#they've got their priorities sorted out

[totohasitprintedout]

How I imagine things went at redbull before Las Vegas-

Christian: okay so did you guys remember to pack the correct rear wing?

Mechanic 1: uhhh-

Mechanic 2: well-

Mechanic 3: look at this cool M4X WDC merch that just arrived

Christian: ...

Christian: ...

Christian: ...

Christian: ✨ omg so cute let's try them on ✨

[lifeonmarz-blog]

Every planet in the 12th: Observations

The 12th house shows you in which ways you can leave the biggest impact on the world in the purest most intentional way if you so choose.

*I didn't feel like proof reading spare me*

sun in the 12th often misperceived or seen as having underlining motives even when that is furthest from the truth. Actually quite often upfront with their intentions regardless if they know more than they've led you to believe. The projection others put on them is veryyy high, sun person unconsciously triggering deep seated wounds in others while they just assume they’re having a normal conversation. They either love gossip or are always being brought up in gossip. Attracting secret admirers bc of the taboo aspect of their personality. They teach others how to be themselves through example and that gives them the popular loner vibe, everyone wants to know whats going on in their life. Though Its often not as interesting as the stories that are being created about them (probably at home chilling). Unintentionally very funny their light hearted nature makes others feel comfortable. They know how to create warm welcomes. They can read animals minds. They dress how they feel. Escape artist. Probably through music, film or imagination. Gift for photography.

moon in 12th romantic relationships have a big influence on these people. They'll change their whole life around to fit into their lovers life for better or worse. Naturally harmonious these people are seemingly unsuspecting until you piss them off then you realize they just choose to keep peace. Prone to escapism usually through some sort of creative pursuit turned business. Obviously not forward with their feelings ppl tend to label them as having their head in the clouds when in reality they have plans its just nobody else's business. There's a love/resentful relationship with the mother. The mother could've been a physical provider but not emotional. These ppl had to nurture and comfort themselves and it made them very good at being those things for others. Children and animals loveeeee them. They are givers and don't mind sharing for the greater good. Dependable and persistent they can stick out something they feel is important. But if they don't care... Oh its very obvious. That job they don't like? Oh don't even worry about it they'll quit. They don't like feeling stressed or unharmonious and don't mind removing anything thats trying to hinder that. In the lower natures this creates a person that ignores anything that would make them have to readjust their behavior. Extremely delusional and misreads the room quite often. Very emotional changing how they feel about you frequently. It can become hard to give and receive trust.

Mars in the 12th manifest things/experiences so easy especially through their connections. They know how to put themselves in the right rooms with the right people. They date people that improve their social standing and they do the same in return. When its comes to career they could've seemed like the runt in the group but they grew themselves to be well respected in their field. Often hearing ''you only got this because''. They attract a lot of haters jealous of their success or the way they got their success. these people are attractive and naturally have a body others envy, they always have options and good ones at that.

Venus in 12th boy oh boy the hopeless romantics, but whats so hopeless about it? Others may often wonder why you picked the person you did viewing you as opposites. There may be an age gap or cultural difference. The women often choose partners that have a different social standing or perception than their own. The Men do the same though their more willing to be in relationships with unrequited love. Have had their fair share of infidelity issues until they found the person that would ride or die for them and vise versa. Privacy and trust are high priority for these people. Very good at socializing they know how to read what is needed to improve the energy of a space. Their parties/hostings are always so inviting and rememberable. They work very well with children and animals. Especially those in need. Fostering is something they wouldn't mind doing, along with nursing things back to health. Examples hair, nails. Plants etc. Very crafty they'd create beautiful jewelry and clothing. Their style is unique and acquired taste even. Controlling an image or narrative comes natural these Pol could do damage control for celebrities. When Ppl are in a frantic state they know how to calm assist.

Mercury in 12th are good at controlling the narratives around themselves. People hand on to every word that's said. These are the types that prefer to talk when necessary and not give out to much information. Just enough to keep you hooked. They have a unique sound and are musically inclined it helps that they think outside of the box. Usually the leader of the group because of their ability to see the broader picture and keep everyones best interest at heart. They attract haters bc they set high goals for themselves they get viewed as outlandish or unpractical when actually they just believe in themselves and remain optimistic. They know alot about very specific niche things.

Jupiter in the 12th don't get the credit they deserve for being so iconic. They really are trendsetters that break molds and stereotypes and tend receive backlash for the things they say & do simply because they were the first to do it. Opening up the pathway for others to show up more authentically and protected. They have big expression and are passionate about the things they choose to do. Their not afraid to speak their truth and having a forgiving nature. Creative pursuits are well received by the public attracting sponsors easily. Its also easy for them to find/create a community ppl reall gravitate to them. Their kryptonite lies in their self esteem. If they can't face rejection they'll hide the best parts of themselves. Only seeing the beauty in others and not what they offer the world.

Saturn in the 12th need to know when to stop while their ahead. They get into unnecessary battles bc of a fragile or inflated ego. When the ego is healthy this makes for a very powerful person that commands rooms with ease. They make Pol want to sit up in their chair when they walk in. These Pol are stubborn but more often than not it works out in their favor. Very hard workers and the same energy they apply is expected from those around them. If they put in 80 hrs a week they expect the same from you, if I can do it why can't you mentality. They achieve alot and Ppl notice it but its like no one ever sees them working they just see the finished product and know a lot had to be done behind the scenes. For example let's say someone is very popular you know they would've had to built those relationships you just didn't see it happen. They could have a guilt complex about their achievements and feel like theirs still more they should be doing for other ppl. Growing up as the star, the golden child, the one thats going to help the family put a lot of pressure and responsibility on them. This could've also affected the relationship between the others siblings. Lastly these Ppl are either very serious about punctuality or show up whenever they want to. Maybe even both they could've started out one way and over time became another way. When saturn is damaged they run from responsibility and are viewed as childish and never learning from their lessons.

Neptune in the 12th know how to win over the audience. I chose the word audience bc they love an audience. Ppl will make excuses for their behavior like ''you know they had a rough childhood'' as if that excuses hurting others. Professional sympathy grabbers even when their not even trying and great ass kissers when they want to be. That is in neptunes lower natures ofc. These ppl speak their mind without a fuck given. This is like the only pile im cursing in and that kind of explains them. Their going to say what they want and don't mind shaking the room up. Image is important to them. They'll study their own footage to see what they looked like, sounded like, acted like, and change anything they deem as not fitting. They could be great actors or social media personalities. Also would be good at managing social media accounts. These ppl may be easily persuaded especially by those they view as having a higher social ranking than themselves. Knowing how to adapt to any environment is their strong suit. They act as a mirror in their environment and reflect back whatever energy you give them. To a T at that. They know when to play it up or be more lowkey. This is type of person to always leave lasting impressions on ppl. They could be the first in a taboo field to achieve something. Like being the first pornstar to get 100 million views. Its like when you think you have them figured out they do something else that shows there's many other sides to them. Often hearing ''i didnt think I would like you at first''. With a great sense of humor they know how to laugh at themselves and lighten the mood they don't take life to seriously. They attract a lot of unique ppl their friend group is very expansive. They could be friends with a stripper and an attorney. Hell they might've been a stripper and an attorney.

Uranus in the 12th they just pop up and ppl are surprised like ''omg what are doing here'' these ppl are held in high regard mostly bc their very selective with their energy, your viewed as a busy person so when you come around it makes ppl feel lucky. You treat others fairly and want everyone around you to feel accepted. You value keeping the peace. The fact that I'm even using you instead of they is a reflection of how inclusion is important for you. Having an eccentric vibe is more obvious here but alot of ppl go the opposite way and don't want to appear uniquely at all they actually want to be as plain Jane as possible. This can actually rub ppl the wrong way and make them feel something is being hidden from them like your pretending. Feeling criticized in childhood is why accepting others is something they prioritize. They end up in rooms with many different types of ppl. This placement has a lot of experience in a lot of different areas. With a free spirited nature they are open to trying new things pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone quite often.

Pluto in the 12th, a quiet energy standing in the back of the room scoping out the scenery. They notice more than ppl realize and are smarter than they let on. Often having their power tested bc of their calm observing demeanor. Ppl try to make them feel they don't belong in certain environments or that their not really qualified but they don't mind showing you why that perception isn't accurate. They know how to push back. The type to pretend they don't care about popularity but they work very hard at obtaining it. But maybe they don't care about the popularity just the power that it brings. Knowing the value of relationships they put alot into maintaining them. They are very giving to those around them. Self sacrificing even, its like they believe thats how you show someone you really care. These are some of the most passionate people you'll meet. They just know how to make you feel understood and seen. They make everyone feel special. This is one of the most intense placements for the 12th house. The transformations are deep, murky, confusing but it breeds and very self sufficient determined person. They question everything and are always growing and adapting. When they find something they like they become obsessive about it. They will work for extended amounts at a time. Like binging behavior. In Pluto's lower natures they develop a chip or their shoulder and use their influence to hurt others. If they are operating from that place they become very good at it. If they are never brought into awareness they continue generational curses but their children will have it worse than they did. These are the type of Pol that will tell you a traumatic experience in such a casual way and your just left like wtf you said that like it was normal. They also could've grew up experiencing their traumas being brushed off like they were normal. They were familiar with death from a young age and may have felt like they never really were a child. They build the trust of others easily and its bc their honest. It is what it is to them. They are natural born leaders it doesn't take much convincing & they don't mind leading the way as long as you give them their accolades for it. Mind you they could have a god complex but to be fair if you've experienced or achieved the things they have you might too.

