#doesn’t speak too well on the others that he’s the only one acknowledging the impact of the relationship as a whole

[soldierandawar]

i will say that out of all this the most unexpected thing is the actor of the LI seemingly being the person to actually want to approach the relationship with so much care and consideration of fans. didn’t have that on my bingo card can’t lie.

[httpscomexe]

Forbidden Secret Desire 6

Summary: He finally makes a move, and now you can do nothing but think about it, and about how you could possibly escape the arms of the feared Wolverine, until he has other plans.

(Find What I’m currently writing by checking my pinned post)

Parings: Logan Howlett x Reader

Warnings: (Individual warnings per chapter) Language, implied smut, fingering, being drugged, implied drugging, hunting rifle. Logan is an official warning as approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) because Logan is a DRUG. PLEASE BE AWARE that this will be a NON-CON fic. Do NOT get attached if you do not like non-consensual fiction. I will not change my fic plans because somebody decided not to read the warnings. Thank you.

Tags: @sammyluvsfics @badbishsblog @dickmaster3000 @cellyx33 @chxrrybomb22 @remmyj10

Word Count: 3045 (Find all chapters here) Chapter 7

P.S. If you’d like to be tagged, ask in the comments, you also have permission to send an ask, but make sure it is NOT anonymous, so I know your username, don’t worry, I’m scared of confrontation too. But this is a SAFE SPACE where I will not judge. Thank you again.

Part of you couldn’t believe you didn’t notice it sooner, or rather you refused to acknowledge it. All the touchy feeling, the friendly kisses, and every nice word that had left his lips was all leading up to something bigger. Something not even Xavier would’ve been able to see.

If he could, you wouldn’t be there right now.

Sitting in the shower, letting steaming hot water run down your back as Logan prepared dinner. It felt so unrealistic what had happened throughout the day, starting off innocent before it all went to shit. His arms had wrapped around you and- well, let’s go back to the beginning, back to after you’d finished your breakfast…

You finish only a few bites, trying to hide your forgotten appetite as the words replayed in your head. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll take care of you, all you have to do is sit there and look beautiful.” Words that should’ve comforted you, but gave you a wretched feeling in your stomach, after just a few bites of food, you couldn’t stomach anymore, your body threatening to throw it all back up.

“Are you alright? You’re barely eating.” He points out, his hands moving to his lap as he stares at you. Fucking menasingly, as if you were he’d eat you if you didn’t finish.

“Yea, just uhm…” You shake your head trying to think of an excuse. “Adjusting.” You tell him, looking back up at him, he looked as if he believed you, but the doubt in his eyes was still there.

“You’re lying to me.” Your jaw clenches, and you feel your body tighten up as he doesn’t believe you. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong.”

“There is something wrong and you’re going to tell me what it is.”

“Logan, there’s nothing-”

“Stop!” He raises his voice, making you flinch and freeze in place. “What. Is. Wrong?”

Your tongue moves over your lips, and your lip moves between your teeth as you think, one of his arms resting on the back of the couch as he moves forward, his body facing you.

“Nothing is wrong-” SMACK!

You gasp, turning your head on the impact, your brain trying to process what the fuck just happened before your eyes meet his again, your mouth hanging open slightly.

“I’m gonna ask you again, what’s wrong?”

You decide not to answer this time, your lips closing on your decision. 

SMACK!

SMACK!

Now tears fell down your cheeks. You couldn’t believe what was happening. It all happened so suddenly. Then you face him again as he moves, straddling your lap and pinning your wrists above you, easily holding both your hands down with just one of his.

“All you have to do is fucking answer me.” He growls, your face now cupped in his hands as you whined, tears now progressively falling more. “How about you just stop whining? It’s getting on my nerves too now.” His voice becomes softer the more he speaks, but you can’t listen as your head rung with pain and confusion. “That’s whining!” His voice raises again and you swallow before trying to stay quiet, crying silently.

“Get off of me.” You build the courage to say, your voice shaking horribly.

“You’re not in the position to be making demands, babydoll.” He leans down, attempting to capture your lips but you turn your head, making sure he wouldn’t be able to, until he speaks. “Try that again…”

It was a simple warning. One that anybody would listen to, including you. No matter how bad you wanted to push him off of you and scream and shout profanities, you knew it would be no use. So you just stop, letting him take advantage of his strength over you.

“Good girl…” He whispers just before his lips touch yours. You can’t deny that it obviously felt amazing, but it was wrong. You wouldn’t have minded if he’d spent time trying to build a relationship, then one day leaned in for a kiss. But no, he instead hits you before kissing you, potentially locks you in a secluded cabin, and acts like he could boss you around. Which.

He could.

There was no way of winning in a fight against him.

“Now stay still…” He mumbles, still speaking quietly into your ear.

His lips move, first trailing along your jaw until he kisses your cheek, but then his lips trail up to your lips, his teeth sucking in your lip as he bites your skin gently until the kiss becomes more urgent. His lips against yours, and his tongue swiping your lips as he tries to intrude into your mouth, successfully you might add as you give in.

You gasp, feeling one of his hands reaching down as he moves your panties aside, you were still underdressed from your given lack of clothes, which you now knew was intentional.

You clench your jaw as you avoid making any sounds, sparing him the satisfaction of your pleasure as you feel his finger running through your folds, his thumb pressed to your clit as he draws long and slowly circles on your nerves, making your throat tighten with held back moans. You feel everything now, his breath fanning over your lips when he occasionally pulls back from the kiss to breathe and two of his fingers as they prod at your hole, dipping in before quickly being taken back out, causing your pupils to blast black as a moan falls from your lips before he does it again, longer this time as he draws more moans from your throat, his own pleasure seeping through as your sounds do everything to turn him on…

So now here you are. Sitting in the bathtub, hugging your legs to your chest as you remembered every detail while steaming hot water from the shower head runs down your back. Your tears hidden from the constant water flow, but you knew you would have to leave soon, or he would come in wondering what was taking you so long.

So you hold onto the sides of the tub to push yourself up to your feet, your legs wobbly from the previous assault on your body. A choke of sobs escaping your throat as you continue to remember it. You were in pain, physically and emotionally, but you reached over and turned off the water, letting your forehead rest on the cold shower wall for a moment before stepping out and grabbing a towel to dry yourself off with. It was barely 2 in the afternoon, and you were horrified for what else might happen throughout the day.

After drying off and throwing on the oversized shirt he gave you before your shower, nothing else, you place your hand on the door knob. Letting yourself take a few deep breaths before pulling the door open, the smell of barbeque smacking you in the face. But you were too tired, too exhausted, to bask in the smell. Not while you knew who was making it.

“Feel better?” He asks, not even a second after he sees you. But you nod. Not wanting to use your voice. Which he makes obvious he isn’t happy about with a sigh as he turns around and faces you, leaning against the counter with his palms on the edge as he just stares at you.

“Sorry… Yes, I feel better.”

“Good.” He turns back around, getting back to the cooking.

“Do you need help with anything?” You approach him, your arms crossed over your stomach as you do, and he looks over his shoulder, making you stop just a foot away.

“Come here.” He tells you, placing down his cloth he was using and beckoning you over with the movement of his middle and ring finger. So you obey. “Just sit here and look pretty.” He tells you, lifting you and placing you on the counter with ease before getting back to what he was doing. Seasoning some meat and cutting some vegetables before shoving them in the oven. Then facing you. His eyes glued to yours before he approaches you this time as he dries a washed knife with a clean hand towel, making his way between your legs as he easily pulls your thighs apart. No fight in your body, you know you would never be able to win against him.

Your eyes stay in his, but snap down when you feel cold metal against your skin. Your eyes now never leave the sharp knife which he carefully trailed down your thigh, softly enough to not leave a scratch, but hard enough to push your skin down. He’s careful not to hurt you, but you know he wouldn’t hesitate if you pushed his limits.

“Logan…” You mumble his name as the knife trails further up your thigh, moving closer to the inside of your thighs before he stops, just before it reaches you more sensitive areas.

“Yes?” His forehead touches yours, nudging you until you’re looking back into his eyes.

“Please… stop.” You try the limits, and freak out for a moment as a heavy sigh escapes him. And just before you think you’ve fucked up, he takes the knife away from your body, resting it on the counter beside you before his hands find their way under your shirt and on your hips.

“I’m not gonna hurt you gorgeous.” He assures you, horribly. You recall the power he had earlier as his hand collided with your cheek. That’s not hurting you? Yea right. Fucking liar.

“I know…” You mumble, lying through your teeth right back at him.

“Let me reword that hun.” He stands up straight, his head leaving yours. “I will hurt you.” Your heart feels as if it skips a beat. “And I really want to.” He growls a little as his hand comes up, his index finger resting under your chin as he lifts your head so you're looking up at him, and the sight of your innocent, fearful eyes is enough to shoot blood down his body. “But I won’t, unless I have to.” His face gets closer to yours. “So please, piss me off.” He asks, his teeth gritted before he closes the distance between your lips. His moving with urgency while you just let it happen, not adding nearly enough into the interaction for his liking. “That’s one way to do it.” He growls, and through the corner of your eyes, you see his hand reaching for the hot pan on the stove, an easy encouragement to reach your arms around his neck and pull yourself closer, pressing your lips to his. An urgency of fear rather than lust running through your lips as his hands find their way back down to your hips. And he thought you looked so perfect as his hands gripped your thighs, persuading you to wrap them around his waist, which you of course, quickly oblige, not wanting to feel the bottom of a hot pan on your skin.

So you add to it, knowing wants equal or more from you than what he’s putting in. Your hip rock, your unclothed centre rubbing against the denim of his jeans, and you feel his bulge rock back against you, one of his hands running up your spine before his palm is against your head, gripping the back of your hair as he keeps you close, his teeth biting at your lips with urgency and you know he’s holding back. You weren’t sure why, but he didn’t want to fuck you yet. Part of you wished he would, but part of you was just grateful he wouldn’t.

He settles for humping you instead, trying desperately to find a different release as a moan escapes your lips. It was fearful, but he knew there was pleasure reaping from you. He could smell your pleasure, and he wanted to help you. But he wouldn’t. He wanted to save the fucking for a much more special occasion. One he wouldn’t have you knowing about.

He pulls away, a pained pleasurable groan coming from his throat as he rests his head on your shoulder for a moment.

“Logan…?” Your voice is meek. Mainly from fear, partly from pleasure.

“Yes, bub?” He stands back straight, leaving from between your legs as he gets back to the pan of vegetables.

“Do you mind if I look around a little more?” You lean forward on the counter, pressing your elbows to your thighs as you keep your eyes trained on him.

“Go ahead, just don’t touch anything.” He tells you, taking a peek in the oven for a moment before getting back to the vegetables on the stove. “And if it���s locked it’s for a reason.” You hop off the counter, deciding to let yourself go on a good letter by standing on your toes, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek before turning around and going to inspect the cabin. Starting with the back door. You remember seeing a jacket cabinet there, with windows in the doors. So you go up to it. Searching for something you could use against him. But there’s just jackets inside.

Wait.

No.

You look closer. Hidden behind one of the heavy plain jackets is a hunting rifle. It wasn’t well hidden, but it was definitely placed in that spot with the intent to be hidden. You tug at the handle on the cabinet. Of course though, it’s locked. You want to groan and cry, since your only weapon was behind the thick glass of a locked cabinet, but you knew he would hear you. So you continue looking around.

The locks on the backdoor weren’t complicated, but there was an alarm system on each door. One of the first things you noticed when you got there…

It was a little white box, and when the door opened, an ear piercing alarm would go off. You figured it would be best to avoid the doors and windows, or just try escaping when he went out shopping. He told you that would only be once a week, and you knew he had handcuffs for that occasion, so you searched for a pin or something to use against that instead. Even though the hunting rifle would be perfect. Just kill the fucker and leave. You think, searching drawers quietly as he continues to work in the kitchen.

Fuck.

You think to yourself, making your way back down the hall before turning right into the bathroom, quietly searching those drawers now for a bobby pin. Nothing.

