#listen. it’s just his complexity man

[milkywayes]

garrus’ complexity is what’s so enticing about him. he’s smart and unflinching and frank about the realities of war and the sacrifices it demands, more so than any of the others, and it’s so refreshing. shepard doesn’t need anyone to play pretend with her. and at the same time he also makes clear that he doesn’t feel good about the conclusions he comes to. he doesn’t delight in it. he’s just not going to stick his head in the sand. and when they’re a couple, he supports her so tenderly and compassionately that any argument that he’s a cold-hearted bastard just dies in its infancy. he’s not an optimist, he doesn’t see the world with rose colored glasses, he struggles with what to do about the problems he sees in it, he makes impulsive and emotional decisions as well as detached and strategic ones—but he makes for a steadfast and loving companion. you know it’s about equality and respect when they realize they don’t have to fix each other but rather stand with each other.

[bumblingbabooshka]

Thinking about marriage/women's rights on Vulcan Some may think that T'Pring not being allowed to divorce Spock was because he was going through the pon farr but if she were allowed to divorce him at all she probably would have done that a long time ago, confirmed by T'Pol when she's speaking with Koss, who isn't suffering from the pon farr. She says that he can choose another mate (without invoking a fight it seems: note the difference between a 'mate' and a 'challenger') and after he makes it clear that nothing she says will change his mind about marrying her, she finally threatens to declare a kal-if-fee. It's clear that Vulcan women cannot divorce/refuse to marry a man they've been betrothed to under any circumstances if A) He himself doesn't consent to ending their marriage or B) She doesn't have someone else waiting in the wings to be given to in his stead. Though, if the challenger she selects fails to win the fight, she'll have to marry her betrothed anyway unless (again) he decides he doesn't want her after the challenge. That seems like an incredibly unfair system, heavily biased towards men. SNW is an alternate universe in many obvious respects but most egregiously in that T'Pring has a lot of non-canonical agency over her relationship with Spock. It's interesting to me that Vulcan society has women in many positions of power and treats women as equal to men from what I've seen despite these laws. We don't really see Vulcans exhibiting a misogynistic attitude towards women in general but in TOS (perhaps because of its general writing style but it's still interesting to note) both Sarek and Spock take on patriarchal attitudes specifically regarding wives. Amanda says that 'of course' Sarek commands her because "he is a Vulcan and I am his wife." It's worthwhile in my eyes to note that she specifies 'wife' instead of attributing this attitude to women as a whole. Again, with TOS' writing style it wouldn't be out of place for her to say "he is a man and I am a woman." Spock, while in a pon farr induced irritation, states that it's "undignified for a woman to play servant to a man that isn't hers" - again implying that there's something specific about being a Wife in Vulcan society which is different from being a woman in general and demands subservience to a husband. This could perhaps stem from the extreme sense of ownership that Vulcan law has permitted men to have over women. A woman legally cannot point blank refuse marriage. There is no option which guarantees she won't have to marry her betrothed other than death. When T'Pau speaks of T'Pring she refers to her as being 'property' and Stonn, before being interrupted, states he's made 'the ancient claim' - we don't know what this is because he gets cut off but it's obvious they're both using the language of Vulcan law. Men are permitted true freedom to choose. If a woman wants to choose someone else to be with there is no option available to her other than the kal-if-fee which might result in the death of the one she wants to be with. And, if her lover fails, her husband can still just decide he wants to marry her and she'll be forced to. T'Pring gives two scenarios: One where Spock 'frees' her and one where he doesn't - it's still ultimately his decision which is clear when he ends the conversation with "Stonn, she is yours." This again isn't just because of the pon farr as T'Pol also goes through this. Koss can choose another mate and when the option is talked about there's no implication that this would result in any sort of fight (both by the casualness of its mention and by the fact that there's no formal word for it unlike the kal-if-fee.) Also, the fact that Koss does eventually grant T'Pol a divorce and it's all fine means that T'Pol isn't lawfully required to have another man waiting if her HUSBAND doesn't want her. It's ONLY required if SHE doesn't want her husband. Tradition must take precedence over individual desire UNLESS!!! You're a man. Then it's fine. Like, your parents might not be happy but legally you're golden.

