#and yeah it'll still affect you -- those things and those people (especially the one who introduced you to the fandom) made you who you are

[say-hi-intrepid-heroes]

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[pochipop]

＃FNAF MOVIE !! ♡ — IT'LL BE ALRIGHT (MIKE SCHMIDT X READER).

#. synopsis! — mike is used to walking on eggshells, just waiting for another tragedy, and you really don’t want to be just another person who's let him down.

#. characters! — mike schmidt .

#. warnings! — vague references to past traumatic events (canon compliant) , references to a verbal argument .

#. word count! — 1.8k .

#. alt accounts! — @ddollipop (nsfw) @hhoneypop (moodboards) .

#. others! — navigation & masterlist .

Mike is used to people leaving. They come and they go like stray cats who've found someone better to nab food off of, —leaving him with more ghosts in his life than he'd care to admit. At least these ones are metaphorical and melodramatic, though. His saving grace has been the fact that he chooses wisely who to introduce Abby to, just in case. She's been through enough, and she's so young that the absence of anyone would be duly noted. Not that it isn't when it comes to himself, it's just. . . He's learned how to live with loss. Maybe not effectively, but he does it, and for right now, that's probably as good as it's getting.

He's got more pressing matters to attend to. He always does. That's what he argued about with you, —what he fought tooth and nail to defend, even when you backed off. At the end of it, he knew he'd gone too far for no real reason. He wasn't arguing with you at that point, he was arguing with all the people that have left him starved for their affections and their care. The words he said to you were so far beyond your scope that it was almost pathetic to think about all the bullshit he unloaded on you like it was somehow your job to fix it, even when he knew it wasn't. So really, it's no wonder he's adding you to that list of people who've walked away.

For once, he truly deserved it. 

And now he's got to explain this to Abby. Because she likes you almost as much as he does, —almost being the operative word there. Mike sucks at a lot of things, and showing you he cares tends to be one of them, but he loves in his own ways. . . And now, he fears he'll have to do it from afar.

He sort of wishes Abby was the kind of kid he could bribe with ice cream for breakfast to break bad news to. It'd be easier to scoop her some off-brand Neopolitan and tell her she'd never see you again if that would help soften the blow. But it won't, and he knows that. He knows her too well to even try.

Still, he finds himself putting chocolate chips in her pancakes that morning in spite of himself.

When he places the plate in front of her, she narrows her eyes, as if to ask him what he's done so wrong. . . Asking what he's offering silent apologies for in the form of sweet pockets stolen away inside her favorite breakfast food. He opens the fridge in search of orange juice just to avoid her gaze.

Before she can even take a bite, he opens his mouth.

"Listen, Abby���"

She looks up at him with those big, doe eyes, and he probably would have cut himself off anyway if not for the knock on the front door. Mike mumbles for her to hold that thought, then goes to check who's outside.

And there you stand a little awkwardly on his doorstep, a brand new bottle of orange juice in your hand. Once again, it's like you've read his mind, and he's as sick of it as he is thankful for it, especially right now. Still, he can't turn you away.

"Morning," you say, almost hesitantly. "I brought juice. . ."

He tries to think of something to say, but hears the quick pitter-patter of Abby's feet fastly approaching. She calls your name so happily, and you smile at her.

"Good morning to you too," you laugh, returning the hug she gives you with no hesitation.

Mike just stares, as if he can't believe you're even here right now. If you're just here to grab the items of yours strewn about his house, he feels like the least you could have done was wait until Abby was asleep or something.

"Can I have some?" Abby asks, pointing to the orange juice in your hand.

"Yeah, that's what it's for," you smile, handing the bottle to her.

She scurries off to the kitchen to pour herself a glass.

"Mike," you say softly now that she's out of earshot, "can we—"

"I'll get your stuff together," he cuts you off.

Your jaw slacks.

"What?" Is the only thing you can manage to muster up in response.

"You could've done this at a different time," he snaps, trying to keep quiet so Abby doesn't hear. "It's gonna be ten times harder on her now for me to explain why you're not coming back."

You stare at him, trying not to cry. Out of all the things you expected to happen this morning, such a drastic change of heart on his part wasn't one of them.

"You. . . You're breaking up with me?" You question.

He pauses, a lot of the frustration dissipating from his features, replaced by genuine confusion.

"Didn't you already break up with me?" He asks.

Your brows knit together quizzically. 

"No? What are you even talking about, I never said I wanted to break up with you," you point out.

Sure, you didn’t say it. But most of the others had never said it either. It was like flipping a lightswitch. One minute they were there, and the next they weren’t. That's why he'd gotten so good at keeping his relationships at a distance, and he'd taken the biggest leap of faith in introducing you to his sister.

"Yesterday evening?" He says, but it sounds more like a question.

"We had an argument," you acknowledge. "It was stupid, and you hurt my feelings. I'm sure I hurt yours too. That doesn't mean I want us to be over."

Mike stares at you like he's not sure what to say, because he isn't. He's not used to someone caring enough to fight for him, and for what festers between himself and someone else. He's learned to let go before the thread pulls too tight, —before it wraps around his throat and slices through every defense he's built up for the sake of protecting himself, his heart, and the little girl that depends on him.

"Mike," you say softly, almost cautiously. "I care about you. One bad night doesn't change that. . . Not for me."

God, it was stupid. It was so stupid. You weren't even mad at him specifically, and you're fairly certain he wasn't really angry with you in particular either. Long days on both your parts collided like a warm front to a cold one, and the things both of you said in the wake of it were uttered through venom and gritted teeth. Sweeping generalizations, a lot of rolling eyes, some tears that were more about frustration than they were anything else. . . But you still loved him at the end of it, even as you found yourself walking home alone.

In fact, that walk was particularly sobering. The crisp chill of the autumn evening was enough to convince you that you'd rather be back at his place where he keeps an extra toothbrush for you in the bathroom and emptied out a drawer just so you could have a place to store some clothes. The sleep you got in the night that followed was shallow at best, restless enough to leave faint bags beneath your eyes by morning, and you were determined to make up any excuse in the book just to swing by.

So you went out and got some orange juice, knowing there wasn't any left in the fridge, and you stood outside his door for a while, working yourself up just to knock. You thought about all the things you'd need to apologize for, and you were ready to push aside your ego if it meant Mike could understand just how much you care, even when you're upset.

He swallows, just to give himself something to do while he prolongs his own response, because he's just not sure what to say. Somehow, a part of him is whispering that this would be easier if you just didn't give a fuck. . . If last evening was the end, and he could go back to finding comfort in silence again.

That's how it's always been. Someone leaves, and he copes, and then he files them away with the rest. But here you are, and Mike knows he can't bring himself to put you in with the others.

"Mike, I'm—"

"No, I am," he breathes, reaching forward to pull you into his arms. "I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings, and I'm sorry that I suck at being a boyfriend, but I don't know what I'm doing and all I can tell you is that I'm trying."

He feels the tension meld away from you, and it's then, before you even open your mouth to reply, that he starts to think everything is how it should be.

"You don't suck at it," you answer lightly. "I know you're trying, and that's genuinely all I could ask for, and I'm sorry about yesterday evening. I was in a bad mood, and I took it out on you, and that wasn't right."

"We both took shit out on each other," he corrects, ready and willing to share the blame.

"True enough," you acknowledge with a weary smile, finally pulling away from his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he says again. "When things go wrong, I. . . I've just learned how to slam on the breaks. If I stop things before they feel like they'll suffocate me, I can avoid them. But I love you, and I know I don't want to avoid that."

"This isn't a one way street," you remind him. "Relationships are hard, and sometimes things happen in a way that they shouldn't, but I'm here for you, and I want to be here for you. . . It's not contractual. One bad night doesn't take away all the times you've made me feel like the happiest person on the face of the planet, Mike."

He sniffles a little, then lets out a relieved sigh.

"Are you hungry?" He asks. "I can make you some pancakes. Chocolate chip."

You raise an eyebrow.

"Chocolate chip? Are you apologizing to Abby for something?"

God, a part of him hates that he's so obvious, but another part loves that you know him so well. It makes him feel even stupider for just assuming that you'd be willing to throw in the towel after one rough night.

"No, not really," he shakes his head. (Not anymore, at least.)

Mike glances toward the kitchen, just to make sure Abby's still preoccupied with her breakfast, then steals a quick kiss from your lips.

"I'm sorry," he says again.

You smile.

"Me too."

"And I love you," he adds.

Your smile widens.

"I love you too. Promise."

With that, he pulls you to the kitchen, and you sit down beside Abby at the table. She tells you that when breakfast is done with, she'd like to show you some new drawings she's done, and you nod, telling her you're excited to see them. And you are.

Mike stands at the stovetop, his back to the both of you, not bothering to bite back his grin. 

He feels his foot ease off the break.

[ar3s-r4t-qu33n]

Idfc if he's real or not, he's still worse written than Eddie. Also the problem is in his fans that are making him no guilty, innocent baby and always refering that Coyle/Eddie/Everybody else im outlast are the same. And if you think it'll work, try to compare Walker (with PTSD after war) with Franco (who is just a sicko). Anyway Barbi's simps are way more agressive than any other fans when you say something bad, what's a fact, about a grown ass man. I feel like those people are just little kids who are getting upset after school and shouldn't play the game ;) When I see all those comments with "He'S mY PoOkIE" I'm getting sick... Ya'll should get a brain

Guys look!! I got one!!

You don't deserve a response, because if you were old enough to be playing Outlast, you would be able to figure out that shaming people for (checks notes) liking a fictional character in a horror series? Is plain stupid.

It would also serve you well to maybe do some spell check before you come into my asks like this. I'd take you more seriously if you maybe drafted this one more time, but here we go:

First of all, you don't know me. You can check out my like, five posts and see that only two of em are Franco related and none of them baby him. In fact, I don't think I've seen a post yet by anyone who says "Franco is a sweet, innocent baby who did no wrong" because... That's the point. He's interesting BECAUSE he's done shit wrong. We are playing Outlast. Everyone is complex and awful and interesting. Just because not every post is marked with a little footnote that says "oh by the way everyone, Franco is a bad, bad man 🥺 I don't support his actions, I'm not a Franco defender, I just wanted to draw him being silly 🥺" doesn't mean we're all out here claiming he's a saint. The fact that he's a fucked up lil guy is why we like him. I feel like that's a given with all Outlast characters? But that's just me after being a fan of this franchise for years now, idk, being able to step back and analyse a community to see what they enjoy about something is quite a fun and easy task, I recommend giving it a try instead of coming into "loser nobody who has been on Tumblr for like a week's" asks to complain to me like I can put all the Franco fans in the corner until they learn to interpret characters the way you have decided is objectively correct.

But even if they are "babying" him and apparently ignoring that this is the Outlast series and Franco is a character from Outlast... Oh no! What horror! Someone is misinterpreting a VIDEO GAME CHARACTER what a terrible and unique crime!

Franco "just a sicko" Barbi was abused and neglected by his father, his mother was murdered, and he only ever received affection after he killed someone. But yeah, he was just born fucked up whereas every other Outlast character earned their trauma and the right to kill the player. What a senseless and just untrue take and I'm sure you know that, you just want to complain because that's all you people like to do. You want to feel morally superior over someone because you don't understand why they feel the way they do instead of just moving on and ignoring them like any other sensible adult would. Because who's actually getting hurt if some people think Franco is their lil Pookie? Is it you? Does it cause you psychic damage? Because last I checked, this is the internet. We are responsible for ourselves, so unless somebody is actually hurting anyone...

