#especially the hands idk how i did but i did it

[holypeanuts]

ummmm yapping (kinda analyzing) about the recent ddvau chapter or whatever !! 😋😋

BTW THIS ISNT A POST ABOUT DEFENDING ANY CHARACTERS PLS.. 🙏😞

I'm just yapping about what I'm seeing mostly idk

comic/art creds : @kitsuneisi

OK STARTING OFF WITH THIS PART!!! ^

there's so much that can be taken from this image alone GAHHH

in this chapter hotguy talks about the "view" of grians hospital room (which is CRAZY conversation starter btw 😧) which means he was definitely trying to get the upper hand here. Reminding grian how easy it is to track him, or spot him out.

Considering how grian acts around HG hes very closed off to him- so, in order to get information out of him (<grian), HG chose the more (IMO) authoritative approach. he deliberately chose a way of wording to make grian feel small, vulnerable, and almost more likely to share information due to the pressure of authority.

I mean, it'd be a lot easier to get information out of someone who's scared.

(AGAIN, NOT DEFENDING HOTGUY HERE!!!!This is definitely not a good thing to do, but it's also very common for cops / detectives to use fear or pressure as a tatic to get information out of suspects.)

Pressure makes people crack, which is what HG wants! He wants grian to "crack".

Ok that was way to long. 😞 Sorry chat

ONTO THIS PANNEL ^

We already know grian is standoffish towards HG but with HG's body language I don't think he was prepared for that wall to be put up so quickly..., or at least not to this degree!

Grian is obviously unsettled by HG's presence right now, and since the first part of their conversation was literally HG saying (more like implied but whatever) he was watching him; it makes sense why he is!!

Grian (mother spore) caused a lot of damage to both property and people (even if it wasn't technically grian who did it) he's obviously concerned about the consequences of what happened.

And if the law enforcement is anything like how I'm imagining it is then, he should be concerned about being arrested! Even if it wasn't his fault, he could still very well be blamed for the incident. It was still his body that was being used for the damage.

Okay, I feel like HG was trying to be nice..? Supportive...??? Here.. Like, it reminds me of #those people who're saying they aren't racist but the way they say shit is so ignorant that it makes you like.... Go "umm"... Ykw I mean???

Like it was low-key ignorant considering HG himself isn't actually mutant. So it just makes it worse that he phrased it like that.

I also feel like this was a way to show off the power imbalance here as well. Especially with how HG is practically on top of grian, while grian looks unsettled (and while injured), it really just shows their imbalance even more!!!

Which kinda makes the situation worse! 😭

Okay, so now he's going back to the pressuring route...,

While he's still leaning over grian... (ITS A POWER IMBALANCE THING GUYS I SWEAR!!!! I scream as they drag me into a padded room) oughhhh ☹️

With the way HG said "as far as they are aware, you were possessed by something that gave you wings" and the following up with "as far as I'm aware" I feel like he's trying to hint to grian that he knows something (he doesn't actually☠️) that he (<grian) doesn't want him (<HG) to know! Trickery !! 😮

This is also a very common cop (/ authority) tatic btw! Like saying they know things (while being vague, like, majority of the time) while (usually) knowing nothing. They use it as a way to say "hey, we know things! So it's best to fess up now since we already know LOL. (^_-)"

AGAIN WITH THE POWER IMBALANCE CAUSE WDYM "let's not forget"!!!! At the beginning !! bros low-key manipulative! (｀´）

But manipulation is also needed in this line of work. so while I don't necessarily hate him for trying to get information out that way, I can completely understand why grian does NOT like the way HG is going about this. Being basically interviewed (coughsss interrogated) in this manner is extremely off-putting, stressful, nerve-racking and, annoying to deal with as the "suspect" <idk how else to phrase it sorry 😞

OOOOO OKAY where to start,,

The way he hugs him while basically saying hes kinda fucked if others find out about what happened AGGHHH tearing my skin off WTF IS HIS PROBLEM. 😭😭😭

THE "for now" IS SO OMINOUS.. are we foreshadowing rn chat

"it was just you and me" classic cop line! WOWZERS

But that line is kinda subtly telling grian that he can't hide something from him because he was there to see the carnage! He's basically saying "don't lie cause I'll know" or something like that

^^ (I'D LIKE TO PREFERENCE THIS BY SAYING THIS IS MY INTERPRETATION, YOU CAN SES IT HOWEVER YOU FEEL IT IS!!)

"your secret is safe with me" waiter,! Waiter! More power imbalance please!! 🍽️

THE WAY HG LOOKS AT GRIAN DURING THE HUG AHHHH falls to my knees and shreds my shirt apart in that one werewolf meme style

Umm okkk I think I'm done 🤓

[chaifootsteps]

idk if you've heard of him but there's a youtuber called friendly space ninja who reviews TV shows.

anyway, he did a video on The Vampire Diaries and had a section about the racism problem the writers have. it was one of those things where if it had just been one thing it would have been 'OK not great, that could be fixed' but it was this never ending list of ways in which PoC on the show were treated as second class where I don't think anyone in their right mind could deny it when you lay it all out, start to finish

that's how I feel about how female characters are treated on Hazbin but especially on Helluva.

to give an idea of scale:

took nearly two seasons for Millie to get her own episode and it's about her having to babysit Blitzo and Moxxie and gives her hangups about her class out of nowhere

episode about Millie and Moxxie having the same ex shows his backstory only, with Millie's shunted into some hypothetic future episode even though the ex is now dead and no one has any reason to care any longer

episode about going to Millie's home is a Moxxie episode where the main drama is between Moxxie and Striker and Blitzo and Striker

Unhappy Campers tries to be a Millie episode and is still a Moxxie episode

Millie complaining that they, an assassin business, shouldn't skip out on an assassin job, is framed as pregnancy hormones

Millie gets a surprise pregnancy storyline because Viv doesn't know what else to do with her (she basically admitted that on a tweet thread where she also admitted prioritising Stolas, Moxxie and Blitzo instead of just, idk, rewriting the story to make a female character have more of a dynamic with the main male lead)

Loona has two focus episodes and basically stops being a character in her own right in season two

Loona's sad orphanage backstory is used in a flashback to benefit Blitzo's emotional breakthrough. the backstory hasn't come up again since

Loona and Millie's screentime has basically been handed to Stolas, who got all the song numbers, too

Loona is supposed to be friendless /awkward but has friends over for Sinsmas? would have been nice to see that development

Loona and Millie are two main characters but they barely have a consistent dynamic with each other and certainly don't feel like friends.

