#he has so many feelings and no idea what to do with any of them

[theglassesgirl]

The Ithaca Saga: What IS a Monster, how it’s presented, and when fictional S.A is integral to the plot.

So -

This was originally a response to @ / anniflamma which you can still find on my page unedited. But with the new discourse surrounding the suitors, I figured I could retool it as a standalone essay to express a topic I’ve been trying to pin down for a while now; What exactly does the mean when they call a character a monster? What do they do, do the reasons matter, and how does the subject of rape affect how the fandom consider some monsters more unforgivable than others? When IS rape in fiction “necessary” and why such questions defeat the purpose of exploratory creative works.

In this post we will discuss all the major antagonists of the Epic Musical, Penelope’s agency, the label of Monster and the types of moralizing one might do when faced with uncomfortable subjects in fiction and how to prevent these feelings from blinding is about what a story is trying to say.

For those who read my original response; there’s new content to read here and posts that will be referred to, if you’d like to give it another gander!

Thank you,

Let’s begin;

I think making the threat of rape explicit was very much needed, actually.

It’s come to my attention that there are people here and on tiktok who are so uncomfortable with the subject matter in this CENTURIES old tale that they’re both refusing to accept that it plays an important part in the original poem and musical, AND are bizarrely insisting that Jorge should have magically done away with it to make more palatable.

This is beyond juvenile - it’s a clear sign of media illiteracy.

What, if I may ask, do you think it means when you say that the suitors are going to force Penelope to choose one of them to marry.

You may respond that they want to take over Ithaca. That they want to be king. But take a moment to consider what forcing a woman to marry one of them will entail. I wonder if you think that one can divorce the idea of sexual violence in this plot.

It would be…unfathomably difficult to do so. Because you CANT. There is an implicit threat of Penelope’s will breaking and having to have unwilling and reluctant sex with any one of them in the event she just gave up and picked one.

This isn’t a storyline that depicts Penelope of being willing to marry any of the suitors. She is WAITING for her husband’s return. Even if he doesn’t, she doesn’t WANT to marry someone else. Her consent is being violated by the very merit of them being in her palace, eating her food, and threatening her son.

They’re doing ALL OF THIS in order to bend her will in the HOPES of raping her as a bonus to becoming king of Ithaca.

My contention is the use of “unnecessary” when it comes to this trope in media - though themes of rape can be uncomfortable, to call them unnecessary HAVE to meet certain criteria. Which this specific instance doesn’t.

By observing various responses, it’s clear that the threat of rape went completely over many’s head in this instance of the story. So I very must appreciate Jorge making it SO clear that it’s upsetting.

This part of the odyssey, and the musical, is very much about Penelope suffering under the threat of assault for YEARS. In the same way Odysseus was (a thing I touched upon in my calypso essay, in terms of his ambiguous situation in the musical) - it’s a parallel that works as both Antinous and Calypso were introduced (regardless on your personal interpretation of what Calypso did or did not do, but that’s neither here nor there).

It has taken an emotional and psychological toll of either spouse. And the kicker is that neither of them are freed of this situation on their own - they are both rescued by outside forces. Athena/Hermes helps free Odysseus; Athena/Odysseus will help free Penelope.

The looming threat of rape is SO necessary that it helps the catharsis factor we feel toward PENELOPE’s story - it’s nothing to do w Odysseus who by now is a force of nature as big as Poseidon, his actions happen TO her, and it’s up to her to decide (per “would you love me” ) what she feels about that. She can very well reject him! She’s suffered under male violence for YEARS. Odysseus’s violence and those of the suitors toward her are basis enough for the comparison.

Do all men, including her husband, become violent? Does she want to put up with that? We know from her song snippets that she is NOT a woman that simply succumbs to the Rape Rescue trope as suggested by ignorant consumers of media - and I call it ignorance and consumerism because there’s a clear lack of engaging with the material in an intuitive way. It’s just blind consumption - as if one bites into a burger and find a pickle, which you personally don’t like, and having it removed - you can’t treat ART that way .

Penelope is a very intuitive and emotionally intelligent queen. Stop infantilizing her. Her own husband suggests that like the suitors, his actions make him just as bad as they are and presents his hope as being understanding if she rejects him on those grounds. But those ARENT her grounds. She has full autonomy and can make a distinction FOR HERSELF whether she considers her husband equal to the monsters who have harmed her.

So let’s talk about the “Monster” label as it is presented on the entire musical.

Some have erroneously suggested that Odysseus has been given an out to commit cruel and ruthless deeds with out “good justification” - he does it for his family,, after all!

Which is a misunderstanding of everything every antagonist of each saga has done.

Let’s start with the Troy Saga: Odysseus has killed a BABY. He made the choice to put his family over this child. Everything he has done and lost would be for literally NOTHING if he hadn’t, as even if he had killed the suitors and regained everything - the GODS themselves would make sure that child would come to an aged Odysseus and slaughter him, Penelope, Telemachus and his entire kingdom when he came of age.

Odysseus STARTS as a monster. We have been rooting for the man who laid Troy and its children asunder. As such, the label of a monster is NOT so much a morally subjective label - it simply a thing that IS. Or rather. It is what ALL the antagonists ARE, but it’s hardly a condemnation of any of them.

(Peep that one of the first lines Ody says refers back to in the Vengeance Saga is what he did to Troy - he STILL views his actions over there as unforgivable, so not even HE will ever see himself otherwise, the problem was that he felt so guilty over it that he became a detriment (a different kind of monster) to his friends and family when they were all guilty of the same thing and trying to get home.)

ALL of the antagonists have a “good reason” to kill ALL the soldiers (who again, have looted and slaughtered the Trojans) Odysseus and his close friends included. Whether your AGREE is almost irrelevant…because the story itself proposes that it’s irrelevant.

The next saga introduces the cyclops: his motivation is primarily that his FRIENDS the sheep have been slaughtered. You can argue in the scope of things, you can’t empathize with this but it’s his good reason. He’s the son of a god, and these sheep are all he has. His friends, who matter to him as much as Polites does to Ody, are being taken and slain, he is being drugged, attacked and maimed. VERY much was Ody goes through in the final saga. And even so.

The Cyclops is antagonistic to the party, he’s a monster who feels justified killing to avenge his killed sheep. A monster is a thing he IS.

As Poseidon’s son, he asks his father to kill the 600 men who have ransacked his home and beat on him. He doesn’t view his father as being wrong for this. In the same ways Ody and Telemachus don’t waste any time addressing the slain suitors later on. Poseidon is a monster of a god - it’s just a thing he is. Not even being stabbed 100 times is enough to repay the harm he’s done - to most everyone, not just Ody, but we are not asked to quantify that. Just live with it.

Circe has killed NUMEROUS men over the years. HER “good reason” is that something bad happened to her nymphs when she let a stranger in her islands. She doesn’t even promise that she WONT kill in the future - her song ends w the suggestion that the world may continue to need her to puppeteer! Because she does not exist to be “redeemed” - she is somewhat more reasonable and capable of empathy than even the likes Athena, who being a greater and more powerful god, does not have the one on one affection to her follows as Circe does. She’s a monster! It’s a label, a thing she IS.

So here we begin to ask; is it LOVE that gives people the capacity to do monstrous things? Because the cyclops loved his sheep friends, Poseidon loves his son, Circe loves her nymphs.

And by now you’re saying now wait a minute didn’t the Underworld Saga go over this? Why yes it did! And Odysseus decides to “become the monster” - he already IS one by the standards of the cyclops, Poseidon, Troy - they all see him as a monstrous being. But he accepts that, after being one in Troy, he held back and ruined the lives of his men, making him a monster to THEM. His “good reason” for being so!

He attempts very hard to be the General he was in Troy and prioritize them going home, sparing no sympathy towards his enemies - but in the Thunder Saga we see the gods further push him to be completely self-serving like they are. The sun gods cows are harmed, he sends Zeus in relation - his “good reason” being his friend were personally harmed.

Odysseus’s “good reason” is ultimately decided to be the same good reason he had to slaughter the Trojans - to get back home to his wife and son.

Like with the Cyclops sheep, Circe’s nymphs, The Sun gods cows, and Poseidons son, WE are shocked and made to feel some type of way about Odyseuss’s reasoning. Surely HIS personal suffering shouldn’t cost the lives of “innocent” men…but it does! It surely does.

He is a monster. It’s just a thing he IS.

Now, Odysseus spends the next seven years under the thumb of ANOTHER monster. And through calypso own reasoning, despite her tragic backstory, her “good reason” she IS a monster. She’s incapable of understanding why she wasn’t reciprocated. Incapable of empathizing with a human because as a god who has spent eternity alone, it stands to reason she, like all the other monsters mentioned before, prioritizes HER personal suffering over everyone else’s. In some versions she either kills herself or does spend the rest of eternity alone. She’s a monster. This is a thing she IS.

Now what the HELL does all this have to do with the suitors?

Odysseus started the musical a MONSTER. He’s worn different hats, but it is what he IS. It’s a label, not a moral critique.

ALL of the antagonists of every saga have a “good reason” NONE of them are ruthless for ruthlessness sake! It’s immaterial whether you agree with them or not, but to understand them for what they are.

Odysseus is the antagonist of the ithica saga, md while the suitors are the antagonist to him and his family, we see their fate form THEIR POV

The suitors could not have been depicted as “rude youthful men” like Telemachus. That Odysseus killing them should be shocking - a frightening condemnation of everything he’s done and became. But I ask once again - in what world are the suitors not implicitly set up as monsters?

Because again. They aren’t being rude for rudeness’s sake! They aren’t JUST eating Penelope’s food and sleeping in HER house. Them threatening Telemachus, as you propose, isn’t “enough” of a reason because they didn’t wake up one day beefing w this boy. Everything they do is for the express purpose of sexual violence towards the Queen of Ithaca, who upon assaulting, will make it so any one of them will be King.

You can’t separate the one from the other. You get a nonsense scenario. The whole REASON they’re there in the first place.

Even if you create a fanfic where 108 men wake up one day and raid the palace to slaughter the royal family with no intent of sexually assaulting either (because remember Telemachus is also the subject of Hold Em Down) and then fight amongst themselves to be the next king, but then isn’t that STILL a “good reason” for Odysseus to slaughter them?

Now I hear what you may be asking: but if all the monsters of the sagas, Odysseus included, have a “good reason” even though we might not agree with it, what kind of monsters does that make the suitors? Surely and clearly THEY aren’t doing what they’re doing for noble reasons.

I consider them akin to the 600 men who died under their captains command.

Because, as stated before. Odysseus views his actions in a Troy as his start of monstrosity. He did all that to finish the war and do back home. He ruined the lives of all Trojans.

So did his soldiers.

The only moment in time (even in the deleted songs) that the bulk of them repent about the war is in terms that it left them without food.

But glasses! They were just following orders!

Which is what one of the suitors suggest in song 38. Their serpents head is dead, THEY were just going with Antinous’ flow, they are innocent.

Like the 600 soldiers, the 108 suitors sacked a home that wasn’t theirs and harmed a wife and child - does them being the queen and prince pale in comparison to the hundreds of wives and children slain in Troy? Homer is a genius to ask us to see these parallels for what it is.

The suitors ARE monsters. That is simply what all 108 of them are. In the context of the story itself, their intent is to break Penelope’s will, commit martial rape, and become king of Ithaca. They aren’t there for kicks, they aren’t ignorant boys, they’re socially accepted adults abusing the hospitality rule with an express purpose.

So a GROUP of monsters are slaughtered by ANOTHER monster, and though in this instance we can argue it’s morally justifiable, it doesn’t take away from Odysseus’s fear of being rejected by his family. He has ruined the lives of the Trojans, his men, AND multiple gods! To get to this point. He IS a monster. And the story asks US, through Penelope, if he is still worth loving.

Seeing Penelope as merely his reward is so backwards and bizarre. It’s very clear that bad faith interpretations of her are based on objectifying her erroneously, when the narrative presents her as a fully developed character.

In the story both in the poem and the musical that the suitors ARE NOT her guests. She is being sequestered against her will.

In what world could the suitors be “just” murderers and not….very clearly rapists? It’s BUILT into their motivation. You would have to change the very FOUNDATION of the Ithaca plot line and Penelope herself??? To say nothing of Telemachus’s role!

