#anyway it is proven for sure after that he does know and still loves her 🥺🥺🥺🥺 it's just so sweet and i love them so much

[bunnyb34r]

Yaaay cold case is on all day 🥰

I was like oh great I think they start at the beginning and play the first 24 eps!

No... they started in season 2 (ironically with the case that is actually the very FIRST case, the triple homicide that Vera screws Rush over and the ep WE see is her case. Then in season 2 they finally show what the triple homicide case was (its sad).) BUT! season 2 is one of my fav seasons bc of the Lovers Lane ep and the Daniella ep

Guess which was just on 😭 the Daniella ep that makes me cry every tiiiiime 😭❤

[ezra-editss]

Just watched X-men Apocalypse. What the hell.

Okay, so I kinda have a take on all this and idk if that's just how it feels to me, but that's what I wanna know. (I don't think this actually happened, but it's the vibes it is all giving)

So it started when I told my mom about First Class (keep reading I'm gonna get to apocalypse eventually) and we came to the conclusion that it feels like they wrote the script, looked at it again and thought:

"Hmm, this seems pretty gay.. Erik and Charles both have no female love interests and they have those lines that seem pretty romantic. Also, Erik seems almost obsessed with Charles at the end with how overprotective he is. Let's fix that!"

And then they gave both of them a kiss with a woman they weren't interested in and added the line "We're brothers, you and I" and then were proud of how well they "saved" it.

And then they made Days of Future Past and didn't even think of it, but when it came out they saw how people were shipping it and then they were like "oh shitt"

And in the first hour of the movie, I thought they were just doing all of this stuff to "erase" any potential gayness people thought there was and wanted to make sure nobody got the wrong idea about the recent movies. But it was more the reminder they like women, before the EXTREME GAYNESS in the second half.

(This is getting so much more unserious than initially intended💀)

Anyways, Apocalypse.

Either I missed something or Erik settling down and HIDING makes NO SENSE. In the last timeline it was 100% clear that he'd never stop believing in what he did, he would never stop fighting his war. So yes, this is a different timeline, but there is no reason given why he suddenly decides to try Charles way. He failed in Days of Future Past and Charles let him go, but there is no way that's enough. And they played this off like that isn't the thing they both wanted since forever and never seemed possible. Being on the same side. Erik switching to Charles side is insane, why wouldn't he talk to Charles in all those years then?

I can't believe they threw away everything that IS Erik, just so he had a reason to be angry enough to join the guy.

(They also died in such a weird/lame way)

And Charles and I still don't really know her name😭.. I have to admit the scenes where Charles was nervous were cute, but that's just because Charles is adorable. But in First Class she was obviously only there for the plot, in Days of Future Past, she wasn't even mentioned and in Apocalypse, she was, again, only there for the plot. She literally doesn't say anything the entire movie after the beginning. She has like two lines. And in the end fight, she's just standing there. And then Charles makes her remember and the flashbacks are soo bad, BC THEY HAD NO MOMENTS. (Especially bc you can compare it to Erik's flashbacks, we're gonna get to that)

(I don't think I have to say it, but to be sure. I have absolutely nothing against straight couples. I don't care if it's gay or not. But if one of them were a woman, I wouldn't be writing this. I just hate how often they prefer to write a heterosexual couple that has no chemistry at all instead of making the two guys/girls kiss.)

Let's talk about the ending. Sometimes when I talk about this stuff I'm a little worried that I interpret things wrong bc I want it to be like that and I'm not being objective anymore, but I was proven right so many times in this. When Mystique and Erik kissed in First Class, it felt really weird to me because Erik obviously had no interest in her. (I suppose it was to show her she's beautiful) And that was pretty much proven right when she talks to him and he barely reacts to what she's saying. I also thought that he probably didn't know Charles was dying, bc he wouldn't let that happen. Then Mystique says "Charles" and suddenly he does show a reaction and when she's gone, he has those god damn flashbacks. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T A ROMANTIC PLOT?😭 and then the specific one of Charles turning away and leaving him. (Could be a metaphor for Charles giving up on him) THAT'S WHAT GOT HIM.

And they make it even more clear when Mystique is dying and Erik doesn't react, but when Charles is dying, is when he steps in.

Ending was cute, but damnn the "you can make me do anything" was crazy.

(This turned out soo long, I've never been so obsessed with something.)

[skoulsons]

Thinking about the sniper section always

The first shot rings out and they all duck. Joel does not move until he sees Ellie and has a hand on her back to guide her to cover behind the car. And he keeps it there until they’re fully behind it and he checks to see where the shots are coming from.

“Stay here.” “What?”

Immediate fear. Some guys trying to snipe them and she doesn’t know from where, and Joel has the audacity to say ‘stay here’. She knows exactly what he’s thinking. That he is going after him. But Ellie fears for him, as capable as he is. She cares about him. She doesn’t want to lose him. Not in a setting like this. And just like their night out in the woods and after they crashed, he reassures her. He’s so good at that, isn’t he?

He faces her directly. He holsters his gun, turns completely around, puts his hands out in a ‘listen to me. I’m sure of this’ fashion, looks her dead in the eye, and speaks to her gently. Firmly, determined, but gentle.

“If you don’t move, he’s not gonna hit you.” Again, this same reassurance <3 she’s expressed fear over him more than anything, and he reassures her that she will be okay if she doesn’t move. Nothing about his safety, only hers and how to maintain it.

And he tells her his plan. He’s not hiding what he’s trying to do from her. He does this so she knows his mindset, where he’s going, and how he’s doing. Trying to calm her down the ways he knows how.

“But if you go out there, he’s gonna kill you.” I LOVE MUTUAL CONCERN. But she just says it outright. Expresses that fear and care outright.

“It’s dark and he has shit aim, nobody’s gonna kill me” what a roast. But true. He was an old man with a death wish.

“Then he’s gonna kill us!” She’s trying to keep him with her. She’s trying to give him a reason to stay down there with them. With her. So that he can stay down there and be by her side to protect her like they’ve become so adept at doing. And he thinks about this for a second. He doesn’t want to lose them, especially Ellie. But in the end, he knows better. He’s the one out of the four of them who can do this. And unless he runs out of ammo, they’re stuck there. And Joel wouldn’t willingly send any of them into possible fire if he can help it.

“Do you trust me?” She has no reason not to. He’s proven time and time again that he is trustworthy. From killing that first QZ soldier to the ambush to now. She has seen him protect her without a second thought. He has gained her trust through every encounter with infected or people. He’s gained it through their nights and days. He’s been honest in everything he’s told her. There’s very little room left to not trust him.

And eventually she nods, as reluctant as it is. If she says yes, he does it. If she says no, he does it anyway. As much as she wants him down there with her, she does trust him to protect her. To protect them.

And she watches him go until he’s completely out of sight [bonus- the very light and almost off screen hand on her arm as he’s walking away :’)]. Because she fears for him. Because she’s scared of him getting hurt. Of losing him. She cares about him, more than she knows what to deal with, and way more than he’s comfortable with. And to know he still tries to get rid of her next episode 🤣

And then Joel gets in the house and kills the old man, a shot goes off and Ellie immediately shoots up from behind the car. Because, for a moment, she thinks it’s him. But there wasn’t a struggle. Not multiple shots or any signs of them fighting. Just one shot, and it was his revolver, so she knows it was him. Besides, he promised her no one was going to kill him. And she trusts him

[lenaboskow]

gay!eddie is happening in the near future, a post brought to you by someone who spends way too much time dissecting queer media (and usually ends up being at least half right)

bear with me, it's a long one under the cut

i have a longer, more scene specific post that i will finish during the break if nothing happens tonight but i am a full believer that eddie's big arc this season (or next season, depending) is that the reason none of his past relationships worked out is because he's gay (not bi, gay)

disclaimers: i fully believe eddie loved shannon, just not the way he wanted to. you can also be gay and still enjoy heterosexual sex. sometimes sex really is just sex. this post is purely about romantic attraction.

