#consistency? i don���t know her

[lu-is-not-ok]

two in one theory... i am listening very intently if you ever feel up to share it!!

Alright, so this is gonna be... as close to an Abridged explanation of the theory as I can make, because if I went off on everything about it I would end up writing a whole dissertation or five hour video essay script on this shit.

There are gonna be three main sections to this post - Hong Lu's Daiyuisms, Hong Lu's Themes of Identity and how that connects to the concept of Two in One, and the Daiyu-Baoyu theory itself.

Strap in folks.

Hong Lu's Daiyuisms

If you know anything about my theories in the earlier days of Limbus, you might know that I'm one of the very few people who was convinced Hong Lu is actually Daiyu, due to some evidence I found personally compelling. This has not changed, as we've only gotten just as much extra evidence to this as we have to him being Baoyu. So let me just speedrun through some of these points.

The Fucking Jade Eye

Ok hear me out. This is maybe the least important piece of evidence but I can never stop thinking about it. Hong Lu's jade eye? Not actually fully blue! If you look closely on most of his sprites, you can see that he actually has sectoral heterochromia, meaning his jade eye is both blue and black.

Daiyu's name, quite literally, translates to blue-black jade.

Now, you could claim that this is merely meant to be an easter egg reference to her, but... is that really Project Moon's style? After all, when people speculated on Don Quixote being Sancho or a Bloodfiend partially based on her appearance all the way back since near launch, they turned out to be right.

Hong Lu's Father

As of now, there is only one instance of Hong Lu referencing his Father in Limbus, and it's a voiceline from his Base Identity:

Now, if you know anything about DOTRC, this should already be raising some flags, because if Hong Lu was just Baoyu, he would not fucking talk like that about his Father.

In the book, Baoyu is consistently shown to be afraid of his Father, for a good reason mind you, as he's his main abuser. Baoyu would not be looking forward to introducing his friends to that man.

Even if Hong Lu was trying to downplay the abuse he's recieved, this would still not fit his pattern of behavior. When topics that genuinely bother Hong Lu come up, such as what could make him distort or how rich people would enjoy gifts made of humans, he immediately pivots and tries to avoid the topic at all cost. He would not bring up his main abuser in such a lighthearted manner, he would avoid bringing him up at all cost.

However, there is a character in DOTRC which does in fact have a more positive relationship to her Father, and would likely be the one with an opinion such as that - Daiyu. Daiyu loves her Father, and when he dies she completely disappears from the story for a bit to attend his funeral. If there was anyone who would be excited to introduce their friends to their Father, it'd be Daiyu.

Lasso Hong Lu's Corrosion

I made a whole seperate post about this, but I might as well mention it here as well for the sake of completion. The design choices made for Hong Lu which are missing for Faust are very, very Daiyu-coded.

For one, not only does Hong Lu completely turn into a flower, unlike Faust, his horse also gains a flower in its mouth. For those whose knowledge of DOTRC is zero to none, Daiyu is a reincarnation of a Flower given sentience due to being watered by the Jade. I don't think I have to be the one to connect the dots between those two pieces of info for you.

The second is how the halters become a noose for Hong Lu. This, too, is a very Daiyu thing - Rose Hunter as an Abnormality represents the inability to escape one's fate, and Daiyu's fate is to die - the Jia Family arranging a marriage between Baoyu and Baochai leads to Daiyu falling deathly ill, which in itself could be considered a part of her repaying her Debt of Tears - the debt she swore to repay to the Jade/Baoyu when she was still a Flower.

The hilarity of the fact that this E.G.O came out in the same update as Hong Lu being called Baoyu in-story is not lost on me.

Rose Sign Abnormality Log

The third Log for Rose Sign ends in a very peculiar way.

There's multiple ways one can tie Hong Lu's odd reluctance to talk about flowers and the petals. One is the obvious "he's being reminded of Daiyu because she was a Flower" connection, but there's another one.

One of the most commonly potrayed images of Daiyu relates to a scene in DOTRC where she buries fallen flower petals, weeping for and lamenting the mortality of the flowers and herself. Hong Lu's reaction here to his fellow Sinners being reduced to nothing but petals upon Rose Sign's death feels like a notable parallel to Daiyu's flower burial scene.

Like literally everything about Kurokumo Hong Lu

The title for this is a bit of an exaggeration, but at the same time. I'm serious. Kurokumo Hong Lu is perhaps the most Daiyu Identity out of all the Hong Lu Identities we have, and the way he is designed to stand out among them further makes me go insane.

Kurokumo Hong Lu's most defining trait is his attitude - he often complains about his position and how authority treats him, though he doesn't really act out against them in any major way outside of making snarky or sarcastic remarks.

This is, frankly, an extremely Daiyu thing to do. Daiyu is one of the few characters who audibly complains about her treatment in the household. For example she complains about not being given as many opportunities to show off her poetry skills as her male peers are, and she recognises how, when all the girls in the family are given flowers, she's the last one to recieve them and thus is stripped of the ability to pick, being only given the leftovers.

Then there's the whole. Everything about Kurokumo Hong Lu's visual design. Because once you realize just how Daiyu-like the Identity is, you realize just how weird he is compared to other Hong Lu Identities. I mean just look how he compares to his other Identities.

He's the only Hong Lu Identity with a blue tint to his hair in the combat sprite rather than the usual purple.

He's the only Hong Lu Identity whose hairtie is a ribbon rather than a jade ring (Liu Hong Lu technically has the ribbon in his post-uptie art, but he doesn't have it in his combat sprite so I'm not counting him).

He's the only Hong Lu Identity to not be smiling in his combat sprites.

And he's the only Hong Lu Identity (and one of only four Identities in the game) whose Idle sprite has its body facing away from the opponent rather than facing towards them.

All of those combine to make him stand out like a sore thumb in a Hong Lu Identity lineup in a way that makes it feel intentional, especially since he's also the only Hong Lu Identity with that kind of notable attitude towards authority. Other Hong Lu Identities are either obedient, don't express any opinion, or just straight up are the authority.

The Baoyu reveal is framed in a very weird way

This is, admittedly, less of a Daiyuism and more of a not-Baoyuism, but I thought it'd be important to mention nonetheless.

There are a lot of things about Canto 7's reveal of Hong Lu's name being Baoyu that are very strange, especially compared to how the Canto frames Don Quixote's own reveal of actually being Sancho.

For one, the timing itself - why is such an important piece of info being revealed so early? Again, compare to Donqui - she was revealed to be a Bloodfiend in the Intervallo right before Canto 7, and the Sancho reveal only came in the second half of the Canto.

For two, the framing - Donqui's reveals are treated as what they are, Major Reveals. The Baoyu reveal on the other hand happens in a single off-handed line, with nobody reacting to it in any way. Neither Hong Lu nor the other Sinners seem to hear it after all.

And mind you, it's not like Limbus is opposed to giving us important information in off-handed lines - far from it in fact. Project Moon loves shoving little bits of foreshadowing and reveals you don't realize are reveals until way later in these kinds of off-handed lines. But the way those lines are treated is still very different to how the Baoyu reveal is treated.

Usually, when there's foreshadowing in off-handed lines, it's usually either vague enough to be something a character could say regardless of context (see Yi Sang getting hung up on the Sedatives bit in Canto 2 or Ishmael's comment about Syndicates pretending to be Families foreshadowing her own history with the Middle via Queequeg) or something that is in the middle of a scene that distracts from what is actually being said (like Hong Lu's distortion foreshadowing being in the middle of an important infodump or most of everything in Canto 2 being surrounded by a comedic tone).

None of this is present for the Baoyu reveal. There's nothing to distract you from this information, as the scene is already focused on discussing Hong Lu, meaning you're already likely to be paying attention to what is being said about him. There's also no vagueness about it, there's no way you can brush it off since not only are Wei and Xichun newly introduced characters, but it's a whole ass clearcut namedrop.

The only way I can justify that reveal being there in the form it takes is that it in itself is the distraction. Think about it. Didn't I point it out earlier that this reveal came in the same update as the E.G.O with an extremely Daiyu-coded corrosion design? Wouldn't it make sense for that reveal to be there to lower your guard, make you think you resolved that mystery, only to later on reveal it wasn't the whole story after all?

Hong Lu's Themes of Identity

So this section is a bit more vague than the Daiyuism section, because Hong Lu is the type of guy to just Say Shit all the time. It's basically just. Anything that I find relevant to the idea of Hong Lu's Identity being more complex than him just being a random guy using a pseudonym, with some (but maybe not all) of them directly tying to the idea of Two in One.

"Which one is the real you?"

There are currently two seperate scenes where Hong Lu muses on the idea of someone's identity being in some way vague or obscured.

Is Dante the person or the clock? Is the dreamer the one in the dream or the one who wakes from it? Which you is the real you? Does it even matter if that you will flutter away in the end?

This idea of there being one true self. That even if there are two, there is only one of them that is actually you. Curious, right?

Face-changing dance

During the Canto 2 scene where everyone gives their reasons for whether or not they'd be a good pick for being the one to dance, Hong Lu says this.

Bian lian is a kind of dance literally translated as "face-changing". It involves rapid changes between various masks and make-up to represent different emotions or characters.

Now, it's no secret that Hong Lu is a great actor, as we see in Canto 4, and Canto 7 shows how the comparison to theatre and actors can be used to symbolize one's performance of identity, as it does for Sancho and her Don Quixote persona.

Mind you, this reveal comes in the same scene as Sinclair's dance invoking the image of a bonfire burning all through the night according to the Mariachis, a clear foreshadowing to Canto 3 and the Literal burning down of Sinclair's home.

Hong Lu knowing bian lian could be further foreshadowing to his own skills in deception, and how he too is a sort of actor, not unlike Don Quixote. On the other hand however, it could also be a more literal foreshadowing, that he (Baoyu) Quite Literally changed his face. We won't know until Canto 8, but it is an option you know.

The HamHamPangPang dish(es)

For those who don't know, here is a list of the Sinner-themed dishes that were available at HamHamPangPang.

Now, chances are, not all of them have deep meanings. I don't think there's much of a deep meaning to Heathcliff and Ishmael's dishes, I think PJM just legit don't know much about British/American cuisine so they just picked something recogniseable.

However, not all of them are meaningless picks either. Ryoshu, likely a mother, has a meal literally called "parent-and-child donburi". Don Quixote, a Bloodfiend, has a garlic-based dish. These were clearly done on purpose.

So, what does it say that Hong Lu's dish is actually two different dishes? That he's the only one whose dish is two different dishes? And it's not like the two are in some way inherently connected, since they're of completely different cuisines. Japchae is a Korean dish, not Chinese like the Mandarin rolls.

And just in case you weren't convinced that Hong Lu's choice of dishes is purposeful - another name for Mandarin rolls is flower buns, and one of the special occasions japchae is commonly served for is weddings. If you had read through the Daiyuisms section and somehow have no idea what the significance of that is, I don't know what to tell you.

The Daiyu-Baoyu Theory (finally)

So. I gave some evidence for why I think Hong Lu could still be Daiyu despite being revealed as Baoyu. I gave some evidence for why I think Hong Lu could be a Two in One deal, or that at the very least there's something more complex going on with his identity. But let's discuss the theory itself, how it would recontextualize certain things, and why I think it's an extremely fitting an thematically resonant direction for Hong Lu's Canto to go in.

The Theory

Here's what I speculate is going on.

Daiyu, just like in DOTRC, is someone who was taken in into the Jia Household rather than born in it, and who strongly connected with Baoyu upon meeting him. The two would end up forming a bond strong enough that they would be willing to die for one another (or, if they're in particularly argumentative moods, to kill themselves just to force the other to have to live a long life grieving over them - this is an actual argument they have in DOTRC and I pray to god this is adapted into Limbus because it's too fucking funny).

At some point, Baoyu either dies or is brought to near death, likely through the same circumstances as in DOTRC - being beaten by his Father. To save him, his memories and consciousness would be transferred to his eye, a process not dissimilar to the one Xichun brings up in Canto 7, and implanted into Daiyu's body, causing them to become a vessel for Baoyu. This would be how Hong Lu as he is now is created.

All of the above is the main basis for this theory. Everything else that I might speculate about, such as the exact nature of the two's relationship, Daiyu's more exact background and personality, how their pre-reincarnation lives could be adapted - all of those are things that are purely speculative and ones that I don't really expect to be actually fulfilled. The only bits that I am sure are likely to be true is what I laid out above.

So... what does it all mean for the future? I'm glad you asked!

The Recontextualization

Here's a collection of just a couple of things that Hong Lu has said or is depicted as that would be heavily recontextualized if this theory ends up being true.

Hong Lu surviving despite claiming he didn't fight back when his siblings first tried to kill him: With the context that he used to be two seperate people, the answer to how he survived is made very simple. Baoyu is the one who wasn't fighting back. Daiyu, however, could have still protected him in turn.

The red ribbon on Hong Lu's weapon: There is only one other Sinner who has a similar decoration on their weapon - Ryoshu, who also has a red ribbon on her sword, which could be easily connected to Yuzuki and her death. With the context of Hong Lu being Baoyu occupying Daiyu's body and thus effectively rendering their self non-existent, the red ribbon could be a parallel symbol - a symbol of Daiyu and their 'death'.