[jewishvitya]

I'm annoyed, I need to vent. I keep seeing this "a few bad apples" kind of attitude:

The reply isn't wrong. Yes, he's considered an extremist. Just like Ben-Gvir is considered an extremist. Just like Smotrich is considered an extremist.

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich got 10% of the votes in the last elections.

Just a bit ago someone sent me a video of Smotrich calling for genocide and asked me "are those subtitles real?" Because people check with me for Hebrew. And it was real. He said, explicitly, "Rafah, Deir al Balah, Nuseirat, total extermination." None of this is surprising from them. They've always been like this, this isn't new, and they won 10% of votes.

Often on posts by myself or other anti-zionist Israelis, especially posts showing protests, I see people saying "remember the people aren't the government" and yes, that's true, we're not, it's so important to remember that. But it's so infuriating to me when I see people talking like Israeli society wants to reach fairness and justice and coexistence and politicians are getting in the way. Like we aren't in line with our government on a lot. Why, because we hate Netanyahu?

Hating Netanyahu means nothing. I know people who hate Netanyahu so they voted for Bennett, who is further right than him. I know people who hate Netanyahu because he isn't brutal enough for them, they think he's holding back, they'd want someone like Ben-Gvir or Smotrich to be Prime Minister. I don't know many people who hate Netanyahu for being too far to the right. The biggest group are on the same page as him in terms of what the goal is (no Palestinian state), they just think he's doing a bad job of it and he's too corrupt. They're good with the Likkud, they just want to get rid of Netanyahu and his people, and then the party will be fixed in their eyes.

That's why, for me the next question I always want to ask is, who are we voting for. Which policies are we voting for. And the left-leaning political parties don't get voters.

In Israel "left" and "right" are practically decided according to opinions about Palestine. You could be pro-LGBTQ, pro socialist policies, pro all sorts of lefty ideas, but if you're right wing on Palestine you'll call yourself a right winger in Israel. I knew an antifeminist pro-capitalist MRA incel who considers himself a leftist because he supports a Palestinian state. I am not exaggerating, I'm not making up a character, I met him a few years ago through shared friends, he visited my apartment at some point.

So when I'm saying leftist parties don't get votes, that's because Israeli society broadly agrees with the right wing ABOUT PALESTINE. It's the first priority most of us have when voting. And we don't vote for anything that has a chance to improve their lives, because we're scared. We want to keep them in check.

Israelis are in denial about the fascism in our own society, so those who are too explicit about it, too outspoken about being nationalist, are just... "who can take them seriously?" All while they have the support of 1 out of 10 Israelis.

I'm not saying "assume that every Israeli is evil, you should want us all dead." Just... we're in denial about our own society, and it drives me crazy when people pretend like the problem isn't as big as it is.

[stevieschrodinger]

Part One

“Double denim, bold choice.”

I’m not, like, doing this on purpose, Billy huffs, leaning against the bathroom wall. Maybe it’s you.

“What’s me?”

Maybe it’s you choosing my outfits, maybe it’s not even me.

“What like my own regular dress up Barbie, Billy edition?”

Maybe.

Eddie squints in the mirror, initially thinks he’s going to go for some speedos or something but then figures that’s way too telling. Billy Hargrove is hot, sure, with his curls and his stupid little mustache and his fucking golden tanned biceps- He concentrates on a Dio tee shirt instead. Like really fucking tries to switch the plain white tee Billy is wearing but – nope. Nothing happens.

You look like you’re constipated.

Eddie rolls his eyes, “It’s not me. The outfit. Or if it is, it’s not me doing it like, consciously.”

I know it ain’t you, Billy pops the collar of the jacket, hunches his shoulders and eyes himself in the mirror, you wouldn’t pick this, I actually look good.

And he does, especially next to Eddie. Eddie’s still bruised to hell and walking like he’s a hundred and fifty years old. Eddie’s hair is a greasy mess and he’s got patchy stubble all over his face. Eddie is still rocking a hospital gown. Eddie knows he looks like shit, and on top of all that he's now actually offended, "this isn't exactly what I'd normally choose to wear Hargrove."

Eddie’s got strict instructions to be quick, and to press the call button right after so the nurse can put fresh dressings on him. Eddie promises himself to do instruction number two to make up for the fact that he's playing fast and loose with instruction number one.

The water just feels so good. Even if he has been standing too long and he's slumped against the wall, it feels so good to wash all this shit off him. The near death. The upside down. The smell of hospital. All of it. He could stand here all day, but he knows, physically, his body will let him down on that one sooner or later, so he gets on with it.

Is that a bar of soap?? On your hair??? Billy sounds beyond horrified.

“Shhhh man, let me enjoy being clean.”

Tell me this isn’t normally how you wash your hair.

“Alright, I won’t.”

When we get out of here that’s the first thing we are going to sort out. Your hair is a fixer upper but we can definitely do something with it.

Eddie sighs, “can we think about this another time, my hair is like, not my priority right now.”

Billy falls silent for all of two minutes, jesus Munson, where have you been hiding that?

“My dick is not up for discussion.”

Why is he looking at you like that?

Eddie desperately tries to ignore Billy, but when he’s actually having a conversation it’s fucking hard, “thanks Steve.”

“And I rescued your guitar too, I don’t think there’s anything left at the trailer, but I’m pretty sure Owen’s won’t let me in again anyway, one and done kind of deal, plus I think they're going to like, take it away? Maybe?-”

Does he usually ramble like this?

“-anyway, I saved everything I could. It's in my garage right now, and these are the books I brought in for now, Dustin said you really like this one-”

Who the fuck is Dustin? Isn’t that one of Max’s little twerps?

“-but if there’s any that you want, just ask. Or something different, they've reopened the library now.”

What has happened to him? Didn’t he used to be cool?

“Thanks Steve,” Eddie can feel his fucking eye twitching, trying to ignore Billy, “I really appreciate all this man, like, I can’t tell you how much.” He thinks he's talking too loud to try and drown out Billy, and then tries to speak normally. Knows he's being weird from how Steve looks at him.

Suck up.

Shut the fuck up, he’s doing a nice thing.

“You okay? You went a bit like, cross eyed there.”

“Fine, fine, just not a hundred percent yet, or whatever.”

“Right right,” Steve nods, “I’m going to go and get the kids, they’re in with Max-"

What does he mean, they’re with Max? The panic that radiates from Billy is almost palpable.

Eddie repeats the words before he can even think it through, "what do you mean, they're in with Max?"

Steve rubs his forehead, then runs his hands through his hair and sits down again, "right, sorry. I did mean to tell you about this-"

Make him get to the fucking point.

"-so she was going to be the fourth sacrifice, right? Well El managed to stop it, from wherever she was. And that was what like, weakened Vecna? Stopped his plan or whatever, and I swear she's fine, she's getting better already, like woke up almost right away once Vecna was dead, Lucas says - but, he still hurt her. Both arms and legs are broken and," Steve takes a deep breath, looks constipated for a second, "she can't see."

The sight of Chrissie's white eyes flash unavoidably in Eddie's head. The sound of the cracking of her bones.

What does all that even mean? What the fuck is Vecna? Sacrifice? Does he mean Henry-

"Shhhhh just shut up a minute-"

"Oh," Steve sits back surprised, "sorry." He looks like a kicked puppy, "sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it's just...been a lot lately," jesus Steve looks like he's going to cry. "Sorry, I know it wasn't really my decision but it felt like you've been through a lot the last few days and I didn't want to make it worse - shit. Sorry. I'll uhm, stop now."

"Sorry. No," Eddie rushes to explain, waving his hands at Steve, "not, not you. Just the...this stupid fucking voice in my head-"

You're stupid.

"-I just, got overwhelmed. I'm sorry. I," Eddie huffs, "are you sure she's alright?"

Steve brightens, "yeah, she's doing great, the doctors are amazed at how fast she's picking up. But then, she's so fucking stubborn."

That's my girl.

"So stubborn," Eddie agrees.

"El says it wasn't even all her, she said Max fought so hard, it was amazing," Steve looks so fond, so goddam proud of her, Eddie cant help but smile.

They end up sitting like that for a second, just smiling at each other softly.

Okay, so what the fuck is happening right now?

Eddie clears his throat, looks away, and Steve stands up again, "you sure you're ready for this?”

“Yeah, yeah. I mean, thanks for keeping them off my back until now, I really appreciate it, you know.”

“Yeah, they’re great, but they're...a lot. Don’t ever tell them I said that I like them.”

“Your secrets safe with me.”

In Eddie’s head, Billy makes barfing noises.

I want to go and see her.

The second this lot clear out, I swear we will, I'm allowed out of bed now, so there's no stopping us-

But then Dustin’s there, throwing himself at Eddie, and all the kids are chattering all over each other, and Billy stays quiet for a little while.

“Don’t worry about me, Hellfire will rise again! In fact, next time you guys are in, bring my DnD books and something to write with and I’ll start planning-”

“The nurse said nothing too strenuous,” Steve glowers at him, from his perch on the other side of the room.

“Stevie! Baby! It’s just a little creative thought, a little world building, a little planning, don’t you worry your pretty little head about little old me-”

Is Harrington blushing???

Eddie slides right over that and carries on because that is the dumbest shit he’s ever heard and Steve’s already hiding behind his jock sports fixtures magazine, or whatever the fuck it is he’s reading.

