#but again (and I cannot stress this enough)

[holyguardian]

That grin was contagious, one glance was all it took for Aerith to mirror the expression with a hint of pride. She wasn't ashamed of her weaknesses so much — perhaps it was a good thing for Somnus to be aware of such things, like her slow descent into chaotic actions when she grew bored of a task.

"... mh. That's a sweet thought." she conceded, gaze lowering to the bound parchment again. Some of the papers were warped from being painted heavily with water strokes. Perfectly imperfect, nothing neat or proper about her soul or true heart. That sounded right. "You are more than welcome to look through them, I'm not precious about guarding my paintings. Though I would rather you look at this one especially." she insisted, giving the bound pages a small wave before passing them to him for safe-keeping. "It's some of the most recent things I have painted, and I find I don't flinch away when I look back at them."

When Aerith lifted her gaze properly to the Prince again, she found herself humming a curious tone as she tilted her head. She followed his own gaze. Her mouth opened around a silent 'ah' of realisation, and for a moment she seemed to gentle in both her expression and her stance.

"This... is my birth father." she answered, captivated by her mother's painting so much so that she continued to look upon it. "He died when I was only a baby. Mum... she did her best. Tried to build a connection to him, I suppose, but... I was so little, I didn't understand that I was missing something, you know?"

Aerith sighed a little, her shoulders melting into a more relaxed posture. Finally she looked back to Somnus again. "I get it now that I'm older. I wish I had gotten the chance to know him in life, but I am blessed to have met his spirit. The one thing I will say is... don't be ashamed of noticing him. For pointing him out, some people are funny about death like that." Though Lucis seemed to honour their dead's memory with great care too.

Amidst their conversation came a gentle knock at the door. Her lady's maid must have heard their voices here. "Princess Aerith, the bath is prepared."

That small announcement made her perk up with a smile. "Thankyou!" she replied, bright-eyed as she looked back to Somnus. "Right. Let's show you how we do bath time here, you're going to need one thing first."

Aerith approached her wardrobe, easily pulling free a couple large robes, one she placed aside and the other she handed to Somnus. "You'll need that. We don't dress ourselves in the same room where we have a bath, the air is steamy, and you're begging for a mess. So, once we're clean, we dry ourselves down as good as we can then we put on that robe. Trust me. They're.. modest." she offered. "It's a little odd, maybe, but we walk like that from the bath, back to our room. It's very uncommon for anyone to just walk a royal wing without good reason, but because it's so obvious among the staff that a bath has been drawn up, I cannot stress enough that no one will see you."

It was her little promise to him.

"Follow me." Aerith offered. She gestured to their shared chamber door. "You will obviously come back and enter through that door. The bath is the first door on the right." She opened up the door and gestured him inside. Inside was a wooden tub, and inside that tub was lined with a white cloth. The water itself was a milky colour and it smelled of flowers, yet another difference from Lucis. "Alright. Sponge there. When you're stepping back out, stand on that folded cloth unless you like to live recklessly, the stone can sometimes be slippery if it's too wet." Then she rolled her wrist. "And enjoy." she offered, smiling as she pulled the door shut behind her, giving him his privacy.

A map of her childhood. And she had just handed him the key to reading it perfectly. Just like that. Somnus could appreciate this fact. His eyes wandering over all the various paintings, he could imagine a smaller Aerith sitting at her table. Probably propped up on her knees with paint all over hands and face already as she focused oh-so-hard on drawing her family.

She must be similar now. It was apparent that she never paused long in her drawings. The table was evidence enough. She still painted. A lot. And she bound her work – forced or not. That was a large part of her… and Somnus liked it.

Grinning at the difference in bindings, he let his fingers trail along the frayed and neat edged for a moment. He wanted to see all her works. But he did not dare to simply take and flip through all these parchments. This was highly… intimate somehow.

“I heard people say they put their souls and true heart in what they paint.”, he mused, looking at her bound artworks, “If you would allow me to see yours one day, I would be honoured.”

The small grin shifting into a smile, Somnus nodded towards the epicentre of it all. The drawing coming from Queen Ifalna. A man with brown hair and a moustache. He looked kind. Funny, a little. But it was no one that Somnus knew.

“Who is he?”

