#so maybe at that point he just accepted she's ~different~ and learned to embrace it

[werelosingdaylight]

That’s my girl

Shuntaro Chishiya x Suguru!Reader

Suguru Niragi x Sister!Reader

REQUESTED? Yes • [No]

WORD COUNT: 1330

SUMMARY| Being Niragis sister and Dating Chishiya was bound to cause conflict between you and Your brother, but when Niragi crosses a line by threatening Chishiya in front of you. You decide it’s time for him to get a reminder from when you were kids, and a little warning that if he kept coming after Chishiya, he wouldn’t be able to do it again.

WARNINGS: Violence from Reader to Niragi.

Adm note: Last post for the night! Also, I know that in reality you would never do this to your sibling, or maybe you wouldn’t be able to take down Niragi but it is a fanfiction! I love you all, be sure to let me know what you think!

You loved your brother, truly you did, but he had turned into a completely different person. He was no longer the sweet boy who would help you with homework, or the boy that needed you to scare away his bullies. He became the bully.

You had both been pulled into this game and were separated from each other, when you reunited you didn't even recognize your own blood. After finding out Niragi was your brother, Chishiya asked you out; originally it was just for his plan because he assumed you were just like Niragi. Like brother Like sister, right?

Until he actually ended up falling for you that is, because while you mirrored your brother in certain aspects you also had some of the complete opposite traits. Niragi was a shoot first and ask questions later type of person, where as you went through every possible option and only resorted to killing when there was no other choice.

Your brother was upfront with what he wanted and would take it with no remorse, You would keep what you wanted to yourself and manipulate others into giving it to you but let them think they wanted to give it to you. You were two halves of the same coin.

After falling for your complex mind and you holding his heart in your hands until you crafted its rhythms to only beat for you, he told you about his plan and how originally he was only using you. Of course you had been hurt but after realizing you could die at any moment, and you would rather die in the warmth of his embrace than by yourself just to be another name and face lost in the game of death, you accepted him and his plan.

Everyone in the beach knew who you were, who wouldn't when Niragi shot someone because they accidentally pushed you into the pool, and one thing they noted was that while Niragi was protective of those he loved; you were worse.

While Niragi was quick to kill a threat to the people he loved, you would mentally torture them or beat them so bad that they would start shaking from being in the same room as you. You enjoyed the fear that came from people, and they had quickly learned not to cross you, not because of your brother but because of you.

So, the news of you dating Chishiya had spread faster than a wildfire in a drought, Niragi was not happy with the news and had been threatening Chishiya into breaking up with you. It was only recently that Chishiya decided to confide in you about it, but he also told you not to do anything you would regret.

After that you kept a closer eye on your boyfriend, and you're glad you did because the scene in front of you had your blood boiling. Niragi was in Chishiyas face, his gun pointed to your boyfriends temple but despite the gun to his head Chishiya kept his calm composure

When Niragi was seemingly done he walked away like he had won a big prize. You sent Kuina, without a doubt your closest friend at the beach, who had been standing beside you watching the scene, over to make sure Chishiya was okay; you knew he would say he was fine but you needed to disappear without her stopping you.

Once she had her sights set on Chishiya, you sunk back into the crowd, disappearing from their line of sight as you blended into the sweat covered bodies of the partiers. Your sight was firmly set on your brothers disappearing form, hurrying through the crowd; being careful not to let your two piece untie, you followed after him.

Mentally you cursed his longer legs, both of you had been blessed with legs that made you faster than others; his being long but you had what your mother called 'Athlete Legs'

"Niragi!" You called after your brother once you had escaped other people vision, you were in some alleyway, normally where they disposed of traitors and threw them into the dumpster.

"Hey, little sis. What made you want to pay me a visit?" He asked but his voice was teasing, the way he addressed you had also changed, back in the real world he would affectionately call you 'little monkey' because you enjoyed climbing trees when you were younger, and to be honest you still did, but never got to because you're now an adult and for some reason it's looked down upon for adults to have fun.

Without saying anything you kneed him in the balls, causing him to lurch forward, where you took the opportunity to grab the gun off his shoulders and hit him on the back with it. His head smacked into the concrete with such force that you heard a crack followed by him groaning; you broke his nose.

"I warned you to leave Chishiya alone, this is your second warning. Keep bothering him? I'll make sure you stay down, as of now; you are dead to me. You are not my brother, and if you keep coming after my boyfriend you won't be breathing anymore. Am I understood?" Your voice was cold to the point where a chill went down to Niragis bones, he knew you meant every word you said.

He nodded, blood pouring from his nose as flashbacks faintly played in his head of Highschool; he was no longer in the borderlands but back in the deserted area with his bullies, only now it was you who was squatting beside him without a care for if he was okay.

He felt something cold press against the back of his head as you moved to put the pressure of your knee into his spine, causing pain to course through every atom of his body. "I said; Am I Understood?" Your voice rang out again, somehow even colder than before from not receiving a verbal response.

"Yes. I understand." His words came out weak and scared, for once in the borderlands Niragi was terrified, and it was at the hands of his own sister.

"Good." You threw the gun down the alleyway, knowing by the time he grabbed it you would be gone and even if you weren't he wouldn't have the heart to kill his little sister. Getting off of his back, you made sure to stomp the heel of your foot into his right hand, the same hand he shoots his gun with, until you heard another crack. He wouldn't be shooting the gun for a while.

Making your way out of the alley, while your brother unsteadily got up from the ground, you walked back to the front of the beach. Going to where Kuina stood with Chishiya at her side. "Where did you run off too? I turned around and you were gone." Kuina had asked because Chishiya didn't need too, he knew what you had done and it made his heart warm with a feeling of reassurance; you wouldn't leave him.

"I just had something to take care of." You shrugged off her question like it was nothing, because to you it wasn't. Everyone's attention turning to Niragi who was limping into the main area with a bloodily nose and cradling his broken hand, you didn't miss the glare he shot your way, but underneath that you could see the hurt hidden away in the shadows of his eyes.

"Did you..?" Kuina was cut off by you raising an eyebrow at her and responding as you grabbed Chishias hand that rested in his jacket pocket.

“No one gets to mess with my boyfriend except for me, not even my brother.” Kuina looked taken aback by your response, not even hiding the fact that you had injured Niragi, nor were you worried about the fact that he might come after you.

Meanwhile, Chishiya felt nothing but pride bubble in his chest as he thought ‘That’s my girl.’

[ep2nd]

What is Redson's secret base?

Or for people who don't know, the place where Redson trains Mei in Season 4, Embrace your destiny, and later in season 5, Claim to Flame

This place-

Now I know I might be reading into it a bit, but like honestly, why does Redson just know about this place that neither of his parents, that's appeared in the show, don't??

Be warned, I ain't a professional on Chinese Mythology and JTTW so this is truly speculation. If anyone has criticism or more info, always share I do like learning and correcting mistakes

Onward- I think it's an old Temple for Guanyin and/or Muzha

For those who don't know, in JTTW, Redboy, not Redson in the book, I think, actually was defeated with the help of several people, including Guanyin (though she helps Wukong like every day this was normal), but this time around Redboy foolishly pretended to be Guanyin and tricked Pigsy (Zhu Bajie). She wasn't having that. So she got a bunch of Celestial swords, turned them into her Lotus platform, pretended to leave, then Redson sat on the Flower because he thought he was the bees knees and ended up going through severe pain (surprise swords hurt). Guanyin then casted the Binding Spell on Redboy, shaved his head, and claimed him as her disciple from then on. Don't worry Redboy became better we see in latter parts.

Summary of the summary- Redboy is a disciple of Guanyin

Now LMK is different so Guanyin prob didn't cast the spell of SNATCHED or used the swords of HAH YOU THOUGHT so here's what I think is their relationship and how it impacts my theory

After the Samadhi Fire incident, at some point PIF asked Guanyin for help in training Redson with his fire powers, and she accepted, mentoring him

Technically, she lives in the Southern Seas and not mountains, so this place is obviously not her home, but it's possibly a training ground. This would also mean that Muzha, Guanyin's other disciple and Nezha's older brother, would train him. Now here's some facts to prove this

The place is found on a mountain, now while Guanyin doesn't have information on living or having temples on mountains, Muzha does

Its guessed, aka im using Google, that Muzha lives in the Western Foothills, which means the mast ranges of Mountains, so him having an extra Temple/House makes sense

Redson goes on to call these "7th century Mo Dao" or something like that was hard to hear. Now JTTW takes place in the 7th century, and Redson admits that it's hard to find these specific spears, so what if they were given him to Muzha back in the day and they've just been sitting the Place. Maybe this is what Muzha also used to teach Redson to fight

Aka the shack we first see Mei in-

Now we see Redson have a more love for meditation than in prior seasons/episodes, which is weird considering his Anger Issues

So what if Guanyin helped him with that? In the Revenge of the Spider Queen, he calms down to ask nicely to steal their ship, which looks like he almost burst a nerve but he tried!!

Is it possible that PIF taught him to control his anger? Yes. But as the goddess of Mercy and Compassion, Guanyin is all about that meditation and calmness, she's a Bodhisattva too.

So in Redson's speech of Meditation later on, it could be the same thing Guanyin told him, except for the smit your enemies prob

Now most Guanyin Statues have her holding a Jar of water in her left with an olive branch in her right.

In fact, the only time we saw Guanyin the show so far is when Tang is describing Redson's story, though it might be different

Also, if you notice on the bottom of the statue, you see a Lotus pattern similar to Nezha's

Now Guanyin is known for sitting upon a Lotus flower, so this isn't far fetched, also Nezha's brother IS Muzha, so maybe they sometimes get mixed up (as siblings do) even with their statues

Now If the statue looks to masculine do remember Guanyin is sometimes seen and as a man and sometimes as a women, and sometimes both or neither, she cool like that

Next, again with the statue, the things being offered, fruit, a candle, and a jar of something, now according to Google, beware yall ITS GOOGLE-

Fruit is one of the five standard offerings made to Guanyin, along with flowers, water, oil or light, and incense

Isn't that cute he's making offerings to his past teacher!!! Now as a demon it's strange to make ANY offerings to gods, so it makes sense if it's Guanyin or Muzha

Now I will say this statue ALSO looks like Nuwa, and there's clay figures in acloves nearby so like I'm not 100% sure

Also the place around the Shack of Meditation is Bamboo, which is common in China but is also a significant plant for Guanyin and Muzha (I think) this is based on interpretations I've seen where bamboo is seen in her place at the Souther Seas (from OSP) or where Muzha's outfits include depictions of bamboo (Art here on Tumblr)

FINNALY, last notes

1. This place is introduced ONLY when the Samadhi fire is included, which is the whole reason Guanyin became Redboy's Master/mentor in JTTW ar all

2. Redson comments that this place is one of the few places LBD has taken, and if it's under protection of Muzha and/or Guanyin, it makes sense they powerful gods/goddesses

3. I just think it's neat and maybe foreshadowing for a future episode where we'll see Guanyin and Redson backstory, maybe a repeat of Redson's lines for thet DRAMATIC EFFECT

That's all have a nice day, my hand hurts:')

Also I'm not sure if anyone knows but like I have a YouTube playlist with all the LMK episodes for free, which is how I learn stuff quickly qnd get the screenshots, if anyone wants it I'll dm the link 👍

[tua-five]

Season 2 Episode 6

Another random list of things! With a bunch of gifs because I could find some today!