Block the Franco tag. You are brave enough to type out this whole message to a stranger online and act morally superior because comparing which video game character deserves the right to kill you is THE most mature thing in the world, so you're definitely brave enough to block the tag and move on.

You are responsible for what you see online, but ESPECIALLY on Tumblr, it is so so easy to hide content you don't want to see, and mind your own business. Quite frankly, I don't care if I come across as aggressive here. You came into my asks about a tag/fandom you clearly aren't in trying to act like you're better than the rest of us. That's pretty damn aggressive, wouldn't you say?

This is Outlast. A game about fucked up guys doing fucked up shit, and we love them for it. If that is too much for you, if the mommy issues gangster is too crazy for you but Eddie and Trager and Knoth and Coyle are completely fine, no questions asked? I don't think this series is for you. Sexual horror is a staple of Outlast. Childhood trauma is a staple of Outlast. You can't be shocked when people respond to a new character in a video game they like.

YOU are not better than me because you like Chris Walker and I like Franco Barbi. I can't believe you need to be told this, we are all in the same uncomfortable freakshow cesspit that is The Outlast Fandom, no one is morally good. No one is better than anyone else. You cannot claim moral superiority over any character because at the end of the day, I can point to Wernicke and say with my full chest that he is objectively the worst because he's a literal nazi, and what then? Are you going to tell me that Franco is worse than a nazi? The debate is over, in the list of "who is the worst of these awful people", Wernicke wins hands DOWN. The point is null because EVERYONE SUCKS HERE!!! THAT'S THE POINT!!!!

Is that enough for you? Or are you gonna keep harassing people through your alts or getting your friends to do it? I can go alllllll day, baby, you ain't making me feel bad about my interests in the O U T L A S T fandom, dear GOD, this is ridiculous. Don't fucking condescend me, telling me to "get a brain" you don't KNOW ME, I am a stranger to you, why do you feel comfortable coming onto my blog harassing me about a video game character? That's not a good look for you and now it is immortalised here. Anonymous or not, you still did this. Whoever you are, you typed that out and sent it to a random person you do not know and felt comfortable enough to do so.

That's weird.

[mytalemyworld]

A little ranting and some of my thoughts about Yabani Episode 31...

Since finally I have time, I'm going to get some things off my chest. It'll be a long post, so here we go.

After having seen the writing of episode 28, I said to myself I shouldn't expect anything from this show, especially with the rating pressure it wouldn't get any better. Because the writers show they aren't competent enough to deal with that. I also said as long as it didn't affect my couple, I could ignore the rest and skip the other parts.

However I learned my lesson, if the show is going downhill, probably your couple is not safe either.

In some parts of ep 31 I rolled my eyes, in some parts I didn't understand the motives of some characters. They were trying so hard but it was neither logical nor touching. Especially some lines and some scenes didn't make any sense.

A conflict was needed between Alaz and Yaman, I can see that and of course it would be delicious if it was written well. So no problem for me. But what's this nonsense, excuse me? Serhan may be cruel, evil and a bastard, (and that's why Alaz still doesn't talk to him or expect anything from him and he's okay with going like this) however wanting your father out of your life is one thing, being okay with him dying is another thing.

Alaz: He's my dad, unfortunately and I can't change that, Mom. But is this what he should get in return? Did he deserve this? What are we supposed to do? Should we be happy? What do you want to hear from us?

I mean, if we're talking about the worst traumas, then Elif should get her punishment too, because the girl literally tortured Yaman & Asi and Alaz even though it was for "the greater good".

And these people who went to the hospital to be by their side, to give them comfort and support acted like Soysalan siblings shouldn't get angry because their father was a bad person. Then Yaman got involed in their argument and asked Alaz what his problem was.

I mean, what? How did all of these make sense? This was just plain stupid.

Poor girl found herself in the middle of their conflict.

I knew he wouldn't listen to reason. Not even Asi could calm him down, I was expecting this and wrote it before. He already fought his mom and his brother so when he came to the worst conclusion I didn't think it was out of character.

Alaz: So you're on his (Yaman's) side.

I could have understood this as well. Because even back then, while they were waiting for any good news about Çağla, Asi's first instinct was to prevent him from blaming himself although he was a bad brother to his twin sister. So I guessed he waited to see an unconditional support again, like her getting angry like himself and stopping the other people, not the other way around.

She actually wasn't on Yaman's side but he misunderstood her words.

So, yeah, even though he was acting irrational, I could understand that.

However this…was truly unacceptable.

I think there's a line that shouldn't be crossed while trying to prove you're right about something, especially the other party is someone you deeply care about.

To me, no matter how much angry he was, he would never say that line. Especially after Zafer plot. This guy was ready to die and kill for her, cared about her traumas and pain. You may say he was also behaving like this towards his twin at the beginning of the series, so he can do anything but I beg to differ. First of all I hated him for that matter as well and that happened at the beginning, a very long time ago. He's been through a lot. If he continues acting like he has no empathy, why are we watching this show?

And I know Asi didn't have bad intentions but in order to make him to say those words, they wrote illogical lines for her too.

So why did they write it anyway? Maybe it was for this scene to happen:

To show that she is compassionate and loves him so much despite how much he's fucked up.

Was it worth it? No. Because we already know that.

I think the director couldn't get rid of that line because of the messaging scene, however he could have shown Alaz regretted it later. But he did not.

So some directing and writing choices were really unnecessesary and disappointing.

You can especially tell this is true because after the hospital scene, Yaman said to Alaz how he wished he could have changed everything. I mean, from the beginning he could have seen what Alaz needed but no, he waited for an hour because the show should last 120 minutes.

What did the show benefit from this? Nothing. I mean, if it happened after he had learnt the truth, we could have said he did it because he tried to make her break up with him. But they didn't choose that way.

There were many good scenes but the rooftop scene literally killed my desire to talk about them.

Like this is probably one of my favorite scenes in the whole series.

Alaz: I hate being your son. You're like a nightmare. One can't get rid of you. No matter what I do, you somehow ruin my life again. I'm tired of listening you, your making up excuses, blaming others. I went crazy thinking that something would happen to you today. I forgot all of your crap. I said he was my father no matter what. I forgot everything you did. Don't worry, I will keep silent, I will stomach it again, because I have to. I have to because of your health state, because of your daughter who is scared that something may happen to you, because of Ece. I have to because I have no choice. But you know what the most painful thing is? I will never be able to look at Yaman's face again. I know you won't like hearing this but I really loved being Yaman's brother. But as usual you forcefully took away another thing I love from me. How can I look at my mom's face now? How can I look at Asi's face now? Serhan: If you keep talking like this to me, it will be my face you can never look at. Son- Alaz: Son…Yes, I am your son. This is what's the worst. I am the devil's son. This is my curse. You took away my last hope that I could be a good person. Endless thanks to you.

And this was good too.

Because you can literally pinpoint the moment he started dying inside. For the first time he wanted her to let him go and she said she couldn't do that.

He was always the one who couldn't let her go but this time she said his trademark lines. *fml*

The whole scene was written just like how I imagined. This was not ooc either. But it could have been more impactful if the rooftop scene hadn't happened.

I don't have any expectations right now, if they give me more beautiful scenes that make it look like they were in a delirious state while writing that scene I can try to forget it. However the first 30 episodes will always have a different place in my heart.

[sabrinasfeather]

(For starters, you stated that Gale blamed Katniss for the games, not the marriage proposal. While the games were a means for survival and Gale knew that, it’s one thing to act like you’re in love with someone for survival than to getting married to someone else. Gale did not know the marriage was staged, so he was literally losing the girl he loved, to the same guy who blew her off for 6 MONTHS. I would be jealous about that too)

okay first of all you're telling me that he didn't know marriage for stage even though he knows that Peeta and katniss have not talk to each other in months and all of a sudden they're engaged not to mention he knew the relationship was fake in the first place but he couldn't peace together that maybe the marriage was also fake and that case he's kind of f****** stupid.

(but you’re also leaving out the crucial details, that Gale still showed up and listened to her talk) yes that's true but like I said that's most likely due to the fact that they still need to work together to feed his family and even that he was still kind of giving katniss to cold shoulder gale even says that he knows that he was being entirely Fair and he doesn't really apologize for it so again.

(When Peeta (who knew the love act was for survival) realized she didn’t actually love him, he refused to even interact with her.) okay I'm going to be a little bit honest for you I am more understanding of peeta of acting this way than Gale because it wasn't all an act there even says that a lot of the moments were genuine and real and peeta is someone who can read people very easily and I think he would have picked up those feelings so I understand his reaction more than than Gale especially since he apologize for it and that's the thing I would be more forgiving of Gale if he at least apologize for being a man child about it but he just doesn't and to me shows lack of emotional maturity ( For Mockingjay, yeah if would make sense for Gale to be jealous that the girl he loved was kissing someone else. But did he hold it against her? Did he stop taking care of her family because of it? Did he ghost her like Peeta did? No, because he knew that wouldn’t be fair. ) first of all I think the reason why the relationship got better it's because Peeta and katniss weren't in a in an fake engagement anymore if they still were I think he was still be acting like he did in catching Fire.

(For the kiss, the only way you can get that Gale was manipulating her is if you assume Gale cried so Katniss would kiss him. Which if you read the text (Gale, who I have never seen cry before) he was not cried so Katniss would kiss him. He also told Katniss not to worry about him! He wasn’t being an asshole, he was telling her she didn’t have to worry about him. )

("I knew you'd kiss me.""How?" I say. Because I didn't know myself."Because I'm in pain," he says. "That's the only way I get your attention." He picks up the box. "Don't worry, Katniss. It'll pass.") again listen to what he is telling you he said he knew that katniss would kiss him or give him affection and I'm assuming that he figured it out in catching fire because he was hurt and she figured that if she gives him affection that he'll feel better. and also if she didn't want to worry about him why would he was saying the s*** to her when there are more important things to worry about like the rebellion like this is not the time for him to be bringing up his feelings when they're bigger fish to fry and when katniss has already told him multiple times I can't deal with this s*** right now.

("I thought...I'll never compete with that. No matter how much pain I'm in." He spins the feather between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't stand a chance if he doesn't get better. You'll never be able to let him go. You'll always feel wrong about being with me.")

(Lastly, the last quote is legit Gale admitting he knew Katniss had a special relationship with Peeta)

yes but that's not what I was talking about I'm talking about how he is deliberately making katniss feel bad about all the grief she's experiencing and all the emotions experiencing because it's not about him he's making this whole situation about himself when it shouldn't be Peeta is the one who got hijacked katniss is emotionally distress about this and all he can think about is how this affects himself .

(Which is true! Best friends are supposed to be honest with each other, I wouldn’t hate a character for speaking his thoughts.)

okay let me ask you something if you are going through something traumatic and your guy best friend goes up to you say oh I know you're going through this but I'm sad about it because this how this affects our relationship I don't think you would be happy about that like you need to understand there's a time and a place for things and Gale making peeta hijacking is not cool.

And did you forget that Gale risked his life to save Peeta?? Without Gale, he’d still be in the Capital no I didn't forget in fact that's one of the few good things he does but that doesn't excuse his s***** behavior. Also, does Katniss show any signs that she felt guilted? No because at that point I think she was just genuinely tired of this b*******. I mean she does think this earlier on. here's the quote.

