#okay maybe the other reasons are also true and valid

[joyswonderland1108]

"It's Just Company Content" - A Masterclass in Missing the Entire Point of BTS (and Jikook for obvious reasons)

You ever see someone say "Jikook is just fanservice" or "that's just company content" and feel like your last three brain cells just collectively jumped ship? Same.

Let's break this down. Grab a snack. I'm about to get emotional, petty, and philosophical all in one go.

1. "Company Content" Is literally how we know them. Let that sink in.

So let me get this straight: You're dismissing Jikook moments because it was.. filmed? Uploaded? Edited and shared with us?

BABE. That's how we know all of BTS. You didn't personally sit across from Namjoon while he read Nietzsche. You didn't hold Yoongi's mic during his underground rap era. You didn't see Jungkook's first dance lesson. Everything we know, their personalities, quirks, chaos, brilliance, kindness, and vulnerabilities, came to us through content.

Whether it's Run BTS, Bon Voyage, random lives, AYS, Run Jin, Suchwita, IG posts, etc. We built our connection with them through what they shared, be it company-directed or personal.

2. Imagine being BTS, sharing your soul, only to be told "Fake!"

Jungkook: [writes songs about missing someone, cries mid-performance, posts literal dream confessions]

Jimin : [Shows up unannounced to support him, writes letters, bakes bread with his hands that are legally considered lethal weapons]

Some armchair analyst on Twitter: "That's fake. It was in a Bangtan Bomb"

Okay, sure Brenda.

Imagine the audacity of someone giving you pieces of themselves in the form of music, dance, laughter, and years of consistent bonds, only to be told it doesn't count because you saw it through official means.

What were you expecting? Hidden camera footage from their dreams? Should Jungkook have sent a carrier pigeon instead?

3. "We don't know them personally" - EXCEPT when it's convenient for you?

The irony of people screaming "You don't know them personally!" while also confidently stating "Jikook isn't real. They're just close friends, stop deluding yourselves."

So wait.. You do know them personally? Did they text you that?

Because unless Park Jimin called you crying at 2 AM saying "Hey, FYI, I'm not emotionally attached to Jungkook" maybe, just maybe, don't dismiss what has been shown to us for over a decade.

You can't pick and choose when they're real people with real emotions and when they're holograms programmed by BigHit.

4. "It's Only Jikook that's fake apparently?"

Curious, isn't it? Other duos can have their moments. Other friendships are "sweet", "loyal", "soulmate-level". But when it's Jikook, suddenly there's an NDA and a green screen involved?

They hold eye contact like a telenovela? "That's editing."

They giggle like they just kissed behind stage? "Just bros"

They disappear together and show up glowing? "Maybe they just exfoliated."

Why is Jikook the only bond people feel the need to aggressively sanitize?

If the only argument you have against them is "It's filmed content" you might want to double-check your bias list.. Or your subconscious.

5. Some of y'all sound like you want to get BTS content illegally and THEN you'll believe it?

The real kicker: the same people saying "company content is fake" are also the ones digging through sketchy private airport videos or whispering about sketchy "sightings" like they're in a true crime doc.

So you're saying the only way to validate Jikook's relationship is to see it off-screen.. by stalking them? What??

And i'm not even talking about random genuine sightings when Army happen to come across them, but full on people getting their private schedules, camping outside their places or the places they usually like to go to, etc..

Let's be clear:

Company content = BTS choosing to share with us.

Organic Army sightings = accidental, often sweet, and rooted in respect.

Stalker footage = creepy, unethical, and not content.

So if you're ignoring what they willingly give and romanticizing what they don't, maybe you're not a skeptic. Maybe you're just.. disrespectful.

Because again, why is it that the realness of Jikook, or any BTS bond, only matters to you when it's behind a grainy camera lens, not when it's in HD, with subtitles, and wrapped in genuine affection?

6. Jikook has shown up consistently. For Years. In Every Format.

Let's roll the tape.

Run BTS? Jikook are physically glued to each other.

Bon Voyage? They sleep next to each other like it's a law of physics.

Interviews? "Who are you closest to?" "Jimin". "Jungkook"

Lives? "I miss Jimin" "Jungkook is watching"

Dreams?? Jungkook : "I dreamed about Jimin again"

They're not hiding. They've never hidden. You just don't want to see it unless it fits your idea of "real".

But real doesn't have to be off-camera. Real can be live. Real can be edited. Real can be content.

I'm taking this opportunity to share @slaaverin 's amazing edit:

7. Company Content is a Window. Don't spit on the glass.

Yes, we don't know BTS personally. But the only way we know them at all is because they decided to show us parts of themselves.

So when you say "It's just content", what you're really saying is : "Everything they've shared doesn't matter."

And that's just.. tragic.

They could've kept it all to themselves. But they didn't.

They let us in, in their own way, through what they chose to share, and honestly? That's more real than anything you could steal from a hidden camera or baseless rumor mill.

In Conclusion: Just say you don't like Jikook and Go

Because if your only counter-argument is "it's company content" then:

You're not debunking anything.

You're not smarter than the rest of us.

You're just uncomfortable with the possibility that Jikook is actually unapologetically real.

And you know what?

That's okay. Just admit it and move. Don't drag the entire concept of content, trust, or the emotional contract between BTS and ARMY down with you.

So yeah, dismissing Jikook as "just fanservice" is lazy, weak, and honestly disrespectful to BTS, the fans, and the literal art of communication.

And if content is all we have, then content is what we honor. That's the deal. That's the bond. That's BTS.

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids,

I feel like advice on loneliness comes in only three flavors:

"It's all mindset, learn to embrace being alone and you'll never feel lonely!"

"Your head is lying to you, you have friends and they love you!"

"Here's a list of places you can go to hang out with people and make new friends!"

Those are usually well-meant and I'm sure there are situations where they do help someone feel better - but they're definitely not universally applicable.

The first one is even plain wrong: connection is a basic human need. You can't just "change your mindset" and turn that off, the same way you can't turn off your need for food or air or mental stimulation. Humans are group animals. We absolutely need social interactions to stay healthy and sane. It is true that some people do not need a large number of friends and are happiest with just one or two close friends, and it is also true that some people prefer to fulfill their social needs in other ways than what's traditionally defined as friendship - but that's not something you can (or should) try to train yourself to do, that's just natural differences and preferences!

The only thing you could "train" yourself to do would be to learn to ignore your social needs and bury them deep down under layers of denial... and you don't need me to explain to you why that's a very unhealthy idea. It's sad enough that so many people have to do that to not lose their minds in loneliness, we certainly don't need to celebrate an unhealthy coping skill as a "superior mindset".

The other two at least get a bit closer to the truth: the solution for your unmet need is not to kill the need, but to fulfill it... but that's easier said than done, isn't it?

After all, "Don't worry, your friends love you!" doesn't help if you have no friends. Loneliness is not always "all in your head": Maybe you moved to a new place and don't know anyone there. Or you cut off contact with all your friends after a big fight. Or you grew up neurodivergent (or got mentally ill at a young age) and had no chance to learn how to make friends at the age most kids do, and by now you have been friendless for so long you don't even know where to start.

Same with "just go to a bar and talk to some new people" or "Take a pottery class and you'll meet some interesting people there" - that's not factually wrong, but also not helpful if the reason you feel lonely is that you struggle to make friends (or even struggle to just talk to people). Which can also be part of neurodivergence or mental illness, or just be a part of your personality (shyness), or be a result of isolating circumstances (like having spent a lot of time in a closed environment, for example a long hospital stay, and now feeling unsure how to connect with people outside of that environment). 

And those are just a few of the many, many possible explanations why someone may be lonely that require a more individualized approach - which is why we can’t solve loneliness with any one-size-fits-all solution.

That may be a somewhat disappointing-sounding conclusion in a letter on loneliness, so let me also tell you: hope and support are always within reach, even if it might take some time and patience to find them. The key is to remember that your feelings are valid and that you're not alone in your struggle.

First, recognize that admitting that you feel lonely, and wanting to take action based on that feeling, is a sign of strength, not weakness. You’re pretty insightful for recognizing your loneliness and super brave for wanting to reach out!

Secondly, be kind to yourself and allow yourself to take small steps. Small, actually manageable steps are crucial in any healing journey! If it’s not an option to just go to the bar or that pottery class, then it’s okay to start somewhere else. Maybe a therapist, a support group, or even online communities can be valuable “training sessions” for social connections. Even reaching out to one single person can make a significant difference over time. Your journey to finding companionship and connection might be different from someone else’s, but that doesn't make it any less valid (or achievable!).

Lastly, do consider embracing new activities that you may enjoy - but not just for the sake of meeting others. It’s important to nurture your own happiness and well-being when you’re feeling lonely. Those can be activities you can try out alone and even at home, for now! Anything that enriches your life is good. Long down the road, maybe it will lead to opportunities to connect with others, but even if it doesn’t: it’s important to incorporate new experiences into your life.

While there isn't a universal solution to loneliness, I truly believe there is a path forward for everyone. It's all about finding what works for you.

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

[starrieisdelusional]

why kairi might be the one who manipulated sora's memory

yes you read that right, and no i did not mis-type this (if you're thinking hey that should be namine!)

i was going back a few times to kh3 and i found many patterns and cutscenes in 3 that can be compared to previous installments of the game, even side by side, this one particularly caught my eye:

crazy am i right

so remember that scene in 3 where sora falsely exclaimed "the light in the darkness" to be kairi? (it's actually riku) where sora and kairi goes enters the light to made it back to the real world

previous clip in link because tumblr isn't working with me ("riku, answer me!!" comparison with "okay! i have to protect them (aitsu)! Namine can you hear me?")

as you've seen in the comparison i realized it probably a direct paralell to namine's fake meteor shower scene back in COM Sora's side. And these lines of dialogue in particular interest me

it got me thinking, and i think that kairi purposely did something to sora's memory at some point in their lives. The exact when i'm not too sure, but she had inserted herself into some of riku's part in sora's life as sora's taisetsu na hito (special someone)

i know this sounds crazy, but i think there's a valid reason to this theory

Why??

the motive is clear: that kairi is lonely. i personally relate to her character struggle, loneliness can be suffocating, just like how namine portrayed hers that resulted to the events in COM

kairi's main theme has always been about 'seperation' and being left behind by sora and riku. so it would make sense for her to crave attention

kairi might feel sad that sora and riku doesn't pay attention to her unlike how they pay attention to each-other, so i don't see it as off character for her to insert herself into a fake picture if she had the chance, especially as the love interest of her crush

she even said this back in KH1 which sora responded with "Huh!? What's gotten into you?"

or is it done out of malicious intentions? there might be a possibility for that, but i don't think it is as it goes against kingdom hearts thematic story that stays consistent over the years, that portrays every character struggle in a sympathetic way that honestly you can relate too