“So where’s the little super hero? Do I get to meet her?”

“El wanted to stay with Max, didn’t want to leave her alone.”

“Oh,” Eddie feels warm inside. That’s real good of her, “that’s real good of her.”

Part Three

[emchant3d]

the aftermath of Steve downplaying his injuries from the bats, a steddie thread 🧵 (also on twt here)

Eddie didn’t get it at first.

Sure, he’d seen Steve after the bat attack. He’d been bloody and a little loopy and bruised to hell, but they’d had priorities.

And Eddie was a little preoccupied, what with the whole being wanted for murder thing. Sue him if he was too self-involved to worry about Harrington’s injuries past shoving the gay panic down when he watched him bite a bat and then rend it in half with his bare hands.

And then he’d known nothing but pain, and then he hadn’t known anything at all, until he’d finally woken in the hospital, his name cleared, his nipple gone, and Steve Harrington sleeping at his bedside.

Several people - Robin most of all, pushy and panicked - tried to get Steve to let the doctors look him over, but he shrugged them all off each time. According to him they’d cleaned him up on the way in, disinfected the bites and slapped some stitches in place.

He insisted that since he hadn’t been admitted, he was fine - shook the orange bottle of antibiotics he’d been prescribed and everything. “Guys, come on,” he’d said, rolling his eyes. “Eddie just got out of a coma. Let’s focus on people who actually need medical attention, yeah?” 

It had worked. Everyone had swarmed around Eddie to fawn over him instead, and while Eddie had glared at Steve tiredly at the time, he’d admit that he’d enjoyed it.

 It was nice to be worried over. Stifling, sure, and he felt a bit guilty, but mostly he was just happy to be fucking alive and happy to have other people also be happy about it. 

So he’ll confess - he let himself be used as a distraction. He let Steve deflect. In his defense, it worked on him too. He had no idea how bad Steve’s injuries had really been. Had no context at the time to guess how much Steve would downplay them.

So yeah, Eddie didn’t get it at first. But now, months later, now that they’ve saved the world and they’ve gotten closer and they’re friends, they’re more, he’s starting to understand.

Steve is self-sacrificing. Thank fuck it’s small-scale stuff now, watching him bitch but still drop everything to be there for the kids in a heartbeat, hearing the phone ring and Steve answer with a low “hey, Robbie–” and knowing he’s lost him for the rest of the day.

But then they’re hanging out one day, just the two of them, and it’s late and they're going to bed and they don't discuss it first just like they never do, but they're sharing the bed. 

Somehow Steve's avoided changing in front of Eddie, not that Eddie's been waiting for it - he just realizes it when he turns and sees that Steve's dropped his pants.

It's funny. They've held one another and whispered back and forth and traded soft, careful kisses that they don't talk about much, but he's never seen Steve bare. It's an odd thing to realize. 

Then Steve pulls his shirt off, and Eddie's stomach lurches.

“Holy fuck,” he says, strangled, unable to hold it back, and Steve looks over at him, immediately on edge.

“What?” he asks, dropping his shirt, hand twitching to the side like he’s going to grab the nearest blunt object - the nail bat is below the bed, Eddie sees Steve’s eyes dart towards it - to use as a weapon. Eddie ignores him, walking instead to him and grabbing his shoulders.

“Stevie,” he says, soft, bodily turning Steve so he can see his back.

The scars are fucking brutal. The skin is rough and discolored, pockmarked with pinkish new flesh that doesn’t blend in with the tan freckled expanse. They stretch down the length of his back on both sides, gnarly and uneven. Eddie swallows hard.

“Honey,” he says, and watches the spine in front of him stiffen. “What the fuck happened here?” He knows it has to be some sort of upside down bullshit, and he tries to fit it in with the horror stories he’s heard, but he’s coming up blank.

Steve is silent. His shoulders hunch a little, making his back bend, stretching the taut skin tighter. Eddie raises a hand and lays the gentlest touch he can to the scars. Steve still flinches. Eddie stills, but he doesn’t pull away.

He lets the quiet sit for a few beats, then steps a little closer, free hand fitting around the jut of Steve’s hip bone to pull his back to his chest. He ducks his head and brushes his lips in the space between Steve’s shoulder blades. Feels the edges of the scars with his mouth.

It’s more intimate than they’ve ever been, but something in Eddie is pulling at his heart, telling him it’s okay. That he doesn’t need to be scared of it, not here. Not now. 

Steve has trouble talking sometimes. Eddie’s getting better about waiting him out. It’s always worth it and now is no exception. “Do you remember–” he starts, halting and quiet, then cuts himself off. “Of course you remember, sorry - the bats - my bats, not - not yours.”

Eddie just nods. “I remember,” he says. He rubs at Steve’s hip with his thumb, a soft, repetitive motion, the same kind of touch he likes to give the nape of Steve’s neck when the other boy curls up on his chest at night. 

It soothes them both, and some tension leaves Steve. “Before, uh. Before you guys got down there - well, you saw them grab me and, uh, pull me down. They kinda…dragged me.” Eddie frowns. 

“Dragged you,” he says, soft, and Steve nods. Eddie leans back just enough to see the scars again. They look like fucking road rash - and that’s essentially what they are, Eddie realizes, thinking of the dried-up lakebed, the stone and debris Steve would have been raked over. 

He thinks of the distance between the gate and where they found Steve, tries to imagine how far Steve was dragged, and he feels a little sick. “Sweetheart,” he says, soft, and Steve makes a small, pained noise. 

Eddie shifts closer again, wraps both arms tight around Steve’s middle, pulls him in close and tucks his nose into his throat. “Musta hurt like a bitch,” he says quietly, and Steve gives a tiny shrug. He lays his arms over Eddie’s, hands over hands, fingers lacing together. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Steve just shakes his head. 

“Too much was going on. We barely had time to wrap up the bites, I wasn’t gonna stop us just to patch up the rest.” Eddie gives a frustrated sound.

“We could have spared a few minutes–” Steve interrupts him before he can get a good rant going. 

“We couldn’t. You know we couldn’t.” Eddie grits his teeth.

“Fine. Fine, but what about after? When we saved the world and you were sooo adamant you didn’t need a doctor?”

“Other people needed it more than me. You, Max, fuck - Eddie the whole town was in pieces.” Eddie doesn’t give a fuck about the whole town. Never has. Especially doesn’t now, knowing Steve never got the care he really needed. 

He’s gearing up for a whole rant about it, but Steve keeps talking. “Besides,” he says, “I didn’t want anyone to worry.” And oh.

Suddenly, Eddie understands with perfect clarity and hates that he kind of wishes he still didn’t get it.

This was Steve at his self-sacrificing best - or worst. This was the aftermath of Steve putting himself last. Sure, these days it means he’s a little worn out from looking after the kids, or he’s drained from allowing Robin to change their plans on a dime.

But not long ago, the aftermath was this. Bruises, aches and pains and injuries that still bother him now, will bother him for the rest of his life. Repeated concussions and head trauma. Chronic migraines. Blurry vision and weak hearing on his left side.

And scars. Scars that he downplays and hides and does his best to not acknowledge. Something close to rage coils in Eddie, but he tamps it down. There’s nothing to rage against here. There’s only a beautiful boy in his arms who has seen enough anger to last a lifetime.

Eddie takes a deep breath, then turns his head to brush a kiss to the jagged silvery band wrapped around Steve’s throat and gets to feel and hear the soft, surprised sound he makes.

“I hate to break it to you, Stevie,” Eddie says, soft and gentle against his neck, “but people are gonna worry regardless.”

“But–”

“I’m gonna worry regardless,” he interrupts, kisses his neck again, and pulls a hand free to skate his fingertips along Steve’s bare stomach to feel the way he trembles beneath his touch.

“Eds,” Steve whispers, and Eddie hums quietly.

“D’you know why?” Eddie asks him. Steve gives a shaky little sigh.

“...Why?” he croaks, and Eddie can’t help it - he smiles, a little sad, a little fond, and so, so in love. 

“Because I care about you, sweetheart,” he tells him, and Steve squeezes his hand so hard it hurts.

“Eddie–”

“I care about you,” he says again. “I worry because I care. And I’m always going to care, so I’m always going to worry.

So if you ever downplay an injury like this again, if you ever hide a hurt like this just because you don’t want someone to worry - well. We’re gonna need to have words, honey.” Steve manages a weak laugh.

“That a threat, Munson?” he asks, and Eddie hums. He moves his hands quick as lightning, grabbing Steve’s hips and spinning him around until he’s facing him, letting him brace himself on his chest so he doesn’t lose his balance.

It startles a laugh from Steve, and the heavy tension surrounding them gives way to something softer, gentler. Steve meets his gaze, teeth sinking into that pretty lower lip, and Eddie just barely manages to keep from getting distracted.

“Oh yeah,” he confirms, grinning softly at the look on Steve’s face, cautious and reluctant but so, so hopeful. “Don’t you know I’m dangerous, Harrington? I’m definitely capable of threatening and following through.” 

Steve rolls his eyes and slides his hands up until he can lay his arms over Eddie’s shoulders. 

“You’re so full of shit,” he says, and it’s the fondest insult Eddie’s ever gotten. 

“Maybe,” Eddie allows, and he walks backward, pulling Steve along with him toward the bed.

