#some ppl can't get over his height

[genderick-lamar]

Ppl on twitter will clown you relentlessly if you say Kendrick is hot but I raise you this

[ropebunnykant]

I've seen a lot of ppl frustrated at Kant/the Captain for meeting up outside the bar, but my take on it was that was a deliberate power play by CC (not that I don't think he's inept enough to do so out of sheer stupidity!) - Kant had clearly been ignoring his calls, as implied by his convo with Style and explictly seen in his convo with Bison (and when he says he's sick of his 'customer' flip-flopping and doesn't want to talk to him anymore, that's obviously a declaration of intent vis a vis continuing his relationship with the police), and what do cops do when their informants aren't co-operating? They pile on the pressure. And one way to do so is to turn up in front of their informants in public spaces, because they are happy to use the threat of blowing their cover as leverage - talk to us, or else we'll make sure everyone sees/knows what you are. Wouldn't surprise me if they had someone tracking Kant and CC sent him a message along the lines of 'either you come out or we come in.' Look at Kant's body language - he doesn't want to be there, he's frustrated, he's on edge, but at this point he's also visibly exhausted and probably on some level thinking slightly self-destructively - if he gets caught then at least it'll be over, at least CC can't use him anymore, at least he doesn't have to tell Bison himself and see with his own eyes what the truth does to him.

I know fandom in general is sympathetic to the ACAB sentiment, but I'm getting the feeling ppl don't fully appreciate just how fucked up the dynamic between a handler and an informant can be at the best of times, let alone when the handler is corrupt or at the very least abusing their position! I've seen (valid) accusations of grooming levelled against Lilly, but it's not something that only happens to children - all it takes is a significant power differential and someone who is at risk. And we've seen CC using the classic combo of praise and pressure - he switches from flattering Kant ('I know you can do this', 'you certainly lived up to my expectations') to threatening him (which goes beyond the initial outright blackmail - when he says stuff like 'you think they'll let you live once we arrest them?', that is a threat, that is him saying to Kant: we won't protect you - you quit now, you're on your own).

I really appreciated your tags on the height as power play thing, because that jumped out at me when I watched that scene, and it was so sad seeing Kant desperately trying to wrest back the upper hand and suddenly looking so much younger and more vulnerable as soon as CC stood up. And I admit we're veering into fanon rather than canon now, but it just makes me even more curious about his timeline - how old he was when he got caught? Did CC start off as a sort of quasi-father figure? Is that how he reeled him in? Did it begin, not with blackmail, but with manipulating Kant into wanting his approval? Perhaps my most burning question, however, is: what if this isn't even the first time he's been used as a honeytrap?? And I know it's most likely just First being incaptable of not having ridiculous chemistry with every single man who so much as breathes in his vicinity (let's face it, there's a reason the top three 'ghost ship' pairings on that poll are all First-based! But isn't it also because of the potential Kant brings as a character - the potential backstory tween him and Style/CC, the potential hate-sex with Fadel...), rather than anything deliberate but...the *vibes*! If you lean into that side of things and headcanon that yes, Kant did in fact fuck that cop, then phew, there is SO much to unpack there!

This is why I don't get viewers sleeping on Kant - imo he's the most interesting character! There are so many layers! Out of the main four, we probably know the least about him, and part of that is because we can't even trust that what we've ostensibly learned is even true! That whole riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma thing? That's him! And not even because he's that complicated a person deep down - most of the meta I've read here has, I reckon it'll turn out, already nailed it. It's just that a combo of the tricksy and subtle way he's been written/played and the narrative role he's been given requires us to do some of the legwork ourselves (by which I apparently mean, you know, actually paying attention and caring??) to determine what in his words/actions/feelings/face is authentic and what's not, and when, and why, etc (heaven forbid we have to read between the lines!). Maybe some more casual viewers aren't used to that in their bls, and I totally get that ppl go into shows for different reasons and some just want the light entertainment/aesthetic appreciation of it all and aren't interested in deep dives and 10,000 word analyses, and that's absolutely their prerogative! We've all been there! But equally, you don't then get to complain about the writing/acting/characterisation when, by choice, you've skipped/missed/misinterpreted what's being put onscreen (disclaimer: I'm not saying no criticism allowed - there's things I'd have tweaked - just not when it's unfounded cos it's based on viewer indifference/ignorance). I don't want to use the term 'spoon-feeding', it feels ungenerous, and yet...!

Eek, this got away from me. Long story short: don't underestimate the lengths CC will go to just to keep Kant dancing to his tune, including risking his cover by showing up outside his favourite bar!

first of all, thank you for such a long ask, i love getting things like this in my inbox and be prepared for an equally long essay of my own shskdhd i will put it under a cut since your ask in itself is pretty long, but i agree with everything you said basically

i feel like every complaint i hear about kant just leaves me so very baffled. like at a certain point, you’re just coming up with reasons to be mad at him. and like i really wish that people would just fess up to the fact that they just don’t like him. that fundamentally something about him annoys them and that’s okay! you don’t need to like every character, but it pisses me off when people try to justify their dislike of anything by pulling reasons out of their ass. and like, okay, i understand that i obviously over analyze the shit out media i enjoy, and there are a lot people that don’t do that and watch with their brain turned off or just don’t put all the little things together. and that’s fine, but if you’re gonna complain about things at least make sure you’re complaining accurately. like some people didn’t even realize that christ was a cop until ep6 and apparently thought kant was doing it all for money?? when in their FIRST scene together, it is made explicitly clear that not only is christ a cop, but that kant is being blackmailed into this in order to keep his brother in his custody. you may not personally agree with everything he does, you may disagree how much of a choice he has in everything he does, but that does not change his motivations or the power that christ holds over him - and if you don’t realize at least those things, it’s not even a matter of media literacy, you are just not paying attention! or you’re skipping scenes and like, im not telling you how to enjoy shows, if you wanna skip scenes go ahead! but you can’t then complain about things that aren’t actually happening just because you tried to piece together what happened in the scenes you skipped 💀

and this complaint is especially silly because not only does kant explicitly emphasize that he’s been avoiding the captain and therefore we can assume the captain showed up to put pressure on him, but i feel like it’s been made pretty obvious that he doesn’t really have a choice in the meet up spots regardless? like they either meet at the police station/christ’s office, or he shows up in places that kant already is to talk to him, like the pool or the bar. so, i feel like getting mad at kant for that is so stupid? especially considering even IF meeting at the bar had been kant’s decision… he didn’t know bison was gonna show up?? he thought bison was in hiding and it’s his friend’s bar, so it’s a perfectly reasonable place for him to be and to be willing to meet up with the captain like?? he could not have predicted bison showing up after disappearing for a week post-failed murder attempt. like be serious.

when it comes to the acab aspect, i think trying to dive into people’s actual beliefs on that is a can of worms that will not end well shskdhd but in the very least, looking at it from a media perspective, i think in general people expect us to be supposed to root for the cops. like whether or not what you personally believe, the general sentiment in most media is that the cops are the good guys - because that’s the way we’re trained to believe that in society at large, so more often than not, it’s assumed that the cops in most shows are the good guys.

however, when you walk into a show like the heart killers, where 3/4 of our main protagonists are criminals (two murders and a former car thief) and the genre is explicitly a romcom, you have to also understand that the cops in a show like that are not gonna be the good guys! and i think in general, you have to be willing to understand that your personal morals and beliefs are not going to line up with the things these characters are doing. this is a show about assassins! if you’re going to try and argue for who’s morally in the right or who’s the most fucked up one, maybe this isn’t the show for you. and that’s okay!

all that to say you SHOULD be suspicious of the captain and his intentions - you should not trust him as some morally good figure because he’s been explicitly shown to be blackmailing and manipulating kant in all of this! he is a villain, explicitly so. and while i know we don’t have an exact age for when kant’s parents died and he had to start raising babe or for when he got caught, it’s very safe to assume this has been a long time thing. kant says their dad died young, babe says that kant raised him, so kant had to have been young when he had to start taking care of babe, and i’m assuming also pretty young when he got caught for his car thefts. so, it would not at all shock me if the captain saw a young, college-aged kant, who’d just lost his father and was desperately trying to keep himself and his pre-teen brother afloat, and saw an opportunity to put on the mentor role and mold this kid into what he wanted and needed. i think the lilly comparison makes perfect sense - because we’ve already been shown time and time again the similarities between the captain and lilly and the ways they manipulate kant, bison, and fadel. this being another way theyre similar would be no shock to me.

nor would it be a shock if the captain also made the relationship sexual at some point and kant having daddy issues and therefore being into it makes perfect sense as well shskdhd like you said i think it’s a combo of first having insane chemistry with everyone but also just kant’s character making these dynamics interesting - which is why first was the perfect casting choice they could have made shskdhd kant’s character in general is exceptionally fascinating to me, but i feel like i’ve made that pretty obvious with all my kant posting, and i don’t get how anyone can just write him off or view him as being one dimensional in anyway when he has SO MANY layers to him. he’s incredibly complex and that’s what i adore about him.

[heartilywrites]

could you write a fluff korra x fem reader fic? i loved give in to me!!

omg hi !! im so glad you loved it 🥺 this is my first request, hope you enjoyed it and love it as much as i loved writing it!!!

،، 𝓡eady? Take 3! ; Korra

request guide | masterlist

resume: Korra had been wanting to tell you how she felt for quite some time now.

content warning: fluff and comfort ; fem and earthbender!reader ; for plotting reasons, Mako and Korra never had a relationship ; a long os 'cause I kinda got excited ; no use of y/n ; the only thing I described from physical looks are the eyes, but because the ppl from the Earth Kingdom have green eyes ;

word count: 2.5k

“ 𝓘 made my mind long ago, but I still needed more time.

Love can be such a magical thing, can't it? Falling in love with someone you appreciate, feeling like you're floating when you are near to that person, butterflies in your stomach when you have them near, an electric touch when their hands are on you, your heart beating a hundred per second. . . Okay, sometimes it may be confused with anxiety, but Korra felt that way with you. In a good way! Korra thought love would be easy to handle for her. I mean, she's the avatar! she should be able to do everything, right?

But it was hard for her to understand how it worked. She knew you since her probending days with the team, between Bolin and you were helping her with her earthbending. She realize she was in love with you on one of the practices where Bolin was absent because he felt asleep.