What’s the proposal here? That Penelope invited these suitors? That’s she’s actively looking for a replacement husband? Okay, again, that changes literally SO MUCH of the story, but wouldn’t that put Telemachus in a position where he too has to change? Does he resent his mother for doing this? Is he helping his dad out of spite or because he wants him back? How are we meant to view Penelope in this radically new and hip Epic the Musical? Is she savvy and in her right to choose a new boo? Okay…okay, so then….you want Odysseus to be the only one unchanged and go axe crazy because….hes jealous? He kills these upstanding men….curtain call. That’s all folks!

Absurdity at its finest. You throw Penelope’s agency out the window. Her weaving and unweaving her loom is meaningless or simply doesn’t happen. Or maybe it’s that she wakes up one day and goes hey yknow what I WILL consider marrying one of these guys with no sense of dread and fear. Oh wait Oddy has killed then all! Never mind me feeling unsafe a week ago, he’s done a Bad.

Crazy.

It’s just…not going to end up making Penelope look like a well written female character if Jorge has done what you wanted! THAT would make her a mindless prop. You seem to think she is one, and that’s not the case. Historically, in fact!

She is a whole person in the poem and musical whether you understand it or not. You would have to argue so thoroughly why she sucks and let me assure you - there are entire DISSERTATIONs on why you’d be incorrect.

So, no.

No, you CANT take away the rape in Penelope’s storyline. It matters ALOT. It’s the ROOT of the matter! Could old school vegetales make something up that’s more to your sensibilities? Maybe at its peak but god, I couldn’t possibly come up with a draft that could reflect that. I won’t even try.

The rape aspect of the Ithica Saga isn’t unnecessary - it’s INTEGRAL to the plot. It can make you uncomfortable, but it’s BUILT into the royal family’s suffering whether it’s explicit or not! And it SHOULD be explicit! Because you seem to think because it usually isn’t, that the rape aspect isn’t there!

I cannot imagine coming to this kind of conclusion.

They are not random men going on a siege of the palace one day - you cannot “sanitize” the SUITORS because by the very merit of them calling each other THE SUITORS there is an implicit threat of sexual violence. Because Penelope doesn’t WANT suitors. She rejects them. They’re already violating her consent.

How the FUCK to do you censor the rape when it’s in every action they take? And I know what you’re saying: but didn’t Jorge censor the rape aspect that both Circe and Calypso commit towards him?

Further reading: suggests that ALLUDING to it is not the same as censoring, that it still FITS the PURPOSE of these characters in regards to Odysseus’s suffering under them. That after ambiguity, it is NECESSARY to make the rape aspect CLEAR in order to create both catharsis and MEANING at the end of the narrative. The THEME is still respected and present, it is not REMOVED. Please consider reading the linked follow up that answers this question.

In short.

It’s truly a matter of using one’s goddamn head when it comes to view fictional depictions of rape as “necessary” - because though some depictions can be presented BADLY, to suggest they should not EXISTS lends itself to rape culture. It silences the voices of victims. Its representation denied. Don’t talk about it, don’t even suggest it, because rape is bad.

It’s an action that happens to people. It’s a crime in civilized society. It’s a physical and psychological trauma that has always been. It happens daily, in fact. Though epic the musical is a source of entertainment for you, it doesnt exist solely for that purpose.

When Homer included it within his original oral story, he did so as a storyteller trying to get his audience to philosophize, not simply have fun.

I think we’ve come to some abysmal conclusion that men can’t write about these topics when we have historical evidence of at least one man knowing what the hell he’s talking about. And Jorge has done a phenomenal job even when he hadn’t depicted blatantly.

If you’re uncomfortable to the point of not wanting to see it at all, that is entirely on you, art and creative works allow us to explore these topics safely. Whether it’s from the POV of the assailant or one of the victims commenting on it, fiction is one of the only places we can talk about it and learn about ourselves in a way it doesn’t harm real people.

I don’t even want to BEGIN discussing all the losers who are still harassing Antinous fans or people who genuinely enjoy his song despite/BECAUSE of the subject matter. Its purpose in the story matters more than you policing how it’s presented and how it’s consumed. No amount of people enjoying themselves will take away the foundational POINT of the character and song. It’s perfect the way it is.

Like with the chaos that calypso discourse wrought, you cannot control how people treat a NOT REAL CHARACTER or the songs they sing - if it bothers you that one type of fictional villian is treated one way or another, it is on you to find likeminded people instead of going into others faces and pretending to be a self-righteous prick. You can throw whatever buzzwords you want, the CONTEXT these characters live in has nothing to do with how others want to play with them. If you don’t understand the difference between the two instances, fandom is certainly not for you and will not be changed to suit your sensibilities.

To end this post, I want to thank those who further asked me questions and bounced ideas off with me, and wow, what a phenomenal ending to a grandiose musical. I hope I can see it live, animated, streamed, developed into a game etc whatever form it takes now that the concept albums are published

Thank you all for engaging w my work💖

[onwesterlywinds]

I've been thinking a lot again about the implications of the title of "viator" translating to "traveler" (prompted by Writing Things), and while there's been a lot of discussion about its relation/parallels to Azem, I feel like I've seen a lot less, if anything, on how "viator" plays into the overarching narrative of Garlean imperialism as well. For a relatively small detail, it's honestly one of the things I really think Endwalker did really well in its portrayal of Garlemald and Zenos.

Throughout XIV's history, we've been shown countless perspectives for why the Garleans invade and occupy other nations, whether it's [insert Nael's Bahamut tempering], Gaius' claims that peace can only come from a strong leader, the racism we see entrenched in Garlemald's colonial rule in Stormblood, etc. Endwalker, however, doubles down on the role of Corvos in Garlemald's history and elevates it to a founding narrative: the idea that the Garleans are justified in invading other nations because they themselves were driven from their own ancestral land thousands of years ago.* This is by no means the full scope of Garlean history (as just one example, Return to Ivalice posited that many other Garleans are likely descended from the technically-minded people of Goug), but it's still very consistent lore-wise and thematically for Endwalker to present the Garlean people's expulsion from Corvos as a creation myth for their empire, and the way this plays out in 6.0 MSQ lets us see the extent of the damage that that myth has done to those who have made it their worldview.

And introducing the term "viator" at the end of that arc as the name for the Empire's most loathed, reviled, and shunned class - the exile - ties into this idea so well: the greatest punishment the Garleans can give for one of their own is to make them a wanderer - to ensure that person is forever denied the home that they prize so highly in their society. This is a classic example of scapegoating, which has deep connections to empire throughout history and Western literature.

It's also such a fitting conclusion to Zenos' relationship with the Garlean Empire, too! One of the reasons I've loved Zenos as an antagonist since 4.0 is that despite treating the workings of imperialism as beneath him and irrelevant to his true desires ("Ala Mhigo and Doma and Garlemald be damned!"), he has a sense of entitlement to the peoples and lands of Ala Mhigo and Doma - and to you, the Warrior of Light! - that is extremely Garlean. The fact that (to paraphrase Lyse) he did all that just so he could feel something is what makes him such a perfect antagonist for Stormblood in my book. But to the Garlean people, that lack of care for his homeland - be it because (their own) people were tempered/killed from his actions, or the very sexy patricide/regicide, or that he caused the Empire itself to fall into ruin when he "should have" succeeded Varis - was to them the greatest crime he could commit. To put it another way, he probably would not have been named Zenos viator Galvus if he had first been Zenos zos Galvus.

And despite me forever lamenting the fact that the 5.X-era plot thread of Zenos having dreams about Amaurot never actually went anywhere, even that ties into his eventual role as viator: the only place with which he has ever had any real connection is gone forever.

Which makes a grave at the end of the known universe feel almost fitting in its tragedy.

(*On a serious note: While I do think the writers were intentional - and, mostly, thoughtful - around leveraging imperialist rhetoric, the fact that this particular framing is often used to justify an ongoing genocide is one of many reasons why I would be very happy for future Garlemald stories to stay on pause for the next few years.)

[flopsxii]

tokyo revengers boys with their crush (aka you! <3) part two!

feat. shiba hakkai, sano shinichiro, kurokawa izana, sanzu haruchiyo, kakucho, haitani ran, haitani rindou && ryusei satou

note: part two as promised! ;P enjoyyyy mwah

hakkai shiba

ꪆৎ hakkai is shy generally around people (especially pretty people), that’s a known fact. i think the easiest way for hakkai to gain an emotional attraction to someone is if he sees them often. so most likely a classmate he sees in passing, his friends sibling or yuzuha’s close friend.

ꪆৎ he would probably start gaining feelings if you persevered with trying to have a conversation with him! even more so if you gush over him and help him clean up his wounds. oh! and he also loves a compliment here and there regarding his outfits or appearance.

ꪆৎ he’d be very shy around you but would make the effort to talk to you and spend time with you nonetheless! he’d push his feelings of anxiety away as much as he can, he just can’t help it; he can’t pass up an opportunity to spend time with you.

ꪆৎ he gushes about you to mitsuya all the time! any small interaction you may share, mitsuya has heard all about it. if hakkai needs advise about anything in regards to you, his good friend is always there to help and lend an ear if he just wants to rant about how amazing you are!

ꪆৎ also is the type to have dreams about all the stuff he wishes he could say to you but feels too shy to do so. such as finally telling you about his feelings… about how special he thinks you are… how he wants to take you on one million dates and have endless conversations! however, the last one would probably take a while due to his shyness.

ꪆৎ he’d probably come out of his shell a little more if he was around you plus either yuzuha or mitsuya. if you guys are alone, good luck getting him to stop blushing and stuttering.

ꪆৎ probably would confess if mitsuya advised him to as he always listens to him. or he’d probably persuade yuzuha to let it ‘slip’ to you and see what you do with that information.

sano shinichiro

ꪆৎ shinichiro is the type to have a crush on either a friend or someone he likes from afar. of course, if it’s the latter, he’ll do anything to get closer to you and know you better personally and not on a surface level.

ꪆৎ he thinks he’s good at flirting with you, key word, thinks. however, every single time you end up laughing until your chest hurts and shinichiro is red faced with embarrassment with his arms folded, facing away from you. he’s glad he can bring you joy, even if it’s at the expense of his ego.

ꪆৎ he’s the type to always offer you rides… and if he sees you when he’s riding his motorcycle, he’ll always stop and try and convince you! the determination in his voice each time he asks is what makes you say yes. “y/n-chan! wait up! i have my spare helmet… i can give you a ride home… huh? of course, it’s no problem! i want to!”

ꪆৎ he adores it when you spend time with his siblings, it just makes his heart grow even fonder. it makes him just want to sweep you off your feet and pepper your face with kisses! if only you knew how he really felt.

ꪆৎ he’s also always turning up at your house spontaneously, with no proper reason (not that you minded). he’s always bounding with joy when you invite him inside to either watch movies or just talk. any time he spends with you is precious.

ꪆৎ as for confessing, shinichiro thinks you already know he has feelings for you. so when he asks you to finally go out on a date, it’s a shock when you ask, “you like me, shinichiro-kun?” watch how his face distorts to shock, then confusion, followed by a sad face before ranting about how he’s showed you so many signs and you just had to know!

kurokawa izana

ꪆৎ he’s very flirty, that’s for sure. even on the first time that the two of you met, izana made sure you knew how beautiful he found you and how he just has to get to know you! you found the gesture cute, even though you had no idea how deep his feelings would begin to form for you.

ꪆৎ he spends a lot of time with you, visiting different places and seeing new things. he even introduced you to his older brother, shinichiro; which is arguably a very large step for him.

ꪆৎ he loves complimenting you, naturally he wants you to know how he views you in his eyes. however, he can’t help but get mad at you if you say anything negative about yourself. even more so when you ask why he’s so worked up seeing as you weren’t insulting him directly (which to him, you absolutely are).

ꪆৎ one of the most protective boys. izana has been looking after you without you knowing for a long, long time. that time someone shoved you in a store when you were accidentally in their way? they were forced to deal with izana even if they didn’t even remember shoving you in the first place. he never hurts them too much though, he knows you’d never approve of an act of violence in your defense.

ꪆৎ izana is also the type to assume that your friendship has naturally progressed and that there’s a perfect time to casually confess his feelings. “don’t act so shocked, y/n-chan. you knew i liked you this whole time.” he’d almost purr whilst you looked absolutely bamboozled.

sanzu haruchiyo

ꪆৎ he crushes on you from a far for a while until he finds unbearable going on without speaking to you and building a bond with you.

