#there is no higher point here. no meaning. no purpose. just pain for everyone

[samodivas]

idk how people can watch true crime for the "mystery" or "excitement" or whatever because whenever I watch anything like that I'm just overwhelmed by incredible sorrow for the those people who became victims of violent crimes and their loved ones who had to go through that type of grief

[a-little-revolution]

Hi lovely, I hope you are well?

I saw the ask about the bathroom accommodations and it got me really interested in two things.

1) what are accommodations that are hLepful (trying to 'help' without actually considering the needs of the individual, for example the step not enabling independence and I imagine from prior posts that it would also cause strain on your joints? (Plus the whole hygiene side, run into that one myself with suggested accommodations) )

2) what accommodations would you want to see in public spaces (doesn't have to be bathroom related, this just showed me a gap in my awareness and I'd like to work on it so I can include more awareness whenever I'm partaking in conversations around accessibility. If you have prior posts do link them, the only one that's coming to my mind right now was discussing the lack of accessibility in hospitals)

Hope you have a good pain/energy day, and I really love your style!

Hello! Indeed, I spoke about some ways to make public spaces more accessible for little people here - particularly when it comes to public washrooms. Here's some more accommodations I'd love to see!

I would love to see more information/reception desks with varying heights! This is an excellent piece of infrastructure that allows little people (and wheelchair users) full access to the counter and a place to speak to an attendant.

In the realm of public counter tops - a huge point of inaccess for me is grocery store conveyor belts. They come to about my chest, which makes loading and packing very difficult. And the "accessible" lane is no different! Plus every grocery store I've been to makes the "accessible" lane also the express lane - so while I'm buying my load of groceries, there's always a disgruntled customer behind me - I've even been denied access for having too many groceries!

The self check out is even worse - in a world where we're now being ushered to interact with these robots instead of real people, I can't reach the screen or the debit machine! So either way I need to ask for help, which completely defeats it's purpose. I would love to see a more accessible option that is lower to the ground.

A second, lower handrail on public stairs is a must! I've seen these in children's hospitals and schools, and would love them to be common place. Average handrails often land at shoulder height or higher - they provide little to no stability or safety for little people.

An access issue that often gets overlooked is the height of public seating - this includes doctor's office chairs, modern theatre seating, bar stools, booths, and office swivel chairs. The irony of a disabled person not being able to sit down is one I come across on the regular. The number of times I've showed up for an interview and not been able to sit without assistance is absurd.

Having a variety of seating options, or providing public step stools (or a combination of the two) could be easy fixes to this issue. In hospitals I am seeing a slow shift towards even lower chairs and beds since this issue is not always unique to little people - anyone who has difficulty bending, sitting, or transferring from a wheelchair has this issue. Modern design needs to account for diversity, instead of steering towards minimalism.

Step stools are of course the easiest means of making public spaces more accessible for little people, but I want to point out that they're not always the be-all-end-all solution, and can actually just be a band aid to some problems. While stools are incredibly versatile, not everyone has the ability to use them and they can pose a hazard in certain situations. In points of high traffic, built-in steps are far safer and could even be designed to fold up when not in use - they can also account for weight and wear.

Additionally, when stools are option in public, it's vital that they be easily accessed and borrowed by patrons without the need for a special request. I've said it before, "If I have to ask for help, it's not accessible". In order for stools to be a viable accommodation, they should be as freely obtained as toilet paper.

[sicklyseraphnsuch]

Honestly, Im a little disappointed that it wasn't messier. Im disappointed that there wasnt more shouting. That Lauda was providing most of the pushing and everyone else was just kinda... rolling over? I wanted an argument that would have brought the roof down on them 🙄

the reason theres so much constant tension in this party is that they all havent tried hard enough to punch each other in the face - like really smash.

to be totally serious tho, remember when Chetney told Ashton to gtfo and thats what broke the tension? someone finally getting the guts to be mean and to push hard on someone else's reckless bullshit?

the fact that theres no such equivalent here? the fact that chetney hasnt intervened on that level? thats whats keeping this tension.

on one hand, the way some of the party treat laudna is so fucking patronizing, its actively painful - Ashton whispering to Laudna for an apology? wtf? the way they acted like she was a misbehaving toddler set my teeth on edge. Then Imogen... Buddy, pal, you just watched your mother regurgitate Ludinus's lies like they were stone cold facts and youre out here accepting the same thing from Laudna without a second glance. You know she has a problem! You know she's not the most reliable narrator! You know she fails insight checks against herself all the time!!!

Ashton and Imogen both needed to treat Laudna like a threat in that moment bc she attacked someone without provocation during a rest when they were trusting her to not do that and it was clearly premeditated because she covered herself in darkness. The fact that they dont demonstrates that neither are taking her capabilities seriously enough. The fact that they arent addressing the threat she presents - to others and herself - is allowing her to continue hurting herself and others.

Whereas, Fearne is complicit in it all because shes so conflict averse. She was never gonna be the one to hold Laudna over the fire.

Chetney and Orym would have. Orym was trying to but literally only Dorian backed him up. And Dorian doesnt know fuck about all. He joined them two days ago. Hes got no fucking clue whats happening!! Oryms the only one really pointing out the fact that he was attacked unprovoked

and sure laudna was aiming for the sheathe, but thats splitting hairs... i believe we removed targeting each armor piece somewhere in dnd 3.5 or something lol - if youre targeting a piece on someone, the usual call Matt makes is to give this a higher DC. Matt making Marisha roll arcana makes sense bc yes you can control wither and blooms "chosen target", but when the target is attached to something else, and moreover the target is a thing - not a creature like the spell says RAW... it makes sense that a failed arcana check would lead to that failure

for all intents and purposes, laudna was aiming for orym. she didnt mean to hurt him but again, shes operating under the influence (and yes I do mean that connotation). a lot of people do shit they dont mean under the influence. but they still gotta do the repairs when they come back to their senses. harm was still done. Orym attacking laudna bc he was hurt and blinded is also fucking reasonable. he didnt fucking know it was her in the first place.

for laudna to say that orym hurt her when she attacked him - that was grade A manipulation

and heres the thing too, when someone is acting under the influence, people usually call it out. they say stuff like "youre drunk" or "youre high" to acknowledge that hey, this isnt you but also this isnt acceptable either. no one breathed a fucking word about delilah until the very very end. they all treated laudna like she was in a reasonable state of mind, and she wasnt. they werent meeting her where she was at and so they failed to reach her

now to orym... did they all agree that the sword was oryms? bc that was a discussion they did not have... chetney made a one off comment about how theyll need permission for it (possibly implying orym but never explicitly stated)... was the idea that orym gets it because he got hurt first? that wouldve been stupid for sure

to dorian's point, hey its just a sword. swords hurt people. what youre gonna look at every sword with magic geometry and expect to see it cuddling puppies? swords are made to hurt. even when its defending. it can parry but if you need a shield get a shield. sure, this was otohan's sword but the sword is not sentient (laudna girl you need to insight check your patron pls). otohan hurt her not the sword. and to allow her to consume it was more leaning into her trauma - its not setting a good precedent for future healthy coping mechanisms basically

that said, dorian cant just say that without acknowledging the depth of laudnas trauma. the sword actively triggered her. this does reek of a PTSD episode where she went running to a soothing influence. to simply say its just a sword without paying respect to laudna's hurt is also incredibly dismissive - well aimed as it was.

chetney is sus. thats it. thats the take. i dont believe this old man when he said he trusts laudna. i think hes plotting

tl;dr - everyone tried to help laudna, no one tried to stop her which might be the only way to help her now. she needs someone to hold her back and call out when shes under the influence again.

[imustbenuts]

more disorganized yakuza culture bordering on religion thoughts

(finished order 7, 8, 0, k1, k2. currently at 3 ch 3)

it feels like the writer went deep into reading about buddhism and religion at one point

im not japanese but a SEAsian uh chinese/hokkien diaspora who happens to be a weab so take this with some grain of salt bc we arent a monolith here

Surface level understanding of buddhism

when it comes to gang and tattoos or in yakuza's case irezumi, theres a general consensus of tats = cool and rebellious in a culture thats largely very collectivist. so getting one is like pointing the middle finger to society

the problem is sometimes tattoos are gotten more for the aesthetics than truly understanding the deeper meaning behind it. an easy example is the dragon itself: its powerful, its strong, it comes and goes, and does good things whenever it wants to. it might get associated with buddhism but like... if you think about it for 3 seconds, it fucking falls apart for 1 reason

gods in buddhism are the maintenance crew for the world's function (rain, nature, etc), and at the same time are supposed to be as part of the cycle and pain as everyone else. meaning, gods arent inherently special, they just happen to be higher beings doing their best to escape the cycle of samsara.

so by that lens, borrowing godhood from god to elevate yourself is... uh. kinda weird. (imo at least).

yet what goes on in 2? ryuji borrows the dragon iconography and tries to achieve dragonhood. kiryu is thematically the dragon but thats kind of all that he is. hes more theme than human at this point.

in yakuza 1 and 2 theres some hint of this surface crap. the story never really goes deep enough exploring the aspects of this cycle of suffering thing. the general message seems to be, suffering happens and builds character. which fucking sucks.

but thats not the real point of the buddhist message. its more suffering is unavoidable, so do your best to reduce it for yourself and others, and roll with it.

The gap and the growth between 1, 2 and 7, 8

looking at 7 and 8 in contrast to 1 and 2 and i think its clearly buddhist as fuck: kasuga ichiban is framed as jesus, but in some buddhist interpretations, jesus qualifies as a boddhisattva, ie someone who clears the condition of escaping samsara but chooses to stay behind to help. and thats what ichiban does. he doesnt judge, he refuses to play into classism bullshit, and forces people to look past it.

buddhism was originally a breakaway from hinduism. where hinduism had a whole caste system forcing people into tiers, buddhism tried breaking it. (and then medieval japan's government turned it into shinto buddhism and shoved everyone into a caste system themself... yeesh.)

meanwhile, in gaiden, kiryu has this bit where he meditates as a monk for enlightenment.

makes me wonder if the writer tried to do something similar and exactly how much buddhist stuff did they read at one point....

oh btw

Kiryu and Kasuga's theme. Dragon and Not-Dragon

ok i fucking caught this:

kiryu is the rain dragon isnt he? hes always associated with rain in yakuza 1 and 2, in an era where rendering rain for cinematic purposes is a ROYAL PAIN IN THE ASS.

theres a few types of dragons out there but the uhhh oldest? traditional-est? one is the association with rain and storms. originally bc ppl in the past thought lightning strikes and flashes looks a lot like mythical creatures, and eventually the whole eastern dragon came about with that association.

meanwhile kasuga's kanji name reads as spring day. i am looking directly into the camera at this theming. hes the sunny spring day that comes after the storm. the story will be far kinder to him than kiryu.

so even though dragons are supposed to be strong and good fortune to be seen, and are benevolent and etc, they are again more theme than person.

theres even a real trend where everyone wants to borrow the dragon aesthetic to look cool, big, strong, fortuitous and lucky, be it in tattoos, irezumi, ritual, traditions or propaganda (chinese nationalism stuff). what i mean is people will have babies on the year of the dragon on purpose, wear the dragon and give more preferential treatment to their child/grandchild born on the year of the dragon.

everyone worships the dragon and takes its scales to wear, but no one thinks of the dragon as a creature. as a living thing.

meanwhile ichiban's irezumi cant even be called a dragon. maybe a mermaid. but not a dragon. and in that regard i feel like he's escaped from a fucking curse.