That time alone with you made her realized how much she loved spending time with you, how she felt complete with you near, how her heart raced when she made you laugh and how she adored having your whole attention.

So she thought about talking about it to you.

Three tries. It took her three tries to say what she wanted. The first one was at the Glacier Spirits Festival.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Who are we staring at?” Asami said over her shoulder, scaring the brunette one, making her jump in her place.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “No one!” she was quick to exclaim, but the pale girl looked the way she was and smiled excited when she saw you scolding Bolin for shoving a whole bird in his mouth. “You know, staring at her won't do anything.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Do what? I don’t know what you're talking about, I don’t want to do anything.” the avatar mumbled, looking away. Asami laugh softly.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Sure you don't.” she smiled, one of her arms passed the brunette's shoulders. “Let's go, I'll take Bolin from her and you can stay and do nothing.” Asami tried to copy her friend's tone while she forced the avatar to walk your way.

When the pair arrived with you, your eyes lit up at the sight of Korra. She was too nervous to notice. “Hey, I need Bolin for a couple of minutes; I brought you another companion in exchange!” the inventor spoke.

Asami shoved Korra to you and was quick to take Bolin by the wrist to take him away with a 'but, my food!' complaint from him. The avatar was quick to straighten after bumping into you, her cheeks were light pink and her smile was nervous. “Hi. . . Uhm, do you want to play the booths?” she asked timidly pointing at one with mini Aangs in it.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I would love to!” you exclaimed and that gave Korra the courage to take you hand and walk to the booth.

The night was great, both of you were having the best time of your lives. Laughing, cheating in the most subtle way possible, eating a bunch of things until your stomach was full. She won a flying bison and a koalaotter plushies while you won a badgermole. At the end of the night, both of you were walking back to the tents where the whole group were staying at.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “You should've seen your face when the ferris wheel stopped at the top!” she had been laughing at you for about five minutes now and you couldn't resist to join her.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I hate heights! Stop making fun of me!” you tried to defend yourself while holding your stomach. It didn't took long to get to the tents. “It was fun, Korra. I had a great night, thank you.”

The southerner smiled fondly at you before nodding. “I had a great night too. . .” both of you stayed quiet while arriving to the doorstep of the tents, but it was a comfortable silence. “Listen, I...”

The sight of your green eyes stopped her words. It was right there, that was the moment, she needed to do it.

Korra took a big breath in.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I want you to have the koalaotter.” she said, cowering at the last second. You smiled big and took the plushie when she extended it.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Thank you!” you exclaimed admiring the plushie while Korra admired you. A moment later you extended the badgermole back at her. “Let's exchange, I want you to have it. I have something from you and you have something from me.” you said blushing hard. She accepted more than grateful and smiled at you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I'll take good care of it.” she said, getting a small 'I know you will' from you before waving goodbye for the night.

Maybe she had a chance?

The second time was in Zaofu.

After helping prevent the kidnapping of Korra by the Red Lotus, you were the first one to come in once the girl got her mobility back.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “My spirits, Korra!” you exclaimed running to give her a hug which was pretty much reciprocated with a bit of strength from the Avatar. “I'm glad you're okay. I got so scared.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Me too.” she murmured close to your ear. Seconds that felt like hours, Korra spent in your arms, breathing in your scent while she could feel how fast your own breathing was. “I'm here, don't worry.”

You separated a little bit from the hug to look at her face and smiled fondly at her, she smiled back at you. A clear of throat busted the bubble you both were in. “Go get some rest, kids, we'll be making the questioning at first thing in the morning.” Lin said, both of you looked at her and then at each other.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I'll take her to her bed.” you told them before helping the southern stand up, you made her rest one of her arms on your shoulders and one of yours wrapped around her waist so she could lean on you completely.

The walk to Korra's room was slow, you didn't pressure her to walk faster and she thanked that in silence.

Once at her room you helped her to get in and tuck her in, giving Naga a pet when she got closer to make sure her friend was fine.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I'm going to stay here a little bit if you need anything.” you said, sitting by her side in the bed, she smiled.

She looked for your hand which you took without a problem into yours, leaving caresses on the back of her hand with your thumb. Both of you stayed quiet, your eyes looking at the union of hands and her eyes tracing your silhouette, making sure she got your image printed in her head.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I shouldn't ask you to come here with me. It's dangerous.” she broke the silence surrounding you both, you frowned looking up at her.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Don't be ridiculous, Korra. I know when to agree or decline to things.” you said, a bit annoyed at what you heard.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Yeah, but I put you in danger and–” you interrupted her.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I'm here because I like being with you.” she blinked surprised. “If I can help you, I will. I appreciate you a lot, Korra, you're my friend.”

And at the noun used on her, her whole confession faded away. You looked at her as a friend, she thought. She sighed and nodded. “You need to rest, we have people to question in a couple of hours.” the avatar responded, smiling a little bit. You nodded, standing up and making the attempt to walk out. The hand she had intertwined with yours pulled you back, you looked at her surprise. “Let's do a sleepover, yeah?” she made space on the bed.

You thought about it for a second before smiling and accepting the offer, it took both of you a great amount of three minutes to fall asleep, facing each other, feeling at ease with the presence of the other.

The third time was three years after saying goodbye to her, she was going back to the Southern Water Tribe. She said she needed time to herself, you send her letters everyday, getting letter back every couple of weeks and one day it suddenly stopped.

You didn't thought much of it, maybe she was just preparing everything to come back to the city and you didn't had time either to think about it.

Once you were told Kuvira's plan to attack Zaofu, you went back to the city in a try to help Suyin. After all, she helped you learn how to metalbend and you felt like that was the least you could do.

You arrived a couple of hours before Korra, but didn't cross her way since after talking to Suyin you got to an emergency training taught by the twins to make sure your metalbend was sharp.

After that, you got to sleep since the twins got the best out of you in just hours, missing the reunion with the avatar and got woken up by Wing saying they needed help to take Kuvira from the camp outside Zaofu, and so you did. Then got captured.

On your suit you narrowed your eyes at the silhouettes facing Kuvira. They shot back open in surprise. “Korra!?”

The avatar's heart raced, the feelings she ignored all that time resurfaced when she saw you. Trapped. You were moving desperate to get out of the trap. “Dear spirits, no...” she murmured to herself, the girl stayed in line, she tried not to freak out and attack Kuvira at that moment, she needed to come to an agreement.

The southerner could feel your gaze on her, she was desolate trying to win the fight to get you out of there. To have you in her arms and hold you tight. To tell you how much she missed you.

But the luck wasn't on her side that day and she lost. You watched how the flying bison got away with tears in your eyes, wishing, hoping to get a chance with her.

The next days captured with the Beifongs were... An experience. You were so grateful when you saw Lin, Bolin and Toph appear, you were the second one to get out and helped as much as you could to get out of the factory safe.

You were behind Suyin, Bolin and Zhu Li when they interrupted the president's meeting. When Korra laid eyes on you she was quick to hug you, a strong grip between the both of you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I'm so glad to see you.” you said in a sigh, it almost felt like a weight fell off your shoulders.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I am too... You have no idea how much I missed you.” she said back, after a while you two took a step back. “I need to tell you something.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “It will have to wait, we have big problems.” even though you stopped her from talking and made her pay attention to Zhu Li, you took her hand. You needed to feel her touch to make sure it was her and not another dream.

Since the matter was life or death, both of you were able to put on hold the confessions to have your head in the game and survive whatever Kuvira threw at you. Plans were made, groups designated and goodbyes said from one group to another. It felt like the end of something, but everyone was so hopeful for a good ending.

And you were too, but you needed to do something before.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Hey, Korra, I need to talk to you.” you called the southerner, pulling the girl by the hand a little bit farther from the group. “Okay, listen, I've been trying to tell you this for years now, but I just couldn't–”

Your words got caught up in your mouth when you felt the lips of the girl infront of you press into yours. It was a sweet kiss, full of emotions coming from both sides and a bit desperate in the act.

Her lips knew their way around yours, it was almost like you two already knew how to exchange that gesture. Her hands found their way in your waist just as yours rest confidently in her shoulders, she pulled you as close to her as the anatomy would allow.

Once both yours and her lungs where burning in need of air, you pulled away. She rest her forehead in yours, her eyes were still closed for a bit before opening them and stumbling into your gaze. The one she had been loving since you arrived to her life, she smiled.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I love you.” she confessed finally, your cheeks were just as red as hers and you let a light giggle left your mouth. “I love you so much, since you first stomped in my feet at the probending gym.” your face got even more red at the memory. “I'm sorry for disappearing and for not writing you back enough, I just... I needed time to heal.”

You shook your head a bit, reassuring her with a little smile. “It doesn't matter, you are here, you are okay and I couldn't ask for more... I love you too, Korra, I always had.” the avatar could swear her heatbeats were loud enough for everyone on the place to hear them.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Once this is done I want to take you out. You and me alone.” she said before finally taking a step back from you, taking your hand into hers.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Sounds like a date.” you agreed before leaving a small peck in her lips.

And then, the final battle took place.

People were flying here and there. You learned to use the metal wires and took Bolin or Mako up and down when needed, so it was safe to say once the Colossus was defeated and Kuvira arrested you were tired to your bones. There you stood, with the whole group, taking a break.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Alright, excuse me.” Korra said walking to you and hugging you by the waist while giving you a kiss. You could hear gasps, both of surprise and excitement.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “WHAT!?” Bolin screamed with his jaw dropped, Mako had almost a same expression meanwhile Asami, Jinora and Ikki where smiling excited, Ikki was jumping in her place.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I heard we will be going to a wedding.” you said once you both ended the gesture, referring to Zhu Li and Varrick's wedding when Varrick showed off his fiancee's ring while looking for Korra after the portal opened. “Wanna be my plus one?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Ooh, I would love to.” she giggled before turning to everyone else. “. . .I think we should get out of here.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “AREN'T YOU GOING TO TELL US HOW DID THIS HAPPENED!?” Bolin continued to scream.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Oh, they will. They have to or I'm going to make them.” Asami said, Mako laughed.

Maybe it was worth it to wait all those years for one of you to take the step, all the yearning and adoration for one to another made the result of that waiting so sweet, just as both of you had been dreaming of.

