#and his opinion and approval as one of the few people who has watched over him for his life matters deeply

[aetherialpiplup108]

thinking about alchemy of souls again because of course, and man, Park Jin really told a 19 year old suffocating in grief—who also just died??—that he should never have been born and was therefore responsible for every single thing that went wrong in the country, especially the miserable life and death of the woman he mourns and loves more than his own soul.

And then he wonders why Uk is so lifeless and unable to move on...

[mv1simp]

max taking advantage of innocent!best friend!reader … like a dynamic where he spoils her a lot and has made him look her think that all his strange behaviors/touches are normal

I’VE BEEN OBSESSED WITH THIS IDEA FOR AGES THANK U FOR GIVING ME AN EXCUSE TO WRITE IT 🙏🙏🙏

Friends ♥��

Max Verstappen x Childhood Best Friend!Reader

And what the hell were we, tell me we weren’t just friends, this doesn’t make much sense, no

Max has been your closest friend since childhood, promising to always look after you. Sure, everyone gossips that you two are secretly dating, that it’s not normal for friends to be so close, so touchy - but Max blows it all off. So when you ask him for help when you want to get a boyfriend for the first time, it shouldn’t be a problem because Max doesn’t like you like that…right?

Content includes: 18+ MDNI, smut, innocent virgin! Reader, manipulative dark best friend! Max, dubcon, size kink, dom/sub, somnophilia, recording, this is DARK 🥸 3.3k WC

You and Max had grown up close together, your families being good friends as your fathers had raced together back in the day. He had been shy and awkward when you met, age 5 and 6, but as soon as he had stepped in front of you in defence when you had been bullied in school the next day, you vowed to always be loyal to him. Your families approved the friendship, laughing and taking pictures when you two would play house - Max always being the husband doll to your wife doll, of course. You two did everything together - school, holidays, racing where you always came to support him bearing snacks and words of encouragement. So when he asked you at age 18 to move with him to Monaco you didn’t even hesitate to say yes - not imagining a life without your Maxie by your side.

Your move raised a few eyebrows from your family, who had been suprised that you hadn’t outgrown what they had thought was an innocent childhood crush. Your older sister had been especially worried at the thought of you alone in a new city with only Max there to support you. She noticed, sometimes, when he thought no one was watching - how his eyes would be watching you, in a way eerily similar to how a wolf watched a lamb he was about to devour whole. Althought it had taken a lot of pleading from your end to win her over, it had been easy enough to convince your parents to let you go, explaining you were enrolling in Monaco University - being bankrolled by Max’s new generous F1 salary - and yes, promised that you were staying in your own separate apartment. And that had been the plan, but when you stood in the entrance to Max’s penthouse a few weeks later, dripping head to toe with sprinkler water because somehow your up to code apartment had a fire when you had been out, he had insisted you stay at his until you found a new place - just for a short while. A short while then turned into a long while which then turned into the lockdown and at the end of it all Max had said you just couldn’t leave, he was too used to having you there that coming home to an empty apartment would be too hard. And although you had worried, saying that as you both got older it might be strange that you now lived together and people would talk, Max shot down all your concerns, reassuring you with a warm hug and sweet kiss to your forehead that the only opinion that mattered was yours, and as long as you’re happy Schat, I don’t really care what anyone else thinks. You had blushed from the affection and that was the end of that discussion.

You’d always been quite sheltered, naive even - and going to a strict private school meant you hadn’t had any romantic or sexual experience whatsoever. Growing up, it was clear to the adults around you that you had always held a crush on Max, and althought the older boy would always look out for you, he didn’t reciprocate to the same way - at least that’s what they thought. They hadn’t noticed that when you two had been gently separated one night when it had been deemed you were too old to sleep in the same bed anymore, Max had crept back and grabbed your hand as he lay next to you, mumbling he couldn’t sleep without you, liefje. No one noticed that this habit continued well into your teens, when Max would climb in through your bedroom window - initially making you freak out but soon reassured by Max’s words that your parents were just too strict, you were just two best friends wanting to spend time together.

And the first time you woke up one morning to feel something thick and hard pressing into you from the back, scaring you a bit, Max had gently rubbed your shoulder from the back while telling you it was okay, it’s just something that happens sometimes when a guy sleeps next to a pretty girl, you had blushed and accepted the compliment. And no one knew that behind closed doors your chaste goodbye kisses to Max’s cheek began turning into loving kisses on the lips when he had tilted your head up, saying he was going to miss you so much when he went on his first F1 race and he deserves a goodbye kiss for good luck from you, didn’t he?

And of course you would always give Max whatever he asked for since he was your best friend, your protector, the person you loved the most in the world. He’d pay for you, drive you everywhere, cheer you up when you were down, make you laugh, patiently take you shopping and rate every outfit you tried on, fight anyone who dared to give you a hard time - and the rest of the paddock had definitely noticed the lingering attentions of the Redbull driver to his childhood friend. Daniel and Lando constantly gave him shit for it, saying he needed to grow a pair and just confess instead of making puppy eyes at his “best friend”. Max always just rolled his eyes at their gossiping ways.

But it was hard to deny their claims when Max would pull you in to sit on his lap at a games night making everyone smirk at you, or when you would emerge from his hotel room the next morning since you two still shared a bed everytime you went away - it’s just like a sleepover when we were little, scatje, nothing wrong with it - or when at fancy award ceremonies or galas Max would be photographed in his tux, a vogue model at his side as his latest girlfriend - and you on his other side, wearing a luxury dress he’d brought for you. The paparazzi would eat up the dirty looks Max’s flings would always be shooting you, knowing they always came second to his best friend.

The thing was, even when sometimes doubt would flicker in your mind that things were too intimate, too romantic, between you and Maxie - you couldn’t bring yourself to want to draw back. You’d always secretly had such a crush on the older boy growing up, but since he had never directly reciprocated and was now a big world champion with women around every corner in Monaco after him, you’d learnt to accept your feelings were unrequited and you needed to stop reading so much into Max’s pure intentions to look after you. After all, that’s what best friends did, right?

And oh, did Max look after you. It seemed every week he’d level up more and more. Matching jewellery and heels to go with the designer dresses, and lately you had come home to find matching lingerie in Max’s favourite colour, dark blue. You had blushed furiously, feeling an indescribable icky pit in your stomach and remembering your sister’s warnings - Max goes too far, he pushes the boundaries of a normal friendship - but Max put all your worries to ease over the homecooked dinner you made him that night, explaining that the latest dress just happened to come with matching accessories and he wanted to make sure that you felt beautiful in all the layers you wore and it was normal to give your best friends gift, no? But he could return it if you’d prefer… prompting you to hastily accept his intimate gift, reassuring him that it was so thoughtful and you were so grateful. He’d looked so pleased with your response that when he ordered more and more sets, each one getting just a touch more lacier and risqué, you just thanked him for each one. And when he asked you how you found your gift, could he have a look at it, please schatje, I always help you pick your prettiest outfits right? You had nodded in agreement, blushing but shyly pulling his hoodie off your torso to expose the outrageously expensive La Perla black lace set you wore, accentuating your plump ass and pushing your tits up for him to hungrily look at. Max’s gaze had lingered there for a long time, his gaze turning dark and you had felt that same uncomfortable pit begin to settle in your stomach again when he saw the look on your face and patted your soft, chubby waist in reassurance, saying don’t be embarrased, schat, we always grew up seeing each other like this, right? Remember that photo of us swimming in that pool in Ibiza? Completely naked? Besides, you’ve seen me shirtless so many times, this is the same as that. That was true, you accepted dreamily, and not thinking anything of it when Max started asking you to send photos of you modelling the cute sets he’d get delivered to you when he was away. You happily snapped away mirror selfies, in all the different angles he wanted to see you from, even strange ones you weren’t quite sure about like bend over and stick your hips right up in the air, hmm schat?

He’d kiss you goodbye now all the time, saying you were his cute little good luck charm, with the expectation that you’d open your lips wide for him, letting him shove his tongue into your mouth and explore it to his hearts content. Gotta have a better kiss to get better luck. It felt so nice and made you feel all tingly between your legs so you would never turn it down. And since Max was away more and more with his racing schedule, often he would come home and fall asleep straight in your bed, saying he had missed being away from you so much. You had thought it was so sweet, no one else but you got to see Maxie like that, you were the only one he depended on. So you easily wrapped yourself up in his embrace, just like when you two had been little - except this time Max would say you’re so tense, schat, let me help you relax a bit, my physio knows this great muscle relaxation technique-

And it felt soo nice when he rubbed your sensitive little body up and down, you had no complaints, not even when some nights he would travel much, much lower down your plush little tummy than he had before. You just obediently parted your legs for him when he commanded in his deep voice, running his thick finger up your slit through your wet lace panties. And sometimes you’d wake up to feel that very familiar hardness of his behind you, soo warm now as he took himself out of his sweatpants and let his cock rest against you. Feels all tense, sweetheart, cause you kept rubbing against it last night and I didn’t get any sleep he would sigh.

You’d feel terrible, apologising profusely for interrupting his precious sleep when he trained so much, asking how you could make it up to him when Max had said just gonna let it relax out onto you, yeah? Don’t worry, you can even go back to bed, baby. You’d nodded sleepily, so grateful that Maxie was so sweet he always put your sleep first, even when his had been deprived.

He’d waited before you were comfortably nuzzled back against him, breaths turning deeper as sleep overtook you before slowly lifting your damp panties out of the way, and sliding his leaking tip just along the entrance to your innocent hole, making you moan, half asleep cause it felt soo good, and you felt so guilty that you felt so much pleasure while Max had just become frustrated overnight. With your eyes screwed shut you’d never notice the dark lustful look in his eyes, the evil smirk on his face as he had his way with you, letting him getting away with practically murder if it was for the sake of your friendship. You let him continue gliding his cock along your puffy folds, his tip repeatedly stimulating your sensitive clit, his large hands coming up to fondle at your boobs that has somehow slipped out of your camisole and gently flick your nipples before he tensed, holding you tightly against him as his breaths quickened. You has felt something warm and wet leaking out from the sides of your panties. You looked down, dazed, but Max shushed you back asleep, lulling you into his arms again. And when you woke up next you always had a clean pair of fresh panties on, camisole tucked back down over your thick hips, Max no where in sight.

As you grew up, your sexual curiosity eventually began to peak. When all of your friends in uni had gotten boyfriends and giggled to you about how good sex felt, you had gotten curious too. of course, you would never bring it up with Max even though you two talked about everything - because you should only be talking about sex with your future boyfriend, right? But one day when you had come home early from class you had heard lewd noises coming from Max’s bedroom. So lewd that you had been unable to stop yourself from peeking through a slight gap. The sight of Max thrusting himself into his latest girlfriend, her face pushed down into the mattress as he drilled into her from the back made you blush furiously. You’d stood there for a little while, your panties getting damp at the sight of sweat dripping down Max’s abs before you had caught yourself and scurried away, so guilty about violating Max’s privacy like that. You were such a creep, what was wrong with you?!

