#unfortunately i don't think she shows up to work very often cause she doesn't like ostera /silly

[peppermintstarsonamintyway]

may i offer you all a tiny heart snow in these trying times

semi mandatory moot tags for oc content; @speadrunner @xaytheloser @pinkmintitz

look at her, she sit

[just-a-girl-who-wrytes]

Omg I just accidently found your blog and I'm so freaking happy, cause there are not enough writer who writes for Deacon 😭 unfortunately I'm super obsessed with him, with an unhealthy amount of fic ideas in my brain xD so I give it a try and send you one of those, hopefully jot annoying you with this (or with my shitty English, it's not my first language, so I'm sorry).

Well buckle up for my request:

Reader is a new Swat member and instantly everybody loves her, with her bubbly friendly self. She's bonding great with her teammates and especially her and Deacon grow super close (they develop feelings for each other but don't want to tell the each other afraid to ruin their friendship, so their feelings stay hidden). When one day a case goes sideways and it leaves her injured (maybe a concussion or something like that) Deacon blames himself for her injury and the next days he distances himself from her, cause he thinks that it is unhealthy for him to have such deep feelings for her and him constantly worrying for her wellbeing. She notices his change of behavior and she's super sad. He starts to being unfriendly to her and being a little bit of an ass?! Even alerting the other members with his behavior. The whole situation is taking a toll on her and she is starting to effecting not only her poor heart but also her health. (so maybe she falls sick, but keep it from her teammates especially Deacon, cause she thinks that after her injury during a case he thinks of her as not capable or something like that). That is until one day she doesn't show up to work which very uncommon for her, cause she's always on time and the first one at the station. They're all worrried and Hondo tells Deacon that he has to drive to her apartment. Well he tries to refuse and send Stress but Hondo insists, so Deacon drives to her apartment. He finds her suffering from a very high fever..... So maybe with a happy ending like Deacon regrets his shitty behavior, she instantly cries when she recognizes him in her feverish state, asking him why he hates her suddenly, which is now breaking his heart. He cares for her and nurses her back to health, or at first tries to bring her fever down. Later he confesses why he was an asshole.

Soooorry it's so long. There's so pressure for you to write this. Maybe you just want to use some ideas? Well I would be so happy.

Please take care lovely

Here you go, hope you enjoy!

“Nice!” Luca exclaimed as the team watched you send rounds down range from your firearm.

With the increase in officer related shootings, LAPD had decided to provide each team a SWAT medic and you were the newest member of 20 squad. 

“Who knew girls can shoot?” You heard Deacon asked. You turned to playfully scowl at him and noticed him wink at you. 

“Better watch it, Kay, or I’ll show you just how good I really am.” 

You had been a part of the team for just over two months and they were the best guys you had ever worked with in your career. You truly became a part of their family – you had their backs and they had yours. There was one that was different though. 

David Kay. 

You had noticed him watching you on more than one occasion, stealing winks from you, sharing small, flirtatious smiles. You weren’t sure if your attraction to him was mutual or not, but if you had to guess, you would say yes. However, you didn’t want to complicate anything by dating one of your teammates and you didn’t want to ruin the friendship you had developed with Deacon. You assumed Deacon adopted the same mindset because he never brought it up either. 

However, that didn’t mean your flirting with each other fell on blind eyes. 

The entire team noticed it and often gave you both shit over it. 

You both were in the middle of denying another teasing round of friends with benefits accusations from your teammates when you were dispatched to a school shooting. 

The mood immediately sobered up as all of you put on your gear and grabbed your bags and firearms. The ride to the school in Black Betty was quiet minus updates from Hondo. 

“Stay liquid, guys,” He told the team as you pulled up on scene. 

There were multiple reports of injured children inside of the school. 

This call was all yours. 

It was going to be your job to go inside and assess each injured child to see how critically injured they were. It was your team’s job to protect you while you did that. You were going in without any knowledge of where the shooter was, but you knew if you had children, you would want someone to go in and save your baby. You swallowed your fear and prepared to do your job. 

You got out of the armored truck and took your spot in the middle of your team. You slowed your breathing down to get your heart rate under control and keep your emotions in check. 

Deacon made sure that he stayed close to you as you entered the school. He knew his teammates would have your back too, but he felt… differently about you. He cared about you a lot. He had quickly fallen for your smile and your personality. You didn’t let the team’s banter intimidate you one bit from the start. You were quick and witty with your playfulness with them. You were smart as hell when it came to medicine and you had proven to be a solid member of the SWAT team in training exercises and on calls you had run together. He wanted so badly to ask you out to dinner, but he wasn’t willing to change the dynamic of the team by adding a relationship to the mix. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t be protective over you – whether you noticed it or not. 

That was why Deacon had taken it so personally when you were knelt down, applying a tourniquet to a fourth-grade student’s leg and got shot by the hidden gunman. His team covered him while he immediately turned to you to make sure you were okay. The round had struck your vest, but you knew it had broken ribs. The pain you felt in your side was unmistakable. Regardless, you threw your body over the child’s to protect her from the gunfire that ensued. Deacon and Luca dragged you both behind a desk behind a wall in a classroom. 

“Are you okay?” Deacon asked without taking his aim from the door way. 

“We’ve got to get her out of here.” You ignored his question as you continued to try and stop the little girl’s bleeding. 

Your voice was forced and you were breathy. 

“I asked if you were okay,” Deacon said angrily. 

“I’m fine.” You retorted. 

You soon heard Tan’s voice over the radio that the shooter had been neutralized. You didn’t know if there was more than one shooter, but didn’t see any signs of one so far. When you got the clear from Hondo, you radioed for another team to come in and get the girl out and get her to a hospital. Once she was safely removed, you resumed your formation in the middle of the team to continue to clear the school building. Deacon could tell you were injured because you didn’t shoulder your firearm correctly, but he didn’t see any blood so he let it go. He was pissed off at you for not stopping and going to get help yourself, but he was even more pissed off at himself for not seeing the gunman before he shot at you. 

It took two hours to clear the rest of the school and stabilize the remaining children. By the time you were done, you were visibly diaphoretic and short of breath. You could hardly manage three words without stopping to catch your breath. 

“20-David to command,” Deacon radioed, “We need an EMS unit to our location, we have a team member who needs to be checked out.” 

You were in pain, you couldn’t breathe, and you were pissed off that Deacon asked for EMS without consulting you first. 

“Why did you do that?!” You managed to asked through clenched teeth. “These children need those paramedics.” You took a few shallow breaths, “Not me! Cancel. Them.” 

If looks could kill, your sergeant would be the one who needed a medic unit, not you.

“Officer,” Deacon said sternly, “You look like hell and you cannot breathe.”

You started to open your mouth to cut him off, but he started speaking loudly again.

“Now, I suggest you shut up and listen to your sergeant. I am not the one who takes orders from you.” 

His harsh words hit you harder than the bullet hit your ballistic vest and left you just as speechless. David had never been so disrespectful to you. If the paramedics hadn’t arrived to assess you, you would have turned in your badge right there. You knew the rest of the team had noticed as well because they were all silent which pissed you off even more. Where was your support?

The paramedics tried helping you onto the stretcher, but you refused it. Despite not being able to speak for being short of breath. You held onto the stretcher for support and walked to the ambulance. By the time you finally made it outside to the ambulance, you were physically unable to get into the ambulance because you were hurting so bad and so short of breath. The EMS providers finally convinced you to get onto the stretcher and they were able to load you into the truck. 

When you arrived to the ER, you were taken to a trauma room due to the fact that you had technically been shot. Your chest x-ray revealed a collapsed lung due to the broken ribs. 

The rest of the team finished debriefing before being cleared to leave for the day. Hondo met Deacon in the quiet locker rooms since most of everyone else had already left. 

“Deac…” Hondo paused, knowing he needed to tread carefully, “What was up back at the school? I have never heard you speak to anyone like that – especially one of our teammates.” 

Deacon slammed his locker shut. 

“Hondo, now ain’t the time, brother.”

The lieutenant raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, I won’t press, but I do ask that you consider an apology. It was unwarranted today. We all performed immaculately given the circumstances.”

“No, Hondo. No. We did not all perform immaculately.” His tone was biting. 

Deacon walked passed Hondo and left the locker rooms. He left the station and threw his duffel bag in the backseat of his truck. He climbed in, started it, and drove to a nearby lake that off the road and would likely be deserted after dark on a week night. He parked in the dark and slammed his fists against the steering wheel in frustration. 

Tears filled his eyes as he mentally kicked himself in the ass for missing the shooter that injured you today. He didn’t fight the tears as they spilled down his cheeks. What had gotten into him? Why were you different? Why was he so upset? Why did you getting injured bother him so badly? You were okay and you were expected to make a full recovery according to Hicks. Where along the line had he developed feelings and why was he so afraid of talking to you about them?

You spent 6 days in the hospital, 4 of those with a chest tube before being discharged home. During your entire hospital stay, Deacon had not been by to see you once despite daily visits from the rest of your teammates. It made you mad, but most of all, it hurt your feelings. You really liked you sergeant – or you thought that you did. His actions since you had been injured spoke louder than any words that could have been said. 

Luca and Chris were there to take you home and help you get settled. They carried your bags in and Chris helped you unpack your things while Luca cooked supper for the three of you. Chris helped you remove your bra so you could put on a loose, comfy t-shirt. Being the only females on the squad left you two comfortable around each other. 

“That is one hell of a bruise, babe.” She said as she looked at your black and purple side. 

You had to agree – the entire left side of your torso was bruised. It looked awful. Thankfully, the doctors had been able to help manage your pain with narcotics. 

“I’m glad it finally looks worse than it feels… Which is saying a lot because it still hurts like hell.” 

You slipped on a pair of sleep shorts and made your way back into your kitchen with Chris. 

You took a pain pill and joined your teammates in your living room to eat the spaghetti that Luca made. 

“Thank you so much for taking care of me guys,” You said several hours later as you walked Luca and Chris to your door. 

“That’s what we’re here for, love,” Luca said, pulling you into a gentle hug. 

You kissed his cheek, “Supper was delicious, Dom. Thank you times a million.” 

He returned the kiss to your cheek and Chris pulled you in for a hug. 

“Call us if you need anything?” 

You smiled at her after the hug, “You know I will.” 

You settled onto your couch with a glass of wine. You knew the alcohol and narcotic wasn’t the smartest elixir, however, you needed to mask more than your physical pain. 

You couldn’t get Deacon off your mind and your heart had yet to stop hurting. Your emotional pain screamed much louder than your physical pain. 