(As I turn to go suit up as the Mockingjay, I catch Gale watching me and Finnick unhappily. What now? Does he actually think something's going on between us? Maybe he saw me go to Finnick's last night. I would've passed the Hawthornes' space to get there. I guess that probably rubbed him the wrong way. Me seeking out Finnick's company instead of his. Well, fine. I've got rope burn on my fingers, I can barely hold my eyes open, and a camera crew's waiting for me to do something brilliant. And Snow's got Peeta. Gale can think whatever he wants.) and I personally love this line because it really just shows how f****** tired she is of Gale being a whiny little b**** about this stuff when they are bigger things going on and she can't deal with this crap right now and how she's stop giving a f*** about his feelings. also him being jealous of finnick when he's obviously just a male friend it's a major red flag behavior.

( no she did not. She kissed him because she wanted a distraction, and Gale stopped her because she wasn’t in the right state of mind. Wow! Such harassment! Letting ur friend go because she’s confused and not pressuring her. You’re right, Gale is such a bad person.)

I'm sorry but no one can convince me that he did not take advantage of a grieving, lonely girl in district two. people will always point to how gale stopped when he could tell katniss was “drunk” with grief and then use that to explain how he was caring for her. but no.  he took advantage of her. he did not stop because he knew she was grieving her lost lover and was not in the headspace to be kissing someone. he stopped because it didn't count as her choosing him. because it didn't feel like the beach scene. because it was clear he wasn't peeta. 

Alright babes chill, you sent me this same ask twice. How would the marriage proposal be obviously staged?? They did that specifically to look real and so Snow would leave them alone. Kinda funny how you also couldn’t counteract the most important detail, which was Gale still willingly showed up, let Katniss explain what actually happened, and supported the idea until he found out about the revolution. Which also, Gale DID apologize for not running (“I was wrong. We should have gone when you said […] It’s not to late”] Not only does Gale regret his choice, he admits he was wrong, which is very honorable imo, and he is clearly devastated Katniss is going back to the games, as he also pulls her in for a big hug in this scene.

For your argument of the 1st kiss in Mockingjay, that legit makes zero sense. Gale was in physical pain in CF to the point he was unconscious and could’ve died, wow Gale was really forcing her to kiss him there. In Mockingjay, he was devastated throughout the whole chapter, which you would know if you actually read the books. How dare Gale cry about the trauma of reliving the bombing of District 12. Also again, please actually read these books, Gale has NEVER cried in front of Katniss. There’s no way he knew she would kiss him until afterwards, which he literally tells her not to worry about him.

Look, I’ll give you the Finnick scene, that’s about your only accurate point. It’s important to know Finnick legit asked Katniss if she found him distracting, which while Finnick was joking, Gale obviously would not know that. But I know you did not say Gale “took advantage” of Katniss when he literally stopped her from kissing him because he knew she wasn’t mentally there. That is so insanely inaccurate and weird asf. Stop taking good Gale moments and shifting them because you don’t like him, it’s not a good look.

[itsnothingofinterest]

So I’m not sure how big you are on this sort of theorizing but I have to ask, what do you think Tomura and the others would be like if the various gestures at moving weren’t performative? Like if they actually made peace with their pasts and moved forward with themselves regardless of what the world thought of them. Would they still aim for their personal goals and aid the PLF or nah?

Hmm...I think so, yeah. Shigaraki would at least. Maybe I'm not too sure on the others.

It's like, all the villains have two interconnected things they want; something personal and a change to society. So Dabi, who was hurt and neglected by his abusive hero dad, wants his family's love and for society to hold heroes accountable for their crimes.

Now the societal changes are important because they'll help people not fall through the same cracks as the League, and the League are really the only ones who care about solving their given issues. (Now some people think the the kids will just take care of that stuff later; like after this war Shoto, without ever acknowledging his brother was right, will suddenly care about hero accountability & abuses, solve it easily off-screen, and it'll all work itself out. I don't get that at all, and think hero society is doomed to a cycle of suffering-motivating-villainy that way.)

But the catch is that they only want those changes out of spite. Like, Dabi, Toga, & Spinner's actions will save kids like them or Shoto, Shinsou, or Shoji from facing their same hardships. But this is incidental to them; the villains don't exactly care about their fellow victims except for as allies. It's just that if the system can hurt someone the way they were hurt, could do the same damage to someone again, it means they didn't wreck it enough.

So like, Dabi doesn't really care that his family is still getting abused, so much as that Endeavor is still abusing his family after what happened to Touya and nobody is stopping him, least of all Endeavor himself. And he's probably pretty aware that Endeavor's not as unique among heroes as the rest of the family probably likes to think he is; so he hates the whole system.

So the question is if the villains would forgive the system itself if their personal wants were satisfied, as well as a secondary question of if they wouldn’t then still stick with their allies anyway in that situation. That first question is tricky to answer. Can one act of kindness from one person on the other side to reconcile their personal issues really dissuade them from fighting anymore? Can they, as individuals, apologize on behalf of/make amends for the actions of a system they aren’t really tying to change? If Toga got the affection & acceptance she’s always wanted Ochako, could she then really ignore how prejudiced and dangerous the world around her is and leave it that way? Not exactly a question with an easy answer, now is it?

And the second question feels like it would vary from villain to villain. Like, Dabi’s always...claimed...he never cared about any of his allies; so might (act like he’d) leave those losers when he got what he wants. Toga? Less likely. She’s far more motivated by her care for her allies; the world is dangerous not just fer her but those she cares about, and the heroes have already done damage not so easily reconciled by one person’s kindness. Especially when some are currently trying to kill Tomura too, and also one guy tried to kill Kurogiri (not that she knows about right now, but still). If Ochako can’t criticize the system she’s protecting, the best she could do is introduce a conflict of interest.

All this assuming Toga and other social members of the League never got to know any of the MLA between Daika & now, because they’d be even more concerned for the PLF as a whole if they did.

And Shigaraki’s father along that scale than even her. He’s motivated about as much by his allies wants as his own (he’s a great boss that way), and the Paranormal Liberation Front is his army to begin with. As long as any of his allies wants aren’t met, as long as their safety is not guaranteed, as long as there is still work to be done, I don’t think he’d stop.

It’s why I take such umbrage with the idea of Deku blowing past all of the complexity with Tomura by 1) pinning all of Tomura’s troubles on AFO, 2) convincing him all his desires were just gaslit into him by AFO, and then 3) beating AFO up. Thereby “saving” Tomura without ever reflecting on his or society’s flaws or changing anything. Not only does it really make me worry for Deku’s future career if he’s taking that kind of cop-out easy solution; but it ignores a lot of what makes up the kind of villain Tomura is, his care for those loyal to him just one aspect among them.

That theory just has Deku acting like All Might again and hoping that’s enough (and that he won’t then make the same mistakes as All Might); when what Tomura needs is a hero that can blow that (to him) failure out of the water, or else the kind of hero who’d admit when he and his system are wrong and work with Tomura. Preferably both.

[microwaving-tesilid-argente]

Extended A/N on Tesilid's character arc in your friendship is a festering wound (AO3 link)

Functions also as my speculation for how Tesilid's psyche may have developed during his regression rounds (with extremely major spoilers for those who haven't read up until Ailette's talk with the Pope.)

[Obligatory disclaimer that this was all written with only 180 chapters of the novel in my head.

And also please actually read the fic before reading this LOL]

Okay so the main impetus of this fic was to explore the stages in which Tesilid loses himself. This was also what I had the most fun with writing! The angst was delicious ngl.

I hope the various stages are already clear in the fic, but if you haven't gotten a feel for them yet, I would suggest reading festering wounds (in reverse) (AO3 link) because it's more obvious when read in that order.

Anyway, these are the stages present:

“I want to save you in every life.” Still completely comfortable bouncing off them (Round 21, the Tesilid-nese scene)

Desperation to try anything, no matter how much it hurt him or the others, just as long as they lived (Round 34+, Won't you leave me be?)

“The next life will be better” (~Round 52) 

Comes with a dash of dehumanising the people who are in the current round with him, especially once it doesn't pan out the way he wanted it to. Rationalising that it's okay that Ephael died, because there is a future round out there where he doesn't, and that's what matters. This is just a failed round, the people here don't matter. But nonetheless forming bonds with the people of failed rounds (Hestio specifically) and still being affected when they die, even if cognitively he had already written them off. 

Why do you think Round 52 is titled in the order of Release / Breaking Point, when in order for Tesilid to have that release via crying he would first have to have a breakdown? 

😊 Yeah it's because the real breaking point was when 52nd Hestio died. Things got better for a while in 52 when Tesilid felt seen and heard, and then things went dramatically downhill.

At this point when 52nd Hestio died, Tesilid still very much wants to save them (and other people), but Hestio has essentially given him permission to stop, and it's the real beginning of the end. Tesilid doesn't even want to entertain that at this point of time, but when those are your friend's last words, you really can't help but think.

“Oh. I actually don't care anymore. (And this makes me unworthy of any care; any love shown to me is directed at an old self I no longer am.)” (Round 64-98, when Ephael grows cold in response to Tesilid's behaviour) 

Depersonalisation/losing sight of his old self even more & further emotional distancing from the people of his current round.

Round 100: 

“Yeah I'll just kill you anyway. It really doesn't matter. (There is no future for you or for me.)” Logical conclusion of the dehumanisation from ~Round 52

“Our fight (where you try to get rid of me) is play to me, where I delight in learning about just how strong you are.” 

(With a side of self-sabotage where I want to see how far I can push you before you abandon me for real. Did you see the 17th’s body? That was me. I did that.)

(How on earth did you live so long in the one round I didn't try to protect you? Why? Why? Did I inadvertently doom you with my love? Was anything I touched or even distanced myself from doomed just because I cared?) (I can't tell if I want you to win or lose to me, but I have to find out.)

I dunno how fun it will be to other people, but I really had so much fun rereading the fic in the reverse order of the stages here. It really highlights how horrifically different late round Tesilid is from the start, or even the middle. I've split the stages into chapters in festering wounds (in reverse), but I think it'll be fun to also just scroll upwards in the original fic and find yourself in a surprise section where Tesilid is more hopeful and caring than he was in the section you just left, with the full knowledge of what he would eventually become. haha!

Anyway, thank you for reading to the end of even the extended A/N. I genuinely hope that you had as much fun as I did.

[godzexperiment]

*finger guns in oh this is tragic thoughts regarding nix* ~this one is not light in the slightest/pretty fucked up and heavy~

(mostly his like non watered down/main background but sure trickles in other verses etc)

-okay but the weight? of how he has to listen, even if he is actively tuning it out... it'll still tuck away into his brain and him being able to understand his maker's disjointed rants/rambles just means absorbing it all endlessly even if there is no intent for him to soak it up.

