#not believe he should get one at this point ?? but that too is a kind of a statement

[fierceawakening]

It depends on what liberalism means exactly. I don’t know how old you are or whether you’re in the US, but I’m in my 40s and USian, and for most of my life “liberal” was how you said leftist in any sense, which is part of why o ask what people mean by it. Popular T shirt during the W years was DAMN right I’m a LIBERAL.

(“I’m a liberal” might have meant “I’m not a communist.” I can’t tell from your replies here whether you are one, but if you are and are disliking that I’m not, that’s a bit less baffling but we’re probably at an impasse. I know people whose close family members were slaughtered by Mao, so “we can try this again and it’ll work” wouldn’t likely sway me without a lot of clear argument for how we keep it from degenerating into that.)

So yeah that word doesn’t have negative connotations for me. I’m pretty sure the word people use now for what we meant then is “progressive,” but I could not quite be one of those depending on where the cutoff is which is why I keep… asking… where the cutoff is?

There’s also “liberalism” in a different sense which refers I *think* to Enlightenment thought in general. It’s been many long years since i studied enlightenment thinkers, and back when I did I was an older teenager and hadn’t done much questioning of a lot of things. But the primary thing that struck me when I read people like Kant, Locke, etc. was that they had a vision of everyone being fundamentally equal in worth, and things like race or religion as incidental, kind of like the cherries on a sundae.

This is both good and bad, or at least that’s where I eventually landed with all that.

The good part is that sometimes aggregating everyone helps get rid of bias in the way things are run. Think about women gaining the vote, or poll taxes being struck down so black people could vote. We’re all fundamentally the same. We all fundamentally should get the same say.

(Donald Trump in the US is currently threatening this. Many if not most people consider that a five alarm fire. If he gets to dismantle or corrode this, people will suffer greatly. A lot of people, in my not so humble opinion, will die.)

The bad part is that sometimes there’s a broad history of discrimination and repression. When that’s the case, sometimes recalibrating the measurements to zero everything out doesn’t do enough. Societal histories reverberate, and undoing the damage is hard, long term, and careful work.

Acknowledgement of this is often the difference between “liberals” in the sense of “progressives” and “conservatives,” who tend to think traditions are important and worth preserving even if they create inequalities (and, as they get more openly fascist, may value these traditions precisely BECAUSE they create inequalities.)

So if the question is “do I think that lasting inequality needs to be addressed in social policy,” yes? But I’d think most left leaning people believe that?

Most feminists I’ve met do too I think. I guess we could say there are a few people out there who are a blend of conservatism (or libertarianism?) and feminism, like Wendy McElroy, but I’d be inclined to just say libertarians at that point.

So once again: which definition of liberalism are we using here? *Who* are we insulting?

But yeah if you’re asking in the US politics sense I’d call myself progressive, though the old term was “liberal” and that feels less weird.

Mostly in agreement with Bernie and AOC?

…So now I’ve made a long effortpost explaining my politics in detail. Are you willing to do the same, or are you just going to keep insulting me while not opening your own beliefs to scrutiny as well?

[Tiktok user Clairrorism]

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

sebek and his big ol' heart

Y’all thought I would be writing an extensive analysis on [REDACTED] or Skully but JOKE’S ON YOU, I love my lame idiot child Sebek 😭

When I tell you I actually CRIED MULTIPLE TIMES reading his Nightmare Suit vignettes… because all the pieces fit together SO well…

Before reading this (long) post, I’d like to ask that you also take your time to read this analysis and this analysis. They will help you understand some of the points I made later regarding Sebek and his internalized racism + how he expresses himself.

Have your recommended reading done? Great, then let’s hop to it!

***Spoilers for Sebek's Nightmare Suit vignettes, book 7, and various other Sebek and Silver card vignettes.***

Sebek is one of those characters that lives in infamy for how much time he takes to get warmed up to. He presents himself as loud and brazen, with these traits often earning him the ire of both in-universe peers and irl fans alike. Worst case scenario, Sebek can be seen as someone who is outright hateful. He’s rude to most people (including Silver, his childhood friend, sometimes), denounces humans, acts like Malleus can do nothing wrong, and doesn’t seem to respect his own father.

Well, I’m here today to tell you those claims are false and that Sebek is actually capable of so, so much love. All you need to really do is look at his Nightmare Suit vignettes—and how well they connect with the rest of his lore—to understand what I mean.

The vignettes start with Jack Skellington finishing a bento that Sally made for him. Sebek tells Jack that he should now return the basket that the bento was delivered in to her and to let her know what he thinks of her meals, but Jack says he can’t because he’s busy with Halloween preparations. Jack asks Sebek and Azul to return the basket in his stead, which they do. They aren't allowed to see Sally because Dr. Finkelstein has locked her up for misbehaving, so they leave the basket. Azul advises that they also pass along Jack's comments (he had called Sally smart, thoughtful, and kind; he often forgets to have meals when he's absorbed with his work, so it's generous for her to prepare a delicious meal like this for him). Sebek loudly refuses, as he believes that hearing these grateful words from Jack himself would be much more meaningful to Sally.

He later confronts Sally at Town Hall and asks to speak with her privately (in an ALLEYWAY lol). There, Sebek flat-out tells Sally that such roundabout tactics will never help her feelings reach Jack because he's way too dense. Of course, she reacts with denial which sends Sebek into a passionate speech about the lengths Sally will go to for love (short of actually speaking about it). She literally threw herself out of a window and put herself in bodily harm to get to Jack when Dr. Finkelstein locked her in her room. She deliberately disobeyed her guardian and brainstormed a way to get out when theoretically she should not have been able to move around freely. If that's not motivated by love, then what is? Sebek declares that it's really annoying to watch Sally dance around the issue and to see her devotion go to waste. IT'S LIKE HE'S WATCHING/READING A ROMCOM AND THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS KEEP PLAYING THE "WILL THEY, WON'T THEY" CARD... She admits that she can't share her feelings because Sally thinks she's not worthy of someone as impressive as Jack... They're not compatible. And you know how Sebek responds??? BY TELLING SALLY ABOUT WHAT IS BASICALLY TWISTED ROMEO AND JULIET... Sebek reading tragic romance confirmed 😭 He describes the story as one of two lovers whose families do not approve of their union. In desperation, the lovers try to elope--but their plan fails and they return to their warring families. Instead of committing dying like in the original tale, the lovers live the rest of their lives lamenting the outcome and how they can no longer see the person they love most. Sebek shares his own interpretation of the story and its moral: because the lovers gave up hope that they could get their families to accept one another... because they never tried to get their families to get along... because they could not properly articulate their feelings to their families... the lovers could not be together. He is convinced that if they had communicated better, the story would have a happier ending. Sebek is of the firm belief that a story itself cannot come to be without the author wanting to share their own thoughts or feelings; he even suggests that maybe the author of Romeo and Juliet experienced something similar--a regret that resulted from neglecting to express deep-seated feelings. It's not just this book either, Sebek claims to have many stories with a similar theme or miscommunication leading to conflict.

Above all, Sebek stresses to Sally that she must believe in herself and take swift, decisive action. And why does Sebek whole-heartedly throw himself into this belief? Because his own family is living proof that a happy ending is possible if you try hard for it.

If you've paid attention to Sebek lore prior to this, you'll know that he has a human father and a fae mother. Their marriage faced opposition and scrutiny in Briar Valley, a country which is isolated from the rest of the world and suffered greatly from human invaders pilfering the fae lands for resources. One of these sources of opposition and scrutiny is Sebek's own grandfather and his mother's father, Baur. Apparently, Mrs. Zigvolt married Mr. Zigvolt against the wishes of her dad.

Sebek shares even more details with Sally in his Nightmare Suit vignettes. To this day, Baur does NOT approve of his daughter's marriage--but Mrs. Zigvolt doesn't let that get her down! No, she does everything in her power to prove to her father that she made the right choice and she's perfectly content with her life. She'll send letters enclosed with photographs of her family, take her children to visit Baur's home, and invites him to join family dinners. Sebek adds that he's sure his mom made other efforts too--all to try and get Baur to acknowledge her marriage. More recently, Baur seems to have lightened up a little... as in, he always used to turn Mr. Zigvolt away at the door, but now lets him in about once a year (though Baur still avoids eye contact with him and continues to frown). Mrs. Zigvolt stubbornly believes that if she keeps this up, her dad will one day change and bless her marriage with the man she truly loves. Sally commends Sebek and his mother's ability to speak their minds loudly and proudly, but then disparages herself again by saying she can't do the same. Sebek then confesses that he can relate to Sally's frustrations. He related her feelings to his own inadequacy in serving Malleus, the powerful and noble king-to-be of his country. That feeling... Sebek describes it as akin to heartache. But instead of wallowing in that heartache, he pushes himself to close that distance between himself and his idol. If he keeps hesitating, then there is absolutely no way he can catch up to where Malleus is! Sebek must dedicate himself to becoming someone worthy of serving him. He encourages Sally to do the same through both her words and her actions! At that moment, Jack walks in and Sally makes good on Sebek's advice. (This part isn't important to the analysis on Sebek's character, so I'm glossing over it.) The vignettes end with Epel complaining about Sebek being loud as per usual. Sally doesn't take issue with his volume though. She simply giggles and informs Epel that Sebek speaks so loudly and clearly so that his words can resonate with others--like how his words gave her courage.

We have learned new lore about Sebek's grandfather and mother. What does this tell us about Sebek? A lot, actually--if you slate it with all the other lore we have on hand.

We see just how strong of a woman his mother is. I suspect this is where Sebek picked up a lot of his hard-headedness, as well as the tendency to express himself very overtly, from. However, it also speaks to the loving environment he grew up in.

His mother seemingly never questioned her own life choices and never gave up fighting to prove her happiness to a father--and likely an entire community--that rejected her marriage, her husband, and maybe even her children. She fiercely loves and defends her family and the life they have made for themselves. Sebek states that he looks up to her for her magical strength, but that he also admires her principles and strong convictions. Indeed, it was her who ardently pursued Mr. Zigvolt and did not allow naysaying to deter her.

Then there is Mr. Zigvolt. In Sebek's Birthday Boy vignettes, he describes his father as "a strange man" who is "magically deficient" and "never lets his smile fade, no matter what I say to him [...] he defies comprehension." Though Sebek doesn't seem to hold the same amount of respect he has for his mother for his father, we don't hear Sebek openly insulting his dad, just expressing confusion about him. When asked about it, Sebek denies depending on his father--but it's clear there is a fondness there that he's not addressing. Mr. Zigvolt is impressed whenever his children use magic, buys them snacks they never asked for, and talks with them for long periods of time in a calm, patient manner. His father, too, has given Sebek so much compassion and understanding.

We don't know a lot about Sebek's siblings, but they seem to get along fine! He has mentioned going to parks with them. They've also gone fishing together and witnessed magic competitions, which they were all amazed by. The Zigvolts in general (or at least the parents) seem to be accepting too, as they volunteer to take Silver in whenever Lilia is unable to take care of him.

And you'd think that's where it ends, but NO. Baur ALSO has a lot of love to give. Despite not approving of his daughter's marriage, he doesn't actively despise his grandchildren. Quite the opposite, in fact! Though he's rough around the edges and looks scary, Baur doesn't fault any of his grandchildren for being born half fae and half human. He actually makes it a point to bond with them, and especially with Sebek. It was Baur who taught Sebek the language of nocturnal fae and instilled in Sebek his love for reading (as he bought many books for him and tells many stories himself). He also personally reached out to Lilia to train Sebek, as the young boy (at around age 7) expressed an interest in martial arts. Sebek has a love for salmon carpaccio because he and his siblings would fish at Baur's house and then prepare the dish for him--Baur was so happy about it. Additionally, Baur values getting a good education and was proud when Sebek shared with him that he was invited to attend Night Raven College.

Sebek grew up in a country that dislikes humans, but he was raised in an household where he was loved unconditionally and provided with all the resources he could need to get a good education and become someone who is physically strong. So of course he becomes frustrated when he sees Sally, who is so nervous to act on her feelings. What would have happened if Sebek’s mother had been like Sally? Sebek, as the youngest of three, might not event exist. His parents may not still be together… or maybe they wouldn’t have gotten together in the first place. It’s exactly because Sebek knows what love is supposed to be like--courtesy of his own family—that he can see it so well in others, and wants them to act on it. His very existence is proof that love is possible, and it transcends arbitrary labels like race that serve to divide people into categories.

