#and the entire reason i'm with my other partner to begin with

[mister13eyond]

still relationship ranting forgive me (it's all positive, more or less?)

it's also why it is really funny to me that people constantly talk about like 'i want to be in a relationship but i don't want [one specific part]' and it's like

you can just... you can just NOT do that part, then.

you can NOT cohabitate, if you think living with someone would take away your comfort with your living situation. you can not have sex if you don't want to have sex. you can use or not use any label, you can use or not use any terms of affection, you can choose your level of consistent contact you can choose your level of physical affection you can choose whether you want to make any long-term decisions like pets or marriage or children. you can choose whether you want to be exclusive or monogamous, you can choose whether you have multiple people involved, you can choose whether you make plans now or talk it out later, you can have an ongoing, long-term conversation where you check in periodically to see if anything has changed or if you want to change something.

like! i know the cishets tell us 'you fall in love with ONE person and you will KNOW when you are in love and you will ONLY ever love them FOREVER unless you FALL OUT OF LOVE and then you will be DOOMED TO A TRAGIC BREAKUP OR CHEATING'

but like in my personal experience... it's more like.... 'you will meet someone and you will feel like you are really connected to them and you get along well and you are attracted to them. you can then either nurture that feeling by spending more time together and testing out whether your initial connection is sustainable or you can let it pass through you and simply let things go wherever they go. then you can tell them how you feel, talk about what you think you'd like or not like, decide whether you want to prioritize your relationship and your time together over other, more casual connections in your life, and try it out. and you can talk about this any time something feels off. and you're not going to fall out of love spontaneously and for no reason when you were happy before; most of the time you'll notice that there's more distance between you and you're not as close or communicative as you were previously pretty early along that path. and you can THEN decide whether you want to say 'hey let's do more things together to help us bond and feel close and open up to each other' or you can say 'i think we've probably changed in a way where we're no longer on the same page with our relationship, do you want to figure out what we both need and adjust accordingly?'

which is like. it sounds so sterile and clinical but it's actually GREAT? feelings aren't this great big overpowering beast that you cannot wrangle; love is not a thing that will just spontaneously stop one day despite your desperate desire to still feel it. the more time you spend with someone and the more you support each other, the closer you will feel. the less time you spend and the less you support each other's needs, the further you will drift. you can 100% grow that garden to your own specifications and you can simply choose not to include sex or cohabitation or monogamy or labels or WHATEVER else and it's great because it's YOUR garden.

there is no one hard definition for any relationship and there is no one specific way to have a relationship. it's literally just seeing what feels right and then describing it in whatever terms feel right.

[astrologylunadream]

You and Your FS as Parents 🍼🩷✨️ (Pick a card/Tarot love reading)

Hey it's Lunadream🤭💫 This will be a cute reading on how you and your future spouse would be like as parents!🏠🩷 hope you find your message💌

Notice: Only take what resonates because the most important thing is your own judgement!♡ If anything doesn't resonate, don't worry! It's not your message right now <3 (Entertainment purpose only. All rights reserved)

Now, shall we begin~? ^w^ Think of the you and your future spouse, and pick whichever pile that fits the energy you're feeling~🧸✨️

Pile 1🩷

Pile 2☀️

Pile 3🔮

Pile 4🍑

Take your time and choose carefully with the heart~♡

On to the readings —> 💕

Pile 1🩷

Sign energy: Facial expression, Family, Irreplaceable, Crave, Bedroom, 8th house, Fire, Saturn, South node, Lilith,♉️🪚💉🧛‍♀️

👤Your future spouse's energy: They're hot😭 Okay lol your future spouse won the genetic lottery or something, they are irresistibly attractive and a very sensual partner for my pile 1's💋💞 Magnetic physical presence, Their facial expressions are intimidating yet passionate all at the same time!🥰 There is 8th house influence in their chart, Fire energy, Saturn or 10th house aspects, also asteroid Lilith!! Taurus is also a sign for them. I think your future spouse is deeply attracted to you and understands you better than anyone else, they would take a bullet for you.😢🖤 Family oriented and they have a hot voice. Your future spouse will be very intense, but they provide more than anyone could. This is not a spicy reading but there is so many messages coming through in this reading and it's already getting hot in here.🥲 You may have been set on having a family with this person pretty early on or there is like this energetic pull towards them? They make you feel like a vampire I'm hearing, like you just have a unquenchable thirst for them😳 Yeah this is a very strong attraction between you and this person, You might feel like you can't find anyone like them. Since this is about your future spouse, I'll just say they are something else in the bedroom.🔞 Insanely seductive, I don't think you could resist them easily lol. Something about this spouse feels dangerous, maybe even forbidden.💋❤️‍🔥 Someone's family may be little scared at first. I mean, your future spouse has a bad boy/girl vibe to them, I don't know why that message came out so strongly for their energy. This could be someone from your past, or their face feels so familiar to you.🤭 I think my pile 1's get sucked into their energy, I mean I don't blame you they are a very hot spouse pile 1.😌

🍼You and Them as Parents: Fan, Enchanting, Melody, Front, Yandere, Sun, 9th house, Pluto, 6th house, Libra, 🤎👢🪽😬

Wow I think it's interesting how Melody came out and this pile is represented by my melody from sanrio~ How cute🩷 So you and your future spouse are very adorable as parents, you guys would try to be responsible and teach your kids to have a broader understanding of the world.🌏🧭 I think it would feel like a fairytale. Your spouse would be very loving with you and your kids, doing their best to be stable and reliable for the entire home. Your home would look clean and cutesy. They are very possessive, so I think they would not let anyone hurt you or your kids🫂💕 I can see they will be sometimes a little jealous or possessive over you if anyone is trying to flirt with you, you might have some people you don't know well or exes romantically interested in you, trying to talk to you. And your future spouse will get suspicious of them for a good reason too they don't let any creeps around my pile 1! I can hear them say "Ahem this is my wife/husband and we have beautiful children, aren't they adorable?"💗 Haha your spouse is very cute and funny. They are set on making sure their loved ones aren't taken advantage of. I am getting, you and your future spouse may try to appear as more well organized parents than you actually are, worried what others will think of you.🥺 Actually, you may have people on the outside who are very jealous of your family life. Like again exes or anyone who is romantically obsessed with you or your spouse will not like how things are going.🔭👀 But I can see, your spouse will protect you and show them a lesson🤗💞 You guys may look angelic like the "perfect parents" and you appear very much in love. You guys may move to a different country/place to raise your kids.✈️🏡 One or both of you may feel anxious as parents, but I think your spouse will be the one to reassure you and keep you calm about it.💗 Your future spouse is honestly so in love with you that they would make sure you are always happy, and your kids. And Your kids may look up to your spouse as an inspiring figure, also they would see both of you as a good example and kind loving parents to them. You would be such good parents pile 1!🤭💫

Thank you my pile 1's! If you feel this resonated, you may tap the heart to claim this message!💌

I hope you enjoyed your reading! ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ If you did be sure to let me know pile 1 with the pink heart emoji~🩷 Thanks for scrolling through, Hugs hugs hugs!! See you in the next reading🏠💞

Pile 2☀️

Sign energy: Target, Family, 8th house, Handsome, Society, 10th house, 7th house, Earth, Scorpio, Water,😴🪤🤨😭

👤Your future spouse's energy: There are some similarities to pile 1's spouse in this pile! They are of course very attractive, it seems like the cards are really focusing on that.😂 Wow even Handsome came out so they are definitely very goodlooking~ (no matter gender) They have a classy wealthy vibe, like they could come from a rich or famous family.💳💲🏤 I just realized that family has come out in every pile how fitting, their parents might not like you at first or others view you with envy or dislike for whatever reason??🙄🥺 Oh you know what, your future spouse is a somebody, that's why. Definitely giving high status, your future spouse may feel a little "trapped" from their public image or reputation they have. Signs for them are Scorpio, Libra, Capricorn, Earth and water energy, 8th and 7th house placements or Water in 10th house. This spouse of yours is desired by many, and I even think those people may want to get them in bed😡 But your spouse just wants a loving and deep relationship with someone they can trust😭💔 People do not respect their boundaries, they think they own them just because they're pretty/handsome?? I don't think you need to worry about saving them though, they are a very powerful individual, capable of a lot.✊️🏆 They might not have the best relationship with their parents, or at least not an emotionally fulfilling one. They could have had strict or pretentious parents, honestly I don't think your future spouse really had anyone who really cared for them🥺🌧 They're viewed as attractive and definitely have pressure put on them to mantain status or wealth, even certain beliefs. They are very successful, also feared and respected by others.💼🏆 I think they are emotional inside, but they haven't ever openly expressed that. Wow pile 2 your future spouse is most likely rich.

🍼You and Them as Parents: Patience, Ex lover, 4th house, Dirty, Attempt, Gemini, 9th house, Chiron, Leo, South node, 🍵😔🖕🥂

Ohhh okay so you and your spouse would also have a reputation to keep, I think it's because of their status. I can see them trying very hard to keep you and your kids safe or even out of the public eye (it depends on how known this spouse is🫢). You both would be very patient and understanding as parents, you may even have twins!👥️💞 I can see overseas travel or moving to a different country to raise your kids, this could be because of stalkers or rumors getting spread.🗣💬 If it's serious some people might literally try to f*ck up your spouse's reputation, and this might trigger your spouse as they would feel betrayed or slandered. But I can't see that happening too much because your spouse would have it under control. I can see you two will try to do things the old fashioned way, very traditional as parents.🕰💕 You both would help your kids with their homework together, You might even decide to bring your kids to a foreign school.🛫🏫 I am getting europe for some, There may be dirt on you two as parents, lies or rumors but your spouse will literally just leave take you with them if that occurs.💬✋️ Now for others in this pile, I don't see much bad reputation but instead you might be very well known or even famous as parents. People from your past will try desperately to get in with you and your future spouse, like wanting to go out for a drink or go to expensive parties but you guys will kinda be like really🤨? Lol, you're just so cute together, really classy and luxurious vibes you guys may very well be rich and dress so nicely, you are the classy parents. You two will always put your family and children first, you will nurture and protect them so well💗🏠 You guys may live in a penthouse or mansion either big city or suburbs, Married life with your spouse will be amazing, for only some I'm seeing old exes or fans trying to ruin you or your spouse reputation or trying to sleep with one of you?? Like what, there is definitely jealousy because you guys are giving ✨️power couple✨️ Take what resonates of course, but you guys are protected, and your spouse will love you and your kids very much. Also I'll just say your spouse would be glad to finally make time for the bedroom with you, they would bring wine and all😏

Thank you my pile 2's! If you feel this resonated, you may tap the heart to claim this message!💌

I hope you enjoyed your reading! ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ If you did be sure to let me know pile 2 with the sunshine emoji~☀️ Thanks for scrolling through, Hugs hugs hugs!! See you in the next reading🏠🩷

Pile 3🔮

Sign energy: Tight, Situation, Wish, Adorable, Perspective, South node, Chiron, Lilith, 11th house, Jupiter,🆕️🎨🚺⏰️

👤Your future spouse's energy: I like the energy of this one, very cute.💗 Your future spouse has a bright innocence about them, You might have known them from online or been friends with them before they are your spouse.💍 Your future spouse has Aquarius or Sagittarius placements, Jupiter placements, and Lilith asteroid presence! For some this is a person from your past, for others it's someone new it depends here.⏳️ Your future spouse has been wishing to meet the one, and they feel like time has been going too slow.🕗😩 They're quite creative and maybe for some an artist? Only for some of you, I think they just have great ideas, and their point of view if different than most people.👀 They're more optimistic and hopeful, they could be the type to look over red flags or fall for the bad girl/boy.💜 They might want to heal you or make you feel better, always bringing positivity. Your future spouse is also really fun, they might decide the best thing to do is something completely random!🚀 They are spontaneous and like your best friend, also they find your moods amusing. They like to shift perspectives or share their own, very lighthearted person.🌟💖 There is a spark in their eyes, like a childlike wonder still. Which makes me curious how they will be with you as parents!🥰 Already it seems they're very high vibes and excited for life. I can hear them telling you good news all the time, haha like there is never bad new with them.🗞💫 For some this person might have certain emotional wounds regarding females that they don't pay attention to or realize. Also your future spouse gets out of every bad situation like?? Lol they're very lucky🤗🌈

🍼You and Them as Parents: Role, Short, Beloved, Sweet talk, Magic, Moon, Scorpio, Leo, Earth, Lilith,🥴👩‍🎤🫵🎶

Wow so this is interesting, It feels like you two would be very proud of eachother as parents.✨️ You would feel very good about it, also complimenting eachother on literally everything😭🩷 Like your spouse will be so proud of you and vice versa, you raise up eachothers ego lol it's so cute. As parents, you both would talk so softly and sweet to your kids and love them so much💞 The mother/feminine here will be a very good role model to the kids, they will be well loved and inspired by her. Also your singing? The kids will love it and your spouse will be blushing whenever they hear you sing to the kids🥰💓 You have a beautiful voice, whether it's speaking or humming. Something about you feels so enchanting, some of my pile 3's are giving mommy witch vibes😉 You may be into tarot, astrology, magic any of that stuff and it's so cute your future spouse loves that about you. It makes you so hot in their eyes🔥😭 Now a little more on that lol there is a lot of attraction from your spouse lol, they would be unable to hide it. One of you may be the shorter parent here, while the other is taller.💕 Your spouse would honestly be so turned on by your comforting nature, they might would even be a little jealous of your time. But they would think you are so good as a parent that they wouldn't mind that taking away your time together, later of course they would want to let you know how much they want you🫢🔞 I think you two would still have a life in the bedroom, it may be less but your spouse will definitely make it worthwhile and make sure you're getting what you deserve. Honestly they're really horny over you😳❤️‍🔥 Your spouse is very much that whenever they see you. You two would sweet talk eachother all the time, because you love eachother so much. Your spouse would just be so prideful about you, "like look at my beautiful wife/husband"💍💐 You make such sweet parents to your kids, and partners to eachother! Also something cute, I think you both will keep the magic going well for your kids, so they would believe in fairytales because of you both🥺🧸💞 I can see you both embracing your childhood again too when it comes to holidays and playing with your kids, very bright and caring, you are such good parents!🤭💗