(xehanort is even a subject to this in dark road)

i think that kairi felt really guilty about it and didn't realized the impact that she had done to sora and riku's relationship. or maybe she thrived for it, because even if the affection is not real, kairi is still loved and remembered by someone as their precious person, and it feels nice especially with someone like sora

snippet from kh3 novel

in the novels, there's a strong hint that kairi cut her hair because riku cut his, which contributes a lot to the theory of kairi wanting to be sora's precious person (riku) where she somewhat mimics his behavior (she probably realized deep down sora cares more about riku than her)

Passing Memories

i think this also made sense lore wise, because why else would sora suddenly lost his memory of riku? and i don't think sora's sort-of infatuation with kairi is caused by comphet alone

forgotten promises is a recurring theme in sora and riku's relationship, everything up to this point has always leads to hidden thoughts and burried memories, you have to dig deeper if you want to find a connection between sora and riku, the examples currently are:

whatever is happening between soriku

passing memories jp name of oblivion keyblade that is owned by roxas

riku is the TRUE light

necklace theory: the fact that THE necklace is everywhere in the game but is never brought up like ever

aitsu (check full discussion on the internet)

COM the game (just everything related to COM, the only game with riku and sora beside DDD? it's sus if you ask me)

compared to sora and kairi who's relationship always seems shallow and on the surface. i think it made more sense with the 'why' factor answered, because every time sora is thinking of riku, kairi would replace herself in his position, just like the light-tunnel scene in kh3

the 'oathkeeper' (promise charm) and 'oblivion' (passing memories) also reflected sora keeping his promise to kairi, but forgetting about his to riku, riku might not be affected in the same way that sora does, so this happens:

+ the multiple and many instances, riku is straight up covered by kairi

some of those instances:

kairi is true darkness (ex: sea is metaphor for darkness)

xion (is said to be kairi but proven also to also be riku)

the final world

Power?

honestly, i think kairi is more than she lets on (like LUXU), let's talk about her nobody:

i think it's already suspicious that namine has the power to mess with sora's memories (because she's from kairi's body and sora's heart?) when existing nobodies like roxas and xion for example has powers directly tied to their somebodies (kingdom key), xehanort doing xehanort things, marluxia possessing the same rose petals as his somebody counterpart, (and a lot more...)

so, with a game like kingdom hearts, does namine's powers really came out of no where? we know that sora doesn't have the ability to manipulate people's memories, so who else could it be?? kairi's powers might even be more powerful

this would also aligns with the theory 'riku is light-kairi is darkness' because even at front value the game is telling you 'hey kairi is LIGHT and riku is DARKNESS' time and time again its always the reverse in certain situations, but you never got to wonder what it actually mean

yes riku is the light, but why is kairi the darkness?? yes she sort-of brings demise as xehanort's pawn, but is it really just that?

lastly, kairi is a princess of heart, and might even came from the lost masters era as it is decorated and spammed with stars (every symbol is replaced by stars i'm not joking)

it's very on-theme with the 'traitor' plot point that has been consistent in every khux game, so... (i have a theory that kairi is master ava, or master ava is her grandma, OR kairi is mom... or skuld)

in addition to all of this, i also think that kairi can also be a creature, maybe she's actually a chirithy:

however i do think as opposed to riku as a dreameater (spirit), kairi is a nightmare chirithy, as seen in their color pallet (might be a coincidence but who knows)

[the-anxious-stargazer]

Like Honey || Sam Carpenter

Pairing: Sam Carpenter x Fem!Reader

Summary: Although Sam have promised herself to not get too close to anyone outside her newfound family, she struggles when she meets a regular in the diner she worked at.

Words: 4.02k

Note: This is inspired from Halsey's song Honey! i'd recommend you guys listen to it while reading :) i'm slowly starting getting into horror bc i dont want to be a pussy no more and watch them for jenna and melissa (they are so hot omfg)

[Masterlist][Part 2]

・ ‥…━━━━━━━━━━♡♡♡━━━━━━━━━━…‥ ・

Sam promised herself that she'd focus on Tara and the gang first before learning to let new people in again in her life. That promise was made when they all moved to New York after the murders in Woodsboro. After Richie. A betrayal like that is a valid reason for her to be closed off and be suspicious of anyone her sister or her friends meet. The same could be said for Quinn, Ethan, Anika, and everyone else she had met when they were introduced to her. Sam did warm up to the three the longer they stayed. She felt a little more comfortable with them when her gut told her that maybe they were genuine people. But she still almost kept to herself. She almost didn't have any friends outside them other than Danny their neighbor next door.

Being the oldest and mother figure of the group meant she worked for her and Tara's share of rent and other needs. Even though their mother sends money for bills and such, Sam wanted to work still. Though she knew what she get weren't much it didn't hurt to start saving her own money. So she worked to keep herself busy but not too much to not acknowledge that she was suffering such a mental scar from the attacks. One of those jobs was in a diner a few blocks near them. It paid okay and the staff are kind but Sam rarely bothered to get too close to them. All she ever knew from them is that they were willing to offer a smile and small conversation.

Usually, she takes the morning shifts, other times she takes the graveyard ones. You can pretty much figure out which shift she preferred over the other.

The regulars were introduced to her on her first shift by Dale, the main cook. There was a couple, John and Amy, who was always on time in the morning and order eggs and toast only with two refills of drip. Rex is a sculptor who mostly sits in the corner and has a few sketches by the table with him, only ordering an omelet with ketchup. There's also a programmer named Adrian who gets a lot of coffee and a BLT at night. Sometimes his friend Ben joins in with fries. A young woman named Adelaide who works from home and is always on the phone while she ate her waffles and vanilla milkshake. Adelaide would go by the mornings if she wakes up early or comes by near the evening when she could.

Lastly, there was Y/N. Sam has figured before that she looked around the same age as her. Cate mentioned when she was teaching her around that she's been here way before her and she pretty much knew everyone in the diner. She was mostly in the morning with a few files in her hand. She's an assistant in an independent law firm. There were times that she came by night and read some of the files she had all the while taking a sip of her joe now and then, other moments she was taking notes for a case assignment that her boss told her to take a look for him. Sam always gets a warm greeting from her as she did with everyone else when she enters the diner and interacts with her whenever deemed necessary. She thought she was too nice to be true.

"You from New York?" Y/N asks her as Sam fills her mug and couldn't help but doubt for a second if she were going to be honest or not,

Y/N always had a keen eye. She liked watching everyone else and let the world work. That meant she liked observing the customers that enter the diner every now and then, noticing how John always drink his coffee slowly to match Amy's pace and always offers an extra toast to her. How Adelaide sometimes start scribbling on her tissues while she talked to her boyfriend who she assumed lived away from New York. The fidgeting Cate does when she's serving Rex and giggles a little when she talks to him. Y/N could see how tired Sam was even when she had just started her shift a few moments ago. The neatness of her diner clothes, layers of makeup, and fake smile couldn't mask the exhaustion the woman has felt for who knows how long. She didn't want to pry about anyone's story so she tries to offer what she only can to someone who deems her a stranger, kindness. It doesn't hurt to treat anyone fairly.

"No, not from around here. I'm just trying to start over." She answers half-heartedly, trying not to give away any information about her at all. Sam sees a gentle smile from her and she couldn't help but feel the burning sensation on her cheeks.

"I wish you well for that. Everyone deserves a restart." And with that, Y/N thanked her for refilling her.

Those were one of many encounters Sam had with her. There were times Y/N would order 2 cups of coffee for her to share with anyone on the staff and reluctantly Sam accepted her third request at the random times she offered. She was beyond suspicious. Her doubt was understandable given the fact that she went through a lot that broke her sense of trust in anyone. But her cautiousness was only met with a tender conversation. Y/N would always ask how she is and the first and ever personal information she has ever given to anyone outside her family was her. Sam vaguely talked about how Tara has been slowly losing interest in seeking help and acting like nothing happened. Of course, there are a few changes here and there to make it seem like a normal rant about her younger sister and Y/N listened intently to her.

Or maybe it was because she was too distracted by the beauty of the older Carpenter sister.

Those seeming doe eyes that hid too many secrets.

Another night shift has come and to Sam's discomfort, she had to be at work. She just came from therapy and her second doctor had just given up on her, making her night already more dreadful than it was. And just to top things off the students who have been visiting the diner lately have been making it their job to worsen her night by being obnoxious and gossiping over her. They weren't even trying to keep it down as if they were back in high school and Sam had just stolen the famous girl's ex-boyfriend. Tara had told her the rumors about her and Woodsboro before and she couldn't care less about what a stranger, who wasn't even there, would think. It was the breaking point when one of them spilled their milkshake on her "accidentally". The smug smile the girl wore before she did it was almost too easy to miss but little did they know that Y/N had been watching them silently the entire time. The woman's had enough of their disturbance. She had been gripping on her pen hard to almost split it in half.

"I'm so sorry, miss." The girl in white apologized with a snide tone. Her friends giggle at her antics on the now pink-stained light blue blouse Sam wore. It just happened to be a strawberry milkshake too. Just last week a girl threw her orange juice at her when she was on her way home with dinner. At this point she thought she's collecting all the fruit flavored drinks.

"D-Don't worry, I'll get it cleaned up." Sam begrudgingly states while avoiding her eyes before she went to turn around but stopped when she saw how she almost bumped into someone,

Familiar Chelsea boots stood before her.

"I beg to differ." They hear the person say before the woman realizes who it was.

"And who are you supposed to be? Her friend?" One of them asks cockily to which Y/N smiles at their confidence. She had her sleeves rolled up already, coat resting back in her booth and Dale was waiting for her cue to tag along after she signaled him from her table earlier.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you some manners on gossiping about people you don't know? Let alone the one serving you your meals and minding her damn business?" She had slowly paced past the unmoving Sam Carpenter that watched closely. Both hands rested on the side of their table and her anger was prevalent from the way she carried herself in the scene. 

"She's a lying snake and a murdering bitch!" The other one barked from her seat.

"Let me guess, you got that from Reddit? What else are you going to believe next, that Beyonce's part of the Illuminati?" Y/N mocked her statement and that's when Sam realized that she knew about the rumors surrounding her, that she knew some bit of her past.

The girls had been quiet after she pointed out their bullshit. Sam had always seen her be courteous and approachable when she stops by, her smiles almost making her eyes crinkle when waving at them, and treated everyone with reason, but tonight was different. This was a woman who has lost her patience after holding it for so long,

"I'm going to ask you to leave. People like you don't deserve to be served when you treat the servers here like they're nothing." Y/N ordered with her eyes unblinking with focus.