Verosika goes from interesting ex who might also have contributed to the breakup with her alcoholism (some ambiguity at least) to character who exists solely to be hung up on Blitzo, explain his intimacy problems and to cheerlead for Stolas (who she doesn't know and is nothing but rude and judgemental to her)

Fails the Mako Mori test and probably also the Bechdel Test, two seasons in

Via goes from sort of well fleshed out to just a prop to make Stolas cry. Like Blitzo, the valid reasons she could criticize him are played down as much as possible and she's framed as not getting what's really going on

Stella is in an arranged marriage but the show only portrays Stolas as the victim (even though he has more money and power than her and she was forced to physically deliver an egg she didn't want, basically making her a depiction of the nightmares of being a tradwife in a society that treats her like an incubator - this likely wasn't the writer's intent but it speaks to a basic lack of empathy for the backstory they've written for Stella)

Stella having parties and socialising is used as proof of how vapid she is even though she has little else to do since she's stuck being Stolas' wife (and there's nothing wrong with liking parties? this is the exact opposite of the Mane Six in MLP who model a lot of different pursuits and ways of being female without looking down on any of them)

Stella in general is a caricature of a shrew wife who makes Lisa from The Room look subtle

why is Stella so abusive? she was born evil; no further questions.

cheating is wrong only if you're female. if you're male your wife will be rewritten to be a 2D depiction of an abuser

also if you're male cheating is fine. it's so fine that Blitzo will refuse to kill two cheating men and claim it's not that big a deal because he's projecting he and Stolas onto them

male villains are fun performance pieces. female villains are Stella and Glitz&Glam

Speaking of Glitz and Glam, they're two dimensional bitches and it's treated like it's good when they get hurt and that they'll be Mammon's new victims

both Moxxie and Blitzo's mother go unnamed in the show despite dying horrifically. they don't get a single line despite both of their fathers being named and with speaking parts - they exist to be tragic saints before being stuffed into the fridge. Blitzo's mother in particular is a major source of his angst. Moxxie's father's bodyguard, meanwhile, was given his own name despite being a bit part who matters not at all on an emotional level (and is shipped with Crimson by the fandom who is happy to flesh out his character despite his also being abusive). the closest we have to a well written mother is Lin, Millie's mother, who appeared back in - hey, season one! what are the odds?

Stolas' mother also doesn't appear to be present on this plane of existence. Paimon meanwhile gets his own introduction and a big chunk of screen time

and even this list might not cover everything!

I ask anyone who can read this and still thinks the show is fine at writing women - how can you still believe that?

and for the 'it's only halfway done!!' crowd I'll simply point out this: in order to fix even half of the issues I've laid out the show would have to have a very heavy focus on its female characters during its back half.

and as of right now we have no reason to believe that will happen. Stolas has joined IMP so he'll only get more screentime - we'll just never be rid of him. Bland as bread Vassago will probably get more screentime alongside Andrealphus, not to mention the likelihood of forcing the audience to endure a Blitzo/Stolas/Vassago love triangle because the fandom likes the idea and I could see Viv going for it too. Stolas is probably going to be given a storyline that's nominally about him learning to have empathy for the poor but in reality is just more of him not changing, bitching and moaning like always while Blitzo waits on him hand and foot.

Via is very likely about to be villainized or at least made to look even more dumb and mean for daring to cut her father off, if that storyline even lasts longer than a few episodes before Viv and Stolas give up caring about it (he'd practically thrown in the towel already in the s2 finale).

what room is there amongst the rest of this mess of garbage for any focus to be given to female characters?

the one storyline outside of Via is Millie's surprise pregnancy, which is a storyline you pull out when you have nothing else for a female character to do and let's be real, is probably just gonna end up being about Moxxie again

Uh oh...you laid it all out in plain black and white, so it's even more apparent how miserably this show treats women! You know how much the fandom hates that!

[thereoncewasagirlnamedjane]

constellations of vital phenomena.

PAIRING — bucky barnes x f!reader

CONTENTS — one-shot; fluff; angst; greek mythology elements (i took so many liberties with this so pls don’t come at me with your notes ☝🏻🤓 okay?); first-person narration/told from Eros’s pov; kind of a valentine’s day special but also not really? idk.

SUMMARY — For the first time ever, Eros’s arrow strikes the wrong target. And now, the god of love is faced with the task of unravelling the newly formed bond between Bucky Barnes and a woman the Fates have decided is not his soulmate—and yet.

W/C — ~3.7k

✩ masterlist ✩ library blog

I like to check up on you all every now and then. It’s how I learn, and there is still much to know about you mortals, even after all this time. 

And there’s just something extremely unsatisfying about leaving a story unread, isn’t there? Especially if it is a tale I helped set in motion. 

Cinque Terre is a lovely chaos of patterns and vivid colours, and under the azure sky with a cup of gelato in hand, I adjust my hat and pretend to be preoccupied with the sight of the sparkling sea, smiling to myself as I observe a pair of lovers standing nearby. 

The cheeky little things are supposed to be wrapping up a work trip, but before they leave this little slice of Mediterranean paradise, they pretend for a moment that they’re on a romantic getaway. 

They hold each other by the waist as they breathe in air rich with the mingling aromas of freshly baked focaccia and the briny sea, and anyone who looks upon them will know they are in love. 

I even check on the stories I know are doomed. Fret not, my human friend. Stories end, my dear, but love never does. It lingers, do you know that? 

Maybe you decide to keep it, perhaps you feel stronger that way, looking back on a tale cut short and choosing to carry it with you. 

Maybe you end up letting it go, maybe—though beautiful while it lasted—it’s holding you back from an even brighter future. It remains regardless. It settles back into the earth, floats into the sky, clings to the stars—sparkles almost like fairy dust in the sunlight. 

