#and he doesn't want to hurt her to begin with

[unknown-cold]

It's fanny how some people call her evil era.

We never saw her kill an innocent person, even when my friend saw the show he is not a fan of Arcane but he saw a lot of comments about it and I also urged him to watch it after all the excitement around it when I asked him about his opinion on the show and especially the character of Caitlyn he told me, he expected after all the posts and comments about her that she would go to Zaun and kill people with her gun he didn't expect that she just wears a costume that looks like a vampire and looks tough and mean, she would get this much hate. He even asked me why people don't talk or blame Ambessa isn't she the main reason behind most of the problems in this season and also Singed or even Silco and his allies?

I couldn't answer him except that people have double standards and are hypocrites because their criticism of Caitlyn's character is not because she did one bad thing but because she is from Piltover and an enforcer. I'm sure if Caitlyn was from Zaun and did worse things they would sympathize with her and love her, so their criticism is so hypocritical and has double standards. In short, their criticism of a character is not because she did bad things, but because of who she is and where she is from.

They forget that silco kills a lot of people, mainly people from the undercity, even kids, LOL have put a mini game on the clien and there you could find out that Silco use kids as lab rat to test the chem tanks.

And I'm sure now someone will come and tell me that Caitlyn used the gas on all of Zaun and killed people with it. Seriously idiot where did you get this? Can you show me a picture from the show that people died because of gray, and if it's true then the characters must are talking about it, that Caitlyn uses gray to kill innocent people. So this claim is not true, we saw at the beginning of episode 3 how Caitlyn used the gas strategically and not randomly and Amanda confirmed that. So she used it to catch gangs there. Because logically, 5 people wouldn't go to catch hundreds of gang members that easily, and also if one of the people got hurt Ekko would have talked about it and we know that Ekko is the most loyal person to his people, so even Ekko himself didn't complain about using gray, yes he and Scar were talking about the gangs that were working with Silco, and they didn't care about gray, why? Because this gas didn't hurt them.

Even if it hurt them and that using it was an evil act, why didn't you say this when Jinx used it on Piltover and injured innocent people, women and children, she didn't target enforcers for example, Jinx use the Grey randomly unlike Caitlyn, but is anyone talking about this? Of course not. And worse when I saw comments saying that Jinx should blow up Piltover again and eliminate the people of Piltover. Like some people have shown their true colors, that they don't care if a character did something bad or good, all they care about is who this character is.

And because Jinx is from Zaun and they have every right to do bad things, but Piltover doesn't even if they do good things they are still bad, what a shallow and ridiculous thinking. some Arcane fandom are probably the most stupid fandom nowadays, to them everyone from Zaun is a perfect angel who never do nothing wrong, everyone from Piltover is a monster with no feelings

The show is not black and white, that only exists in Disney movies, go and watch it if you are this kind of boring and traditional storytelling, Arcane proves every day that this show is not for everyone and if you want to enjoy it you have to open your mind well and be open-minded, and most importantly put politics and real life issues aside, and enjoy this fantasy world with flawed characters and good writing. (This show is not designed to solve political issues at the end of the day. It is a show based on a video game)

Morally, I do not agree with a Caitlyn's Evil Cop Era. The lesbian in me, however, really likes that dumbass coat.

Like. Really likes it.

[iminyourwallsbabe]

Hey I'm back with more arcane thoughts and they're sad! Because god forbid we catch a break in this fandom, right? Anyway (spoilers ahead)

MEL DOESN'T HAVE FRIENDS :(

I know that's gonna sound crazy. You're probably saying, "oh but she's so cool and lovely" and I agree but I really need y'all to think about this. Who does she talk to for any reason except political intrigue? Nobody but Jayce and Viktor. You could make an argument for Lest but she was also spying for her, so we don't know the nature of that relationship. It may very well have been another political thing.

Now I just wanna say upfront that I don't think any of this is really her fault, I mean you've seen how the council is and she probably doesn't know anybody else in Piltover. I mean think about it, she's a whole princess, her life IS politics. Her existence is political. Anyone she knew before her exile is probably a noble of some kind and it's very hard to remove politics from those relationships. That's probably how she ended up on the council to begin with. Jayce and Viktor are the only people who aren't nobility that she talks to. Jayce is a part of a family that was only just starting to gain significant wealth and respect, he's new money. Viktor is from the undercity. All of his money is coming from whoever's paying for him to be there. They're the only people who exist outside of the politics of the council. They're also dead now.

So let me summarize and put it in perspective. Mel lost her brother, was exiled from her home and whatever relationships she had there (which was probably with a whole bunch of nobles), went to Piltover and became a politician, thus becoming surrounded by nobles once again, she then had to kill her mom, and the only people who didn't want anything from her and didn't pressure her are now space dust. Let it sink in.

It makes this scene right here just that much sadder. She's really doing it all on her own now. Once again, her whole life will revolve around politics and there's nobody to give her a break. Nobody she can trust enough to be vulnerable around. She has more power than ever before but I don't think that's ever what she wanted. She knew she'd get it, I don't think this was a surprise, she knew she didn't have a choice.

I'm also thinking about how she didn't even have time to process her grief. They just cleaned up the aftermath of the war, which took a few weeks if not a month. They're probably still wondering what happened to Jayce and Viktor, did they figure it out yet? Can they even figure it out? She's probably still waiting on that news here. She probably already assumed they were gone in some capacity. That must be hurting her like you wouldn't believe, especially considering that she and Jayce never officially ended their relationship. They got separated, argued a little bit but made up, and then just went to war. There was no time to break up even if they wanted to, and honestly I'm not sure that they did and I'm saying this as a Jayvik truther. And don't even get me started on the guilt she probably feels about her mother. That could be a whole other post in itself.

Anyway, point is, Mel needs a hug so so badly oh my GOD

[miwiheroes]

Hii

I am a mileven shipper comoletely open to byler, so I watched the lawyer vid

And all the things are pretty convincing but...I don't think Mike was jealous in the airport scene, because then he would have known the painting Will was doing was for him, but instead, even Finn confirmed Mike was clueless about it, so maybe Mike was just...idk....distant from Will and only was trying to rebuild their friendship, remember that he tried to call Will and Will never called him, so maybe he thought Will was mad at him and that's the reason he acts that way, plus Cara said thah you only see a friendship evolving so uhm- idk, ty for reading this and I hope you can adress this "doubt" I have

Hi!