Carrying the cross

some other bits i picked up also. kazuki and daigo, and their crosses

shinto buddhism is the default in japan. but more SHINTO than buddhism, mind, bc buddhism is something people seek out these days rather than be taught bc its too super fucking esoteric. meanwhile, christianity is the minor religion. while some people do think of it negatively (due to instances of cults), it is by no means a mystery or exotic or even so minor that its rare.

anyway thing is. in these specific characters' cases, im 99% sure they signify a desire to walk away from their old self and past. bc of the baptism thing.

in buddhism, theres nothing to absolve one of their past. theres a strong emphasis on change instead, so its more of acceptance rather than discard.

which is. hm. idk what daigo's major deal is but from 2 -> 8 he seems like he ate a lot of shit along the way, guessing from his acala irezumi and name. and that the cross isnt a big thing in his character design anymore: it reads a little like he stopped running away from his family history.

(incidentally shinto is very responsible for the conservative classism in japan historically speaking, which is why its not a very strong thing in rgg setting. basically, strong Cleanliness and Dirtiness ideas, and guess which side of our night life, criminal and ex yakuza mcs falls under :') )

anyway im nuts bye

[ineffableigh]

Timeline of Suspicious Events Brain Dump - PART 3

You know the drill at this point. Off we goooo! [Part 1][Part 2]

"Maggie and Nina are depending on me!" Azi's really drunk his own Kool-aid at this point, or he's putting on a complicated show to pretend this is a serious endeavor. Giving away a valuable book just to trick Heaven? Something's really not adding up.

Another weird noise for the logs: A bassy 'whoosh/boom' noise right after Mutt says he has anniversary dinner with his beloved spouse and the camera pans to Crowley. Not sure it means anything, but it did stand out to me lol.

Something that stands out to me a lot as well, assuming it was done deliberately (I don't know the actor) - Mutt seems to be having an awfully hard time handling the cards he's currently sorting. Like, after he says 'no' at first, I cannot figure out what he's trying to do with his right hand.

Also of note: The mysterious Bird Box is nowhere to be seen in the shop, even though MANY of the set items are identical to the 1941 scene. Where that bird at??

"Under no circumstances can I there be for tonight." ... what? This has to be on purpose, right? I'm digging, I know, but that's what we do here lol.

Big sad empty warehouse for the Demon Legions. Why on earth (or in Hell) is Hell so short staffed? Where them demons at?

DANGER...osity!

"I can only be there 'til 7" so that's a half hour window for the meeting, at least for Justine. Fair, she can only handle so much of Azi's painful French lol.

The metal barrier just outside the cafe is... awfully snake-y isn't it?

"Looking where the furniture isn't..." is definitely going to be VERY important. Crowley absolutely knows something about losing AND regaining memories and it's been telegraphed all season.

Michael has eye earrings! This feels like a huge tie-in with Maggie's all seeing eye necklace.

Skimming through the rest since I've gone through it multiple times through other posts, but quick takeaways include...

Ms Cheng looking at the Pub before she goes in. Suspicious given we know that's the Hellevator, but have no reason to believe she'd be looking for someone else coming from that direction as the cafe AND record store are the other way.

Mr Brown has to be suspicious because we HEAR him getting mulched by demons when he's taken, but he survives? WEIRD.

Maggie's main character moment as I mentioned in my 'Thoughts about Maggie' post.

Azi seems very genuine when explaining the Coffee Shop Love Plot to Nina, so maybe he really did believe he was helping. I don't get why they steamrolled past her already having a partner, both the lads knew it. It's weird for that much.

Maggie blankly standing by the open window in range of trash is weird, especially since she like Activates and Becomes Brave right after.

I do wonder... how does Shax know Maggie couldn't pay the rent? That seems awfully specific. Like REALLY specific.

Throne, Dominion or Higher Crowley - what a way to drop that info! That moment hits so hard lol.

"Institutional Problem" I wonder if we'll learn more about The Fall next season. What was it that actually triggered it (in this universe)?

I love that the archangels clearly interact with each other SO LITTLE that no one even knows if Gabriel actually has his own bloody desk lol. Talk about isolation.

Huh. I wonder why Shax didn't get discorporated by the Exploding Halo...

You know who else is wearing a damn turtleneck? SARAQUAEL. OOH. COVERT AGENT? HMMMM

No one looked at the damn box, I still can't believe it. Everyone was so busy Being In A Story that they didn't think of it lol.

Analysis of the last chunk of the episode has been done to death, so I'll finish by underlining that it's SO awfully convenient that Maggie INSISTED that she and Nina talk to "them" while Aziraphale was waylaid by the Metatron.

In fact, it's Very Fortunate that the Metatron made a point of going and sitting at JUSTINE'S CAFE out of sight of the bookshop AND Nina's Cafe. Otherwise Nina might have been like hey you, get in on this chat! Like he knew that was the plan...

Plus the fact that they do that even though Justine's cafe is clearly CLOSED. I doubt she'd be chill with that so I guess she's not around.

Anyway that's enough so here's the TLDR:

The Metatron pretty much just LETS Gabriel escape, knowing that the Archangels will go down and muddle about trying to investigate.

We still don't know why Michael thought they had the right to strike people from the Book of Life. The Metatron seems to think that's out of the question, so where did that idea come from in the first place? It was a major driver of the early plot this season.

It seems convenient that Maggie cried about Nina RIGHT before the Angels arrived to inspect the Jimbriel miracle, and then RIGHT AFTER THAT, Mr Brown (of Brown's World of Carpets) shows up to set up the venue. That alone, all happening in the span of maybe 15 minutes, is a LOT.

It really feels like much of the plot was specifically orchestrated to keep Aziraphale and Crowley apart and NOT TALKING to each other. They keep hiding shit from each other to protect each other, but just hamstring themselves.

[felixsecada]

Heavy is the head..

Halloween, 2023. He hadn't dressed up, though he was sure that Gabe and Ash would tease him endlessly about it. The chill of the night called for his usual denim and fur-lined jacket. Something about the night and the invitation alone made him suspicious - but there was nothing concrete he could point to bring it up to his higher ups that could lead them to pulling out. So the night (the show) had to go on.

He should have expected how the night ended. The body of their queen hitting the floor, then being carted away. Shock and rage surged through his body, and he immediately turned away from the scene to go find the two men he knew he could talk to.

As much as he wanted to be king, he wanted to be the one wielding the knife - give Andrea a good death, let her know that he admired her for the time she'd been there.

A plan was formulating, though. And he spilled a bit of it to the friends who would stay by his side, fully loyal to his lofty dreams of making the Cartel a force to be reckoned with.

-

They were leaderless. And would continue to be. It would sow chaos, let them see who weren't quite as loyal to them as they should be, let them see who wanted the top spots for themselves. With his birthright within reach, he stood back and simply watched. In the time that they were without someone to look to for guidance - he started making his moves.

Ash was the first.

"I know I have you." He'd said. There was never going to be any doubt. "But I need your eyes. Double time, recruit a handful'a people y'trust. Encourage 'em to act up."

-

The next was more politics than Felix cared for. He needed people with authority and rank in his pocket - not just people who could pull seniority. With most of his time and life spent in Harlem and around Washington Heights, that was his focus. The region manager there was a good bet, at least.

"If I'm at the top -" He will be, with or without their help. " - You'll get more power." Everyone here wants it, it eats at them. It tears them apart from the inside. "Power means money funneled through y'neighborhoods." He slid over some of their product - provided for this specific purpose by Gabe. It's good quality, but Felix doesn't partake. He watched the manager dip their finger into the powder and rub it along their gums to assess it.

"Whatever focus we need to pull from th' others to get what y'need, it'll happen. Y'need more guns to protect your guys on the street? Done. Y'need pay increase? Protection for your family?" He leaned close on that, eyes narrowing. It's a thinly veiled threat, but they both know the game.

In the end, he has the region completely under his thumb with promises of the future.

-

After that it was under the table deals, exchanging promises and money while keeping an eye on key players who were also making moves. With all the information being fed to him, he knew he had enough fuel to confront a handful of others. It wasn't his favorite thing to do - but it was needed.

"Y'know." Felix hadn't shrugged off his jacket, standing in front of the man lounging on his couch. He'd invited him over for dinner, to discuss logistics. "You've been pullin' in some good money for us." He smiles, cheeks stretching a bit too wide. The fucker in front of him is chum in the water, too comfortable.

"But, uh." He pulls the toothpick from between his teeth, flicking it into a nearby trashcan. "Heard ya been skimmin' a bit off the top. Keepin' it for y'self." The man tried to deny it, but Felix interrupts. "Now, this don't gotta be too painful, I just need you make a few promises to me in exchange for y'keepin' your livelihood - we can negotiate."

The man seemed to have other ideas, though. The gun is pulled from his belt, and Felix doesn't give him time to pull the trigger before he grabs at it, and wrenches it from the man's hands. A shot goes off - hits neither of them (thank fuckin' god) - and in a quick flurry, Felix is able to unload it and instead of throwing it to the side, he uses it as a blunt weapon and brings it down repeatedly onto the man's head until he's left bloody and shredded. Still alive, but wheezing through blood bubbling at this lips.

"Y'see. I was--" He stands and heaves out a breath, brushing a bloody hand through his hair to get it out of his face. "I was gonna give you a chance. Just a fuckin' chance. Now - y'got this hangin' over your head." He holds the gun up - soaked with the man's blood. "All I was gonna ask was for y'loyalty. Now look - you're all fucked up." He crouches down and pats the shredded bits of his face. "You're gonna come callin' when I ask, y'know. Like a lil fuckin' lost puppy w' it's tail between its legs. And you're gonna do exactly what I fuckin' say or all of this? Ends with you dyin'. And between you 'n me? It ain't gonna be fast. I'm gonna drag it out 'til you're beggin' for me to end it. Y'get me?"

He'd agreed, in the end. And Felix had taken him to the medic, gotten him looked after - disfigured as he might be after.

-

New Year's Eve. Nothing happens, but he starts to hear and see signs of people acting out. Going off on their own, doing shit that - if he were in charge - would be looked down on and quickly put an end to. It's all shit that he's allowing to happen. Shit he's keeping in his back pocket.

-

The end of January is fast approaching, and Felix knows that if he lets it go for too long - there will be nothing left to take control of. So he calls a meeting at the warehouse. Those under his thumb know it's time to collect on what he's been asking of them for months.

There's no voting here, no one to appoint him - it's just him stepping up to the plate and telling them that he's the boss now. Plays it all friendly, plays it like it's what they need - shows them examples of shit that's going on without someone to ground them, bring them all together.

He asks if anyone has any objections, and there are murmurs - discussion of what to do with Felix. With the work he's done and the people he's got under his thumb, in his pockets, they don't do anything but speak his praises. He makes a show of accepting it graciously - telling them that all he's wanted to do was make the Cartel something to be proud of, to live up to his cousin's legacy. He mentions Andrea, spins some sob story for the people who were loyal to her. It's all rehearsed, and he plays his part on the stage well.

It's all going according to plan.

Even when someone finally speaks up - "We don't need no fucking leaders, man."

Felix's head snaps up, feigning surprise. "Yeah? Y'think we're doing just great? Fading away into nothingness - letting the fuckin' Brotherhood start to get a leg up on us?"

"Nah, we're finally fucking doing what we want." The person stands up, and Felix has to fight the urge to grin. How very fucking predictable.

"Seems to me like you're already doin' that, my friend." Felix starts, and plucks his phone out of his pocket. There's some video courtesy of Ash and he turns the volume up - plays it as loud as possible. It's a recording of the person in question meeting up with a lower rank Cartel member ( they've already been taken care of, made to look like an accident - some turf war gone wrong ) - there's talks of defecting, of ridding the city of the Cartel from the inside out. It's damning. The person blanches.

"If y'ask me, I'd say that warrants a punishment. What are we doing about that? Open to suggestions." It's an open floor, and he wants to hear. There's more murmuring, and he gives them a minute or so to talk it over. No one provides a concrete answer. He heaves a sigh, and then as if he's taking care of some task that he really doesn't want to do - taking out the trash, cleaning the dishes - he draws his weapon and fires three times. Two in the chest, one in the head.