I also tried to leave as much out about buck as possible (though that's hard, the man is obviously an integral part of his life) because gay!eddie diaz will happen no matter if buddie is endgame, and people need to realize that. their sexualities are more than just about each other.

anyways, on to the post-

it's canon that eddie will put christopher first when it comes to deciding relationships, and i think we first see that with shannon. rewatching season 2, i didn't get the impression that he wanted a romantic relationship with her, but he wanted her back in his son's life, and to eddie, those two go hand in hand.

and, if we're being honest, i think eddie's habit of putting other people first is the whole reason he got with shannon, because his family taught him that he was supposed to find a nice girl and settle down. who better to do that with than his best friend? my theory is further proven when shannon gets pregnant and eddie marries her out of a sense of duty, and then immediately ships off to afghanistan under the pretense of "providing" (and isn't it something that he picks a profession where he'll be away from his family for months at a time)

the only reason eddie returned is because of the helicopter crash, to which shannon immediately started talking about moving to california. while i believe that wanting to rest after the crash could be part of the reason he was hesitant, i think there was also a fear of what would happen when he was no longer near his family he was trying to please.

of course, eddie eventually moves to la after getting a job offer from both lafd and chicago. carla mentions that it is only thirty minutes from shannon, and while that could be because he wanted to reconcile, i think it was more to do with wanting to have his son's mother near. that, and lafd is the best in the world (according to eddie)

eddie only kisses shannon in 2x07 after she does her family interview for the school. this specific fact coupled with the absence of the eddie diaz heart eyes™️ (which, despite his closing off at the beginning of the series, we'd already seen in 2x01 when he and buck call truce) makes me believe he realized he could trust her and wanted her back in his son's life, and the way to do that was to get back together.

"but they hid their relationship for a while" eddie was still scared. comphet is a real thing, and causes people to act on things they necessarily don't want. i believe he pursued a romantic relationship with shannon because that's what she wanted, and if he kept her happy, she wouldn't leave again. this is why i wish we could've seen divorced shannon/eddie instead of her dying immediately, and i wonder if maybe it would've sped up the whole deconstruction process for him.

the next time eddie dates, it's with ana. on paper, ana is the perfect wife for him. she's a teacher, knows how to handle kids, is latina, the whole package. eddie tries so hard to make it work, that it actually does, and this causes him to panic. both carla and buck tell eddie not to take just chris into consideration, but to make sure he wants it too, and after some time, he breaks it off with her. the way ana reacted to the breakup makes me wonder if she could also sense the reason for the breakup.

marisol is where it starts to get tricky, but i feel like we've seen enough (or not enough) in these four episodes to piece some information together. chris is the one who encourages eddie to call her, and that makes me wonder if that's the reason they're still together. before the promo of the bucktommy date eddie and marisol crash, we only got two mentions of marisol, and both times was in relation to her helping with chris. at this point, eddie has spent more time with tommy than he has with marisol, as far as we're aware.

the synopsis of tonight's ep says that eddie and marisol "take a closer look at their relationship" and given that we haven't seen much of them on screen, it makes me wonder what this could be about. does it maybe have something to do with them crashing the bucktommy date?

obviously, i wouldn't be mad if eddie turned out to be bi. however, to me, all of his relationships seem be a big case of comphet. speaking from experience, as someone who's pursued relationships with men purely because that's what i was expected to do, not because i actually wanted to be with them. and just like eddie, there was a time where if my best friend (who was of the opposite gender) had asked me out, I would've said yes and married him had it come to that, because it would've made my family happy. i've gotten to a point where i don't care what my conservative family thinks or wants, and i truly believe that this season, we'll see eddie get to that place to.

if you've made it this far, thank you for listening, and here's to hoping we get gay!eddie tonight.

tag: @queeredmundo

[2n2n]

with no ability to really know what is going to happen or has happened, what would be my own ideal ...

I would love the Clockeepers to have had a hubris and just be fucking obliterated or sublimated into whatever Amane has going on, powerless. I would love for the twist to be that they just don't really have a simple ripcord to pull like Akane thinks. I like Amane and Tsukasa as such disruptors, the likes of which the system has no good plan for controlling, especially with Nene-chan acting together with them, with all her special powers. I'm not sure if it's plausible at all though, given Akane still has his yorishiro from the clockkeepers.... <- but we still don't know what really happens to a yorishiro that is 'taken over' by another 'mystery'.... other than that Mitsuba just didn't seem to have one anymore at all, so he clearly didn't longterm inherit the Tengu's in a meaningful way (though in Hell of Mirrors, Hanako seemed to briefly still believe they could strip the ceiling yorishiro to fix things? So is there a holdover period? would having a new yorishiro have just made Mitsuba more stable/powerful ? did his bond to the Tengu's gradually lessen ? was it still technically there, bonding him to the system of Mysteries at all, just not ... well? he definitely had his own properties due to his condition after all, much like how everything about Hanako isn't a result of being a mystery, but a result of his specific situation...)

anyway. Mitsuba's situation is obviously waiting in the wings for a proper explanation (it wouldn't have been introduced at the end of the Festival otherwise... Iro-sensei does pick things back up later)... which makes me suspect it will come into play in some way.... even just in service to an explanation ... I also think learning something about the usurping of yorishiro would be verrrryyy valuable for analyzing Tsukasa...

anyway (a second time). I'd love Akane to not have the sway he thinks he does in this situation. Everyone got pretty owned by the Clockkeepers last round, we've already proven their Big Power so, no need to do that a second time.

[midlandslady]

On Daemon Targaryen Flaws

I know I have a love for Daemon that will probably be rivaled only by Matt Smith XD But people see him as a monster and I think we are watching different shows. Come on guys, all of his emotions are written in his face because Matt is such a great actor.

I try not to justify all of his crimes. But if I want to, I actually think I can.

"Heir for a day". I do not believe he said it! He never confirmed it, not even in this episode. Yes, it was a mistake to cheer the fact that he was restored as heir to the people who would stab him in the back. But he was sad! Come on, he was in his own corner of the bar, quietly drinking and looking forlorn. The people instigated him and him being young and with a huge ego felt like he had to indulge them. That doesn't mean he was happy about what happened or that he wanted to celebrate the death of Aemma and the baby! People who think so do not understand Daemon at all.

Murdering Rhea. He does not feel guilty about it. He hated her. She was an obstacle for him. This is probably his biggest sin yet. But I don't think he went there to kill her. He had no weapons. I don't see the horse being spooked by him. And then she was paralyzed but she wouldn't die. She would still be his wife. And he was leaving. Until she said he "couldn't finish". This triggered violence in him. But it would also be cruel to let her live a life she didn't want to live, in pain and suffering. Was it mercy, or was it cold-blooded murder? Again, this scene is meant to leave it uncertain. But the law says innocent until proven guilty, does it not? It was not a good deed anyway.

Mistreating Mysaria and Laena. When?? Mysaria was a whore working in a brothel, like many others. She was Daemon's favorite so he took her away from that life to live with him in Dragonstone atop Caraxes. I don't see him doing it for people he is not incredibly fond of. She left him when she thought he was putting her at risk with his recklessness. And she didn't go back to being a whore because she now had enough money to start her own business. And she betrayed him, to his worst enemy, time and time again. We never know what she felt for Daemon but it looked like she was also fond of him because when he was drunk in the streets making a fool of himself after leaving Rhaenyra in the brothel, she took him to her place. So I understand she also cared about him to an extent. And when she was betrayed by Otto, where did she go? To Daemon. And Daemon would have killed someone else on the spot for much less than her betrayal. He didn't. Why? He is fond of her. He understands her life was not easy and she had to make due. He even offered her freedom in exchange for a small bit of information he could've acquired somewhere else. And Laena? Daemon loved Laena, he admired her and cared for her. She was not ït" for him, but he was happy with her, he was soft to her. If she hadn't died he would probably stay married to her forever. One might even say she was the only one able to tame his wildness. Something Rhaenyra is incapable of doing. Because he and Rhaenyra are both fire, they will never know peace or calm because that's not them. But Daemon is not to blame for not loving Laena as much as he does Rhaenyra. It's not something he can control. I think if he could, he would because loving Laena was easier and uncomplicated.

He is a bad father. I don't think anyone is winning Best Dad of the Year in Hotd, I'm sorry. Maybe Harwin? But yeah. I saw in an interview they placed Corlys as the best dad. Best dad?! Best husband maybe! But not the best dad, surely. He wanted to marry 12-year-old Laena to Viserys for his own ambitions for the crown (worse even than Otto because Laena was a child) and he was terribly ashamed of Laenor because of his homosexuality. Viserys was the best dad? To Rhaenyra maybe, not to the other kids that he ignored. But even then, if he wanted Rhaenyra to be queen he should not have had an army of male children that would fight against his daughter, should he? Daemon always loved Baela and he didn't feel as connected to Rhaena. It happens. He was still with Rhaena all the time while Baela went to live with Rhaenys. He may not be affectionate but he is there for them. Even for Jace, Luke and Joffrey. He fought for Luke's claim to Driftmark. And people keep saying he ignored Baela after he argued with Rhaenyra. Come on, I would too! The man was so broken he wasn't even seeing straight, I barely think he would acknowledge anyone at that moment.