[freddie-77-ao3]

[ddenji]

‘normal’ denji isn't denji anymore

okay for some reason i have a lot of thoughts about this damn crow because it just seemed so random at first. but it struck me as interesting while I was reading the chapter that the crow is paralleled with pochita here, with both of them on their backs and denji looking back towards them. the comparison was really just making me about how stepping on and killing a crow/animal is something denji neverrr would have done before, and the implications of this moment given some of the things we know about denji and his values.

due to the fact that he's very animal coded himself (specifically dog coded of course), denji has a connection/ respect for most animals as non ‘moral’ beings who aren't looking to hurt him in the way humans and devils are. i think there's also an element of him relating to other beings that are looked down on, as he's been looked down on pretty much his whole life. he would definitely feel guilty to kill an animal (or really anyone/thing that wasn't trying to hurt him) in the earlier chapters of part 1.

following that, pochita was the most important thing in the world to him & their relationship informs denji’s philosophies and moralities. to that end, he viewed pochita as a pet but also as an equal; they were in it together in denji’s eyes. which establishes denji’s unwillingness to look down on a “pet” and similarly, other animals, just because they aren't human, or from the opposite side, his willingness to consider animals or other 'lesser' species as equally important.

later on, we see denji come to understand power better because of her relationship with meowy, which he sees as resembling his relationship with pochita. the fact that she would do anything for this cat makes him see her in a better, more empathetic light, because that's a trait he has himself and values greatly.

and of course, we cant forget the panel where he chooses to save the cat instead of multiple people, which can be read in many different ways, but for my purpose specifically, it means that denji sees value in saving the cat, even over human lives. this once again makes clear his willingness to consider 'lesser' species as important. saving the cat is an equally valid choice in that scenario, because it's still a life to save.

i’m sure there are other instances i’m forgetting, but the key thing is that all of those instances made him the version of denji that was able to be chainsaw man. his own doglike nature, his connection with pochita because of their mutually respectful relationship despite being different species, his connection with power through animals and his choice to save the cat were all distinctly traits that denji valued when he was still able to be chainsaw man. and so, we turn back to ch 150.

currently, denji is so caught up in trying to return to his normal life and justifying his happiness that he accidentally kills an animal. in this moment, he has become so far removed from many of the things that he valued, from many of the things that made him him. very similarly, chasing his dream of a normal life has forced him to give up being chainsaw man - another thing that makes denji distinctly himself, and something that he values very much.

so, i see killing the crow as a moment that snaps denji out of his desire for a normal life because there is a direct cost, a direct violence now that is attached to following this desire. he has trampled on another being while chasing his goal, which is exactly what others have done to him in the past when he was considered a "lesser" being. he could bear to sacrifice things himself for the sake of nayuta and his newfound normalcy, but in that moment, he has gone so against his values that he held in part one that he can’t look past it anymore. his dream isn't just affecting himself anymore, unlike all of his previous dreams. and so he reflects, and with the help of his inner-conciousness-pochita, he realizes that it’s time for a new dream. or perhaps it's just time to return to a life that was never a dream in the first place.

[godblooded]

an unnecessary reminder i will go to bat any day of the week for james sunderland.

[roboraindrop]

My beautiful beloved,,, Words are not enough for how deeply I adore him. I wish that I could protect him 🥺🥺

[mingos]

sighs as i find yet another dof-centric fic where the author makes their intention to woobify him very obvious by asserting he's "not as bad" by toning down his more unpleasant traits while also giving him a wider range of more vulnerable "human" emotions like sadness & fear & insecurity (y'know... the things he canonically thinks is a weakness & prides himself as having less of than the average)

and apparently having trebol's gang play a more active role in shaping him evil by encouraging him to kill his dad rather that being his own idea?

[amorxsomnia]

What is your morality alignment?

True Neutral 84%

You view the world in an unbiased manner, acting mostly on either your own self interest or on the best objective course. This can mean you enjoy creating balance between all forces, meaning you may do actions that involve Good as well as Evil, respecting authority like Lawful with the skepticism of Chaotic; or, you may simply draw your line in the sand, and go your separate way. This develops you into the archetypal "on-the-fence" person.

Follow up alignments: Neutral Good (68%), Chaotic Good (59%)

Tagged by: @violetgleams (♡) Tagging: Whoever would like to do this?

