnt take. we dont get to hear his thought process, whatever commentary he may be giving about why he really wanted to be with etho again and why he struggled to make it happen. we see it through everyone else. cleo, who is amused at bdubs' very typical behavior but evermore trying to convince him to not go wot etho. etho, who gets glimpses at bdubs from afar and a few moments where they meet in private, having a connection only two close friends could have alone. the rest of TIES who takes him in in brief moments but never hearing more. overall in the end hes around and hes trying to do good, hes "trying his heart out", theres attempts being made but we can see them slip and falter from things outside of his control. the timing is never right.

but no im not done actually. his attempt to help isnt just tied to etho. bdubs has shown himself to be caring and kind, and putting himself out there in order to help others. i think thats where he fell apart- he wanted to keep it all good between clockers and TIES, despite the family dynamic putting in stone that it wasnt possible. as a whole he wanted to be in the middle and this extended to many other interactions. there wasnt a single person that bdubs was actively against this season (yes including skizz- their dynamic was on the same level after he first fight so it became mutual imo), no long building hate, and the clockers were welcoming to others too in their alliances but bdubs did still stand out as the clockers denied TIES and he held on to them. further in we get to the moments where bdubs then offers himself up. its like there was a realization on the game in episode 7, they were far enough in that he thought maybe he could help just before it got worse. he went up to jimmy who's known to die first (yet someone he hardly interacted with) and desperately and repeatedly asks to be killed and of course jimmy takes it, hes only a few minutes away. and then of course he tries again with etho, twice, including helping a fight and etho doesnt take it. you can hear bdubs in the background still laying out what etho could do.

as the season reaches its end let me wind back a bit to deaths in general. bdubs earliest death was certainly an interesting one, one fight he was so confident about and completely failed at, missing numerous hits. and this isnt a surprise to me. bdubs was actually pretty.... well he lacked a lot of kills this season. and not knowing his time for sure through the episodes made this all more interesting to watch, you know? he never seemed like he was really seeking it out. even in a stream before session 8 scar and grian both say they have no clue what bdubs' time is. im sure someone added this up but for everyone else and the average watcher, we see him fumbling or giving his time all while not thinking at all about what he had left just before the end. and then hes the first one to go out in episode 8. its not that it wasnt expected, but his time being in the dark for so much of the series leaves you not thinking about it. it didnt seem like he died that much, it didnt seem like his timer was that now- you wouldnt know for sure unless you saw his pov. most of all, we never really hear him asking for time? there arent any key moments with him saying he really needs to kill. hes fighting, hes helping, but theres barely a hint of desperation to hunt people down- he just stayed in the place he usually was, around the tower, hoping to lend a hand.

and death again. how does his series end? unexpected, completely unknowing to what would kill him. impulse had killed him once earlier and tried to a second time and the cute thing about it? they were laughing the whole time. this could be the moment where youd say impulse got the kill he wanted. and then we get to bdubs' perma death and its impulse again and he never saw it coming- out of the game first that session and left to spectate everyone until the next start to die. quietly until he gets in the chat.. not unlike LL, but not for nearly as long.

and of course, so much of his time is spent in around the clock tower. this led to all of the clocker's demise, with ow dangerous of a location it became, and its all the more in character for each of them to go out there. theres of course something poetic to take from that.

so what does bdubs give us this season? why does it still mean something despite his pov? well it can mean whatever you want it to mean, it can add up to whatever narrative you took from limited life. i dont know if we will know for sure why bdubs didnt upload outside of what he loosely stated on stream. but forever hes someone i look to for an act that has so much to take from it. intentional or not hes putting something in i never see from anyone else. there doesnt need to even be an artistic reason for his choice to not post but his choices always add up to something and i do think he goes out there knowing full well what he can do. he played a type only he can play, because its inherently just who he is and he will never stop being him and that is so great. ill never doubt his decision no matter if it was purposeful, or personal. bdubs is still bdubs and that is all that i wanted.

[bluejaybytes]

can I get umm. honesty, love and kindness for Parker?

HONESTY– What kinds of small lies do they tell others? What lies do they tell themselves? What is the biggest lie they’ve told?

She enjoys lying to SPECIFICALLY Tess for fun. Her favorite game to play is stealing shit from Tess just to see how long it takes for her to notice.

Beyond her just causing problems on purpose, Parker lies about... a lot of things! A lot of the stuff she's not telling the truth about are just things she's neglecting to say rather than outright lies, but like, she refuses to tell ANYONE about what her homelife was like or why she ran away as a teenager, and once she deserts, she doesn't tell Jake any of her reasoning why or even about the fact she abandoned her girlfriend at the time with no warning. For the outright LIES, that's also a pretty major one. During the time Parker was planning her desertion, she not only didn't tell her girlfriend, Molly, about the fight she had with Tess that started it, but she outright lies to Molly and says that she and Tess are on good terms, despite the fact that Parker's entirely checked out of their friendship at this point.