“We can discuss how scary and threatening I am in the morning, huh?” They climb into the bed together and curl up tight. Eddie’s hand finds the nape of Steve’s neck, and Steve’s hands find Eddie’s chest, fingertips picking out the familiar patterns of Eddie's own scars.

They lay in silence for long enough that Eddie thinks Steve may have fallen asleep before he hears him speak again.

“I care about you too,” Steve says, and Eddie’s breath catches.

“Yeah?” Steve hums, nodding where his head’s resting on Eddie’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” he breathes, and Eddie looks down to find dark eyes already fixed on his face. He’s got this intense look to him, and he leans in, pressing their lips together.

It’s not their first kiss, but it feels special all the same. It feels significant, feels charged, slow and deep with Steve’s tongue swiping at Eddie’s mouth until he allows him entrance, teeth giving gentle nips and tugs.

Steve’s hand comes up to rest on Eddie’s scarred chest. Eddie’s touch slips down, traces over the scars along his back. 

They’re like wings, he thinks a little deliriously. Like someone took this sweet boy and ripped his wings from him.

“Angel,” Eddie breathes when they finally break apart, lips spit-slick and kiss-swollen. Steve flushes at the name. He tilts his head and presses his mouth soft and sweet to the marred skin that snakes along Eddie’s jaw and cheek.

“Just for you,” he whispers into the kiss, and Eddie swears he feels his heart grow larger, trying to contain all the love he feels for this impossible creature. 

In the morning, they’ll talk. They’ll define things. But for now, they have this, the soft, gentle exploration of each other, slow movements that drag even slower as sleep comes to claim them.

[kanansdume]

Pro-Jedi Headcanons for Jedi/Clone Ships

Fox actually really loves being in a relationship with a Jedi because they're the only group of people where being in a relationship does not automatically involve any major obligations or expectations aside from basic decency and respect for each other. The relationships can be literally anything so long as both people involved are happy with the arrangement. Fox loves Quinlan, and he really enjoys spending time with Quinlan, but has no actual problem with Quinlan being gone for long periods of time on missions because he's got a life he can live beyond Quinlan and people he cares about who aren't Quinlan and this is Quinlan's life, this is his duty and his passion. They keep in contact when they can and absolutely spend time together whenever both of them happen to be on the same planet, but their relationship is probably more like third priority for both of them and they're both okay with that.

Cody obviously is not Force Sensitive and so isn't officially a member of the Jedi Order, nor does he need to be, but he genuinely ADORES Jedi culture and participates in a lot of the parts of it that are open to outsiders, both with Obi-Wan and without. Cody loves meditation and makes sure to do it regularly, he spends a lot of time in the archives doing a lot of research into anything and everything he can think of, he occasionally gets into debates with other Jedi about some of those things he has researched because debates are a time-honored Jedi pastime, he helps cook in the kitchens with the Padawans, he learns the katas and figures out how to incorporate them into his own fighting style and lack of ability to use the Force, his clothing style starts looking more Jedi-like, etc. He just really enjoys the aspects of Jedi culture that he's allowed to participate in and has a lot of appreciation for the parts of it that are closed.

Bly discovers that he really loves to teach. He likes learning new things himself, too, but more than that he loves to pass on what he's learned to others. It's something he learned from Aayla, who was constantly trying to teach little things to him and the rest of the men about whatever topic caught their fancy (or hers), just because it felt good to pass the knowledge on to someone else. Occasionally Bly is able to teach a short class for the Jedi, but mostly he travels around and teaches others, passes on what he's learned throughout the galaxy and learns from everyone else in return. And then he comes back to the Temple and meets up with Aayla and the two of them tell each other everything they've learned in their travels.

Gree's fascination for other species ends up being very helpful and pairs well with Barriss's chosen career of healing. Gree starts adjusting some of his learning towards figuring how healing works for all kinds of different people and ends up working in medical research alongside Barriss. The two of them maybe join one the Medical Corps in their respective roles to help distribute aid to all of the different places in the galaxy that still struggle in the wake of the war. Gree still loves learning about various fauna, as well, but it becomes more of a hobby than a career, although he does end up adopting several pets that do well in a life on a starship. Barriss has named all of the pets because it turns out she's actually REALLY good at coming up with names. Gree isn't sure how she does it, it can't be a Force thing because Luminara is absolute garbage at it. It's just a Barriss thing and luckily Barriss is always honored and happy to come up with yet another name for any new pets Gree manages to find and adopt.

Kit spends a lot more time at the Temple after the war is over and finds a lot of peace through spending time with the younglings. Monnk occasionally comes in to visit and inevitably ends up helping wrangle or teach a bunch of little kids things like painting or swimming or various sorts of games. Monnk might never admit it, not to Kit at least, but he also finds spending time with the younglings healing. He ends up adopting several children of his own, a mixture of clone children taken off of Kamino and regular war orphans, which leads to creating a little group home/shelter for kids on Coruscant with nowhere else to go. Kit often comes down to volunteer there and spend time with Monnk's children and organize different sorts of supply drives to keep it running. The kids call him Uncle Kit, which Kit adores and Monnk thinks is ridiculous. Kit and Monnk also often organize "field trips" with their respective groups of younglings to either the shelter or the Temple to help strengthen acceptance and understanding between the different groups.

Mace introduces Ponds to the joys of theater and acting and while Ponds has VERY little experience in this area, he really enjoys listening to Mace talk about it so passionately, so he starts learning more and more about theater in order to participate better because it seems like Mace perhaps doesn't have very many friends who share this particular interest. Eventually, Ponds realizes he's got some INCREDIBLY strong opinions about theater actually and Mace suggests that he write up some of his thoughts as articles on the holonet and they end up very popular. Ponds manages to unwittingly end up a theater critic and starts getting press passes to see all of the new plays and shows early and always makes sure to bring Mace along as his plus one because no one is more interesting to talk to them about than Mace.

Plo Koon is someone who takes a lot of more religious Jedi practices very seriously and practices them quite often on the ship and even the battlefield and was happy to explain them to anyone who asked and taught them how to join him if they were interested. Wolffe always felt a little awkward about it, it seemed weird to take part in a Jedi ceremony if he's not a Jedi, but the routine of it fascinated him. Routines had always been calming, but after the destruction of his first battalion, routines are something he relies on as much as he can. He listens to a lot of Plo's discussions about the different practices and ceremonies and the ways they help him find peace and balance. After the war ends, he takes up a position as one of the civilian workers inside the Jedi Temple and gets to see plenty of the other Jedi also practicing these different little ceremonies, sometimes the same ways Plo did, sometimes with slight variations. Eventually, he does ask Plo if it would be okay if he learned some of them and joined in occasionally, and of course Plo says yes and sits him down to help teach him, and Wolffe starts truly feeling the peace that everyone says they've won.

Colt and the other commanders on Kamino had learned to band together early on and one of the things they often did for each other to relax was give massages while bitching about their day. One day, during a meeting with Shaak Ti, he notices her fidgeting a little and that she seems a little stiffer than usual. When he asks about it, she admits to feeling a little sore because she hasn't been able to take the time to stretch and exercise the way she used to and meditation on Kamino is sometimes difficult. Colt offers to give her a massage if she's interested and once Shaak Ti ensures he's not offering out of a sense of obligation, she takes him up on it. This turns into a tradition where they give massages back and forth after the official reports are done and they can just bitch to each other about their day. After the war is over, Colt moves to Coruscant with most of the rest of the clones and sees how many of the clones and Jedi are just incredibly physically worn down. He's no healer, but he has two working hands and two working ears, so he volunteers with the Jedi healers as a masseuse and physical therapy assistant.

Keeli was incredibly impressed by the way the people of Ryloth had been able to take what at first glance seemed like such a barren landscape and really transform it into the most beautiful place to live. Cham Syndulla introduces Keeli to his personal landscaper and Keeli manages to keep in touch up through the end of the war. After the war ends, Ima-Gun convinces Keeli to take some classes on gardening and landscaping at the Jedi temple. Keeli finds he loves getting his hands dirty in this kind of rich soil, or figuring out the best kind of light for a plant so that it gets what it needs AND looks as beautiful as possible so others can enjoy it. Ima-Gun can often be found out in the gardens with Keeli, helping with the planting or just meditating nearby as they quietly enjoy each other's company. Keeli eventually starts up a gardening and landscaping company for people on Coruscant to try to bring more greenery and plantlife to this place so devoid of it.

Eeth retires from the Council after the war (he knows Agen will do wonderfully at the job in his place) and does a lot of work with grassroots organizations that primarily work to help resettle refugees from the war. Lock insists on coming with him, which Eeth tries to tell him isn't necessary at all, but Lock isn't swayed. Lock says that this is the exact kind of work he'd want to do anyway and Eeth spent enough time during the war ordering Lock to retreat and leave him behind, so now that Eeth can't order Lock around, he's planning to stay as long as Eeth is willing to have him. Lock can tell that Eeth is struggling with figuring out who he's become after the war and where he belongs, and Lock honestly feels the same way, so they may as well struggle through it together. Eeth knows he'll always be a Jedi, it's in his bones and his blood, but that life might look a little different now than it used to, and he's happy to live it with Lock at his side. If he and Lock can help each other heal and put their past behind them by helping refugees of the war they fought, it'll be a life well spent.

