#but I have the deepest love for this show

[yunsound]

Chinese Mythology: The Four Dragon Kings

Does anyone remember Ao Guang? Or the other three Dragon Kings? Or did anyone watch Ne Zha 2025?

You may then know of the Four Dragon Kings of Ancient China (四海龙王). 

Historically all four of them are male- some recent adaptations will show one (or more) of them as female just for fun. China, even in ancient times, did not have four seas around it- the four dragon kings each correspond to a body of water in the cardinal directions. 

Ao Guang

The big guy, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East, does have a “sea”: the East China Sea. 

A carving of Ne Zha fighting Ao Guang (we all remember how that went, right?)

We know and love Ao Guang since he’s the one who got Ne Zha killed (after both he and his son got their asses beat) and is also the guy who gave Sun Wukong his mythical weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Staff (maybe will make a post on mythological weapons at some point).

His third son, Ao Bing, is famous for getting his tendons plucked out by Ne Zha.

Subtitles: I'll pull your tendons out, see if you can still hurt anyone after this! (sorry for Ne Zha being kind of naked, he's a kid who was just taking a bath)

Ao Guang is the biggest, most powerful Dragon King.

In the Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods post here), he’s a big dickhead who forces people to give him offerings or he’ll bring them drought and disaster. He’s very powerful, and is the leader of the Four Dragon Kings.

He’s also the sexy dragon dilf dad in Ne Zha 2. 

I just cannot get over this character design, oh my goodness.

Ao Run

Ao Run, pronounced Ow Rwen (also sometimes called Ao Ji) is the Dragon King of the West. 

He does not have a “sea”: in fact, he rules over the biggest lake in China, Qinghai Lake. It’s big enough that we consider it a sea, I guess. It used to be considered an actual sea (like, connected out to the open ocean) probably because it’s huge, but it was probably never actually a sea. 

Lake Qinghai has shrunk a lot. You can tell in this picture: right now it’s about the size of Trinidad.

See all that dry land? Used to be lake.

It’s very blue, which is why it’s called Qinghai 青海 (blue sea). Qing generally refers to a bright blue-teal shade. 

Ao Run’s son, Ao Lie, is the dragon that is sentenced to death by the Jade Emperor for setting fire to Ao Run’s palace accidentally and destroying a whole bunch of stuff. In the end, Guanyin Pusa spares Ao Lie’s life and sends him on the Journey to the West with Wukong, Tangsen, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing. You may recall that Tangsen had a big fancy white horse- that’s Ao Lie!

You may notice in this picture everyone else's names are labeled except for the horse. It's kind of sad- he's a little irrelevant.

A huge downgrade, from being a fancy dragon prince to a horse, but you can’t say he didn’t deserve it. 

He's also featured in Fei Ren Zai (a very funny comic/animation series about mythical figures in modern-day also featuring Ne Zha, Wukong and Erlang Shen).

You may remember Ao Run from Ne Zha 2, 2025 as the sexy dragon lady with the killer sky-splitting manicure. 

Sorry, she did things to me when I first saw her appear in her human form.

Ao Shun

Ao Shun, pronounced Ow Shwen, is the Dragon King of the North.

He also does not have a “sea”, like Ao Run. His patron body of water is what’s now known as Lake Baikal (Wikipedia better not fail me, I actually had no idea where the North China Sea was supposed to be). 

Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, it’s right up there in the south part of Siberia. North enough for you?

Back when the Han dynasty was fighting the Xiongnu (the Huns in Disney’s Mulan, basically), they beat the Xiongnu in a battle here. They saw this huge-ass lake, and decided they’d refer to it as the North China Sea. Lake Baikal is larger than Belgium. A little scary, no?

In Ne Zha 2, he was the freaky purple-green guy with blades all over his body. You may remember him fighting Ao Bing in a very exciting battle sequence. I’m not aware of any myths where he’s of any significance. 

A hard pass. Sorry, second uncle. Your big brother and younger sister are much hotter.

Ao Qin

Ao Qin, pronounced Ow Chin (敖钦) is the Dragon King of the South.

The South China Sea of recent geopolitical tension fame is in fact a sea. Other than Ao Guang, he’s the only one with an actual sea. There’s not much to say about Ao Qin, he’s not that relevant.

If you remember him from Ne Zha 2, he’s the big red one who’s dumb as bricks..

The Four Dragon Kings are really not that important aside from Ao Guang and Ao Run. Ao Guang is a key mythological figure- he appears in many myths, and is a semi-major character in Journey to the West.

Ao Run contributes mainly by giving Tangsen a horse in the form of his son. Poor Ao Lie. 

In the 1979 Ne Zha Conquers the Sea, they are all seen briefly scheming with Ao Guang to go Karen-style and ask for the manager (Jade Emperor).

They're all siblings (since they have the same last name, Ao), with Ao Guang being the oldest brother. The order of ages past that is a little harder to figure out- from what I know, their ages are

Ao Guang

Ao Shun

Ao Qin

Ao Run

I actually don't know where Ao Run is in the ranking, I just know Ao Qin is younger than Ao Shun. As such, Ao Run could be either the youngest, the second youngest or the third youngest.

[rivereverie]

What I like about the Dryad Test scene (Astarion romance spoilers)

So I haven't done any other character's romance yet, but I want to talk about the brilliance of Astarion's version of the “romance test” scene in the circus. While I do think it was a missed opportunity to show a little more vulnerable reaction when you first call him forward to do the test (calling him the "one you love"), before he covers it up with his usual mask, I think this is a beautifully subtle scene overall. Which is impressive given how indulgent it is. The whole premise is that you full well know the true answers to the questions, but if you want to make him happy and comfortable, you wont give them. He’s clearly uncomfortable with you bringing up personal information in front of an audience, even if it’s to correctly answer the question. He obviously isn’t taking the test seriously at all, and is doing it more to just have fun and mess around. As much as I adore sincerity, this scene is just so in-character for Astarion I can't be mad at it. You’re showing him how well you know him *by* answering incorrectly, because you know *that’s* what he wants. You're showing that you know him, and you don't need to prove it. While it would have been fun and cute to just have a little moment here that plays right into the dryad's game without any twists, this execution of the scene suits Astarion's current emotional state so much better, and makes it more engaging. The story doesn't just pander to the player, no matter how indulgent Astarion seems as a character. He’s imperfect and struggling a lot, and the player needs genuine patience to see the real him in those rare moments when he lets the mask fall.