One quirk of Sebek's is how he's always dishing out back-handed compliments or making comments that come off as rude but aren't at their core. He can't seem to help but say a good thing that sounds like something bad. His Diasomnia classmates, usually Silver, have to translate these Sebek-isms for others, who misunderstand him or interpret his words in the worst possible way. For example, from one of Silver’s Fairy Gala lines; “Sebek said to me that no self-respecting disciple of Lilia’s would dare get a single stain on this clothing. That's his way of encouraging me.” In Silver's Dorm Uniform vignettes, Sebek tries to reassure his friend and tell him to not let other people's opinions hurt him--but he phrases it as, "Hmph, ridiculous! I see no reason for you to heed a few random comments from some humans." The duo is also shown to be competitive with one another in training; it's never malicious, they both want to prove themselves as the superior knight, and the other serves as motivation to improve and/or a means of measuring one's own growth against a fellow disciple. When the mostly elderly population of Harveston is in need of physical labor, Sebek comments "[...] the humans in Harveston are woefully out of shape," yet he insists he "still [has] energy to burn" (as if to volunteer himself to do more work) and call such tasks "simple" (as if to point out how easy it is for him to do, so don't worry about troubling him). He hauls apples and helps the villagers with whatever they need, declaring that they should "be grateful"--but if he truly did not care, he could have stopped at any time or settled for just making fun of them. But Sebek doesn't, because he DOES care deep down. This aspect of Sebek is made even more obvious in Fairy Gala: What If. He appears at Ramshackle and opens by declaring, "NO! I am by no means worried about anyone! [...] Don't mistake my intentions. I am NOT here to help! If your mission doesn't succeed, the repercussions will definitely affect Malleus and Lilia. Hence... I shall lend you uneducated humans my aid! [...] You're welcome to weep with joy at my magnanimity..." Time and time again, we see Sebek demonstrating a lot of kindness, but deflecting or not being totally transparent with his intentions due to pride or embarrassment. This behavior is very reminiscent of Baur, the grandfather that Sebek loves dearly and spent so much time with. Baur, too, can be very passionate and loving, but struggles to speak of those feelings openly. Just look at how the man deals with Mr. Zigvolt. The behaviors of the family, then, imprint on Sebek and influence his behaviors--and being that Sebek is from such a loving group, it follows that Sebek puts out a lot of love into the world too.

A lot of times when the fandom discusses Sebek's attitude, I feel it's from the context of him being hateful towards humans. I'm not going to deny that Sebek has said some pretty nasty things about half of his own identity. The point I would like to make here is that Sebek can love just as strongly.

The most obvious thing that supports the claim that Sebek is capable of strong love is how he views Malleus. It's no great secret that Sebek practically worships the ground his dorm leader walks on. That's essentially Sebek's key defining character trait. What I'll ask you to consider instead is the nature of Sebek's love--not the obsessiveness of it, but rather the unconditional nature of it.

In Lost in the Book with Nightmare Before Christmas, Skully laments that Sebek has not been disappointed by his idol, Malleus. Sebek actually corrects him by saying that love isn't imposing your own views on your idol, it means preparing to accept them, flaws and all. He says the same of Malleus; should the time ever come where Sebek's expectations of Malleus falter or their paths have to diverge, then he will still embrace his young master, never once turning his back on him. And where does Sebek gets this from? His parents. The father who loves his children no matter how critical Sebek may be of him. The mother who remained so strong in the face of her friends and family being against her life choices.

A common fandom sentiment regarding Sebek is that he blindly follows Malleus--but when speaking about his idol to Skully, Sebek says that agreeing with someone and continuing to love them are different things. You can disagree with someone's actions and still continue to love them and accept them. This follows what Sebek does in book 7; though he is betrayed and hurt by Malleus turning his powers against the world, Sebek does not let up on the hope that he can bring his young master back. He even sillily calls the yet-to-be-hatched Malleus tamago/egg-sama, showing even an infant form of Malleus great respect after witnessing his OB. Skully took the opposite path that Sebek did; when he realized that his own idol, Jack Skellington, was not as he imagined him to be, Skully became enraged and lashed out over it. Sebek points out Skully's inadequacies as well, which ties back to how he spoke of his own drive to improve in his Nightmare Suit vignettes. Skully confesses to trying desperately to emulate Jack--so much so that he breaks down when Sebek's UM destroys his iconic shades. He wallows in his current state and doesn't make efforts to change or to be better; the past and his own vision is where he's comfortable. It's a strong contrast to Sebek, who has made it clear he will continue to train and work hard to prove his merits and to be someone worthy of protecting the great Malleus Draconia.

It is Sebek's passion and boundless love that makes him a hero both in Lost in the Book with Nightmare Before Christmas AND in the main story's book 7. He serves as a foil to Skully in the former and actively saves Silver when he's on the brink of despair in the latter. After learning that his biological father is the man responsible for killing Malleus's mother and leading the Silver Owls' onslaught on Briar Valley, Silver despairs and comes to the conclusion that his father must loathe him. "He could never love the son of the man he despised! He has to hate me! He has to!" Sebek rushes to Silver's side using Living Bolt, a UM he has yet to master (thus causing residual damage to him when he casts it), to correct him:

"You have this much strength... and you dare to say you weren't loved?! That you were hated?! [...] If [Lilia] hated you, he didn't have to give or teach you anything. He could've just raised you into a dimwitted coward and made you a servant. But he didn't--and look at you now. Even alone and helpless, you stood firm. You spoke up, unfaltering in the face of our liege's madness. Even trapped in the darkest despair, you kept on fighting! Who raised you to be so strong? LILIA DID! Why don't you see? Why do you doubt? You should have understood years ago! What can you call your strength, if not the direct result of Lilia's love?!"

WHETHER SEBEK REALIZES IT OR NOT, A LOT OF WHAT HE TELLS SILVER HITS HOME FOR HIM TOO... Like, thinking about it... Sebek must have faced a lot of prejudice from his community because of who his father is. He might have grown up thinking he, too, was hated, had he not been protected by his loving mother, father, and, yes, even grandfather, who is still struggling to accept the human in their family. Baur must have been feeling very complicated emotions upon meeting his half human grandchildren for the first time... but even though he dislikes humans, he could never find it in himself to dislike his grandkids. If he had hated Sebek, he wouldn't have wanted him to get a good education. Baur wouldn't be happy that he got into NRC. He wouldn't personally ask Lilia to train the grandson who expressed an interest in combat. He wouldn't buy so many books for Sebek or read with him or tell him stories or teach him his language. But Baur DID do all of these things, because deep down he loves Sebek no matter what he is. If it was anything less than love he felt for his grandson, if he decided to neglect his grandkids, then Sebek would have grown up as some "dimwitted coward". IT'S ALL CONNECTED.

And now here Sebek stands, able to tell others that they are loved and should be cognizant of that love. He reminds Silver that Lilia loves him. He advises Skully to reevaluate how he sees his idol. He tells Sally to speak honestly about her feelings, because it was his own mother speaking honestly about hers that led to Sebek and his entire family being as happy as they are now. He shouts at people to act and to speak their minds because he doesn't want them to live with regrets, because he doesn't want to see them be weak and timid--a version of himself that could have resulted if he hadn't been loved so strongly.

You can say many things about Sebek: that he's loud, that he's rude, that he's a fanboy, that he has big muscles. But of all those muscles, Sebek has a very big heart too. And what made him so strong? All the love he received from his family, despite growing up an environment that surely invited hatred for humans.

[bontentrio]

ATEEZ and ALMOST BREAKING UP

ot8 x gn reader

summary: you’re in a relationship and one of you (or both) want to break up.

tw: angst (insecurities, arguments, reader flinches sometimes but it’s not violence) but with happy endings because i am weak + fluff + slight nsfw in mingi’s + alcohol in jongho’s.

a/n: i got carried away with yeosang’s and jongho’s my apologies 🙏 rqs are open btw! (also i promise i’m working on ateez stuck in the friendzone part 2 but i have this scheduled for today)

HONGJOONG

you stared at hongjoong in bewilderment. he was sitting down in front of you, with tears in his eyes that threatened to spill if he blinked. he looked so… fragile. as if one single word or touch from you could break him. yet you sat there, with confusion painted all over your face.

“i’m sorry, what?” you asked.

“i think we need to break up” he whispered, as a tear rolled down his cheek and looked away. so you didn’t hear wrong.

“i don’t agree” you said, taking his hand in yours. “what brought you this thought?” you asked, making him look down. you waited a few moments, not wanting to pressure him into talking. then, hongjoong lifted your hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it.

“i’m always busy, we haven’t seen each other in a while and i take too long to reply to your texts” he explained. “you deserve someone who is always there for you”

“but don’t i get a say in this? i knew what i was getting into when we started seeing each other” you started saying as you scooted closer to him, in order to lift up his face to look at you. once your eyes interlocked, you cradled his face and continued: “yeah it sucks not being able to see you as much as i wished to, but also it’s not like i’m unhappy. i cherish the small moments we spend together, it makes me eager for the next one”

“but-“ he started saying, but you interrupted him with a kiss. at first, hongjoong sat still, surprised by your sudden actions, but then he kissed you right back. “no buts joong, we are not breaking up. i love you and i still want this. i still want you” you whispered against his lips, reassuringly.

he nodded in response, believing you.

SEONGHWA

“can we talk for a moment?” you asked seonghwa, who immediately felt his blood run cold at the question. he dropped his phone and studied your face: you looked sad, tired even.

realization struck him as quick as alighting: you’ve been avoiding his kisses for at least two days now, and he’s been brushing it off thinking you were just in a weird mood. i mean, yes it bothered him, but he also loved you too much to not give you space if you needed it. he always wanted you to be as comfortable as possible. but maybe he was wrong about that?

“is something wrong, my love?” he asked with a shaky voice as he took your hand in his. he chose to ignore the way you slightly flinched at his touch, or else his heart would break even more.

“i think-“ you started saying, looking down at your intertwined hands. his hold was gentle, as he always has been. kind, gentle, beautiful, all things you were not. “i think we should take a break”.

you looked up to him, and immediately regretted it: tears formed in his eyes, threatening to spill, while his lips were parted, probably trying to think of what to say. the scene completely broke you, and further proved your point about your insecurities.

“did i do something wrong?” he whispered, not trusting his voice to speak louder without breaking. your eyebrows furrowed, how could he think that when he’s been nothing but perfect in every way? “if i did i’m sorry y/n, i’ll change, but please don’t leave me”

you hugged him tightly, hiding his face on your neck as he sobbed. you didn’t realize you started crying too. “i’m sorry baby, you didn’t do anything wrong” you started saying after a while, pulling him back and cradling his face “it’s me, it’s all me and it has always been me. i’m the problem and i’m always holding you back, i’m sorry hwa”

“holding me back? what do you mean? baby you’re my motivation” seonghwa said, wiping away your tear with his thumbs. “but-“ you started saying, only to be interrupted by him:

“no, don’t ever say that again. you’re my star, y/n”.

YUNHO

normally, you would find yunho’s angry face hot, but now that it’s directed at you? not so much. not when he’s staring at you like you’re a waste of time and space, which only made your anger bubble up more.

“don’t just sit and stare at me! can you please give me a response? it’s not hard yunho” you exclaimed, earning a big eye roll from him “it’s a simple yes or no question: were you flirting with them?”

“god y/n you can be so annoying! no i wasn’t flirting, but now i wish i was so i could have a valid excuse to not see you again!” yunho yelled, standing up abruptly from his seat, making you take a step back unconsciously. this action didn’t go unnoticed by him, quickly realizing that surprise took over your face for a moment, before turning back to anger.

“if you don’t want to see me again then let’s just break up. i’m setting you free yunho” you said in anger, contrasting the way your eyes started watering.

you turned around in order to leave, not wanting him to see you cry, but he grabbed your hand, stopping you. when you turned around, you saw that his hard expression had softened, anger slowly dissipating.

“wait, don’t leave” he started saying “i’m sorry, i wasn’t thinking straight when i said what i said. i love you, i didn’t flirt with them and i don’t want you to leave”

yunho’s eyes silently begged you to forgive him, as he brought you closer to him slowly, testing the waters. when he realized you weren’t going to move away, he wrapped his arms around you. “i’m truly sorry baby, please don’t leave. i love you”.

you cried softly on his chest, as he thought of ways to make you forgive him completely. he refused to let you go.

YEOSANG

“i think this should end, y/n” he said suddenly, making you turn around in your spot at the kitchen. you looked at him confused, tea cups still on your hand.

“you mean the habit of us having tea together before bed?” you asked, eyebrows furrowed. yeosang stood up from the coach, and approached you slowly as you took notice of his sad face. “you know what i mean” he whispered once he reached you.

you shook your head “no, actually i don’t. is this about the argument earlier? i forgave you already, it’s all good yeo i promise” you replied quickly, setting the tea cups aside and proceeding to hold his arms. yeosang stared at you, it seems like he was about to cry as well, becoming all too real.

it’s rare for you to argue honestly, often choosing to just talk things out calmly. but earlier that day, ‘talking’ seemed impossible, as constant yelling filled the room. yeosang had promised, once again, to take you out on a date to celebrate your anniversary (two weeks and a half ago), but due to his idol duties he cancelled again. you have had enough, so things escalated rather quickly, making him leave your shared home with a loud shut of the door.

thing is, hours later yeosang showed up with a small bouquet of flowers and asked for forgiveness. he also explained to you how overwhelmed he felt at the moment with all the upcoming comeback preparations. you understood him obviously, and decided it would be better to just move the date until after promotions.

so everything was fine, all forgiven. what brought this now? “baby we barely see each other, except late at night like right now” he started saying, biting his lip so he could stop the tears from spilling out “you deserve someone better”.