Shall I tell you about the first time I ever had to bring about an ending? 

It all began with that oblivious couple standing right over there, still holding each other as the beating heart of the Italian Riviera works its subtle magic on them. 

You and Bucky turn to each other and share a smile, sharing a tender kiss under the creamy orange light of the rapidly setting sun. 

It all began with a mistake, you see, because I never miss. 

It was a harsh lesson to learn, that even us gods aren’t infallible, but sometimes, mistakes are good. 

That’s what I like very much about you mortals. 

“I love you, Bucky.” 

The words were released upon a single shaky breath, as though you’d been holding them back for aeons. You stared up at him with watery eyes, looking both relieved of some immense burden and terrified at the same time. 

“I always have,” you admitted almost sheepishly, hopefully. 

And Bucky swore it was like he’d been shot through the heart, but instead of doubling over in pain, he couldn’t resist the smile that tugged at his lips. His shoulders lifted as he breathed in, like he was inhaling fresh air for the very first time. 

His cheeks were tinged pink in the chilly late winter air, but he didn’t even so much as shiver. In fact, he was warm right down to the tips of his fingers. 

Bucky had absolutely no choice but to say it back, because of course he did, and you smiled at him brighter than the sun. He decided right then and there that he would gladly blind himself in your light. 

His heart stuttered when you rushed forward to wrap your arms around him, and it didn’t take very long at all for his lips to find their way to yours. 

But unfortunately, heartache always began with apparent joy. 

Because something shifted in the atmosphere. A hush seemed to fall over New York as the first nearly frozen raindrop splashed onto the sidewalk. Another followed, then another, and then another, until the silence was soon filled with the staccato beat of impending rain. 

You and Bucky didn’t seem to care, however, still holding each other in a tight embrace, exchanging warm breaths and whispering love against touching lips. 

I, on the other hand, cast a wary glance up at the darkening heavens. A sense of urgency unfurled within me as the once-clear sky morphed into a brooding tapestry of greys and blacks, transforming the city streets into a mosaic of shimmering puddles. 

At first glance, it might have seemed like an ordinary downpour to anyone but the most discerning eye, but to me? 

I knew immediately that Zeus was angry. The sky momentarily brightened with a flash of lightning, a clap of thunder boomed loud enough to make even Barnes flinch. 

It could only mean one thing: I had just made a mistake of cosmic proportions. 

The nock of my arrow was still inexplicably sticking out of your chest (well, don’t worry, no one else could see it… wouldn’t that be morbid?), even though that arrow was most certainly not meant for you. 

But as Bucky cradled your face in his hands, touching his nose to yours, making you laugh despite being drenched in freezing rain, I found a stillness. A momentary peace. 

Because how could a love like that, so palpable to anyone with a heart and a soul, possibly be a mistake? 

“No, Eros,” Clotho murmured with finality when I arrived back in Olympus in a frenzy, not even looking up from her distaff and spindle. Her two sisters, Lachesis and Atropos, cackled amongst each other, completely unashamed that the subject of their mockery—spoiler alert, it was me—was still well within earshot. 

“You didn’t even take a moment to consider it!” I complained, but of course they wouldn’t. 

They already believed me to be an immature and naive god in comparison, and this proposal of mine—and the fact that my arrow was currently burrowed into the heart of the wrong person—only proved them right in their eyes. 

“Measures such as the one you’re suggesting—” Atropos, the eldest of the Fates, cut in. Her youngest sister was now once again far too busy with her life’s work, weaving the countless threads of life and death to pay any more attention to my concerns. “—must only be taken in the most dire of circumstances.” 

“The balance of the cosmos has already been upset, what circumstances could possibly be more dire?” I demanded.  

One side of the Earth was under a torrential rainstorm, and the other side was being ravaged by wildfires. Conflicts were breaking out in areas of longtime peace, and humanity was beginning to lose faith in itself. 

I wanted to scoff, to roll my eyes so hard they might as well have fallen right out of my skull, even as Atropos waved her abhorred shears so manically in my face. 

In reality, I knew their refusal was because the Fates were considered above us all as enforcers of the universe’s will. Who would dare be arrogant enough to question their judgment? Not even Zeus himself. 

“You already know all this, Eros,” Lachesis, the middle sister, whacked me on the head with one end of her measuring rod, making me flinch before she batted away Atropos’s menacing hand. “You are embarking on a fool’s errand. Once the Moirai have decided, you cannot change our minds.” 

“I see the business of love has made you soft, boy,” Atropos sneered, putting down her scissors and looping a thread of life around one of her bony witch-like fingers. She toyed and tugged at it carelessly, despite the small noise of dissent from a concentrating Clotho, as though it wasn’t the literal lifeline of an actual living, breathing creature. 

“And I see the business of death has inevitably made you more ghoul than goddess,” I snapped back, beyond indignant, momentarily forgetting that my mission was to convince the sisters, not anger them. Atropos did snarl at me in response, but she ultimately did not refute my statement. 

Because Hades, despite being the ruler of the dead, remained one of a kind. Despite the fact that he rarely ever saw the sun, surrounded by all that death and anguish, he remained ethereal and compassionate.

You humans sometimes think the devil of him, but you have been very misinformed. Most of his wrath is exclusively reserved for those who try to cheat death, and that’s where the difference lies. 

James Barnes never actively tries to cheat death, he just somehow does.

Many times, the underworld scrambled to prepare for his arrival. Finally! they'd exclaim, the Furies rubbing their hands together in barely contained glee, satisfied that even the infamous Winter Soldier couldn’t outrun his destiny for that much longer. 

And so many times, Hades seemed almost unbothered, maybe even content despite the chorus of disappointment that sounded around him, as the human known as Barnes once again prevailed. 

Once again, he lived—despite all the odds.  

I firmly believe that’s why the Fates loathed him so, and refused to even entertain my request; this mere mortal was always managing to twist up their carefully laid plans, taking their interpretation of nature’s law and throwing it back into their faces, proving them wrong time and time again. 

It seemed, however, that was precisely the way it was supposed to be. The sisters would watch as the stars realigned themselves, the state of the cosmos resetting, and they would just sigh and… start over. 

