#and honestly my dislike for it isn't even.... that deep

[theloveinc]

Bnha ships? Controversial or typical ones!

mmmmmmmmm, unfortunately, i've never been too invested in ships just bc i'm always a little more invested in the reader insert side of things... but that being said, i really don't have any ships that i truly dislike, either.... so let's see!

-

in completely random order:

deku x melissa - i like to think that a couple years after meeting they have a little bit of fling/relationship. i thought their chemistry was amazing in the movie so it's very cute to me to think that she's the first person deku dates <3 also, american baddie.

hawks x endeavor - no excuse no thoughts head empty... i just like the (somewhat toxic) dynamic of like, younger person makes older person better............... somehow. i think they're funny too, with endeavor being all grumpy and hawks just all ^u^ all the time LOL

kiribaku, ofc! - just a berry cute relationship in general, i love a relationship where both characters meet later in life and become their most true selves together (honestly tho any bakusquad member x bakugo i really like. MINA x BAKUGO ESP, but also denki and sero!)

shinbaku + bakugo x todoroki, too. - dunno. but i see art + fics of them and i like it LOL.

bakugo x momo - they definitely have a relationship at some point and i'm there for it. they just seem a lot more similar than one might initially think, you know? both pretty boys and girls who study hard and like calming things.

(i've said it before, too.. but i also like tsuyu x bakugo and camie x bakugo! i think bakugo would be so gentle with tsu and so funny with camie <3... maybe even todoroki x camie, too)

and i don't think abt it too much bc i know it's endgame, but izuocha is very sweet and high on my list. i love their fanart, it's always so cute! similarly, bakugo x mirko... i hope they have their moment together at least once!!

and finally (tho there's a ton i'm missing, i'm sure): everyone x caitie!! this one isn't too controversial tho i know it's not very widespread in the bnha community simply cuz caitie hasn't been introduced in the show yet. but i know she's fucking EVERYONE (and esp bakugo<3333)

thank you so much for asking, anon! you can always check @cakugo which is my sideblog for most bnha shipart and art in general. what ships do you like?

[sleepdeprivedandoverthinking]

Saying this as both an Outlast and Mouthwashing lover.

A lot of people in the Mouthwashing fandom would not be able to handle it in the Outlast fandom, especially when it comes to liking characters.

Especially on tik tok, it seems the Mouthwashing fandom is so strict with what it does and doesn't allow, like I hate Jimmy as much as the next guy, but it's not a crime for someone to draw him or include him in the cast. He's an IMPORTANT part of the plot. The tik tok fandom also seems to say Mouthwashing shouldn't have a fandom point blank period because it's "too deeply thought out" and fanfics, ocs, and such shouldn't exist because it "ruins the story".

Meanwhile Outlast is a horrific, well thought out game with several installments, and the fandom is (mostly) chill. Like it's abundantly clear these guys aren't good people or even conventionally attractive to most people, yet they're adored and people make silly jokes of them all the time and make tons of fanfics, aus, and ocs. Hell, 90% if the fandom's favorite or second favorite dude is a guy who cuts people's dicks off and then kills them.

This isn't meant to say you can't have boundaries or things you like/dislike, but much of the Mouthwashing fandom overpolicies the fandom, and some even say Mouthwashing shouldn't have a fandom period because it's "too serious and dark" while Outlast is serious and dark yet no one cares what you do in the fandom.

Both are horror games with great stories.

Both produce gorgeous fanart and deep theories, and it's clear love is put into several art pieces and theories.

Difference is, a majority of one fandom can't handle fandom ACTING like fandom.

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

Mini edit: Honestly this could be about fandom as a whole nowadays but given they're both horror games, albeit different types, with fan bases, that I love, I decided to compare them. Lets try to be civil please in discussion.

Edit 2: Okay, this got a lot more attention than I thought. TO AGAIN CLARIFY, its okay to have boundaries and personal reasons you may not like a character but like another. Same goes for certain aspects of fandom culture. But there's also the aspect of "block/scroll and move on". Frankly, my examples from Mouthwashing were things I have personally seen that you may not have, hence why some of you may be confused.

[llamagoddessofficial]

hi i was wondering if you would happen to have any jealous classic scenarios- like the cause and what he would do about it ok thank u ilu bye (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

Oho... classic Sans... my funky ketchup packet.... it's been so long since we had JUST him, hasn't it?

Looking at him, you wouldn't think he's the jealous type. How could anyone think so? He just seems so silly. He's so round and soft, he's your best bud. How could he possibly be jealous, he makes dad jokes and 'threatens' to hide whoopee cushions around the house if you don't give him a kiss. He plays videogames on the couch and pauses them to catcall you as you walk by. You can trust him.

He doesn't dislike any of your close friends, he doesn't make a fuss when you think a famous person is hot (he might even agree), he doesn't start shit when you get hit on. From the outside it's like he's never been worried or jealous in his life. It's honestly relaxing.

... Sans is a very, very deep lake. The surface seems completely still and glassy, welcoming to swimmers. But the currents writhing beneath are powerful enough to grind away mountains.

Yes, he gets jealous. Very much so. He's just incredibly good at hiding it.

His tells are minute. If you're not Papyrus, it takes a very keen eye to pick up on them. And if you're at the point where you can pick up on them it might be time to get him out of there.

His eyelights will be a different shape - smaller, more tense. His smile hangs a fraction lower. He sometimes acts like the other person isn't there, he stares at them for just a moment too long. He slips an arm around you like a declaration of ownership. He makes up reasons for the two of you to leave the room. His words are ever-so-delicately laced with venom, he'll insult someone right in front of you and you won't even realise until you're halfway home.

As for why he gets jealous...

The one thing he knows he can give you is his humour. He knows that for what he lacks in looks and personality, he can more than make up for with how much he makes you laugh. No one makes you laugh like him.

... Which means he hates when someone else does make you laugh.

It digs right into his Soul like a needle. He can't stand someone else lighting you up like that. Especially if he thinks they're more attractive to you than he is.

You might not be able to tell when he's jealous. But you can always tell after he's felt jealous. Because... he's just that little bit more cuddly at the end of the day.

[yanderes-galore]

Ooh may I request some yan hcs for Adam with Angel! Darling who dislikes him?

I honestly like this idea due to how Adam is... here's my thoughts. @okchijt also helped with some ideas in this :)

Yandere! Adam with Angel! Darling who doesn't like him

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Narcissism, Jealousy, Possessive behavior, Condescending behavior, Stalking, Implications of intimacy, Mind break, Forced relationship.

Adam is a rather egotistical and self-centered character.

He expects others to worship him due to being the first man.

He's unsympathetic and expects others to essentially bow to him.

He no doubt tries to get with every angel that comes into Heaven.

He really does think he's just 'all that'.

He can pull any angel he wants.

Except you, apparently.

Your plan once entering Heaven is enjoying your afterlife.

Then suddenly you meet Adam, someone who has now made it his goal to pester you.

It's honestly not hard to hate him.

He can be annoying and often makes things about himself.

Your first meeting isn't that great as he immediately tried to flirt and bed you.

You rejecting his offer is almost humbling to him.

How... How dare you...?

Adam would have trouble accepting your decision.

Normally people immediately get on their knees for THE First Man.

But you?

No, you push him away and walk past him like he's hot garbage!?

He's insulted by your audacity.

Although...

A good challenge couldn't hurt, could it?

Yeah, rejecting Adam only makes him want you more.

After all, having other angels bow for him is nice and all...

But the thought of winning you over, of "courting" you?

He feels it'll make his win even more exciting.

Which leads to your time in Heaven often disrupted by Adam.

He refuses to leave you.

He pursues you because he just doesn't believe you couldn't want him.

Plus, he hates the idea that he needs you... but you don't need him.

Your rejection reminds him of his previous partners.

Deep down he yearns for that same genuine attraction he had with Lilith and Eve.

Then they left him... leaving him alone.

He hates feeling that pathetic.

Now with you rejecting him, the one he realizes he feels that same soft love with...

