#but i think the siblings the loneliness and the trains are whats still there

[micamicster]

tell us about your why you were sleeping au! specifically why that movie?

Hi! thank you so much for asking 🥰

There were a couple of reasons why i was drawn to that movie for these particular characters, and I think the first was the complicated and frustrating but still loving sibling relationship. I think the first thing where I recognized like, the seed of a story, is that scene where bill pullman sits in his brother's hospital room and is like I loved you and I was proud of you and I never envied you until now. I actually think my version is a lot sadder and more serious in tone than the movie is just because the idea of your sibling being in a coma is so painful to me i can't keep that from leaking into the writing, even when the premise promises romcom shenanigans sorry guys

The second thing that I found really moving about while you were sleeping was sandra bullock's portrayal of this very lonely woman. Idk how to explain it but I loved the way that her loneliness is depicted it's my favorite part of the movie! I particularly latched on to the idea that she observes these strangers on the train every day and really genuinely loves them because she's so lonely. Which leads me to the last thing I wanted to pull from the movie, which is the trains. I love the subway and i was so inspired and excited to sort of take that imagery and run with it--there's wayyy more trains in my version than the movie haha

[just-some-user-hunny]

I hope Isekai!reader is firmly team green I’m sick and tired of characters born to Alicent being team black 💀 also I need to see her getting along with her platonic yandere FULL-blooded siblings instead of Rhaenyra (I beg you I don’t want to see her around here 😔🙏)

I think it'd be fun to write for team Green, I adore Helaena and Aemond's character, they're so interesting :) I really want to do some stuff on Alicent too, there's so much to get and it'd be fun to navigate what kind of relationship the reader would have with her in a yandere situation. She's really always done what she's been told to do, always following orders, even at her own expense. She's given and given, and although I think she is a questionable mother, I do feel so sad for her because she could have had such a wonderful life if it weren't for the people around her :( for once she has something- someone of her own.

I always see the comparisons of her children representing parts of herself, and for a yandere Alicent I feel that reader would represent the part of herself that dreamed for more outside the confinements of her life. You'd be her joy for life, and she's obsessively possessive over you. Perhaps since you'd be isekaid, you'd have a deeper understanding of her character as a whole. It's like you know her better than herself, and for once she feels seen. Not the heir creator, not the powerless queen, not the screeching mad woman. Just her. Just Alicent. You'd be her precious one, the only person who can see deep into her very soul and not recoil in disgust- only understanding. She needs that. She needs you.

Having her three children as your siblings as well would be another trial of its own. Still, going on the isikai!reader perspective, you've seen them grow up through your screen. Seen the challenges they've endured, so they'd also feel that attachment to you through your empathy and understanding.

Aegon would love you because you listen to him. He's seldom met with your eye rolls or enraged scoldings, and he deeply appreciates that. With you, he can smile. Genuinely smile. The one that makes his eyes crinkle like crescent moons and his smile lines to wrinkle like the ripplings in a still pond. He practically glows in your presence, like the sun.

Heleana, the sweet girl, often feels that you are the only one who can see her. You listen to her with full attention to her dreamy mutters and ramblings, never once raising a brow or finding her odd. You indulge in her fascination with bugs, and may even join her in collecting them out in the garden together. You two would be especially close, as she can't say she has many close friends like you, the person she can happily call her sibling. She is different, and you embrace that. Embrace her, and that's all she could ask from whilst in a family where she is often ignored.

And Aemond? Oh he is an interesting specimen. He's riddled with loneliness and lack of care, the added fire of his rage and cunning wit creating a frightening combination. He'd be extremely protective over you, often shielding you from harm and consoling you if anything upsets you. He's a little different, because although he takes as much affection and care as he can get from you like his siblings and mother, he also enjoys giving it back tenfold. Taking you out riding under his supervision, joining you in the gardens to read, having you watch him train. Your other family members would most likely keep you locked up tight in the castle to keep you as safe as possible, but he wants to give you at least some taste of freedom. As long as you are kept in his line of sight, of course :)

I may write more on isekai!reader since it's a fun concept, and delve into some more writing on team green. I adore Rhaenyra and team black, but both have plenty to explore and pick apart :)

[artisticgirl19]

Five Hargreeves and the expectations that comes with being the "favorite character".

S4 is the season that we got the most holes in the storyline, lack of explanation and even the erasure of existence of all Hargreeves, but definetly what shocked the audience the most was Five behaviour and his, until now, unknow tendencies of homewrecking.

I am not here to judge him, neither to defend, but to say what i have been seeing of the fans reactions and I got to say... Some of y'all claim to be his fans, but wish him a miserable life.

"BUT IT WAS SO OOC, S1 FIVE WOULD NEVER DO THIS!"

Yes, he would not, but a If there is something the show it's trying to show since s3 it's how tired Five it's from apocalypses, failed tentatives to save the world, having to save his siblings asses all the time, getting blamed about every bad thing that happend and never getting showed any appreciation with honorable exceptions of Klaus and Diego.

Five changed, pretty much like everyone, due to all his emotional baggage, which happens to be a bit bigger than the others cause of his age and the fact the his entire life was just chaos and loneliness.

The thing is, yes, Five would do anything for his family and that's what he has been doing for the last 45 years, even with little to no recognition. Unfortunately, all this loyalty placed him into a pedastal that it's dificult to keep up.

I even saw some people saying that "normal Five" would have gone to the train station by himself to not put anyone in danger. So that's what you want for him? To get stucked AGAIN completly alone for another 7 years of his life?

I saw people saying "How could he do that with Dolores?" Like, seriously? As much as i liked that whole mannequin- human romance, it's time for y'all to accept that Dolores is to Five what that volleyball ball was to Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Just a coping mechanism to not get crazy in a devasted world by himself, but that was not love.

You guys really think that his entire life it's suppost to just be there for his siblings and holding a mannequin when times get lonely, and that's it? How fucking depressing is that?

And not that being there for his siblings it's a bad thing, but then again, why it gotta be his responsability, always? Besides, when Will someone else be there for him too? I guess that's why he fell for Lila in that moment. She was febre for him as much as he was there for her.

And to be honest, a big part of me it's glad, that even for once, he decided to be selfish. For once he choose to allow himself to be in a calm and peaceful place not constantly worring about his siblings or the future of earth. He loved a real person and was loved back by them. He finally had the opportunity of trying to live as fully normal person, what he never had the chance before. It was a breath of fresh air that he deserved.