How Hong Lu treats his weapon in his base E.G.O: The way Hong Lu holds his weapon in the illustration is more like he's cradling another person. This could be a representation of how he feels about Daiyu's situation. Likewise, in the attack animation, he's not really attacking with the weapon itself, is he? He's simply using it to direct a ribbon (which in itself is missing in the illustration), the part that is actually the attack. If the weapon in the base E.G.O represents Daiyu, this could be a parallel to how Baoyu feels like he's merely directing Daiyu's body to attack, rather than being the one actually attacking.

The duality of Hong Lu IDs: There is a notable pattern among Hong Lu IDs, and that is the focus on his attitude to violence. When he's in a situation where he's obedient towards his Family, he's either uninterested in violence, bored of it, or otherwise given no other choice but to use it as a reprieve from boredom. However, when he's in a situation where he's disconnected from his Family or otherwise questioning the status quo, he's shown to not only be much more aggressive and violent, but to outright enjoy it. With the context of Hong Lu being composed of two people, this duality could represent each of his components - the obedient and violence-averse being more Baoyu-like, while the questioning and violence-favoring being more Daiyu-like.

So, there's a bunch of stuff that would be given new meaning under the premise of this theory being true. But now, what about the future? What would this theory mean for the themes and ending of Canto 8?

The Resolution

I believe this is how the Daiyu-Baoyu theory will affect Canto 8.

At some point, whether before or during the Canto, it will be revealed that Hong Lu is both Daiyu and Baoyu. There will be an attempt to seperate the two, perhaps to implant Baoyu into a more fitting, more Jia Family-approved Vessel. Perhaps because the 'arranged marriage' from DOTRC could be adapted into something more... let's say Fear and Hunger kind of marriage rather than traditional marriage.

This will leave Hong Lu to be returned to their state as Daiyu, who will be revealed to be a very different person to what the Sinners knew Hong Lu as. There is a non-zero chance that Daiyu will be unable to hear Dante or be revived by them due to the one who signed the contract being Baoyu, and so they could end up acting as an uncontrollable ally unit not unlike Xichun in Canto 7.

The climax would then be Daiyu and Baoyu reuniting and being unwilling to part with each other again, even for the sake of returning to being the fake persona that is Hong Lu, leading to a potential duo boss fight/distortion boss fight/duo distortion boss fight.

The ending would be the two of them deciding to embrace their new identity as Hong Lu and truly becoming one, discarding their pasts and the selves that had been forced on them by the Jia Family. This ending would have a twofold meaning regarding how it connects to the DOTRC adaptation.

One - it would be a direct parallel to the ending of DOTRC where Baoyu leaves to become a monk. By becoming Hong Lu and discaring his previous identities, he'd be leaving behind the earthly attachments inherent to being Baoyu and Daiyu and become spiritually whole.

Two - it would be a reflection of the major theme of DOTRC, that being "Truth becomes fiction when the fiction's true. Real becomes not-real when the unreal's real." Hong Lu, as a person, is a 'fake' persona used by the 'real' Baoyu and Daiyu. However, by discarding those two identities and deciding to just be Hong Lu, the fiction of his existence becomes the truth, while his former real selves become not real.

Conclusion?

I could honestly just keep going with this post, but I think I'm going to stop myself here before I'm forced to find out what tumblr's character limit on posts is. Believe me, I was trying to be brief, and still this post is. This fucking long.

I hope this explains why this theory has been the subject of my brainrot for the past however long, and why I feel like it's surprisingly plausible despite being as deranged as it is.

Godspeed and godbless, I have classes tomorrow and I'm spending my time on this.

[likethe-month]

The Time Between Us

-Historical Yandere x Reader-

Yandere x Accidental Time Traveler Reader

This was so fun to write, and I have more for this particular story so I will probably post more soon.

Reader is AFAB with she/her pronouns

Warnings: Yandere/possessive behavior, outdated ideas about gender, mentions of mental health, outdated ideas about mental health,

-

You are a college student writing a history paper about big cities in America’s Gilded Age when the dusty old PC belonging to the school sends you back to 1881.

You find yourself in the same building and room, but 143 years into the past. A man walks in and is utterly shocked to see you sprawled out on the ground in your confused state.

His name is James Harrington, and he is an architect who visits the school archives room to do his work. He is of average height with dark brown hair with a matching mustache and brown eyes that seem to linger on your bare legs for extended periods of time.

He informs you that ladies usually wear a skirt, and you start to think this man has never seen a bare set of women’s legs.

Your comfortable shorts and T-shirt aren’t exactly considered “lady-like” in this day and age.

It takes a lot of convincing to convince James you’re telling the truth, and he finally believes you when you show him your smartphone.

He is absolutely buzzing with questions, and you attempt to answer as many as you can before you figure it’s time to try and find a way back to your time.

Holding the paper in front of your face, you retrace your steps back to where you were sitting when you were transported here and closed your eyes.

Back in front of the school PC, you breathed a sigh of relief. Today’s events called for a night in, so you headed back to your dorm room.

Against the more logical part of your brain telling you to stay away from the computer lab, you make the decision to return.

You still have work to do, after all!

Over the course of the week, you go back to 1881, and James is always in the room, anticipating your arrival. You both decide it would be safe for you to stay in the room and only talk to James until he can get you some proper attire.

When he does, you sneak into a restroom when James assures you no one else is around, and you change into an outfit consisting of a high-necked blouse and skirt.

James feels proud, and he tries unsuccessfully to hide the light dusting of red on his cheeks. He informs you that you look like a “proper lady.” A part of him misses the strange, unfamiliar clothing and hairstyle you don, however, and he tends to mistake your modern ways for eccentricity.

James will absolutely romanticize the differences between the two of you, viewing your confusion as innocence, and his image of you makes his stomach twist in a way he's never felt before.

Then, he lets you know that his employer is hosting a dinner for his employees. He invites you as his date, and you eagerly accept, not willing to turn down the opportunity to see a lavishly decorated house belonging a Gilded Age businessman.

On the carriage ride there, he instructed you over exactly what to say and how to behave. Having seen your fair share of historical dramas, you were only half-listening, your eyes taking in every detail of the carriage.

The dinner goes well, and you even impress your hosts with your knowledge and mannerisms.

James' boss, Mr. Whitney, pulls him aside after dinner while everyone in the parlor room is deep in their own conversations.

“She’s a unique woman, indeed, Mr. Harrington. You’d be wise to keep a girl like that in your future prospects.”

Those words seemed to change something in James. Suddenly, he looked at you in a completely different way. Initially, he was planning on trying to persuade you to stay with him in 1881. He now knew that a real man, a successful businessman like Mr. Whitney, would take away your ability to choose. James would have to keep you here.

When you finish your drink, he asks you to join him in the ballroom where the other guests are dancing, and you do so, jumping a bit when he wraps a hand around your waist without hesitation.

He whispers lowly into your ear about how glad he is that you were “sent to him” as the two of you dance.

You grimace to yourself at his words and decide then and there that it may be a good idea to stay in 2024.

When you return for the final time, you plan on taking a walk through the city with your period-appropriate clothes to take everything in one last time.

You go back to 1881 and enjoy the sights while your final moments in the past last. You return to the archives room to be met with a sight that makes your stomach drop down to your feet.

James is holding the building plan, observing it with cold, observant eyes. You’re not sure what to do here. He’s holding your only way back home in his hands, eyeing it in a very strange way…

“Hello, James,” you say carefully. “Have you had a chance to enjoy the sunshine today?”

He turns to you briefly to signal that he’s listening. “You do understand why I have to do this, don’t you?”

You freeze, feeling faint. “Do what?” you say, trying to not let your desperation show. “James, what are you doing?”

Without another word, he rips the paper in two, then into four, then six, eight, countless pieces.

It takes everything you have not to fall onto your knees. You were trapped. You were trapped in 1881.

He looks at you, but before a taunt can escape his lips, you lunge at him, a scream ripping from your throat. Hands suddenly apprehend your attack, and your held firmly in place by two policemen who seemed to come out of nowhere.

“It really is so unfortunate,” James says, sounding almost bored. “She’s gone completely mad. I’m not sure what warranted this sudden change in behavior. I’m glad I was able to contact the authorities before she hurt herself.”

“These cases of women gone into hysterics are common. She’ll receive the proper care at Somervault Mental Asylum,” one of the men says, grunting as you thrash and shriek.

“I’ll visit you soon, dearest. For now, just make sure to get better,” James says, grinning wolfishly at you once the social workers weren’t looking.

You’re hauled off to the asylum, and for just a second, you believe you really would fall into insanity.

[itsokbbygrl]

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Summary: Sarah Miller has always loved her dad, maybe especially today. Years of long days at work and longer nights taking classes and studying have lead to this--his college graduation day. When the Miller family is interrupted during their impromptu picture time, Sarah thinks there might be one more person who could love her dad, too.

Word Count: 3k, one-shot

Rating: T (some swearing)

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader/OFC

Tags: FLUFF, TOOTH ROTTING FLUFF, BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND FLOSS AFTER THIS ONE!!!, mild swearing, Sarah Miller POV, briefly Joel Miller POV, likely some University of Texas at Austin graduation inaccuracies, adult learner gets his diploma yay, Uncle Tommy is an A+ wingman, almost zero description of reader aside from having hair long enough to tuck behind an ear, wearing a dress, and having a shimmering laugh, but Joel and Sarah both refer to reader as a woman and use she/her pronouns, no y/n, no 2nd person perspective, reader/OFC has an unspecified family outside of 1 sister

A/N: Helloooooooooo this is the first thing I've ever published here holy shiiiiiiit. I was scrolling on Pinterest for interior design inspo and came across this adorable photo and immediately went, "omg Joel and Sarah core."

So naturally, I had to write it and set it in the HBO TLOU timeline. Sarah is 10 and we're going to suspend our disbelief about the technology of the year 2000 a little bit okay??? Digital cameras were not that good and very expensive and most people still did not have cell phones, but THE MILLERS DO OK. Anyway without further ado, I give you that (not so) old man doing something adorable. I hope you like it! My DMs and inbox are always open (yes I lovingly refer to you all as my little chickens, come say hi to me!). Reblogs and comments are appreciated per usual. 💖 Banner and title card made by me with the help of Canva :)

Sarah loves a lot of things about her life–her soccer team, her fourth grade teacher, all of the friends she’s made in her 10 years of life–but if you asked her what she loved most of all, she would say her family, hands down. Her family is small–just she, her dad, and her uncle Tommy–but their love for each other is anything but. It’s been the three of them her whole life and she’s never felt like there were any missing pieces, until one fateful Saturday in May. 

Sarah has spent nearly her entire life being told how proud her dad is of her, but today is a day Sarah is determined to show her dad how proud she is of him. She knows he tries to hide how stressed he’s been the last few years, how tired, but she’s a smart girl and she, to her dad’s chagrin, notices everything. Sarah almost can’t contain her excitement for her dad as her uncle Tommy parks his truck in the vast expanse of the University of Texas at Austin’s football stadium parking lot. She hops out of the backseat and slams the door like Tommy taught her to make sure it closes all the way on its rusty old hinges, and then bends at her waist to brush any pesky wrinkles from her dress. She wanted to look extra nice for today, trying to tame her thick, curly hair by tying it back in a low bun and fashioning her favorite flower pin on the side, donning her favorite sundress and the sandals her grandma said were nice enough for Sunday church. If they were nice enough for grandma’s church, they were definitely nice enough for her dad’s graduation, she figured. 

Sarah finds Tommy around the front of the truck as he’s pulling their entry tickets from his wallet. “Here you go, kiddo,” he says, extending a ticket to her with a smile. She replies her thanks before following him towards the imposing stadium ahead. Tommy helps lead them through the crowd, consistently checking to make sure she’s still near, Sarah offering him a smile each time she catches him looking. Their seats are up high, in the top third of the stadium bleachers. Sarah thinks she hears Tommy mutter something about only getting good seats if you donate a bunch of money under his breath, but she isn’t sure what exactly he means, so she ignores it. 

“Do you know where dad’s going to be?” Sarah asks her uncle. She wants to know where to look, doesn’t want to miss a minute of this, and she’s dubbed herself unofficial photographer for the day, so she wants to make sure she knows where to point the camera at all times. 

“Not yet, honey. We’ll keep our ears open, they usually announce each college as they come in, so we’ll know when to look for your dad,” Tommy reasons. 

“Good plan,” Sarah nods in return, eyes focusing back on the field ahead. 

Once it appears the seats have nearly filled, Sarah checks her trusty watch and sees the time has just passed 2:00, the scheduled start time for today’s ceremony. As if she triggered it herself, her head perks up as the sound of brass instruments rings out through the stadium, signaling the start of the ceremony. She watches the entrance of students intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of her dad. 

Sarah turns in her seat and asks, “Uncle Tommy, can I have the camera, please?” 

Tommy fishes in his pocket and pulls out the requested camera, placing it in Sarah’s open palm. “Yup, got it right here. You gonna be on photography duty today?” Tommy chuckles as he watches Sarah’s brows pull together just like her dad’s as she fiddles with the buttons on the camera until the settings are to her liking. 

“You bet,” Sarah answers, poking her tongue between her teeth as she looks down at the small digital viewfinder. “Can’t see anything, gonna use the zoom and see if I can see any better through the screen.”