He was violent to Rhaenyra, twice. I hate it, I do! But she was already pushing him away, trying to command him, show her authority over him, and that came after a lot of traumatic events. Daemon lashes out when he is cornered, challenged, or hurt. She brings out the very worst out of him and that's the insane part of their relationship. It's not healthy, it is primal, animalistic, and crazy! Alas, I don't support his behavior and I hope he will learn from it now.

He wants to usurp Rhaenyra's throne. He does not! He is hurt! He is letting his ego talk for him because he needs to feel that he is not "pathetic", he needs to feel respected and that he is worthy (while doing exactly what makes him not be haha). Because he wants to show it to Rhaenyra. Prove himself to her, as Alys pointed out. The throne means nothing to him, it's all about what the throne represents to the people he loves and from whom he craves validity. He wants to be loved so badly, yet he does not know how to show it and that is a tragedy in itself.

He killed a child. I will die defending Daemon on this point. Once again, the writers intend it to be open for interpretation. I don't think he even considered male children at all. He said so himself and he never tries to justify himself for what he is accused of. Usually, he is just hurt that people he cares for would think bad of him and he would not even make an effort to say otherwise. This time he did say "no and no and no, I didn't" because I think deep down the brutality of the act shocked him to the core too. And maybe he would try to ignore it and put it under the carpet as a mistake but the way Rhaenyra confronts him makes him hate himself.

Is there any other flaw of Daemon that should be explored?

[littlesparklight]

The commentary on Euripides' Alexander is giving me many feelings for Paris and his parents - well, especially Hecuba since she's the one that gets the focus here. (Which is definitely a bit misogynistic, that it's always the bereaved mother who will grieve the most/be shown to grieving most in tragedy.)

The funeral games installed for Paris were started sometime shortly after his assumed death; they're ongoing, perfectly encapsulating both parents' grief and guilt.

Like, they know they didn't do it frivolously - this isn't even about, say, just Priam alone. If there should ever be a more "understandable" reason to have an innocent infant (or an innocent individual at all, no matter their age) murdered, it'd surely be for the safety of a whole city/country.

But they feel guilty and grieve anyway.

Hecuba especially is both still grieving and feeling some sort of moral responsibility for the assumed/intended death.

And this is definitely a thread you can see throughout several sources; in the Iliad Hecuba simply doesn't (get to, for whatever reason) answer Hektor, either to agree or disagree with him when his request for her to lead the matrons in supplicatory prayer to Athena ends with his comment about going to Paris and he wishes he was dead. In the Trojan Women, others (Andromache especially) certainly blame and repudiate Paris, but we see not a word of anything such from Hecuba herself. Of course there's the agon with Helen, but even outside of that Hecuba doesn't talk ill of Paris, or blame him.

(Perhaps interestingly, even Kassandra doesn't, despite that she in many other sources is one of either call for Paris' death or otherwise be an obstacle for him wrt her unheard prophecies. In TW she instead spins Paris and Helen into something positive for Paris and Troy.)

Slightly less weight to it, because Quintus undermines it (~morality~ I suppose), but before he undermines it he does have Hecuba lament Paris' death, with no narrative fiat to reveal during it that it's for other reasons (like with Helen).

Priam, too, has something similar to this, if less straightforwardly so. In the play we know at least he led (as he needs to, being the leader of the community and the family it involves) a ritual cleansing/lament for the dead infant, and he, much like Hecuba, welcomes Paris back at the end of it. Two art pieces that gets assigned to be Paris reuniting with his family has both Hecuba and Priam happy to welcome him.

In the Iliad, Priam leaves before the duel between Paris and Menelaos because he doesn't want to see Paris die in front of his eyes. He only blames the gods when talking to Helen, not his son, and in the Book 7 assembly, while he does put the weight of "we're not returning Helen" on Paris' refusal to do so in the message to the Achaeans, he also implicitly backs Paris up exactly because of that. He cuts the argument off and closes the whole assembly down as soon as Paris refuses, and that's that. Later, of course, Paris is among the sons Priam is repudiating, but he's not singled out, and certainly not in the capacity of his responsibility for sparking the war.

These parents didn't actually want to kill their infant, even when it was for the "greater good". When he came back, unharmed and alive, they ignore the reason they had him exposed and welcome him back with open arms. And long after it's proven that Hecuba's dream was probably entirely correct, they still love him.

[lover-of-mine]

i love pining!eddie and oblivious!buck fics bc i like to tell myself that’s where they were going at the end of s6 if they hadn’t been dropped 😌🤪 but i wish i wrote too bc i’m going mad thinking about buck taking it too far with natalia and getting engaged and he announces it to the team and everyone’s kinda not approving but they smile and congratulate buck anyway bc that’s what he wants but they’re also throwing concerned glances at eddie bc ofc they know how he feels and he just looks devastated and buck takes it the wrong way and thinks eddie doesn’t approve ANDDDD divorce era part 2 ending in an argument, realisation on buck’s part, and confession is in full swing!!!

Oh, honey, that's my favorite conspiracy theory that will never be proven. Based on the tone shift from 6x15 to 6x16-18, the fact actors got called back to reshoot, Eddie's reactions during Buck's coma were watered down, Eddie, Buck and Chris asleep on the couch in three episodes increments that didn't end with all 3 or them on the couch, that math just doesn't math. I was so sure we were gonna get confirmation on Eddie's side. Even more after the cemetery. And then nothing happened. Even the conversation Eddie has with Bobby leads back to Buck. And Eddie calling Marisol is probably a reshoot since Eddie's phone case is different, so like, they changed the game plan in the middle of the season and I wonder what we were going to get from that. And if they're gonna keep moving that direction or just stay with what the ending created.

Also I'm obsessed with a divorce era starting because Buck is getting married. You can have so many fun layers, you can have Buck pushing because Eddie is not reacting the way he expected and Eddie not fully engaging to his taunting but then Buck says something like "why can't you be happy for me? You're supposed to be my best friend" and Eddie just snaps because oh my god is Buck blind, and they go at it, Eddie being the drama queen he is asks Bobby to be assigned to b shift, and meanwhile Buck is losing his shit and can't understand why. And then something goes wrong, I'm tempted to say Eddie gets hurt while on b shift and Buck just goes ballistic, but Eddie is still refusing to see him "you're seriously still this mad at me and her?" "If you think this is about her then you don't know me at all, Buck, now can you just go" and Buck is all what the fuck does he mean and stumbles his way through the realization and turns back around, "didn't I ask you to leave?" "I love you" "you're engaged" "not anymore, now I'm just an idiot" then full blown confession. God I'm obsessed with this for real.

[silverynight]

Comfort omega

<---Previous

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Izuku wakes up with a smile on his face even though he knows he's alone in bed; Katsuki has gone to work early that morning and the omega knows he probably didn't want to wake him up.

He keeps smiling anyway, still having the sensation of his alpha's arm around his waist. Katsuki has gotten into the habit of wrapping his arms around Izuku's middle and pulling him closer to his body while he's asleep. The omega doesn't mind it at all, he loves Katsuki, although he also has become a lot more overprotective lately.

Izuku thinks it's because of the beautiful biting mark Katsuki has left on his scent glands or the fact that it's been a month since they got married.

Still, Izuku doesn't mind a protective alpha, as long as he doesn't start to tell him not to go to work or something, which of course Katsuki hasn't and probably never will because he's proven he's a very good alpha.

The omega finally gets off the bed, takes a quick shower and decides to make himself breakfast before going to work. Breakfast for one since Katsuki won't be coming back until later that day.

He makes himself pancakes and eggs... But as soon as his mouth touches one of those he starts feeling dizzy and nauseous. That's when Izuku decides that maybe breakfast is not meant for him that day and drinks a little bit of orange juice before heading to work.

***

After putting on his safety glasses, Izuku grins at the new piece of equipment for Uravity's suit. He knows she's going to love it.

"Bakugo, are you alright? You look a little bit pale." One of his co-workers asks, concerned.