But that afternoon had also made you realize Maxie had so much more experience than you as you hadn’t been sure what a lot of the movement and positions you had seen that day were. And Max had said you could always ask him for help with anything, right? You couldn’t quite build up the courage to ask him - until your classmate asked you out one day, making you giddy with excitement but come crushing down when he had later found out on the date that you were a virgin, and had said maybe it was best for you to be with someone who was more on your level, that he didn’t feel comfortable being with someone so inexperienced for a casual fling. You’d come home sobbing, running straight into Max’s arms in your cute little dress and strappy heels, crying Maxie, he was so mean, you’d never believe what he said-

Max had been furious when you told him the story. He was so, so angry - not only at your classmate, but at you, for going on this date and not telling him, the way you would always tell Max about everything you did in your day. How could you be so careless, so slutty to go out with a guy like that? Max demanded, making your eyes widen and cry harder. It’s those new girlfriends of yours, aren’t they, they’re such fucking whores.

You’d never seen him so angry before, not even when he had a DNF at a race weekend. He’d only seems to calm down when you had looked up at him with innocent eyes, pleading Maxie, please, will you teach me how to be a good girlfriend, I don’t want to be so inexperienced anymore.

He’d sighed and run his hands through your hair, wiping away the tears that had made mascara drip down your cheeks. Of course, schat. I’ll show you exactly how to be a good little girlfriend. But promise me that you won’t talk to another guy without my permission first, okay? I have to protect you and make sure that you’re trained enough to have a boyfriend.

It was so, so sweet of Max to take time out of his busy schedule to help your embarrassing problem, you thought dreamily. You never noticed that your classmate never turned up to class again, but did have to go to hospital that week for a new black eye and bruised ribs.

Meanwhile, Max first started your “lessons” by showing you how to pump him from soft to a raging erection, guiding your hands into his sweatpants and moving your hands up and down, after you spit cutely into your palms to ease the glide. You didn’t notice the smirk on his face as he watched your struggle to jack off his entire sizeable length with your tiny palms.

Then he’d shown you how to use your mouth to make him feel good. You’d sat on your ass for hours in between his legs as he absentmindedly played his game, drawing kitten licks up his shaft before he’d taken over and told you to relax that tight throat of yours, baby, as he shoved his cock inside your mouth. He’d jackhammered away happily without any regard for the tears that emerged from your eyes. You had coughed, spluttered, throat raw for days as Max made you practise on the daily, tutting at you in mock disappointment when your gag reflux got in the way and you stopped halfway down his length. He’d pulled you up to sit on his lap, his hard cock wedged in between your plush thighs, as he put a dirty video onto the TV - petite ebony deepthroats massive white cock like a pro.

You had blushed and stuttered at the obscene video, looking away at one point but Max had forced your head back to look at the scene, saying don’t miss this bit, schat, look how she doesn’t forget about his balls, yeah?

You’d watched video after dirty video until you had perfected your blowjob technique exactly to Max’s likings. You look up obediently at him as he points his phone at you, flash on and all, recording your performance for reference, of course scatje, we need to track your progress, right? as you sloppily took his hard cock into your eager mouth, all the way to the base, gag reflux well and truly trained out of you from his daily discipline.

You’d woken up the next morning to find Max’s blonde curls between your legs, his tongue sweetly licking at your most innocent parts and you had squealed in shock, Maxie what are you doing ohmygod- but he quickly thrust his fingers into your drooling mouth to shut you up, just progressing to the next level, sweetheart, you need to learn to cum whenever I ask you too.

You’d squeaked and whined as his tongue didn’t stop flicking your clit, his fingers now joining in abusing your poor little virgin cunny until you begged him to pull away, Maxie please I feel funny, I think I’m going to pee- Ahhh!!! You’d ended up squirting all over his fingers and tongue, immediately passing out from exhaustion at the sheer intensity and missing the dark, pleased grin on Max’s face as he licked up your juices from his fingers. God, it was almost too easy to brainwash you into his perfect little pet. Soon he’d having you asking him to claim your virginity, he just knew it. And he would not hesitate, taking what had always belonged him anyways. He’d have made you his housewife a long time ago if your goddamn sister hadn’t kept cockblocking him.

Never mind that. Even she wouldn’t be able to withhold her blessing when you’d turn up at the next family gathering, glowing and expecting his child, he thought darkly. Smirking to himself, Max unbuttoned his pants, freeing his hard cock. In fact, why wait to feed you some bullshit excuse about how no baby, virgins can’t get pregnant the first time or no, I can’t use a condom, schat, it’s bad for you to have something unnatural inside you.

He might as well start now and give you a thick creampie as your present to wake up to later ♥️ After all, you’d take it like the good girl you always were for him.

—————————————————————————

A/N: Chile anywaysssss don’t mind me and my depraved thoughts. Gotta go drink some holy water fr. Lmk what you guys thought! Feel free to request more x

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

thinking about Emma Frost again. let's imagine for a second X-Men matters and my opinion must be shared.

When I was a kid I really respected and liked Professor X. I thought his stances on issues were calm and reasonable and I thought his efforts were, while ultimately fruitless, the best ones in the fictional conversation about inclusivity and race and all that. this is a subtle reference to the fact I only watched the cartoon and the movies as a kid.

When I grew older and learned English I started engaging with the comics and realized that oh, turns out the adaptations are superficial at best and fladerizing at worst, and there's a lot more to Charles than Being Correct. He's actually in fact a scathing critique of control and flawed leaders of good faith ideals, and how you're supposed to grow over those who created the words you use to free yourself from tyranny. Professor X is a jerk, Magneto was right, all that.

But over time I realized how much that erases Emma Frost, villain turned voice of reason extraordinaire.

Emma starts her tenure in X-Men as Claremont's personification of everything that is bad with high society, accosted by Sebastian Shaw, which is that but male. Emma is genuinely awful when Claremont writes her; a GOOD awful, on purpose, but she's not supposed to be relatable. She has her own mutant school, her own team of mutants, her own answer to Cerebro. She's the most genuine Evil Xavier we get for a full two decades. and she's great at it! Even if the hellfire club almost always truces with the X-Men for the sake of fighting a more important battle, there's no question that you're not supposed to root for Emma.

And then in the 90s something changes, Claremont goes away for a second, other people approach the character, and the question becomes, why are we treating her like evil Xavier? She's building community. She's giving a voice to the disenfranchised. She's training them and she's caring for them and at no point is she asking of them things they actively disagree with, which can't be said of Charles. And so starts the process most every X-Men villain goes through: humanization, complexity, redemption. And fuck does Emma redeem herself.

Ten years into not being a caricature of high class, Emma has accrued a tragic backstory, several positive projects in canon, renown as a genius, positive relationships to several characters, and a main team spot in a highly acclaimed, influential run as of New X-Men. A whole new generation of readers introduced to Emma, new powers, new MO, new everything. Other characters are changing drastically, usually backwards, to accompany the movie's success -- Magneto is evil again, Jean goes back to being the Phoenix, Charles is a lot more like Captain Picard. But Emma? Emma gets to keep going. She changes things wherever she goes.

She hooks up with Cyclops, her daughters become their new Cerebro, she becomes the new heavy-hitter, the Hellfire Club becomes more Shaw and Shinobi's deal than hers... obviously, this isn't consistent. She's got low points and moments that don't agree to her new character. But this woman, who started as commentary on how the rich will destroy you for fun, is now a key positive portion of the world because at some point in time, she had a point -- Charles *isn't* the end-all-be-all of the matter of teaching young mutants, Erik *isn't* the best way forward as far as mutant armadas go, there *is* nuance to their dualistic conversation, the dichotomy is only enforced because they're loud, but she can be louder, she can be louder than any of them--

And then Krakoa hits. Yes, there's a full ten years of bad X-Men stories, many of them including Emma, at least one of them including Emma genociding a few Inhumans. But then Krakoa hits, and every character gets a new project.

Cyclops? Seeing the world move on in ways he might not approve of. Wolverine? Being happy, and realizing he means to fight to keep it going. Erik? Charles? Apocalypse?? Seeing how strong their "dreams" are when they compromise, and realizing oh, I am willing to do *anything* to keep this going, quite literally anything, there is no crime predicted by man or god that would be beyond my reach if it meant paradise would not be lost.

Emma? Emma keeps doing what she's been doing from the word go. Keep it fabulous. Keep the children safe. Don't fall for the lies. At some point someone will invade your privacy and try to take everything away from you. Your job is not to simply destroy them. Your job is to showcase to them how this too was accounted for.

Emma, alongside her planning, her alliances, her leading of the resistance, her unfathomable internal strength and her willingness to see the world for what it is, won the war for Krakoa. Charles wanted things to stay the way they were, Erik wanted things to be the way he dreamed they could be, Apocalypse wanted things to impress him.

Emma wanted them to be safe and sound. Emma wanted the children to be safe. And when Krakoa rose and left, now fully developed and having outgrown her as well, she picked herself back up and went to train a new generation.

There's always children to keep safe. There's always a new generation. The work is never finished.

Yes, the O5 have their own version of Xavier's dream fulfilled, but Emma is the only one who managed to keep herself genuine while evolving. In a room with religious zealots, war criminals, villains and ancients evils, Emma could always look at Kitty Pryde and think to herself, look at what we're doing, my friend. Look at what we have to work with. We're not saving them from themselves, we're saving everyone they're willing to sacrifice.

I wish those adaptations would make Emma Frost sound like she does to me. She's not just a third option to the Professor X-Magneto dichotomy. She's a person asking why is this a dichotomy in the first place. She's too busy actually caring about people to bother with the bickering.

For the children, they said when they wanted her to join their little utopia. For the children, she sighed back, realizing that if she didn't say it, quite literally no one else would.

[readyplayerhobi]

Knife's Edge | Epilogue

; Mafia!Jungkook x Reader, Jimin x Reader

; Genre: Fluff, mild angst

; Word Count: 3.6k

; Synopsis: The Jeon Clan is Family, built on blood and loyalty. It’s been an  unspoken fact that one day you will marry the heir to the Clan, Jeon Jungkook. You would be a fool to deny that you love him, but what happens when you meet a blue haired man who offers you a chance at normality?

; A/N: Recent interest in this series again has inspired me to finally write an epilogue - it's just fluffy nonsense, honestly. But I hope you enjoy it either way! Thank you for all the love on this series!

