#she’s a part of tai. always has been. so of course tai feels like herself much of the time this season

[novelconcepts]

Also please let’s discuss the Other Tai of it all, because this is important to me. She isn’t evil. It’s incredibly important to understand she isn’t evil. She’s hungry. She’s hungry for all the things that kept Taissa alive in the woods. She IS the thing that kept Taissa alive in the woods, in her own way. She was the very essence of nature. She was dirt and trees and need. What kept Tai alive out there? Food. Meat. Van. What does Other Tai naturally gravitate toward, trying to steer Taissa toward the things she needs? Food. Meat. Van. That political career? Theater. That family polished to a shine? Facade. What really matters, when everything else is shorn away? Food. Meat. Van. Base impulse. First loves and full bellies. She isn’t evil. She’s trying to keep Tai fed and alive, as she always has. It just comes at such a terrible cost.

[marikamlp]

Natalie's Leadership Analysis

S03E06 SPOILERS!!!

I think Natalie was always doomed to fail as a leader and her downfall was just a matter of time. Yes, she was good with practical stuff. Yes, girls prospered under her leadership, but she couldn't influence the group. Even before the crash Nat was "only a junkie", disregarded and often somewhat bullied by the other girls. But she was also "so completely herself" to quote Jackie. She was always at the core going to stay Natalie and in the Wilderness, that is exactly what doomed her leadership. Nat killed Ben because giving him mercy was what Nat would have done. Keeping him alive would have been what the other girls were doing, solely for the benefit of themselves. The act of killing Ben was a mercy kill and a selfless act that the other girls were not capable of. Because Mist too in some twisted Misty way loved Ben, but she wanted Ben alive because she couldn't take Ben dying, and she was willing to keep him alive despite his misery, unlike Nat who couldn't watch him suffer. And no, Nat never did what was good for her, that's what the other Yellowjackets were doing, she did what was right for Ben.

It is also very important to mention all of the parallels between Jackie's leadership and Nat's leadership. Jackie lacked practical skills that would be helpful to guide girls and she was unwilling to give into the Wilderness and let go of all the social standards, but Nat never had the influence that would make girls listen to her nor did she know how to execute her role and power as a leader. They really are two sides of the same coin. Natalie is clearly uncomfortable in her new role as we can see during the trial. She takes off the antler crown and the antler queen attire, and in the end, during voting, she no longer holds any attribute of the power and is just one of the other girls. She also doesn't seem to grasp the power her words could have. She is the queen, she has the final say, yet she is easily pushed off to the side as Shauna starts screaming and she doesn't do anything, because she never was supposed to be in that position. Lottie pushed her into it, but Nat was never truly chosen by the Wilderness, she was supposed to die, and she tricked the fate even if only temporarily because in the end she was always doomed to die.

Another great example of comparison between Jackie and Natalie and their power and influence is of course, the whole MariShauna fight, which reflects back to the fight Tai and Shauna had back in the pilot during the party. Nat tries to resolve the fight during the feast, giving Shauna and Mari house arrest, but it doesn't seem like either of them listens to it. Neither later, when Nat asks girls to look for Mari, all of them except for Misty disregard her and Tai and Van decide to do it on their own. Shauna doesn't even listen to her in such a simple thing as listening to Van's performance, and Nat seems at a loss how to talk to her and convince her. Jackie on the other hand has no problem putting her foot down during the party and she doesn't even have to look back at girls to know they are following her despite the eye rolls and their reluctance to do it. Same as later with "saying one nice true thing about every other girl", none of them want to at the beginning, but Jackie takes the initiative and they follow. Natalie disregards Jackie's leadership tactics and even thinks such matters as arguing within the group are not worth her impact

But Jackie is herself an example that those things do matter out there as well.

Now with Shauna in charge, I think things are about to go down the rails very fast and a lot of girls, especially those who are opposing Shauna's leadership, will die or suffer. Shauna seems to be immediately after being handed leadership, trying to be the leader she knew Jackie to be and actually use her tactics of calling out to team spirit and trying to make everyone feel needed, as part of the group.

But in the end, she's still Shauna. Shauna suffered so much that she has partly lost her core self from before. Unlike Nat, who was always going to be herself no matter what anyone else thought, which means she also in the end cared more about Ben than losing her status. And I don't personally think Shauna will be a good leader either. Though she will be a brutal one, willing to do anything to survive, like with Allie's leg. We know they didn't tell Jackie because she would have been against it and Nat was against it.

However, both Jackie and Nat had to fall because yellowjackets are like a bee hive. And other queens need to die so the other bees survive. "It's not brutal, it's nature"

[itchose]

akilah ALIVE and. well not well but she's still here <3

there is so much pressure on akilah right now. pressure from lottie, pressure that she's putting on herself - and now, pressure from the entire group now that they see her as the prophet lottie's molded her in to being. the only person right now who seems to be trying to take some of the pressure off her her is travis, and yes part of that is his own guilt for putting her in this situation, but he still genuinely cares about her and doesn't want to see her keep going through this and pushing herself harder.

"are you even seeing anything new?" "i'm seeing as much as i'm supposed to."

the way she says this is almost rehearsed, like she's gotten used to people starting to doubt it because the reality is, she can't make any sense of her own visions so how can she defend them to anyone else without convincing herself she just has to trust the process? there's always going to be a part of herself that doubts herself. which has always been the case for akilah - she doubts herself until she accomplishes something and she still wonders if it was a fluke or just genuinely something she always could've handled. it's usually the latter, even if she won't see that. which means she's going to keep putting herself through this hell until something becomes clearer and she can give her team something real.

travis says he's worried about her and she immediately deflects, because even if the pressure is catching up to her, she can't hear that she needs to quit. too many people are counting on her, she's counting on herself, and this is supposed to be how they get home. her motivation has always been about how they get home.

akilah has always wanted to inspire hope, that's always been her thing. and she could feel the wilderness but she was so scared of actually leaning into it and accepting it because more than anything, she wants to do whatever she can to keep her humanity, and giving into the wilderness is what she feared would take that away from her.

her visions have been "little things" about her family, them playing soccer, biology class (first of all can i please see her family?) - lottie calls it stuff from home but tai corrects her to say it's stuff from before, not the future, not hope that they're returning. this could be a hint that akilah never gets to go back there, that her memories are all she has, or just a reminder of how tethered to home she still is (she's one of the only characters who does actively still talk about home, or even allows herself to).

she's immediately concerned when lottie has an idea and she forces herself to watch it happen. i wish we'd gotten to see more reflection from akilah in the few months time jump as ben started to suffer more and more because i think she wanted to put all her faith in him being the bridge being genuine hope for all of them and didn't yet consider how much this was just leading to his endless suffering - but she's forced to really see it here, realize that she didn't really 'save him,' that this will all be on her. ben's suffering, everyone's discomfort for having to force feed him. nat says "i hope you're fucking sure about this" and akilah walks away upset. because she's not. she keeps telling herself she saved ben and brought them hope but she's not sure if that's true and she's becoming more desperate to find real answers for them all.

so of course she goes into the woods at night with intent to go back into the fucking caves again because she has to see if there's something she missed because why is ben suffering, why is everyone suffering because of it, and why isn't any of this being made clear to her yet? she's supposed to be the one with the answers and all she feels like she has the power to do is ... keep hurting herself.

the first vision she has is some obvious foreshadowing to what happens at the end of the episode / what's to come. the group is dancing around their camp, shauna and lottie are notably waving to the side (where the explorers come in later). there's a brief shot of the camp being empty and akilah saying "hello? where is everyone?" then another shot of everyone, excluding akilah, sitting around laughing. can't decide if it's just akilah's perspective or if it's important that she is not a part of the group, perhaps she gets lost during the potential hunt for the explorers if they get away. or maybe this is her seeing their potential rescue that would leave their campsite abandoned. nia says episode 7 is her favorite episode and she didn't say that it had anything to do with akilah but... i'm still thinking about That.

then there's the bear who grows a third eye. "a bear with a third eye can symbolize heightened intuition, spiritual insight, and the ability to see beyond the surface of things." / "bears are associated with primal power, strength, and intuition, representing the wild and untamed aspects of nature and the human spirit." / "the third eye is seen as a gateway to higher consciousness, intuition, the ability to perceive beyond the physical realm." a three-eyed bear could also represent "new perspectives" - could be about the oncoming explorers or a change of perspective from the girls as they're forced to actually think about the reality of getting rescued.

everything we've seen of her visions so far is just so fucked up and she's been doing this so consistently that i can't even imagine how much worse it's been that we've not yet seen which means she's probably just having the worst fucking time even when she's not in the caves but she's not showing it to everyone else. because she has to be fine. because people are counting on her to keep doing this.

but she lets herself break down in front of lottie and repeatedly says she's sorry because she doesn't know what any of this means and she's exhausted. and really what she needs so much in that moment is exactly what lottie gives her when she hugs her and brings her back to reality.

her face when she hears that shauna will lead them is so terrified because she does not trust shauna and shauna is the person she's most afraid of. she keeps looking between lottie and shauna to figure out what lottie's plan really is but akilah is already so aware that they are doomed under shauna's leadership (or that. at least maybe the people closest to her).

she's one of the first people to notice the explorers (the line of lottie-travis-akilah is truly something) so. very excited and also afraid of how her vision will manifest in the next episode.

[citadelofmythoughts]

So I kind of already got this with red like roses part two. (Context about the ruby and yang v10 family drama) but I’ve always wanted a slice of Ruby Is Angry With Summer. She loved her mom, she loves her memory, she mocked her outfit partially after her. She feels burdened with her gone. And while she’s sad and upset with her gone.

RLR2 is just. It’s my jam idk. It’s one of the only pieces in early days that showed how Ruby truly felt. Yang has nothing but good things to say about Summer and it’s clear BOTH girls idolize her to some extent. But while Yang lives in the bubble of “mom is still my hero even if she failed bc I know how strong and caring she was” it felt like or maybe I just hoped that while Ruby loved her mom here is laced with “How can you love someone and still be so angry with them”

In a way, in a very very different way that maybe would take a longer post to elaborate on, the way Yang sees Tai and the way Ruby sees Summer TO ME are similar. Not in subject matter but in the deeper more complicated feelings.

