#bc i don't think it's ever been about a war on crime for him

[mattiebluebird]

Yk that post that's like ‘signal is the spiritual successor to nightwing’ bc I DO & IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT NON-STOP.

And the comics pretty much confirm it (To Me) in Grayson #15.

So in this issue each of the Robins, minus Steph (RIP Steph) get paired off with one of the We Are Robin gang and give them their own advice on what it means to be Robin.

Tim—whose main problem with this whole thing is that they don't know these kids, how can they trust them?—gets paired with Andre Cipriani, a mob kid whose dad was murdered by a rival gang when he was eight years old. Tim trains Dre by having him fight blindfolded. He tells Dre that being a Robin is about truth and investigation, which makes sense, right? Tim became a Robin by figuring out Batman and Robin’s secret identity (keep this in mind, all the Robins’ advice links to their origin).

To be a Robin, you have to understand what you don't know. And then you must seek to know it. You must always ask: how can I see into the dark? Batman once told me, being a Robin can be summarized into one word: investigation.

These two were an interesting choice to pair up. I would've thought they'd put Dre with Jason, given their violent tendencies—Dre is smart, but at this point in the comics doesn't strike me as particularly investigative. Then again, right after this arc he goes undercover in a gang, so maybe he learned something?

Speaking of learning something: at first I thought they should've paired Dre with Steph (#teamcriminaldads lmao), and while that would be an interesting team, Dre did learn from Tim. If Riko were present in this issue, she would've been a good fit for Steph, as she idolizes the Batgirls and Steph was both a Batgirl and a Robin. Plus, Steph and Riko are both brave & have mean streaks, something that Riko has trouble showing because of her shyness. Steph’s advice probably would've been along the lines of “being a Robin is about defiance”.

Besides, if Tim and Dre weren't paired up, we never would've gotten this interaction.

— You like Liszt.

— What?

— Franz Liszt. The composer. You play the piano. I looked you up. People who play the piano like Liszt.

Points to Tim for the most autistic small talk ever. ‘You like this, which I know because I researched you in a totally non-creepy way.’ Amazing. 10/10.

Dax gets paired with Jason. They're interesting parallels. Dax is the inventor/mechanic of the team, but also sort of the wild card with very strong morals, like Robin!Jason in a way. Like Jason, Dax’s father is (implied to be) a crook, though they took different moral directions because of that—Dax is completely opposed to gun violence.

Anyways, Jason's main reservation is that you can't have Robin without Batman. And I guess he decided to solve this issue by just becoming Batman & making the WAR crew relive his origin story by stealing tires from the mob.

Y'know, kid, Batman once told me, being a Robin comes down to one word: confidence.

Jason Todd, the Crime Alley street kid who had the balls (and the skills) to steal Batman's tires and get away with it. Sort of. Confidence, indeed.

Damian's problem with the Robins is, of course, that they're weak, and strength (according to him) can't be trained; you either got it or you don't. He gets paired with Izzy, who probably has the toughest home life of the WAR crew. Her brother's in a gang (that he regularly beats her up for not joining), and she's failing all her classes because she's too busy working night shifts at her mom's restaurant to sleep or do homework.

So Damian's advice to her is pretty apt:

Batman told me that there is one word that captures the essence of being Robin. Suffering.

Damian and Izzy are both outwardly surly, stubborn characters who have had to fight to survive. Notably, Izzy is the first of the crew to almost resort to killing/guns (in WAR #6). She's also probably the best fighter in the WAR crew after Dre and Riko. She does dancing, gymnastics, judo, and kick-boxing.

And, finally, we reach the point of this whole post: Dick & Duke.

Duke deduces Dick's secret identity in like .5 seconds.

— I've solved a lot of hard in my time. This ain't hard.

— No. No, it wasn't hard. Not for you. Again, Duke Thomas?

Dick: You discovered my secret identity!

Duke: What? Like its hard?

After scoping out their strengths and weaknesses, Dick sends the Robins on individual assignments: Dre and Tim to investigate, Dax and Jason to cause a distraction, Izzy and Damian to apprehend Robo-Batman/Gordon.

Dick brings Duke on to a roof for a stake-out, where they have this exchange.

— You think only the originals understand how to be Robin?

— Nope.

— Yeah. Me neither.

Then it turns out that Dick actually turned them all in to the cops because he wanted them out of harm's way. He's been watching Duke for a while and he knows he's scared of heights, so he led him onto a roof he knew he couldn't get off of. Just before they part ways, Dick imparts his Crucial Robin Advice:

Batman once wais to me that being a Robin is about one thing. Family.

(I find this whole thing super ironic considering Dick's whole aside concerning the Robins was the fact that it doesn't matter if people know you're manipulating them as long as it works.)

The point of Robin? Family. Dick and Duke are alike in this way. Dick only became Robin to get justice for his parents’ murder. Duke only joined WAR to find his parents.

Their origins and motivations are similar, and so are the characters themselves. Dick is often called the world's second-greatest detective next to Batman himself. Duke is a child prodigy—one of our first introductions to his character is when he tried to solve the Riddler's riddles in Zero Year. He loves puzzles. He's an amazing detective.

And, of course, one of the things we know and love about Nightwing is his inherent kindness, something that's present throughout Duke’s entire character arc. Even their hero names, Signal and Nightwing, are parallels of each other (light and dark). Batman’s first sidekick and his last. And, like Nightwing, Signal formed his own team (WAR) with no help from the others (except Alfred ig).

Of course, the entire point of Signal’s character is that he's not just a Robin. He's something different. It reminds me of that post that's like—’poor dick grayson, originator of a legacy he never meant to be a legacy, crushed with guilt and jealousy when he looks at all those who came after’. To me at least, it makes sense that Nightwing’s successor would've never been a Robin at all.

[wantonlywindswept]

adopted baby Guard Din idea that I am never going to write

because it would involve logistics and quiet moments and idle life which I am very down for reading but cannot for the LIFE of me actually sit down and write

So the war ends, Palps is outed as a Sith and an asshole and dies somehow, and the Senate eventually decides that the clones do count as people and thus are allowed to leave the GAR if they want. Give the bureaucrats another few years and they might even give out backpay and citizenship, so long as you stay in the service--wait what do you mean the entire Guard is resigning. What do you mean they've already left orbit?? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE NOW MILLIONS OF FILES ON THE HOLONET ABOUT THE SENATE'S SHADY DEALINGS???

Guard, collectively: lol cya suckers

Fox is of course one of the last ones out, and since this was all planned on the down low, everyone's been split into groups so they can take commercial flights, since they're not about to be accused of stealing ships. (They also leave their weapons and their armor behind, in a giant macabre pile in the middle of Corrie HQ. Even their helmets, their faces, they discard: it's time for a rebirth.)

He and Thorn and a few other Corries have a stopover on some tiny station, waiting a week for a delayed transport to arrive, and in the meantime they're approached by some locals who just fled the planet below. Separatist remnants attacked their homes, forcing them to leave everything and everyone behind; can the big strong clones do anything about it?

The Big Strong Clones: Oh shit we finally get to kick some Seppie ass? Sign us the FUCK up.

The eager group does not include Fox, who could not care less about the Separatists and would very much like to finally catch up on his sleep. Unfortunately that means that the group that goes down to the planet is Unsupervised.

(Thorn does not count as supervision. Thorn, bereft of Senate oversight, has finally allowed his Inner Chaos Gremlin to fully emerge. Thorn needs more supervision than the shinies.)

Thorn, three days later, waking Fox from half-hearted sleep by dropping an entire natborn child on him: Hey boss, look what we found! None of the refugees claimed him, so we called dibs. Can we keep him? Fox, staring at the child: ...

Din, staring back: ...

Fox: ...no..?

Din: *sad but understanding big brown eyes*

Fox: Nevermind this is my child now.

Din has gone from two parents to one parent and hundreds of overprotective brothers.

Eventually his group makes it to their destination, Din in tow. I am uncertain of what the destination is but it is a planet that is as far away from Coruscant that the Corries could find. I am tempted for Tatooine not because I like Tatooine (I share Anakin's loathing of sand and deserts) but because Luke's description of Tatooine in ANH was 'if there's a bright center to the universe, this is the planet the furthest from'. 

Corries, hearing that: Fuck it sounds perfect. 

Anyway they make it to Tatooine, there is probably purchasing of some shitty land/buildings that nobody wants out in the wastes bc crime, scum, villainy, etc, but it's not like they have problems taking care of anything that tries to mess with them. 

Where did they get the funds?

Shh don't ask about it.

Stone takes up moisture farming. Thire takes up farming-farming. Thorn shoots gleefully at anything that shows up unannounced within a ten-mile radius. Literally everybody dotes on Din. There are a surprising amount of peaceful days.

Eventually some dumb shiny goes: Hey don't kids need friends? Shouldn't we set up some playdates for him or something?

The shiny is not called dumb for asking the question, but they are called dumb for thinking that the question would only ever be taken rhetorically. Fox disappears for two weeks and then comes back with a black eye and a yowling hissing Boba tucked under one arm, looking stupidly pleased with himself.

(Boba is also pleased to be back with people he knows will keep him safe. Boba will not admit to this under threat of death or dismemberment. Boba is a SERIOUS SCARY ADULT BOUNTY HUNTER.)

Boba also decides he will be Mortal Enemies with Din, which after about ten minutes of meeting him morphs into If Anyone Hurts Din I Will Kill Everyone In This Room And Then Myself because all clones be the same, really.

Din has gained another brother/bestie. (Or potential future boyfriend, whichever floats your boat.)

Somehow they still end up overthrowing the Hutts.

Officially the GAR knew and knows nothing about the Guard leaving Coruscant as soon as the metaphorical paint was dry on their sentient status.

Unofficially Fox's batch harangues him every single day for photos of his new kid(s). They eventually show up unannounced, demanding time with their nephew. (They are shot at by Thorn.)

Din gains five new uncles.

The batch proudly show pics and holos to their battalions. Din gains millions of new uncles.

Fox finally gets a full night's sleep.

[aruanimess]

For the ask, what about reverse warrior/paradisian Aruani, where Armin is from Marley and Annie is from Paradis? How do you think this would change the story?👀

Fanfic Author Never Have I Ever

Hey, Stella!

Well, I have shared some ideas about a similar premise here, but I've definitely never written it.

If I were to write something like this, I'd probably have Armin being a lot more lenient with the Paradisians. The plot would revolve around Armin finally deciding to give up on Marley and join the Paradisians. I know a lot of people want to see him commit war crimes (and don't get me wrong, he would), but I think a character with Armin's moral compass would snap when faced with the blatant injustice of Eldian discrimination.

As for Annie, I'd keep her backstory similar: her father wants her to join the Military Police to benefit himself. Still, I think she'd be more open to developing friendships in this scenario as she is not actively betraying anybody. She and Armin would become friends and slowly through time she'd figure out something was off about him and his mysterious friends (as I believe Armin would spend more time with RB than Annie does in canon) and she'd go into sleuth mode.

After Trost, and the revelation of Eren, she'd put two and two together and confront him. Armin would fight her off and try to silence her, revealing that he's a lot more martially inclined than he let on (as he's been trained for years in this AU and also has the benefit of healing quickly). Ultimately though, he wouldn't be able to go through with Marco-ing her as he has a) developed feelings for her and b) has become unconvinced of the supposed evilness of the Paradisians. Then, they'd devise a plan together to uncover the monarchy's secrets and make the public aware of the truth.