Previous Chapter

-

Five Years Later

Humming quietly, you carefully take the baby foxglove out of its pot and place it into the hole you've dug. The dirt is soft and malleable - not too hard to dig, but not borderline mud, either. The plant looks tiny compared to some of the giants surrounding it, but you know this little one will grow taller than them all.

It might not be much now, but in a few months, it will be a few feet high and blossoming with delicate purple blossoms, the petals sighing down to the ground. Beautiful flowers that will hide a dark secret - foxgloves are as deadly as they are pretty.

That wasn't why you were planting it, though. You just thought they were pretty, the reason why you'd planted everything in the extensive garden of your home. The mansion Jungkook lived in, and now you, was huge and the gardens were equally so.

Neither of his parents had ever cared what the gardens looked like, so they'd just hired landscapers and gardeners to care for it. But when you'd married Jungkook and officially moved in, you'd asked if you could take over the garden beds. It was a new passion you'd discovered over the months leading up to your wedding - hours spent knelt in the dirt in between your classes and exams.

Unlike people, plants weren't judging. They didn't care what you'd done, or what you thought and they had no opinions of you. They just existed, and they were happy to get the attention.

It probably wasn't too healthy, but you'd used the plants as therapy. Hours upon hours had been spent with you whispering all your secrets to them, your hopes and dreams and fears and regrets being woven into their leaves as they grew. A real therapist would've been more helpful, but what kind of therapist would be able to help someone like you?

They'd have to be Clan approved, which in turn would mean you couldn't possibly tell them what you really thought. No one knew why Jungkook and you had suddenly had a rift so deep that he'd refused to see you for weeks. And everyone knew that something bad had happened - Jungkook was, and still is, infamous in the Clan for his weak spot for you.

Anything you told a therapist would be spread throughout the Clan like wildfire, the winds of gossip spreading the fires of rumour faster and higher than you could hope to outrun. The whole Clan would know that you'd cheated on Jungkook, that you'd betrayed him in the worst way a woman could in the Clan. On top of that, everyone would know that Jungkook had overlooked it - that he'd opted to forgive you for your transgression and love you still.

You'd be vilified for being unfaithful, and he'd lose all respect from the Clan he now ruled. 

No, you couldn't tell anyone what had happened. A secret you would take to your grave, with only 3 people aware of it outside of yourself. And none of them had any interest in it getting out.

Still, you hadn't wanted the ghost of unsaid anger and resentment haunting your relationship, so you'd done a lot of research into therapy. It’s not as good as going to an actual, qualified therapist, but it's better than nothing. Plus, you can only imagine the judgment if people find out Jungkook had been attending therapy - the backwards views of the Clan would have them screaming that he wasn't fit to lead if he was going to therapy of all things.

So you watched videos and you read things, until you had a basic understanding of how to navigate things. Jungkook and you talked things out instead of keeping secrets, you let him know if you were feeling lonely or sad and he let you know if he was feeling overwhelmed or unhappy. Some things you'd improvised yourself, all in the name of making sure you both communicated.

If there was an argument, then you would both write down why you were angry on a piece of paper and then let the other read it. Jungkook had thought this was silly at first, but getting out his stress and anger on paper instead of shouting it let him think through what he was annoyed over. Most of the time, you both discovered that you weren't angry at the other, but at something else and it had simply bubbled up.

Just last year, you'd both had an argument with you snapping at Jungkook for not taking his laundry upstairs. He'd snapped back, pointing out that he'd been busy all day and the laundry was the least of his worries. Cue a ten-minute argument before Jungkook grabbed a notepad, ripped out two pages and handed you a pen. The two of you had scribbled furiously, brows creased in concentration and jaws tight with frustration.

What had started with you being annoyed at him for not taking his laundry, after asking him many times, was revealed to be that you were feeling lonely in the big house on your own. He'd been busy, true, which meant he'd barely been home for a month and when he had been home, he'd been either asleep or locked in his office. Whilst you'd been able to graduate college and take a job as a teacher - much to the shock and horror of pretty much everyone in the Clan - it had summer vacation. You'd had no work to do during the time off.

As unhealthy as it was, he was still your only friend in the Clan - other women steered clear of you after the Incident - and you'd been desperately lonely and sad. You’d had casual friends - acquaintances from work and a few elderly folks from the gardening club you'd joined, but no one you could be open and honest with. You'd wanted your husband, your best friend.

Ironically, Jungkook had been irritated by his work just like he'd said. But when he drove down into it, he was annoyed that the busiest period had occurred at the same time you were off work. He'd wanted to spend time with you, maybe even go on vacation, yet he'd barely seen you. Add on his irritation at idiotic people in the Clan putting people's lives in danger and he'd been a powder keg of annoyance.

Understandably, you'd both apologised once you'd figured out why the argument had happened. Though Jungkook had felt terrible that you'd been so sad - he'd never quite forgiven himself or the Clan for isolating you, even if it had been warranted at the time.

Patting down the soil around the plant until it's fully compacted, you hum lightly before brushing your hands together. Dirt falls to the floor from the gloves and you sit up, stretching your back with a wince and a groan. As much as you love being in the garden, your back certainly doesn't.

Standing, you grab the empty plant pots and begin to tidy up after yourself. It's meant to rain later tonight, so you don't bother watering the new plants.

Before you even get to the door that leads to the kitchen, you hear the low tones of Jungkook's voice from inside. He's home early, you think, you check the time on your phone before washing your hands in the sink.

“Here's mommy!” He coos, and you turn to see him holding your four-month-old daughter in his arms, her back to his chest. Jungkook grins at you over the top of her head, his hair perfectly gelled into place as dimples dot his tan skin.

He hadn't even bothered changing yet, still in his crisp all-black suit that he'd left in this morning. The only thing he was missing was his shoes - instead, he was just wearing black socks.

Hana squeals with excitement as she recognises you, chubby legs kicking out as her arms windmill and your heart swell with love and adoration for her. For him, too. A few years ago, you'd thought this would all be an impossible dream - yet here you are, married to him and with the perfect little girl.

“Hey, beanie! You being good for daddy?” Leaning forward, you tickle her sides and smile in delight as she wriggles in Jungkook's arms. She's such a perfect baby and has been adored by Jungkook and you since you'd seen the two pink lines in the pregnancy test. Life without her was an impossible thought, and the whole Clan knew that Hana was more important to Jungkook than anything in the Clan. He didn't care if the idea of him being a loving parent shocked some of them, if anything he believed that there were people in the Clan who needed to see what an actual parent should be.

The only thing that concerned you was Jungkook's love for Hana and you were also well known to other Clans. A deep-rooted fear was that one of them would try to attack him through Hana, despite the high levels of protection he put in place. It was something that the two of you could only attempt to mitigate, as there was no way to completely cut off the threat. Even turning whistle-blower to the government wouldn't guarantee protection.

But Jungkook did what he could. You both at least had the relief of knowing that Hana, and yourself, were safe from the rival Clan in your city. Jimin had taken over a few years ago, and even though your friendship was much more sporadic than it had been, he'd made it clear that no one was to hurt you or Hana for fear of a war breaking out.

That was his excuse, but you knew he just didn't want you or your baby girl hurt. Whilst Jungkook wasn't exactly thrilled that you were still friends with Jimin in some way, he'd been grateful to find out that Jimin had given you friendship and comfort when the whole Clan had turned against you. He was even more grateful to find out the protection that Jimin had bestowed, and if it wouldn't have caused issues with both sides then he would have let you introduce Jimin to Hana.

No one could ever say Jungkook wasn't a reasonable person. If anything, he was too reasonable when it came to you, but he'd put aside his dislike of Jimin because he'd been the only person there for you in your darkest days.

“I'm guessing you turned off the monitor, as mine didn't go off.” You ask Jungkook, gesturing to the baby monitor attached to your belt. He liked to surprise you with her, and there was nothing more you loved than seeing your big, tough husband holding his tiny baby girl. You didn't understand the logic of it, but it made you want to do things that could not be spoken aloud around Hana.

“Yeah, she was just starting to wake so I thought I'd take her instead of bothering you. You seemed pretty happy in the garden.” He replies, kissing Hana’s dark hair fondly.

No matter what the Clan thought of you, there could be no denying that Hana was Jungkook's daughter. She'd inherited his eyes, from their shape to the way they seemed to shine at nothing. The two of them next to each other made the family resemblance even stronger.

You'd made some terrible decisions in your life, but you liked to think Hana made up for them. She sure made Jungkook happier than he'd ever been, which was more than enough for you.

Leaning forward, you kiss Hana’s forehead and cherish the squeal of delight she gives at the affection. She adores her mommy and daddy - you won't accept anyone’s comments that she's a baby and they all love their parents that much. Hana, of course, is special.

“Someone's had a good nap, haven't you? You get it from your daddy, he sleeps like a log, too.” Smiling, you tickle her stomach around Jungkook's arms and enjoy the sharp peals of laughter she gives. Pregnancy hadn't been fun, and there were nights when you questioned why you'd done this, but it all went away when you heard that laughter.

“The sleep genes are strong in the Jeon's.” Jungkook laughs, leaning past Hana to press a kiss to your lips. He's not wearing his lip ring, or his earrings, as Hana had a habit of grabbing them and not letting go. Jungkook might be the head of an entire Clan that does plenty of shady shit, but he whined like a baby himself when Hana was tugging on those rings and you were constantly afraid she was going to accidentally rip them from him.

You missed them, but he put them back in for date nights or when he was going to his job. Miss Hana would have to wait till she was older to get to see daddy with his piercings again.

You're distracted away from that thought process by the way Hana starts making familiar noises, her tiny body bouncing in Jungkook's arms whilst her eyes are focused firmly on your chest.

“Okay, looks like someone is hungry.” You say, reaching out and taking Hana into your arms. She almost immediately starts nuzzling, trying to root out her source of food and makes some cranky noises when your top prevents her from reaching her goal. It’s a familiar process by now, and you take comfort in it as you head through to the living room - despite the house becoming Jungkook’s after he took over for his father, the two of you only use half of it, with the other half still housing his parents.

You’d had no interest in kicking them out of their home, especially as you thought this house was ridiculously large anyway. So, instead, Jungkook renovated the mansion until it was technically two houses in one with an office section in the centre for Clan business. It gave you the privacy you needed, without taking away from the prestige it gave to Jungkook. You didn’t have to worry about Clan business being brought into your personal space, as there was no way to access your side from the offices.

The living room was still an obscene size, but you’d chosen an equally large sofa to take up most of the space. It was somewhere that Jungkook and you enjoyed laying on to relax after a long day, and Jungkook had installed a screen projector instead of a TV. Hana was going to love this room when she was older, and you could already see the fights between her and Jungkook when they wanted to watch something in particular.