When no one moved, Y/N let Dale handle the rest by approaching the table and the girls scurried fast before they were going to be thrown out by the man who stood almost six feet tall. Sam heard a few yells at the girls to leave the diner when they exited the place and her gaze follows back Y/N who had changed her demeanor. The cook pats her back for her handling the situation and thanks her before he gives Sam a pat as well and comes back to his previous spot. It was then that the woman offered her the unsparing eyes that always looked at her and asks,

"Are you okay?" Sam thought it sounded so sweet, all she could respond was a faint nod. She didn't even comprehend how a bit close she was already to her until a hint of soft vanilla could be smelled from her. Not the kind where it almost smelled artificial like those vape juices, but it was almost authentic. The woman before her then fishes out something out of her back pocket and extended her handkerchief.

"Here. You got an extra blouse, dear?" Another question follows after Sam takes it and started wiping away some of the liquid.

"No, mines in my apartment, and it's a few blocks away," Y/N hears her voice again after it was silenced earlier, "Hey Dale, Peter doesn't mind his servers being out of uniform for a situation like this, right?" She shouts at the cook who was just about to send a plate to Dolly, Sam's partner for the shift tonight.

"Nah, let me handle him when he asks next time. I gotchu Sam." Dale nods their way.

Y/N then started unbuttoning her shirt and it revealed a white tank top underneath her white button-up shirt. Sam knew should be looking away but couldn't even help herself. Her attention was so close on her slightly toned arms until she snapped out of her daze as the woman handed her top, "Here, you can borrow this for now."

Dolly went to grab a mop and started cleaning the rest of the drink on the floor, "I'll take it from here, Sam." She reassures her and Sam was beyond grateful of the people supporting her.

"A-Are you sure?" Sam looks back at Y/N who hasn't fazed.

"Yeah don't worry about it, Sam." She beams.

The Carpenter girl then watched her walk back to her booth like nothing transpired and quietly apologized to the remaining customers she'd passed by before sitting down. But if Y/N was being honest, she was still trying to calm down from the adrenaline. She was well aware that violence was never the option, yet the possibility for things to go south was out there. She never wants to ever resort to that. Sam then finally moved from the spot she was seemingly glued onto since the confrontation and went to change in the staff room. While she was away, Y/N ordered a martini and piña colada instead of finishing her coffee. Caffeine wouldn't help flush away the rush that still lingered. In between changing her top, Sam couldn't help but wonder why someone like Y/N would stand up for her when she barely knew her.

But that thought was pushed aside when she started slipping into the button-up shirt that was handed to her by the very woman she was curious about and a whiff of her scent made its way to her nostrils again. Sam paused for a second to process how addicting Y/N's scent was. Even her damn perfume was almost sweet. After pushing her thoughts away and finishing closing the shirt, she tossed her ruined blouse in her bag and went back out to continue her shift but only to be stopped,

"Hey, I kinda asked Dale to give you a break so... care to sit with me?" Y/N wondered before the drinks she ordered arrived with Dolly winking at her. The woman shyly smiles back at her before she left them alone and dealt with another customer.

"Yeah, I'd… actually like that." Sam settled on the other side of the booth as she slide the glass of martini to her, "Oh, I'm not allowed to drink while on—"

"Take it easy, Sam. You've been through a lot just now so take it. It's on me." She waves off before taking a big sip of her piña colada.

The woman reluctantly takes a decent amount from her glass while Y/N fixes her files that had been slightly scattered on her side of the table. It was the right moment for Sam to finally pop the question,

"You knew?" It came off pretty fast, making Y/N tilt her head.

"About Woodsboro, I mean. I'm sorry that came off harder than intended." Sam clarified her question and apologized for being forward to which Y/N didn't mind.

"That's alright. I've only read two news articles about it but other than that, it's all I know."

"You don't have to tell me about it, Sam. You said you wanted to start fresh, and you don't owe anyone an explanation." Y/N assured her and the Carpenter girl countered, "No, I feel like I can trust you about… all of this." Sam replies before taking a deep breath.

From being the daughter of the original killers in the Woodsboro murders to her seeing visions of her dad in the mirror and being a victim of the ghost face attacks, she spared no details throughout her story, her therapy sessions going almost nowhere because she'd scare them off and Y/N never stopped her flow and listened intently to everything she said. Not even a single sound came out of her mouth as Sam spoke. The only thing she ever offered were observant eyes that watched every move, like how the crease on her forehead slowly increased as she went on or the hint of distaste in her voice when she mentioned her deceased ex-boyfriend. She barely bats an eye when she even admitted that she enjoyed killing him and Amber. Not a single change of muscle movement on her face other than taking a few sips from her drink and blinking now and then.

When Sam finished telling her whole story, she had been anticipating the request for her to leave and never come back, just like the one her psychiatrist said when she told him the truth that afternoon. She had grown to expect that from anyone now. Yet all she heard was an exhale from the woman she shared the table with,

"That's... a lot to take in." She hears her note as she rub her chin,

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Sam. You didn't deserve it." Y/N continues with empathetic eyes.

"You don't… feel like the need to push me away?" Sam asks, and for once she feared someone's answer more than anyone else. Almost too afraid that she'd scare Y/N away.

"No, not really." She told nonchalantly.

Sam stared blankly at her as she moved to cross her arms and looked down from her seat. She couldn't tell if she was about to take back her statement or maybe ask her more about the attacks. Yet Y/N was able to catch Sam off guard as she went to finish her martini,

"Not going to lie, those two deserved to die for what they did— I mean… committing murders because your movie franchise sucked? That seems childish, especially for an adult man." Y/N comments on her thoughts, not realizing it made her choke on her drink.

"Oh my god, Sam— are you okay?" She tries to offer her a glass of water though the Carpenter girl waves it off.

"No, no, it's just— you're right their motive seemed childish." A laugh follows, and it makes Y/N smile that she witnesses her being unguarded. She almost felt too lucky that Sam let herself be this vulnerable to her now.

"Thank you, for not turning me away and for always listening," Sam says after calming down.

And Sam meant it. It was nice to be heard and not hated for the first time. She felt safe knowing that she could trust a new person for once. She still has a long way from being able to trust again, but small process is still process.

"You're welcome. You deserve it." The woman says as she leans forward on the table and rested both elbows close to the edge, "If you need someone to talk about... this, I'm always open. No matter what it may be, I won't turn you away." Y/N continues with her signature smile this time.

After that, Sam went on with her shift while Y/N picked back up the papers she had scanned before the confrontation. It's a good thing she noted down her thoughts to remember where she left off and continued looking through some of the witness reports she had brought with her for their recent case. Sam would sometimes steal a few glances from her and offer a small smile whenever she gets caught. That was the moment she started growing more fond of their diner's regular. Each visit felt more special than the last and each offer of coffee breaks has made both of them closer. Whenever Sam wasn't on duty, Y/N would feel a little bored but Sam was able to text her and ask about her day. When there was someone who wanted to talk shit about her, Y/N wouldn't hesitate to spit back at them or push the person when someone throws their drink at her. The Carpenter girl appreciated the gestures and sometimes feels too bad that she gets to be splashed at, but the woman didn't mind. Tara got to meet her one day when she visited Sam to work and hanged out a little just to kill time. She was very skeptical of Y/N at first, but the way her sister eased up around her gave her the impression that she was trustworthy. Sam's trust is hard to earn after all.

The night was about to come, and Sam had just finished her shift when she happen to encounter the person that has been making her days ten times better than she ever expected. Y/N always wore a pantsuit to work, switching from 4 pairs. Today she was wearing the brown one that had a waistcoat and she was killing the style. Sam never gets tired of her presence or the way she always presents herself. She just looked ravishing in a pantsuit. Y/N had her coat neatly folded on her right arm that held folders while her messenger bag rested on her right shoulder. The smile that was so familiar to her greeted Sam Carpenter warmly that she couldn't help but blush,

"Good evening, Miss Carpenter. I'll be your chauffeur for tonight." Y/N announces with an accent. The attempt makes Sam laugh, "If that's your take on a British accent, you need to work more on it." She teased softly, shaking her head.

"C'mon, I'll walk you home." Sam hears her offer and gestured her occupied arm for her to take, which she happily does so.

"How chivalrous of you, Miss Y/L/N. Keep this up, and I might start falling for you." Half of it was a joke, but she was indeed falling for her, harder than Sam even realizes. If only she knew that Y/N had already fallen for her a while now.

She kept herself composed after Sam's teasing. Both of them chatted casually as they walk through the streets of New York. Y/N talked about her day at the office and how their copier was jamming down. It was annoying her and she had to kick it a few times before it worked again. Sam, on the other hand, shared about how a costumer had a screaming match with a date while eating and almost broke things in the diner. Dale was almost livid when the woman raised her plate and was about to throw it at the poor guy. Moments like these were nice for Sam. The life that was just mundane for once and not surrounded by the craziness of her past that still lingers. No screaming stranger threatening her, another flavored drink being thrown her way or a masked psycho trying to kill her, but a quiet night. Laughs were shared, jokes were thrown at each other, and flirts slipped here and there to make it seem like it was nothing. Even if the world around them was a little overwhelming, they were stuck in their own bubble cherishing each other's presence. Y/N was content and she had gathered enough courage until they reached Sam's apartment building. She collected her thoughts and watched her let go of her arm,

"This is me," Sam gestures to the building door, "Thank you for the walk, Y/N. It was... nice." She follows up with a light blush present on her cheeks. She hoped Y/N didn't notice them.

"Yeah, it was." Y/N smiles at her and scratched to back of her head.

"Look, I've been thinking, do you want to grab dinner sometime? You know— like a date. If you don't mind." The woman begins to avoid her brown eyes. Y/N was way too damn shy, and it made the brown girl giggle.

Sam then approaches her and almost closes the gap between them, leaving a peck on her cheek that it made Y/N jump. She turned so red it was almost like she was cherry. It was a first to witness her like this and it made Sam giggle even more as she didn't move away from her spot,

"I don't mind at all. I'm free by 6 pm tomorrow. No need to be fancy or grand, anything cheap would be fine by me." The Carpenter girl move close to her ear to whisper it to her.

Y/N then finally pulls herself together and gathers back the natural courage she had, trying to match Sam's, "6 pm, tomorrow it is then. I'll pick you up here, Carpenter."

She was the one to pull away and she puts back her signature smile before bidding her farewells to her.

"Good night, Sam. Sweet dreams." Y/N smoothly delivers and starts walking back to where they came from earlier.

Sam then watches her walk away and bites her lip. The view was indeed nice to watch. She then covers her face with both hands before giddily smiling at the ground, thinking about what had just happened. Sam thought it felt like high school all over again. That rush in her veins was quite familiar to her. It's been a while since she had it. All she has to do now is prepare for tomorrow and be sure it's perfect. Y/N, on the other hand, skipped through the streets like a little kid as she smiled widely. Few strangers looked at her funny, but everyone else focused to their own world. The papers she thought she'd be working on tonight would probably be forgotten now that the only thing on her mind is their date tomorrow.