He can't deal with that rejection again.

How DARE you make him INSECURE!

As a result, he is determined to make you his.

He follows you around, inviting you on outings, and he even turns his attention away from other angels.

Why would he want anyone else?

He has his eyes on a much better prize.

You can try to avoid him all you want.

He'll find a way to follow you again.

I imagine Adam is relentless with flirting, all in an attempt to get you to like him.

As you can tell, he hates being told no.

He's so used to getting what he wants that he's just oblivious to why you don't like him.

In fact, it may start getting to him after a bit.

Courting you drives Adam insane.

He just... doesn't get it...?

At first he just thinks you're playing hard to get.

That's fine, he likes that.

Although, his patience only goes on for so long.

There's a point where he doesn't want to play this game anymore.

You should stop with the act... you know you like him~!

Why don't you just make up... maybe even bang, wink wink~?

Yet when you stand your ground and tell him off, he pauses.

Oh... you're serious!?

He's just... stunned...

"Oh, come on, baby... I can show you a good time! You don't really hate me... do you?"

Honestly, if you tell him off he sees it as... feisty.

It only makes him want you more.

Unfortunately, the more you turn him down, the more he gets irritated... yet also desperate.

He hates that he can't have you.

Who do you think you are? Some pure angel?

Oh please... you're both humans, why not indulge?

He's prideful but I think he can break at some point.

Fine, do you want him to beg?

God, you're such a handful.

If he was desperate enough then he'd probably try to win you over by being... nicer.

He hates that he has to be so pathetic but at this point he just wants one taste.

You'd make this man depraved if you neglected him.

He's possessive, hovering around you even if you don't like him.

Fine, don't like him.

He'll find a way to make you like him.

He's ADAM. The first damn MAN.

If you don't like him now, he isn't trying hard enough.

He'd cling to you, he lives off your attention, he'll do anything just to have you.

No other angel matters, Lute's concerned for his obsession, but he wants you too bad to care.

So, overall, if Adam's obsession didn't like him it would break him over time.

He starts wondering if you like making him suffer.

How sadistic for an angel! (he's one to talk-)

You aren't trying to break him.

You just want to enjoy Heaven, not be courted by Adam.

Even with him clinging to you as your feet, begging you to just praise him at least... you still won't like him.

That drives Adam to insanity...

He starts to think Lilith and Eve were right... and he hates it.

Your rejection makes him topple over the edge and break.

He really can't get you out of his head now...

But he'll get you to like him eventually, right? He needs that...

He just needs to show you what you're missing.

"Babe~ You can't ignore me forever! You're stuck here with me. Why won't you let me welcome you properly?"

[abbysimsfun]

Dating Deanna Entry: Nicola Moody-McMillan for @changingplumbob

Hey everyone! I've never done anything like this before so I don't know exactly how to introduce myself. But I'm a schoolteacher in Henford-on-Bagley, the same small town where I was born and raised.

I'm currently living in my childhood home in the Bramblewood with my mother, Kim, and my younger brother, Dominic. Our relationship is pretty good even though my mom can be a bit of a problem at parties, but I'm a family-oriented sim! My mother and brother mean the world to me, and we've been especially close since my dad passed away not that long ago.

Apart from my job, which I love, I like doing Henford things - offering favours to people in need, cross-stitching, gardening, and talking to birds! I haven't really travelled much, but I'm ready to get out of my comfort zone!

I think. I really love comfort, and I've heard these bachelor shows can get a little wild. My friends said not to worry about my manicure - but honestly, I'll probably always worry about my manicure.

The big elephant in the room is my marital status - divorced. At 24! I married my high school sweetheart but she turned out to be less sweetheart, more heartless...sorry, that's a boring story! We grew apart.

Some days it feels like we divorced just yesterday. But some time has passed, I really believe in counseling, and I'm ready to try dating for, really, the first time in my life. That's kind of embarrassing to say out loud!

My friends said don't be negative. But some days can feel like the worst day ever, you know? Maybe you don't know. I don't know. I'm not always great at first impressions and I can be a little high maintenance, but I'm excited about this experience!

I can't wait to meet Deanna. Joey can flirt with me if he wants, but I'm a high maintenance lesbian who wants a family, so he'd be wasting a good line on the wrong gal! Even though I can be a pretty competitive teacher on School Sports Days, I'm really looking forward to getting to know the other contestants, too. People who don't know Hazel. Who isn't important.

More about Nicola, housekeeping, etc...

Nicola Kimberly Moody-McMillan (she/her), daughter of Henford townie Kim Goldbloom, and granddaughter of townies Ian McMillan and Derek Moody, who adopted Kim. Nicola's father was a very blond randomly-generated sim named Eddie Harmon (RIP!). She has a younger brother named Dominic.

She's grown up from a wee sprite in my Sims In Bloom legacy challenge as a best friend and then girlfriend/later wife of my Gen 2 heir's little sister (until it all fell apart).

Nicola is a cis lesbian who is exclusively attracted to women, both romantically and sexually. She is a monogamous sim, but Henford is a small town. Whether her interests include non-binary or trans women remains to be discovered, actually.

Goes By: Miss Moody-McMillan (in class), Nicola, Nic, but not Nicki Hometown: Henford-on-Bagley Traits: High Maintenance, Family Oriented, Good (originally she had one of @maplebellsmods's More Traits - Spoiled - in addition to the last two, and I figured High Maintenance was closest to that one). She had a fourth bonus trait, Childish, which I lost when I switched out Spoiled, but feel free to add it back in for the sake of keeping her canon if you have the extra slots! Fears Being Cheated On (I think this should carry over into the Gallery-saved version but I'm actually not sure...) Likes: Bowling, Gardening, Handiness, Research & Debate, Cross-Stitch, Fitness, Wellness, Physical Intimacy, Flirtation, Deep Thoughts, Compliments, Stories, Small Talk, Discussing Interests, Discussing Hobbies, and has a more upbeat, poppy, or catchy singer-songwriter driven music taste Dislikes: Dancing, Fishing, Programming, Arguments (they make her feel bad even though she can be combative), Deception Favourite Colours: Blue, Grey, Purple, White

Open to flirt/get intimate with other contestants? She's there for Deanna and to build a future with her, but she's also spreading her wings for the first time so yes.

Open to polyamory? As much as marriage sucked for Nicola the first time around, she still believes in soulmates and true love and monogamous commitment.

Open to woohoo? She would be if it feels right.

Doesn't vibe with pessimistic, argumentative, and ambitionless sims. And yes, with her traits and Henford origins she's definitely grown up to be a little fairytale princess-coded. Maybe she's a little like The Princess and the Pea, so we'll see how she does with the challenges and her high maintenance mood swings.

Now that introductions are out of the way, she and her Watcher are All In.

Download Available: On the Sims 4 Gallery under userID simcann, 'Nicola for DatingDeanna.'

cc used? The submitted version of Nicola has EA eyebrows in a shade darker than her hair colour, but normally she has TwistedCat's Lush eyebrows which are Maxis-friendly. Even though they look darker on her, they're the same shade of blonde as her hair. Most of the above photos were taken with her new eyebrows, except the portrait with her mother and brother, which shows her OG cc brows.

For anyone curious to see her dear departed dad, Eddie, here he is with Nic's mom, Kim, in their younger years, next to a shot of kid Nicola because I'm shamelessly buying affection for her:

And recently, Nicola randomly dressed for Spooky Day as The Final Girl. Just saying:

WCIFs: The picture of Kim, Nicola, and Dominic is from @simmireen's amazing Ultimate Family Portrait posepack, a perpetual favourite of mine! The classroom is just a room, but I found it on the Gallery by Jmadyson1030 - I love the aesthetic, the hamster cage, and the cushy extra seating along the walls. Felt like a classroom I'd almost want to be in myself!

[harley-rose25]

In which I give the longest explanation of my opinions on Eremika and why I don't like it.

