#i'm genuinely curious as all three of these dynamics are great

[seyaryminamoto]

Azula's most overlooked characterization element

Why, hello there.

It is I.

And I'm back on my bullshit.

I didn't WANT to be. But a bunch of factors pulled me back in.

For the record: I'm not here to start any fights or light the fuse of arguments that I most likely won't have time or interest in responding to. What I AM here for... is to prove that there's something out there a bunch of people are delighted to sleep on because acknowledging it would render maaaany simplistic interpretations entirely invalid...

That group of people includes the fandom, of course. And the original show's staff. And the liveaction's staff, to a fault. Surely the TTRPG ones too. And absolutely, the comic book writers.

Hell, I'll even include MYSELF in that group, even though I'm making this post right now.

I found it really curious that I very recently saw this element mentioned in a pretty neat blog I follow, @atla-lore-archive, I absolutely advise anyone who hasn't checked out said archive to do it if you wish to understand a lot of the "extra lore" the fandom had access to, back in the old days when the turbonick ATLA site still existed and used to be the only source of deeper knowledge about the fandom besides the occasional interview that most people didn't even know where to track down.

But the funny thing is that the post I'm talking about proved that even Turbonick forgot about the people this post is about :')

And that would beeeeeeee...

*cue drumroll*

Lo and Li!

What makes Lo and Li an important subject to discuss?

Why, a lot of things. Among them, the fact that almost nobody brings them into the core focus of any analysis made about Azula's character. I've personally mentioned them once or twice I believe, mostly as negatives, there's but ONE positive aspect I've ever found of them: them being non-benders MIGHT be a reason why Azula isn't shown as being quite so obsessive with firebending supremacy as Zuko was supposed to be.

But that's very much the sole good thing I can think to say about them and it's completely subjective, as good as a headcanon, because we don't even KNOW if they influenced Azula in that sense!

Why do they seem to get overlooked quite as much? Why... let's start thinking about it, shall we?

Lo and Li are Azula's firebending teachers. As far as anyone can tell, they're also her advisors. These two people should be an essential part of Azula's life... but ironically, we seldom see them with her. Most times, Azula isn't around these two. Whenever she is? It doesn't usually look like she's having a good time.

And that's no surprise, considering her first scene with those two very much puts forward a dynamic of cold distance between Azula and her mentors: Azula is bending LIGHTNING. We have not heard of other lightningbenders until that point, and once the full show wraps up, there's only THREE (Azula, Ozai, Iroh). Out of those three? Only one is a fourteen-year-old girl. It's very easy to assume Azula's lightning is actually a skill she mastered unusually early in life, perhaps relatively recently, hence the practicing... but she's pulling it off. She's succeeding. She's doing something that genuinely catches a first-time viewer off-guard!

And Lo and Li's entire opinion of what she did is: "Almost perfect. One hair out of place."

This tells you the Fire Nation's idea of "imperfection" is... insane. Strict. Imposing. Unyielding. Unforgiving. Azula's reaction isn't to get angry at Lo and Li for saying what they did: it's to get angry at herself and try again.

But... that's not the only instance where we see Azula getting angry around Lo and Li.

The next few times Azula is around them, she doesn't seem to have much of an emotional reaction (one is when they tell her to find other allies, the other when they herald her as a great hero who returned home from Ba Sing Se). In the second of these scenes, Lo and Li are praising Azula as incredible, beautiful, all sorts of grand things...! And Azula smiles. She smiles at the crowd. She's not smiling at the old ladies who are praising her... she's mostly just happy to know her people are welcoming her as a hero indeed! Most the fandom would go "true! what an ungrateful bitch! She should've been happy that Lo and Li complimented her that way!!" Me? I wouldn't say that at all. Not just because I love Azula to pieces? But because the only information we have of Azula's dynamics with these two... doesn't seem compatible with the idea that what Lo and Li are saying here is for AZULA'S benefit.

Anyone who's had a hypocritical parent/caretaker/teacher must have endured awkward, horrible, unpleasant moments where this adult figure treats you like shit in private but in public holds you as this grand example, and a perfect child, and they never seem to stop saying they're soooo proud of you even though you NEVER felt that what they're saying is true. Maybe the first few times, you're naive enough to believe it. By the tenth time of incongruent messages? You start to realize they're talking you up as a way to make themselves look better. They're trying to show they're doing their job at raising you/training you, be it whatever it may. The praises are not FOR you... they're for a third person to hear and think "Oh, this adult's so cool, saying nice things about this kid they're responsible for! Nice!"

... You're starting to get the picture now, I'm sure.

Lo and Li reappear in the Beach. Azula is notably chill, enjoying the ride, talking casually with Ty Lee, telling Zuko to lighten up and to stop taking Ozai's choices personally, right? She seems... content. Relaxed.

Then, everything changed when Lo and Li attacked.

We don't even see why Azula is making this face at first. But she does it AT ONCE when their ship reaches the dock.

Who is there indeed...?

The stars of our post! :') if it isn't our elderly twin ladies... who brought Azula to a very disappoting beach house. And when Azula sees the house in question, she makes THIS face.

Judge however you may... even Ty Lee is weirded out by the beach house, going by that expression. Zuko and Mai aren't impressed either. But Azula? The look on her face isn't merely disappointment if you ask me... part of it looks a bit like embarrassment too? This isn't at all what she was expecting when she arrived (she has her old beach house for standards, which makes this extra underwhelming, I'm sure). She counts on Lo and Li to provide them with a place to stay, it goes implicit... and then this is what they do. It most likely isn't what she promised the other three in terms of where they'd stay, hence, I'd dare say there's a component of embarrassment here.

Shortly afterwards, we have our well known scene with Azula being utterly unconcerned with Lo and Li's apparent wisdom to the point of yawning over it. This, too, tells you she's just not interested in whatever those two have to say or bring to the table. Then, they show up again at mealtime and I think Azula just ignores them the whole scene.

After this? Lo and Li vanish until the finale. And what do they do in the finale? Why... it's the first time anyone expresses a verbal concern over Azula's wellbeing! Ah! A sign that Lo and Li have SOME affection for Azula! This time, you pesky Azula fans, you CAN'T twist this into a bad thing! For sure!

... Can't we, tho? :')

What IS Azula's reaction to: "We are concerned for your wellbeing"?

"My father asked you to come here and talk to me, didn't he‌? He thinks I can't handle the responsibility of being Fire Lord. But I will be the greatest leader in Fire Nation history."

And here, my friends, is when we have finally hit the jackpot.

Lo and Li could have been Azula's Irohs. She could've had TWO of him! Then you'd say: "hey! Ozai is such a dick he let Azula have two elderly wise ladies guiding her but only gave one old wise dude to Zuko! Rude!" and it would be further proof of Ozai's favoritism of Azula, right?

... But actually?

Lo and Li are no such thing. Lo and Li aren't moral compasses for Azula in the least. Lo and Li are not beacons of wisdom that genuinely help her sort her way through life. Worth noting: THEY COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN THAT WAY. They're not. They're not part of mysterious secret societies, they don't help Azula in any objective, significant, tangible way... there's very much nothing to say they EVER fulfilled the role Iroh did for Zuko. What role, then, were they fulfilling instead?

Why... I think we ought to listen to Azula, shouldn't we?

My take: Lo and Li are OZAI'S STAND-INS.

Someone's going to say "hey why would you assume that when Azula said this in the middle of a breakdown?? Surely she was just DELUSIONAL and PARANOID and ashdgkadhsgkjgh...!"

... Let me counter that one with a fun little analysis excercise:

WHY are Lo and Li Azula's firebending teachers and advisors?

The finale very directly tells us these two are not benders. We could've assumed they were! They're not: Azula's teachers are non-benders.

Has a single person out there ever asked themselves WHY this is the case?

How the hell is Azula, prodigy of the blue fire, epic lightning, cruel and powerful and precise and deadly bending... training under two elderly nonbenders?

Bringing this to a real-life example: do you remember what it was like when you were in P.E. classes and your teacher told you to spend 20 minutes jogging, and if you ever stopped you had to do 20 crunches and then get back to the jogging, and every time you stopped he'd tell you the same thing and you'd want that guy to vanish from the face of the planet? I don't know if that was only my experience, but I rather doubt it.

What did kids typically think/say when that happened?

"I wanna see that old fart doing the same shit he's making us do..."

It's a headcanon indeed to say that this is how Azula must have felt over Lo and Li, but it's VERY likely to be the case. But I'd dare say, in Azula's case, it's even worse because, to put it in another way? It's like taking programming lessons from someone who's never learned a programming language. They'll tell you you're getting things wrong without knowing how to help you get them right because they just DON'T KNOW what you're doing, and are outright INCAPABLE of what you're trying to achieve. They can't offer good guidance based on experience because they have ZERO experience on that subject! And yet they want PERFECTION from you! They expect it!

Lo and Li are these teachers for Azula. We only see them in one scene? And yet everything in the rest of the show suggests that they bring nothing important to the table for Azula, be it professionally, be it personally, be it emotionally... not in any aspect of life.

And this, if you ask me, is why the OG show barely ever brings them into scenes. Why the comics flat-out forgot they existed and even featured people like Sozin and Azulon in Azula's beach hallucinations but NOT the two ladies who looked after her and trained her. Why the live-action didn't even FEATURE them.

And us? The fandom? The fic writers?

I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I READ A FIC THAT HAD LO AND LI INVOLVED IN IT.

I'm not even saying as main characters, I don't even know if that exists, frankly: I mean as minor, or background characters. I have NOT seen those two be used in basically ANY fics I've read. I've scarcely used them in mine! In fact, I PURPOSEFULLY got rid of them early on in Gladiator because I didn't want them to sabotage and get in the way of Azula's progress as a character and I believed they'd do exactly that. They were an obstacle rather than anything useful, so I did away with them and then realized they could still occasionally serve some purpose in certain situations: I even had Azula visit them once and they were actually helpful! Fancy that! But... that's it. That's as far as I could go with them. I can't do MORE with those two because they're not characters one particularly feels compelled to work with.

And from what I've seen? That's the case for everyone.

So, I ask again:

WHY ARE THEY THERE?

WHAT IS THEIR ROLE?

WHAT IS THE POINT OF AZULA HAVING NON-BENDING TEACHERS?

Let's go further and further into logical thinking here, shall we?

Azula is a child. Fourteen years of age at the time she's introduced in the OG show.

Azula has no power over many things around her, particularly, her upbringing. That's in the hands of the adults around her. Her mother, up until she vanished, had some hand in it, then, it all falls to Ozai.

Ozai has been Azula's sole parental figure since Ursa left.

Ozai is the one who would reasonably call the shots regarding Azula's education, as all parents are wont to do... ESPECIALLY when he's a king with absolute power over his children.

... so, Lo and Li? Ozai either gave them the position as Azula's teachers personally, or someone else (Ursa) did, and Ozai either didn't WANT to remove them from the role (cue "Ozai being sentimental over Ursa" theories), or Ozai didn't give a flying fuck about who was training his daughter (cue "Ozai is an abusive dick without a heart or a brain" theories).

Anyone, of course, would likely interject here to say surely Ozai ALSO trained Azula himself because that's what he'd do with his favorite kid, right? See. I don't even disagree with that notion.

BUT IT'S A HEADCANON.

We have zero evidence that Ozai trained her! None! I totally will write that into Azula's backstory in many of my stories, but there's NOTHING in canon to suggest this actually happened and that Ozai was genuinely, actively, frequently involved in her progress as a firebender. Assuming he HAD to be is, still, a headcanon. You can't say that with any more certainty than mine when I say I believe Azula loves spicy foods. Does it seem to be something that would fit with her character? I think so! But if eventually canon goes "AZULA CAN'T STAND SPICY FOODS LOL JOKE'S ON YOU!" I... can't even say a thing about it. People's food tastes aren't reflective of their personalities. They really could do whatever they want in that respect. And that's the case for ANYTHING that isn't part of the show's storytelling or the character backgrounds or any texts we consider canon!