To start off, I wonder if Allison ever explained to the people in the salon or Raymond or anyone really why she couldn't speak for a year. How her throat ended up getting slit. Or maybe they just accepted it because of the year it was and the discrimination. Assuming it was a white boy.

Also, Allison went from not wanting to use her powers at all (other than using them to save her husband) to abusing it out in public to prove a point. This woman's got issues.

Random, but, "Unarm my weiner"

Also, every season, Klaus finds something new regarding his powers. In s1, he was able to summon Ben, and just in today's episode, Ben (even though it was just a moment), possessed Klaus. And another thing in s3, but just in case some people haven't seen it yet, I'll leave that till we get there next week or 2.

I believe that Klaus is extremely underappreciated and overlooked. His powers are, for lack of a better word, very powerful. If he had grown up differently, taught to embrace his power and abilities rather than be thrown into the deep end, maybe he could've learned it all earlier and come to terms with it.

Okay, we can all agree that the entirety of the umbrellas meeting their was hilarious, right? The conch shell, Reggie saying "O for 2 young man," Five having to be in charge once again, stop Deigo from attacking Reginald, and give a run down on everyone's powers, Allison making Diego punch himself in the face (we can also all agree that that was just another demonstration that despite everything, they're still siblings, right?), everyone saying that [Viktor] should in fact NOT use [his] powers, doing it anyway and blowing up the pineapple, saying Oops. It was all great.

What wasn't great was Reginald going down on the insults with Diego. That was a bit too far and hurtful. And Luther ripping open his shirt was uncomfortable for everyone.

Also. Reginald wanted to talk to Five because he was the most sensible. What doesn't make sense to me is how easily Reggie accepted that Five was older than him. How easily he accepted they time traveled. He was the most calm with Five. He literally said, "No skin off my teeth, old man." Both accepting that Five—who looks younger than him by a lot—is older than him, and also accepting the "apology".

(⚠️⚠️ S3 Spoilers!!! ⚠️⚠️)

Based on this, it doesn't make complete sense for Reginald to not adopt Five in the future. He knows that he failed with this group of powered children, so he goes out of his way to not adopt them. But with Five, he seems to maybe like him a little bit. And the knowledge that he failed, he can use and try different things. Maybe just adopting Five and not the others. He seemed genuinely interested in Five's powers.

Here are gifs from today's episode! Aka some of my favorite moments:

(Do you like jazz, Five?)

[demodraws0606]

I don't know how much of a hot take this is but Rui is probably the most childish WxS character.

Okay that's not exactly it but in my opinion his character arc surrounds him embracing his inner child, his own emotions and "selfishness" which contrasts with Emu.

Emu in a way struggles similarly to Rui, she struggles with her emotions and feels insecure at not being mature enough however their trajectory in my opinion is different.

Emu learns to grow up in her own way, knowing she can't detach herself from her "childish self" she's learned to understand how valuable it is.

Rui in some ways can be seen as the opposite of Emu at first in term of attitude, he's incredibly "mature". He speaks formally both in tone of voice and just way of speaking. Under the surface he seems like he has his emotions under control.

However it couldn't be further from who Rui actually is

He has so so many feelings, he often just doesn't either realize or he ends up repressing it due to a fear of what would happen if he let it out.

Because he always lived repressing what he truly wanted, living as a shell of himself for so long cause he didn't allow himself to feel.

Him getting angry in smile of a dreamer, his feelings of love for wxs or obviously the disbandement arc.

The disbandement arc was the first step in him maybe finally accepting his feelings but...I don't think it was enough. He still thinks of himself as greedy and selfish though he's not berating himself as much anymore that thought is still in his head. Even with the support of Miku in WL he only weakly agrees with her.

In the end, he still hasn't told WxS about Asahi. Nene told him that it was okay, that he could speak about it when he finally felt comfortable and we see he still hasn't reached that point yet.

(Also this is pjsk so I don't think Rui repressing his feelings is gonna stop anytime soon)

[darkonekrisrewrite]

AFO and Toga

Reactions to Learned "Love" and real Love

It's also really interesting (like some already pointed out)in how AFO compares and then contrasts to the other members of the league in terms of Love, what they believe is love and what could be considered real love for others.

Toga and AFO are similar in many ways.

Both having a Quirk that lets them take on aspects of other people, also adopting personas for personal reasons.

Due to her Quirk and upbringing full of rejection, toga initially believes that bloodshed is an expression of love, her quirk tying into that through a mental compulsion to consume blood.

Not so unlike AFO, the only true and positive experiences they find when they're young, is taking something from someone else.

Both are compared to Demons, willingly and unwillingly, with AFO embracing the title and Toga being branded with it.

And both eventually becoming villains and smiling, after everything they've been through and currently are, trying to live and make the best of things the only way they can.

But how they react to real Love (and/or compassion) is where the similarities end.

Once ochako reaches out to Toga and attempts to willingly connect with her, offering her blood for life, something that ochako knows would be considered love according to toga, things change.

Even though toga thinks ochako still intends to lock her away and knows (because ochako said so herself) that ochako won't overlook everything (probably talking about the killing, I guess?)-

-Toga isn't willing to kill ochako or let her die, even willing to risk her own life, to save someone who is still very much an enemy that she herself wounded.

Just because ochako showed Toga the acceptance (a form of love) that she never had before.

But AFO already had a form of real love in his brother, despite their circumstances, and his reaction to his brother no longer being on his side is the exact opposite.

AFO can't accept his brother's autonomy in any way.

First when he locks his brother in a vault for refusing to follow the villainous way of doing things and then when he tries to escape to "the other side" - AFO straight up kills him.

(at least heavily implied, maybe he didn't die right away or maybe after the transfer of OFA?)

That difference between them is what makes Toga capable of being more than the persona she has while AFO can only be a linear standard "demon lord".

[novemberhope]

Summary: After the tragic events in Marineford, Niara pays Ace one last visit. Spoilers: Yes! Marineford and Portgas D Ace Spoilers under the cut! Notes: After a long time, I finally wrote something again!! Yay!! (not very long though) Word Count: 881

Standing in front of the grave made it real. That's why Niara had avoided coming here for as long as she could. But there was no getting around it. If she really was to take Luffy up on his offer to join him and his crew in Sabaody, she knew what she had to do. She had to accept that Ace was gone and move on. But the tears would not stop falling. She had managed not to cry in a while, but now, standing in front of his grave, it was overwhelming. It was a good thing no one else was there.

She looked over at Whitebeard's grave. She'd never met him in person but Ace had been obsessed with taking him down. If he hadn't, and if he hadn't joined Whitebeard's crew at some point, maybe the Spade Pirates would still be together and none of this would have happened.

But Niara also knew she couldn't blame it on Whitebeard. Many things had happened in the world since the Spade Pirates left Niara on that little island where she'd met her grandparents for the first time. She was not sorry she had stayed behind to get to know them. She'd always planned on catching up with the others at some point but apparently that had never been meant to happen - after hearing that Ace had joined Whitebeard's crew and the others had moved on to do their own thing, Niara hadn't been in any hurry to catch up with her old crew. There had been nothing to catch up with now anyway. But maybe - maybe if she had…

No, she told herself, trying to wipe the tears away that still kept coming. This was just a lot of what ifs and might have beens. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her fingers gently trailing the edges of the gravestone. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry I couldn't save you." If only she had taken things more seriously, if only she had taken the time to train, to get stronger, to handle her devil fruit better, to learn Haki… maybe her rushing to Marineford to save Ace would have made a difference. Instead, she hadn't even come close before she'd been knocked out and if Luffy's companions hadn't saved her… The only good thing that had come out of this was that he had seen her. He'd known she had come to try and save him. If anything, that made her feel better.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered again.

For a moment, she felt the heat of the afternoon sun on her back and she pretended it was fire embracing her for the very last time.

"I've decided to take your little brother up on his offer," she said. She wanted Ace to know that she was going to be fine. And that his brother was going to be fine too. "I'm going to train hard and then I'll join his crew when they all meet up again in Sabaody. I promise I won't ever let anything happen to him."

Truth be told, Luffy was a lot stronger than Niara ever would be, but she still felt like she needed to make that promise.

"And… maybe you want to know that Ginny's okay too." Ginny, who was everything but Niara's favorite person. She had sold the Spade Pirates out back in the day and joined the marines, putting a huge target on their back. But Ace had cared about Ginny and Ginny seemed to be on the right path now, so it felt right to let him know that. "I don't know what happened to her afterwards, but she fought on our side in Marineford. Which means that she's probably no longer a Marine."

Not that Niara cared all that much. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to forgive Ginny. Still, it looked like she did the right thing in the end so that was good.

"I own so much of where I am now and who I’ve become to you… and I just… I just really wish you would be here to share the rest of my journey as well," she cried, wiping her eyes again. They hadn't seen each other in forever, there was so much they had to tell each other… and now they would never have the chance to do so.

“I’ll come back and tell you all about my adventures with the Strawhats,” she promised.

Slowly reaching out with her outstretched hand, her fingertips barely reaching the soft grass covering the earth. Suddenly, colorful flowers appeared, finding their way all around the gravesite.

Carefully, Niara extended her hand to the gravestone itself and a beautiful fire poppy grew right in her hand. Slowly, she put the flower on the gravestone.

“Goodbye, Ace,” she whispered. “I’ll make you proud, I promise you.”

Again the tears wouldn’t stop falling and she quickly had to turn around and walk away. Once more, the afternoon sun was blazing down on her, but it felt strangely comforting again.

And now… now she was completely on her own. She would return to Amazon Lily to accept the offer to train there and in two years time, she would find Luffy and his crew and hopefully set sail with them.

[sapphim]

so there are two things I find interesting about the responses to that twinception poll (there are many things I find interesting about the responses to that twinception poll actually but these are two of them)

the first is that there will be people saying "carver needs to get away from his family to grow into his own person" and then some of those same people will also say "but bethany should be there too" and I think that's! an interesting exception to carve out. like sure we can all agree he thrives away from his eldest sibling and mother and uncle and the memory of his father. and maybe it Is Different with bethany, Do Not Separate Them. but it reminds me that we never actually learn how it is that bethany and carver actually feel about Living With Each Other!! all we know is how they feel about Missing Each Other. and that's different! that's a different thing! it's just interesting to me how the twins' absence haunts the narrative.

the second thing is that there is a strong common consensus that there is a right choice for carver and it's to become a warden. joining the templars isn't isn't Good For Carver, it's Good For Drama. but there's no strong consensus on beth and people seem to fall into two camps on this.

one says that bethany expresses that she is more content in the circle, that she may not love the circle but she loves the opportunities for learning and the sense of community it affords her. that whatever the many, many negatives, she's not alone anymore, and she's not on the run anymore. if beth had to choose, she'd choose the circle. she basically says as much.

but the other point of view is that, while beth as a warden is more bitter, more angry, more worn down, more openly dissatisfied with her lot in life.. that actually feeling and embracing the negative emotions that she usually tries to tamp down and internalize and repress is Necessary For Growth. and I! think that is an interesting take that is not without merit. the subject kind of reminds me of a legacy banter between fenris and beth

Fenris: You must hate the darkspawn, after what they did to your home.

