#i can not believe that they ignore how big of an impact he has made on this show so easily

[xynoford]

EXACTLY

I keep seeing posts on social media thanking the OFMD cast and crew for their work and not mentioning Taika, and it's driving me to distraction because Taika is absolutely fundamental to the existence of this show.

There's a huge chance the show wouldn't have been picked up at all if Taika hadn't attached his name to it. And he didn't just attach his name and walk away - he played a key role in developing the show. David has said that he was looking at the history with Taika and they both went 'omg Stede and Blackbeard were fucking' and decided to centre the show around that. Taika pushed for Rhys to play Stede. Taika saw Nathan's comedy on instagram and went 'yep that's Lucius'. Taika was desperate to play Ed, and fought to play him. Taika has spoken about how much he loves playing Ed, how it made him fall in love with acting again, to the point where he wears some of Ed's jewellery and has gotten some of Ed's tattoos actually inked on him. He poured everything he has as an actor into Ed (some of the stuff he had to perform, particularly at the beginning of S2, is difficult) and the show simply wouldn't work without it. Taika directed the pilot. He loved the show enough to juggle filming S1 with post-production on Thor: Love and Thunder. When the show's budget was slashed by 40%, and could no longer afford to film in LA, Taika would have been key to moving production to New Zealand - and if that hadn't happened, S2 wouldn't have happened. When a director went off sick with Covid during S2, Taika jumped in to direct half an episode and then didn't take a director's credit on it.

You do not have to like Taika. You do not have to agree with everything he does/says. But what we are not going to do is erase the absolutely key fundamental role that Taika has played in OFMD. This show simply would not exist, probably not in any form, but certainly not in the form we see and love, if not for Taika's continuing and multi-level contribution.

[manikas-whims]

request for LADS

what if u have to fake date the guys for some reason but its starts becomin difficult for ur heart cuz you start catching feelings

thank you 🙏

thanks for this request! ♡ i went a lil overboard with this LOL. WARNING ⚠️ long post..

Fake Dating the Love and Deepspace men but you catch feelings pt. 1

ZAYNE

❄️ Tara keeps trying to set you up with one of her colleagues, and no matter how subtle she acts about it, you're getting tired of it. Thus, you come to this decision! You request Zayne to play your fake boyfriend for a while.

❄️ The matter of his own feelings aside, Zayne just thinks that fake dating someone to avoid potential dates is incredibly crazy. “You can simply ask your friend to stop.”

❄️ His suggestion is baffling. You feel like an idiot for ignoring the obvious solution. But only a moment later realize that even asking her to stop won't likely deter Tara. At least not until she sees you with a person better than any of her chosen candidates.

❄️ So you decide to let go of the little self-respect you have and beg Zayne to do this for you. He is amused by this ridiculous proposition but agrees nonetheless since he can never really say no to you.

❄️ It's an amazing experience cause Zayne is the perfect boyfriend anyone could ever ask for— handsome, smart, caring, strict when needed, protective and very accommodating.

❄️ The first time Tara meets him, her eyes literally glow with admiration. And she pats your back like a proud aunt, winking suggestively as she does so.

❄️ However, Zayne has always been great at adapting to the situations at hand and soon your arrangement starts becoming a bit of a problem for your delicate heart.

❄️ It is one thing to show him off to your colleagues. But Zayne has started doing stuff like dropping you home everyday after work, his only explanation being “that's what he would do if he was your REAL boyfriend”.

❄️ And this isn't all. He's taking breaks in the afternoon to have lunch with you everyday and make sure you don't miss any meals. He slips your hand inside his coat pocket on particularly colder days. He even focuses on the little things like wiping a coffee stain from your bottom lip or gently pushing the stray strands of hair behind your ear. All this while, his explanation is: it's what he would do if he were your real boyfriend. And you aren't sure your heart will manage long if this goes on.

❄️ The real issue arises when one of your colleagues point out how they've never seen you kiss. And this makes Tara perk-up too.

❄️ In your defense, you spout some nonsense about how Zayne is kinda shy by nature and doesn't believe in PDA much. “When we're alone, he's very passionate.”

❄️ This leads to Tara and a bunch of colleagues secretly tailing you when Zayne comes to pick you up one evening. For they also wanna see this passionate side of him.

❄️ “Um..Zayne, can we kiss?” You whisper, your eyes averted, and fingers fiddling in nervousness. Its not that you are worried about the "kissing" part. Thats easy. You are actually worried about kissing Zayne.

❄️ As for Zayne, he is confused and shocked at first. Even blushes a little. But thanks to his perceptive nature, he quickly spots your colleagues and understands.

❄️ So as you clumsily teeter closer to him and raise yourself on your feet to reach his height, he chuckles at your efforts as well as the pained expression on your face.

❄️ “Relax.” He commands and magically, his words do calm your nerves a little.

❄️ He smiles then, his big arms wrapping smoothly around your waist as he lowers his head and lets his lips gently linger against yours, igniting a desire within you.

❄️ When he finally pulls back moments later, you nearly loose your footing.

❄️ This is it. The last shred of your sanity blown away. It may have only been a few moments but the kiss leaves an impact on you. Your heart can't take it anymore. Because you enjoyed the kiss more than you should have. And its made you realise that you may have actual feelings for Zayne.

XAVIER

⭐ There's this creepy resident at your apartment complex who's been trying to make moves on you but he's just been so nice and subtle about it that you have no idea how to turn him down. Thus, instead of that, you ask Xavier to play your fake boyfriend for a while.

⭐ “This doesn't seem like a good idea.” He says, hesitantly scratching his cheek.

⭐ Xavier also believes beating the shit out of the guy is a better option, and a permanent solution. But again, you can't do that because the guy hasn't actually done anything threatening or concerning. Thus, any sort of unwarranted violence against such a guy will only result in more problems for Xavier and You.

⭐ So Xavier sighs, and nods with a smile. “Fine. What do you need me to do?”

⭐ “Just do things only a boyfriend would do whenever that guy is around.” You tell him and he nods.

⭐ And so it starts with you dragging Xavier out for morning laps and evening walks around the complex, and you always make sure to hold onto Xavier's arm whenever you spot the strange guy.

⭐ But as the days go by, you sense as if Xavier may be a little too good at his new job.

⭐ One evening as you are working out at the gym on the top floor of the apartment complex, the guy walks in and approaches you. To your annoyance, he begins his usual small talk. But he's barely strung two words together when you feel the warmth of a hand gliding along your waist.

⭐ You look up to find Xavier, his clothes sweaty from workout. He tucks his chin on top off your head, his arm around your waist tightening ever so slightly. “Do you know this guy?”

⭐ It takes a moment for you to realise you're gawking! At the same guy you had asked to pretend to be your boyfriend. And it's not just his fingers stroking circles on your belly but also the way his voice sounds more intimate!??

⭐ Quickly, you compose yourself and stammer a response. “N-Not really. He's a resident just like us.”

⭐ And with that said, you're being steered out of the gym, Xavier's arm never leaving your waist.

⭐ Ever since you've known him, he rarely breaches your personal space without permission. A gentleman through and through. It's you who's been messing with his hair, squishing his cheeks and poking his chest to tease him all this time.

⭐ But ever since you asked him to play boyfriend, he's the one initiating skinship at the most unexpected moments. It's as if this fake dating arrangement has given him a free pass to do everything he usually holds back from.

⭐ Now he holds your hand whenever you're walking together, idly plays with your hair strands when hanging out at your place, and ALWAYS makes sure his arms are around your waist or face nuzzling your neck in the presence of that strange guy.

⭐ You may have been the one who requested him to do this but you aren't so sure about this whole thing anymore.

⭐ A few weeks have passed but the guy is persistent. Now he's always trying to find you when he's sure Xavier won't be around.

⭐ “It's not working. We need to do something more convincing.” You say in a deflated tone. You and Xavier are standing in the hallway of your floor, having just returned from a mission.

⭐ And that creep is lurking at the end of the floor by the elevator, waiting for Xavier to leave so he can ask you out yet again.

⭐ Xavier tucks a hand under his chin, his nose scrunching in thought. “Something more you say..”

⭐ Then in the very next moment, he pushes you against your own apartment door, a hand coming to rest upon it to keep you in place; his other hand gently cradles your face, arching it slightly before he presses his lips against your own.

⭐ Only a moment later he pulls away, then kisses you again. This time with more fervor than needed to fake it. And when he breaks the kiss again, his lips gravitate towards your neck.

⭐ “Xa..Xavier..?” You're stunned. You're not even sure how you are meant to react.

⭐ Xavier pushes away from you slightly and turns his head, his gaze directed right at the strange man. “She’s mine.” He asserts.

⭐ The man is as shocked as you are and immediately runs away.

⭐ Xavier looks back at you and flashes his usual soft smile. “This should convince him enough.”

⭐ Seriously!? Who cares about that guy anymore? Your heart is the most convinced that you may possibly be falling for Xavier.

RAFAYEL

🌊 “Miss Bodyguard, would you like to date me?” Rafayel asks one day out of the blue, and you are left feeling equal parts flustered and confused because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?

🌊 He enjoys watching you trying to act nonchalant when your fidgety movements and flushed cheeks clearly tell him otherwise.

🌊 Finally he explains how he has accumulated quite the fanbase, thanks to not just his art but his gorgeous looks. And now these same loving fans are becoming slightly toxic with how they stalk him around, making it impossible for him to even go out in peace. Aa such, he wants to promote you from the position of his bodyguard to fake girlfriend.

🌊 You don't like the sound of it. You can already smell trouble from afar but you know he'll keep pestering until you relent. So you agree to it in the end.

🌊 Only later you realise what you've actually gotten yourself into.

🌊 Rafayel is already kinda clingy by nature but now that you've agreed to his dating charade, he's fully taking advantage of it.

🌊 Everytime he drags you out to a public spot, he makes sure that the two of you hold hands. And rather than going to places that may inspire him for his paintings, he drags you to expensive fashion brands stores.

🌊 Even as you refuse to let him buy any of it, he makes you try on the outfits for hours, making you turn this way and that, asking you to pose in specific ways as he snaps numerous photographs (which he'll definitely use as reference for his portraits of you). And just when you think it's over with all the fancy clothes, he makes you try on footwear next.

🌊 He's also buying you all these gifts you never asked for. He's basically spoiling you with things you can't otherwise afford.

🌊 He's also posting a lot of cringe yet cutesy couple photos with you on his social media accounts.

🌊 And you may not admit it but you are beginning to enjoy being spoilt like this.

🌊 Weeks pass without you even realising. This arrangement is becoming more and more dangerous for your heart. Because lets be honest Rafayel may be enjoying playing around with you like this but the same can't be said for you. You know that if this goes on any longer, your heart is bound to make space for him.

🌊 “How much longer do we need to keep this up?” You ask one day.