P.S. Sooo, there's also the problem of which Titan Armin would get, as Bertolt has the Colossus and is Armin's ally in this. My friend @midnightlighthowlite has a little project where the third member of the titan trio is Pieck instead, and, as much as I loooooove this possibility, to propose something different I say: I'd give Armin the Female. Knowing me, I'd probably turn it into a whole theme about gender identity, toxic masculinity and trans issues too, by having Armin endure bullying back home bc he was chosen for the "girl" titan. I'd have him experience gender dysphoria (either when transformed or when in his regular body depending on where I took the story) and struggle with his presentation in general. Obviously, this would be resolved by Armin embracing his feminine side, either by deciding he's some flavour of trans or by accepting that body parts are gender neutral.

[atyd1960]

The more I think about it the more I'm confused about Snape's so called "redemption arc":

We don't know much about his years at Hogwarts outside of the time James hanged him from his underwear and he called Lily a Mudblood, but we know that:

1. He had a disdain for Muggles ever since he was born or at least ever since he was 10 y/o bc that's when he meets Lily and Petunia and treats the latter like garbage.

2. He was friends with Mulciber and Avery- known death eaters, especially Mulciber who we know was particularly close with Baldy due to the time he came to Hogsmede with him for his job interview with dummydore.

From that we can assume that he was a witness and a participant in A Lot of hate crimes against Muggle Borns ever since he was a minor. One of which was the time Mary was the victim.

3. We know HE invented the spell James used to hang him from his panties, which must mean that he used it against others, probably muggle borns, and his DE friends must've used it as well.

4. We know he invented the spell Sectumsempra to use against his enemies?? (Sorry it's been a while since I read the books I don't remember the exact quote.) and his enemies are almost certainly the Marauders. Also maybe his dad but that's a discussion for another day.

5. We know he was one of Baldy's dearest death eaters, even tho he was a Half-Blood with no status and no connections, which means he definitely did a lot of horrific things to Muggles and Muggle borns and the members of the Order of Phoenix.

6. We know he heard Trelawney's prophesy after eavesdropping in a bar, and immediately ran to Baldy with it. He knew that by telling Baldy about the prophecy an innocent baby will be killed, and he didn't give a shit. I cannot stress enough how much that information in vital for his character. Taking a baby's life so that Baldy might give him a sit closer to him by the table. And nothing would've happened to him if he shut his mouth and didn't go to Baldy. He didn't have his life or even his status\loyalty on the line. He just sacrificed this anonymous innocent baby for kicks and giggles.

7. The only point in which he cared about his actions was when Lily's life was on the line. This wanker really didn't care that he just gave Baldy (a man who made it his life' mission to kill Lily and the likes of her) a reason to kill Lily's son and husband, who were practically her only source of joy while she fought against his people in the war. He just wanted the girl he slurred and stalked and mistreated in high-school to live with all her friends and family dead. And thought he was doing something good. I don't even know how to begin to describe how fucked up that is.

8. He went to Dummydore and asked him to save her. After he got her, her husband and her kid to be under an even worse constant death threat than they were before because of Lily's blood status and their participant in the order. And after he spent the last 3-4 years killing Lily’s friends and the people who share her blood status.

9. That was also the point in which he offered himself to be a double spy right?? Again real heroic of him to risk his life after all the shit he did because he was in love with a girl whose life he ruined. He never cared about all the shit he did and all the people he murdered and he never actually wanted to help innocent people or do good by the world or even by Lily.

10. After Baldy died for the first time and the first war ended, Harry had nobody left, and Dummydore put him with Petunia and Vernon. Snape knew better than anyone else what the Dursleys will do to Harry. He knew everything, and he didn't do shit. Not only did he not do shit, but he also made things worse for Harry by bullying and harassing him since the moment he stepped foot in the castle.

11. Extending on the last point- Snape bullied, harassed, abused, mistreated and discriminated against students at Hogwarts ever since he started teaching there, I'm not gonna start elaborating on all the times he did those things because that would take a different essay of similar length.

12. If Voldemort chose to go after Neville instead of Harry, Snape would live and die as the most loyal Death Eater ever

So to conclude: am I really expected to forgive him because he loved Lily and had a hard time with James when they were 16 and he spied for Dummydore for a bit?? Being a loser in middle school and then becoming a double spy doesn’t make up for… anything. Especially since he never stopped being a terrible person.

[vechter]

what do you think it would take for dick grayson to kill?

a lot of people think he takes "killing" very lightly and he would easily commit murder on anyone who hurt his loved ones but i don't think it's that easy. it's way more complicated than that. i thought you could make a post on dick and his connection with his morals and how he perceives things?

i totally understand if u dont want to or if you need some time to construct the post <3

okaaaay. a couple of thoughts on this but the first thing that comes to mind is this set of panels from nightwing (1996) #112:

this is his voiceover right at the beginning of the renegade arc and it's written by devin grayson. while i don't agree with all aspects of how she writes dick, i think this one is a fairly accurate depiction of what dick himself thinks of his morals.

this is coming right off the blockbuster saga so dick has lived that moment where he froze and let tarantula shoot blockbuster:

the thing with dick's no-kill mentality is that he adopted it from bruce but it's way more nuanced than that.

bruce mentored him in his most formative years; he taught dick almost everything there is to know about vigilantism and crime. but the thing is, dick was an entire person before he met bruce! most of his inner strength and determination and will power is a reflection of being raised by mary and john grayson till age 8/9/10 (kat actually has a wonderful meta about this). panel below from jla (1997) #76:

it's what makes dick so different- it's why nightwing is a beacon of hope, why he's the guy every superhero trusts.

on the other hand, bruce is staunchly dogmatic in his moral code. for him, to take a life is essentially becoming a part of the senseless violence that took his parents from him in that alley. he will never be the same if he lets himself give in. and if he's not the same, he can't be batman (panel from batman 1940 #650):

dick, however, is different in the way he approaches this. while you cannot understate his adherence to no killing, his loyalty to bruce supersedes all. just look at his first thought after letting blockbuster die in nightwing 1996 #93:

did blockbuster deserve to die? yes. did dick himself think that? yes, for a brief moment. but that's the thing about vigilantism- it's all about split seconds and moments that are lost before they're ever held. it's why all of them have to hold themselves to such strict standards.

there have been several instances where dick has threatened killing when it's his loved ones in danger. panel from new teen titans (1984) #18 (lil nebulous bc i can't remember if he was under brother blood's influence or not):

but i think one of dick's chief characteristics is how deeply he values control, which brings me to dick killing the joker.

see, the thing is dick's moral code is deeply influenced by his desire to protect his loved ones. he gets angry when they're hurt. but this protective rage often wars with his desire to stay in control! if you read joker: last laugh (2006) #6 through that lens, it gets rlly interesting:

we see him state that this isn't the way. but his anger is driving him:

dick's reaction is soooo fun. it's not really about the joker being dead, it's about how he lost control and let the joker win! it's not about the joker, not really, it's about what it says about dick. if dick is not in control, can he trust himself? what does it say about him that he let his rage get the better of him?

the only other canonical instance where dick kills someone is creighton kendall in nightwing (1996) #146. but the thing with this one is that it's different from the other two. dick is very much in control of the situation. in fact, it's pretty much premeditated:

tomasi's run is excellent, prolly one of my favourites, but for some of the events that transpire, you don't really get any kind of introspection on them. and dick is very much an introspective guy, even if it's introspection based on his warped perception of himself. so, i'm a little unsure if he feels any guilt about this or if he thinks it's a justified call. because he did plan it out by letting kendall drag him across the water, soaking his wings and timing his own jump.

so, i think how dick would approach the situation is very important. if it's something like the joker or the blockbuster, where dick is lost to senseless rage or emotionally spent from deaths he blames himself for, dick will never forgive himself. but for a guy like kendall, where it's the only viable last resort, dick will not have the same level of self-hatred and guilt over it.

i think this conversation with babs in nightwing (1996) #53 is a pretty good summation of what moral philosophy he adheres to:

but to be fair, dick kills the joker literally 10 issues later and then blockbuster comes into his life soon enough to blow it all up, so maybe this is a slightly rosy view of what he thinks is the right thing to do.

which is why the monologue in nightwing #112 is such a good articulation of his evolving code. dick has been in a position where he has surprised himself more than once so he doesn't hold the same view about the infallibility of his ethics any more.

all this to say, dick will absolutely not easily kill someone who has hurt any of his loved ones. the only time such a thing would be tenable would be in a moment of great emotionality or him facing the absolute worst kind of sophie's choice, and even then- the odds of him killing someone are laughably low. remember, this is the guy every superhero trusts indubitably and whose resolve is too strong to be darkened!

[nightfall-1409]

like its ok to wish that hunter did more to get crosshair out but i will say PLEASE stop saying that rescuing the literal helpless child from the child murdering fascists was somehow wrong of Hunter.

also like. can we stop undermining the very clear and obvious way that crosshair liked the power that he was given in the empire, especially over others, he was radicalized. he convinced himself that the war crimes were justified in the name of power. that is a far bigger problem and something that is going to haunt him far longer and requires a lot more to undo and forgive (and some people will never and should never do that, and others can't bc they are Dead)

to say it was all the effects of the chips, at this point in the series, its just not true. the events of aftermath specifically are 100% the chip. Everything after that is up for debate. We don't know when it was taken out, but at some point it was, and crosshair's pov is that it doesn't matter when, bc he likes where he's at. Had he not been abandoned by the empire on Kamino for so long, I doubt he would have ever changed, had Cody not deserted after confronting him about what it was the clones were doing, I doubt he would have ever changed. Had he not been forced to see Mayday's struggle and fight to bring him home and still after everything they both gave after everything suffered mayday died not in battle but because someone couldn't be bothered to even try to help him, I don't think he would have changed. I don't think Hunter could talk him out of it, and maybe he didn't try hard enough, or really, at all. Crosshair's version of loyalty, though, is blind, unquestioning, a soldiers loyalty. Obeying what they were doing, things that Hunter couldn't obey, and would have made him a monster to do.

But I can't imagine the disgust I would be forced to contend with if like, my family member came forward like "oh yes we're built to be soldiers, that doesn't mean preserving or protecting innocents, It means power and killing those who get in my way. its my purpose in life and i think you're stupid for not getting over the moral objections" like what do you even say to that. Hunter at that point had SEEN what the empire was doing. They both had, their home planet, (and head canons aside, all clones did in fact, in canon, see it as their home.) orbitally bombarded to secure power. How do you talk someone out of that, if fundamentally what your disagreement is on the value of life. You don't. Hence Hunter's demands in S3E5 to know what changed. What finally made Crosshair realize what he believed, about power and his purpose, was wrong.

Crosshair didn't want out. Crosshair was upset they didn't stay. He saw their purpose as being with the Empire. They escaped and ran and deserted. If they weren't with him, in the Empire, then they should die, like the Jedi, and Crosshair did absolutely believe that.

So this is all to say that. they are not equally responsible for what happened to their squad. Crosshair didn't have a choice at first— but once he did keep running right over that line. And a lot of us hoped that he was lying about the chip, that he wasn't entirely responsible for all that he did. But he was. That's clear at this point.

Even the whole chip matter— it's prolly really hard for Hunter to separate it. logically, he knows it was partially the chip at this point. But at that point in the story he watched someone he was incredibly close to nearly kill them all and at the time he had no idea why. If Hunter'd not grabbed Omega by the leg and tripped her she would be shot dead. If omega hadn't surprised Crosshair by shooting his gun out of his hand he would have killed Hunter. He shot wrecker, to use him as bait against the rest of them? Like, again, we all knew about the chip, but I can understand the emotional toll of such a thing bc he DIDNT at the time. The betrayal in that moment? How do you let it go?