ꪆৎ sanzu is probably the only one who will confess his interest in you straight away, seeing no need to waste time. he’s a little disappointed when you remind him that you don’t know him well enough to begin a relationship. but he’s happy to settle to getting to know you until that day comes.

ꪆৎ he’s fiercely loyal to you, as anyone can guess from his loyalty to mikey. he’s formed an untreatable bond with you and he’s sure he’ll never feel the same way about someone again.

ꪆৎ you’re also one of the only people to embrace his scars and encourage him to finally let the mask go that mucho suggested he started wearing. you’d remind him that scars are natural and beautiful in their own way. i also think anytime you compliment them, his heart would grow two sizes just because of you!

ꪆৎ he’s always showing up unannounced, wether you’re studying, working or just chilling at home. he will be doing the most to try get your attention and he won’t stop until he gets it. even if it’s you telling him to shut up and wait till you’re free. (you know he means well.)

ꪆৎ much like izana, he’s very protective over you. if he hears about anyone disrespecting you and even worse, laying hands on you, be assured they’ll get a beating from sanzu. you’d never find out, of course. he has to maintain that pretty image he has in your eyes.

ꪆৎ there’s no need to confess, you already knew sanzu’s intentions from the beginning. your whole friendship was mainly you getting to know sanzu and him waiting patiently for the way you finally accept his confession from so long ago!

kakucho

ꪆৎ he doesn’t have a lot of people in his life, aside from izana. so i think it would be easy for kakucho to gain feelings for anyone who sticks by his side for a long period of time and actually shows they care about him.

ꪆৎ he’s always bright and lively around you too! there’s never been a time where kakucho has weighed down conversations with deep topics, he’s always interested in you. even if you do try and ask what’s going on in his subconscious, he’ll gently steer you away from that topic. he would rather not ruin the light of his life with unnecessary past trauma. but he appreciates your interest in him nonetheless.

ꪆৎ kakucho is also the type to only let you touch his scar and explain exactly how and why he got it. he’s not ashamed of it, per say, it’s more he doesn’t feel the need to talk about it with anyone else except you; in other words, he trusts you.

ꪆৎ he accompanies you wherever you go at the weekend, occasionally izana will join too. however, he prefers it when it’s just the two of you so he can actually share meaningful conversations.

ꪆৎ you would also need to confess. he has the silly mindset that if he confessed, it would ruin your friendship and he’d lose you entirely. that just happens to be the one thing he can’t lose, other than izana. besides you two, he has nothing left. however, if you were to confess, he would accept you straight away with a charming smile on his face.

haitani ran

ꪆৎ it’s very obvious that ran has a crush on you. it’s not very often that either of the haitani brothers approach people with any other intent than violence. so when they see the elder brother being so gentle and kind towards one specific person, it’s a blatant smack in the face that you’re the one who stole his heart.

ꪆৎ he’s also never once raised his voice at you or threatened you. this is also a key indicator that ran has deeper feelings than just platonic. he knows he’s being too subtle with his feelings but he can’t find it in himself to care.

ꪆৎ he always takes you shopping at the weekend, it’s a weekly ritual and if for any reason, he can’t be there, rindou will step in. speaking of the younger brother, he’ll try his very hardest to get the two of you to be friends. he’d love nothing more than to spend quality time with his two favourite people.

ꪆৎ aside from himself, you’re the only one allowed to touch and braid his hair. when you questioned the intimacy of such an act, ran will simply say that you’re the only one who does it right; even though he’s capable of braiding it himself.

ꪆৎ ever since getting involved with ran, your life has gone smoothly. no one disrespects you, in fact people are so nice to you now! ran adores that he can make you happy even without you knowing it.

ꪆৎ he’d confess when the times right. there’s not a specific reason why he can’t do it at the moment, he’s just waiting for that one time where it’s a ‘now or never’ kind of moment.

haitani rindou

ꪆৎ unlike his brother, it’s difficult to even know if rindou likes you as a friend. he’ll act like you’re a nuisance to him, grumbling responses to your excited questions. however, it’s ran that convinces you to persevere with your ‘friendship’ with his brother.

ꪆৎ even if he doesn’t say much, rindou enjoys being in your presence. if you ask him for help or for advise, on the outside he’s whining about ‘why it had to be him’ but on the inside, his stomach is doing somersaults because you chose him to rely on!

ꪆৎ he’s also the type to overhear you say you need something to your friends and then within the next 30 minutes, he’ll turn up with it and give it to you without a word or get someone else to deliver it for him. only because he knows he won’t be able to contain his raging blush when you thank him profusely. he learnt this from the first time he spontaneously brought you a can of sparkling lime that you were so called “dying for”.

ꪆৎ much like his brother, he takes care of you from afar. he doesn’t want to be overbearing or annoying so he’ll do these quiet acts of kindness without your knowledge. think of it as an act of love!

ꪆৎ he doesn’t confess. ran either forces him or ran flat out tells you how rindou feels when his little brother is right next to him. his face is priceless, he’s unsure wether to be anxious at your reaction or to kill his brother. it’s a funny sight to behold!

ryusei satou

ꪆৎ he asks you out almost every single day. he promises you the earth, the moon, the stars and hell, even the entire universe! however, you tell him no everytime, reminding him you only started speaking a week ago. he doesn’t let the rejections deter him, though.

ꪆৎ he’s definitely the type to give you his jacket or jumper if you as much as shiver once. if you try remove it, watch ryusei forcibly keep it on you, a pout on his lips as he whines that you’re offending him.

ꪆৎ he’s always pulling little pranks on you. only harmless ones though just to make you smile! especially if you’re having an awful day and need a little pick me up. he’s always right there trying to make you smile.

ꪆৎ he also tells everyone that you’re his partner, even if you aren’t. he’s humbled when you correct him, “we aren’t dating, ryusei.” he’d wink at you before adding, “yet.”

ꪆৎ he also always tries to share his lunch with you, doing fake airplane noises as he raises his chopsticks to your mouth. you accept because it’s easier to do that then have your ears go mute from his complaining. you always found it so endearing that he cares about your health so much!

ꪆৎ seeing as ryusei tells you about his feelings everyday, there’s no need for a grand confession. instead when ryusei once again tells strangers that you’re his partner, he awaits for rejection once again. until one day, you agree with a small smile before wrapping your arms around his middle. this is the only day in ryusei’s life where he’s lost for words.

[justabeewithapen]

i bet Chiquitita grew up not being able to do any general roughhousing because of his condition </3 but now the kids are helping him get caught up with important childhood milestones such as: climbing and falling out of trees, hitting each other with sticks, running with sharp objects, mudball fights, and other common child deathgames! poor Mr Shrimp is having a rough time adjusting

(And some close ups)

I have so many thoughts on this ask, I am so sorry XD

Firstly, Mr. Shrimp is 1000% having a rough time adjusting, and for very good reason. While we don't know what Chiquitita has (and I tried to do some research to get a rough idea of this sort of thing in humans) we for sure know he has to be anemic to some degree--or whatever their species's version of that would be. Before they had a consistent source of blood transfusions I am sure that Chiquitita was practically bed ridden at times, frequent blood loss makes it hard to do anything without getting woozy and sick. Now that they have that source he can do a lot more, but he still has limits that are way under where a kid his age actually should be. If it wasn't for his work ethic and Chiquitita's insistence he was okay, Mr. Shrimp would be walking Chiki to school almost every day. The idea that his son can just, do things now, hasn't really clicked. Chiki (who is roughly 6-7-ish seeing as he is a first grader) is actually fairly aware of his own limits, but, with the encouragement of both other kids (<- link to a bonus chapter) and his babysitters, he has been trying to push them. We know from one of extras staring Chiquitita (<- read this bonus chapter first) that he probably doesn't have much interest in play fighting, but I feel like he would be very into athletics. Still, no matter how well he thinks he knows his limits he has 100% had to be picked up from school or brought home after getting faint. Those are the moments where Mr. Shrimp probably gets a bit too smothery, he is the biggest cry baby but I can't even blame him. This is where I dive headfirst into total headcanon territory, but I know this man has some intense insecurities about his ability to raise his son and finding the balance there is so hard. He has the space and time to think about this sorts of things instead of trying to survive day-by-day and I know it is eating him alive. He very openly blames himself for the death of his wife when he explains his backstory. He calls himself an alien word that very clearly is meant to be something like "Weakling" or "pathetic" and you can just feel the hate oozing off the page. He has issues. How long was he fighting every day just to see the next and make sure his family could too, like, this is the stuff I am talking about when I say he has PTSD. He was 100% willing to beat a teenager unconscious for the sake of a paycheck. (I know his singing is def just because he is kind of a silly guy, but imagine if he was doing it to distract himself from his horrible job. Singing about his son to remind him why he was there, do you see the vision????) I am constantly thinking about how his and Acrosilkie's stories are so similar, only, he came out of it with a good ending. Even when his life was safe and his son was safe he felt so indebted to the gang that he was willing to die in the Space Globalist Arc for a battle that wasn't even any of his business!! His life is the only thing he feels he can offer that is of any value man.... Anyway!! Do we think that Mr. Shrimp and Chiki bleed red when they are in their human disguises, or white still? I am leaning towards white but idk how I want to handle their shapeshifting fully. Also, hopefully I articulated my thoughts here okay T-T My brain is too full of them. (ASKS STILL VERY MUCH OPEN!!)

[ihfmseatsoch]

ok ok ok so if i may be so bold as to request something, ive been enamored wiht the idea of an older, controlling, borderline abuse boyfriend jimmy, like he and reader live together on earth, and reader goes to college, while jimmy works physical jobs trying to support them both. he's a SHITTY person though, so hes jealous of any man the reader talks to, reads through their phone, makes sinde comments about their weight and appearance, and (im totally not projecting here) eventually pressures them into dropping out, for like his perfect little live in partner/gf fantasy sjdhasd feel free to do whatever with this, but this specific scenario has not left my head for days

WHEEE this was fun to write ^w^ i rushed this a bit but i just didnt want you to have to wait any longer... :p

—

Jimmy Zare x fem!reader

reader uses fem terms (girl, girlfriend)

genre: how do i categorize this.... fic that makes you feel bad or horny depending on how you handle verbal abuse lol

word count: 1.8k

warnings/content: age gap, domestic abuse, manipulation, arguing, fat shaming, several references to the readers body/appearance, jimmy being the biggest asshole oh my god i hate him (i want him so bad it makes me look stupid)

(is it bad that writing about jimmy yelling at me turns me on... WOAHHH who said that .....😰 also dont kill me for the weight shaming part IM A FAT GIRL !!!!!! i like when evil men are mean to me !!!!!! RAAAH)

—

"He's a good guy, he can actually be really sweet!"

That's a sentence you find yourself saying out of complete muscle memory at this point whenever someone questions why your boyfriend–... well, they question an awful lot about your boyfriend.

For example, why he's over twenty years your senior whilst you're still going to class on the weekdays. Why he doesn't allow you to see your friends, wear certain clothes, leave your apartment without him, and why he takes up so much space in your brain, completely distracting you from your own life and goals.

You've missed at least four assignments this semester alone. It's stupid, really. You thought you'd be done with obsessing and crying over boys after you graduated highschool. It's completely immature for a so-called adult like yourself, but then again, you're hardly into adulthood at all.

Jimmy, on the other hand, has a lot more life experience, many of those experiences negative. That might be why you've taken some form of pity on him, going so far as to move into his apartment so you can take care of him when you're not busy. He needs someone to make sure he doesn't fall off the deep end.

The thing is, it's become hard to fit him in your schedule, but whenever you're unable to make time for him after he comes home from work, that familiar scowl on his face indicating it was another shitty day, he throws a fit.

He'll accuse you of everything under the sun; Infidelity being the primary thing.

"You don't love me. There's someone else, isn't there? It's that one kid that asked you to help him 'study' last week, isn't it? No? Give me your fucking phone, then."

This is what you come home to everyday, so it's nothing new. In fact, you're pretty used to it by now. Though today, Jimmy seems particularly pissed.

"Where have you been?" He crosses his arms and leans against the wall, eyeing you up and down like he always does when he's about to grill you on something.