[Circle Mage Beth]

Bethany: They are mindless. What is there to blame?

Bethany: May as well swear at a force of nature. I don’t see the point.

Fenris: That's… an interesting perspective.

Bethany, Act 2: Oh good. I almost choked on it a little there. A work in progress.

Bethany, Act 3: It's… taken a long time to reach it. Thank you.

[Warden Beth]

Bethany: I have a lot of hate, but it’s not so focused. It's… deeper for a Warden.

Bethany, friendly: It’s been a struggle to let that go.

Fenris: But you have?

Bethany, friendly: Let’s call it a work in progress.

Bethany, rival: Some days you just have to work with what you have.

Fenris: Does that help? Accepting it like that?

Bethany, rival: I’ll let you know when I know.

[thegreatyin]

💀 for the scoundrel, 🃏 for caeru, 🐀 for both

putting this under a cut bc it got surprisingly long (blame the cardsru question)

💀 What's their relationship with the Boatman like?

Ever since she finished Evolution and picked the Naturalist's fate? Not exactly swell. He's not exactly pleased about her choice, and she hasn't exactly gotten any better at chess. And she has a bad habit of dying. A lot. Usually in really stupid ways (such as trying to fight two dozen tigers, to name a completely absurd and definitely totally absolutely not recent hypothetical)

To keep a long story short: They don't get along. Most of their boat visits these days are spent in silence. Or vague small talk. Or awkwardly trading weasels back and forth. The Scoundrel tries to avoid him... mostly. Emphasis on the "tries" part of that sentence.

-

🃏 What would be/will be their name and domain as a Master?

I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE MASTER!CAERU IS SO BASED AND ALSO HAS BEEN HAUNTING ME.

Aaanyway, despite myself, as unequivocally funny as the nickname "Cardsru" might be, I don't think it'd end up being his domain in quite the same way it is for the Scoundrel*.

Instead, I could see him being a way more general hoarder of knowledge, if that makes any sense? Facts, histories, lore both mundane and eldritch in nature, everything he could get his grubby little batty hands on. He'd trade in secrets and clues, acting as an information broker for anyone able to pay the price for his services. The price in question, of course, being a trade in mysteries of equal or greater worth to what he's giving up- street gossip for street gossip, arcane secrets for arcane secrets, maybe even the results of an especially chainbreaking experiment for a few dozen notes on tests of his own making.

He wouldn't be kind. And he wouldn't accept lies or forgery. But he'd always be fair, and he'd always look the other way when it mattered most. And if rumor on the street claims he's the most revolutionary of the Masters, the most destructive of their own ranks and ties, the council's man on the inside, the one who heralds the Liberation and welcomes its embrace with open claws-

Well. You'd need to trade a particularly enticing bit of information to learn the truth, wouldn't you?

His name is trickier to imagine. Mr Arcana sounds cool. Or maybe Mr Memoirs. Mr Enigma? Whatever he is, he'd be Mr Pages' worst nightmare, and he'd absolutely revel in it.

*and the scoundrel would actually have an entirely different spacebat special interest if they Actually Got A Say In Things! unfortunately they very much do not.

-

🐀 Are they friends with any rats?

At this point? Considering how many actions I've spent grinding fourth city echoes at LB Industries? There's no way the Scientist doesn't have a whole rat social network going. He probably gets along great with the little buggers. Inventor for inventor behavior. I haven't played Dream of a Thousand Tails yet, but he'd probably be best friends with the Piebald Dreamer if/when they ever meet.

Overall though, he's just a weird ratty guy! He respects rats!! Even if he tries to eat them sometimes. Unaccountably peckish, and all that. You know how it is.

The Scoundrel, by comparison, tends to see rats as vague annoyances at best. They tolerate their existence, but it's pretty much just that- toleration.

They'll be buddy-buddy with rats for as long as it suits their own interests. And as soon as those interests diverge from the rat's own?

...it's probably best to get the heck out of dodge before they get caught in the inevitable crossfire of whatever hairbrained scheme the Scoundrel happens to be pursuing at that particular moment.

[sweeteastart]

💫KHOCWEEK 2023💫

Day 3 - Lover/Friends

@khoc-week

Bunny and Anis

Suprise ! Here's not only Bunny and Anis but also their families ! When I saw the lover prompt/friend prompt I thought of this piece right away.

A bit about it : Bunny and Ephemer aren't in Scala And Caelum. Why ? Well, even after founding the infamous town along side Ephemer, Bunny remained hellbent on one day finding her brother. She couldn't picture her life continuing without him by her side. In her desperate quest to found him, she managed to built a machine ressembling the one in Daybreak town. However, upon activating it, the machine malfunctioned and both Bunny and Ephemer were sucked into a portal.

Both of them ended up in a small costal town on an unknown world. Thought the goal of finding Anis went nowhere, Bunny started to strongly believe it wasn't a coincidence and that one day they would be reunited.

For Anis, he went the being reborn route and was born in Scala ad Caelum two generation before Xehanort was born. He also longed to find his sister again but no effort of his manage to draw him closer to her. His hopes were crushed further when he learned of the founder of the world (aka Ephemer and Bunny) and he decided to continue to live his life.

Both twins, even if they grew and had their own family, felt the eternal emptiness of not being together. This feeling making a good news and important events all the more bittersweet.

I may be cruel to them but do not fear, after some more time travel shenanigans they find each other again. Well they both are in their early fourty by this point but better late than never !

Mikana

A soft breeze kissed her cheeks softly. Salt and rain floated in the rain. The usual on a costal town like her's. It brewed and grew like the tides. A usual tradition of pulling and letting go that belonged to this place. Her home.

The teen opened her eyes after a moment. The waves greeted her gaze as soon as she did. Late rays of the setting sun floated above the sea, embracing it's soft and unpredictable whims.

She felt truly at peace, sitting still on the high above rocks that dominated this showcase of nature. The young Keyblade wielder didn't mind waiting if she could appreciate the spectacle. Truly, she knew it by heart at this point. It was her's to witness everyday since she born. Yet she never found it boring. Nothing rivaled with it. Well nothing except one.. or two things.

As she formulated this thought, she turned towards the entrance of the bay. The sun may have been low in the sky, her heart could recognize those two from miles away. Two sides of coin : one a blinding light, the other a deep void. Ventus was the first to wave at her, Vanitas acknowledging Mikana with all but a small hand movement.

Once two sides of a heart, now two diametrally different individuals. So very different yet equally charming. Her myosotis gaze softened, her lips stretching into a small smile. She couldn't quite describe what she was feeling. A liking ? A need to protect ? Just affection ? Not a clue.

Being able to be in their lives just felt ... Right. It felt safe, it felt calming to be with them. A warm feeling was the only way she could accurately describe it. And maybe that was enough. Maybe, for now, she could take all the time she needed to sort out the knotted ball of feeling. However for now, it didn't matter.

It could wait. Wait for her to accept whatever had started to grow in her chest. Once it would have flowered however, she wouldn't be able to ignore it.

And that's it for today ! I have to say, I'm having a blast both drawing and writing for this week ! I know my writings are a bit short but ahah I'm a bit out of time so it will do !

[walkeddeath]

cont. from here for @walkedfire

  　　there's something about the incomplete stillness of nights in the after that makes gen wish she had appreciated the quiet more. embraced it, hadn't broken it with mindless talking and too loud music as much, learned to deal with the silence on her own. they had tried, countless times, but it always felt too threatening. it's almost laughable now, to them, that silence had been their biggest fear at one point. gen would give anything to go back to that time, would trade the future for it. she's tired of thinking about what's coming, wants to live in what's passed, what can't be changed by some freak accident.

　　she remembers a conversation they had once about time travel and she wishes the scientists would hurry up and figure it out. they're too busy trying to figure out how to stop death now, in more ways than one, how to stop the future. gen's seen the theories, the charts, the formulas and none of it makes any sense. no matter how hard they try and get her to embrace the idea, she's too wrapped up in how it could have been prevented. what she'd need to change to do so, if she could go back. she wants so horribly to go back. would trade the freedom she doesn't even have to be able to.

　　it isn't that she resents buck for dying. he didn't know it would happen, or maybe he did and just hadn't cared, she remembers his panic from that split second. they remember the panic and the empty that followed, all three minutes, and they can't stop thinking about how maybe it could be different. if they could just go back, fix it, tell him what was going to be and what to do. tell him to stay in place, not move, that she'd be fine. there's no way he'd listen and she can't blame him. if the roles had been reversed, she'd have done the same for him. it's why she can't hate him for the situation they're in now.

　　out of everyone, from the doctors to the scientists to him and even the fucking kaiju, she hates herself the most. she'd been late to their meeting spot, just by four minutes, but still late. she'd forgotten a box in her locker, had almost been at the door when she'd realized, and hadn't thought about the time. just ran, trying to be quick, trying to outrun a ticking that had embedded into her head at some point. if she had been faster getting back, hadn't paused at the door, had just thrown it open and never stopped running, she's sure they'd have made it out. 

　　so no, she doesn't blame him, and she knows he does blame himself, it's not something he can hide from her, even if they're not in the drift. it's evident in how he avoids her, how he looks at her, and she's tired. the nightmares have been raging, dragging her back into a void drift, keeping her stuck in a place where death screams and she can't find a light to scare it away and keep it away from him. 

　　it isn't like she'll have to worry about it for much longer. they'd fucked up again, had another fight with a higher up, hadn't kept her mouth shut and silent. hadn't just accepted orders and given them what they wanted. there had been thrown punches again, she doesn't know how to handle that part, doesn't remember ever being this angry. but, not at him. 

　　she's pulled out of her thoughts briefly when he touches her hair and the softness of the gesture pulls her back to the present, out of the past, and it's crushing. gen doesn't push it away, it's soothing and she's determined to commit it to memory, it won't be hard to, there's nothing about him that she thinks she'll ever forget. he's too burned into her heart for her brain to let him fade. at least, they hope. 

　　their thoughts do start to wander again, but more in relation to his question. no, haven't been able to in weeks, it's fine. she doesn't say it, trying to not be mean or short, and they try to commit his face to memory, another impossible thing to forget but she's just so scared she will. they already almost lost being able to see it. they got it back, he's alive, that should be enough. knowing that they fucked up and that he got hurt and she's about to hurt him even harder makes looking at him ––– hurt. 

　　gen almost looks away, but she can't, just reaches for his face and pulls him close, resting her forehead against his. she closes her eyes and shakes her head and, after letting a beat of silence rest, she speaks.

　　"i had a meeting today. i'm out. too broken, too angry, keep fighting them. i leave in three days. alone." 

　　they feel like a kid again, out of control and under too much pressure. unsure of what's going on and why she just can't stop fighting. why she insists on being too much , too loud, too explosive, too many questions, not enough respect, no control. tears start falling, burning in her eyes so she keeps them closed, and she speaks quietly, half to him half to herself. "i'm scared."