I know that Lila was definetly not the right person to have these amazing last moments with, but i am sure that If they had more seasons, they would come up with some new character to fill that up.

And even being Lila, It still made sense. In that moment, with that conection and after all they lived together, It still made all the sense.

The only thing that hurts me about this whole situation, it's that It literally costed his relationship with Diego and they stop existing without talking It out, cause there was no time for It (Steve Blackman, i hate you for this).

It's bittersweet, indeed, and just shows that he can't really have it all, but at least he got some moments of peace in this earth before getting ceased forever.

.

[stomach-bugg09]

ahh my first request. what about one where reader is an established warrior and neteyam feels intimidated by how skilled she is but also smitten by her !! everyone probably knows he likes her and she just teases him about everything:)

summary: neteyam is introduced into a shocking world outside of his isolated childhood as the future olo’eyktan. not only does he discover the ways of his peers’ and their society, but he also discovers that he is a sucker for kind and strong.

pairing: neteyam x crush!reader

a/n: this is kind of bad, whoops, but i was kind of lacking a bit of inspo for this just because i’ve been on a [y/n] sully rampage !! it was still so fun to write regardless. hope you all enjoy !! thank you so so much for the request. feedback and reblogs are always appreciated !!

tags: @pinkhotdogsfr @wxnderingthoughts @liyahsocorro @bonnibuckets @hjkshshjkhklhkl

warnings: just some fluff, maybe language, neteyam crushing on a girl older than him, unreciprocated feelings, cuteness, so soft, neteyam being the cutest lil baby ( i’m think this is like 13 or 14 y/o neteyam bc he is the cutest softest lil baby in this ), neteyam being the baby of the group / older friends bc that’s the kind of fluff that keeps me thriving

harmless crush

neteyam always knew he grew up a little bit different than the rest of the children his age, but never did he expect it to be that different.

after the last test in which he graduated from a boy to a man, a boy to a warrior, neteyam began a new chapter. and, after the amount of vigorous training and work he’d been through to reach that new point, he was not at all ready for the social shock that he went through.

what they don’t tell you when you’re raised in isolation as the future olo’eyktan with your own personal training sessions, time spent at war meetings with your father, time spent meeting thousands of different na’vi from clans around pandora, is that when you get to finally start living your own adult life everybody else knows each other already.

not only do they just know each other—oh, no. they grew up together. they have been acquainted, if not friends, since the moment they were put into daycare as children.

neteyam had no history of that. with anyone. except maybe his siblings, but it wasn’t the same. plus, they were far too annoying to make them his only friends.

it wasn’t like neteyam didn’t know anybody. he knew everybody’s name, a detail that’d been drilled into his head by neytiri when he was young, and they most definitely knew of him. he was pleasant enough to greet everybody as he wandered through high camp with his family, and they would always smile broadly when they waved back. but, he never had any connection with anyone past acquainted.

for a while, he was okay with that. it was just how his life happened to be, there was not much to it other than that. but, after he gained an ikran and the title as an official omaticayan warrior, suddenly his loneliness was his biggest insecurity.

as a result, he made it his goal to make friends. soon enough, he was quite familiar with all of the warriors his age, but there were only a few of them.

what truly introduced him to the social world of the omaticaya was a, well… a girl. and her name was [y/n].

[y/n] was arguably neteyam’s favorite of the warriors he’d met. not only was she kind, but she was strong. intimidatingly so! everything she did impressed him, and he wasn’t the only one. oh my… plenty of males had their eyes on [y/n], but they were far too scared of rejection, especially rejection from a girl like her, to even attempt.

and, unfortunately for neteyam, she was three years older than him.

it had just been a random day where neteyam was stuck on another round of patrol with the most annoying males on the entire planet of pandora. and he was more than justified in making that claim! trust me when i say everybody hated these boys.

at the sight of neteyam’s extremely unhappy and annoyed face while he was waiting for the three na’vi to board their ikrans, [y/n] couldn’t help but laugh from a distance. she was busy sitting with her friends—she had to appreciate her day off, after all! they only came so often.

and yet, despite how rare a day off was, [y/n] couldn’t help but feel sympathetic as the younger boy yelled at the three na’vi for the fiftieth time.

“what are you doing?” her friend questioned, eyes skeptical.

[y/n] scratched the back of her neck. “saving mini-toruk makto’s life. and hopefully making a friend.”

neteyam was far too preoccupied with the chaos of the three na’vi to even notice as [y/n], the girl he’d been crushing on for months even before becoming a warrior, was walking over.

“boys.” her voice was sharp and strong, gaining the attention of all four boys. she widened her eyes at the trio of culprits, her nimble fingers pointing at them. “you guys go do something actually helpful for once. i am going to help neteyam.”

thanks to the fear that the younger warriors held towards [y/n] and her impressive abilities, all three boys didn’t even question it. they knew better. neteyam watched in disbelief as they walked away, whispering to each other and looking back on occasion.

“thanks for that,” he chuckled, resting his hand on the back of his neck. he cursed himself silently as soon as his face grew hot when she locked eyes with him.

she smiled. “hey, no worries. they’re pains in the ass.”

“you can say that again.” neteyam ran his fangs over his bottom lip.

and just like that, neteyam was not only introduced into a world beyond his knowledge, but he was introduced to a world in which he got to hang around the older na’vi. they were, like… actually treated like adults, too! how wild was that?

the next few months neteyam spent learning from [y/n] and her friends, a group of about six or seven. they were quick to adopt him, as if the he were baby of the group, a role that neteyam had never experienced before due to his natural position as the oldest sibling. all day he would act as the youngest of his peers, babied by all the girls and teased by all the guys, and when he returned home at the end of it all, he would return to the normalcy of being the big brother to all of his siblings.

every single one of [y/n]’s friends quickly became his friends. they loved him for the little responsible golden child that he was, and as soon as [y/n] introduced him to them all, they recognized the major oldest child trauma he held. so, they did what they could to just let him relax, be whoever he wanted to be when he was away from home.

at first, neytiri and jake were more than skeptical, but upon discovering that [y/n], one of the strongest young warriors of the clan, their worry dissipated. it completely faded away one day after they witnessed the care and love that the group held for their oldest baby.

after a few weeks of knowing neteyam, every single one of them had noticed his infatuation with [y/n]. they all understood—every male na’vi of their age group had a crush on her at one point. it was hard not to, considering the fact that, not only was she skilled in the ways of battle, but she was kind. and caring. and all of those attributes were what brought neteyam into his position in the first place.

it often made the older kids laugh ( although never in a condescending way ) the way that he followed her around. he was completely and utterly smitten with her. and it was adorable. a fourteen year old kid completely in love with a seventeen year old? it was hard not to think of it as such.

