#but i really and truly think it makes sense to like kira if it means you can just like … walk around safely all the time?

[quicktimeeventfull]

there is more than one kind of freedom margaret atwood, handmaid’s tale

[whispsofwind]

Tbh I still absolutely refuse to entertain the idea of Ziyal as a love interest for Garak because it just - isn't thematically interesting nor coherent with the rest of the series??

Like, there's so much importance on fatherhood and parental figures on DS9.

There's Ben Sisko and his relationship with both his own father and his son Jake, and how the positive relationship with his father translated into a virtuose generational cycle where he does his absolute best for Jake, always. Also, Sisko acts as a Moses figure in Bajoran religion, becoming as a paternal figure of sorts of Kira and as a Captain he acts a paternal figure for all of the Station, much more than Kirk or Picard ever did imo. (And quite frankly he is basically the MC so his character arc informs the whole series)

There's Julian and his relationship with his parents and especially his father - the father who became his architect because his son was "defective" and then resented Julian for it.

There's Rom and Nog and their mutually supportive relationships.

There is Kira Nerys and her relationship to multiple father figures - her biological father, sure, but also Ben Sisko and Tekeny Ghemor, and all the complicated messy feelings that those bring in their intersection with religious and political elements. And then the fact that Kira was a surrogate for the O'brien family and all the complicated feelings there, and her role as a parental figure to Ziyal.

There's Dukat and his absolute disaster of a relationship with his daughter (and his implied relationship with the rest of his children - and the implication that Dukat is not a good father by neither Federation or Cardassian standards).

There is Garak and the absolutely fucked up relationship he has with Tain and the intersection between Tain as a representative of the State and Tain as a father and the State as a parental figure to Cardassia.

In a smaller capacity there's also Miles who literally becomes a father a second time in DS9 and Worf and his complicated relationship with Alexander.

Odo and his complicated relationship with his "father", who wasn't his father at all but in a way wasn't he in the way he shaped Odo and his perspective of the world?

Even Dax, one could argue if stretching the argument enough, can be read through the lens of parental figures- Curzon as a father figure of sorts to Benjamin, albeit in a more fun dad sense, and Ezri as a metaphorical daughter figure to both Jadzia and Curzon, the young one with such big shoes to fill - I feel like I am not stretching it toooooo much here ok.

Just - so much of DS9 narrative revolves about being children of someone, and parents of someone. What it means to be a good father, a good parent, and how parents shape and form ad hurt and traumatise you.

And the writers were aware of that! So many episodes directly parallel two or more different plots about these elements with either the main characters or one-shot characters.

So, like, the subplot with Ziyal and Garak is basically already written?? Garak supplanting Dukat as a father to Ziyal is so thematically resonant with Garak and Dukat's storylines in the context of the broader implications of the show. It works on multiple levels in terms of Dukat not deserving fatherhood, and Garak breaking away from Tain's cycle of trauma and reconciling with a more humane and natural approach to family, and it also serves Ziyal's character arc in bridging her Cardassian and Bajoran sides through her putative parents, Garak and Nerys.

It's unfortunate that they really needed to make sure Garak looked straight and they chose Ziyal for it, because I truly think it was such a bad choice. I do not believe for a second that Garak is straight, so it didn't even work, but it surely ruined a perfectly good thematic streak they had going on.

[farklelucas]

okay so. now that ive taken some time to breathe, compose myself, and gather my thoughts, lemme lay out why the teen wolf movie was a hot holy mess (besides, you know, the obvious) as a teen wolf enthusiast and expert.

a lot of the characters were really little more than set dressing. to be specific, i think liam could have been replaced by a mailbox with a hat and the movie would have been the same (and this is coming from a major liam fan). the same can be said for mason, malia, melissa, peter, and honestly even the sheriff (which i hate bc god he was such a core of the show). i think parrish was only useful in one specific instance and even that isn't enough to warrant him being in the film. the characters i loved felt like cardboard cutouts and that wasnt fair to me, to the characters, or to the actors. i would have rather they not been there at all tbh. like just leave liam out of this if youre gonna do him like that fr

a lot of the plot points felt... disjointed and weird. saraid said it felt like three different movies in one and i have to agree. derek and eli felt like its own thing, then scott and allison, and then everything else (whatever the hell parrish and malia had going on, the lydia and jackson buddy cop comedy, liam in... japan with a ramen shop i think? and some random girlfriend that happened to be a kitsune) kind of fell to the wayside in between.

this movie was truly so flat without kira. it was hard to make a nogitsune movie without stiles, but it was almost impossible to make without her. hikari unfortunately ended up just feeling like a woman they randomly shoved into all the plot points kira was supposed to be in. because she didnt have a character besides liams girlfriend (and because liam was barely a character himself), she just couldn't compare and so kiras lack of presence was really felt. she left a huge hole in the narrative. they didnt even mention her and you knew what was missing. if you had cut khylin and dylan sprayberrys checks entirely, im sure they would have had enough to pay her as much as the rest of her white coworkers :) but that's just my opinion xxx

this was supposed to be for fans of the original series, but really just felt like jeff davis's weird rare pair fanfiction. instead of focusing on the dynamics that already existed - melissa and the sheriff, malia and peter, scott and liam, derek and. anyone really - he ended up delving into all these new dynamics with only two hours to develop them. malia and parrish (which. i really had to mentally run through the show to see if those two had interacted before and i dont think they have), liam and hikari, and derek and eli. all of which had a shot at being interesting but because there were so many different plots going on, it all just felt. awkward and confusing.

that being said, im gonna move onto derek and eli generally. i like eli! i do. i thought he was funny, i thought the actor was super charming (although the timeline made no sense because if he was born fifteen years ago And allison died fifteen years ago he would be braedens and. hate to say it folks. thats not braedens baby. make him mixed jeff davis you fucking coward). really, i liked him. ... but not at the expense of dereks character. the derek i knew was an asshole. he was mean, he was sarcastic, he was a bastard (honorifically). its not to say that people cant change, but... the derek i saw in the movie was a complete 180 from the derek we last saw in the series. honestly, the derek i saw in the series probably wouldn't have made a good parent - we saw how he was with erica, isaac, and boyd. even with scott. derek was kind of a dick. i dont even think he would have wanted kids - i think he would raise them out of duty, and i think he would if a partner wanted him to. but i dont think kids were ever in his life plan. and i think that could have been super interesting to see with him and eli. i think making him a parent could have been really interesting and it just. crumbled.

i know i mentioned the timeline in that last bit but. the timeline. it hurts my head. when was eli born. what year is it. how long has it been since scott has been in beacon hills. im so confused.

lets talk about adrian harris. shall we. i have made a list of people who i think would have been a better villain reveal are you ready: allison, peter, theo, chris argent, kate argent (resurrected), matt daehler (resurrected), victoria argent (resurrected), kira herself, danny mahealani, rafe mccall, isaac's shit dad, coach, greenberg, me with a baseball bat filled with rusty nails, jeff davis in a wig. the list goes on. you could not have picked a more random and less memorable character to reveal as your villain. i almost felt like i was being mocked. "haha! you didnt expect it to be this guy? the chemistry teacher who also died fifteen years ago? who had almost nothing to do with the plot until season 3? stupid! idiot!" i have never been so mad in my life

speaking of villain. did they forget what a nogitsune is. it needs a host. its not some guy they can stab to death. its a concept, a feeling, a parasite. its a manifestation of mental illness. but no sorry excuse me i must be wrong bc now its also a werewolf??????? im sorry. am i the crazy one. give me void allison! give me allison as the host and shes being taken over and she has those bags under her eyes and that creepy void stare and grin! give me crystal reed emmy noms! while we're on the subject, heres some more questions about the nogitsune include: why was it in a jar? why was it with LIAM of all people (who didnt even know what that was)? why did its powers completely change? HOW was it a werewolf????????? i cant stop thinking about it.

i said it once and ill say it again: jackson fucking carried this movie. he was giving all season one jackson, he was bringing comic relief, he was even bringing up ethan when no one else would! king! he carried. but he shouldn't have had to. dont get me wrong, i think crystal reed ate and left no crumbs. this was allisons movie and it should have been. but when the other two standout characters imo were jackson (who arguably did nothing) and coach (who did even less)... you simply didnt use your characters well. i think i would put deaton up there and even chris, but... scott and lydia? this should have been their movie. but scott spent nearly the whole movie ignoring his friends, and lydia was reduced to 'woman whose plot was about a man,' again. it was horrible. lydia outgrew that song and dance by season two. and scott? hasnt been to beacon hills in twelve years? hasnt seen his mom or his friends? not the scott mccall i know.

this is not about shipping discourse this post will never be about shipping discourse so i say this as a completely objective party. that being said. st/dia was so strangely shoved in there at the end. how did harris even know about lydia leaving stiles. how did he know about her dream. how did it add to the plot. like yes the nogitsune feeds of chaos and strife but i think lydia was getting enough of that watching her friends get murdered. it felt like a weird way to explain why dob wasnt there and it simply didnt work. i would have rather they not said anything about stiles at all.

anyway, this is skipping over a lot of other little things that i thought were really bad (sexualizing malia who literally had the mentality of an eight year old for most of her life AGAIN, why was mason a fucking cop, peters lack of interaction with the hale family which is what made him interesting in the first place, the absolute insanity of allison coming back to life and just being absolutely okay even though shes been dead for fifteen years, died at the hands of her friend, and almost everyone she knew including stiles, isaac, and kira are all just gone now), but boy oh boy. for a while it was funny bad. like "oh this is bad but i can still enjoy this for what it is" bad. but those last ten minutes. what is actually absolutely wrong with jeff davis. there are very few times ive felt this betrayed by tv shows i held this close to my heart, but im there. im heartbroken. i wont go on about it here, bc honestly, it would need its own post considering how much i have to say. but if the rest of the movie was bad? that was shit was traumatizing.

anyway. so sorry this post is this long, and so sorry i couldnt come back with a positive review. this show died long ago; i think we should have just let it rest - nobody asked for a reunion, and now i can see that was with good reason. so the next time jeff davis opens up an email with a header titled 'sequel idea' and he ccs tyler posey, i think we should all just agree to ler arden cho beat him to death in a dennys parking lot instead.