You start to panic slightly as you hear the button pressed to turn off the oven, so you skip a little into the bedroom, frantically, but quietly searching the drawers. Even looking for weapons, you figure the kitchen knives would be the best choice.

You search everywhere in the room, finishing when you hear plates touching the counter. Until you decide to look under the bed. 

It’s completely empty under the bed, except for a little black pin that catches your eye. You reach for it quickly, Logan calling you from the kitchen making you rush.

“Y/N! Foods ready, come out here.”

“Okay Logan! Coming!” You shout back, freezing slightly when you see the little strip of hair attached to the bobby pin in your hand. It wasn’t yours.

You shove it into your pillow case, knowing he would be tying you to the bed when he went shopping, then you quickly make your way to the couches, sitting next to him and taking your plate from the table as he wraps an arm around you.

“Everything good?” He asks, wondering about your little search.

“Yea.” You nod.

“Not a very big cabin, should be easy for you to find everything.”

“Yea, I know. Just was bored I guess.” You chuckle a little, trying to calm his tone as you take the first bite of food. The flavour melting on your tongue. You guessed for someone as old as him, you weren’t surprised he could cook.

You both sit there, eating your food, and drinking from the little glass of water he gave you. No words spoken, and the atmosphere thick before he finishes his food and finally speaks.

“I’ll be going out shopping tomorrow.” He tells you. “So I expect you to behave. I’ll be handcuffing you to the bed, one hand free so you can drink if you’re thirsty.” He explains as you finish your last bite of food.

“Okay…” You whispered, not liking the situation, but who were you to make requests?

“Good, and if you try anything funny, then you’re in trouble. Just behave, that’s all I ask of you.” He tells you, his hand gently running through your hair.

“How long will you be gone?”

“Maybe two hours, depending on the snow and traffic down to the market.” He pulls you closer, letting you lean on him and you suddenly feel sleepy. “But you’ll probably be asleep until around… I don’t know, five in the afternoon. I should be back by then.”

“Lo-”

“Shh…” He hushes you, his hand moving to cup your jaw as you force yourself to stay awake. “I don’t trust you yet, bub. So just go to sleep, and when you wake up, I’ll be back.”

You felt so tired, and no matter how hard you tried, it was a struggle to keep your eyes open. You weren’t sure if he had put something in the food, the water. But either way, you couldn’t stay awake. You just fell limp as you leaned against him, and the last thing you felt was your body being lifted from the couch, your body sleeping before your mind as you could still hear him speak to you.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, Y/N.” His voice felt distant, and you felt your body become more relaxed before you felt his mattress against your back. “Then I’ll take you hunting, I’m sure you’ll have fun.” You feel his lips touch your cheek as he kisses you. “Behave.” He growls a little, and you hear the shift of jackets, and the closing of the bedroom door as he leaves, the sound of hunting sounding much more sinister than it should seem…

[yangsharperavery]

carmy telling sydney that she loves taking care of people is SO specific and exacting coming from him bc carmy hasn’t really experienced or allowed himself care... yet he recognizes that ability and characteristic so astutely in sydney. 

that line is a callback to what nat says to him last season about chef’s liking to take care of people through their creativity, their gifts, their food. which is one of the reasons carmy gravitates toward food.

that’s one of the ONLY times he felt connected to and cared for within his highly dysfunctional and fractured family. THRU their likeness with and for food.

every other time he cared within his family, it was thrown in his face, he didn’t do it right or he was punished for trying.

part of him recognizing sydney’s brilliance and capability is absolutely about her skill and the food but it’s also about her ability to CARE about all of these things above and beyond the food as well.

something carmy really struggles with. like the accolades, the stars, certain details of the business. he can’t care bc care is such a tenuous and foreign concept to him on so many levels.

some people took noticeable (and justifiable) issue with all that he saddles sydney with both last season, and moreso, this season.

but without delving too much into the unjust and imbalanced distribution of labor on a black woman, which has valid and necessary critique, part of the reason carmy feels so comfortable and trusting in allowing sydney to do so many things is because he feels secure in her care and the expressions of it.

not for him specifically or directly, but for all the things that are required in their business. and even all that is required as a human as well.

he knows that her care extends beyond the food and the nourishment and the fulfillment of a meal.

and i think he does this almost unconsciously because he still wanted final say and approval on things. that’s his limited need for control and to know the working facets of a thing in order to feel certain it won’t implode.

but the CARE. that is something he sees in her. it’s something he’s lacked in a broader sense for most of his life. that care from another, directed back. 

carmy desperately wants to feel and experience care. but he can’t. he keeps it at arm’s length, he self sabotages from it. 

this also speaks to how we don’t ever even see HIM experience this basic care via a meal. like this guy is a chef, he’s surrounded by chefs and owns a restaurant yet he eats pb&js and poptarts?? cannot experience or allow himself care.

i think his simple acknowledgement and vocal proclamation of sydney’s care and heart is so special and impacting bc that’s what he needs. that’s what he desperately craves. but he has no real concept of it. he’s tried to display it so much throughout his life in his family but the remnants and byproducts have wounded him so severely.

so even in the way he expresses care there is an inconsistency or a haphazardness. 

which is also why him telling her earlier in this season: “you’re gonna have to care about everything, more than anything” is actually just a projection. because sydney doesn’t have a lack of perception and understanding and dynamic with care. HE does!

sydney has experienced care on additional levels he hasn’t had access to. sydney has been loved. even if primarily in a familial, parental way. that is a foundation for so MUCH when it comes to the capacity of care and nurture. both giving and receiving it.

this is also why he seems so visually fixated on her sometimes. he’s trying to gauge and learn her but also figure out how he can care for and about her (while also keeping her at an arm’s length and protecting himself) because someone like her is literally BRAND new to him.

this is why he can’t handle her being upset or peeved at him.

this why he called in the favor he did for something he KNEW she would care about wearing.

WHY HE LITERALLY TRIES TO GIVE HER WHAT SHE WANTS NEARLY ALWAYS.

he witnesses her capacity for care continuously displayed and feels his own opening up toward and for her.

[moonspirit]

Hey moon, this doesn’t have anything to do with shipping and I’m not sure if you’re still doing requests or anything, but what do you think about Armin looking up to Erwin as kind of a father figure?

Like they have a lot of things in common and Erwin canonically acknowledged how smart Armin is, and kind of respected him for it. And Armin losing his whole family before he was a teenager probably impacted him so much, I think he’s kind of a sensitive person who tries not to show it, but just thinks Erwin is so cool.

Sorry for the long paragraph.

Hello anon!

I'm sorry for inserting an excerpt I once wrote; a really tiny bit about this very thing (for those who read VBEOW, this is from Ch 10) :

In that brief moment that he fires his flares, he feels honoured and proud to be working under his Commander. To stand beside him, see the gears working in his head, understand the logical reasoning behind his strategization – skills obtained through so many years of glorious, bloody experience. 

He watches Commander Erwin Smith choose his priorities.

I really agree with the notion that Armin looked up to Erwin not only for his intelligence and Commandeering skills, but also as a substitute parental figure. We never got much of the two beyond their canon interactions (over too soon by S3) but it's really good to imagine that Armin sought Erwin out several times for an intelligent conversation.

I believe one of the best things Erwin did was attempt to lift Armin up into a more Commandeering role considering he was still a green recruit.. The S3 part when he puts his soldiers under Armin's command is one of my personal favourites. Him recognising Armin's potential to be someone far greater in the future speaks to Erwin's ability to judge a person well by their character, personality and talent. I think that by doing these things such as giving Armin credence when he voices his suspicions, doubts and theories, acknowledging his intelligence and strategic skill, he was not only ensuring the development of a future Commander succeeding him, but also in giving the 15 year old a push to see for himself what he's worth.

That said, I'm not of the opinion that Erwin's and Armin's similarities are many aside from the obvious surface level ones. They are both good Commanders, they are both sharp, they are both highly skilled tacticians and strategists and they're both blonde, blue eyed, and bushy eyebrowed. But that's about it imo. Where Erwin was rather selfish, Armin was incredibly selfless. Where Erwin employed approaches that could lead to mass casualties, Armin was incredibly cautious and prioritised minimising loss of life. There are others too but that's for another post.

On the fatherly front, for Armin, yes, I see it. I see him thinking he'd like to learn from Erwin, study his methods, put forward his own and get feedback on what works. I also can see him yearning to be acknowledged by Erwin in some small way as a result of the admiration he holds for the Commander. Armin really respected Erwin for his singular focus and determination - something he's known to waver in himself thanks to his insecurity and hesitations (here's another difference between them).

I personally like to think they played a game of chess or something together, sometime. By accident, of course. But in that game Erwin probably saw a lot in what this boy was made up of. Similarly I think Armin saw what his Commander was made up of, only bettering his understanding of the person, and making him glad to have spent one hour, even if just one hour, with a man of his stature and excellence.

Because you see, he will be searching for a parent figure all his life. Nobody will *be* that forever, he will just spend life finding bits and pieces of what his parents could've been like to him if they'd lived. He found them in Erwin, Hange, Levi... And he will continue to find them in others as his life goes on. Because when you can never have the one thing you want to have, you are condemned to a life of yearning.

[ferrisbuellersgender]

Thinking about Ferris Bueller and the question “who are you when nobody’s around?”…….

Because that really is the question for him isn’t it? Yes, at a first glance, surface level, he’s arrogant and selfish and does things for himself, without caring about consequences or what other people would think. But really, almost everything he does in the movie are for and about others, just as much as they are for him. Whether it be doing something for Cameron or Sloane, or playing into his roles (eg being sick to the students, being a perfect kid for his parents, even just being more impulsive to wind up Cam). He’s also very aware of his reputation and he IS aware of the consequences of his actions (shown throughout the movie). He knows (or at least likes to think he knows) exactly how his actions affect others, both good and bad. From my perspective, almost nothing he does in the film is purely for him/without the acknowledgement of other people.

And this leads me to my main thought: how the implication of the audience, and Ferris breaking the 4th wall, plays into this. In every moment, even the moments when Ferris is alone and not engaging with or even speaking about any other characters, he still has an audience and is aware of the audience. His breaking of the 4th wall is, of course, a literary feature being used to let us know Ferris’s thoughts and personality, as well as being a way to establish parts of the story. From a film and literary standpoint, this is its only impact. But if we look into it (far too deeply than necessary sorry) from a psychological/philosophical perspective, it could in some ways be telling us less about Ferris as a person. If he is aware of his audience, is he truly acting as himself? Or is he putting on a performance, as he does around almost everyone else? He definitely is still a more carefree, impulsive, obnoxious person, but to what extent, truly? We see parts of him, raw emotion, a couple times in the film (Cameron falling in the pool, killing the car and the rest of the scene after that are the main ones), and this shows us that he’s very caring, and that he does have fear and caution, he just doesn’t often let those emotions control his actions. Additionally, in these moments he doesn’t interact with the viewers. Even during his initial reactions, which tend to be when he engages with the audience the most, he stays within the setting with the other characters.

But aside from these strong, primarily negative emotions, I feel that there is never a moment where Ferris is purely just himself, because he always has an audience, and when he has an audience, he puts on a show.

[thatfanficstuff]

Not About You - 27

Pairing: Damon Salvatore x OFC

Warnings: Nah.

A/N: I am sorry for the delay. My only excuse is life being life. This has not been edited. I just wanted to get it posted.

The decision was made to take Liz back the boarding house and wait for the vervain to leave her system so she could be compelled. Lucy was less than thrilled with the plan but kept her mouth shut. It would easy enough for her to avoid the dungeon while they had a guest.

Caroline had just arrived home after going to retrieve some clothes for her mother’s stay. Lucy followed her friend to the basement, unwilling to leave her alone with her mother after the earlier events. They had nearly reached the room when the threads of conversation reached them.

“Keep Caroline away from me, please,” Liz said, her voice breaking.

“What?” Damon responded. “What are you talking about? She’s your daughter, Liz.”

“Not anymore, she’s not.”

Caroline whimpered low in her throat and dropped the suitcase as her hand flew to her mouth. Tears pooled in her eyes. She fled back up the stairs.

