#sorry it took me so long to answer this anon

[knavesflames]

heyyy el

requesting politely reader ... tending to ... arlecchino with her mouth and going from starting timid to taking a bit more control to arles surprise

lots of care and love just like in the one you just posted :3

mhm ty

Hi anon<33 I hope you are doing well and having a nice night (it’s night for me). I liked this idea >:) sorry lol it took me a while to come up with a concept but I hope this suffices 😁😁😁 (hi guys the dirty words are slowly making a reappearance)

Word count: 2.2k

Contents: soft dom!reader (kind of yes), bottom Arlecchino, cunnilingus (funny word), fingering at the end, orgasm denial (ONCE GUYS OKAY ONCE), also praise (guys I’m cooked)

Songs I listened to (for fun): fantastic- king princess (is this one obvious or not), disease- lady gaga, shhh!- viviz, pivot- HEYOON, boyfriend- dove Cameron, impurities- le sserafim

There’s more but I forgot

Nsft utc<3

Arlecchino is not a receiver. She gives and takes nothing, it’s how she’s always liked it, whatever the reason may be. She has not explained, and you doubt she will. Arlecchino is very secretive, you’ve come to learn. She divulges what she must, and keeps the rest hidden. Even you, who seems to know more about her than anyone ever has, is kept in the dark about a lot of things– what exactly triggers her nightmares? What truly happened with that ‘Mother’ of hers? There are rumours, of course. Arlecchino is mad and cursed, she killed her Mother ruthlessly without reason, she killed her best friend for nothing other than a simple quarrel. You know them to be false, now you know her better, but what you can’t seem to understand is why she lets the lies fester, why allows herself to be portrayed as a cruel monster. She can’t seem to answer you.

Arlecchino also refuses to tell you why she pushes herself so hard, or why she has such strict rules for herself. You beg her to take that damn suit off constantly (for.. Multiple reasons, both you and her know that well enough– she only obliges when it ends in you as a quivering mess on the bed). “What happened to regular clothing? I know you dislike dresses, but you don’t have to force your body into that silly suit all the time.” is a phrase often uttered. Silence is the only answer given.

Silence seems to be an answer you get from her often. In different contexts, of course. Sometimes, she is silent when she is comfortable, when she is thinking, when she is angry.. You realised long ago that she is a woman of few words– and even fewer sounds. During the rare occasions you get to make her feel good (whether that’s simultaneous to your own pleasure, or before), the only sounds you really hear are the soft breaths and the slight grunts whenever you do something she particularly likes. You have made it your mission to coax more sounds out of her, even if it’s the last thing you do. You experiment with different things each time you get to make her feel good, anything remotely sexual she’s done to you, you try with her. Degradation doesn’t work, her only response is a cock of her eyebrow and a scoff. Praise is a little bit better, earning a soft kiss on whatever part of your skin she can reach. Tying her up is out of the question– she has made it abundantly clear multiple times she only enjoys the act of bondage, however small, when you are on the receiving end. It’s the case for a lot of things, and it almost irritates you. Almost. it turns out the answer is something much simpler than anything you’ve ever tried, and you mentally curse yourself for taking so long to figure it out (for Arlecchino, that was the point. She likes the game, even if she truly is trying to keep her weakness hidden).

The answer was something she had done to you almost every time you had engaged in some form of intimate act with her. There aren’t many acts more intimate than your partner giving up the ability to speak because their tongue seems to be.. Busy. You just hadn’t realised that Arlecchino would ever be on the receiving end. So, after much pleading (and begging to the point it almost seems you’re begging her to fuck you instead of the other way around), she seemed to relent. Barely.

“Let me try,” comes the soft whisper from your lips, hitting the side of her neck as you gently place kisses there. There’s no reaction, but you could swear you felt a shiver. Moving away from the milky, unmarred skin of her neck (one of the only places that isn’t marked with either her curse or an array of scars), you almost expertly push the blazer off her shoulders before slowly sinking to your knees. The carpet is fuzzy, but it doesn’t do much to soften the hard wood underneath. You can’t find yourself caring. The blazer lands on the back of the desk chair. Excited, desperate fingers tug at the buttons of those godforsaken trousers until they finally do what you want them to do. You’ve done what you can, you can’t push her hips up so you can continue to take them off, she’s stronger than you’ll ever be (you like that). “Don’t you think it would feel nice? You know it feels nice. Do you not think you deserve it?”

“I do not deserve the pleasure you give me,” she murmurs, a rare show of her inner thoughts. The woman criticises herself too much, you think. You wish she wouldn’t be so strict with herself.

“Irrelevant,” She shivers at the slight sternness of your voice. It mirrors her own. “Do you want it?”

Arlecchino doesn’t respond for a while. Her hand moves to your head, and she caresses your hair, gently stroking and tugging at the strands before she eventually speaks, a whisper, a subconscious attempt to hide the fact she’s about to chase something she never allows herself to. “Put a pillow under your knees, at least.”

You grin, so pleased with yourself. You stand again, only to sprint and find a pillow. It happens to be the pillow you sleep on, it doesn’t matter. You return to your position only to find her trousers messily on the ground, and the top four buttons of her dress shirt undone. The look in her eyes is one you’ve rarely seen– want. “Beg.” you whisper, the grin still on your face. Arlecchino’s own face twists into a frown.

“I will die before I beg for anything.” Her tone is resolute, and you sit there nonetheless, unmoving apart from the finger tracing up and down her toned thigh. You both stay like that for an agonising two minutes before she barely mumbles. “Please.”

You are incredibly aware that you won’t get more than that, so, even though you know it doesn’t do much, you mutter “good girl”. It does do something, though. You barely hear it, but her breath shakes. You take it as an initiative to start, so you let your lips find her thigh, planting wet, open mouthed kisses up towards her inner thigh. You continue, and– she’s soaked already. You’ve done exactly nothing and she’s as wetter than you’ve ever seen her. Your eyes move up to hers, a raise of your eyebrow as you open your mouth to speak, but she cuts you off before you can speak.

“Do not. I am aware of the.. situation.”

“But you’re all wet and it’s all for my tongue. Isn’t that sweet?” You’ve never been this cocky at all, and Arlecchino would be a liar if she said she didn’t like it. She tries to find words, something to refute the claim, but her words are ripped from her lips when she feels your own lips graze her clit. It’s a tiny movement, really, but one she isn’t entirely used to. The only reaction she makes, however, is a slightly sharper exhale. Until your eyes stare straight into hers and you do it again, though for longer. Then again, though this time your tongue presses flat against it. Your tongue doesn’t move, much to Arlecchino’s dismay. The hand that rested in your hair gently tugs.

“Continue.” She speaks breathily, and her words shake. You can practically hear her gulp as she tries (and fails) to calm herself, and you know she’s probably telling herself to show no emotion. Though, when you finally start moving your tongue in slow, languid motions, you hear her shaky sigh and feel her hand in your hair tighten even more. You try to find a rhythm that affects her the most, alternating between soft licks and harder presses— you find that swirling your tongue around her clit, occasionally moving down to dip your tongue into her aching cunt. Your eyes dart up to her every few seconds to catch her mouth falling open and her head tilting back. When her mouth isn’t open, she’s stifling any noise she could possibly make, gritting her teeth so hard you’re almost certain they’re going to crack. The next time you tear your eyes away from her skin and move them to her face, her eyes are squeezed shut, and only then does a quiet groan escape her.

Something seems to change in your mind, because your hands move to grip her thighs, holding them apart despite them trembling. She’s sensitive, after all, it isn’t often she gets taken care of, is it? The blackened hand not pulling greedily at the strands on your head moves in an attempt to push your hands away, but your voice vibrates against her (which of course, causes another quiet sound to slip from her). “Keep your hands on the chair.”

Arlecchino’s eyes shoot open, a gasp practically ripping through her lungs. “You cannot expect me t—“

“Do it or I stop. Let me finish making you feel good.” She scolds herself internally for letting you get too comfortable with her own tricks. Either way, it feels good and she doesn’t want you to stop, though she’d rather cut off her own arm than admit it. She doesn’t need to say a word, though, the small groans (and whimpers) tell you everything. Especially when they grow louder, and her chest begins heaving, and her voice breaks with every utterance of your name. It’s the most pleasure she’s ever outwardly expressed.

“Why did you stop?” Her exasperated, breathless voice echoes the room. You stopped just as her orgasm was reaching the peak, causing it to ebb away quickly, a sense of disappointment growing in Arlecchino’s stomach. Her eyes, now piercing into you with that familiar irritated stare, meet yours, your own full of amusement. Wiping your chin (when you’re eating pussy like it’s the last meal you’ll ever eat, it tends to get messy, doesn’t it?), you chuckle and respond in your own teasing lilt.

“You taste so good, and your pussy is so damn pretty, Arlecchino. I don’t particularly want to stop right now. You can take it, can’t you? Keep your hands still.” Her face twists into some odd mix of mortified and aroused, but your tongue meets her clit again, and the only sound she can make is something so uncharacteristic, a whine. You continue exactly what you were doing before, though this time you decide to slide a finger into her— the reaction she gave was definitely a pleasant one, her back arching off of the chair, her hands squeezing the seat of it in an attempt to keep them still. Arlecchino reaches the peak quicker this time, and despite your bossy orders, she finds herself melting into you completely, her hips grinding herself onto your tongue as much as she possibly can. It’s completely different to how she was at the beginning, her plan to remain unbothered and stoic foiled.