🌊 He merely winks at you. “Just a little longer.”

🌊 You try your best to keep your emotions in check. You just need to endure him and his charm for a little longer. Heck! You kill wanderers for a living so the matters of heart shouldn't be anymore difficult than that. Right? Right?

🌊 Oh how foolish you are.

🌊 It happens during a private gala Rafayel is invited to and of course as his “girlfriend”, you're supposed to go with him.

🌊 That, and the other reason being this crazy musician who will be there. Apparently she's been hitting on Rafayel for a while now, and your appearance may finally make her retreat.

🌊 So there, amidst the crowd of snobbish strangers, Rafayel asks you for a dance. And in the dim glow of the hall, paired with a slow, romantic tune, he feels closer than he is. And it happens..your resolve falters.

🌊 He wiggles a brow towards the corner of the room, and surely enough, you spot the aforementioned crazy musician. Indeed, she doesn't seem very happy with the way Rafayel has his arms around you.

🌊 And to deliberately spur her further, he lowers his head. His breath is ticklish along your skin as he whispers in your ear. “You’ve moved along quite well to my tune. You're a good dancer.”

🌊 For some reason, you don't like those words. Rafayel complimenting you so freely cannot be a good sign.

🌊 “Just endure a little longer, Miss Bodyguard. Tonight will be the last run of this charade.”

🌊 Then he tucks a lose strand of hair behind your ear and leans his face in, his lips gently brushing along yours before pressing harder.

🌊 The kiss is slow and lingering, just like the song being played. But it seems that the moment you begin to give in and truly relish it, the moment ends. He pulls away and smiles.

🌊 Yet you can't muster enough strength to smile back for its happened. Your resolve is broken. Your heart has already reserved the best spot for him. And you aren't ready to let go of this charade any time soon..

here's [PART 2]

i have 4-5 more LADS requests to finish. i'm working on them and will post them soon ✌️😊

THANKS FOR READING ♡

SEND ME REQUESTS FOR LOVE & DEEPSPACE HEADCANONS VIA ASKS.

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[alexiroflife]

"fix your tone"

MDNI, you're a brat & eren has anger problems, sexual content

Synopsis: Eren pisses you off, and when you're still giving him a hard time, he decides he's had enough

to sum it up: you should have known that Eren wouldn't let you get away with your sass

WC: 4,790

Warning(s): literally just smut, vulgar language, slight manhandling, spanking, soft/hard dom

You really did believe that you hated your boyfriend sometimes.

While he was mostly attentive and caring, showering you with his love and affection, there resided his stubborn arrogance whenever the two of you were arguing. 

It hadn’t even been a big deal to you before Eren’s reaction made you angry. You swore that at times he just didn’t understand how his tone impacted the things that he said and how they made you feel. He was so quick to make faces, to snap with some snarky remark when he didn’t see the same fault in his actions that you did.

And it drove you crazy.

Granted, what you had been upset about was a very small matter. You had asked Eren to help you pick out an outfit for the weekend since you both were going to be spending time out with your friends. You showed him the choices between a skirt and some jeans. 

Eren furrowed his eyebrows at the options, picking the jeans rather quickly because he knew of the upcoming weather. Now he had not meant to offend you when his brows furrowed and his lips tightened upon looking at your skirt. He was simply concerned over the drop in the temperature and confused as to why you would pick something so revealing if it was going to be chilly. 

He could have been nicer about it, but he had been tired and instead said: “I don’t know why you’d wear that skirt in the first place,” with a bored tone.

You lowered your clothes, staring at him skeptically with hard eyes. “What are you talking about?” you asked, attitude dripping into your tone.

Eren’s eyes cut over to you with hard confusion. “I just mean you should be more aware of the right time and place to dress a certain way.”

Now you were getting annoyed. “Oh, so you have a problem with the way I dress now?”

“What? Baby, I didn’t say that. I just mean that if it’s going to be fifty out, you shouldn’t go prancing around without your legs being covered,” he explained.

You rolled your eyes, dropping your clothes back onto your bed with force. “Then just say that next time, Eren.”

 Eren watched the motion closely then dragged his eyes back up to you, suspicion bubbling in his gaze. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I just think you need to be mindful of how you talk to me sometimes,” you hissed, narrowing your eyes and turning away. “You can sound so rude.”

“How is it rude that I don’t want you catching a cold?”

“It’s not that, it’s the way you make things sound.”

Eren tilted his head back with a groan. “For god’s sake, (Y/n), I was just trying to help you.”

You sucked your teeth, clearly unable to get your boyfriend to understand where you were coming from. “Whatever,” you grumbled, turning on your heel and storming out of your own room. 

Eren watched you leave, perplexed, completely unaware of how he could have possibly pissed you off this time around.

He thought that you just needed a few hours to blow off some steam, but that night when he asked you what you wanted for dinner, you coldly told him to fuck off from where you sat in the corner of the couch. 

He stared at you, eying your closed off position from where he stood in your kitchen with his phone in hand. When he tried again and mentioned that he was ordering food, you ignored him this time, keeping your eyes glued to your phone screen with a blank face.

He took a deep breath to himself, shaking his head as he put in your order anyway. He knew you would have been even angrier if he didn’t get you something to eat.

But then, when the food came, you took it off into your room and ate behind your closed door. When you finished and came back out, you hadn’t even thanked Eren or acknowledged his presence at the dining table. You simply walked past him to throw away your trash and disappeared wordlessly into the bathroom to shower.

That’s when he started getting pissed.

You had always harbored such awful attitude issues, but in turn, so did Eren. It was one of the many things that brought you two together and simultaneously had you butting heads every now and then. Eren was stubborn and blunt while you were easily irritated and cheeky. Your personality traits worked to destroy each other at the worst of times, but it was nothing Eren didn’t know how to fix. After all, he knew you and your body like the back of his hand.

And when you got mouthy with him, well, he just was not the man to tolerate it. After all, he had a big ego and a tendency to react aggressively when he felt he was being attacked. He was nothing if not perfectly capable of handling you the way you needed to be handled when you got like this. 

Eren was sitting on the edge of your bed with his legs sprawled out when you stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around your damp body as steam enveloped your figure. He looked up at you through his brown locks, watching you scoff at his presence and move around him like he wasn’t there.

“(Y/n), I wanna talk to you for a sec.”

“No. I’m busy.”

You were so quick to shut him down, rifling angrily through your drawers for your pajamas. Eren turned over his shoulder, twisting his body so that he could look at you. “I wasn’t asking.”

“That’s too bad, maybe you should ask next time and see if you have any luck.”

Oh. You were really testing your limits today. 

“(Y/n),” he called your name again, more firmly. This time you stop and turn around, passing on your deadly glare.

“What?”

Eren was not having it, not one bit. 

“You wanna fix your tone?” he lifted his brows, anger swimming in his aqua eyes. 

“No, I think I’m good,” you smiled tightly.

With that, Eren rose to his feet, rounding your bed to approach you. You watched him with hard eyes and arms crossed over your chest, expression tense and frustrated. “Try that again, baby,” he warned, hand closing gently around your throat as he leaned into you. “Check that attitude before I have to do something about it.”

Your gaze didn’t falter, for you were far too determined to make Eren see just how angry with him you were. “Fuck. Off.”

Eren’s eyes went cold, lust and impatience clouding his gaze. His large fingers tightened around the plush of your neck, pulling you further toward him. He could see that flicker of vulnerability flash in your eyes as his grip tightened, your legs shifting under you. 

“Wrong answer.”

Eren didn’t waste any time in ripping your towel from your damp body, picking you up, and tossing you onto your bed. You watched as Eren’s eyes went red, shivering under his build as he lifted his shirt over his head to reveal his mouth watering build. 

You had found yourself in this position far too many times. You would catch an attitude, Eren would get riled up, and the next thing you knew, he was fucking the shit out of you. You couldn’t deny the fact that you loved the way he handled you, but at the same time, you still couldn’t let go of why you were angry with him, especially if he didn’t apologize. He expected not to be held accountable, and it pissed you off. 

“Flip over.” he ordered.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

That was fine with him. 

He took it upon himself to maneuver you into the position he desired. He flipped you onto your stomach, then forced your bare ass into the air and arched your back downward, pressing your head into the blankets. You could feel the wind get knocked out of you with the motion, for he had done so with no hesitation and with impressive speed. 

You heard him undoing his belt and tossing his shirt off into the corner. He pulled your arms up from the bed and pinned them to your lower back, encouraging a whine to slide from your throat. “I don’t wanna fucking hear it,” he growled, using his belt to bind your wrists together tightly. You hissed when he tugged at the leather, ensuring that he had secured your arms tight enough.

Eren was quick to give extra attention to your bum. He hummed, grabbing handfuls of your ass and digging his fingers into the plush flesh eagerly. A string of arousal drooled from your pussy as he did so, and he scoffed. He sent a harsh slap to your backside, your body jumping forward and a cry ripping into the air.

“You must like pissing me off,” he slid his hand up your spine and leaned over to whisper into your ear. “I haven’t even touched you and you're already wet for me…”

You groaned, grumbling angrily to yourself through the mess of your pillows. 

“You’re gonna take this shit and you're not gonna complain, you got me?”

“Shut the fuck up, Eren,” you muttered weakly.

Eren slapped your ass again, then once more. You groaned, scrunching your eyes closed and fidgeting against your constraints. “What the fuck did I just say? Come on.”

He moved back down to your ass, kissing across the quickly reddening hand prints that decorating your brown skin. He smoothed his hands downward to your thighs, gently pressing a kiss from your inner leg to the lips of your pussy. Your breath hitched in your throat at the sensation as your lower half squirmed in anticipation. He kept a hand on your bound wrists, pinning them down harshly.

“Don’t squirm,” he ordered, ducking down to press a soft kiss to your sopping clit. A hoarse whine broke from your mouth, your body aching for Eren’s touch.

“Please,” you begged softly. “Just hurry up and touch me, please.”

“Cute of you to think you can make demands after acting so pissy with me all day,” he grumbled darkly. “Don’t start begging now, mama,” Eren landed another sharp smack to your ass. You jumped and cried out before Eren stabilized you again. “You're gonna be patient and take what I give when I give it.”

“‘Ren, please,” you continued to beg pitifully, knowing the nickname you used would get you whatever you wanted. Eren clenched his jaw tightly, prying your legs open further by pushing your thighs apart. He said nothing more as he dove face first into your soaking cunt, licking a long strip from your folds to your clit. 

The moan that ripped from your lips sent the blood straight down to Eren’s dick, encouraging him to proceed despite his agitation with you.

His tongue flattened around your clit as he licked it gently, wrapping his lips carefully around it and sucking generously. Your body began quivering already as his tongue swirled around your lips, slurping your arousal into the warm cavern of his mouth. He hummed, savoring the taste of your juices against his tongue and sending vibrations through your sex. He worked his way down, flicking his tongue around excitedly before plunging it inside of your walls. 