El said in her letter 'I think there is someone he likes, because he has been acting 'weird'", which is for the benefit of the audience's view of Mike's emotions later on.

That's the first mention of the painting, and it's already established that it's an object with romantic intentions (but it's to the audience). So when the viewer sees Will holding the painting in the airport, they get the inkling that Will likes Mike, because it's for him, and he's been acting weird about it.

As for Mike's feelings about the painting.... you're not supposed to know.

Let's lay out the facts of the painting storyline here:

He doesn't want to hug Will at the airport.

He panics when he sees a painting that he has been told is is maybe for a girl.

He pretends to ignore Will all day and is overly affectionate with El (but then the viewer finds out he has actually taken notice of everything he's done).

He is annoyed when Will accuses him of not reaching out.

He feels like he lost Will.

When Will has more confidence in his relationship with Mike he takes the painting with him in his bag.

When Mike finds out the painting is for him he is amazed.

When he finds out that 'el commissioned it' he's confused.

From the Rink o Mania fight, we find out that Mike has been paying attention to Will all day and claims that it ruined the whole day. We also see him offended that Will's annoyed he didn't call, and he's offended that Will didn't call. He asks 'why am I the bad guy?' as if to accuse Will of doing the same thing that he's being accused of.

So, back to the original point about him being jealous. Yes, he is. He saw that Will had made a painting, and then he asks nervously what the painting is (the tone of his voice makes it sound like he already has some idea, but just wants confirmation). Will then brushes it off.

I don't think his non-hug and the painting are linked, I think the reason he didn't hug him is because he didn't want to feel something yknow. He romanticises any sort of interaction with Will, and he doesn't want to show his true feelings in front of everyone.

When Will brushes it off, he is instantly no longer interested. Miscommunication occurs, because while Will never said 'it's not for you', Mike assumes it's not for him because of the way that Will doesn't bring any attention to it, and makes it seem unimportant. The reason he's jealous is because yeah, he did just get confirmation that El could be right.

SOOOO when Will attacks Mike for not calling, Mike gets angry because he's like 'well you did the same thing by moving on with someone else' aka painting for someone else . (Will giving Mike his drawings has always been their thing as well, so it hurts even more that its not for him this time). That is why he later apologises by saying 'I feel like I lost you'. It is his explanation for why he got annoyed at him in Rink o Mania. The 'I feel like I lost you' basically means he was jealous and a self-pitying idiot (his words lmao), and has decided to own up to things and say that Will didn't deserve that. That was why he got angry in the first place. Because he felt like he had lost Will to someone else. So yes he was jealous.

To make this romantic.... is easy. El in the beginning could have easily said he's painting it for someone, maybe he's painting it for a friend, but Mike heard that it's specifically for someone Will likes, so the fact he feels like he lost Will to someone in a romantic sense, means that he also wants him romantically. He never gets this possessive when Dustin or Lucas get girlfriends.

Now, when the painting gets given to Mike again: He realises it is for him and gets super excited. Will doesn't need to tell him explicitly it's for him, because it's a painting of their DND characters.

But when Will said that El commissioned it, we can see the weirdness and the uneasiness on his face, because he's having an internal conflict that the audience cannot see. And again, WE ARENT SUPPOSED TO OKAY

Finn Wolfhard was also confused about this interaction, asking the Duffer Brothers why Mike's so clueless here. (he said this at a con or interview or something) He's also said in the past that Mike does not know about Will loving him. When asked, the Duffer Brothers responded with: "Don't worry, it'll pay off in the end". Meaning we will eventually know what Mike was thinking/ Mike will find out the truth. And the fact it's being dragged over 2 seasons and left for the final one, means it's important.

oof okay sorry that was such a RANTTT AHH but seriously, he was definitely sad about Will making the painting possibly for someone else, shown in his anger in the Rink o Mania fight, and the fact he said he thought he had lost him as a reason for his anger.

As for your comment about Cara? That is not what she said. You're saying that she said 'You only see a friendship evolving', which is not what she said.

She says "Mike goes on his own journey... and Will is not ready to grow up and leave that friendship." then she says, "So I think in season 5....' which Noah looks at her very suspiciously about, so she says something else.

She then says (keeping in mind the Season 5 comment), "Cause I know that as an actor, you're thinking about things as you're approaching it from an actor's perspective" THEN SHE SAYS "But i think from a story perspective, you just see like a friendship evolving" "People come apart and they come together"

Then Noah begins to say "And I will say that..." and then goes "No im not gonna say anything."

What does this mean? Well, she's saying that as actors, they know what is going to happen to Mike and Will in season 5. But from the audience's perspective, they may only see a friendship evolving. In season 5 that might change. She's not saying 'oh they only have a friendship' no no, she's describing the fact they're changing, and describing what the audience likely sees and what the audience may be confused about. Also this is a FRIENDS TO LOVERS ARC,,,,, of course they are sometimes going to be described as having a friendship.

and dont take the actors words as gospel! they were put on the spot anyways and dont have time to figure out everything they wanna say

[dragonmasterhiccup]

"I think it was more the circumstances that made it difficult. My father...he actually was pushing for me to begin taking the role as chief not long before he... before he died."

Afterwards, Gobber told him as much, hoping to encourage Hiccup by telling him Stoick believed he was ready. The conversation only made the young chief feel worse, having run off from the opportunities he had to learn from Stoick...and being responsible for the string of events that caused the beloved leader's demise.

Clearing his throat, he gave a slight shake of his head. "Sorry, you uh, you probably don't need to know all the details. In short, he...he was a great man. Fearless, brave...selfless."

And Hiccup missed him so much.

Eyes cast downwards, he nodded. "Kindness will only get you so far," he repeated a little dryly before taking on a softer tone, "but to some, kindness is everything. To others? It's nothing, it's weak. But they're wrong. It's strength."

Brows raised, he replied, "Really?" A small smile started forming on his face, "I know that's a bit of a big deal for you, so...thank you."

Nodding, he said, "Then we'll take another look, apply more of Gothi's salve. If we do it enough, you shouldn't even have a scar. Especially since we were able to address it so quickly."

"I don't blame you. You didn't know me or Astrid yet. You just...you saw a human with a weapon next to your sister. If I were in your shoes, I would have reacted similarly."

