#his acts of service i think are tHE thing that really allowed them to remain frenemies instead of just enemies

[imvgincs]

swipe [Kyumin & Sooji]

. 𓇬 𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖘 .

( sender notices a smudge of something on receiver's face and gently wipes it off. )

                         maybe   it   was   a   miracle,   or   perhaps   pigs   were   finally   taking   flight,   because   for   once   in   a   blue   moon,   you   could   argue   that   sooji   and   kyu   were   actually   getting   along.   it   was   like   they   were   teenagers   again,   and   sooji   had   allowed   herself   to   linger   a   little   longer   at   the   base.   that   was   why   they   had   all   gathered   to   eat   together,   reminiscing   about   old   times,   thanks   to   jeremy   and   his   knack   for   cooking.   sometimes   sooji   thought   he   would   have   made   a   great   house   husband   if   he   hadn't   chosen   a   life   of   crime.   she   was   deep   in   conversation   with   jer   when   she   felt   a   light   touch   brush   against   her   cheek.   half-expecting   it   to   be   jojo   or   zak,   she   turned   to   find   ash   there   instead,   confusion   flickering   across   her   features.   ❛   you   know,   you   could've   just   told   me   there   was   something   on   my   face,  ❜   she   said,   using   the   back   of   her   hand   to   check   if   there   was   anything   there.

[cosmicjoke]

One thing I think people don't really understand is what it specifically was about Erwin that Levi admired so much and why he considered Erwin to be a greater man than himself for so long.

Specifically, it was Erwin's seeming ability to sacrifice his humanity for the benefit of others. To Levi, that seemed like the ultimate personal sacrifice and so, also, an act of ultimate altruism. And we see Levi try to emulate Erwin in this regard throughout the story, because Levi has always wanted, more than anything, to simply help as many people as he can, to the greatest extent of his ability.

But it's something Levi struggles to emulate, and that's where I think Levi's admiration of Erwin lies. He sees Erwin as capable of a greater sacrifice than himself. Levi's speech to the 104th, about his willingness to become a "lunatic" that kills people, so long as it means others don't have to do the same, is a manifestation of this desire on his part. To be like Erwin. Levi believes that Erwin is willing to be a monster so long as it spares others the same fate, and Levi wants to do that, too.

But, again, we see Levi really struggle throughout the story to do that. We see it in his obvious disturbance over having to torture Sannes. We see it in him giving up Petra's badge to a grieving soldier, unable to turn a blind eye to his pain. We see it in his struggle to stand by while others engage Annie in Trost. We see it in his inability to drag Erwin back to life and make him suffer as their commander. We see it in Levi's failed attempts to remain at a distance from his comrades in the hopes that, by doing so, he won't feel the pain of their losses so keenly. I could go on and on with examples of how Levi isn't ever, truly able to sacrifice his humanity. How he isn't quite ever able to make himself into a monster.

But it's ironic, because it's actually Levi's inability to sacrifice his humanity that is the mark of his own altruism. Because he cares too much about people to ever close his heart to them, no matter the cause.

He saw Erwin's ability to do this as altruistic because he believed it was in the service of something entirely selfless. And he believed Erwin could take the burden of that sacrifice because it was done for the greater good. Because it was done for others. It should have absolved Erwin of any guilt for that reason. Because, ultimately, it wasn't for himself.

But then he discovers that, in truth, it was never selfless. That Erwin sacrificed his humanity for a personal dream, and as a result, was burdened by a terrible guilt that began to consume him.

This realization is when Levi at last begins to understand that Erwin was never a greater man than himself. Levi never would have sacrificed his own humanity for anything less than the greater good, for example, because his own altruism lies in the compassion and care he holds for others. Nothing is worth more to Levi than people and their lives.

What makes Levi's admiration of Erwin, and his belief that Erwin is a greater man than himself, particularly ironic, is that it's Levi's own naked and overwhelming humanity that Erwin admired in Levi. His great humanity is the very thing that allowed Erwin to entrust to Levi his own fate and the fate of humanity. He knew, because of that purity of heart and intent in Levi, that Levi would always do the right thing, that he'd never compromise what he felt was the morally right choice. That, in fact, Levi would never sacrifice his humanity to any cause.

Again, Levi's admiration of Erwin's seeming ability to sacrifice his humanity for the greater good was always a product of his own, deep desire to help others. Levi wanted to be able to do that, to be like that. To help people in the most effective and meaningful way possible. He saw Erwin's ability to cut his heart off from sentiment and feeling for a goal greater than himself as the greatest sacrifice one could make for others, and thus, as testament to Erwin's altruism. By comparison, he felt his own inability to do the same was testament to his being somehow lesser, as failing to do all he could for others. In truth, though, it was always his inability to cut his own heart off that defined the genuineness of his commitment to others. He wanted so much to help because he cared.

That's why he followed Erwin with such loyalty and belief. He believed Erwin was more altruistic than himself because he believed Erwin was more committed than he was capable of being.

But of course, that was never true. Again, it was always Levi's inability to sacrifice his humanity that was the mark of his altruism. It was his inability to become a monster that marked him as the true encapsulation of the Survey Corps' ideals.

To fight for humanity.

Because what could more truly define the fight for humanity than a refusal to give ones own humanity up? What could more truly encapsulate that fight than compassion and kindness? The very things humanity itself is defined as.

Levi was never able to stop caring. He was never able to bring himself to become cold and unfeeling toward the suffering, plight or need of others. And so he carried the pain of that always. It was a great burden to him, to have to carry that pain. This pain of empathy. It caused him great suffering. But if it meant easing the burden of others, it was a pain Levi was willing to hold. And again, that's the irony, that he thought of himself as a lesser man than Erwin because Erwin, he believed, had sacrificed his humanity to spare others suffering the same.

All along, it was actually Levi carrying that weight, the burden of taking on violence, taking on "sin", taking on loss and grief and isolation, not because he'd sacrificed his humanity, but because his humanity was something he couldn't sacrifice. He could never shut off his heart. He eased the suffering of others by caring for their suffering. By showing them he cared. That came from Levi’s humanity. From feeling the pain in others, from wanting to understand and soothe it, even as it hurt him in turn.

It's because of that that Levi fought so hard for others.

His very altruism was always rooted in his compassion.

[im-not-batman]

Okay i am SO excited that people were interested so here it is. I need to preface this with the fact that it won't be totally 1-to-1.

9-1-1/The West Wing Fusion crossover AU thing

SO, i already said Bobby is the President. Not only does it make sense for his relationships with everyone else, but he is also very similar to Bartlett in a lot of ways: the Catholicism, the hidden illness (Jed's MS and Bobby's Alcoholism and PTSD), the strong moral compass and the way they are always everyone's go-to for advice. Also the way they deal with problems and conflict.

Athena is obviously FLOTUS. Unfortunately i suffer with Can't-Stand-Athena Disease, so i'm leaning on my love of Abbey for this one. But they're both very capable, intelligent women who can't be told what to do. Both are completely devoted to their families and are even self-destructive with that love sometimes. (Athena going after Amir (DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT - FUCKING ACAB) and Abby secretly treating Jed's MS and putting her lisence in question).

May and Harry should take on the roles of Zoey and Ellie respectively. May still being the older sibling, i just think they fit the personalities of the siblings better that way. Harry being distant and aloof until they have a breakthrough, May being close to the family and friendly with the other staffers. Also the Charlie/Zoey of it all.

Hen (my beloved) is Chief of Staff. This feels obvious. She's already Bobby's second in command, she's got the instict for it, and the respect of all the others. I also think she would still have a fire fighting background and she got into politics later. I just think that experience would be vital for her as COS, similar to Leo's military service. I also think a professional history like that would also commmand respect from strangers.

For Deputy Chief of Staff I'm (perhaps predictably) going with Eddie. I was toying with the idea of it being Chim but you'll see why i didn't got there when i explain his role. But yeah, Eddie's perfect for this one. Both he and Josh are dramatic about everything, they both have well-meaning hearts that sometimes results in them doing or saying stupid shit, they have deepseated issues that cause them to push people away. Also, need i say it? SHOOTING ARC! This also (again predictably i fear) allows for the EPIC ROMANCE of Josh and Donna to be mapped onto Buddie.

Which brings me of course to Buck. He's gotta be Donna. They've got the shared history of failed relationships with some not great people (but remain hopeless romantics anyway), Buck flitting from job to job and Donna not having much work experience go hand on hand too. Also they're both very capable and intelligent but hide it/don't realise that fully. I like to think that Maddie qas the one to get him his job amd Eddie was just a bit too scared to question her.

Now Maddie. This might be an unpopular decision because on the surface they are nothing alike, but I'm putting Maddie in Toby's spot. Not only does she suit Director of Communications perfectly – Maddie is the fucking QUEEN of coomunication (season 5 notwithstanding lol) but she and Toby share a lot of their values. Sure, Toby's a miserable, pessimistic asshole about it, but they both believe in a very black and white definition right and wrong. They are both loyal to a fault (even Toby's treason was an act of loyalty you can fight me on this but you will LOSE) and do everything they can to protect the people they love. Also i just love them both so much i want to fuse them into one because it makes me feel like a mad scientist in a lab trying to create the perfect character out of goo and slime and glitter.

Anyway! For Maddie's second, I'm really not sure. I was thinking maybe Linda or Josh but neither fit particularly well to me. Idk, let me know what you guys think.

Okay. Chim. Think how perfect he'd be as Press Sec. Please. That man is BORN to be on camera. He's charismatic and friendly and relatable, he comes across as approachable but fr who would cross him if he put his foot down? No one! Also. I IMPLORE you to please imagine him doing the Jackal. It was so hard to figure out who i'd trust to take up the mantel of CJ "baddest bitch around" Cregg because i love her so much but when i started to consider Chimney it felt obvious 😅 i also just think he'd love to have the opportunity to evicerate an asshole on live television, and he DESERVES that opportunity too. And if you were wondering: Yes I DO ship CJ and Toby. Hence Madney being their counterparts.

Now for my boy Charlie!!! It of course HAS to be Ravi!! Those boys are the sweetest loveliest boys on the planet! They pair up so well! I also have a headcanon that, similar to Charlie, Ravi has younger siblings he's always had to take care of because their mum died and their dad worked too much. So. Yeah. Also lowkey May x Ravi nation where are you please accept me into your ranks.

Anyway, i hope this is acceotable to everyone who was interested. I might write something in this AU one day but if you have ever interacted with me before you should know not to hold your breath lmao

Tagging @pangrams-n-palindromes from my other post so they see this, I hope that's okay!

