#how people tend to agree with everything someone else says but the moment I do it it’s heinous

[kavehater]

Lord give me energy today eueueue

[lemonhemlock]

I think a thing that bothers me the most is how fragmented TG (the fandom) is now. After season one, many of us had issues with character writing, but it still felt like we were largely on the same page. Now, some people can accept Aegon got bad writing but not Aemond, Alicent, or Helaena. They are all “good” or “bad”characters depending on how much they hurt Aegon this season. I’m so glad he got the time to be well rounded, and that TGC delivered on all his scenes, but I think people forget Aegon has received some poor writing as well even this season. His whole outburst about Jaehaerys’s death is not about his son, but the impact on his legacy- I thought this very odd at the time, but realize it’s because they can’t have him mourn Jaehaerys for a long time either. Nobody on TG is allowed to focus on this dead child, least of all his mother! Aegon goes out drinking with his friends next episode 😭 seemingly unconcerned. But somehow only Alicent and Aemond are called out for this, when it is a clear problem that Daemon is more affected by this loss than the greens. It feels like such an uphill battle to even discuss the faction and family anymore.

This is such a good point!

I know I am so contrarian about this rn, but I have had some issues in connecting with Aegon's grief scenes over Jaehaerys this season. And it's such an opinion I DON'T want to have, bc I'm fully on the Aegon/TGC bandwagon and I do think TGC is a competent actor.

But it's something about the general clownery of the framing, how everything is gloomy and dark but at the same time no one gives that much of a shit over Jaehaerys? It's very weird to describe. I know Olivia also shows Alicent crying and swallowing sobs and trying to conceal her grief, but, if you think about it, Alicent is just Kind Of Like That in a lot of her scenes anyway. Big doe wet eyes, filled with regret and unspoken emotions etc so that her acting similarly after B&C kind of doesn't hit as much?

And, in that context, having Aegon rage over this event is rendered kind of.....hammy and, honestly, comical. I'm reminded of the scene of the small council where everyone is somber and quiet and he kind of looks like he's pretending to cry. In other moments it's fine but there are frames where I can't take it seriously and it registers in my brain like a parody.

I realise how I sound right now, like I'm not satisfied with the subdued performances, but I'm not satisfied with the expansive ones either. IDK. I have a huge problem with the framing and direction this season, I think it's a huge impediment in making me enjoy the supposedly emotional scenes.

All of this to say that I agree, Aegon has also received some bad writing this season, especially him ALSO being kind of over Jaehaerys the next episode. But people tend to overlook it, because when you draw the line, the writing for him is still so much better than what he got in S1.

And, yes, this is why I can't really join the choir in blaming Alicent and Aemond for how they act with him, because it's not a naturalistic and organic progression, it's shoehorned in with little buildup or motivation and not even drawn to its natural conclusion. For example, Aemond should have been toast the minute Aegon woke up, because Prince Regent or not, Aegon is still the King and has the power to remove Aemond if he fears him. He doesn't have to justify himself in front of anyone, just give the order to arrest his brother and name someone else as regent, then just go back to sleep.

[mammalsofaction]

SIKE! GET LOVED IDIOT

Rating: G

Relationship: Heinz Doofenshmirtz & Perry the Platypus, Heinz Doofenshmirtz/Perry the Platypus

Add tags: fix it fic, rewrite the unmentionable chibiverse episode, the destiel-fication of Perryshmirtz, this is an excuse for me showeing Heinz with love and aftercare.

AN: Many thanks to my lovely, sleepy beta @agentlizardofowca, who sent me the video through discord so it could be the first thing i would see upon waking up so we could both yell at each other about it. They fucking destiel-ed him.

---

"Perry the Platypus!"

There is a brief, but meaningful applause as he descends in appropriately melodramatic way. The stage is well built, and the mic doesn't screech. Perry keeps an eye on the prize, even as he swallows the given pill.

Heinz looks…wary. He did not, at least, have his arms crossed, but over the course of the last few hours Perry notices how he's grown to hunch further into himself, curling into his seat. His brows were deeply furrowed, like he was waiting to be physically hit at any moment, which still might be likely.

The pill goes down smooth as butter. There is a discernible electrical buzz, from his insides. As he coughs, he expects himself to belch smoke. Instead, as he approaches the mic, he speaks with a voice that was his-and-not-his-own.

"Well, hello there!"

Heinz yells in disbelief. Perry blinks.

"Oh, that is weird, hearing you speak,"

It's an even weirder sensation, Perry thinks, to be able have Heinz firmly understand him speak. He grips the edges of the podium tightly, then forcibly relaxes.

"Heinz," he laughs nervously. It still sounds like it came from someone else. "What can I say, about my greatest frenemy? I'd take my hat off to you, but then you'd have no idea who I am,"

A chorus of laughter follows . Heinz harrumphed, briefly looking away to stubbornly insist that he "Doesn't get it." But Perry does not miss the distrustful twitch of his lips.

God he can't do this. Perry takes in a deep breath.

"There are many things you continue to surprise me about, my friend," Perry continues, and he watches in real time as Heinz both blooms and flinches in anticipation of his next words. "But most astonishingly is how you…can twist your mind into such horrible directions."

A confused silence ensues. Someone yells out a demanding "What?" that breaks the man's confused daze.

"Yeah, what?" Asked the man of the hour. "Are you saying I think in a really evil way, or are you just calling me dumb?"

The former, Perry knows, would be a compliment the man sorely needs, but it would not be an accurate one.

Perry isn't interested in playing this stupid game. "Neither. Heinz, look around you. Don't you see?" Perry's mouth pursed tightly. "You are surrounded by friends."

There is a perceptible change in the air, punctuated by muttering and distressed whispering. Perry exhales loudly. "Do you really think all of us genuinely think so lowly of you?"

Heinz scowls, confused. His eyes dart to and fro, but they eventually land back to him. They always do.

"Some friends. I don't have any friends.That's half the point we've been making all day."

"I'm your friend." Perry says, a little desperately, but it isn't about him. "Heinz, you insist that the people you surround yourself with think of you in ways you already think of yourself in that too big brain of yours, that you don't see the affection and respect of the people who like having you around. This event is your idea. Do you think people would have thought about anything cruel we've said if you hadn't said you wanted to hear it? "

" There were plenty of volunteers."

"We're an outgoing group who like to help one another! Heinz, look," Perry scowls back. "I don't agree with everything Darcy said, but she was right about one thing. Your biggest enemy is, and always has been, yourself. You tend to think of yourself as a being a failure, as being hated. But that isn't true."

"Yeah!" Marcy yells helpfully from the crowd, followed by some pointed hushing. She doesn't seem to notice. "I do actually think you're talented, Dr. D!"

"I think you're really fun!" Someone adds.

"You always know when to stop when we ask."

"You really rock a labcoat, too, Dr. D!"

"I actually like your shoulders!"

The auditorium grows loud, as more and more chibis cheerfully add their kind, honest opinions of the man in the throne. It seems to throw him off, and he looks panicked, shocked, and heartbreakingly, astoundingly confused.

"Wait, WAIT! Everybody STOP. You guys were supposed to make fun of me!"

"We can keep making fun of you if you like, Dr. Doof." Star answers happily. " If you want, but it's all in good fun, right?"

"That doesn't mean we don't think you're also really cool, Dr D. " Mabel adds cheerfully. She has her little piglet in her arms, rocking him affectionately back and forth. " I do it with my brother all the time! I still love him to bits and bits."

From behind one camera, Dipper makes an embarrassed sound. He's still smiling, and Mabel comes around to tug him into a hug, sandwiching Waddles in the middle.

"But that-," Heinz began to sputter indignantly. Somewhere far below, there is a grinding, whining noise. Perry frowns. "But you-! But what about-what about-what about my, hey, what about my doctorate, huh? I bought it off the internet for 15 bucks! My teachers hated me! Im not actually a Doctor."

"We both know you never needed one to prove yourself more than capable of breaking the laws of physics on the daily." Perry chirps drily. There is another chorus of laughter for the not-quite-insult. "And I'm the last person to make fun of you for enjoying a spot of alliteration. Hello, Perry the Platypus?"

"Hey!" Heinz shouts, as the crowd continues to giggle. "This is my roast! Get in line!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Perry coughs into his fist, hiding a smile. " Where were we? Ah, yes, embarrassing you."

Heinz harrumphed, slouching back down into his seat in the assumption that the self loathing party was about to continue apace. Perry clears his throat. "Let's talk about how much you love your daughter."

Heinz shoots straight up, hands clenched into the sides of his seat. He looks, for a second, genuinely hurt, and angry. But Perry meets his gaze dead on, and the man eventually unclenches himself enough to speak, taking a deep breath as he looks away. "Fine. Fine. Whatever. There's nothing you're about to say that will make me feel even a little bit ashamed of how much I love my Vanessa."

"Yes, that is quite the pickle, isn't it? You, Heinz Doofenshmirtz," his voice turns soft despite his best efforts, feeling his cheeks burn fondly in reminiscence. "Are one of the strongest, kindest, sweetest parents I have ever had the pleasure to meet in my life."

Heinz blinks, caught off guard once again as the crowd goes "Awww,"

"You are embarassingly loving, you never let yourself forget the things she tells you she enjoys, even if they're gifts she asked for when she was barely a child. You are protective and vindictive of anything that could possibly come to hurt her, and you have never, ever, ever once forgotten to throw her a birthday, even when you've never had a decent one yourself in all your life,"

And finally, finally, Heinz blushes. A tint of red for being pleasantly flustered instead of the ashamed flush from before. The chibis laugh, coo and yell in playful disgust. Perry smiles smugly, pleased for having turned the tide of the event on its head.

From beneath their feet, the rumble grows, and the whining increases in fever pitch. Chibis begin to jump in surprise, the sounds of joy and celebration turning into ones of distress. Quite tellingly, Heinz looks perfectly unbothered, arms crossed petulantly. Perry raises an eyebrow.

There is a distant boom, muffled by a safe wall of dirt. One part of the stands collapses in on itself, and the chibis get off of it hurriedly. There is an ensuing silence.

Perry and Heinz had not, even once, looked away from one another. Perry leans on his elbow on the podium, raising his second eyebrow. Heinz slumps down his seat.