“Dammit!” You heard through clouded consciousness. “What the fuck?” 

You felt yourself being picked up and carried to your bed. You recognized a familiar cologne but quickly disregarded the scent and winced at the pain in your ribs before drifting back off to sleep. 

You woke up the next morning nearly in tears again as you entered a coughing spell. You managed to get out of bed and make your way to the kitchen where your pain pills were, but you were scared shitless by a man sitting at your kitchen table. As soon as your heart began racing with fear, the fear subsided, realizing that it was Deacon sitting inside of your home. 

“Jesus Christ! What the fuck, David?” You held your chest with one hand and braced your broken ribs with the other. 

He didn’t answer you. 

You ignored his silence and took your morning pain medication. 

“Ya know… I said the same thing last night when I came over and found you unconscious on your couch. So, I can also say, what the fuck? What were you thinking?” Deacon’s voice grew steadily louder as he stood up and turned to you. “Pain pills and alcohol?”

You were angry. “Something to make this shit stop hurting,” You spat as you snatched up the side of your shirt to reveal your black and blue torso. 

You could tell the extent of your injuries caught Deacon off guard. His facial expression softened and he didn’t respond. 

You let go of your shirt, letting it fall back down to your waist and continued fixing yourself a glass of water to take your pain pill with. You took your medicine and continued to ignore your sergeant as you turned your back to him to get the milk out of your refrigerator to fix yourself a bowl of cereal. His hand stopped yours mid-air reaching for your cabinet. He gently held your wrist with one hand and you felt the edge of your shirt being lifted again. He let go of your hand, staring at the bruising that covered you. You could sense his demeanor soften. 

There was a long silence as he took in your injuries. 

“I’m so sorry…” He whispered. 

The tone in his voice felt like a hug to your soul. 

“Deacon-” You turned around to face him. 

“No, listen to me,” he interrupted you. “This…” He grazed his fingertip down your side, “is all my fault.”

The confusion was written all over your face. 

“I should have seen that bastard before he ever had a chance at you.” 

You began shaking your head but you weren’t quite sure what to say. 

“You’ve been an asshole to me ever since it happened, David, what the hell has changed now?” You were beginning to grow angry again. 

“Look, I am so, so sorry.” His voice was gentle. “I should have stopped that guy before he shot you. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like I did. I should have visited you in the hospital. You are a teammate and I failed you, but I really should have told you from the get-go that I have developed feelings for you.” He didn’t take a breath the entire time he spoke so you struggled to follow him, but his last sentence hit you like a ton of bricks. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Ever since you have been on the team with us, you have become more than just a teammate to me. Truthfully, I have liked you from the day that I met you and my attraction to you has only grown every single day. I like you so much more than just as a teammate. I would dare say that I am falling in love with you.” He slowly reached up to cradle your face with his hand, hesitant, wondering if you would allow him to touch you. 

You did. 

“I am so, so sorry that I have treated you so poorly this week – so wrong. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with the fact that I hate myself for not being able to protect you like I should have. I’ve been so afraid to let you know how I feel about you. I’m sorry I was more afraid of affecting the team than I was giving you the honesty that you deserve. Please, please forgive me.” 

He looked into your eyes as he nervously chewed on his bottom lip. 

“Deacon…” You said quietly, leaning into his hand caressing your jaw. 

He took a deep breath and continued, “If you don’t feel the same way, I understand, but I came over here last night to apologize and tell you all of this. When I found you passed out on the couch, barely responsive, it frustrated me. So, I stayed here last night to make sure you were okay. Please don’t be mad.” 

Silence fell between you while you considered how to respond. Given the emotions that you had worked through over the past week, going from feelings for your partner, to physical and emotional hurt, to anger towards David for not visiting, texting or calling, resentment towards yourself for having feelings towards David despite how cruel he had been to you with his absence while you had been hospitalized, you struggled to find any words.

Deacon watched you suffer through a week’s worth of feelings as he watched your eyes. You took a deep breath. 

He decided that you were taken too long to respond and if he didn’t act now, he never would. 

He leaned down and softly pressed his lips on yours. 

You instinctively closed your eyes and allowed David to kiss you. When you didn’t pull away, he parted his lips just enough to run his tongue tenderly along your bottom lip. You opened your lips, allowing him to kiss you deeper. You began to return the kiss when David went to place his hands on your waist, forgetting about your injuries. You stopped kissing him and winced. 

“God, I’m so sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay.” You whispered, your voice shaky. 

Deacon noticed the tears that trickled down your cheeks. 

He wiped them away with his thumbs and began apologizing to you again. 

You interrupted him with another kiss. You reached up and intertwined your fingers behind his head, softly rubbing his neck with your fingertips. He moaned quietly into the kiss. He grabbed your arm and squeezed it, needing to touch you, but being mindful of your injuries. You enjoyed the feeling of his tall, muscular body, towering over yours. You felt protected. 

“Deacon?” 

He pressed his forehead to yours, brushing a stand of hair behind your ear, “Mmhmm?”

“I love you.” 

"I love you too."

[nthspecialll]

The complexity of love

Abigail and John has, as we all know, had a very rocky run leading up to the fairly happy family we know them as in 1911 with John giving up everything he had to save them, and sadly that rocky run was majorily John's fault. (Dont worry this wont just be me bashing in Johns head with a bat)

Throughout the first few chapters we can see Abigail desperately try to get John to put in an effort, if not with her, at least with their son, growing up as an orphan she most likely knew how much it sucked missing parental love, and wishing the best for her boy.

While Abigail does show aggression, such as calling John a fool and hitting him, it isn't without reason.

Abigail is heavily reliant on John due to the lack of rights women had back then, and also had in the gang. Being one of the only people in the entire camp not to do crime or working any job that earns her more than just a space in a tent and food on the table, she needs someone else to help her as she has no income. This is most notable when she reluctantly asks Arthur for five dollars because she is literally unable to clothe her son. Those five dollars should be coming from John, the camp does not give more than food (barely, she can several times be heard complaining that Jack is hungry) and shelter, clothing is not included in that, nor is any type of entertainment like fishing equipment or books.

It is also quite clear that Abigail cares for John, deeply, she is constantly checking up on him, telling him to rest, to be careful and take care of himself, while he just shuts her down "being in the sun is good for me, however talking is not so much." There is also when Molly comes to her for advice and Abigail admits to unfortunately relating to Molly and Dutch's relationship, being reliant on a man who does not want you, yet still loving them.

And it isn't just with Abigail, who is sacrifing her own love and feelings to try to give her son a father, that John is neglective, it is also with his son whom he is so absent with that it brought Jack to tears.

Whether or not John actually doesn't believe Jack to be his, it mostly seems like a dodge of responsibilites but to an extreme that it feels like more. John has been with the gang since he was twelve, that is ten years of his life that he had spent with the gang, not a day without them when he suddenly runs off because he has a son? He is willing to give up everything because of a child? While it is a huge responsibility, he has been taught from the day he entered the gang that being together is strength, being alone is weakness.

I doubt it was just the pressure put on him that led him to neglect Jack.

John and Abigail's relationship actually has several parallels to John's own parents, his mother being a prositute and his father being her "well I don't know what he was to her," similarly to how John doesn’t exactly know what he and Abigail are. Some sees them as nothing while others sees them as married.

When it comes to the one parent that John did have left, his father, he likely didn't have much of a good relationship with, telling Jack that he "wasn't missing out on much" when he said he wanted to meet John's pa, who died and left John to fend for himself.

John can also often be heard saying "I don't know much about fathering!" that seemingly being his biggest worry when it comes to his family. Him being afraid of repeating his own father's mistakes doesn't seem like the biggest reach to me, do I think it is the biggest cause? No, I do think it is the big new responsibility, but I do think that fear was laying somewhere underneath it.

I do also think that in late chapter 3/early chapter 4 that while he was trying so hard not to become his father, he had become his father, being negletant and a poor father. That realisation together with the fear of loosing the one family that seemed to stick while the other (the gang) crumbled, could have been what kicked him into action.

John being an overly good father in chapter 4-6 only for him to loose that again in the time between chapter 6 and 1907, I would count as John having tried to overly compensate in 1899 for being a terrible father for all those years, but when everything calmed down he kind of fell back into his poor habits.

Abigail had for years desperately tried to get a regular life, to get a home and a safe place for her family but John keeps ruining it so she leaves (full post on that here). That was once again the kick John needed, suddenly realising he is back in 1899, completely failing his family and being a poor father and husband.

In 1911 the family has had their life for four years, growing their ranch, harvesting, taming and selling horses and other farm animals and they grow close, except for Jack and John. Jack is not at all that close to John, worried about getting close to him because he might leave again. Those times that John thought he was doing the right thing, Jack thought he was being left behind and that is understandable.

John "left" when Abigail was being kidnapped in 1899, he was not there, he kept constantly leaving during the timeskip, always coming home with another mess for them to flee, he was missing when Abigail and Jack left, he was missing when he went hunting for Micah and then he was missing once again when out killing Javier, Bill and Dutch. He was never a reliable person for Jack who constantly had to care for his mom on his own.

Jack was very much kept in the blind about a lot of things, literally asking John if he is a murderer, not completely knowing, so clearly what John did while gone was not something Jack was told. Thus he was left in this constant battle between "trust him, he is here now" and "don't trust him, he will leave soon," leading to a very complicated on and off relationship.

(Tags: @pinescent-and-gingerbread @photo1030 @nescio7 )

[rekino2114]

I don’t know why but I like to think that Lacey’s S/O works out constantly so that they can make her feel extra safe whenever she’s in their arms and also so that if they ever run into some UNPLEASANT PEOPLE they will be able to “take care of them” so could you do a little short where someone is giving Lacey a bad time while her partner is using the restroom somewhere and right when Lacey is about to start breaking down from all the terrible things the person is saying her partner shows up and both intimidates and beats the literal HELL out of the person that was being horrible to Lacey please

Defending lacey from someone harassing her

Pairing:lacey x gn reader

A/n:listen I am very much against any type of violence.....but I would absolutely beat the shit out of someone for lacey

You knew lacey still struggled with interacting with people outside of her friends and obviously you, the memory of all of the people who had hurt her was still fresh in her mind despite the therapy and all of the help you and her friends had given her

So you vowed to help her in moments where she was uncomfortable, you'd speak up for her whenever she didn't want to and would hold her hand the entire time when you were outside making sure to check if there were any weird people around

However, unfortunately, even you couldn't be there for her during every moment

It was just a normal day. You and Lacey had decided to go on a date at a cafe, and you needed to use the bathroom for a while so she started using the phone scrolling through social media to pass the time

"Hey pretty girl what are you doing here all alone?"