[mikami]

I found an interesting question on reddit

“

I guess it makes him look to the task force like he's trying to "do" something about Kira, but L already talked through this option with the task force and determined it would be a bad move because it would provoke Kira to kill innocents instead. So Light could have just kept up that pretense of respecting L's decision/wishes and not done anything while continuing to benefit from gaining information on criminals via news outlets.

But instead he did this and just as L predicted when reporting on criminals' names and faces was ended, instead anon flooded the internet posting the information of alleged 'criminals' with no proof that they committed or were even suspected in any crimes. So for 5 years essentially Reddit/4Chan was Light's main source of information on who to kill?

If Light is sincere about trying to make the world a better place and truly only wants to kill proven criminals this makes no sense, it just makes it much harder for him to do that.  Am I missing something?”

What are your thoughts on this

The 'no proof that they committed or were even suspected in any crimes' part is conjecture, if i am not totally mistaken - and I think it is reasonable conjecture to make based on current day society and internet? But I think this is also one of the things where perception now is very different than it was in 2005 when this plotpoint was written.

This is the image that is shown when this is discussed - what we see here is leaked police files, including fingerprinting data etc, not forum posts. The idea is that Light was working off basically the same information as before, just obtained through illegal means.

And I think this idea of a dark net where you can obtain reliable information that is not publicly available was a lot more believable to an audience in an era that still predates the prime internet age. People simply weren't very online in 2005 - as evidenced by lines like Misa's "I don't even use the internet", which seem ridiculous now.

From today's POV this all seems insane because manipulated information runs rampant online and we cannot conceive of a way in which this method of obtaining information is anywhere close to being reliable... but that's not what a contemporary reader might have thought.

Combining this with the knowledge that during the whole first arc Light actually researched every single case and took mitigating circumstances into account... I really don't think the 'Light got his info from 4chan' interpretation is how we're meant to see this.

(Like, I can absolutely imagine Light's standards getting looser over time, but like... not that loose.)

[pallastrology]

FAQ 🪴 empty houses

hello friends :-) i thought today wed look at empty houses, one of the most frequently misinterpreted (in my opinion at least) parts of the natal chart! for more information on the houses, take a peek at these posts (1, 2, 3, 4)

an empty house refers to a house with no planets, points or other bodies. there's a case to be made for a house never being "truly" empty, because if you add enough minor bodies and points to a chart, you'll soon fill every house. but for the purposes of this post, i'm only really looking at planets.

there can be a lot of fear around empty houses, which is unfounded but totally understandable. when we hear the word empty, we think of a lack or a loss. something lonely. but when it comes to empty houses in the birth chart, this isn't quite how it works. instead, it's more like a lack of activation. a planet activates the house, but a planet not being there doesn't mean that area of life ceases to be; it just means that the energies of the planets aren't impacting that area. so next time you look at your empty fifth or seventh house and wonder if you'll ever find love, the answer is absolutely yes, you will 🤍 an empty house just means it isn't activated right now, which still doesn't mean nothing will happen in that area of life. it often means that these areas aren't a primary focus right now, or they aren't chaotic or emotionally heavy to manage. none of these are bad things, and in fact they imply an easy time, if not a particularly exciting one.

as an example, i have an empty third house, yet i am studying a foreign language and hope to make my career from writing. my educational history is very chaotic, and my siblings were a huge part of my life growing up. it might seem a bit strange that my third house is empty in that case, but in reality, there are a lot of other placements in my chart that "make up for" this empty house. when we start looking at individual placements and assigning strict rules and judgements to them, it becomes very difficult to actually interpret your chart and see where the connections lead. taking a step back when things aren't making sense is generally a wise move, as is getting a second opinion.

more to consider when talking about empty houses are transits and progressions. as we go through life, our natal planets progress through the signs and houses, just as we progress through our experiences and grow as people. it can be helpful to think of progressions as showing how we gradually adapt to what life throws our way, while transits are more like the events themselves; or rather, how we could react and respond to those events. so an empty house is never actually empty for very long, it will be activated and travelled through many times over the course of your life, and with hindsight and a keen eye, you might see some really important experiences start to line up with major transits and progressions. to go back to my example earlier, i took a really quick look through my own transits and progressions when i was planning out this post, and found a couple of interesting patterns based around my educational history, one of which i'm hoping will continue to be a positive influence as i take my next steps. again, taking a step back and looking at things from a new angle is usually the best thing to do if you're feeling lost or overwhelmed with a placement.

i hope this post can allay any fear you might feel about your own empty houses; there really isn't anything to be afraid of, and for some people an empty house is a blessing! it's often misunderstood and misinterpreted, but i hope this can help to reassure anybody who has struggled with this; i have done myself in the past and the wondering and worrying is awful. at the end of the day, our birth charts do not dictate or rule our lives; they're a list of potentials and patterns, and it is still up to ourselves how we live out our days.

kira xo

[fiction-justanotherstateofmind]

Unpopular opinion (or maybe not)

(Despite the hate towards the character and the actress, which is always deplorable) I firmly believe that Kira suits Scott better.

They are both cutie patooties. They're kind, clumsy, shy and sensitive. They care for their friend and never want to hurt others.

Allison, on the other hand, was none of this things. Or at least these are not the first aspects of her personality that come to my mind when I think about her (but I truly stand by my first statement).

When I think about Scallison, I can't help myself but feel like Allison is being held back by Scott. I don't look at them as a balanced couple.

I was happy when they broke up. Actually that was the most realistic thing that happened in the show to me. Love is not always enough and, to be honest, to me their "love" has always seemed more like a crush.

I still believe that Scott and Kira didn't have enough time to unlock their true potential, but even the little they've had makes more sense than Scott "There's always a choice" McCall and Allison "I try to kill a werewolf and his 16 year old betas because my mother committed suicide" Argent.

I mean, I can't be the only one that think that they don't fit with each other.

Allison was wrong on so many levels and it never sits right with me that they never hold her accountable for her mistakes. And before you come in saying that she was manipulated by her aunt and grandad, pls stop because it wasn't an "I hate them. I don't trust them and I don't want to talk with them", but a "What? My mother committed suicide because of them? Let's go to hunt them like animals and shoot at them until they die in atrocious suffering".

This was Allison Argent. And after season 2 she remained very cold and detached. And, if we're being honest, I didn't really like Allison and Isaac either. That kid went through enough, he doesn't deserve to be used to forget a previous crush.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

[i-creatied-au]

My fav moments from "Alone Together" (season 2). If you didn't see it yet, WATCH, it's something :>

Oh, also, some spoilers for episodes 1-3 will be down below (well, spoilers for whose, who didn't watch)

__________

Bashir: Have you heard from "Gepetto", "Pinocchio"?

"Garak": That's rather offensive, Doctor >:<

Kira: I can do better than that. I'll talk to First Minister herself.

Jake: You don't have to do that!

Kira: Try and stop me. They were my friends too, Jake.

Bashir: Now, wait... Wait a minute, Jake...

Jake: No, Julian! I won't wait a minute! Nog was my best friend!

Intendant: Oh, Julian... I'm hurt( You don't trust me?

Bashir: I've never trusted you. And I've never made a secret of that.

Intendant: You know... I don't think I ever told you, but we with Ezri were very... Very close~

Bashir: SHUT UP!

Garak: You know, Julian, it truly amazes me that you haven't got yourself killed to be so blatantly honest. It's a terrible trait in an operative.

Bashir: On a contrary! It's served me well so far.

Garak: Now, if you weren't so persuasive...

Bashir: And charming? ;)

Garak: Oooh, you're always charming, Julian.

Bashir: Yes, I know, Elim. I DO try to remain optimistic in this cases.

Garak: Don't first-name me, Doctor, unless you mean it

Garak: You may be the only partner I've ever considered, Julian

Bashir: These days, I forced to agree.

