#i cant with this season it was all over the place i cant keep defending you david jenkins

[springybreak]

izzy’s death was for shock value after a pretty mundane season…. sorry

[closetsof-backlogged-dreams]

okay so I’ve seen and loved a bunch of these posts already but everything u say is immediately correct and amazing and sending u asks is the best

opinions on why zukka works and makes sense as a ship and if you think it could work in canon (outside of fanon)?

I CANT BELIEVE YOU JUST MADE MY ENTIRE LIFE COMPLETE AND FULL BY ASKING ME THIS QUESTIONNNN (strap in folks hold on to your hats keep a good hold on your bladders bc this is 10+ years worth of BUSINESS)

Why "Zukka" works and makes sense as a ship

something i've discussed THROUGHLY with my notes app and a school slides presentation is that Zuko and Sokka are both direct parallels AND contrasts to one another, at the same time. i'll list them out here:

Their fathers' roles in their lives

Both Hakoda and Ozai were the leaders of their respective nations, with Sokka and Zuko as the heirs. Then, they both become absent in their sons' lives and leave them to fend for themselves.

This is a parallel, but this is also where they contrast. Sokka's father left to go fight in the war, a noble and honest pursuit, and left Sokka to protect his sister and the village.

Ozai, on the other hand, cast Zuko out of the nation and forced him to protect and defend himself, while effectively turning all their people and his own sister against him.

Their sisters' roles in their lives

Despite both of them being the oldest sibling and brother, they both have severe inferiority complexes due to their younger, powerful bending sisters.

With Katara, she was the only waterbender in the entire tribe, a marvel. She could learn to protect the tribe in a way that Sokka had been trying all his life, and she eventually does. Despite all this, Katara is still a grounding and valued person in his life, and he would be completely lost without her (something he openly admits to in canon!!)

With Azula, she was a prodigy firebender, while also being a special kind of keen and cunning. She was adored by their father and grandfather and Zuko could never quite measure up. Because of this, Azula is the main villain in Zuko's childhood. She does everything she can to break him down, and that continues when she returns as a character in his life in season two. All throughout the show, instead of being a source of comfort and familial love, she is his main obstacle he must overcome.

The loss of their mothers

Both Sokka and Zuko lost their mothers at very young ages to the Fire Nation, but they had vastly different impacts on their families (and further developed their sisters' roles in their lives!!)

When Sokka's mother died, she was killed by a Fire Nation general. Katara quickly took over the motherly role in his life, cementing her place as a grounding and comforting force. Her death also did not break their family. It deeply hurt all of them, but Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda still loved one another just as much as before.

When Zuko's mother died (obviously not really, but this is what he believes for many years), she was "killed" in order for his father to ascend to the throne and become Fire Lord. This left Zuko without anyone to protect him from Azula's tormenting and cemented her place as a destructive, villainous person in his life. Ursa's death also did destroy their family. Whatever way she had managed to keep them all together was eradicated, and Zuko was left with a sister and father that resented him and a sister fighting for his place in the line of succession.

Their obessesions

Both Sokka and Zuko had two bone-deep obsessions that were very defining parts of their characters in the first season, that slowly wavered and faded away as the story progressed and they developed as people. They were both given these obsessions by their fathers immediately before they became absent in their lives (whether leaving themself or sending their son away) and proceeded to dedicate their entire life to these goals in the name of honor.

With Sokka, his father asked him to protect his sister and his village. Sokka then dedicates all his time and energy to becoming a brave soldier and training the children of the village in order to protect his people. This is seen further in season one even after they leave, when he is overly protective of Katara and constantly worried for her safety (something this fandom doesn't talk about enough!!)

With Zuko, his father sent him on a wild goose-chase to find the hundred-years-lost Avatar, and when he actually does, all he can do is chase after Aang so he can go back home. As we see in season three, letting go of capturing the Avatar was essentially letting go of his former self.

Unlearning their flawed cultures (the big one!!!!)

Both of their cultures had many flaws that became ingrained in their belief systems and characters; their whole development is dedicated to unlearning these flawed teachings and reorienting their perception of the world.

It is very obvious throughout the shows that the Water Tribe had strict gender roles that were both implicitly and explicitly taught from birth. The men go off to fight in the war, the women take care of the children, Sokka has to protect his "defenseless" little sister, etc. Suki helped start him on the journey of unlearning his deeply-rooted misogyny, and by the end of the series he's really drinking the Respect Women Juice™️ (unlearning the flaws of his culture also brought him much closer to his sister and strengthened their bond and respect for one another)

The Fire Nation is a lot more complicated with a lot more cultural nuances and implicit and explicit teachings, but we'll focus on one central cultural theme: the constant prioritization of ambition over absolutely everything else, including (if not especially) love. (I actually talk about this extensively in another analysis post about Azula, if you want to check that out<3) We see Zuko battle with this teaching all throughout the series, and it is the main conflict he faces, at its heart.

We watch him commit his entire life to capturing the Avatar in season one. We watch him betray his uncle in season two. We watch him, time and time again, put his own health and safety on the line trying to capture Aang, especially in season one. Constantly, over and over again, he puts his ambition first because that was what he was taught.

And though this is a trait him and Azula share, it is also what pits them against each other. Azula's entire character is built on putting ambition first, and that leads her to chasing the throne that is Zuko's birthright. Zuko just wants to go home, but that would reestablish him as the heir to the throne. Time and time again, we watch them fight and betray each other, constantly battling for this crown for a broken nation. In the end, it is Azula's undoing, but that's another post.

All in all, unlearning the flaws of their culture is central to their development as characters and a place where they parallel... but it is also a place where they directly (and perfectly) contrast.

Despite the cruelty of the Fire Nation, they are the only military that includes women. They seem to not really struggle with the same gender roles the rest of the world does. They may be colonizers, but they're not misogynists. Zuko never looked down on his sister because she was a woman, nor did her father. It was always her propensity for cruelty that undid her. (They even send a team of highly skilled women to capture the Avatar!!)

This is a direct contrast to the teachings of the Water Tribe, which are entrenched in misogyny and gender roles. The men go off to war, the women stay behind. The men are strong, the women are weak. Can you imagine how much Zuko could have assisted Sokka in his development here? (blah blah directly paralleling Suki's role in Sokka's life blah blah blah)

In the Water Tribe, love and family comes before everything. We see that time and time again. Sokka's main priority, every time, is his sister and his tribe. They stick together. They love one another. They are united, with one person leading them as a group but not standing over them like a tyrant. "Ambition" seems like a mostly unheard of concept in their nation. The only ambition we ever really see from Sokka is when he's trying to protect his tribe (season one finale)!!

Can you imagine how much Sokka could have helped Zuko unlearn his constant prioritization of ambition?? Like, come on. All the things Zuko was left to stew with and angst over all on his own Sokka could have gently taken into his own hands and shown him the way. Like, it actually makes me go feral just thinking about it. Sokka could have helped Zuko so much!! (pushing the Ba Sing Se Zukka AU rn)

Consensus

Okay, let's recap. It looks like Zuko and Sokka are both direct parallels and contrasts, paralleling in the ways that allow them to understand each other but contrasting in the ways that help them heal one another. Like, it's actually insane. I really don't know if it was intentional or not but it's really just so perfect. They slot together perfectly as characters. I hope this all made sense😭😭

Could "Zukka" work in canon?

Now, this is tricky. Believe it or not I'm actually really glad they didn't make Zukka canon. ATLA had a huge problem with writing good romance, and in the canon we saw in the show, neither Sokka or Zuko were in a place to get together.

I've enjoyed my fair share of Zukka AUs where they get together before the end of the war, but you and I both know that would have been a hot mess. (Both of them just weren't ready, they were both in relationships, and sorry but they were kinda busy—Katara was right about the whole "there are other things to worry about.") If they were ever to get together in canon, it would have to be years after the war ended.

Let's address a few things that needed to happen before they could ever have gotten together:

Finally admitting that Maiko was just an extreme example of comphet

Zuko did not give a single shit about that girl. Like. He didn't even personally go get her out of prison WHEN SHE WAS LITERALLY ARRESTED FOR PROTECTING HIM😭😭 And then they try to play off their story as some big epic romance?? uhhhh no

(really, Mai was in long-time unrequited love with Ty Lee that was finally requited after Boiling Rock but idk if society is ready for that yet)

Not to mention, Azula literally forced both of them into that relationship, but if I get started with that I'll never stop so. Moving on.

Figuring out Sokka and Suki

Okay, so while there is a good chance that Sokka and Suki could have made it work in canon, there is also a good chance they would have broken up. They both had very different priorities: while they both did care about overall world peace, it was obvious from Suki's first introduction that her Kyoshi Warriors were her top priority every time, and Sokka's was his tribe, his found family (Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, yk yk), and world peace at large. You're telling me those don't conflict? Especially because they really seem like a Piper/Jason situation, where they found comfort and love in each other during wartime but wouldn't have known how to keep up the relationship without the constant threat of death.

Overall, in order for Zukka to work, Sokka and Suki would have had to break up, which would not have been difficult to arrange.

Sokka needed to go home and begin rebuilding the Water Tribe

No matter how much I adore fics where Sokka stays behind in the Fire Nation and helps Zuko rebuild, it just wouldn't work. Sokka's obvious priority had always been his tribe. The second the war was over (ignoring the comics bc that's a can of complicated worms i don't want to get into), he would've gone back with Katara to work on rebuilding their destroyed tribe. Only once the Southern Tribe could stand steadily on its own two legs could he have even considered leaving.

Anyways, that's really it. In order for Zukka to work, three plot points would have to be resolved: Maiko, Sukka, and the reparation of the Southern Water Tribe. Extremely doable, imo.

Personality-wise and just as characters, would it have worked?

I really think it would have! Like I said before, Sokka and Zuko are two characters that perfectly parallel and contrast at all the exactly right points to make them slot together flawlessly as a pair. (Whether that's romantic or not—doesn't matter.) Really, I genuinely think they are a real missed opportunity. I have genuinely never seen two characters that seem so different that actually work that well together, or even just characters that work that well together at all.

Like, I really mean it, they are perfect matches. It's genuinely scary. Like it or not, no one will ever be able to replicate the perfection of what Zukka could have been.

Anyone that says that it's "random" or "doesn't work" obviously hasn't been watching the same show or simply just hasn't been paying attention. People might ship it just because it's opposites attract or red and blue or even just the most accessible MLM ship in the fandom, but they really are perfect for each other.

alright, I think that's it! sorry for this monster of a post😭😭 genuinely did NOT expect that to happen. PLS SEND ME ANY ASKS YOU CAN THINK OF ABOUT THESE TWO!! i have spent a concerning amount of time thinking about them and these show has analysis potential for days, so. (and who knows, maybe i'll finally post the like three unfinished fics i have for them💀💀 god knows i should)

thanks for the ask, and have a great day <3

[marvelling-at-marvel-blog]

The thing about S1 Jamie that I think is interesting is I think on rewatch there is some insight as to why Jamie went so hard on the bullying of Sam. (Not gonna be defending Jamie's treatment of Sam just looking into maybe why). Because out of all of the things Jamie did is season one. The one that seems hardest to understand or really forgive is his treatment of Sam. The first time around, you couldn't understand it. Sam is legitimately the kindest man in existence. (I know as a stroyteller it was the easiest way to really get us to dislike Jamie and really make us more understanding of Roy's treatment of Jamie which to be frank is not great and understand Ted's fruatrations with him) and Sam just keeps trying with Jamie.