“yeosang you are the ‘better’ you’re refereing to! i don’t want anyone else” you answered, hugging him. “i just want you, all of you, even with your weird and long schedules. i still want to feel your kiss on my cheek every time you leave and i still want to have tea with you late at night”

yeosang kissed you, pouring his whole soul and love in it as he held you impossibly closer than before. after a while, he reluctantly broke it, face still close to yours.

“i’m sorry, i love you” he whispered.

SAN

“no” he said, shaking his head as he looked at you with an unreadable expression “no, we’re not breaking up”

“but-“ you started to argue, kind of getting annoyed at the way he dismissed your previous statement. it’s been a week since fans started suspecting of your relationship, after a sasaeng had caught you at a restaurant celebrating your first anniversary. the media was going wild, even going as far as searching up your socials and sending malicious messages, all telling you to break up with san and that you’re harming his idol image.

“i said no, baby” he said, kissing your cheek and taking your hand, leading you to the bedroom “let’s go to bed”

“san! i’m about to ruin your career, i can’t just brush it off like it’s nothing! we need to break up, or at least take a break until everything calms down” you exclaimed, taking your hand back. san stared at you, face still unreadable but with some traces of hurt evident in his eyes. he took your hands again.

“you’re not going to ruin my career, love” he started saying, holding your hands tighter as if he was scared of letting go “kq’s management is handling it, they assured me everything will be fine because the angle of the photo didn’t show my face, and the couple behind us hid my body as well, so it’s not noticeable that it’s me”

you thought for a moment. truth is, you love san way too much to bring him harm, as small as possible it may be. he knew this, but his reasoning made sense. for all the media knows, the guy in the picture could be a lookalike.

“please” he said, barely above a whisper. you nodded, kissing his lips reassuringly. it’s going to be okay.

MINGI

the room felt heated, despite the different pieces of clothing that have been mindlessly discarded all over the place. mingi’s mouth never left yours, tongue entering your mouth as if it was it’s second home. his hands were everywhere: massaging your chest, holding your waist, playing with your ass, caressing your thighs. you felt him everywhere, all at once.

“we should really break things off” he said, in between kisses. you nodded, letting out a small moan when his lips found your neck. “definitely” you managed to say.

you and mingi have been arguing a lot recently, sometimes over silly small things like laundry or house chores, and other times the argument would revolve around hin forgetting important dates or your stubbornness to remember that he is an idol and is, of course, busy.

mingi’s hands went back to your ass, slapping it lightly and making you jump. he proceeded to hold your thighs, pulling you up to his height as he pressed you against the wall. he kissed you again, desperately and deeply.

“min-“ you started saying, or attempted to say since his lips made it near impossible. he bit your lip in response. “mingi”

he hummed against your lips. “this is not what breaking up means” you managed to say, pulling the back of his hair lightly but enough to make hin groan. “i know, but what if it is for us? i know you’ll miss this, miss me. now hold tight” he answered, unbucking his belt as you held on him tightly to not fall while he maneuvered with his pants.

once he was done, and pressed you harder against the wall, your trail of thought immediately disappeared. if it was a good or bad decision, or something that would become cyclical, that would be a problem for the future.

WOOYOUNG

“we should break up” you said, as a matter of fact. you stood in front of him, arms crossed as a serious expression adorned your face. wooyoung, in contrast, was sitting on your shared bed, mindlessly scrolling through social media. he didn’t even bother to look up.

“and why do you think that, baby?” he asked, still not looking at you, which caused your eye to twitch slightly. “exactly because of things like this wooyoung! i’m trying to break up with you and you don’t even care!” you exclaimed, throwing your arms in the air dramatically.

wooyoung blocked his phone and set it aside, sitting up straight in the process. his eyes found yours, probably trying to decipher how you were feeling. “are there any other reasons?”

“you don’t have time for me-“ you replied. “i still see you every night unless i’m on tour, and even in that circumstance i call every day” he interrupted. “okay, but you also never help me around the house” you argued. “baby, i literally cook half of your meals”.

“but-“ you started saying, only to be interrupted once again by wooyoung: “see? no reasons, no break up” he said, patting your head and returning to his phone.

“you’re impossible” you said, sitting beside him with your arms still crossed against your chest. wooyoung kissed your cheek “i know, but you love me nonetheless. plus i know this was an attempt to prank me as revenge for last time”

your eyes widened in surprise.

“HOW?!”

JONGHO

you might have taken a few too many drinks at tonight’s night out with your friends, so they had to call your boyfriend jongho to come and pick you up. thankfully, he answered quickly and said he would be there in 10.

“noooo you called jongho?” you asked, tipsily as you grabbed your friend’s hand that was holding your phone. “he has to wake up early tomorrow! he shouldn’t be driving around, he has to rest!”

“someone has to get you home, babe! plus he seemed fine, i promise” your friend answered in between giggles watching you pout.

once you spot jongho, your whole face lit up involuntarily, as if it was a reflex. once he reached your table, he hugged you from behind, pecking your cheek. “thanks for calling me and taking care of her” he told your friends. you clumsily bid your goodbyes to your friends and turned to jongho, ready to go.

“you shouldn’t have come, jongs” you started saying as he buckled up your belt in the passenger seat. “you have a long day tomorrow”

“it’s no problem baby, i couldn’t sleep anyways” he said, jogging back to the driver’s seat. you looked at him, thoughtful expression on your face for a few moments. “what?” he asked, chuckling as he drove the car out of the parking lot.

“you weren’t able to sleep because i was out? or because you weren’t feeling tired?” you asked, curiously. for someone who was terribly drunk, you sure got philosophical. add that to the long list of things jongho finds endearing about you.

“little bit of both i guess” he answered, stopping at a red light. you stayed quiet, strangely so, which caused jongho to turn his face to you to check if you fell asleep. but you weren’t. instead, you looked at him with tears in your eyes. “baby? what’s wrong?” he said, slightly panicking, not caring that the light turned green. since it was late at night, his car was the only one there at the moment.

“i’m a burden to you” you concluded, tears rolling down your cheeks “i’m holding you back and you should leave me”. huh?!?!

“baby, what are you talking about?” he asked in confusion, before frantically holding your face and wiping your tears away with kisses. “you always appear to save the day jongs, and i do nothing in return” you whispered, looking deeply into his eyes.

“you do more than you realize, y/n” he said, kissing you once more. “but you’re drunk, and i know nothing i’ll say will stick in this state. so let’s talk about it tomorrow, yes?”

“promise?” you asked, in a tiny voice. “i promise” he reassured.

[izvmimi]

cw: another wishful ending to bnha. about shigaraki but mostly from izuku's perspective. hint of a future healed!shigaraki x reader.

Izuku is not sure what he should wear for an occasion like this. 

Between the grueling, far too hands-on curriculum of becoming a hero, becoming the greatest hero Japan had to offer, and the aftermath of meta war that felt like ages (and probably aged him too), it was all too easy for him to forget that he is, in fact, still a teenager.

And a teenager doesn’t exactly always know what to wear when going to decide the fate of another man’s life.

Despite the fact that he’s pretty sure Hawks doesn’t actually care what he looks like at this point, Inko is kind enough to iron a suit for him and adjust the now shaggy-when-regrown mop of green curls into something professional once he’s dressed. She pats his face, letting her hand rest on the scarred side of his cheek.

“I think it will go well,” she reassures him, even though she can sense that he’s nervous. “You’re doing a good thing.”

Izuku is mostly sure, possibly 99% sure, but the 1% of uncertainty dissipates with his mother’s words. He nods.

“Right.”

—

About 5 months have passed since the culmination of the meta war. Owing to the valiant efforts of the people, with Quirks and without them, the guidance of multiple construction companies (including the Urarakas who have made not shy of hundreds of millions during this time), and heavy political support from local and abroad, the city is mostly rebuilt, to the point that it would be hard to believe that so much was destroyed in such a short time ago in recent history.

Izuku finds his way to the new Hero commission and stops at the front desk to present identification but is quickly passed through with a big smile from the security guard’s face. It’s still hard for him to get used to this treatment, but he remains polite and bows before making his way down to the conference room in the email.

A formal Hero Commission email addressed to around ten people, give or take, and he’s probably the last to arrive of those few, all of them seated at a round table once he arrives. Panicking a bit, he checks the time but before he can look at his phone, Hawks takes a moment to give him a once over and then stifle a laugh at his outfit.

“Now, don’t you look dapper?” he jokes.

Hawks is wearing a fitted suit himself, but he’s now president of the Hero Commission so it’s not out of the ordinary. All Might, offering a pleasant but weary smile next to him, is also dressed up, but he has been a fan of fitted suits in the public eye recently anyway so that’s not strange. Best Jeanist is… well, Best Jeanist… and perfectly coiffed and styled in… denim jeans. Mirio, however, is dressed down in a plaid button down and plain slacks, and bounces up to greet him pulling him to sit by him, Nejire, and Tamaki.

“Nice threads, Izuku!” Mirio cheers, while Nejire pulls at the sleeve and asks him if he bought it at the thrift store. Tamaki stares at a wall, having hit capacity for the number of people in the room.

Izuku wasn’t the last person here because Mirko and Katsuki squabble loudly as they finally enter the room, with Edgeshot in his diminutive form and difficult to see upfront trailing close behind, possibly annoyed (you couldn’t tell from this distance). Mirko is wearing athletic wear and Katsuki is wearing-

A suit.

Katsuki and Izuku lock eyes and the recognition sets in at the same time. His cheeks turn red and then he looks away before shuffling into his seat.

Once everyone has been settled and assistants have brought in coffee and pastries, Hawks finally moves to the first order of business.

A hologram shows in the center of the room with two images - one of Tomura Shigaraki taken as an aerial shot while he was screaming, in the midst of the meta war, and just beside it, an image of Tenko Shimura taken just a few days ago, at a construction site using his Decay quirk for demolition as part of a community service effort, quirk disabling wristlets in full display with the ability to be toggled on and off. The contrasts between these two images are evident - the rage distorting the young man’s features as Shigaraki as he is positioned to destroy and kill, unkempt white hair flowing in the air and a small serenity emanating from the young man’s visage as Tenko as he works to disintegrate rubble and clear land for reconstruction, dark hair cropped short and tousled slightly by fall breeze. If you look closely there is a hint of a smile in the second image, and fear in the eyes of the first.

Two very different men.

“We’re here to discuss our next steps with Shig-, Tenko Shimura.”

All Might lets out a breath no one knew he was holding. Izuku wonders if it’s by All Might’s request that Hawks has used his correct name, perhaps to honor his mentor and Tenko’s grandmother. He makes a mental note to always do the same. 

Katsuki keeps his lips pressed into a straight line and doesn’t say a word; Izuku doesn’t blame him, and in another circumstance would have never imagined being willing to sit for this conversation so easily, but he also appreciates that Katsuki is present for this vote at the very least.

“Let’s go through the facts.”

Hawks, pacing around the room, recounts the actions of the man once known as Shigaraki Tomura, as well as delineates what actions are his specifically and what actions were in conjunction with All For One. He shares testimonials from various psychiatrists who have worked with Tenko in this short period of rehabilitation before this discussion and the people who have worked with him on community service. He provides excerpts from social media influencers as well as political and religious opinions. 

The case is long and drawn out and by the time he is done, Mirko is yawning loudly and Mirio is trying very hard not to fall asleep. Aizawa, however, is asleep in the corner of the room, having shown up dead last, and not interested in a word being said.

A vote is meant to be cast by the end of today. Izuku wonders if Tenko is on the other side of that door, waiting for his fate to be decided. 

If no one can agree to rehabilitate him, he will most likely go to jail, deprived of the ability to use any Quirks possibly for the rest of his life. His best chance is now, as Izuku does not imagine any turnover in power will allow him as much amnesty as the current group here.

Izuku has spent the last few months pleading to the Hero Commission to consider his proposal, using the very fact that Tenko relinquished his OFA-related Quirks back to him almost immediately as a perfect example.

Tenko did give his inner child a second chance, and Tenko did fight back. He just needed help.

“All motions to go forth with a continued rehabilitation plan, please say-”

Mirko raises her hand immediately, interrupting.

“Aye.”

Placing both her feet on the edge of the table, she defends herself before anyone can ask.

“If he tries some shit again, I get a rematch,” she says, grinning. All Might gives her a pleased look but says nothing.

Aizawa chimes in from inside his sleeping bag.

“Aye.”

While Izuku’s eyes widen, Katsuki finally interjects.

“Have you guys forgotten this man killed me?”

“And lifted you up with his toes.” Mirko adds. “But you lived, didn’t you, pipsqueak?” she says, grinning. 

Best Jeanist, not at all pleased by the joke, raises his hand.

“Nay. This is a ridiculous idea.”

“What’s ridiculous is your outfits but we don’t-”

All Might clears his throat. “Aye.”

Endeavor takes a look at All Might, crossing his arms over his chest. His retirement is still hot off the presses, and he chooses to take a step back here too.

“Abstain.”

Izuku’s heart is racing and he’s not exactly sure why. Part of this waiting period involves Izuku keeping an eye on Tenko and in repeated conversations, he has always gotten the sense that Tenko could change but his hope had been tempered. The truth was, as much as he wanted to save Tenko, a small part of him was still a little angry for the harm he did, and he imagined that if he felt that way, it was only a fraction of what the public and his peers must feel.