But thats all fine! its interesting its character development and its the story they were determined to tell. But like. we can be honest.

Now if someone thinks that im wrong i'd love to know what exactly hunter needs to be sorry about, and why he's equally responsible that doesn't like either downplay the war crimes and murder and doesn't throw Omega like directly into harms way and under the bus.

[qprsmackdown]

c!Emerald duo propaganda:

Let me tell you. We've got two guys. They live together. They live miles away from everyone else but they live in a little cabin in the snow together. They would die for each other. One HAS died for the other. One is in a monogamous relationship with the personification of death and the other is one of the most widely headcanoned aroace characters and it in no way ever devalues what is considered as one of the most unshakable relationships in the story

"For you the world" — Technoblade to Philza. They are so loyal to each other, legit the healthiest and strongest relationship in the fandom

"For you, the world, Phil." -Technoblade "Sometimes one friend is all you need." -Technoblade “I’m following Techno to the gates of hell... and if he wants to take over the world, god dammit I’m gonna help this man.” - Philza “I followed him to the ends of the earth, through fire and flames.“ - Philza (about Technoblade)

They live together. They kill together. They're raising a polar bear and a very anxious enderman hybrid. They committed so many war crimes and looked good doing it<3 "For you, the world" quote my beloved. Anarchism swag😎

Silly guys of all time! They took over the entire world together once <3 (pre-dsmp but still canon to dsmp) they blew up a country together <3 gotta love 2 guys who commit Literal Actual warcrimes. Also the way they trust eachother just unconditionally is just soo ouuuugggghghhhh i love them. iirc I remember a part where techno was basically just talking about how he'll basically never trust anyone again. TO Phil. Who was very obviously an unspoken exception to the "never trusting anyone" thing. It's been a while so idk if I remember it right but aaaouuuugggg their relationship was so good. Also "for you the world phil" AAAAAUUUUUUU (although the context of that line is much sillier than people usually remember but they are silly guys <3). Ooouugghhh I have so much I could talk about but it's late so I can't think of it right now but they are sooooooo important they are everything to me. This is kinda bad propaganda bc I don't know if I'm even remembering things right and am vaguely incorrect but AUGH. EMERALDDUO

Consider: the fanon immortals being very old friends thing which is a trope i will never not love, and also taking over the world with your qpp is so pogchamp of them

Two anarchist immortals who have been besties for an indeterminable amount of time, but at least for hundreds of years. Took over the Earth once just to show that they can. Back-To-Back Badasses. Each other's consciences and also enablers. Lived together in the middle of nowhere tundra biome, in connected little cottages with their bazillion pets.

THOSE BITCHES WERE LIVING IN THE ARCTIC TOGETHER IN THEIR GAY LITTLE COTTAGE WITH LIKE 100 ANIMALS!!!! They’d both often talk about how they’d kill and die for one another, they’ve been together for centuries despite Techno being all but confirmed Aroace and Philza being married to someone else!! I think they definitely had a QPR going on because like. The person you’re closest to and have lived alongside for god knows how long u gotta at least have SOMETHING going on there imo.

They are both imortal livelong best friends who have been there for each other through war and and other personal hardships They are partners in crime, both arnarchists who took down a nation together and both live in retirement together They only trust each other wholeheartedly (aka they both belive the other wont betray them) and Phil is the only person Techno feels he can be himself around (aka be soft around).

Apparently their qpr had drama in the past bc of this one fic but tbh i dont really get why These two are literally just. The best. There's absolutely no romance between them, but they're the closest of friends, and they care about each other so so much. And they deserve all the things. They live together in a house in the arctic in a commune for anarchists. Basically everyone in the Syndicate are their adopted children. 'For you, the world, Phil' -Technoblade (Just like to say this too, Techno is not Phil's son in the DSMP universe. It's been canonically confirmed.)

They’re two dudes who spend all their time together, built their houses next to each other (and connected it w a bridge), started a commune together, took over the world together, have FRIENDSHIP EMERALDS, and are genuinely such good friends (these are the characters but the irl guys were really good friends until techno died too)

Just a bird and his pig chilling as kings

"for you phil, the world" is treated like this big dramatic line as they take over smpearth but in context its bc they were arguing over something silly and techno laughed and conceded to him and like... just look at then they're ride or die besties emerald duo ftw (on a sadder note i constantly see philza wearing techno's merch on streams and videos and just... man i miss seeing them together)

immortal warriors who have promised to follow each other to the ends of the earth, through fire and flames. they are each others most trusted person without a doubt. when trying to retire from the wars that plagued the server, they both retired in an arctic tundra where they lived together.

These guys cant be seperate from each other anymore than like three days. Like, on top of also doing the antarctic empire together in earthSMP, they just moved to the arctic together to just enjoy life and retirement together. They understand each other like no other bc they've known each other forever. Also bc if we take the titles of bloodgod and angel of death literally you get something something being willing to spend eternity with the other because you care abt them. These two are fine being isolated from everybody else and chilling on their own bc thats all they need

Their relationship is defined by a connection that has lasted for centuries. Despite everything, they always go back to each other. They live together in a cabin in the arctic. They also like murdering together a little too much.

old men committed terrorism and then they settled down :)

For you Phil, the world Immortal best friends spend thousands of years together, conquer the world, found a empire. Phil has a kid with his goddess wife, Techno wind up joining the kids rebellion against the country he founded. When that goes wrong they start a commune called the Syndicate. They are so ride or die. I love them

please they live together theyre best friends theyre immortal together they love each other and phil is married to a god PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[reesespeanutbutterfuck]

mon ange analogique

long list of headcanons of YJH with an s/o who radiates the same energy as him and reciprocates his evilness

pairing: jeonghan x reader

word count: 3.1k

warnings: VERY SUGGESTIVE, goofy ahhhh writing, fem!reader, reader is implied to be masc and more dominant towards jh lol, established relationship, intentional lowercase, messy keyboard core, cursing, implied smut, mentions of svt members as extras, TOUCHY JEONGHAN, JH AND READER ARE CHAOTIC EVILS

heheheh so you're dating THE yoon jeonghan? good for you

so you alr know this man is annoying but in like, a very charming way

the members totally were on ur side everytime you banter coz they've had enough of jh terrorizing them that they were so glad he finally got a taste of his own medicine

KARMA IS A BITCH

"jEoNgHAnNie, nUgU aEgi?"

ಠ_ʖಠ

tf did u just say

dw he gives you the response you want :D

you once played mafia together in a group, with u as a mafia (unbeknownst to him) and him as a citizen much to his dissapointment

as lovers, of course you instinctively trusted and tagged along with each other

BUT WHAT HE WASN'T EXPECTING IS FOR U TO KILL HIM FIRST

his jaw drops to his feet with the turn of events

BOMBASTIC SIDE EYE, CRIMINAL OFFENSIVE–

HE TRUSTED YOU.

HE ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU WERE TOGETHER IN THIS HOW COULD YOU

like i said, karma is a bitch

it all came back to bite him in the bum

he knew you were something else, your personality that mirrors his own is very amusing in his eyes, he was enamoured by how you acted

very head-over-heels for you

whenever you bully or prank him, all the times when he pranked his members flash before his eyes as he finally gets a taste of what it's like on the receiving end

he looks at you like you just committed a horrendous crime in front of his eyes

oh you're bullying HIM now? how dare you

of course his competitive ass gets revenge on you afterwards bcs THIS IS WAR

of course your banters and pranks on each other are always lighthearted, he wouldn't do or say anything out of the line purposely to hurt you, and you wouldn't do the same either

however if it somehow happens that you hurt each other, which is a very rare occurence, it would always come to healthy resolve because you both talk it out immediately

you value each other's boundaries

he would pull your wrist and wrap your arm over his waist as he settles you on his chest

"there, there, i'm sorry jagi, i won't do it again." he gazes down on you and gives you a soft smile, his long hair framing his face beautifully

even if he's usually frolic, he knows when to take things seriously

besides, he'll never do anything he knows you wouldn't like (!!!)

humiliation for the sake of pranks is a big NO. that's just horrible

having ideas for dates and what to do while spending time w/ each other were never a problem, considering the fact that both of you have the same hobbies and tastes!

you want to try this ice cream bar downtown? he's been eyeing the same shop too!

he wants to build legos? sure, you're sitting beside him in an instant while reading the instruction manual

you're bored and you want to play chess? he immediately whips out a chessboard

your habits are very similar

he cackled when he found out you also keep plastic knives in your bag

and you like taking care of each other and the ppl around you

everybody loves mom mode jeonghan and fears mom mode y/n

this also results to the both of you thinking the other is prettier than each other

he doesn't just think you're prettier than him, he KNOWS you're prettier than him

whilst you also think he's the prettiest. you would always tell him he's prettier than you

while the members also say all say you're a lot prettier than hannie (in which hannie wholeheartedly agrees on), you're actually equal in terms of this

he will throw himself at your feet if you're fem

but jeonghan also loves it when you express your masc side

he will call you "handsome" if you're masc

you don't have to worry if ever you're insecure about how you're too masc or too fem or both

because he knows what it's like ;)

he believes everyone is free to express themselves

bcs he embraces his feminine side too <3

in conclusion, it doesn't matter if you're masc or fem or BOTH he is in LOVE with YOU

jeonghan is WHIPPED whipped

sometimes he's like a female friend when you're in dates lol this is so fukin cute

he'll clasp your arms together like besties while you're recommending each other skincare products inside the mall

and bribe shopkeepers tgt for discounts while you're at it

he'll ask someone to take your picture while he poses like the female lead in kdramas

he closes his eyes and intertwines your hands and leans his cheek comfortably on your shoulder

it's cute

when he's feeling a little more giddy he either latches on your arm and basically climbs on you to make you his human monkey bar while he howls in laughter

or HE'LL STRAIGHT UP WRAP YOU IN EVERY LIMB OF HIS

you do these to him a lot too LOL

when it's him in the receiving end he welcomes and accepts your coddling you with open arms

he'll even willingly submit to you and offer himself if only you asked

e.g when you suddenly corner him and close all possible distance while backing him against the wall, wrapping your leg around his waist and burying your face on his neck

he isn't even fazed because he's alr used to it he just resumes what he was doing before (like fiddling on his phone) for a few moments before he turns it off and completely focuses on you

instead of being shocked he pulls you even closer with an arm on your back as he smirks in satisfaction

anyway

in public places, you alone can already make men AND women's heads turn

then jh comes in

he's behind you in a poker face while he protectively wraps his arm around your shoulder as he towers over you

"THAT'S HER BOYFRIEND?!"

it's either in shock

bcs THE BOTH OF YOU R SO HOT TOGETHER WHAT THE FUCK

or dissapointment bcs you're taken

BUT THEY CAN NEVER RLLY FIGHT HIM TO GET TO YOU BCS OH NO HE'S HOT TOO

BI PANIC ALERT 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

and they see how much you were alike in the littlest things

u two are so versatile and expressive

although having said all these, you never clash personalities

u two r so compatible

jh would clown you for literally anything

but he would also absolutely trade anything for your affection with 0 hesitation

he even claimed that he would sacrifice shua and cheol's lives for him to have your hand in marriage, to you also because you're the devil

NO, U

"you dumbass" but affectionately

in games when you're in the opposing teams, when you're playing against each other, you're mistaken if you thought he would go easy on you

he knows what you're capable of and it'll take the same amount of plotting to take you down

however when his teammates accuse you of sinistrous intentions, he will defend you

he'll even encourage your cheating lol

"SEE THAT? MY JAGI TOTALLY WHOOPED YOUR ASSES"

minghao who was in the same team looked at his hyung, (who was fkn CHEERING for YOU. YOU, FROM THE OPPOSING TEAM) in disbelief, as if hannie was an embarrassment to nature

he'd be like like "dude, which side are u really on ????"