He’s been making some very slow changes throughout the game up to this point, and he’s still grappling with that. It’s obvious that even he doesn't really understand or want to face his feelings and how he’s changed, as he’s unwilling to even put a label on his relationship with the player character at this point. He’s all about using his mask as a shield, and so the times we’ve seen behind it have been insanely vulnerable by his standards; private moments meant to stay between the two of you. So of course he wouldn't like it if you just bring up his deepest feelings in a public setting all for some silly carnival activity. He’s also very much the type to say: “like I need a dryad to tell me how I feel”, when prompted with the game in the first place. He probably only agreed because the player wanted to, and he wanted to just have a bit of a laugh. It’s not that he doesn't have genuine feelings for the character, but rather that he has no clue how to handle them. He’s probably holding back a lot at this point in the story, and it probably scares him that he’s getting so attached to someone. Someone that could be taken from him. He probably sees that as a weakness that Cazdor could exploit to hurt him even more, and so his  natural instinct would be to keep everything close to his chest. Orin’s line about Gortash using our connection as a noose by which to hang us probably illustrates his fears perfectly. It’s scary when you have feelings beyond your control, and given that he probably hasn't felt this way about someone in as long as he can remember, if ever, he’s probably even more unnerved. This subtle internal struggle is perfectly illustrated in this scene. At this point in the story overall, he’s confused, on edge, afraid, angry, but also maybe the slightest bit hopeful for the first time in a long time, because of the player. 

The best part is that his instincts about not wanting his personal information shared with a stranger is justified, as Orin shows up to ruin the fun. Apparently in early versions of the game, its at this point that she would kidnap the player’s romanced companion, but apparently play testers hated that (this is just what I've heard). It would be so neat, even though I'd panic and drop everything to hunt her down. That sinking feeling when Orin reveals herself is only magnified if you answer the “true” options during the love test, because now one of our greatest enemies has critical information that could be used to hurt our loved one. 

Anyway I just love how subversive this scene is because of who Astarion is as a person, and how it illustrates the unique bond he has with the player character. His reactions are so cute when you give answers that he likes (like saying what he wants most is revenge, or that most things fear *him*, actually). This is a rare moment when it seems like he's actually having fun. It's just two idiots in love messing around, and that's important.

(This is all just my interpretation. Feel free to disagree)

[lavandulawrites]

Blackout

Zayne x reader

Zayne is truly chef’s kiss. I think he can make the quite scary yandere, given the opportunity. This was originally planned to be longer, but I didn’t have any motivation to make it so:,) Anyways, if anyone wants a part two, let me know!<3

Masterlist

Warnings: yandere, imprisoned reader, Zayne is utterly lovesick, obsession, overprotectiveness, possessiveness

The living room of the remote cabin was laid in darkness. The only source of light was from the lit hearth, that slowly but surly warmed the room up. Outside of the windows consisted only of the black night and tiny snow crystals that seared slowly down from the endless sky. The moon and the stars were all hidden behind thick dark clouds, leaving the sky empty and cold.

To your right on an old arm chair, sat Zayne. Instead of his usual trusted stethoscope around his neck, a thick marine blue wooden scarf were wrapped around his neck. His eyes was fixed on you as they seemingly tried to prod through your mind.

You were leaned against the sofa cushions as you gazed into the flames. You were cold, awfully so, but you did not want to make that obvious to the man seated beside you. So, you tried your best at remaining neutral in your expression.

The power had gone out after the blizzard. Now the storm was gone, but the electricity was no where to be seen. The warmth from the heaters had disappeared with the lights. You both had been sitting in front of the fire for a few hours. Zayne’s mobile phone was currently not working, and you hadn’t seen your phone in a long time.

The black haired man shifted in his seat which caused your eyes to follow his movements slightly without moving your head. The situation was unfortunate and it had soured your mood even further. A slight grimace was present on your lips as your gaze returned to the unruly flames. If only your irritation could warm you up, you thought bitterly.

Zayne inhaled suddenly, which broke the tense silence. “This situation is truly unfortunate. Hopefully the power will be back soon. If not” he sighed “I would have to drive in to town and get an electrician. If we are lucky, the phone will start working soon. Though that seems unlikely as of now…”. He raked his hand through his hair in a deflated manner. You could almost hear how his mind was racing with possible solutions.

Your whole predicament would have been better if the highly respected doctor hadn’t deemed the world too dangerous for you. He had been planning for months (that much had been made clear to you after a good while), and he had put his high intellect to good use. It was after all a reason as to why he was the best surgeon of the country, his mind was quick and it contained seemingly endless information.

He had been your trusted primary care physician for a good while. He was kind and you trusted him fully. When he started to become more and more prying about your private life, you didn’t question him. Not even once. Now you had come to regret it deeply as he had you hidden away from the world.

Zayne sighed. He rose to his feet and took a seat beside you on the sofa. He pulled a thick blue blanket around the both of you as he leaned your head on his shoulder. He kissed the crown of your head gently. “I love you [Name]. Don’t forget that… This is all for the best of you. Please trust me” his voice was soft and laced with hurt and honesty.

The flames pulled you in hypnotically as you stared into them. The warmth from the man beside you felt unnatural as his grip on your shoulder tightened. His façade had began to crack and the beast that was well hidden inside the deepest depths of his soul was starting to show.

[burntoaster04]

(TW: BLOOD AND DECAPITATION!!)

Au by @smile-for-the-camera-smg4 !! Go support them!

And also this NOT accurate to the lore of the au. And to the author, if this ship make you uncomfortable, please tell me I can delete it.

Meggy: you are done! You are soo dead!! Where's tari you fucking psycho!!!? What have you done to her?!

Mr puzzles: oh? You mean ... -Rummages from his back- this lost bluejay? =)

Meggy: t-tari?...

Mr puzzles: my apologies Mrs spletzer... But she was unlucky to be on my first list to die because she's the innocent one. Innocent ones tends to be the first ones as always. Wouldn't you agree?

You thought yourself you COULD, save her.. Because she wasn't found... YET. Well now you have. Such a great twist!