[y/n] was well aware of his crush, and honestly… she was honored. the toruk makto’s child, and she was his first real crush? what’s not to love about it?

unfortunately for both parties, an inevitable day was just around the corner in which neteyam would have to acknowledge that he was whipped for the older girl, and [y/n] would have to feel so extremely guilty while she rejected him.

that day came in early spring.

early spring was commonly considered their harvest season. when it was time for harvest, it meant they were low in their number of warriors because so many people were helping gather the surplus of food. they were vulnerable.

unfortunately, the sky-people knew of their vulnerabilities and, as a good military does, exploited them. attacks were common, eventually going from a weekly to a daily. all hands were on deck.

they were preparing for another attack, and [y/n] and her friends were scattered as they each grabbed weapons, ammo, tools, and readied their ikrans for the battle. neteyam was assigned scout duty, as much as the thought saddened him. despite his improvement in the past few months, his father still did not trust him and his abilities on the battlefield.

his stomach twisted as he watched the group of older warriors launch their ikrans off of the cliff, catching air underneath their wings as they soared towards battle. [y/n] looked particularly pretty with the war makeup painted on her face, bow lifted in the air as a battle cry thrust itself from her throat.

neteyam had a bird's eye view from where he watched, his ikran flapping its wings and staying put in the sky. his father’d made it clear that neteyam would be the last to leave, and if any danger were to get anywhere near him, he would retreat. “that’s an order.”

and maybe it was the fact that he’d been listening to his father for his entire life, or maybe it was the fact that he just wanted [y/n] to be impressed with him, but as soon as those boys, those three annoying boys, taunted him by saying, “you? stuck on scout duty?” he felt a lie leave his throat.

“no.” his tone was far more confident than he actually felt. “i am just the last line of defense. i am making my way up the ranks!”

as soon as his feet found the battlefield, he immediately regret his decisions. it was a blood bath, and although he’d seen it a multitude of times from where he flew in the sky, never did he imagine it to be like that.

suddenly, neteyam could not hear. could not see. could not think. he thought he was prepared, he truly did, but he was far from it. he was still just a boy. a boy they called a “man” even though nobody treated him as such. a boy that only felt safe and confident under the wing of his older friends. a boy that could die at any second.

but she would not let him die.

neteyam’s heart shot to his throat as two ikran legs swooped from above him, the talons carefully lifting him off of the ground as bullets barely missed his body. the young warrior clutched the feet of the creature desperately, unable to make any sound of terror and wind blew directly into his face.

when his feet found solid earth again, neteyam fell to the ground, trying to catch his breath.

“what were you doing?” her voice was stern, more stern than he had ever heard her before.

neteyam sputtered for words, stopping when [y/n] held a hand up. anger was evident in every feature.

“i do not want to know.” she let out a breath, turning around to watch the battlegrounds. just as she was about to lift off, join the fight again, the horn blew. the battle was over. she cursed quietly before turning back to the boy. “what was going through your head, boy?”

neteyam swallowed, still sitting on the dirty ground, his weight leaned back against his arms. “i…” he cleared his throat. “i don’t know!” tears pricked the boy’s eyes. “it’s just that… you are all so mature and so old and people actually take you seriously! i just thought, maybe if i were to fight, that maybe people would actually treat me like a man.”

“oh, neteyam.” she shook her head. “your time will come—”

“that is not all, [y/n].” she furrowed her eyebrow muscles in confusion. “i also thought, well.. i don’t know. maybe you would take me more seriously. maybe you would see me as more than just a kid, maybe as…” he couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence.

her eyes grew soft. “oh, neteyam.” before he knew it, she was on the ground with him, holding his body in her arms. “your time will come, prrnen,” she whispered, using his nickname the group had given him. [y/n] sighed, letting go and turning to look directly at him. “i will make you two promises, are you listening?”

neteyam nodded, locking eyes with [y/n].

“one day you will be someone that they, not only take seriously, but respect. and with respect, will come… well, girls.” she giggled, causing neteyam to flush indigo. “and you know what? come back to me in four years time, alright? come back to me in four years, and if we can still have the same exact conversation then maybe i will consider.” she smiled, sending him a teasing wink. “but trust me when i say that you will be a valued warrior. and a valued chick magnet.”

“[y/n]!” he groaned, a smile lighting up his face.

she only laughed. “now, how about we get back to camp and keep this a secret from your father. for my sake, and especially your’s.”

“i couldn’t agree more.”

[gaydinosaurbananamilkcarton]

I still love sakura. Even if she's a dumbass. No way am I sticking around for somebody that not only treated me like shit, he left me to take care of my daughter by myself for 9 years and then tried to kill her when he met her. The main reason I like sakura is because of her character development. Instead of being a weak sasuke obsessed character, she actually became a strong sasuke obsessed character! Yay!

Most people won't admit it, but they hate sakura because of some shit she said to naruto when they were KIDS(12), not to mention, she wasn't lying. He was an orphan 💀 but they go and say that she's weak, even after she gets stronger, and like rock lee for doing exactly what she did. (Training to become better) sakura never HAD the same powers that naruto and sasuke did. Yet she still MANAGED on her own. That's why I like her.

I like naruto, just not his mindset. Of course I want to become hokage and protect people that treated me like shit for my entire life! Then he became hokage, and made NO changes for the better. He didn't want to be hokage to help, he wanted to be hokage just because he craved attention and validation. He always wants to save people, and doesn't understand that he's making it worse. Sasuke IS more realistic as a character, and sasuke has had it worse than naruto has. Hate me all you want, but it's true. His entire clan was murdered by his brother, including his parents. And then he was obsessed with revenge, only to kill his brother and then find out WHY itachi did what he did and he had to regret it. All he ever KNEW was loneliness and anger, so he had no idea how to live without it. Naruto never had his parents or siblings, meaning he didn't have to LOSE anything. And that's why sasuke was angry with him.