[yaksha-lover]

hi i hope you’re doing well :)

could you do a fic on cater or jade in the vampire au?

thank you <3

I went with Jade for this one! Thanks for the request, I’m sorry I took a long time with it <3

cw: slightly mean/manipulative jade, vampire things (blood drinking), minor wounds (cut), suggestive(ish)

“Oh dear, there’s no need for tears~” Jade says, half-patronizing as he strokes your hair. His condescension almost makes you pull away, but his other arm is locked tight around your back. You aren’t sure if the act is more comforting or distressing; maybe a mix of both.

It’s a bit humiliating that he treats you like a sulking child, but you’re greatful that he at least allows you to bury your face in his shoulder. It’s nice to know he can’t see your messy cheeks and puffy eyes, even if he can imagine it from your desolate state.

“Trouble in paradise, my dear?” he teases, after your heaves have turn to soft sniffles. It’s annoying that he acts as though he doesn’t already know the answer; it’s hardly the first time you’ve sought his comfort. Or rather, the first time he’s caught you in this kind of state. No, the sudden bursts of dread feel like they’ve been going on forever.

“Something like that,” you mumble, lifting your head enough from his shoulder to wipe away any stray tears. You turn to face away from him as you separate from his chest. Thankfully, no one else in the mansion ever comes in this wing. You can feel Jade’s curious gaze examining you from his place beside you on the couch; you suppose you owe him at least an explanation for your state. “I’ve just been thinking about my home. I…I want to go home.”

Jade’s arm stiffens around your back almost immeasurably, but you’ve finally been around him enough to spot the cracks in his veneer. His free hand comes to rest on your own and for a second you believe you might experience a moment of genuine connection with him: “I am truly sorry to hear you’re missing home, darling,” Jade says, voice free of mockery. “But,” he continues, fingers tilting your chin to face him, “You know Lilia would never allow such a thing.” His tone may be neutral and disinterested, but Jade’s eyes are sharp and cold, completely unfitting his sympathetic words.

“I know,” you say, unable to separate your annoyance from your tone. Jade doesn’t take too well to your newfound feeling; he really only seems to like the emotions that leave you crumbled in his arms.

“However, I do believe he could be persuaded. Perhaps Azul may even be inclined to help you out. ”

-

Azul continues his paperwork as he replies to your request: “How about a night on the town? If a taste of freedom is what you’re seeking, I could make that happen. Lilia does owe me for setting up the supply of blood that gets delivered to the mansion, after all.”

“Alright,” you reply. “What’s the catch?”

“It will take a certain price. As a magic-less human, you don’t have much to offer me,” Azul says, flashing you his best customer service smile. “Except, perhaps, the only thing you have that the others don’t.”

“How much?”

Azul’s smile widens: “Only a pint, no more than you would give at a human hospital. It’s perfectly safe, I promise you.”

Figures Azul would be the first one to get his hands on your blood. You’re not even sure what he wants to collect it for, but you don’t have many options left.

“Deal.”

-

“How did you know?” you ask Jade, sitting across from him in the restaurant booth.

“I know many things, dear. You’ll need to be more specific,” Jade says, sipping elegantly at his drink.

“That I wanted to come here. I don’t remember telling you about this place.” You look around at the mahogany tables; the restaurant is small so there’s only a couple of them. The quiet was one of the things you’d loved about this restaurant.

“Not me. You have told your little friends though. Ace was quite happy to tell me all about your favourite places at the right price.” Jade’s face remains neutral as he scans the room. “This place is quite cute. I can see why you find it endearing.”

“You extorted Ace into telling you about me?!”

“Extorted? No, we made quite the fair deal. Ask him about it later, if you wish. I only did so to make you happy, MC.”

It’s hard to argue with him on that; despite his questionable means, Jade often did have your best interests in mind. You felt frustrated at the rush of heat to your cheeks. Even though your mind knew better, it was hard to keep your heart from stopping the affectionate warmth when you thought about what Jade had done for you.

“Well. Thanks then, I guess.”

Jade smiles gently behind his glass. “You’re very welcome, my dear.”

The waiter comes to take your orders, and you find for the rest of the night that being out with Jade really does take your mind off of things.

-

Jade corners you against the wall as soon as you enter the mansion together.

“Azul has gotten his payment already, but I don’t think I have. Don’t you think I deserve some equal compensation for what I’ve done for you?”

“I-I don’t have anything to give you. What do you want?” you ask, half-dreading, half-excited for his response.

Jade brushes a hand over your hair, until it lands at the base of your neck. He leans in close until you can feel his hot breath on your skin: “Oh, I think you have plenty to give me. One might even say you’re greedy, keeping all this intoxicating blood to yourself.”

“I can’t, I already gave some to Azul! If I give any more today I’ll pass out.” You say, although you know rationality is a lost cause if Jade has decided this is what he wants. Your own rationality is steadily slipping away, too, being replaced by the desire for him to give you something else to distract you.

“You know, Floyd has told me all about how tasty you are~ There’s only so much a vampire can take, my dear. You curl into my chest, holding me for comfort and spreading your sweet smell so close to me…” Jade scratches his fangs gently across your skin, not piercing the flesh but still sending a shiver down your back. Just as you close your eyes and brace yourself for the prick of pain, Jade has removed himself from you entirely.

When you open your eyes, Jade stands in front of you. He seems to stifle a sound of amusement: “Kidding, of course. You didn’t really think I would take blood from you, did you? I would never harm you, my dear. Well, not unless you wanted me to.” Jade says with his typical deceptively pleasant smile.

“I wouldn’t.” You reply flatly, brushing past him to the kitchen. You don’t know who you’re more irritated at: him, for acting like he wanted to take your blood, or you, for wanting him too.

“Ah, I am sorry, I see my jest may have frightened you more than I intended. Perhaps I can make it up to you.” Jade says, picking up a small bag you hadn’t noticed him place on the floor earlier. “I had to make a deal with him, but I got Azul to find a supplier for these fruits for you. I know they’re your favourites.”

It’s both endearing and terrifying to realize how well Jade actually knows you. He offers to prepare them for you, but you decline: “I can do it. You’ve…already done too much for me today.”

Jade pats your head. “If you insist.”

You ask him to wait on the couch while you go into the kitchen with the fruit. Lost in thought with ambivalent feelings about the vampire you’ve spent all day with, the knife slips and makes a small cut on your finger. You hiss and go to the sink to wash it but Jade entering the kitchen stops you.

“Hm, so clumsy, it seems I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you.” Jade says, catching your wrist. He rotates your hand until he can see your cut, popping your finger into his mouth. You hate that when he looks back up at you, still sucking on your finger, he smirks at how flustered you’ve obviously become. He finally releases you a few moments later. “Vampiric saliva does have healing properties, but it’s best if we further clean and disinfect it.”

When you don’t protest, Jade pulls you out of the kitchen and onto the couch. He comes back a couple minutes later with supplies. After disinfecting your cut, he places a bandaid on it.

“Thank you, Jade.” For all his faults, he has taken good care of you.

“You’re welcome, my dear. It’s getting rather late, let me walk you back to your room.”

“Yes, because the mansion is so incredibly dangerous at night.” Jade gives a polite chuckle at your statement, but his grip on your hand doesn’t lessen.

“With you being so…accident-prone, it seems better to be safe than sorry, no?” Jade says.

You refuse to argue with him anymore, so the two of you continue on your way. It’s only when you’ve arrived at your door, ready to say good night to him, that he whispers in your ear: “Floyd wasn’t exaggerating it seems. Your blood truly was addicting.”

With that he’s gone back down the hall, and you enter your room, heart racing.

[babiebom]

Bachelors and what kind of ~dere they would be

A/N: I thought this would be something cool to write headcanons for especially because I've played through the Sebastian yandere mod and have watched vids on the others being yanderes. Personally I feel as if some of them don't really fit the yandere category and others would fit them more.

Tw: none as far as i know. Does sort of spoil one of Sam's heart events and a game event.

Word count: at least 10 bullet points per character

Sebastian

Kuudere

Describes as often plays it cool and even in the most stressful situations they're calm and collected. They never panic and often remain distant and analytical until the end.

I feel like Sebby doesn't often show his emotions, especially because he seems introverted.

But the thing is he doesn't seem like the shy uwu scared of people introverted he's more of a voluntary introvert and just prefers being along but has no problem interacting with people

So for that I'm saying he's more the type to always be calm around the person he likes, never making his feelings obvious and never treating them any different than he would treat anyone he sees as a friend.

Kinda reminds me of an anime scene(I forgot the name but its space themed)

Of where the girl basically confesses her feelings and calls the guy an idiot after they talk about what they plan for the future and she says her dream is to become his wife and why can't he see that

And his reaction is basically ? I thought we were already together what?

And she's like ???? You've never made it clear that you like me and he's like yeah didn't think that i had to? I thought we were already together.

He gives off those vibes.

I also feel as though if he did open up it would be in a nonchalant way, it wouldn't be dramatic or romantic I think he would just be stating his feelings as facts.

And I feel like people often forget that this man is a huge nerd and super smart at least in my opinion

I mean he codes from home and plays dnd.

Even if he isn't a robotics and super science nerd like Maru is I think he is a smart and rather analytical person. I don't think he would be on the emotional side of things

If you get together he doesn't change much but does show his affection through touch and acts of service rather than his words.

Harvey

Dandere

Described as shy, quiet, and asocial is most situations. Stays quiet to avoid conflict

I feel as even though he's the town doctor he doesn't have many friends

Like he's only close to Maru bc she works for him in the clinic

And we usually see him hanging out alone or in his room looking at planes and stuff

I feel as though if he developed feelings for you either you would notice right away with how weird he acts around you or you wouldn't notice at all because you assume he's quiet with everyone unless its medically related.

So maybe not shy but quiet does describe him.

Obviously he opens up around you little by little the more you interact with him but it takes a lot of effort on both if your parts

On yours you have to consistently bother him and talk to him which is a lot of work especially when its not reciprocated at first

And on his he has to allow himself to be vulnerable and open with a person, its even harder when you feel romantic feelings for that person because what if they don't really like you in that way or they decide they don't like you after getting to know you

Very sweet man when you get together, still quiet but in a more comfy way.

Shane

Tsundere

Described as hostile and cold on the outside and sweet and kind on the inside

And I feel like that exactly describes Shane

While he is an alcoholic(recovering or not based on how you see him and play the game)He is very sweet even if not to people other than you(once you get to know him), jas, and his chickens.

Does seem like the type that once he starts feeling things for you he would start helping in small ways but also tries to not make it obvious

Oh he sees you walking from the woods with a big ass bag of fiber rocks and wood?

