#and most disregard it cuz it's friends to lovers

[twospiritstooprideful]

"I love topic yaoi!"

Just say you're into enemies to lovers

It's okay to be boring

[that-was-a-bit-stupid-of-you]

I don't understand, what's going on with Taylor and Matt trash being a couple? Could you explain to me?

nothing is really going on at the moment tbh, cuz they broke up a pretty long while ago, but the issue is the album (if that's what you're referring to) and taylor swift herself.

[will add sources and more stuff when I find the links and if I realise I missed something out, cuz this is a general thing based off of memory]

Context: dating history

Basically she and matty had been friends for a few years (there are rumors of them hooking up ig in 1989 era maybe, but I don't really care enough to believe shit like that). Apparently he had also been pining for her (according to stuff he said in interviews and tweets) for years, but again, you can still chalk it up to rumors if you wanna.

The thing is that post her breakup with joe alwyn, she started dating him (in like april I think) [there had been dating rumors of them since 2014 tho, and again in March 2023] and the fandom kinda got divided.

Here is the link to their entire timeline

Context: what matty healy did

Matty healy (you prolly know this) is basically racist, sexist, antisemitic, homophobic and God knows what else I have missed out or not been aware of. He did shit like doing the nazi gesture on stage, mocking asian accents, tastelessly making fun of ice spice on her race and bodyshaming her, laughing and basically confirming that he watches violent rape porn of black women on a site that is known to be highly problematic and force their actors (gender neutral) to do things they dont consent to (there was also an actress who was assaulted or something but im not informed on it). Even when he was called out on stuff like this, he accused people (who were poc, btw) of overreacting.

Context: taylor and activism

Taylor had also, in the past (lover era, and miss Americana the doc) had talked about how she had been too quiet about political issues and politics itself for too long, that she understands her influence and power in society, and that she "needs to be on the right side of history" and even specifics such as that she thinks it's spineless to go on stage and say "happy pride month" and not acknowledge the political oppression that queers in USA were facing (something about a bill or the republican party idk man I'm not american, i dont remember but i did research when i watched the doc tho). She has claimed she was gonna be clear about where she stands (many republicans had considered her to be one, and many thought she's conservative or something, but she was always quiet about it, until the lover era). However, she just stopped that activism after the lover era, and went back to being quiet on where she stands (I've seen many swifties refer to the lover era as the activism era) and hasn't spoken about anything substantial really. She did some things like post a black square with 13 hearts during blm, and stuff that every celeb who wasn't openly a pos did, but that's kinda it. Even as a self proclaimed feminist, she didn't speak up on issues such as roe v wade, or about an issue regarding drag queens despite having them in yntcd, or talking about trans/queer rights until she was in a blue state (im not an American, I just like to keep up a little with stuff in usa cuz it's always up in my face sadly, and thus i cant be specific, but anyways, correct me if I'm wrong, or if I missed something).

So even after saying she'll be vocal, she was just... not. And that's basically her on politics or giving a shit about minority communities.

Context: Fandom's reaction

Swifties were extremely disappointed that taylor CHOSE to associate with a man like this, and there were fans calling her out, and she received backlash, too.

Most of these swifties were poc (myself included) and they felt hurt that an artist that they not just supported and developed such a deep connection with, but also financially supported for years, would have such disregard for them. Not just was she dating him, but she kept saying things such as "I have never been happier in all aspects of my life" or saying "I love you" or "uk who you are" in romantic songs on the tour, which was just adding insult to injury. She also did a collab with ice spice (which was completely out of nowhere, and the collab itself seemed badly made and rushed), which fans and others speculated to be a pr cover up for the fact that matty healy had mocked her (many ppl also believed that it was too quick for it to be a pr cover tho).

Now, in the fandom, when poc swifties were calling her out on dating mh, (mostly) white swifties started harassing poc swifties for doing so, or saying that they are hindering with her happiness or some bs about it being "just a fling" (again, myself included). They said it's the same as seeing a friend get out of a long-term relationship and make bad dating choices, and poc swifties should let it go (as if taylor is our close personal friend). In a mostly white fandom, poc swifties felt alienated and sidelined.

Ofc, taylor never addressed any of this backlash, and after she broke up with him, there were articles saying that sources say (which mostly means her pr team atp) that her breakup had nothing to do with his controversies or behavior.

The album release (lyrics, references and reaction)

Now, with the release of ttpd, contrary to what most of the fandom believed, most of the songs on both the albums are believed to be (and heavily hinted on) about matty healy. These include 4 songs- "ttpd", "but daddy I love him", "I can fix him (no really I can)", and "guilty as sin?"

Ttpd, the title track, talks about mh being "a tattooed golden retriever" (wtf) and about him love-bombing her, and her pining after him, thinking about marriage and shit. But daddy I love him and I can fix him, are basically that no one supported her dating decision and she's claiming that she loves him oh so goddamn much, but more importantly, her talking about her fans' reactions. Specifically, describing her poc fans to be "vipers" and "judgemental creeps" who hate her and them being hurt as "bitching and moaning", and basically took the side of the (white) fans who defended her, indirectly. She described his racist bs as "crazy" and said shit like she could "handle a dangerous man." She also has another song, "Guilty as sin?" and while I genuinely don't give a fuck about what she chooses to do in her private life, unless it is problematic, it is about her fantasizing about being with that racist man while being in a long term relationship with joe alwyn. She sings about how she wants him and wants to be with him... in multiple ways, iykyk. Again, out of context, I love this song so much, but that doesn't erase the context, right?