But today, there seems to be a chance.

“Aye!” Mirio and Nejire say in unison and Tamaki quickly follows up. 

Katsuki rises suddenly and leaves the room and while Izuku wants to follow him, he knows that it’s a waste of time.

That’s a problem for days to come.

“And why exactly are we forgiving him?” Best Jeanist asks, as he rises himself to go after his student.

“Because we don’t plan to leave anyone behind,” Edgeshot finally admits. Best Jeanist shakes his head.

“It stays Nay for me but it’s your responsibility.” 

He files out of the room, but Hawks’ smile isn’t deterred, knowing he’ll come around. 

The majority chooses hope.

—

Four and a half years have passed since that vote.

Izuku watches his friend, a girl from the support class a year above him who isn’t Hatsume but just as good in her own realm, fiddle with tracking devices and quirk-neutralizing wristlets attached to the first iteration of Entropy’s Hero suit. Entropy’s hero costume doesn’t include a mask, but Izuku has an inkling that no one will recognize him prior to his debut as the man who almost laid waste to the entire country. There is something about a person’s soul that can permeate a vessel, it’s a reminder that beauty is only skin deep, but goodness will shine through no matter what one looks like.

Tenko is however somewhat handsome in the way that his Hero grandmother was beautiful and that helps. Wavy, dark hair frames his face to a shoulder length, and his dark eyes are actually warm now that he’s had time to shed off most of the loneliness. He’s filled out slightly with better food and less angst, which is another thing that is sure to make him more appealing to the masses. 

Izuku can still sense the trepidation however in the slight tremble of Tenko’s fingertips as he holds them out for the support engineer to readjust the gloves, and wonders if he’s projecting.

Part of the arrangement for Entropy’s debut is for Deku and Entropy to work as partners for at least a year to satisfy the civilians who still don’t trust him (with good reason) as a contingency plan in case Tenko changes his mind about being a productive member of society and needs someone to stop him a second time.

Izuku is pretty sure he won’t fall back into that dark place again by now, even if a select few will never, ever forgive him. Even Katsuki still grumbles, but agrees that Izuku might be right. 

“I feel like a leashed dog still,” Tenko finally pipes up as the engineer adjusts the literal silver collar on his neck. It’s meant to be a joke but it’s not exactly false. Izuku offers him a small consoling smile.

“It makes the commission happy, so bear with it, I guess.” Izuku says. It’s a lame response, he admits, but it’s all he has to offer. 

Between the emergency shock collar that’s stylized to appear as part of the prototype suit, a physical tracker, and internal restraints, there are a lot of things to stop Tenko from becoming Tomura again, but at least the adjustment of all of these in the homey atmosphere of Izuku’s apartment feels less like house arrest. 

Izuku’s girlfriend peers in from time to time from where she’s holed up studying for clinical examinations to check on their progress, a steaming mug in her hand. The girls wave at each other before she disappears again and locks the door, loud music with heavy bass playing from her computer speakers. 

It’s a miracle she’s not afraid of Tenko given Tomura almost killed her during the meta war too, but Izuku understands that this is a testament to how much she trusts his judgment. 

“Thank you for doing this,” he says finally to his friend. She practically beams.

“I’m just giving you the ‘your future wife is my bestie’ discount.”

Izuku goes red at the ears and Tenko stifles a laugh. She turns and gives him a look and he immediately looks away, somewhat startled by how quickly she gets into his face.

“It is however a really big favor, I just worry you’ll be somewhat accountable if something goes wrong, too.”

Tenko frowns. “I’m right here, you know,” he murmurs. He pauses before he uses her professional name, which turns out to not be so professional at all. “... Sparkles.”

Sparkles doesn’t hear him, the jitteriness of three days of no sleep in the setting of piled up audits at her security technologies company getting to her. “Just don’t forget to get me the paperwork, Izuku.” 

She then turns her attention back to Tenko finally as Izuku searches for a pen in a basket under the coffee table.

Tenko again, possibly too affected by how quickly, she moves, seems to stand up a little straighter as she sizes him up.

“Are you planning on hurting anyone?”

Sparkles hadn’t realized Izuku’s girlfriend had left the room again to grab more sugar for her tea.

“If he says yes, what exactly are you gonna do, babe?” she hollers, disappearing again before waiting for the answer. Izuku chuckles.

“I’d ask him if he meant it,” she yells back. She turns to him again, looking up at him through her eyelashes. “Do you mean it? Are you planning on hurting anyone?”

Tenko tenses up and Izuku tries not to laugh, wondering if he should leave Tenko to Sparkles’ charms or allow him to rest.

Regardless, he has great aspiration for the world’s former greatest villain’s future, yet.

[bimbo-baggins17]

Thoughts on BABY DADDY SAM MONROE ‼️🫵🏼🫦

Oof okay, well first I’m gonna plug my beautiful Aga’s work link @anakinstwinklebunny

Immediately I thought of the sound on tiktok of ‘You want a beer?’ ‘He’s four!’ ‘Well I don’t know what to do with him!’

TW: mentions of weight, afab anatomy, Sam being Sam

- If we’re talking pre relationship-mending Sam, he’s not the best dad, sorry. “What do you mean you’re pregnant? I pulled out. Can’t you just abort the thing or whatever?”

- The only reason he’d go along to doctor’s appointments is because his mom would nag him and tell him it’s the right thing to do.

- Did he love you? In his own way yeah, he supposed but that didn’t mean he wanted a baby. He saw how his parents ended up and he didn’t want to be that way with you

- “Babe, where’s my last kit-kat?” You’d ask, searching your normal stash area. Your cravings were in full swing. He wouldn’t bother to look up from the video game he’s playing or magazine he’s reading, “I ate it earlier.” “Seriously Sam?” He’d just shrug like it was no big deal, “Yeah. You can always get another. Relax.”

- He’d begrudgingly rub your swollen feet when you’d ask him to, muttering under his breath occasionally and half ass doing it

- Smoking around you was still common, no matter how much you got onto his ass about it. “Sam, you can’t be doing that. Put it out!” Immediately he’d shake his head, “This is the last bit of my shit and I’m not owing Josh another favor.” “Go outside then if you have to.” “Ugh fine. Whatever ‘mom’.” You swore you were going to have two kids.

- “You’re gaining weight.” He’d point out one day and your heart would sink. “I’m pregnant. I’m supposed to.” “Still. Should try to lose some.”

- “Chicks, man.” He’d groan under his breath when you’d snapped on him for the third time today because he was being inconsiderate again. This time it was some comment about how Alyssa was hot and he’d definitely tap that.

- Something starts to change the second he feels the baby kick for the first time. He’d notice the way your eyes widen and you sit up straighter, “What is it?” “The baby just kicked.” The excitement in your voice was clear enough for him to pick up. He swallows and looks at you for a second before timidly asking, “Can I feel it?”

-It was the first time he really took interest, how could you say no? “Yeah, come here.” He walks over and you take his hands, placing them on the spot where you had felt it last. It’s still for a few seconds and he’s about to pull away when it happens again. His eyes widen and he stares in awe at your belly bump for a moment. Your smile widens as you look up at him. Slowly his own lips curl into a smile, “Wow.” He’d actually created life with you.

- Tries to convince you of some god awful name combinations for your son. Chester Daron, Atticus Taylor, Wes Manson. They’re all name combinations taken from members of his favorite bands.

- He’d get your son band onesies. Slipknot, System of a Down, Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park, Korn, Nine Inch Nails, etc. He’d be the punkest baby.

- He’d be there for the birth. He wanted to barf seeing the different fluids and how your body changes as it pushes the baby out. There’s no way that’s the same pussy he’d spend hours devouring.

- But then hearing your baby cry for the first time, it caused the rest of the shift to happen in him. He was a dad. A dad. Him. He couldn’t believe it. He created life with you. He quickly wipes away the tears that were forming with the back of his hand. “Jesus. You did it. It’s actually here.” “He’s here,” You correct him, “and we did it, Sam.”

- He’d ask to hold your baby, taking it into his arms with a kind of gentleness you’ve never seen from him before. Your son would hold onto one of his ringed fingers, “Wow. Such a tight grip already, little man.” It was a sweet moment, a tenderness in his eyes as he looks at your son. “Gonna show you all the best music. None of that poser shit. I’ll teach you how to roll the best joint too when you’re old enough.” You win some, you lose some.

[sassydefendorflower]

FmaB from Roy's perspective really starts of wild.

Imagine you are a politically savvy Colonel within a corrupt military. You're pretty sure you know what the rules of the game are and you plan on winning by rising through the ranks until you're eligible for the office of Führer. Along the way you build up a handpicked team of specialists that support your goals, always followed by your right-hand-man, Riza Hawkeye, who has promised to keep an eye on you should you fuck up along the way.

Then, one day a few years after the war (the same war that's behind you wanting to reach the top of the military and change it from within) you recruit a genius teenage alchemist into your ranks. You are doing this because it will gain you political favor - the second youngest State Alchemist recruiting a real child prodigy? That has to mean you can be trusted with grooming the next generation of human weapons in the eyes of the brass! - and because you want to make sure that this child isn't killed for breaking the law.

Over the years the two of you create a frenemies kind of relationship that profits you greatly - while the boy is destructive and loud, he garners public favor like no other, and you can easily point him at problems you're too subtle and involved to take care off. You don't actually believe the magic stone the kid is searching for exists, so you don't even have to worry about him up and leaving you one day and for a few years all of this works great.

Only the kid gets in more and more trouble and just as you're about to finally return to Central and get that promotion you've been looking forward to, your best friend dies. Suddenly and gruesome.

And as you go to investigate, you find out that somehow the Elric brothers are involved - you know, the kid you let wander around your district without any oversight for three and a half years.

There's definitely some sort of conspiracy going on and maybe it has something to do with that magic stone you're not quite sure actually exists. It definitely has something to do with the higher ups in the military.

(you are still playing by the rules - it's just a few bad apples you have to take care off before you can turn the military around and make it into something great)

Oh, and there's a serial killer on the lose who exclusively kills people like you, people involved in the war.

Anyway, you get transferred to Central City, you even get to take your team with you, and as you try to play your political game things just get stranger and stranger.

The Führer was in Dublith for a routine inspection and you have no idea why or what happened but Major Armstrong returns with one of his eyes bandaged. The kid alchemist is back and he's surprised to see you - you know they are involved in something, but again, you have no idea what. Still, you warn him to be careful.

You, on the other hand, fail to be.

Little sleep, thoughts of revenge, the move to Central... all of that makes you sloppy. You gather the attention of the wrong people. Suddenly one of Hughes' team members gets arrested for killing your best friend.

You've suspected a conspiracy for some time now, and it seems as if at least parts of the Military Police and Internal Affairs are involved in this sleeping beast hidden in the underbelly of the military.

(maybe, slowly, you suspect that playing by the rules is not actually going to help you win)

You conceive a ploy to help the murder suspect escape, gather information about some of the illegal happenings within the military, and maybe figure out just how deep the conspiracy runs.

It is at this point - after your right-hand-man almost dies and you save her at the last moment - that Alphonse Elric FINALLY tells you that "oh, btw, Philosopher's Stones are real and Homunculi aka unkillable monsters do exist and the military is definitely involved in both".

You and your team are in fact the last people who figure this out.

Two weeks later a foreign prince tells you your Führer is actually a homunculus.

Again, somehow, you are the last person to be told.

You weren't even aware these two teenagers in your employ were actually investigating something until a month after your best friend died.

A week later you walk into a trap because you still think you can play the game - you still think there are good apples somewhere in this rotten tree.

You pay for it with your team.

After that, you make sure to never again be the last person to figure something out.

[autistichalsin]

"What is it like to be so uncaring? I wish I could spend a day being as unempathetic as them. (Unspoken: What's the point of having empathy anymore?")

This is a sentiment that I've seen so many others express, and myself have kinda had to work through too, in the past 24 hours.

And it's a damn good question, isn't it? The people who care for no one but themselves- and worse, who actively want to hurt others not like them- won. They got everything they wanted. Meanwhile, good, kind people lost, and are now being mocked. "Triggered, liberals?"

So what's the point, then? Why should we care anymore?

It's one of those questions where you really have to be your own guide with that. We live in a world that punishes kindness and tries its best to beat it out of people, and sometimes it's tiring to do so.

But I answered that question myself and maybe my answer will help some of you.

In a world like ours, kindness is an act of defiance. Becoming cruel/callous/selfish feeds in to the reality they peddled to steal American democracy for good. By being kind, you remind them that not everyone is like them. And believe me, under their taunting, under their cries of "own the libs", this unsettles them. Kindness is an act of resistance. Love is an act of resistance. You are telling them that they will never change who you fundamentally are, they won't take away the things that make you better than them. And there is nothing evil people hate more than reminders that not everyone is evil!!! Do you remember that scene from The Dark Knight where the Joker had a group of prisoners and ordinary citizens on two ferries with bombs to blow up the other's ship, expecting them to hit the button- but no one did, because they wouldn't take the others' lives? And how utterly baffled he was? Your continued compassion enrages fascists.