“Shit,” Your jaw fell open, moans muffled by the pillows below Eren slurped your greedy pussy loudly. You could feel your resolved crumbling, his tongue too good for you to think straight. 

Your wrists started to fight against his hold, but he kept his word and his grip on them tight. The more you wriggled around, the tighter his hold became and the harder he sucked. Eren shifted the pace as his tongue moved quicker, flicking up and down, inside and out.

“Fuckkk,” You whined. “Oh god, Eren, please…”

The said man made a noise similar to no and shook his head back and forth, eating out your cunt for all he was worth. You dripped into his mouth pathetically, legs trembling around his head while he relished in his meal. 

He moved his free hand in between your legs to rub circles over your puffy clit as he proceeded to devour your fluids. Your toes curled tightly and your wails grew louder, desperate pleas flooding the atmosphere and making you forget that you were ever angry with him in the first place.

“Shit, I’m so close,” you moaned, turning your head to the side so that your cheek was squished against the bed. 

“You want me to make you cum, pretty girl? Is that it?” Eren lifted his head to coo breathlessly, his fingers picking up pace in rubbing vigorously against your drenched clit. You squealed, eyes rolling into the back of your head.

“Yes, please, please, please,” you begged, your sweet release the only thing occupying your brain as it built up to the point where you were about to break.

Right before your orgasm could crash over you, Eren ripped his hand away, leaving the cold air to nip at your wetness. You whined in retaliation and dismay, wriggling around more though it was helpless for you to do so. 

“That’s too bad,” he tsked, running his palms over the flesh of your ass once again. “Wish you could be this sweet all the time, but pretty girls with bad attitudes don’t get to cum.”

“Eren, I swear to god.”

“You apologize, you get to cum.”

“I fucking hate you.”

A fire lit in Eren’s eyes as the words reached his ears. “Do you, now? You hate me? That’s what we’re doing?” 

Your heart dropped in your ass at the sound of his voice sinking into something dangerous, something primal, something indisputably pissed off. You knew you fucked up.

Eren was quick to grab you by the waist and pull you onto his lap once he had shifted into a seated position comfortably. He kept your tied wrists pinned to your back, which he arched deeply over his lap, leaving your ass laying directly in front of him. “Count to ten.”

“Wh-”

You yelped when another sharp sting hit your cheeks, eyes watering at the sensation. “Count,” Edward ordered.

“O-One.”

Another slap, harder than the last. You attempted to suppress your cry, sinking your teeth violently into your lip.

“Two…”

And again, then again, and again.

“Do you I’m playing with you, (Y/n)?” Slap. “You think you can just talk to me however you want?” Slap. “You like when I get angry with you? You like me having to put you in your fucking place? Huh?”

“No, Eren!” You sobbed out.

“Then why do you keep slinging that attitude around with me? Haven’t I told you to reel it in before?”

“I’m sorry!”

Slap!

“It’s too late now, baby, gotta take this punishment. Then I’ll know if you really mean it.”

You were reduced to a teary eyed, quivering mess by the time Eren number nine. He noticed that you were gone when you were no longer fighting against him but simply begging him to stop, your voice shaking with your cries. 

The brunette could feel his heart ache at the sound of your pleas, deciding that you had enough and learned your lesson.

Eren hushed you softly and leaned over behind your ear, listening to your sniffle and whimper for him. “It’s okay, baby, you’re okay. You got one more, okay? You think you can take one more for me?”

You whined for a moment, completely unable to process his question, though found yourself responding to the warmth in his tone and nodding in agreement in a daze. You felt his lips meet your back in a soft kiss. 

“Good girl, baby. Alright, just one more. You got it.”

You winced and tensed up your body as you prepared yourself for the last smack. Eren sat back up straight and raised his hand, then landed his final strike upon your ass. You jumped, before finally relaxing, having realized that it was over.

“You did so good, (Y/n). Look at you. Such a good girl, for me, you know that? You always have been,” Eren praised, his cold facade having completely disappeared. 

He wrapped his arms around your waist gently and pulled you up, moving you to lay on your back carefully. You cringed as the sting in your butt met the cool sheets, but you eventually relaxed when Eren’s hands came to caress your skin lovingly. 

You were then reminded of Eren’s passion and tenderness despite his flaws, reminded of why you loved him. Your mind was fuzzy and your vision was blurred with tears, and you didn’t have it in your heart to still be mad.

“M’sorry,” you murmured over and over. “Sorry, Eren. I’m sorry.”

“Shhh, it’s okay. Calm down,” his thumb glided carefully over your eyelashes, wiping away the tears that had collected in them. He pressed warm, soft kisses to your cheek, then to your neck, chest, and stomach whilst his hands slid up and down your arms. He carefully removed his belt from your wrists as he kissed you then tossed it onto the floor. “You did real good, mama. You did such a good job. Let me take care of you, okay? Just calm down for me.”

You responded with a mute nod and hazy eyes. 

Eren stripped his lower body naked before climbing directly over top of your. You watched with blown pupils as he pressed his body down against you, keeping you protected and secure by the warmth of his skin. Your arms moved to cage him to you, your hands running over his bare back as he kissed you softly, sweetly. 

Your lips moved in a gentle fluid motion, Eren’s hands finding your hair, your cheek, your waist, your thigh. He carefully guided the latter over his torso, to which it subconsciously hooked around. Eren continued to whisper sweet nothings into your ear as his hand moved to stroke his length. You took notice and looked down, unwinding one arm from around Eren’s frame to reach down and assist. 

Eren’s brows furrowed slightly and his jaw fell slack at the heavenly sensation of your soft hand gliding up and down his girth. He took the opportunity to guide his length toward your entrance, dick aching with anticipation. “Open your legs up a little more for me,” he breathed out softly. You obeyed, wrapping your other thigh around his torso and bending your knees so that he had proper access. “There you go.”

Eren pressed himself slowly into your entrance, a string of curses falling from his mouth as he slid through your gummy walls. The two of you watched as he disappeared inside of you with gaping mouths, your head falling back when he bottomed out.

“Just like that, there it is,” Eren began babbling to himself, keeping his eyes trained downward as he watched his dick slide out of your pussy slowly then back into it with a squelch. “There's my favorite pussy…”

“Eren,” you moaned, wrapping your arms back around his broad shoulders. The said man began to adjust to a rhythm, rocking his hips back and forth, pushing himself deeper into your guts with each slow thrust. You groaned, brows curling upward and eyes blurring over. 

“Fuck,” he hissed, the sound of your fluid gushing around his cock falling like a symphony upon his ears. “Fucking…” he trailed off, losing himself in the feeling of your tight walls dragging him back in with each push. 

“Oh, fuckkkk,” you moaned, pushing your forehead against Eren’s. His hands gripped your hips tightly as he guided himself back into you over and over again. 

“You like that, pretty girl?”

“Yeah,” you breathed.

“Fuck, you’s sucking me in, baby,” Eren strained out through a heavy breath, picking up the pace gradually. He moved skillfully, thrusting himself in and stilling momentarily, deep within you so that you could feel every inch of him occupy your greedy cunt. You cried, dragging your nails down his back as he pulled out and thrusted in faster, deeper.

The sound of skin slapping against skin lifted into the air, cream drooling from the space in which the two were connected as he fucked into you passionately. Your moans jumped with the jerk of Eren’s hips slamming repeatedly into yours, your legs wrapping tighter around his waist. 

“You like when I fuck you like this?”

“Yes, ‘Ren,” you cried. “Love it so much!”

“You’re gonna be good, baby? Gonna behave for me now?”

“Yes…” you sighed out. 

“Can’t hear you doll, speak up for me like I know you can. Lemme hear that pretty voice.”

“Yes, Eren, I’m yours! I’m all yours,” you gave in, legs trembling around his waist as he kissed sloppily down the base of your neck. His pace quickened once more as he pounded into you relentlessly, holding you down so that you had nowhere to run. You could feel your eyes cross as his dick speared into your soaking sex, your moans growing louder by the second.

“That’s a good girl, see?” he breathed into your ear. “That’s all you had to say baby. Coulda been done with this so long ago if you would have been nicer.”

Eren pulled you up by your waist, keeping the two connected, and sat back on his haunches with your legs still wrapped around his waist. He lifted you up into the air and sank your back down onto his dick, making you feel every inch of him slide through your gut. You cried, clinging to his neck desperately as you fucked yourself on him up and down. 

Eren assisted you by guiding your hips and keeping you upright, watching as you bounced on his length and swallowed all of him without hesitation. 

“Shit,” Eren groaned. “Fuck, (Y/n), keep moving just like that.”

He tilted his chin to look up at you as you moved, your tits bouncing excitedly. His eyes were half lidded as he gazed at you, sweat dripping from his forehead and sticking loose strands of hair to his skin. His mouth hung open, completely whipped.

“Who does this pussy belong to, baby?” he breathed out raggedly, tongue swiping over his wet lips. 

“Ngh, you, Eren, only youuuu!”

“You gonna catch an attitude with me again?”

“No, I won’t, I promise, I promise- fuck!” you wailed.

“Yeah,” he moaned, eyes roaming over your damp skin in amazement. “This dick belongs to you, baby, you know that? Look at me.”

You slowed your movements slightly to meet his gaze, eyes watery and face red. Eren slid one hand up your back to meet your hair as he looked at your and grinded up into your slowly. 

“It’s only yours, mama. S’all yours, I’m sorry about today. I didn’t mean to make you mad. I’ll try to be more patient with you, baby, I’ll try to watch how I say things. I promise, ‘cause I love you. You’re the only one who can treat this dick right. You hear me?”

You nodded slowly, moving your hands to his shoulders as you mimicked his movements, lowered yourself, and grinded your pelvis against his hips. Eren groaned out. “Say it.”

“I’m the only one who can treat this dick right,” you whispered, eyes glazing over.

“And who does it belong to?”

“Me.”

“That’s right. That’s right,” he ducked his head into the crook over your shoulder and kissed you softly. “I’m all yours, baby. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, ‘m’sorry.”

You moaned softly, overwhelmed by pleasure and your love for your partner. You continued to roll your hips back and forth, your head rolling over your shoulders as you soaked in the feeling of Eren’s dick nudging your insides. Eren shifted so that his legs were splayed out in front of him and moved his hands to grab your ass. He momentarily forgot that it was still sore from his punishment, and kissed you apologetically when you hissed at the contact. He cradled you softly, guiding your back up and down on his cock.

“Fuck, Eren, you fill me up so good,” you whimpered, burying your face into his neck.

“Lemme see you. Lemme see your face while you bounce on my dick, baby.”

You mustered as much energy as you could to lift your head from his neck and look down at him as you proceeded to bounce, his length reaching your g-spot suddenly. You gasped and paused, leading Eren to grab your waist tightly and guide your back down.