He'll offer to carry it if you need help

Sees you out and about in town, asks what you're up to and if you need help with anything

But don't think that he'a doing this because he likes you

He doesn't he just wants to pay back the kindness you've given to him back to you so he doesn't owe you anything

Ends every sentence to you with stupid or idiot if it allows without seeming genuinely mean

Does really like you and slowly starts showing you that once you show you aren't going anywhere

Does still get incredibly flustered when you do something sweet for or to him

Though if you get together is more open with his affection.

Elliott

Yandere

Described as a person that is very loving and affectionate to their loved one until it becomes a constant obsession leading them to become overprotective, violent, and psychotic towards anyone they deem a threat to their loved one, even the loved one themself

First of all his yandere mod was the scariest one yet like ooof

And while he does not seem like a violent person

He is a writer, which means he is some sort of delusional, creative, and or imaginative that I think he could have a mental break and carry out the things he imagines. 

We see that due to him being a writer, he is basically a hermit because all he does is stay in his cabin and write all day

Like yeah he's friends with Leah but how often do you think he actually leaves his home seeking interaction?

I feel like he would meet you and then suffer from a writers block and its your fault because now all he can think about is you

You're his muse

And due to that he becomes obsessive over you, no one else can have you he needs you at the very least more than they do.

Would 1000 percent stalk you, in his mind he's just watching over you to make sure nothing happens to you

Whether that be in town, on your farm, in the mines...he has to keep you closeby.

Speaking as a writer that does get very obsessed with things to the point of me changing what i write about and how often I think about or daydream about it

I think he is the most likely candidate for this kind of 'love' towards a person

Your imagination can delude your thinking, paired with living in a cabin alone with only your thoughts and silence it's no wonder he would be slightly insane.

Sam

Bakadere

Described as clumsy, stupid, and lacking in common sense when dealing with things in their life, but also very optimistic, and having a carefree, child-like innocence.

While this may seem like I'm roasting him I'm not

I do think he sometimes seems clumsy or dumb or even maybe like a teen especially because he's just playing guitar or skateboarding or playing video games

But there are glimpses of him being responsible and caring

Like how he actually had a job, even if it's part time

Or during his heart event when Vincent asks if their dad is going to come home before we find out that he indeed does come home

He covers his true feelings with optimism and happiness even if he's worried, which makes me think he fits this.

He only wants his loved one to be happy, and while constant optimism may seem or be annoying so certain people, he wants to be that light in your life.

And because he's so optimistic he is naturally kinder to others, while others like Sebastian, Shane, or Haley are standoffish when you meet them, Sam is sweet and is happy to meet you which translates well into getting to know you and then shifting into a romantic relationship

So while he may seem dumb to others, even to you with how positive he's being he's actually far from it even if he is a little reckless and clumsy sometimes

He turns down the constant optimism after getting together, but never stops being positive towards you, no matter if you succeed or fail, he's there to pick you up again with kind words and unwavering support.

Alex

Also Bakadere

but for a totally different reason

the dude is basically a himbo, though some of the things he says can be seen as iffy or mysogynistic

im pretty sure he doesn't mean any of it though, and while he can come off as dumb and out of touch he is shown to be sweet and caring and using his frat boy persona as a way of keeping people at an arms length

due to that i see him as similar but different to Sam

both boys seem kind of dumb, annoyingly optimistic, and sort of innocent in a way.

and both boys tend to use that as a surface personality, and until you actually take time to know them(Sam's worries, Alex's background and current worries) they seem like the type of people to be positive in any situation

Also seems as if he would take on a leader role simply because everyone voted for him to be it because of his positivity.

another thing is how certain(though inside he's not as) that he will become a gridball player.

Like the dude only talks positively about his dreams and is constantly working towards his goal

as well as we see in his dialogue that the farmer does indeed sometimes get annoyed at his words such as when he says things like "what why're you looking at me like that"

exactly as an anime character in this role would do.

Though after marriage is still sorta a dummy which is low key kinda cute.

[super-paper]

MVA Appreciation Post? MVA Appreciation Post.

Rereading MVA with the benefit of some hindsight really makes me appreciate just how well-crafted it is as a story arc. Like, pretty much every aspect of it was tailor-made for the sake of exploring Tomura (like....!! even the conflicts & themes explored thru other characters are still ultimately written to service Tomura's character in ways that only a completely insane person can appreciate, lol.)

Mostly just listing some observations and things I like abt MVA that I feel lay the groundwork for Tomura's entire character + arc:

There's a lot of significance to Tomura fighting quirk based cults back to back in the same arc that delves into his own upbringing under AFO, I feel! There's also significance to his indoctrination into villainy under AFO mirroring ReDestro's indoctrination by the Meta Liberation Army. Both Tomura and ReDestro are framed as believing that they made a personal "choice" to walk this path, when in reality they were both groomed into their respective roles by predatory adults.

Underrated and potentially devastating detail that I (a known sicko) enjoy : Tomura and ReDestro aren't even allowed to choose their own villain names after being baptized into villainy.

This part is especially glaring when you contrast it with the earlier chapters, where Class 1A is actively encouraged to *choose* their own names and really think about what sort of hero name best represents them. Even when the kids ultimately choose names that others gave them (Izuku), and even when they resolve to take up the mantle of their family names (Iida)-- the distinction is that they are still very much naming *themselves* and not being named by other people. They are all allowed to assign their own meaning to their chosen hero names. There is a choice.

In contrast, Tomura and ReDestro's villain names are not an expression of their identity, but a suppression of it.

The idea of inheriting a "will" or "name" that completely consumes your own is already in play, and it only gets worse from here!

Masks are also a big theme! MVA literally opens with the LOV wrecking a group of fantasy bigots who hide behind masks.

Spinner doesn't hide his own identity behind a mask, rather, he hides his lack of identity through cosplaying as someone else.

Jin and Himiko have their "masks" forcibly removed during their respective battles-- Jin is able to verify and assert his own identity, which allows him to discard his mask for the remainder of the battle. Himiko instead scrambles to put her "mask" back on in response to Curious claiming that she's secretly miserable.

Compress gets half of his mask shattered at the same time that his aloof "we're villains not a friendship club!!" façade begins crumble, and he becomes more and more vocally concerned for Tomura's safety. This bit of symbolism is repeated again during the PLW, where the whole mask comes off once he finally admits he loves the LOV and very nearly kills himself in an attempt to save them.

AFO's face is constantly obscured by shadows, but it otherwise remains completely uncovered-- indicating that the "kindly face" he shows to Tomura is, in fact, a mask in itself.

And here's where Hori's brilliant art direction comes into play! Tomura decays Kotaro's hand-- the very symbol of his own rejection and suppression that he has worn as a mask since his debut-- but he does not embrace his identity as Tenko. The blood from Tomura’s head injury now creates the visual of a mask as he instead embraces his identity as "Shigaraki Tomura", the symbol of fear who exists to beckon acts of mourning into the world. (and the blood mask also resembles the dark shading that constantly obscures AFO’s true face in the flashback chapters! ...as does the creepy permasmile Tomura has for the rest of the arc! :D )

Visually, it also resembles the way ReDestro's (stress-powered!) quirk starts spreading across his face like a mask whenever he starts vomiting up MLA propaganda and ranting about the """glorious""" burden he inherited from the original Destro. (😬)

The mask imagery is even more explicit in the anime, where the red really makes the whole thing pop:

lowkey it's hilarious that a good chunk of Tomura's story is told through a mix of visual story telling and symbolism, but he also happens to spend half his screen time shirtless and distracting ppl from said symbolism with his eight-pack.

Seriously tho', it's little stuff like this that really cements MHA as a story that's even more enjoyable when you reread it. Moving on!

Curious 🤝 AFO, Being creepily affectionate with the victim whose story you plan to rewrite and exploit for your own gain

Toga’s failed/rejected martyrdom at the hands of Miss Curious foreshadowing Tomura’s successful martyrdom at the hands of the PLF and AFO-- the inherent dehumanization that comes with martyrdom and turning others into a "symbol", the lack of actual care for the martyr/symbol as an individual, and the idea that Tomura has always been a sacrificial lamb that's lurking just below the surface of every aspect in this narrative. Curious wants Toga to die to fit the MLA’s narrative, AFO wants Tenko to die to fit his own personal narrative— neither Curious or AFO care about Toga or Tomura as individuals, nor do they care about saving them from their circumstances. Because to Curious and AFO, their only value lies in fulfilling a certain narrative-- and that narrative is only fulfilled through their deaths. Both AFO and Curious WANT these stories to be tragedies, and you only beat someone like that by refusing to follow their script.

"Let's turn your death into a tragedy! You'll become a martyr whose tale serves as a parable for the ages!" "I'll shape him! Mold him! He will be a symbol of fear who lusts for destruction!" Toga and Tomura are both depicted as lacking agency in how their respective stories are told-- Toga manages to lash back against Curious' attempts to commandeer her narrative, but Tomura ultimately finds himself written into a corner by AFO.

The manipulation of media and the '"truth" being a reoccurring theme in MVA through both Curious/Skeptic, and this being foiled with the way Tomura’s own memories/perceptions of his past are called into question multiple times throughout the arc. In the same chapter where Skeptic discusses his plan to edit the footage captured in Deika to make the LOV look like they're the aggressors and the MLA look like brave heroes, we have Tomura lamenting how his memories are like a busted movie recording. He compares his memories to film snippets at the start of the arc, too.

Tomura's perception of his past being directly influenced by his traumatic upbringing under AFO is something that goes without saying at this point, so I won't beat that dead horse any further-- but it's legit fascinating how Hori lays out the groundwork for the readers so that we naturally reach the conclusion that Tomura's recollection is something that we are meant to doubt.

Yet another notch on the long list of Tomura wearing clothes that other people chose for him, reciting words written by others as if they were his own (.....l-literally reading from a cue card lmfaoooo it could not be any more on the nose if it tried 😭😭😭)

but seriously i could write a a ton on how Tomura's lack of agency with his own clothes is Very Much a Thing in The Story, and how him no longer bothering to self-style after MVA and just letting others dress him up however they want (or y'know... just not bothering with clothes at all!) is one of the best stealth indicators of where his mental state is actually at.