"Fine. I had an inator that was being charged by the negative energy of insults to take over the chibiverse, yada yada yada. It was supposed to be Platypus proof, because I didn't have time to put a self-destruct button. You jammed the energy input and made it explode by calling me nice things, happy?"

"Delirious." Perry answers, as the crowd cheers in celebration, another scheme thwarted, and another day saved.

The crowd climbs the stage in droves, chanting his name. Perry lets them have their fun, though he's not particularly enjoying being thrown into the air and carried over their heads, off the stage, to the backstage buffet.

He slinks off the second he was able to get away with it, to where Heinz was still curled on the throne in the auditorium hall, scribbling into his inventions book. He's not noticed Perry approaching, peeking over his shoulder to see he was already brainstorming his next scheme for molecular chibiverse domination, muttering angrily to himself.

"-tupid to think he actually meant what he was saying, I should've kept my lid on the plan better, hide my blueprints-,"

"I did, you know." Perry interrupts, and Heinz jumped, clutching the notebook close to his chest. "Meant them, I mean."

Heinz sighs gustily, posing like he's meant to retort something clever, but he's not sure what it is, yet. To render Heinz Doofenshmirtz speechless was no easy feat, adding another tally to Perry's accomplishments this day.

Not that he was ever unappreciative of Heinz's chatty nature.

After opening his mouth and closing it a couple more times, the doctor blurts; "I don't think I'll ever get used to that. You, talking, I mean."

Perry shrugs, self-conscious. Heinz adds, hurriedly, "I didn't say I didn't like it."

Perry tilts his head in question.

"I'll get used to it," Heinz assures, a bit shyly. It's making Perry blush too.

The agent shakes his head. " I don't think…, "

Heinz frowns. "You don't like it? "

Perry shrugs. "I don't need it. " He looks down. "I have you. "

He's not looking, so he isn't able to tell what expression Heinz might be wearing in the following silence.

Heinz breaks it eventually. "You keep doing this, you know?"

When Perry looks up, Heinz had donned a poorly executed scowl. It makes him smile. "Reminding me about the good things. Call me nice, I mean. That's not right. It's ruining my street cred."

The idea of Heinz having a street cred makes him laugh, and even if he does not enjoy most of the actual talking for now, this was nice. Laughing together, and being able to communicate, thoroughly and well, what exactly he adored of his best friend, uninhibited of Heinz's own self-esteem issues.

I love you, Perry wants to say, desperately. He wants to say it more than anything in the world, but even with all the communicative technology at his disposal, he is still hesitant, still scared, of putting his vulnerability into words.

Later, he keeps telling himself. Soon. Eventually. He reaches out to hold Heinz's hand in his own, leadened with all the words he can't bring himself to say.

Heinz smiles, and squeezes like he understands him anyway. Like Perry would have all the time in the world.

It can wait.

[esamastation]

Shizuroth, part eight.

-

"How is he?"

"What do you think?"

Lazard gives the SOLDIER First Class an unimpressed look and Genesis sniffs. "Never fear, Director - your Hero will be well fit for duty - after a break," Genesis says.

"Sephiroth never takes breaks," Lazard points out.

That earns him another sniff, one much closer to a scoff this time. "And people wonder why he's so unapproachable," Genesis says, rolling his eyes. "Why he keeps destroying training rooms in regular spars."

"I seem to recall you and Angeal having a hand in that too," Lazard says, amused and unimpressed. "You are all still forbidden from using the training rooms."

"Yes, yes, ours is a tragic tale of woe," Genesis says dismissively. "The point I'm trying to make is that whether Sephiroth takes breaks or not, he still needs them. He might be Elite even among us Firsts - but he's still human. No matter what the professor says."

Lazard folds his arms. "So this was to be expected, is that it?"

"Wasn't it? Have you not seen Sephiroth's schedule? And I don't just mean his mission roster. He's in and out of the labs so often they should install a revolving door, just for him," Genesis scoffs and looks away. "It's a wonder he didn't start losing it before."

Lazard narrows his eyes. "Has he lost it, then, Genesis? Has he been pushed to the brink?"

Genesis is quiet for a moment and then sighs. "No," he says. "Not yet. But something happened that shook him. Apparently his heart stopped, he was given too big a dose - but I don't think that's it. Not all of it."

"It sounds plenty shocking to me."

"SOLDIERs flatline all the time. That's what Phoenix Downs are for," Genesis waves a hand at that. "Sephiroth must've gone through it a thousand times. But maybe, in combination with the higher dose he got, and however long he was dead…"

Lazard hums. "Memory issues?"

"Most definitely," Genesis agrees, and gives him a sideways look. "He'll be able to cover it up - given time. But he must've forgotten more than he was letting on. I don't know how much - but it was a lot."

Lazard hums in grim understanding, and they're quiet for a moment in shared acceptance. Memory loss in a SOLDIER is common enough and usually isn't reason alone to pull them from the field - higher ups really didn't care. But it tends to have other detrimental effects…

Like an increased mortality rate.

SOLDIERs were sent out only on toughest of missions, taking on most dangerous assignments the company had to offer. Everything Turks or Infantry couldn't handle, the SOLDIER took care of. And going on a high-risk mission with any level of loss of mental faculties… 

If Sephiroth was operating with something worse than your usual case of a few burned synapses…

"He needs to be evaluated," Lazard says finally. "Sephiroth has numerous missions coming up in Wutai - if his abilities are compromised -"

"You'll send someone else?" Genesis asks and scoffs. "That I would like to see! How will that look in the newspapers, when the poster boy is replaced? The horror, the controversy - the conspiracy!"

Lazard casts him a look. "Or maybe I will have to shuffle the roster to send someone with him," he says pointedly.

"To babysit Sephiroth?"

"Better than to risk everything due to lack of foresight," Lazard muses and leans back in his chair. "Angeal will be back tomorrow - I want you to debrief him on the situation - quietly - and then the two of you can assess Sephiroth's condition."

"Out of the company's view, I assume?" Genesis asks while whipping out his PHS to check the calendar.

"It wouldn't do for rumours to spread," Lazard agrees and looks away. "Thankfully the Third who saw him already promised to be discreet."

Genesis hums dubiously. "We'll see how long that will last," he mutters, scrolling through his schedule. In his experience, SOLDIERs gossip worse than the secretary staff. 

"I'll take even a day's delay. With the true extent of his stay in Injections suppressed and with you handling the rest, hopefully the gossip won't find enough ground to spread," Lazard says.

Genesis hums and then frowns at a new message notification. "Ah," he says, reading the title.

"Hm?" Lazard asks 

"Well. Speaking of gossip," Genesis says, his brows arching. "Someone is getting fired at Laybell's."

Lazard frowns and gives him a confused look. "Laybell's? You mean the clothing store?"

Genesis opens the mail that had just been sent out to Silver Elite and reads it through.

SEPHIROTH JUST ORDERED A WHOLE BUNCH OF SHIRTS FROM LAYBELL'S?!? by Beybelina

Hi, hello, hey, I'm a bit of a lurker, usually I don't have anything to say, but something INCREDIBLE just happened! 

I work at the Laybell's in Sector Seven and I was just processing orders when it popped up! At first I couldn't believe my eyes! The name on the order, it couldn't be! It was SEPHIROTH! I thought it was fake, so I checked - and the mailing address is Shinra HQ!

Aaaah, my heart is pounding like mad! Sephiroth, making orders from our store! This is the happiest day of my life!

There's almost instantly a reply.

Re: SHIRTS FROM LAYBELL'S by Silver Tail

OH MY GODDESS! What did he order? What kind of shirts? What colour? Tell us everything!

And then an answer to that, just as quickly…

Re:re: SHIRTS FROM LAYBELL'S by Beybelina 

I have the full list, though I probably shouldn't mail it because of customer confidentiality! But let's just say it  looks like he's moving in from the Glorious Coat of Greatness and Goodness and we'll all be worse for it! He will look amazing of course, but it's still a tragedy! 

Genesis brows arch slightly in incredulity. What customer confidentiality? "Apparently Sephiroth has been shopping for clothes."

Lazard looks up, and Genesis shows him the message. "Hm. I agree, someone is certainly getting fired," he says dubiously. "But is it really that unusual? Everyone uses mail to shop these days."

Genesis gives him a look. "You have no idea what the state of his wardrobe is, do you?"

"I make it a point not to pry into the personal affairs of SOLDIER members," Lazard admits.

"And we're oh so grateful - but I do, and it's something else," Genesis says flatly. He'd gotten his own leather coat because he'd gotten inspired by Sephiroth's style - only to soon realise where it actually came from.

He's never known anyone too damn haughty to get a new shirt, before Sephiroth. It would be amusing if it wasn't so irritating. Of course, there's also the fact that whenever they do as much as charge their hairstyle it's newsworthy. Sephiroth is especially sensitive to it, having been in the spotlight all his life. But mostly it was just the man being contrary on purpose, because someone said something, and sometimes Sephiroth just decides to dig his heels in about the weirdest things for no good reason. Like with the hair, oh, Goddess, the hair.

So the idea that Sephiroth is suddenly becoming fashion-conscious…? Highly unlikely. 

Genesis scowls, snapping his phone shut.

Lazard is right - Sephiroth really needs to be assessed, thoroughly. Because either the man has utterly lost his mind… or he's up to something.

-

Cut to SY, sobbing screaming throwing up over a pile of torn shirts.

[zeroducks-2]

You know reverse flash will probably never chill out all the way but if he gets with Barry he’d probably settle down a little at least. Constantly follows Barry and touches him when he’s stressed. Definitely a healthier outlet.

Barry: what did you used to do to calm down before we got together?

Thawne: oh I went back in time to throw you down the stairs as a child.

Okay I laughed but at the risk of being insufferably pedantic, Eo is actually one really controlled and poised motherfucker 90% of the times.

The times in which you see him not being in control of the scene is when he's having a manic episode (notable examples include the mess he made in Running Scared and the mental breakdown of Finish Line). And even then, he's doing insane shit but in a very controlled way, like the fact that he managed to go through the entirety of Running Scared without actually pulling a hair off of Iris' head. He's very much not the type for random outbursts of rage, whenever you see him not fighting he's actually pretty chill, and there's a smooth grace in his movements like he was never in a hurry to do anything. Despite the fact that he's, you know, faster than light. In fairness, he's so powerful that if he wasn't so much in control he'd destroy everything he has around the moment his mood shifts a little.