[jooniely]

I think ppl have Mel confused. She's not some evil person but she's also not ekko level of "good".

Her goal is to basically run piltover but not directly. She cares for the city and wants it to reach great heights. She does not usually think of zaun. Her goals are to have piltover look good against other nations. We see she's protective of her city cuz she constantly stands up against her mother who is using her city as a test battleground and as a way to amass weapons.

When we see her as a child, her family has just massacred the people who were ruling and taken their place. She talks about having a kind trusting ruler for the ppl to look up to and like but one that can be molded by her family, so in reality it would be her family who was ruling. When we hear this, we get a bit queasy cuz it feels manipulative and we have only seen bad examples of what ruling from the sidelines looks like (and its the truth, the ruling class can't truly be trusted). Some might think of how she was doing this with jayce, pulling him into the top and steering him into being a good investment for her. And i think there is truth to that. We meet her for the first time in the show when she's planning on who would be a good investment for her. She's not from piltover, she doesn't have a family to back her but she's smart and raises to become rich and a counselor because she has investments. And these investments are not unfair, unlike what jayce and some fans think, Mel gave as much as she recieved. She helped jayce, without her backing and I'm assuming, funds, hextech would have taken a lot longer to become useful. (Jayce wasn't thinking clearly when he accused her and was also still mourning his partner. Their affection for each other WAS genuine. That scene was to just show how unbalanced jayce had become after his ordeal and was looking for someone to lash out at and to blame and Mel puts him in his place, rightfully so)

But there's a vital part of her that most ignore. When faced with a girl from the ppl her family took over from, she decides to show mercy. She wants her family to rule with honour, to have mercy and to bring peace after the war, to be kind. We see how that girl's death still haunts her nightmares.

Mel is cunning and ambitious, but she's also kind and does want peace and prosperity. She just doesn't see zaun until zaun becomes an active threat but to her, zaun is like that girl, and she shows how she still has her kindness, by deciding to broker peace with zaun the way she had decided to let that girl live. And once again that decision goes to shit cuz someone who loves violence decides to be violent and follow their morals/views.

We see that at a certain point she no longer steers jayce, they have this mutual partnership almost. She trusts and follows his decisions as much as he does hers.

I think given the chance, she could have helped bring peace between piltover and zaun but in a way that wouldn't hinder (?) Piltover that much cuz thats her first priority. At least it was, until the end of s2 where I'm sure she goes back to noxus

But anyways, Mel is complex, please stop reducing her into a flat character. The arcane writers worked hard to bring us diverse complicated characters, let's not insult them by taking that away.

[sweatermikewheeler]

can you share older (before 2022) byler fics recs?

Hi, anon! Of course I can :) I've separated them by era (like what seasons were out when they were written), and have denoted if any of them are explicit. It's very cool to see how the characterisations of them have changed over the years. This is sorta long, so they're under a cut.

Right off the bat, I'd recommend argylemikewheeler . Too many fics to count, but they have a lot and almost all of them are written pre-2022

Season 1 era (2016- Oct. 2017)

The Re-appearance of Will Byers by Orphan_Account - very cute one-shot of miwi drawing pictures together after Will returns from the UD. I wonder where this author is now :')

The Makeup Dilemma by kikinu - set when they're 16 and Mike panics when El puts makeup on Will. Characterisation doesn't necessarily match what we've come to see since it's based purely off s1, but still very cute.

Four Things One Thing by felinecharismatic - little over-the-years snapshots of Mike and Will, and deals with some of their respective insecurities. This person rightfully predicted long-hair Mike.

Season 2 era (Oct. 2017-July 2019)

Twizzlers by midnighteverlark - this author has quite a few old byler fics (including classics like The Red Envelope and The Unmarked Mixtape, the latter of which proves that ppl are lying when they say they don't read nsfw byler because look at those hits). Just a "truth or dare" kiss trope one-shot, but done in a way that feels fresh and not as cliche as it sounds.

Undertow by beansie - iconic practice kissing fic. I think this one is relatively well-known but I thought I'd include it because I remember reading it before s3 was released and I loved it. Was the first fic I downloaded into a pdf I think lol

Torch by wendywanderlust - somewhat explicit? don't remember it being very graphic though. Deals with Will's trauma post-season 2, including the Upside Down, his sexuality, and feelings for Mike. Incomplete, unfortunately.

Pretty by Orphan_Account - El remarks that Will is pretty, causing Mike to have a bit of a crisis. Set a few years after s2 from memory.

Perfect Height by how_about_no - Will gets a haircut. Includes a classic byler miscommunication fight

Season 3 era (Jul. 2019-May 2022)

I Should Go by Queen of Shmoop - Mature. Canon divergence, aged-up to when they're in the later years of high school. A very depressed!Will fic, which was quite common for that time, but this one has requited unrequited feelings and a happy ending :)

Tin Ball Countdown by milk_or_vodka - explicit, set when they're slightly older. This one contains suicide/dealing with the aftermath and is kinda (very) depressing. I recall really liking the writing though, even though I generally can't take fics where my comfort characters die lmao

Little Glances by DragonBoy7 - Karen POV fic!!

Crush by VanishingByler - A little drabble about Will's internal conflict and jealousy. Set in s3.

There’s another one that I couldn’t find, unfortunately, but it’s where Mike takes Will out after the Battle of Starcourt to try to mend their friendship and ends with him realising his feelings for Will. If anyone knows it, please comment. It includes Will getting a haircut and them getting ice cream and going to the swings.

Anyway, these are just off the top of my head. There are definitely way more, and it’s worth going back through the tag to some of the older years. I love seeing the fics become less cozy and more angsty as time progresses haha

[neptuniadoesstuff]

Abecias Malice Ref (God OC Ref Sheet Remake)

(Edit: Had to pic the drawings a bit bcs I FORGOR I HAD THE FACIAL HAIR AT 30% OF OPACITY LIKE THE MORON I AM!)

AND HES DONE!

After a few days this gae bacon-haired moron is finished & tbh I like this new ver of him more than his original design. (If you wanna see his original design the link is here- (Plz remember the post is pretty old on here as well as the pic bcs originally this fella was actually a Early b-Day gift for my frend back when this year just frikin started.)

& yes that is some wine coming out of his mouth. (He loves his wine) & of course.... Bro is flipping u off. (But it's censored, also I originally was gonna draw a bird crossed out but then I forgor SO LETS PRETEND ME FORGETTING WAS INTENTIONAL & NOT SOME GOOF I COMMITED!) Look we a bit of somewhat vulgarity even if I'm not the person who would just curse. (But I do say byastord, which this guy is, so its fitting.)

Also Lil rewrite of his bio bcs frik u:

|| Name: Abecias Malice (aka Adder'Synn Malkovich) | Gender: Male (Trans), He/Him | Age: ?? (Died at the age of 22-23) | Sexuality: Gae | Height: ??'?? ft (Possibly was 6'2 ft tall when alive) | Enithcity: ?? (Possibly was a Rozokeen/Osmort mix when still alive) | Personality: A very unhinged & crazed individual who seem to have a unhealthy obsession with men & himself?? Seems to really like seeing oeppel die yet despises getting himself dirty to the point that he will literally start avoiding anything that has a SINGLE speck of dirt! What im saying is, hes narcissistic, sadistic, & also very lazy & wants others to do stuff for him. (Also is very racist to bird ppl idk, why though) I Occupation: The King of his kingdom of Vallenfholt (This is Godhome's hew name) | Family: ?? (When alive he had a older brother, a younger sister, & 2 parent but one of them was ded) | Species: Bloopmo (Halflett type) (Formally), Ascended God | Other: Can't seem to get drunk from the wine he always drinks EVERY SINGLE FRIKIN DAY! Is literally a rich pompous a-hole who despises the porr, homeless, & ugly ppl. Also thinks the mailmen are coming for him /hj ||

(A lot of the info here is not filled on purpose bcs gods... dont really care about mortal nonsense.)

Extras: Was originally a college student (or whatever he was when he was still alive) pretty much dealing with a pretty ab*sive father who would not respect his identity & was basically a complete snake. Although one Adder just.. snapped & ran off the campus to drive to his father's house &... kill him... But that was not the end of it, by the next day he had murdered around 12 people & injuring 2 (that being his now ex- bf & his now rival) only to be killed by his once best friend, Hugo.. When he died his soul was sent into the ring of Wrath but over the years, the regret he had turned into pride... He enjoyed what he had become... Not only that but his personality had started to shift, become extremely lustful & abnormally greedy to also having his appearance be shifted also, this was normal for a Sinner, but this Sinner was different... He risen up the rank & eventually became a God, not a well known god but a God nonetheless. Eventually going up into Vallenfholt & making a kingdom there which suited his needs. He however became so obsessed with himself that he pretty much just lost it & became the thing he originally despised the most... A rich, greedy, & selfish monster like his father was. Not only that anyone was below him was eventually killed instantly in the arena that he built for prisoners (Usually bcs he didn't like bcs of their appearance) to fight to the death in. Now as for how the hell he became obsessed with men & started to h8 on bird ppl (+ the whole thing about the mailmen coming for him... idk bro-). Now keep in might he was BoRN in a time humans (the morons from earth) did NOT come to Eeross.

Also if you wanna see the uncensored puc of the guy flipping u goofs off then here- (plz click read more but if u are offended by ppl flipping u off plz don't.)

Yeh no body pic bcs this is a friend's oc (that I made for em) but it would be VERY WEIRD OF ME TO POST THAT! (Even if we are AroAce & its a *full body ref* but plz don't ask me to post it in respect of MY FRIEND!)

ANYWAYS CREDITS BCS I H8 MYSELF! (Not really but I sorta do.... I need help-)

Character: Created by ne but belongs to a frend of mine who I'm gonna keep anonymous but they are on here (I ain't gonna say who BCS THEY ARE MEANT TO BE ANONYMOUS!)

Art: MinE

Program: IbisPaint x.

Bubs' TOS: Plz don't repost/steal, trace, or recolor my art WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! If you do, I'll take yur femur and pelvis.. SO, DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! (The PNS on my blog's pinned post clearly means "Please No Steal" plz follow that rule.) If you do post my art on anything like yur blog or somewhere else (With my permission) PLEASE CREDIT ME!