Both women looked forward to it.

・ ‥…━━━━━━━━━━♡♡♡━━━━━━━━━━…‥ ・

thank you for reading! fell free to leave a request :>

[keiry]

hiii, i was wondering if you’d do requests? if u can id like to request a baji x reader, it could be abt anything, maybe fluff with some light angst here and there? tyyy 🤍🤍

YES I DO IM SOOOO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I WAS TRYING TO MAKE IT PERFECT FOR MY FIRST REQUEST

“Keisuke!”

You cried as you walked to his bedside inside the hospital after the gruesome incident of the Bloody Halloween.

“Are you okay?! You know that I don’t like it when you get in those stupid gang fights, and you promised me that nothing would happen and now look you! You’re in the hospital!”

Keisuke sighed gruffly, rubbing his temple as he replied.

“I don’t need you scolding me, I’m not a damn kid.”

Your brows furrowed together, not liking how careless Keisuke sounded about the whole situation after almost losing his own life.

“I’m not saying you are a little kid! I’m just worried about the fact that you almost died! Aren’t you even worried in the slightest?!

You yelled, feeling a lump in your throat out of relief that he was still alive, but also fear after seeing him in the hospital like this.

Keisuke gritted his teeth a bit, retorting with a scowl on his face.

“I don’t need you worrying about me when I can worry about myself.”

You weren’t having it at all. How could he just be so careless about what happened to him?

“You’re incredibly stupid, you know that, Keisuke?!

Keisuke’s face scrunched in slight irritation.

“Oi, don’t call me stupid!”

Keisuke turned away from you, clearly frustrated with how pushy you were being.

“Why do you even care so much, you know that I can handle myself, I don’t need your worry.”

You felt a pang of guilt seeping in your chest, knowing that your words were a bit harsh, even though it was a valid reason to be so worried about.

“I know you can handle yourself but you almost died, Keisuke! Don’t you understand how worried sick I was when I heard what had happened..?!”

“You’re acting as if I’m some sort of fragile flower-“

Keisuke hissed as his fists clenched together, his irritation growing with every word you said.

“I know you’re not a fragile flower or something, but that doesn’t mean I can’t worry about you!”

Your words gradually grew softer, your voice wavering slightly as you swallowed thickly.

“You-.. you nearly died, and I was so scared for you.. I don’t care if you can handle yourself, you’re my boyfriend, and I love you.. And when you love someone, of course you’re going to worry about them.. It’s that simple, Keisuke..”

Keisuke remained silent, his irritation still evident yet slowly depleting. You knew that you had struck a nerve, but you also knew that he needed to understand the true severity of the situation.

“Keisuke..”

You began, your voice gentle yet firm.

“Please look at me..”

He reluctantly turned to face you, his eyes slowly fixating on yours. His gaze softened subconsciously once he saw the genuine worry and concern etched on your delicate face. Keisuke felt his heart clench faintly in guilt after he saw your eyes begin to become glossy. ‘Cause how could he ever be truly mad at you..?

“I know you can handle yourself..”

You continued.

“You’re stronger than anyone I know, but that doesn’t mean you’re invincible, y’know.”

As you continued speaking, Keisuke's irritation gradually subsided, slowly being replaced by an expression of reluctant understanding. He knew that you were speaking from a place of concern and love and that your words, although harsh, were tinged with truth.

“I know, I know..”

He muttered, his voice softening as he looked down at his lap for a bit, gazing at his bruised and calloused knuckles, and the gauze bandages that were wrapped around his abdomen.

“I just don't like being seen as weak..”

“You’re not weak..”

You assured, taking a step closer to him as you gingerly took his hands into yours, your thumb softly grazing against his palms.

“You're strong.. Stronger than any other person I know, but you don't have to act like a tough guy all the time..”

Keisuke glanced back up at you for a moment, silently acknowledging your words. When your worried eyes met his, his expression began soften further, the tension between his brows relaxing.

“I know, I know..”

He repeated, his voice quiet.

“I just hate being seen as weak.. I feel like I need to prove myself all the time.”

You gently scoot a bit closer to him on his hospital bed, closing the distance between you. You slowly reached out, gently brushing a stray strand of his hair away from his face. You couldn’t handle the thought of ever losing him.

“You don't have to prove anything to me, Keisuke..”

You replied firmly.

Keisuke lightly bit the insides of his cheeks as he silently stared at you for a moment, suddenly pulling you into his arms, not saying a word. You felt your breath hitch slightly from the suddenness, yet your body subconsciously relaxed as your arms gently wrapped around him, careful to not accidentally hurt his battered body. Keisuke let out a sigh as he inhaled your scent again, his arms subconsciously squeezing you against him.

“I love you.”

Keisuke murmured quietly, his voice carrying a hint of vulnerability and softness, it was unlike him, but you couldn’t help the faint smile that tugged at your lips.

“..I love you too.”

I HOPE YOU LIKE IT

[alcalystrasz]

I want to point out the dialogue between Mike and Will on the night of Halloween, about Max. And some other stuff about why Mike dislikes Max's presence and how their duo tells a lot about Mike and El's relationship.

[Very long post]

So, Mike and Will say:

Mike: Did you agree to this?

Will: To what?

Mike: To her joining our party?

Will: It's just for Halloween.

Mike: You should've checked with me.

Will: Well... they were excited, I guess I thought you'd be okay with it.

Mike: She's ruining the best night of the year.

And right after, Mike leaves Will alone, joining the others because he has to.

So, in this scene, Mike is upset about Max hanging out with them on the night of Halloween. He thinks she's joining the party and even says that she's ruining the best night of the year. Will says that it's just for Halloween, implying that she is not going to join Mike's party (since he's the founder), their band, and that he agreed to Lucas' and Dustin's idea because they were excited, meaning that Will gave his validation because he cares about what the other members of the party want. On the other hand, Mike doesn't seem to care about it.

He accuses Will when he's moping and then saying "Did you agree to this?" implying that he's not happy about the fact that he agreed about a girl hanging out with them. When Will explains it's for 1 night, he says that he should've asked him. He's mad because the others didn't wait for his response. We know the party is a democracy, which means everyone gives their opinion on every subject before taking a decision. So here, Mike is mad because no one asked for his. Especially, Will. He's upset about Max, but also about Will, who didn't ask for Mike's opinion about her.

When Will explains that he thought he'd be okay with it, Mike just says she's ruining the night. Why would Max ruin the best night of the year? She's a new girl. She should be accepted, right? Everybody is nice to her. Why isn't Mike? He's probably upset because of Eleven, you may think. Because he lost a girl he liked (either romantically or platonically doesn't really matter here), and so seeing another one joining in, just makes him sad and upset because he lost El. Maybe he doesn't want it to happen again, or maybe he accuses Eleven of being gone.

Mike is sad, true, but he's mostly mad that El abandonned him. Mike's biggest fear is to lose the people who need him. He wants to be needed, he says it in S4.

"What if after this is over, she- she doesn't need me anymore?"

Will understands that feeling. And he knows Will is scared of losing Eleven for that.

The reason he was upset about Max's presence, is because he was low-key upset about Eleven's missing presence. She made the decision to destroy that demogorgon in S1 and to disappear with it. She said goodbye to Mike, after he took the whole season taking care of her. He feels betrayed.

And this betrayed feeling comes back when he finds out that she's back later in the season. When he sees her, he's firstly happy, happy to see her back.

He got tears into his eyes. Remember after the Halloween day, when everybody tries to find Dart (the baby Demogorgon), Mike enters the boy's changing room and meets Max. When he yells at her to go home, they have a dialogue:

Max: Why do you hate me so much?

Mike: I don't hate you. How can I hate you? I don't even know you.

Max: Yeah but you don't want me in your Party!

Mike: Correct!

Max: Why not?

Mike: Because you're annoying! Also, we don't need another Party member. I'm our Paladin, Will's Cleric, Dustin's our Bard, Lucas' our Ranger and El's our Mage!

He admits not "hating" Max. He doesn't hate her directly, but there is a reason he doesn't like her presence. He doesn't want her in their Party. He says that she's annoying, but what did she do? Absolutely nothing but trying to fit in. And right after that he brings up D&D. D&D is Mike's safe place, he's been loving it since his childhood. It's his passion, and he doesn't abandon it even after Will moves out to California. He loves it, and he always had.

So, if D&D has such a big place in Mike's heart, why did he abandon it in S3? I'll move to that later but let's go back to Max.

After bringing up D&D, he brings up Eleven. He says that she's their Mage. Mind you, Eleven was never introduced to D&D and never been an actual part of their Party since she's been there just one week in their lives. So why putting El, a girl who disappeared yet he liked, in something that you passion but never introduced to? The reason is simple. He may be mad about Eleven leaving him, he's still sad about her gone. So he associated her with something he enjoys: D&D. But why's that? Why did he associate D&D with El? Because it makes him feel like she's still there. He probably even thought about initiating Eleven into D&D if they found her ever again.

Now, let's go back to Max. Mike doesn't like Max's presence in S2 for specific reasons. She reminds him of Eleven, that makes sense. She's like "special" since nobody asked for his opinion on Halloween night, makes sense. But that's not it. Mike hating on Max has been one of the things this season. Why did the Duffers choose to make Mike hate Max? They could've made them friends and make Mike talk to Max about Eleven or a past love, whatever. But they didn't. They specifically made Mike hate on Max. And it continues in S3, while in S4 they seem to have grown up and stopped shooting at each other.

So, in S2, Mike seems to dislike Max's presence, as she's maybe trying to fit into their party when he doesn't want it. And yet, this still happens:

Cute smiles exchanged to one another. They fought before, why smiles now? Because Eleven is watching. It seems like the scenes between Mike and Max only are fights, but scenes between Mike, Max and Eleven included, are better and seem better. Why's that? Eleven is jealous. She thinks Max is here to steal Mike from her, until they become friends in S3. It's okay to be jealous, but something is off about it.

Remember that we see Mike talking to El through a talkie walkie in his basement at the beginning of the season. And in their reunion, El cuts Mike when he tells her for how long he's been trying to reach her: she knows, she's been listening but couldn't answer because of Hopper. But she knew that he was missing her. Missing her presence. Which is why he was annoyed by another girl, Max's presence. But it doesn't explain why she made Max fall on her skateboard out of jealousy.

She knows Mike has been missing her and she knows he probably wants to just forget it, he's losing more and more hope. Then a girl shows up, he exchanges his first smile with her, and she ruins the moment (it is a bit selfish). But then, Max says that it felt like she lost control of the board and Mike immediately thinks of Eleven. He tries to look for her but she disappears because Mike is worried about Max possibly injured.

What I'm trying to say here, is that it feels like Max has a bigger position in Mike and El's relationship than we think.