He probably gives off the impression that he's prone to outbursts because he has violent emotional reactions that he can't regulate, but they're way more focused inwards than outwards. Eobard's rage tends to be the plotting kind, and his plotting can be so precise and vast that it extends through timelines, and the example of how he pushed Barry down the stairs is perfect because that time he wasn't hurting Barry out of spite. That was part of a bigger picture intent on undermining Barry's confidence, making him grow up as anxious and alone and insecure as possible, bigger picture which also included burning down his childhood home, or making him feel responsible for the death of his dog, or moving his arm slightly this or that way to make him fail at sports.

That wasn't anger or pettiness, that was an extremely controlled, horrifyingly calculated plot that resulted in turning Barry from who he was in the Silver Age (outgoing, always merry, surrounded by people, always "knowing a guy" in every scenario, loved by his parents, good at sports, good in school, good at dancing) to who he is today (timid, insecure, alone, anxious, lacking people he can lean on to, lacking confidence in anything but his skills as a chemist). Killing Nora was just one tile of the mosaic, albeit you could say the most important one, but the point was very much the bigger picture.

That being said, do I think Eobard would calm the fuck down if he and Barry got together? Might sound like an oxymoron given all of the above, but I actually think he would! I also agree with you in how he'd need lots and lots of physical touch. You know I can HARDLY think of ONE instance in which someone touched him without the intent of hurting him, including when it comes to his family? Except for Barry of course, Barry does touch him gently (and casually!) if the circumstances allow it.

Like at the beginning of Running Scared, which unfortunately Eobard doesn't remember.

Or here. (panels from The Flash Age by Joshua Williamson)

Or here, in which Barry's grabbed him to avoid him to faceplant after Paradox tossed him like a doll.

Eobard has to be so extremely touch starved he'd be looking for "physical reassurances" pretty much constantly, I think. Barry would have no qualms with it anyway, given how touchy he is by nature. He'd probably be more endeared than anything else.

[mazeinthemiroh]

ateez and their s/o move in together pls ❤️

ateez when they move in with their s/o

genre: crack, fluff

word count: 1.1k

warnings: some are longer than others, apologies

pls like and reblog if you enjoy! feel free to request anything <3

hongjoong

hongjoong had the design of most of the rooms all figured out. and you trusted him with this because he just has a naturally good eye for these things. he has a unique but organised mind; he knows what looks good.

for this reason, everything seemed to be in place quite early on after moving in. the challenging tasks lay with putting together certain furniture.

"we shouldn't have to pay someone to do this for us when we can do it ourselves!" hongjoong said defiantly and optimistically. "how hard can it really be?"

he soon regretted asking that because it was 11:30 pm and you both sat together on the living room floor, still contemplating the instructions that made no sense and the unit you were trying to build still not complete.

you both looked over at each other and exchanged looks, not needing to say what you both thought about the situation.

"you wanna get a takeaway?" hongjoong shrugged at you.

"oh, absolutely." anything was better than this.

seonghwa

seonghwa was in a dream-like state the moment all the boxes were unboxed and everything was in its place.

you looked at him and shook your head, "oh yeah? you're happy now, but earlier you were a nervous wreck!"

seonghwa chuckled sheepishly and leaned against the kitchen counter, a slightly guilty look on his face.

"yeah, sorry about that," hecrossed his arms over his chest, "i just wanted everything to be... perfect?"

"yes, i can tell," you giggled at him gently, wrapping your arms around his waist in a hug. seonghwa grinned at your actions and hugged you back.

"now that i've stopped to take it in, i just can't believe we've moved in together," he dreamily, a thankful smile on his lips, "it feels so surreal. and so, so lovely."

yunho

"so what are we gonna do about that spare room?"

yunho whisked his head around excitedly at this question. of course, he had to play it smart in order to get his way. so he sat and raised his hand to his chin, stroking it as if he had a beard, and acting as if he were in incredibly deep thought.

"we could... i don't know..." yunho lead up to it, "turn it into a gaming room?"

you smiled and him knowingly and tutted, "why am i not surprised?"

"hey," yunho chuckled, "it's got multiple purposes. if we have a big tv in there and a couple of consoles, when people will come round we will all have something to do to break the ice."

yunho always made a good point.

"and when it's just us two, we can cuddle up and watch a movie," he fluttered his eyelashes and you shook your head, rolling your eyes at his forced cuteness.

"fine, whatever. have your game room! but only if you let me beat you when we play fifa."

"yeah, i don't see that happening."

yeosang

you and yeosang both agreed that the fridge was the most important appliance in the house. the fridge was a priority.

and so here you both were, standing next to a fridge full of food. perfect. but what to do next? neither of you had a clue.

"maybe we should have thought this through," you hummed, suddenly becoming overwhelmed with the thought of everything else you had to get through.

"yeah, but hey, at least we got food," yeosang grinned and grabbed a chocolate bar. you shoo your head disapprovingly at him.

"onto the next thing now," you said, acting as the voice of reason in this situation (it tended to alternate) and on passing yeosang, you took a big bite out of his unwrapped chocolate. he was appalled at your actions but knew he had to oblige.

indulging in chocolate would have to wait.

san

"so now that we have settled in, we need to de-clutter all our stuff. you know, get rid of stuff."

the word 'de-clutter' never really appealed to san. he wasn't a hoarder by any means, but he did tend to keep a lot of stuff for the sake of keeping them.

"i know i need to get rid of some clothes," you said, going through your wardrobe. you came across something of san's and smiled, amused.

"i suppose we are keeping this?" you held up his shiber plushie that he has kept for all these years. he looked at it with a fond smile and practically snatched it from your hands.

"yes, i'll keep shiber," he hugged the plushie to his chest, "for old time's sake, of course"

mingi

you and mingi lay in an exhausted heap on the sofa. the unpacking was done. everything was in it's place. it took ages but finally, everything had come together.

"we did it," he mumbled, his tone tired but triumphant as he raised his hand lazily to offer a high-five. you high-fived him back, a half-hearted effort on your part too. your hands collided and fell into each other in the same movement. you were both tired, but that didn't mean you couldn't hold hands.

"what do we do now?" he asked, half-worried there would be more work to do.

but you shook your head as if you sensed his worry.

"nothing," you replied, "we do nothing."

wooyoung

"there is no way we're having yellow-coloured walls when we have to work with this green carpet."

wooyoung decided he was an interior designer when the two of you moved in together. it was hilarious to you because both organisation nor coordination was just not his thing. but hey, he sure had some style to live up to, apparently.

"i should have gotten another roommate," he sighed dramatically and shook his head.

"i'm not your roommate, i'm supposed to be your soulmate you idiot," you whacked him gently on the arm, before poking him playfully in his sides, making him chuckle and grin at you. "maybe i should find another soulmate then, hmm?"

"you wouldn't dare."

jongho

having a boyfriend like jongho had a lot of perks.

for instance, when moving in with him, he did all the heavy work. it made things much easier having him around that was for sure; lifting things you would never be able to lift yourself.

"can you lift that cabinet over here a sec, i wanna see something," you asked jongho, pointing to the place you wanted it to be put. you were seeing what layout of the lounge was better.

"am i your personal forklift now?" jongho asked, chuckling at his own little joke. he couldn't deny that he enjoyed helping you build the home for the both of you to share.

it was weirdly romantic for him. it felt like a new start to your journey together.

[ego-meliorem-esse]

dude but the whole face family is a mess of mental disorders and shit. At least if you want to nitpick. Australia and Murica are both ADHD, Canada a depressive lil shit, England is autistic and france bipolar as fuck. I'm still figuring out new Zealand so I can make bingo!

What happened to hi hello how are you 🥲

Im fucking kidding lets go

I have many thoughts on this topic. I just wanna say first that i dont really want to talk about specifically what mental disorder or whatnot each of these characters have. I have my personal hc that i keep private just cus ive strayed so far from canon or even the classic hetalia 2014 country stereotyping. They are my blorbos in the purset sense of the word. So, i feel like if i told you “yeahh murica is adhd on legs” i think it would come across as insensitive.

But on the other hand, in the past 2 years that ive been in group therapy on and off, i have come to be comfortable with talking about mental disorders and dont find it as triggering or offensive as i know some people do. Which is also very valid. People deal with things the best they can and when youre in the trenches of ocd, having a weirdo (me ✊😎) say a fictional character is going through it, it might not sit right. So i wanna keep this as non triggering as possible.

As almost everything i hc, this is something I’ve looked over. And i do agree to a point. Alfred is definitely someone who exhibits traits like excessive talking, impulsiveness, interrupting conversations, difficulty focusing at something that he finds little interest in etc etc. He is easily distracted and tends to find certain people boring. But he also does not have time management skills and he does not forget tasks and plans. Could this be adhd? Sure. Does it have to be? Of course not. So i tend to leave it up in the air. Some people might find comfort in interpreting it as adhd and some would rather stay clear. Both viewpoints equally valid.

I truly dont know about Jack or Arthur. Eleanor too. Honestly i dont really try to make up disorders for them. One thing i dislike is the labeling. If someone, even a silly character, does show traits of some disorder, id rather not have it outright mentioned. It can be cristal clear that Matt has a full on depressive episode, but let me figure that one out myself, chief. I am all in favour of making these fuckers complex and give them shit to shovel, but the moment we start throwing mental disorder labels around, i think the focus strays. But again, only my preference. To someone else, its a comfort.

However, as he is my knight of the highest order, my highest ranking babygirl, my worst punching bag: Matt is depressed as shit. He functions but, God, at what cost?

Does he have depression? Probably. Will i ever make a serious post about his depression specifically? Probably not.

Francois though. He has no disorders, no hardships or difficulties. Makes it easier for me to actively and effectively hate. We are currently negotiating a stalemate, as ive, just today, heard Sous le ciel de Paris after forgetting that song existed. Good fucking song tho. Willing to negotiate the terms of Francois’ surrender.