During the war, Doom found that one of the best ways to get Tiplee and Tiplar to slow down and relax was to catch them while they were eating. However this often proved a little difficult because the food served on the ships wasn't exactly pleasant to eat and didn't inspire anybody to linger or savor it. So Doom learned how to cook a little and figured out ways to trade on different planets for foods to try and spices so he could cook things for the twins that they might actually enjoy for a while. Tiplee and Tiplar are both incredibly receptive to his efforts, although to his dismay, he discovers that they don't actually have particularly similar tastes: Tiplee has a sweet tooth a mile wide and Tiplar wants everything as spicy as possible. So Doom keeps having to try new recipes to appeal to them both. They both insist he should open up a shop after the war is done and while Doom is very flattered, he doesn't think he's all THAT good. Once the war ends, though, they make sure to introduce him to the Temple kitchens so he can try his hand at cooking with better access to ingredients and equipment and he ends up falling completely in love. Eventually he lets Tiplee and Tiplar convince him to try opening up a small pop-up food stall as an experiment and when that explodes in popularity, he concedes and gets an actual restaurant.

Neyo is pretty stoic generally and is not easily moved to emotion, but the first time he saw Stass Allie dance nearly brought tears to his eyes. She was so graceful and so emotional in her dancing, it was almost like he could see inside her soul. He leaves before she can see him standing there staring like a fool, but somehow he keeps catching her dancing in different areas of the ship after that, always alone. One day after the war is over, she invites him to the Temple and takes him to a class she's teaching to some younglings and it turns out she's teaching them a traditional dance. She tells Neyo he's welcome to join in if he wants, but he's also welcome to just watch if he'd rather do that. The first time he just watches. It's still mesmerizing to see the younglings figuring out the steps even if they're not as graceful as Stass is yet. They're putting their whole hearts into it because they have nothing to hide and Neyo can't help the longing he feels. The second time, he decides to join in. Stass teaches him a LOT of traditional Jedi dances and explains that some of them are for ceremonial purposes, some for meditation, some for physical therapy, and some just for artistry. He likes all of them in their own way, but he prefers the artistic ones that force the dancer to put more of themselves into the movements and be creative with it. He hasn't always been allowed to showcase how he felt before and hasn't known how to communicate it even when he was, but this feels like a way to communicate without ever needing to say a word.

[justporo]

My head can't stay quiet... I don't think I can ever write all these ideas out into a longer form that they deserve. But I'm gonna share them with you anyways. (Spoilers ahead!)

So, I've come to think: If Astarion makes a move on Tav in Act1, and they say "nah" because they might sense something might be up or really they are just so tangled in all the other shit, that it's not the right moment although they would be interested in Astarion basically. Lots of tension ensues, lots of bickering and teasing.

But when Tav learns more about Astarion they wouldn't push the topic either because this vampire needs a friend, hugs and a shoulder to cry on - not a roll in the sheets.

And they move on like that, tension's still there but being friends is their top priority- also getting this mess sorted out.

They go on, do all the stuff and finally after everything is resolved, Astarion's free and so is the city, you've become really incredible friends - although this one thing is still kind of up in the air (they've never even kissed).

So, you sit in a tavern after everything, just the two of you. And drink and joke and talk - and all of a sudden realise: wait, all the stuff that we thought and said would need to be sorted out... is sorted out?

"Gods, I'm really happy all these problems have been resolved", you say and take another deep drink of your beer. "Most definitely! Except this one certain tension never got resolved. Shame really, but it might've been for the best", Astarion answers and watches you carefully while rolling the stem of his wine glass between his fingers.

"What te-... oh, that. Hah yes, I mean with all the stuff going on, with you too especially. I mean, ugh, can you imagine if we had piled another matter on there?", you laugh although the thought of what you'd might have shared with the vampire - be it only physical or something more - makes you yearning.

"Well, like you said, good thing all this stuff has been resolved", Astarion says slowly and takes an awfully long drink of his wine. His eyes never leave yours.

And then his meaning clicks into place for you - hitting you like a bolt of lightning. There was absolutely nothing standing in your way to find out what these "what-ifs" could have been.

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

Hey, I dont know if you do emergency requests or not, but can I make a sort of one?

My cats been missing for three days, I've had her since I was 11 and she is REALLY important to me(shes also never been gone this long). We just got a ton of snow, im worried for her and I overheard my parents saying they think our neighbor did something to her. Can I request Sk8 characters comforting their S/O in a scenario like that?

Hi Squeezy! I'm so sorry to hear about your cat, I really hope you find her soon. I hope you like the headcanons. I didn't include Adam or Tadashi but please let me know if you'd like headcanons about them as well.

The "good" ending can be found here and the "bad" ending can be found here.

Fandom: Sk8 the Infinity

Characters: Reki Kyan, Langa Hasegawa, Miya Chinen, Kojiro Nanjo, Kaoru Sakurayahiki x gn! Reader

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your cat has gone missing! How will the characters comfort you in this time of need?How will the characters react?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reki is probably one of the best people to be around if you want your mind taken off the situation. He’s good at listening as well if you want to talk but his real talent lies in distracting you.

Having said that, he’s very adaptable so if you prefer being comforted in a different way, he can change his methods to suit you.

If you feel like talking or just need comfort, Reki gives fantastic hugs. He’ll sway gently side to side and rub your back or head.

If you want to go out and help look for your cat, he’ll tag along. That way he’s helping but is also with you for support.

Of course, he’d also take his skateboard out and skate around town looking for your missing fur friend on his own. But his first priority is making sure you’re okay.

Langa is the best listener out of everyone here. If you want to talk about what's happening or reminisce about good times with your furry friend, he's there to lend an ear.

Much like Reki, he's going to grab his skateboard and go around town trying to find any clues as to where your cat's gone. 

He'll ask around at S as well. While Reki might have some reservations about going up to a random person at S and asking if they've seen a cat around, Langa does have the same qualms.

Langa's not the best with physical touch but if you want hugs or any other form of physical comfort, he'll do his best.

All in all, he'll be a more quiet supporter in this situation. He'll do what he can to help but he's a lot more subtle than some of the others.

Oh, Miya is finding your cat and discovering every detail of what happened. He’s starting a search on every social media platform he has and is ready to take it to the news if need be.

A missing cat is no joke to someone who's favourite animals are felines so Miya is right there with you in missing your furry friend.

He's probably very attached to your cat as well so he's going to do whatever he can to get it back. If that means he has to call in some favours thanks to his standing and fame, he'll do just that.

Miya's not great with words or physical affections but if that's what you want to help you deal with the situation, he'll do his best.

If he gets to choose how to comfort you, he's going to just be in your presence. He may not be great with words or physical comfort but he's got a reasonably soothing presence.

Joe is taking you back to the restaurant, making you your favourite dish, calling Cherry so he can give you company, and setting out to search for your cat.

He’d be there in person but doing nothing while someone he cares about is hurting is hard for him, especially if he knows there are things he can do to help.

Joe will also print out missing flyers and stick them up all over town, keeping a few at the restaurant. Every customer he servs, he’ll ask if they’ve seen your furry friend (if they can give him any information, he’s offering a free dessert).

If you do particularly want his company, Joe will stay with you and make calls to a bunch of his connections from S so they can start the search.

He’s good at comforting people, especially if they want someone to talk to, either about the situation or about something else entirely. He’s a good listener and will respond at the right moments with the right words.

Cherry is the perfect combination of Joe and Miya: he's going to be hands on with helping to find your cat but he's going online as well.

He's also got more resources than Miya so he'll be sending out drones as well to scout the city in search of your cat.

He's also going to call in help from Joe. He knows that, as many connections as he has, his old friend has a lot of different connections that may also be able to help.

Because he can search remotely, Cherry will be able to spend a lot more time with you than the others.

He's very adaptable in comforting you so whether you want physical comfort, kind words, a good listener, or just someone to be with, he's got it covered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, did you enjoy this? If you like my writing, please consider donating to my Ko-Fi page! This will allow me to make some money off my writing, something I enjoy doing.

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Important Note: Please only donate if you are financially able to. If you are currently in a position where you can't donate, a like, comment or reblog will mean just as much.

[artbyblastweave]

Brotherhood of Steel

Oh, wow, this one's been languishing for like six months, sorry about that. Anyway the show is inspiring me to revisit this question- Anyway, one thing about the Brotherhood of steel- I think that to an extent, the Brotherhood in general suffers from the same kind of problem as Iron Man, where their out-of-universe popularity, star power, and resultant shoehorning into installments where they absolutely don't belong, all serve to elide that the actual text of even the Bethesda-produced Fallouts aren't particularly gung-ho about the Brotherhood as an organization.

I think the buzz around them, the misaimed-fandom they accrue and the resultant back-and-forth in all the discursive spaces, sort of primes you to expect a humanity-fuck-yeah sort of attitude in the source text. But in the games themselves, it's really only that Fallout 3 that positions the Brotherhood as straightforward quote-unquote "good guys," and paying even a little attention to the subtext demonstrates that that's an extremely tenuous and conditional status. Half of their guys started their own Brotherhood with blackjack and hookers because Lyons was too nice! Lyons got sent east in the first place because he was too nice! The guy they left behind in Pittsburg rebuilt the entire local economy as a slave society! Many of Lyons nominal "supporters" are at least quietly grumbling about his priorities when you talk to them, they're clearly itching to collapse back into a comfortable authoritarianism- which, of course, they do, come Fallout 4. Their turn in that direction was completely telegraphed by 3. And 4, which admittedly had a lot of mixed-messaging on this point, telegraphed.... whatever the fuck they've become in the TV show. Which is interesting, right, because if you're even remotely media-literate, it's impossible to view the TV version of the Brotherhood as anything remotely good. We're introduced with a hazing ritual, a panning shot of child-soldiers sharing a cigarette, meatheads playing a game of brickball, an Elder who screams "cult leader," a brotherhood knight who's framed as this monstrous, inhuman presence during Maximus's interrogation. The branding scene, the abuse of squires. And then they go from oppressive to pathetic- Titus dying like a chump, Thaddeus being the world's chew toy, a half-dozen Brotherhood knights existing as suitably impressive target practice for the Ghoul in a big showdown.