Tommy lets out a low whistle, “Smarty pants over here, did we forget your cap and gown? Shouldn’t you be down there?” He jokes and pokes her in the ribs to make her giggle. 

“Uncle Tommy! Stop!” She laughs. “I’m trying to focus!”

“Alright, alright, kiddo. I’ll let you focus. Let me know if you find him.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Sarah salutes in return, earning a chuckle out of her uncle. 

The McComb School of Business is announced and Sarah sits up a little straighter, refocusing her efforts to capture every important moment. She squints against the afternoon sun, determined to find her dad amongst the long line of pending graduates. 

“There!” she points and Tommy follows her finger, trying to find what she’s seeing. “See his hat? I told him he needed to put something on it so we could find him and he told me to go wild, so I did. I knew that orange glitter glue would come in handy.”

Tommy spots him then, laughing when Sarah shows him the picture she’s snapped on the little screen, Joel’s graduation cap adorned with orange glitter glue that reads, “This old dog learned new tricks,” accompanied by two clip art dogs pasted on opposite corners. 

“D’you come up with that all on your own, smarty pants?” Tommy asks her. 

“Sure did,” Sarah chuffs. “Dad always says, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” when he doesn’t want to learn stuff like the camera or the computer, so I thought it would be funny,” she finishes with a shrug. Tommy silently laughs, his shoulders gently shaking, and Sarah smiles to herself. 

If there’s one thing Sarah will take away from this day it’s that graduation ceremonies are long and boring. There are about two minutes where she focuses intently as her dad’s row rises to make their way up to the stage. She diligently keeps the camera pointed his way, snapping pictures every so often. As he prepares to take the stage, she and Tommy stand from their seats. 

“Joel Alejandro Miller,” the announcer reads. Sarah and Tommy whoop and cheer as Joel crosses the stage, Sarah keeping the camera trained on her dad, making sure to press the shutter a few times as he shakes hands with the chancellor and receives his diploma. The rest of the ceremony goes by relatively uneventfully, until the graduates are instructed to stand and change their tassels from right to left. There’s a murmur through the audience and then the students erupt in a spirited rendition of, “The Eyes of Texas.” Sarah smiles as she watches the new graduates laugh and sing, throwing arms around friends and pointing to the sky. Once the song ends, the graduates then whoop and throw their caps into the air, and Sarah raises the camera once more to snap a couple final pictures. 

The crowd starts to dissipate, attendees making their way towards the exits to find their respective graduates. Sarah looks over the railing of the ramp as she and Tommy work their way down from their seats and watches as the mass of bodies move through the corridor, thinking about how they resemble a school of fish, almost liquid in the way they shift to accommodate obstacles in the hall. 

After a few minutes of shuffling, she and Tommy find the exit out of the stadium, heading towards the spot they designated to meet Joel after the ceremony. Sarah spots him first, poking Tommy in the arm and pointing his way. Tommy nods in acknowledgement, giving her the okay to head over. She looks both ways to make sure the coast is clear before breaking out in a jog. 

“Dad!” she calls, waving her arms to get Joel’s attention. His natural scowl drops the minute he sees her, face breaking out into a wide grin, and opens his arms as she rushes forward. Sarah meets him with force, earning a quiet, “Oof,” from her dad as she wraps her arms around his middle and hugs him tight. 

“You did it! I’m so proud of you!” Sarah tells him, not letting go, but tipping her head back to look him in the eyes. If she notices the extra glimmer along his waterline, she doesn’t say anything. He pulls her in tighter, giving her small shoulders a squeeze, and Sarah feels the deep rumble of his laughter in her cheek. 

“Thanks, babygirl. I’m so glad you came,” Joel tells her, rubbing up and down her back before letting her go from his embrace. 

“Hey old man, proud of you brother,” Tommy greets Joel with a smile and a hug, the brothers exchanging firm pats on the back before separating. Joel gives him a half smile and thanks him for coming and for bringing Sarah.

Sarah steps back from their little group and realizes her dad has already taken off his cap and gown, and that just won’t do. 

“Dad, where’s your hat and robe?” Sarah chides, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a serious look. 

“It was hot, so I took them off,” Joel answers. 

“Well, put them back on! We need to get pictures!” Sarah iterates, raising the camera in front of her dad’s face and giving it a shake. 

Joel sighs, but relents. “Alright, alright, gimme a second, kiddo, then you can play photographer.” They find an open spot on the lawn and Sarah powers up the camera again, using the viewfinder to ensure the shot is lined up just right. 

“Ok, 1, 2, 3…say, “Hook ‘em!”” Sarah says. 

Joel smiles and entertains his daughter’s request. “Hook ‘em!” he says, smiling for the camera. 

“Ok, this one, hold up your diploma,” Sarah requests and Joel again complies. “Can we do one more?” Sarah asks. 

Joel gives her a nod, “Sure thing, honey.”

“Ok, this one, do the Hook ‘Em horns,” Sarah says and she does the gesture with her own small hand. Joel mimics his daughter and smiles for the camera as she snaps the picture. She pulls up the recent shots and turns the camera towards her dad to review them together, unaware that they’ve been watched for the last few minutes. 

“Excuse me,” a soft voice interrupts Sarah and Joel from their scrolling and they look up to find a new member has joined their party. 

“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, I just saw your daughter taking pictures and I thought y’all might want a few together?” Wow, pretty, Sarah thinks as she assesses the stranger. 

Joel clears his throat and Sarah turns her head to see her dad’s cheeks have flushed a new shade of pink as he stammers out a, “That’s awful kind of you, darlin’. Thanks for offerin’, we’d love that.” Sarah’s mouth ticks up into a smirk, the dimple she shares with her dad crescenting her cheek. She turns to Tommy and they share a knowing look. 

“Thank you, ma’am. You just press this button here,” Sarah hands over the camera and shows the pretty stranger how to operate it.

“Got it, thanks, sweetie,” she replies before bringing the camera’s viewfinder up to her eye and lining up the duo. “Ok, big smiles,” she says and clicks the shutter. She smiles and moves the camera away from her face for a moment to direct, “How about we get one with both of you showing us your best “Hook ‘Em” next,” before once again snapping the photo. “Alright, let’s do one more. Gimme your best silly faces!” and she lets out a shimmering laugh as she presses the shutter a final time. 

“Perfect,” she says to the small family, smiling and handing the camera to Joel, their fingers brushing briefly as the camera exchanges hands before both of their eyes lift to meet. Tension lingers only for a moment at the contact before they both let out breathy chuckles. The stranger lifts her hand and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, Joel’s gaze following the motion, Sarah’s gaze locked on her father. 

“This was real kind of you, darlin’. Thanks again for helping us out,” Joel says, trying to extend the moment just a little longer. 

“Oh, it was nothin’. My pleasure, really,” she replies in kind, waving him off, her gaze dropping shyly to the ground. “Well,” she continues, bringing her gaze back to Joel’s, “I better head back or my sister,” she turns her torso and gestures to where her party is standing and carrying on conversation, “will never let me hear the end of it, how I deserted her on her own graduation day after she spent torturous hours sitting through mine a few years back,” She chuckles softly and clasps her hands in front of her, kicking out one foot and cocking her hip slightly to the side. 

“Alright, s'pose we better let you get on back then,” Joel replies. Sarah catches a sadness in her dad’s eyes at their pretty stranger’s words. “Thanks again…I know, I know, I’ll stop,” he laughs when she gives him a stink eye at his persistent gratitude. “Have fun with your family. And pass on our congrats to your sister.”

“I will,” she nods before taking a visible breath and waving goodbyes to the three Millers. She turns and heads back towards her own family. Sarah watches her dad watch her the entire time she goes, turning to Tommy and sharing an unspoken conversation before Tommy breaks the silence. 

“Alright, brother, why don’t you say hi to your fancy college buddies before we head out. I’ll entertain the sprout for a few minutes. Then we can head out for ice cream,” Tommy says, pulling Sarah into his arms and giving her a soft noogie while she cringes good naturedly. 

“Uncle Tommy! Stop, you’re going to mess up my hair!” Sarah complains. Tommy relents and Joel eyes the pair suspiciously, but ultimately agrees. He gives the camera back to Sarah for safekeeping, and she dramatically tells him she’ll protect it with her life. He laughs before leaving the pair on the lawn to find a few of his classmates and professors. 

Once he’s out of eye and earshot, Sarah and Tommy form a quick plan and spring into action. 

It’s getting late, the sun set, the evening sky dark and air heavy with the remaining heat and moisture from the day. Joel is sat in his makeshift home office at his messy desk, camera in hand, flipping through the pictures Sarah took earlier in the day. She got some pretty good shots, rolling his eyes and shaking his head fondly when he realizes how gaudy his cap looked from the crowd. 

He gets to the pictures of he and Sarah together and smiles, loving how happy his little girl looks, how proud she clearly is of him, how much fun they have together. He tries and fails not to think of the beautiful woman who took those pictures earlier, of the jolt of electricity that zipped up his arm and ran through his heart when their fingers touched, and he especially tries not to think about how he never managed to get her name. 

Just when he thinks he’s gotten to the end, the silly faces he and Sarah made only hours ago staring back at him through the small camera screen, he notices the number in the upper righthand corner. 24/25. There’s one more. He flips to it curiously, finding a special face looking back at him. A wide toothy smile, hair still tucked behind one ear, gorgeous little sundress that should have been illegal to wear out in public, and…holding a piece of paper? There’s something written on there and Joel desperately wants to know what it says, but for the life of him, he can’t remember how Sarah told him to work the goddamn zoom. 

He flips to the picture before, of him and Sarah making silly faces, swallows his pride and prepares himself for the shit he knows he’s about to get from his daughter before bellowing out, “Sarah! Babygirl, can you come here, please? Need you to help me with the camera!”

Sarah bounds into the room, sly grin already plastered on her face. Joel holds out the camera and asks, “How do you work the zoom on this thing again?”

Sarah walks over to her dad and points out the buttons he needs to use. “These right here, the plus sign zooms in, the minus sign zooms out, and you use these,” she moves her finger down to the directional arrow buttons that form a small circle on the lower right side of the camera, “to move the picture around when you’re zoomed in. Make sense?”

“Clear as mud,” Joel replies, giving the buttons a try to make sure he has it before dismissing his daughter, thanking her for her help, and thinks he hears her mutter something about old dogs and new tricks as she leaves the room. 

Joel turns his head to make sure Sarah isn’t hanging around before flipping back to the last picture on the digital version of a camera roll. He does as Sarah instructed, presses the plus button until the picture is zoomed in enough that he can read the paper being held up to the camera. No fucking way. He blinks, squints, rubs his eyes, and looks again, but his eyes did not deceive him. Written on the paper in a looping scrawl is undeniably a phone number. Joel leans back in his chair and brings his hand up to his mouth before pulling it down and resting on his lap. He stares at the screen for a moment in disbelief before letting out a low chuckle. He looks away from the screen and over towards the office entrance again, thinking about Tommy and Sarah and their insistence to hang back and let Joel congratulate his classmates and thank his professors. 

“Son of a bitch,” Joel murmurs to himself. He shakes his head and looks back at the screen. He holds his gaze there for a minute, then one more, before he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone, punching in the number and hitting the green call button before he loses his nerve. 

The line rings once, twice, three times, and Joel thinks maybe this was a mistake, calling a relative stranger after a brief (at most) meeting, but then the ringing stops and a newly familiar voice answers with a soft, “Hello?”

Joel smiles as his anxieties drift away, “Hey, darlin’. Nice to hear your voice again.”

END

Tagging some friends who might be interested: @5oh5 @javierpena-inatacvest @swiftispunk @sawymredfox

[truthfultales]

It should probably be quite obvious but I only realized just now how much influence Tav actually has on Gale. It´s not "only" his suicide mission that can be prevented, but also his whole attitude towards his goddess. (Ascension is but a fraction of it)

Depending on what Tav thinks, his outlook on Mystra changes.

You tell him to return the Crown to Mystra? You tell him he can become a Chosen once more, while staying with you? Done! He says he will be a more worthy Chosen this time around, having become wiser.

You dislike Mystra? Gale will respond accordingly.

Despite Gale´s strong personality, he is easily influenced by his love interest. That is, if you remain consistent.

I just played through the end fight of an older save to get some better screenshots, and it hit me, because I made different choices throughout various playthroughs.

You want to discourage him from ascension after having played with the idea of godhood? He´ll be an Arsehole Deluxe, telling you he doesn´t need you and you apparently can´t live with the idea of him being successful.

You ask him to seek forgiveness from Mystra? He´´ll be humble.

It´s interesting.

I´ll get criticized for my stance, but it´s not like I´d care:

Despite Mystra´s questionable behavior, I do not hate her guts. I´d probably tell Gale his actions were understandable and her actions not right, but the gods aren´t mortals and have a unique way of seeing and handling things.

You can acknowledge - like Elminster - that Mystra is not infallible, while deciding to worship what she stands for - the Weave.

My favorite ending will always be the "return the crown to Mystra, become a Chosen once more, marry Tav and teach at the Blackstaff Academy."

