#just in the latter he hates himself to begin with instead of at the end

[penguinkyun]

chapter 166 review

continued cw for discussion of canon suicide

ITS THE FINAL CHAPTER......!!!

honestly. i really really wish i could give praise and a positive review about this chapter because its the end of a manga i really truly loved and enjoyed and it makes me really sad that i can't do that

because this ending is shit. thanks akasaka!

with two chapters remaining, i knew that any fallout would be rushed and underexplored without the time it would deserve but it really does amaze me how this chapter managed to feel both rushed and excessive in its exploration of grief

just like kana last chapter, focusing so much on rubys grief here feels oddly exploitative (but everything about these last three chapters have felt exploitative and excessive so) and yet we did need to see rubys reaction so its just this contradictory mess of too much and too little at the same time

i guess it feels that way because like @aihoshiino mentioned, of this trend in the latter half of the manga of showing horrible things happening to the characters, but theres either very little or no healing and rebuilding to provide catharsis. aquas death is horrific and theres no resolution or refutation to the self hatred he has of himself and he died believing his only role while living was to be in service of others and everyone else is shown grieving in detail for a few pages before moving on because theres not enough time to give their emotions the space to breathe and not enough time to give them the space to heal and rebuild so it just feels like an endless cycle of suffering and suffering with tiny hints of healing and then its back to suffering and it is so draining to read through

its kind of sad that ruby, who is supposed to be the second main character of this series, doesn't even get to narrate the last chapter, like she narrated the beginning of the first chapter after ai's death. all her thoughts and feelings are told to us by akane instead of her- her story can't even be told by ruby herself

burning.mp3 sure is playing loud during the beginning of this chapter

ough mem's notice that shes taking a break contrasting her one million subscriber video...that sure hurts

and what hurts even more is why the fuck is taiki not at the hoshinos family grave where aqua would be buried. why is he giving a bouquet to parents he absolutely hates instead of being allowed to grieve the brother he actually loved and cared for???

WHY IS HE AT THE HIMEKAWAS GRAVE. WHY. WHY TAIKI WHY. THIS MAKES NO SENSE HE HATES THEM??? WHY WOULD HE GIVE THEM FLOWERS??? WHAT THE FUCK. WHY IS THIS THE LAST TIME WE SEE HIM???

coughs. anyway

the ending really is just "aqua died and we were all sad about it. then we moved on."

and its honestly terrible that everything is going exactly as aqua predicted. his death only boosted ruby and 15YL, and everyone else was able to get back on their feet in what feels like almost immediately. i don't want the characters to suffer more or any of them to commit suicide like half the predictions were in the weeks after 164, but the way its presented here- due to the lack of pacing and rushed ending- the narrative is retroactively justifying aqua's suicide and thats. well bad! its bad message to send! rubs forehead. seriously the messaging is all sorts of fucked up this chapter

i dont actually have all that much to say about the rest since its pretty much what i figured-- akane and kana going all in on acting and everyone getting their footing back

we really just brought in two random bkomachi members out the wazoo!

the two stars in the sky did get me a little though i wont lie

what i didn't expect though was akasaka taking the themes of the series and burying them even deeper than six feet under in the final chapter

because ruby's essentially become Ai 2.0 here, even more than she was in c.159. she's become a liar that lies constantly as being an idol, hiding her pain so she can continue to shine- the very ending that neither ai nor aqua wanted for her, the very thing she never wanted to become��� how is this a happy ending? or even a bittersweet one?

hoshino ai was a greedy girl for wanting happiness as an idol and happiness for herself, so what does this chapter tell us? what's the moral of this story? that you shouldn't want happiness for yourself? hoshino aqua died without ever receiving the fulfillment and happiness he wanted, ai died because the toxic culture and misogyny around idols and idol culture prevented her from living her life in happiness, and hoshino ruby survives without any fulfilling happiness in her life? is the lesson here you shouldn't be greedy for too much happiness? that you simply need to grin and bear it? thats an absolutely terrible message to send!

this ending feels like holding dry ice because of how devoid of any warmth it feels

the last panels are so cold— ruby saying goodbye to a wall filled with the commodified versions of her mother and brother (especially their signatures what the FUCK) and one single true picture of them both and its from her childhood and going to a job she lost any sort of joy and fulfillment in and has to hide her pain everyday with lies

it'd be one thing if ruby had to lie if she still found any sort of enjoyment in being an idol but none of that is there! It's just empty.

sidenote: ruby do you not have a single picture of aqua as a teen?? even gotanda has one wtf?? what about miyako??? this is not the time for product placement!

ALSO WHY A PLUSHIE. OF ALL THINGS. WHY AN AI PLUSHIE?!

the fact she says ``towards the future [you] illuminated for me`` is so insulting to those deaths because. neither of them wanted this for her! and ai didn't die for her and as far as she knows, aqua was murdered so this line is as confusing as it is wrong

its such a bad ending for ruby because being an idol was something she wanted to do for two lifetimes and now she has everything except her family and the happiness that she used to have doing it

sighs. in the end the saitous were the only ones with their dreams fulfilled huh? they got an idol to the dome.

kana never got her dream fulfilled, akane couldn't save aqua, ruby lost all her family and lost the love and enjoyment she found in being an idol, aqua died horribly without ever seeing any of his dreams come to fruition. ai's wish has been desecrated completely. towards stars and dreams? hah. what a terrible name for this arc. what a bitter ending.

despite all this, i really do love this manga and thats why seeing this ending destroy all the themes it had of breaking the cycle, of moving forward, its sad. and heartbreaking.

its a fun ride though! and i enjoyed being here and reading this manga. honestly a little emotional now thats its officially oshi no over! i'm not done with this series though and probably will still be posting and discussing it for a long time to come! in the end, i love all these characters way too much to let go now and they have all been a pretty important part of my life, so...happy end of series everyone. i hope you all enjoyed this ride as much as i did!

see you all!

[tomwambsgans]

But I think where my heart is, is Parks.

[just-some-random-blogger]

Stop The Feeling

"I cannot bare it when I am not around," you confess, eyes watering. Gwayne stills, "oh."

Gwayne Hightower x Cargyll!Reader | 800< | cw: fem!reader, fuck boy!Gwayne, angst, typos, etc.

A/N: GWAYNE BRAIN ROT X CHAPPELL ROAN good luck babe 😁

What started as innocent admiration ended with a hurricane.

And now as it stormed over King's Landing, you walk the halls to the Kingsguard's quarters to visit your brothers, holding a basket in your hands.

You nod at a knight that greets you. You arrive and look for Arryk or Erryk but instead find someone else entirely.

"Gwyane."

The man leaned against the wall smirks, "Lady Cargyll."

You lower your gaze as he walks over. You correct yourself and curtsy, "Ser Gwayne."

He waves a hand and shake his head, "I heard of your father's arrival to King's Landing and knew you would come to see your brothers."

You keep your eyes on your basket, "you know me well, my lord."

"Yes," he drops his head to steal a glance of your face, "will you also grace me with a visit?"

You look around when you hear voices and step back from him, "I do not think-"

"I've missed you," he says, making you finally turn to him.

Your lips part, "you have?"

"Sister!" two voices say at once.

Both you and Gwayne turn and see the twin Kingsguard walking towards you, dripping wet at that. You beam at them, "I've bought you some food."

Arryk comes forward first, kissing your cheek. He tells you were stationed outside, thus why they were wet. Erryk on the other hand raises a brow at Gwayne, "Lord Hightower."

Gwayne smiles, "Ser Arryk."

"Erryk," he corrects.

Arryk and you turn to Gwayne. The latter laughs, "my mistake."

"Did you need anything, my lord?" Arryk asks. You feel your stomach roll when both your brothers turn to him. Gwayne casually shakes his head, "I merely chaperoned the lady," he looks out the window, "tis raining after all."

You scoff softly at the excuse. Still, you pull a smile, "I nearly slipped and he caught me."

Your brothers turn to you.

"My lord was just leaving."

They turn back to him. Gwayne raises his brows and opens his mouth. He nods slowly, "yes," then quickly, "yes, I was just."

Gwayne walks off and hears your chatter with your brothers. The cold brought by the rain makes his fingers tingle. He wonders if you'll be coming to his chambers. He sprints to the door when he hears a knock.

His face brightens at the sight of you, "I see you've missed me as well."

You don't speak; you reply with a kiss.

As the cold rain masks the sounds of pleasure that drips from your mouth, you find warmth in his arms which trap you beneath him. And once it's all over, you press your cheek on his back and reconnect the constellations on his skin with your fingers.