[notimminent]

forced facades were something that the brunette knew all too well. the smile that doesn't reach the eyes, the distant look that sheens over the gaze that makes you wonder if the person is present in the conversation OR their mind is galaxies away. most of all, the tension in the jaw that shows that every word is cherry picked in fear that one wrong word will make the whole word fall apart -- a world that is barely held together by a fraying thread that is barely staying intact. past whispers of worry for the terran -- that was the word people used to describe her in space, right? what they referred to her and Quill as? descendants of humans, born on earth -- rang in her ears. the words of doubt, shocked that the lord of stars in front of her was bringing around someone like her -- as if she were a pet that needed training. not because of her lineage, but because they were shocked someone like her would trust someone like him. worried for her, that he would ditch her on some planet & leave her to fend for herself. her trust in him never faltered, though, & that hasn't changed. the only difference is that she now knows how to catch the nuances of him, trying to be what she remembered him to be despite the fact that no one -- not even him -- stays the same forever. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

taking a moment to orient herself from the surprise of seeing him, she broke the embrace to wrap her arm around his to drag him in the direction of her house. a big smile lit up her features as she kept gazing up at him.

❝   pokemon is definitely after your time, but don't worry. what started as 150 has now turned into 1,015 for you to learn. CYNDAQUILL is one of them, a fire-type. when i wrote in my journal about our adventures, i referred to you as that. codenames, that no one could crack unless they had 90's earth knowledge. i took your identity and it's secrets very seriously.  ❞ another pause as she began to drag the much taller man towards her house, ❝   i don't understand most things, if it makes you feel better. i learn my niche, becoming a lexicon of useless knowledge yet unknowing of most things that actually matter. so don't worry, you're in good company.   ❞

as they walked in a bit more silence, she gnawed at the inside of her cheek, debating if she should say something to try to cheer him up. tell him that he wasn't a bother & she didn't blame him for not talking to her all these years. would it absolutely ruin his pride? would he crawl inside himself more if she talked to him about it? or would he open up? maybe he just hasn't had someone to talk to in a long time, not someone who notices the little things & talks about it. was it a particularly terran thing to talk about feelings?

❝  you're you, even if things have happened. life events happen and jade us, & our minds cope with it. it becomes like an accessory to your personality. it helps shape you to be who you are. it's not a bad thing, just a part of life. it's exhausting to try to act like you once did -- & it's not fair to you to hide it. if someone is a real friend, they'll accept you in the present, even if you think it's not who you once were. to them, you're still the same person with just more... experience points.   ❞

feet stopped immediately at his words process in her mind, eyes widen as head jerks towards him. ❝   wait, wait, WAIT. what do you mean you know -- how? i need details. NOW. please. like, in all honesty, if she ever stepped on me i would thank her. i probably would deserve it. i aspire to be like her one day, honestly. ❞

there’s  a  little  drop  in  his  stomach.       the  harsh  reality  starts  to  creep  up  on  him,       slithering  around  him  like  a  snake       &       traveling  up  to  his  neck                 causing  a  little  gulp  of  discomfort.       for  someone  who  welcomes  change  so  willingly  like  the  half  human,       it  ends  up  making  him  feel  guilty  for  the  distance  between  him       &       Emma  despite  their  bodies  colliding  for  an  embrace.       she  probably  knows,       right     ?       she  knows  not  to  trust  someone  like  him  to  be  around  all  the  time.       he  is  the  legendary  outlaw       !       or  was  —  is,       something  like  that.       after  the  zen  whoberi’s  ‘disappearance’,       his  mind  is  suspended  in  a  state  of  panic.       it  pools  his  thoughts.       he  wants  to  find  her       &       yet  she  doesn’t  want  to  be  found,       but  she  will  come  back  to  him       &       everything  will       WORK  OUT       again     .  .  .       he  will  be  able  to  patch  everything  back  up  like  nothing  happened,     yep.       the  same  applies  to  Emma.       at  least,       she’s  still  the       SAME       person.       there’s  nothing  to  stop  them  from  catching  up       &       rediscovering  each  other’s  personalities.       ❝          Rick  Astley     ?!       that’s  funny.          ❞       Peter’s  laugh  is  short,       somewhat  confused.       he  doesn’t  know  what  it  means  to  be  rickrolled,       but  he  does  know  the  song       &       the  singer.       though  the  following  reference  is  lost  entirely.      

❝          okay  i  don’t  know  who  Cynda  Quill  is.  an  actress  or  somethin’     ?       GOD.       ’s  like  no  matter  how  long  i’m  on  Earth,       there’s  always  going  to  be  something  that  goes  over  my  head  like  I’m  Drax.          ❞      

there  used  to  be  hints  of  pain  whenever  a  statement  made  him  remember  the  years  he  spent  away  from  Earth.       there’s       ACCEPTANCE       in  its  place,       a  lack  of  opposition  to  the  truth.       still,       it’s  easier  to       AVOID       going  in  depth  than  face  reality  as  a  whole.       he  has  more  growing  up  to  do,       if  only  he  knew.      

❝          wow,       you       LIVE       here     ?       that’s  cool.       yeah     !       why  not     ?       i  am  good  friends  with  your  majesty,       by  the  way.       if  you  need  me  to  put  in  a  good  word  for  ya  for  anything  at  all,       let  me  know.       not  that  she’s  not  a  fair  ruler                            ❞       the  half  human  tries  his  hardest  to  recreate  the  man  she  used  to  know  for  her,       as  if  that  will  bring  her       COMFORT       (       or  maybe  he’s  uneasy,       subconsciously  worried,       that  if  he  doesn’t  try  to  be       HIM       again  even  if  it’s  just  with  one  person,       the  galaxy  itself  will  collapse  on  his  shoulders       ).      

he’s  felt  like  a       FAILURE       long  enough.       ❝          she  is,       i  am  sure.       so  are  you  gonna  show  me  your house     ?          ❞

[tuiyla]

So I’m currently having some feels about Santana’s lyrics in “At the Ballet” and can’t decide whether to accept this as canon or not in terms of what her relationship with her Dad was like. On the one hand, beautiful angst. Love that for me. On the other hand, not every glee song lyric was meant to be taken literally in relation to the character singing it, so obviously context is key. Buuuuut the context of that song is that ballet was an escape for them all, so… maybe that is what her Dad was like??

Anyway, I’m stuck in a loop and thought you might have an opinion on that particular performance as it relates to Santana’s family life? Maybe you don’t, but if you do I’d be interested in hearing it!

Oh same, always. And I always have opinions on everything Santana says, does and sings 😌

I'm always on the fence about Mr/Dr Lopez and the general Lopez family dynamic myself. Like yeah, we never see him and Lights Out has a few hints at a more strained relationship, but do I think Glee was just lazy and didn't bother casting him and that's why he wasn't at the wedding for example? Yeah. And even things like him being a doctor were mentioned exactly once, and who knows is the writers even remembered that half as well as the fandom does. I doubt they did. So most of what we have is At the Ballet. Gorgeous beautiful performance btw and deserves more credit. The vocals, the dress, the Pezberry long note? Exquisite.

I'm with you because I'd love the angst and it is the most we have to go on, but I also kinda don't want the lyrics to be entirely representative, to be literal? Like yeah I love angst, but do I want her dad to be like that? :/ My personal interpretation is to not take the words Santana's singing literally but to keep in mind, like, the general vibe of it. Like you say, the context is about ballet being an escape and Santana remembering a time, the first time, when performing was a happy place. So stands to reason it'd be a happy place and escape from something, right?

The way I like to think about At the Ballet and negotiate it with Santana's family life is to take the general feeling it conveys. I also like to think it might be a case of the unreliable narrator? With good reason, because Santana is expressing childhood memories where how she felt might not have 100% reflected reality but was valid nonetheless because that's just how she felt. So what I mean is that maybe Dr Lopez never cheated on Maribel and wasn't as cold and generally a shitty dad as the song would imply. But maybe he was a bit distant. Maybe he didn't know how to best express to Santana, or Maribel for that matter, that he cared about them. Maybe he studied/worked a lot and maybe he wasn't too emotionally open and vulnerable. No surprise, if Alma was indeed Santana's paternal grandmother. That would fit with how I headcanon him anyway.

So I think it's possible for the lyrics not to be taken literally but, simultaneously, for the general feelings to be taken seriously. Maybe he cared more than came across to Santana and I think that matters in the long run because they could have a better relationship once she's an adult. But it also doesn't change the fact that, growing up, Santana didn't exactly feel close to him and that “I was such a tomboy and it really pissed my dad off” comment doesn’t bode well. I’d like to imagine Dr Lopez as someone who wanted to but didn’t know how to even try with his daughter. I think there’s a theme of noncomformity with the Lopez family - how could there not be, what with Santana’s story being a fundamentally queer one.

It’s apparent in the way Alma rejects Santana, not even for being a lesbian as such but for not repressing it. The sin is in the scandal. So I’m side-tracking a bit but I think Dr Lopez didn’t want his daughter to be all that different, to be the Other, as a misguided attempt to protect her from the world and it resulted in a distance between the two. Maybe even in Santana feeling like she couldn’t be herself at home. And then there’s an interesting tension there because it also resulted in ballet and dancing, which Santana says made her feel “not different”. So it reinforces that conformity her family wanted for her, but it’s also an early creative outlet that made her feel safe and like she was a part of something. And that very thing is what later makes Glee special and leads her to become more herself, more open and vulnerable.

But going back to the Lopez family, maybe the parts of the song about her parents’ relationship could also express that Maribel embraced Santana’s nonconformity more from the beginning, as it’s implied during the Breadstix Goodbye scene. And I could see convos about that between the parents coming off to a child in a way that’s expressed in the song. Like her dad thought he was above her mom, stuff like that. It’s not necessarily what happened but kids overhear arguments and misinterpret them all the time, or internalize them in ways that don’t reflect reality. All of this is pure speculation based on the song and what I think of the Lopez family dynamic, of course. Just trying to fit into the non-existent Glee canon. But the bottom line is that I wouldn’t take At the Ballett literally but do think there’s an emotional truth to it. Even if Dr Lopez wasn’t actually like that, it’s how he came across to his daughter and that stuff matters, no matter his intentions.

Glee's non-diegetic songs will always haunt me haha. Because at least when it's a choir room performance or something we can be like, sure, the lyrics are to be interpreted loosely. But when it's in the characters' heads it should feel more like a representation of how they're feeling. I think that works in a non-literal way with At the Ballet but it's also why Every Breath You Take will continue to haunt us both because?? What was the reason there??

[thecameronchronicles]

Revelations

TW: Smut. Language. 