(tl;dr tomura asserting that he's "definitely his own person" and that he "controls himself" when he doesn't even have the agency or energy to dress himself the way he wants and is constantly getting treated like a life-sized dress-up doll by other villains is another one of those understated parts of the series/tomura's character design that makes me Big Depressy)

But!! When Tomura DOES actually add his own flair & individuality to his fashion, he generally accessorizes with things that tie him to the hero side and his identity as Tenko (red shoes as a connecting thread to Izuku, long flowing capes that connect him to heroism)

What "liberation" does to a mfer

As an aside: ReDestro feeling liberated from his stress as Tomura starts laying waste to the MLA/Deika (but still failing to break free from his grooming despite this!) serves as a dark parallel to Tomura “breaking free” from vestige!AFO during the final war, but still insisting that destruction is all he wants. Both Tomura and ReDestro have been prisoners their whole lives, and thus, have no frame of reference for what true freedom is. They both come so close to having a Realization About What They Truly Want™ only to immediately fall back into what they’re familiar with (ReDestro has always been a follower of cult forced to masquerade as its leader, Tomura still thinks that he wanted his family to die and takes the catharsis he felt from destroying his abusive home as evidence that he was always secretly bad). Hori is horrifyingly realistic in his depictions of the hold that grooming has on people.

Like. It's also the way that Tomura and ReDestro’s quirks are both powered by their misery, but they're surrounded by people who fail to see this as a bad thing and instead choose to romanticize their strength as something they can use to make their "dreams" into reality (and the unspoken question: is it really a "dream" if chasing after it makes you completely miserable? We have a different word for dreams that hurt you, boys!).

I'll stop here bc this is already too long, but man, every time I revisit this arc I notice something new (and horrifying) about Tomura's character. It's literally the gift that keeps on giving.

[louisupdates]

The Habit He Can’t Break 4/4

IQ 123 | Gordon Masson | 9.11.2023

If I Could Fly

With the production traveling to Australia, in early 2024, before shifting to Latin America, Andy Lovell at Freight Minds is gearing up to become involved with Tomlinson once again.

“We did the Central and South America dates on the tour last year, and onto Mexico,” says Lovell. “It was very challenging back then as we were still coming back from Covid, and various systems and infrastructure were in pieces. But it all went well in the end, as we kept an eye on things and worked on it every day to make sure we had solutions to everything that was thrown our way.”

Lovell continues, “Things on this tour kick in early next year for us. Historically, Australian services were quite reliable, as we could use any number of airlines. But post-pandemic, the number of long-haul flights still aren’t as frequent as they were. As a result, the production is being reverse engineered with the budget being worked out before we can see what we can afford to take as freight, and then we try to plan accordingly.”

“Similarly, in Central and South America there are still just a fraction of the flights operating, compared to pre-Covid, so that makes it very challenging. If there aren’t the flights to handle the gear, then you have to start looking at chartering aircraft, or alter your schedule, and that can become very expensive, very fast.”

With everyone working on the artist’s behalf to make sure the tour remains on track, being able to call on such experienced production experts is paying off on a daily basis.

Sherwood notes, “There are a few back-to-back shows over long distances that occasionally mean we don’t arrive at the next venue until 11 AM, rather than 6 AM. But we’ve never failed anywhere to open the doors on time, so we know we’re capable of getting things done, even if we have a late start at mid-day.”

Such dilemmas are not lost on agent Rowland. “It’s not so much the routing, it’s more like the timings, because Louis does have two support acts, so the shows start at 7 o’clock, and then when we’re done, we need to load out to get to the next show in good time for loading in the next morning and soundchecks, etc.”

Nevertheless, Sherwood admits that he loves the trickier venues and schedules. “Because I’m a dinosaur, I relish anything that makes things difficult or awkward for us on the production side of things,” he says. “I think everyone on the crew looks forward to challenges in finding the solutions to problems.”

Common People

Having amassed millions of fans through his association with One Direction, Tomlinson very much has a ‘pay it forward’ attitude to music and is building a reputation as a champion for emerging talent, wherever he performs.

“He’s a great advocate for alternative music,” says manager Vines. “Louis realizes he’s in an incredibly privileged position in terms of what he can create in terms of awareness. He loves alternative music and indie music, and he understands how hard it is for that music to be heard. But we have this amazing platform where we can put these bands in front of these audiences as a showcase that allows them to build these authentic new audiences. It’s a huge part of his love of music, wanting to help younger bands.”

Rowland agrees. “He took an act called Andrew Cushin - a very new artist – on the road in America with him as a support, and he’s doing the same for Europe. Louis is a fan and is championing his career.”

Indeed, Tomlinson’s A&R skills have knock-on effects for his agent, too. “He asked me to confirm the Australian band Pacific Avenue as support for his Australian tour last year. The music was great, and they didn’t have an agent, so now I’m representing them,” says Rowland.

Perfect Now

As the European tour speeds towards its conclusion, agent Rowland is enjoying every minute of it.

“It’s incredible – they’ve really stepped things up,” she says, fresh from seeing the show in Athens and Paris. “They’ve got six hanging LED screens on the stage, and the whole production just looks polished and professional.”

And Rowland is especially excited about next year’s Latin America dates, which will deliver her first stadium shows as an agent. 

“The return to Latin America is going to be huge – Louis is playing arenas and stadiums in South America and Mexico 15 shows across 11 countries,” she says. 

Vines is similarly enthused. Harking back to the Covid situation, when the show would go on sale, sell out, be postponed, and then re-scheduled in a bigger venue, Vines says, “For example, in Chile, originally the show was scheduled at a 5,000-cap, half-capacity arena in Santiago. And what we ended up doing with three nights at 10,000-cap in that same venue.”

Vines contends that Tomlinson’s work ethic is outstanding. “He loves his fans, and he loves performing for them, it’s as simple as that,” he says. “He just loves being on the road and seeing how the songs connect live. In fact, the second album was very much written with the tour and live shows in mind – ‘This song could work live,’ ‘This one will open the set,’ ‘This is the one we can do for the encore.’”

Fearless

Another element to Tomlinson’s psyche has been his decision to visit places off the usual tour circuit.

“Louis has a real desire to perform to fans in markets that are often overlooked,” says Rowland.

Manager Vines explains that while the Covid-delayed first tour allowed them to upgrade venues pretty much everywhere, “On this tour, we are a bit more competent on venue sizes, but we still speculate a little bit in different territories. In Europe, for example, we’ve gone into the Baltics in a number of different places to test the markets there, while in America, we’re looking at A and B markets, but also tertiary market as well – we go to places where people just don’t tour in America, just to see what the reaction is. That was something that very much interested Louis - to play in front of people who don’t normally have gigs in their town. So there’s been a lot of experimentation on the tour in terms of where we go and what room to play.”

That concept is something that Vines has employed before. “I manage a band called Hurts, who were pretty much overlooked by the British radio system, and we have spent 15 years building a business outside of the UK. And that was built on going to play at those places where people didn’t normally go. They built to multiple arena level in Russia, for instance.”

“If you can build fanbases in lots of different places, you have festivals that you can play every summer, as well as touring those places. It allows you to have more consistency over a number of years, by having more opportunities.”

Such a strategy found a convert in Tomlinson. Vines tells IQ, “Louis also is extremely fan-focused in everything that he does. He comes at it from a perspective of ‘I want to take the show to them,’ meaning he’s always more willing to take the risky option to try something out.”

And the result? “It’s a combination,” concludes Vines. “There have been a couple of places where we now understand why tours don’t go there. But there are more places where it’s worked incredibly well. For example, we enjoyed incredibly good sales in Budapest. And overall, it’s allowing us to get a clearer idea, globally, of where the demand is, which will help us when we go into the next tour cycle.”

1/4, 2/4, 3/4

[zeddimusprime]

Trans Man Noah Diaz

The first time I saw Rise of the Beasts, I read Noah as a Trans Man, and that headcanon just solidified after my second viewing.

I’ll get the heavy reasons out of the way first, and work down to the most silly ones.

The section that was here before has been removed, because I was overstepping and someone rightly called me out on it. However. I’m not going to lie and pretend I didn’t do what I did. I deleted the comment that called me out because it made me feel bad, I panicked, and deleted it to save my own ego. It was wrong, it was cowardly, it was fucked up, and I shouldn’t have done it.

I truly am sorry, and have spent the last day sitting with myself until I stopped trying to excuse my behavior and just acknowledged what I did. I am not asking for forgiveness, I can only try going forward to be the kind of person deserving of it.

For now, I’m taking a break from this blog, leaving it on a queue, and I won’t be posting here for a while. Even though that isn’t the kind of person I want to be, I need to reckon with the fact that that is the kind of person I am. I’m sorry, once again.

1994 was also the year Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was put into place, which, for those too young to remember, was basically a policy allowing queer and trans people to serve in the military so long as they remained closeted, and prohibited superiors from forcibly outing them. Given that we’re never actually told in the film why Noah was discharged, it’s not unreasonable to think that it may have been because he got found out as trans.

The part that’s particularly personal for me is his relationship with Kris. I’ve also got a little brother that’s quite a bit younger than me, and I acted as an extra parent to him, practically raised him since we were both latchkey kids, and yeah, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’d face the apocalypse head on if it meant keeping him safe. All that to say, it’s comforting to think that Noah’s identity as a man is inseparable from his identity as a Big Brother, the way it is for me.

Most of my other reasons are less serious:

Noah wears a lot of layers and baggy clothes on his upper half, which yes, was part of 90s fashion, but it’s also how I dressed for most of my life, even before I realized I was trans.

Noah is also non-toxically masculine in a way that’s not unheard of but also not as common for men, especially service members, of that time period. Again, there may very well be a cultural component I’m missing here, let me know if there is, but this is just something I related to as a Guy Who Wasn’t Raised As One.

This last one’s kinda silly, but I’m a Car Guy, and one of the most gender euphoria inducing things I can do is work on my car. There’s few things that make me feel like Man quite like sweat on my brow and grease on my hands and a purring engine from a job well done. So for Noah to not only be a tech wiz but specifically a Mechanic? That was the thing that really sold me on this headcanon. (And that’s not even getting into the very fun implications of Noah being the one to repair Mirage, to get to know him so intimately, literally inside and out. Very nice.)

(I also love the idea that rather than being weirded out or taken aback at first like he is in some fics, Noah would be kinda weirdly affirmed to find out that not only does Mirage have some of roughly the same *equipment* while still being treated as and being a Mech, but his setup is the norm for Cybertronians. I can so picture Noah anxiously telling Mirage about his situation when they finally get together only for Mirage to be like “you mean other human mechs don’t have a 🐈??? Like, most humans only have one or the other?????”)

[simp-thingz]

How would present mic, aizawa, midnight and ms joke act if one of their students sacrificed themselves to save the teachers life

Eraserhead

Devastated. Pissed. Literally any negative descriptor. We all know that his students are basically his children and to have one of them sacrifice their life? He put fear strong enough to kill a man into the villain, using it as a distraction until it was time for the parents of the student to be informed where he left their residence with his head hung low as grief radiated through the house and through himself. He can’t even sleep without seeing it on repeat again and again in his dreams and they all ended the same; with one less student then they entered the battlefield with. Overall I think he’d be the most distraught of the teachers in a situation like this.