She also has a song "I hate it here" where she says the following lines:

"My friends used to play a game where

We would pick a decade

We wished we could live in instead of this

I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid"

And while there are many reasons why this line by itself is racist (romantisization of a time that was extremely shitty to many communities, most of which she is not a part of, showing herself to be "oh look I'm so woke I still remember the bad things even when I romanticize bad eras in history" which is something you expect from an ignorant white high schooler maybe, not a 34 y/o billionaire who claims to be well-read, etc.) but taylor swift herself saying these is adding insult to injury cuz she has shown time and time again she has no problem with racism (she kept quiet when antonia gentry, a black actress, received hate and racist threats by swifties because of a line BY NETFLIX that taylor didn't like, and she shouldn't ofc, but it wasn't the actress' fault), or associating herself with them (matty healy, for example). It is hypocritical to write something like that after writing an album about pining after a man and his "dangerousness," which is just bigotry. Way to romanticise racism, sexism, and antisemitism, taylor.

Even now, after listening to the album, she clearly doesn't like mh anymore, NOT because of his actions, but because he broke her heart, showing that she still enables and is okay with everything he did.

And that's kind of it (ig) about her and matty healy. I'm not really sure exactly which part you wanted to know, so this is just a gist of it all. Hope it helps :)

[gallysglader]

I Just Don't Like Him

Summary: Ever since youve met Gally, youve thought him to be obnoxious and rude, and yet...

Pairing: Gally x reader

A/N: I know its not 100% enimies to lovers but I just have zero patience I'm sorry

Request: rivals to loverssssssss. cuz it suits him best to me. maybe he meets em when he first starts workin for the right arm since its something new. Fellow soldier mayhaps?

Honestly, when The Right Arm got word that Group A had finished the Maze Trials, I knew instantly I should volunteer to check the place where they would exit into the W.C.K.D headquarters. I don't really know why, we weren't going to do it at all, but I just had that feeling that we should check, maybe something there could give us a boost. When I went to Lawrence to get the 'OK', he actually welcomed the idea. Said it was a good play. He immediately set me up with a team, obviously I couldn't risk going alone.

We arrived in a van, just in case there were things we could use, we'd have more space in the vehicle. The building was dark and surprisingly cool, and there was blood and broken glass on the floor. We didn't have to look hard to see two bodies lying dead. We all immediately rushed towards them, checking pulses to see if they survived somehow. One of the boys was younger and looked to be 12 or so. He had a bullet wound in his chest.

Donnie, a friend of mine, checks his pulse. He looks at me sadly. "Dead." He drops the boy's arm and stands up, running his fingers through his hair. The rest of the team starts walking around the large room, checking for more. We walked over to the other boy, who looked closer to me in age and had a spear stuck in his chest. This scene is offputting, like there are important details I'm missing.

"What do you think happened here?" I ask, grabbing the boy's wrist

"Dunno, too bad we'd never kn-" Before he can finish is sentence I gasp. There's a pulse. The boy's alive. How?

"He's alive!" I practically shout before everyone else runs back toward us. We waste no time, grabbing him and practically shoving him into the van and driving back to HQ.

It wasn't long until we realized he was immune to the flare, after making that discovery everyone started working harder to fix him back up and get him out of his coma-like state. I got put In charge of possibly the most degrading task, talking to him in his sleep. Not even about anything specific, some of the guys just thought that if he heard a voice talking to him he'd wake up faster, I don't know what sort of logic that is but I really don't feel like disregarding orders, so I agreed.

I mostly just sit in the chair next to him and feel awkward before attempting small talk. Small talk. To practically a corpse. What the heck.

"So...um...it's pretty hot out today right?" I groan and feel like an idiot. Of course, it's freaking hot out we are in the aftermath of the scorch. I try again. "Well, I mean yeah, obviously, um-" I look away and hope nobody watching the security cams right now.

Suddenly I hear a groan and look at the boy. He's waking up. He rolls over and opens his eyes, looking right at me. "You really suck at conversations." Really? Those are the first words he says? Wow.

"Well give me some credit, your not a very talkative person yourself, you certainly didn't make it easy." I cross my arms. He scoffs, and winces.

"Damn, getting shot with a spear sure shucking hurts." He scoffs again. This dude seems very laid back considering everything. I'm curious.

"What happened back there? Do you know how you-" He laughs (wincing again), interrupting me. He seems really rude, and I frown.

"Is that your way of flirting?" He smirks and raises his eyebrows. The fuck? The nerve and ego of this guy is just unbelievable.

"Trust me, if I were flirting you'd know it, not that I'd ever flirt with you." I roll my eyes and get up to leave, to alert someone that he's awake and an asshole.

He laughs and rolls onto his back. "Trust me, the feelings are mutual."

Since he's been awake the rest of the group has been working to completely heal him, and some have even started training him to be a soldier already. I've been avoiding him as much as I can, with the occasional dreadful pass through hallways, but it gets tricky, especially at mealtimes, where we are all packed together and eating for about an hour before going back off in our separate ways. Of course, we always somehow end up sitting at the same table, like today.

