#good lord this is long. i really saw no way to cut any of it

[shivunin]

So I saw your tags on the types of love ask and I'm also obsessed with the first weeks and months after Fenris and Hawke break up lol!! I would love to hear more of your thoughts about what Maria and Fenris are feeling/thinking esp wrt fighting together, how the kirkwall group sees them, and just generally how they cope with not being "together" but still being around each other all the time.

Oooh anon, I tried to keep this a reasonable length and I failed haha. In my defense, I have 30k words of unfinished fic answering this very question and I pared it down as best I could.

So:

I think the immediate aftermath is, of course, the most painful--but it's also the most careful on her part. Analysis sets in for her pretty quickly about a day later, when her head is more clear: she loves him and she doesn't believe that loving him gives her a right to take his friends and home away. Hawke is very aware that she has the power to do this if she isn't careful.

What can she do about it? Give him space. Make sure he knows he's still welcome. Keep inviting him to things where many of her other friends are present. Never touch him unless she has no other choice, because she knows she'll give herself away. Look at him directly as little as possible (this one is for her own sake---watching him is like putting her thumb on a bruise to make sure it's still there). Be alone rarely, if ever, and if alone then at a great distance. No more walking home together; no more late nights reading in her library before the fire; no more long goodbyes at her door. She tries so hard to be careful with him and instead she is stiff and overly polite.

It hurts. For both of them. I've talked before about how friendship is the bedrock of their relationship to me, and for a while they lose that, too. Maria's fatal flaw is that she thinks she can perfectly read everyone around her. She assumes that the boundaries she's drawn are good for both of them and she never, ever asks Fenris what he thinks or wants---because that would mean talking about it.

Fighting is rough for a while, because one of them is now dedicated to not paying attention to the other. They both get hurt, badly, in the few weeks immediately after that night. Fenris occasionally slips and calls her Maria (he can't get it out of his head no matter how much he'd like to). Hawke occasionally slips and pats his shoulder or elbows him to make a joke before she remembers and pulls away again.

At last, they get in a really big argument over what Fenris says to Merrill during Mirror Image. Maria loses her temper (she usually keeps a very tight leash on it) and says some things she doesn't mean---the subtext being, if she is a monster then I am a monster. If you knew that before, then why did you ever pretend you wanted me? She does not say this explicitly, because I think she doesn't actually want to know the answer. She apologizes as best she can without actually acknowledging what happened, but now that is festering between them, too.

All of their friends definitely know what's going on. They had front-row seats to the budding flirtation, the tiny gestures of affection...and now they also get to see Hawke putting herself as far away from him as possible, Fenris's absolute refusal to discuss any of it, the pained way he looks at her when she isn't watching, and so on. How can they not know? I think Varric and Isabela try to discuss it with Maria, in their respective ways, and she laughs it off. I think Anders probably makes a pointed comment and she bats that away, too. (Actually, Aveline might be the only one who's still oblivious, judging by the dialogue in her Act 2 quest.)

She does eventually confide in Sebastian, because he's supposed to take confessions, isn't he? Surely this is not so bad a thing to carry, in comparison to everything else. In the end, all she really wants is her friend back and she doesn't know how to get back what they've lost. She blames herself far more than she blames Fenris (Hawke should be able to fix everything always, obviously). Before she can come to any conclusions about how to patch things up, Leandra dies and she really starts spiraling.

When she finally emerges from the big blank space immediately following the funeral, Hawke is erratic. She gets drunk and sloppy, she throws herself into fights she couldn't possibly win, and she stops being careful with Fenris.

(For the record--I think he prefers the minor arguments to Hawke being polite with him. Maria is polite with Meredith and Marethari and the Viscount and the Arishok. She is friendly or charming or crass with everyone else. Being on the receiving end of cordiality was far, far worse than anything she pulls while she's grieving.)

Again--it takes something big to knock her out of this spiral. Luckily, Kirkwall has no shortage of shitshows. Hawke faces down death, comes to terms with the fact that she's just going to have to be in unrequited love with Fenris forever, and acquires a new title, not necessarily in that order. Fenris watches her die, acknowledges privately that he would rather be with her than without her regardless of what they are to each other or what dangers they face, and is there with her when she needs him the most.

Some of those boundaries stick around--she doesn't look at him often or for too long, which he hates, and they don't spend much time alone together. But slowly, slowly, they rebuild their rapport. Hawke and Fenris respect each other deeply; I think that's what makes the rest of it possible. Love is one thing---messy and busy and too heavy by far---but respect is something they both understand, and it's a good enough foundation to build on. She does love him; if she could make it into a purely platonic love, she absolutely would. More importantly, Maria trusts him and he clearly feels the same. It takes time, but they get back much of what they lost.

I want to be clear: she never thinks of any of this as biding her time for him to realize he wants her; she knows that he never will. She also knows she has to be okay with that if they're going to be friends again, and that matters to her most of all. It would have broken her heart to lose him because she couldn't move on.

For Fenris's part--I don't know how much of his reaction is guilt and how much is being caught essentially flat-footed. I cannot imagine what it would be like to work up to wanting to be emotionally intimate with someone (physical intimacy entirely aside) and then have that comfort entirely ripped away because of something he feels solely responsible for.

So, anon, to answer your question:

They deal with it by letting what happened between them be the third party in the room, ultimately. They both know what happened; they know that talking about it by now is more likely to open up wounds than it is to heal them. What they have is immeasurably valuable to both of them. If he still dreams about holding her, if she measures every suitor at her door against Fenris, well---that's for them to handle alone. Nobody else needs to know.

[b1ravenclaw]

Azriel has a mate and when he starts spending time with Elain. She becomes distant.

She sees the almost kiss with Rhys and she leaves and Rhys doesn’t say anything for her.

She eventually comes back and is in “fuck him. I’m a bad bitch” era and Azriel has to grovel hard cause she isn’t taking any shit.

You can end it however you want.

Relief

note: I hope I did it justice :)

warnings: unedited, angst

The almost kiss was just the cherry on top of the fucking cake. 

It started slow, of course, but it went at a slow steady pace. Always there to nag at my insides, something so silly and small I could not complain, really. So what if he was befriending the High Lady’s sister, it was expected she made some friends considering her abrupt start at fae life. What was not expected was Azriel would altogether stop making time for you. His mate. His fucking mate.

The lingering glances he once shared with you were now hers, his attention once solely yours was now solely hers. And you did not want to believe, when you clinged to hope on those cold nights alone that he may only be distracted because of his harsh work. You supposed he avoided your touch because his insecurities of not being enough may have crawled and found its way inside him again. 

But, alas, it was not it. It was just her. Fucking Elain, and she was not to blame. He was. How could he neglect his mate? His other half. How could he be so vile and cruel, not only to you, but to himself as well. He did not expect you to forgive him, did he? Or to never find out? 

You did not know what was worse. That, until you saw the look on Rhysand’s face, when his violet eyes left anger daggers at Azriel, to you they only emanated pity. Pure pathetic pity. His mouth opened and closed a few times, the High Lord of Night at a loss of words, congratu-fucking-lations Azriel. 

The walk to your room was shameful, glamouring yourself as to not be seen by no one, not wanting to wait for him, to hear what Rhys had in store for him. You just wanted to go away, your things were quick to be packed, and Kallias and Vivienne were not alarmed to see you at their palace doors unannounced. However they were alarmed by the sad glimmer in your eyes, tears refusing to be dropped and, instead, freezing. Your lashes starting to become white with the cold.

“Oh Dear.” Was all Vivienne, your cousin, said. Your only family member alive. The family you would have now that Azriel fucked everything up. Your hopes of having a family crushed right before you, and you let it happen. Had you fighted him would it have changed anything? Would his interest in Elain have died down or grown further more? You felt your heart growing colder. Vivienne had asked if you wanted company sleeping tonight, but you refused. You did not want her to see how much you could cry about it, and when you thought it was over you felt it. Over the bond you felt it, his feelings, and it wasn’t remorse, it wasn’t sadness or even anger. He felt nothing, almost as if he was feeling contemptment. As if he was fucking relieved you left. 

You cried until sunrise, shame sent you to sleep and hunger woke you up the next morning.

Your stomach was empty and growling, and you were in desperate need of a shower. But the first thing you did that morning was neither bathe or eat. You looked in the mirror at your disheveled image, at your red puffy eyes you focused on your feeling of emptiness and hopelessness and sent that perfectly destroyed image down the golden thread connecting you to the winged male, and closed it. You looked your heart and mind at seven keys, never to be opened again, never to be toyed with. 

That morning after bathing and brushing your long hair you cut it at shoulder length, you found your best dress, one that had a high detailed neckline and went past your feet. 

“Y/n.” Said Kallias, surprised, “Good morrow.”

“Good morrow, my lord.” You said with a courtesy. “My lady.”

“Y/n, your hair… it’s different.”

“And so am I, I thought it would be fitting. Don’t you?”

“Of course.”  Her voice was soft, as if she was scared if she spoke too strongly you would break. But you could not be broken, not anymore. 

“I was…”

“You don’t need to say what happened if you do not wish to y/n, you are always welcome at our home. Your home.” Kallias said, ever the High Lord. 

“Thank you, Kallias. But I wish to, just to clear things up. As I suppose they will want to contact me.”

“Rhysand may have sent word, as well as your mate.”

“I would appreciate it if you called him by his name, as he is no longer my mate.” They both inhaled sharply, the food at the table left untouched. “I supposed I saw it coming, he… Well, he took interest in another female. It has been quite sometime. The final straw was, well, his lack of respect for me and self control.” 

“Oh, y/n.” Vivienne was at my side, but it was Kallias voice that made my heart warm.

“Do you want me to end him?”

“As much as I would appreciate it, I know it would not be good, politically speaking.” 

“We can find our way around it.” “I’m sure you can. But… part of me wants him to live with it, see if he will suffer even if it’s a little.” 

“Your call, Vivienne’ family is my family. You know it.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

It was a week later the day you left, that Rhysand’s letter arrived. It was sealed and it smelled of the home you once cared for, one you did not wish to be in anymore. 

Dear y/n, 

I can not begin to imagine how you are feeling, I am writing to you to make sure you are safe  and well, as well as one can be in your situation. Kallias sent word you are with him and Vivienne, but alas please tell me if you need anything I can help with.  

We all miss you dearly, unfortunately word got out faster than  I could contain, we are all mad at him, and I forbade him to contact you. 

He would like to speak to you, but you owe him nothing. 

I hope to see you soon.

Your dear friend, High Lord of Night, Rhysand.