Ms Joke.

Cannot for the life of her figure out where everything went so wrong but tries to cope using comedy. This led to her essentially ignoring her own feelings about the situation until they crashed through her mental barriers with the force of a tsunami. Slowly, things she used to enjoy seem less and less interesting, and her brain was always scattered as she fought to improve both her own strategies and that of her remaining students to prevent the situation from ever arising how it did again.

Present Mic

He was in both shock and denial for a while until it came time for him to speak at their funeral service. He gave his speech but then had to quickly excuse himself and ended up sobbing in his car as guilt overflowed and only multiplied as he spotted the students grieving family watching as the casket was lowered into the ground. He was forced into mandatory therapy before he was allowed to go back to doing his pro hero and teaching duties.

Midnight

She hadn’t noticed the villain coming up behind her until she heard the thud of bodies dropping behind her. She was distraught and wracked with guilt beyond what she knew was possible. She blamed herself for months despite knowing that the student knew full well that being a pro could cost them their life, even while in training, even when patrolling with someone more experienced. The press had a field day with the story, so much fun that it was hard for some people to tell what really happened. The only constant among all the stories was that she was to blame for the loss of that student and it haunts her everyday.

[saltygilmores]

THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING GILMORE GIRLS: S3/EP4/ONE’S GOT CLASS THE OTHER ONE DYES (PART 2)

Luke and Lorelai both have "unique" approaches to conducting business, I'll give them that. This chapter was rough for me to write for some reason and then I LOST my draft partway through and had to rewrite everything! Some things that are happening:

-Lane attempts to initiate a conversation with Mrs Kim about her new band. She loses her courage before Mrs. Kim presents her with applications to strict Christian colleges. -Michel suggests that the honor of being named a Successful Person in Business is a low bar to clear when Lorelai's only business competitor in Stars Hollow is a presumably homeless and/or mentally ill fellow who scours the streets for change with a metal detector. I mean, yeah, he has more ambition and a better work ethic than Lorelai does.

-Luke is reluctant about the speaking gig and Lorelai threatens to embarrass him by singing badly in public if he does not comply. He may as well refuse since she's going to embarrass him on a daily basis no matter what he does anyway? -Luke says he went to Stars Hollow High for three years. Huh? I thought he's lived in The Hollow his entire life? High school is four years long. Did he move, drop out or graduate early? No explanation was given at this point in time.

-Luke has "no good memories" of high school. Join the club. -Luke asks Lorelai if she's ever been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. No, the answer you're looking for is no. She is unmedicated and dangerous.

My beloved Tomatos Sign is missing! You'd think it was because after 3 years the prop department noticed the spelling error and took it down to fix it. You would be wrong. It'll return shortly to be Tomatos for several more years. Should I ask that Valerie Campbell lady (as "key set designer" is her title, I believe) why it took 5+ years for someone to notice one of the most visible props for the entire run of the series had a spelling error?

Lane is interesting. Yes, she is naive in many ways, that's a given with her upbringing. But she is also painfully self aware and highly intelligent. She is definitely not stupid. She fully realizes how desperately boxed in she is by her neurotic mother. She makes the effort and takes risks to live life on her own terms even though it usually seems futile and AmyShermanPalladino is always lurking around a corner waiting to shatter all her hopes and dreams. Rory on the other hand is such a pathetic people pleaser and so desperate to keep her mother happy that I think she's blind to the fact that she's actually in a similar situation, Lorelai just masks it under the veneer of being a "cool young mom" and Rory is content to remain more stagnant. I have more thoughts on this subject but let's not make this into a rambly mess. On with the ShitCircus.

I can't believe it looks there's another fucking festival going on in the background. I am grateful some of these seasonal events exist because it helps me keep track of where we are in the year. There's pumpkins, it's fall, the Thanksgiving episode is still a ways away so I can assume it’s early October and Rory would have just had her 18th birthday.

Lane and Rory on their way to harrass Queen Shane at her place of employment. Minimum wage in 2002 was $5.15, by the way. Look at that Rory, someone your age has a JOB that makes MONEY.

Stars Hollow, the land where nobody has seen a tv show produced after 1975 but the references to modern pop and rock music flow like wine.

Alexis really does have some spectacular defeated/fed up with everything facial expressions in her acting playbook.

Sure her customer service skills aren't the greatest, but if Lorelai Gilmore is allowed to leave work in the middle of the day to shop for coffins then Shane should be allowed to read a Seventeen behind the counter and ignore Rory. Her manager, Cynthia, is pretty chill and will look the other way if Shane slacks off. Reminder that while Rory knows who Shane is, Rory has barely been a glint in the corner of Shane's eye. Any time that Shane and Rory have shared the same space, it's been when Shane runs into the diner, makes out with Jess, and doesn't look back. Because she is a god damn superhero.

It's unlikely Jess and Shane ever use their tongue for talking either so I doubt Jess has told her who Rory is. So to Shane Rory is just some random customer who is staring at her weirdly like she's trying to melt her with her eye-beams.

Look at that exemplary customer service. Better crown her Employee of the Month now, before Jess offs her and throws her in the lake next month.

Dirty white aprons with tomato can accessories are the newest sensation on the 2002 Paris Runways. Luke Danes, fashion icon. Time to go to class. Lorelai is there to play Fashion Fairy Godmother. Upstairs we go to get him out of that sweaty flannell.

That's so filthy. L&L barge into the apartment without knocking to find Jess in the middle of pulling up his pants. Walking into any room that a teenage boy might occupy is a risky game, but Interruption seems to be Lorelai's biggest kink.

I know Jess is just a poor little street urchin but can we get him some clothes that fit for once? In 2002 Milo was so smol a stiff breeze could have blown him away. He's wearing a belt and it's not working. Those pants are so baggy they could fit 3 Milos in them. Not that I would mind if his pants fell down. Looks we're on Gilmore Girls Time today, where down is up and right is left as Luke and Lorelai are about to give speeches at Stars Hollow High in the middle of the school day but Shane, Lane, Rory and Jess are not in school and no one cares, so it's Who The Fuck Knows O'Clock.

Stars Hollow High: Jess is not graduating because he never went to class. Luke: How could I possibly know that? Jess settles into a chair with a chemistry textbook. Our Child Labor Kingpin here Luke Danes tells him to go help Cesar downstairs. Jess says his education is more important than Luke's desire to use his nephew for cheap child labor. Luke disagrees. Luke goes to change in his bedroom leaving Lorelai, Jess, and a cloud of awkard silence to mingle in the other room. Luke has a book on his shelf called "Forty Days" but i can't find anything with that title. It sounds kinda erotic, tbh. Lorelai says she's gone swimming with Luke and has seen him shirtless before. Que? Jess: Have you seen him with his shirt off lately? He's really let himself go. Lorelai: *Sneers and ignores him. (to Luke): And lose the baseball hat! Jess: I think his head will fall off without it. Lorelai (snarkily): I think he'll be okay. You wanted Jess to talk, right? You're going to continue bitching to everyone you know that Jess Mariano only speaks in grunts like a caveman unlike your little fucking English scholar there Dean Forrester, right? He just lobbed you two funny quips in a row (and you love funny quips!) but now you're silent and giving him a dirty look and a nasty attitude. WHAT DO YOU EVEN WANT, WOMAN? MAKE UP YOUR MIND! WHY SO SILENT QUIPPY! WHAT DID THIS CHILD EVER DO TO YOU!

I'm just gonna sit here and read my little Chemistry book, and one day I'm gonna make 40 kajillion dollars when my books are made into blockbuster movies, and I will own you, Aunt Lorelai. I will own you.

Lorelai doing the Fry squint at Jess when he asked if something was wrong, because she refused to make conversation with him.

Speaking of Gilmore Girls Time. Let's stop the clock for a minute here. Moments ago, Shane was at work. She rang up Rory and Lane, and they left immediately. The scene then cuts to Lorelai entering the diner and then after he gets a brief lecture about his clothing choices, Lorelai and Luke start to head upstairs so he can change. In order for Closet Girl to be Shane, her shift would have ended seconds after she finished with Rory and Lane, and then she would have to immediately run down the street, sneak upstairs to Luke's apartment without him noticing and would only be seconds into servicing Jess as Luke and Lorelai are about to walk in PLUS he would need time to hide her in the closet and pull up his pants and appear cool calm and collected. I know Shane is a slutty superhero but could she really put that off in just a few minutes? Conclusion? It wasn't actually Shane in that closet and Jess has a rotation of girls who skip school with him to service him in his uncle's closet.

[notknickers]

you should have picked the killing machine

synopsis: another day. another crisis. another session.

warnings/tags: unethical power imbalance, dominant!reader/submissive!könig, mummy!reader/pup!könig, cocksucking, drooling, muffdiving, vaginal penetration, könig is a fast shooter (that's the real reason why he never made the cut for sniper),premature ejaculation fetish, crying, cum eating, praise, size difference

audiences: strictly adult

word count: 2736

a/n: this... uh... this is an impromptu fic that came out of nowhere, started a specific way, but then derailed towards the end because of a different idea that took hold of me, but refused to let me go until i wrote it.

also, yes, i am aware that littles usually go with caregivers (mummies, daddies, others) and handlers with pups and kittens. but i also firmly believe that we make our kind of relationships in a way that fits us, not the opposite.

if könig wants to be something in between a guard dog* and a cuddly puppy who's more in need of a mummy, than a handler, then, by all the gods real and imagined, that is what i will give him.

* i trust we shall get to this one, eventually.

people who asked to be tagged: @kathy-ifnt

as usual, no one under 18 below the cut

one would think könig’s disfigurement would make it unpleasant to stare at his face, the way his lips do not merge as fully as they should when his mouth is closed, due to all the thick scar tissue on them and his lower face that force some rigidity, interfering with the fluid movements of his facial muscles.

it’s barely noticeable, really, after all the years the colonel has had to live with his injuries and their consequences. but the way the two of you interact make it difficult to conceal even for him.

so, you’d think it grotesque, even to watch the colonel slobber, if he's not careful to suck in all his saliva before even considering saying what he has to say.

but to you, that is hardly an impediment. you wouldn't call it an enhancement either, out of respect for what tremendous acts of violence must lie at the base of those deep scars and what look like the remains acid burns, you guess.

yet, there is nothing, not the ruin of his face of all things, that could stand between you and the utter beauty of seeing that cruel, dangerous wolf of a man turn to a drooling, pliant puppy in your hands.

he could go out collecting maiming upon maiming as if it were a new extreme sport to him, and you would still accept his attentions. as könig does yours.

because what the colonel offers is too precious to be shallow, now.

these thoughts run through your head as he kneels before you, lower half of face the only nakedness on display, pink, wet, deformed lips parted as he obediently waits for your say so, to allow him to lock them around the silicon toy you plan on having him service as if it were a real, throbbing cock of flesh.

even when you can notice the impatience, driven to the edge by your scent easily finding way to him through the slit in your drawers, under which you wear the strap, he waits.

as he should.

if you let it up to him, the colonel would be swallowing down your cock in no time. but that's not what you want. he can be rushed and forcing… no, teaching him not to be is as much a torture, if not more, than any technique the both of you have picked up in your years of service.

it is also necessary.

he gauges the pressure of your hand when it strokes his skull through the stubble of his buzz cut, to see if this time it will not just be another gentle pet, but an invitation to taste you. once more, he has to choke down a displeasured whine in both reverence and pride, when it doesn't turn out to be it.