“Can I— please don’t stop this time.” When there comes no response from you other than a curl of your finger, she moans your name in a useless attempt to get you to answer her. You’re being mean, she thinks, and you’re using everything she does against her. “Answer me. Tell me I can cum.”

How is she still demanding things from you even in this position? She lost all control a long time ago. You find your eyes opening though, and while adding a second finger, your voice softens and you speak, voice full of affection. “Be good and cum for me, then. Now, before I change my mind. Let yourself feel good, yeah?”

Arlecchino doesn’t need to be told twice, because her hips lose whatever rhythm they had when your tongue presses flat against her, letting her choose the pace and the rhythm she knows will get her there quickest (it doesn’t take long, the woman is so sexually pent up it’s laughable). Within a minute, she’s crying out, her hands flying up to her face to cover the obscene expression she knows is there. You pay no attention, only watching every movement with a sense of satisfaction and a smile in your eyes. You keep your finger curling and your tongue still until her body stops rocking, and her hands leave her face. When her face, the one you find so beautiful, emerges from behind her hands, mascara slightly smudged, you can’t help but snicker as you pull out and away from her.

“Better?” You ask, wiping your chin once more with the back of your hand. You somehow look so smug and the look on your face pisses Arlecchino off, just a little. How you’re so calm and collected and she’s a fucked out mess sat in her desk chair.

“Yes,” she says, her voice sharper than she intends it to be really, but she continues in the same tone. “I do hope you don’t think we’re finished, hm?” Your head tilts in slight confusion, but the smile remains on your face. After a while, Arlecchino’s own lips twitch upwards, barely noticeable, but you notice nonetheless. “How could I leave you without feeling good, too? Go to the bedroom, please.”

[luminique]

if i may... late night bike rides with lighter 🫶

whether you know how to ride a bike or not, most of the late night bike rides are on his bike. he makes sure that everyone is asleep before heading out with you. this way, he could have your arms wrapped around his waist as he drives out of blazewood. the road is pretty smooth for the most part so he takes this as a chance to sneak his hand onto yours, as if to fix your hand placement. in reality, it’s his way of knowing that you’re there, holding onto him.

it gets colder during the night in the outer ring. no blazing sun, the skies are clear, the iridescent edges of multiple hollows. he knows the perfect spot to stop at that had the best views. he clumsily removes his gloves off before putting a hand out for you to hold as you got off the bike. he has all these sharp parts on his gloves and he does not want you getting poked by it.

the stars twinkled across the night sky, it was breathtaking. with the outer ring depending on oil rigs, carbon emissions were high and yet it seemed like this was the only area untouched by it. your eyes may have been on the stars but his eyes were on you. you’d tell him to take his shades off because what’s the point of wearing them at night but he doesn’t want you to see how smitten he is.

it started off with just sitting on the ground. then it progressed to laying down side by side while talking. after a while, he’d notice your change in speech. how you’re talking slower and quieter. that was when he knew that you were getting a little tired. so as usual, he makes sure you’ve got something comfy under your head.

using his arm, he’d guide you to place your head on it. he’s definitely going insane at this moment but you were too busy trying to fight off your sleepiness to even notice his flushed face. you were practically talking nonsense now at this point and then a sudden silence mid sentence.

he doesn’t dare wake you up, instead choosing to watch you sleep. the way your chest goes up and down with every breath, your body unconsciously moving closer to his, searching for some sort of warmth. with his scarf, he’s slowly wrapping it around your neck instead. it’s not that big but it’s enough for the time being. the sound of your breathing and the sounds of wind in the outer ring, he finds it serene enough to rest his eyes, falling asleep right next to you.

you’re woken up by the soft light of the sunrise, eyelids fluttering open. you don’t see lighter next to you but his scarf is still wrapped around you. his voice calls out to you, casually leaning against his bike. he’s facing the sunrise but his eyes are on you. he wouldn’t mind doing this again, as long as it means he gets to spend time like this with you.

[pedroscurls]

Hi! Idk if your requests are closed or not so feel free to ignore this but I’ve been going through a really tough time and I don’t have time to even breathe anymore so I was wondering if you could write something where Hugh just comforts the reader thanks!

safe with me (one-shot)

summary: hugh knows you've been having a difficult time and he hopes that he knows just what you need to help you feel better. pairing: hugh jackman x fem!reader content warnings: n/a, comfort / fluff, no use of y/n. word count: 701 a/n: to this anon, i'm so sorry that it took this long for me to fulfill your request. i hope things have gotten better since you requested this and if not, my inbox / messages are always open. thank you for requesting this (as i've been having a hard time myself with just life) - this was very cathartic and therapeutic for me. hope you enjoy. and as always, this is purely fictional! i mean no disrespect to hugh jackman.

Hugh knows you’ve been having a tough time lately, can see a change in your behavior even though you tell him that you’re fine. You smile at him, tell him that everything is okay, but Hugh knows that everything isn’t. Whenever you come home, he can see the distress and the exhaustion written all over your features and when he pulls you into his arms when in bed, he can feel the tension in your shoulders. 

It’s been like this for the last few weeks and Hugh doesn’t know if there’s anything that he could do that would help, that would alleviate the stress you’re feeling. If he could, he’d take it all away – whatever it is, Hugh would do anything to make you feel better. 

So, when you text him that you’re working late tonight, it gives him enough time to put his plan in place. He grabs two glasses of wine and your favorite white wine and ascends the stairs to go to the master bathroom. Hugh runs a warm bath for you, lighting candles around the bathroom. He looks around and bites his lower lip, slowly opening the blinds to reveal the skyline of the city. 

Hugh then jogs back downstairs to grab the bag of rose petals that he purchased earlier that evening and walks back into the bedroom. He scatters the rose petals on the white tiled floor and pours a good handful into the water. He hears his phone chime, but doesn’t have enough time to look at it when he hears you step inside the apartment. 

“Hugh?” you call out, a quiet sigh leaving your lips as you ascend the stairs. “You in the room?”

“Yeah, baby!” he answers. Hugh looks up when he sees you enter the bedroom and when your eyes meet his, he’s sure that he has done something wrong with the look on your face. Quickly, he steps out of the bathroom and walks over to you, his large hands coming up to rest on your hips. “What’s the matter? Is this too much? I just–”

Tears trickle down your cheeks and you wrap your arms around his shoulders, burying your face against the crook of his neck. Slowly, Hugh’s strong arms wrap around your waist, holding you tightly against him. “I’m not okay,” you whisper, voice trembling. 

“I know, baby,” he says quietly, moving a hand along your back. “But that’s okay,” Hugh reassures. “I’m right here.”

You cry against him, feeling like the last few weeks are finally catching up to you. You had tried to push it aside, tried to make yourself feel better, but it only pushed it further down. Being in Hugh’s arms, you finally feel like you can breathe, can finally get a glimpse that things will be okay. 

“I ran you a bath,” he whispers, turning his head to place a soft kiss on your temple. “You up for it?” 

You pull back and look up at him, wiping the tears away from your face. “You didn’t have to…”

“I know,” Hugh leans in and pecks your lips lightly. “I wanted to.” He releases his hold on you and instead reaches for your hand, leading you into the bathroom. 

You look around and bite your lower lip, tears again pooling at the corner of your eyes. “Hugh…”

“Too much?” 

“It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” 

Hugh smiles and turns to face you, gently reaching up to remove the blazer you’re wearing. “Far from it, baby. Now, let me take care of you. Will you let me do that?”

You nod slowly and look down to see your blazer pool at your feet. “Okay,” you whisper. 

Hugh hooks a finger under your chin, slowly lifting your gaze to meet with his. “Whatever you’re going through, I’m right here with you, baby. Now, let’s get you in the bath. You’ve been tense and I think you need a massage.” He smiles and pecks your lips lightly, pulling away only to help you disrobe the rest of your clothing.

You let out a relieved breath. For the first time in weeks, you feel the weight slowly begin to lift off your shoulders and that’s all thanks to Hugh.

[thetepes]

Not to play devils advocate, but I feel like lilys opinion on the usage of the n word is valid. Regardless of someone’s race, I think it’s a little backwards to dictate what someone has to say about another races cultures just because they’re white (or not of that culture), differing opinions aren’t the end of the world and hers wasn’t inherently racist I fear the same goes for the anime thing too, I’m sorry but Japan DOES have of a loli problem, even if her wording was extreme

I’m not white myself (to be fair, not black/japanese either), not that I think it matters to what I can and can’t say about this but I don’t want you to assume I am white because I somewhat defended lily, which is someone I did NOT want to run defense to but maybe I’m too conservative for this space but I mean this in the most respectful way possible, it feels like some of you are reaching on some things just to paint her in a worse light, as if she wasn’t already famously bad 😭

(Feel free to correct me, I’m not trying to be intentionally ignorant for the sake of it I’m just tired of hearing of a lot of echo chambers about the issue without getting to WHY what she says is racist when I think like pretty reasonable??)

Anon, my friend, I do not know how to break this to you, but that is racist. I know you do not mean to be. I know you're trying your best to be as inoffensive as possible. I'm going to do my very best to answer you genuinely because you seem genuine.

Saying Japan has a Loli problem is like saying America has a child pageant problem. It's there. It's a problem, but it's not something floating on the surface everyone in Japan is aware of the magnitude of. It's a niche genre of ero fiction that comes up about as much to your every day Japanese person as child pageants in America.

In the 80's there was this loli boom that took place where it split off from your more typical bishōjo into lolicon. You would find stuff like Future Boy under that genre long before you'd find any ero.