I also think it's important to include Kakashi though. Not only was he practically USELESS for team 7 as a whole (naruto went to be trained by jiraiya, sasuke by orochimaru/? And then sakura by tsunade. It would've been cold if she trained under guy too but the author HATES a strong female character that isn't evil) kakashi needs to be analysed as a whole, especially with his treatment of sasuke. He claims to have gone through what sasuke did, and then tells him that revenge is pointless and leaves you hollow, and then he helps shikamaru get revenge for asuma. He's a hypocrite. He wins the award for the world's WORST sensei.

I won't even make a separate post for boruto, because there's no reason. The show is confusing as hell, and equally as pointless. Boruto hates his dad for no reason, all the important fights are for sasuke and naruto, naruto adopts kawaki and let's him beat up his son, kawaki seals them away and then flips it to make boruto look like he's in the wrong, there are no more shinobi, Boruto trained under sasuke, and then sasuke was sealed in a tree so now he cosplays as him. Sakura is NOWHERE to be seen💀 (good for her) himawari has kurama (how will she not be stronger than boruto?💀) and boruto has Naruto's abilities (rasengan, flying Raijin- minato, and shadow clones) with purple lighting and all of a sudden he's a god. I'm confused about what the jougan does. He also has his fathers weak mindset about not wanting to kill kawaki, but just wanting to punch him. Sarada has insane potential but of course the author won't let her be great because she's a woman! I hate the idea of borusara because I see them as nothing but teammates. It's like the dynamic between naruto and sakura. She treats him like a brother. She hugs her friend that she hasn't seen in 2 years that's also been framed and ostracised by the entire village and suddenly they're the best ship in the world 💀 Delusion at its finest. None of those kids need to be with ANYONE. Just focus on the goddamn anime and stop ruining shit. Because NO ONE is watching it

[korrasamibottles]

Thinking about Jinora and Korrasami's big sisterism in A Change in the Wind....about Jinora growing up under the incredible pressure of being the eldest, having to grow up too fast, no room for mistakes or immaturity. A child but also a third parent to her younger siblings, always feeling like she gave everything she had but it was somehow never enough.

About Korra and Asami growing up with the crushing, choking loneliness of being only children, Korra locked away in a training compound, almost never interacting with anyone but her parents and teachers. A child and a weapon and the world's great hope for peace all crammed into one body, treated like a chess piece instead of a person. Asami (and this is just speculation based on how she interacts with others in canon, since we don't actually know a whole lot about her childhood) having to parent her own grieving father, no space for her own pain in that big old mansion that was emptier than it should've been, self-contained and self-sufficient not necessarily because she wanted to be but because she had to be.

All three of them were trapped in their own way, and it must have been such a relief for both Korra and Jinora when Korra came to Republic City. Jinora could share her frustrations and vulnerabilities with Korra without worrying she'd be judged or told what to do, Korra finally found somebody who took her seriously but still treated her like a person first and the Avatar second, and I think both of them were able to enjoy a part of childhood they'd previously been denied. And once Asami started dating Korra she got to experience it too. I love them all so much..🥺

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Charles and Jean never speak of the presence they heard, at least not verbally. They just silently agree to look for them and hope that they can find them. (And hope they are who they think they are)

But the presence left the house after that night. All the scratching and crying stops, along with the nice favors ( much to the Logan's chagrin, he was getting used to someone making his coffee for him in the morning.)

Charles and Jean are worried for a bit, until it becomes very, very obvious that it's in the woods surrounding the school.

Kurt and Rogue found it. A dead spot. Literally dead. Dead trees, dead grass, dead air, dead animals. The whole place looks like it's been dead for decades rather than a few days.

It's a bit of a walk from the school, taking almost all day to get there. Bloody, thick footprints, and handprints are all over the area, successfully scaring the two of them away. That's when they find out the weirdest part of the area. Mutations hurt there. Literally. Kurt teleported them back to the manor and passed out from the pain.

Charles and Jean make the connection and go under the guise of training. It dark by the time they get there, and at first, they think they wind is howling. But if they focus, they realize it's crying.

That kind, clumsy, painful pressure comes back. A little less painful, but still debilitating. Until Jean finally hears that voice she hasn't heard in forever. It's both in her head and whispered right in her ear. The voice is in pain, scratchy, and haunted, but it sounds so sweetly familiar.

"Please sis, you can't keep looking. It hurts but it's not safe for you. I'm not safe. Please, I don't wanna hurt you."

The wailing is strong, an alien cry amongst the cove of rotted trees and shriveled grass. The wind grows fiercer here, near impossible to hear over. But it's not wind, is it? It's the painful, shrieking howls of someone they thought was dead...

The air seems to pulse with pain, sending Jean and the Professor into migraines... The weight of it crushes everything in its grasp, begging someone someone take it away, to end it, to make it stop stOp SToP-!

Between her and the Professor, they're able to contain it, bubbling it with a popping sound, and the wailing is muted, the air breathable again, the shrieks growwing numb... And suspended in that sphere of darkness, pulsing with black and red and purple, sobbing amd crying and broken in mind and spirit, is Reader...

It's hard, seeing them like this.

The scars and oozing wounds that litter their skin... The burnt patches of flesh... The sharpened fingers, more claws than nail and bone... The way their shoulders shake and heave with each ragged, gasping sob... And their eyes, burning bright and glowing in the darkness, broken and begging for it all to end...

It doesn't take but a heartbeat to overwhelm them, just for a minute, that's all it takes-

Then Reader is slumped over, the bubble popping, and their form falling to the ground, tired and broken like a doll. Jean and the Professor are quick to collect them, alerting the others they found someone they'll want to see-

And then they're off, dragging their marred sibling and child along with them, mindful of the shards of thought that cry out, carefully pushing them under where they won't wake...

They're going to have to be very, very gentle with how they handle this... No one outside of them, their team, their family, can see Reader like this, this vulnerable and hurting... And sadly, they can't let Reader go, now that they have them back... Hank and Logan and Scott will hopefully have some ideas on how to sedate the fearful side of Reader, while hopefully the other teens can help smooth over any lost memories or feelings of loneliness.

It's all going to be okay now... They have Reader back, and they'll piece them back together, no matter what it takes...

(Hahaha! Now we're getting to the platonic yandere goodness, @sugar-soda!)