Looking back at Kiara, he said, "It looks like you may be getting there as well, though I know it will take time to earn." It had been a good feeling, gaining Lyra's trust. He hoped to do the same with Kiara.

Having the two fae on Berk was a privilege, one he and Astrid would protect and guard so as not to lose it.

Berk was now a sanctuary of sorts for dragons, a place where they could live in peace, free from those that wanted to hurt or hunt them. Maybe someday, it could be the same for fae, or any that were half like Lyra.

With a nod, he answered, "Yes, for a couple months now. Gothi has accumulated a wealth of knowledge when it comes to healing, and she wants to pass that on. She's had a few apprentice candidates before, but turned them away...at least until I introduced her to Lyra."

"Now, Gothi doesn't know Lyra's true heritage, though if she had, I doubt it would make a difference. She sees something special in her, and took a liking to her right away, which if you know Gothi, that is pretty rare."

“Hiccup!” Lyra ran up to the chief, an excited grin on her face.

“Are you busy? I have something to show you!” She took his hand and pulled him towards Altair and Toothless.

“You know how last month the lightning strike caused the large forest fire?” Stopping in front of the dragons the fae all but buzzing in excitement. If her wings were visible they’d be fluttering.

“I did a thing!” She couldn’t wait to show him.

[thomaslittlegirl]

hello love! i hope you are doing very well:) i just read some of your first and they were so cute! unfortunately i have been in the mood for SOME ANGST lol! would you potentially be able to write a fic where something happened to reader and she got hurt (level of severity is up to you) and like tommy is obviously freaking out over it. idk what's wrong with me but i love angst 😔 if you don't feel comfortable i totally understand and have a wonderful day:)

thank you for your sweet words! 🩷 i wrote this in half an hour, so i hope it's at least not that horrible? hope you like it.

sickness. thomas shelby

warnings; angst. thomas blames himself, as always.

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

thomas can't help but feel suffocated seeing you like this. it seems that the walls begin to close and collapse on top of him, preventing him from breathing.

your figure lies on the bed, wrapped in the neat white sheets while your body does not stop shaking violently.

it hurts him to see you this way. hurts because there is no one to blame for your discomfort, no one to blame for your suffering. all he can do is watch yourself in silence and wait for this to pass quickly.

thomas looks at you pitifully as he swallows hard.

the sound of the maid's heels echoing across the wooden floor makes him put on guard. the woman comes almost stumbling, with a tray in her arms. "here it is, sir." she says, in a low voice.

she goes into the room y/n and thomas both share and leaves the plates on the desk.

"thank you, frances." he replies. "i want you to be attentive to any call that me or my girl makes." maid nods and leaves the room, closing the door after her. the annoying sound of heels moving away.

thomas walks over to the bed, squatting down next to you. "doll..." he calls, stroking your hair.

a whimper escapes your mouth and thomas licks his lips, watching you intently; you are pale, your lips cracked.

"what?" you ask in a whisper.

"frances brought you soup." he informs, continuing the caresses on your head. "i want you to eat some."

"im not hungry."

"just a little. try it... it'll warm you up a little." he tries to persuade in vain. you shake your head; thomas stare at the dark circles in your eyes.

shelby look at how your body shakes. it doesn't matter how many sheets you have around you, the spasms don't stop.

his head is a torment, thousands of good-for-nothing thoughts flooding his brain. he collects all the bad omens he knows, like black cats and broken mirrors... everything that could have happened for you to reach this moment.

thomas can't help but think and blame himself. it is not the first time this has happened, it is not the first time that his bad luck and his destiny bring him to this point.

he can't lose you, not you. not again... not when he is thorough when giving you gifts, not when he makes sure to protect you with his life.

why does everything he loves come to this point? does everything he touches have to slowly fade away?

he doesn't realize he's crying until he feels your thin fingers wipe the corners of his eyes, brushing the tears away from his face.

"i'll get better." you try to calm him down, he's not so sure.

he knows the multiple opinions of all the doctors he brought to check you, all of them giving a different diagnosis but none of them making you feel better... everything you can possibly have.

"you promise...?" he asks, looking at your tired face.

"i..." nothing. "just hold me, please." you ask in return, running back a little to make room for him on the bed next to you.

thomas crawls under the sheets with you and wraps you in his arms, holding you close to his chest.

as if love could save.

[crappymixtape]

stand on my own • teaser

THIS ONE'S GONNA BE A DOOZY 😵‍💫 – after months of begging, steve finally takes you home to meet his parents ( and tell them steve's about to take over the shop with eddie ) – you've been together for over a year, and he doesn't talk about them much, but once you meet them you begin to understand why *18+ only | ( TW: verbal abuse, almost physical abuse, both from steve's dad, steve / reader stands up for themselves – angst, hurt / comfort, sprinkle of fluff, est. relationship, mechanic!steve, steve x you, steve x reader )

“Shit,” Steve muttered under his breath as he shifted the truck into park. Running his hands through his hair, he let his head fall forward onto the steering wheel, his nerves palpable from the passenger seat. “I really don’t want to go in there.”

“You’re not going alone, if that’s any consolation?” you offered, gently teasing, rubbing a hand over the soft fabric of the only clean, white t-shirt he owned.

He gave you a lopsided smile and turned the truck off, “That helps a lot.”

“Good.”

The light on the porch flicked on, and it drew Steve’s attention like the snap of a whip.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” you grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed as the front door opened to reveal the portrait of a perfect housewife, Carol Harrington.

“Hi, honey!” she called with a wave, gesturing you both to get out of the truck and Steve huffed a heavy sigh.

“Here goes nothing,” he said, expression tinged with dread. With one last glance over at you, he moved to open his door, “Listen, if my dad says anything, I can’t promise I won’t say something back.”

“That makes two of us,” you half-joked, but Steve knew by the look in your eye you were serious. If there was anything you didn’t tolerate, it was demeaning people, and from what Robin said, Gary Harrington used Steve as his verbal punching bag.

He tried to laugh, but it caught in his throat as he pushed himself off the truck bench and out onto the driveway.

“Hey, mom!”

“I hope you came hungry,” Carol said, wiping her hands on the red, checkered apron tied around her waist, “I made a casserole and a fresh green salad and those rolls you like so much.”