"As I was saying, we need strength at the top. None of you willin' to do what needs to be done proves y'all need me. Right?" Murmurs of agreement. "All in agreement, Felix Secada as your new leader of The Cortázar Cartel? Say aye."

Resounding ayes, and Felix finds himself grinning - unable to help it. "Spread the word, then. If y'all need to talk, wanna shift ranks - come find me. We'll figure somethin' out."

-

Long after everyone else has left the warehouse, Felix remains, staring at the blood stained concrete. He laughs, bringing his hand to his forehead. Years. It had taken fucking years and now he wore the crown.

Laughter rings out, echoing through the room. He fuckin' won.

[alyjojo]

Love Reading 💬 - September 2024 - Scorpio

Singles:

Who is Coming In: The Fool rev, 9 Cups, 10 Swords

Regarding: Justice

Long-Term Potential: The Magician rev

This one is going off grid, you have Twin Flame and Karmic, and maybe you have them switched because Spirit is labeling them for you 😆 I tried to read it like normal and heard “no, no” and then pointing at these two messages, no…they’re literally telling them apart for you. The Lovers came out when I clarified whether it’s real or perceived, these are both very intense spiritual contracts you have with two people, I assume both are around you somehow. Justice is your energy, needing to make a decision and cut the other one off, or just trying to be fair, you’re needing to use this Higher Wisdom, that’s yours. I mean…you could probably choose neither and be fine. That’s not Spirit, that’s me. You have free will. Do what you want ❤️

Okay, okay.

The Karmic is the manipulative puppet-master that lies about everything and drove you crazy. Very charming and persuasive, probably taught you a lot about what to avoid - now you know. They keep you on your toes. Further clarification shows the Karmic didn’t have other people involved, they lied about all of the other shit every day…but not fidelity.

The Twin is the one you always wanted but something didn’t happen, The Fool is reversed, a leap of faith wasn’t taken and someone got cold feet or ran away, causing 10 Swords. Very painful. The Devil rev could show someone running away from addictions or “feeling like a drug” if drugs weren’t involved. They might like to party and you don’t, or used to. They could’ve betrayed you this way. Clearly there’s other people involved with this one.

Both hurt you. What is Justice to you? The decision is yours, not anyone else’s, I don’t even really see input from Spirit here. It’s coming off more like “figure it out for yourself.” Which…probably means lesson learned. You’re free from karmic contracts & it IS free will. That changes once you decide, of course. New Wheel, new Devils. No pressure 😆

Messages:

- Twin Flame 🔥

- Karmic Connection

CAMERA 📷

- Reminiscing

- Making Memories

- Learn from the Past

- Perception

Higher Wisdom 🔎

Explore options, learn what you can, and expand your horizons.

Signs you may be dealing with:

Gemini, Pisces, Aries & Libra

Couples:

The relationship: Judgment

The problem: The Magician

What to do about it: Death

Ooh, Spirit is calling you wrong. Or cheap. Just kidding, sort of. You both have some goal you’re working towards, 4 Wands at the bottom show the most obvious thing is buying a home or moving in together. Could be a backyard wedding or something too, an anniversary dinner, it’s different for everyone. 4 Wands is the feeling of “coming home” to something, but at the same time, something is over with entirely. Or needs to be. King of Pentacles is the reason this is stalled, and that’s feeling like your energy, you’re the decider of financial things and where those energies are applied best. Could be work too. Work could be keeping you living at a location you don’t want to be at anymore.

The goal is changing this, but you both can’t get on the same page. You see things differently, for some you may not even agree whether something is even over with. Like…the neighborhood is going downhill, the businesses are leaving, but your person is stubbornly hanging on because they’ve lived here their whole life. This could describe your financial state in dealing with a parent like this too, that’s for someone. The problem is, assuming you’re the stubborn ass 😉, you don’t *like* any of the other options available to you. If it’s a house, you hate them all. If it’s curtains, you hate every color. If it’s dogs, it’s all smelly ones, you’re just not on board with your person’s way of seeing or doing things - and since you can’t agree, it’s hard to get anything off the ground. Which you may be doing on purpose, no? You don’t like their options, what they like, so no. The advice is to stop being a stubborn ass that purposely blocks progress 😆 Or that’s who you’re dealing with but like…you can’t make them. That’s why I assume it’s you. Peaks Reached at the bottom shows there’s no going up from here, only down, again I’m seeing a neighborhood. Your oracles elude to the right option either being outside of your current financial standards (you have 75k selected and need to select 150k instead) or it’s not even in the realm of your thought processes right now - but might be for your person. They could have a point, and still I’m seeing it be more down their lane and not necessarily the options you don’t like. But those are there too. Just keep an open mind, don’t judge too soon.

Messages:

- Plays too much!

- Wise Spirit 😌

PHOENIX 🔥

- New Phase & Rekindle

- Renew & Growth

- Changed Mind

- Rise From Ashes

Soul Whispers 🤫

Look beyond the words and hear what is really being said now.

Signs you may be dealing with:

Libra, Taurus, Scorpio, Virgo & Capricorn

[flowercrowncrip]

hey echo, i'm really relieved you made it through the weekend and i'm so excited for your merfolk costume! i've always loved swimming and mer and, since becoming a wheelchair user myself, i've found imagery of mers using mobility aids creatively inspiring. i may have to try my hand at crocheting an eel or shark tail blanket for halloween

what i'm really writing in to say is that i had surgery a few weeks ago, intersex reconstructive surgery (stage one) under the "guise" of gender affirming surgery (for insurance purposes!) and i haven't been able to use my wheelchair at all during recovery. the farthest i can walk is to-from the restroom, but that's very dangerous, painful, and exhausting. i may need a revision to allow me to ever comfortably and safely use my chair again - this is, in part, the fault of my surgeons for not also consulting with a durable medical equipment specialist pre-op/providing one for me to consult with, but i also failed to opt out of a choice that was bundled into the surgical package normally and, for me, is FULLY cosmetic and not essential to function.

i'm really upset with myself for making the best choice for my health and mobility, and upset with my surgeons for not properly advising me as a patient. this is fixable however, i just... have to tolerate a reduced quality of life, reduced mobility, increased risk to my health, and of course the expected risks of a person with severe rheumatoid arthritis undergoing further surgery. i talk to my surgeons this week about revision! however, i was wondering if you had any advice for dealing with... feeling so frustrated with yourself over things like this? it is so, so unlike me to make such an impactfully negative choice regarding my health and mobility, and i can't help but feel stupid. my therapist (who is a trans woman herself) is very sympathetic, but isn't chronically ill, and doesn't fully grasp how impactful this is. i can't even go outside... ):

thank you so much echo, sending you all my love

That sounds like you’re going through a lot and that it’s very raw and emotional right now, which is totally understandable.

Every disabled person I know has made decisions that have harmed them. And I really mean everyone. Sometimes we don’t know what the consequences will be, sometimes it feels like the benefits will outweigh the risks, sometimes we’re pressured into making the decision that ultimately hurts us, sometimes we don’t realise how bad it will be, there’s so many reasons

I’ve certainly done it – in small ways that lead to temporary flares and in big ways that have permanently changed my body. I’ve also made decisions that could have impacted me really badly and came away, by pure luck, without anything bad happening.

I definitely have regrets over some of those choices, but I have gotten to the point where I don’t hate my past self for making them. I hope that with time you can get there too

Absolutely nobody goes through life without making choices they later regret. As disabled people we’re unlucky that a lot of our choices have higher stakes than non disabled people, but we’re still human and we can’t expect to be perfect and always get things right. And that’s okay

It doesn’t sound to me like you chose to be unable to use your wheelchair, it sounds like you chose to undergo surgery you thought would improve your life in different ways. A lot of people – most likely me included – would make that same choice. And I’m sure there are many possible worlds where you made the same choice and could still use your wheelchair safely.

I know (albeit through very different circumstances) how devastating it is to be without a wheelchair for longer periods with no clear end in sight and I offer you all the sympathy I can. I hope you can find things that bring you comfort and interest in less than ideal circumstances. I don’t know if you want advice about coping with being unable to get out, so I won’t offer any here but I’m happy to share what helped me if you ever want to know.

I wish you all the best with recovery and whatever your next steps are – whether they include revision or not.

On a less serious note I would absolutely love to see a crocheted eel or shark tail if you make one! They both sound amazing! (Or any craft projects – I love seeing what people create)

I’m the same with being inspired by how much disability comes into the stories of merfolk – chronic pain, speech loss and mobility aid use are so tied up in them that there’s so much room for disabled imagination. (And also queer imagination!)

That’s definitely a huge part of why it’s my pride outfit, and I’m really looking forward to wearing it out. I got a rainbow bubble machine today to add some extra fun to it all!

Sending you so much love in return 💜

[ultfreakme]

Something I realized is that gege akutami doesn't create many punishments for ''bad'' characters other than death. I think an interesting punishment for the geto character was to create a binding vow in which he was obliged to save humans and never harm them I would have liked to have seen him save those he hates and abhors most.

Hmm.....I think trying to think of JJK as a story that punishes the "bad" is very limiting in understanding arcs for these characters and overall theme. JJK isn't written to punish the bad guys, but I think to highlight different ideologies. One thing that's represented by our villains is the horrendous work culture and rampant reduction in mental wellness in our society- this is shown very clearly through curses. So if curses(who are often the villains) represent the real-world issue of toxic work culture, lack of access to proper mental health facilities, and a billion other things that cause suffering to humans, you can't just punch/punish a curse because you cannot punish the very real issue of systematic injustice like that.

The bad guys don't get 'punished' the way you're describing because in reality that's not possible. You cannot punish a volcano for erupting (Jogo), you cannot control, or create a manner for the way humans hate each other, to be punished(Mahito). If you've noticed, even death doesn't stop the influence our villains have on the story.

The curses that are killed are supposed to come back and take new form. You cannot control such large concepts like depression, tsunamis, climate change, disease, and punish those things. Therefore, you cannot punish the JJK villains in such a planned manner.

Now Geto isn't a curse right? So yes he could be shackled and made to save the people he hates but what's the point? Geto is a character who turned out the way he did BECAUSE he was basically being forced to neglect his own well-being to serve the higher ups and save those he hates. Doing so would only prove Geto right.

Punishment like this is pointless in my opinion. Rehabilitation through communication can help, reaching out can help. Shackling him will just make him hate everyone more and do we really want that? Do we want Geto, miserable and festering in resentment, forced to consume the worst of humanity, to save them? That's how we got to genocidal Geto in the first place.

What is the purpose of punishment? Vindication? Rehabilitation? Inflicting pain? The type of punishment that the villains suffer will have implications for what the moral of the story is.

Yuuji trying to kill Mahito means something, it means even more that he is portrayed as a wolf hunting a rabbit. A predator/prey relationship indicates necessity. Yuuji has no plans of punishing Mahito beyond death and he even tells him he'll keep killing him. Yuuji here represents faith in humanity, Mahito represents human hatred. Thus, Yuuji's mission to kill Mahito means essentially the triumph of human will and love over hatred. Each kill means something too.

In-story, Geto's actually respected by all of his living classmates, even NANAMI respects him (the man openly has no respect for Gojo). He represent rebellion against the system. Thematically, he opposes the destructive nature of sorcerer society. Trapping the character meant to represent the ways in which people are failed by sorcerers and suffer by curses is....not a good look.

So yeah, kills are more frequent than extended punishment. I mean it's hard to sympathize anyways if our MCs are going imprison people. Like isn't that kinda fucked up? Geto's a sympathetic character. What does it mean for Gojo if he traps his best friend to do the bidding of the people they both hate?

[ablackonyxz]

Discussion of gluten allergies/intolerances! There really isn't enough people talking about it.

I personally have a very severe gluten intolerance that can make me sick for days, it fucked up my eating for a long time to the point where I couldn't even bring myself to eat and it still has lasting consequences now. I got an allergy test around a year and a half ago that finally revealed what it was and introduced me to the experience of eating with intolerances.