-which also the way it affects him for the rest of forever (here is your purpose, you never asked for and will affect you hearby for the rest of forever) remembering cruel words, kind words those last sounds of dying breathes stick forever or the laughter of somebody who can't stand him *the voice of his maker, spoken words of an long gone being*

-imagine your sole purpose being to listen to the entity who created all of creation; constantly critique it and grumble about your siblings yet it makes you so quick to defend even at the cost of your own being+possible erasure out of existence

-the way he was created to be pretty unfeeling more or less; only to be so emotional? especially when his maker has weaponized/tested emotional things on him? 'what would it be like to give an angel intense heartbreak' -nix in agony clawing at the floor just kind of like we didn't need to test this theory this way- so very caring in contrast to his maker's growing apathy

-watch me punish the humans, my angels for mild annoyances and nix just like :( watch me get my ripped out heart handed to me for suggesting maybe we don't go damaging creation in That Way for such minor nothing little things

-getting sent down to handle the "antichrist" mainly as another morbid lesson/an 'well i cant destroy you or i'd be down an punching bag+obligated listener so i'll break your soul another way' and nix just so rebellious hearted but being given the space to fail or succeed (maybe he manages- but then comes the death of some nature and god just yanking him back+erasing it all only leaving pieces of the suffering behind)

-knowing the darker aspects/side, the Wrath and far less of the nature his siblings associate with their maker yet not resenting any of them for it. as he sure knows they've got other issues like having to carry out their orders. go through horrors sometimes entirely avoidable. so it's not like anybody is thriving; just so much hurt and dragging out an abandonment inevitable.

-the way he is like 'yeah no what really haunts me is his apathy; that I might have soaked that and all the other horrors right up' because he sees so much beauty in everything (is it evil to see so much beauty in mortals sustaining the earth when they're gone or not blink at death sometimes etc)

-seeing so much beauty, so much love only for so much horror+damage to exist inside him and still be possible (new pains in actual heartbreak, in possible rejection by siblings or them fighting- in not being mind wiped after loving somebody only to lose their inevitable mortal soul) how wounds on Earth, hurt different than wounds in Heaven etc

-and if gets tossed the 'here creation is yours to look after' the labor of such an weight on him? the way it very much would feel like an punishment some parting 'okay so you care so much- meddle as you wish' *doesnt send him to earth either just thoughtlessly or to put lemon juice in the cut*

how of course nix would willingly do so/promise to regardless (even though he is very much not suited for the task+believes strongly in letting people make their own dumb choices etc so it's all so odd and draining is so many ways)

-perpetually exhausted, forever haunted and scarred in every meaning of the word seeming to collect even more babey boy who could desperately use love+kindness and being cared about would 100% sob hysterically if anybody were to go 'its not all on you' in especially the direct way

[iwritemilfs]

I proper slept in, but I'm now watching the new episode of TLOU, and as alwayssss THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT (OBVIOUSLY SPOILERS)

THE JOKE BOOOOOK

god I just love how they add the game dialogue in a way that's so natural. it doesn't ever feel forced, but it's something the game fans immediately clock

LMAO NOT THE MAGAZINE. neil n craig rlly said "we know what the fans want"

a fun fact is, this is just what alberta looks like. I KID, I KID. dont come for me albertans.

"It actually smells kinda good" "that'd be frank's then" they're already dead joel, no need to fire shots like that

dw ellie, I stare down black coffee in the exact same way.

fucking CRYING AT HER REACTION TO THE COFFEE LMAO. I swearrrr Bella has the best delivery

Ellie's way better at reading maps than I've ever been. I would've gotten us lost so fast.

MORE SLIGHT TESS INFO?

"But I made a promise to Tess, and she was like family" brb cryin

the open mouth sleeping in the car. v relatable.

I know exactly what's about to happen, and I'm still like IM STRESSED

Their encounter with the hunters feels SO much like a game level, I love it.

daaamn I was not expecting ellie to shoot someone this early on

Ngl, I really appreciate seeing the hunters have some human moments. I hope they continue to do this with their enemy characters in the show, bc hopefully it'll lead the viewers to see Joel's actions through more of a critical lens, hopefully escaping some of that toxicity we saw from some fans when the second game was released. (disclaimer. I love joel sm, but something I appreciated seeing in TLOU2 was how we were reminded that he'd done shitty things, and that those things affected other people and had consequences)

Ok I LOVE how they changed Joel's reaction to Ellie having to shoot the guy. In the game, his reaction was moer fueled by anger, whereas here, he acknowledges that she's just a kid and she shouldn't have been in that position to begin with.

I love love love Ellie's excitement to have Joel's approval for the gun. ITS SO CUTE.

......JOEL IS FIFTY SIX? ok I def gotta update Tess' bio

SAM AND HENRY SAM AND HENRY SAM AND HENRY

okay overall thoughts: was this my favourite episode so far? Not necessarily, no. But I love seeing Joel opening up more, you can see the change just from the beginning to the end of the episode, and it's done really well. The last scene especially was really sweet, and I can't wait to see more of those moments. We got to know a liiiiil more about his backstory, which is cool, because in the game we don't necessarily know much beyond "yeah joel did some fucked up shit." and that's really the only info we ever get. Like I mentioned above, I also liked seeing the hunters have some human moments. Now listen, I'm the biggest joel miller apologist, but I'm also one of the people who really loved TLOU part 2. I hope we'll get to see the "bad guys" have more moments like that.

Also so fucking typical that the second I give tess a bio, we get more info that means I have to alter things slightly, and maybe even do some MATH.

[skittidyne]

Speaking of ocs how is it going for bbac originale? Unless I missed something, but I haven't seen any news updates lately 😊

Have you decided on names and personalities for the characters? (I remember that you had some names down.)

Wishing you a happy new year! 😊

(I hope this doesn't come across as pushy, I've been lowkey excited for originale ever since you announced it; I can't wait to be able to buy a physical copy and have it on my shelf)

oh i LOVE you, anon! :>

the first book of bbac originale is completed! it's been edited, looked at by a few people, and ready for querying, and i just... haven't queried any agents (even tho i have a list! with tiers!) because it's scary .w.

but anyway, yeah, names and personalities are pretty set, haha. i guess i've been coy about it, but i can outline at least some of the main cast here! because they're great.

vivienne sayre: korean, wavy black hair, short, fat, undead, our main character, somehow even more of a mad scientist than suga was. she's a huge nerd and so fun to write. also the fact that she's short and has a v tall gf is equally great to write. enthusiastic about magic and her job, at least when it's not something like tracking down a demon summoning.

natalie stirling: ambiguously physically described bc why not, but she has bangs at least. that is her one unit of recurring specific description. our precog psychic who is doing the best she can. she doesn't affect much so others think she's creepy, but well, she doesn't mind since there are bigger things to do right now.

thomas novak: ambiguously white, scruffy, black hair usually in half man bun, has a great smile, and he's sexy popular and he knows it. he's eyebright coven's golden child, the strongest witch in generations, but too bad he's since learned that that sort of power and fame doesn't get him what he really wants. but it's okay, since he's used to doing things on his own. is creeped out by vivienne since she's the one thing he killed that didn't stay dead. she enjoys this.

christine davies: probably the only character as short as vivienne, black, cute puff pigtails, big gold eyes, and seriously everyone wants to protect her because she's so cute, which is only partially due to the trying to become a luck spirit thing. she also acts like a nervous, newborn fawn, so it'll be really funny in 3 books when she becomes one of the strongest characters and is still going ;A; at everything.

emil zolotarev: lanky, sandy brown mop of hair, russian blue eyes, and perpetually ready to fight the world bc of projected defensiveness. he and christine have an adorable and only somewhat codependent relationship going on. goes :D at the prospect of learning about magical things, then goes D: when he finds out the bad parts about said magical things. there are a lot of those. he's having a tough time.

isaac winters: probably not his real name, turkish, hazel-gold eyes, prone to putting herbs in his ponytail. incredibly closed-off, defensive, prickly, paranoid, and Many Other Bad Things, but he's a spellwriter, and vivienne can befriend anything, so she considers this challenge accepted. has 2.3 actual non-vivienne friends and can and would burn the city for them.

samael: sam for short, ambiguously white, blond hair, green eyes, and the biggest puppy in the city. he is one proof that vivienne can befriend anything. he also wants to be able to befriend anything, especially isaac, because friendship is great and he likes it far better when people aren't threatening to kill him. has a touch of an accent and scared of heights. scarily steep learning curve when it comes to dealing with humans.

dana haddad: half pakistani, half norweigian, which means she is a very tall goddess. quite built. she always keeps her (very) long hair in some sort of braid, getting creative with them thanks to online tutorials. loves books, animals, and vivienne given a book and a half. she's 100% lesbian (while many others are more vaguely queer) so i can make sword lesbian jokes later.

megan dellavecchia: curly/wavy strawberry blonde hair that makes them look like they're perpetually auditioning for a shampoo commercial, hazel eyes, freckles, and always ready to help. they're the only child of foxglove coven's leader but not a witch themselves, but a healer, so sort of adopted into the coven anyway. can and will drink you under the table with a smile.

hayley west: ruby red hair and emerald green eyes, and i named her h. west on purpose. viv's best friend, spellwriter, but she's dead now so i'm sure she won't ever come back into the plot.

mirai: a magpie tengu - medium dark skin, black hair with white at the temples, mostly black plumage but white on the inside of their wings - who is a little more devoted to the cause of finding a certain first egg than they should be. also secretly becoming fond of the human world, but would eat you sooner than admit that. excitable, proud, emotive, and commits to things even as stupid as that time when someone asked to become tengu friend.

codi clarkson: black, keeps her long hair in small braids, likes to wear red eyeliner. she's a universally respected hunter in the city, described as the best of the best. shameless dog mom, to the point where she buys literal diamond collars. questionably southern. questionable job fees. (questionably a lot of things, but most don't pry into her personal life.) cooler than you.

mark ito: tall, lanky, glasses, japanese, and always looking his best. our resident clairvoyant psychic! he's snobby, prone to being a trouble magnet, a little arrogant, more than a little flippant, and one of the most ride or die characters in the cast, which is saying something. i'm sure his attitude never gets him into trouble.

brynja: not a selkie (and not a skinwalker, either). incredibly muscled, medium height, rib-length black hair, and the red eyes characteristic of most shapeshifters. she's not happy with anything. but at least the bathtub is nice. secretly quite afraid of her old master, but with a realm between them, she has breathing space for the first time in centuries, though she isn't sure how to trust the offer of safety and protection mark gives her.

hammond two feather: lakota, tall, wiry strength, handsome because of his self-confidence - a professional dancer and his body and attitude certainly match. he has his own private culture-bound type of magic, but was unaware that vivienne had (general) magic, so when they found out about each other's they did the spiderman pointing meme. he's one of the few hunters with a day job, and finds that hilarious. he tends to do a lot of emotional labor for his friends, but i'm sure that won't end badly in the future.

rory day: ambiguously described outside of how he's well-dressed, because he's a ghost and doesn't actually have to pay for his clothes. very grumpy, flamboyant, and speaks harshly, but cares beneath that. deep beneath that.

kirara: a calico cat spirit, who in human form creates a small japanese woman with oddly colored hair (not to mention the cat ears and tail). she's a fiercely protective motherly type, but also, well, she is a cat, so her definition of that clashes with what humans would dare expect of her. but she's also a luck spirit, so she doesn't care what others think, and lets things happen as they will.