“Hang on, lemme just sort this-” Jungkook mutters as he moves past you, heading over to where the corner of the sofa intersects with the other part and patting the cushions into place. He was the master at creating a snuggle zone for you with enough support that nursing Hana didn’t cause any backache, but today you wanted to enjoy the fact he was here with you.

“Can you sit with us? Or let me lean on you?” You ask, bouncing Hana lightly as you try to distract her enough until he’s done. She’s getting impatient though, and the soft whining sounds are starting to turn a little more upset. Another few minutes and she’ll start crying.

Jungkook pauses, looking up at you with raised brows before smiling. He doesn’t even try to hide the happiness that takes over, and your heart skips a little at the pure joy and love radiating from him.

“Yeah, gimme a sec.” He says, rearranging the cushions so it’s comfy for two to sit in before quickly taking off his jacket. It’s thrown onto the sofa without a second glance, and you take a moment to wince at the elegant fabric - it’s going to crease and you know for a fact that jacket is worth a few grand. But he’s never cared about stuff like that, and you need Hana fed sooner rather than later so you don’t mention it.

“Okay, come on princess, let’s get our little bean fed.” Standing back for a second, Jungkook grins at you happily as he rolls the sleeves of his shirt up his forearms, revealing the ink on them that is a colourful contrast to the rest of him. He sits down and holds out an arm, which you happily sink into before readjusting until you’re comfortable enough to sit for a while.

Hana’s face creases and the first sounds of that heartbreaking cry start to leave her. Hurriedly, you coo to her as you lift your shirt and pull your nursing bra down slightly. There’s a brief moment where you’re worried she’s going to start screaming, but her mouth latches onto your nipple and almost immediately she settles as she begins to feed heartily.

Letting out a deep breath, you let your head roll back onto Jungkook’s shoulder before smiling at him.

“Crisis averted.” You laugh, wincing ever so slightly as Hana suckles a little too painfully. Jungkook smiles at you and looks down at his little girl, his smile turning so soft. Being around Hana is always so soothing to him, even when she’s screaming with tears flowing because she’s the complete opposite of his job as the head of the Clan. She’s peace and joy and happiness and love whereas his job is often anger and frustration and violence.

He’s made it clear to you that Hana will get to do whatever she wants when she grows up. If she wants to go to college, she can or if she wants to join the Clan, then she can. Jungkook refuses to let her gender hold her back, and even though he doesn’t want her involved in the dark side of his life, he’s going to let her decide. If she wants to walk away from the Clan forever, then he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she’ll live a safe life. There’s going to be those in the Clan who will bristle at these decisions he’s making, but he’s already told you that he doesn’t care. His daughter and her happiness are more important than anything else, and you’ll support him 100%.

Sighing quietly, you let yourself relax and just watch Hana as she feeds. Her life is so uncomplicated right now, and she’s got so much to look forward to as she grows.

“Are you happy?” You ask Jungkook, not even realising you were thinking the words until they’ve left your mouth. There’s a moment of silence as Jungkook processes what you’ve said, and you feel him tense ever so slightly.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” The tension in him is from confusion more than anything else, and you let out a soft sigh before shifting until the back of your head is resting in the crook of his neck. Of course, he’s happy, why wouldn’t he be? But deep down inside, you know that you’ve never forgiven yourself for what you did, and there’s a part of you that’s still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The small part of you that’s terrified you’ll make a mistake one day and Jungkook will throw you out again, only this time keeping your daughter. It’s ridiculous, and you know that he’d never do it, but you’ve never been able to get rid of that tiny voice that says dark things to you in the back of your mind.

“Ignore me, seriously, ignore me - I’m happy and I know you’re happy. I love you. Hana is perfect, and I love her so much. She’s the best present you’ve ever given me. I dunno, I’m just tired and taking crap.” Letting out a huff of laughter, you inhale deeply and let it out in a slow motion. You’re not lying, you are tired lately and still hormonal. A four-month-old baby who relies on you to feed her means that you’re exhausted, and you’re already feeling your body start to shut down as you sit comfortably in the arms of your husband with the warm weight of your baby against you.

Jungkook presses his lips to your temple, letting them rest there for a moment.

“One day, you’ll finally believe me when I say I forgive you. But I’ll say it again - I forgive you, and I love you, and I don’t want to spend a day of my life without you. If I died tomorrow, then I’d die happy knowing I got the chance to love you and Hana. So yes, I’m happy and I’ve been happy and I’ll be happy. Please, stop beating yourself up for it.” He kisses your head again, and you’re too tired and hormonal to be hearing his words rationally. 

You start to cry, your chest heaving in a way that makes Hana grumble at being jostled but the thought of him being gone makes your heart ache so painfully. 

“Please don’t die, please.” Your plea makes him laugh quietly, and he wraps his arm around your front, just above where Hana is, and hugs you.

“Okay, okay, those were the wrong words to say when you’re nursing. My bad, forget I said it. I’m not gonna die, okay? Just…focus on that I love you. I love you, princess. Always have, always will.” Tears falling down your face, you tilt your head up until you’re able to kiss him. It’s nothing vulgar or intense, but the depth of emotions in that small kiss makes you feel so much.

“I love you, too. And Hana, I love her so much.”

[captain-lessship]

His “Sidekick In The Chair” No Longer Pt.2

a/n: I promise that pt. 3 will be longer. Also enjoy Motivational Era quote Pav header cause I made it while sleep deprived

You honestly thought that living with an alien inside you would be significantly worse than what it was. 

Toxin would help you where he could. He would read recipes off to you while you cooked, he would help you with schoolwork and gave his opinion on your outfits albeit that the latter was unwanted.

There was just one thing that worried you: How was Pav going to react?

He was your best friend and it would break your heart if he didn’t approve.

“Are you sad?” Toxin asked as you set the kettle on the stove.

“Well, not exactly. I am just worried.”

“What about?” 

“What if my other friend doesn’t like you?”

The voice was quiet, “I don’t think he has much room to judge.”

You scoffed, “Yeah but I just worry.”

“Too much.”

“Shut up.”

“Fine. But I crave chocolate.” 

You rolled your eyes as you walked to the cupboard and opened it, “What kind?” 

“Dark.” 

You pulled out a bar of chocolate and began eating it, “Ya know, I think we should start training.” 

“For?”

“Superhero work.”

“I see.” 

You heard a knock at your door, you walked to it and looked through the peephole: It was Pavitr. 

It had been a few weeks since he came to your house, you opened the door and  looked at him.

“Look what the cat dragged in.” You joked, letting him in. You shut the door behind him, “So, what’s up?”

Pav looked at you, “I- Well… can we sit down?”

“Sure, I got a kettle on for tea.” You said, wondering where his sunny attitude had gone. 

He followed you into the kitchen and sat at the table, eyes watching you intently. You noticed but you kept your attention on the teapot as you filled it with boiling water. 

“Pav-“ you started but were cut off.

“Is there anything you want to tell me?”

You thought for a moment before turning around with the tea pot and two cups, “Is there something you want to know?”

You sat down the cup in front of him and poured his cup first, then yours. 

“Has anything… strange happened to you?”

“There is something.” You started, “But you gotta understand that… I did it for a good reason and I am happy that I did. It’ll be good for us, we can both be out there and we can help people.”

He looked at you with confusion, “I know that it is inside of you that can’t be good!” He said, moving his hands as he talked.

You were shocked that he knew and you were wondering how he knew, “He has a name.” 

“Oh he does?”

“Toxin.” You clarified.

“Might as well name him ticket to hel-“ 

Suddenly the crimson creature partially left your body to look Pav in the eye. 

“Toxin!” You shouted, “Be nice. He’s our friend.”

You looked at the creature as it moved back to rest on your shoulder like a messed up parrot.

Pav looked at you with a shocked expression, he’d only seen it on your bed, not as a moving creature, “That’s him?” 

“Yes, and he can be really sweet, right Toxin?”

“Right.” It grumbled out, eyes focused on Pav, who was reaching for his tea cup.

“Well,” Toxin said, eyes now locked to yours, “Is he the Spider Man?”

“You told him?” Pav said, leaning forward.

“He can read my mind, he found himself.” You said, taking a sip from your cup.

“What’s it like?” Pav asked. A smile came to your face: he wasn’t completely scared now, more curious than afraid. 

“Well, It is like having a second voice of reason in you that you have very little control over. He also is very smart and helpful.” You held out your hand for Toxin to move to and encapsulate. “He can also cover my body, which keeps me safe from anything.”

“Can you feel things? Like if you fall or if something gets thrown at you?” 

“Personally? No. But I can feel the force of a hit. Think like went someone turns on a leaf blower in your face or really close to your body.” You stood to allow Toxin to cover you. He stood and slowly moved to touch you, it was like a thick coating of shampoo that was very cool to the touch had invaded you. Pavitr was very impressed by it but a concern can to mind.

“Wow… It’s kinda cool. It doesn’t hurt you right?”

Your voice had changed into a blend of yours and Toxin’s, “Nah, if anything it helps cause I have to remember to take of him and that goes hand in hand with taking care of myself.”

“Does he eat weird things?”

“He’s asked for weird things.”

“Like?”

You had to answer this very carefully, it would either alarm Pav or ease his conscious. “He has asked for human brains but only for the chemicals! Only the chemical phenethylamine!”

Pav regained a look of shock and was about to open his mouth when you added on a small yet comforting detail.

“Phenethylamine is also found in chocolate.”

———————

@cantdothis-nomore

[lemotmo]

I agree with what you said to that other anon about KR being back.

My question is though, season 7 was she listed as co show runner or just as a writer? I thought Tim was the only listed show runner last season so if she’s been bumped up to join him in it again then…that does not bode well.

Since last time that happened was when he ended up leaving OG for LS and as we know now it was due to the network stepping in and stopping Bi Buck and buddie 😭

Hi nonnies! So, I got two asks about Kristen Reidel being listed as showrunner next to Tim. I wanted to answer these together.

First of all, just to get the confusion out of the way, she was listed as showrunner as well last year. Here's the proof:

season 7

Season 8

Okay, I have to admit that I don't understand why everyone is so up in arms about Kristen still being listed as showrunner. When Tim left a few seasons ago, she had the difficult task of 'avoiding' Buddie because the network (FOX) said so. She did what she was asked to do by the people who employ her. We don't know for certain if it is what she really wanted to do. But she had to, because it was her job. I have been there in my job. I have had to make some decisions or follow intructions that I didn't fully agree with. But ultimately, I'm not in charge. Just like she wasn't in charge back then.

But now the show is on a more open minded network: ABC. Tim is back and he is the first and most important showrunner. He has said time and time again that he tries to incorporate Buddie in every single episode. He knows how popular Buck and Eddie are.