It wasn't until an otaku named Tsutomu Miyazaki was arrested in the late 80s that the darker side of loli came to the awareness of your every day Japanese person. It was a popular genre so there was a LOT of hentai of it. He killed and murdered several little girls between the ages of I think 3 to 6 and it started a panic very similar to the Satanic Panic that happened in USAmerica. He had a massive collection of anime and hentai. I mean massive. From normal things you'd see in Walmart to stuff you could only buy from very specific websites online no normal person would even know about. It wasn't just Loli that was effected though it was all anime.

It's why Otaku culture was so repressed and shameful for a long time and it even killed the Loli boom because the style was associated with the killings. It wasn't until very recently that Otaku culture made a come back, but still Loli isn't making that come back because of the online opinion on Lolicon. It's gone from an art style to something a lot darker and I think that's where the communication sort of faulters? Because if you say to a Japanese person "you have a loli problem" they're going to think you're having a Satanic Panic moment at them.

At least that's been my experience.

This whole thing is why there was the Moe boom in the 2000's, it was an over correction on the part of artists. Trying desperately to get away from that label and people taking advantage of that as well to make slop.

The rise of the Lolita in Harajuku also muddied the water on this because there's an entire beautiful subculture there that branches into a thousand different expressions. "You have a loli problem!" What's the problem with girls in frilly dresses?

You as someone online, who is adept at being online, in critical spaces and animation/anime spaces have so much more exposure to this stuff than anyone on the daily in Japan.

The entire world has a porn problem. The entire world has a sexualizing little girls problem. To point at Japan and specifically repeatedly deem the entire country as having an issue with pedophilia is racist. To go out of your way to bring it up when you're not even discussing anime or Japan is racist. When your hate and ignorance for a place and it's people bleeds into everything you do

That is racism.

[i-am-the-oyster]

Hi would you be able to tell me sweet/positive facts about the Beatles ? I’m always hearing about that darker side of them and just would like to know more positive facts like the fact that they refused to play for a segregated audience!

I love this ask! I would be so happy if people respond with more uplifting Beatles lore.

Let's start with your example. The Beatles were the first act to play to desegregated audiences in multiple venues in the US, because the refused to accept the venues' rules. They used their power (the threat of cancelling a show) to make a direct impact.

Sort of related: they insisted on crediting the Black artists that inspired them. There is a long history of erasure of Black musicians, but when the Beatles were asked who their musical influences were almost all of the names they gave were of Black artists.

They pushed gender boundaries. (I'm certainly not going to claim any of the Beatles were perfect feminists lol, but) they sang girl-group songs, wore their hair long, wore colour and flowers.

They made beautiful music! Let's not forget that they went from "pop sensation" to epoch-defining album in 4 years.

They were really friends! We don't need to talk about 1970. They went through so much together, and even after everything, they all spoke about the deep love connection that remained between them.

They encouraged other bands to try writing songs for themselves.

The word is love!

[spicyberries]

berry is adorable I need her i fear

do not fear.... she will welcome you with open arms (´• ω •`) ♡ (*cough* and legs *cough*)

[ivanttakethis]

top 5 worst ivan mischaracterizations ( aka could you list five worst traits people give him that are just totally wrong) i love to hear people complain but if you don't want to you can ignore this ask have a good day

Anon I am SO glad that you asked!

Ivan is my favorite character in Alien Stage because he’s really complex.

I could talk about him and his characterization/mischaracterization all day and still have more to say after that. Now you’ve given me the perfect opportunity to write a bunch of my thoughts down.

These complaints are in no particular order and are ultimately subjective.

Also, I’m not a Patreon supporter, so I can’t comment on anything that might’ve been confirmed or debunked over there.

Top 5 Worst Ivan Mischaracterizations:

Ivan is an unfeeling and emotionless person

Ivan was trying to kill himself and Till during Round 6

Ivan hates Mizi

Ivan is arrogant

Ivan is violent

This is going to be a long one, so I’m putting everything under the cut. Let’s begin!

1. Ivan is an unfeeling and emotionless person.

I find this mischaracterization to be one of the most frustrating because there is so much evidence to the contrary.

As a child, Ivan is described as someone who struggles to express his emotions and connect with others (imo he’s neurodivergent-coded, but that’s a whole other discussion). But notably we’re not told that he doesn’t experience emotions.

This official art kills me every time I see it because it shows that Ivan knows he’s different from the other children and that it probably makes him stick out and he wants to fit in somehow so he tries to practice/fake it so maybe he won’t be so alone (the imitating behavior is also coded imo).

Beyond all of that, we see plenty of times throughout the series that he feels things, rather intensely even. He’s wistful about the stars and meteor showers and the thought of freedom. He has a curious nature, observing others, wanting to learn more about how they work; how he can emulate them.

And then there’s all of the feelings that well up when it comes to Till. The most obvious is that Ivan loves Till, in his own fucked up way. But there’s more to it.

He wanted attention from Till (maybe the first time he’s ever wanted something in that way). He did everything he could just to get Till to even so much as glance in his direction. All of the fighting, and the bickering, and the instigating was because Ivan craved reciprocation. He grew obsessed.

When Ivan managed to free both himself and Till, he was thrilled!

And when Till let go of Ivan’s hand to return for Mizi, he was very clearly heartbroken.

Ivan felt jealous of Mizi and Sua’s relationship, knowing that he would never have that chance with Till.

Ivan felt lonely because he thought Sua was just like him, only to realize that wasn’t true (because Mizi loved Sua back) and he had no one to relate to.

Also, the entirety of Black Sorrow?? Hello??? He was yearning for more than what he could get. He was resigned to his minuscule place in Till’s life. The song is full of mourning and sadness and grief.

In Round 6, I believe Ivan knew what he was going to do.

He was desperate for anything he could get from Till in his final moments. I think that’s part of why he kissed Till. If his only goal was to deliberately lose, why not skip the kissing and go straight to choking?

Ivan was a dying man overwhelmed with emotion and he desperately wanted Till to look at him, see him, make him feel content for the first (and last) time in his life.

Even if some of these emotions are not necessarily healthy, it shows that Ivan was capable of feeling something.

So… yeah. That’s why I really dislike the emotionless characterization of Ivan. There’s so much depth to his emotions and character, but some people just skim the surface and reduce him down to nothing more than a cold and stoic person.

2. Ivan was trying to kill himself and Till during Round 6.

This one is probably more often a misunderstanding than a mischaracterization of Ivan. I think some people may have seen IvanTill referred to as “toxic” or “obsessive” love when it came to how Ivan felt and behaved around Till and thought Ivan was on some “if I can’t have you, no one can” shit, but that completely ignores the wider context of his character. Ivan was devoted to Till to a fault.

To Ivan, Till was his reason for being. Till was his universe. His god. Till was something to be revered, protected, and worshipped. Ivan couldn’t live without Till. That’s why he sacrificed himself, so he wouldn’t have to continue on in a world without him in it. But he also wanted to protect Till, no matter the cost.

Pretty much everything Ivan did was to protect or care for Till: trying to escape Anakt Garden with him, watching over him after Till was attacked by the aliens in the club, freeing him from his collar over and over and over again, every chance Ivan got.

Nothing about Ivan’s feelings or behaviors toward Till suggests that he would ever harm him, let alone kill him. There’s a reason why when Ivan was “choking” Till it didn’t look like he applied any pressure, there was no struggle for air on Till’s end (even if he had mentally given up, physically there will be some sort of reaction to having your airway compressed), and we don’t see any marks on Till’s neck afterwards.

It didn’t matter what happened to Ivan as a result. Till was the only person who mattered to him.

He would do anything for him. He would quite literally rather die than have anything happen to his god.

Ivan only ever knew how to give all of himself to Till, giving up his life was inevitable.

3. Ivan hates Mizi

I’ve seen this one more so in fan fiction, usually for angsty circumstances, but this just completely sidesteps their canon relationship, which is positive and, dare I say, friendly.

He gave her piggyback rides when they were kids! In the lead up to Alien Stage, we see them chatting and Ivan being pleasant towards her in a sort of “big brother” type way without hiding some sort of darker emotion behind it.

Now, is Ivan envious of the relationship Mizi has with Sua? Yes. Does he hate that he’ll never get to have the connect they have with Till? Yes. But Ivan hasn’t given any indication that he hates Mizi herself. And I think that’s an important element of his characterization.

Yes, he has negative feelings surrounding Mizi, but he never takes them out on her or lets himself feel negative towards her as a person.

Edit: I started writing this section BEFORE we got the official art of Ivan hanging out with Mizi, but holy fuck am I glad I took so long to finish this because now it’s canon that Ivan got along well with Mizi and they were even close as kids despite the fact that Ivan loved Till and Till loved Mizi.

In conclusion, Ivan and Mizi were reasonably close and (imo) would’ve been besties in slightly different circumstances. Ivan is NOT a Mizi hater!!

4. Ivan is arrogant

Yes and no. On the surface, Ivan comes across as mature, confident, and in some cases arrogant, but as we see more from his perspective it quickly becomes clear that the arrogance is just a mask he wears for others.

Deep down, Ivan is very insecure and his self-esteem is almost nonexistent. He views himself as insignificant, twisted, unworthy. He vilifies everything that he feels and does. (“Thank you for being a victim of my shallow emotions” anyone?) Ivan fully convinced himself that Till wouldn’t give a shit about him if he died to keep him alive. That’s not the behavior of an arrogant person. Far from it.

His arrogant mask acts as a shield to keep others from seeing the monster he thinks he is. He’s even kept parts of himself out.