Her presence annoys him, but at the same time, he can't help but letting his real self speak and be nice and worried for her.

Switching to S3...

In S3, Mike dates Eleven. And this is annoying everybody in the Party.

Dustin: It's bullshit! I just got home.

Lucas: Oh El, let's make out forever and never hang out with any of our friends!

Will: You're ruining our Party! [...] Really? Where is Dustin right now? See you don't know and you don't even care and obviously he doesn't either and I don't blame him! You're destroying everything and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?!

Max: He's a piece of shit. [...] I bet him and Lucas are like swallowing in self pity right now "Oh I hope they take us back..."

Max kept trying to remove Eleven from her relationship with Mike although at the beginning she liked it: "It's romantic" and "Oh yeah really mature Lucas..."

El and Mike's relationship was something nobody wanted in their Party, although Lucas tried to help Mike, desperately because he cares about his friend, he was still low-key annoyed about Mike not being able to have a normal relationship with Eleven.

Their relationship was pointing out how it wasn't working. For everyone else and for them. Max and Mike were even more arguing this season because she was interfering with their relationship. El didn't seem to care about her breakup with Mike because she was having fun with Max. She was good independent, and it showed that she can be even better without Mike and Hopper. Max's role this season was like the angel, and Mike was the demon. He wanted to get back with her although she wasn't happy in this relationship and Max wanted to make her see she doesn't need him and show her how to have the taste of life without him.

She was very important, and her dialogues with Mike this season proves that Max has always been a problem within Mike because she's "annoying" and he always looks out to her whenever he's making a decision so she can't ruin it again, or maybe because he's trying to see if it's okay, and normal to do it.

Max has been a specific part of Mike's internalized homophobia and willing to act normal.

In S2 he hates her presence because he feels like she tries to fill in for El.

In S3 he hates her presence because he feels like she tries to fill in for himself.

Because Mike tried to be a normal boyfriend for the other's eyes but just a normal friend for his own eyes. And he felt like she was trying to replace him.

Now, S4.

This season was so different from the others. They seem to have cooled down, they don't fight anymore althought there are still some punches thrown when they're not near. Like what Max comments about Mike's basement. But the most interesting part of this season, is this shot:

Mike hates Max's presence in S2.

Mike hates the fact she's ruining his relationship with Eleven in S3 and replacing him.

Mike seems to notice something wrong with Max in S4.

Their only dialogue this season, is this:

Mike: Tonight?

Max: They call it a tournament. You win one game, you go on to play the next until there's only one team left.

And Dustin was included in it.

Other than that, they didn't exchange any words.

Why's that?

Max in S4 had her own storyline with Billy's death. Mike and El were still on a relationship but it was distanced. Max didn't really focus on El and Mike anymore because of her depression and we instead got to see more of Lumax. However, this, is exactly a proof to show that Mike and El's relationship is not working and Mike's internalized homophobia is showing.

Remember at the end of S3, we see Mike hug his mother when Will and El left for California.

But this season, Eleven learnt to be more independent on her own, remembering what Max taught her. She's still playing a role without being present.

As for Mike, he's not pushed by anyone else to continue this relationship with El. We pushed him in S1 (mostly Lucas and Nancy), we did in S2 (Eleven herself), we did in S3 (himself and Max) and now who forces him to continue it? Nobody. He just continues it because himself, because he wants to continue to feel normal. And we can see he's not having any help since El and him only fight this season, and they even did in S3 although he had help from Lucas.

The difference between the two straight teenage relationships we have (Lumax // Mlvn) is notable. The quite legit and healthy relationship helps the toxic one. But the reason Lumax is Endgame and Mlvn isn't is because Lucas and Max both listen to each other, they care for each other and do things together although they can fight a bit. However Mlvn doesn't so any of that. They have communication problems, Mike can't say I love you to her, and they are too different from one another, they can't do anything together without it to go wrong.

So, to resume a bit Max has been playing a specific role for Mike and El's relationship, Mike and El's feelings.

S2: Mike was upset about Eleven being gone (she made the decision of sacrificing herself and he lost her, so he's mad about the fact she made this decision and abandoning him). And he was upset about Max trying to replace her.

S3: Mike was upset against Mike because she tried to mess up his relationship with Eleven (as he tried to fit in, the same way she did before). And because he was scared she could replace him, that El would need her instead of him.

S4: Mike and Max cooled down although her influence on El awakened as she was expecting more of Mike now that Max showed her what real boyfriends do.

This post was probably hard to understand or seemed unlogic, messy but I tried to put in words what I had in my mind and probably made a terrible job of it. I just want to say how their dialogues and moments together (Max/Mike) have subtext and sub meanings for both byler and mlvn. Byler because of Mike's internalized homophobia and Mlvn because of Mike's willing to act straight.

Tell me what you think of it or there are points you want me to clarify.

[torialefay]

Be it by astrology, your own opinion, or a mixture of both, how do you think Chris would react if his s/o has his brand or a dupe of his brand of jealousy?

This has been on my mind for days like would he enjoy knowing that his s/o craves his attention (bc i doubt he wouldn't pick up on how they feel) or would he find it lowkey annoying and/or frustrating thinking that they don't trust him(they probably do, but the brain do be insecure like that sometimes)? Would he purposely try to make them jealous from time to time bc he liked their reaction? Would he be self-aware of his closeness to others and avoid situations that could worry his s/o? Obviously, there's a limit to the intensity and frequency of how jealous someone can be before anybody would get annoyed, but yknow generally speaking in relatively somewhat reasonable jealousy ensuing situations where he got a bit too close with someone, or he or the other person got a bit too touchy, etc.

Thank ya💖💖

I love this question!!! Before I answer, I want to link some astro-based posts I’ve made on Chan’s jealous tendencies, how he can respond in fights, as well as his overall manifestation of his love (this one is just smut lol read at your own risk, 18+). I think these are some pieces that preface why I have the opinions that I do on this hehe <3

• just point blank, Chris loves knowing that you are jealous over him. It feeds into his scorp venus energy for sure, but tbh it also goes along well with his libra moon and his deep NEED for validation. He absolutely LOVES feeling like he is the most important thing in your life. He will definitely pretend that “it’s okay baby, calm down. There’s no need to be jealous,” but he secretly EATS THAT SHIT UPPPP. He craves it. It makes him feel like he’s finally found someone that will obsess over him the same way he could possess you.

• He definitely has a sort of power kink as well. I want to say it isn’t CRAZY, but I do think he has these almost manipulative tendencies without even realizing it? I think he would definitely do subtle things SOMETIMES (not often) to maybe get a little reaction out of you. He likes seeing you jealous over him & he likes knowing the power he holds over you… to be able to get you more & more crazy over him. Strokes his ego a little bit lol.

• But also in a way, this has a lot to do with the fact that he so badly craves passion in a relationship. And he knows that if he envokes that emotional response out of you, it keeps that burning for him alive. He wants to feel so fucking connected to you that he could read you like a book. And to be honesttttt, he’d probably actually prefer it if you didn’t outright tell him you were jealous, but rather that you tried to hide it and he “picked up on it.” He loves feeling like he can read his partner better than even they can. He likes knowing that even as you are trying to suppress it, he just “knows you too well” and “has that effect on you.” Like if you are silently burning up about something, but don’t say it, he can come over later and tease you about it, but also putting your thoughts to rest.

• BUTTTT one final point! Everything that i’ve said up until this point i think is true IN MODERATION. Overall, he likes someone who is confident and independent. He knows that he’s a flirt (even though he lies about it), and he needs someone who can handle it. So he likes someone that is usuallllly not always jealous, but CAN get like that from time to time. We can’t forget that he has a Sagittarius mars, which does give him a need for independence. If he’s with someone who is constantly jealous or insecure over what he does (and gets super down about it), he would probably get annoyed and burnt out by it. He doesn’t like feeling like he necessarily HAS to coddle people… what he does like is thinking that someone is so “strong” on their own that he WANTS to give into them and care for them. But if he feels like he’s being boxed in by someone who is always worried about him going out and cheating, i think he could get a bit flighty.

[frozenjokes]

guys it was a little touch and go on whether or not they’d kiss in this final chapter of this (intended) shipping fic but rest assured I made it happen

convex week day 7 - past/present - prev

@convexweek

What do you do when you can’t stop thinking about him?

Not Scar, necessarily, but what Scar represented, the opportunity, the idea of justice, the allure of change. As much as he didn’t want to, as stupid as it was, Cub believed Scar when he said he didn’t know what those training aids actually did. Cub believed Scar when he said he wanted to ban their use among celestials. Moons must not have the same protocol, they must do things differently, better.

Over the course of his life, Cub had adapted to the world around him by becoming a systematically selfish man. The rest of the world wasn’t lesser per se, but they weren’t important, they didn’t matter so long as they did their jobs and left Cub alone.

Thinking about people other than himself was a startling and mildly embarrassing experience, but all of a sudden Cub was doing that a lot, thinking about people, thinking about to-be suns.

“Do you really think you can do this? Remove the aids from the training program altogether?”

Scar blinked, like somehow this hadn’t been what he’d expected when Cub requested his appearance. “Uh, no, I think I specifically told you there’s a 99.99999% chance nothing comes of this.”

“Oh. Not even with me working with you?”

Scar snorted, then laughed, he was laughing! “Who do you think you are, seriously? It’s a toss up who has a worse reputation among suns, except at least I have friends and a folk hero background to fall back on. If anyone knows your name it’s not for a good reason!”

Cub opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, drawing a fist to his lips as he tried to come up with any singular thing he could bring to the table here. “Hm. No, you’re right. I add nothing of value here.”

“That’s not true!” and Scar was so passionate, Cub almost believed him, “You have a story to tell, Cub! Come on, stars aren’t born spiteful!”

“You can be born looking the part.”

“Say more.”

Cub did say more. Suddenly he was saying more and he just couldn’t stop, he was saying more words than he had in his centuries of being alive, he was so angry, he was so angry and never once had he been able to say why- Maybe that wasn’t the whole truth. He’d had opportunities even after his escape, but opportunities took work to nourish and Cub was in a monogamous relationship with his system guardianship already. This was free, unexpectedly easy, an eager audience who agreed with him, validated him, was horrified to hear the ways in which Cub was treated- offhand remarks, snide instructions, frustration at repeated offenses that Cub literally could not help-

Cub had never had another person tell him it was okay. When Scar was gone, Cub cried for hours.

But Scar was not gone for long.

At first it was a lot of ‘I have an idea for this case,’ and ‘I got an opportunity to do this thing for this case that’s awesome,’ and ‘I got this new anecdote for this case,’ which was fulfilling a normal amount and also extremely fucking irritating (which is why Cub kept letting Scar in, of course.)