POINT BEING: Ozai, regardless of what you want to headcanon, had Lo and Li as Azula's teachers. HIS FAVORITE CHILD... and her only official instructors are two non-benders. Yang added Kunyo as an old instructor of Azula's when she was young, sure! But Kunyo was sooooo qualified that baby Azula was already kicking his ass. So, for that matter? He doesn't really seem to have been a cornerstone of her firebending development and the only other known teachers for Azula are Lo and Li.

For the last time: Azula's teachers are NON-BENDERS. AS CHOSEN, SANCTIONED, APPROVED AND ACCEPTED BY OZAI.

And with those two remarking on absolutely STUPID stuff like "one hair out of place"? Azula still became the incredible firebender she was.

Cue, now, the irony where Zuko was stuck in the basics 3 years after setting out of the Fire Nation... WITH IROH ACTIVELY SERVING AS HIS MENTOR.

You're not gonna tell me that Lo and Li would EVER be better instructors than Iroh, or are you? Because that makes no sense. Full-stop. Iroh is supposed to be the most profound and complete firebender thorughout the show because he's spiritually enlightened even though I admit I think that's bullshit and he doesn't just teach Zuko how to set things on fire, he actually makes him learn theory and spirituality and his teachings are more profound than just "ONE HAIR OUT OF PLACE".

So.

Banished as he is, disgraced and seen as trash by Ozai, Zuko STILL has a better teacher than Azula does.

... Is this LOGICAL? Is this NORMAL? Does this make SENSE?

If you think Ozai's favoritism of Azula takes the shape of "I'll give you every little thing you ask for, sweetheart, I love you very much, here, have ten million doll houses so you can set them on fire, and all the ponies you ask for and on your next birthday I'll buy you a baby dragon and you'll get your own region of the Fire Nation to govern and a fancy title..."?

Then Lo and Li, unfortunately, are right here to be a HUGE contradiction with your interpretation of Ozai and Azula's relationship.

Azula should have THE BEST teachers. Azula does not. Azula doesn't even LIKE them. Azula is openly shown to dislike them! To be annoyed around them, ANGRY when they're teaching her, she feels they're here to keep tabs on her for her father! In a sense, they're Ozai's SPIES on her! :')

Hence? Ozai's favoritism of Azula MIGHT not be what everyone keeps pretending it is. Maybe Ozai didn't do everything to make Azula get things EASILY... and to be fair? That's not what Zuko said anyway. People interpreted it that way... but that's not REALLY what he says:

"Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. "

Every line in this statement is absolutely questionable and all of it sounds like buuuuullshit to me. This is ZUKO'S perspective. And sorry not sorry, but it's tell-don't-show. People swear by his opinion of Azula and pretend he's absolutely objective about it. He's not.

But "Everything always came easy to her," does not mean "EVERYTHING WAS ALWAYS HANDED OVER TO HER ON A SILVER PLATTER." And yet this is what the fandom has constantly interpreted it as.

Azula might just be a prodigy. Maybe she started out ten steps ahead of her brother: this does not mean she needs no guidance, no training, no help. She's seen training herself over perfectionism in her very second scene of Book 2. And the guidance she gets in order to achieve perfection is actually, objectively, stupid.

This is what Ozai chose for her. This is an OBSTACLE for her growth, just as much as Lo and Li were obstacles for me when I was starting with Gladiator! Azula doesn't have it EASY: she just works herself so damn hard that even shit that should HINDER her does NOT do that. And even when her brother objectively has spent THREE YEARS with an advantage in the shape of being trained by one of the VERY BEST firebenders out there? Azula is still beating Zuko at it. With two non-benders as her teachers.

Where am I going with all this?

To the fact that Lo and Li are overlooked in just about every instance of the fandom.

To the fact that nobody includes them, and their influence on Azula, in their analyses of who Azula is.

I've seen a shitstorm rising over the Netflix characterization of Azula: SHE'S TOO ANGRY, they say. Non-stop. She's sooooo hysterical, all the time! She's just pissed perpetually!

Well. I haven't finished the show yet. But the scenes I've seen Azula in so far? They don't fit the fandom's view of Azula because...

... they're not taking Lo and Li into account.

As usual.

:')

Azula's reactions around Lo and Li being frustration, anger, irritation EVEN in scenes like The Beach, where Azula was FINE until she sees them? That shit is storytelling that went over sooooooo many heads, EVEN MINE! When I saw people going on about how canon Azula is... not insecure? Not angry? Has no frustrations and was only ever smirking 24/7? I... didn't feel that was right. I knew it wasn't right. And when I thought about it hard enough? I realized that one reason why this interpretation of Azula is IMMEDIATELY dismissable is because of Lo and Li: those two constantly made Azula angry. Even if that wasn't their intent, it's nonetheless the effect they'd have on her. And Azula didn't like having them around. She CLEARLY didn't appreciate them the way Zuko does Iroh, for instance! And this could be taken as a flaw on Azula's part... if we EVER saw evidence that these two ladies actually love Azula as a grandchild, or so. If we had any evidence that they actually have cared for her in ways nobody else ever did. If maybe the ones Zuko talks about, upon saying "EVERYONE LOVES AZULA" were these two! And maybe he was jealous of them! Maybe he wanted two old ladies to watch his every move and tell him his every flaw!

... Clearly I'm joking about that last thing, but anyway...

There's nothing to tell us Lo and Li were anything but Ozai's assigned watchdogs to keep control and tabs over Azula. That Azula's immediate reaction upon hearing that someone cares about her is "Oh fuck off, my dad sent you here because he doesn't trust me!" is... telling. It's not just paranoia speaking, even if it sure can be read that way! It's actually Azula's perception of those two, which is 100% supported by what we saw of the twins throughout the show, WHENEVER we did see them: their roles in Azula's life are indeed to keep tabs on her, to keep her under control, to pressure her into perfection, AS OZAI'S AGENTS! Seen this way, it MAKES SENSE for Azula to disregard their concern and immediately assume it's FAKE. She isn't even shown to doubt it, never questions that MAYBE they did care about her! She assumes they don't...

... And considering that, as far as I know, the official concept is that they BOTH LEFT when Azula banished one of them only? That they didn't contest her command, staying to look after her even if she only wanted one? I mean, clearly Azula can't tell them apart, so they could've taken turns: one watches over Azula for 12 hours and the other for the next 12 hours, I don't goddamn know! But they didn't do that. They LEFT. And if they left? It means they don't care remotely as much as they say they do. Not to the point where they'd challenge Azula's orders and help her when they KNOW she's not okay.

And all of this further supports my point.

When we see Azula in the liveaction being angry, bitter, irritable at Ozai's choices?

I see a reflection of the same dynamics that the OG too subtly weaved into Azula's relationship with Lo and Li. I see Azula reacting against Ozai's control over her because she feels it's DISTRUST. She feels it means her father STILL needs to be convinced that she's competent, powerful, ready to do his bidding. It isn't a case where Azula's irritation comes from wanting to rebel against her father... it's Azula wanting her father to UNDERSTAND that she's 100% his supporter and will put everything on the line to serve him and the Fire Nation.

And it's very damn easy to read that exact same thing into Azula's dynamics with Lo and Li as it is to see it EXPLICITLY STATED in the liveaction.

My point?

What the liveaction did is not nearly as much of a distant characterization choice as people think it is.

Ozai is Azula's Achilles' Heel. Everything she became, everything she grew up to be, was for his sake. He molded her to become those things and simply didn't give a shit about raising a daughter, he treated her as a weapon, and absolutely pitted his children against each other, just as much as OTHER adults in their lives did. But the impact of Ozai on Azula in the OG is easy to ignore. Why? Because we SELDOM see them interacting. Because we don't get that side of Azula's character fully explored. Because they didn't want to explore Ozai's character either! They were as cheap as they could be with all these aspects and so, only the people who really got into analyzing things on a deeper level would be able to say, without a doubt, that Ozai abused Azula emotionally with all the expectations and demands he put on his own child. Through the golden child-scapegoat dynamic that people have been bringing up non-stop in the past years.

So, proving herself to her father is what Azula wants to do, more than anything. Proving worthy of his favor, of his approval, is the closest thing she can get to feeling loved. Which is depressing as fuck. Azula gets zero affection: it's not even conditional affection, there's NOTHING for her besides approving words if she gets anything right. And this show's work with Azula's character? It was meant to make these things less invisible to all the fans who like to pretend none of it exists. And yes, I've seen them, crawling all over Twitter shitting themselves in fits of rage because how dare that show pretend Azula EVER had a bad time in her perfect flawless life!!

Well, the irony is that the OG gives you a smidge of evidence -- and yet that's enough -- to show that Ozai was doing very similar things to Azula in ATLA, and her reactions to it?

Huh. No smirks for Lo and Li.

No smirks for the symbols of Ozai's control over her life.

It's almost like the confidence, the smirks, the apparent ease with which she handles everything? Is a front that crumbles easily whenever it concerns the ONE PERSON with power over her life.

I don't believe, worth noting, that Azula's power comes from rage. I've seen people say that in fandom in the past and I find it a completely absurd take when Iroh himself spells out that her bending is about control, about precision, and it's Azula's FURY that makes her a sloppy mess in the finale. It's even INTENTIONAL that when she shoots lightning a second time, in her second establishing scene, THAT SAME HAIR FALLS OUT OF PLACE. She's still angry. She didn't get it "right" this time either. She's imperfect and she's trying NOT to be, but she cannot succeed. And upon bending lightning with emotions (rage/frustration)? That hair falls YET AGAIN out of place. Proof that she's not going to achieve the perfection she's being FORCED (indeed, by her father and the people who are here to represent him, Lo and Li) to strive for.

The liveaction had Ozai pushing Azula for a perfection she couldn't attain either. She's perfectly content in her cruelty at Ozai's side, right until she hears the Avatar was found and that Zuko has a shot at taking away the privileges she's been basking in so far. That she WASN'T nervous about this in canon is pretty damn obvious: OZAI SENT HER TO HUNT ZUKO DOWN FOR BEING A FAILURE. We never saw her reaction to learning that the Avatar was out and about. We have noooo idea what was canonically going on with her back then. The first time we see her besides the flashback is Azula receiving a mission that tells her she's STILL #1 and Zuko is no threat to her because Ozai thinks he's a failure. Thus? She had nothing to fear. Here? Ozai is actively using Zuko as bait to pressure Azula further. And if you're so confident in Ozai's good parenting skills as to believe he somehow WOULDN'T do that? Sounds like you don't understand the very basic and simplistic Fire Lord Ozai from ATLA, and that's not something to be proud of. So probably stop screaming your bad takes at the top of your lungs, because being incapable of understanding Ozai in canon is not a badge of pride, just saying...

FINAL POINT...

This post is not written expressly in the defense of the liveaction and its characterization of Azula. To this point, what I've seen of it doesn't feel WRONG or OFF unless you're the kind of person who thinks Azula is only capable of smirking and if she stops doing that she stops existing or something. Only people who cannot understand the depth, nuance, subtleties in Azula's story would ever be claiming that Azula's relationship with Ozai COUDLN'T be like this, or that Azula couldn't possibly be frustrated with her father or his choices when it's soooo clear what Ozai is going for, and why it's working. But in order to read Azula as a character capable of this range of emotion, frustration and ambition, all at once? You have to be able to treat this character, be it in the liveaction or the OG show, as a human being.

And that's what most the people criticizing this specific change are determined not to do. It's what makes them uncomfy. It's what rustles their jimmies.

Yes. I'm saying it in this very demeaning way because I actually find it quite ridiculous to be this insecure over the portrayal of a fictional 14yo in two TV shows. Whether the liveaction sticks the landing or fails catastrophically, I do not know... but I do know that if it's forcing a bunch of people to rethink Azula's character, and making them panic at the idea that she could EVER have human emotions, even if they're AWFUL human emotions?

Then I'm afraid you're only convincing me that, as bad as that show could ever get? It's getting SOMETHING right. I do love to see misinterpretations of Azula getting slammed in the face by the reality that all those beliefs, headcanons and takes in bad faith are actively, categorically untrue: none of which makes Azula a fundamentally good person, worth noting! But it makes it very clear that reading her as a one-dimensional basic villain, which is what the anti-Azula-redemption crowd actively does, is literally only possible if you overlook, ignore and fail to understand her character and her complexities, be it in the liveaction or in the original show.