I’d never seen anything quite like it in all my years, and even though the Fates still treat me like a child, by your standards I have been around too many to count. 

But that’s why it was all the more frustrating to me that they wouldn’t simply… do it all again. They had already been wrong about his destiny so many times, what was one more? 

“You were given three fine choices, Eros,” Clotho clicked her tongue in displeasure at my reluctance, her brows furrowing when her threads began to knot together. She put down her spindle, trying to unravel them but to no avail. She could not weave any further. “Fix your foolish mistake. And make haste before your trepidation upsets the cosmos, and Zeus, any further.” 

Fine choices. As if that was at all adequate when it came to matters of the heart. Still, I turned away to leave them, to follow their orders as woven, silently fuming and resentful. 

If they were willing and able to rewrite one’s life and death with but a flick of their wrists because it was “meant to be”, then why not love? 

It loomed just as large, if you asked me, if not larger than all else. And just as life and death were inevitabilities for all creatures, divine or mortal, so am I. 

So is love. 

Despite his almost celebrity status back on Mount Olympus, up close and personal James Barnes seemed… quite ordinary. Just like every other mortal, he had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Nothing extraordinary there. 

I suppose the crop of short brown hair and the days old stubble growing along a sharp jaw did something for him, and those insanely blue eyes certainly weren’t terrible to look at— 

“So… she doesn’t actually love me, is what you’re saying?” Barnes glanced up at me, brows drawn together in displeasure and confusion, still digesting what I’d just told him. 

The woman he loved—a tenacious and adorably stubborn colleague turned confidante turned into something so much more—was accidentally made to fall in love. 

Unfortunately for him, while his love for you was true, you were never prophesied to love him back. 

“Well…” I faltered, suddenly realizing how harsh it all sounded, especially with you sitting right next to him in the dim light of his Brooklyn apartment. 

Listen, despite how I was treated back in Olympus, I’d been doing this a very long time. I’d learned, for the most part, that despite the resilience of you mortals, the lot of you still prefer to be spoken to with the utmost delicacy and consideration. 

It was why I decided to tell you both before pulling the arrow out of your chest and taking back the love you’d so passionately professed to him just days earlier. 

I thought it would have been kinder this way. 

But as I considered the look of undisguised anguish on both your faces, I came to the inevitable conclusion that I still had much to learn. 

“That is not true,” you protested, grasping at Bucky’s hand and tugging at his arm so he’d look at you. Your eyes were full of pleading, and he didn’t pull away although his fingers remained slack next to yours. “I loved you way before he came around! I just never had the courage to say anything.” 

Despite the very devastating nature of the situation, I couldn’t help asking. “Are you two not at all surprised by my existence?” 

“I’m a hundred and seven years old,” Bucky grumbled, as if that figure was somehow impressive. “I’ve seen more than my fair share of stranger things.”

“And you’re not the first god we’ve ever met,” you offered carefully. 

Preposterous, I wanted to scoff. As if Thor could ever compare. Instead, I swallowed my biting retort and returned to the subject at hand, “You may be right. My arrows, as powerful as they are, cannot create something that isn’t already there.” 

Love cannot be manifested; it cannot be borne out of absolutely nothing. It is borne out of two hearts beating as one, something of a higher power that I cannot adequately explain even as the god of love. 

“Then—” you began hopefully, but I put up a reluctant hand to silence you. 

“It does not change the fact that you… well, I’m sorry, but you are not James’s soulmate.” It was written in your destinies to remain apart, and there was nothing I could do to change it. 

To this day, that felt very wrong to say. I wholeheartedly believed my arrow was precisely where it was supposed to be, but the Fates didn’t respect me let alone trust me. How could I, a brash and comparatively inexperienced young god, possibly know better than nature itself? 

No one was going to rewrite fate just on my word alone. 

And Clotho was right; she had offered three fine choices. I had an absolute spread of not one, not two, but three potential soulmates for Bucky to choose from. 

The first, I must admit, they got off to a rocky start. But between you and me, the most fun love stories do. The barbs exchanged between Samuel Wilson and James Barnes were always sharp, but the underlying tones of affection were always there. Sam is everything Bucky deserves in a future, a symbol of hope in more ways than one. 

The second could be an achingly beautiful story. Love finds its way back to two people who thought it had abandoned them; sorrow gives way to light, and that light illuminates something that’s lain dormant for years. The colour red, something Natasha Romanoff had always associated with misery and guilt, can then mean something new. 

And for the third and most obvious, love was already so intricately woven into their destinies, it was impossible to separate them. Remember when I said love lingers? Even now, after so many years apart, and even during those years apart, Steve and James love fiercely. It was simply not in their nature to do otherwise, and the strike of my arrow would ultimately not change very much. 

I could pick any one of them and it would not matter. All of them made perfect sense. In every single case, I knew he would end up happy. 

And yet. How terrible was it that said happiness was destined to come at a cost? 

“What will happen if you remove it?” Bucky asked, finally closing his fingers around yours. You moved to lean your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes to hide the shimmer of tears. 

“Removing it could mean any number of things,” I told him honestly, and it wasn’t exactly anything that had ever happened before. I had no past experience to draw from. “But I do know what it wouldn’t mean. It wouldn’t mean she never loved you at all.” 

It didn’t seem to reassure either of you, wasn’t the balm against the ache I hoped it would be.

I did not want to do it, especially not when I saw you steel yourself against the pain, but the balance of the universe was at stake. You might not have called yourself an Avenger, but you were every bit one of Earth’s mightiest heroes as you prepared to shatter your own dreams to save a world that would never know of your sacrifice. 

“It’s okay,” you whispered, seemingly unaware that your tears had made it past your lashes and began trailing down your cheeks. You turned and grasped the sides of his face, looking him right in the eye. “Even if I’m not your soulmate, even if we don’t end up together, I will be so happy for you.” 

Because Barnes would continue to love and receive it in return. In that case, what was there to really lament, other than your own heartache?

“I… sweetheart, please.” His forehead fell against yours. “I don’t want anyone else.” 