Lucy growled in irritation and stepped into the room. “I can’t believe you. What the hell is wrong with you? You fucking bitch.” She strode across the room as she yelled. A firm arm impacted with her waist and swept her up to keep her from getting any closer to the sheriff.

“Easy, kitten.” Damon’s voice in her ear served to calm her. Slightly.

“She hurt Caroline,” Lucy protested as she struggled uselessly against her boyfriend’s hold.

He simply tightened his grip and shifted his hold so he was hugging her to his chest. “I know, baby. It’s okay. It’s all gonna be okay.”

It wasn’t. She knew that. But having Damon tell her everything would be fine while he held her and ran fingers through her hair went a long way to shifting her emotions. Suddenly feeling very tired, Lucy leaned against him. “She made her cry.” Lucy’s voice was weak, defeated. She tore her gaze away from the other woman and focused all her attention on Damon. “She probably doesn’t even care. She’s too fucking selfish. Always has been.”

Lucy pulled herself from the vampire’s hold and headed up the stairs to find Caroline. Stopping at the top of the stairs, Lucy took a deep breath and pulled herself together. She had to be strong and positive for her friend.

Her friend that she couldn’t seem to find anywhere. Giving up, Lucy stood in the entryway and yelled the blonde’s name. Stefan appeared a minute later. “She’s with me.”

That was all Lucy needed to know. She gave him a nod in acknowledgement. “Take care of her and tell her I love her.”

In a flash, he was gone. Lucy was overdue for a meal but right now the only thing she wanted was a nap. Well, she’d prefer a nap with her favorite vampire but figured he’d come to find her in a bit. She hadn’t even reached the stairs when she was joined by said vampire. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple.

“Today sucked.”

He hummed in agreement as he steered her toward the bedroom.

“The next time you want to be civic minded and I say skip it, we skip it,” she said with a huff.

He smirked and kissed her temple again. “Whatever you want, kitten.”

The next couple of days passed in a quiet haze of melancholy as Caroline’s mood affected them all. Not that any of them blamed her, but it sucked to see one of your people hurting and not being able to do anything about it.

Damon had just returned from dropping Liz off at home after compelling her. Lucy didn’t ask specifics but the glint in his eye told her he hadn’t stuck straight to the script. Before she could comment, her phone buzzed announcing Elijah requesting a face call.

She answered with a smile. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite vampire.”

“Hey,” her roommates said in unison as they pouted.

She couldn’t help but laugh and even Elijah chuckled. “Hello, little one. I need to speak with your Salvatores as well if you would summon them.”

They came and sat on either side of her, leaning in to wave at the Original. “What’s up?” Lucy asked.

“I have a task I would like them to complete. I find myself short of reliable help these days and need someone I can trust to be discrete.” He sounded tired and Lucy wondered what all was going on with him. She hated when he worked himself too hard.

The brothers exchanged a glance and a shrug. “What’s the task?” Damon asked.

Elijah pursed his lips. “I believe I have located something I have been searching for. I need the two of you to confirm the information for me.”

“Don’t you have minions for this sort of thing?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, well, I’ve had some unfortunate loyalty issues as of late. I people I know I can trust. And no, you can’t go. It’s too dangerous.”

Lucy rolled her eyes but remained quiet. The boys exchanged a look before turning back to the screen. “We would be happy to help, but we won’t leave the girls here unprotected. Katherine’s been quiet but I have a feeling she’s just biding her time,” Stefan said.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Lucy argued.

“Yes, you do,” three male voices responded in unison. Caroline chuckled from the other side of the room.

Lucy twitched in annoyance. “Fine. Then I want Lexi.”

Both Salvatores immediately nodded their heads. “That would work nicely,” Damon agreed. “She has to come up from Georgia. We can head off as soon as she gets here.”

“Very well. Simply call when you are ready to depart.” Elijah turned his full attention back on his niece. “Enough business. How have you been?”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

“She got shot,” Stefan piped up from beside her. Lucy turned her glare on him only for him to ignore her as his lips twitched in amusement.

“Lucy?” Elijah said to reclaim her attention.

She looked at him with wide innocent eyes. “What? I got better.”

The vampire sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked at the floor.

Damon shook as he failed to stifle his laughter and she elbowed him in the ribs. “Hush you.”

“Caroline, why do you volunteer for absolutely everything?” Lucy asked with a groan as they arrived at the Lockwood’s the next day. As part of the never-ending Founder’s celebrations, the Lockwoods were hosting a masquerade. Caroline had agreed to help with the decorating and had dragged her friends along to help.

“You’ve got to quit being such a hermit, Lucy. It’s good for you to get out of the house every now and then,” Caroline responded with a nudge.

The brothers chuckled lowly from where they trailed behind their girlfriends. Lucy raised a hand to flip them off without a look in their direction. “I don’t mind getting out of the house,” she argued. “It’s just…people.” She gestured at all the workers and volunteers buzzing around the area.

Caroline rolled her eyes as she grabbed her friend’s hand to drag her off and find where they would be the most useful.

Two hours later, Damon found them elbows deep in a flower arrangement where they were switching out red roses for burgundy. It really made all the difference. Or so Lucy had been told, anyway. He laced his fingers with hers and glanced around before leading her away. He looked over his shoulder. “You too, blondie. Let’s go.”

Caroline frowned but followed along just the same. The walked around the side of the house to meet up with Stefan. He placed a finger to his lips so they’d be quiet as they joined him. It was obvious he was listening to something far away. She leaned into his side and his arm automatically found its way around her waist as he kissed her temple.

Stefan’s gaze suddenly focused and he pursed his lips. “We have a problem.”

Lucy huffed a laugh. “Don’t we always.”

He didn’t respond beyond flicking his eyes in her direction. “Mason Lockwood is working with Katherine.”

“Why?” Caroline asked.

“We think they’re dating,” he explained.

Damon rolled his eyes. “Having sex does not equal dating. This is Katherine we’re talking about.”

“How did you find out?” Lucy asked.

“Bonnie had a vision,” Stefan said.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Just because she didn’t like the witch didn’t mean she wasn’t occasionally useful. It just meant Lucy didn’t like to admit it.

“That’s not all. He also has the moonstone.”

She frowned. “What moonstone?”

“The one binding the curse.” Damon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re sure?”

His brother nodded. “Tyler just told Jeremy.”

Lucy’s head hurt. “Why is the little Gilbert involved in this? Why do we even care in the first place? What is going on? This is what happens when you plot without me.”

Caroline laughed then covered her mouth to muffle the sound. Lucy grinned at her though she’d only been partially joking.

“It was one of the things Elijah is looking for. He’d heard a rumor it was in town,” Damon finally explained after a stretch of quiet.

Irritation slithered through her. She didn’t like being left out of things, especially when Elijah was involved. She also didn’t care for the feeling she’d been getting lately that the boys knew something about her uncle they weren’t sharing. She swallowed her annoyance and nodded. After all, they were only following orders. Maybe she shouldn’t have introduced them to each other.

“Well, what are we going to do?” Stefan asked.

“I guess we need to talk to Mason.”

Lucy looked at Damon with a raised brow. “That should be easy. You all have such a friendly relationship after all.”

He gave her a look that said he didn’t find her amusing in the slightest.

“Why don’t you just kidnap him?” Caroline suggested after a beat, causing the other three to stare at her in surprise.

[tgammsideblog]

Tgamm S1 Ep 13-B ¨Twin Trouble¨ Episode Analysis

The Uncles twins from Pete’s side of the family come to visit. They have been mocking and pushing Pete around since he was a kid. If that alone wasn’t enough, some strange ghost creatures show up in the Mcgees house...

¨Twin Trouble¨ is a bit hard episode to talk about since it can be a mixed bag for some people. It has some good things and not so good things. Despite it’s issues, i personally enjoy most of it.

One thing i appreciate about it is that it gives a lot of insight to Pete’s character. The reason he tends to be nervous and insecure is because he always being put down and teased by his twin siblings growing up. They were previously hinted at Pete’s flashback in ¨Ice Princess¨ and in this episode it is shown how their relationship is like and the impact it had on Pete.

Sharon explains to the kids and Scratch that everytime the twins Billy and Jilly show up, Pete reverts to his insecure kid self. This is later shown in the story when Pete wears clothes much like the ones he used to when he was younger. His accent becomes more ¨Boston like¨ too. I think it represents how people change their behaviour when they return to a toxic situation or environment they were used to live in. Pete himself is an accomplished man with a job he that is his passion and has a lovely family. When he is surrounded by his twins, he starts acting like a kid and lets himself be pushed around without standing up for himself. I think that is a thing many people can related to, specially if they grew up with a relative like this.

While all this is happening, some small ghost creatures start showing up near Pete. Scratch explains to Molly that they are called ¨Sobgoblins¨ and they amplify sadness. They feed off from misery and are capable of multiplying very quickly. I think this is the first time the series introduces to ghosts that aren’t humans or animals they used to be alive. These are creatures that probably have their origins in the Ghost World. As always, it’s nice to see the show playing around with its supernatural elements, thus making the story more engaging.

It’s fun to see Scratch and Molly working together to get rid of the sobgoblins. There is an entire sequence of them hitting the creatures and Molly ¨enhappifying¨ them. Their dynamic is one of the hightlights from this episode. There are also some good jokes, such as Molly looking at a kitty poster to make herself feel sad to attract the ghosts. The short song sequence that plays while they are chasing the sobgoblins is rather catchy. It has some irish music vibes in it since it’s about how Pete’s side of the family and how ge gets put down by his siblings.

Based on their role in the story, the sobgoblins represent how pretending that things are fine when they are really not only makes a person more miserable. The more time Pete lets himself being mocked by his siblings without speaking up, the more sobgoblins appear. This misery extends to Sharon and even Molly as well, who are affected by the situation. It is when Pete finally stands up for himself and calls out Billy and Jilly’s behaviour that the sobgoblins dissapear. It’s a satisfying moment to watch after he was pushed around all the episode by the twins and it’s a good follow up of his development in ¨Ice Princess¨. Another thing i like is that Pete stands up for himself after he sees Darryl imitating the twins and bothering Molly. He crosses the line when he notices that his siblings are being a negative influence on his own kids and he doesn’t want that dynamic to repeat in them.

With all the positive aspects like the sobgoblins, the message and Pete’s growth, it falls flat when it comes to the ending. It’s weird because on one hand Billy and Jilly acknowledge they haven’t been respecting Pete, but, on the other hand, they end up making the problem about themselves and how they are jealous of Pete. That makes the writing feel like it’s brushing off them making a proper apology. After all they were the ones who were tormenting Pete. Changing some lines to make the twins apologize properly would have made a better ending and a better conclusion.

In conclusion: ¨Twin Trouble¨ is a decent episode with some great character growth for Pete and an interesting metaphor using ghosts creatures. It’s an episode that appreciate what is trying to do and it would have been more memorable had the ending been better. While not of my favourites, it’s worth of watching for the character development and the sobgoblins introduction.

[yallcantread]

As a priviledged swiftie in many ways but a marginalized person in others: its such a difficult position to be in. I neither want to speak over girls who have routinely had their voices silenced to tell them how they should or shouldnt feel about this, nor do i want to exclaim that things like the attacks on trans rights and womens rights in the US are a far bigger deal that affects the lot of us more than who Taylor choses to date.

Many of the swifties i know are minority, lgbtq and/or disabled, and the risk of being ostracized from the only part of the community to accept me is a very real one. Unfortunately to those with strong feelings in the matter, even well sourced definitive facts have less bearing than what the loudest/most popular members have to say.

I understand your position, but it’s important to remember that no one else gets to decide how you should feel about something. Your feelings matter too, and it’s not fair for others to dismiss them. I’m a person of color, and while I acknowledge the existence of systemic racism and its impact, I don’t define myself solely based on my skin color or census identification.

Identity goes beyond external factors; it encompasses our thoughts and beliefs. What affects one person may not affect another in the same way. True friends should respect and understand that you have your own opinions, especially if they are not harmful or discriminatory.