If you see my other AoT post, I likely give the impression of being a hardcore eremika anti; and while I'm not clearly not a fan of the ship I also don't believe that it just came out of nowhere, or was completely unexpected; like some eremika antis seem to think. Seasons 1-3 I honestly expected an eremika ending. Season 3 I had some thoughts that maybe we were getting a erehisu instead, but ultimately I assumed either an eremika or a no-pairing ending even by the end of season 3.

This is not because I thought the ship was built up well or had really good moments pointing towards a mutual romance/love. There are some moments where Eren shows some level of care or affection towards Mikasa; but, to me, it doesn't come off like he's in love with her. It can be interpreted that way, but I felt it was more like showing general platonic care and that those more romantic feeling could be built up or in some cases like his feelings were moving in that direction. The reason I assumed it was the most likely end game ship if there was to be a ship is because of other cannon ships where one character is in love, often obsessively so with the other and the other is either oblivious, doesn't really care, or actively seems to dislike them until the end of the series when suddenly they're also in love. ie; Sakura and Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto, Aang and Katara. Eren and Mikasa dynamic reminded me of these, especially Sakura and Sasuke.

My main issues with the eremika ship are: 1. how it compares to erehisu; Eren and Mikasa do have deep emotional moment together but Eren and Historia have deep emotional moment because of each other. That is, Eren's emotional moment with Mikasa would be just as emotional even if she wasn't there, where as Historia is integral to the moments she has with Eren. In season 4 the erehisu ship is really build up by how desperate Eren is to protect Historia, how he angrily jumps to her defense, how he's shown visiting her at the farm, how he smiles at her and no one else. Even other characters notice this; in season 3 Jean tells Eren he should stop holding hands with Historia all the time (I'm aware that the hand holding was because they were trying to get more memories/activate the founding titan, but it means that Eren and Historia had a lot of confirmed off screen time together), and in season 4 Hange looks at Eren smiling at Historia and then later tells Eren that She thought He would never sacrifice Historia; strongly indicating an assumption of a deeper level of care. All in all I think erehisu had better scenes to building a relationship of mutual care and understanding and also better scenes showing that Eren cares about Historia in a way that isn't shown with anyone else (save maybe Armin) This means that when we end up with eremika now it feels a little cheap or just off. If we got more moments showing a deeper level of care and understand between Eren and Mikasa or if The moments between Eren and Historia, and Erens reactions to Historia didn't have so much weight then an eremika ending would make more sense.

reason number 2: What it does to Mikasas character; Mikasa's love for Eren seems born out of an obsession that comes from losing her parent in a violent murder/kidnapping and then being saved by him. This is then compounded when Eren's mom dies since she was like an adoptive mother to Mikasa. She's a traumatized young girl who never actually deals with her trauma and instead hyperfixates on Eren. Mikasa entire character arc is her chasing after Eren like a neglected dog until that one scene where for like 5 minutes she finally starts to see Eren for the violent psychopath he actually is and questions what she had seen in him; but never mind that because she's back to being so obsessively in love with him that even after he dies she spends that rest of her life visiting his grave with her (probably husband and kids) and also never takes off that scarf.

reason number 3: Mikasa doesn't understand Eren. People argue that Mikasa understood Eren in a different ways, that she understood certain parts of him, but that's literally just admitting that there's clearly parts of Eren she doesn't understand. Actually, I'd argue that as its depicted Mikasa doesn't seem to understand Eren on a fundamental level. Examples: When he failed at the initial ODM gear test she told him to give up being a soldier and then went on to say that he needn't drop out alone, that she would be following him; when he passed the ODM gear test she says that he's relieved that he wont be separated from her. She assumes that the reason he'd be upset about failing to make it as a soldier is related specifically to her and not wanting to be apart from her; When Connie is angry about Eren laughing after Sasha's death he asks Mikasa why he would do that and she can't answer; despite the fact that she's witnessed him laughing in an emotional and traumatic situation before and should have been able to understand that he does it as a coping mechanism. She'd also completely blind to his obvious anti-social personality disorder (psychopathy), though to be fair so is everyone else including most Eren stans. (like, I love Eren, I stan Eren but he is like text book certifiably ASPD psychopathic)

[rvb-canon-grimmons]

RVB RESTORATION THOUGHTS!!!!

LONG POST IM SO SORRY I HAD A LOT OF FEELINGS

(Im so sorry this got so long, but i got emotional while writing it so please bear with me, read this like its the morning paper while u eat breakfast or something i have alot to say)

Before I go into the things I didn't like I do want to focus on some positives.

-Like I said in an earlier post, Geoff's acting…he absolutely killed it, and maybe this is because I'm a little bit Geoff/Grif biased but he was giving so much emotion and everyone else felt a little bit flat. Also only he could have delivered the "Come with me" line with so much Homoeroticism -I Had a pretty fun time watching the fight in the second half, The references to Monty we're sweet and getting to see Tex and Carolina fight together was pretty epic! -A good handful of jokes got me good. "23rd in my class" Shelia translating Caboose's Spanish to Lopez

Ok……. the next bit of this will get a little bit negative, but I do want to say this is coming from a place of deep love and care for this series. I have run this blog for like 6/7 years now and I've been a fan of this show for double that. My biggest fear is that fans get the same treatment we did when no one liked RVBZero. I have criticisms. This is a 21 year old series that so many people have had a part in and so many have loved. I was not looking for perfection, I wasn't even looking for something good. I was looking for an ending to the stories of characters people have held in their hearts for 21 years. Unfortunately, what I feel we were left with was a hastily thrown together hour of basically nothing.

-Why weren't they friends…..Why weren't they friends…No one cared for the others. I understand that we have semi warped perceptions of the characters from fanon works and things of that nature. But even in canon, the reds and blue care about each other. On their own team and the other team. Simmons, Grif, Tucker, and Caboose spent MONTHS together in chorus and same for Donut/Sarge/Wash. I've recently rewatched blood gulch and Caboose and Sarge have a great dynamic! Tucker and Grif canonically get along pretty well. Simmons was ON BLUE TEAM for like a hot minute there. THEY KNOW EACH OTHER AND CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER. This was zero percent present in this film. No one had any motivation to look for Tucker. No one cared that it was Tuckers body inside the suit. THE REDS LEFT CABOOSE FOR DEAD!!!!!! THEY JUST LEFT HIM!!!!

-Tucker, I'm so sorry baby girl, this was supposed to be your arc, your moment. You were hardly in it. No build up to how he became the Meta. The scene where he breaks out of it to not kill caboose was the best part of the arc. And he just wakes up and remembers it "like someone elses Nightmare??" ok sure

-Wash………………WHAT THE FUCK???? WHAT THE FUCK???????????????? WHAT THE FUCK??????? WHAT THE FUCK???? TO RUIN THIS MANS ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC BY MAKING HIM COMPLETELY OBSOLETE. PUTTING HIM IN SOME RANDOM HOSPITAL FOR AN UNKNOWN INJURY THAT HAPPENS OFF SCREEN AND ISN'T EXPLAINED. HAVE HIM HALUCINATING DOC FOR SOME FUCKING REASON. HAVE HIM SHOW UP TO THE FINAL BATTLE AND DO ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING BUT JUMP OFF A FUCKING CLIFF AND NOT SAY A WORD TO ANY OF THE RED AND BLUES I AM LIERALLY ABOUT TO FUCKING CRY TYPING THIS I AM LITERALLY SO FUCKING PISSED OFF. AGENT WASHINGTON, THE CHARACTER THAT WAS SO HAPPY IN THE SEASON RIGHT BEFORE CHORUS JUST TO BE ON BLUE TEAM AND HAVE A FUCKING FAMILY AGAIN. JUST SIDELINE HIM FOR NO FUCKING REASON AND THEN NOT LET HIM SPEAK TO ANY OF HIS FRIENDS EXCEPT CAROLINA AND DEAD DOC. AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE FACT THAT TUCKER BEING THE META WAS LITERALLY A PLOT POINT CATERED TO HAVE WASH BE INVOLVED. THIS IS LIKE AGENT WASHINGTON ANGST BAIT 101. YES IM A TUCKINGTON SHIPPER BUT PUT ALL SHIPPING ASIDE, THEY WERE STILL FRIENDS, THEY WERE FRIENDS THEY WERE FRIENDS.