[blueishspace]

Hero, Villain God 49

(Prev) (Next) (First)

*Grian's pov*

As you watch the credits roll once more on the tv screen Pearl turns to you, It's not obvious and the others don't seem to notice anything but there is a clear accusation in her expression and a slight hint of growing red in her eyes. Oh yeah, she definitely knows what you did and she's definitely not happy about it.

You almost wondered if this was all it took for the blood god's corruption to do It's thing but then you did the slightlest amount of introspection and... You did kinda break time a bit...and then a lot...and then a lot more.

...

You are distracted by your thoughts as Scar receives the message again, and excuses himself to go to the bathroom again, you get up as soon as he does but it's not soon enough and Pearl steps in and grabs you.

"Guys, me and Grian have something to talk about really quickly."

Cleo shrugs, Scott nods and Martyn does a thumbs up as Pearl basically drags you to the kitchen by your shoulder.

"Uh, hi Pearl, why the-"

"Ok, you can cut it with the bullshit, what did you do?"

"I didn't do ...anything"

Her eyes narrow, your eyes do the same, is she really going to argue with you?

"Don't test me Xelqua"

Oh really now, the true name? Just like thsf? It's like she doesn't know who she's talking to.

"Or... what? I'm the god of chaos Perla, I outpower you."

And...yikes, that wasn't meant to come off like that, little mistake on your part. You know this because the various potted plants inside the kitchen start vibrating and turning red.

"Oh I know! I noticed! Because something happened and I can't tell what except that it happened! But that's the thing, I don't need to overpower you."

Huh? She doesn't? Is this like a bluff?... You suddenly begin to feel sweat running down your forehead as the red takes over more of her irises...you don't even know why, you don't understand what this feeling emanating from her his.

"I am the goddess of wisdom Xelqua, I don't need to outpower you because there are much better ways to hurt you then phisically"

She briefely looks towards the bathroom door, you see how it is then.

Before anything else can happen you hear Scar exit said bathroom and telling the others you need to leave...Pearl's eyes and the nearby plants return to being mostly green as she sighs.

...

Well, this is incredibly akward...you look towards here and point to Scar trying to explain why you need to go.

"Can I go now? It's important."

"... Whatever mate"

You nod but before you can actually turn and leave she stops you again, when she grabs you It's not as harsh as earlier but still unexpected.

"And when you are done with whatever this is you better explain yourself."

You really don't want to...but you also don't want to risk it right now, not after already discussing it.

"I will"

And she releases lets you leave.... Now, time to try this again, hopefully with less Hotguy dying this time.

Cuteguy's first scene, take two.

Three two one and action!

[fadedsweater]

WIP Wednesday (Veilguard Spoilers!!)

Not tagging anyone but feel free to consider yourself tagged if you want to join in 💛

Finishing Veilguard has dragged me back into the pits of solavellan hell(heaven?) and also gave me a ton of writing energy. I started a post-Veilguard solavellan fic the same night I finished the game to process some of my feelings, and it's slowly growing into a bigger fic than I'd planned. Here's a tidbit from that:

Eira looks over her shoulder, out into the soft green of the forest clearing where she left Solas. He is staring after her as if he doesn't know what to do with himself. That's all right. She has been given, by some small miracle, the tools she needs to do what must be done next.

Solas watches her work, a faraway look on his face. He sits where he directs her, on an overturned log beside the fire-pit. It is not difficult to reignite it, and the old mossy wood from the nearby pile works well enough as fuel. The fire sputters for a while, smoking angrily over the damp, but eventually it evens out into something she can use.

The rest is muscle memory, habits she's had since childhood: Gather the wash basin and hang it over the fire. Open the healing kits and prepare soap, bandages, salves and tinctures. Spread out a wool blanket to keep the injured clean and warm and dry.

When she's done, she turns to him and gestures to his armor. Solas hesitates. Then, with a voice she now recognizes as raspy with injury, he says, “They will heal of their own accord, given time.”

Eira kneels in the soft grass before him. “I won't force you,” she says softly, and runs her thumb over the back of his hand. “But I know you are hurting. Please, let me help.”

Solas makes a soft, sad sound. His face is still shiny with tears, illuminated by the flicker of the fire; she wonders if he's been crying all this time, since the moment they stepped together through the tear in the Veil.

She wipes his face with her sleeve and he looks at her with such love and devotion that she almost starts crying, too. 

Slowly, Solas begins to unfasten his armor. 

[siffrins-therapist]

^ When Mirabelle tried to ask Siffrin to tell her what's wrong.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59334868/chapters/158738599

Chapter summary:

Odile decided to do some snooping of her own while Siffrin was out, but the Universe is against letting anyone in the party catch a break. Everything is coming to a head, and Siffrin can feel the foundation crumbling underneath their feet.

Fic summary:

Siffrin has craved blood for as long as they can remember. After so many years of wandering, he's come to Vaugarde in hope of finding answers, just as the King's Curse begins freezing the country in time. He's quickly losing hope, but when they come across a small group determined to save Vaugarde from the King, Siffrin decides to join them. They can't get the answers they want if the country gets frozen in time, after all. They'd never traveled with other people before. Siffrin doesn't expect to grow attached to any of them, but as time goes on, the thought of leaving them hurts more and more. Worse yet, they refuse to even entertain the thought of one of them discovering what he is and what he's done. They just know that if they find out, they'll hate them.

[a-shadow-thinker]

I think there was a misunderstanding on some point.

First of all, the fact that the Mind Flayer is ultimately the big bad of ST doesn't in any way take away the human dimension of the story, on the contrary it strengthens it and brings a more original dimension.

It reinforces it in the sense that if you look at things with more finesse in a second reading plan, the Mind Flayer embodies through its actions on the human characters, a personified projection of the fears, of the psychological suffering which lies dormant in our unconscious.

He's the pivot point which will bring the human characters who are impacted by his actions, to express this human aspect, this human aspect laid bare which will face its trials by showing all its beauty just like all its horror.

He's a spotlight that will highlight humans, show their abilities to demonstrate bravery, strength, to grow, to show compassion from our heroes.

There is nothing problematic for the Mind Flayer about being the big bad in a human story, it's through the emotions of your human characters, their story, how you appeal to the public through them you will tell this human story.

