#bro has too much baggage

[spoopderman]

Everyone say thank you to @woof-verine for coming up with the fantastic concept of Wade and Logan taking Laura to go rollerskating (it was mostly Wades idea).

[benevadeca]

Archer teen girl who got machine gunned at melee range and still managed to drag her prone body like 50 meters to aguni while he was nursing the weight of maybe 3 bullets and a longstanding lingering kind of malaise. You bitch.

[double--blind]

(SPOILERS) breaking down how obsessed Andrew is w/his sister bc he's a repressed lil liar and I'm going insane

This post got longer than I intended it to

1. He claims they don't spend enough time apart from each other to even begin missing her so he doesn't even know if he would, but just earlier in the game he was apart from her for probs like 30 mins tops to investigates some cultists and guess what???? He was already missing her 😒

2. Says "I thought you grew out of this touchy-feely crap" when Ashley asks for a hug, but earlier when he was cooking dinner, he was the one with the inexplicable urge to "pull this broody bitch into [his] arms and force her to stay until she smiles" 😒

3. Piggy-backing off the last screenshot: WHAT OTHER THOUGHTS, ANDREW??? yOU WERE JUST THINKING ABT HUGGING HER. WHAT DO YOU EVEN MEAN. THESE ARE SIMPLY INNOCENT BROTHERLY THOUGHTS ARE THEY NOT????? 🤨🤨🤨

4. Bro just can't keep his hands off her. And everyone thinks Ashley's the clingy one jeez (lol the way he springs apart from her when Mom catches them is definitely definitelyyyy not worth analyzing. nope. not even when it happens a second time on the couch. nope. nooope)

5. What. What is he thinking here. Don't think I don't see those grey lil blush lines. Is this connected to my third point somehow bc like... 🤨😬 Is "Andrew" is gonna start doing and being what "Andy" was too spineless and afraid of doing?? That's what the vow was partly abt right?? Does that include—

5. WHEWWW BOY that little flashback with his gf has so much baggage in it I just wanna dissect. His girlfriend's tryna have a serious discussion with him abt his weird sister for the sake of bettering their relationship bc she genuinely loves him, but he just gets caught up in fondly talking abt said weird sister instead??

6. He's awfully hesitant abt Ashley learning some independence, bc y'know what?? I think he doesn't really want her to stop relying on him. But what do I know y'know

6. Wants his gf to put tie her hair up in a ponytail, then when she refuses bc he'll pull on it, says it's just "how boys express their love". Well. You know who else puts there hair up in a ponytail??? You know who else's hair he's always pulling on and touching???

7. The voicemails in his gf's phone left by Ashley are heard by him in his dreams, and his dreams are a construction of his mind utilizing his memories, personal hangups, and knowledge of Ashley. The voicemails irl were left on his gf's phone, and for all we know, he never actually listened to them in person. Bearing this in mind... odds are the things Ashley's saying contain bits of truths he believes within himself, filtered thru her crude, hateful dialogue.

Here. I transcribed one of them...

"DO YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME!? Just because you can fuck him and I can't? You think that's love?! Are you fucking delusional?? Cumdumpsters like you are just that. He will never love you. Not like he loves me. I am the only one. I am everything. I am the secrets you'll never hear. When he lies in bed at night, and when he needs someone to hold on to… It's not you he seeks out. It is me."

8. Claims Ashley's the one with the jealous streak, not him, but I think he's just as bad. The only difference is that Ashley's never given him reason to act on it since all she's ever wanted was him, but at the slightest mention of her gettin it on w/someone else, even as a joke, he gets mad. "OVER MY DEAD BODY!!" he says, when she's jokingly contemplating getting knocked up via the neighbor so an ambulance would come for her. "I wouldn't let them," he says, when she's complaining abt not being pretty enough for the wardens to bang her

9. Going hand-in-hand with that fact, he's intensely protective of her. Didn't hesitate to cleaver the warden who found her in the closet (probs didn't even BLINK lmaooo he chose VIOLENCE), and when the cake-stealing cultist insulted her just once, he stepped forward just like that

10. In their apt, when they were lying on the floor talking abt jumping off the balcony, he was really caught up in the "romantic" fantasy of them committing a double suicide and dying with their bodies entwined so irreparably by the impact they form one unified corpse "never to be separated!" and they get buried in the same coffin together. UM??? Bro fr thought he was the sane one of the two. That wasn't even true before the cannibalism and demon summoning 😭😭😭

BONUS:

11. This might just be me, but his reaction to seeing the post-sex vision doesn't strike me as someone who's inherently opposed to the idea. Instead of disgusted, he was... flustered?? He acted like she walked in mid-guilty pleasure wet dream. This wasn't a "GROSS THATS INCEST" reaction which is... the most normal reaction to have. That's the face of a man that got CAUGHT bro.

He asks "we're not like that, are we?" and "why are you like this?" and questions the veracity of the vision, but he never actually explicitly denies wanting the vision to happen, more focused on Ashley and her reaction. He buries the elephant under the rug as fast as he can, bc yeah, it struck a landmine, but it probably wasn't a landmine for the reason Ashley thinks it is. I bet the vision just hit a little too close... :P

[velvetvexations]

my personal take on "antigonism" is that it's entirely what you make of it. which is to say, i agreed with your post explaining why you felt such a term was necessary, and i do think this mentality of "most of us are normal about each other" and simply assuming we understand each other's experiences by virtue of being trans is reinventing artificial gender solidarity between cis people ("bros before hoes", "girl's girl") but superimposed onto trans people. which can be particularly contentious, given that we're an extremely traumatized bunch with a lot of baggage and massively diverging perspectives on all kinds of things. relating to each other outside of conventional gender relations means we have to put in that much more work to bridge the gaps between us, because we can no longer rely on the common assumptions made about men and women to carry our interactions, if that makes sense.

i do think a whole word for transfem-to-transmasc solidarity does toe a line between being unnecessarily inflammatory and conditionally useful. i'm genuinely glad for the people who felt seen and appreciated by the fact that a transfem made so explicit her stance on intracommunity issues. i'm also sympathetic to the people who feel put-off by such a word. when does allyship become chauvinistic? there is no word for a non-misogynistic man to signal to women that he is explicitly anti-antifeminist, for example. do we need one? i think a vast majority would say no, on account of simply stating he believes in feminist principles to suffice. so i'm wondering what specifically the push was for you to coin a word around tfem4tmasc solidarity, because while i do think trans people as a whole need to take significantly more initiative about rooting out transmisogyny and transandrophobia both, i'm not quite clear on what could signal more clearly a transfem's stance on intracommunity dialogue than just saying "i believe in transandrophobia and condemn all radfems". all feminism, transfeminism included, has had their malicious actors-- the existence of transradfems isn't really anything noteworthy as far as the broader feminist conversations go.

i hope this doesnt come across as confrontational because i think the people who found comfort in the fact that you are willing to go that far for them is truly heartwarming. i just don't want to see us splinter further into microfactions over something like one person coining one maybe-overenthusiastic word on the internet

Sincerely, there is a word for men who are anti-anti-feminist, though, they're feminists. Granted, self-identified "feminist" men have somewhat of a negative stereotype associated to them, but still, feminist men are feminists.

One of the biggest reasons I think a term would be useful is because so many people feel unsafe in the trans community because of trans radical feminism right now that it can help them relax a lot when they see a trans woman identifies as such. Just reminding people with assurances that most trans women are Normal doesn't really help that when they keep running into ones who aren't over and over.

TRFs are aggressive about this stuff. Seriously, every single day, post after post, their primary form of activism is crying about TMEs stealing kinks and liking a children's toy too much. I feel strongly that should be countered. Even if they aren't the majority, they sure as hell act like it and repeat how great it is that every single trans woman except velvetvexations alone agrees with them.

