#like they care about how people see them and I do not. I chose like maybe 5-7 people who's image of me I genuinely care about and they-

[samandcolbyownme]

Can we get birthday smut with Sam for his birthday tomorrow!!! Please

I think I got this request yesterday, so that would make today Sam’s birthday! 🖤

Warnings: SMUT18+, strong language, kissing, hair pulling, biting, scratching, unprotected sex, creampie, fluffy filth

Word Count: 1.8k | unedited

.⋅˚₊‧ 🜲 ‧₊˚ ⋅

“Don’t sweat it okay?” Sam assures, “It’s okay. Your job is.. complicated sometimes.”

You let out a sigh, “I know, but tomorrow is your birthday Sam.. I just.. I hate to miss it.”

“Listen.” Sam pauses, “The only person I really care about spending my birthday with, is you. And if I have to celebrate it another day, that’s fine by me. I’m okay, baby. I promise.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, y/n.” He chuckles, “I’m sure.”

“You’re sure you’re sure?”

“Y/n.”

“Okay.” You laugh, “I’ll let you know when I land in Florida. We’re about to take off here soon, so..”

“Safe travels. I’ll talk to you later, okay? I love you.”

“I love you.”

You hang up and look at Tara, “He’s going to be so mad at me for lying to him.” She shakes her head, “I don’t think he’ll be mad. You’re lying for good reason.”

“Yeah.” You nod, “I think you’re right.”

You rest your head back, staring out the window as you see people move down on the ground by the plane. You felt bad, but also, you felt proud.

You managed to get out of work early enough to make it home for Sam’s birthday, but you, Tara, and Colby managed to keep it under lock and key the last few days.

You knew Sam sounded sad, but he was trying to be happy for you.

You couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he seen you, specifically on his birthday.

.⋅˚₊‧ 🜲 ‧₊˚ ⋅

“So he doesn’t want to do anything?” You look at Colby and scoff, “I know I didn’t.. ruin it.. but I feel like I did.”

Colby shakes his head, “He just misses you. You’ve been gone a week, and it’s not your fault that you had to be away when it was his birthday, he knows that.”

You sigh, “I know, but I just hope that me coming home actually helps.”

“Oh it will.” Colby chuckles, “He spent hours last night rambling on about how he feels bad for being sad, but I told him the same thing as I told you, don’t feel bad. It’s normal.”

You take a deep breath as you see the house come into view and you can’t help but shake a little with excitement, “So where is he?”

“Upstairs. He chose to edit our video. Jake wanted to take him out but he refused.”

“I’ll get him out of the house.” You smirk at Colby, “Don’t worry.”

You get out, stepping back to the back passenger door and Colby walks around, talking quietly, “Go. I’ll bring them in.”

You nod, looking towards house, and you can’t help but smile. You walk to the front door, quietly sneaking inside and looking around.

You hear music playing from upstairs, and you make your way towards the steps. You tiptoe to Sam’s door, peaking around the opening.

His back is facing you, laptop on his lap as he clicks away.

“How are you going to celebrate your birthday if you’re too into that video?”

Sam whips around, laptop falling to the floor as he stands up, “Oh my.. god. How are you-“ he rushes over to you, wrapping you tightly in a hug, “How are you here!?”

Your arms wrap his neck, “I just am.”

“What about work, you won’t get-“

“Sam.” You lay a hand over his mouth, “I took care of everything..” you raise your brows, “okay?”

He nods and tilts his head back to get his mouth uncovered, “Fine, then give me a kiss.”

You smile, leaning in to press your lips to his.

It instantly deepens.

Sam reaches behind you, pushing his door closed as he walks backwards towards the bed. He sits down, your legs on either side of his hips and you grind down.

He lets out a low groan against your lips, “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”

You kiss back his jaw, “I’ve missed you, too, birthday boy.” You nip his ear with your teeth, “since that’s what you are, I’ll let you do anything you want to me.”

You feel his body tense at your words, his hands tighten their grip on your hips, “Oh, really?”

You lean back, your hands sliding down his chest to grip the hem of his shirt, “oh really.” You smirk, pushing his shirt up his chest and pulling it over his head, “Anything you want.”

He bites his lip, tilting his head as his eyes trail down your body on his lap, “I can think of one thing.”

You reach down, gripping your shirt to pull it up over your head, “Ooh, do tell.”

His hands slide up and down your sides, “Mm, in a minute.” He pulls you back in, leaning back to lay down as your lips meet his.

His hands slide down to your ass, gripping tightly.

He rolls over, his hand sliding around your hip to slip his fingers into the band of your leggings, “I think..” he bites his lip, eyes meeting yours as he slides his hand in to press his fingers to your clit, “I want to fill that perfect little pussy of yours.”

You let out a quiet moan, “Yes.”

“Yeah?” Sam raises his brows, his fingers adding pressing as they circle, “You alright with that?”

“So alright with that.” You pull him in to close the space, biting down on his lip which earns a gasp from him, “Can I do something first?”

“Of course.” Sam pulls his hand out, moving to sit up, but you stop him with a hand on his chest, “Lay back.”

He smirks, knowing exactly what you’re about to do.

“Just lay back, and enjoy this.” You look up at him, “Birthday boy.”

“I’ll do anything for you.” He smiles and you playfully roll your eyes as you shrug his pants and boxers down his thighs.

You were gone a week, but it felt like years.

Your lip pulls between your teeth as your eyes scan up and down his hard cock that springs free from its hold, “I’ve missed you.” You look up at Sam and he nods, “I can agree to th-“

He gasps as your lips wrap around the tip of his cock, tongue swirling over it, “F-fuck.” His hand moves to lay on your head, “That’s it.”

You take more of him in, tilting your head forward as your tongue flattens around the underside.

Your hands press to his thighs as you work your head in a steady rhythm.

“Oh shit.” He groans, “So good at this, baby. Fuck.”