[thegirlwhowrites642]

I just reread cos i sort of felt annoyed at weasley brothers esp. Twins ( I know they are very beloved in fandom but I found their lack of common sense annoying sometimes) Do you think in cos weasley brothers were sort of neglectful? I can understand ron he is only one year older & has his own insecurities but fred and George were 14 & percy was 16. I am not saying its their fault but still. I am older sis myself I just can't imagine not noticing ( god forbid) my younger sibling going something like this. Maybe it's a brother thing to be like this. Anyways sorry for long rant,please share your thoughts.

I totally understand your point of view because I'm an older sister too, and there would have been no way in hell I would have missed something like this about my younger sibling. Though I have to say, Percy at least understands there's something wrong and we also know Ginny at eleven is a very practised liar that doesn't like to ask for help and doesn't have much faith in her family being in her corner (the Quidditch training in secret is such a perfect back story for the diary).

I think when the Weasley brothers really fail is after Ginny's first year.

A lot of people seem to believe that the worst things Ron did were not believing Harry in GoF or the Horcrux thing but I completely disagree. Those things are frankly very minor all considered and influenced by a lot of circumstantial reasons. The one thing that really always kind of stuck with me that was really shitty of Ron was when he shoves away Ginny at the start of PoA. Your sister has been possessed for a whole year by a dark lord fundamentally because she grew up very sheltered and all her brothers decided to ignore her while an evil dark object amplified all her insecurities and the year after you decide to behave with her in the same exact way?

And I get that Ron is jealous of his friendships due to his insecurities but there's a limit to what is justifiable (he grows out of it at least so kudos for that).

And then after the dementor's attack, it's not even Ron who takes care of her while she trembles.

And of course, the fact that Ginny searches for Ron even after he sent her away tells you something about the other brothers (maybe Percy had prefect things to do so he might be excused, but why wasn't she with the twins?).

But after all, it's one of the big themes of Ginny's story: she doesn't have anyone in her corner but herself.

Ginny starts the story victim of unimaginable horrors because of her loneliness but she becomes someone whose greatest strength is her ability to stand on her own (the girl is a rock) and who takes care of the people forgotten by everybody else. She once was the injured girl on the floor of the Chamber and she becomes the one who takes care of the injured girl on the grounds (soon after her brother died I might add).

[note: it's also a full circle moment for Harry and Ginny because, in the scene in DH, Harry is projecting on the injured girl]

[mcalhenwrites]

my precious baby El with "I'll keep going even if it kills me"

So this has spoilers to the very end of Seasons, which I know means you personally cannot read it. I'm so sorry. This is what I thought of with El when writing. I hope you enjoy reading this in a few months? Thank you for the prompt! ~*~*~*~*~*~

El’s siblings are leaving, one by one.

He watches Bee pack his bags for university. A few favorite outfits and his favorite plush that endured more years of childhood before Bee finally grew up are all placed in a sturdy suitcase.

“I’ll buy what I need when I get there,” Bee promises, mostly to himself.

El leans against the wardrobe doors and ignores the twisting in his heart. Tomorrow, Shannon drives Bee, El, and their parents to the train station in Denton for the official send-off. They’ll meet up with Sophie, Rhett, and Odessa. At least they’ll get to visit them before coming back to Sparrow’s Creek that evening.

Next week, Liesl leaves next, going to a different school up north in Junction.

Then the room will be empty until one of them visits.

Howie left years ago. Before he even reached adulthood, he had everything in order to start studying. Now he’s working and sends postcards from around the world.

El misses him most.

He doesn’t know what to do with his life. He watches everyone grow and move on. Sophie is now a manager at her in-law’s toy store, which has now grown to occupy three floors after other shops cleared out. Shannon is still in Sparrow’s Creek, but he focuses most of his free time on helping Phineas and Graham design the new school. The three of them are partway into construction.

Vivian has found accounting work in Sparrow’s Creek, holding the same hours he prefers. He spends his spring mornings gardening with Bee. In winter, he plays board games with the only three children who can stand his presence.

El doesn’t know how to move forward without his younger siblings. Two hundred years of having Howie and Bee in his life conditioned him a certain way, and he wasn’t prepared for how frightening the loneliness would feel.

He needs a job. Friends. Something.

He feels tangled up, like a kitten rolled a ball of yarn around him and started pulling the strings tight. The idea of meeting new people and trying to work without screwing up is paralyzing.

Growing up is good, of course it is—he doesn’t feel any differently about that. If anything, it makes him angry that he spent so many decades alone and so many afterward with his younger siblings that now he doesn’t know what to do with normalcy. Doesn’t know what to do as a fully grown adult who would rather fantasize about monsters from books than get a job or study something at university.

Even Bee—who still grumbles about how much getting older is despite clearly pausing his age a couple of years ago with his magic—is ready to move into a dormitory and study basic courses before moving into animal science.

El has to think of something. He can’t remain in the orchard, depressed that the world continues around him while he stands still.

It would make him exactly like Vivian. Exactly like the man who halted their growth in the first place and created the very mess that hurts El now.

El will keep going. Even though it breaks his heart, he’ll take a deep breath, talk to Phineas and Shannon, and figure something out for his future.

[aanglican]

I actually find the relationship between Aang and his children super interesting and complex, in ways the fandom rarely explore, it usually just falls into the "LOK is BAD because they made Aang a bad father" when that is not at all what was intended with that. Aang was a complicated person struggling with balance and what rubs me wrong is people dont read into his children either, they just focus on Aang. For example Kya, who now older and on her own, seems to crave a sense of spirituality and connection to the world, yet rejected it in when she was young as she herself admits, is she trying to connect to her father's beliefs now that he isnt around due to feelings of loss or loneliness, guilt, etc? does she feel separated from the others? or how Bumi chose a life of adventure and "heroics" due to feeling inadequate next to the legacy of his father and still year after his father's passing, doesnt really know if his father noticed this or even approved.. Aang clearly loves his children and they love him but there is so much here that lays in subtle readings. It feels very real, like this is how families actually behave, with so many unclear and complicated feelings.

i love your suggestions for each child’s behavior. kya with her waterbending could have shunned her air nomad half in response to (or to cope with?) her not being an airbender like tenzin & bumi could have used sokka or suki or any other prominent nonbender in his childhood as idols due to having neither ability of his parents and siblings. there’s a lot of expectations and insecurities in this family that couldn’t be solved even if aang was present 100% of the time.