There. I said my piece.

Another post, regarding the rest of the liveaction, is bound to come later. I'd say stay tuned but it might take me a while to write it at all. So... wait around and maybe you'll see it someday!

[gummydummy19]

Movie night

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x male reader

Summary: The boys catch their girl getting an early start on movie night and it makes the night take an interesting turn.

Content Warnings: Threesome, smut, dom/sub dynamics, watching porn, squirting, P/V sex, mentions of anal

A/N: I'm genuinely ashamed at how long this took me to write... thank you @hauntedkittenfun for the request and the incredible patience lol

Word Count: 2800+

You were out with Steve, walking around the grocery store looking for snacks. Tonight was movie night. It was a tradition Steve and Natasha had for years and when you joined the Avengers, it didn't take long before they invited you to join. The three of you were basically inseparable. Always goofing around together, flirting and teasing.

'Found it! Steve chirped, dropping two big bags of popcorn in the shopping cart you were pushing.

'Great, I think that's about it' you said, scanning the cart to make sure you had everything.

The both of you loaded your shopping bags in the car and drove back to the compound.

You glanced over at Steve who was sitting in the passenger seat, looking all pretty.

'Hey, eyes on the road,' he joked

'Aye aye, captain,' you grinned back

When you arrived home, you expected Nat to come out and help you put the groceries away, but she was nowhere to be found.

You had agreed to watch the movie in the living room since that room had the biggest TV. So that's where you decided to look first.

'Do you...do you hear something?' Steve mumbled halfway down the hall.

'No...what do you hear?' you asked Steve, knowing his super hearing never let him down.

'I...uhm...' there was an undeniable blush creeping up Steve's cheeks, and quite frankly...it was adorable.

You raised your brow, curious at what he was hearing, so you walked closer to his door.

As you got closer to the living room, you started hearing it too. Soft moans combined with high-pitched ones.

It couldn't be? Right?

Well, only one way to find out. Your hand moved faster than your brain as you threw open the door, catching Nat in the middle of the couch with her hand between her legs, watching a very...interesting piece of film.

"That's not the movie we agreed on missy," you grinned.

Steve stood behind you red as a tomato and very quiet.

“I thought I had more time before you guys came home...” Nat pouted. She didn't look embarrassed at all. It was almost like she wanted to get caught...

'Is that so?' you teased, 'Well, don't let us spoil your fun...'

'Want me to keep going?' she asked innocently

'Hmm...' you dared.

'Only if you guys join me...'

You raised your brow again, only a tiny bit surprised at her request.

'What do you think, Stevie?' you asked, looking slightly over your shoulder.

He was a mess already. His cock had been straining against his pants since he heard the sounds from the hallway.

You backed up a bit into him, letting your ass rub slightly against his bulge as you tangled your fingers in his hair.

'Should we join her?'

You slowly guided Steve to the couch with you. You could tell he was having trouble deciding where to look; you, Nat, or the girl wantonly pounding her own pussy with a considerably large sex toy on the television.

The decision was made quite rapidly when said girl suddenly let out a particularly loud moan. The three of you simultaneously turned your heads toward the screen, just in time to catch the girl squirt all over her bed.

'Christ...' Steve nervously mumbled, 'there's no way that's real...'

It was Natasha's turn to raise her brow, as she gave Steve a curious look.

'Sure it is, Stevie...why wouldn't it be real?'

'It's just...it's so...I just don't buy.' He stated

'Steve, I'm telling you it's real, I swear. It's called squirting.' she explained

'Oh yeah? Well...prove it then.' He dared, clearly gaining a bit more confidence as his brain turned to full on horny-mode

'Yeah? Want me to show you?' she drawled

'Hmm...'

Natasha wasted no time in turning off the TV and placing herself down in the middle of the coffee table.

You and Steve plopped down on the couch, watching Natasha as she started teasing her fingers up and down her folds before sliding two of them inside her pussy in one swift motion.

She had been playing with herself for quite some time before she got caught and it had left her wetter than ever.

The sight of her with her legs spread and her head thrown back is better than any porn video you'd ever seen. You couldn't help but slide your hand down to your crotch, squeezing your bulge.

'You can't do it, Nat.' Steve taunted, trying to keep his voice steady.

fucking brat, you thought.

'O-oh no?...' she moaned, speeding up her movements.

Barely a couple seconds later she let wailed out as she started squirting so hard you felt your dick twitch, making you groan.

You looked over to Steve and noticed his face was a little wet...

'That's what you get for calling me a liar...' Nat mumbled cheekily, making you chuckle.

'Look at that, Stevie, Nat's not the only one who is wet anymore...' you laughed, pressing a kiss against his cheek to sneak a taste.

'I wanna see that again...' was all that Steve said before getting on his knees in front of Nat.

'Hey, don't get greedy...sharing is caring, Stevie,' you pouted, taking a seat next to him as he gave you a warm smile.

'You're right...' he mumbled, pulling you closer, 'C'mere...'

Steve pressed a needy kiss to your lips as you felt his big hands rub all over your crotch, making you groan in his mouth.

'Can you...?' he questioned, glancing over to Natasha's glistening pussy. 'You're better at this...show me how to do it...'

God. How could anyone ever say no to him?

Your eyes moved from Steve's pleading gaze to Nat's desperate one.

'Can I?' you checked, although you were pretty sure what the answer was gonna be.

'Please...' she whined, wiggling her hips a little.

'Open up,' you told Steve before gently putting two of your fingers into his greedy mouth. He sucked on them eagerly, making your cock twitch again.

'Take my cock out,' you commanded, 'but keep your eyes on her pussy, you don't wanna miss anything now do you, Stevie?'

'No, Sir' he whispered after he released your fingers, moving quickly to do as he was told.

You rubbed your spit-covered fingers over Nat’s clit first, making her shudder.

'See that, that's a very important spot when you wanna make her cum,' you explained as Steve took out your throbbing cock.

'But we don't wanna wear her out too soon, do we?' you taunted, letting your finger slide down a bit before stopping at her dripping hole.

'No, we wanna get her a little desperate first...' your finger teased around her entrance.

You looked at Steve to see his eyes glued on Natasha's pussy just like you told him to, all while he kept stroking your cock perfectly.

'Good boy, Stevie...' you praised lowly, 'now this next part is very important...'

You slowly pushed both fingers inside of her, immediately curling them up against that sensitive, spongy spot, making her whine and buck her hips a bit.

'Theeerree we go...' you chuckled, moving your fingers a little.

'This spot right here, Stevie....that's a very important one when you wanna make her squirt...'

Natasha moaned louder as you kept pumping your fingers inside of her. You slowly picked up the pace, hitting her spot a bit rougher each time.

'Feel that pressure build, baby?' you looked at Nat.

'Yeah...fuck...oh...' she whined, throwing her head back again.

Your free hand reached down to stop Steve's movements. You brought his hand up to your mouth and sucked his fingers

'Still watching, Stevie? The next part is gonna be really fun...' you groaned as you felt his grip tighten on your cock.

All he could do was nod furiously as he watched you move even quicker. Natasha let out another loud moan and before you knew it she was squirting again.

'That's a good fucking girl,' you groaned.

Steve had halted his movements. Too mesmerized to focus on jerking you off.

When Nat blinked her eyes back open she noticed both you and Steve and a couple drops on your shirts and faces.

She let out a tired giggle, hiding her face in embarrassing as she let herself lay back on the coffee table.

‘Oh my god…’ she mumbles with her hands still covering her face. ‘I wanna apologize but technically it’s really not my fault…’

'Hmm...don't be embarrassed, baby' you chuckle, hungrily licking your fingers clean. 'Tastes even sweeter than the popcorn...'

"I wanna try..." Steve mumbled, pushing your hand away to make room for his own.

Nat immediately moans at the touch, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as Steve stuffs his large fingers in her pussy.

'M'sensitive, Stevie...' she whines.

'Yeah? What if I find that special spot, huh? Is it sensitive there?' he taunted, his demeanor switching from subby to dominant in an instant as he wiggled his fingers a bit, immediately hitting the spot he was talking about.

Natasha keened in response, arching her back off the table as she squirted again.

'Fuccckkk!!' she whined as Steve moved his other hand to press on her lower belly, stretching out his thumb to rub circles over her swollen clit.

'SHIT I'M CUMMING! DADDY!' she screamed out, squirting even harder than before.

Steve fingered her through her orgasm with the smuggest of smiles before pulling his fingers out of her.

He was going to lick them clean, but you grabbed his hand and put his fingers in your own mouth instead, moaning as you tastes Nat's wetness.

'Don't forget who's in charge here, baby.' you teased before pulling him in for a dirty kiss.

'Lay down.' You commanded him and he happily obliged, wiggling off his jeans in the process.

You turned to Nat, who was just starting to come back to her senses before you kissed her breathless again.

'Get on top of him.'

'Yes sir...' she said with a smile, eagerly obliging just like Steve.

The second Natasha sinks down on his dick, Steve enters his dominant mode again, grinning at her as she struggled to take his cock.

'There you go...take all of me.' Steve groaned, guiding Nat down on his cock with his hands on her hips.

Nat huffed out a breath as she adjusted to his size, planting her palms against Steve's broad chest as she slowly started to bounce up and down on his cock.

Steve allowed her to have her fun.

For a minute...

'My turn now, sweetheart.' he smirked as he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her down on his cock as he started pounding into her.

Hard.

It didn't take long for her to squirt again all over his cock and stomach, making her moan out as she did so.

'Look at that, Stevie. You're turning our girl into a damn water fountain,' you joked as you watched him pound into her, stroking your cock as you observed.

Hearing you call her 'your girl' made Natasha's stomach flip. If it wasn't for Steve holding her up, she would have toppled over as another orgasm coursed through her body.

Steve really put his super soldier stamina to good use, pounding into her with no signs of stopping.

'Shit, shit, S-Steveee....' Nat whined, trying to push her hands against his stomach to get him to slow down.

'P-please, please stop, please...' she begged until he finally let up with a big grin plastered on his face.

'Too much?' he chuckled as she dropped her head to his neck, trying to catch her breath.

'Hmm...' she mumbled, unable to speak, making him chuckle again before he pressed a kiss in her hair.

'You okay?' you asked, sitting closer to the two of them as you gently rubbed up and down her back.

'Yeah...more than okay,' Nat smiled shyly.

God, she was so fucking gorgeous.

'Okay enough for another round?' you smirked

Her grin told you all you needed to know and you wasted no time in helping her off Steve's lap.

'Holy fuck...' Steve chuckled, finally admiring all the wetness that covered his body. 'how do you even squirt that much?'

'Well, I don't know...just kinda happens when you have a huge cock ramming into your g-spot over and over again...' she joked, making Steve throw you a smug look.

'Yeah yeah, keep smiling like that, Stevie. I bet you I can make her squirt harder.' you teased, crawling on top of Nat as she laid back on the floor.

'You're just talking shit, dude.' Steve shot back

'Oh yeah? Let's see who can make her squirt the most then.'

'Deal.'

You started pounding into Nat again almost immediately. The three of you went at it for hours. Leaving not only Natasha but the entire living room a mess.

'There we go....give me another one...' you groaned, making Nat squirt for the 6th time, 'good fucking girl...'

A few messy kisses later, Steve was pumping into her from behind, making her drip all over the carpet, groaning all kinds of filthy stuff in her ears.

It was kinda hot seeing him get all dominant with her, knowing he got all subby for you in the blink of an eye.

'What was that now, huh? Number 10? Number 11?' Steve taunted.

Nat was a blubbering mess. Mascara streaked down her cheeks as she giggled through the tears, all blissed out.

'I...I don't...just...uh...I-' she tried to string a sentence together but to no avail.

'My turn again.' You grinned, flipper her over so you were lying on top of her as you slid your throbbing cock into her abused hole.

You leaned down to kiss her, slow and passionate as you picked up the pace a little, making her whine.