There were some ‘I met someone I think you would like!’s which was simply untrue, so Cub attempted to discourage these lines of thought by ceasing conversation for the rest of the encounter, which Scar rarely noticed.

Then something terrible started to happen. With Cub’s face.

By now, Scar had a somewhat consistent way of finding Cub, and graciously, did not scream nearly as much. Cub had two places he typically frequented; his mail, and his telescope, both within reasonable distance of each other, so Scar got to know them pretty fast.

Today, when Cub felt the beginnings of a moon’s signature chill while sitting at his telescope, he.. something..

“What’s wrong with your face?” Scar asked, all but tactfully.

Cub did not speak, because if he spoke, he might lose control of it.

“He thinks I’m stupid,” Scar said, to no one in particular, but extremely to Cub, “He thinks I’m stupid. He thinks I don’t know that he likes me. Well two can play at that game.” Scar held a finger to the corner of his mouth, pulling it into an exaggerated frown. He held this for a while. Cub did not bend. Finally, Scar relented, “You know, your head’s gonna explode if you don’t breathe sometime soon.”

“I don’t need advice.”

“Great! Still looking through that shitty telescope?” It was impressive how Scar could move from one deeply annoying topic to the next, “I seriously don’t understand why you don’t just go see it. In person! You can’t even control what you look at there, and all of it’s through some shitty filter! Come on, Cub!”

Cub frowned (a relief), rolling his eyes and looking away, “I like not choosing. I see things I might never have seen otherwise. Besides, I’m needed here.”

“Are you that needed? Come on, you’ve said yourself that your system is ‘full of very competent moons and efficiently run,’ when’s the last time you’ve actually had a problem? It’s not like anyone comes to see you anyway, and if your moons are as diligent as you say, they’ll notice any potential issues long before they become emergencies. You have time for a day around Earth.”

“Why don’t you just sit with me instead?”

Scar paused at the invitation, Cub had never extended one like this before, though he couldn’t say he regretted the impulse. Anything that made Scar stop, even for just a moment, was a damn blessing.

“I’ll sit with you,” Scar said, even, imploring, almost like he was navigating some kind of business deal. “But I won’t look out your telescope. Once is enough, friend, I know what you’re missing.”

And Scar did sit, he sat very close, uncomfortably so, and Cub was about to say something about it until it didn't seem so bad, and Cub was relaxing, perfectly alright with the cold at his side. Was this how it felt on Earth? A little cool, a little bit uncomfortable, but not exactly unpleasant. No, not unpleasant at all.

Cub didn’t feel the need to respond. Today he was watching an endless number of small frogs resting in the water of a lush swamp, the whole scene full of shapes and novelties that could never exist anywhere else. The frogs were singing, Cub couldn’t hear them, but he knew it to be true. He imagined their voices, ones he’d heard centuries ago but had long forgotten.

“There’s an eclipse later, on Earth. We could still go, still see it the way the life down there would. The sky darkening in the middle of the day, the moon blocking the sun..”

“I know.”

Scar half recoiled, utterly taken aback, “You knew? How? Why won’t you go with me? These don’t happen very often, you know.”

Cub snorted. “I know everything.”

“You do not.”

“I know most things to do with the alignment of moons and planets in my system, especially Earth. I’ve seen a thousand eclipses all over the place, including there.”

“Why not a thousand and one?”

“I’m looking at the frogs.”

Scar scoffed, “You’d rather look at frogs- which you can see at any time- than go see the eclipse on Earth with me.”

“I’d rather look at frogs than do anything with you.” Cub responded without hesitation, to which Scar hunched over himself in a pitious pout, and Cub only cared a little bit. “This is fine though. I can do frogs and Scar.” Scar was not to be appeased.

“I like you.”

Cub didn’t know what Scar wanted, but Scar was an impatient moon, and Cub did not have to wait long.

“Say it back.”

“Why.”

“Because I know you like me too and quite frankly I am so extremely out of your league it’s not even funny, so I should at least get the satisfaction of you looking away from your frogs and telling me with your words you feel the same.”

That was enough to make Cub jolt away from his telescope, blinking feverishly. “What?”

Scar did not waver. “What.”

“You like me?”

“Of course I like you!” Scar threw up his arms in his great exasperation.

“Like like?”

“What the fuck does that mean.” Arms back down.

“If you’ve been around humans long enough you know what ‘like like’ means.”

“I haven’t! I’ve been busy trying to get your job taken away and now I’m kind of your legal errand boy but you don’t really know or care what the errands are.”

“I care. I like to hear about them.”

Scar made a completely inscrutable face, but it looked angry, searching, maybe exaggerated-? Was he joking? “Only one ‘like.’”

“Oh, okay. You just said you were out of my league, which is true, but that implies two likes.”

“I am out of your league in every way it is possible to be out of it.”

Cub nodded, sage. “It’s painful, a little bit.”

“Well imagine how I feel! You’re the biggest loser in the galaxy and I don’t even hate you about it anymore. And you won’t say it back!” Scar threw up his arms again, and Cub looked back at his telescope.

“I don’t have to. You already know.”

Cub eeped! when Scar pulled him off his telescope by the shoulders, the two of them suddenly very very close, face to face. Wow. This was great. There was so much darkness this close. Maybe if Cub put his face on Scar’s face it could be dark forever.

“I want you to say it.”

Man, Cub really didn’t want Scar to be talking anymore, especially if he was going to continue on this topic. “There’s a thing humans do to tell each other they like each other.”

“I don’t care about-“

Cub kissed him, he tried at least, it was a little awkward and Scar didn’t seem to know what was happening, but come on, there was no way Scar hadn’t seen humans kiss before, they did it all the time! Regardless, it wasn’t anywhere near as magical as the humans made it look. Cub leaned back, unsatisfied. Scar looked bewildered.

“What the fuck was that.”

“Humans do that sometimes. I’ve always wanted to try. Was that cool or was it gross.”

“I mean I don’t know if it was gross or if it was just weird as hell. Why do humans do that?”

Cub shrugged, “Usually it’s because they like like each other, but I just wanted my eyes inside your scars.”

“Sometimes I think you’re trying to peel my skin off with your eyes, and I am still undecided on whether or not I like that or if you’re a freak who needs to be around more people desperately. None of us have this ‘sensitivity’ problem because we never isolated like you have. At least that’s what I think happened. I don’t know. Your sun is bright as hell, it doesn’t make any sense why you’ve become sensitive to all light. Is it the color?”

“I like your scars.”

Scar rolled his eyes. “I know.”

“I like you.”

Scar stopped. He smiled that half-smile of his, just one of many things about him that Cub had really grown to enjoy. It had never made Cub happy before, a smile. Not on his face or anyone else’s. But this one.. Cub was starting to get it. He was starting to get it.

“Well good. This was getting embarrassing.” Before Cub could process or say anything, Scar’s head was back on his, not in a kiss, just a light push into the dark spots of his face, black, brilliant, serene. Cub closed his eyes and relaxed. Yeah.. he didn’t mind this at all.

[schizosamwincester]

Okay, @fandom-hoarder asked me how aplatonic and aromantic Dean factors into wincest. So. Here we go.

Honestly my first answer is that it doesn't. Or rather... If you ask Dean, it doesn't. This is just the way it is. He doesn't do friends and he doesn't do romance. Those are just facts. They aren't some big deal. They don't impact his life majorly. He doesn't think about it 99% of the time. God knows Dean is already the "I don't see why people have to shove it in your faces all the time" type, and I think if he found out about the aromantic community, he'd double down on it. And if occasionally in the middle of the night he falls down a rabbithole of reading all their reddit posts and feeling strangely validated by the whole thing, well, that's between him and God. Dean just isn't one for being tied down. He's not going to act like that makes him special.

Of course, the thing is, he'd be wrong. It sure does have an impact on you when the only people you ever feel a special spark for are your family. I would say that explains everything about Dean, wincest or not. That insatiable desire to please your family, to have them, to keep them around, to not disappoint them... It really is something else. I know within my own family, there's a lot I don't talk about with my sister because I want her to approve of me so badly that I want her to think I'm perfect, and if I show any faults or even just divulge stuff I don't talk about, I might ruin what we have. Nevermind that she's the coolest, most accepting, most chill person I know. She's also the person I know who has their shit together the most, so I am terrified of showing that I'm not. And then you can also get the inverse and have it cause overfamiliarity. I'm aware that most people probably didn't decide to tell their thirteen-year-old brother that they lost their virginity before any of their friends. Boundaries get weird when you see your little brother as an equal peer even though he's 4 years younger than you. I can think of a lot of things where I decided the first person I needed to tell/show was my brother, and in hindsight, I don't think my peers would have done the same.

The reason Dean is so feral about Sam is because being with him gives him a feeling that he doesn't get anywhere else now that John is dead. It's because Dean feels an innate desire and need for Sam in a way that he simply doesn't feel for other people, save maybe a few flukes that didn't last very long anyway. No friend can replicate that. No other lover can replicate that. Sam is a drug, and since Dean has no other living family, he's the only source Dean has. No wonder Dean is so protective and possessive.

And if the other attraction you have is sexual attraction, that means you're going to filter a lot more things through sex than potentially other people would. At least, if you're me. Obviously that's not true of all aromantic allosexuals. Still, it sure does seem to be true of Dean. We all know how often he mentions porn. And sex. So like... Yeah, if sex and family are the two kinds of relationships he understands... It's not that far of a leap to combine the two. (Which of course, is absolutely not true for me at all. Definitely not. The new sex dreams I've gotten since starting testosterone have absolutely never featured blood relatives.)

This is a weird post to make because to me, everything I'm saying feels too obvious to even type. But like. Of course it is. I'm the aromantic aplatonic allosexual one. You are not, which is why you are curious in the first place. Not to say that Dean is exactly me. I identify as loveless and Dean sure as hell isn't that. I don't have enough emotions, hence no love; he has way too many. And I'm still not sure exactly what I think his deal is with found family.

But yeah, TL;DR: when the only people you have feelings for are your family, it's not surprising when you end up irrationally, erotically codependent on them

[inamindfarfaraway]

why do you ship poppy and sparrow from eah?thoughts on duchess swan and sparrow?

I have nothing against shipping Duchess and Sparrow! I just slightly prefer to think of them as best friends. Honestly, considering how she’s lived in the shadow of tragic doomed romance her whole life, I think it would be really nice for Duchess to find her happiness without any long-term romantic partner. I feel like she’d have anxiety about romance ending badly for her. Yeah, it turns out destiny is fake, but fifteen or so years of having the inevitable narrative of your future drilled into you and knowing that you are meant, you exist, to be hurt and betrayed and doomed by your romantic partner? That’s gonna mess your attitude to dating up. And since destiny is fake, non-doomed lovers are just one bad day away doom. There is no permanent happily ever after. Anyone could hurt her for any reason; and as she hopefully matures to be nicer and more moral, she could be afraid of hurting her lover too based on her past actions. But to learn that she doesn’t need to be anyone’s love interest could be empowering and liberating. She and Sparrow are definitely each other’s true loves in some way. I personally enjoy the platonic sense better, but the romantic option is just as valid an interpretation.

