#it took me a while to realize this was probably about it being 100 years of irish independence

[setmeatopthepyre]

The martyrs of our revolution Their spinnin' caused the earth to shake The problem brought its own solution They power now the world we've made

After all, darlin', I wouldn't sell the world For all the gold or sterling If it falls, I would hold on for all it's worth The future's so bright it's burnin'

Sun comin' up on a dream come around One hundred years from the empire now

[gallusrostromegalus]

Might I inquire as to what, precisely, a Mustain't is? (Aside from a string of letters I hesitate to Google in that order.)

In October 2014 I went on a road-trip to the Driest Place In America.

I was having a rough year, very depressed from having dropped out of college for the third time. I decided a road trip was in order to re-set my brain and get a little distance. Being that it was October, and therefore all the campgrounds in the American Southwest were filled with people who have the good sense to camp in reasonable temperatures, I elected to take my parent's minivan so I could car-camp anywhere suitably isolated, and looked up some of the southwest's geographic extremes- the highest place I could drive to (Pikes Peak), the lowest place (Badwater Basin), and for fun, the Dryest Place in the continental US, which turned out to be the Pinacate Volcanic field just west of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. It gets rain maybe twice a century and has no standing water, despite being less than 100 miles from the gulf of California.

It's a startlingly beautiful and alien place. The ground is a deep chocolate brown to black volcanic sand, and in mid October, the rabbit brush is turning bright yellow as it shifts to autumn, the organ pipe cacti are a dark green and stand, partially concealed in the brush at exactly human height. The air is alive with birds and insects and bats at night. The stargazing is like looking into the eyes of God.

You get there by driving down a little dirt road called "El Camino Del Diablo", or "The Devil's Road".

I drove out about three hours from Glendale, AZ to get there, arriving at sunset, and felt a profound sense of peace. I stargazed, listening to the bats hunt and sing, and slept peacefully for the first time in months.

I stayed out there for three days, sketching and painting the landscape, taking strolls through this almost alien landscape, and enjoying the light and sound and total absence of human intrusion besides myself.

On the fourth night, it was a new moon, and I awoke in the middle of the night. Something was amiss, and it took me a while to realize it was because I could NOT hear the bats. I was sleeping inside the van with the rear windows rolled halfway down rather than trying to set up the tent, so I when I sat up, I looked out of the van's reflective windows to discover what at first appeared to be A Horse.

It was something between pale gray and bright white in the starlight, standing maybe a dozen feet from the van, sniffing curiously. It made sense- I was in the middle of mustang country and there was quite a bit of foliage in the area for it and it did look like a truly wild horse- lumpy where the bones were jutting out, dusty about the hooves and face.

I was instantly seized by the sort of paralytic fear Sleep paralysis is made of. I couldn't move. It wasn't quite looking at me because it couldn't quite see through the windshield into the shadowy into the shadowy interior, but I had the distinct impression that if I looked away, it would know, and get me.

I already had problems with horses. My beloved Aunt Helen's Prize mare tried to kill me on two separate occasions, and the year before I had to carry my sister-in-law backwards out of a slot canyon whilst reciting the Saint Crispin's Day Speech as loudly as possible to keep a mustang from trampling us to death.

This is approximately what it should have looked like:

Instead, it was... off. like trying to draw a horse from memory.

The waist tapered in.

The legs were slightly too long or the torso slightly too short, probably both.

The ears were Triangular.

The head wasn't quite right- Too narrow and the jaw wasn't heavy enough.

The tail was too long and arced unnaturally away from the body.

The neck arched.

The nostrils were too high and close

The mouth too long.

Whatever this is, a Mustang it Ain't.

I watched it from the back seat as it sniffed around the front of the van, curious with about the side mirrors. It moved around the van, nibbling experimentally on the front door handle. It came up to the side windows, sniffing like a dog, and it's breath didn't fog up the glass.

Finally, it came up to the rear window, which was rolled halfway down to let the fall night air in. Not even half a pane of glass and two feet of air between us, and I could clearly see it's bright blue eyes.

Horses have Elongated pupils to give them a wide field of vision, and eyes that rotate sideways in their sockets so the pupil remains parallel to the ground. Rather creepy to watch, especially the ones with blue eyes.

A real horse that was curious about the interior of the van would have come up to the window more or less sideways, and looked at me with something like this:

Instead, the damn thing walked up and faced the back window head on, staring back at me with this:

I'm not sure how long we watched each other like that, eyes locked. My eyes burned. I couldn't blink. My mouth was dry. I couldn't swallow. My throat began to ache. I couldn't make a sound. My skin began to twitch, like I was severely dehydrated. I couldn't move. My lungs burned. I couldn't move. I couldn't move. I couldn't move. I couldn't move.

Something was touching the side of my hand on the seat next to me. It's my water bottle.

The realization must have broken the terrible paralysis in the lower parts of my brain first, because by the time I consciously realized I could move again, I was already flinging my water bottle out the window at it.

The top was open, and splashed out the window at the Mustain't.

I've never heard such a scream out of an animal. Something halfway between the sound of unquenchable rage vibrating in someone's chest and the way rabbits cry out to God when the dogs catch them.

It jumped back, pivoting away from the van, snarling at the water bottle. I don't think you're supposed to be able to see All of a horse's teeth at once, no matter how angry it is.

I watched it run into the night for some distance, it's pale body visible against the black sand and the dark gray shadow of the ancient volcanic cone it was headed for.

When the blood stopped pounding in my ears, I could hear the bats again.

I debated leaving right then, but I didn't want to get out of the van with that thing in the area, nor litter by leaving the water bottle out there. I also had the awful idea that if I left now, it might somehow be able to follow me home. I ended up staying up three hours to watch the sunrise, shaking and trying to figure out if I'd woken up from a vivid dream, if my meds had stopped working, or if that had really happened. I didn't dare move until I actually felt the temperature rise, before stepping out of the van to grab the bottle. I had my camera ready- I was still using a DSLR back then- to take pictures of the hoofprints, to show how close it had gotten to the van.

No hoofprints.

Beetle tracks in the soft sand around the van, and the clear foot-and-wing prints of a bird that had hopped around then taken off. But no hoofprints.

I went over the entire campsite with the tent broom, to make sure I removed every scrap of evidence I had ever been there, including my footprints, grabbed my water bottle, and drove the three hours back back to Glendale, then decided to do seven more hours of driving to Moab, Utah just to put more than 500 miles, the state line and at least nine things that could be considered "running water" between me and the Mustain't.

-

I still have that water bottle. It has a dent in the bottom from hitting something, but that could have happened at any time. Strange thing though. I can't drink that bottle dry. I'll have it on me, drink whatever I've put in there- water, juice, iced coffee- and eventually feel like I've drunk the whole think and that it's empty. But I open it up and it's still at least a quarter full. I drink that. I get thirsty. I open it up again. ...and there's always a mouthful left.

Not sure what the side effects of drinking from a bottle cursed by a Mustain't to always have some left are, but it lives in the Emergency Breakdown Kit in my car now, just in case I meet another one.

---

(I'm a disabled artist and make my living telling stories, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi or Pre-order the Family Lore book on Patreon)

[munsonbrackets]

Astarion x undying male reader

Just imagine Astarion having to lure back someone who can’t die for Cazador. 

Like Cazador didn’t tell him anyone specific, just someone pretty, which you are. Undeniably.

So he lures you over from across the bar, gets to talking, does the chatting he usually does. And you are so nice to him, but he refuses to be locked in another coffin for 200 years for not doing what Cazador said, so he lures you to Cazador.

But just a small problem with you being lured to Cazador to be turned into a spawn. You are a random dude who just cannot die. Not in the “nothing can kill me, i'm unkillable and immortal!” kind of way. No. That would be too simple. You cannot die in the “bone snapping, skull shattering, viscera brought to life once more.” kind of way.

So when Cazador attempts to turn you, you just kinda wake up again. With all of your blood still in you and a REALLY pissed off true vampire looking at you. And Cazador tries, tries again, tries 100 more times and he just cannot turn you. 

And you really can’t be bothered to stay for another 100 trials, so you just leave, first chance you get. All of the spawn think you’re one of them, Cazador being too embarrassed to tell the truth. That he was too weak to turn you.

You leave Baldur’s gate, no need to have a pissed off old vampire coming after you. Especially not when all of his plates are silver, the dude has got money.

And a while later, when you get kidnapped and forced onto the nautiloid. You were scared for the first time in a long time. You had never had an illithid parasite put into your skull. The nautiloid then came crashing down and you were half expecting to just vomit it up. The other half of you wondering whether or not your affliction with death would prevent you from becoming a mind flayer. You always heard that mindflayers very much lacked in the soul category, maybe that’s why you could never stay dead?

But you decide to go at it, you’ve been gone from Baldur’s gate for a few 100 years, maybe someone there could help. On the way you find many companions, Gale of waterdeep, Lae’zel the githyanki, Shadowheart and the rest of your astounding group.

But most importantly, Astarion. Astarion the vampire spawn. Which the group found out about fast enough, specifically when he tried to bite you. You just could not tell whether or not he knew you. Recognized you.

That is until you and him sit alone, watching the stars. 

“You remind me an awful lot about someone I used to know.” Astarion practically whispered it out, seemingly unable to make up his mind whether or not he was gonna let the words out.