“It’s okay, Buck, because I love you,” you tried to smile, to be strong, but it twisted and mangled into something less sweet and more crushing. “I don’t care what happens after this, I will always love you. Okay?” 

“Please…” He pleaded again, voice so small yet thick with emotion I had to look away. “I love you too. So damn much. I can’t—” 

“Okay?” You stressed once more, thumbs gently caressing the apples of his cheeks. “Tell me you understand.” 

He shook his head. “I just found you. I can’t lose you now.” 

“You will never lose me.” You pressed a kiss to his forehead, and Barnes didn’t seem to care he had an audience as he wept into your shoulder. 

I did what I had to do, despite how much I hated it. I reached forward and grasped the nock of that blasted arrow, and pulled it free. It disintegrated in my hands, dissipating like the light of an extinguishing star. 

The two of you held each other tight, and I could not bear to watch any further as I left you to finish your goodbyes. I returned to Olympus utterly dejected, my own grief as plain as day. 

After days of moping, Aphrodite halfheartedly tried to reassure me that things would work out; all I had to do was try again with a new arrow meant for the right person this time. 

“Hurry up already,” she said when she’d finally had enough, shaking her head with a dismissive wave of her hand. “The cosmos needs rebalancing, like, yesterday.” 

But she did not understand. I grieved for all true love lost, no matter how short-lived or star-crossed. 

And when I’d finally finished licking my wounds, I was about to embark for Earth once more, prepared to set Clotho’s prophecy and nature’s will in motion, my quiver secured over my shoulder. 

Until I was summoned. The Fates were calling for me, and it was the youngest of the Moirai who greeted me when I arrived. Her expression was grim and her shoulders squared in what I believed was preparation for another round of criticism. 

Lachesis and Atropos were lounging in their own chaises, refusing to make eye contact and mumbling angrily under their breaths. Clotho beckoned me closer to her loom, her strings now neat and free from their tangles, and I peered down at the thread of fate I had supposedly severed just days earlier. 

“I don’t understand,” I told her, staring incredulously at what I recognized to be your thread of life. It was now tightly woven together with Barnes’s. 

I put down my quiver, and almost immediately, the storm clouds over the planet cleared, the rumbling at the centre of the earth stopped, and the tension in the heavens finally began to abate. 

Clotho sighed, suspicions confirmed, the words coming out reluctantly through a tightly clenched jaw. “You were right.” 

It took a moment to sink in. 

The event that upset the universe wasn’t that my arrow had struck you by supposed mistake, or that you had declared a love for James Barnes that was never supposed to be returned. 

It was that we were about to chose the wrong soulmate after all, despite how perfect they’d all appeared on paper—er, thread. 

I laughed, I rejoiced, I celebrated. Even Atropos ended up cracking a smile in the end. 

“Well, what do you know?” She said, joining me as we watched Clotho weave the rest of your story.

Despite the lack of an arrow, love—as always—remained. 

Earth is stained in pretty hues of pink and red today. Normally, I find the whole display a little much. 

Love is meant to be lived every single day—boldly, shamelessly, proudly—not left to be openly expressed just once a year. 

But rest assured, some of you do it right. 

“Mi scusi, quanto costa?” I hear a voice, turning my head to see you and Bucky staring right at me. I break into a wide smile, disguised as a stranger and putting on my best accent—neither of you recognize me. 

“Per la bellissima coppia? Ottanta euro,” I tell him, even though it’s well past the evening rush. Bucky grins as he hands over the notes, taking your hand and tugging you along until you’re both stepping safely into the gondola. 

“Bucky,” you scold gently, voice lowered to a whisper, but you’re smiling just as wide as he is. “We’re going to miss the extraction point—!” 

But then you’re falling into his arms as he pulls you closer by the waist, laughing when he leans down for a kiss, lips missing your cheek and landing on your nose instead. 

“Just for a little longer, sweetheart,” he implores, blue eyes earnest and impossible to resist. “Just you and me.” 

You relent, utterly helpless, and whisper, “Say something else in Italian.” 

“Ah, si?” He laughs, a sound as rare as the man himself. “Sai che ti amo?” 

You hum appreciatively, leaning against his shoulder, “I don’t think I’ll need a translator for that one.” 

I turn away as I row down the canal to give you some semblance of privacy, singing a love song towards the moon you no doubt aren’t even listening to. You’re too busy continuing to defy all expectations as you fall deeper in love to even notice, and I tilt my head up towards the sky. 

How satisfying, no? I want to laugh. The stars wink back at me mischievously, as if telling me not to push my luck. 

You share a sweet kiss under the stars, and I take a moment to bask in the rightness of it all. I must admit, I can’t help but feel a little smug. 

Because sometimes, mistakes are good. Sometimes, mistakes are the best beginning. And sometimes, perfectly, they turn out not to be mistakes at all. 

After all, didn’t I already tell you? 

My dears, I never miss. 

fin.

NOTES — it has been A MINUTE since i wrote for bucky and i lowkey hate how this turned out but you know what, i need to stop obsessing! even if i was very unserious about the greek mythology stuff lmao. anyway, happy valentine’s day my lovelies! i hope you are feeling loved today, because i love you 🥰💕

also, the title of this fic was inspired from a book that has nothing to do with anything lol… but go read said book by anthony marra and prepare to cry your eyes out. you’re welcome.

© 2025 by thereoncewasagirlnamedjane. do not repost, translate, or copy to third party sites. no part of this work may be fed into any AI software or websites. minors are asked not to interact with my blog; you are responsible for your own media consumption. followers with zero engagement, serial likers and blank/ageless blogs will be blocked.

[oh-no-its-bird]

I FUCKING FORGOT THE NEW ALIEN STAGE CAME OUT TODAY OH GOD OH FUCK I SAW IT COME UP IN RECCOMENDED AND HAD A FULL BODY REACTION TO IT PLEASEPLEAS PELSAE GO WATCH IT IM GOING TO FUCKING CRY IM GOING TO FUCKING THROW UP IM GONNA .

it was so fucking beautiful actually. I did not expect the bright spots of it, though maybe I should have. Vivinos has always been such a master of balancing fluff in a way that makes it hurt. And then the end . just. fuck. fuck. Oh my god. Fuck.