To be absolutely clear, I do not think I'm the only non-weird trans woman! That is just literally what they say about me! They may be the minority now but that frog is boiling.

IRL transmascs are forced out of spaces and talked over when they're let in because mascuwinity is scawy, No doubt transfems have similar problems because some spaces are TERF-y, but that problem is exacerbated when social media is filled with TRF rhetoric because it gets drilled into people's heads they need to be worried about that, and I don't think "touch grass" is a good response to that.

Hell, what if someone touches grass and then they do happen to end up having people be transandrophobic/exorsexist/intersexist/etc. to them? "Oh, well, that didn't count, try again somewhere else, I prommy that's not Normal."

It's all about volume. I feel very, very strongly that volume is necessary here, to combat the feeling that that radical feminism is around every corner and help people feel at ease and know trans women are with them.

[heavens-aesthetic-kitchen]

Why the TF2 Defense Trio deserve more recognition

The people have spoken, I have decided to create an essay disguised as a post on this godforsaken website because it's a free country goddammit! (I would have done it either way lmaooo, I have a lot of shit to say about these maniacs) To start this formal essay glorified very serious shitpost, why should you as a tf2 fan care about these 3 men? They're so "boring" and there's not much going on with them. If ya took a second, let's pause with what was being said. YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND to think such thoughts, we must shake you out of cuckoo land by giving you an in-depth look into these three so that you understand where I'm coming from. Let's start in order:

Demoman:

After being in the fandom since 2019, there's always one character I always thought wasn't given much anything in the fandom at all. Even taking ships out of the equation, there's barely any fics I've that focus on Tavish Finneagan Degroot specifically that I've seen that isn't a compilation fic (I read a lot of x readers, don't judge me). Believe me, I checked ao3. I went through Demoman's tags and I tried very hard to filter a lot of the crossover and relationship tags, yet there's less of Demoman himself, than there's him just existing as a side character of a story. Which is honestly sad, I honestly think Demo is one of the more kinder mercs compared to a lot of the team. This man made friends with the BLU soldier, despite knowing that they were supposed to be killing each other. Sure, it's unclear whether or not Demo did actually go through with it and it's just a ruse, because the voicelines in WAR! don't have a set timeline. But I do think that Demo would have tried to keep his friendship with BLU soldier. He's very chill. I've never actually seen him get violent against his friends and family, despite being a drunkard. I honestly think he's one of the sweetest people in TF2, he takes good care of his mom and haunted sword lmaoooo. Jokes aside, he seems like a genuinely good man and I barely see anything that suggests he's sadistic. He's a chaotic and loud, but not bad. Not bad at all. The fact he can still do his job well, even after drinking so much that his body created a whole distillery, is even more impressive. He is damn good at what he does and works very hard. He's had multiple jobs, even as wee little lad. Despite what people think of him, the fact he's getting paid 5 million dollars a year, is proof he knows what he's doing. He loves his job and couldn't bear the thought of not working. I feel like his backstory isn't talked about enough in the fandom either. When you think about it, it's kinda fucked up that he was put in an orphanage by his biological parents until he was in the right age to be blowing people up. Not only that, his eye socket was haunted by the Bombinomicon so that every halloween a giant eye would manifest, attacking him and his friends. Even Medic couldn't help him and instead resorting to scooping the part of Demo's brain where he remembered so he would stop asking. He most likely has a lot of stories for you, I see him as the type that has a lot to say. His past is the most fleshed out and complete out of all the mercs, which I really appreciate, you can do a lot more with him. Also another thing, during Unhappy Returns, he took the time to reassure Soldier that he wouldn't think he's a civilian. He didn't brush Soldier's worries aside and instead comforted him. I wish I had a lot more to say about Demo because I am baffled that he isn't being gushed about as a potential partner. He has the excitement and like zero baggage. A thing I also wanna point out is that he seems to be insecure of the fact he's a black scottish man with only one eye during Meet The Demoman. I may be reading into things a bit too much, but it makes me wanna be like "NOOOO don't talk about yourself like that, bro. You're so cute UGHHH" Also also he's handsome. Sure looks can be subjective, but I still think Demo has a face I would kiss hehe. He looks great with his beard and his cheeky ass smile. GOD I could gush about him all day, but I have to move on rip.

Heavy:

Honestly, I'm having a hard time just finding the words to describe this amazing man without giving him the respect he deserves. But I'll sure try. Heavy has had a difficult life and I've always admired how strong he was. Not just of his muscles, but he endured one of the toughest situations and still kept moving forward with his life even though it was traumatizing. You see why I'm even having a hard time talking about him? I can't really get down into the weeds, without getting serious for a min. I feel like the fandom doesn't give him much credit for being able to deal with so much. He's the rock for his family after his father disappeared (atp I think he's dead, which is the cherry on top this depressing sundae) and I wouldn't doubt that he would be the same for his team. He's a man of few words, but that makes him all the more intriguing. Just because this man has a lot of brawn does not mean he's dumb at all. Despite how he acts in the battlefield, Heavy is observant and clever. Although, it's implied that Spy being Scout's dad is an open secret between the mercs and Miss Pauling, the fact he figured it out without saying it directly must mean he has a lot more going on. He's also educated, getting a phD in Russian Literature. It's not a STEM program, but he actually got a doctorate and went to college, that's a lot more than half of what the mercs did lmaooo. Also he has a bit of a softie side, not just for his mom and sisters, but also other creatures as well. I respect him so much for avoiding violence against those dogs during the Showdown comic. Not only shows what an absolute sweetheart he is, but also how much he's able to think quickly on his feet. Heavy is very direct and blunt, I don't see him as the type to lie about his feelings. I appreciate that he doesn't feel the need to sugarcoat anything, he'll get the job done and he ain't playing. There's no fluff, he knows what he wants and that's to rev up Sasha and ram through sons of bitches without any worries.

I feel like I wanna point out, his story seems the most unexplored in the fandom, even though it has a lot of potential for ANGST factor. I already broke down how sad it is, but I just feel like it isn't said enough. Can I just say how cuddly he looks?! GAH, I feel like he would give the warmest hugs! The way he smiled in Unhappy Returns when he finds out his family doesn't need to live in fear anymore, just melts my heart! He's so protective over his family and friends! I wish I had a lot more to say about this guy because I just can't stop finding more things about him that go unappreciated. I had to literally edit this part so many times before moving on, he just has those little details you don't notice until you take a second and have that OH MY GOD moment

Engineer:

I was getting so hyped, when it was finally our resident southern nerd's time to shine. GOD I have so much to say about this man. It's been over 5 fucking years and I have never stopped simping for this man since 2019, I think I'm gonna go insane from how much I've been repressing, I go feral when he's around. Anyways enough stalling. I don't ever think a fictional character has ever made me swoon quite like Engineer, I really mean that. I have ask and pleaded to whatever god was listening to give me a man like Engie. To me, he is everything I ever wanted and more.

First, I wanna talk about what makes him attractive to me. His accent. His southern charm, UGH he's killing me with that smooth voice and chivalry! I swear this man could make me faint just from existing. The way he smiles is so warm, his insults are so corny I love them. That five o clock shadow GAHH! I'm getting butterflies all over again. I swear I love all three of the defense bois, but Dell Conagher has my heart wrapped around his gunslinger metal finger. All those personal reasons aside, I've always thought Dell Conagher was a very interesting character in the world of TF2. He might not have much screen time or goofy shenanigans like the other mercs, but that doesn't mean you can ignore him oh no no no. This man is important within the whole story of Mann Co and TF industries, his grandfather being the catalyst of the game's events and the comics going forward. The Conaghers are the SOLE REASON why Team Fortress 2's story exists. I find it strange that the fandom hasn't done much with this fact because you can do a lot with this idea. Engineer knows a lot of shit and would be the biggest threat to Helen, if not for the fact that his family has been helping her for years.