[didsomeonesayventus]

thinking about how way to dawn really was like the most iconic keyblade ever that so neatly summarized riku's journey and ideals and had so much meaning and history and so uniquely his and kh3 really threw it away for a fucking car key

[tmos-time]

everyones always like oh this would fix eridan, that would fix eridan. i think i could get him to listen to colin stetson and get past the conniption he gets recognizing himself in the sound of the panic-calm music with ocean themes and "history of warfare" albums and come out the other side slowly figuring out a way to be a better person

[paperwattle]

*releases a drawing of one of the characters from the book series i've been scheming for years onto the world* self care

[fideidefenswhore]

I'm very interested in Chapuys now. I've read some of his remarks, and I feel that he doesn't like Anne Boleyn and supports Mary and Kathleen (but because of what you wrote, it seems that he doesn't particularly support …). What kind of person is he? What's his remarks? Why is there such a move?

I don’t think he fully reckoned with the implication of what he was saying, by denigrating Henry’s own legitimacy.

The tl; dr of it all is he believed England would fall into irreparable heresy without the action of Charles V invading and deposing HVIII. He seemed to envision either Charles V just … taking England as one of his territories, either installing Mary as regent or, once the government was secured, the coronation of Mary as Queen in her own right, likely, along with a husband such as James V, any of Charles V’s relatives (I believe his brother Ferdinand was suggested at one point), Reginald Pole, etc. This was just one of the many justifications he presented to try to convince his master to do so.

He is a person that saves his own skin above all else. Once you scratch the surface of the White Knight narrative, this becomes clear. One example: he tries to plan an escape for Princess Mary from England. On the surface this seems noble, yes? Religious dissenters are being executed in England and Mary still hasn’t sworn to the Acts of Succession & Supremacy, so there’s an inherent risk in her staying. However… one immovable part of this plan is that Charles recalls him, first , that he himself is out of England when Mary escapes. Because, if she’s caught, he doesn’t want to be arrested himself for his part in the plan.

[theheadlessgroom]

https://www.tumblr.com/beatingheart-bride/707201367926849536/theheadlessgroom-beatingheart-bride

@beatingheart-bride

At this, Randall wanted to protest; he wanted to wave it all off, to say “I was just doing what anyone would do!”, but he knew that just wasn’t true. She was right, most people in the opera house probably wouldn’t have sacrificed a whole day, a day spent running the risk of getting sick while running errands, bringing her food and drink and keeping her company, no, he was sure most wouldn’t have done such a thing...he still wanted to protest, to say it was nothing, but ultimately, he found he just couldn’t argue anymore.

Despite the difficulty he had in wrapping his head around the whole thing, he nevertheless willed himself to believe her (difficult as that was), swallowing hard as he managed to saying, “W-Well, you’re...you’re very welcome, E-Emily, I...I was just glad I could help!”

He blushed again and averted his gaze, half-expecting her to laugh at his incompetence when it came to rudimentary matters like accepting thanks...he kicked himself a little for thinking Emily would do such a thing, reminding himself that she wasn’t like those who used to point and laugh at him, that she wouldn’t do such a thing, but still, he had that moment of expectation before he glanced back at her, smiling shyly behind the mask.

[sentofight]

ooc. infold when you will let him out of the death dungeon? i want him. excuse me thinking about his secret service au. he is actually trying to capture the people responsible for all the shitty things that happened 15 years ago wehay. u thought he was head butting with zayne was not enough watch him try to 'kill' sylus every time he get a chance to do so. rafy and xayxay are somewhat safe from him. for now.

[devil-in-hiding]

Okay but Virgin!Reader who is absolutely terrified of intimacy. It’s not a lack of knowledge on the subject; she’s knows more about it than a retired pornstar. But she just can’t handle the thought of giving herself away, especially to someone she doesn’t know or feels like she can’t trust! Back where she comes from, trust is a privilege and respect is a must. But what happens when she meets brutal, gruff, and one hundred and ten percent dangerous Simon Riley, who’s way more experienced and has a history of fucking just to let off some steam.

Ughhhhh 😵‍💫

Simon is your neighbor. Your first interaction is when he almost knocks you over in the hall, only offering a grunt and cold glare before slamming his apartment door shut.

It remains that way for a year or so, the rare times you do see him home. Nothing is ever said, but he acknowledges you with a grunt, and you always return a small nod of greeting. He’s cold and gruff, but every time he gets home from wherever he goes, you have to hole up in the living room to escape the moans and his headboard banging into your wall. the following mornings you can hardly look him in the eye as he stares at you rushing towards the stairs.