Tai was present but not emotionally. He was the fun dad. He seems to have grown from context clues into the nag your kids about life lessons, referencing Ruby’s annoyance at Yang saying she needs to branch out bc she “sounds like dad”. But he was neglectful. And loving a parent who hurt you even by accident, who never Saw your pain and then when they did handled it badly. Someone who tries but it’s wrong or not enough. That’s hard. The memory of super mom Summer keeps Yang going and is probably her version of Bubba Bubba Boba. It was bad. But not always. And that’s why her feeling about him are so complicated.

Whereas Ruby “maybe we don’t have the full picture” seems to give him space to be better / good. Of course dad loves us we know that. I imagine Yang has been the buffer for her since Yang was taking care of Ruby emotional needs growing up, and Tai took them out for fun trips and got them a puppy and taught them. He’s maybe distant until he “gets better” after Summer leaves. But with Qrow being the more visibly unstable one Ruby seemed to put her attention onto him and so Tai is just Dad to her.

But for RUBY, Summer is the omen hanging over her. Yang says in BTC that she believed Ruby was too young to truly grasp what had happened. How accurate that is we don’t really know but RLR2 tells us that even if she didn’t have the words Ruby felt more than ppl thought a toddler showed. Sadness and loss. Betrayal. She has to be the new Summer and she can’t even remember what she truly looked like. She’s perfect in every way. Ways Ruby can never be. And unlike Tai who Yang could potentially have a screaming match at, Summer isn’t here. Ruby’s only outlets for her feelings are fitting and herself, since she looks so much like her.

Their family makes me so sad but I have so many questions. And while a neglectful parent is NOT the same as a dead one, it’s hard to forgive someone who you can’t even tell you’re mad at them. (Not trying to downplay Yang’s own burdens this is more a sad fun parallel of how I personally view the girls and their complicated emotions with their parents)

The Rose/Xiao Long/Branwen family is a troubled one and it's so complicated and messy.

You can love someone but still be angry at them, you can love someone and be disappointed in them. A parent can love a child and still completely screw up and in the process hurt them without meaning to.

[lunatriense]

Between @scipiosmith's Yang ask and a post I saw a few days ago, it's got me thinking. The post in question brought up how Yang doesn't really fit in with the rest of Team RWBY: Ruby is a fated anti-Grimm warrior whose kind have been hunted nearly to extinction, Weiss is the heiress to the largest company in the world who wants to change her family's reputation and undo the damage her father has done, Blake is the former 'terrorist' princess of the faunus who's been fighting for their rights since she was a child (largely against said company), but Yang is just… Yang. She's just Ruby's sister, who's trying to find her mother. Everyone else has something big and important going on, but the closest Yang has to that is that her mother is a bandit queen… except Raven doesn't care about her so that doesn't mean anything.

Contrast this with JNPR. Jaune is a cheat who doesn't even know what aura is, Nora and Ren are orphans from a small town… but Pyrrha is an international celebrity, a 4-time tournament winner who has never lost a fight, with a major sponsorship deal, someone who Weiss – who's part of the very highest level of society from another country — knows all about, and who latches onto anyone who doesn't immediately recognise her name and face.

I think you know where I'm going with this. What if we swapped the odd ones out? What if, rather than teams RWBY and JNPR, we had teams RNBW and JRNY? How would it change things?

Well, here's a few ways it might.

Schneekos (hey, I'm still me lol). Alternatively, Pyrruby and Monochrome would work really well in this.

Ozpin selects Yang to be the new Fall Maiden. She lacks direction but she's got a good heart, and she's strong; this will give her purpose. Moreover, a Maiden will need to hide away, and where better to hide than with Tai, his old agent? No one will give a second thought to Yang returning home, and should she need to be anywhere, a trip with her uncle would hardly be strange.

Yang isn't totally sure how she feels about this, mostly because of the risk of losing herself. Trying not to let anything on, she talks to Ruby. Who else? These are the stories she use to read to her! But she's not such a cool big sister anymore; Ruby is stretching her wings, she has her own friends… she doesn't need Yang the same way now. But if Yang can be one of the figures from the stories, she'll always be the cool big sister, right? Ruby is super excited of course, given that her idea of hunters and heroes is still straight out of those stories, and she inadvertently encourages Yang to accept.

Hot-tempered as ever, when the Beacon attack happens and Cinder kills Amber, Yang is right on her heels. Unlike Pyrrha, she's at close to full aura, but also unlike Pyrrha, she depends on getting hit as part of her fighting style. Things end more or less the same, only this time Ruby is arriving just in time to see her sister die.

Ruby is the one to get the major grief arc in Mistral (but we don't leave out the others, because it would be ridiculous for them not to grieve their lost friend). She doesn't have just one training video, she has lots of pictures and videos from over the years, and the others will frequently catch her looking at them and crying as they're travelling. She takes to wearing Yang's gauntlets (if Cinder melted them, perhaps an older pair that no longer fit Yang but would fit Ruby) and, slowly but surely over the course of several seasons, learns to fight with them like Yang did — never as well necessarily since they aren't her primary weapon, but with the same style.

Pyrrha is faced with many of her fans suddenly turning on her, believing she murdered Penny and caused Beacon's downfall. Her mother is furious with her for 'throwing away the life they'd worked so hard to build'. She has to come to terms with herself beyond her persona and reputation, and ultimately decide to truly take control of her own destiny.

At some point after reuniting, Ruby snaps at Pyrrha (probably when the latter is trying to comfort her or something), not just because of Penny but Yang too. Why was Yang the one that had to do all that? Pyrrha's the champion, she should've been the one to do it! Fighting people is what she does!!

Ruby is the one who's especially angry that Ozpin kept his secrets from them, because her sister died for it. Qrow's anger also fits in better since Yang was his niece.

Weiss takes Yang's place in the Adam fight. She has to confront firsthand what the SDC does, driving her (more) to do something about it when the group returns to Atlas.

Given Ruby's ire toward Ozpin, she doesn't keep his secrets from Ironwood, who is now able to immediately begin altering his plans to account for new information.

With Weiss fired up from what she saw in Adam, she takes a much larger and more active role in opposing her father, publicly denouncing the SDC's practices and revealing what she's seen. Although she has no proof and thus can't bring criminal charges against him, her efforts draw the attention of the Happy Huntresses, the workers of Mantle, and Dr. Watts. The former groups quickly become allies, while Watts begins targeting her, thus leading the team into their initial villain for the arc.

I could keep going, but I'm drifting far enough out that it's less changes and more a totally different story from there. Which could of course happen earlier too! Or less could change, or different things!

What I find really interesting, however, is that by making that one little change — by switching Yang and Pyrrha's positions but still having Ozpin pick 'the B team ace' — so many things suddenly fall into place so well. So many things that were, to a greater or lesser degree, askew, no longer are. Everything just smoothes out so much and makes more sense, and the only thing so far that doesn't click into place is bb (which imo needs a lot of work anyway, so yeah).

[sato-sakai]

This February 16 is very special for me, because I am celebrating 20 years since I came into the world and less than a month before the premiere of Kung Fu Panda 4. This is why I wanted to make a blog about Kung Fu Panda, like this great saga. He has been present in my life and how did I meet the TYPE.

To begin with, when the first movie was released I remember being 4 years old.  They bought me a Tigress figure (at that time I didn't know she was a woman xd), a McDonald's figure and a special thermos.  A film that marked my childhood without a doubt, endearing characters, a villain that you come to empathize with, and of course an epic soundtrack.  I never got to see the Furious 5 and Christmas shorts until I was a little older.

For the second one I was already 7 years old, on the birthday of who was my best friend at that time we went to see her.  Like every child that year, she was scared when they showed the images of the panda genocide, but from then on she was enjoyable.  To this day, the scene in which Po seeks inner peace with his past and remembers how his mother sacrificed herself so that he could live continues to give me feelings.  Also, giving us who for me is the best villain of the saga, Lord Shen.  He had the movie in pirated mode and I remember that he played it almost always.  I saw the short film Secrets of the Masters a few years later, an interesting story and it retains the voice actors from the films.

From 2011-2016 I lost interest in the saga.  The Nickeledeon series never hooked me, I saw the shorts a long time after their premiere.  But around 2014 or 2015 was where I met the GUY.  Honestly, at that moment it was something very strange for me that duo, but after several videos and having read a few fanfics, I came to like them a lot.  I had an Xbox 360 Kinect, where we bought the official video game.  However, I never got around to playing it because it was too difficult for me.

Already in the third one, when I was 12 years old, I went to see it with my brother on a classmate's birthday.  Although she wasn't bad, it wasn't what I expected, I feel like they could have improved a lot.  Kai was a decent villain on par with Tai Lung and Shen, but the rhythm and essence of this one felt very childish compared to its predecessors, a point to highlight in this one was the concept of Chi which at that time was new to my.  From this point was where my interest in TYPE began to grow more and became one of my biggest obsessions to this day XD.

At that time I explored and saw many artists who drew this ship.  If I remember correctly, one of the first was from Tigress and Po's children who were a panda and a white tiger named Hana or something like that, back in 2016 it was where I saw @ani-dragmire's drawings for the first time, @masterlan12 and @7oy7iger (although at that time Lan made another ship).  Without a doubt three great cartoonists with whom I have been able to talk on a couple of occasions.

When the Paws of Destiny series came out I had very high expectations (although I didn't have prime video at that time) but I ended up somewhat disappointed by the final result and the absence of the Furious 5.  Although, it has redeeming things such as the 4 constellations (I had already heard of these mythological creatures but in Japanese folklore) and Po's perception of Tigress as a friend and great warrior.  2022 was a heavy year, my entry into university and the news that an upcoming movie about our beloved panda was very close and that it would bring back the 3 previous villains of the saga, I was more than excited.

However, that same year, what for me and a large part of the fandom was released was a great lack of respect for Kung Fu Panda.  The Netflix series, my first mistake was thinking about the return of Jack Black as Po.  I remember that that year was one of the lowest in terms of quality of movies, series, video games and so on.  The idea of ​​getting to know the rest of the world outside of China in the lore of Kung Fu Panda was what blinded me from the nonsense I would see.  Po being clumsy and crouching in front of a hateful and empowered bear.  The worst of all was that I watched all three seasons on Netflix.