Thank you my pile 3's! If you feel this resonated, you may tap the heart to claim this message!💌

I hope you enjoyed your reading! ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ If you did be sure to let me know pile 3 with the crystal ball emoji~🔮 Thanks for scrolling through, Hugs hugs hugs!! See you in the next reading🏠🩷

Pile 4🍑

Sign energy: Playful, Prove, 3rd house, Entertainment, Surface, Libra, Fire, Uranus, Capricorn, 8th house,🕳🏙🎠🪨

👤Your future spouse's energy: Your spouse seems to be very successful in their career✨️👏 They could be in the entertainment industry or own a company. They talk a lot if ideas, big ones.💡💸 They are playful on the surface but there is a deep and intense side to them. They could be trying to make it big to prove to you. Your future spouse is very unique and an individual to say the least, they could live in a big city.🏙🧳🚖 I think they're trying to turn their ideas into something solid, money making. They're real ambitous, I'm hearing "won't give up" yeah they don't. Possible placements are Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, all air signs lol, Capricorn, Scorpio, Fire energy. They could very likely have their uranus or 3rd house in a fire sign, Capricorn over the 8th, Venus in fire sign any of those could be their placements.💫 Your future spouse is fun and energetic, they could be a wannabe rapper or they like to listen to rap/hip hop.🎧😎 They are committed to their future and willing to do a lot to make it work. Either they are already rich and successful or they are trying to make it there. Business vibes, I'm hearing "top of the charts" could be a business person or entertainer.💼💲📈 When you meet this person, you may have ended a relationship or your future spouse wants to prove to you that you can start over or love isn't what you thought it was.💐💓 They are materialistic, might buy you a penthouse or something lol that energy. I can see they want to be your provider, like you are their sugar baby. They might seem like a player when you first meet them, but they are the type that is deeply committed in their relationship with their girl/boy.🌹💍✔️ Your future spouse is funny and charismatic, extroverted vibes. I think they are good at networking and getting their name out there.⭐️

🍼You and Them as Parents: Fantasize, Behind, Stress, Judgement, Highlight, Sun, 9th house, Taurus, Fire, Venus,🦇🪽🤐🪪

I'll be honest here for some it kinda looks like there is a lot of stress from you guys as parents, one of you might be behind in college or food may be an issue here😳 Maybe one of you doesn't know how to cook well, that could be it. It really kind of seems like your spouse might be kind of trying to hold on to their fantasies of big achievements still, this could be a little bit of selfishness coming from their part.🤨 Your spouse may have a hard time adjusting their focus from themselves and their career/big dreams and goals and focus on their new family life and kids.🏠🔍 I'm just keeping it real on what the cards say, but of course that won't be the case for everyone in this pile🩷 Your spouse will want to go to higher places but I think you will sort of be the one to ground them and help them to be realistic. Actually I think you compliment eachother quite well as parents because they have a lot to offer for the family and I think you can provide good judgements for their decisions.😊🙏 The masculine here will fantasize about being a famous well known figure, but they might hide this or keep it a secret because they don't want to seem irresponsible. You might get angry with them sometimes, I don't see any real fights with your spouse it just simply light scolding like "I told you"☝️🙄 and they're all "Okay bae I'm sorry let me make it up to you"🥺 lol. Your spouse will be trying hard to prove themselves to you even as you're married to them, like they will always try to get your validation because they wanna be looked up to and admired by you and the kids🥹💓 You are the highlight of their life I'm hearing, so they just wanna make you happy. I think you two will always be playfully bickering and it turns into something sweet like you're argueing about the groceries and you end up staring into eachothers eyes like "I can't stay mad at you.😍 Another thing that came out is you guys will also make great grandparents, like the funny ones that nitpick with eachother but are still so in love after all those years.😭���️💍 When you're feeling overwhelmed with all the kids stuff your spouse will make sure to take care of you and give you massages and all that sweetness💋💗 They will also make time to take you out at fancy restaurants and keep the romance going between you two~

Thank you my pile 4's! If you feel this resonated, you may tap the heart to claim this message!💌

I hope you enjoyed your reading! ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ If you did be sure to let me know pile 4 with the peach emoji~🍑 Thanks for scrolling through, Hugs hugs hugs!! See you in the next reading🏠🩷

Wanna see more readings like this? Check out my tumblr for accurate readings for you!💗🌊🌸

Thanks for reading! \(*^w^)/💌 -Lunadream <3

[narcjsistx]

𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐇𝐂𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 | reo, isagi, kaiser (part one)

𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ; take a look, trust me!

— reo mikage

✶ don't even remotely expect to lift a finger in his presence. the princess treatment in his relationships is MANDATORY, he simply loves to do the things that the people he loves want. it would be something like "I know you can do it, but I'm your boyfriend, so let me do it for you"

✶ I think one of the things he loves most about his partners is when they are dressed in shades of purple or maaaybe white, in clothes given by him. do you want to bring him to his knees? do as I tell you, trust me!

✶ kind of guy who would post you everywhere, like: his ig profile feed is made up of 80% of posts with you or dedicated to you, the remaining 20% ​​are photos relating to soccer. he loves to show you off, and above all he does all those trends (even the cringe ones) like posting your girlfriend with a certain song on a certain day

what would he post on socials ↓

✶ his concept of family is quite normal, sooner or later he would like to have a family, actually, the idea of ​​getting married has never displeased him. as a child, being the only heir of the Mikage, he had to bear all the expectations alone... therefore, his idea would be to at least have two children, not that he wants to share the expectations between them! simply as a child he suffered a lot from being the only child

✶ jealosy level: 4/10 (he's not the jealous type! he might only be more so in cases where he sees someone trying with you EXTREMELY too hard)

✶ flirtiness level: 6/10

✶ pet names: "babe" / "precious"

—————————————

— isagi yoichi

✶ even though on the field he seems to have bipolar disorder, isagi is literally one of the most possibily boyfriend in the entire verse in my opinion. he's just a chill guy who takes soccer a little too seriously, but hey, you love him for that reason right? yeah, absolutely yes

✶ he's someone who would be embarrassed by a kiss even after years and years of being in a relationship. at the beginning of your story, he had to take a lot of his courage just to ask you if he could hold your hand, but over time he got used to it. with kisses, well... he still gets embarrassed, even though he's often the one who initiates them. he's just a sweet coward in this things

✶ he is someone who, in my mind, cares a lot about gifts related to the phases of the relationship, such as those for the first month together, the six months and so on. not huge gifts, he keeps those more for more important dates, but gifts like letters, stuffed animals or bracelets found at random moments of the day and which immediately reminded him of you for some reason that only he knows

what would he post on socials ↓

✶ his concept of family is actually based a lot on what he had. he doesn't exactly have a preference on the number of children, one or five would be fine, he just knows that he will love them no matter what. getting married has never been a thought he's actually spent 5 minutes thinking about every now and then, but now with you he's pretty sure that asking you to spend your life with him is a great excuse to see you in the white dress

✶ jealosy level: 2/10

✶ flirtiness level: 3/10 (more in private, but absolutely not in public, he just can't do it)

✶ pet names: "cutie" / "y/n chan"

—————————————

— micheal kaiser

✶ your relationship is certainly interesting, maybe not one of the healthiest, but you can't say you don't care for each other. Kaiser definitely has some problems related to trusting or in any case "letting himself be discovered" by other people, but surely you are the closest person to him at the moment, hell, you are literally the emperor's girlfriend!. micheal knows very well that he is not a simple person and just the fact that you continue to not let him go, and he wouldn't blame you, means a lot. will he ever admit it? no, obviously not, because he also has a problem, or perhaps more than one, with expressing himself

✶ Ness, one way or another, will have to worship you too. Ness probably just wants to strangle you because you stole the little attention Kaiser gave him, but if Kaiser says he has to worship you like he would him, Ness will do it without a word. Kaiser doesn't even minimally accept someone saying anything remotely comparable to an insult to you, let's say his love language is to protect your respect. he wouldn't mind throwing a punch at someone who even called you "stupid", it's something he can't stand

✶ even if you are not cheering for him at the stadium when he plays, which is quite strange because you are there all the time, you already know beforehand that if he scores a goal, it will obviously be dedicated to you. it's something he always found beautiful when he was little, when he saw videos on public screens in Berlin: seeing then-famous footballers dedicate goals to their girlfriends seemed so exciting. he's the emperor now, right? he must repay his empress somehow for always being so good to him

what would he post on socials ↓

✶ well, we all know that Micheal didn't grow up with any concept of family, or rather, he never actually had one. having children actually scares him, and the same thing happens even if he just thinks about getting married. he is simply afraid, and indeed he is sure, that sooner or later everything would turn into what he experienced in Germany with his father. it would take a LOT of reassurance, and maybe therapy, to eventually have children and get married. he actually wouldn't be a bad father, because he knows what it's like to live in a toxic house with someone who doesn't really love you, and he doesn't want his heir to go through the same thing he went through when was a kid. Kaiser is not like his father, and never will be, and just the thought of being like this with his kids makes him vomit

✶ jealosy level: 8/10

✶ flirtiness level: 9/10

✶ pet names: "schatz" / "mein liebling" / "doll"

[chuwenjie]

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse comes out later today so I wanted to write a post reflecting on my journey and experience working on this movie. So many people have supported me through this and I am so thankful to each and every one of you!

Text version of this post under the cut:

Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse comes out tonight. It feels really weird to be typing that out right now. I worked on the movie as a visdev artist for the last 2.5 years, from 2020 to 2023. Long post incoming.

There are a lot of reasons why I'd consider this film to be one of the most ambitious animated films to ever be made. As artists, we were asked to push ourselves far beyond our comfort zones and do things that had never been done before in animation.

Every time we reached a point where most people would say "this must possibly be as creative and weird as it gets," our entire team of artists and animators would smash right through the ceiling. The driving direction for the visuals of the film was to push the limits of every single frame; to challenge audience expectations and make something truly original.

The best thing about this film was that there wasn't a single boring day working on this movie. The hardest thing about this film was also that there wasn't a single boring day working on this movie.

There were times while working on this where the imposter syndrome hit me hard. This was my first big movie, and what a hell of a first movie to get thrust into.

I came in only a few years out of school with absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing. I constantly feared that someone had made a mistake in bringing me onto this film, and I was going to let everyone down. There was a solid chunk of those 2.5 years where I wasn't sure if animation was the right path for me.

If there's anything I could tell my past self it would be this: there are so many people who love you and believe in you. There will be a time when you get to stand on the other side of it, look back on everything and see how far you came.

I'm still working on self-acceptance every day (it will be a lifelong struggle, I'm sure), but I'm glad I didn't give up on myself. I'm proud of myself and my contributions to this film, and I'm certain that this movie will continue to change and shape the animation landscape just as the first one did. That's truly a special feeling to have been a part of. I am so incredibly grateful to every single person who helped me along this journey.

Here come the thanks:

To the ENTIRE visdev & art crew- it's been an honor getting to work alongside each and every one of you. My jaw is literally still on the floor from seeing your incredible talent day after day.

I want to thank Tiffany and Felicia especially for being there for me through tough times- I admire and respect you both so much as artists, and even better than that, my life is greatly enriched for being able to call you my friends.

Thank you Patrick and Dean for taking chances on me, teaching me so much about art and what I'm capable of, and encouraging me along the way. To Aymeric, your art is one of the reasons I initially became interested in animation and you have been one of the kindest & most empathetic mentors I could ever have asked for.

I want to thank my wonderful parents for believing in me always and raising me into the person I am today: everything I do in life is to make you proud. To my brother Andrew who is perpetually awake at 3 AM when I need someone to talk to- thank you for always picking up the phone and making me laugh.

And finally to my partner Luke for making me grilled cheeses on all of the difficult days, for never getting sick of me even when all I would ever talk about was work, and for patiently and steadfastly loving me throughout this entire thing. I don't think I could've done it without you.

Starting tomorrow I will begin posting and sharing some of the art I made for this movie; I'm looking forward to sharing some of my personal favorites with you. I hope each and every one of you enjoys Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse when it hits theaters later today!

[97linelover]

Ex on the Beach - Kim Mingyu

summary: Breaking up with Mingyu broke you, but what if you get asked if you want to join a Reality-show called "Ex on the Beach?"

content: no Idol Mingyu x non Idol reader, fight,angst, happy end,fluff,smut, drama

wc: 4.4 k

a/n: In Germany we have exactly this show, so I came up with this Idea.

1 - 2 - 3 Action.

You walked along the LED-lit path towards the beach, wearing your new Skims bikini and a pair of heels.

You had spent a lot of time practicing walking in those heels on sand to make it look decent now.

In front of you, you spotted three lounge chairs with three men on them.

The first thing you noticed was the black mop of hair belonging to your ex.

You couldn't smile when you saw him; the heartbreak was still too fresh.

"Hi, my name is Y/N, and I'm 26 years old. I was born and raised in Berlin, and seven years ago, I moved to Frankfurt, where I met Mingyu. We started dating when I was 19, and we broke up nearly a year ago," you said with a smile that wasn't entirely genuine.

The robotic voice then asked for the reason the two of you broke up.

"It just became too much. He always chose her. We were celebrating our anniversary, and she called? He left me sitting there. We would be in the middle of sex, and he answered the call and left," you laughed at that.

"I was okay with it at the beginning because she was his best friend, but when I organized a birthday party for him, and she completely monopolized him, I lost it. I took her aside and told her that Mingyu was my boyfriend, and she just laughed and said he would always choose her," you said, nibbling on your lip as the memories came flooding back.

"And when he started having movie nights with her and brought her along to meet-ups with his friends, I distanced myself. Until one night, I packed all my things and told Mingyu that I was moving out."

"Did Mingyu care about that?" the voice asked once again.

"I don't know. At first, he was completely flabbergasted, but then he just let it be and never texted me again," you said, blinking away tears. "So now I'm here to teach him a lesson."