Quark: Hey! You don't belittle the size of a man's lobes!

Kira: We need to give them rest...

Quark: WE NEED TO GIVE THEM JUSTICE!

Kira: I don't want to Jake get hurt!

Quark: Neither do I. But he's hurting already. And if we don't help... Or don't try to guide him in some way... We might lose him.

Garak: Section 31 has never used you to your full potential...

Bashir: And I like it that way!

Garak: oooh! Don't be coy, Julian! You love a good challenge! We wouldn't be such good friends if you didn't.

Bashir: No, you don't understand... I'M Section 31.

Jadzia: What?! Oh my god... It makes sense, in a way... Garak. The holosuite. And...

Bashir: Garak has nothing to do with it. Don't bring him into this.

Bashir: It had never occurred to me that the Trill are inherently pansexual.

Jadzia: Yeah, it doesn't come up a lot in conversation. It just is. Humanoids are humanoids. If people fall in love, so be it. It really just that simple.

[superm4ks]

hi kit!! i love ur 'oscar is just raikkonen with a button nose' thing, i went insane abt it the first time i read it from u, but i think specifically in terms of team trajectory theres smth that deffo sets them apart. in the sense of like yes in the car theres this sort of zen detachment thats part supercool part creepy and chilling from both of them but one thing thats never left my mind abt raikkonen (as a member of a team, god knows i dont wanna talk abt him as a person) was that one time he couldn't name more than like. 7 people at alfa romeo after being there for 2 years. so like what i mean to say is i think oscar does have more of a human / empathetic side to him that raikkonen lacks (which in general is a good thing n will make him easier to work with) but also it means he Does get attached. and w the way hes been talking abt mclaren (how much he likes 'being wanted' and being appreciated etc) i think team loyalty / a team's treatment of him etc will b a bigger factor in his decision making in the possibility that he has to choose between two seats. which probably does not rival lando's 'im a thoroughly unsentimental person but i have somehow become inextricable from mclaren and like nuclear catastrophe has to happen for me to move teams' thing but yk. id b curious to see how it all plays out

HIII kira 🥰🥰 wait because that kimi lore is crazy .. it kinda fits tho. Ive never truly looked into kimi as a 'person' tbh not outside like the iconic f1 character but I think other than hulkenberg hes prolly the only driver I dont think I wud want to have a single conversation wid. Idk its more of a personal feel but yk seems u know what Im getting at. I c what u mean ab oscar and I think u have a point my comparison was very surface level also idk the driving itself and the way pistachio deals wid strategy calls and how he manages his races very much reminds me of kimi like even his raggedy pace its kinda funny. I do get the sense that Oscar is smart and self sufficient and knows the game hes playing like the whole alpine drama was kinda brutal but he took it in stride. Also true that he seems very happy at the MTC. As a rookie that mclaren stint did wonders for his career and its clear he really gels wid the team and they like him too. Being in that type of transitional environment especially after danny ric bro u truly have to be sure of who u are and what u can offer and Oscar does. Its sickening fr it takes a lot of smarts and a lot confidence. Also hes got a fierce group of people around him, which is SOO important in f1. Lando is a project driver yk he and zak have some type of papaya illness I dont think Oscar has yet but like. It does seem contagious

[purpleplaid17]

Jess Watches // Thu 28 Dec // Day 97 Synopses & Favourite Scenes & Poll

Orphan Black (rw with mum) 5x04 Let the Children and Childbearers Toil

Sarah and Siobhan follow a lead on a Neolution defector, hoping for enough leverage to free Kira from Dyad's clutches. Also, Cosima investigates rumors about a creature in the woods.

The Sarah/ Helena scene in the convent is one of my faves of them. The vulnerability, the gentleness, the hopefulness, the sestra bond. And that any time Tat talks about filming this scene she gets emotional when thanking Kathryn's generosity as a scene partner. Also, Mrs. S in glasses these past 2 eps has been very distracting. I am thinking thoughts.

Unprisoned (with mum) 1x02 How to Be a Main Bitch

Paige moves into her new house, but Edwin complicates her life at every turn, including her relationship. Meanwhile, Finn helps Edwin get a job.

[Daily mantra] I am a main bitch. I AM a main bitch. I am a MAIN bitch. I am a main BITCH.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians 1x02 I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

Percy finds his place at Camp Half Blood, where he learns just how special his origins may be.

Percy is the funniest little guy. He is just being hit from every angle with all this wild new information and is handling like a champ. I trusted Annabeth immediately but not her brother. His friendship just didn't seem as genuine and came across as more calculated. I don't trust the adults either tbf so everyone is sus atm. Also, I feel like I definitely should read up on Greek gods to understand the intricacies of the story better.

The Dragon Prince 5x07 Sea Legs

The Ruthless sails into dangerous waters, with Finnegrin in hot pursuit. Queen Janai and her guards face a deadly infiltrator seeking the Sun Seed.

The little baitlings getting their new names was so cute. The animation of it was over-the-top in a way that was befitting their character; Queen Janai getting momentarily distracted by an injured guard being the only time she was truly overpowered in the fight seemed an easy way storywise to prolong the drama, which I'm all here for. Especially if it means she and Amaya (who is back!) will take Karim down once and for all.

BBC Ghosts 5x07 A Christmas Gift

Mike’s mum visits, but her attempts to lend a hand drive Alison and Mike mad. To make matters worse, Betty soon senses something is awry with Button House, but does she know what?

I don't think I liked this new ending tbh, when 5x06 was a perfectly lovely way to end the series. I think the time jump of having the baby, then another at the end, made things feel a bit rushed. I didn't mind so much that Alison and Mike left. Life always moves on. I just didn't feel their joy or sadness or any emotions really. Maybe an extended episode would've solved a lot of these issues idk.

[goldenbunniesxo]

sorry for how long what I add here is but i really liked this post and wanted to add more of my thoughts of how light differs from akechi signficantly - but also how they have a few interesting similarities. I do agree with practically all of this honestly, I do think goro akechi and light yagami are fundamentally very different characters. however, as a big fan of both, i definitely think there's something very interesting about the way masks/personas play different roles in their lives, and how they both have this persona of being a gifted, perfect student. in light's case its a lot more effortless, to the point of it being boring. whereas although i think akechi is very intelligent, i believe that due to his background he needs to put a lot more effort into maintaining that appearance (and juggling being the detective prince + an assasin while light is just doing school like a normal kid - again, privilged.) however, i think the way they both put so much stock into the way they are percieved and crave being Seen so desperately, and navigate social interactions as games to be won in which their natural charisma makes them very adept at is super interesting. ultimately akechi is like, dripping with the desire to be seen but is terrified of it (the horror of being known yadda yadda) and so he gives pieces of himself with every conversation despite his best acting but also contradicts his character at every turn because he's a fractal of masks and persons and never got the space to fully figure out who he *is* (which on a different note is another way that he's such a good contrast and parallel to joker - but i digress). light on the other hand, has a pretty stable sense of self, even though that self signifcantly warps throughout the course of the series, you get the sense that you never lose the fundamentals of what light yagami is (unlike how you are constantly puzzling out akechi's "true nature" altho part of that is bcs we never get to directly be inside his head). light meeting L is the only time he ever gets truly "seen" in death note imo, but the tragedy kind of is that he will literally die if he shows part of his true self (kira - i say part because i dont think kira IS light's true self but just a part of it), so then L is still confronted with light's many masks and his obsession with kira makes you wonder if he could ever see light for all that he was. and like. as @casuistor 's yotsuba light analysis showed, light was also still pretending/acting during the yotsuba arc, that wasn't his whole genuine self, so yk. light is very much an icarian protagonist - a tragedy, a victim of his own making, if you will. things would have always ended up this way for light imo because of the nature of who he is and what he grew up around, and he honestly would have been genuinenly unfillfiled and unhappy in a no death note universe too. light is obsessed with proving to himself that he is a Good Person, and that he did not fail, because when Light accidentally killed two people it freaked him out so bad that he decided he'd become god because god decides what's good or bad, and cannot be judged. the mental gymastics he does to justify his actions to himself is quite frankly hilarious. light is aware althroughout that murder is wrong and bad and that what he's doing is evil but he believes himself a martyr, and justifes bloodying his hands for the sake of Greater Good.

goro akechi never fancies himself a good person. i think even though he doesn't regret killing any of his victims, i think he fundamentally believes that he is a bad person, and goes to great lengths to never excuse or justify his behaviour - which also means just omitting his reasons for it too. akechi doesn't want to be percieved as a victim at all because he hates his agency being taken from his actions. which loops back around to their main difference - akechi's desire for agency, which trumps his desire to be seen, and light's desire to be good, which trumps his desire to be seen.