By December of last year I saw the first trailer for Kung Fu Panda 4, although it was exciting to see Tai Lung back (probably in a redemption arc) I must say that it was somewhat disappointing not to see the Furious 5.  At the time of writing this I am hoping to see Shen and Kai in a future trailer.

For me, Kung Fu Panda is not a simple saga of movies made for children, it is a saga that shows the evolution of a martial arts fan on the path to being the most legendary warrior in China.  Although it is not the best like the Shrek or How to Train Your Dragon sagas, it is one of the most beloved.  If there is something I admire about Po, it is how despite having a painful past, being rejected at the beginning, perhaps not being what Shifu expects of him.  Po never gives up and always maintains a warm smile and an optimistic attitude, kind of like Peter Parker.  And well, this is all for now, I say goodbye to you.

Note: No spoilers from March onwards.

[ladyintree]

"━ SO, WHAT WAS YOUR PLAN? JUST SHOOT HIM IN THE LEG THROUGH THE BACK WINDSHIELD? 'CAUSE IT FELT FOR A MOMENT THERE LIKE WE WERE ALL GOING AWAY FOR MURDER." [ @warpainte ]

she has been trying desperately to take control of the situation ever since receiving that first postcard.  someone fighting against her campaign, she imagined, hopefully just empty threats that her team could easily handle and get out of her way.  jessica was already poking at the other survivors,  doing the dirty work for tai to ensure that nothing got in her way in her race to senate.  still, she hadn’t anticipated any of this happening,  clearly not the simple shut down she hoped for it to be.  this is the most time she’s spent with so many of them since shauna’s wedding,  and it was beginning to make tai feel trapped,  made worse by the throbbing pain in her hand — a reminder that a part of her had returned after so many years of her believing she’d buried her in the wilderness.

as much as she’s always tried to protect nat,  it’s always been clear to her that she was always going to do what she wanted to do.  that meant that if there was a gun in her pocket,  none of them could have stopped her from firing it when she believed she needed to.  and as frustrated as tai was when the gun fired—  it’s nothing compared to the ache she feels now as shauna says the words she’s sure they’re all thinking out loud.  

as much as she’s tried to avoid looking at mikayla since they reunited,  she can’t help it now.  she still cares, so much more than she’s allowed herself to really think about the past few years,  and so much more than she imagines mikayla thinks —- so she knows those words will sting, just like they sting tai,  too.  her shoulders slump,  momentarily ignoring the pain from their blackmailer’s defense,  her entire body instead desperate to reach out for mikayla — the way she should have 25 years ago.  her eyes are locked on her, watching as her face drops,  then she follows her eyes,  looking down to her hands.  tai feels sick,  the curiosity of what happened to mikayla that day all coming back to her now,  but she’s come to accept that she’ll never know the details.  she doesn’t deserve them,  not after she should have been mikayla’s safe place after it all,  and instead,  she left her in the dust,  forced to deal with it alone.

instinctively,  she starts to take a step in mikayla’s direction,  but it’s pointless.  she knows enough to know any comfort from her will only make whatever’s going on in her mind worse.  

she tries to remember what it was like when she was 19.  did she feel this desperate pull towards her then?  how could she, if she never gave into it?  how could she let her go through that all alone,  after a year of promising her that she would never feel alone again?   

she reminds herself that mikayla’s okay now,  at least from the pieces that she’s gathered.  a nice car,  presumably a stable job,  and—-  a wife.  that’s something tai can’t let herself dwell on, not when she’s been married for longer than she ever real knew mikayla,  and yet she can’t help compare herself to the other woman,  wondering if she gives mikayla all the things tai should have given her,  had she just not been so fucking stubborn.

she stops herself,  rerouting her course of action and forcing herself to look away from mikayla.  she looks back at shauna and does the other thing she can think of to protect mikayla now — give her some kind of defense,  at least a change of subject so none of them have to dwell on what mikayla’s thinking.  ❝  that’s not happening.  ❞   don’t look back at her now, taissa.   ❝  i’m not letting that happen to anyone.  ❞  she tells herself she’d say the same thing even if mikayla wasn’t standing here,  but the truth is,  she’d likely save herself over the others.  it’s genuine now, though, even if it doesn’t make up for the way she hadn’t been there for her before.  she wouldn’t let that happen again,  because even if she and mikayla still haven’t addressed anything between them or even dared to look each other’s way — she vows to herself now to not let any of this shit drag mikayla down.   

❝ —- we’re fine.  we’ll get him. no one's fucking going to jail. ❞ 'again' is implied - not just because of mikayla, but because of the one holding the gun now, both people tai never wants to see reach that fate again, no matter how badly she'd failed them both. ❝  we'll regroup, figure it out. just as long as nobody fucks it up in the mean time, ❞ she adds, her eyes directed at nat, then shauna, intentionally not looking mikayla's way this time. she may not have any reason to trust her now, not when mikayla has every reason to make tai's life hell now, but for some reason, she does. she trusts she won't be the one causing chaos for them all this time, the same way she trusted her to back then.

[danwhobrowses]

AEW All Access Ep 4 Thoughts

So Full Gear is in the books in the All Access timeline, but what developments do we have next for our cast members? Here's my thoughts on things

Man imagine having a home like a wrestler's? Full of merch, titles you've won spread over your walls, spacious and you don't have to fork out rent? Plus I'd definitely borrow Rey Mysterio's waterfall swimming pool from his home

Pretty telling that Kenny probably wouldn't have come back without the Bucks, it shows how much he backs his friends though

Knew that was coming Max, but man we got about 3 minutes worth of unpaid MJF footage there

Actually quite surprised Tay never broke anything, it's a good thing of course even I've never broke a bone but I haven't done 2 bloody street fights and a career of Judo so my path was a little safer

This series need 90% more Willow Nightingale too she would be great in this...okay 70% she was shown quite a bit but she needs to be a more prominent character

"It's pro-wrestling baby, somebody's always mad about something" ain't that the Truth, the whole Truth and even the R-Truth

See I know I gotta keep reiterating it, but wrestlers are people, and sometimes people don't get along but that doesn't make either bad people; Tay and Ruby don't get along, but they are still good people, Rosa and Britt don't get along, but they both want to do what's best for AEW

Need 80% more Ethan Page too

Ruby and Eddie's reunion too, warms the heart

We could just commission a whole series of 'Eddie Kingston and his friends', just have Eddie vibing and watching wrestling with his favourite people like Ruby, Ortiz, Moxley, Riho, Lulu, Penta etc.

I do feel bad for Rosa, because she's clearly motivated to return to the ring but it still hasn't happened, imagine not being able to do a job you love for months

I kinda miss Madi Wrenkowski, not as much as I miss KiLynn King but she was a good worker, liked her gear too. Both see and King are tag champs in other promotions if you didn't know (Madi is NWA women's tag champion as part of M95 and King is Knockouts Tag Champion as part of The Coven)

80% more Penelope too, though if she's taking more time for herself for personal reasons absolutely don't pry she has had a rough time

You know the heat is bad when Sammy Guevara, one of the most booed men in AEW, has to pause over it XD

Again though, we could've dedicated more time with showing Jamie directly rather than talking around her. Her story of becoming champion and the pressure of it mentioned here would've been interesting to see coming from her instead of mentioned by Tony and Britt

Since we got to see Cool Hand Ang I need to say AEW need to push 2point0 properly, they are charisma machines

Wardlow is just standing there, OMINOUSLY!

As I've said, Ruby and Tay are good people, but I do think Ruby was a bit iffy about doubting Tay saying it was an accident, I mean the move has a high margin for error (case in point Mercedes Moné fka Sasha Banks' first attempt at the Gory Special DDT on KAIRI completely missed) it felt like she was set on giving a receipt regardless

[werechampions]

Don’t have the full brain, time or energy to get a full post out this week (and lbr they’re always way too long to begin with) but just going throw out random thoughts that stuck out at me the most throughout the ep

I knew that them keeping ben alive was not going to end well for ben, but it was pretty fucking haunting to watch the time jump. I’m surprised they jumped ahead that much, but then again, in reality, most of these days are going to be pretty identical. There’s not going to be a ton of variation from the day to day, so it doesn’t surprise me that they sped ahead instead of boring people. It brings the urgency back, while also impressing on the desperation of it all. That said, I do wish we would get a few more moments when the characters are sitting with the events of the end of the episodes. Usually it’s some jarring cliffhanger, and then there’s missing time between episodes, especially in the teen timeline. I kind of wanted to see a bit more of how the rest of the camp was faring after that stalled execution

I feel like we all knew it was going to be natalie in the end, but I got such chills watching her scenes with steven this episode. Knowing what we know about her history and her relationship with ben. When he’s trying to convince her to kill him and he calls her a good leader and knows what needs to be done, she corrects him and says that she’s “their leader”, which decidedly doesn’t include ben, but at the same time, she adds that she doesn’t want to ruin his chances of getting home either. It goes against every fiber of her being to put stock in these visions, but she’s right about one thing, it gives the others hope and it’s a huge flip from where she was last season. “There’s no such thing as false hope. There’s just hope.” She derided lottie for saying that about javi, but then lottie turned out to be right. What if she is right this time too? And of course, that is a moot point by the end, but thinking about her mindset during those months, what she went through and by herself no less, my heart aches

literally have not stopped thinking about steven saying that he played the entire season as though ben set the fire, though not intending to kill the girls, but to try and ‘scare them straight’ so to speak, and how it interplays with when he’s telling natalie that he did it. Obviously there are embellishments because he’s trying to provoke her, but I do think it’s meaningful that ben got a chance to say that to natalie, even if it’s hidden under all those layers. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter because the writers’ intent is for it to remain ambiguous, but I’m also thinking about how it entirely recontextualizes his speech at the end of the trial, about how what they did was incredible. It’s what he wanted to happen with the fire technically, yet he suffers immensely for it

brain won’t shut up about how van starts off the season talking about the “first annual summer solstice festival” and now she’s worried about having to spend another winter in the wilderness, and how quickly that belief broke down. For me, it was the hallucination that really triggered it, a reminder that no matter how much she tries to bury stuff, it’ll still come back to haunt her. But she barely has time to think about it because of the trial and the attempted execution, and tai needs her more than she needs to figure out why she was tripping out in the caves, and akilah and lottie are insisting that ben is somehow connected to their way home. I think a lot about how in many ways, the wilderness was van’s first real home where she felt comfortable and safe. Her home life was unstable and unpleasant, and at least here, she’s mostly surrounded by friends, she’s with taissa, there’s no drunk mother, despite all the shitty parts about it too. But there’s been a clear breakdown in the story that van was trying to convince us all of at the beginning of the season and where she is now