Grimmons. I am disappointed. But really not surprised. Honestly for everything I disliked I thought Grimmons was handled ok… at this point im like….. they couldn't even throw us a bone. company was dying, final season airing, and they couldn't even throw us a solid Grimmons queerbait joke. Its whatever….I don't wanna get too upset about shipping because at the end of the day, ships becoming canon isn't what shipping is all about (says Tumblr user "RVB-Canon-Grimmons) you get what im saying.

-Donut…..where was he…..Fucking Homophobic honestly

-DOC IS DEAD?????????????????????????????? FUCKING WHY???

-Sarge's death was fine, I'm not upset by it I just didn't feel like it was emotionally satisfying. Especially after the shock of them leaving Caboose and the much better scene of tucker fighting the meta's control over him to not hurt caboose.

-PEOPLE CALLED U SIR ALL THROUGHOUT CHORUS SIMMONS WHAT THE FUCK??????????? WHY IS SIMMONS PROMOTED AND INCHARGE OF NO ONE???? WHY DID GRIF LEAVE HIM???

Im sorry………..this is so long………just remeber this is only my opinions and if u don't agree thats totally ok!!!!! I am just a critical bitch….

[devine-fem]

Re: pinned post, what do you have against Tim Drake? This isn't a "hurr durr how dare you" question, just genuinely curious about your perspective.

It’s nothing that deep to be honest. Before I heavily disliked him, I just thought he wasn’t appealing and literally never gave him a second thought, even with barebones information of DC, other Robins interested me more.

Then after a while, I found him genuinely annoying like when he was on screen, I was somewhat annoyed like I would rather read anything else with any other character. Then a lot of the arcs where Tim gets sad and undergoes some sort of trauma I just find him whiney, I think it’s because he was a cishet white character that was sobbing about his trauma which I always find annoying in any piece of media, I’m sorry, I don’t relate to this cishet white character that breaks down after one little bad thing happens in their life, tighten tf up, then his whole “Batman needs a Robin” concept doesn’t appeal to me.

I don’t like his relationship with his friends because a lot of the time writers will destroy, Cassie, Kon and Bart’s character to prop him up, it’s annoying, one of the reasons I hate Timkon.

Then with how DC loves to prop up Tim and assassinate Damian’s character on Tim’s behalf to be like “Oh look how amazing Tim Drake is” “we miss our relatable cishet white boy robin!” ugh, please shut up. Even now, I’m sorry, Tim Drake is still the Tim Drake of the 2000s to me, I don’t care about no boyfriend.

Let him move away from the Robin mantle so he’s not in my comics anymore, jesus. Peak Tim Drake was yj98 because he barely had any significance to the plot and was done wrong by the other characters often so I could actually defend him, I honestly prefer their old dynamic in yj98 like where Tim is trying to get the mission done, kind of third wheeling to Bart and Kon doing crazy shit in the back, but people in fandom pretend it was the other way around ever since the big wave of Timkon, but eh, other than that. I just dislike the guy and will complain about him on my page, be warned.

[mountainscouts]

I think Gary shouldn't be just a perfect overachiever gentleman that soothes Stan's depression. I don't dislike it but I also want to see Gary not have everything in his life in order, allow him to get angry, question Mormonism (racism, homophobia), pressure him with familial expectations (don't set bad example for his siblings, must marry a woman, etc), let him cut loose and party. Conversely, Stan isn't 24/7 doom+gloom. He can be stable, proactive and self-reflecting even before dating Gary.

WHEW. OKAY THIS ASK HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY ASK BOX FOR A WHILE NOW BECAUSE ITS JUST SO. SO PERFECT. where do i even begin?

okay, i have such a specific view of gary that is essentially this, seriously. when it comes to stary, people tend to gloss over gary as a character and while i can't really blame them for doing that, considering that gary is just a guy who has in total less than 3 minutes of speaking roles in his only episode, it's something i've noticed. while i wish that more people would explore him as a character with as much depth as stan, i've kinda just accepted that it won't ever be the case. BUT because of that, i've sort of hyper focused on these types of details about gary and built on his character more in that regard, going that exact direction you went in your ask.

gary, to me, is a well-polished & put together mess when he gets older. the church is such a fascinating and important facet of his life, and the fact that his character is so inherently & quintessentially mormon is a very accurate portrayal of a lot of mormons from SLC. with that, any type of interpretation of him that deviates from typical norms and values in the church is actually asking for a lot of character dissection. i understand that a lot of people would rather not, but i WOULD. and HAVE BEEN...

gary to me is gay, and i can't really see him otherwise. he finds this out– or at least has a feeling that he might be at a younger age, so already his sexuality giving him leeway in questioning the church and its beliefs. this starts leading him to be more self-aware of his societal and familial role, juggling his own beliefs, the church's, and by extension his family's. with this baggage, i guess, i'm sure it'll extend beyond that to his sense of self. what does he want to be? what does he want to make of himself? how can he feel so trapped, but by the loving arms of his family? so much to build and unpack here!!

speaking of his family, i truly believe they're ignorant folk, conservative, and traditional (inadvertently confirmed by how many children they have and how they all interact with eachother- even if that's just a joke, it proves my point that the harrisons are a decent portrayal of mormon families yet again). gary, being the middle child and if one wanted to write him as "the special one", makes for these dilemmas even more interesting honestly. from setting a good precedent for his siblings, following the path of his older ones, cramming extra-curricular activities as a means to both please his parents and even distract himself from his issues, to having to attend church meetings— it all piles up, all while his own contradictions are fed more and more at the incessant exposure of daily life.

the reason why he's considered a polished mess is because he's your typical "looks like he has everything under control, actually under insane amounts of stress" character. i firmly believe that the harrisons have no ill-will, but i think the way that they raised their children falls strongly on the line of emotional neglect. their children were never taught any life lessons that'd help actually help them like- you know, regulating emotions. i've mentioned this in a previous post (and also elaborated on gary showing anger specifically) but i personally believe that while gary is a kind, and generous person to his core, there is an incredible amount of repression deep within him— a product of being raised with many, "boys dont cry"s, "love thy neighbor"s, and "forgive and forget"s. kindness specifically is actually an incredibly important aspect to mormonism, as it's a key part of the lifelong and ever present journey to celestial afterlife. but that's the thing: objectively speaking– this is just a way of control.

so when one wants to break free from this way of thinking, to lose this control, to break away from all they've known— their very livelihood— it's not going to come in the form of an overnight epiphany. in gary's case, considering how tight he is with his family versus his budding progressive views and drive to have more free reign over his self, it's going to be one hell of a struggle.

to touch on your point of him not getting everything he wants, i think that's another fundamental reason why he would question his standing in the church as well— depending on What he doesn't get. perhaps he doesn't want to serve his mission, but does so anyways. or maybe he simply had a bad day, but he can't allow himself to get upset, convincing himself that "things could be worse" as a way to make himself feel better, barring himself from healthily expressing his feelings. repeatedly saying "its okay" is going to be his downfall lol

and, i too would love to see him cut loose and party eventually- without a second thought that he'd be disappointing anyone.

okay now for stan. oh yeah that guy— no i'm just kidding, i'm also actually very picky about stan as well. :P most of your points about him align perfectly with mine. i don't like it when people woobify him to a point where his only/a major part of his character is his pessimism and depression, and while they are a part of him, it seems to be a big theme when people talk about stary. i definitely love the whole "i can fix him" thing gary has with him (because of gary's primordial urge to "fix" things and be persistent until he can't anymore) but that's definitely not all that they are!! (also gary's initial thought of "fixing" stan would already be faulty from the get-go anyways- but he will learn)

with stan, i think people tend to make him already pretty "helpless" in general fandom, and while he has shown to be more vulnerable than his peers, hes still pretty resilient. i do think that he would need a little bit of a push when it comes to his mental health, but that's only because he's found a way to cope with these issues- none of which are truly healthy. he's moreso content with being in a stalemate with himself and while he does wish he could do more, it takes a lot out of him to get out his more personal comfort zones.

kinda gives him another reason as to why him and gary are narrative foils, i just realized :P!!

but yeah!! i really loved this ask, and i probably really should indulge more in this aspect of gary >_<. its something i truly think about, and those who are close to me DEFINITELY know this! thank you for the ask and sorry it took so dang long haha. also thank you to those who read this behemoth, genuinely didnt expect to yap this much

[gallafics]

𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚌'𝚜 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

Title: Quatervois Author: @dodgerbear84 (Ao3)

Rating: Explicit Series: N/A

Chapters: 8/8 Word Count: 51.5k

Archive Warnings: No Warnings Used

Favorite Character: Two lovely side characters; a bartender named Cam & Mickey’s friend Kenny. And of course our boys.