"That's Y/N," Mingyu's voice was barely a whisper, and the other boys gasped. "Did you two break up on good terms?" he chuckled at that. "No, she just left, and I found out she had an affair." The boys looked at you.

"This girl? Crazy, dude."

As you walked towards them, you felt a weird sensation bubbling up, and Mingyu got up and walked towards you. "Hi," he said softly, his brown eyes watching you. "Hey, Mingyu," you said, walking past him and hugging the other boys.

"So you're not even going to greet me properly?" Mingyu scoffed, and you looked at him. "I said hey. What do you want? Should I jump on you?" your voice was laced with venom, and he sighed.

"Listen, we need to spend a lot of time together here, so please get a grip," he said with a smug grin. "Fuck you, Mingyu," you spat and walked behind the other two boys.

Mingyu could only roll his eyes at your outburst.

You walked into the villa with Mingyu close behind you, and the others looked at you, waving. You smiled and introduced yourself to all of them. They were all pretty nice and made sure to welcome you warmly. Without hesitation, Seungcheol guided you around.

He showed you all the places around the house. "And here's your sleeping place. Tonight, you have to choose your sleeping partner," he said, chuckling. "It's either me or Mingyu, I'm afraid." You groaned at that. "Well, let's see how the night ends."

The entire show basically consists of alcohol, making out, and sex.

You had a Mojito in your hand while talking to Angela, Jonas's ex-girlfriend. "And when I walked into his apartment, he was hovering over her, kissing along her neck. I let out a scream and stormed out the door," you gasped. "No way, that's messed up." You hugged her as she began to sob.

You reassured her that Men sometimes are just Idiots, that cruel things can happen.

That she is worth so much more.

"I loved him so much," she cried, and you tried to calm her down.

"Y/N, wanna go down to the pool?" Cheol walked towards you, and you looked at Angela. "It's alright, darling," she said, wiping the tears away.

You got up following him towards the Pool area.

The two of you sat down on the lounge chairs. "Mingyu is looking at me like he wants to kill me," Seungcheol chuckled, and you shrugged. "He has no right anymore. I can talk to whoever I want," you said, taking a sip of your drink.

"So, are you open to something new?" he asked with raised eyebrows, and you gulped. "You know, I thought I was, but seeing him here gives me these weird feelings. I'm still in love with him, but it's over," you tried to smile.

"I actually talked a lot with him the past few days, and he is still pretty much in love with you. He also told me that there's so much he wants to ask you..." Seungcheol noticed your tears and hugged you. "I don't feel ready," you whispered, and he nodded. "This show is a lot to handle, I agree, but maybe it will all work out in the end."

He kissed your head softly, and suddenly, you heard the slam of a door. When you looked up, Mingyu was nowhere to be found.

"I should look for him," you said apologetically, and Seungcheol nodded. You rushed towards the bedroom. "Mingyu?" you called, looking inside the room to find him sitting on the bed.

His shoulders were slumped, and his head hung low.

"Go away, Y/N," he said, his voice dull, and you gulped. "Mingyu, you knew what this show was about. Why are you acting like this?" He got up, looking at you. "Because after all those years, you just left, and now you're here acting like we never happened."

"So now I'm the villain? Are you kidding me? I left because I felt so wrong in this relationship, and you didn't even try to reach out. So why should I still care?" your voice was weak.

"I didn't call you because you fucking went out and acted like a slut, fucking different men," he spat, and you gasped, the liquid from your cocktail landing on his face.

You suddenly felt numb, so embarrassed.

"Never talk to me again," your voice cracked, and you rushed out.

Tears streamed down your cheeks as you rushed past the others. "Y/N?" Angela's voice followed you as you sat down on one of the lounge chairs. "He called me a slut, Angi, how could he?" you sobbed.

"Why would he do that?" Angela took your hand for support. "I don't know. I never did anything. I loved him so much, I would've done anything for him." She hugged you tight and stroked your back.

"The two of you definitely need to talk. There's something wrong with everything," she whispered, and you agreed.

Mingyu calling you slut made you feel so bad, you could not stop shaking.

As the signal came that it was bedtime, everyone got ready for bed.

You only had two options: Mingyu or Seungcheol.

Just hearing his name made you crazy right now. There was no way you could lay down next to him.

So you climbed into the bed shared with Seungcheol and avoided Mingyu's gaze completely.

The next morning, you quickly got ready with a dip in the pool, and as you lay on the lounge chair, you felt someone next to you. "Y/N, we should talk," Mingyu's deep voice said, and you looked at him.

"I was clear yesterday, right? You called me a slut, Mingyu. This is a TV show; everyone can see this," you said, clearly frustrated and hurt.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but seeing you so close with Cheol brought back memories," he whispered, and you got up. "What memories are you even talking about, Mingyu? I don't get it."

The two of you walked to a quieter area. "After you left, I was fucking furious. I felt like someone had ripped my world apart. I wanted to run after you, but then I got some messages and pictures of you with another man," his voice got weaker. "You were fucking this guy, and there was a date. It was while we were dating," you let out a choked gasp. "No way!"

He looked down. "I felt like it was my fault, that I pushed you towards someone better," he took your hand. "I hope you realize that this is bullshit. Mingyu, I never had sex with someone else, not even in the year we split," you pleaded.

"I would never cheat on you, Mingyu. I was so fucking loyal to you, and I left because you were too blinded by Somi!" you raised your voice, and he gulped. "Every day, you went to her place and ditched me. She took every chance she could get, and I couldn’t watch you anymore."

Mingyu sighed, frustrated. "So our breakup was over Somi?"

"Yes! You're obsessed with her. It's crazy, Mingyu. I thought the two of you would have an affair."

"Somi never had a chance, Y/N. I love you. It's only you," he said, taking your hand and pulling you closer. "This year made me realize how much I love you," he stroked your cheek.

"You give me a kind of happiness no one else can," he said with tears in his eyes. "And I should've fought for you. I should've asked you if it was true, but it all made sense in my head."

He looked so sad that you pulled him in.

You melted into the kiss, your hands gripping his shoulders as he held you close. For a moment, everything else faded away—the cameras, the villa, the other contestants. It was just you and Mingyu, the connection between you rekindling with every passing second.

When you finally pulled away, you were both breathless. Mingyu rested his forehead against yours, his eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation.

“I never stopped loving you, Y/N,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “I was an idiot, and I let my insecurities and Somi get in the way. But I want to make things right. I want us to start over.”

You blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill over. The pain from the past year, the heartbreak, the anger—it was all still there. But so was the love you had for him. You had never stopped loving him either.

“I don’t know if it’s that simple, Gyu,” you admitted, your voice wavering. “So much has happened, and there’s a lot we need to work through. But I want to try, if you’re willing to put in the effort.”

He nodded earnestly, his hands squeezing yours. “I’ll do whatever it takes, Y/N. I’ll prove to you that I’m worth another chance.”

The two of you stood there for a while longer, just holding each other, as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The tension between you seemed to have eased, and for the first time in a long time, you felt hopeful about your future with Mingyu.

Later that evening, as the group gathered for dinner, the atmosphere was noticeably lighter. Mingyu stayed close to you, his hand often finding yours under the table, offering silent reassurance.

Seungcheol gave you a knowing smile from across the table, and you returned it with a nod of gratitude. You could see that he genuinely wanted what was best for you, even if it meant stepping aside.

Angela, too, was supportive. She squeezed your hand when she had the chance and whispered, “I’m glad you two are talking things out. You deserve to be happy.”

As the night went on, the tension between you and Mingyu continued to thaw. You found yourself laughing at his jokes, and he was more attentive than ever, making sure you were comfortable and cared for.

Eventually, the group dispersed, heading to their respective rooms. When it was time for bed, you found yourself hesitating. The choice between Seungcheol and Mingyu was still there, but this time, it felt different.

Mingyu watched you, his expression open and hopeful. “I know we’re not back together yet, but… would you like to share a bed tonight? Just to talk, I mean.”

You considered his offer for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, but just to talk.”

He smiled, clearly relieved. “Just to talk.”

The two of you headed to the room, and as you settled into bed, you felt a strange sense of peace. There was still a long road ahead, and you weren’t sure where it would lead, but you were willing to walk it together, one step at a time.

Mingyu wrapped an arm around you, pulling you close. “Goodnight, Y/N,” he whispered, his voice filled with warmth.

“Goodnight, Gyu,” you replied, closing your eyes and allowing yourself to drift off, feeling safe and hopeful in his embrace.

The next two days were uneventful. You played games, danced, and slept. During this time, you and Mingyu grew even closer, often spending time together in the pool and frequently ending up making out.

For the party tonight, you wore a leather lingerie set paired with heels, while Mingyu sported tight shorts and a collar—a sight you never knew you needed. Mingyu was standing with some of the guys, talking about football, while you danced around with Angela and Larissa

“So, Y/N, will you and Mingyu date again, or is this just a fling?” Angela asked, taking a sip from her cup.

“I think we’re on the right path to start over,” you replied dreamily. “I loved Mingyu—I still do. We’re just a good match. I couldn’t let any other man get close to me, and I’ve always craved him.”

“Do you think another ex will show up?” Larissa asked.

“Hopefully not,” you replied with a slight blush. “As far as I know, I was his first and only girlfriend.”

“You two are so cute. I’m rooting for you,” Angela said, grinning widely.

Suddenly, you felt two arms wrap around you and soft kisses on your shoulder. “You two are disgustingly cute,” Angela joked, pretending to gag. You giggled, and Larissa muttered, “I need to get some dick right now,” before rushing off towards Josh.

You turned around to face Mingyu. “You look so good in this,” he whispered, kissing you.

“Mhm, you too,” you giggled, gently tugging on his collar.

“If we keep making out, I’m going to die of blue balls, baby,” he whispered in your ear, making you blush. You took his hand. “Let’s fix that.”

You both walked into the private suite and locked the door behind you. The hunger for each other was undeniable. Hovering over him, you kissed along his abs. “You’ve been working out a lot,” you murmured, pulling down his tight pants, revealing his hardened dick.

“Needed something to clear my head,” he groaned as you kissed his tip. “You drive me crazy,” he said, his hands tangling in your hair.

You quickened your pace, and deep moans escaped his lips as you worked your magic.

When Mingyu began pounding into you from behind, the sounds of your mixed moans filled the room. “God, I missed your pussy,” he groaned, and you let out breathless whimpers.

“You’re such a good girl for me,” he praised, knowing it was your weakness. He pulled your hair, bending over you, slowly choking you from behind as you reached your high. You lost control completely, your entire body shaking. Shortly after, you felt Mingyu spurting his cum onto your back, both of you breathing heavily.

Mingyu cleaned you up and lay down next to you, whispering loving words until you both fell asleep.

“Y/N, please come to the news box, and Mingyu, you’ll need to go to the beach,” the robotic voice instructed. You looked at him, concerned. “Why the beach? Isn’t that just for ex-girlfriends?” Suddenly, Mingyu looked guilty, and you realized something. “Were you in a relationship after me?” He tried to explain, but he had to go to the beach, leaving you bitter as you walked into the interview room.

Inside, there was a small envelope.

’Y/N, It seems your Mingyu wasn’t entirely honest with you. She never stood a chance?’

You read the lines and gasped. What was that supposed to mean?

“Y/N!!” Angela screamed as you exited the room. You looked towards the stairs leading to the beach, and all the color drained from your face. “No, no, NO!” you said in desperation and panic.

Mingyu walked up the stairs with Somi by his side. They were talking, and Mingyu appeared angry, but you couldn’t register anything. Your ears were ringing like crazy.

“Y/N, breathe, okay?” Seungcheol rushed to your side, and you leaned against him. “He told me she never stood a chance,” you whispered. When Mingyu saw you, he rushed over.

But he did not get the chance to get closer.

“Mingyu, please introduce the new guest,” the robotic voice prompted. Mingyu sighed.

“Guys, this is Somi. We’ve been friends since I was thirteen, and we dated for two months,” he said, sounding ashamed.

“When?” was all you could ask.

“Baby,” he whispered.

“WHEN?” you screamed, and everyone gasped.

“One month after our breakup,” he admitted quietly. Tears stung your eyes. “Wow, you replaced me quicker than I thought” you let out a bitter laugh.

“Please, let me explain,” he pleaded, but you shook your head. “No, I don’t want to hear it,” you said, rushing into the room. You locked the door, trying to forget the pain.

Mingyu knew he had messed up. He hadn’t considered the possibility of Somi showing up. “Should we get a drink?” Somi asked, batting her eyelashes.

“Not in the mood right now,” he muttered, walking away.

As you stood in the bathroom applying skincare, Somi walked in. “Hi, Y/N, long time no see. How are you?” she asked with a fake smile. You rolled your eyes.

“Save your fake kindness, Somi,” you spat, and she laughed.

“Oh, poor pathetic Y/N. I always told you he wanted me. He chose me after the breakup. He believed me. All those nights he thought you cheated, but it was just a really good edit,” she said, flicking her hair.

“Mingyu is mine, Y/N, and everything shows it. In those two months, he fucked me so good. He even told me I’m the best he ever had,” she taunted. You stared at her, speechless. “And you know what? A week before this show, we hooked up in your old bed,” she smirked.

You pushed past her. “Aren’t you ashamed? This show will be seen by everyone, and you say such things? It’s disgusting and cheap. If he wants yo, fine. At least I’m not a manipulative hoe.”

You slammed the door shut and started packing your suitcase. You changed into biker shorts and a large shirt, grabbed your things, and rushed downstairs where the others were gathered. Mingyu was sitting by the water.

His Shoulders slumped and his head hanging low, like he was ashamed of all this.

“Y/N, what are you doing with your suitcase?” Seungcheol asked, and Mingyu quickly came over. “What’s going on?” he asked, panicking.

“I’m leaving. I thought I could handle this, but it’s not my world. I’m grateful for this experience, especially for you, Cheol, and you, Angi,” you said with tears in your eyes. “But it just hurts too much to find out the person you loved for seven years replaced you with someone he told you not to worry about.” You looked at Mingyu. “This was the final straw.”

Angi let out a sob and you hugged her softly.

“Let me take this,” Cheol said, taking the suitcase and your bag.