But know I think it far to say thay S1 Jamie was jealous of Sam and his easy going, happy, postive nature. I dont think he was aware of it though.

Season 1 Jamie is so interesting because on paper, he had everything he thought he wanted. But I dint think he was overally happy. But yeah it seemed to be all his way

1. He played for the team he grew up supporting and dreamed of playing for. I imagine his first time stepping on that fiels in that uniform would have been monumental. Sure, maybe he wasn't a starter, but he got some minutes and the unspken agreement that in a few years, he would be a star.

2. I imagine he was initially disappointed to be loaned out, but then he learns he is being loaned to Richmond. Yeah they suck, but he gets to play a full 90 minutes, is basically going to be the best player, kick most of thier goals and he gets to be team mates with Roy Kent (he dreamed of playing against him one day, with him is a dream come true, I really think pre show Jamie would have been so excited to play with Roy Kent and was so disappointed in how it turned out). Plus, it has the added advantage of getting him away from his dad. And once his done his loan, he can come back to Manchester. This is his chance to get away from it for a while and be the star

3. He meets and gets to date Keely Jones who his always had a crush on. Dhe is literally a dream girl for him

So he should be happy right. His got everything he wanted, but it's not going the way he expected because.....

1. Roy Kent hates him (in my mind Roy was standoffish from the start, heres come this whizkid who was everything he used to be and slowly losing. I think Jamie came in at 100% and immediatley put Roy on the back foot). Jamie tries with Roy but the more it doesnt work the more Jamie goes OK, if I cant make him like me I will show him I am better than him. Hence the beginning of that relationship.

2. Yeah his away from his dad and his killing it at Richmond, scoring their goals, winning them matches but it only seems to be winning over half the team (he can't see yet his attitude is what is stopping the other guys from liking him). And the team still isn't doing great even with him. Plus he may be away from his Dad but his relationship with his mum feels like it in a werid place which sucks cause she is his favourite person ever.

3. And Keeley seems to be where its going right but sometimes it feels like his a bit of a project for her. And I think he has heard people (like Roy) question why she is with him.

And let's face it, he is still likely hearing from his dad when he doesn't perform up to his standards.

And then heres Sam. Who (at this point in time) isn't playing well, isn't scoring goals, not massively contributing to thier wins and yet he seems so genuinely happy all the time and everyone loves him, Roy Kent seems to like him and is friendly with him, complimenting him (which he has never done to Jamie). Sam is so open and kind he has probably talked about his dad in the locker room, and his relationship with his family seems perfect and that must gnaw at Jamie because all he ever wanted is to make his dad proud and his pretty sure he will never achieve it because the man is a d***k who is impossoble to please, yet Jamie never stops trying and things are werid with his mum which he hates. But all he hears when its brought up from Sam is how great his family is.

Then along comes the new gaffer who Jamie can't even understand why he is coaching, but he also seems to love Sam and wants him to be the decoy so Sam can kick the goal. Even though Jamie knows if he kicks it, it will go in.

Now we all know the reason Sam is liked is because he is an amazing, kind hearted, dedicated person, but I think S1 Jamie is so jealous and does not even know it.

Because S1 Jamie is still living with the notion that being the best in the most important thing ( thank you James Tartt Sr) so to Jamie he is out here busting his ass at training to be the best, scoring all the goals yet Sam seems to be the one who is living what he thought his dream time at Richmond was going to be. And I know I mention it but I think it is a big thing for Jamie, the harder he tries the more Roy seems to despise him, and take enjoyment in his embarrassment.

And S1 Jamie in all maturity handles his jealously by trying to make Sam feel as bad as he is feeling. Which Jamie, baby. That's kindergarten mentality. And poor Sam actually thinks Jamie is a great player and would love to learn from him in the beginning and isnt having a great time either.

But yeah. I dont think Jamie ever disliked Sam. I think he was insanly jealous of him all the time and didn't know how to handle that or even admit it himself.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Apologies for my rambles.

[ardentpoop]

It is very concerning to me that ppl in the supernatural fandom r just now (barely) starting to recognize the racism in show. Like the show is very deeply seeped in white supremacy in a way that was very obvious to me when i first watched it at 11. Like I used to be very confused when ppl talked abt Supernatural as a progressive show??? I used to joke with my friends in highschool calling it whitesupremacistnatural bcuz that it is literally the show. White supremacy is so baked into the show and its ingrained into the foundations of the fictional world that Supernatural takes place in. I really cannot take white fans of the show in particular seriously bcuz i feel like if u cannot recognize the incredibly blantant racism in Supernatural i do not really trust any analysis of the show that u make. The only reason I can think of as to why so many fans are unable to recognize the racism in the show is bcuz just abt every scifi/fantasy show from this period had similar issues to varying degrees (although i do think that Supernatural is one of the most unabashed abt it). Like once you pull back the disguise of fantasy Supernatural is just another The Birth of a Nation esque tale that romanticizes white heroes defending the "real" humans from the dark races who cant help being born evil but must be eliminated anyway. Its incredibly unsubtle to a point that often made the show difficult for me to watch especially the longer it went on and the older that i got. That being said I still watched 14 seasons of Supernatural. I love the show and talk abt it constantly bcuz (surprise surprise) it is possible to enjoy a show while still acknowledging the ways that it is deeply problematic. I dont think its a coincidence that ppl r just starting to acknowledge the racism now (nearly 4 years after it ended). I think someone could write multiple dissertations abt the racism and white supremacist undertones in Supernatural bcuz there is so much of it and it appears in so many varying ways.

I don’t have much to add to this just letting you know that I feel you!!! literally hilarious to call this show “progressive” lmaooo like sure maybe in the same way that a corporate pride tweet made by a company with notoriously unethical business practices is “progressive” <3

show created primarily by white men for other white men that ended up attracting a massive white queer audience that was all too happy to gloss over the loudest and ugliest parts of the canon: blatantly racist central concept of Good vs Evil, dean being blatantly abusive to sam for the majority of their relationship, irresponsible casting choices wrt antagonists like Gordon and Raphael and s13!Michael as well as the disposable henchmen/extras who were far too often portrayed by black and brown men and women considering the glaring shortage of black and brown “good guys” in this story, truckloads of blatantly homophobic and misogynistic jokes that were supposed to be viewed as charming, and so on.

no need to unpack any of that though! talking abt that stuff gets you labelled a hater. keep walking on eggshells around the majority of the fandom and tagging discussion of dean’s canon actions as “anti dean” and critical discussion of the show’s super unsubtle roots as “negativity”

as long as the white queer audience got their goddamn d*stiel crumbs they were satisfied lol. and fuck sam - the ONLY part of this thing that makes it worthwhile to watch all the way through as an adult bc characters like him are genuinely so so rare - bc he gets in the way of their generic white gay ship that’s built on flavorless scraps and wild conjecture. as always this website’s user base has impeccable taste and commendable analytical skills!

disclaimer: I genuinely don’t think I would personally change much abt spn textually speaking because AS IT IS it makes for a truly sickening narrative with brain-rotting layers that its creators could have never pulled off intentionally. this isn’t me saying none of the horror was intentional but that a decent chunk of it obviously wasn’t and that the Final Combination could’ve only come of the too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen white american ignorance egotistical power-tripping (the latter on the part of, say, jensen) that resulted from this show being on the air for far longer than it should’ve been.

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

ok well someone has to ask it how does aftershock work with geo in the picture now

.........WELP. Hmm. I suppose this one's long overdue, huh?

The long and short of it is, Legacyverse is and always was planned to end at a specific point in the timeline. Everything that happens in DR and beyond simply just doesn't apply to this universe, even if I and others entertain certain 'what if' possibilities anyway thanks to recency bias and mere curiosity. As there is no Geo nor any explicit love interest for Cole in the former series, it's still free game for me to throw this random pink guy at him instead, and I have no plans to change what I already, well, planned.

And that's that!

...of course, that being said, I doubt that's going to satisfy you. It doesn't satisfy me, in any case T-T)/

gaaaaaaaaaaaah I am. so full of conflict. *lies on floor*

I know at the end of the day it's my story, it's just a story, I can do what I want, bla bla bla...but I haaaaaaate blatantly going against canon, especially for something that isn't a plot hole or weirdly time/placed or comes off as out of character for the situation, and while there's technically no contradictions if I stick with my initial plans and don't even touch DR, it still feels...kinda unintentionally bad, or at the very least, like, intrusive? Somehow? Even if this was all in motion 2-3 years before Geo was even a thought. But. Y'know.

But it's precisely because that Cole went so long without a love interest that I said 'what the heck' and went for it! I know Cole doesn't ~need~ anyone to be happy, but as I've said in previous posts, given many of his (albeit rather few) character beats—fears of abandonment, fears of being forgotten, feeling 'other' from the rest of the group at times, being a naturally good parental figure, being motivated by having someone/something to protect/defend, literally saying in Quest for Lost Powers that having loving people around him, family, is what keeps him grounded–...having one person consistently dedicated to dispelling his insecurities, enhancing his good qualities, and ensuring that he has the family he needs and/or wants for himself (separate from the other ninja or not)...I always thought Cole deserved that much ;w;)/

And, lo and behold, the show finally agrees too!

(And that's not even tapping into the Gay or Not to Gay argument. My Cole is Demiromantic, thank you. ...Just with slight male preference)

...but. Like. What am I supposed to do now?!

Poor Jesse, hasn't even had the chance to worm his way out of one love triangle, and now his future marriage is already in distress with another. Guy can't catch a break in his life T-T)9

I mean, my god, I doubled down and gave these fools a DAUGHTER—how dare I dare to dream—only for two months later to get ran over by a truck with a new found family for Cole?! With children he adores and cares for and protects with his heart and soul?! With a husband-like figure to love, admire, and cherish Cole as he deserves?!

Of course I love this turn of events! It's exactly what *I* was gonna do! :V

Although I didn't even see Geo as a potential interest at first cuz all the subtext totally went over my head (and I thought Cole was just being Cole, on god lmao) and then I'm bombarded with 'LOOK THE POWERS MAKE A HEART!' 'LOOK AT THEM STARING INTO EACH OTHERS EYES!' 'THEY SAID THEY NEEDED EACH OTHER' 'I THINK THEY'RE FLIRTING HERE' and then I'm like....'aight I see it now. Not that whole heart thing, but yeah, there's something there, but it's probably not going to get much focus lmao'

...and the Season 2 swoops in with rose-colored glasses flashbacks, Geo absolutely remembering things way more romantically than they actually were lmfao, A DAMN FAMILY PHOTO, all the little implications of what went down during the years present together, "WE CANT BE A FAMILY WITHOUT COLE", Cole whooshing in all dramatic and cool to save them, them praising each other for good work with their powers, Cole making a little seat of earth just for Geo, and then ofc all the EXPLICIT handholding and DEFINITE loving eye contact (like holy smokes the way Geo always look at their hands in disbelief every time Cole reaches for him how has no one yelled about THAT one ehhhhh?!? aaAAAAAA) and then the Bonzle hug and forehead thing and oooooh don't even get me started with the "...my OTHER family" line gaaaaah and oh my god the season's only half overrrr

Not Pictured: Jesse lying cold in a ditch

(I mean I have the excuse that Cole legitimately thought Jesse—and potentially Cam if she exists—died in the Merge and that's why he let himself start to move on nor made an attempt to look for anyone and it has been several years...but now in this scenario he's got one family he's obligated to, one that's been his family for the majority of his life, and one that he found for himself and doesn't want to be apart from!)

