#death involved

[dredgesnails]

what the hell is going to happen next session. etho said there was screaming and crying. grian said it was worse than he thought. skizz said it was wonderful. impulse said it was Wild life (with a capital W). the session apparently only lasted 90 minutes instead of 2-3 hours because they were so "knackered" by it all. scar keeps posting emotional damage gifs. pearl said she was struggling to cut it down because so much happened. what on earth did grian cook up...

[bixels]

Learning that fans hated Applejack and called her "boring" is crazyyy to me because I genuinely, unironically believe AJ's the most complex character in the main six.

Backstory-wise, she was born into a family of famers/blue collar workers who helped found the town she lives in. She grew up a habitual liar until she had the bad habit traumatized outta her. She lost both her parents and was orphaned at a young age, having to step up as her baby sister's mother figure. She's the only person in the main gang who's experienced this level of loss and grief (A Royal Problem reveals that AJ dreams about memories of being held by her parents as a baby). She moved to Manhattan to live with her wealthy family members, only to realize she'll never fit in or be accepted, even amongst her own family. The earlier seasons imply she and her family had money problems too (In The Ticket Master, AJ wants to go to the gala to earn money to buy new farm equipment and afford hip surgery for her grandma).

Personality-wise, she's a total people-pleaser/steamroller (with an occasional savior complex) who places her self worth on her independence and usefulness for other people, causing her to become a complete workaholic. In Applebuck Season, AJ stops taking care of herself because of her obsessive responsibilities for others and becomes completely dysfunctional. In Apple Family Reunion, AJ has a tearful breakdown because in she thinks she dishonored her family and tarnished her reputation as a potential leader –– an expectation and anxiety that's directly tied to her deceased parents, as shown in the episode's ending scene. In The Last Roundup, AJ abandons her family and friends out of shame because believes she failed them by not earning 1st place in a rodeo competition. She completely spirals emotionally when she isn't able to fulfill her duties toward others. Her need to be the best manifests in intense pride and competitiveness when others challenge her. And when her pride's broken, she cowers and physically hides herself.

Moreover, it's strongly implied that AJ has a deep-seated anger. The comics explore her ranting outbursts more. EQG also obviously has AJ yelling at and insulting Rarity in a jealous fit just to hurt her feelings (with a line that I could write a whole dissection on). And I'm certain I read in a post somewhere that in a Gameloft event, AJ's negative traits are listed as anger.

Subtextually, a lot of these flaws and anxieties can be (retroactively) linked to her parents' death, forcing her to grow up too quickly to become the adult/caregiver of the family (especially after her big brother becomes semiverbal). Notice how throughout the series, she's constantly acting as the "mom friend" of the group (despite everything, she manages to be the most emotionally mature of the bunch). Notice how AJ'll switch to a quieter, calmer tone when her friends are panicking and use soothing prompts and questions to talk them through their emotions/problems; something she'd definitely pick up while raising a child. Same with her stoicism and reluctance at crying or releasing emotions (something Pinkie explicitly points out). She also had a childhood relationship with Rara (which, if you were to give a queer reading, could easy be interpreted as her first 'aha' crush), who eventually left her life. (Interestingly enough, AJ also has an angry outburst with Rara for the same exact reasons as with EQG Rarity; jealous, upset that someone else is using and changing her). It's not hard to imagine an AJ with separation anxiety stemming from her mother and childhood friend/crush leaving. I'm also not above reading into AJ's relationship with her little sister (Y'all ever think about how AB never got to know her parents, even though she shares her father's colors and her mother's curly hair?).

AJ's stubbornness is a symptom of growing up too quickly as well. Who else to play with your baby sister when your brother goes nonverbal (not to discount Big Mac's role in raising AB)? Who else to wake up in the middle of the night to care for your crying baby sister when your grandma needs her rest? When you need to be 100% all the time for your family, you tend to become hard-stuck with a sense of moral superiority. You know what's best because you have to be your best because if you're aren't your best, then everything'll inevitably fall apart and it'll be your fault. And if you don't know what's best –– if you've been wrong the whole time –– that means you haven't been your best, which means you've failed the people who rely on you, which means you can't fulfill your role in the family/society, which makes you worthless . We've seen time and time again how this compulsive need to be right for the sake of others becomes self-destructive (Apple Family Reunion, Sound of Silence, all competitions against RD). We've seen in The Last Roundup how, when no longer at her best, AJ would rather remove herself from her community than confront them because she no longer feels of use to them.