[frostbiteisthenewjackieshauna]

Hiiii, can you please write your dating shauna hc please? thank youuu 🤓

shauna shipman my cutiepie!! (sfw, pre crash/no crash!au)

Lemme take it from the top

she’s wayyy too shy to ask you out

she kind of eyes you all the time and can barely pay attention in classes that you have together

and Jackie bugs her to just ask you out!!

what’s the worst that could happen? you saying no?

but that is what she feared most

yearning was something she did great, and she’d rather do that then deal with rejection, so she just stays quiet

which does turn out to be very difficult once your history teacher assigns seats to everyone

and just her luck, she’s right next to you!!

believe me, paying attention was hard at first too, but now it’s downright impossible

that’s why she starts doing worse in history

which is surprising, she’s a straight A student

so the teacher gives her a tutor

you!

your guys’ first tutoring session was awkward as hell

you thought she was rude (even though she never seemed that way to you) since she barely talked or memorized anything you said

or tried to teach her

she’s a little embarrassed too, it’s usually her that tutors others

however with a big push from Jackie she does apologize, saying she’s always weird around new people

which is true, but this was a bit different, definitely

still, the tutoring gets funner and less dreaded, and it ended pretty fast- as soon as Shauna broke the ice with you, she could finally pay mind to class

and you two do become friends

you’re one of her only friends, really

until she blurts it out while you were having coffee

“I mean I do like you. Not as a friend.”

she said, trying to convince you she was joking

it was obviously not supposed to come out, but you guys were rambling about falling in love with friends

and she YAPPED

which made that thought that was supposed to stay buried deep come out

and you went through with it until the rest of the date hangout

and then kissed her before getting out of her car

it was a hurried peck, neither of you being all that experienced

she gave you those eyes.

you know the ones.

which made you kiss her again

I mean how could you not??

this time it was deep and passionate, and it turned into a full blown makeout session with you in her lap

the kind of sesh that you both enjoyed so much you felt no need to go further

after that day, she was officially your girlfriend!! yay!!

“I’ve wanted to make you mine for a long time.” you said

“You- yeah uh, sure! Of course, yeah, yours.”

you and Jackie became total besties, playfully making fun of Shauna together

you probably heard Jackie saying “Get a room!” more then any other words in history

but on a serious note, you knew how important their friendship was and made no effort to get in the way of it

but Shauna just wanted to be around you always

calls you over to just chill and do nothing

she just relishes being in your presence, no matter what you do or who else you’re with

short lil makeout sessions while waiting for Jackie to emerge from the house when you go to pick her up for school in the morning

also I cannot stress this enough: wearing. her. flannels.

she has a bizarre amount of them

and she notices that they keep going missing…

doesn’t even try to ask for them back, because she melts as soon as she sees you in one

plays you her “weird” music

is ecstatic when you end up liking it

baking together!!

i have a feeling she’s an amazing baker

you guys do it for fun, to try out recipes or sometimes for charity!!

in the beginning she only lets you measure dry ingredients but relents as soon as you pout

most of your dates are intimate like that

she loves being personal, maybe not secret but does like privacy

not big on PDA at all

the most she’ll do is hold your hand

back to date night though

since dating you, she got so much closer to Tai and Van because you keep going to double dates!!

omg Tai and you listening to them ramble about their nerdy shit

it’s so cute really, you guys shoot each other knowing looks across the table

other then them, you meet all of the team

but still, Tai, Van, and Jackie stay your favorites (other then Shauna obviously)

also! half her journal entries are about you

how pretty you looked, something you’d told her, writes down little details of the stories you tell her that she knows you’d appreciate her knowing

she’s completely devoted to you, and can do nothing to help it

(you feel the same way)

and you love how cute and shy she is around you

especially in the beginning

but later on, she can be more then bold, trust

overall, dating Shauna would be super soft and intimate in every way shape and form

it’s not all that thrilling, but cozy and comfortable

[lsunstreakerl]

for those of you wondering what happened with darkbull Pierre and Esteban- 1.2k words, Esteban POV. featuring Fernando and Lance, and Charles as the ever present looming background terror. hi! darkbull verse. mature themes and all that :)

"Fucks sake- I can't keep doing this, Pierre."

Esteban drops his head into his hands, fingers dragging through his hair. It's matted, a complete mess, because he's been more stressed out in the last four weeks than he's ever been in his entire life.

"Redbull wants your fucking head on a pike, because you- what did you even do?"

Pierre is pacing the floor, equally as stressed.

"It's complicated. It has to do with Charles and Max, and I-"

"And you what? When I said for better or for worse, I wasn't thinking of the mob."