When I mention harm, I’m referring to opinions that directly impact the lives of others. For example, if someone’s opinion on housing prevents low-income families from accessing essential housing, it becomes harmful. Such opinions can influence legislation and affect entire communities. Voting, by nature, is opinion-based, and it’s crucial to consider the consequences of our choices when they have a real impact on people’s lives.

In contrast, making fun of someone or not aligning with your preferences is merely mindless behavior. I appreciate you bringing this up because it highlights the need to focus on more significant issues. It doesn’t mean that one issue is more important than the other; rather, it suggests that some matters don’t warrant extensive conversations or discourse.

In the case of Matty, he isn’t involved in shaping legislation, nor are you for supporting his actions. He isn’t actively promoting harmful things; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s important to recognize the distinction between harmful opinions that affect laws and opinions that differ but do not cause harm.”

[holy-mountaiin]

Lead Like Jesus

It doesn’t take long before people catch on to bad leaders. Sometimes it’s hard to spot and other times it's far too easy. A person will likely never remember every word that was exchanged in a conversation, but they will however remember how the person made them feel. This is why it’s important to understand how crucial each present moment is and every interaction you have with others. There’s a person I know that people ask me about all the time. In fact, just about everyone I know who happens to meet them say that they give off a bad impression and something is off about them. It is a pretty impressive feat to rub everyone the wrong way immediately. Sadly, as a leader myself (understanding that I have potential to impact everyone within my sphere of influence). I have to somehow find the balance of respecting, honoring and being humble yet bold and direct to this person. What I’ve had to do so far is serve with love. I’ve had to try to show the love of God even during the most testing times. Romans 12:20 says to “feed your enemy when they are hungry, give them drink when they are thirsty and in doing so heaping hot coals upon their heads.” And to not be overcome with evil but overcome evil with good! (Romans 12:21)

I’ve come to understand that it is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance. And if someone won’t listen, we must be the example. We must exemplify the love of Christ, especially when our words will be rejected. Recently, there was a gathering and people were getting up to say kind words about this person. My wife and I both said, “we don’t even know what to say.” Thankfully, probably only by God’s Spirit I actually thought of some kind things to say. And I really meant what I said. This person and I haven’t even been on speaking terms for years. Whenever I would say Hi or Hello, they would literally look away somewhere else. But as I left that meeting, this person shook my hand and said “thank you.” This was a huge deal because I realized, they had never shaken my hand before. Ever since then, every once in a while, they will actually acknowledge my existence. That is a big win.

I’ve encountered many different leaders over the years. I have never encountered anyone like Jesus. His skills as a leader far surpasses anyone else's. I can tell by keeping close watch on the details provided in the gospels. The way he developed his disciples was by doing life with them. He didn’t just say, “show up once a week and be on time.” They got to watch first hand how he handled different situations. The other thing I love about Christ was how well he discerned those that he engaged with. When it came to his disciples, he would take his time with his teachings. When it came to others, he would often use parables. When it came to the religious leaders of the day, he would often correct them. But another thing he did with them was, he discerned their motives. This is something I’m just now learning.

One of my friends has been in a long distance relationship. There have been many red flags. One of them being the fact that she mis-led him for months. When they first started talking, he came up with a great idea to write down their prayers for each other in a notebook and at the end of three months they would share them. After sharing them, they would see how closely their prayers were in alignment. I thought this was a very creative idea. Well, for three months she acted like she was on the same page with him. Once it was time to share the prayers with each other, he found that she wrote down a total of zero prayers. So for three months she had the audacity to mis-lead him. So I felt like she wasted his time when she could have just told him upfront that she didn’t want to do it. It appeared she wasn’t ready for commitment. Many red flags later, she got into an argument with him because he said that Christmas was not literally the day Jesus was born. She started calling him stupid over and over and broke up with him. To top it all off, we found out that the name he knows her by isn’t even her real name. So I got straight with him and said, “block her number and stop talking to her, she’s a counterfeit.” He quickly agreed and said, “I think God is making it very obvious by now.”

A little while later, I got on a three-way call with him and my other brother in the Lord (who was recently converted). And this topic comes up. Except my new brother in the Lord tells him advice that would be good for a married couple, but not for his particular circumstance. He tells him that he needs to go the next twenty days giving her words of affirmation. I was mind blown. Sadly, because of work, I had to get off the phone. When I got back on the call, my friend was praising the new brother in the Lord’s advice. I was perplexed. So I called my friend separately to talk to him individually. I told him it was not good advice and not to talk to that girl anymore. I referred to her as a counterfeit and he goes “so you still think she's a counterfeit?” I was baffled, because both of us had agreed many times over that this was the case. What I came to realize after talking to wise counsel was that before I go on to give people wisdom, I need to discern their hearts' intentions. Because no matter how much you care about someone and want to see them succeed, you may still be casting pearls to swine.

This wise counsel went on to say, the reason he was so quick to talk to the girl again was because he got permission by the newly converted brother in the Lord. He said, when he asked for advice, what he really wanted was permission and you didn’t give it, so he got it elsewhere. So a part of being a good leader, is knowing your audience, using discernment and using wisdom when sharing wisdom.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in order to be a good leader, we must be willing to be a good follower. Proverbs says with wise counsel our plans are established.

Plans are established by seeking advice; so if you wage war, obtain guidance. (Proverbs 20:18)

We’ve all made mistakes, we’ve all been there. But a part of being a good leader means becoming a mature person. We cannot mature spiritually if we haven’t matured emotionally. Because we must not be led by our emotions. This means I must not be frustrated when people don’t listen. Ultimately, God will do the work in people as he perfects them in the coming days. I can plant seeds and water but only God can give real increase. And my prayer as a leader is to provide healthy soil (environment) for people to grow.

I hope to grow in the LORD as His Spirit teaches me more and more as a leader. But what I never want to lose is the reality that I am His student and His disciple first. Because I cannot afford to make anything about myself. If I truly care for God’s kingdom, then I will take care of His sheep with compassion, the way Jesus did.

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[signanothername]

Ooops now i can’t stop

To put it into perspective, I love kind characters that persist in doing good even when the world only shows them cruelty, and that’s why Rung immediately entered my heart the moment i saw him

His design is fucking brilliant, it’s really good at showing u what kinda person he is even before any actual dialogue or events happening around him, the moment i laid eyes on him i immediately knew he’s gonna be that one really kind character, he’s mainly composed of circles AND squares and generally in character design, circles are used for kind, upbeat and nice characters, while squares are used for reliable characters that you could confined in and trust

the fact his colors are mainly warm toned, having his primary color be orange specifically, it’s amazing cause not only does it work so well in conjunction with, but also as a direct contradiction to his personality

Design aside, his personality is what i truly love about him, usually speaking, kind characters would let people step on them in the name of being kind, which in turn just means they’re always taken advantage of, which breaks my heart

Rung is not like that tho, and that’s the twist i really love about his character, he’s kind yes, but that doesn’t mean he’d stand idly by and let anyone do whatever they want, he stands up for himself, shows displeasure/anger whenever he’s not treated well and even put people in their places if they get too bold (usually by words alone) but that’s his super power isn’t it tho? Nautica even acknowledges his use of words as an admirable trait after all

He has boundaries, and he isn’t afraid to enforce those boundaries

Hell not necessarily with someone messing with him, he’s even willing to be firm when someone is keeping something to their self that they shouldn’t be keeping *cough* telling Minimus to tell the others the truth or he will do it himself*cough*

Like damn look at that expression he really isn’t up for Minimus’ bullshit

But that’s the thing tho, i LOVE how firm Rung can be without being an asshole, he’s got that amazing balance between being kind and firm, and when to be both or either, he knows how to control his emotions most of the time, and how to present them

Not only that, but Rung specifically being the one to be suspicious of Minimus and even realize his truth by simply testing his theory? *chef’s kiss*

Cause it works SO WELL with Rung’s expertise in psychology, his whole job requires great observation skills and that’s what Rung shows in literally *looks at the page* one fucking panel my god, like damn he’s good at his job chchchchch

His position as a psychiatrist was already very interesting to me, cause from my contact with TF media, i never saw a character that worked as a psychiatrist/therapist, which is mind boggling cause during a war, you’d think we will see so many psychiatrist characters, but nah, we see scientists and medical doctors, but mental health? Who needs it apparently

So to see that first panel of him going “I was your psychiatrist for six centuries”

well, color me very intrigued

Which brings me to my next point

His identity crisis

I fucking love his entire character arc and how everything wraps up at the end, literally the very first panel he shows up in, you get Red Alert not remembering him or his name, and Rung was his psychiatrist for six centuries, which is then re-enforced multiple times, like how in the second issue when Ratchet calls him “Ring” and Rung immediately corrects him (and seems frustrated by it even)

It immediately gives you the vibe that Rung is really forgettable, someone without an impact on the people around him, which in turns raises so many questions

Cause like, HELLO??? He’s a psychiatrist???? He leaves a BIG impact upon the lives of his patients yet even then, it’s like the universe itself doesn’t want him to be remembered

Which ties so well with his identity crisis and self worth, he’s lost, and he decided to study psychiatry to make sense of himself, and that breaks me

This man wanted to understand himself, yet put in mind he wasn’t able to, he still struggled through it all, and the thing is, no one cared

Not properly, not at first at least

Ratchet, was the first to truly care cause he understood what it’s like, and we love us that doctor & psychiatrist solidarity

I love how his identity crisis also connects with his Alt Mode, the fact he himself doesn’t understand or know what he turns into, an Alt Mode is a form of self expression, from flyers to grounded vehicles, Rung was none of these, he didn’t know what he turns into or what his Alt Mode was for exactly, which further expanded that gap in his identity

And even before fully understanding or knowing what he turns into, when he was on the road of self discovery, when he only had an ounce of an idea what he turns into, it turned to fear, fear of himself, or what he might cause

To the point of asking people to dismantle him if he died in his Alt Mode

That’s the thing about self discovery, it can be frightening, especially when you discover something about yourself that you believe could cause so much harm, and sometimes you think it’s better if you kept it to yourself, all motivated by fear and uncertainty

Which makes the relationships Rung makes along the line very satisfying, cause he finally decides to tell Nightbeat about it when he asks

Not to mention, when Rung loses his job as a psychiatrist, it was like he lost a part of himself, he becomes even more lost and uncertain, his job wasn’t just all he had, but it was like a emotional crutch

He takes care of people because he doesn’t know how to take care of himself

How can such a sunshine character be so damn tragic

But i think the last revealis what got to me, when it’s revealed that he’s Primus, and the reason he’s so forgettable was something completely out of his control

It just-YGHGGUJVVJJVJVVJVJVJVJ

ok back to normal, anyway, I’m kinda upset by the indication that after his sacrifice, most people forgot about him

Anyway, i could ramble more but it’s 3 am and i really gotta go sleep

Have these panels to cry about with me tho

The first one especially tears my heart cause it gives me the vibes Rung is looking forward to meeting his bestie Skids again <3

One day imma ramble about Rung and nobody’s gonna be able to stop me >:)

[kipsels]

Reach & Flexibility

“He’s not here.”

Kaveh leans against the door frame, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Lumine only needs to lean to the side to see the mess of drafting paper and project outlines scattered on the floor behind him. 

“Oh, do you know where he might be? I went to the Academiya but he wasn't in his office, and some of the scholars said they saw him leaving hours ago.”

The sigh that leaves Kaveh is so heavy his shoulders physically sag as he exhales.

“How would I know where he is? I’m not his personal secretary, and I have no desire to keep tabs on h-” Kaveh blinks, his carmine eyes staring out at the dusky sky behind her, “What time is it?”

“It’s just after six!” Paimon pipes up from beside her.

“And the day?”

“What do you mean the d-” Lumine claps her hand over Paimon’s mouth.

It only takes a glance to see the dark rings under Kaveh’s eyes, or the way his artfully tousled hair was looking a lot less artful and much more frazzled. Never provoke an exhausted artist, Lumine thinks as she answers him politely.

“It’s Thursday.”