“Do I now? What was he like?” You mutter back, your eyes still fixated on the stars. But you are still so aware of him next to you.

“He was… I can’t completely remember. I met him once, maybe twice.” Astarion pauses and a shuddered breath is forced out of his lungs, he’s tense. Possibly remorseful. “But he was beautiful. He would look at everyone like they were infinite. He did that to people. Made them feel invulnerable.”

You ignored Astarion’s indirect, very direct, compliment.

“What happened to him?”

The words left your lips faster than you could really think about them. You tried easing the tension by laying flat on your back, using your palms as pillows for your head. 

Astarion’s breath almost hitched at your words, but he took a second, seemingly in thought. He was probably considering whether or not he should tell you the truth. You realized you had put him into a curious position, and with the battles ahead, you were inevitably going to see Cazador once more. Cazador would definitely recognize you.

“You handed him over to Cazador, didn’t you?”

You forced the words out this time. Every single part of your very being, screaming at you to be quiet.

Astarion swallowed harshly.

“Yes. I did. I wish I could say I would do anything to bring him back from whatever wretched fate Cazador forced him into. But I can’t. It’s never that simple is it?”

An involuntary chuckle left your throat and you saw Astarion whip his head towards you, his anxiety rising a thousand fold. You quickly sat up, looked at him reassuringly, and then you gently folded his hand between yours.

“I’m certain he forgave you long ago. Especially knowing what you went through, I highly doubt he blames you.”

And in Astarion’s eyes you recognized the same man from all those years ago, the insecure vampire spawn with the twinkle of the entire universe locked in his eyes.

You hoped that you made him feel as invulnerable as the first time you met him.

[heart-shaped-noose]

I touched on Mephisto’s outfits before and realized something. One of the most interesting things to me about Mephisto is how he dresses. Not because it’s silly or whatever, it’s due to how calculating it can seem to be. For instance look at how he dresses around humans. Dressing so eccentrically and flamboyantly is a way to differentiate himself from humans in both status and being. He’s rich enough to get away dressing however he wants (he seems to be a mysterious eccentric billionaire businessman semi-celebrity of sorts) while still differentiating himself as an otherworldly being to those who are aware of who he truly is. Essentially, the way he dresses is palatable enough to humans while still inherently differentiating himself from them all.

And this is interesting given how he dresses around his family. Because I double checked and I didn't see him dressing like a literal jester during the times he took Rin to the past. The most eccentric he dressed back then was in his Retro style and that still had a level of sophistication to it with its tailoring and fit. So he seems to prefer to wear weird clothes around humans while wearing normal clothes around his family?

Case in point being this outfit. I've always felt like this is one of his best looks maybe even on an objective level. It's definitely an outfit that this time period (probably Edwardian-ish if we take his word on this meeting being 100 years before current events) would have seen as the pinnacle of sophistication. Something that only the finest of gentlemen would wear. It's a great contrast to the outfits he wears in modern times since they don't fit conventional fashion standards of today. Like you don't see people running around willy-nilly while dressed up in a pastel goth Pennywise cosplay, and if you did, you'd see that they wouldn't be very respected or taken seriously by most. However, that suit is wonderfully tailored, very stylish, gives off an air of class and elegance, and he knows how to use the best accessories to bring out a regal vibe. It still looks good even by today's standards. But, the thing is, he wore it to the Baal family dinner party where he spoke to Lucifer about cloning.

He wears a similar outfit during this flashback, but there’s no Mephisto Pink TM handkerchief in his breast pocket. It’s probably not the same outfit given that this most likely took place during the regency era, Iblis’ dress is a giveaway there, but regardless it gives some more context to how he dresses around his family.

In Chapter 1 he admits to Rin that he's aware of how frivolous he comes off in his clown suit. Which is interesting because I didn't see him wearing that outfit or anything equally ridiculous around Lucifer. He had to have seen Lucifer often, probably even daily, since he was in charge of the Asylum and Section 13.

Mephisto also wore this snazzy cape and suit when properly meeting Satan for the first time, right before attempting to make negotiations. He knew he had multiple reasons to make a good first impression, and he knew how to class up his outfit while keeping his sense of style.

And that’s the thing with Mephisto. I'm sure all this costuming is a way for him to stand out and differentiate himself from others, as well as to distance himself from everyone in general. There's definitely advantages in knowing how to dress to make the impact you want. He definitely knows how to do so while sometimes striking a balance between sophistication and silliness, like with his retro mephisto outfit and the one he wore when meeting Satan. However, being so malleable in this way can lead to an uneven sense of self-identity. This makes it interesting to see him dressing more human and respectable around his family, while dressing incredibly eccentric and silly around humans in a way that's still palatable to them. All that roleplaying isn't just distancing himself from everyone, but maybe also himself in a sense.

While everyone is nuanced and can have different styles and aesthetics, it somewhat leaves me wondering which style is more inherent to his being. The sometimes regal, sophisticated and elegant outfits he wears when around his family, or the fancy and over the top whimsical clown suit he wears around humans today. While it could be a way for him to strike a balance between being a demon and imitating a human, generally speaking I'm inclined to think the latter is more him. I do believe he's an inherently silly guy who genuinely adores everything cute, the color pink, and tsundere anime girls. That said, I still think that darker style suits him well even if it may not be his preference. His natural form in Gehenna is dark and foreboding, after all. The way that the two of these contrasting styles always look so natural on him is one of the things that makes him so fun. It keeps others guessing about him.

[dekariosclan]

Thinking about God Gale again…(especially since you made a great point about how he still loves you as a god! Which is so good and SO ANGSTY!) You may or may not be able to answer this, but I’d love to hear your thoughts: do you think God Gale would give up his godhood to be with a mortal Tav again? Would his love for Tav overcome his need for immortality and feeling like “he’s enough” as the God of Ambition?

As always: thank you for the wonderful meals about our boy 🙏 Dekarios the Divine bless you

OH DEAR GODS AN ANGSTY ASK

(ok, ok. I can do this. keep it together *hyperventilating into paper bag* just act normal goddamnit—)

Greetings fellow human! Hi! Thank you for this lovely ask, and rest assured that I am an extremely normal person who can totally handle emotional discussions about pixel people! NO I’M NOT CRYING—

Do I think God Gale would give up his godhood to be a mortal with Tav again?

Yes, I do—but only if he was able to be self-aware enough to realize that Godhood was not making him feel as happy or as content as Tav’s love did. Then his scholarly mind might finally begin to question what in the heavens he’d been thinking by giving that up just for ‘divine power’ which, as it turns out, really isn’t all that ‘divine.’

Would his love for Tav overcome his need for immortality and feeling like “he’s enough” as the God of Ambition?

The problem is that Godhood changes Gale (as it would change anyone) from a self-aware mortal to a divine being who can no longer relate to human experiences, including the passage of time. So while it’s confirmed that Gale still loves Tav, that love is now buried under the weight of Gale’s hubris and godly ambitions, which would be very hard to overcome.

I know Raphael has the ending monologue where he predicts that Gale will eventually tear apart the pantheon, BUT, I personally don’t take that at face value as a guaranteed outcome. That speech reeks of sour grapes to me, and Raphael just being the smug bastard that we all know and love, so I think it’s less ‘Raphael’s Guaranteed Prediction’, and more ‘Raphael’s Fantasy Fanfiction’. Is it still possible? Sure, and I think if Gale did not romance Tav and did not get to experience their love then it is probably a more likely possibility.

But if Gale did romance Tav, then what I think is the tragic and more probable outcome is that Gale would eventually ‘wake up’ and realize that Godhood is not all that it’s cracked up to be, and decide to return home to Faerun and to Tav—but so much time has passed (and he did not realize it) that Tav and everyone he loved has now passed away.

AH GOD THE ANGST HURTS MY SPLEEN

But let’s focus on the GOOD outcome of him giving up Godhood and doing it in time to be with Tav again. It would be hard, and it would require Gale to REALLY overcome his insecurities and his pride, but I do think it is possible. Just looking at Gale’s ‘Godly Form’ you can see literal cracks in his exterior. He is not 100% unbreakable.

I still think at least a decent chunk of ‘human time’ would have to pass—we’ll say five years or so—before he would come to the realization.

And then one day (assuming Tav had not moved on and found new love) they would open their door, and—

“Hello,” Gale said, softly.

Tav blinked, for a moment trying to find their footing as their entire world spun out from under them.

“…Dekarios the Divine?” Tav asked, uncertainly. Gale’s clothes were simple robes, his skin no longer glowing with divine power. He looked almost as he had in Tav’s dreams, in all of their memories of when he’d still been a mortal.

Only this man’s eyes were much, much more tired. And filled with regret.

“No…I’m just plain old Gale Dekarios now. A most brilliant wizard of intentionally limited reknown.” He reached out, hesitantly, and took Tav’s hand in both of his.

For a moment they both stood silently, relishing the warmth of each other’s touch.

“Apologies. I hoped I’d be better at this.”

A smile was beginning to pull at Tav’s lips, even as their eyes filled. “At introductions?”

“At begging for your forgiveness.”

————— *One additional note: I simply must add that @lady-sapphyre wrote this excellent fic that tackles Gale giving up Godhood and I highly recommend it!