It doesn't pass through its antagonism, but through its characters who live this adventure, with whom the audience identifies and feels this humanity in them which echoes theirs.

You tell a human story through the emotions that your human characters make you feel, through their trials and how they will react and come out of these trials, how it will impact them and finaly you, the public, what you feel inside in echo of your own humanity.

For Henry, yes he can be completely forced to do these things by the Mind Flayer.

As you can see in ST VR, the Mind Flayer distorts Henry's psychic reality.

Others have previously carried out relevant analyzes on this subject.

Which leads to something very insidious, a distortion of reality for Henry, in what he feels and experiences, what he wants, leading him to think he is in control

(to be able to better control him, what a perfect puppet is the one who is unaware that she is being controlled, no risk of resistance and rebellion),

making him believe that what he is doing is right, leading him into dead ends where he has no choice.

I use this example often, but it’s the one that sticks so well.

See Kylo Ren, Palpatine whispers, torments him since he was in his mother's womb ! All his life he has had dark thoughts, that he is a horrible person, that he hurts others, that no one likes him, etc...

At the beginning the character rejects his ideas, refuses to believe in them and attaches himself to the light.

But events caused by Palpatine will force him to believe his dark ideas, events which will isolate him and lead him to think that he can only be a bad person and that his place is in darkness.

You have a very similar pattern with Henry, his dark thoughts were perhaps already latent, but the Mind Flayer blew on him, blew on the embers intentionally to force him to do what he wants, to make him vulnerable too to his manipulations and make him think these horrible things.

The Mind Flayer clearly exhibits predatory behavior.

I am convinced that season 5 will show us since we will explore Henry's memories in the 80s, Henry's suffering for the loss, his sister in particular (someone pointed out that Holly's kidnapping was due to fact that he has not mourned, that he is in this delirium of taking her for his sister), that he never wanted that and that all of this is the work of the Mind Flayer who used this instability/weakness to manipulate him as he pleases.

In the scene where Henry scares his mother with the spiders you clearly see young Alice's foresight about this "you're not Henry".

that too, from a human point of view, is strong and resonates with many people.

Depression, autism, loneliness, abusive grooming, the dark side of the human spirit, etc...

It's in exaggerated form in the fictional framework of the show, but we clearly have these human aspects highlighted.

This goes back to what i was saying above, don't just see the Mind Flayer as "a monster/supernatural creature" but as a metaphor for the dark iceberg of the human psyche.

And that’s understandable.

It honestly has a lot more personality than a basic human, especially in a fantasy series !

I also think we have 2 plots to distinguish :

You actually have the human with all the political/military intrigue with the Russians in particular, but you also have the "magic" intrigue, the quest of the hero from the famous initiatory tale on El's side (with Will probably also in the S5 in view of what is teased about the character)

And with the DnD inspiration and many things relating to adventure in the show, to fantasy, you clearly have the hero's initiatory journey in addition to the human dimension.

But both complement each other anyway...

After all, isn't a hero defined by his human values ?

[cillianmurphysdimples]

A female Y/N / Cillian fic. (Part Two)

Absolutely not based on anything real at all, all totally fictional, fanciful, and is all total bollocks.

Warnings for sexual references and language. Adult themes, so not really designed for under 18s but not overly graphic.

We Got Issues

Part Two: Y/N's anxiety over Cillian's revelation breeds further fears, reigniting her concerns regarding how they'd got together in the first place. She tells him, and he placates, but is it enough?

@remembering-angels @dragonsneversharetheirtreasure

Very brief proofreading, apologies for obvious typos.

........

You give up trying to sleep and reach for your phone on the nightstand. It's six thirty and you know Cillian has a call at eight with Steven Knight, regarding the upcoming filming and associated work for the next branch of the Peaky Blinders franchise. You also know he hasn't come up the stairs at all, but then you had warned him off with a sincerely bitter tone. You drag down the notification bar at the top and see Cillian's name - Cill, not Cillian - and the first line of a text message he's sent to you at some point. You don't remember your phone even vibrating to signal it arriving, but when you open it the time stamp says five am. You scan your eyes over the lengthy message and consider ignoring it completely. It's like a novella, and you know it's filled with apologies and justifications, and your heart beats a little quicker for a moment. You breathe deeply inward through your nose and sigh it out slowly as you go back to the beginning of the message. The first words are in Irish, and you smile a little as you bite your bottom lip.

‘Mo ghrá - if I had even thought it would hurt you in any way to have talked to Yvonne in that way, then I wouldn't have done it. You know I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you sooner, it wasn't a conscious thing. And talking to her wasn't a conscious thing either, it just sort of came out as we were talking. She was telling me about how things are with Adam and I suppose it just came out…’

You frown and draw your lips to the side in thought. He rarely mentioned Adam, Yvonne's partner of one year. You don't know what his real feelings are surrounding her moving on in that way, but you know he envies the time Adam spends with the boys. Mostly, thought, you consider that you could entirely see his point. How many times have you been talking with girlfriends and had a moan about an argument you and Cillian had? You feel the heavy pull of guilt turning in your gut as you continue to read his text message.

‘... What I mean is that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I waited when I knew I felt differently. I know it's hurt you. I don't want that, I don't want to hurt you. When you wake up, and see this, come downstairs and just talk to me like it's all okay so I know that you know and feel that it IS all okay. I love you, Y/N.’

You place your phone face down against your stomach and stare up at the ceiling. You're allowed to feel hurt and you grant yourself that, but you know overwhelmingly that you don't want him to feel like he has to spend his life apologising to you either. You've made your own mistakes, many of them, and after talking he always forgives you. You know it's your place to drop your anxieties now and allow him the grace he's so often shown you. You sigh, and capture your phone in your hand again as you sit up and throw back the duvet. The place doesn't feel so cold now, and you get out of bed and pull on your favourite comfortable joggers and a t-shirt. You push your phone into your pocket then run your hands through your hair to neaten it slightly. Slipping your feet into the Ugg slippers you habitually leave by the armchair in the corner of the room, you glance at yourself in the mirror beside it. You look tired - your eyes have darkened rings beneath them, mixed with the redness of your waterline from crying off and on, and you're sure you look like you've been smacked about a bit. You feel exhausted, and can think of only two things you want to do now: drink coffee, and hold him.