he would let you cahoot with '95 liners cheol and shua against him

the three of you would gang up against him tgt bcs it's payback time for how many times he's wronged y'all

it's comedic how he can manage to stay calm under a lot of pressure and come at you like it's nothing, but he gets agitated when the members r stealing your attention from him LMAO

sk caught hannie pouting and slacking off while looking at your figure from afar

"how dare they ??!#?#@!?!" insert comical shouting text bubbles on the top of his head

cue angry snowball face

he would straight up walk to your side of the team nearing you with the intention of retrieving what's rightfully his.

he throws his arms around you and drags you away to his post on the other side, and you're like "hannie why are you dragging me here my teammates are on the opposite side"

you're only opponents but you're still his

squishing your cheek with his own while his arms were wrapped all around your waist and shoulders, smothering you with kisses

you're very competitive yourself. so when the game gets heated and you're in your serious mode, the two of you get worked up going against each other

y/n: "let's do this instead. jeonghan would think we wouldn't go for the simplest way, so that's exactly what we're going for."

y/n: "jeonghan would try to ambush us from the other side because he knows the way around this course. let's go this way and corner him from behind and use his own dirty trick against him 👹"

what adds more to the challenge is the fact that you thought you both know how each other thinks

but you actually DON'T.

you two are very unpredictable

you're good at reading his tactics tho so he almost never escapes from you.

taunt and mock him when he loses and watch him FOLD

EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

watch out tho bcs he'd be coming for your ass on the next game/round

you once betrayed your team just to face him head on

at the same time, jh did the same to his team cs he won't back away from you challenging him

ending, it turned to a match between the two of you

you both love mind games, which is why as much as it's hard for him to defeat you, it's hard for you to defeat him too

he gets scared of u sometimes lol

he thinks he's not the biggest enemy there exists in society, YOU are.

you're the alas of the team you're in. they know they're covered when they have you

altho it's funny when you think about how you're rivals in games but you sleep by each others head at night with limbs tangled LOLOL

BUT IF IT SO HAPPENS THAT URE IN THE SAME TEAM IN GAMES

OH NO NO NO NO NO EVERYONE HIDE AND SAVE YOURSELVES

💥💥

jeonghan jumps in joy when he found out he's teamed up with you

everyone makes a commotion

"oH NO NOT THE TWO THEM TOGETHER–"

everyone knows they're doomed the moment it's set

yk how in gose svt purposely keeps mingyu, cheol, and hannie away from each other in separate teams?

they do the same thing to you two, forcing you away from each other

bcs everyone also wants you in their team/s

i mean who wouldn't ???

"JEONGHAN-HYUNG GET AWAY FROM Y/N-NOONA! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

cue dino and jun pulling your arm but your body is being coddled by hannie at the same time, as he hoarded you to himself

dk get on his knees and clasps his hands as he practically BEGS you two to at least have one of you in the other team

"no can do 😚" jh wraps a leg around your hip while he shields you from his members

you're insufferable together

CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS CHAOS

they all call you "the devil duo" 😈

bcs HELL unleashes when you're working together

very partners in crime type of rs

you're like the chuuya to his daza–

ahem

with both of your analytical sense and strategic thinking merged together, you're invincible

you can defeat multiple member teams with only you and hannie's alliance

jokes of "let's dominate the world together, jagi 👹👹" every now and then

yes you two go and RULE THE WORLD

DON'T BE SHY SET THE WHOLE CITY ON FIRE–

he calls you the queen and labels himself as the king

roles can be reversed tho, the both of you don't mind

"jagi, i'm the queen and you're the king, okay? 😏😏😏" he leans to your ear and gently whispers while tauntingly looking at the glaring members from the other side as you two were sitting tgt

be careful tho, bcs there are still circumstances wherein he turns his back from you in games

in short, he might betray you to win

i mean he's still jeonghan after all

the key is to betray him first before he betrays you :D

or just strangle him

W option

the members are always very hooked on watching how you beat hannie in his own game

bcs he totally deserves that

everytime the scene unfolds they immediately "😎🍿"

let me tell u this,

hannie fkn loves when you outsmart him

he'll look at you with heart eyes, flabbergasted, yet at the same time astounded when you do

heart eyes heart eyes

you might have had unknowingly turned him on a little tho–

he has a lot of respect for your ability and intelligence

and INTELLIGENCE IS HOT AS FUCK

but then that loving smile slowly turns into a sly smirk as he is in the middle plotting a new strategy to outsmart your outsmarting

which results to you outsmarting his outsmarting to your outsmarting

a cycle that never ends

*/inserts "finally, a worthy opponent"

he loves how intelligent you are. you're even most likely to be more intelligent than him

he loves his plotting smart-mouthed little devil, y/n

he's very thrilled, there wasn't single boring moment in his life since the moment he met you

PILLOW FIGHTS !!!!!!!!!

he cheated once and used a blanket to capture and immobilize you, and you fought the urge to slam his head on the headboard

"you– you cheating freak!" you wiggled out of his arms as he squeezes you in a hug

"oh but you love this cheating freak 😏😏" he wiggles his eyebrows

the members openly babbles about how you were their "sacrificial lamb"

bcs hannie's annoying mischievous ass gradually toned down thanks to you, because most of his pranks were all darted to you now

and so the "let's sacrifice y/n [to jeonghan]" became an inside joke between you and the members

everytime han's evil tendencies dart to the members, they whip you out and place you in front of hannie as a human shield

THESE LIL SHITS

because ure the only one who can take hannie's bs and u actually fight back

jeonghan would galdly accept their sacrificial lamb tho 😏😏

from his own words, just who is he to refuse you?

we all know how clingy hannie is

lingering touches here and there, your touchy, affectionate nature applies when you're together

but not in a overexaggerating or overwhelming way (always rmmbr that it's ok to be clingy as long as u still respect your partner's space dawg)

he can and WILL bite your fingers when you're off guard

one moment he's fidgeting with your hands

and then he CHOMPS on your long fingers

you jumped in your seat and glared at him the first time he did this and the brat only laughed at your reaction

very funny

when u make out, expect a lot of biting

will bite your lips, your jaw, the plush part of your neck, your collarbone, EVERYWHERE

and i tell you when he bites, he bites HARD

mHmmm

he loves it when you do it to him too

pls DO IT TO HIM

there was a time while you were hovering on top of him and kissing his neck, you look up to see his disheveled state with his mouth agape and half lidded eyes, an arm holding your waist while the other covers his mouth with the back of his hand as he huffs in pleasure

😳😳😳

*blushes like a sl–*

I'M ABOUT TO COMBUST INTO FLAMES 🚒🚒

hannie's clingy ass can never keep his handsy handsies away from you

everytime he sits beside you he chooses to scoot to you as close as possible on purpose, even if the sofa had more room and space for him to need not to squeeze you in the corner

he sprawls his limbs everywhere on you on purpose. on your thighs, stomach and face

sometimes he even pretends to "accidentally" sit on your lap, putting all of his weight on you like you were a part of the fuckin sofa

"oh, sorry, it's your lap's fault for looking a little too comfortable 😏😏" unapologetically

there was one time you had enough of him doing this everytime so you kinda just accepted him sitting on u

you leaned forward and hugged his waist in place on your lap while he hummed in satisfaction

what he didn't expect was when he was off-guard, you leaned toward his neck and pecked a kiss on the exposed skin and BOY

HE JOLTS LIKE A HOT KETTLE WHISTLING FROM SUPPRESSING HOW HOT HE FELT, HIS FACE TURNING REDDER THAN A TOMATO BECAUSE THAT WAS SO ???????? 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

his little friend immediately went ↗️↗️↗️ iykwim

he's shinggi banggi boong boong banggi'ing his way out of there and shutting himself alone in a room somewhere🚪🏃

he couldn't sleep for NIGHTS

he also felt something shift in him the first time you meaningfully called him "hannie"

"you're such a wuss, hannie~" you looked up at him while exchanging banters and

his grin grew wider, grazing his hand on your jaw, "that's the first time you called me that. say that again."

he tends to miss u a lot

one time in a beach somewhere in jeju during a summer vacation with svt, he was quietly chilling on a lounger seat with his dark, almost black shades on, while the members were noisily playing beach volley not very far from where he's sitting

he can hear sk and soonyoung's distant yowling everytime they miss the ball

he's not interested in playing because there's no "you" as his opponent

there's just 0 thrill when you're not there

he snorts as he imagines you intentionally spiking the ball at his face

hannie wondered what you're up to at that exact moment

he loudly sighed, "i miss y/n..."

"you'll see her again soon when you go home, hyung."

"you're right." he props himself from the lounge chair and grabs his phone while putting on his beach slippers

"where are you going?"

"i'm going home 👹"

"what?! jeonghan-hyung, NO–"

"jeonghan-hyung, YES."

the members held him down and almost tied him up on the lounger chair

that night in the hotel room, he fills the void of longing for you by facetiming you

the members wanted so bad to stuff both your mouths with pillows from how noisy you are while laughing with each other late at night on screen

of course it's done as a joke they love seeing you and jh having fun together

and the both of you are only doing it on purpose just to piss them off, you stopped immediately and let them sleep in peace after

the two of you are still mindful when and when not to fool around after all <3

they can never really get mad at u two

coz how could they? you two r literally their parents

hannie labels you as second mom of svt, the first one being himself

"make sure drink your meds, wonu-ya ^^" hannie gives wonwoo his medication "thanks, jeonghan-hyung."

cue you walking past them, your attention somewhere else, casually handing wons a bottle of water to help him with downing the medicine, while your eyes were on dino, nodding while listening to the story he's enthusiastically telling you

dino is obviously your favourite child

"dino, nugu aegi?" and he'll willingly answer "y/n-noona's baby <3"

"how about me, dino? u don't love me anymore? only y/n? 🥺" hannie asks with a pout

all the svt members grew very attached to you that they can't even imagine hannie without u anymore

u and hannie are a package deal ^^ so cute

you're rlly made for each other

hannie gives you weird ass compliments that you would've found endearing if only it made sense

he would leave you confused as fuck

while he's in his pajamas sitting on the sofa beside you with one of his knees folded to his chest, the tv remote on his hand, he turns to you with a flat expression

"y/n if you were a dinosaur, you would be a velociraptor."

you respond with a perplexed "why is that?" and he turns away from you to go back to watching tv without another word like nothing happened, and without further elaboration following his statement.

he wasn't even watching a show related to dinosaurs

ಠ_ʖಠ ????

that's an oddly random hell of a compliment

was that even a compliment?

"yes" -hannie

one time on his birthday party somewhere in paris, after the bustling party ended, you spoke to him in private in your shared hotel room to finally give your birthday present

still bejeweled and dolled up in your black dress, you put on a blindfold on his eyes as you led him inside the dim-lit hotel room

the blindfold you put on him covered the entirety of his vision steadily

"i didn't know you were into this kind of thing." he teases you

you narrowed your eyes and glared down at him despite knowing well he can't see you

when he took off the blindfold to open his eyes, he was welcomed by the sight of a whole life sized figurine lego set of iron man

he was in awe, he thanked you and asked you to help him build it together, which you agreed on

"this is the second possible best birthday gift for me, love."

"what's the first?"