[merakiui]

welcome to the day a duck ruins your perception of items in genshin impact. i uh. made some items in genshin impact as yandere boys and what they're like sort of?? you could try and burn your eyes now. ;) adepti seekers stove- he's going to be a tsundere no buts or uhts. he's the type of yandere that's trying to be protective and failing miserably everytime. so being impatient and angsty. so, he resorts in kidnapping you instead. but hey look on the bright side! even when you're kidnapped you can have delicious meals and snacks! secretly likes to cook for you a lot, but he won't admit it even in death. just don't question why there's a lingering scent of sleeping potions in your meal and you'll be good as jolly jee! probably wants you to help him in the kitchen, since he once heard that couples do that. would probably give you self esteem issues down the line. "didn't i tell you to not get hurt? are you that much of an idiot?? here. have this it'll lessen the pain just a bit so we can walk back home. just drink it already." windsong lyre- smug bastard, smug shit. he's probably a player or just overly dramatic with everything. maybe he's righteous or something.. likes to show off his music skills a lot. he sucks at it tho. gaslights you probably in public places to add more pressure, because people are staring like you're having a performance or something. calls you love even if he's pissed at you for not listening to him, or accusing him of being toxic or suspecting him of being your stalker that always watches you from your window at 2am! would make you paranoid a lot. loves kissing your cheek and tickling you. he's a closeted pervert. you're gonna have to move in an isolated place too, he will spread rumours of you being his lover. "love, I'm sure that you're just overreacting. plus even if i was the stalker that you're talking about I wouldn't be oh so casually talking to you in public when I could've been hiding! jeez it's like your going crazy." wind-blessed harpastrum- such sweety! just so wholesome bakes you a pie in tuesday sweet. seems patient too but beware he will break your legs when you get a little bit too bratty for his tastes. touch starved too and it shows, that's why he loves to cuddle you lots! really obsessed with what you think of him. if you say you hate him he'll tear up and try to convince you that he's good, but if you pretend that you like him he'll shower you with uncomfortable affection and confessions. really great at making bombs and torture weapons too. probably sewed in a bomb inside your body threatened that he will kill you with it if you leave. bad at darts and archery. if you say that to him he'll laugh and take out his diploma saying that he's too smart for those childish games. he's impulsive in decision making. "haha. you know. you almost escaped from me back there. but hey! now you won't do anything stupid like that ever again if you can't walk." windblume balloon: listen man. im going to be killed but he's an airhead, pun intended right there. probably lowkey manipulative and doesn't even know it yet or chooses to ignore it. protective of you a lot. really delusional to the point that he rationalizes your escape as someone kidnapping you. so say goodbye to whoever poor stranger who was trying to help you escape they'll be greeted by an arrow through their head once he finds you. has a habit of holding your hand because he's afraid you might disappear from his line of sight and leave him all alone. if you let go tho he'll gorilla grip your hand, might crush it too. just very overprotective. he also doesn't know that he's an airhead. yeah."hm? why do i like holding you hand..? i just like it.. your hand makes me feel... uh. safe..? is that the word for it? ah. it was the word loved." wind catcher- he's a full on sadist. throw all of your escape plans out the window, this guy will climb a mountain and ride any wind current available to catch and torture you. persistently trying to make you like him atleast a bit. yeah, he's that kind of delusional. would teasingly push you

of a cliff as a 'light' punishment. dark humour and likes to joke about killing you from time to time. note: he can kill you. and he would also do it by ripping you in half with the wind current so just stay in his house and be a good lover that'll shower him in kisses, okay? okay. he mostly sees you as a tool of interest, but not just any tool- you're his favourite tool. "pfft! hey stop crying now! you're making me feel bad! hm? oh? why am i doing this? well i mean maybe I'm angry that someone was trying to escape. again." warming bottle- he will absolutely leave you in the cold if you were being a brat towards him. lives in dragonspine to spite you, also because he can just turn take away your blankets and anything that can give warmth so you gotta ask him to cuddle you to survive. he usually does this when he's feeling a little petty. which is so frequent. that you can almost give it a schedule. but don't tell him that. kind of a tsundere but only when it comes to physical affection since he's shy. that's why he has to take away your blankets so it looks like he's just mocking you but not because he's touch starved. he's not at home that much too but don't worry, he will make it up to you by uh.. physical activities.. "what? you're freezing? no shit we're in dragonspine. oh? you want me to hug you..? hm. fine. I'll indulge you for a bit. I am quite merciful." parametric transformer- businessman that scams you a lot lol. he's going to be a masochist because i said so, yeah i know the electric stone thing gag that's why i made him a masochist. really likes to collect useless stuff and spoiling you, so expect your room to be filled with a lot of random things from jewelry to mushrooms and crabs. has a you should be grateful i even give stuff mindset. thinks that giving someone something of vaue would make them fall in love with him instantly. also probably loves it when you fight back especially when you successfully land a hit on him, he will enjoy it. but be careful he has different responses whenever you hit him. pick your poison. spends a ton of resources on everything to keep you in line. that rope costed him 700 pinecones. "why do you even wanna escape? i give you a ton of stuff so you won't get bored! hah. maybe if i had picked up someone else they would've been grateful." portable waypoint- throw out your escape plans the season sequel. he's very quiet but has a small temper that won't last that much. maybe he's like that since he tries so hard to repress it. listen he's trying okay? escape always fails so quickly. one minute you're in springvale shouting, crying, begging for anyone to help you and then back to his house to see him sipping some tea. his punishments are cruel too- he makes sure to leave you in a den of monsters and ruin guards, waits until your in the brink of death and teleports you back to him. has a superiority complex over everyone too. probably likes to make you feel weak when you have to rely on him. loves to crush your self esteem. wants to be affectionate but thinks that you, as an inferior being, should be affectionate with him instead. so tsun. "see? this is what i was trying to tell you. you're too weak to actually survive out there. you even had to rely on me to save you. pathetic." memento lens- mysterious and elegant. he's quite cryptic to say the least. likes to watch you from a far if he's feeling a bit angsty. you try to make sense of what he says and it just leads to you being confused even more. and he likes that about you. you actually try to understand him, even if what you guess is wrong. you're going to have a tough time with this guy if you wanna escape. just avoid any fox statues and you'll be good. the problem is the shrine maidens. they basically want the two of you to end up together so they don't have to deal with him. he's actually very gentle with you punishments still suck but atleast he doesn't do it physically, he just makes you write that you're sorry over and over until your wrist are tired. loves poetry and solving puzzles, riddles, scriptures. he's

smart but soft. "spring blossoms even in the darkest depths of uncertainty, is that why you have the courage to try and escape me..?" kamera- perfectionist stalker. wants to make sure that the photos he takes of you are perfect to every extent. colour, lighting, and expressions. even if it means going inside your room and having the possibility of waking you up from your sleep. likes to take pictures of everything too. kind of like this; both of you are walking somewhere and he stops to take a picture of a sunset. he takes twenty minutes trying to find the correct angle. but the sun is already gone so he sulks. maybe- you can cheer him up by volunteering to be his model? you'll do that? right? also worships you like a god so if someone dared to even say something breath near you or celestia forbid insult you, best to say they'll be quickly disposed of by blackmail and fake shit. would not steal any of your belongings, he would just take pictures of it. so he's not that bad. "i consider everything in this world is beautiful, but you have surpassed that. so that is why im keeping you here. no one deserves even a glimpse of you!" waverider toolbox- he's such a gentlemen and a sweetheart. always there to help you with repairs, sometimes he'd add some updates to it too. just ignore the stuff going missing inside your boat thing. he probably guilt-gaslight you into staying with him in his waverider then bam your in an island stranded. ahaha, now both of you just have to survive by working together ya know? like a loving couple likes hugs and physical affection a lot! bonus points if it's given when he's tired from doing his job. as i said tired guy so appreciates all the things you do for him whether it's paying for his meal or giving him a gift. next time, he'll make sure that you won't leave the island permanently. thinks that stranded island equals date smh. " ahh? oh! is this for me? really? thank you.. i don't usually receive gifts but that just makes this even more special! say, do you wanna go on a trip? i just fixed the waverider from last time." red feather fan- mischievous little shit. likes to scare you a lot by appearing on trees and just jumping on you. knows that you're trying to escape but pretends not to since he likes to try and guess which direction you would run to. hugs you a lot even before he kidnaps you really touchy even if you say no he'll use the good ol puppy eyes! doesn't work? okay he'll just smell your clothes when you're sleeping as compensation. he likes to flirt with you a lot. some pickup are cheesy.. but others are a little- personal? acts cool by making a dramatic entrance everytime even. you know those radical superhero landing stuff? that's him. he would build a nest as your house even being a dick and placing it on top of a mountain, goodluck on trying to get down. "caught you! going to the shore was so predictable by the way. maybe you should try a different place next time, dear? hm? maybe a restaurant so we can have date? sounds great right?" serenitea pot- unhinged malewife that wants to make a the perfect living space for you- ehem. probably a perfectionist if you squint hard enough. he's delusional but just a little lucid about the stuff he does to you. likes to make a ton of furniture too! personalized the room you're trapped in with a ton of valuable and expensive materials. just don't try to escape he'll cut your limbs off just like a damn tree shawtie. owns a shit ton of pets ranging from boars to cats. all of them are like bodyguards to you during your stay. dreams about having a peaceful life with you in the realm someday, sigh. he sometimes has burnouts where he just places a bunch of furniture on a single room and call it a day. "and here is your room! do.. do you like it? i made it just for you! i didn't know what wood you would prefer so i just settled on whatever i can find! ahaha. we're kind of like a married couple living together now... right?" nre menu- he's probably going to be from the adventurers guild. really awkward and shy. takes for him a long time to

open up to you. when going on quests he's the one in charge of carrying the food and healing shit you need. really patient and nice! slightly uh mean with other people trying to talk to you but other than that everything is normal. everything is normal the long loving gaze he gives you every now and then and some food being left on your doorstep. yeah let's not question it i mean he's just so shy! he would never do anything wrong? right?? he's a closeted pervert, cliche i know but he's a pervert with a line to not cross. he just checks you out. good for him. would cry if given any ounce of affection. sweet baby. "t-that was a tough commission.. oh u-uh.. do you need some food to replenish your energy? we need to do the other commissions you know.. hm? why aren't you eating it.. something wrong with the food..?" seelies- spoiled. that's the word to describe him. really straight forward with his courting kind of dumb? but he's so damn lucky for some unknown reason that your plans to avoid him always fail. yeah the high quality rope you just bought for 1000 mora? it broke and you fell into his arms. he's probably rich by sheer dumb luck too. finds a ton treasure chests even in the places you didn't expect. people pressure you into spending time with him. since he's just so cute! how could say no to such a face? it really feels like the gods are on his side ya know? he throws a lot of very very aggressive tantrums if you're not with him. thinks he's doing a good job at courting you, with rationalize rejection as a playing hard to get. "tada! look i got you this crystal i found while i was walking! it looks like a diamond and it has a ton of colours too?? is it valuable?? would you kiss me if i give it to you??" endora- majestic, regal, and likes to explore a lot. he uh. probably trapped you in a bubble once or twice too. really curious about his surroundings, also has no personal space since it's first time going out. he would cuddle you when he feels like it homie. kidnapped you and made you his tour guide. don't try to fool him he learns quickly about stuff. fast swimmer, so no joining any expeditions in water if you don't want their ship to be wrecked by a mysterious being of the teyvat seas. he likes to see you cry. it's not a kink he just feels connected to you when you cry. doesn't have a house so you just live in a run down boat. he's doesn't know when you're lying to him sometimes. god complex bastard. "this world. at first i wasn't sure if i was going to like it or not, but ever since I've met you... I've grown to tolerate some parts.. so you should be thankful, you've convinced me. mortal." intertwined fate/older twin- listen. he's just so smug about everything he does. and he knows you love him. probably invites you out on dinner only for him to not show up. so basically he's an asshole without a doubt. toxic boyfriend that gives you false hope and has a ton of admirers. you probably think he won't settle for you right? ah, he's not that cruel. so picks you as his lover out of all the billions of people. you should be grateful! he even kidnapped you! do you know how hard it was for him to go all the way from his home to yours? anyways yeah. asshole. he likes to do the open the door for darling trick where he just gives you a small crack on the door and watch you make a decision. it's an act of your loyalty. if you escape he'll make you feel pain. if you don't then he'll reward your patience. god complex bastard 2."sigh. did you try to escape? again? patience is the key to everything you know. maybe you should learn that. i expected more smart from you." acquaint fate/younger twin- cinnamonroll he's such a sweet guy. he's always there for you when you need him. okay- he has a nice guy complex, fucking damn it. probably uses the but I've been there for you since the start trick unintentionally a lot. he just doesn't know he wants some action, so be thankful that he didn't just jump on you like a barbarian. he's kind of contradicting himself too. one hand he wants you to love him, on the other hand he doesn't