[austinslounge]

Girl I’m back lol so I just wanna say you answered really well to the anon upset abt AP and idk if this is a age thing because I’m Austin’s age and we’ve come from the height and dangers of insane paps and gossip magazines being on the shelf when your trying to buy your food in EVERYONES FACE, it wasn’t even about if you had a social or followed fan account pages it was just there and you had no choice but to read the heading lol so we’ve, my generation and older have seen the worst of it and yes social media is a beast in itself but 90% of ppl do not really care or live their lives by social media posts and reels, im not sorry we just don’t lol. All the drama that happened over the years with house hold names and look at them still fine and ok.

That anon should take some time like you said bc if you let it it will drive you crazy. I also don’t think it’s embarrassing for Austin at all, it happens more then we know it’s bc we’re fans of Austin and follow fan pages that tell us all the news that we really even know anything. But I could ask 1000 ppl right now in person what they thought abt it and I guarantee the % of ppl who actually know or care is very small and wouldn’t change Austin career or success especially when he’s wanted by so many directors.

I’m proud of Austin and I trust that grown man who’s been taking care of HIMSELF for a long time who’s been through so much to continue to make the best decisions for himself and I really hope and pray social media or so called fans never make him feel insecure about his choices bc honestly fuck yal and leave our mans alone 🙄 social media can be a tool for ruining people (and not always) but that’s usually ppl who rely on it for their success (aka influencers and such) and most talented actors don’t outside of promoting their things. Movies and actors were huge before social media and will continue to be so after.

Life is good and im sure Austin knows that and appreciates his life that he’s works very hard for.

Rant over 🙂

Thanks for your input on this girl. 😊

And yea, I'm around Austin's age too, so I do remember the days before social media lol.

Honestly? Most celebrities get hate online. It's sad, but it's just a fact. We can't control what people say about Austin online, but we can surely control what we choose to focus on and give our attention to.

I always say that an actor's work will eventually speak for itself, and everyone who is a hater will eventually turn to liking them. Austin is just going through a momentary hazing phase that a lot of younger, nice-looking, talented male (and even female!) actors go through as they get a lot of success.

I watch documentaries on lots of celebrities from the past, so I've seen media footage on how people used to treat Britney Spears in the media (when she was just a teenager! 😭), Leo DiCaprio also got massive hate when he was younger, etc. I even personally recall when Anne Hathaway was getting massive hate online, and everyone said she was "annoying" and a "pretentious theater kid".

Now look! Everyone loves Britney! Everyone loves Anne. Leo is regarded as one of the greats, and everyone coming up behind him in the industry wants to have a career like his. He might still get clowned online and in the media for his love life lol, but the point is, he's now looked at with respect. The same will happen with Austin, just watch and see. ☺️ He's too talented and too kind not to.

What it all boils down to is jealousy tbh.

Like you said, when you ask most real people out in the real world (those who aren't chronically online getting their minds poisoned by Twitter 🙄), people love Austin, and find him massively talented! Just the "Elvis" fandom alone loved what he did in that film.

I wish fans would take a break from social media and online forums and just talk to real people for a change. Preferably, people who haven't had their minds influenced by Twitter or TikTok. 😒

[reachforthestars-101]

Ascendance of a bookworm wing au! 🐦✨️

Everyone has wings!

And it's social repercussions

Most ppl can fly to small heights use them to balance or carry more

Most poor close family huddles in a cuddle piles to keep warm at winter

And their wings are messy and some may even have dirt etc

Nobility on the other hand have the power to fly much higher by using their mana to make their wings much bigger and stronger

And if you use mana enough times they grow big and stay that way

Or use other ppl mana to make them look bigger temporarily but you will need to recharge

A way nobles may show off their mana capacity is spreading their wings big and wide proudly

Some even use it as a form of intimidation

The old church man wings are not as big as Ferdinand and Ferdinand makes sure to not make them so obvious in front of him most of the time

To not get on his bad side and to not get him to be jealous

Till he didn't need to hide them anymore

All nobles have clean wings and make sure to get them maintaind well even some use products

Non nobles but ppl who deal with them or just upper class make sure to take care of them as well even if to a lesser degree and have less means

Myne wings were

Pretty big for her small size wich was a bit out of the ordinary

But at the start ppl jus excused it as it probably looks so big cause myne is so small

And because of how heavy they are they make her fall or be even more exhausted

And because of how ill she is she doesn't have the energy to fly with them the most she can do is use them to balance herself a bit to not stumble or fall as hard

Untill she learns of magic and then they becomes as light as a feathers

Well more light than that 😂

And she can fly

Still need to be slow cause her body can't keep up with over moving too much

But it's still much easier without that extra weight

Myne struggles with flight cause her lack of expiriance and fear of flying bad and making herself fall

But makes it in the end

And she misses being able to freely lay on her back in the old world

And the cuddle piles she can't do while at the church

Cause it's not fitting of a blue robe

Feel free to share any more ideas for ascendance of a bookworm wing au!

[same-name-supremacy]

Things about my TD-sona and how I think they would change over in your auG (just using this as a way to hyperfixate to mutuals)

My sonas name is Olivia btw

Was introduced in world tour after being kicked out of the Gemmys along with her brother,both aspiring musical artist who can't catch a hook into the mainstream media,and when presented the opportunity to be on international television she wants to take it to try and boost their popularity - Olivia changes to Oliver,and Ethan changes over to Estella, everything about the

same

Huge hate/fear of Alejandro that fades overtime due to the friendship?(I guess) that they developed over gameplay,and the need to be recognized as something great - with Oliver it's just fear ‚not as much as hate,even tho he has his suspicions on her

Is Chris's personal favorite contestant due to her need to be famous and Chris being the only one who knows that for most of world tour- could imagine it to be the same,strong girlboss lady and her wet cat son

Huge little brother vibes on Cody,even carrying (both literal and metaphorical) him in certain challenges when Sierra could get the chance- I still think they could get the siblings vibes but not being able to carry Jody as much because of how psychotic Simon is

Olivia is 5’2 and my own personal headcanon is the Cody is the same height- with Jody being 4’11 and Oliver being 6ft (because of genetics in his family and the shortness then sorta but also not getting passed to his older sister) which makes me think of Jody and him as this meme

Olivia got to sit out of Niagara brawls due to their being an uneven amount of contestants(blainely originally not even being counted in the first place) and because again Chris’s personal favorite-would probs stay the same

(Ps I would imagine after the challenge and when Jody cuts her hair along with Danika he would try to fucking kill Simon,even going so far to trying to shove him out of the plane doors during opals elimination)

Was voted out 5(before Sierra and after Duncan) after forming an alliance with Alejandro that she believed was legit,him convincing her that he could make cody vote with him and get Heather out,because naturally Sierra always votes with Cody,and after her jump out the plane and everything Heather confesses to Alejandro that she put a wrench in his plans and unconvinced Cody to vote with him,which in reality means Alejandro did plan on a final 4 with Cody Sierra and Olivia,but of course the first assumption in Olivia’s mind was “oh.he lied to me.” So before she jumped she gave him a slap,pre to the Knowledge that Heather revealed after her jump-he wouldn’t slap Alejandra in the Genderbend,because hitting a women is wrong in his eyes

Didn’t show up to the after show after her vote off,immediately recognizing the fame her and her brother little band thing got during her time at the season and already planning their first tour- same,except he watched the season finale from home rooting for Jody to pull out a win

Kept in touch with most of the cast during her days after the season,shopping with Lindsay and hanging out with Noah and Cody as they we’re definitely some of her favorite people on the plane- absolutely the same,the friendship with Jody continues even more once she meets his sister,becoming Estelle’s little sister too

I don’t wanna bore you even more that I have to,but by the slim chance I’m not boring you and you wanna hear about her in all stars and how it could change I’m happy to talk!

Reminder abt this cause ppl never make stuff for me and I appreciate it so much.

Wow! That’s alot! So much lore about Olivia/Oliver

Oliver is definitely one of the guys Danika actually respects. Only a few guys get that (that being Seth, Lincoln, Eva, Leshawn, Bryson and Scruffy)

Thank you for sharing so much about your oc!

[spaceyderg]

*climbs onto the driftwood with you* that hugging doodle is so cute???? My heart

Venom's hug looks so comfy??? He's so cute??? The hearts??? I really like the two-colour lines (did not realize the venom design was your own but holy that made it even more impressive???)

Miguel is such a loveable grumpy cat, and its so refreshing to see him be the smaller one in a ship.

Admittedly I mainly watch the movies and only a few comics, but Venom has a ranking system??? Eddie is the only one to get full stars???? Thats. Thats true love right there. Also whats this about Eddie being in charge of a whole venom-society?? Did not know about that (also hard to imagine) but feel free to talk about it. Imagine Miguel and Eddie bonding over being the de facto leader (leading the spiders must be a lot harder than leading the symbiote hivemind)

My Venom design is mostly inspired by the '94 Spiderman the animated series Venom, Ivan Fiorelli, Rian Gonzales, Gurihiru and overall orcas in general.

If I were to describe my design rules for Venom he'd have a big bulky body with stylized proportions, an orca styled face with a bigger lower jaw to fit more then 1 row of teeth, and his color is a solid black with bright colorful pencil textured highlights.

I have this headcanon Miguel might have discomfort in his current height, according to the wiki he's 5'10 but in ATSV he's 6'9 so I wonder if he ever misses being his old height. Like there's not that many ppl that exists that can fully envelop him a hug and make him feel comforted. Plus I can imagine how often he needs to remember to duck under a doorway or else he'll bonk his forehead, or when he's at a hotel and the showerhead is like at his chin level.