It’s not until after a particularly bad date, who is stubbornly trying to invite himself into your apartment, that Simon actually speaks.

“Jake please, I had a nice time but I have to get up early for work.” You protest, trying to block your doorway and the guy scoffs. “C’mon, you gonna leave me hangin like that?” He frowns, trying to shoulder past you.

“I would like you to leave now.”

“Listen here you little bitch, I’ve had to put up with staring at that rack all night, the least you can do is-“

“Think the lady told you to get the fuck out mate.” A deep voice growls, and the two of you jump, and your eyes widen at seeing Simon there, and there’s a dark look in his eyes as he stares down your ‘date’

“Hey man, this is none of you-“

“Considering this nice woman is my neighbor, I’m making it my fucking business.” He states before quite literally lifting Jake by the scruff of his neck and throwing him out into the hallway. “I see you bothering her again and I’ll kick your sorry ass up and down this god damn complex you got that?”

Jake is gone before Simon is done talking. You hear him take a deep breath, shoulders relaxing before he turns to face you, and you’re surprised by the concern showing in his eyes.

“That fuckhead didn’t hurt you, did he?” He asks, and you’re shocked this man’s voice can be so soft. You’re frozen, just staring at him before you find your voice.

“N-no, no I’m okay, he was just trying to shoulder past me.” You stutter out, nervously playing with your fingers. Your heart stops when one of his large hands reaches up, gently brushing your hair away from your face.

“Sorry it took me so long, couldn’t tell if it was you I was hearing.” He admits, and your heart flutters. He knows your voice?

He talks to you more after that, helping you with groceries when your hands are full, stopping by to ask if you’d watch his apartment while he’s away on deployment. You start to look forward to the two knocks on your door, finding Simon waiting for you, crinkles around his eyes letting you know he’s smiling at you.

But the women still come, along with your nights camped out in the living room, you’re heart just a bit heavier every time.

(might turn this into something)

[the-raindeer-king]

Imagine Simon's mom doesn't die with Tommy and Beth. Maybe she was out of town, or at a friend's house, and Roba's men were sloppy and missed her. Anyway, so it's just Simon and her now, and because he blames himself for what happened, he's pulled away from her.

He pays her rent, even if he wanted her to live in a nicer apartment complex. And he visits during her birthday and Mother's Day, and sometimes just randomly stops by. But he never stays very long, and he doesn't tell her a lot about his new life. It's a very one sided relationship, but she tries to make the best of it.

And then you move in next door, during one of Simon's deployments. You feel bad for the sweet lady that lives next to you. She never seems to have much company, and you take it upon yourself to befriend her, spending more time in her apartment than your own.

You learn about her ex husband, her sons, the tragedy, and most importantly, you learn about Simon. And you hate him. Mrs. Riley (she insists you call her Sarah) is such a lovely woman, and it's clear how much she cares about her living son, how hard she's trying to keep their relationship alive.

It's the second Mother's Day after you move in when you finally meet Simon. Your relationship with your own mother is complicated, so you've opted to spend the day with Mrs. Riley. You'd gotten her a small present, and had planned to spend the day drinking wine and watching historical romance movies.

You're thoroughly shocked when you knock on her door, and a man answers. Six feet, built like a brick house, but under his scowl, you recognize Sarah's eyes.

“You must be Simon.”

His scowl deepens, but before he can say anything, Mama Riley is pushing past him, pulling you into her apartment to fuss over you.

She apologizes for not telling you sooner, but your plans will have to be rescheduled. Simon's back early, and she can't waste a precious second.

You're understanding. You've listened to her worried rants, given her space to cry over how things have turned out. You know she loves spending time with her son, even if the visits are short and he doesn't talk much.

Simon doesn't miss the way you glare at him. There's a fury in your eyes, even as you cheerily wish his mother a happy mother's day. For a moment, he wonders if you're a spy. But that thought is quickly diminished, when you verbally eviscerate him at the door.

You're quiet, not wanting to upset his mom, but your anger is clear. It may not be your business, but Mama Riley is your friend, and you adore the older woman. And you cannot stand by while he treats her like this. She loves her son so much, and he needs to step up and try harder.

As you're chewing him out, Simon's already head over heels, planning your wedding as the seconds tick by.

(A/N: You can read this as a stand alone piece, but I did write 3 more drabbles (four in total!) for this! They're all on my blog under the tag mama riley au. Thank you for reading!)

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4