You hum slightly, sending pleasure to radiate through his lower half. He moans louder, bucking his hips as he holds your head still, “Just like that, sweetheart.”

You squeeze your eyes shut, moaning around him as his fingers tangle your hand around them, pulling hard.

He lifts your head up, pulling you towards him with the grip on your hair. His lips connect to yours as your hands move to push down your pants.

You lean back, kicking them off before straddling his lap. His lip pulls between his teeth as he watches you line yourself up with him, “God you are so beautiful.”

You smirk, jaw falling slack as you sink down onto him slowly. A long moan leaves your lips as your nails dig into his shoulders, “Fuck, Sam. I’ve needed you so bad.”

He nods, “I’ve needed you.”

He reaches up, pulling you down to kiss you once more, “You feel so fucking good.”

You move your hips up and down, rolling them forward and back, moaning with each movement.

Your hand slides up to his hair, tugging to tilt his head back as you kiss down his neck. He groans lowly as you bite and suck a mark into his neck, bucking his hips upward which earns a moan from you.

Your pace quickens, slamming down onto him as your nails drag down his chest.

He groans, gripping your wrists and pinning them behind you to your lower back. He holds you in place as he thrusts upward into you.

Your moans ring through his ears, causing him to moan, “You sound so beautiful.”

“I love making you feel good.”

“I love making you sound like this.”

“Your pussy is going to look so pretty with my cum dripping out of it.”

His words make you gasp, “Fuck, yes Sam. Please.”

He groans into your neck, letting go of your wrists before rolling you over onto your back. His thrusts pick up, hard and fast, “Yes what, baby?”

Your back lifts off the bed, pleasure radiates through your body as you approach your peak, “F-fuck, Sam.” You moan out loudly, “I want you to fill my pussy.”

He groans at your words, “They’re so much hotter when you say it.”

His lips attack yours, quickly moving down to litter your skin with purple marks. Your nails drag up his back, leaving red lines in their path, “Fuck, fuck don’t stop, don’t stop!”

You cry out repeatedly, your legs tightening around his hips as he guides you through your high.

“That’s it, baby.” Sam groans, “You feel so good, look so pretty when you cum.”

You whimper at his words, your body jolting with each thrust of pleasure that enters your body over and over again.

All you can do is moan.

“Right there with you.” Sam moan, “Fuck, fuck.”

He pushes his weight up, holding himself up with his arm by your head. His hand lays on your cheek as his eyes lock onto yours.

His thrusts grow sloppy, slowing down as you feel his cock start to twitch inside of you.

This was something you and Sam were always so careful about not doing, but you had a feeling that this was the first day of something that wasn’t ever going to end - and you didn’t want it to.

You moan at the feeling, biting down onto your lip as his slow thrusts come to a stop.

He sits up, staring down as he slowly pulls out of you.

He smirks, biting down into his lip, “Fuckin’ beautiful.”

You feel your cheeks turn warm and you laugh slightly as he gets up, “Was it everything you’ve ever hoped it would be?”

“Oh baby.” Sam walks back over with a towel, “It was everything and more.” He leans down, pecking your head before he lets you wipe off.

You watch as he looks around for his pants and you tilt your head, “Ready to celebrate your birthday now?”

Sam shrugs, “I mean.. what do you have in mind because it’s probably something a lot different than what’s in mine.”

You smirk, getting up onto your knees, “I mean.. I want to take you out.. but..” you reach out for him, “Another round couldn’t hurt.”

Sam smirks and drops his pants, “Maybe you can read my mind.”

.⋅˚₊‧ 🜲 ‧₊˚ ⋅

Thank you so much for being patient. I kind of rushed through this one so my apologies if it seemed that way. I love you so much, thank you for reading my work! I’ll catch you in the next one! 🖤

Likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[90shaladriel]

I'm not blaming anyone, clearly the show made it a point to pivot Sauron to unredeemable in Season 2 when I don't think that is what they showed us in Season 1. Personally that it less interesting to me for his character and also the implications that gives to Saurondriel, but I realize that's not what the show is going to be about. That is fine!

I believe me & the other person above were saying Nenya can't heal evil like that, you have to heal that evil inside you yourself.

Well this is the debate isn't it? I am saying that Nenya CAN heal evil like that, as is proved by Adar's healing, so why not? Also given the sample size is exactly 1, nobody can make broad declarative statements about what it can or cannot do in show-lore because it's up to our interpretations isn't it?

Adar on the other hand, sees their existence & suffering, knows his involvement in it & instead of hating it & them along with it he chooses to love them, fight for them & try to break the cycle of abuse that perpetuates their plight.

But he doesn't extend that love and compassion to the men and women of the Southlands or the Elves of Eregion? The stuff he does or, by inaction. allows the Uruks to do is horrendous. I think what he tried to do in the very end with Galadriel is the only way they can break the cycle, but it was too little too late. But again that only happened after he stole Nenya and in the meantime permitted his Uruks to destroy Eregion.

Sauron may not regard the Uruks with much love or dignity, hard to dispute. The only caveat would be on the raft when Galadriel spoke of her quest for vengeance against the Orcs, Sauron made a point of telling her, "if you want to murder Orcs that is your own affair, but don't dress it up as heroism" he clearly cares more about them than she did who is the hero of the story. We only really have glimpses of what he might have done after Morgoth's defeat that caused Adar and the Uruks to turn on him, we only got Adar's account of this. I guess we can assume the worst for the sake of discussion but I could imagine it was more nuanced. Perhaps Adar sought to rule himself and seeded the rebellion against Sauron? We don't see Adar giving up his rule once the Orcs have a home in Mordor, nor does he act to create a democratic order of equality among them, he very much takes charge as a "Lord".