You answered the letter a few days later, letting him know Azriel was not to contact you, or else he would die. You didn’t think they believed it, you could never kill Azriel, even now. It was a month after that you saw Feyre and Rhysand, and how you missed them. All of them, they were your family once too and as if sensing your insecurity Feyre whispered in your ear as she left that you were still family, and as much as you would like to believe it, you knew they  would never turn on Azriel. 

Eight months later you felt strong enough to return to the night court, Vivienne and Kallias held you as much as possible, but when you were strongly inclined to retrieve the rest of your belongings yourself they hugged you goodbye. And when the inevitable happened, when you crossed his path despite Rhysand telling you he made sure Azriel had left before you arrived. When you looked into his almond eyes, that once gave you immense joy, you felt nothing, almost contempt. You felt relieved, that he could not affect you anymore, would not affect you anymore.

“My love…” “Azriel, it’s Y/n to you. Or Winter Court emissary.” 

“Y/n, please, don’t do this, let’s talk.”

“I will do as I please, Spymaster. Just like you did all those months ago.”

“I made a mistake.”

“And I hope it was worth, I hope you at least got to fuck her.”

“I didn’t. I lo-”

“Oh, that’s a shame. So you did really throw it all away, over what? A silly kiss? It truly is pathetic, Azriel.”

“Y/n, I should never have allowed myself to be lured away from my mate, I see that now.” “Lured away?” You scoffed, you could hear heavy footsteps approaching the room, probably Cassian’s. But you did not care for it. “Is that what you call it? Did she poison you?” “No?”

“Did she give you a love potion?”

“No, she didn’t.” “Did she enchant you with a spell?”

“No, and it does not matter, I shouldn’t-” “Then you were not lured Spymaster, maybe by your own lust and desire, but it was nothing you were physically weak against. She did not force you. You chose to betray me the moment you chose to spend time with her over me. “

“And I am so sorry.” His voice was broken, but you couldn't care less. You wished for him to hurt. “As you should be, and I hope Elain ends up being happier with Lucien than I ever was with you.” And as he tried to call you, tried to tug at the bond you once cherished with all your heart, it was much too easy to drown it all out, to distract yourself catching up with his family, your friends. You slept peacefully, the weight lifted off of your shoulders. The next morning it was much easier to put on the Winter Court colors and behold the tasks ahead of you, to serve your new High Lord. Your new court.

[prettiestlovergirl]

SO IT GOES...

tw: MDNI; fem!reader; teasing; tipsy fooling around; under the table; fingering; reader has acrylics on!

concept: mom's friend's son!luke who only comes around when your parents are hanging out or for big events. song: so it goes... by taylor swift

a/n: you voted for this so... here you go! this is inspired by this post by @too-deviant ! i saw the concept and was immediately hit with inspiration. it's a bit short, but don't worry, there is a part two coming soon! i will link here when it's up. enjoy, my lovelies! 𓆩♡𓆪

was getting wasted a bit tipsy at your mom's friend of a friend's wedding reception a good idea? no. no, it was not.

but you couldn't help it! it was so. boring.

the ceremony was a drag, the small talk was unbearable, and you were going to be stuck here for lord knows how long while your moms talked the night away.

when some of your older cousins came around and offered, you just had to get a few shots! just to provide a warm buzz.

and a couple of cocktails couldn't hurt, just to keep you steady!

oh, and wait, no one wanted that bottle of champagne, right?

so here you two were, a pile of giggles and smirks as you passed the bottle between yourselves in your not-so-secret corner of the world. you both rambled on, reminiscing on old memories of your time spent together.

sharing glances and tipsy smiles when one of your mothers came by and commented about how cute you looked, how it seemed as if no time had passed.

eventually, the teasing started the same way it always did: his hand rubbing its way up and down your thigh.

it was especially easy for him to access your bare skin, the criminally short dress you wore barely covering the smooth flesh. you wore it with him in mind, of course.

last winter, you'd attended a holiday party in jeans, and you'd have thought you were in a chastity belt the way he pouted. he spent most of the evening complaining about missing the way your pretty thighs looked without the fabric, so you decided to be extra nice this time around.

unfortunately, you were starting to think that maybe you had been a little too nice when you felt his hand start moving up, up, up.

"luke, stop it! wait til we're alone!" you giggled quietly, swatting at his hand but doing absolutely nothing to deter him from his goal of getting his hand on your panties.

"oh, c'mon, baby. everybody's too drunk to even care." luke hummed in your ear, his warm breath on your ear making you shiver despite the heat. "besides, haven't felt you in so long, can't blame me f'being a little impatient."

you let out a soft moan when his hand finally found your panties, his palm applying some soft pressure before stopping, making you whine. "is that a yes?" he asked, his voice husky in your ear. you didn't even have to look at him to know he was smirking.

you bit your lip gently, glancing around the room to make sure you really were in the clear before nodding. "mhm."

he slowly rubbed circles onto your clothed pussy, relishing in the way you'd already soaked through them. "god, you're so wet..." he murmured, teasing you over your panties while you let out the occasional gasp or whimper.

"luuuke, stop t- oh." your complaint was cut off by your own quiet moan when he finally pushed your panties to the side and moved his middle finger up and down your slit. he spread your wetness around before finally easing it inside of you.

"oh, fuck." you moaned, bringing your hand up to your lips to try and discreetly muffle yourself. no one was paying you two any attention, but that didn't mean you wanted to tempt fate any more than you were!

luke draped his free arm over the back of your seat, forcing you in place and looking just oh-so-casual while his thumb found your puffy clit. he slipped in another finger, speeding up his thrusts while you struggled to stay quiet.

only you two could hear the squelching of your pussy while luke fingered you, the sounds of music and godawful karaoke blocking it out from the rest of the world.

"so. fucking. wet." luke groaned in your ear, punctuating each word with another toe curling thrust as you felt the familiar, delicious knot in your stomach start to grow. "fuck, fuck, m'so close!" you practically whined, trying to squirm against his firm grip, only to be met with his fingers curled up and made you hiss.

"you gonna cum f'me, baby? gonna be a good girl and cum on my fingers?" he cooed, to which you could only nod rapidly and dig your nails into his arm, afraid that if you opened your mouth, you would moan too loud and bring attention to yourself.

after a few more rough thrusts, you turned and quickly buried your face into his shoulder, unable to hold in your moans as you squeezed your eyes shut and came undone.

he continued to rub your clit as you came, enjoying the sting of your nails digging into his arm and the fabric of your panties scraping his knuckles while you rode out your high.

eventually, however, he stopped and pulled his hand out from between your thighs, allowing you to catch your breath. he lifted his hand up, fingers and thumb glistening with your juices all over them.

"fuck, that's hot." he stated, looking at you as he popped his thumb into his mouth to clean it off. you blushed and smacked his chest, attempting to bring his hand down. "luke, stop it!" you hissed, your blush only seeming to egg him on more.

"ah, ah, ah. i earned this, doll." luke tutted, a wicked smirk on his face as he licked all your juices off his hand, groaning at your delicious taste until your mother came by to check in on you, asking if you felt okay, telling you that you looked a bit flushed.

"don't worry, i'm here to take great care of our girl for the night." he told your mother, his best, charming smile on his lips. "in fact, i'm gonna go grab us some waters." he stated, casually adjusting his hard on under the table before getting up and walking away.

your mom continued to talk, going on about how cute it was that you two were still the best of friends, but you weren't paying attention.

no, all your attention was on your phone as you waited for the usual text message to arrive in three... two... buzz, buzz.

you picked your phone up off the table and smiled to yourself as you read the messages.

"meet me in the stairwell" "don't make me start without you."

maybe getting dragged to these random events with your mom wasn't all that bad after all...

ᵈⁱᵛⁱᵈᵉʳ ᵐᵃᵈᵉ ᵇʸ @ᵐᵘʳᵘᶠᶠⁱⁿ

[messydoodlesyt]

SMG4 Crew Redesigns Part 1

Finally got them done! I saw some people do redesigns for the SMG4 Crew and I wanted to put my spin on it. So far I’ve done SMG4, SMG3, Meggy, Mario, and Luigi. I'm for sure gonna do the others at one point. But it was perfect timing since I did finally finish all the arcs in order (and the important episodes in between for the most part) so I at least have some better context then all the stuff from 2022+ and all.

So first up SMG4. I’ve seen people incorporate the glitch color pallet so I tried to put a little bit on the shoes and pant legs. That and I’ve seen him associated with stars. I don’t quite understand why people do redesigns with it; maybe it’s something in an old episode I haven’t seen yet or something but I thought it’d be neat to add. Added the number four roman numeral for him too cuz it felt off only having 3 have it. Shoulder strap off cuz vibes idk.

Next up SMG3! I’ve seen so many people give him long hair/ a mullet and dammit it was just too perfect to have. That with some ripped pants and gloves and earrings to add for his redesign. And of course the overall pocket for Eggdog because yes.

Up next Meggy! She felt like the biggest change to me but I think it’s mainly the hair being the reason. Originally I was keeping the long hair, but when I was watching the arcs and saw her inkling form didn’t have any tentacle things in the back just the front (forgive me idk if that’s what those are called a barely played splatoon) so I felt like after turning human she would first have the long hair but then cut it as a way to cope if that makes sense? Idk she seemed to have struggled for some time just trying to adjust to human form and at least she would have control over her hair. Then I gave freckles which I believe her first human model design did have them but it was so faded it was hard to tell so I tried to make em a bit more noticeable (though now that I’m looking at them maybe I should make em thicker idk yet).

Now friggen Mario. Good lord he was the last one I finished and it should not have been this hard. It’s all minor changed I feel like- I tried to make him still identifiable while still having some differences like the short sleeves, belt, and patches. That and I put his signature M on the gloves too to match SMG4 and SMG3. I was struggling with the mouth (not the cursed one just normal) because sometimes it would look off. Luigi I had more of a problem with though than Mario for whatever reason; maybe it’s the mustache.

Which speaking of Luigi as the final one for the list thing. He definitely gave me turtle neck vibes so I wanted to give him that, plus a belt that has those little bag strap things or whatever you call them to hold stuff like maybe some flower seeds or whatever he needs to. And I only did one of those little drawings with a mouth but when I tried doing it for the others it felt off. Probably for future drawings with these refs I’ll add mouths or won’t depending on the mood.

And yeah those are my redesigns. Definitely wanna do the others like Tari and Saiko for example. But some I know will be tricky because I don’t really know what I could add for redesigns like Mr. Puzzles and Karen for example. But we’ll see.