-Drops the head-

Now, this is the part where I'm going to have to kill you... But.. I would love for the extra chase scene until the end... -Walks to get his cleaver and camera on the ground, he notices something...a box of some sort inside a backpack of meggy. He reaches and opens it-

Mr puzzles: oh? You were planning on purposing to her?... Well, my deepest apologize... I should've letten you two have your moment before I ended it! Man... That wouldve been a great scene to shoot.. Bittersweetness... -Sigh- Shame... Such a shame.. Well, can't do much about it... You can still purpose to her -approaches meggy from behind- when you see her again =).

Do you still wanna run, meggy?

Do you still wanna fight?

Because I would love to have that as my finale.

-meggy was shaking, embracing taris head as she was sobbing-

Mr puzzles: lost your will to the fight? Such a disappointment... Our fight was almost hyped up in this but this is how you wanna end it? Because I showed you her head? You absolutely disgust me. You and those creatures ive killed.

Well... It doesn't matter.. I got all my scenes that I want. Before you end up like your girlfriend right here.. Do you wanna smile for the camera before we end this movie? =)

-Silence-

Mr puzzles: okay then... -raises his cleaver- farewell, spletzer. You were a spectacular actor!

Made a mistake at the second panel! Meggys blood disappeared!

[the-violet-diaries]

Broken Backstories: A Theory on the Past of the Wanderers in Love and Deepspace

Is it just me or has anyone ever thought about the bounty hunt Wanderer Heartbreaker's origin? Like, what would this tear drop-shaped creature have gone through to become what it is today? And what about the other Wanderers?

Maybe this is actually already true and i havent picked up on it yet because im just dumb, but here's my theory so far on the Wanderers in the game: They were once ordinary humans with ordinary lives that were unfortunate enough to come in contact with some type of disease or physical or mental obstacle in their lives that transformed them into these "monsters."

One of the best examples I can think of to compare this scenario with is the kdrama Sweet Home. The drama is set in a completely ordinary human world like ours. Some strange, seemingly transmittable disease causes people to start becoming monsters, turning Seoul into a complete dystopia.

It is later revealed, however, that all these demons were once human beings that reincarnate into the embodiments of their deepest and darkest desires or fears.

For example, the monster that can't see properly but has the sharpest hearing:

SPOILER:

An earlier scene shows Cha Hyun Su (Song Kang) trying to "distinguish the monster inside" before he himself gives in to the transformation.

This pattern or theme of a seemingly dystopian world where the battle is between humans and another species framed as "dangerous" by the humans is reoccurring in many books, shows, and movies. So, my thought process is that the same might apply for some Wanderers in LaDs, if not all.

I was fighting Hearbreaker, the tear drop-shaped Wanderer in Bounty Hunt the other day, and this entire idea just came to me and I literally cannot unthink it now. Like, it makes so much sense!

The battle seems ordinary at first, with a gorgeous amusment park-themed setting and nice bg music. But then the Wanderer up for bounty appears. A droplet of water, shedding tears and following you around with pain in its eyes as it begs for you to accept its love. Sound familiar? Yes, sadly, most of us can relate. The longing to be accepted.

And what is our mission? To get rid of it.

Now, im not trying to hate on the LaDs team or anything. I love bounty hunt and its something i play often. But i just find it sad that a bounty is placed above a harmless creature which clearly seems to be suffering from loneliness and, as the name suggests, heartbreak.

The other Bounty Wanderers each have their own distinct qualities. And the saddest part is that even if they may not have all once been human like MC, they are hunted and killed for their weaknesses, and will likely never recover.

Well, anyway, that was kinda weird i think i took that a bit too deeply that was just a quick idea dump lol. 😅😅 I may be misunderstanding some details but I've played LaDs for quite a long time so I'm not so sure because so far nothing much has been revealed regarding the origins of the Wanderers besides Ever and its affiliations but i may be wrong. there are so many other theories out there we'll just have to wait and see! but anyway I hope you guys enjoyed! lots of luv 4 u i know u need it ❤️❤️❤️

[roseboysstuff]

tis' me again, the one and only anon who req the shiro fic 😎 anyways could u write another shiro x ftm reader making out passionately but shiro forgot to put protection bc hes sooooo into it.

Then timeskip to where reader gets preg and Shiro was SUPER DUPER guilty bc he didnt want to add more responsibility to reader bc yknow abt the galra and paladin war stuff... again, u can do this req anytime!! hava good day/night

(i should put a name for myself so i shall b named 🌹 anon!)

OOoooo me likey Shiro is so fun to write

Also I added a cut at the timeskip coz this got long hehe

CW // mentions of vomit, ftm pregnancy

You and Shiro spend many a nights like this. Liplocked, unable to let go of each other. He loved you, you loved him, and there was nothing anyone could do to tear you away from each other.

He loved touching you, everywhere. Your hips, your waist, your thighs. Everywhere that he could touch, he would touch. Mostly because he loved how you felt under his hands. Soft and yielding to his touch, and gods, the noises you made when he squeezed the sensitive parts of your body. How he could reach a hand up to cup the back of your neck, pulling you either further into him. Tangling his fingers gently in your hair to make sure you couldn't escape.

Not that you wanted to. It was your favourite thing. To just be sat on his lap while he made you feel so loved, so wanted, so his.

"Can I, baby boy? I want to... want to make love to you." he would ask, half-pleading, half-tender. And for you, saying no would be denying not only his desires, but yours. You wanted him so badly. So both of your pants were discarded, underwear thrown onto the floor as he lowered you to lie on your back on the couch. Seeing you under him, knowing you were all his, ready for him to make you feel so good. Yeah, it's too much for him.

He would line up his cock with your entrance, smirking at how wet you already were. He's a little smug, but he just loves knowing you want him just as badly as he wants you.

Neither of you remembered protection, but it didn't occur to your lust-addled brains to find a condom. He was focusing on how wet and tight you were, the exquisite clench of your boycunt on his cock, how easily he could just slide in and out, how beautifully you were taking him. And you, you were focusing on how he was stretching you out, the ridges and veins sliding against the walls of your cunt.

It was only when you felt his seed spilling into your deepest parts, that you remembered. But you didn't panic much. It was one time, and you weren't ovulating. No need to worry about getting pregnant... right?

Timeskip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well now, 4 weeks later, you were bent over a toilet, vomiting your guts up, painful acid and bile forcing it's way up from your stomach.