Lacey looked up to see a man staring at her. Just looking at him she could tell he didn't have good intention

"A-actually I'm wait-"

The man rudely sat next to her even if she didn't finish her sentence

"So do you come here often?"

"C-could you please leave, I'm-"

"Oh I get it, you're already taken aren't you?"

"Y-yes so if you could please-"

"Well it's not like they have to know. Just tell me your number"

At this point lacey was truly getting uncomfortable her palms started to sweat and her voice cracked

"S-sorry but I R-really-"

"Come on you're not one of those bitches who plays hard to get are you?"

The man raised his hand and tried to touch lacey, the girl yelped and got up from her chair backing away and starting to tear up

Seeing another person who was so rude to her raise his hand reminded her of all of the people who had physically hurt her, her uncle especially, she felt just as powerless as all of those other times someone had tried to harm her

"Babe? What's wrong?"

The moment lacey heard your voice she looked towards you and went to hug you, staring to cry in your chest, she always felt safer in your arms and she really needed that right now

"L-lacey, what happened!?"

She didn't answer you and simply continued to cry but you didn't have to wait long to figure out what made her sad

"Hey asshole, you made her cry didn't you?"

"Not my fault she's a crybaby, I was just flirting"

What he said made you even madder but you decided to focus on your girlfriend for now

"Are you all right lacey?"

She looked up and sniffed wiping her tears a bit

"Y-yeah I'm sorry for reacting like this"

"No don't apologize, it's never your fault, it's this guy who apparently doesn't know what boundaries are"

"Hey don't-"

"Leave, can't you see you're making her uncomfortable"

"As if I'd leave after you disrespected me"

He tried to grab your wrist, but you quickly punched him in the stomach while caused him to fall

"W-what the fu-"

You kicked him again and again until he was crying pathetically on the ground

"That's what you get for doing something like that"

You turned to lacey again and you saw she wasn't crying anymore thankfully

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Y-yes, especially now......thank you"

"It's really nothing, I'm sorry for what he did, I can't believe he'd do something like that without considering your feelings"

"No it's really fine, especially since you were here"

You saw her smile at you and hug you even tighter

"Thank you really......I feel safe with you"

You smiled back and hugged her too

"That's the best thing you could have told me, I'll protect you from everyone forever"

[the-badger-mole]

But FWIENDSHIP!!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Okay, so you all know how I get when something gets stuck in my head, but yesterday I saw a post talking about how Katara and Zuko's potential romance messes with their friendship, and I don't understand how, but that's beside the point. This is an anti-Kataang post.

I will once again admit that I don't spend a ton of time in Kataang/anti-Zutara spaces (cause I'm respectful like that), but every so often, I see one of those takes pop up in my safe area (because respect isn't always a two way street, unfortunately). It's interesting to see how many times this take seems to crop up. Katara and Zuko falling in love would ruin their friendship, yet those same people fail to acknowledge that Bryke went ahead and ruined their friendship anyway out of jealousy. These same people also tend to hold Kataang as a prime example of Friends to Lovers, the only problem is, Aang isn't Katara's friend at any point.

Throughout the series, it's made very clear that Aang likes Katara, but for most of the series (until literally the last few seconds, in fact) it's also clear that Katara only sees him as a friend. This should have been an object lesson that sometimes crushes don't work out, but friendship can be stronger than temporarily disappointed feelings. However, that's not what we get. Aang doesn't care about Katara's friendship. He doesn't want Katara in his life unless it's in a romantic capacity. We see it in how he reacts when he feels romantically rejected (lava fissure, EIP). The narrative doesn't give Katara any space to say no to Aang without it permanently damaging their relationship, because they never had the relationship Katara thought they did. Katara thought she was Aang's friend, but for Aang, their 'friendship' was just a precursor to romance. In this, the year 2023, I know we all understand why this is a problem.

Aang can't even conceive of a world where Katara does turn him down. He dreams about her enthusiastic response to his declaration of love; he assumes that since they kissed he kissed her and staked his claim, they should be together, despite there never being any sort of conversation, and the fact that the one time he did try to talk about it, she changed the subject very quickly. Katara's feelings are an afterthought for Aang, which is terrible for any relationship, but particularly in a romantic one. There is never a moment where Aang puts Katara's emotional needs ahead of his own. He never puts a value on her platonic friendship. There's never a moment where he decides that despite his feelings for her, having Katara in his life as a friend is better than not having her at all. That moment should have happened regardless of whether they ended up together or not, because friendship is the most important component of the Friends to Lovers trope.

By comparison, the friendship Katara eventually forms with Zuko is much deeper, and based on a mutual respect, understanding and emotional support for each other. This is a fantastic foundation for a romance, although bafflingly, people who laud Katara and Zuko's deep friendship don't seem to agree. Them potentially falling in love doesn't cheapen their friendship because they actually were friends first. On top of that, their Enemies to Friends journey ending romantically would not only not cheapen their friendship, it would tie into the themes of the show beautifully (the illusion of separation; love being stronger than hate; learning to respect other people's differences etc).

Let's be real, what Kataang actually represents is The Hero Gets the Girl, and I think deep down we all know that, even the ones calling it Friends to Lovers. In the Hero Gets the Girl trope, the Girl in question doesn't really matter. She's less of a romantic partner and more a prize for the Hero saving the day. Her emotional journey to falling for the Hero mostly plays out off screen, even though she may not have even liked the Hero like that initially, and the hero doesn't ever show that he respects her as a person. For the most part it works (arguably) because the Girl isn't a character in her own right, she's just part of the Hero's story. The reason it doesn't work with Kataang is that Katara is a character. She does have her own journey, and as passionate and outspoken as she is in pretty much every other aspect of her life, it doesn't make sense for her journey to falling for Aang takes place largely off screen. Not unless you understand how little Katara's feelings matter to their relationship. Had Katara actually rejected Aang, their friendship would have ended because Aang was never interested in her friendship.

It's interesting to me to see people who claim to value friendship over romance spend more time complaining about a romance that isn't canon over the actual canon ship that really does cheapen the friendship. But then again, I guess that was never the problem in the first place.

[bittercideristaken]

I passed out fourteen times but here's my pointy objects fanart I've been working on for literally months and only now got a break from school and work to finish

(this is fanart from an ao3 fic called of gods, monsters, and pointy objects made for @gontagokuhara !!! I hope you're feeling better from covid!! I promise I won't feel bad about how long this took if YOU don't feel bad about the time this next chapter is taking, MASTERPIECES TAKE TIME!!!)

I had (have) more art planned but I didn't want to wait forever to post this, it's the reason as to why I haven't commented yet!! I was trying to finish this first and then I didn't have time LMFAOO I hope you like it!

Baby (giant) Gonta being raised (literally) by Nagito, distracted by a cool beetle!

2. Angie and her mom(s) off their island's shore....

3. Kaede in Chapter 10, after the RV explosion, in the bathroom of Mikan's cottage....

4. Ibuki and her daughter, Kanami, waking up in a panic after the attack

(Non)surprisingly, I think it'd be fun to also share some of my pointy objects headcanons in this same post! I wrote down a LOT of them in my notes app overtime, and they're mostly camp-based. But since this is long I'll just put it under the cut ;)

• Miu's hair used to be the exact shade of blonde as kaede, but she dyed it pink with manic panic and it's NEVER come out

• Nagito and Ibuki were already friends, but only started becoming close after the Tsumugi incident bc of their shared grief and self-doubts... she basically stayed at camp the whole time while the triplets healed up until Junko banned parents from seeing their kids

• Ryoma was a daily smoker before coming to camp, but Nagito encouraged him to switch to nicotine patches

• The counselors didn't realize Gonta needed glasses for a HOT minute until one day while Hajime was trying to set up a lesson plan for his schooling and couldn't figure out why Gonta's reading comprehension went way down when they used a chalkboard... and they're like "...can you NOT see it?😟" like "oh. well he needs glasses, thats it" *facepalm*

• Tenko goes to a lot of girl group concerts with Himiko and Peko! So when she comes to camp, Kiibo begs her to show them the videos 😭

• Sometimes someone gets sick and can't do dinner duty, and sometimes Nagito says "I'll cook" and everyone rejoices because they KNOW it's a pizza night 😭 they literally bet on how long he'll be struggling in the kitchen until they hear the car leaving camp

• Miu is a SERIAL clothing theif, even though she constantly hates on everyone's style/says their clothes are too big/small for her anyway. Kaede is a constant victim of this 😭 she'll tear up her closet looking for a specific top in the morning and then come out to breakfast to see Miu wearing it (it has caused physical fights)

• Angie and Tenko always show up with the cutest hair with all kinds of accessories. They're the best at braiding and most of the camp has had their hair braided at least three times in one summer.

• Kaede and Kirumi are pretty damn good at sewing! The long haulers bring Kaede things that need mending when Kirumi isn't there lol, and Kaede makes all her own Halloween costumes! (And trades her chore duties to help others with their own costumes)

• Rantaro is GENUINELY a tiktok star 💀 he did musical.lys to cringey music unironically when he was like 12 but ppl really started following him for his aesthetic travel videos, and "dying my hair/piercing myself at 3am bc I'm bored" videos (also some unfortunate thirst traps and dance videos💀) Shuichi shows up in the background sometimes and Rantaro teases him because ppl keep commenting "WHO THAT IN THE BAAAAACCKKKK" but yeah he doesn't take it crazy seriously or post very often

• Himiko has known Hajime/Nagito the longest of all the campers (they literally changed her diapers for Chiaki) but she used to hide behind her mom's legs as a toddler bc she was shy 🥺

• Miu works better with music on, it's like her only real psychological tie to her Godly parent (other than the attitude)💀 she dances around her room while working on projects and turns the music up REALLY loud in her cabin and makes everyone complain until she's gifted a pair of really good headphones for Christmas

• Angie also LOVES to surf, Sakura wasn't the best surfer before but she literally learned just so she could surf with her daughter 🥺 it makes her feel closer to Aoi

• Sometimes when the counselors are SUPER overwhelmed they literally say that they've been called to a meeting and just take the weekend off somewhere 💀💀💀 usually one stays behind but it's something they've NEVER admitted to even though the triplets have definitely figured it out after Hajime came back from a """""meeting"""""" with a trinket for his office 💀