[masked-men-fantasy]

Anniversary (Call of Duty)

It has been a year since you and him have been together, and he has a surprise just for you. 

Jackal

You know that Jackal is a busy man. You know that he is the head of the mercenary group. He has a lot of business to take care of. So, you tried to not get your hopes up. You are his partner, and being another important part of his life means you have to understand him as well.

It was almost 11 at night, and you were about to go to bed since you realized that he was not back from his mission yet.

Then you heard a sound from the front door. Who would come around this time? Is it a burglar?

Not so long after you arm yourself with a pan you found in the kitchen,  you see the door open.

Jackal in the same old mask. He held a flower bouquet. But then you realized that there was something off. His cape and left arm are covered in blood.

"Are you hurt!?" you asked panickily, rushing to him.

"Don't worry, enemy blood," Jackal replied. "I am so hurrying to find this flower that I forgot to take a shower."

You sigh with relief; at least he is not hurt, and that is all that matters.

"I am not a romantic person. So, I don't know what people do when it comes to an anniversary. But I hope this represents how much you mean to me." Jackal handed you a flower. His eyes are so much different when compared to when he talks to his colleagues. Eyes that show affection and vulnerability.

"This is more than enough." You kiss him through his metal mask.

Once both you and Jackal walk back home, you and him have a conversation about how his mission went, whether he has had anything yet, whether he should clean himself up, and so on. Just like a typical day after he is back from a tiring day of work.

But to make it a bit more special, you place flowers in a vase on the table and open the radio with the song "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra playing.

You held Jackal's hands and guided him on a slow dance. Both of you shared body warmth and each other's homely scent throughout the entire song.

Mace

"Let's get some McDonalds," he suddenly said in the evening after you and him finished training.

You think that he might forget the anniversary. Well, I can't say you are disappointed. It's just Mace being Mace, after all.

However, it is different this time. Instead of dining in, he took a drive-through. Once he gets the packages of burgers, fries, and coke, he then goes a different way; that is not a way home.

"Where are we going?" You frowned.

Mace did not answer, even though you asked him multiple times, so you did not ask any further. Just cross your arms and wait until the answer is revealed.

He drove almost 100 miles from the base, went through the woods, and went up a hill  before parking a truck at the hill when it was about a night.

You were about to complain about where the hell he took you, and then you saw the sky full of stars. So bright and so beautiful that you almost think there are only you and Mace left in this universe.

Mace opens the trunk of the truck and calls you to take a seat by shaking a bag of fries.

"Not a bad idea of an anniversary date, right?" He smiles.

You don't know why, but his smile is brighter than all the stars you just saw. Bright enough that it's warming your heart.

Ghost

You will wake up with a full English breakfast and a sweet cup of tea on your bed.

"Happy anniversary, love," Simon kissed your forehead.

You and Ghost will have breakfast together, have a small talk, and have a good laugh and smile that Simon never shows to anyone.

After that sweet breakfast, Simon will take you to the nearby park. Enjoying a sightseeing walk and bird feeding, probably with some boat rides in a small pond.

In the afternoon, he will take you for a motorcycle ride around the town. Feel the breeze as the wind goes through; feel his strong, muscular back while you sit.

As for the evening, he will bring you back home and prepare dinner for you. He will not allow you to help him; just let you watch him make a steak and some mashed potatoes. He wants it to be a special day for you, so he will do everything just for you.

You and Simon will enjoy dinner with a glass of wine together. And if you feel like you want to spend some more time with him, a movie night of your choice is also available as well.

Overall, 10/10 husband material. Would marry him over and over again.

Nikto

"Come with me, Дорогой (darling)." Nikto suddenly said that in the middle of a sparring session with you. But it is quite concerning. It is rare that Nikto uses a word like darling. He mostly just called your name or some degrading name in the bedroom.

You and him walk to the meeting room with rookies and some Kortac members. Suddenly, he held your hand and announced it out loud.

"This one is my future wife. If I see anyone flirting with what's mine, I will take care of that personally." Nikto said it loudly in a heavy Russian accent.

Not only was everyone in the room shocked, but you also gasped at what he just said.

"Happy Anniversary." Nikto said. His eyes were drawn to you. "I tried my best to make a surprise."

You believe his sense of understanding what makes a good surprise is broken. You cannot either tell if he is so sweet to make this relationship clear or if it's just his sense of understanding what makes a good surprise completely broken.

[macchiatosdumptruck]

okay but why do most villains (or exvillains like Johnny) go crazy over/because of Larusso? is it because they tried so hard to destroy him and failed, and have to live with that failure? Like with Silver. He's 100% to blame for everything, why the unhingedness?

I think that's part of it, and that's what they would probably tell others. That he was an annoying little pest who couldn't leave well enough alone and they were only giving him what was coming to him. That they were humiliated by him and angry in a very normal, masculine, heterosexual way.

But looking at how real people treat both Ralph, and the character Daniel, it has to be more than that.

I think he represents a form of masculinity that bothers them. He's too androgynous, too skinny, too pretty, but he's also very secure in himself. He doesn't see the need to puff himself up and act all macho. He's comfortable in his skin.

I think people see that and resent it. Because if they have to play by the rules (rules, being gender conformity) then he should have to as well. But instead he's somehow winning the girls and getting the trophies anyway.

Something about him deeply aggravates a certain type of man. We see it to this day, the oddly targeted and pointed hatred towards him, especially from men. He's treated in ways I've only ever seen female characters treated tbh, lol. He's the bitchy wife. He's the stuck up prick. He's the goody two shoes. He's no fun. He's the stick in the mud. Etc.

He disrupts their power fantasies I think. Which is why a certain type of Guy is so deeply invested in Johnny getting the "better" of him. Because that's the way it was supposed to be in their mind.

They want toxic masculinity to work for them, not to see an example of a guy flourishing despite denying it.

I think it is also other things. Like, with Chozen, it was a humiliation. Daniel was who he was trying to be in a way. A fitting heir. An honorable man. He bested him, and yet, he wouldn't even do Chozen the dignity of properly ending him. A bit of compassion that may have seemed like yet another embarrassment. But of course, over the years he learned otherwise, and then he started looking up to Daniel. Admiring him.

I know a lot of the fandom likes to think that Johnny was so distracted by Daniel because he was secretly running from gay thoughts, and he may well have been. But they weren't kind, I don't think. They were angry. And part of that anger was probably towards himself and kreese's and his dad, and whatever, but also part of it was very much at Daniel for being Other. Like. Right in front him.

It's so funny (not) that at the end of the movie he seems to have at least some emotional intelligence and apologizes. In the beginning of the second movie he realizes that the things he had been holding dear were poisonous.

Then he just forgot all about it because it was easier to blame Daniel, than to blame Kreese or himself. It was Daniel's fault he never had a proper relationship, it was Daniel's fault he peaked in high school. Certainly not the guy who was like low key/high key grooming a small army of child soldiers.

Mike it was just him keeping his word to his boss. It was a business thing. Monetary gain. He is also the most normal of all the people affected by Daniel LaRusso Derangement Syndrome (wow it's been a while since i typed that) but once Daniel (and Terry ) comes back into his life he's back in it again.

Terry, I mean. I have lost count of the number of times I've discussed his specific form of mental illness was tbh and it still makes me think every day. Like, I'd just be repeating things I had said in earlier asks lol.

Kreese, I think is the most upset at Daniel's version of whatever "masculinity" is because for him, he seemingly adopted his stance out of survival. (What happened between the war and the films. He was far too normal in those flashbacks) Daniel represents the sort of weakness that almost took Kreese himself out. (That he still sees sometimes in Terry)

And even still, he is insufferable enough to be so so pretty during all of this. I mean, look at how people treat the pretty boy idols of the time? No matter who they are, there are going to be people very vocally disliking them because girls like him even though [ insert whatever fallacies of masculinity here]

Like. I don't like or dislike Timothy choolamoo but the way some men can't stand him reminds me a lot of those angry men complaining that their girlfriends had a crush on Ralph in highschool.

So i think it's because he's appealing in a way that is confusing in many aspects. He's appealing in the same way cute girls are and that's Not Ok. Because they're Not Gay. But he's also appealing (and detestable) because he gets to be happy and successful in a way that doesn't make sense to them. Because he's not playing by the rules.

So, I think it all combines, and they get angry boners over it.

[prncesschloe]

rafe cameron analysis

rafe cameron wasn’t always a big bad wolf - introduction (we’ll get more into this after 2.)

rafe cameron descended into his madness, sure he’d always had a lingering uneasiness towards him even as a kid. (which we know of because of rose pointing it out) but we can also clearly see his mental health deteriorate in an short amount time in just season 1.