But I guess it is kinda weird that AJ has "masculine" traits and isn't interested in men at all. It's totally justified that an aggressively straight, misogynistic male fandom would characterize her as a "boring background character." /s

At the time of writing this, it's 4:46AM.

[gotham-snark]

Damian's had a rough time lately 😨 go hurt some bad guys with your dad

[basedjamil]

silly little retainerswap au . . . baur was a bodyguard for one of kalim's ancestors; kalim is at NRC specifically so that sebek can go without abandoning his post. the vipers are the traditional retainers for briar valley's royalty and they REALLY disapprove of lilia for book 7 spoilers reasons

[limbcom]

créme de la créme aftermath...

i refuse to believe that either one of them would leave each other after winning. they're friends, the winner would soo pull the other so they'd hold hands and stand atop the 1st place podium together. like

it's real it's canon trust me i'm pure vanilla's hat

[metamatronic]

does david still blame himself?

David Takes After His Brother (pt. 3)

After Lizzie “disappearance,” Michael forgot the weird Plushbear sighting in the Circus Baby Room.

Lizzie, after waking up in Circus Baby, forgot how much her new toy had sounded like her younger brother.

And, if years later, when Michael staggered home with Ennard in tow, David felt any guilt over both his siblings’ fates—well, he’s never shown it. After all, everyone knows Lizzie wandered in there on her own—what would he have to feel guilty over?

[drop-dead-dino]

I’m totally normal about these two totally normal dudes :) .

I don’t usually read fics, specially AU related ones, but this one GOT me, holy cow. Check it out if you fancy that sort of thing! 

Love, Death, and Rollerskates by @spadillelicious !

[todaysbird]

note for people writing disaster type stories about airborne viruses/pollutants/etc: the birds will die first.

[accirax]

Come back for the first installment of Blind Date or Die tomorrow!💕

[spacebubblehomebase]

RADIOAPPLE COTL AU!

"What do you do when a mere scapegoat becomes so enamored with the God Of Death that they actually look forward to dying again and again just to see Him?"

"What do you do when said God Of Death yearns for the sacrificial lamb's PERMANENT DEATH and this very thought is actually the reason He smiles at them?"

"But it's only because He wants to own them FOREVER the only way He knows how??? ...For His Vessel's soul to be HIS to keep."

Basically, this is my COTL Radioapple AU idea! (NOTE: Read it all over again! This time, just the yellow highlighted words for a different experience and perspective on things! 😉 Trust me on this.) -Bubbly💙

[spaceandbones]

I fully believe if L whipped his dick out at quite literally ANY point in the series Light would suck it with 0 questions asked. Like it wouldn't even be an internal debate and the inner monologue would be exactly like their tennis match. I'm not even sure either of them would consider it sex and it would not be weird

[the-mpreg-guy]

tfw 2.0 should have had a paintball episode‼️and cas should have lost

[obsidianbit]

I love this gay ass show with its literally life ending injuries that heal immediately, but only when convenient to the plot, and its ridiculous use of modern phrases, and its laughing in the face of historical accuracy, and its kissing the face of the fans instead of trying to outwit them, and the way everyone involved in the show seem to go 'I KNOW RIGHT! I'M EXCITED TOO!' instead of mocking the fans

[gothamite-rambler]

Jason heard urgent knocking at his front door in the dead of night.

Jason: The Jehovah's Witnesses only bother me during daylight… There's a rhythm to those knocks. Yep, that's Dick.

Rolling out of bed, Jason swung open the door to find his brothers standing there, visibly guilty and nervous.

Jason (dryly): You killed someone, haven’t you?

Dick: No—uh, yeah.

Jason: Was it an accident or intentional?

Dick: He slipped. I didn’t think he’d land like that when Tim kicked him over the railing.

Tim: Thanks for throwing me under the bus!