After emptying your stomach, you assumed you'd caught a bug. But that made no sense, you'd been in space with Shiro and everyone else for months, and no one else had caught anything. Then your gaze fell on the pregnancy tests in the cupboard.

There's no way. Surely.

A few minutes, some peeing on a stick, and a panic attack later, you were sat on the toilet lid, staring at the positive pregnancy test. Part of you was happy, as you had always known that Shiro would be the father of your kids if you had any. But would he be happy with this? Only one way to find out.

Ever the carer, he noticed the tension in your muscles as soon as you walked into his room. But he froze as he looked at what you were showing him. A pregnancy test. Positive.

A baby. His baby. You were pregnant with his baby.

"Oh... baby boy... I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have remembered to wear a condom. You don't need this, you're busy and you're saving us all. You're so amazing, gosh... have I ruined your future?" His words came out all at once, and you had to hug him, to stop him from talking. Blaming him wasn't even on your mind.

"I'm not blaming you, Shiro. I thought you'd be mad at me. I'm more than happy to have and raise this baby... if you want that too?"

His smile was radiant after that, as he just scooped you up in his arms and kissed your face all over.

"Yes! Oh, my little prince, my handsome boy! We can raise this baby if you want, together. Our little family. I'm so glad, I've wanted a baby with you, so badly. I was willing to wait for as long as you needed, but to know you want this too... I'm overjoyed."

Hugs and kisses were given to each other that night, talking about baby names, how to tell the rest of your friends, the logistics of pregnancy and childbirth in space. But mostly, reassurances of love and care.

[super-who-locked-me-in-here]

Okay so I might have fully developed Supernatural brainrot with everything going on but bear with me as I ramble, okay?

So I made this post yesterday freaking out about Jared and Misha guest starring in The Boys s5 at some point, right? And I've come up with the most batshit insane headcanon/theory about what could happen. If it does happen, I might perish. If it doesn't happen, well, at the very least I have the basis for a really cool fanfiction once I finish The Boys and my rewatch of Supernatural. So here's the thing: in Supernatural, Chuck is a writer, right? In the TV series, Sam and Dean find this whole book series based on their lives written under the pen name Carver Edlund and they find out the author is Chuck and they think he's just a prophet but they later find out he's God. And in 15x12 Galaxy Brain, Chuck reveals to a random Radio Shed worker that he's created hundreds of alternate universes where Sam and Dean exist, but the universe that they are currently standing in, that Sam and Dean, they are his favorite. They excite him. They disappoint him. This version of Sam and Dean, our version of Sam and Dean, is his favorite. He then decides that all other versions of Sam and Dean and the stories that he wrote for them in those alternate universes were "failed drafts" and that it was time to "cancel" them. Of course the gang is able to defeat Chuck by the end of the show, but not before he goes on a rampage destroying all these alternate universes and versions of Sam and Dean (and other key story members). However, it is revealed in the prequel show The Winchesters that after Jack was instated as the new God, he reverted the multiverse to its original state.

Which leads me to The Boys.

What if The Boys is one of Chuck's alternate universe's where he's playing with Sam and Dean as his favorite toys, but he decided to really spice things up in this one, so they aren't even Sam and Dean, they're Sam and Dean playing other characters that Chuck has designed? I mean, we're looking at Jared, Misha, and Jensen all working together in the final season of The Boys, I don't see why this couldn't happen. You could argue that Vought Rising could get in the way of that happening but that's going to be a prequel series. There's no telling what Jared and Misha's roles are going to be in The Boys and when in s5 they'll show up and what will happen after the show. What I'm implying is that this is our segue into Supernatural s16. Because what if The Boys was Chuck's backup Sam and Dean? What leads me specifically to question this (aside from the fact that it's another Eric Kripke show and we're getting a Team Free Will team up) is an interaction in Supernatural 3x10 Dream a Little Dream of Me. While helping Bobby in his comatose state, Dean runs into a nightmarish demon version of himself that prods at his deepest insecurities. The interaction goes as follows: "I mean after all, you got nothing outside of Sam. You are nothing. You're as mindless and obedient as an attack dog." "That's not true..." "No? What are the things that you want? What are the things that you dream? I mean your car? That's Dad's. Your favorite leather jacket? Dad's. Your music? Dad's...do you even have an original thought? No. No all there is is 'Watch out for Sammy! Watch after your little brother boy!' You can still hear your dad's voice in your head can't you? Clear as a bell..." "Just shut up." "Think about it...all he ever did was train you, boss you around; but Sam? Sam he doted on. Sam he loved." "You made it. I'm getting angry." "Dad knew who you really were...a good soldier and nothing else...Daddy's blunt little instrument. Your own father didn't care if you lived or died, WHY SHOULD YOU?!" (Part 2 in reblogs bc of character count)

[lizbetlovesbyler]

I left this comment on that Lawyers evidence for Byler video, I feel the need to leave it here, too:

I'm a lesbian, and that's something I've struggled a lot for years with trying to accept, I'll admit that I'm still not quite there. I recently went so far as to date a boy to try and prove to myself and the people around me that I was at least bisexual. I broke up with him once I realised I was falling in love with a close friend of mine who I've known since I was a little girl. Part of the reason I was able to begin the journey of accepting myself was because I realised my reluctance to accept I wasn't into men was directly causing harm to the boyfriend I did have (much like Mike to El in the series) and because my sexuality meant I could see the sun, moon and stars in this friend of mine. She makes me feel powerful, confident and "better" for being different. For the first time in my life I found beauty in the love I could have for others. I found comfort where I had originally found fear, pride where I had always found shame. She sits across from me as I type this. Maybe this is my version of Wills monologue, a veiled confession for the things I'm so hesitant to say to her face. My point is:

These kinds of stories are very real.

It is not delusional to anticipate a Mike/Will romance. Nor is it evil to desire a Mike/Will romance. Many people, myself included, have found the deepest parts of themselves in this story. Seeing yourself on screen and realising that you are not alone. Going online to see that there are so many people who see you, that they have names and explanations for everything that seems to be vexing you. You're taught about internalised homophobia and compulsive heteronormativity. Everything you've never been able to understand starts to fit together to show you who you are.

But there is a common view that that is enough, that we dont need or deserve more. That once season five comes out, if a Mike/Will romance is not implemented into the story, we will be humiliated for thinking, even for a moment, that we could have the happy ending. 'Stranger Things' is in every living room. The message carried by a Byler endgame would reach every corner of the globe. The positive impact it would have is immeasurable. If the Duffer Brothers were smart, and they are, they'd go through with it.