Another sigh, and Kaveh is already turning away from them. 

“He’ll be at his yoga class.”

“Yoga?”

“Yes, yoga. Here- the address, take it and leave me to wallow in my failure.”

Lumine takes the piece of paper from him, the door shutting before she even gets a chance to thank him. 

She finds the studio by the docks, its door held open by a stop.

Walking up the stairs, she hears a calming melody play in the background, and a placid voice speaks over it with gentle instructions. 

When she makes it to the landing, Lumine's jaw hits the floor. She’s fairly certain Paimon’s does as well.

Alhaitham is dressed down, his cape neatly folded by the corner of his mat, along with the decorative sash that was usually wrapped over his shoulder and waist. His boots, too, stand in perfect place behind him. 

She stares at his bare feet as he bends in half, perfectly balanced as one hand braces the floor while the other cups the back of his calf, his other leg stretched high above him in a near perfect line. 

Lumine feels her own hips twinge at the sight alone. 

Before she realises it, Haitham has moved out of the pose as both hands brace on the floor, the defined muscles in his shoulders bunching tight as he lifts himself into a handstand. 

And then he goes further.

His back arches in a graceful curve as his knees bend, the tips of his toes brushing against the silver locks of hair on his head. 

"Woah," Paimon whispers beside her in awe.

Lumine doesn’t realise she had been holding her breath until his feet find the ground again, stretching past his head as his body pushes up into another dramatic arch, his spine a fluid thing as he slowly lifts his body upright.

Over and over again, Haitham contorts his body in ways Lumine had never imagined. She barely notices anyone else in the class, her eyes riveted to the way his muscles held perfect control of his movements.

The class is over before she knows it, and she blinks when she feels Paimon tugging at her scarf. 

“Lumine,” Alhaitham acknowledges her with a nod, already fully dressed.

“I didn’t know you could do all that,” She vaguely gestures at his entire body.

“The sedentary nature of scholarly work has a number of negative health impacts. The Sumeran practice of yoga helps to counter the shortening of ligaments and increase one’s flexibility and balance,” Alhaitham explains plainly.  

“Some even find the practice quite meditative.”

“It’s very… impressive.”

“If you’re interested, you should join me for a class,” Alhaitham’s lips pull into a smile, “Improving your flexibility will help you in combat, and in other areas too.”

Other areas?

Lumine feels herself flush at the knowing look in his eye. 

“Now, was there a reason you sought me out, or did you just come to ogle?”

Lumine’s cheeks burn even brighter when she realises she can't remember why she needed to talk to him in the first place.

[moon-lixie]

“Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurts?” he speaks up unceremoniously, as if he were reciting a line from his favourite poem in the world. “You asked me that the first time we met, remember?”

word count: 1.537k

genre: angst, fluff, gn reader x chan.

song: aurora - runaway (s l o w e d + r e v e r b)

The moment Chan reaches to turn off the car he has to remind himself to take a deep breath. His hands are shaking, bringing his whole body along to sway until his heart begins picking up its pace once again. 

Raindrops impact against the windshield, hiding the rest of the world from his eyes and ears that cannot recognise anything beyond the heavy downpour. For a moment he fears he’s at the wrong place but if anything, he is only at the wrong time.

With a defeated sigh he allows his head to fall forward and against the top of the steering wheel, unspoken words twisting his tongue on itself while simultaneously threatening to scream out everything that fear had stopped him from acknowledging with a proud voice before.

His options are few, his desires even less. In his mind he’s very well aware that there’s only one thing he can do but his hands don’t listen to reasoning now that they’re required to. He’s stuck on the timelessness of feeling everything so much that his bones rattle with a threat of falling apart.  

A shaky exhale follows another deep breath, follows the desire of cowardice to drain from his veins once and for all. One more deep breath follows the dialling tone reverberating off the walls of his car, follows the single second of wanting something so much that fear doesn’t even cross his mind. 

“Hello?” Your voice cuts through the rain and in return the rain drowns your silence that follows immediately behind.

“Could you come outside, please? I have something that I need to tell you.” Chan can barely recognise the shy voice escaping his lips, an enormous contrast to the confident one inside his head that doesn’t think twice before screaming exactly what he wants to say. 

He can hear the question that gets stuck in your throat before you hurriedly agree with a choked yes that barely makes itself known over the thundering leaping of his heart.

Chan knows that all it takes is one moment of bravery, a light push, and then he won’t be able to fight the inertia so he pushes the door open and gets out of his car for the rain to welcome him like a long-lost friend.

In front of him there’s a house painted white that he can barely recognise until seconds later you walk out with your heart in one hand and all of your dreams on the other. You walk out like you’ve always walked, too raw, too open, too undeserving of the bad things the universe throws around without a care.

Then you stare at him from the closest place you can without getting soaked under the rain, with concern drowning your eyes, turning them into bottomless pools of the kind of care we’re supposed to give out scarcely. You stare and give all that care away to him without second thought.

He feels the force of his own movements as he walks closer to you and decides that he doesn't have it in himself to worry about how he might look, rain hugging his clothes and dragging him down towards the floor, unshed tears posing as the reflection of the raindrops falling before him. He doesn’t care if he looks like the biggest fool in the world because all he can care about right now is you. 

Chan could swear it had been you from the very beginning of time itself, had been you since the first time he saw you and would continue to be you until the day he tried to fool himself to think it was no longer you who he cared about more than his own life.

“Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurts?” he speaks up unceremoniously, as if he were reciting a line from his favourite poem in the world. “You asked me that the first time we met, remember?”

Personally he thought it would be impossible not to, because that drunken night had been a fairytale where you looked like the shining moon on an unexpecting night that hadn’t prepared itself to transcend in the life and memory of the two people standing here and now.

Reminiscing about those words was looking back at a life where it felt like he had it all before he even rationalised having you. It was remembering the hazy image of your blinding smile and easy movements as you wandered among the streets with him trailing behind.

“Remember what I answered?” Without a second to spare you nod but he goes ahead and says it anyway. “I said I didn’t know, I told you I wasn’t sure if I had.” His past words sound beyond foolish to him now.

He knew that you had found his answer foolish too, by the way you stopped in your tracks and looked at him like he knew nothing about life. It was then perhaps that he had realised the entire world was hiding in your eyes.

Your answer then had been definitive and he would never be able to forget it. “You’ll know when it happens and only until then.”

“Well, I have a new answer for you so I need you to ask me again,” Chan says, his voice making it sound like a request that you could refuse, and you could, he would simply not know what to do if you did. 

“Have you?” you ask, voice barely the shadow of your usual upbeat tone. 

“Have I what?” Chan questions insistently, begging you to play along with him on this particular night where the sky seems as upset as the both of you. 

Taking a deep breath you indulge him with a new found intent colouring your voice. “Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurts, Chan? Have you?”

In that moment he feels like his knees are going to give out under the weight of his relief while he nods as if the rain hitting the back of his head wasn’t trying to force him to keep his head hung low. 

“Yes, I have, I do. I finally understand how it feels to love someone so much that it hurts to have them by your side as much as it hurts to have them leave you.” Eyes trained on yours, he continues, “I, once and for all, know how it feels to love someone to the point that they’re the only thing that matters in the world.”

For his own foolishness, his very own and very heavy fears, for all the times he had dared hesitate in the past, he takes a step forward and another after that. Only a force as big as the universe could stop him at the time, and that force resided all in your voice. 

“I love you,” he finally says in his last attempt to show you how much you had changed his entire life, how much he desired to stand with his soul in the open for you to watch in a similar way to how you’ve dared to stand in front of everyone for the entirety of your life. 

The force of your voice that only matched that of the whole world, trembled when you muttered his very own last three words back to him, and it was only then that Chan felt himself become the most powerful and unstoppable man to have ever stepped on this earth. 

With the strength he had acquired by stepping out from his car, he moves closer until the rain can no longer reach him with its freezing hands. He moves closer until there is nowhere else to look at but you. 

From that very first night he should've known that you were the only logical path to take, the only thing that meant enough to make his soul feel crushed and then more alive than ever seconds later with just a couple of words. 

He watches you and looks for the stars in your eyes only to find constellations that have no name to human kind. If he had ever thought that it wouldn’t be you, couldn’t be you, then he had been trying to hide the moon behind his palm.

At that moment Chan only wants to say that he loves you more than words could ever express until he realises that saying that out loud would be yet another mistake. He doesn’t allow himself to use words for something that clearly transcends them and simply leans towards you until your breaths become one. 

With his hands cradling your face and a single approving movement of your head he resolves in pressing his lips against yours in what feels a lot like coming home after being lost for too long. 

The moment Chan reaches out to hold you in between his arms he has to remind himself to take a deep breath. His hands are shaking, bringing his whole body along to sway until his heart begins picking up its pace right along yours. 

Raindrops impact against the pavement, hiding the both of you from the rest of the world. Finally he knows he’s in the only place and time he would ever wish to be at.

[theepsizet]

Sanders Sides Season 2 Finale Predictions

Or rather predictions for Pt 1/4 of the Season 2 finale, b/c I honestly have no idea what the plot is going to be AT ALL.

So, the Season 2 Finale is coming very soon, according to Thomas. Naturally, there’s still a lot of speculation into what will be shown. This entire post will be the obvious predictions (again for Pt 1/4), as well as a couple ideas that might seem far-fetched but can possibly make sense considering what the series.

And yes, this has been done before, but I might as well review the important points.

Prediction #1: Wrap Up Loose Ends

POF ended with a bittersweet end-card, but with tension still being in the air. Roman is pissed that Janus is accepted — his black-and-white mentality makes him believe/convinced that “Dark Sides” = evil, and it certainty didn’t help that both snapped at each other; aka that scene — and he’s even more upset that Patton is giving “the snake” a seat at the table.

Thomas said in one of his instagram Q&As that the Season 2 finale will have 4 parts, and with this in mind it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to believe that the Season 2 Finale will tie into POF and, subsequently the “Wedding vs Callback” trilogy — SvS, DWIT, and POF.

The trilogy was an emotional roller-coaster. It was a simple turned thought experiment where the final decision had dangerous consequences. This included Thomas worsening his relationship with intrusive thoughts — despite the beneficial outcome that Remus can now show up, he’s still not fully accepted by Thomas; his existence as “Dark Creativity” is just acknowledged — and revealing that Patton’s moral code was so extreme he believed/wanted Thomas to purse martyrdom and literally die for others for the cost of being a good person.

It’s wasn’t pleasant. And it certainly isn’t over.

Virgil and Janus have always had tension between each other every time the latter showed up. And since Virgil does know him personally, it makes the grudge much worse than Roman’s. It’s heavily implied — and even a common theory at this point — that the two had a fallout, of sorts, otherwise Virgil wouldn’t have any qualms for Janus being around.

And for a side who is 100% against anything that Janus brings to the discussion board, Virgil would naturally be absolutely pissed that Janus is accepted by Thomas.

There’s actually a very subtle hint in FWSA, where Virgil & Roman at the beginning of the episode both admonished Thomas for simply using “little white lies” that are otherwise harmful/not really impact compared to using deceit as a solution for trust issues.

(Side-note: Deep down, Virgil does understand Janus’ importance, but their past implied fallout would only diminish this idea. Virgil would only agree with Janus reluctantly, and even then he wouldn’t like to admit that the latter has some good points.

This could also tie into Virgil’s biggest of being seen as the “bad guy” again. He tried so hard to be accepted, and when he finally opened up about him being a Dark Side, Thomas was shocked... what would happen next? Will Thomas reject him once again? The answer is no, of course not. Thomas accepts him for who he is, but Virgil is still anxiety, and these questions can’t easily go away. Not only that, but no amount of deception/denial will help diminish this; hence why Virgil might even lash out if Janus even tries to remotely assure/comfort him.)

Speaking of Janus, Patton is also going to be someone that Virgil & Roman are both pissed at. For Roman, the reasons are explained above, but for Virgil... well...