“Don’t run away from it, baby, take it,” he whispered, securing his grip around your hips to fuck up into you, rubbing continuously against your sweet spot. You cried out, gripping his shoulders and digging your nails into his skin.

“Oh god,” you drooled, the sensation of his balls slapping against your ass with each thrust making you clench around him. He wrapped his strong arms around your frame tightly and kept your body pressed against him, watching your face contort with pleasure. “I’m close, Eren, I’m so close.”

“You gonna cum for me, baby? You gonna cum on this dick, huh?”

He thrusted into you harder, chasing your tightening walls as his own release built in his gut. He gritted his teeth, eyes glowering with animalistic passion whilst fucking you mercilessly. 

You couldn’t hold it any longer. You were falling apart before you could give a warning. Within seconds, Eren was pushed out by a gush of your orgasm. He lifted you up over his dick by your waist and watched you squirt all over his abdomen. Your legs shook violently as you moaned helplessly, eyes disappearing into your skull once more. 

“God damn,” Eren murmured as he watched your pussy leak like a broken pipe. It was filthy.

Knowing that you were practically drained of all energy you once had, Eren lifted you up and placed your back onto your stomach. Your face sank into the pillows and your ass arched into the air again subconsciously.

“Such a good girl, so fucking pretty,” Eren marveled as he guided his length back into your gaping, dripping hole. You whimpered and whined, completely overstimulated by the sensation. Eren pressed his palm against your shoulder and he thrusted back up into your walls, discovering his pace once again as he chased his high. He watched your fluid jump out against his skin with each thrust and felt himself getting closer as your walls dragged him deeper, tighter.

“Fuck, yeah, look at this perfect fucking pussy,” he blabbered as you tried to squirm away. “Uh uh, lemme feel you for a little bit longer,” he coaxed as he held you to him by your waist. 

Beads of sweat flew from his face and his brows arched, strangled moans leaving his mouth with each slam of his pelvis to your ass and you could do nothing but take it.

You grabbed a fistfull of the sheets and screamed into them, the knot in your gut building once more, so quickly after your last release.

“C’mon, pretty baby, give that shit to me,” Eren mumbled, plowing into your. “Fuck, I’m close.”

“Cum for me, Eren, please,” You cried, tears dripping down your face. 

You were drenched, your juices dripping down your inner thighs as Eren and yourself approached your releases. 

“I’m cumming, baby. Fuck-” Eren pulled out hastily and spurted his warm seed all over your back. A long, hoarse groan slid from his throat as his thumb smoothed over the fat of your reddened ass and pumped himself dry. You could feel the last of your release slip down your thighs and onto your bed before your body gave out and you slumped flat against the comforter. 

Eren took a moment to breathe before realizing that he had cum all over your skin. He looked around and spotted your discarded towel on the floor. He guided the fabric over your body and cleaned you properly, tossing it into the corner when he was done and pulling your limp body into him as he lay down to catch his breath.

You curled into him and rested your head on his chest as his arms embraced you warmly. “You did so good for me,” Eren muttered into your hair, pressing kisses into it as his hand smoothed over the individual braids. “Feel so good, always do. Just rest now, baby.”

You hummed, melting into him, your body completely spent. “You still piss me off,” you mumbled suddenly, and Een’s chest jumped with a laugh.

“I know, baby, so do you.”

[amuseoffyre]

I’m emotionally ruined by the fact that Aziraphale hasn’t broken out of his heavenly conditioning. He still loves doing good. He gets happy when people tell him he’s an angel and says “it’s nice to tell people about the good things you’ve done now that I’m not reporting to Heaven”. He will literally put himself in harm’s way to make sure he does the Good and Right thing.

It can’t be understated how much Heaven’s influence still impacts on him. Aziraphale has been created, ordained and conditioned to believe it and he can’t just switch it off or walk away. Crowley didn’t get the choice. He was Fallen. He was kicked out and - as per the rules of toxic and terrifying cults - Aziraphale was always told for centuries and millennia, Falling was the worst thing that could happen. If you’re bad, you’ll be forced out. If you’re bad, you’re not one of Us. You’re one of Them.

When he did something he perceived as Right (ie. saving innocent children from death), but knew it wasn’t what Heaven intended, he broke down. Crowley found him a crying, shaking wreck afterwards because he was so convinced he was Evil. He was so convinced he was going to be dragged to Hell and that he was now a demon because he did one thing that saved some children but because it wasn’t a specific directive, it was Bad.

It shapes so much about him and it’s why the whole series looks like he’s having so much fun doing silly human things, but there’s this brittleness to it. He’s happy and excited and he’s doing his human-life things and having a lovely time, but he’s also constantly stressed because of the Need To Do Good. From the moment Gabriel turns up, he’s a nervous wreck and is trying to hide it by Doing Good, by Solving the Problem, by Fixing Things, by being so active and reactive rather than letting himself think about it. It’s a sign of exactly how frantic he is that he starts giving away his books and letting humans touch them.

Watch his face when the Archangels show up unexpectedly: that isn’t joy. That’s blind terror. He’s so afraid of doing the wrong thing in Heaven’s eyes, even though he made the active choice to do so because it was the Right thing to do. He’s a Guardian and he will protect, but he is so very afraid of the repercussions, even now. 

At the end of S1, Crowley said “they’re gearing up for the big one” so Aziraphale’s not oblivious. He knows a big one is coming. He knows something worse than the Antichrist will be on its way. And he’s trying so hard to pretend that everything is normal and fine and if he ignores all the looming bad stuff, it won’t happen. If we don’t say anything about it, nothing has to change.

But then the changes come knocking at his door holding a box and the choice is gone. He can keep trying to blinker himself to it, but then there are angels and demons in the bookshop and he’s had to use his halo and everything is falling apart.

So when he realises that he can get himself into a position where he can guarantee those repercussions won’t happen to Crowley? He will absolutely take it. He says himself “I don’t want to go back to Heaven”, but the instant the Metatron offers him a free pass for Crowley, to take Crowley out of both Heaven and Hell’s sightlines, to keep him safe (Another bee inside the hive, if you will), no wonder he grabs it with both hands.

The tragedy is that Crowley thinks that when they saved the world together, that was the end of Heaven’s influence in Aziraphale. When he was cast out the split between him and Heaven was sharp and clean. He doesn’t - he can’t - understand how deeply it has tangled around Aziraphale. It’s built into Aziraphale’s entire being and unravelling it isn’t that simple. Aziraphale’s trauma is a horrible, terrible Gordian knot and Crowley can’t understand that he couldn’t simply cut through it, because that’s just not how Aziraphale works.

[beggars-opera]

Hey, so we don't talk enough about A Christmas Carol as being at least a little bit about not continuing a cycle of abuse and neglect, both against others and yourself.

In the book little Scrooge is left languishing over the holidays in a boarding school for some never-explained reason, but it is made very clear that this is miserable and unfair, and that his father is doing this on purpose. His sister specifically comes to tell him that "father is so much kinder now than he used to be, that home's like heaven." This also reflects a bit of Dickens's own childhood when his father went into debtor's prison and little Charlie was forced to support his family working full time in a shoe-blacking factory at the age of 12 (which is also why so many of his books seem to have a moral of "hey, kids are people too and maybe we shouldn't make them work in the mines.")

Whatever family reunion happened after didn't work out, because Scrooge continues believing that no one is coming to save him and pulling himself up by his bootstraps at the detriment of all other social relationships is the only way forward. And the more he lives by that philosophy, the more miserable he gets, because obviously he pushes away anyone who has that hope that he lost. They threaten to break down the walls he's built and teach him that a big pile of money doesn't have to be the only thing that he can rely on, if he'd just let himself be vulnerable and have a relationship with people who care about him, because they're out there even if he's ignoring them.

There is a certain type of person still very much out there who thinks this way. "I've never been happy in my life, so no one else has a right to be either. I was abused in my childhood so it's only fair that everyone else suffer as well." We see this in parents who still try to use corporal punishment, and in wealthy people who ignore the social factors keeping others down and scream that everyone else is just entitled, that only those who suffer and scrape deserve happiness. And they especially hate the people like Fred who represent the past that could have been, who have maintained hope for the future, and seem to be rubbing their optimism in your face, when in reality they're just maintaining hope because it's the only way you can survive.

It's so important for Scrooge to actually see the impact this thinking has on both himself and multiple generations. Rich people have this weird hangup about this story because they think Scrooge is bad because he's rich. He's not, he's bad because he's a horrible person and a miser - he doesn't use his money to better anything, including himself. Salting the earth, everyone suffers here, including him. And he learns that he's going to die old and alone without ever having spent or enjoyed his money, and that his family feels sorry for him, and that the nameless masses of poor people out there that he decries so much are in fact living, breathing people, including tiny disabled kids who don't deserve to suffer just because you decided life isn't fair.

In the end he takes responsibility for actually uplifting the people in the next generation who are trying to make the world a better place and no longer punching down, because it doesn't have to be this way. So many people out there just give up hope because things are hard and they think trying to improve things is a pointless exercise that makes them look dumb. How dare you grow a year older and not an hour richer! How dare you marry for love! That's the only thing more ridiculous than a Merry Christmas! When in reality, there are plenty of people who would love to see them happy if they just had a chance.

It's really sad that, while the language used to describe it has changed, these problems still persist. That people feel so wronged and isolated that they spend their days ensuring everyone else will be as well. That they fail to see their fellow humans as fellow humans who are just as deserving of love and kindness and a roof over their heads. I don't care what time of year it is, we should all be lifting each other up rather than tearing each other down.

[alexa-fika]

hey I love your writing so much I had an idea but I’m not good at making stories so the other day I remember that when I was little I used to run a lot so I fell from a boat and you know I was swimming away while my parents almost got a heart attack how about a child reader with red haired pirates it would be funny , only if you want you don’t need to do it have a nice day or night

Take off (Red haired pirates x m!child!reader)

A/N Here we go, guys can you believe this is the last of the requests from APRIL like that’s so crazy to me, I want to take you for all of the requests and for trusting me to bring them to life

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for Readerin Japanese

Dividers by @/saradika

The Red forced was the same as always, with lively chatter among the crewmates as they partied over their newest conquests, not taking their eyes off the child running along the Deck

“What has got you this happy, Dokucha?” Lucky piped in, taking a bite from his chicken and laughing merrily at the young boy

“Uncle Shanks found a plane in the loot!” He cheered, waiving around said toy around

“Why did they even have toys? The crew didn’t have any children on them,” Limejuice questioned, downing down a mug of beer

“The crew was big on woodwork; they had a couple of pieces here and there littered on the loot,” Shanks answered, joining the group with his own mug in his hand, his first mate not far behind

Dokucha grinned, ignoring their chatter as they launched the toy, beaming as it glided around and rode on the same wind that pulled the Red Force along

“Dokucha, watch where you are going!” Yassop called as the child ran behind the plane, trying to take hold of it

“Don’t w-

His words die out as the floor disappears behind him, and they quite literally run themselves out of the ship. The last thing he heard was the scream of his name as he made an impact with the water, another splash following after his

He gripped onto Beckman’s similarly soaking clothes as he pulled himself over the side of the deck

“Im sorry, Daddy,” he cried, hugging him tighter and sobbing into Beckman’s already drenched shirt as they both sat on the Deck, Hongo crouching in front of the two, checking over the boy, the rest of the crew crowding around the two much to the displeasure of the first mate, a glance to his captain was all the latter needed to quickly dismiss them, leaving only the officers littering the deck

“Everything seems in order; no water seems to have entered the lungs, and no damage from the impact; next time, make sure you pay attention to where you’re running, okay?” He asked, giving Dokucha a small smile as he ruffled his hair and took his leave

Teary eyes glance up at his father, trying to gauge his emotions

He sighed, turning them around on his lap so that they were facing him, as he wiped the tears from the boy, his own dripping hand not making much difference

“I saw the dive you did before you hit the water,” he comments, giving up in the action as he recalls the safety position he had seen them take before colliding with the water

“You told me to do it if I ever fell in the water.”