Ask yourself this? Did we get Buddie in season 7? YES! So much Buddie in so many episodes. It's insane just how much we got of them together on screen. Kristen was still listed as showrunner in season 7, but we still got Buddie. So why do you think that her being a showrunner again for season 8 will stop Buddie from possible happening? She hasn't stopped it in season 7, so why would she stop it in season 8. She doesn't have that kind of power.

As the stage is set right now? I'm of the opinion that Tim has decided that Buddie will happen somewhere down the line. The plan is set in motion for real this time. Kristen doesn't have the authority to just swoop in and undo everything.

So ultimately, Kristen as a showrunner is okay.

Now, Kristen as a writer however? That is another thing altogether. She has proven on many occasions, but none of those as blatant as that terrible season 7 finale, that she is not that good of a writer for 911. I'm sure she has written for other shows and I'm sure she has great qualities and for anyone to make it at that level in the television industry? I'm absolutely certain that this woman is good at what she does. She just isn't good for 911. She keeps mischaracterising a lot of the characters we love. She doesn't seem to fully get them or their motivations to do something. So in that sense it is frustrating to watch the episodes she writes.

As for Tim approving that finale? Listen, he is the guy that came up with that awful Vertigo arc for Eddie in the first place. So, don't give him too much credit here. He may have great ideas and visions for 911 sometimes. But he does miss the ball quite often when it comes to this show. He set up that Vertigo arc and Kristen had to write an ending to that, probably with a lot of his input. So I do think they are both to blame for that lackluster season 7 finale episode.

TLDR, in conclusion, I really don't think anyone should panic over this. I'm fully convinced that ABC gave the green light for Buddie. No one is going to stop it at this level. Certainly not Kristen.

[a-boca-do-inferno]

when i look at you (al pacino x reader) [request]

summary: Al finds himself at a crossroads on set.

warnings: fluff, bit of angst

words: 1.0k

notes: hello guys! yes, im alive and well. just a clarification: i write for characters only, but i wrote this one thing specifically for a request that has been sitting in my inbox for a long time. at this moment requests are closed, but once they open again, it's for characters only!!! no real people. enjoy xx

NEW YORK CITY

1975

Amid the towering skyscrapers and labyrinthine streets, the movie set hummed with activity. Al was shooting his latest film and the director, Jack, a man known for his often stress-inducing standards and fiery temperament, stood at the helm. The set was abuzz with anticipation and nerves, but your figure was the only thing he could see. You had been a constant presence on set up until that point and such a vision, full of grace and quiet strength, never failed to catch his attention. 

Al was well aware you grew up in the world of cinema, your father’s passion seeping into your very being, however Jack was fiercely protective, ensuring you stayed away from the darker sides of the industry. And it was quite clear you loved your father dearly, yet longed for a taste of the freedom you saw in the actors and crew around you. The lingering gaze you directed at Al himself could attest to that; he’s seen that look on a woman’s face before. 

The longing for more.

Al first noticed you during a scene where he was meant to display raw emotion. He glanced over and saw you, half-hidden behind the camera, your attention locked onto him, watching intently. There’s just something in your globes—admiration, curiosity, who knows?—that struck him. For a moment, he almost broke character. It was on that day he decided he had enough. 

Al approached you on the lunch break, trying to keep his tone casual. “Hey.”

You looked up, a hint of surprise in your expression. “Hey! Uh… I’ve seen all your movies, Mr. Pacino. You’re incredible.”

He chuckled. “Just Al is fine, and thank you.” He displayed a playful bow. “I’ve seen you around a lot. You work on the set?”

You shook your head. “Not really. I just like being here, watching everything come together. It’s… magic.”

Your conversation was cut short by Jack’s booming voice calling Al back to the set. As he walked away, he glanced back and saw you still looking at him, your glance filled with that something he couldn’t quite place again.

Over the next few weeks, your interactions became more frequent, always under the radar. You would steal moments between takes, sharing stories and laughter, your connection growing stronger. Al found himself drawn to your intelligence and warmth, a stark contrast to the often superficial nature of Hollywood. And you, in turn, were captivated by his intensity and passion. He treated you as an equal, valuing your opinions and thoughts, which wasn’t a dynamic you were used to. 

It wasn’t long before these stolen moments began to feel like the most important parts of your day. Still, the shadow of Jack’s disapproval hung over you both. He would never approve of his daughter being involved with one of his actors, and especially not someone with Al’s reputation involving women. 

One evening, after a long day of shooting, Al found you alone on the rooftop of the building where they were filming that day. “Hey”, he said softly, joining you at the edge. “Penny for your thoughts?”

You smiled, though it seemed tight. “Just thinking about how much I love this city. And how much I hate keeping secrets.”

Al sighed, reaching out to take your hand. “I wish things were different.”

You turned to face him, your eyes searching his. “What if they didn’t have to be? What if we… just told him?”

“He’d be furious”, Al replied matter-of-factly. “He might even fire me. I can’t risk that, not with everything riding on this film.”

You squeezed his palm. “I can’t keep pretending we’re just friends, Al. It’s tearing me apart.”

Al pulled you into his arms, holding you close. “I know, sweetheart. We’ll figure something out, I promise.”

Your embrace was interrupted by the sound of the rooftop door opening. You sprang apart just as Jack appeared, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “What are you two doing up here?” He demanded.

“Just talking”, Al said quickly. “Needed some fresh air.”

Jack’s gaze shifted between you, doubt flickering in his features. “(y/n), it’s late. You should head home.” 

You only nodded, giving Al a fleeting, pained look before going with your father inside. The days that followed were filled with tension. You continued to see Al in secret, your moments together a mix of stolen kisses and whispered confessions. The fear of being discovered loomed over you, but so did the hope that one day, you wouldn’t have to hide.

One afternoon, as the crew was setting up for a particularly challenging scene, Jack pulled Al aside. “We need to talk.” Al’s heart pounded as he followed Jack to a quieter area of the set. He turned to the younger man, his face unreadable. “I know something’s going on between you and my daughter”, he stated bluntly.

Al’s breath caught in his throat. “Jack…”

“I’m not a fool, Al. I see the way you look at her. And she’s been different lately. Happier.”

Al swallowed hard, choosing his words carefully. “I care about her, Jack. I really do.”

Jack’s eyes softened, albeit but a fraction. “She’s my world, Al. I’ve protected her from everything this industry can throw at her. If you hurt her, I don’t know what I...”

“I won’t”, Al stated quickly, in a single breath. “I love her.”

The confession hung in the air, heavy with unspoken emotions. Jack studied him for a long moment before sighing quietly. “I believe you” he sighed at last. “But if you’re serious about this, you need to do it right. No more sneaking around. Be honest with her. And with me.”

Al felt a wave of relief wash over him. “Thank you. I promise I’ll make her happy.”

Jack nodded briefly, then clapped a hand on Al’s shoulder. “Alright, let’s get back to work. And later, we’re all going to dinner together. That’s your second job interview.”

Al laughed in a mix of amusement and nervousness before leaving his side to try and find you. And there you were, the same vision he came to admire everyday on set; except now his eyes were the ones sparkling with something different. No more longing, though. 

Only love. 

[impossibleprincess35]

Hello, I'm watching the clone wars again. and it had not caught my attention satine kryze until now, could you explain to me about his personality and character. Thank you for reading

Hi there!

Factually, Satine Kryze is the Duchess of Mandalore, and she is a pacifist, representing the New Mandalorians who have turned from the violent ways of their past. Without bias, it's pretty safe to say that she has a relatively high approval rating among her people, and she has done some incredible work rebuilding Mandalore following years of civil war among her people. Famously, Satine does not align Mandalore with the Republic or the Separatists in the Clone Wars, and instead, forms the Council of Neutral Systems, for other leaders who also eschew taking sides in the conflict. She is the daughter of a warlord (Duke Adonai Kryze, though other than his name, we know little of), and she has a sister, Bo-Katan Kryze, and a nephew, Korkie Kryze.

There are lots of little crumbs of information that Dave Filoni, Pablo Hidalgo, and one or two others involved in the making of "The Clone Wars" have dropped over the years in regards to things such as the age difference between Satine and Bo-Katan, and if there is another Kryze sibling to explain the nephew (who, it has been confirmed, is not Bo-Katan's child), but basically, nothing is established as canon, so we're all out there theorizing our asses off. :)

Also, when she was younger, she was put in the protection of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, for a year. During this time, she and Obi-Wan fell in love, but they went their separate ways, choosing Mandalore and the Jedi Order over each other. (It's canon that she nicknamed him "Ben." Also, a big fan theory is that Korkie Kryze is actually Obi-Wan's son, but it's not canon, so.. *shrugs*)

All this being said, Satine's fascinating. She's haughty, she's ill-tempered, she's snippy, but she's also compassionate and she's scrappy. She loves Mandalore fiercely, enough to take principled stances that make her unpopular with the rest of the galaxy, and she shows mercy to even domestic terrorists who bomb her city.

In my humble opinion, she is a vastly complex character that deserves so much more exploration, but because there's very little about her in canon aside from her episodes in TCW and a few small mentions in books, most of what you'll find is fandom content.

But those who love her love her dearly, and those who hate her really fucking hate her, and you'll find most people feel strongly one way or the other.

Thanks for the ask and I hope this helps! If not, or if you have anything further, don't hesitate to reach out! I'm happy to answer/help/guide you in the right direction! :)

[moonspirit]

If Annie were to connect with her birth or farthers family what will it be like?

Giving u full freedom to write

Hiya!

Firstly, I'll ask you to go read Little Bird by @aquietjune, because not only is it a fantastic fic, but it's also exactly about this!

Secondly, for my thoughts on it.

I can't imagine that somehow stumbling upon her birth family will be any kind of pleasant experience. Think about it, if Annie were to cup her hands to form a bowl, even one hand for that matter, all the love she's received during her childhood and much of her adolescence will not fill even half of it. Mr. Leonhardt is her father only in name and on some papers, but he hasn't been any kind of father to her at all. Not to mention the fact that she knows she was found by him as a baby. Annie's an orphan, abandoned for her mixed blood, not even really wanted by the man who adopted her, but only needed to be sharpened into a weapon. She knows all of it. Unfortunately for her, if she'd ever felt like seeking consolation for being left out in the cold on a streetside, she wasn't given any - only the promise of rigorous training, blood, broken skin and lonely tears.

What then, do you think her thoughts would be, regarding her own parents?

My opinion is - nothing much.

I will not say she would never have felt sad watching other kids hugging their biological parents close while she couldn't even hope to receive a pat on the head from her adoptive father. I'm not saying she wouldn't have entertained thoughts of "what if..." now and then while kicking stones into the water. I won't say she wouldn't have felt lonely and wonder why she was discarded that day she has no memory of.

But I'm saying she was too young to comprehend the abandonment to its full extent.