"Sorry..." You mutter, way too tired to deal with one of his moods again. "Traffic." You answer simply, not having enough energy to overexplain yourself like you normally do.

"Uh huh. Traffic." He mimics you in a way that already tells you he's not buying it. Great.

"...It's the truth." You shrink into yourself at the way he's looking at you. Contemptuous as always. You're in for another argument, it seems. A million, desperate pleas run through your mind;

'Please don't give me another lecture about how you're my only financial support, and how grateful I should be. Please don't ask to see my phone. Please don't tell me to drop out.'

But, of course, you can't actually change the outcome of this. You're gonna get yelled at. Belittled. Degraded.

"You're two hours late, and you're gonna tell me you were just stuck in traffic?" He pushes himself off the wall and walks towards you.

"You're never home when you're supposed to be, and when you are home, you're all tired and upset.” He pokes a finger into your shoulder, hard. "What do you think that looks like from my point of view?"

"I'm sorry." You rub your face, exasperated. God, you wish he would shut up sometimes. Sure, he can be amicable, but lately... he's been a raging dick. Yet, you can't help but cling to the memory of his good moments. "I'll try to make it back on time tomorrow."

"Yeah? And how many times have I heard that before?" He sneers, "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

The way he accuses you so confidently, so sure of himself... it's insulting. Does he really think that little of you? "College has been kicking my ass, Jim. You know that. I'm not hiding anything from you, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, college this, college that. Always complaining about fuckin' college," He scoffs, his eyes stay narrowed, still glaring. "How about what I'm going through? You think I'm having a great time every day at work, hm?"

"No, I–" You stammer, hating the way he's turning this around to make himself the victim. Oh, woe is him, having to provide for himself and his girlfriend. How tortured he is. "I know, alright? I'm sorry. I just– what else do you expect me to do?"

"Be here. Like you're supposed to be. And I expect you to stop acting like I'm the bad guy for asking you to be a decent girlfriend."

Jimmy's voice raises slightly as he takes a step closer, towering over your sheepish figure. He nudges your shoulder again, even rougher this time.

"I'm busting my ass every day to put food on the table, and you can't even have the decency to show up on time, let alone look happy to see me?"

"I– I am happy to see you! I am, I'm just– you don't get it. I want to be here, but... I'm not even halfway through this semester, and–" You stumble over your words as you attempt, in vain, to defend yourself. It's not like he'll ever feel sympathy for you. It's always about what he wants. What makes him happy.

Jimmy rolls his eyes at your attempt to reason with him. It's as if he doesn't even register a word you say. "But what? What's more important to you, huh? Some stupid classes, or the guy who keeps a fuckin' roof over your head and feeds you? Be grateful, goddamn it." He snaps, grabbing your arms and giving them a forceful shake.

You flinch from being handled like you're not even a human being, much less one with feelings. "Stop, please, I'm– I am grateful, I really am..." You're not lying, either. To be honest, his guilt tripping works wonders on you. Are you really acting unappreciative? He wouldn't be this upset if you were in the right...

He seems unfazed by your frightened demeanor and continues to hold a firm grip on your arms. He looks you up and down, not even having to say anything for you to know he's judging you, as a girlfriend and person in general.

"Oh, you're grateful? Then maybe you should act like it for once." Jimmy gives your arms another firm shake, a harsh reminder of who's in charge here.

"I'm not asking much of you. I just want you to be here, and you can't even do that. Do you think I'm just gonna sit back and accept that bullshit?"

"No..." You shake your head, looking down at the ground in shame. Were you really that awful? You didn't want to be a bad partner, it's the last thing you ever wanted. If you could make eye contact without feeling guilty, you'd see Jimmy's face light up with satisfaction as he finally notices you're not even bothering to put up a fight anymore.

There's a condescending lilt to his tone as he speaks, "No one will ever love you like I do. You know that?"

You nod, knowing there has to be some truth to his claim. He takes care of you, doesn't he? He keeps a roof over your head, gives you money for groceries, and he's not always that unpleasant to be around...

He's a good boyfriend. You're the problem. You always are.

"Exactly."

The grip on your arms eases, moving them to place a hand on each of your shoulders, contrastingly gentle compared to his behavior only moments ago.

"You oughta thank your lucky stars you have a man like me who puts up with all your bullshit. You get that, right? How lucky you are to be with me?"

You know he's right. You were blessed with someone who still loves you, despite your many shortcomings. You're too fat, the acne on your face and body is repulsive, the way you do your makeup is weird... all of this being things Jimmy has told you directly. At least you have an honest boyfriend, isn't that what every girl wants?

He gives your shoulder a pat, like he's treating you like a small, petulant child. "You realize I could have literally any girl I want, right? Pretty, skinny, smart ones, even. But I chose you. Because I care about you."

He pauses, letting that sink in.

"But it would help if you'd actually put the effort in to look decent." He adds as an afterthought.

You've internalized every single snide remark he's thrown your way, reminded of them every single time you look in the mirror. Yet he still loves someone like you. Someone so difficult and embarrassing to be with.

"Jim, I don't... I don't know how I'm even gonna be able to free my schedule at all with school and stuff..." You mumble guiltily. You know he wants you to drop out, he's suggested it more times than you can count.

"That right there, that's why I'm frustrated, goddamn it," He says with an exacerbated sigh. He moves one hand from your shoulder to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Why don't you get it? Dropping out isn't the end of the world. Just quit and stay home. Done. Easy."

"It's not that easy... I want to get a good job and help out too, you know..."

It's true that you want to pull your weight around your shared home. With your combined income, it'd make everything easier. But... with how shitty college makes you feel, leaving you beaten down and tired by the end of the day...

You find yourself listening to Jimmy on this for once.

He can tell you're seriously contemplating it this time, which makes him feel... more in control. He's got you thinking and believing exactly what he wants you to. Soon, he'll be able to get you to obey him without another word from you.

The thought of having you as his subservient, stay at home girlfriend is more than appealing. It's his goal to mold you into what he wants you to be.

"Yeah, yeah, I get that, I know. But you're stressing yourself half to death, and for what? Some stupid degree? Listen to me, I'm not gonna ask you again. You're just creating problems that don't need to exist. Just quit. You'll have plenty of free time that you can spend with me."

You can't deny how tempting the idea is. Hesitantly, after several moments of pondering the hypotheticals and what-ifs, you speak up,

"...I guess... dropping out wouldn't hurt too much."

He perks up at that, barely being able to contain a delighted grin. You're actually putting him and his wants first, and acknowledging that he's right. You're doing as he says, without any of the usual arguing or excuses. He'll finally have his dream complaisant, docile girlfriend to come home to every night.

It only took a month or two to finally get you to cave. You'll be easier to control from now on. Hell, maybe you'll lose some weight with some free time on your hands, stop wearing that shitty makeup...

"Good girl," He says in a patronizing tone, like he's addressing a child, "That's what wanna hear."

God, you really hope this isn't a bad idea. Jimmy looks pleased for once, so...

This decision can't possibly ruin your future too badly, right?

—

[cosmicourple]

toot toot‼️‼️‼️‼️ Another A.U Idea!1!!!1!11!1 (heavily inspired by witchofthesouls writing 😚) :

,,,

during Six Hundred Strikes, it turns freaky at the end AKA Odysseus rides the fuck outta’ Poseidon. Everything else after that go’s the same, w/ Ody’ returning home n reuniting with his family, Happily Ever After.

uhhhhh, yeah- except, a few days after reclaiming his title of King, Odysseus is visited by Zeus, who’s been intrigued by this Mortal and all he’s survived + surprisingly unashamed at wanting a piece of the action after witnessing the embarrassed stiff state The King got his brother into,,,, so obviously, like most encounters w/ Zeus, it results in them going at it in a Forest of Ithaca, before Zeus fucks off after said good fuck 👍. Intending to come back 4 more hehehaha now he’ll suffer from the Crippling Obsession of Mortals :33

After a long & agonising recovery, Poseidon storms up to Ithaca, absolutely enraged about what has happened. That Little Shit of a Mortal daring to Power Bottom him after using his own fucking weapon to fucking mutilate him, THEN LETTING HIMSELF BE CLAIMED BY HIS BROTHER!???!?!!!!?!?!? This will NOT stand.

But as he emerges from the seas depths to drown the island along with its wretched king, Poseidon stills because. Because- the inhabitants are gone. Ithaca had been abandoned, stripped of all it’s valuables and left behind,,,

You could hear the grass swaying in that silence.

Poseidon was going to fucking break that bastard. Lmao in more ways than ooooooone haha new side 2 obsession awwwwakeeeeeeeeeened—

iiiiiiiif— he could find him first :).

Him & the entire fucking population of Ithaca.

Cut to seven years of bafflement on what has transpired, confusion on where everyone could of possibly gone, intense wrestling w/ obsessive n certain feelings towards this fucking Lil’ Guy, more confusion as The Ocean, Land & even the bloody Underworld are practically ripped apart to try and find where the fuck The Population of Ithaca could of gone off to.

Normally, The Gods never rlly cared about such an obsessive search, but when an entire fucking society just. Disappears out of nowhere. With absolutely no warning, explanation or any trace of what happened. You start to become very keen to involve urself with such a noticeable event.

For seven years this went on, Humanity also becoming keenly aware of the shift in atmosphere that surrounded The Gods, how they have become Extremely Restless and more Physically Present.

It’s an adjustment, but they get used to it.

Once, seeing Zeus steadily zip across The Sky in a humanoid form, swirling clouds & crackles of electricity shifting around his Divine Body would of been a breathtakingly rare sight of telling something important was happening,,,, now. To be blunt, not many care anymore.

Seven years of tension, worry + some existential retrospect, and then finally.

Poseidon isn’t sure how exactly he found them, maybe The Fates had finally decided to let up on this oh so cruel trickery, or maybe it was The King Himself who weaved this Mysterious Illusion that hid His People, letting it fall down for whatever reason…

But there they were,,, a fleet of strangely designed ships, bobbing along the waves gently, trusting The Winds fully with their aimless course,,,

The Ships were like homes, a neighbourhood, the sounds of day to day lives flowing through the air, merged with the shouts and commands of maintaining said Floating Homes,,,

There were platforms of various sizes connecting some of The Ships, complex looking, with people on them, doing various things that were lost to The Sea God,,,

For his gaze had zeroed in on a platform near the very back, certain sounds of two children playing having caught his attention,,,

His Divine Sight found the little forms of the children, most likely twins, and he felt their squeals of excitement roar over the breeze and the sounds of everything else as he gazed upon them,,,

It seemed his ‘encounter’ with Odysseus had not been without consequences. Nor had his brother’s, bitter as it was to think

Yes, he knew who they were almost right away. Youngest Heirs of Ithaca, Twin Children of King Odysseus, Demigod Children.

One, a boy, ran around the wooden surface, shrieking happily as he chased his sibling, eyes a thundering gold, hair a ruffled mess of curly, spiky and jagged all at the same time and a smile big and potentially insufferable if smug spread on his face…

The other, a girl, also giggled loudly as she speeded away from her brother, both of them running around in a never ending circle, teeth sharp and grinning wide, bright blue eyes focused on the boy, watching gleefully as he pursued her yet never managed to reach.

There they were, his children.

why not claim Both of them as his ? all that matters is that their His..

Yet when he went to converse with them and as they stared at him with big unbothered eyes, watching like stunned canine pups— as he explained who he was to them, laughter filled the air,,,,,

“You’re not our father!”

“Our father is called Odysseus!”

“And our mama is Queen Penelope !”

What. No, they’re his, are they blįnd ?—

“Pśűıțħâ!! , Ħëľíġą!!! , čømě ħęřæ Ÿœũř Fäþħēř īş Wäįťıñğ—-

[writingwisterias]

Whiskey Sipping

Vendetta!Leon Kennedy x AFAB!Reader Warnings: NSFW, SMUT, MDNI, Age-Gap, Drinking, Fingering, Light Degradation kink, Soft Dom Leon, Sub Reader, Oral (M-receiving) 🪑 Anon this is for you my love, I hope you enjoy <3

You just couldn't leave him alone, could you? Couldn't just give him 5 minutes to finish the drink clutched tightly in his hand before you sauntered your greedy cunt over to him. Leon's eyes darkened as they watched your naked form approach to where he was sitting. The corner of the L-shaped sofa was always left empty for you but no you weren't heading in that direction. Not today. He didn't miss how your arousal coated your thighs, and your head hung low in shame. You had broken one of his rules.