“You did well; you had good reflexes as well; now we just need to practice keeping our eyes on the path,” he said softly, rubbing his knuckles against his cheeks

“You’re not mad?”

“We’re pirates; we’re going to have our slops from time to time; everyone here has fallen to the water at least once, though not everyone was as gentle as you, ain’t that right, Punch?”

The latter lets cackles as he happily takes over the small boy as he recalls the less-than-proud moments from the crew

“You know, Monster here once fell overboard; you should have seen the little rascal. It was like watching a b….

Beck watches his son regain his previous demeanor at Punch’a stories go on, and he heads to his quarters to replace the now flimsy box of cigarettes lost to the sea

“Shanks,” he called

“Hm?”

“You are banned from giving any Toys to Dokucha.”

“W-What, come on, Beck! We can talk about it,” the captain whined, following after his vice-captain

Uncle privileges revocked 😂

Taglist:

@imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

[restinslices]

Yo, still waiting for that if Tomas was a sub one (canon tbh)

Cannot believe I forgot. Y’all can boo me

Imma just come out and say it. He's such a whiny sub

There are characters that give me dom vibes but I think them as subs would be fun. There are characters that give me switch vibes. Tomas gives me only sub vibes. I don't detect a dom in there. idk, that's just me tho

So needy and whiny it'd probably throw you off when you see him doing anything other than begging you to touch him 

Cannot handle teasing at all. He's ok with teasing you but breaks easily when you tease him 

Honestly he can't backup any of the shit he talks. 

One of those subs who need attention at all times. Even if you're not interacting with him, he still wants you in the area 

Kinks I think he'd have are barebacking, biting, humiliation (a HUGE one and imma stand on it), breath play, collaring (in private), impact play, sex toys and sensory deprivation 

I just feel like he's a slut in disguise. Where's my proof? I made it the fuck up. I'm doing this for US 

If you have female anatomy he's also getting pegged. IDC IDC 

Humiliation is a big one for him because he knows it's still a safe space. You can taunt him about how he's a slut, write things on him, make him get off with something unusual, ect. but at the end of day you still love him and it's all for fun. 

You can tell when he's needy ‘cause he's extremely close to you. He follows you around normally, but he's right on your heels 

To torture him more you can pretend you have no idea what he wants. He knows you know and you know he knows, but watching him try to ignore how he feels ‘cause he doesn't wanna say it out loud is priceless. 

He also has a tendency to say he can't take anymore but in reality he wants you to keep going. This is a big guy, he can take it. 

There's two good punishments for him; Cockwarming and overstimulation 

Cockwarming because he can't handle teasing. It's so simple but he can't stand it and doesn't know which is worse; when you're inside of him (actual dick or strapon, doesn't matter) or when he's inside of you. Either way, it doesn't take long for him to apologize for whatever he's done and beg you to fuck him already. 

For overstimulation he gets turned on and cums pretty easily so it wouldn't take that much to overstimulate him. 

These two go well together. Cockwarming then overstimulation as a “isn't this what you wanted?”

What would make this better is quizzing him on something. His brain stops working when he's horny so quizzing him on Lin Kuei principles or something else he for sure knows adds to it. 

He knows he knows the answer but his brain is a fog. It kinda puts the punishment in his hands but that adds to the torture. If he could figure this out, then you'd actually fuck him (or you'd stop fucking him if you do this while overstimulating him)

As I'm typing this I thought of another thing that can be both a punishment but also something he enjoys. Dryhumping. Listen to me and listen to me well-

I can see him coming up behind you when you're alone and rubbing against you to let you know he's needy. And if you told him to keep going, he'd cum but it's not what he really wants to do. 

So him being in trouble and being forced to rub against you but not be inside you or have you inside him would drive him nuts. 

Aftercare for him would be showering together, cuddling and reassuring him you didn't mean any of the negative things you said. Especially after an intense punishment, he needs to hear you don't actually think negatively of him and you love him. 

Also reading together depending on the day. Just something really chill to pull him back to reality. 

I just realized he has the least amount of words so here are afterthoughts to fix that

I know I've called him whiny multiple times but I genuinely think sometimes he can't even form coherent sentences. All that comes out are noises 

Tries not to pout but does so anyway 

He can get off just from giving head 

Loves you leaving marks on him as long as he can cover it up. He can't be scrapping and the enemy sees a hickey on his neck

Tries to sneakily break rules. For example, if a rule is “no touching yourself when I'm gone” he'll do it anyway and try to get rid of the evidence. He'll shower, change clothes, clean any toy he used and whatever else he has to do but you somehow always know. 

Tomas is not the best liar and has some habits he does when lying, like tapping his fingertips together so you find out that way or from actually catching him and pretending you didn’t

The type to break rules on purpose if you haven't been giving him attention and then be surprised when actions have consequences 

Will call you whatever title you prefer if you don't just wanna go by your name

Like his brothers, he for sure could just throw you off but he never does. It adds to the fun. He's a skilled assassin but if you said “jump” he'd ask “how high?”

The best sub to have if you want one whos so pathetically in love with you but can be a little shit sometimes 

Even after his punishments, he keeps apologizing to make sure you're not actually mad at him. 

Probably begs you to cum inside him anyway you can

I see him and start tweaking fr

[thoughtfulchaos773]

A show about Self-hatred, Love, & Connection

TW: Self-hatred, Suicide also Sydcarmy warning for the antis

Carmy's self-hatred is a big part of his character and it's his biggest hurdle in getting past his trauma. His self-loathing becomes apparent in the first season, particularly in the episode "Hands," where he tolerates verbal abuse. This inner critic is rooted in familial and complex trauma, existing long before his experiences in NYC.

The Familial Pattern

Those experiencing self-hatred may or may not, be in a situation that requires them to be in contact with someone from their painful past, causing distress and a tendency to withdraw to avoid experiencing painful memories and emotions...

Jodi Clarke, MA, LPC/MHSP

The Berzatto family has a history of self-loathing, with Donna's mental barriers and emotional and verbal abuse, not just from her but from extended family members, who made an impression on the Berzatto siblings.

The episode Fishes dives into Donna's inner critic that's similar to Carmy's, she says no one would care or miss her, we see the reasoning for self-hatred from the berating of Carmy, to Uncle Lee vehemently telling Mikey he's nothing, to the unforgiving nickname for Natalie, such abuse and extreme criticism is to the point that it becomes ingrained in their thoughts.

Mikey unfortunately succumbs to the pattern, but Natalie breaks the curse by attending Al-Anon meetings and loving those who instills confidence in her.

Her own actions in seeking comfort lessen the impact of Donna's self-loathing influences, as she asks for an embrace from Steven. I believe that this moment shows us how connection can help calm down our extreme inner critic.

Also Natalie's connection with Pete helps her own self compassion and feeling deserving of the good things in life. Pete tells her how great the restaurant is. He easily gives compliments to Carmy. This treatment is foreign to the Berzattos but is embraced by Natalie as she breaks the cycle.

Connecting to those who make you feel good is also foreigner to Carmy, he struggles with Pete's compliments and receiving it, he pushes those away from fear of the unknown territory of feeling good.

Feeling undeserving is one of the reasons he avoids emotional intimacy with Claire. Not only does she remind him of a past filled with ridicule from Richie and Mikey but he can't understand why someone could love him. If he could open up and allow intimacy, he would be on the path towards acceptance.

Solace in Sydney

Theres one significant moment of self-acceptance and that happens in 2x09. Carmy's character growth is clear as he chooses to listen to Sydney's words and affirmation instead of ignoring them.

I want to note that it frustrates me when people comment that Sydney's voice only contributed to Carm's work-life when his self-hatred shows up in his personal life.

From "Let It Rip" to "You Were the Most Excellent CDC," we take a look in Carmy's potential to overcome anxiety and self-loathing. The difference between "Let It Rip" is that Sydney's voice and his bond with her and it gives Carmy moments of feeling good about himself like Natalie feels with Pete. That moment of acceptance is a big step in his relationship with himself and Sydney's love for him serves as one of the remedies for his self-hatred.

I want to emphasize that Sydney can't fix Carmy, but her company, talents, and aspirations help him feel good and encourage self-compassion and confidence. Sometimes, loving someone helps you fall in love with yourself more, as long as this person also supports you in the same way.

To beat loneliness and self-loathing, Carmy needs to open his heart and contribute to filling his own cup, then he could receive love when someone pours into him.

But it's funny because he's already doing this with Sydney. He allows her love to wash over him, and even through mistakes, he tries to believe in her the way she believes in him.

Carmy will experience true love for himself and others when he moves forward and strives toward a genuine connection (forgiveness, compassion, etc.). When Carmy receives that love, he will finally feel deserving of something good happening in his life.

[chasing-posts]

Allison should have had a villain and redemption arc in the last season.

Now first of all let me say I do like Allison and think she's cool...but I also believe she had some negative character traits that were explored since season one and were really divulged in season 3, and could have/ should have been resolved by the forth season.

For one she did kill Harlan for stopping her child from existing, even though it was an accident and he was basically Victor's foster son. This showed the only children she tends to care for is her own.

Second, we never fully got an answer to one of her most famous Rumors, "I heard a rumor that you loved me." This one has always been speculated to be directed at either her husband, daughter or Luthor. And with how she sexually assaulted Luthor in season 3 before he got married and how he could never get over her, I think it was him.

Third, can we address that she assaulted Luthor?

Forth, she made a pack with Reginald and as such got to redesign the universe so Clair was back, and Ray was alive and possibly her father, which means she erased her last husband from existence and rearranged time and space to get what she wanted in her perfect life.