"I know that, Estie-"

"Do you?"

Pierre stops, hands wrapped around his sides. He's exhausted, and stressed, and-

Esteban's heart breaks. This isn't what he wanted for them. This isn't what their lives are supposed to be.

He slowly stands, making his way over to Pierre, carefully unwrapping his hands, cradles them between their chests as he bends his head to kiss his knuckles.

"I know you didn't mean it, mon coeur. I know things have been hard, but Pierre-"

Esteban squeezes his fingers gently.

"It is not your fault. And I'm sorry, that you've been struggling with it alone."

Pierre leans against him for a moment, head dropped to his shoulder.

"I love you, Esteban. I'm sorry. I didn't- I never wanted this for us, I just- he always asks for something else, and I can't keep-"

"I know."

Esteban turns his head to the side, kissing Pierre gently.

"You have handled it your way, with the agreements and the shadows and the mess. Let me handle it now, yes? I will get us out of here."

Pierre blows out, practically deflating against Esteban.

"You shouldn't have to- I know you never wanted to get involved again, Esteban. We can figure something else out."

Esteban lets his head rest against Pierre's.

"Let me. Please."

Pierre shakily lifts their joined hands, kisses across Esteban's knuckles, unfolding their fingers to press a kiss to the inside of his palm.

"I'm sorry."

"You tried your best."

------

Esteban has to handle it carefully- but Charles has his hands more than full with Max at the moment, who's already missed a race for an "unexpected illness". Thankfully they have a few weeks off- enough for something to get figured out there, surely.

Charles' lapse in attention is all Esteban needs. A casual phone call with Lance, and they're meeting for padel, and it's such a strange coincidence that Fernando is there as well.

Esteban smiles thinly at him. He was never a fan of being under Fernando's thumb when he was younger- he's realizing now it's better than the alternatives.

It's as he's swinging the padel, him and Lance against Fernando and one of Aston's strategist, that Fernando speaks.

"In over your head?"

Esteban grunts, whipping the ball in a targeted strike in his direction. Fernando redirects it flawlessly, but the fantasy of it hitting him in his face instead makes Esteban feel better.

"Not me. But we need out."

Fernando sends it flying past Lance, who just laughs and shrugs when Esteban glares. Fernando is looking at Lance with a weird soft face. Esteban doesn't like it.

"There are not many people who would go against Ferrari."

Esteban grabs another ball.

"Redbull is doing it."

Fernando hums, leisurely stretching his calves.

"That is because Charles has made a mistake, going for Max like that. It is the only reason I'm entertaining you."

Lance frowns, lowering his water bottle.

"Nando. I thought you said you would help?"

Fernando's face does the weird thing again. It almost looks like he's trying to smile.

"I did, I know. I am just making sure."

Esteban cannot believe both him and his husband's lives rely on the power of Lance Stroll's pout.

Actually, scratch that.

They're not relying on the pout- Esteban is relying on the earth shattering blowjobs and raging daddy issues that Lance is well known for. If anything can convince Fernando to work with the Strolls- it'll be Lance.

Lance, for some reason, still cares about Esteban, even if they've had their moments. Esteban would die for him.

Sure enough, at Fernando's reassurance, Lance's face lights up into a dazzling smile. He bounds across the court, plants a kiss on the side of Fernando's cheek.

"Thank you, Nando! I promise I'll handle the housing stuff-"

He turns back to Esteban, still brighter than the sun.

"It'll be such a nice place, you and Pierre will love it I promise-"

Fernando fondly rolls his eyes at the same time as Esteban, and he retches in his mouth a little bit at the thought of having anything in common with him, but-

Lance is a bright, shining star. It's impossible not to be drawn in, to keep looking until your eyes hurt and you can't think of anything else.

Pierre doesn't get it yet- but they're going to have to move to Canada for this, so he'll need to get it figured out quick.

Lance is spoiled, but he's sweet- so giving, all the time. Esteban doesn't know what he'd do without him, and even now he's saving Esteban's ass.

He's putting his things back into his sports bag when he feels a presence behind him, tobacco and iron.

Fernando clamps a hand down on his shoulder, leaning in close next to his face. The silver katana charm he wears around his neck brushes against Esteban's shoulder.

"I will take care of you and your husband."

Esteban grits his teeth.

"And what exactly is your price, for protection?"

Fernando laughs, breath ghosting across Esteban's ear as he straightens up, pulling a cigar from his pocket.