"How long will you be staying?" Gwayne mutters against his pillow, head heavy, voice sleepy.

You lick your lips, "do you love me?"

His eyes open.

You pull away.

He turns to you with knit brows. You stare at each other for a while and find your answer in the silence. You shake your head and turn to your hands.

Gwayne calls your name and clutches your cheek, "I care for you."

"Then won't you marry me?"

He stares at you. The rain pours. Again, you find your answer in the silence.

You press your lips into a thin smile. You did not think you would be this indifferent to the truth. Mayhap it's because deep down, you already knew what he'd say, "perhaps one day you will want to."

He smiles. You hate how lovely it is even while he was crushing your heart, "one day." Gwayne kisses the back of your hand, "but tonight, we sleep."

You nod the way you always do.

When the rain ends and the morning comes, Gwayne finds himself alone in his bed. It was not yet up, and you'd normally wake him before leaving, thus why he finds himself frazzled.

He spends the morning looking for you, the afternoon worrying about you, and when the night begins to bleed through the sky, he finally decides to ask one of your brothers of your whereabouts.

"My sister?" Erryk says, knitting his brows, "she is with the prince, my lord."

He tilts his head, "the prince?"

Erryk nods, "aye. Prince Aemond took her on dragonback."

"Aemond?" he blurts, face hardening, "what business does my nephew have with your sister?"

Gwayne watches as the man's face contorts. The kingsguard speaks slowly, "they are betrothed and to be married in a fortnight."

Gwayne's face goes white.

Erryk narrows his eyes at him, a deep line forming between his brows, "are you well, s-"

"I'm well," he scoffs, breaking into a laugh. He shakes his head, "I am merely taken aback by the sudden news."

The knight's face twists in confusion.

"You must be happy for your sister's betrothal."

He nods, "I am happy for her love match."

"Love match!" Gwayne laughs again, slapping Erryk's armoured shoulder, "love match, say he!"

Erryk raises his brows, "my lord-"

"What happy news!" laughs the Hightower, "bid your sister my congratulations."

"I wi-" he stops himself when the Gwayne suddenly departs.

[dunmesh]

laios and shuro's relationship is so important to me it's not funny anymore... the fact shuro kept believing in laios during the latter part of the manga, then searched for him after laios became a monster and defeated the winged lion- although it was unclear what exactly had become of him- is haunting me because of how it contrasts with him choosing to give up on saving falin after he saw her as a chimera. like, laios was so sure that their fight in chapter 38 was the end of their friendship while in reality it was the beginning of it in shuro's eyes. laios kept agonizing over losing the one friend he cared for the most but it's because he didn't understand the significance of that little thing he kept carrying with him in every step until the very end of the series: the bell.

shuro gave him that bell as a token of his trust in him and his love: "we grew apart and i'm no longer fit for the position by your side, but no matter how far you go, i'll be there for you when you need me". their conflict over how to deal with falin forced them to go in different directions, but despite accepting leaving falin behind, shuro couldn't bring himself to abandon laios as well. and it's no coincidence that the bell shuro gave him was the proof that laios was still alive after all that happened, or that it's what pushed mithrun and kabru to go deeper into the dungeon instead of returning to the surface (which quite literally changed the entire chain of events afterwards).

yes, shuro decided to stop pursuing falin and report her condition to the governor so she could be stopped, even at the cost of her life. he gave up on her. but the same man also defied the canaries and fought for laios without knowing how messed up things had gotten because he chose to believe in laios above all else. and that, in my opinion, solidified just how important laios became to him- more than falin's, more than his own life, it's laios's he didn't give up on.

at the very end, when he met laios again after the latter defeated the winged lion, he gave him a hug filled with the pure, unrestrained joy of seeing his first and best friend on the island alive and well. hell, i mean, it's easy to forget that shuro didn't really have anyone close to him too- and laios might very well be the first person he was this disgustingly direct and truthful with since he was a child. and when he goes back home, there won't be anyone else like laios there; his home is still the same. it's him that changed. and later on when he will recall all those years he spent on the island, he will realize how surprising it is that all the crazy stuff he witnessed don't hold a candle to the impact those few people he befriended there had on him.

of course, laios didn't realize it until then- shuro's reaction was indeed the one that surprised him the most- but at that moment he could absolutely feel how foolish he was to be so sure he will be hated and rejected after everything they went through. it's so important that it was shuro who greeted him so affectionately, after we saw laios brooding over their fight so much: it's shuro's acceptance that he was longing for the most.

with all that being said, the one last thing that drives me crazy is that the bell laios was given to use when he needed assistance most was still with him even after turning back into his human form. that tiny item he was shown to be quite careless with and yet never let go of until he wanted to be completely alone, thinking he should run away from everyone he loved; but it was too late, his friend already heard his cry for help.

and they all answered.

[i-eat-deodorant]

🎵😡❓🚶‍♂️ for any of ur characters. whichever's on your mind atm

🚶‍♂️-> for a habit-themed headcanon

Narinder rubs his wrists a lot, a habit he carried over from his TOWW days where his manacles constantly chafed at his wrists. With them gone his arms feel light, but the ache still serves as a reminder of who he once was. Rubbing provides some relief, but ends up exacerbating the problem in the long run. 

When he’s anxious he also grooms himself to the point of excess, especially around his arms and shoulders. Earlier on, it wasn’t uncommon to see Narinder with missing patches of hair from where he overgroomed and licked off all the fur there. Nowadays he redirects his tick by grooming Lamb instead, but their wool is a little too thick for him to handle and he keeps getting his tongue snagged in all the fluff. 

🎵 -> for a music-themed headcanon

At first, music was entirely overwhelming for him. The Gateway deadened all things living: smell, sound, sense of touch. It took him a while to even begin to tolerate the cacophony of noise that constituted music, much less enjoy it. He still prefers dead silence, but the problem with having big-ass ears like his is that he never really gets dead silence. Living is far too noisy for that. 

If asked to pick a music, he is partial to the bhajans he heard back when he was a bishop. It’s familiar, even if it comes from a time that hurts to remember. 

😡 -> for a headcanon about something that makes them angry

He hates being helpless. No, he doesn’t fear it, he just hates it. Nobody will pry the latter confession out of him no matter how hard they try. 

That’s what power boils down to, really. What control reduces to. The ability to have the deciding factor in every situation imaginable. Death proved as reliable as it was a confounding factor—he could change the manner of death, delay it, ease it, but never stop it. That was why resurrection ended up being so tantalizing in the end; the ability to have his domain under his complete control by removing its permanence entirely. Entire legions brought back to life under his reign. He could be powerful, and his kingdom would last forever. 

(He discovered, perhaps too late, that there was no state of true control. A god, reduced to chains, degraded to a mortal. Then from Lamb he learned about the little things, finding autonomy in a world where so much was out of his control. This too, was power. He serves death in life, and when inevitability comes for him eventually, he’ll die in their arms like an old friend.) 

❓-> for a headcanon of the receiver's choice

No matter how badly or how often Lamb pisses him off, he can’t help but feel a sort of pride that they’re the one who’s the owner of the Red Crown. After all, he’s the one who chose them, who trained them, who’s the reason they ever got as far as they did. And if anybody can earn his respect, it’s the godslayer who killed all four of the Bishops before ousting him in a fight. 

[xxsycamore]

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙙…

↬ 💤 Napoleon relishes sharing warmth with MC on this rare mid-summer occasion of a significantly cold morning... And she says she hates every second of it. You know, the cold.

a/n: I don't know about the Nunuche in the fic but I definitely had a great start to my day writing this at 8 am... Oh oh and, Can This Morning Never End by Davin Kingston played from the sleepy napo playlist (spotify link) and I realized it's perfect for this fic... Enjoy! For Napoleon Birthday Celebration 2023, prompt "Habit"

Napoleon Bonaparte x MC • rating: G • tags: Cuddling & Snuggling; Sleepy Cuddles; Morning Cuddles; All the cuddles; Spooning; Little spoon Napo anyone?; Blushing Napo; Sharing Body Heat • wordcount: 612 • masterlist

"It's soooo cold!!"

That's a new one. What happened to Good Morning, How are you? While Napoleon rubs the sleep off his eyes, he still recovers from the sense-awakening feeling of a cold nose nudging into his cheek. Well, he's the one who initiated the kiss that brought the sensation, albeit asleep, so there's no point complaining now. But still.