Oh that makes me happy to hear, my first intro to Venom was the infamous '07 Spiderman 3 movie, so I'm glad to hear new fans get this fun intro to this character via the 2018 Venom movie. While I've been a lowkey fan of Venom I didn't do a full deep dive into his comics until 2021 with the comic Venom Verse as the first one. I've read a ton but I haven't read any of the early issues since those comics are v outdated by now and some of the info might have been retconned/rewritten. I'd recommend finding a reading list if you'd like to read more self contained stories or a full saga line of connected stories. Feel free to pick/choose what comics you consider as canon or not, cause not all comics are great and sometimes one doesn't like a specific writer for a run 🤷‍♀️

The ranking system is a compatibility rank it's seen in Venom: The End (A warning there is body horror/ imagery of Eddie withering away which made me uncomfy so I'm letting you know) I didn't much care for the plot of that comic but I do enjoy this ranking system as it shows Venom's preference when it comes to hosts. He sees most hosts as pretty good but Eddie is the perfect host according to him u wu 💕

As for Eddie being the head of the symbiote hivemind it's seen in the aftermath of the MASSIVE King in Black saga. After defeating the old head/creator of symbiotes Knull ,Eddie takes his role as the head. It's moreso a hivemind where he can control of any symbiote with consent and can communicate across all of them no matter where they are. However this does strain his physical body and he ages quickly and he dies via explosion. Venom is currently with his son Dylan atm while Eddie is in some sort of space/time limbo. I did fall off a bit on my reading towards the newer comics so here's where my knowledge on this run ends. I'd find pics but I'm feeling lazy rn

Miguel def has a tough job as he has to manage all these different versions of Spiderman and maintain the multiverse on top of making sure none glitch out of existence if those bands get messed up. He can't just up and leave he feels personally responsible due to his past actions. Eddie at this point is like in charge of running the universe but he's stuck in that position he can't quit or else the cosmos ends and he'll be replaced by another King in Black. They explain no matter what Eddie will always end up here someway or another.

Miguel is bound by his sense of duty, his responsibility to ensure the another universe will not end in the same way like his daughter's did. Eddie is bound by The Eventuality, he will always end up as the next King in Black even though he knows he can not handle it. To me it sounds like a lonely and stressful existence to be such a position of power yet they don't have the power to just go home and live a peaceful life with their loved ones like everyone else.

[shithead-123]

Kotlc collecting habits Pt.1

Basically what I think various kotlc characters (mostly the kids) would collect. other than prattles pins bc we all know everyone collects those so.

this is inspired by my own habits of picking random shit up and stuffing it in my closet.

Sophie: she doesn't rlly have the time to like exclusively go out and collect things she wants. I think she's rlly causal act what she keeps. if she see's a pretty rock? yoink. some nice smelling flowers? she'll pluck a few to maybe sundry when she's not busy saving the world lmao. I do think she would collect garden gnomes tho. Bc of mr. forkle's human house having the gnomes (the most weird or scary looking ones ofc, shoppes a weirdo 100%). It reminds her or her human past, and it also srsly weirds out like everyone who comes Havenfield which is is plus. Like just imagine a whole line of creepy ass gnomes lined up right outside havenfields entrance. She names them all too. they all human names ofc ofc. like bob. and carl. and other such things.

Keefe: I think he collects things based off of ppl if you know what I mean. Like he see's a bottle caps that reminds him of Sophie's exact eye color and adds it to his Sophie collection. Or if he see's like idk a purple rock that reminds him of like that one time Biana painted his nails the most vibrant and gaudy purple color she had, he adds it to his collection of things that remind him of Biana. maybe he adds little pieces of art he did for each person he collects stuff for. idk. Omg and maybe someday like he has all these collections and like the gang happens to fid out, and they start going through that shit. Keefe's so embarrassed and low-key scared they'll be mad, but they all love it. Fitz finally reunites with his long lost Bramble Jersey! Keefe immediately steals it back tho dw. he's such a people person fr. Especially bc of his empathy. He doesn't have collections for his parents. He used to for Gisela but when she was revealed to be a part of the never seen he showed her's into some dark corner of the house and hasn't looked back.

Biana: ikkkk ppl are gonna say that she collects hair pins and like jewelry and makeup and other stuff like that. And she does, She has an entire closet dedicated to dresses and shoes she has over the year. Like this is canonical. But her most prized and valued collection, is her stick collection. She has so many sticks. She has such stick fight vibes. She used to beat Keefe and fitz up with them. She organizes them by height. She lovingly pets them all. No one is allowed to touch her sticks. Biana = stick girl. One time when the gang was like idk practicing fighting with their bodyguards, she found the biggest most beautiful stick ever and literally screamed. No one knew why Biana, the girliest of girlies (said lovingly ily Biana) was so worked up over a stick. It's ok Biana, sticks r amazing fr.

Dex: I feel like before he became a techno path, he would collect like plant ingredients for different potions and elixirs needed at slurps and burps. He likes the idea of being useful, bc all his life he's been seen as a mistake. He's trying to prove his worth constantly. Kesler happened to ask him to get a like plant in front of a noble, and the noble complimented Dex on being such a good kid, so now he's like oh, I'm a good kid! which makes me so sad. But also he collects like useful things exclusively bc of the triplets. Like he can't bring shiny rocks or shells that he finds on the beach bc the triplets will get to it so fast that he won't even be able to like have a collection to adds things to. Instead, he collects pieces of scrap metal, herbs, wires, wood pieces, etc. so that he has the excuse of saying that this is material he needs for gadgets and elixirs and whatnot, so the triplets can't steal/break anything. he collects pens too( he is anti pencil).

Linh: Because of her being banshed for like 3+ years, I can't say that Linh is a big collector, neither is her brother. She didn't have the means to have things simply for enjoyment. Whatever little she owned went to keeping her and her brother alive and fed. It's hardcoded into to only take what she needs and nothing more bc of her previous life style. But now that she lives with Tiergan (NOT choralmere I REFUSE), I think she might start buying like little trinkets. Maybe stickers or small bracelets, or charms. keychains. Friendship necklaces. She would definitely buy lotttttts of excess things for princess purryfins. Like fancy collars, or little animal clothes. combs to brush her hair. Linh spoils her sm I swear. I wish is was Princess purryfins fr. I also think she would invest in a lottt of water proof clothing/goggles/etc. Like overly so. More than she needs. it's a way of calming her anxiety act her ability. Even if she messes up and loses control, at least she and everyone in Tiergan's house (I forgot what hi should is called) will stay dry. She hasn't fucked up completely.

[zephrr]

Uhhh Scream AU..and Jason is one of the Ghostface and Andy is the other...just some moments. (Jason and Andy are the murderers. Patrick and Chance know abt it but don't want to be involved in killing so they are fake alibis.)

----------

Eddie and Steve are stuck together, bloodied and beaten due to encountering Ghostface (Jason) and now they're stuck with no where else to go and Jason is literally almost bursting into the room with brute force, slamming himself against the door repeatedly.

Eddie, one to not think while in fear, loudly exclaims;

"They gotta be at most 5'6, theres no way we can't beat them."

Jason stops and points at himself, offended. They just called him short... He's average height, tyvm. (They escape through the window.)

------

The entire group is caught lacking by both Jason and Andy. Jason is behind them, Andy is in front. Someone dropped their gun and Andy picked it up, shooting Chrissy in the leg twice.

"Shit, Shit!" they looked around try to protect Chrissy and themselves but they were so focused on Andy and his gun that they forgot abt Jason. Jason ends up taking Gareth out the game. Straight up brutal.

Jason runs away, leaving only Andy.

"So what, you and your little girlfriend are just gonna kill us off one by one?" Robin asks, angrily.

Andy stops, looks around and imitates laugher.

"What's so funny?!"

Andy just walks away, they killed Gareth and Chrissy is almost done for so might as well walk away.

------

At the end of it, most of the ppl survived. Robin, Chrissy, Eddie, Steve, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Mike (hospitalized though).

They were just hanging out in Steve's house, then Chrissy gets a call. It's Ghostface ofc.

"Did ya miss me, Chris' ?" Is all he said before hanging up. Jason and Andy show up again.

"What do you want from us?!" Chrissy practically yelled. They just got closer. Until they were basically touching them. Andy took off his mask.

"We, truely, didn't want this to go far...we only wanted Eddie at first but you guys got in the way." Andy stated.

"And? What abt your girlfriend, she needs to show her face too to know who's fucked up." Dustin stated, clearly alert.

Andy laughed. Jason pointed at himself and looked around. He was about to murder this kid. Girlfriend?! She?!

Jason took off his mask as well. The group was shocked...he was playing the role of the protective boyfriend/ex. He had alibis for where he was...HE DIED. THEY SAW HIM DIE.

"We...you..." Chrissy started.

" 'W-w-we', shut up," Jason teased, "I don't like how you guys thought I was a woman this whole time. Over my height."

"We saw you die." Robin stated. Jason giggled. "Die? Me? Nah, that was a fake. It took all the blame off me."

They were in shock... but hey, afterall...

It's always someone you know.

------

(..also Chrissy left Jason like during all this so...yeah)

They didn't get caught btw. They left the state. Never to be seen again...just like Stu. In the end, they killed 7 ppl and hospitalized 3. (Not including innocent civilians.)

[astrumocs]

Points// Purple blood! (Not a clown!) Thirty three sweeps.. Looks about 12~14.. Six foot three!! Very scarred up and freaky pitch black sclera to match. Dresses in oversized jackets/shirts/hoodies/etc. Always comfy. Seems to keep a Bomber jacket on him at all times. Tight jeans and combat boots. Though isnt afraid of dressing more fem or cutsey! Skirts and dresses are up his alley..Fluffy partially shaved hair.. Undead.. You couldn't particularly tell unless you're gifted with magic or can sense the dead. He doesn't particularly tell many about his status. Comes back.. every time. Doesn't seem to notice when he's hurt.

Incredibly friendly and goes with the flow. He doesn't take much to heart at all... or so it seems. Never seems to be in a bad mood. Always there for someone when they need it. Keeps a lot to himself and is always down to compliment another... Very affectionate and cuddly.. Though on the other hand.. he is incredibly reckless. Tends to put himself in a lot of danger and gets hurt for the cheap thrills for the momentary moments where he feels alive. He tends not to know if he's particularly all there sometimes and others he feels like he deserves that pain. Keeps things bottled up and close to himself. Won't budge too easy

He enjoys a lot of different hobbies- Cooking, Customizing clothes, Motocross, Gardening.. Etc..

The kinda date he'd take someone on depends on if they're scared of heights or not. Knows a killer view on top of a building.. Willing to show his latest card trick and share some shitty take out as they watch the traffic and drones. Mayybee reaches over and holds someone's hand.. who knows (and any emoji here for quads bc why not :])

Okay hm. pretending I do not know this is Naka from @goldenguillotines for a moment...