When people ask her about her family, she says "I've got a father," and says nothing more, because there's nothing more to say. She does have a father, it's not a lie. "What about your mother?" They then ask, but she shrugs and says, "Never had one," and it rolls so smoothly out of her mouth because that's how it is. A fact, as plain as it is that the sun rises and sets and fish swim in the water. Is it worth it feeling sad over some woman she never even knew?

That's not how she was brought up believing, thinking and feeling.

Annie's not emotionless - in fact she feels a LOT - but even then, she's grounded in a cynical reality. She makes space in her heart for a few people that really matter and curbs it to that.

So if she does chance upon her biological family, she will turn on her heels and walk back the way she came. There's no love lost. They left her there in that internment zone because they determined the color and type of blood she had that they couldn't even see was too dirty for their hands. She too, lived a very different life, thanks to that. There's no point wondering how things would've turned out if that had not happened; it's a waste of her time. This is how it is. There's nothing in common between her and them. They don't know her. She doesn't know them.

And that's as far as her tough exterior goes.

Inside, Annie's a vulnerable girl, one who's always yearned for approval, affection, love and kindness, and perhaps, she'll go home and cry in someone's arms.

Because after so many years, she saw the people who'd given birth to her, the people who gave her the colour of her eyes and the shape of her nose; after years of looking at the differences between her father and herself reminding her she's not his, she saw the family that brought her into this world - and still, she doesn't know them.

They're strangers, with nothing between them.

Nothing, only ice-cold air.

[sagemonsters]

@that-dnd-life has a blind date with...

Honey the Werebear

Honey is a paunchy transmasc werebear who has curly hair that is constantly in disarray, a booming laugh, a chipped front tooth, and kind eyes. He dresses in comfortable clothes and always smells like cinnamon.

Honey is a warmly gregarious person by nature and collects friends the way other people collect Pokémon cards. He cherishes every single friend he makes, but you’re especially dear to him and he seeks you out above other friends. He texts you “good morning” every day and makes an effort to respond to all of your texts. He cares about the mundane happenings in your life and would never call you boring.

Honey loves to cook and bake—it’s how he got his name! He’s particularly fond of complex desserts, and often asks for your opinion on what recipe he should try out next. He’s working on writing a cookbook, and will test recipes over and over before presenting them to you for “the final seal of approval.” He truly values your input in his creative process.

Although he has an entire bookcase filled with cookbooks and culinary history nonfiction, Honey doesn’t read much outside of his comfort zone. Instead, he asks you what book you’re reading and lives vicariously through your descriptions and clear enjoyment of the stories you’re imbibing. He likes listening to people talk about things they care about.

Honey loves to make you laugh, and will do silly voices to represent various members of your stuffed animal collection while acting out conversations between them. He wholeheartedly approves of that collection (he feels the same way about good-quality cookware) and is a very understanding person overall. He isn’t one to judge people, and disapproves of mean-spirited humor.

“You’ve been eyeing that plushie display for at least ten minutes,” a voice said behind you. You jumped and turned around, and met the grin of a kind-looking, easygoing man. “Which ones are you the most torn between?”

You cocked your head to the side. The man wasn’t wearing a shop uniform, so it was highly unlikely he was an employee here. “How do you know it’s been ten minutes? …Or are you just making that up?”

His smile turned a trifle embarrassed. “I come here for the people-watching, to be honest. This shop sells a lot of vintage and handmade toys, and it’s always nice to see people find a new favorite thing, you know? You’ve got the look of a seasoned collector.”

A blush heated your face. “Thanks, I think. You’re right, I do have a few stuffies at home.”

“Excellent! I need some help finding a mascot for my new restaurant. A bear of some kind, but otherwise I don’t really have any preferences.”

You thought for a moment, looking past the displays of Squishmallows and Jellycats to the secondhand toys. Some of them were quite worn (or “well loved” as the sign said), while others looked as though they had time traveled right out of a display window from over a hundred years ago. 

“Why a bear?” you asked eventually.

“Oh, it’s because I’m a werebear and the restaurant is called the Bearpaw Grill,” the werebear said, but he grimaced as he said the restaurant's name—as though it left a bad taste in his mouth—before continuing: “Call me Honey, by the way.”

“That’s a cute name—yours, I mean,” you said, and then introduced yourself. “Do you not like your restaurant?”

“I love it just fine. I love the building, I love the kitchen… I just don’t like the branding. It sounds like a sports bar, when really I want to run a family-oriented diner, you know? But my marketing manager is very insistent.” 

“So? It’s your diner, isn’t it?” you pointed out. “You should follow your own dream, not someone else’s. What about this one?” You walked over to one of the bins of secondhand stuffed animals and pulled out a tattered-looking bear. It had blue button eyes and a little pink nose, with one green ear and a lopsided, stitched-on smile. “He looks like he’s been cuddled a lot.”

“He’s perfect,” Honey said, and then looked up at you. “And you’re right—I should stay true to my original vision. Come by sometime, okay? I want to treat you to lunch if that’s okay. Our grand opening is next month, and we’re right on the square by the clock tower.”

You smiled back at Honey. “That sounds really nice. It’s a date, then.”

Honey grinned back at you. “Yeah. I’m looking forward to it."

see here to get your own blind date with a monster!

[celticcrossanon]

Ah Celta. These so called Wales fans have gone crazy crazy. There are some who support eom3n soccer and they are eating their tails about William not going to the lionesss play. They cite Anne visiting Canada on the QT earlier this year, so they don’t see why William can’t go. Where to begin?

No offence to Anne’s fans but where is Anne on the popularity scale to William? I know she works hard and is respected etc, but seriously, there is no comparison. He’s the heir, one of the most popular, and there are big security concerns. Not to mention I suspect this visit has to cleared by the FO, and we sure as heck don’t know if Charles will approve of such a flying visit, literally. He’s a counsellor of state, and Charles may not approve of his visit. Who the heck knows anymore? But these so called Wales fans are behaving more like Charles Stan’s IMO. People are really showing their true colours.

All this argi bargi started as soon as the lionesses won. The minute I tell you. Disgusting.

Hi AnonymousRetired,

I saw the same argument starting even before the semi finals, as 'what if' speculation. My opinion on it is as follows:

Having William fly in, watch the FIFA World Cup Final, and fly out would be a public relations disaster. Such behaviour would clearly give the message that all he cares about is England, and not the Commonwealth realms.

Australia (a Commonwealth realm) and New Zealand (a Commonwealth realm) are co-hosting the World Cup. Both of these countries have William as the heir to their Head of State. He is our future King.

With respect to Australia, we have not seen William or Charles on tour for quite a few years, despite noises made to the contrary. We haven't seen Prince William since 2014 in Australia, and King Charles's last visit was to attend the Commonwealth games, not a proper tour of the country, in 2018. His last proper tour of Australia was 2015. Our last royal tour was the disaster that was Harry and Meghan inflicting themselves upon us, and we haven't had anything since to remove that bad taste from our mouths.

The sentiment for a Republic is strong and growing stronger in Australia, especially as the current government supports that idea.

We have had covid, which cancelled a tour, and then a coronation, and there has been nothing in the way of our new Head of State or his heir coming to visit us. Nothing. People are feeling that our Head of State simply does not care about us, as for all his fine words his actions say quite clearly that we are not important enough for him to visit. Germany is, but we are not. So, quite a few hurt feelings from people who expected to at least be acknowledged in some way by their new Head of State.

Now, into this mess, throw sports. We know that William supports England over the other realms of which he is the heir. It's not pleasant to have him cheering against you, but we know that he does and it is accepted. However, IG posts or tweets are one thing. Having him fly into the country, support a rival team that just defeated us, and then fly out again, is quite another. That would be rubbing it in our faces that he doesn't give two hoots about Australia or New Zealand (which he wouldn't even visit), and that would definitely feed into the growing republican sentiment.

Then there is the travel factor. It is a long way from the UK to this part of the world. To spend all that money and resources and carbon pollution just to watch a game that he can see perfectly well on TV at home - well, it's not a good look for the founder of Earthshot at all, let along giving off 'entitled rich ponce' vibes.

If William (and Catherine, and the kids) had wanted to be present at the FIFA World Cups games, regardless of who won and who lost, then it should have been planned as part of a 2-3 week tour of Australia and New Zealand. We would all love to see him and his children again, especially George, who won our hearts as a baby. Come over here, bring the children, visit the sights, meet and greet people, and attend a few matches as part of the tour - one where England is playing, one where Australia is playing, and one where New Zealand is playing. Attend at least one match in Australia and at least one match in New Zealand. That would be fair and it would show support for us as a country. If he was charming enough, he might even get people cheering for England with him.

A tour with a few FIFA games included would have been wonderful. Flying in and out just to cheer for England is the opposite.

TL;DR: Having William fly in, watch the finals and fly out would be a disaster for the relationship between Australia and its Head of State and his heir. William staying in England and watching the match on TV is far better for the relationship.

Edited for typos (I bet I still missed some).

[sasquapossum]

I've discovered a lot of covers of Zombie, by The Cranberries, lately. Some of them have been around for a while but somehow I haven't seen them, while others are genuinely new. Here's the original, to get us started.

This is an extremely powerful song, and I have equally strong opinions about it. If you know anything about Dolores O'Riordan and The Cranberries, or have watched the video, you'll know it's about the Troubles in Ireland. I feel it's critically important for any cover to respect that, both for the sake of Dolores who is now gone and for the sake of Irish people generally. The vocals are meant to express both great sadness and great anger. For that reason I will not be linking to the Miley Cyrus or Halocene covers, because I feel that their performance in an emotionally bland style fails to show that respect.

One particular aspect of Dolores's singing is that at many points she's keening (from Gaelic caoineadh meaning to cry or weep). As the most amazing Elizabeth (Charismatic Voice on YouTube) explains in her reaction video, this involves deliberate crossing from upper CT-dominant to lower TA-dominant registers, over and over again. It's a powerful expression, as you'll see.

The best known cover, by a long shot AFAICT, is by Bad Wolves.

Tommy Vext has a rich, deep voice, so he doesn't do keening. In fact he kind of goes in the opposite direction with an impressively smooth delivery, but he expresses that intensity in many other ways. Again, Elizabeth enlightens with another reaction video. There's also a personal connection to Dolores here (mentioned in the video itself) and a few lyrics changes which I'm sure she must have approved. The first call-back to the original video (at about 1:30) broke me so badly I had to stop and compose myself for a full minute. Very powerful.

Next up is Dan Vasc. I love Dan. Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about his version, except that he delivers this with his customary excellence. Also, this is explicitly a cover of the Bad Wolves version, which makes it third generation and I think that's kind of cool.