"you." he grinned meaningfully, it's the same mischievous grin he usually displays when he's plotting something

you sensually ran your hand through his silky hair and responded to his suggestive comment

"i'm sure you'll eventually get that second birthday gift of yours later." while fondling his necktie from the button-down shirt under his tux that he wore at the party.

he contained his laughter and once again latched himself to you, "i love you."

you hugged him back, "no. i love you."

hannie always likes adding a spice of a little mischief to every situation, so he used that opportunity to catch you off guard and dip his finger on the frosting of the vanilla cake on the coffee table behind you to smear it on the tip of your nose

you widened your eyes and chased him all over and around the hotel room

"YOU'RE DEAD, YOON JEONGHAN!" you chased him acting like a vixen trying to catch a rabbit, jumping over furniture

pls manhandle him

hannie likes strong women

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

yoon "i want a woman to kiss me and hug me😚🥰but at the same time, like in the bedroom... just ROCK MY SHIT U KNOW🏋️‍♀️just BEAT THE FUCK OUTTA ME👹U KNOW🤯coz i deserve it😇" jeonghan

you wanted so badly to punish him

an idea he wasn't against at all—in discreet

after wiping your nose, you tackled him on the floor when you caught him

he looks up at you, taking in your beautiful features, not missing the evil grin on your lips non-verbally saying "i got u now 😏"

he tucks your unkempt hairstrands behind your ear

"can i claim my second birthday gift now, y/n?" he tilted his head, looking up at you and staring at your lips, his eyes shining from the dim light

you wanted to punish him, you say?

let's just say... you did get what you want that night, with the help of his tie, and the flimsy blindfold you left lying on the floor.

napipopetake him to heaven 🔝

:D

best bday ever

hanniehae <33

[trulybetty]

dec' 12 x mulled wine

Prompt: mulled wine Pairing: joel miller x f!Reader Word Count: 2,635 Warnings: barely beta'd, all mistakes my own, this is au and way off the plot of anything to do with TLOU, mentions of coffee, wine and festive fluff ☕ Summary: maplewood, a small town nestled in northern bc where people flock to see the festive decorations of main street and enjoy the festive traditions. finding yourself back home and working for the family business, you strike up a friendship with the town's local contractor. AO3: Linked

x. masterlist

A/N: apologies for the delay, no one has slept in the Truly house the last two nights and I somehow have messed up my shoulder. Currently drowning in coffee and painkillers - so if this doesn't make sense you know why 😆

The Little Coffee Shop Around the Corner Part II

It had been a week since you had talked to Joel about working on the coffee shop. The two of you went back and forth over email, and that was between his early morning stops for coffee. You'd have his drink already prepared by the time the bell jingled at 7:50 am signifying his arrival. Tossing your apron aside and grabbing your own drink you'd go and meet him at the table in front of the window to discuss the latest update of his ideas for the shop.

It was early evening when the bell rang at the door and you looked up to see Joel step in and lock the door behind him.

“You should have that locked past closing.”

You laughed as you rounded the bar to start a drink for the two of you, “Joel, this is Maplewood. The only crime that's been worth reporting was when Bill found gnomes in his yard.”

Joel shrugged off his plaid jacket and hung it on the back of his chair before he sat down.

“Did they ever figure out who did it?”

You laughed as you brought over your drinks and a selection of sugar cookies Marcus had dropped by for tomorrow's display case.

A grin spread across your face as you leaned in closer, speaking in a hushed tone, “Off the record, and between you and I? I have my suspicions.”

“That so? Who do you think it is?”

“Ellie,” you responded with a roll of your eyes.

His eyebrows raised in recognition, “She’s your niece, right? Lives with you?”

You nodded, “My sister Anna's kid yeah, with my mom and I.”

“I remember hearing about your sister, I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, it's been fourteen years now - Ellie reminds me of her a lot.”

Joel chuckled, “So she inherited the family tradition of placing gnomes in people's yards?”

A joyful laugh escaped your lips, the kind that brought tears to your eyes. It was refreshing to share stories and memories of your sister with someone who didn't give you a pitying look when inevitably it was mentioned how she had passed away during childbirth with Ellie. You knew people meant well, but it was nice to focus on the happy moments and remember just how amazing Anna truly was.

You wiped a tear from your eye, “No, but she was usually the one causing trouble wherever she went. Dragging me along with her into the thick of it.”

Joel smiled, “So what makes you think it was Ellie?”

“Aside from finding a random gnome in the laundry room? Well that and the fact Bill pissed her off the week before,” you took a bite of your cookie, brushing the crumbs from your hands, “Bill teaches music, right? So Ellie had been taking guitar lessons from him. She's got a real talent for it, but Bill, well, he's a bit of a stickler for the rules. He told her she needed to focus more on the basics before trying to play the songs she actually likes. Ellie didn't take too kindly to that.”

Joel chuckled, clearly amused, “So, she waged a gnome war as payback?”

You nodded, a small smile still playing on your lips. “I don't necessarily outwardly support it, but out of all the ways to get revenge, this was definitely a unique form of protest,” you admitted. “Though now, well Ellie's out of a guitar teacher.”

Joel's eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief. “Maybe I could offer her a lesson or two. I play guitar, not professionally, but I’ve been strumming since my teenage years. It might be good for Ellie to learn from someone who’s a bit more... let’s say, flexible with the rules.”

You raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised. “You play guitar? I had no idea. That would be amazing, Joel. Ellie’s really passionate about it, but she's definitely got her own style. She’d love to learn from someone who'd encourage that.”

As you chatted, the conversation carried on smoothly until it finally circled back to the purpose of Joel's visit.

He unrolled his first set of plans, “After our last conversation, I got to thinking about this place. Its history, its importance to Maplewood. So, I did some digging.”

He spread out an array of photos and documents across the table. The first thing that caught your eye was a black-and-white photo of the coffee shop from its early days, with your grandmother proudly standing in front.

“I found these at the library,” Joel explained. “I wanted to understand the roots of this place, to see it through the eyes of your grandmother when she first opened it.”

You were touched by his thoughtfulness and attention to detail. Each photo, each document, told a story of a different era of the coffee shop, of community and warmth.

“And this,” Joel continued, pointing to the plans, “is what I've been working on. I was thinking we could expose the original brick on this wall. It'll give the shop a rustic feel while adding a modern flair.”

The plans were detailed and considerate, blending the old with the new. Joel had thought of everything, from preserving the original woodwork to incorporating energy-efficient lighting. It was clear he had put a lot of time and effort into this.

You leaned in to examine the sketches, impressed by Joel's vision. “It's amazing, Joel. I... I don't know what to say,” you managed, your emotions swirling.

Joel looked at you earnestly, “I know how much this place means to you and your family, and to Maplewood. I wanted to honour its past. And I think we can do it in a way that's cost-effective and true to the spirit of True North Brews.”

You took a moment, absorbing the plans, the pictures, the possibilities. “This is more than I ever expected. You've captured the essence of what my grandmother wanted this place to be.”

As you both leaned over the table, examining the renovation plans, your hands brushed against each other. The brief contact sent a jolt of electricity through both of you, lingering just a moment longer than necessary.

Joel cleared his throat, a hint of colour rising to his cheeks. “So, um, the Jingle Bell Movie Night is coming up,” he began, trying to sound casual. “I was thinking of taking Sarah there. Maybe... you'd like to join us? I mean, if you're not too busy with the event.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the invitation. You had been so focused on setting up the drinks station for the event that the idea of actually enjoying the evening hadn't crossed your mind.

“I'd love to,” you replied with a smile. “I do have to help set up, but there's help there to handle things. It'd be nice to actually enjoy the event for a change.”

Joel's smile widened, a look of surprise and happiness mingling in his expression. It was clear that asking you was a step outside his comfort zone.

As the evening drew to a close, Joel carefully rolled up the renovation plans, he glanced at his watch and sighed. “I should get going. Sarah's probably wondering where I am,” he said, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

You nodded, a little reluctant for the evening to end too.

You walked him to the door, the warmth of the coffee shop wrapping around you like a cozy blanket. “Thank you, Joel, for tonight. For everything,” you said, genuinely touched by his efforts, “these plans and your ideas, they're more than I ever could have imagined.”

Joel paused at the door, turning to face you. “You're welcome, it's been fun getting back to doing a project like this, it's been a long time since the bakery reno.”

With a final smile and a promise to see each other at the Jingle Bell Movie Night, Joel stepped out into the crisp Maplewood night, leaving you full of anticipation and a sense of wonder at the unexpected turns life could take.

Your thoughts lingered as you locked the door behind him, but part of you remained guarded, reminding yourself of the reasons you were in Maplewood in the first place. You were here for your mother, for the legacy of True North Brews, not to settle down. 

Right?

The week leading up to the Jingle Bell Movie Night was a flurry of activity. Joel's daily visits became a cherished routine, each morning bringing a new discussion or a shared laugh over plans for the coffee shop. His drink was always ready by the time the bell jingled at 7:50 am, a small gesture that didn't go unnoticed by him.

The Jingle Bell Movie Night had transformed the community hall into a winter wonderland. Twinkling lights adorned the walls, and the air was filled with the scents of mulled wine courtesy of Frank and Bill, the sweet treats Marcus had baked and the hot drinks you had arranged from True North Brews. 

Slipping off your apron you turned to Ellie who was helping with the concessions, “Now please, I don't want to hear about any theatrics tomorrow,” Ellie opened her mouth to object and you cut her off before she could say any more, “nor do I want to hear that someone spiked Bill's drink with salt instead of sugar.”

Ellie rolled her eyes and you didn't miss the salt packets that slipped from her fingers into the pocket of her apron, “Jeeze, you just take the fun out of everything.”

“I also pay very well, so if you don't want your pay cheque docked, then I suggest you keep things above board.”

Ellie grinned as she gave a mock salute, “Ey, ey captain!”

It was your turn to roll your eyes, “Be good.”

Joel had sent you a message that he was at the back of the hall, so you grabbed two plastic cups of mulled wine and managed to pick up two of the oversized, and very decadent profiteroles Marcus had made especially. They were dusted with powdered sugar, and decorated with tiny edible gingerbread men. The scent of the gingerbread-flavoured cream filled your nose.  

Joel had found a cozy spot at the back, a perfect vantage point for both the movie and quiet conversation.

“No Sarah?” you remarked as you dropped into the seat next to him.

Joel laughed, “No, she ditched me as soon as we arrived.”

You handed Joel a plastic cup of wine and one of the profiteroles you'd picked up, “Here, I managed to snag one of these before they all disappeared.” 

Joel's eyes lit up at the sight of the dessert taking it gratefully from your hand. He took a bite and closed his eyes, savouring the rich flavours.

“Mmm, this is amazing,” he murmured, his voice laced with genuine pleasure.

Conversation between the two of you fell into the easy pattern that had grown between the two of you the past couple of weeks. Discussions moved from the plans for the coffee shop to your life growing up in Maplewood and what had taken you away. 

As the movie played on the big screen in front of you, the sound of laughter and conversation filled the hall, but it felt as if it were just the two of you in your own little world. 

When the conversation shifted to Joel, he spoke about his life in Maplewood, his contracting business, and the challenges and joys of raising Sarah. You couldn't help but notice the way his eyes sparkled under the dim lights, the way his lips curved into a smile when he shared a particularly funny story about his brother or Sarah.

However, he hesitated when it came to discussing his past in Austin. There was a tiny shadow of pain that crossed his eyes, but before you could question it, it was gone, replaced with one of Joel's trademark warm smiles. He'd mentioned briefly before what had brought him to Maplewood, Sarah's scholarship and he'd briefly mentioned the passing of his wife, but he never elaborated any further than that. And you respected his need for privacy, knowing that some wounds ran deep and were not easily shared.