Like his backstory, he's not seen much in the battlefield, but he has a lot more going on behind the scenes. Imagine the possibilities. He is damn intelligent and he knows it. While Dell is very sweet and has a southern charm, this is a facade to hide his God complex and sadistic tendencies. If you think this man is just your boring gentle engineer, you've got a big storm coming. It's heavily implied that he sawed off his own arm so that he could use the gunslinger. This man works on projects with Medic and doesn't question the moral implications of putting a human brain in a pumpkin. Hell, he threatened his own employer, even if he was an old man (Granted, Blutarch dug up his grandpa's grave, so he probably should have gotten something a lot worse than just Dell telling him to fuck off). Engineer is more than the texan egghead sweetie pie, he is a mercenary for a reason and I would argue that he might be as insane, if not more than, the rest of the team. No sane man would willingly work with a bunch of war criminals if he wasn't also crazy. That's the thing I really like about him. I love playing as him in the game because it represents his character very well. He technically serves a supportive role to the team with his buildings, but he is a killer with a lot of tools in his disposal, With the right amount of training, he can absolutely dominate in the battlefield.

I feel like he's one of the people that underestimate and assume that he's an easy target, but he's a lot more than that. He has a lot of layers that makes me want to learn more about him and what he has to offer.

In Conclusion:

These guys are cool. Lmaooo okay I won't just end it there. I genuinely believe that they're not getting the recognition that they deserve, they've got a lot more going for them if you pay attention. Sure they might not always be the loudest or most prominant character in the story, but what they lack in quantity, they make up for in quality TEN FOLD. They don't have to be your favourite, but you should at least give them a chance. You never know, they may surprise you.

Okay so thats enough of that, I couldn't find a divider above this message, so you're getting this grainy ass gif. Honestly, I put way too much effort on this shitpost lmaooo, but I just wanted to get my thoughts out in a more concise manner. If you want to add more stuff about these three that I didn't mention, feel free to do so. Anyways thanks for reading

[peachjagiya]

couldn’t taekooks relationship/closeness just be explained by jungkook being taehyungs only dongsaeng so he cherishes him a lot? idk like occasionally i see the romantic aspect but then i just think im seeing it bc ik othe took see it that way. but if i don’t read too much into it, it really just seems like taehyung treats jungkook so special bc jungkook is the only one in his life that he can rlly baby like that. so then over the years they just got super close ?

I don't think Tae does baby JK to be honest. I just don't think it's a factor in his regard for JK. And JK also treats Tae special. It's an equal thing with them.

Jungkook as maknae is much more defined with his other members. He has this idolisation of Namjoon, a classic big bro/little bro mischief with Jin, Yoongi like a dad, Hobi like a mum, Jimin like an only slightly older sibling.

Tae and JK have always seemed free of age dynamics. Tae said himself he wasn't interested in that with JK and though it took JK a while to accept that, he seems pretty comfy with it now.

I just don't think those hyung-dongsaeng dynamics exist here. Tae never insisted on them and it didn't serve their blossoming relationship and they've grown up without them being a massive thing. Which means they've basically grown up together as equals.

What really endears me to them and what I find remarkable is that they're refreshingly free of binary stereotypes where one is dominant and one is submissive. There are ways in which JK provides for Tae and there are ways in which Tae provides for JK.

All the most volatile couples I know are absolutely married to societal standards that you have one dominant partner and one submissive partner and they don't deviate from that much. If the protective partner needs something, they don't always get it because the onus is on them to protect.

All the strongest couples I know are really like Taekook where depending on who needs what at any given time, they can be that for each other with no baggage or complaint.

Besides, if anything, that snuggle moment in AYS was somewhat unusual because it was such a moment of JK being Tae's little spoon and I can't think of many times when I've seen him so softly snuggled in that way.

[the-autistic-vulcan]

Thranduil Hot Takes #1

Request by @lemonivall : Can you do Thranduil with prompt #6, #27, and #29?

6) Hobbies

I like to think his hobbies consist of more hands-on things

One thing I think he'd have an affinity for embroidery - I mean, have you seen this man's robes?

Along with very long and slender fingers, his hands were practically made to handle a needle and thread

one thing he'd totally make for you is a handkerchief with elvish written on it

something like "beloved"

I also like to think he's a bit of a sap, so he definitely sews/crochets flowers for you

but yes, he is a embroidery kind of man - we stan this, we need more of this

27) How they sleep

Considering he is a king, he sleeps with mountains of pillows

I like to think he just brings pillows from the various corners of Middle-Earth he's visited and just sleeps with them

He's also compensating slightly for how lonely he feels

Sometimes, when he can't sleep, he does tuck a pillow into his arms and hug it

His bed is also massive as well

Common sleep positions he enjoys is either spooning or the mountaineer

He is a light sleeper too, so the slightest movement could wake him up

It wouldn't be unusual to sometimes just notice him staring up at the ceiling and just stare

29) How they express love (platonically and/or romantically)

Platonic:

awww, you're friends? you're really lucky then

it is not easy to be friends with him: 1) he's a king, so he is busy, 2) he has a lot of emotional baggage he hasn't been able to filter out yet so be prepared for a storm

he likes giving you head pats - idk, maybe it's just because of how small you are compared to him (bro's like 6'7)

he also shares his personal stories with you - he trusts you enough to hear them

Romantic:

this makes me so soft

like is said in the hobbies section, he is a sap, so expect much affection

he picks you up and hugs you tightly, mainly due to the fact he is super touch starved

this man is also a big kisser - kisses are a bug part of his love language

he loves kissing your nose, cheek and hand - but boy does he love your lips

he also is big on gift giving - one big, lavish gift after the next

[duckies27]

So I finished season 2 and I cried so hard at work over it so you get POST SEASON 2 HEADCANNONS

!!Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!!

- Terry walked Scary down the aisle. She wore a black suit while Linc wore a white suit

- Gerry was adopted when Scary and Linc were first married, similar to how Linc was adopted

- Taylor went to jail and was all tech bro for a while until Hermie basically snapped him out of it a year post epilogue. He now works alongside Heaven (run by the dolphins) and Hell (run by Jodie) to make sure the right people are in the right place. While being an anime dude

- Normal has massive PTSD, but he spends a lot of time with Hero and Henry to help when he has attacks

- Taylor and Normal end up getting married (mainly because I love that ship idea too much), around 25 years after the main story ends

- Hero and Erica start dating in college

- Normal becomes the band teacher at Chaperel out of college. The Marching Band cover is done by his students at some point

- Linc is the soccer coach and health teacher at Teen High, specializing in Urology. Never seeing the piss boy allegations.

- Taylor goes through demon puberty in senior year and it is roughhhhhhh. He changed his whole personality to pretend he didn't become an even worse Weeb

- Hermie becomes Teen High's drama teacher, their first production is the Joker

- Normal and Hero play paintball together every few months and get ice cream after

- Scary is mainly a stay at home mom, playing with her band on the weekends. They're genuinely a huge hit, probably at least in the top 50!

- Normal and Hermie dated in high school, but it never really worked out. Too much baggage. They still think very fondly of each other.

- Linc fixed with his relationship with Grant after a few years of shared therapy

- Normal and the twins come to a...settling point after he gets married. They only talk sometimes and mainly about other things.

- Taylor and Nick are more colleges then father and son but they make it work

- Scary and Terry have a sugary sweet relationship. She's constantly by his side when needed.

- Scary and Linc get a dog, name it Rouge. Just a cute little mutt vibin

- Normal gets a cute cat that is basically an emotional support animal but he isn't crazy about her. Just likes having her nearby and cuddling when things get too much

- Taylor has sharp little teethes and have to go through braces TWICE to make them straight for real. He definitely is pissed about it for about a year

- Henry keeps Oakvale going, keeps a portal open to everyone. Taylor sneaks him in to see Mercedes some times

- All the teens get tattoos of the Dood senior year

- Dood has the crest of the teens somewhere on their body. They feel safer knowing the teens are always there.