• (KINDA NSFW) But Ibuki has had the most relationships with other gods out of everyone else followed by Makothoe 😭 This doesn't really say much it's just a record bc the gods have relationships with humans anyway 💀 if you account for humans it's probably Leon or Teru LMAOOOO (honorable mention to the imposter because LMFAOOOO but I headcanon he has like real relationships with humans and sticks with them for a while not necessarily uhhh yk)

• Most of the gods are used to acclimating themselves to their time, but like, sometimes they still don't catch up with EVERYTHING and they act like parents who struggle to get Siri to work or squint when they have to use a phone (The counselors got sick of a 12 y/o Kokichi asking if they had games on their phone and kokichi got sick of them saying "a telephone was made for calling people" so he got a phone slightly before the other campers 😭) (Byakuya and Makoto got a smartfridge that they STILL struggle to work 💀) (Taka's face turns red after the first 10 minutes he takes to connect a bluetooth device to his car)

• Vocal stims spread across camp like wildfire until Hajime nearly tears his hair out begging them to stop (vocal stims ALSO linger in MEETINGS LMFAOO I think the indubitably bit in sdr2 was so real and funny 😭)

• Baby rantaro was DRIPPED TF OUT💀 Makoto and Byakuya had him in designer clothes as a toddler, to the point where reporters/business partners were suggesting he go into junior modeling because he was such an adorable kid! Makoto likes to tease/brag to Rantaro about it lol. He still has the toddler clothes stored away and a bunch of photos of baby rantaro in formal wear😭

• Kaito has a scar on his stomach from when he tried to fight off the monsters that killed his grandparents

• Kaede is "talking smart", and so is her twin, Miu, but it SHOWS when she's talking trash about someone 😭 she has an Azealia Banks level of world-ending, life-changing reads at the tip of her tongue

OKAY THATS ALL FOR NOW BYEEEEEEE

[r4vn]

kai w those promots u reposted ill die

“I don’t mind wasting time on you.”

something where the reader hates kai more and is an overall bitch but kai is the only one who tried to talk to her despite her attitude, but he accidentally got on her bad side and he got petty and just started being a dick (as deserved) to her. for no rsn she gets mad cs of the way hes treating her and they argue, hes gen pissed cs he tries so hard for her, and she makes it seem like hes like such a bad person to her + even insults him and goes personal. hes vv pissed (angsty except put everything on the reader) its sad cs hes so sweet to her —doesnt have to be smut exactly (but it so can) cause idk where you’d put that but ill take wtv idea fr

OR OR i know how dumb ts is for the reader to be wrong so if u wanna find a character or make sb up feel free idk +so sorry ab the size of this my way witj keeping msgs brief are critical

—DYNAMIC [prompt]

kaı x fem!character

w.c: 3,150

disclaimers: enemies to lovers, sweet!kai, angstttt!, fluff¿, meanfem!character, no smut sorryz, the blue doesn't exist in this lol, happy ending, not many warnings tbh

—synopsis: you never rlly understood why kai followed you around like an annoying puppy. but soon you begin to see how much time he wastes with you, or wants to waste.

a/n: from the enemies tl lovers prompt(s) i reblogged couple of days ago :) SORRY FOR THE WAIT. TY 4 READING ♡

「divider by @/ cafekitsune」

nahara wasn't particularly liked on the ship. she wasn't a prissy bitch like julie was or super serious like sela, but her most known attribute was being brutally honest and pessimistic. she was the only one to show such traits.

of course character traits are complex, like a color wheel. anything and everything can overlap. nahara has friends ,yes, due to those who compliment her traits are best compatible. sela and nahara got along well during class time. meanwhile, julie and zandie were two-faced drama queens, snakes the size of humans. though, nahara had two friends who were on the sweeter side. laura, who was a shy sweet girl and penelope who was more of a blunt nerd, and they were seen often together.

some particular characteristics are hard to blend with nahara's personality, but they jump between interest and irritability.

charisma. unpredictability. and of course, persistence. kai checked all those boxes off. if only he wasn't obnoxious and he would linger more on the interest zone more.

"you think chris sleeps with sela? i know zac wonders." kai spoke with a hint of amusement as he held up a pair of pliers for her to grab when ready. nahara sighs loudly to symbolize her annoyance.

"no, kai. i don't care who sticks their stick in someone's hole." the deep auburn sighs out. she turns to kai, who is holding her tool like a servant. she grabbed the pliers and went back to the wiring.

"thanks." she mumbled.

"always," kai grinned in content. "now, are you sure you dont care hara?" kai grins, biting back a laugh. nahara clenched her jaw to hold back on becoming flustered.

"kai has anyone ever told you're a super interesting character?" nahara questioned. the slightest of faux politeness laced her voice, but of course kai didn't catch it. he was too caught up in her even initiating conversation. he brightened at her question, forcing his smile to look subtle.

"u–uh no why? am i that interesting..super interesting?" he queried with hope, fidgeting with the back of his curly hair. nahara shrugged, carefully clicking wires in the ship software.

"well you certainly are special.." kai heard her mumble. he saw a small smile pushing at her lips. she was being sarcastic.

"ha ha. very funny nahara." kai slumped his shoulders and rolled his eyes. nahara chuckled to herself and kai's heart fluttered. he couldn't help but smile too.

kai was quietly known to help nahara around the ship. whether it was just holding her tools, cleaning around her as she continued to work, or simply helping her with little tasks. unfortunately in return, nahara doesn't fully acknowledge his actions, scolding and being being a smart ass as he helps her. he plays along with being naturally charismatic and tries to make her smile. though she would ever admit that she gets flustered from the brunette male easily.

when they were young on the ship, nahara often either socialized with sela or by herself. kai would naturally talk to others. growing up into pre-teens, kai would try to strike up conversations with nahara whenever in class, and quickly got shut down most times. other times, she would have to talk to him due to group work. fast forward to now, he enjoys any time he gets with her. but there is a striking difference between them.

regarding the unspoken 'popular' spectrum, nahara landed more in the middle. kai was on the higher end of popularity. the only time they would cross paths was while eating, doing the same ship tasks, and in the sparring room.

recently, kai has been more persistent with his actions. nahara didn't know why, but it was getting more unbearable as days went by. within the past week, laura and penelope had been gossiping with nahara about kai. they'd ask why she hasn't pursued him and how he is exceptionally handsome.

"nahara, why haven't you gone for him? he seems sweet." penelope asks, fidgeting with a little pen. laura nodded quickly, agreeing with the blonde

"yeah until zachary comes around, then he is an obnoxious manwhore and wants to talk to everyone." nahara replies, staring outside the window that separated them and space. penelope groans dramatically, waving a hand in the air.

"he's like a completely different person with you! he seems genuine! think about it please, yeah?" laura said, cutting in. nahara did not respond, instead changing the topic. she already sees him everyday involuntarily. she didn't want to think of him in her room. after gossiping, penelope and laura left nahara with her thoughts.

unfortunately, she began to think about her and kai in their early teens and how extroverted he was. he always was involved in any social group, attatched to the hip with zachary. hara wasn't interested in such group talks. she would instead sit in the med bay and memorize tools with sela. her and sela aren't best friends, but they were pretty close and enjoyed each other's company.

kai went through a small phase of scaring nahara to start conversation. he would pop out behind a corner and nahara would be startled and annoyed, walking away. of course, kai would follow and try to chat it up with her. nahara chuckled at the memories. suddenly, she felt a small ache in her stomach, gulping.

her brain began to play every single memory of kai with her, the ache becoming more prominent. she sat up in her bed, holding her abdomen. her mind focused on his features next, his eyes, hair, lips. nahara stood up, pacing her room.

is this..do i...

"nope.. nope nope. i do not.." she mumbled to herself. she hit her own head with the palm of her hand to quickly disperse the memories. to get out of her thoughts, she went to shower, then came back to her room to sleep, tossing and turning all night.

°°°

"you okay? you look.." started laura.

"like i didn't sleep? yeah, i didn't. thanks for noticing." nahara answered bluntly as she got her tray of food. all three girls sat down at an empty table before eating. nahara occasionally added in a comment or two in penelope and laura's conversation about space theories again.

"well i know we are only the first generation of three, but what if we make something that makes us live to see the planet? all of us?" penelope asked before eating a piece of fruit.

"immortality isn't always a good thing. imagine being cursed with immortality–" kai immediately sat down in the empty seat next to laura with his tray and a smile.

"i think immortality would be pretty cool, don't you think nahara?" he asked, diverting the attention to the auburn brunette. hara sighed and shrugged, eating her food.

"i think i'd rather die than deal with two generations, let alone already raising one." she stated, getting a laugh from kai.

"what? you don't like kids? sooner or later you're going to have to find someone." kai spoke with amusement. laura and penelope gave each other a look, silently giggling before continuing to eat their food.

°°°

"nahara, laura, kai, and tayo, you're all on security wiring." chris stated. the auburn rolled her eyes hearing that she has to do splicing and wiring again with kai. not necessarily with kai but he always finds a way to get stuck sith doing his tasks right next to her

"looks like we are stuck together again, hara." kai nudges nahara's shoulder with a cheeky grin. she sighs and nods, rubbing her temples as the group walked to the security room. the sleep deprivation was getting to her now and they were only halfway through the day.

chris handed each of the teens wiring kits to each of them and everyone got to work. in the recent days, security had been glitching and cutting out, and some kids were taking advantage and slacking on tasks. so chris has been enforcing those to fix it as fast as possible to stay on course.

nahara was more avoidant to kai than usual, and he noticed everything about her. so he damn sure saw how she didn't even bother to complain about working with him again. kai didn't say anything just yet, instead doing his usual tasks; subtly helping nahara around.

he sat next to her, working on opening his new wires silently. hara was already taking out old ones from the security switch boards. kai stole glances, watching how careful she worked. as rough-edged as she was as a person, kai wondered if her touch was the same too. or if it was the opposite, and her touch was as tender as her looks.

kai quickly swatted away his thoughts, clearing his throat. as soon as he opened his mouth to start a conversation, he noticed nahara was struggling with connecting wires. she seemed to be losing her cool quickly, mumbling curses under her breath.

"hey– hara, you want some help?" kai pointed to her hands. they seemed to shake, but of course she didn't acknowledge it.

"no. im fine, thanks." nahara murmured, her hands slipping at the wire every few seconds. kai stayed quiet and watched, frowning at the state she was in.

"nahara, are you sure? just take a break." kai placed his wiring down. he fully turned his body to her and closely watched her body language. she seemed on the brink of losing it.

"i’m fine, kai." she said again, more firmly this time. the wiring clipped off from the board again and nahara's eyes glazed over from frustration.