He didn't think he would be the type of dom to lay out rules for you until the texts began to flood his phone when you suddenly decided to torture yourself until he came home. You gave him one too many awkward timed boners that he banned the idea of your own playtime entirely. To you, he only thought of you as some dumb college chick that warmed his bed and sed the apartment while he wasn't there. Yet to him, you were more than that; you paid your bills in pussy, your sweet taste leaving an aftertaste on his tongue better than any drink he's had before. Leon would never admit how he liked your scent on his pillows, your stupid little trinkets littering the space but that was always his favourite part of having you in his life.

But the closer the two of you got, the bigger the power imbalance. Anything he asked you would do without question. He's even made you study whilst eating you out - stopping when you got the question wrong. Leon didn't care for the age gap, you made him feel younger. Reminded him of the horny 20-year-old he buried deep inside of him somewhere. The poor guy needed a chance to escape that shroud of darkness, even if it was for 2 rounds of sex almost every day.

You nudged yourself on his lap getting cosy against his chest. "There's a perfectly good spot there you know" Leon teased, pointing towards your normal spot whilst raising his glass to his lips. You watched the amber liquid slide down his throat, his Adams apple bobbing as he swallowed. "This is better" you stated simply completely unbothered by his apparent attitude this evening. Leon's sigh brushed against your ear causing you to flinch away with a giggle. "I thought you were studying"

"got bored"

Leon's hum vibrated through your back, despite not giving you what you wanted he could still feel the wet patch on his leg grow because of you. His fingers inched down to your needy cunt. Swiping away at the slick that coated your folds. He didn't say anything, didn't nip at your neck like he normally does. He just simply raised the glass to his lips again as he inserted two fingers into your warmth. You waited for him to move them, to begin his usual assault to warm you up. Yet, it never came; they were sat there inside. Pruning from the amount of arousal that spilt from you.

To your credit you waited, you sat there patiently for him to curl them. To force the orgasm you desperately needed but he didn't - he never moved his fingers. He didn't even look at you, his attention firmly on the TV or refilling his glass. It was like you weren't even there. Leon admitted to himself that your needy whines were cute, like some dumb puppy begging for his attention to play. He almost caved but this was too amusing to him. His point entertained you as you began to move on your own, angling his fingers into the perfect toy as you squirmed against his lap. Your fingers folded his own into the right place making sure they were hitting the correct angle.

Leon's cock twitched as you used him, as he felt the impending orgasm you were working yourself towards with or without his help. It was hot seeing you so needy like this. Watching you saunter in the room with your needs evident on your legs, your fingers shining in the dim light. He has forgiven you for breaking the rules, he never really cared for them in the first place. Just enjoyed watching you crawl to him like this, so needy and desperate for any part of him. He had already planned what he was going to do once you reached this orgasm. You weren't going to leave him unaccounted for, not on his watch at least.

Your walls clenched around his digits, your hips halting their movements as the orgasm crashed through you. Your moans were loud against his ear as you leaned back. Your chest heaved as you calmed down. Leon smirked at your state with how he barely did anything as you still managed to orgasm with him. "Got what you needed?" He finally questioned. His fingers slipped out of you and he wiped the remnants of your orgasm on his jeans like it was nothing. The damp streaks turned a cloudy white against the black fabric. "It was exactly what I needed thank you" You whispered. Leon smiled at you, his hand bringing his glass to your lips. You took a small sip, enjoying the burn of the neat whiskey as it made its way down. Your chest felt lighter as you smiled at him. Leon smirked at the lip balm mark on your lips. He could almost taste the cherry as he brought the glass to his lips again in the same spot.

A comfortable silence fell amongst the both of you like it always did. Your features are highlighted by the dim glow of the TV. "What about me?" Leon asked, breaking the silence. His eyes flickered down to his erection where it twitched and throbbed against his tight jeans. Your fingers ghosted over the shape as you watched it. You could feel yourself get worked up again but he let you orgasm it was only your turn to repay the favour.

You dropped to your knees in front of him. The fabric of the rug biting into your skin. He watched as you freed him from his clothed prison. The tip beading with pre cum and flushed red. Just the way you liked it. You sucked against the tip smiling as a hiss left his lips and his fingers wove themselves into your soft strands. He felt your throat relax as you took more of him in, your drool dribbling around his balls - you were lucky he didn't mind it messy. Perhaps it was because he was drunk or maybe the fact he was already horny from your own needy display but he felt his orgasm incoming quicker. Each time you hollered out your cheeks or pulled his cock further back into your throat he groaned. You loved how vocal he was when he was being pleasured, his mouth releasing the most beautiful sounds; it was the only way you knew you were doing something right.

You welcomed the salty taste of him as he pushed you further down to the base of his cock. His load mixed with the warmth of the whiskey as you swallowed. Despite your needy behaviour he would have to admit you looked fucking cute when you looked up at him displaying your tongue like a good girl. His hand stroked your head lovingly, a small smile plastered on his features. He could never stay mad at you. Even if you did interrupt his drinking time.

[hailturinturambar]

Thoughts on J.D and Patrick's interview (PART II)

The year can't end without one more analysis! By the way, I want to do more analysis of the show, but I haven't decided yet, so suggestions are always welcome! This interview is from August, but that's okay. After all, there are so many interviews that I'm almost lost!

Come on, one of the best things about the show, at least to me, is always the prologue. The prologue to the first season has a very well-structured foundation of the Elder Days and the beginning of Arda.

Morgoth's introduction as the First Enemy was brief but still impactful. However, nothing could have prepared me for the breathtaking prologue to season two.

We were all curious about the beginning of Sauron's journey. But the prologue was better than I could have hoped for.

I'm glad they changed it for season 2, I don't think it would have worked very well in season 1. Would they have introduced Sauron mid-season or would the scenes have been cut?

The second season is darker, so I think the dark prologue was ideal. We know a lot about Sauron's past in the books, but not in the adaptations. In the movies, for example, he's just Sauron, the Dark Lord, there's nothing more about him than that.

Well, I couldn't agree more. In episode eight of season one, just like Galadriel, we know that Sauron is the Enemy and that's it. But what do we know about Sauron before his encounter with Galadriel and his path of evil?

I really like that in TROP Sauron is not romanticized, but we are introduced to his past, to the events that shaped him and led him to do everything he did. Only when we know someone's past are we able to understand their actions.

I started rewatching TROP on December 23rd and I'm already at the end of the second season, and they're right. When we watch the first season again, after the prologue of the second season, everything seems different. No scene seems simple or out of place, no word seems meaningless.

We look at scenes in Númenor, for example, and we're like, "Yeah, that makes sense! That's why Halbrand/Sauron behaved like that." It's really interesting. Because I never thought the show would go that way in 2022.

We started and ended the first season with the question, "Who is Sauron?" In the second season, we finally know. Because we get to follow Sauron after Morgoth's defeat and how he tried to rise again. We see how he was betrayed by Adar and spent centuries recovering. And most importantly, we find out how Halbrand ended up on the cursed raft.

Tolkien left some great passages open, didn't he? These long passages of time without information are great for piquing our curiosity. And I don't know if Tolkien thought about them, after all, he had a very long story with many characters, maybe he left that blank period aside.

And I loved how this was worked into the series. Because in the books after Morgoth's defeat and Sauron's refusal to return to Valinor, we don't have much information. I always wondered how he ended up in Eregion or when this idea came to his mind.

I try my best to pay attention to the details in the show, there is always hidden information. And it is extremely satisfying to watch the passage of time in Sauron's transformation. We know from the books that Sauron can return, but we don't know how that process works.

So it's fascinating to watch time pass, the climate change, but Sauron's form also change. From a tangle of worms emerging from a pool of blood, to Sauron's mortal form as Halbrand.

I humbly believe that Sauron does feel pain. When Morgoth fought Fingolfin, Morgoth felt pain and his pain reverberated throughout Middle-earth. Morgoth felt pain because he had been in one form for too long, just as Sauron did. Sauron spent too much time assuming many forms, so why wouldn't he feel pain if a Valar was able to feel it?

In my opinion, the key point in any show or book is the "what if?" What if Sauron felt pain? What if Sauron is capable of having feelings? The what if is the big cherry on the cake that keeps our curiosity and makes us spend hours theorizing about a character.

I think Sauron is capable of feeling everything, whether it be emotions or pain. However, I believe that this feeling is not as we imagine it. It is, as has been said, an ambiguous feeling. We will never be able to understand the extent of Sauron's honesty about what he is demonstrating or pretending to feel.

Now that's a point that keeps me awake! In case you don't remember, I commented on my opinion about the sea monster in my analysis of Sauron and Galadriel.

The sea monster and Sauron is a never-ending question. Because as Payne said, Sauron may have seized the opportunity, or it escaped his reach. Could the Valar be trying to destroy Sauron? Maybe, it would make a lot of sense.

I'll go a little further. The Valar may have sent the monster to destroy Sauron before he could do any more damage. But Sauron is a dark master and knows all beasts, so he may have influenced the monster so that he wouldn't be killed in the shipwreck. So why would the monster attack the raft?

A second attempt by the Valar? Maybe. But I like to play with the idea that Sauron summoned the monster when he recognized Galadriel. That way the humans were eliminated and he had his path clear for deception. I guess we'll never know!

The problem of writing stories as tales of legends is that we miss a lot of things. I say this from experience. Because in my book that I wrote this year, the prologue is a story about more than 200 years about the old times in the history before the first chapter. And a lot of things happened in these 200 years of history. So, if I were to rewrite each passage, a lot of new information would emerge.

This is the big difference between the show and the movies. In the trilogy (or the Hobbit trilogy) the Third Age material is all written, it just needs to be adapted. But in the First and Second Ages, a lot of things are reported, but not detailed.

Giving the Ring to Círdan could involve infinite possibilities, but we don't know them. Personally, I loved the ring story created for the show. All the depth given to the scene and the giving of the rings was a spectacle.

Yes, all adaptations have their flaws and successes. But overall, I am extremely pleased with the adaptation of TROP and the changes or additions made by those involved. An adaptation is never exactly the same as the book, we know that. But what I love about TROP is that we are presented with scenes that make us think, "Oh yeah, that's something Tolkien would have written!"

[scaredshadowsswap]

Hey! Hope you're doing alright. What do you think the staffs general music taste would be?

Hey, thanks! I got a minor bout of finals flu and had to do research on a bunch of different music genres so forgive me for my tardiness XD

Clef:

Clef seems like he’s well-listened, and pretentiously so. Most likely a fan of classic rock, but he can also lecture you about the reason a particularly crunchy jazz chord was significant to the meaning of the piece. He also seems like the type of guy who can name the album that a song is from and the year it was released. Clef just really likes music.

Despite this, I don’t imagine he can play very well. Maybe a few songs on the ukelele, but Clef seems like the type to get good at something and then drop it a few weeks later, so I don’t imagine they’ve stuck with anything long enough to play super well.

Favorite artist: Has too many to choose one; depends on the day.

Kondraki:

I think it’s cheating to say I came up with any ideas for Kondraki, because it says on his personnel file that he thinks classical music is ‘‘the only kind worth listening to”. However, while I do think he’ll make comments about Draven’s music being “noise” occasionally, I think he holds back a lot because he wants to listen to Draven’s music with him.

I don’t know if they canonically say that Kondraki plays any instruments, but I imagine he plays piano very well and is proficient in violin (less so than piano, though).

Favorite artist: Chopin

Gears:

Gears seems like he’d enjoy smooth jazz. Just the mellow vibes that he can tune out a little bit more easily when he needs to lock in. Despite this, I imagine he really secretly enjoys the music Iceberg plays. Just because he doesn’t express emotions often doesn’t mean he doesn’t like feeling stuff sometimes.

I think Gears could’ve been forced to play piano as a kid and been really good at it, but the emotion was never there. He could play Rachmaninoff particularly well, but was never able to be creative or fluid enough for jazz.

Favorite Artist: Mary Lou Williams

Iceberg:

Iceberg, as cold as he is, has a very fiery personality and I think he’d be into metal, although he tries to pull back a little and sticks to hard rock when playing music around Gears because he doesn’t think Gears enjoys the extremity of it. One of his favorite genres is symphonic doom because it makes him feel cool when he’s running explosives tests. He wears thick headphones to block out any loud noises from the explosions, and then blasts his music at full volume.