Part 2 of SMG4 Redesigns

[melonteee]

I've seen many people complain that Oda in Post Time skip One Piece spends a lot of time worldbuilding and making up side characters on every island that distract from the main ones and the plot. While I can see where some people are coming from, as someone who reads comics from Marvel, I WISH the wordbuilding and side characters were that developed because most of the time, unless it's about space or magic or directly related to the plot, the world feels genuinely dead. Even the main setting of a story sometimes feels so dead, like for comparison

Around 2 years ago, they had an event where, at some point, an inhabited island got pretty much nuked. We spent 3 real life years on that island and the writers really couldn't make any readers care less about all the civilians (men, women, children and babies) dying as they wrote them as a single minded entity who didn't mind that fate if their government told them to do it so they used two of the "main characters" (the most selfish pricks imaginable who never even cared about the island and the people there as they are long-established villains + due to plot, were made part of the people who rule over the place and get the most privilege and best life there compared to everyone else), to pull the heartstrings of fans on how terrible it is for them to die this way and how tragic that these two had to die in this event... All because the plot hyperfocused on the island's government (not even interesting to read and full of what felt like highschool drama) instead of the people the government looks after and who would be the greatest casualty here. All of this didn't matter either because everyone on that island was brought back to life (that plot device was present even before the event so caring about anything was going to be hard from the get go) including the "main characters" that died.. Guess who got to come back to life first while many others were on a waiting list years down the line still ?

Now compare this to Oda and what he did with Lulusia. All things related to this island were mostly cover stories, many cuts back and forth in a "meanwhile in...", ... But once Chapter 1060 hits, we feel the tragedy and horror, we are at awe at how much destruction was unleashed on these people. That scene was made even more horrifying and sad when it was animated in Episode 1089...and then we learn the reason the island was obliterated had nothing to do with Sabo being there. Any island we knew who partook in a revolution could have been a target. We find out that even that was an excuse because the main goal was to test a weapon and nothing more. Oda is using a tool here called "less is more" for this island and it was sincerely enough for me to care A WHOLE LOT about Lulusia even if the main characters never set a single foot there and it wasn't part of the main plot. There wasn't even a main character who "died" there either to pull on our heart strings. We just saw these people triumphantly come out of a political crisis and enjoy their first hours of freedom after lord knows how long and then

They were all gone. Erased. And even if they didn't all see what was about to happen to them, they felt it. They died in fear

Oda is very very good at his world building, because he makes sure these islands are LIVED in, not just that they EXIST. It's all well and good to wipe out an island to show the political and immoral powers that be, but we don't feel the impact unless we SEE the people and culture existing on the island.

It's why now, with Vegapunk explaining the state of the world, we are getting reactions from EVERY corner of the globe. We are being reminded how big this world is, how lived in this world is, and how many people are suffering under the world gov. We CARE about this world, we care about the PEOPLE in this world, and Oda's spent years building his world up for THIS moment. It's really spectacular.

[bradleysass]

Brushstrokes of Black - word count: 886 - Jegulas James's grief post canon cave sacrifice

The flat was silent, save for the soft swish of James Potter’s brush against the wall. The air smelled faintly of fresh paint, sharp and acrid, and the light streaming through the windows was muted by the gray haze of a cloudy day.

He dipped the brush into the tray again, dragging it through the deep, muted blue that he’d spent far too long picking out. The walls had been a pale beige when he moved in—dull, lifeless, and wrong. He couldn’t live with that kind of emptiness, not after everything.

Not after him.

James pressed the brush to the wall again, the color spreading in long, deliberate strokes. He’d thought painting might help. It was something to do, something to keep his hands busy and his mind occupied. But as he worked, the memories slipped in anyway, unbidden and relentless.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of black—inky hair, perfectly styled and shining in the light. His breath hitched, and he turned his head sharply, but there was nothing there. Just an empty room, a blank canvas waiting to be filled.

It wasn’t the first time.

James closed his eyes, letting the brush fall to his side as he exhaled slowly. He could almost hear Regulus’s laugh, soft and rare, like a secret meant just for him. He could see the way his lips curved into a small, private smile that somehow lit up the whole world. His world.

But that world was gone now, swallowed by darkness, leaving only shadows and echoes in its wake.

With a sigh, James opened his eyes and dipped the brush into the paint again. His strokes grew faster, more erratic, the blue spreading unevenly as his thoughts spiraled. He couldn’t stop seeing Regulus in the edges of his vision, couldn’t stop remembering the way he used to sit on the edge of James’s bed, his long fingers absentmindedly tracing the spine of a book as they talked about everything and nothing.

Regulus had been a contradiction: sharp and soft, distant and deeply present. He was the Black heir, but he had burned brighter than any of them, even Sirius, though he’d never let himself believe it.

And now he was gone.

The brush faltered in James’s hand, leaving a streak of paint that dripped slowly down the wall. He swore under his breath and grabbed a rag to wipe it away, but the stain remained, faint and stubborn, like a ghost.

Like Regulus.

He leaned his forehead against the wall, the cool surface grounding him for a moment. “You bastard,” he muttered, his voice cracking. “You had to go and be a hero, didn’t you? Had to save the world and leave me here to pick up the pieces.”

Regulus had never told him the truth. Not directly. James had pieced it together later, after Kreacher’s trembling voice recounted the story of the locket and the lake, after he’d found the note Regulus had left behind.

To the Dark Lord, I know I will be dead long before you read this…

James had read the letter so many times he could recite it from memory. Each word was a knife, cutting deeper every time. Regulus had done it for the greater good, for the chance to bring Voldemort down, but James couldn’t help wondering—had he also done it for me?

He wanted to believe it. It was a selfish, stupid thought, but it was the only thing that made the loss bearable.

The brush fell from his hand, clattering to the floor. James turned and sank onto the couch behind him, the weight of it all pressing down on his chest. He raked a hand through his hair, his fingers catching in the messy strands.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw him again. Regulus, standing by the window, his arms crossed and a faint smirk on his lips. James froze, his breath catching in his throat. He didn’t dare move, didn’t dare blink, afraid that if he did, the vision would vanish.

“I’m losing it,” James whispered to the empty room.

But the image didn’t fade. It stayed, solid and clear, as if Regulus were really there, watching him with that inscrutable expression he always wore when he thought James was being particularly ridiculous.

“You’d hate this, wouldn’t you?” James said, his voice trembling. “The paint. The mess. You’d say I’ve got no taste, and then you’d show up next week with a proper color swatch and a plan.”

Regulus didn’t answer. He only smiled, the corners of his mouth softening into something warmer, something James had seen only a handful of times.

James closed his eyes, tears slipping free despite his best efforts to hold them back. When he opened them again, the room was empty.

The brush lay forgotten on the floor, a small puddle of blue spreading beneath it. James picked it up slowly, his hands steady now as he dipped it back into the paint.

The walls wouldn’t fix anything. They wouldn’t bring him back. But maybe, just maybe, they could hold the pieces of James’s grief, layer by layer, until he could breathe again.

And as the blue spread across the walls, rich and deep, James thought he saw Regulus’s smile reflected in the strokes.

[for-ships-that-never-sail]

Okay Y'ALL I saw Episode 5 today and these are the thoughts I jotted down while watching it (PART 2 OF 2)

Please don’t read below the cut if you are avoiding spoilers until you get to watch it yourself 

And FYI some of these may not have any context, but I guess it won’t matter cause you’ll have context in 7ish hours anyway (also sorry about how long all my thoughts and feelings are lol)

Awh Kate you’re so pretty - kinda weird to see her so chill though - she was so stressed all of season 2 that seeing her so serene is throwing me off tbh - I am so happy for you though my love

Also her outfit that looks like a sari is soooo gorgeous I WANTTTT

Love the cinnamon biscuits vs fruit jellies bit

Portia ma'am please listen to Varley FFS

lol I hope they did in fact fuck again like she wanted

Ugly crying at MY MESSSSSS

PARIS? oufff I love how comfortable she is, just casual teasing chit chats with bestie

“Undefended”? Charlotte needs a different hobby pleaseeee

LOLLLLL when did Penelope learn to do her hair and makeup by herself???? Cause there’s no fucking way she would’ve looked THAT fucking good after alllll of that lol

We were going to be KNIGHTS!! OMG sweet babiessss

“as much as I do” I can’t even blame anyone for anything they’ve done or said so far tbh 

This is such nuanced writing — I understand exactly where pretty much everyone is coming from and that’s really nice tbh 

Omg they really do want Cressida to marry a dinosaur 

WTF Cressida you do you girl fuck shit up for Penelope I don’t even care do whatever you have to do and go all out and save yourself cause no one else will I’m so sorry you were ever put in this position  

We have been acting uncouth AS OF LATE??? as of late????!? Omggg Portia girl pleaseeeee you had ONE job and you’re just gonna pass the buck to your daughters instead? STAHP own up to your shit cause you knowwww they bully her because youuu bullied her and the gall to say this is just happening LATELY on top lmao 

Though like in her eyes I always do see remorse too - I think she just lacks courage to ever really own up to everything in full because she’s just so guarded 

Honestly this is such stellar acting 

And also like, Penelope, most of you is your mom my girl - your brains, your overthinking, your inability to just say Yuh I done fucked up my bad lol 

Greg’s hat

Yesssss lord Kent find you some Bridgerton besties 

I actually do love Portia - yeah she’s been a colossal dick of a mom to Pen but as complex women go, I get her - If she makes amends with Pen for them daily microaggressions and general abuse one day, for real for real, she’d be really great 

Omg Mama B and Lady D are such big shippers - wish they didn’t fully cut out the Lady D stuff from the books though le sigh 

Eloise has a point - I agree - she had lotsss of alone time to say it - I understand Pens fear completely, but she must realize that her saying this is still soooo much better than him having to find out on his own - and there is no way he wouldn't - and he’d be more hurt by that part than the actual LW part I think and honestly Eloise is right about her being involved in that painful deception too, I wouldn’t want my own brother to feel betrayed by me like that either, given how often he wished LW ill out loud - and the longer Pen stays quiet the more guilty Eloise becomes as a sister too - If anything her not immediately snitching makes her moreee team Pen than team Colin - this is still a lowkey loyalty to Pen for sure - I think I may have issued this same ultimatum under these conditions too

Omggg JOHNNNNNN stop he’s having a panic attack why did Fran put him on the spot like thissss????