"I'm fine, but thank you for worrying about me," Izuku says, smiling at her, although he's a little bit flustered now. It's been a month and he still gets warm and fuzzy inside whenever someone calls him by his new last name.

"You also smell more sweet than usual this morning," Hatsume points out, without taking her eyes from Red Riot's suit.

"What?" Izuku blinks in confusion, he hasn't noticed, even though he's a very intuitive omega. "I'm not going into heat, that was a couple of weeks a-ago."

He feels himself blush as he remembers he had to take a few days off (and Katsuki had to do the same) to spent it with his husband.

The omega shakes his head to push those memories away; that's definitely not the time to think about that.

"It's probably nothing to worry about," another of his co-workers says, waving his hand dismissively. "I mean... What if your scent is a little bit more sweet than usual? You still smell good to me."

Izuku nods and decides not to think about that for the rest of the day.

***

By the time he gets off work, Izuku is starving and since Katsuki is not back home yet (they've been texting each other every now and then) he decides to go get some dinner with Aoyama.

"I want the spiciest noodles you have," he finds himself saying to the waiter.

"Your explosive alpha asked you to bring him some?"

"No, this bowl is for me," the omega says, prompting Aoyama to quirk up one of his brows at him. "I know, I know... I mean I usually don't like food that burns my tongue, but today I'm craving spicy food... I don't know why."

"Sure. Just be careful, mon ami," Aoyama nods, although he observes him with curiosity for the rest of the evening. "Why don't you tell me about your day?"

Izuku does and when he finishes telling him, there's something different in Aoyama's eyes.

"So you felt dizzy? Only in the morning?"

"A couple of times during the day, especially around food, but there's nothing to worry about! I mean I'm perfectly fine now."

"You know what? Why don't we keep chatting for a bit in your fancy apartment?"

Izuku buys another bowl for Katsuki and gets into Aoyama's car, however, the blond omega stops at the pharmacy and tells Izuku to wait for him.

"Did you need suppressants?"

"Something like that... I also bought ice cream!"

Izuku can't help it, he gets a little bit distracted by the mention of ice cream.

"Chocolate?"

"Of course, mon ami."

***

Whenever he's back in their apartment, Izuku likes to put on comfortable shorts and one of Katsuki's t-shirts. He sits on the couch while Aoyama finds another two bowls to eat ice cream together.

However, at some point his friend approaches him without ice cream. Izuku feels tempted to pout, but then he notices Aoyama has a funny expression on his face.

"What is it?"

"Listen... I don't want you to get your hopes up, but I think you should take these two to the bathroom."

"What do you–" Izuku doesn't get to finish the question because that's when he sees the two pregnancy tests in his friend's hand. "Really? I mean..."

"I just thought about the things you told me... Especially about you feeling nauseous in the morning. This doesn't mean... Just don't get too excited yet."

Izuku can't help it, his heart is already beating happily and his hands shake a bit when he takes both tests and runs towards the bathroom.

He doesn't come back with an answer yet, because they have to wait a couple of minutes. Instead, Izuku tries to distract himself with a bowl of chocolate ice cream.

It doesn't quite work.

"It's okay if you're not. Don't get all sad because of that, you can keep trying..."

"It's time!" The green haired omega jumps off the couch, almost dropping his bowl in the process. He leaves it on the counter before he rushes towards the bathroom again, right where he left them.

"So?"

Positive. They're both positive.

Sobbing, Izuku runs out to hug his friend.

"I'm going to have a pup!"

"Maybe a couple..." Aoyama smiles back at him. "I can't believe I'm going to be Uncle Aoyama soon!"

Tearing up, Izuku touches his own belly, even though the pregnancy is not noticeable yet.

"Well... It's time for me to go because you have to tell something to your explosive alpha. Call me tomorrow, alright?"

Izuku nods, shaking a little. He feels nervous, even though he knows Katsuki is going to like the news.

***

By the time Katsuki comes back, Izuku has calmed down or that's what he thinks. He heats his alpha's noodles again and puts them in a bowl.

"Kacchan, I brought your favo–"

The alpha ignores the food completely and instead takes Izuku in his arms and buries his face in the curve of his neck.

"I missed you," Katsuki takes a deep breath, right before he starts kissing his cute omega all over the face.

Izuku can't help it, he starts sobbing, which prompts the pro hero to immediately take a step back and look at him with concern.

"What is it, Izuku? Did I hurt you?"

"No, no! Of course not!" The omega assures him, feeling Katsuki's thumbs on his cheeks, trying to wipe off the tears.

"Do I have to kill someone?"

"No," Izuku chuckles then, rubbing his nose against Katsuki's. "These are happy tears."

"But... Izuku..."

The omega cradles Katsuki's face in his hands and the smile on his face becomes wide despite the tears.

"Kacchan... I'm pregnant."

The pro hero freezes, even though there's a lot of emotions and thoughts glimmering in his eyes at once. Izuku bites his bottom lip with worry, a concern that only grows when Katsuki blinks, drops to his knees and puts both arms around Izuku's middle.

"Kacchan!"

"Are you sure?" The alpha has tears in his eyes as well, but he's fighting them, trying to keep it together.

"Yes! We're going to be parents, Kacchan!" Izuku squeaks with delight when he feels kisses on his belly before the pro hero carries him towards the couch and cuddles with him.

"You're the best thing that could've happened to me, Izuku."

That's when Izuku bursts into happy tears again. Katsuki tries to kiss them away even though he's tearing up too.

***

They tell their friends a couple of days later. Although they don't exactly get the opportunity to actually say the words because Ashido guesses right away.

Then Izuku is attacked with hugs; Katsuki growls at Todoroki when the other alpha pulls Izuku into his arms, but calms down when Izuku kisses the blond pro hero on the chin.

It's been a little bit challenging already, Katsuki has become a bit possessive and overprotective and has a hand on Izuku's waist most of the time.

Fortunately, he doesn't let his instincts get the best of him and their friends are more than used to his grumpy behavior already so none of them get mad at it.

"Congratulations!" Uraraka grins, before squeezing Izuku into her arms.

"Careful, round cheeks!"

"I'm fine, Kacchan!"

Of course, Katsuki's friends don't waste the opportunity to tease him about his overreactions when it comes to Izuku and his safety and even though he growls at them, the omega can tell he's having a good time.

He sits Izuku on his lap and keeps one of his big hands on Izuku's belly the whole time as the omega happily tells their friends how he found out he was pregnant.

"Did Blasty cry?"

"NO."

"Yes, he did." Izuku chuckles before giving his grumpy alpha a kiss on the forehead. The pro hero immediately softens. "He's actually very sweet."

Katsuki doesn't even deny it this time.

"You're going to be a great Dad, you know?" Izuku whispers against his ear, giggling when he notices the blush on Katsuki's cheeks.

He can tell his alpha is desperate to meet the pups, because even though they haven't gone to a doctor yet, Izuku is sure now that he's having two pups.

***

Patreon

[shkika]

I think its worth considering that how ancients behaved was from universal

I recall one of the broadcasts describing how the ancients of one iterator had formed a sort of cult around one ancient, while another iterator said that their citizens citizens made festivals constantly

Also I don't think moon is the best source of info since she is a collapsed iterator that forgets things regularly. (Best example being how she said that none of them really missed their creators while pebbles clearly holds a lot od value in what their creators made)

My point is that its entirely possible that in some iterators that it was a group mass ascension, but it is also possible for the citizens of some iterators to have slowly ascended one by one

They did behave differently! I even recall the broadcast you are referring to, it's the one between WO and SI where they reminisce about the ancients after they've left.

PS: Ramble about Moon's memories and Pebs incoming below I went a little off-track at some point I'm sorry aegh!!

The thing is it is implied they ALL left at roughly the same time? I presume? If we were expected to believe otherwise, it's weird we've never heard of one iterator having citizens still left over while another's were already ascended. Sure it's possible we don't know, because we have so few examples, but it's an important one to give I think..

MOON IS ABSOLUTELY not in the best of conditions, but she forgets things. I'm not sure if she's said anything super faulty(?) Mostly she just lacks info. Like how she has no idea what vulture masks are. Not to mention all of her knowledge on fauna and flora (which it's implied she's interested in) is super vague. She uses language like "some" "some sort of" "some kind" and "I don't know" haha.

Hey, she does remember what drugs are! Both the karma and the normal kind that's funny.