"Hey Y/N." He says in that annoying tone as he plops his tray of food down on the table. Today we are eating potatoes, I think. The food here isn't exactly five-star. I roll my eyes and scoot away from him. He knows I dislike him, and he knows I know he dislikes me, and he loves bothering me, more often than not our lunchtimes end with harsh words.

I groan. "Hello, Gally." Even his name is stupid. Gally? What kind of name is Gally? When I first learned his name I burst out laughing, and he glared at me so hard, if looks could kill...he sort of looked away and mumbled after, "Y/N is a stupid name too..." but honestly it was just pathetic.

He just stares at me for a minute or two before eating, still looking at me.

"What do you want?" I ask, my face starting to burn. He's just staring like a doofus and I know there's likely not even a reason for it. He's just doing it to get a reaction, I kind of hate myself for giving him one.

"Did you know that you have a resting bitch face?" He asks, putting on a fake smile and happy tone. I hate when he does that.

"Shut up, eyebrows. You don't get to make fun of appearances." To this, he looks outraged. He's always quick to anger, it's almost funny, he'll be making that chirpy voice when he's teasing me one minute and the next he starts yelling at me.

"HEY!" He stands abruptly and slams his hands down on the table, making me and everyone nearby jump. I can feel everyone's eyes on us. "AT LEAST I'M NOT A LITTLE BITCH WHO GETS AWAY WITH EVERYTHING! AT LEAST I DON'T WALK AROUND ACTING LIKE EVERYBODY LOVES ME!" His face is tomato-red, and he storms off, slamming the door on his way out. The cafeteria is quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

Donnie moves closer to me, his voice low. "What was that about?" He looks at me, waiting to answer. I don't. Gally gets mad very easily, but this was seemingly worse than other times. I don't know why. When I don't say anything Donnie sighs. "Why are you guys so hard on each other? Why don't you like him?"

"I just don't like him." I get up and walk out the door. I need to think. Why was he so much more mad today? I try and think back, we've insulted each other before, although...now that I think of it I don't think I've ever said something about appearances. I've never insulted the way he looks. Why would I? He is pretty good-looking, handsome, strong, with a good build. Not that I'm attracted to him or anything. He's just decent-looking by textbook definition. We may quarrel, but I'm not blind. So, his appearance must be a touchy subject, I must have struck a nerve. I know I don't like him in the slightest way, but I feel obligated to apologize to him. I don't know why, he's said some pretty cruel stuff to me. But still, I end up walking to his room and knocking on his door. He answers it glaring down at me.

"What?" His voice is cold, and his face is still red, presumably from the argument. He crosses his arms and looks away.

"I just wanted to... apologize if I crossed a line back there." He looks back at me in surprise.

"You're...apologising? We never apologize."

"I know, but you just seemed really mad this time and I just felt like I needed to say it. Why did you get so mad anyway?" I look at him waiting for an answer, it feels weird having a normal conversation with him. He doesn't say anything for a long time.

"I dunno." he shrugs. They way he says it, I just know he's lying.

"Be honest." I cross my arms and stare.

"I don't have to explain anything to you!" He goes to slam his door but I put my foot in the way, I'm surprised at how much it hurt.

"Just tell me!"

"No! Just FUCK OFF" He yells, his face burning.

I raise my voice, exasperated "JUST TELL ME WHY YOU GOT SO MAD!"

"BECAUSE I'M IN WITH LOVE YOU!" His eyes widen and he gets more red. I feel my face burn in return.

"What?" I ask, my voice a whisper. His shoulders sag and he looks down and away.

"I'm in love with you."

I stare for a long time. How could he be in love with me? We hate each other, don't we?

"I know you don't like me, but honestly I've always respected you, and I love how fired up I make you. I didn't realize it at first, but I was hopeless. And I guess when you said I was ugly I-"

"Hold on, I never said you were ugly. You're not." He looks up and I look him in the eyes, willing him to believe me.

"Well, when I thought that, I just got...upset. I guess I just hoped you'd like me back but...I mean you hate me, so-" Before he could finish his sentence, I'm not even thinking of it, I grab his shirt and pull his lips down onto mine. I didn't realize it, but I've wanted this. I've wanted him. And this...changes everything.

I slowly pull away, "I love you too..."

He smirks and puts his hands on my waist. "Are you flirting with me?"

[thespineoftherighteous]

My unpopular opinion that would get me murdered by the fandom is that I actually don’t mind Kevin/Thea. I see people being skeeved out by Nora saying in the extra content Kevin met her when he was 14 but like Nora also said that they didn’t really talk to each other or anything until Kevin was 18? And like idk I might be biased cuz I personally know people in happy and healthy relationships with the same age gap as Kevin/Thea but I just don’t think it’s that bad?

Like I agree with criticisms of the ship not being portrayed well in canon (like Thea was clearly a lazy way for Nora to show that Kevin is Definitely Not a Love Interest for Andreil lmao) but I see people treating the ship like it’s as toxic as Kevin/Riko and I just don’t agree, mostly because I think it would be completely against the values of Andrew as a character to let one of his charges stay in a toxic romantic relationship?