And all of this is bad stuff, add to the fact that Sloan is missing when Ben is here, and it does not paint a nice picture. In fact I always thought that the reason Sloan was missing, was because Allison could not handle Luthor moving past her, and being happy with another woman. Even if she didn't want him anymore. As such, she erased Sloan to keep her back up, even after getting married (twice) and having sexual/ romantic relationships of her own. She STILL could not handle not having a hold on Luthor.

So if I could change things, I would say let her have EVERYTHING she always wanted at the start of the season. Her daughter, the love of her life, her powers and even her carreer... and absolutely none of it bringing her joy due to the cost she had to pay to make it happen, and how BADLY it screwed over her siblings, especially Victor and Luthor, to make it happen.

Have her repent by actions. Actually have it so the siblings are a little slow to let her back into the group and only do so to protect their own (like when Victor got kidnapped and all 6 were needed to save him.). Have Luthor confront her about their AWEFUL relationship and most inportantly, what she knows about Sloan. What she did to her when she rebooted the universe, and why she's gone when cranky Ben is still here.

Finally, change the rest of her story make her face consequences for her actions. Maybe have both Ray AND Claire leave her after she went too far with her Rumors again only do it ON SCREEN so it's actually impactful and have her be all alone. Maybe have her reconnect with Klaus to help him get off the drugs the first time after her family leaves her (because honestly, I like their relationship a lot this season and her helping him stay on track was good) and that being her foot in the door with the rest of them through Klaus, before she rejoins them all against Reginald/ the Cleanse/ whatever is the true big boss this season. Finally, before she makes things as right with her siblings, try and help THEM get their powers back while she still has hers.

Because while I don't think Allison is a bad person, i think she has done bad things. And I think actually addressing it all instead of sweeping EVERYTHING under the rug like they did in season four, would be great.

FINALLY, PLEASE RESOLVE THAT WEIRD INCEST PLOTLINE WITH LUTHOR. IF IT WAS GOING TO BE SUCH A BIG PART OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND CHARACTER ARCS, I WOULD HAVE PREFERED TO SEE IT RESOLVED INSTEAD OF JUST... IGNORED. IF THERE'S NO RESOLUTION WHY EVEN HAVE IT IN THE FIRST THREE SEASONS! COME ON!

[astropookie]

astro thoughts 🏇🌈✨💫🍳

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH ❤️ even though it’s almost July

disclaimer: I didn’t check my orthography

i hate it but what’s trying to tell me the universe. my friend reminds me of my mom 😭 kill me pls. she have sun 11H, she worries a lot about how others understand what she saids, what others may think of her. she wants to be peaceful but at the same time she have moon in scorpio so she’s struggling and she have a certain opinion about others based on the first impression or what made more impact -negative? idk. now I feel judge -I think it’s my anxiety-. Update: i said what was bothering me to her and everything is said, I’m proud of me, I’m in peace, she responded in a understanding manner. I can breath.

the degree of your ascendant says ALOT, not only about the physical appearance. it could point out even your career, how’s focused your life, how you react…now that I think about it, it’s like an ascendant in your ascendant pc (but if it confused you ignore it).

for example, my friend have gemini degree in his ascendant, he’s doing his major in communication, his family is full of artists and specially musicians, so he grew up knowing how to play every music instrument, it’s like breathing to him, music. he’s used to it and he express himself by composing and being curious, wanting to know about this and that. other example: my other friend has a gemini rising but I was thinking “there’s something that’s missing” 👀 the leo degree of course. he be slayyiing💅 he’s sassy. he knows what he wants and people always be wanting him not the other way around 🙄 he’s like purr stunning gurl 💋

the same friend told me the other day that his first impression of me was or exactly what he thought: “you don’t want to mess with her” “I wouldn’t mess with her ever”. he told me I remembered him of maddy of euphoria -I gave him the idea bc I didn’t understand and he agreed-. Ascendant - Saturn aspects make you look like a bad bitch, like they’ll kick your ass if you don’t do what they tell you, THEY ARE. The structure of their face is also bony. They look like they’re mad, like they’re on their way and if you step there you’re dead: karmic. The jawline, omg, is sharp, it could cut you.

Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture3

Also, bc Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, Capricorn ascendants and saturn-ascendant aspects share characteristics but are not the same? Capricorn risings have this cheekbones that are so sensual and even if they age, the cheekbones are still there, what you notice first is that. What they share is the intimidating aura strangers perceive. In different levels or forms I believe.

Dakota Johnson Gisele Bündchen

TWO QUEENS THAT I CANT FINISH TO DESCRIBE HOW THEIRE SO ETHEREAL BEAUTIFUL STUNNING ICONIC AND INFINITE THINGS MORE

I have Mars in Retrograde. I don’t know what bothers me until I explode or until I go to my psychologist. I minimize what bothers me and save it all in the back, so then my brain will hurt. I don’t figure out or notice when something bothers me bc I don’t think is a big deal or that’s a joke, but even if it’s a joke I can still not like it -a side note-. You’ll find me realizing later what was bothering me and then struggling to tell people how I really felt when they did THAT something.

Picture from Pinterest

when the kid’s mercury is sextile Saturn’s dad (synastry: mercury sextile saturn), it means the dad communicates with their child as a way of teaching, caring about them. through their communication, they share childhood stories, experiences of any type and what they have learned about them, what they have observed. trough their talking they share their wisdom. the father have all the attention of their kid when he opens his mouth. the kid somehow knows something important is about to be said or they admires their dad that much.

Picture from Pinterest

Leo moons 5H + aries degree can be pretty egoist, they could lost themselves in the idea of something, of having it. Also they don’t think, twice letting themselves be carried by the emotion that idea gives them. They’re in their pretty little world of fun but they are not looking what’s happening to others, they’re hungry for their passion. I HAVE TO TELL: not everyone with these placements are like this and blablabla -the same thing I say for precaution- AND I had something, it’s not even something 🙄 I had nothing with these placement k? but it gives you an explanation for my attitude. STILL, I think I gotta mention some of the synastry so it’ll make sense. In another time bc I don’t want to waste my energy in that -and don’t want to-.

Saturn in opposition with Uranus aspect makes the individual stay in the doubt. They’re stanched while they keep analyzing the pro and cons of the situation they want to start/be part. Even if someone extern try to help, they’ll be doubting more.

Virgo moons are just so wholesome ☹️❤️ They want to help. they’re always doing something. they want the best for you. they care of others as if they take care of themselves but better, sadly. they work too much they need a rest but they know they’ll be anxious of doing nothing. they’re just pure souls. they’re so kind. always helping in a ONG/organization that helps needed ones.

Aquarius mercury always have something to say, they’re always right 🙄 even though they say it’s comprensible and natural that everyone have their own beliefs I don’t believe them. I think they think their mindset is better and everyone should follow it. LIKE GURL WTF I know you think you are wise and shit and you’ve passed through experiences that made you learned and that inspired you to tell them to others BUT let others make mistakes and be wrong, let others don’t be like you, there’s the beauty. I always find them criticizing others for their manners, as if they have lived the same way you did.

I don’t believe/trust? in libras, yeah ok may be that my sun is in libra but not my whole chart. That’s what I’m talking about, with that last sentence I’m gaslighting you 💌 how tf you believe in libras when they don’t tell the truth directly I CANT. With my honesty I gotta mention that my libra sun appear when I don’t want to ruin something that benefits me, when I don’t know the person and I try my best, to my sag/scorpio/aquarius placements to not appear. They always keep something in their minds, they don’t tell you all, they keep to themselves some part, could be to not hurt you, doesn’t benefits them or whatever. a friend with moon in libra degree and another with libra moon: I always want them to say what they want, they can’t. I want to squish the hell out of them bc I can’t too😭🔪

Ceres 3H is a good placement for a psychologist. How they motivate others using their minds, that easily absorbs and process/analyses experiences and knowledge, to finally find a solution depending on the case -of the patient-, so it’ll be suitable. When they help others, their communication keeps improving with time. More experience = better. Still, it’s natural.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

❀ Based on my personal experience.

❀ English is not my first language.

❀ I’m not a profesional astrologer.

Thank youu. baibaiii🫣🫶🏼💋

Do not copy. Please give me credits.

[i-lost-my-heart-in-republic-city]

Only villains are allowed to be complex in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender

I had a major issue with the treatment of the original gaang in natla and I think it has to do with character flaws. As in, they don't have any.

In the case of Aang, other characters keep telling him that he can't ignore his responsibilities but when do we ever see him actually do this? When does he seek out distractions to avoid his duties, like penguin sledding, or riding elephant koi, or hiding in a cave? Hell, the reason he gets trapped in the iceberg is changed. In natla he was only going out on a short flight with Appa and gets caught in a storm. In the original he ran away, and it's understandable because he felt alone and out of control of his life. But it is still a choice he makes, to run away from his responsibilities, and he has to deal with the consequences.

In natla there is no choice to run away, it's fully an accident and it takes away his agency as a character. So when Bumi starts blaming him for the war it really rings hollow because it was all an accident. It has more weight when a random fisherman blames him in atla because at least in that version he did make a choice to runaway. Obviously he had no way of knowing what would happen and he never intended to abandon the world to genocide and war. But that's the thing about life, you never know the full consequences of your decisions, and you just have to deal with them when they happen. The war is not Aang's fault, but he did make a bad decision, and it had far reaching consequences. It made Aang's character more relatable and gave him a starting place from which he could grow as a character. He had to learn how to accept responsibility for his actions without blaming himself for the actions of other (i.e. Sozin starting the war).

I feel like in the case of Katara, they stripped her passion and anger. They explored Katara's PTSD but they take away how angry it made her. Anger is a totally normal response to trauma. While letting yourself be consumed by anger is obviously bad, anger can also be channeled into passion and energy to enact positive change. This was a big part of Katara's character in atla, learning how to control her righteous indignation and use it to fight for the rights of other. She has none of that anger here, so there is no character growth and no emotional connection to the character through that arc.

This especially falls flat in her 'feminist arc.' She fights with Pakku but there is no anger, no fire in her. In atla at the end of the fight, even though she was pinned down and had clearly lost, she was still going. She was almost feral. Even though she was worn out, her passion of fighting for what is right still fueled her. She would not give up. So I guess it's fitting natla's unpassionate Katara just falls down at the end of the fight. And they cut out the whole importance of the necklace, which serves as Pakku's realization on how his sexism has negatively impacted his own life. It's this realization that motivates him to reevaluate his beliefs and agree to train Katara. Which needs to happen because having a master's tutelage is what allows her to become a master herself. Alta makes it clear that she excels because of her hard work and determination along with guidance from a mentor. There's none of this in natla. They just start calling Katara a master because 'girlpower' I guess? They certainly don't show how she became so talented. But natla Katara doesn't need help from other people to grow. She's already a master. She's already perfect.