“So, what do you think of the movie choice?” you asked, looking back to the projector screen playing 'The Santa Clause'

Joel laughed, “When Sarah was younger, this was on repeat from the moment Thanksgiving was over to when we packed the decorations away in January.”

You laughed before you finally took a bite of your profiterole, your taste buds were bombarded with the decadent flavours. The flaky pastry melted in your mouth, while the creamy gingerbread spiced filling added a cozy festive warmth to the whole sensation.

With closed eyes, you savoured another mouthful of the delicious dessert. A small dollop of cream escaped and landed on your chin, but you were too lost in the pleasure to care. “This is amazing,” you moaned in appreciation.

Joel's laughter mingled with the sound of the movie, and you opened your eyes to find him staring at you with an intensity that sent a shiver down your spine. The air between you crackled with a newfound tension, and suddenly, the cozy winter wonderland around you seemed to fade into the background.

The air felt heavy with anticipation as he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low whisper. “You have a little something there,” he murmured.

Joel reached over and taking his thumb swept the fallen cream from your chin and you found yourself holding your breath as he took his thumb to his mouth. 

The sight sent a shiver down your spine, and you couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like if his lips were on yours instead. The warmth from the mulled wine seemed to travel through your veins.

“Thanks,” you managed to say, still not able to look away from his lips.

Your heart pounded in your chest as you leaned in, unable to resist the magnetic pull between you. Before you could register it his lips were on yours, his hand finding home at the small of your back as you turned into the embrace, the feeling of the warmth of his body so close to yours, his 

The soft touch of his lips against yours sent shockwaves through your body. The taste of mulled wine and sweet cream lingered on his lips.

But as quickly as it happened, Joel pulled away, a look of confusion and guilt washing over his face. He stammered an apology, “Sorry, I shouldn't have…” Joel's voice trailed off, his eyes looking lost, confusion and guilt etched his face.

The two of you looked at one another, neither knowing what to say next. You were still reeling from the whiplash of the kiss followed by Joel's abruptness when he suddenly stood, patting his pockets until he found the one that had his car keys in them.

“I need to get going,” he said, looking everywhere but you leaving you confused and unable to figure out what was happening.

“Okay,” was all you managed to squeak out.

“I erm, sorry–” he rubbed at the back of his neck nervously, “I need to get Sarah home, she has a soccer game tomorrow morning.”

Joel hurriedly gathered his things, his eyes avoiding yours as he mumbled a quick goodbye. You watched him leave, the festive atmosphere of the movie night suddenly feeling bittersweet.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. You stuck around to help with the cleanup, half listening to Ellie in her complaint that for the third year in a row, the town council had rejected her suggestion of playing ‘Die Hard’, but your thoughts were elsewhere, replaying the kiss and Joel's sudden departure.

[syn0vial]

Oh, the wise one of the wise ones!

First of all, I want to say, that I hope you're feeling better now (you wrote, that you are worring over earthsquakes in your recent post).

It's nice to see, that you too consider Zam a literall gem among sw characters! I have three questions for you, if you don't mind :) :

Is there any more about her daughter? Beyond her name (was it Sone?)? Is she changeling too?

That's a complex question - do you think she would be proud of adult Boba (in canon/legends, doesn't matter)? What would she think of him?

What were her "deeper feelings" about Jango? By that I mean who did she really consider him? A friend? Partner in crime? Is there any part with her Pov. about him?

PS: It's my first time sending an ask, hope you are honored!

hello hello! :D thank you for your kind words and fun questions about one of my fave star wars characters; i'll do my best to answer!

sadly, if there is any more existing information about sone wesell, i haven't found it. sone was actually "introduced" not as a fully-fledged character, but as a footnote in a source book for wizards of the coast's star wars roleplaying game. it seems likely to me that descriptions of her were intentionally vague so that GMs could more easily fit her into their campaigns if they chose to feature her as an NPC. that said, given that both zam and sone's father are said to be clawdites, it is likely that sone would have been born with at least the capacity to shapeshift!

i'll be honest: i've totally imagined the conversation that would happen between zam and a grown-up boba should they ever meet. (my favorite daydream scenario is that there's a malfunctioning inter-dimensional portal that intermittently spits out people/characters from various points in canon into a massive space-station-city where they all then have to reconfigure how they relate to each other and rebuild their lives, but uh, anyway.) personally, i think that if zam met any version of (legends) boba over the age of 18, she'd just be really sad for him. for one, she's known boba since he was just 5 years old or so, so i think there'd be some inevitable sadness in finding out how much he'd suffered after her death. there's also just the shock of seeing how much that suffering transformed him, how this sweet, funny kid who loved animals and bad jokes and novels about friends going on adventures became a man whose life is so devoid of joy, connection, or compassion that his kneejerk response to genuine kindness is hostility or aversion. zam might be a bounty hunter as well, but she never lost her sense of playfulness, expressiveness, or affection, so i think it would hurt her to see boba take that path. that said, if she met boba much later in the timeline (like, post-yuuzhan vong), i think she'd feel some hope and relief seeing him starting to try for connection again!

we do actually get some of zam's PoV as it regards jango in the novel the shapeshifter strikes! i think it's pretty clear that their relationship went beyond being simply partners-in-crime (jango trusted zam to basically babysit boba, for crying out loud) and they have flirty banter in virtually every piece of media they appear together in. boba himself refers to zam as jango's friend and even considers if she might be his mom at one point (though he ultimately comes to the conclusion that this is impossible bc he's read in books that moms don't shapeshift). zam herself definitely enjoys jango's company and especially flirting with and teasing him. that said, even she is occasionally shocked or disturbed by jango's more callous moments, such as when he's willing to let a terrorist group target millions of civilians on coruscant, or when he uses a cloned child's body to throw other bounty hunters off boba's scent. my personal reading of their relationship is that she genuinely really likes and is even attracted to jango, not least because of the risk he presents (she is a thrill-seeker after all), but that she ultimately trusts him not to do anything to really hurt her. and honestly, not unreasonably! we see from their dark horse comic series that even when they're working as rivals, they do try and look out for each other and keep the other from any serious harm. so, in that sense, she misjudged him; she thought that being his friend and having this history with him would save her from being expendable in his eyes. in the shapeshifter strikes, zam even asks jango if he'd ever really kill her and when he answers quite honestly, "only if i had to," she laughs it off with a quip ("you say the sweetest things!"). so, in sum, i'd describe zam's "deeper feelings" for jango being genuine friendship, affection, and even attraction, along with an unfortunate overestimation of just how indispensable she was as his only friend. which isn't to say that she wasn't truly his friend—we get multiple indications that jango did genuinely care about her—but ultimately, that wouldn't prevent him from sacrificing her once he deemed it necessary.

[magnaflourious-nerdity]

So the ask got deleted accidentally, but @autisticharrywells asked me about SANGYAO for toxic ship bingo, and now that I have forcibly dragged them through all 50 episodes, i can at last go off---- you FOOL! you have fallen directly into my trap!!! Muahahaha

I do not know how I ended up here. I don't know WHY I ended up here, except that I'm some kind of masochist.

Like I was all prepared to be 100% team wangxian otp and read all the fic and shit, and I started out so promising. (And I do love them...) But then. Then. That little demon brought a bird to class. And the other little demon protected him during the Wen thing. The stabbing ?? The warning as Meng Yao was leaving to huaisang DESPITE actively bleeding. The pleading to Mingjue to let Meng Yao stay despite no evidence of Huaisang ever really standing up to question NMJ decisions before like that (esp in front of other clan members) (other than with things like blowing off Sabre practice) THE FAN CLENCH. MY HEART. And THEN they committed their various atrocities during which the no turning back point was hit for them so many times and yet i do believe the remorse was there and so too was some affection still, twisted as it was by time and hatred and isolation and i... I just....I slipped?

There's so much there!!! (and please keep in mind I'm mostly talking from a cql/the untamed perspective, though I have seen the donghua and am aware of book cannon, I just kinda prefer the show as the version I take to heart (with some notable jgy or Huaisang based exceptions bc i'm nothing if not willing to excuse their pretty boy mid-divorce war crimes))

These two have such a deep shared history that spans the entirety of the cannon, and their relationship is extra fascinating on rewatch as you can more clearly track the downward spiral of events.

There's also the tragedy that it COULD have been avoided, was so close to being avoided several times bc JGY is not really EVIL, (any one who says this is being super reductive imo) but he does preserve himself above all other things and people through sheer learned necessity (with the exception of xichen and isn't that also a beautiful part of sangyao tragedy?? That so clearly xichen and JGY were destined to be the tragic counterparts to wwx and lwj's relationship not nhs and jgy? That xichen was the only thing JGY ever sacrificed true parts of himself for, that huaisang knows that he could have done the same for him, but didn't? Because there was too much history with Mingjue to let it go, and also bc the devotion or affection he held for huaisang when they were both on the mountain never surpassed that point. He had too much caution to truly be himself, and Huaisang, I don't think could ever truly see past JGYs status in the way that xichen was able to since he served as his big brother's vice general and also his appointed companion to a degree. ) And where does that leave huaisang? Where he always is. ALONE. On a mountain he never fit in on in the first place. Where does it leave JGY? Stuck in a permanant customer service role to his awful father and branded further untrustable as a spy. Humilated and broken down to the point of just. So much murder. (Some of which I still maintain tain as a public service coughcoughJinGuangShancoughcough)

They are so much alike and yet so different in such key aspects, that I also have to believe they were meant to act as parallels to one another, just like wwx and jgy, or xichen and wangji. The planning and manipulation they both do (in their own ways bc i am in the camp that while huaisang is smarter than the average bear, smarter than he ever wants to let on bc it makes his life easier, he isnt able to truly outpace JGY's ability to craft a situation. What he is good at is manipulating people and social situations, and adapting his outlined plan extremely well on the fly- with the exception of maybe xichen. I dont think he meant to truly hurt xichen like that. I think that was a natural panic that if JGY was allowed to live it would mean Huaisang actually had to die at some point instead, Though I do also think perhaps there is some lingering resentment there that leads to it to bc why is JGY worth pardoning after his crimes to xichen? Doesn't this mean he inherently valued JGY over Mingjue, over Huaisang’s own pain and anguish? (he did, but not maliciously, lans are love blind we know this))

The tragedies of nie huaisang are inextricably linked to the tragedies of jgy and vice versa! Technically, huaisang, as a bastard of the clan leader with one of his concubines, (I think that's right) should be discounted as a noble son, esp considering his weaker nature and lack of talents dictated to be valuable by the standards of the nie clan. He should have the same status really or at least a status more closely similar to jgy who is constatly looked down on because of his mother's position and bastard status, despite his constant hyper competency, as we see so vividly. And yet Huaisang is given title and rank and (some) respect where JGY gets trodden into the mud and shit of life, even as he succeeds in raising the jin clans success through his actions and talents. Meanwhile, huaisang is thought to be a useless leech by others, untalented in the ways of ruling or anything that's deemed an actually respectable skill by clan leader standards. A pathetic little dude who doesn't know how to do anything, and yes, he does get cast as a headshaker in the eyes of the people, but it's never his background thats brought into question as to why he might be failing. It's considered a result of his personality, not his upbringing. And even then he doesn't get shit talked as much as JGY does. Huaisang has all the privilege that JGY was never afforded, and does that color JGYs view a bit? Does it make him just bitter enough that, when combined with his father’s looming threats and taunts, and Mingjue’s inability to ever let anything JGY does go, that he's willing to hurt huaisang in such a way, even just as a byproduct of his mission?