"hara stop being stubborn and let me help–" kai finally had enough of watching her suffer and grabbed ahold of her hand along with the wires she held. she flinched and immediately broke.

"for god's sake kai i said i got it!" nahara pushed kai back, snatching her hand away from his. she immediately stood up away from the now shocked brunette male. kai furrowed his brows and stood up, confused and his chest aching.

"whats your problem? im just trying to help. like i always do!" kai asked loudly. the other began to look and watch the altercation unfold.

"you're my problem kai. i never asked for your help. i never asked for you to sit with me. i never asked to know you!" kai clenched his jaw at her words. they sliced through him like a serrated knife.

"everyone think you're this sweet, extroverted social butterfly when in reality you're an obnoxious leech who can't detach himself from me and i hate it! i'm sick of you!" nahara yelled out. her heart pounded in her ears and her hands trembled at her sides. kai stayed silent, staring at her with eyes filled of disbelief and hurt. his chest ached, burned of anxiety. he took a step towards her, his brown eyes daring into hers before opening his mouth.

"fuck you, nahara." her heart jumped, stopped even. the slightest of shock painted her face from such sharp words. kai stepped away from her and sat back down, working on his wiring. nahara said nothing in return, instead silently taking her exit and leaving kai where he was.

°°°

it had been 2 days since kai and nahara's fall out, and no one spoke about it. of course, kai was still loved and was very social with others. meanwhile, nahara was treated the same, but with more silent stares. she couldn't care less though. she only relied on those she truly spoke to, laura, penelope, and sela.

"are you sure, you're alright nahara?" sela asked quietly at the table. the three girls worried for nahara. ever since the fight with kai, she had become even more detached. she spoke less within group conversation and only did her tasks. she spaced out alot during class time and even in the medbay with sela.

"mhm." hara nodded at sela's question. she wore a bored expression on her face. laura and penelope couldn't even read her. a group of people started getting louder with laughter all of a sudden and it caught hara's attention. her eyes traveled to the labeled 'popular table', watching kai julie, zac, zandie, and kai laughed and converted. as nahara's eyes wandered to kai, they eyes met, hara looking away first and she immediately stood, dumping her tray before leaving.

as she walked to the other main room for tasks, she noticed everything felt quieter. maybe it was because kai wasn't yapping in her ear about the future but there was a slight ring in her ear from the silence. her headspace felt more gloomy and her chest had a dull ache. she didn't know why. she didn't like it because she did what she wanted to do. she got kai away from her. he annoyed her. she didn't like him. she couldn't stand him actually.

she couldn't stand him, yet he inevitably flooded her mind.

"nahara, you're on wires again. just finished the last few replacement wirings and you can be dismissed." chris said, typing away on a tablet. nahara did not protest, instead taking her electrical packet and headed back into the security room. as she sat in her spot, she noticed kai a couple rows down, conversing with julie as they worked together. she mentally cringed at the sight, rolling her eyes. nahara detached the old set of wires from the data box, being extremely delicate. she sure as hell didn't want to get electrocuted by a 1200 volt charge. her ears subconsciously listened toward kai and julie's conversation.

she could hear julie's sickening giggles from kai just rambling about nothing. nahara didn't know how to feel about it. maybe it should have been her, and not kai. but it was her. it was nahara. and she lost her opportunity.

"oh wow your arms look nice kai.." julie giggled out. hara’s head twitched from restaurant. she damn near broke her neck to look at them but subconsciously stopped herself. she would have immediately looked guilty. nahara tried her best to focus on the wires to get out of there quicker. she began to quickly unravel the new pack of colored wires and began to reconnect them to the box. she started mentally saying her abc's to block out her interest in their conversation. she hated her brain. she half wanted to stick the end of exposed wires into her ears and destroy all her hearing.

"oh yeah? thanks for noticing." he replied to the short curly brunette. she giggled again.

ugh god please shut up..

"of course, have you been doing something different?" nahara heard her ask in a meek tone.

nahara sighed to herself briskly. she was almost done now, she began inserting the new wires, her head was spinning with anxiety. she truly believed ignorance was bliss and she wanted to hear nothing of this conversation right now.

"i guess recently i've had, well, more time on my hands–" suddenly, a loud zap, followed by a bright spark ignited from nahara's direction. she yelped loudly, quickly scrambling away from the sparking circuit box. everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards nahara's direction, noticing she was holding her arm. kai, the only one snapping out of his shock, immediately ran to the emergency shut off button and turned off the electricity to the security room. the room fell silent, everyone's eyes landing on nahara.

nahara slowed her shallow breathing, swallowing thickly from anxiety. she looked at everyone in the room, her eyes falling on kai last. it took every ounce of tall brunette's being to not run to her aid. he stood like everyone else, being the only one to visibly express concern. nahara's eyes glazed over as she picked herself up and walked briskly out of the room.

tears trailed her face as she walked the halls. she was hurt, both mentally and physically. though it was her fault for her own hurt. she ran away from her feelings and in the end the person who she thought of when in danger did not immediately come to her aid, and it was her fault.

she missed it. missed how he'd drop everything to help her. missed how he helped her even when she didnt want it. she missed him.

she quickly ran to the medbay, crying out of frustration. she opened several cabinets for her tools and sat down in a rolling chair before placing her arm on a small sterile metal table. she sniffled, gently coating her electrical burn with a thin layer of antibiotic gel. she was lucky it only left a surface burn and did not electrocute her entire body. she placed the gauze on top, sighing out in even more frustration as it wouldn't stay in place for her to wrap. tears welled up in her eyes again, a feeling of helplessness taking over.

"nahara..c'mere let me see." a voice calls out. out of the corner of her eyes, she could see a familiar tall brunette walking through the open door with anxiousness in every stride he took. closing the door behind him, he swiftly grabbed a chair and sat across from her to help. hara sniffled and took the gauze away from kai's reach before he could grab it. she looked down at her arm to avoid eye contact.

"don't bother wasting your time. you know i'm basically right behind sela in medical training–" abruptly, she swung her head back quickly at the touch of kai's hand on her wrist, pulling her arm towards him. he grabs the gauze with a soft smile.

"i don't mind wasting time on you." she flushed a bright red and avoided eye contact, sitting silently. kai could see her nose had a tint to it, keeping down a laugh. he silently dressed her wound, wrapping her forearm carefully. the auburn got goosebumps every few seconds from the tips of his fingers tenderly touching her skin. as he finished, kai raised her arm which caused her to finally look at him, her lips parting as she watched him plant a soft kiss on her skin. nahara gently pulled away before diverting her gaze. she got up to walk away from him, already terribly flustered.

"thanks–" though kai stood up right after her and grabbed her wrist, spinning her smoothly into his body. he wasn't done with her. hi cupped the side of her face and her waist before capturing her lips. the kiss was gentle, nahara's body immediately relaxed under his touch. her anxiety slowly dispersed under him. that gloomy cloud in her head finally let the sun shine through. she felt lighter. nahara slowly pulled away and kai smiled softly, their brown and hazel eyes mixing.

"always."

for the first time, kai saw her eyes soften towards him, and he took in every moment of her loving gaze.

© r4vn ²⁰²⁴, do not repost my work.

much love. ♡

[forzafe44ari]

I have finished reading the chapter you just released, and the writing is still excellent and genius as always.

I shared your article with a small group of friends in my country, and we chatted about your plot for nearly two hours. They may not often leave messages on tumblr, but I want you to know that they all agree that this is a masterpiece.

So, here are some of my guesses about the plot and some nonsense. Please don't be troubled.

First Unfortunately, the competition has already started in the article. I feel that if this 75th anniversary is used to make fun of Lewis running away with Italian stallions, I feel that Lewis can kick the trash can in the bathroom. It's really a little funny.

And the author of your fake Twitter account is also very real, and there are details. I remember a Twitter account that said that he was inspired by the full o lineup of fll or something. I wrote that I felt regretful, but I didn't regret it so much when I thought that someone was motivated on Twitter.

This means that those tweets of sexual harassment have also been seen, too 😢😢

There is another small detail I found in the discussion with my friends. A friend of mine joked that miles wanted to be the first to like. I don't know if it was robbed by Hajar. You know Hajar's amazing like speed. Hahahaha

Then we found that Miles grabbed the first like. Your rich text was specially made. Miles and many other users liked a small line below. Congratulations to him.

A friend of mine said that the relationship in 1644 is really easy to remind him of the two heroines in Benedetta. I don't know much about this work, but he said that benedetta is a heroine who has had high hopes and suppressed desires since she was a child. Later, he met a very luxurious and beautiful young girl.

And the relationship of brocedes. We made a bold guess that from the existing information, nico doesn't seem to be an ex-boyfriend, but more like a former crush. Maybe nico doesn't know about it at all. If the two people don't succeed, maybe nico doesn't want to establish a relationship with beta. It's just a random guess.

And Lewis's view on Jensen is so beautiful, really beautiful. Your success actually made me cry. In connection with reality, Jenson basically took away the aura of Lewis Prince McLaren during that time.

I'm sorry for continuing my redundant and complicated speech. I'm just easily excited, and I have a lot of words, and a group of friends who are also talkative like your work. As always, I give you all my praise, and I'm sorry for my English. I hope I didn't cause you any trouble.

Oh my goshhhh, please don't apologize for your English ever. I don't think anyone should ever apologize for speaking an entire second language. That's incredible.

And wow what a long comprehensive comment! Thank you so much for reading everything heaven allowed. It's really so much fun so far!

As for Lewis—yes, he's seen the sexual harrassment, the comments about his abilities, comments about his age, all of these things. From what I've noticed about Lewis irl, he isn't posting a lot online but he seems...chronically online. Like he seems a little too aware of what's being said of him on the internet for him not to be on there. So while he's not engaging, he definitely sees it, and I can't wait for him to get more into it.

Also HA—I love Isack Hadjar. I want to somehow involve the rookies a little more in this story. I'm still trying to figure out how. But liking Lewis' Instagram posts would be funny. Like Lewis might start noticing.

And comparing 1644 to Benedetta, oh MY—I love Benedetta. I do think there's homoeroticism in their relationship. There are so many layers, and I love the potential of them irl in and in fic! And I can't wat for Sebastian to properly show up, because I think it'll be so interesting.

In the future, I plan to explore Lewis' relationships with his past teammates (and past drivers on the gid) more. So expect more about Nico, Jenson, Fernando, Valtteri, and even George. Thank you so much for this lovely lovely comment, I really appreciate it!!!