I’d bet money that there’s an unused take somewhere out there where liv said ‘fuck huts’ instead of ‘fun huts’

the lowkey confirmation of jackieshauna via mean lesbians is everything I wanted and more. Tbh if anyone was going to clock it, it would be the two of them, and I feel like it’s probably something they’ve talked about pre-crash. Maybe not extensively, but something more like “do you think they realize how homoerotic they look?” I’ve always personally considered it part of the reason van somewhat understood why jackie left her behind on the plane, even if she never fully forgets about it. And all that only becomes more obvious after jackie dies. And if we go off the popular fandom theory that shauna was definitely macking on jackie’s two month old corpse… well, I feel like that might be something they might have talked about in the attic idk; and honestly the funniest part about this whole thing is how in the adult timeline, shauna clocks them just as easily, she’s literally like, please shut the fuck up and hand the phone to van who is two feet away from you

vanshauna is so delicious to me and I’m glad they’re actually kinda delving into it a little (honestly I’ll take them expanding van’s relationship with literally anyone other than tai - not a complaint, just a suggestion <3) I don’t really think that van is jealous of shauna per se, not in the way that jackie was jealous of tai, but she certainly doesn’t understand shauna the way tai does. There’s a part of her that gets it, if only because of her understanding of tai and how she operates. I think more than most people, she sees how similar tai and shauna can be, and is part of the reason why van doesn’t begrudge tai that friendship. That said, it doesn’t mean she’s going to roll over either. Van’s not unsympathetic to what shauna went through, but she doesn’t appreciate they’re all kind of forced to walk around on eggshells around shauna. It reminds her too much of how she lived back in jersey, and she also sees the efforts that both tai and natalie go through to help shauna, only for it to get thrown back in their faces. Coupled with how shauna’s actions threaten the stability of their community, van is tired of coddling shauna in a way nor does she actually want to be a complete asshole about it, but she’s also not brave enough to do anything other than make sassy quips here and there. That said, there is no doubt in van’s mind that shauna is her friend, no matter how frustrating she finds her sometimes. Twenty-five years later and she still considers shauna her friend, and wants to help her to the best of her ability. It’s just complicated like everything else happens to be for them

starting to get a few more answers about other tai, or at least more hints, and I think van is finding it more difficult to distinguish between our tai and other tai. I think she is aware that other tai is poking her head out more, though I don’t think she fully understands the extent of it (yet). That def changes with the phone call and the nightmare, but still more just waiting to see how things play out. But I think van is realizing that she’s not able to distinguish between the two as easily as she once could, even a few weeks ago, and that’s starting to make her question things. Up until this point, van has largely been taking tai’s lead. She thought this was what tai needed after simone and sammy, but the fact that van is actually the one to put her foot down is nice to finally see. Lauren has this nice reaction when tai starts going about the ‘curse’ that shauna has apparently told them about, where she’s almost in disbelief that tai is acting this way about shauna of all people. And that’s fair because it’s almost a role reversal. In the teen timeline, we have tai being the one to tell van to cut shauna some slack, whereas here, van’s like “hey no, our friend needs our help, can you please focus?” even if they’re not friends (like that), van is still as loyal as they come and right now, shauna needs them, as ridiculous as it sounds. It’s just weird for her to be the one to convince tai of that and not the other way around

I feel so deeply for taissa in this moment of, everything sucks, everything I do seems to fail and I keep losing, so why shouldn’t I try to feel good? For someone like taissa, even if this is other tai driving the car, they are still the same person and have this same innate core drive to fix things, and it feels like a personal failure when she can’t. I also deeply understand the desire to push things away because if we have to feel our feelings, at least make them good, but unfortunately that’s not how that works, and given tai’s circumstances, I fear just how much distress this is going to leave behind

travakilah besties are so important to me. For both of them, they have such big hearts yet are incredibly aware of how vulnerable that makes them, especially in the wilderness, so seeing them together is actually a very natural pairing. I do think that no matter what happens, travis is going to carry this guilt with him through the post-rescue, and it really puts another spin on the way his life ended, about wanting to talk and bargain with it, similar to how he sees lottie and kilah doing in the teen timeline, and he sees that pressure that akilah is putting on herself and he feels awful for it, but he also doesn’t know how to say that maybe he wasn’t right. That’s not his job, he only knows what he saw, but we’ve already seen travis’ misgivings with all of it

the forcefeeding scene was so difficult to watch, and I have a lot of thoughts about travis and van being picked? Volunteering? To be a part of this. I wonder if maybe they drew cards again to see who had to do this unpleasant task. Misty makes sense because she’s the one who comes up with the idea. I don’t necessarily see shauna volunteering but also wouldn’t put it past her to step up once it became clear what needed to be done. In practical terms, van and travis make the most sense for the rest of the survivors as they both have more of upper body strength the the soccer players, but at the same time, both of them are clearly traumatized by the act of it. Travis is the one holding ben down, van is pouring the crap down the funnel, and that haunted look in van’s eyes when she walks out, the loaded look she gives to nat. She’s doing it for her, not really for ben. Ben is a means to an end for van, he has to be because she can’t let herself feel sympathy for him, not when he’s supposedly their ticket home, but this is part of the reason why I think van yells at nat at the end of the episode

“What were you thinking? You do not get to make that decision for all of us” - that’s been the core pillar of how van has been operating in the wilderness. Even when there’s shit that she doesn’t necessarily like or agree with, her focus has always been on keeping the collective together, keeping the group intact. She’s done awful things in the name of doing just that, so yeah, it’s kind of a punch in the gut when the person she’s put her faith in has betrayed that notion, especially when they had previously seemed to be on the same page on it. That said, she steps in when shauna advances on nat because while she’s pissed, that doesn’t mean they have to keep devolving. But at the end of the day, van is a follower. She’s never really had much of a problem with that until recently, when it’s putting her in direct conflict with her own thoughts and morals, but the second lottie declares shauna as the next leader, she’s got nothing left to say. I think, like many of the others, she has her misgivings about it, probably would rather have tai in that position if it was a choice between the two of them, but also knows that there is no going against lottie’s word even now, and van’s goal is still to make sure they stick together

I know lottie’s actions have been incredibly unsettling and pushy throughout the season but this kindred connection with lottie and akilah as quite meaningful to me. In many ways, lottie probably does wish she didn’t have to be the guide for others, that she didn’t need to be so pushy. If it’s herself who is offering sacrifices and risking her health to make sure the others are on the right path, that’s one thing, but now she has to rely on someone else. And she’s genuine in her belief that there is a meaning to all this, but it’s not as though she has the most reliable mind. I personally don’t think the others are aware of lottie’s official diagnosis, they probably have their own suspicions by now but I don’t think schizophrenia was as common a diagnosis in 90s suburbia as it is in 2021. She understands better than anyone the weight on akilah’s shoulders, the desperation to try and make sense of these visions that people have told them are meaningful. It’s an unfortunate full circle story, but lottie isn’t approaching it with maliciousness or manipulativeness

travnat really are so so tragic, like so many of these pairings are, but the fact that this is their first significant moment together after javi is so striking. and it's Weird too when i thought about it because travis has been So Loud about nat all season, but they haven't really talked, but we got two scenes this episode, and kevin and soapy are both so good at that tortured bleeding heart thing where they know the other is suffering so they don't want to make it worse, but they could really just use a goddamn hug

shaunanat butchery scene my beloved. Obsessed with the way nelisse plays both cruel and soft right off the heels of each other. Covering ben’s face is very much for natalie, but the way she delivers the line, it’s to also deliberately remind her who she is being told to carve up. And of course the implications for the adult timeline when nat offers to help shauna carve up adam’s body, just delicious

lisa yellowjackets, you’re so important to me. I feel like this is confirmation that lottie was practicing her apology in the mirror for lisa, and that just hurts my heart a lot. It doesn’t really sound like she ever really delivered it, instead opting for a written note, but love seeing this moment of lottie’s heart. I still don’t think tai did it, they’re making it too obvious imo and based on everything we’ve seen, these writers are clearly very good at pulling out things that no one could really consider. I don’t think it’s realistic for tai to have been able to do all of that within the hour that she was away from van but who knows. Given the creepy as wakeup call, clearly there’s a lot going on with tai that we do not know

marinat bonding over what they're not saying about ben, really loved this moment given what we had seen with mari and ben earlier in the season. if anyone was going to understand it, it would be mari and i think nat appreciated at least Someone saying so

non-essential cannibalism finally!! God this really is the turning point of the teen timeline I think, and we have seen them holding these people hostage, so super curious to see where things go from here. It does look like they’re leaning towards having the rescue happen at the end of the season but who knows. At least we know who the fuck ashley sutton is now

[ladyintree]

she rolls her eyes,  frustrated that this conversation is happening years later,   because it could’ve been avoided if they could’ve just been there for her.   of course,  it’s easy for taissa to believe that they still could have been,  despite not being together,  when she’s the one who broke up with her in the first place.   ❝  you cut me out of your life, ❞   she says it like it really is as simple as that,   like she’s not at fault for anything.   ❝  after everything.  you were just fine never speaking to me again.  never asking how i am.  never telling me how you are.   never even bothering to answer my letters—  did you even read them?  ❞    she says,   getting worked up,   and once she realizes it,   she takes a deep breath,  trying to collect her composure again.  she brings a hand up to stop herself.   ❝  doesn’t matter, i guess.   you don’t give a shit.  i got that. ❞   not about her,  not about what they went through,  nothing.   she’s not okay with that,  because every day of her life,  she wonders how mikayla’s doing— and she never gets to know.  doesn’t mikayla wonder, too?  