'Need to cum...gonna let me cum in that fucked out pussy of yours?' you groaned, grinning when she nodded a bit too fast.

'Please...fill me, Daddy...need it so bad."

After basically edging yourself for yours, it didn't take long before you blew your load into Nat's pussy, letting your head drop against her shoulder, relishing in the way she ran her nails over your scalp.

'fuck....that was...jesus christ...' you huffed out, trying to catch your breath.

'Hmmm...' she smiled sweetly

'I think I lost track tho...Stevie, do you remember how many times that was?'

'M'not sure....maybe we should start over' he grinned, causing Natasha to throw the nearest pillow to his face.

'Next time we can check to see who out of the two of you can cum the most…I wonder if you will still laugh as much then'

'Okay okay...m'sorry...' you chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead before pulling out.

As you moved to lay down next to Nat, Steve got a full view of Natasha's open legs. Watching as your cum leaked out of her made his eyes twinkle.

'See something you like?' Nat giggled, seeing how Steve licked his lips as he stared at her cunt like it was his favorite snack on the planet.

'Hmm...lay back, princess....just let me have one more taste...' he mumbled before attaching his lips to her stuffed hole.

'Fuck...Steve....' She moaned while he ate her out with vigor.

Nat was too caught up to notice, but you didn't miss Steve bucking his hips into the pillow you threw at him earling as he whined at your taste leaking out of Nat's pussy.

Soon he stuffed two of his think fingers inside her, pressing that sensitive spot one more time.

'Just give me a last one...just one more...' he moaned, attaching his lips to her pussy as he fingered her.

Nat trembled as she came hard, squirting right into Steve's mouth while he groaned loudly, bucking his hips into the pillow fervently, covering it in his cum.

'fuck,' Steve groaned out, the blush on his cheeks increasing by the second.

'U okay there, Stevie?' you teased, making him hide his face in embarrassment.

'Shit...that was not how that was supposed to go down...' he explained, 'It was just so hot, and it tasted so fucking good....'

You laughed at Steve's adorable embarrassed face, pulling them both close to you on the large couch.

'Are you guys okay?' you asked earnestly as they snuggled up to you

'Hmm...' It sounded from both sides before silence took over for a minute.

'I definitely won, tho' you stated smugly, anticipating Steve's reaction.

'The hell you did!' he shot up, making you laugh

'Maybe we need a rematch sometime…' Natasha weighed in, making you both turn to her with a hopeful look

'You wanna do this with us again?' You asked

Your heart lit up a little when she gave you an adorable nod, snuggling close to you again.

'That was the best sex of my life...and besides...I've had a crush on you guys for months...' she admitted.

'Y-You...You have?' Steve studdered.

'Yeah....I was hoping you would walk in on me earlier...'

'I'm glad we did.' You promised, relishing in the feeling of your two favorite people snuggled up to you, warm and satisfied.

Taglist;

@metalbuckaroo @princessayveke @montsepliego @scxrletrecsmarvel @hopelesslyrogers @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer @tfandtws @vicmc624 @ahahafudge @enchantedbarnes @wickedravyn @pono-pura-vida @amayaraestyles @matchat3a @fictional-hooman @sebastianexplicit @peaches1958 @avengersfan25 @jamneuromain @tryingtoliveonmywishes @mrsevans90 @daybreak96 @tiredqueen73 @fallingforunrealisticromance @identity2212 @randomweirdoss @ragamuffin285 @juliaorpll78 @geralts-yenn @imjusthereforliam @bangtanstoeart @squeezyvalkyrie @enchantedbytomandhenry @superduckmilkshake @kingliam2019 @bascmve01 @missgaygurl @foxyjwls007 @mollymal

[momojedi]

Bad Batch: Season 3

My Predictions

The final countdown has started and I'm not ready at ALL! Here are some of my predictions for Season 3 and what I could imagine happening!

1. Tech will be back.

Yes, the trope of dead characters returning is incredibly overused. But as many others I have a good reason to believe that Tech might still be alive. Think about it. It’s pretty likely Hemlock managed to locate Tech’s body considering he left us a huge breadcrumb: his goggles.

Why would Hemlock get rid of a genetically enhanced super soldier, especially considering he likely knows how to properly brainwash someone?

I too like to think that Tech might be the black armoured soldier in the front. It’s the same, if not similar armour as Clone X. Maybe these are part of a special type of clone assassins or troopers? Could they be the prototype for the Dark or Death Trooper?

It’s pretty plain to say that Tech will likely come back, though probably not as the Tech we know.

2. Crosshair & Omega Dynamic

We've seen Omega genuinely bond with all of the Bad Batch - except for Crosshair. Despite her trying her best to get to him every time they had the chance to interact, he denied her any kind of response. Whether that would be because he's just too withdrawn or because he refuses to let anyone see his vulnerable side, we don't know so far.

What we do know however, both based on pure logic alone and the fact that we've heard them both involved in a heated debate in the leaked trailer from the Star Wars Celebration last year, is that they likely will spending a lot of time together on-screen now that they're both captives of the Empire.

Hopefully Omega will be able to lift Cross' spirits, he doesn't seem to be doing very well from what we've seen!

3. Ventress will be an enemy!

Asajj Ventress! We all know and love her, so naturally it's incredibly nice to find out that she'll be returning to the screens for the final season of the Bad Batch! Despite they're naturally being some raised eyebrows considering her fate in the Dark Disciple book, I'm curious to see in what way they'll connect the stories!

However, seeing as Ventress could rather be classified as an anti-hero rather than a full on hero, I believe that she won't be helping the Batch but rather fighting them in order to get to what she wants - as she likes to do.

Perhaps she'll end up cooperating when she realises there might be no other solution, but I strongly doubt she'll be any help to them when it comes to following their personal goals.

4. The Fall of the Clone Rebellion

It's sadly no secret that given the events of Rebels and the three remaining clones Rex, Gregor & Wolffe, it's very likely the rebellions aka rescue of the clones didn't go as initially planned.

I could imagine this being explained a bit clearer in the finale, perhaps even leading up to a great fight against the Empire in the end. We can't forget that the series mainly revolves around a rogue batch of clones, so the thought that it might also go out with a clone-centric subject, especially such a big one, isn't necessarily far-fetched.

5. The End of the Mission

And finally, my most tragic prediction: The end of the Bad Batch.

The writers have been making it very clear that season 3 will likely be the darkest season of the show which unfortunately leads me to think that, as much as I'd want it not to be the case, the finale will lead to the ultimate end of Clone Force 99.

I suspect the series to end with the batch ending up together in some way, as the original five, and landing in a tricky life-or-death situation. Perhaps they'll be stuck in a crashing ship with a one-person escape pod or maybe they'll be facing a threatening figure such as Sidious, leading to the decision to sacrifice themselves in order to protect Omega.

Either way, despite season 3 likely becoming a tragic rollercoaster of emotions, I'm glad we had the chance to experience the epic story of the Bad Batch. It's sad to see them go and although these characters have become like a family not only to me, but to many other fans, let's enjoy our last moments with them and let them go out with a bang!

[bonefall]

what is the crow/night/breeze family dynamic like in this au? you've mentioned crowfeather being the one still emotional over leafpool so that would definitely affect breezepelt, but im curious of the wider scale of it. love this au btw!

I'm trying to infuse more nuance into all three of them like they're a cold brew tea.

HOLD UP THOUGH; let me be CLEAR!! I don't think Nightcloud has done anything wrong in canon (besides the rebellion which they forgor about anyway). I do not like how the narrative put a lot of blame on her in Po3/OotS/field guides when her greatest sin was... loving her child.

So in BB she is going to do bad things because we support women's wrongs <3

NIGHTCLOUD

I keep going back and forth on when she was born, if she was nabbed as a kit after the WindClan Massacre or if she was a young warrior during the BloodClan battle.

In either case, she is the sister of a cat named Tawnyfur, and their Mi is Hillrunner. They were born to Hillrunner's identical twin Downwind, but she was killed during TPB.

Hillrunner was incredibly traumatized by the horrors. She was obsessed with strength and phobic of ShadowClan for her entire life.

If you met Hillrunner, you'd think Nightcloud was a sweetheart in comparison (and she will be)

Tawnyfur was killed in the BloodClan battle.

Nightcloud hated Tallstar agreeing to trade with them, and she was easily recruited by Mudclaw based on her fury at Leo, Snapper, and Spagbol joining WindClan.

When they got to the Lake, Nightcloud joined Mudclaw's Rebellion. She spoke out against involving cats of other Clans in the cause, but fell in line quick.

The rebellion sabotauged a muirburn. The controlled burn became uncontrolled FAST.

I think she wanted to blame the cats like Hawkfrost for how far it went, but after the rain doused the flames and WindClan had to keep putting out smouldering peat fires, she realized it didn't look good to keep blaming others.

Plus how Mudclaw got smote. THAT put fear of StarClan into her

So it wasn't neccesarily out of regret that she apologized for her role and begged forgiveness, but a mix of guilt, fear, and genuine desire to fix the collateral damage.

I think she did take Crowfeather as a mate for reputation purposes, but she did also like him and want a mate. It wasn't an Honor Siring, for her it was more of an "arrangement" which she hoped would strengthen

She wanted to prove her loyalty, but also that she is a good and loving cat.

When Breezekit came around, she tried her hardest to be a good mom. She really didn't want to be like Hillrunner.

But she hadn't worked through anything else. Still had a distaste for Brushblaze, Snapstorm, and Cranberrysplash. Strongly valued strength and aggression. Only approved of Onestar when he pushed for violence and rejected the notion that you can trust cats of other Clans.

Breezepelt struggles with it for most of Po3, because he gets very close to the Three and considers them friends. But when the reveal drops, he believes she was right all along

I don't know how to preserve it yet but I do want Nightcloud to keep the housecat friend she makes in CT. Eventually.

Basically... she's dealing with a lot of anger of her own, not really knowing how to sort it, following along with what she was taught.

And Breeze inherits many of those problems.

CROWFEATHER

Significantly different from canon. Not aloof; dramatic

He's also a REALLY good cook. He was Mudclaw's apprentice and it shows.

I'm actually going to wrap him up in the rebellion. He endorsed Mudclaw's claim over Onestar-- and over the word of Brambleclaw.

But he snitched and fetched help on the night of the sabotauge.

After that and then Leafpool, he was also looking for a way to boost his reputation. Having kits was a way to do that, and he's a cat who was chosen by StarClan to go on a great journey, son of an old deputy and a new deputy, with an honor title, who ran to fetch help and thwart the assassination attempt.

He knows he is a bit controversial but also that he is undeniably a big shot. And he's not going to pretend like he's not proud of that. He's not even 5 and hasn't even had an apprentice but he's the most significant cat in WindClan

So when Breezekit comes along? He should be grateful. But he's not, he's a snot nosed little brat (child) who backtalks (child) to his own father (adult)

And he sure doesn't appreciate Nightcloud always trying to fight him. How dare she tell him how to be a Ba?

She won't let him BE involved in the way he wants, turning his kit against him, this is all her fault.

"If it wasn't for her, Breezepaw would know discipline!"

The whole world is out to get Crowfeather and anything bad that happens around him is someone else's fault.

So obviously the mateship falls apart fast.

He doesn't respect anything about Breezepelt, and blames all of his kid's problems on Nightcloud.

In a furious fight, he likes to compare Nightcloud to his other lovers. He says Feathertail, even if he IS talking secretly about Leafpool, because she is dead and can't confirm it, and it always hurts Nightcloud to be compared to an outsider.

This is an exhausting person to be around, and the boost in status and resulting ego makes him insufferable in contrast to the young warrior he was on the Sundrown Patrol.

After the Secret Reveal though, when Leafpool is stripped of her Cleric status and Crowfeather starts talking openly about his love, it is the LAST straw with Onestar. He rips his warrior name off and exiles him for a month-- begone CROW, NO SUFFIX. No you're not going back to CrowFOOT either. Not even an entire Dishonor Title. Just Crow.