I also think there’s tons of unexplored angst fic potential in the idea of what if Thea was Kevin’s age. Like Kevin having to face his former brother, best friend, and lover on the court in that 1st Ravens game? Drama

(with all that being said, I’m an aro!Kevin supporter that likes him not being in a romantic relationship at all, so I really did just go on a long rant in defense of a ship that’s not even my favorite by a long shot lmao. Sorry)

oh we're getting into it now. I'm going to have to really disagree with you on this one, though i can respect such a bold take. i don't actually remember what the age gap between Kevin and Thea is so i won't chat too much on that but I'll just say that i don't think age gaps in general are necessarily bad, but they only work with adults. fully fledged, developed adults. it'd be a completely different story if they were both older but her waiting for him to turn 18 doesn't sit right. especially for a kid that she's known since he was 14.

even if we disregard that though, their relationship doesn't seem healthy. we only got about 2 seconds of it from the books and it seemed full of red flags, if i remember correctly. honestly i can't imagine any romantic relationships between former Ravens to be at all healthy, though they probably would have killer angst. i think most Ravens are probably too rough and jagged in all the same places to properly fit together. I'm not saying relationships have to be healthy and clean to be enjoyable, I'm just disagreeing with you saying that they're not unhealthy. (and yeah Andrew would intervene if he thought Kevin was at risk but this isn't directly his territory the way Aaron's relationship is.)

aside from whether it's morally good or bad though (because "bad" relationships can eat sometimes!) there's just nothing compelling about them? pick any—ANY—fox to pair with Kevin and that's automatically a million times more interesting. there's just nothing there?? it doesn't even require any effort to disregard their relationship because there's nothing between them to begin with.

HOWEVER. i think there's something to your point of imagine Kevin having to face his brother best friend and lover as a fox like that's such effortless angst (isn't it always, with Kevin) but yeah. I'm with you on that, circumstances being adjusted accordingly.

[euphoricfilter]

hi long post anon… again😭

yes “rule” is more so used as “unspoken boundary”

and its a lil concerning anon didn’t pick that up when the explanation is right under that specific quote they picked😭

like have fun but don’t get caught up in thinking that just because you write something that is fiction that your muse is gonna wanna see it

not only is this just to be safe/respectful morally but even legally in terms of copywrite

thats why mainstream authors don’t want people to send them fanfic because the author may accidentally add from the fic subconsciously. Or coincidentally they added it because it was an idea that you two happened to think of at the same time before you ever sent the fic or the author opened your letter/email.

this leaves people to then be able to claim the author stole content whether intentional or not.

but also in terms of morals, it just says that you respect how an author views their relationship with THEIR work by not making your interpretations aware to the author. many authors work hard to establish their worlds/characters and may feel put off if they feel someone has mischaracterized their work or morphed it into something they don’t recognize within the canon of their universe. not to say that the fic isn’t good but essentially you dont come into someone else’s home and tell them how to decorate.

and in terms of real life people, it keeps your muse from seeing how you characterize them which may not be a reflection of their own self-actualization. and again it can mess with how people see themselves. or almost feel like they’re being harassed to reveal something about themselves because fics with certain characterizations are being thrown in their face. like “i know something about you, you should just say it already.”

its not to say that a nonbinary or autistic headcannon isn’t valid but sending it to someone may feel like projection to that very real person.

like jungkook may not take offense to being called nonbinary or trans but if thats not his actual lived experience, then sending him fics or making him aware that you’ve “headcannoned” him as such would be crossing a line.

its like saying “oh im going to disregard how and what you’ve being willing to share about yourself publicly until you possibly give in and out yourself.”

we saw this with the actor who plays the bisexual boyfriend in Heartstoppers. people -mainly other queer people- couldn’t separate the actor from his role and kept poking him to come out until he actually did. just because the internet was right about him being queer, doesn’t mean they were morally right for pressuring him.

its like receiving a “love” letter from an unreliable narrator in which they detail how you smiled at them once which meant you were “obviously” flirting; when in reality, you -the person who knows your own feelings- only smiled cuz you were just being nice. doesn’t mean you aren’t a lover; it just means that your love hasn’t been extent towards them.

if Jungkook is nonbinary, he’s is for himself; not to reaffirm some preconceived notion Army have. he exists outside our collective thought and doesn’t need fic to convince him of his identity or lack there of.

basically this rule is a “curtesy” that we should extend to ALL people. so unless they ask, don’t show your fanfic to your muse, friends.

ugh i keep ending up long winded😭🤦🏽‍♀️

but this has been fun discourse and hopefully it enlightens someone cuz that what social change is supposed to do💜

thank you for explaining a little deeper, my lovely.

literally i’d go missing and you’d never hear from me again if bts were to read anything i’ve written, it’s not made for them 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ my worst nightmare is them perceiving me LMAO

and i think i can speak on behalf of most writers that what we write, either it be bts as gay or anything of the sort, is no way for us as writers to push the boys to come out or feel as though they should identify a certain way. as i’ve reiterated like a million times within the last couple of hours, it’s all a story, not there to project onto anyone in real life. i don’t sit in my bedroom and scheme up ways to force an agenda onto bts, i’m just trying to have a good time and little fun and if i’m doing something wrong then at least i’m aware now and can improve as a person

i’m not saying, as a straight fact any of the members are gay, or that they specifically go by they/them pronouns. if he does identify as anything above then that’s super cool too and he doesn’t owe me or anyone else anything, and that’s fine!! but me writing a non binary jungkook is in no way me saying that is how he should be or is in real life. idk why that point hasn’t come across for some people yet 🏃‍♀️

anyways, thank you again for taking the time to explain!! you definitely deserve a yummy snack after all this, and you’re super cool and very smart!! so thank you for taking the time out of your day to talk about such a kinda weird but very interesting topic with me 🫂