"Light it."

Esteban feels around in his bags pockets. He doesn't smoke- and neither does Pierre- but he'd gotten in the habit of always carrying a lighter around. He'd sworn he would never need to pull it out again, but-

He flicks it once with practiced ease as Fernando leans down, lighting up and taking a slow drag.

"I am getting older, Esteban. I do not want anything dramatic. I just want my business to run smooth, and Lance to be happy. Lawrence and I are similar in that regard."

He claps a hand down on Esteban's shoulder.

"You're a good bookkeeper, Ocon. This is all I ask."

Esteban tries not to let his surprise show on his face. It's too easy.

Fernando must see it anyways, eyes crinkling at the corners as he grins.

"Really, Esteban. That's it. I want my books balanced and my boy happy, yes?"

Esteban nods.

Fernando's smile widens, and he takes the cigar out of his mouth, taps it against the wall briefly before holding back up, and Esteban knows how this goes- obediently opens his mouth for Fernando to place it between his teeth.

"Breathe."

He takes a deep inhale, tries not to choke on the thick smoky taste of it as it fills his lungs. Immediately he feels slightly woozy, and Fernando's soft chuckle feels like it's miles away as Esteban holds, and holds, and holds-

"Relax."

He lets all of his air go, fighting the urge to hack or gag.

"Good."

Fernando steps away, and Esteban feels his oppressive presence fade a bit. He twists his ring on his finger.

"For the record, Esteban- I missed you, yes? It is good to have you back on board."

Fernando makes his way back over to where Lance is impatiently waiting by the gate, one last remark over his shoulder.

"I do not usually let people return to me alive."

[anonameisadditions]

I would like to bring attention to Halloween Hack, and by extension, Earthbound, which is where all of this Toby Fox moral observation began.

Halloween Hack was Toby Fox's first major project, a Rom hack of Earthbound. It's a sequel of sorts, proposing a version of the story where Ness never returned after finishing Gygas.

Now if you aren't familiar with Earthbound's final chapters, it involves Dr. Andronuts, your nerdy best friend's dad helping you and your crew go back in time to kill Gygas, and this involves transforming the crew into Robots, in a process that's *hopefully* reversable.

But in H.H, the game observes, and dramatizes the actual emotional toll this plan would have on the doctor- that, from his perspective, he just loaded up an entire rocket full of kids and sent them off on a kamikaze mission. In Earthbound, this is treated as part of the same magical silliness the rest of the game utilizes- Its no different than, say, the reversed city of Darkside, or Magicant, its dream world.

But the Doctor wouldn't perceive their own world and choices in such a silly E for Everyone way if Ness and the kids didn't come back. He'd be devastated, wracked with guilt over sacrificing a bunch of innocent kids to try to win a war against an unstoppable evil. Win or lose, he's got kid blood on his hands.

At no point does H.H start lobbying accusations at the player, mind you. It merely presumes that anyone playing H.H will have played Earthbound- and be indirectly involved with what's happened to these (and I cannot stress this enough) FICTIONAL CHARACTERS who you've spent some time with, and then let's you see the results of your agency, as a player, a strange ethereal meta force in EB (constantly talked to by helpful animals and winked at by a variety of strange characters referencing things like B buttons and Inventory Slots). And with this perspective, asks you to put this guy out of his misery.

And by ask, I mean ask. As in, you are prompted whether or not you want to do so.

Why does this matter? Because the premise of a Morton's fork- a proposed scenario where both choices lead to the same outcome- is EVERYWHERE in H.H, Undertale, and Deltarune. And I think this is part of Fox's artistic focus- questioning whether choices actually "matter" in games.

Undertale largely points out that, for the most part, nothing in Undertale actually matters, because at any time, the player can come back, restart the game, and change the outcome of the story altogether. Even a pacifist run can be undone. The only thing stopping you... is you.

But Toby, again, isn't some moral grandstanding idiot. He understands that there's a fundamental difference in ethics engaging with fiction, and thus, replaying Undertale largely is a pure experience- save a few gags here and there beyond the save system, and unlockable Easter eggs, and Goners and what have you.

But what IS asked, implicitly, by the Pacifist run player- an option that's only unlocked *after* beating the game the "right" way- neutral- Is "Why do you give a shit about these fictional characters?"