as for aang alone, i never got the impression he was a bad father either— if he were then we would hear of it from katara but she never says anything bad about him. instead she’s understanding and knows exactly what it’s like to have one’s culture ripped from you: the air nomads were wiped out but so were southern waterbenders. that is their most tragic link together. kya and bumi clearly felt alienated from aang and tenzin as they were not airbenders, which may have also resulted in a conscious choice to step back from embracing their air nomad heritage. clearly aang had too much duties for one man— he is the avatar and the only airbending master both— so he could not devote equal amount of time and attention to all his children.

tenzin has gone on trips with his father alone but the fact that he conflates these memories with those he’s spent with his siblings means aang included kya and bumi in trips as well. it’s not like kya and bumi were dead to aang the second tenzin came out looking like an air nomad. i even think those fun memories tenzin has with aang were rewards after aang had dragged him to boring events and diplomatic trainings & whatnot. i can totally picture aang taking a tour of kyoshi island after introducing tenzin to the fire nation court or something. “before we get home to your mom, why don’t we let loose for a bit at XYZ?” et cetera.

i love aang’s relationship with his kids as well as toph’s. sometimes i wish we knew about zuko and izumi more, even. i love it when our child heroes aren’t always the most squeaky clean adults. it happens, the circumstances make the outcome realistic, and it makes their dynamics interesting. no one growing up with child soldiers-turned-world leaders for parents are going to have perfect outlooks on themselves nor their ancestors.

[awesomesauce2929]

If Whis was chained or trapped in the time chamber

If Whis was chained or trapped in the time chamber, he would destroyed it less than a millisecond unless he was ordered to be in there by the Grand Minister which he follow that order, due to his passive aspect. He would pursue his hobbies, and take up new hobbies like idk croquet or becoming a book godtuber, solo training to maintain himself, speak to Vados telepathically, creates lots of illusions he get himself in and out. I think what is tough for him is the loneliness can hit him at times. Sometimes a sting, sometimes a full blown attack, especially he remembers the mortals back on Earth, touched him more than he realises. But he will bare it since I feel 10 million years (I guess it's the standard for this scenario) he can cope with it as he lived longer years in the millions. At best, he treats it like almost a lockdown. At worst, it's still a punishment. He still wonders about Beerus and whoever is guiding him, Whis accepted that if he would be released that he may not guide another destroyer/hakaishin and will return to the angel realm. Where even then, he may have to rebuilt relations again with his fellow angels and especially Daishinkan that it feels less awkward. I'm sure Shin would check up on him from time to time, along with the Old Kai and Kibito Kai. I feel Shin would bring Beerus occasionally to meet Whis but I think most of the time Beerus would vent to Whis as well as talking about his days and what is going on recently but likely give Whis some food what he had recently before he left to nap. I don't think Whis will become evil because being locked up in the time chamber is not enough to turn him evil and his passivity makes him slow to change, personality wise. Plus he wouldn't go out and kill the other angels because one, these are his siblings, two, it wasn't their fault he was trapped in the time chamber and three, if they had protested that decision, it wouldn't do anything because they had no jurisdiction or sufficient power to object the Grand Minister's decision. But that doesn't mean Whis may not have complicated feelings and relations with the angels and Daishinkan or even Beerus if he is still around and the mortals themselves as he did not saw them in millions of years. Plus there are small changes or new habits Whis may adapted due to this social isolation. Some angst territory for sure, love to see that. Not related to this, but I think I like Evil Whis more of an aesthetic rather than a narrative concept. These are my thoughts what I think of this brief idea of what happen if Whis was in the time chamber in response of that popular meme.

[sapphire-weapon]

ur last post about the tragic irony that is leon being saved by the cia makes me think about how, if not for them, leon wouldn’t have a ‘distraction’ for himself after racoon city. and like. can u imagine if they had just fuckin let him go. the thought of a freshly racoon city traumatized but not military traumatized leon running around looking for distractions seems like a whole new character to me

So this is probably a result of my original post being unclear, which is a huge my bad. But I didn't mean to say that Leon would have killed himself if not for the CIA. I mean that the CIA was both the cause of and the solution to his problem.

They pushed him to that point to begin with, but they were also the ones who saved him from it.

Which then only served to cement their hold on him.

Leon's life is shit, is what I'm saying LMAO

In a world where he'd never been kidnapped by the CIA, Sherry would've been his distraction. So, we would have had Actual Dad Leon instead of Suicidal Deadbeat Dad Leon.

But if the CIA had still taken Sherry but let Leon go... in that case, I'm pretty sure Leon and Claire would've fucking gone full traitor and waged war against the US government LMAO and you know Chris would be all in on that, too -- Mr. I Got Dishonorably Discharged From the Air Force for Fighting.

It does raise the possibility of Leon joining Claire for a co-op version of Code Veronica, too, and the thought of Leon and Steve interacting kind of makes me want to pull my skin off LMFAODBSK

But, either way, you're right -- he would've been a completely different character.

But I don't think that it'd be as bad as you're envisioning. In the scenario I proposed, the biggest motivating factor behind the suicide scare was ultimately Leon's overwhelming feelings of powerlessness and being trapped. If the CIA had let him go -- even if they'd still taken Sherry, he still had the freedom and the power to act on his own and do something about it.

So, like.

I remember when OG RE4 came out, and how shocked everyone was at Leon's characterization. But what RE4 did was take Leon's general disposition from RE2 and amplify it to an absurd degree. RE2 Leon was a nice guy, sure, but he was also stubborn, arrogant, and kind of obnoxious. So, in RE4, he's downright cocky and macho.

RE2make Leon had a more melancholic disposition, so that was what got amplified in RE4make.

But it was the training that did that to him. His exaggerated traits are a coping mechanism he used in order to survive the drastic shift in lifestyle that he was forced into, which is why OG Leon chills the fuck out more and more as the series goes on and he gets older. The more comfortable he becomes in his new life, the less he has to try to put on a performance or wear a mask.

So, without that combat training, he would have had a way more natural character progression. Imagine if RE2 Leon had been able to grow up as an unofficial third Redfield sibling -- because that's, ultimately, what would've happened. So, even if Leon had had a suicidal episode, one or both Redfields would've just beat it out of him LMAO

This would be a version of Leon whose confidence wasn't forced. One who still remembered how to smile and laugh from the heart. One with friends and a support group and who wasn't crippled by the ouroboros that is his loneliness feeding into his self-loathing, which in turn pushes people away and exacerbates his loneliness.