Y'know objectively, if I wasn't possibly hooking Odarem up with a couple ppl already I could see a very weird type of Pale with a pitch tint. I think seeing someone who in so many ways reflects his own behavioral issues would stir up a lot of feelings for him.

Outside of that guy though lemme think... It's... hard to place oh wait y'know what... hm. I could actually maybe see something here with Jejune, which is so funny bc the only times I've thought of them for someone is when that someone was purple, which they dislike fdjkgahdf But fr Jejune has a despicable weak spot for trolls so genuine and kind that they can't prove that it's fake. They're drawn to kindness because of how much they crave it, but they usually make themselves into a nuisance for that kind of person. They love heights and secret places while also enjoying some mild thrill-seeking now and then. Idk what vibe Jeje would have here but I feel like there could be something...

[anghraine]

#It's so wild to see this be a new post in 2025 tbh#Because I VIVIDLY remember in the heights of the 2009 ST:TOS renaissance that this theory was the most popular#The idea that Kirk was selected for elimination and escaped with the other survivors#And I remember also that there was a really interesting variation ppl played with where TOS!Kirk was selected for survival#based on his smarts and Starfleet connections etc#but NU!Kirk got selected for elimination based on his extensive autoimmune problems#And I remember at least ONE fic where Jim asks TOS!Spock if the other him went though Tarsus too and being surprised he did#Because he thought of the other him as being so exceptional he probably wouldn't have been slated for elimination/been there for Space Juvi#ANYWAYS good meta (via @weresehlat)

Thank you very much! It's a new post because I personally only watched all of TOS over the last few months, honestly.

I was not at all involved in the 2009 ST scene, so I can't say anything about that—I was primarily a TNG kid and never had much interest in the AOS stuff (enjoyed the first movie but not in a way where it stuck in my head), or even in the original ST movies (which I liked better, but wasn't into fannishly). But I just marathoned all of TOS and I fell in love with TOS and TOS K/S in a way I hadn't for any other ST. So I've been combing through ... ah, a great many K/S fics on AO3 without regard to when they were posted, just filtering out subfandoms I'm not interested in (AOS, SNW, crossovers, etc) and sorting by kudos or bookmarks given the embarrassment of riches. Reading that way, I noticed that while a lot of fics engaged with the Tarsus IV backstory, there seemed more angst about thousands of people were slaughtered so I could live than, nope, Kirk and Riley were supposed to be genocided too. And some of the meta I read also tended to assume or mention a general assumption that Kirk was assigned to the survival group.

(I didn't get the impression that Nu!Kirk had been on Tarsus IV at all tbh and after watching TOS was kind of baffled at the choice to make him angstier while also downscaling his tragic history so drastically, but I'll admit I don't recall it that clearly, so I am completely oblivious to the fandom approach on that point.)

Anyway, thanks again!

Okay, so this is the Tarsus IV post I vaguely threatened alluded to a few days ago. I wrote most of it before last night's grumbling about movie Kirk, btw, so it's not a result of that; I was already thinking about what we know about Kirk and the Tarsus IV massacre from TOS, and what speculations and headcanons make the most sense to me in the context of TOS. I just waited until today to post it because I wasn't quite done yesterday.

Anyway, I was going over the finer details of "The Conscience of the King" to figure this out, and ended up with a ton of thoughts about the Tarsus IV backstory. So here are my (many) personal takeaways:

Firstly, there's a vague reference to some kind of local coup or uprising that put Governor Kodos in power, I think shortly before the food supply crisis. We don't get any details about the uprising from TOS, though the next to last version of the episode's script did mention Kodos setting himself up as a messianic figure once the coup succeeded. In any case, his power grab was certainly reinforced by the starvation crisis, as revealed by Spock's research:

"there were over eight thousand colonists and virtually no food. And that was when Governor Kodos seized full power and declared emergency martial law."

As far as we know in TOS, the crisis was set off by chance: an exotic fungus happened to destroy most of the colony's food supply, and it wasn't clear when relief would arrive. In fact, the Federation did send relief to the colony, per their usual practice, but it took them long enough to get there that the situation had become dire by then. Nearly all food was gone and the colonists were starving; the episode implies that some had even started committing suicide. Nevertheless, the Federation relief force arrived sooner than expected.

Kodos tries to argue in "The Conscience of the King" that the Federation's relief showing up so soon was just luck and he couldn't have guessed it would happen. But given what we know about the Federation as an institution, and given the urgent pressure the Federation puts on the Enterprise crew in multiple episodes to get food/supplies/medicine to some colony or another, it seems like there is a pretty competent, long-established Federation infrastructure for addressing crises like this. In reality, Kodos used the circumstances to justify something he already believed in and wanted to try implementing.

That thing was eugenics. This isn't ambiguous; the aired episode explicitly describes his atrocities as based on eugenics. The starvation of the colony gave Kodos the opportunity to put his theories into action.

He declared that half the colony would be executed, and the remaining food distributed among the other half. Moreover, the assignment of each colonist to either group was determined by Kodos's conception and judgment of genetic superiority. The genetically inferior half of the population, according to Kodos, was executed, and the genetically superior survivors (again, according to Kodos) were given all the food supplies. Kodos's exact words at the time to those slated to die included these lines:

"Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society. Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony."

Kirk says of Kodos's full speech to those chosen for death:

"I remember the words. I wrote them down. [...] Are you sure you didn't act this role out in front of a captive audience whom you blasted out of existence without mercy?"

In the episode, Spock condemns Kodos in similar terms as "without mercy" and "ruthless," and is clearly horrified by what he's discovered:

"Children watching their parents die. Whole families destroyed. Over four thousand people. They died quickly, without pain, but they died."

The means by which Kodos had thousands of civilians killed isn't stated in the episode. As we see in the above quote, though, it seems to have been done very rapidly.

In an earlier draft, there's mention of some kind of re-purposed anti-matter chamber as the mechanism, and Kodos deliberately "sparing" Kirk while making him watch as the chamber switch was flipped. In that version, Kirk seems to be personally targeted for some reason, where in the episode as it is, he's just one of several random eyewitnesses who survived. I personally prefer the episode's version, which I think better fits a narrative around a mass-scale atrocity.

Anyway, there's another take on the massacre where the thousands of civilians slated for execution were gunned down with phasers, but I find that more difficult to reconcile with Spock's description, which sounds more mechanized and efficient to me. I do think there's reason to believe phasers or some other form of advanced weaponry did get used in the course of events, but not in the executions—more on that later.

As I mentioned in my poll, Kirk is established in TOS as being only 33 during "The Conscience of the King," and thus was only 13 when he personally saw all this (the episode repeatedly insists the atrocity took place exactly twenty years earlier—I think the emphasis on this time gap is important). There is no explanation in TOS of why 13-year-old Kirk seems to be the only member of his family who was present for this—and certainly the only one of the Kirks to personally see Kodos—though earlier drafts do have various explanations that make sense.

For instance, there was an idea floating around the drafting process that Kirk might have been a young midshipman stationed on Tarsus IV during the massacre, not a child. His exact age in TOS was up in the air until the second season explicitly established his then-current age as 34. So that idea is not at all canon, but did internally make sense, since there'd be no reason for his relatives to be posted with him.

There's also a fairly late script in which Kirk's father was among those killed. I believe Kirk Sr was already envisioned as a Starfleet officer at that point, and had been assigned to a post on Tarsus IV some time earlier, which is how a boy born in the Midwest ended up living in a remote colony as a child. However, as I understand, the writers were forced to remove the reference to Kirk's father getting killed because higher-ups didn't want to nail down Kirk's history too much in S1, in case they later wanted to take his family in a different direction.

IIRC, TOS never did do anything with Kirk's parents and we're never even told in the show if they're currently alive or dead, much less told anything about their roles during the massacre. His brother Sam Kirk was envisioned as 10 years older than James (I think the new shows shrink this, but that's irrelevant to the TOS production process), so it also made sense that Sam wasn't there, since he'd have been in his 20s and early in his own career elsewhere. (Sam and his family are mentioned in both earlier and later S1 episodes, so "they hadn't invented him yet" isn't the reason for his absence.)

Beyond all that, another detail I find interesting is that Kodos's speech announcing the impending massacre is preserved in some kind of audio file that Kirk has access to on the Enterprise. Kirk gives "Karidian" a copy of the exact words of this speech and orders him to read it aloud, and has the computers run a vocal comparison between that reading and the original recording. The computer analysis strongly indicates that both speeches were delivered by the same person, but lacks 100% certainty—perhaps due to vocal changes over the last 20 years, perhaps to a difference in the quality of the recordings or some other reason.

However, we don't actually know who recorded the original speech; since so few survivors ever got near enough to even see or hear Kodos in person, maybe the recording was done by Kodos himself or one of his people, and recovered later by Starfleet. The speech only addresses the colonists slated for death, suggesting that the 4000 chosen for survival had already been separated out. But it's possible that it was one or more of the colonists themselves who managed to record the speech.

Only nine of the survivors ever personally set eyes on Kodos (this seems to again imply that those selected for survival were mainly not present during the speech). There's a preserved photograph of him from that era, but that's all, and one of the reasons he's able to evade discovery for so long is because of the vanishingly few people involved who had ever seen him—this is not only canon but a major plot point in "The Conscience of the King."

I read on the wiki that there's a book about the whole thing, and in that version, Kirk never actually saw Kodos and just found a picture in a database, which honestly I think is stupid as fuck and makes no sense in terms of the episode as written (though very typical of corporate franchises watering down the horror of some element of an original, less sanitized story in later byproducts). In "The Conscience of the King," though, Leighton, Kirk, and Riley are explicitly stated to be among the nine survivors who saw Kodos personally.

It's never explained why they were among this small group of eyewitnesses, especially considering that Kirk and Riley would have been children at the time and Leighton was quite young.

Another intriguing data point is the fact that half of Leighton's face is very heavily damaged, and it does seem strongly indicated that this happened during the massacre. We don't know why, though, or how old he even was at the time—he seems older than 33-year-old Kirk, but they're good friends and rough contemporaries, so not that far apart in age.