You move slowly and quietly down the stairs, your hands on the wall for stability as you move, and you step down into the open living space. Looking down at the kitchen, you can see his mug and book are still on the island, and his glasses and earphones are piled on top of the closed book. It takes a second to find him; curled into the corner of the L-shaped sofa, in the far left corner from the stairs. He has the thick navy throw from the back of the couch pulled up over him and his head is resting on one of the many scatter cushions. You smile - he hates those fucking cushions! His phone is on the sofa cushion a little further up from his head and the television is on at a low volume, playing to itself now on Sky News. You decide to swallow your pride immediately, rather than waiting, and you walk towards the sofa slowly. Crouching down onto the balls of your feet, you lean your face in close to his and kiss the wrinkles of his sleepy frown that are settled in the bridge of his nose. Part of him will hate you for this, you know; sleep and Cillian are twins never to be separated! When his brows don't even twitch at your lips, you smirk as you kiss him again, laughing a little as you draw back your face from him, finally having received a response, and watch him as he slowly pulls from his sleep. Cillian's face switches through a throng of emotions before his eyes even open and you laugh to yourself once again, listening as he grumbles in time with stretching his body out and slowly draws his eyelids open.

He hums and grants you a sleepy smile, and with a croaky, sleep-infused voice he says your name before his mouth drags wide with an exhausted yawn. He licks his lips, and fixes his tired eyes on you with more focus than you were expecting, considering you'd rudely interrupted what you knew to be pressure little sleep. “Y’alright?” He asks huskily.

Still crouching before him, your hands resting on the sofa cushion for balance, you nod your head with a soft smile. “Are you?” You ask. You ensure you keep your tone light and loving. You feel how you feel, but you know you can't keep the fight going because of your anxiety constantly reminding you of how your relationship started.

He draws down the corners of his mouth and slowly sits up, his legs swinging down beside where you're perched, and he keeps the throw pulled over his waist. He looks at you with his head tilted slightly, and beneath the exhaustion you can see his sweetness, and the endearing way his tired eyes are still trying to shine. “I am if you are.” He says finally. He sits forward and places his left hand against your face, fingers brushing into your hair and over your ear, and his palm gently cupping your cheek. “We’ll have tea, yeah?” he says, a sudden cheeky smile pushing his cheeks high on their sharp edges, and you find it impossible not to smile back.

“If you're making it,” you tease him, cupping your fingers around his wrist. You turn your head in his light hold and kiss your lips softly against his palm before you slowly begin to stand up straight.

“Fuck off!” He smirks, watching as you get to your feet. “I'm only after waking up.”

You laugh as you turn your back on him, approaching the kitchen with slow steps, “So what? You think I haven't seen you prancing around the kitchen with morning glory before now?” The sound of his light, melodic laugh makes you smile, even more so as he refutes ever being a man who prances, and does go a long way to putting out the fires inside, but it's still there in the back of your mind. You punish yourself for it, rightly or wrongly, but you can't shift it. Why speak to her? Of all people! Not that you disliked her for any particular reason; she'd never been overly nice, but she was courteous enough when the boys were dropped between houses, especially considering how you and Cillian had behaved. But why did he call her? Why not his brother? Why not Eileen, or Tom seeing as they'd remained close from their numerous projects together? Why did it have to be Yvonne?! But the hardest thought to shift was whether or not it had been more than just talking, whether he'd returned to her in other ways. You try your hardest to keep it down, knowing he wants you to forgive him and knowing you probably should, but it's hard and you feel your heart racing and that terrible feeling of impending doom as your anxiety amps up.

You feel his arms wrap around you from behind and, standing at the sink with the kettle, intending to fill it but lost in your head, and you startle at his sudden presence. His arms snake around your waist, holding you tightly, and his rests his chin down on your left shoulder. “How's this for prancing?” He whispers seductively, his voice still husky from sleep but slowly lifting, and he turns his head to press a kiss into the bend of your jaw. His entire body is pushed into your back, and the smell of his skin fills your nose. He smells of comfort, of home, of languid sex, of Friday night Chinese takeaways on the sofa and a bottle of wine that becomes three… You allow him to pull you back against him a little, and you can feel his breaths against your neck. He's comforting, and soft and warm, but your heart still beats wildly and there's a question on your tongue that you're desperate to ask but you know it'll launch a bomb. He has work to do soon, you can't cause problems, but your body aches with fear, and uncertainty, and you feel like crying. “Are we watering the drains, or are you filling that kettle?” He teases, drawing back his head but keeping his arms around your waist. “G’on and sit down,” he says, finally removing his arms, and takes the kettle from you. He jerks his head away towards the living room. “I'll make the tea. You want tea?” He checks, “Or coffee?”

You move from the sink slowly, pushing as convincing a smile to your lips as you can, as he moves closer to the sink himself and finally gets the kettle filled with water. “Um, uh,” you stumble your words, “Coffee.”

He glances over at you as he turns off the tap, “Are y'alright?’ he frowns, concerned.

You push the smile back into your expression once again, forcing it brighter. “Fine.” you say, and it's on the tip of your tongue to ask the question you barely dare considering. “Just tired.” You lie, and climb into one of the stools at the island. You watch him as he places the kettle on the stand to boil, and occupies himself with collecting mugs. “Is, eh, is Steven calling you or do you have to call through to him?” You ask, needing conversation so there are words other than those in your mind.

“Ah, he'll be doing the inviting on Zoom there,” he says with his back to you, then peeks over his shoulder and smiles before turning back to his task. “I'm sure he said he's Sophie and Packy in this one too.”

You smile gently - you'd met Sophie a few times and you'd enjoyed one another's company, and Packy was so easy to get along with, oozing charm. “Packy’s home in Ireland?” You ask. Nodding his head, Cillian inhales as he whispers yes to your question. “And the call is at eight?” You ask, even though you hadn't forgotten at all.

“It is, yeah,” Cillian looks up at you just as the kettle boils and the switch flicks back up noisily. “What sort of coffee?” He asks.

“Whichever you put your hand to first,” you reply, shrugging your shoulders. “Are the boys still having dinner here today?” You ask, realising in your tiredness and emotional unrest that it is still Sunday and, usually, the boys would have dinner with you and their father.

“Aran is, yeah,” Cillian nods as he fills both mugs from the kettle. Setting it back down onto the stand, he looks back at you once again. “Malachy’s away at the girlfriend’s for dinner.” He smiles.