I think that’s also where his tendency to be an asshole comes from. Keeping people away, not wanting or knowing how to drop the arrogant mask, internalizing everything, projecting onto others (like that whole talk with Sua about self sacrifice).

So basically:

Characterizing Ivan as an insecure person who hides behind false confidence/arrogance to keep people from seeing the real (and somewhat fucked up) him? Great. Fantastic. Love to see it.

Characterizing Ivan as an arrogant asshole “just because”? Terrible. Hate it. You burned my crops and killed my cow.

5. Ivan is violent

I don’t know how this one came about, but it rubs me the wrong way so I’ll touch on it here.

We know Ivan instigated physical fights with Till when they were kids because that was the only way to consistently get Till’s attention (not saying I condone that btw). But outside of that, I don’t think Ivan has been violent with anyone else? And would he even be violent with Till like, recently?? I would say no.

Now I do think Ivan would resort to violence to protect Till, but nothing beyond that. I don’t don’t even think he would use violence to protect himself.

He’d probably just revert back to being a “perfect” obedient pet to avoid or diffuse confrontation. That’s what he did as a child; while Till fought back every chance he got. Till’s fighting spirit is probably one of the things Ivan loved about him. Maybe in part because he couldn’t find it in himself.

————————————————————

Anyways, those are my Top 5 worst Ivan mischaracterizations! Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk 🖤💙

[romankvn]

Please draw me and Peter B, consensually kissing

[fangedfcker]

vampire sub x priest dom who keeps "accidentally" burning them with the crucifix on their rosary...

anon I like your mind.

being marked up, knowing if I move or flinch away I'd make it worse.

being bent over a pew with them behind me, leaning over so it brushes my back, pushing me down and leaning further in the closer they get so the crucifix rests on my back, and I know the only way to get it away is to get them off.

sitting chest to chest on their lap, crucifix just happening to be pressed to where my heart is but they won't let me go or pull away. maybe even play dumb about what's burning me. or just soothe me and tell me I'm being so good when I cling to them and plead for mercy.

[pinkmirth]

What do you think Reiner and his s/o would argue about in a relationship? I can't imagine it would last long

BACK TALK, reiner braun !

SYNOPSIS — just a fluffy lil drabble about reiner wanting to take care of you. he doesn’t want to argue, but you’re just so stubborn…

CONTAINS — 1k words of . . . fluff, fem!reader (black coded), “girly-girl” reader, reiner feeds you, lowercase intended, just sappy stuff with this caring gentleman <3 (kinda sorta self indulgent!)

this is a tough one, nonnie…. only because maturity is reiner’s best attribute! picking a problem with you is the last thing this man wants to do, and he’s very slow to anger. you’re right about any disputes not lasting long! even if he tried, reiner can’t stay mad at you.

the most that could happen between you and him are petty squabbles about preferences, something dumb like waffles over pancakes! the pair of you ultimately laugh it off and end up cuddling once all is said and done. It’s hard to envision a topic that could stir such a reaction from him to the point where he’s arguing with you. i think the only thing that would get him going back and forth in an “argument” is if he’s worried about you, but you decide to be stubborn with him.

for instance, you’re tired and have been studying all day, and he just wants you to allow yourself to relax. but! you’re persistent on finishing up your assignments. he’d probably grow upset and insist that you deserve a break . . . (veryyy self indulgent ‘cause i’ve been studying for a gajillion tests lately!)

dull thuds of reiner’s heavy footsteps upon carpet announce his entrance into your room. he strolls around your cozy little home-desk, the one he helped you build a couple months back when the school semester first began. it’s adorned in sanrio stickers galore and polaroid pictures of you and him, nostalgic square photos secured with baby-pink thumbtacks. reiner circles you with a brooding silence, flitting his eyes from the slideshow on your laptop screen to your scribbled notes. you feel him linger behind your chair, but opt on saying nothing.

“baby, c’mon…” reiner calls out, his tone borderline pleading, “you’ve been here for hours.” from behind your seat, he inches in until he’s close enough to rest his weighty hands on your stiffened shoulders. reiner’s warm palms rub along the junction of your neck. it’s helping— he can see it in the way your body slackens in your swivel chair.

“i gotta prep for tomorrow’s test,” his touch brings you to release a lax hum, but you don’t allow yourself to dwell on it for long. the fleeting moment of bliss he provides ends too soon, as you smooth out your oversized baby-pink tee-shirt and begin to refocus on your work.

“have you eaten?” he asks. the shake of your head brings about his frown. you could surely get your work done without depriving yourself of basic needs… all he wants is for you to be well taken care of. “no, not yet.” you spare him a glance before looking back over your laptop.

reiner’s hand shoots out, grabbing your chair and turning you halfway-round to face him. the closeness of his face to yours makes it seem like the perfect opportunity to press your lips to his and linger there for a while. instead, you remain still, choosing a safer route by stealing glances of his handsome attributes. your eyes run across his prominent collarbone peeking through his low-neck sweatshirt, the slight clench of his firm jaw, most especially the raw concern swimming in his honey-golden eyes. “why not?” reiner questions, with his brows drawn tight in worry. you whirl back around, for the sake of your own resolve.

“because i’m studying, reiner.”

“no, you’re cramming.” he corrects. reiner can read you like a damn storybook; it’s almost as though he knows you more than his very own self. “at least i’m drinking water,” you raise a bottle from your desk for emphasis. water sloshes in the cylindrical confines as you set it back down, “happy?”

reiner rolls his tongue and prods at his inner cheek. he decides to pay no mind to your little attitude. “water’s fine, but you need food.”

“a meal would be too heavy for me... i’d probably end up falling asleep.” you haphazardly shoo his suggestion, scribbling bullet points onto your notebook.

“so a snack would be better, then? your favorite fruit is in the fridge downstairs.” reiner turns on his heel, intent on coming back with a bowl of nicely-cut strawberries and mangoes. you reach out, clasping onto him forearm before he zips out of your room and descends the flight of stairs. “it’s okay, reiner.” you assure. the ends of your manicured nails ghost his wrist.

“is it really? ‘cause it’s hard to believe that you don’t want me to get anything at all.” he quirks up a thin brow as he says it. reiner knows just how much you need his support— you’re simply choosing to act like you don’t.

“i’ll get somethin’ to eat later, i promise.” with the twirl of your ballpoint-pen, you’re back to writing. this is his third time checking up on you, and you give him the same answer with every visit. all this stubbornness has gone on long enough.

“you may be busy, but you’re also tired.” he's quick to snatch the pen from your hands, right in the middle of you scrawling a sentence onto lined paper. “hey! reiner, give it—”

“nuh-uh. stop bein’ difficult about it.” he plants a large hand onto the back of your macbook and shuts it closed. you do an over-exaggerated huff, make a pout, throw in a bratty eye roll— he doesn’t care for it. what you need is to allow him take care of you. he can’t let his darling work herself to death, now can he? not in a literal sense, but he wouldn’t forgive himself for allowing this to continue.

“i’ll be right back, okay? and for the love of god, don’t open that goddamn laptop.” he makes his leave. you hear the faint hum of a microwave. it doesn’t take long for him to return, with a steaming plate of food in hand. reiner takes joy in replacing that stupid notebook of yours with the reheated dinner that he cooked up for you over an hour ago.

he pulls up a seat, scoots in close, and brings a hot forkful up to your mouth. “don’t argue. just eat, baby.”

this sly man knows that it’s your favorite food. you have no energy left to brush him off. finally, you give in. with a soft ‘ah’, you allow reiner to feed you. there’s a satisfied gleam in his eye as he stuffs your mouth with bite after bite.

“it’s good?” he softly asks. you cover your mouth while chewing, giving him a sheepish nod. “mm-hm.”

“you feel better, don’t you?” reiner nudges your shoulder with his broader one. you don’t try to fight the smile overtaking your lips. “i do…” you relent, looping your arms around his neck. he firmly hugs you in one arm, and uses his unoccupied hand to hold onto the ceramic plate. over half of the food’s gone.

he hears your quiet, sincere ‘thank you’ murmured into his chest, feels your frame relax against his. “good.” reiner sighs into your hair. he wants you to put yourself first, every single time. “that’s good.”

[g1deonthefirst]

has anyone mentioned ianthe's flesh transplant arm as another example of sexual assault metaphor in tlt?harrow gets talked about a lot for obvious reasons but imo there's something there with ianthe as well, being forced to carry this (functionally dying/dead) limb that's been sewn into her body against her will and everyone else judging her for struggling with it until she literally tries to cut it out of herself. it would add a new layer to the bone arm scene, both as sex, as is usually interpreted, but also abortion and conception/birth.

(also idk where exactly this fits but something else about how cytherea severed her arm at the elbow but the transplant was attached at the shoulder so that even once she got autonomy back with the bone arm, she had still lost more than was originally taken)

anon this is WILD!!! i've thought before about how ianthe having an arm (whose arm, by the way?) attached to her body without her consent is just one of many autonomy violations we see in the series, but i had never connected it directly to the ever-present theme of reproduction and reproductive horror. this is absolutely blowing my mind.

this is a little more obvious, but i also just want to note while we're on the subject that ianthe's limb also seems to be an intentional parallel with the way that people who develop prosthetics make assumptions about the needs and wants of amputees; according to a 2022 survey, nearly half of upper-limb amputees end up abandoning their prosthetics. some amputees feel pressured into wearing realistic prosthetics to blend in, and people often end up feel hindered even by high-tech prosthetics. on top of being another example of a character suffering a severe violation of their autonomy, it's also an example of tamsyn's dedication to realistically portraying disabled characters, and (like with dulcinea and cytherea) it showcases the ableism built into the nine houses.