«are you ready, puppy?», you speak softly, but he's fully focussed on you and has no trouble hearing your voice.

his eyes lift to yours as he slowly nods, as if calculated movements could hide the anticipation.

«then unzip your trousers. i want to see how much you like sucking on me.»

he does, eyes still on yours and chin lifted, as with his mouth open and already trickling slightly, if he looked down all the collected saliva barely contained by the inclined posture of his neck would trickle down.

it still makes him slightly self-conscious. even with you. even if you both pretend it does not.

luckily, he doesn't need to see what he's doing to feed his swollen cock through the undone zip. the sight of it, protruding thick and proudly straight, pushes at the corners of your lips in a small, enticed grin.

you pet könig's head in approval: «good pup, so hard for me already. now put your arms behind your back and keep them there until the end.»

he folds his arms on the small of his back, hand clasped tight on opposite wrist, forcing his brawny chest outwards, but not so much that you lose sight of his length below.

«if you act like the very good pup you are, colonel, i'll have something for you, by the end of it. understood?»

könig nods again, another small movement.

«go on, then… but remember what we said, or you can say goodbye to all of it immediately!», only now do you let go of his very short hair pinched between your flattened fingers.

honouring your words right away, he doesn't even move. instead, his tongue peeps out, its tip to yours, leaving behind a shiny trail as it contours the ridges around the head of your cock.

«good! slow. like that. i want to see you work», you encourage, and the colonel's grey eyes gleam silvery in the lamplight at the praise.

he flutters his tongue along your whole length, before drawing back up to the tip, at which his moist lips wrap, gently sucking, never plunging mindlessly to let you fuck his throat. it is his job to be mindful about how you would like to be pleasured with his mouth and focus on it, not be a mindless toy.

there will be time for that, but that time is not now.

he teases you with tongue and lips and, here and there, even a graze of his teeth, when appropriate, soon followed by suction, wet and increasingly loud as he alternates in between touches.

and you softly whisper gentle praises to him, as your eyes wander more and more frequently to the white pearl of precum capturing more and more light as it melts into a dense, translucent tear that hangs from the slit at his engorged, round glans.

you frame his jaw, allowing him to swallow you down to half. you can't resist aiming for the roof of his mouth as you do, pressure slow but consistent.

the colonel fails to choke down wet sounds as you push a little further into the soft tissue. in fact, tears prickle at the corners of his eyes, roll down on undoubtedly crimson cheeks from under his mask, to mix with the mess of drool that floods through his lips and coats all it touches.

his scars glisten beautifully under the viscous, bubbly spit the colonel couldn't hold in even if he had no prior impediment in that department. the man is a leaky mess all over.

eyes. mouth. cock.

you could compete with him yourself, as the drawers now drenched in spit as you push deeper in his throat, were already soaking in your juices at the brilliant sight the colonel always makes on his knees.

you throw in another compliment, underlining the sincerity of your words by thumbing his cheeks under his mask. he makes for such sight, you wish he could see himself through you.

impossible of course. having a standing mirror brought to a colonel's quarters, however… less so. you make a mental note to bring up the suggestion when könig will not be so busy sensuously bobbing his head at your waist, taking more of you, under your guidance, with each downwards movement.

finally, his lips kiss your skin. he thinks he is being subtle, surely, indulging a little more each time he takes you all in to nuzzle his nose in your fragrant curls. still, you don't see the harm in letting him believe so, when he has choked down his hastiness to please you as you wanted.

so you trap him there, face pressed against you as he gags and huffs you in. blithe in discomfort. satisfied in use.

when you finally pull out, the slimy saliva from his throat keeps you connected, until you push the colonel back on his heels, leaving the strand to dangle from his already messed up face.

«you were so good there, pup!», you caress through his damp hair, «ready for your prize?», you ask with nonchalance, as what he probably focussed on throughout his service were nought but an afterthought, to you.

in between pants, you hear a distinct, if frazzled, sound of confirmation.

you take a few steps away and finger at the strap with firm hand, releasing it from around your hips. it falls down as you remove your drawers. they bunch at your ankles, where your boots keep them.

«be good and help mummy with the boots, will you, pup?»

the colonel doesn't hesitate to crawl on his knees, cock still stiff and leaking bobbing at the clumsy motion, and undo your laces, before carefully helping you out of your shoes, making sure not to unbalance you as he frees you from all your bunched up clothes.

as soon as he is done, his hands diligently return behind his back.

you go down on one knee, holding his wet chin between your fingers: «would my pup like to come into mummy?»

his uneven lips barely quiver before he immediately steadies them, but his eyes take a little longer to recover from their having grown wide. yet, the muscles on his abdomen flinch involuntarily, causing his cock to bounce lightly.

you chuckle, caressing a cheek: «hm, pup? what do you say?», your hand brushes his head as you stand up.

his hesitance, or whatever delays his answer, makes you scoff.

«is that such a difficult question, colonel?»

he stares at you: «no», voice low and brittle.

«then what’s the problem, here? am i really supposed to believe that you’ve never thought about it?»

he shakes his head.

«no? no, what? no, you’ve never though about it, or no, that’s not what you want me to believe?»

«i haven’t earned it.»

you can’t help but laugh at his words. his expression, in between angry and morose, only pulls more laughter out of you.

«but it’s not your decision. is it, colonel?»

he relaxes a little, exhaling his reply: «no.»

you stretch out a hand, inviting him closer: «come, pup. let’s ease into things a little, hm?»

what feeble fight in him he showed is gone when you guide his head between your thighs. to that, he has never objected. he laps at your folds with unrestrained gusto, all reluctance shed behind the moment his lips tasted yours.

you press him into you, rubbing your cunt all over his half-masked face – the way he likes – resting one leg on his shoulder to grant him more access to your core as he relishes in the feel of it holding him in place.

as if he would ever run…, you think to yourself as you watch him do with his face as you please.

pleasure rumbles within you as your hips thrust against him, his lips capturing your plumpened nub and sucking loudly at every push, until you are pressing hard into his open mouth, warm and soft around your whole sex, hips stilled yet shaking inside.

it’s hard to swallow with such a dry mouth. you try all the same as you recuperate, wiping loose hair from your forehead as you step back in need of reprieve from könig’s zeal, now that you are at the most sensitive.

something that sounds in between like a huff and a chuckle pushes out of you as you look down at the colonel, who is also busy in his post-meal routine of licking around his mouth for more of you.

you open the top of your fatigues, taking it off and dropping it on the floor, where you join it, only in your tank top, to feel the cold of the tiles against your sweaty skin.

you sigh at the contact as you keep fanning your face and neck with your hands, forgetting for a moment that könig is also on the floor, kneeling close-by. you are questioning whether you should join him: he often gets stuntedly emotional after your sessions and might need some affectionate skin contact – and a rolled-up cigarette with a glass of his disgusting apricot brandy, probably.

you usually provide and this time should be no different. however, he doesn’t give you the time to tend to your duties. you find him on you right away, hovering above you as he positions himself to mount you.

he must have undressed while you lay there, because he is naked in all his scarred and oversized glory. as always, he makes for a wonderful sight.

«changed your mind, puppy?»

he grunts in response and carefully lowers his heavy, solid body on yours, lifting your top as his cock grinds against your slit. you shuffle on the floor, slipping out of it entirely. the warm slickness makes the friction alluring, but hardly enough.

«waiting for mummy to let you inside?»

könig nods, showing a hint of impatience in his grinding you would find endearing, if you weren’t at your limit. you’re tired of waiting and, most certainly, not in the mood for begging.

however, there is one last thing you would like.

«can i see you?»

it wouldn’t be the first time, yet the colonel tenses up at the request, his rubbing slowing down.

you caress his face from under his mask: «let me take this off. i don’t want könig, the detached killing machine to fuck me. i want you… the man…»

you hear him suck in and swallow, before sighing as he slips his hood off and rests it on the floor nearby, fingers still gripping its folds. you hint a smile at him and he lets go of it when you trail a hand to the base of his cock, aiming it at your slicked entrance.

he sinks in slowly, cheek pressed against yours as he groans in your ear, aching walls stretching in the shape of him before he has barely filled you. his next few thrusts are tentative and out of rhythm. he groans at each one, before folding even more and bending his legs to rest his head on your chest while he’s inside you.

when he begins to thrust in earnest, large, heavy balls smacking against the tiles in a way you refuse to believe doesn’t hurt, he does so with the same panache and charm of a teenaged boy losing his virginity, whimpering and drooling on your tits as he slips out more than once. luckily, he always finds his way back in the appropriate hole.

you lie under him staring at the ceiling, arms hugging his nape and upper back as he relentlessly confuses passionately fucking with wanking into you, trying not to laugh at the situation, sure the two of you sweating on the floor and making inhuman noises must make for quite the grotesque sight that, hopefully, no one will ever witness.

perhaps you should reconsider that mirror delivery idea.

you tell yourself that he was so overwhelmed by your desire for him and so aroused by the previous use, that the shock of it made him forget how to fuck, as you are sure this might be the first time together, but certainly not the very first for either of you.

his pathetic whines turning to sobs take you from your thoughts, the telltale signs that he’s close. renewed tears wetting your breasts as he presses his face against them enough to hurt confirm it, as does the increasing, out-of-tempo fury of his hips.

he lifts his head for a moment, desperation in his eyes as he tries to form a sentence: «mum… mummy… please!»

he tries to hold back until your leave. a noble attempt, yet, he barely finishes speaking, that his face is back to your breasts. he shoots inside of you, like you wanted, cock pulsing frantically as he fills your cunt to the brim. it’s difficult to wrap your mind about the fact that the whole business lasted five – very intense, especially for könig – minutes or so.

you still manage a good pup, physically unsatisfied, yet unexpectedly very flattered by how it all turned out, as könig rocks inside of you a few times, before burying himself whole, safe and warm inside of you, not moving any more.

the breakneck beating of his heart echoes against yours, rivalling the sound of his weeping and sniffling, as he refuses to abandon the shelter of your bosom, if not to reposition his head to better suckle your nipples.