I think in an inverse way, we see Sauron time and again appear to hold the Men of the Southlands in higher regard than the Uruks. We didn't fully get the King of the Southlands as it was cut short, but up until his wounding he was saving people's lives. He continually argued with the Elves on the necessity to aid the men that he represented in Halbrand form. I think as you said :

This doesn't erase his crimes against the southlanders but those crimes also don't erase his genuine love for his children. 2 things can be true at once, this show is beautiful in its complexity this way!

Is very much true for Sauron. They are two sides of the same coin. He is full of contradictions!

Yes. Sauron let Diarmid perish. He also chose to forsake violence and revenge by turning away from the Uruks and Adar in the Southlands and following Diarmid.

You could say that Adar did good here and there. But also Sauron saved Galadriel's life at sea when there was zero material benefit to himself and even possible risk knowing how powerful she was and that her actual mission was killing him! He purposefully gave his enemy a chance to live, nothing can take away that altruism he displayed, whether he did other rotten things or not. Going to fight in the Southlands, saving Elendil's life, sparing Adar's are all further of examples of this right up till the end of Season 1.

So by that measure, I do think even Sauron has parts of him that are good so I do believe there are things that could have brought that out externally, yes.

Clearly by the end of Season 2 they wanted to ensure that he was fully evil for whatever reason, he had plenty of opportunities to make other choices and didn't. That's all his blame. Talking about what Nenya would have done is just a fun thought experiment!

S1E1 of ROP sets up the theme of "Nothing is evil in the beginning"

This is a true to life imo & nuanced take on evil.

The show expands on it by showing us Sauron in his repentance phase where he is trying to return to his beginnings when he was still good.

S2E1 gives us the theme of the season "To be forgiven one needs to choose good everyday"

Again a very nuanced take on goodness, individual responsibility & willpower.

The show expands on it by simultaneously showing us Adar & Sauron starting on the same side & choosing different paths in the end.

This season shows us Sauron not choosing good, actively harming others and letting his decisions be based on greed & selfishness.

While Adar who's character's evil side was already established in Season 2 with the abuse of Southlanders gets his origins & motives fleshed out and then gets presented with the choice where he chooses good.

This show puts a lot of effort into nuances, complex topics like the cycle of abuse and dark characters that are very human & grounded in reality.

To imply that Magic Ring = Evil Eraser in a show like this imo diminishes the hardwork put into it & all its characters who have their own minds, motivations & challenges. (the very things we praise ROP Galadriel for having)

[cigsaftersuh]

૮ the chosen one ྀིა .ᐟ

the room felt suffocating in its silence, the kind that wasn’t peaceful but heavy and crushing. jaehyun hadn’t said a word since you both crawled into his bed, his back pressed against the headboard as he stared blankly ahead. his eyes were distant, but you could still see the raw pain lingering in them, the words from earlier still cutting into him like shards of glass.

you sat beside him, close but not close enough, your hands gripping the blanket in your lap as you tried to figure out how to break through the walls he was putting up. finally, you couldn’t take it anymore.

“jae…” your voice came out smaller than you intended, holding the emotion yours couldn’t. “please don’t shut me out.”

he didn’t look at you right away. his jaw clenched, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. “what do you want me to say?” his voice was hoarse, barely audible. “that she’s right? that we’re a mistake?”

“don’t,” you said sharply, your own voice cracking as tears pricked your eyes. “stop punishing yourself for something that isn’t true. i chose you because you’re everything i’ve ever wanted. because i love you.”

he let out a bitter laugh, his hands gripping the fabric of his sweatpants like he was holding himself together by a thread. “how can i not? she said everything i’ve been afraid of since the day we got married. that i’m ruining your life. that i’m not enough for you. i love you too much to let you ruin yourself for me.”

“stop,” you said, your voice breaking as you reached for his hand, but he pulled away, his head shaking. “jae, look at me—”

“no,” he cut you off, his voice rising slightly, though it was laced with desperation rather than anger. “you don’t get it. i’ve heard people talk about us before, but this- this was different. it was her. someone from my own family. and the worst part is, i can’t even tell if she’s wrong.”

your heart shattered at his words, and tears spilled down your cheeks as you scooted closer, placing a trembling hand on his arm. “jaehyun, she is wrong. she doesn’t know what we’ve been through, how hard we’ve fought to be where we are.”

“but what if she’s right?” he whispered, his voice cracking as he finally turned to look at you, his eyes filled with tears that refused to fall. “what if you wake up one day and realize this was all a mistake? that you deserve more than me?”

his words broke something in you, and before you even realized what you were doing, you threw your arms around him, holding him tightly. “don’t you dare say that,” you sobbed into his shoulder. “don’t you dare think for a second that you’re not enough for me. i chose you, jaehyun. i chose you because i love you more than anything in this world.”

he froze for a moment, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but then his walls crumbled. his arms wrapped around you, clutching you like a lifeline as the tears he’d been holding back finally fell. his body shook against yours, and the sound of his quiet sobs broke your heart all over again.

“i’m so sorry,” he choked out, his voice muffled against your neck. “i’m sorry you had to hear her say those things. i’m sorry i can’t protect you from people like her. i’m sorry for—”

“stop apologizing,” you interrupted, pulling back just enough to cup his face in your hands. his cheeks were wet with tears, and his eyes were red and swollen, but to you, he was still the most beautiful person you’d ever seen. “none of this is your fault, jae. you’ve given me everything — your love, your trust, your heart. that’s all i’ve ever needed.”

he shook his head, his lips trembling as fresh tears slipped down his cheeks. “but what if that’s not enough? what if i can’t be the person you need me to be?”

“you already are,” you said fiercely, your thumbs brushing away his tears. “you’re my everything, jae. you always have been. i don’t care what anyone else says, because they don’t know you like i do. they don’t know how we are.”

he stared at you, his expression crumbling as more tears spilled over. “you’re too good for me,” he whispered, his voice so broken it made your chest ache.