“It’s better this way. You don’t deserve this,” Angi said, hugging you tightly. Mingyu could only hold your hand. “Please, let’s talk. I should have told you,” he sobbed.

“Let go,” you whispered.

“I love you, Y/N,” he pleaded.

You shrugged. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have dated her—the woman who never stood a chance,” you said bitterly. “Goodbye, Mingyu.”

And with that, your journey on “Ex on the Beach” was over.

Two days later, you were back at your father’s small restaurant, helping out on a busy night. Two waitresses had called in sick, so you came directly from the airport to assist, jet lag and all.

You felt tired and your limbs were hurting.

“Two Caesar salads for table two,” you called out before going to greet the next customer. As you looked into familiar brown eyes, you felt like screaming. “Mingyu? How? What about the show?” you stammered.

“I left after you did. I really meant it when I said I love you. Yes, I dated Somi, but there was barely even a kiss. I couldn’t. I never touched her because I only wanted you. I ended it with her because I couldn’t give her what she wanted,” he rambled, catching you completely off guard.

“But she told me you two had sex and that you wanted her,” you said, confused.

“No, I couldn’t. You’re the one I want,” he said sincerely, and you smiled slightly.

“I’d really like to kiss you, but you know what?” you giggled. “Get an apron from the back and help me out here.”

“Of course,” Mingyu rushed to the back, where you could see your dad hugging him tightly. They had always been close—Mingyu was like part of your family. When the two of you broke up, your family couldn’t believe it.

The two of you used to help your dad out a lot back in your school days.

After the shift ended, you were happy to grab your things. “Can I drive you home?” Mingyu asked, and you nodded. “I think we should talk,” you said, saying goodbye to your dad and following Mingyu.

The ride home wasn’t awkward at all. Both of you were just happy to have some peace at the moment. You unlocked the door, and Mingyu followed you inside. “Your apartment is really pretty. It feels so homey,” he said, looking around.

"I really tried to make it feel like home. I loved our old apartment so much that finding a new one was incredibly difficult,” you confessed, your voice tinged with the emotions you had been holding back for so long. Your eyes fell to the floor, unable to meet his gaze as the memories of what you had lost resurfaced.

Mingyu leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he listened intently. “I never moved out,” he admitted softly, his voice filled with the weight of his own regrets. “I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Every day, I hoped that one day you’d come back, and we could try again.” He looked up at you, his eyes reflecting a deep vulnerability that you hadn’t seen in years.

“Did you date Somi because of me?” The question slipped out before you could stop it, your need for understanding outweighing your fear of the answer. The thought of him with someone else had gnawed at you ever since she showed up.

Mingyu sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “It wasn’t because of you, Y/N,” he began, his voice steady but laced with guilt. “After you left, I was lost. When Somi came around, I thought I could move on, that maybe it was time to let go. But I couldn’t. After everything she said on the show, I felt sick to my stomach. She played me—none of it was true. Like I said, we never had sex. I never even wanted to. Every time I was with her, all I could think about was you.”

His words hung in the air, a mixture of pain and sincerity that made your heart ache. You could see how much he regretted his actions, how much he wished he could take it all back. But the hurt was still fresh, the wound still raw.

“I don’t know if I can just forget everything,” you said quietly, your voice trembling as you tried to keep your emotions in check. “We’ve just found each other again, and then this happened. It’s like… I’m afraid to trust you.”

Mingyu reached out and gently took your hand, his thumb brushing over your knuckles in a soothing motion. “I understand, Y/N. I know I messed up, and I’m so sorry. But I love you. I’ve always loved you. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right, to rebuild the trust we lost. Just… please, don’t give up on us.”

You looked into his eyes, searching for any hint of deceit but finding only genuine remorse and the deep love you knew he still held for you. Despite the hurt, despite the betrayal, you couldn’t deny that a part of you still loved him too—loved him enough to want to try again.

“Let’s talk,” you finally said, your voice barely above a whisper, your heart heavy with the weight of your decision. “But first… let’s have that kiss.”

Mingyu’s eyes softened, relief flooding through him as he leaned in slowly, as if afraid you might change your mind. But you didn’t. You met him halfway, your lips finding his in a tender kiss that spoke of all the unspoken words between you—words of regret, forgiveness, and the hope for a second chance.

The kiss was everything you had missed and more. It was familiar yet new, filled with the promise of a fresh start. When you finally pulled back, both of you were breathing heavily, your foreheads resting against each other as you savored the moment.

“I’m not letting you go again,” Mingyu whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he cupped your face in his hands, his thumbs gently caressing your cheeks.

You smiled softly, feeling a warmth spread through you that you hadn’t felt in a long time. “Me neither,” you whispered back, your heart finally beginning to heal.

The two of you sat there for a moment longer, just holding each other, letting the silence speak for you. It wasn’t going to be easy; you both knew that. But for the first time in a long time, you felt hopeful. You were ready to face whatever challenges life would bring, together.

„The production team just let you go?“ you asked while taking a bite off your toasted waffle.

„They agreed that you actually were my perfect match and they said this gave the show some drama“ he chuckled.

„Well I can happily let the drama go, I don’t need it“ you admitted laughing.

„No more drama, no more ex on the beach“

And so, their journey on “Ex on the Beach” came full circle, leading them back to where they truly belonged—wrapped in each other’s arms, ready to rebuild the love they had once lost and face the future with newfound strength.

[frickingnerd]

two can play that game

pairing: keigo takami / hawks x fem!reader

summary: during a pro hero gala, hawks plays hard to get, to gain your attention. turns out he doesn't like it when you turn the tables on him and spend your evening with someone else…

tags: jealous!hawks, hawks is a bit of an asshole in this, reader dances with endeavour, happy ending, hawks & reader dancing together, hawks apologizes

hawks had been ignoring you ever since you showed up at the party. the moment your eyes met, he turned away and quickly began talking to the nearest person, just so he wouldn't have to talk to you. and you had no idea why.

you thought about every possible explanation. had you upset him? was this just a misunderstanding? had he mistaken you for someone else? or was he really just angry at you because of something you had forgotten?

the first hour of the party, you spent the entire time just thinking about it. every time you tried to approach hawks, he turned away and quickly began to talk to someone else or even pulling one of the women onto the dancefloor with him.

it took you until two hours into the event to understand what was going on, when another pro hero pointed it out to you.

“oh, he's trying to get you to think about him! paying no attention to you to get you more interested, you know?”

suddenly it seemed so obvious to you.

his plan had worked flawlessly too, as you had done nothing but spend the last two hours sitting by yourself, wondering what possible reason hawks could have for ignoring you. but now you knew. and you weren't happy at all!

but, two could play that game.

if hawks wanted to ignore you and chat up other women to make you jealous and get your attention, then you could do the same! and you knew just which man to ask for a dance to get the attention of the number two hero…

“excuse me…”

you gently tapped the endeavor's shoulder, causing the older man to turn around and glance down at you.

“would you like to dance with me?”

the question seemed to be a bit of a surprise, yet enji quickly put away his glass and offered you his hand, which you happily took.

the two of you made your way onto the dancefloor and you could feel everyone's eyes on you. not just hawks was staring at you two, but so was everyone else. after all, you had the courage to ask the number one hero to dance. and he had actually said yes!

though the two of you barely even finished your dance. halfway through the song, keigo stormed onto the dancefloor, glaring at you two.

“excuse me, we're not done dancing. if you want to be my next partner, then you have to wait a bit longer”

you said calmly, struggling to keep that big grin off your lips. you could see it was bothering keigo and you were satisfied. finally, he got a taste of his own medicine. and he didn't seem to like it.

“enji, get your hands off her–! …please!”

keigo struggled to stay calm, speaking through gritted teeth and being even more formal than needed.

sadly, endeavor did as he was told, not interested in causing a scene. he just took a step back and smiled at you.

“perhaps we can continue our dance another time” he said, though mostly as a formality, before glancing towards keigo and leaving you two behind on the dance floor.

you were about to turn around and leave keigo standing by himself, when he grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer, his other hand quickly finding its way onto your waist.

“what do you think you're doing, hawks?”

you raised an eyebrow, attempting to pull your hand away, but his grip on it was too tight.

“it's keigo for you, sweetheart” he corrected you, slowly beginning to dance with you to the rhythm of the music. “and i'm getting the dance i deserve”

“ha!” you huffed amused. “last time i checked, you have been dancing with countless women tonight. i'm sure you don't need to dance with me as well”

“oh, have you been checking me out all night, sweetheart? i had no idea…” keigo hummed innocently, a satisfied smile on his lips. he had gotten to you and he knew it.

“and you? you've had your eyes on me too, right? that's why you always managed to turn away when i approached. and that's how you knew i was dancing with enji” you cocked up an eyebrow, staring into keigo's eyes. he tried to avoid eye contact, rolling his eyes, before pulling you closer.

“and? what if i did?” he just asked, a cocky smirk on his lips. “can't a man check out a beautiful woman?”

he was so full of himself. you pulled your hand out of his grasp, yet his other hand remained on your waist.

“if you think i'm beautiful, then be man enough to tell me that to my face. i don't appreciate you playing games with me. so, you can drop your little act and continue to dance with me or i'll leave and ask enji for another dance” you looked him deep in the eyes, this time without keigo turning away. “so, what will it be?”

for a moment, keigo remained quiet. he was likely waging the options in his head. but after a few more seconds, he sighed and pulled you close again.

“i'm sorry, i've been a bit of an asshole to you tonight…” he started, only for you to quickly interrupt him. “a bit?”

“okay okay, i've been a huge asshole! i should've known not to treat you like this. now, will you forgive me and continue to dance with me?”

keigo put on the best puppy eyes he could muster up. you knew you shouldn't reward him for this bad behavior. you knew you should tell him to prove that he means it and only then does he get another chance. but you were weak for him. and so, you sighed and gave in.

“i suppose i could let you have one more dance…”

[incorrectfatui]

ok only one person asked for this, but I'm really bored, so: memes about our government collapsing, here you go. feel free to ignore it otherwise, next post will be about more harbingers xD

But politics talk beyond this point- dw, I get it if you dont wanna see that

Context will be below the pictures- please keep in mind that german humor is...well, german. Also, I can't figure out how to post multiple pictures at once, so uh...this is gonna be a long one. ALSO look at the ALT text I tried my best to translate & give more context

So of course, everyone immediately started memeing about Lindner. Why? Because most of the country fucking hates the guy. I don't think I specified enough how awful he is. The current government is incredibly inneficient, and he's a major reason why. He's an ultra-capitalist, in love with a free market economy, frequently has temper tantrums in parliament, and is INCREDIBLY anti social. He wants higher pension ages, less subsidies for unemployed people, the works. What people are also making fun off is Scholz, our chancellor, who was practically nonexistent for the last 3 years, only to deliver a VICIOUS speech about how awful Lindner is. So yeah! Government collapse is fun if you have the right memes. Hope at least some of those were funny to you guys as well

thaaats most of the ones I could fit. Which brings me to: the context. oh my god where do i begin.

Okay, so, the german parliament is made out of multiple parties, right? When we have elections, the chancellor is from the party with the most votes, but they don't rule alone, because they need a majority (<50%), and we have so many parties that they don't get there. So, they have to form coalitions with the other parties. When they do that, the leaders of the other parties get to be in high positions as well. Every party that isn't in the coalition is the opposition.

More often than not, we have what is called a Grand Coalition- the two biggest parties, CDU and SPD. However, in our last elections (which was also the first time in 16 years that our chancellor changed), this did not happen. We instead got the so called traffic light coalition, made up of the SPD (winner, got the Chancellor), FDP (our other main protagonist in this story) and the Greens.

So, they've ruled for about 3 years now, and it's been an utter shitshow- because of multiple factors, of course, but one of the major ones was the FDP. See, the Greens and the SPD are (or, well, were, but thats for another story) more left leaning, ESPECIALLY on stuff like climate change, while the FDP are mostly focused on the economy. So, there's been lots of conflicts, and all the parties in the coalition, but especially the FDP, have lost immense support. The FDP to a point where they might not get ANY seats in parliament for the next election.

Now, some of our current biggest issues are inflation, climate change, and the war in Ukraine. I'm simplifying this to hell and back, but essentially, we have a so called debt-brake in our constitution, which means that the country cannot go over a certain amount of money. Sounds good, right? Well, not entirely. Right now, we are trying to go over this limit. See, the debt-brake has an intentional loophole, which says that in emergencies, you CAN go over it, like natural catastrophes (e.g. COVID).

Germany, right now, wants to fund our infrastrcuture, our military, Ukraine, and social subsidies. For this purpose, the SPD and Greens agreed to go over the limit. Except they can't, without the approval of their coalition partner, the FDP, and their finance minister, Lindner, who RUNS the FDP. They've been fighting about this for A WHILE, and yesterday, Scholz (the chancellor), gave Lindner an ultimatum: allow them to go over the limit, or get fired. Lindner asked for snap-elections instead, did not accept the proposal (which was already heavily in his favour) and got fired.

Which wouldn't be a problem is he was any common minister- but he's a coalition partner, so the coalition broke apart- and without the FDP, the SPD and the Greens alone do not hold a majority in parliament.

What this boils down to, is that we will likely have a minority-government (who will have BIG difficulties passing any laws) until January, and at the start of January, the Chancellor will call for a vote of confidence (yes, like in star wars), which he will lose. Meaning: Snap Elections in March (at the latest), less time for the parties to prepare their candidates, and MASSIVE profts for the right wing parties, which are currently leading in the polls.

[stayinlimbo]

Returned Call

wc: 765, genre: exes to lovers(?), warnings: cursing in beginning, slightly unedited

note: although i feel this could be read as a stand-alone, here is the sequel to Missed Call you guys were asking for. i hope you enjoy ♡

Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system: You know. Lee Minho. Not available. Voicemail. Speak. 

Fuck you, Lee Minho. No, seriously, fuck you. 

Tell me why I was contacted by not one but three of your dancing buddies within the past twenty-four hours about how you’ve been moping around and trudging through your routines for the past week. 

They were all essentially the same. You haven’t been the same since we broke up, is there any way we could reconnect, give you one more chance, blah blah blah. 