By volume, this is going to be most people's first introduction to the Brotherhood as an organization. This is what the Brotherhood is now, for all intents and purposes. I think they've basically poisoned the well on using the Brotherhood as a straightforwardly heroic faction ever again, and moreover it's adjusted my perception of whether even Bethesda ever understood them as such in the first place. It's still a complete worldbuilding kludge that they're on the East Coast at all, but I find myself wondering if hammering the Brotherhood into a suitably powerful antagonistic faction wasn't the long-term project here the whole time; if so, the obvious criticism from there is that the Brotherhood was a still a weird pick to evolve into that role, given their initial status in the first two games as a handful of overinflated bunker-dwelling pricks kept in a position of comparative superiority only by the failure of everyone else to play catch-up. Whatever, it can be made to work.

[theninthdoor]

i did a reading on yoongi a few days ago and interpreted the cards i pulled - theres a lot of pressure on him to leave, particularly from a female energy or a queen of swords brash energy harsh energy. i feel like he might actually be considering it???

I feel like Yoongi always has had/has a Queen of Swords figure around him 👀 I wonder if that's a specific person that has been with him for a long time and who tends to have a big influence on him, or if he just tends to attract the same sort of individuals. My first thought was his mother but I don't know... I do see his mothers a QoS type of figure, tho.

cards: the star, the moon rx, six of cups

What I got is that he wants to have a serious conversation with the other BTS members soon, so they can figure out their future together (as a group + as friends) before he makes any decision on his own. So whatever he decides is mutually agreed. He's not making moves alone. Plus, I think all of them are in that process of maturing and evolving on their own, changing their plans for the future and their priorities as well. Whatever they had in mind by this time last year isn't the same they are thinking of or wanting right now; Whoever they were by this time last year are not the same people they are right now.

There's also something here about going back to one's roots. Starting back from the bottom. The rap line's cyphers came to mind, and the whole 2 Cool 4 Skool era as well. I don't know if they've been thinking of moving BTS to their own label (they as in BTS themselves), away from HYBE (or if that's even possible…), or maybe Yoongi himself is thinking of establishing his own company. K-hiphop keeps popping up, so perhaps he wants to go back this field and be more underground, rather than so idol-like, with big productions and all?

(Disclaimer: All is alleged and for entertainment purposes only. Based on current energies.)

[autumnaaltonen]

(First: Google translator tends to be bad for some languages, sorry in advance). Anyway, could you do alucard or human!vlad, lovingly caring for his little wife who is sick? That thought has me on cloud nine! Have a good week!

Human! Alucard Caring For His Ill S/O

This is the 15th Century bitches, so yall better sit tf down

We are talking dysentary, malaria, typhoid, IT GOES ON

So when the Vovoide's darling suddenly falls ill while travelling between castles during his campaign, you can bet the army is coming to a screeching halt

Guard #1: "Ohhh, I know they've got. The "L" word."

Guard #2: "Yeahhh, Leprosy-" *Imediate sword to the gut*

Vlad immdeiatly sends out some troops to fetch whatever medicinals that will help you reach a quick recovery, and if necessary, kidnap the best doctor the nearest settlement has to sacrifice

No one says no to a King, and you definitely don't say no to Vlad III Dracula when his parter is in danger

You try to reaasure your husband that its just a small fever, but when the kidnapped doctor finds a nasty gash on the bottom of your foot, he narrows it down to tetnus poisoning from some sort of metal object

You didn't think stepping on a nail was that big of a deal, what a fool you turned out to be

The doctor reassured your King that the illness is rarely fatal, so long as the entry wound is properly cleaned, but that you will have to wait until the toxins leave your body naturally to become fully recovered

With that, the castle is set up for a 3 week stay, battle plans shifting their course to make due for the unexpected delay

Any who dare question the Vovoide are quickly silenced, as his darling's recovery comes first

And that poor doctor? He's is forced to stay in a seperate room across the hall in case he is needed (no running away now)

In the mean time, even though he has the staff, Vlad will be personally waiting on you at a moments notice

He's a busy man, leading an army and defening his home territory from Turkish invasion, but you are a priority he can't set aside for anything, Romania be damned

As the symptoms come rolling in on you, stiff muscles, intense sweats, lock jaw and the like, Vlad is there to help you bare through it, staying by your side as support

As a product of war and royal treachory, he is no stranger to illness and will bring you any comforts you desire, be it a glass of clean water or a bucket of jewels

While you do feel bad for stalling his campaign some, you have to admit that you could manage to get sick more often if this is the kind of intimate attention you get from your busy husband

[machinesonix]

Gang, I love the Harkonnens. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t endorse the Harknonnens, but there is something really refreshing about unsanitized villains. They aren’t inhuman slaves to Morgoth, they aren’t seeking restitution for some sort of childhood trauma with dalmatians, they are just shitty, weird people and we get to talk about how those people think without trying to excuse it. What really made me fall in love is the sheer alien weirdness of Geidi Prime in the 1984 movie, and if you haven’t seen that I really recommend you check that out. I feel like there should be some sort of trigger warning, but I don’t really know how I’d tag it so use your best discretion. Today I want to zoom in on a Harkonnen scene towards the end of the first book that I personally would like to see in some sort of extended cut. Let’s dig in.

I’m gonna start off by reminding everyone about the most famous scene in the franchise right at the beginning. You know it. The pain box. ‘I hold at your neck the gom jabbar, it’s poison kills only animals.’ Mohaim is testing Paul’s ability to delay gratification by threatening to stab him with a poison needle if he pulls out of the pain box. We've all seen the memes. Now let's talk about Feyd.

In the book, the whole un-drugged gladiator thing was Feyd's own doing. See, Feyd's family doesn't take him very seriously. He's been chosen as the na-Baron because he's got charisma and he'll look like the savior of Arakkis after Rabban and Vladimir, but he’s a big showboater that has all his fights rigged. By conspiring with Thufir to get a real Atredies soldier into the arena with him, he is forcing his family to realize how important he is to them. If something happens to him, everything goes up in smoke. But he's also given a chance to demonstrate that he is competent (even if he's cheating with a poisoned blade and some selective brainwashing of the undrugged slave.) The seduction with Lady Fenrig happens off screen, but I think in both Herbert and Villinueve's telling of the story, both of these show us this conflict Feyd has with the pressures of his family whether they're tests from the Baron or something he does to himself in response to those pressures. Finally, and most importantly to Feyd, when the Baron executes his slavemaster for slipping up with the gladiators, the next slavemaster is on Feyd's payroll.

Years down the line the Baron finds a poison needle hidden on one of his slave boys and immediately knows what's up. Feyd is trying to claim the Baron's seat and he's been planning on it ever since He calls Feyd in to make him watch as his entire staff and harem is executed on a whim. Here's where we get the absolute juicy thematic inversion. This shit makes me salivate in a way I might want to talk with a therapist about. The Baron says ‘Feyd, you know what this whole poison needle business tells me? You don't know where your priorities are. I am working on setting up the Harkonnens for generations to come and you're so laser focused on the inheritance you haven’t put any thought into what comes next. So stop trying to kill me and let's talk about your future.’

Feyd-Rautha is, by Bene Gesserit standards, an animal. In the Villinueve film we kinda skirt around the idea by hearing he's such a weirdo that the nerve induction gets him off, but I think this scene here really helps to illustrate why Paul might be the Kwizatz Haderach and Feyd has no shot. They've both got the genetics and the ability to win over a crowd. Nobody saw it coming, but the Kwizatz Haderach's ultimate purpose is to wage the war that will literally end all wars, you'd think Feyd-Murder-For-Fun-Rautha would be a shoe-in to traumatize humanity to violence once and for all. But the fact he'd be good at it is what makes him ineligible. The Kwizatz Haderach can't be someone who thinks in the short term. If Paul didn't have the big picture in mind, he would have fled from the violent future he saw himself being responsible for. If Feyd were in his shoes, there is no way he could stop from getting lost in the sauce. Feyd orchestrated his own gom jabbar in the attempt on his uncle's life, and he failed. Even if he saw the same path to save humanity, he'd have too many opportunities to indulge his glory seeking.

[richeeduvie]

can you pls write something about roman seeing baby jr as a newborn in the affair!au

Roman's fucking terrified. His kid isn't his kid and she came out too fucking early. He can't see her - he wants to rip his teeth and push dirt into his gums. Maybe then he'd feel better.

"Roman, you have to stop calling for now-"

"I'm coming. I love you. Don't be a fucking Mommy Bitch. Bye."

He hangs up, rolling his neck. He watches an old video of him and Baby, then emails something to Mencken's team. He sits with knees apart during the car.

Roman's come before, the first time seeing his daughter perfect in how scared and pissy in her being too tiny and needing fucking tubes to breathe.