[kellyvela]

Natasha Kermani is in Cornwall!! Hope we get pics of Sophie and Kit together soon

THE DREADFUL 👹 UPDATE 🚨🚨🚨

It's happening!!!

Director is already at Cornwall, posted a story of the end of the Smuggler's path 👀👀👀

Also posted images of medieval knights helmets 🧐🧐🧐

[f1amboyant]

Omg, I wasn't expecting to elaborate on this but you know what, I will bc it makes me happy and I am not confident or secure enough to write something long but I still want to share.

About everyone's colors:

-Ferrari: Rosso corsa for Charles and bright yellow gold for Carlos

-Mercedes: royal purple for Lewis and turquoise for George

-RB: burnt orange for Maxy and forest green for Checo

-McLaren: soft orange for Lando and periwinkle for Oscar

-Aston: sky blue for Fernando and cooper for Lance

-Williams: lavender for Alex, cherry red for Logan and sunshine yellow for Franco

-Haas: ochre for Nico and ice blue for Kevin

-Alpine: navy blue for Pierre and blush pink for Esteban (he swears it's beige for years)

-VCarb: warm orange for Yuki, pistachio for Liam and mahogany brown for Dan

-Stake: dove grey for Guanyu and coral for Valtteri

-Other important colors (?): silver for Nico Rosberg, emerald green for Seb, garnet for Kimi, steel grey for Toto, teddy bear brown for Ollie, sage green for Kimi Antonelli, petrol blue for Mark Webber, brass for Jenson.

Source? Just vibes really.

Some drivers are sure to wear long sleeves and be careful of being to close to fans but Carlos is of the opposite view, hundreds of centimeters of skin showing and a belief that if you get a new soulmates, it was meant to be and it drives Charles nuts even though it has never happened and Carlos has only bonded with people who are indeed close to him. In one occasion he takes pleasure in seeing how a pretty girl at a club who has been flirting with Carlos (who is oblivious and a little tipsy) all night gets mad when she grabs Carlos' forearm and nothing happens, not a bit of pigment on sight so obviously Charles has to go get his teammate and holding him by the point where he KNOWS his red mark is under the fine linen shirt make sure he makes it back to the hotel 🫣

Thank you everyone for the encouragement, I'll keep you posted 🥰🎨

Asdkjhgdjkhglq that's amazing!

No note on the color choices for each driver. I could never have done it myself and I love them all! Perfect 🎨

And jealous possessive Charles?? Yes please, I need more of that. Oh Carlos would be absolutely oblivious (he always looks so lost when he is with fan, he would absolutely be lost about this too). And Charles putting his hand back where his mark is on Carlos?? Daaaaaamn 😵‍💫 I love it so much!!!

But now tell me anon (if you want to, of course), this is charlos, right? So how do those two idiots go from 'oh yeah we have each other's mark but that's because we're teammates, no?' to 'together or nothing, we are real soulmates'? Do you have ideas? I need my babies together 🥺

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

What was the prime tails polycule first kiss like?

Oooh ooooh I know this one!

Now I can't tell you which exact order all these happen in, but here are some first kiss ideas I have between each individual pairing within the polycule

(But under the cut because this ended up longer than I expected to answer haha)

ㅤ

Tails/Nine

I definitely don't think this pairing would come first if I were forced to come up with which individual pairings within the polycule shared their first kiss first to be honest 😂. Why? Well, while Nine does have some issues over not being the "only him" so to speak, I personally think canon Nine doesn't have nearly as many issues with Mangey and Sails as he does with Prime!Tails, and that some of his issues with Mangey and Sails really began with Tails. I think before actually meeting him Nine would have this idea of Tails as Sonic's "perfect little buddy". In this case, he would assume that Tails is nice and sweet and always does whatever Sonic wants and is Sonic's perfect little supporter that always helps Sonic but never has opinions of his own or opposes Sonic in any way. Essentially, I think to him Tails is everything he is not, the "perfect" partner in Sonic's eyes, and also a doormat. Tails is both the fox he can never be (jealous) and the fox he can never be (derogatory, "I'm better than you"). Prime!Tails, meanwhile, knows everything he knows initially from Sonic most likely, and after everything...I think Sonic would have a lot to say about Nine. That's all to say that Tails would get that Sonic cares about him a lot, would get that Nine probably liked Sonic a lot, would probably see him in a similar light to Shadow, and may see some of Nine's actions as "over the top" due to only knowing as much as Sonic knows or actually says. So initially I think Nine would be jealous of Tails while holding onto some of that strong dislike, and Tails would be secretly jealous of Nine, but ultimately seeing him as a guy who is rough around the edges, intelligent, and perhaps a bit unstable.

That also being said, I think it would do the two of them good to actually talk about themselves and open up to their insecurities/pasts to each other. I think becoming more open and talking about those things would allow the two to understand each other (and exactly what makes them so different and similar) much better, but I also recognize that something like that's going to take a long time and is probably not going to happen all at once. Realistically, unless he specifically feels like doing it at one point or another, getting Nine to explain himself and his story is going to be like pulling teeth for the most part, and I can see Tails being the type to try to relate to him while straying away from using specific examples (since Tails isn't the type of guy to me that goes around talking about what happened to him either). I think that what's revealed will probably happen over time in bits and pieces, and maybe at some point someone will manage to work one or the other into feeling comfortable enough to vent a bit.

With that in mind, I think that when the two properly meet, it'll surprise them just how far off they were in their characterizations of each other (mostly Nine, but you get it). So I think their first learning curve would be dealing with any jealousy between them + any identity crisis + Nine instinctively not wanting to let go of that version of Tails he made up in his head easily + learning who the other *actually* is.

So...their first kiss. I can't see it being at any other point than a bonding moment between them—something that combines the vulnerability of opening up (which can bring hearts closer) and the ongoing jealousy causing tention to snap. Tails has learned bits and pieces about Nine by now about him being "picked on" as a kid and being tormented until he eventually created a way to fight back (no deep details), or what it was like living in the place he grew up in. Likewise, I think Nine would also know very little about how Tails was also picked on, about how he used to follow Sonic around, etc. Aside from that, I think they'd start to gather more about each other's true personalities by actually hanging around each other or by both happening to be on missions with Sonic at the same time. I think Nine would come to realize that Tails has no problem meeting Sonic sass to sass or telling him that he's being an idiot (mind you, depending on the situation Tails is likely to be softer about it in the way where he explains what he's thinking and asks Sonic what he thinks without specifically saying Sonic's idea is stupid), and that when Sonic isn't rushing in without a plan he's looking to Tails for direction and advice. Likewise, I think Tails would start to realize that Nine is a bit deeper than he assumed and wonder more about what exactly happened to him.

But, of course, the question is how they actually start opening up, and to that I say: Sonic? Sonic. To me, Sonic is both the elephant in the room to them and a shared interest. So...I can see the two hanging alone. Maybe Tails and Nine were both on an adventure with at least them and Sonic going to stop Prime!Eggman's plans, and maybe Sonic is seemingly fast asleep at their camp on the way home. Sitting by the fire with Tails, having just finished eating, Nine can't help but think back to his first meeting with Sonic (when Sonic was explaining how there's nothing like eating a chilli dog with your best pal when everything's said and done). Then, he thinks about Sonic, conked out in the tent and patched up. Sonic's lucky he has such a good natural healing factor, otherwise he wouldn't be able to be as reckless as he is, Nine thinks. Sure, his actions earlier stood the best chance of defeating Prime!Eggman so he didn't have much choice, but still it shouldn't have had to come to it.

And yeah, Sonic being reckless or self sacrificial isn't a foreign concept to Nine. It's just that now...after everything...he can’t help but be afraid of what will happen if something actually does Sonic in one day. So, he asks Tails aloud, "How... How do you deal with him like this?"

"Sonic?"

"He's always so... He doesn't always listen, he's reckless, he's always pulling those dangerous stunts right at the last second. Even I think it's a miracle he hasn't–" Nine cuts off, and the two sit in silence for a moment.

"Sonic is...like that, you know? Frustrating at times? Yes. Stubborn? Absolutely. Even now that he's...changed a bit, he still pulls off those grand stunts and brushes off my advice sometimes while practically begging me to tell him what to do others. He's much better at the whole teamwork thing than he used to be, but he's still Sonic."

"I know all that. I know all that stuff about how he's stubborn and frustrating but always comes through when it counts and turns things around, but that...that wasn't the question."

"You deal with him, don't you?"

"It doesn't mean I can't be– Doesn't mean I don't...worry sometimes." Then, Nine adds, "And don't tell me you don't."

Then one thing leads to another in the back and forth and Nine is like, "When I met him...I thought I'd found the exception. Everyone else only thought about themselves, about living day to day and taking everything out on those smaller or weaker to feel powerful about themselves. But Sonic... He almost made– makes you believe in hope. And then... Then I found out that he was as stubborn and selfish as anyone else."

Tails chuckles a little at that.

"Not that any of that matters now," Nine adds.

After a few moments, Tails opens his mouth. "You know, I thought the world of him too, once."

Huh, is all Nine thinks.

"Of course, I still think he's cool now. But back then I remember... He used to run away when he noticed me following him, so I had to do whatever I could to catch up. And for a while...nothing mattered. He was my hero. That was all."

"So...he's not now?"

"Well, I suppose he always will be it's just... Well, I only wanted to be around him, so how he acted didn't matter."

"So you thought the world of him, but you were let down, and you decided to stick with him anyways?"