It IS soooo cold. For a morning in mid-August, while the rain that fell the night before and chilled the earth could perfectly be held responsible, having temperatures lower than 20 degree Celsius is still pretty much a whiplash. It was just yesterday that the morning chill was a welcomed calm before the storm of oven-hot Paris air that nests itself in the atmosphere around noon. And thus, the night before, too, was one in which the window was left wide open while Napoleon and MC slept cozily in bed.

It's pretty early in the morning now, the sun just barely peeking inside the room, a welcomed guest that is already taking on its duty to warm up the world today too, and surely about to overdo it completely by afternoon… but right now, that sounds almost good. Napoleon and MC would gladly miss out on this initial, colder part of the day, with the latter having a day off to sleep in as she pleases, but alas, they've promised a fellow mansion resident to help out with their urgent business in town.

"Cuddles." Napoleon mutters determinedly like it's war strategy. He opens his arms, eyes still closed, waiting for MC to crawl her way there with eyes as equally tightly shut as his.

"Cuddles." She delightfully agrees, backing up until the hard wall of Napoleon's well-toned front is enveloping her back.

She takes his right arm and guides her around her own waist, securing it as tightly as possible.

Legs intertwine.

Feet press firmly against feet.

Skin contact maximizes.

"Ah, much better!"

…And Napoleon's face heats up. Which is good. More warmth for Nunuche. While the sleepy soldier searches for a reason within himself to be taken aback from an activity they've partaken in what seems to be a million times, his dozing-off brain actually provides the answer pretty quickly. This is a very winter-like cuddle. Having his body touch MC's body in all those places, all at once… now Napoleon realizes he actually hasn't experienced this in awhile, the hot summer weather being at fault. And while he relishes in what almost feels like nostalgia, heart going ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum in his chest…

"Oh I hate this sooooo much!"

…

"And can you believe it's going to get hot again around noon? How do I even dress up? Ugh. I can't stand a second more of this."

Ouch.

"Forget every time I complained, I'd rather melt into a puddle on the street than experience this!."

Rather be a puddle...

Napoleon releases a heavy portion of air that he didn't realize he was holding onto. It tickles MC's nape and she shivers in his arms, snuggling further against him.

"Should I just get up and close the window, Nunuche? Or bring you a proper blanket instead of this thin bedcover?"

"Oh? No, don't bother… I already have my blanket right here."

The gentle caress of her thumb against the back of his hand is making Napoleon forget what his point was, to begin with. Something about wishing she'll get colder so he can get to be her blanket more often?

"Wooshh…"

"H-Hey! Don't blow air against my neck! Bad blanket! You're supposed to warm me up…!"

"If you were the big spoon I wouldn't have a chance to do this. Just saying."

Taglist: @arsnovacadenza @ale-teodora @kimi00twin @otomelady @privilegedpancake @g-kleran    @pumpumnnnp @thesirenwashere @ravenarld @kimmy-banana @devonares @galaxyprison @sadshaxk @starshards26 @thewitchofbooks @acethephoenix256 @ikevamp-shrine-2 @nad-zeta @crystal13unny @keen19thcenturygoatsstudent @lordsister @ikemen-banshou   @themysticalbeing @canaria-blackwell @otome-scribbles @rhodolitesrose @coornn @kpop-and-otome @queen-dahlia @kisara-16 @chaosangel767 @ikemenlibrary @queengiuliettafirstlady @aurora-morning @aquagirl1978 ​ @ikemenlover24 @violettduchess @mcofthemansion @joy-the-reader @katriniac @ikemen-writer @tele86 @lovely-bubb1es @aria-chikage @babyblue0t7 @rhodoliteschaos @my-day6 Let me know if you want to be tagged/untagged!

[mxtxfanatic]

Do you have any posts about all the things the people who use demonic cultivation have in common?

I’m not sure I can explain it properly, but I came away from the book thinking that all the people who used demonic cultivation (either directly or through the Yin Tiger Tally) are very similar to one another in terms of their trauma, background, and status as cultivators.

They all have quite traumatic upbringings, either living on the streets for some time or otherwise mistreated as part of the serving class. While they end up with some form of sect alliance, they are only ever half accepted, with their common parentage being brought up quite often. They’re all stuck living on that razor edge of not quite acceptability.

It makes me think that demonic cultivation represents or reflects that sort of traumatic razor’s edge position. (Appropriate when they are literally using resentment).

The major difference between the demonic cultivators is how they decide to use the trauma they’ve been stuck with. Wei Ying does his best to channel it towards protecting people, while trying to minimize harm to the innocent (though some “splash damage” is inevitable), while Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao use it as an excuse to hurt others with impunity (trying to drag the whole world down with them if they must).

Hopefully I’ve made sense.

Hate to say it, but the only demonic cultivator in the text is Xue Yang. Wei Wuxian does not cultivate with mo (living humans) but gui (dead humans), which is why his cultivation is called the ghost path. A better wording would be about who strays from the orthodox path of cultivating, but even then, all of the “righteous” cultivation clans would fall under this because they use Wei Wuxian’s inventions that they stole after his death. Speaking just on the characters listed, though, Xue Yang uses living humans by turning them into living corpse puppets, making him a demonic cultivator, but he also still uses a sword and his golden core, meaning he never left the orthodox cultivation path.

Other than both being street orphans taken in by major clans as kids, Wei Wuxian and Xue Yang have nothing in common. Wei Wuxian had a moral code that he followed even on the street, while Xue Yang didn’t and made a name for himself being a terror before he became a cultivator. When they become cultivators, it is only Wei Wuxian who is disparaged for his background. Nobody ever calls Xue Yang a servant, insults his parentage, or treats him less than courteously, from what we are shown in the text, until he massacres the Chang Clan. He is a guest of the Jin, therefore making him practically untouchable. Now, bringing Jin Guangyao into this, yes he was disparaged in the beginning, but he was definitely accepted once he climbed his way into the clan leader position. People stopped bringing up his past and parentage due to it, because now he was in an accepted and traditional position of power.

The story isn’t about how the type of cultivation one uses represents a theme or says something about the person using it (other than the demonic cultivation because that one says a lot about Xue Yang who created it); it’s about how any cultivation path, orthodox or not, can be used for good or evil and what really matters is to look at the character of the person. Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao are greedy bastards who want to be universally feared (the former) and worshipped (the latter), and will sacrifice anyone or anything that goes against their plans to attain power. They both use sword cultivation to achieve these goals, even if they use other tools to aid. Xue Yang turns to demonic cultivation because he is not clever or powerful enough to use the ghost path as effectively as Wei Wuxian does nor does he have empathy or care for the living or dead which is necessary for the ghost path, so he takes shortcuts with horrific (intended) consequences, instead. Wei Wuxian made his name exclusively with the ghost path and only did so by doing what was right. But only Wei Wuxian was reviled for it until the very end.

In short, mxtx doesn’t write stories where you can use characters’ identities and backgrounds as shorthand for moral lessons. So while all three characters had their traumas and bad encounters with the “righteous” established cultivation clans, Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao are villains because they ultimately believed in the same system that abused them and, thus, strove to uphold it so that they could benefit from that power to oppress others, while Wei Wuxian is the hero for challenging that system and rejecting it for its corruption.

[ask-team-misfit]

Alone Again...

Back in the Fae Wood, it had started raining.

One attentive of the aura in the air could easily tell it wasn’t natural rain; the sky was nigh completely clear just moments prior, after all. It was just a light drizzle in the town nearby.

But deep in the forest? A complete downpour.

Exhausted from the trip home, Lief would arrive. He was all too quick to duck within the burrow for shelter, though he still ended up soaking wet. Again.

Lief: “Ugh… nothing like the stench of a Rain Dance to come back to.”

He removed his scarf to hang up on the wall, wringing it out some first, before lowering himself on his fours to shake himself dry. Now less sopping wet, he stepped over his scattered and fallen nick-knacks towards his bed–a nest of straw and hay contained in a wooden frame.

He still hadn’t cleaned up in here from the night he found Pikavee. That fateful night where his offer to help inevitably roped him into the mystery behind her appearance here.

All because he wanted her to stop crying and move along.

He plopped into bed with a groan, curling up tightly. The only noise present was the rain pouring outside, hitting the wooden cover that closed off the burrow’s entrance, and his own gurgling stomach–the latter of which made him wince a little.

It'd only been a few moments since he last ate. Yet, ever since arriving back in this world, it now felt like he hadn't eaten for longer.

Regardless if he actually was hungry or not, he didn't have much of an appetite for the moment. He simply lay there, deep in thought at all that had occurred, staring with a gradually sleepy face at the items strewn before him on the floor.