Let's take a section and realize how strange the Pacifist route is for the Undertale first timer. If you were one of those choice few who got to play Undertale without spoilers, you basically could not avoid having to replay through Undertale if you reached the ending and pursued Flowey's lead of a better ending, due to the pacifist ending requiring you to not kill a single monster. You just finished a 15~ hour video game, and no doubt, in your curiosity in engaging with the game as a game, you used the fight mechanic at least once.

So what answers exist for the player, as a character, to be willing to endure the entirety of a story they already know, to reach a new outcome in the story?

1. You want to see everything the game has to offer.

Notice this is the same explanation Sans gives in the Genocide run to why his fight is so difficult, and designed to frustrate you into stopping. The completionist answer is one that assumes Genocide is the "True" ending of undertale, because once you break that seal, your save is tainted, permanently.

2. You really, really liked the game.

Sure, alright. But why? Was it the pacifism mechanics, that rely on puzzles you already know the answer to? You know everything that's going to happen in the plot, nothing REALLY changes- You just played it, are you that interested in revisiting it?

Which leads to 3.

3. You give a shit what happens to these fictional characters in this fictional world.

And that leads to my point. I don't think Undertale wants you to get lost in the weeds on whether or not it's ethical to kill monsters who are trying to kill you- It's asking you whether you can empathize with characters who are largely irrelevant to you, the player.

Do you really give a shit if a Frobbit is killed? What about Jerry? Do you care if Jerry gets killed? The game largely remains the same either way. It doesn't seem to matter to Sans whether or not you kill a couple of monsters on the way to the ending- He'll impune you a little, but he understands that it's a momentary thing. You'll be back. And if you aren't, well, at least that's the end of the story, and everyone in the underground can finally move on from this whole Destiny thing.

But what if YOU care. What if you give a shit about hurting people? Even fictional characters? Even annoying fictional characters? Do you, as a player, think you should engage with a work of fiction in a game with an ethical constraint, or do you separate your identity from the games you play?

H.H asks "Do you think Dr. Andonuts is responsible for the death of 4 kids in the fight against Gygas? Does it matter?"

Undertale asks you "Do you believe in pacifism in an environment where you can undo 99% of damages you do? Does it matter?"

Deltarune asks you "Do you think choice matters, even if your choices don't matter? Does what you think even matter?"

In other words- If there's a common theme in Toby Fox's creative background, its always the same question- Does choice matter, even when outcomes are always the same? and, to fit it into the original discussion- Does it matter whether you do horrible things to characters who aren't real? And if it does, does it say something about you as a person or not?

I can't stand any work, or an interpretation of any work, which presents the act of viewing/playing/reading the work as a morally bad thing. Like. Those are fictional characters. I'm down to play meta fictional games with you here, but I'm not gonna treat them as moral patients. That's a nonsense position!

If I'm a bastard for watching Funny Games or killing an enemy in Undetale, well you're a double bastard for making the fucking thing! Why did you publish it, if the morally correct thing to do is stop?

[m-to-z-andbackto-m]

No you don't understand, it's not just a hyperfixation, IT'S LITERALLY THE REASON I'M FUNCTIONING 😭

I don't like staying hungry or eating when I'm not sure if I'm hungry or bored because Horror exists, he's been through a famine, tf am I doing???

I get upset about my hypersomnia and I try really hard to not to let it happen because many skeles are associated with narcolepsy

I'm pretty sure consuming skeleton content cured my depression over a few years???

God, I'm literally so dependent on them, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THO!!!

I try to avoid toxic behaviors when I can identify them, and it's easier to because Nightmare is a toxic guy canonically, I've consumed enough content to know what's right and wrong in the long run

On the other end, seeing content where one or more of them gets comfort helps me navigate some situations because generally I'm not amazing at giving comfort

They also have me think about my philosophy and general beliefs, a lot of them have been done wrong so they do wrong, therefore I believe we should always try to understand each other because communication can avoid huge issues (DreamTale), and I think it's okay for people to take revenge, even to the extent of killing an abuser if the circumstance just happens to be that way (I'm not gonna specify what irl situation I'm thinking of but I do not advocate for murdering people in general guys, but it's only fair to see the motive, people aren't born criminals and sometimes the extreme feels like the only way out one way or another. Essentially, see people for more than their crimes. Of course some people are just disgusting assholes, but you get the idea.)