Next up is another favorite: Colm McGuiness. This one hits hardest of all IMO. Of all the male singers, Colm comes closest to keening, and his intensity in other sections is something to behold. I hope he had a nice cup of lemon-ginger tea after doing that to his vocal chords. It's hard to believe anyone could go darker and heavier than Dan, or break me worse than the Bad Wolves version, but ... well, just listen.

Shifting gears just a little, but still on the rock/metal side, we have Rock Orchestra. IMO this is the best arrangement of a cover, using all the sounds of an orchestra to great effect. I love the woodwinds, I love the strings, I love the brass, I even love the xylophone. Julian Hinton did a masterful job on that. Erin Fox also does a great job, coming closest to Dolores's sound in the first two thirds and adding some of her own completely appropriate stylings in the last part.

Now for a complete change of pace - sort of a "palate cleanser" if you will. Systir is another one of my favorites. This is an acoustic version, with Lauren McGlynn delivering a shoegaze-y performance that leans much more into sadness than anger. That might seem at odds with the original's intent, but it really does work IMO. One of the things about a great cover is that it can go in its own direction while still remaining connected to the original. As an Irish group, I'm sure everyone involved here understood the importance of respecting the original song and its subject matter, and they thoroughly did those justice. This one might haunt me the most.

There are many more, some of them very good in their own ways. Unfortunately, I need to stop short of turning this into a whole dissertation and - as you can see - the competition for what to include is very intense. I hope you've all discovered some new artists, and maybe learned a little bit as well. Thanks to all of these wonderful artists (and one commentator) for honoring Dolores, and of course the people she was singing about as well.

[gmwsuperfan5467890]

911 Opinions (Some may be unpopular, some may not)

-I think it makes sense why Harry acted the way he did after the kidnapping. He was developing unhealthy coping mechanisms after a severely traumatic event. Him blaming Athena and idolizing Jeffrey was not right, of course but that was his brain operating on survival mode, finding a scenario that he could cope with and giving him someone who is alive and who he is comfortable expressing his feelings with to blame.

-I think Michael is to blame (to a degree) for Harry’s kidnapping. Of course, most of the blame goes to the actual kidnapper but why the hell would you invite a bunch of neighbors to your house in the dark and then not watch your kid?? If Jeffrey didn’t kidnap Harry, then any one of the neighbors could have kidnapped Harry because 1) you don’t know them that well or their intentions, 2) it’s dark and crowded, so it would be easy to do it 3) Michael and David kept their eyes of Harry for long periods of time. I’ve heard stories of parents taking their eyes off their kids for a few seconds at the park and the kids are just gone.

- I actually liked the idea of the sperm donor arc. I wasn’t a huge fan of the execution but I hope we see its repercussions on Buck in later seasons. For example, maybe he has a conversation with Connor and Kameron on the phone and we see that he doesn’t feel attached to the baby like a father would and that he feels at ease with his decision being a sperm donor.

-Even though I do not like Taylor as a character, I do appreciate that they did not make her the complete ‘villain’ in the relationship. Both her and Buck betrayed each other at points. In Buck’s other relationships, he was passive, which made him a ‘victim’ (I use quotation marks because in most cases except extremes such as abuse, there are no victims and villains in relationships). So, I liked that they made him have flaws, act in ways he shouldn’t, hurt the person he doesn’t want to hurt. It’s horrible but it’s raw and very human. Do I approve of his actions? No. But approving of everything a character does, doesn’t make a compelling story.

- Eddie is the one who realized his feelings for Buck first. I think they are both aware that they are physically attracted to each other to a degree but Eddie realized that he was in love with Buck when he got shot. I think that is rather poetic because people only realize how much Buck means to them when he is hurt or in danger but Eddie realizes his feelings for Buck when he is danger and Buck is in a ‘safer’ position.

-I liked that they brought Eva back and that her and Karen had that conversation for closure. I’ve always got the vibe that Karen wasn’t fully over Hen cheating (I can’t blame her) so to hear that Eva knew that Hen loved Karen more must’ve put her at ease to a degree and hopefully squashed the voice in her head telling her she is not enough and that she could never compete with Eva.

-I actually would like to know more about Hen and Eva’s relationship because why would like to know why Hen slept with Eva and why she always felt so compelled to help her when she’s in trouble. I know that Hen is a kind and caring person but to me, it seems like it goes beyond that.

- I love Buck as a character but I think season 6 was oversaturated with him. He had like 3 or 4 major plots? I think Hen and Bobby should have had more plots so that this season could have been the Hen-Bobby-Buck season and then next season could be the Eddie-Chimney-Athena-Maddie season.

-We often have Maddie plots with Chimney as a supporting character but it would be nice to see Chimney plots with Maddie as a supporting character. Don’t get me wrong, I love Maddie but I also want to see Chimney shine and get some support.

-911 actually has some great cinematography and sound design (I’m not sure if that is the right term).The scene where Hen has a breakdown after accidentally killing the girl who was going to play in the orchestra, Shannon’s death scene, the shooting and Buck getting struck by lightning most notably have great cinematography and excellent background music (or silence in some cases).

- I don’t like the idea of Buddie having another kid (if they get together). I know it’s more nuanced than this but it feels like they missed out on so much with Christopher, so let’s just have another kid to make up for it. Every parental figure that Christopher has ever had has let him down at some point by abandoning him in some sort of way. I think it’s unfair that Buck and Eddie can start over with a clean slate (for a lack of a better phrase).

- I also don’t like the idea of Buck having his own kid biologically (with or without Eddie) because in my opinion, it cheapens the idea of his whole arc in season 6, which is biology does not make one a father. A man can be a father to another man’s kid.

[antihibikase2]

BW : I - The Magician (Upright)

N watches the hustle and bustle of Accumula as several of Team Plasma's grunts assisted in the preparations for Ghetsis' speech- one that is sure to move their feelings.

It made him feel uneasy, to see his friends being treated like this.

His Purrloin friend walks alongside him as he listens intently to the voices of Pokemon from within their Pokeballs.

The very few that remained outside were young and unassuming, in the arms of their doting trainers as if they were plush dolls.

It did not help that these Pokemon were so innocent either, unaware of the world and all its ugly truths.

He hopes that whatever father has to say will open their eyes, even for just a bit- then maybe, they will start to think for themselves.

A crowd begins to form as Ghetsis takes the stage, and he spots a particular pair of older children from the corner of his eye, both at the end of the crowd with Pokemon in their arms.

He closes his eyes and makes out their conversation from afar.

"-so cute! Did you catch her at Route 1?"

"No, he sent her over as a gift through the PC. I think the professor told him that we were setting out today,"

"I'm so jealous! You get a Purrloin, and Beebee gets a Lillipup from her mom!"

"Yeah, well, you got the approval to leave home much earlier than either of us did. And your family is home."

N could envision the look of guilt crossing over the other’s eyes.

"Oh, Cheren, you know I didn't mean it like that-"

"Just kidding. You looked like a sad Lillipup yourself for a moment, Hilbert."

“Ki-?! Cheren, you got to stop making jokes like that!”

Their voices quieted down as their accompanying Pokemon begin to have a talk of their own.

N could not hear both Pokemon and people at a time.

In the midst of their conversation, he hears the Tepig and Oshawott on their heads conversing with the baby Purrloin in Cherens arms; she was only a few months old, inexperienced in battling, and already she was worrying about being a "good enough" Pokemon for her new trainer.

This wasn't right- she was just a kitten.

She should be with her family, frolicking through the fields instead of being made to feel the pressure of the world around her.

But what surprises him are the voices of Tepig and Oshawott, who assure her as their trainers' conversation dies down and they listen to Ghetsis as he talks.

"I've only known him for a day," Tepig snorts. "But he's an earnest guy. I don't think he'll be a bad trainer."

"Mine too," Oshawott chirps. "He looks serious, but he hasn't done anything so far that makes me think he'll be a bad person."

They were new to this too, just as much as the little Purrloin was.

Neither of them knew of what was to come; the path of cruelty they would trek once their trainer gets a taste of blood.

As if reading his mind, however, his own Purrloin companion speaks from his feet.

"I know them," His tone seems relaxed. Fond, even. "I see them sometimes. They come with the professor to Striaton on certain days. They attended trainer school briefly too,"

"Trainer school?"

"Yup! Most kids attend the daycare by Route 3, and few of those kids can go to the trainer school once they're older."

Even at a young age, these children themselves were being molded to follow the paths of the trainers before them, their truths and ideals shaped by the adults who perpetuate this culture of battling, of keeping his friends as pets.

"They're setting out today, huh? They grow up so fast!"

But, they were still young.

Their opinions could be swayed.

As the newly crowned king of Team Plasma, the future hero of ideals, he knows so.

The crowd disperses as soon as Ghetsis makes his exit.

N takes this time to approach the duo that still remain, pulling down his cap to conceal his eyes.

“Your Pokemon,” He begins. “Just now, it was saying-”

“Slow down, you talk too fast,” Cheren interrupts, pulling Purrloin closer to his coat to hide her from his prying gaze. Oshawott hides behind his leg cautiously. “And what’s this about Pokemon talking? That’s an odd thing to say,”

From beside him, Hilbert nods, his own Tepig looking up at N and sniffing up at the air.

“Yes, they were talking,” And to N’s inevitable disappointment, these two children could not hear the voices of Pokemon either. How sad. “My name is N. You two are?”

Cheren’s eyebrow raises at the name.

Hilbert talks this time. “Oh, um, I’m Hilbert! Hilbert Blackburn. This is Cheren Slater,” Cheren looks like he wants to say something, but bites his lip. “And we’re just waiting for our friend Bianca by the Pokemon Center! We just set out today, you see, and we were asked by Professor Juniper to complete the Pokedex-”

“Hilbert,” Cheren hisses through his teeth. “That’s enough. This guy is a stranger, you know.”

“Yeah, but-”

“The Pokedex, eh?” N’s eyes glaze over the small device poking out of Hilbert’s pocket. 

He’s read of that before. 

He even has a toy of one back home, modelled after the Pokedex designed with the assistance of the famous Professor Oak. 

It was his most hated toy out of the bunch; an imitation of a cruel device that so many of his friends suffered for.

A complete mockery of their pain and neglect.

“For the sake of that Pokedex, you’re going to confine many, many Pokemon in Pokeballs for that..”

He knows it’s a hard truth to swallow; he sees the way Cheren shifts uncomfortably in his stance, and how Hilbert looks slightly awkward, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, there’s better ways to put it than that-”

“Hilbert-”

“I'm a Trainer too,” The word is poison in his mouth, but in this world, it was the only way for him to make his voice heard. “But I can't help wondering- are Pokémon really happy that way?"

From within his coat, little Purrloin meows something, her voice stifled by the voices of the humans around her.