You are gaining so much more from remaining kind and empathetic than you can understand. Yes, the ones who lack it won and will get to abuse people, but they lack human connection, and most of theirs are shallow. Alpha male types don't enjoy close friendships; Matt Walsh himself said he never had a friend say he loved him, Tucker Carlson's mom hated him so much that she left him $1 in her will, and Donald Trump's wives only ever married him for his power and status. The few connections they have lack depth and care and genuineness. Sure, they have families, sometimes, who love/care for them. But it is a very different kind of love because it is conditional. That's the only kind of love they know. "Be like me, espouse my values, and then I will love you." They disown their queer children, they fear their wives being independent or their husbands being 'soft.' The instant they become "wrong" in some way, they'll be discarded. You, in seeking relationships with people who genuinely love you for you- and offering that in turn- are never going to know that terror.

You deserve to be loved. You deserve to get to continue to feel the full range of human emotion, which does and should include compassion and empathy and love. You don't deserve to have to give that up just to survive this dystopian hellscape. You deserve better and if this country has failed too much to give you better, you should still at least hold on to what scraps of better you can find.

Things are about to get worse in nearly every aspect; financially, socially, geopolitically, I could go on. Staying your authentic self- loving and compassionate- is one of the only ways you are going to be able to survive what's coming, because you'll need support, and so will those around you.

Not going to numb to what's happening is the literal only way we can fix this. And I'm going to be blunt here, no fix is coming in our lifetimes. We're going to try and salvage something in the future we aren't ever going to see here. But that makes retaining your fundamental kindness even more important, because when there's nothing in it for you, the only way to keep going is to retain a love of humanity, no matter what flaws it has, because otherwise you'll get discouraged and give up. We won't get out of this, even in a few generations, without radical acts of altruism for people who are going to live here after us. They deserve your help even if they're not here yet. They NEED you.

Don't let this change who you are. Who you are is good. Who you are is perfect. You're a normal person in an utterly insane world, and this insane world won't become sane again without people like you.

[koji-haru]

Get well soon, Lucifer

Lucifer couldn’t believe it. He was supposed to be helping his darling princess with the hotel, and yet here he was, wrapped in multiple layers of soft blankets in bed and sick. Very sick. Did he get it from the cannibals that helped them in the fight? Satan knows whatever kind of nightmare they ate. Maybe from that one-eyed maid? What was her name again? Nippy? That would make sense given her tendency to skitter around the place, squeezing into places no one even knew existed. But no. He may have fallen, but Lucifer’s nature should protect him from most, if not all, vile sickness that Hell had to offer, he was the king of this rotten place after all. 

He twisted in his bed, or at least he tried to, given he was tightly wrapped in blankets. No matter how many times he shifted and changed positions, the discomfort remained. A sickly warmth spread all over his body, his limbs felt like lead yet also somehow mushy, and his head, oh his head was killing him. It was as if his head was flooded by the mud that had passed through every sewer in pride and then encased in concrete to forever weigh on his brain. Lucifer turned again in his bed, grumbling weakly. He tried to think of possible sources of his sickness, but even thinking proved to be an arduous task in his current condition. It had been so long since he felt this weak, it kind of reminded him of his first few years in Hell, being alone and lost and just broken. Back then, he had Lilith to at least go through with it together, but now…

“You look funny wrapped like that,” a voice commented from just behind him. “Kind of like a sausage roll.”

Turning once more to face his visitor, Lucifer blinked at his visitor, his vision slightly hazy from the excessive warmth he was surrounded with. Someone was sitting on the edge of his bed, someone tall with soft brown hair adorned with beautiful black horns with a golden sheen that curved to the back of his head and beautiful golden eyes that glowed more beautifully than any treasure. Lucifer tried to wiggle closer towards his visitor, his presence a soothing coolness that he craved so terribly. 

“Adam,” he called out, his voice quiet and hoarse. 

Adam simply smiled at him, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. “Oh, you poor thing, you’re really sick, huh?”

“I think–” Lucifer paused, coughing for a moment before resuming. “I might have gotten it from those angels.”

“The exterminators?,” asked Adam. 

“Only a sickness from Heaven could affect me this badly,” Lucifer groaned. That made so much more sense, but it also meant that he was truly sick. “They just had to leave one more problem, huh?”

Adam didn’t reply, not even a soft hum of agreement. He just…kind of looked down at Lucifer, his golden eyes feeling distant. Lucifer resumed his squirming, trying to get more of the coolness that Adam was exuding, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to get any more closer. It was as if he was just out of Lucifer’s reach. 

“Adam,” Lucifer called out again, eyes watering slightly. “Can you come closer? I can’t– You seem so far away.”

“I don’t think I can,” answered Adam, his voice sounding faint. 

“Oh, right.” Lucifer stopped his squirming, the little energy he had already drained and  exhaustion weighing heavily on his bones. “You might get sick too.”

“I won’t get sick,” Adam laughed, his voice a haunting echo in the dark bedroom. “Have you forgotten already?”

Slowly, through his blurry vision, Adam’s image shifted. The large black horns were gone, replaced by a broken, barely glowing halo; his golden wings laid limply on his back, covered in grime and mud; his beautiful face peppered with scratches and bruises blooming purple and green; but worse of all were the gaping holes on his chest, golden blood flowing freely from it. Adam tilted his head, an amused smile on his pale face. 

“You’re sick alright, but are you sure you got it from my girls?” Adam pointed at his heart, his fingertip almost touching Lucifer. “Ever thought it could be from inside?”

Suddenly, Lucifer’s vision became much clearer, there sat beside him was Adam, or at least, the last time he ever saw him, will ever see him. He laughed bitterly to himself, his reality dawning on him as the fog that clouded his head finally cleared up, leaving him with the bitter truth. 

“You’re right,” he agreed, his voice as light as a feather but more shattered than any broken mirror. “I let you die. I caused your death. But still, can I–” He pried one arm out of the blankets, desperately reaching out for Adam’s spectre, in a vain attempt to somehow anchor him to his side. However, as soon as his fingers got close, Adam’s image began to quickly fade away in faint shimmers of faded gold. He didn’t even manage to touch him. Adam’s golden eyes, cold and distant, was the last thing he saw, burning itself eternally in his mind to torment him in his unending life. 

“Get well soon, Lucifer,” Adam’s voice echoed faintly before disappearing altogether, forever. 

Lucifer closed his eyes, an uncomfortable warmth pooling in and around his eyes as he felt a wetness slide down his cheeks. This was simply another punishment from his Father.

[narriose]

Thoughts on Veilguard so far:

Preface: I’m ~50 hours in with a handful of endgame spoilers.

My general values are: Story > Characters > Gameplay > Romance > Rep > Visuals.

My rating of the previous games: DA2 > DAO > DAI

Spoilers under Cut:

What I expected: Having to deal with an unappealing art style and clunky gameplay with leftover multiplayer and live service era elements that they couldn’t get rid of for the sake of the story and characters.

What I got: Well…

Let’s Start with the negatives:

-Dialogue: I want to know what happened there. Ik for a fact they had veteran BioWare writers on the team and it feels like there was a decision to dumb everything down to the point of me immediately having a line in my head that would sound better in universe every time someone spoke. It proved especially grating once I heard Morrigan speak. And when people compare the writing to MCU I cannot really protest. “Dragon Age has always been unserious” yes but like. Not every other line was a joke or relatable™️ millennial awkwardness . When jokes did happen they became memorable moments for the fandom. It’s often very difficult to listen to. Especially when Rook talks. It is getting marginally better though.

-Tone: Dragon Age has been compelling to me because it wrote conflict and trauma and corruption in a way that felt developed enough to feel grounded and believably horrific. Even with all its faults. DATV mellowed out the horrors and seems to gloss over a lot of sociopolitical dynamics and lore. Stuff like portraying crows as vigilantes and not showing the evils of Tevinter slavery. The tone itself just feels like theyre trying to make an easily marketable sanitized IP out of it to cater to a wider audience.

-Character Writing: A lot of characterization has been “Tell not show” because I’m disappointed in Lucanis and Neve. The story says one is a serious killer and the other is a cynic but both have only been friendly soft and positive which is like??? I feel like a lot of their intro has been cut out or something where they establish those traits on screen. Another thing is: there don’t appear to be actually detestable and controversial traits in characters or even internal conflict they need to overcome. They’re just dealing with some kind of external thing thrust onto them and that is very shallow to me personally.

-Intro: I know we’re not getting Origins style personalized intros again but it felt like too much is handwaived into people making their own OCs and forming headcanons when the game doesn’t let us RP much at all outside identity stuff anyway. Like how do we know Varric? Why should any of the pep talks he gives us mean anything when we haven’t experienced anything to warrant the complements he gives us?

-Villains: possibly the worst part of the story: they lit act like theyre in a preschool cartoon down to body language. No nuance no controversy no actual horror to them when in previous games the evil felt so much more pronounced because some of the villains felt human enough to be a shitty person irl.

-Rep: Sigh. Even as a transmasc I might be a little too internally transphobic for the rep in the game. It feels like so many steps ahead of what the story should be handling. Like fix the slavery problem in a meaningful way then start philosophical gender discussions about what a gender binary even is. And it’s very cringe to me when it’s spoken about in game. Like yeah I love that there’s no way to dispute what the characters are but it also feels so entirely uncreative using modern day terminology for this stuff. And I don’t mean “replace it with ambiguous sad baby talk” but something more. Like is it terrible to want that? Even if you were planning on using the word nonbinary, at least tell us what a binary even is and how it was instituted as an idea into this world. Like I do adore Taash, I just wish the gender stuff wasn’t so clumsy.

-Visuals: It’s hard man. As an artist who sees human bodies as proportion reference points, the bodies still look off to me. Like it was worse and I’m getting used to it but it’s still painful. And I’m all for trying to stylize but this particular heroforge direction was not something I would have picked.

-OST: At first I couldn’t tell Zimmer/Balfe’s stuff apart from Morris’s but yeah, the new stuff is more boring(Sans the Rivain part)

-The 3 choice thing: yeah not a fan of that. I feel like perhaps it was a part of the multiplayer era where they would not be able to import much if everyone had a massively different world state so they limited it to the tiny MC choices. Still sad that the romance thing only really matters if you romanced Solas because the Dorian cameo wasn’t anything to write home about. Kinda feels like they added him in last minute because someone pointed out how much Solas-skewed the choices were. Idk. I so expected Josie in Antiva but alas.

Now Onto the Positives:

-Codices: The very way-too modern simplified conversational dialogue style carries over to the codices. And while I despise that as a creative, I do find myself actually reading them as they come because they are so easy to absorb. I feel like a lot of people would benefit from not skipping them because there are some references and plot reveals worth checking out.

-Story: If you deafen the dialogue style, the story itself is top. Gets way better as you play and from the spoilers I��ve heard, yeah. It’s good. Can’t wait to find out more.

-Gameplay: Listen I have a massive preference for DA style combat even if most ppl call it a slog. The turn based element, the pause button, the hoarding skills I never use. It’s like coming home to me. I hated DAI combat for the amount of anxiety it induced and I usually hate fast-paced action combat in most other games. DATV made me eat my boots. Its combat is insanely fun and engaging and often times I’m looking forward to fights more than quests themselves. Very colorful, very flashy, and very effective. The pause button gives less freedom but it’s there. The combos are fun. It is like Mass Effect except I did not find commanding the companions in Mass Effect as intuitive. Tho I wish non mages had less magicey feeling attacks.

-The CC: Yeah it wowed me with the options. I like how much can be done with the facial sliders and how good the hair looks.

-Puzzles: Listen the puzzles are extremely stupid in this game. But I also am very stupid and lazy when it comes to solving them. I have looked up the vast majority of puzzle solutions for DA games. No more DA2 Fade Barrels and no more trying to circumnavigate the ad infested Fandom Wiki to get to the Kitty’s prison solution. Crafted specifically for me.

-Mechanical Things: The game is optimized insanely well. Both when It comes to your PC and the gameplay. I’m amazed how well it runs on my PC when games like BG3 and Cyberpunk make my CPU scream. Love that. As far as gameplay goes: everything is super streamlined and designed to be as un-annoying as possible. No carry weight, no collectibles as annoying and unrewarding as the shards and mosaics. The maps are easy to parse. The game does not bombard you with useless NPCs, banter can’t be interrupted and characters catch up on banter at the Lighthouse if you’ve been avoiding certain party comps by accident. The quest locator is actually helpful. Skill points can be refunded. Looting is easy and finding shit feels rewarding.

-Characters: Honestly they do have some interesting things going on and while most characters feel a little hollow so far, I was pleasantly surprised by Davrin and Bellara. Davrin is the one I’m romancing and while the actual romance isn’t groundbreaking I’m glad I chose him. Yes, his character has a lot to do with Assan and his arc, but he does have stuff going on of his own. He’s very refreshing because some of the things he says low key both makes you think and also worry about him. He’s also not your usual preppy jock type. He can be a little mean sometimes. He’s artistic and principled. He has some remnants of “opinions I don’t agree with” that I love early DA for. When it comes to Bellara, she absolutely breaks the sort of Manic Pixie/Quirky Awkward young coded girl mold. It is the fact that there is self awareness and hints of history of failure and isolation in her words. There is also masking and over-clarification that I can relate to personally. I hope there is stuff like that to other companions when I get to know them better.