He does start improving after that, but he needed a drastic punishment

BREEZEPELT

The kid was only born as a status symbol. Do you blame him for being a special kind of messed up?

He really cannot remember a time where his parents weren't fighting. Never liked it when Crowfeather did parental duties either. Kids are really sensitive to bad vibes.

Was, and still is, really close to his mom. But he always spent a lot of time with his buddies.

Harepaw, Kestrelpaw, Breezepaw, and Heatherpaw were the oldest apprentices in WindClan, the first ones born in the new territory. They all hung out together, except Kestrelpaw who was in Cleric training as soon as possible. Not even 6 moons.

When he's in a good environment, Breezepelt really shines. He isn't like Crowfeather says he is, he's actually fine at making friends and getting along.

When Crow or Night are around, he will often noticeably get more rude and xenophobic, eyes darting back at them like he's looking for approval. Night is always approving of this and giving light chuckles, Crow will engage in it too, but snap if he feels like Breeze embarassed him somehow.

When they go away it's like it drains out of him.

His worst choices in BB always go back to him being pretty desperate for approval, snapping between idealizing people or thinking they're the absolute worst.

So yeah. It's a screwey little dynamic. They hate Crowf, Crowf hates them, the arrangement was massively based on status, Breezekit was always in an unstable environment from the get-go, Nightcloud did contribute to Breezepelt's mindset especially post-reveal.

[lee-sanghyeok]

MY EXPERIENCE WITH MUSIC BANK MADRID

The Acts

Kiss Of Life had the unfortunate task of opening the show to a cold and drenched crowd of 30.000, so due to their lack of experience, their act was a bit lacklustre. I'm sure that in a year or so they'll be much better! Vocally they're obviously top notch and everyone was jazzed to hear Midas Touch live.

Similar to KIOF, P1Harmony had the task of warming up the crowd while it was still pouring rain. I think that hindered them a bit from going full out and being in the moment, but the crowd went wild anyway. "Sad Song" and "Killin' It" are great songs for a concert. Keeho, Jongseob and Soul were crowd favourites. (I cheered a lot for Theo, Jiung and Intak, do NOT worry)

I have to say that Sohee is the heart of RIIZE. He really makes the group whole with his voice. Even had to wipe a tear at the end of "Love 119" because of how sweet and earnest he sang. Everyone went crazy for all the boys. I think it lacked a bit of genuine excitement overall, but maybe with Seunghan returning that'll be resolved soon 👀 Speaking of: the "RIIZE is 7" chant 😌😌😌😌 was loud and clear. Not one ot6 in that 30.000 person amphitheater. 87 different nationalities chanted along. Seunghan, you're so loved.

The clear standout was NMIXX. All of them are vocal powerhouses, their choreo is dynamic, and they even sang "Sonãr" fully in Spanish! There's just something in their eyes when they perform that transcends them from excellent to exceptional. Haewon, Jiwoo and Kyujin especially go into a different headspace.

I've spoken about bonedo in these asks (1), (2), (3), (4), but to add: they really were just SO jazzed to be there. Woonhak went so close to the edge of the stage that I thought he was going to crowd-surf from excitement. And it was very clear the crowd loved them, even if they weren't necessarily fans. And EVERYONE knew E,W&F. 30k people singing along was such an overwhelming experience.

Solar's solo showed everyone what SINGING is. She SANG. Full chest voice. Fully live. This was serious business. Moonbyul's performance was super cute too and they also did two songs together.

Aespa and Enhypen were the last two performers and obviously the headliners, but they've reached a point of being so rehearsed and polished that it doesn't really register as a real performance. They're vocally at the top of their game, fully live, perfect choreo, but I found it difficult to connect with them. (Could be bc of my old age of 23? I would've died if I saw Enhypen at 16/17 y/o) This is probably a hot take. 😅

Special Stages

There were three special stages:

 • Solar, Julie and Belle sang a song by ROSALIA. I lost my motherfucking mind. The girl beside me yelled "madre" over and over again and that kind of sums it up. Very appropriate song for the event.

 • Heeseung sang "I cant feel my face" by The Weekend like a total pro. He was feeling the fantasy and his voice is that of a pure popstar. I'm curious as to why he chose that song specifically, but maybe I'm just not cued in about something.

 • Trio homage stage by P1H, NMIXX, and Bonedo. P1H sang "Chk Chk Boom" by SKZ, NMIXX did "Kick It" by NCT (and Kyujin got possessed idk what the FUCK happened but she was on another level), and bonedo did "Real Real" by WINNER, which was vocally totally different from what they usually do. Especially Sungho stuck out! There was a lot of warmth in his voice that isn't usually there due to the quippy nature of their songs.

The Organisation

I went alone and everything was in Spanish, but the organisation made everything run smoothly and I had no issues. Everything was clear and they consistently send emails prior to the event, so it was really easy to navigate the venue. Someone that doesn't often go to big concerts would feel overwhelmed though!! I saw a lot of people being very very confused and lost.

Prior to the performances, a Music Bank rep came onstage to once again remind everyone of safety procedures, the exit routes, and so on, which was very professional.

Leaving the venue also went fairly smooth. Cars went slow but there weren't any actual issues. I took a cab.

The Vibe™

It was 50/50 parents with children and young adults with their (internet) friends. Lots of people dressed up despite the downpour, which was lowkey admirable. (@ the parents that dressed up as well: you're so cool and your child soooo appreciates it) I personally wouldn't recommend it though.

The k-pop concert "etiquette" is still something I need to get used to though. I'm just dancing three hours straight but everyone in my block was NOT moving (aside from hand movements when the key point of a choreo came). The pit is also not moving because they're pressed together. It's def strange listening to dance/electro music and seeing people NOT move. But that's just the way it goes and says more about me than the others.

However, sometimes I was raising my hands above my head like this 🤟🤘🤙👈👏 (BECAUSE IT'S A CONCERT) and the girl behind me asked me to stop doing that because it blocked her camera. I was so shocked that I obliged, but at any other concert I would've started arguing.

But honestly, everone was just so happy and energetic. The three hours flew by, because for so many it was the first time seeing k-pop IRL. You really felt how much this meant to everyone. I didn't even hear anyone complaining about the rain.

Lastly, being tall rules lmao. I was on the tribune so no one was blocking my view anyway, but I was TOWERING over these people and I'm only 172cm. A girl stepped fully in front of me to film (let's not talk about it) and I still had no issues seeing the idols. So... be tall lol. Or wear platform sneakers.

Conclusion

Overall, I had a really great time and it was truly unforgettable. Definitely worth the time and money. My only wish is that people loosen up a little bit more so that we're actually dancing to dance music.

[starfieldcanvas]

So if it's not Paladin of Souls, which is the Lois McMaster Bujold book you talked about in your notes? I'm curious 😊

The Sharing Knife! It's a four-book fantasy series in a setting based on the Great Lakes region. I was clueless enough the first time around (and so heavily used to vague-medieval-renaissance-Europe-expy fantasy settings) I didn't realize it the first time I read the series, but it's very obvious once you think about it at all, and sometime in the last two years my library updated the audiobook covers from the original "beautiful high-effort romance novel painting where they're both white" style to the "expressionless racially ambiguous cutouts that make the setting explicit" style:

(These are the same book.)

It's a story about fantasy Native Americans ("Lakewalkers") and fantasy white settlers ("farmers"). The actual cosmology and history of the fantasy world is very different from our own—everyone is native to the same continent, and have been living in roughly the same area for at least a few hundred years—so the politics of settler vs. native don't actually apply in the same way. However, the tension of "people who share the land" vs "people who parcel off the land to sell" is still very present, as is the tension of quasi-nomadic groups with seasonal camp rotations vs. people who stay in place and build large towns with industrial capacity.

And then, of course, there's the magic. The Lakewalkers have limited hereditary magic powers, plus magic monsters they're sworn to fight; the farmers have no magic and no defense against it either. Farmers tend to mistrust Lakewalkers and misunderstand Lakewalker magic; Lakewalkers keep the secrets of their powers under wraps and often look down on farmers as a kind of invasive pest species. As I mentioned in my tags, Lakewalkers' most important magical tools involve someone choosing the time of their death—though typically only when already dying of terminal illness, old age, or a mortal wound.

If you love the movie Ever After like I do, you may remember the part where Danielle says to Leonardo, "A bird may love a fish, Signore, but where would they live?" The Sharing Knife is a series about a bird (Lakewalker) and a fish (farmer) that get engaged halfway through the first book and then spend the next three and a half books figuring out where the hell they're going to live...and slowly realizing they may have to remake society in order to find their place in it.

Even the book where they first get together is not really what you'd call a romance novel, but every book in the series is a lot more focused on a central romantic relationship than most fantasy adventure books, so it's interesting from a genre perspective. "Established relationship" is normally my second-least favorite AO3 (my least favorite being major character death) but the political and magical worldbuilding, and the family dynamics on both sides, kept me very invested even with the amount of meandering domesticity on display throughout the books.

There are some potential triggers to ask about if you have common trauma triggers, and the main romance has a pretty big age gap, which I know is a turn-off for some. But if you ever found yourself asking "why is the Wizarding World's excuse for keeping muggles in the dark so fucking flimsy?" or "how the hell does Wei Wuxian stand living in the Cloud Recesses when most of Lan Wangji's sect hates him?" or "why aren't more fantasy authors as obsessed with craft skills as Tamora Pierce" or "why aren't there more permanently disabled fantasy protagonists who actually have to cope with the limitations created by their disability?" or "why aren't there more fantasy protagonists who genuinely lack magical powers?" then this may be the book series for you.

[pacific-rimbaud]

Hi! I'm curious regarding Panville's dynamic on RoT. You write that they basically never argue and some of their disagreements get sorted out quickly (barring the one before the accident ofc). And that 5 years later, they're still deeply in love and shagging constantly. It's so beautiful but I guess I've become jaded with mainstream media (and some of the marriages/relationships i've been around) but do you think that's really possible? Not without hard work, but is it attainable and realistic?

I meant for Remember One Thing to be something lovely and beautiful and escapist to sink into. I write this ship because they're incredibly soft and fill me with so much warmth and happiness when I'm inhabiting their world in my imagination. All of our escapist outlets are so different, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to put something out there that is maybe a little different or niche for people who enjoy it.

But also . . . extremely long-ass rant under the cut.

I can't find the source right now, but apparently when Terry Pratchett was a very young journalist he interviewed older married couples to ask their secrets to a long marriage. One of the couples straight up said they stayed happy because they had a ton of sex throughout their marriage and still did. There's also that kind of wild essay Ayelet Waldman wrote for the NYT about how much sex she and Michael Chabon were still having after four children, among other sentiments. People do experience a confluence of high libido and sustained admiration and attraction. It helps to partner with a sexy, kind, capable person who's a great communicator and does genuinely equitable domestic labor, which is what I've written.

And as far as fighting goes, that's down to a lot of things that I won't get into, but it's 100% possible. My three kids never fight. They have very rare arguments/hurt feelings over resources ("Who ate the last of the rice crackers?" kind of thing), but they resolve their conflicts quickly and respectfully and have never, ever sought to hurt one another physically or emotionally. This has nothing to do with my parenting, it's just them, for whatever reason. It's so marked and consistent that they're disturbed by sibling conflict in media, and don't understand why their friends hate their siblings.

It's a joke in my house to call me Spock because I live in my rational brain most of the time. It has drawbacks, but one perk is that I find it very easy to approach conflict with a cooperative problem-solving mentality vs. a win-lose mentality. I really cannot overstate how life-altering that is. And I actually do think that it's possible for almost anyone to become good enough at communication and secure enough in their sense of self to have a very low-friction partnership.

Tl;dr: it's absolutely possible to not fight with the people you live with, and it's possible to not hate your spouse. I will say that I see more genuine friendship, mutual regard and happiness in queer relationships than I do in straight ones.