of course she knows about her father— but that’s exactly why she’s been so confused about mikayla’s soccer career,  because she knew she resented it because of him.  she hadn’t considered she’d want to continue to spite him—  if they had the chance to speak about it,  taissa would’ve tried to talk her out of it,  tell her that she already won.    she frowns,  letting out a small scoff.  ❝  you were always better,  ❞   she says, as if it’s obvious.   it’s not just a dig at her father— she just always saw how good mikayla was.  she made taissa better.   she rolls her eyes as she brings it back to her and shakes her head.   ❝  no.  because i still don’t know why you’d want to put yourself through something you hate.   i know you, mikayla.  ❞    or at least,  she did.   ❝  you’re miserable playing.  aren’t you?   ❞    because even if she doesn’t know her anymore,  she still notices her.  she can still tell, even when no one else may be able.   she brings her hand up to rub at her forehead.  ❝ — you’re playing the best soccer of your life, ❞   she adds,  starting to feel slightly bad for digging at her.  ❝  just don’t want you to get lost in it, ❞    she says,   speaking from experience.

her jaw clenches,   and she does everything she can to not fall apart at her words.  she’s convinced herself for years that mikayla doesn’t love her anymore—  but she’s never gone that far,   believing that it wasn’t real to begin with.   it makes her angry to know that mikayla has,   and she doesn’t even feel like she can defend herself,  because what’s the point if mikayla’s already made up her mind?   ❝  so,  you were wrong?  about—  ❞    she feels like she’s going to choke if she says the words,  but she has to;   she has to confront her to see if there’s any kind of sign that she’s full of shit.   ❝  you weren’t in love with me?  ❞    she asks,  her eyes squinting,  silently telling her to answer carefully.   she wouldn’t just be disappointing tai—  she’s be disappointing the girl she was out there,  too.   the one taissa would trust her life with.  

she rolls her eyes,  because part of her always expected mikayla to look down on her for her path.   she’s been successful every step of the way—  it doesn’t mean she’s not empty inside through it all,  but mikayla can’t know that.   or maybe she can see it in her eyes,  the way she thinks she sees it in hers,   but that would be giving herself too much hope.   before she can say anything though, she realizes that she’s never told mikayla that—   she never had the chance,  and even in the letters she sent that went unanswered,  she never gave her too much detail,  hoping that it may entice her to finally ask.   ❝  who told you what i do?  ❞    she asks,   an amused grin forming on her features,  even if that’s empty too.   ❝  if you know that much—  i’m sure you know i’m damn good at what i do,  ❞    she says,  raising a brow.   ❝  as long as they actually give a shit,  ❞   she adds,  only really talking about her now, because of them, not what she's done.

mikayla's chest swells with anger, eyes squinting slightly in disbelief, because what the fuck? “ that's not what happened. ” her tone is firmer this time, because she's not trying to argue— she's just telling the truth, whether tai wants to believe it or not. maybe mikayla overreacted, unable to cope with being broken up with on top of everything else she was dealing with in the moment, but she didn't just give up on taissa, not when it already felt like tai gave up on her. she was just making it easy for the both of them, letting tai focus on her own life, the way she seemed so fucking desperate to without her, and giving herself the space she needed to move on. her reaction felt like the only real choice, the only thing that made sense, because watching tai just slowly forget about her would have hurt so much worse than just ripping the bandaid off entirely, cutting straight to the loss.

she closes her eyes in annoyance, head falling back for a moment as she takes a deep breath, trying to get a hold of herself. her attempt to pretend she doesn't care seems to be failing miserably, but she should have expected that much when tai's always known how to get under her skin. “ he wanted to play professionally, ” she starts with the actual explanation, irritated that she has to explain herself at all, because if tai paid any attention to her back then, she should have been able to figure it out herself. but maybe mikayla didn't matter as much as she thought she did, so of course she wouldn't remember. “ but he wasn't good enough. so it makes me feel— i don't know, better. knowing i'm doing what he couldn't. ” it could easily apply for taissa, too, because both of the people who hurt mikayla most wanted the same thing at some point— but as bad as tai hurt her, he did so much worse, so this has far more to do with spiting him. “ is that a good enough reason for you? can you drop it now? ”

of course that's easy for tai to say when she hasn't spent years feeling like an idiot, putting so much faith into someone, giving her all the power to hurt mikayla, actually stupid enough to think that tai wouldn't. as much as she's convinced herself she hates tai for what she did, mikayla hates herself worse for even allowing it, for not knowing better. “ i was wrong, ” she corrects, which feels like the same thing, but maybe tai won't argue against it. “ —about you. that makes me stupid. ” she thought tai was someone who loved her, who wanted to be with her, but clearly, something changed between rescue and mikayla's arrest. “ you were different. ” she doesn't even just mean compared to now— she couldn't recognize the girl who visited her in prison, the one who found it so easy to break mikayla's heart, because she felt absolutely nothing like the girl mikayla fell in love with, the one who loved her back.

“ you don't even know me now. ” she's not wrong, of course, because after she was told changing numbers wasn't an option, she'd wondered if it would bother tai, if it would hurt. but it wasn't intentional, only a thought that crossed her mind after the fact. she frowns at tai's answer, unable to believe that that's really it, but unlike taissa, mikayla's not annoying enough to push for more. everything feels empty to mikayla, and maybe a lot of that has to do with losing the only person who ever really made her feel alive, so she can't let herself get too concerned. “ and... being a lawyer feels better? ” she asks slowly, like she can't imagine it being any less empty, but maybe that's because she could at least understand playing soccer. “ i hope you're better than the dumbass i got to represent me. but— you kind of suck at giving convicts hope, so i can't really see that. ”

[novelconcepts]

💚 for young Taivan?

💚 true love's kiss / magic kiss / healed

They're eleven when Taissa realizes Van has nowhere to go after school. This is apparently unacceptable.

"I'm good," Van protests, but Tai's already told her parents, and they aren't thrilled with the idea of a sixth grader chilling by herself. For some reason. Van doesn't understand what difference it makes; she's alone at home most of the time, too, and that always works out just fine. What's the big deal about latchkey?

It's a battle she tries to wage for exactly three days, at which point Tai says, "If you come over after school, you can make me watch all your dumb movies."

She pretty much gives up on the war at that point, because A) movies, and B) Taissa's lying about finding them dumb. Taissa loves the movies Van picks, except for the ones that are too scary ("I'm tired of watching the Black character die all the time," she complains, which is fair) and the ones that are too mushy ("Those guys suck, and the girls just marry them anyway? It's so gross," she complains, and--yeah, true on that point, too).

Today's movie is neither scary, nor mushy. It's great. It's one of the greatest in existence, and somehow, Taissa hasn't seen it.

She complains, of course. It's just because she likes watching Van's ears turn pink, and because she likes when Van argues with her by rehashing the best parts while they're still onscreen. Van knows this, because Tai told her as much at a sleepover once. She might have been talking in her sleep, but Van still believed her.

Anyway, complaints or not, Taissa has to admit this is the best movie in the world once it's over. And, as with all the best movies, she agrees to expand on the story with scenes of their own afterward.

"You're Princess Buttercup," Van informs her. "And I'm Westley."

"Of course you are." Tai rolls her eyes. "You just want to be a hot sword-fighting pirate."

"Duh." Does Tai think Westley is hot? The idea burns the back of Van's neck. He's fine, she supposes; better than most leading men, but nowhere near the princess' level.

Doesn't matter. This part does. She fumbles through Tai's closet, digging out a black sweater and a silky scarf. "Can I cut eyeholes into this?" she asks. Taissa shrugs.

"Sure. I've got a bunch."

The effect isn't perfect, but it gets the job done. Clad in pirate attire, with Taissa in a dress she says is mostly just for church, Van flops backward onto the bed.

"Now. I'm dead."

"Mostly dead," Tai corrects. Van bites back a giggle.

"Uh huh. Knew you were paying attention. Okay, so here's the moment you have to kiss me."

"Kiss you?" Tai repeats, bewildered. "What for?"

"Uh, because it's true love's kiss. It's the kiss to end all kisses! It's romantic, man!" She shuts her eyes and sticks her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. "Also because, if you don't, I'll stay dead."

"Mostly dead. This is stupid." Even so, she feels the mattress dip as Taissa climbs up beside her. "When do I do it?"

"Soon. The evil prince is on his way, and I need to be able to stab him to death with my sword."

"You don't have a sword," says Taissa sensibly. Van flaps a hand at her.

"I'll find one. But first, you have to--"

"Fine," Tai scoffs. There's a beat, as if she's considering her angles--or maybe running off and leaving Van to take a nap by herself. Then, so suddenly, it makes Van jump, she's pressing a kiss against Van's lips.

It's warmer than she'd expected. Weird--but not bad weird. She's never considered the shape of Tai's lips before, how different they are from her own. Never considered Tai's breath, either, which still tastes of the peanut butter crackers they'd scarfed during the movie.

True love's kiss is, on the whole, nothing like she'd imagined. Still, it's nice, and when Tai pulls away, Van sits bolt upright.

"I live!" she cries in her best mad scientist voice. It doesn't exactly suit The Princess Bride, but oh well. She leaps from the bed, racing to the foyer closet and digging out an umbrella. "En garde!"

"You," Tai says, laughing, "are so stupid."

"Stupid," Van agrees, "but alive! True love's kiss strikes again! C'mon, grab a fire poker. I can't fight alone."