“no,” you said softly, pressing your forehead against his. “we’re good for each other, jae. and i’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you if i have to.”

he shook his head, his expression crumbling as he wiped furiously at his eyes. “i don’t deserve you,” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “i never have.”

your chest tightened, and you felt your own resolve breaking. without thinking, you scooted closer, reaching out to cup his face in your trembling hands. he stiffened at first, but you didn’t let go. “jaehyun, listen to me,” you said, your voice thick with emotion. “you are not a mistake. this, us, we’re not a mistake. we’re young, we’re figuring it out, but that doesn’t mean we’re wrong for each other.”

he closed his eyes, leaning into your touch as if he wanted to believe you but couldn’t quite bring himself to. “but what if i can’t be enough for you? what if i can’t give you the life you deserve?”

“you already are enough,” you said, your voice cracking as you brushed a tear from his cheek with your thumb. “you’re enough for me in every way that matters. do you even realize how much i love you? how much i need you?”

his eyes opened, and the vulnerability you saw there made your heart shatter all over again. “but what if—”

“stop doubting yourself, doubting us. yes, it’s hard. yes, people will have opinions. but none of that changes how much i love you. how much i believe in you, in us.” you pleaded, your hands tightening on his face.

he pulled you into his arms so tightly it was almost suffocating. his body shook against yours, quiet sobs racking his chest as he buried his face in the crook of your neck. “i’m so scared,” he whispered, his voice broken and raw. “i’m so scared of losing you.”

you held him just as tightly, your own tears soaking into his shirt as you ran your fingers through his hair, soothing him as best you could. “you’re not going to lose me,” you whispered fiercely. “not now, not ever. i’m here, jae. i’m always going to be here.”

he clung to you like a lifeline, his hands gripping the fabric of your shirt as if letting go would make you disappear. “i don’t know what i’d do without you,” he choked out, his voice muffled against your shoulder.

“you won’t ever have to find out,” you said, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

the vulnerability in his eyes was almost unbearable, but when you leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips, he melted into you completely. his hands moved to cup your face, his touch tender yet desperate, like he was afraid you might slip away if he let go.

when you finally pulled back, his forehead rested against yours, and his breathing was still uneven, but there was a newfound softness in his gaze. “i love you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

“i love you more,” you said, a tearful smile tugging at your lips. “and i’m not going anywhere, jae. not ever.”

he pulled you into his arms again, holding you so tightly it was as if he was trying to fuse your bodies together. his tears had slowed, but the way his hands trembled as they ran soothingly up and down your back told you he wasn’t completely okay yet — and that was fine. you would stay here with him for as long as he needed.

as the minutes passed, the weight in the room began to lift, replaced by a quiet, fragile sense of peace. jaehyun pressed a kiss to your hair, his lips lingering there as he whispered, “thank you.”

“for what?” you asked softly, your voice muffled against his chest.

“for choosing me,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “for loving me. for staying.”

you tightened your arms around him, your heart swelling with a love so strong it threatened to overwhelm you. “always, jaehyun,” you whispered. “i’ll always choose you.”

and as you lay there together, tangled in each other’s arms, you knew that no matter what anyone said, no matter how hard things got, the love you shared would always be enough. because at the end of the day, you had each other—and that was everything.

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ㅡ my forever only.

with love,

© cigsaftersuh

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[saintsenara]

Do you think there is parallel between Peter and ron.

Fandom does Peter wrong. That is a fact. He is either absent or is present just for comic relief or is pure evil. But all those characterisation are simply cartoonish. As if written by a person who is living in la la land...

Peter, just like Lupin, we only know major things about him. But like not many people see lupin as a gray shade character only a kind fluffy guy, Peter is polarised to the bad one....

Ron similarly is often given the last place if how much of a good friend each person in golden trio was to be questioned. And that is a tragedy in itself because atleast for Ron we have so much material...

Infact for me, Ron will always be a person who has bigger heart than jkr's favorite mary sue-Lily Evans. She did what any good mother should do. But fandom never stops going on and on about it Or even Harry's sacrifice at the end is so much singed about...but then we have Ron, an 11 year kid who for the sake of defeating voldy, told his new Friends to leave him. He sacrificed himself at 11. Everyone was sure that he is risking his life...but no one i see ever gushes about that act of bravery. It is always about one Potter Or the other.

Peter too. I mean he won't have been friends with the other three for 10 years if they just tolerated him and vice versa. But making him evil kr stupid kr dumb Or hideous to look at in his childhood or teen years is like taking all his personality away and giving us just a shell of a person...

He did become animagi at 15 and that is quite a commendable magic. He is cunning to pull up his stunt as a spy....

Like war as sirius describes in gof is so dark and scary. And people forgot that big things make a person change.

Ron on the other hand had done quite a lot in his life time but often he is found to be judged for leaving his friends.

I believe that the only difference between them is that ron recognised his faults and made correction. Meanwhile pettigrew simply kept on walking on the wrong path he chose....

What do you think on this..?

thank you very much for the ask, pal!

i don't think this entirely works. ron gets cast by the fandom as a gluttonous moron who's also a bad friend primarily on account of the films - and as a bad person by people who want to ship hermione with other people but don't have the nerve to do this in a complex or interesting way - but the text never suggests that either harry or hermione think of him as being in last place in the trio.

indeed, when harry does think of himself as better than ron - when ron gets made a prefect over him in order of the phoenix - he feels horrible for his brief flash of jealousy and soon gets over it. on other occasions when he notes something about himself which could be seen as superior to ron - when he notes that ron got no outstandings at owl, for example - harry doesn't actually force a comparison which is designed to position ron below him. they end up doing the same newts, which is what harry - who sees ron as his partner in crime - cares about.