Damian: Look, if it makes it any better, he was wanted for a slew of heinous crimes.... involving specific people.

Jason paused, shutting the door momentarily to take a deep breath while his brothers stood there, anxious for his response.

Jason: I sometimes wish I wasn't the one expected to fix everything. Now I’ve got to teach you how to dispose of a body.

He opened the door again.

Jason: So, where's the body?

Dick: In my trunk… Batman is going to disown us for sure.

Jason: No, he won't. Just come inside and take a seat. I need to grab my kit.

Jason walked to his room while his brothers hesitantly stepped into the apartment.

Damian: What kit?

Jason: Quit asking questions.

Damian shrugged, resigned.

[crustyfloor]

An Analysis of the complexity behind HyunA's revenge

Hyuna has complicated feelings for Luka that find themselves intermingling love and hatred. I love that that part of her character was expanded on through this comic. It is a whole other level of anger for her to throw herself away for the sake of her beliefs, for the sake of her justice, for all those years she spent in pain and having to persevere despite that because of Luka. Still, the way those feelings co-exist is puzzling for her, too, because of all these remaining sentiments she still has for Luka, the betrayal HyunA felt knowing she loved someone she resented so much.

And knowing that he loved her back, so much so he loved her more than himself. No matter what, through that connection, HyunA will always be attached to Luka, and Luka will never stop loving her. HyunA resented seeing herself on those posters, knowing that Luka would be overjoyed that through them, it confirmed to him she was still alive and their bond still existed. While HyunA spent so long trying to avoid it all. She's gotten so far after escaping Alien stage and joining the rebellion and she's actually living a life that she can call her own. Everything would be so much easier if she could forget him, but she's still constantly reminded of Luka, she lives with the burden of holding Luka's devotion in her palm, the guilt she has because she still loves him so much she couldn't crush it right then and there.

HyunA is a character haunted by guilt. On the inside, she has a heart more troubled and complex than the confidence she exudes on the outside. Hyunwoo's death haunted her. She didn't want to acknowledge what happened to him, the nature of his death was pure torture on her conscience. The grief and the guilt she had over ignoring reality and still loving the man who killed the person she loved most made HyunA angry at herself. She couldn't forgive herself for betraying her brother; by extension, she could never forgive Luka.

HyunA resented him for all of it. For running back to her and seeking her out after what he did, The way Luka was always her weak spot no matter what he did because her attachment to him was so strong. She could never forget her innocent perception of that little boy she played with and remembered following her around the garden. After all, the opposite of love and hate is just apathy, HyunA never stopped caring about Luka, so she couldn't move on or force herself to be apathetic towards her feelings for him.

She was once told to forgive herself by the past rebellion leader, but she couldn't as long as she was still held back by the past. HyunA lived in anger and resentment toward Luka for years. To Luka, who never truly understood the gravity of what he did to her, what she had to do, or the coping mechanisms she resorted to so she could deal with the emotional turmoil he left her in. To Luka, who loved her so much, leaving him would be her retribution, her ultimate revenge. Giving him back the same burden he left her with so that he would confront a reality crueler than death: A life without her. Without any possible way to deny it. The overwhelming sensation of grief and suffering he would feel would be her way of avenging her dead brother and that devastated child in her.

But there are many layers to HyunA's feelings, so that's not truly it. There was still a part of her that laid down her life for Luka because she couldn't see him die, she left him with those last words because she wanted him to do something with what she said for himself in her absence.

It is compassionate of HyunA to know and acknowledge the suffering Luka went through all his life. But she knows Luka hasn't experienced losing someone he cared deeply about like this until now. Before, he could at least confirm HyunA’s existence in their time apart. But what can he do now?

Luka is a person so alienated from his humanity. For instance, from a young age, he was trained to "overcome" the most natural human instinct, emotions. His purpose was for the stage, so the aliens made him into something that ultimately functioned how they wanted him to. He's emotionally stunted, he exploits others callously for his own benefit, and he conforms to the aliens' expectations: to be a tool the aliens could control and use until the end of his life. Of course, it’s not like Luka was aimless; he tried to understand by himself. He wanted a connection with HyunA, he wanted to understand but didn't know how to express himself properly, in his efforts, he caused her so much hurt and discomfort in the aftermath. Ultimately, he can’t truly comprehend human emotions until he’s lived them. A book can’t replicate that.