It's actually not too hard to get good food where I live! I'm definitely on the luckier side as most larger stores have a free-from section and it's all of great quality, rarely anything diet related, and usually own brand. Annoyingly, the prices are still so much higher than other food due to people eating it for dieting purposes and the high production costs. I personally really do not support eating free-from food unless you need it, it's what makes it so expensive and there's always a limited amount in stock at a time. Luckily, I do hear that we can get doctor's notes over here to lower prices on these foods! Though, I have not got a note as I got my intolerances diagnosed though a different method than usual.

I believe the only issues I've found on this end is false or vague advertising. ALWAYS CHECK THE INGREDIENTS! I found some waffles in the free-from section the other day that said gluten-free on the packaging, yet when I checked the ingredients there was gluten there! I have no idea how they got away with it and I'm currently unsure if there's anything I can do to get it taken off the shelves, but what I can do is warn everyone to always check the ingredients.

Now where the big problems come from is eating out. It's horrible how few places cater for milk and/or gluten intolerances! Very few restaurants have easily accessible allergy menus, often giving customers their allergy files and forcing them to figure it out themselves if they give anything at all. It should be a legal requirement to label menu items as free from or containing allergens on the menu! This was a huge issue I encountered in London of all places. Very few places had allergen menus and one night we couldn't even eat out due to mine and my brother's allergies and we had to scramble something together out of things we brought from an M&S near the hotel. On that trip we only found one place in the whole of the area of London we were in that we could eat safely at.

This is far from the end of these issues. One thing that truly bothers me is when intolerances are not taken seriously because they are not allergies. It should not matter, if it will put me in pain then I should not be given it. I had a horrible experience at a restaurant for my brother's birthday where it took so long to order food because they did not have a proper allergy menu and then the staff thought it was fine for our food to contain traces?! I'm sorry, my gluten intolerance and my brother's dairy intolerance can put us in agonizing pain for hours at even the slightest hint of our intolerances! Just because we are not literally dying does not mean our intolerances are nothing. I have no idea what it is with people but so many people, even those with intolerances, seem to believe it doesn't matter and it's not a big deal.

Moving along next to my personal favourite (/s) gluten contamination. Because I do not know how many times this has fucked up my day because people think it's completely fine to fry things containing gluten in the same place as things not containing gluten. I had one very horrible experience at the start of a holiday where the chips (fries, to the Americans) were contaminated so much that I was sick for at least five days afterwards, the lenght of that holiday and more. It should be a legal requirement for all food establishments over a certain kitchen size (I know there are some small businesses that do not have the space to accommodate this and I completely respect them as long as they have a notice up about it) to fry food containing gluten and food that does not contain gluten separately.

For my next ramble, I'm going to move into problems specific to lactose/milk allergies. Mostly something that really bothers me, which is how if you want food to be guaranteed free from milk, it has to be vegan. Because for some reason milk is not separated from vegan on menus. People who can't have milk shouldn't be forced to become vegan just to have a safe meal! Lactose free and Vegan need to be separated on menus.

And coming into my final topic for the night, keeping these last few short as it is 3am as I'm writing all this, something really recent is that almond milk is suddenly no longer an option anywhere. I'm assuming (I'm hoping) this is due to some kind of ethical or environmental issue caused by it's production and not a cost thing. But this replacement is the worst thing to have ever been created. I personally have a very mild lactose intolerance so I prefer alternatives to milk whenever I can, but the current options are only soya, oat, or this "ultimate blend" bullshit which combines the two. I am terribly intolerant to soya, it's almost as back as my gluten intolerance, and oats often contain gluten. This leave me no safe options and the safest thing I can do in this situation is take regular milk. I am personally going to put forward coconut milk and encourage that it is to be more common, there are very few places I go to that do it, but is the only one I can safely have currently. ...I say that, but that's not the truth at all because some of these alternatives are gluten contaminated! I found out at my local Costa when they did a check for me that all their alternatives were made in an environment containing gluten. And we are not told about this either, there is no way for anyone to know and it's a gamble if it's going to be safe or not. I missed a whole College class before when I did not get through one of these gambles with contamination. It's dangerous and I'm so surprised that nothing serious has come from this yet.

That will be all for the night. Thank you to anyone who stopped to read this, and I apologise for the messy formating and unclear points. I may make a much more detailed post on the future covering these issues and the way I would go about finding solutions. I've got some ideas in mind that I would very much like to see become law in my country.

Shout out to people who can't eat gluten who are basically forced into diet culture because society has made every food product without gluten into a diet product. It sucks that most of your options for gluten-free foods are also advertised as fat-free, sugar-free, low calorie, etc. Your inability to eat gluten should not be treated as a weight loss fad.

[runelocked]

drop your top 10 fnaf songs now pls

didn’t know if you meant actual fan songs or songs i associate with fnaf so i did five of each!! i could speak about all of these songs for hours so i WON’T but if you’re curious pls ask ^_^

1. I CAN’T FIX YOU / THE LIVING TOMBSTONE

OKAY THIS SONG GETS ME. You’ve been mourning your loss here and that’s grinding my gears, how can a human lose their self control? There’s nothing left to make you whole GETS ME. I LOVE Circus Baby & her story and everything about her so this song drives me wild already (unless i’ve interpreted it wrong and it’s not about baby in which case. oops!). the fact she’s speaking to william here and how frustrating it is for her that he’s MOURNING while his hands are covered in blood (her blood). this is such a bitter sad song and it makes me crazy so have some more lyrics that make me insane!

You oversaturate your world with nothing but machines. You might make everyone happy, but you’re dead inside, just like me. And now we’re here at a standstill — I wonder if you feel the kind of pain that puts your insides out (that’s something I know all about).

2. AFTON FAMILY / APANGRYPIGGY

i mean you KNOW my obsession with the afton family. you KNOW how bad it is. switching between each of the afton children and william (WHERE IS MRS AFTON. WHERE IS SHE. WHERE’S THE LOML) is such an interesting take on the song and you already know that the family is my main point of interest in the lore !!! also the chorus just SLAPS: all stay strong, we live eternally! all is well in the afton family vs lives, they fell to pure insanity! all is hell in the afton family is good ok. like i am a simple person with simple pleasures. a good bit of lyrical contrast is one of them ^_^

3. DRAWN TO THE BITTER / DHEUSTA

HENRY AND WILLIAM SONG. HENRY AND WILLIAM SONG. WHAT’S NOT TO BE OBSESSED WITH. if those other two songs weren’t so good then this would be ranked higher tbh!!! i am a SUCKER for this song and also for the pre to post diner era. to me it sounds like it’s from william’s perspective too as he reminisces on the past (a loss of precious life, a part of me died inside that night) and that makes it so much better for me…. the tragedy unfolding through the verses while the chorus drills home how inevitable the events were always going to be … tragedy is drawn to the bitter and william is the most bitter one out there :’)

4. FIVE MORE NIGHTS / JT MUSIC

fun fact!!! i heard this song before five long nights and i love them both. this one slips by into being in my favorite five list though. just a good old fashioned low lore song and it makes me so damn hyped and reminds me of the core of the franchise. the edits i see to this part of the song — did you listen to the vision you saw? as the clock keeps ticking we’ll be giving you more — do you remember the original four? take a look at us now, ‘cause our condition is poor! we were left to decay in this dark troubled place… — fucking rock ok. like all of them. this song is a bop idc

5. BELOW THE SURFACE / GRIFFINILLA

first fnaf song i ever heard so it holds a special place in my heart :3 also because sl is one of my fav games (that im gonna be playing on stream later most likely YAYY)!! his voice means to deceive you, my voice just wants to lead you. i used to squint a little at the line built without purpose because well . they WERE built with purpose. but in my understanding of the lore, these ones were the first to be built for purposes OTHER than fun/family etc, so they lack an innocent purpose so i get that part of the song now agdkhd. also who can resist exotic butters as the outro huh. c good song, v catchy, it’s gonna be stuck in my head all day now !

—

1. NO SURPRISES / RADIOHEAD

another afton family insp. song, by which i mean i loop this while writing anything remotely sad about the franchise and cry endlessly over them!!! I’m probably gonna do an ACTUAL line by line analysis of this and how it relates to my will & mike writing, but have a few for now: a job that slowly kills you (both mike & will), you look so tired and unhappy (the job destroying who william once was), i’ll take a quiet life, a handshake of carbon monoxide, no alarms and no surprises (see last bits of analysis), this is my final fate (both of them, father and son, facing painful ends at the hands of animatronics). and then of course we have such a pretty house and such a pretty garden no alarms and no surprises (get me out of here) because so MUCH of the toxicity in the household was so insidious. a carbon monoxide death. william’s effect on the rest of the family poisoned them slowly and michael was resigned to it for so much of his life (no alarms and no surprises) but inwardly wanted out so BAD (get me out of here). this song fucking destroys me!

2. THE MIND ELECTRIC / CHONNY JASH

a cassidy song in my mind. especially this version! really does well at highlighting the bitterness and hatred she feels for william. “this creature hardly resembles a man, my logic is the absolute, his pity parties simply harm these chances at an apt repute esteemed regard in place of mockery” like YES!!! read him!!! have more that’s just SO fitting for the dynamic of these two:

3. KISS ME, SON OF GOD / THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS

4. SICK ON SEVENTH STREET / SARAH & THE SAFE WORD

5. THE DEAD COME TALKING / ROE KAPARA

[powdermelonkeg]

So, BO2W Breakdown

Buckle up, this is gonna be a long one.

Here we’ve got Ganon’s...energy taking over Link’s arm. Ordinarily, I’d call it Malice, but based on what it turns into, I’m just going to be calling it corruption. We don’t get much information from this scene besides this expression:

Link’s grabbing the corruption with his other hand, and wincing. It looks painful. I personally think it’s for cinematic effect that it was included, but it COULD be a gateway into a Phantom Hourglass sort of mechanic--Link has to function on a time limit, or using the corruption’s power could drain his life.

Next we’ve got a closeup of Ganondorf. F in chat to the rehydration theorists.

And the closeups of his jewelry. The only significant thing I can see is his necklace, which looks like a cross between the Gerudo symbol and a Fleur de Lis:

But what I’M most interested in is this tie on his belt:

For one, it’s WAY bigger than it needs to be, and that’s deliberate. Ganondorf’s got a jewelry aesthetic he’s already hit above; everything else is gold, why not this bit?

Most importantly, you can barely make it out, but the designs either look Sheikah or Zonai--they’ve got that same kind of swirly busy pattern to them. The red tint and tan-ish lines in it makes me think it’s possessed Sheikah tech.

Next, we’re shown Zelda falling. This looks like it happens right after these two caps from the first trailer:

So we reach for her as the ground collapses, and evidently, we fail to pull her back up. So my next question for that scene is going to be what the in-game reason is for us not diving in right after her. Maybe we won’t get one, since the appeal of the original BOTW was that you could fight Ganon whenever you wanted.

Up next, we’ve got a skydiving shot:

The first thing to notice is that Link’s pose while skydiving is just about identical to his pose in Skyward Sword:

Second is that, yes, he’s falling towards a floating island, and that in itself is noteworthy, but he’s FALLING. There’s something either above him that he jumped off of, or a force that carried him high enough TO fall, and I doubt Nintendo’s encouraging magnesis flying.

So, there’s a few options: Loftwings making a return (which is unlikely, but a hope I have), something like Revali’s Gale boosting Link up for a cinematic shot, indicating that the corruption arm has that kind of power, or islands higher than the one shown here.

Now the island itself:

In Skyward Sword, Skyloft looks like this:

And (spoiler alert) we loose this island here over the course of the game:

Now, it’s not a PERFECT 1:1 match, as most things between games aren’t, but a quick rotate and overlay shows it’s got the same kinds of shapes between the two. The same “W” shape along the eastern side, the same tiny island off the northeast point, the same relative edges.