You must be doing really bad if one of them was Hyunjin, of all people. 

Two months too late, don’t you think?

As if any of this was my fault.

…

I was getting better before you called, you know?

I finally fixed my sleep schedule. I won’t lie, it took longer than I’d like to admit to break the habit of staying up late for you. At least I was already used to sleeping alone. 

I reconnected with some old friends since I couldn’t talk to Jisung as much without being reminded of you. They can still read me like a book, even after all these years.

I even went on a date. 

Granted, it was with myself, but I like to think it still counts.  

…

You know what I realized on my “date?” And while out with my friends? And on the sleepless nights I spent staring up at my childhood bedroom’s ceiling?

I had forgotten what it felt like to be seen. To be appreciated. To be loved. 

It seems like you’ve come to that conclusion as well, because you’re right. I deserved better. I deserve better. I may have ended our relationship, but I wasn’t the one who left first.

I remember our last kiss, paired with another one of your lies I foolishly kept believing in until I finished the movie night you promised you’d be home in time for. And I remember waking up on the couch with a sore neck to see your fatigued silhouette entering the front door, barely sparing me a glance as you dragged yourself towards the bedroom. 

You didn’t even look sorry. 

How could you, I guess, if you left everything back at the studio?

…

I used to admire your passion, Minho. I hate that I still do. You pour everything you have, everything you can possibly give, into what you love. So why couldn’t you do the same for us? For me?

You say you love me, but why does it feel like I lost something I'm not sure I ever had? 

…

Where did we go wrong? What did I do wrong? I gave everything to you. I gave you my heart, my body, my entire being. I gave you everything until there was nothing left to give.

I never asked for anything outlandish. I think it’s reasonable to want to talk with your partner, to share your lives with one another. I think it’s reasonable to ask about when you’ll be home for our anniversary without being yelled at in front of your friends. 

You want me to be proud of you? You want me to be happy about one of the very things that ripped us apart?

Yes, you’re selfish, but I’m no better. 

…

Maybe this is my fault. After all, no one should feel obligated to love someone. I just never thought it’d apply to us. 

…I wish I could hate you. I really do. 

But all I see is your stupid face smiling at me when I close my eyes. I hear your laugh ringing in my ears when I remember the ways you said or did something ridiculous to make me feel better after a stressful day. I still feel the warmth of your body wrapped around mine when we did wake up next to each other, our legs entwined together to where it was impossible to escape. Not that I ever wanted to. 

I want you to keep smiling at me. I want you to hold me. I want you to miss me. I want you to want me. 

Because I still want you. 

…

I want to give you a second chance, Minho. If things could be different this time, if we could be different. If we could share ourselves, wholeheartedly, as lovers, and not strangers.

I want to fall in love with you again, Lee Minho. 

…

Call me back, when you get the chance. You can keep the shirts for now.

Just please, don’t make me regret this.

liked this work? want to let me know how i did? please like, comment, and/or reblog; they are greatly appreciated my asks are always open ♡

taglist: @linospuddin @linocz @spicyhyunn

ending note: I hope this didn't disappoint. I really tried my best to make it work with all the angst in here :D. I also tried incorporating parallels from Missed Call so hopefully that wasn't too annoying or anything <3

[krunklys]

Why Batcest is a Thing

I was talking with my friend the other day and while she's not a batcest shipper, she asked me why I was. I said that I don't think I take it to the same extremes some other people do, a few things that aren't a personal favorite of mine would be any of the REALLY younger kids with Bruce or say Dick and Damian. It's mostly the age gap that gets to me.

But she asked why I liked JayTim and I had a time explaining it to her and I wanted to bring it here as a sort of explanation, I suppose for people who might not enjoy batcest ships.

first of all, the name. Batcest is... an interesting name. A lot of arguments you'll come across is that they're not actually related, or there are some fanfics out there for aus where one of them (most commonly Tim or Jason) were never apart of the Batfamily in the first place. Of course, there are some where they are! Because, at the end of the day, in Canon they do share a family. But the implication of it being incest can be a real no no for people, even if it's not. Dick wasn't adopted into the family for quiet some time (I think he was adopted around the same time Tim was but I'm not a 100% sure, not to mention he acted as his ward and then aged out of it), Jason was adopted but after his return to life has regularly denied his part in the family (Look at literally any Red Hood Comic, though I do prefer to look at the New 52 Red Hood and The Outlaws for his feelings towards Bruce and the Wayne's in general), Tim was adopted but was later emancipated (in Red Robin), and Damian has a blood relation to Bruce only. Morally, there can be a problem with it but for mow shippers, since this is fiction, the lack of blood relation means there's no problem. Remember! They're not real people. Adoptive relationships, or pseudo familial ones, they don't see these relations as any reason to not ship them! And in later points, I go into why. And if people really had a problem with this pseudo familiar relationships, take for example Tim and Jason who have never once lives under the same roof nor have any legal connection to each other through Bruce, then on principal alone they should have a problem with Cassandra and Stephanie - Cass is adopted by Bruce, yes, but Bruce has also claimed Stephanie as part of the family and includes her in family talks. Does that not make them family members? No. They're friends or girlfriends, depending on how you want to interpret them.

Secondly, the canon relationships that any of the Bats have with their partners. I could go through all of them and explain the nuance of the relationships but I'll simplify for the sake of the post. In Bruce's sake, whether it be Talia or Selina or for the more fanon ones like Clark and Min Khoa (i think that's how you spell that, I'm not sure though!), there's no denying that in Canon these relationships don't pan out. Talia and Bruce have moral problems, even if she was originally a spy and didn't kill, and Selina and Bruce have an entire history of problems. For Dick, himself and Barbara are much of the same. A sweet beginning until something comes in to ruin it and they break up. Take, for example, the newest Nightwing run (on webtoon and not technically canon, i know). Barbara breaks up with Dick because she feels disconnected from him and like he's still preforming for her, but they have no conversation about this prior to it. With Kori, I'm not as knowledgeable about why they broke up, all I know is that they did and it was ugly. Another example is Tim! Himself and Stephanie didn't work out because she couldn't trust him, due to now knowing his identity, and then she faked her death, causing the distrust between them both. These are only a few examples of how relationships work out for Bats and in my personal opinion I think it's because of a ack of understanding for the characters, their love interests I mean. And in fanon, partners for Batfamily members tend to be washed down - Kon acts as an emotional crutch for Tim, Roy has morals he simply does not stand with anymore in Canon in JayRoy fics, Barbara is an anecdote in DickBarbara fics, and Selina is barely featured in Bruce fics. Not to mention the simple lack of wlw fics in the fandom that aren't background.

Due to this, the shipping of Batfamily members together is only natural. The characters share similar morals or in the case of Tim have such complicated morals that in fandom you can pick and choose what to use. They're fleshed out, have a canon relationship with multiple layers to it, and complete each other in many ways. In comparison to some of the fandom favorite ships like SuperBat or BirdFlash, where we only see a two dimensional aspect of their relationship recently, then the shipping of characters like Jason and Tim or Tim and Dick together is a natural conclusion to reach.

And Finally, History and old characteristics. It was mentioned before in another post that I'll try to hunt down for you guys and link in a repost because it will be WORLDS better than what I could write and have much more research thrown into it than this does, but originally there were a lot of implications under their relationships, specifically Bruce and Dick. Wardships programs were used by a lot of gay people when gay marriage was illegal, so were adult adoptions. It was to have a legal connection in whatever way possible. And I think in a really old comic, Dick has a dream where he's living in the manor as an adult still with Bruce. Bruce has a portrait of them together. They eat breakfast together in their pajamas or underwear, and spend all their time together. Batman regularly saves Robin over civilians and for his relationships, sometimes they wouldn't work out simply because of Dick. It worked this way for many Superheroes and their sidekicks in the "golden age" of comics! Batman has always had queer undertones since his creation but adding Robin into the mix just proved this. Like it or not, Bruce and Dick had sexual and romantic implications to their relationship since the character was first introduced in the 40s.

As for Old characteristics, in the New 52 i feel as though some of the characters have been washed down do their base characteristics. They lack depth in a way some characters don't or in a way some do, particularly in fanon. Dick's possessive originally and I see people talking about his anger issues as a child a lot, especially in comparison to Jason's Robin run, but either way - the characters have changed throughout the years. That doesn't mean that people can't cling on to their old relationships or even their old personalities. People are so fond of making Jason insane and crazy and Hella mean when in recent adaptations, he's a normal vigilante for all intents and purposes. He's not even a crime lord anymore, I'm pretty sure he still owns the Iceberg Lounge. That's all to say that the boys used to be a lot closer than they are now, especially Tim and Dick and Dick and Bruce.

The conclusion to my explanation to her is that batcest is much of the same as any other ships - picking and choosing what to take from canon to put two people together into a relationship that you like. It's a work of fiction and while that's important to remember, it doesn't say anything about you in real life! you don't enjoy real life incest if you like JayTim. That's all to say si that there's reasons behind it that some people like and some people don't. She wasn't swayed by my answer but accepted it since she couldn't deny that the Batfamily has been explored on and their relationships together so much more than their relationships with anyone else, canon or fanon.

[featherymainffins]

It's also a problem that's deeply embarrassing for me because I feel like it puts a lot of pressure on other people because the only methods I've found to somewhat work were basically just asking someone if I was allowed to eat or repeatedly asking if they found me disgusting.

And that's like fucked up to need from someone. It was tolerated by my family presumably because I am their child and for some reason they didn't find any part of that weird or concerning. But it's not something other people would be willing to do for me I'm pretty sure.

*Trigger warning for eating disorder talk*

I hate how whenever I eat anything my brain is like "You should kill yourself. Now." Like what's your fucking problem

[yesimwriting]

I love ur felix fics sm!! ur one of my fave writers on here<<333 and no I don’t think itd b crazy to write for Nate!! I’d love to see how u would write him!! (Maybe grumpy x sunshine hehe)

hi!! this is such a nice ask :)) i'm so happy you like my felix fics

omg i love ur train of thought for a nate fic!! i've been thinking about that kind of dynamic for them, but in a really niche way

anyways let's have some thoughts on nate jacobs and sunshine/kind of sheltered reader!!

----

thinking about the moment in which you find out nate jacobs is your assigned partner for a project that's worth 35% of your final grade. if this was happening to you a year ago, maybe even two or three months ago, you might have been nervous for an entirely different reason.

but you're not that version of yourself anymore. you go out to parties now; you wear shirts to school that your mom buys for you the same way she used to buy you impulse barbies, with a wink as the cashier scans them, making you promise that you won't show dad what you got at the store; you're friends with maddy and cassie...you're on your way to best friends with maddy and cassie.

so you can't dismiss the gossip and the stares nate gets in the halls as a standard part of high school, not the way you used to. you can't just see him across the hall at his locker and mentally acknowledge that you get why girls talk about him the way they do. you can't just get paired up with him for an extremely long assignment and think oh, at least he's cute.

every story maddy's ever mentioned during sleepovers, everything she's teared up about after one too many drinks hits you at full force when your teacher reads your name and then his off of her list.

would she see this as a betrayal? it's not like you picked him and asking for a new partner is out of the question, a fact your teacher made clear at the beginning of the year. but maddy's loyal...fiercely loyal, and she expects that kind of commitment to be symbiotic.

you don't move, can't move until jules leans towards you, so close her hair spills onto your desk. "no fucking way." she whispers it in a way that'd make you laugh if this was about someone else.

you're silent, eyes finally pulling away from a brightly colored poster explaining the roles of each branch of the US government. you turn your head enough to look at where nate sits, the back of the room with a few other football players.

he's already looking at you. and when nate realizes you're finally staring back, he has the audacity to let the corner of his mouth pull into a smug sort of smile you're sure another version of you would have considered swoon worthy.

you're all instructed to use the last few minutes of class time to talk to your new partners, to make some kind of preliminary plan. nate's standing up and you're still recovering from the whiplash.

helplessly, you look over at jules who's clearly trying to get to the other side of the room before nate can get to you. she mouths a "sorry" that feels genuine, and points at the girl she's supposed to work with in a way that feels like over kill. you roll your eyes, picking up your pen and pressing the pad of thumb against its side to have something to do.

nate's in front of you before you know it. he's so tall it's a little intimidating when he's right there, especially with you still sitting. "you're everywhere now." a reference to the fact that you were both at the same party last weekend. you can still hear maddy's slurred i can't believe he's fucking here, before she dragged you out to the house's patio.

he's probably seen you more places. you're around maddy pretty regularly these days and from what you've heard, you wouldn't put stalking above him. he's probably a stalker in the way guys from the news are stalkers, calm and untouchable until they feel like the girl they're watching is moving on. then they snap and some news anchor reports that there were warning signs for months beforehand.

you're partially aware of your potential exaggerations, but you can't bring yourself to care. you've never really interacted with nate, but you want to hate him as more than the monster you hear about when maddy feels like ranting. you want to viscerally hate him. it's such an instinctual tug that you can't pretend it's all about morality. you're craving innate repulsion the way an elementary school girl wants the other half of a magnetic necklace with the word "best" etched into cheap metal. it's kind of pathetic, but then again...

"not last year, or last semester--"

he's baiting you and you're completely aware and you still can't help yourself. "what? it's illegal to make new friends now?"

your tone surprises you more than the fact that you interrupted him. you've never been overly shy, but you've also never been much of a fighter on your own behalf. maybe this is like the parties and barbie-style-bought-shirts, just another facet of the improved you.

nate seems surprised too, only he wears it like there's something funny about it. "no, you've always been friendly."

he says it like there's a joke in there that'd make the football players a few rows back laugh. it digs at you more than it should. he gets under your skin in a way that bugs. maybe that means genuine hatred is on its way.

you look up at him, eyes as unimpressed as you can manage. "so," the word is definite, intentional. "the project..." you're glad for the excuse to turn your attention back to your notebook, "i don't know if you want to work out a time to--"

"i'm leaving in like five minutes." you're about to point out that class doesn't end for another when he explains, "football game." ugh. another thing you can decide to be annoyed about. your homework schedule is now going to revolve around high school football. "can i get your number?" the idea of existing in nate jacobs's phone feels so wrong you can't immediately reply. he picks up on your hesitation, because he tacks on the one phrase that could get you to do anything, "35% of our grade."

you nod once, expression as blank as you can manage as you write out your phone number on the corner of a page. You tear off the bottom corner and hand it to him. "don't save my number."

it's so rude, your jaw almost drops, "what?"