I feel like when people compare Akechi to Light Yagami, they fundamentally misunderstand his character. Their similarities really end at their designs, and Light is the kind of person Akechi would despise. Light Yagami lives a pretty privileged life at the start of Death Note. He has a stable home, with two parents and a sister who care about him. He's a successful student. There isn't really inherent tragedy to his life. The whole reason he starts using the Death Note is a mix of curiosity and a jaded worldview, and when it works it empowers him, very quickly goes to his head, as he believes he is one who can be a god of a "new world" once the shock of his initial kills wears off. While his first kill was to help someone, that altruism didn't last. He is in charge of his choices, while Ryuk mostly vibes and maybe eggs him on a little. Fundamentally, Light has something Akechi lacks: agency, and a comfortable life he took for granted. Meanwhile, Akechi is someone who lived on the bottom rung of Japanese society. His very existence is shameful there, between his mother being a sex worker, his status as an illegitimate/"throw away" child, and his mother's suicide. Years languishing in a foster system that is notoriously inhumane, in a country where 90% of the adoptions are grown men for inheritance and patriarchal reasons, while very few children in the system find permanent homes. When Akechi awakens his power, he approaches Shido not because he wants to kill people but for a stupid revenge plan cooked up by a traumatized child who's been nudged along by a malevolent god. He wants to build Shido up so that at the height of his power, he can expose him for the monster he really is, while another part of him genuinely wants to be useful to Shido, as Cogkechi later calls out. His feelings are a mess of contradictions, and so it's no surprise that Shido was able to mold him into his assassin at only 15 years old. It's also worth noting that Akechi only approaches Shido with his ability to cause psychotic breakdowns. Shido is the one who teaches and instructs him to do shutdowns. He's still complicit, very sunk cost with his revenge plan, but as I spoke of here, even if he wanted to quit, he couldn't alone. Shido's cleaner and control of the law and ability to effortlessly turn him in would render the Metaverse his only safe haven. I think people look at 11/20 Akechi and Akechi in the early parts of the engine room and assume that's just his "true self," when in reality it's another mask. Royal makes it very clear because in Rank 7, he outright warns Joker of what's to come via a pool metaphor and offers an out (though he's MUCH happier if you don't take it/stick to your principles), and in Rank 8, he goes on that big "I hate you" speech... while Sunset Bridge is playing. Y'know, the song that plays at the end of most confidants to reaffirm bonds. So when he smiles as he shoots what he assumes to be Joker, that doesn't mean he's genuinely happy. More likely, he's an emotional clusterfuck, given he also is disoriented enough to namedrop "Shido-san" over the phone, and in the subsequent meeting with Shido, tells him not to kill the Phantom Thieves and that Morgana is "just a cat." Yes, he says they'll make them fear for the rest of their lives, but remember, he's talking to Shido. The things he says are likely all incredibly calculated to sound appealing to Shido. And when you consider that he planned to utterly destroy Shido's reputation after the election, the "delay" makes even more sense.

Later, Akechi goes on about how the people he induced shutdowns on were deserving of their fates, but I don't think he believes it so much as it's the only way he could convince himself that it was worth it, and given how much society failed him, and given how many of the people he targeted were likely rivals/competitors or rich fucks, I think he'd be less inclined to assume good faith. Kunikazu Okumura was not an innocent little victim, after all. He was one of the people who requested breakdowns and shutdowns the most. I think Akechi enjoyed killing him not because of how it'd hurt Haru, but because of catharsis. Because Okumura is just as monstrous as Shido, so why should he feel remorse? However, I don't believe he feels the same about Wakaba, as when he discusses her with Shido, he mentions how her fate was because she refused to willingly work for him. It's another justification, but I personally think Wakaba's death was the most painful for him because he was effectively making Futaba just like him. That's why I think his reaction to Sae threatening Sojiro's custody was genuine. Anyway, evil grinning Akechi is just another mask, as I said. Keep in mind, this is someone who laments not meeting Joker years ago, someone who Morgana outright points out is lying about his hatred. And that's the thing. Light Yagami, while a really fascinating character, is not someone who had all this childhood suffering or lack of agency. He does not regret his actions in the slightest and goes down due to his own hubris in both the anime and the manga. While you can argue that Ryuk set him up by dropping the Death Note, Light was the one who picked it up and chose to use it. Any nudging from Ryuk didn't coerce Light into doing it because Light seized the opportunity. No, if Light Yagami is like anyone in Persona 5, it's Masayoshi Shido, not Goro Akechi. Both believe they are god/god's chosen, that they are the ones who will reshape the world to their ideals, and to be frank, both use and abuse women to serve their own purposes. Goro Akechi goes down sacrificing himself for the Thieves and pleading with them to stop his father and again in Maruki's reality when he refuses to let Joker accept a gilded prison of a world for his sake when he knows better than anyone what it's like to have no true freedom. If you max his confidant, you see him in the postcredits, leaving his survival entirely possible, and I think it works because at the end of the day, Akechi was meant to be a victim and a foil. Light is a villain protagonist and a cautionary tale. Though its his POV we follow, he isn't someone we're meant to root for, but I definitely don't think enjoying the character is a bad thing at all. He's really interesting! I just think that a lot of the Akechi and Light comparisons are surface level at best.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Omg yeah x/y was honestly such a good era I loved mega evolutions (wtf happened to them?? Like we just got different renditions in the form of z moves and gigantamaxing ?? I forgot what it’s called but when they blow up the pokemon in a giant ass stadium LMAO) but I do miss mega evolution…I also haven’t played any of the switch games shdgsh I was meaning to but didn’t have enough time (or motivation oops) I completely forgot about greninja he most definitely has one….bonus points if it has that giant water shuriken like the ash greninja LMAO I can imagine Karasu collecting all the token bird pokemon too HAHA like talonflame, staraptor, etc.

LMAOO Kira was honestly a good choice I just remember being like this is such a rare find?? HAHA so glad I stumbled upon peregrine and found you too <3

Honestly I think it’s just because kiyora got thrown in with like no info no backstory and no dialogue…I’m glad we’re getting more of him in epinagi where they can actually focus more on him so we can see more of what he’s like because as of right now I’m just like…I barely know you dude LOL besides the fact that you’re a middle child…manifesting tabieita return so hard please come back my glorious kings I need your goofy little duo back!!!!!!! I also wanna know who’s saying Karasu won’t make it like??? There’s no way anyone from top6 BLLK isn’t making it tbh I feel like that’d be too big of a jump but clearly they aren’t reading because he really IS carrying pxg on his back like….hard carry. Shidou hasn’t done anything beyond the first goal Charles called it quits for awhile and Rin wasn’t able to do much either like Karasus always pressing Kaiser and Isagi and keeping up let’s be real there’s no way he won’t make it :| Also narratively I don’t think it’d really make sense for him to get dropped out either if anything I think the people most in danger are the people currently not in the top 23…? Or benched players like who’s making those assumptions now…..tabieita is for sure passing (also I feel like it’s especially because otoya is like 1 of 2 people doing anything on barcha from bllk so they’re bound to also get enough bids from barcha or other clubs I feel..) but yeah er I don’t even fully remember who else is on barcha from bllk haha…

JUST FINISHED READING AND OH. MY. GOSH. THAT WAS AMAZING??? I had sm fun reading it I was smiling at my phone and actually laughing. I’m CRYING Otoya and bestie getting shipped??? That’s hilarious esp how he like ends up cock blocking her attempts to get close to the others like Reo??? Peak comedy I ate that UP!!! And SHSJSBDH KARASU REUNION THAT WAS SO CUTE and honestly fit them so well with the banter too!!! I can only imagine how the aquarium date would go….imagine either he falls into the touch pool or at least gets splashed somehow and flips out LMFAOO

I LIVE for this journey of a story truly keeping the Karasu community alive and kicking I feel like this just added a millions years to my lifespan like I’ve been revived and rejuvenated thank you very much. Also Chigiris sister!!! Omg I love that we end up forming a little bestie group with her and yukis gf too!!! Girlbosses fr!!!!

Also the Karasu Y/n adopting Hiori agenda SO REAL IM SO ON BOARD HAHA I’m crying he fr is just their kid like it’s so funny and makes sm sense too….i lost it with the u20 match invites though like we really got the invite instead of his parents LMFAOOO the way you write him makes him so squishy too I just wanna squeeze him like the hamster he is idc if he’s 6 foot

But anyways I’m honestly running out of words to say because my vocabulary isn’t extensive enough to praise this as much as it deserves THANK YOU SO MUCH SHSGSHS I was never expecting a request of mine to your event to have led to something like this!!! So glad to have been able to chat with you as well as follow along with this story (I’m definitely going to go reread the entire series from start to finish at least three times)

Take care of yourself and I’m looking forward to whatever you put out next!!!! Can’t wait to ramble and chat more about karasu (or really even anything LOL) To more Karasu filled BLLK moments and writing masterpieces o7