Other than that, she'd absolutely have memories of key things, just because she's proven she does! Or at least she gets reminded of them from the pearls you give to her.

I think uhm.. her lack of knowledge/understanding of Five Pebbles' opinion on the ancients speaks for their uh.. less than perfect relationship (and her bias!) more than anything. Not that having a faulty memory.. helps, but Pebbles considered Suns his friend more than he does Moon, so conversations about their creators were probably shared with them more often than with Moon.

I mean even when she's the one who got blasted (fell), Pebbles speaks with more pain about losing Suns as a companion. I do think that uh.. probably has to do with him feeling frustrated that part of the reason why he failed was like- well Moon. She interrupted him and caused the rot to start it's shenanigans

It's not like he didn't feel remorseful towards her as much as he was upset. He never meant to hurt her.

But look at how he talks about Suns..

Makes me think of what Suns meant by using the information in that pearl responsibly while Pebbles feels like they fully understood. I love reading these pearls I love how upset and frustrated Pebbles is at how he keeps hurting the people trying to help/ reach out to him. Of course he wants to be left alone he's scared and guilty.

You guys have issues like all of you.

Anyway ohhh man jumped TERRIBLY off track I'm SO sorry- UHH ANCIENTS ASCENDING YESYES.

I don't think it's impossible for a few on some colonies to have remained for longer, I just think it's implied they all roughly went at the same period of time. I don't know how long that period was!

[scoobydoodean]

❤️ Dean Being Love to Others ❤️

Season 1 Part 2

master post here (still being updated)

1.10 "Asylum": Immediately after Sam, while mind controlled by Dr. Ellicott, blasts Dean through a wall with a shotgun full of rock salt, says some big meanie things to him :( and then tries to shoot him in the head over and over... after knocking Sam out, Dean pats Sam on the shoulder and says, "Sorry Sammy" because he knows Sam's jaw is going to hurt when he wakes up jhvsdjvgjhsfdgj

1.11 "Scarecrow": Sam and Dean fight and part ways at the beginning of the episode. Dean could probably use help on the case, but he doesn't ask for it when they finally do call—he does the opposite when Sam asks if he's hinting he needs help. He says, "You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life. You’ve always known what you want. And you go after it. You stand up to Dad. And you always have. Hell, I wish I—anyway….I admire that about you. I’m proud of you, Sammy." At the end of the episode, after Sam comes back, Dean also doesn't assume he'll stay and asks if he can drop him off anywhere. (Gifset)

1.12 "Faith": Dean struggles with believing Layla deserves to live far more than he does. He struggles both with his own "healing" being prioritized over hers, as well as having to stop the reaper so no one else gets hurt when Layla is the next to be healed.

1.13 "Route 666": DEAN WAS IN LOVE WITH CASSIE. HE WAS SO IN LOVE WITH HER THAT HE TOLD HER THE TRUTH. And even though he was hurt because of how they broke up, the moment she called and she needed his help, he jumped to go help her no questions asked, no hesitation.

1.14 "Nightmare" #1: When Max is about to shoot his step-mother, Dean steps between her and the gun and tells Max he has to go through him first.

1.14 "Nightmare #2: Throughout the episode, Dean does his best to reassure Sam that everything is going to be okay, that his visions do not scare Dean, that he is not going to turn into a monster. This culminates in, at the end of the episode, Dean telling Sam nothing bad is going to happen to him as long as Dean is around. Dean won't let it.

1.16 "Shadow": Dean lets go of what he personally wants, which is him, Sam, and John all together, and advocates for himself and Sam to separate from John because he believes that they'll be a liability (I also think he's incorrect but I do think it's still an example of him being selfless).

1.18 "Something Wicked" #1: Dean crouches down to be at eye level with Michael when he sees him upset. He tells Michael that it is not his fault that his brother got sick when Michael blames himself.

1.18 "Something Wicked" #2: Dean drives Michael's mom to the hospital because he recognizes she's in no condition to drive.

1.18 "Something Wicked" #3: Dean checks in with Michael again right before the plan to catch the Shtriga, and tells him, "Michael, you sure you wanna do this? You don't have to, it's ok, I won't be mad."

1.18 "Something Wicked" #4: There are multiple small examples of the contrast of a child's innocence and Dean's lack of innocence in childhood, and kid Dean makes the decision from childhood through the present to not resent Sam for having that innocence but to try and protect that innocence. And even as an adult, when Sam says, "Sometimes I wish I could have [the innocence of not knowing what's out there]", Dean replies, "If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could too"—saying nothing of his own stolen childhood.

1.19 "Provenance": Dean is worried about Sam losing himself in research and not pursuing relationships (like with Sarah Blake) because of Jess. He tells Sam as gently as he can that he thinks Jess would want Sam to be happy.

1.21 "Salvation" #1: Sam begins to say that Mary and Jess's deaths are all his fault and that he has to fix it. Dean tells him fiercely that it is not his fault and that fixing it is a "we" problem.

1.21 "Salvation" #2: Dean holds Sam back from running into a building burning to the ground (which would instantly kill him) to try and reach the demon.

1.21 "Salvation" #3: When Sam throws him up against a wall, instead of matching Sam's rage, Dean speaks to him gently or calmly and is able to get through to him.

1.21 "Salvation" #4: Dean asks John to promise him that he'll get out if things go sideways with tricking Meg.

1.22 "Devil's Trap" #1: Dean says that if finding the demon means John or Sam getting themselves killed for revenge, he hopes they never find it.

1.22 "Devil's Trap" #2: Dean brings The Colt in secret when they go to save John even though he knows John would be furious, then uses it to save Sam's life.

1.22 "Devil's Trap" #3: Dean says he's actually scared of what he's capable of doing to protect Sam and John.

1.22 "Devil's Trap" #4: Dean is badly hurt and bleeding out after being attacked by Yellow Eyes, but begs Sam to check on John and see if he's okay.

[annabreaksthings]

For sure! I love the series as a whole because it's not near as sugar coated as a lot of other war-based books. You get to hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Granted, there's still some glossing over of details, but overall it's very tastefully done. And I really appreciate how it mirrors real life events and people. This adds quite a bit of credibility to the alternative timeline of the book, just because it did happen historically and we know the outcome. Now we just added a female presence.

As for the characters, they are really well done, especially the badass female leads. Rio richlin is just *chef's kiss* and by far my favorite. Rainy is a close second. I also appreciate the character development in this series, both individually and within their interpersonal relationships. It's very realistic and believable based on what the characters are going through. I'm especially impressed with Geer's development, as a person learning how to work in a group and how not to be a general ass all the time. Then there's the relationship he has with Pang throughout the series, going from being very racist, to having a great working relationship/friendship, to becoming a huge advocate after the war and Pang's death. I liked seeing Rio herself and her relationship with Castain develop too as the war progressed. I could go on about that quite a bit. And of course I wish there was more Rio/Jack and that she had dumped Strand's ass to the curb as soon as he couldn't handle her success. But, that also speaks a bit to Rio's people pleasing nature (and the social standards at the time), even though being in the war/command positions should have given her some more confidence.

Other than that, this just makes me realize how much I'm due for a reread lol

First of all, I'm so sorry this took a month to answer 😓 My computer has been out of commission and the thought of typing up (and then probably reorganizing) a long, semi-coherent response on my phone made me want to chuck it in a lake. Please know I've been thinking of this every day because I'm so excited to talk about these books with someone again!!

Anyway.

My friend, you've taken the words right out of my head with everything you wrote here. I'm with you 100% on all of this. (putting the rest of this under a cut to spare the masses)

You're so right on the realism - I feel like so many other historical fiction books are either sanitized for younger (or squeamish) audiences, or they swing to the complete opposite direction and become a bit dry with the level of detail unless you're a super history buff. Purple Hearts in particular was hard to read at times, but I think maybe it should be. There were a lot of ugly things that really happened, and I'm glad to find an author that doesn't shy away from it for the sake of a squeaky clean image of the allies.

I think I said it in another post a long time ago, but I'm so fascinated by the butterfly effect possibilities this story presents. Obviously the women in canon have proven that they're highly effective in all kinds of roles previously restricted to men, but does that continue after the war? Would it change anything for women in the workforce during peacetime? Or would there still be regression to "traditional" gender norms similar to what we saw in the 40's and 50's? I wish there was more fic or meta for these books because I would love to hear tons more ideas on this.