ron is also demonstrably harry's best friend, and harry tends to enable him and automatically side with him in conflict - it's an example of great self-growth that he doesn't cut hermione off in half-blood prince when ron does, since he's perfectly happy to do so in prisoner of azkaban. but he's also demonstrably hermione's best friend too. harry's relationship with her is, as he says, sibling-like, which doesn't just mean that it's not romantic, but that it contains a "you can't choose your family" vibe - he loves her fiercely, but he also finds her exasperating in a way ron doesn't, doesn't make any real effort to learn about her interests or include her in his, and is often quite harsh to her. ron - in contrast - does see his relationship with her as one of active choice.

this is why i never really like the idea that the trio and the marauders are meant to be parallels. on the surface, ron and harry should be the equivalent of james and sirius and hermione should be remus...

but they're not, because the clear dynamic of the marauders in canon is that they were a group centred around james. all three of sirius, remus, and peter clearly understood james as their best friend, and their relationships among themselves primarily depend on their understanding of their and the others' relationship to james. there is - i think - a credible case to be made that, if james was removed from the picture entirely, but not in a way that caused the profound trauma of the canon timeline [if he just moved away with lily, for example], the remaining three would drift apart.

james - of course - only understood sirius as his equal, his brother. peter is obviously someone he considered inferior to the two of them - albeit in a fond way, rather than a cruel one. he clearly thinks of him the way a teenager might think of their pre-teen sibling - someone you love and are happy to include in your social life if they do what you want, someone you also don't want to embarrass you in front of your cool teenage friends by letting them do what they want instead of following your instructions. remus is clearly someone he didn't think of as quite so socially inferior to him, but he also still seems to have understood him as peripheral to his and sirius' rampant codependence.

the trio doesn't have anything like this dynamic. even though harry is narratively unequal to ron and hermione - he is their leader, they are his disciples - the relationships across the three of them [harry's active choice to be friends with ron, harry's feeling that hermione is his sister; ron's active choice to be friends with hermione, his pseudo-familial relationship with harry] are much more equal than those among the marauders.

what i have been convinced by, however, is @whinlatter's belief that the best parallel for peter in the series is ginny:

[cipher26]

Arcane Brain Dump 1/? | Jinx & Caitlyn

There were a lot of things I wanted to see in the finale that I didn't get, which wasn't surprising knowing there wasn't much time. But one thing that I really wanted and didn't actually expect to get was a 1 on 1 conversation with Jinx and Caitlyn. I was so excited when it was happening, because I felt like it was necessary for both characters to talk with each other, especially after episode 6 when they're suddenly fighting on the same side, and where they COULD have become family if it hadn't all gone to shit.

Before the season started I didn't think there was any hope for Jinx and Caitlyn to actually reconcile. Like, I thought at best Cait might stop hunting her for Vi's sake, but would still hate her. But then Isha came along and Jinx changed so much, and Caitlyn was isolated and depressed and tired, and I thought "hmm maybe they can get past the feud?" Unfortunately I guess we'll never know for sure, but I really do think that conversation was step 1 for them getting along. It was so interesting to see because you can see that Caitlyn is still in pain about her loss, but it's also been enough time since then, and so much has happened that the rage she was feeling in the beginning of the season has fizzled out. Which is relatable. It's exhausting to keep up that kind of hatred for someone, especially if they change in the way that Jinx did. The Jinx in that cell in front of Caitlyn was a completely different person than the one who kidnapped her out of the shower and killed her mother. I think that seeing Jinx with Isha and Vi and Vander also showed Caitlyn how much had changed. Because even from her first meeting with Jinx, there was tension between her and Vi. Jinx held a gun up to Vi's face in that first meeting, and was instantly aggressive towards Caitlyn. But in that tent with the whole family, Jinx didn't even care that Caitlyn was there. If anything she seemed kind of smug, because Caitlyn still thinks of her as an enemy but Jinx just saved her life. It's almost like a game, like what can Caitlyn do now? She lost some of her argument about Jinx being evil. Also, in that moment she can't do anything even if she wanted to. I saw a lot of people talking about how it didn't make sense that Caitlyn was suddenly fine with Jinx and didn't try to kill her. Which is silly because first of all, Caitlyn didn't have her weapon, she left it in the tent with Vi and Vi hadn't returned yet. So she couldn't really do anything. Also they just watched Beast Vander throw this huge man out the side of the building to protect his daughter, so if Caitlyn tries to hurt Jinx in any way she's absolutely gonna get torn to pieces. And then immediately after that everything starts to go to shit, and Vi is there, and they have other things to worry about in that moment. Especially once Ambessa starts attacking. It's a shame that we didn't also get to see the immediate aftermath of the battle with Cait, Jinx, and Jayce rushing Vi to safety. I mean idk how far Piltover is from the fissure, but it's not a fast journey lol. The three of them together must have been interesting, especially since Caitlyn hasn't seen Jayce in however many months it's been since before the time skip. Another thing I was sad to not see actually, was Cait and Jayce's reunion and Cait being like "wtf happened to you? where have you been?!" Alas...

Anyway, I'm glad they gave us that prison scene with the two of them. They just came out and addressed their issue, realized how different things were, and both kind of chose to move on. I mean Jinx is devastated and suicidal, she's completely given up, and also she's still the good person that Isha helped her become. Jinx has no reason to hate Caitlyn. The only thing Caitlyn's done to Jinx is hunt her after Jinx murdered her mother. And because Jinx wants to die, she tells Caitlyn to just do it. Except Caitlyn's changed too. She's tired of fighting, and the kid in front of her (cause Jinx is a kid...) looks as sad and tired as she feels. Even more so. It wasn't a long conversation, but I think it was just what they needed to hear from each other, and what the audience needed to hear. Caitlyn admits that her hatred for Jinx changed her in ways that made her hate herself, and she didn't want to be like that anymore. And then Jinx comes pretty much as close as she's gonna get to apologizing to Caitlyn for killing her mom. She doesn't say the words "I'm sorry," but when she says "I didn't know your mom was there" it kind of does feel like an apology. Or at the very least, I think it's Jinx telling Caitlyn that it wasn't personal. She wasn't trying to hurt Caitlyn specifically, she was trying to hurt the system that had oppressed and neglected her home for so long. And in that moment, she was too filled with grief over Silco to hold back.