[skaruresonic]

It's always "why doesn't Sonic kill Eggman" but never "why is Eggman evil"

You'd think that since Eggman is the center/cause of this entire thing in the first place there would be a bit more interest in investigating his desires and beliefs regarding the subject matter.

Idw's moral quandary focuses exclusively on Sonic's view of things while doing everything necessary to ignore the agency and thoughts of everyone else involved.

That's a dead giveaway of the real reason why they introduced this morality nonsense. The writers never cared about exploring each character and how they affect things. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the people in charge of idw sonic just wanted to make Sonic look bad.

There's also the added bonus of the comic continuously proving that its version of Sonic is wrong. It cannot be interpreted as anything other than a desire to make Sonic look like a moron.

Well, we do know he wants to build his Empire out of a sense of unchecked ego and entitlement, which is about the extent we can expect as far as motivation goes.

I feel like asking why Eggman is evil is still pretty unnecessary tbh. He doesn't particularly need a reason to do evil things, just as Sonic doesn't need a reason to want to help out a friend. They're the kind of larger-than-life characters for whom explanations tend to dilute. Deceptively simple on the surface, but powerfully resonant, you know what I mean?

---

You'd think that since Eggman is the center/cause of this entire thing in the first place there would be a bit more interest in investigating his desires and beliefs regarding the subject matter.

That would be a valid point had the spark that ignited this entire moral quandary not been an accident. Eggman gets knocked out and by pure happenstance becomes someone completely different. He could have just as easily begun cosplaying as Gerald or something. actually nvm, that sounds interesting

For some reason, Sonic takes this fluke to mean that Eggman is capable of being good, when in reality he should have learned the opposite lesson: that the evil madman is who Eggman is because it's who Eggman chooses to be when equipped with proper faculties and free will.

---

Idw's moral quandary focuses exclusively on Sonic's view of things while doing everything necessary to ignore the agency and thoughts of everyone else involved.

Because the book has protagonist-centered morality. Sonic doesn't win arguments because he's particularly right or even good at arguing his point, but because the plot needs people to kowtow to him.

You must agree with Sonic because he knows best... except when it's convenient for the plot to pretend it never espoused that attitude.

Again, if Sonic had some common sense, he'd have realized from his own personal experiences as Mr. Needlemouse that Eggman didn't choose to hang up his hat and become Mr. Tinker. Flynn could have made a parallel of it beyond a mere bookend, a real epiphany moment. But it goes nowhere because Flynn cannot provide a cogent answer to the question he raised; he has to deflect.

---

That's a dead giveaway of the real reason why they introduced this morality nonsense. The writers never cared about exploring each character and how they affect things. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the people in charge of idw sonic just wanted to make Sonic look bad.

They also wanted their work to appear deep(er than the games) without putting in the work needed to make it actually deep. Sneering obliquely at the games is enough to merit you applause.

It's funny too because I just read a ScreenRant article which contended that Eggman has ~pathetic flaws~ as a villain because... wait for it... Starline and co. called his methods "sloppy" in Bad Guys six or seven times. Starline called him out, so obviously we must take him at his word; never mind how much of a fuckup Starline is in his own right.

Dude, just because the characters say something doesn't necessarily make it true. Subtext! It's not just for novels!

And while I won't say the staff hate the games, they definitely give the impression that they look down on Sega!Sonic. Maybe they're not consciously aware that that's their vibe, but it's still the vibe they emit nevertheless. They just couch their sentiments in softer terms than would a regular fan.

---

There's also the added bonus of the comic continuously proving that its version of Sonic is wrong. It cannot be interpreted as anything other than a desire to make Sonic look like a moron.

Which is depressing, and not particularly inspirational for kids who so happen to pick up the book.

Really, the only target audience IDW could possibly be aiming at here are irony-poisoned millennials and Gen Zers. The reference pool is way too old for a younger audience, too niche for new fans, and too disdainful toward the games for people who want more games-flavored canon.

I can't imagine a ten-year-old picking up Bad Guys and slogging through Starline's monologues on ~the Sonic cycle~ because what the fuck is the duck man talking about. Or little Timmy who's just watched the latest Sonic film reading about the exciting adventures of puke-colored Clutch. Or little Susie, whose favorite characters are Amy and Cream, opening up an issue and seeing nothing but Lanolin's sneering face lol.

[divinesouldariax]

Ashton Greymoore: Chronic Pain, Physical Touch, and the Juxtaposition of Toughness and Vulnerability

(Spoilers up to episode 38 of campaign 3 of Critical Role)

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Ashton in the context of the recent confirmation in canon that they experience chronic pain, and I’ve just finally managed to put all (or at least, most) of my thoughts about it in the same place.

We got this exchange in the most recent episode of 4-Sided Dive, during a segment where Taliesin was talking about how Ashton is changing the way they think about his past and what it might mean, after saying that he’s starting to trust the group more:

(Four-Sided Dive episode 8: Why are you like this?!):

Tal: Just…like, to throw out–Ashton only, like, really touched another member of the group very recently. There hadn’t been a lot of close physical contact until like, the last game (Sam: Whoa). That was the first, like…yeah.

Sam: Is that a thing?

Tal (matter-of-factly): Uh, yeah!

Sam: Not a toucher?

Tal: Everything hurts.

Sam (incredulously, still trying to wrap his mind around it): Everything hurts?

Tal: Everything hurts.

Matt: Yeah.

Sam: Always?

Tal: Yeah. Uhh–

Matt: Chronic pain, man.

Tal: Beating the living fuck out of things helps you ignore it, and yeah, once this (gestures at head, indicates Ashton’s rage) starts going, it kind of lessens, but yeah. It’s just, everything’s always low-key bad. Not even that low-key. (Sam: Wow.) Yeah. It’s why they’re a dick. (laughs)…But yeah, there was an actual like, “oh god, okay, physical contact, this is happening. Alright. Okay.

The moment it seems like Taliesin is referring to where Ashton allowed physical contact was this sequence with Orym:

(Campaign 3 episode 38: A Dark Balance)

Marisha (as Laudna): We’re like a…a real family.

Liam (as Orym): Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

Tal (as Ashton): Could be.

Liam (as Orym): Get down here. (puts arm around Ashton’s shoulders and tugs them down towards the tree)

Tal (as Ashton): No, I–careful, I–yep, yep, okay, this is weird.

Liam: I start to give him a noogie, but it hurts.

Everyone else: (laughing and agreeing)

Tal (as Ashton): Yeah, this is weird. Ah, this is weird…okay. No, I’m okay. I’m okay. (continues mumbling in what seems like a forced-calm voice and looking unsure)

Ashton’s obvious uncertainty about this contact (especially when he said “careful”, which I missed on my first watch because there was cross-talk happening) rang so, so true as a “I don’t actually mind you touching me, but I am very nervous that you’re accidentally going to hurt me” thought process. This is a process I’m personally very familiar with as someone who experiences chronic pain (I had to tell a preschooler multiple times today that she needed to hold onto more of my hand than just my pinky while she was balancing on the bench or she might hurt me because I was genuinely quite worried that she was going to dislocate my finger if she fell, lmao). 

Like a lot of things that Ashton does, it seemed to have registered with the other players and with the audience as an “I’m edgy, I don’t have friends, and I certainly don’t let people hug me” schtick. Which is, of course, the point.

Ashton swears and presents punk and pushes people away and is (as Tal said) just generally a dick to distract people from their chronic pain and his loneliness. 

And it works! It’s extremely effective! Absolutely none of what I’m saying is intended as negative criticism of any of the people involved (because I think this is going to be resolved in-game, and I also wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a conversation happening behind the scenes as well, even though Sam still seems completely bewildered by the concept of chronic pain lmao), but the edgy charade works so well that even characters who are usually thoughtful and careful tend to overstep boundaries and assume that Ashton is always fine with their body being used as a resource and can take extra pain. And Ashton doesn’t give them any obvious reason not to keep doing so! 

Some examples:

(Campaign 3 episode 24: The Hellcatch Valley)

Tal (rolls a nat 1 dex save, Ashton ends up with a harpoon bolt through his side and 24 points of piercing damage. As Ashton, sarcastically, after it takes everyone a minute to notice): I'm sorry. You were all busy. I didn't want to interrupt anything!

(Some scrambling to help, they end up pulling the harpoon out)

Sam: I’ll cast Cure Wounds…just a level one. You heal 10 points.

Tal (as Ashton): That is good. Ow! Ow. Well, it's been a great day. I'm going back to sleep. Goodbye. (laughter from the group, continues OOC and quietly, unacknowledged by the rest of the players) I don't make it to the bed. I just fall over.

(The party returns to their previous conversation)

And:

(Campaign 3 episode 28: The Deathwish Run)

Liam: Orym springs up and lands and sits on Ash's shoulder– (needing a higher vantage to keep an eye out over a crowd)

Tal (as Ashton): “Ah–” (startled, possible pain, but accepts it and helps steady Orym)

Liam: –but I want to look for anyone that we recognize.

This one in particular stands out to me because Orym very clearly does not ask if it’s okay to use them as a perch, or give Ashton much of a chance to respond. There’s too much going on at the time to Taliesin to respond, either, since Otohon Thull and Ratanish walk over to them immediately, but based on what Tal said in the most recent 4-Sided Dive, it’s very possible that Ashton would have rejected that contact given the moment to do so. Tal may have even dismissed it as something Ashton wouldn’t have let happen but there wasn’t a good time to retcon it, which is why he phrased the statement about the contact in episode 38 being the first time he’s allowed it.