I could go on about Rio for hours, too. The way she goes from only signing up because Jenou did (and she would follow Jenou off a cliff if asked, I think) to being a highly respected, highly decorated NCO and figuring out she's good at this is one of my favorite things. The section with Strand telling her she's just "playing soldier" is so interesting because if I remember correctly (I'm due for a reread too, it's been a while), she does fight back on that idea at first, but I can see her start to believe it assuming he keeps it up back home.

And Strand. Strand. I too wish he would have been kicked to the curb for the sake of truth, justice, and the American Way, but at the same time, as a piece of fiction, I'm kind of glad he didn't. Most people don't walk away from unhealthy relationships at the first red flag (or second... or third...), and I think there's a fine line to be walked here between normalizing this kind of behavior in relationships and helping people to feel less alone in their own struggles. Unfortunately for our characters, I feel like staying with him fits Rio's MO and realities of the day just as you said. There's something to be said for nostalgia, too, especially when they keep meeting up during the war. He's a little slice of home when she's knee deep in mud and gore, and maybe a little glimpse of the girl she would have been without a war. Who wouldn't want that? Again, there are 1000 fics to write on this... what was the final straw to get her to leave?

But what I would give to see the Strands of the world get what's coming to them....

On the other side, Jack is definitely one of my favorites. He's hilarious in the first book, and I so wish he would have gotten more screentime in the 3rd. But again, for historical accuracy, I can see why he's not when he's reporting to Rio, and why she shoots him down. (Even though it's so painful to read 😭)

What I really love about this though, along with the epilogue, is the theme of relationships and professional success coming later in life. Frangie's married and has kids (teenagers even!) before she becomes a doctor, but she's a doctor nonetheless!! And Rio's been divorced for years and has been in a long relationship-free spell before Jack walks back into her life (presumably with Rainy's meddling). It's so refreshing to see characters who don't have it all figured out at 22, or settle down with their first love, or reach their wildest dreams on the first try. But they keep growing and changing and living, and I think we could all stand to do a little more of that.

[ruuufus]

Ugh I rarely make posts anymore but something from Pretty Little Liars Summer School just gets me so upset.

Because in season 1 I really liked Noa. I thought she made a lot of dumb decisions, but she always seemed to have good reasons. And even if she didn't I understand their kids and gonna do stupid things anyway. But I feel like I'm being gaslit into liking Noas new girlfriend, Jen. Both on and off of the show.

And I didn't hate Jen to start. I was initially excited that Noa was queer. I dont like that we had to have another bi character discover her sexuality through cheating. But thats an issue with the writers and societies perception of bisexual people as a whole.

But the show is called Pretty Little Liars so I give Noa so much leeway in liking Jen. When Jen first stole money from their job I was like "Noa do better!" But I thought if thats the worst of it, eh not too bad.

But when Noa asks Shawn for $2000 to bail out her mistress the show started to lose me. But even then I was like okay they gotta have some drama for the end. But that also wasnt the end of it!

While Shawn is getting cheated on his mom finds out about the $2000 and rightfully demands it back. (Which Jen should've been making an effort to pay it back anyway, not just when his mom gets mad). And Shawn loves and trusts Noa so much that he gets angry with his mom. So Noa asks Jen to come up with the money. And what does Jen do? She robs Shawns house?????? Not only is that awful, but also incredibly stupid! You couldnt find any other persons house to rob?

And even when Shawns mom tries to tell him that Noa robbed the place, he doesnt believe her. He cant fathom that Noa would ever betray him like that. And yeah it was Jen not Noa, but Noa staays with Jen so as far as I'm concerned her name is cosigned to that robbery

And side note I don't even love Shawn all that much. His steroid arc in the first season was annoying, but he did not deserve this.

Finally Noa realizes this has gone too far and breaks up with Shawn. But she doesn't confess the cheating, manipulation for the bail money, or the robbery. Shawn at least figures the cheating part out (im not sure about the other two things) and goes to confront Noa, but finds Jen.

Jen, who he paid all of her bail. Then she "paid him back" by robbing his fucking house! According to Jen, Shawn yells at her and punches the wall. And for arguments sake we'll believe Shawn did everything Jen claimed (even though Jens a proven liar and manipulator).

No Shawn should not have punched the wall. But could you imagine discovering your partner, who you love. Who you defended time and time again to your friends and family. Who you gave a huge chunk of your savings to to help her mistresses with bail. And then that mistress breaks into your house and violates your home. So he has every right to be fucking pissed. And yeah he shouldn't have punched the wall (if he did), but he is also 16. Everyone keeps saying the girls are just 16, well so is he. Hes 16, and just found out the person he loves lied, cheated, manipulated, and stole from him.

And then Noa finds out right? And she absolutely destroys his car. Which is stupid! You have a criminal record girl. His mom hates your guts! But even then Shawn doesnt call the police. And by the way when confronted about the hole in the wall, the first thing Shawn says is "you're a liar."

But fine okay the show is called Pretty Little Liars, drama is the name of the game. I resign myself to holding out hope Jen will be less prominent or written off next season. Because I actually still don't hate Noa. I think she's being mad dumb, but I don't hate her. I do hate Jen (no hate to the actresses though).

Also the girls are supportive of Noa and Jen, only because they dont know everything! If Faran knew that Noa had stayed with Jen after she robbed Shawns house. After stealing from their job. Faran would be like "what the fuck, this isnt smart or good for you."

But where Im really feel like Im being gaslit is on social media. Because first off this isnt good representation to start. Another bi character who has to cheat to learn shes bi isnt good rep! So lets not act like it. But also The creators are working overtime to demonize Shawn on twitter to make me like Jen. And Im not ride or die for Shawn, but he was a lot better than Jen. Jen didnt have any reedeeming qualities. I was waiting for one. But the only time she is a help to Noa is when she saves her from bloody rose, and when Noa needs to hotwire a car. Which are both crisis situations. And if all shes good for is a crisis, then shes not a good partner!

My hope if we get a season 3 is that these problematic aspects of Noa and Jen are acknowledged and explored more until they break up. Cause I just can't see a way to salvage the Jen character. And no that doesnt mean I want Noa to get back with Shawn. Honestly, I want Noa to stay far away from Shawn and either be single for a while or get a new girl.

[lycanlovingvampyre]

MAG 155 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: sitting in my hammock chair on the balcony

So after MAG 154 has been such a banger I couldn't stop and wanted to listen to yet another episode! So I grabbed my phone and went upstairs and outside on the balcony to listen to this one. It's one of my favorite statements, it’s so good on a very complicated level! (Plus that conversation with Basira at the beginning!) ... (It’s gonna be a long post...)

BASIRA: "Hmm. London’s what, 600 square miles?" JON: "607." I don't even think this is the Beholding, I think Jon just knows that xD Just like I know the exact meters of sea level of my hometown XD

JON: "I mean… I don’t know how much she can predict or manipulate the future, but I think she’s proven she can at least avoid us finding her." BASIRA: "Yeah, well, it makes me feel better." Oh yeah, one of the most horrible things... Knowing that there is a spider, but not knowing where...

BASIRA: "Why did you call her and not me?" JON: "Honestly, I panicked. Her name came up first on my phone." We needed it to be Daisy for the narrative, but also I like to think that Jon trusts Daisy more than Basira. And having Daisy come up first on his phone also just shows, that he's talking more often to Daisy on his phone than to Basira.

BASIRA: "I’m trying to convince her to go after them. To, uh… Hunt them." JON: "Why?" BASIRA: "Because I’m not going to lose her." JON: "She goes hunting again, you might anyway." BASIRA: "And if she doesn’t, she might die." JON: "Something you’re fine with in certain other cases, and something she’s made peace with." Ah yes, now the real hypocrisy starts... Jon sounds so angry here when he's calling her out on it. I mean, yeah, I get the emotional side of it, Basira has been with Daisy for a long time and you tend to have a lot more patience for people you love than for people you do not care that much about. But it must still feel horrible on Jon's side.