- Karasu anon

YES i loved mega evolutions but everything after that felt like it was trying too hard to be gimmicky…i’m in the same boat i’ve played all of the 3ds games and a few of the ds ones but none of the switch ones. LMAOO i bet he missed the event to get the special ash greninja because he was on a date or smth so he had to pay nagi/hiori to give him theirs or hack his game so he could get it 😭 KARASU’S TEAM IS DEF 5 RANDOM BIRD POKÉMON + GARCHOMP I FEEL IT IN MY BONES he’s sooo garchomp coded somehow…maybe talonflame staraptor honchkrow skarmory and pidgeot?? idk though. i’ve considered writing a pokémon au before i think it would be so fun hehe but who knows

i will SCROUNGEEE wikis to find the most random characters for my fics…either that or i’ll jump straight to ocs. i think i tend to use canon characters at all costs for male characters and ocs for female characters because lbr most animangas have very very few female characters let alone well written ones (shoutout anri only female character in bllk fr) so i just make my own

YES i agree kiyora just randomly appeared and gave us a backstory and then passed…honestly i think i’d have been more interested if we didn’t know much abt his backstory until AFTER he passed to kaiser but it seems like he’ll be important for the rest of the match so i’m sure we’ll get more information on him soon

AGREED like people are saying NAGI isn’t going to start on the world cup team?? please be sooo fr he’s shown time and time again that he’s capable of insane chemical reactions w almost any player he 100% is starting. tabieitaken also are definitely going to be there even if they don’t start (i think of the three karasu has the best chance at starting just because we don’t see many other players playing in his position whereas chigiri, bachira, etc could be wingers instead of yuki/otoya)…yeah literally besides bachira and otoya barcha is a bunch of randoms 😭 i need these people to focus their worries on like nanase and zantetsu HAHA. personally i’m 10x more scared for zantetsu than karasu 🙁 i don’t want him to be kicked out of bllk we need more himbo rep in anime

OMG YAYYY I’M GLAD YOU LIKED IT!! help otoya and bestie hating one another but accidentally cockblocking each other for the entire fic was SOO fun to write 😭 poor bestie she just wanted a rich man but she’s stuck w otoya’s ninja ass. i think my fav moment of theirs was when he won her the plushie but instead of being romantic it actually furthers their enmity 😔 the bllk fans in-universe know what’s up!! otoya x bestie AND karasu x y/n…taste fr. lowkey poor bestie because not only is she single af and enemies with a guy who pretends to be a ninja in public, her OWN bff is in the most perfect relationship ever 😭💔 karasu invented boyfriendism like he’s so HDKDHDSJ in this fic!!!

it truly was such a journey 🥹 YES i needed there to be more female characters plus i thought it would be so funny if y/n is just going around adopting bllk characters…like hyoma’s HER brother now too wdym 🙄 she needs to meet rin ong i think she would cure him (and bestie needs to meet sae i think she would humble him so bad). i know for a FACT that the girlies of fwtkac groupchat is probably sooo fun. like bestie just spams otoya slander (she finds entire twitter threads dogging on him and makes up bs to get him cancelled online), y/n sends edits of everyone (especially otoya x bestie ship edits because she finds them hilarious), chigiri’s sister keeps trying to convince them to visit her in tokyo, and yuki’s gf is the designated hype girl 🥹

LMAOAOAO karasu w hiori is like the quintessential dad who DID NOT want to get a puppy but somehow he loves the dog the most and feeds it 5 million treats a day 😭 y/n and karasu truly are the parents that stepped up 😪 but also LMAOAOA no i thought it was so funny like imagine hiori knowing that karasu is probably going to invite his gf and being like “ya i’m going to invite your gf too” it’s like that one reddit meme where the guy says “if i could sleep w anyone in history i’d choose my wife who passed away” and some random dude says “i’d choose your dead wife too” HAHAAH but not romantic because hiori is just her little squishy child fr

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH i also did not expect an event request would get to be this extensive but i enjoyed it so much!! i’m hoping to work on my hiori requests so tentatively those will be next but we’ll see how things go hehe. and i look forward to many more conversations and ramblings in the future!!

bonus: karasu texting otoya after his aquarium date (screenshotted from an insta post i saw earlier LMAOOO)

[burai-note-au]

Kira Burai AU

"All these years, and things are finally about to get interesting on Earth again, huh? Sorry to interrupt, miss, but you've got something of mine..."

The nightmare is over. Has been for five years. Kira is dead, and everyone knows it. A new god raises hell against the world, the international terrorist organization, PROXY. They take credit for the death of Kira, and bombing the Kira Task Force headquarters, and leaving Yagami Light in a coma he will probably never wake from. They don’t talk about what they did to L, but the videos leaked onto the dark web speak for themselves.

The world has moved on, but not everyone has. L is troubled by more than just lingering pain. His reputation as the world’s greatest detective is tarnished. Most of the former Task Force officers refuse to acknowledge him. Criminals he’d thought were dealt with keep resurfacing, sensing weakness, craving revenge. And he’ll never get that justice he promised after all. Light’s memory haunts him worse than any ghost - the memory of a man he may have, may have, seen as more than a murder suspect.

He goes by Hikaru now.

It’s been five years and Briar Gillespie is doing okay. She’s all grown up and in the big city of Tokyo, like she always knew she would. Her missionary parents long returned to America, she’s made a nice little life for herself. She works, she bakes, she feeds strays, she is happy. But in the back of her mind she hasn’t forgotten the only god she’s ever truly believed in, and her wish for a peaceful world shattered once again by painful reality.

It takes just one person to change the path of fate. And when a Death Note shoots into her life like a bullet from a gun, Briar makes her decision.

FAQ:

What is this AU?

This is what happens when I have too much time on my hands and a lot of friends to bounce ideas off of.

No but really - this AU is about an ex Kira cultist who gets her hands on a Death Note and decides to become an Angel for her dead god. Except Kira isn’t technically dead, and L and the police are not the only problems she needs to worry about. Meanwhile, L returns to Japan on the hunt for a serial killer he once believed put away for good. What’s gonna happen when L and Briar meet? Let’s find out together! 

Who are you?

I'm Coffee! Or Jason if you like that better. As of writing I'm 31 years old, and I've been doing this since I was at least 13. You are in good hands, I promise, I mostly know what I'm doing. I live in the USA on the East Coast, more in the south than the north, and within driving distance of the beach. Unfortunately for me, I like the beach better in theory than in practice. What I do like are cats - I'd love to see yours!

What can I expect from this blog?

Pretty much what you'd get from any fandom blog I guess. Headcanons, reblogs of fanart or memes or character analysis, that kind of stuff, all sfw. My created content will always be centered on this au, of course.

What’s your stance on shipping?

I have a fondness for Lawlight so that will pop up now and then, mostly in the past tense since Light is, uh, kinda in a coma right now. I don’t have anything in mind for other ships - doesn’t mean they won’t show up, I just don’t have ideas for any.

Any trigger warnings I should know about?

Transphobia [L is trans]

Anti foreigner attitudes

Torture

General 'period typical' bigotry and attitudes in general

Will add more as I think of them

Tags - for organizing and finding things:

To be determined

[we-do-be-writing]

Here to Help

Liam Dunbar x Reader

The call wakes you up in the middle of the night, and after ignoring the sound time and time again, it becomes unbearable. You groan to yourself as you reach for your phone and press answer, "What the fresh hell do you want?"

"Hey Y/n, I know it's late, but I just left Liam's and he seems really bothered by something." You hear the voice say.

"I'm sorry," You mumble, "I kind of just woke up and need a little refresher. Who are you?"

"It's Mason, Mason Hewitt, I'm Liam Dunbar's best friend."

"Okay, now I'm caught up. You said Liam is being bothered?" You ask, sitting up in your bed and turning on the light.

"Yeah, he just seems worried or something. I'm not entirely sure what's going on with this new friendship he has with you and Scott and them, but maybe he'll tell you whatever he's hiding from me." Mason says, and you can hear the slight sadness in his voice at the thought that Liam may not trust him as much anymore.

"Uh, yeah, I can go check on him for you. I'll let you know what I can." You say, already out of bed and throwing on some presentable clothes. Mason thanks you before hanging up and leaving you in silence.

Luckily, it doesn't take you long to get to Liam's house and the weather is nice, so the walk over is comfortable. You debate climbing up the side of the house but decide on going through the front door.

Liam's stepdad answers the door and greets you with a confused expression, "Liam seems to be a popular guy tonight."

"I just got a text from Mason, apparently I forgot about a project for Coach's class. He said Liam was complaining because we're supposed to work together, and he doesn't want to be put on the bench for lacrosse. Thought I might as well ease his worries as quick as possible." You explain with a tired smile, still feeling sleepy from Mason's abrupt call.

"I see, well he's up in his room," Liam's stepdad says while moving aside, "does he know you're here?"

"Nah, he doesn't, but I'll try and not surprise him." You walk into the house and head to Liam's room.

"Liam? It's Y/n," You knock on the door and when there's no response you push it open, "Liam?"

The scream he lets out is honestly incredible. You may even argue that it can rival Lydia's banshee scream. To say it throws you for a loop is an understatement and you're surprised his stepdad doesn't come running upstairs.

Liam quickly flicks the light on, still catching his breath and you can see his eyes going wild, "Y/n? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Mason called me, he said you were bothered by something." You say with a hand on your forehead as you also try to catch your breath.

"Well now I'm bothered." Liam sighs, sitting up in his bed. You almost laugh at his words but decide against it based on how truly shaken the boy in front of you looks.