You smile at his amused expression and raise your eyebrows. “Am I picking Aran up from Yvonne's?”

“Ah no, sure I'll go for him after I've finished with Steven.” He says, noisily stirring a teaspoon around in your coffee mug. “Bainne?” He asks and you smile once again, loving when he throws odd Irish words into conversation.

“A drop.” You answer quietly. A moment later he's sitting on the stool beside you, mug of tea before him, and you wrap your hands around the coffee mug he'd placed in front of you. It's quiet, and while it's mostly a comfortable silence that's fallen, your burning question is still begging to be asked. But he has work this morning, and Aran is coming…you're torturing yourself not asking, but you'd ruin the entire day if you utter the words that are frightening you after his earlier revelations.

“Will you tell me what's going round your head?” He says, and you realise you'd drifted into your mind entirely. You blink slowly and fix your eyes on his face. His eyebrows are raised, and his pouty lips are pulled down at the sides in questioning.

You breathe in deeply and shake your head. “I can't.” You say and he frowns at you instantly. “It'll ruin everything.”

“Y/N?” Cillian tilts his head slightly and you feel like crying. “Isn't it me not talking that caused this fucking row?” He points out. “Tell me, for fucks sake.” He tries to sound jovial but you can see the nervousness that causes the bridge of his nose to wrinkle.

“I'm scared,” you admit and he raises his eyebrows just a little.

“About?” He coaxes when you offer nothing more for a moment.

You lick your lips quickly and sigh. “That my fears are reality.”

“What fears?” He asks, and he reaches between you to rest his hand against your arm laid out on the countertop before you.

“That you talking about personal stuff with us, to Yvonne, is more than just talking.” You say, and you tense up as he immediately draws his hand back from your arm. You don't know if it's anger or guilt, but it's something. “That's it…more intimate than that.” You continue, and he gets up from the stool and paces behind it for a few steps. “Cillian?”

“I don't know why you're asking.” He stills and looks at you, “Why'd you even think that? Y/N, this is ridiculous.”

“See,” you say, “I told you it would ruin everything.”

“It hasn't. It won't. But I'm telling you now,” he approaches and cups his hands around your face. “There is nothing for you to worry about. I've told you before now. It's just your anxiety telling you things that aren't true.”

Your eyes are forced to focus on his, and their softness is soothing. “You swear to me, in the time we've been together, you've never been back to her?”

His brow furrows a little, “You have nothing to worry about.” He says with a firm nod to accompany the words. He moves his face closer to yours and presses his lips against yours softly. Holding your face still, he keeps you close. You reach up your hands and curl your fingers around his wrists, sighing gently as he breaks the kiss but rests his forehead to yours. “But we can't keep doing this, going over your same anxiety when it's rooted in nothing.” He lets go of your face and steps back a little.

“I can't help it.” You say, “We snuck around, Cill.”

“Y/N, I hadn't been happy for a while. You came at the right time, that's all.” He smiles and the warmth of his expression relaxes your tense body a little. “Stop waiting for it to go wrong.” He says gently. “It hasn't yet, and I've no intentions of it going wrong as we go forward, either.” He stands looking at you for a minute, just smiling gently, and you eventually find yourself smiling back. The anxiety hasn't gone, that fear over what else might have occurred has not dwindled, but he sounds so loving and sincere that being angry forever isn't possible. “Right,” he claps his hands together then rubs his palms noisily. “I'm away for a shower before this call.” He places both of his hands on your shoulders as he goes to walk past, “Don't be worrying, okay? There's nothing to worry about.”

You sit alone as he disappears up the stairs and wrap your hands around your cooling mug of coffee. But in his absence you feel a resurgence of anxiety. Were you being too picky, or had he avoided actually swearing that he hadn't done anything more? You tell yourself you're being pedantic, that this is ridiculous and he's right - you're just anxious and insecure - but it sits there in the back of your mind and it turns cogs painfully slowly.

[oli-ribbun-ver]

EP 4 RAMBLE PART 2!!

(plus some theories of mine ft other episodes)

YAY COLOR!!! ooh i should add color to the text in part 1 too... itll look more fun that way! ANYWAY SORYR

I've already talked about Jax vs Ragatha when they commented on Gangle being happy, but just a quick recap in case yall didnt see part 1!

Jax says "I like you better when you're sad," whereas Ragatha says "You're kind of annoying when you have your happy mask."

IMO, it's a HUGE difference. I mention in part 1 why I think Jax is implying he doesn't necessarily dislike when she's happy! I'll be continuing my talk in Ragatha here, although I recommend checking out part 1 before this, so it starts to make more sense!

ALRIGHT! HERE WE GO!

Like I said in part 1, almost everyone knows that Ragatha is a people pleaser. Gangle especially knows this.

You can tell Gangle's already had these thoughts for a while. It's easier to tell if you hear it from the episode because of the tone, but you get the picture, hopefully!

I'd like to note, Gangle says "After a while," which also helps imply she's had these ideas for a while.

I see a lot of people hear this bit and wonder what Gangle's talking about when she says this line, or just breeze right over it which kind of bothers me, considering Ragatha literally JUST said she finds Gangle annoying when she's happy, but that's besides the point, just something I find odd.

I have a lot of feelings about the Jax vs Ragatha wording, but I guess part 1 and this part is all I can really say without getting TOO emotional over it, so I'd like to move onto my next thing!

Gangle Is ALSO A People-Pleaser.

(probably moreso than Ragatha)

Let's begin with the obvious. A people-pleaser is someone who only wants to please others, regardless of what they feel. At least, that's the basics. There are different levels/layers of people pleasers, and I believe Gangle may be on a higher level then Ragatha when it comes to that.

Gangle is... unhealthy, insecure, wants to disappear, and both mentally and physically fragile.

But anyway, Ganglwait what where did my paragraph go... okay i lost it somehow UM ANYWAY

I will be honest, I have a LOT to say about Gangle's fragility, but that would include straying from the mainly-ep-4 focus post. If yall ever want me to go full-blown Gangle Ramble and include every episode, then I'm more than happy to do that! But as it stands right now, here's just a few mentions!

It's easy to see more of Gangle's people-pleasing tendencies, and exactly how mentally screwed up she is through other episodes and even her character introductions, which I'd LOVE to get into, BUT NOT NOW!!!