The weave will always be a part of him, and I love it. No need to idealize Mystra, when she clearly has flaws. No need to hate her either. The displeasure of e.g. Tara and Elminster becomes quite apparent when you do not choose that route, and I find the personality change in Gale unpleasant as well in the other options.

I just see so much hate for Mystra, and I can´t relate.

Former Mystra, who possessed a body, so she could have daughters? Uff. Don´t even know how Ao could allow that.

This Mystra? Not deserving of that much hate.

[trans-queen-administrator]

Worm Fanfic Recs

No rankings at play here, just my favorite fics that I think other are really good. There are fics I like that aren't listed because I have a bad memory, but everything here is something I really really enjoyed. I have biases obviously, this isn't objective.

The Fics

Our Private Crises - A nailbiting murder mystery with unique and well done POVs from a different character each chapter. The mystery and reveal at the end were stellar, and it got me attached to characters I never thought I'd care for. 29k words. Complete.

It's Cold Out There Every Day - Missy is trapped in a time loop on her birthday. Genuinely stellar characterization, it has the best Missy and Aisha I've ever read and its such a creative and well executed premise. 41k words. Complete.

Tilt - Unpowered homeless girl Taylor fakes a thinker power to get in the Wards and secure housing. She's even more self destructive and self deprecating than in canon. 10/10 characterization for a slew of POV characters including Taylor, every ward but especially Sophia, Rachel, Lisa, and a ton of other characters. Despite not going through all of what canon Taylor went through, this fic nails her character better than pretty much any others. 220k words at time of posting. Updating consistently.

Tear Apart, Stitch Together - Taylor triggers with Shatterbird's power and kills thousands. Short and sweet, everything that's there is great and it wraps up well I think. 13k words. Complete

Memories of a Simurgh Victim - The Simurgh attacks Brockton Bay. Has two storylines, one following Taylor and one following Amy and Vicky. Among the most fucked up things this fandom has to offer, a terrifying showcase of the Simurgh and her power. 62k words. Taylor's story is incomplete but the Amy and Victoria story is done.

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Pleasures - Cherish altpower Taylor tries to consensually fix Amy's incest fetish. A trainwreck I can't look away from, the worlds first psychological horror romcom. It's so fucked up and so amazingly funny, and has good well written characters. I don't like Pillbug and I'm not a big fan of altpowers, but this fic is still one of my favorites because it's so damn compelling so definitely check it out if you actually like either of those things. 211k words at time of posting. Updating consistently.

Roots - The Slaughterhouse Nine attack a small town with a roster of OC capes, but something is very off about the place. POV shifts every chapter, and the OCs are interesting and unique. The S9 are also wonderfully characterized here, I've never had a fic make me sad for Crawler of all people. 67k words at time of posting. Ongoing. Criminally underrated.

Roma Fade - Ciara and Fortuna both try to grow past who they were as capes and find themselves as people in a small town post Gold Morning, having found common ground posing as moms to a recovering Taylor. I'm sure fake dating would never end in real attraction, that would be absurd. Incredibly gay, incredible characterization for everyone, the best post-GM fic around in my opinion. 87k words at time of posting. Ongoing but currently on hiatus.

Case - Lisa and the Simurgh start a detective agency. It's just great humor and a lovely story and wonderful despite being short and deceased. 14k words. Dead.

Silence is not Consent - Taylor intervenes and saves Victoria from Amy and gives her a place to stay, Victoria massively struggles dealing with what happened. Amazing characterization, Victoria's POV is unique and incredibly well done, and her seeing Taylor from an outside perspective is interesting. Be warned that this is a very heavy fic emotionally, but it's really fucking good. 212k words at time of posting. Updating consistently.

A Word - Altpower Taylor is obsessed with writing a story. I don''t know how to describe this fic honestly it's hard to do justice, but it has perhaps the best conclusion to Gold Morning I've seen in a fanfic. 11k words. Complete.

Scarab - A fantasy AU where powers are thought to be magic, and the Faerie Queen takes an interest in Taylor. Filled to the brim with creativity and passion, this fic is teeming with fresh ideas and interesting depictions of canon characters. The worldbuilding is great as well, no other fic on this list has a map, so this is clearly a cut above the rest. 139k words at time of posting. Updating consistently.

Swallowtail - Ok I lied this one has a map too. Taylor with an incredibly interesting stranger power joins Faultline's crew. There is a truly astounding amount of AU elements and alternate powers for canon characters, it feels like a new world while still being recognizable and distinctly Worm. Has a large amount of alternate POVs and the first arc can be rough, but it's creative and amazing. 360k words. Ongoing but currently on haitus.

Soliloquy - Ex-Slaughterhouse 9 Taylor is in prison, bitter at the world and herself and especially her clone who saved the multiverse. A heavy fic about someone slowly recovering and becoming a better person when they're convinced it can't be done. Made me cry. 71k words. Complete.

TWNY - Post-GM Taylor finds herself in the world of RWBY with a pair of moth antennae. Multiple POVs, all very interesting despite me knowing nothing of RWBY. Probably the best characterization of Taylor in any post-GM crossover fic, she's heartbreaking in the recent arc, and it feels like the fic has barely scratched the surface of what it'll eventually cover. Also it's very gay. 136k words. Ongoing.

The Great Escape - Eidolon is struggling after his reputation is destroyed and Cauldron is revealed, and then the Birdcage opens. Amazing use of seldom seen characters, great POV with Eidolon, well done and interesting fights, has String Theory. 107k words. Ongoing but currently on haitus.

Happiness Is Inevitable - NSFW. The only damn erotic mind control Simurgh smut in the fandom somehow. Besides the porn (which is a lot of the fic, who woulda thunk it) the story itself is actually pretty interesting and has a lot of creative parts, and it has better characterization than most fics. 29k words. Ongoing?

Oneshots

Break me so that I can be whole - This accursed fandom is tragically bereft of QA / Taylor fics, but this one shot is great, love an eldritch take on shards. Probably fucked up but I'm not actually a good judge of that so be warned. 1.8k words.

Book Worm - Dragon helps teach Taylor how to read and speak and understand language post-GM. Bittersweet and lovely. 2.5k words.

Defiant Didn't Dox Saint For Nothing! - Taylor goes back in time and the first thing she does is kill Saint because he sucks. Cracky but I like it, fun little oneshot. 1.6k words.

Ruling Ash - Glory Girl flees Brockton Bay during the Slaughterhouse Nine and ends up living with Damsel of Distress. Cute, and Starsong before Ward is very interesting. 2.8k words.

My Sunshine - Leviathan goes worse and Brockton Bay is destroyed. Taylor and Victoria survive. Very somber, but well executed. 3.4k words.

Cherry on Top - A character study of Cherie Vasil, showing how she went from running away from Heartbreaker to joining the Nine. Extremely well written, absolutely incredible depiction of her character. It depicts abuse and actions typical of Heartbreaker and Cherie, so be careful reading. It's a lot emotionally. 12.7k words.

Devil in a New Dress - NSFW. Shatterbird / Reader, I'm not explaining myself on this one. Neat Shatterbird characterization, hot, pretty fucked up so be warned. 1.7k words.

[redrosesandcharmingsouls]

HI! Hope you`re feeling good:)

A small question: if you were given the power to rewrite and reshoot one HotD scene involving Alicent, what scene would that be and how would you change it?

You don`t have to take into account the consistency of the storytelling and the character (it`s screwed anyways😒), write away:)

Hi! I hope you`re feeling good too!.

Now ,now that is a very interesting question but i wouldn`t settle for just one scene lol.

i would definetly make her respond back to Rhaenys`s `feminist` speech ,pointing out that Rhaenys is no different than her and that she is just trying her best to survive .It would make Rhaenys decision to respect Alicent even more sense ,so it makes sense to spare her later .It would also be good to show how Alicent is a victim and the fact that she isn`t the problem for not fighting back against the system and her abusers ,since yk ,the system and her abusers are the ones at fault .

I would rewrite the whole damn ass Green Council Scene ,and i would take most things from the book for this scene .The whole `searching for Aegon thing` thing was good .except the child fight thing and Aegon wanting to straight up run away, but the council scene where Alicent didn`t know shit about what was happening was so dumb.

And sorry for adding more than one scene but i would delete the `Aegon is a rapist` one .

The dinner scene and the Rhaenicent reunion would be ...messier .Not straight up trying to reunite maybe but loads of longing and regrets .

I would also add all of the deleted scenes and make better characters arc for Green Kids.

Sorry for the rant but i got excited .

Thank you for the ask and i hope you have a good day!.

[anncanta]

We are adults. ‘Lucifer’ and ‘Dracula’

Once in the chat, discussing Dracula, I said that it would be nice to write a fanfic about Dracula running a nightclub in London. To which one of the participants answered me, ‘Darling, such a story already exists, it`s Lucifer.’ I shrugged my shoulders and forgot about it. And a few weeks ago I decided to watch the series finally.

I absolutely loved the first three seasons, it`s brilliant. Smart, funny, dramatic, elegant. Tom Ellis is very good. He and his play are my discovery of the year. But the most interesting thing about the series, for me, is what follows from its similarities and differences with Dracula.

The similarity of motives, plot, and even to some extent – genre is obvious. But the differences are more difficult. Although they lie on the surface, making you realize at some point why the series Lucifer had problems and why it was closed after the third season.

Why do I love Dracula? For many reasons, but one of the main ones is that this is a film for adults. And not only because the heroes are over forty and have problems, consistent with their age but also because it was written and played at an adult level. You see, the main female character of Lucifer at the beginning of the film is thirty-five years old, and Lucifer himself, by human standards, looks forty-something, but at the same time, they have teenage problems and relationships.

Well, a grown-up woman can`t, giggling, bat her eyes and say to a grown-up man, ‘This is a date, right? Oh, I don’t know…’ or at every hint of sexual or emotional intimacy, wave her hands and say that that`s not what she meant. When characters do this, it inevitably involves teenage context and – of course – teen romance clichés. I saw reviews that said, ‘How is it that Chloe doesn`t react to Lucifer`s power? What is this, teenage fan fiction?’ Yes. With such a heroine, this can only be a teenage fanfic. And combined with her age, it looks terrible.

This approach to the heroine logically gives rise to another teenage cliche: the ideal girl and the bad guy.

That`s why I love Dracula and the relationship between Dracula and Agatha so much. Agatha was never a good girl and never considered herself one. Her monastic habit in this sense is a mockery of herself (in the text) and a reminder to the authors that ‘not everyone is a monk who wears a hood.’ After all, when Agatha says Johnathan about priests who always survive, she speaks not only about one particular priest but about all of them. Including that priestess who sits in front of Harker.

Not only is Agatha not perfect, she`s clear from the start that she`s interested in dark forces, and she clearly has a checkered past. She enjoys communicating with Dracula and does not hide it. She does not purse her lips and does not pretend that she is unpleasant about one or another of his actions – if she is unpleasant, then she is unpleasant, and she speaks about it openly. Agatha does not try to behave ‘decently’. She doesn`t care about decorum.

Agatha lies to herself, but this is the lie of an adult who has been burned many times by her own ugly truth.

And what about Chloe? Nothing. Sweet, smart, right, with a hairstyle that makes her eyes pop out of her head, she walks back and forth with a gun and, living in Los Angeles and being a police officer and a former actress who starred in a movie with nude scenes, she is horrified that... the nightclub owner picked up the cigarette at the crime scene?

Don`t get me wrong. I love the beauty and the beast trope. I don`t like it being turned into a straight-A student/bad-boy relationship. Moreover, if the student has not read anything except the textbook and is mainly concerned with ensuring that no one thinks that she likes the bad guy. It`s disgusting.

I don`t know how they planned to build the plot in Lucifer and who came up with the love line itself. But this is clearly its weak point. Everything else in the first three seasons is just great. All the characters, without exception, are good. The way they communicate and work together is amazing. The way the divine beings settle down on earth and try to find themselves is brilliant. The world of the series itself, its internal state, atmosphere, are beautiful. Everything in it is in its place and everything is where it should be. Except Chloe. And that`s the problem.

I don`t know why this happened. I assume that because the authors could not decide on the genre and audience of the series. On the one hand, the theme and genre seem to be teenage – a comic book about the devil who ‘lights up’ Los Angeles. On the other hand, a story about a hero who goes on a journey in search of himself (and this is what lies at the heart of the plot) is not a teenage one. Teenagers are not searching for themselves. Teenagers trying to fit in. These are different things. And the discord is completed by the choice of actors for the main roles and the age category of most of the characters – over forty. If all this happened, roughly speaking, with heroes Bella Swan`s age and in a high school setting, then everything would be fine. And Chloe`s mental turmoil would not look idiotic, but consistent with the age and psychological norm.

It hurts. Really. Because there are several moments in the series that are incredibly beautiful and valuable regardless of everything else. The main character`s journey to himself, his sad and funny attempts to get rid of his father and his unwillingness to see how much he loves his father and depends on him and his opinion of himself, his devotion to his friends, their connection that exists despite everything and radiates light. The way the hero reveals his face is one of the most intimate scenes I have ever seen, and also that how he protects his beloved. This is wonderful.

But at the same time, the story, after dozens and dozens of episodes, came down to whether the heroes would sleep together. That`s not how it`s done. Perhaps I don`t understand something and perhaps my opinion will change over time, but now everything in me is protesting. I want an adult story to remain an adult story. Do I want too much?