Sokka is also stripped of his flaws as well. Obviously we know he is not sexist in natla. I don't think this is inherently a bad change, but you have to understand how the sexism impacted his character in atla and adjust accordingly. In atla, Sokka's sexism is really the origin of his all his insecurities. He believes there are roles for men and roles for women. Protecting the tribe is a man's job. So when the men go off to fight in the war, he believes he must carry the burden of protecting the tribe as the oldest male. He sets himself up for failure because he places impossible standards on himself. He cannot protect and lead the tribe all by himself, especially not when he is a young child. This leads to him feeling inadequate because he cannot measure up to his own impossible standards or his idealized version of his father (who was an adult and had the support of his tribesmen).

I could still see a way to still adapt atla without the sexism. (For example Hakoda tells Sokka to look after his younger sister. He takes that to an extreme of being overprotective of the whole tribe. And we are back at him failing to met his own impossible expectations again). But natla doesn't do this. Instead it just throws in a flashback of Hakoda saying that Sokka isn't fit to be a warrior. This kind of defeats the purpose of Sokka's own internal conflict about not measuring up to his own unrealistic expectations. Now it's his father's expectation's he doesn't measure up to. This is not a bad story beat in and of itself. It works well with Zuko. But it's not Sokka's character conflict. In alta Sokka's insecurities, internal expectations, and sexism also cause him to lash out at others sometimes. He's not allowed to act so negatively in atla. So again there is no place for him to grow as a character, as he does not have these flaws.

Honestly it seems like they tired to removal all negative character traits from the main characters, which makes them feel more stiff and allows them no room for growth. I really wanted to like this adaptation. And I do think there are some changes they do really well. But those changes are related to the villains and they just drop the ball so hard with our main characters.

[savagewildnerness]

The Vampire Lestat intro and Lelio rising questions

Gonna share just the questions here now... I'm intrigued if anyone would like to answer any!

At the start of TVL, Lestat has been In The Earth. Do you think he will have been In The Earth in this era on the TV show? (As Louis has seen him pretty recently, which makes it seem like perhaps he won’t have been?)

The ‘spirit’ of 1984 reminds Lestat of the 1700’s. Will there be anything about the 2020’s that Lestat will associate with/that will remind him of the late eighteenth century?

“I did a lot of thinking about this sinless, secular morality, this optimism” - will this be a driving force for modern day Lestat? What will he think about in relation to right now?

Lestat says that "there was a romance" to modern music and I'm so curious if that's how he'll feel about some kind of modern music now, or, whether Lestat’s rock star career will just be 100% about Louis on the TV show?

"the way electricity could stretch a single note forever; the way harmony could be layered upon harmony until you felt yourself dissolving in the sound. So eloquent of dread it was, this music." - This reads to me like a musical description of vampirism?!  Will Lestat’s music somehow express something about vampirism? Will The Vampire Lestat's music incorporate old French songs and brutal rhythms - eerie and disjointed music, as Lestat describes his playing?

What music will Lestat listen to? He listens to a lot of Bach when he first rises in the book (while driving his Harley-Davidson!)  Is there a security both in the structure of Bach and in the fact his music is from an era predating even mortal Lestat that makes Lestat feel safer entering the modern era?

Will we see Lestat standing stock still beneath a street light, whipping through IWTV at an insane speed till he exasperatedly tears it to shreds on TV!?

Lestat talks about coming back after killing the wolves and feeling that he was ‘not-Lestat’, so I thought we could discuss - did killing the wolves change Lestat, and if so: how?

When Lestat goes into a depression post-killing-the-wolves, is this essentially a human version of “Going into The Earth” as Lestat will do numerous times as a vampire?

How will the French Revolution impact the TV telling?

Will both Mozart and Marie Antoinette be on the TV show?

Will Lestat’s malady of mortality be as big a theme on the TV show as it is in not only The Vampire Lestat, but the entire Vampire Chronicles?

When Lestat talks of how he could have poisoned meat to kill the wolves, but meat was too scarce… is he in a veiled way saying that his life has less value than a piece of meat?

“I don’t think I felt the slightest fear then.  But I felt something, and it caused the hair to rise up on the back of my arms.” What exactly is the “something” Lestat feels when he sets out to kill the wolves?  And why is he not afraid? Bravery? His hunting spirit? His impulsive, adventurous nature? Stupidity? Naivety? Only feeling truly alive in moments that contain the potential for death? A lack of care whether he lives or dies (borne of despair)?

Reading the wolves section, with the dying animals and even after this too when Lestat talks of his ignored/thwarted farming plans for his family’s land… It made me wonder, just a curious ponder - if Sam might have had any experiences in real life connected to any of this stuff, given his family’s line of work…?

When Augustin says Lestat didn’t kill the wolves, then retracts it & Lestat says the next thing he knew he was lying alone in his room… I mean… it can be read at face value, but I also wonder - is there something that happened here that Lestat doesn’t write?  And if so, might the TV show go there?

“I wanted to be enclosed forever with people who believed I could be good if I wanted to be.” - I wonder if the TV show will go down the route of Lestat’s quest for goodness?  I hope so!  At this time, I think 12-year-old Lestat found goodness in the order of the monastery versus the chaos he felt in the family castle (haha, the family castle!) And I also feel like he felt goodness in being made “ordered” rather than “chaotic” himself.  However, I don’t think Lestat would have been happy in the end in so restrictive a place, much as I am sure he would have loved learning.  But what do you think?  Could Lestat have been happy, a lifetime in the monastery?

Is performing with the theatre troupe at 16 the first time Lestat truly feels pure joy - he describes it as ecstasy?

How can we now get to The Witches’ Place if Nicki can’t have witnessed child-Lestat there, Gabrielle would never tell the story and Lestat has repressed the memory…?

Is Sam’s Lestat going to burst into tears as often as Lestat describes himself doing so, because get him ten thousand gallons of water to drink - he’ll need them!!!!  Lestat also cries at the most random moments… but we know Sam is up to the task!

Do you think show-Lestat will be ripped out of post-coital Nicolas’ arms..?

Potential episode titles from this section:

Pure evil has no real place.

Only the impossible can do the impossible.

Malady of mortality.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Hello. I've been binge reading your meta post an I loves all of it. I have one question, though I don't know if you had the same question or not. If you had I'm sorry feel free to ignore this but if you hadn't, this is my question. Many people said Adrien as sentimonster is a good plot and the other said it's also good metaphor for abuse children. But what do you think about the senti plot? Is it necessary? And what do you think the writer is trying to achieve with the plot if Adrien doesn't even allowed to know about what he is?

Thank you! I'm glad that you've been enjoying my rambles! I don't think I've touched on those aspects of the sentiplot, so here goes!

Is it Necessary/What's The Goal?

I don't think that the sentiplot is even remotely necessary. My two cents is that it reads like something that was added relatively last-minute in order to add some cheap drama to draw the plot out because they didn't have enough content to organically fill seven seasons. Part of the reason that I'm comfortable saying that is because we've seen the writers do this type of move many times before. I don't wanna get too into the weeds on this, but a good example is the love triangles with Luka and Kagami.

Luka and Kagami are never treated as real alternate love interests. They're just road blocks on the love square highway that allow for seasons three to end on a cliff hanger. The fact that season four opens on two episodes meant to reassure the audience that Lukanette and Adrigami are doomed to fail is proof of this. No one is actually supposed to ship those ships. There's no Team Luka vs Team Adrien. It's just cheap drama.

The other reason that I feel comfortable calling the sentiplot cheap shoehorned drama is because the sentiplot has no teeth. A big reason why I refused to believe that it was going to be a thing was because it's an extremely serious plot that has no place in a Y-7 show. The wielder of raw destruction can have his free will overwritten at any time! The show has made jewelry theft a common teenage past time! This is bad!

And yet, once it's introduced, it goes nowhere. Gabe gives the most lackluster commands humanly possible and Nathalie undoes every one of them before they have a chance to meaningfully impact the plot. The biggest fallout of the sentiplot was that the Adrienette kiss got delayed a bit. How terrifying.

If the sentiplot had the weight it deserved, then it would have destroyed Adrientte in a big, dramatic fashion. Gabriel would have commanded Adrien to date Kagami and Tomoe would have done the same for Kagami re Adrien. But that's too serious, so we don't even get Gabe telling Adrien to break up with Marinette. He just tells Adrien to not see her and Marinette never has any clue that something went wrong there because Nathalie undoes the command two minutes later.

The Sentiplot's and Emilie

You may have read the previous section and thought, "But wait, doesn't the sentiplot give an explanation for why Emilie used the peacock? Didn't we need that?"

No, we didn't. Felix's little play and Gabe's memory of the night they used the peacock both heavily imply that no one knew that the peacock would kill you. It's why Felix exists! His father did not willingly give his life to have a kid and neither did Emilie. It was an unknown side effect.

Imo, it would have actually been better if Emilie hadn't used the peacock for such obviously selfish reasons. I mean, is anyone really saying, "Oh no, the rich lady used forbidden magic (and possibly killed some people?) to get a designer baby, then faced unexpected consequences! How awful for her! She didn't deserve that!"

Wouldn't it have been a far more interesting and complex story if Emilie used the peacock because she wanted to help someone else? If she was an unambiguously good person who suffered for doing the right thing or even just a morally gray thing? Wouldn't that make Gabriel's quest feel more righteous and less like a temper tantrum by a rich, entitled white guy who used his wealth in a morally dubious manner and paid for it?

The Sentiplot as an Abuse Metephor

I don't think that the writers meant for the sentiplot to be an abuse metaphor. In fact, I sincerely hope they didn't because it's a terrible one! Or, at least, a depressing one.

Abuse - especially childhood abuse - is something that sticks with us. A lot of victims will be forever scared by what they went through. But just because they bare scares doesn't mean that they're trapped by their abuse and can never break free. This is true even if the abuse caused mental health issues like PTSD or CPTSD, conditions that can never be cured because you know what they can be? Controlled and mitigated to the point where the victim is no longer ruled by their condition.

There's also the fact that abuse victims - especially child abuse victims - can and often do reach a point where their abusers no longer have any power over them. I have personally seen a child abuse victim go thought the process of realizing that their parent is just another adult now. All the power that the parent once held is gone. The child doesn't depend on them for food and shelter anymore. If the abuse starts up again, then the child can just get up and walk away.

That's not true for a sentimonster. Sentimonsters don't grow up and get more agency/power. At any point, their abuser can get ahold of their amok and override their free will, taking away the sentimonster's freedom even if the sentimonster is on another continent! There is no means of true escape.

No abuse victim will ever be that powerless. Abuse victims can escape abuse and they do have true free will. Sentimonsters will always be sentimonsters.

Is the Sentiplot Good?