Huaisang’s plan is successful, bc people discount him as incompetent, yes, but also bc they still see him as a noble, as someone of enough inherent value, diminished though it may be, that he weilds that influence even when playing the fool. JGY doesn't get that respect even at his height of his power and competency as a ruler.

They are, neither of them, strong cultivators. But that factor only really affects JGY bc it means he has to fight even harder for acceptance and validation. Huaisang also gets the luxury of CHOOSING not to be a strong cultivator. Because his position in life IS secure, he can slack off. He is allowed to try his hardest to avoid the fate of his family and do his utmost not to cultivate in that manner. Which I think, too, causes some of the resentment. On both sides. Huaisang never has to work a day in his life, has barely any expectations to live up to and still gets the respect Meng Yao is constantly robbed of. And for huaisang- On top of killing his brother via musically-induced, full-bodied rage embolism, JGY is now also the reason that huaisang is thrust into a position he was entirely unprepared for way before he was supposed to be.

And we know, we KNOW that JGY is responsible for so many of Huaisang’s pretty little things. His beloved indulgences granted not by his own brother, but by his doting san-ge. Things that got burned or destroyed by Mingjue simplu for the fact that a) they were from JGY and B) they are not the type of things NMJ cosidereds respectabke hobbies or skills. A large number of his fans and painting supplies are gifts from JGY, and he stood up for and encouraged those hobbies against the person he probably fears the most at that point, Mingjue (even if he's already actively trying to kill him by then). And huaisang seemed genuinely pleased that JGY had found acceptance and was getting what he (thought he) wanted. The friendship and affection was real, just not near strong enough to withstand the crimes of the other.

And oh boy that divorce was rough and bloody and beautiful and tragic and I just love the messy nature of the relationship, how deep and how twisted it went and became. And i think, right up until the very end, JGY didn't truly want to believe that Huaisang was capable of doing this to him, I don't think he ever wanted to hurt huaisang again the way he had to when he killed Mingjue. Use him? Maybe. But not in a malicious way, not by his standards.

I am happy to read any sangyao content I can get, however! I love reading about them as companions on the mountain, growing together, bonding. Maybe young and in love? I love reading the gradual drifting apart. The years they schemed and used each other. The final divorce. And what comes after. Or what could never be. Any content, I will take, and it depends on where in cannon we are that a particular square is filled in.

Jgy had to fight for both acceptance and sheer survival, and huaisang never really had to do either. Except maybe during the ~10 years of the gap when Huaisang had figured him out, but was pretending to be useless to achieve his ends. You could argue the mindset that aside from just avenging his DaGe, he was also concerned about his own survival bc what if he became an Inconvienience instead of just the annoyance he was playing up to be? If he actually stood in Guanyao's way? It would be much easier to take him out than Mingjue, realistically. But what would be that threshold to have JGY actually do anything? Are Huaisang’s histrionics and uselessness useful to him? Or a result of guilty indulgence? Or left over fondness from a ti.e they were so close? Some combo of all? Who can say and I fucking love that uncertainty about them

Saying all that, these two are the poster child for OTP I don't want to end up together in Canon, lol. Unless it's one of the many time travel fix it aus, they simply have too much history and shared issues and rage between them to ever make sense working out. But their stories are so incomplete without the other, they are inexorably linked, and I just think they're neat!

(Please don't come for me cql fans. im sure I've misunderstood or posted an opinion that's utterly debatable on here. But like, also. I'm tired and I love them and I don't care.)

I have more to say about them that you'll probably get to hear at some point when we talk, but for now, they have BROKEN MY BRAIN.

Also, to all my fellow sangyao peeps: please feel free to send fic recs if you want. I am so hungry for the content.

[thegeminisage]

star trek update time. once again, i've fallen behind, thanks again to hades. sunday* we watched "equilibrium" and "second skin" and last night* we watched "the abandoned" and "civil defense."

im typing this at fuck o clock monday night its scheduled to go up without me tmrw morning

equilibrium:

hi, sorry, the cold opening of them having dinner here......i could have watched a whole episode of this alone. odo learning to cook. kira thinking he's cute (HI???). bashir being precious about beets. sisko best cook ever. it was so good and i was a little wary when jadzia ruined it with a trill mood swing or whatever i was like damn this episode won't make me like dax any better unfortunately

actually though the episode was fine. the hallucinations were decently scary and i liked getting to know jadzia a little better ie about her hatred of doctors

it was also nice that 1. bashir stopped being a freak about her and 2. her hair is less big now. her falling asleep in his quarters (and her wanting the bottom bunk bc of curzon falling out of a tree) was so cute actually. i want to like her!!! i'm trying hard.

i also really liked the mystery in this episode, but if we're talking times a trill has been traumatized by going into a bad host, what about that one guy who stole her in like season 2 or whenever...?

i wish dax had gotten to apologize to kira also :( women should be kissing not fighting

i do LOVE when sisko calls jadzia old man. i think it's so fun. the gender of it all. i also really liked his little line about how he still misses curzon sometimes but would also be devastated if anything happened to jadzia. dax both is and isn't curzon, both is and isn't jadzia...where that divide is and what makes up dax vs what makes up jadzia is really fascinating to me, i wish we explored it more

scene in the pool at the end i was so afraid she was gonna get naked. thank god.

second skin:

hhhhholy fuck

so, i loved this episode right up until the very last second. firstly, every kira episode is great. she's fantastic and so well-written and such a talented actress, i'm obsessed with her. secondly, we flirted with an amnesia plot for a hot second which was so fun. thirdly, what the FUCK

i love also, hi, that kira unpacked so much of her thoughts about the missing week of her life in odo's office. he's literally her sounding board. is this thing on? they love each other

the sheer raw fucked up factor of kira waking up AS A CARDASSIAN. she looked like she wanted to tear off her own skin and who can blame her. i hardly recognized her

GARAK IS HERE. i really love whatever he's going going on with sisko. "this is extortion" "yes it is" and also "that's the first totally honest thing you've ever said to me" every single conversation they have is like. garak flirts for fun and for sport with everyone in this show (INCLUDING KIRA???) and sisko is constantly meeting him in the middle . also, him putting the fear of god into that ship that tried to board them <3

the mystery of this episode was so intriguing. i was on the edge of my seat waiting for the gang (INCLUDING ODO!!!) to rescue kira. i wanted to figure out the Truth, bc obviously she's not a fucking cardassian. but i do feel they dropped the ball a little at the end

firstly, it seems too convenient that kira happens to look SO much like the real illiana that her OWN FATHER could not tell them apart. yeah, yeah, ten years, but are we serious rn?

SECONDLY, i don't think kira getting teary when given this keepsake (which was already weird) and declaring this cardassian dissident to be a "good man" is very IC. she's only come to that kind of understanding with one cardassian before (guy who pretended to do war crimes), and given the traumatic nature of this whole ordeal, i would have expected her to have mixed feelings/have trouble expressing this aloud, even if she did believe it. so we ended on kind of a weak note there, overall though incredible experience

the abandoned:

first, when i said "give odo a baby" i did not mean it like this.

second, dad sisko. my best friend sisko. sisko holding a baby, sisko missing his own baby, sisko sisko sisko my beloved

uhhh sisko not doing good with his own son because...drummroll please...jake is still dating the dabo girl

i genuinely thought this was a throwaway line but we have a whole fucking PLOT in here

i don't understand sisko at the end of this ep being like "yeah they can keep dating." ik this show is 30 years old but JAKE IS SIXTEEN. THE DABO GIRL IS 20. she seems nice and definitely she shouldn't be judged for being a dabo girl and if this character were like 18 i'd be like, okay, that's two years, she's only technically an adult, but TWENTY? at this age, 4 years is a HUGE gap

also, her tits were pushed so far out i wasn't even sure if they were real or not...HE IS SIXTEEN. like yes he knows what tits are but she is an ADULT??? eugh.

ANYWAY, odo's quarters!!! i like that he finally has a real room and doesn't just live in a bucket at work like presumably the cardassians made him do. kira bringing him a housewarming gift and wanting a peek at what he had going on in there was genuinely so sweet i wanted to kerm. i'm glad we got that since they argued later BUT win for me bc we also ended the episode on them

rip odo's trauma :( lab specimen ptsd meets founders identity crisis for a total fucjing breakdown. he did pretty good considering

civil defense:

10/10 EPISODES THIS ONE WAS AMAZING

lots of really fun sisko moments in this. i love when he gets to save the day and i love when he hangs out with jake. jakes was extremely brave and helpful too he saved their asses a bunch of times. today he got to be one of the grown-ups

GARAK IS HERE! i love how he showed up to help and then everything became immediately worse. every time you'd think "it cannot possibly get worse than this" it does

odo and quark essentially being locked in an elevator together. odo calling him devious (honorific). quark calling odo a guy with integrity (derogatory). i still don't Love quark but he's extremely funny and his scenes with odo are always a riot

STAR OF THIS SHOW GUL DUKAT. he showed up to laugh at their predicament and generally be unhelpful which was pretty funny but also i was a little mad at him and then he threatened kira which made me REALLY mad at him (she was so solid though she didn't budge and inch hell yes girl) and then he. got trapped on the space station also which was FUCKING hilarious. like i had been just mad enough to enjoy seeing him suffer under the reverse uno and find it IMMENSELY satisfying. you thought GARAK was a cringefail loser at getting this space station to work? he has nothing on gul dukat, who managed to not only make it EVEN WORSE but lock himself out of every system on the station. incredible work

absolutely though the best part of this episode BY FAR was when gul dukat was flirting with kira and nobody realized it but garak and he called him out on it 1. humiliating him in front of his crush 2. roasting him (bc anyone could see kira would have better taste) 3. reminding him that he's married 4. propping up kira herself bc garak supports women's rights and bajorans rights and also their wrongs. garak diss track when.

anyway, this episode hit the perfect balance between tense and funny, every single character had something fun to do or say, fucking excellent television

TONIGHT: um. um the first tng movie. um. the one with. the one where. please don't make me say it

[ectogeo-rebubbles]

What do you think about the song After Last Night (by crj) for siskarak?

(bc I saw the line "things are different in the pale moonlight", plus the music kind of has a space vibe, so I latched on to this song. And since then whenever I listen to the song my mind is busy with stretching the meaning of the rest of the lyrics to justify myself assigning siskarak to the song 😅

Hiiii, thanks for this amazing ask!

I think the intended meaning and tone of this song is a little too bubbly and romantic to apply to them haha, HOWEVER.... that is NOT going to even slightly stop me from trying to figure out how to twist the lyrics until they are actually about middle-aged men doing their war crimes together!!! I see your vision, anon! ^_^ <3

"Gravity is not enough to keep me on your street Walking twenty feet above the ground I need you to hold my hand" = not sure for the first two lines, maybe it's about Sisko knowing in retrospect that his head was in the clouds for thinking that Garak wouldn't betray and undermine him. I need you to hold my hand is about their handshake in ITPM

"Every kiss we start feels somehow incomplete Secrets in the corner of your mouth Things I wanna understand" = Sisko has a creeping sense that Garak is hiding things from him during ITPM but can't quite figure out what

"Then you said, hey, before we make a big mistake Is there some place where we can go right now? I don't think that it can wait" = I'm getting vibes of like Sisko getting cold feet or feeling guilty enough to want to confess to someone, and Garak calmly pulling Sisko aside to talk him into or out of doing something. Like, perhaps, that scene where Garak tells Sisko his contacts have all been killed and Sisko almost calls the whole thing off? I don't think that it can wait could just be about the urgency of bringing the Romulans into the war to help even the odds.