Other examples that I didn’t want to search through transcripts for, in the category of “Ashton does a Thing even though he knows it will Hurt without telling anybody that it hurts, whether that’s because somebody asks/demands it of them or of their own volition”:

Ashton carrying the statue out of Jiana Hexum’s house for Fearne

Carrying Orym inside after he fell off the skyship

Carrying FCG up and down ladders in the Fownsee Hollow

Carrying Laudna’s body for miles

And then there’s every time Ashton is very vocally expressing that he’s in pain (they’re not subtle about it lmao) and doesn’t get checked in with afterwards. Some examples of this are:

During the carnivorous plant fight in the jungle

The aforementioned harpoon incident

Later that day when he rolls a nat 1 to swing the hammer and ends up dropping it in obvious pain (“Ow! OW. Ohh, yep, can’t do that. I–ahh, yep, gonna go pick that up.” in exactly the same tone and cadence that I hear from myself when I’ve just done something that I should have known was going to fuck up a joint, especially when I’ve got another injury compounding the baseline pain)

Sometimes they do get checked in with, at least briefly, but usually not past the initial “cast a healing spell and move on because there’s too much happening to really take the time to make sure they’re okay” stage:

The Ratanish fight at the ball when Dorian secretly casts Cure Wounds

The time Ashton gets Phantasmal Killer cast on them during the fight where they meet Dusk/Yu and Orym takes his hand to lead them back over to the group, and Fearne casts a Cure Wounds afterwards

Still, as Taliesin said, Ashton only very recently started feeling more comfortable being vulnerable with the party. It’s why they asked Imogen and FCG to check their memories, why he allowed himself the “Ashton, are you going soft on us?” “No! Yes. Fuck. I need a drink.” confession after the “You make me happy” speech, why they didn’t pull away when Orym put an arm around him. Previous attempts to ask them about their pain probably wouldn’t have resulted in them opening up. But now? They’re changing.

We really are seeing an Ashton who’s going soft. Again. “I was soft, once”, and he’s returning to that state: not physically reverting back to a non-genasi body, of course, but just letting down the emotional rock walls that have been protecting an affectionate, caring, genuine interior, of a person who desperately wants to be vulnerable, and just needs a little convincing (as he admits to Fearne, “I'm having this moment where I'm realizing that perhaps one of the reasons why I allow myself to get the shit kicked out of me is in the hope that people are actually fucking watching.”). He needs these people to prove that they’re not about to leave him, not about to realize his weaknesses (even though he wears most of them on their skin like a signpost–if they just keep acting tough, if there’s no cracks in his facade like there are in his body, then nobody will notice) and abandon him like their last family did, before they’ll let themself be truly vulnerable.

And it’s why, I hope, something will shift in the way that Ashton and the party respond to his pain. I would love an acknowledgement that chronic pain brings limitations, that they let the disabled character be disabled (preferably mechanically, because I know they can incorporate that kind of mechanic–they’ve done it before with mental illness, with Caleb, with Imogen, with FCG, and it would mean so much to me if the same sort of consideration could go into a physically disabled character’s mechanics. But I would accept pure story/flavor acknowledgement as well). 

I also hope there’s going to be an in-game conversation about how Ashton feels about being touched, letting him set boundaries and tell the party specifically what hurts too much, when to ask permission, when not to touch at all, and when and where it would be welcome.

It’s obviously something Taliesin is thinking about, and I think it deserves to be discussed in-character. This period of time where they’re stuck on a skyship with nothing plot-urgent happening seems like a perfect time to have those conversations…(holding out hope for that next episode lol). 

This all ties in with my last post about the topic (it doesn’t have to hurt more to be love!), and it’s something I obviously feel very passionately about lmao. I want to see a disabled person with chronic pain that does limit them, that inconveniences their friends sometimes, and I want to see them get loved and cared for and accommodated because their pain is a part of them, and it’s not something that can or should be ignored.

In other words, as Matt said, “To clarify, there is strength, and there is pain. There is pain, and there is strength.” Pain and strength, strength and pain, equally present, equally important to his life and to their character. We’ve seen so much of Ashton’s strength. It’s time to let them show their pain.

[savemefromanepicoftimewasted]

Movie Screens and Battle Scenes

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick X F!Actress!Reader

After nearly a year of constant questions a little idea popped up into your head, why not have your husband and his friends do an instagram live? You could answer everyone’s burning questions and then go back to keeping your life private. It sounded innocent enough, and Kyle was more than willing to do it, now if you could convince everyone else.

A/N: I want to give a HUGE shoutout to @gaylemonshark for helping fuel this fic idea, you've been a giant help and I'd be lost without you tbh lol warnings:minor language, nothing explicit, Ghost being Ghost

You’d kept your private life, well, private for nearly your entire acting career, choosing not to let people close and have rumors spread like wildfire. You had been in countless films, shows, and interviews with co-stars that always seemed curious. What was there truly to know about you, and why were you so adamant on keeping it secret? Your parents were thankful nothing had come out, save for the few rumors saying you were dating a co-star. It wasn’t until you were wearing a noticeable wedding band that the rumors began to fly even more. Who had you gotten married to? Were they also someone famous or were they in a different line of work?

After nearly a year of constant questions a little idea popped up into your head, why not have your husband and his friends do an instagram live? You could answer everyone’s burning questions and then go back to keeping your life private. It sounded innocent enough, and Kyle was more than willing to do it, now if you could convince everyone else.

________ “You want us to do what?” Price was a little confused on the whole idea, especially when you were married to his comrade.

“Well, people have been asking me for years about my personal life and I’d love for them to see the people that matter most.” It sounded much better in your head, and right now you were beginning to panic.

“I’ll ask Johnny and Ghost, but I can’t guarantee they’ll agree to it.” Price gave you a stern look, you wouldn’t push if the other two weren’t willing.

If anything it would just be you and Kyle on the live answering as many questions as you both could. Sure there was plenty about Kyle’s line of work that he couldn’t legally talk about online, not without getting reprimanded. The two of you had met by complete accident, you’d been shooting a new movie and he happened to walk on set. Security was ready to walk him out until you caught sight of him. You’d convinced them to let him stay for the day, having hours long conversations once you were done shooting for the day.

It was a whirlwind romance from the very beginning, Kyle did everything in his power to romance you when he wasn’t deployed. He’d cook for you often, refusing to let you even lift a finger when he was around. So it was no surprise that six months into your relationship that Kyle popped the question. His hands were shaking as he knelt down onto one knee, holding your hands and asking the words you’d been waiting to hear.

“Will you marry me?”

You had all but thrown yourself into his arms, screaming happily a loud ‘Yes!’. It was everything you’d ever dreamt of, calling your mom immediately after it had happened. Kyle was watching you from afar, nothing but love shining in his eyes as you squealed with the news. He wanted you to meet his teammates and friends before the wedding, especially since he wanted to invite them. Who were you to say no?

Price had pulled you into a hug right away, telling you how often Kyle would boast whenever he was on base. His smiles comforted you like a fathers would, and from that moment on you knew that Kyle was in good hands when he wasn’t home. Ghost, or Simon, was the second to introduce himself. He’d warned you that during missions he tended to wear a mask, mainly to keep his identity a secret from the enemies and to strike fear into them. However when you stood in front of the man you were glad to see he’d forgone it. What Kyle had failed to mention was just how big he was, not just in height but in stature as well.

“Nice to meet you, Kyle’s told me a lot about you.” You smiled softly, shaking his hand gently.

He scoffed before pulling you into a friendly, albeit tight, bear hug. You snuggled into his chest for a brief moment before pulling away from his embrace. He didn’t want you to be afraid of him, he wasn’t a ray of sunshine to most people. And then there was Johnny who didn’t waste a single second before flirting with you. Your cheeks flushed as you giggled, raising your hand to surprise everyone with the news.

“Wait! You’re engaged?” Johnny’s head whipped to where Kyle was talking with Price.

“Oh, that’s why we were coming to see you guys.” Kyle walked over and wrapped an arm around your waist, pressing a soft kiss to your temple.

“I believe a congrats is in order.” Price headed over to his desk, pulling out a bottle of what looked like whiskey.

“Don’t have fancy glasses so you lot will have to deal with plastic ones.” He poured out enough for everyone, handing out the cups.

Johnny was the first to cheer, congratulating the two of you on your engagement and a long and happy marriage. You sipped the dark liquor, relishing in the way it burned going down your throat slightly.

“That’s another reason we’re here. Neither of us are doing a wedding party but we wanted to invite you to the wedding.” Neither of you had set a proper date yet, wanting to make sure you’d have time for both the wedding and a short honeymoon.

Johnny was more than overjoyed at the thought of your wedding, getting to relax for a few days with no worries sounded rather nice. What surprised you was how eager even Simon was, he had agreed within seconds of the words slipping past Kyle’s lips. Price was honored that you’d asked him in person, considering Kyle had his home address he felt it was safer to do it in person.

“We have to start planning first, but once we set a date we’ll let you guys know right away.” You leaned your head against Kyle’s shoulder.

Meeting the group of men that helped keep the world safe went better than you’d expected, considering most military men your friends had dated were less than savory characters. And while you knew deep down they had to do bad things to keep people safe, it was simply life. Your parents didn’t know much about Kyle considering you couldn’t very well tell them exactly what he did for work. His parents had welcomed you with open arms, telling you how gorgeous you were and how happy they were. If the news ever broke out about your engagement, or marriage you wouldn’t tell anyone about Kyle.

Well…

“Thank you guys for doing this, if you get uncomfortable I can turn it off and we can have a nice lunch instead.” You were setting up the camera and laptop, making sure everything was clear and visible.

“It’s no problem sweetheart, better to get the world off your ass sooner rather than later.” Of course Price was encouraging this, he’d been there when you called Kyle about it originally.

You scooted the chairs closer, making sure everyone would be in frame while having enough space to relax fully. Simon had all but stolen the bowl of chips from Johnny, cackling as the Scot tried to snag some of the salty goodness.

“Alright boys, we’ll be on live in ten seconds.” You plopped down into your own chair, fingers lacing with Kyle’s as he scooted closer to you.

You watched the timer countdown, signaling that you were live as your fans began to pour into the chat. Most of them were screaming hello and other variations of their own personal greeting. You giggled to yourself and greeted everyone that was currently watching.

“I’m here to introduce you guys to the amazing man that is my husband.” Kyle leaned forward so that he was more in frame for the camera.

The comments began to blow up immediately, most of them saying how attractive he was and asking how you’d met. You let Kyle answer the question of how you’d met, watching how his expression lit up at the chance to talk about you. He didn’t hide a single detail, face flushing as he remembered nearly getting thrown out before you came to his rescue. Simon snickered behind you, laughing louder when Kyle had to admit you were his knight in shining armor. It was a sweet moment for the two of you, but to the normal person it would look quite funny.

“We’ve been married for just over two years, guess you guys aren’t as observant as you think.” It was mainly due to the fact that you would remove your ring, not wanting to put Kyle in the spotlight.