I will be writing fics coming up, I love them so much

Art of season 3 will also come once I get the energy for it!

[multifandumbmeg]

Alright SCREW IT here's my Kiara defense post:

Is it annoying to watch get paired off with everyone in the main cast? Sure. Let me explain why that's not a character flaw or terrible, unplanned writing so yall can put some respect on her name.

1. They're ALL in love with her, and literally throwing themselves at her all the time. This is so important and well-documented that John B literally tells us IN HIS INTRODUCTION TO THE GROUP in episode one. It is literally so relevant to their entire group dynamic that he brings it up in the first episode summary of who they all are. Guys actually do this I have seen this happen. One of my high school best friends was constantly manic pixie dream girled (despite being profoundly depressed) and several entire friend groups of boys fell in love with her. She dated one guy, who was a piece of shit and dumped her saying it was because of his parents but told his friends it was because she had too much baggage. The fallout was so bad, one guy from one of the friend groups tattled to her and a different guy, who was best friends with the douche, literally got into a fight with him and THE DOUCHE HAD TO CHANGE FRIEND GROUPS BECAUSE HIS BOYS KICKED HIM OUT. I'm serious about these teenage boys all having the same taste and thinking it's a competition.

2. John B kissed HER. She immediately shut him down. Immediately. Everything before that can easily be explained as Kiara being concerned about him after losing his father. Teenage boys are dumb anyhow, but it's particularly easy to see why John B and JJ, who have both been routinely neglected and grew up without mothers (read, any positive female attention/influence) would interpret this as Kiara having feelings for them. They fall in love with anyone who sincerely gives them the time of day, basically. And that's a little too relatable moving on.

3. "Mixed signals" by kissing boys on the cheek. While I would not recommend this, I think there was a very clear pattern to her behavior and I have a theory I'm 99% sure is canon, based on copious textual evidence.

Kiara was in love with JJ all along. I'll come back to this. She only kissed the boys she friendzoned on the cheek. With John B, I genuinely think she never had any sort of romantic feelings for him and just saw him as a best bro. But she was worried about him, and maybe realized he listened to her more when she did it. Nonetheless, the minute he gets with Sarah it's almost like she feels relieved and never does anything remotely mixed signals to him again. Now Pope? That is a rich text. What the hell is going on with her and Pope?

4. When Pope first confesses, Kiara is once again caught off-guard. She once again rightfully turns him down IMMEDIATELY and gives extremely accurate and self-aware reasons. Her rejection of him is surprisingly mature, that the life he plans on and wants is ultimately and assuredly not compatible with what she wants for herself. So why did she kinda date him? Honestly, I think it was an attempt to move on from what she believed were doomed feelings for JJ. After all the things that happen in season 1, after Pope going off the deep end a little bit by smoking weed, getting drunk, and engaging in acts of violence, as well as ditching his scholarship interview, Kiara suddenly experiences a spark of attraction towards Pope.

Because he's acting like JJ. Reckless. Using substances to cope. Chaotic. Spontaneous. She knows these things are bad for Pope, and she's at times put off by how un-Pope-like they are as his friend, but she has a type. So following a moment of attraction and the sudden supposed loss of John B (and Sarah), she decides to give it a go. Maybe Pope's different after everything that happened. And he is, but not quite the way she was expecting. To link this back to the cheek-kissing thing, honestly, I think Kiara lowkey has the ick 😂. She consistently shoves any of the boys who try to touch her at all away except for JJ, the entire series mind you, except for these little cheek kisses like that's all she can manage to do. She kisses Pope like twice and ends up sleeping with him, at which point she realizes she just can't do it. She's not consistently attracted to her, and she can't get past her feelings for JJ, so she calls it off. Again, that's a fair healthy, and kind thing to do. When you realize it's not going to work, especially if you have feelings for someone else, it is distinctly NOT dragging people around to cut it off. If Kie has a real problem, honestly? I think it's that ultimately she wants a man she can fix. And Pope's fine. So that's him out.

My proof that the writers absolutely intended Kiara to have feelings for JJ from day one:

"Did you tell JJ?" specifically. Just JJ. She doesn't want HIM to think she's taken.

Shoving away John B and Pope every time they try to hug her or put an arm around her etc. Letting JJ hug her, take her hand, sling his arm around her etc. She also goes out of her way to touch him by taking his arm, holding him when he's crying, hugging him several times and then almost kissing him. So in a way, I'd very much like you to consider, Kiara was not in fact sending everyone mixed signals, her problem was that she was so consistent. Consistently attracted to and in love with someone she thought had no real interest in her. JJ flirts with her jokingly, and from episode 1 and the convo in the bell tower between John B and Sarah, we know that he's a horny little dude. And that's not surprising either, because people who've been abused tend to go one way or the other- either very physical touch-seeking in an attempt to balance about the bad, or very touch-avoidant. JJ is clearly, demonstably in column A. Not just with Kiara, but he also initiates hugs with John B and Pope, touches their faces, and even kisses Pope on the cheek once. He's clearly a very touchy person with everyone, so I can see how Kiara would be unsure about his feelings when he very much does not communicate his wants or needs with words.

Finally, the proof that Kiara had feelings for JJ, and that Jiara was the direction the show was headed, was in their conversation in thr storage container. When JJ tells her what he wants from life and plans to do with the money, it's a direct parallel to her initial reject of Pope. He wants to travel the world and be spontaneous and non-sedentary and have no use for money. Everything she said to Pope and is always trying to explain to her parents. That was 0% accidental, that was the writers making it clear: these two are a match, they're compatible on a much deeper level.

4. So if they always planned on JJ and Kiara, why didn't those two just get together to start? The answer, my friends, is jealousyy. This is a common tactic in writing to get a couple together: force the reluctant one to acknowledge their feelings by putting the other in a relationship with someone else. Im short: every moment between Kiara and John B or Pope was to show us JJ did not like that and therefore that his feelings for Kiara were serious, unlike how she interpreted them and him being a flirty himbo with other girls. It also helped Kiara realize she wasn't getting over him any time soon, and that she couldn't avoid her feelings either. So it forced them both to give up and acknowledge to themselves that they had feelings for the other.

5. "Teenage girls don't act like her" JOKES. This is the dumbest argument I've seen, I'm sorry. I'm happy you have met such well-adjusted teenage girls but buddy... I have known some teenage girls and people who used to identify as girls at that age who would make you roll over in your grave. Some people don't know what they want, some people desperately crave attention, some people just can't seem to avoid drama or make good choices and sometimes that's even a resulted of untreated disabilities or mental illness. Sometimes it's all of the above. My point is absolutely there are teenage girls who act like Kiara and faaar worse.

6. Lastly, why not John B or Pope? Why was Kiara totally valid for not liking them romantically? Well feelings are feelings so she's valid anyways but can we talk about them both touching her/making moves at inappropriate times without consent?? It's understandable she likes JJ and feels the safest around him when he's the only who doesn't act like he wants or expects anything from her. He never kisses her without consent, let alone while running from the cops randomly. He never tries to put his arm around her or make a move in the middle of them having an emotionally intimate conversation where she is clearly seeking emotional comfort. I'm not saying John B or Pope are bad people, but with Kiara both showed a lot of immaturity and failed to read the room numerous times. They acted whenever they personally felt attraction, regardless of where she was at at the time. There's such a thing as reading body signals, and the only times JJ comes close to making an actual move on Kiara is when she comes to him, gets close to his face and leans in. In the end, he only kisses her after she looks him dead in the eyes and tells him I LOVE YOU. That's on respect. Also, John B and Pope both get their shit together and learn this with their next girlfriends! So good on them!