SUMMARY: Topper learns of the true nature of your relationship with John B while your ‘husband’ makes it a point to prove how devoted to you that he truly is, learning something about you in the process…

WORD COUNT: 1600

*Requested*

xtom-darling-x17 asked:

Hey, can I please request John B x Reader, where the scene where Topper comes on his boat with Sara but instead.. it’s you but you never disappeared, staying with them on the dock in the morning. Topper comes by being his jealous self and You blurt out that John B is your husband.. I really need to see Toppers Reaction! Thank you so much.. later that day, John B finds out that a man has never ate you out, you two had sex before but not oral.. John B blows your mind with his tongue.. if you want you can include that  they had sex too!! Thank you so much, I love your writing.. 🥰

Revelations

“Save some of him for the rest of us…” JJ teased as you had kept John B wrapped in your desperate embrace after he’d returned to you after being imprisoned. Not a moment spent apart in which your loyalty waivered, but it was not enough to keep Topper from trying to intervene to someone he believed he was still entitled to. The sight of his boat visible as Pope would comment something beneath his breath before pointing to the dock.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay…” Topper ignored John B’s presence entirely, even if he was glared at by the recently renounced criminal. 

“I’m…”

“Problem?” He asked when looking at John B. 

“I mean, you COULD keep your hands to yourself…” He warned as you stood before both of them, the bravado sweltering as they towered over you, the tension enough to make you anxious as you cast a look to the other pogues as if silently asking for help, their feet at the ready to intervene if things got out of hand as Topper was without his usual brigade of fellow kooks, including your brother. 

“Didn’t realize she had a leash-”

“Just keeping her away from trash-”

“Oh really? And what makes you better? Huh? I just came here to check on my friend-” John B scoffed at the title. 

“Stop it…both of you…” You turned to Topper. 

“Really, I’m fine…Thanks for checking, but you could just call next time, you know…” You reminded him as you attempted to diffuse the situation, but the tension that had been created with or without your presence was too thick for words to penetrate. 

“I just worry about you…You’ve been through so much…” You understood why Topper cared about you. It was a relationship that may not have been lengthy, but it did mean something, even if it wasn’t true love, it was admiration and respect to a certain point. But it still paled in comparison to the life you had with John B. The way his arm around your waist or look from across the room held more chemistry than any intimate moment between you and your ex. 

But still, neither one of them could accept that one was your past and one was your future. Where Topper believed he was protecting you, John B believed he was speaking on your behalf, maybe even more of his own. But it built such an argument that JJ kept John be held back and Kiara and you held your hands to Topper’s chest. 

“One day she’s gonna see that all you are is a mistake! I’m not saying she’ll end up with ME, but she’ll definitely find someone better than you!”

“Oh really?!”

“Yeah, really! You’re nothing to her, and she’s smart enough that she’ll get bored and-”

“Topper!”

“No, look, I’m just looking out of your and he’s just dragging you down…and I just need you to know that I’ll be there for you…You’re nothing to her! Just a guy she’s-”

“He’s…” You looked between the two men, who couldn’t be any more different, and yet held your romantic interest at different times within your life, one more intense than the other. But because of this, the words left your lips before you could stop them. 

“We’re married!” Everyone stood completely stunned, JJ having made some remark about the lack of a bachelor party and Pope and Kie sharing a look of disbelief, while Topper stood dumbfounded. 

“You-You’re what?”

“We got married.” John B now pulled you to his side, a weak smile across your face as Topper would just continue to stare, trying to find how your words made sense. He knew the words, they were in English, yet they couldn't have been true. It was as if any small fraction of a chance he had to have a life with you was now impossible.

“How?” He finally asked. 

“Beneath the stars…on the ocean…” You relived the moment as John B and you shared a loving gaze that only frustrated Topper further. 

“So it’s not legal then.”

“It doesn’t matter-”

“I’d say it does considering-”

“Please, Top, just…just go…I appreciate you wanting to be there for me…but-”

“You’re gonna regret it…all of this…You don’t belong with them…”

“Yeah, I do…” You corrected as he would shake his head, return to his boat, and disappear on the horizon while John B held his arm proudly around your shoulders. 

After the details of your matrimony were offered to the pogues and you were finally allowed a moment alone, John B was desperate to prove his affection to you. Having been apart for a multitude of reasons, mostly his imprisonment, you were both eager to share an actual moment of privacy. And he was quick to take you to him as the door closed behind you both. With fingers wrapped in your hair, you felt his tongue glide against your bottom lip as he’d pull apart to speak, only to return with an even deeper kiss. 

“I love you…So goddamn much…and I love that HE knows…I love that they all do…that you’re mine…that I’m yours.”

“John B…” Your hand came to his chest as he paused for a moment to assess you as your fingers played with the buttons of his already mostly parted shirt. 

“There WILL be questions about it and judgment-”

“Let them. It doesn’t matter. But just know…” You were pushed playfully onto the bed, his body hovering over you as he teased your lips. “I do intend to make it legal…” His brow flexed as he kissed you until you were flat against the bed, his hands gluttonous for you until you were left in only your lingerie. 

“God, I missed this…” He smiled as you nodded, biting your bottom lip, as he moved over you for another kiss, hand to your cheek, before a final peck, would bring him to his knees between you. 

“Wait…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I um…I don’t know how…”

“All you’ve gotta do is lay there, baby…Let me show you JUST how much I love you-”

“No…” You spoke quickly, taking hold of his thick tresses before pulling yourself towards him, close enough to feel his scoff.

“Nobody’s uhm-” His brows raised as he looked between your legs before scoffing once more. 

“HE never did? I mean…I know we talked about you never-But he didn’t…” You pulled your arms across your chest in embarrassment. 

“Do you want me to?” You slowly nodded as he pulled your arms apart and laid you back flat. 

“Then let me…” He kissed your lips, moving down between your breasts, his hands firm yet cautious, as he played with your nipples to such a degree that your hips were now moving against his chest. 

“I love knowing I’m the first one to make you come like this…” He lowered between your legs, pulling one over each shoulder until his breath teased your exposed heat, dripping with anticipation, “And the last…wife…” His brow cocked before his tongue made his way against you. Your back arched immediately as he flattened you with a forearm across your hips. Your body was eager and reactive, grinding and twisting in desperation as he nodded and moaned against you. 

“Fuck, you’re so sweet…” He pulled apart to make this very remark, before you led your hands through his hair. 

“John B!”

“I love when you scream my name…” But you were quick to cover your mouth at the thought of the other pogues possibly in earshot of your coming orgasm. 

“I think we’ve earned it, sweetheart…they know what we’re doing…so let them know I’m making it worth it…” You groaned, his fingers twisting your nipples as his other hand set around your thigh, pulling your legs wider for him, as he devoured you completely. The tremors of your orgasm crashed quickly as he nodded, endorsing you with nothing more than the loving circles made of his thumbs and the enthusiasm of his quick tongue. 

“Was that-”

“Fuck me…Please, John B-” He scoffed, cockin ghi shead as he removed his shorts, pulling them clean off of hsi hips as you guided him inside of you. 

“I love you, baby…” He spoke against your lips as you arched your back to the familiar fullness of his cock, only a handful of instances you were able to recollect due to the larger than life events that kept you unable to enjoy one another as you could in this moment, but basking in him irregardless. 

“Til death do us part-” He nodded to your words before bowing his head into you, your fingers running through his hair in that loving hold to your chest, as he shuddered through his own release, a final kiss of pure love sent to your lips before you were wrapped in one another, never to be separated again. At least, if you could help it…

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae

[alreadyblondenow]

Box of crayons

“We were just two kids back then, but now we have two kids.”

Pairing: Jaehyun x female!reader Genre: SMUT, FLUFF, angst if you squint, childhood friends to lovers, growing up au, college au, to being married. WC: 3,522k Warnings: mentions of getting bullied during kindergarten, alcohol consumption on a college party, getting drunk, swearing, spitting, oral sex: male and female receiving, slight cum play, overstimulation, fingering, cream pie, unprotected sex, switching positions, smut scene is kind of long. A/N: I just want to post something.

Meant to be. You and Jaehyun are meant to be. But not as lovers, at least not yet. For now, you believe that you and Jaehyun are meant to be best friends.

It all started when you saw him starring at his blank paper, close to tears while other kids are teasing him for not having a box of crayons. You came in bolting and scaring those kids with your wrath and told Jaehyun, “stop being such a loser,” and shared with him your box of crayons.

On the next day, you forgot your colors at home and you felt like such a loser because everyone was busy drawing and coloring their works while you’re stuck with this great idea in your mind for your artwork.

“Stop being such a loser,” Jaehyun said and sat beside you to share his box of colors with you this time.

That was the day you learned, at a very young age, that boxes of crayons that has a hundred colors are meant to be shared. You and Jaehyun became friends starting that day and your friendship became like a box of crayons that you’re willing to share with each other.

As long as you both have some colors left on your box, you’re willing to share and got each other’s back.

Your friendship grew and grew during kindergarten, grade school, and high school. Until your families acknowledged your friendship and thought that maybe someday you’ll end up together. On top of that, you and Jaehyun grew up together and watch each other achieve different kinds of great things. May it be through sports, academics, or your hobbies.

“Hey loser,” you sat beside him during lunch break and distract him from doing his assignment.

“Hey yourself” he smirked and continued writing.

It was a busy day in school, the student body organization was busy the whole week because of prom. And to be honest, you are too, you were busy with your dress and you were busy looking for the perfect tie for Jaehyun. And now, you’re just waiting for him to pop the question and finally ask you to prom, which he will because you’re best friend right? So that made you very excited and giddy.

“What do you think of Yeri?” He asked out of nowhere. Smiling and playing with his pen while waiting for your answer but you already felt nervous.

“Popular- She bullied you when we were kids? Why?” you answered short and cold. And you wonder why the man beside you is smiling like a fool.

“I’m taking her to prom, she said yes. It was yesterday in the library, I talked to her, and went straight to the point. I made her blush like crazy...” he proudly told you the story of how he asked someone else to prom but your ears started ringing and you can't hear anything he says already. Turns out when you were busy looking for the perfect tie for him yesterday, he was busy asking the girl he likes to prom.

Everything shifted after prom, you and Jaehyun stopped talking to each other but he was too busy with his new girlfriend to notice that.

Graduation came and summer took place, you and Jaehyun are going to the same college but now you’re not sure if he still wanted the same thing because rumors are he and Yeri are so in love that they will go to the same college. It's useless to reach out if life will eventually separate you and Jaehyun might as well accept it.

As you enter college and made great new friends, you forgot about Jaehyun and focus on your studies during freshman year. But during the start of your sophomore year and while you were at the library to borrow a few books you bumped into him and were forced to catch up and had coffee for old times sake. He paid for the drinks and snacks, obviously, he was happy to see you but you looked uninterested.

And when he noticed that he’s probably taking too much of your time, he finally started a conversation. “I transferred just this semester and I was actually looking forward to seeing you. How are you?”

“Great- look I have to study and I can’t be out this long, uhm...” you started to gather your stuff and ramble. “Maybe some other time Jae,” you said and left with a fake smile. You almost feel bad about what you did but he can’t just waltz back into your life like he didn’t forget about you the moment he had a girlfriend. Now ex-girlfriend.

And as your college years continue, a catch-up never happened again. Although he tried so many times to take you out, but you always refuse and avoid him with all your might whenever you see him around the campus. He was so consistent with bringing you back to his life but you just don’t care anymore because truth be told you were hurt when he left you. Maybe this is revenge? Maybe not? But one thing is for sure, you got hurt and you hated him for it.