[autumnslance]

Not anon but I --5.25 SPOILERS-- would be interested to know your thoughts on the revelation about Midas being under Bahamut's control, especially with the context of trauma-altered memory. I've been pondering tinfoil about this reveal as some kind of subconscious & deeply ingrained coping mechanism for Cid to exonerate the memory of his father, even if a little bit... then again that might be my--FF7 SPOILERS--Cloud Strife brain cell talking.

Let me tell you what I wish I’d knownWhen I was young and dreamed of gloryYou have no controlWho lives, who dies, who tells your story-”History Has Its Eyes on You”, from Hamilton

In Stormblood, I connected George Washington’s song a lot to Gosetsu as he mentored Hien and the WoL through the Azim Steppe and Doma’s liberation, and then later in the patch content with the difficult decisions made in those story arcs.

In Shadowbringers, there’s a lot more emphasis on memory and stories, particularly in 5.2. So I’ve been thinking of that short but impactful song a lot more often lately, in regards to who has survived to tell the stories that makes heroes and villains of the characters. What perspective does the Wandering Minstrel--or Minstreling Wanderer--hear?

It starts with how since we arrived on the First, the stories of the Warriors of Light were twisted or lost, leaving the WoL and Cyella (and a few others among the fae and viis who remember) to try to retell them a hundred years later to reclaim the legacy of those five as the heroes they were, not the villains people have heard about. In 5.2, much emphasis is given tothe history of Archmage Tiuna, a hero of Ronka and past Warrior of Light. To the origins of the name for the “Isle of Ken” that hides Bismark’s presence, forgotten and unknown by most people, though the man lived just before the Flood. To the story of Minfilia’s rebirth over and over and what that meant for those girls, and the glimmer of hope they represented. To Gaia’s disjointed memories and lost past, choosing to look now to the future.

Of the Ascians own susceptibility to the vagaries of time and preference and some tempering, but mainly perhaps their own grief and anger as they look back on the halcyon days of Amaurot and show or tell us what their perspective--as the privileged leaders of their people, mind--recalls thousands of years later.

Over and over, the recurring theme of Shadowbringers is the choral line: Who lives who dies, who tells your story?

HOW do they tell your story? If they do, or can, at all?

In “Save the Queen” we learn about the memory crystals and another aspect of the Echo. Mikoto’s version of the Blessing lends credence to the various oracles and prophets Louisoix and Urianger studied. The relic chain also clarifies how the city introduction scenes in 1.0 worked, and the WoL’s interactions with/repair of Cid’s memories in 2.0 on the airship with the goggles. Here again, we go into our engineering pal’s mind, but this time in a controlled manner with guidance afforded by the crystal.

It’s terrifying in its implications and possibilities, as easily abused as it is helpful for dealing with trauma, which it seems is the main intention of the device and one’s Echo. Canonically, most people with the Echo naturally are written as people inclined to help others (even if they aren’t always very good at it, or go about it the right way, as we saw with Ysayle’s flailing efforts). Still, there’s an ambivalence to literally changing someone’s mind, though we try a few times in the duty to alter the memories--such as when soldiers are fighting rebels or cutting down civilians.

I had a friend watching me play for my reactions, and one that made him grin (I could hear it, Patrick) was when I got to the plaza with Dalamud overhead and “Answers” suddenly kicking in as the music track. The first barrier to getting to the end and finding out “the truth.” Cid lost his memory for five years after watching Dalamud fall and Bahamut rampage across the land. Altering the Lunar Transmitter was an emotional plot point in the Omega raids. It makes sense part of his nightmare would involve the satellite and the dragon.

There are a couple ways the reveal about Midas can go.

In Praetorium, Gaius alluded to Midas being tempered. It seems odd to have it “revealed” now, rather than “confirmed.” Except, do we really have it confirmed? We have Cid’s memory of his father acting strangely, disregarding scientific facts, shooting him--

--and maybe Cid needs an explanation for that. Maybe he latched onto Gaius’ insinuations in the Praetorium and his memories, already trying to protect him from the truth, used Gaius’ words to offer one last protection. “Your father shot you because he was tempered” and not because Midas was too far gone in his own obsession and loyalty, while young Cid was already wavering in how much he owed the empire, how much harm his inventions were causing across Ilsabard and Othard.

On the other hand, it’s often repeated the Echo shows the truth--not anyone’s perception or falsehood, but what really happened. Maybe, after summoning our own memories and inspiring our friend, after cutting through Cid’s self-defenses, we do, in fact find the truth in Gaius’ words: Midas nan Garlond was one of Bahamut’s first modern thralls. And that was a memory Cid didn’t want to remember, either, something just as hard to cope with as seeing his father on the other side of that smoking barrel. That no matter what, his father was lost, body and soul. Cid could never have saved him.