2. rafe cameron is a physcopath - and my disagreement 

people seem to lead towards the idea of rafe being a physcopath— and DON’T get me wrong, rafe displays multiple traits of physocopathic traits — and i get why people believe in that theory, (i’ll put my favorite psychotic rafe cameron analysis @ the end) but rafe also seems to lack major symptoms of the disorder. (not saying that because you don’t have a certain symptom of a disorder = you don’t have it at all) things he would lack if he were a physchopath would be like: sympathy, or consciousness of the effects of his actions

now before you say, “he does lack consiousness of his actions.” you’re not entirely wrong, in moments were he could be seen as not thinking about his actions could be like him attempting to drown sarah, or murderering peterkin etc. but rafe stated that he panics when he’s under stress- which is completely different from lacking consciousness, he also does realizing the impact he causes afterwards. (him in the car after he shot peterkin) which leads me to think that rafe being a physcopath could be ruled out.

he knows his actions can effect other people, throughout the show he’s always talking about ‘wanting to get better, to be better towards his sisters, wanting to get clean’ etc etc. a physcopath wouldn’t have any regards towards the people they’re surrounded by. so him stating that he knows what he’s done, and how he’s hurt people— is a obvious fuzzy point at the debate of rafe being a physcopath.

rafe cameron wasn’t always a big bad wolf - explanation

for this part i’ll be refrencing towards the novel Dead Break, By Jay Coles. i’m still iffy on wether if this novel could be considered cannon or not since the timelines and ages are a little bit all over the place. but it’s safe to assume that the timeline in the novel is before the actual TV shows events took place, but after Kiaras ‘Kook year’. the pieces i’ll be focusing on are the ones where it’s set in kiaras, beware its a lotta quotes.

“I'd heard that Rafe was planning to enter the competition, too. Ward has probably bought Rafe lessons with the best surf instructors money could buy from the time he could walk.” (Pg 32).

this is ones of rafes first mention in this novel, in the introduction I bring up how he descended into his madness— this text is safe to assume is before he started spiraling. something that is heavily implied and mentioned in the novel is how kiaras parents don’t support her in her dream of wanting to become a professional surfer. based off kies assumption we can probably assume that ward is supportive in rafe being a surfer— given that she’s so quick to thinks he bought him lessons. I bring this up because in the show this seems to contradict what show ward would do, (or atleast what show ward would do for rafe since he’s already perceived as a mess even in just his first few appearances) I only say this because rafe already seemed a bit off-track in his first few scenes, I naturally think that rafe wasnt in a bad place with his health at this point in the novel. 

another quote to throw in since kie’s assumption isn’t 100% reliable, and could be wrong is this scene in the novel which takes place in kies pov while she working as a server at the wreck.

“I see Ward and Rafe Cameron saunter in and join Darren and Alan’s table. By the time I bring Alan and Darren their (raw) oysters, Ward is deep into his pitch for Alan to take on Rafe as a client. I try to listen in. I gotta admit, I’m jealous … it must be nice to have a parent who supports your dreams.” (Pg

i only comment on this part just for throwing it in for more evidence— and to highlight how kie seems to be jealous of rafes and wards parent relationship, which again makes me believe that rafe wasn’t completely off rails yet at this specific time. because in the show we’d be quick to assume that rafes interests could be cared less about.

3. my diagnosis for rafe cameron and his downward spiral -

my first thought is something I just want to get out of the way because it could be seen as a reach. In the season one finale, when ward gets the SBI guy away from sarah snitching on rafe for murderering peterkin- his excuse is that she’s bipolar.

YOU’RE GONNA TELL ME THAT HE JUST PULLED THAT OUT HIS ASS?! I personally think that rafe could be the one with BPD disorder and ward just used it as an excuse to cover his ass. 

okay so, ward is the main player in rafe going crazy. him denying his pleads for help in s2, ward not caring about rafes evident fear of abandonment shown in s1 and s2, ward who most likely manipulates rafe with the death grip he has on the fact he only feels validated by his fathers praise and approval (hence him shooting peterkin, and him telling rose that when he wakes up he’ll see how he ‘took care of everything while you did nothing’) even him and wards first on-screen conversation we see in s1ep3 about the generators should tell you enough about their dynamic. what contributed the most to Rafe going crazy was his need to be validated, something that only his father could give him. 

and since his father was the only one who could give him it, he drove himself crazy trying to get something he knew his father wasn’t going to give him. on top of being gaslit, and manipulated. 

symptoms he displays of BPD are the following like :

an intesne fear of abandonment - him and wards talk the same day he killed peterkin

multiple unstable relationships - him and rose, him and sarah

unstable self image - him always saying that he’s a proactive type person, in a way that’s like he’s trying to convince himself more than the person he’s saying it to, in s4 where he’s hyper aware of what people say about him too, also him talking to Wheezie about how “he knows how bad he looks.” right after he got kicked out.

rapid mood changes - also in s1 when wheezie came over to Rafe after he got kicked out, how quick he is to go from calm -> agitated -> to self-pity. 

impulsive and dangerous actions - when he tried to escape from the cops in the boat scene w/ barry, straying by himself in morroco s4, taunting people for no reason, him going off by himself to find buyers for the cross

persistent feelings of emptiness - the entire my druthers episode, he could be interpreted as just like dissociative asf. ( he’s also seen as dissociative after him and ward saw sarah in the bahamas for the first time) . someone who is usually so emotional and is begging for validation of his feelings— ( wether if it’s validation for his feelings in a sense that he knows he needs help, or validation of doing what ward wants) is now pushing his feelings aside as invalid, when Ward finally answers his constant question of who’d he choose (sarah or rafe) rafe pushes it away and claims to not care about it anymore. 

being paranoid - accusing rose multiple times of being sketchy, when him and barry got into money problems

anger issue management- not even gonna explain this one

disclaimer, not saying that he is 100% diagnosed with BPD. but I also wouldn’t be suprised if it was dropped that he is. these are just my reasonings.

bonus : rafe cameron isnt as much as a fuck-boy as he seems - 

this one is heavily relied onto the novel mentioned up above. this could also be seen as a reach but it’d make sense in some aspects. the entire novel rafes love life is not mentioned, we see toppers being brought up and how he messes with a bunch of kooks (of course before he settles with Sarah) but with Rafe he’s got nothing. when kie finds him in the study there’s also no girl perched up beside him. (quote ahead)

"The fact that this party is exactly the same as the one I went to months ago means I know exactly where to find Rafe. Rafe doesn't go for plastic cups and cheap beer. He'll be upstairs, in Ryan's dad's study.” (Pg 176). 

the only girl we see rafe infatuated with in the show is sofia, and sure he did meet her by hooking up with her. too which we later see him falling head over heels for sofia. I bring this up because it’s clear that rafe has some sort of attachment to people he cares about even if they hurt them. (when he proposed to sofia and she tried to tell him about what she’d done, he said he simply didn’t want to know). a fuck-boy usually has the tendency to be able to attach and deattach to things easily, which rafe obviously struggles with.

wrapping up my rafe cameron analysis 

so these are just things I wanted to point out about his character, @sadfury inspired this heavily 🫦

this is my first post on tumblr even though i’ve been a user for awhile and I just had to get these thoughts out!! thinking about doing a billy hargrove analysis next.

and lastly check out this amazing physco rafe cameron character analysis by @killianjonesapologist!!

if you read this all thank you sososo much ౨ৎ

[mayaruffin]

Hello all,

I’ll try to keep this brief but this IS a stream-of-consciousness so don’t get your hopes up 😅.

First, I’ll introduce myself: My name is Maya. I’m 25 years old. I’ve been a fan of The Rookie since early 2022. And what I’m about to say is in NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM an insult to ANY of the cast or crew (save for maybe Alexi Hawley). But I need to get this off my chest and since I have no IRL friends that watch/care about The Rookie, I’m posting my thoughts here.

Now I’m no wordsmith (I majored in mathematics) so what I’m about to say probably won’t be as succinct and/or poised as some of the other posts I've seen on here discussing the same topic. But the writing for Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen is abysmal, abhorrent, and any other synonym you can think of. And 5x12 is when it all started going downhill.

What I’ve always been drawn to with Chenford, other than their uber-attractiveness, is the fact that they have never, at least not in the first four seasons, beat around the bush with each other. They’ve never been afraid to say whatever it is they need/want to say to each other. I think them having that type of deep relationship with each other as work colleagues made me kind of forget that they don’t really interact outside of work and therefore they were never actually as close as I had them painted in my mind. I think I’ve now realized that that’s why it took THEM so long to realize the attraction we as viewers saw them have for each other from very early on. So it was incredibly mind-boggling to see them constantly go behind each other’s backs and refuse to have the same deep meaningful conversations we’re used to seeing them have with each other once they got together romantically. I, for one, don’t personally think they GOT TOGETHER too fast. I mean, they realized that they both felt something deeper than friendship and acted on it. It’s not that unusual. However, I do feel like they progressed entirely too fast for two people who, again, were never THAT close. I didn’t want to say anything at the time because I, like all the other fans, was just happy to see these two people I had been rooting for finally get together but the whole “grandkids” and “our kids” thing felt very awkward and out of place, especially considering that they’ve since broken up. I just feel like that’s not something you mention, even casually or jokingly, to someone you’ve just started seeing romantically, no matter how long you knew each other beforehand. Now that the lack of quality content we could have seen in Season 5 has been addressed, we can move onto everything wrong with the steaming pile of shit that was Season 6.