Visuals: the UI and Locations are stunning. The outfits the best the game has had so far(tho wish the overall look was less stylized) The blighted stuff(sans the ogres) and the Crossroads. Beautiful.

-Dwarf Lore: started out as fucking cheesy but I just finished meeting Valta and I’m seated.

-Solas Stuff: Hated the man for a while. Caved and made a solavellan to import to get more story stuff. NGL he is actually tolerable/interesting to me in this game.

Overall: A sickly sweet combo of Disappointed and Impressed. And I’m still gonna be playing. I am used to not liking something about every DA game. That’s part of the fun for me. But damn is this one testing me. Am I having a lot of fun playing it? Absolutely. Am I finding it difficult to get through a concerning amount of dialogue…yeah. It does still feel like a DA game but also like if someone made a pg-13 live action of Inquisition and then made a supplementary game based off that. If I forget that it’s supposed to be a sequel and just treat it like an action game with plot then it’s easier. And like I’m sure at least half of what I listed as a negative can be attributed to EA meddling or prev iterations of the game being inseparable. Anyway. Can’t wait to see the ending and I will add more thoughts when I’m done.

[justdiptych]

There's a lot of insightful and well-made points I'd like to add to here, but I'd like to reproduce Miss Climpson's letter from Unnatural Death as an example of how Sayers handles racism in the books. I've excised the actual N-slurs, but the text is otherwise unaltered.

My dear Lord Peter, I heard something this morning which MAY be of use, so I HASTEN to communicate it!! You remember I mentioned before that Mrs. Budge’s maid is the SISTER of the present maid at Miss Whittaker’s? Well!!! The AUNT of these two girls came to pay a visit to Mrs. Budge’s girl this afternoon, and was introduced to me—of course, as boarder at Mrs. Budge’s I am naturally an object of local interest—and, bearing your instructions in mind, I encourage this to an extent I should not otherwise do!! It appears that this aunt was well acquainted with a former housekeeper of Miss Dawson’s—before the time of the Gotobed girls, I mean. The aunt is a highly respectable person of FORBIDDING ASPECT!—with a bonnet(!) and to my mind, a most disagreeable CENSORIOUS woman. However!—We got to speaking of Miss Dawson’s death, and this aunt—her name is Timmins—primmed up her mouth and said: “No unpleasant scandal would surprise me about that family, Miss Climpson. They were most UNDESIRABLY connected! You recollect, Mrs. Budge, that I felt obliged to leave after the appearance of that most EXTRAORDINARY person who announced himself as Miss Dawson’s cousin.” Naturally, I asked who this might be, not having heard of any other relations! She said that this person, whom she described as a nasty, DIRTY N-----(!!!) arrived one morning, dressed up as a CLERGYMAN!!!—and sent her—Miss Timmins—to announce him to Miss Dawson as her Cousin Hallelujah!!! Miss Timmins showed him up, much against her will, she said, into the nice, CLEAN, drawing-room! Miss Dawson, she said, actually came down to see this “creature” instead of sending him about his “black business”(!), and as a crowning scandal, asked him to stay to lunch!—“with her niece there, too,” Miss Timmins said, “and this horrible blackamoor ROLLING his dreadful eyes at her.” Miss Timmins said that it “regularly turned her stomach”—that was her phrase, and I trust you will excuse it—I understand that these parts of the body are frequently referred to in polite(!) society nowadays. In fact, it appears she refused to cook the lunch for the poor black man—(after all, even blacks are God’s creatures and we might all be black OURSELVES if He had not in His infinite kindness seen fit to favour us with white skins!!)—and walked straight out of the house!!! So that unfortunately she cannot tell us anything further about this remarkable incident! She is certain, however, that the “n-----” had a visiting-card, with the name “Rev. H. Dawson” upon it, and an address in foreign parts. It does seem strange, does it not, but I believe many of these native preachers are called to do splendid work among their own people, and no doubt a MINISTER is entitled to have visiting-card, even when black!!! In great haste, Sincerely yours, A. K. Climpson. 

From this, we learn a few things. We learn that Kitty Climpson heavily embellished her correspondence with capitals, italics and exclamation marks, from which we can deduce that she'd do numbers on modern social media. We learn that she thought nothing of faithfully reproducing others' slurs in her letter, but thought twice about including the word 'stomach' for fear of impoliteness. We also learn that her position against racism is something like 'why, if things were a little different, we might be so unfortunate as to be Black ourselves', which seems to have passed for a sensibly progressive position.

By contrast, here's a passage from another of Miss Climpson's letters, this time from Strong Poison.

I had no difficulty in getting a comfortable room at the Station Hotel, late as it was. In the old days, an unmarried woman arriving alone at midnight with a suitcase would hardly have been considered respectable—what a wonderful difference one finds today! I am grateful to have lived to see such changes, because whatever old-fashioned people may say about the greater decorum and modesty of women in Queen Victoria's time, those who can remember the old conditions know how difficult and humiliating they were!

This, I would call a succinct and powerful feminist statement. We see how Sayers (and, by extension, her more heroic characters) were stronger on some issues than others - but were certainly, at least, rarely boring.

The thing I'm enjoying most about the Lord Peter Wimsey books- I'm on #3, "Unnatural Death" right now- is that Sayers genuinely seems to love people

and it keeps her out of a LOT of the pitfalls that, say, Christie regularly falls into, even though she's stodgy and not particularly progressive by anyone's standards

[midnighthazee]

Greenridge ABO Series

a/n: I don't know how often I'll post - shooting for a couple times a week (MWF). I'm trying to be quick caz I also hate waiting on the next part of what I'm reading. So I post as I write :) thanks for your support and patience!! Love you guys

Series Masterlist Masterlist

Warnings: angsty, explicit language, mentions of abuse/neglect, fear

WC: 3340

Chapter 4

“Minho… talk to me.” Chan insisted, coming down the stairs.

Minho plopped on the couch in the basement.

“What is it?”

Minho looked at his Alpha. 

Chan looked at him expectantly, making Minho groan.

“She’s my soulmate too.” he said, his voice barely audible.

Chan looked into his eyes, surprised. “You too?”

“At this point…it’s half the pack.” Minho threw his arms up as he fell back into the couch.

“So I guess this means you agree she should stay?” Chan smiled, his dimples showing as he poked at Minho playfully.

“Of course she’s staying. I’m not a monster.” Minho grumbled.

Chan looked at the stairs, hearing the doorbell.

“I hear Doc Quinn. She must be here to do a checkup.” Chan noted.

“This still doesn’t fix our problem. We can’t afford a fight against the Nyko pack.” Minho continued.

“I know. We will figure it out.” Chan said. 

Doctor Quinn, Felix, and you come down the stairs.

“Morning Chan. Morning Minho.” Doctor Quinn cheered.

“Morning.” Chan greeted warmly.

“Morning.” Minho mumbled, not bothering to turn around.

You three went into the med room.

“I’m going to eat.” Minho stood and jogged up the stairs to go get his plate.

Chan lingered a bit, hearing the conversation between you and Felix before he too went to get his breakfast.

“Y/n, I know it will take time, but I promise you, they are trustworthy. They will take care of you… the right way.” Doctor Quinn went on. “And I’m here for you too.”

You nod.

“Eat well, okay. And get plenty of rest. Soon you should feel normal. Or what normal should be.”

“Okay.” You say in a small voice, making her smile.

“I’ll ask you more questions next time. For now, just get acquainted with everyone.” She removed her gloves and gestured to the door. “You’re free.”

You looked at the open door, processing her words. Free. You were free? Tears filled your eyes and threatened to fall down your cheeks as you felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. You blinked back the tears, standing from the bed and stepping out of the room. Wanting some fresh air, you went out the double doors, inhaling the morning air as you fought back the tears. 

Could I truly be free?

“Hey…you okay?”

Your eyes pop open as you look at Felix standing before you. His brows were furrowed in worry. You nod but he doesn’t seem to believe you. But still, he doesn’t push you.

“How are you feeling? Tired? Hungry?” Felix questioned.

You shook your head.

“Do you want to watch tv or play some video games?”

You looked at him confused, never having done either of those things. 

“C’mon. We can pick something to watch together.”

Felix led you inside and upstairs. You noticed the kitchen was all clean, Minho putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher. He looked up at you two and you were quick to look away. He clearly didn’t like you being here so you didn’t want to upset him further.

One of the boys was sitting on the couch watching tv already, remote in hand. He was also very handsome. His full cheeks and wavy hair drew you in, his smile was cute and contagious. 

His scent was different from Felix’s, which smelled of lavender and daisies, with a hint of eucalyptus. Han smelled like fresh cut grass and lemons, with a hint of gardenia. It was intoxicating and reminded you of a faint memory from your childhood - both their scents did. 

The memory was from one of the last days you had with your mother. You two had spent the day picking flowers in a field. There were all kinds of flowers and plants around you - daisies, lavender, roses, and gardenia. The gardenia smell was your favorite, but your mom loved the daisies. She said they were her favorite flower. Oh, how you missed her.

“Hey, wanna watch a movie?” Felix asked him.

“Sure. What movie?”

“I don’t know.” Felix sat down next to him, snatching the remote with a smile.

“Yah! Give it back.” He moved to get the remote back but Felix was too fast.

You jumped back at their interaction, not wanting to get in the crosshairs of their dispute. The two boys wrestled on the floor as Felix tried to keep hold of the remote. Minho suddenly walked into the room and towered over them with a glare. You shrunk against the window behind you, feeling his annoyance. They must have felt it too because they stopped and looked up at him.

“Best…behavior?” Minho spoke with gritted teeth.

“Sorry.” They mumbled in unison.

“We were just playing around.” Felix pouted.

“Pick a movie or go upstairs.” Minho left the room without even looking back at you.

“What’s got him so tense today?” Chubby cheeks asked.

Felix shrugged, noticing you standing by the window. “It’s okay. Come sit. This is Jisung.”

“Hi.” Jisung says with a smile and a wave.

You slowly come over and sit on the couch opposite of Jisung, Felix between you two. It was so comfy that you just sank right into it. Felix pulled up the movie list, throwing out some titles. You just shrugged, none of the titles sounding familiar. Eventually Felix decided on Harry Potter. 

“A classic,” he called it.

You only managed forty minutes of the movie before falling asleep on the couch next to them. At first they didn’t notice, but when Chan came into the kitchen and asked where you were, they looked over to see you laying down asleep.

Chan came over, not seeing you laying there from the kitchen, and smiled down at you. He grabbed a blanket from the basket at the edge of the fireplace and draped it over you. Felix and Jisung changed the channel to some soft music and headed upstairs so as not to disturb you. Chan went into his office to do some work, but not before pulling out his phone and taking a picture of you. You were too cute to resist.

“Well she’s definitely not dead…” Milo states.

They had searched all through the forest for your body.

“No shit. Obviously she got away. If she’s with the neighboring packs, Lewis is going to be furious.” Hayes runs his fingers through his hair.

“Wouldn’t the packs just give her back? We have agreements with them.”

“Did the cobalt get to your head or are you always this stupid.” 

Milo glares.

“The Greenridge pack is full of weak hybrids. They would probably nurse her back to health and hope she makes them stronger. The Okami pack fear us enough they probably would actually give her back to avoid issues.”

“So if she’s not dead, she’s with Greenridge.”

“Or Okami. Or Honshu. Omegas make hybrids do dumb things. You of all people should know this.”

“YAH! I was having fun. Same as you.”

“You crossed a line. I should have said no to the cobalt. Then she wouldn’t have gotten so disorientated and stepped off course.”

“I’m happy she did. Maybe she passed the cobalt along to the ones who tried to heal her and they got poisoned too.”

“I swear you get stupider everyday.” Hayes says.

Before Milo can pounce on his brother, the phone rings.

“Dammit. Don’t say a word.” Hayes says, answering the call. “Hey Lewis. How’s Montana and the Harlow pack?”

“They are good. We made a deal last night. I need you two to make sure the omegas are cleaned up, fed and not injured for the next few days. They need to be in their best shape. Especially my little y/n.”

“Why?”

“The Harlow pack has agreed to become our allies. Their support and numbers in exchange for an omega. Y/n is the weakest link so she should be a good one to pawn. So make sure she looks the best.”

“Okay. Yep, got it.” Hayes glared at Milo who was eavesdropping on the conversation.

“Everything alright there?”

“Everything’s great. Couldn’t be better.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I gotta go, the maids are just pulling up.”

“Okay. Have them give the omegas a little extra food.” 

“Will do.”

Hayes hung up. “We are so screwed.”

It was nearly two hours later when you began to wake. Blinking your eyes open, you noticed a figure sitting next to you. You pop up, pushing back into the couch cushions.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” he said in a sultry voice. 