The evil prince never stood a chance.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

The Chloe-Saga

Regarding the whole Chloe-situation: I don’t get it. Just what exactly makes Astruc not only hate a character of his creation to this extent but also makes him not stop giving her more and more prominence in the actual show? Like, in S1 she was the quintessential high school bully. Hates the main character, has the same love interest, causes a lot of “problems/villain of the week”. And guess what? That’s perfectly fine as an archetype. She fulfilled her purpose and it was fun whenever she got put down a notch. That some fans latched onto her and her being redeemed? That’s what a fandom does. It takes characters and gives them a new spin – that does not mean they like what a character in canon does, it means they want to explore those characters outside their bubble. With the identity-shenanigans going on, there even was a pre-build reason for why Chloe might question herself. In S2 we then got the full package of explanations for why Chloe’s Chloe. And while some of them were a bit much and Chloe still did a lot of bad things that might even exceed the “justifications”, Chloe became more than an archetype and more like a character with a clearer background and needs and wishes. What did Astruc expect? Even when we don’t buy her background AND think she went far beyond moral boundaries, there still is a lot more to latch onto. And in S3 and in S4 she got more focus and excuses. Fought of an Akuma. Was explicitly targeted by the big bad and more than once hurt by her idol. Got more family drama and focus on how her family affects people. If we are truly meant to hate Chloe and see not one bit of goodness (which Astruc tells us too) just why are we getting all that focus and excuses? As a one-dimensional schoolyard bully it would have been a lot easier to simply hate her. But that role is apparently Lila’s turf now… The way I see her character and development: One of her traits from the very beginning was how much she liked Ladybug and how much it hurt her whenever LB rejected or renounced her in a way she could not wave aside. She even literally dressed up as Ladybug! In S2 when her mother was introduced, what was one of the first things Chloe did? She sat besides her and mimicked every single movement. For me these were the defining moments of Chloe’s potential to be good. A girl who just really craves the attention of powerful female role models that she can model herself after. A girl who is way more insecure than her bratty face lets on. A girl who has not yet really found herself. Audrey’s entire character essentially is a grown-up Chloe. Petty and nasty and kicking down at every opportunity. Seeing how Chloe reacted to her, mimicked her, and just wanted to be recognized by her, I see most of Chloe’s character essentially as her modelling herself after her. Which is not helped by her father essentially being a rubberstamp with authority, Sabrina being an extended arm, and the butler…being a butler. Ladybug was the counter-weight. It was obvious Chloe cared about her and her opinion of her. She was still flawed and at times outright cruel but there was a hint of progress. Be it her later appearances as Queen Bee where she was either willing to listen (Maledictator) or act as part of the team (Heroe’s Day) or the entire “rejected an Akuma”-saga complete with shielding Sabrina without anything to gain from it. For me the most hurtful moment was when Marinette in her endless goodness reconciled mother and daughter. Because ultimately that was part of what made Chloe continue to model herself after Audrey and what made her stop questioning if Audrey truly is a woman to be emulated. Double hurtful because with Ladybug off her pedestal she was back as the sole role model and because this is yet another thing that can be construed as ultimately being Marinette’s fault (which I don’t believe in and absolutely hate!). We had all these things. Neglectful mother she wanted to emulate in the hopes to be recognized. Secondary role model that cast her out for reasons pertaining to her sins of the past and even before often rejected her for reasons Chloe couldn’t know about. A lot of enablers who either can’t or won’t tell her ‘no’ or 'stop that’ [and we know Chloe at least listens when the few people she cares about tell her]. This is not a condemnation story, that is a tragedy! Which is another thing I am weirded out about. How can Chloe be an irredeemable demon who has not a semblance of goodness in her and yet we are expected to feel stabbed in the heart by the S3-finale? Either she had the potential to be good and it was a tragedy it was not meant to be, or she is an obvious devil who nobody should feel for or with. We can’t have both! Should I feel betrayed or should I feel like that was just Chloe upping her Chloeness?

---------------------------------------------------------------

According to what Astruc said, we were all supposed to feel betrayed by the Season 3 finale.

Chloe’s relationship with her mother is a real missed opportunity, as she was set up as a completely despicable person everyone hates, and of course, she reconciles with her while the writers never acknowledge the abuse. Seriously, Astruc doesn’t think Chloe being emotionally neglected by her mother for years to the point where she can’t even get her name right and developing a slight inferiority complex as a result counts as abuse.

THIS IS WHAT THOMAS ASTRUC ACTUALLY BELIEVES

Like you said, there have been plenty of plenty of irredeemable villains the audience still felt bad for when they were defeated because of how tragic their stories were.

Tai Lung from the original Kung Fu Panda is a good example. He was trained by Master Shifu, someone he saw as a father, and his skills grew, so did his desire for power. He saw not being granted the title of the Dragon Warrior as if he was denied something that was rightfully his. There’s also the fact that his desire to become the Dragon Warrior stemmed from his desire to make his father proud of him by achieving the greatest honor in Kung Fu.

Tai Lung: All I ever did, I did to make you PROUD! Tell me how proud you are, Shifu! Tell me! TELL ME! 

Shifu: (quietly) I have always been proud of you. From the first moment, I've been... proud of you. And it was my pride that blinded me. I loved you too much to see what you were becoming... what I was turning you into. I'm s... I'm sorry. 

Tai Lung: (hesitates for a moment before grabbing the injured Shifu) I don’t want your apology. I want my scroll!

Even though he stops for a second, Tai Lung still wants his power, ultimately shooting down the last chance he had at reconciling with his father. Both him and Shifu had problems that led to Tai Lung’s descent into villainy, but while one recognized his part, the other simply couldn’t comprehend he did anything wrong in the first place. THAT is how you do a tragic villain, not what we got with Chloe.

If Astruc wanted Chloe to be an irredeemable monster, he needed to show her meaner moments weren’t something to laugh at (something the show Kevin Can F**k Himself is doing a great job at in regards to the titular character by deconstructing sitcom cliches), and have the audience take her seriously as a threat, not a joke villain like in “Queen Banana”. If Chloe actually was a “deep character” like what Astruc obviously planned from the start, she should have been more than comic relief after betraying Ladybug.

[xgummibearx]

Fatgum X Chubby (F) reader part 1: crop top

(I want to write about a chubby girl in a crop top what more is there to say? Fatgum has a crush on reader who he is currently friends with, but hasn't been able to get the courage to confess.)

Warnings: None

(X): Insert name

------

The summer air was hot, (X) sighed as she begrudgingly threw her sweater aside before opening a dresser drawer. She had many cute shirts and clothes to choose from, before long they all littered the floor until (x) finally decided. A simple white crop top, with a red floral pattern. She was nervous, but kept her eyes forward and a smile on her face as she left her apartment.

The warm breeze felt really nice on her bare skin as (X) opened her bike lock. It was her first day off all week, and to her luck it was the perfect day. She made her way through the busy city streets, picking up lunch from a street vendor. As (X) was about to hop on her bike, a rough hand pushed her back.

(X) stymbled back, seeing a figure in a dark hoodie get on her bike. "Hey! Stop! THIEF! THIEF!" She cried, launching herself to grip the handlebars.

"Shove off fatass!" He snapped, pushing her backwards. (X) screamed, about to fall onto the pavement when she felt a pair of hands catch her, tucking ever slightly under her crop top to hold her soft exposed midsection. (X) looked up to see Fatgum hovering over her.

"I'm sure this isn't the best way to spend your day off huh (X)?" Taishiro looked down, quickly helping her stand with his heart racing as he realized where he was holding her. Tai wuickly turned his attention to the theif, the insult he had spewn at (X) made his blood broil but he took a deep breath to clear his head as he approached.

"HEY!" The mear size of Taishiro made the theif forget what he was doing for a second, but it was too late. Fatgum picked him up in one hand and gave (X) her bike back with the other. He looked embarassed, a soft flash of pink just barely visible from under his mask as he brushed off his sweater with a sigh.  "Well this is a little awkward...Okay sorry (X) I've gotta take care of this guy but I go on lunch break soon." He smiled a little, "wanna wait for me outside the agency?"

(X) smiled, making his heart flutter again."Sure! Thank you, and I wouldn't say awkward." She hopped onto her bike; "your timing couldn't have been better!" She waved softly then went on her way.

---

Taishiro was waiting outside, leaning back to stare at the sky. "That was a new shirt..." He thought, his stomach tying itself in knots at the memory of her soft curves and stomach peeking out from the fabric. He felt his face burn, remembering the feeling of his hands pressed against (X's)  skin. He shook his head, trying to think of something else.

Tai couldn't help but smile. She had this way of consuming his mind; like how badly he wanted to kiss her soft lips, especially when they framed her warm smile. The words that tumbled from them were even more beautiful. Fatgum would swear that (X) could read minds with the way that she was always able to say  words that he so desperately needed to hear.

"Tai?" He jumped, his round chubby face bright red as he suddenly looked down to see (X).

"Oh! Hey (x)!" His bright grin as always made (X) feel weak at the knees. Her eyes trailed down to his hands as they walked, the feeling of his touch seemed to linger on her skin. "so..you okay (x)?" He asked, she could hear a tone of concern in his voice. She looked up quickly, her train of thought derailed.

"I'm okay, I was just thinking." Fatgum shoved his hands in his pockets as he stepped in line at a street vebdor to grab a couple samosas.

"I was concerned about that attempted robbery earlier, he didn't hurt you?" (X) shook her head slowly.

"No, I'm okay." She gave him a reassuring smile, linking arms with him as a wide cheesy grin decorated her face. Taishiro felt more at ease, relaxing as she walked with him. He could still see her cute stomach under (X's) crop top, his heart beating ever so slightly faster. With a sharp breath, fatgum slowly unlinked his arm and wrapped it around her. (X) could feel her face burn as his hand rested on her waist.

"That...uhm, that top suits you!" He laughed nervously, (X) could see sweat rolling down his rosy cheeks. "But you look amazing in everything of course! Obviously!" He quickly added, feeling more like an idiot by the second as (X) giggled softly, trying to cover her cheeks as they burned. "Anyway! Uh...what I'm trying to say is that I would like to see more of you and...when you're free; could I...take you out on a date sometime?" (X) was so surprised she froze, making Taishiro worry.

(X) smiled, gripping her arm as she leaned  closer to him. "I would like that..."

[manslaught]

most people, mikayla's pretty sure, would argue that she's changed for the worst, because while she'd been violent before the crash, she wasn't homicidal. it's not that simple, because she didn't just wake up that day, deciding to kill her father— it wasn't even a choice at all, really, something that just happened, because she didn't recognize he was dead until the officers were pulling her off of him, cuffing broken hands behind her back. “ maybe. i don't know. ” she hasn't really gotten the opportunity to figure out who she is after all that she's survived, because she's still in survival mode now, doing whatever she can to get by. a part of her wonders if that's what her entire life will be like, if she was stupid to think that she'd ever be able to stop fighting, if she wasted her time fantasizing about a world where she could just be with taissa, normal, safe, happy.

the way allie reacts makes mikayla's eyes narrow, immediately offended, because her appearance has always been the one thing she had, the one thing she was absolutely certain of. “ because it's fucking true. ” it's not, though, because she always thought one person was more attractive to her, but she can't mention that, so she gets to claim it instead. she frowns at that, because she hasn't slept in days. it's still hard, not just sleeping without tai, but sleeping here— but admitting that feels like admitting weakness, so she says nothing.

it seems like such a ridiculous question, something that the others haven't asked, because the answer feels obvious. of course they're horrible to her here. very few of the others are brave enough to say anything, but she can still feel the judgement in their stares, still hear all the whispering behind her back. she was used to the same thing in high school, the terrified glances, people calling her a bitch when they thought she couldn't hear— but she'd take being called a bitch over a cannibal any day, especially when they don't understand what it was like, what she experienced. “ i'm in fucking prison, allie. nice people don't end up here. ” that's not entirely true; not everyone is bad, but the majority of them are, even if it's all in self defense, everyone just terrified of appearing weak.