He chokes and rolls the windows down. She's got his nose, she's okay to be picked up now - but every time he's forced to go home because he's not grey-haired Daddy...he can't sleep. He's getting twitchy and Shiv was pretty sure he was speaking Chinese at one point. She can't die without him there - that's a fucking insane thought, what the fuck? Why did that pop in?

But Roman's sure she'd get fat and not nicu-esque with him there.

"Where's my kid?"

"Roman. You can't just greet a room like tha-"

"Why isn't she here?"

She doesn't have to be in the nicu anymore, he came here to hold her. Where is she?

"They took her for some tests-"

He puts a hand on his hip, another raising up.

"Why? Fucking - why aren't you there? Why does she need fucking tests? You didn't call me?"

"They're routine tests. She's alright. They'll be bringing her back soon."

Roman gets shifty with his head movements and pinches his nose before letting go. Fine. Whatever. He should tell Dad they've been sharing vagina just to punish Baby.

"Roman, come here."

Roman listens, because it's her. Fine. Whatever. He comes into the hospital bed at her side, it's almost a hard landing.

"How was Dad today?"

"He's coming to visit later."

Roman's pretty sure he's gonna be better at this than Logan, that and the vagina holding. He peeks at the tiles.

"I deserve a blowie right now, unzip. You're probably lying to soothe me, so I'm betting we have some time before they bring the kid back he-"

There's a rolling of wheels and a smiling nurse - their daughter in that fucking glass cage. It makes Roman stand immediately, sick at the instant sight of her like that.

"She's all done and perfect. An a-student already, I'll just transfer her to the other crib-"

"Give her to me."

The nurse's face goes still. They blink an up and down at Roman.

"Are you a relati-"

"You hand babies over to the relevant people who ask. Scrubs don't equate to entitlement, Roberta. Give her to me."

Baby closes her eyes. The nurse sighs and takes his daughter, a bit chubbier - not enough, out of the crib and into his arms. They leave and Roman takes her in.

Fuck.

"She's doing good in weight, I know I've been updating, but you can feel it with every cuddle. Right?"

Roman doesn't say anything with her head to his nose. He doesn't smell that baby smell that's too specific. It's weird, but perfect. Baby watches him and guilt is on her skin, but she won't tell him that - not until he'll want to hurt her for doing to him. He will, even if it's not Roman-like to throw guilt at her.

A daughter so perfect will make anybody do anything.

"...I'm staying here tonight."

"Roma-"

"Dad's not gonna fucking visit. He's a great sort a Dad...I would know, I'm not gonna complain - but she didn't die, so he's not gonna make the daily check-up a priority. I'm staying here tonight. Don't fucking deny me."

Panic eats at his stomach. Roman fucking hates it, he doesn't get it and he wants to fist everything he doesn't get because he's thinking of his baby getting skinny and freaky-looking like sick babies do. That she's gonna die and he won't be there. Roman doesn't know why he's thinking of this, but it's hurting him.

"Please."

He feels pathetic in the begging, but he has to stay here so she can follow his breathing. He's been reading up on how babies learn and it's always very mimicky.

"...They'll wonder why you're setting a cot up here when you're her brother-"

"Shut the fuck up."

Roman murmurs it against his tiny, tiny baby's head. She's the most perfect thing he's ever seen and he wants to throw up. He fucking hates this panic and boiling...like what daddies feel. All of it without the damn name on his tag.

"I don't want to love her."

Baby's face softens, her hands twist.

"What?"

"You should've told me she was Dad's. I want to break my throat at the way I feel - you've given me nothing but a baby I can't see? And you what me? You're not stupid, you should know."

Roman, so slowly, careful in his terror and love, comes to sit on the ground with his and her's bundled baby.

"You should've told me she was Dad's if you wanted me to be pissy and just pissy about this. You don't me clean and squeaky when it comes to this."

"Okay."

Roman's brow twitches at a baby noise in his arms. His heart beats faster.

"Do you hear me?"

"Okay. I know."

And she does. Baby accepts it with a lean over, hand through his hair. No matter what, Roman will accept a touch from her too.

It's why he'll accept this hand you given him, if it means he can forget. Just for a little bit, with every soft rock and stare at his baby.

[artist-issues]

Raya and the Last Dragon popped into my head today and I kept thinking about how the incredibly unsubtle and poorly executed message of trusting others felt like a first draft.

What do you think about it? Would a revised script with the same story premise fix that film? Or was it doomed from the get go in what it was trying to say?

Good question! I go back and forth. I think the movie's biggest weak point was its writing, so I guess I'd say, "a revised script with the same story premise would fix it!"

There's nothing wrong at all with a message like "Without trust, we can't stand together." Because it's very true. Everyone has priorities, and there's always a chance they'll choose themselves over you, or over the "greater good." But if you keep trying to take control of the situation by believing the worst about them before it happens, you'll be exhausted & jaded, they'll be exhausted & jaded, and all your time and energy will be spent on competing with each other for the grand prize of "who can look out for their own interests better."

I think Raya and the Last Dragon's premise works for a truth like that. It makes total sense to have a girl who's competitive become jaded and control-freaky when her father, the symbol of the virtue of trust & good faith, is murdered by betrayal. And not just any betrayal, but betrayal from someone she directly tried to befriend and trust as a sort of "first experience" with that good faith her dad was always talking about. Makes total sense. And it's impactful; something that traumatic and personal would cause a relatable character flaw that the heroine needs drastic measures to overcome.

I actually love the concept of Sisu too. I like the idea that she's this pure, selfless soul who's got childlike faith—but, all the jaded people in a post-apocalyptic world respect and consider her worldview because she's a revered dragon. So she really does change minds just by being around them, just by coming back and existing in the first place. I mean, if she had been just a sheltered girl from, say, a different country, who came into the broken Kumandra with stars in her eyes, the bad guys wouldn't have thought twice about whatever she exemplified. But she's a dragon.

And step back and think about it: having a group of characters from every walk of life come together as a mini-experiment in trust and unity during the course of the adventure is a great idea. It's not flashy or original, but it's classic and true. Avatar the Last Airbender has a crew of characters from each tribe combining to defeat evil. When Kenai has a prejudice against bears in Brother Bear, how is that character flaw solved? Not just by him turning into one, but by him having to travel with and get to know one.

What they get to know is that they all have something in common: they've all lost people to the great evil in the world. And, they all want the same things, despite cultural differences. They all want their families back, they all want safety and success.

So yeah, the pieces are all there. The problem is, the writing was just super clunky. Theres a lot of telling, when it comes to the story, instead of showing. There's not no showing. There's just not enough.

I know this is already a long post, but I'll just point out: Aladdin's message had a lot to do with trust, too. But no character ever said out loud, "you have trust issues and you need to work through them." Certainly not more than once. The closest you get is Genie telling Aladdin to be himself.

Instead, you're just shown that Jasmine is the type of girl to give an apple to a hungry kid without even thinking about whether or not the shopkeeper wouldn't want her to do it. She's the type of girl who plays along with a scrubby boy from the marketplace trying to help her. She's the kind of girl who goes out with a Prince even though she has reason to believe he's already lying to her. She just does those things, and never says, "hey, why did you lie to me--you have trust issues!"

Meanwhile Aladdin's whole story is him bending over backwards to control what everyone thinks of him, because he can't trust them to accept him as he is. But he never says, "Trust gets me hurt." He just says, "if Jasmine knew I was really some crummy street-rat, she'd laugh at me."

Those sentences that the characters say are well-written because they are realistic. Only in our modern psycho-babble Instagram-influencer culture, where everyone thinks they're an expert on the human psyche, are teenagers starting to say things like "My trauma causes me to struggle with trust."

What Aladdin says is much more immediate, much more down-to-earth than that. It shows where his brain is in that moment. He's not thinking about the general philosophy of truth and trust. He's just thinking about what he should or shouldn't say on his date, and how scary the idea of getting laughed at is. We, the audience, are smart enough to infer that it's all rooted in trust issues. We don't need Genie to deliver a speech six times to make it abundantly clear.

I'm capable of identifying that as the problem, but I'm not great at doing it, myself. I know the language, I'm not great at speaking it. But actually I'm going to punt this part of the question over to @doverstar , who is very skilled at "show, don't tell," especially in dialogue. How would you re-write that scene where Sisu is trying to convince Raya of the importance of trust?

One final thing that I think handicaps Raya and the Last Dragon is that, because of the way they're written, the characters lose likability. Theres a way to have a traumatized, defensive girl who thinks she knows everything still be likable. Just like there was a way to have a selfish, insecure liar be likable in Aladdin.

I think there are other issues—I'd have completely written out the baby and the monkeys, and I'd have cut the fight sequences between two teenage girls way shorter because nobody cares about them. But that can be for another post.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here friend and, well, yay for low expectations indeed!!! The episode was a lot more fun than I was expecting (especially on the bee front, I really expected 10 minutes of bees then everyone moves on) and I admit to getting totally surprised by the final Buck saves Gerrard scene. It will definitely be interesting to see that play out. Maddie was actually pretty involved in the rescues, we got some HenRen and Madney family time (with tension, but still...), and the firefam (minus Bobby, poor guy 🥺) was in peak form. It was definitely way more balanced than I was expecting, its gonna be hard to tamp down on my optimism going forward.