I will admit that I have not seen a single episode of The Rookie since 6x06 but I have kept up with it on Twitter and Tumblr, so I have some inklings about what’s been going on since the breakup. But let’s start with episode 1. While I understand that Lucy was under a lot of stress and that the particular part of her personality that expects sometimes too much of herself is a direct result of how her parents treated her growing up, I truly feel that she was unfair to Tim and that he was right to give her space to cool off. Moving onto Episode 2, which by the way was INCREDIBLY overhyped and not AT ALL worthy of being episode 100 (it needed to be said and this is MY stream-of-consciousness) where they again had an opportunity to have a deep, meaningful, adult conversation, they totally butchered it. They have a real elephant in the room in terms of their relationship with her wanting to be UC and his issues with his ex-wife in the same career field and all we got was him saying that he would “deal with it” with “by himself” being heavily implied. The rest of season 6 up until he ghosted her was forgettable (I literally don’t remember what happened) so let’s get into when shit (AKA the writing) REALLY hit the fan and all 5 (four if we’re being honest) seasons of Tim Bradford’s character development went down the drain.

So you mean to tell me at his jurassic age, this man (Tim, if you aren’t following), after Lucy said that a relationship with him that didn’t work out WAS NOT WORTH risking their friendship for, convinced her to enter into a romantic relationship with him and said that he loved her while hooked up to a lie detector in a tone that implied that it was crazy she even had to ask, ghosts her for days, KNOWS that she’s fucking spiraling (calling, texting, leaving voicemails), and then shows up to her apartment talking about “I wanted to see you” as if she was just gonna be cool with that? Fully prepared to not explain his actions in the slightest mind you! That scene pissed me off more than any other scene in season 6. AND THEN HE DUMPS HER WHILE SHE’S STANDING OUTSIDE WAITING FOR HIM READY TO SUPPORT HIM! AND USES THE OLDEST LINE IN THE BOOK TO DO SO! It’s not you, it’s me? Really? Like, the worst writer in the world couldn’t have come up with that bullshit. Why introduce a whole new conflict when they had so many issues to deal with already? It makes no logical sense. If the purpose of seasons 5 & 6 was show us that the two of them don’t know each other as well as they thought or as well as we thought, congratulations you fucking nailed it. And then to top it all off, you have her risking her life to save his ass AGAIN being reduced to “kindness”. Of all the things Alexi has said in post breakup interviews, of all the things Melissa has said in post breakup interviews, of all the things Eric has said in post breakup interviews, none of that has convinced me that Chenford aren’t endgame more so than Tim saying he would pay back all “the kindness [she’s] shown [him]”. What an insult to Lucy and what an insult to dedicated and patient fans. I’m heartbroken by that bullshit and I only started watching 3 years ago. I can’t imagine the pain and heartbreak suffered by people who’ve been rooting for them since 1x01.

Moving onto season 7, which again I haven’t seen, we have lost the plot even more, which I have to say, I didn’t think was possible. I know we’re only 2 episodes into a 20 episode season but good lord what is this writing?! They’ve written Tim to be an emotional manipulator and Lucy to be an emotional punching bag. I have to say I’ve never once considered any of Lucy’s storylines to be trauma porn, even when she was kidnapped by a serial killer. But the writing for her character in these first two episodes is downright offensive. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON the two of them should be that chummy with each other after what Tim did her without him having done ANY noticeable work towards bettering himself. All she asked for after he played so viciously with her heart was an adult conversation. Call me crazy but I don’t think that’s THAT much to ask for from someone, especially someone, again, at his jurassic age. And instead of giving her that, he’s all smiley and flirty and “let’s make a bet” with her at work. Now, don’t misunderstand. Lucy is not blameless in this particular situation. While he is being emotionally manipulative, she is without a doubt letting him because why she is acknowledging that bullshit at all is beyond my comprehension. Again, this man has done absolutely no work towards bettering himself. He’s still the same “broken” motherfucker that he was when he broke up with Lucy yet somehow they have this entirely different dynamic? I’m not buying whatever it is they’re trying to sell. And don’t even get me started on the payback line during the food truck scene cuz I don’t wanna touch that bullshit with a ten foot pole. Whoever wrote that can kiss my ass.

All that to say, atp, I really don’t want Tim and Lucy to get back together. Tim was right about one thing: Lucy Chen deserves better. You would think that would mean that he should be better but he clearly doesn’t want to so I feel she should cut her losses and be with someone who appreciates her heart.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #30

The Battle of Big Wand

Part 4 of reacting to this episode (spoiler-free)!

I LOVE that we get to see so much of Foop's spindly fingers in this episode. The way he wiggled his fingers was one of my favorite body language quirks back in the OG series. He's the same person...

Uh-oh... Dev's starting to have second thoughts now that people are getting hurt... And Irep doesn't like it...

I think it's REALLY funny that Irep's hair looks blue when he's in good lightning and black when he's in dim lighting. Not sure if that was intentional to mimic both his parents' hair and his old curl, but that's super clever if it was.

/record scratch. "So, you're probably wondering how we got here."

Irep remembering why he prefers working alone.

Fascinated by the choice to portray Irep tucking his hands behind his back. It seems to be his thing while his parents lean into the OG show's style of holding their hands like stubby chicken wings. I've been thinking that this whole episode... I have random memories sticking out to me from OG series; I'm gonna look it up.

- Oh, interesting... He does it in "Playdate" (dressed nice and trying to fool Cosmo and Wanda into believing he's rehabilitated after Abracatraz), "Love Triangle" (flirting with Goldie on the playground), "Timmy's Secret Wish" (bragging about being a lawyer), "Two and a Half Babies" (pretending to be a good boy for his teacher at the end so she'll let him go to summer camp), "Terrible Twosome" (swaying Poof to mess around and pull pranks), and maybe others, but that's enough looking. - I guess it's just his thing! That's cool; I don't think that was a gesture I paid much attention to in the OG, but he's done it a lot in New Wish. I think he's happy he lost his stubby arms.

I'm OBSESSED with Dev's realization that he and Irep aren't business partners if Irep doesn't listen to his feelings as a partner. He's gonna realize he didn't listen to Peri, and he's gonna want him back!! They're gonna work it out! ... Hopefully with a mediator!

I like how Dale went from 0 to 100 in paying attention to his son as soon as he realized Dev was capable of business deals. He's not being comforting, but he's interested in talking business.

Dale is one of the funniest characters I've ever seen in my life. Not necessarily for the things he says, but for the commitment to the bit.

His swagless looks, nonexistent charm, and extreme amounts of oddly specific lemonade trauma have captivated me. I desperately want to look at him and say "Huh?? Who invited THIS guy??"

Hands down favorite part of Dale's design is the enormous puffer jacket he wears despite the fact it's obvious he's still super scrawny. But I also like how his child design ALSO has the exhausted lines under his eyes in "Nectar of the Odds," which I'd just assumed were invented for adult Dale until I took another look. Also, on some bizarre level, I feel like Dale has actually recovered remarkably well for a guy who spent 7 years tormented underground in servitude? Is he generous with his money? No. Does he have friends? No. Is he kind to his son? No. Is he capable of resting between projects or just taking breaks in general? Also no. Can he handle people messing with his schedule? Absolutely not. Is he keeping tabs on his abuser to ensure she doesn't wreck his or his son's life? Nope. But does his hard work bring him happiness? ... I don't know :'D But he's good at getting things done when he sets his mind to it, he can host a killer event, he's heavily implied to have amazing robotics skills, and he has insanely quick turnaround on his marketing plans, so he's got that going for him. -> Dale will look at stuff and say "Is anybody gonna hyperfixate on that?" and not wait for an answer. "Self-made" lemonade boy, my beloved... If we get a huge plot twist that Dale is the creator of the Vicky-themed robot babysitters from the "Channel Chasers" epilogue, would that be nuts or what? Me: Wait, what are all the symptoms of hyperfixation again? Lemme look this up... Me: Me: ... Good to know! (It was all of them. All of them are the symptoms)

The Dale ramble I wrote here got so long that I moved it to its own post. I hope you like my shirtless "Dale bad at being on his honeymoon" doodles <3

I'm glad Dale seems like he's doing okay and that Dev didn't bug him with lemons (or throw him down in the dark pit that swings shut from the top, even though that would've been so easy). I think I was right in that I'm probably making a bigger deal out of his backstory than the show intended, but I think it's hilarious.

I do have a history of going for characters who give me "Okay, but where else can I ever get this character / this dynamic?" energy. He's one heckuva guy. I need to put him in a 'fic and shake him up and down like a snow globe. I desperately want him to find out he accidentally hired his abuser to babysit his kid. I hope it was an accident, because if he's kept her number in his contact list, I'm gonna have a talk with him.

I wish we'd see Dale doing "angry at Hazel" stuff. I'm confused as to what the purpose of it was... Are we not going to touch on that in the finale? Was it just to upset Dev, but not vital enough to follow through with as an actual plot point? hm.

-> ?? I feel like it was a big deal in at least two episodes leading up to this big finale plot, so I'm just... surprised? Hm.

I guess I'm not really bothered because I don't think Dale knows Hazel came to Fairy World or that she'll appear again, and I understand why his attention is diverted, but it'd be fun (for me).

Also, this is our second time being robbed of a Dev-Irep sleepover D:

omfg, Irep ditching Dev for Dale is the funniest thing ever.

oh no.

Alone again...

sdlkfj, Wanda has spent this entire series taking shots at Dev because she thinks he's a bitter bully and she kept saying things to Peri like "Blink twice if you need help getting out of here."

I remember posting years ago about how I like to think Cosmo's really good at reading people (especially when it comes to distracting them, like encouraging Jorgen to "scramble the Fairies" in "Abra-catastrophe" before he can separate them from Timmy).