believe he deserves you. loves to give you the same things, remember that one painting you liked from two years ago? he got you that. quantity beats quality. surprisingly, he's really patient but would have bursts of anger every now and then. has a self value issues?? yeah, but did i tell you he's a touch starved guy. punshments are just him softly lecturing you about what's good and what's wrong."i always viewed myself as inferior, that i didn't deserve anything.. but this time. i want to be greedy just once." that's it- :'D i haven't proofread this but here you go mer! ill probably continue with more humanisations of items in genshin later.. if you ask why i ruined your day with this crazy idea i was watching that one video of a person humanising social media and got this idea. also i discovered how to bold out texts... i have power..ejwjdhshaj

so yeah have a great day! -🦆anon

I AM IN AWE?!?! WHOA OMG!!!!! 🦆, THIS IS FANTASTIC!! AAAAAA (≧∀≦)

All of the various characterizations… *chef’s kiss* It’s literally so good! With each one I read I kept thinking okay this guy is my favorite and then I would read the next description and my heart was stolen again. I can’t pick a favorite now. T_T

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" from The Owl House

Wow. They are really pushing it for that secret message, huh?

Anywho--Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

I think it goes without saying at this point that Season Two of The Owl House is setting itself up as a season without filler. Now, filler episodes aren't always bad. Yes, it hurts when a series turns away from the main plot for a week. But at best, they're utilized as a chance for the writers to play around with the characters and developing said characters without it relating to the overarching story. So, some people who see that consider it a bad thing that a series doesn't have that many filler episodes.

I like to call those people: F**king morons.

Don't get me wrong, I see where some of you are coming from. And I'd be willing to agree...if The Owl House was a plot-driven series. Which it's not. It is a character-driven series. Because for every plot thread and narrative that the show presents, they always relate to the characters and develop them further each time these threads get brought up. For example, look at "Knock Knock Knockin’ on Hooty's Door" (It pains me just to write that). Several narratives move forward, and it’s all done to make the characters grow. And to explain how requires going into spoilers. So keep that in mind as you continue reading.

Now, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Hooty: Might as well start with the character that this episode is about.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't a huge fan when I found out we're getting a Hooty-centered episode. I've grown to love him over time, but he is a comedic character that's best used in small doses. Primarily due to how his voice is grating to me (My ears are still bleeding...). With that said, I do really love his contributions in "Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" (Seriously, there couldn't have been a less awkward title?). Hooty's antics when trying to help everyone are as hilarious as they are heartwarming. He deeply cares for his friends but just doesn't understand how his plans could do some unintended harm, which is pretty lovable if you ask me. We also get some surprisingly great insight into his character, as he feels insecure about basically being the comic relief who doesn't really do that much other than being funny. Rarely do you get that level of dimension from a comedic character, and it's even more uncommon for that to work out as well as it does here. It once again proves just how competent the writing is in this series to the point where we get an episode about Hooty, and it's funny and heartwarming instead of being annoying. And whoever is responsible for that, you're the best.

Lilith’s Letter to Hooty: I mean it when I say that I love how Lilith kept her word about her and Hooty becoming penpals. Their friendship was something I would have never expected to love, and I'm still shocked that it works so well, so seeing it continue like this just warms me to the bone. Plus, it is pretty sweet that Lilith's kind words are what inspired Hooty to do what he's done in this episode...meaning it's Lilith we should thank here--SON OF A WITCH! Even when she's gone, she's still working her way into my heart!

King going through Puberty: What?! KING IS EVOLVING!

(There, I made a Pokemon reference. Do I get my cookie now?)

Eda Keeping Herself Awake to Train Herself: I'm willing to bet a large sum of money that this has everything to with Raine getting captured last week. If Eda was still the most powerful witch in the Isles, she might have actually saved them. But she isn't, and now the love of her life is in the clutches of a tyrant planning something that could potentially be the end of everything. So I can understand Eda pushing herself to her limit to get back on top again, as I would probably do the same. It's not healthy in any way, and Eda would be doing more harm than good. But when it comes to the people you love, logic doesn't always win out in the end.

Luz Wanting to Make her Way into Amity’s Heart by Making the Echo Mouse Happy: ...That's it. I Just...I just love everything about it, ok?

This was also when I knew that I was wrong to doubt that there would be zero Lumity in this episode. I realize my follies now, and I humbly apologize.

Hooty Teaching King About Demons: This was so funny. So, so funny. Probably doesn't come as a surprise, especially since The Owl House proves itself as a comedy before, but the jokes have never hit as frequently and as hard as they did here. From Hooty getting offended by King's dance to him and Dana's insert wanting a "DNA sample," everything managed to successfully make me lose my s**t. It does come at the expense of King suffering, but I can stomach that much more than if it were Eda or Luz. And, as a bonus, we get lore about how demons work, added with another great joke of King getting in trouble with Hooty for saying he already knows this stuff. Humor isn't always the show's strong suit, but when it works, it f**king works.

King Wanting to Know What he Is: But despite how funny King's vignette was, we still get to see more of his character grow. We learn that he's frustrated now that there's this big question mark over his life now, feeling extra angry that his father "abandoned" him to leave such a present mystery. It shows the hidden resentment he has that Lilith inadvertently brought out, made even worse when King's father hasn't responded to the video yet. King hasn't really gotten that much development until "Echoes of the Past," so it's pretty cool that the writers haven't really slowed down on it. Especially when it leads to these great moments of King venting his frustrations.

King’s Shouting Powers: KING learned FUS RO DAH!

(And now that's a Pokemon reference AND a Skyrim reference. WHERE'S MY GOSH DANG COOKIE!?)

Eda’s Nightmare: If King's vignette hits you hard with the laughs, Eda's will absolutely hit you harder with the feels (never make me say "feels" unironically again). Knowing that Eda's life got thoroughly screwed over by the curse is something we could figure out on her own. But seeing just how much the curse ruined her life and tore apart relationships that mean the world to her really does a swell job at ripping apart the soul. What's even more tragic is, technically speaking, it's all sort of Eda's fault too. She kept hiding the curse, refusing to be a burden to others who would do all they could to help. If she had only been open and honest, things probably wouldn't have changed much, but they most likely would have been better than they are now.

Eda Attacked her Father as the Owl Beast: ...I don't know what I was expecting when "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" hinted that there was some possible tension between Eda and her father...but it definitely wasn't this.

The fact that we see blood where his eye used to be doesn't make things any happier, either.

Raine Broke Up with Eda: Before we get into anything else, let's celebrate the fact that it's now confirmed that Eda and Raine really did use to date in the past. Because this show is just f**king phenomenal with its LGBTQA+ representation!

But, seriously, this is a fantastic reveal that goes far beyond just shipping...well, sort of. It shines a new light on Eda and Raine's interactions from last week, revealing that while they're not a couple anymore, they still very much love each other. It helps make their last interaction especially tragic, as they were both on the same page now and could very well be together again. Only for them to be forced apart for the second time in a way that's much worse than the first. And I frickin' adore that this series changes the impact of one episode one week later. Again, it shows just how competent these writers are, and kudos to them for making something so...perfect.

The Moon Person: WHO THE FU--Nope. Nope! We have more than enough mystery bulls**t to deal with through CreepyLuz and Philip Wittebane, so I am PUTTING YOU ON THE BACKBURNER FOR NOW!

(They're probably nothing more than a one-off character, anyway)

The Owl Beast and Eda are Connected: Through visuals alone, we, the audience, can clue into what the curse really means. The Owl Beast doesn't want to be a part of Eda as much as she doesn't want it to be a part of her. Whether they like it or not, and they very much don't, they're stuck together. The thing is, and this is what I love the most, they still decide to make the best of their situation rather than let it ruin their lives even more. This might be the best possible turn Eda's curse could have made. It'll still affect her, and there are probably more negatives than positives, but at least now, it's not the worst thing in the world. And I feel like that's all anyone can ask when in a position like her own.

Eda's “Pretty Dream”: I don't know what emotions are toiling inside me more with this moment. Awe and wonder over how beautiful Eda's dream is, or heartbreak over the implication that she has only had nightmares since getting cursed...I'm gonna say both. Yeah, it's definitely both.

Eda’s Harpie Form: Well, fan artists are gonna have a field day with this...especially the freaks.

(You know who you are. And you're weird!)

Luz Calling Amity a “Cotton-Candy Haired Goddess”: ...Have I ever mentioned how much I love this show?

Hooty Kidnapped Amity: ...Hooty, if your stupidity wasn't charming, I would be more than willing to call the authorities over how you kidnapped a girl in your version of a knapsack and locked her in the basement. For that is going to ring SO MANY alarm bells in people's heads.

Amity and Luz Stuck in a Tunnel of Love: *Smacks lips* Mmm. The adorable awkwardness of this moment is just *chef's kiss* magnifique!

Luz being afraid of getting made fun of:

Amity’s look of hope: I mean...just...f**king--LOOK AT HER:

That is the look of a girl who, while embarrassed as hell, still is ecstatic to learn for a brief moment, everything that she is hoping for has a high chance of being real. Who, in their right mind, wouldn't go "Aw!" at something so pure and innocent?!

Luz Destroying the Tunnel of Love: This is how to effectively utilize dramatic irony. The audience can understand why Luz is tearing the place apart because she explicitly states that she's afraid of Amity rejecting her in the end. They also know that's bogus, thus making it extra painful to watch Amity's heart break more and more with each second (which is perfectly represented through Amity's expressions). You feel bad for both of them, and even worse when you know that it can easily be prevented by the simple art of communication. That's what makes it great dramatic irony. Knowing the point of view of each character results in a scene that evokes emotions in two different ways.

Hooty’s Breakdown: This was...genuinely hard to watch. Not that it was badly written, far from it. It just...hurt seeing how destroyed Hooty was when he realized he failed the people he has such an admiration for. On the upside, a wholesome moment follows soon after as the Owl House gang tries to reassure Hooty that he's done a lot of good that night. It's a pure action that shows even though Hooty gets on their nerves all the time, they still care about him...damn it. I think I'm gonna cry.

Eda’s Advice for Luz: ...Eda...You're the best.

You found out that your surrogate daughter wants to ask a girl out, and not only were you quick to deliver the best possible advice ("Just go for it!"), but you also quickly reassure her that it doesn't need to be perfect.

And you know what? That's it. Eda is the best cartoon mom! She might not technically be Luz's mom, but I don't give a s**t because she is the best!

Luz and Amity Ask Each Other Out: Shh-sh-sh-sh...