Spoilers below the cut, I am feeling many things and thinking many thoughts, so let's dissect this together:

I was so entranced by the beautiful visuals I straight up forgot to put captions on to get the lyrics for my first watch. But when it opened to Luka smiling so fucking genuinely, I almost gasped

The way he smiles when he first sees her is CRAZY, I am obsessed with it. Only pausing when a literal gun is held to his head, and even then, not for long

And then he grows so much more almost sweet and fond when she so blatantly ignores him. I felt like he was saying, "yeah, that's my Hyuna."

So like. Super strong opening to us seeing Luka killing off what I've seen others claim are his clones, presumably to make sure he can't be easily killed and replaced

I especially like this post by @kitespark talking about this bit and how Luka may have then ended up killing Hyuna's brother bc they looked so similar, and he assumed they were clones

LUKA'S HANDS !!! AS A KID !!! DID NOT HAVE PURPLE FINGERTIPS!!! We also see his hands when he's older, and he also does not have purple fingertips then! Does this mean he got them later in life, after so many experiments? That's what I'm not placing my bets on

The music itself was. Beautiful. As always, obviously, but especially so.

The slow, gentle singing that can be seen as both darkly comforting or sweetly assuring, the almost bell like chimes in the background, I loved it.

When it first shifted to Luka's voice, singing as Hyuna lay on the ground, I just about screamed. Their voices sound so pretty next to each other, I really like hearing them in contrast

Getting to see all these frames of Hyuna just surrounded by people in the resistance was so nice, actually.

I thought it was so well done, how we get to see her gradually get happier, recovering from her past.

Starting with a scene of her alone, drinking, before someone steps in (presumably to bring her comfort in company) before we start to see clips of her, each one with her a little bit happier, and each one with the lighting just a bit brighter, till we finally see her give a fully animated smile, even as we can see the silhouettes of those in the garden inside of her

She learned to smile !! Even through her grief!! She smiled even though she still kept them in her mind and heart!!!

AND THEN LUKA?? HAVING A (WANTED(?)) POSTER??? OF HYUNA ?? IN HIS ROOM??? AND HIM GIVING IT THE WORLDS JERKIEST MOST AWKWARD LITTLE KISS AFTER STARING AT IT FOR AN AWKWARD AMOUNT OF TIME, OH MY HEART !!!

The kiss is so sudden and jerky and awkward and it kind of looks like it hurt, honestly. Like, at first I wondered if it even was a kiss, but idk what else it would even be. Luka misses his girlfriend yall

There's actually so much to dissect of these short frames, tbh. Is this his room, where he is kept on a concerning amount of medical equipment, or is it just a hospital room he's been in long enough to be allowed to put things up on the wall?

And then we get to just. The happiness of the video. Which, by the way, kicked me in the fucking gut and stole all my lunch money. Like, holy shit you guys, what the actual fuck.

There's so much happening here, but in general I've seen two camps:

a) we are seeing glimpses of the actor au, where they are getting ready and into their roles and having silly fluffy fun times

and b, which is what I originally thought) We are seeing them getting ready for their death matches. Preparing costumes for the stage, hoping for the best. And just the lighter times they've gotten to spend together, in the garden

I'd like to believe it's both, tbh. That at first, we're seeing the lighter times they've spent together, getting their costumes ready, singing, running through grass, being kids while they still can.

A few flashes of other people too, in terrible situations but still smiling, showing that there is still joy to be found in this world

And then, a flash of violence-- Mizi, her face splashed with Sua's blood, and the music takes on this crescendo as it shows us this beautiful what if.

Some of the flashes are definitely some sort of modern au, a true what if.

Sua in a school uniform, giggling with a friend on the way to class, Till in art class, Hyunwoo and someone who's presumably his friend riding bikes through a glowing forest, Mizi laughing as she works on something, Hyuna and Luka dancing together on some sort of date (WITH WEDDING RINGS ON !!! WEDDING !! RINGS !!), a phone taking a photo of food better than anything the alien stage contestants have ever gotten to eat before (especially in contrast to the quiet lunch scene only a few images before, which may have been there to contrast it)

Other portions I read as more mis-remembered, 'if only the garden could have been brighter' moments (particularly the one of them cleaning that one aliens teeth, which we saw Till and Mizi terrified of in round 3) but otherwise I think can be seen as just more beautiful moments.

Running around, playing, having fun, laughing

At some point, towards the middle, I had an abstract thought that it was appropriate, to be posted on valentines day. For all that parts of it felt like a love letter to life. Seeing them all so happy, not only with each other but just being. Doing things they loved, being happy, living

I stg, I started tearing up. I love how well animated and bright this section was, you can tell they really said "guys we have to make this shit COUNT" and spared no expense. Everyone say thank you vivinos and qmeng !!

And then, of course, we hard cut back to reality. A quick glimpse of some remembered Luka angst, and we are on stage with Mizi again. Our last glimpse of happiness being Sua's smile.

What the fuck !!!

Ok so just. Everything about the next bit is so good to me.

Luka having eyes for literally nothing and no one other than Hyuna, even as a gun is literally held to his head.

The cutting back and forth between him stumbling blindly her way as an adult and as a child was so good. He has never had eyes for anyone other than her, and it shows

The way Hyuna runs for him, knowing whats about to happen even as Luka remains blind to everything but her, the way she spins him around to take the shot for him in a hug, which, BY THE WAY, THE FACT THAT LUKA WAS REACHING OUT FOR A HUG. MAKES ME INSANE.

LOOK AT HIM !!!! HE WAS REACHING OUT TO HER !!! HE WAS GOING FOR A HUG !!!! HE SAW HER AND RAN AND LITERALLY THREW HIMSELF INTO HER ARMS HE MISSED HER SO MUCH I DONT KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THIS ACTUALLY !!!!

Also its funny that it was the resistance guy who took the shot, I understand his thought process (Luka probably looked like he was going for his boss lmao) but then he ended up fucking shooting Hyuna instead.