“As you rightly mocked me last season” lolllll

Awh Colin and the toast 

Eloise should nottttt have done her second toast - now THAT part was uncalled for, but I guess they want to keep the stress levels high 

Lmao Kate to the rescue 

I loveeeee how close they are sitting in public - but like… does nooooo one else see this??? Hips glued together? Hands holding??? Just out in the open?? No one thinks this is insanely intimate for a newly engaged couple of the ton??? Even if it’s a love match? None of the older women are clocking this and saying 1. Sit the fuck apart 2. Did yall fuck already cause yall look like you fucked and we don’t even have a wedding date set yet??? Are you not going to even ask for a special license?? You just want her to pop a baby before she technically should and cause more drama?? Like who is in charge of all these fools?? Mama B what is you doing??? Do you not think Colin is being a nasty girl with his wife-to-be?? lol

Lol Anthony I love you, you competitive lil bitch 

Lmaooooo Eloise and Penelope being the smartest bitches of the ton YESSSS

Portia trying to show where Pen's brain comes from lol

Muddy boots panic again 

LMFAOOOOOOO Mama B your face is going a mile a minute right now listening to the muddy boots

"I saw straight away" OH MY FROHN you will end me one day

Pen get your shit together pls grab a brown paper bag or smthn 

Oooohhhhh fuck I get itttttt

Cressida girl my bad I get ittttttt sooooo much more - I didn’t fully understand her thought process behind what we already knew she was gonna do until just nowwww - they really set it up for her well - girl needed an exit and everyone fully offered her one - I have no issues with this at all tbh 

Omg omg this is the most chaotic midnight strike of all time like 6 different things happened at the same time???? 

Well that was some good old fashioned Bridgerton CHAOS Hope y'all enjoyed it too!!!! LESS THAN 8 HOURS TO GOOOOOOOOOO

[notsoattractivearenti]

Wedding Night (Christian Pulisic x Fem!Reader)

WC: 1.3K

Warnings: cursing

A/N: don't be fooled by the title cuz it has no smut 🤭 this is pure fluff! and again this was not proofread lol. hope you guys enjoy and i’d love to hear your thoughts thru ask/reply/reblog 💗 apologies for any errors! feedbacks are highly appreciated 🤍

-

You and Christian just tied the knot, and now the celebration has come to end. The clock showed 12 AM, which means it was time for the bride and groom to leave the dance floor and move to the bridal suite.

As you two left the venue, everyone kept saying “have fun” as they assumed you were about to do the “wedding night” tradition – but tonight, it was not the case.

You had been awake since 4 AM and occupied since – getting your makeup and hair done, putting your wedding dress on then changing it to another dress for the reception and afterparty, doing photo sessions, you name it – so at the end of the biggest and best day of your life, you couldn’t help but feel exhausted. You were at your happiest, of course, but you still needed rest. Christian understood this, therefore he was more than okay to go straight to bed and sleep.

“Baby, it doesn’t have to be tonight… Because we don’t have to celebrate our first night as a married couple with sex. If you’re tired, then we can just go to sleep.”

You were in awe of how understanding your husband is. That’s one of the billion reasons why you were one hundred percent sure you wanted to marry him. 

“Plus… You know you can do me whenever you want to, right?” He winked and gave you a cheeky smile.

—

When the elevator doors opened, he lifted you up and carried you "bridal style" to your room. You laughed the entire time and he was laughing along with you – too hard he almost dropped you a few times. You opened the door and as you both entered your room – still carried by Christian – your head accidentally hit the door jamb.

“Ouch!” You slightly yelled as you immediately touched your head.

“Oh fuck, baby, I’m sorry!” He apologized and kissed your head.

He then asked in genuine concern. “Does that really hurt?”

“I’m okay love, it was just a reflex.” You assured him.

Relieved, he closed the door with his foot and playfully tossed you into the bed. He then jumped into the bed and laid down next to you, still laughing with each other. Not long after, his lips found their way into yours. Your eyes were closed, feeling his soft lips gently moving against yours and it got you nearly breathless – it was filled with passion and affection. When your lips parted, you saw him looking deeply into your eyes with a smile on his face – admiring how beautiful his forever bride is. Him staring so deep made you blushing and all giddy, you had to ask him to stop.

“Honey… Stop it!” You blurted as you playfully pushed his face away.

“What, am I not allowed to adore my wife now?” He teased you.

When he said that, you had literal chills. At the moment, the fact that you both are married still felt surreal. Oh my God… I’m Christian’s wife!

“Wait, baby, say that again!” You excitedly tried to make him say “my wife” again.

“What, am I not-”

“Not the whole thing, dummy.” You jokingly cut him off. “I meant the last part.”

“Umm… ‘Now’?” He pretended to be clueless just to mess with you.

“Good lord.” You rolled your eyes.

He laughed then gave you a little peck on the lips.

“I love you, my wife.”

—

You were still in your wedding dress and lazily got off the bed to change. Not only that, the makeup on your face felt pretty heavy and you thought there were too many bobby pins on your head – you just couldn’t wait to take them off. 

He helped you take off your wedding dress then get you your comfy pajamas. He also grabbed the makeup remover and a pack of facial cottons from your bag and put them above the counter in the bathroom like you asked him to. You were whining about having to remove your makeup and take off millions of bobby pins of your hair when all you wanted was just to finally rest.

He heard you from the other room and thought it was really cute. He couldn’t stop laughing at your whining while he changed his clothes. He then tried to make fun of you.

“Oh, is my poor baby having a rough moment now? There’s people that are dying, Y/N.” He said sarcastically.

You laughed at his comment, you got the reference he used.

“Hey, how dare you! Don’t be such a Kourtney!” You playfully shouted in response.

—

Now also in his pajamas, Christian went to the bathroom to help you. When he came in, you were just done cleaning your face and about to move onto your hair. He wrapped his arms around your waist from behind, kissed your cheeks, and rested his chin on one of your shoulders.

“Wow, how lucky am I that I get to spend my life with the most beautiful person on earth?” He softly said into your ears.

“Oh, stop it…” You blushed.

Since the first time you two know each other, he loves to shower you with compliments. You thought it would only last at the beginning, but overtime you learned that it is one of his most prominent ways of showing his love. No one has ever complimented you the way Christian does, therefore at first you came off a little awkward as you didn’t really know how to handle compliments. But now you've gotten used to it and he has never failed to make you blush every time.

He then offered to help you remove the bobby pins off your hair, and since there were a lot of them, you happily accepted his help. He thought you were exaggerating about how many bobby pins on your hair, but when he saw them closely he was genuinely surprised.

“Holy shit! This is a lot! How could you feel comfortable having these on your head all day? Geez, I could never!” He shook his head.

“Who said I was comfortable?” You chuckled.

He carefully removed the pins one by one. A few times you flinched and when he saw that, he stopped for a bit to make sure you were okay.

“Oops, sorry, did I hurt you Y/N?”

“That’s okay baby, it was just a little pull.” You assured him.

After a while, you both finally took all the pins off your hair, and you sighed in relief. But even though you had removed those, your hair still felt kind of stiff because of the hairspray used. Afterwards, you decided to take a long shower.

—

When you came out of the bathroom, you saw Christian just finished making the bed. Your heart completely melted by his gesture. You knew it was a bare minimum but you always appreciate everything he does for you no matter how little or huge it is – and vice versa.

You came up to him and gave him a passionate kiss. After you broke the kiss, he was stunned for a second and bit his lip.

“Hey… what was that for?” He asked.

“To thank you for helping me clean up. And make the bed. And because I'm truly grateful I married the most wonderful man in the world.” You said before you leaned in for another kiss.

“And I you.” He said softly with a big smile on his face.

As you gazed into each other’s eyes, a yawn spontaneously left your mouth. Your eyes started to feel very heavy and you didn’t think you could hold them open for too long. He noticed how sleepy you were, therefore he put you to bed.

“Too bad I can’t even stay up to open the gifts, huh?” You murmured.

“Don’t worry baby, first thing in the morning.” He replied.

You and Christian were spooning under the cover. Before he slept. he gently kissed your shoulder, your cheek, your ear and the top of your head. You couldn’t help but giggled, and he followed. Then he whispered into your ear.

“Goodnight, my wife.”

“Goodnight, my husband.”

That night, both of you went to sleep beaming as the new Mr. and Mrs. Pulisic.

-

taglist: @pulisicsgirl @neverinadream @swimmingismywholelife @chilwellspulisic @bracedes @lovelynikol16 @thoseboysinblue @lizzypotter14 @masonsrem @landoslover

[thedorkurge]

I wish you would write a fic that is purely durgetash being soft with one another- Their constant psychosexual power play and violence is fun, but I would love to see your take on how they would be gentle with one another. Durge comes to Gortash after a long night of killing, Gortash is stressed with the minutia of death cult office politics, and if that Dragonborn has to drag him kicking and screaming to bed so they can both just rest for a minute, then so be it. It’ll be worth it.

I'm definitely up for the challenge! Thank you for asking<3

It will be below the cut, or you can read it on Ao3

Durge wasn’t supposed to be here, not really. But what he was supposed to do had recently been partially replaced with far more dangerous thoughts of what he wanted to do.

And it was all because of Bane’s chosen.

Though they had no meeting tonight, no intention of furthering their plan for their masters, he still found himself crawling through Enver’s window. The sitting room where he would host his more intimate meetings was empty, meaning that he could only be upstairs, burning the midnight oil at his desk. 

Durge crept through the night, silent and unseen, in spite of his bright scales and tall stature. 

As predicted, Enver was still working. He had clearly been at it for a while, his inkpot already replaced once and his desk piled with papers. Their presence was spread fairly thin, covering both Moonrise and Baldur’s Gate, so copious amounts of correspondence was needed to keep their forces in check.

But even a mind as sharp as Enver’s will dull if it isn’t treated with care. And that would be a damn shame. The man was a fine dagger, one that could slice many throats before it wore out.

One that felt right in Durge’s hands.

He allowed himself that thought for tonight. He had butchered his way through the city today, providing his father with ample sacrifice. And Gortash had yet to notice him, so for now any softness on his face would remain his own.

The fact that he’d been sitting on the windowsill without any acknowledgement for a few minutes was more concerning than anything, revealing just how tired the Lord really was. As did the bags under his bloodshot eyes and the ink that stained his hands. Durge had no doubt that every letter was still perfect, carefully planned and put to paper, but while his work never suffered, his body did.

He was only human. A fact that Durge was all too aware of, for both good and bad. On one hand it intrigued him, the softness of his skin, the hair that lined his body, the way his flesh would depress softly under Durge’s touch in a way that scales and corpses didn’t. 

On the other, the man was fragile. He would hate that description, but it was true. Durge knew all too well how easily humans died, how little it took to break them. And sleep deprivation was one of the cruelest methods he knew.

He finally allowed his feet to touch the ground, fully entering the room and announcing his presence.

Gortash looked up, alarmed, if a bit too slow to react. When he saw that there was no threat, he turned back to his work.

Durge was almost a bit offended by that. But part of him didn’t really mind. It was almost refreshing to not be greeted with fear.