[alice-after-dark]

Alive/Human RadioStatic Headcanons Requested by @hiemaldesirae

I realize I don't actually talk about them being alive/human very often. I should change that lol shippy but probably not in the way you would think lol

Mention of canon-typical triggers ahead.

-Alastor was born and raised in New Orleans and spent his entire life there.

-He is the product of an affair between a white man and a black woman and is white passing.

-His father was miserable in his marriage and loved Alastor and his mother very much, but knew them being together would only cause more problems. He sent each of them money and a letter every month, though they could not risk writing back (Alastor kept every single letter).

-Alastor is a momma's boy through and through.

-He was considered strange as a child and didn't have many friends and was often left to his own devices. Because of this, he spent a lot of time playing in the bayou and knew it like the back of his hand.

-His sadistic tendencies showed early in the way he would handle his bullies by leading them into the bayou and leaving them lost and stranded.

-Alastor's first kill was his uncle at age 16. After his father passed away, his uncle found out about Alastor and his mother and came to their home in a drunken rage. He attacked Alastor's mother and left her unconscious (permanently scarring her face). Alastor murdered the man and hid his body in the bayou after carving up his face.

-I definitely subscribe to Alastor being a cannibalistic serial killer who specifically targeted those who he viewed as a eyesore to society (Dexter-style; rapists, murderers, abusers, etc.).

-He would report on his own murders on his radio show.

-He was nicknamed the "Bayou Boogeyman" by the press, due to many of his victims being found in the bayou.

-The police never realized that he was a cannibal because the gators always got to the bodies first, destroying any evidence that they'd been snacked on prior to being dumped.

-In public, Alastor was exceedingly charming and had no shortage of suitors (both men and women), though he very rarely entertained any of them in that regard.

-Ironically enough, while he did not participate, he did attend many an...explicit event. He enjoyed people watching and observing.

-Alastor dies in 1933 at the age of 35.

-Vox was born and raised in New York City.

-His mother was a film star and he rarely ever saw her. His father would work all day and then go out and drink, leaving him alone most of the time.

-The few times his mother was home, she and his father fought.

-Because his mother was famous, he had a lot of fake friends who really only cared about the fact that he was rich and had a famous mother.

-He grew up listening to Alastor's radio show. He often found comfort in it when he was home alone.

-He had a major crush on Alastor growing up, even though he didn't entirely realize that's what it was (boy straight up had his picture pinned to his wall and didn't realize what was up).

-Vox's father, however, did recognize it and was not pleased and made that very known in his verbal and emotional abuse.

-Vox's father died when Vox was 18 after Vox pushed him down the stairs of their townhouse during an argument. The death was ruled an unfortunate accident.

-Vox lived in fear of being drafted during WW2. He was relieved when the war ended in 1945 (the draft age was 21 and Vox was 20 when the end of the war was officially declared over).

-Alastor is his inspiration for wanting to become a television star. His mother believed her to be his inspiration and he never corrected her but never confirmed it either.

-Vox's marriage is basically for publicity. She loves him but he doesn't love her. They're both young, attractive, popular, the public thinks they have chemistry, and they look good together.

-They have two kids (two daughters), but Vox struggles to bond with either of them due to having no proper role models.

-Vox has several affairs with both men and women over the course of his marriage. His wife is never the wiser.

-Vox dies in 1958 at the age of 33 after he is shot and killed by a jealous fan of his wife.

[andreal831]

Klaus and Rebekah -- Abuse

I often call Klaus out for his treatment of his siblings. Just like I call out the majority of the characters for their behavior. However, Klaus stans get very offended when I do this, even though they are the ones who say they love how evil he is. I often get accused of being biased and 'hating' Klaus. I promise you, I don't. I do not care enough about any fictional character to hate them. I may not like them or they aren't my favorite characters, but I clearly still tolerate them enough to watch the show. It's also funny because I don't talk about my least favorite characters specifically because I don't like them. Therefore, the fact that I spend time talking about Klaus means I like him to an extent. I like aspects of his character and was disappointed in his lack of development.

Too many people want to erase his abuse towards Rebekah or, even worse, justify it. As someone with a degree in Psychology and who works every day with victims of abuse, I wanted to break this down for the fandom.

First, I cannot stand it when Klaus stans want to pretend Klaus's actions are justified. Abuse is never justified. Mikael's treatment of Klaus was not okay even if Mikael thought he was creating a strong warrior. And Klaus' treatment of Rebekah is not okay even if he thinks he knows best.

Second, being abused and having trauma does not justify or relieve responsibility from someone if they then become an abuser themselves. It does happen, unfortunately, but they need to be held responsible as abusers.

Third, there are different types of abuse. One is not more damaging than another, they are all terrible and cause long-lasting trauma.

Psychical Abuse

"Involves the use of physical violence, or threats of it, to maintain power over an individual. Because of this, survivors are afraid and uncertain when more abuse will occur. This often reinforces the regular use of other, more subtle, types of abuse."

Physical abuse is the one that is talked about the most because it is so easy to see. Klaus has been physically abusing Rebekah for about 900 years. He does it so frequently that she often flinches away from him. She never knows what to expect from him, if he is going to be a loving brother or revert back to her abuser. This creates its own trauma as she loves the caring side of her brother but is terrified of what he can turn into. It's part of the reason they have such a codependent bond. She still sees the brother she loves and wants to save him.

The first moment of physical abuse that we see is after the Hunters dagger their family and Klaus slaughters them all. Klaus grabs her roughly and screams in her face. This is after Rekekah wakes up covered in blood and sees the man she loves dead. She is clearly terrified of Klaus in this scene. People will try to justify this and say Klaus was "in the right" since Rebekah shouldn't have trusted the Hunter. But, I'll refer you back to my first point, we do not blame victims for their abuse, we do not justify abusers in their actions. Rebekah did not plot against her family. She made a mistake in trusting someone, a mistake that everyone in that family has made. Hell, Klaus is sleeping with Genevive while she is actively trying to murder his child. He sleeps with Aurora while she kidnaps Rebekah and throws her into the ocean. But Rebekah was in love with the Hunter. Even after what he did, she still buried him in peace. Klaus was not in love with the women he allowed close to him and hurt his family. He does not have a moral high ground. And even if he did, again, we do not justify abuse.

This event starts a cycle of abuse. Klaus holds onto the weapons, even though, at this time he is not any stronger than his siblings and they cannot be used against him. He doesn't do it to protect them but to threaten them. Anytime they disagree with him, he threatens to take years away from them, to strip them of their bodily autonomy. They are so scared of those daggers that they won't even stand against Klaus for each other.

We don't see much of their lives, but in every era after this, we see Klaus physically abusing Rebekah. He is constantly waving the daggers around and using them against her. This is physical abuse. He is stripping her bodily autonomy away from her and taking years of her life away from her. We don't know how many times this happens but we know she lost 14 years of her life in the span of 200 years, so I can only imagine how much of her life she truly missed out on.

In the 1800s, he threatens her away from Marcel and when she doesn't obey him, he daggers her and costs her 52 years of her life. In 1920, he daggers her for wanting to be with Stefan, taking 90 years of her life away. In Season 4 TVD, he daggers her for months because she doesn't want to help him make his hybrids.

He has no problem choking her and breaking her neck after he left her to be abused and tortured by vampire hunters. He compels Marcel to kill her witch body if she disobeys him. Not to mention the sanitorium episode where she is running, scared for her life from her brother. He constantly threatens her with bodily harm if she goes against him.

Emotional Abuse

"Includes non-physical behaviors that are meant to control, isolate, or frighten someone. These behaviors are often more subtle and hard to identify but are just as serious as other types of abuse."

Even as a human Klaus is condescending to Rebekah, telling her she cannot play with knives because she is a girl, despite the fact that Rebekah is the only one of his siblings who has ever been brave enough to stand up to Mikael. I know it is the times, but as a reminder, Viking women often wielded swords.

Klaus emotionally manipulates Rebekah from early on. He continues to gaslight her and make her emotionally dependent on him. He even jokes about his abuse to her and their siblings, often make jokes about daggering them and finding a place to store them if they disagree.

The first time is right after they are turned when Klaus tells Rebekah their father killed their mother. This is a lie. He killed Esther and he knows it. He tells Rebekah that so she won't leave him. Even if it comes from a place of fear, this is emotional manipulation. He does not allow Rebekah to make an informed decision. Their entire vow is based on this lie.

Klaus is very good at framing himself as the victim and making his siblings feel guilty, even when he has done the same or worse. He refers to himself as their "bastard-brother" often and talks about them abandoning him, which is just a lie. Rebekah and Elijah never once abandoned him for 900 years. Elijah only left to lead Mikael away and the only time we see Rebekah leave is when she is daggered. Yes, Rebekah begins to act in reaction to Klaus' abuse, but it takes about 700 years of being abused before she even does this. Also, you can't use Rebekah calling Mikael as an explanation since he didn't find out about that until 2012/2013.

I would also like to point out, Klaus is celebrated for killing his abuser but Rebekah is condemned for 'trying' to kill hers. I also hold that she didn't actually want him dead, she acted in pain and instantly regretted it. He is also the one who abandons her multiple times, even leaving her in Mystic Falls after she has been daggered for 90 years.

Klaus has no compassion for Rebekah's feelings. He is constantly belittling her for loving or caring for others. He would often make comments, especially in front of others, about her being stupid or naive. Like making fun of her love for Alexander in front of Stefan or making fun of her in front of Marcel. This is a very common way for abusers to control their victims. If the victim feels small and insignificant, they do not feel brave enough to leave. He constantly makes her feel like she is nothing, that she has nothing so she has no choice but to stay with him.

He lets her think he is dead for days, despite what he knows it will do to her. When he reveals himself, he leaves her in the hands of self-declared vampire hunters and makes no move to rescue her even later.

And then Klaus' moment of 'growth' is when he doesn't kill her in the cemetery in Season 1, but "sets her free." Again, this is a way for him to exercise his control over her life. He is exiling her but frames it in a way that he is the good guy. He has complete control over her life still. She is not allowed to return to see Marcel, Hayley, Elijah, or anyone. She only is able to return when Klaus needs her.

Sexual Abuse

"Sexual abuse is when a partner controls the physical and sexual intimacy in a relationship. This often involves acting in a way that is non-consensual and forced."

I think we can all admit, Klaus and Rebekah have a very strange relationship. He is very possessive of her and it often comes across as a toxic boyfriend.