"you're going to see maddy before the project's over, right?"

the implication immediately makes your stomach knot. you're not--you can't not tell maddy. she won't like it, but she can't hold a random partnering against you. and--and it's worse if you don't tell her, because then it's like you're sneaking around with nate. and it's--it's all for school.

"i'm not going to lie to her for you." it's so ridiculous, you can't even hold eye contact. his silence adds a second loop to the knot in your stomach. "why would i lie?" your own genuineness sickens you, you're backtracking immediately. "and--and it's just a dumb school thing, so she probably won't care that much."

"and you're sure she's going to believe that?"

"yes," the word is firm because it has to be. "because that's what it is."

"she gets paranoid."

no, no--he's doing this to get into your head and cause problems. "if she's paranoid it's because you're crazy."

"fine." he shoves the scrap of paper into his pocket. "save my number, don't save my number. tell maddy, don't tell maddy."

you sigh. "why do you care?" they're broken up...even if maddy takes it the wrong way, the fall out will be a you problem.

"she's going to think i fucked you to hurt her." you hate this--the situation, the conversation, the fact that you can't completely dismiss his train of thought. "who's known maddy longer?"

you're about to try again, to defend your friendship with maddy and call him crazy again when the static of the intercom speakers interrupts you. all football players are being called out of class to leave for an away game. nate gives you one last look before turning towards the door.

when jules slips back into her seat and asks if you're okay with everything, you nod and attempt a joke about catching fuck boy germs, but it doesn't come out the way you want it to. she still laughs, so you do too, but that's not as natural as it should be, either.

----

lmk if you like this concept/want more of it!! i had fun writing this :))

[bianca-mii]

One of the most iconic kisses between our guitarists from the 2022 tour. I can't write as beautifully as @woodswallow, but I made this gifset as I thought there is a very interesting thing to point out.

The Auslaender outro started almost as usual, with Richard feeling the music probably somewhat more.

But this moment shows one massive difference from arguably every other Auslaender's kiss: Richard is not smiling. He's not focused on seducing Paul with that evil grin. There's no tension, no predatory stare. He is... sad? He looks Paul in the eye, and while Paul is in that playful-teasing-I'm-not-that-easy-to-get mode of his, in which he rather avoids eye contact with Richard, he must realize something is off with the lead guitarist...

But they both go for the kiss. In the beginning, I thought maybe Richard was sad, at least partially, because during some of the 2022 shows Paul seemingly didn't feel like having that little smooch. From what I've read, Paul is very uncomfortable with PDA and, in general, tries to keep his private life as far from the public eye as possible. 2019 kisses were fun and outrageous, which Paul loves, and also had a political impact. But by the half of the 2022 tour, it was obvious nobody cared about any political impact anymore and the guitarists kissed just because they like it. Richard doesn't care if people are watching, he may even like it better that way, so perhaps he couldn't entirely understand Paul's hesitation. Also, on the previous show, still in Europe, their kiss was very quick, too quick for Richard's liking:

He made that gesture with his mouth as if he wanted to say: "Ahh, it ended before I could even taste it!" On which Paul said something, maybe like: "I've told you already: quick pecks - for the audience, the actual kisses - only you and me, no witnesses..." And Richard was like: "Oh, okay, but a boy can dream, can't he?"

Going back to Chicago's kiss: so it's not the case that Richard is sad because he thinks Paul wants no public kisses: they go for it as usual. I also don't think he's sad because he'd prefer the kiss to be longer - that doesn't sound like an actual reason to feel sad. It has to be something else.

Whatever it is, Richard tries to pull away first as he probably thinks the kiss will be over by that time anyway. Indeed, it's usually been (if not any other time) Paul who pulls away first; I also think Richard's hand on the back of Paul's neck used to be there for that extra control, to keep him in place just a little bit longer, but it wasn't hugely sufficient. This time though, again, Richard thinks the kiss will be over just after a moment. But what happens next? Especially from this angle, it seems very clear: Paul doesn't let go. And his reaction is really intense: he keeps his lips locked with Richard's, his right hand, put on Richard's shoulder, grabs it more firmly; you can see all his body leaning on his partner; if you look at his butt, it slightly goes up as he maybe even gets on tiptoe.

I remember reading suggestions Richard was that surprised because maybe Paul slipped him some tongue. I'd love to think that, but what I believe really happened was that Paul sucked hard on Richard's lip to keep their mouths together as Richard tried to pull away.

This is not the best quality, but it sort of confirms that theory: you can briefly see Richard's mouth, and then how it literally gets sucked:)

Paul pulls away when it's over but also slightly pushes Richard: "now, that should do!", but Richard, despite experiencing a massive WTF?! moment, remains sober enough to put some pressure on Paul's nape, doesn't let him go, and pulls him back close again, for a hug. He also starts to laugh so heartily that it makes my heart melt. Perhaps he's realized what face he's just made and laughs, just a little bit, at himself too. Paul, on the other hand, briefly returns the hug, but then is all like: "there, there, don't overdo it, babe." He gives Richard a few pats on the back, like the male friends with no benefits would do - he is back into his no PDA mode, and puts his right hand back on Richard's shoulder, this time trying to push him away.

But now Richard does not have it: "nah love, not so fast, you should have expected now I need to thank you for what you've just done... *mwah*". Another kiss on the lips, brief one this time, and finally Paul can go, obviously showing to everybody: "look! Just look at this little naughty thing right there!", Richard is doing something similar for a moment, too (what a complete pair of dorks:D).

So, I imagine Richard was so surprised because Paul not only didn't want to end the kiss quickly but literally forced it to be longer. I love this moment so much for two reasons: it totally makes sense Paul is uncomfortable with PDA, but as soon as Richard feels worse, or Paul gets sentimental himself (like by the end of tours), Paul stops thinking about any discomfort and goes for it with no hesitation, which pretty much says that comforting Richard is simply much more important for him. I think we saw it here, we saw it during Puppe 2023 or this tour after the German football team lost.

What I also more than love, is how Paul's little mouth-to-mouth treatment really brings Richard back to life and turns the night into the day for him (no wonder, who wouldn't be more than alive if they just got a kiss from Landers himself?). Richard is over the moon here, and seeing him undergo such a 180-degree mood switch is an almost otherwordly experience...

Here's the whole video cropped by me, original credit to till_lindemann_pics on ig. One of the other gifs by @davecumstaine, the other one - I can't tell, I downloaded it a long time ago and can't find it here anymore, many apologies;(

[bendyartistic]

Be Aware of alexbstudios. (Part 2) TW: uh.. slur, sui mention.

Recently I've been requested by some people to make another awareness post about Alex, and what has been going on since I made my last callout. So.. let's take a look. I'm gonna be honest I have been paying little to no attention to him at all since my post up until this point, didn't think I'd have to.

Ever since I made it, Alex has been talking about me a lot more, and it feels much more obsessive in a way. I think it's funny but also pretty weird considering some of the things he's said about me. Eugh.

Anyways let's get to the stuff from after my callout to the present. This is just a rundown of everything, and there is some stuff I skipped since I didn't feel it was worth mentioning. Once my post had been made, a lot of people went over and said stuff to him (Though I didn't encourage that behavior, I only wanted to make my post so people knew about him, I'm not covering those unless it's important in this.) Little afterwards he made this... post. Erh, are you stalking me and other people?? ALSO don't say the r slur man, like what.

I find it really creepy that he has this list, and has notes along with them about why/who they are. Also why'd he spell my partners name like that? 💀 Next a little after that he reblogged someone's art and introduction saying this. (I don't want to really @ people in this, nor get anyone involved unless they asked to be.)

I still don't understand how Alex views me, but saying this in a reblog no less is so strange. Reblogging another post, saying this with it...

You're right Alex, I didn't need you in my life, yet here we are. Unfortunately. Besides that, no, 12 year old's should NOT be on Tumblr at all, even with restrictions, said restriction should be having the app blocked from their device.

I'm just gonna.. move on from that. Alex reblogged an art post, where he proceeded to @ over 50 people, myself included, saying "surely you can see the problem". I can't fit the entire thing sadly. I don't get what the point in these posts are honestly, besides annoy everyone. He's done it before as well. He got into a small bit of beef with a handful of folk not too long ago, which I got @'ed in at some point I think, didn't really pay much attention to it. Basically the original post is someone talking about art supplies and asking what one's other people use, which I personally think was a very neat post. Alex comes around though for some reason going off on nonsense. Hello? Who invited you!? (Again, censoring names cuz I don't want to get ppl involved.)

I'm honestly kind of wondering why he even showed up. He pretty soon after made this dumb post as if it could have some effect on the situation.. uh?

I guess mark your calendars guys for this date, where we have to immediately forget everything and forgive him! /j And there's this response he gave to an anon responding to his ✨patience✨ post.

Dunno, so far it hasn't because he's still talking about it, so clearly he hasn't gotten over it enough to let it blow over.

He's giving me those like.. stupid sigma edit vibes sometimes. Y'know what I'm talking about? Yeah. Also I'm not sure what to say about this really, but it's pretty funny.

Context for this next one: You and the person on your lockscreen fight god..? That's a weird one.

Wdym racist though? 🤨 Genuinely kinda curious about that. Btw wouldn't that make you like.. 9?? On a different note, I saw him previously talk about this "friend" he has going to a mental hospital, but I know nothing about it, nor do I really want to, however reblogging on an art post saying this feels off. Think the emotes are what do it.

Don't joke about mental hospitals at all, I shouldn't have to explain why. I'm going to move on from all the short stuff now because I do wanna start talking instead of making short joking comments.

Alex made this post, and so it begins with him talking about me again, eh?

Alex, you're already doomed. I can't put it any other way but from what I've seen maybe only 1 or 2 people even like you. The rest either hate you or want to avoid you at all cost, and I don't blame them at all considering you act like a fool and make everyone uncomfortable.

For my thoughts on you? I don't like you, never did. I just have to put up with you because this is the internet, and you'll probably never truly leave me alone like I once hoped. It's a shame honestly that you cannot follow a simple request from anyone. Don't think I don't know about your planned "response post" you're making, I'm still waiting for it. I don't know what good it's gonna do you though. Personally I don't care if you make one, I'd just read it to see the stuff you make up in it lol. (Edit: He decided to stop working on it after seeing this post lol.)

Enough of my rambling, I should continue with this so I can stop talking about him sooner. Regrettably I had to actually look up what this was about, I felt.. iffy reading it.

Saying gyatt right afterwards wasn't funny. At all. I'm quite upset now. There was absolutely no reason for that.

I was gonna be reasonable and say something genuine but I don't feel like it anymore, this ruined my mood. All I have to say is as much as I dislike you, don't actually do that. Sadly moving to the next nonsensical thing, he made a poll post asking this. (It's still ongoing btw)

Are people like.. forced into giving a reason? Like if I for example chose Bendy, am I immediately supposed to state my reasons? What if I don't want to, are we being held at gunpoint? What's up with that? I'm too lazy to interact with the post, I don't really feel like it anyways even if I wasn't lazy. Which one would you choose though lol I'm going to be serious now again cause this last thing is really just.. what the fuck. Palestine related 🍉, someone asking for help came to Alex, and this was his response to it...

MY GOD Alex. Did you really have to respond to that in this immature, insensitive fucking manner? Could it have not been in one of your stupid rambling posts. It should've been. I'm sorry to the person and I'm sorry I had to read it. You're pretty sick honestly. You need help.

That's it. I'm done.

In conclusion:

Alex is still the same and is still never going to change probably. He still shouldn't be here and I believe he really should get off now more than ever. If not I fear what else he might do next.

All I can really tell you folks is please, DNI with Alex, just leave him alone and block him. You're again not obligated to, but I am suggesting it if you want to be left alone by him. And hey, maybe you'll make it onto his dumb creepy list too, who knows. Alright, I'm finished, I stayed up way too late for this... I'm tired. Cya.

Reblogs are much appreciated, it helps spread the word, thanks.

[joe9cool]

The Bae Bowl- Collide

A.N. This is for fun, I do not know Justin Herbert or the Chargers, or anyone affiiated with them. Also you do not have permission to copy my work.

“God the Bengals players are so hot” Samira sighed as she watched the players warmup from the box. Sara laughed “I have to agree. Joe is fine” she said lowly enough for only Samira to hear.

“Girl I know Burrow wasn't the only one you had your eye on. Remember number 94 when you and Justin were split up.”

Sara blushed. Twirling her engagement ring she shushed her friend “who told you that?”

“You remember when we went out and you got drunk? You were practically sexting Him!”

“Oh my god!” They both busted out in giggles. Others in the suite looked over at the girls.

Once they calmed down they focused their attention back on the food tables. “I'm so happy you're back to eating normally again Sara, you had us all worried with this weight loss for the wedding”

Sara sighed. “wasn't my best moment. But thankfully Justin talked some sense to me. He fell in love with me this way, he's gonna marry me this way!”

“I know that's right!” Khalil's wife joined in and the girls clinked their cocktails together in a toast.

The game was very high energy. Sara held her breath with every play Justin made. Even though this was her 3rd season as Justin's partner It didn't make it any less daunting seeing all those huge men try to take him down.

She smiled the few times when she was shown on the big screen. Although she made many requests to please not show her on television, networks Didn't seem to care and wanted to capitalize on all the famous WAGs that were at Games.

She groaned as she scrolled Twitter on halftime, seeing the camera celebrating Justin's touchdown. Not only Did it catch her jumping up and down like a lunatic, it caught her lips saying. “That was so fucking sexy”

Of course the comments Were misogynistic. She didn't expect anything less.

—-------------------------------------------------------

“Dude what's your problem?” Justin looked over at Joey. “What?”