But Kiara confessed to JJ at a random time too! I hear you shouting. NAY. Incorrect!! JJ is actively avoiding her and having a mature conversation about how they feel about each other, and also the fact that he stole from her family, and that is on HIM. That is a result of his issues and his fear and poor coping mechanisms. Kiara forced him to address it at an inopportune time because she already attempt to address it privately TWICE and he wouldn't let her. So all she did there was clear the air and make her own feelings known, which he needed to hear. That is the last conversation they have before he attempts to apologize and confess back. That is what convinces him that Kiara's feelings for him are both genuine and serious, and that no amount of pushing her away will succeed. She loves him unconditionally, which he did not know was possible until then.

So in short!! Kiara actually behaves like a real human being. She's not crazy, extremely selfish, nor an example of writers just testing out the waters and seeing what the fans want or who has the most chemistry. She is very consistent. The only thing I can really begrudge about her behavior towards her friends (her parents are a different story) is that she's insensitive to both John B and Pope after rejecting them, which I believe is because she doesn't realize they had actual feelings for her so much as thinking she's hot.

[thestupidhelmet]

How would you have written the Jay and Leia's first time storyline? You talked about how there was no emotional impact and it basically just fell flat, so how would you have handled it?

Hi! 😃

Within the context of T9S as it is, that's a tough question to answer. Jay and Leia's first time storyline fits the overall lighter, more superficial tone of T9S vs. T7S.

I would've rewritten Jay and Leia's whole storyline, tbh. I would've given both characters different core characterizations, particularly Jay. Leia's malaise and unhappiness at her Chicago life would remain the same; the cause for it would be deeper.

The foundation of their relationship would've built on depth rather than the superficiality of a Kelso clone who's capable of lasting growth and a Leia whose unhappiness is portrayed as significantly deeper than the reasons the show gives for it.

Like Eric/Donna and Jackie/Hyde before them in T7S, Jay and Leia would've connected with each other through finding solace from their woes in each other as well as joy.

Donna is Eric freedom from his (perceived and actual) suffocating and hyper-controlled home life. Eric is Donna's emotional stability and safety that she doesn't have at home.

Jackie is Hyde's challenger to face his fears of abandonment and his teacher that he's not unlovable. Hyde is Jackie's teacher that love isn't shiny presents and obedience but acts of love, like sacrificing what makes him happy to cheer her up, going to jail in her stead, becoming homeless (almost) to protect her reputation, and so much more.

Jay and Leia's relationship lacks depth because the characters do. As I've written previously, Jay in actuality would not be a Kelso clone with his upbringing by two ever-divorcing, ever-remarrying parents who are in a toxic relationship. He'd have a lot of emotional baggage and, hopefully, be a thoughtful kid rather than being a relatively carefree womanizer who overuses the word bro.

Leia is raised by two loving parents in a healthy relationship yet suffers from a sadness that is portrayed (intentionally or not) as mild depression. Finding joy and freedom in Point Place starts with her discovering Gwen, who is her real force of change. T9S would've needed Leia to stumble upon Jay, not Gwen, letting loose in his room to forge that bond.

Like Eric and Donna, their relationship would've begun platonically. Their first attraction to each other would be emotional, not aesthetic or sexual. In season 1, we would've seen their bond develop and grow, connecting Leia to Jay's friend group and -- perhaps -- causing some insecurity-jealousy-resentment from Jay's best friend, Nate. At the end of season 1, Jay and Leia's emotional bond has transformed into a romantic one, and they kiss.

In season 2, Part 1, Jay and Leia would navigate figuring out whether they want to "sacrifice" their friendship for a romance. Leia might be idealistic about it because of her parents' relationship while Jay is more cautious because his parents' relationship sucks. He'd rather keep a healthy friendship with Leia than risk a potentially toxic romance with her.

But with guidance from his friends and Red and Kitty, he realizes he and Leia don't have to be Jackie and Kelso or Eric and Donna. They can be Jay and Leia. Part 1 ends with Jay and Leia officiallybin a romantic relationship.

In season 2, Part 2, Leia is sex-positive and ready to have that connection with Jay. Jay, however, has witnessed how sex tears his family apart. He's afraid that having sex might turn him into his dad, and he'd never want to hurt Leia the way his dad hurts his mom. This would be a nice parallel and reversal of Eric and Donna's storyline in T7S.

Leia, and perhaps other characters, help Jay understand that he's nothing like his dad. He's not selfish or narcissistic. That he worries about hurting Leia proves this fact (as does so much more). Betsy, too, could've been used as an ally rather than an antagonistic. She and Jay could've bonded over and validated their dad's awfulness to their mothers.

Jay and Leia connecting sexually, having their first time, would be an affirmation of the freedom and joy they've found in each other. The actual act could've been awkward, although Donna prepared Leia how to make it less awkward. Sexually-experienced Nate could've given Jay good advice: 1) jerking off earlier in the day so that he'd last longer with Leia and 2) all about foreplay being important (although it might've been an hilarious callback to T7S had Kitty told him this information).

The scene itself, with all the emotional build up of season 1 through much of season 2, would've allowed for Jay and Leia's first time to have a similar emotional impact for the audience as Eric and Donna's.

In the aftermath, Leia is blissful and shares TMI with her friends. Jay, though, is happy but anxious. He still thinks he's got a ticking time bomb of his dad's infidelity in him. So he proposes he and Leia not have sex again for a while. In his mind, this will prove he doesn't need sex to be happy.

Leia: You mean like a week?

Jay: More like a month, maybe two. Three at the most.

Leia: I might be in Chicago or California by then if my mom doesn't let me stay in Point Place.

To Leia's mind, she thinks Jay hated having sex with her.

This conflict is resolved swiftly, however (in an episode). Jay admits enthusiastically that he loved having sex with Leia. He felt super close to her. He's just afraid he'll sleep with another girl.

Leia: Do you was to sleep with another girl?

Jay: No! But what if it's instinct, like salmon returning to where they were born to spawn?

Leia grasps his shoulders gently and kisses him. Afterward, she says, "Were you thinking another girl then?"

Jay: I wasn't thinking at all! I just --

Jay kisses Leia back, passionately. This leads to them making love again.

As they hold each other in bed, Leia says, "Still scared?"

Jay: Of what?

Leia: Cheating on me with other girls.

Jay (deadpan): What is cheating? Or other girls? I don't understand these alien concepts.

He and Leia grin at each other then make out.

***

The deeper the characters, the deeper the storylines. T9S's writing isn't deep. It's easy. It's funny but nowhere near as funny as T7S because -- at its best -- T7S's humor rose organically from the deeper characters and their deeper storylines.

T9S is another case of having a great opportunity, a great cast, and squandering it by writing toward the middle to satisfy nostalgic T7S fans and appeal to new ones. T7S didn't have the pressure of being a sequel to another show. Its creators were free to be fully original.

[fjorn-the-skald]

In one of your recent reblogs you said that "Rings worn on the finger, for example, have often played important roles in Norse legends." Could you please explain more on that?

I’ll have to scold my past self for that one. Not only did I leave the footnote for that statement lacking, but I think I made some assumptions. You see, the Norse usually didn’t distinguish between arm rings and, well, ‘normal’ rings. The same word, hringr, is used for both and only context (which is often lacking) tells us where it was worn.(1) Other words, like baugr, are also used for both bracelets and rings—but with some extra baggage.(2) Some sources use the more specific fingrgull (let. finger-gold), but that really isn’t helpful.(3)

All of that is to say: when my past, less-experienced self said “rings worn on the finger,” I wasn’t looking carefully at the Old Norse in question. As for the legends I referred to in my footnote for that claim, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki and Otter’s Ransom (contained within The Saga of the Volsungs)—the ‘original’ texts (let’s not even get into manuscript variation, please) both use hringr.(4) With that out of the way, though, I can go a little deeper into the translations (because, let’s face it, my Old Norse isn’t good enough for that level of an in-depth take for this question).