“I don’t recall us having a meeting tonight.”

“We don’t.”

When Enver finally looked back up at him with a raised brow, his stern face was ruined by the way his eyes squinted against the light. 

“Then to what do I owe this visit?” He finally placed the pen down carefully, clearly giving up on getting anything done with another distraction added to the pile.

“How long has it been since you slept?”

Enver seemed genuinely taken aback by what should have been an obvious question. “That hardly matters. Politics do not wait for you to sleep. That is simply an opportunity for your detractors to undermine you.”

“Considering that I’ve been killing your detractors, that hardly seems like a valid excuse.”

“I wasn’t aware that I needed an excuse.”

“I suppose you don’t.” The dragonborn circled the table, putting out the oil lamp that illuminated the paperwork. “But you do need sleep.”

Enver’s protests died in his chest as Durge pressed a hand to his cheek in a surprisingly gentle touch. He leaned into it slightly, clearly just realizing how tired his neck muscles were.

Durge’s voice was quiet, dampened to match the calm that had settled over the room. “Don’t torture yourself, Enver. That’s my job.”

The Lord managed a tired laugh, reaching up to hook a heavy hand around Durge’s. It was warm. Enver always was, the human’s temperature running significantly higher than his own. As Enver repositioned his head slightly to push his forehead against the colder hand, Durge realized that he was probably too warm. 

He helped him out of the nice, but uncomfortable, clothes gently, secretly hoping that Enver wouldn’t mistake his actions as sexual advances. If Enver was to initiate something and Durge turned him down, Bhaal wouldn’t approve. Sex and murder were the two things he was never supposed to turn down, even from a banite. Fortunately, Gortash seemed to have other things on his mind, allowing this moment of intimacy without the heavy judgemental gaze of their gods weighing on them.

Before they could lay down, Enver pulled him into a lazy kiss. It was tired, it was sloppy, it wasn’t meant to stoke passions or assert dominance. It was simply because they wanted to.

With that, he pulled the lord into bed, gently folding arms that were meant to kill around fragile human bones. Enver held him close in turn, practically unconscious by the time he hit the bed. With a wave of his hand Durge extinguished the last light, allowing the darkness to hide them from the eyes of the world as he pressed his lips against the top of Enver’s head.

[sea-owl]

I just saw this tiktok video of what I believe is an Indian drama. I'm not 100% sure if it was a show or movie. I couldn't find the name on it. But in the video, it was described that a village made its money by selling off daughters to wealthy men for marriage. The female lead was the "ugly" girl (she was not ugly) who managed a side business off this main business by having the potential grooms see her first as their bride and then showing the real girl. Basically, helping with negotiations saying, "Hey, you could've gotten me, but instead, we have this gem here. Don't you think she's worth more?" After getting the higher bride price she takes her cut.

After watching, I said I could see Kate and Penelope making a small business doing this around the ton. Not to say they aren't beautiful, they are, and the girl in the original video was beautiful too. They just don't fit society beauty standards. Actually, side note now that I think about it canonically the only one of the wives who did was Sophie. Sophie was described to fit the ton's beauty standards to a t and would probably have been the incomparable/diamond of her debute season if she was born legitimate.

Anyway, Kate probably started it. For one reason or another, they couldn't wait for Edwina to debute, and Kate wasn't having a successful season, so she thought of a way to earn some money to help her family. It started as an accident, Kate was visiting a friend the same time negotiations were happening for her friend's engagement. Her friend has never met the lord, and two just so happened to walk by the room the negotiations were happening in. The lord saw Kate before her friend and assumed she was to be his bride. He was about to be outraged until her friend turned the corner. Things went much better for the bride to be in the negotiations after that.

Kate's friend apologized for the situation, but the wheels in Kate's head were turning. She didn't care all that much about being compared to her friend. Strangers loved to unpromptly compare her to Edwina when they were together and Kate couldn't really bring herself to care she has other things to worry about. But this new development, might work in her favor.

So Kate started offering her services to get brides to be better deals on marriage negotiations. First looks from arranged marriages she'll be in front and then show the real bride. Sometimes, be part of the negotiations by giving little reminders that hey, she is still in need of a husband, and if they want to pay less, then they can negotiate with her family. Sometimes, she didn't have to do anything besides sit next to the bride to be and just talk with her as a silent reminder. Kate also offered services such as attending balls with her clients and spreading word about bride's accomplishments. Kate would get her cut, which helped her family's financial situation longer, just long enough to get Edwina married.

A few years pass, and Kate is booked, possibly overly so. She has more and more parents there who wish for her to be part of the negotiations. There are so many that there is no possible way she can do them all by herself. Unless she gets a partner.

In 1813, Kate saw a miserable wallflower standing at the edge of one of the balls. That yellow dress did not do the poor girl any favors with her complexion, nor did the shape help with her curvy figure. Her poor red hair reminded Kate of an overdone poodle. She looked to be Edwina's age, and that made Kate's big sister instincts go off.

Introductions were made, and Kate learned the girl's name was Penelope Featherington. Kate learned the girl was rather smart and witty when she relaxed around you. She, like Kate, had a good head on her shoulders and it's a shame others don't see that.

Oh well, their loss is Kate's gain.

"Penelope, how would you feel about helping me with some business?" Kate asked one night at a ball. She had a negotiation to go to tomorrow and it would be an ideal time to take her new friend to get her feet wet.

Penelope looked up at Kate. "What kind of business?"

Kate took Penelope with her to the negotiations, and the deals doubled in favor of the bride.

Kate grinned the first time her friend participated in negotiations, raising deals much more favorably for the bride. By mid-season, Penelope will be ready to go on her own. Which will be good because next season, Edwina debutes. Kate will have to focus on her while Penelope takes on the majority of the negotiation calls. When Edwina is settled then Kate can fully jump back in. Which hopefully shouldn't be too hard, Kate knows Edwina will be popular, so it's just a matter of sorting the good men from the rakes. After that Kate can fully focus on her business.

It will all go according to plan.

[finleyforevermore]

IN MEMORIAM OF LIAM (@zzstar-head), NEX BENEDICT, & SONYA MASSEY

HELP DELILAH!!!

HELP APOLLO!!!

My contact information.

About me!

First picture/profile picture/avatar made with this!

Second picture/drawing made by my wonderful friend Korey (@sharkbaitju1ce)! Great artist and even greater friend, please check their stuff out! :D

Third picture/picrew by @/potato-lord-but-not!

Please, if you know my age through DMs or Discord, DO NOT POST IT OUTSIDE OF PRIVATE SPACES WITH ME. I WILL CONSIDER THIS AN ATTACK.

IF A HOSTILE/OFFENSIVE ANON CALLS ME THEIR FRIEND, I AM NOT!!!! IF AN ANON SENDS SELF-HARM PICTURES AND TAGS ME IN THE ASK, THAT IS NOT ME!!!!!

More under the cut, friends! Please be sure to peruse through all of the IMPORTANT LINKS! You may also take a look at all of my wonderful Tumblr family members, but the important links ESPECIALLY. Thank you! :)

Name: Finley, but you can call me Finn or Fin, too! Or really ANY nickname derivative of Finley! I ADORE nicknames, please feel free to give me some! :D

Birthday: January 8th!

♑ (Capricorn): The Ambitious Nature

Age: Minor

Interests: Animation, voice acting, musicals

MBTI: INFJ-T

Gender/Orientation: Cis male, sex-repulsed asexual

Musical genres I like: Musicals, Classical, Orchestral, Jazz, Lo-fi, Ambient, I dabble in rock sometimes 😅

Pronouns: He/him/his

Quote(s) that describe(s) my life:

"And all I really want is some justice! Ahhh!" - "All I Really Want" by Alanis Morrisette, from the album "Jagged Little Pill"

"I've earned the right to selfishly be all for one and one for me." - "Loser Geek Whatever" from "Be More Chill"

Favorite colors: Green and blue.

Favorite Book(s): "Good Dog" by Dan Gemeinhart, "Thanks a Lot, Universe" by Chad Lucas, "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes, "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds, "Show Us Who You Are" by Elle McNicoll

Favorite Season: Fall/Autumn

Favorite musical(s): Wicked, Hadestown, and Come From Away

Favorite film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Favorite band: Tally Hall

Favorite shows: Infinity Train, Bluey, Hilda

DNI:

Homophobic

Blogs with DNI Minors

Xenophobic

Racists

TERFS

Radfems

Anti-abortion

Antisemites

Anti-furries

Anti-therians

Zoophiles

Wilbur Soot defenders/supporters/fans

TERFS

You ship incest, pedophilia, real people, etc.

Anti-BLM/All Lives Matter

Porn bot

Do not stand with Palestine

MAP/NOMAP

Pro-facist

Sexist

Ableist

Islamophobes

Other stuff!:

Pall Weople and Hurricane Family enthusiast!

I have chromesthesia!

If my profile pic wasn't any indicator, I wear glasses!

I play the violin and sometimes the piano!

I give off platypus vibes according to my friends!

11 of my friends have called me a "ray of sunshine" so I guess it must be true XD

I like boots more than shoes.

I saw Wicked on 10/5/22!!! 💚💚💚

[starsreminisce]

Some e/riels really want to make Elain the mean girl that they are

Well, here goes nothing...

Let's get one thing straight: Elain isn't going to march up to Gwyn and start a hair-pulling, milkshake-throwing, passive-aggressive showdown. Gwyn hasn't done anything to deserve that treatment. She can't help it if both Az and Nesta treat her differently from Elain. Elain's issue isn't with Gwyn. It's with Nesta. And now, we're seeing Elain push back against Nesta's overprotectiveness, especially when she volunteered to search for the trove.

Some fans seem to want Elain to become this vengeful, "mean girl" character, shedding her good-girl image to match Azriel's demeanor. But Elain's version of "mean" could cut Azriel to the core.

There's a kind of meanness that comes with laying bare someone's flaws—not to hurt, but to finally express what's been bottled up for too long. There's a meanness in honesty, too. Sometimes, you have to draw the line and speak your truth, even if it stings.

People don't suddenly grow claws. They've always been there, waiting to be wielded when necessary. And in SF, it looks like Elain's reached that point, where others are deciding her truth for her.

Sure, some fans are hoping for a Villain Elain, but it's ironic how we're demonized for standing up for ourselves or wanting to take up space. I think Elain's journey will be more about asserting herself and saying, "I need you to hear me."