This man was beautiful. Toned arms flexed as he adjusted how he was sitting so he could face you. His black hair was slightly wavy, his dark eyes fixed on you. He gave a small smile as you made eye contact and you swallowed, noticing the beauty mark he had under his eye. He was just staring at you like you were something to eat.

“I’m Hyunjin.” He smiled bigger.

“Y/n…” you whispered, looking down in your lap.

His eyes widened, not expecting you to talk since everyone said you didn’t. But he was quick to clear his throat, jumping for joy on the inside. “Nice to officially meet you.”

With that he stood, but hesitated, staring at you for a few moments before finally walking off. You watched after him, confused, but grateful for the space. Looking around the room, you didn’t see anyone. The tv was playing music and you wondered how long you had been asleep. 

You stood, walking down a hallway. There were pictures on the walls of the boys. A couple group ones, some in pairs. You smiled how much they clearly loved and cared for each other, wondering if that would ever be you. There was a cutout in the wall displaying a vase with fake Calla Lilies in it at the end of the hall. Turning you see two french doors. Approaching, you look behind you before continuing.

Upon opening the door, you step in and see an oversized desk with a computer on it. One wall is full of built-in bookcases, the other having floor to ceiling windows. There were two chairs facing the desk, a person sitting down in one. He was quick to turn around, staring at you.

The chair behind the desk spun around and revealed Chan on the phone. You should have knocked…or not been exploring at all. This wasn’t your house. 

You began to slowly back away, but Chan was quick to gesture you forward. You look back to the other person, realizing he also had an alpha scent. This slim cutie was the third alpha in this pack. He brushed his hair from his eyes, forcing a smile at you. You didn’t realize earlier how pretty his eyes were. Or how cute his smile was with his dimples.

You looked down, wanting to run far away. Why was everyone in this pack so unbelievably attractive?

Chan finished up his conversation, before smiling at you.

“How was your nap?”

You hesitated before deciding to speak. “Good.”

Chan’s eyes lit up, taken aback by your verbal answer, and smiled even bigger. Wow those dimples. “That’s great.”

He stood up, making the other alpha stand as well. You stiffened, instinctively stepping back.

“It’s alright. This is Jeongin. He is the youngest here and our newly presented alpha. So you’ll have to excuse him if he gets a bit uptight.” Chan says, resting a hand on Jeongin’s shoulder.

“I’m not uptight.” He groans, pushing his hand off.

Chan just laughs. “I have to go discuss some things with another pack. I’ll probably be gone the rest of the day. So if you need something, just ask anybody in the pack, okay?” 

You nod.

“Innie, would you like the honors of showing her to her room?” Chan asked.

You look up at him incredulously. 

“Sure.” Jeongin says.

“Room?” you echoed.

“Yes. You will have your own space. That way you can nest how you like. And you can personalize it however you want. If you don’t like the wall colors, we can change it. Want new furniture? We will replace it. Whatever you need for your nest, we can get, okay?”

You blink in disbelief, speechless. You didn’t know what he meant by nest but you didn’t say anything.

“Ready?” Jeongin asked, interrupting your thoughts.

You nod.

“See you later.” Chan smiled.

Jeongin led you back down the hall and upstairs. This was your first time up here and it was massive. There was a bit of loft space where a lot of junk as well as clothes were piled up.

“Laundry mess.” Jeongin noted. “This way.”

Jeongin led you down a hallway to the left and you saw a couple doors in the hallway. One of the doors had loud noises coming from behind it as well as two people arguing. You think one of them is Felix….if you can recognize his husky voice by now.

“They get too into their video games.” Jeongin said with an eyeroll.

You heard a door open and close behind you. Turning to see who it was, you saw the slim, gorgeous man from earlier. Starts with an H but you can’t remember.

“Innie… what are you doing?” he asked.

“Showing her to her room.” Jeongin answered.

“I think you’ll like it, y/n. It gets a lot of natural light and has calming colors in it. But if you want help painting it, I can help you.”

“Y/n? That’s your name?” Jeongin asked.

You nodded.

“How come you told Hyunjin first?” Jeongin pouted.

Hyunjin. That’s his name. 

“Because I’m special.” Hyunjin gloated.

You were quick to shake your head in defense. “No, I-”

You didn’t know what to say. He just happened to be there when you decided to start talking. It wasn’t favoritism.

“It’s fine. I see how it is.” Jeongin opened the last door on the left and walked in.

Your shoulders dropped, your feet not moving.

“He was just teasing. He’s not mad.” Hyunjin assured.

“Oh, I was only kidding y/n. Don’t be sad.” Jeongin was quick to come back to your side.

“We joke around and are sarcastic a lot. Don’t take us too seriously.” Hyunjin offered a smile.

You look to the room and begin to step inside. It was spacious and nicely decorated with neutral tones. The wood accent wall and ceiling were a soft tone, white sheets brightening up the room. Hyunjin was right, the windows let in tons of light. You had a spacious closet although it was empty right now since the only clothes you owned were shredded in the forest. You didn’t even know where they were but wouldn’t be surprised if they were thrown out.

“And over here is your bathroom. It’s a private bath, so you won’t have to share it with anyone.” Jeongin informed.

Walking into the bathroom, you were stunned. It was so clean and…and gorgeous. Worn shiplap walls, white tile in the shower and a vanity sink. This bathroom was a major upgrade from your hole in the floor of the cell.

“You like? Hopefully it’s not too much.” Jeongin’s brows furrowed in worry.

“It’s probably too much.” Hyunjin deadpanned, earning a glare from Jeongin.

“It’s….gorgeous.” You say.

“See, she likes it.” Jeongin pushed Hyunjin out the doorway as you all exited the bathroom.

“I’m hungry. Would you like something to eat, y/n” Hyunjin asked.

Eyes wide, you nod eagerly and they both giggle at you.

“Come on. We can make something to eat.”

“When you ever need space, you can come here. Okay?” Jeongin said.

You nod before following Hyunjin to the kitchen.

Hyunjin had made you both some ramen, yours less spicy as it was your first time. It was so yummy, you ate the whole bowl. He offered you more food, but you were full, your body not used to big meals. Jisung and Felix had come down to eat too, and asked if you wanted to finish the movie. You agreed and spent the rest of the afternoon watching the first two Harry Potter movies. 

Felix explained things as they happened, making sure you were understanding the world and what was going on. You felt yourself relaxing for the first time. You enjoyed the movies and got really invested in the story. Felix was happy you liked the movies, even running upstairs to get his computer and make you take the official test and get your house. (Just use whatever house you would like if you’re into Harry Potter)

After, Minho pulled Felix to help with dinner. The thought of eating again was daunting, you were still so full from your late lunch. Eating this much in one day was new to you but you didn’t want to be rude. 

Seungmin and Changbin came downstairs and joined you and Jisung on the couch. Jisung was watching an anime but you weren’t really paying attention. Instead you were staring at the two boys talking about the show with him. You didn’t realize earlier just how buff Changbin was. He was probably three times your size with his broad shoulders. It was a bit scary honestly…. The damage he could do if he treated you like the Nykos. Thankfully Hayes and Milo weren’t this buff. He then laughed about something and it was a really cute laugh. It made him seem softer and you found yourself smiling at it. 

Seungmin was also so, so attractive. You stared as he brushed the hair from his eyes and pointed at the screen. He rambled about something that was happening, but you just watched the way his lips moved as he spoke. His skin looked so soft - not that everyone else’s didn’t - but you wondered how it would feel under your fingers. He looked over at you and caught you staring, smiling back at you. You blushed, looking over at the tv.

“Dinner’s ready.” Minho called out after nearly an hour.

Everyone scrambled up and hurried into the kitchen. You watched from the couch as everyone grabbed their plates and filled them with food. You looked at Minho, watching as he swung the kitchen towel over his shoulder before kissing Jisung on the cheek and moving out of his way. You found yourself wishing he would do that to you, his lips looking so kissable. His pointy nose was so cute you wanted to kiss it too. He was insanely attractive and you felt such a pull to him. You wanted to trust him, to lean over and touch him. All of them. You wanted to fit in and belong in a pack so badly. Especially after seeing the way they all belong together.

The chemistry they all had was undeniable. It’s like they had spent their whole lives together. You wondered how they came together. How they managed to not get overthrown by Alpha Lewis.

“Not going to eat?” It was Minho. 

He was standing right in front of you. You were too in your thoughts watching everyone you didn’t notice him approach. Now he was actually talking to you. Doesn’t he hate you?

He came around the couch and reached for your hand. “Come on. You need to eat.” 

He wrapped his fingers around your hand before you could pull away and gently tugged. You stood, letting him lead you into the kitchen. The others stopped and stared, making you look down. You weren’t going to go against what the Alpha wanted so you let him hold your hand as he grabbed a plate for you. 

Everyone else resumed what they were doing and moved to the dining table. Seungmin put some food on the plate Minho held for you - smaller portions since he knows you can’t eat much - and then Minho led you to the table. He sat you on the end next to the head chair where he had his plate.

“Enjoy.” He said to you, a ghost of a smile just barely touching his lips before he began to eat.

TAGLIST:

@estella-novella @lxvxchxrlxttxbxrsx22-blog @butterflydemons @readr1221 @gaby105-skz @notevenheretbh1 @bah2004 @sinfulfic @just-a-blackthorn-cookie @dreamerwasfound @bowsnbang

Shout out to my beta for inspiring, motivating, and pushing me! @its-the-solar-system

[kotton-kandy953]

KANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DROP THE RANTARO HEADCANONS AND MY LIFE IS YOURS

━ 𝚂𝙰𝙲𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙴

➛ yandere!male headcannons × fem/gn!reader

title page┆word count: 0.3k┆warnings: second-person pronouns, controlling behavior, kidnapping, manipulation, murder, yandere themes┆a/n: aaaaa I love rantaro soooo much he’s just so iwjsbsbxbz

general ! yan ! rantaro amami hc’s x g/n ! reader

❝ you won’t ever understand how much I love you, my dear ❞

As a yandere, Rantaro Amami wouldn’t be that obsessed nor psychotic as the others but more overprotective and proprietary; deeply despising whenever your interest in a romantic partner drifts off in a direction that isn’t his.

Rantaro wouldn’t try too hard to make his romantic — well, more obsessed — feelings for you evident. Rather showing that he wants to be like a close “friend;” An overprotective and somewhat controlling friend…

While we’re on the topic of his more controlling side, he wouldn’t really like or approve of the idea of you leaving your house (dorm?) unless if it were for school or to see him of course. And if his kind requests for you to stay weren’t enough, maybe a bit of manipulation would be needed just for you to agree. It won’t harm anyone in the long run so what’s so bad about it, right?

Rantaro would never want you to feel uncomfortable around him no matter the situation. He just loves you too much to ever make you feel that way. Making it all the more difficult for him to make the decision of whether or not he should “get rid of” someone who seems to have gained your interest. He just cannot bear the thought of you crying for days after their missing body is discovered. But some things just cannot be helped.

On the topic of murder, Amami wouldn’t prefer that to be his first instinct whenever someone gets in the way of his and your relationship. He’ll wait as long as he possibly can, trying his best to keep you away from them before he snaps. Before he reaches the point of no return.

Would Rantaro ever result to kidnapping? It depends on the situation but I believe he probably would. Like mentioned earlier, he would never want you to harm you or make you feel uncomfortable. So when you’re finally with him forever, he’ll make sure you won’t feel any discomfort. He’s just too in love with you.

I WROTE ALL OF THIS IN UNDER ONE HOUR WHILE LYING IN MY BED ONLY A FEW MINUTES AGO???? THIS IS LIKE A NEW RECORD?!!??? Anyway, thank you for the request!!! :DDDD

back to title page

[bumblingbabooshka]

I hate when Chakotay is watered down to be Janeway's yes man because their disagreements are actually very interesting. [A lot of rambling analysis of this debate in particular below]

Chakotay in Parallax is very interesting in that he has to navigate a lot of different dynamics. Balance a lot of plates while being watched keenly by everyone around him. Immediately preceding this scene we see him ask B'Elanna for her opinion on the bridge - both as a chance to show her knowledge in his bid to make her chief engineer (because she wouldn't get a chance to otherwise as Janeway has clearly indicated that at this point she views B'Elanna as a troublemaker who won't be considered for the position) and because he just thinks she's a better engineer than Carey and wants the best possible chance of them succeeding. Janeway sees this as unacceptable. Carey is the chief engineer and so he should be called and Chakotay NOT asking for his opinion is an insult to Carey, Janeway, and might make the crew doubt Chakotay (and by extension the Maquis') loyalty to the Starfleet crew.