There he lay, thinking more and more about her.

Lief: “Wherever Missy is right now, I hope she’s faring any better.”

Thinking, and thinking, and thinking.

Until he began to doze off.

...

azel-the-umbreon asked: @ask-the-lywelles Vahni: A floating hoodie and glowing disembodied umbreon rings approach Lief. Vahni: "S-so I wanted to ask a f-few things. First off, is the r-reason you hate treasure hunting have to do with your past? And you do really care about her don't you? You try t-to act as though you could care less, but it's not as good of an act as you might think." Her muzzle becomes visible for a moment, she's giving him a genuine smile. Vahni: "W-we wouldn't want another thing to haunt you. Like with your family..." And with that, she fully appears, her hoodie down, her eyes seemingly piercing into Lief's soul. Her usual shy self seems to be nowhere to be seen.

[ @ask-the-lywelles ]

Being a light sleeper, Lief overheard every word.

By the time Vahni appeared, it hadn't been that much longer. But to him, it felt like he’d been asleep for hours.

He’d open his weary eyes to the sight of her standing there in full view, smiling at him as if she saw right through him.

Usually he’d snap at her. Tell her to leave, or make her leave. But too much had gone on for him to even have the energy for it.

He was also VERY hung over, beginning to experience the true ramifications of his earlier drink-off. Even with Nike's intervention.

So despite everything the Umbreon just said being subjects that hit a very sore spot for Lief, all save for the family part, he dwelled on what was asked, rather than push such thoughts out of his brain–particularly, the ones about Pikavee.

Lief: “You think I should go back to her, do you? To Missy. Because she’s not from here, and…”

He almost said, ‘Could hurt herself.’

Instead, he glanced away with a weak sigh, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Lief: “A lot of what you said really isn’t your business. And I doubt you came here looking for a history lesson…”

A pause. He looked at Vahni again with a raised eyebrow, his expression softening somewhat.

Lief: “Or did you?”

Ask Hints have been updated.

[shadesofnavy]

Senpai, or how I shall name him, Stephan Lindberg, teen and adult

holy fuck what did i do to him

Anyways

Tagging for toxic fake friendships and manipulation?

He's 17 years old on the left drawing, and 32 on the right. He's 5'8, had an older sister named Stacy (if you recall her then you get a request sketch) who went missing in 2011.

He and Stacy went to the same school as Keith, Cherry, and later Darnell did. Their parents were always busy with work, and the family rarely ever spent time together. Stephan and Stacy at first were good kids, but as they grew older their lack of family bonding led to them spending more time with friends and strangers, and eventually they'd become stuck-up and mischievous. It didn't help that their parents often spoiled them with gifts and money for any sort of occasion either.

At school, Stephan always hated Keith with a passion after the latter started dating his crush Cherry to the point where he went up to fight Keith, who he ultimately lost to. Stephan was outraged, but Keith, out of his goodness, surprised the blonde boy by purposing that he'd prefer they be friends instead of enemies (he heard that Stephan was a well-liked guy by the girls anyways). At first he thought Keith was completely dumb, but Stephan ended up realizing that this guy might have been stupid enough to steer him into relishing trouble as revenge for "taking the girl." Rather than lashing out again, he "accepted" Keith's friendship and later led Keith into believing that they were genuinely good friends.

Much to Stephan's inner irritation, Keith would consider him a close friend as their high school years passed, but this only came in handy for Stephan when he happily manipulated and tricked Keith with challenges and dares, getting him into a lot of trouble and actually getting hurt in some cases. He relished it all for having loss Cherry to the "stupid bloke". Keith never caught on to what was actually going on until much later

Coincidentally, like her brother, Stacy had always had a crush on Keith, and the two siblings both would both argue on what they liked about the other, but eventually came up with ways to help each other in attempt to ruin Keith and Cherry's relationship--which never worked. Similar to her brother's tactics, Stacy befriended Cherry, however for a time she actually considered the brunette to be a good friend. The sentiments didn't last long with her brother's constant complaints though, and she ended up backstabbing Cherry a night before their senior prom, just days after Stephan shows Keith his true mug in the worst way possible. Their glory didn't last long though before Darnell cleared things up in front of the whole school that same prom night, putting both Stephan and Stacy in their places and ruining their social status.

As the years passed afterwards, Stephan and Stacy moved out of town and both went their separate ways traveling across the country with the loads of money their parents continuously gave them to back them up, until the gal went missing out of the blue at 21 years old. Stephan was snapped back into reality, and ended up moving back with his parents, partially distraught by his sister's sudden disappearance. He would stay at home and begin to look back into both his and his sister's life. Eventually, he'd begin to write his own songs and begin to fix himself through lyrics rather than playing with people's lives and relationships.

[kimaixun]

[Not yours but, mine - SKZ HyunJin X M!Reader] [NSFW]

‼️Trigger warnings: Abuse, Homophobic Parents ‼️

“Hi, will you go to prom with me now?”

M/N felt his eyes twitched in annoyance. This was the thirteenth time, yes, M/N counted, where the ‘hot’ boy of JYP College repeatedly asked him to go to the prom and it has been going on for almost a month now. Without fail, Hwang HyunJin, the prince of JYP College, would randomly show up out of nowhere and asked him the same question over and over again.

“M/N,” HyunJin pouted as he took M/N forearm, randomly tracing over the tattoos, the latter had. “I really like you.”

“No.” M/N simply said as he gently pulled his arm away, packing his things.

“Pretty please?” This time, HyunJin batted his eyelids so fast that M/N thought it would fly off.

“No,” again, the same answer. M/N took a last glance over to the dejected pretty boy before walking out the door of the class.

Class ended an hour ago but, M/N had stayed back to complete some overdue assignments. The moment, M/N found himself alone in the usually crowded hallways of the building, his cheeks grew warmth as he bit his lips to stifle a squeal that threatened to echo.

‘He’s cute. He’s so fucking cute. He’s making me fall for him even more every second,” M/N thought to himself.

“Hyungggggg what got you blushing?” SeungMin had surprised the latter by jumping onto his back, thankfully, M/N reflexes were fast. “Is it him?”

“Yeah,” M/N bashfully admitted.

It was not like M/N hated HyunJin. Instead, he was deeply in love with the latter. They had been friends since kindergarten, since diapers. Even though, they didn’t typically grew up together, M/N always has eyes for the prince . He was not only beautiful but, HyunJin is benevolent, wonderful, courageous and the list never ends. HyunJin was like the bloomed flower that never withered despite the storm that bash them.

M/N on the other hand didn’t consider himself as beautiful as HyunJin. He knew he looked decent, he knew that but, he was not particularly sure of how people describe him to be. He has tattoos because he love the way each and every ink piece represents a part of his life, he love the piercings stapled in him because it reminded him of the pain he went through from time to time. M/N didn’t come from a perfect family, he had went through blood, sweat, tears to where he was standing right now. M/N knew he was the total opposite of HyunJin. Hence, the reason why he didn’t responded or react to the prince confession/invite.

“You still did not accept his invitation? It’s been a year.” SeungMin exaggerates. “Tell me, how many time had he actually asked you the same question over and over again.”

M/N nonchalantly shrugged before, sitting down on his bed, responding to the younger questions, “3,457 time to be exact.”

“Woah Bro, you are heads over heel for that man.”

“I am but, nah, I should just dream on. HyunJin is way out of my league.”

“Really?” SeungMin deadpanned, rolling his eyes so hard M/N thought he could see his own brain, “how long have you known him again?”

“15 years, minus the years I was not in Korea.” M/N said.

“Do the math, you are smitten by a pretty boy who you’ve known for almost your whole lifetime.” SeungMin said, “when exactly are you going to actually accept his promposal?”

“Not anytime soon, I don’t think I would even go to prom.” M/N replied.

4 days, 4 days to prom and M/N felt something ache in his heart. Something was not right. Something was indefinitely wrong. Hwang HyunJin was not approaching him as often as he used to. Usually, the prince would approach him for an average of at least 10 time a day. He would sneak to the tattooed latter whenever he sees the opportunity to. This time, M/N begins to look for him. He would intentionally sit at one spot, hoping the prince would come to him but, to no avail, for the first time for the year, not even a single sight of the pretty boy was seen.

“Help me.” M/N look dead in SeungMin’s eyes, causing shiver down the younger spine.

“If you stop killing me through your stares, I would.” SeungMin replied.

“Sorry,” a dejected sigh left his lips, “please go to HyunJin’s house. Check on him.”