(And I know all these people could just be different, disjointed members of one big group that Cole considers his family regardless–And probably the concept I like the most! Down with nuclear family labels! Let people just be loved without necessarily fulfilling a niche role!—but it's been a point of contention that some people already think he's moving away from his 'old' family in favor of the 'new' one (whiiiiich I do disagree with, but I can see where these people are coming from given how... disconnected Cole has been with current events that aren't related to The Finders. But that's neither here or there, and probably subject to change in future episodes/seasons —hopefully—juuuust thought I'd mention it while I'm on the soapbox)

Anyway, back to the matter at hand:

*shakes Jesse to the sky as he makes a wobbly foil sound* WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS NOW?!?! Do I truly continue to bother, knowing what unexpected pain *not* caused by me lies in wait for him?! Do I forge on anyway, knowing that it's fruitless in the end?! Do I simply ignore the good fortune that I know canonically comes for Cole further down the line beyond the scope of my reach?! Abandon a precious plotline I put so much prep into to maintain the sanctity of something else good that I do genuine enjoy and appreciate the existence of?! Am I just overthinking and overinvested?! Help?!

Well. *claps hands* Let's weigh our options! We cooooould—

Kill Jesse Off Before The Merge (Extreme, but very doable. A clean way to get him out of way, becomes further tragic backstory/motivation for Cole, and then there's no conundrum with Cam's potential existence. ....Except I don't want to, and this would probably cause a riot lol)

Directly To Polyamory (...which would be totally fine if a) Jesse wasn't Jesse, b) this was something everyone involved was on the same about beforehand and not just as an afterthought, and c) couldn't be interpreted as Cole merely going for an easy fix to a problem he's smack in the middle of. Polyamory is not a fix-all bandaid for every love triangle!)

Just Cancel Aftershock Then (SHUT UP IM IN TOO DEEP ALREADY)

Aftershock Breaks Up Before The Merge (Writing on Impossible Mode??? Okay??? Besides, if this happened in the Cam!Route, Jesse would be sooo bitter it would NOT be pretty—)

Just Kill Jesse (NO)

Aftershock Breaks Up After Reunion After The Merge (Probably the most "logical" route but also the most painful, cuz holy smokes Jesse following in his terrible father's footsteps of becoming a divorcee and subsequently single parent like his mom (which happens in Book 5/NS4, heyo), and Cole following his own (mostly) absent father's footsteps in not being entirely actively present for his daughter's formative years after a tragic event, and Jesse once again being picked over for another person only worse because he had something to actually lose this time, and who knows how this would all affect Cam—what kind of a story ending is this, who WANTS this?!

Aftershock Resolves Issues and Stays Together, Cole and Geo are in a QPR, and Now All of Them Co-Parent 3 to 4 Children? THAT–wait...you know what, I can get behind that one. At least until Cole and Geo smooch on screen or confess undying love or something

...But That's Still Technically Polyamory—AND YET one that doesn't cause issues with Jesse's character or any of the relationships within. And we can always use more QPR rep. Plus, this is just for Legacyverse; Cole and Geo can totally gay it up in canon and I will root for them \(*-*)/

...but, this would require writing a whole story to work out the specifics. Because, my ideas get specific. Especially with Geo and his labels. Something maybe about 15 chapters long, taking place during DRS2P1, with Jesse as the anchor character. Maybe some flashbacks, some angst, some fluffy being parent moments, some tension, we get to formally meet Cam, a Miranda and Harleigh cameo, a hopefully happy ending, and even a playlist (which I have never done for a story before, and I almost cried while doing so).

Totally theoretical, though.

(though I promise I'll update Book 3 first. I finally finished the second rework of the Main Outline, woo :V)

Anywaaaay, I'll probably address some of those asks above with more specific answers later down the line, but I am flattered and distressed at the amount of concern for Aftershock. I...kinda thought people would stop caring with the Advent of Geo, honestly. Not that I'd blame anyone ^^;

But, either way, I am committed to my vision, all while loving this new direction for my boy Cole <3

[bunnytalksf1]

BUNNYY i need your opinion on the Brazil GP right nOWWWW

well. i've been behind on talking about races in general but Brasil was a doozy

Interlagos is a track that always gives us brilliant racing, because it's so good for overtakes in the dry, and then in the wet it's about surviving.

I'm actually going to start with Alpine, because they clinched, somewhat incredibly, a double podium that leapfrogged them up the standings. Anyone who pays any attention to that team knows that Gasly and Ocon hate each other, and somehow this race was so insane that it managed to end the French Civil War. What the hell. Heartwarming narrative to end the triple header with. Two boys from France, from poorer families than most, on the podium together with a French works team. I'm gutted Renault is stopping its engine production, man. The passion lost is going to be so upsetting.

With all the chaos, Sergio Perez flew slightly under the radar, but I will be shocked if he keeps his seat next season. He's just not delivering, and hasn't been for a while. I truly believe that RBR were going to replace him pre-summer break, before the intervention of Carlos Slim and supposedly Liberty Media to protect merch sales etc.

Max Verstappen, what a way to silence the criticism. It truly wasn't going to be anyone else on race day. RBR played the strategy right, too. Those conditions were always going to be red flag worthy, so coming in was ultimately the wrong call. 133 days after his last win, a lucky break saw him go from p17 to P1, to take a win that just looked so truly inevitable.

Leclerc had a good race, too, despite only finishing P5. He got fucked over by Ferrari Strategy(tm), asking for a pit if they could pit him into clean air, but they pitted him into traffic. He was sort of saved by the VSC and everyone around him pitting under it, putting him up a few places before the actual safety car and the ensuing red flag. He made some really good moves on the starts, making up places both times. Got stuck behind Alpine a bit but ultimately did what he could. Held off Verstappen whilst they were alongside.

McLaren. Jesus. So we started the weekend with swapping Piastri and Norris in the sprint, despite Norris not having superior pace or being able to overtake and having to be helped with DRS to fend off Leclerc/Verstappen. They swapped positions again in the GP, which is fair, but Norris made two or three BIG mistakes in that race which cost him even when taking strategy into account. The first on the actual start, allowing Russell through, and then losing places on the safety car restart. The strategy is annoying: a hindsight thing, but-- oh well. I think Norris' comments post-race were rude, too, considering when he got a lucky SC win, Verstappen was there defending it, but that's by the by, ultimately.

The stewarding was SO questionable this weekend. I might do a seperate post about it, because theres a lot that went wrong, and some of it is more worrying than others.

Sorry for not saying more this race was genuinely so insane that i cant rly cover everything

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

Let's Rewind! Toast watches Voltron: Defender of The Universe (1984)

Season 1, Episode 33: Attack of the Fierce Frogs Season 1, Episode 34: Lotor Traps Pidge

Episode 33: Attack of the Fierce Frogs

Ah yes, more Pidge trauma this episode, this show just keeps on giving

Zarkon's saying the same shit as last episode "find a weakness in voltron's armor!" like dude, you tried that and Lotor STILL got his ass kicked, now I just think you like the free show your dope of a child gives you

How does the Drule fleet keep getting into Arus space, like did we not have a whole system that alerted them of incoming enemies? This is why everything goes to shit so fast and so easily

Some children have found the pre robeast tadpoles! Obvs not knowing anything, Pidge is all to happy to educate the kids all about them god he's such a cutie, he means so much well but the universe just keeps kicking him :c

kid: idk,, it's a long walk to carry all these tadpoles,,, at that point just ask pidge to ride in green LMAO, i think he's enough of a sweetie to do that

A DOG?? I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN THOSE ON ARUS BEFORE

Ah yes Pidge, gifting Allura tadpoles in the hopes of one of them becoming a prince, best idea

And there's the robeast transformation, y'know if they employed this tactic more but spread it all over I feel like they'd have a better chance at destroying voltron but oh well they're forever incompetent

WELL REST IN PIECE TO THAT COAST GUARD SHIP, THEY'RE GETTING ATTACKED BY THE FROGS

The ship name is Altea, iirc in golion that was the original name for Arus, but I guess they repurposed it this time

man,,, pidge only wanted to be nice to the kids and the princess, of course something goes wrong for him again with the frogs being inside the castle AND at the kids house

PIDGE STAYS STRAPPED

the frogs sound like Pokémon

I'm sorry why are there just barrels of gasoline outside the house, that fucking dangerous

1 group of robeasts down, one giant robeast left to go

I know this is like,,, a serious situation but man does this scene feel extra dramatic you're telling me this boat is super modern/futuristic yet still has a wood steering wheel that breaks into pieces the second this guy puts any weight onto it? Okay I guess

HEY GUYS WHY ARE YOU BLOWING UP ROCKS IN FRONT OF THE SHIP THAT'S HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THEM INSTEAD OF YKNOW PUSHING THE SHIP SO IT DOESN'T CRASH INTO THE ROCKS IN THE FIRST PLACE

Oh i thought the frogs were going to amalgamate into a big robeast but ig not, they were all destroyed and Lotor sent out a whole different robeast to take on Voltron instead

NOT THE PIDGE, THE POOR BOY JUST GOT DRAGGED UNDERWATER

Okay we're good he got out of the headlock and it's voltron time! I don't think we've seen Voltron form up underwater yet, but I know he's BEEN underwater after forming so maybe it's not so bad

Oh? green lion is flooding, this is like the second or so time we've seen Voltron actually take damage? Inch resting, the stakes are getting higher

LMAO fucked up voice line, it's the red lion who helps green get off of the robeasts hold (again) but Hunk is the one who's apparently helping him, LET LANCE AND PIDGE BOND YOU FUCKS

Annnd now the cockpit of green lion is flooding, Pidge is going to have a fear of water/drowning for WEEKS

my yelling has been answered, Lance is praising Pidge for stopping the flooding and being brave while doing it, they're so brother coded your honor

Blazing sword formed, robeasts defeated, and somehow Lotor is still on Arus though he's doing his usual complaining about voltron not being defeated Looks like a reuse of a scene, cant remember which episode now, but I know I've seen it before

/episode end

Episode 34: Lotor Traps Pidge

Double Pidge episode this time, of course it's trauma filled poor boy

Sorry say that again, Planet Arus doesn't have hurricanes? What do you MEAN their storms never get to that level Coran

"We must save the buildings!" "No it's the people we must save!" Okay I know Allura's right here but wouldn't protecting the buildings also be protecting the people in it? Like be fr right now, shelter is what they need

Keith knows what up, good idea on watching out for looters in a time of crisis

Hello children fighting?? Pidge I know this is a serious time but maybe figure out why this kid is so adamant about stay behind instead of immediately throwing hands- NEVER MIND HE GOT BITCH SLAPPED WITH A DEAD RABBIT GET HIS ASS PIDGE

IM SORRY DID PIDGE JUST STEP IN A FUCKING TRAP?? THAT'S HORRIFYING also he did mention they were illegal, and I love that he believes in the government but buddy no government is your friend, literally remember what happened to Balto, two governments failed you AT THE SAME TIME

The kid's name is Tommy (real original dotu) and he helped pidge out of the trap and back to his house, great timing for pidge to remember he mentioned something about staying back to take care of someone which he realizes is his sick mother Maybe listening first before throwing hands is a better option Pidge lmao

Zarkon: Don't harm the planet or people more than nexessary, I want them all! Lotor: I'm planting a bomb under the crust of Arus to blow up the castle and the planet Zarkon: EXCELENT! Make it make sense you guys

Pidge how do you know what a groundhog is, actually why am I asking I feel like he'd learn about every earth holiday, and it's history for funsies

Did they reuse the dream sequence Lotor had a while ago in this too? The scene seems so familiar especially because it has Allura in a wedding dress

Why do the villains keep calling the team and the people of Arus humans? Like I'm assuming here they're all aliens (minus Keith Lance Hunk and Sven) so why humans? Maybe it's an old colony planet that eventually grew into its own society and subrace

Pidge and Tommy are officially friends, how cute also Pidge's foot is still giving him trouble, which I'D ASSUME SO SO WHY IS HE RUNNING ON IT

PIDGE JUST GOT PUNCHED AGAIN BY ONE OF LOTORS COMMANDERS EXCUSE ME?? this is a very violent episode for dotu omg

Hunk pls,, i'm on the other guys' side now please dont rant to a sick mother about letting her son go caving could kill him, she has enough to worry about and she doesn't even know the half of it!