So my answer to: is this possible? Attainable? Realistic? is yes and no. Remember One Thing is heterosexual monogamist escapism, meant to simply enjoy for those who are into it. I also absolutely think it's possible to sustain a super active sex life across the lifespan of a monogamous partnership. It's also possible to not fight (I don't mean not disagree or work though differing opinions, that's just life). Is it likely to find both of those things in a partnership? Plus whatever else we may want—successful careers, healthy, connected parenting, physical health and well-being, hobbies, extended family connections, travel? That's a ton of pressure and a BUNCH of separate social problems we shouldn't feel responsible for personally solving or attaining. Also kind of funny how under predatory capitalism security and satisfaction are not enough (are in fact antithetical to the pursuit of profit). Any aspect of our lives that isn't peak and ideal is framed as a problem with a market-based solution. There's an app to optimize all of this. Click to accept the unfettered use of your data in perpetuity.

The thing about the relationship in Remember One Thing isn't that it's ideal, it's that it's peaceful. It's marked by a high level of metta, or lovingkindness: connectedness; openness; mutual goodwill; benevolence. It's emotionally non-violent. One of my all-time favorite authors is E.M. Forster, a gay man who wrote about queer joy long before that was a term and whose existence was criminalized during his lifetime. There's this famous line in A Room with a View: " . . .  by the side of the everlasting Why there is a Yes—a transitory Yes if you like, but a Yes." Remember One Thing is about a Yes relationship. It's safe to be vulnerable. That vulnerability engenders trust, which makes it possible to stay open. It's a virtuous cycle.

Why don't we think we can have that? And for those who want sex, why do we feel like silly, secure, fun, connected sexual intimacy that we genuinely enjoy and regularly seek from a partner is unrealistic? So much of what we think is normal about partnership is actually centuries-worth of radioactive institutional abuse and exploitation. We covertly and overtly frame relationships in terms of power, performance, and extraction. What do I get from this relationship vs. I get to hang out with you. That's no way to live. I have to believe it's attainable to find that person or people who feel like a sweet, sexy Yes and treat them with grace and kindness. Otherwise what's the point?

[wolame-o-ccx]

High&Low character dynamics I greatly enjoy

( but canonically they don't exist/have enough screen time/something along those lines )

Had this in my drafts for a while but took a while in getting around to actually posting it.

1 - Rocky + Hyuga

I'm throwing out the fact I ship them away from this analysis so it's like a more general thing.

Vague + indifferent is so interesting and not a popular trope but it works, and it works with them. It's also how they're so different and yet so similar at the same time. Had they become friends, I think they'd both try and sort of uncover things about each other, Hyuga because Rocky is mysterious in general and he isn't usually curious, but he is about Rocky and Rocky because Hyuga is just interesting (crazy) to him. They would have this dynamic where they're sort of mature? Around each other? If that makes sense IDK. They're serious, but casual at the same time.

When they're together, here'd be some kind of warm silence and it's quiet but not because they dont know how to talk to each other, but because they're simply comfortable with each other, like they trust each other.

Rocky accepts Hyuga's insanity (or passion, he calls it) and Hyuga enjoys Rocky's mellow sort of demeanor and finds comfort in him that way.

2 - Cobra + Rocky/Hyuga/Murayama

Cobra has touched all three of their lives some way or another. With Rocky, he was persistent and helped out in fighting against Doubt. Rocky must've gained a large amount of trust in Cobra after that. He even tells Cobra that he appreciated his help, and when does Rocky ever really compliment people, especially men? With Hyuga, I think he would think Cobra is tough and likes how stubborn he is and he respects that. After everything he's seen and experienced, he probably respects Cobra himself on a different level, and maybe even trusts him. And Murayama, we all know the story. Cobra made Murayama question and find himself. In the end, Murayama went to Cobra to talk after deciding that, oh, I'm done with fighting. I'm tired and I need to talk to a friend. I could honestly write a whole novel about them and I can understand why people ship them (though I don't myself). It's also the way all three of these guys were so worried about Cobra when he went missing and how they were looking for him so restlessly. Who needs therapy when you have Cobra?

3 - Hyuga + Murayama

I'm aware of them being a ship, and I somewhat enjoy it because I can see and understand why although I still prefer them platonically.

They're what you expect would be a loud duo, but they're not (not exactly) and it's interesting. Like, they'd totally bicker with one another and have dumb arguments and call each other stupid like siblings, but I also think they'd have those quiet moments where they're genuinely talking about serious stuff. Cobra had changed their perspectives in things they had problems with, Murayama and his immaturity (?) and Hyuga with his thirst for revenge, both ending up moving on from that and changing their views. I can see them casually hanging out and catching up with each other and giving each other life advice (yes, life advice from Hyuga, believe it or not) while simultaneously berating each other. They have a fun dynamic to think about and honestly wished they explored more on them because they're really interesting and equally complex.

4 - Hyuga + Sakyo + Ukyo + Kato

God Daruma makes me so UGH. These four are so silly. They're like.. genuinely such great friends I don't know how else to put it. I want them to have more screen time but I know I'll never get it. I can't put into words just how great of friends they are because they're so perfect, like, they're just.. great friends. They are so extremely loyal to each other and dedicated to each other that they make me want to explode into a million pieces. How even after “exacting their revenge on former Mugen members” mission, they stuck together because they found this sort of family with each other.

5 - Koo + SMG

I've seen the very miniscule part of the fandom somewhere talking about how Koo is like SMG’s mom and I love the idea so much 😭 just Koo taking care of these four guys like they're his kids. I like to think in DTC Rocky and Koo packed the lollipops they ate in the movie as if they were parents packing their kids’ lunch bags. I DONT KNOW ITS SO CUTE. SMG probably causes a lot of trouble for Koo so they'd kill anyone for him and Koo is just naturally protective, but especially for SMG.

[lune-yaks]

Happy 30th anniversary, Animaniacs.

I'm late, but this wonderful show is worth 20 minutes of my time writing a long ass paragraph.

~°•○●°•○●°•○●°•○●°•○●°•○●°•○●°•○●°•○●°•○●~

I discovered Animaniacs on February 2019. I was 14. My mom hummed the theme song in the kitchen, I got curious and asked about it. She got exited, and pulled out her phone to show me an extract.

I fell in love with it. The animation, the characters, the songs, the humor, the dynamic. And I only saw a 3 minutes extract. After that, I immediatly bought the DVD of season 1, in french. The small obsession started to fade, and went in a forgotten corner of my brain.

Until, in March 2021, I got lost on Youtube and a video caught my eye. It was an extract of the first episode of the reboot. And everything came rushing back to me. How I fell in love with this show, these characters and forgot about it. It was like rediscovering it over and over again. I informed my mom, and she was very sceptical as most reboots of old shows are not that great, or lack the magical charm of the original. I watched the whole reboot (stan Soap2day because France doesn't have Hulu yay)....and we loved it. So many 90s kids (and my my mom) were straight up back into childhood, and for the first time in many years, felt the same spark they used to feel watching the original.

I was overjoyed, and remembered I have only watched the first season of the original. So I bought the rest of tve DVD, and watched all of it in two days. In both French and English (I always prefer VOs though). Starting from there, I never forgot about them again. The obsession stuck with me and never left. The only time it got slightly put to the side was when I got a new hyperfixation, but it was still there and strong.

This show did so much for me that I can't even describe. It saved me in a way and it still does. It showed me, that it!s okay to be different. It's okay to not fit in the norm and be weird. And even if the majority doesn't like you, the right people will. Take the Warners siblings : They are practically hated and rejected by almost everyone in-universe. Everyone...exept us. We love them. They brought us all together. They made the fandom a weird online family, in a way. Yakko Wakko and Dot feel like my best friends, my heroes. I relate to them to the point I feel it physically, I genuinely feel a real connexion. Like, my heart swells from how much I love and relate to them. And no matter the amount of comfort characters I have, they will never compare to those three. I own them so much. It's crazy as we as fans, as a fandom, are able to make them live, despite them being fictionnal characters. They are so much more than that.

Happy Anniversary, Yakko, Wakko and Dot. I love you three, your show might be over (for now at least), but you keep living just as much.

💜🩵🩷

[lavenoon]

Luce. Luce. Luce.

Your Eclipse is precious beyond compare and I love him so much

Ahhh, ok, ok, just the start of the chapter makes me really soft, because we as the readers now Robin's high anxiety from witnessing it across the chapters, but it occurs to me that Sun and Moon have only really gotten to see it when it was pretty bad until recently, now that they are a thing.

But now it's easier for them to see the true anxiousness manifesting itself on something not life threatening or ground shaking as was the reveal. So Sun trying to be reassuring even if a little amused that they would be so nervous about meeting Eclipse (because he knows him) just makes me melt a little.

And kfjdhkgjh of course Eclipse was scheming since before they arrived XD In a way being so much taller would probably make him a tad more intimidating than expected haha, but I can only imagine the whiplash between the yanking, the suspicious locking of the door, and then the very serious business tone of asking help with a prank kfjhdgjfhd

(Sidenote: Sun being all worried because of y/n clearly was so nervous and Eclipse just pulling something unexpected when he was probably planning a more mellow introduction IS pretty sweet, and the fact that he calmed down when he heard them laughing haha)

oh, did I detect some hint of that brotherly tension that first moment when Sun entered the room? A mood that Robin understandably would miss because really XD Though I feel that them calling Sun out on forgetting the key lightened the mood immediately from whatever tension that might had appeared.

Ahhh, it must have been very interesting for Eclipse to see that dynamic between Sun and y/n! It's always been them and outsiders that they would mostly be polite to, so seeing how they interact with this obviously important person in their lives must have him very curious, because until now he has only had what they told him about Robin.

Hehe, the "don't enable each other too much" X3 Sun really did know how well they would get along huh? Similar chaotic energies

The whole duck deal had me cackling

Just y/n so eager to get in on it, happy with the relief, and promising to continue the prank even at home XD New bestie unlocked kdfjghsñk

Ahhh, but definitely what got to me the most was them admitting that they were so unsure about the meeting. Eclipse asking if he's too much (something that he must have heard before and that Robin has definitely heard before, especially at their job, and can relate to) just had me griping my heart for this boy. And then after y/n reassures him that they were afraid of not being nearly enough in his eyes, and Eclipse probably had so much that he wanted to say about his own worries, but rather than doing that and going a mile a minute it's much more straightforward to just show them, and just the fact that he researched what they would need for traveling, even though that would mostly fall on his brothers to handle, and then what "normal" people would do in this occassion?

AND the fact that the online advice must not have included anything of what he did do, which means he ended choosing that genuine approach instead of just following what might have been the "safe" route! Just auuugh, he's so cute, but also so genuine and I'm so glad he chose to be himself so that Robin could see him as he is. There's been enough not saying stuff in their life, so this upfront approach was definitely what they all needed.

I enjoyed this chapter, so so much, Luce! I can see those two walking away from that visit very happy that they met the other!

Very chef kiss! Great chapter as always! ^_^

Ah yes, time to dig in!

And yeah, it was fun to explore this new dynamic post confession (and already more than a few dates in, but just saying post confession is easier)! We had a couple heart to hearts post reveal, but all of those worries and anxieties were between the three of them, and mostly they understood/ related because of either matching or similar anxieties.

This is something where Sun and Moon know there's nothing to fear, so while they still sympathize and want Y/N to feel reassured, they can't help but think it's a bit funny. Even Y/N realizes it's ridiculous, but they also can't help the feeling! So we get some soft smiles and reassurance, and it doesn't fix everything, but they still feel better!

Y/N: Oh god what if he hates me Eclipse: God I hope I have a moment to talk to them in private before everything for the ultimate duck prank

Sun at least is pretty sure Eclipse's place hasn't been compromised, so it's not too serious of an issue - but he just hears a squeak, turns to find no beloved partner and a locked door, still has to grab the bags first because neither would want someone else to call the elevator and perhaps rifling through them, and then he just hears quiet murmuring as he tries to get the door open. The plan was the proper thing - introduce them to each other, exchange a few pleasantries, and carry on with the evening. The yanking changed those up a little, but at least the laughter reassures him that Y/N isn't currently breaking down or clamming up, and grants him enough awareness to remember that he owns a key to the door in his way.