You’d posted only one photo of the two of you from your wedding day, everyone had demanded to know who the mystery man was, but you wanted to keep him to yourself. It took a paparazzi snapping a photo of you for things to come crashing down. If they managed to find you at home, then they’d stop at nothing until they got more photos of you together.

“So unfortunately I can’t tell you too much about my amazing husband, so I’ll answer a few questions about his amazing friends before we head off for the day.” You watched the comments for a good question to pick.

“How did my first meeting with them go? Oh that’s easy, Price was very friendly, and Johnny flirted with me immediately, not even a hello but flirting right away.” You laughed at the guffawed expression on Kyle’s face.

The two men began to bicker, Kyle saying that you were his lady and Johnny needed to find someone else to flirt with.

“That’s just how he is, sees a pretty girl and man’s gotta flirt.” Simon snickered as Johnny rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

“That’s my wife you dirty little Scot!” Kyle tried to contain his laughter, truly he did, but he couldn’t be all that surprised. You were gorgeous, of course Soap would flirt with you.

“I din’ know tha’!” Johnny huffed to himself.

“Don’t worry, I took the flirting as a compliment.” You reached over to pat his knee, smiling up at the other man.

Johnny’s once sour expression suddenly turned smug, well if you liked his flirting then clearly he was doing something right.

“Does Johnny flirt with everyone? Yes, yes he absolutely does. I’m sure he flirted with every single new recruit on base.” You rested your hand on Kyle’s knee, relaxing into his side.

“That’s cause he’s a whore.” John, who was taking a sip of his water, spit it out at Simon’s words.

It caused an uproar in the chat and also within the group. Simon couldn’t help but start laughing at John’s reaction. Some of them were worried that John would end up choking on some of the water he’d meant to drink, of course you kept a careful eye on him in between giggles. Johnny looked downright mortified, it was all in good fun though, nothing serious.

“Alright, let’s get a few more questions before my husband and his friends head out for the day.” You turned back towards your laptop, looking for questions that piqued your interest.

The chat was flooded more than usual, comments rushing by before you could properly read them. You managed to get two final questions, saving them on a side page so that you could answer them.

“Are Kyle and I going to ever have children? Well that depends on where we both are in a few years. We’re both still young so rushing into something like that isn’t the best idea.” It was true, you’d discussed having children but with Kyle being deployed at any given moment for long amounts of time, it made you nervous.

“We want them eventually, but I think we’re just enjoying our time together right now.” Kyle pressed a kiss to your cheek, smiling at the way you squirmed.

“Alright the last and final question is, Simon, are you single?” Simon rolled his eyes, arms crossed over his chest.

“Yes, I am, no I do not want to date someone that’s nearly half my age.” You wanted to laugh at his response, he definitely wasn’t wrong about your fanbase, a lot of young girls seemed to follow you.

You wrapped up the live thanking everyone for their questions and promising to post more pictures of you and Kyle when given the chance. You loved your fans, but there were things you didn’t want to make public, such as your husband since these kids were like bloodhounds. They’d find out his name and where he grew up if given the opportunity, and that made you a little nervous.

“Why don’t we take a picture so that we can post it to your instagram?” Kyle was supportive of whatever you posted, as long as it was your decision in the end.

You agreed and set up the phone so that everyone would be in the frame, setting the time before taking your place beside Kyle once more. Everyone put on their best smiles, even Simon who didn’t much like having his photo taken. He was confident in his looks, but knowing millions were about to see his face daily? It was kind of daunting.

“I’m gonna go ahead and post it, thank you guys for being so understanding and doing this for me and Kyle.” You smiled at everyone, writing out a quick, but rather cheesy, caption before hitting post.

You could ignore the comments that would flood in with the news that you were married, and the many thirst comments you would inevitably get as well. For now you were going to enjoy having your husband home for as long as you could.

[practickles]

HarukAiri Tickle Headcanons

Some of these got LONG. Maybe potential fic ideas.

Tickle fights with these two get REAL. 

They are both competitive, stubborn and have ridiculously good physical stamina.

Even panting and teary-eyed, they just. keep. going. 

Giving up and admitting defeat doesn't even cross their minds until their voices are hoarse and even the slightest touch has them giggly. 

Usually they both either claim to win and “agree to disagree” because they don't want to admit how tired they are OR call it a draw and have a rematch a couple hours later.

There is somehow not EVER a decisive winner. 

Anyone who didn't know them might find it moderately concerning.

One of the rare soft forms of competition is typically during movie night/any scenario where they’re holding each other on the couch. One of them will be relaxing and idol-ly (ha) stroking the other’s back before she gets the twitch which is all but a declaration of war.The game then begins and is operated on a set of unwritten rules because to write them would mean admitting they exist. They sit there and geeeently trace each other’s back/shoulders until someone giggles and then has to get absolutely WRECKED. Neither of them have ever acknowledged it to the other. 

They don't tickle each other often enough to really consider it something significant in their relationship. Just another form of affection.

Airi ends up ler more often than not purely because she just happens to lean more ler. She very rarely actively craves tickles, at least not in the way Haruka does. 

Airi also gives KILLER tickle bites. Haruka is very sensitive to mouth tickles on her stomach and Airi is consequently very good at making her girlfriend’s life hard.

*Can* do raspberries but prefers acting like she’s going to and instead nibbles to her heart’s content. 

Tickling is one of Airi’s favorite approaches to Haruka’s body image issues, assuming she’s not in the mood to be serious about them. 

Airi generally uses tickling as a way to get Haruka out of her own head.

She also does not hesitate to do it in front of other people too, which Haruka finds flustering to no end. Especially in front of Minori and Shizuku who are two separate flavors of “awwwww!” 

Minori does it in an adoring “my idol is so cute right now! She should smile like that all the time!” way. 

Shizuku is more of a “what a cute moment between my two dear friends!” 

Either way Haruka just wants them to stop cooing at her. (no she doesn’t)

When Haruka is in a lee mood, conceptually, asking Airi is no big deal until she’s in front of her. Something about her big eyes and smug look reduce her to absolute rubble. 

Airi, of course, NEVER helps fill in the words. Haruka isn’t getting what she wants until she CLEARLY utters the EXACT words. 

“Aw, c’mon Haru! You can be clearer than those mumbles! You do it on stage all the time! In fact maybe we should practice your projection right now too…” 

She likes to tease as if tickling is just training. “Oh you’re babbling a lot, aren’t you? A good idol can talk through any amount of strain” And then she doubles down, making her tasks downright impossible. 

They are complete opposites on the “scary ler” spectrum. 

While Airi is more “everything all at once” and goes for worst spots and stays there before switching up out of nowhere, Haruka tends to be more meticulous, taking the time to find out exactly what the best approach is. 

They both have a “ler voice”, I'm not sure how to describe it, but sometimes they'll switch randomly into a tease-y flirty voice and the other knows they’re done for. 

I know I’ve talked about precise ler Haruka on here before so I won’t say more than that but I cannot emphasize enough just how bad that is. 

One of my favorite pjsk tkl headcanons EVER is that Airi’s stomach isn’t at all ticklish so people will poke once or twice then give up in favor of somewhere different. The actual death spot, however, is in her belly button. No reaction anywhere else on her stomach EXCEPT for there. 

Haruka was the first one to figure this out (including Airi herself) and frequently uses it when Airi’s being grouchy. 

Haruka uses a lot of “cheer up” tickles. This basically translates to “Airi please take a deep breath and calm down before I have to tickle you to bits just to see you smile.”

Airi doesn’t feel fear often, preferring to deal with her problems head on instead of running away. Haruka in a full tickle monster mood though? She becomes a COWARD (totally justified) It doesn’t happen often, so a lot of energy gets built up at once and then explodes out all at once. 

Sometimes she’s just wound up and fidgety, sometimes Airi needs to be knocked down from her podium, really anything can trigger it and it’s sometimes as much a surprise to Haruka as it is to Airi when it happens. 

The primary problem is that Haruka both A: Knows EXACTLY how to get to Airi and B: Knows she can take it. 

The fact that Airi lers more is more than made up for in pure intensity. 

Haruka also, language-wise, has a scarily good memory and likes to throw Airi’s word right back into her face.

“Look how strong I’ve gotten! It’s not fair unless you get the same training.” “What’s that? I thought a good idol was supposed to talk through anything”

Airi is a screamer and Haruka will never admit the self satisfaction that she feels if she can get silent laughter from her. 

Same goes for giggly Airi. Just not something that happens. 

I made them both seem super mean throughout most of this and maybe they are… a little bit. But it’s out of love! They’re each confident in each other’s ability to withstand it and both know the other (especially Airi to Haruka) needs to let some fun into their life, even if it has to be forced.

----

Ignore the date ignore the date guys just ignore the date ignore th-

[brooklynislandgirl]

SHIPPING INFO // Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

REPOST. Don’t reblog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)?

I will have to go with Jo's answer here and say every ship I have has something about it that makes it my OTP, something unique to us and our partner/their muse. And I don't want anyone to feel excluded or unloved or less loved than anyone else. I do think because she was literally created side by side with @morgansmornings that they share a deep bond that is both familial and the deepest sort of friendship. They are family. They are transcendent.

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

Platonic, familial, and romantic are all on the table with discussion ooc, time, and development. I will do pre-established on the first two but Beth is demisexual/quoiromantic, with a leaning toward sapioromantic. Meaning it takes bonding with someone before she even feels anything 'below the belt' so to speak, and doesn't really understand/distinguish the difference between romantic/platonic feelings, treating them both in the same way, but she does have a very slight preference toward people who can engage her mentally, and seduce her with their awkward intelligence. Toxic ships can be a thing with huge boundaries. The boundary is how comfortable with you as a friend, ooc, regardless of what we are writing. Currently I will be willing to do toxic with: Mischa/Larry { @thebiggestlies }, My Dear Prince and Ionaka {and potentially Na Baron Feyd Rautha @nightmarefuele }, Shades of Ben { @kylo-wrecked }. And I live for the hate-ship of Lorcan and Beth with @macdiari, whose mun is totally one of my bffs which makes it funnier. We can have meetings about the rest. Dubcon/non-con, etc...has to be plotted to within an inch of its life, I don't care what Beth says.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable? Age is not a really a thing with Beth when it comes to her significant other as long as they are a little over 'of age' {18-21}. She has literally one ship where this isn't the case and her paramour is 15 and she's 25...and it isn't what many people would assume, both of them are broken hearted. This a unique situation with @macdiari. Beth does have a penchant for older partners. Let the 'daddy issue' jokes commence.