“ i don't know. it's all a blur, mostly. ” she felt disconnected from herself in the moment; she remembers the rage she felt more than anything else, everything finally boiling over inside of her, releasing all that she held back from him her entire life. she wishes she remembered more of it, because he deserved it, but instead, most of the memories just come in flashes. “ i'm sure he was worse after. ” she doesn't know how he acted during their games, because she learned it was easier not to look at him at all. she used to, in the beginning, looking to him for any sign of pride, but it never came, so she stopped altogether, seeing no point. but he was always horrible after, never satisfied, no matter how well she played, no matter what she did.

she stares blankly at her, unsure if she's supposed to answer that question honestly. “ you've pissed me off, like, three times already. and you weren't even trying. ” mostly, she's pissed off because allie hasn't given her any of the things she really wants, but that's unfair to hold against her, because she hasn't asked, hasn't directly pressed her for any information about tai. she doesn't plan to, either. “ yeah, ” she sighs, wishing she could admit that she's tired of having to be tough, of having to constantly be on guard. but she can't, because there's only one person in the world she would ever feel comfortable saying that to, and she isn't here.

 allie shrugs her shoulders innocently,    because she doesn’t want to make judgements—-   not in here,   of all places.    ❝  i mean,    after everything you’ve been through  .  .  .    ❞      she says,    eyes full of sympathy.    ❝  i’m sure some things have changed.  ❞    her brows furrow,   cheeks flushing red as mikayla tells her she’s the hottest in the building.   she’s not sure how she’s supposed to respond—-   mostly,   because when she claims mikayla’s gotten nicer,   she’s not sure that extends to her saying the wrong thing in response to how she talks about herself.   she pushes out a sigh and shrugs her shoulders.    ❝  um,  sure.    yeah.   you always acted like it, anyway,  ❞     she notes,   rolling her eyes as she remembers a few others who did the same,   always like they were in competition with each other without saying it.    ❝  you and—   whatever.   you still are here,  of course.   most of these people look like they haven’t slept in days,  ❞    she scoffs,   as if that shouldn’t be normal here,  of all places.  

 her entire body flinches as mikayla snaps,   her head turning back to her obediently.   ❝  deal with what?  ❞    she asks,  oblivious,   mostly because it’s usually her that’s spending her time talking about the yellowjackets survivors,  whether she has the facts or not.   because to her,  it doesn't matter —  she's a part of it in some way.   ❝  oh my god—  ❞   she mumbles,  leaning forward and raising a brow.   ❝  are people,  like,  mean to you in here?  ❞

her shoulders slump as she sits back in her chair,   thinking it over.    the truth is,   she was scared when she learned what mikayla did,   but the rumors that have spread about what might have actually happened out there are much more horrifying than the details of what she did to her father.   she’s just not sure she can say that out loud.    ❝  do you think it was too much?  ❞    she asks,   because that’s all that really matters,  right?    ❝   i don’t think it matters what everyone else thinks.  ❞     especially not her.   ❝  he seemed like a bad guy.   my mom said he was annoying at games,  anyway,  so—  ❞    she adds nonchalantly,   mostly just in attempt to prove to her that she’s on her side,  but really,  that’s just as much as she knows.   

allie scoffs and shakes her head.   ❝  what would i do to piss you off?  ❞    she asks innocently,   as if she hasn’t been treading the line this whole time—   still obvious,  still convincing herself they were friends.    ❝  i think if people are scared of you here,   that’s a good thing.   seems like you have to be tough or whatever.   and you obviously are.   ❞

[runephoenix6769]

“What is with the Blake / Yang hate this week? Folks seem particularly fired up.” I asked this question on a forum because of something I’ve noticed the last few days on discussions about Blake and Yang/Bumbleby/shipping in general. I keep seeing the same answers.  “It ruins the team’s dynamic.”

Welp, I’m pretty certain none of those people would say that Raven/Tai and Tai/Summer ruined the team’s dynamic. Or that Ren and Nora are currently  ruining the team’s dynamic.  What is this holy than thou crusading to protect the sanctity of the team dynamic? Rwby has always been first and foremost about interpersonal relationships. It’s what drives the actual plot. Character growth, failing relationships/friendships. How they change over time, either to grow or crumble. 

“It’s being shoehorned in, for fanwank.” How? How is it being shoehorned in? Give me a narrative breakdown as to where/how/when this occurs? Compare it to the Sun/Blake narrative and show me the glaring differences between the Yang/Blake narrative to prove that bumbleby was never planned yet blacksun was?  (Sidenote. Anyone that has been asked to do this on the forum has yet to do it.)

“Yang showed interest in boys.”“ Yes, yes she passed comment once. In vol 1 episode 1. 8 VOLUMES AGO. She has shown not a lick of interest in guys since. Its almost as if she’s like any normal 17 year old girl who is growing into adulthood and figuring herself out, who might be realising her interest in Blake isn’t strictly platonic and is trying to navigate that whilst also grappling with what that means with regards to their friendship. And dealing with an over arching situation that is, ya know, potentially the end of the world as they know it.  It’s about two years in universe, right? Which is about right of an amount of time for what its happening between them to play out. It only feels like longer to the audience because, well, its taken 8/9 years to tell the story up until that point. 

“The Fans are too loud/vocal/come on too strong.” Ok, this one I agree with, we are loud and vocal and that might come across as coming on strong  (here’s a huge) BUT, there is actually a genuine explanation for why it seems that way.   If you really think about it, objectively. 

Hear me out.  Fans are excited about the potential representation we don't otherwise usually get in media. I mean, if you have 10,000 pieces of media and only ONE of them represents lgbtq people, of course we’re gonna be excited and talk about the ONE quite a bit with others who are like us. This might also be the first time we’ve seen anything like this, or seen ourselves represented in a somewhat positive light. It stands to reason that the other 9999 pieces aren't going to hold our attention as much, esp if its the same hetero romance played out a bajillion times before, right? I mean, if you have a group of people who are constantly represented in the 9999 other shows, their voices are going to spread thinner, right? They aren’t going to be gathered all on one place, talking about the same thing because there are 9999 other choices to connect them to other people. They aren’t going to care as much if their straight ship happens/doesnt happen 

“Hey, I can move onto another piece of media that is churned out by the status quo. No big deal.”

Hetero romances are ten a penny. Flick through netflix, hulu, crunchy roll etc.  Where as if you have a group of people who are only represented in ONE show out of the 10,000 those people are going to gather in one place to connect with others and its only going to seem like they are louder due to the densely packed space.  These same people have been majority silent about the other 9999 pieces of media as their voice isn't usually represented in a positive light - being queer characters are usually brutally murdered or sidelined. (Thankyou Hays Code.)- or not even represented at all. (Bury Your Gays is a trope for a reason, folks.) And we are NEVER the titular characters. We’ve been living on crumbs and subtext for decades! Not to mention showrunners who actively queerbait the hell out of us for ratings and viewership. The almighty Pink Pound as its often referred to in business. “But why do they have to make them gay?” You’re not made gay, you’re born gay. It just takes longer for some people to realise than others. It can be a gradual realisation. And this is quite possibly the case with Yang/Blake, slowly coming to realise their own burgeoning sexualities and attraction to each other.

”Why do they have to be gay?” They don't need a reason to be queer! They just are! Queerness is only a part of a person, not their everything. It’s actually quite refreshing to see Yang/Blake being portrayed as much more than their potential sexuality.  Ask yourself, ‘Why does a character have to be straight? And why doesn’t a straight character have to constantly reaffirm their sexuality? Why is ‘straightness’ assumed by default?’ Heteronormativity, is something that has been perpetuated by decades of media. (helped by the Hays Code with its out of date moral code. To be other is to be punished within the narrative.) That straight is the default setting. It’s not! We exist! Everywhere! We always have and we are going to talk to each other about it when we see a glimpse of ourselves represented in what has been a relative Sahara Desert when it comes to queer content were we are not villainised.   “The romance is detracting from the plot.” Two seconds ago, people were claiming that the romance was none existent. Which is it? But Nora and Ren’s romance that is being held up as a mirror to bumbleby is fine? That Jaune relentlessly pursuing Weiss was perfectly ok. Neptune openly hitting on female characters is fine. 

“I don’t have a problem with LGBT. I just don’t want it forced down my throat.” Again, out of 10,000 pieces of media, this is just ONE show. Nobody is forcing anyone to watch it or participate.  Queer people have had to stomach literal 100′s of years of straight media forced upon them. Since the very conception of the written word and narrative storytelling. In plays, theatre, art, music, tv, film, on billboards, advertising, in places of education and learning etc etc. Queer people are bombarded with it whilst also being surrounded by negativity towards queerness. 

“They are shoving it down my throat!” part two Is hand holding, compassion and expressing concern for another person and comforting them somehow offensive? Renora kissed, not a problem. Arkos kissed, not a problem. Show me in the sand where the line is drawn. What is the difference? Please explain this to me? Why is the expression of queerness somehow offensive? Is this because decades of media have perpetuated the false idea that all queer people are sex crazed perverts? That you’ve been groomed into thinking that queer sexuality is only based in the act of sex itself? That queer sexuality couldn’t possibly be similar to heterosexuality in its expression?

That it couldn’t possibly be about attraction, emotional, mental and maybe one day blossom into physical between two consenting adults, a pure expression of love the exact same as heterosexuality. 