I want to live in a world where I'm not scared to tell the girl I love how much she means to me. A world where I'm not forced to bury who I am throughout my childhood and adolescent years, turning 18 not knowing quite where I fit. A world were myself and those alike dont suffer for the comfort of the heterosexual majority, to whom our stories are so easy to ignore.

Neglecting to take the possibility of a Mike/Will romance seriously is a reflection of the reason why a Mike/Will romance is necessary in the first place. If you dont like it, you can turn off your screen. We cannot turn it off or make it stop. Believe me, we've all tried.

[yandereparadox]

Yandere! Male Blue Diamond Headcanons!

(Mkay, No one has asked for it, but for some reason, I haven't stopped thinking about it for the last two hours. So here you go Blue Diamond lovers!) ---------- TW/ Trigger Warning: Manipulation, Isolation, yandere tendencies, violence. Gender: Anyone Author Notes: My mind is full of Male Blue Diamond. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------------

-Actually, the yandere type is a strange combination of self-sacrificing, possessive and manipulative. -Oh, my dear! He loves you so much, he would give his life if necessary, he would give the breaking point of his gem just to be able to save your life!…. -Then… Why don't you love him, why do you show so much rejection towards him, isn't he enough for you? -You have to admit it, the poor baby will blame himself for not being enough to be loved by an extraordinary creature like you, he will blame himself for not having pampered you enough or not being worthy of you. -Although, he doesn't express it the first times you reject him, even if the air turns blue, he will try to hide his tears as much as possible, he can't show himself so weak for you. -Even though, in his heart and the deepest part of his soul, it hurts like being broken again and again and again until his gem is shattered. You will even be able to hear little sobs after he himself withdrew from his discussion because of your frustrated attempt to escape. -I couldn't believe the sapphire! You were planning to escape?! You were ungrateful! -He could scream at you while crying, blaming you for everything, blaming you for not loving him betraying his own feelings of not deserving you. -He's given you everything! -And you were planning to escape from his clutches arms?! -Just like White, he will punish you by locking you in the tower all alone, or perhaps with Pink's company if he would have thrown a tantrum or punched his pearl to pieces. But, the most common punishment for him would be to always have you in his arms, his shoulder or even his lap. Briefings, hearings, Pink's dances, resting in his palanquin. At least you will be obediently seated waiting for him to finish his duties as authority. And maybe…he'll give you little kisses on your cheeks or neck.

But, if you play your cards right…..

-You'll be spoiled rotten in gifts or even a small sector of rubies to protect you, almost like your personal pets. A pearl? Of course, my dear. Would you like to participate in Pink's ball? Sure, be careful. Do you want to sleep next to him? Oh well, you'll sleep, he doesn't need to sleep. All your needs will be met, as long as you don't try a little escape trick or talk too fondly with another inferior gemstone. -He admits it, he hates to see you too close to your pearl. But, he will secretly hate it, the only times he will express his feelings to you will be in his extraction chamber, when you are alone. Otherwise, he will try to emotionally manipulate you into empathizing with him. Although, that action will intensify threefold the more escape attempts you make. He might even use small physical punishments on Yellow's advice.

Anyway, he knows you are a good human to him, his human to himself. -He understands the concepts humans have for a boyfriend or a husband, he considers it a precious act as for savages like Darling's kind. So, he himself and without asking, oh well, he will subtly ask that little formality. -If you accept, he'll be the happiest diamond in eons, his little human being his! Isn't it so nice to have someone for eternity?

And if you don't, don't worry, he'll push you so hard and manipulate you so damn well that you'll feel like a monster for turning him down.

-Perhaps Pink was right…humans are very…cute. ........................................................................................................................... Hellooo, Anons. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, it was fun to write about Blue Diamond. Don't forget to ask for more diamonds, I'll gladly write your craziest scenarios! *Wink, wink* Ha, That´s all, Kisses!!

[cup-o-stars]

Last part for old GF sketches

(Actually, most of these aren't old at all, but their average is brought down by the last picture, which I drew back in August and kept forgetting to post)

[lornaka]

My five cents on Tech’s fate in TBB

It’s been over three weeks since the show ended and I’ve been writing this in my head ever since, mostly to have it summed up in one post for posterity lol. I considered letting it go at this point but I know it’ll drive me crazy if I don’t get it out of my system so might as well.

So here we go, some of my rambly post-finale thoughts on Tech’s death (and a few other issues) under the cut!

Disclaimer: while this post is in critical spirit (because that’s how my brain works), I want to make clear that I have nothing but respect and gratitude towards everyone who’s worked on the show. My criticisms are of the final story as a whole as I interpret it (art is art, everything is subjective, you know the drill), but one never knows what goes into the process of making it behind the scenes, so I’m not holding anything against the creative team. I love this show dearly and am in awe of how good it is at its best, despite certain things I wish they did differently.

To begin, if I had to sum up the biggest problem that TBB writing suffers from, it would be lack of closure, and too many red herrings. Not just for Tech, but many things. Major plot threads as well as little character moments are cultivated or thrown in just to never culminate in anything or to be immediately discarded after serving the plot, some of them incredibly misleading. Some of the top examples:

- Crosshair’s chip. We never get an exploration of how the trauma of his chip activating and being left behind not only affected his motivation and choice to stay with the Empire, but his relationship with his brothers. While it was made fairly obvious, if subtly, that Crosshair became free of the chip’s influence after getting hit by the ion engine on Bracca, the narrative treated this change as if it didn’t matter at that point, while it obviously mattered a lot within the context of Crosshair’s character. Add to that all these little details with him clutching his head in s1 finale, Omega expressing her disappointment in him, and Tech’s comment on how “it is just his nature” (as if it matters!!! See what I mean about the narrative treating Cross’s chip as if it didn’t play the key part in his trajectory? They throw in this line, like we are supposed to take away that it’s simply Crosshair being Crosshair and not like, the results of brainwashing and abandonment), Wrecker blaming Crosshair for not going back to them, all while we as the audience have been shown and told repeatedly how these chips work (and so were the Batch), we ended up with an incredibly confusing situation with lots of mixed signals from the writers. And once Crosshair makes his choice to stay with the Empire in s1 finale, his chip and the confusion it brought to his relationship with his brothers is never brought up again, because the plot simply moves on.