VERY VIOLENT THIS EPISODE HUH DOTU, Pidge and tommy and strapped to the giant bomb now, totally not horrifying to two little boys

Lance comes in to save them! I'm not sure how blowing up the control table for the bomb stops it instead of blowing the thing up but yeah i can work with that logic, except now the castle is being attacked and ofc Allura was left behind in there

All is mostly well now, all five lions are out again, and hey Lotor's actually prepared this time and his robeast was the drill he's been using this entire episode, thats pretty smart

Voltron formed, robeast defeats, and apparenty the bomb timer wasn't actually stopped? but jk it was and the team threw the bomb into space where they exploded it themselves get your facts right dotu, this is a lot even for you

/episode end

[ghostenluvs]

my little sister's rewatching s3 despite Also watching it yesterday and its just. so funny to me. like first off bc the fight against nine is paced like a rpg boss battle (which. nine also talks like an rpg villain so that tracks. he just keeps spawning minions and saying things like "you fools. bring me sonic")

also nine is just so. rotating him. id put him in the microwave but i do not think that would end well for anyone. BUT HES LIKE. "well i tried caring and it just got me hurt." and hes just so so scared of being hurt again, so he cuts everyone off and hurts the people he wants to care about him. bc he cant let anyone get close. robots are the only ones he can depend on, they won't turn on him because they can't. and he HAS to believe that sonic betrayed him, that sonic wanted to hurt him and never really saw him as a real person or cared about him, because if he does then he has to confront that He is the one lashing out. etc etc etc. i am one of those goopy eyed white grandma dogs and nine is the squeaky toy i am furiously shaking around and disemboweling.

ok so yes all of this.

nine just keeps doing such edgy boy anime villain in the background of a tvshow cover poses during this season.

nine is like. so cool to me. squeezing him like a stress ball. patting he on the head and giving him a nintendo switch and a hot chocolate. blasting a character analysis of him through my headphones at an irresponsible volume.

i have so many thoughts about him. like. so many.

most of them [many of them, not all] are like.

"hey nine is like [insert other character here] but [insert adjective here]" sort of. and like comparisons or situations and such.

for some reason after i realized "hey nine is like elsa but boy and technology" my brain immediately went: ctubbo dream smp

and i couldn't figure out why.

and then my brain went:

"hey nine is like ctubbo if he never had someone to lead him around places and just entered his 'ive been traumatized must build incredible technologies to defend self' phase wayyyy early."

so yeah i'm insane about him. because ive somehow made ctubbo connections to tails and nine now. [tails prime also he is like disc era-l'manburg ctubbo in my brain]

because like. he's a kid!!!!! that's a child!!!!! bro is like 8 years old!!!!!

he should be having beef with jessica over the swingset seat at recess!!!!! and instead he's getting horribly traumatized and left alone to deal with any injuries or fears on his own, feeling there's nobody else in the world like him and not seeing sunlight for years on end.

oh gee i just had more ctubbo nine thoughts dang it.

[tommy valueing the discs over tubbo even in the split second of an arguement and not meaning it really / sonic taking about the original people and green hill like he was this whole show despite the huge care he has for everyone in the shatterspaces]

IM NORMAL I PROMISE.

[kob131]

on what jaune did with the people people I have seen some people say that he was in ozmas shoes

and some that compared him to ironwood in a parallel

if you cant see what was said there "

Glad she fucking said it, this was a useless side quest.

I really don't think that's the case. If there were ever a better example of a great big neon sign that said, "This is the main theme of the season, wrought on miniature scale," it was this episode. Jaune had a lot of complexes getting the way of his doing the right thing, and he ended up doing the wrong thing. It parallels the Atlas arc in that small scale way, right to the point where the place he was supposed to defend ended up drowned in water all over again. We can argue about the effectiveness of that, which is the much more interesting argument, but it is far from a useless side quest.

Literally said the guy that was practically keeping a village hostage for no reason other than “I don’t want them to leave”.

True, and that was the point. Jaune is, once again, very clearly in the wrong here; just as he was with Oscar, he is projecting his inner weakness onto Ruby. Their struggles are parallels of each other. Jaune reacted to his situation by desperately grasping at every straw he could, trying too hard to control every aspect of the situation he could and becoming something of an accidental tyrant (oh hey! Another Atlas arc reference I'm not super crazy about but is effective for the story as told) and Ruby has sort of just…given up the reigns of control. She's listless, not proactive at all, purely reactive- sometimes, not even that.

Sounds fairly accurate to me.

[wanderbornwriting]

Prologue

Today I'm dropping the opening three chapters (or prologue and two chapters, whatever) of Wanderborn publicly, while my Patreon shows off everything through chapter 7!

Since I cant drop the Royal Road link yet, I'm just gonna go ahead and drop the opening pieces here! Enjoy!

Prologue

Calliane’s eyes carefully surveyed the silent forest around her and her team. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t spot anything suspicious amongst the bare trees and barely blooming bushes in the area. Spring had only just begun, and the forest lacked the dense foliage it would grow later in the season. There was little place for anything to hide.

Still, her feeling of unease didn’t go away. Calliane was an experienced sentinel, close to reaching Adept at long last. In fact, she was confident that this expedition, her twenty-fifth since she had joined the sentinels three years before, would finally be the one to put her over the edge.

If she made it back alive, that is.

“What’s wrong, Calli?” A gruff voice asked behind her.

She turned back, her eyes still narrowed as she surveyed her surroundings. “I don’t know. There’s just… something wrong.”

Kurrid, her team’s defender, gave her a smile as hard and sure as his platemail. Relax, Calli. There’s nothing out here that can evade your spirits, you know that. And even if there was, you’ve got me to protect you!”

Calliane relaxed a little, giving her old friend a small nod. With his combination of the gifts of the guardian, animist, and metal, Kurrid was essentially the apocryphal immovable object, a living wall no enemy had ever succeeded in breaching.

But still, her stress didn’t fade entirely. 

“We should keep moving,” Arla suggested.

“The sooner we find this battalion, the sooner we can leave,” Curtis agreed.

The team’s two primary damage dealers spoke confidently - but Calliane didn’t miss that they held their weapons at the ready, Arla’s bladed whip making soft whispers of sound as it swished back and forth in her hand, while Curtis held an arrow ready to his bow.

So. She wasn't the only one who was nervous.

The Arboreal Wastes were considered the least dangerous of the five great Wastes that sentinels across the Realm guarded against, but Calliane and her team knew well that perception was only due to its relatively recent formation. The small stretch of dense forest wasn’t as ominous as the winding tunnels of the Umbral Waste, or as striking as the massive crater of the Lunar Waste, but it was nonetheless host to innumerable dangers. All Wastes drew in hostile outsiders from the Darkened Worlds, and the stretch of temperate woodlands known as the Arboreal Wastes were no exception.

The fact that the forest seemed to draw in outsiders primarily from the Chained World, known for their ability to organize and fortify if left unchecked, only increased the danger. Nearly fifty sentinel teams just like Calliane’s had to constantly patrol the thick, dangerous forest to root out the dangerous monsters before they could reach a critical mass, while another two score sentinel teams patrolled the edge of the wood in an effort to prevent the outsiders from escaping into the heartlands.

Despite the dangers inherent to the position, sentinels were recognized across the Realm for putting their lives on the line to contain the unending danger of the outsiders, and most of Calliane’s team, like her, were minor nobility in the young bastion city of Elliven, doing their duty to ensure that the Waste remained contained.

“You’re right. Let’s go,” Calliane finally conceded, turning back to the path ahead of them. She felt for the magic engraved in her soul years before by her gift of the sorcerer, and manifested a pair of spirits in the air before her. They were barely visible as wavering shapes in empty space as she sent them both flickering through the trees to search for any threats.

The cadre briskly continued down the narrow path, alert for any sign of the band of gnolls they had been dispatched to handle. The disciplined monsters were common leaders for the lesser creatures of the Chained World, and if the reports were true, these gnolls may have managed to suborn an ogre into their ranks. 

Their preferred ambush tactics made a band of gnolls dangerous enough, but if they truly had the raw power of an ogre on their side, only a decisive strike from the sentinels would give them the advantage they needed to seize victory. All of which meant that the team was heavily reliant on Calliane’s abilities to both forewarn them of any danger and to give them the advantage they desperately needed.

Even if they lacked the physical mass to be threatening on their own, the spirits Calliane could summon through her sorcery were nearly invisible and all but intangible, making them ideal scouts for the little band. The immaterial beings had been key to their team gaining their reputation as an efficient strike force, capable of finding and destroying mid-sized groups of outsiders and other monsters before they could bring their own power to bear.

But Calliane only made it a few steps down the path before she was abruptly reminded that nearly invisible and all but intangible did not mean her spirits were actually invulnerable. The sentinel gave a sudden scream of pain and fell to her knees as the sensory feedback of her spirits suddenly terminated in a burst of shrieking static. Not once since she had first passed the Scholar’s test and gained her gift of the sorcerer had something managed to actually destroy her spirits, and the twin sensations of their dissolution were like red-hot needles in her brain.

It took Calliane an unacceptable amount of time to get her bearings after the shock, and nearly half a minute passed before she managed to pull herself together. 

Wait, Calliane realized as she collected her thoughts, why didn’t Kurrid help me?

It was the stalwart man’s ability as a healer, through the gift of the animist, that elevated him from a simple defender to the lynchpin of the team. She didn’t know if his spells were sufficient to ease the pain of her spirits’ destruction, but she had expected him to try, at the very least.

Silvery fear shot down Calliane’s spine at the same time a ferocious roar jarred her into motion, and she staggered to her feet - only to see what had become of her team.

Curtis was already down, his body as twisted and broken as the remains of his bow. Even as she watched, Arla’s bladed whip, which could tear through even a gnoll in a single motion, was itself ripped apart, followed shortly thereafter by its wielder. 

Kurrid, who should’ve been protecting his team, was fully occupied trying to hold off an abomination unlike anything Calliane had ever seen. The massive man was utterly dwarfed by the monstrosity, his abilities as a healer and defender alike clearly pushed to their limits.

Calliane lifted one hand, reaching into her mana reservoir as she called on her most powerful attack. If she could buy Kurrid even a moment to bring his metal abilities into play, he should be able to make enough space for them to flee. 