Another very big incident of her lying is actually AFTER she's sanitized and subsequently brought back, which is that she doesn't tell Jake she remembers physically attacking and attempting to kill him. HE has no memory of this, as the event resulted in severe memory loss on his behalf, but SHE does, and instead of telling him, she tells him she doesn't remember what happened after her sanitization, or what happened to him after that. This, of course, comes back to bite her in the ass, but if I don't stop myself now this will just end up as an incredibly long(er) essay on What The Fucks Up With Parker. Moreso than it already is

For lies she's telling herself... everything! To be fair, the majority of the things you could categorize as "lies she's telling herself", she GENUINELY has no idea that she's deeply mentally ill, she JUST assumes this is the normal response to the things that happen to her. There are a FEW she's more actively repressing however, namely, she doesn't tell Jake about Molly until she absolutely has to, and she's largely in denial of just how badly Molly (and Tess as well) would've taken her desertion. She tries her hardest to convince herself that their reaction MUST'VE been "They're mad at me but will move on soon", and not the intense and extreme heartbreak BOTH of them felt in the aftermath of everything. Turns out NO ONE benefits from this! Wow!

LOVE– What attachment styles do they experience? How involved are they in their friends, family, and loved one’s worries, hopes, or goals? Do they turn to their loved ones for support? Do they let people who love them help them?

Parker is both VERY clingy and VERY attentive to her loved ones, ESPECIALLY her various partners. Despite her lack of emotional maturity and regarding self-introspection, she's shockingly quite good at being a reassuring and kind person towards the people she's close with when they need it... with some exceptions. She thinks about her partners CONSTANTLY, and will ALWAYS go out of her way to be there for them, it's just that she really doesn't always know how to actually DO that. She still tends to be pretty abrasive and rude even around the people she loves, but they will have gotten used to that already to have even been CASUAL friends with her, her roughhousing is just part of who she is, and they can tell the difference between her being a dick because she's just Being A Dick, versus when she's doing it in a more playful manner.

She worries about her loved ones... a fair amount, though she really doesn't treat Tess at all the way the should, failing to recognize when her playful prodding ends up hurting Tess more than just being a game of theirs, which is a large reason as to why their friendship disintegrates the way it does.

She just straight up HATES being cared for beyond just basic "being cared about". She views herself very much as a protector of the people she cares about, and also as someone who's very self-reliant, so any time she's in a situation where she needs support, she's NOT going to tell anyone, and when she's forced to take it, she's going to feel MISERABLE about it. She wants to help HER partners, not the other way around. She figures she knows what's best for herself, and that she can handle all of her problems by herself. If her loved ones need her help, she'll be there as soon as she can, but she will NOT ask for help under ANY circumstances

KINDNESS– Do they go out of their way to do favorable acts for other people? Do they treat themselves?

People she cares about? Absolutely! Otherwise not at all. Unless she sees some sort of direct benefit to herself or some form of bragging rights, she's not going to. That said, part of this is also just that she tends not to really pay much attention to people around her that she's not already close with. If someone directly ASKS her to help with something, she might with no benefits to herself, but she's never going to notice someone in need of help otherwise. This DOES get better with time, as once she's surfaced and recovered a bit, being around the others helps her learn to pay attention and watch out for the people around her, but even then she still doesn't tend to rush to help someone out of her way

[rumbleonthemill]

Ok so, this is a returning problem now in this community, some people glorifying and centering around trauma, and mainly, the kids’ trauma, just to self-legalize the adults being the biggest assholes in the franchise.

but here’s what’s actually a fact. Neighbor cannot keep his son tamed, that’s the bigass deal. I’m fucking tired of certain people just focusing on how much the kids, who trespass and break laws, suffer. In the eyes of a cop, it is still breaking the law, they don’t fucking care, why you did that.

Just Neighbor went through two fucking traumatic events after each other, that we see he can barely cope with. The evidence is there in HS after Diane’s death(him sitting in a dark room, actually staring at fucking nothing, unable to even move!!!) and him digging Mya’s grave (man’s completely broken, despite being strong af, he can barely lift up the shovel. And yall are forgetting that he wants to protect his remaining family member, he doesn’t want to directly hurt him!)

Aaron tries to escape twice, in hn and then in hn2, he actively works on betraying his own dad(collaborating with a fucking random ass journalist who simply wants to take him away…sir, what will you do with a kid?! But then he poof changes his mind! Sit down and think!) , instead of staying on his fucking ass and waiting for something to happen and figuring out, that the thing happening with BOTH OF them is a horrible situation. But it feels like he wants revenge on someon, who’s going through the same.

either the cage was built because of smth that was scrapped OR because there was no other way to keep him in one place! He can pick the lock, people. He will escape again. And mind you, he’s given everything possible from a bed to toys, he’s not just tossed in an empty room ffs! is neighbor bad at communication? Yes! But does he want to harm his son? No! If he wanted to harm him, then he’d tie him up in a fucking empty ass room, leave him there, he would not give him stuff and bandage, even. Aaron even betrays his dad entirely in hnvr, that’s why I don’t give a fuck about him anymore. He literally stabs him. All he should’ve done is wait and trust. They went through the same shit, his dad is visibly in pain and suffering in the game from the kids, the Petersons were ALSO losing their remaining family members, and in the end he successfully gave his dad away too, and now he whines about staying alone. Fucking cunt.

go and get along with your manipulative fucking demon friend, good luck.