For some reason, Rebekah has to ask her brothers' permission to turn her boyfriend, Emil, into a vampire. Further showing her lack of autonomy. Klaus laughs at her and shames her for her love life. He then takes it a step further and throws Emil off the balcony, proving to Rebekah once again that she is not allowed to have anyone in her life outside of him. He even does it with his siblings when he sees Rebekah and Elijah acting too close, he attempts to victimize himself, pretending they are excluding him because he is their half-brother, rather than for the real reason that he has hurt them once again.

The next romantic interest for Rebekah is Marcel. I'm not going to get into the problems there, but we do need to acknowledge the grooming that occurred. But that is not why Klaus is opposed to the relationship. He doesn't want Rebekah to pursue Marcel because he views them as being his. He doesn't want them to have anything in their life outside of him. When she disobeys, he punishes her. He doesn't punish Marcel even though Marcel was the one who pursued her. He only punishes her. Not only does he dagger her, but he barters her life for Marcel's desire to become a vampire. He does this specifically to drive an even deeper wedge between Rebekah and Marcel, so that when he undaggers her after 52 years, she will not seek a relationship with Marcel.

Klaus then wants props for later "giving permission" for Marcel and Rebekah to have a relationship. It is completely sick that he thinks he is allowed to regulate his sister's love life.

Rebekah next forms an attachment with Stefan. She actually meets Stefan first, but because Klaus is jealous, he is constantly throwing fits in the 20s and wants to separate the two. When it is time to run, he doesn't give Stefan the chance to come with them. He compels Stefan to forget about them, despite it being Rebekah's boyfriend. Rebekah decides she wants to stay with him and he daggers her for 90 years for this 'betrayal.' In fact, he only releases her when he plans to use her against Stefan. When he is done with her, he abandons her in Mystic Falls to go create his own family of hybrids.

And if you think this is okay because Rebekah is 'breaking their vow,' I want you to really think about that. Rebekah is 900 years old and not allowed to essentially move out and start her own life because her older brother never learned to make his own friends/romantic partners.

I also think we need to evaluate the vow. While Klaus may have kept to the words of it, he did not keep to the meaning of it. "Always and forever" was meant to show their loyalty and love for each other. Not that they were not allowed to have their own lives. Klaus broke his vow by keeping them in a box and robbing years of their lives. That is not an act of love but an act of abuse.

When they are back in New Orleans, he is constantly using her past with Marcel against her. He blames her for the issues with Marcel even though he was the one who introduced Marcel to the family and supposedly raised him. It is just another way to emotionally manipulate her as well as control her romantic life.

And then at the end of The Originals, the only glimpse of remorse we see is that he tells Caroline to get the cure for Rebekah. He doesn't apologize for the thousand years of abuse he inflicted on her and acts like this one act (which he has very little to do with) will make up for the rest of it. Someone recently pointed out the timing of it. Klaus didn't want her to take the cure before, but now that he is dying, he is fine with it. Since the show did very little to show growth in his relationship with Rebekah, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he has it in his head that Rebekah will be able to join him in the afterlife sooner if she takes the cure.

All of this to say, Klaus spent 900 years abusing his sister. Yes, she began to react against him, but that doesn't make it okay for him to continue to abuse her. It is fine to like Klaus' character, but it is not fine to justify abuse. People suffer this type of abuse every day and justifying it on social media allows this abuse to continue to be justified in real life. Don't be so blinded by a fictional character as to hurt real-life victims.

[hsslilly-blog]

Thinking about HuntClaire. I like it when Hunt tells Claire he's "all in" (quest 5; First Date). I think it's an important moment to their relationship, and it's something that defines it. It's interesting especially when you take Claire's character in consideration. Here is my essay under the cut. It is very long, sorry!

Before anything: in my timeline for Hollywood U, quest 5/“First Date” takes place in Jan/15, so around 6 months have passed since “On the Hunt”.

As I've written before, Claire spent her entire life with a distorted view of love. This led her into less than ideal situations (this one included). She has deep rooted self-esteem issues she's not aware of, she just knows she thinks she's not worth... "it" ("it" = always being a self-destructive gesture, risking "something"; she destroys herself to prove herself, so the other must too). This has much to do with how she first established "love" with her parents. Attention is love! Claire believes the people she's in relationships with will, inevitably, lose interest in her; and she believes this, because she truly thinks there's something extremely off-putting about herself. And she's much better as an idealised concept than a person. People don't like her naturally, so she must make them love her.

And, see, Claire has a terrible death drive: she's stuck in a cycle that will cause her pain; she's always pursued relationships with men that will not give her what she wants, which in turn will reaffirm her beliefs about herself, which will make her look for assurance from other people. It is through these relationships that Claire tries to find this feeling of worthiness: her main deal is trying to shift the power imbalance between her and her partners (because there always is one), and most of the time it comes through the simple act of these men crossing boundaries to be with her. Giving her attention when they should not be giving her any.

So, Claire saw her therapist as something to be conquered. Would her parents' divorce lawyer muddle the waters to be with her? Would this guy mess up his campaign plans just so he can go on a few dates with her? Yes, probably. But they're not committed to her: they also see her as something to be conquered, a fling. There is not much thought put into Claire, or into the relationship as a whole. No consideration for consequences. Claire is something. For Claire, this is not empowering, this is self-destructive behaviour. And when time comes, these men leave her and blame her for their ruin.

This is all part of her characterisation as a perceived femme fatale. "Perceived" because Claire does not do this out of malice. This is not conscious behaviour; at least it's not something Claire realises she's doing when she's doing it. I will return to this later.

Okay, well. Hunt checks all the boxes, right. He's her professor and by God, he does not want to cross any boundaries. This guy literally runs away from Claire in more than one occasion. Unfortunately for him, this is a dream come true to her. This does not play like in canon; like I said, Claire doesn't do this out of malice. She just sees a man who does not esteem her, and this is outrageous to her, and she needs to prove him wrong; and she needs to show him that, actually, she's totally nice and pleasant and, like, interesting! Claire is not even pursuing him romantically, at first. She doesn't even like him as a person that much. She just feels she has to prove herself to him, somehow. She must make him love her. It simply gets entangled in the midst of it all, as it often does with Claire.

I've talked before (in tags) why I think they work together. Hunt does not give Claire attention. At least, not in the way she wants to (positive attention.) There is something about Claire that is very offensive to Hunt: she is too much like him! This relationship is not about Claire wearing down a guy until he dates her (which, honestly, that's what it feels like in canon). This is about two deeply flawed people who see conflict as a form of connection. They cannot interact sincerely with each other because they are both too deep in their own prejudices. Claire has a distorted perception of herself. People dislike her not for innate, mysterious reasons, but because she is pushy and brashy. Hunt needs to get over himself. He is not being frank, he is just being rude and unpleasant most of the time. And these are two people who love pointing fingers at others, and then they decide to point it at each other.

They're deeply attracted to each other because one constantly challenges the other. And as much as they do not like to admit this (the great flaw of pride), there is something to be admired in a person that manages to humble you. These are characters that need to be wrong every once in a while. And they found that in each other. Claire has the unconscious need to make Hunt like her, but she's unaware of what makes her unlikeable. And he will make her aware of it. And Hunt thinks of himself as the judge of everything that is good in the world. Claire tells him he's not that important, actually.

There is mutual investment in this relationship. And I think that's what levels the ground between them. Not whatever Claire was doing before.

Once they get together, the issue with Claire and worthiness does not go away (and it won't for a long while); but this is a different relationship than any other she has had, because Hunt is a different person from all the men she's dated before. He is not a person who does things haphazardly, unplanned, not thought through. Most importantly: once he chooses something, he commits to it. So, when he decides to date Claire he's not doing it in precipitation. He has given thought to it, he has given thought to the consequences and he has given thought to Claire. Thence, when he tells her he's "all in", he means it and he is willing to risk it all for her (which does happen; he loses his job) because he thinks she, as a person, adds more to him.

This is probably when Claire realises that she's falling for him (and truly!). I think hearing that from him means a lot to her. It touches a wound in her. Oh, so there are people who are willing to do... things for her. And, of course, not implying this is healthy. This is not fixing anything, because that is not the point. Claire will not mature in this aspect through a relationship... and this all kinda reaffirms her worldview. As for Hunt: he literally throws his career away for her, so maybe he should visit an analyst as well. The point is that this is an important moment to Claire and Hunt's relationship; and this is why this, out of all the relationships Claire has had, lasts. There is a commitment from him in a way that enables her complex, but there's also being seen as a person in a way that she'd never experienced before.

I also like how this subverts Claire's archetype of a perceived femme fatale, slightly. Hunt does lose his job so, in a way, she would have "lead him to ruin". The difference here is that Hunt is fully aware of the consequences, he has given thought to the situation, and he still chose her. She has not "deceived him" (and I'd say she never deceived any man; they knew what they were getting into). The point here is that Hunt does not shift the blame to Claire at any moment: if he lost his job, then that's his doing. Claire is only a person! She has no way of coercing him into anything. He could've said no. And he chose not to.

I need to postface this with: Claire is a complexed person. And as all people with complexes, not everything fits neatly. People are not A to B to C! And neither is she, and there will be contradictions most often than not. I do think most aspects of her personality makes sense in relation to one another, but it's hard to break down a person in parts when they're a totality. This is just a general overview! Lastly, Hunt and Claire will always have a weird dynamic going on between them; they work well, but it's very easy for them to not work well. And maybe that’s what keeps them together.

[litsnobconfessions]

A Year of Animation Day 50: The Dragon Prince S1E5-9

Date: February 19, 2025

Day: 50

Content Watched: The Dragon Prince, Season 1, Episodes 5-9

Year: 2018-2024

Rating: TV-Y7

Run Time: 130 minutes

If we're going to start with animation, then lets start with some visual gags. Obviously, Callum's little cube lighting up is significant, but I love that right out of the gate, we have Callum playing with it because it lights up near Rayla, and just how annoyed she is. Even better, I like the continuation of the "weapons grade" food when Ezran drops a loaf of bread, causing it to break a rock. (Was anyone else reminded of the food in their high school cafeteria?) But best of all, we get the return of the jerkface dance! This is something they chose to do. They didn't have to, but the show is so much better because they did. We get more insight into Callum and Ezran's relationship, and what I particularly like about this scene is that Callum only hesitates for a second.

I've been thinking about it since my last review, and I've determined that what makes the jerkface dance great is that it (1) returns control to the injured party (Ezran asks, Callum must comply), and (2) forces the injuring party to put aside their pride. Dance or no, Callum still needs to do the work and be more trusting of his brother, or the apology will fall flat. But often, what gets in the way of us doing the work or even making a good apology in the first place is our pride and this sort of gut reaction to save face (it's why we say "I'm sorry, but...") But once you have danced up the cursed caldera in front of a moonshadow elf assassin and a girl you barely know, you have no face left to save.