"I mean, well. It's more complicated than that, but... Isn't it the same with you?"

Nine sighs, looking down at his shoes. "I...suppose."

Tails shoots a look at the tent before casting his gaze down at his own shoes.

"The point is...I get it. I don't like worrying about him either, but...I've made peace with it." Then, Tails adds with a chuckle, "As well as I can, anyways."

"...Not as if there's anything else you can do," Nine agrees.

There's a moment of silence, then, before Tails smiles. "Well I'm sure we could try, but nothing stops Sonic the Hedgehog from doing anything—not when he sets his sights on it."

Nine chuckles weakly, remembering bitter and fond bits of memories alike. He can concede that this is true. After all, back then, as the universe was falling apart, Sonic would never give up on the universe's inhabitants just as he never gave up on him.

"One time, there was this hot pepper eating contest in Station Square. It was a promotional thing for a new restaurant or something. And the moment someone mentioned that the prize could involve chili dogs..." Tails shakes his head.

"Like a lifetime supply?"

"No, I think it was... Ah... I don't exactly remember. It was probably a gift card or something. Those people were probably just saying the restaurant had chili dogs—which turned out to be true. But you know Sonic!" He laughs. "Didn't read the terms. Just entered as fast as he could. I tried to tell him that we had to meet up with the Chaotix on business, but..."

"So...let me guess. He made a remark about how it'd be over fast because speed is his thing, implied the contest would be easy as cake, and overestimated his ability."

Tails looks to Nine. "Yeah, heh. You've pretty much got it. The whole time, though, I couldn't convince him to quit."

Nine nods, still facing forward. "The trademark stubbornness. Good at times, not so good other times."

"Heh, yeah. I'm pretty sure he thought it was one of those contests where you try to eat the most, because his impatience was palpable. The contestants would eat a pepper one at a time in rotation, and they all took their time."

"And you were late to your 'meeting'?" There's a bit of an edge to Nine’s words, but it’s a genuine question nonetheless. He doesn't fully understand the point Tails is trying to make by telling this story, but, eh... Talking to Tails so far is...better than sitting in silence. At least, that's how Nine feels about it.

Tails laughs, and Nine turns to him at the sound.

"No, not just late! He was sweating, nearly about to pass out. I had to rush him to the agency, Vector put him on the desk, Charmy pulled a leaf from somewhere to fan him with, and all the while Espio was off getting a 'traditional shinobi remedy' or something. All of that for a prize he didn't even win."

"Pffft. Sounds like him."

And so eventually the two end up trading stories of Sonic and his stubbornness (some funny and others concerning), Nine ends up smiling a little, and the two don't realize how close they are until everything stops. The only light illuminating their faces is from the fire, and neither of the two can see the stars, too focused on the others' face. And, perhaps, one of them decides to take that step on a whim. The kiss is chaste, but reciprocated (much to the surprise of them both).

And that night, as the two lay in the tent, Tails is surprised. When he first met Nine he hadn't thought things would progress like this, and yet...it's something Tails doesn't mind. To him Nine has become fascinating (both in his familiarity and in his alienness), and he's begun to suspect something with the way his heart warms at the prospect of simple things—Nine's happiness, his laughter, his enjoyment. In fact, I think it's possible for Tails to have (in hindsight) been waiting for this to happen. I think it's hard for Tails to balance mild jealousy and his growing interest in both Nine and making sure he (and the other variants) have a chance to coexist in this wide universe without becoming even a bit attached or starting to care more genuinely. So (especially if he's kissed the other variants before now), finding out he likes kissing Nine wouldn't really bother him. If anything, he's likely to be...pleasantly surprised it happened. He'd be a bit pained if Nine rejected him, but he'd be happy if things...continued as they are now (just with some added traditionally romantic stuff).

Meanwhile, I think Tails would be Nine's first kiss out of all his first kisses with the variants. Why? Well, I think if Tails is Nine's first, then it makes everything else a bit easier. Resolving his hangup on Tails (by learning about his true self and having him kiss Tails about those feelings) is something I think that could allow him to feel more comfortable in accepting any feelings for the other two. So I'd like to think that Nine's head races while he lies in the tent. He has to grapple with the fact that he liked that kiss, and it shakes him a bit that it was with someone he'd once held resentment towards. But I'd like to think that he ultimately doesn't reject the kiss or those feelings, not after all the time he's been spending getting to know Tails.

Maybe Nine moves on, thinks about that kiss every once in a while, and their relationship just eventually progresses at a natural pace. One day they're making out in Nine's lab in The Grim or Tails makes him breakfast in the morning (causing Nine's heart to squeeze) and Nine doesn't know how they got here.

So uhhh yeah anyways. Tldr; no matter what I think Nine and Tails have this slow burn relationship, so it takes a while before they kiss. I think they kiss over the usual getting closer to someone/caring for them stuff + their shared Sonic interest. I think their first kiss is on a whim, after they bare their hearts to each other a bit, and I think it's a gateway to future kisses.

ㅤ

Tails/Sails

Hmmm you know... I think these two shared their first kiss cause they decided they wanted to see what it would be like. Either it's the first kiss out of the entire group because they decided to try it for science (because neither is holding out for anyone else to kiss them (specifically non-tails variants)), or it's not the first, but it’s "for science" (aka, an excuse to kiss each other to see if they like it).

If it's in a situation in which they kiss because they've never been kissed before and aren't holding out for it to ever happen (in what one might consider a traditionally romantic way anyways), then I envision this happening well into the sort of mentorship Tails ends up starting with Sails. By that point I can see them becoming friends after sort of bonding over what makes them similar (and I think Tails would research pirate culture just to understand Sails better).

If it's a situation in which they kiss "for science" as a clear excuse, well. That one's a bit self explanatory. They're kind of grappling with the confusing not exactly clear platonic or romantic nature of their feelings, and they both hope a kiss will clear things up and want to use it as a safe excuse to kiss the other without it necessarily having to be serious if the other doesn't like it (essentially, at least if they enjoy it and the other doesn't, they can pretend it doesn't mean anything).

With that all being said, to me they're the type to be more casual about the affection and the kisses most of the time, but once in a while they get in the mood to participate in...less casual kissing.

ㅤ

Tails/Mangey

I've said once before in a previous Tailscest post that I feel Tails would be the jealous type deep down (the kind of guy who's jealous and possessive, but also has learned to keep it under wraps for the sake of his image and for not tying Sonic down). Specifically, I also mentioned a theoretical happening in which Mangey hides behind Sonic on instinct when scared, Sonic comforts him, and Tails can't help but see himself in Mangey (because that's what Sonic used to do for him when he and Sonic were both younger).

I think, at first, Tails would be...baseline nice to Mangey. He's another version of him, so he has no reason to be mean or anything outright. At first, though, he's not sure what to think of Mangey I think, so I think his gateway to understanding him is relating to him. This means that, early on, I think Tails kind of thinks of Mangey akin to a largely nonverbal, younger version of himself—an opinion that will shift and change as Tails properly gets to know Mangey better.

As for Mangey, he has no reason to dislike Tails. Sonic has only good things to say about him, and Tails being nice off the bat gives Mangey a good impression. So I think Mangey would start to learn more about Tails by following him around, tasting the food he likes to eat (could this mean that he may eat off the guy's plate, lick the plate later, or out of the trash? ...maybe), sitting in while Tails is working in his lab, etc.

I envision their first kiss going...like this more or less. Either Tails is on a solo mission and Mangey decided to follow him, or Mangey is sitting in on one of Tails' late nights. And then...thunder strikes, scaring them both. Before Tails knows it, Mangey is curled around his legs, shaking.

Thunder strikes again, Tails tenses up, and Mangey yelps. Tails is scared, he can't deny that, but he can't help but be conscious of Mangey. So, practically running on instinct, he sinks to the ground slowly, whispering to Mangey about how "it'll all be okay soon" and if he could "please let go for a second" so Tails can kneel down. Tails wraps his arms and tails around Mangey, pulling him closer, just before the two hear thunder again.

Mangey all but throws his arms around Tails, whimpering, as Tails tries his best to keep his cool (this long running fear of his has never failed to make him feel...a bit dumb for it). And then, as Mangey is whimpering and Tails is trying not to tremble or cry, his thoughts drift to where they always do when he's afraid or hopelessly alone.

I wish Sonic was here.

And then...a moment of clarity. Despite the fear, despite how his brain is just barely affording him the braincells to act rationally, he remembers how Sonic has always calmed him down (ever since they were younger). Still holding onto Mangey, Tails slides a hand up Mangey's back and kneck, resting it around the top of his head. He begins to scratch Mangey just begind the ears, ever so gently.

"I-I'm here. It's... It's going to be okay." In an attempt to calm himself down further, Tails takes deep breaths. "You're not alone. Y...You have me, okay?"

It takes a little while of this, but soon Tails is able to tune the sound of the thunder out a bit better, and Mangey stops whimpering. The two are still afraid, but each other's presence (and Tails' attempts at comfort) manage to make them both feel more comfortable.

And then, once the thunderstorm has passed, there's a moment of utter silence. Tails shifts his hands to Mangey's shoulders, and he lifts up just high enough on his knees to press a kiss to his forehead. At that, Mangey makes a sound—a barely audible purr. Tails strains his ears just a little to hear it, but it causes him to smile nonetheless.

Soon enough, Mangey unwinds his arms and tails from Tails. Though he had already grown interested in Tails, this event serves the purpose of allowing him to grow closer to Tails emotionally too. To me, this event in particular takes place after the Mangey/Sails first kiss. So, Mangey sits on his knees, mirroring Tails.