BASIRA: "Because of the guilt she feels over the stuff the Hunt made her do. It’s not her fault." Oh, just because you feel guilty everything's okay? That's not how it works. It might be an important step to stop doing it, self recognition, but it's still a long way from there. Jon says he wanted to get those live statements, that they felt good. It doesn't mean that he can't feel guilty about it. Isn't that a theme with addiction? (I don't know, I don't think I've ever been addicted to something, at least not in the conventional sense. But I damn sure know what it feels like doing something because you wanted it so badly in that moment and afterwards you see it different -> mundane example of eating that damn piece of pie and regretting it afterwards xDD) Also interesting topic there, "the stuff the Hunt made her do". It might not be a shock to hear that police here in Austria is also pretty right-winged. What is it, that makes police like this. I know only one police officer, she's leftist and of course has a really, reaaally hard time with her colleagues. Gotta ask her someday if it's just that kind of people who chose to become police (it would make sense, that promise of power does attract these kind of people. A phenomenon you can also see in management positions), or if there's in fact a considerable amount of people on the fence, who then get brain-washed into that bullshit.  

JON: "Earlier, when she was still out of it, I… I saw some of the things she was talking about, some of the things she did while she was police. I’m not convinced I disagree with her assessment. Do you want me to tell you?" BASIRA: "No. No I don’t." JON: "You knew, didn’t you? You knew the sort of things she did, and you let her." BASIRA: "No. Not exactly. I thought… It’s not that simple." JON: "It never is. But that doesn’t make it okay." Denial might be natural, but not one of the steps to make things better...

JON: "No. I suppose not. In many ways it’s simpler now isn’t it? At least now our demons have names." OMG yes... Even though none of my "problems" have resolved themselves, being able to put names to them makes it so much easier. And some of those things actually stopped being a problem as soon as I understood them. Now they're just a part of who I am and I won't beat myself up about them anymore.

Conversations like these are so important. Not just in-story for character growth, but also for us to understand them better, maybe even to understand ourselves better.

"I know most people have plenty to live for, but what I mean is that my life does good. I put a lot into the world. Did you read about that homelessness initiative that got 8,000 people into shelters? That was me. I’ve financed drug projects, organized inner city violence initiatives. I’ve always been so aware of the position I’m in, and keen to use that power to actually help people." Ahhh, I love/hate the fact that THIS is the person who tries to justify their behavior....

"My existence does a lot of good, and that’s only gotten more true since all this started. I’ve given more, spent more time on charitable stuff, and helped more people." Yeah, figures, trying to compensate the guilt.

"Sorry, I’m just… aware of how this story makes me look and I don’t want you to think I’m some selfish monster grinding people up just to extend my own ghoulish life. I’m trying to do good." Ahhh, this statement is so extremely difficult and I love it!!!

"So when I had an epileptic seizure, the first one of my entire life, the month before my wedding… that wasn’t fair. I mean, even if I had to have epilepsy – which I could live with – having my first attack at the top of a staircase, five weeks before the happiest day of my life, that’s just not fair!" That’s life. Life doesn't have a manual with an warranty. Vis major doesn't have any fairness. It just is.

"But more likely I thought it would be nothing. No heaven or hell, no thought or sensation, just… Nothing. You wouldn’t even notice you were gone." Oh yeah, I think of this sometimes and it makes my head feel fuzzy. It's not possible to comprehend, this nothingness.

"But it wasn’t like that at all. I don’t know if I have words for it. How can you describe being aware of the absence of everything? Life. Light. Warmth." At least there is a mind to describe it. The nothingness doesn't even have this... Oh course, if it ends in nothingness, I won’t care about this...

"It was very dark, and very cold. It dawned on me that this might be my existence forever. There, beyond time, and I tried so desperately to scream, but I had no lungs or throat in that dreadful place." Literally “And I Must Scream” xD The trope of a fate worse than death and the statement giver tries to scream^^

"And then I felt something. I felt myself reach into his chest, held the strong steady beat of his heart. Calm. Calm while I was lying dead on the table. There was a sudden moment of rage and hate that flowed out of me down at his torso" Yeah yeah, we needed that for the story to progress. But I think this is also why the Jigsaw Killer in Saw imprisoned that doctor? At least I remember that I first began to think about this when watching Saw - the first one I mean, from 2004. This is something that always makes me a bit mad. What do you think makes you so special that the doctor should beat themself up over your fate? Do people not realize that doctors and nurses see this every week? Do people think medicals would be able to continue their jobs if every tragic case gets to them? This is something you have to understand, when you work in medical. You can't let these things get to you. It'll eat you alive and then you'll be less than ever able to help people. Yes, getting a devastating diagnosis is an exceptional state and I know this leads to all kinds of emotional outbursts. But it won't change a thing if the medical staff feels sorry for you or not (provided they're not complete assholes about it of course!). And I say this having been on both sides.

"I had to live, I couldn’t die, not then. We were on the verge of closing a deal that would provide fresh water to impoverished communities in a dozen developing countries. Without me, it would fall through." Ahhh, this statement! This is already something like the dilemma of MAG 199. Hypothetical impact on other people. Morally/logically (?) you would have to say every life is equal. So when you have to kill again and again and again then several lives would pay for your single life. But then we get the hypothetical component of the survival of this single person might save hundreds, thousands more! Suddenly that scale dips the other way. But you won't know if without that one person the project would actually fail or work just fine.

"If only I could have explained it to her, I’m sure she would have understood. She might even have agreed." OMG, holy hell, wtf, no! Why would that person want to live any less than you do?

"Perhaps it was life itself that I was taking, and the old woman that had hardly any left in her, and it had run out too fast." It does sound plausible at least?... Isn't that vaguely how Death Note works for the Shinigami? I can't remember, it's been so long since I read the manga and I never watched the anime...

"This time I sought out a homeless man. Young and strong, though his life was clearly over as he tried to destroy himself through drinking." Aaaah, so now we had an old person and a homeless alcoholic... It seems those are the people less valued in our society... Thanks, I hate it!

I love how the music picks up when the statement giver has a car accident only 3 months after the homeless guy. Cause it's the moment when this turns into absolute madness, seemingly having to take more and more lives!

"I took a newborn. It’s strange, the maths you do of it all. A full life ahead of it, but aside from the devastated parents, no real harm to the world as a whole. No good works left unfinished." I... know that this is where a lot of people get absolutely mad at the statement giver, but I think that's missing the point of the statement. The cost of living... or more the cost of a life. Its value. By what criteria is the value calculated? There is a tendency of society putting an awful lot of value on children's lives. Rather save the kid than the adult... But adults want to live too... This discussion has become even more complicated with the pandemic. Cause then we tried to protect people with pre-existing illnesses and old folks the most. At the cost of mental health of so many. I remember very clearly when young folks suddenly began to become angry when elders immediately went outside after lockdowns to sit in cafes. Like they said, we stayed home for you to protect you and now you immediately throw that away by putting yourself so much at risk? Then again, I remember a.. politician (I think?) also saying something absolutely mad like "Old folks should die for the freedom of the youths"... Holy fuck... Well, long story short, I find this topic just highly interesting...

"It was about connection. About joy. The more friends, family, loved ones the person has, the further out the terror of sudden death spreads from me. The longer it keeps me alive." Ahhh, that it such an interesting concept! The more impact on the surrounding world, the more "saturating" is that life. And Fear Entity-wise that makes sense. It feeds off of that negative emotions. And this actually ties in with the Desolation and not just the End. Causing pain through loss.

"I’m 40 now, and I have taken the life of beloved mothers, respected professionals, pillars of the community. But I have done so much good with my life, I’ve reached further helped more people than they ever could have." Hahaha, have you? Cause in the end, you'll never know...

"I’m not saying how I live is right, or good, but it is the position I have been put in, and a decision I have to make. I never wanted to weigh up the value of a life, to set it on the scales against my own, but that’s a choice that I am forced into. And it is one I will continue to make." Just boil it down to this: The desire to survive is stronger than the guilt of taking lives' of others. Period. No excuses of doing good.

JON: "I’ve saved the world, the whole world. Does that give me the right to take what I need to survive?" Aaaah, such a good question!

MELANIE: "It’s – it’s the rest of you I’m worried about." Seriously, Melanie really made me angry at times. But I think that was all during her Slaughter bullet time. She not an easy person, but seems to care a lot. And when she's not hurting she can be really sweet.

Also again the parallel of the statement and the conversations being held in that same episode. All of them are about a certain price. Losing yourself and hurting others to survive, losing your eyesight to be free... Melanie says it, she okay to pay the price.

JON: "How are you planning on doing it?" MELANIE: "Got, uh, got one of those awls from the book repair suppliers, up in the library? (shakily) If it can punch through books it can punch through, uh… Well it – it should do the trick. No reason to try and make it too complicated." Of course Jon had to ask, urgh... But TMA is horror genre, wouldn't make sense to miss out on that sweet body horror...