Do you hear that?

...

...

...It's the sound of dozens of Lumity fans collectively losing their s**t...and I'm one of them.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!

IT!

IS!

CANON!

AH-HAHAHAHAHA!

HOLY S**T! Holy s**t! Holy s**t...might just be the best way I could possibly describe this! Finally, after all the waiting, speculating, and praying, THESE TWO IDIOTS FINALLY GOT TOGETHER! AND IT WAS PERFECT! I mean, it was awkward as s**t, but that's what makes it perfect! You know why? You wanna--Hey! *snaps fingers*. You want to know why? It's because they're teenagers. Of f**king course, it's going to be awkward! This is their first relationship, so there will be a lot of missteps along the way. And that, in itself, brings me to the best (second best part?) thing about it happening in episode eight of the new seasons. Most endgame couples get together in the climax or even at the end of the series. But to have them get together this early on, means there will be quite a few episodes dedicated to showing them grow as a couple.

And better than that--EVEN F**KING BETTER THAN THAT--dozens of kids are going to see these two, a realistic depiction of young love that just so happens to involve two girls, and are going to learn once and for all that there is nothing wrong with being who they are. That fact alone is f**king incredible. Yes, it sucks that season three got cut short, and we'll have even less time with Luz and Amity, but knowing how many kids have felt seen today almost makes it worth it in the end.

And if I see one mother f**ker saying this was poorly paced, I might just hunt them down for SPORT...Sorry if that was an overreaction. I'M JUST SO HAPPY! Because they're happy! Look at them. Listen to them! It's so...GAH-HAHAHA!

“They’re adorable! And deserve all the happiness!”: You're darn right, Hooty! You're darn right.

King’s Father(?) Shows Up: What the--WHAT?! They're doing this now?! Here?! After everything else?

Oh, man. What could this mean? What dynamic changes will this cause in the main cast? How could the writers fit this in during the next two episodes? And what--

Hooty Eats the Letter: ...Pfffft--HAHAHAHA!

Oh, man...I should be mad, and I wouldn't blame others if they are...but that is too much of a brilliant f**k you that I can't help but appreciate it. Bravo writers. Bravo.

WHAT I DISLIKED

...Dislikes? Dislikes? You would honestly believe that after everything I witnessed in this episode, that I would have the gull to list anything wrong with it?!

HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THAT I WOULD BE SO CALLUS TO--Actually, I do kind of have an issue with the episode's title. It's just too much of an awkward mouthful for me to get behind. I understand that the writers wanted to sneak the K into the secret message, but were there really no other titles starting with K that they couldn't come up with?

But that's just a personal issue, and in no way do I think anybody else would feel the same way. Especially with how well-written everything else is anyway.

IN CONCLUSION

"Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" (title aside) is another A+ episode. It was hilarious, heart-wrenching, and downright adorable while keeping me entertained with every minute. I'm sure there are some issues I was willing to ignore due to how expertly written everything else was, but why bother looking for the chinks in the armor when I could just enjoy a perfect episode for being so...perfect! Some of you might be willing to disagree with me, but to that, I say: Don't knock it till you've tried it.

(Now, if you don't excuse me, I'm going to go lie down. It's...It's been a day.)

[nicobaka]

CLEARING UP AND EXPLAINING SOME THINGS THAT PEOPLE TEND TO MISUNDERSTAND ABOUT GRAY, JUVIA, AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP

(warning: spoilers. It's also gonna be some LONG ass shit lmao. Sorry for typos in advance)

I heard a lot of people hating Gruvia for things that they misunderstood (or just straight-up dismiss/ignore) about the ship, and so I thought I'd clear up and explain some of those here because I just think all this hate towards the ship is unnecessary especially when most of their reasons of why they hate the ship aren't really valid or reasonable.. I mean, yeah, you can dislike and hate it all you want, we all have different preferences. But the level of hate Gruvia gets for reasons that are already proven false and untrue is just unbelievable. Like people saying Gray is somehow "controlled" by Juvia, or that Gray has "Stockholm syndrome" when Juvia never even tried to kidnap Gray... And worse is when people start to spread misinformation and slander the ship, spreading hate and negativity towards the ship for reasons that are again, proven to be untrue.

[ GRAY'S BIG TSUNDERE ASS ]

Gruvia is not one-sided, it's just that Gray's a big frickin Tsundere and that he refuses to show affection, so he may come off as cold to her sometimes. Although later on he realized that he should accept his feelings for Juvia rather than pushing her away and trying to run away from his own feelings before he regrets it, so now he has become less of a Tsundere and is trying to become a better person for her (but still a Tsundere lmao)

[ GRAY'S PAST AND CHILDHOOD TRAUMA ]

Gray does not dislike nor hate Juvia, even from the very beginning after they just met. Hell, even right after their fight in their first meeting. After their first actual meeting, Gray even helped her, saved her, made her happy, and even smiled with her. He wouldn't have done all that if he disliked her. He wouldn't have said he has no problem with Juvia joining the guild if he disliked her. He wouldn't hang around with Juvia inside and even outside the guild if he disliked her. He wouldn't have worried and felt bad about her not passing the exam of he disliked her. He wouldn't have carried her running away from danger even though she already said she can run away by herself if he disliked her. He wouldn't have agreed to going out with Juvia, which clearly meant as a date to her, if he disliked her. He wouldn't have lived with her for half a year if he disliked her. He would have agreed with Juvia leaving him alone if he disliked her, but instead he hugged her, thanked her, and cried on her arms. He wouldn't have sacrificed himself for her safety if he disliked her.... I can go on and on for hours with this honestly. But the point is, he clearly doesn't dislike nor hate Juvia. He even said he's grateful for having Juvia always by his side.

It's just he didn't wanna get too attached to her. He has always thought ever since as a child that it's his responsibility / fault whenever someone he cares for dies. He blames himself for it, consciously or unconsciously, and puts the burden upon himself. He feels like whenever he gets too attached to someone, they would leave him and when that happens it'll be his fault. That's the reason why he seemed cold to her sometimes, it's that he doesn't wanna get too attached to her, afraid that she would just leave him like the others...

"I'm going to avenge my mother and father!"

"I wasn't... able to do anything..."

"It's your fault, Gray." (Lyon)

"It's my fault that Ul died 10 years ago"

"No matter how much time pass, it won't change the fact that it's my fault Ul's dead!"

"I lost both mother and daughter..."

Him trying to push Juvia away by being cold to her is most likely something he did unconsciously, since he himself wasn't really sure about his feelings for her and having the fear of loosing his loved ones before, at least when it was just starting. But as we already know, his attempt of trying to not get too attached to her wasn't successful. It didn't have any chance of being successful to begin with since the reason why he didn't want to get too attached to her and why he had developed the fear of loosing her in the first place is because he's already attached to her from the beginning. He was the one to save her, worries about her a lot, cares for her, protects her, and spends a lot of his time with her, which made him even more attached to her. Which explains his expression at that one recent official Gruvia art which some fans didn't like... He looks like he feels like he shouldn't fall in love with Juvia, but he really just can't help it.

And when it actually almost happened, when Juvia almost killed herself for him, it finally became clear to him what he feels about her, and he realized that it was stupid and cowardly for him to try and avoid Juvia and his very own feelings, because of his damned childhood trauma. He could've lost all the chances he had with her forever, with all those efforts she spent on him all be put in vain. And now that he realized this, that doesn't make the fear of loosing her disappear. It can't be erased just like that. But instead of avoiding, hiding, and keeping his feelings like before, he's trying to improve and be a better person for her that can protect her no matter what.

[ THE LOVE POTION THINGY IS NOT CANON ]

The episode about Juvia buying potions made her look bad for some fans. It was not in the Manga. It's not canon. The part where Lucy expected Natsu to confess (which was seen in the same episode) is canon, since it is from the Manga. But the part where Juvia buys love potion and uses it to try and get Gray is not in that chapter, nor is it in any chapter in the manga, meaning it's not canon and is an anime-only part. Well personally I found it quite funny, but some fans really hated Juvia on that one.

[ JUVIA IS NOT A YANDERE B*TCH ]

I saw a lot of people referring to Juvia as a "yandere" and portraying Juvia as such.. Juvia is NOT a yandere girl who will kill you if you reject her and shit. If anything, she's the opposite. She can NEVER hurt Gray. She'd rather kill herself than hurt Gray. When she thinks she's making Gray uncomfortable, she immediately apologizes. When she thought she disrespected Ul's death anniversary by saying it should be a happy day for Gray because it's their anniversary (she didn't know it was Ul's death anniversary at first), she felt very sorry and disappointed in herself. The reason she couldn't approach him at the start was because she didn't want to make him and his friends uncomfortable, and because she isn't used to socializing with other people (add the fight with Phantom Lord which caused the guild a lot of trouble, plus how people always disliked and pushed Juvia away). Basically, Juvia has, or at least had social anxiety. At first, she couldn't approach Gray because she was extremely nervous. Juvia also wasn't as bold as she is now towards Gray at the start, she was shy and was shown to even stutter a lot trying to express her thoughts to Gray and the guild members. Yeah, she becomes extremely mad when someone threatens Gray's life, but that's just like Natsu being mad when someone threatens to kill Lucy. Or Gray being mad when someone threatens Erza's life. Or Mira being mad when someone threatens her siblings lives.. But Juvia didn't even actually kill Meredy (the one who did threaten to kill Gray), but instead even became friends with her! A yandere would do the total opposite. I think that if Gray ever rejects her, she wouldn't even be mad at him, but would probably be very depressed and think a lot about what she did wrong.. She was even willing to give up on him in Tartaros Arc, when she had to kill Gray's father, she thought she doesn't deserve to love him anymore after what she did so she was willing to finally give up and leave him alone... When yanderes are the kind of people who'd go as far as to kill every other person close to you just so they can have you for themselves...

But Gray himself does not want her to leave. Even though he seems annoyed with how Juvia is clingy towards him and all that, in reality, he doesn't want her to leave. He hugs her and says "thank you" to Juvia for being the one to "kill" Silver, saving his father and finally letting his father rest in peace, so that Gray didn't have to kill his father himself. Silver himself wanted to die and even thanked Juvia for that so I don't really understand why people hate her because of it. And if Gray disliked or hated Juvia, he definitely would have agreed about her leaving him alone.

The main reason why Juvia acts like this is because she's trying to show her love for others that she wasn't able to show before, since she was always rejected, avoided, disliked, and even hated by others. She's always pushed away by others. So now that someone (Gray) didn't push her away and showed care for her, she didn't want to miss the opportunity of finally feeling loved and being able to share her love.

And Gray, together with the guild, accepted her. She wants to feel loved and accepted, so she's trying all her best to not be seen as someone gloomy or unlikable that others used to think she is. She does things that she thinks would make them happy, she does things that she thinks would make them accept her. But since she never really knew how to interact with other people before she joined the guild, and the people she used to be with were toxic as hell, she comes off as awkward sometimes. But she's growing, together with Gray and the guild, she's growing.

[ THE LOVE RIVAL" THING IS JUST FOR COMIC RELIEF AND WAS NEVER SERIOUS ]

She may say "Love Rival!!" when someone's getting close to Gray, but it's only put as comic relief and she was not actually serious about it. Even Lucy, the one whom she always calls her "rival", never took it seriously. If Lucy did, she would have never approached Gray ever again, or hated Juvia for it. If Juvia was really serious about her so called "threats", they would have kicked her out of the guild long ago. Plus, she may act like that, but in reality, she cares for and is willing to sacrifice for her friends, including Lucy. And Lucy herself knows that. Even Gray knows when she's just joking around and even called her out for joking at serious times.