You both stay still for a while, and you notice how Liam looks at the dark corners of his room before taking more deep breaths.

"Okay," You sit on the edge of his bed, "let's talk about what's bothering you."

"What do you mean?" He mumbles, looking down at his hands which are fiddling in his lap.

"You're scared of something, and I think anyone would be able to see it." You say, waiting for him to say something. When he doesn't you continue,

"Kira told me about your fight with the Berserkers, and how shaken up you seemed by it. You know you can talk to any of us about it, we won't judge you."

Liam stays quiet for a little bit before releasing a soft sigh and curling his legs in more, giving you more room to get comfortable on his bed, before saying, "I keep seeing them everywhere. It's like they're haunting me."

"Well, that makes sense, I mean those things are terrifying. Honestly, I think they make everyone scared." You say, thinking about how threatening the Berserker's presence is.

"How do you guys deal with this ... all the fear and uncertainty of everything going on." Liam asks.

"Well, I think everyone has different methods, and you don't have to worry about following exactly what Scott does. Hell, even Scott is still learning, and some things that work for him might not work for you. I can tell you what I do, but don't feel discouraged if it doesn't work. We can work together to find what does, because that's one of the things packmates are for." You tell him.

"I just don't want to seem weaker than the rest of you, I mean you're all so much more knowledgeable compared to me." Liam sighs, resting his head in his hands.

You reach out and pull one of his hands into yours before you speak, "Trust me Liam, we are not much farther along than you when it comes to knowledge. I mean you and I are both freshmen and the only reason I know more is because I came here as a werewolf and Derek's family happened to know mine. Plus, you were very abruptly thrown into this, you shouldn't feel weaker in any way. You've got to give yourself more time to process it all."

Liam nods his head, shyly looking at you through the hand that still covers his face. You give his hand a squeeze and give him a kind smile, giving him some time to respond. When he doesn't you continue,

"But you don't have to deal with all of that right now, for now let's focus on getting through the night."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Liam breathes out, rubbing his face before removing his hand and letting it fall to his knees. He takes a deep breath then looks away from you while asking,

"Can you stay a little longer?"

"I will stay as long as you want me to," You reply, glancing over at the game console in Liam's room, "how about we play a game."

"Yeah, that would be nice."

You and Liam go and sit on the floor, grabbing the controllers and booting up the console. After a couple rounds Liam seems to loosen up and relax, seemingly forgetting about his worries for the time being. Eventually, he starts to doze off with his head resting against his bed and you decide to move him from the floor to his bed after you turn the console and tv off.

"Seems like your adrenaline has worn off." You whisper to him, and he gives you a sleepy nod. You brush some of his hair away from his eyes and then slowly leave the room.

Liam's stepdad is still awake as you shut the door and make your way back to the main room of the house. He looks up as you enter and gives you a smile before he speaks,

"Thank you, Y/n, for talking to him. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm glad he has people who are trying to help him."

"Yeah, I will always help Liam, that's what friends are for. I was actually wondering if it would be okay if I stayed the night, it's kinda late and my family has gone to bed." You ask, twisting your fingers together in nervousness. Honestly, you felt bad leaving Liam to wake up alone when you were there when he fell asleep.

"Uh, yeah, I guess that's alright, thank you for asking me." Liam's stepdad says as he stands up, "just no funny business."

He gives a laugh at the look of shock that crosses your face before bidding you goodnight and leaving the room. You turn on your heel and walk back into Liam's room where he gives you a sleepy look.

"Are you leaving?" He whispers, and you feel your heart clench at the sad look in his eyes.

"Nah, I'm gonna stay the night, if that works for you."

"Yeah, that works." He hides his face in the pillow and you can see his consciousness slipping back into sleep.

"Goodnight Liam." You say, getting on the other side of his bed which is luckily quite large.

"Goodnight Y/n." Liam responds, and you hear him take a deep breath before settling further into the bed. His hand reaches out and you intertwine your fingers with his as he turns off the light. Slowly, his grip slackens as he falls into a deeper sleep.

Before sleep fully comes, you remember to text Mason and tell him that Liam is alright. As you send the text, you think about how grateful you are that he decided to call you instead of someone else. You give Liam's hand one more squeeze before settling into the bed, ready for one of the best sleeps of your life.

[aceofwands]

ohh I love all this, it's so so juicy - I absolutely love discussing alternate versions of what could have been in Trek, and DS9 especially, because it's such a rich world that exploring the what could have beens is equally as rich, so thanks for indulging me 😊

and I should add, I also actually do think that Li's death at the end of the trilogy is the perfect way for his story to end - as you said, finally giving him that agency, letting him be free from the burden of being a legend when he wanted to just be a man. I've seen DS9 like half a dozen times at least so it's actually amazing to me that I can watch it again years later and have a completely new take or insight, and this time around it was thinking about how wonderfully developed the future recurring characters are which had me going, oh dang!!! First Minister Li Nalas!! like I'd never even thought of it before

(and you're SO right that there were so many characters who should have come back again - Pel especially needed to return to join Ishka in the fight for Ferengi feminism in later seasons, and I was just thinking, when reflecting on the season 5 Eddington episodes, how much I dislike Eddington's character and how much more meaningful that storyline would have been if it was Cal Hudson the whole time, given Sisko's backstory with him)

I can't help but see the parallels now, from your commentary, between Li and Sisko - both thrust into these important positions of power for Bajor which neither of them actually want - and think it would have been fantastic to see their parallel evolution, in the same way we see Sisko come to accept and then actively embrace his role as the Emissary, we could have seen Li's shift from reluctant leader to realising that the Prophets have placed him on this path so that he can do good and make a positive change as Bajor's First Minister. like the moment where he finally realises that even if he never wanted it, he's able to make the decisions HE thinks is best for Bajor's future - similar to Sisko's realisation in Accession that he actually wants to be the Emissary if means being able to help steer Bajor into a new future, rather than lead them back into the past.

Also it would have been interesting having a more ... neutral party for Sisko to talk to about his reservations about being the Emissary, like I feel like he was very isolated in many ways - talking to Kira about it is charged because she believes wholeheartedly that he IS the Emissary, even when he himself didn't truly believe, and he sure as fuck can't talk to Winn about his doubts, meanwhile his Starfleet officers are too much on the other side of the fence. But Li? He would understand Sisko's reluctance, his reservations, but also his desire to help the Bajorans. It would have been interesting to give them each other as confidantes, is what I'm getting at.

And in the same way I love your points about Bareil and Li and the potential there - it's funny cause I've heard the writers on Memory Alpha talk about how a lot of people didn't like the Bajoran shows back in the day, and sometimes I wonder if it's because we didn't see enough of what went on on the planet, or like, we only saw it when it related more directly to our characters - which obviously makes sense given that the show is called Deep Space Nine!! but maybe having a stronger sense of the political goings in through First Minister Li and Bareil serving as his link to the Vedek Assembly, could have given us that perspective in a way that deepened our understanding of what was going on on Bajor and how that was impacting events on the station. It also would have benefited Bareil's character to be given even more depth outside of his relationship with Kira and complex relationship with Winn as first a rival and then the Kai (like would he not have died in this version of events? who knows)

it really is pretty amazing that one character who only shows up for 3 episodes can have such richness to him, but I think it's a testament to what an interesting backstory they gave him, and how much potential there was for that narrative to go further in the wider tapestry of the show

dude, i can’t get over Li Nalas.

he knew what was going on from the beginning. sure, a moment of brief confusion and then the realization that these people he’s been trapped in a labor camp with for the past ten fucking years, Memory Alpha says, believe his return to Bajor will bring restoration. the realization that they have such confidence in him as to place his life above their own.

he gets shot and then he’s hauled off to a shuttlecraft within minutes, forced to leave behind his decade-old reality. to leave behind people who shared it with him until just moments ago. and he’s dying, maybe. in excruciating pain, so he can’t even object, can’t even think. and Kira looks at him with this intense certainty. like he’s the missing puzzle piece she’s been scouring every last corner of the universe for. only he knows he isn’t.

and then he’s off to sickbay before anyone else despite his protests, where a human operates on him. a doctor who won’t stop regaling him with all the wonderful things he’s supposed to have done, all the battles he’s supposed to have won.

he is on his feet soon after, clean and dressed in warm clothes. he has no time to rest or breathe in his newfound freedom before he is swept up for a tour of the station he knew too long ago. and now every Bajoran he comes across in this ore processing center turned glitzy space mall looks at him the way Kira does, like they know him, like they need him. their words and shining smiles of praise when he reluctantly stands to address a crowd of them tells him just how much they believe they do. he does not forget the ones he left on Cardassia IV.

it is with relief that he hands the crowd off to Jaro. a deep sigh of familiar aggravation just beneath the surface of his skin as Jaro panders to the crowd's enthusiasm for his return.

that scene where Sisko shows him his quarters, i don’t blame him for striding over so tentatively but nevertheless excitedly to the small flower in a vase. Sisko hardly notices it but it is the first thing Li locks eyes on. a plant. a sprig of life clipped and close to its end, kept alive only by means necessary for display. a being which demands nothing of him here besides fresh water and a light to lean towards.

he stows away on a ship, running now, not from the Cardassians, but from Bajor. from the lies others fabricated on his behalf. Sisko - after the Tygarian freighter captain has dragged him by the ear back to the station, after Li has laid bare his truth in earnest - tells Li they are not lies. they are legends. and Bajor needs them.

and Li Nalas, a man encased in a shell of legends crafted by hands which are not his own, is tired. but he accepts the responsibility his people have placed on his shoulders. because Sisko is right. they do need him.

in the moments just before his death, he is Kira's puzzle piece. he is the flower in the vase. he is simple. uncomplicated. dying.

only then does he rejoice. he may finally rest.