But Nesta cut her off, seething at the pity about to be thrown her way. “Look who decided to grow claws after all,” she crooned. “Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.” Nesta saw the blow land, like a physical impact, in Elain’s face, her posture. No one spoke, though shadows gathered in the corners of the room, like snakes preparing to strike. Elain’s eyes brightened with pain. Something imploded in Nesta’s chest at that expression. She opened her mouth, as if it could somehow be undone. But Elain said, “I went into the Cauldron, too, you know. And itcaptured me. And yet somehow all you think of is what my trauma did to you.” Nesta blinked, everything inside her hollowing out.

Azriel struggles with criticism—we've seen it time and time again. That's why I doubt Az and Elain could work out. Elain is starting to call people out, and Az tends to freeze up when confronted. If Elain were to challenge Azriel over his objections to her searching for the trove, would it lead to a productive conversation? Their conversations could easily turn icy, as we've seen with Feyre's orders to him as his High Lady.

But there's someone who handles criticism well—or at least, better than Az.

My nails dug into my palms hard enough to hurt, but I remained seated on the bedroll as I bared my teeth at him. “And that’s why you’re here. Not because it’s right and he’s always been wrong, but just so you can get what you think you’re owed.” “She is my mate and in my enemy’s hands—” “I’ve made no secret from the start that Elain is safe and cared for.” “And I’m supposed to believe you.” “Yes,” I hissed. “You are. Because if I believed for one moment that my sisters were in danger, no High Lord or king would have kept me from going to save them.” He just shook his head, the candlelight dancing over his hair. “You have the gall to question my priorities regarding Elain—yet what was your motive where I was concerned? Did you plan to spare me from your path of destruction because of any genuine friendship, or simply for fear of what it might do to her?” I didn’t answer. “Well? What was your grand plan for me before Ianthe interfered?”

Lucien faced Feyre's accusations head-on when they clashed over priorities. He didn't deflect; he engaged. He was ready to hash it out, even when Feyre wasn't. Lucien could have abandoned her, returned to Tamlin, but he stayed. There was no bargain between them, so he had a choice—and he chose to stand by her.

I'm eager to see a showdown between Elain and Lucien about their bond. How will Lucien react when Elain claims he's entitled to her? And how will Elain respond when Lucien says he's done all he can to stay out of her life?

It promises to be a cathartic conversation, especially now that Elain's been rejected twice—presumably because of their bond.

[dontbelasagnax]

First, I love your art and your fics so much! Second, you seem like someone who has very good Codywan headcanons, and I’d love to hear some of them if you have any you’d like to share 🙂 (No pressure at all though!)

Tysm anon!!! I don't know what kind of headcanons you're looking for but I have soooo many always haha! They live in the nebulous realm of headcanons in which they are applied to every iteration of codywan unless they are not--for no reason other than vibes. All sfw but I always have thots (very intentional spelling) if anyone would like to hear about the nsfw things.

- Cody has spreadsheets for everything. It calms and organizes his mind. Helps him visualize and put the chaos to rights. When Obi-Wan notices Cody getting antsy and agitated, he gently asks him if he's made a spreadsheet recently. If that doesn't solve things, he'll offer to look over the charts together. If that doesn't solve the issue, he'll pull Cody into his lap, tenderly kiss any available real estate that needs kissing, and twirl fingers through his head of curls and massage away the tension. For all that Cody hates when his hair gets messed up, he does love being pet like a cat.

(the rest is going under the cut because I'm rather verbose)

- SPEAKING OF CATS! Cody is a cat person. This is nothing new, I just wholeheartedly know it to be true. It's only because he wants a cat so badly that he acts like he doesn't care for them. Obi-Wan sees through the facade. He saw how Cody looked at the stray tooka they rescued from the rubble one somber evening. How he cradled the lump of fluff and ran his thumb back between ears as if the lightest of touches would hurt the poor dear. How palpable was the anguish in his eyes after handing off the tooka to the surviving locals of the city. Even after he said, "Glad that's over with. Would hate to get cat hair on my blacks." Obi-Wan knows. So the next time he's on Coruscant, he buys a little orange plush tooka. It's tiny, only just bigger than his hand, but perfect. He ties a piece of flimsi reading '- OWK' to its neck with a ribbon and tucks it under the covers of Cody's bed so its head and front paws peek out. Perhaps he's a coward, perhaps he's just being gracious in letting Cody have some privacy in receiving his gift. What he does know is the next time he feels Cody staring long at the side of his face, he looks back and Cody blushes and smiles ever so slightly- shy. Oh, Obi-Wan loves him.

- Obi-Wan doesn't hate caf. It's simply not his favorite. When he does drink it, he likes it black. There could be many reasons for this but Cody thinks it's a superiority complex thing. Cody likes his caf with cream and two packets of sweetener. Sure, he'll drink any caf shoved his way, but what he truly enjoys? Yeah, it's not the shit coming straight from the dark depths of a Sith Lord's ass crack.

- Cody likes when Obi-Wan drives. Could be a ship, speeder--any mode of transport, really. It's not a secret that Obi-Wan does not like driving. With how calm and steady he remains at the wheel, there is tension in his jaw, bitten into his cheek, and clenched white into his knuckles. It stresses him out. But he is good at it. And he makes Cody feel safe. Cody doesn't get to feel safe a whole lot in the midst of war.

- Cody will never tell a living soul this (except maybe when he gets so sloshed he can't remember his name or all the reasons why he really should not lay out his honest bleeding truths) but his favorite color is not 212th gold. Yes, 212th gold is Cody's color. It's his. But blue is what he finds most aesthetically beautiful. It's the color of a certain Jedi's eyes in the sunlight and the unnatural glow of that same Jedi's lightsaber. It's the color of that Jedi's eyes in a dim room when he looks looks soft and tired, a blue that's more grey than anything resembling an actual blue. It's not one color and yet it is because he loves that color just like he loves that Jedi. He doesn't love the color just when it's pretty in one vibrant idealistic shade. He falls in love again and again when he sees it in new lights. Just like Obi-Wan.

- not to cozywan truth on main or anything but There's not a place Cody and Obi-Wan sleep better than in each other's arms. Or maybe not arms, per se, but sprawled across one another in some fashion. Touching. More often than not, in the tiny cots onboard The Negotiator, Cody ends up plastered to Obi-Wan's back, arm possessively wrapped round his front to keep him from falling off the edge. With the luxury of a bed actually made to fit two grown men, things aren't much better. Cody wakes to find he's being suffocated by Obi-Wan who, in his sleep, discovered the joys of lying directly on top of Cody. Cody's not innocent. He can count multiple occasions where he's buried his face in Obi-Wan's belly and woken up to being gently shoved away from his heated pillow because, oops, his resting place was a full bladder. Neither of them complain too much, not when it's so easy to be lulled into the warm, liquidy loose and easy clutches of cozy sleep in close quarters to the person they love. Something deep in the brain unlocks and says, 'everything's alright now, relax, let it all go--safe, safe, safe,' when Obi-Wan's cold nose finds the column of Cody's throat who's hand comes up to indulgently cards through silky hair. There's a resonating hum of rightness in their chests that says, 'home'.

[dreampurpledreams]

𝘽𝙖𝙠𝙪𝙜𝙤𝙪 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝘼 𝙂𝙮𝙢 𝘾𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝

Synopsis: Self-explanatory.

Warnings: Bakugou is completely and utterly smitten with you, as he should be🥴. Light cursing. one mention of the N-word. I'm black do not worry

A/N: Send in requests please. I literally have nothing else to do.

1.5k words below the cut

MHA M.List Main M.List Navi

- Doesn't notice you at first 

- probably heard about you from Kirishima

-"Bro, did you see the new girl in the gym?"

-"Idc about some girl, moron." 

-"But she's so hot tho, and-"

-"So what?? I'm not gonna let some pretty face distract me, I'm only here to do one thing, and that doesn't include girls"

-Kirishima gives up on talking about you

-Everyone else talks about you too, though

-annoys him, now he doesn't want to meet you just to prove he's better than everyone else 

- goes to the gym one morning and sees everyone huddled up 

-they're all in his way 

- "Move out of my way before I light all your asses up, the gym isn't a place to socialize bastards"

- everyone disperses to reveal you: repping out 45s on back squat

- and he really can't help if his eyes gravitate to that fat- 

- "thank you for that" you had racked the bar and you were looking at him through the mirror 

- realizes he was caught staring, and is low-key embarrassed

-so you know how this boi handles that

- He walks right past you without acknowledging you, as if you don't exist 

- after that he starts to notice you everywhere. 

- he's getting dumbbells, you are too

- He's getting on the treadmills, the only open spot is one next to you

-starts getting distracted, and it pisses him off, so he starts coming late at night instead of early in the morning

- lord you have ruined this whole Bois schedule

- low and behold, he comes to the gym, 11 o'clock, and sees only one other person. What are the odds it's you

- decides to just ignore you and proceeds with his workout

Bakugou was gradually getting pissed off. How dare you interrupt his workout. Coming to the gym at the same time as him, looking all good and-.

"Get it together Bakugou."

He turned up his music, turned up the speed on the treadmill. Trying to distract himself. He looked over at you, you were racking up your weights, just finishing your squat. Something was kind of…attractive…, about seeing you obliterate those weights the way you did. How you pushed yourself, even on the days it was obvious you didn't want to work. The shape of your butt when you went down. He wanted to be behind you, his hands on your waist, guiding your body as you bent your knees, and allowed the weight to crush you, Catching it with your legs. You could probably crush him with those...thighs.

No,

"Focus Bakugou, she's not even that cute".

Oh but you were. With that body, cut and toned , as if you lived in the gym. How could your waist be snatched like that while your as-. And your hair, so intricately designed. It looked as if it took hours. He knew it did. He would never admit it but, he looked it up when he got home one night. Intrigued. Not wanting to actually acknowledge the fact he was thinking about you. Not just in the gym but everywhere.

Like how when he saw Mina, it reminded him of a picture you posted on your Instagram(that he didn't follow,but constantly looked at) . Your hair was all out, fluffed and it looked so soft he wanted to reach through the screen and touch it. You had captioned it, "Wash day✨🙈". Or the time he was shopping, and saw that brown shirt that perfectly matched the shade of your skin. He only bought it because he liked it, the decision had nothing to do with you. 

Turning up the speed for the third time, Bakugou ran. Hard. Maybe he could outrun these thoughts he kept having. This longing to reach out. Get to know you. He didn't need any distractions. But damn, did you make him want to break all his rules. Maybe just this one time..

"Hi, ___________________ bench?" Bakugou was so enraptured in his thoughts, he didn't see you walk up to him. Didn't feel you tap him. And he definitely didn't hear what you just said. 

"Huh?", he responded, removing his earbud from his ear.

"Sorry, I'm [Name], and I was wondering if when you're finished with that, would you spot me on bench?" 