There is some tension - but it's a bit of a mixed bag. Sun and Moon have already started being more open with Eclipse, and have been in steady contact for a couple months now. Four, five months, maybe a bit more. So there's mostly the old sting of "Eclipse forgot, because we haven't visited him in so long" and also "I forgot, too, because we haven't visited him in so long." Y/N picks up on that hint of embarrassment, and calls him out on it, which ends up being the ideal direction to take this conversation. It dodges the "but why did we forget" line of thinking, and focuses on the fun of it all

Eclipse was very much aware of how biased his brothers are, and what sort of soft spot they have for Y/N. Otherwise he wouldn't have planned the prank like that - but seeing Y/N too, seeing that dynamic in action, that's different. He hasn't seen his brothers in so long, and he not only gets to meet them and dodge the awkwardness they used to have thanks to the new person in the mix, but also realizes they are (part of/ indirectly) the reason his brothers changed so much. There's who motivated Sun and Moon to reach out more, and it's very easy to say how they managed to do that.

Sun, eternally suffering, drags out the bag grabbing just so the switch happens and it's Moon who has to deal with it. Moon meanwhile doesn't even need a lot of context - just a "... Eclipse grabbed our love for some private talking" and Moon already knows that something is coming. Doesn't know what, but something.

And the ducks yeah! I'm not a prank person, I went through soo many lists of pranks but some were either something Eclipse wouldn't need help with and it would be hard to find even a suitable pretense, or something food related which obviously wouldn't work, or just straight up mean. But I remembered the plastic babies around school post, and a couple similar pranks, so I went with that! and thus the duck theme for the chapter was born fhjds

Y/N of course is a menace and already thinking of leaving little ducks in Sun and Moon's work office, too. Moon starts hiding them back at some point, while Sun just collects them all and tries to hide them where Y/N can't find. They always do <3

And yeah, the bit of genuine heart to heart! It was still very very necessary to address, and Eclipse felt safer asking them in a private moment. Something Y/N does get - Sun and Moon would immediately reassure them both, but it's not the same! They need to hear it from the person they're worried about! They both try very hard, because Sun and Moon are so important to them both, and thus they want to impress the other.

Eclipse in particular knows that while he means well, he often just. Doesn't leave a good impression. People think he's too direct, or too oblivious, think he's childish for it, all while being seen as too much. He tries to prepare as well as he can - he wants to prepare everything to be as comfortable as possible, he makes sure there's all sorts of things that Y/N may not have thought to bring because they may not need them, and he wants to have a few back up plans in case he has no idea what to say.

And the thing is. He doesn't disregard any of it! Those plans are still there, he still has read them all! But he thought to prank his brothers, and then realized how much funnier it would be if he enlisted Y/N's help, and without even thinking that this is exactly what he thinks other people might interpret as "too much", he decides to do that! And then has to realize that "Y/N who is nervous to meet me" and "Y/N the potential prank accomplice" are in fact one and the same person. He can't help being genuine, he's not used to masking (good for him!) and it's a constant effort to remember to try, and he slips!

Y/N knows a bit about him from Sun and Moon, and they had their own issues with not being accepted for who they are, even if their crumbs of neurodivergency are different from Eclipse's. They get it, and they definitely get the anxiety of not measuring up to expectations, so it's easy to reassure him. They don't even need to say it, neither of them - they just admit to their own anxieties, and realize that it was a mutual fear, and that's already instant reassurance. Because if they're the same in the anxiety department, they're also the same in the "after the anxiety, I'm so looking forward to knowing this person" department.

Y/N in particular had a whole year of secrecy and not being able to just say things directly, and has very much enough of that. They know the effects it can have, and while being open is still new, they try, and it's perfect timing because that what works best for Eclipse, too.

It was a lot of fun to write this, and have them officially meet - we had the tease of it coming up in "As The Crow Flies (They Stall)", but I read through early Eclipse lore again and just. had to write the actual meeting, so I'm very happy it's fun for everyone!

[5and3nevermind]

Sorry if you want to wait on getting this information until after the poll is over but, if not, I wanted to share some thoughts about how I feel about my take on Yoonmin. As you mentioned, none of us know for sure about the nature of their relationship outside of what they show us and bits we've been told by others, so I never feel confident saying/believing in romantic relationships.

There were two options on your poll that I think I fall into though, the I like it as a 'ship' option, whether I believe it's real or not doesn't really change the fact that I enjoy anything that looks 'shippy' when it shows up, I get a lot of joy from ship content and do enjoy the thought of them as a couple.

But I ended up having to choose Close Friends, because no matter how reluctant I am about saying I know for sure about the nature of someone's relationship, there is something about these two that from the moment I first was getting into BTS and saw their interactions, both as the main subject of the camera as well as what was going on between them in the background I remember thinking 'oh, those two are best friends'. I soon realized that the majority of the fandom didn't really see them that way, but I'll always maintain, regardless of whether it's romantic or platonic, those two are way closer than just the way all BTS members are close with each other. There is a genuine friendship that exists outside of the group between them that I feel like I can see between them.

So, I had to go with Close friends, but I'm not opposed to the 'close friends leaning to lovers' option that was suggested either.

Thank you! This is super helpful. My purpose for creating the poll was to better understand how people who are seeking out yoonmin content actually feel about them.

I should probably wait for the poll results but I’ll go ahead and give my two cents. For a long time, I felt similar to what you’re describing: I thought they hovered very close to the line between platonic and romantic. I think two things pushed me over to the romantic end of the spectrum (of course this is just my opinion)… ⚠️ speculation ahead!

First, I felt that they were both fulfilling the role of “special person” for one another. Like Jimin calling Yoongi right after his surgery, before he’d fully gotten over the anesthesia. If Yoongi had a significant other, wouldn’t Jimin have left that role to them? Let them talk to him first? Figured Yoongi was in good hands? And it’s not just that one example; I see it other places as well. And it goes in both directions. Like Yoongi saying that if Jimin goes on the music shows “of course” he would be there. He “should be there”, even. As if it was a given. Not a friendly, “yeah I’ll try to stop by.”

And the second thing that solidified my views was the web show. Everything about it. I remember talking to a friend about it and we began to wonder, “what more could they have done?” We came up with “Not much!” They talked about their dynamic together, talked about spending time off camera, talked about mutual friends, expressed a great deal of familiarity and fondness…and the body language! They held hands multiple times! What more could they (reasonably) have done to show us their bond? It felt significant.

All of that said, I see the people who voted in the Close Friends category and our new Close Friends Leaning to Lovers category as being very similar to those in the Couple category. There honestly isn’t much difference. We agree on most things; we agree on the important things.

I have so many questions I’d love to discuss, but I’ll try to wait til the poll is finished! I hope you’ll stop by again. I’m curious to know more about how people end up in those three categories in particular, and what it would take to move them to a new category. (Not in the sense of me trying to convince someone to change their mind, but in the context of what they’d need to see between ym in order to change their pov.)

Thanks, anon! I appreciate your thoughts.

[hekatekun]

yaoi was horrendous this week genuinely great job i am always obsessed with your uncanny ability to put todomatsu under a magnifying glass and burn him like an ant ^__^ cannot wait for chapter 5!!! i noticed a change in direction though particularly in how you characterize todomatsu's interactions w atsushi which i really liked!! i am curious though what prompted it :33

thank you^^<3 there's probably a few different reasons both intentional and unintentional. to start, ccckk will have 10 chapters, however in its original "outlining" i intended to have 9 chapters

i've shared my hyperlinked table of contents on a few different posts now, mostly as cockteasers. but also i literally don't think i could navigate the google doc without it atp

i think theres like 30k of it published? so there's on average at least 1-2k worth of a scene in all 6 of the unpublished chapters that i've chipped away at over the last 3 years, bc ofc some are more developed than others. there's never been a solid outline for ccckk but rather a string of scenes i knew i wanted at certain intervals, like milestones, and i had wanted to retro-engineer the rest around those concepts

with that in mind, ch10 isn't a real chapter but more like a coda i wrote right after publishing ch1 and so the rest has been "how do i move the story from ch1 to this epilogue?" the plot is only in the first 9 chapters, so i structured it with three "acts" in mind and tried to have the chapter titles reflect that - both for my own amusement and to ground the ideas better lest i forget what wasn't written yet. so if ch4 starts "act 2" then it should show off that shift. but also, i never intended ccckk to be a slowburn, more like a...... medium burn ig? it's supposed to be a todomatty character study first and foremost, after all

each chapter should feel episodic to some extent, since i paced it on individual chapter "goals" rather than wordcount or anything (tbh i actually thought i would only ever hit ~50k total but if i'm not even halfway done and i'm at 30k now? jesus fuck. fuck me. what the fuck did i do.) if i've planned/structured the story like i'm fitting individual glass pieces into a metal frame, then by god you're gonna get the yaoi-est stain-glass art you've ever seen outside church in your life. it's why ch4 utilizes something like a montage, to show that ~passage of time~ and what that did to their dynamic now in this act 2

as to what that situationship dynamic actually ended up looking like on the big screen, i definitely blame @moeatsushi's art for that one^^ a lot of it made me realize i could definitely make them..... messier? nastier? gayer? [insert tumblrbait adjective]? for a lack of a better word. and that i could balance That with the surrealist realism that i wanted to achieve when translating the show into prose. also helped me get out of a general writer's block<3

beyond all that, i think part of it comes from me now being 23 writing yaoi instead of writing yaoi at 20. not that my brains developed any more, but my opinions have changed. like, to the point i find it hard to read the previous chapters when i have to reference them. ch1 really is a mark of shame to me ngl only god knows how i wouldve wrote it now. i had a friend look at it a few weeks ago and they called that shit "college freshmen posting on wattpad" 😓 which is already how i felt about it but whatever. post and move on. i (probably) won't repost/edit since that's more work that no one's paying me for, and it (probably) isn't as bad as my perfectionist monkey brain feels. anyway this isn't about being emo it's my precursor to admitting that there's a good chance i went off script bc i refused to look super close at my own goddamn source material/notes and decided winging it was better out of a mixture of laziness and pride at the cost of tighter consistency/characterization

[system-of-a-feather]

How does that work? A fiancé that is. Do like all of you date him, or just the one? I genuinely do not know how it works.

I was laughing over how I got a couple of asks about DID from the curious Moon Knight fandom and had to show him this and he wanted me to reply with a joking "I'm Mormon so I'm okay with having multiple wives (acceptable misgendering for the joke)" which he is not but- obligatory had to pass it on.

It really actually isn't that complicated in my opinion? Maybe I've just gotten really used to it and a lot of my peers that I talk to online also have DID or are partners with someone with DID, but its really just like having individual relationships with different people.

Some of our parts are dating him, some of our parts see him as a life partner / platonic partner, some of us have unclear relationships, some of us have fwb dynamics, and some of our child parts see him something like a big brother / dad of sorts. He pretty much gets to know each part and respects the parts as individuals and at this point into the relationship (6~ years) - and having been 4 years into active treatment for DID with him here - its almost like he is part of the system itself from our perspective.

Plus he has actually gotten amazingly well at identifying each part by simple facial expressions, ways the body is held, minor pitch changes, word choices, snickers, laughs, smiles, and he can pretty much decently accurately guess who is out from far away which is frustrating but really wholesome.

I was the main one that he started dating at first and then it was a blur of like, parts unofficially interacting / talking with him since we didn't know we had DID properly at the time, and then some other parts that formally knew him interacting and all that. Over the 6~ years each part has a unique dynamic with him and its pretty chill. Sometimes he helps facilitate communication between each of us or helps mediate conflict. Like one of my parts has been having a hard time with trauma, dysphoria, and depression to the point he hasn't really had the ability to have the energy to take out the guitar from the bag and set it up which is one of his larger which he commented to our fiance - and he later, when he heard I was out - he reminded / suggested that I should go set that up for him since I can.

He's great and a real amazing help and honestly couldn't ask for anyone better to be my significant other. Things kinda suck cause we are on and off again long distance due to college so we only get to physically be around each other during breaks, but theoretically we should be almost done with that so hopefully we can move in together soon.