It started after DWIT. Virgil was disappointed in himself that he couldn’t protect Thomas from, and since he is the embodiment of anxiety, he naturally thinks of the worst possibilities. And since Patton was pretty accepting of Remus existing — while he’s still uncomfortable, Patton understands that intrusive thoughts are natural and chastising Thomas certainly doesn’t help — Virgil is naturally going to think that if Patton accepts the others, then what bad thing could they do to Thomas?

In the Asides, Virgil made two sarcastic quips towards Patton that were pretty insensative on his part. It would make sense he would make this when Patton accepted that Remus and Janus should be allowed be more prominent:

When Patton suggested they should try to relax: “You [Patton] do realize who you’re talking too?” (ATHD?)

“Oh that’s great, you’re giving Thomas permission.” (WTIT)

Even the 5th anniversary made it clear that Virgil wasn’t too thrilled with Janus being included, and found the best way to actually make him into a flustered mess  (“Ask Janus about our song ‘Lies’”).

So, with that out of the way, what does this mean for the Season 2 finale?

There is going to be tension between the 4 sides that will possibly result in a pissed-off argument: Janus & Patton — who simply want what’s best for Thomas — vs Roman & Virgil — who also want what’s best for Thomas, but are too arrogant to understand the problems of listening to only SPECIFIC sides, rather than all 7.

And that’s what Thomas CANNOT do.

If he listened to Virgil & Roman only, he would not only diminish the importance of the other sides, and a black-and-white mentality + his anxiety would only highlight this need to diminish the others to a concerning degree.

Except Virgil & Roman’s job has nothing to do with Thomas’ morality. Not really:

Janus is Thomas’ self-preservation. He’s there to stop Thomas from going over the edge by reminding him to take care of himself.

Patton is Thomas’ morality. He’s there to as Thomas’ personal guide to what’s right and wrong.

(Another side-note:

That isn’t to say that Roman and Virgil’s concerns aren’t valid. Both Janus and Patton need to stop the other for going too far, but POF expressed the idea that it can ONLY be Patton and Janus. Not any other side because it isn’t their job.

Keep in mind that Patton and Janus are not only mature sides with a grey mentality and understand/accept the mistakes they make, but both are assertive sides. Janus fights back to whoever harms him (as showcased when Roman), and Patton reminds the group if an idea is bad/reminds them not to be arrogant:

SVS: “What is this wacky talk? I- You don't mean any of this. I'm your morality, I wouldn't be here if you did!”

LNTAO:

Logan:

Patton:

Moving On, pt 1:

Thomas: I'm sorry I got excited. I know that Virgil's room is where I have to go in order to heighten my anxiety. I gotta think that your room is literally sunshine and rainbows.

Patton: Wha... -laughs nervously- I— -laughs- It's- It's not quite like that, uh...

Thomas: Still, you're at the core of a lot of my happy feelings.

Patton: I'm at the core of a lot of your feelings.

In-conclusion: It’s going to be a mess. A fight where the 4 sides are so pissed off at each other that nothing will be accomplished.

Prediction #2: Patton will snap

So just before Halloween last year, Thomas posted this picture on his twitter:

This tweet was theorized to be a reference to 2 things:

Logan’s Line in AA pt 1 “Flames. On the side of my face. See-Seething... Seething fire”)

Or what occured in WTIT; specifically that infamous scene with the orange eyes:

Interestingly enough, the Spyro Youtooz was later put on Patton’s box. And this can be seen in the background of 2 videos that occured after this tweet. These videos are the 5th anniversary, and, more recently, the video where Thomas plays FNAF for the first time:

Sanders Sides is a series where the devil is in the details, and the fact that Patton’s box has the Spyro Youtbooz led to many theories regarding one specific side.

Yes, I’m talking about Orange.

If the Orange Side embodies rage/wrath, it would make sense that he would have an effect on the other sides. And if the Season 2 finale has 4 of Thomas’ sides pissed at each other, it wouldn’t be to far-fetched to say that Patton will probably snap out of rage at the other sides — again, probably Roman and/or Virgil, for reasons explained above (aka he’s Thomas’ morality, it’s HIS job to know what is right/wrong for Thomas, not theirs).

(Side-note: This isn’t my theory, btw. Many people have already pointed this out; I just thought to bring this point up again to table.)

There’s actually another point to keep in mind, but if the discussion does turn into an argument where the 4 sides are at each other’s throats, then it makes sense that Orange will have subtle influence. He will definitely play a very important part, just like how Virgil & Remus played a subtle yet important part in POF (<cough, cough> the Trolley Problem).

Another thing to keep in mind: In an anger-driven argument, its easier to tune the other person out that actually listen to them. This is just how all arguments become fights. Because of course you’re right. What do they know? The other person is wrong... right?

Tuning the other person out and attacking them out of anger is what naturally occurs in most fights. And these fights tend to be pointless. Nothing gets accomplished, and in the end, both parties simply feel like it was a waste of time.

Prediction #3: Speaking of Orange’s influence

It’s possible he might make a debut. Not a full debut, but possibly a cameo. Maybe. This is going quite beyond simplicity, but it makes sense considering one simple fact.

Season 2 focuses on Thomas realizing he’s not perfect, and that there is no such thing as labeling “good” or “bad” to individual aspects of his personality. Especially to sides he was completely unaware of.

Still, it will only be a cameo. Not a full debut. I still affirm my point that the Season 2 finale will focus on Janus, Patton, Virgil, & Roman, and not have anything to do with Orange. If he does show up, it will be in a penultimate scene or endcard of Pt 3 or 4, showcasing that he does have influence on the other sides.

And his influence could actually prove that Orange possess a hidden role that Thomas should have and needs: catharsis.

Anger isn’t an emotion you can simply repress; it's practically designed to be let out. Holding it in actually makes the anger a lot more volatile, and just like Remus will actually have consequences the more it isn’t released. If Orange is catharsis, the 4 sides fighting each other will help prevent further fights from occurring in the future. It would further prove the duality of a Side: Orange can be harmful, even violent but be needed to blow off some steam before it gets worse.

Final words:

Ooh boy, this post was a lot. I apologize if it’s a mess, but there is just a lot to talk about. I kind of needed to get it out of my system. Feel free to ask me for clarification if you need any.

(Also, more of a personal note, @beauty-and-passion​ thoughts?)

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 324: Is There a Force Field Around Him??

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal was all “please tell Midoriya that I spent a concerningly small amount of money upgrading U.A. into a wacky physics-defying funtime grid so as to make the final battle much more confusing for everyone.” Present Day!Mic (or Present!Mic, if you will) and Jeanist were all “if only somebody could deescalate this dangerously unhinged mob, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” Ochako was all “LISTEN UP PEOPLE.” The mob was all, “god??” Ochako was all, “NO, IT’S ME, OCHAKO. I’M REALLY HIGH UP ON THIS BUILDING AND THE VISIBILITY IS LOW DUE TO THE RAIN, SO I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT MISTAKE. ANYWAYS, DEKU WAS OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU CLOWNS EVEN THOUGH HE’S JUST A KID, SO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD ALL REMEMBER HOW TO BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS, THANKS.” Let’s see if her Big Scolding Energy has any impact.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “so I have this speech planned out, and it’s really good, but it also only really needs about 6 to 8 pages, but I’m gonna see if I can stretch it out to 17 pages so I can kill time before we get to the next volume cliffhanger two weeks from now.” Anyway but it really is a good speech though. There are feels, and tears, and more talk about how Deku is so in need of a shower that just looking at him requires a tetanus booster, and more feels, and more tears, and bonus ship drama, and an iconic callback to the very first chapter which reframes the entire series in a new context in a totally epic and moving way, and it’s all very good. Except that Horikoshi is determined to never let anyone actually give this kid a hug. Who hurt you, dude.

omg we are opening on a callback to chapter 212, a.k.a. the chapter with by far the cutest flashback that doesn’t involve any baby Todorokis

baby Ochako is lethally cute. she could literally murder someone with her cuteness. I just want to scoop her up and play airplane with her until she accidentally activates her quirk while we’re spinning around and we both helicopter up into the air never to be seen again

“a child’s insistence” huh well that’s all well and good, but I sure hope this doesn’t mean we’re going to drag out the whole “sternly lecture the obnoxious citizens” plot for another whole chapter. no offense but I think we’re good

so page 2 is just continuing the whole happy/worried faces monologue, which of course is very important to Ochako’s character as it provides the context for why “who protects the heroes” ended up becoming her thing. and this is making me think we actually are in for a whole second chapter of this sob. when will my boy finally get to rest

OH MY GOD SUDDENLY THESE PEOPLE HAVE EYES IMAGINE THAT

HORIKOSHI: [reaches for a box of tissues while tearfully penning an homage to his beloved Spider-Man 2, specifically the train scene where the crowd sees Peter without his mask and they suddenly realize just how young he is]

HORIKOSHI’S HOMAGE SCENE: “COME TO THINK OF IT, I GUESS IT WAS KIND OF MEAN FOR US TO PICK ON THIS TEN YEAR OLD KID WHO WEIGHS 75 POUNDS AND LOOKS LIKE HE LOST A FIGHT WITH SATAN’S MOLDY OLD BASEMENT”

lol at this one guy who can feel the mood of the crowd shifting and is all “WAIT, NO, I WANTED TO KEEP BEING AN ASSHOLE DAMMIT”

as many pointed out last week, this man is wearing an All Might shirt. that’s some fantastic irony there

-- SDKFJWIGKS

“LITTLE GIRL, I HOPE YOU’RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE WALKING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A SOVIET-ERA BUS STOP.” heh. last week I said I was ashamed of BnHA being my favorite manga. that was a lie, actually

(ETA: in the original Japanese Ochako’s next two lines are basically “the only ones covered in mud will be us heroes!” followed by “please give us some time to get rid of the mud”, with that second line basically being the single funniest thing I’ve ever read rdslkjl. Ochako thank you so much for supporting my running gags. “YEAH WE KNOW HE’S DIRTY. WE ARE GONNA TRY AND CLEAN HIM UP, BUT IT MAY TAKE A WHILE, I’M JUST SAYING. I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE AN ASBESTOS COSPLAY.”)

doesn’t the megaphone kind of look ever so slightly like an axe that she’s wielding maniacally here

easy there Lizzie Borden

also that’s a really bold claim to make there. and not one she necessarily should have to make, either. but as we all know, there’s nothing that shounen manga likes more than having its heroes bravely hoist heavy burdens of responsibility like good self-sacrificing citizens

p.s. lowkey loving how Kacchan is positioned here standing slightly behind Deku. not presuming to stand in front of him all overprotectively (because he would hate if anyone ever did that to him), and kind of being unobtrusive and letting others take center stage -- but still being close enough to Deku that he can catch him if he stumbles or passes out again

(ETA: or maybe not lmao.