Okay. Duchess tangent over. Now, as for what I like about Poppy/Sparrow.

Poppy says in her bio that she finds Sparrow cute, but would like him more if he weren’t so arrogant. That’s a good foundation on her part. She sees worth in him, but also his flaws. If he ever wanted to play around with her, her standards and boundaries (and Holly) would force him to get his act together at least a little, which could be a catalyst for his character development.

They both have themes of freedom and rebellion. Sparrow is a Rebel more because he values his personal freedom than because he’s invested in human rights, refusing to conform to the law by stealing, his story by keeping the gains for himself and social norms by being an ass. Poppy loves not having a predetermined future and officially becomes a Rebel to avoid being the next Rapunzel and queen. Her least favourite class is Princessology, where you learn to be a responsible, respectable princess. Sparrow gets that. But she can show him how to express himself and defy social mores without being obnoxious about it.

They’re both creative types with unconventional styles and adventurous spirits, Poppy’s medium being hair and fashion while Sparrow’s is music. However, Poppy is a great, popular hairdresser. She’s good at listening to her clients’ input and giving them what they want, without sacrificing her own integrity. Sparrow is technically a skilled guitarist, but he hasn’t bothered to become as good a singer, only cares about what he wants and is terrible at responding to criticism. He could learn from her to be a better artist. And I think their alternative aesthetics (I know Poppy’s is still pretty tame and feminine, but that feels more like Mattel being Mattel than the ultimate expression of her alleged personality; fanart that depicts Poppy with a wilder fashion sense my beloved) could complement each other really well.

Conversely, Poppy has sometimes been known to be unsure of new situations or herself, like that whole time she was on the fence between the Royal and Rebel ideologies or when she was nervous about ice-skating for the first time. It’s easy to extrapolate that being raised as the spare to Holly’s heir with the glaring lack of a destiny could have given her some identity issues in general. (Canon doesn’t really show that, but canon shows us so little depth that we have to fill in the blanks.) Sparrow does not have that problem. Ever. He knows who is and what he wants in life, and he’s gonna take it. Maybe he could influence her to be more confident.

It’s less much less obvious because Poppy is genuinely kind and morally principled and socially competent to balance it out, but she has a selfish streak too. She regularly cuts off her magically strong, long and fast-growing hair and sells it. Why sell it? Why not just donate it? Because despite having all the money she could ever need, she wants a little more for herself. She makes a steady profit by selling something she doesn’t have to work for and doesn’t want. That’s a shrewdness and initiative Sparrow can appreciate. I think her choosing centrism wasn’t as callous or stupid as some fans have made out; the Royals have a lot of understandable, sympathetic arguments, the Rebels at this time can’t prove that the other shoe won’t drop and with a Royal sister who’s probably afraid of her going poof, it would realistically be an emotionally fraught political debate for a teenager. But her “Roybel” identity is still a safe position where she tries to have the best of both worlds and can feel vindicated no matter which side wins. And it’s interesting that for as good a person she is and as many friends she has with Rebel stances and/or tragic fates, what drives her from “The face-eating leopards have pros and cons, let’s see how things go” to “Face-eating leopards are bad and need to be fought” is literally “Wait, the leopards want to eat my face?” If anything, I think her selfishness is wiser and more effective than Sparrow’s - she stays inside the law and benefits others enough to have strong friendships and a glowing reputation.

We also see in the ice-skating webisode that Duchess develops respect for Poppy and her courage after initially viewing her as a rival, setting up a friendship and a fun dynamic as Sparrow’s two true loves. Especially if, as I suspect, Poppy wouldn’t make a half-bad partner in crime herself. And on the other hand… Sparrow and Holly. Sweet, gentle, polite Holly who finds nothing more exciting than reading. And Sparrow Hood. Needing to coexist and learn to get along. That’s hilarious. Imagine the wedding speeches.

In the original Rapunzel tale, she was born to poor farmers and married into royalty, so an O’Hair falling for a commoner is at once a reversal and a return to form. It feels fitting.

Likewise, the original Robin Hood was in some versions a nobleman who abandoned his decadent lifestyle to serve the lower classes. (They weren’t always comfortable having a true peasant hero.) So I like the idea of Sparrow inverting that with his journey, being a greedy, selfish scoundrel as a poor kid and then only gaining riches after becoming equally rich in compassion and generosity. Only once he’s ready to share the wealth does he get access to a royal treasury. Legally, even!

Thanks for the ask! It was very fun articulating my thoughts and feelings about these characters, I’d never done that before and I thought of a few new arguments while I was writing this. I love all of them even more now.

[shewhotellsstories]

People say Eloise is a self centered white feminist who enjoys the privileges that come with being a Bridgerton and although that's true, she is also a sheltered teenage girl who needs to learn about the world.

Her feelings of marriage are valid and while she needs to learn that desiring motherhood and marriage doesn't make a woman lesser, it's part of growing up and learning true feminism. She's a baby feminist but viewers don't want her to grow. How many teenage girls in today's day and age are all-knowing about feminism theory? Her friendship with Theo taught her about the working class and that connection to the outside world could have been a great learning experience for Eloise. Yes she has the privilege of being a Bridgerton but that safety net is exactly why she should be allowed to advocate for things the way she wanted Whistledown to(not a critique of the character but rather the writing and the fandom)

Penelope did some selfish things as Whistledown, abusing her power (cause it wasn't just about being gossip girl for the bag) and rather than acknowledge that we're expected to sweep it under the rug. I LOVE flawed characters because the writing acknowledges their wrong doings and yet certain characters get away with murder.

Eg s1 Blair was awful to Serena and while she had her reasons for doing so, revenge and her own self worth and abandonment issues, the show acknowledged this and we wanted good things for Blair. Serena slept with her best friend's boyfriend and covered up a mans overdose but we still root for her because she is a good person and is trying to grow.

If Penelope doesn't acknowledge her wrongdoings how can she grow as a character.

"Okay publishing a burn book is wrong but I love writing and I'm good at it, maybe I should become Jane Austin or something."

(throwing in how Edwina was raked over the coals for being angry with Kate and while the half sister comment was uncalled for, she wasnt given the same grace Penelope has been given)

I'm sorry for how long and all over the place this is.

No, I get it. The issue is that some characters are given grace while others are crucified. Some characters have their circumstances considered when examining their behavior while others don't. I hate it that some characters get novellas dedicated to defending their bad behavior while others should've just known better.

And that's totally the way I see Eloise Bridgerton. She's a baby feminist! She is in her just watched Ironed Jawed Angels and has maybe read a few zines era of feminism. When I was 17, I remember saying in class that I didn't think it was possible to be a SAHM and be happy and now my opinions have radically shifted because I'm not a kid anymore. Now, if you'd ask me I'd say it's a vulnerable position to be in economically because your security is tied up in your marriage working out and or your husband never dying, but it's your choice ultimately. What a difference a fully developed brain and college professors who require you to read bell hooks and Audre Lorde can make.

But seriously, the sad irony of Eloise being raked over the coals for "doing nothing" is that she was trying to become more informed and it blew up in her face. Spending time with Theo and other members of the working class was really good for her. Sadly, Penelope should've known better than most that she was genuinely trying to expand her worldview, but Eloise is the only person getting the bad friend allegations.

And yeah, as much as I love Kate and Anthony, people were way too hard on Edwina in season two. No one wanted to hurt her, but who in her position would toss confetti?

Plus, I'm really glad someone else is seeing the endless Gossip Girl comparisons that can be made here!

P.S. If you're interested one of my favorite Kanthony fics ends in Anthony and Kate encouraging Eloise to become a fiction/social commentary writer.

[lifeafterpsychiatry]

to 'wanting to get disorders is okay' anon: that is, actually, probably a sign of some sort of mental distress, like the idea that if you "have something", your trauma, feelings, whatever, might then be validated, and it's possible that a person like that may actually have some kind of disorder, anyway, but even if they don't, it's really not okay to fake something, and a person who does so is likely also not okay and may need other supports. if you don't feel validated externally, i think you are still validated internally by virtue of just having those feelings, and if people make you feel like you need a label to justify your existence and your struggle, then fuck 'em. that is not necessary, you are justified by your existence alone. no one should "want to" get a disorder for any reason, and as someone with some, they don't "want" that. they want— no, they need to be validated and they likely think that having a reason would make people understand, but it doesn't work that way.

people will understand you or they won't, and you can't help that. it isn't your job to somehow make yourself worthy of that. the right people will listen and understand or, even if they don't quite get it, they will try.

in this sense, people who want to make an effort actually will. it isn't always easy, but if someone cares, i think they shouldn't make you feel like you want to have a disorder. to be disordered is to be outside of understanding, often, shouting for help in a place where no one hears you, wanting someone to just listen and—guess what!—validate your existence. so many people are struggling like that, and it is not bettered by having a disorder. it makes it unnecessarily harder, actually, and is a great misconception. it's just that—or so i think—the world exists in a way that many people feel this, and when you don't have a disorder, that can lead you to thinking that it will somehow "help", and i think a lot of that is used to pit people against eachother, like this absurd idea that people with disorders DO get help, ARE listened to, because they're "special" and have "special needs", which it sort of seems is somewhat true for everyone—and by that i mean, it seems that being a person is often having to deal with un-personing and invalidation, which happens to children and then is perpetuated and pushed onto children by adults who don't learn and go on to repeat the cycle.

the assumption that disabled people somehow have more is steeped in not only ableist rhetoric, but creates a lot of division when no one really seems to feel all that "whole", which causes us to seek external worth through money or what-have-you.

assuming the disabled get more benefits from that status just makes them seem like an enemy, or, if you're struggling and not finding any help, an aspirant thing—like maybe if you're this "special" (also dehumanizing, btw) thing, you can find support, but those things seem lacking for everyone. no one "needs" a reason, though.

no one "needs" validation. everything a person needs is already inside of them, and a label might help, but...? it isn't needed to be understood—pathology is also often a tool for dehumanization. no one needs that so people will pay attention, put in effort, care. you just need to see yourself through, care about you, and find people who will, too.

Yeah I think it's perfectly understandable to desire validation and support regardless of what you're struggling with, but it is an ableist myth that being disabled actually means being validated and supported, or that disabled people have it easier than abled people

[summersreality]

okay, do you have any tips on handling doubts when manifesting somebody? for background, there's this biker guy I knew last year who had a crush on me. I'm a queer dude in a small town so finding guys who like me is near impossible - we BOTH knew we liked each other, however, we didn't say anything out of fear. he's not in my school anymore but he lives near me, and I sometimes see him while outside. we don't really say anything to each other, just stare REALLY intensely 😭 I wanna manifest that he, I don't know, becomes my partner in my future, but my brain keeps telling me by doing that I'm taking away his free will?? idk girl I'm scared 🥴 do you have any tips on how to handle that?? (also sorry if I gave you my entire life story I overshare a lot 😭)

DOUBTS. DO. NOT. MATTER.