I have to wonder if we'll get to see this guys reaction in the next video, I kind of hope we do. I feel like there's a small chance we might, in some like, corner of the screen we see Dewey grabbing him by his collar to shake him angrily or smthn

It's a small thing also, but I like how we also get to see the guy next to Hyuna react to Luka's blatant idiocy. Like, yeah he's being an idiot, and yeah people are around to see it. Idk, it's small but it just makes it all feel more real to me

^ this guy is all of us watching at home as Luka ignores the gun aimed at his head and runs for hyuna lmao

Also, Luka's hands are now colored in as purple when he's a child here, so that may have just been a coloring error earlier. So throw out what I said about his hands not being purple when he was young into the bin, oops!

So then we're back to seeing more flashes of life, and what we are given is Hyuna's grief, and Hyuna's fear.

A man, presumably some resistance member, dying as they cry and watch him pass. And then Hyuna, in the hospital.

The focus on her leg, and then the abrupt cut to what I think must be the moment that she lost it, then again a cut to the round of alien stage she lost (where she was supposed to have died) and another cut to her crying, scared, makes me think we're seeing a sort of rewind of her joining the resistance

Did she lose her leg in her escape from alien stage maybe? Either way, I like this shift from like, we've seen all these good memories of life, and now we're back to the bleak. Hyuna learned to smile, got to heal, but there were still so many dark moments too

Also: I don't know who this guy is, but he's cute and I want him carnally.

AND THEN JUST THE SHIFT FROM CUTE HYUNA AND LUKA TO HER FUCKING BLEEDING OUT IN HIS FUCKING ARMSMSSSSSS IM GONNA BE FUCKING SICK WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And also Luka's fingers are back to being not purple, so was it a miscolor, or...?

And then. Hyuna's speech. This is one of the very few times we get to hear an alien stage character just,, talk. Off the top of my head, the only time I can remember us getting that is My Clematis, the very first round of alien stage. And that talk was half exposition.

It's so well done, and just. Ag. Ah. A.

I dont even have the words tbh!!!

"I resented you so. I had to keep moving forward in every moment... But you were always my one and only weakness. (choking up) That's why I resented you so. Luka, live with love. Embrace the pain, the frailty, and live and the moments so unbearably shameful. Forgive yourself... Again and again, endlessly. because everything... begins from there.

I DONT EVEN KNOW MAN !!! WHAT THE FUCK !!! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK !!!!

Hyuna admitting that even as she's always resented Luka, he has always been and always remained her weakness, and that is why she continued to resent him so much

Hyuna urging Luka to love. To forgive himself. To feel.

Luka, who we've always seen as untouchable, a man who knows how to play this game-- who has won it before and now plays with his opponents in order to win it again. Just, him tearing up. His mask cracking in the face of Hyuna's words, of her blood on her face (on his hands)

THE FACT THAT IT IS LITERALLY LUKA'S FAULT SHE'S THERE!!!! THAT SHE'S NOW DYING !!!!

Luka has always been blind to everything but Hyuna, and going with some interpretations of how we've seen him do dumb shit just to see Hyuna's face before (specifically when we saw him injure (potentially kill(??)) Hyuna's little brother, then smile up at Hyuna like he was just waiting for her reaction) it is. So fitting that this is how it ends

With Luka, once again blind to everything but the girl who can make him feel something, managing to kill that girl in his blindness

Fucking rip!!

I AM HUFFING COPIUM LIKE ITS PAINT I REFUSE TO BELIEVE HYUNA IS DEAD PLEASEEEE !! YEHA OK SURE HER LIGHT WENT OUT BUT WE WERENT SHOWN THE BODY IT DOESNT COUNT OK IT DOESNT COUNT SHUT THE FUCK UP

AND MEANWHILE MIZI DIDNT EVEN SEE HYUNA GET SHOT BECAUSE SHE'S STILL SOBBING OVER TILL'S CORPSE IN HER ARMS, FUCK

Anyways. Final thoughts.

This alien stage was. Wonderful. Beautiful. It may be my new favorite.

Every second of it was so well done, and I need to applause Vivinos for once again showing off that she knows how to make all of us cry by drawing her characters happy.

What the fuck, man!!

Anyways, I watched most of this without subtitles (and when I did watch with titles, I kept getting distracted by the pretty visuals and couldn't focus) So, I possibly misread/misunderstood a thing or two.

I'm gonna go watch it like 10 more times with subtitles on this time, then maybe realize smthn and feel regret, but, whatever

Go watch alien stage.

[honeyteastar]

Happy Valentines day to @senagune !!

Hi ness!!! From the prompt list you gave. I have picked the heishin royal au especially the princes at war! I did enjoy the other prompts too!! But this one was the siren call..I hope you enjoy this bittersweete gift for heishin valentine ✨️💖 I did really enjoy this event that the amazing @heishinvalentineexchange2025 have put out, huzzaa!!

If you wanna know more about my evil thoughts then I will talk about more below!

Princes at war heishin but actually secret lovers that between eachother nations at high tension that will break into war! Technically how they do meet is in deep of the forest that is hidden ruins which Shinichi does tend to go too when everything is too much in his kingdom! (He's acting the main lead of the kingdom because his parents just dip so even though his is a prince he more acts like a king moment) Heiji does random stumbles to the same place that shinichi legitimate goes and from there they meet eachother a lot and typical shenanigans happened before the enetivable!

Shinichi clothes are technically the spade knight/black knight but modified!! And heiji is legitimate from what I think it'll sute him here's a doodle of which version of his clothes because I did struggle on what! Funny enough I asked my friends which they did gave feed back and number two won! Obviously there's slight difference with the final! Which you can notice the gold and silver motive thingy (idk how you call it) but anyway I did lean more that both shinichi and heiji are from both different kingdom/empire that unfortunately have a tension between the two!! Which you can see heiji is more Asia based while shinichi is more European based type clothes ALSO IS NOT ACCURATE FANTASY CLOTHING BTWW they are heavy inspired!!

Also why shinichi is the one dying? Well I personally think between the two heiji does fall harder than shinichi and that how technically it wasn't his fault btw it was a plan that shinichi had but it whent super wrong because between the two heiji is legitimate the better sword fighter than shinichi smirks, plus I like to send shinichi thru the horrors so shrugs! Also also I like angst so throw heishin thru the horrors!! Plus this one twt post that legitimate fits this whole thing ironically!