Now, I don’t know what happened to the plaza at South Skyloft, or the Knight’s Academy isle, but it could very easily be drift away from the central island.

The presence of other islands through the clouds seems to support that theory. Now let’s look at Link here:

The outfit is new. We haven’t, to my knowledge, seen one of this design in other games. My gut reaction to this image was “oh, we go back in time and we’re the first hero now!” because it’s vaguely reminiscent of Tapestry Hero.

But upon closer inspection, that theory’s null and void. Under Link’s tunic in the image above, you can see that he’s still wearing the shorts he woke up in in the first game. So either Sheikah boxers haven’t changed in 10,000 years, or it’s taking place in present day. Jokes aside, I’m curious to know if the outfit he’s wearing is modeled after Tapestry Hero.

Next thing to point out is the obvious:

Link’s arm here looks less prosthetic and more...withered, I almost want to say. The corruption here’s made his hand look frailer, and armored them up with Zonai patterns before it fades out at his shoulder. Based on how the tattoos look, I think they’re an artifact of the corruption taking hold.

Also, the belt here:

Aesthetic purposes, or specific function? The presence of the second, smaller one on the side reminds me of Skyward Sword’s adventure pouch, which could be how the new game handles inventory size:

Next we’ve got another flying shot:

It seems like he’s flying towards Ruined Skyloft, and you can see the bottoms of islands above it, possibly meaning that the sky serves as more than just a hub world like it did in Skyward.

Now let’s look at the paraglider he’s using. It’s new.

This is how the paraglider looks in the original BOTW. It looks like we still have the Rito symbol in the center, but other than that, there’s a LOT of changes here.

First off is the color. We’re now blue and gold. The shade of blue makes me think of the Kochi Dye Shop’s navy blue:

So, possibly a dyeable paraglider?

The new pattern surrounding the Rito symbol makes me think that it’s combining the paraglider with Skyward Sword’s sailcloth:

Other than that, there isn’t much else to say about the paraglider besides the handles looking like they’re made of bone. Craftable paragliders? God, I hope not.

Back to Link:

Here we have him in different gear than the last shot. He’s wearing the snow boots, he has a shield with a stylized Eye of Truth looking upwards, and he looks like he’s carrying a traveler’s sword and an unknown bow. The presence of the bow makes me think that the shield here is a lower tier item, rather than this game’s Hylian Shield equivalent.

Now, let’s get a better look at the horizon:

The trees here look a lot like the smaller trees you can find in Akkala, but there’s a distinct lack of red among them.

Then it looks like we’ve got some ruins at the furthest isle.

Whatever the rock formations are over there, they don’t LOOK natural.

Another thing I noticed is the bottoms of the islands.

These look a little too geometric to be natural, too. Now, this one, I’m a little muddy on, because it COULD be a stylistic choice. But it also reminds me of the Shrines if you clip out of bounds:

And a little bit of the dormant Gate of Time from Skyward:

My money’s on the cube-like nature of the islands’ undersides being deliberate, rather than just a far-off render.

And then there’s this thing!

What is it? It doesn’t look broken at all; look how nicely the roof(?) is kept. The ribbing on the sides makes me think it might be a Zonai thing, but the shape makes it difficult to figure out. A giant temple? An airship? A sloped coliseum? This thing haunts and vexes me.

Our next shot is presumably from one of the islands, based on the color. Here we can see that there are definitely ruins all over the place. Link is in the same gear as before, so I won’t touch on him.

This, however, has my interest. The design here has more geometric patterns--Zonai ruins?

We’ve got another one off in the distance here. Sky checkpoints, like Sheikah towers?

Now this guy here. There’s a LOT to look at. First off is the eye design, it’s the same sort of upward looking one that Link has on his shield in the previous shots.

The energy that’s pulling this thing towards its base looks like the same green energy that surrounds the arm holding Gan in place in Trailer One:

This stuff. That, plus the fact that the robot has to be pulled into its base rather than just existing, implies that either A: Link activates it himself, like a trial thing, or B: that the green energy here functions in the same way Malice does in the original BOTW.

This pattern at its base is intriguing, too. I don’t recognize the gold symbol in the center, but the green around it reminds me of the portals from Twilight Princess.

Which, yes, everyone’s already said that the Twilight Princess patterns look like Zonai things. But another thing this weird dial thing reminds me of is from Lanayru Desert:

On top of that, the color palette of this guy looks like that of the Lanayru Robots from Skyward:

BO2W robot on the left, Lanayru robot on the right. Given that Skyward is a lot more vibrant than other non-Toon Zelda games, I think this is a fair enough comparison to draw similarities from.

And then we get a closer view of the sky ruins from the last shot. I don’t know if the geometric pattern in the corner is a deliberate carving, or wear from time, but since the pattern looks ALMOST mirrored around the corner, I’m going to go with the former.

A better shot a few frames later. The robot has HANDS, which I do not like in any way shape or form. However, we get a better look at the sky ruins.

We haven’t seen this style of stairs before, to my knowledge. The pedestal out front looks like a light source, and it has the same floral egg thing the robot above has on each shoulder; the eggs could easily be a power source for Zonai tech. And at the top of the stairs, we see a pedestal, backing up the theory that these ruins function as our new Sheikah towers.

This is our next shot. Which...

Unikoblins. Can we talk about that? UNIKOBLINS.

Anyways, Link is here again in his old clothes. This is a very early game shot, because his right arm isn’t corrupted yet; this means we get to explore Hyrule before we embark on the main quest. Which gives rise to a question: Where’s Zelda?

The hopeful side of me wants to say that she’s a tutorial companion, like Navi or Tatl, at least for the beginning here. The pessimistic side of me thinks that she’s waiting for us at a predetermined location, and this is just part of getting to her.

Now the unikoblin structure itself is built on a Talus, meaning that the dev team at least intends to have more inter-monster interactions. But if you kill the Talus, does that mean that the base falls apart, or does it just drop down as a separate entity?

Also, what are these background ruins? The one on the left looks like it’s a distinctly different style than the one on the right. It looks almost like a giant guardian arm.

Our next shot is Link’s arm getting corrupted. Which, first of all, the effects look beautiful.

Now, we can see a corner of Link’s hip here, and we know that this is his right arm. So Link’s lying down here. Unconscious? Knowing how Zelda games like to start with Link waking up, probably. Although it looks like at least part of his shorts got an update.

We can see what looks like circuits here. It looks a bit like the electricity puzzles you can find in the Divine Beasts and Shrines in the original.

Then we’ve got these strange symbols.

Whatever this circular stone he’s lying on is, it looks a lot like the Zonai puzzle from the “A Fragmented Monument” sidequest.

This one that everyone thought was the Mirror of Twilight for years.

Our next shot is Link using the corruption powers against enemies:

The spike ball itself looks solid; the question is, is this a duplication power, or a visualization of how the spike ball is set into motion?

We see it barreling over a poor Unikoblin or two, but I’d like to turn your attention to the Moblin and the background.

The moblins here have helmets, and the bases, while they carry the same design, look like they have more cause and effect in mind. The left base’s rock, for instance; that’s a lot bigger than the rocks we got to play with in the last game, and it looks like we can barrel anything in the screen over with it.

The helmet, though, concerns me a little bit. It looks natural rather than forged; like it’s the moblin’s horn, just very much deformed. Does it mean a harder enemy, or is it just for flavor?

Our next shot is this strange flower thing. Note that Link’s right arm is perfectly fine in this shot, meaning that it’s still early game.

This is what Link’s flamethrower looks like. And this:

Is Zonai art.

So the question is, what IS the flamethrower? My first thought was that it’s either a new item in its own, or it’s a Sheikah Slate upgrade. The latter might sound a little far fetched, but Link in this game is right-handed, and in BOTW, he always held the slate in his LEFT hand when using it.

We have more of the weird faded designs that we saw on the Sky ruins:

And we’ve got some kind of pedestal or stage behind the ground flower thing:

It looks like it’s either an altar or a grave, from what I can tell. The stairs aren’t the same design as the ones in the sky, and there aren’t any patterns on it.

More importantly, though, is that this place is underground. This could be a part of the game you’re required to go through, in order to get to Raisin Gan.

A few seconds later, though, we get our answer to what the flamethrower is!

It’s a shield!

Off to the left side, we can see pillars with more weird scribblings towards the top. These match the Sky ruins’ pillar shape, with a narrow base and a wider top.

Our next scene is...weird.

We see a puddle splash in reverse. It’s hard to tell if it’s actually water or not, but the design on the ground implies that it’s either been there for a long time, or that that’s a dedicated splash spot. And the quality and zoom makes me think that this is part of a cutscene. Return of the timeshift stones?

We then see Link...surfacing out of the island? I don’t know how else to describe it. However, his arm is changed again, and glowing, meaning that this is a corruption power. And the “water” he rises out of here looks a lot like the puddle in the last clip.

We get a good look at the Zonai Lights:

A Sky ruin that looks like it contains a room:

And a glimpse of other isles’ ruins in the far distance.

And then as the camera zooms out...

We can place a location!

We’re right over Thundra Plateau!

We also get a mildly better look at the back wall of the sky ruin, which looks to be some kind of table:

The next scene is Hyrule Castle:

The ground shakes and it starts to rise up. However, notice that the columns surrounding the castle are now missing.

We’ve also got red sparks in the air, like we would have in a blood moon. However, due to the sky color, we can assume that this is a conscious decision by Gan himself, and that he isn’t drawing power from his surroundings.

We then see that power bleeding out of the ground. It’s MUCH more red than Malice is, which has always been a kind of burnt pink-ish color.

However, even though Ganon lifts the castle up, he doesn’t lift it very high.

The castle’s about triple the height it was. But since we’re talking Skyloft levels of floating islands, this is still pretty ground-level. What’s interesting to me, though, is that in this shot, despite the game now being about sky islands that we should be able to see from ground level...there aren’t any here. This, to me, means that there’s going to be a sudden appearance of the isles in the sky, rather than them simply being accessible now.

And that’s the whole trailer! I have many questions.

My blog! If you have any opnions/questions/theories, feel free to drop an ask!

Part 2 is up! We missed a lot!

[charthanry]

Fade to Black: Ranking All 12 BBS Episode Endings (for Science)

I’ve always been impressed with how P’Aof chooses to end each episode. He saves his bigger moments for the final scenes that usually wallops us with emotional impact leaving us to go down clown theory rabbit holes for a week before surprising us all over again. Some might say it’s his signature move. 

I’ve decided these endings need to be ranked for science purposes and because I’m a glutton for torturing myself. This became a much harder challenge than I initially thought (seriously, try it and understand my pain). But after much reshuffling, I’ve made my final choices and am sticking with them (keep the edit button away from me). To make this fair, and all things remaining the same, I am only including endings that are shown before P’Aof’s director credit title. This means all the bonus scenes don’t count (yes, the seaweed finger-licking scene and Pran, it’s not a porno! don’t make the cut). It breaks my heart, but it’s only fair that we judge P’Aof’s endings in the way he meant for us to see them and that’s before the fade to black.

12th // EP2 - The dumbass friends destroy the bus stop.

I think there’s a fandom consensus that this is the weakest episode ending of the series. Although narratively some might argue that this scene was necessary to move the story forward, it still felt jarring and out of place all the same. This is because the scene prior to this is Pran checking out a new potential dorm room to move into and Pat stalking showing up to stop him. After some bantering (flirting) it ends with them engaging in some very heated wrestling on the bed (the first of many). To P’Aof’s credit, the brawl did fall in line with what we already knew about the two opposing friend groups (that they’re moronic dumbasses: Korn and Wai or mindless followers: everyone else). I have never been a fan of shaky camera action so I’m glad that this episode’s ending happened early on and we got it out of the way.

11th // EP9 - The Pran and Ming stare down.