Having to memorize the lore and world building, along with creators, characters, interpretations, AND variations, doing all this helps me practice organizing thoughts and articulating difficult information

They actually boost my creativity and keep me happy, when I'm stressed, opening Tumblr to my favorite sillies literally takes my mind off whatever was bothering me, like I actually need them to lower any anxiety levels and keep me regulated

However on the downside they can make me very hyper, sometimes so emotionally so that I shut down for a bit because I physically cannot express my adoration for them and it's overwhelming but I never shut down for too long, I love them, they keep me going y'know!

They help me explore diversity and character writing, putting depth and thought into a being, helps me with my own creations <3

Actually, I'm too shy to look at × reader/self insert/(Y/N) content most of the time unless it's platonic (Might just be me being aromantic honestly) BUT I Have seen stuff where they affirm body types and "Flaws" and stuff like that and I think if I was less of a prude I could look at that stuff and it'd make me feel better about my insecurities, but for now my partners are doing a good job at keeping me normal

Essentially I just need all my sillies to work properly!!! 💕 (I'm so sane, and normal, and not senile about them :3)

(CW For Next Bit: Mental Health, Paranoia, Panic Attack Discussed)

Actually about that, my obsession with the skeletons used to be SO bad that I felt like they were always watching me and my brain would involuntarily make me feel paranoid and bad about myself (Possible ODC symptom where you're afraid of being judged for your thoughts/actions?) and I can't tell if it was a panic attack I had a couple years ago where I couldn't keep caring what they "Think" and I just had to scream and sob because you literally can't hold it in during one (If it was this, I guess I sorta pushed them away D:), OR my partners replaced my brain sillies so I feel them to a lesser extent

(Insecurity, Self Care Issues, And Gay Talk 😭 Oh and also mention of paranoia again but not so bad)

Like it used to be so bad I couldn't get up because I felt yucky, but I couldn't take a shower because they were "There", but now it's like, if my partners are my brain sillies, they like me, we'd probably take showers together when we live together and shit like that, it's okay if they're "Watching" me, actually, they're actual people somewhere else, doing something else, they don't just exist because I think of them the way the silly skeles do, they're actually defined and aren't actually around, it's just me thinking about them, it's okay, I don't have to feel so bad or weird about it, of course I still do a bit because insecurity is hard to scrape off, but I think I'm getting a little better and that's all that matters

Anyways point is, I need my wives, both skeletons and real, to function properly or I'm literally DOOMED

[trickingbell]

Day 2: Group Photoshoots

"Miel. Would it be self-centered to say...I really love myself?"

Sissel took photos herself!! Below are her notes back to Yomiel about every individual Sisselphoto!

"The Sissel who greeted me, Angel. For simplicities sake, every Sissel is getting a nickname. Honestly, I didn't trust the portal...so when I stepped through and saw her? Halo and all?? I asked her if I died and if she was the angel to welcome me. Embarrassing. But she thought it was funny so SCORE!! For both of us, eh? She's a sweetie, I have to thank her somehow for getting me here..."

"Wrench. Every Sissel I meet I get...is there a word for being jealous of yourself? Whatever it is, Wrench is such a dear. Reminds me of college a whole bunch and she smells like the workshop there too. Gross, but sweet that another me is suffering the hells of machinery. Taking a photo of her from my angle was...well, you know. I had to get on top of another Sissel for this. My pride. But it's worth it! Look at her smile!! As for her name? Her head. Kind of wrenchy looking. What do you know she had one on her!! Other Sissels are trying to tell me 'No they're cat ears!' But I know I'm right!!"

"Standing on another Sissel basically alerted everyone I was taking special photos for myself. I'm glad I packed a big bag...There's so many. THIS Sissel though...Talk about energy. Yanked my camera from me and took these herself. Then had the gall to say, 'I've got you covered, shorty'. That's not my nickname. Don't think it is. I would've stamped her for that! But she's...punky. A woman in leather isn't a woman to mess with. Actually talking to her wasn't so bad. Just a lot. Like a LOT, whew. For now, She's cool. Cool Sissel."

"Nevermind. This one was a handful. 'Delune'. I would've had a nickname for her but oh well. Delune is kind of pretty, honestly. Her and her name, I mean. I would start another debate about hair shape but I'll hold back. YOU get to know though: Crescent. Lune, the moon, crescent hair? Figured her out. Anyway, handful like I said. I got the picture of her, and she just started showing me her fuckton of pictures she had of you. Well. Her you. But still!! Her bag was full of them!! She kept going and going about every single one and the memory behind them and on and on. Tell me. Do I prattle on like that when I talk about you?? I was only able to escape from her because OTHER Sissels were starting their Yomiel stories too....I wish I brought pictures of you..."