Because that's ultimately what's at the heart of Leon's character arc overall. Nothing that he does makes an actual difference in the world. Nothing in his life ever changes. He's chained to and trapped in a life he never wanted, and the same nightmare keeps playing out in front of his face again and again and again.

And he has to do all of it completely and utterly alone.

[the-starry-seas]

for however many ocs as you wanna answer this for

alone: How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

oh good I get to talk about clones to you, you will regret this

Nox: That's the neat part, they don't. Memes aside, they've never been completely alone (I mean, you try finding true solitude when you're one of millions of clones, yeesh). Also they're clingy and if they are alone they will change that pronto because they can't stand that shit, they cannot be alone, not physically capable. And the way they act around others, and when it's just themself, is pretty much the same! They're annoying, affectionate, and fond of making random and/or loud noises for no good reason. Just sitting by themself on the floor, quacking like a duck to see if they're good at it, putting some of their neon pink hair dye in Harlow's shampoo.

Tally: He fucking freaks. He's also never been alone (re: millions of clones) and he hates the silence and stillness. He needs background noise, he needs people around, he starts feeling real weird if he's not directly in sight of at least two or three other people, clones or not. He does a lot of nervous pacing when he's alone, because he doesn't like it and when do Nox and Harlow come back, this sucks. But there are times where he likes to chill and read a book while listening to whatever noisy nonsense is going on in the barracks.

Harlow: He stays level-headed because if he doesn't, who will? He's a lieutenant and that means he does not have the luxury of emotional distress (lol. lmao even.) or panicking over things. He doesn't mind being alone, in and of itself, but it does tend to make him a little bit nervous these days because if he's not there to tell Nox to behave, what the fuck are they up to now? Who's gonna protect his shinies if he's not there? But if he has someone to babysit them, he's doing a full spa day with cucumber slices and harp music and everything.

Blue: He likes being alone for short periods of time because it gives him some quiet and peace. He needs something to focus on though so it's like, idle games and crosswords to keep him occupied instead of meditation-style quiet. Loneliness, on the other hand, is different from being alone and he hates that shit. He gets restless and mopey and he just wants his idiot siblings back because they're his anchor even if they also often drive him nuts. I think being in stasis for thirty years counts as being completely alone? He did not care for that shit at all, he would do anything to not have to face that again.

Ember: He tries to make himself very small when he's alone so that nobody notices him. Being alone scares him because he knows that he'll be decommissioned if the GAR ever finds out that he can't hear any more. Even after getting away from them, old habits die hard, and being alone means not being with his family, so he'd really just rather not. So when he is alone, like Tally, he's nervous (but he freezes up instead of pacing). He likes being alone with his husband there are many benefits to being married to a marine biologist because they're adorable and Cam will play with his hair and infodump about their mutual favourite animal, the cownose stingray. (bonus camber picrew from a few years ago when kmerolzzzz's was still around)

Star: Being completely alone makes him shut down. He's a Force-sensitive clone and the Kaminoans were hellbent on reproducing that so he often got pulled out of training for tests and experiments. Being alone, to him, means he's going to be a lab rat again and probably hurt somehow along the way. He prefers being alone with one or two others, also preferably clones. Namely Winter who's the oldest of the squad and also their father figure, they call him buir and everything. He naps a lot when he's alone with a friend, chronic fatigue and all. But when it's just him and his squad, he's also more open with his facial expressions and looks them in the eyes more (GAR Jedi tended to be uh, less than kind when seeing a Force sensitive clone with golden eyes, he doesn't look strangers in the eyes very often).

Silver and Sky: A package deal. If they're not together, the world is ending. They've been inseparable from the moment they were ‘born’ less than a minute apart and everyone calls them the twins, so while most clones have an answer of "never been completely alone due to millions of clones", they've barely ever been out of each others' sight for more than five minutes. Shelter cat bonded, through and through. They're always grinning in cahoots about something, love that for them <3 They stay silly, whether they're on their own, or with the rest of the squad. They're well aware that they're disposable weapons, but they're also twins, and as long as twins have each other, what could go wrong? They stick together even more closely when it's just them because it's all about protecting each other.

[where-theres-smoak-2]

One thing I wish they did more in the show was to emphasize how Alina and The Darkling—though they’re enemies—they are also each other’s solace. Because they’re the only ones who really understand and know each other. It was a big point in the books about how they sought each other out just because they didn’t wanna feel alone, they wanted someone who truly understood. But it didn’t come across as that in the show. Especially from Alina’s side. Or maybe it’s just me? What do you think?

I wonder that now they’ve given her shadow powers that she seems to like, they’ll explore her understanding him more and that connection more properly. I wish they do because that’s one of the most fascinating things about them! I just can’t get on the M*lina train—they’re so….idk…. just there. Mal also feels like his personality is just—Alina’s supporter/lover. In contrast to the darkling where there’s such a dynamic, intriguing, intense, complicated relationship. Doesn’t help that Jessie and Ben have so much chemistry, it’s insane. Off screen they can’t keep their hands off each other. Meanwhile the vibe between Mal and Alina feel like homies or siblings. It’s so lackluster in comparison.

I do think it was much more subtle in the show than in the books but I do think show Alina did also seek out Aleks as a source of solace. She just hid it more than Aleks did. Jessie said in an interview that despite her anger at him Alina still seeks out his advice and still can't help but listen to him. So whilst she responds to his comments with snark and anger I do still think she is still taking what he is saying in. She is just stubbornly refusing to accept it right now. As we know they can only come to each other when they both want to see each other, they can't cross the line if the other won't let them. So I think the fact that they are even having these tether scenes indicates that Alina is feeling some kind of loneliness and is seeking solace in Aleks. That being said I am hoping they explore it more in season 3 and this idea of them being each others solace and peace.

[ofxiang-archive]

TASK 002: PLAYLIST.

full playlist below !!

1. what’s a song you can put on repeat & never get tired of ?

i know the end by phoebe bridgers — "somewhere in germany, but i can't place it. man, i hate this part of texas, close my eyes, fantasize, three clicks and i'm home. when i get back, i'll lay around, then i'll get up and lay back down, romanticize a quiet life, there's no place like my room."

2. a song that instantly lifts your mood when you’re sad

cuff it by beyoncé — "bet you you'll see far, bet you you'll see stars, bet you you'll elevate, bet you you'll meet god, 'cause i feel like falling in love. i'm in the mood to fuck something up, we gonna fuck up the night."