Least Favorite Character: I didn’t have any characters in particular that I disliked, but Gracie’s mom?? iykyk

Ao3 Summary: “Quatervois (Qua-ter-vwa): A crossroads; a critical decision or turning point in one’s life.

Closeted soldier Mickey meets farmer Ian in a bar when on leave from his base in the Deep South and discovers that making the leap toward happiness isn't as tough when you have someone on your side.”

Review: This fic actually blew me away. The writing style is extremely cinematic and had me convinced I actually just watched a movie instead of reading a book. I could vividly picture Ian’s farm, their facial expressions, the bar, the creek—everything. I felt like I was there watching it in person.

Mickey and Ian’s build up in this fic is beautiful. Their flirtation is both cute and sexy while also having hints of pining and being slight idiots. Mickey falling for Ian in this fic is a favorite of mine because it’s so obvious how much they want one another but have things that are keeping them apart.

This fic really has it all. There’s spice, there’s banter, theres fluff, there’s lust and longing and perfect comedic timing! It’s all around a beautiful fic that has made its way to my personal downloads because I will be re-reading it!

Spoilers Below↓

Favorite Moment: So, I’m a sucker for the moments in a story that just rip your heart out and absolutely stomp on it in front of you, so, I would say my favorite part is when Mickey is leaving the state, getting ready to deploy and he and Ian are saying good-bye…

“Don’t think about what you’re leaving behind. Think about the bright future ahead of you. Promise me you won’t dwell on us saying goodbye.” Mickey’s heart clenched tightly in his chest. “I promise.”

Equally favorite moment is their first meeting, it’s so tense and Ian’s so nice and Mickey is gay panicking and ends up being an asshole

“I wasn’t asking to be your friend. I was just being friendly. Big difference. Sorry to have offended” Mickey watched as Ian headed back to his corner and felt irrational anger bubble up inside him. “What? You’re not gonna thank me for my service?” Ian laughed loudly and hollowly, turning to face Mickey and lifting the hem of his black shirt up to his chin. Mickey gaped at the display of rock hard abs and firm pectoral muscles. It lasted a moment before he spotted the livid red skin of severe but well healed burns covering the left side of Ian’s body from waist to armpit. “You gonna thank me for mine? Didn’t think so. Drink your beer, soldier, I won’t bother you again.”

Honorable mentions, their first kiss, Mickey visiting the creek, the conversation about Ian’s bed (iykyk), still obsessing over their reunion, the waterfall scene (!!) and so so many other good moments in this one!!

Favorite quote(s):

“Anything happens to Ian and you’ll have this whole bar looking for you.”

“You totally fed it.” “The fuck you on about?” “The stray cat. You fed it. You make out like you’re this tough badass but you have a caring side”

“I just… I ain’t ever… this is all… wow fuck. Kiss one guy and you use your grip on life.”

“There’s a sight I could never get tired of seeing.” Ian leered. “Me sweating my tits off while I try to stay fit enough to be a soldier even though I drink beer like water and smoke more than a funeral home chimney?”

“Nobody has ever touched me there.” Ian mumbled against Mickey’s mouth. “You’re beautiful.” Mickey had never said those words to anyone before.

“Then you came along. You, with your fucking attitude problem and killer smile.”

There were honestly so many moments in this fic that made me insanely happy and have stuck in my brain. It’s such a beautiful story. If you haven’t read it 10000/10 recommend, if you have read it? Go read it again!!!

Final thoughts: The plot was plotting. The spice was spicy. The romance was romancing. The chemistry was off the charts. I cried. I laughed. And everyone in the gym probably thought the lady on the treadmill was crazy cause I couldn’t stop grinning at my phone! Amazingly, beautiful, cinematic masterpiece!!

Thank you so much, DodgerBear, for blessing us with this fic!!

— Harley, Gallafics Reviews

[joejhang]

my input into the thea discourse in the aftg fandom

tw: rape, SA, abuse, violence

spoilers ahead !!! full disclosure: these are my opinions and no one is obligated to agree w me but if u don't i'm literally begging u pls explain urself properly in replies or just don't engage. it's rlly not that deep i just can't w mfs who just say shit like "ur wrong" without giving it any real thought and acting mature and explaining their opinion. if ur a hardcore thea hater/lover honestly just do the smart thing and don't even read on. thanks pooks !!!

gotta preface this by saying: i am not a thea hater. she's done a lot of things wrong that i'll go into but i don't have a strong hatred or even dislike for her. that being said i'm fully aware that if there's anything that will get the aftg fandom riled up it's thea muldani or the extra content. one of those.

first off, i'm well aware that thea is very much a victim of the nest, as much as jean or kevin. and also we don't even fully know how deeply thea was entrenched in the shit that went down in the nest, all we know is that she probably didn't abuse kevin or jean the way others did, considering how she interacts w them in tsc. one of the main criticisms i see of thea is how she "handled" the whole situation w riko and kevin and finding out all of riko's abuse. ppl didn't like her "no harm no foul" attitude re: kevin's broken hand. i get this, considering it wasn't rlly "no harm no foul" given the lasting trauma left on kevin from the incident, and also how long he spent recovering. that shit leaves a long-term impact on ppl and riko still remains kevin's abuser, and thea was wrong for considering it to be "no harm no foul" bc there was harm done. that being said, i think ppl need to be aware that the nest was very much a cult, as neil so aptly puts it. and tbh i have had very little experiences w these sort of environments but i do know that the nest's mentality likely had a long-term impact on thea asw. no matter how deep the abuse went w the other ravens, they were all still subject to the deep-rooted competition and fear that everyone experiences in the nest. idk the full extent of it, but it's pretty safe to assume that thea (given how good of a player she is) is pretty deep in all the cult mentality. this isn't an easy thing to just grow out of, and a lot of the brainwashing that went on in the nest probably stuck w thea and contributed to her responses to finding out exactly what happened to jean and kevin in the nest.

one of the things i most dislike abt thea is the whole conversation between her and jean in tsc. i appreciate that she cares about jean and sort of took him under her wing, but i feel like what rlly stuck w me abt it all was the whole "tell me you weren't up to your old tricks again" line. obv this pissed a lot of ppl off in the fandom too, so i'm just gonna say my piece briefly; thea referring to the older ravens repeatedly raping jean on riko's orders as jean's "tricks" is fucked up. she probably didn't know that jean wasn't consenting and she didn't know riko ordered it, but she did know that jean was a child at the time and can't legally give consent, and she did know that it wasn't like he fucked his way up to the top cos he's had his number from the beginning. she was an adult at the time, and should've done more to protect jean. still, it's obvious why she didn't, cos again, she was also a victim of the nest, and was definitely not in the best position to help jean. that being said, her line does imply that it was jean's choice/fault for messing around and the wording is just pretty fucked, so i'm not gonna completely absolve her of any responsibility in this convo just cos she was also a victim.