Or maybe Steven Moffat just spoiled me.

[thegamingcatmom]

👋

I recently read the story you last posted "Old habits die hard" and it was so well written it made me tear up, honestly it was so sad. We got to see a little snippet of those bad days that sometimes just not even them can help going through. But it left me with questions (perhaps is too similar to the story so idk if I am being repetitive) I was wondering how can MC truly help them in such days, how can she offer further comfort to make them feel better? They are very different from one another too so each of them may have different ways to cope with it, would they openly seek comfort in MC right away? Or would they close off hoping to get over it on their own, even distance themselves a bit to clear their mind? I think the main question because I am rambling is how they ask MC for what they need to in that moment?

Hey there! 👋

Thank you for your lovely words. I gotta admit I'm quite proud to have evoked such strong feelings. That was the goal with this one. ❤️

Right so, when they seek MC out depends on how far gone they are at that time and which sister she's dealing with I´d say. Because, as you said, their ways to cope and seek help might differ.

The good thing is: ever since they've found their mate, their ways to cope with things changed a bit. It became healthier, you could say. As I've said in another post, their ways to deal with such days before MC pretty much consisted of:

seeking human company (Tanya)

intense training session (Kate)

closing off/alone time (Irina)

It was their way of escapism.

MC's changed that. She's made them more willing to ask for help because they know they'll be met with nothing but love and acceptance. They might not always know how to convey what they want/need (Old Habits Die Hard), but at least they'll actively seek that help now. That's what's important.

What happened in Old Habits Die Hard was pretty much them at their "worst". Like, yknow, the pain isn't always the same. Some days it's more bearable than others. But when it's not, they'll spiral like that.

With that said:

.

.

.

How would they ask for help?

I think Tanya and Kate would struggle a lot more than Irina with admitting when they need help.

.

Tanya is the leader, as such she´s probs more used to giving guidance than seeking it. So, I think a small part of her might be too proud to admit it because she doesn´t want to appear "weak" in front of her coven and, more importantly, in front of her mate. It´s ridiculous, and deep down she knows this. But it´s not like you can just turn off those voices inside your head.

However, a good leader knows when it´s time to let someone else take the reins for a while. That´s when she´ll seek out MC.

I don´t think she would be very vocal about it though. It´s more like she´s gonna...linger, longer than she usually would. Not necessarily seeking contact just yet, but more like breathing the same air, so to speak. She´s gonna start a conversation about the most random of topics then, kinda using it as an excuse for all that lingering. Then she´ll start twiddling her thumbs.

She doesn´t twiddle her thumbs. Ever.

With Tanya, it´s all about reading between the lines.

.

Kate struggles as well, albeit for different reasons. She was a warrior in her past life, and vulnerability had no place on the battlefield. I like to think that part of her still feels that way. Habits are hard to break, after all. Also, just like Tanya, she doesn´t want to show any kind of "weakness". That stuff could get you killed in combat.

But I also think, back then, she developed her own technique to slip into a state of mind that would allow her to stay focused despite the chaos in and around her. She´s probs seen some nasty stuff in her time as a warrior, so I can´t imagine she didn´t have some trick up her sleeve to deal with the horrors she no doubt faced back then. Mediation before a big battle or something.

With that said, I think she´d try and deal with stuff herself first. Not in the same every-tree-is-an-enemy way, but more like what she used to do back then: mediating. Just trying to get a clear head. Sometimes it works and she manages to chase those demons away herself. But more often than not, it doesn´t.

That´s when she´ll seek out her mate.

Like Tanya, she´s not very vocal about it. But unlike Tanya, she won´t beat around the bush either. She´ll seek physical contact right away, for example by wrapping her arms around MC from behind, plonking herself down in her lap or just snuggling up to her. Then she´ll start mumbling and muttering under her breath, barely loud enough for MC to understand.

But the bits she does catch are enough.

.

Irina is the one who struggles the least. I´d even go so far as to say she has no problem at all with admitting when she needs a helping hand. Why would she? It´s her mate, after all. Someone she trusts 100%. Granted, she doesn´t carry the "burden" of being a leader, and she probs didn´t suffer a life that forced her to close herself off from the world like Kate did. But still-

Out of the three of them, Irina´s always been the one to fully allow herself those feelings. When she feels something, it´s with every fibre of her being. She´s a person who´s 100% committed - to herself (inner peace) and the person she´s with. It´s either all in or nothing with her, and she´s all about honesty. That also means being honest to yourself.

I mean, we all got those days where we just don´t feel like ourselves, right? Perhaps we´re moody or just feeling down, seemingly without reason? Like a strange kind of foreboding?

That´s how it is for her. She knows when her body´s telling her something, and she always listens.

So, as soon as she realizes something´s just...off, she´ll seek out her mate. No hesitation. No beating around the bush. Just brutal honesty.

How else is her mate supposed to help her?

.

.

.

How can MC help in those moments?

Honestly? Just being there helps.

Being their ear when the words just can’t seem to stop, their shoulder when their woes become too heavy to carry alone, their voice when they seem to have lost their own.

MC just needs to be MC. Their mate.

That´s all they need.

.

.

.

Thanks a lot for your ask! 💋

.

EDIT:

Btw: Remember me saying I ugly-cried while answering an ask? If you liked "Old Habits Die Hard", you´ll probs love the next one. 🤧

[primeofprimes115]

Hoodie - Supergirl x Male Reader

Warnings: Smut 💕(Missionary and Male to Female Oral)

18+

Requested by ab1nsur

"I think you should dress like that from now on when it's just us"

"You think I look sexy wearing your hoodie with my outfit underneath?"

Link to art: https://www.deviantart.com/jmascia/art/Hoodie-Supergirl-501570182

A yawn came from the bedroom as the morning sun shined on through the curtains onto the king-sized bed that was shared between two people that lived under the shared roof.

Y/N yawned as his eyes began to open a little more, his arm drifted toward his right, knowing he would feel "her" sleeping beside him, but... He felt nothing, just the cover on the matrass and the feeling of the soft bedsheets on his hand.

He looked narrowly toward that same side, knowing it was rather odd for him to not wake up beside the love of his life who he began dating months ago, heck it's almost been a year since they began dating before they got intimate, sharing their feelings for each other, whether that be during their job or not.

Their job? Protecting the innocent of course! Keeping Earth safe from any who wish to harm its people. Earth was his home too, a "home away from home" according to his refugee mother, he always was reminded that he was pretty lucky to be born after his mother escaped the hell-scape of a war-torn planet she lived on.

That was years ago, Y/N was now 19 years old, living in his shared home with the one person he fell in love with, he had met her during their hero work of course, his technology is what interested her since she was a huge fan over tech, especially the technology of her own people, the Kryptonians.

He loves her for who she is, just a cheery, sassy and out most beautiful blonde girl and they were friends since 16 years old before dating at the age of 18 after confessing their feelings for each other, for it was a "good luck" kiss that made him realize she liked him and has for a while. After all... He has been by her side all this time, defending her from any who badmouth her, that did include civilians who once blamed her for destruction of property, saying what ever she touched, would be destroyed... Thankfully that was dealt with ages ago, other wise those humans probably wouldn't be alive due to a certain boy at the time.

He gets out of the bed with a yawn, grabbing a t-shirt he took off the from last night and pulled it over his head, stretching out his arms as he puts the short sleeves on while walking toward the shared bathroom to brush his teeth, he cared not for a shower at this minute since he smelled something cooking out from the bedroom.

Meanwhile, a humming blonde girl is seen making breakfast for herself and her seemingly now awakened boyfriend, she heard him quietly yawn thanks to her super hearing and also hearing the tap running in the bathroom also.

The smell of what is called the Great British Fry-Up, consisting of bacon, fried eggs, sausages, black pudding and toasted buttered bread on the side, most of it was on a plate for herself and her boyfriend as she was just cooking the fried eggs which were almost ready.

She then heard her boyfriend walking in, without the need of her X-ray vision, she began smirking since she was wearing something that belonged to him, over what she wears out there as her heroic self, the blue crop top and red panties instead of her blue skirt with the yellow belt, yellow outlines on her top with a shield glyph in the middle donning an S, which was her family glyph.

The whole world knew her as the Heroine: Supergirl, but her close family and friends knew her as Kara Zor-El and her alter-ego in the public also: Linda Lang, the niece of Lana Lang.

Lana Lang, Kara Zor-El, Supergirl... They're same person, only two is an alien refugee while being a Superhero, while the other is hiding in plain sight as a normal Human girl, blending into society.

"Morning Ba -" her boyfriend stopped for a moment as he took in what he saw, she was wearing one of his hoodies; in fact it was one of his favorite ones he usually wears out in public, under his "secret identity", he began chuckling at the sight as she smiled after looking back at him.

"Morning handsome" she spoke to her soulmate with a huge smile before she let out a little giggle, he walked closer to her as she focused on making the last few eggs on the frying pan.

"I thought I smelled something, don't need super senses to tell me what you're making, not like I have any anyway ~" he hugged her from behind, placing his lips on her cheek as he watched her cook - "Wearing one of my hoodies now huh?" he asked her as his hands travelled around her hips to the point he could feel her skin under the hoodie, knowing very well she was wearing her Supergirl crop top underneath.

"Yep, and I think it looks damn good on me" she chuckled, her eyes still on the pan.

"You're right about that... It makes you look pretty sexy, you should dress like this from now on when it's just us" he suggested, his hands drifting down a little lower from her stomach to just about her panties, teasing her a little as she slightly purrs at his touch.

"You think I look sexy wearing your hoodie with my outfit underneath?" she cooed with a smirk as she just finished frying the eggs on the pan, scooping them up not long after to gently place them on her plate and his afterwards.

She took the time to turn her body round to face him before planting a kiss on his lips for a few short seconds.

"Yeah, makes you look hot" he spoke into her lips, pulling back as his girlfriend simply smiled.

"Breakfast is ready honey" she gestured to the plates, waiting to be picked up.

"I love you babe, and I gotta say? You're getting better at cooking" he complimented, before unwrapping his arms around her to pick up his plate.

"Love you too, and yeah. You can thank Megan for that, she taught me how to cook better when I was hanging around with her and the Titans" she replied with a smile, also picking up her plate and walking over to the kitchen table where the both sat.

"Miss Martian? That makes sense" he spoke as Kara shot out her heat vision at his food to heat it back up, along with hers.

"Alright, I wanna know how well I've cooked this time around, so..." she smiled as the two dug in...

*

"Okay, that was actually really nice Kara, best breakfast hands down"

"Aww, thanks honey" she was simply overjoyed by her boyfriend's reaction to the breakfast she made, their plates were from full to empty.

"It's nice for you to cook for a change, knowing you told me the last time you ever cooked, you burned something that was cooking in the stove/oven and overcooked something else after that" he spoke as the both began to chuckle.

"Yeah, honestly I just wanted to surprise you since our anniversary is coming up, we've been together for almost a year now, thought I'd show you what I've learnt recently ~" she winked - "Also, there's still some leftovers if you want them, cooked extra incase if you were hungry" she added.

"Hmm ~" he thought, he was in fact hungry but the more he thought about it, he became hungry for something else... He was hungry for her - "Well... I am hungry for something else" he began to smirk as she raised an eyebrow.

"And what exactly are you hungry for?" she chuckled, smiling a little while also looking slightly confused, what else would he be hungry for?

"Well... I'm looking at it right now" he replied, not taking his eyes off of her as her eyes widened before a huge grin grew on her face, knowing exactly what he meant with being hungry for her.

"If that's the case..." she spoke in an alluring tone of voice, standing up from her seat as he did the same.

The two walked up to each other before their bodies made contact, their lips crashed onto each other as they began making out.

Her hands explored his body, she knew he didn't go for a shower but that didn't matter right now, all she wanted was for him to have her since he was hungry for her.

She began pulling at his shirt, hinting at him to take it off as he did so, she purred upon seeing his body once more which she fantasizes over, she used to have wet dreams about his body, how it made her purr, turning her on in ways she never thought possible but thankfully she had a much more better control of her powers... Except when it came to the finale of sex with him, they both knew the amount of stuff that got destroyed in their time spent together when things turned sexual. Sometimes she just needed him so she could just feel relaxed after a hard day, she couldn't help it and neither could he.

Everything was amazing about her, he loved that she uses her powers at times, how the last time they done it in the sky, he always thought back to that time and remembered she wanted to do it on Mount Everest though he feared they could probably destroy the mountain after a good time.

Their tongues danced as their hands explored each others bodies, Kara was tempted to take the hoodie off but he insisted her to keep it on, even the crop top underneath so he knows he's fucking the Girl of Steel.

Next thing is... Y/N had her pinned to the wall, allowing him to take control as his stray hand slipped down her pants to the part that made her squirm and beg for more, his fingers teasing her clitoris as he slowly done circles around it, warming her up.

In a sense, Supergirl is invulnerable to mostly everything on Earth, except magic based sources and but of all: Kryptonite and its many variations... Well, excluding Blue Kryptonite.

She's bulletproof, not a single human being can harm her normally, she's faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, can leap tall buildings in a single bound let alone be able to defy gravity and fly, even out of Earth's atmosphere and fly around in the vast of space... But she's very vulnerable to a single mortal being's touch? That being her boyfriend's touch?? He maybe half alien but he's also half human and considers himself as a human.