So I think that conversation really brings some closure to both of them. They kind of get past their feud and just move on. There are so many other things to worry about now, and so many bad things have happened. And in the process of rushing Vi back to Piltover, I imagine it helped each of them see how much the other loves Vi. And I think that loving Vi is part of the motivation to put it behind them. Vi would never forgive Jinx if she killed Caitlyn, or hurt her. And now, despite what Vi told Cait before their first fight, I think Cait knows Vi would never forgive her if she hurt or killed Jinx. They both do what they do in the end of that episode FOR Vi. Jinx runs and locks Vi in the cage so Vi can't follow her, and she tells Vi that she deserves to be happy without feeling guilty, and specifically tells Vi she deserves to be with Cait. I mean that's a HUGE deal. Especially since Vi wasn't present for the journey back from the fissures, so she didn't actually see Cait and Jinx working together. In her mind they're still at square 1 for the most part.

And then Caitlyn goes and calls the guards away so that Vi can free Jinx, knowing she'll do so. I've seen a lot of people confused about Cait's line "did you really think I needed all of the enforcers at the Hexgates?" which is fair because I was also confused at first lol. But what Caitlyn is telling Vi, is that she knew VI would come to free her sister, so she did what she could to clear the way for Vi to be able to do that. She's basically telling Vi in that moment that she's moved past her anger enough to let Jinx go, and to stop hunting her. It's such a freeing moment for Vi, because the two people she loves the most, who were furiously trying to kill each other before, have finally made peace. It takes a huge weight off of Vi's shoulders, no longer having to be stuck between two people she loves who hate each other. And Jinx has just told her "go get your girl" and now Caitlyn is standing there smugly telling her that she basically let Jinx go. That's why Vi reacts the way she does, it's such a relief to be past that conflict and have permission from both of them to be happy.

Anyway, I thought it was a great moment, and even though it wasn't a long conversation between Cait and Jinx, I think it's exactly what they both needed. It was the closure they needed to move on. If Jinx had stayed around, they still would have had more work to do surely before they actually got along well, but it was suddenly possible after that talk. And I hope that in the continuation of this story that they finally get there someday. Because based on the ending I really don't think Jinx is dead. And Caitlyn is holding Jinx's monkey bomb in her hand, contemplating and looking up the Hexgate plans. She has to be looking to see if there was any way Jinx could have escaped, probably because Vi is devastated and she wants to help take that hurt away. Imagine if Cait could bring Vi her sister back? Or at least if she could let Vi know for sure that she wasn't dead. That would be huge. What a difference between the way these three started, and where they ended.

[bestiadentro]

Truly, Robert is a bit of a breath of fresh air. There's something about him that puts him at ease despite Alaire always being on edge. Something that was sort of natural to him. He'd grown used to hiding - in plain sight, but hiding, no less. "I suppose so." Is his reply toward Robert speaking of his humanity. Do they see him that way? As human, but with some special abilities? Alaire might not agree with that idea as quite frankly, he sees himself as a monster, but that's something he'll keep to himself. For now, anyway.

"I'm just used to my interactions with others being business only, I suppose." Other than that? Well, Alaire is quite.. inept when it comes to how to interact with others one considered an.. as Robert put it, ally. "I've never had friends or anything like that before. Just people I worked with temporarily for the sake of my art - until I have to change my identity.. again." Because people would notice the lack of his body ever getting older.

Without thinking, the thought brings him to sigh. There would be a time where he would have to change his name, style, and overall appearance all over again just so humans wouldn't catch on. He'd much rather do that than end up killing anyone that ended up questioning what he is. Unnecessary bloodshed, despite his species, isn't something Alaire ever cared to partake in. If he must, then he will, but if there are alternatives? He'd rather not hurt anyone. Unlike Dio, Alaire had this forced upon him. Dio chose immortality and power to control those he found weak. Alaire didn't; He wouldn't.

Their sudden comment on his being a talented artist pulls himself out of his thoughts. He hopes they didn't notice, but the likelihood of them not noticing is slim. Something like a sigh is hard not to notice. Even if Alaire hadn't realized he even made the sound to begin with. "Thank you," A small smile finds its way to his lips again in his vocalized appreciation "Guess I've had plenty of time to practice, huh?"

Alaire is sure that Speedwagon felt some relief in the fact that upon their meeting, they ended up not needing to fight one another; That Alaire wasn’t a threat that needed to be worried about. More rather, Alaire became an ally. This is something Alaire found relief in too despite the fact he’s always been so insistent on keeping distance from humans. Even in his attempting to keep distance from the blonde because of that rule? The werecat found himself pulled to Speedwagon, in a way. Why is that?

Perhaps his lonely heart desperate for some sort of closeness. How sappy and sad that sounded, but Alaire would be lying if he said the man didn’t come to mind and quite often, at that. “I’ve never really.. had that.” Alaire admits quietly. Over ‘sharing the burden,’ he means. Sure, things were perhaps different now that he knew Speedwagon, but before? “It’s.. difficult to have personal relationships with humans.” Especially as humans were often not accepting of what they found different. “Even having my name known is.. complicated. Having to eventually deceive people that ‘care’ about me by pretending to be dead when people start to notice that my body isn’t aging.” But Alaire couldn’t bring himself to give up art, could he? It was all he had.

“But I suppose one can’t go forever without wanting some sort of connection with someone, can they?” They’d eventually become lonely, wouldn’t they? Alaire knows he is. Has been for a long time.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean for our conversation to take such a depressing turn.” His cheeks flush slightly in a bit of embarrassment. Perhaps this makes it clear that he’s not exactly used to having these sort of conversations. Hell, Alaire hasn’t been able to talk about himself like this period.