another thing i see when ppl r responding to thea criticism is referring to the criticism as victim blaming. tbf, a good amount of it probably is, but i think there are still a lot of things to criticise about her, and just dismissing it as "blaming the victim" is a disservice to the ppl trying to make a valid point. stating that the way thea responded to finding out abt riko's abuse towards jean and kevin was wrong and careless isn't victim blaming. victim blaming is, as the term suggests, blaming the victim of a situation for the situation they're in. listen. thea is not a victim of riko's abuse, at least not in the same way jean and kevin are. thea was a victim of the nest, yes, but it's pretty clear that what jean and kevin experienced was out of her hands, and not on the same level (esp jean. idk what rlly went down between kevin and riko before the hand breaking incident). at the end of the day, i think the way thea dealt w the issue of riko and his treatment of kevin and jean was thoughtless, and pretty dismissive. but it also bears remembering that there wasn't much for her to do by the time she found out. riko died shortly afterwards, kevin took his place as the best striker on the court and jean was sent to the trojans to heal and recuperate. her response could've been more...sensitive (i don't think that's the right word but we'll go with it) but still, y'all will complain, but what was she supposed to do? nora already stated that she was angry at riko, but riko died soon after and other than her anger, there was nothing else for thea to do in her response.

lastly, another argument levelled at thea is re her relationship w kevin. i actually am not sure abt their age gap (i think kevin was 15 and thea was 18 when they first met???) but i do know that their relationship didn't start properly until kevin was an adult and a player for the ravens. i really don't see the problem with this, considering three years (as far as i know, it is three years) isn't a HUGE gap in maturity and by the time they were together they were both very much consenting adults. as far as we know, thea didn't make any moves on kevin when he was a minor, and (if i'm correct) kevin being 18 and thea being 21 when they first properly started getting together isn't anything problematic. they're in similar stages of life, in a very close environment that's toxic, yes, but that they're both familiar with, and it's clear that the feelings they have for each other aren't the same as the violent, repressed sexual feelings held by some of the other ravens. they do genuinely care about each other on some emotional level, much as the fandom may want to deny it, and i don't really think there was anything wrong with their relationship re: consent and the age gap.

anyway, that's really all i have to say except that i do think thea is a complicated and honestly pretty realistic character, given the horrific circumstances she experienced in the nest. i think the fandom is well within their rights to criticise her actions but it bears remembering that she is just a human being and is never going to be perfect, and i think the way she acts is very real and true to her personality and circumstances and she makes a lot of mistakes, but that's just the human condition. it's also insane how much hate thea receives when she's honestly pretty on par with most of the other aftg characters on the moral "scale", if that even exists here. it's pretty baffling how much hate thea receives when she doesn't act all that differently to andrew, neil and kevin. it erases a lot of her complexity and does a disservice to her character (which, if you think about it, we don't know all that much about) to just label her as a purely "good" or "bad" character. aftg is not meant to be portraying conventionally "good" people, and i just think all the thea discourse is really interesting to put under a microscope and dissect.

thanks for reading and i will say it again: if u don't agree with me, that's fine, feel free to explain ur opinions and ur side of things. if ur just gonna be bitching and moaning abt how wrong i am or how much u hate/love thea, take it elsewhere. just don't engage. how easy is that??? just keep scrolling.

[oceansarepink]

to me the difference between show Stolas and instagram Stolas is that insta Stolas feels closer to what they were actually going for

insta Stolas actually spends time with Via, so he's less neglectful to her. they go clothes shopping, he teaches her magic, etc. but he's still wrecked her life with his cheating. if he was supposed to be a deconstruction of the sympathetic adulterer, insta Stolas is way closer to that idea than show Stolas, since they gave up on even pretending Stolas did anything wrong the minute s2 started

same with his relationship with Blitzo, honestly. instagram Stolas has a one night stand followed by Blitzo stealing his book, Stolas constantly flirting with him over text but mostly not pushing it beyond that and them hanging out occasionally. what I remember most is the movie night watching Spirit. Stolas promises to keep his hands to himself and as far as the instagrams go, it seems he actually kept his promise. it's hard to imagine him sexually harassing Blitzo the way he did in Loo Loo Land

but Stolas still has the flaws of projecting all his romantic hopes onto Blitzo, of being accidentally condescending to both him and IMP (even if he at least acknowledges the existence of Blitzo's colleagues and daughter, which his show self has yet to manage even once). I'd feel their relationship might have a chance if they could both work on their issues, whereas the show rendered it DOA with Murder Family and cranked it all the way up to openly toxic and abusive on Stolas' end in Apology Tour. (I know saying 'Blitzo isn't repulsed by Stolas' as a positive should be a low bar to clear for most ships but at least with instagram Stol1tz there was a foundation that could be built on)

I guess what I'm getting at here is insta Stolas is still very, very flawed and can be dislikeable. but unlike his show self, I think he's salvageable. if this Stolas apologized to Via to the damage he'd caused, I'd feel at least a bit sad for him if she cut him off. If this Stolas promised Blitzo he'd be better and work on his classism, I'd be more inclined to think he was capable of change. With show Stolas I have no hesitation in saying both Via and Blitzo should cut him off and answer any of his self-pitying manipulative attempts to win him back with 'go cry about it'

Idk, I guess my tl;dr here is that even with insta Stolas I could get why someone wouldn't like him. I'd just take him over show Stolas because insta Stolas would work a lot better with the framing they're trying to force on show Stolas - that he's a mess but could be a good person deep down if he got his shit together

Lol is that what the line at the end of Ozzies was referencing? “We could just watch a movie?”

This one post does a better job at making me sympathise with stolas in his marriage than the entire show in two seasons beating me over the head with it and practically pouring stolas tears down my throat.

It’s called subtlety.

And I completely agree. They had a much better foundation. But it’s far too late. This is just abuse now and there’s no going back on it.

[butchriptide]

Falls to my knees. Qiblijou. Kinkabli. Whatever you want to call it. Does anyone understand. Does anyone understand.

Now, as a certified AroAce, I am not the type to pedal that every dynamic ever has to be romantic. But also. I think they're cute as a couple. But ALSO also, even if you do not care for them as a couple, I need more people to discuss and write about and draw their dynamic. I need more if it like, yesterday.

Having to put this under the cut because it got crazy fucking long but like trust me. Trust me okay.

The element I find so compelling about them is that they read very much as similar characters at first-boiling down largely to "silly and kind". They diverge from this shared center point largely in how they react to trauma; They both are survivors, persistently... Goofy in the face of hardship. Kinkajou's seems to act as a natural element of her personality, rising up in face of being a generally lonely and somewhat disliked child. It's interesting how her impulsive nature and cheery demeanor overlaps with the genuine emotional intelligence she seems to hold. In moments of low-tension, where her head's clear and she's not immediately tunneling down something else, she seems fully able to process the fact that her trauma DOES effect her and often at least somewhat how. She doesn't have any big feelings on it, but she can still recognize her knee-jerk reaction to a Nightwing roommate being due to her trauma. Later conclusions about Moonwatcher being an exception due to some general difference from Nightwings as a whole, while not fully "correct", does still show her own ability to recognize these knee-jerk feelings as irrational-At least when faced with significant proof of that being the case, rather than doubling down on her own internal logic that's been shaped by her traumas. Her impulsivity and general hyperactivity tends to push this understanding to the side however, leaving a lot of her trauma something she's working past but not necessarily resolved. It isn't that Kinkajou is purposefully trying to avoid her pain to an unhealthy degree, so much as I think she largely doesn't think about it until she's forced to.