"Oh fuck you're making me wet" she purred as she bit her lip, feeling two of his fingers entering her as he went for her neck, pecking and biting it to give her a hickey, marking her as his and only his.

She moans softly as her body began to squirm a little more, her breaths getting shaky before she forced him to look at her and began making out with him again, while being pinned to the wall behind her.

His fingers soon exit out of her, dragging his hand out from her panties as he pulls back to breath after a long minute make out session.

The hoodie wearing Girl of Steel simply smirked before wrapping her arms around him and speeding them both to the bedroom, where things would continue on in there.

She had already took off her red panties, dropping them to the floor before laying on her back on the messy bedsheets, stretching her legs outwards to invite him in.

She began playing with herself in front of him as the bump in his pants began to grow, but he didn't want to fuck her right at this minute, he wanted to do something else to her vagina.

He lowered himself down onto her, his face coming close to her clit, she began to gasp before letting out a fit of arousing giggles which soon turned into moans upon his tongue licking her clitoris.

She looked at him, her hand at the back of his head as she used one elbow to support herself on the bed to get a better look at his work on her, his tongue teasing her entrance as he continued to warm her up.

Her moans escaped with ecstasy, her gaping mouth as she moans in pleasure, feeling his tongue go inside her as he flicked it round.

"Ahhh yeah" she moans softly, rocking her head back as her eyes roll up.

She was right about one thing... Only one person on Earth could make her vulnerable without the need of magic or Kryptonite, it was her boyfriend, his touch alone is enough to make her like this... Especially when she's this aroused.

Her moans increased as his tongue continued to warm her up to the point she began playing with her clitoris, rubbing it as he continued flicking his tongue.

She felt herself coming to orgasm the more she worked herself up with him eating her out, she really wanted to orgasm so badly, it had only been a month since she last orgasmed.

Her hopes to orgasm came to an end for a few seconds as he pulled his tongue out, getting up by pulling down his boxers next.

Before she could even pout, she felt his manhood enter her as she let out a surprised gasp, beginning to thrust into her deeply, her wet vaginal walls had lubed his shaft as he thrusted deeply a few more times before continuing at a normal pace.

"Oh Rao, fuck yes Y/N! Right fucking deep in there" she cursed with a huge grin on her face, a fit of aroused laughter escaping her mouth as he passionately thrusted into her.

He began to grope her breasts through her outfit's crop top, glancing down at the S on her top as he began to smile, letting out a moan as her walls began to close on his penis, he had already eaten her out and it satisfied him, now with this? He was satisfied even more, hearing her moans as he continued thrusting into her tight pussy.

"Oh F-FUCK! I'm c-cumming!!" she cursed out which began loudly before it tuned down as she felt herself beginning to orgasm, moaning loudly as she did so, the orgasm was pretty powerful enough to make the room shake a little.

She kept her eyes on him, not breaking eye contact as she continued climaxing as he slowed down his thrusts, he began groaning a little as he slowed down, allowing her to finish her orgasm... But he didn't stop there.

"Y'know? ~" he began smirking - "You may have finished... But I haven't" he chuckles as a huge grin creeped up on her face, an excited laugh escaping her throat as he began to speed up his thrusts.

Wet noises began sounding off due to Kara's orgasm with her boyfriend's manhood still inside her pussy, easily slipping in and out of her with precision.

Her moans continued with his noisy thrusts overlapping her moans, her pussy filled with her own juices began leaking out a little upon him pulling back his shaft to go deeper in her each thrust.

He couldn't keep his eyes off of her baby blues, he leaned down with a fiery kiss on her lips afterwards, thrusting his hips into her as his thighs began smacking off of her.

The two lovebirds moaned into each other's mouths, her moans increasing louder the more he kept going, getting rough with his thrusts... Just the way she loved it.

He grabs Kara's arms and pins them to the bed, asserting his dominance, although the Maiden of Might could easily break out of his grip, she simply couldn't because of how vulnerable she was right now, and she was living the dream.

"Keep going! Oh fucking Rao, fuck me like there's no tomorrow! rougher!! Faster!!!" she demanded with a growl, grinding her teeth as her cheeks turned a bright red, enjoying the feeling of him beginning to thrust rougher in her, laughing in pleasure as she kept her eyes on him, not breaking eye contact.

She loved the way he makes her vulnerable, the way he pins her down and fucks her, she always thinks about the way he fucks her in any position when she wears his hoodies, t-shirts and vests when he's not around.

And now? She's getting fucked while wearing his hoodie over her Supergirl crop top.

Her legs wrap around his back, she could feel his cock beginning to twitch more inside her as he kept his rough and fast thrusts going, wet noises escaping her pussy.

From her move, the feeling of her legs wrapping around his back, he could tell she wanted him to finish inside of her, despite the fact she can't necessarily get pregnant easily, a procedure would have to be done for that.

He kept thrusting as he began to feel his cock twitching more, which meant one thing - "Fuck, Kara. I'm gonna -"

"Do it! I want it all in me" she quickly interrupted with a moan, grinning knowing he didn't exactly have a choice to orgasm out of her with her legs wrapped around his back.

"Mmmmph, ughhhh" a groan escaped from him while she moaned loudly, feeling him deeply thrusting in her a few more times before releasing, his body on top of her as he dug his face into the crook of her neck with him draining all of his juices that built up in him, into her.

He lifted his face up with a satisfied sigh while looking into Kara's baby blues once more and kissing her deeply, thrusting his cock a little more into her to finish off.

They both settled down after a minute passes, Kara giggles as she heard a pop sound upon his penis exiting her pussy before her boyfriend laid down next to her.

She shifted herself to him by lying her head on his chest, smiling with satisfaction - "Now that's one way to start the morning after breakfast" she broke the silence with a satisfied sigh.

"Well ~" he began, Kara looked up at him from his chest - "You deserve it after making a good breakfast for both of us ~" he complimented, gently tapping her on the nose - "Boop"

"You're freaking cute at times, y'know that?" she began giggling, booping his nose back too.

"Says you ~" he scoffed - "You're the cutest person I've ever met, especially since your wearing my hoodie, cutie" he smiled.

"Aww, thanks honey" a blush arose up her cheeks, smiling ear to ear.

"No problem babe ~" he kissed her forehead - "It's the truth" he pecked her on the forehead once more as the two unknowingly stared at each other lovingly, getting lost into each other's eyes.

Her smile alone would give him butterflies in his stomach, it was a smile that would make a bad day turn good within a second, she radiated that sunshine of goodness and that's all he ever wanted.

He makes her feel the same way, both energetic at times who finishes each other's sentences, always a great team together.

"Well, I'm gonna get a shower -"

"Wanna join me? Yeah, I'll join" she interrupted, knowing what he was going to ask before both began erupting in a fit of laughter.

"Ugh I love it when you do that" he laughed, kissing her on the lips.

"Two minds, think alike, am I right?" she asked.

"Yeah, we both do think alike, and y'know what? After the shower, you better keep the hoodie on, I love the fact you've been wearing it" he smiled as the two began kissing again...

[freshie44]

Episode 9 Spoilers

So I sat on this one because I need to sort some thoughts and cool off some emotions. Let Start from the top

Ashley - So far the most consistently written. She filling that heroic role. She is making friends, keeping the peace and is the leader of her team. We should be hitting the merge soon. If she can avoid losing to the "too big of a target" trope. She should in theory make it to finals as the Heroic finalist. Let's just hope we stick to we have written already.

Alec - Alright I'm going to get a bit heated here, alright? Alright! So writers, I'm going to be talking to you directly. I'm not blaming anyone specifically, it takes a village and I understand that! But, lets not lose to flanderization. Benefit of the doubt the book thing was a poor joke trying to interject some humor into the scene. But you have written Alec so far as being very intelligent. Intelligent enough to realize shit like that make him look like a bad dad. Obviously, he isn't great since that is the crux of his divorce. But season 1 showed he was at least TRYING! With the Season 3 version showing a post divorce Alec trying to put himself back together. SO LETS NOT FUCK THIS UP! As well as using his intelligence to run the game. SO keep with the earlier writing. If he going to lose, make sure the character that beat him rise to his level, not bring Alec down to their level. But if we are going to make him win, let keep up with writing and not rest on our laurels. You several good options here, either keeping heel, making him tweener, I'm trusting you all to not mess this up. I know I'm coming in hot but I want to show that this matter to me, and hey I'm just one person and you are writing for more than one. But I just had to say my peace.

Aiden - Maybe I'm just trans bias. But like he has people to feud with. Let's pull the trigger and seem some moves already! He an underdog let him go nuts trust me it do well.

Grett - I'm warming up to her. Maybe I was wrong, maybe the Yul feud will be enough for her to win some real momentum. She very smart and if she can focus on the game and play her card right. She could be a big contender and become a tweener that people can get behind.

Gabby - Oh Gabby, Gabby, Gabby. Embracing the heel life will be fun. But to me, Gabby's biggest issue is that she can't see the big picture. She a fan favorite and she going to give some good moments. But she an attack dog being released on whoever pisses her off. Eventually she'll get routed and if she wins just with wild abandon as strategy, eh I'll be miffed that why she is here.

The drama trio: I DON"T CARE WHO BUT GET RID OF AT LEAST ONE OF THEM. YOU ARE DRAGGING THIS STORY OUT AND I'M JUST TIRED OF THE WILL THEY WON'T THEY. THEY CAN'T FUCKING COMMUNICATE, LIKE i GET IT, IT'S IN THE TROPES. BUT SEEING THREE PEOPLE BICKER ALL THE TIME AND REFUSE TO SOLVE THE ISSUE IS TIRING.

Riya & Yul: You know the drill

Elimination - Tess, was a choice. I think she is going to revive and be the one that resolves a few open plotlines. She at least is the person here with the most emotional awareness. Now it's just a question, when do you throw the revival in.

Last Episode | Next Episode

[yellowhollyhock]

Please tell us more about Donny and Angel I love these two as a couple they so cute! She’s so perfect for him and vise versa. I like to pretend when the series ended they became official they got married. Mikey is the flower girl because that’s hilarious to me and he’s genderqueer so he’s like yes I get to wear a dress. LH is best man because he’s Donny’s best friend. I am not sure what Raph and Leo are lol. I know there’s brides maid but not sure what you call the version for the groom so Raph and Leo are up there with LH.

Aaahdhhs thank you!! 💜💜🥹 I am always at any time so ready to talk about Donny and Angel.

I love your ideas about their wedding! I think since Splinter would be officiating, Raph can give Donny away (is giving grooms away a thing? if it isn't then, oh well it is now), and Leo can be the ring-bearer. Angel's friends Ashley and Jessica who I made up for the Meeting Gramma fic (it's in pinned post) are bridesmaids.

Okay so below the cut, here's some things I've been thinking about, and how I imagine his proposal!

I don't imagine them fighting often, but one thing that would definitely cause friction is his driving. In the show his bros always let him drive, but have you ever noticed how he's crazy? Usually I think it ends up that way because there's a big chase or it's just comedic, but I like the idea that he's actually quite reckless. Tbh, a lot of people I know irl who are really good at working on cars are really bad at driving safely. They know exactly how far they can push that machine and they like showing it, sometimes forgetting to factor in that there are other people on the road and such things as safety laws.

Anyway Angel lost her mom in a car crash where the other driver was at fault. She was six. Neither her nor Ryan have licenses, partially because driving is scary to them but also because they live in New York City.

I don't think Donny would take it well when Angel calls him out about his driving. This is something he taught himself how to do in order to take better care of his family. He didn't have access to the resources she did to learn (experienced drivers, opportunity to legally obtain a license), and she hasn't shown any interest in using them (he doesn't know about how her mom died at the time), so why should he take criticism from her? He gets defensive when she makes a comment, something she is not used to from him, and they both end up pushing and holding onto little things. Angel says she'd just rather not get in the car with him and if he wants to go places with her they can walk. This seems pretty inconsiderate to Don who cannot simply walk through the city, and he doubts she wants to learn how to slink around and jump across rooftops since she doesn't even want to learn to drive.

Once they've both had time to cool down, he apologizes--he hates that he made her feel unsafe, he'd be happy to walk places with her if that's more comfortable, and he'd like her to know he has asked Raph to backseat for him for a while (call him out if he takes corners too fast, breaks laws etc). With him being vulnerable and apologizing, it's much easier for her to realize and admit why it actually scared her so much, that it wasn't all to do with him, in fact she never feels safe in cars. As they've been getting closer she's been worrying a lot that she would lose him somehow. She apologizes for losing her temper and calling him out in front of everyone (everyone probably consists of April, Casey, and his bros). She tells him how much she appreciates that he's trying to do better and that of course she doesn't mind driving places with him, in fact she feels better knowing that if something does happen, she'd know about it right away.

Also kinda thinking maybe Donny teaches her how to drive, later when she asks. I think she'd still feel safer with him at the wheel, especially once he starts being more careful, but it could still be empowering for her to know.

Their proposal~~

He takes her to Central Park--they wouldn't go somewhere like that very often, but they risk it early one November morning for what he will only vaguely call a 'special occasion.'