No. It's too serious for a kids show. In fact, now that it's canon, here's my two cents: all of the sentikids are massive liabilities to the team who need to give up their miraculouses immediately because they can never be truly trusted. Felix has shown us time and time again how easy it is to steal an amok and replace it with a fake, so we must always assume that the sentikids are compromised because to assume otherwise is to invite the miraculouses to fall into the wrong hands. It's just not worth the risk to trust a senti.

Along the same lines, the love square should never be canon unless Marinette gives up Guardianship because Adrien is a liability to the safety of the miraculouses even if he didn't wield on himself. The only way to get around this issue is to use the wish to make the sentikids human, but Gabe failed to even do that one kindness for his son, so here we are. Season six will either drive this point home by having Lila use the amoks to mess with Adrien or it will drop the sentiplot forever, proving just how cheap and poorly thought out it was.

Other issues I think I've already addressed in other posts, but that are still a problem that make the plot bad:

a sentimonster's creator defines the sentimonster's worth, thus there being no issue with Felix making sentimonsters and then killing them or the heroes destroying them, but it would somehow be wrong if we did the same thing to any of the sentikids

any command you give a sentimonster can be overwritten and sentimonsters can't resist even if they know they're being controlled, so there's truly no hope to free them

giving your leading lady anxiety issues and a boyfriend whose free will is constantly in jeopardy is cruel and unusual punishment

an insane number of lore issues like why is it impossible to destroy other sentimonsters, but Adrien can be destroyed in akuma fights? Cataclysms are pure destruction! It makes no sense that akumas can do what a cataclysm can't. And is Adrien able to die a natural death? What happens to his amok when he does? Will his children be able to be controlled by his amok too since they're part of him?

the lore around Gabe & Emilie finding the miraculous makes no sense and should not be possible. That's another rant, though.

[sweettjrose]

What is your opinion about Disney?

​

Oh boy... This is a complicated question for me.

And the main reason is that I have a lot of Nostalgia for Disney. I grew up watching and loving animated Disney movies and tv shows and is probably the main reason I have such a love for animation and music. And even when I rewatch the movies and the shows they still hold up, some even are better than I remember and show clear mastery and love for art and creativity. The truth is I love these characters and I love these stories and I honestly don't think I could ever truly hate Disney...

But I can still be disappointed. And unfortunately, Disney has and continues to do disappointing things. It would be wrong to ignore all of the bad elements of Disney. Unfortunately, Disney made quite a bit of racist media both in shorts and in movies, and as a mixed person (half-black and half-white) it honestly a truth that is hard for me to truly accept at times. Disney played a major role in really messing up our copyright system making it harder for more media to be in the public domain, despite them liberally using public domain characters to make their stories. Even now with the war in Gaza, it sucks to see Disney officially only side with Israel and not with the Palestinians, with some of them even wearing Disney merchandise. And honestly, I am really worried with the disaster of Wish, Disney+ confusion, and the rise of AI, that Disney will start making some really big anti-creative decisions and somehow even destroy the parts people still like about Disney.

But with that said, I do think there is one element that people tend to forget when talking about the pros and cons of Disney. They are not a monolith. Disney is full of constantly changing and moving people all with completely different politics, opinions, and goals, and contributions. Tbh you could argue that the only time it has been like that is when Walt was in charge and even that is debatable. As a result the people who are doing the stuff I love are rarely the ones doing the stuff I find frustrating. I know artists who work on Disney shows that are supportive of Palestine. Heck you can even feel the internal battle at Disney when it comes to trying to add more LGBTQ+ and diverse content. There are people are trying their best to use their time at Disney to create positive media for future generations, just as much as there those trying to hide or shoot down those media. And even in cases the people causing harm are the same ones making the parts I like, that unfortunately is a constant in life, no matter where you go. Gottfredson made one of my favorite Disney comic characters, but he also did and said quite a bit of racist things. This isn't a justification, but something you can't completely avoid or ignore and have to decide how to handle yourself. To be honest that alone is a completely different essay. But the point is that people change and Disney 100 years ago is different from Disney 30 years ago which is different than Disney today. And even within Disney, not everyone agrees and supports the same things.

And personally, I feel like people tend to overcorrect when it comes to criticism of Disney and act like they have been nothing but a bland corporation with no creativity or positive impact on the world at all. I feel like people tend to group Disney with corporations like McDonalds as if they don't produce any artistic endeavors at all, but just generic content and I can't really believe or support that either. Regardless of how you feel about Disney. They have made such an impact on not just animation, not just on American media and culture, but everything all over the world. Anime is heavily inspired by Disney. Videogame Mascots like Sonic and Mario are inspired by Disney. Even media that takes shots at Disney like Shrek wouldn't have existed without Disney. To be honest it would be harder to find stuff without some element of Disney influence. As I said before a lot of amazing movies have been made with Disney and wouldn't have existed without it. I would consider The Great Mouse Detective and Beauty and the Beast straight-up masterpieces. And it was through Disney that they even got made. Disney can have its frustrating eras (like now), but they're also an effective tool to allow amazing movies and shows to be created. And in a world that doesn't value animation, we still need companies like Disney to still have that faith and support. At least I hope we can.

So to make a long story short, I think it is important to acknowledge the flaws and not ignore or hide them, but to also recognize the artistic achievements as well. Disney had a positive impact on me and nothing will be able to change that. Disney is a constantly changing cultural force that will grow along with us. It will continue to evolve as new people take the reins. Some will try to make up for past mistakes and move forward and some will repeat those mistakes and cause more problems.

All that we can hope is that the good will outweigh the bad.

[thegreatimpersonator]

Genuine question. What do you think about all of the political pundits and news anchors and other celebrities praising Taylor for the endorsement? They’re all saying she made such an eloquent statement but it wasn’t that good…?

I feel like both 'sides' of this are missing the point because it's the internet and all nuance is lost. Taylor finally endorsed Kamala and took an actual political stance for the first time in 4 years, and that's great. That act is gonna do wonders for the election and really helped move eyes and ears toward Kamala, Tim, and their campaign. There's no doubt it'll make a huge impact. So the reporters who are saying she made an 'eloquent statement' are correct, she did. So people who are looking to hate on that have no reason to hate on that aspect. She did a good thing by endorsing Kamala.

However, that's not what the issue was that people were talking about for years prior that hit a peak a few days ago- it's a part but not the whole picture. Her statement about the election missed the big picture, it never once condemned what people have seen her tolerate personally. Taylor, for the past 3-4 years has repeatedly surrounded herself with close-minded, ignorant, and actively bigoted people. From the people she's voluntarily chosen to work with (i.e David O Russell; a known abuser) to people she chooses to publicly be friends with (Brittany Mahomes, Lena Dunham, Zoe Kravitz, etc) and even repeatedly defended dating vocal bigot Matty Healy. She has repeatedly surrounded herself with people who actively go against everything she says she believes, and actions speak louder than words. How can you say you're an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and publicly be besties and lend your spotlight to someone who doesn't believe trans women are women and shouldn't be in women's sports (Brittany Mahomes). How can you support victims of SA/DV when you're friends/work with abuse apologists and actual abusers? How can you be an ally towards POC when you defended dating a man who publicly said he gets off to porn of black women getting beaten, or while you wear jerseys and support your current partner's team- a team that has made a mockery of Indigenous people who have repeatedly begged for them to stop? How can you be an ally for women when you haven't spoken up for Palestine, where women are being treated in unimaginable ways due to the ongoing genocide. That's the issue, her actions vs. her words.

She can say she believes in these subjects, and that's good it's better than nothing, but we all know the words are pretty empty and for show. A show is good but it always ends and you're left with nothing afterwards. She probably won't say much else about the election because in her mind she did her duty, and that to her is the bare minimum. Half-baked activism is applauded because we are so used to getting nothing. Endorse a candidate and go back to being friends with people who don't see certain groups as human beings. Tell people to vote but don't condemn their hatred, because then you'd also be condemning some of your friends. Enable that behavior and live in that privilege, it'll work out for her and that's what matters the most.

[dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram]

I want harry back and selfishly need him to be wrong but let's ignore that. If he doesn't release hs4 until 2026 I'll be genuinely surprised by that. Harry is at his peak now he shoul be striking while irons hot. I'm not saying he can't get even bigger but why hold off for now. He talked about wanting to be the kind of artist that can go away for a while but I thought he meant like when he's 40 and he dissapears for a decade, not now. For the past two years we got multiple sightings with his producers so I just assumed he was recording and would be releasing soon. I wonder if Liam changed all that.

I am also genuinely surprised and I think that surprise is a useful place to start. It makes perfect sense to be surprised, because whatever Harry might have said - he has shown very little interest in going away - ever.

It is now 17 months since Harry last performed. It was 16 months between 1D's last performance and the first promo performance of HS1. It 16 months between the last date of Love on Tour and the first promo performance from Fine Line. It was 18 months between Harry's last promo performance of 2020 and the first show of love on tour. Whatever happens this will be the biggest break in Harry's live performances since he was 16 - and will be longer than the time he stopped for the global pandemic. The fact that he might wait another year, or even another 10 months before performing live is surpising, because it is unprecedented.

I think we have every reason to believe that Harry was very driven to perform before. I am personally obsessed about the time where he talked about how importance performing was to him with his therapist from stage, but there are obviously other signs.

To me, the break is a sign that something has changed something quite fundamentally for Harry. I don't think he can be driven to perform in the same way he was.

But that shift was not necessarily the cause of the gap in touring - it's what made it possible. But a necessary precondition is not the same thing as a cause.

It is possible that this is all about touring - he toured for two years straight under very intense circumstances (first with the pandemic, and then with the very strange media hype). It may be that he recognised that it wasn't good for him, he wanted to do something else.

But there are so many other possibilities about what could be going on. It could be the music - he might want to make a different album from the one he wanted to make a while ago. It might be about his personal life - all sorts of things might be going on that he wants to spend time on away from the spotlight - his wellbeing, the wellbeing of people he loves, relationships more generally. He might have another project he wants to work on.

I think you're absolutely right that Liam's death might have had an impact - in all sorts of ways. As well as any changes that Harry might want to make in his own life, next time Harry releases something he will have to be able to perform grief in a really narrow way. Quite frankly it would be enough to stop me ever releasing music again (but obviously I am not Harry Styles).

For me the most compelling question is part of what's up in the air is how he's going to present himself. I was quite sceptical that he could release another album where the main thing he has to say is that this was the freest he's ever been and he had been holding himself back, but he didn't this time - and have someone else give an anecdote about his life and not answer questions about his sexuality.

But I think there's real risk in doing anything else - I think it's reasonably clear that large numbers of people who spend money for tickets like who Harry is - they want to have someone to project fantasies onto. Saying something about who you are is a very big deal if you're Harry Styles. It wouldn't surprise me if they took some time to get it right.

Anyway I find all the options fascinating. I find it fascinating that something has changed around his drive to perform. And there are so many possibilities for why that change has lead to a long break. The options for what comes next are wide open.