I did a playlist for this au is short but the mainfacor is the liar princess and the blind prince! :> especially the song and a few others too!!

OK SOOO I did struggle a lot with this piece but I do thank a lot at my friends who actually help me and gave a hand a little bit but for this piece!! Because this is the most ambitious art piece I ever did! ^^ a lot of hard work was put into this!! AGAIN I DID ENJOY THIS A LOT!! I hope there's more events like this for heishin because they are so silly...

[liloinkoink]

I do adore the two reactions to HG in DDVAU

1: Gosh idk how to feel about Scar and HG. He was so mean to Grian his own friend.

2: *Punts the man around like a soccer ball* … *Picks him up* I love you, you horrible man.

It shows who watches a lot of Scar’s content and knows he’s a evil capitalist XD

LMFAOOO i do love all the people who are completely shocked Scar could be manipulative and acting at tho this has come completely out of left field. like did we watch the same guy? he’s a sleazy salesman who loves to lie and start problems!! life series Scar especially, he’s constantly picking fights and then talking his way out of them or scamming people or lying. this guy sucks!!!

tbh part of the reason i stopped reading scarian fic is because i got sick of how much some sections of the fandom would woobify Scar and make him out to be some helpless victim who was always suffering at Grian’s hands. it used to drive me crazy. so ddvau HG being manipulative and pulling all the stops to get what he wants is sooo refreshing. what a fun way to write Scar

[givemeallyourpenny]

How would you design Penny as a Three Houses unit? Like, which are her good and bad growths, boons, banes, budding talents, "canon" class(es)?

Fantastic question!

A Quick Look at How Penny fights in the show gives us a lot of the answers.

Swords and Lasers and later actual magic. Trickster or Mortal Savant are going to be her best options

“Canon” path would probably be mercenary > swordmaster > mortal savant.

Stats wise speed is going to be her top stat because that is a lot of swords, with Magic Strength and Defense following close behind because look at this

Her lowest stat growth would probably be luck and hp?

Her boons would definitely be Sword, Reason and, Faith. I picked both reason and faith because she would definitely excel at both.

She’s incredibly smart and is often the first to figure out someone’s deal, and notably figuring out how Ruby’s semblance worked before Ruby herself did, so reason magic wouldn’t be too difficult to her.

Faith in three houses doesn’t seem to correlate to belief in the goddess, instead it’s a more nebulous sense of trust in others. Idk it’s hard to explain. But Penny has it in spades. Nobody loves and trusts her friends more than this goober. Plus her song makes a big deal out of her “wishes made on stars.”

Possibly Lance would be a boon as well since the way 3h characters use lances is very similar to her fighting style, big sweeping motions that keep the opponent at a distance.

As for banes I don’t think there’s much she couldn’t figure out. Maybe Axes because that’s the most different from how she fights? But definitely Authority, while her charm is high she’s not really the leader of soldiers type.

Budding Talent is an easy choice. Flying.

She’d use Ice and Wind spells because that’s what magic we see her use. Blizzard, Cutting Gale, Fimbulvetr, and Excalibur probably.

I’d probably go with Trickster for her most of the time but stuff like Gremory, Dark Flyer or Falcon Knight would be fun as well.

And of course she’d be the perfect fit for Dancer

But my favorite thing in fire emblem is supports so let’s talk about that quick.

I’d want her an Byleth to talk about their shared experiences being artificial people created for a specific purpose that they didn’t sign up for. Byleth only learns the full extent of that at the very end of one route though, but i still think it could work.

She’d probably fit most with the Golden Deer and their bunch of misfits vibes and themes of breaking down the walls between people and holding hands. Especially with Lysithea since they’re both little science experiments.

That said I’d be most interested in her Supports with Dimitri and Edelgard. Both have similar themes around loss of control and betrayal. Edelgard is also a fellow living weapon girlie. She and Dimitri would vibe over their crazy strength and longing for basic human experiences like tasting food.

[mystilotls]

"There are those who watch, We are those who listen..."

(aka my Listeners design concept)

[hinamie]

10 years later

[egophiliac]

the lovers, reversed

(aka I'm still freaking out about Jou)

[quirkle2]

scenes that make me wanna eat drywall dust

[kissingarthurclaus]

'Came a time, where every starfall brought you to tears again

We are the very hurt you sold'

Based on my own challenge to redraw your self ship as the MCR album cover uwu

Taglist♡: @me-myself-and-my-fos @tiny-cloud-of-flowers @sunstar-of-the-north @dearly-beeloved @adoredbyalatus @changeling-selfship @crushes-georg @cherry-bomb-ships @rosieaurora @rejaytionships @sunflawyer @in-true-blue-love @tropicalgothships @hotrodharts @1980ssunflower

[hplonesomeart]

Whoops hand slipped here’s some TADC character fanart. Apologies for the severe lack of Pomni in this one idk where she went off to…maybe she got lost on her way to find the exit. The lines are incredibly choppy & rushed, I know, but it was still fun art practice! I don’t draw these guys nearly enough anyways so this is a nice change of pace. Support indie animation :3

[stottlemonk-moments]

Stottlemonk Moments:

Monk s06ep16: "Mr. Monk Is on the Run: Part 2"

[teapot-of-tyrahn]

there is something SO special to me about life series’ designs where the characters’ lives are kept track of through hearts tattooed on their inner wrist. and not just because of the literal organic symbolism of them being placed on a person’s veins, their radial artery, a pathway which is connected to their actual heart, but because of the literary symbolism. a common idiom is "to wear one’s heart on their sleeve". it means to openly shows one’s feelings rather than keeping them hidden… and isn’t that poetic? because, in a game of deception and betrayal and heartbreak, you’re forced to wear your heart on your sleeve. it’s on display. it’s on display, for people to see, to watch. your feelings aren’t your own, they’re in the public domain, and you’re on public display. your feelings and hearts are on display for somebody's sick, twisted entertainment, to be broken over and over again until you break. until you have no more hearts left to lose. until you don't have a heart left to break.