Your voice was just as angelic as you looked. And It made his heart flutter, or could that have been your lips. Full and brown, with a pink shade towards the center. And it could have easily been the way you looked up at him, with those eyes. Looking into his, unafraid and filled with question. 

But what effected him the most, was the anger in your eyes when he responded with a curt,

"No"

,and continued running, as if you weren't there. The drop in his stomach. And  what scared him , was the way he wanted to apologize, say sorry, take it all back, just to see you smile at him again. And not the smile you were giving him right now, that was so obviously fake as you said

"Okay that's fine :)"

,and walked off. 

"Idiot", Bakugou muttered to himself. Oh well, he really didn't need any distractions. He put his headphones back on and attempted to run for a couple more minutes. Still thinking about you, and the interaction from earlier, Bakugou just decided to call it quits, and Try again tomorrow. 

As Bakugou gathered his things, he heard small, breathy noises. Almost as if… someone was.. crying. Bakugou whipped around and there you were, lying on your back, trying to stop the weight of the bar from crushing your chest. Bakugou ran over to you and quickly helped you rack the bar. Jesus, was it heavy. "Thanks, that bar almost took me out", you joked. You thought this was funny? What kinda psychotic-. As you sat up, trying to catch your breath, Bakugou let you have it.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT. YOU MUST HAVE A DEATH WISH??. YOU DUMBASS. YOU CANT LIFT THAT !!YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY ALMOST DYING, MORONS LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE IN THE GYM."

"Excuse me".

Bakugou watched as your demeanor shifted from relaxed to furious all in a matter of seconds. You stood up. Looked him in his eye. And got right up in his face. 

"First of all, I asked you for help, and you said no. What you thought I wasn't going to work out just because you wanted to be an asshole?. Naw Nigga I don't need you. And second of all, I don't know who you think you are, but you must have lost your ever-lovin' mind if you think you're gonna talk to me just any kinda way. Boy you are outchyo tree. So you better fix it before I fix it for you."

Bakugou just stared.

"Jeez, got me in here acting a fool." Bakugou stood there for a minute. Trying to process the fact that you had just talked to him the way you did. He was shocked. And kind of turned on. Bakugou Laughed.

"I don't see what's funny."

He watched as you pouted, clearly not angry anymore. He found it cute how quickly you could change moods. And it only intensified his desire to get to know you. Before he could lose his nerve, Bakugou snatched your phone.(a/n: lemme tell you, 'ass. whoopin.)

"Boy, gimme my stuff back" 

"Hold on, I'm doin' somethin'."

You rolled your eyes at him. "Okay don't nothin take that long, gimme my stuff back now."

"Calm down woman, here".

Bakugou watched your face, looking for signs of rejection or disgust, as you looked at "Bakugou 😏" typed into your phone along with his number. "I didn't ask you for this" you said, but the smirk on your face revealed to him your joking nature. "You didn't have to, you obviously need a workout partner, and since you've been following me around like a fan girl, I decided to do you a favor. If you're going to insist on being a stalker you might as well do it with my permission", Bakugou said, smirking back at you. "Boy ain't nobody following you, I came here tonight because you always have your eyes on me, tracking my every move." Bakugou flushed red.

"What you thought I didn't notice??Boy you ain't it as slick as you think you are" you told him, and there was the sexy ass smirk again.

"Whatever, text me or don't, your choice" the blonde hair boy said, walking away.

Walking back to the dorms Bakugou was a little disheartened, as to how you didn't say anything back to him on the way out. "Well" he thought to himself "I don't need any distractions anyway". But he sure forgot that when he heard the ping is his pocket, and opened up his phone to see a message from an unknown number. 

(___)___ ____

     12:47am

Working out this late ain't it, maybe day after tomorrow we can go early, like usual

You

  12:47am 

6:00am

Don't be late 

Gym Hottie🙄

  12:48am

Okay, I'll be there

MHA M.List Main M.List Navi Requests are Open!!!

[cologona]

If you won some sort of lottery contest and DC allowed you to write a comic run for any character, any topic, no limits, what would your comic be like?

What kinda plot and characters would you want to etch into official DC canon? (Or would you prefer to write an elseworlds kinda thing?)

-redhoodinternaldialectical from the "main" blog

Sorry it took a while to answer this, I got pretty carried away! Jason is my favorite character and the character I know most about, so of course I'd write about him. This is going to be pretty long winded and fanfic-y, hope you don’t mind!

First things first I’m making both UTRH and Lost Days mostly canon again. Jason was a crime lord who did Mean Crime Lord Things for a while and that’s what I’ve decided everyone is referring to when they gesture vaguely to his villainous past.

I’m also bringing back the original “big boob” backstory where Jason makes Bruce laugh on the anniversary of his parents’ death. Catherine was an opioid addict due to illness, Willis was the person who taught Jason about cars (and thus how to jack tires) and Faye Gunn is no longer Jason’s grandma. (I really disliked Ma Gunn’s “redemption” in RHATO.) Just in case, I’m also reiterating Sheila’s role in Jason’s death.

Here’s a few lines I came up with for the Todds:

Jason keeps the letters Willis sent him from prison - the ones Ma Gunn hid- in the same picture frame that holds his Robin graduation photo with Bruce. He loved and resented Willis in equal parts, but mostly he regrets not having gotten more time. It’s all the same with fathers.

Catherine is curled up in bed, her expression is half a grimace. She asks Jason, who is reading a picture-book by her side, to get her ‘medicine’ for her. Jason doesn’t know how else to help her feel better so… that’s exactly what he does. In a moment, he returns with a small heart shaped box and a cup of microwaved soup.

If I can imply in some way that Catherine is in denial about the possibility of her dying I’d like to do that too.

I’m also doing a total overhaul of the All-Caste.

Essence is getting proper Tibetan braids, Ducra is going to wear a khampa chuba instead of her current old coat, and the Acres-of-All are getting reimagined as a towering Ziggurat with all the murals, pillars, curtains, and ornate trim befitting a monastery! The All-caste of memory will be bright and fantastical, but the ruins of the present will be dark and spooky.

Some references for what I'm talking about.

I’m also reframing the “Absolute Evil” part of the All-blades’ description to be an epithet for the Untitled. The sword is not literally judging Goodness and Evilness anymore; now they cut through negative psychic energy Jujutsu Kaisen style. I don’t think I need to spell out a justification for Jason being able to summon them whenever, but for any sticklers I’ll just say it’s because Jason- like the Untitled- has a lot of bad feelings and trace amounts of Dionesium in his system (among assorted other chemicals.)

Since Lost Days is being brought back that means instead of spending an entire 3 years with the All-Caste, Jason only spent a few weeks with them during his world-wide training arc. Ostensibly because a little magic would give him an edge over Batman. Ducra wouldn’t normally just give away powerful magic weapons to any chump with a free weekend, and she knew Jason was dangerous, but since the All-Blades are so specific and the ritual to attain them nigh-unsurvivable she saw an opportunity to use Jason. Sure she's one of the Good Guys, but she's not called a conniving old witch for nothing hoohoo!

Now a few plot ideas for a vague overall mini-arc.

First, Jason goes to ugly lengths to protect or prevent consequences from finding one of his family. Maybe someone threatens their secret identity…? The ‘opponent’ should be someone innocent and/or noble but not easily bought or fought. Maybe Vicki Vale, another Hero, or some kind of wealthy heir. The point is to cast doubt on if Jason’s return to the Bats is really so unquestionably redeeming. Jason has pretty much chosen to betray his morals for them after all.

Then, Jason chooses not to kill a villain who shortly afterwards victimizes more people and skips town before he can get caught. Basically a rehash of Diplomat’s Son except the Garzonas figure gets away. It’s technically a win for Batman- his presence kept Gotham safe after all. But it doesn’t feel like a win, especially not to Jason.

And finally, Jason frames himself for various murders committed by victims against their abusers. Maybe kick the story off with one of Ma Gunn’s boys killing her and telling the cops it was Red Hood in a desperate bid to avoid jail.

Obviously Jason can’t be allowed to do this long-term. It’s a bad precedent to set, an obstruction of justice, etc… Jason hasn’t broken The Big Rule though, and Bruce can only act so sanctimonious when those same complaints could be are made about him as well. There’s no way this ends any other way than Batman running Red Hood out of Gotham again and they both know it, but neither deviates from the path set before them.

One or two “monster of the week” issues where Jason fights various assassins and bounty hunters sent by his more influential enemies might be good- one should occur right after the above story. A consequence for his “return to form” so to speak. Batfamily fans may appreciate a scene where Bruce says something indicating that he ran Jason out for his own safety as well as Gotham’s. Batman may be able to hide in Bruce Wayne’s skin during the day but Jason’s only identity is that of Red Hood, and at times that makes him vulnerable in a way other heroes aren’t. This + some panels contrasting the generic mercenary look of Jason’s guns and equipment with the Bats’ spandex future-tech will be great for showing how separate Jason is from the Bats.

Now while Jason’s out of Gotham again there’s this detail in one of RHATO’s flashbacks that I want to expand on- that being how he used to be able to summon a lot more All-blades.

Red Hood Outlaw 34

“I had a lot of soul back then” - implying that he has a lot less soul now…!?

Jason’s been through a lot, in life sure but also more recently. Fight scenes where the All-blades take the form of daggers would not only be cool and evocative of the wavy dagger Talia gifted him way back when, they’d be good visual sign of his declining emotional state.

Later on as his soul ‘shrinks’ further, I’d give him a pair of mystical guns through which he can channel his All-blades into bullets. If it’s another gift from Talia I’m thinking dark brass revolvers with paisley filigree and a red Endless Knot charm hanging from each handle. If they’re from Essence or S’aru I’m thinking black lacquer and silver cloud-patterned ornamentation, with red coral embedded on either side of the gun. Beautiful Bayonetta-style guns with glowing red veins and a cowboy flair!

antique guns which inspired me

As for what he’s using the All-blades (All-bullets?) for, I think it’d be fun to have Jason exorcising some ghosts. He can solve various murder mysteries, figure out why this place or that person is haunted, and get into fights with horrific otherworldly creatures. Jason is an interesting character to do this premise with because he might just determine that some some spirits should get their revenge, and act on behalf of a ghost rather than erasing it.

I’m not sure whether I’d want to have Essence join him or not… On one hand it only makes sense that Jason would help Isabel and Essence find a way to free themselves from the Blood Blade, and that goal would provide his character with some direction. Then again, Essence/Isabel could be cool as antagonists. Jason might see some ghosts as valid but Essence probably wouldn’t see any merit in appeasing manifestations of lingering resentment. She’s similar to him in that she also turned her back on her family, but she’s different in that she did it because she believed so wholeheartedly in their cause. She’s old and sort of a Jedi, but she’s hot-blooded and she’ll never not be Ducra’s daughter in the same way it seems Jason can never escape Batman’s shadow. I bet she has some real juicy sunk-cost fallacy type thinking too, that’d be fun to dig into.