So now for the the rage, which for once isn't directed at the show. May Helena get shoved into her brand new pool the moment its complete, and its debatable at this point if water should be in it or not when she does. I do love the idea that Helena is sort of a stand-in for Shannon that Eddie will eventually have to face and I hope he will. Eddie deserves to stand in front of the people who doubt him and say with his whole heart that he is a good father, that he's made mistakes but he's trying to do better (unlike Helena herself who just moved onto a substitute son), and he deserves to be Chris' dad. And when he does I do not want to see any hint of a redemption arc for her, we've done enough of that with shitty parents on this show and it needs to stop.

Speaking of irredeemable characters, let's talk about Tommy. So after reading the interviews I think I've convinced myself that Tommy Kinard really is Taylor Kelly 2.0, but this time its going to be done right. No, Tim hasn't earned this level of trust but hear me out. So its already been noted how similar the two are (being condescending to Buck, him having to chase after them, etc), but this "baggage" storyline I find intriguing because we all know about Tommy's past behavior and its seems like the most obvious issue. So not sure if you blocked it from memory but if you remember towards the end of 5a we had to endure an episode of TayKay backstory where we learn she basically wanted to become a reporter to "tell the truth" even though in fact she was doing the same harmful BS that was done to her. And Buck just accepted that, even though his adoptive Dad was a victim of it. What if he doesn't do that this time, doesn't just let Tommy off with the "I did it because it was done to me" excuse and it doesn't take the near death of one of his teammates to make him decide to walk away. For Buck to finally say, for himself, this person and I are not going to work, we value different things and I can't overlook that (no I'm not counting Natalia as him doing this because that was a barely there relationship and she was, in fact, creepy). That would probably be too narratively satisfying, but one can hope.

And as for Buddie, well, how many times do Oliver, Ryan, and the damn showrunner have to repeat how intertwined these two are before people get it?? They've certainly demonstrated that over and over again on screen (seriously how much more co-parent does it get than Eddie begging Buck to "do what he always does" regarding Chris in the final episode of the last season??!!) and we've already said that of course Tim is never going to take that back, he planned it that way!! And I know I shouldn't get my hopes up but honestly, if its been spelled out by all involved that these men are never going to be separated, that they will always have priority in each others lives including over other, new relationships (the only ones these men ever have 🤨), its really not a stretch to imagine that turning romantic, and I'd argue makes a hell of a lot of sense. As for my crack theory for today, I saw the one interview line about there being a brief moment between Buck and Eddie that demonstrates the depth of their relationship and my brain immediately went to "oooh, but what if they have a nice supportive hug in 8x06 but as they pull away look briefly like they're going to kiss....but back away instead as Buck walks away shaking his head like he's being silly while Eddie just quietly stares out a window" moment?? I would like to see it. Not looking forward to seeing at what point in the season the wine in my fridge becomes necessary to get through an episode, but I'm happy this episode wasn't it (cheers anyway though 🥂)!!

Hiiiiiii bestie! I had family in this weekend and had fully convinced myself they would show up late Friday with sleepy kids, drop them off, and go on their anniversary get-away and I could come answer this once everyone was in bed. Cut to people being in my home until after midnight and then non-stop toddler and newborn and 8 year-old shenanigans. But it's all quieted down so I'm here now!

I was pleasantly surprised as well!! (Which is the point of low expectations! Either I'm right (which I was about some things) or I'm pleasantly surprised! All wins except when they tunnel under the bar I set in hell.) The Athena stuff took a bit of a different turn than I was expecting before the episode started and I'm cautiously optimistic about all that, and the bees managed to give us a couple different emergencies, all scary in different ways, with lots of good Encyclopedia Buck! We had Maddie working her end of the emergency with some delicious tension and a happy ending, plus the brief Bobby and Henren/Madney stuff which while brief, set up for a lot more to come on those fronts and I'm excited for it! Despite my best efforts, I feel the excitement rising!

I am fully stretched, gloved up, and ready to fight Helena in a Denny's parking lot!! At least in the cases of Toni and Ramon we got some kind of acknowledgement that their actions hurt their kids and they felt bad about that (vs the Buckley parent's "I'm sorry you felt that way" kinda vibe where the play the victim), but Helena's actions have NEVER been brought up by anyone and i NEED it to be addressed!! I have also seen the posts about her being a Shannon stand-in for Eddie to confront which is about a million times better than some doppelganger plot no one wanted, needed, or asked for and that did not actually address the thing they kept teasing that it would, namely, that Eddie was looking at that relationship with rose colored glasses and not actually talking with his son about the reality they all lived now that Chris is old enough to start putting some pieces together and addressing his own hurt and abandonment. ANYWAY. i need Eddie to realize he IS a good dad, and go get his kid, even if Chris is still mad because what the FUCK they can't just keep him for months? What about his special school he had to fight to get Chris into? What about fucking TAXES because THAT can become an issue if given enough time. What about established doctors and insurance networks outside of the state? Like, this has made so many plot holes that it had better be fucking WORTH IT with some good Eddie scenes, taking Helena DOWN, and some good Diaz boys scenes of actually talking and addressing the Shannon of it all. Bonus points if we get Buck having his boy's backs!

I'm actually cackling quite often about the BT parallels because they are just SO many and SO loud like, ???? what are we even doing here? Especially after that fucking "hamster wheel" comment last season (when Oliver still had light and hope in his eyes because they were filming karaoke stuff) only for him to be in literally a mirror to his longest and worst relationship. SO, it actually would be so satisfying, as well as on brand for petty Tim, to do the story he wanted to do, and do it right this time when he found out it was going to be Buck not Eddie doing this storyline (people make me laugh believing Tim that L was supposed to come back when we know Eddie was the planned story at first and also 911 got canceled for the show AK is on right now so she was never available and after that marketing flop they were never going to bring her back but I digress). At this point I'm just hoping for SOMETHING narratively satisfying, and at LEAST hearing from Hen and Chim because GOOD GOD. No one in the firefam has ever once minded their own business and kept their mouths shut except when the show is trying to push a shitty LI and hope the audience forgot their actions, or when trying to redeem shitty parents without putting in the work. So I need the gag order to be lifted! I need them to be allowed to speak!

The Buddie stuff is...well....it's....sure a lot of very interesting things happening! Some interesting trends, and attitudes, and choices being made. And knowing that FOX was the thing standing in the way....Well. Where is my Night Vale Quote I use for these situations?

I'm all on board for your crack theory, or literally anything that gives us some delicious pining Buddie!! I'm not gonna lie friend, I'm feeling hopeful! In that way where I feel a little sick? But hopeful! So cheers, and here's hoping Eddie (and consequently Ryan, and Buck, and Oliver, and Buddie) finally gets out and we can all be insufferable forever and ever together! Yay!

I haven't been writing because, life, but I got a tiny tablet and keyboard to sneak into work so we'll see! Also, I was supposed to be out of the state on vacation this week but my mom messed up her back so we might not be going in which case I will try and do some writing enough to share a little something! If we do go, I'll likely be late watching the episode so we'll see! But I have *goals* to actually work on this fic because the 12.5k words I have are good and I want to share!!! May the show continue to provide good vibes instead of sucking the life out of my creative soul, amen!

[scarlet--wiccan]

Turns out your thing about Billy & Tommy basically being adopted was right on the money and was actually the original intention for them

[Young Avengers by Heinberg & Cheung Omnibus]

Yeah, so for anybody who hasn't seen this before, these are pitch notes for the original Young Avengers series. They've been in circulation for years and are often included in collected editions of the comic-- I've got a paperback copy that's got the full document, some early character sketches, stuff like that. This is not new information to anybody, and I've been well aware of it for years.

It is very important to note that this is basically a rough draft-- a lot of changes were made between the initial concept and the final product. I'm not even sure if Cheung was attached to the project at this point. I'm bringing this up because people sometime cite this document as if it is canon, when it is very clearly not. Just to put things into perspective, Teddy was initially described as a gender-fluid shape shifter, similar to Xavin, but his civilian identity was female and his relationship with Billy was, at least on the surface, "straight." So, obviously, a lot changed for both of those characters.

Regardless of what the "original" plan might have been, if it's not in the actual comic, it's not canon, and I don't think it carries that much weight. But, yes, if you want to read Billy and Tommy's reincarnation as an adoption metaphor, this certainly doesn't contradict it. If nothing else, I think it is worth noting that Heinberg, who is a Jewish author, created Billy as a Jewish character with the intention to write him as an adoptee. Billy's heritage and identity were always going to be more complex and nuanced some people would like, and that's okay. Those experiences can also be represented and validated.

One more thought--

Fans also tend to misinterpret the "movie castings" that Heinberg provides-- setting aside the fact that this is, again, an early draft, these are meant to be broad descriptions of a type, not definitive lookalikes. Given that this was written in 2004, when Heinberg describes Billy as Jake Gyllenhaal, I've always assumed that he meant to compare Billy to Gyllenhaal's character in Donnie Darko-- you can see how that archetype suits Billy as the sort of moody, acerbic, but charming high school outcast that Heinberg paints him as. And ultimately, it is the artists who bring the characters to life, visually, and I think we can all agree that Billy's never actually looked like Gyllenhaal on the page. I always think it's ridiculous that people bring these notes up when they want to argue that Billy, for example, should and must be white, or can't be "too fem" or twinky. It doesn't hold any water. The character's look has always been pretty consistent, and if you feel threatened by the idea that he might be kind of skinny or not that masc, that's a you problem, and I think you need to reexamine your priorities. And just as a reminder, this document also describes Eli as "Tom Cruise if he were African American" so I don't think we should be giving it that much credence.