Either way is a very traumatizing experience and realization, and it’s no wonder his mind rebels so much we end up facing off against memories of Bahamut and Varis (to make up for never getting to fight him for reals cuz Zenos is a kill stealing lil--*cough*). There’s a lot of fascinating psychology here I am not qualified enough to go into further, but those are the two ways I see this particular story beat going.

History currently remembers one thing, but maybe Cid can still change the story, and his father will be remembered as another tragic victim of the Calamity, instead of one of its instigating villains. Maybe in a new story Midas can be redeemed and history will see things differently in a few years.

After all, one of Cid’s best friends is Jenomis--the playwright retelling the story of the Zodiac Braves and altering even the modern ending of that tale and what happened in Ivalice. Whose son wants to write about the Warrior of Light someday, to tell our story and determine how history will remember us. Meanwhile, young Azami is set to become Yotsuyu’s biographer, and Honoroit has already written about the adventures in the Sea of Clouds--a companion piece to the tale Edmont already told in Heavensward.

And in an alternate future that may or may not exist any longer, that history, that story, that memory, is the only glimmer of hope left.

As a writer and lover of stories, I think about these threads a lot through Stormblood and Shadowbringers.

[radioactivesoda-gw2]

since khallalh looked kind of w/e in those vex answers...let's turn that around and ask the same questions of him. >:) for khallalh: 2, 3, 21, 46, & 49.

LOL OKAY. For the record Khallalh always has that look of “whatever” XD he isn’t able to tell his face to make expressions at will, so you only see expressions from Khallalh when he’s genuinely feeling the corresponding emotion. :> For those who haven’t seen the answers to these questions for Vex, go here! ^-^

02. What is one of your character’s biggest insecurities? Are they able to hide it easily or can others easily exploit this weakness?Khallalh isn’t a very insecure person, he doesn’t put much worth in other people’s perceptions nor does he care to put much worth in his own. However he is aware that he unintentionally turns people away or hurts them due to how he appears to be indifferent 24/7, so he is insecure of this. 

If someone points out a fault/flaw they think Khallalh has, he may reflect on it, but once he concludes it to be untrue or merely a petty remark he disregards it and moves on. If he concludes it may be true he’ll take note to avoid doing the fault/flaw, but will not absorb it as an insecurity.

↓ ↓ ↓  THESE GET SO LONG IM SORRY, more underneath!! ;w; ↓ ↓ ↓ 

03. What would be their favorite physical trait about themselves?On the same token, Khallalh doesn’t put much worth in the physical appearance of himself or even others. As seen above, even a remark about his physical appearance won’t change that. He may reflect on it, but again disregards it once he concludes it to be a worthless endeavor. 

Even though Khallalh ultimately ignores negative remarks about his physical traits, if Vex compliments one of Khallalh’s physical traits he likes, Khallalh may make efforts to dress that part of him up (very lowkey though.) But it’s mainly a “I recognize that you appreciate this part of me, so I will acknowledge it” thing rather than a “you like what you see? B)” thing.

21. What is one of your character’s biggest fears? How would they react when dealing with this fear?Khallalh’s biggest fear is the death of any family members, close friends, or Vex, in particular at the hands of the Inquest as he’s had a few people now he’s lost to them. Despite his indifferent demeanor, Khallalh has a very big heart for those closest to him and would do anything under the sun to ensure they don’t suffer or perish. His second-biggest fear is Vex going berserk and him being unable to call him back to reality which could mean he or someone else would have to kill him in order to stop him.

Death is something Khallalh is familiar with, and has pushed memories of it deep into his subconscious, keeping them silent and preventing him from losing himself to misery. But in turn leaving him with a distant but ever-present burning fear of it all happening again. Any time he’s presented with a possibility of loss the memories and fear lunge back out into his consciousness and attempt to pull him under. He’s disciplined himself enough to be able to stay level-headed in most situations, but the larger the possibility of death, the harder it is for him to hold back tears, control his thoughts, and carefully process his actions.

46. What is some random affectionate thing that your character always does to their lover?Again going back to how Khallalh is with public affection, not much is done around other people. However Khallalh knows Vex is more physical, so he may make an effort to brush his arm against Vex’s or just settle his arm against his, but even this can make Khallalh nervous so he doesn’t do it frequently.

Khallalh is also the kind of person who isn’t expressive, but if you know him well enough you catch the little things that show he cares. Little things like leaving a snack for you, or folding clothes you left laying around, etc. If Khallalh smiles at you, that’s when you know you done good, cuz that boyo don’t smile unless he is legitimately pleased/happy/excited/thankful.

Even if Khallalh isn’t very physical, there is one affectionate thing he always does to Vex, which is leave him notes. He may leave these anywhere in his lab, or sometimes hide them in Vex’s clothes or dreads.

49. What is something that your character has nightmares about? Are these frequent? Do they heavily affect your character’s mood?Khallalh’s nightmares aren’t as frequent as Vex’s nightmares, but he does have a few reoccurring. Usually they are around his central fear, losing people important to him, particularly to the Inquest. He may have nightmares around Inquest attacks, deaths by natural causes, deaths by other means, Vex slipping up and dying in a fight, etc. But in particular a strong nightmare he has is Vex going berserk, or being made into a weapon by the Inquest, meaning he’d have to kill Vex, and if he didn’t, someone else would.