DEKU: [falls to his knees]

KACCHAN: [glancing up from his phone a few minutes later] “someone just sent me the stupidest meme about milk crates -- oh. uh. you good...?”

really, son. “the burdens you can’t carry, we’ll carry them for you. ...later, I mean. right now it’s late, and we’re all cold and wet.”)

also lowkey loving this OchaTsu moment here

I was going back and binging Ochako chapters this past week for reasons, and I gotta say it really stuck out to me just how often these two are paired with each other. they do everything together. it’s a really sweet friendship that often goes unappreciated but it’s very cute

meanwhile, not to be outdone by the OchaTsu, Iida is staring at Ochako with open admiration talking about how she’s fighting too. it’s been so long since we’ve had any IidaRaka you guys. I was starving and I didn’t even know it

oh my lord IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING

THE LIGHT IS BACK. he finally looks like him again. what a cathartic fucking moment omg

ffklkdw

“I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SCARED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE DEFINITELY CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY AND WE ARE ALL SCARED TOO!” good pep talk there kiddo

BUT, jokes aside, truth be told this is the exact right approach to take imo, and something that’s long overdue. I’ve said this before, but this new generation of heroes is shaping up to be much more transparent than the All Might generation. they’re basically abandoning the almighty, untouchable Superman “heroes as gods” concept in favor of the more nuanced “heroes as people” concept instead. and that’s a good thing. seeing their heroes as humans, with human limitations and weaknesses and flaws, will hopefully not only lead to more scrutiny and accountability, but also more awareness of how hard some of them are working and how much they’re sacrificing. that’s something All Might never quite grasped back at the start of the series -- that the weak, vulnerable, injured him could be just as inspiring as the mighty, invincible him -- perhaps even more so. there’s a power in seeing otherwise ordinary people show extraordinary bravery and compassion. it inspires others to try and do the same

SSDLHK AIZAWA SIGHTING AAHHHHHH

so he was still back at the hospital this whole time?? smdh at this disrespect. that feeling when your sexy self-insert character’s powers of rationality are too strong, and so you have to nerf him so that he doesn’t ruin your Deku Angst arc twice over by (1) immediately talking some sense into Deku and making him come home Right This Instant Young Man, and (2) not allowing him to leave U.A. in the first fucking place. excuse me, you want to do WHAT now, Midoriya?? that’s it, go to your room

also living for Katsuki and Hawks’s soft expressions. Shouto’s too, although his is tinier and harder to see. and Jeanist’s 12-foot-long neck. imagine Jeanist’s head with Mic’s hair. maybe Jeanist had a mohawk back in the day and that’s why U.A.’s doors are so big now

speaking of soft faces, Enji’s is also excellent

what could this random close-up possibly imply?? hell if I know. but Horikoshi truly fears no discourse and that’s what I love about him

OMGGGG

“smh my child is so dumb.” poor Ochadad. your child is cute af count your blessings

SDOFFHSMH

I’m telling you guys. lethally, catastrophically cute

this speech is still ongoing lol. Horikoshi you’re doing so good but I think we get the point now my dude. you gotta learn how to transition out of these things

UNEXPECTED TOGA WHAT

“there we go” Horikoshi says, crossing off the last line on his list of Ochako ships. “that’s all of ‘em”

poor Ochako is just repeating the same “LET HIM REST, PLEASE, WITH EVERYONE’S COOPERATION, IF YOU DON’T MIND, WE APPRECIATE IT” talking points over and over again hoping someone will throw her a bone and acknowledge her already. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HER

literally they’re all just staring up at her silently omg. work with me people!!

now she’s saying it for the 56th time but more dramatically all of a sudden

they got so dramatic that for a minute I thought she had suddenly leaped off the building or something

look, not to rush you or anything Horikoshi, but I’m starting to get the feeling that this is yet another one of those “the volume is ending soon so I need to either hurry things up or slow things down in order to make sure we end it on my perfect cliffhanger ending” chapters where you go to ridiculous lengths to drag things out much to the exasperation of your week-to-week readers

(ETA: ftr, volume 31 ended on chapter 306, and I’m predicting that vol. 32 will end with chapter 316 (a.k.a. “you’re next!” [explodes]). I’m guessing vol. 33 will follow suit and likely end on chapter 326, so keep your eyes peeled for a big cliffhanger in two weeks’ time. Deku’s dad?? All Might in peril?? U.A. traitor at long fucking last?? we shall see.)

is Deku straight up falling in love with Ochako right on the spot lol what is happening

I know I just said that I enjoy when Horikoshi gives zero fucks about discourse, but shipping discourse is a whole different beast lol. I hope he’s prepared

(ETA: and for the record, I have no interest in shipping discourse either, as always. and I think this scene can be interpreted as platonic, tbh, with the context being that Ochako was literally introduced as someone who was willing to help him so casually without a second thought, and now here she is saving him again.

I don’t think it really fully hit Deku until this moment how much he needed saving. like I said in another meta somewhere, selflessness is basically just selfishness on behalf of others. and Deku is selfless to a fault, but that’s okay, and it doesn’t mean he needs to change -- he just needs friends who are willing to be be selfish on his behalf in turn. and I think the full emotion of what it means to have friends like that just hit him at last. everything his friends have done for him, how much he needed it and didn’t even realize, and how grateful he is. anyways what a terrible day for rain.)

-- son of a --

is he apologizing?? or pleading?? please tell me that’s not the case, because what the actual fuck. Deku you beautiful precious radiant selfless child, this is the exact opposite of how this should be. all these motherfuckers should be on their knees apologizing to you

DEKU WHY

I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS FREAKING BOMBARDMENT OF EMOTIONS GODDAMIT. OUT HERE ARMED WITH YOUR FREAKING TREBUCHET OF FEELS TO LAUNCH AT ME UNPROVOKED. WHAT’S WITH THAT

FREAKING CHRIST. THIS BOY IS CRYING HIS EYES OUT AND HORIKOSHI IS JUST ZOOMING IN WITH THE CAMERA, LIKE CAN WE JUST CUT HIM A BREAK ALREADY. ENOUGH OF THIS. HE’S SO YOUNG AND HE TRIES SO HARD AND I JUST NEED HIM TO FEEL SAFE, HORIKOSHI PLEASE CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME THAT ALREADY WHAT IS THE FREAKING HOLD UP!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY!!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY PLEASE BE MY HUGGER BY PROXY!! SERIOUSLY GIRL IF YOU JUST HOLD YOUR UMBRELLA OVER HIM OR SOMETHING AND DON’T GO THE EXTRA MILE I’M ABOUT TO LODGE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS NOW

!!!!

A KOUTA IS GOOD TOO!!! oh my god if Kouta hugs him I will seriously 100% straight up cry. go on and test me

FOR THE LOVE OF --

is this man expressly forbidden from drawing hugs in his contract or something. DO YOU DO IT JUST TO SPITE ME?? this is tyranny, sir

AND I KNOW, THIS PAGE ACTUALLY CHALLENGED THE VERY PREMISE OF THE SERIES ITSELF, AND HERE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT HUGS, OR THE LACK THEREOF. “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes.” and just like that, he waves a polite middle finger at all of the Strongest Greatest Chosen One shounen protags of old, in favor of something much less conventional, much more interesting, and much more suited to Deku’s character. because if that one sentence doesn’t just sum up Deku to a T. he gladly relinquishes his Greatest Hero status in favor of acknowledging the hero in everyone. what a class act. that’s my protagonist

I love this kid so fucking much I swear. only just PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. GIVE HIM HIS HUG

[husbandohunter]

Stardew Impact [Stardew Valley+Genshin Impact x Reader]

Part 2/3 Zhongli, Xiao

Synopsis: “A mysterious phenomenon brought you and your s/o to an unfamiliar world: Pelican Town! Without the power of Visions, the two of you begin to learn the life of what it takes to be...a farmer?”

(DOMESTIC FARM LIFE ROUND TWO)

Genre: Fluff

Others

Diluc and Kaeya

Albedo and Childe

(A/n): This was meant to be part 3 but I couldn't wait to write xiao. Plus Ive been writing Albedo for almost the whole month already Word count_2.6k

-------

Xiao

• Thrown in an unfamiliar environment puts Xiao on high alert. Instincts kick in and his hand subconciously grabs for his spear. Nothing. Not even his vision activated. Xiao's gaze darts all over before landing on your figure. He sighs in relief, you're safe, that much he can decipher as of now.

• Stripped of his power, left with only claws and teeth (if must) to protect you from any dangers, he was ansty with every little thing. 

• The villagers are so nice??? For what reason must they have to act so friendly to strangers (Xiao wonders). The Mayor even granted you two a vast farmland free of charge. 

• Shortly he realized he no longer had his karmaic debt. Xiao wasn't sure how to live his life in this state. He dedicated his entire existence to years of slaughter and suffering that it became the only thing he knew. He won't admit it of course, he'll just throw in scoffs and remarks about how mundane activities are a waste of time when in reality, he just has no clue on how to handle them.

• Thats why the first day was difficult as you both try to figure out how to plant parnsips. Deciding it was better to go with an experiment, you split the share of seeds in half and used what basic knowledge you had on farming to finish the job. Xiao on the other hand tried copying what you did….though the outcome wasn't so desirable it was a mess. (His trained hands have taught him to be on the rough side).

• He doesn't bother socializing with the townspeople even though he has no karmaic debt to worry about. Xiao thinks you're more than enough anyways so what's the point? 

• Robin is the only person who can tolerate him for obvious reasons (cough Sebastian cough) she knows exactly how to deal with his personality type. His glares don't faze her, she simply thinks its just a teenage phase of some sort. 

• Eventually they become mutuals, Xiao thinks Robin is similar to Verr Goldet in a way. Since he's the one who does the heavy labour of chopping down trees and mining stones for building upgrades, he gets a chance to visit her house quite often. He comes back with lots of recipes too.

• You find out that his adepti blood never left him. Xiao doesn't need sleep so you better believe it when he tells you the next morning that he spent the whole night watering all 300 of your crops (watering is the only process he's good at for farming). 

• Sometimes you catch him staring out of the window, wondering what he may be thinking. Life was so much more different, almost hard to recognize. Was this real? Is it okay for it to be real, just this once? Ever since he committed his duty to Morax, Xiao didn't dream of a time when everything would be peaceful. Yet here he is, no longer a weapon but on a journey to find out what it's like to live as a normal person. 

• Spring: Every morning you find him kneeling behind the cabin with the pet cat (yes, cats seem to suit Xiao very much). He just stares at them, hesitant if he wanted to pet their fur or rub their chin. So he continues to glare intensely, scaring your cat away :(

• Whenever you wanted to attend any of the town's festivities, Xiao wouldn't even hide his distastefulness but goes with you regardless. Why do mortals consider hiding eggs and finding them a fun activity? And what kind of a name is Flower Dance? Can't they just call it a dance?

• Though…he does like the sight of you wearing a flower crown. Xiao likes putting stuff in your hair.

Since setting foot upon this new world, time seemed to have slowed down to the point that almost everything felt like an eternity. And you didn't mind, with him by your side, you wouldn't mind if it did last forever.

The lull of the grass was the only sound Xiao could hear as he closed his eyes and rested his head on your lap. You maneuvered across his scalp in small, subtle motions, surprised with how warm he felt against the heat your palm. He stirs a little and lets out a soft breath before turning his face to lay on the side.

You were slightly intrigued by the yaksha's new demeanor. From far away, Xiao was an intimidating man, even during the first time you laid eyes him, his presence felt similar to a knife pointing at anyone who dares to come too close. But now, the face that usually held his signature annoyance melted into something you never thought you'd see as the sun rays brushed against the surface of his fair skin. You observed the way his dark eyebrows stayed in a relaxed arch. The red crescents lining right above his beautiful long lashes and the sound of soft snores through parted lips. It was hard to believe that this man was the same person who claimed to have ended a thousand lives through thousands of years.

Did he fall asleep already?

Gently moving away the strands away from his cheekbone, hovered your gaze above him and whispered, "I thought adepti don't need rest."

"Hmph," Xiao responds, though there was no harshness in his tone, "Quit trying to be difficult, I didn't tell you to stop."

The smug grin on your face only widens. You lean downward and said to his ear, "And what's the magic word~?"

Xiao sighs at your antics. You were truly pushing your luck today and he simply didn't have the patience to entertain you. Without a warning, he grabs your wrist and pulls you down, foreheads pressing until you were but a breath away. The adepti conquers, he does not plead.

• Summer: As expected, your parnsnips weren't able to grow as much. Thus, this season was going to be the one to make up for the lost profit. Xiao is very good at hunting, perhaps the best in the entire town. Though the way he catches fish is rather peculiar, said by the folks. He prefers to carve a spear made of wood and repeatedly stabs the lake until results show. Xiao dislikes the old fashioned way, he says its unproductive and it unecissarily takes too much time. 

• But as much as he scared the whole town, they were extremely grateful when he cleaned up the slime issues happening in the mines. You could say that he grew very popular since then and eventually mustered up the courage to greet him a hello whenever he passes by. 

• You nudge him to reply back. Xiao usually shoots you a glare but slowly, he learns the courtesy of acknowledging someone's prescence.

• Fall: You woke up to a burnt smell coming from the kitchen. Xiao just thought he would return the favour since you always worked so hard. (He was actually trying to figure out what a 'whisk' was. It was no wonder why there were eggshells in the dish!)