But N vaguely hears her say she’s scared.

Cheren backs away a little more to cover the mewling kitten in his coat, while Oshawott prepares a defensive stance.

However, Hilbert stands in front of Cheren with his arm out almost protectively, his Tepig following his movements.

His eyes, previously bright and too honest for their own good, looked almost steely as if he dared N to come closer.

This must be what they called a trainer’s gaze, N thought; the invitation for a battle.

“Well, Hilbert is it?” His Purrloin friend, older and experienced, seems giddy at the thought of clashing his claws with Hilbert’s Tepig. “Let me hear your Pokemon’s voice again!”

[dodger-chan]

My brain is really fixated on this right now (I'm procrastinating) so I present the definitive list of who likes and hates Reagan in Stranger Things:

The Byers Family:

Joyce is far too overwhelmed most of the time to really think about politics. She didn't vote for Reagan in '80 and wouldn't have in '84, if she'd remembered to vote (normally I'd give her shit for forgetting, but her boyfriend died and her son was possessed by an extra-dimensional horror the day before the election)(Lonnie Byers is a dick whoever he voted for. Probably a Reagan Democrat, but I don't care enough about his character to be sure.)

Jonathan Byers is not very engaged in politics, like his mom, and for most of the same reasons. He will come to hate Reagan as he gets older and starts paying more attention to politics

Will Byers like many kids doesn't know a lot about politics. At twelve he feels vaguely positive towards Reagan because he's the president and the president is supposed to be good. By fifteen he is aware of the AIDS epidemic and what the Reagan administration is doing about it (essentially nothing). Season 4 Will loathes Reagan.

The Hendersons: Claudia Henderson is canonically a Democrat, which doesn't mean she hates Reagan, but does make it more likely. My guess is she hates Reagan. Dustin doesn't care much about politics and doesn't develop an interest over the first four seasons, so his opinion is shaped by his mother's; generally negative but he doesn't have enough knowledge to debate it.

The Sinclairs:

We don't know much about Charles and Sue, other than that they seem to love each other and their kids. I'm going to say they hate Reagan if for no other reason than not being blind to the racism in his campaigns (states rights to do what, exactly?)

Lucas at twelve hasn't developed any interest in politics, so like Dustin, goes along with his parents beliefs. By fifteen, though, he's getting more interested in the world at large and hating Reagan in his own right.

Erica actually kind of likes some aspects of trickle down economics (she envisions herself as a rich business woman and doesn't want to pay taxes). And he is right about the Russians being evil. But under his watch those Russians built a secret base in her town and hurt her friends. She thinks Reagan is not competent and someone else would do better. Doesn't like Reagan and I suspect will grow to hate him as she matures.

The Wheelers:

Have a Reagan/Bush sign in their yard in season 2. Sadly, Karen and Ted like Reagan.

Nancy in season 1 is young, idealistic, empathetic, and intelligent. She's just starting to get interested in politics and she does not like Reagan at all (she keeps quiet about it though; her parents would not approve). And the more she learns about the world, the less she likes him.

Mike Wheeler likes Reagan in the first few seasons. Hates him in season 4, due mainly to teenage rebellion and wanting to be like Eddie Munson.

Holly is too young to have a political opinion she didn't get from her family. Her ability to view the world is still too constricted by her parents. I see her as one of those people who became nostalgic for Reagan during the W presidency.

Barb is developing her political awareness along with Nancy. She also hates Reagan.

Jim Hopper: I hate to do this to you all, because I know he's a well liked character, but there is almost no chance that Hopper isn't a Reagan voter. He is a small town police chief who lives largely off the grid. He does not care for the federal government, and Reagan promised to keep that government out of his way. And since the lab has been around since the 60s, he probably doesn't blame the Reagan administration for any of the Upside Down or what El went through.

El/Jane Hopper: probably doesn't know who Reagan is until after season 2. Holds onto a vague approval of Reagan in Hopper's honor through season 4, but is beginning to have doubts.

Steve Harrington: I really want him to hate Reagan. But his parents are definitely Reagan supporters and while I see Steve as a genuinely good person he's also a guy who goes along with things rather than questioning them. So he probably likes Reagan until Robin and her hippie parents teach him better post season 3. (Unless there really was a hot girl who hated Reagan at Hawkins High. Steve may be a guy who has to be told things, but he does listen.)

Tommy H and Carol: They've never given national politics a thought, and won't for many years (post college). Whether or not they end up liking Reagan will depend on what crowds they fall in with at college. I could definitely see Tommy as one of those gay Republicans, though.

Mr. Clarke: Hates Reagan for his devaluing of the American public education system. Would never talk about politics with his students, though.

Murray Baumann: Hates Reagan, but not because he thinks Reagan is an especially bad president or person. Murray just reflexively hates all politicians.

Kali Prasad: hates any and all representatives of the government that kidnapped and tortured her in the name of science, including Reagan.

Bob Newby: probably likes Reagan, but is one of those people who think politics isn't very important.

The Hargrove family:

We know hardly anything about Max's mom, and all we know about her step-dad is that he's abusive and violent. They're middle-class white people so by demographics they probably like Reagan.

Billy doesn't have the mental bandwidth for politics. He experiences mainly anger and fear that has neen sublimated into anger. Hates Reagan the way he hates pretty much everyone else.

Max doesn't have a strong opinion until Mondale picks Ferraro as his running mate. Baby feminist Max wanted a woman vice president, so she started looking for reasons to like Mondale/dislike Reagan. Once she was looking, they were easy to find. Loathes Reagan, and tries to convince El to join her in her loathing.

The Buckleys: They're hippies who didn't stop being hippies when the draft ended. Richard and Melissa despise Reagan and all he stands for. Robin is independent enough that she doesn't need to rebel against her parents' political beliefs when they're clearly the correct ones.

Alexei: Desires nothing more than to be fully corrupted by the capitalist west. Knows Reagan only as a symbol of evil and loves him for it.

Ms. Kelly: Not a Reagan fan, but like Mr. Clarke keeps it to herself.

Mayor Kline: Respects Reagan as a fellow corrupt politician. What's the point of power if you aren't using it for personal gain?

Argyle: Only doesn't hate Reagan because Argyle doesn't do hate. He lived with that man as governor before the rest of the country had to experience him as president. He knows exactly what Reagan is (terrible).

Jason Carver: a Reagan supporter from a family of Reagan supporters.

Chrissy Cunningham: likes him well enough, she supposed. Her parents like Reagan, and they know better than she does. (Had she lived, either she would have married Jason right out of high school and continued making herself small and voting for Republicans or she would have come into herself at college and met new people and formed new opinions . I'm not sure which. )

Munson family: Wayne's a union guy and doesn't like Reagan's anti-labor policies. Eddie is a contrarian who hates authority. Reagan is despised in their home.

Fred Benson: actually dislikes Reagan as an act of teenaged rebellion against his parents. Would probably have reconsidered as an adult if he hadn't died.

Patrick McKinney: old enough to recognize a racist dog whistle when he hears one, even if it comes from the president. Hates Reagan, but isn't going to bring it up around his teammates.

Andy (Jason's sidekick): that kid clearly likes Reagan.

[lightlycareless]

Hi, I’ll bite, cuz I just got done with a terribly disappointing con, too 😔.

If Naoya hadn’t been a jerk, what would you say some of the things Y/N and Naoya would have enjoyed doing together?? Do you think he’d have ever become friends with Ren and Hinata???

And please, does that man have any friends besides Ranta, in your opinion?😭

Hello!! It's so good to see you! I hope you've been ok :> thank you so much for sending an ask ❤️❤️

I'm sorry you had to go through that :'( it really hurts when it happens, always does... more when you were looking forward to it! But ah, you win some you lose some 😅

Now onto the question....

Naoya and Y/N would've definitely bonded over anime/videogames. They kind of overlap with one another, so there's no mystery there 😂. Although I think the two would've been a bit... hesitant at first because they're probably like "ugh, it's not the same!!" and they hatehatehatehateee when they get grouped together, but they would get over it very quickly after giving the other a chance, after all, they're both genuinely entertaining things, so why not?

Naoya would be the kind of person to lose every single time when going against Y/N, and Y/N would be the one to ask Naoya all kinds of questions regarding specific plot points in anime/manga. (Imagine y/n being like:

y/n: Naoya, why did this character not die, but the other did if it was the same circumstance?

Naoya: *having waited for this moment all of his life* well I'm glad you asked, Y/N. *dumps his large collection of manga, magazines, or any other thing he could get his hands on regarding this specific series on the table* First you need to know that—

so on and so forth hahaha.

The other things I think they would like doing is: stargazing, going out to eat and general shopping. Naoya is a big spender, so just let him spoil you and watch him be the happiest :') (he's into that provider stuff, or so I think he might be hehe)

Now regarding Ren and Hinata... maybe? Oof, that's the hard one since they're pretty protective of Y/N in general.

Hinata and Ren only allow Nanami and Utahime near her because she considers him the best of the bunch. (Shoko is out because she smokes, or used to anyways, and she doesn't want that for her baby sister!! Satoru... self explanatory. Geto? Maybe, when he's not being instigated by Satoru that is. Mei Mei absolutely NOT nuh uh.)

Not that Y/N cares lol she still does what she wants—and I'd like to think they gravitate more towards her because of that 😂 (let us live a harem life.... please...)

But being a bit more assertive, I think that after seeing Y/N be happy with him (and haven't noticed anything weird from him) they would actually try to get along! After a while Hinata might invite Naoya to train, it's like giving him his approval. Ren would invite him to go to a few shows, that kind of stuff.

Oh, it's certainly nice to dream of how things could've been 😭

And finally, his friends... I really don't think he has genuine friends. He might have people that are willing to tag along to his shenanigans, enjoy the privileges he has... but when shit hits the fan they're gone. Ranta might be the only friend who actually cares for him. And honestly? it's all on Naoya. Maybe if he wasn't such a jerk people would be more inclined to include him to things—but he likes to feel superior. He's also very selective, probably because of his upbringing and somewhat interest for the clan's future.

So yeah, there you have it! I really liked this ask, since I often tend to day dream about the kind of adventures Naoya and Y/N would have if they had gone to school together or something hahahah. (Naoya having a class with her, instantly getting a crush on her and instantly watching her from afar because he's too shy to talk to her. Y/N asking if she can eat lunch with him because she thought he's cute (and lonely), and he nervously agrees to it. Getting projects assigned together and going to each other's house, getting to know each other in the process, and suddenly realizing they have feelings for one another...)

I just love slice-of-life things, it's my guilty pleasure 😭!!!!

Once again, thank you so much for sending in an ask!! I certainly had fun dreaming of the what-if's 😭😂❤️

I hope you have a wonderful week, take care, and hope to see you soon!!!