[goldentournesol]

The Love Hypothesis (Eight)

(Spencer Reid x f!Reader)

Series Masterlist

General Masterlist

A/N: this fic is ending soon :( i’m not ready

The words on the small screen bled into each other slowly as she stared at them. Her heart was beating too fast, her throat was working too slow to deal with the rapid drying of her mouth. The short breaths came too quick until her knees couldn’t keep her up anymore. She hit the mattress with a thud, clutching her phone tightly to her chest. 

“Y/N/N, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Kira rushed to her side, taking a seat beside her on the bed.

Mark quickly got her a glass of water and she sipped on it. A few moments later, Y/N gathered her scattered sanity and looked at Kira.

“I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you to get mad.” She took a deep breath, bracing herself.

“What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” Kira grabbed Y/N’s hand in her own and squeezed it reassuringly.

“None of this is real. Spencer and I aren’t really dating and we aren’t in love.” Y/N said, her voice wobbly.

Kira scoffed, “The hell you aren’t. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and the way you look at him.”

Y/N shook her head, “I uh…I mean, well yes, I may have some...big feelings for him, but none of that was supposed to happen.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. Did you know about this?” Kira glanced at Mark, who stood before them.

“Yes. Okay, here’s the deal. Y/N and Reid aren’t actually dating. They were fake dating because Y/N wanted to convince you that she was over Andrew--which she was never really interested in him anyway, but you wouldn’t believe her. So, she lied and told you that she was dating Reid so that you could finally date Andrew in peace. I’m not sure what Reid’s getting out of it--I forgot to ask.” Mark rambled, explaining what she now realizes is a very ridiculous circumstance. There was a beat of uncomfortable silence while Kira was processing the information. 

She very slowly turned to Y/N, “What?” she asked. “You fake dated Spencer Reid? Spencer. Fucking. Reid.”

Y/N cleared her throat and nodded. Kira suddenly burst into laughter, standing and putting her hands on her thighs to brace herself.

“This can’t be real life. No, this is a movie with D-list actors! Or...or a poorly written fanfiction!” She exclaimed.

“I’m sorry I lied to you, Kira…I didn’t think--”

“But you’ve kissed him! In front of the campus coffee shop when he disarmed that student!”

“Only because you forced me to--”

“But you sat in his lap in the lecture hall! And--and tended to his wounds and kissed him again--”

“Again because you forced me to, are we sensing a pattern here or what?”

Kira gulped and shook her head in disbelief, “I can’t believe this…you guys--you just made so much sense together. I thought it was so romantic because he had this reputation of being such a badass FBI agent but in reality he’s a sweetheart and you’re just so shy so I thought I was encouraging you to express your feelings. I never thought--gosh, I feel horrible!”

“Wait, you’re not mad at me?” Y/N said, her eyes big with wonder.

“Mad at you? No, if anything I’m mad at myself for making you do those things.” Kira frowned and pulled her in for a hug, “I do, however, think that this was a misguided, reckless decision on your part and frankly a little idiotic, but you’re my idiot and I love you. I’m truly flattered you’d do that for me. We’ll need to talk about this way more, but for now you still need to tell Reid about what happened with Carter. You were verbally harassed and sexually assaulted and you have audio proof. If the situation were reversed and something happened to Spencer, you’d want to know, right?” She had a point there.

Y/N sighed a deep, guttural sigh and shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. There was no way she could continue this fake relationship with Spencer. Not when it looked like she was sleeping her way up to the top. She was just starting her career in academia--three years is nothing in the long run. She can’t start it like this…no matter how much she loved Spencer. Besides, he doesn’t even need her anymore. His funds were unfrozen and he can start researching. The grant he needed was already there. After explaining to them why Spencer agreed to fake date her, it seemed ridiculous in hindsight.

About a half hour later, Mark and Kira had to leave to attend a talk they were both interested in--Y/N had so much on her mind that it was practically impossible to feign interest in the topic. They didn’t push her to join, thankfully. Despite her loss of appetite, she made sure to eat more of the breakfast that had been sent whenever she started feeling dizzy from her thoughts. 

After forcing herself to wash her face and try to look presentable, she went down to the lobby and browsed around the convention. Small tables were lined up with people conducting and presenting all different kinds of research. It was endlessly fascinating what the human brain could come up with and it was such a shame that her spirits were so low. She would have reveled in discussing topics with fellow researchers, no matter how far their interests deviated. 

It was relatively easy to kill time until she got the text from Spencer that he’d finished his meetings and rejoiced at the fact that he’d (finally) managed to send her his location without instructions. The location was a quaint restaurant near the hotel he had the meetings at. 

A short Uber ride later and there he was, sat at a round table with red cloth and a charming candlelit centerpiece. Her heart squeezed in her chest more with each step she took to follow the host to where he was. 

His face broke out into a grin as soon as he saw her, “Hey, you made it.” His smile was blinding and it shattered her.

She halfheartedly smiled when he squeezed her hand in greeting as she took her seat across from him. One squeeze and she pulled away, resorting to hiding her fidgeting hands under the table. If he thought her behavior was strange, his expression didn’t let on.

“How did your meetings go?” She stammered her way through the question, eager to get his attention onto anything else but her.

He shrugged, “Boring, standard meetings with higher-ups. I don’t remember people in academia being so pretentious when I was getting my degrees.” He quipped, the corners of his mouth raising. He seemed to be in a good mood. She hated to be the one to ruin it, so she stalled. They engaged in more small talk, but mostly she focused on trying not to bring the mood down.

But halfway through dinner, Spencer visibly tensed at her reserved behavior. Of course he’d noticed, nothing could get past him. He had let it slide, knowing that the day before had been difficult for her, but nothing he was saying was cheering her up. He couldn’t even get a smile to reach her eyes and it made concern pool in his gut. 

After watching her toss a pea back and forth with a fork, he finally asked, “Is everything okay?”

Her heart got caught in her throat and no amount of swallowing could get rid of it, so she nodded and smiled a little. But Spencer, ever the profiler, saw right through her.

“It’s about the funds being released, isn’t it?” He was naively hoping that she’d forget about it--or pretend like it wasn’t a part of their deal. She released a sigh and her shoulders deflated, even if he wasn’t actively reading her body language he could tell that she didn’t want to have to talk about this.

“Our time is up. We made a deal. We both got what we wanted out of this…arrangement.” She was speaking pragmatically, trying her best to remove her feelings from the equation as if that made it any easier. She was made aware of what everyone thought of this relationship, and it was easy to say that people’s opinions of her didn’t matter, but in reality they did. She wanted to succeed in academia because of her hard work. Panic slid its way through her veins as she thought back to yesterday’s events and shivered slightly when she remembered the feeling of Carter’s slimy hands on her.

A certain emotion she couldn’t place passed over Spencer’s face a split second before a mask of indifference took its place, “Right…you’re right.” 

His posture stiffened as he recognized the extent to which he’d lost his objectivity. He’d fallen for this woman. Hard. And now she was pretending like none of what they’ve been through ever mattered. He couldn’t show his emotions, but something deep, deep down in his gut felt off. His gut was always right. She wasn’t being genuine, her tells were too obvious but he didn’t push.

“I think it’s time we…uh, ‘break up’, which is a weird thing to say considering we were never actually together. But yeah, people will stop seeing us together and they’ll eventually think that things didn’t work out and there will be something new they can gossip about,” She shrugged like it was no big deal, but her shaking leg under the table told him otherwise. Spencer cast a cursory glance over the restaurant just to check that no one was using her to mess with him, just out of habit, and he found nothing.

 “I’m so, so happy for you for finally being able to research non-pharmacological treatments methods for schizophrenia. And I want to thank you, for all you’ve done for me. All the dinners, the coffees, the moral support…” she paused, her eyes stinging and welling up with tears, “and just in general, everything. Thank you and I’m sorry. I really have to go right now.” She picked up a tissue from the table because she would unfurl into a sobbing mess as soon as she stepped foot outside the restaurant.

“Y/N,” he said softly, concern growing more in his chest with each second, “if you need anything, really, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I will always be there for you.” He reminded her softly.

On her way out, she selfishly tipped his head up to her new height and allowed their lips to meet for a few seconds. One last kiss. Before she left the man who owned her heart in the middle of a restaurant in a strange city.