I’m not sure if it’s because we as a fandom became more adept at guessing P’Aof’s next moves by this point, but this episode’s ending was the worst kept secret ever. We knew it was coming, all signs were leading to a parental run-in so the shock factor was lost (at least on me) and with it some of it’s impact. I will say that this is the first time Pran was face to face with Pat’s dad without Pat also being there so it was interesting to see how Pran would handle it. Everyone’s acting in this scene was top-notch from Pran’s lingering huge smile to him being shocked and flustered, Pa’s uh-oh face, mom’s look of dread and Ming’s complete confusion with a tinge of something more sinister underneath. All four played their roles (and faces) perfectly. It’s just lower on my list for emotional impact.

10th // EP1 - The hopeful beginning.

The pilot episode’s ending sealed it for me. This series was going to be capital-S Special. There was so much build up here. The editing choices were interesting too. At the very end of the episode we have PatPran walking towards their rooms, one right after the other. And we learn that they’re neighbors and immediately the fandom as a collective goes: Oooh this is gonna be fun. But it’s also the scene leading up to this reveal that speaks volumes. Pran consciously makes the decision to wear the watch that Pat returned to him as kids. He does so while smiling to himself and this is our first glimpse into Pran’s feelings for Pat. We know now that this watch will never leave his wrist again and this knowledge on rewatches just zings straight to my heart. Well played, BBS.

9th // EP6 - The whoever falls first loses.

Are you surprised this isn’t higher on the rankings? Honestly, me too. This was a tough decision but all the remaining episodes were so incredible that it forced me to push this one lower on the list. We know everything that is going on here, we know their individual reasons for making this bet. Pat is letting Pran call the shots by being patient and keeping their relationship familiar and status quo for him. So yeah let’s go ahead and bet on who can get the other to yield first. It’s their thing. We all know that Pat’s already all in at this point but he wants to give Pran the time and space to get there as well. Also, I’m a sucker for scenes that take the characters outside of their normal environments so this whole mood with the boat and the lights in the background is an aesthetic feast.

8th // EP3 - The I just like seeing your face...when you lose.

I go back and rewatch this scene a lot. Our boys are so soft here, especially Pran. The beginning of this scene shows Pran pacing in front of Pat’s door working up the nerve to say a simple thank you, but more so because he wants to spend time with Pat (after an entire episode of time spent together, the boy can’t get enough. We get it Pran, we’re the same), we know this from his have you eaten yet? And immediately after turning down Pran’s unspoken offer to eat together, Pat is the one to extend their conversation by returning his guitar. For those keeping count, this is the second item Pat is returning to him and we already know about the significance of the watch. The guitar becomes even more so. This scene cements the lengths that Pat would go to get Pran to look at him LIKE THAT (we all know the look so no screenshot necessary) only Pat being the idiot he is doesn’t recognize his feelings yet making this moment that much more remarkable on rewatch. And to up the ante even further after Pat goes back to his room, we have a thoughtful-looking Pran take several beats and looks down at his watch, hugs the guitar, returns to his room only to open it again and flip the door tag from sad to happy. Pat did all that, he made Pran happy and the entire fandom melts.

7th // EP8 - The curtain drop.

This scene and this episode, oh boy. This was the ending that had me literally up on my feet and gasping, going OH SHIT! He didn’t! But in fact, P’Aof did. For shock and emotional impact this was the one that grabbed me by the throat. I felt like I was Pat when Pran flew in out of nowhere with the kick straight to the chest. I love that we see Pat looking at Pran first and the concern for him is plain and clear on his face. Pran is Pat’s priority. Then the camera pans to everyone’s reactions from least effected (play crew) to Pran’s friends to Korn (he actually looks concerned for them here on rewatch, oh Korn you soft puppy) to the most effected of all, Wai (the Weasel... or as I like to call him the Waisel). The building music, camera angles, the reactions and then PatPran’s faces as they look at each other and then up at Wai in the control booth... it is all so, so well done. This episode ending had me dying to get through the week to find out what happens next.

6th // EP4 - The would you like me (if you were her?)

I desperately wanted to rank this one so much higher because Nanon served and ATE this scene. No, correction- he served, ate it, drove it home and then took it to school the next day. Nanon is a top-tier level actor and this scene right here cements that in the annals. This is the first episode where he made me cry. The first emotional punch of the series and man was it a tough one to watch. In this beautiful aching scene we see that Pran, even in the midst of going through his feelings still grabs at the chance to watch Pat sleep with a small smile on his face. And that by itself is everything we need to know about Pran. He knows he can’t have Pat, he knows it. So he’ll take all the small moments that he can have and quietly tuck them away, safeguarding them from others, especially Pat. The music, the flashback montage, the mood lighting but especially the acting -- are all so incredibly well done. I consistently come back to this scene everytime I want to die a little. This is the scene that I’ll tell first time BBS watchers who are on the fence about the show (do these people even exist? hello?) to just try and get to the end of EP4 and see if you aren’t invested. I dare you. And in the rare case that this scene doesn’t move you? Sorry to break the news, but you’re a robot. You should go get that checked out.

5th // EP7 - The I always let my lover win.

Finally, at last our boys give into their feelings and become boyfriends. Pat wins by losing and we’re all winners for it. This episode’s ending is interesting in that it departs in style from all the episodes before it, there isn’t a linear story here. We find out that Pat yielded to Pran long before we saw him show up to rescue him with the play. It was a little confusing at first, but on subsequent watches, it works. I love that Pat confesses that he’s lost while staying within the confines of the play’s dialogue. This double meaning is intriguing because no one else understands it except for them, it’s like they’re having a secret conversation out in the open. It’s fascinating how P’Aof chose to end the bet this way. We all learn Pat was always willing to lose, that to be together or not has always been Pran’s decision, but it’s that HUGE SMILE Pran gives Pat when he sees him after turning around- THAT is Pat’s payoff for losing, that’s his big WIN. To get Pran to look at him like that. Then we move to Pran finally feeding Pat his specially-cooked curry and the intimacy in this scene is so sweet and endearing that we almost feel like we’re intruding on their private moment. Then of course it all gets ruined by Pa needing to pee, pfft.

4th // EP11 - The let's go home. Good luck, buddy. 

The break up may have been fake but the tears were real. Why did Pat cry in front of their houses if he knew the break up wasn’t real? Eighty percent of this is audience fake out but narratively speaking, it’s because he wasn’t sure if going back to being fake enemies would mean they’d make it. Pat is a very open person, we’ve established that he doesn’t like being Pran’s dark secret. The doubts he has shows here but he accepts any part of Pran that he can have, out in the open or not, and this decision to go back into hiding makes everything that much harder for Pat. I think it’s not until years later when they’re no longer outwardly trying to fool everyone that Pat begins to breathe a little easier, knowing for certain that Pran isn’t going anywhere and will continue to fight alongside him. Everything about this ending, the what if our families didn’t hate each other montage, the duologue as they show us their ideal world, Pran singing our song really points to the belief that it’s over for them. And it’s a crushing blow to us as the audience. I thought of ranking this lower because most of it is audience manipulation but it’s such a great con and achieved what it set out to do so it deserves it’s spot here.

3rd // EP5 - The I was depressingly lonely (without you).

The first emotional ending where we see both of them experiencing it at the same time. This scene had the best music score so far in the series. We commend the acting and directing on this show (as we should) but the music selection is on another level, especially here. They went with a song that has slow guitar chords as Pat confesses how much he missed Pran when he wasn’t around, asks him that all important question what are we if not enemies and not friends? to gradually move into soaring drum beats as they kiss. Perfection. We see Pat timidly pull back to guage Pran’s reaction but knowing what we know of Pran (who will grab at anything Pat-related when he can, to store for safe keeping later), he pulls Pat in for that deeper kiss, all his repressed feelings going into it. This was the moment we (and Pat) got to see all of Pran laid bare. And it’s magnificent. This episode’s closing seconds is interesting in that we get two different reactions to the kiss. Pat’s is relief that he finally has a name to call these feelings threatening to burst out of him and Pran’s is defeat and turmoil. And both are oh so relatable.

2nd // EP10 - The I can't take it anymore. Let's get away from here.

This episode’s ending was a cinematic experience. I’ve cried in this series before, but this was the first that had me UGLY crying. It was unexpected two episodes removed from the finale. I’ve written about my reaction to this scene before so I’ll just reiterate what I said here. The beauty is in the breakdown. Pran’s breakdown here gutted me. All these years of repression just poured out of him and you can just feel how tired he is of holding it in. He finally has someone who he can lean on to help him shoulder all this burden. And damn if it doesn’t feel both soul-crushing and satisfying when he lets it out. BUT...it’s Pat’s quiet strength here that stays with me after we fade to black. And Ohm absolutely slays here. Pran’s sobs can be heard around the world but Pat holding back his own devastation to care for Pran is just....everything. Because we KNOW it’s not in Pat’s nature to hold back and conceal anything. When he wants Pran to know something, he communicates it immediately. But him letting his tears silently fall while he comforts Pran is just truly heartbreaking. It’s him saying let me set aside my own breakdown for yours. Let me do this for you. And in this sense it speaks to EVERYTHING we know about Pat. Of who he is to his core. Sacrificing himself for others. Putting Pran’s needs above his own. And that is just so beautiful and noble and it fucking hurts.

1st // EP12 - The perfect ending.

The ending that takes us back to the beginning. Bookends. An ending that is so full and complete that it’s deserving of two screen shots. We’re left with the firm belief that PatPran will make it, that whatever this world has in store for them, they’ll face it together. That unspoken family approval and long distance relationships have no shot at tearing them apart. They are in it for the long haul. To close it out in the final seconds with their younger selves is P’Aof’s parting gift to us as it depicts how it’s always been between our boys, that despite all the family rivalry, despite being taught to hate and not care for one another, these two found their way to each other anyway. And this knowledge is so inspiring in its messaging: that you carve your path in life. And the life that you choose is the best life simply because it’s of your own making and no one can ever take that from you.

):):):):):):):)

Thank you very much for reading and following me down this incredible journey of recapping BBS’ episode endings. My next challenge to myself is the daunting task of full episode rankings so stay tuned for that.

[perfectpaperbluebirds]

'Great. Now I Have Your Germs All Over Me.’

@sicktember 2022 Prompt #5

Fandom/OCs: MCU Avengers, Sick!Clint Barton, Sick!Natasha Romanov

Title: Superman (It’s Not Easy)

Words: 1163

Inspiration: None yet again. (Didn’t realized there was so many like that TBH)

Author’s comments: Surprisingly there’s little-to-no contagion in my Sicktember docs. Probably because I was trying to keep the fics so short, and I like to see the whole contagion scenario play out if I’m going to write it. Even this prompt, which was just begging for some contagion, was not used for that purpose. Mainly because an angry caretaker isn’t my jam, and that was the only way I could read this prompt if the contagion actually happened here. So, instead today you get two miserable sickies for the price of one with our favorite MCU assassins. Honestly this is probably set after the sick!Tony fic from a few days ago. Makes sense to me, anyway. And yet, this is a Clintasha ship AU.

It was Tony’s fault that Clint and Natasha were sick. It had to be. After all, he had been in the office a few days prior, visibly shedding contagion everywhere. The pair tried to stay far away from him, but Tony wasn’t nearly as fastidious about washing his hands as they were, so they ended up catching his germs anyway. There weren't many things that kept them from their duties, but illness was definitely one of them, especially when they were unfortunate enough to be ill at the same time. When the symptoms started and they realized what had happened, they did what they always did in times like these: they made their way to one of their more comfortable safe houses, stocked up on supplies, and prepared to lay low for the duration, cutting off communication with the rest of the team temporarily. 

Lounging in the living room of the aforementioned safe house, each to their own couch, the topic of Tony came up as Nat and Clint discussed their unfortunate luck with no small amount of bitterness. 

“What do you think is a good punishment for someone who comes to work knowing they’re sick and contagious?” Clint asked idly, giving up on watching TV since watching sideways and lying down was giving him a headache. 