The gift of the raptor had been Calliane’s first gift, the totem that bore it a present from her father on her sixteenth birthday. Augmented by the sorcery she had gained from her second gift, Calliane could call upon the spirit of the raptor to summon an immense hawk. Whisper had been her closest companion for years, even before she had met Kurrid and the rest of her team, and he had only become more potent when Calliane reached Initiate level and picked up the gift of fire.

She felt her mana reservoir plummet as she pumped every bit of power she had into calling up Whisper, and a snarl crossed her face as the bird, resplendent with plumage of pure flame, appeared on her arm. But before Calliane could command her most potent summon to attack, he gave a brassy shriek of alarm and simply dissipated, just as her simpler spirits had earlier. 

The sentinel barely had a moment to gasp in surprise before the sensory feedback seared through her mind, another bolt of shrieking agony that sent her to her knees. Calliane struggled to right herself, managing to look up just in time to see the abomination sink its teeth into Kurrid’s skull and simply rip the man’s head off. 

Then a bolt of very cold, very material pain cut through the phantom agony of Whisper’s disappearance. Calliane didn’t have a chance to see who had attacked her from behind. She didn’t even have time enough to shed a tear for her fallen friends before everything went black.

#

Leagues away from the Arboreal Wastes, sitting under a broad oak tree, a tall, slender man looked up sharply from the book he was reading. His eyes, an eerie shade of yellow, locked on some distant point in the sky. There was a problem, visible to his senses like a knot in a carefully sewn bolt of cloth, though few others in all the Realm would be able to perceive such a thing.

“Something’s changed.” 

The empty air around him did not respond. His eyes were a warm hazel when he stood, snapping his book shut with a sigh. He suspected he would not have another chance to read it for a long while. 

Then he began to walk.

[puckyess]

all dressed up | t.bordeleau

Words: 1.7k

You had everything set up on your end: t earned computer time, wanting to see his face on something bigger than your phone screen, the tv was all lined up with netflix waiting, your food had just arrived and your airpods were fully charged, a hack you had learned by now to put one in to hear each other but not each other's movie sound. The only thing missing was your boyfriend, who had notified you he needed a second to finish getting ready. You rolled your eyes lovingly at his need to always look 10/10, even to see you through a computer. 

You had everything set up on your end: t earned computer time, wanting to see his face on something bigger than your phone screen, the tv was all lined up with netflix waiting, your food had just arrived and your airpods were fully charged, a hack you had learned by now to put one in to hear each other but not each other's movie sound. The only thing missing was your boyfriend, who had notified you he needed a second to finish getting ready. You rolled your eyes lovingly at his need to always look 10/10, even to see you through a computer. 

When the screen finally lights up with his face you immediately see why he needed more time. There he sat on his couch in a nice, black button up shirt and hair perfectly gelled. “Thomas” you practically whined, your eyes instantly tearing up. It had been a long week, what could you say? You had been joking earlier in the day when you guys had planned this whole thing, asking if he was going to dress up. It had seemed like nothing at the time, a little chirp to make light of the situation but here he was all dressed up for you. And here you were, in your oldest sweatshirt of his and not even wearing any pants. You could cry at the amount of effort he put in for you and you hadnt even thought to do the same. 

“Mon amour” he greets with a soft laugh, noting the sheen to your eyes even on facetime. 

You point out the obvious. “You’re all dressed up.”

His face turns the prettiest shade of pink. Your ability to make him blush was comical. “It’s just a normal shirt” he defends, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. 

“It has buttons, therefore, not a normal shirt” you say, pointing out the obvious again. 

He runs a hand through his hair before he remembers that there’s gel in it and laughs. “Yeah well, i have a date with a pretty girl so i figured i better step it up if i want to keep her.” 

Now it’s your turn to blush, even his silliness making you feel warm all over. “Well she’s a lucky girl. Maybe next time she’ll put some pants on for you.” 

Your admission makes him tip his head back with laughter, the biggest smile lighting up his face. He’s not the least bit surprised. “Hey, just makes my job easier, baby.” 

“Stop that, i already miss you.” you pout and he sighs. Your pout affecting him even thousands of miles away. “I know, i know. I miss you too. That’s why we’re doing this tonight, right?”

You swallow down the lump in your throat and nod, putting on your best brave face. “Yes. i cant believe you dressed up for me. I feel like i should go change real quick.” you don’t feel self conscious because it’s thomas and you know he’d never judge you, but you do feel underdressed now and so you push yourself off of the couch but he stops you.

“baby, it’s okay, really. I love what you’re wearing. Makes me feel right at home.”

The eyes he’s giving you are so soft and loving that you believe him and fall back down onto the cushions, a disgruntled look still on your face. “Seriously, mon amour. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you in my usa hoodie and your hair tied up. I miss coming home from practice or class and seeing you walk around the house like that.” 

His words make your chest swell, really missing those things yourself. The place had felt so empty without him now that he was in san jose. Most of his things were still there, with him having left directly after his season, but his presence was definitely missing. There weren’t dishes in the sink for you to pester him about or disregarded outfits strewn across the bedroom as he got ready for games. Sunglasses weren’t all over the counter or rings next to the bathroom sink. He wasnt here next to you on the couch rubbing your feet and he wasnt in your bed at night tracing patterns on your skin until you fell asleep. Every thought made you ache for him in a way that you didnt know you could. 

“Hey, i can see those wheels turning in that pretty head of yours. It won’t be long now and you can come out and see me. I’ve already got a list going of all the places i wanna show you” he says, the corners of his mouth curling. 

You should know by now to never be surprised by his romantic gestures, he had literally just dressed up for a virtual date, but your eyebrow still lifted at his remark. “You do?”

You must’ve been on his computer as well because he grabs his phone and pulls up his notes app, holding it up to the screen. Your mouth quirked at his title, “operation make y/n fall in love with the bay”. Following that, he had a list of about 20 places. “You’ve got quite the list going here, t. I’m gonna have to move there to get through it all.”

“That’s the idea,” he laughs. He turns the screen back toward himself, scrolling and typing until he finds what he’s looking for. “I want to take you to this restaurant i went to with Vlas and merky the other night when you get in next thursday. I had the best filet with a wine reduction sauce that you’d love. Probably the best i’ve had. Your flight lands at 5:34 my time, right? You can see the whole city lit up at night, so that would be perfect by the time we get your stuff back to the hotel and i’m assuming you’ll want to put pants on for that date.” he rambles on, teasing you.

You roll your eyes at his chirp, but there’s a growing smile on your face. “Oh so you can remember my schedule, but not your own? But, yes, I land at 5:34 pacific time. I forget which gate though, i’ll have to check on that.” 

“Of course i remember when you’re coming. I have a countdown going and everything.” he proudly flashes his phone screen again, the countdown clock widget ticking down every second until you could reunite. Your heart warmed at the gesture.

“I think that’s a great place to start then. You know i love dinner with a view.”

“I do. I thought of you the second we sat down and i saw the skyline.” he says with that same endearing tone that matches the look he’s giving you.

It doesn’t take you long to settle in, eating your food and listening to him tell you about a few of the other places on his list. The quiet guy that others saw was a vast contrast to the talkative fool you were privileged to. He talked to his heart’s content and yours too. Conversations like these where you got to see him so excited about the new things in his life were what you had so dearly missed. The fact that you knew you would get to share in getting to know these places and people with him soon made it even better. 

“What was that?” you giggle, trying to decipher what it was he had just told you through his yawn. He smiles and shakes his head as another yawn rips through him, the sight apparently signaling to your brain that it was time to yawn as well. “I swear this happens every time. They’re contagious.”

“Yeah, i dont think im going to make it through a movie, t.” 

“You know i’d love to know the number of times we’ve actually watched the movie on these dates because i swear it’s like two” he laughs. 

“Touche. Although, even when you’re here we usually end up falling asleep.”

“Ugh we must be the world’s most exciting partner to each other,” he says, a hand scrubbing at his face.  

You snort. “speak for yourself, babe. Stay with me until i fall asleep?” you ask, although you know he wont deny you.

A tired smile graces his face. “Of course, ma chérie. Let me change out of these clothes and then we’ll go to bed.” the way he says it, as if he’s actually there with you, makes you feel nostalgic, but it’s also extremely comforting. 

You take one last appreciative look at his attire and tell him earnestly, “Thank you for dressing up for me tonight, bub. You make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.” 

He’s pleased with your praise. A bashful smile and a blush creeping across his face as he lazily works on the buttons of his shirt. “You make me feel like the luckiest guy.” and then as if he could read your thoughts from a moment ago, “Can’t wait until you’re here and we can actually go to bed together.” 

The small frown he was wearing is wiped away when you hold up your phone with your own countdown clock on it. “Only 5 days, 19 hours and 34 more seconds, bordeleau.”

[whoacanada]

Zimbits - Bartender!Jack + NHL!Bitty AU

Prompt: Retired NHL player Jack Zimmermann takes ownership of a sports bar in Pittsburgh and accidentally falls for the Penguins’ (closeted) new left winger.

A/N - just the start, I’d like to get around to more of this; the basic idea was an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia AU, but I couldn’t manage to make everyone that terrible so Jack owns and operates a gay sports bar and starts crushing on one of his patrons.

“Can’t believe you’ve owned this place since ’89.” Jack coughs, waving the dust away from his face. “Did you ever come back after we moved home?”

It’d be disingenuous to say Jack had been expecting anything other than cigars and whiskey when his father had invited him on a trip down to Pittsburgh to see Mario and glad-hand some Penguins sponsors. In fact, he’d kind of been looking forward to sulking and getting shit-faced, not limping around a condemned building dodging roaches and rats.

“It was an investment opportunity. That was the trend back then, famous athletes buying up restaurants and clubs — I had big plans for this building. Then your mother got pregnant and I realized I didn’t really give two shits about running a nightclub.”

“Realized you were pretty lazy, huh?”

As Bob laughs, Jack picks at the peeling, lacquered bartop, trying not to imagine how many decades of grime he’s just collecting under his nail, the situation made even more disgusting in such close proximity to the glittering gold championship ring his father had insisted he wear to their lunch meeting with the Penguins front-office suits. Jack flicks the gunk away as Bob levels him with a weighty look, hands braced in the air as if outlining a play and not offering a tour of a cobweb-filled dive.

“Here’s my thought,” Bob says. “The bar. It’s yours.”

Jack leans against the counter, taking some weight off his braced leg, and asks, “What’s mine?”

“This place,” Bob gestures around the room. “The whole building. It’s just sitting here, empty, the bar, the liquor license, there’s apartments and office space upstairs, we’d just need to do some renovations and —“

Jack can’t help himself. He barks a laugh and says, “I’m not moving to Pittsburgh.”

“How many times have you and I talked about opening a sports bar? I’d wanted to get this place fixed up so it’d be ready when you retired, but since the final — you could make it a gay bar, even, if you wanted!” Bob says quickly, offering another awkward olive branch. “A gay sports bar. I wouldn’t care.”

“A gay sports bar. In Pittsburgh,” Jack echoes, reaching for a chirp to defend himself, but he closes him mouth as he realizes a sports bar run by a Zimmermann might not be a terrible investment idea. “The building needs a ton of work,” Jack settles. “I just saw a rat.”

“That was a mouse,” Bob dismisses, not bothering to look at the rat still clearly in view. “Nothing that can’t be fixed. Got a dollar?”

Jack pats his pockets, finds a spare looney and hands it over. Bob doesn’t hesitate, pulling an envelope out of his back pocket to exchange for the coin.

“Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of,” Bob looks around helplessly. “I actually don’t know what they call this place now. A Bar?”