The day after nightmares, Khallalh may be particularly uptight or shaken, only noticeable to those close to him, and depending on who almost died/did die/was involved in the dream he may call or visit them to settle his nerves. If it was Vex who died/almost died, the next day he may be more affectionate towards him than usual or give him more compliments than usual. But, he may be more standoffish to Vex if the nightmare was about Vex going berserk.

YAYYYY. Still taking asks for this post, so feel free to shoot some my way! ( .w.)/ even for OCs I haven’t had a chance to draw yet if you’re curious.

[empressdrega27]

do the ship meme u reblogged a little bit ago with you and akh!!

Bless you Nonny~

How did they they meet?

I met Ahk when some people who aren’t very fond of me sent a very special book of mine to another dimension to spite me. I followed my book and wound up in a museum, and after retrieving said book, the museum came to life. Not wanting to be seen by the inhabitants (as i’m a dragon hybrid creature), I jumped to the second floor to escape. Once there, I heard a horrible scream, and I ran towards it to help. I found that the screaming was coming from a sarcophagus, and even though I was afraid of what might be inside, I opened it anyways. The person inside stepped out and revealed themselves to be a gorgeous man with an amazing voice! He asked to meet his rescuer, but I told him I didn’t want to scare him. He insisted, and so I stepped out of the shadows. He smiled at me, introduced himself, and told me that he wasn’t afraid. He then offered me a reward for saving him, and I told him that all I wanted was to be his friend, for finding someone who wasn’t afraid of me is rare. Ahk said, “My friendship is yours, you had it the moment you set me free”, and with that, he became my best friend, and later, so much more~

Who developed romantic feelings first?

Honestly, I’m not sure. I think we developed our feelings at roughly the same time, so it’s hard to say who actually fell first.

Who is their biggest “shipper?”

To be honest, the whole museum knew that we were hardcore crushing on each other, but I think Sacagawea and Attila are the two biggest shippers! Sac is a mother figure of sorts to Ahk, and she was always trying to gently nudge him into confessing to me, and Attila was super impressed with my strength and we became pretty good friends. He tried to tell me that it was obvious that Ahk felt the same way, but as I’m a dense and oblivious idiot when it comes to feelings, I continued to deny Attila’s advice. Jed and Octavius also were big shippers of us, but they weren’t as actively trying to get us together.

When did they have their first kiss and under what circumstances?

Our first kiss happened shortly after we confessed to each other, and it was a moment I’ll never forget. I was so nervous and worried that it was all just a dream and that I’d wake up anytime, alone. Ahk said he felt the same, and he was scared of waking up back in his sarcophagus. We laughed a bit and he scooted closer to me and said, “You are so beautiful, Elizabeth”. And he kissed me! After we pulled apart, I asked if we could kiss again, and we did~

Who confessed their feelings first?

We confessed in a weird way. The entire start of our relationship was weird tbh. I’d been falling into a depression relapse and my dumb brain had been telling me that Ahk would never feel the same way about me as I did for him. I tried to talk my feelings out with Attila and the Huns, but eventually, I broke down. I was crying and pacing and basically screaming at myself saying, “Look at me!! I’m a monster! I’m hideous! Ahkmenrah is perfect, how could he ever love something like me?!” At that, Ahk comes out of the shadows, “You’re wrong”, he says. I jump and try to rub the tears off of my face, and he comes closer. “You’re not hideous. You’re the most exquisite creature I’ve ever known, and you’re no monster. I’ve loved you from the moment you and I retrieved the tablet from Cecil.” I’m shocked, “You…. you love me? You think I’m beautiful?” He nods and leads me to a bench to sit down, where he continues to tell me all the times he tried to confess, only to lose his nerve. He was worried that he was too ordinary to be with me. In the end, we laughed about the whole thing, and afterwards, we had our first kiss~

What was their first official date?

Our first official date was on a Thursday, and it came about when Ahk read about modern dating and asked me what kind of dates I’d been on. I told him that I’d never actually been on a date, and that was when he stood up and said that he was going to take me on one then. We looked for a restaurant that was open, and all we found that was close by was an IHOP. Thus, we went to IHOP for our first date, and it was the best date I’ve ever been on!

How do they feel about double dates/group dates?

We love them! So long as we enjoy the company of the people we’re hanging out with, we absolutely love double dates and group dates!

What do they do in their down time?

On our downtime, we usually either hang out around our house, or we visit our friends. When we stay home, we do any number of things, video games, reading in the library, swimming, and horseback riding are all things we do often~

What was the first meeting of parents as an official couple like?

Meeting Ahk’s parents was terrifying. And (just as I predicted) they hated me. They wanted Ahk to marry an Egyptian woman of royal blood, and they were convinced that I was using Ahk for some nefarious purpose. They finally figured out that I was genuinely devoted to him and now Ahk’s mother thinks of me as her daughter in law. His father on the other hand still doesn’t approve, but he keeps his mouth shut cuz he knows there’s nothing he can do about it. Ahk meeting my mom and my father figures went amazingly though! Everyone loves Ahk, and anyone with a brain can see that he adores me.