“Reinfect them with another sickness once they’re better, since they chose to infect everyone else with theirs,” Natasha replied sleepily, wrapping her blanket tighter around herself with a sniffle. 

“Hm, that’s clever. I was just going to say make them take care of everyone they infected until everyone was better.” He had to stop to cough before he could continue. “But more painful revenge might be sweeter.”

“You’d really trust Stark to be a good nurse? Because I wouldn’t trust him with anything that wasn’t mechanical.”

“He could at least fetch and carry things. I get so dizzy when I stand up. ‘Tash, do you–”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to ask,” Clint pouted. 

“You were going to ask me to fetch or carry something for you, and the answer is no.”

“But I didn’t–”

“No. My fever was higher than yours when we last checked. That means I’m sicker than you, so you get to do your own fetching and carrying.”

Clint huffed in irritation, but knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on, so he sat up and slowly got to his feet, shivering and coughing miserably to make a point. 

Natasha was unphased. “While you’re up, could you make me some tea, please?” she called sweetly. 

Clint sighed dramatically, but began to pull down her tea supplies, muttering to himself around frequent coughing fits. 

“My head is killing me, so don’t be surprised if I make your tea wrong,” he called peevishly at one point. 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. As long as it’s hot. That’s all I care about right now.”

A few minutes later, Clnt shuffled his way back to his couch, depositing a bowl of dry cereal, a glass of juice, and a glass of milk before returning to the kitchen. When he came back to the living room once more, he was carrying a steaming mug, which he held out to his companion. Just as she grabbed it, Clint’s breath hitched in an unexpected gasp, and he leaned forward out of habit, putting him that much closer to the mug and the hand that was grasping it. 

“Hih– Hiihgk-KH’SSHHhuue! hh!-HYYIIZSHH’uuhh!! Ugh, god, sorry…” He belatedly brought his hand to his nose, a poor excuse for cover.

“Clint! Ugh, great, now I have your germs all over me,” Natasha groaned. “You sneezed right into my tea, too!”

Clint gave her a look as he returned to his own couch. “Pretty sure we have the same germs at the moment, ‘Tash. I don’t think you need to worry much.” He rifled through the mess of blankets he had been lying under until he found a package of tissues, pulling one out just in time to catch the pair of drips quivering at the corners of his nostrils that had been threatening to make him sneeze again. 

“It’s still gross,” she muttered. Yet she had already taken a sip and was holding the mug close to her face, inhaling the steam. He had made her tea perfectly as always. She smiled a tiny bit at this thought. When she glanced back at him, though, the smile turned into a concerned frown. “You okay, Hawk?”

He had not touched his cereal yet, and was pressed back against the couch with his eyes closed, breathing slowly. “ ‘M really dizzy. Just give me a second,” he mumbled, clenching his fists. 

She did as he asked and didn’t pester, but waited in silence. Eventually he unclenched, slowly opening his eyes to meet hers. They exchanged a tiny nod, checking in. 

“Most days I’m pretty happy not being Superman, or super anything. That super immunity could really come in handy though,” Clint said, wiping his nose again as he at last added the milk to his cereal. 

“It’s not easy being the weak ones,” Natasha agreed. “No one likes being reminded of their humanity.”

Clint tried to scoff, which turned into a cough. Natasha laughed at this, which also became a cough. The pair would have laughed at this too, but feeling it might be unwise, settled for exchanging a wan smile instead. 

In due time, Natasha finished her tea. She assumed Clint had also finished since he’d been motionless for a bit, but when she turned to ask him if he would get her a refill, she found to her surprise that he had dozed off where he sat, the spoon still resting in his hand as his chest rose and fell in deep breaths. With a little sigh, she stood and went to fetch her own refill, casting a worried look at her partner as she passed him. 

She made her tea and set it down by her seat, then moved to Clint’s side. She pressed a hand to his forehead, anticipating the burning heat she felt there, but worried by it nonetheless. Upon feeling her touch, the archer opened his eyes blearily. 

“It’s not like you to fall asleep out of nowhere,” Natasha sighed, removing her hand and clearing his used bowl and glasses for him. 

“I get sleepy when I’m running a fever, you know that.” He stretched carefully, yawning. 

“It’s still unsettling.” 

He smiled a little. “And you get anxious when you’re running a fever. Some things never change,” he chuckled, coughing over the last word. 

She smiled too in spite of herself as she returned to her spot. “No, I suppose they don’t.”

“Well, you know what always helps both of those things? Sharing a bed for a nap. You get to feel safe and protected, and I get to sleep. Win win.”

Natasha smiled. “You’re absolutely right. At least that’s one thing that’s easy.”

[taesspark]

A Normal Friday Afternoon

drabble #1 from the Spellbound series

pairing: Jungkook x reader

genre: enemies to lovers (but mostly enemies so far oops), hogwarts au

word count: 2.2k 

warnings: violence (oc punches jungkook in the face), swearing

It’s a normal Friday afternoon at Hogwarts, meaning everyone is going insane. You wonder why Professor Snape even bothers teaching Potions right now since it doesn’t look like anyone is paying the slightest bit of attention. He even chose a hard potion for the class to make, individually this time. As if making it an individual assignment could stop a group of annoying 17-year-olds from wreaking havoc. 

You flicker your eyes in annoyance at Jeon Jungkook and his rowdy group of friends. They had created a game where they launch the ingredients into each others’ cauldrons, giving each other points based on how close it got. Usually you try to get along with your classmates, especially fellow Gryffindors, but Jungkook has always been the sole exception. There’s something about him that grates all of your nerves like a carrot. Maybe it’s the way he’s good at all the same things you are, but he makes it seem more effortless. Maybe it’s the way everyone thinks he’s so innocent and kind, when he’s been metaphorically (and literally) pulling on your hair since first year. 

It started with the little things. You were friendly to him, like you are to everyone, and as an 11-year-old, you had nothing to complain about. Something changed one day when you were walking past him in the hallway to class and he hit you with a hex that he hadn’t mastered yet. You remember falling to the ground in pain, watching your stinging flesh go boneless. And Jungkook? He was laughing.

You’re no less of a witch or a Gryffindor though. With your limp arm, you cast the strongest dancing hex you could muster. It worked, of course, and Jungkook was known as “Happy Feet” for at least another year for the way he danced around Hogwarts that day. 

It’s a memory you keep close, as a reminder to never trust the sweet smile and starry eyes of Jeon Jungkook. 

If you looked at all of the detentions you’ve served in your 6 years of being a Hogwarts student (and there are plenty), you’re sure 99% would have been from fighting with Jungkook, whether it’s yelling at him, cursing him, or swatting him with your broomstick in midair during Quidditch practice. Because of course he would join the Quidditch team at the same time you did. 

You’re not in the mood for fighting today, though. You’re exhausted from a frankly awful week, and you just want to finish your stupid potion, get your stupid grade, and go to your stupid dorm so you can sleep. 

Your only good friend in this potions class is a Ravenclaw girl named Nina. For a Ravenclaw, she’s chatty, and she flits around you while you grind up asphodel root for your potion. With a quick slide of your knife, you dump the crushed root into your potion. It bubbled. Beside you, Nina bubbled even more, her personality like soda that had been shaken too hard. 

“-and then Emilia told me that she asked Irene if she would go with her to Hogsmeade next weekend, but Irene said she’s already going with Jieun, but Sam told me that Jieun is going alone, so what’s even the truth? You’d think that she’d at least-” 

“Maybe you should mind your business.” You give her a sour look, and you hope it isn’t too harsh. “Just a thought.” 

Nina’s mouth curls into a rueful smile. “You’re spending too much time with Yoongi lately.” 

You crack a smile at the thought of your best friend and his (only partly true) reputation. No one dares cross Min Yoongi, a 7th year Slytherin with a killer poker face. As one of his best friends, you can see right through it. 

“There’s no such thing as too much time with Yoongi,” you grumble. 

Nina leaves you alone after that, thank god. You usually have a higher tolerance for her chattiness and gossip, but today your patience is running thin. Luckily, she knows you well enough to not seem upset at your attitude. 

You sprinkle a serum into the potion before stirring it clockwise ten times. It’s the last step of the potion, and yours is already turning the perfect shade of mint green. You count to yourself as you stir: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight-

You don’t make it to ten. You were so goddamn close. 

“Oh, shit-”

You don’t register who curses. All you can see is a bottle of serum—someone else’s bottle of serum— being launched straight into your cauldron, and your entire potion splattering onto your front. Your robes sizzle where the potion hit them. 

“Oops.” 

You recognize that voice. How could you not? You almost want to laugh. 

Fucking Jeon Jungkook. 

The leech lumbers up to you sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head. “My bad. We were playing a game, and I missed pretty bad.” 

He chuckles a little, surveying the green ooze all over you. “Green is your color, Y/N. Maybe they should’ve put you in Slytherin.” 

You’re seething. 

A temper is not one of the traits associated with Gryffindor, but at that moment, you think maybe it should be. Lions do roar, after all. 

And roar is exactly what you do. Roar and knock Jungkook the fuck out. 

The room is in chaos: Professor Snape is yelling, Nina is telling you to calm down, Jungkook is on the ground in front of you, more shocked than hurt, and half the class is chanting “Fight!” because the adolescent urge to create violence never truly dies. 

“Take this outside!” Snape shouts at the two of you, grabbing you both by the collar of your robes. “Fight in the hallways, I don’t care, but this is not going to happen in my classroom. When you’re done, head to McGonagall’s office. I’m sure she’d like to have a word with you two delinquents.” 

Jungkook stares at you, rubbing at the bruise blooming on his cheek. 

The door swings closed, slamming in your face. With a huff, you turn around and vanish the potion residue still left on your clothes with a quick spell. You barely spare a glance for Jungkook. He stands several feet away, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. 

“Do you have something to say?” You snap. 

He opens his mouth. Then closes it. 

You roll your eyes. “Listen, Jeon. I know you did that on purpose. Very funny prank, absolutely hilarious. Truly, I’m rolling on the floor laughing right now.” 

Jungkook’s eyes drop to the floor as if he expected to see you there, laughing. 

“Let’s just go to McGonagall’s already,” you say, posture slumping at the thought of being yelled at by the intimidating professor.  

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” he says. Jungkook rolls his shoulders, and you see him gain some of his usual bravado. “We were playing a game, I already explained this to you.” 

You bark out a laugh, just one. “I’m not stupid.” 

He cocks a brow. “Are you sure? I bet my potion was better than yours even though I was dicking around for the entire class.” 

“Fuck off.” 

“Hit a nerve?” 

“No.” 

It’s like this, for the long, long, long trek from the dungeons to Gryffindor tower where McGonagall’s office is. 

“You know, you don’t have to be such an asshole all the time,” you say, turning the corner. Jungkook jogs after you to keep up. 

“I don’t? No way, all this time I thought it was mandatory.” 

He sounds more upset than snarky, and in your present state of blind rage, you don’t have a single clue why he would be upset. He’s the one who ruined your potion and got you sent to McGonagall’s office. He’s the one who has been a splinter the size of Greenland in your thumb for five years and counting. 

“Besides,” he adds, as if you wanted to have a conversation with him, “you’re the one who fucking punched me in the face. It’s kinda hypocritical to call me an asshole in this situation.” 

“That’s a really big word, Jungkook. Did you finally learn how to read?” 

Jungkook’s face crumples into a frown. “Shut up.” 

“Hit a nerve?” You mock. 

You think getting to McGonagall’s office is a relief until you’re finally there. McGonagall is all but screeching at the two of you. You’ve heard the same lecture several hundred times, but never in such a high pitch. You offer to make her some herbal tea for her throat, and she only gives you the evil eye. Jungkook snorts beside you. You ignore him, nudging him in the ribs with your elbow. 

“Never in my days…”

“...Such stupidity from my own students!”

You fade in and out of consciousness during the lecture, and one look at Jungkook tells you he’s doing the same. 