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” Jack swallows against the tightness in his throat, holding the deed carefully in his hands. “Thanks, Dad.”

Bob brings Jack in for a loose hug and they both ignore the soft squeaking coming from the backroom.

Five Years Later

There’s a man examining the announcement board in the vestibule, and Jack knows that posture: the forward hip cant, thick thighs, a small but definite bubble butt — guy’s a hockey player, and he has been for some time.

“Hey. Hi.”

Blondie spins around at Jack’s address. Not quite startled, but something close enough that Jack feels a twinge of guilt. “You interested in playing in our beer league? You look like you might know your way around a rink.”

The man quickly looks at his chest, as if expecting to find something displayed, but relaxes immediately. Jack fights a grin, he was once old hat at wandering into public spaces decked out in identifiable team merch.

“Bitty.” The man squares up to offer his hand; his accent is warm and distinctly southern, not at all what Jack was expecting. “You can call me Bitty.”

“Oh, with a nickname like that, you have to play, now, no excuses,” Jack gives Bitty’s arm a firm shake, surprised at how complementary his grip is; not just an overcompensating bro who’s walked into the wrong club.

“If only I had the time,” Bitty placates wryly. “Is this place new?”

“Been here a few years, but not long. How about you? Are you ‘new’? In town, I mean.”

“Moved for work,” Bitty’s smile is timid, eyes darting around the room looking for other patrons, up at the memorabilia and the various pennants. “First year. Slowly learning the area.”

Jack doesn’t miss the way Bitty’s eyes linger on the Pride flag draped from the second floor railing, but Bitty doesn’t mention it, and Jack isn’t in the business of prying.

“Let me be the first to welcome you to The Bar.”

“I saw that outside, do you not have a name?”

“We weren’t creative. The owner didn’t realize he was filling in the wrong line on the business license so we are literally called ‘The Bar’.”

“That’s actually pretty solid,” Bitty laughs, the sound lifting Jack’s mood easily. “I’ll have to make sure I come back and patron your establishment at a reasonable hour.”

“What you aren’t interested at getting sloshed before noon?”

Bitty laughs, and Jack is enough of an adult to recognize he’s got a tiny bit of a crush.

______

True to form, Bitty slowly becomes a feature of Jack’s early afternoons. The first few weeks, he does little more than quietly purchase a single domestic beer before tucking himself away in a corner booth, hunched over his phone, ball cap pulled low for discretion. Jack gives him space, and aside from a few curious regulars, Bitty is little more than another closeted young man seeking quiet sanctuary.

That is, until, hockey kicks up and Mario hooks Jack up with season tickets beside the bench. It’d taken time for Jack to get comfortable with being in an arena again, especially without the ability to step onto the ice himself, but he’s acclimated and learned to appreciate his new lot in life. He can be happy for his success and mourn the end of his career with equal measure.

(Doesn’t hurt he still gets asked for autographs on the regular.)

Bittle, the new forward traded out of Columbus, spins to whip the puck between Lundqvist’s thighs and the score is 3-2 with a minute left in the third. Jack stands to cheer with the crowd as Bittle’s pulled into a celly with his line mates, and the new angle gives Jack a good look at the man’s sunny face, complete with a familiar, bright smile and missing canine. Jack’s heart leaps into his throat when he realizes Bittle is ‘Bitty’, and Jack can’t help but cheer louder.

________

After the game, Jack does his homework. Pulls up stats pages and articles on Eric Bittle. Looking to link the quiet hottie from his bar with the energetic man he saw tonight on the ice. If Jack wasn’t in love before, he absolutely is after watching highlights from Bittle’s time in Columbus.

The next time Jack finds Bitty slipping into the bar, probably between practice and a good nap, Jack makes his move; filling a pint glass, wedging an orange slice on the rim, and adjusting his shirt before striding to the corner booth as easily as one can with a titanium femur.

“On the house,” Jack says, setting down the glass gently. “Choice goal, Tuesday. Great bounce.”

Bitty’s grateful smile falters, turning into something guarded.

“What goal?” Bitty asks, voice steady, and Jack’s immediately alerted to his misstep. Jack casts a careful eye around the room and doesn’t find anyone watching, kicking himself for not thinking this through. He’s used to playing this game with guys who aren’t quite comfortable, who might be visiting with the wrong people, but he hasn’t had to do the closeted-pro-athlete dance in a while.

“You know, I must have been mistaken.”

“Happens all the time. Very sweet of you, though.” Bitty apologizes and pushes away the beer, but Jack waves him off. It’s the least Jack can do for calling the guy out.

“I should have known,” Jack tries to recover. “You’ve still got all your chiclets. But, between you and me, Bittle’s a spitfire, eh? Crazy soft hands. I’d like to meet him someday.”

Jack whistles low, rapping his knuckles on the table before turning back to the bar, moving slowly enough he catches the way Bitty’s cheeks flare pink at the compliment.

About thirty minutes later, Jack, half focused on counting down the till, nearly misses Bitty’s exit. He looks up to offer a parting wave, and Bitty returns the gesture, flashing a shy, incomplete smile; one canine missing on the left side.

________

“Anything new to report? Sales look good, think you might be able to take some time off and visit your poor parents?”

Jack slides open a window to let some air into his bedroom, not for the first time wishing he’d taken the chance to tear out a wall and convert a corner of the top floor into a balcony. There’s still time — his father never seems to wary of giving Jack renovation loans — but Jack loves his condo and hates the idea of relocating again, even temporarily.

“New distillery opened, cut a deal on some local gin. We’re working on drink specials, if you have any ideas for names I’m open,” Jack eases onto the windowsill and looks down at the line of people waiting to get into the bar. “And I met someone. Think he might be a hockey player.”

“No shit? Beer-league?”

“NHL.” Jack corrects, an edge of caution in his tone he knows his father won’t misinterpret. “Started coming around a few months ago, gave me a fake name. Went to a game last week, scored right in front of me.”

“Well, you going to tell me who or am I going to have to guess?”

“He’s keeping to himself,” Jack holds the curtain steady to catch sight of a particularly flashy person in a glittering teal gown, texting Holster to snag a photo for the bar’s Instagram. “Don’t go hunting.”

“Well, if he needs any help you let me know.”

“What could you do?”

“I don’t know. Talk to . . . someone. I guess.”

“I’ll keep that under advisement.” Jack placates, smiling at the saucy photo Ransom texts back immediately of Holster lifting their favorite Drag Race runner-up above his head like something out of Dirty Dancing.

“So.”

“Mmm?”

“Does this mean you’ve got a little boyfriend, again?”

Jack leans out over the railing and tries to see if the universe has blessed him with a sighting of his favorite new Left Winger. Sadly, it’s Saturday evening and the Penguins are in Dallas, so no Eric tonight. 

“Working on it.” Jack offers, rapping his knuckles lightly against the window sill and trying not to think about the way Bittle’s face lights up when he sees that Jack is working. “Think I might really have a shot at something.”

“Well, you know what Wayne always says.”

“I do,” Jack breathes, pressing his forehead against the cool glass, taking in his one-of-a-kind view of the city. “I’ll let you know how it goes. Once he gets back.”

“ — You know, I’ve got the game on right now. I bet you $1000 I can tell who you’ve got the hots for. You have a specific type — ”

“Papa.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

“Thank you.”

“But it’s the kid we just got from the Blue Jackets, isn’t it. Bittle? You always like the fast ones — ”

“Goodnight, Papa.”

[brlankinney]

✨a long awaited michael hate list✨

last year during the first lockdown i decided to rewatch queer as folk again after a few years break from the show. michael has always been one of my least favourite characters and i just needed to rant about how annoying he is, so i have compiled a list of his worst moments. you’re welcome. i wrote all these in my notes app while watching and you will get them without any editing whatsoever. in chronological order: 

s01e03 when justin turns up at woodys to find brian and michael yells at brian because he doesn’t want to babysit. while justin is talking to debbie!!! justin is just a young gay teen trying to fit in and michael is go angy? fuck off you piece of shit 

s01e04 “this is about brian’s one night stand!” / “not just one” / “don’t bet on it”...... my dude.... my good dude michael..... i am pretty sure justin knows more about his own sex life than you do

s01e04 “unfortunately not this one” referring to justin when they were talking about the high suicide rates with gay teens.... michael was so jealous of a guy who had sex with brian that he was annoyed that he wasn’t feeling suicidal? cant relate 

s01e10 when justin moved in at debbie’s place, getting michael’s old bedroom. why was he so annoyed? you’re a grown man, just turned 30 and that bedroom still has all your childhood things in it? grow the fuck up you childish man baby!!!!! 

s01e17? when david and michael held the fundraiser for that senator and michael purposely didn’t invite any of his friends/family because he found them “embarrassing”, then porceeded to yell at his mum when they showed up anyway. the entire storyline of him feeling like he was sooo much better than all of them because he had been to france and got expensive stuff from david? horrible horrible man 

s02e06 saying the only reason brian spends time with justin is because he feels guilty that justin was attacked. it’s almost like he doesn’t know his best friend? what a surprise!!! 

s02e12? getting angry that brian and ben fucked at the white party long before michael even knew ben? brian had sex with everybody how did michael expect to find someone who hadnt fucked brian already? and why are you angry over your partner’s sexual history from before you even knew them? 

s03e01 getting angry at justin for breaking up with brian (which is what he wanted to happen since fucking day 1) and then telling him that he isn’t part of the friendgroup anymore, as if they only tolerated him as long as he was with brian. fuck youuuuuu!!!!! honestly just the ENTIRE episode? upset that justin came to mel and lindsay’s party and that he brought ethan? it’s not your party! you don’t decide who is invited! SAYING BRIAN SHOULD HAVE LEFT JUSTIN DYING ON THE GROUND? literally just scum of the earth!! even if it was just because he was upset on brian’s behalf that should have never even crossed his mind!!!! 

s03e04, he knew what kind of father brian was to gus so why was he so angry at the way melanie and lindsay wanted him to be a father to their next child? he would be the sperm donor and the child’s dad but he wouldn’t be part of the kid’s life more than brian was in gus’ life? how is that so hard to get? it’s not YOUR child? get your own if you want to be an actual dad???? 

s03e07? getting so pissed that ben didn’t want to include him in his HIV-positive life that he “threatened” to infect himself? show some support for your boyfriend instead maybe? what kind of weird move is it to almost stab yourself with a used needle? i totally get what he was trying to do but it’s a fucked up way of going about it 

s03e08, while i dont completely agree with ben taking in hunter from the start and letting him spend the night (which probably has more to do with me being a woman who would have trouble defending herself in case anything should happen), the way michael acted as if hunter didn’t deserve any compassion was.. really bad? he even rolled his eyes when ben gave hunter money and a contact number for them that he could keep. hunter was a CHILD on the street, selling his body for money!!! how are you not more concerned!!!

bouncing off of that s03e10 why is michael getting angry that ben wants to care for this child!! he was in the fucking hospital and i get that now it’s a money problem but you are not listening to your partner? you are talking over him and not trying to come up with another solution to help care for this child!!!! i am FURIOUS 

s04e08 convincing justin that they shouldnt mention to brian that they were aware that he had cancer and had the sugery, but then breaking down the first chance he gets and crying to brian about it? first of, this is NOT about you michael so sit your ass down!! and second of, i get that he was scared of losing brian but at least give justin a heads up that he told brian?? that’s the absolute least he could have done 