Now that you’re in your senior and everything is very stressful, you decided to go to this party with your friends and you were so unlucky that Jaehyun was there with his set of friends, busy playing beer pong and being loud as fuck. Of course he saw you and it halted his moves, he wanted to come say hi to you or hand you a drink but you will for sure pretend that he is invisible so he didn’t.

The party was fun. Thankfully, there were a lot of snacks and overflowing alcoholic beverages as well as non-alcoholic beverages. And because you suck at drinking games, you were downing tequilas and vodkas the whole night and that’s how you got batshit drunk that Jaehyun found you on the bathroom inside the empty tub, sleeping like a baby with a red cup in your hand.

He knew right then and there that he is responsible for you.

“Y/n, it’s Jae. Can you walk?” he asked while patting your head softly. But you can’t talk right now, so you just shook your head ‘no’ and reached for him. You knew that it’s him and you can hear him perfectly but your brain is not working right and the room can’t stop spinning. And you can’t believe you’re saying this but you’re happy that he’s here to take care of you.

You had this same feeling when you forgot your crayons back then and he came to rescue you from your little situation. He’s the same Jaehyun after all.

He offered to drive you back to your dorm which you accepted without any argument, you could’ve thanked him if only you can talk properly. He was so concerned to you that he cleared the backseat of his car and let you lie there comfortably with his jacket covering your legs. And when he brought you to your dorm safely and in one piece, he can't just leave you sleeping with your dirty clothes and helped you clean yourself with closed eyes. Everything was a challenge for him, especially when he had to close his eyes before he removes your blouse, pants, unclasp your bra and make you wear something comfortable to sleep.

Jaehyun then pats your head softly and told you “I’ll get going then, good night” before he leaves and thankfully, you were quick to stop him and you had enough energy to tell him to stay. He smiled so big and felt so happy that he wanted to scream and jump around your room. But he controlled himself and removed his shoes before he lies beside you in your comfortable bed.

To his shock, you swing your arms around him and pulled him closer to you for a tight embrace that he eventually returned. Caressing your back as he melts to your embrace and enjoys the happiness that he’s feeling right now.

“I’m sorry,” he started and planted a kiss on your forehead.

“I missed you. Never hurt me again like that, Jaehyun I swear-“

“Shhh. I will never do that to you again,” he said and hummed a song oh so softly until you fall asleep together and meet in each other’s dreams.

Just as you thought that your friendship will never come back, it did and this time it came back with love. But even though that this time love is around to make you two stick together, you never admitted your feelings to each other. You just let your actions do the talking. From him holding your hand during a scary Netflix movie, to you holding his hand while he drives. It was a simple and comfortable ‘relationship’ and you wish he would make it official.

But during a beautiful rainy day when you and Jaehyun decided to stay at your place and enjoy the cold bed weather together instead of going to the movies... everything suddenly fell into place.  

“Mmm. Feels good” Jaehyun moaned as you concentrate on lining the face mask on his face properly. You’re sitting comfortably on top of him, your legs placed on both of his sides, while he’s leaning on your headboard with closed eyes, feeling so relaxed as you pamper him with skincare.

“Stop moaning, my dorm mates might think we're having sex,” you giggle and rake his hair away from his covered face. Holding it nicely as you lean closer to his chest to enjoy the comfort of being on top of him.

“Comfortable?” he asked and placed his hands on your back and made you lean on him completely. He started caressing your back and his soft touches are making you sleepy. You may not know, but he’s very much in love with you and that he will do everything just to keep you this time. He’s just waiting for the perfect time to admit his feelings to you and make everything official.

“Okay times up,” you excitedly said and started removing the face mask. While wiping his clear and handsome face, you see redness on his cheeks and his ears are turning red. You smiled and let out a giggle because that only means Jaehyun is flustered right now.

“Can you blame me? You’re so close to me and you’re literally on top of my dick. Don’t make fun of me if I get hard,” he said with a shy smile. Eyes turning into crescents and his cute dimples are deeper than ever. So instead of making him shy, you decided to make him nervous by grinding on him slowly but with enough pressure to make him in the mood and hard in no time.

His eyes went big when you rolled your hips once. Then it became even bigger when you rolled your hips a few times again which made him tensed up and hold his breath. “Stop it,” he said, but with a smile, that’s so big. He’s completely aware that you’re teasing him.

“But do you really want me to stop?” you said and put more effort into what you’re doing to him. Grinding slowly and deliciously, rolling your head and parting your lips. But the thing is, you’re not acting anymore. Jaehyun does feel so good right now and you’re liking what you started. And now that you’re letting out small moans, Jaehyun came close to you and caught your lips. Holding your head steady and kissing you like how he always wanted to.

“If you don’t stop now, I’ll really, really, really take advantage of this moment,” he said and went back to kissing you. A mixture of happiness and lust and you both feel like your hearts are about to burst because of what's happening right now. Kissing each other while smiling in between, kissing each other even more deeper by every second. It’s like your kisses were saying, ‘i love you’ ‘no, i love you more’. And as you two are busy with your lips, you felt Jaehyun’s hands slip inside your shirt and draw small circles on your skin while kissing as if he wanted you to lift your shirt but he’s just too shy to tell you. So without any warning, you stopped kissing him only to remove your shirt and remove your bra in front of him.

This may not be Jaehyun’s first time seeing a naked girl in front of him, but you sure did make him shy that he avoided looking at you. Flashing those dimples again, and witnessing his ears turn bright red. Brighter than ever. “Stop being shy and touch me,” you command and put your hand on his nape and reached for his other hand to place it on your shoulder. Giving him the freedom to touch you and roam his hand around your body as you continue to grind your clothed pussy on his hard dick.

Soon his hand finally started to move, touching your boobs first and kneading them slowly and carefully until Jaehyun became comfortable and confident to request that you remove your shorts too. Which you did gladly, so now you’re left with only your panties, kissing Jaehyun on the neck and making the man moan and feel good. Lifting his shirt without any hesitation and exposing his very hot body before your eyes and left kisses on it immediately.

Kisses after kisses you made him weak until you reach his sweat pants and pull it down together with his boxers brief so you can plant kisses on his happy trail, lower abdomen, and finally his hard cock. And there it is again, his handsome dimpled smile that shows his shyness. His cock twitched when your cold hands made contact with his cock, pumping it slowly while you watch him close his eyes and roll his head back. He watched you spit on his cock, and slowly put his whole size in your mouth. Gripping the sheets as he loses his mind, gripping the sheets as he breathes in and out heavily, letting out deep groans and making sweet moans.

“Y/n, s-stop. I’m about to cum,” he pleaded but you didn’t stop. Instead, you moved your head even faster, worked with your tongue, and made sure to never let him forget this moment that his whole cock is in your mouth for the first time.

After a few minutes of pleasure, Jaehyun came into your mouth and you witnessed him shaking and moaning on your bed with a satisfied smile. Still, with a sensitive body, you lay on top of him and teased him from cumming so soon. “You’re dead,” he said and smiled so sweetly at you. Encircling his arms around your body and kissing you a couple of times before he changed places with you. Finally, removing your panties and making you spread your legs for him, holding you with utmost care and kissing you with a mixture of love and lust.

If you tortured him earlier with your trail of kisses on his body, now it’s Jaehyun’s turn to torture you with him kissing your inner thighs oh so softly that it sends tingles straight to your spine and making your legs close automatically. “Uh-uh, I endured everything you did to me earlier,” he said, teasing you before he slides his fingers up and down your slit and finally licking it slowly. Spitting on your cunt just how you spit on his dick earlier and started pleasuring you with his hot tongue. Your hand automatically landed on his head, gripping his soft locks as he licks you slowly and torturing you with that damn wet muscle.

And when he finally made you cum and had his sweet revenge, he kissed you all over your body and put his entire weight on top of you. Letting your nipples brush on his chest and his hand soothe your sensitive body.

It was quiet for a moment, and only your heavy breaths can be heard in your room besides the air conditioning. He nibbles your earlobes and spreads kisses on your neck while slightly grinding his hard cock on your very wet pussy, waiting for you to calm down so he can finally fuck you.

“I was planning to take you out on a proper date first before we go to this stage. You just have to be so impatient, huh?” he shook his head in disbelief and kissed your lips again before he pulls away, putting both his hands on the sides of your head. His cock was very hard that you almost thought it wouldn’t fit, “Don’t worry you’re so wet. It will slide in easily” he said before he told you to line his cock so he can finally push in.

Slowly he stretches you out, rolling his head back and so are his eyes, while you on the other hand grip your boobs knead them as you feel Jaehyun’s cock slide in and out. “Jaehyun, deeper-“ you requested and let out a moan that made him gave in to your request. He adjusts your position, folded your knee before he spreads you open, thrusting deeper than before that his lower abdomen touches yours. Losing your mind whenever you take a peek at the motion of his hips while fucks you, Jaehyun was so hot as he moves his waist and kept his eyes only to you, this time he’s the one making you feel so shy.

“You like it this way? Deep and slow?" you only nod, “Wanna go another round after this?” you smiled and nod again, “Do you love me?”

And then he started thrusting faster and harder that your body was dragged on the mattress, and your boobs are bouncing up and down because of his hard thrust. Jaehyun came close to you for a kiss, still waiting for your answer. Although he knew already that you do love him by the way you kiss him, still he needed to hear it from you. “I want to hear it Y/n,” Jaehyun pleaded again and hold on to your waist tightly as he fucks you harder than before.

“I do Jae- fuck, slow down. Almost there” you croaked but its too late, Jaehyun’s thumb is on your clit, ready to torture you again and make you cum for the second time tonight.

Locking your legs around his waist as you enjoy your high and oversensitivity, you didn’t expect that you’d ask for more and beg for more the moment you hit your high that Jaehyun got more excited that he almost forgot to pull out. And when he did, he came on your pussy lips, watching his cum paint your wet folds and throbbing cunt. Of course the man above you isn’t satisfied with all the torture he did tonight, so he slides his fingers on your cunt, playing with his own cum and finger fucked you to give you another mind blowing orgasm.

The eventful bed weather ended with you and Jaehyun cuddling in your bed with his hands on your thigh and you’re wearing nothing but his black shirt and a pair of panties while he stays handsome and so irresistible in his boxers briefs.

“I promise to love you,” he whispered to you while drawing small and soft circles on your thighs, his eyes never left yours. “I promise to stay even though you’re so stubborn,” he added which made you giggle and happy.

FIVE YEARS LATER

During a very quiet night where Jaehyun’s hands are intertwined with yours and his embrace was tighter than ever because he was really tired from work, Jaehyun was having a cute dream. He dreamt about how you saved him from the bullies back when you were only innocent kids. He was smiling through his dream until he hears a cry. A cry of an infant and opened his eyes immediately. You stopped him from getting up and told him, “I got it Jae, go sleep. You’ve been up the whole day,”

Jaehyun has become a great provider for your small family now. And he was working hard to the bone that he barely gets enough sleep during weekdays. “Thank you,” murmured and closed his hands again. And after you put your babies to sleep again and went back to Jaehyun’s embrace, Jaehyun was deep in his sleep that he’s sleep talking and murmuring sweet nothings, the kind where you only hear whenever you have slow sex.  