The Ring in Chapter 7 and 8 of The Saga of Hrolf Kraki(5)

This particular passage is a bit too long for me to share it in full. I was tempted, but I don’t want any trouble coming my way from posting too much. That said, I’ll quote the important bits and summarize the rest:

“A ring owned by King Helgi was a widely famed treasure.”

—but his brother, King Hroar, wants it.

“I want the ring, the one that is the best treasure in your possession and that both of us would like to own.”

You’d think trouble would start here, but the brothers settle things amicably—that is, until this guy comes around:

“Next came the news that Jarl Saevil had died and that his son Hrok had then assumed rule. Hrok was a cruel and exceptionally greedy man.”

Remember the “exceptionally greedy” part for the end of my answer. It’s important. But anyway, he ends up being goaded by his mother (another large topic in Norse discourse) to demand a reward from King Helgi for helping him and his brother get vengeance for their father. The only problem? He’s ridiculous.

“He demanded a third of the Danish kingdom or the great ring.”

King Helgi tells him to f*** off. Of course he won’t give such a large slice of his hard-earned kingdom to this loser, but he also shrugs off the whole ring thing with a simple “my bro has it now.” So Hrok goes to Hroar next, obviously. Here’s how that one goes:

“The king responded, ‘I have given so much to get this ring that I will by no means part with it.’

Naturally.

Hrok said, ‘Then you must allow me to look at it, as I am very curious to know whether the ring is as much of a treasure as is claimed.’

Suspicious?

‘That is a small thing to do for you,’ said Hroar, ‘and I will certainly let you look at it.’ He then produced the ring for Hrok to see.

Bad move.

“For a while Hrok studied the ring, declaring finally that there was no possibility of exaggeration when describing it. ‘I have never seen a comparable treasure, and the reason you esteem the ring so highly is obvious. The best solution, it seems to me, is that neither of us, or, for that matter, anyone else should enjoy it.’ He then threw the ring as far out as he could into the sea.”

A bunch of violence, death, and vengeance follows. You know, the good stuff.

The Ring in Chapter 14 of The Saga of the Volsungs(6)

“Loki saw all the gold that Andvari owned. And after he had taken all of it, Andvari still had one single ring, and Loki took that from him as well. The dwarf then hid inside a stone and said that this ring and the gold would cause the death of everyone who owned it.”

In both cases, the ring in question is never explicitly said to be “worn on the finger.” That’s my (past) bad. But, to be honest, it doesn’t really matter here? If we put ourselves in a Norse mindset, a ring is a ring no matter where it is worn. Unless a specific placement is mentioned, I don’t think we’re supposed to care about that. What mattered more, I deem, was the material (gold vs silver), design (size and intricacy probably mattered), and source (i.e. former owner) of the ring.

As for the “important roles” they played in Norse legends, it kind of depends. Norse rings typically embody one’s status (wealth, resources, position) or social relationships (connections to other powerful people, places, etc.). In the case of the legends recounted above, however, they both act as symbols of greed (at the surface level); but there’s an important commentary being made when you put those two things together (aka look a bit deeper): the authors of these later medieval sagas used stories with old roots and objects everyone would be familiar with to show that these rings (and social structures) destroy bonds as much, if not more than, they create them.

But that’s just my personal take.

I hope that clears things up a little, though, my anonymous friend! If not, feel free to send another ask. There’s a lot to say about Norse rings, but I’d rather not write a giant essay all at once (anymore).

— fjörn

Footnotes

To be clear, this word is used for literally anything ring-shaped.

This term, baugr, is usually used in the context of money, kings, and the ‘gift-giving’ economy. The function of a ring described with this particular word, then, is even more transactional. To share a quote from an article: “The term baugr proves the existence of a special type of fee or wage for particular persons who were retainers (and maybe poets?) of the king or ruler. The baugr itself was only awarded by the ruler himself.” See Antje Wendt, “Viking Age Gold Rings and the Question of ‘Gefolgschaft’,” Lund Archaeological Review 13-14 (2008): 75-90.

I say “not helpful” because this term, while interesting, is used far less often than the more common hringr or baugr.

For the ring in The Saga of Hrolf Kraki (chapters 7-8): “Helgi konungr átti hring…” and The Saga of the Volsungs (chapter 14) : “…er hann hafði fram reitt gullið þá hafði hann eftir einn hring…” Although I obtained these versions from an Icelandic site (snerpa.is), I think it still satisfies our needs for this discussion.

Jesse Byock trans., The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (Penguin, 1998), 109-113 (chapters 7-8).

Jackson Crawford trans., The Saga of the Volsungs with The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok (Hackett Publishing, 2017), 26 (chapter 14).

If I’m wrong about something, please call me out. Nicely, if possible—but always with sources.

Send Fjorn a tip for his toils?

[anawrites3]

I want someone (not me) to write a Bodyguard!Sladick fic - but in a very specific way (I'll probs end up writing this unless someone beats me to it (pls beat me to it someone, I can't commit to another WIP))

Basically, someone kills Bruce Wayne. And not because he's batman, but because he's rich af and refuses to sell his land in Gotham (bc yk, bro can't sell the fucking batcave and all his safe houses full of Batmerch). But no one knows who killed Bruce and why but they all believe it's because they found out Batman's identity and needed him out of the way for something.

21 year old Dick Grayson, who hasn't spoken to Bruce or had anything to do with the Batfam for two years, is asked to come back for Bruce's funeral and reading of the Will. Turns out, Bruce left everything - and I mean everything; cape and all - to Dick. Dick is now The Batman, the leader of the JL, the billionaire, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, and also the legal guardian of not one, not two, but three kids. Jason and Tim was understandable, but Bruce never mentioned to Dick about having a kid with Talia al Ghul of all people. In all fairness, Damian was only dropped off at Bruce's feet two months ago. (Note that I'm fucking around with the Batboy's ages. Thus, Jason is 16 (bro died young), Tim is 14(bro was crazy stalking so young), and Damian in 9(bro is just young))

The killer, however, is still at large, and is now targeting Dick, the new Prince of Gotham, and his kids. But Batman (Dick) can't get involved just yet, the Batfam don't know what exactly the killers knows about them and Batman - it's too risky. But Dick can't just not do anything. So he calls the one person he knows will keep his family safe - for the right price, obvs.

Dick has money to play with and Slade loves a good game.

Basically they make a contract that issues Deathstroke as the bodyguard of the Grayson-Wayne Family until Bruce's killer is handled.

Only, Slade comes with his own baggage (aka a 9 yr old Rose Wilson) and Dick is stuck training (aka raising) another kid. But that's fine, because Slade ends up being less of Dick's bodyguard (let's face it, the kid can handle himself), and more of Dick's bodyguard-with-benefits/mentor/business partner/mental-support-bestie/drinking-buddy/private-chef/co-parent/stay-at-home-husband/love-of-his-life.

They get very domestic in this fic. And Slade has to wear a three-piece suit when following Dick around as he plays Gotham's Billion Dollar Prince and Dick can't stop riding him in the back of the Batmobile because Slade looks waaaaay too good in a suit.

But raising kids is hard, especially when you're 21. So Dick faces a lot of challenges in this fic - like his undead brother, Jason, trying to come to terms with Bruce dying right after they started to mend their relationship, and Tim who was just recently fired as Robin after one simple mistake, and his new rage at Bruce for that and dying (he refuses to believe his dead), and fuck - the nine year old assassin and grandson of Ra's al Ghul, Damian, who never truly had the pleasure (misfortune?) of knowing his father. Than there's Rose Wilson, who doesn't really know English all that well and is dealing with the trauma of watching her mother die before her.