THE ENTIRE FIFTH SEASON!!!! michael needed to SHUT UP about melanie and lindsay’s relationship problems in relation to jr because guess what? you’re not the primary parent, this doesn’t concern you! you were the sperm donor who was lucky enough to still be called the dad and be part of jr’s life!!!! shut up about how the baby lives in a broken home and how you want the baby? she’s not yours!!!!!! what is your PROBLEM!!! i will fist fight you

both him and debbie kept saying “whatever goes on between you [mel and linds] it doesn’t matter, the baby comes first”. don’t you think parents living seperately are better than parents living together but fighing all the time? the entire thing makes me so ANGRY 

i MEAN the way michael thinks he is entitled to all information about lindsay and melanie’s relationship just because he was the sperm donor to their baby? insanity 

“why won’t you let me have her?” GOD SHUT THE FUCK UP MICHAEL 

s05e04 i get that michael might have been embarassed at the “housewarming” gift that brian got them and also at the word choices that brian makes but come on? monty and whoever started out by insulting not only the way brian chooses to live his own life but also his business? it’s a civil conversation and yeah brian could have used less harsh words but brian’s lifestyle isn’t new to other people? not even people outside of his small social group? let him live his own life and also let him defend his choices

e05e07 like i get it okay? brian came in late at night and shouted and blamed michael for his and justin’s breakup so of course michael would be annoyed but the way he said “he [justin] left because of YOU. who wouldn’t?” was completely uncalled for? it just really fucking bugs me? this is your best friend who is CLEARLY going through a bad breakup so maybe choose your words more carefully? MAYBE have some compassion just maybe? 

when hunter left in season 5 and michael said “who else would have taken him in? made him family?” WHY WOULD YOU EVER SAY THAT ABOUT YOUR CHILD!!! WHY ARE YOU SUCH A PIECE OF SHIT michael really thinks he is the absolute shit and deserves the world for doing the smallest thing? 

going through the show again really just fleshed out how fucking bad of a person he could be from time to time wow whats YOUR worst michael moment????

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. i feel like stuff like LO and other HxP stories LOVE throwing around "feminist" a lot when it's like?? yeah no a hetero story about how persephone is no one without hades and how demeter is actually evil for defending her daughter and sometimes a weird hatred of apollo is not "feminist". you can rewrite hxp to not be violent but lets not claim its "feminist" when it resorts to demonizing demeter and others like minthe and aphrodite to prop up hades and making persephone be obsessed with him.

2. that other anon is right. Demeter SHOULD be the secondary protagonist since it's literally her myth, yet Rachel seems to she's so well researched ad respectful of the mythology when Demeter is not even a character with actual substance (it's called the hymn to DEMETER, like??). Also it's pretty obvious Hera is only as big of character in LO bc Rachel knows P needs a mother figure and can't let that be her actual mom, but also to push Hades is "desirable" on top of bashing Zeus. It's so stupid.

3. like season 1 wasnt exactly good, but at least in the pile of bad there were a few half way decent moments or panels to enjoy, but season 2 is just plain bad. the writing is bad and just seems like rachel venting and stealing fanfic ideas, the art is just a joke at this point, the pacing is awful w/ even fans being upset, the plot makes no sense, and no ending seems to be in sight. i can see it going for another season, and i cant imagine it'll get better if rachel refuses to take a real break.

4. I think big part of the issue with LO is it's so clear RS is NOT a writer. In S1 she had some decent ideas (S2 is just a mess), but in terms of writing realistic characters, keeping track of arcs, keeping a sense of pace, and plotting out the story among other things, is just not in her wheelhouse. We all know she doesn't do the art anymore, which is where her actual talent is in. TBH LO would be so much better if she was just the artist while a writer actually made sense of her ideas.

5. I’m pretty sure OG Apollo cursed Rachel as the God of Art for obvious reasons

6. (Spoilers for other WEBTOONs)

I’m not gonna lie, I do like some gushy stories like True Beaty or First Night with the duke and LO kinda has a similar formula where it’s just drama after drama but the difference is the protangists. Jeoyung(?) is a normal girl but she’s funny, she’s good at make up, afraid of her face, has interactions with plenty of the cast, has a goal that we see her working towards, we also see her struggle with career direction. Her plot is more than the romance even if sometimes it’s very dramatic but still enjoyable.

First night with the duke, Ripley is hilarious, good at making drinks, ends up running a business, standing up against people who hurt her (by herself in a clever cunning way) the built up between her and the male lead was exciting. She has friends she interacts with other characters.

LO fails at giving Persphone a life outside of hades. She has friends? The purple snake girl she met working at under wold Corp? We see them be nice once and now they’re besties, did that resvolr megs feelings who knows! Because it doesn’t matter since she’s besties with persphone. The more the story went on, the less it seemed like Artemis and P were friends and more of just roommates. Daphne is her friend but they don’t seem close, like kindgarden besties who lost touch but like each other’s photos. P really has her whole life around Hades, like even her act of wrath is still linked to hades (not on purpose but still deaths having to deal with an underworld scandal). Persphone’s goals? School? Which she hasn’t been to in over a year?! I get it at first she was on the run, but it went to just having a good time at Hades place. Literally her character is nothing without hades at this point. I feel like she hasn’t had a chapter in a long time where it was just her, and her own issues without hades in them. 

7. I agree that Persephone is needlessly sexualized sometimes. But why hate on this one particular plant-watering scene? Sure, RS could've put her in different clothes, but what's so bad about lingerie and a robe? Like, I walk around watering plants in lingerie sometimes, it's not because whoever controls me in the Sims game that is my life is actively sexualizing me, it's because I like my lingerie. She's not posed weirdly, her expression isn't sultry. It's just clothes. It's not that serious.

8. //book spoilers I guess

First off, literally why does Rachel hate Minthe so much. It’s honestly concerning how much she just has to bully and tear her down even when she’s being a decent person. It’s really off putting.

Anyway, why does she seem to just randomly give people, in this case Hera, prophecy powers? Does she not realize there’s a reason why the gods, other than basic shared powers like immortality, strength, etc, have specific powers to them that others don’t? Prophecy especially is a very rare ability that only a rare few deities have because of how powerful it is, hence why the Fates or Apollo have so much power and others rely on them. Randomly giving this to Hera of all people just doesn’t sit right to me, especially since it’s solely for HxP’s use, not to show her own power. Like that other anon pointed out RS claims Hera is the “secondary protagonist”, yet her only purpose in the story is to show how “desirable” Hades is (this ruining any actual sympathy you could have of her), to be the compassion to P to be better than (which tbh is kinda misogynistic in a roundabout way, but w/e) and push HxP along, not her own story or character. RS can claim whatever she wants, but Hera is not there to be fleshed out or be her own character, she’s only there, like every other character in LO, to push a single relationship along, because RS can’t write them without the entire world stopping to focus on them. That’s not a sign of HxP’s importance, it’s a sign RS can’t depict them without tearing everything else down to prop them up among the rubble.

-----FP Spoilers-----

9. Since when are convicts staying in luxurious hotels? She should be in jail lol. And what genuine connection can a teenager (minor) have with a drunk guy older than her own mother? She may feel connection with Hermes, they actually met and talked often. Also using just friends card at this point is ridiculous LIE cause everyone know the true. And last thing - H speech about her good character was ridiculous after over100chapters of talking about her butt - you won't fix it with one chapter

10. H pressuring her to tell the true even when he saw her trying to avoid the topic and giving hints of trauma she was left with was utterly disgusting. No respect for her boundaries. Again it looked like father pressuring lil daughter to tell the true. Also she told him just because she was afraid she will push him away? That's horrible reason. She can't even feel she may trust him. And what love you know him for a month and still are just "friends".Should tell him when she's ready not out of fear

[descendantofthesparrow]

Bad end rewrite concept - Arwen

-

Fae are a fickle type of being, once they turn 18 they have a yearly “mating” season that lasts from a day to a full week (similar to a period but once a year) only activated once the fae finds their “mate”. in the case of Mal, who is a dark fae and has yet to meet her “mate”, has never had her “mating” season. 

both light, dark, and “regular” fae all have this “mating” season after they turn 18 and find their mate, but unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, FG and Jane were unaware that Jane had found her mate in Gil, so when the young fae turned 18, and that time of the year came around, she wasn't exactly...prepared for what was happening.

FG had explained once about the fae mating season to jane, but...faes usually don't know they’ve found their mate until they reach the once a year “mating season” and her mating season ended up being only just a week after her 18th birthday.

as both Jane and Gil were unprepared for the situation, along with them both being pretty much unknowledgeable about sex.ed and Gil wanting to get rid of the pain Jane was under(less painful more just really uncomfortable), had unprotected sex. and around two months later, Jane noticed her period was late...and she hadn't had one the previous month. panicked she quickly confided in Evie and (y/n), who calmed her down and (y/n) went out to get her friend a pregnancy test.

minutes after Jane took the test, Evie gently showed her the stick, with two pink lines.

Jane was pregnant as a result of the mating season.

while she was terrified of both her mothers and Gils reaction, with the support of her friends she told them both. Gil was ecstatic, but knew that they were both very young and having a child might not be the best idea at the moment. her mother was just as supportive, blaming herself for not properly preparing her daughter for fae mating season.

another month of talking between Jane, Gil, and her mother, the two young adults decided to keep the unborn child that was growing within Jane. FG was ecstatic that she would soon have a grandchild and did her best to help jane through her pregnancy, even though she had never gone through it herself she was a fairy godmother, not just a fairy.

six months later, out came a red cheeked little girl, to which the two new parents named her Arwen. they soon discovered while Arwen looked completely human, she had inherited her mothers fae genes, her eyes, while normally honey brown like her fathers, became iridescent when she was tired, and then when angry, like when they saw Arwen's first temper tantrum, glowed and turned blue with purplish pink magic flowing through her iris, her pupil turning to a thin pink slit. her teeth, specifically her canines and lateral incisors, where fangs, sharp enough to rip through skin if she wanted too. she was a sub-type of fea known as “wild fae” who had connections with nature and life 

her magic burst forth wildly when she was only two months old, Jane staring wide eyed as her ,not even a toddler, child hovered her father upside down in the air in front of her, clapping happily as her father stared at her in shock and awe. it was almost effortless for Arwen, doing things even fully grown faes had trouble with sometimes, such as lifting an entire human into the air with no incantation. 

FG was just as perplexed, in the end only suggesting that those born of true love/between a fae and their mate, had extremely powerful magic. an example being Maleficent herself, while she was a dark fae she had been born from fae mates and therefore had powerful magic, sometimes not even needing a verbal spell to cast her spells. 

content with FGs answer but still in shock, Jane and Gil did their best to raise their magic rampant half fae child.

but one day...a bit more than one year after she had fled Auradon in shame of her failure, Mal returned. with vengeance.

she quickly took control of Auradon and the isle, spelling Jane and killing Gil with the Ember Mal had stolen back from her father, upon learning about Arwen, she ordered the newly spelled Jane to bring her daughter to her, what she would do with it she didn't know, it all depended on how powerful Arwen was. 

Jane obeyed, taking the hardly over a half year old Arwen to Mal. but as she looked into the iridescent eyes of her only child, Jane was freed for a moment, and in that moment she raced off to the other edge of the enchanted forest, and left her child in a bush. in tears she left Arwen in her peach baby blanket with a spell to keep her warm and fed, along with a note.

-to whoever finds Arwen, please please take care of her and protect her. Mal wants her, and i cant bare to let my child into her clutches, i cant let her die. tell Arwen her mother loves her and to be strong.