That relaxes him enough that the cathartic crying is soon a memory and he is ready – if not voracious – to clean up with his tongue the mess he made between your legs.

[giddlygoat]

Is Drake extremely jealous of Launchpad, despite loving him? Does LP know this?

drake is great at finding things to be jealous about, so i wouldn’t be surprised? like, he would be jealous of launchpad’s easy charisma a bit i think. he could be jealous of any number of things depending on his mood. but in general, i don’t really think of him as jealous of launchpad as a whole. more like, he envies launchpad’s easygoing nature and his being quick to forgive, because drake doesn't feel like he can be either of those things. but i think in his mind it sounds less like “it should have been me” and more like “i wish i were more like him” if that makes sense.

launchpad is absolutely very aware of drake’s jealous nature. he’s pretty finely tuned into drake’s emotions as a whole, but i think as someone who doesn’t experience a lot of jealously, it’s easier for him to step back and look at drake with a fresh perspective.

like. launchpad wants a lot of the same things drake wants. he wants attention, he wants recognition and support, he needs to feel useful at all times. but the way this looks on him is vastly different. he turns his desire to belong into acts of service, because if he can be of use, people will keep him around longer, right? he feels like it’s inevitable that he will be outgrown or left behind by everyone he attaches to. he doesn’t feel like he can ask for anything so he’ll give as much and laugh as often and smile as wide as he can because all he knows to do is freely give what he might not feel he quite deserves.

i think it took drake much, much longer than he’d care to admit to realize what’s going on inside launchpad. like, he quite literally crashes into the pilot’s life one night, immediately tries to brush him off, until - “wait, you’re a pilot?!” how can you be of service to me? how can you help me? at which point do you become a burden?

launchpad didn’t even think twice. he threw himself into the fray with drake, giving it his all, joking and smiling despite the chaos and tension. i imagine that’s the most alive either of them have felt in years. launchpad had a purpose, drake had a fan, and it was all kind of magical right before they crashed into a power line. like a slap to the face, drake walked away, sputtering and livid, and launchpad just couldn’t let all of it go yet. he begged for drake to let him stay, give him that purpose and allow him to belong. i think they were both frazzled and frightened; LP of losing this and drake of having it, and so it came to an abrupt end then and there. but everything was changing quickly and i think both of them knew it. i don’t need to tell you what happened in darkly dawns.

at some point, drake has got to investigate launchpad’s behavior. he’s a details guy - often bogged down in the smallest of details and unable to see the big picture. he picks and picks apart but doesn’t think to blink and look up, so of course he would take launchpad’s eagerness to help for granted. he must be well adjusted and content with his life. well well, good for him [sarcastic]. of course drake wishes he could be that unbothered sometimes, but it’s not a thought he can entertain for long before he’s already exhausted with it.

like, drake needs to wear a mask and cape to feel any sense of security. he needs to be clamored over and monologued to and hit hard a couple times before he feels any semblance of stability. of course he would take one look at good ol’ unconcerned launchpad and completely disregard the notion that he possibly struggles with a similar problem. of course launchpad wouldn’t say anything.

but i don’t think it remains like this forever obviously. like, at some point drake does begin to realize where things don’t add up. as they get more comfortable with each other, they both let the ‘mask’ slip a bit more. and from this, i think any jealously drake experienced before might actually intensify in some twisted up way. that launchpad could turn his loneliness and suffering into something so beautiful and downright productive while drake has to masquerade around the city at night in his clown getup? yeah he would probably resent that at first LAWL

but i think very quickly it would start to untangle a bit. as their strange similarities come to light more and more, drake would probably feel inspired more than anything. he finds that for the first time in his life he can look at someone doing better than him and want to follow him rather than belittle them. he doesn’t want to be better to spite launchpad, he wants to better himself because of LP.

also, if you were asking about drake’s jealousy regarding launchpad’s looks and i totally misinterpreted this ask, sorry LMAO. if that’s the case, i don’t think drake is jealous of his looks because launchpad doesn’t look anything like drake’s personal ideal. he’s so vastly different that they don’t really compare or overlap. of course drake has insecurities regarding his own figure, but i think he’s more self assured than anything. i think the euphoria he gets from the costume is enough to stave off any doubts he has about his looks lawl

[delicateseraphs]

What are Ana’s and the Mikealsons’ love language? How do they express it?

hello anon!! luckily enough, i actually have thought about this a lot for future ana/mikaelson interactions. so, under the cut... you'll find my little rambles!!

ana | acts of service and physical touch.

as we've witnessed, ana unconsciously cares for people through acts of service. if she cares about someone, she goes above and beyond to make their favourite food/drink, keep stock of their favourite things, and making them comfortable. you'll see soon enough, but she often squabbles with family/friends due to her habit of not letting them pay for anything or lift a finger because it's a form of showing how much she cares. ana doesn't enjoy physical touch unless she likes you. she hates when strangers invade her space and she normally lives her life with a constant repellent barrier over her skin on. if possible, she remains at least three feet away from other people (public transport/walking on the street aside). if she allows someone to make physical contact with her and how long she allows them indicates exactly how much she cares for them because she's only comfortable with people she cares for.

kol | words of affirmation and physical touch.

due to the events throughout his entire life, kol really requires meaningful words of affirmation to cement his understanding of his place and importance in someone's life. that's why he often fishes for attention and compliments or boasts about himself. he wants them to agree that he's important and lovable. with how often he's left out of his family's promises and vows of loyalty, he wants assurance that people think of him. that they remember him. basically, he loves being praised. kol requires a lot of physical contact to assure himself of another person's presence in his life. when he likes someone, he knows no concept of personal space. that's their space now. it's most likely due to the fact he grew up in a family that lacked physical affection towards the boys. i really think that all of the mikaelson men suffer from some form of touch starvation because the only physical touch (outside of their siblings) they knew was violent and abusive.

finn | quality time and physical touch.

initially, finn was hard for me to pin down. now, i know he requires quality time. he really enjoys spending hours and hours with people he cares about, and he doesn't care if it's only in silence. he wants all their uninterrupted and focused attention on him. it comes from how much time was stolen from him. the fact he has someone with him reminds him that he's out of the damn coffin and no longer under the dagger. the presence of another person is comforting and makes him feel safe. physical contact also derives from that. finn grew up in a culture where men were meant to be strong and violent. he grew up with mikael as a father. he really craves loving physical touch. a gentle physical affection where he's handled with care. it also helps him ground himself and remember that he's no longer trapped in a coffin or daggered. he's also touch starved beyond all comprehension, so he likes hugs and non-sexual physical contact. he prefers to constantly have contact with someone he cares, to be completely honest.

rebekah | quality time and receiving gifts.

i love rebekah. she's definitely the picture of grew up as baby sister, but only daughter (weightlifting the emotional burdens of her entire family). if rebekah likes you, she wants to monopolise all of your time and attention. she wants to spend every second with you and gets jealous if she's receiving scraps of time or brushed off. she wants long and thoughtful conversations. she wants you to pay attention to her and she'll do the same in return. after all, she doesn't just hang around anyone or pay any mind to the rabble. people accuse rebekah of being shallow and materialistic. i don't quite think so. rebekah enjoys receiving any type of gift as long as it's meaningful or shows that you've been listening to her. it has to be thoughtful. sure, she enjoys a bespoke dress, but if it's not the right cut or fabric or colour, it clearly shows that you're just throwing money at her. she hates that even more. she wants you to show that you're thoughtful and care about her, and what better than a gift that will reveal your thoughts?

klaus | physical touch and quality time.

i really think that klaus requires and craves physical touch that he hasn't experienced. he's touch starved. after everything mikael put him through, he wants someone to show their love through careful and considerate physical affection (and not just sex). he wants to feel the love and loyalty someone feels for him through their physical affection. after all, everyone in his life raised a hand to hurt him, and he wants someone to be different. he's similar to kol in the form of there is no such thing as personal space if he cares. that's a shared space now. yours and his. klaus is similar to rebekah in the sentiment of quality time. he wants to monopolise the attention and time of someone he cares about. he throws literal tantrums when people don't pay enough attention to him or stray. he's jealous and possessive especially when it comes to the time of someone he cares about. he wants to be their number one and he wants to remind them by constantly spending time with them. i think he also wants to ascertain their loyalty and feels it's only possible through quality time.

elijah | acts of service and quality time.

eldest sibling syndrome (except he's actually in the middle). elijah dedicates himself to showing love through acts of service like protection or pampering. he wants to make sure the people he loves are comfortable and safe. he likes to take care of people through acts of service and financially, making sure they're never experiencing any type of discomfort. if you need a new kitchen countertop? if your television is broken? you need a new laptop? he's got it. he'll either fix, build, or buy it. like his other siblings, elijah wants to spend a lot of time with someone he cares for. i mean, who else would he spend his time with? he wants to have reflective conversations so he can discern their character and thoughts. he wants to see them comfortable and as their true self. in certain ways, he mirrors klaus, because he believes that the quality time can unravel someone's loyalty and thoughts. he wants to delve deep into someone he cares about and understand them deeply. (also, part of his control freak nature...)

[the-director]

Okay so. While initially I wasn't going to watch the Netflix avatar at all, my grandparents wanted me to watch it with them and they are my grandparents so I did.

We just finished what I believe is episode 4? "Spirited away" which seems to be the first part of the winter solstice two parter.

I'm going to be mostly Positive here but with my negative stuff I'll try to be unique

I like what they've done to the southern water tribe, I like how there's more people, since this show is taking a more serious route, I feel like the main reason the southern water tribe was so small was for comedy. The argument against this could be that the reason why their population was so small was to depict that they were facing a similar genocide to what aang/air nomads experienced. But hmmm. It just feels more like an actual yknow society rather than just. Sokka, katara, hakoda, bato, gran gran, yknow?

I'm not that upset about katara being given the water bending scroll by gran gran, as I feel like it ties into her being secretly from the north.

I really really really love the costuming. Some have complained that it "looks like cosplay" which I agree, I think thats a good thing. My favorite cosplays are those that look accurate but also look actually wearable in day to day or of the time/place they are from and I think these costumes fit the bill, especially Aangs. I also like how with the fire nation, it seems like most of them esp the soldiers have more muted colors. While iroh has brighter colors. I take this to being connected to how the fire nation have lost their spark, the true way of firebending like the dragons do, while iroh remains true to that with his spirituality and acceptance.