So Dick has to really step up - as a business man, as a leader, as Batman, and as a father.

Luckily he's got Slade, who fuck's like he fights. It tuff that Dick is quickly falling in love with Slade, and Rose, who he can't help but see as his kid, too.

Oh I love this idea so much, its great!! I would love to read it as well ahaha and I might write something 👀👀 but it's a big project so I wouldn't be able to do the whole thing

But you can let me know if you have any fav/special scene in mind (or a few 😌) and I might write it. You can also check out my commission info if that's what you'd preffer and you're able to afford it!

I love bodyguard Slade stories, I'm a sucker for those honestly haha and I love how here he's protecting not only Dick but the whole family. And its just so delicious that Dick hasn't talked to Bruce in so long and now he's thrown back into his life- but Bruce is dead and Dick has to take on the mantle and help the city and raise three kids and keep them all alive and not go crazy and-

I love that you're making it even more messy and difficult for Dick by putting Rose in the middle of it too lmao. I can already imagine all the trouble the family would have together

Slade wearing a three piece is a sight and I don't blame Dick at all 🙈��� But seriously, I adore their relationship in this, it's so complex and complicated. I can imagine them bonding over some whisky when the kids are deep asleep and Dick getting frustrated with what his life is now and Slade just letting him cry while holding him close AGHH SO GOOD

Thank you for sharing! Again, its a great idea and I'd love to play with it a bit if you allow me 🤗💕

[kassian-ck]

With what has been going on recently with the series, and what one of the writers said regarding Robby's situation, it really has been some pretty grim few days for Cobra Kai. So I wanted to lighten up the mood a little (and because I have been in a very yapper mood) by talking a bit in depth about one of the better aspects of season 6 imo:

Robby's and Miguel's relationship

Warning this is long af woops

Imma outright say it. It's been a while since I've rewatched the whole series, but besides Tory, Sam, and maybe Kenny (with the hesitant inclusion of Daniel), Miguel has been the only person Robby has built genuine trust and companionship throughout the whole series. And to an impactful degree I'd say.

I could argue all day about how their transition from enemies to friends was a little rushed, and how I would have liked a heart-to-heart conversation like what Tory and Sam had, but hear me out with what we got 🗣🔥

Robby's life has proven to him time and time again that opening his heart to people only led to him getting hurt. He never knew what it was like to rely on the people who were supposed to protect him. He never knew (presumably) what it was like to have people who genuinely cared for him. Until Daniel came into the picture. We know how that went.

Daniel, Sam, and Tory to a certain degree, they have fractured his trust in a way that reminds him of that cruel truth his life unfortunately continues to stumble upon: He will get hurt if he opens his heart to people. But he continues doing it because at his core, he wants to get rid of that lonliness he's been in for so many years. He's willing to swallow up his pain and forgive people if that means keeping them in his life. And if that's really the case, it makes so much sense why he went to seek Johnny when he had every reason to continue to resent him (and messy writing but we dont talk about that ehem). After telling himself Johnny wasn't and would never be an option for him, he was so lost that the only one he felt like he could turn to was the one absent father that has somewhat shown some interest in his well-being. Cobra Kai barely gave his life direction after juvie, and after losing that, what else did he have?

Tory was a kind of a pillar for sure. They understand each other well thanks to their shared experiences. But with the amount of baggage and trust issues Tory herself has to deal with, they hurt each other as much as they help each other. It's the status quo Robby has grown too used to.

And then there's Miguel.

Lil side tracking but I swear I am not tweaking when I say Robby is so touchy with Miguel. He's given other characters friendly gestures such as fist bumps and whatnot BUT WITH MIGUEL? That man's face beams like crazy when he sees him bro. Any chance he gets, he goes there touching his arms, chest, shoulders – wherever just to be close to him. He always turns to him whenever something happens, he openly messes around with him. He is just so happy to have Miguel in his life 😭

They are such small moments, but after seeing how closed off and reserved he has been even with past relationships like with Sam and Daniel, Robby feels safe enough to enter Miguel's space and vice versa. Miguel has proven him he's somebody who unconditionally has his back. He explicitly tells him he wishes to keep a connection with him and that he's willing to put the work to do so regardless of the past.

It's such a deeply rooted trust that he keeps Miguel's opinion in such a high regard compared to everyone else's. Throughout the whole damn season, Miguel was the only one that made him see his potential and capabilities of being a captain. He saw his worth when everyone else either ignored him or crossed him as incapable, and Robby was very willing to believe that. Because he's always the problem, he always does things wrong. Miguel's sole words were enough to help Robby pick himself back up regardless of how polluted his mind was with demeaning thoughts he's reaffirmed to himself for years.

You can't be real man, that's all Robby could have ever asked for. Something so simple and yet he had to cut bits and pieces of himself to be able to get it. But not with Miguel

Nah I like the pair a normal amount wym

[stellari-s]

twst 30 day challenge: day 30

what's your hottest twst take?

final one! so i've got two hot takes, and the first one is this: i'm completely fine with twst not having any romance or not being more "otome-like" (...than it may already be on some level lmao well yuu is genderless, but still). i'm perfectly content with yuu being everyone's therapist friend, or just enjoy characters' dynamics with each other as they are or as they could be.

and second hot take is...

i guess when it comes to the "frying pan sizzling" hot take, talking about my take on kalim and jamil dynamic. but first of all, to be completely frank, i don't think it's fair to just coin them as "master and servant" and be done with it. i mean, yes, they are that, but that statement also needs an asterisk, especially looking through events of books 5, 6 and events (like beanfest).

to put it simply, their relationship is an absolute mess and ten, maybe twenty, can of worms with an ocean of emotional baggage and a sea of trauma.

kalim and jamil are very much like master and servant within the realm of book 4; this is explicitly stated in the japanese version. and if you told me book 4 was the end of the main story period, their relationship probably wouldn't have been as messy. but at the same time even within book 4, we see kalim clumsily trying to make jamil happy as a friend, finding ways to reduce his workload. he clearly very deeply cares for jamil.

that, and... he's also kind of overly dependent on jamil. like, to a concerning degree, almost. but this may partly be because of jamil and his efforts to protect kalim, effectively making it so kalim can't do a lot of things on his own. so, like, jamil's motivations, while they are valid, had shaped a lot of kalim's character to the way he is. and this can be said conversely, too. kalim had dragged jamil along to many of his whims, but i believe it's been shown that jamil had gained an interest in dancing and parrots from none other than kalim. who knows if he would have gained an interest otherwise; he probably wouldn't have found much free time to delve into it himself.

and also, another thing is that jamil held himself back so kalim could appear to be above him. then we see in book 5 that he has never experienced the frustration before. like, whether he deserved it or not, he has always been given the top place because jamil placed himself lower than kalim. so overall, i think it's important kalim has a chance to feel that frustration, which is also proof that jamil no longer holds himself back. that is a big and needed step up from book 4.

and to top it off, bro even uses kalim shamelessly to his advantage in the beanfest event, and in book 6, we see that he (1) says something along the lines of "i never thought i'd be relieved to see your face" and (2) has kalim help him with stuff, which was like unheard of before. like, i know this seems small, and jamil just gave him one task, but that's still a huge step!

at the end of the day, when they all graduate, their dynamic may revert back to the way it was before as if their time at school never existed. since they are on school grounds, a lot of things can escape the eyes of both families, and so jamil and kalim are able to treat each other more as equals. fundamentally speaking, it would not be wrong to say they are master and servant. however, i think even though he probably wants to hate kalim and still holds some annoyance that he has to cover so many bases, jamil still holds some level of affection?? toward him. it's just... a lot more subtle. jamil likely understands that it's not really kalim's fault that jamil is in the situation he is in and that kalim wants to help jamil. but he also knows the problem is so deep-rooted that kalim wouldn't be able to solve it himself in any short amount of time, unfortunately. ☁️

[deathofpeaceofmiiind]

illicit affairs | eighteen

*Noah’s POV* When I woke up the next morning Ellie was still sleeping, she had no blankets on her and it was taking everything I had to not run my hands over her ass that was covered in lace. Fighting my thoughts, I got up and decided to go grab us breakfast. I quickly threw on a hoodie, grabbed my AirPods and headed out the door. I put my headphones in, listening to some samples of new music we had been working on. It was nowhere near ready for the world to hear, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it yet. I was thinking of doing a revised deluxe album because I had written a lot after Ellie left that felt like it belonged in this era. It was hard to me to want to close this albums chapter, it had given me so much and helped me grow.