"After last night, things look different In the pale moonlight In the moment, I was hypnotized You can go ahead and open your eyes Yeah, I see you And I think it's gonna change my life" = after he learned about Vreenak's ship, the illusion that Garak was ever going to stick to the plan (and not go rogue and do some murders) has been shattered, and Sisko sees Garak for who he is, no longer seduced by him.

"Not afraid of getting close this time You can go ahead and open your eyes" = a clear-eyed post-monologue Sisko accepting what he can live with. or maybe there's a pov switch at this point and it's just a clip of garak getting physically close to him and also wishing that Sisko would open his eyes and stop deluding himself

"The consequences of dancing with his insecurities Tell me what you want and I'll reply I can tell the truth, don't bite" = I suggested making the POV switch in previous section bc these lines are MUCH more Garak about Sisko than Sisko about Garak. Garak is very much dancing with (and around) Sisko's insecurities (moral qualms) in ITPM. and then the last bit is Garak stressing that he's telling the truth, when he obvs isn't hehe. (but he IS indirectly truthful in a way, by warning Sisko that it will be a messy bloody business)

"After we spent the night The moon was shining extra bright We kinda opened up inside After we spent the night We crossed into the other side And manifested something bright" = Sisko and Garak metaphorically getting into bed together and learning more about each other during their little plots and schemes in ITPM. "Mr. Garak after having spent a week with you" etc. etc. Also I believe in my heart that they LITERALLY got into bed together at some point too, and no one can ever change my mind about that hehe. <3 Oh, and the something bright is OBVS the explosion of Vreenak's ship. ^_^

"It's always in you, really, always And it's no surprise I was never so hypnotized You can go ahead and open your eyes" = I like the "it's no surprise / I was never so hypnotized" juxtaposition for ITPM!Sisko a lot, bc he shouldn't be surprised that Garak (the solving his problems with murder guy) escalated to murder, yet he's still framing it as being hypnotized (and still not quite acknowledging that his initial plan was ALREADY VERY MORALLY FUCKED - like, lying to a guy and planting evidence is less bad than murder but the GOAL of those actions was always to get the Romulans into the war under false pretenses... and that would mean a lot more dead Romulans as a direct result, even if the cause of death is more indirect than Sisko and Garak personally murdering them).

This was so fun to think about!!! I absolutely love torturing song lyrics into tonally dissonant interpretations to make them be about my blorbos. ^_^

[willowser]

How would you describe how the Todoroki siblings with each other is like? Well how do you see it based on your view and how you would write it

so to preface all this: these are all just my own opinions and feelings on what i've understood of their relationship with one another !! you may not agree, and that's okay, too !! i could easily have misinterpreted chapters/scenes/information in the manga, and have based my thoughts on inaccuracies, and could be totally wrong about all of this — but you asked, so here's what i think :)

i want to start by saying that i don't really have any particular or special thoughts about how fuyumi + natsuo + shouto view one another. i think there was a debilitating void in fuyumi and natsuo's life after touya for at least a few years, and i think shouto would have been too young to have been as affected by his "death" as they would have, and so i believe that would set them apart in that regard. there is also the fact that enji was hard-wiring shouto to be a hero for a large portion of his life, and i think there would have been some tension between the three of them because of it. shouto never really got to be the "little brother" he should have been, but i like to think that, where we are in the manga right now, they've become a lot more well-adjusted to one another.

now let's talk about touya LOL

i think natsuo and fuyumi both carry a heavy guilt comprised of, "if i had done xyz different, maybe this wouldn't have happened," when it comes to their oldest brother, but i think it weighs on natsuo the most. it was purposely and explicitly shown that touya tried to lean on natsuo, at one point, and was blatantly ignored — which i don't blame natsuo for, bc he was just a child — and i think that shows especially in his animosity towards endeavor. natsuo is so, so, so angry at enji, todoroki-angry, and i think he's just as angry at himself for not being there for touya more.

i like to write their relationship as very — bro-like, if that makes sense LOL yes, i stand by what i said about fuyumi being touya's best friend, but natsuo was his first brother, and there is just something about brothers, you know ?? i think in a circumstance in which they are together — au or canon — touya will always be the "cool" older brother that natsuo admires and wants to be best friends with. i imagine them like little partners-in-crime, little mischievous boys that snooped around in things they weren't supposed to — and i actually could see a universe in which natsuo becomes a villain also, once dabi reveals himself as touya. as in like an atonement way; he wasn't there for him then, but he'll use his anger to be there for him now, sort of idea. not that i think that would ever actually happen !!! but out of the three other todoroki's, natsuo is who i can see doing it.

i would give up my firstborn to know what fuyumi and touya's relationship would look like post-war (assuming...👀). maybe i'm projecting because i had an older brother, but i view their relationship when they were younger in such a soft light. let me tell you something !!!! fuyumi came into the world being loved by him !!!!! and came into the world loving him !!!!! because they were BABIES !!!! and were each other's first BEST FRIEND !!!! i will stand on this hill until i DIE !!!! yes, i think touya pulled her hair and spit in her milk and wiped his boogers on her — but there was a time before his quirk manifested where it was just the two of them in the playpen, know what i mean ??? and i don't think that's something you can just erase !!!!

i think she has a lot of guilt, too, and i think she was affected so, so deeply by his "death". whereas natsuo turned his grief into fury at his father — i think it really means something that fuyumi does not hold the same resentment. i really can't imagine what it would be like for her to lose him, bc i really can picture them being so close, and i imagine it would have been like losing a huge part of herself. everything she did in life — she must have imagined touya beside her: celebrating birthdays and middle school and learning to drive and all the things they could have done together, bc they were so close in age. she was a lot like their mom, i think, when it came to worrying about him, which i think he probably viewed as annoying at the time, but i bet he would have missed it so much when he was on his own. i hc her as a lil know-it-all LOL and i can imagine touya being alone and scared and wishing, for just one minute, that he could listen to her nag at him one last time, just so he would know what to do or how to survive, because i think he probably trusted her wholeheartedly.

oh my god, and shouto. i actually — can't decide what i think touya's views on shouto are. i can believe the concept that he completely hates and resents him, and i can also believe that he was afraid for his littlest brother and felt bad for him, when they were younger. i guess i think it was both. that naivete and sort of innocence we all love about shouto: i think he genuinely wants to know his brother. i think he genuinely wants to have another sibling to interact with, to be able to trust, someone who understands what it was like to grow up in that household. he didn't get that comfort when he was younger and i'm sure he relishes in it now that he gets it — and i can see him wanting to have that bond with touya.

and i think touya honestly views shouto as a stranger, because — it's always been about endeavor, hasn't it ?? yes, touya had strong feelings for shouto and wanted to kill him during the war — but it was all to harm enji in the end. when shouto was born and touya came to learn that this was what his father had always wanted — yeah, i think he was furious and jealous, because his brain had been entirely warped at that point into thinking attention from dad = worthiness. so he hated shouto — because of endeavor. i don't think touya really has had the mindset or stability to think about shouto outside of their father, and so i don't think he has any honest-to-god genuine feeling about him. i think shouto is just an unknown to him.

i love all the au concepts of shouto being the little brother that tries to pal around with him all the time 🥺 it's my favorite, and i wish it was canon so badly LOL i — honestly have a hard time writing shouto and touya in ptmy, because their relationship is so strained and so distanced ??? i think touya wants to hang onto his hatred for shouto because it's all he's ever known for his youngest brother ?? but i could believe that, deep in his heart, he just looks at him and thinks, "poor bastard 😒" bc if anyone can truly, honestly relate to shouto — it's touya. the abuse wasn't on an identical level for either of them, but they were both groomed by the same hand for the same reason.

i can see him getting along the easiest with fuyumi, bc i think their relationship is just like a natural back and forth. it's teasing and a little mean but also can be understood without words: it's big brother and little sister. i think he gets along best with natsuo though, because natsuo wants to be friends so bad LOL and i can see them sitting outside in lawn chairs, drinking beer and talking shit about — anything LOL and natsuo is having a great time. i think he doesn't feel like he can open up to him as much as he can with fuyumi, though, and i honestly don't think natsuo would know what to do if he did, despite how much he wishes touya would open up to him.

and shouto — i just don't know how i picture them. idealistically, sitting together on the curb, maybe, mostly in silence. shouto's fine with it, because he's not uncomfortable in silence — which touya finds SO WEIRD — but then shouto probably monotones a stupid, dumb comment about their dad that only touya would get, and makes him laugh and — everything is okay, for the moment 🥺

i don't think this directly answered your question about how to write them LOL but !! this is the jumbled mess inside my head, and i hope it gave you a little bit of insight !!

[synonymouswithanonymous]

Dehumanizing

There's some extreme hate for this woman, none of us know. The misogyny is real. 

Talked this over with my guy, he made some good points. He summed it up in one word. Demonization. He's far more succinct than I. The hate against her is dehumanizing, to try to continuously force the idea that this person is bad at every level.

If she posts or talks about war, domestic violence, cupcakes, dogs, or is seen being sweet to children she's still attacked. She 'clinches her fists' in an interview it's mistranslated as 'slaps the table'. His mom and his friends like her, they are all *insert vile names for his mom and friends*  Every action is attacked as though she couldn't possibly have even one or some good qualities, or regular human emotions.

That is dehumanizing. Demonizing.

That every little thing she does has a negative motive, that's she's not a complex, flawed regular person who is lovely, and kind, but totally evil and devoid of regular humanity. Do people really not see how ridiculous their irrationality is? She's even been called soulless, dead eyes, evil etc.

They seem to think it's totally fine to do that to other people, ones none of us know.  A person you are demonizing, and for what? For no other crime than the celeb you like is in LOVE with her. You don't like that he found someone he loves and this person doesn't match what YOU wanted him to WANT. And they have zero problems being cruel about and towards another human that has nothing to do with your everyday life. And after piling on cruelty, have the audacity to say this stranger isn't a nice person? That they don't deserve love (someone actually wrote that about her)? Wow, I again, sincerely, hope nobody ever judges you as harshly as you do other people. It's not, imo, right.

"In colloquial usage, the term "demonization" is used metaphorically to refer to propaganda or moral panic directed against any individual or group, for the purpose of defamation, character assassination and/or dehumanization."

This is why I keep posting bc women need to stand up for each other. It's just sad, imo, that all this hate is coming from mostly women.

[weepylucifer]

Important question: I've only recently been mentally subjected to the student commie brainrot and I feel my self falling more rapidly every moment

But I have no fucking idea what the ghost stuff and Nilsen stuff is and I've played the game twice,,,,,

Would it be at all possible to get like... A basic rundown of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of it? All I know is that somehow the ghost of Ignus Nilsen is influencing one of the commie boys (I think Uli?) and that's the full extent of my knowledge

Oughgh hummm idk that i'm actually the best person to ask here, bc i haven't read the novel and probably won't ever read it, so i don't actually know a lot about Ignus Nilsen. Maybe the others can help more!

What i know is this: Nilsen pops up as a weird ghost of some kind in Sacred and Terrible Air. Steban and Ulixes (along with Harry and Kim) have various character traits and narrative functions that can be said to parallel Mazov and Nilsen. So why shouldn't Nilsen's ghost straight up inhabit Ulixes and tell him to do violence (since one of their common threads is that Nilsen was a war crime committer and Uli is morbidly fascinated with war crimes and violence in general). Afaik Nilsen being in communication with Uli specifically is just a fun headcanon tho and nothing that can actually be found in the game.

As for how? Idk bud, through plasm/pale-fuckery anything is possible i guess. Handwaves