Anyways I think this is a pretty good set-up to explore the politics/morality of forgiveness. What makes the difference between an injustice and a hatchet that ought to be buried? When is forgiveness empowering and when is it coerced? Who is it that must forgive? Justice vs Revenge, that whole kind of thing.

Other than the supernatural stuff I want Jason working with Talia, and I’m reintroducing Sasha to the post-52 continuity. Duela is getting nixed.

I don’t really have any specific plot ideas for Talia, but I would like to establish Jason as one of her associates. With Lost Days back they have basis for an actual relationship again. They’re not always on the same side but Jason can sometimes do tasks for Talia (outside the purview of Ra’s and the LOA), and Talia can occasionally support Jason with various social power-play type moves.

An instance of Jason getting into a fight with one of the Bats because he’s doing a favor for Talia would be great! I wouldn't write Talia as an evil evil bad horrible dragon lady, so it shouldn’t be a huge blow to Jason’s status as a Good Guy. Also I like the idea of Jason and Talia’s relationship mostly being inferred through their actions supporting one another, rather than directly showing much ‘on-screen’ interaction between them.

Also it’ll be interesting to go into Bruce, Dick, and Damian’s reaction to finding out that they’re not the only ones Jason is loyal to. Bruce thinking Talia was a bad influence on Jason (like fanon), silently frustrated because what he really wants is for Jason to be a full Bat-Believer (like the good old days…). Dick being fine with Jason never falling fully in-line with Bruce, provided that at the end of the day his loyalty belonged to his family.

-brief topical detour to talk about Sasha-

The new timeline of events is that Jason and Sasha met as fellow patients while Jason was in his Vague Villain era. They escaped the hospital building together (Sasha in her bloody dress, and Jason naked save for his skimpy hospital gown dhoti) and having no one else they stuck together. They got close but at some point Sasha lost her memories, giving her a chance at a fresh start. This was around the same time Jason “redeemed” himself and so just like Max Dawkins, ‘Numbers’, and Gabby Christiensen -Sasha became another person from Jason’s past that he didn’t let himself have a relationship with.

Sasha was just old enough that she didn’t have to be sent into foster care, so with some help from Wayne Foundations she got her GED and her feet underneath her. Now… she goes to work, goes to her physical therapy appointments, fights with her mother over the phone, and yes- sometimes she goes to the club.

The new Sasha still has spiky red hair but her face looks entirely normal save for a subtle scar tracing around her jawline and chin- the edges of where her mask used to sit. She wears dark makeup and even darker clothes. She’s prone to false memories and dissociation. She’s lost most of her ability to feel pain. She can’t watch certain shows she used to love anymore because they trigger her. She never returned to Russia. She doesn’t have many friends.

Since this is comics, her reintroduction will come by way of a dramatic fight. Sasha will regain her memories one day and show up out of the blue to fight Jason, angry and heartbroken that he abandoned her. He tries to explain himself but she just says look what they did to my face, referring to the facial reconstructive surgery she was given while amnesiac. She’ll be difficult to fight, not only because being a partial Dollotron gives her enhanced strength but also because she’s being reckless and the longer they fight the more strain and damage her body accrues.

After Jason apologizes and they reconcile (they will both cry) Sasha can become a recurring side character that Jason visits, keeping him grounded and up to date with Gotham. I think it'd be cute for her to bid him farewell by saying she’ll hold the city hostage until he comes back. (Is Sasha going to become Jason’s love interest? No. If I give Jason a love interest it’s going to be Numbers.)

--Going back to the previous topic, I want Sasha’s return to be part of this greater arc of Jason addressing his "shrinking soul" problem. My brain is a little fried now so I’m not exactly sure how but she is related. I think she ought to be.

Jason wants Bruce to be right. He would like for his problem to be fixed by going home and saying sorry. But at the end of my run I want him to face the reality that it’s not about that.

...Perhaps it should be about Jason 'abandoning' Gotham? I don’t really want the final thesis of my run to imply that Jason’s soul would just be fixed if he killed Rogues though, and Jason always came back whenever a big disaster was happening so it doesn't quite fit anyways… Jason does believe in the value of “pure” heroes it’s just not what he’s supposed to be. Whatever his problem's “about” , it ought to prompt Jason to stop taking Bruce’s shit. I'm saying the man is literally breaking Jason's spirit.

I’m sympathetic to Bruce but I wouldn’t write him as a nice father. I would also have scene where a younger Bat accuses Jason of being overdramatic despite 'not even having it the worst’. I don't know who 'has it the worst' but I want to make a statement that you don't need to win the pain-race to be fed up.

Ah anyways, now my brain is really fried. I hope this post was coherent all the way through, I neglected to edit and organize my thoughts as much towards the end. Thank you for asking me such a great question, I had a lot of fun thinking about it! :D

[not-so-superheroine]

how did you come to join rlds/coc?

Sorry it took me so long to get to this question. I just knew it was a long answer.

I think my testimony gives a good idea, and i'll include . Because I felt the presence of God calling me to go join them is the overarching answer, but I can also give points that drew me in.

But in a few some points: 

I fell in love with the modern RLDS version of zion (and some of the old one too. nothing to do with israel.)

I saw they strived to be an inclusive place.

The Community of Christ's Enduring Principles are things I want to strive to live my life by.

The community made me feel very welcome and I saw people conduct themselves in a Christ-like manner

The community is very tight knit. society needs more of that.

Like, there is a certain behavioral affect (? cultural distinction?) that many members have that i thought was strange at first but it’s lovely. It’s kind, loving, and welcoming, and you adjust to it very quickly imo. Even to the lingo, which was a fun process. 

Continuing Revelation. Saw evidence of fulfilled prophecy in the Doctrine and Covenants and the spiritual growth in the church over the years

Continuing Revelation in general. I like that my faith is alive like that. We have prophets, God could reveal new truths for new scripture tomorrow. We are encouraged to be prophetic ourselves and discern the future together, i like that.

Also, no new scripture allowed in the mainstream? why not? does God still not talk in this way? great points in my head.

The communal aspect to everything is good. Just like how any sect of mormonism should imo The people i reached out to while seeking (investigating) were very kind to me and open to my questions. They were also there for me spiritually, and became friends. 

I could email leadership with questions and get responses. At one point, one of the church Presidents reached out to me. 

It’s academically welcoming. I was able to accept the book of Mormon as scripture when taught from a 19th century point of view. This, in turn, made me much more comfortable with the Bible. Community of Christ has an official statement on how to read scripture and there is scripture on how to think about and use scripture too.

I can even acknowledge when the history and the religious text don’t match. Because scripture doesn’t need to be historically correct to be sacred and hold an important message from the Lord.

Not really a reason but it is there: Joseph Smith III rocked and was intended to be next. It shouldn’t matter. But what does matter is that he set the church on a good path imo. Emma too. Out of all the early schisms of mormonism I would have to go RLDS belief wise, because Nauvoo era theology isn’t something I believe in. I think Smith got caught up in his own head and desires for much of it. No offense meant to post Nauvoo mormon sects.

This does not mean I haven’t picked some things up from Brighamites. For example, Trinity doesn’t work for me. And I pray to Heavenly Mother. I believe in one Divine source with many expressions. But that doesn’t mean “anything goes” and I accept it, just knowing that God speaks to people of many cultures all over, as the good book (of mormon) says.

But yes. This is why Community of Christ. Not that there are all common Community of Christ beliefs, but I thrive here spiritually and am encouraged to grow all the same.  Older testimony under cut that gives detail

I encourage y'all to watch this on video rather than just the text edited version i put here. not to be like "watch my talk on it" but please, watch my talk on the subject. I also talk about unity of the saints and what i have learned from other christians including other groups of latter day saints. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8w2M6PEKfg

I start giving my testimony and talk at 26:36

____________

I am Wednesday. Here I share a portion of myself and my testimony. At the time of this writing, I have lived 26 years. I am a Black woman of Gullah/Geechee ethnicity. I was raised in the African Methodist Episcopal church, which I am extremely grateful for. My nascent spirituality was nurtured here. I learned the meaning of community and was immersed in my culture. I was taught to love and respect my Black self, in a society that would not be inclined to show me the respect and love any human deserves. I may have converted, but I was meant to be nurtured here. I am a Lesbian, and have experienced discrimination in faith communities due attitudes towards LGBTQ+ persons. I despaired over thoughts that God didn’t love me, and wondered if I would be condemned to Hell. In part because of this and being scolded for my questioning nature regarding God and church doctrines, I fell away from faith. I grew a lot in this away time, but didn’t really deconstruct my faith until 2021. My isolation in the pandemic gave me time for introspection. I would watch content from mainly atheist ex-christians who discussed their deconstruction journey. They were usually ex-evangelical or ex-mormon, and were really helpful to me for unpacking the mess that was my faith. Then something peculiar happened that changed the path of my life. Through the ex-mormons, I encountered the Restoration. There was something intriguing about it, and I wanted to learn more, so I did. I learned history, and the doctrine of different Latter Day Saint sects. I loved how innovative and “of the people” the early church was and how alive the faith seemed to be. I listened to members and ex-members, past and present, talk about their experiences within their faith communities and how they experienced the Divine. These were some of the worst years of my life, but there was something here that gave me hope. 

I came across an interview featuring John Hamer, in which he talked about Community of Christ as a home for those in faith transition. Many of the concerns I had about Christian faith communities were addressed. I craved such a spiritual home and became a seeker.

I asked many questions of missionaries, and my inquisitiveness was welcomed. I got myself an Inspired Version of the Bible, Doctrine and Covenants, and Book of Mormon. I was very impressed by the Doctrine and Covenants and found the contents to be Inspired and even prophetic, so I started attending Beyond the Walls services online.

One Sunday, the service was centered on the Worth of all Persons, Christian acceptance of LGBTQ+ persons, and the church in Tahiti. I listened to the members talk about their acceptance, their being guided by faith in Christ in the process, and how those things were compatible and complementary. The speakers affirmed God’s love and mercy for all. Their faith was strong, and they spoke with authority. Their Christ-like compassion was palpable. I felt what I now recognize as the Holy Spirit, come over me. After the message, the choir sang “Spirit of God like a fire is Burning” and I felt that fire burning in my chest and cried and praised the Lord for hours after.

My faith in God is stronger than ever. And my passion and belief in the Restoration bloomed.