Tails pulls his hands to his sides, only watching as Mangey settles his hands on his (Tails') shoulders. He assumes Mangey is just repeating his actions from earlier, but, to his surprise, Mangey leans forward, pressing his lips to Tails' own instead.

Mangey lingers at Tails' lips for a second or two, but he doesn't pull back before swiping his tongue across Tails' lips.

An act as bold as this causes Tails' face to heat up, and he can't help but cover it in embarrassment (especially once Mangey begins to giggle).

Now, while I don't think Mangey would be as clingy with Tails as he is with Sails, I think the two would be able to hang out more casually than before (whether this means Mangey curled up across Tails' lap, or the two engaging in parallel play in the same room), and I think Tails has an easier time becoming accustomed to Mangey's presence from this point forward. In addition, I think that while Tails still can't help that jealousy, he kind of adopts a more protective stance when it comes to Mangey (which is to say that he can't help but relate to Sonic and the kind of fondness Sonic must have for him as well), where he knows Mangey can take care of himself but perhaps...takes care of him or begins to spoil him a little more than the other variants (if not because Mangey is cute and Tails is both heavily relating to him now and sort of projecting himself in Sonic's role of the "person and their little buddy duo" phenomenon).

ㅤ

Nine/Sails

Okay so I'll be real with you. My immediate brain thought is telling me that it would be really funny if Sails kept debating Nine over stuff like "Is water wet?" or "Is a sea dog a sandwich?" and they kissed to break the tension or something.

But, for you anon, I will cook up more of a serious answer 😂

Now, aside from culture differences (and of course, uh, after resolving what Nine tried to do to Sails), I think they would come to be like colleagues. To me, they'd have scientific discussions (over different subjects, though, because, despite the shared prowess with technology, the two would be obsessed with different fields of study in my opinion), Sails would share a bunch of riddles with Nine, Nine would show off some of his technology and give Sails some advice for his own contraptions, and Sails would ask questions like "is water wet?" just to argue with Nine about it. I think that Sails would consider Nine as fun to mess with, but also as someone he ultimately likes hanging out with (if not for keeping his mind sharp). Likewise, I think Nine would consider Sails annoying, but hold respect for him deep down and would consider working on inventions *with* Sails once Sails improves a bit. And I'll be real with you, anon. I think that just like how getting closer to Sails and Mangey would assist Nine in getting close and vulnerable enough with Tails to share a kiss, he allows himself to open himself up a little bit more (both emotionally and with uh the idea of kissing other versions of himself) to Sails and Mangey.

With that in mind. If Nine finally kissed Tails as interest and jealousy intertwined, then I think Sails and Nine would kiss...more out of self interest. Sure, Nine deals with the jealousy involving Sonic, same as Tails, but he and Sails are (more or less) friends despite their shared interest in one hedgehog. This means that they do start to spend time together outside of him probably even sooner than Nine does with Tails. So if I had to imagine their first kiss...

I can imagine the two out on an island on a beach in No Place, both chilling under artificial shade. Out of nowhere, Sails decides to start up one of his "discussions" to annoy Nine a bit for fun. So, he makes a blanket statement of something he believes—something he's sure Nine will oppose him on—but Nine doesn't.

Rather, to Sails' surprise, he keeps agreeing. But it's not ingenuine either. If anything, it’s probably a coincidence.

Nonetheless, Sails' repeated attempts to say something annoying taper off as the two enter genuine discussions about the topics (why they each think what they do/agree, their experiences, the history of the thing, etc).

And it's moments like these that they both remember why they enjoy each other's company.

So they talk and info dump and become enamored with the other's knowledge and all of that, until finally, as one is looking at the other (listening intently), the other turns at the right moment.

Actually, perhaps Nine is info dumping before just so happening to look at Sails, and Nine...tapers off. Something pulses in Nine's heart as the two lock eyes, and Sails leans in, sliding a hand up to cup Nine's cheek.

Sails moves slowly, as if giving Nine every chance to refuse this, and Nine...never does. So Sails presses his lips to Nine's, squeezes his eyes shut. Nine allows his own eyes to fall closed, relaxing into the kiss. Most likely, these feelings between them have been building for a little while, so Sails steals a few more before pulling back, opening his eyes to look at Nine as if he's waiting to see his reaction.

But to Sails' surprise, Nine only smiles before leaning back in the chair he brought with him.

There's something about the kiss that makes them both feel a little giddy, and yet...it feels normal. Maybe, as they spend their last moments they can alone (devoid of responsibility), the two interlace their fingers, relaxing.

Quite easily (although Nine perhaps keeps it as secret as he can for a while), I think they'd fall into kissing casually or making out while alone. Depends on the mood.

ㅤ

Nine/Mangey

Now, in terms of relationship, while I think Sails giving Nine a chance (and of course Nine being apologetic) definitely made things easier than they could have been, I don't think Mangey is as initially comfortable with Nine as he was with Sails and Tails. So I think more often than not (in the beginning) Mangey sticks to watching Nine from afar or being cautious around him.

As for Nine, post Sonic Prime canon I think he holds some genuine respect for Mangey and does recognize him as a capable and formidable adversary (even if Nine thinks himself to be better than him). After everything too, he's a bit apologetic (as I said earlier) and can’t really blame Mangey from being cautious (although he probably finds the spying annoying. Nine is the kind of guy who wants to let someone in on their own terms rather than just deal with them staring over his shoulder or intruding in his space). If anything, he's grateful (and surprised) that Mangey and Sails decided to give him a chance and form some kind of relationship with him despite everything he (Nine) did.

In this case, I think Nine and Mangey are able to grow closer (and Mangey grows to trust him more) just by the proximity, how well Nine and Sails' relationship progresses (starting with the friendship aspect of it), and just by the fact that Nine (despite still being "rough around the edges" so to speak) isn't actively betraying anyone.

Now for their first kiss...

I'd like to think that Mangey (when he feels like it) gets in one of those "if I do this will you reward me?" moods sometimes. And sometimes that means he's asking for berries or snacks, and sometimes it means he's asking for something special, and sometimes it means he wants a little kiss as a prize. I also think that Mangey started the "kiss as a prize" thing after his first kiss with Sails.

So while it's not uncommon for Sails and Mangey to be working on a project as partners, it's also not uncommon for Mangey to play assistant on some of Sails' solo projects. Likewise, I think Sails and Nine grow accustomed to working on separate projects in the same lab (or partnering on one) eventually. So, imagine

Imagine Nine, Sails, and Mangey in Nine's lab in The Grim. Sails has grown much more proficient with technology and inventing since being mentored by Tails—enough now that Nine feels comfortable trying to build something with him. Mangey is playing "lab assistant", so Sails plays along, asking for Mangey to fetch things for him, and then giving him a berry when Mangey inevitably holds his hands out for his reward.

Now, Nine generally prefers to fetch things on his own, but he's worked in the same room with Sails and Mangey enough now that he isn't as afraid to trust Mangey when he needs to. So, Nine asks Mangey to fetch something for him.

Of course, to his mild annoyance (since he's used to this now) Mangey points to himself as if to say "What will I get it if I do it?" Then, Mangey pulls his hands behind his back.

"Kiss?"

It's not the first time Mangey's asked, and it won't be the last. By now Nine's learned that if you don't give Mangey a reward while he's in this mood, he won't do the thing, and trying to make him only makes things worse. So, usually, he just sort of brushes the kiss offer off and figures out some way—any way—to fetch the thing on his own (in which his last resort is calling Alpha Grim Sonic to his location and asking him to help).

This time though (for the record, this would occur both after the Tails/Nine and Nine/Sails first kiss), he decides to just do it. So Nine gives Mangey a forehead kiss.

Mangey (although he does clearly enjoy this, given the fact he's got a smug smile on his face now) shakes his head.

"What?" is the first thing out of Nine's mouth. "I gave you a kiss."

Mangey shakes his head again, and points to himself.

And after a bit of back and forth, Sails shakes his head, and informs Nine that Mangey will only do it with a kiss on the lips.

Nine rolls his eyes, he procrastinates, he sighs, he stares, but eventually...he beckons Mangey closer and slowly (and a bit embarrassed, though he wouldn't admit it) presses a kiss to his lips. Nine turns away after that, face warm, and neglects to turn to look at Mangey when Mangey gives him whatever it is he asked for.

Sails probably teases Nine about it later😂

Nine is largely touch adverse, but he's generally okay with it if he's the one who starts the physical touch or if someone asks first, and if he's used to someone he can handle their sudden touch a bit better. With this in mind, I think out of the three Mangey would be least clingy to Nine, but, as they grow closer and more used to each other, Nine starts to become more comfortable with Mangey snuggling up to him (both if he wakes up and Mangey is suddenly there, or in the case Nine offers for Mangey to chill with him). This, I think, also leads Nine to being a bit more proactive in going on solo journies with Mangey or hanging out with him alone in Boscage Maze.

With that all being said, though, I think for a long while Mangey has to trick/convince Nine into giving him kisses (and has fun doing it) until Nine becomes more used to the casual intimacy and accepting of his own feelings.