She doesn't want to cause problems. Honestly, nobody does, but Gangle especially. This episode, you can tell she thinks she's holding everyone back. When she finally gets to be confident and in charge, she's told she's annoying. She 'causes a problem'. That's not what she wants to do.

When Pomni says "We're doing another one of these," Gangle changes.

She was willing to talk at first, although hesitant.

Her reaction is NOT Pomni's fault by the way, I wanna say that right now before someone says anything.

Gangle was willing to talk, until Pomni said "We're doing another one of these..." where Gangle then fully looks away and stops talking.

She doesn't want to cause a problem. She really, really doesn't. She has a tendency to let things happen to her and not say anything about it. I don't mean to keep up the comparison of Ragatha vs Gangle's people-pleaser scale, but I did name the title of this section that so...

When things happen to Ragatha or others, she says something about it. Especially if it's Jax that caused it. But Gangle? She never says anything.

That 'training' was the only thing similar to speaking out that she's ever done. And just minutes after, she got put down.

She did not say a thing after. Nothing about her being sad, being hurt by Ragatha's comment. Just "I'm going to go over here now," walking into a corner, and standing there.

(side note: Something I find funny is when she's rambling about herself going absolutely insane and Jax says "oh great. 😒" and just listens to her 😭 he doesnt say anything else just listens.

i say listens but that man is NOT❌️❌️ listening)

OH WAIT speaking of that rambling, it has just now occurred to me!

It's uh... pretty obvious she's losing it.

I'm sure everyone and their grandmother caught this, but I thought it's neat how she was very clearly talking to herself when she said "And you need to stop trying!", and in her mini-breakdown said "Will we ever achieve our dreams?!"

I don't think that really ties into the people-pleaser thing, just something i thought of!

Although MAYBE it can tie into that if we went the "she's telling herself to stop trying to reach her dreams, but wants everyone else to be happy!" but I think that's either too big a stretch or way too obvious. Probably both.

HWAA ANOTHER PART??!? okay maybe ill just include the other episodes for this people pleaser bit too!

[warpaway]

linhardt keeps phasing in and out of consciousness. the roughness with which griss treated them failed to have any lasting effect, even once the party sets out again, linhardt dozes off on his feet. he's only conscious enough to know when maria gets hurt, and following the pattern of the night, he raises his hand to heal her.

[1 AP] Linhardt 12/12HP uses Physic on Maria 6/10HP [Roll: 2, +1HP; (Crest of Cethleann roll: 2, fail), Maria 7/10HP] Physic durability 4/15

then, they allow themself a nap. they deserve it, at this point, they feel. after all the horrors and the friendly fire and the confusion and blood and... well, they put it out of their mind. it's just so easy to...

[2 AP] Linhardt 12/12HP forfeits the rest of their AP.

that is, until there's a flash of light. it's familiar to him - there's a sound associated with it, and a flash of the most ancient, interesting magicks that linhardt is aware of.

they are not the only one with a crest in this party.

he cracks an eye open and sees it happen again - what luck!

at first, the crest of blaiddyd doesn't catch his attention. after all, it's not one of the special crests; that of a lost saint, that of the beast, or otherwise. the only thing notable about the crest of blaiddyd is that it's completely unique to the bloodline of faerghus' royal family, which has taken great lengths to prevent it from spilling out into other noble houses or elsewhere.

then, linhardt perks up. this man is not dimitri, and dimitri is supposed to be the only living member of the royal family. well, well. how did lambert come upon that?

enervated by his interest, linhardt takes a few quickened steps forward to keep pace with lambert as they make their way to class.

"i thought i was the only one in this little ragtag party with a crest," they begin. it's always best to lead with small talk, they know, from all the interviews they've conducted. "and yours is rather interesting. i have to ask you about it - oh, i don't mind waiting. i'm sure you'd rather not talk about such things in front of too many strangers."

all of their focus is now on lambert, and they are wide awake. they watch as he produces some tonic to help with griss' wounds. or ailment. or whatever.

"oh, allow me -" linhardt offers to take care of it instead. they don't like griss, certainly, but they agree that they shouldn't let him die from inaction.

he continues chatting as the group sets out again. it isn't that he's getting used to the routine of it, it's that he is simply focused on something else. he wants to ask so badly - how did you get a crest that only the faerghan royal family has? - but he knows that doing so in front of just anyone could result with him never seeing an answer.

when the creatures ambush them this time, linhardt is more annoyed than scared. these are distractions! these are getting in the way of valuable research! these are...

a perfect opportunity to see that crest again.

"not this again," they mutter, stepping back to allow their new fixation to handle it instead.

"why don't you take the vanguard?" he suggests, helpfully, "you certainly have an advantage with that crest."

up next: @twistedisciple

let's gather round the campfire and || COMBAT Week 1 Team 1

[eats-a-berry]

ngl its wild seeing people say toshiro's reaction to chimera falin was because she was not longer "palatable" to him like yeah i would be freaking the fuck out if my former party members' attempt to save someone important to us turned her into a murderous chimera on a rampage who just killed all of our party members in front of us and only barely had any traces of herself left in her. i WOULD want to, y'know, let her rest instead of attempting to defy death by further mangling her beyond comprehension because these people have shown they have no idea what they're doing and have apparently caused a fate worse than death for her. it's pretty much just the flip side of the coin and "letting falin go" is, in fact, a lesson the crew has to learn by the end

i don't think faligon is falin's "true nature", i think it's an extreme end consequence of her issues: one where she has little free will, is on complete autopilot, and is controlled by another person.

[reanimatedgh0ul]

if i say this is ilana and lance coded what then

[clerichs-xi]

tender as a bruise, sharper than a razor wrap her tentacles around me like she'll never let me go

klaus' backstory arc just ended heho and it was revealed he used to be the lover of the goddess of storms and pirates... she had basically kidnapped him and imprisoned him into murder and piracy for 20 years and needless to say it greatly damaged him on every level <3 its okay he's been able to be normal for once since the start of the campaign thanks to the party aka his new found family

get urself a surrogate middle-aged father who can speedrun a forbidden romance in one minute and then immediately go to confront the darkest version/a corrupted version of himself, as well as his toxic lover as she tortures him -w-)b

details and just the lines hehe