SeungMin looked at him bewildered, “are you insane? What is wrong with you? You want me to go to HyunJin’s? Bro, I don’t even know where he lives. You do so, you go.”

That was how M/N found himself outside of the terrace, debating whether he should knock on the wooden doors of it. He had stood there for almost half an hour now.

“M/N?”

M/N turn to the call of his name. He gasped inaudibly at the sight of the man standing upon him. HyunJin was dressed in his sweats, his hood was on, covering his face. M/N thanked god for his good eyesight because he was quick to peek into the prince’s face. A right eye was bruised badly, there was a cut on the corner of his lips and his cheek welted with a mixture of purple and blue.

“HyunJin.” M/N called out, reaching out to caress the injured one. HyunJin quickly looked away from the other making him retract his hand,“Hwang HyunJin, who did this to you?”

“It’s none of your business.” HyunJin whispered, “get out of here. What are you even doing here?”

“Hwang HyunJin, who is hurting you?!” From the corner of his eyes, the prince could see rage in M/N’s eyes.

“Son, who could this be?” M/N could see the fear in HyunJin as a man came up behind him, linking an arm around his shoulder. He recognise the older man, he is HyunJin’s father.

“Dad, t-this, this is M/N, a classmate of mine.” The prince stammered, “he came by to pass some homework.”

“Well, that better be it. I don’t another one to take care of.” The man said and M/N snapped.

“What do you mean Sir, another one to take care of?” M/N asked.

The man smirked, “it’s really none of you business boy. Now, better leave. Our pretty little boy here has some job to do.” M/N could see the plead in HyunJin’s eyes when the man gripped his shoulder, pulling him towards the door of the entrance. “Now, my Hyunjinnie, say goodbye to your friend.”

“B—bye,”

M/N kisses his teeth in frustration, “if I may sir,” he grabbed the man arm, removing it from HyunJin’s shoulder, “I would like to bring him out for some coffee. We will be back soon.” It happened in seconds when M/N had pulled HyunJin out of the man’s embrace and into his.

“You can’t. I would not allow my pretty boy to go out with a delinquent like you. Besides, he knows what he’ll get for doing that. He’s mine.” The father said, death staring into HyunJin.

The prince looked down to the ground, unable to speak.

“Not yours, mine. By the looks of it, he doesn’t mind going out with him and could you possibly do to him, abuse him, even more.” Something in M/N’s word triggered the man. The father threw a punch to his direction. M/N was quick to dodge it, sending a kick to the man’s leg instead before grabbing HyunJin’s hands and ran. They ran as fast as their feet could bring them to. M/N couldn’t think of any other place than his apartment. Once they entered, M/N locked the doors, leading the prince over to his couch.

It was awkward. The tension was so high that a touch to it would snap the string. HyunJin quietly watch as M/N put down his bag, walking to the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinet just to pull out a first aid kit box. M/N went over to him, pulling a chair right in front of him.

“Hood off.” M/N said. His voice wasn’t exactly stern but, it was gentle and soft. HyunJin winces now and then as M/N applied some ointment to his face.

“Hi, will you go to prom with me now?” HyunJin chuckled, just like every other day when he would ask the tattooed boy.

“Seriously?” M/N frowned.

“Will you go to prom with me? It’ll be in 4 days and I don’t exactly have a date yet. My only supposedly date keeps on rejecting me.” HyunJin begin ranting, “I really like him. He is so good looking and mysterious even though he wouldn’t re—-,”

“Stop,” M/N intervened, “stop being a sunshine even though you’re going through so much. It’s okay to not be okay. You can cry it out.”

As if M/N could see right through him, HyunJin couldn’t hold back his tears any longer. He broke down so hard that M/N pulled him to cry on his chest, holding him tight as if assuring that everything was going to be alright. It took a while but M/N didn’t mind. He waited until HyunJin had cried his heart out even though it took close to three hours, exhaustion taking over the pretty boy making him fall asleep on the tattooed one.

“Food?” M/N offered when he realise that the pretty boy had finally woke up from his nap. It was close to midnight.

“Iced americano.” HyunJin responded.

“Ok.” M/N ordered some snacks alongside with HyunJin’s order on his phone. “Do you feel comfortable to tell me what is going on?”

“Only if you go to prom with me.” Again, the same question.

“Deal.” M/N said. HyunJin was going to ask him the same question when he realise M/N has finally responded to him. He couldn’t believe his ears, making him jolt up from M/N’s chest to look at the latter.

“Are you serious? You…. You finally agreed to be my date?!”

M/N couldn’t stop the smile that widen on his face as he almost cooed at how cute the pretty boy was, “yes, I agree to go to prom with you. I have been dying to say yes to you but, I didn’t because I thought you were out of my league, you still are. You’re too beautiful for a decent man like me.”

“Are you kidding me? How you look, how you dress doesn’t matter to me. It’s….it’s who you are.” HyunJin blushed, pulling out a necklace hidden under his sweater, “do you think I would forget about you? I thought you forgot about me!”

M/N couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the necklace. It was the one he gave the other on his 9th birthday in school. It was weird to gift someone something on their own birthday but, M/N did it anyway. He remembered shoving the box to HyunJin without a word and going back to his seat to devour the cake.

“You still have it?”

“Of course I do. I am in love with you since we were kids until to this very second. I thought you hated me when you left this country a year ago. I thought you hated me for annoying you all the time because you wouldn’t say anything else but a ‘no’. Then you came back, I took a shot because I didn’t want to lose you!” HyunJin explained.

M/N felt his heart warmth as he pulled the other into his embrace, planting a soft kiss to the latter’s crown, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry for hurting you in every possible ways but, I have been in love with you since we were kids. I have always adored you, wanting you all by myself. The…the reason why I left Korea wasn’t because of you, it was because of my parents. They abused me for being bisexual and when I… I saw how your father treated you, I was not going to let you experienced what I’ve gone through.”

“H…how did you know?”

“The bruises, the ‘possessiveness’ of him said everything because that was exactly what my father did to me. How long had this been going on?”

“Just a week ago,” HyunJin admitted, “I came out to him about being gay and he snapped. He yelled and screamed about how useless I was but, he didn’t exactly hit me, not until last night when he barged into my room and he just, blasted.” M/N could hear the trembles in the latter’s voice. He gently held the other’s shoulder, giving him a squeeze of reassurance.

“I know this will be hard to hear and do, but, we can’t let it happen again. We need to report to the authority about the abuse.”

“But,” HyunJin let a sniffle, “I’m not ready to face this world alone.”

“You won’t be alone, I’m with you. I promise till death do us part, I will be with you.” M/N gently cups the pretty boy’s face, glancing to his lips, “may I?” HyunJin smiled and nodded.

Their lips met. Their bodies pressed together heatedly against the couch, breathing heavily as their lips danced together. M/N could taste their shared breath, feel the thud of their combined heartbeat as they fumbled to take off one another’s clothes. His lips were soft, almost silken, and pillowy against his own.

“A—-ahh,” HyunJin let out a moan as their clothed members grinned against each other. M/N effortlessly lifted the prince so that he was hovering the other instead. “M/N, it’s…..it’s my first time.” The prince admitted, flushing.

“Don’t worry, I won’t do much until you’re ready, I’m going to just jerk us off.” M/N chuckled, planting a kiss to HyunJin’s swollen lips. The pretty boy was a mess from the kiss, writhing under the tattooed one. “Will you be alright?”

“Yes. Make me feel good.” HyunJin cried softly as M/N took his members in his large hands, caressing it in a slow motion. “M/N,” he breathed, “have I ever told you that I’m so in love with you?”

“So do i. I love you, so fucking much.” M/N whispered, looking deeply into HyunJin’s brown orbs. He linked their lips again, feeling the euphoria spark in him. HyunJin was his, finally. The two reached their highs, cum onto their chests, breathing heavily.

“Will you go to prom with me?” HyunJin chuckled after a couple of minutes they calm down.

“Will you be mine?” M/N asked, a grin on his face.

“You’re mine.”

“Not yours but, mine.” M/N claimed as they shared another kiss before the doorbell to apartment rang breaking their moment.

[short-and-ugly]

Hey yuor the Skoodge guy!

Two questions:

1. What does Zim see in him?

2. What does he see in Skoodge?

Wait isn't this the same question phrased in two different ways

im gonna assume its "Zim see in him" and "He sees in Zim" for this!!!! ... im the skoodge guy.... you flatter me. far too much. eradicated.

and endeared.

i Want to answer this as unbiased as possible....... so im going to do so under the assumption that we are talking about Canon.