“We were just two kids back then, but now we have two kids. I will buy them boxes of boxes of crayons so bullies will never touch them,”

You giggle and pulled him closer. Hoping that he will ramble more because he’s so cute right now. “I love you,” you said, you weren’t expecting something in return but he responded.

“I just realized I never thanked you for sharing your crayons with me back then, thank you” he said and opened his eyes and went on top of you to kiss you sincerely. His wife. “I love you”  

[testudoaubrei-blog]

Well, it’s not quite a master’s thesis, but this is (the first of) a series of posts on why Catra and Adora are the best love story in the history of kids TV animation and maybe the greatest love story in the history of TV. This may in some ways be faint praise - romance on TV is generally not very good compared with books or movies. Often it’s just some will they/won’t they sexual tension that is defused by getting characters together and re-heightened by breaking them up. TV is full of nearly shark jumping pointless dramas like Sam and Diane (Cheers, holy fuck am I dating myself, though that was technically before my time), Ross and Rachel (Friends, which was no Cheers) etc, but also some less annoying couples like Ben and Leslie (Parks and Rec) or Amy and Jake (Bk99) who are mostly just kind of cute and fun. Other shows, like the X-Files, teased viewers for years with unresolved sexual tension. In kids shows most romances are, appropriate for their target viewers, mild, sweet relationships based more on self-conscious flirting and blushing than on complex and conflicted feelings or deep passions - which is pretty realistic when the characters are young teens or even mid-teens. Some of these relationships are really well done - Finn and Flame Princess, Dipper and Pacifica (yeah I ship them), the early stages of Katara and Aang (before the showrunners imbued this childhood crush with cosmic significance), Steven and Connie, etc. Catra and Adora, though, are different. Their love story is not a side plot or a sub plot, it’s the heart of the show. It isn’t a childhood crush, it’s a very messy and passionate relationship between two young adults. She-Ra is an emotionally complex lesbian romance just as much as it is a thrilling action/adventure show. Everything about their relationship is baked into the show’s plot, its themes, hell even its musical score. The dramatic tension between Catra and Adora is not the result of stretching out a flirtation for ratings, but a coherent dramatic arc that runs through the entire show. As Noelle said, he made Catradora so central that execs couldn’t take it out without ruining the show. And the show is better for it. In this series of posts I’m going to try to show why, as well as showing why She-Ra is such a fantastic love story.

First off, let’s talk about how Catra and Adora’s character arcs are foils for each other, and how they come together and apart through the series. This is actually a post that I’ve been working on for a while but I keep summarizing the show rather than cutting to the chase, so I’m not going to recite many plot points so much as sketch out what’s going on with the dramatic structure at the time. But also, let’s talk about what each character’s arc is saying, and how they are commenting on each other. Spoiler alert: Catra’s arc is a subversion and critique of stories of empowerment through ruthless self-assertion and revenge, while Adora’s arc is a subversion and critique of chosen one narratives and stories of self-denial and self-transcendence.

When the show starts, Adora and Catra are shown as rivals and friends - their first scene starts the recurring motif of them reaching out for each other as one of them dangles above an abyss, as well as establishing their flirtatious banter and easy camaraderie. We quickly learn that these two young women plan to conquer the world together. These scenes and later flashbacks show Catra and Adora as deeply enmeshed in each others lives, to the point where neither of them (but especially Catra) have clear identities outside of one another. There is so much genuine love on both sides before Adora leaves, but also resentment, envy and fear, especially on Catra’s side, as well as a protectiveness on Adora’s side that deprives Catra of her autonomy. They are both being abused by Shadow Weaver - Catra physically  and emotionally, Adora emotionally. It wouldn’t be too much to say that Shadow Weaver holds Catra hostage to control Adora (this is why critiques that Adora abandoned Catra to be abused are actually kind of messed up, since they accept Shadow Weaver’s premise that Adora is responsible for what Shadow Weaver does to Catra). In addition, Catra and Adora actually see the world incredibly differently. Adora already sees the world in terms of right, wrong and her destiny to right wrongs - this is why it’s important for her  to accept the Horde’s obvious lies - she couldn’t keep living if she didn’t. Catra, on the other hand, sees the world solely in terms of survival and personal loyalty - everything for her is about preserving herself and the person she cares about - Adora.

Then, when Adora finds the sword, she leaves because it’s the right thing to do. Catra doesn’t even have a concept of ‘the right thing to do’ being something she should care about, or perhaps, something she can care about as an irredeemably evil, awful fuck-up. So at Thaymor neither one understands where the other is coming from, and Catra and Adora begin to part. This is the first turning point in their relationship. Adora chooses duty over what she desires, Catra chooses to protect herself (such as she sees it) and nurse her sense of betrayal and abandonment.

Their relationship until Promise is a kind of weird Frenemy thing that is fascinating to watch and sold me on the show. Neither one wants to fully admit to themselves that the other is now their enemy, neither one has given up on changing the other’s mind. Each is furious at the other, and desperate to see her again at the same time. There’s a lot of heartache and just as much sexual tension, especially at Princess Prom. Both of them come alive when they fight each other (more about that in a later post). But they’re already growing apart - Adora embracing her destiny as She-Ra, Catra rising in the ranks for the Horde. Adora now has the purpose she always wanted, plus other friends and a sense of being chosen to do something great, while Catra now has power - the means to protect herself from people like Shadow Weaver as well as the vindication she had always been denied, and even the opportunity to beat Shadow Weaver at her own game.

The next turning point is Promise. Holy fuck, this episode. It’s an episode that is even more heartbreaking after you’ve watched the show because you know just how much worse things are going to get, and yet, it’s a necessary part of both of their character arcs. Even through season 1 Catra and Adora had remained very much enmeshed in each others lives in an increasingly fucked up way as they grew apart but refused to turn away from each other. Even though they aren’t -exactly- a romantic couple (Adora doesn’t recognize and acknowledge her feelings until the last episode of Season 5), Season 1 of She-Ra is one of the worst breakups I have seen on TV. As I said in a couple of previous posts, this is the kind of shit that the Mountain Goats write songs about. Everything that was poisoning their love for each other even before episode 1 bubbles to the surface and combines with them fighting on opposite sides of the war to make a truly fucked up situation. In the end, it’s Catra that makes the choice to turn away from Adora. This isn’t a -good- decision. It’s spiteful, and destructive, and based on an outright deluded understanding of their relationship (inspired by Light Hope’s manipulations and her own issues), but it’s in some ways a necessary decision. Catra has been so wrapped up in Adora for so long that she isn’t going to be able to figure out who -she- is without cutting Adora out of her life. And the same is true of Adora.

But each of them do this in about the worst way possible. Catra embraces destruction, ambition, manipulation and outright cruelty, turning the tactics of her abusers against them and against everyone around her. She first triumphs over Shadow Weaver and manipulates Entrapta into trying to corrupt Etheria itself. Meanwhile Adora ‘lets go’ and commits herself to the self-denying mantle of She-Ra. Over the next several seasons, their respective paths will nearly lead both Catra and Adora to their deaths (in the Season 4 finale).

For the next season (counting season 2 and 3 as one) Catra and Adora are still closely linked, but as enemies. Still, there’s more than enough flirtation between them (that ‘Hey Catra’ in the first episode of Season 2 is something else), and especially on Adora’s side we see her hold back with Catra, and often take responsibility for the harm Catra inflicts, just like she had when they were kids. Yet they still drift apart - after facing off every other episode in Season 1, they spend less and less time on screen together through season 2 and 3. Catra continues her ascent to power and descent into villainy while Adora becomes more of a stressed out mess as she takes the fate of the world and the wellbeing of everyone she cares about on her admittedly broad shoulders. Catra’s one moment of vulnerability is rewarded by Shadow Weaver’s betrayal and her exile, then Catra triumphs in ruthless badass fashion through sheer desperation and aggression. In the Crimson Wastes, we see Catra at her most independent, and she almost seems happy. But once Adora shows up and Catra hears about Shadow Weaver, she’s sucked back into the worst of her resentments, and she makes very clear that being happy is less important to her than making sure Adora is miserable.

This changes everything. Catra completely breaks with reality and tries to kill Adora, herself and the world rather than lose to Adora and Shadow Weaver (I do think it’s important to remember that she does that after Shadow Weaver nearly kills her). Catra betrays everyone around her when she exiles Entrapta, threatens Scopria and lies to Hordak. Then she flips the switch. When Adora tries to fix things, Catra fights to her own death to make sure that the world disintegrates with her. For her part, Adora fights first to understand what is wrong with the world and then to fix it. Finally she tells Catra that destroying the world is her choice and she has to live with it, decks her, and then sees her off with a death glare once the portal is closed. With this, Adora writes Catra off even if, as she says later, she never never hated her. By doing that, Adora casts off the guilt that had dogged her and takes responsibility for her own life rather than someone else’s - this is actually a huge step for her, and one that will become more important in Season 4.

Season 4 is in many ways the nadir of their relationship. They only see each other once during the entire season, in Fluterrina, when Adora tries to blast Catra, much to the latter’s shock. There’s a sense in that scene that Catra is trying to have the same flirtatious enmity she used to have with Adora, and Adora is having none of it. Catra almost seems hurt by this, which is an early hint at how isolated Catra is beginning to feel. Catra spends the rest of the season at her highest and lowest. On the one hand she spends most of 12 episodes winning by every standard she has ever claimed to care about, besting Hordak himself in single combat and making herself co-ruler of the Horde and coming within a day’s march of ending the Rebellion. In many ways it is the ultimate empowerment fantasy - the abused young woman has defeated her abusers, showed up everyone who doubted her and forced everyone to respect her. But I think it’s striking that the show starts with her and Adora dreaming of conquering the world together and in Season 4 Catra nearly succeeds in conquering it alone, almost like she was trying to live out her old shared fantasy while proving she didn’t need her former best friend. 

At the same time, Catra is clearly miserable. She’s always been unhappy, but in Season 4 we see her completely isolated and lying to herself and everyone who will listen in a desperate attempt to justify her actions. Turning the tactics of Hordak and Shadow Weaver against them to gain power and then against Scorpia and Entrapta to maintain it haven’t vindicated Catra, they’ve made her more and more alone as Entrapta is exiled and Scorpia drifts away. Meanwhile Catra reaches out to Double Trouble, and her interactions with them reek of a kind of desperate desire to have someone in her life (the feeling of their interaction is of an unhealthy casual relationship where one partner becomes emotionally invested and the other takes advantage of that while denying the other the closeness they desire). As people leave her, one after the other, it becomes clearer and clearer that Catra doesn’t want power at all - she wants connection, friendship, love, and power is a very poor replacement. As I said in my long Catra rant, Season 4 is both her ‘Walter White as a Catgirl’ season and the beginning of her redemption. Everything comes to head when Sparkles destroys everything Catra has tried to achieve, Double Trouble delivers those harsh truths and Horde Prime shows up and makes it all irrelevant, just highlighting how futile all her struggles and sacrifices and crimes have been.