ㅤㅤ

Sails/Mangey

For these two (especially after the s3 interactions) I can see their first kiss being a more sweet and casual endeavor. Like...I can imagine Mangey at Sails' side, assisting on one of Sails' projects. They're up fairly late, and Sails has just decided to take a short break and put it all down while Mangey's sitting nearby. After Sails puts it all down and turns around, Mangey runs over and winds his arms around him. On a whim, he brings their faces closer, swipes his tonge across Sails' lips, and buries his face in Sails' chest. Sails, although a bit surprised, wraps his arms around Mangey in turn. He supposes if he thinks about this a bit it could be a little weird, but it feels...normal. Honestly, what's more pressing to him is that that's Mangey's idea of a kiss. So Sails chuckles softly, presses his lips to the top of Mangey's head. And perhaps, next time he gets the chance, Sails shows Mangey what a "real" kiss looks like (even though Sails barely knows better than Mangey does).

With everything they've been through together, I can imagine Mangey as a little clingy when he's with Sails. Likewise, I think Sails comes to enjoy just chilling with Mangey. I can imagine them as a pair that just sort of clicked with ease, so while their first kiss isn't at all planned, it opens them up to more kissing as a form of casual intimacy (and possible participating in "practice kissing"). Compared to the Tails/Mangey relationship, I feel as if Sails and Mangey consider each other more of equals and are a bit equally protective over the other and their well-being.

ㅤ

Thank you so much for the ask, anon! I really love talking about the Tails variants and my Tails/Tails variant ships, so I enjoyed answering this question quite a lot😊💖

If you'd like to know any other thoughts/headcanons I may have on the prime!polycule or its individual members/pairing combinations feel free to shoot me another ask

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Hello! I found this small but really interesting ask about some comments Alya made in Origins about Adrien that Imthepunchlord answered a long while ago, and I’d love to also hear your thoughts on the points that they and the asker brought up! Please feel free to put your thoughts directly in a reblog if you like the post enough to add to it instead of answering this ask since that would probably be convoluted.

https://imthepunchlord.tumblr.com/post/651542468774526976/i-just-rewatched-origins-and-i-cant-stop

(link to the post in question)

I don't have much to add. @imthepunchlord summed the issue up really well at the end of their post, "what is 'in character' is up for debate most of the time."

These kinds of character analysis questions just aren't possible in Miraculous. The characters are wildly inconsistent, so you're not taking a well crafted story and pointing out how it all flows together. You're taking a slapdash story and twisting yourself into a pretzel to try to make it all make sense. Hard pass. That's why I just focus on the character's core and ignore a lot of the nonsense that canon pulls. It's not that I want to deny canon. It's that you cannot embrace all of canon and write a good story.

However, you all know that I love to play fix it, so let's give Alya some sugar and talk about how you can write her character to make her reactions to Adrien make a little more sense. I don't think that canon has thought her through this much, but this approach really fits her character and I love it! For those who don't want to follow the link to the original ask, we're looking at this bit of dialogue:

Marinette: Okay. I get it. Good job, you three. Very funny. Adrien: No, no, I was just trying to take this off! Marinette: Oh, really? You're friends with Chloé, right? Adrien: Why do people keep saying that? (Marinette huffs; he goes to his seat) Chloé: Now do you see what I mean about respect? Marinette: I know I've seen him somewhere before. (sees images of Gabriel and Adrien Agreste on Alya's cellphone) Of course! He's the son of my fave fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste! Alya: Daddy's boy, teen supermodel, AND Chloé's buddy? Ha! Forget it.

And trying to make sense of how Alya goes from this to being the head of team Adrienette. The obvious answer is that something happens off screen between Origins and the main part of canon, but let's go a little deeper than that.

A lot of people approach Alya as a reporter. A truth seeker. A fact finder. That approach isn't wrong, it may even be how canon wants you to read her, but it's not the approach that I like to take. Whenever I have time to really flesh Alya out, I go a slightly different route.

To me, Alya is a story teller. She wants the stories she tells to be accurate, but she can easily get caught up in a narrative and forget to take a moment to check her facts. A good reporter watching the above exchange would go, "If Adrien is a bully, then why did he protest his innocence? What's the real story? Who can I talk to in order to get the facts?"

A story teller may still do that, but they may also take Chloé's earlier bullying along with Adrien being Chloé's friend and come up with a very believable story about Adrien being "Daddy's boy, teen supermodel, AND Chloé's buddy." It fits the facts that the story teller knows and they don't have a reporter's instinct question everything. They'll only start to question their version of the story once a hard fact pops up that goes against the story.

The reason I like this approach is that Alya is the chosen of Illusions. That's not a great fit for a truth seeker. Illusions is a much better fit for someone who is drawn to stories. A person who values the truth, but who isn't driven by it. A good reporter is driven by truth. A good story teller is driven by the call of a good story.

If we take that approach and look at Alya's actions in Origins, then we see that she had a story in her head and was happy to fit the pieces into that story until Adrien did something that no longer fit the story. That's when the "ask questions, get the real story" instinct kicked in, leading her to discover that she'd misjudged Adrien. It would have been nice to see that happening on screen, but Origins didn't have time for that so we're just left wondering what changed Alya's mind and making up various stories to explain it.

You can also take Origins and use it as the start of an arc where Alya learns to be a better reporter by not jumping to conclusions since she does a lot of jumping to conclusions in season one (and even does it on occasion in later seasons). But you don't need to give every character a strong character arc like that and I enjoy letting Alya be solid as-is. I tend to tone down her jumping to conclusions issues and make her more open to giving things a second look.

This is extra true because Marinette has a pretty clear problem with snap judgments, so I don't want her and Alya to have the same flaw. I want Alya to be more unique in her flaws. It's not that she jumps to conclusions, it's that she's a little too quick to stop asking questions once she has a believable narrative. It's in the same vein as Marinette, but still it's own thing. It's also still a flaw that Alya needs to work on, but in a more nuanced way where it also acts as a strength under the right circumstances such as when she's in the field and needs to come up with illusions on the fly.

I cannot say if this is what canon is trying to do with Alya. The bones of this read are there, but the bones of the reporter read are also there. I just like this read more. It doesn't drastically change Alya, it's just a minor nuance that makes her fit into her place in the story with a little more grace.

[theotterpenguin]

what’s your take on zutara being “you’re the wind, i’m in the water”. i’ve heard k@t@@ngs saying it’s clearly about their ship bc their elements are air and water but isn’t that a very surface level of understanding of the lyrics?

anon, i adore you for this ask because i love chemtrails over the country club (and lana's music in general).

i'm not surprised that people would try to apply this song to katara and aang because yes, at a surface level it's relevant to them for obvious reasons (water vs. wind), but i agree that the lyrics have far more depth than this.

first, we have to look at the context of the lyrics within the song. "you're in the wind, i'm in the water" presents a romanticized view of the separation of two lovers, just as the two elements brush past each other but never become one. this theme of separation is seen throughout the rest of the song as lana contrasts the privileged bubble of suburbia with the harsh reality of society, the darkness lurking behind a beautiful front.

likewise, zuko and katara have similar character arcs that revolve around an awakening to the harsh truths of society. zuko learns that the beauty and the power of the fire nation is just a facade, hiding the extreme cruelty of its colonialism and imperalism that has hurt all people (which goes hand-in-hand with zuko unlearning the abuse from his father, the personification of the fire nation itself). katara's arc involves a similar type of awakening, as she unlearns some of the dichotomous thinking she's held around the fire nation. her experiences with jet, hama, the sexism of the northern water tribe, the fire nation village in the painted lady, and even zuko show her the complexities of the war and teach her that people aren't always as simple as "good" or "evil." essentially, both zuko and katara undergo parallel character arcs that fundamentally change their worldview, reflective of the theme of chemtrails over the country club.

additionally, the "wind" and "water" that symbolize the separation of the two lovers in the song is also reminiscent of zuko and katara's journey - the two characters that have been pitted against each other from the beginning of the show, their opposing goals of protecting the avatar vs. capturing the avatar, daughter of the chieftain of the southern water tribe vs. prince of the fire nation, and the two characters that end every season finale in an climactic fight scene (first on opposing sides, then on the same side). and if you want an even more bittersweet perspective, there's also the fact that they are doomed by the narrative, two lovers who never end up together in this lifetime, fated to be separated.

if we want to look further into the song, i've also seen the lyric "nobody's son, nobody's daughter" being superficially applied to aang and katara as they have both experienced loss, but again, in the context of the actual show, it's katara and zuko who are repeatedly paralleled with this connection of losing their mothers and being separated from their fathers. katara discusses her grief over losing kya with haru, jet, and aang, but it's only her and zuko's connection over this that carries actual narrative weight in the story. and katara is the only person that zuko discusses the loss of his mother with. so it only makes sense that all of these narrative parallels culminate in the southern raiders, an episode vital to katara's character arc in which zuko is a crucial supporting character. you could also argue this ties in with the overall theme of separation in the song - being separated from your parentage and having to forge your own path.

finally, as a fun little addition, one of the other lyrics in the song is "my moon's in leo, my cancer is sun." and hmm, who are the two characters we typically associate with the moon and sun? (hint: "you rise with the moon, i rise with the sun"). but wait - it goes even deeper than that. i am most definitely not an expert on zodiac signs, but according to some basic googling, leo (a fire element) is typically ruled by the sun, while cancer (a water element) is typically ruled by the moon. by switching up what elements we typically associate with the signs, lana is reflecting on the duality and the unpredictability of herself like how she reflects on the duality of society earlier in the song. and similarly, zuko and katara undergo dual character arcs bound by elemental symbolism. despite being a waterbender, katara also personifies the element of fire - the element of passion, power, and will - as she stands up against injustice and refuses to back down from a fight. and despite being a firebender, zuko's arc also personifies the element of water - the element of change and adaptability - as zuko's perception of himself, his father, and the fire nation changes over time. they are both water and fire, both moon and sun, both yin and yang.