I like the changes they made with Bumi while I wish he still gave aang challenges that were more clever, I do like his resentment for aang. While watching the show, it feels like aangs guilt over leaving the world is largely self inflicted. The only time someone actually literally blames him for the war is that fisherman in the storm. And it makes sense for bumi to be the one that feels hurt and betrayed, he knew aang personally. I also like to wonder/think that bumi also knew kuzon. And thinking about whether kuzon betrayed or stayed with the fire nation is very good for angst. But that's breaching into fanfic territory...

I like the changes they've made to koh. It seems like he no longer gets faces by them showing emotion. Rather, he works in tandem with the fog of lost souls to acquire his victims, incorporating the more spider/bug like qualities of design. He's also voiced by George Takei, who played the warden of that one fire nation prison, which is nice.

I like Zhao being a more sneaky bastard. While I do miss him being a rageful idiot, a sort of "look at who zuko might become" and I do miss his agni kai with zuko, I find this approach interesting and it allows him more screen time which helps him stick to the mind. It also makes it seem like this new fire nation is more sneaky, less so focussed on true honor and courage and more so on results. Reflecting how ozai and azula are.

Now the things that really bug me (besides things that ppl have already mentioned like katara lacking her rage, sokka and the sexism, etc)

Kyoshi fan service was so in your face it made me lose my mind, where the hell is Roku, he is the previous avatar he should be more important.

Iroh feels. Less wise, it's hard to describe but it feels less like he's "playing an act" and more like. There is no act. It's hard to say if this is because of how I interpret him in the show or how the writers interpret him in the show and then try to be like "see we already know that he's a white lotus member and is super smart from the beginning" I feel like we are seeing too much of his backstory way too soon. And I also feel like he is way too loyal to the fire nation. He feels more Active in helping zuko find the avatar. Whereas in the cartoon he was always passive. He helped Zuko. But not helping him with the mission.

I dislike how they haven't really mentioned about the air balloon technology developed by the mechanist is then captured by the fire nation which leads directly into the finale. But I suppose there's still time for that. I dislike the mechanist storyline being set in omashu since now we didn't get to see the air temple get destroyed and have that factor into aangs development, as well as aang validating Teo as "having the heart of an airbender" but that wouldn't have worked anyways because of how bloodthirsty Teo is in this version.

WHY IS WAN SHI TONG IN THE SPIRIT WORLD?? GET BACK TO THE LIBRARY IN THE MATERIAL WORLD RIGHT NOW YOU OWL

I dislike how they did the badger moles as well as the musical nomads, but I wasn't Too upset with katara and sokka being in the tunnel. It was obviously platonic love and was more so just to have them resolve their issues with eachother.

[gyujeongfmd]

love languages — headcanon, playlist and aesthetic

summary — love love love, what’s it good for? absolutely nothing. yet, to gyujeong love remains something holy and sacred, he keeps close to his heart. it takes him quite a bit to reach this stage, but once he’s there he’s afloat. his person is his home, and the way he shows it is through his primary love languages: acts of service, and quality time. response to that is just as well the same as he requires the same amount he pours in or else the dissonance gets to him. playlist summary — gyujeong’s primary way of showing he loves / cares for someone beyond the scope of a friend is through a playlist. though he’ll make playlists for friends, those types are usually just copy and pastes of his most listened to music. however, for those he loves, he makes sure to take thought to craft a careful story in each of the playlists he creates. it’s by his nature he doesn’t want a response up front, but hopes that each person takes in the listen to read between the lines of what he can’t say sometimes. (maybe, he’s embarassed. or maybe, he just doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings). wc — 583

playlist:

1 볼빨간사춘기 — 처음부터 너와 나 / bol4 — you and i from the beginning 2. h.e.r ft. daniel caesar — best part 3. jesse barrera, michael carreon, albert posis — maybe we could be a thing 4. 적재 — 처음 사랑해 / jukjae — first love 5. 죠지 — everyday / george 6. post malone — i like you 7. 멜로망스 — 사랑인가봐 / melomance — love, maybe 8. 폴킴 — 있잖아 / paul kim — hey 9. 치즈 — 좋아해 / cheeze — i like you 10. 케이윌 — 오늘 부터 1일 / k. will — day 1

for context, i want to preface that gyujeong has no game at all. lmao, it’s non existent, and he’s terrible at dating. in fact, he’s only had one girlfriend in his whole entire life, and that started when he was young

thus, he continues to have no game and tbh in future scenarios, i only see him falling in love again in a situation where the person likes him first, and he doesn’t realize until the confession that what he feels is feelings more than just steady conversation (i hope that makes sense)

nonetheless, with his small sample size — gyujeong is still pretty much a rock solid lover

in terms of being whipped, he’s really whipped. he’ll tell people within their first conversation that he’s in a relationship, and to please respect that while also ensuring that he doesn’t cross boundaries with anyone aka: he will avoid people like the plague if he thinks that it would make his partner uncomfortable

his love languages are pretty simple — acts of service, and quality time together

acts of service constitute the majority where he’ll write handwritten letters, make playlists and take them out a few times a week (schedule allowing). the reason for the letters are because he’s technically not that good with words, and feels like when he has time to write up a draft and explain things concretely, he’s able to emphasize his words a bit better

similarly with playlists, he thinks the most intimate form of communication is through these playlists. not many people understand his music taste, nor does he share his suggestions often — so, having these playlists constitute of a lot of ballads, slow paced songs he wants to share with someone. aka: he’s a gatekeeper of music, but he’ll open his gates for his person

though, he doesn’t want to listen to the playlist together when he first gifts someone a mixtape. instead, what he wants is to plug earphones in their ears, and take a walk together without saying anything. he just wants to kind of bask in the silence by taking a silent walk while his partner is listening to the songs, and he just observes the reaction — odd tidbit, i know, but what’s gyu to do

and in regards to walks, he’s not really a superficial person in regards to having gifts or giving gifts. instead, what he wants most is to spend quality time? he thinks love should have that at the forefront of the foundation, and he wants to do nothing with his person. though he doesn’t cook often, he learns to cook because he thinks it’s nice to prepare a meal together or to bake a cake to celebrate 100 days together (ofc he’s only done this once, so yeah…. wishful thinking on his own part).

he just likes quality time whether that be lounging around in the house together, taking walks around hangang or just people watching in a cafe. he’s pretty low-matinenced in that he wants to make trivial? minor? memories with his significant other. sure, you can have big planned events but he thinks linking the day-to-day activities mean more than anything else

i guess you could say he’s a bit clingy? and for someone who doesn’t really like physical touch all that much, he does like hugging/holding hands/cuddling with his partner. he just likes having them around because at the end of the day, his version of how he shows and appreciates love comes down to that.

he’s a hopeless romantic who watches too much romance anime anyways lol

[furryprovocateur]

hi. i posted this about a month ago now, and as a result of this post, i've had to turn off anon, i've had people accuse me of never experiencing violence, i've had people accuse me of saying things like "rape is a myth", and generally i have had tumblr users read this post in bad faith and antagonize me over it. i am going to say this once.

Stop asking me what to do about rape.

Prisons as they are do not solve crime. if that were the case, the mass production of prisons would solve crime. as we've seen in the modern age, they do not. i have said that resources we put into prisons should be put back into the communities and that would do more to lower the crime rate than any one police institution or sentencing policy could ever hope to do. but i have never said that prison abolition would "solve" crime, and if, by some random chance, i have, then i misspoke and that was not the intent behind my wording. when i say prison abolition will reduce crime, it's because crime is symptomatic of systemic inequity and is a consequence of greater societal failing, i.e. theft being the result of lack of economic mobility, vandalism being the result of lack of attachment and belonging within the community, etc. etc.

"What do we do about rape?" you can be asking that question right now, because rape is one of the most underreported crimes in america with a conviction rate around that of a coinflip in a country where the conviction rate is above 90% overall. keep in mind that even when the law does act on some of these cases, if you have enough power and status (i.e. bill cosby, brock turner), you can overcome the mountains of evidence against you and still remain a free man. so, please keep in mind, i am not being glib when i respond with "well, what are we doing about rape right now?", it is my way of saying that you are bringing up a greater issue in rape culture that prison abolition cannot hope to solve by itself.

and again, prisons do not solve crime, they punish it. i am not advocating that crime should go unpunished, i am saying that warehousing away members of our community for slave labor is a bad thing that we should stop doing, even if they are guilty of crime. rape is already an issue, so it's baffling to me how you would ask this question as if prisons in america are providing this service. prisons are largely housing people who have committed either drug offenses (read: violations against laws that should not exist) or property crimes. murder is anomalous, and rape is underprosecuted. you are asking a loaded and uninformed question when you ask what to do about these people.

the last thing i will say about this question is that yes, i think people who commit sexual violence are heinous and i have an extreme hatred for them. my personal feelings are that these people are demons and i wish nothing but the worst for them. that said, i divorce my own personal feelings on and experiences with these people to acknowledge that, regardless of my feelings about a person, they have unalienable rights, and i believe one of those should be that imprisonment is inherently cruel and unusual (if we need to use constitutional language), and largely counterproductive to any rehabilitative or societal reintegration goals. i'm not a psychiatrist, i am not an expert on anything really, i am just a lay person with opinions. i do not think there are inherently "bad" people, and that everyone can be reformed for better or worse. what would my ideal prison abolitionist society look like? one where sexual violence is committed exceedingly rarely, and when it is, the underlying problems with the person who commits it are addressed first and then that person can be reintegrated into society. (note: i am not saying any specific opinion about any rapist. if you have experienced rape from someone who you truly believe to be unrehabilitatable or otherwise recidivist, then you're allowed to disagree with me. i promise i will not be mad. just please do not harass me about it. again, i am making no claims about any real and existent rapist that is currently alive in this final point.)

i am making this lengthy addendum to the post because i am really fucking tired of having to go through this song and dance daily. rape is a frankly extremely triggering topic to talk about, and while yes, rape is a crime, this post is about crime, i did anticipate being asked this question, having people slam into my inbox and activity on a daily basis for weeks now asking about rape has had a very negative toll on my mental health. i am not the sole pillar of prison abolition. there are other works and takes on prison abolition than mine. i am not the sole arbiter of this movement. i made this post because i was gawking at how we've rationalized property crime to be worth of warehousing away someone for life. i did not make this post because i wanted to debate people on a daily basis for several weeks. if you disagree with me, that's fine, i don't care, just please stop harassing me and please stop triggering me. that is all that i am asking.

it's literally insane to me that if you steal enough televisions you can go to prison forever. like we effectively go "okay your life is less important to me than a panasonic TV". we literally value property more than human life