Definitely did not play any instruments except for maybe a few self-taught songs on guitar. This man can sing Wonderwall at you.

Favorite Artist: Lethian Dreams

Shaw:

Shaw has heard it all, they are over music at this point. They just feel neutral about all of it, honestly, and not much music really speaks to them anymore. Shaw also seems the most likely to be the type to listen to one song on repeat until they get sick of it. If anything at all, they miss the disco era and still occasionally listen to funk.

They have been around long enough to play most instruments with reasonable skill. They can carry a tune on 30+ instruments easily.

Favorite artist: Although they feel pretty neutral now, they were into The O’Jays.

Glass:

Glass gets overwhelmed by music very easily, but I imagine he likes pop music generally. Generally only listens to whatever’s on the radio or whatever is playing, although he will take the time to listen to any song request given by patients.

I think Glass probably played a woodwind in middle/high school. Clarinet maybe? Not good at it, but never got rusty in terms of skills.

Favorite Artist: Taylor Swift

Rights:

Rights doesn’t have a specific genre, dabbles in lots of places, but that’s exactly how she likes it. She also likes the mysterious vibes that come with not telling people what she listens to, so she’ll never clarify. She goes through phases, but punk rock was a long one spanning 8 months.

I don’t think she ever played an instrument, but I think she’d be a quick learner if she ever decided to.

Favorite Artist: Destroy Boys

Strelnikov:

Strelnikov doesn’t listen to music in English because he likes to be able to relax while listening, and spending all day translating is well…not easy. Despite this, I don’t think he’s into the gopnik stuff like dubstep. He’s a military man through and through, so old songs from his childhood are usually what he plays.

I really like the idea that he plays guitar. The picture of Strelnikov on the wiki looks like a man who could play guitar. Can do fingerstyle Russian lullabies or just play the chords and sing along.

Favorite Artist: Definitely doesn’t remember the names of artists at all, but he’ll say he “like music from old soviet movie”. his favorite movie soundtrack is by Aleksandr Zatsepin

[yanderes-galore]

Give me a yandere concept for Smoker (One Piece) content pls i need it (there is so little of it🥲)

He may fail like every encounter with a pirate... But I love him. Genuinely upset I learned he isn't used more after Punk Hazard Arc. I miss the man....

Yandere! Smoker Concept/Ideas

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Stalking, Violence, Isolation, Overprotective behavior, Denial, Blood, Murder, Kidnapping, Delusional behavior, Dubious/Forced relationship.

I feel Smoker comes off as an intimidating yandere.

Although, I feel he acts differently depending on who his darling is.

Smoker would act differently if his obsession is a marine, civilian, or a pirate.

If you're a marine under him he'd be more controlling yet protective, soon not trusting you alone without him even if you are promoted.

If you're a civilian, he's a gruff and protective yandere who wants to keep his obsession safe and away from the dangers of the world.

He doesn't trust the marines/navy at times and especially doesn't trust pirates.

Speaking of pirates, Smoker would be the most 'aggressive' towards a pirate obsession.

Instead of being protective at first, Smoker is more obsessed with the idea of capturing you.

However, that slowly morphs into him being fond of you, which leads to him still wanting to cage you...

But keep you under his watchful eye, not the marines at Impel Down.

If you want to get more specific, Smoker would be even more conflicted if you're a Warlord since he doesn't particularly like them either.

There's many directions to take Smoker since he acts differently depending on his obsession.

Unless there's a demand for something specific though, I will try to keep it general.

Smoker is an experienced marine, even if he keeps being defeated when pursuing the Straw Hats.

He's persistent when chasing things, be that pirates or the obsession he's so fond of.

His Devil Fruit helps with that as it makes his whole body able to turn into smoke and helps ensnare targets.

It also makes him able to fly.

Smoker tends to enforce his own view of justice and even rebels against his superiors' orders often.

He's serious and honorable, yet also a loose canon.

He's also straightforward and rarely smiles, often taking a cynical view of things around him.

For the most part he's a protective yandere due to being a marine.

Although, I imagine possessive behavior tends to shine through when you're around others.

Smoker is a big and scary man, but has also shown he's capable of being benevolent and nice to innocents.

I imagine he keeps an eye on his obsession no matter who they are.

Are you a marine? Then he's keeping you somewhere in his command or always monitoring what you're doing if you outrank him.

Are you a civilian? Well, then he often watches over your hometown, making sure to take down any pirate threats before they get there.

Are you a pirate? Naturally he keeps an eye on you to make sure you aren't causing trouble... at least, that's what he tells himself.

Are you a warlord? It's similar to if you're a normal pirate, except it's easier to keep an eye on you since Warlords 'work' for The World Government.

He dislikes your free reign though.

Smoker seems like a yandere who would be in denial of his obsession.

He doesn't think he can get this attached to a person.

He needs to focus on his goals, he needs to focus on his job...

Yet you plague his mind anyways.

With a marine/civilian darling, I can see him wanting you to be his little house spouse.

He probably likes the domestic setting with you... and it keeps you safe.

With a pirate/warlord though... He would be more obsessed with the idea of keeping you caged and under his supervision.

He can't quite trust a pirate... even if they're his obsession.

He's fully capable of such a thing too.

He can use Sea Stone to keep you controlled and if you run, his smoke even helps him.

He's got quite the leash on you.

I don't really know how affectionate Smoker would be with his obsession.

Since he's so gruff he may just do subtle ways to show he cares for you.

It's small things like him settling behind you and putting his hands on your waist, or maybe even pulling you into his lap if he really wants to.

He's silent, not really wanting to talk while he gives you affection.

Smoker is a man who likes to stay focused.

Even during him smothering you with affection, he seems oddly focused with it.

It's to the point I can see him getting upset if someone interrupts his time with you.

He calls for breaks or moments where no one will call him just so he can take you aside and have you to himself.

I feel even when he doesn't want to admit it... you act as stress relief to him.

He likes your presence, be that with you in a cage or not.

He isn't quite sure why but you make him feel oddly... warm.

He does just about everything to excuse it, refusing to acknowledge it even when others point it out.

The only time he really accepts the fact he loves you is in the marine/civilian scenario as he would want to take you as his spouse.

Once he takes you as his spouse or just partner in general, he actually doesn't mind people knowing.

It makes him feel at ease that people know you're his.

While he keeps a close eye on his obsession in any scenario, if you're a pirate that's probably the most intense scenario.

He has a more warped view of love, seeing his obsession as better off in a cage than anywhere else.

That way you can't harm anyone or be harmed.

If you do, he'll be quick to use Sea Stone to render you compliant.

Smoker takes things very seriously.

If his obsession ever tries to run, he's quick to retaliate.

I can see him kidnapping his obsession yet he tries to justify it.

For example, maybe he wants you to step down as a marine, or give yourself up as a pirate, maybe he even thinks you're vulnerable as a civilian.

If you refuse to come with him, he may just capture you to prevent you from leaving him.

He'd say it's 'for your own good' or 'for everyone's safety'.

In reality, it feels too selfish.

Would you being free really jeopardize anything?

Smoker's punishments seem like they involve you being locked up more than anything physical.

If you insist on being problematic for him, then he'll cuff you until you swear to listen to him.

He's more likely to do that with a marine or pirate obsession, less likely with a civilian though.

In terms of if Smoker would murder, the possibility is there.

He doesn't like harming innocents, so it's either he gets delusional or only harms those who can harm you.

I feel he could be brutal too due to his smoke.

He could really damage the lungs.

It's hard to tell how he's feeling if he commits such an act, blood on his hands as he replays the events.

... Then he tries to tell himself that he did it for you.

You needed to be under his care for this exact reason, to prevent harm.

Afterwards with some justification, Smoker may be ready to do it again.

Even when you're in a cell or cage you look pretty to him... nothing can harm you and you can't cause any harm...

He hopes eventually you'll learn he's your boyfriend, hell, husband works too if he's feeling impatient.

Smoker overall is usually protective and stoic. He wants you safe and in his sight.

Although, he tends to tread a fine line between protective and possessive with his goals...

Hopefully you won't need to be in a cell for long, maybe he can recorrect that independence of yours if you keep fighting him....

[zombyjuice]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐒𝐓 —- 🍽️🍧episode one. lucy's first day back | next episode

IN WHICH- Lucy Cameron is finally back, and she has no idea what the Pouge's and their new addition going through and what adventure lies ahead of her. Theres people to choose from, gold to chase, love to run away from. what will she do?

Its already halfway through summer and you are just now coming back to outer banks for the first time in a year busy at the school your dad got you in that is specifically aimed towards animals, you being in the marine department.

You didn't except anything big not many people paid any mind to you thinking your strange for a kook, but first day back so many people were making uncomfortable small talk and giving gifts you'll probably throw in a corner of your room. You didn't even think your family would care that much, but I guess a year is a long while.

You and the family are now on the way to the midsummers ready for the party, you in the backseat having a short and concerning conversation with your brother.

Your eyes shoot everywhere trying to see if what your brother said so loudly caught the attention of your family in the car, but everyone seemed to be in their own world, and Sarah out of everyone was acting stranger than usual typing fast on her phone, not being very interactive, remembering her tell you about not liking topper anymore, which wasn't surprising just, interesting.

Your eyes widen and your face shoots right back to your older brother "you're doing what?!" a sharp whisper spills out my mouth "crack...? what never heard of it? I'm surprised. you know, usually people with holes," he stops waving his hands around and he points and pokes at your lip and nose piercing "in there face, knows what that is... crackheads"

---

As the Cameron family enter the decorated backyard everyone claps and cheers happy and big smiles. Lucy, had a long white cotton dress on with flowers embroided in it, once curly green hair now straightened  falling to the deep curve of her waist with a golden flower crown that matches her sisters green one and dewy glittery makeup to pull the look together, she awkwardly smiles and waves with Sarah, noticing her get pulled away by her boyfriend and you just followed behind your parents till you saw Pope and Kiara, she was staring at you with what seemed to be a distasteful look but once you looked her way her eyes shot somewhere else. This was confusing knowing where they last left off on, very close friends. Lucy, Sarah, and Kie they know everything about each other lucy and Kie being way closer having similar views on things Sarah always being the more out of touch one but that didn't take away from the fact you all loved each other.

So she's goes up to them.

"Heyy pope, hey Kie, haven't seen you guys in forever!" pope cheerfully smiles and hugs you tightly "Hi lucy man we've missed you," he looks to Kiara who looks like she wants to die, eyes staring everywhere else and lip curling "right Kie?" he nudges, lucys heart dropped and the air shifts feeling now tense and awkward a scoff slips from Kiara's lips, and she rolls her eyes "I'm leaving" not forgetting to roughly push past your shoulder, you scoff and move next to pope watching her walk away "is she being for real right now? like what the hell" pope sighs "you've missed a lot, her and Sarah are on sum rocky waters" he pats your back "but hey, try this, its fire." you turn and pope gets ready and tosses the shrimp thinking you'd open your mouth but it only slapped your straight face "rocky waters?"

--

"Can you believe this Midsummer shit, man?" john be sighs "Of course I can. Happens every year. No matter how screwed up the rest of us are." jj scoffs and shrugs "So, like, what's the plan, exactly?" they begin there walk towards the party "Okay, look I need you to get this to Sarah." John passes a note towards JJ as he tries to speed up, "oo! can I read it?" "No, you can't read it." "who's Vlad?" "God, do you ever listen?" "Hold up. are you macking Sarah Cameron? "Dude, would you shut up, shut up!" "Your macking Sarah Cameron!" "All right man! I'm doin it for everybody, all right?"

JJ goes quiet a devilish smirk raising "what!" he shakes his head "nothin. Thanks for bein a team player, bro. hey, hey! maybe i should mack on sum lucy juicy, you know, for us" he starts to laugh "whats funny is that you havent seen or spoken to the girl in a year" "yeah man, whatever, don't be mad when you see me posted up with her... whenever she gets back. you know that shits not funny! Shes a sensitive topic" john b scoffs "yeah yeah now would you stay still" he begins to help jj with his disguise.