Anyway it's not hard to stay disguised because he's freezing and wearing so many layers you can't even tell he's round. (We don't really see the turtles in winter clothes much in the show, but after all the chaos had stopped I think they'd be more comfortable doing little things for themselves such as keeping warm). They buy hot chocolates. She makes a snow angel, which he cannot stop laughing about. She keeps close by to keep him warm, which makes him nervous because the ring is in his pocket and she's going to find it before he's ready--he panics and starts a snowball fight. She's in her element. He's getting more flustered by the minute. He's still a ninja though, and holding his own--until in a moment of distraction she nails him right in the face. She's wheezing, crying, cackling and fussing all at once--and when she comes over to help him up he panics again and takes the opportunity to pull out the ring.

It's a puzzle ring. They've talked about it before, and she's never liked the idea of a fancy gem. She wears lots of jewelry, and an engagement ring of all things should be practical to wear daily, not like her studded nose rings or chain necklaces with all kids of loud charms.

He pulls it out and lets them dangle from each other; four rings, all attached to each other. "It takes some work to fit them together," he explains as he assembles it for her, "But it's impossible to take them apart." Allowing herself to get close to people has been a big deal for her since her dad left. He's still haunted by the possibility of just disappearing one day, apparently without a trace.

He's getting teary and having a hard time getting through the speech he planned so carefully. "I want that for us."

She slips the ring on and pulls him into a hug. "I want that, too." Then, as if she's only just thought of it, "Let's get married." Because she's always loved making him laugh 💜

[theendwhereibegin]

Here goes nothing. Been a bit rusty as I haven't written in a while now, let alone, any fanfiction. I guess it's been a while since I have last felt this connection to an actor.

Please bare with me. This is my first story in the realm of Pedro Pascal fan fiction, so please be kind to me, and tell me if it really sucks.

So here it is, a bit of fluff with Pedro Pascal. * i cringed even typing that*

Enjoy!

Universally meant, Earthly bound

If you were to think that there is a force in the Universe that dictates how a select few, the chosen ones, the lucky ones, met, would you believe it?

story line

inner monologue

I was rushing through the city, once again. Why? Mainly because my only workout consists of hitting the snooze button a little too much in the mornings.

Running towards work, I realized that I had gone out of the house wearing my slippers. I didn't realize that on my own though, a 6 year old boy loudly told his mom while we were waiting to cross the street.

“Look mommy, she has Baby Yoda slippers on her feet. That is so cool. I want to be like her when I grow up”

Upon hearing that I turned my attention towards the pair, as his mom shot me a sympathetic look, a look that pretty much made me understand that she has most probably done it herself one too many times. The child was beaming towards me with a cute boyish smile and all my embarrassment melted away.

Yes, you read that right. I was now making my way to work while wearing Baby Yoda slippers, too sleepy to care about the looks I was getting from the random people passing me.

Let`s pause the story here for a bit. Now that we set the scene, I might as well tell you a bit about myself. I am in my early 30s, and some would argue I am at that age when I kind of need to be put together and not leave my house wearing slippers instead of proper shoes. I would argue that age is just a silly number, and it doesn`t dictate how you are supposed to live your life. I enjoy pretty much anything Netflix has to offer, long awkward walks in the park as I don`t really do socializing, and charity shops where I always seem to find a little treasure in the form of old and rare books. My name isn`t important at this point in time, but my job, well my job is the key element for this story.

...right I forgot to tell you the plot. Let`s just say that this is the story of how I managed to meet one of the biggest stars on this planet, probably Galaxy, while wearing house slippers, a coffee soaked white t-shirt and sporting a very Harry Potter like scratch on my right cheek. Now, shall we get back to our story? Where was I? Right! Going to work.

Going through the busy streets I stopped at a Starbucks to grab myself a coffee and something to eat before, what was supposed to be, a very long day at work. That`s where I soaked my t-shirt and got a pretty nasty cut on my face. How, you may ask yourself? That`s easy when your middle name is Clumsy.

After I got my coffee and sandwich, I turned around to be met by a silhouette as hard as a wall, which caused me to lose my balance and trip over a small dog, with the hot dark liquid flying in the air and landing on my t-shirt. While all that was happening, like it wasn`t enough, I fell face first in a wooden like fork, which managed to cause quite a cut. This sounds crazy, I know, but if something goes wrong for me, it`s going to be all at once.

“Are you okay?” asked the silhouette.

While trying to collect myself from the ground while the whole shop was looking at me I mumbled an embarrassed “Sure” and ran as fast as I could towards the exit. At least my slippers made it out alive from the whole debacle.

Walking into work I put my bag on my desk and sulked in my seat. Today couldn`t of started worse, and I had to face the music at work as well as my boss has told me weeks ago that I have an important photo shoot today and that I should be prepared and full of energy.

Have you guessed my job yet? I bet you did...

While waiting for the main character of the photo shoot to appear, I tried to finish some of the projects I started already and never gotten around to finishing.

“Are you ready for today?” asked my coworker, Alexis.

Alexis was that giddy girl that every office has. Keen on being liked by everyone and befriend everyone, she managed to sneak herself under my skin, and I took her under my wing. Being young, I never had the support she has. I was always thrown into deep waters without much to go on, and being a mentor for Alexis meant the world to me.

“Of course I am ready A. I am also nervous as I never had to deal with something like this before. I usually know all of the models, and now Graham made it clear that it`s a new person and that it`s important for the photo shoot to go great. You know I don`t know how to socialize.” I said while I put my head in my hands, shrugging slightly.

I continued, “On top of that I am wearing Baby Yoda slippers, my shirt is soaked and stained and I have this on my cheek”, while pointing at myself.

“How did you even manage? Wait, I retract my question. It`s you. Of course, something like this would happen. Here, let me help you clean your face a bit, at least” she said while taking my hand and guiding me to the bathroom. Wrong move on her part as at the same time my boss screamed my name while trying to get my attention towards our client for today.

Turning my head I could have sworn I saw Pedro Pascal looking at me wide eyed. I shook it off and looked again. That is definitely Pedro Pascal and I am definitely looking like a downright mess right now.

“One moment” I screamed back while rushing Alexis towards the bathroom.

The moment the door closed, I started hyperventilating and pacing at an alarming rate, trying to swallow the node I felt building up in my throat.

“This cannot be happening to me. This is too much. How am I supposed to go out there and shake his hand while looking like this? He`s seen me in this state. That`s it. I am cancelling today. I am going to call from here and tell Graham that I am suddenly sick and I can not go through and that we need to reschedule. What am I even saying? You don`t reschedule Pedro Pascal. He reschedules you, not the other way around.”

“You really need to breathe. In and out. You can`t call in sick. You are already at work, smarty pants. Plus, isn`t this the guy you`ve been gushing on since you`ve seen `The Last of Us`?” Alexis pointed out while trying to clean my cheek and get me to calm down. I am amazed at the fact that she stopped me from pacing further.

“You`ll go out there with a smile on your face. You will do your job and he will love being in your company because you are an amazing woman and photographer. You hear me?” she started saying louder than before.

“I hear you” I said while looking in the mirror.

Newsflash. I didn`t hear her. I heard words, but to be honest, I zone out when people try to pep talk me. She is a lovely friend, but at the same time, I know I won`t be able to survive today. I can try, though. Should I even worry? It`s not like he`s going to care how I present myself. He just needs photos, and that`s that.

“I am pretty sure I lost you there for a bit, so please say it to me : I hear you, and I will slay the hell out of this photo shoot because I can.” she read me like an open book.

“I hear you, and I will slay the hell out of this photo shoot because I can. All better now?” I asked while making my way out of the bathroom. Yet another mistake as Pedro was exiting the men’s bathroom and heard everything I just said.

“Are you for real?” I said in an annoyed tone while Alexis was hot on my heels giggling like a high-school girl. Pedro was visibly amused at what was unfolding in front of him.

“I am for real. Last time, I checked anyway. I am Pedro. Nice to meet you” he said while smiling.

“This keeps getting more embarrassing. I am your photographer for the day. My name is Olivia.” I said while extending my hand to him. “Sorry for my apparel for the day, but I`ve had a rough start. I swear I am better at my job than I am at, well, living. Should we get started?” I asked quickly not to leave him too much time to respond anything else but yes.

“Yes. After you”

This was a weird setting. Me and him walking the long hallway to the photo studio. It felt like it took even longer than it normally does. I was trying to distract myself until he opened his mouth again.

“Nice slippers. Good to see they escaped unharmed from your Starbucks episode” he said while smirking. I could feel the smirk in his voice as he talked. Wait, how did he know about Starbucks? I mean, the stain looks like coffee, so you don`t have to be a genius to know that I probably tripped, and it spilt on me, but to represent it as an episode...

“Excuse me? Starbucks episode?” I asked, stunned.

“Well, I would start by saying sorry for standing behind you in the queue. I mean, you could have turned a bit slower, but I couldn`t help myself but move closer to you while you were turning because I saw your slippers, and I was curious.” he said while stopping .

“I am truly sorry Olivia. I really am.” he continued.

Of course! My luck! The stranger that I tripped over happens to be Pedro Pascal. Seriously, Universe? Seriously”

“I can`t with today. That`s it. I am cancelling today. Today never happened.” I said in a frustrated manner, causing his concern.

“I mean, I don`t think you can do that as most of it already happened, but you can try, I guess?” he said while scratching the back of his head while I was looking at him like a lost puppy seeing its favourite toy after a long time. His whole demeanour made me feel at ease. All he had to do was smile, and I was automatically in a better mood.

“I suppose I can`t. As I mentioned before, I am sorry for my apparel. I didn`t plan to do this. I didn`t even know who the client was until you walked in. I just hit the snooze button too many times. Ended up speed dressing and running through the city. By the time I was made aware of the fact that I am wearing my Baby Yoda slippers by a 6 year old, nonetheless, it was too late to go back and change. Here I am, in all my nerdy glory. Unfortunately, your photographer is a nerdy, clumsy, and awkward woman who is supposed to have her shit together cause she`s over 30 and has no desire to act her age.”

I regretted it the moment all of this left my mouth and my hands flew towards it in horror. He was in the same position, with the same boyish grin plastered on his face, looking at me like I wasn`t just ranting my frustrations to a man I just met.

"For all it`s worth, I think you are trying your hardest, and you should cut yourself some slack. Be your nerdy, clumsy, awkward self because that`s who you are meant to be. You are trying to change something that will never change, your essence. It`s who you are, Olivia, and if you ask me, I`d say so far my first impression of you is a very good one” he said reassuringly.

I took a deep breath and turned around while whispering a shy “Thank you!”, not knowing that he understood how much his words meant to me, and that he was relieved that he managed to say it without upsetting me in the process. Little did I know that the Universe has been working hard for years to make this encounter happen.

[daggerzine]

Film Review: “It’s only life after all” an Indigo Girls documentary (2023)- review by Dina Hornreich

And here is another revolting rockumentary review to help us further consider whether punk is “more queer” than mainstream gay culture, but first let’s get our lingo worked out:

• Punk is best described as an attitude, according to Don Letts’ 2005 film (Punk: Attitude).

• Punk Rockers are then considered the n*ggers of Rock ‘n Roll, according Patti Smith’s song from her 1978 Easter album; and it features Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground, The Ramones, and (of course) Sex Pistols’ mastermind Malcolm McLaren.

• Glam Rock challenged the boundaries of masculinity and femininity via David Bowie, The New York dolls, and other (mostly) “dudes in drag” styled outfits.

• No Wave is a different extrapolation of punk efforts affecting Sonic Youth, Lydia Lunch, and other offshoots that deconstructed and reassembled sound to further challenge conventional structures.

• Riot Grrrl & Queercore/Homocore were another sub-counterculture which uniquely adopts a loud (often campy) Punk idea that is overtly informed by more academic feminist and queer approaches as a deliberate artistic movement involving the work of Bikini Kill, Babes in Toyland, Mecca Normal, Team Dresch, Pansy Division, and Tribe 8.

In other words: Losers, freaks, deviants, etc. and other people whom society just wanted to GO AWAY.

So where do the Indigo Girls fit into this motif – LGBT communities also certainly know that stigma intimately?

Much like Sinead O’Connor (or even Suzanne Vega) in the late 80s & early 90s, this pop & rock  folk/country duo should more readily be able to fit into this sex & gender revolution. However, in this documentary, they really don’t seem to think

 Indigo_personal archive_81.tif

that they do. But the press kit photo of Amy Ray wearing a Husker Du t-shirt suggests fairer comparisons could include gay punks like Bob Mould and Grant Hart. And the film footage with The Butchies, Jean Smith, and Thalia Zedek further reinforces that impression.

I can’t truly speak for their fans from the Michigan Womyn’s Music festival (whose dominant voice often screamed “trans-exclusionary radical feminist” or TERF which are ideas from an era that has itself become stigmatized as we approach the next era of inclusivity challenges beyond “me too” sentiments); but they were clearly aware of crucial considerations for building community in ways that promote authenticity, safety, consistency, acceptance, comfort, and impartiality in our communicative exchanges.

What makes the Indigo Girls’ approach different is the level of self-sacrifice they are willing to make in order to accommodate their fans’ needs, wants, and desires. They have a very nuanced and humanistic sensitivity that makes them reluctant to challenge conventions or contradictions in the ways that turn weirdos into outlaws; an idea that frequently dominates punk ideologies and expressions as it overtly challenges societal power dynamics.