3. your favorite song from your all-time favorite artist 

nobody by mitski — "venus, planet of love was destroyed by global warming, did its people want too much too? did its people want too much? and i don't want your pity, i just want somebody near me, guess i'm a coward, i just want to feel alright."

4. a song that inspires or motivates you

mama by indigo — "hey mama, now you can lean on me, i'll always be by your side, hey mama, because you gave selflessly to me, because you were my support; hey mama, now you can believe in your son, you can smile."

5. what’s a song that reminds you of someone ?

fourth of july by sufjan stevens — "did you get enough love, my little dove, why do you cry? / shall we look at the moon, my little loon, why do you cry? make the most of your life, while it is rife, while it is light. well you do enough talk, my little hawk, why do you cry?"

6. the song that gets you in the mood to party

drunk-dazed by indigo — "honestly, i'm scared my reflection in the mirror is unfamiliar, the pitiful truth behind this mask, but i never escape. i feel it, my head's in a daze, daze, daze, i'm addicted, i replay, play, play."

7. your guilty pleasure

...baby one more time by britney spears — my loneliness is killing me (and i), i must confess i still believe (still believe), when i'm not with you i lose my mind, give me a sign, hit me baby one more time.

8. a song that’s out of your typical music preference

about you by the 1975 — "there was something about you that now i can't remember, it's the same damn thing that made my heart surrender, and i'll miss you on a train, i'll miss you in the morning, i never know what to think about."

9. what do you listen to when you’re in love ?

#1: yellow by coldplay — "your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones turn into something beautiful, and you know, for you, i'd bleed myself dry. for you, i'd bleed myself dry ... look at the stars, look how they shine for you, and all the things you do."

10. do you have song you’ve listened to all your childhood ?

welcome to the black parade by my chemical romance — "a world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams, your misery and hate will kill us all. so paint it black and take it back, let's shout it loud and clear, defiant to the end, we hear the call to carry on."

11. is there a song your parent/sibling/friend/etc. introduced you to that you love ?

slipping through my fingers by abba — "do i really see what's in her mind? each time i think i'm close to knowing, she keeps on growing, slipping through my fingers all the time; sometimes i wish that i could freeze the picture, and save it from the funny tricks of time."

12. a song you didn’t expect to like

satellite by harry styles — "i go 'round and 'round, satellite; spinning out, waiting for you to pull me in, i can see you're lonely down there, don't you know that i'm right here?"

13. what song would be your ‘intro’ music ?

lullaby by got7 — "if i'm dreaming, don’t ever wake me up, i wanna hear your melody, the only thing I could need. 'cause if i had to live without you i'd be lost, and in this moment i want more."

14. what song best represents your outward look —  or your attitude towards life ?

rose-colored boy by paramore — "you say "we gotta look on the bright side" i say "well, maybe if you wanna go blind" you say my eyes are getting too dark now, but boy, you ain't ever seen my mind. just let me cry a little bit longer i ain't gonna smile if i don't want to."

15. the song with your favorite lyrics

funeral by phoebe bridgers — "i have this dream where i'm screaming underwater, while my friends are waving from the shore ... jesus christ, i'm so blue all the time, and that's just how i feel, always have and i always will. and it's 4am again and i'm doing nothing again." inner child by indigo — "i wish we would smile more, it will be okay because today's me is doing fine. yesterday's you, now it's all clear, i want to hug the many thorns in the budding rose. the smiling kid, the child who was always laughing brightly, when i see you like that, i can't help smiling."

[kimwexlers-brownhair]

if you could write the relationships between daenerys, arya, and sansa how would you write them?

Ooh!

I've said before that I actually think an initial wariness and even friction between them makes sense. Whether or not Sansa and Arya become as committed to ensuring the North's independence as they are in the show, they both know what Dany's family did to theirs. Given their experiences with the Lannisters, they're also probably fed up with other noble houses charging in and declaring they're in charge.

They start re-considering Dany when they see her with her dragons. Her closeness to them may remind them of their wolves. Obviously that alone won't turn everything around, but I can imagine it opens the door a bit. It might allow both girls to notice other similarities between them...

Such as Sansa noticing how isolated this Queen from the East is in the frozen North, a bit like Sansa in King's Landing after Ned's death. For all that loneliness and anxiety, Daenerys like Sansa puts on a mask to get by. Of course, Sansa's mask was one of subservience and courtesy, and Dany's is of the confident, invulnerable ruler. While that difference may actually inspire a little envy in Sansa -- she, too, once had dreams of being queen, but instead had to smother her inner strength to survive -- she'd maybe start sensing a kinship, too.

For Arya (and Sansa, too, although frankly Arya's probably always going to be the one more concerned about the commonfolk), I think it all starts changing when she sees the true devotion Daenerys has for ending slavery and oppression, and seeing her peoples' true love for her in return.

And once Sansa and Arya find out about her and Jon, they figure, okay, let's try extending the olive branch to this lady. It doesn't hurt that, unlike in the show, they are both fully aware how vital she is to the fight ahead.

Daenerys, meanwhile, has of course sensed the sisters' wariness from the start. So she's taken by surprise when one day out of the blue they both approach her asking her to take a walk with them, or to observe Arya training with other potential fighters for the Long Night. Dany, unused to the company of Noble Westerosi girls close to her age, is at first a bit of a silent observer to their new and improved but still often squabbling sibling dynamic. Eventually she carves out a role for herself as the level-headed, mediating oldest sister figure. Since she shares vital qualities with both girls, she's very good at finding common ground between them when they're in conflict.

My dream ending for the books that is far too idealistic for what will actually happen, but is still within the realm of bittersweet, is that Dany and Jon both survive along with Sansa and Arya. That's the sweet part. However, after the horrendous ordeal of defeating the Lannisters and the Night King, Dany realizes that the Iron Throne is not her destiny. The people she left behind in the East, the people she freed, need leadership that will make sure their freedom stays permanent. So she leaves not only Jon behind, but two girls who have become her sisters, the only non-abusive familial connection she's ever known. That's where the bitter comes in, as the Starks watch Daenerys fly away on Drogon. And ironicallly, if the last barrier between the three really is the Stark Sisters' insistence the North stay independent, there is definitely a bittersweet irony when Dany lifts that barrier to grant it to them, only to leave them behind, maybe never to meet again.