He hasn't experienced HyunA’s struggle, that tunnel of guilt she's still trying to find her way out of so that she can keep growing up, moving on, and learning how to keep living. He doesn't understand how she feels. It shows in his obliviousness to her suffering in Wiege, the blunt dismissal of her efforts at moving on because he thinks she's just foolishly running away.

So, in a selfish and selfless final act, she saves Luka. Before, I thought HyunA didn't let anger guide her, but this does change that. She is still a person who selflessly prioritizes what she cares about first before herself even now, but being a person who’s not always righteously led by “what's right” humanizes her so much in this scenario. It shows how much her trauma affected her and how it can bring out the most visceral of emotions in people. Despite all those years she spent growing up, she will never escape herself.

Her hatred is so deep-seated and personal. Saving Luka was impulsive of her, she didn’t plan it beforehand, but as aforementioned, she’s been living with this anger for years. Seeing that look on his face, knowing what he was going to do, and knowing what was going to happen, she just moved. The way he hurt HyunA changed her in a way he'd never had a chance to understand before, she wanted him to experience all of it for once. All of the same pain and the struggles she had to live with. She wanted to leave him in the same lost and confused state he left her in.

But at the same time, her love still co-exists with this anger, her love was so great despite that she gave him those final words because she sincerely wanted him to live and do what she did, find his own way through that pain and survive it without her. All the while finally connecting with a part of himself that had been suppressed for a long time. Exposing him to human vulnerability was her way of getting revenge and giving him the kick he needed to take the opportunity she left for him. Whether he will or won't, wants to or not, or he will die the same boy he was born as. And that’s a guarantee based on what he does next.

Luka analyzes people like objects and puzzles, not as actual humans. So HyunA left him with a lesson to learn. A puzzle so complex, emotional, and undeniably human that he can’t possibly solve it without gaining back what was taken from him, his humanity. HyunA did this so that he would be forced to re-evaluate everything he thought he ever knew. He will never truly understand HyunA's words, her motivations, her suffering, or her death without gaining a human perspective. In this way, to him, her death will be both a consequence and atonement for all he's done.

HyunA had to do the same thing before. Luka was a puzzle she solved years ago. She describes him best in those few sentences because she knows him best. She resents him so much for what he's done to her, but she can still see Luka for who he is. She can't help but recognize him as a person she couldn't help but pity, a person she couldn't help but love despite it all. She has a big heart that is inevitably unable to close itself off from people she cares about, no matter how in the right she would’ve been for completely hating Luka. Her love for him is gentle and genuine as much as it is twisted and complicated

HyunA's revenge is complex and contradictory. It is exploitative, brutal, and selfish, a cruel way of teaching Luka how it feels to be in her position. But in a twisted way, it is loving. She wanted Luka to suffer in the way he deserved. At the same time, she genuinely wanted him to grow and change, to find his own answer just like she had to. This is the only way he would ever do that.

I adore this direction Vivinos took with her character, I figured the idea I had of her before aligned just as well with her character as this, but seeing her mixed feelings for Luka acknowledged this way feels more considerate of her character and her feelings. I wanted HyunA to think about herself more and to act more cruelly, I wanted more intention from her. She is still the selfless and endlessly caring person she was before, but I'm glad she got to act on her anger and find satisfaction to some extent by making Luka suffer, and through this comic, she got to come to terms with her feelings and the complexities of her situation in a way she'd been avoiding before

[hiyyihrts]

“For how long have you had feelings for him?”… Lord the way they keep making Eloise this non-observant clueless friend to everyone is crazy to me… especially continuously with Pen (and now Cressida also). She never fathomed that Pen could want to participate in ton events, want to be married, want to have even the bare minimum opportunity to be entertained by a man, and yet anytime Pen goes against anything Eloise always talked about she’s so surprised?? Maybe if you talked with your friends instead of at them we wouldn’t be running into this situation continuously El…