Instead, they prefer to go more grassroots in their activism as they continue to self-consciously challenge oppression without giving into that tendency for oppressing others which happens throughout most marginalized groups; but, they still seem to have internalized their oppression (which is something that women clearly seem quite willing to do) as the heartfelt explanations about dealing with depression, addiction, and other self-sacrificing responses to trauma portray.

Additional footage involving their activist work with Winona Laduke (or even Joan Baez) further exhibits an impressive willingness to move toward a more “crowd pleasing” aesthetic and clearly maintains a more unifying image given their “GLAAD approved” identity (which is something that artists like Stephin Merritt never seem able to accomplish despite sincere attempts to assert his status as “gay and loud.”). And this pressure certainly isn’t easy to navigate; especially when you consider the unhappy ending we recently witnessed to Sinead O’Connor’s story.

However, it is clear that they were very often distracted by a nagging pain from the concomitant rejection that accompanies just being “out” lesbians in an apparently still sexually repressed society. Their struggles and story are quite consistent with many women musicians who challenge societal conventions including gender essentialist structures as they tend to become grouped together into one large mass of “masculine” (or even “butch”) women.

For me, their ongoing dedication to a successful musical partnership is a testament to their commitment to building relationships on numerous levels. They clearly have their “niche” where they inhabit which keeps them a bit “insular” for its more narrow range – often making them appear a bit “contained.” However, they demonstrate an impressive commitment to beautiful lyrical prose alongside enjoyable melodic harmonies (using voice and acoustic guitar) which allows their work to remain generally consistent and reliable to their audience; and (in doing so) the film clearly supports their overall thesis that “It’s only life after all.”

www.indigogirls.com

[alphawolfice1989]

Robin should have ended up with barney instead of ted

loverink

Robin should have ended up with Barney, or Don. Robin needs to be with someone who won't pressure her into any feminine ideals, admires her independence, and doesn't want kids. I also think these are the two breakups we see Robin the most emotional over.

I will also note here that I think the show failed Robin, in that we are repeatedly shown what Ted and Barney want more often than what Robin wants. And just because she's not comfortable expressing all the emotions, doesn't mean she doesn't have them.

Honestly Don and Barney have a bit in common. Don started out on her show as an unprofessional jerk who undermined her hard work. When he finally got his crap together was when the two of them worked as a couple. At the end, not only did he take the job in Chicago, but he didn't invite her to move with him which is pretty telling, sadly.

We see Robin and Barney as friends first, and although we do see Robin's disdain of his womanizing ways, we also see them genuinely enjoy each other's company. Early on we see them exchange a sort of mutual respect and admiration for each other in a lot of their scenes.

With Ted & Robin they are almost consistently on different pages and have different desires from their relationship. With Barney & Robin, I feel like we see them step into sync as they grow as people and get to know each other.

I feel like we are shown more in the aftermath of B&R vs T&R. Throughout the following seasons we see Barney shooting longing glances at Robin. We learn Robin cried after the breakup and Barney was unaware. Robin, who doesn't like feelings, expresses to Barney how hard it is to see him set up this perfect date when he didn't do that for her. And so he gives her the perfect date - to go on with Don. We see so more vulnerable moments with both Barney and Robin compared to Ted and Robin, imo. Comparatively, for several seasons we see nothing from Ted towards Robin until Victoria returns and voices her opinion onscreen. Only after that do we see Ted's feelings again.

When Ted tells Robin that he loves her, can get past her disinterest and inability to have kids, she eventually that she just doesn't love him. When Barney is in relationships with Nora and Patrice, we see Robin get jealous and emotional. Full on sobbing, drinking under a desk.

In the final season we see Robin talk about the locket and how Ted goes big for her by getting it back. I'm so frustrated by the writers here. Because there are so many times and ways that Barney has gone big for Robin, but it didn't serve the narrative they wanted.

In the context of the show, literally the DAY before the wedding Barney had given Robin a huge Canada themed rehearsal dinner because he knew how much that place and her family meant to her.

The single biggest omission was that Barney stopped Robin from being deported. He is the reason that Robin is still in their day to day lives, it's because he found her a job. Because he loved her.

I don't believe that Ted in the show would have been happy without kids. I think he would have made passive aggressive comments for a long time and the couple would eventually split. I do believe that Barney could be happy without kids.

After their breakup, Ted always felt like her safety pick. He was the guy who always loved her more than she loved him. He wasn't the guy she actually wanted to be with. He wasn't the guy she missed or sent longing glances to.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HIMYM/comments/126of3s/who_do_you_think_barneyrobinted_should_have_ended/

[anotherworldash]

What is your take on Kaname and THW ship if it isn't romantic? How does it compare to Yume?

hello i'm glad you asked! i've been thinking about thie series for a while! and to answer it:

(this is my personal take and you can agree to disagree but i will stand by my opinion. if you ship THWxKaname and aren't happy with my answer please just kindly leave my blog without trying to convince me)

i don't think kaname loves THW romantically although they were in romantic relationship. in the sense of... it's clear there's a panel where she kissed him on the lips so their relationship were romantic.

i think they were together because: at that time, both were looking for companion with same goal in mind. their action were quite controversial. so, they did bond overtime.

but he wasn't attracted to her that much. he didn't have the hots for her like he did to yuki. yeah i'm not even joking on this part. haven't we read enough how much kaname yearn for yuki physically? kaname is literally so horny when it comes to yuki. we've seen how they kiss or drink blood.

(with this description, i'm pretty sure attraction is a big part of relationship for a man like kaname................ god i love him . taken from volume 10 btw)

so THW's kiss with kaname is a pale comparison. in my personal opinion, it's rather one-sided. (THW leaning in for a kiss and kaname's somberly touch her flowing braids... i feel like this could be any woman x kaname if she is the one giving him direction/power/companionship at that time., i think it's expected when two opposite gender that respect and doesn't hate each other spend a lot of time together. he's got his 'he's just a man' moments if you know what i mean when he take blood from ruka)

let's say he had a slight attraction to THW. still, it's already over once she's dead. he also had completely moved on from THW, yuki herself asked if kaname is looking for replacement for her and he said 'no one can be a replacement to anyone'. he didn't lie when he said this. there's literally no need for him to lie. he did regret losing THW but that's it.

(let me add some personal opinions/headcanon : i also don;t think THW and kaname had done anything more than a kiss. i long wondered how did kuran family has descendants if kaname didn't have a child himself back then with THW? if he had one then surely he would had a reason to live , or at least the child will appear in his memory. but, no that just doesn't exist. the more accurate guess would be : perhaps kuran family doesn't consist only ancestor kaname, but he had other siblings/family member who procreated and that is where yuki/rido/juri/haruka came from. the reason why they weren't in picture was because they didn't agree with kaname's goal to live alongside human. so they separated way) (ya know this could be provven wrong in the future VKM chapters as the series is still ongoing but i will stand by my opinion for now as it makes the most sense. if you think about it, someday ai's descendant will call rido as 'kuran ancestor' too.)

rather than in love, it's more appropriate to say kaname is still in the same page with THW when it comes to problem solving. because, they were doing the same quest together. and he actually agree that her plans to kill are purebloods and her decision to sacrifice herself were GOOD SOLUTIONS. when all plans failed, he remembered he could use her solutions.

this is the space where Yuki came in too late to save Kaname. it's not entirely Yuki's fault because Kaname deliberately keeps Yuki away from this problem because he knew how she'd sacrifice herself for him and he don't want that.

when it comes to yume, eventhough kaname sees yuuki as his lover and beloved, he was unable to see her as his equal. perhaps it's due to big age gap between them. therefore, kaname already has this mindset that decide yuki can't handle this much of a problem. and even if she can, he wouldn't let such a baby get involved in this problem.

the point in his struggle is he wants her to live and be free, just like he wanted himself to live and be free. kaname longs for the mortality and carefreeness that might set him free from his responsibility and burden (but he can't, so he try to at least give it to yuki. but OOPS, he turned yuki back into a vampire and now he's gotta keep those purebloods and opposing vampires in check...cause they're not endangerin only him, but yuki as well. not to mention the furnace and vampire hunter weapons are getting less effective.)

kaname meant it when he said yuki has became a hindrance for him. this is exactly why at the end of series, he wanted zero to be with yuki.

originally, that is not what he wanted, he wanted yuki for only himself. this is shown where he turned yuki back into vampire. although this was initiated by yuki. let's admit he partly agree so he could have her by himself. and show zero that yuki is HIS. that was not a part of his original plan.

but then he realized things have gotten too complicated and the price is too high to pay. (the price is yuki's safety and happiness that he fought for long and many times. he also saw that yuki wasn't as happy as she used to be in her new life as vampire and he felt guilty for it)

by the time he said she is a hindrance, he already hated himself. perhaps he already hated himself from a long time ago and now he got to see for himself how far his course of actions have gotten everyone in trouble. he didn't feel like he deserved yuki's warmth for a slightest. for him, it's already over. everything is over. his life is over. he wants nothing but redemption. i think this explains why he's so nonchalant when yuki held him tight. but, he still talked to her once he heard yuki erased zero's memories to chose him.

<Additionally, it explains why he decided to leave after their night together. Things have gone wrong so many times. Why would it work this time? It's the state of a depressed mind.>

ultimately he just want to protect yuki and prevent her from perishing like THW. because, he might not 'love' THW romantically or passionately but her sacrifice showed him how regret feels. he learned from it and try his best to prevent it in the future.

this is also why he rushed to throw his heart into the furnace, he didn't want yuki to change his mind again knowing her safety is at stake. especially when he know yuuki is too empathetic and caring of others.

kaname has this mindset : "If you want to marry an Angel, you must first create Heaven for her. Angels don't live in Hell".

as her ancestor,brother,husband,lover, he feels responsible to yuki's wellbeing.

unironically, he's a simple logical man. he's got a goal in mind and no price is too high to create heaven for yuki, a safe place she can live in. even if the cost is his own life and happiness

[alarrytale]

Hello Marte! There was a little reminder of the BHG article at Gina´s yesterday and I asked her this question off anon but she hasn´t answered (maybe she will eventually and so at least I get 2 opinions haha) so I´m turning to you because I really appreciate your opinions and povs.

So two things that made me confuse with this quote "For a long time, it felt like the only thing that was mine was my sex life. I felt so ashamed about it, ashamed at the idea of people even knowing that I was having sex, let alone who with. (.....) But I think I got to a place where I was like, why do I feel ashamed? I’m a 26-year-old man who’s single; it’s like, yes, I have s*x.”

He mentioned his age and fact that he´s single. But then he adds that he has s*x - which is something one has if he´s not single (if we cross out random hookups). So it just makes me confused because basically he´s saying two opposite things imo basically in one sentence. Also the fact that he mentioned that he´s single - what? Okay, I know the official narrative about larry is that they have never dated in the first place so he can´t say he´s taken when he´s stunt free (officially single) - which he was when he when he was 25-26 (most of 2020). But this article definitely hadn´t been written in 2020....and in 2021/early 2022 h*livia was full on so he wasn´t single. You know, it just makes me confused and I don´t know how to read this.

He said he felt ashamed that the only thing that was truly his was his s*x life. What is your opinion about this, how to read this? Others were saying that he felt ashamed that he has s*x with Louis because they were/are closeted and it was shame for both of them to be in a relationship and have s*x when they had to pretend to be straight. But idk, I read it more like he wanted to say that basically thanks to the fact that he was closeted, the only thing what was truly his was his secret relationship with Louis and their intimacy. Because he was dragged through tabloids and tabloids exposed his every inch with every woman in his 2m radius that I can understand that what was only left were his intimate relationship with Louis. But again, that´s my interpretation. Or he just wanted to say that he was ashamed that people knew that he had s*x - but why he felt like that then? You know, it´s a sure thing everyone´s intimate so why he´s talking about it? Again, I´m confused and so I´m wondering what do you think, what is your interpretation?

Ugh I just don´t like his very open answers, for someone who´s very overthinking but also always need exact explanations, his answers are pure hell.

Hi!

Written promo interviews consists of 1% truth and 99% quotes that enforces his image. In reality H has been having sex with Louis since he was 16 and been in a relationship with him just as long. He's not ashamed of any of it. However the narrative they spin for his image is totally different. He is responding to his narrative here, as if the narrative is the truth.

He's talking about how the only thing he feels like he can control, make decisions about, and keep private is his sex life. That everything else he does becomes public information and is covered by the media (that not true at all, but it's in accordance with the narrative). He feels ashamed, because he's afraid the public will also be privy to his sex life, and that he will be judged for it (we already are privy to it narrative wise, and this is false modesty). It sounds like he doesn’t want to be someone who's sex life is all over the tabloids. He sounds like he's become more sex positive, whereas before he was ashamed of it and probably didn’t want to look promiscuous and sex crazed.

This all sounds like it's narrative confirmation to me. They want you to know that Harry is growing up, he's gotten bolder and more confident. Harry Styles is single, he has sex and he's proud of it. Aka you can be the next person Harry Styles has sex with!

Do not take any of this seriously. It's just spin doctors doing their work.