"I AM SO SORRY. While escaping I almost stepped on her. She's watching me write her note. This is Lampy. I was going to say Flowey but something about it felt wrong. So, she's Lampy. Miel, I cannot stress enough how little she is. I started tearing up at the idea I could've crushed her. Thank gods she glows. As an apology I have become her chariot, so this doesn't happen again. I'm kind of surprised a Sissel like this could be out there but at the same time, considering how I got here? Should've seen it coming. Lampy is telling me about her world and how everyone is just like her. Little foods and objects. I want to go...Hey, can you guess what thing her Miel is? You get 1 chance..."

[liminalcast]

Fanart of Mutamen is relatively thin on the ground, what with there being less than 2 hours of actual content ever being released, but our intrepid reporters have located some random bullshit on some guy's computer scouted the barren Alleys and found a pixel art rendering of the renowned Skin Glue.

[wisegirl25]

They WERE on opposing sides

Ekko and the Firelights were vehemently against the Shimmer trade, taking down Silco and eradicating Shimmer from the streets of Zaun was their biggest goal, even before tackling the conflict with Piltover

Jinx didn’t care about liberating Zaun, that was Silco’s goal. She worked for Silco because he cared about her, and she wanted to prove herself to him.

Ekko and the Firelights are always the ones to attack Jinx/Silco’s goons first, obviously they have good reason to, but Jinx isn’t just hunting them out and killing them like a lot of you people seem to suggest

Caitlyn hitting Vi and Vi hitting Powder are entirely different things. For one, Vi was a CHILD when she hit Powder. Probably around 15/16, Caitlyn is a grown ass woman who should know better, she was in the wrong in every way in that situation

The worst part aren’t her actions, it’s her lack of remorse. Grief doesn’t excuse any of her actions, and she shouldn’t get a free pass because of that.

Jinx doesn’t “get a pass” she’s a fucking VILLAIN. Caitlyn is supposed to be a “hero”, that’s why they’re held to different standards. We don’t expect Jinx to be a good person because she doesn’t parade around pretending her actions are for the good of anyone, because they’re not.

Their character arcs are entirely different, Jinx is supposed to be a (somewhat) redeemed villain, Caitlyn’s bad actions were just not addressed at all because she’s supposed to be portrayed as a good person, which she’s not.

That’s not to say she isn’t redeemable, but she sure as hell isn’t any better for Vi than being around Jinx is

You’re also seeming to forget that Jinx is not mentally stable. Don’t even bring up the “well neither was Caitlyn at the time” bs because grief and schizophrenia, bipolar/borderline personality disorder, and psychosis are not even close to being the same thing. Jinx’s actions are fuelled by her emotional regression due to her trauma, which is such a huge part of her character that people always seem to ignore. She needs help, but unlike Caitlyn she doesn’t have the resources to access proper care for her issues.

Of course she’s killed Ekko’s comrades, but again, the Firelights were an Undercity Gang directly opposing Silco’s reign, he knew what he was facing. He’s able to look past that because if you apparently missed the entire point of episode 7, we know Jinx would have turned out differently if she had help available to her, and I cannot stress enough that Caitlyn DID have doctors and professionals to help her through the grief of her mothers death, and instead chose to become Caitler

After seeing how the oppression in Zaun led to such drastic measures such as BOMBING the council being made, instead of seeing how the system was setting Zaunites up for lives of drug use, starvation, and homelessness, she decided that all Zaunites were inherently evil and the girl who needs antipsychotics is the root of every bad thing to happen to Piltover.

So logical, so heroic.

People talking about “how can you criticize Caitvi for being toxic when timebomb literally tried to kill each other” PISS ME OFF so bad

Jinx and Ekko were on OPPOSITE SIDES OF A WAR

No shit they’re trying to fucking kill each other

Nothing romantic happened until well after a lot of growth for both characters (and even then it was in an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE)

Timebomb had history together—they were childhood best friends

Meanwhile Caitlyn HIT VI even though they’re on the same side (unprompted, they were arguing and not in a physical fight, that’s called abuse), asked her to become an enforcer KNOWING her trauma, and never apologized for a single thing she did

And all of this within at the very most a few months of knowing one another

It’s almost like—and hear me out—Vi fucking trauma bonded to the first person to show her kindness after being beaten and abused in a prison cell for 7 years