[reginamillls]

I think the deleted scene is simply showing you how much Buck is cared for by the people he chose to be in his life, and from someone who craved that care and attention for so long I just think that's neat that Buck has so many people now that do, and idk I'm just happy for him

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

I kind of like that both Phoenix and Larry's reaction to their friendship deteriorating and splintering was just to hold on to Edgeworth really, really hard.

[sokkastyles]

There is a difference between bitter about a break up and actively putting someone in danger because you're bitter. Also, "it was just a joke" seems to be the pattern of explaining every time Mai does or says something awful or can't be bothered to care about other people, and at some point, it stops mattering whether she actually cares or not if she can't treat people well.

Zuko left her a letter because he was in an abusive situation and that was the best way he could leave safely. And every discussion he has with Mai would have indicated to him that she wouldn't have listened anyway. Why on earth would Zuko bother having a conversation with her when the very first scene they have together is one where she says she didn't ask for his life story? I know, I know, it's "just a joke," but it's still shitty and it doesn't matter how much she really loves him on the inside. Those exact arguments are used to defend the way Azula and even Ozai treat Zuko.

It also doesn't really matter if she has a sad back story. That's not an excuse, and the show doesn't really bother to explain why she loves Zuko or how that motivates her. It also doesn't magically make her not a fascist, which was what my original statement was.

I also don't really believe she chose Zuko out of love so much as that she resented not being in a relationship with him and realized bullying him back into one wouldn't work. At least initially, because after she saves his life she does the exact same thing again. I would have believed that she actually cared about Zuko more if she were willing to sacrifice being in a relationship with him for the sake of not wanting to see him die. But then she comes back in the finale to "joke" about how he should never break up with her again. Which is an especially nasty thing to say considering that Zuko is an abuse survivor, but a nasty thing to say anyway to anyone even if it's a joke, and I think if atla were on television today they would rightly get torn to shreds for that line.

I also don't think her breaking up with him in the comics contradicts that, either. If anything, it reinforces that she only wants the relationship to exist on her terms. She also treats her new boyfriend similarly, saying that she likes that he cares about her more than she cares about him. I don't think she wants to have a relationship that she has to put work into.

And don't get me wrong, I don't give a shit about the comics and never said you had to treat them as canon. What I said was that Mai's awful characterization in them is consistent with how she is characterized in the show.

She's Zuko's girlfriend in the end, but Zuko didn't even remember that she was left in prison until the finale, and acts surprised that she's out. Right before he's about to be crowned as firelord. And then she has to demand to get back together with him. That's why she's his girlfriend. That scene is so nonsensical and stupid even if you take out the parts that are grossly offensive. The writers don't care about that relationship or developing it, or Mai as a character, and neither do I.

"I think Katara would get along with Azula/Mai because female solidarity!"

Cool. I think Katara would punch fascists in the throat.

[spacedlexi]

so often i see people try to downplay violet and minervas relationship like it wasnt Real enough or was some Inferior Romance that her relationship with clementine could Never compare to, and i find it so annoying and boring

she LOVED minerva!! and its okay that she did!! she was her first love!! childhood best friends turned girlfriends!! seeing her being so heartbroken and miserable about what happened to minnie, how deeply and desperately she missed her, hugging that bed frame so pathetically. but clementine makes her CARE again. makes her LOVE again. slowly violet becomes comfortable with the idea of opening her heart up to people again, after trying so hard not to because the pain of losing people she cared about was too much to bear (especially when she blamed herself for them being gone)

then she learns minnie didnt die. shes falling in love with clem while grappling with the fact that minnie might still be out there??

then she meets minnie in the woods. but minnie has changed just like she has. theyre both different people now. and slowly violet is forced to come to terms with the fact that the person she loved so deeply isnt that person anymore??

violet at the beginning mourning minerva and blaming herself, to shooting her to save clems life. she LOVED minerva once, but she doesnt like the person she is now. and shes not gonna let her hurt anyone else she cares about. shes done mourning her by the time they get to the bridge, only crying out for tenn

like idk i just find their relationship evolution to be so interesting and sad as shit. the fact that they once loved each other so much and it has now come to this?? but violet makes her choice and she Chooses clementine, because she admires and loves clementine, probably similar to the way she used to admire and love minerva if the way she talked about her is any indication

i just think "i never thought i would ever feel this way again" is way more interesting than "wow minnie Never made me feel like This"

[witheredgardenparty]

Has anyone talked about how each member of the Genius Society represents the over reliance on the belief of intelligence but not the act of intelligence?

[ofromtheunderworld]

Tbh, I kinda like this new approach towards Moana now. I feel like it could be a major subplot within Moana 3, like with her discovering more powers and that she’s immortal now, with her debating if she’s wants to become a demigod or try to find a way to make her mortal again.

I feel like she would really struggle which to choose since she absolutely loves her people and her family and doesn’t want to outlive everyone, especially her younger sister who loves her to death. She cares so much about her people and her family that would be willing to fight gods for them. She is the chief (or future chief) of her people and she wants them all to be happy and thriving. But at the same time, she doesn’t want to Maui alone since he was on his own for most of his life.

This could easily create a struggle for Maui too if he realizes if Moana doesn’t want to be a demigod with him. When you think about Maui’s story, it’s actually very sad: His parents killed him right after birth because they didn’t want him, the gods gave him a second chance at life and raised him to become a demigod, he did everything for the humans to become wanted, but that want for acceptance led for him to steal the heart for the humans, which led to the destruction of many islands and tribes and caused him to be in isolation for HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

Moana was the same thing to him in his eyes like all those other tribes: wanting Maui to help her with something. But when they got to know each other, he finally has someone who cares about him. Someone who can get serious yet silly with him. Someone who’s he worries about losing. Something that he possibly never truly had before.

A friend.