---

Spencer never came back to the hotel she was staying at, where the convention was being held. She didn’t know for sure, but she assumed he’d stayed at the hotel where his meetings were held. Today was the last day in Boston, it had been exactly two days since she’d broken up with Spencer. Her days consisted of alternating between crying and convincing herself she was okay enough to converse with other humans. She thankfully didn’t have to stay far from home for much longer, but the overwhelming sadness was becoming too much to bear.

“You don’t look too good,” Kira said, affectionately grabbing her shoulder after she had spent the last 10 minutes conversing with another grad student from Oxford University at one of the many tables in the conference hall. Their research was similar and the other student offered some insight on what research was like in the UK and if it was any different. At least that’s what Y/N had caught from the conversation. She’d been living inside her own head and on her face was a permanent stony expression.

Y/N shook her head and whispered, “I-I can’t do this, I’m sorry. I thought I could try and be normal but I can’t.” Kira’s face crumpled in sympathy, but she didn’t want that anymore. All she wanted was completely off limits.

Devastation was hard to explain to someone who hasn’t felt it the way you have. Sure, everyone’s experienced some sort of it, but none like your own. Y/N’s devastation was unique only to her. Her annihilation was of her own doing, which only ruined her further. She could only helplessly follow Kira as she led her outside to a quiet courtyard. There was the sound of the soothing trickling of water from the fountain before them.

“Talk to me, tell me what’s wrong.” Kira spoke softly as Y/N gripped the bench where they were sitting. 

She took a shaky breath, “I feel…I feel like I can’t breathe right. I feel like I want to cry. I feel like I might never be happy in another relationship after him. I feel like I will never stop wanting to be with him. And…I can’t help but feel like breaking up with him was the worst thing I could have done.” A small sob escaped her as she confessed. She expected to feel lighter, but she didn’t.

“Keep going.” Kira prompted with a nod. She was always a good listener. Y/N’s fingertips hurt from gripping the bench so hard.

“I feel like some moments between us were real. At first it all began as a ruse to fool you and to fool the board. And it was so awkward at the beginning, believe me. But afterwards, it all came naturally. Being with him felt so natural, kind of how you don’t even think of breathing…it just happens. It just happened with Spencer. I didn’t have to think about it anymore. Eventually, I was kissing him because I wanted to, not because I wanted anyone to see us kissing. I wanted to hold his hand,” she choked on another small sob, “I wanted him to hug me. I wanted to tell him stupid little jokes to see his eyes roll before he’d counter with an even stupid-er joke. God--sorry, that’s so cheesy.” She hastily wiped her tear striped cheeks with the backs of her hands before tilting her head up to the sky and focusing on her breathing.

“Don’t be sorry, Y/N/N. You’re heartbroken and in love. You deserve to want those things, you deserve to have them.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever love anyone the same way again.” Y/N confessed, the tears leaking out like a faucet at this point, gravity taking them into her hairline as she rested her head against the back of the bench.

“What if you don’t have to?” Kira asked.

“What do you mean?” Y/N sniffled.

“What if you don’t have to love anyone else? Why’d you break up with him? How do you know he doesn’t feel the same way?” Kira’s questions felt like they were on their way to open a can of feelings she didn't really want to open. Y/N hesitated to answer before she sat upright and stared off into the distance.

“You don’t understand, if he doesn’t feel the same way, I would be beyond devastated. I’m just protecting myself. I don’t want to be the student that slept her way to the top. I want to earn it. And I feel so shaken up over the whole thing with Carter.” She explained, mostly to herself than to Kira.

“I get that, hun, what happened absolutely sucks, but you’re devastated now. How protected do you feel?” Kira asked and it felt like a jab in Y/N’s side, enough to make her chuckle a bit.

“Not at all.” She huffed in response.

“What did he say to you when you broke it off?”

“He…he told me that he would be there for me no matter what. And that I could always reach out to him.” Thankfully the tears have stopped, but the heaviness in her chest remained.

“Alright, let’s look at it from a different angle. The man has what--two PhD’s?”

“Three…and two BA’s.” Y/N provided.

“Okay, so we know he’s a scientist and scientists value proof. What else was he? An FBI agent. Not just any FBI agent, no. He was part of the BAU. You know, the people who analyze behavior for a living?? He has like over 15 years of experience in the FBI, you know what that means? It means he values justice. And we know he cares about you, enough to insist that if you ever needed him you could reach out. Guess what, Y/N? You need him.”

Y/N shook her head, “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I mean you need to tell him about what went down with Carter. You have hard evidence. You’ll feel less guilty over what happened and he’ll be able to help. Who’s better to have by your side?” She reasoned.

She was right, Y/N knew it. But she was still so ashamed and felt so guilty that those thoughts overrode anything else. Exhaling heavily and bouncing her knee, she ran through what would happen if and when she told him.

“You’re right, but…I don’t even know where he is--if he’s here or if he’s back in DC. I can’t exactly just call him up and ask him where he is.” Y/N moved onto the next phase of fidgeting and started picking at her nails.

“Well…does he use an online calendar or something?” Kira asked and Y/N shook her head.

“No, he doesn’t really need reminders for events. Although he can be a little bit scatterbrained at times, it wouldn’t hurt to use a calendar.” Y/N nervously rambled.

“You know who might have his location?” Y/N looked at Kira curiously, “Remember when I helped out this redhead, Kristen, track down a bunch of participants for her to interview in like our first year of grad school? Yeah, she’s the secretary of the psych department’s chair now and should know about the professors’ schedules. She owes me one. I can cash it in right now.” Kira raised her brows in an offer.

“You would do that for me?” Y/N stared at her.

“Please, you fake dated a professor and fell in love with him by accident for me, it’s the least I could do.” She laughed slightly, already tapping away at her phone. 

A short phone call with Kristen later and a few minutes where they allowed her to check for any emails or reminders from Spencer and his location was sent.

He was at a dinner with a few professors from Princeton. And she absolutely had to go see him before she lost any steam.

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[randomveyn]

How do you think Shuhei hisagi would deal with going to the world of the living and him meeting a human and he develops a crush on this human (shinigami and human’s aren’t usually together, so the drama!), they get along well and this human thinks he’s really funny and sweet? They have come across his terrible musical playing, haven’t liked it, but they’re still supportive of him getting better too. This crush enjoys seeing his artsy side. (Dude has no chance with Rangiku xD so).

this is…so sweet and sad at the same time 💔 cuz i can totally see shuhei as someone who gets attached easily.

✨ super long rambles under the cut ✨

human!reader just walks up to him one day and calls him handsome, complimenting his tattoos. his punk ass face gets blushy and smitten in seconds lolol but he truly appreciates it. like he thought he comes off as scary and aloof, so he never imagined anyone would find him attractive. bonus point if they tells him his scars makes him look manly, he's insecure abt them 🥺

then he starts to hang around them more because cut this man some slacks. poor baby shuhei was so busy and tired running the squad all by himself.

cook him dinner, invite him over for a movie night, buy him new leather jackets okayy? 🥺 he forgot when was the last time he actually felt safe and secured around someone. (kaname rlly broke his heart so put them back for him pls) and omg his guitar playing lol deep down inside he knows he's kinda bad at it so the fact that reader takes the time to listen to it, he's crying river inside. ╥﹏╥

sadly, it's like what you said, shinigami and humans don't end up together. (idk if it's forbidden or just…physically not possible?) he probably doesn't realize he's crossing the line until his muguruma-taicho come back and whip his ass back to senses. shuhei was too drowned in the comfort that reader provides him that he doesn't realize it's love.

he'd be upset and conflicted once he realized his feelings for them. in one hand, he doesn't want to give up on his rs with them, but he also couldn't just leave his squad and responsibilities as a shinigami. (can we talk abt how hard he worked to get into the academy)

now, rangiku-san comes in handy bc her coping mechanism is drinking and that's how she comforts her friends too. shuhei is gonna get all drunk and teary, browsing through his album of their photos together and wailing for another bottle of sake. 😔 kira probably disapprove this kind of rs, but he couldn't bear to sees his senpai in this state. (these three really know what it means to go through a heartbreak again, don't they?)

eventually, kira would be the one who seek them out and break the truth to reader. he'd tell them about the shinigami, soul society, hollow and everything. he thinks reader deserve to know that much, if shuhei is serious about their rs and future together.

if reader decides that they can accept him for who he is and are willing to work around it, kira would bring them to the soul society to meet him. shuhei would be devastated when they see him in his shihakusho and his katana. (worse, if he released his kazeshini) but no worries, flash him a warm smile, give him reassuring hugs, tell him he's worthy and enough and deserve love ahsjdjdkkdldhdjdkd 😫💗

now everyone would be happily cheering for their reconciliation in the background. (shinji might have to restrains a certain white haired mohawk from chewing anyone's head off tho)

okayyy thats all i have to say. sorry for the rambles but this was a good talk. i rlly have to stop here before i bring up the whole gotei 13 to react to this. (i got overboard and forgot this was supposed to be how shuhei react 💀)