Meanwhile, Qibli's goofy exterior seems to largely be a mask; Or, at the very least, somewhat purposefully curated. He lives almost entirely in his fight or flight response, and seems to interpret his own overthinking and anxiety responses as a boon rather than an effect of his trauma. He likes his scar, but can't reconcile how he got it; Can't reconcile the part of him that loves his mother and wants to believe she loves him back with the fact that she hurt him, repeatedly, through pretty much every avenue one can neglect or abuse a child. This makes his optimistic veneer a lot more purposeful, an attempt to earn people's love because there was never any guarantee of receiving it from anyone. I don't believe that being this silly, playful person is necessarily fully disingenuous of Qibli, so much as I think he forces himself to amount to ONLY this. Shoves himself into a box which is used largely to ignore his trauma, as opposed to cope with it. He can't acknowledge everything that's happened to him affecting him because its incongruous with his image-both to others and himself. Despite being perceived as traditionally intelligent, Qibli's honestly incredibly lacking in the realm of emotional intelligence.

I think that ultimately, this leads them to having a very interesting balance and chemistry that's effective in getting me invested in them even though they have very little one-on-one time during the arc. They don't have any particularly "deep" moments together, but there's this implicit understanding and trust in a lot of their interactions. They match each other on a level that the rest of the Jade Winglet doesn't quite hit due to the vastly different levels they're coming from. While Qibli's not lacking his own impulsivity issues, his tendency to scrutinize and overplan becomes much more effective when it's actively curbing Kinkajou's tendency to fling into danger head-first, while Kinkajou's high-energy and quickness to action forces Qibli out of his own head in order to keep up with her.

Beyond the way they balance each other out, there's a strongly showcased, implicit trust between the two of them. Kinkajou and Qibli are co-conspirators, and them dealing with Chameleon in Book 10 (for all the gripes I hold against this book) showcase this perfectly. Qibli keeps Kinkajou from immediately jumping to action, but he doesn't talk over her, and Kinkajou's information is both pivotal to their planning and prompts Qibli to act. An important element too is that Qibli's trust in Kinkajou doesn't result in excessive idolization, like it does with Moon-Not to say that Moonbli is bad, but rather, it's an element of the relationship that makes Kinkajou and Qibli mesh much easier while Moonbli, I wholeheartedly believe, requires a lot more work to make work than canon would suggest. I think this trust is particularly important due to Qibli's issues with control, which he still easily puts aside for Kinkajou when he lets her simply keep the scrolls from Chameleon, instead of doubling down on them destroying them. Kinkajou opts to keep the scrolls at that's the end of it; even if Qibli's worried over Chameleon coming after them, he simply trusts Kinkajou to take care of them, and that's the end of it.

The way they match each other's energy is also just incredibly sweet. The Vase SceneTM comes immediately after it, so nobody ever talks about it, but they literally greet each other like 2000s scene kids who just found out what a "glomp" is.

My ultimate point is I think Kinkajou and Qibli's personalities bounce off each other in a very compelling way already as friends, and find the idea of them as a romance interesting largely because I don't think it would change much of their chemistry. I think they already feel very natural from what we're shown of them (although a lot of the non-ship dynamics in arc 2 are vastly underutilized due to how fractured everyone in the winglet is through the series to begin with) and I think they're sweet due to how much I think they can understand each other. They're interesting parallels that doesn't really get to shine in a lot of books due to the pacing of Arc 2 nor in fan works due to how people don't really read much into Kinkajou and choose to take her as just sort of a flat comic relief.

Also Kinkajou likes tortured guys <3

[riordanness]

breathe - [r.cameron]

requested: no

warnings: panic attack

wordcount: 0.8K

Rafe Cameron has never been the most likeable guy in the Outer Banks. He’s the son of Ward Cameron, one of the wealthiest guys on the island, as well as the cruellest and most manipulative. If you knew what was best for you, you stayed well away from anyone in the Cameron family.

I personally had never had any real interactions with Rafe or his family, my opinions on him based almost entirely on the words of my friends. The other teens, mostly the Pogues I hung around with, would whisper behind his back about how he was a 'spoiled rich brat' and 'arrogant' – something that only pushed him further away from any kind of meaningful social interaction.

I wouldn’t say I’m the nicest person ever, but I try my best to act friendly towards everyone I can, as you never know what someone is going through behind the scenes. I try to treat everyone with kindness, except for Rafe, who she intensely disliked. I know all too well about his 'bad boy' reputation and that makes me want to steer as far away in the opposite direction as I can.

One day, a few weeks into the first term of my senior year, I’m sitting in history class when I suddenly begin to feel faint and lightheaded. I start struggling to breathe, and my chest pulls tight, painfully even. I hastily stand, not bothering to ask to be excused, and rush from the room.

Mr Sunn calls after me, but doesn't seem too bothered by my disappearance. He definitely has worse things to worry about than a girl leaving his classroom.

I crumple to the floor in the empty hallway, leaning my back against the wall for support. My head drops to my knees, drawn up to my chest, and I cry, my throat constricting, my breathing shallow.

I’m no stranger to panic attacks, growing up in a home that resulted in many an attack, usually late at night, alone under my covers. You’d think I’d be better at dealing with them by now, but I still have no idea how to help myself through them. Waiting it out is my best and only strategy at the moment.

I become vaguely aware of someone sliding down the wall to sit beside me, their hand on my shoulder. I lift my head, vision blurry with hot tears, only to find Rafe Cameron sitting next to me.

“It's okay,” he softly mutters, his deep-set voice oddly soothing in the moment. He runs a hand through my hair, gently trying to direct my gaze to his.

I cry harder, not wanting his presence, but being unable to even communicate with anything but more tears.

“Just try to breathe, y/n. I'm here. I'll help you calm down.”

I’m honestly kind of surprised he knows my name, as I never speak to him and try to generally avoid all contact with the blond boy.

My initial reaction is to push him away, my intense dislike for him still a presence in the room. But as I look into his pretty, concerned blue eyes, I begin to realise that at this moment, Rafe isn't trying to prove a point or show off his wealth. Instead, he is trying to genuinely help me in a moment of need.

With shaky breaths, I continue to focus on him, as if the words coming out of his mouth are an anchor. Rafe continues to talk, describing his family’s boat, and how pretty the waves look in the morning sunrise. I don’t know how he knows me well enough to know that the water is my favourite thing in the world, but each sentence carries a tone of assurance that things will, indeed, get better in time.

It wasn't long until I feel my heart rate slowing down and my breathing grow more consistent. I shakily stand up, still processing the fact that it is Rafe Cameron who was the one to bring her back to reality.

We simply stand there in silence for a minute, the atmosphere filled with a strange awkwardness. I’m not quite sure how to react – I had gone from intensely disliking this boy to having feelings of admiration and gratitude towards him.

“Thank you, Rafe,” I say, my voice a mixture of surprise and appreciation. “You… you didn't have to do that for me, you know.”

At that, he smirks, a faint look of satisfaction in his expression. “I know I didn't,” he says. “It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

I smile hesitantly, my heart suddenly warming up to this boy I thought I’d known all too well. It was at that moment that I realise that maybe even the mean, rich, arrogant Rafe Cameron has a heart after all.

taglist: @drewstarkeysbae <33

[celtrist]

Well, the thought process went like this:

Man, Vaggie would have had greater success getting Alastor into feminine clothes if she used stuff that fit his style/era -> She can't do that though cause obsession is fuelling her distrust with Alastor, she is fixated on him but she doesn't see him as his own person, only as target of her dislike and desires -> Other characters too would have had greater success in getting close to Alastor if they get to actually know him and his preferences and boundaries and worked together with those boundaries -> Do other characters even see him as him and not some simulacrum of their preconceived ideas of him? -> Isn't that one of the main traits of tragedy that characters are doomed to their fate because their fatal flaws make them blind of the roads that do not lead to that one particular cliff? -> obsession au is a tragedy

In a way I did kinda meant Alastor being somewhat fine with feminine clothes (though mostly with the more androgynous type of feminine clothes, which would likely be form flattering pants and fancy shirts), though for main reason that I have a headcanon that Alastor is somewhat gender non-conforming. It stems from his haircut being a bob (which in 1920s was seen as masculine type of a feminine haircut, so Alastor wearing it would have had layers of confusing connotations). It's one detail that might have just been unintentional, but it fuelled this headcanon for literal years

- tragedy anon (might as well start to sign those asks cause I sent a lot of them and now am very invested in the au)

HOLY CRAP you had such a deep thought process with it, I love it! Again, I never really labeled the AU as a tragedy, but seeing your thought process to get to that conclusion cements it more into that's what it is. Many of the characters honestly don't see Alastor for who he is for the most part but as a "simulacrum" as you put it. There are traits of his that get through of course, but everyone does view Alastor as their ideal partner pretty much, even if it means erasing his actual identity to an extent!