It's sad that people say that they are concerned about Gray and Juvia "forcing" herself into him when they don't really actually think about and consider what Gray is actually feeling towards her.. Gray loves her, she loves Gray. Just let them be happy. Gray has lost too much, at least let him enjoy being with Juvia.

Anyways, I'M NOT FORCING YOU TO LIKE THE SHIP, WE ALL HAVE PREFERENCES. But I'm just trying to make you understand both characters, their relationship and development a little more. Well, this is mainly just from my perspective tho. Especially with all the hate this ship gets and how misunderstood both characters are and the things they do. And if you got to this part, thanks for reading all of this lmao this is my first time posting something like this in Tumblr, I hope it wasn't that confusing.

[minisoc]

As requested, line by line breakdown of testoster2's anti communist rant about parties.

> idk which baby leftist needs to hear this

off to a great condescending start from someone whose only left credit is claiming to be on the left on their Tumblr

> but joining a socialist party will be a waste of your time.

I couldn't imagine a more cop opinion to start us off with. i see things like this and i think: whose interests does this serve? "oh no baby leftists, don't join a party" just brings to mind this image

> you'll probably have to pay a monthly due

that's true. every communist party in history has taken dues from members. it's typically scaled to what you can manage though and it's part of the collective effort of the party organization to make social change. my dues sent comrades to Venezuela and Cuba to learn from socialists there, they produced our programs for free lunches, it built our community centers. i have no regrets about paying my dues, i pay dues to my union as well.

> that goes to like. flyers no one reads

projection. sounds now like op is defending their own lack of action with a lack of belief in the possibility of change. in my experience people do read things and even change their minds after reading things. if people were not able to be affected by the written word then propagandists on all sides would be in a tough situation.

> that you yourself will have to give to people

oh no, you mean joining a party means you might have to do outreach and talk to people? can see why it's not for op, then.

> (this in case the money doesn't go straight in the party leader's pocket).

op has never seen this but says it like it's a fact. it would be pretty easy to find out if your party leadership is embezzling and your party should be structured in a way that you know they'd be thrown out if they betrayed everyone like this. i have that confidence in my party, at least.

this is also very reminiscent about how anti communists engage with propaganda. they feel comfortable making claims of any kind whether supported or not. anyway, this is another obvious cop opinion.

> you'll waste time writing papers and reports and shit, it'll feel like having a second job.

not explained is why writing is a waste of time. i think writing for a party is almost always a useful activity, whether you're making plans for a new action or campaign or producing new agitational materials or analysing the results of previous work so you can improve on it.

it is a job, though. being a communist does mean doing work, society won't change by sitting at home and attacking communist parties on Tumblr. the lifelong sacrifices made by hard working communists are why we have seen so many socialist victories in the last century.

> the most exciting events will be lib shit like elections

this again can only be projection. the most exciting times for me have been in some of the countries largest protest actions, organizing campaigns to free political prisoners, providing at risk communities with basic needs and engaging with them, building new unions, etc. etc

> or peaceful protests that the party would still organize w/o you as a member

here's the key issue with op i think. they want to be vital to the revolution. they don't want to think that they're only one of many people all working together. yes it's true the party will continue without you, especially a wannabe cop like you. but it doesn't mean party work is useless, it just means you are useless as an individual.

> (showing up at a protest w/o having a party affiliation gives you more freedom

freedom to do what, i do wonder? being afraid of party work bc it doesn't let you do whatever you want is kinda silly, if you don't want anyone to ever tell you what to do then yeah don't join a party. if you want to make change in the world then do.

> + makes you a bit less arrestable - as opposed to if a cop saw you carrying a name tag w the hammer and sickle on it. just fyi)

this again appears to have been just made up by op. I've never been arrested for wearing a pin or a party tshirt. i don't know a single person who has. and I've known plenty of people without any markings get arrested.

> all this w/o even mentioning how (depending on your luck) there could be a lot of infighting, splits, sometimes purges

well yes it sounds like there would be a lot of drama wherever op goes but it doesn't seem to be the case generally. my party did form in a split, but over 15 years ago. i don't see any reason to worry that it would happen again any time soon. we don't infight at all, sorta the concept of the party is people who want to work effectively together.

another bit of funny evidence that op is anti communist is the inclusion of the word purges, lol. purge means expulsion from party, ooh very sinister.

> all in all, joining a socialist party is a very, Very ineffective way of building communism lmao

well first it's simply a truth that no socialist country was ever built without a communist party. not one.

but also, did any of ops points have anything to do with effectiveness? all i gathered is they're pushing an individualistic, don't tell me what to do outlook. and the condescension about protests and flyering suggest they want something more adventurist, possibly involving violence. remember the fbi and police always instigate when they infiltrate groups. they always push for criminal actions and violence.

> i'd instead recommend you talk to your neighbours abt their lives, and see how you can help each other.

hey, guess what a party does! do you think our new tenants unions and unemployed councils could come into being without talking to neighbors? do you think our new unions could come into being without discussing the way we could help each other?

> if you live in like a very rich neighbourhood or something, instead of joining a socialist party

well isn't this an interesting premise. i wonder what it says about op that they want to emphasize what the well off should do.

> it'd be way more effective if you joined a liberal/conservative party and then fucked their shit up as much as possible

sure, just see every other attempt in history at wrecking or entryism with the Democratic party. i encourage you to look into it

> if ur only goal is meeting other leftists, only go to the first 2 or 3 party meetings, by then you'll know the scene and you'd have already befriended the interesting people. that;s my advice at least

this piece of advice is generally good. in fact before applying to join any party if at all possible i encourage you to meet with the members local to you, see how they work, see what you think of their ideas and what they're doing. if they're not active in your community, ask why not. there's nothing requiring you to join if it isn't for you. but if you want to make change in this country, learning how to do it from those with experience is best. and working together in an organization that can effectively chart a path forward is the only option there is. every communist revolution was built with the leadership of the communist party.

[obscurexodd]

Okay this is not in any way meant to encourage substance abuse BUT if you've decided you're going to experiment with recreational drugs, here's some very basic advice for the sake of safety

- Research any drug you take before you take it. Unless you are literally in the ER being handed a medication, do your research. Not all drugs work well together. If you have a medical condition, certain drugs may be especially dangerous for you. Look into any potential dangers, and yes, read the "don't do drugs" horror stories. "But don't you do drugs?" Some of them, yeah. That's why I insist on being as informed as possible. So I can make informed decisions on what I do or don't want to try. Know the worst case scenario before you decide.

- Look, this may seem like a stupid thing to say, but ask yourself why you want to do something before you do it. Usually the answer is "Because I'm curious and want to experience this" or "I want to have fun with my friends and I enjoy this" but if it's due to a desire to self harm, numb emotional pain, or peer pressure then admit it to yourself and use better coping skills/leave the situation.

- If you don't know where the pills you were given came from, don't take them. If you don't know for damn sure that they're not cut with something, don't take them.

- MDMA can have a pretty intense comedown and I don't see that mentioned enough when people talk about it. Another thing no one ever seems to talk about is how it affects your temperature and your sense of thirst.

- Nothing is ever "only" affecting your brain. It's going to have effects on your body as a whole and you need to be aware of that.

- As someone who's been in and out of psychiatric treatment for over a decade and has had a Xanax prescription for years, I've seen a lot of Xanax (among other controlled substances, but anyways) and yet I've never seen an actual bar like you see in those drug grunge skins 2k14 aesthetic pics. If someone were to offer me one, ever, I'd inherently assume it's fake and likely laced. Also snorting it is a waste. Don't bother. Just take the pill like a normal person if you're gonna take it at all.

- If you're doing something for the first time, let someone know you're high so they can check on you. Same thing with using a higher dose or if there's any change in circumstances. It's best to let someone know every time you get high, but that's not always realistic. At the very least make sure someone checks on you when you're doing something new. You don't know how it'll affect you. Maybe you get giggly or disoriented. Maybe you have a full psychotic break. You won't know and you need to be safe.

- Especially if you're doing psychedelics or anything that alters your perception of reality. Ideally I suggest not being alone at all if that's the case but at the very least make sure someone is checking in on you. At the very least.

- Avoid shopping. Lock your card on before you get high. Just trust me on this one.

- If you have any medical condition you need to look into how various substances will interact with them. One time I snorted [substance] and it caused an asthma attack (yes I know I'm an idiot and that should've been common sense). High blood pressure? Stimulants will make that worse. Clinical depression? Anything that will increase impulsivity is potentially especially dangerous.

- Yes there's long term effects of substance abuse. Yes addiction is real. Acting like it's not to justify substance use does not make you a woke stoner or a liberated spiritualist or anything of the like. It makes you anti science and spits in the face of those who have suffered from addiction and long term problems due to substance abuse. Whether or not you choose to use recreational substances is up to you, and I'm not going to argue with you about it either way. Still not an excuse to deny reality in such a dangerous manner.

- Don't do meth. Don't do heroin. I know that seems like a weird line to draw after all this, but I stand by that.

[androgynousblackbox]

How long do you think it'll take this generation to realize that infantilizing queer people and hypersexualizing queer people are both forms of homophobia on opposite ends of the spectrum? Like, do they not remember how so many queer people voiced their displeasure over the sex-less "family friendly" gay couple on modern family? Or the reason why queer as folk was so important/revolutionary for queer television. One day, they'll have to realize that gay people had sex, and yes sex /is/ an important aspect of queer history and protest. At this point, just say "I am personally uncomfortable with mentions of sex because of my upbringing in a country founded by puritans that values violence over sex, and I'm going to make my discomfort everyone else's problem instead of just growing up."

I have no idea, really, but I hope soon enough because this puritanical fucking nightmare we are all stuck in has stopped being funny a long time ago. The Modern Family example is interesting because it wasn't just a thing of them being sexless, but also the complete lack of any show of physical affection at all that especially stand out when all the other straight couples were allowed a full range of expressions with their spouses. And it wasn't even a thing that they invented either but a tradition that even Will and Grace, one of those shows people quote as being the first to present them the idea of being gay, where it was first noted that we would TALKS about doing gay shit, we would have characters swooning or looking at other characters but then, during the entire runtime, there was only one kiss during the finale. We are talking about at least an entire decade of difference between the two shows and even then, a gay couple just showing affection to one another wasn't considered "family-friendly" not even then. That kind of attitude doesn't come from nowhere and I would really fucking love more gringos to explore how much of it they have actually internalized to start getting ride of it. Could we have completely "family friendly" gay couples on screen while still treating them as an actual couple? Yeah, we have Kipo and the wonderbeast as an example. And that is cool and great, but it shouldn't be the ONLY kind of queer content we get either or is allowed to thrive. Just as a note, though, being uncomfortable with sex/being sex repulsed or wanting other way to express celebration of queerness without sex are valid desires on themselve. Like, the idea of having just coffe shops that are queer or maybe a craft store or whatever, where people who don't want the club scene to be their only point of connection with other queer people seem like cute enough ideas. But there is a big fucking difference between wanting something like that just to add as an option and then just shit on queer people for prefering something else because there's the idea that is "dirty", "gross" or somehow inherently degradating. That shit is not fair on anyone.