The difference between the ships is that for one, they BOTH tried to kill each other, it was even. For the other, it’s just one sided. Caitlyn in no way deserves Vi and I’m tired of acting like it’s such an amazing ship just cause it’s wlw

As a wlw myself, we deserved better representation than this half assed attempt at romance, season 1 caitvi was absolutely amazing, season 2 ruined it

[mystery-pixels]

something different from what I usually do

[macksartblock]

they just keep kissing huh

[u3pxx]

more brain empty skills doodling: psyche edition (i ran out of juice by the end whoops)

[myoonmii]

I keep thinking about Merlin’s love for Arthur and how it’s so clearly portrayed in the show to the point that it practically drives the plot of the show. However when it comes to Arthur’s love for Merlin it’s more subtle and sometimes difficult to even grasp, and I started thinking why that was, aside from the obvious fact that Arthur has a lot of trouble expressing his emotions affection or otherwise. I think it also lies in the fact that Merlin knows Arthur intrinsically throughout the show; he is one of the closest people to Arthur, and sees him for who he really is. Arthur admits as much.

Sure, Arthur knows Merlin but the main part of the plot is that he really doesn't know Merlin. Merlin wants him to desperately understand him and “see me for who I am” but he can't yet. And I think this subconsciously creates a barrier in the way in which Arthur can care for Merlin, and how Merlin can let himself be seen by Arthur.

Which is why I think he was also so hurt when the magic reveal happens because more than the betrayal of Merlin having magic, it was the betrayal of Merlin not letting Arthur see him for who he really is and for hiding a main part of himself. Arthur says it himself “why did you never tell me” that’s what hurt him the most.

I think the most damning piece of evidence for this is the fact that while we see snippets of Arthur’s feelings for Merlin thought the show, the biggest signs are in the last episode after the magic reveal; in which he finally gets to understand Merlin, and this time REALLY know Merlin, and as the barriers of what held them back from understanding each other truly fall away, Arthur evidently “falls in love with Merlin all over again”. We see him actually express himself to Merlin.

This is another reason why I think if anyone was ever to create another season of Merlin after Arthur’s return, it’s physically impossible not to make it about Merlin and Arthur acknowledging their feelings for each other. Because there is no way forward without them acknowledging how deeply they care for each other, obviously anyone is free to argue what kind of love that is, but its impossible not to see the deep love there either way.

They always knew they loved each other, just maybe never realising how much and what that means, because its almost second nature to everything that they do.

[lgbtlunaverse]

Jgy is a class traitor this, jgy is the only person who cares about the common people that. Jgy is the type of guy who would scab during a strike, bring in a union-buster to earn favours from upper management, slowly work his way up to CEO and then give everyone the extra vacation days and payraises they were asking for anyway. Which is an extremely funny type of guy to be. Like, can we all take a break from arguing to agree how fucking hilarious that is?

[nat-20s]

I think a very fun red nose day sketch or little online special for Doctor Who would be jumping back and forth between 15 and 14 with 15 in like super high stakes scenarios facing down monsters and what not and then they're like "of course the other Doctor is facing the same level of trials" and it's 14 calling Rose Noble to let her know the cafe is out of soy milk, would almond be okay for her coffee? And the dawning horror that he does actually need reading glasses. It ends with them together and 15 being like "that sounds awful glad I'm not going through that" with complete sincerity. BBC this is all yours for free babey

[penofwildfire]

It's actually insane how much Ninjago can get away with tormenting dragons because they're not humanoid and people don't think about their pain as much. The OG 4 became Ultra and then got killed and eaten. Other dragons were also victims of the Hunters. Zanth was tortured and experimented on for years. Heatwave got kidnapped and has watched several of his tribe members die of a terminal disease, an illness that Egalt also has and is apparently very painful. Riyu watched his tribe mother die violently in front of him. Multiple other Arch Dragons were murdered off screen. If this shit was happening to humanoid characters there'd be hundreds of fics and fanart about it. We talk a lot about how characters don't really die permanently in Ninjago but this isn't a rule that's ever applied to the dragons and that makes me crazy.

[artsekey]

It really does look like pivoting to Harris has thrown the Republican party for a loop. She's speaking clearly, concisely, and with wit; if she were to be put in the ring with Trump, it would be a knockout if only because she's coherent.

I'm voting blue regardless, but I've started to feel like I've moved from voting for the 'least bad' option to someone I might actually be more passionate in supporting.