- Cid’s betrayal. After her being a major character for two seasons with a continuous relationship build-up with Omega in particular, she is discarded as soon as her betrayal serves the plot, with all that character development getting thrown out of the window. You can be mad at Cid all you want, but to me it’s incredibly weird and wasteful to end two seasons worth of build up on that note without it having any closure for the characters, especially Omega whose whole theme is trusting people and bringing out the best in them. It’s fine if they decided to make Cid exactly what she appeared on the surface (untrustworthy and self-serving) after playing around with her potentially growing through her fondness of Omega, but then at the very least the betrayal should’ve had an impact on the characters, Omega most of all. Even just one casual line from Omega in s3 about how Cid’s betrayal impacted her emotionally, however minimally, would have solved that problem. And no, CX-2 mentioning how he extracted info on Phee from her off screen absolutely doesn’t count as closure, because I’m talking about emotional closure for the main pov characters as well as the audience. Cid had a presence for two seasons, then as soon as she executed her role as a traitor to further the plot, she was discarded like she was a random extra.

- Emerie’s relationship with Hemlock. We are led to believe that he basically raised her, instilling in her the idea that she had no chance without him and owed her purpose and “safety” to him. You can’t tell me that this didn’t deeply affect her struggle and eventual decision to break away from all that and choose to help the kids, basically betraying Hemlock. I get that the show only had so much screen time and Emerie is a supporting character in season 3 at best, but common, she has more tension with Dr. Scalder than Hemlock while the potential for this rich deep conflict between them is right there.

I can probably list more smaller examples but this is getting long and I don’t want to go on any more tangents, so, finally, the biggest example of lack of closure and tendency of TBB writing to display foreshadowing that leads nowhere:

Tech’s death.

First of all, I’ll die on the hill that it wasn’t denial or delusion that led to such a big portion of the audience to believe that Tech didn’t really die in s2. If we look at the facts:

- there was no body

- it’s the finale of season 2 out of 3, pretty early for one of the main titular characters to get killed off

- the only/last character to allegedly see Tech after his fall is a villainous scientist who is known to experiment on clones specifically

- not a fact but: the whole scene with Hemlock presenting Tech’s goggles to Hunter was incredibly suspicious. In hindsight, I think the whole purpose of it was so that the Batch got Tech’s goggles back in their possession as a memento (and to show how evil Hemlock is to rub it into Hunter’s face like that) but it was executed in a way that read as something much more. It read as if Hemlock was going out of his way to convince us/Hunter of Tech’s death, but with us knowing who Hemlock is, his background in experimenting on clones, everything screams at us to not trust a word he says. Is it really so surprising that so many of the viewers immediately jumped at the conclusion that something more was going on there?

- Hunter’s (lack of) reaction/immediate narrative fall-out. More on that later as I address lack of emotional impact of Tech’s death in s3.

- it’s Star Wars. And there was no body.

So yeah, to me, it is completely justified that so many people read that whole thing as open to speculation at the very least, foreshadowing Tech’s survival at most.

Personally, I was 70% sure Tech was truly dead prior to s3, but not because the text told me so, but because at that point I was used to the show’s writing regularly sending out mixed signals, and a part of me was resigned to Tech’s death becoming another example of the writer’s intent clashing with their accidental empty foreshadowing.

As season 3 aired and the whole CX-2 plot was unfolding alongside continued lack of closure for Tech’s fate, my hope for Tech Lives reveal grew and grew, but in the end my initial doubt was proven right, unfortunately.

Oh, CX-2.. what a mess. You can’t tell me the creators went over all of these scenes, all of these lines, looked at the whole picture and *didn’t* see how it was incredibly easy to interpret CX-2 as potentially being Tech with all these little potential parallels. “Domicile” alone.

If they didn’t want us to entertain the idea that it could be Tech, they could’ve done it differently, but for some reason, they chose to leave that space for speculation. My question is, why?

If they truly wanted us to believe Plan 99 was it, Tech’s Noble End that we were supposed to take as this dramatic super emotional ultimate sacrifice and all that, then why would they not make it clear that CX-2 couldn’t be Tech? Why breed confusion? And breed confusion they did. It’s hard for me to believe they didn’t foresee the “ohh is it Tech?” speculation.

When so many members of the audience immediately and individually jump at a theory or have the same take away from the story they are being told, yet the authors say it wasn’t meant to be taken that way, something went seriously wrong with the writing.

I don’t like to speculate on such things because we will probably never know for certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had at some point considered CX-2 being Tech or at least something more for the whole CX plot thread, but changed and reshuffled things at the last minute for whatever reasons.

Which is fine and understandable. But it brings me to the heart of my biggest issue with how Tech’s fate was handled:

lack of impact and closure.

Let’s disregard all the Tech Lives theories for a moment and focus on what we did get: Tech, one of the main characters, getting killed off at the end of s2 out of 3, for stakes and consequences and NOTHING else. When I say nothing, I mean nothing.

Imagine, for a moment, he survived and stayed with the Batch. Nothing would have changed, in the grand scheme of things. Nothing. We wouldn’t have had a few obligatory “Tech mention, everyone feel sad now” throwaway lines/goggle shots and whatnot, sure, but that’s it.

Tech dying didn’t change the trajectory of the plot in any way, nor did it affect any of the other characters in a way that changed their trajectory. And anything less is simply not enough to justify killing one of your main characters. Stakes and consequences ain’t it.

Consider Mayday, for example: a supporting character, but his death in s2 affected Crosshair in such a way it completely redirected his journey, AND in s3 we got an episode that cemented the impact Mayday had on Crosshair and provided emotional closure for them. That’s a narratively meaningful death.

Tech’s death was not meaningful to the narrative beyond removing him from it. That’s why so many Tech fans insist he deserved better treatment: not only was he not present in one third of the show physically, but he lacked any sort of presence even in death. His absence was never processed or grieved by any of the main characters and so by extension by the audience.

And before anyone starts with the whole ‘they are soldiers/they had no time to grieve/etc’ arguments, it is the responsibility of the writers to provide the space for all of that emotional impact. It they don’t, there is no impact.

A few reactions here and there, moments of missing Tech as a person and a brother, not an asset, anything would have made this whole thing easier to accept.