-thank you, Jane-

just as Jane entered the castle that Mal had taken, the spell Mal had placed on Jane returned. Mal was confused, the baby wasn't with jane, so where was she? Jane took Mal to where she had left Arwen, only for her to be gone.

the two faes stood unaware that a woman that was thought to be dead already had the child, and she vowed that she would protect Arwen with her life.

(y/n) took Arwen away from Auradon and to a nearby country, luckily finding a cabin the middle of a forest, she rebuilt it and raised her friends child alone in that forest, waiting for the day that Auradon and its people would be freed from Mal’s clutches.

four and a half years later, Arwen is 5 years old, she knows her parents loved her very much, she knows her mother was forced to give her up to protect her from the evil Mal, she knows her father died to protect her, she knows that she loves her auntie (y/n).

she knows she is powerful, she knows she controls the forest around her, she knows she commands the animals before her.

she knows one day she will get her mother back and avenge her father. but for now, she is only 5 years old, and her auntie wants her to have a happy childhood before she gives it up to war.

so she will, for now.

-

yep...Arwen! so i posted this concept art for bad end rewrite and with the addition of Arwen, the timeline and story of this concept change. this is the original timeline and story which originally started around the end of D3 and took maybe a couple months for the timeline to run through, but now starts a bit more than a year after D3, and spans over a good couple years, im debating on weather or not to have it go to where Arwen is a teen and fights along side (y/n) and the others or too have her still be 5 when Mal is defeated. depending on what i chose the story will be changed, so ill decide on that later.

her magic is pretty nature like in concept, she can control nature and command animals, and when she was a toddler she “tamed” an entire wolf pack that now waits on hers and (y/n)s command.(her favorites are Artimus and TC)  when she uses more of a...physically? visible? magic it flows like water and smoke, colored like her eyes when she is tired (aka its iridescent) 

again she has very sharp teeth (and at the moment is missing one of her front teeth cuz she's five) and i added a new eye thing for her, when she gets angry, her eyes turn blue with purple/pink glowy stuff and her pupil becomes slanted and glows pink/purple

more of her info can be found on the other concept art i posted of her so ill just stop here  cuz its 5am and im tired~

Again inspired by the Dream smp and @disneyfan50​ “true defender” fic, and also thanks to disneyfan50 for helping me find a name for Arwen 

[thetierdslytherin]

The Avatar’s sister

Bolin x reader(korra’s sister)

2k words and it’s kinda poorly edited 

a/n there’s some cuss words and some violence?

“We were just looking for the bathroom and we got lost!”

“Ah the old I had to pee excuse you know i'm sick and tired…” I don’t catch the rest of what he's saying because I see a teenage boy dressed in pro bending gear or as I like to call him our way out of this situation. I motion for him to come over praying to the spirits that he can read the room.

          “There you two are, I've been looking everywhere for you two! It's alright Toza there with me” Up close I can see that it's actually Bolin the earth bender for the fire ferrets. Spirits can my day get any better. I've seen a few pro bending matches before and listened to even more. One of the few perks of being the avatar’s sister. While she spends her days training on air temple island I spend my days wandering the city my favorite pastime being watching pro bending matches.Spirits he looks even better up close 

          “Yeah were with him” I say flashing the man a million watt smile and he responds with 

           “so you see we’re together” Oh I like where this is going. Before I can respond Korra replies

            “well not together together” speak for yourself Korra. I'm more than happy to be together together with him. He starts to stammer embarrassed by Korra words so I try to save all of us 

            “You see Toza Bolin and I are together and my sister was just tagging along with us.” Please let this work, if not Tenzin is going to kill me for letting korra go out with me.

           “Ah I don't care I got work to do” the man begins to walk away and I pull the stammering duo out of the room before either of them could blow our cover. I turn around to see a blushing Bolin and a confused looking Korra, I really need to teach her how to pick up on social cues 

           “I’m y/n, a big fan of yours, so Bolin why don't you show the two of us around” I say while grabbing his bicep motioning for him to lead. Bolin showed us around for a while before leading us into an area overlooking the arena “So what do you think best seats in the house huh?” It really is you can see the whole arena from up here and it's much less crowded than the seats in the stadium plus there isn't a guy as easy on the eyes as Bolin down there. 

           “Oh absolutely the view just keeps getting better and better” it's not often that I get to meet people as just y/n, not the avatar's sister, or korra's younger sister. It's nice to be myself around someone knowing that they're not using me to get to the avatar. Besides from what I've seen Bolin is too sweet and innocent to do that anyways.

          “Unbelievable this place is even more amazing than I imagined” I let out a small chuckle at Korra's words. It's nice to see her getting excited at the smallest things, it shows me that she can still be a kid and not burdened by the weight of the world. It makes sneaking out and a possible chewing out from Tenzin worth it “Names Bolin by the way”

“Korra” “I know” they both look at me waiting for an explanation “well i'm just a huge fan of yours” I pause “well the fire ferrets in general” 

“Psst Bolin”

“Yeah” 

“I told you you have to stop bringing your crazy fangirls in here before the matches get them out of here” His older brother Mako whispers this to him Korra and I both hear due to the fact that they suck at whispering. It almost hurts my feelings that we aren't the only ones he brought back here but then again he's not the first guy i've flirted with here. Though he is the first guy i've flirted with that seems so...innocent.

          “Aw c'mon Mako I kinda promised them that they could stay but I got a good feeling about them there's something special about the two of them. I know it” Well he's half right there. I wonder why he lied to his brother so we could stay. He never promised us we could stay back here. Some part of me hopes it's because he's interested in me too. “Come here I want you to meet my brother Mako” he says eagerly pulling me towards him 

          “Mako! Wow I heard you play on the radio” oh boy she's totally fangirling. I personally don’t see what's so interesting about Mako or his brooding douchebag act “cmon Bolin we’re up” Mako says completely ignoring Korra walking past her, see brooding douchebag. Korra not taking the hint turns to Bolin “or I could meet him later”

           “yeah he gets real focused before a match anyways wish me luck” his comment makes me laugh. Something about the positive energy he radiates is infectious. He jogs away, I yell “good luck Bolin” followed by “good luck knock em out” from Korra 

         “So do i have to be the one to say mako is bad news or i have to let you figure it out yourself” I cross my arms giving her my best ‘i know better than you’ look. While Korra may be the older sister, only by 11 months might I add, she doesn't act it. I blame all of her teachers and instructors for never letting her live when she was younger. Now that she's basically an adult seeing the world for the first time she's very sheltered.

          “He is not bad news y/n you heard bolin he was just focused for the match! Besides, did you see him?” let her figure it out for herself it is.

          “Yes and i also saw you drooling at him” I tease 

          “Oh please like you were any better with Bolin you were practically throwing yourself at him” these are the best moments when we can just goof off.

“First off I do not throw myself at anyone, he's just sweet and insanely hot. Secondly which one of us actually has experience with boys” she opens her mouth to defend herself before quickly shutting it. Got her there. “Exactly now pay attention the match is starting” We both turn and lean on the balcony watching the start of the match.

           “The rookie ferrets came out of nowhere and made it further than anyone expected this season but tonight they face their toughest test yet folks” we watch the two teams trading back and forth blows until the fire ferrets ultimately win with Mako knocking all 3 members of the opposing team into the water. I turn to Korra to ask how her first ever pro bending match was but stopping when I see her and Mako holding each other's gazes.

          “Yes! Whoo did you see that one more win and were in the championship tournament!” Bolin yells running into the room skidding to a halt in front of me “so what'd you think y/n?” he looks down at me trying to conceal his excitement waiting for me to answer him looking happier than i've ever seen him-if that's possible. 

           “You guys were amazing Bolin!” I practically yell pulling him into a quick hug.

           “Bolins got some moves huh?” 

          “You could say that again” Before Bolin can say that again Korra grabs him by his shirt pulling him towards her 

          “That was amazing” then korra promlety pushed him away as Mako and Hasook approach arguing about the last match

          “You did more harm than good out there, you almost cost us the match!”

          “We won didn't we?”

          “Barely” 

          “Get off my case pal” Hasook yells before storming out of the room.This doesn't put a damper on korra's mood though as she addresses Mako “You guys were amazing out there especially you mr hat trick” Mako yet again walks right past her him barely paying her any attention to her half heartly saying “oh your still here”

          “What gives you the right to be such an ass mr hat trick?” I say coming to my sister's defence. Pro bender or not it doesn't give him the right to be a jerk. I even bet I could beat him sparring. He's not even good enough to be this much of a jerk.

          “Your good do you think you could show me some tricks?” no no no korra that wasn't the deal I sneak you out we watch one pro bending match and we go back to air temple island.

          “Yeah sure absolutely i'm just not sure how my earth bending might translate to your water bending but we'll figure it out” This cant get any worse if she lets them know she's the avatar we're toast. No ones supposed to know the avatars in republic city

          “Won't be a problem-”

          “korra's right it won't be a problem because we really have to go-” 

           “because i'm an earth bender” great this is j ust great.

          “Im sorry no no i didn't mean to assume ya know cause i was just figuring since well with your water tribe getup that you two were well water bender” 

          “Korras just messing with you of course were both water-” 

          “You're right, I'm a water bender too and fire bender” social. Cues. Korra. 

         “Hmm hmm i'm very confused right now” Bolin 

         “Your the avatar and i'm an idiot” Mako 

         “Both are true” Korra. I throw myself into the nearest chair running my hands through my y/h/c hair.I wonder if I beg for forgiveness if Tenzin will still ground us for the rest of forever 

          “I need a drink” I say, completely ignoring Bolin’s freak out about Korra being the avatar I've heard it all before. Just like that my chances with Bolin have gone out the window no one has ever liked me more than my sister she's the avatar I can't compete with that .I never will be able to. 

          Nonetheless I follow the brothers into the training room and sit on the stairs looking as happy to be there as Mako does. I don't pay much attention to Bolin and Korra training “so mr hat trick is there any reason why you're so prickly or are you always like this?”

          He scoffs “no i just don’t appreciate the two of you showing up like that besides your sister is a piece of work”           “No kidding hat trick don't you know being the avatar comes with a hero complex?” Okay so he's not as bad as I thought.

          “Well it's getting late so i'm going to turn in but you kids have fun”

          “Speaking of Korra we really do need to be going” I speak in a tone to let her know it wasn't an option.I stand up brushing my water tribe robes off “it really was great seeing you Bolin but we have to go”

          “Sorry my sister is being such a wet blanke-” “now Korra” 

          “Hey um y/n could you hang back for a second” here it goes. Is your sister single? Can you set me up? 

          “What do you need Bolin?” 

         “You mean other than you in my life” we both cringe after he says that.

          “That has to be the worst pick up line i've ever heard” 

         He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly “heh yeah it wasn't really my A material but the real reason i wanted to talk to you was well i was mostly just wondering well we have a match next”

          “Bolin spit it out i'm sure it isn't that bad”

          “Do you want to come to our match tomorrow then get some food after” he looks at the ground playing with his fingers. Where was the confident Bolin I met earlier? 

          “Yes”

          “Well it was a stupid idea anyways I shoul- wait yes? Really! I uh I mean of course you would want to get food with me” maybe he's more insecure than I initially thought. But then again people do have layers.

       I kiss him on the cheek turning away from him and walking to the door so he couldn't see the blush on my face “I'll see you tomorrow Bolin”