“Detention for both of you. I will see the two of you here at 9 pm sharp every day for the rest of the week,” McGonagall finally says. 

Jungkook groans. 

“I’m being generous,” McGonagall says. “If I see the two of you acting like violent animals again, I can and will suspend you both from the Gryffindor Quidditch team.” 

You and Jungkook both make sounds of protest, only to be drowned out by McGonagall. 

“I hate to see my own team lose, but it has been five years of your childish fights. You two will learn to be civil to each other, and I will make sure of it.” 

The tone of her voice makes you uneasy. Jungkook beats you to the question that’s on both of your minds. “What are you going to do to us?” 

The fear in his voice would make you smile if you weren’t practically shaking in your boots yourself. 

“As you know, in Transfiguration, I am going to be having everyone work in teams this year. I was going to let you choose your partners, but you two have not earned that privilege.” 

You turn to face Jungkook. He’s staring back at you in wide-eyed horror. 

“You both are now partners in Transfiguration. Sit by each other and complete the projects together. I will not tolerate any misbehaving in my class, and if you don’t work as a team, you will be risking your own grades.” McGonagall stares at the two of you with the smallest of smiles, disgustingly smug. She’s enjoying this, and you hate her for it. 

“But-”

“Professor!” 

“I won’t hear it!” She shouts. Jungkook recoils. “This is final. If you have a problem, you should’ve thought about that before brawling like wrestlers in Potions.” 

You hang your head, staring at how the end of your robes skims your shoes. You don’t like to be dramatic, but this sure feels like the end of the world. The rest of your year is probably ruined, thanks to McGonagall essentially sentencing you to Jungkook duty. Not to mention Transfiguration is your hardest class, even without having to compete with Jungkook. You don’t doubt that this would make everything so much harder. 

“That’s all I have to say to you. Please leave,” McGonagall says, pressing a thumb and index finger into her forehead. 

The two of you file out of her office, stumbling down the empty hallway. You walk in silence, thankful that classes aren’t out yet. You stop a few corridors down, and Jungkook stops next to you.

You look at him, really look at him. Other than the bruise on his face a la you, he has a sweet face and kind eyes. You remind yourself that it’s fake. 

You take a step closer to him, and he tilts his head at you, nonplussed. 

“Y/N?” 

You brush a hand on his cheekbone, where you hit him. 

“Does it hurt?” You ask. 

The hallway is empty, but Jungkook still looks both ways before responding to you, as if you were a car hurtling towards him on the street. He gulps at your proximity to him, how he can feel your breath mingling with his own and your fingertips’ gentle pressure on his face. 

“A little,” he says, quieter than you. “You really know how to use your fists, huh?” 

He laughs. To your ears, it sounds forced. You smile. Checkmate. 

Without warning, you grab his tie and jerk his face down to yours, leaving just a breath of space between your noses. You lean even closer to Jungkook, and a smile ghosts your lips when you feel him moving closer to you at the same time. You wait for one more moment, letting your warm breath hit his skin. The moment he closes his eyes, you whisper, “Good.” 

His eyes flutter back open, confused, and you take your foot and slam it down on his. He all but howls in pain, nearly knocking his head into yours as he hops away. 

"What was that for?"

"If you still don't know, then maybe I need to step on you again." You narrow your eyes at him, still close enough to register the clean linen smell of his clothes. “Do not cross me again. I need a good grade in Transfiguration this year, and I won’t let you ruin that for me.” 

"McGonagall is right there. I could go tell her," he threatens. His eyes are wide, and you pick up on the slightest fear under his façade of arrogance. 

"Okay, do it. See if I care, asshole." 

You spin on your heel and storm down the corridor, leaving a stunned Jungkook in your wake. 

[loving-all-for-loki]

Your writing is so wonderful! Could I maybe request something comforting? I’m currently recovering from a surgery to repair my foot with bone anchors and I’ll be bed ridden for 6 weeks. Maybe something with Loki being very supportive and caring for the reader 24/7, moving into her room etc. and the team are just surprised at how helpful he’s being to her. 🤗.

A/N: I’m sorry if I posted this at a weird time, but I have the next chapter to my series Voiceless Love coming out and I wanted to give this fic some time to be seen before that got posted. It’s also a little short, but I felt like this was perfect as a short and sweet fic, instead of a 2k+ story, haha. Also, I know it isn’t 100% exactly what you wanted, but I get stuck with one idea and run with it, oops. I hope you are getting better with your foot. That stinks so much and I’ve been there with my own ankle injuries. If you have any requests for some fics while you recover, send them my way! I always need some inspo and if I can give you some entertainment during your recovery, that would be great. Now, read this, get some sleep, and drink some water. I hope you heal nicely <3

Lucky

Loki x reader

Word count: 1533

Warnings: Pure fluff, just fluff, fluffiness, maybe a bit of sexualizing Loki (I couldn’t help myself)

Seeing your friends carrying big heavy boxes for you swells your heart. It’s also hilarious to see Thor actually struggling to carry something. Tony finds it amusing too given that he’s not doing any of the work but it’s sipping mimosas next to you. Thor grumbles about getting all the heavy boxes, but you also know Sam and Bucky purposely avoid the big ones.

If someone were to tell you ten years ago that you’d be saved from getting tortured by Hydra and become an Avenger, you’d tell them they’re delusional, but this is your life. Even after years of torture and pain, you considered yourself lucky. You could have been the new Soldat, ruined over and over again to be a war machine, but now you’re a trained assassin like Bucky and Nat with a broken leg.

You lean yourself against a wall in your room with your crutches beside you (along with Tony, of course, that lazy bum). Steve, Bucky, and Thor are carrying in boxes while Sam, Nat, and Peter help unpack some things. Today is the day you officially move into the tower with the rest of your teammates and due to your current disability, the other avengers offered to help you. Another reason why you consider yourself lucky.

Peter is by far the most adorable on the team. He’s fully unpacking for you, even arranging the frames on your shelves and the organizers on your desk. He at point made your bed when Steve brought in your blankets and sheets. Bucky has been super sweet, too, giving you funny looks every time he passes by and asking where the best spot for the box he is carrying to go.

But the one “avenger” you didn’t expect to be as helpful as he is, is Loki. The others told him to move out of the way, not wanting his condescending attitude to ruin the fun day, but Loki started to carry boxes in as well. The first time, the avengers were stunned by him, but then they were gracious because he used his magic to transport them, making the job go by quicker. Loki just stands at the bottom of the truck outside and wipes his hand over each cardboard box, sending it to your room.

You really are lucky.

-

Two days pass by and you decide to ignore your laziness and finally unpack the rest of your boxes. You attempt to push some photo boxes on the top of your shelves, but you find yourself stretching so hard to reach the top. Your foot injury really is stupid and you just want to be able to normal walk, or jump, or even go on your tip toes.

Then you hear a sly chuckle coming from behind you. You let out a frustrated sign knowing exactly who it is.

“Loki, if you’re going to stand there and laugh at me, could you least help me and laugh at me?”

“Of course, darling.” He jokes.

He comes up behind you and takes the box from your struggling fingertips and carefully paces it on top of the shelf.

“Is there anything else you helpless being needs help with?”

“I could use help with hanging my window curtains.”

You point to the box in the corner with your large sheer curtains folded in them. He chuckles and goes over the box, carefully picking them up and hanging them on the frame. You can’t help but notice his figure as he hangs them. He is a marvelous being and who are you to deny your eyes of such a sight?

The sight in front of you proved that you are lucky

-

Tony gathers the group for a game night and it results in everyone becoming drunk and children. At some point, it becomes a truth or drink game night and everyone has their poison. You have your legs laid over Loki’s lap, who was really hard to convince to join the game, and a bottle of Smirnoff Ice in your hand, only because Tony didn’t have anything else. Loki’s slowly running his fingers over your legs, but higher than your cast.

“Okay, Steve,” Natasha coos, “your turn. Have you ever done drugs?”

“I did marijuana in high school once.”

The whole team gasps and whistles at his answer.

“Captain ain’t so wholesome, now, is he?” Sam cackles.

“I remember that night,” Bucky laughs, “You were so high.”

Steve chuckles and nods his head before looking to see you cuddled up next to Loki and gets a wicked idea.

“Loki, you’ve been quiet. Your turn.”

“Please no, I’m beyond your little games.”

“Aw come on, brother! One question won’t hurt you,” Thor laughs.

“Who in this room would ever kiss?”

Tony whistles and takes a sip of his drink as everyone else laughs. You can feel the ice giant get slightly warm out of embarrassment. His face is flushed with a rose pink color as you get nervous, lightly chuckling to himself.

“I uh…”

“Answer it. Answer it. Answer it.” Sam chants.

Everyone chuckles at the clear uncomfortableness of the god, not seeing him like this often.

“Y/N.” He whispers, almost too quiet for you to even hear.

“Louder, brother. I couldn’t hear you,” Thor says innocently.

“Y/N.”

You smile up at Loki in shock. He won’t look down to meet your eyes but stares straight out the window past Tony. The entire team cheers and chuckles.

“Oh, we’re never letting that one down.”

“How lucky am I?” You laugh.

-

You attempt to cook yourself some lunch but your stupid cast is getting in the way of moving around. It’s getting tiring to pick up your crutches every time you need a tool two feet away from you. Letting out a frustrated sigh, you hit the edge of the counter with the spatula in your hand.

“What is wrong, dearest?”

You turn your head to see Loki standing behind you with a concerned look on his face, this time not here to make fun of you.

“I’m tired of my stupid foot getting in the way of doing normal activities.”

“Darling, sit down. I’ll make lunch for you.”

“Loki, you really-”

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to.”

Loki picks you up and sets you down on the couch while also handing you the remote. He goes to the kitchen and attempts to resume your lunch.

“Sweetest, what are you cooking?”

You laugh really hard at his confusion.

“Fajitas.”

“What are those?”

“See Loki, it’s fine! You really don’t have to.”

“And I’m not going to. I’ll make Stark do it.”

Loki orders JARVIS to get Tony and finish making lunch for you. You laugh and shake your head at Loki as he sits down beside you on the couch. He starts to run his fingers through your hair but keeps getting caught in the tangles.

“Why is your hair like this?”

“It’s hard to do anything while standing up. I can barely brush my teeth without falling over.”

“Well, it looks like I’ll do that for you, too.”

“Loki, I swear if you-”

“No point in arguing. I’m going to assist you.”

You rolls your eyes at the cocky god as he smiles at you. Nuzzling your head into his neck, Loki holds you tightly in an embrace. Tony comes in to see you two cuddling and shakes his head.

“You are so lucky we love you.”

-

You wake up the next day to see Loki sleeping beside you on your bed. You try to remember anything that happened last night, but you were so tired, nothing comes to mind. If you didn’t have a broken foot, you would be concerned about waking up next to a god, but you also know he wouldn’t have done anything with your injury. He’s too kind (much to some disbelief).

“Good morning, darling.”

Loki leans over to you and kisses you on the forehead. He wasn’t as asleep as you thought he was, but you’re not complaining. Waking up beside this adonis isn’t the worst way to spend a morning.

“Good morning.”

“I don’t care what you say,” Loki smiles, brushing a piece of your hair behind your ear, “you’re staying in bed and I’m waiting on you.”

“That’s very sweet. Thank you.”

“I’m glad someone learned something last night.”

“Actually, I don’t remember a lot from last night. I was tired.”

“We bickered about me waiting on you, hand and foot.”

“Hmm, that sounds about right.”

“So, today I’m treating you like a proper princess.”

“Does that mean we’re together?”

Loki looks at you confused, but his face lights up when he realizes what you’re implying.

“I suppose so. In that case, my princess, I will wait on you.”

You watched as the god all day served you lunch and dinner. He brushed your hair and teeth. Helped you change clothes. Played your music to cheer you up. Even carried you to the bathroom when you had to go.

Thinking about all the things your friends have done for you and all of the things that Loki, your prince, has done, all you can say is how lucky you are.