The lines that we did get, from Omega mentioning the stuff Tech taught her to Echo commenting on how decryption would be easier if Tech was with them to “Clone Force 99 died with Tech” from Crosshair - each and every single one of those lines linked to Tech’s functions as part of the squad, his usefulness, but we didn’t get a single line in remembrance of him as a person of his own, no one missed or remembered him for himself or his personal impact on them.

Just one line from Omega about how he taught her about change being a constant part of life or whatever, or Wrecker making a comment on how Tech used to info dump about stuff, anything would have instantly provided that much needed sense of “he was here, he was a person and is still a part of us”. Instead, Tech was killed off to show that messing with the Empire is dangerous and risks are real, I guess, and immediately lost any and all presence within the story.

We never even got to see Crosshair’s or Phee’s reactions to losing him.

Speaking of Crosshair, that’s a whole other example of complete lack of closure: they never closed the loop on the family being reunited again after initially leaving Crosshair behind, and with Tech dead, it’ll forever stay broken.

They could’ve given this a bittersweet yet meaningful spin if they developed the angle of Tech dying on a mission to bring Crosshair home, making a sacrifice so Crosshair had a chance.

Instead, the moment Tech dies, we get Hunter (and through him, the narrative) immediately abandon the idea/plot thread of going to rescue Cross all while saying “let’s not waste Tech’s sacrifice”. Sacrifice for what? Clearly Hunter doesn’t see it as a sacrifice for Crosshair’s sake, so, what, to make sure the rest of them makes it from the mission? The mission to save Crosshair. That mission. Right.

I see people talking about Tech’s noble sacrifice that ensured his family got to live and eventually have their happy ending, but all I can think about is how the creators chose to have him die on a mission that was immediately abandoned and the only take away from that whole sub plot was Tech’s own demise.

And after Crosshair is back with the Batch, his reaction to Tech’s death is never explored at all.

So yes, to me Tech deserved so much better. If you are going to kill off a major character, it must be necessary to be compelling. The way I see it, Tech’s death was not necessary at all because it didn’t change anything. And if it was meant to, the creators failed to communicate that by choosing not to explore the emotional impact of it and not structuring certain story beats in a more precise manner.

To wrap this up, if the way Tech’s death was handled was satisfying for you, that’s valid and I’m glad for you. For me, unfortunately, it’s completely the opposite and will forever remain the biggest and most unfortunate low point in the story.

And while I welcome anyone to share their own perspective if they wish, please don’t take this post as an invitation for debate, since there is no one right or wrong way to interpret or be affected by art.

[sanatomis]

content. fluff, mentions of nudity, usage of celsius (the only correct way of measuring temperature iktr).

it’s an unwritten rule in your relationship with satoru that you two must sleep skin-to-skin. it doesn’t matter if the room is -4 degrees or if it’s nearing 32. you’re bare—partly or fully—and you lay touching the other. on some days, you lay chest to chest, on others you’re spooning each other (satoru is mostly the little spoon, but on rare days he switches it up), and on others it’s merely your pinkies intertwining as you two sleep peacefully during the night.

some part of you, no matter if it’s big or small, has to be touching him. actually touching him. without the barrier of infinity, that keeps him from touching the world in its entirety. and without the barrier of clothing, that keeps him from touching you—from truly touching you. the two of you need to feel each other, to feel the other on your skin and know that they’re here and that they’re real.

to be so vulnerable together, and to have absolutely nothing separating the two of you. it’s just you, and it’s just him. and suddenly the world doesn’t seem all that bad.

. . .yeah, sleeping skin-to-skin is an absolute must.

[blushblushbear]

Hey, I was wondering if you create headcannons for the Blush Blush boys. If so, I was wondering 👀

Can you describe how any of the immortal characters (Stirling, Seth, Reece?, Aki, Haru, Fuyu) would react if their SO/MC/Love interest reincarnates after they die of old age for example?

I’m a huge fan of reincarnation x immortal stuff, cause it gives off a happy ending and hope that their love will never die even if they’re reborn in a different time💖

I wanna start at the top by saying I think all of them freak out at least a little bit when they see their long dead lover seemingly up and alive again

I'll get into each one individually but needless to say, it's a bit of a shock to the lot of them

also I did a thing about The Immortals dealing with your death (that I will but a link to here later but right now I can't be bothered to shift through my many bullshit posts to find it atm OOPS SORRY)

(ps: love your stuff btw!!! <3 )

STARTING OFF

Stirling:

I think he's gone through this too many times and loves the drama of it all too much to ever have him claim that he will never love again after you (at least not forever)

but suffice it to say he doesn't think he'll ever have a love like you again in any of his life times worth of living he has left to get through

he also didn't become a vampire to kick the bucket quickly nor does he think he'll be headed in the same direction as you when he eventually does so he's in no particular hurry to 'follow you' as it were

so he has made his peace with forever longing for you and eternally mourning your passing a little bit all the time

until one day he happens to spot

well

you

I mean it can't be you but he knows that face

he knows that body

that aura, that smile

it's definitely you

your face was probably in the crowd at one of his competitions

he did loose points for how he fumbled when he clocked you

(but he still won don't get it twisted)

I think the moment his routine is done he b-lines it to his dressing room then directly to go find 'you'

he does find you in a crowd and nervously and suddenly asks if you'd like to go for dinner with him

like

now

right now.

how bout it??

you tentatively say yes and you two end up having the most awkward dinner of either of your lives

he's trying so hard not to flip out cause it's definitely you but also it can't be

can it????

BUT YOU WERE DEAD

he slowly begins to romance you

the new you

which is a lot like the old you

I think he's the handsome yet mysterious man who is romancing you and he doesn't fully let anything slip until one night you stay over and you find a painting of what is definitely but also so not you on the wall

cue him finding you staring at it and accidentally scaring you

only to calm you down then explain the whole sorted mess

and how he believes you are the reincarnation of his lover

I think no matter what there's going to be some push and pull moving forward

he has to decide if he loves you or just the idea of you that acts as some theoretical replacement for his great dead love

will there be a happy ending??

will love prevail??

can love continue on even after death??

only time will tell...

but he does not intend to give up on you that easily...