I didn’t get very far listening to it when my phone started to ring, my feet froze when I saw it was Matt. I drew in a sharp breath before answering him.

“Hey…”

“That didn’t take long.”

“I’m sorry, I should’ve talked to you but -“

“I knew she was going back to you but was I even out of fucking Canada before you called her?” “How did you even know?” “You’ve had your location on this whole time.”

Shit. “I had to tell her how I felt, I’m sorry.” “You should’ve fucking waved at me when our planes passed each other bro.” “What the fuck do you want?”

“To say that and to ask if your meeting is about the idea of moving...”

“What makes you think that?”

“Last time someone said team meeting it was because Ruffilo wanted to move back to Virginia.” 

“I have to do this, she has too much tied up here to move in with me.”

“And you don’t? Our whole band’s headquarters is down there.”

“You’re not there and we do just fine.”

“But you’re -“

“There is nothing that will make me stay there, got it?” I felt myself shaking from how irritated I was getting. “Everyone is going to have to realize that my life with Ellie is just has important as this band now.”

“Make the meeting for 6pm your time. Some of us might not have girlfriends but we’re still busy.”

He hung up, causing me to curse under my breath. I figured he was going to be hardest to sell this to, the other guys probably wouldn’t care but I wanted their input. I’m not losing Ellie again and I want to be around her as much as possible. Also I loved it up here, I never got recognized and if I did, I got left alone. I felt like I could finally live the quiet life I dreamt of, and even better it would be with Ellie. I’ll always love LA and what it gave me, but it still came with baggage and noise you couldn’t drown out. Shaking off that god awful phone call, I headed into a local coffee shop and got us iced oat milk lattes and breakfast bagels before heading back home. 

Home. 

Something I still couldn’t believe was real. *Ellie’s POV* I woke up to the sound of the door closing shut causing my body to shoot out of bed thinking Noah left. I guess my pstd from Matt was still there, lucky me. My heart soared when I saw Noah standing in my kitchen holding bagels and coffee for us. I still couldn’t believe this was real and that he was here with me again. He noticed me standing there as his million dollar smile appeared, if it wasn’t for this wall I’d be on the floor by now.

“I hope I didn’t wake you.” “Kinda.” I smirked as he passed me my coffee, “it’s the perfect way to wake up though.” “I agree.” He beamed, kissing my forehead. “I don’t want to dull the mood but we should talk about the whole moving thing.” I sighed, knowing he was right. We both sat down with our breakfast at the table, neither of us knowing where to start. There was nothing I wanted more than for him to be here with me, but I didn’t want to jeopardize his career or make it inconvenient for the band. At the end of the day, he wasn’t going to be a couple states away, he was going to be in another country. 

“Noah, is this a bad idea?” “What do you mean?” I shifted in my seat, grabbing his hand, “I don’t want to make things hard for you and the band. I know being in LA makes the most sense, especially when it comes to recording new music. I also know how much you hate flying, and I worry if you have to fly more you’ll get exhausted and burn yourself out.” “It’s definitely crossed my mind.” He paused to take a small sip of his coffee, “when we talked about this last year, I had a plan already in mind…do you want to hear it?” I just nod. “I was hoping to sell my home in California and buy something up here we could share. I’d put a recording studio in it, we could have a backyard and a pool for Liam and whatever else we needed. Having a recording studio here would help because then I can tweak things and work on them without going to LA, or the band can come up here. Steven has mentioned he wants us to have a Canadian distribution centre for our merch so here would be the perfect spot because we could run it.” My heart jumped into my throat, “We?” “If you wanted a distraction from Nursing, Steven could use a lot more help.” “Wow” I breathed. This went from just having Noah in my apartment to us having a house and possibly working together. “If that’s too much I understand.” He sighed, looking down at my hands. “It’s just been in my mind for a year, and now that I’m here again I want nothing more than to have that future with you finally.” This man was all in for me and I wanted nothing more than to give him everything he wanted. I got out of my chair to go sit on his lap. His somber eyes followed my hands that pushed his bangs out of his face. My own eyes studied the pattern of his freckles before I gently kissed his nose. “Let’s do it.” His eyes widened. “Really?” My smile told him everything he needed to know. His hands wrapped around me as he stood up and spun me around, causing me to laugh uncontrollably. A million I love you’s fell past his mouth and I returned the favour as the moment was filled with complete bliss. Everything was about to fall into place for us and we could finally start our future together.

[hajihiko]

📓

HMMMM do I have ny more? Let's see

Well there's the Lost & Found AU.

Hajime is friends with some people but notably two boys, Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi, who can't stand each other. He tries to always hang out with them separately even though they're in the same class, it's a little awkward. Well, kids grow up, and the boys all get real busy around the same time. Fuyuhiko has to sink himself into The Family Business and tries to push people away before ge goes full undercover (and lots of people want him dead si he has no idea if he'll ever come back out), Kazuichi is worrying about graduation since he had the option of a really good school, but it's far away, and his (abusive) father can't take care of the repair shop all by himself and is trying to guilt him into staying. Hajime, well, he's gotta be busy with SOMETHING, because he totally ghosts them and breaks their hearts.

Eventually though, both of them realize that hey, my old best bro is just. Gone from the face of the earth. He said something about studying abroad but it's shady.... Fuyuhiko uses his connections to find out that the Hinata house was never sold or anything, it just stands empty, and the Hinata parents just sorta. Quietly got listed as missing or dead. Kazuichi finds out that Fuyuhiko is snooping and suspects him for all the shadiness, therefore involving himself, and he won't let Fuyuhiko off the hook until the latter proves that Hajime is okay or at least that Fuyuhiko didn't have anything to do with the shady circumstances.

They look for their missing dude but find nothing. Eventually they go back to the Hinata household just to go... somewhere, neither trusts the other in their own home- and ba-bam. A shaggy, long-haired, dead-eyed zombie of a person finds THEM. He's changed, a LOT, but it's Hajime alright.

And that's where the Emotion Rediscovery comes in! Cue cute and sad montage of Hajizuru slowly recovering the ability to feel emotions through friend shenanigans.

It turns out that not only CAN Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi get along, but they actually become really close, and find out some stuff about each other. Also about Hajime, who maybe wasn't the kind, easygoing normal dude they knew him as, and had baggage they never really imagined.

Keeping Hajizuru around means that the shadiest parts of HPA are hot on their tails, and things get real, real dangerous. They basically need to go back to the HPA Unethical Mindfuckery Division to try and help Hajime, but that brings them to the belly of the beast, and they get caught. HPA doesn't wanna risk the ire of the Yakuza, but sending Fuyuhiko back there is a 50/50 death sentence, which they're totally cool with. Kazuichi is a nobody whom no one will miss, so he's taken out back like old yeller. HajiZuru is out back in the pod for reprogramming, to get risk of those pesky wants and feels.

SYKE. HajiZuru has learned too much. He sabotages the programme, regains his full range of memory and feeling, kills some people, and saves the day. Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi gain a bodyguard and a tutor better than any school, respectively, and everything is fine the end.