He was completely against her coming onto the trip this time, not because he didn’t want to deal with her, but because he doesn’t want her to DIE. You seen the way he was crying when he found out that Moana died at the end of the movie. She was the first human who he interacted with for years and possibly the only friend he ever had in his life. So I imagine when he fully realizes that she can’t die anymore and can fully live with him forever, he would be more than thrilled.

So you could imagine what this struggle could cause for the both of them. Maui would have to comprehend the fact that the person that he’s closest to could possibly not want to join him in the deity life and he may still be on his own for the rest of his life and Moana would have the bigger struggle to deal with and the bigger question to answer: “Do I abandon Maui and the new demigod life that I was given for my people and my family or do I abandon my people and family, INCLUDING my little sister, for my best friend?”

We could have multiple ways this could play out in the 3rd movie: Maui and Moana arguing over this topic and almost causing them to fallout of their friendship, Maui and Moana wanting the other to be happy and doesn’t want to make things more difficult for each other while fighting their own inner demons, Moana fully accepting the deity life but she has to teach her family and people why she chose the path (Which could lead to a whole spiral of problems, especially with Simea), etc.

I could see either one of the endings playing out with Moana either becoming fully mortal again or staying as a demigod, (Unless they pull something completely random out of their ass, like idk, Maui becoming a full mortal again) and it would be very interesting to see how everything plays out in the 3rd movie. I’m kinda excited for Moana 3 now just with this subplot alone, let alone about Nalo being a major villain in the 3rd movie, and let’s just hope that whatever Disney chooses that it’s written correctly in a likable way for the audience and not washed down by a bunch of unnecessary jokes.

moana being immortal now really fucks me up like you're telling me she's going to watch simea grow up and older than her? I'm supposed to be normal about the fact that moana will never return to the sea, to her ancestors, the way everyone she knows and loves will? you mean to say that someday maui will be her only companion, the only one in her life who won't grow old and die? am i understanding correctly that death, originally her biggest obstacle, is now just pretty much off the table for her?

[cathalbravecog]

i'm the antonymph of the internet

[tariah23]

It’s always crazy to see black celebs spew this same rhetoric because it’s such a privileged take… like, they’ve been famous for so long and have gotten their money up, moved out of the projects or whatever tf, that they’ve forgotten what it’s like to be genuinely feel. It’s impossible for them to connect anymore. As far as the qrt, oh wow ☠️.

[windupaidoneus]

so i found a wriggly thing under my bed right is what happened. & naturally i catastrophise & jumped to the conclusion Oh no i have a maggot infestation! (ft. absolutely nothing to corroborate that) & so ive been stressed & upset & cleaning my room for the past two hours bc of that. well not cleaning so much as trying to sort all this shit i have no room for bc i have 2 pieces of furniture & thus not nearly enough space to put all my shit in. but yk. thats been my life without food 🎉

[crumblingsugarcookie]

The wild thing is that Azula is most similar to Sozin! Both of them were constantly compared to their sibling, with them being the stronger bender but not good enough to be a decent firelord (although Azula's weakness was her belief that domination was the only way to rule).

At the same time, because they were the stronger bender, they were favored by their father and pushed to be "perfect". Being perfect meant being ruthless.

That ruthlessness extended to their loved ones. We have them both caring about their friend(s), yet being willing to abandon them for their vision of the future. Especially once they realize that their friends were capable of stopping them. The love and care did not disappear. But there was no room for disappointment The only difference is that Azula didn't leave Mai and Ty Lee to die (or try to kill them).

I think is where Ursa's side kicks in, which means Roku. Azula is strong in her beliefs and her ideas of what the world needs, which pushes her to be firm and force people to submit to her. Roku could've killed Sozin, but instead let him go with a warning because of their relationship. Azula could've killed Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee for their betrayal. But chose not to.

Azula would run around saying she was going to become an only child, but now it sounds more like when Arthur told D. W. that she would "be a lonely child" once he sold her. She would never kill him. But she would capture and take him in if it meant sticking to her beliefs and dreams for the world.

Even when she hit Zuko with lightning, she knew he wouldn't die. Although she was definitely going to maim Katara. PLUS, how she treats the gang is something to be considered. Like, my girl definitely could've killed them.

She was definitely focused more on capturing them. If Azula was like Azulon or Ozai, then Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and the gang would've been dead 10x over. It's so interesting. Because everyone kept seeing Roku in Zuko and kept pushing the idea of getting to choose your bloodline.

But Azula was written off because she showed the more ruthless and firm sides of both Sozin and Roku. It's clear that Roku's traits shine through. No one cared enough to look because she was Ozai's favorite. Like, fuck Iroh lowkey. Imagine being a war criminal, who was favored by his bloodthirsty and callous father because of Iroh's bloodthirsty nature. And then looking at young girl, who is essentially just like you, and writing her off as evil.

All in all, I don't think Azula is like Ozai or Ursa at all. She's not bloodthirsty or ruthless enough, has principles, and cares about others and how they view her (why she was struggling on Ember Island). Unlike Ozai, she doesn't believe herself to deserve the best because it's her right. She believes she deserves the best because she works to be the best.

She's not soft or sly enough, selfish, or jaded. Unlike Ursa, she's rough and approaches dislikes and confrontation head on. Azula speaks and takes action, rather than being resigned to her "fate". Unlike Ursa, Azula can live with tough decisions and the terrible things she does. Azula doesn't hide behind her hard life. She knows she's doing fucked up shit and stands 10 toes down because those are her PRINCIPLES.

Ruthless. Caring. Overly conscious of her position and who she is as a person. In many ways, Azula is the perfect combination of Sozin and Roku. Although Sozin and Roku ended as enemies, they were friends because they were similar. Their visions for the world were the only thing that drove them apart.

Imagine what Azula could have been if she was given a fraction of the empathy Zuko received (from other characters). I could see her being a great addition to Zuko's administration.

people keeping arguing about if azula is more similar to ozai or ursa but I don’t think we’re considering the potential of azula being most similar to azulon