So... I really enjoy that he senses Wanda's going too far and might lose any chance of Dev helping, and he tries to stop her.

oh no... I like how when Wanda is telling Dev about dying from magical back-up and she uses the example of a fairy feeling queasy and needing to use the bathroom and then they explode...

... because that's how the Grim Reaper told Foop he'd die back in "Man's Worst Friend" ("Oh, this is fun! You're gonna perish on the toilet!"), and I've been thinking about it ever since I saw Peri dying on the floor.

I headcanon them dying young, but not THIS young!! /jk

Wanda, I have good news for you! I'm pretty sure that guy you think is dead isn't dead. Pretty sure I saw him when I took my screenshots of Anti-Fairies taking over Earth and (ironically) the memorial scene at Fairy Con.

Irep when the alarm goes off cracks me up. There's no point in posting the screenshot because he's tiny and blurry, but he's so spooked. His eyes take up his entire face. RIP overly sensitive bat ears and weak bat eyes.

Oooh, Jasmine singing is going to do something. Are the Anti-Fairies going to enjoy it despite other characters thinking she sings poorly?

Yes. lol. I was going to theorize in my 2nd post for this episode about whether Irep is still really affected by music, but I didn't bother because I was like "I can't imagine that would come up."

oh no, he is. Not enthusiastically... but he is. Love that for him. This kid's always loved to dance and play loud music. Never change.

oh no!!! They're exploiting Irep's one true weakness...

Diversity win!! The genderfluid bisexual has a gender-neutral response for nonbinary folks he thinks have bad boy energy!!

sdlfjk, I think Irep just found the person he most wants to godparent for. Ever.

I checked "Certifiable Super Sitter" again just in case I missed a bad boy joke, and I totally forgot Sammy screams "Break Vicky like a 2 x 4!" at the top of his lungs while he mimes snapping her neck. He's so funny. I love him. I wonder if Foop ever told Sammy about his "Scary Godcouple" trauma and if Sammy was extra ruffled about Vicky because of that.

Peri: I don't understand what you see in Sammy. He's so... mild. Irep: Not after I talk to him ❤️

okay, nerd.

......... Did Foop have a crush on Goldie back in "Love Triangle" because she has major femme fatale energy?? Discuss.

omg, just realized the reason why Irep's single eyelash felt so familiar to me is because that's how he looked in "Blue Angel." Absolutely hilarious that when he opts for a feminine disguise, he has fewer eyelashes than usual.

- Poof and Foop had 3 eyelashes per eye when they were young, but Peri's lost those, and Anti-Cosmo doesn't show lashes. Jorgen's New Wish eyes don't either (Jorgen wore mascara in the OG series) and neither do Cosmo's (Cosmo also liked make-up) - I ?? have to assume that means Irep is deliberately going for a more femme, nonbinary, or genderfluid vibe of some kind, which is perfect for me! His gender identity is one of his plot points in the 130 Prompts. - Can't believe all those years ago, I clocked Poof as growing up to be "the one suppressing trauma with candy and soda" and Foop as "the one who plays with gender expression" ... I know it's not stated by canon, but you get me...

??? I like how Anti-Wanda seems to be teaching Anti-Cosmo how to make his eyes look in different directions and he's loving it? Unclear.

I also like how with his accent, it sounds like he's saying "Hazel-y," which is cute. I like how he made the effort to find out her name; that's 100% in-character.

They are doing their best!! (They are not)

I like that when confused, Anti-Cosmo's instinct was to turn to Anti-Wanda for advice. That's new for him considering he used to shake her and scream. I'm glad they worked that out. And I'm glad he's exactly as "extinct by instinct" as he's always been <3

Apparently Irep (or at least Foop) gets the "spelling out unnecessary details" bit of his dialogue from his mom??

Like, monologuing important info is one thing, but in the OG series, Foop elaborates on things for no reason, like Anti-Wanda here. lol.

I was kind of worried about the direction Anti-Wanda's reboot might go. I believe what I said was, "I'd be interested to see her redesigned with new clothes and with a reduction on the "Anti-Wanda's stupid" angle in favor of mirroring Wanda better (owing to how I've always felt she was a hasty design slapped down in Season 2 and then they couldn't go back on it when Wanda's character developed further). Anti-Wanda's hit every mark I was hoping for in a rebooted design for her. She's still Southern and goofy, but she's not being played as stupid... She and Anti-Cosmo are equally silly and equally dumb and messing around <3

sdlkfj, Anti-Cosmo out here like "This isn't my party, so I'm down to follow my wife's suggestion that we slip from the room together."

Okay, other nerd; I'm glad you're excited to be alone with your hot wife as you definitely try to catch a real human running around.

ALSO very in character; man LOVES forgetting what he's doing and wandering around!! That's his thing!!!

Me out here like "Oh yeah, now I remember why I wrote a 'fic where no one looked for the captured Anti-Cosmo for 77k years because his family totally thought he'd gone wandering and dissociated and started a new life... oh no.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is: @oh-stars! ohstars has 91 fics in the Stranger Things fandom and 69 of them are in the Steddie tag!

@lady-lostmind recommends the following works by @oh-stars:

Fuck. I Think I Love You.

The Men We've Become (Series)

Yours (all along)

Hidden Depths

Distance

"ohstars has a way of making heartache feel so good. Every time I read one of their fics I know I'm in for something special, and will inevitably go through a wide range of emotions while I'm brought along for a ride with the characters. I love the way they show so much through small details, letting the characters actions speak for themselves a lot of the time and the insight you get as a reader when you catch glimpses of the story even the character hasn't realized yet and getting to watch them grow throughout the story. They have a way of showing the beauty in the little moments, and letting you linger in the sweet in-between of big points, letting the story build on itself slowly." -- @lady-lostmind

Below the cut, @oh-stars answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I think a lot of my ships boil down to Golden Retriever x Stoic Character. Add in that I adore when there’s a character who would sacrifice themselves to an inch of survival (if that) that gets the love and comfort they deserve, Steddie hits the spot. I’ve always been a big Steve fan but none of the ships prior to season four really inspired anything in me. And it took a minute for Steddie to click (which I think is the case for a lot of us, volume two just hit different), but when it did, there was no going back. I really enjoy exploring their relationship within the universe and everything that comes with – from sexuality crises, coming out, saving the world, and Stobin struggling with Steve liking a gremlin of a man. They just love each other so freakin much, y’all.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Misunderstandings, hurt/comfort, and kidfic are all tied as my favorites. It’s hard to pick just one because it really depends on my mood, but a good hurt/comfort is always the vibe.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Slow burn. It’s kind of a cop out answer because it can be used in any fic and with any trope, but I love the build up.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I read so much that I don’t know if I have one fic that’s my all time favorite. Bandaids for the Heart by LexiRoseWrites and Steve’s First Bruise by cairparavels are ones I think about pretty often.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve been toying with a royal au in my head for months, if not a year now. I just haven’t nailed the plot yet to want to put some real effort behind it. Once I have a better idea of the story, I can’t wait to dive in.

What is your writing process like?

Up in the air at the moment. It changes a lot over time. Something will work really well for a few months, then suddenly it doesn’t. Most of the time, I can’t seem to write unless I’m sprinting. Usually that’s a solo sprint, but I love writing with other people. I do a little light plotting ahead of time, then let the characters take the reins… which is probably why I hit so many walls throughout a fic.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I don’t know if I have any quirks that are unique to myself. I’m very particular about my format when writing. I can’t write without it being double spaced, times new roman, 12 pt, and justified, which is 100% a product of schools enforcing that format for projects. And I have a hard time actually sitting down to write without the help of writing games like sprints and the word game. Otherwise, I don’t do much editing? I do the bare minimum and post… which isn’t ideal. That’s the opposite of what I’d advise.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I would love to be someone who can post on a schedule consistently, but it rarely happens. Usually I can only succeed with that when a fic is a part of an event, otherwise I always get behind on my schedule.

Which fic are you most proud of?

You carved the space for my sadness to be seen for once (hold on to me) has a very special place in my heart. Out of my Steddie fics, it’s probably the one that I hold most dear, but I’m incredibly proud of The Man That I Could Be. It’s taken a lot for me to be proud of that one, but it was a whirlwind of an experience. I still go back to it and can’t really believe I wrote it to begin with, even though I have vivid memories of writing some of those scenes.

How did you get the idea for Yours (all along)?

I had an initial idea of doing a teacher AU but also wanted to explore lavender marriage Stobin, so I just… ran with it. I didn’t know where I was going in that first chapter’s first draft, just let Eddie’s voice take over. The plot and idea formed the more he revealed to me, with a few standout points acting as markers to get me through.

When writing Yours (all along), what was something you didn’t expect?

I didn’t expect my big bang artist m0momercy to be inspired by as many scenes as they were! Whenever I write a big bang or event fic, I’m very aware of which scenes I think would be visually compelling versus ones that would be harder to create for. I may dabble in art, but I don’t consider myself an artist, so it really took me by surprise that they were able to take the most random (but beloved – that scare scene is everything to me) scenes and create magic out of my words. I adore them and their work (please go check them out!!), so it was really great getting the honor to work with them on this project.

What inspired Hidden Depths?

This one was based on a prompt for @steddiesummerexchange. I had been wanting to do a nerd Steve fic, so this was the perfect opportunity to explore what that would look like!