“You look like you're ready to murder the entire Cincinnati bench…. Particularly your eyes are following my friend Hubbard over there.” The defenseman nodded in the direction of the tall brunette.

Justin sighed. “When Sara and I were broken up they were sorta seeing each other.”

Joey nodded in understanding. “Oh well shit. I don't blame you. Was it a quick fling?”

He shook his head. “Sara said that they flirted over messages and had planned to meet up, but it never happened. They only ran into each other once at a charity event”

Justin tried to shake his head of the memory of him seeing pictures of them at the event. It had him questioning how the hell they would even cross paths as well as why didn't he agree to just go with her.  It was ridiculous, He had no reason to feel jealous. Sara loved him, she said yes to marrying him.

Maybe this was his karma for putting her through all the bs he did at the beginning of their relationship. 

As much as he tried to act like this game was just a usual game he was determined To shit up everyone who said Burrow was better than him, and it was icing on the cake that his fiancé used to flirt with one of their players.

It didn't help that Justin caught Sam looking up at the box Sara was in a few times.

Throughout the game, Justin found himself wishing he could make some play against Sam. So far his lineman were doing a good job of preventing Hubbard from getting to him.

Finally in the 4th quarter. Hubbard managed to get around the lineman and run towards Justin. Of course Justin had seen them and decided to do what might have been the stupidest decision of his career.

He used his force to run right into Hubbard. It was a hard to hard body hit that had them both going down. The whistle was blown, and to not look like a total ass, Justin helped Sam up. 

“What the fuck dude! Sam was rubbing his shoulder.”

“Sorry bro.” Justin went to the sidelines to face a very red faced Harbaugh. Knowing he was gonna get chewed out. 

Joey clapped him on the shoulder. “Taking a play out of my book huh?”

Justin smiled. 

—--------------------------------------------------------

“Is he serious?” Sara stared In shock as they replayed the hit that Justin laid on Sam. “It looks like they just collided” Mitch stated, a Late arrival due To his job. 

“He left the ground. He hit him on purpose.” Samira stated. Sara groaned. “He is lucky he didn't get a penalty.”

“Harbaugh is facing away from the cameras talking to Justin.” Mitch observed.

“No doubt, getting chewed out.” Sara shook her head. She was surely gonna bitch him up as well.

“You don't think it's because….” Samira asked when Mitch went to refill his plate. 

“It probably Is. I knew he was jealous, but I didn't Think.” She trailed off. She had caught Sam staring at her a few times, and she Had caught Justin staring at Sam staring at her.

Now the game was tied up 27-27 and Sara was getting flashbacks of the game that must not be mentioned.

Despite this, fans were in good spirits and it was so refreshing to see charger fans finally outnumber the Opponents fans.

Slowly, she and Mitch had made their way down to the stands right by the field. Fans eventually noticed, and some asked for photos and took videos.

Finally, within less than 2 minutes Dobbins had run  in the end zone. 

She let out a breath she didn't even notice was holding. Mitch lifted her in the air, she hugged and high-fived fans.

This team, this culture was different. Thanks to Jim Harbaugh. It was night and day. The Chargers were 7-3.

As the players were doing their Handshakes on The field. Sara and Mitch began to turn around and find security so she could be escorted To the family room.

“Babe!” She turned around to see Justin running towards her.

She was confused. While it was common knowledge they were engaged. This was a first. 

He Held up his hand like he was gonna high five her.

Reaching over, she was surprised to find herself being pulled down and into a quick kiss.

Stunned, she quickly gathered her bearings. “I'm proud Of you baby” she Held his hand As fans quickly tried to get In next to her. As well as photographers who surrounded Justin, trying to get a shot that they never thought they would ever see.

Eventually they let go and Sara allowed security to escort her to her locker rooms

The photos of them gazing lovingly at each other was being eaten up by fans as Sara made her way down to the locker rooms waiting for Justin.

She scrolled her phone while her crew was talking to fans. Not paying attention to her surroundings until a big figure stood in front of her. “Hi Sara. Nice to see you again.”

Sara glanced up to see Sam Hubbard with a smile on his face, freshly showered and well.. looking handsome.

“Hi Sam. Yeah we meet again.” She laughed nervously. This wasn't the best situation to be in.

“Yeah unfortunately too late.” He smiled. “I heard You are engaged, congratulations. I see Herbert got his head out of his ass.”

“Thanks?” Before she could cut the meeting short.

“Hi baby!” She was Suddenly pulled into a Hug by her massive fiancé. Letting her go, but still managing to pull her by his side. Justin gave A tight nod to Sam. “Good game Hubbard, hope your shoulder is alright. I can't believe I didn't see you”

It was Sam's turn to be uncomfortable. “Yeah I'm doing good. It's no problem. I was just congratulating Sara on the engagement.”

Justin nodded. “Yeah thanks! Did you see her ring? Show him the ring babe.”

Sara wanted to burst out laughing as she awkwardly held up Her left hand for Sam to quickly glance at it. It was obvious he didn't give a fuck. “Yeah, it's nice. Its Always a pleasure seeing you Sara. Justin.” He nodded Ans walked away. 

As soon as he was out of ear shot. Sara turned to Justin. “What the fuck was that?”

“What was what?”

She shook Her head. “Justin Patrick, don't play stupid. I saw that “accidental” hit on him. I caught you looking like you wanted to murder him. Kissing me on TV? And now, with your hand On my ass. You do realize it's Gonna end up on Twitter?”

Justin looked back and sure enough, a few stragglers had their phones out.

“Can you admit you were jealous?” Sara giggled. “I was not” Justin got defensive.

“Uh huh.” She pinched his side. “Let's go home babe”

A.N. I do not think this is my best work, but I had to do it. I will start working on the other parts of collide, in between by Farabee story .

[wilcze-kudly]

Thoughts on…

https://www.tumblr.com/miss-sweetea-pie/731463633376313344/zutara-lens-vs-kataang-lens?source=share

Is it fair to even mention Zuko seeing as Katara never had feelings for him?

Honestly, I find it kinda funny that OP is sorta telling on themselves by seemingly primarily viewing Jet's storyline through a shipping lens, a stepping stone for Kataang or Zutara.

But sure, let's go with this narrative.

OP claims that Jetara could be seen a foreshadowing to Zutara, as they say that Zuko ans Jet have some similarities. And I suppose that can be true on a surface level. As OP says: Rugged teenage boys with traumatic back stories. But franky, other than being mildly edgy and also having been through some sort of trauma, there's not much there.

In fact, if you compare Aang and Jet, I think you'll find many deeper similarities than just "bad boy with questionable morals".

Aang and Jet have both experienced great loss at the hands of the Fire Nation. Aang losing his entire people and Jet losing his parents and village, presumably leaving them both alone in the world and with a lovely case of survivor's guilt to boot.

Jet and Aang are both kids who were forced by the war to take up positions of responsibility over their fellow victims. Aang, of course, being the Avatar and being fated to end the war. While Jet takes up a leadership positions, persumably gathering kids orphaned and hurt by the Fire Nation, leading them and keeping them safe, while also fighting back. Let's not forget that the reason Jet decided to flood that city was because the firebenders occupying it were planning to burn the forest Jet and the Freedom Fighters resided in, forcing them out and putting them in danger.

We also see a very sweet parallel of Jet encouraging Katara's confidence in her waterbending skills, which is something Aang does on numerous occasions, showing us exactly what affection Katara values in a potential partner and that both Jet and Aang not only believe in her skills, but also intuit her needs.

This is why Katara fell for Jet and why she fell for Aang. They're both protectors and heroes of the people, they're both victims of the Fire Nation who chose to stand up against it. They're revolutionaries, rebels, downright rabble-rousers. They both value communities, and do their best to uplift and defend their fellow victims, something Katara does as well. And they both connect with Katara over not only encouraging her in her own abilities, but also in their shared trauma, which leads me to my next point.

Aang works so well paralleling Jet, because both Jet and Aang were written and posited to parallel Katara. This aspect of Jetara is one OP completely neglected to mention, I suppose due to the fact that it doesn't hoist up Zutara as a ship.

Katara and Jet connect over their trauma very early in the episode, and I think this is where Katara's interest in Jet due to his role as a Freedom Fighter turns to a genuine connection over shared trauma.

Jet: The Fire Nation killed my parents. I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever. Katara: Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation. Jet: I'm so sorry, Katara..

Katara, Jet and Aang share many similarities, which is why I suppose these two boys were Katara's only explicitly confirmed love interests. Just like Aang and Jet, Katara is community oriented, a voice for victims and the marginalised, a fighter for the good of the people.

Seeing these parallels almost makes me wonder if the design team took this into account when making Jet's design colours mainly blue and orange, colours assvociated with Katara and Aang. Though Jet's colour palette is more muted and darker, perhaps signifying the erosion of his morals due to his trauma.

Jet goes astray when he begins to value the fight over the people he is fighting for, something Aang and Katara actively go against, prioritising human life and their moral integrity.

Atla explores the concept of victimhood and how it affects our morality in various ways, especially when it comes to victims of war. The particular focus of this theme is Katara, as we see the writers often connect her to victims who lost that morality, in order to showcase her character. Hama and Jet both serve as excellent foils to show what Katara could've been if she wasn't as kind and compassionate as she is. The crowning jewel of this storyline for her being, of course, the Southern Raiders, which bears callbacks to both Jet and Hama.

But as much as I want this post to be about Katara, OP has other plans, so let's go back to their arguments for Jetara foreshadowing Zutara.

OP makes an argument about how both Zuko and Jet break Katara's trust, testing her charcter, which is a good point, albeit they conveniently omit Hama from the circle of people who connected with Katara over shared trauma and then betrayed her trust.

Can't imagine why. Is it because Hama isn't hot, isnt it? Op doesn't fancy a nice morally compromised gilf, I suppose. 😒 we used to be a proper country.

OP also claims that the show portrays Katara as too trusting, and even claims that the shows message in Jet's case is, in their words: So from a k.ataang lens it leads more towards the lesson that katara need to stop letting these “bad boys” break her heart, “dumb girl your too trusting just give the sweet guy a chance”.

Which is quite the claim, since I actually really enjoy that Katara is never portrayed as being in the wrong, or 'dumb' for trusting Jet, Zuko and Hama. In fact, the three of them are made to look like assholes for taking advantage of her.

The thing about Katara's trust of Jet, Zuko and Hama isn't that it comes from a place of foolishness or naiveté. It comes from empathy and connection. She connects over shared pain ans trauma with these three and she wants to make a connection to alleviate their pain. It just so happens that Zuko is going through his disaster boyfailure era, while Jet and Hama are morally compromised by the horrific events that brutally formed their mentalities.

Anyways, to wrap this point up, can Hama be an honourary bad boy too I think she deserves that

Another argument of OP is that Jet's death could foreshadow Zuko almost dying in the finale and that is could teach, in their words: how we waste time holding grudges and sometimes people don’t have the luxury of apologizing to the people they love.

Now, this is interesting, because Jet's death very clearly connected to Aang's actual death and then ressuraction via Deus ex Katara. However, unlike the theme of pure romance OP proposes in their post, the canon storyline uses these events to feed more into Katara's personal development and stoyline, that of her fear of loss and helplessness, on which I elaborate here:

That is not to say that this storyline doesn't affect Katara and Aangs romance, but I like that the main focus is Katara's meantality and trauma. Because the thing with Katara and Aang's storylines and development is that they intertwine and feed into each other but aren't overshadowed by their romance.

OP continues to speculate that the jetara storyline through a kataang lense is that "bad boys" will break Katara's heart and that she should just "give the nice guy a chance".

I find this a gross twisting of the nature of multiple characters, relationships and storylines.

First of all, reducing Jet to a "bad boy" is fucking demeaning and kinda disgusting. He's not an edgy boy who smokes in the school's bathroom and rides a loudass motorcycle. He's a traumatised child soldier, caring for other children and desperately trying to stop the advance of an army that already has like 3 genocides under its belt. His morals getting messed up in the process doesn't make him a bad boy, they make him a realisitic victim. A kid who tried his best but became misguided.

In the same, paragraph, OP also claims that, despite the message of the show being that everyone is capable of good and evil and that everyone deserves a chance, because people are complex, Jet is not afforded that dignity and understanding.

AND LET ME TELL YOU LET ME FUCKING TELL YOU

That was upsetting.

Because Jet's redemption was shown so wonderfully and symbolically, to the point where sometimes it makes me more emotional than Zuko's.

In B2 we see that Jet has left the forest (persumably bcs the firebenders did burn down the forest) and his entourage has shrunk to just Longshot our trans queen Smellerbee 🏳️‍⚧️. We are told that he is looking for a new life in Ba Sing Se. So far so good.

It seems that the Gaang intervening with his plans has definetly made him rethink his actions. And he's looking to start a new, kinder life. Even going so far as to remove himself from the fight against the Fire Nation, something he had previously been so passionate about, perhaps because he recognised that it brought out his uglier side. Hell yeah we love a king who can recognise his flaws and strives to better himself.

Jet: I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se: for a new beginning. A second chance.

Despite not being on the frontlines anymore, he's still a hero for the people, straling food for the ferry passengers from the greedy captain. Noice. He immediately takes an interest in Zuko, assuming as many, that Zuko was a victim of the Fire Nation like him, due to Zuko's scar.

Jet: You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were. You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's backs. Because no one else will.

I find this SO endearing because atla places such emphasis on the connections and solidarity between victims. And Jet is no exception to this, having taken so many children orphaned by the Fire Nation (or just orphaned as seemed to be the case with the Duke) and also connecting over being hurt by the Fire Nation with Katara, the same way he thinks he is connecting with Zuko. (Jetara and Jetko should parallel each other actually instead of Jetara and Zutara)

Now things turn south when Jet realises that Zuko and Iroh are firebenders, which while showcasing that Jet's need for redemption hasn't healed his trauma (not surprising) around the Fire Nation, I can't really blame him. Like, he's seen the worst of what firebenders can do, why on earth would he stand by and let them infiltrate the city that refugees flock to in order to escape the war. And yeah he sounds like a raving lunatic, but he is right. Zuko and Iroh are firebenders.