There's also some interesting phrasing in the episode

"There were nine eyewitnesses who survived the massacre, who'd actually seen Kodos with their own eyes. Jim Kirk was one of them."

This description is also from Spock after his research dive, someone unlikely to be loose with his phrasing. The general assumption, I think, is that the nine eyewitnesses (who I'm going to call the Tarsus Nine for convenience) were among those chosen for survival for eugenics purposes. The reason such a small number of them had ever seen Kodos is, presumably, that most people who'd seen him were deliberately assigned to the genetically unworthy group and killed. The Tarsus Nine were just the tiny fraction who flew under the radar.

That was my original impression, and it is possible, but there were some things I found puzzling about that scenario. For one, if the Tarsus Nine were separated with the other survivors, why are they persistently presented as the only eyewitnesses? If Leighton was separated into the survivor group, why was his face so heavily damaged in all this? Did he try to fight? Would he have been spared from death if he did? And the episode is clear that Leighton, Kirk, and Riley all heard Kodos's speech and witnessed the massacre in person.

Leighton:

I remember him. That voice. The bloody thing he did [...] Jim, Jim, I need your help. There were only eight or nine of us who actually saw Kodos. I was one, you were another.

Kirk:

But I remember. [...] I remember the words. I wrote them down. [...] All I understand is that four thousand people were needlessly butchered. [...] I saw him once, twenty years ago. Men change. Memory changes.

Riley:

He murdered my father, and my mother. I know that voice, that face, I know it. I saw it. He murdered them.

I had been considering possible explanations for the uniqueness of these nine people as the only direct eyewitnesses among some 4000 survivors + the fact that the three eyewitnesses we meet would have been so young at the time (and Spock talks specifically of children seeing their parents die) + Kirk saying he remembers hearing the speech and that he only ever saw Kodos that one time + the Tarsus Nine knowing that nobody left alive except themselves saw Kodos as governor + their very accurate estimates of how many eyewitnesses survived + Leighton's facial scars.

And then I tripped over an ancient post (on livejournal of all things—I was linked to a post unrelated to the massacre and then followed another link) that collected some of the relevant Tarsus IV quotes and offered a very simple and elegant solution.

What if the Tarsus Nine weren't assigned to the "genetically more valuable" group? What if Kirk, Riley, Leighton, and the other six were in fact considered genetically unworthy and assigned to the group slated for death? What if they're the only direct eyewitnesses because everyone else was either removed from the massacre (and never saw the speech) or killed, and that's why there are so few of them?

me: oh damn, I didn't think about that and ... whoa, I don't think the episode ever does say what group they were actually assigned to. It's possible. Holy shit.

So, here's an alternate possibility/headcanon:

4000-odd colonists including the Tarsus Nine were gathered without any knowledge of the intended massacre. They didn't know where the other colonists were or what was going on beyond starvation and martial law. None of them had ever personally seen their reclusive governor. They were just waiting with their families to find out what was going on. Kodos came out to speak to them, at last, and delivered his speech to those slated for death (hence Kirk saying in TOS that he only ever saw him once, 20 years earlier). The "survival" group didn't hear it and never saw him. But Kirk, Leighton, and Riley did—because they were supposed to die.

Kodos's description of 33-year-old Kirk is, uh, let's say intriguing in that context:

Here you stand, the perfect symbol of our technical society. Mechanized, electronized, and not very human. You've done away with humanity, the striving of man to achieve greatness through his own resources.

It's likely that these colonists and other residents didn't all go meekly to their entirely unexpected deaths. If we go with the concept of Kirk's father as a Starfleet officer serving on a post on the colony, some of these people were in Starfleet and might well have still had weaponry of some kind. They were just as hungry as the rest, but I suspect would have fought to the death against an undisguised atrocity. I think others also would have fought back against Kodos's people, despite being starved and much less well-armed (if armed at all).

In all probability, none of them expected to win, but hoped to buy time for others, especially their children, to escape (hence the conspicuous youth of the eyewitnesses). The resisting residents would have been massacred by Kodos's troops as he took control of the situation, even before thousands of more people were sent to their executions, but I imagine this resistance created enough havoc for nine children and young adults to escape with their lives (Leighton's face getting seared in the process—perhaps by a phaser set to kill that barely missed him).

Most of the literal children among the Tarsus Nine had seen their parents killed as Kodos's people took control, as had other children who didn't survive (hence Spock's description of children watching parents die and of the nine eyewitnesses directly surviving a massacre). The Tarsus Nine may have seen the other colonists forced into the execution mechanism, whatever it was, either during their escape or if any snuck out afterwards to see. Regardless, I headcanon that the Tarsus Nine found each other and hid out together (I'm assuming they ended up cooperating because they're so accurate about just how many of them there were and because I'm guessing literal children wouldn't have survived alone).

We don't know a whole lot about what was going on psychologically with them at the time. But something else I've been thinking about is the interesting ambiguity in Kirk's statement to Kodos about the original genocide speech. Kirk says, "I remember the words. I wrote them down," which seems a reference to Kirk writing the speech down during the episode to force Kodos to read it. However, something I find fascinating there (/Spock fistbump) is that Kirk's statement that he himself wrote down the speech follows so directly from "I remember the words."

I think the implication is that he wrote down the exact words of the speech from memory (indicating that Kodos's genocide announcement that Kirk heard at age 13 is still seared into his mind). Or possibly, the causality is reversed: he perfectly remembers Kodos's speech because he wrote it down at some point in the past (likely not long after surviving the massacre). The former seems a bit more probable to me, but either case would suggest quite a lot about how deeply this affected him.

But whatever the Tarsus Nine were up to, they lasted long enough for Starfleet to arrive and take charge of the situation. We don't know the details of how that happened from TOS, either, though the fact that Kodos got the hell out of Dodge and left a burned body to be misidentified as him suggests that it was obvious enough what Starfleet's arrival was going to mean well before any fighting began.

Afterwards, well ... some of the Tarsus Nine maintained ties, for sure. Kirk and Leighton seem to be trusting friends; they address each other by familiar nicknames, Kirk knows Leighton's wife, and he regards Leighton's deception as something of a personal betrayal. Kirk is a bit vague on Leighton's professional life and dismisses his suspicions at first, so I don't think they're super close, but it's a trusting and familiar relationship in general.

Meanwhile, others among them lost contact. Kirk clearly has no idea that the Lieutenant Riley he knows on the Enterprise was a little boy among the other eyewitnesses, which seems probable enough. Riley likely ended up with caretakers who wouldn't have been all that keen on him being reminded of the horrific trauma he'd experienced. Him ending up on the Enterprise by sheer chance is a hell of a coincidence, but that's not unusual for Star Trek, let's be real.

A minor point: I'm guessing Sam Kirk had a hell of a week as the information about what was happening on Tarsus IV leaked out. I'm guessing from the outside, there'd be the official alert of the food crisis -> the colony's communications going dark -> Starfleet arriving and discovering what had happened -> their updates as they searched for survivors and those responsible -> their reports of finding the 4000 chosen for survival and the Tarsus Nine.

Moving forwards chronologically, I think the next "version" of Kirk we know anything about via TOS is him as a very young man at Starfleet Academy. This Kirk is repeatedly described as bookish and solemn. In "Shore Leave" (which follows very shortly after "The Conscience of the King," though it's far lighter), we get this exchange:

KIRK: I know the feeling very well. I had it at the Academy. An upperclassman there. One practical joke after another, and always on me. My own personal devil. A guy by the name of Finnegan. MCCOY: And you being the very serious young— KIRK: Serious? I'll make a confession, Bones. I was absolutely grim.

Yeah, I wonder why.

Even as late as his time as an instructor at the Academy, when he was Lieutenant Kirk, he seems pretty recognizably "that" Kirk. He taught a notoriously challenging class (the subject not stated, but implied to be philosophy) and was known as a demanding teacher. In "Where No Man Has Gone Before," his friend and former student Gary Mitchell says:

MITCHELL: Well, I'm getting a chance to read some of that longhair stuff you like. Hey man, I remember you back at the Academy. A stack of books with legs. The first thing I ever heard from an upperclassman was, watch out for Lieutenant Kirk. In his class, you either think or sink.

Mitchell jokes about how he only passed by orchestrating the campaign of a "little blonde lab technician" to distract Kirk from his usual severity. And even this was not a fling; Kirk's relationship with the lab technician reached the point that he almost married her. So even that suggests someone who was taking every part of his life deadly seriously.

The personable, dutiful-but-easy-going charm and good humor of Kirk in much of TOS seems to not have been much in evidence for many, many years of Kirk's life. And even by the time we meet him, this runs much less deep than his powerful sense of responsibility and his commitment to the ideals of the Federation and his own philosophical convictions. We often see his outwards charm switch off like a light when it doesn't serve his purposes.

This is especially apparent in "The Conscience of the King" itself, which includes one of Kirk's most cold-blooded charm offensives—he can't immediately reach Kodos, so instead he deliberately charms Kodos's nineteen-year-old daughter Lenore in order to dig up information on him (not realizing Lenore herself is a murderer). There is a chasm between this calculated charm and his manner when he finds Kodos and drops the front:

The last thing I wanted to say about "The Conscience of the King" and this particular backstory for Kirk is that, after all of this, what exactly is the point of the backstory revealed in this episode? It's Star Trek, there usually is one, even when it's executed badly or clumsily. What is it gesturing at?

There's a repeated emphasis on the twenty years between the present moment and Kodos's atrocity. He is now an old man living a normal life, and doesn't seem to be a particular threat to anyone. One of the major subplots involves Spock trying to figure out what the hell happened twenty years earlier, then trying to convince McCoy of the threat, then Kirk and Spock and McCoy having this fraught discussion about it.

Spock is not dispassionate; he is horrified by both the past atrocity and current threat to Kirk, and quickly reaches a point of certainty about Karidian's/Kodos's identity and what should be done about him. Kirk is more anxious and unsure about getting it wrong and about his own motives, despite simultaneously wanting to just kill this guy on the spot. McCoy doesn't want to believe at pretty much every turn, and even when he does, is wary of acting out of potentially questionable motives so long after the fact. It leads to this great scene between all three:

SPOCK: Why do you invite death? KIRK: I'm not. I'm interested in justice. MCCOY: Are you? Are you sure it's not vengeance? KIRK: No, I'm not sure. I wish I was. I've done things I've never done before. I've placed my command in jeopardy. From here on I've got to determine whether or not Karidian is Kodos. SPOCK: He is. KIRK: You sound certain. I wish I could be. Before I accuse a man of that, I've got to be. I saw him once, twenty years ago. Men change. Memory changes. Look at him now, he's an actor. He can change his appearance. No. Logic is not enough. I've got to feel my way, make absolutely sure. MCCOY: What if you decide he is Kodos? What then? Do you play God, carry his head through the corridors in triumph? That won't bring back the dead, Jim. KIRK: No, but they may rest easier.