What was your favorite part to write from Fuck. I Think I Love You.?

The playlist!! imfinereallyy created the playlist for @strangerthingsreversebigbang and the art to go along with it, so I had the opportunity to create a story around their song choices. I listened to that playlist exclusively (rip my spotify history on that one) while writing it, tried to find new ways to interpret the songs and incorporate them into the fic, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

How do/did you feel writing The Men We've Become?

Honestly, it’s a blur. The first 100k of The Man That I Could Be was written in a month, with the rest over the next few months. It’s a beast of a fic, the longest I’ve ever written. When I think back on that time, I genuinely think something possessed me when writing. I was sitting down and knocking out 5k writing sessions almost daily, tapping into depths I wasn’t really sure I had. It’s kind of insane to me that I finished it.

What was the most difficult part of writing Distance?

I wrote this fic as a part of @steddielovemonth and was doing my own 90-Day writing challenge. Honestly, the hardest part was remembering this was a writing exercise to see a snapshot of Steve and Eddie’s relationship, rather than a longer fic. I wanted it to have the feel of a longer work with the satisfaction of a one-shot. Keeping it short and in the moment, not letting myself get lost in the tangents, and having the fic have a grounded feel was really important to me so I’d hope that I was able to succeed there.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I know there are lines that I’m proud of but for the life of me, I could not tell you what they are or where to find them. My two favorite scenes that come to mind though are the opener scene in you carved the space for my sadness to be seen for once (hold on to me) and the scene in chapter four of The Man That I Could Be – aka Steve’s breakdown/grief scene.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

Oh gosh. I do plan on writing again soon, with a few FandomTrumpsHate fics coming out by the end of the year and new chapters of you carved the space for my sadness to be seen for once (hold on to me) coming soon. Otherwise, I mod a lot of things! @steddiebingo sign ups start November 1st and @steveharringtonbigbang starts January 1st!

Thank you to our author, @oh-stars, and our nominator, @lady-lostmind! See more of ohstars's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[bunthebreadboy]

OMG!!! A FELLOW AZUTARA SHIPPER!!

Please please please!!! What are your headcanons for this ship??? Like, how do you think they would meet and feel about each other? What would they feel when they realize they have a crush on the other??? And how do they get together???

And how do they navigate their relationship once they get to confess, considering they are both stubborn and that they would butt heads xD

AAAAAAAA, I wanna know all about it!!!

ok ok azutara headcanons GO:

these are not canon compliant cause we know how they meet and feel about each other and all that in canon lol

- azula isn’t evil by any means! yeah she’s a little bit of an asshole (or maybe a lot), but she was also a kid raised in an abusive household. katara on the other hand is a proud, self-proclaimed lovable asshole.

- they’ve been in the same social circle since they’re both kids of world leaders, but they weren’t fond of each other as kids.

- they forget about each other and meet again years later! when they’re adults, because you will never catch me writing an au where they’re 14. in canon, whatever. but i’m more comfortable writing characters closer to my age! you will also never catch me writing smut btw, it also makes me uncomfy.

- also azula has been in therapy since she became a legal adult and she has a good relationship with zuko because of it.

- so let’s say they meet again when they’re in their undergrad. neither of them recognize each other, both of em think of the other as “the smartass girl from my gen psych class”

- katara’s in bio pre-med but is 100% that girl that has three minors and a certificate in something. probably things like sociology, anthropology, women’s studies, etc.

- azula’s a business major. not by choice. i could definitely see her in something like forensic science or chemistry instead.

- anyways, they have a shared gen ed class and both of em are really into it because they both have mommy issues! which is why when they’re forced to work together on a project they decide they hate each other again.

- they realize that they knew each other in childhood when zuko and sokka walk into the water siblings’ shared apartment while katara and azula are fighting over making a powerpoint.

- katara makes an offhand comment about ozai being an asshole and azula just. loses it. bursts out crying. and katara’s there panicking like “oh my god what do i DO”

- katara ends up comforting azula and opens up about her mom to try and make azula feel less alone in the family trauma department. azula thinks she’s a dumbass but in a tsundere way where she secretly respects katara but won’t admit it.

- after that the two of em start hanging out out of class more often and (shocking, i know) enjoying each other’s presence

- katara realizes she has a crush first. it happens when they go to present their project and katara freezes up out of nowhere (which is so out of character for her) and azula immediately picks up her sentence and helps katara get through her part of the presentation

- so disaster bi katara ends up pining for at least a year because azula’s a dumbass who is subzero in flirting skills and completely oblivious

- azula’s also completely unaware that she’s gay as hell

- so azula realizes that she likes women…no not women…katara…at some sort of banquet where azula’s receiving a scholarship or smth and katara starts cheering for her from the audience (azula was tense, katara lightened the mood)

- so azula’s on stage having her gay awakening like “oh my god i’m in love with this dumbass who’s making a scene at this formal event and oh my god…” and as soon as she gets off stage she grabs katara’s hand and pulls her outside

- katara’s panicking and thinking azula’s pissed and goes to apologize but azula just. kisses her.

- katara’s immediate reaction is “fckin took you long enough”

- azula immediately goes red and is like “kat i realized i was gay less than five minutes ago please let me live”

- and therefore is subject to teasing for the rest of her life. the end.

[13phantom13angel13]

Simple Question

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N:FINALLY!!! Another prompt completed completely late! To the anon who requested “What kind of question is that?” with JayRoy, here you are! I hope you enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason and Roy had been best friends for years. Hell, they started dating a few months ago after pining for each other for so long. Roy knew just about everything about Jason and vice versa. But there was one question that had come into Roy’s mind that just would not leave his brain. He was dying to know this simple little fact about his boyfriend.

So while they were sitting at the table one morning eating breakfast together, Roy’s curiosity got the better of him. He gently set his coffee mug down to look at the man.

“Jason. I have a question.”

“Hm?” Was Jason’s groggy reply as he took a sip of his orange juice.

“So, we’ve know each other for a long time. I would like to think we know everything about each other but something has come to my attention that I don’t know about you. And I was curious to know…” Roy chewed on his lip for a second before finally asking the question that had consumed him for days. “Are you ticklish?”

Jason’s eyes went wide as he spewed out his juice; acoughing fit following suit as he patted his chest trying to catch his breath.

“W-What!?” He choked out in between coughs.

“Are you ticklish?” Roy’s face bloomed into one of pure mischievous amusement. Whether Jason realized it or not, he inadvertently gave Roy the answer.

“What kind of question is that?” Jason asked as he wiped his mouth, finally catching his breath.

“A very simple one. It’s either a yes or a no.”

“Ok. That is such a loaded question. No matter what I say, you’re going to tickle me anyways.” Jason stated, leveling his gaze at him. Roy shrugged at that statement.

“Yeah. You’re right. So let’s skip to the good part!” Roy exclaimed as he grabbed Jason’s knee, giving it a firm squeeze.

Jason lurched forward, legs lifting in a poor attempt of protection as he grabbed at Roy’s wrist, giggles already erupting out of him.

“Fuhuhuhuhuck! Roy no! Nohohoho! Dohohohon’t!” Roy chuckled along with his boyfriend. Jason’s giggles sounded like pure joy even if they were being forced out of him. Jason started to try to squirm away.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going!?” Roy grabbed his sides, gently squeezing right below his ribs. Jason’s bubbly giggles turned into a stream of bright laughter. His body curled inwards away from Roy but if Jason moved any further, he would fall out of his chair.

“Ohohohok! AHAHAHALRIGHT! YOU GOHOHOHIT YOHOHOUR AHAHAHANSWER!! STAHAHAHAHAP!!!”

“Admit it.” Roy smirked as he saw Jason’s cheeks flush. “Admit that the almighty and fearsome Red Hood is a ticklish little bitch and I’ll stop.”

“FUHUHUHUCK YOU!!! THAHAHAHATS NOHOHOT FAHAHAHAIR!”

“Life isn’t fair, sweetheart!” Roy tickled his lower stomach next. Jason almost folded like a lawn chair as a loud, surprised squeal escaped him. Even Roy was a bit surprised by the sound. Jason cackled as he curled in on himself.

“ROHOHOHOY!!! PLEHEHEHEHEASE!!! I GIHIHIHIVE!!”

“Say it! Say it and I’ll stop!” Roy laughed, very much enjoying tormenting his boyfriend. His hands moved down to Jason’s hips and that was it. It was over. Jason relented faster than Roy had ever seen.

“FUCK!! OK! IHIHI’M A TIHIHIHIHICKLISH LIHIHITTLE BIHIHIHITCH!!! STAHAHAHAP!!!”

And just as he promised, Roy pulled his hands away from his body. Jason slumped over against the table, panting as residual giggles escaped him.

“Fuhuhucking hehehell…that wahahas 100% uncalled for.” Roy chuckled and shrugged.

“Probably. But it was 100% adorable.” Roy stated, kissing Jason’s cheek. And if Jason’s face was as red as his helmet for the next half hour, Roy didn’t dare point it out.

[darcytaylor]

“If somebody is close to a situation, they should have other friends that are close to the situation, they don't need to come onto social media to talk about it…”

100% agree. And anonymous people/fan behavior aside, I think this is why so many are annoyed/mad at Luke’s friends because they’re not looking out for his best interest or protecting his privacy. They post things that hint he’s with them and sometimes what’s happening in real time.