At this point it seems that to Janeway integration ["They're not your people"] means the path of least resistance, specifically tailored towards the Starfleet crew. She wants Chakotay by her side to keep the Maquis crew calm but also seems unwilling to consider them for important positions aboard the ship. Though she says that the Maquis are not Chakotay's people, not his crew, she certainly doesn't seem to consider them hers [Compare this to later instances where she stresses 'our' crew, here she simply says they aren't Chakotay's: Whose crew are they? Are they crew at all?]. This less leaves the impression of "We need to be a cohesive team" and more "You're not in charge here." She essentially accuses Chakotay of playing favorites. In her mind Chakotay's actions are not conducive to integrating the crews which would (again, in her mind) mean the Maquis being docile and accepting, obedient and content - not making trouble for the Starfleet crew. Chakotay counters Janeway's accusation with one of his own: That he IS trying to integrate them into the crew but her not allowing the Maquis any opportunity to prove themselves or succeed, not showing any trust in any of them (except, implicitly at this point, him) is making things difficult. At this point the Maquis crew are ready to mutiny on his word at any time. He knows this for a fact. Aside from that looming threat (the threat being that tensions are high and if nothing changes and they remain high there might be a mutiny even without his word) - Chakotay knows these people and trusts them. Though Starfleet and Janeway think of the Maquis as a violent bunch of criminal terrorists, Chakotay and a good number of the Maquis joined because they believed in the cause they were fighting for. These are people Chakotay knows WILL fight fiercely for what they believe in and conversely, AGAINST what they perceive as injustice. Even if they're not in the majority - they're used to picking fights which seem impossible to win. At this point Janeway admits that she ISN'T making it easy for Chakotay to integrate the Maquis - specifically talking about practical concerns; how she doesn't feel she can let Maquis crew have roles of importance on the ship because they lack the ability to hold them. "They don't have the discipline, they don't have the training," - asserting that they just aren't prepared for any such roles and it doesn't have to do with them being Maquis specifically. Ostensibly, she's treating them as she might treat anyone unqualified for the job.

Chakotay maintains that some of them, like B'Elanna, have the ability to be trained - challenging her point by saying that IF they're trained there's no reason for any Maquis member NOT to be given a more prominent role on the ship. He isn't suggesting they just unqualified people important jobs. If the problem is that they aren't trained, let's train them. These people have the ability to succeed if you give them the tools they need and a fair chance, he insists. Janeway then switches gears and her argument becomes not "The Maquis are untrained so they can't be given those jobs" but "The Maquis crew are unworthy of those jobs when compared to Starfleet personnel" saying that it'll cause insult and upset among the Starfleet crew if any member of the Maquis were to be promoted above them. Again, her idea of integration is based more on Maquis subservience to the Starfleet crew than it is the two crews working together. (Not that I believe she looks at it that way, it's just where her 'path of least resistance' leads) - though she accuses Chakotay of being too focused on "his" crew, she is admitting here that she believes her real crew are the Starfleet officers aboard, not the Maquis. She also admits here that the system she wishes to maintain (and is asking Chakotay to enforce) is one where there will ostensibly never be any chance of a Maquis crew member being promoted because no Maquis crew member will ever be more qualified, more worthy, than a member of Starfleet. We can see how it'd be difficult for Chakotay to convince his crew to remain calm under these circumstances. There's also Tuvok's behavior toward him at the beginning of the episode where the Vulcan nearly goes over Chakotay's head and when he doesn't do so (as Chakotay reminds him that HE'S the superior officer, the First Officer in fact,) Tuvok acts as if him backing down (partially) and conceding (partially) to Chakotay's authority is a favor to Chakotay.

Tuvok in this conversation is downright insubordinate to Chakotay. Despite Chakotay being the first officer, he doesn't take what he says seriously, argues that his own opinion on what should be done should be followed rather than Chakotay's, lectures the first officer about his conduct, and then almost seems to threaten him with a report. In Starfleet's rigidly hierarchical rules, acting like this to a superior officer (ESPECIALLY the first officer) wouldn't be tolerated and Tuvok knows this perfectly well. He isn't a rebellious character and clearly in other episodes adheres to these Starfleet hierarchies and codes of conduct very strictly. He values them highly. But Chakotay, a Maquis, shouldn't be First Officer. Why should he be given respect for a title he didn't earn? [Affirming Janeway's argument about how Starfleet officers won't be eager to follow a Maquis senior officer] Even though Chakotay tells Tuvok off for it ["I don't have to explain myself to you"] he doesn't threaten to put Tuvok on report or explicitly mention his insubordination. It's unclear if this is Chakotay's personality or if he just doesn't feel he CAN do that. Tuvok is one of the three most senior officers aboard and very close to Janeway. Chakotay has to think of the optics of any situation at all times - we see seconds after this conversation that rumors have already started swirling around B'Elanna being relegated to quarters that've fanned the flames of mutiny. Though we know Tuvok has personal reasons for behaving the way he does toward Chakotay (which he later admits), I really don't think it'd be out of the ordinary for this to be how most Starfleet personnel would treat the Maquis if they weren't outright hostile: Like they're only pretend crewmen. To a lesser extent we even see this with Janeway: In the following staff meeting, she clearly doesn't consider B'Elanna a viable option when Chakotay brings her up and almost ignores the suggestion entirely.

It also, again, leaves Chakotay in an impossible position. If he doesn't protect and fight for the Maquis crew, they won't ever be considered a true part of the crew and dissatisfaction will likely spread among them. Dissatisfaction which the Starfleet crew will then use to further label the Maquis as insubordinate, uncontrollable, unfit. Not to mention that if he doesn't advocate for them, he might lose their trust. However, if he DOES try to help the Maquis crew advance the Starfleet crew will view this as 'favoritism' and will further distrust him, won't respect the people he puts forth as worthy. Janeway seems to be intent on not advocating for any of the Maquis crew and also seems unwilling to ask that the Starfleet crew grant leniency. She implies that the Maquis crew need to learn to get in line and keep quiet and it seems almost like [we must remember the optics] she has Chakotay as the only Maquis in a position of power to facilitate that. Chakotay recognizes and pushes against that, saying that he won't just be her token Maquis - there only so she can point to him and say "See? We don't discriminate against the Maquis here." effectively a tool used to shut down any arguments of unfair treatment and a tool to quell the Maquis if any talk of mutiny DOES arise. In this model, Janeway can just tell Chakotay to calm them down and they'll listen because they trust him. She also doesn't have to really listen to anything he says: A token First Officer has no authority; his words don't hold weight. [Chakotay isn't Maquis anymore, they aren't his crew anymore - ok. What is he then? What are they? Nothing, without respect.] This plan seems untenable, as much as Janeway frames it as sensible: "I can't make it easy, Commander. Surely you can understand that," and alternatives as impossible "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" - in the long run, how would this be sustainable? In any power structure, you cannot expect a group of people you're unwilling to grant trust or agency to obediently follow you forever. This proposed form of 'integration' in which the Maquis are kept on the bottom rung and told intermittently to stay there quietly by the only one of them granted permission to stand at the top would never be sustainable - especially with a group like the Maquis who again, were founded on the belief that its members should fight against inequity and are already on the verge of mutiny.

I specifically find the statement "How am I supposed to ask them to accept a Maquis as their superior officer just because circumstances have forced us together?" to be interesting because personally I'd say that being forced together for the rest of almost everyone's natural life is a pretty good reason to ask people to adapt and Janeway does understand this but only applies it to the Maquis - the Maquis are the ones who have to adapt, not Starfleet. The only thing the Starfleet crew have to do is tolerate their presence on board.

At this point Janeway again claims that if Chakotay can show her a 'qualified' Maquis candidate she'll consider them. I believe this is true but we already know that Janeway's standards for qualification will likely not fit the vast majority of the Maquis and Chakotay ignores the claim in favor of putting forth B'Elanna again, firmly. Janeway predictably dismisses her as unqualified and Chakotay disagrees, arguing that he knows her. He's worked with her. He KNOWS that B'Elanna can excel at the job even if she doesn't meet Starfleet/Janeway's qualifications. He doesn't value those qualifications over what he's observed about her - just as he didn't value Carey's title over what he knew about the gap between his and B'Elanna's abilities. Then, Chakotay switches gears. He admits that Janeway's right - he does view the Maquis as his crew but that's because Janeway (almost self admittingly) doesn't and if he doesn't, who will they have? [What kind of captain, kind of man, would he be?] "You're going to have to give them more authority if you want their loyalty." "Theirs or yours, Commander?" Janeway frames Chakotay's words pointing out the flaws in this plan which I outlined earlier, as almost a threat (if she doesn't have Chakotay's loyalty it'll most definitely mean mutiny). Chakotay asserts that it wasn't a threat, he's only trying to help by telling her how the Maquis crew will react to what she's telling him. "I'm sorry you can't see that" - not an apology for what he said but that she isn't willing to budge, not willing to listen to him and acknowledge that she might be as biased towards her crew as he is towards his. Chakotay is trying his best to acclimate his crew but if Janeway isn't willing to do the same, to talk to her people as he's talking to his, then this will not end well and that isn't a threat. It's just the reality of the situation. He then asks permission to leave, showing he is willing to observe Starfleet protocol (just as when he asked permission to speak freely), and Janeway lets him go, exhaling at the intensity of their debate when alone in her ready room.

[bunnyboy-juice]

spent the first hour and change at work deleting some old files and am having a grand ol time laughing at myself for not realizing i was a lesbian sooner

[dutybcrne]

Thinking abt these tidbits from Kaveh’s character stories,,,

[ghostinthetumbchine]

This but i also feel like it's important how they're starting from very different footing with very different slates.

(Im sorry OP im about to go into a yap session on your great post, hope you dont mind)

Stranger does not know who he is nor do people around him. In many ways he's a blank slate. He has no preexisting tendencies and convictions and people around him have no hangups nor reasons to have them other than maybe him being a bit strange. Its easy to love him, even when he makes mistakes because he just seems like an innocent baby lost in the world. And people do love him, and that makes all the difference.

We also know he is Olorin, a maia who has remained in valinor and spent his existence serving Manwe, Nienna aka caretakers, leaders, people who tend to and nourish what already exists, rather than focus on creation and progress and invention.

In comparison, we have Sauron with all the existing baggage, his own knowledge of his past and others justifiable hatred and prejudice towards him. He has thousands of years of living in darkness and brutality, negative conditioning and enforcement of ruthless, nihilist perspective. He's for sure cynical, disillusioned to the extreme and he already had a distincly non-incarnate perspective on existance before that. This position - which, granted, he mostly put himself into by switching to Morgoths side in the first place, ensures that he has no option for honest connection with anyone in vicinity.

And so maybe Im nitpicking, i don't mean to get in your parade op because your post is amazing, but i feel like its also making an inevitable - even if not intended - point about circumstances and context.

When you are innocent and do not actually have a history of doing really wrong things to people and watching them be done to others and to you and justified, this kind of messaging from your friends or "guides" - in this case I guess we can say Nori and Diarmid - will be valuable and it is for Gandalf and the viewers. And Sauron simply functions as a narrative mirror/negative example of someone who has already been making bad choices.

But i would love to see more exploration of the fact that to rehabilitate a genuinely bad person who on top of it has very self-righteous and cynical perspective on the world and has been in a brutal war with a significant part of it for a long time based on those principles, you would need an entirely different/more detailed approach. But ofc its not that kind of story, nobody truly awful for all the "i believe im right" reasons ever got that treatment in tolkien, they just get killed of or get the "maybe one day he will manage to redeem himself but hell if i know how"

The Stranger (Gandalf) and Sauron

 The thematic parallels in their storylines are one of the key threads of the show. Save or rule? Why action carries more weight than intent. Choosing every day to do good. To be good. Your actions reveal your nature.

Season 2 opens with Sauron given the opportunity to choose a new path. He seems to have moments where he leans toward repentance, as seen in this scene with Diarmid and “Halbrand”: 

-“Find forgiveness. You are alive because you have chosen good.” -“But what of tomorrow?” -“You have to choose it again. And the next day. And the next. Until it becomes a part of your nature.”

Consider then these scenes with the Stranger and Nori: 

-“You're not a peril. You're good.” -“I’m good?” -“You're good. Because you're here to help.” -“Get away from me. Or I wi… I will hurt you. Again.” -“What? What have they done to you?” -“They showed me what I am.” -“Only you can show what you are. You choose by what you do. You're here to help. I know it.”

In such conversations, there is an acknowledgement of harm caused: Sauron’s “I’ve done evil” (something he says to Galadriel as well in Season 1) and the Stranger’s “I am peril”/“I will hurt you again”. Throughout the season I think you see them both struggle with this. The difference being in season 2 that it may be Sauron’s intent to choose good (and maybe he thinks he is) but his actions are causing harm. The Stranger has the intent and acts congruently. He does not mean to cause harm and he does try to avoid it, because he recognizes that his actions can cause harm. 

In season 2 - Friends over power

The stranger chooses to save his friends over what power he might learn from the Dark Wizard, the promise that they would succeed Sauron (save or rule - he makes the choice to save)

Sauron calls Celebrimbor “friend” mockingly, tortures him and impales him with a spear. Calls himself the Lord of Eregion while he torments Celebrimbor into serving his purpose. He thinks he is healing Middle-earth while he causes destruction and he cannot see the difference. 

The Stranger sees the difference between “save” and “rule” and he chooses to do good. 

One is a peril to Middle-earth, the other an instrument of salvation. The irony being that Sauron sees himself as Middle-earth’s salvation and the Stranger calls himself a peril.

(Not sure I love the narrative choice to pair the morally questionable man with a woman whose purpose it seems is to guide him toward goodness, but that may be a little reductive of me, so I digress…)