It is funny you bring up the bobcut like that though, because I actually posted my own little idea about it a while back. Just to quickly phrase it here, I surmised that Alastor's bobcut was something he did when he got to Hell to A) show his respect towards women B) Potentially keep a link or reminder to his mother if she had a bobcut

And while you could argue not a canon source, we have seen Alastor's human form and there, he lacked a bobcut! (and also had a pair of glasses. I guess one eye got better vision when he got to Hell???). The design was made during a live stream but has been used ever since when depicting a human Alastor! Granted, so did Husk, and let's just say Husk's human form does NOT match his canon voice. So Alastor's human form may have had a bobcut, I just kinda doubt it. Especially with how taken the fandom is with Alastor's human design, and Viv doesn't seem like the type to go against it because of that.

I don't think anything deep was in mind though when Alastor was designed. If that was the case, I feel like Viv would've actually put his hair into a 20s/30s creole hairstyle rather than the bobcut. It was more than likely she just happened to like how the bobcut looked and it also covered the side of Alastor's head without the lack of anything on the sides looking too noticeable/distracting. Again, I like Alastor's design (clearly, I keep drawing it), but I don't think as much thought really went into it as it should have.

These two asks (one of which has a special guest star Edna Mode) has me going into a lot of bits about how Alastor's design doesn't work in the sense of who his character is: 1 2 And I mean, there IS good in the design (again, I draw it a lot. It isn't as god-awful as some people make it out to be), but I acknowledge that it could be improved A LOT.

But I do see your point with the bobcut either way. Because while I do think it genuinely was JUST a design decision with no real reason as to why he has it in canon, we do have it and it's something for us to try and work with. And it is, for his time period, a feminine hairstyle that would go against my logic for him! With that said, it should be noted that hair was always a bit more muddy in terms of what was for ladies and what was for men. Of course, during Alastor's time, men had to have some length of hair to get the hairstyles that were popular at the time, but it wasn't popular to put it in a bob. But the bobcut was worn by men as far back as the Renaissance, I have to admit that's definitely stretching it though. I will say, that I wouldn't be like... surprised if Alastor was okay in canon wearing feminine clothes that are to his style. I don't think in any interaction he'll ever want to wear anything sultry like Jessica Rabbit, but I'm not gonna say it's impossible that Alastor wouldn't at least be fine with clothes to his style or similar to that in cannibal town. I think no matter what he'd just have a clear preference for masculine attire, but I definitely get what you mean concerning the bobcut possibly indicating that he would be open to more feminine clothes. His personality just REALLY doesn't read that way to me, but I could be wrong about that. At the least for this AU, there's still that issue of Vaggie ignoring the fact Alastor is a man. Even if he'd like wearing feminine clothes on his own, he's gonna feel uncomfortable and miserable in them because Vaggie is deliberately trying to force him to be a woman and see him as that. And while he has high respect for them, I don't think Alastor would actually like to be one (but I have read some fun trans stories with that idea).

In terms of canon, maybe it's less about the outfits themselves and more that Alastor has to choose what he wears and then he'd be fine with it. I'm not sure. I'm not really opposed to him enjoying some feminine clothes, it's just not really something I think he'd like to do.

I will say that I don't think Vaggie is really putting androgynous clothes on Alastor, and I think THAT'S where he'd be more okay with it. Like okay, I think he's not really going to be cool with anything showing an inch of skin (his normal attire only really has his head exposed, everything else is covered! His hands are debatable because while they were stated to be gloves, his summer merch clearly had them not being gloves. By the same token, merch of Charlie had her having normal human feet rather than her cloven hooves we know and love!) The issue with androgynous clothing, especially in the 20s/30s, is that Alastor would still look pretty close to being a man as usual. So while I think Alastor would be perfectly fine wearing something like this, Vaggie would probably NEED to add makeup to give the impression he's more female than male. But she's probably experimented with outfits for him! Adversely, if you go by more modern androgynous clothes like this, Alastor's already not gonna like it because it's modern. But in addition, they do lean more feminine. But once again, that can depend on how you headcanon his character. It just so happened in this au, he doesn't like wearing feminine or feminine-esque clothing. This like everything else is open to change, especially if we see him interested in that sort of fashion in the canon of the show.

[neptune-scythe]

one thing about me is I will headcanon any and every character as some form of asexual, aromantic, or aplatonic because let's face it, there just isn't enough representation and canon content to satisfy

and because honestly any character, regardless of their canon interactions with sex or romance or friendship can still be on any of the spectrums, so there's literally no character that couldn't be a-spec

BUT

asexual Buck

i've got two headcanons that bounce around inside my head and make me feral

so first is fraysexual Buck who is only interested in sexing it up with strangers, people he doesn't know all that well or have any type of emotional connection or attachment to. This Buck probably doesn't put much thought into it or know enough about it to use the label, and even when the relationship does go farther and that attraction fades, he probably ignores that and just does it anyway because the romantic attraction is still there and he doesn't know enough to understand the nature of his attraction and accept it. So he just keeps at it for the sake of his partners even though he has no desire to do so for his own self.

I like to think this Buck also doesn't separate romantic and sexual attraction, so to him they're the same thing, which is why in a romantic buddie scenario, he doesn't understand those feelings (I prefer them as queerplatonic/alterous but there's something about them being romantic in this scenario that makes my brain go brrrr). Because whatever sexual attraction he had towards Eddie he turned into jealousy and was convinced was actually just all negative feelings and dislike (and complicated more by him not understanding his bisexuality yet and that he could even be attracted to a man in that way), and then they got close so fast, their emotional bond and connection formed so quickly that the attraction faded very soon as well, too soon to put much thought into it or realize what it actually was. And because in his mind, romance and sex are one and the same, he can't be romantically attracted to Eddie because he is definitely not sexually attracted to him.

Thus why even upon realizing he's bisexual and capable of being attracted to men romanticly or sexually, he doesn't include Eddie in that revelation at all, or have any clarity there.

but my personal favourite headcanon

asexual Buck who never knew that was something people could be or that it was okay to be that, so he just did it because he thought that's what people were "supposed" to do, and even though he didn't like it, never felt the desire to do it, somehow it made him feel normal because he was doing what everyone else was.

And somewhere deep in the back of his mind he knew he was asexual, knew he was different, and he felt broken and wrong because of it. So even though he didn't actually enjoy it, it calmed that fear in the back of his mind that there was something fundamentally wrong with him, so he just pushed aside whatever discomfort he had in the process in favour of being "normal". But he over compensates, he's searching so desperately to be normal and ok that he goes to far, he throws himself at strangers and anyone who will have him, anything to silence that voice in the back of his mind that knows that's not who he is.

And to make matters worse, its attention, what he always wanted but rarely got, it's the feeling that he matters, that he can make other people happy, that he'll have value.

It's not just that he throws himself into those situations, it's that people welcome him into it, they choose him. So yet again, even though he doesn't actually like it, doesn't really want to be doing it, he does ... because the feeling of being wanted, being chosen, and accepted if even for a moment is better than his physical discomfort and the voice in the back of his mind that begs to just be true to himself. But he can't listen because this is the only way people want or need him.

Maybe this Buck is greysexual, or aceflux ... or even apothisexual, but he definitely doesn't feel that attraction, he has no desire for that relationship other than for the attention and the fleeting feeling of being important to someone, or that his life has value because he's letting himself be used for the benefit of those around him.

And one day he'll realize he isn't broken because he doesn't want that type of relationship or never feels that attraction, that he doesn't have to fit some mold or perform a fake life to be okay and normal and acceptable.