From then on, Jet is used as a pawn by Long Feng and the Dai Li, but he still does his best to help the Gaang, seemingly holding no grudge against them for ruining his plans of mass murder.

We see a nice lil trauma flashback of Jet's childhood trauma, giving us a tangible illustration of his motivations and pushing us to sympathise with him. We see him and Katara share a sweet moment as she literally alleviates the pain of the memories. This scene can not only be read as romantic but as another example of solidarity and support between victims in atla.

But it's in the bowels of Lake Laogai, as Aang and Jet face off against Long Feng, that we see the symbolic redemption for Jet really come to its crescendo.

Long Feng, compels Jet into fighting Aang, directly paralleling Aang and Jet's previous battle in the Jet episode. Aang is trying to solve the situation peacefully, even while Jet is trying to hurt him.

Aang: Jet, it's me, Aang! You don't have to do this! Long Feng: I'm afraid he no longer has a choice.

[...] Aang: Jet, I'm your friend! Look inside your heart! Long Feng: Do your duty, Jet! Aang: He can't make you do this! You're a Freedom Fighter!

And I can't not think how the brainwashing pushed Jet into an almost identical situation as his grief and anger did all those years ago. It's a decent comparison, I suppose. Both stem from a painful, stressful situation, influence his actions, pusging him to do things against his usual morals, turning him away from the caring, idealist Freedom fighter he is.

But this time, Jet breaks through the thing clouding his mind. He remembers himself. His trauma, his friendship and care for the freedom fighters and his connection to Katara. He sadly pays the ultimate price for this.

And while I dislike this plot point, because as a rule of thumb I dislike when a character gets a redemption arc and immediately dies or redeems themself by dying, but I can appreciate this scene for how it defined puts a lot of care into showing us the change in Jet, his perception by the gaang and his role in the story.

Katara tries to heal Jet, but is pessimistic(in the commentary of this episode, it's mentioned that there could be a few explanations as to why she didn't use the spirit water.) Here, Jet urges Katara and the Gaang to go find Appa, leaving him to essentially die.

And it's as the Gaang leave, we can compare the ends of the two Jet storylines. In Jet, the last time we look upon Jet's face, it is twisted by anger and rage. In Lake Laogai, he wears a sad, but reassuring smile, and somehow looks at peace.

When Katara first had to leave him in Jet, her expression is one of betrayal and disappointment. In Lake Laogai, she looks to be preparing to grieve, almost as if she were trying to hold back tears. She's conflicted and sad in both scenes, but for different reasons, showing how Jet has redeemed himself in her eyes.

Where in Jet, we leave Jet disgraced and in turmoil, in Lake Laogai we leave him dying, yes, but also a hero, kind and brave, and free. And I like to believe that the second is the real Jet.

Ok this just turned into me gushing over jet, but I think this was important to highlight the significance and uniqueness of Jet and Katara's relationship. Presenting it as "the proto-Zutara" is a disservice to this complex, heartwrenching storyline. And that was kinda gross of OP. Shame on them.

I also think OP is mistaken by labelling Aang as just the "nice guy" whom Katara should "give a chance to". Aang is indeed a nice, kind person and this is something that attracts Katara, because she's also a good person and she values such traits. But this is not the only reason Katara falls for Aang. Like with Jet, she connects with him over shared trauma. He enables her growth, respects her as a teacher, offers her comfort when needed, is her friend and supporter.

Katara is not "giving him a chance" their relation simply progresses very slowly and in a slightly unorthodox manner. We see that Katara has a growing crush on Aang, blushing over him and getting incredibly jealous when other girls try to get with him.

I also like that Aang and Jet are never pitted against each other and Aang is never jealous of Jet. In fact Aang seems almost just as infatuated with Jet as Katara lol (jetaang rights babey).

OP also claims that a lot of people misinterpret TSR as Katara being manipulated by Zuko and "needing Nice Guy Aang to save her". Which is something I've talked about a few times. I don't believe Zuko was consciously manipulating Katara. He was simply trying to build a relationship with her because she was very adamant on hating him. And because he didn't know her that well, he tried to help by projecting his own needs and anger over his mother's loss onto her. Which is very 16 year old boy of him.

And I don't believe Aang was even trying to "save" her. I think he was simply trying to help Katara think through her actions throughly before she did something rash that may haunt her forever.

Aang bringing up Jet also seemed more like a : "hey remember when we saw a guy betray his morals due to his grief pain and trauma despite being a kind and good person with an good goal?" Which I think is a kinda understandable thing since it happened like twice to them already. And remember that Aang has also experienced how destructive his anger can be and he knows Katara's morality and idealism well enough to know that what she is planning is way out of character.

OP tags this post with "I swear zutara gives the show so much more depth" and while I don't want to deride the ship as a whole, the themes and storylines OP gave don't really bring that much depth into the show. It simply repurposes the arcs and storylines that served to either explore Katara, or the concept of victimhood and morality into serving a romance.

Which is... fine, if that's what you consider deep I suppose. I just think it's obvious that OP had clear biases when coming up with their post. And like, biases are fine, we're writing meta about a kid's show not a fucking reseaech paper, I'd be a hypocrite if I called OP out on having preferences.

But it's obvious that OP did their darndest to present Kataang in the least favourable light and didn't even try to consider giving it a shred of anything but a cursory, critical glance.

If I were to talk about their "Jetara foreshadowing Zutara" idea with its "bittersweet lesson how we waste time holding grudges and sometimes people don’t have the luxury of apologizing to the people they love" like they talk about Kataang, I could say (altering OP's text here):

"So from a Zutara lens it leads more towards the lesson that katara need to stop holding a grudge towards these boys who hurt and used her, “dumb girl you need to forgive them quickly cause what if they suddenly die and you realise you love them and regret it“ .

...which sounds like some manner of abuse apologism. I don't think OP had this in mind, but it just shows how easy it is to paint a benign message into something shitty if you're just salty enough.

I think that wraps this up. I can vaguely understand what OP meant, and it's a cute concept for Zutara shippers, I just don't know why Kataang slander had to get dragged in here. Since while OP seems fairly invested in Zuko, they visibly have a little issue giving thought to Katara, Aang and Jet's storylines.

Which is sad, especially in Jet's case, since he doesn't get nearly enough love from the fandom. So here's the little note from the atla cookbook that made me really emotional over Jet lol

HE COOKED FOR THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS AGH OUGH AGH

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

Things I've worked out so far for my Merlin Soulmate AU:

Soulmates and soulmarks are their own subset of magic, and one that Uther can not eradicate, because everyone is born with soulmates

So he does the next best thing and makes it practically illegal to find one's soulmate, mandating the use of gloves and long-sleeves around anyone that is not immediately blood related (soul bonds are solidified through touch)

(Except in the cases where he found someone with a soul mark that moved (a sign that their soulmate was born with magic) in which he would force a parade of citizens to come touch until he finds them. (Very rarely does he find them in this way))

Uther repeals most of the laws surrounding soulmates that ensure their rights. Such as the law that protected bonded soulmates (soulmates who have solidified their bond through touch) from having to testify against each other. In fact, under the new laws he made, if someone refused to testify against their soulmate, both/all would be assumed guilty of the crime in question and punished accordingly

Uther, being very classist and viewing common folk as inferior, also passes a law nulifying marriages between noble and common born soulmates, and outlawing any future marriages of the kind. So people that had been noble for decades were stripped of their title and standing and forced to return to their lives from before (in many instances this part was not strictly enforced, and it caused a lot of outrage when a noble spouse DID abide by this and shun their common born soulmate that had been their partner.)

Uther also repeals a law that allowed nobles to lend their noble status to their platonic soulmates, suddenly making GENERATIONS of nobility commonfolk.

This causes resentment from these nobles, as well as their friends. Sorcerers are not the only ones trying to kill Uther in this au, he wrongs just about everyone.

The only reason he continues to stay in power is because he's so brutal and he fosters a strong inner circle with similar views as his (or so he thinks in some cases)

Uther only had one soulmate and it was Ygraine. However, Ygraine had another soulmate and it was Nimeuh.

Nimeuh tried very hard to dissuade Ygraine from agreeing to the enchantment that lead to her giving birth to Arthur, and it was Ygraine that had to persuade Nimeuh into agreeing to even do it, as Nimeuh knew the risks and did not want to risk losing a part of her soul

She does anyway, despite her every effort

Uther makes it illegal to talk to others about their soulmates or soul marks or to show them to anyone.

Now even before Uther's bullshit, it wasn't polite to just ask, or to ask to see someone's marks (unless that mark was your own, then it was fine, lots of people wanted to know what the representation of their soul looked like)

But this made it so the generation(s) raised following the purge had next to no knowledge of soulmates (Same as with magic) or what made them "evil"

Well, they're magic. Measures of destiny, pieces of ones soul displayed on the skin of the people most important in one's life. And when a piece of one's soul dies, it's agony.

It was no secret that Queen Ygraine was King Uther's soulmate.

In the years of and following the Purge, those particularly bold and angry would whisper, "His entire soul died with her."

Everyone's soulmarks are as follows:

Merlin's is a fluttering blue butterfly

Arthur's is a gleaming golden crown

Gwen's is a forge bucket filled with lavender

Morgana's is a crescent moon with a bright star rotating around the bottom tip (thank you to @clotpoleofcamelot for the idea!)

Percival's is an acorn that is beginning to take root (thank you to @jgvfhl for the idea!)

Leon's is an owl in flight holding an arrow in its talons (I'm not entirely sold on this one, so if anyone has other suggestions, I'm open to it)

Gwaine’s is an oak with his necklace's symbol carved into the trunk (thank you to @donttouchtheneednoggle for the symbol idea!)

Lancelot's is a sword crossed diagonally over a shield with the crest of a winged beast

And Elyan's is a forge hammer circled by chainmail links (thank you again to @donttouchtheneednoggle for the idea!)

Arthur, Elyan, Gwaine, Gwen, Lancelot, Leon, Merlin, and Percival are all soulmates with each other. Gwen also has a soulmate in Morgana, and Merlin has a soulmate in Freya

(Merlin's soulmark for Freya does not start moving until she is cursed, and Merlin asks Gaius what it means. He has a crisis when he finds out, as he puts together that Arthur and Gwen (and Lancelot, but thats not an issue) must know that Merlin was born with magic.)

Merlin before that point is not aware that his soul mark on his soulmates moves, marking him as a born sorcerer. Should he have known this, since Huneth would know due to her soulmate being Balinor? Yeah, he probably should, but there's a lot Huneth didn't tell Merlin in the show and it might not have occurred to her to tell him, or even that he'd find his soulmates in Camelot.

Morgana's other soulmates are Morgause and Mordred.

Leon, Gwen, and Elyan find out they are soulmates when they are kids. The thing about young kids is that they don't really care a whole lot about rules that they don't understand, rules that no one explained, rules that don't make sense. You cant go swimming and catch frogs in full clothes with gloves! So they don't. And it's just the three of them present when they find out that Leon is soulmates with both Gwen and Elyan

(Gwen has known that she and Elyan are soulmates since she held him for the first time. Siblings that are soulmates are unusual but not unheard of)

They agree not to tell anyone, as they don't want to get in trouble

Leon and Arthur soulbond by accident.

Arthur comes over one day to Leon's estate and Leon, who does not have gloves on as he is in his home, greets Arthur with a hair ruffle without thinking.

This is in front of Leon’s parents and a guard, so there is no covering it up when both boys have the exact same reaction, and Arthur asks what that feeling was

Leon (a teenager at this point, maybe 15-16) is TERRIFIED. He just broke the law in front of several witnesses, and soulbound with the king's son. He's expecting to get executed or banished

Neither of those things happen.

In fact, Uther is not even mad. Leon is well on his way to becoming a skilled and respected knight, and he comes from a loyal noble family going back generations. If anything, Uther sees Leon being Arthur's soulmate as a sign of his loyalty and a garentee he will serve him well (Never let it be said that Uther isn't a hypocrite)

It's not long after this that a young Arthur asks Gaius what it means when a soulmark moves. Gaius stiffens and slowly explains that it means that the soulmate was born with magic. "But I thought magic is evil?" "According to your father, it is illegal, yes." "But I thought soulmates were supposed to have positive lasting impact on your life. Leon does." And Gaius is feeling a mix of emotions, cause if Arthur is implying what he *thinks* he is... "Arthur, do you have a soulmark that moves?" And Arthur nods and shows him the butterfly with the gently flapping wings. Gaius instructs Arthur not to tell or show anyone this, especially Uther, as it could be dangerous not only for his soulmate, but for him as well.

Arthur listens to Gaius and doesn't say a word to anyone, including Leon (if he had, they might have figured out they had all the same soulmates, and Leon could have pointed him towards Gwen and Elyan sooner)

Gwen almost doesn't take the job as Morgana’s servant because TWO of her soulmarks move and her parents warned her and Elyan (who shared most of the same soul marks as her) never to let anyone see, to never talk about it, or it would put both them and their soulmate(s) in danger.

A downside to always having to wear gloves it it makes it rather difficult to dress someone, even if tools had been invented to help with the process. One day Gwen gets frustrated and Morgana tells her to take them off if it would be easier. And Gwen freezes a bit. Because Morgana is the king's ward, and this is a bad idea, she's encouraging her to break the law. But then Morgana takes off her own gloves and wiggles her fingers at Gwen "It's fine, Gwen. No one needs to know. It's a stupid law anyway." And Gwen turns away, heading for the door, and for a second Morgana thinks she's gone too far and is about to apologize when Gwen flips the lock on the door, ensuring it's secure and coming back, removing her gloves as she does so. Morgana grins and promises that nothing that happens before that door gets unlocked will be repeated to anyone.

Morgana holds out her hand for Gwen to shake and after a long moment Gwen takes it. And their marks for each other go warm and and this feeling of *rightness* settles over them both, they've found another piece of their SOUL

This is how Morgana gets confirmation that she has magic, by asking to see her mark on Gwen and realizing what it means that her mark *moves*

I have more that starts moving into what changes and stays the same to canon, but this is already so long that it will have to be another post. If anyone has any clarifying questions, please feel free to ask me!