What was their first fight over and how did they get past it?

Our first fight came about when Ahk was having really bad nightmares about something, and he wouldn’t tell me what the nightmares were about. That was fine with me, I know how hard it is to talk about really bad dreams, but he started getting really short tempered with me every time I asked what was wrong. Finally, the last straw came when I asked yet again if he was okay, and he lost it. He yelled that I had no idea what it was like to die and that I couldn’t possibly understand how he felt. I was shocked, and as I don’t cope well with people shouting at me, I started crying. I told him that I did know what it was like to die and that all I wanted to do was help him. His tone and demeanor were cold and he roughly explained that his past was far too painful to speak about and that I should leave because he needed to be alone for a while. I managed to choke out a “fine”, before making a brisk exit. It was then that he realized that I was crying and he seemed to realize how much of an ass he was being, cuz a few minutes later, he went looking for me. Unfortunately, I’d been called on a mission and I had to leave the museum, and I wasn’t able to return until 3 days later. Ahk believed I’d left for good and had become despondent. When he knew I hadn’t left for good, he was overjoyed and he apologized for acting the way he did, and I apologized for not only pushing him to talk about something that made him uncomfortable, but also for intentionally continuing with my mission to the point of nearly killing myself from exhaustion. Because that’s what I almost did. We got past it because we were both miserable to the point of wanting to die the entire time we were apart, and that’s a pretty clear indicator that you really, really love someone. Ahk understood that he needed to talk about what was bothering him and I understood that I needed to give him the time to actually be comfortable doing that.

Which one is more easily made jealous?

Me. Ahk is a very attractive man, it’s understandable that people would wanna flirt with him. It’s not the flirting that bothers me, it’s when the people completely disregard that Ahk isn’t single, or say things like “that’s your girlfriend? you can do way better, like me for example”. That’s not to say that Ahk doesn’t get jealous too, but it’s mostly me.

What is their favorite thing to get to eat?

Ahk loves fried stuff, candy, cake, and gelato! I have no clue why Ahk has a taste for fried chicken, funnel cake, and onion rings, but he loves that stuff and I have multiple people who will confirm that watching him demolish a bucket of fried chicken is a sight to behold. As for me, I love sushi, pasta, chocolate, and meat. I have a super fast metabolism, so I need to eat often to keep up my energy, and starchy carb filled, fatty, big meals are perfect for me~

Who’s the cuddly one? What their favorite cuddling position?

That would be Ahk! Not to say I’m not cuddly, but Ahk is always leaping into my arms or hugging me, so we’ll say he’s the really cuddly one. His favorite cuddling position is any position where he can lay his forehead against mine. He’s sappy like that (i am too lmao)

Are they hand holders?

We are indeed! It’s nice to be able to hold your lover’s hand as you’re walking or watching a movie or something.

How long do they wait before sleeping together for the first time? What’s the circumstances?

Eheh, we waited about a month to take our relationship to the next level. It would’ve been less time, but I’m shy and I didn’t think Ahk would be interested in me like that (I was very wrong lmao). We finally got on with it when I got a sudden burst of brazen energy and took my shirt off in front of him.

Who tops?

Depends on who’s in the mood to top, could be either one. Or both in one night~

What’s the worst first they’ve ever gotten into?

I’m gonna assume this is supposed to say fight, and the answer is the fight I mentioned above. It was the first real fight, and also the worst. Namely though, it was the last really big fight, and we’ve done our best to keep it that way. Neither of us wants to relive the horrible way we felt after being separated in that way and for that long.

Who does the shopping and the cooking?

Me and me again. Ahk helps with both, but I’m the one who does it primarily. Ahk is still learning the ins and outs of cooking with a stove, and he’d get way too distracted at the grocery store if he went by himself. I love him, bu his curiosity gets the best of him at times!

Which one is more organized and prone to tidiness?

Ahk is more organized, while I’m more prone to untidiness. Ahk is more mathematically minded, so he’s naturally more organized and methodical. I on the other hand would much rather just wing it and have things be wherever. If i lose something, I can just summon it. Ahk ends up cleaning and tidying things for me anyways though (bless him).

Who proposes?

I think Ahk would beat me too it, but I would have an ornate dagger to propose to him with if I propose first! He’d probably propose to me with a necklace or bracelet rather than a ring.

Do they have joined Bachelor/Bacheloette parties or separate?

Separate, but methinks we’d end up getting bored and we’d sneak away to hang out together~

Who is the best man/maid of honour? Any other groomsmen or bridesmaids?

My maids of honor would be my friends Anisha and Nocta, along with my three best friends, Kid, Wally, and Simon. Ahk’s best man would most likely be Octavius or Nicky, with his groomsmen being Attila, Teddy, and Sacagawea.

Big Ceremony or Small?

We have lots of friends (and we rule a planet) so a big ceremony is a must!

Do they have a honeymoon? If so, where?  

We do indeed have a honeymoon, and we go on a huge world tour, visiting every city we can!

Do they have children? How many?

We can’t have biological children together, but we will adopt! As for how many, I think we’ll adopt one or two and once they grow up, we’ll adopt one or two more, and we’ll keep doing that for as long as we live or until there are no abandoned children left in the world~