Zim... doesn't see a whole lot in Skoodge, I don't think. Maybe a pawn, maybe a loyal follower which he 'rightfully' deserves. But then again, Zim has been given the opportunity to have followers before, and he's never really... taken advantage of them. Mostly, Zim seems to want nothing to do with people worshiping and idolizing him! Gets all... jittery and weird. Space morons episode I think. Whichever one was the one where the alien cultists/conventionists found him.

So then if Zim doesn't see Skoodge as a follower, and pawn is still up in the air... does he see him as. A nuisance? Probably. But Zim ALSO has a tendency to regard Gir as a nuisance, despite the facts pointing towards him enjoying the robot's company/general existence.

There's not too much canon Zim-Skoodge interaction dialogue, but Hobo-13 establishes a strange dynamic of Zim bossing Skoodge around and Skoodge blindly accepting it. I don't know if that's because of the situation (Zim being the leader there) or if that's just their whole Thing, but I'm leaning towards the latter, because in Day of Da Spookies (script) their relationship remains pretty much the exact same. The only thing that changes is Zim is a lot more hostile? To Skoodge, for conquering his planet first (obviously jealous/upset that Skoodge has managed to beat his in record time, whereas Zim hasn't made much, if any progress, on Earth).

And with the Trial, too, it's clear that this is how the two have interacted with each other for a long while. I just. Have no idea why.

Skoodge just. Seems to blindly follow Zim, regarding him in just about the same light as a typical irken would the Tallest.

Taking his command with much less hesitation, too. He looks at the Tallest before going into the cannon, but whenever Zim has a plan, he takes it in stride. Even though he MUST be aware of the usually explode-y consequences that Zim's plans tend to generate. No irken wouldn't know. Is he just ignorant? I really doubt it. He's been there since the beginning. He was definitely there to see the second power outage on Irk, and the mayhem of OID1. He's just... that thoroughly blinded by his whatever that he has towards Zim.

And I really really want to call it a crush, but this is canon I'm talking about! Love doesn't exist in this show, yadda yadda, whatever! Who cares! If it isn't a crush, it's definitely the closest irken equivalent to it! Maybe Zim looks like a giant donut to Skoodge! Who knows. He's deranged. Just about as insane as Zim is. Thankfully, all his energy is directed towards surviving whatever Zim or the universe throws at him, instead of anything else. That might end up resulting in a bunch of casualties.

So. The questions. They remain!

What does Zim see in Skoodge?

I think he sees a tool. Something to be used at his disposal. Easily and readily accessible, because that's what Skoodge has molded himself to be.

And maybe, underneath that. Just the TEENSIEST tiniest bit. Zim sees an ally. (Or a friend.)

What does Skoodge see in Zim?

Everything.

Or at least way more than he should.

Or maybe he just sees someone interesting. A short irken with the complex of a taller one. Strong and commandeering despite his height. And he admires that.

thanks for letting me be insane about them. i love you dearly.

somehow this still ended up being about my specific interpretations of them. theres just so little in canon....... and i dont wanna just end it at ''zim hates skoodge and skoodge is okay with that'' because the tallest hate skoodge! and skoodge is okay with it! expects it! and the way skoodge reacts to the tallest and zim are different i think! he speaks out to purple! and obeys zim without question!

and zim....... is fine with him following him around. for the most part. he at least never kicks him out of the base. and that has to mean something

skoodge runs away a lot from things........ but he always comes back to zim

[thatgirl4815]

Only Friends Character Rankings/Analysis

I did this once at the beginning of the series and once in the middle of the series, so time for final character rankings. I'd invite anyone else in the fandom to participate if you'd like! :)

1. Sand & Ray

I originally put Sand above Ray, but I've reached the point where I can no longer consider them anything but a package deal. I love them both too much. It also occurs to me that interest in a character is different than love for them, but in this case both apply.

Ray was, to me, the most evidently well-thought out, complex character in the series. He has the most baggage to go through, and all of that manifests in a lot of tense scenes and emotional outbursts. No one in the cast could've handled that better than Khaotung. As Jojo has mentioned before, Ray is someone who could easily be viewed as one dimensional, even despite his painful backstory. But the fact that Ray generated such a mixture of anger, sympathy, frustration, and love is such a testament to both the writing and the acting. His growth is also the most poignant and prominent throughout the series, so big points for that. Double points for fashion sense.

Sand is just—the ideal guy. He’s got good tastes and he’s also one of the most caring people on the planet, as he demonstrates time and time again. He’s a shoulder for people to lean on (literally, in Ray’s case). He has his own painful history to work through, and while I still struggle with some of his behavior towards the latter end of the series, on the whole Sand felt like a well-rounded character despite being outside of the core friend group. The way he views himself and Ray, and just his at-times overwhelming empathy for others makes him so memorable to me. He also gets double points for just being awesome (plus the leather jacket!! Hello?), but he’d get triple points if he picked up a bat.

2. Nick

Second to Ray, Nick’s growth is one of the most compelling to watch throughout the series. Despite some qualms I have with the pacing of the finale, I do think Nick’s decision to part from Boston was hinted at in prior episodes. We witnessed Nick go from being a pathetic, groveling simp to a man who knew his worth. Sand helped a lot with that, but the decision to walk away was ultimately all Nick's. Nick goes from telling Sand that he can be Boston's side piece so long as Boston doesn't hate him, to telling Boston that they should break up even when Boston wants to be with him. The growth is phenomenal.

I wish we would’ve gotten to see a little more of Nick in the end. Is he doing okay? Is he with Dan? Regardless, I love that Nick is going after what he wants now. I got some creepy vibes from Dan, him being Nick's boss and all, but I think they could've had something sweet. Nick--I hope you're fulfilling your dreams.

3. Mew

Mew gives me the most mixed feelings throughout this series. I wanted to like him more than I actually did, and 99% of that was due to his moral superiority. I think his character was stronger in scenes without Top involved. Like with Ray--I think Mew and Ray's friendship, especially when they agree to just be friends, is such a good characterization moment for both of them. Instead, we witness Mew scowling at Top for the majority of the series, despite claiming he's in love with him. Which yeah, understandable that he'd be angry given what Top did. But Mew never convinced me that he was in love with Top.

With the moral superiority thing--I like that Mew has such a defined set of values. I think that's an admirable quality, unless it's used to put himself above others who do not always conform with his rigid standards--yes, I'm thinking of his condescending tone with Ray early in the series in regards to his drinking/drug use. I see myself a lot in Mew, but this is one part of him that I hope I don't share. Compared to Sand, Mew has a startling lack of empathy for Ray's situation. He must be oblivious to his tone, because what might be intended as helpful comes out judgmental.

I will give him some points though for the scene where he tells Top that he knows about the hookup with Boston. I don't think I ever liked Mew more than I did in that moment. Boss behavior.

4. Boston

As far as interest goes, I'd put Boston above Top, even though Boston frustrates me far more from a moral standpoint. Boston is such a hot topic in this series because his lifestyle is constantly on trial. Sometimes I think that discussion point overshadows other aspects of his character and even becomes equated with his bad qualities. I hate how certain readings of Boston suggest his promiscuity is the problem. I don't think the show is necessarily making the argument that the lifestyle is the issue, but they do highlight that many of the characters view it as an issue. Monogamy is right, polyamory is wrong; that's the way most people tend to view romantic relationships, even if they shouldn't judge other lifestyles so harshly. Ultimately, boundaries and allowances in a relationship are something Boston isn't good at handling. He's dishonest, and his communication skills are lacking because of it.

I could go into more details about Boston, but in general I found his assholery to be entertaining, even if it was frustrating.

5. Top

There are exactly two reasons why Top is below Mew in particular. 1) Because he cheated on him and 2) because he seems to lack any dimension whatsoever. The thing that frustrates me so much about Top is that I can see something there. He could be a very compelling character! But the most depth we get out of him is that he has trouble sleeping because of a fire when he was a kid. There's more to unpack there I'm sure, but we're left at that. Why?? I've seen the showrunners make comments before that Top was hated much more than they foresaw--I'd wager this is part of the reason. Give me something to care about! Give me context! Sand and Ray, by comparison, are given such rich backgrounds. We don't even need to know that much about Top's childhood--I just want to see some personality. He's a designer, but what does he like to do? What are his big hobbies?

There were a lot of missed opportunities to flesh out Top through his interactions with Mew. Their discussions were almost always about either Mew's hesitations about Top's intentions or Mew's inability to forgive Top for cheating on him. That does not make for a very compelling relationship.