I’m done with Aaron in the new lore. I end up hating characters I used to like, because everything’s being overwritten.

aaron not being able to cope in HS was a character, but him literally actively working on to KILL his dad, just because he cannot think (and yes, he’s old enough to think!) is just bad.

and don’t get me started on the kids, who fantasize about killing a man, break in, break out (they could’ve done everything they do in hnvr with the help of a cop, and no, the cliché of adults not believing them is not an excuse)and then in a totally separate game, they break in to a park to steal shit, and then they fantasize about killing the man again! They could just leave a fucking dangerous amusement park they have no reason to be in, but noooo. neighbor brought a wrong decision with Nicky ending up in his basement, and he has to bring it again and again, because apparently kids in RB have nothing better to do, than overthink his existence and literally attempt to cancel the man by breaking in from multiple directions, call the cops on him as in the AS, and then people are surprised the Neighbor is mad? Wow! maybe it’s FOR A REASON?! HN showed how unnecessary they are, Nicky did escape just with the help of Aaron.

So if anyone from here just wants to say “but uh adults bad, kids suffer, trauma, they good, neighbor needs to suffer” then fucking leave me alone. You don’t understand shit, you don’t want to look at the other perspectives. you only hyperfocus on kids having traumas, and glorify something horrible in the first place. Adults do suffer. They do go through trauma they may not be able to cope with. And if you don’t believe me, then I honestly wish you to experience it from first hand someday, because then it means there’s no other way to convince you. I’ve lost all of my patience towards people who want to argue or cancel others because of such fucking thing. Trauma doesn’t happen to everyone, but the ones who are lucky enough to avoid it, keep whining that the ones who went through it, are doing the coping wrong. And everything wrong. Fuck you. If you’re so fucking smart, then lemme see you cope with things correctly. Ffs.

[orangesunsets12]

rules: post the first lines of your last 10 fics posted to ao3. if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics.

Thanks so much to @rindecision and @alwayscomewhenyoucall for tagging me!! I have a lot of stories posted lol (writing is one of my very few hobbies) so here are my most recent 10! All of them are Stranger Things.

1: It Takes Two to Survive

It was when all of the opened doors showed empty rooms that Dustin realized that the escape attempt was for nothing. There were machines, Russian soldiers, tables, tools…really everything that would show proof of an active base, but the things that he and Erica came to save weren't anywhere to be seen.

Steve and Robin were gone. Vanished without a trace.

2: Letters for the Lonely and Broken

Max woke up to most of her family and friends surrounding her, doctors instructing her about what was wrong with her, what the next steps were, and what would never heal. She woke up to a fixed world, a dead Vecna, and a strange peace. She also woke up to a letter.

3: Beautiful Boy

Steve shrugged on a sweater, shaking his hair free of the deformed mess it had made of itself in his sleep, knowing that he should have a shower, make his hair perfect again, but not having the strength to.

He had to make sure that everyone was okay. He needed to go to the hospital, check on Max and Eddie, and make sure that the rest of the kids were eating and sleeping.

4: Teddy Bear with a Heart in Hand

Steve found that, despite the boring job, he got lost in it easily. Often he wouldn’t even realize a customer walked in until he looked up from the pile of movies that he was organizing. He would always voice an opinion about what movie he and Robin should watch on their shifts, but he would never actually care to listen in on it.

5: My Reality, My Nightmare

Everything was going to be okay, and Dustin couldn’t be any more thankful. Max and Eddie, although they had injuries from what happened with Vecna, were recovering in the hospital, and both of them were expected to make a full recovery.

6: Home

Steve had always felt that he never understood the idea of a home.

7: Past the Gate

Everyone knew the name Steve Harrington.

It was whispered among classmates as a desk sat empty, gossiped about by mothers over tea, and discussed in length among the police.

8: Under the Tree

Steve Harrington, who, despite the rich parents that he had, never unwrapped a Christmas gift, and didn’t have any gifts waiting for him under the tree on Christmas day. Steve thought, was told, that only those deserving of gifts actually received them, and that believed that he would never deserve any. He wasn’t good enough, was he?

9: Flinch

When Steve first flinched away from her motherly touch, Joyce didn’t think that it was a big deal. After what happened, the action was completely acceptable, and wasn’t strange at all.

10: Alleyway of Death

Steve couldn’t believe it. His car’s tire popped, and he didn’t have any change for a phone call because he spent it all buying ridiculously expensive wings as he waited for a date that didn’t even show up, and he hadn’t felt this miserable in a long time. It was supposed to be a good day. It was supposed to be a really good day, but it wasn’t. He didn’t really know who or what to blame.

-------------------------------------------------

If anyone wants to do this and hasn't been tagged, feel free to do so! And, for those who are tagged, there's no pressure!

Thanks again for the tags!

@idiot-stevie @blueskiesandstarrynights @icedteaandoldlace @strangerthingfanfic @amethystandemma