Seth:

you being reincarnated is actually his doing

against his best laid plans, you didn't end up in hell with him when you died

I think he could only stand it for a few months before he called in a favor and got your soul entered into the reincarnation program

that DOES mean he'll have to wait 18+ years to even attempt to make a move

and also that you won't remember him

or much if anything of your previous life

which means there's a 50/50 toss up that you'll be happily taken when he can actually find you again

he doesn't watch over you as you grow cause that's too creepy

but he does put some lesser demons/spirits to keep an eye on you and keep you safe

he doesn't want to have to start this process all over again

nor does he know how many otherworldly favors he can rely on for this

I think he 'randomly' bumps into you one day when you're old enough and he starts flirting and asks you out

I think whether or not he tells you about the whole deal will depend on how things play out

he doesn't necessarily see the need to but on the other hand

maybe it's worth you knowing

also it's the biggest romantic move he ever pulled

also honesty is nice in a relationship

but all in all it's just nice to have you back again

where he can see and hold and kiss you

also he probably had to call in a favor just to get to the mortal realm in the first place

idk he's burning a lot of big favors for this meet cute to go down but it's worth it

Reece:

I think with Reece it's less of a reincarnation and more an alt time line version of you

one where you never met and you got to live your life without it being crash landed into by a space traveling cat boy

I think at first he meant to keep his distance

you're not HIS you after all

but he couldn't help but watch you just

exist

for a bit

he missed you

and I think one thing lead to another and he ended up bumping into you and you gave him that cute smile and he didn't mean to but he heard himself asking you for coffee before he could give it a second thought

and then before he could give it a second word you had said yes

and then he was just over come with joy cause you said yes to a date so excitedly and quickly

it all kinda just

happened

I think you have a wonderful first date and he spends most of it working up the courage to tell you everything and also just enjoying the date

but towards the end of it he finally fesses up

you guys had done all this before

well, a different version of you in another timeline/universe

but all the same

he has already gone down this road

and now he's just doing it again cause it's hard for him to stay away from you

but you are gone

were gone

are

in his version of things anyway

and this was fun but maybe...

maybe it should end here

one last night

where he got to tell you goodbye

(with a kiss)

but this is Definitely Not Dr Who bby--- something crazy happens at the end and the goodbyes are put on hold while you two go on Just This One crazy space adventure (that is totally not just this one lol)

CUE THE DOCTOR WHO THEME BEING PLAYED ON THAT CAT PIANO!

Aki:

OOO BOY IS THIS DUDE IN DENIAL

no grace, no decorum, no hesistation

he sees your face in a crowd and runs up and hugs you and begins to tear up as he says how much he missed you

meanwhile you are in the iron grip of big excitable fox man (time has past since your death and he's grown some) whom you definitely don't know and also he's calling you bunny

you try to tell him he's got the wrong person sorry

BUT HE IS HEARING NONE OF IT

cue him telling you all about your lives together and talking you to the home of the autumn clan and doing anything and everything to desperately rejog your memories

if you do get your memories back then commence Aki's great romance two electric boogaloo

but if you can't then he will get so heart broken

he'll ask you to still stay

let him learn the new you

let him show you the him you forgot

let him love you again

please don't leave him

(if you do decide to leave low key Aki will follow you and try to check in on you from time to time)

(if not out right sneak stalk you)

(please accept his feelings reincarnated love-chan)

Haru:

shocked, stunned, shook

he sees your face from across the bar and he can't believe it

like actually he can't believe it

he ends up staring for a really long time

then he's just watching you from different spots around the bar

getting better looks at different angles

keeping the biggest eye on you and drinking you in

yep

it's definitely you

but it can't be

they must just look like you

a lot like you

like exactly

must be a distant relatives

genetics are crazy

or maybe you had a love child...???

NO.

no no no no

you were Haru's loyal mate until the day you died

you wouldn't

and even if you did, you def would've invited him to the threesome

(one of the reasons he loved you so much)

whatever

he must be so drunk out of his mind and crazy lonely that he's seeing shit

whatever, they're hot and he could use a you substitute in his bed (not like he's had many people in his bed after you anyway-- too heart broken)

so fuck it, fuck them (like, in the sex way not the angry way)

so he goes up and starts hitting on them and when they turn around

oh no

they're definitely you

right down to the look they're giving him

I won't lie, he panics and bolts

he can't stop freaking out about last night all the next day

so he goes to that bar again and low and behold there you are again

Haru can't tell if he's relieved or more panicked by that

but still he has to dig some more

so he goes back over, trying the whole time not to absolutely loose it

gives you some line about being overcome by your beauty which is why he left in a panic haha

but seriously he'd love to get dinner with you sometime, here's his number, give him a call

oh also what's your name

he again can't tell if he's happy or freaked when you do actually call

he spends the whole dinner gently prying for info and just generally vibe checking to see if they're like his dead lover

and they really are

they definitely look it

and thus begins Haru's new torment of being so fucking CONFLICTED

he's so freaked that it's like you're alive again but also so happy to have you by his side

I think there's a lot of push and pull until he spills the beans

and then even more after he does

this is about to be the messiest relationship of Haru's life

which is saying something

BUT HE CAN'T NOT, IT'S YOU

Fuyu:

Fuyu bumps into you by chance and he's the most torn up about it of the lot of them

and visibly so too, he can't hide his feelings on this even a little bit

I think he is the quickest to tell you the whole thing

and also he calls you by the name of your past life (which may or may not be your name now)

he really does believe you are his heavenly gift sent back to him because your love is so fated

he takes some time getting used to

it's actually funny, this is the exact opposite of who you two were the first time

he's so unbelievably open to you from the word go

he bares his heart and feelings so much

you look so much like yourself before you left him, he can't help it

you were his safe place that he let all his walls down around

he can't put them back up now

his heart is beating open and bloody for you

he doesn't try and play it cool, he doesn't beat around the bush

he let's you know who you were to him

ARE to him

and asks you to be his once again

steam rolling you with love

and then waiting 'patiently' (not patient, he's sitting by like a puppy who wants a bite of your food) for you answer

it's quite a situation you find yourself in, isn't it

[arrowheadedbitch]

I was rewatching librarians and realised that when Baird mentions Ezekiels other file, the others aren't around, which means she must have vaguely mentioned it again in front of or at least near the other LITs before they ask him about him in the truth chamber scene

[the-mighty-het-speaks]

august 3rd, 1963, downey, california, usa

[futurewife]

thinking about her. why was every woman in w.atxm designed soooo....