Are you selective when shipping?

I would say yes. I only ship with chemistry. And by that I mean myself and the mun as much as the muses. Shipping requires a delicate balance between interest, trust, compatibility, goals... writing something fictional that isn't just pwp is not unlike building a real-life relationship. I want to get to know the other mun. I want us to have in-jokes, I want for us to be comfortable talking about everything and anything even if we might not always agree. I want us to be friends, first.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

I guess I follow the TV guidelines. We can write up to a certain point but once there's body parts that you wouldn't see on network television, it should probably get a tag. I don't care if there's a read more {I will occasionally do that for terminally long posts}, if my partner is more comfortable with one, great. If they prefer it on a different blog, awesome. If you want to write it on discord? Go ahead and add me, fren. I try to faithfully tag certain things because Beth is just...wrong and a lot of her hobbies and interests tend to be really morally questionable at best.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

Beth tends to be drawn to people who are neurologically divergent, biologically divergent, other-worldly, empowered, and the like. She is drawn to those who are lonely, othered, or unusual because there is so much in them she sees in herself. And if Beth happens to fall in love, she is neither likely to mention it, nor does she expect for the feeling to be returned. For Beth, love is love. So if you see someone on my dash, unless it's brand new just met you, know that they are cared for, and will always be someone important. As I consider every mutual mun and their muse{s} as some kind of relationship {platonic, familial, romantic, or enemy...I can't really list *every* blog. Sorry.}

Does one have to ask to ship with you?,

I mean it's nice to be asked, so at least I know in broad-strokes what sort of relationship you, the other person, might like but also the fiction can often dictate the course of how things go :)

How often do you like to ship?

I am not gonna lie. I love watching and writing how Beth interacts with people. How she slowly starts to unfold around them and what leads her to becoming involved with other folk.

Are you multiship?

Yes. And multiverse, too. One of the best things is when you have a multi-verse partner and get to see how your ships and theirs change from friends to other things, depending what verse your in, and how everyone can make a community with that information.

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

Ship more or less. I love it as much as the next person but that's not the sole purpose of my blog.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

I am still waiting for Olivia and Elliot to get married. IYKTYK.

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Let me know what you want? Be patient. We'll talk boundaries, desires, needs, and build it/grow it as it goes.

Tagged by: my darling @betwitchingbaker

Tagging: Heave ho, thieves and beggars....

[brandnewhuman]

Hey I was wondering if you could do a slasher match up, it’s cool if not!

I’m a ✨fluffy✨ 5’5 gender-fluid person. I usually wear baby comfy clothes and usually have my hair down. I love to draw both traditional and digital. I love horror even though with my active imagination end up terrifying myself. I am an introvert but I have my extrovert moments. I usually keep to myself, but with people I trust I will spend hours talking or just vibing. I hate when people touch me unless either 1. I initiate touch. Or 2. I tell them that they are allowed to touch me. If anyone touches me that I don’t know or like, I have accidentally broken a few bones. I like to stay in my room most days and spend hours either reading, drawing, watching movies, or resting with mountain of plushies. I like to talk a lot but I have a social battery that when empty I will become aggressive. I am fairly strong due to having to help out on my families farm. I like fall more than the other season and Halloween is my favorite holiday. I also tend to have a people pleaser complex and tend to worry about others, but also somehow speak brutally honest.

I paired you up with...

♡ Rz Michael Myers ♡

♪IT'S CUFFING SEASOOON♪ big boy here is your perfect match, bro is quite literally all you need ARGUE WITH THE WALL

WHY HE'S THE BEST MATCH?:

For starters, i think we can all agree on the massive size kink we all collectively have in the slasher community and this man? BIG, HUGE EVEN. BRO IS BUILT LIKE A MF TREE.

Like you, he opens up only to people he truly loves and trusts so I think he would appreciate this personality trait of yours cause it makes him feel special to know you feel this nice around him, that you open up and start being more yourself when he's with you. Loves the stay at home activities and you can bet he's gonna do DIY projects and artsy stuff with you CAUSE OUR MAN HERE IS WHAT? TALENTED AND CREATIVE, EXACTLY.

Ngl, if he finds out you get a bit scared of horror movies because you overthink about them, he would fuck around and spook you from time to time but just for shits and giggles, never too seriously. Bro doesn't have a single ounce of respect inside his body.

Physical touch is difficult for him too, and because of how you are about it I think he would be perfect for you. He needs someone who won't make him feel guilty if he doesn't feel like being physically affectionate and stuff but at the same time he needs to be able to feel comfortable enough to know he can ask for it and try to be more affectionate without the person taking advantage of him. Weirdly enough, boundaries help him regulate himself on how to express his love for people cause he has never had anyone teaching him these things so he needs to be guided a little bit.

Speaking of social battery thing, his has never been charged lmao THIS MAN IS SO DONE WITH HUMANITY FR. But for you? He's sitting there and listening to every single word you might say. And you may think he's not gonna pay attention and end up forgetting everything BUT YOU'RE WRONG. He proves he listens with small gestures; if you talk about certain food things you like, you'll find them in the house the next day. If you tell him about a movie, he puts it on the TV when you're watching stuff with him the night after. If you talk about someone bothering you, they're gone. Which is a problem cause half of the fucking town will start to disappear since he takes even the smallest thing that might've annoyed you very seriously, BRO IS NOT PLAYING GAMES.. HE WILL KILL BITCHES FOR YOU. and in general too, but that's not the point. Also he loves to just hang out in silence around you if you don't wanna talk, and if you want alone time he's gonna take the opportunity and go do his own thing. This type of freedom and having the choice to finally do whatever he wants without being forced to do anything else is really refreshing for him.

As soon as you say Halloween is your fav Holliday he's gonna be like "you can't handle the uber instincts of my uber autism" AND GOES CRAZY FR FR. He makes you a Halloween mask, he sits with you to watch old horror movies, makes you buy candy or steals it for the both of you. Obviously he's gonna go and do some killz and all that jazz, BUT MOSTLY HE'S GONNA SPEND THE WHOLE DAY WITH YOU.

Overall he matches really well with your creative and chill personality, he feels safer with someone who's not overwhelmingly clingy and loving but still shows affection and stuff.

WELL, THAT'S ALL FOLKS. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT AND I KNOW ITS A BIT SHITTY BUT THATS BC I HAVEN'T DONE THIS IN A WHILE.

Song that matches the vibe:

[songsofbloodandwater]

Ask game! 5, 11, 19!

5. Do you have a favorite spell that you find particularly powerful?

Excluding healing arts (because I personally wouldn't consider them 'spells'), I think the most 'powerful', rather, shocking effect I've gotten was with one specific cleansing method I tried, not really expecting much of it, but with surprising results. In the weirdest way possible. I kid you not, I ended up waking up in the middle of the night to unknowingly summoned spirits manifest in physical form. That kind of weird. It's become my favorite way to remove unwanted spirits and things from the home ever since.

11. Do you have a favorite book or resource that has influenced your craft significantly?

Book, I don't think so. I do read witchcraft books but they're not deal breakers to me. What I read more often, and do end up adding up to become important references in my practice, are articles in anthropology, history, or similar publications. As a researcher, I'm more in sync with that kind of sources and they're easier for me to read and understand (and importantly, put weight on) than most 'witchy' books I read. Less mass-marketed, regurgitated, commonly misappropriated filler, less pseudohistory, more substantial data, in it's proper very specifically stated context and with all which that context entails taken into account in the writing and described, with further similar quality references at the end for me to continue digging. Those are things that I can actually work with. Picking one article to be my most influential source at the moment feels impossible to me, there isn't one. It's how all the little pieces from different sources (including many being personal experiences) add up to form the bigger picture that has meaning and influence to me.

There are good books out there, of course there are. But I don't really get 'influenced' by them because I was already brought up with a lot very clear answers to my questions, and those answers don't tend to agree a whole lot with what I read from other people. I read grimoires and 'classics' as what they are, an often embellished glimpse of what somebody else was thinking or doing at the time. I might compare ideas, practices, beliefs and conclusions, but I don't have a book (or books) that I can point to and say "this is where I got my beliefs/practice from!" or "this was my starting point". I would be pointing at my family's elders instead. There are books that I've found fascinating because they seem to have come to similar conclusions to my own but from a completely different angle, and from very different paths, but I don't think that's what the question was referring to? (is it really influential if you were already doing or thinking the same thing?) I consume a fair amount of books, articles, podcasts and videos from other practitioners, but frustratingly to me, most of the time what they talk about is either (a) while still interesting, exciting even, to hear and contemplate, old news to me, (b) factually wrong or misinformed and thus painful to hear, (c) simply something I already have formed ideas about and therefore something I simply have to disagree with the other person on. I deeply enjoy option (a), I also enjoy (c) because it puts my brain to work and challenges my beliefs in a healthy way, but I dread (b), and it breaks my heart when the hit comes from someone I respect. The influential break-throughs, twists and turns I take at this point are coming from personal experience, UPG becoming VPG, and various forms of communication with my Spirits, Deities and Ancestors.

19. What advice would you give to someone just starting their witchcraft journey?

Besides the obvious answer for me being "begin with your Ancestors" and seeking ancestral spirits in general, I'd say it's also important to figure out where your strengths lie and to nurture those gifts first. Sometimes people online make it seem like you have to know everything and be able to do everything to be a "real witch", and that's simply not true. It's even a harmful thing to believe. For starters, acknowledging that certain practices will absolutely be closed to you or out of your reach from the get-go, and there's certain things you will never be able to do for multiple reasons, is not an option, it's a fact, is a need. But even further, there's certain things that you simply will not be the best at, or not even be good at. And that's perfectly normal. Focus on your gifts instead. What can you do. What comes natural to you. How you can develop a full working skillset from the talents you were given at birth and the strengths you already have.

Thanks for asking!