• You realized that Xiao was taking more initation compared to before. At night, when you thought the animals were actively jumping in the barns, the noise was actually from Xiao trying to adjust himself to the ways of tending the field. After learning what TV was, he would always switch to the channel "Livin off the land" to gain some insight. Truly, Xiao was greatful even though he knew he eventually had to return to his duties, he wanted to utilize the current days the best way he could. And what better way was it to just make you happy in return?

• Winter: This was the season to test the accumulation of Xiao's abilities: you caught a cold and he had to manage everything in his own. Xiao scolded you for not wearing enough and being too careless but at the same he considered that you must've been working too hard.

• Goes to Robin for help. She basically became his mom now. Prepares the food and leaves them in the fridge, she teaches Xiao how to use the phone in case he needed any help and also lets him know where all the essentials are. 

• Xiao stayed by your side the whole time even though you told him you'd be fine. But he refuses, he may no longer be a gaurdian but he was your gaurdian. That role never changed.

~~x~~

Zhongli

• You wake up on a soft bed with Zhongli sitting at a chair nearby. He hands you a cup of brewed water but you're still blatlantly confused. Seems like everything was taken care of by Zhongli, it ends up with him explaining everything to you. 

• The folks instantly assumes you both as a married couple. Who could blame them? He did carry your unconcious body all the way to town while asking for a local doctor. You can bet that the ladies wish they were you at that moment. Zhongli took care of everything, including with the contract with the new farm.

• It didn't take long for you both to adjust to the new lifestyle. Zhongli's accumulated knowledge was enough to last all four seasons. Days past by peacefully as you shared the tasks. He'd place down the stone paths towards the gate and you busied yourself with decorating the house. After that was done, Zhongli would rest upon the rocking chair outside your door (like the grandpa he is) and sometimes you'd join him in one reading session. His voice was soothing, you eventually dipped into a slumber as the evening grew colder. Just like always, your beloved brings his arm to encapsulate you from the wind, brushing his thumb against your skin subconciously while you snore softly into his shoulder.

• In a way, the townsfolk were right. You both do act like a married couple. It's basically domestic life with Zhongli in a nutshell.

• He gets connected with Gunther and lands a role in the Museum. Since he's there so often, Zhongli also manages to be acquainted with Elliot as well. Two men who have a common interest with books while speaking in poetic prose. Their conversation would last for hours to the point Gunther had to kick them out of the library!

• Veeeery good with the children, not in an entertaining way but its just the aura he reeks. Penny usually had trouble dealing with Vincent since he never seems to be able to focus but the minute Zhongli speaks, he's all ears. Not only that he was also very good with the elderly. He even recommended some herbs George could take to soothe his back issues.

• Problem is that he still forgets to bring his wallet and Childe isn't here to save him. So once you stepped foot into the Stardrop Saloon and Gus calls you over, he tells you about the cost he owed to his tab….

• But this tranquil life full of genuinity and deprived of sovereignty, he was overjoyed to be able to spend it with you. Because he knew you were unlike him, that all humans were born with an expiry date. He knew so well that after every new greeting, he would have to face the goodbyes over and over until the world eventually came to an end. He knew you were also going to be part of those many goodbyes while he would still be here.

• But as Zhongli walks amongst the fallen leaves, he remembered the beauty that carries within every new beginning. They brought him to you and he would never hesitate to trade his gnosis for it.

Spring: You shot up your bed when Zhongli blast the TV at full volume. He apologizes, saying that he was simply trying to change the channel. You figured it was best for him to go outside before he somehow glitches the screen until it couldn't repair itself (Robin charges for repairs).

• Every thursday you both go to Pierre's store to complete your grocery shopping. He offers to push the cart as you fill the basket with all the necessities (plus it saves you the trouble of having him tossing whatever he sees without looking at the price tag).

• Every afternoon you order a take out from the Saloon, sharing the meal while sitting at the fountain's edge near the community center. Every evening Zhongli would take you to explore the rest of the vast farmland, discovering places you weren't even aware of. It was no wonder why everyone thought you were a married couple. 

• Summer: Since the cabin was too small for a bathroom, you guys would have to travel up the mountains in order to get to the Spa house (cue sweatiness x10). 

• The concept of hotsprings was derived from Inazuma so it was no surprise that Liyue eventually took it after him. Zhongli had collected some incense from foraging items over the past few months, he knows whats up. But overall he gives the best bath sessions (hands down) and you were the one who insisted in joining him.  He was a gentle and sweet lover, always putting your needs before his. Ancient artifacts and old history books have always been precious to him, he treated you no differently.

The heartbeat of the oceans continues to rock back and forth until they brush up on the sandy shore, washing away the two pairs of footprints left behind by a man and a woman.

Gold against gold, his amber eyes reflected against the scenery. Millions of lights flashed among the sea when the sun began to climb down from the sky, it's rays hugged across the valley like an ethereal glow bestowed by the heavens as summer's wind brought even more warmth than what he had currently felt. You trance ahead of with the same light shaping around your form. 

"Oh hey there's another rainbow shell," you waved at him before running off, "I'll be back!"

How is it that you still continue to shine like gold in his memories?

Zhongli suddenly ponders at the chapters laying ahead of him. He spent so many years turning each page without ever reaching a conclusion, forever searching the fabled happy endings written in fairytale books, but he knew his immortality wouldn't grant him that wish.

Thus, the formal archon raised his pen and reweaves his own story. He envisions his future with you by his side, engraving every detail until it was immortalized in his memories.

Perhaps I shouldn't keep her waiting.

With a renewed resolve, Zhongli clutches the gemstone tightly in his palm, he seals the page with the final contract between your future and his.

• Fall: After getting your first house upgrade, it was time for the next event: the ceremony. Yes, Zhongli would only have a wedding if Liyue traditions were involved. Everyone was invited of course, they were quite intrigued with the flashy setup such as lanterns and fireworks (you were a little worried with where he got the budget for such items) and Zhongli even educated Gus about some recipes he can use for the Saloon.

• You found out that Zhongli was saving all his money for this day (it was no wonder that he couldn't pay for his tab!). Old habits die hard, it was a shame that he didn't have his powers to craft the right items, but at least he got to sea you in a traditional eastern dress (it's the part he was looming forward to the most).

• Fall is the best season. One you wouldn't forget.

• Winter: Ah he finally learns how to use  technology after three seasons. He only knows two channels from the TV which was 'Livin off the Land' and the weather channel. Zhongli oftens talks to himself as he tries to figure out more mechanics, he seems to be extremely absorbed in the most basic things.

• The miner of the house. But instead of using them to upgrade tools and donating them to the museum, Zhongli likes to keep some of them for collection. You could say your house also had a little museum in the other room.

• Romcom movies and soap operas. You can't change my mind that this is what you both spend your time watching as the snowstorm rages outside. 

[the-badger-mole]

So there's definitely the traits about Aang you don't like. If you had the chance, how would you have gone about making sure Aang got called out??

Any other changes about other aspects of the show that you would have done??

OOHHH!!!! There is SO much I would have changed.

Starting with Aang:

Aang should have been called out about not helping Katara with the chores. One of the lessons he should have learned on Kyoshi should have been importance of not leaving one team member to do all of the work (Sokka should have been taught this lesson, too, of course, but at least he was learning other lessons about respect for women in particular). I'm not asking for Aang to face consequences for the sake of making him miserable (although...). What I really want is for him to consider people other than himself in a way that actually leaves a mark on his character and doesn't just make his superficial reputation better.

In Bato of the Water Tribe, he should have been taken more to task over his selfishness in hiding Hakoda's letter. I feel like the danger he put Hakoda's mission in with that bone-headed move gets overlooked in favor of his sadness about the possibility of his friends wanting to take a detour to see their father. Aang gets half an apology for that, but only half an apology, and not to Katara- the one he's supposed to have a romance (???) with.

He should have been called out for lying his way out of actually solving the problem in "The Great Divide". Yes, it was a tough problem, but he's going to have to solve even harder ones as the Avatar. Not even lightly chiding him for taking the easy way out doesn't bode well for how well he's going to do at his job in the future.

The fact that he was instrumental in the deaths of several Fire Nation soldiers in the Siege of the North should have been the beginning of his understanding of what he's expected to do to end this war that's been going on for a hundred years. He should feel some guilt over the war that's been going on for a hundred years. Even if ultimately he's not centrally to blame for either, neither could have happened without him making the decisions he made. I can understand it not occurring to Aang on his own that he played a part in (lets be honest) millions of deaths, but it should have dawned on him through context clues what the world- what his friends!- expected of him. He should have been looking for a non-lethal solution to the Ozai problem from the beginning of Book 2 at the latest! The way his reluctance to kill Ozai plays out in the show makes Aang look inexcusably stupid, unbelievably short-sighted, and dangerously selfish.

He should have been brought to task for how he treated his friends- especially Toph- in the desert. Yes, it's understandable that he was upset about losing Appa, but he took his anger out on his friends. That's not ok. He should have apologized. We should have seen him apologize. It wasn't Toph's fault Appa was taken. She didn't deserve that.

Katara should have had more of a voice in her relationship with Aang. He forced kisses on her twice, and aside from avoiding talking to him about feelings, Katara doesn't get to tell him how she actually feels about him, about them, about the fact that he doesn't respect her enough to talk to her about how he felt before he even thought about trying to kiss her. I hate Kataang, and there is no version of that ship that I would actually like (at it's best it's boring), HOWEVER, there is a version of Kataang that could have been less infuriating, and it's the version where Aang realizes how selfish he's been with Katara and apologizes, and then actually puts in the work to be more respectful of her. Not to get the reward of her affection for doing something he should have been doing in the first place (*ahembrykeahem*), but because he actually sees the error of his ways and his need to change for himself. Then maybe, after Aang had put in actual work on himself, maybe his "romance" with Katara could have worked, and Katara would have actually had a chance to thrive after getting with him.

The war should have had more of an impact on Aang. As the Avatar, he should have seen more people suffering under the Fire Nation's campaign of imperialism. Sure he sees refugees and even spends a couple of days getting to know a pregnant lady, but it never seems like he makes the connection between the abstract evil of the war and the real world suffering it caused. It never seems to sink in for him how bad things are. Like not even for his friends. Not even for Katara specifically, the girl he allegedly loves.

There are more things I would have changed about Aang, but this is already long, so moving on!

As for the rest of the show:

I would have spent less time on Aang and his feelings and done more with the world building. There is a ridiculously small amount of time dedicated to the Water Tribe cultures. Most of Book 1: Water is spent in the Earth kingdom! Why??? Most of the main cast is from the Southern Water Tribe! Then there's the question of the Air Nomads. A total annihilation of a people group is incredibly unlikely. Closer to impossible. It hasn't even happened in our world, and the European colonist had raised murder and genocide to an art form. You mean to tell me that not only did the Fire Nation manage to murder millions of people to complete extinction, they did it in a day? Seriously??? I'm not buying it.

Speaking of the Air Nomads, even if they decided not have any other air benders in the show (but seriously, why not?), there was no reason not to explore their culture a little more. There could have been history texts in those temples they visited. Aang could have discovered some scrolls on defensive air bending forms. Guru Pathik could have been less racist given more time to explain at least a bit of the nuance of Air Nomad culture and philosophy. Aang has a 12 year old's understanding of Air Nomad culture and philosophy. What could you tell anyone about your culture or your religious beliefs at 12? Maybe you'd absorbed a lot by then, but to be able to accurately explain either to someone who didn't already know? Well, we get the bulk of Air Nomad philosophy from Aang- the kid who couldn't even acknowledge that his own people had killed in self-defense.

Toph, Sokka, Suki, and, yes Katara should have been given more development and had more care shown to their inner workings. Aang and Zuko have way more time devoted to them (though the time spent on Zuko had more plot impact than Aang's). The other members of the Gaang deserved more shine, too. Especially Toph.

Obviously, I think Katara and Zuko should have ended up together, but I've written so much about that, so I'm going to end this here, because it's late and I still need to get ready for bed.