MELANIE: "But if you, um… If you could…In five minutes, I would appreciate it if you could call me an ambulance." Ah fuck...

@a-mag-a-day

[writingsbychlo]

There are theories that Mor and Azriel are mates, but since she prefers females nothing ever happened (because of how protective he gets, for example when he choked Eris) and that Elain & Azriel have mates, however, end up choosing each other./forbidden romance. What do you think of this theory? I like Elain, but I don’t want her with Az. I prefer Elucien (I feel like since Elain is a seer, gifted with sight, her powers are connected with Lucien since his dad is Helion, who SJM based on Greek god Helion, who is the god of sight) and I just don’t like the three sisters for three brothers. It feels to predictable. I kind of feel like Azriel is someone who self sabotages. He crushes on Mor for 500 knowing he can’t have her and I’m sure his shadows can pick up on feelings and emotions, so wouldn’t he be able to sense that Mor genuinely wasn’t interested in him romantically? I like Azriel and Gwyn, but some people think she might be evil since his shadows play with her. People bring up that his shadows hide from Elain and they do with Mor as well, so they’re meant to be together. I really want Elain and Lucien together. I just don’t like the idea of Elriel. What do you personally think? Do you think Azriel purposely self sabotages/goes after ladies he knows he can’t or won’t be able to have? I’m sorry if I cause any trouble, I don’t mean to!💜

you didn't cause any trouble, and I'm not afraid to say with my whole fucking chest that I HATE ELRIEL. everyone is entitled to their own choices and ships and whatnot but there's not one single az/elain idea or theory or trope that could make me like it.

breakdown below the cut because the elriel stans out there don't deserve to have their day ruined by my lil opinion lol. however, don't open it if you're curious but stan elriel because it'll just make you mad.

I like elain with lucien, I think they'd be perfect for one another. elain has always been caged and babied by her sisters for being a soft girl, she needs some freedom. she's proven she's not some breakable little object, she deserves to have a life of her own. she deserves to be free from that cage and to see the world. lucien can take her to do that, he's a courtier, he has friends all over and would be such a good guide. lucien deserves some light in his life, he's spent his whole life stuck and fighting, he and elain could just be happy together.

az and gywn is okay. if it was between gywn and elain, my obvious choice is gwyn. solidly, I am still waiting for a love interest for him other than eris that actually viable and matches him so perfectly.

anyways.

elriel makes me sick for numerous reasons. first of all, it's toxic. that whole "the girl who never got to choose and the boy who never got picked" thing. ew. ew ew ew. azriel would spend his entire life then feeling like he was constantly having to keep on proving he was good enough to be picked, and he's already fragile enough like that as it is. elain would end up feeling stuck, like she just chose the first person who as there, and they'd end up hating one another anyway.

also, azriel treats every other woman like a strong, powerful warrior. he treats elain like she needs sheltering and protection. he canon does this, all the way through ACOSF. he treats her like a child. let's just leave that there.

next, as you said, his shadows hide from her. a part of himself, the darkness he used to survive won't go near her. how could he bear any part of his soul to her when the most obvious part won't even be shown? he'd never be able to truly be himself. gwyn has her own troubles, her own trauma, and they'd heal together.

also, three sisters for three brothers is sickening. the elriel ship makes azriel into some toxic man who feels like he's entitled to women? if they got together based on that philosophy it would quite literally undo every single part of his character development. attacking for mor's honour? "be careful how you speak about my high lady"? "you just passed the blood rite qualifier"? all that peak feminism undone because suddenly azriel feels like he's owed some pussy. no fucking way.

lastly, if elain didn't end up with lucien, what's the fucking point of the mating bond being there anyway? it's served NO plot point so far unless they end up being mates. the whole "maybe the cauldron made a mistake" thing could have happened without it. az could have just been "maybe the bond just hasn't snapped yet". like? if they don't end up together, it's just a useless plot thread? sarah don't do that to us.

now, onto this whole mor and az thing. personally, I don't see it. I can understand where that has come from, but I don't see it. I just don't think they're at all equal or alike, and considering the other mating pairs and their similarities, it wouldn't make sense. basically, I just don't think so. I think he just hyper fixated because deep down he knows he can never have her and always goes for unattainable love because he's always felt like love was just outside of his reach. he's always wanted it and never had it (childhood trauma, not cass and rhys), and so he's permanently looking for where he can't have love, not where he can.

so, yeah, that's my breakdown, lol.

[illegiblehandwriting1]

I feel the need to mention this, cuz I was thinking about it and I found it absolutely hilarious. (Skyward Sword spoilers but, c'mon, it's like 12 years old now.)

Time travel breaks a lot of things in the Zelda universe. The Hero of the Skies, miraculously, managed to keep an immense amount of continuity going. SkSw Link managed to not break time, but I can't help but notice that he broke something else.

He just so happened to break the fucking law of conservation of mass.

(putting a read more cuz this gets LONG)

How, you ask? It's pretty simple.

This fucking thing.

You can go back from the beginning of the game and see Zelda's crystal, Impa's bracelet, etc. That's perfect! I love it! It's amazing! Genius attention to detail from the devs. But this fucking pedestal does not exist until the end cutscene. It just shows up in the modern-day Sealed Temple - along with the Master Sword, which should be there as well - like "ayup, homies, how ya doing".

And Link doesn't bat an EYE.

Okay, fine. I'm fine with his reaction. That's his friend, and he's a bit busy. Besides, you cannot convince me that he actually paid attention in any science class ever.

But still. THAT'S NOT HOW PHYSICS WORKS.

However, fear not! I am not solely here to complain. I may have a solution.

You could say that there's not allowed to be two copies of the sacred sword in a time at the same time, but that's boring, right? That's just not any fun. I don't like that. So here's my solution.

The pedestal is movable. HEAR ME OUT, IT GETS BETTER.

So. here's my timeline of events.

After Demise is defeated/Link finally puts Fi to rest/Zelda tries to bring Impa with them/etc. the Gate of Time is broken, right? And it was probably young Impa that did that, right? She's already proven she can break a Gate in Lanayru, so she just waits for Link, Zelda, and Groose to go through and then she blows it up. Great. Awesome. Glad we can all agree on that.

So. Young Impa breaks the Gate of Time. She's probably already seen the Sealed Temple in modern times, right? She was there in that time anyway, might as well see how decrepit her house becomes. It can be a road trip.

Anyway.

So, she probably knows that the pedestal isn't there in modern times. So after she breaks the Gate, Impa just picks up the sword and the stone (you probably couldn't take them apart, after Link slammed Fi in there) and shoves it into her one (1) non-canonical broom cupboard. I'm sure the Sealed Temple has at LEAST one of those, right? And then it sits there. For thousands of years or however long it takes.

Anyway, when Zelda's taken by Ghirahim (In the present day, after Sky Keep) and Link and Groose run through the Gate to save her and stop Ghirahim and all that jazz (no, that's not really important, I'm sure they'll do fine and all. Kinda boring, though, in comparison to what IMPA's doing), the old lady, being her wonderful old lady self, just calmly walks over to the non-canonical closet and carefully puts the Master Sword and the rock pedestal back in its place like it's made of styrofoam. She's IMPA, after all, we stan buff old ladies here. She probably has, like, lines she drew on the floor, too, with a nice little outline where it should go. I feel like that's something she would do. Y'know, for continuity.

I firmly believe that was her last act as the Keeper of Time or whatever she was (I can't remember lmao, too lazy to go find it rn). She made sure all was right in the world of physics. And I love her for it.

Long story short, Link's lovable but oblivious, and Impa was the real unsung hero of the story. Thank her for all of your questions when you first noticed that the pedestal just spontaneously appeared.

Damn, she was so humble that she didn't even mention it when she died lmao. Just doing her job.

Consensus? Rip Impa. But I bet Hylia adores her for keeping the law of conservation of mass intact.

Oh wait, so THAT'S why she keeps coming back. She proved herself as smart. Hylia needs her to guide these dumbasses, and given that she used her entire life to serve, Impa was happy to oblige.

OHHHHHH. See, that makes a lot more sense.

Now, here's the real question. The original Beedle gave Link a sidequest and dropped him out of an airship.

So why does HE keep reappearing?

Anyway, thanks for reading my essay about a pointless subject lol.