CIRCUMSTANCES. DO. NOT. MATTER.

I like to think that (that’s a lie I came up with it while writing this) doubts is just proof that what you want is real (in the context of LOA, doubts are valid on other cases). Maybe that’s far fetched but like, if it wouldn’t be real then you’d know it. But you know it’s real since you know about the Law and that your 4D is the true reality.

And outer circumstances just exist in the 3D 🤷‍♀️ just because our human brains can’t find a “logic” reason to why something would happen, doesn’t mean our 3D and 4D gives a fuck. The 4D will still conform to the 3D. 😋

[bleue-flora]

as much as I like the dsmp story and its message about how there’s a deep down, I can’t help but think about the Bojack horsemen quote about how there’s no deep down and you are the actions you do regardless of someone’s intent or backstory

[context]

I believe you are referring to this quote “That’s the thing. I don’t think I believe in deep down. I kind of think all you are is just the things that you do.” (Which btw yall its real annoying when I have to find whatever the hell you are talking about, no shade just as an aside…<3)

The thing is, both things can be true. Life is about choices, and your every action and inaction has a consequence, (which I think I’ve talked about before but I don’t feel like finding it at the moment). In other words, everything you do impacts the world around you and has lasting effects. You may not know it and are likely very unaware of the consequences (positive and negative). This is because like my post said we are all inherently selfish because we live and see the world from only one view - our own. So yes, you are the actions/“things you do” and choices you make, regardless of the intentions.

At the end of the day, whether you meant to or not, whether you had good intentions or not, if you hurt someone the facts remain the same - you hurt someone. They have a fundemental right to feel hurt and that is always valid, emotions and feelings are always valid, whether it’s logical or makes sense or not. The reason deep down doesn’t change the outcome or the hurt you caused. However, that is about the past action. If you want to learn and grow and form meaningful relationships, avoid conflict… etc. That’s where the deep down comes in. Then it’s important to look at the reasons, not as excuses or justifications but as explanations - a bridge to understanding and shattering our stereotypes, assumptions and judgement.

(Okay, my foot still hurts from you stepping on it, but yeah if it was just an accident then the relationship doesn’t have to just all end over something stupid like it would if I assumed it was intentional.) Yes the impact you make on the world is the sum of what you do and that impact is true regardless if there is a deeper reason behind it. But also, if you only focus on what people do and go no deeper, then you are missing the bigger picture and your relationships will not last long and you are going to live a very lonely and conflictfilled life.

That is why it is important. Not because in the finale of the dsmp Dream’s reveal changes any of his actions, but because it changes our perspective of him and that changes how we act next. Whether we show compassion and empathy or understanding or forgiveness of someone’s actions or run the hell away. (Whether a conflict breaks out over you stomping on my foot so I step on yours back.)

As an engineer, a nerdy metaphor I could use is that it’s kinda like if situations were an equation then the effect and action is the answer (the one side of the =), but sometimes we need to used the other side of the = to solve for x, so we can solve the next equations.

The deep down matters because it should change your action. It matters because in recent years after excusing my behavior because of something or the other, I realized ya know other people might also have a valid reason too. So while my automatic assumption of why they are late to class is that they are lazy, or rude, or don’t care, maybe maybe they actually woke up nauseous and were throwing up which prevented them from being on time, maybe they fainted coming out of the shower, maybe their car wouldn’t start, maybe they had a doctor’s appointment beforehand, maybe there was a car accident making them late, maybe there was a train blocking the road…etc. there are so many reasons, but our mind just jumps to the worst, and we expect grace from others when we are late but wouldn’t give others the same benefit of the doubt. If we had, if instead of judgment and criticism, we checked on them after class to see if they are okay then maybe we learn of their struggle, and maybe they need our help, or maybe we relate and become friends, maybe you share your notes with them, maybe you give them a hug. The deeper meaning changes what you do and like the quote says, what you do is the impact on the world…

[talxns]

Dude, you can just say 'I don't like Dick that age' you got a pretty concrete example of him being that age, to the point where anyone who saw that comic and did not have an option on how much they liked it would go 'oh okay then he's 8'. Then you immediately dismissed it as much as you could. You're allowed to not like something that seems reasonable canon to a lot of people. You don't have to insist what they might like or think isn't canon, or is corrupted modern canon, or is people not understanding the true vibes of the characters. When I was reading in the 1990's working in a comic book store I figured he was 8-ish. He seemed about that age in his origin re-telling in the Long Halloween. You don't like it. That's fine. It's not particularly modern, though idk how old you are, so maybe the common thoughts of 1990's readers seems modern to you. Tbh the first time I saw him be shown as definitely older when he was first taken in by Bruce was in the 'Batman Forever' movie in 1997. The first time I saw it in the comics was the new 52. I was introduced to it by a friend literally going 'yeah he's a lot older when he ends up with Bruce than he used to be'.

Anon,

I did say that interpreting him as being 8 is a feasible reading given the source material. ↓

On the other hand, it’s equally valid to interpret him turning 13 or 14 given the number of candles on his cake, since we can only base these claims on birthday traditions. Not on any statements.

And if you're talking about the New Teen Titans comic, I didn't dismiss that, I did say that I conceeded and stood corrected. ↓ despite this comic being in a separate continuity all together and like twenty years after what i was originally referencing

But I'm also saying that his age has become more explicit as time has gone on. I think you're assuming that I think modern means like, within the past 10 years or something??? But I'm talking about comic history terms.

“Modern” in American comics is considered from 1985 until now (as opposed to "Classic" 1938-1985).

So yeah, anything you used as an example in the 90s is considered "Modern". Long Halloween is Modern. New 52 is Modern. The New Teen Titans comic that was referenced in the post is just on the cusp of Modern (1983). So all I'm getting at is that traditionally, his age was left much more ambiguous compared to anything from around the mid-eighties onward.

Here is a clipping from a letter to the editor column from Batman #156 (1963) on Dick’s age being unclear.

Here is another reference from Robin and the Making of American Adolescence by Lauren R. O’Connor

So yeah. The insistence on him being 8 at his character’s conception is not historically textually supported.

[jjmorelikeotp]

Okay so I am watching BTVS for the first time in my life & I'm currently on season 6 E 14, and one thing I really really love is how Spike is just so...comitted.

With Angel, I personally had the feeling he was grieving the person he could be, all sad and sappy in his misery that kinda clung around him all the time (ik we're calling spike a drama queen but. THAT MAN? Depressed himbo vibes. No offense.) Even though he had a soul, there was this feeling of self pity in him - and it makes sense considering the fact he probably knew that one true moment of happiness would turn him back into a monster, and that is rly depressing tbh.

Does not change the fact that Buffy being underage when being with him is totally absurd and predatory, there, I said it.

He is kind of the big scary monster guy and sometimes she does seem like a normal 16 year old, and by that, naive or simply, young.

It made me feel like she was prey, not gonna lie.

It is what stopped him from truly comitting to Buffy. I mean yeah, their love was pure and they definetely are soulmates in some way. They truly affected each other's fate.

But this is where Spike is different than Angel as well. He is truly COMITTED to what he's doing, he is all in for buffy. Like, the way he offers to make money for her when she needs it? That offer is NOT a deal-kind-of-offer. He truly wants to help her and it is so casually because he already is in full partner mode, in whatever way she needs. Offering comfort when she has to work a double shift (yeah by fucking outside, mkay, just the spuffy way ig) like that because he is actually afraid she will lose her sanity? Even though they drive each other insane? Yeah these scenes are not talked about enough.

In that same scenario, Angel never even would have showed up. He would have waited in front of the building after Buffy ended her shift, maybe. He never even offered to be in her life like that, while both of them found a million excuses for it. But Spike does not. He just simply does stuff that COULD be the solution if he ever even thought of them being a problem.

And I think that is also why he's so pissed about Buffy going on and off about him - to Angel, she seemed so comitted, but to him, he just does not seem to be able to.

And again, it make sense, but I also think we don't talk enough about the fact that Buffy did indeed kill Angel, when it wasn't even necessary as in "he was soulless and a monster" anymore. Even though she loved him. But only when she had a really really good reason/purpose.

So one thing that might be also pushing her away from spike is the thought of having to do that again, and desperately trying to find the purpose without being able to.

He makes her choose wether she wants to be the prey or the hunter in this. On purpose. To show her her options and her power because she never really got to experience both sides / perspectives with Angel OR Riley.

So while she tries to figure out 1. Her reason why she should kill him (which should be a very very valid one so she can bring up the power to do so) 2. Her life's purpose in general, he just ... delivers purpose, not to her, but as in, her being the purpose. That's what he acts like and That's what she can't handle. Yes, she is the reason he is trying to change, but also, he puts her in the Position of being the purpose of him doing that.

Showing her the self responsibility and ability to be her own purpose and make her own decisions. (After her friends all kind of screwed up that kind of SELF responsibility.) He really does man up in this show, and like I said, these are just my thoughts watching it for the first time (did not see angel the series yet).

He is also holding her accountable even though he has a soft spot for her, and she is not used to that. She treats him like a man, yes, but he treats her like an equal as well and always has. She is used being looked down upon by adults or the council, enemies, blablablah, also her friends who "saved" her earlier this season, or being the superslayer hero and leader who has to do everything. She is always in positions. Even with angel, she was, it kind of stopped when they broke up but even then, he treats her like she does not know SHIT. Something is standing between them and always has been, and while Angel kind of used that as an excuse to keep distant and keep their walls up, Spike uses these exact walls as a reason or challenge to tear them down. Spike never acts like things are not his fault even if they are horrible, he just simply accepts his dark side while still having a normal one, with passions on tv and card games and whatever. He *subconciously* takes responsibility even before having a soul, for stuff he did, he doesn't blame his vampire side or whatever for it.

I think in subtext, Buffy always had a slight commitment to angel, as in "maybe, one day, it can still happen" while angel cut off all those hopes for himself (not his desires, maybe. But his ... solution oriented search or smth) as we can see when he visits her at her mom's funeral.

And one other reason why Buffy is so terrified of that whole Spike thing is because it makes her stop that hope for angel or resolve that feeling of being owned by (her feelings for) him.

And don't get me wrong, Spike is kinda possessive too, but as I see it he is trying to commit to a relationship where she can own herself and that is what terrifies her truly.

(That's what we see him do with drusilla from the beginning)

You understand what I mean? If you got thoughts on it let me know!