6. Cheum

I don't think the show expected me to dislike Cheum as much as I do. And the thing is, I don't think I would've disliked her so much if we would've gotten more insight into her character. That hurt her, in the end. To put it bluntly, I disliked 1) her moral superiority (very similar to Mew's), 2) her disregard for boundaries (inviting Top to Mew's Halloween party and Boston to the New Year's party), 3) her lack of empathy (for Ray in particular, but that kind of extends to the whole friend group), and 4) her lack of accountability (she does apologize, which I commend, but Boston deserved to hear a little more of an apology than that when he was being accused of SA).

The reason Cheum is ultimately below Top is because we get even less of her in the series, and we don't get to see any growth from her. It's not her fault really given the lack of screen time, but at least with Top I can see his efforts to be better. With Cheum, it feels like I left her exactly where she was at the beginning. Not entirely a bad thing, but I wish she would've grown up in some aspects.

~ X ~

Gotta give a final shoutout to the real MVP, Freddy. I love you Fred.

[mwolf0epsilon]

here's a fun but weird one, how about Olly and Wolffe?

The Wolf and the Turtle

Summary: A story's moral is only as good as the context its provided with...

[Not gonna lie, this one threw me for a bit of a loop. Mostly because Olly is... Very hard to capture in the sense that the way he sees certain people can come off as quite scornful. Especially any of the other Guardsmen's batchmates.]

---

There's a strange old story that Olly kind of remembers hearing some time ago, when he was still a very young cadet on Kamino.

He doesn't remember from where exactly he heard it. If it was from a trainer or a brother. In the barracks during rack time, or the refectory during morning meal. It didn't really matter in the end.

But he does know that it had been back when he was still small enough to fit comfortably in his older brothers's arms. Safe and sound from the many horrors that had yet to come their way.

The story he remembers, brief as it may be, went as such:

There once were a fox and a wolf who were the greatest of friends. And, although they could not ask for much more in their simple forest life, the much smaller and less imposing fox was overly dependent of the bigger and stronger wolf. Something which did not escape the latter's notice.

One day, no longer willing to provide for himself and the fox, the wolf began to deceive his old friend. Pretending to take ill while hunting in secret so that his friend might not take a share that, in the wolf's eyes, he did not earn. Something which the fox had quickly realized and was infuriated by.

The story, Olly thought even now, did not end very nicely. Fox and wolf, once greatest of friends, ending up dead by the hands of 3rd parties. Their serene friendship soured over some meat that they could both have very easily shared, without either of their survivals ever being at stake.

But whoever had been telling the tale hadn't really cared for what he'd thought on the matter. What they'd done was stress on the supposed moral the story provided.

"We should never be like the evil fox, who used the wolf for his own needs!" They had claimed with great conviction. "We should always be loyal to each other, and never betray those who's trust we hold!"

Throughout his stay on Coruscant, Olly has learned that there are many stories and cautionary tales in which both foxes and wolves are often portrayed as villainous beings.

The fox, cunning and sly, a trickster sent to fool the less fortunate. The wolf, powerful and fierce, a brute destined to devour innocence.

That he knows of (and he's no expert really, but he can only know what he knows), only one has both as proper protagonists. And somehow, despite the hopeful beginning, the fox is always the selfish villain that all should hate. The boogeyman that leads them both to their untimely demise.

The story serves its purpose, he supposes, if you're not paying attention to the finer details. Or simply don't care to ask the right questions. But it bothers Olly to no end that no one ever really points the finger at the wolf.

The wolf who was bigger and more capable than the physically weaker fox, and who instead is suddenly elevated onto a position where he becomes cleverer than his friend. Until he is not.

The fox is always the villain. Always to blame. It echoes a reality that Olly scorns.

None can deny that Commander Wolffe is an imposing man. Often spoken of as noble, resourceful, passionate and highly considerate of other's needs before his own. Willing to speak his mind and defend others, even when faced with troubles bigger than himself.

Olly has heard his praise sung high by not just the men of the 104th, but the men of the 212th and 501st as well. Or any belligerent Frontie that ends up dragged kicking and screaming to the drunk tank, after one drink too many at 79's. And truly, this is a sentiment he understands. He too would commend his superior officer in most floral prose if he could.

Perhaps play a ballad on his guitar, and howl the notes like a drunken coyote enamored by the moon's greatness. But doing so on Coruscant is a death wish if you wear red. So he keeps his lips sealed and his ori'vod's virtues safe in secrecy. Because Commander Fox is only loved in secret. Otherwise the Guardsmen's regular confrontations with Frontliners would be much much worse...

Yes, Commander Wolffe has the open adoration of many for his much more open affections. Ones that he can recklessly shower his men with, without ever really needed to know their names. But he is not more clever than Fox, nor more loving either. And this, Olly knows, is where in lays the problem.

Because, like many of his ilk, Wolffe does not recognize Fox's brand of love as being love. Doesn't understand the risks he takes to love and protect them all individually and equally. So, because he and his particular breed of clone do not understand Fox's love, they claim him devoid of it. Devoid of brotherhood.

Here's something else Olly once heard on Kamino when he was still a cadet. A most peculiar saying that a trainer had uttered during an exercise that required a precise tactical approach:

'One fox can outsmart ten dozen wolves.'

He finds it to be ironically true in this instance. Because he's on drunk tank duty and he's staring down at the man everyone says is a better brother than Fox. And Olly doesn't believe any of them. Doesn't see whatever it is that they see.

No might, no resourcefulness, not even an ounce of respectfulness.

Not when the 104th commander, face tinted red from drinking himself into blind stupidity, doesn't even seem to understand the basics of loyalty when he's not plastered. Or, at the very least, seems just as much at a loss over what loyalty means, as the rest of his batch. It makes Olly sick to think his ori'vod had ever trusted this treacherous sheep of a man.

Nothing hurt more than being betrayed by a brother you thought had your back. Had sworn to have your back. No matter what.

"What're you looking at? Uh?!" Alcohol loosens lips. Sobriety tightens them. The scowl he continues to level at the 104th commander is felt even through Olly's visor.

"..." He doesn't deign to give him any sort of answer. The dumb bastard doesn't deserve one. Will never deserve one. Not as long as the turtle is around to bare the grudge that the fox refuses to hold.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Ideas #57: PJO x Accidental Warlord AU

The other day I stumbled across a crossover that I never would have imagined but so far works exceptionally well: Friend of Humanity by Bluestone_Dragon, which sends a post-BoO Percy Jackson into the world of inexplicific's Accidental Warlord Witcher AU. And so, naturally, I tried to come up with my own take on the concept.

Just imagine it:

PJO and HOO follow canon until we reach House of Hades. There, instead of Percy and Annabeth landing in the Cocytus when they reach Tartarus, they fall into the Styx instead. No matter Percy's powers, he still has his mother's blessing and Annabeth does not. Percy emerges from the Styx with the Curse of Achilles back in place, while Annabeth dies in the river.

The rest of HOO canon continues, albeit it with a Percy who is teetering on a major depressive episode - when he's not furious at Zeus, Hera, and Athena for putting them in this position to begin with.

Given the insistence in the first series on how no more than three demigods should ever quest together, at least three of the remaining seven should die in the final battle(s), dealer's choice on details.

ToA also follows canon, albeit with Percy tagging along for all of Meg and Apollo's adventures. Despite Percy being a demigod powerhouse, this changes very little of the plot. Instead we get glimpses of a deep friendship between Percy and Apollo that lasts even after the latter returns to godhood, which starts as some level of codependency - Percy is having trouble adjusting to normal camp life, Apollo needs his help to stop the end of the world, and Percy needs to be needed at this point - but turns into genuine respect and care for each other as the series progresses.

The crossover picks up 2-3 months after The Tower of Nero, with Percy appearing in the middle of Kaer Morhen with little to no explanation. This should heavily echo the start of SoN, with Percy actively blaming Hera and asking if anyone's missing from the Witcher side of things. When it becomes clear that the exchange goes only one way, Percy assumes this is the gods way of getting rid of him without risking being unable to kill him themselves and falls deep into depression.

The Witchers help. For all that Percy hates being trapped in their world, they're decent people with experience dealing with horrible life events. Over the next six months or so, Percy's mental health improves greatly.

Meanwhile, back in our universe Apollo is tearing apart heaven and earth to find out what happened to Percy. It's during this period that Apollo comes to realize he's fallen in love with another mortal without realizing it - a soft, genuine love born of friendship rather than momentary affection or lust - which of course make's Percy's absence worse.