Meanwhile Adora spends Season 4 becoming her own her and her own woman. After telling off Catra, she grows more and more disillusioned with Light Hope and critical of Glimmer (though the latter has more than a shade of her old habit of taking responsibility for others - Adora’s development is not linear). She’s gained the courage and confidence to strike out her own path, not just follow a destiny. At the season’s end she once again breaks with her best friend to do what is right, and discards the destiny that she was being prepared for. But in this case she isn’t chasing one packaged destiny for another, instead she’s making her own choice and literally shattering the thing that she thought gave her life purpose. It’s badass, and heartbreaking, and along with decking Catra and jumping after Catra into the abyss (see below) it’s the perfect Adora moment.

In many ways Season 5 starts with Catra and Adora farther apart than they have ever been. They aren’t even enemies anymore, they’re completely out of each other’s lives. And both Catra and Adora are lost at the beginning of Season 5 - Catra is useless and alone on Prime’s ship, completely defeated despite ostensibly being on the winning side, and she goes through the motions of her normal plotting without any particular conviction and none of her normal flair. Meanwhile Adora is even more miserable and self-destructive than usual, throwing herself at Horde Bots and working herself until she drops of exhaustion. In a very real way they both stay lost until they have a chance to help the other. Catra takes responsibility for what she’s done and what she can do, saves Glimmer (at least partly for Adora’s sake), apologizes to Adora, and sacrifices herself. Adora only seems to come alive when she decides to turn around, face Prime, and save the cat. And when she does, Catra and Adora’s arcs, which had separated so completely in season 4, come crashing back together to end the series.

Adora during Save the Cat is such a contrast with the uncertain, hesitant and self-destructive wreck we’ve seen so far in Season 5. This is possibly her craziest plan in 3 years of mostly cazy plans, but she never wavers or questions herself. Even when Chipped Catra appears and we see Adora’s heart break while we watch, Adora doesn’t back down or relent. She keeps at it even as the tears stream down her face. She fights better trying to save Catra without She-Ra’s powers than she fought at the Battle of Bright Moon with them. Catra’s just about as desperate - we see her cry and plead, and now is probably as good a time to any to point out how amazing a job both VAs did throughout the show, but especially in this episode, and how good a job the board artists did. 

Seeing each other for the first time in a year, and only the second time since Catra blew everything up, Catra and Adora are probably the rawest and least restrained we’ve ever seen them. There’s barely any banter, no bravado, and no pretense that they are anything other than two women who desperately need each other (Prime doesn’t help with ‘You broke my heart’.) Then Catra is flung to her death, Adora jumps after her, breaks both her legs in the fall (we see her crawl to Catra, as though she couldn’t walk) and becomes the real She-Ra. It’s such a triumphant and deeply queer moment seeing a woman transformed into a warrior goddess to protect the woman she loves, and it’s the reason that, as dark as it is, Save the Cat is my Comfort Food episode.

Let’s not sleep on Taking Control, though. This episode is like a microcosm of what this show does best, especially the A plot with Catra and Adora. Catra’s reversion to lashing out at everyone and her refusal to be open to Adora shows just how much of a struggle this whole ‘being good and trying to connect to people’ thing is. Catra’s outburst gives Adora a chance to stand up for herself and refuse to be Catra’s punching bag, while also not trying to control her. Adora’s ultimatum gives Catra a chance to reach out to Adora (quite literally), and allow herself to be vulnerable. In this episode, we see just how far Catra and Adora have come since the messed up stew of their relationship in Season 1. Adora lets Catra be responsible for her own actions; Catra lets herself be vulnerable to Adora and takes responsibility for her actions. They’re both better people and better friends and better partners than they were, and the show has shown this in a strikingly nuanced and realistic way. 

The important thing to note in the next few episodes of Season 5 isn’t just how much closer Catra and Adora get to each other and how much they flirt (So much. So much, y’all) but just how -happy- they are. We see both of them transformed in the other’s presence. Basically, since they’ve parted, both Catra and Adora have been defined in no small part by how miserable they often are. They have both had their triumphs and their lighter moments, but there’s been a sense of melancholy dogging both Catra and Adora since episode 1. And now that they’re together again, that lifts, somewhat. Catra’s verbal barbs have lost their venom, and she can openly show how much she cares for Adora and even Bow and Glimmer. She’s still herself - snarky, cynical, somewhat devious - but she’s not engaged in a self-destructive zero-sum struggle with everyone around her. Meanwhile Adora has spent 4 seasons being a neurotic and sometimes nearly joyless mess who takes responsibility for everything and often doesn’t let herself enjoy anything other than the odd BFS group hug (exceptions include trying to uh...impress Huntara and reveling with the butterfly ladies of Elberron in Flutterina).  Around Catra, though, she’s a cocky, swaggering jock who gives as good as she gets. It’s a side of Adora we’ve only seen hints of before, and one that’s so much more confident and joyful even as the world is ending around her. Apart, Catra had tried to protect and vindicate herself with power and conquest, while Adora had tried to forget herself in duty and sacrifice. Together, they can be themselves again. This dynamic is crucial to the show’s portrayal of Catra and Adora’s romance because it doesn’t just show how much they love each other, but how they’re -good- for each other now that they’ve grown as people, and that they are so much better than they were when they were apart.

Until Shadow Weaver shows up. Their old abuser reintroduces tensions but even then things are different than they were. Now Catra isn’t just resentful of how Shadow Weaver prefers Adora - she’s  protective of Adora, which is clearest in Failsafe when she calls Shadow Weaver out for being willing to sacrifice Adora. And while Adora takes the Failsafe, it isn’t to follow her destiny or because she has a death wish - it’s because she loves her friends, and she is the only one who has any hope of doing this and living (though Catra’s suggestion that Shadow Weaver take it is a good one). And finally, when Catra leaves Adora, it isn’t because she hates Adora, nor, despite what she says, is it because she really thinks that Adora chose Shadow Weaver. At least, not exactly. It’s because Catra loves Adora, and can admit that to herself, and can’t stay around and watch the woman she loves sacrifice herself rather than choosing Catra. Before Catra leaves, she asks Adora ‘What do you want?” It’s a question that echoes Shadow Weaver’s speech in Episode 1: ‘isn’t this what you always wanted since you could want anything?’ As much as Adora has grown as a person, and defined herself and stood up for what she thinks is right, she still has never answered that question - it’s never been ‘what do I want’ but ‘what do I have to do?’ and that’s how Adora answers Catra’s question. This is Adora’s last gasp as a self-transcending hero, letting go of what she wants (not that she ever dared articulate what that was) in order to do what must be done. And it nearly kills her and dooms the universe, because Adora can’t be the hero that she needs to be by being anyone less than herself.

But it’s losing Catra that inspires Adora to tell off Shadow Weaver for good (not that she’d ever really warmed to her after season 1). And it’s love for Adora that inspires Catra to stand up to Shadow Weaver and demand that she do the right thing. In both cases, Catra and Adora aren’t just standing up to their abuser, but holding her to account for the harm she’s caused, and it’s the love that they have for each other that inspires them to do this. In Catra’s case in particular her refusal to let Shadow Weaver weasel out of finding Adora is a much greater triumph over Shadow Weaver than beating her up and breaking her mask in Season 1 - it’s proof not so much to Shadow Weaver but to Catra herself that Catra really is better than this and that she deserves better than this. It’s not turning her abuser’s tactics against her, but truly holding her to a moral standard and demanding that she do the right thing.

And then there’s Catra and Adora together at the heart. Catra has already come back for Adora and stayed to the end, choosing to die with her even if she can’t share a life together (not out of some death wish, but because Adora needs her). And Adora, who’s been avoiding answering the question for three fucking years, finally let’s herself want Catra when Catra finally confesses her love (breaking the last of her self-protective shields) and asks Adora to stay -for her-. And by admitting what she wants, Adora can truly be at peace with herself and be the hero she needs to be, lesbianism saves the universe, The End.

So anyway, that’s how Catra and Adora’s stories are woven together and how they compliment and comment on each other. Narrativiely, Adora and Catra start together, come apart, find something of themselves, and truly find themselves and each other when they are reunited. Thematically, they are critiquing seemingly opposing narrative tropes - empowerment narratives and narratives of self sacrifice. But by showing the flaws in both types of story and showing how neither self-seeking empowerment nor self-negating self sacrifice can actually make us happy, She-Ra asks and answers more profound questions than most prestige dramas for adults do. I’ll get into how the show sells the idea that the power of love can bring us happiness (and save the world) in a future post. But next up, I’m going to celebrate just how much Catra and Adora’s relationship revels in ambiguity, complexity and contradiction and so tells a grown up love story in a kid’s show.

[sandandlightning]

Eclecticism is Historically Accurate

The Hermes-Anpu statue.

It might sound like a hot take, but it's true! The Polytheist mind set of the ancient world  was very different than today.

I don't know if this is still the case, but growing up, especially in college, there was a schism between reconstructionist and eclectic practitioners. There was a lot of gatekeeping, a lot of shaming, and so on. I've had people who worship different pantheons try to correct me about my Gods! (Though that is a different issue in and of itself.) I'd like to think because I haven't personally encountered this in a while it is less prevalent, but I know that is just wishful thinking- so to any who may concern, here is the 'historical fact' on inter-pantheon worship in ancient times.

The simple fact of it was these cultures existed in the same space, merchants talked to each other, ideas were shared and spread. Above is a statue of Hermes-Anpu. This was a statue was the result of some Romans looking at Anpu after interacting with Egypt and going "Hey, he sure is a lot like Hermes! I guess in Egypt he presents to them as some jackal dude. Cool." This statue of the two god combined is proof of this parallel ancient people drew that has existed until today.

But that is an example of likening one god to another, and saying several gods are simply different aspects of each other is far more commonly accepted than say, being a Hellenistic pagan who also just happens to pray to Aset sometimes

Except that was a thing that actually happened in ancient Rome!

The Cult of Isis happened when rumors that Aset was 'very responsive' to prayers began spreading on the other side of the Mediterranean. Basically a few Romans who traveled south started going, "Man, when I was visiting Egypt I prayed to this local goddess and she like, immediately hooked me up! So I kept praying to her and life has been great! You should pray to her too!" Her popularity spread to the point there were temples of her in Rome. These people still worshiped their own Roman gods, they still held Jupiter above others, but that didn't prevent them from working with deities outside of this pantheon.

So in modern context, there's no reason why I, a Kemetic, shouldn't still occasionally work with Baldr or Dionysus because they have a stronger connection to the thing I'm working on. One might argue that, say, it's one thing for Egypt and Rome to have contact, but Egypt and Celtic practices? What about Babylonian? What if you with with some Shinto or something else from the far east? They wouldn't have had historical connections! Well no, but if they had the technology we do now? Of course they would have! The cross pollination of ideas is a good thing, not a bad one. A world untouched by the monotheistic mindset would have embraced this exchange of ideas, would never have had the concept of such rigid lines between religions.

So, as a polytheist, I encourage learning about and at the very least giving respect to other pantheons even if they are not my main focus. Maybe you'll make friends who work with that pantheon, learning more about the people around you should be encouraged, not be cause for divide. Personally, I feel the Old Gods are happy to embrace any form of appropriate worship, and wouldn't care so much about such rigidity. Granted, this may change from god to god, some deities are known to be possessive, others in great dislike of being worshiped in solitary. Once again, it is about finding what feels right.