He doesn’t post much on social as it is, and yes some fans I’m sure make him want to be on social less, but his friend group is not helping. They seem like a very self-serving group and that makes me sad for Luke. Especially because he and Rory have been friends for so long.

The only person who seems to be protecting and being respectful of Luke is Nicola. Deleting nasty comments about him on her posts and even swapping out a pic she posted on her insta story to avoid more speculation about the Polaroid in her phone.

And the contrast between Luke and Nicola is she has this incredibly supportive friend group who protect her at all costs. Even throwing some shade when necessary lol.

Luke needs to surround himself with better people if he’s going to have any chance of a long career. His current group are going to ruin things for him and he doesn’t deserve that.

I know he’s done some questionable things like not promo BS3 online as much as others have but for someone who isn’t online much, it’s probably not always top of mind. Especially after doing so much live promo for months.

Anyway, just want to give my two cents. I wish nothing for the best for Luke and I think if he surrounds himself with more people like Nicola and her friends, he’ll be a big success in whatever he does. And that includes if he’s active on social or not :)

Friends are a tricky subject, because while I can look in on Luke and his core group of friends (you know the ones), I can obviously see some questionable things (like not caring about his privacy at all), but I also don’t truly know their motives or who they are as people. 

I’ve had 2 people in my life (who I had been friends with for years) that I had to cut out of my life. This wasn’t an overnight process though. It was a process of accessing situations, forgiving them, then continuing the cycle. It took me a while to even realize that there was a cycle, and that it was a cycle of my own doing.

(I have realized as I have gotten older that it's okay to drop people, but I also realize that it is never an easy thing to do)

My situation brings me to thinking that the friends aren’t solely to blame, because Luke is the one that is friends with them at the end of the day. He has chosen to stick it out with them, and let situations happen that they know fans will see. I am also sure that some things were done unintentionally and the thought process wasn’t about the fans. I like to give the benefit of the doubt sometimes.

Luke and his friends know that fans follow the group (this was even before season 3) to catch a glimpse of Luke. There should be more care regarding the optics and digital footprint that they are all bringing to the world/fanbase. Because when they post about Luke (even a hand or a leg), they are adding it to the fanbase and making it public. 

(I also think everybody should stop following these people, it’s not like any of them are doing anything of importance - that sounds mean but it’s honest)

Nicola said in her Harper’s Bazaar: Life Lessons interview, “surround yourself with people you want to be like”. It seems simple but can also be hard to do depending on where you are in life. Nicola knows who she wants to be, so she knows who to surround herself with. 

With friends you always want to give them the benefit of the doubt, you want to help them in bad and good situations, and it’s easy to look at things with rose coloured glasses in friendships (in any type of relationship really). This is especially true if you are kind, or empathetic. 

I’m sure that Luke has talked with his management and they have informed him of how things are being perceived by the public. I’m sure Luke had an idea even before a conversation had happened. Now we just have to trust that Luke understands his situation and makes the changes necessary (if he wants to) to continue to grow his career. 

[slippery-snake]

Biker!Logan & Biker!Remus x GN!Reader

AN: This idea has been haunting my mind since October last year akjssjsjdjdj. Ty lovely moot for helping give me ideas for this @darksides-dutchess

Warnings: Mention of possible injuries, mention of guys being pushy, Remus putting you in “danger” (he knows what he’s doing tho, overall wholesome

Logan

Keeps it secret

When you go to his place, he will NEVER let you enter his garage.

Staying with him after dark is a no no also

He claims that he just loves his free time

Totally not because he's actually going 100 mph every night on a customized bike

He's actually very good at keeping his secret

Unitl one day, after long night before, he left his helmet on the counter and you asked him about it

“It’s my friends’.”

“Your friend is a biker? That's so cool! Can I meet him!?”

He gets jealous lol

“…No.”

You keep pushing him until he breaks and confesses

At first, you’re surprised, then everything falls into place

You don’t think any differently of him, you actually think its kinda cool, and he appreciates it

not to mention its sexy as hell

He takes you riding sometimes, but double, triple and quadruple checks you have all your gear

NEVER taking you on the highway, fastest you’re going with him is 30 mph

Doesn’t bring you to street races, but doesn’t mind if you show up

He may or may not show off a bit for you

If you complain about some guy from work or school bothering you, he pulls up to the building/campus as loudly as possible to “pick you up”

Very chivalrous

Picks you up and takes you off the bike instead of letting you get off on your own

Doesn’t want you getting hurt

He also will just die if you ever get injured on his bike

You will never face a major injury, hes very careful

But if you sprain your ankle getting off, or have a rock hit your leg while riding, his boyfriend instincts kick in.

Instantly taking care of while feeling guilty

he’s having you take a break from the bike for few days

Remus

Extremely open about it

Everyone he knows is gonna know about it

It’s probably the first thing you know about him

He takes you riding everywhere, and may even consider getting you your own bike

Until then, he lets you make come decisions about customizing his bike

Or you’ll come back to his place to see your favorite color painted somewhere on his green and black biker as a surprise

Hes taking you to races all the time

Maybe even letting you ride with him

Occasionally, he makes a bet, saying the winner gets to take you home

At first you were mad at him for doing it

But after watching him race a couple of times, you realized remus was no fool

He was fast, obviously, but took risks that cost the other racer to lose.

He never really put a bid on you, since he always knew he was going to win from the beginning

While you loved going on rides with him, he could be a little punk at times

Sometimes, while riding casually, he just does wheelies with no real warning

Just a “Hey watch this” before you’re tilted towards the sky and holding onto him for dear life.

If theres a motorcycle in the lane next to you, he may rev his engine a bit to get them started, and next thing you know you’re 85 in a 30

He cares about your safety, but if you’re dating him you’re gonna have to be a bit rough at times.

If he sees you got a scratch, he gonna laugh it off

“You got your first mark, baby!”

Actually kinda proud, mostly since he has scars EVERYWHERE from falling off his bike so many time.

However, he makes the point that all of the falls he took were tactical and on purpose

If you do ever actually get hurt or feel scared, he doesn’t realize at first but oh boy when he does

Its like a different person

Instantly into protective bf mode

You’re riding in front of him, swaddling him as he speeds home or to the hospital

He doesn’t rest well until he knows for sure you’re okay, and the doctors or nurses will be getting an earful of insults if you think they aren’t listening to you or treating you right

He doesn’t get jealous often

Mostly because 90% of guys will be aware that you’re together

He is loud, everyone knows when your ride is outside

If you ever do get hit on, he's still not concerned.

He’ll just saunter on over and throw his arm over your shoulder, make you blush a lil, and look at the other guy like “yeah, they’re all mine”

If the guy is too pushy he just fights them, there is no inbetween.

[einsatzzz]

Can we get more crumbs of Hibakana please please!!

Ask and you shall receive anon!!! Thank you for dropping by (--again! if ur the previous anon sdjhvshfvsh) Sorry it took a while, I wanted to time it for Kana's birthday hehehe 🥰🥰💜✨ Anyway, here's another ship chart for them plus some ramblings!

The song in the chart is Hibana (Spark) by DE//CO*27, and I mainly imagine this song for their relationship during Daily Life Arc, mostly in Hibari's POV. Besides that, I do have a Kana POV song that's also by DE//CO*27, which parallels Hibana, and it's Ghost Rule. I'm one of those believers who think these two songs actually communicate with each other, one from each person in the relationship.

We actually even considered this song when thinking of the ship name for them, just look at Sou and I's chat around the time when its abt to be New Year 2022 at the ungodly hour of 12-1AM hahahaha (we're finalizing ship names for both hibari/kana and tsuna/kurumi here btw)

Back then, it was only to reference the song title itself. But turns out, their relationship also fits oddly so perfectly with the lyrics. I shit you not when I say I can do a dissection of the lyrics on how it fit them sdjfbhsdfsf

Other Notes

The Dialogue in the Balloons - Yeah...💀

PDA, Jealousy, Clingy - There's definitely little to no PDA and if there is, it's probably subconscious. But as mentioned before, they're both very private people. Same with jealousy and clinginess. Though, it's still something I'm investigating 🫡🫡🫡 so far I'm observing little to none from these crazy animals.

Who Confesses First - Explained here.

Who was the First Kiss - Sorry bruh, I also legit do not 100% know yet. What would be more interesting? lmao They're very elusive and are always bonking each other when I stalk them inside my brain hahahaha we'll get there when we get there!

Slow Burn - It's usually painful, but it's very fun for them! Sometimes, I feel like it's also a good amount of my brain coping for the BL ships that I have in shou/nen series that are written in a super slowburn way or have insane "its in the subtext" dynamics but will actually never end up together. I find those types of pairings in itself charming too, I go into those ships already assuming that it will sink but I still have fun.

Together Forever (?) - I can't fully choose this because they aren't even ""together"" you know???? 🤣🤣🤣 but they kinda still are in a way???

Insane AU Potential - I've always had fun putting them in a few AUs before, but I only fully realized their insane potential for AUs when Dee told me about it and my brain is like 🤯🤯🤯 The main story is still being worked on right now, but we're going to AU territory in the future too!

Snapshots/Rare Down Time - Something about them is so winter-coded. I have like two more wips of these two in winter-themed art.