---

"what are you doing out front, your parents are in there kid" one of the security guards say looking at me with a look of concern but doesn't leave his place on the stairs "oh nothing, I don't feel like being in there it's not what I expected" a sigh leaving my lips and I melt in my chair usually id enjoy going to a party with my friends at least, like a Keiger but I haven't been to one in a while, or to any party matter of fact the marine nerds aren't really party people. I feel like I poke out like a sore thumb in obx, now more than ever, and the one person I was excited to see somehow hates me, it's embarrassing honestly.

So i just settle with playing with my drink and looking inside the house watching everyone interact.

"I keep finding glasses way down the beach" like a dog my ears perk up and my back straightens to the familiar voice, but I don't act on it, I keep my head turned and just listen if its the voice i think it is i might just cry "Do me a favor. Try to keep 'em corralled, will ya? I thought you were security" the voice scoffs and you giggle to yourself, turning your head around as he turns the corner and go to follow him shortly behind.

From where your standing you can see him converse with pope and you can see how distress pope was you could tell something was wrong as the wheels start to turn in your head and the dots almost connect themselves you can now see his face, its beaten, and your heart skips an unwanted beat as you see him walk up to Sarah, you know why she doesn't like toper anymore and you know why everyone has been acting weird there's something going on with all of them but you don't know what or who.

You watch them interact closely and a smile you can't even tell is very apparent on your face. He's such a doofus. He shuffles around Sarah passing her a note, it must be from john b, wheezy told me about him and Sarah "flirting on the boat" but you didn't take it seriously. you watch as your crazy brother walk up to him and start to say something shoving him a bit and backing him u- Oh shit... your crazy brother.

"Well, here are the hors d'oeuvres. oh shit. lucy?"

TAGLIST!

@mariamadison6-blog

[whateverisbeautiful]

This is a big one, so I am sorry! There’s a creator on this platform and others that says cruel things about Judith, and though I am Judith’s biggest fan, as she is such a mini Michonne, sometimes I agree with them and here is why. The conversation that Rick gives to Michonne when he tells her about Judith not being his child surrounds obligation. The only reason Rick tells Michonne this is because it was an answer to the question, “ What kind of a life?” Then he proceeds to tell her “ I had to accept that( her being Shane’s child) so that I could keep her alive.” And it wouldn’t mean anything, if the next transition wasn’t him equating that acceptance to accepting living under Negans boot, as he then proceeds to say, “ this is how we live now, I had to accept that TOO, so I could keep everyone else alive.” He then doubles down by saying, “ you have to accept this, or it won’t work.” I’ve always ignored Judith’s resentment because she is my favorite but your breakdowns have got me considering some uncomfortable truths because though Rick is her dad, that conversion was the only time he’s ever said he loves her and it was in defense of him telling Michonne that he had to accept her. I’ve always ignored the idea of him saying he had to in order to keep her alive, because it hurts to think of our Judy as an obligation, but that stings, him saying that keeping her alive was only allowed by him accepting who she was. I tried to ignore it but then I realized everytime they showed Rick really thinking or closing in on Judy, his thoughts of Shane were close by. Everytime Rick asked about her in TWOL, it was only about her life. He knew she was alive in TWOL, be decided to die without even dreaming about her. Rick saying, “ this is how we live now,” was him expressing to Michonne that accepting a child who is the product of betrayal is how he has to live now. Maybe that person is getting to me, idk, but I will say, their world is not black or white and Rick grimes is a human being, and based on his actions, I could understand why it would be hard to raise a child who was born out of an affair, as Judith isn’t adopted by him in the traditional sense; her existence does betray Rick. Do you think Rick holds any resentment? Sorry, I know this question is hard.

This one is definitely tough. But I respect the way you communicated your thoughts on it. I feel protective of Judith’s character as well. There’s often so much commentary trying to ignorantly discredit her role in the Grimes family when adopted children are equally loved in so many families around the world.

I think Judith initially stirred up a lot of different emotions for Rick. But I truly believe Rick fully embraced Judith as his own without resentment very early on. I ended up having more thoughts on this than I realized, and I wrote out the rest here ⬇️💗: 

I remember there was this deleted TWD scene during that time when Rick was isolating himself after Lori died. From what I can remember, Rick takes a moment to come up and check on Carl and then he hears or sees the baby but doesn’t really acknowledge her as he returns back to the tombs. At the earliest stage of Judith’s arrival, it’s understandable that Rick was grappling with a lot. Due to the circumstances, Rick did have to accept/choose Judith as his child in a different way than he had to accept Carl when he was born or even RJ when he learned of him.

However, I think when Rick shared with Michonne how he had to accept that Judith wasn’t his so that he could keep her alive, I personally interpret that as Rick saying he knew he was going to love this child as his own and he needed to be able to do that under the reality of the situation rather than having to pretend she’s his blood in order for him to love her.

I think Rick didn’t want to feel like the whole reason I’m loving her and raising her is because I’m ignoring her parentage - he needed to accept that he could wholeheartedly love her as his daughter even with knowing her origins. And he likens that to the Negan situation because he’s saying we have to be able to accept living under this Negan reign rather than only being able to go on if we’re in denial of the reality. 

When Lori was pregnant with Judith, Rick had already been committed to raising this baby while deep down knowing she was Shane and Lori’s child. I think realizing he’d now be raising this newborn in an apocalypse without her mother was a very difficult thing to process after Lori didn’t make it. (Fortunately, Judith’s mother Michonne was quickly on her way). It’s completely human for Rick to have felt a bit aggrieved by the responsibility placed on his shoulders because the two people closest to him were disloyal. Having negative feelings attached to that betrayal makes complete sense.

But from everything we’ve seen of Rick, I feel like one; he chose not to view Judith as a negative representation of two people he loved but as a representation of the positive. His relationship with Shane and Lori crashed and burned in the end, but they were still people Rick sincerely cared about and once they were gone I think Rick ultimately chose to see Judith as the bit of good in them remaining.

And two; we know Rick is someone who fully commits once he decides someone is family. So I think when he holds Judith in that prison, he decides that Judith is his daughter and he never looked back nor held resentment toward her or having to raise her.

Yes, he felt an obligation to Judith but not because she was his burden - because she was his baby. And I think he definitely treated her as such throughout all the seasons.

TWD didn’t give Rick and Judith much screen time so I think the lack of “I love you” remarks just had to do with it not being shown rather than it not being felt. Similar to how Rick and Michonne only said “I love you” once in TWD despite it being very clear that it’s something they said to each other often (which I love that TOWL pretty much confirmed this with the way Rick stayed saying I love you in his letters.).

In TOWL, Rick had individual phone images made of Judith (again, I’d so love to hear how Rick described Judith and Michonne to the portraitist because I just know how he spoke of them would have been really loving and heartfelt), and when he reunites with Michonne the first word out of his mouth is Judith. He loved and missed Judith deeply, and I always feel like the reason Judith came up less while Rick was away was largely because it was just too painful as a parent to think about his little girl and not know if she was okay or even alive.

He knew Judith was with Michonne so that probably gave him some hope that she was still here, but also kids don’t tend to fare well in their world so even just the “what if…” about something bad happening to Judith was probably too much to even think about for long. I think he asks specifically if she’s alive first because of that. And then I always love his response when Michonne says she’s okay and he repeats it and gets choked up upon finally knowing that his daughter is okay. That meant something immense to him to hear that Judith was doing well. 

And afterward, he again wants to confirm that Judith is okay rather than just alive.

I know I always tend to lean toward thinking Rick and Michonne take the high road or have emotionally mature responses in the various scenarios presented but that’s largely because I genuinely think that’s the type of commendable noble character they both have. Even in all the complexity of their humanness and difficult emotions, I think their heart for others ultimately is what prevails.

So to more succinctly answer the question - I don’t think Rick holds resentment or loves Judith out of obligation. And if anything, Judith played a part in saving Rick. I think about that one scene where Rick is reading Carl’s letter while watching Michonne and Judith below. The staging of that is very intentional because as Rick has to come to terms with losing such a core part of his heart in Carl, he’s able to look down and see that two instrumental parts of his heart are still here.

And if Rick could be asked, I feel he’d say Michonne and Judith are what saved him after that loss and they along with RJ now are what make life worth living. 

[kyanitedragon]

I'm finally watching The Original Series for the first time (after having watched basically every other Star Trek series) and man is this a fun trip!!

I know all the Trek lore from the other series, but amazingly I've managed to avoid the majority of TOS spoilers. And the few spoilers I do know, I have very little context for them.

And so, with that unique perspective, here are my thoughts:

TOS is equally so similar to and so different from the later series.

The lore, the characters, the set up — it's all the same. It's clear that Gene Roddenberry knew from the get-go what he wanted this series to be.

And yet the series is just so 60's. The dramatic music cues, the dramatic zooms, the over-acting in the fight scenes. Even the starship design looks so foreign to me — so angular and square and with so many buttons.

It's entertainingly frustrating to me how ill-equiped Kirk's enterprise is against inside threats. Kirk doesn't have a main head of security, and he rarely uses security on-board at all. The amount of times that people just waltz out of sickbay when McCoy turns his head, how so many antagonists straight up walk onto the bridge, the amount of times characters enter others' rooms without permission??

Kirk is so casual as a captain and I absolutely adore it. Voyager is my favorite Trek specifically because of how they all become a found family throughout their journey. And TOS has that from the get-go! The very first scene we see is Kirk and McCoy joking around on their mission — clearly old friends.

And it's not just his friends McCoy and Spock, but Kirk is rather casual and lax with his entire crew too. I love TNG and I love Picard but I was never a personal fan of how authoritative and professional he liked his ship.

I like seeing all the likely inspiration from these early episodes. There's so many episodes with mischevious god-like aliens, and I just know they had to be inspiration for Q. Especially Trelane, who literally put Kirk on trial like the very first episode of TNG. So many episodes revolve around computers wanting to achieve "perfection", which likely lead to the Borg. Especially Landru which had a speech that sounded a lot like the Borg.

And Kirk and Spock. Man, where to even begin? Obviously I knew people shipped them, but... Wow.

I'm honestly a little shocked that Trek did go more authoritative in later Treks. Kirk and Spock are just so close. Kirk is so handsy. They banter and joke back and forth all the time. It's so far away from the professionalism of any other on-duty starfleet officer in any Trek. And I absolutely love it.

Kirk and Spock start the show already friends. I had no idea this was the case going in, I thought episode 1 was going to be them meeting for the first time as Captain and Second Officer, the first day of their mission — just like all later Treks do. And I got so excited when I realized they were already best friends.

And I love how, despite already being so close, their relationship just evolves from there. For the first half of season 1, I thought they were cute, sure, and they had some moments, but I didn't see the big deal. But by the second half? Oh. Ohh I understand now. I get it.

And I love the consistancy between episodes. The show isn't serialized, it's episodic, and yet if you pay attention, you can catch little references and connections to previous episodes. Kirk mentioning he has a brother at the start of the season, and one of the last episodes is about his brother dying. Kirk learning that "half-breed" bothers Spock early on, and knowing to use it when he needs to get him angry in the last episodes. Just to name two. And I've poked around the fandom and seen you guys mention so many more little callbacks that I had missed.

Later Treks do a good job giving pretty equal screentime to their large casts. But TOS is so heavily focused on the Kirk, Spock, McCoy trio. It's not a bad thing, I love them together, but it just feels weird to me. Similar to the security thing, it also feels so inefficient and dangerous to have the Captain, Second in Command, and Chief Medical Officer on almost every single away-mission.

McCoy is so interesting to me. Later Treks tend to keep their doctors mostly in sickbay. But McCoy is almost constantly on the bridge just hanging out. It feels weird to have the doctor as a main character, but I had always wanted the doctor characters to have more screentime, so I'm definitely not complaining!!

And on a similar note — Spock is blue. He's the only Second in Command of all the Treks that wears blue and not Command colors. I've been so used to seeing barely any blues among the bridge crew, and now TOS has Spock and Bones both in blue and on the bridge near-constantly. I always wanted to see more Science officers in the main cast, so it makes me really happy to see it.

I've only finished Season 1 of 3, but already I have a feeling it's gonna be competing with Voyager for my favorite Trek series.

[queen-of-hawkins-why-ler]

It becomes so obvious that Milkvan isn't supposed to be endgame when you compare the development (or lack thereof) of their relationship to Lumax's. Mike and El are supposedly the main characters and "the main couple" of the show, but if this were actually the case, then why wouldn't the writers spend more time developing their relationship like they have developed Lumax's?