[reccyls]

Hideyoshi’s Sequel Summary - Blissful Route

Common route (ch 1-6) here

Just as Hideyoshi is about to charge into battle, the sound of approaching hoofbeats interrupts things. It's Nobunaga, riding into the fray. And not just Nobunaga, but every one of the Oda warlords. Though Hideyoshi and Mai are surprised to see them, there's no time for questions as the fighting begins. Mai is led to a safe place away from the fighting while Hideyoshi joins the rest of the warlords in the fight.

It's over quickly enough. A camp is established and Hideyoshi and Mai get some time to rest with everyone around as well. Although first of all, Nobunaga asks them for a report on what they learned in Sakai. THey give their report, but that's not the end of things. Nobunaga asks if Hideyoshi knows why Nobunaga is upset with him right now. Of course it's because Hideyoshi inconvenienced his lord by making him and everyone else ride out all this way, Hideyoshi says, bowing his head--

But it isn't that at all. It is because not once in Hideyoshi's prior letters to Nobunaga did he ever ask for help. Despite how dire their situation was getting and how much worse the rumors and attacks had been growing, they never thought to ask their friends and allies for assistance.

All of the warlords are in agreement. Even Mitsunari, though smiling angelically like always, can't hide his own frustration with how Hideyoshi and Mai tried to handle everything alone. They're part of the Oda forces, trusted and beloved companions of everyone present. Of course everyone's busy, but they're always busy, and never too busy to help their friends.

With this reminder of how cherished by everyone they are, Hideyoshi and Mai finally ask for the other Oda warlords' help to solve the Sacrificial Princess issue. And of course, everyone agrees to help. It is, however, getting late, so first Hideyoshi and Mai both look like they're in dire need of some decent rest in safe territory, where they know that nobody will attack them.

Mai and Hideyoshi have a moment together, and before long, Mai is asleep. Hideyoshi then takes some time to sit outside tending the campfire. Someone approaches to join him: it's Mitsuhide, with something to drink for the both of them. After exchanging some banter, as they are legally obligated to do in every conversation with each other, Mitsuhide sits down with Hideyoshi and they have a little heart to heart. Along with Hideyoshi, specifically, asking Mitsuhide for assistance with an idea he has on how to solve everything in one fell swoop. Because the plan that Hideyoshi's come up with isn't like him at all, it's something more subtle and behind-the-scenes, leaning to Mitsuhide's skillset more than his. But with the earlier reminder that Hideyoshi and Mai aren't alone, he's asking Mitsuhide for help on this plan.

And now we cut to two months. Hideyoshi and Mai are returning from mediating a dispute in a different province. Mai doesn't speak and she is wearing a veiled hat because over the course of these two months, her symptoms have gotten worse over time: it hurts people to look at her directly, and so does hearing her voice.

Over these past two months, what Hideyoshi and the other Oda forces have been doing is trying to rewrite the Sacrificial Princess rumor. Instead of being someone who is the embodiment of heaven's wrath and punishment, they are trying to spread the rumor that Mai is a blessed princess taking on the burdens of the world in order to help bring it to peace. Mitsuhide's spy network is helping to spread the rumor from major towns and cities, but in order to make this rumor a reality, everyone has been working double-time in order to quell the unrest and conflict throughout the country. That way there'll be nobody after Mai's life anymore, and they can keep the country at peace.

It's long, slow work, but they have hope that it will work. On the way back they stop to rest their horse, but this is when a young man (or maybe a boy/teen? I can't quite remember) has finally tracked them down, still believing in the original Sacrificial Princess rumor. He is still after Mai's life, and Hideyoshi of course won't stand for that. It's not very much of a fight, as the young man is untrained and driven more by desperation than any real skill.

But Mai then calls out for Hideyoshi to stop, and makes her way to the disarmed man. She knows that the people who are after her are all much the same: driven by desperation to stop the fighting around them that threatens their homes and loved ones. She offers him sympathy and understanding, as well as options for what he can do for his village. Presented with mercy he didn't expect, the man eventually becomes convinced of Mai not being the cause of disaster. He agrees to peacefully give up and return back to his village.

Now alone again, Hideyoshi asks Mai to remove her veil and look at him. She's afraid to at first since she doesn't want to hurt him, but Hideyoshi had just realized something earlier: when Mai had called at him to stop, he didn't feel any pain at hearing her voice. The symptoms are fading, because without the Sacrificial Princess rumor and with the Oda forces working to quell the unrest and return peace to the land, history is put back on a peaceful course. And that means that she and Hideyoshi can touch each other again, look at each other again, and speak with each other again as much as they want. Finally after those months of slow, hard work, they have their happy future together again.

(Side bits: once they do get back to Azuchi and the rest of the warlords are made aware of Mai's symptoms being gone, they throw a party to celebrate, of course. And of course all of them make sure to touch Mai (pat her on the head, arm over the shoulder, etc) "to confirm the symptoms are gone" but also to make Hideyoshi jealous :p

Also, when Mai goes to check her guidebook, she finds that the pages are still all blank, even though all her symptoms are gone. History has changed significantly enough that the future she and Sasuke are from isn't the same one as the future they are headed to now. And even though this does make her nervous, she knows now from experience that she and her loved ones can overcome any challenge as long as they are together. So she can face that unknown future with hope and optimism, no matter what it may be.)

[sokkastyles]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well. I have another question regarding The Southern Raiders.

On the TVTropes page of the episode, it is states that Zuko's actions are a " Broken Aesop", because he is helping Katara enact vengeance on someone else in the hopes that she would forgive him. I am confused, because while Zuko does want Katara to see that he has changed, I don't think he was expecting her forgiveness fully.

I would like your thoughts on this.

First of all, TVTropes is a hot mess. Viewing the editing history of the pages there is akin to stumbling into the worst tumblr drama. "Broken Aesop," in particular, is one of the most misused by people whose idea of media analysis is of the "Cinema Sins" variety, who tend to think something is a broken aesop when really, they just completely misunderstood what the story's themes were from the beginning.

If we were really meant to think that Katara forgave Zuko because Zuko helped her enact vengeance on Ron Yha, then she would have gotten vengeance on Yon Rha. She didn't, though, and forgave Zuko despite that.

If we were meant to think that Zuko was mistaken in taking her there, because he wrongly thought she needed to enact vengeance on her mother's killer in order to forgive him, then we would have seen that happen. We would have seen Zuko encouraging Katara to take out Yon Rha, or asking her why she didn't. If the real point were to teach Zuko that he was wrong, then that would have been addressed by the show. Katara might have, for example, told him that she realized that vengeance wasn't what she needed. She might even have been angry at Zuko for encouraging it. Instead, Katara's choice about Yon Rha is left ambiguous, she says she doesn't know if she did the right thing, but firmly says she will never forgive her mother's killer, but that she IS ready to forgive Zuko, and hugs him eagerly. There's no hesitation or sense that she thought he did something wrong, or moment when he learns he was wrong. Even when he tells Aang that he's "right about what Katara needed," that's contradicted by Katara herself telling Aang he is wrong and Zuko contradicting Aang's response about how violence is always wrong. And noticeably, Zuko never says HE was wrong, just that Aang was right. About what, I'm not sure, since Aang is proven wrong about both the violence issue by Zuko and the forgiveness issue by Katara.

I also agree with you that I don't think Zuko was really expecting that Katara would forgive him in exchange for taking her to see Yon Rha. Nor do I think Katara's forgiveness of him was due to that alone. Because she doesn't just offer him forgiveness, she embraces him like a true friend. She says she's READY to forgive him, which implies that she had already known that she had to forgive him eventually. There's a certain point where holding a grudge against a person who was already doing everything to atone for their previous actions and was now their close ally would have become ridiculous, and the situation had already reached that point at the beginning of the episode, which is why Katara separated herself from the rest of the group, angry at them for accepting Zuko when she couldn't make herself do the same.

And the thing is, Katara is stubborn. She's passionate, but that means she feels things strongly, and she holds onto those feelings of betrayal because she feels things so deeply and cares so much about people. What Zuko does is offer her a cathartic outlet for those feelings, and a way to regain some control over them. That's why she forgives him, because purging those feelings by confronting Yon Rha helped her to feel like she could trust Zuko again, to disconnect her feelings of betrayal towards him from her feelings of hurt towards the man who murdered her mother.

Now, do I think Zuko planned this out all along? Not exactly, anymore than I think he was planning on encouraging Katara to commit murder. I think that regardless of Katara's feelings, Zuko, once he joined the gaang, would have been obligated to reveal information that he knew regarding the whereabouts of people who were still out there committing atrocities anyway, because it's the right thing to do. And because he feels connected to Katara through the shared loss of their mothers - remember that HE is the one who makes that connection in the catacombs, and says they have that in common - he feels obligated to share the information he has as soon as he realizes that Katara's hurt feelings towards him are connected to her trauma about the loss of her mother.

What Katara told him at the beginning of the episode, bitterly telling him that he could bring her mother back to "make it up to her," was kind of like her throwing back at him the apology he gave her under Ba Sing Se, when he said that they had the loss of their mothers in common. It's a harsh reminder to Zuko that empathizing with her pain doesn't mean anything if his actions aren't going to match. And what action can Zuko do? He can't bring her mother back, but he can tell her who killed her, and where to find him. That's a pretty big piece of information, and I think Zuko would have felt obligated to share it with her regardless of whether he wanted forgiveness, and the episode goes out of its way to let Katara choose what to do with that information. Zuko's in a position to consider how he would feel if someone he knew had information about what happened to his mother, so that's probably also a motivation for him.

It's an interesting parallel, actually. Zuko learns that his mother is still alive only a few episodes previously, but has no idea where to find her. Katara's mother is gone and isn't coming back, but Zuko suddenly realizes he does know where to find her killer. Insert vigilante shenanigans!

You could say that this episode is Katara's own Crossroads of Destiny, and Zuko is there to witness it, like Katara was there for him. Only they get to end it on good terms this time. I think an underrated aspect of this episode, and Katara's decision to forgive Zuko, is knowing what it feels like to be faced with her own moral crisis, and knowing a little bit of what Zuko felt when he faced the crossroads. And Zuko was there with her the whole time, and didn't once judge her for what she was feeling, even when she was confused. Which I think allowed her to let go of her judgment for him, knowing that his heart was now in the right place.