That some how queer love stems from some sort of deviancy or mental health issue. That queer people are some how bad or evil, and therefore their expression of affection is wrong? Oh, I wonder where those beliefs have possibly stemmed from?  “Why are they in my face?” part three.  50% of of the titular cast are potentially queer. Blake and Yang. But if you look at the overall cast ensemble that runs at minimum 16 any given volume, that’s a measly 12.5% (prolly a lot smaller if you actually counted the whole cast that appears in rotation each volume) Also, someone did the math. Blake - a titular character- actually has less spoken lines that Jaune. ffs. B&Y spent neatly a whole two volumes of 8 apart. 25% of the narrative as it stands on entirely different continents. 

I fail to see how it being in someone’s face could be the case.

  “I just don't see it!”

That’s ok and perfectly valid But listen when people who have lived this experience are telling you that their experience is being portrayed on the screen. That they see themselves being represented.  OK, This completely got away from me. In conclusion. They are more straight people than queer people and media often reflects that.   We are usually the silent minority, we are sick of it but we are used to it and we are very excited that things seem to be finally changing.

It’s two characters in an large cast in ONE show out of 10,000. Its a piece of media that, for a change, hasn’t been 100% curated for straight people.  We are often not allowed to play in the sand box and if we are, we’re told to play with the broken toys, be grateful and quiet. So when we are given a sandbox to play in with new unbroken toys, we are gonna dog pile in there and make a ruckas, calling our friends over. What I’m trying to say is, it’s gonna get rowdy.  and here’s something to think about.  “When you are used to privilege, equality feels like deprivation.”  

[engagemachine]

For the emoji head cannons. Any or all - you know I’m asking about J and Tay 🥰

💜🧺👀🚪

Alright, kids. BUCKLE UP. There's some seriously good stuff in here, including some headcanons written by a good friend and reader, and you don't want to miss it!

💜— How do they say goodnight?

J doesn't—at least not unless Taylor comes and says it first. Usually, he's not even home at night, and she's resigned herself on those nights to having to go to bed without him. She used to try and wait up for him, but she always ended up falling into a fitful sleep, usually on the couch or sometimes slumped over on the barstool at the kitchen counter, her head pillowed on her forearms, a little spot of drool on the counter. She'd wake sometime later, usually with an awful crick in her neck, or with the knowledge that school's in a couple of hours and Mr. J still hasn't come back yet....

It's hard to sleep when he isn't there, and her nightmares are always worse on those nights. Sometimes she gets herself really worked up, convinces herself he's not coming back, that he's abandoned her, that he's bored, he's moved on. It's embarrassing, how quickly she's capable of working her entire body into a full-blown panic attack. She hugs his pillow to her tummy and curls around it in the fetal position, closing her eyes, smelling him, the scent he left behind. Gasoline. Smoke. Sweat. Smells that should affront her, but she finds comforting instead. It's all she's ever known.

A couple of times she's woken after falling asleep at the counter, her homework all spread out around her in a half-moon circle, with a pair of strong arms picking her up. She's usually so sleepy by then that she just does what's natural—wraps her legs around his waist and winds her arms around his neck. He puts her in her bed, as he always does—and without fail, usually twenty minutes later, or maybe an hour—she's creeping into his bedroom and slipping under the covers, scooting across the expanse of the bed until she's curled up against his back. Finally she can whisper "good night", barely audible in the darkness. She traces a tiny heart on his spine with her finger, and then she drifts to sleep.

🧺— Random domestic headcanon

Taylor manages to finagle Netflix from Mr. J--and boy, she had to work for it--but now that she has it, she's obsessed. She can finally watch all these shows that everyone on Instagram and Youtube are always talking about. There's a little community of people on this Youtube channel she likes to watch, this girl who does her make-up and reviews TV shows at the same time. It's so fun, and it always puts her in a good mood. Sometimes she leaves comments on the videos, and one time a couple people commented back! It was so exciting, and she likes chatting with these strangers, especially because she has no one else to talk to, and sometimes she thinks Mr. J gets bored listening to her prattling about stuff he doesn't care about.

Anyway, she's started watching this one show. She asks Mr. J if he wants to watch it with her, but he always says no... and then proceeds to stand next to the couch for half an hour squinting at the TV, as if the events unfolding before him deeply confuse him.

"Mr. J, just sit down!" she says, laughing. But he always says he has to finish working... and then stands there for another thirty minutes until the episode is over.

It's kind of their thing, now, and she thinks he's starting to get really into the show, which is exciting. Maybe she can finally talk about it with him?

But then... but then. She had to know that this episode would come, they've only been hinting at the sexual tension with all the grace of a sledgehammer for the past five episodes, and now, episode six, they're finally doing it, and Taylor. Is. Mortified.

Mr. J is, of course, perched right next to the couch throughout the entire event, standing, hovering way too close, now that she thinks about it, and she reaches for a nearby pillow and holds it up to her face in a poor attempt to shield her blush from him. The characters are moaning so loud, oh my god, she might as well be watching porn--and Mr. J's standing right there! She peeks up to glance at him, once, twice, and the third time she does it, she catches him staring at her, smirking, and she flushes so hard that she gives herself a headache from the intensity of her bloodrush.

Oh, my god. This is the worst.

"Something the matter, sweet pea?"

Oh, he knows. She knows that he does.

But she plays innocent. She's not gonna tell him how embarrassing this is. No way.

"Nope," she squeaks. "I'm fine."

She leaves halfway through the scene, abandoning the couch with some mumbled excuse about having to go to the bathroom--and she hides out there and peeks between the crack in the door until the scene's done.

When she returns, Mr. J looks at her and frowns, picking up the remote.

"Shame you missed the good part," he says, completely straight-faced. She looks at him, blinking.

"Oh," she says, "Well, I--"

"Don't worry," he says, smirking in a way she knows can't be good. "I'll rewind it for you."

👀— What’s their favorite body part on themselves? On their partner?

Okay, so my good friend @darkobsessions1989 was kind enough to provide an answer for this prompt before I had even been prompted with it, and she wrote a gorgeous scenario for both J and Taylor, so with her permission, I'll share both of those here:

She's been sketching his hands a lot lately. Trying to convey their rugged elegance, the sinewy length of his fingers and sharp knobs of his knuckles. She wants to capture their strength and duality. The way those hands have the capacity to be as soft and gentle as they can be harsh and rough. How sometimes, they can even be both at once.

She isn't really sure that's something she's even capable of conveying through lead and paper, but she's been trying anyways. Her sketchbook is a filled with countless renderings of his hands. Various versions of his fingers, knuckles, and palms. Close ups that detail all the little lines and scars across his skin, and more distant takes that sometimes travel a little ways up his forearms. Most are in pencil, but a few have been executed in pen or fine tipped markers--whatever she had closest on hand at the time, really.

She often thinks about the time he'd caught her watching him while she scribbled away on that sort of project. How he'd asked to see what she was drawing, and chased her through the house to pin her to the bed when she was too embarrassed to show him.

She remembers the thrill that rolled through her when he made that suggestive, "If I'd only known..." comment, and how that thrill had doubled as he advanced on her. She remembers just exactly how his weight had felt atop her, how her heart had hammered away in her chest, her tummy jumping with anticipation as he slid her arms up over her head and pinned them against the mattress under a big hand.

She'd been half convinced he was going to escalate things as he'd slid his free hand down the front of her body, and she'd been all too eager to tip her hips up to accommodate. Much to her dismay, he'd backed off. But she thinks--now that she's had more experience with him in this regard--that he might not have if she'd told him what he'd wanted to hear.

She knows now that there are certain things he really likes hearing. The mere thought of most of those things makes her flush crimson. But sometimes... sometimes it makes her do more than just flush.

Which is why she hasn't really been bothering with trying to hide any of what she sketches. She does it right in front of him, even though it kind of makes her antsy when he pays too much attention or stares right back. She tells herself that if he ever sees her drawing his hands again and calls her on it, she's gonna tell him.

She's gonna tell him that she likes his hands, likes everything about them. Their size, their texture. The length of his fingers and the wide width of his palms. The way they look. Their impossible heat, and how they feel pressed against her skin. On her tongue. Inside her.

It occurs to her that maybe that's a part of why she's been drawing them so much. Maybe she's just been looking for another excuse. An opportunity to show him that she does know how to use her words.

Maybe she won't manage to say it all without clamming up, but she thinks she'd like to try. She thinks he'd like that.

--

His favorite body part of hers? Honestly, there really isn't any part of her that doesn't peak his interest in one way or another. He's got damn near every inch of her mapped out in his head, her visage cast and carved out across the meaty ridges of his brain like some grisly work of art. He knows her. Inside and out, both corporeally and otherwise.

That said, if he had to choose just one part of her, he supposes he does have a rather particular fondness for the nape of that long, skinny neck. The faintly raised notch of bone that protrudes there between where the back of her neck and shoulders meet. The way that stretch of tissue, skin and bone seems tailored just for him. For his cupping of the fragile curve of her spine in his palm of his hand, just below the base of her skull.

Sometimes he likes to spread his fingers there, slide them up into her hair against her scalp, or squeeze just a little too tightly at the sides of her neck. He likes the way her breath catches, how she often tries to ease the pressure of his grip by getting closer. He likes the little baby hairs that dust along her hairline there too. How they they get a little frizzy and stuck to the dampness of her skin whenever she works up a sweat.

Truthfully, for how often and closely he's studied her, he could compose an entire anthology dedicated solely to the intricacies of her body--not that he ever would.

🚪— What would kill their trust in their partner/close them off? Could this ever be amended?

Ugh, this is a great question. Taylor's seen (and found out about) a loooot of stuff that the Joker has done that she doesn't approve of/doesn't like. She knows he blew up Gotham University, and she knows about the camera he planted in her room, and the fact that he's been drugging her (which she has been blissfully willing to ignore after their little couch encounter at the end of chapter seven) and obviously a bunch of other horrible stuff he's done. So that being said, if J were to do something to close Taylor off/kill her trust in him, it'd have to be something pretty big. She's tolerated a lot so far in the story, but she isn't unbreakable. It's hard to answer this question without spoiling anything, but suffice to say, you'll have this question answered at some point in Burn.

As for J, I think even if Taylor were to go to the police/were to do something behind his back, these behaviors would certainly be grounds for him losing trust in her--but I also think he'd be of the mind that these little "infractions" could be amended. He'd just have to work extra hard to get her back on his side again--but he wouldn't give up on her. No way.