Truth be told, Mike and El's storyline does not have much "development" beyond what happens in the show on a surface level. In s1, they meet each other, become friends, and Mike hides and protects El from the people who are trying to harm her. When he loses her at the end of s1, he subsequently misses her a lot in s2 and they spend the season looking for each other. It's very sweet when they reunite, but even so, not a lot is happening with their relationship besides the obvious, which is that they are happy to see each other again.

Contrast this to Lumax in s2, which portrays an actual relationship DYNAMIC that goes beyond a surface level. Lucas likes Max, and Max likes Lucas, but there are so many layers to how they feel about each other and what is actually going on between them. Lucas likes and cares about Max and wants to get to know her better, but he is genuinely afraid for her safety and doesn't want to involve her in the supernatural. On the other side of it, Max is clearly drawn to Lucas the more she gets to know him, but she has a difficult time trusting or opening up to people, especially when she realizes that the boys are deliberately shunning her and leaving her out of the know and AV Club meetings. Not to mention the entire problem of race, wherein Max is afraid of how her racist, emotionally abusive brother is going to react to her becoming intimately involved with a black boy. Needless to say, Lumax from the very beginning is a complex relationship that has lots of layers, while Mike and El's relationship is pretty straightforward: boy loses girl, boy and girl miss each other, boy and girl are happy to be reunited.

While s3 doesn't do a whole lot for Lucas and Max other than showing them being cute together, it does set the stage for s4 Lumax, which beautifully continues the aforementioned themes. In s2, we are introduced to the idea of Lucas wanting to open up Max and allow her to be in the know, but he does so with the fear that she could get herself killed: that he could lose her. Max, too, is unsure about the amount of risk that comes with opening herself up to somebody, and the answer to both of these problems is both characters' worst nightmare: Max getting hurt and them losing each other. We see Lucas trying so hard and doing everything he can to reach out to Max. He loves her so selflessly and wants her to know that he is there for her no matter what, but she is of course still so traumatized from what happened to Billy and scared of what Vecna is doing to her that she struggles to open herself up freely. And when she finally does, she STILL reaps the consequences and is targeted by Vecna. And of course Lucas feels like his worst fears have become a reality, and Max's ultimate fate is a direct follow up to the initial conflict that was set up for Lumax in s2.

Think about how much thought had to be put into creating that relationship for it to not only work but to be well-executed within the show itself. Not to mention that all of these story elements get developed by way of Lumax developing both as individuals and as a couple. We see them succumbing to their fears. We see them growing apart and together. Most importantly, we see them COMMUNICATING. Max pulls away from Lucas because she is afraid, but Lucas pulls her right back in and assures her that he is there for her, he is protecting her, he loves her. Do we see any of this depth for Milkvan? No. Because there isn't any depth.

In what season (or scene for that matter) have we ever watched Mike and El struggle against what they are faced with both individually and as a couple?? Mind you, there have been plenty of opportunities in this story for Mike and El to develop and to take things on together. And in a very literal sense, they DO take on things together, these things are just utterly surface-level and transparent. Mike is scared that people are under or overestimating El and what her powers are capable of, so he bats for her and tries his best to advocate for her and be by her side. Okay, that's great. El, on the other hand, worries that Mike could be holding her back so she tries relying on herself and her newfound best friend for strength (interesting writing choice lmao). Again, great. But what's happening here beyond a surface level? Nothing. There are no subsequent layers to Mike and El's relationship that the show would have us dive into. And if we ARE in fact supposed to dig into Mike and El's relationship, we are only doing so...

To directly contrast the lack of depth in Milkvan's relationship to the depth we see in Mike and Will's relationship. Milkvan hasn't been layered and built up the same way Byler has because they are not a main focus of the story. Byler IS, on the other hand, which is why their relationship is just as fleshed out and developed as Lumax's. Milkvan gets virtually no development beyond a surface level for four whole seasons, meanwhile Byler's relationship shifts and changes again and again. Even from the beginning, when we barely see Mike and Will interact, we are shown that they share a special bond that is contrasted to the platonic friendship that the other boys have, and we see Mike ceaselessly, endlessly searching for Will with no intention on ever giving up (side note: when Mike is missing El in s2, does he ever throw the tantrums he threw for Will or try to get everyone else involved in finding El the way he did for Will?? Does he ever claim to be the "only one who cares about El?" No). When he finds Will, he stays stuck to him like glue and does everything in his power to watch over and protect Will, the same way Lucas does for Max. In s3, we see Mike and Will's relationship get rocky and we see them struggle, but we also see Mike develop and go the distance as far as mending his relationship with Will, which is something we barely see for Mike and El in the same season. And then in s4, we see the ultimate demonstration of Mike and Will literally working as a team, taking on each other's problems, and most importantly, COMMUNICATING about said problems. They check in on each other, they make sure that the other is okay. They are real about their feelings and don't deliberately hide things from one another (besides the fact that they love each other, ofc, which they only feel the need to hide because it is unsafe and because they are afraid of how the other would react). Needless to say, Lumax and Byler are both well-written, fleshed out, and get development. There are many layers to these relationships as well as shifting dynamics and real, relevant plot threads. Milkvan gets none of these things. Probably because their relationship does not go much deeper than "they care about each other." The only thing worth exploring in terms of the depth of their relationship is all the things Mike isn't able to do and the ways he isn't able to be there for El because his priorities lie with Will.

[wzrd-wheezes]

Carolling - James Potter x Reader

AN- so I had this idea at the start of december based on that tiktok trend that was going around but i kinda ran out of time to write it. I hope its not too late to post this! I was also thinking about doing a remus and sirius version but idk. Anyways! I hope you all had a lovely festive period <3

It was a silly idea, really. One that had come up many times on her phone as she scrolled mindlessly on her commute to work. James was usually the one behind the pranks but today she decided it was her turn. 

Her fingers tapped across the keys of her phone as she typed out the message to her boyfriend.  

“Are you free on the 20th Dec?” 

His response was almost immediate, albeit him being at work. 

“Think so lovey. Why?” 

She smiled to herself mischievously, already anticipating his outraged reaction when he read her next message.  

“I’ve signed us up for Christmas carolling x” 

Once again, James’s response was immediate. 

“What???” 

“Christmas carolling around the village. We’re in a group with 4 or 5 other people. Think we get our songbooks delivered tomorrow. Anyway, got to go – super busy at work. Love you!” 

She finished the message off quickly, revelling in the fact that James was likely stewing in confusion. Her phone pinged again. And again. She ignored it, knowing that in an hour or so her boyfriend would be bursting through the door with a million questions. 

James’s reaction had caught her off guard when he’d stumbled through the door an hour later than usual. 

“Sorry I’m back late, babe. Had to nip to the shop on the way home to pick up some essentials for our big night out!” He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth as he bustled into the kitchen, a large shopping bag in each hand. 

“Our big night out?” She repeated, quirking an eyebrow at him. 

“Yeah? The Christmas carolling? Did you not see my texts?” he started to rifle through the bags, “Mind you, you did say that you were busy at work so you might not have seen them. Not to worry though!” 

Y/N slipped her hand into her pocket and fished out her phone, quickly glancing at his messages.  

“Sounds amazing! Shame we don’t have our matching Christmas jumpers anymore :( “  

Below that, another one:  

“omg I'll go to the shop on my way home and get us new ones. Any preference on design?”  

And then a few minutes later, another one: 

“And matching hats too? Or is that too far...?” 

“Oh. Sorry, yeah I didn’t see them-”  

“Don't worry! Look at the jumpers I got us!” He pulled two brightly knit jumpers from one of the bags and chucked one towards her, “I didn’t know whether to just go with a Santa. You know, classic! But then I saw these-” 

“James, I-” She tried to interject. 

“Penguins!” he continued undeterred, “Look at them, babe! I just couldn’t resist!”  

“James, one second-” 

“I’m nearly done,” he chattered excitedly, “And then, you know how you said we were doing it in groups? Well, I bought a pack of six Santa hats so we can all match and then I thought, ‘what if we get cold?’ so I bought some disposable cups for everyone so we can make them all a hot chocolate. Oh! And i got some candy canes-” 

“James. I was joking.”  

For the first time in the twenty minutes he had been home, her boyfriend had stopped talking. He sat the pack of candy canes he had been showing her down on the counter, his brows furrowing a little. 

“Joking about what, love?” He cocked his head at her. 

“We’re not going carol singing. It was a joke. This trend has been going around online where girls tell their boyfriends that they’ve signed them up and the boyfriends always get confused and don’t want to go-” 

“Why would they not want to go? Sounds like a great activity to me...?”  

“Yes, because you’re lovely and now I feel bad.” She starred down at the floor, trying her best to avoid her boyfriend's eyes, “I didn’t think you would be up for it and I thought I'd just string you along for a bit and it would be funny and now you’ve made so much effort.” 

“Oh. Well, obviously I’m a little disappointed that you didn’t actually sign us up but we can still do it, can’t we?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Like, we can just go carolling round at our friends houses. Seems a shame not to show off our new jumpers. Did you see that they have penguins on?” 

Y/N just smiled to herself, looking at her sweet boyfriend who was flitting about the kitchen as excited as a child on Christmas eve.  

[mimikoolover]

i’m a kookmin truther but how is the heart km photo more sus than possibly jk back hugging a woman? appearing to be teasing her where it doesn’t look totally platonic at all?

my belief is whether kookmin is STILL dating right now, at the very least kookmin fooled around more than once and their dynamic and relationship deserve some eyebrow raising if they’re seeing other people while doing the things they are doing.

however, it really boggles my mind when kookminers totally act like there’s nothing sus about those videos. it’s one thing to think that man wasn’t jk but to acknowledge it MIGHT be him, then you should also be more honest.

I genuinely think it was him. I cope by thinking that we had a vague timeline, although we have an idea given the hairstyle that man had. I cope by believing JK and Jimin tried to date, broke up, see other people and whatever they are doing months before enlisting.

I always held onto the belief that they have such a peculiar relationship. That if something is truly going on, good for them and for me, as i can say I’m not surprised. However, if in this universe they never truly “officially” dated, i would have so many questions and i definitely feel bad about their significant others.

i think in your mind him being in a straight relationship is automatically more realistic. imo you can't infer anything sus from the video because they're not kissing or even sitting on the couch cuddling. jungkook is quite a playful person i assume with everyone so back hugging isn't that sus. if you remember (you may not) the picture of him with the tattoo artist, he was back hugging her too so...you could argue that was sus? if he took a pic like the heart arch pic with a woman, would you think that was more sus than the video or not? i think for all of us thinking objectively is hard because what we feel will be influenced by our internal biases and how we think about jikook too. but it's not like i /want/ jikook to date each other. i'm fine with whatever they are. i'm not fighting you on your opinion for that reason. if i'm honest one of the reasons why i think the video wasn't sus is because he went on to deny having a gf right after the leak which i'm pretty sure was the truth, given his don't give a fuck attitude in 2023, i doubt he would have denied it if it were true, especially as that has not happened before (with the tattoo artist). so maybe he dated her earlier and not by the time he denied it but idk.

peculiar is the right word but tbh i don't think either of them had a significant other you'd have to feel sorry for, as in even if they were casually seeing other ppl i don't think it ever got very far (so far). if it did i think jikook may have 'cooled off' from each other especially jungkook cause he seems (again just my perception of him) very dedicated to the person he loves given how he's followed jimin around like a puppy, complained about not spending time with him etc. he would quite happily be with jimin 24/7 so if that were his S/O i bet they'd get at least this level of sole dedication.

funnily i think about the content of your ask quite a lot...i also think it's interesting that this topic only comes up concerning jungkook and not 'sus' things about jimin that tbh i don't even bother looking into but saw a bit about back in the day (that actress posting from his place or whatever?).

there are a lot of things (gossip) about jikook and all members of bts, like any other celebs but tbh i made peace with not ever really knowing for sure. when liam payne died and it came out he lied about having kidney issues to cover up going to rehab, for some reason that really stuck with me (in addition to him hiring 2 sex workers before he died...) like we don't know celebs lol i will say with bts, i don't think they do stuff in secret that will disappoint us or be scandalous. but i can see jikook dating each other and them also not dating each other, i guess when we get confirmation of either we still won't know any details. so to me it doesn't make that much of a difference what i think about this all lol.