Honestly dating with DID really isn't that hard or complex if you have a partner that is good with communication, understanding, mature (in like, responsibility, I would die before I called my fiance mature in personality, he makes fart and poop jokes regularly), and just generally a good reliable person. Its a very different / atypical relationship dynamic, but its a very enjoyable dynamic for the both of us.

If you are curious on more, I have tagged in the past some previous posts / asks about DID and relationships over here in my relationships tag. A lot of it is probably outdated so do take it with a grain of salt since I haven't heavily used this blog for like a year and a half - but there might be some things that might interest you.

...

oh and I was looking in the tags from two or three years ago (we have like 18 parts, he knows and interacts with about half of them) when my fiance was taking asks though this blog and someone asked what it is like to date us and his reply was

"It’s like dating someone who is wonderful and awesome who has 7 identical twins that they swap with intermittently and you have to be able to tell the difference between them all because not all of them see you in that way

Also one is British for some reason so that makes figuring it out easier

It is also a lot of letting [them] vent into the void of messenger and realizing whatever I’m going to say isn’t gonna do too much to help” -Fiance

-Riku (Host)

[karasunology]

⸙ ˚₊ ➷ NEKOMA WITH A SHY! ANXIOUS AND ASTHMATIC MANAGER ! ❞

✎ . . . hello since your requests are open may i request vbc teams (karasuno, nekoma and shiratorizawa) + shy manager with anxiety and asthma? i rlly am hungry for some team dynamics and your work is amazing so if you may? YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT THOUGH!

❝ ― submitted by @ nonnie <3 ❞

-ˏˋ ➶ character(s) ━ nekoma vbc <3

[ trigger warnings ━ none ]

✎ . . . TEAM MANAGER HEADCANONS.

[ other parts coming soon . . . ]

NEKOMA VBC.

➜ after finding out about karasuno having TWO managers now,

➜ like they  m u l t i p l i e d ✖➗➕➖

➜ and with taketora's failure of recruiting one,

➜ kuroo was PRACTICALLY BEGGING YOU to be their manager

➜ his reasons being and i quote; “ giving more motivation to the team ” and of course “ to show those bastards the sanctity of nekoma ”

➜ and rooster boi was a determined person, once he sets his mind to something ─ he will do everything to attain it

➜ you knew kuroo ever since you first started first year with him, the both of you quietly competing against each other on your collage preparatory class but soon grew closer to be called friends

➜ but he'd always call you his rival even though it was lowkey one-sided

➜ and after hearing that the club you joined in this year, just for the sake of joining; disbanded, and kuroo was UNASHAMED to ask of you to be the manager of their team

➜ it's been two ever since nekoma had a manager and he was TIRED™ of not having one and it was already his last year playing

➜ you having no other reasons to object, you agreed, but not without asking in a small voice to help you introduce yourself to the team

➜ you were shy to new people ─ hell, even after knowing him for three years you would still get shy around him

➜ and because of that, kuroo was already one step ahead of everything;

➜ talking to the reliable third years ─ kai and yaku, about looking out for you explaining your slight anxiety and asthma problems

➜ homeboy would have a team meeting just to discuss and announce about a new female manager

➜ YAMAMOTO DEAD ASS DROPPED ON HIS KNEES WITH TEARS ON HIS EYES AND PRAISED WHOEVER GAVE HIM THIS OPPORTUNITY

➜ the third years weren't shocked, since kuroo already had a word with them seperately

➜ LEV, BABY BOY WAS ECSTATIC, HE WAS ALWAYS IN FOR THE IDEA OF MEETING SOMEONE NEW

➜ kuroo knew that lev would be ALL UP ON HER FACE if he doesn't do anythibg about it, so he threatened on benching him if he ever does something to scare away this ONE CHANCE of having a real girl manager

➜ fukunaga was curious to say the least, he wondered how it would be like to have a girl manager helping them around since it's always him and yaku

➜ inuoka, being the bubbly boy he is, was excited to have a female manager, since it is his first year in the vbc

➜ kenma was just straight up vibin, he already knew alot about everything he needed to know about you because of kuroo

➜ but still listened as he played with his psp

➜ shibayama and tamahiko were neutral about it honestly, satisfied because their team needed a bit more motivation if they wanted to win nationals

➜ kuroo just wanted to make you feel comfortable and safe with the team

➜ genuinely, the team didn't know how it would honestly flow with actually meeting their manager

➜ scared of scaring her off, they remained uncharacteristically toned down abit right before they meet you

➜ kuroo opened the metal doors to the volleyball gym, while peaking your pretty little head out to see where the members where; you were shocked to see them straightening their backs the second they saw your head peaking out from behind kuroo

➜ it was . . silent, and it was weird since, you've once secretly dropped by on their practices and they were evidently chaotic just by the sounds of their voices which echoed around the gym

➜ your palpitations slowed down a bit as you fully showed yourself to the members before flusteredly bowing at them

“ I HOPE WE CAN GET ALONG ”

➜ it was quiet for a second, before you hear sobbing as you lifted your head up to see yamamoto trying not to cry

“ this, this is my first time having a female manager . . . ” with snot drooling from his nose

➜ being the worried sweet senpai manager you are, you hurriedly took out your unused napkin from your pocket which you packed for the sole purpose of avoiding smoke; offering the napkin to him as it only made him burst into TEARS streaming down his face

➜ like that scene where the third years and second years bursted in tears when kiyoko put up their banner?

➜ yeah that

➜ but it's just taketora LMAOO

➜ before their captain could tell him off, a small laugh came out of you and kuroo just looked at you like

➜ 👁👁

➜ kuroo : ma'AM DID YOU JUST ─

➜ cue kuroo also dying inside because YOU. RARELY. LAUGH.

➜ since you're more on the reserved side

➜ kai and yaku almost had to put their foot down because now you have broken their captain until you spoke out

“ i was honestly anxious when you guys were quiet, since i've never seen you guys as serious whenever i try and drop by to look. ”

➜ in the end of the meeting you've got acquaintaned yourself with shibayama and inouka, though the former seemed a bit flustered.

➜ you've also hold a small conversation with kenma, the both of you kinda clicked right away since both of you were a bit shy aswell. while you listened to lev rambling excitedly, not noticing your slight trembling figure

➜ bECAUSE MANS WAS A WHOLE ASS ONE FOOT TALLER THAN YOU

➜ after meeting them, the team had already attached themselves in your heart

➜ baby girl you are ATTACHED

➜ though it was subtle but you've noticed how the boys really cared about you ─ bruh even coach nekomata since he has noticed that you are a great asset to the team

➜ if not yaku, kai would always remind you of taking your meds for your asthma if you ever have been prescribed one

➜ kenma would always be the first one to notice if you were ever tensed up or your anxiety was acting up

➜ since he's very perceptive and observant

➜ he'd grow a soft spot for you and if he ever sees you stressed, he'd let you borrow his psp

➜ shibayama, inouka, fukunaga and tamahiko would ALWAYS help you carry stuff around because they don't want your asthma to act up or else tHEY WILL ACT UP

➜ fukunaga would always tell you his jokes since now he finally has someone to tell them to whenever he's in the sidelines watching the others play

➜ yamamoto would PROTECT you from any dangers, like literally, mans knew he was done for the day you gave him your napkin 👁👄👁

➜ you're literally one of the first girls he isn't shy to talk to and one of the first girls to not scurry away whenever he's near

➜ as i said, yaku would BE YOUR MOTHER, he'd one step ahead with having extra masks for you on his bag and an extra inhaler he borrowed from you in case you have forgotten yours

➜ LEV, KUROO & YAMAMOTO ARE YOUR BODY GUARDS AND THAT'S ON PERIODT😡💅

➜ period. periodt. periodism. periodic table.

➜ would not let any guy from other teams come your way and bother you while being the good manager you are

➜ and while doing so, shows you off as they are basically saying “ this is the sanctity of nekoma, you bastards wish you were us. ”

➜ these boys CARE FOR YOU like alot and they love it when you reciprocate their love

➜ whenever you surprise them every other day with their favourite snacks despite always being anxious of looking at the eyes of the guy on cash register,

➜ always having their towels and waterbottles ready for them to use after practice

➜ giving them clarity of mind before a match and whenever the non-regulars start to feel insecure

➜ overall, they'd be the sweetest boys of yours that would give and likely to give you the world to you as you would to them😡💝

-ˏˋ playing soleil's tape ˊˎ-

[ 📼 ] . . . i'm crying bubs, y'all had me at 200 last night ?? um okay i didn't even know people like me enought to even follow me 🥺 y'all cute or whateva😳✋ i'm not even DONE WITH MY LOVE LANGUAGE HEADCANONS FOR 100 FOLLOWERS HSJSJDJ but here's a manger headcanons mini series one of my nonnie's requested for to celebrate 200 of you guys !! <33

[ 📼 ] . . . I also know a bit of about asthma because i also had experience with it when i was young, and my little brother still has them while i've already grown out of it.

[shipcestuous]

[1] I think Medici is a great series for shippers who like brother/brother stuff and political intrigue in a period setting. The first season, Masters of Florence, had Cosimo and Lorenzo, the sensitive artist and the party boy full of hidden angst, always supporting and staying loyal to each other until the circumstances eventually led Cosimo to suspect Lorenzo had betrayed the family, and Lorenzo to fear that Cosimo valued him less than and would replace him with his best friend/right-hand man.

[2] Season two, The Magnificent, has a similar dynamic with Cosimo's grandsons, the idealistic but conflicted Lorenzo and the cynical hedonist with a secret romantic side Giuliano, raised by a less manipulative and strict father but still feeling all the pressure that comes from being born into one of the most important and controversial families in town. They also have a sister, Bianca, but she doesn't get many shippy moments with either...

[3] The main focus of Bianca's arc is a Romeo and Juliet -type affair with Guglielmo Pazzi. The Pazzi family are bankers like the Medici family, and they're also their bitterest rivals. Anyway, the interesting thing here is that Guglielmo has an older brother, Francesco, and in a way, they follow the same scheme as the Medici brothers. They were raised by their uncle Jacopo, a ruthless man who did everything he could to put them against the Medici family and fan the flames of hatred and spite.

[4] Jacopo even tore Francesco and Lorenzo apart when they made friends as children, punishing Francesco so harshly for it, that he actually turned into the Medici brothers' rival and showed them nothing but contempt for year. But while his older brother turned cynical and wary, Guglielmo remained idealistic and innocent despite their uncle's influence, genuinely falling in love with Bianca and wishing for reconciliation between their families to be able to marry her and live happily with her.

[5] When Guglielmo and Bianca secretly elope and Lorenzo finally gives in to his sister's wishes and tries to find a way to get Jacopo to agree to their marriage, Jacopo obviously disapproves, tries to drive the couple apart, and decides to cut all contacts with Guglielmo if he won't cave in. And here comes the good part... because Francesco, while not really on board with Guglielmo's affair and elopement, loves him too much to let Jacopo mistreat him and push him away. And he's ready to act.

[6] Francesco, the nephew who followed Jacopo's directives and bought into his rivalry thing for years, suddenly turns his back on him and decides to side with Lorenzo during a very important vote. All for Guglielmo, as he scornfully says to Lorenzo when the latter tries to thank him for it. But then he actually reconciles with his old friend later on, making his brother's wish for unity and peace come true (... albeit briefly, because then Drama starts happening again). It's really sweet.

Cracky addendum to all the Medici stuff: I love to think that Lorenzo was so open to reconciliation with Francesco not only because he was on his family's side during a very important event and because they used to be friends as children, but also because he thought something like, "well, we didn't have a good relationship in years, but he's clearly still worth being friends with because he, too, loves his dumb, reckless siblings - I have someone to talk about Bianca and Giuliano with!"

Thank you for writing this up about Medici. I have never seen the series but I have always been curious about it. (I'm sorry you had to wait three years for my reply!)

It's sounds like the brothers shipping is first rate!

Cosimo and Lorenzo did come up once before, here. It seems like a brother/brother relationship that would have a lot of shippers. 

I like the sound of Francesco and Guglielmo in particular, when Francesco turns and stands up for his brother despite taking more after their uncle. That sounds like a great arc.