Of course, the matter of "oh hey, we keep finding elderly people who committed atrocities some 20 years ago and we've got to navigate how to deal with them now in a way that honors their victims" was not at all metaphorical at the time. In the 60s, the architects of atrocities who made their escape twenty years earlier and were discovered as ostensibly normal aging people were just literal Nazis.

While the Tarsus IV massacre is on a much smaller scale, obviously, Erin Horáková has a good explanation of the topicality here:

In “The Conscience of the King”, we learn that Kirk is a survivor of a colony-world genocide that occurred during his childhood. As an adult, Kirk attempts to determine whether an old man, now an actor, is actually Kodos, the mass murderer who perpetrated this genocide. “Conscience” is a complex, shifting episode made in the wake of the arrest of aged Nazis in South America by Mossad agents (again, it’s subtextually important to this episode that Kirk is played by a Jewish actor).

For further context, plenty of people involved in TOS had themselves fought in WWII, so "what do we do about elderly Nazis" was not a distant issue. Also, while Roddenberry himself was unfortunately antisemitic (a quality presumably related to "Patterns of Force" ever seeing the light of day), there were a lot of Jewish people working behind and in front of the camera on TOS, most famously including both William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (both are/were Jewish actors from Jewish communities, though this tends to be much more present for many fans with Nimoy—it's hard not to think that is at least partly related to their physical appearances). So the whole premise is complex and fraught in real world terms, as well, which I felt was also worth mentioning as a significant element of what's going on here.

[artiificiial]

I have a few headcanons of Ring I would like to share if you don't mind.

1) mans is like four feet tall, they are not tall in the slightest and they are a-okay with it.

Sometimes they'll even use it to get out of fights with drunk people "you wouldn't hit a short lil guy huh 🥺🥺 I shouldn't even be a threat to someone as tall as you🥺 I'm just over here making balloon animals tryna bring some joy to the world" they are actively sneaking to the back in order to steal some item they need for a quest. With the chain I might place them a couple inches taller than Four but not by much, and even then I'm willing to hear out ppl who say they're smaller.

2) they can't talk. I don't mean in the non verbal sense, but everytime they talk little jester bells ring. Either the chain can't understand what they're saying but nod along anyway to make them feel included, or only the chain understands them (maybe their Zelda as well), leading to something like this

"you need anything from the shop, Ring*

*bells jingle*

"I don't think they'll have that but I can see"

3) For as much as they can talk, Ring is very expressive when saying anything, like 'you need to move before you get hit' kind of expressive. It's even worse then they're telling a story, suddenly they're hands are moving so fast you can barely make out what's a sign and what's a random hand movement, all the while bells are ringing a mile a minute.

3a) they do the hand-flaps, they stim. They don't really do it in public or when they preform, but if they feel particularly comfortable around you it's pretty common esp when they're excited.

4) (another non serious one) when you squeeze them they make a chew toy noise

5) I'm kinda tempted to say that they can't juggle, bc the idea of a non-juggling jester is funny. I also like the idea of him not being able to do fire performance work (make it extra angst and make it be because of his parents dying in a fire)(maybe even have it be because fire reminds him of Ganon or a near death experience)

6) any link: oh hey you're not busy

Ring, putting on his daily make-up: actually __, I am busy

I think that's it

hii sorry i took long to respond, i wanted to gather all of my thoughts. while reading this i was totally giggling and kicking my feet, i enjoyed reading your thoughts on Ring!

1. Ring is quite small, I just never put much thought into how tiny he is. I love the idea of him being slightly taller than Four though because Ring wields the master sword on his journey and if I remember properly Four was too small to wield it!

Ring most definitely would use his stature to wiggle out of things! He often uses peoples ignorance to his height/occupation to get the jump on them! Cause I mean, you wouldn’t hurt a wee jester would you? (also I drew this before I saw the ask but I think it fits perfectly)

(more under the cut!)

2. Oh actually! Ring used to be able to speak like a normal person but during his first adventure he was cursed to only sound like a bell (in relation to the fact that a part of his “game mechanics” would be rhythm game based!) so the only people who can understand him are the other cursed beings of the ganon-ified Hyrule Castle. Ring does do sign language and it’s how he communicates with those who weren’t in Hyrule Castle at the time of Ganons corruption!

I like to think Ring was originally embarrassed of the fact that he sounded like a carillon when he was trying very hard to speak real words that he opted to just not talk! Which I realize now has angst potential (that one tiktok audio that’s like “why don’t you speak? does nobody ask you why?” or smtn)

(It would be funny if Hyrule/Time could understand Ring since he very vaguely sounds like a fairy— I’m p sure they sound like bells?? I can’t remember)

3. Yes yes yes!!! Even before he lost his voice he was pretty expressive! When making Ring I combined a little bit of everything when it came to clownage and a part of why he’s so expressive is due to pantomime! (I used to study it and boy was it difficult to act out! Having to tell a story with nothing but your expressions and actions!) Another part of his “game mechanics” would involve pantomime and having to interact with objects that were invisible! (think of that one scene with mr mime in detective pikachu) Also you’re so right about the stim!

4. I actually have a drawing somewhere of Ganon squeezing Ring like a chew toy and it making the sound

5. I agree it would be funny if Ring wasn’t able to juggle/do fire work, but imagine if like, Ring used his clown skills.. in battle. Like the chain is fighting a gaggle of lizafos or smtn and Ring like.. juggles something at them? or even breaths fire at them??

Warriors: That was a slick move, do you own a fire rod?

Ring: Do I own a what

Surprisingly Rings parents (at least his mom, I never made his dad) is okay! Ring pulled the sword when he was very young and the king removed him from the circus to be raised as a knight but the circus still visits as often as they can! I was looking through his notes and the only things I have listed as his fears are “tight spaces, loud noises, and the dark”

6. Ring is that one vine of the granny doing their eyebrows in the floor length mirror.

[cosmicbash]

bottom Kells against the wall? like at a company party where ppl think they’re still beefing but they’re actually dating so they decide to be a bit risky that night and fuck in supply closet while trying to keep the noise down but Em’s doing the most to make Kells scream

"You're insane-" Colson's right. Marshall is feeling pretty crazy tonight, but the giddy energy behind the blonde's words as he hikes him higher up the length of the door only flaunts how quickly his partner is adapting to match his energy.

"Definitely. But you love it-" He's honestly not even sure this position will work for them, its cramped enough in the little cleaning closet they've snuck into without adding in the younger rapper's exhausting height. "Can you grab onto the frame?"

"What? You want me to hold myself up now too? Sheesh-" Colson's pretty blue eyes are rolling, but his kiss bitten lips are still smiling even as he reaches up over himself to grasp onto the thick outcrop above the door. Hoisting himself up another inch.

"You're the one who wasn't happy with just second base." There's a scrambling of clothes now, flappy suit jackets moved aside and his hoodie being tucked as high under his chin as Marshall can bear.

They've gotta at least try to contain the mess they're about to make. A few stains can easily be hidden, but not a whole splatter.

Marshall's jeans are barely shuffled down past his thighs before the legs around his waist pull him closer. Colson's body rocking down hard against him. "If you're gonna defile me in public then you better do it properly babe," The bastards cheekiness isn't at all deterred by the shaky gasp breaking through his words once Marshall's cock slides wet across his ass. "Go big or go home."

It's the last bit of challenging encouragement Marshall needs to follow through with his plans and line his cock up with Colson's already stretched hole. He's thanking whatever God exists above that the blonde happily worked himself open during their earlier blowjob. Multitasking like that just might save them the few extra minutes they'll be gone that might cause people to start growing suspicious.

"Yeah? How about we do both?" His own voice feels a little tight once the head pushes past his partner's tight rim. Eyes fluttering and chest rising on the slow sink down Colson's iron clad grip is giving his cock. "Fuck-" He almost can't continue, but a quick swallow to clear his throat pushes the rest of his words out. "Let me bring you home with me for round 2?"

They've never gone that far. Marshall actually bringing Colson back to his home. Not that he hasn't tried before. The blonde always has some excuse, or argument.

Why does he have to fly all the way down to Detroit? Can't Marshall ever meet him in the middle? Oh but there’s this new hotel that just opened up he wants to visit. He doesn't want to impose-

The list grows longer and longer every time Marshall asks or offers.

Which is why he's surprised by Colson's humming response of. "Make me scream and I'll go wherever you say."

"Really?" Marshall's breath feels caught in his throat, all movement coming to a halt so he can just stare, take in Colson's pretty, smug face.

"Yeah." The blonde's lashes flutter with a chuckle. "We both know you wont. So I've got nothing to lose."

Yeah, because being loud will get them caught. Celebrities are just as nosey as reporters when it comes to the sound of two people bumping uglies in a broom closet mid parry. The gossip that can come out of it is too hard to resist for anyone walking by.

Despite knowing this, the promise of finally bringing Colson home and adoring his partner's body in his own bed and fine sheets is just too needed for the rapper to deny himself.

So his fingers tighten down around Colson's hips without another thought. Palms cupping them firm to yank the other man down to meet his sudden thrust. The immediate arch of a back and surprised shout of a gasp to his attack only encouraging him more.

"W-woah, ah, wait- fuck, w-wait a second-" Colson's eyes are wide, and his pretty mouth open even wider. Hole clamping down tight like a vice around Marshall's cock as his whole body tenses. As if it can keep him stuck inside and slow down the fast lift and drop back down that follows before his words even finish.

Once Marshall's gotten started its hard to stop. Not with such an important reward on the line too. Fuck their rules they have or the risk. He's going to fuck Colson as hard as physically possible.

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Found this sitting in the drafts, so ill toss it out to clear up space 😪