Eventually he determines that Athena sent Percy to the Witcher universe as punishment for being unable to save her daughter from the Styx - with the agreement of Zeus, who doesn't want a demigod as powerful as Percy around. Out of respect for her daughter's memory, she sent him to a place where he wouldn't be killed immediately - where he could even thrive, even rising to godhood in that dimension, but far away from where she'd have to look at him for all eternity.

Cue much brainstorming, Apollo and all of Percy's surviving friends are able to retrieve Percy from the Witcher world - but not before 3-5 years has passed on their side of things.

Upon Percy's return, it quickly becomes clear that he either has to accept godhood or allow himself to be destroyed, as he's just that powerful.

Had he been forced to make the choice before his trip, Percy probably would have chosen the latter simply because of his depression, but his sojourn with the Witchers helped him come to terms with his losses in a healthy enough way that he chooses godhood instead. This should be done after a long, emotional conversation with Apollo that doesn't quite end with them declaring eternal love for each other, but with the soft and sweet promise of deciding to see where things lead between them - a hope of a better tomorrow, nothing more.

Bonuses include: 1) An interleaving of Percy and Apollo chapters, which echo each other in emotional tone if not necessarily content: Percy's panic at being dimension swapped is echoed in Apollo's panic that Percy is missing again, Apollo's realization that he's fallen for Percy could be echoed in Percy realizing he's finally over Annabeth and had been starting to fall for Apollo, &c; 2) Percy not exactly getting to be a kid, but not having the weight of the world on his shoulders for once; and 3) Percy really wanting to hate Athena for sending him to another universe, but never quite managing it as it turned out to be more of the rest cure he needed than a punishment.

And that's all I have - though in retrospect almost any fandom could do for the second half of the crossover, so long as it gives Percy an environment to come to terms with all the loss and suffering he's undergone in his own. A post-Hobbit, pre-LotR sojourn in Rivendell, perhaps? Anyway, as always, feel free to adopt this bun - just link back if you do.

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[rookedcrow]

silks and satins always felt foreign against her skin --- she knew what it said about her when she lamented feeling far more comfortable in leathers and cotton ( bellar.a had at least sympathized a little before pulling the corset tighter under nev.e’s advice, the latter fulfilling the role of couturier despite the fact it had been te.ia who had found the dress roo.k was currently attempting to wear without it wearing her. )

and maker, did she miss being able to get a full lung’s worth of breath on a regular basis.

now her role here tonight was support, full stop ------ tactically, naturally, in case even lucani.s’ best laid plans went to shit — she was meant to be another set of eyes and ears ... and blades should the need arise. but more importantly ( at least for her ) was that he’d wanted her there with him to begin with. not illa.rio ( though, what an absolute disaster that might’ve turned out to be on principle alone ), not te.ia, not even vi.ago the sommelier himself. and with the contract in his more - than - capable hands, she’d at least allowed herself to enjoy the music to help pass the time; enough to the point the thought of actually joining the other couples spinning their way around the marbled floor in front of her actually seemed like a good idea. ( at least her skirt made the toe tapping a little less obvious. )

so she’s only teasing a little about him staring when she’s got him close enough to carry on a conversation over the music in the room — if he’s glanced her way more than a few times over the course of the evening he’s done so when she hasn’t been looking — which feels rather unlikely with how often her gaze tends to find him, even in a crowded room.

"i know," now ---- he should understand she wouldn’t have asked if she thought there was more work to be done; they’re alike in that way – the contract at hand will always hold precedent until it’s completed. ( and the last thing she’d want was being the reason one of lucanis’ contracts didn’t end the way it was meant to; stealing his attention away from something that meant so much it had all but consumed his mind in the hours leading up to the party. a crow doesn’t sabotage another crow. ) but she has had an eye on him since they were forced to separate so he could go about his work; and her knowledge of viag.o’s particular vintages meant if the mark was having his fill of the antivan red set out at the table, they had at least a few slow trips around the floor before the contract would truly be signed, sealed and delivered. so the last thing he needs to do now as the music picks back up is explain something she already knows too well ------- she simply takes his offered hand instead.

“and i was hoping not to be a distraction for you,” his bow is as refined as she’d imagined it to be; a grand gesture ( that gets a positively delighted grin from her ) she meets with a curtsey that hopefully doesn’t end up paling too much in comparison. ( she can’t remember the last time she’d needed to utilize such a delicate gesture — and now that she’s on the other side of it, she doesn’t hate it as much as she thought she might. but that might be more of lucan.is’ influence than anything else. ) “but sometimes…” sometimes she just wants an excuse to be close to him. even if it meant enduring a corset and the most fabric she’d seen since she was a little thing playing at the palace with vi.ago and the others.

“sometimes, nothing would make me happier,” it’s then she remembers ( reminded is more like it; with a pinch from the boning in her side ) she isn’t in her normal leathers; and copious amounts of aubergine colored fabric needs to be scooped up with her free hand so they can move. “just promise you’ll go easy on me, hm? i know how you move, and this corset is a killer.”

@spitecrow / cont 💜

[asoulwithadream]

I have a few things I would like to discuss about the new season of Good Omens. I'll unfortunately have to excuse any spelling errors or uncontrollable and un-intelligible babbling, my hands are shaking out of fear shock and adrenaline is going to be the end of me.

We'll have to begin with the elephant in the room. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKING FUCKITY FUCK FUCKS NO WAHOOS FROM ME THAT WAS NOT TICKETY BOO AT ALL. NEIL GAIMAN I DEMAN CONPENSATION FROM THE IMMENSE PAIN I HAVE HAD TO ENDURE IN THE PAST MINUTE OF JUST PURE SELF REFLECTION????????????????? HELP ME IM GOING TO START CRYING AGAIN AS IF I'M NOT DOING IT RIGHT NOW.

This was supposed to be a comedy. This was supposed to be the funniest Armagenope and the even funnier sequel. This was supposed to be quiet, gentle and romantic. WHY. AM. I. CRYING

Doctor Who is canon in this universe you know why? When he was selling the 1965 draft there were very clear TARDIS noises in the background....... I think the Doctor might have gotten the coordinates wrong. Must have been freaked out seeing a ginger version of himself through the window with Michael fucking Sheen.

HOW DID WE GET INEFFABLE BUREAUCRACY SO FUCKING EASY???? I SWEAR IT WAS A JOKE SHIP HOW DID IT HAPPEN BUT THEY PULLED THIS FUCKING SHIT AFTERWARDS LIKE NOT EVEN TWO FUCKING MINUTES AFTER. IF FUCKING GABRIEL AND BEELZEBUB CAN FUCKING DOING IT, GIVE US OUR QUIET GENTLE AND ROMANTIC ENDING FUCKWADS.

"I forgive you." That's it. That's number 5. I hate the number 5 now.

Every day it's a-gettin' closer, I want to sit underneath a bulldozer. I don't think I'll be managing to live henceforth I quite think I will die now. Give me coffee or give me death you say? I pick the latter.

You can NOT say that Crowley isn't fucking Raphael now. YOU CAN'T. "For one Prince of Heaven to be cast into the outer darkness makes a good story. For it to happen twice makes it look like there is some kind of institutional issue." CROWLEY COULD ALSO ACCESS THE FILE- DUDE HE IS RAPHAEL HE WAS AN ARCHANGEL YOU CAN'T YOU ACTUALLY CAN'T YOU CAN NOT

Speaking of Crowley as an angel that opening scene I swear I was actually going to cry that was so sweet and oh my god if he had just KNOWN he is RIGHT I stand for CROWLEY. He deserves his rights, however I don't think he really wants to go back to Heaven now WWAAAAAH WHY DID I REMINDS MYSELF OF THAT.

Michael Sheen and David fucking Tennant. Hah. Well DONE. APPLAUSE. HAH. HAHHHHHHAHHAHAHAHH.

EVEN THE FUCKING KISS WAS SAD AND HOW AZIRAPHALE REACTED IM JUST I WAS ACTUALLY CRYING. I WAS PHYSICALLY SCREAMING THE ENTIRE TIME "GO AFTER HIM LIKE THOSE AIRPORT THINGS CATCH HIM BEFORE HE LEAVES GO GO GO GO GO SAY NO SAY NO PLEEEEAASSSEEEEE"

If Crowley says being smitten by Gabriel is a bad thing, he wishes he would have had Gabriel instead of Gaiman as his punisher.

All in all, I very much loved the season beside the incredibly unbearingly heavy angst that fingers at my eyeballs, scratches at my neck and burns my intestines. Can't wait for season 3!!!!!