There's also a lot of humor in the dialgoue, and I would hazard to say the dialogue in this show is snappier than in ATLA. Furthermore, many of the jokes are not directed at children, but at adult audiences, and I've often heard it said that that's the key to making a really good kids' show. I really like the conversation between Amaya and Viren, where she calls him out on his bull.... droppings (as Gren translates) as well as Callum's dream about... sandwiches. And his promise to talk extensively with Ezran about sandwiches when he is older. (Unfortunately, I think this is something that did not carry out in a later episode, which would have been so much fun.)

Now, I started watching The Dragon Prince when it first aired, which means I watched the first couple of seasons before I saw ATLA, so I didn't see just how much Sokka energy Callum has. I do feel that he's a very different character over all. His relationship with his younger sibling is different, as is the way he handles his personal insecurities. Both grow into strong leaders, but unlike Sokka, Callum never assumes he is or should be one from the beginning. Nevertheless, up on the cursed caldera, a lot of his lines feel just like Sokka. Things like, "Here's the plan! Flash! Woof! Whoosh! Slish-Slash!" and "Get zapped with the zap hand!" I get the feeling this role was written specifically for Jack de Sena. In fact, similar to Sokka's not believing in friendships lasting more than one lifetime, Callum doesn't believe in irony, and thus ends up with a giant spider at his back.

Another thing this show does that reminds me of ATLA is setting up expectations to do something different. I already mentioned that Callum barely hesitates when Ezran asks him to do the jerkface dance. Likewise, Ezran barely hesitates when Rayla tells him he needs to stuff the bogey-berries up his nose. And when Ellis learns Rayla was sent to kill Ezran, she slides halfway off Ava, looks Callum directly in the eye, and says, "people meet in such interesting ways!" This scene in particular reminds me of Aang's introduction to Pipsqueak.

But let's go back to the bigotry thing. I said in at least one of my ATLA reviews that I think Sokka is quick to forgive, but hard to give trust in the first place, and I don't think that, in Callum's situation, he would have behaved more like Claudia. Callum's choices reveal the kind of spectrum of bigotry that we talked about with Zootopia. I get the feeling that Callum still kind of views Rayla as an exception to a rule he's internalized (he did fend off Claudia to help her, but also still assumed she drank blood) while Ezran thinks of her as evidence for dimissing the rule altogether. But I also like the way Rayla's secret complicates things. It makes things messy, like real life. (And it makes the storytelling tighter because this is not the last time Callum and Rayla will face such a conflict.)

And it leads to this show playing with one of my least-favorite tropes of all time: the heartfelt speech in the middle of a crisis moment. In many another show, Rayla would have chosen this moment to tell Callum about the meaning of her wrist bindings, Callum would have passed her the egg, and they would have gone on their merry way. But instead of pausing the action for Rayla's confession, her confession ramps up the stakes, and they nearly lose the egg. I appreciate that they did this, but I kind of wish they had put more of the onus on Rayla. Yes, I do like that Callum also apologizes and says he should have trusted her in the first place, but Rayla could have told them at any other time. She could have taken the egg, waited for them to get off the ice, returned it and said, "thank you for trusting me, but I do have to tell you something." And then Calum could have said that that was obvious because she literally already told him that she was there to kill the king, and also apologize for not trusting her. It just feels like they decided to mess with the trope, but didn't fully commit.

But now, it's time to talk human Rayla!

This is one of my absolute favorite gags in the show. I love everything about it--from her clearly shoddy disguise (akin to Aang hiding himself under his little cape before going to the fire nation festival in "The Deserter") to her over-the-top human talk that is utterly ridiculous and yet somehow completely accurate:

"I'm just a simple human girl who likes human things like bread and complaining all the time."

"I like talking about human things like making money and starting wars." (Even Ezran confirms that this impression is pretty good.)

Of course, I also think it's hilarious (ironical?) that the dude with the sunforge blade says something like "you're one of them!" when he's literally holding an elf-made weapon. Like, where did you get that dagger, sir? (This is, unfortunately, why Rayla's impression is so accurate.)

Like last time, I also need to take a quick jaunt to Soren and Claudia. I love Soren's positivity when he's climbing the stairs and doing lunges on the top of the wall. I hate physical exercise, and I aspire to his level of positivity. I kind of wish that I could hire Soren as a personal trainer because I suspect he would come in with that level of positivity, and it would be contagious. Especially because the moment where he says he doesn't know what nuance is confrims that he really is a big lug that thinks he's funny all the time (he is funny some of the time--I like the Ka-tallest joke.) Also, as Reading Circle is now in the midst of A Series of Unfortuate Events, when Viren tells Soren, "you will bring back news that the princes have perished," I couldn't help but think, "perished means killed."

But neuro-divergence clearly runs in the family, since Caludia also has some strange understandings of the world, like her joke about the "ka-shortest" mountain, and her thought that the mirror was putting her notice. I'm kind of on the fence about these jokes because, as I've said before, I hate the trope of "this character is stupid, laugh at them," but I have also seen characters that come off as stupid because they interact with the world in an atypical way but actually show intelligence and wisdom in other scenes. Soren feels like this kind of character. Claudia feels like... the writers aren't sure who she is yet. (Though I do think it's hilarious that she's grossed out by the idea of using underwear, but not spit or toenails--it really shows how much upbringing affects our worldviews.)

Nevertheless, I think the real art of this show is its attention to detail. When Callum, Rayla, and Ezran go over a waterfall, the waterfall is noticably short--tall enough that it's scary for Rayla, and they need to hang on to the boat, but short enoug it's reasonable that the boat (and they) are not smashed to pieces at the bottom. When Amaya and Viren are talking, Amaya mentions that her sister had a sweet tooth and loved jelly tarts--something Ezran inherited from her. And then, of course, there are the ending credits, which depict a hand inside Viren's mirror and Ethari crying over Runaan's sinking flower (and if you're watching for the first time, and that makes no sense to you, it will later.)

I do want to know more about dragon eggs, though? Obviously, they can lay dormant for years and at least some of them need very specific conditions for hatching. How long does the dragon have to incubate inside the egg? Is there a minimum and maximum time? Was Zym born early? Who's to know?

Finally, I have to mention the horror on Lujane's face as Claudia's spell rains down on the moon nexus because she is the only one who knows the implications of this. I may have mentioned before that I work with Pacific Islanders, and I cannot watch this scene without thinking about the bombing of Bikini Atoll because apparently the fallout rained on nearby islands, were people were, and they thought it was snow. Children opened their mouths to catch it on their tongues. It's a piece of US history that doesn't get enough attention.

Tomorrow may or may not be a pick me up. We're going to watch some trash from my childhood.

[drabbles-of-writing]

as the OG source of the A Little Kindness AU aka Raine adopting Hunter I would LOVE to know how you would change it to be canon compliant. i mean obviously the reveal would be after everything, but god just imagine Hunter worrying about his anonymous friend/caretaker and he finds out its the FUCKING OWL LADY'S PARTNER and hes just so happy theyre ok and to know who helped him out all the time but also OH TITAN LUZ IS GONNA BE HIS SISTER EVEN MORE NOW!

~adoption anon

the little gray box who started it all!!!! welcome back

good lord there would be so many overhauls...just so incredibly many I gotta try to break it all down to smaller sections to even get. a glimpse

1) okay so as we have learned Raine was NOT, in fact, under any mind control, just pulling the biggest brained move on Snapdragon she ever did see. so raine doesn't even go missing in the first place, if anything they might halt the notes altogether but still remain in the castle just because they were under constant vigilance and meeting eda again mightve made them triply afraid of getting other people involved with their work. hunter stresses about it, as you do, but flapjack isn't freaking out cause HE'S seen raine's face, and he knows that they're fine, but he has no idea what happened, so Hunter is less concerned since Flapjack isn't. not by a lot tho.

2) so INSTEAD of Hunter booking it to Luz to plead for help on some criminals, he instead takes all of this suppressed fear and worry and stress and just kinda. balls it up. and then shoves all of it out in the open during Eclipse Lake. he goes HARD trying to get that Titan's Blood and the thing where he tried to relate to Amity over being a failure? he doubles down on that shit TREMENDOUSLY and their shared failing to live up to what other ppl wanted and pushing away their friends (granted Amity actually pushed Willow away to try and help, Hunter didn't push Raine away he just thought he did). you think his breakdown in Eclipse Lake was concerning? hes about to make it even more concerning. hes very very afraid for Bat and he would really rather they hate him than anyone found out they'd been talking to him and they got murdered, so he better try and beat the shit out of Amity! if Belos is pleased with him, maybe he'll hesitate on whatever punishment Bat might be having right now

3) Raine, bless 'em, keeps trying to help Hunter how they can, dropping these tiny hints they don't mean to drop. Hunter's part of setting up and preparing everything for the Coven Day Parade and Raine is noticeably always checking in on the Golden Guard. we know now that Hunter started showing his face more after the Palisman incident, but Raine isn't seen around often, so I imagine it's around the Coven Day Parade that they finally see what Hunter looks like--and good lord that IS a literal teenager what the hell did they DO TO HIM---alright scrap all the plans. darius, eberwolf, change of plans. everything stays the same, but we're kidnapping Hunter on the way out

4) Any Sport in a Storm is pretty much the same, Hunter is just even antsier & more desperate to get these new friends to like him bc. Bat. and also punts Darius twice as hard. Darius for his part is only marginally nicer because he knows Raine's weirdly attached to this little rat of a child--oh wait nvm he sees why now. alright valid point. Darius is a firm believer in "for the love of god just tell him you're Bat it will save everyone a lot of stress" but unfortunately Raine subscribes to "if anyone i really care about is within fifty feet of me we are All Going To Die"

5) mostly everything would stay the same in Hollow Mind, i think? Raine, Darius and Eberwolf might actually go up to the Owl House and speak when Hunter and Luz get trapped in Belos's mind since its both Raine and Darius that are stressed as fuck over the kid? in that instance then everyone teams up much quicker (and in confusion) but Hunter still books it out at fast speeds into the woods and somehow makes it to Hexside. he's a slippery little bastard, but luckily now theres a whole gang teamed together to track him down and hes found by Darius pretty quickly after the Owl House is evacuated and torn apart. however Hexside is VERYYYYY on edge over coven heads claiming to want to "help" and "have betrayed the Coven" so they're all beating Darius back like a rabid raccoon and Hunter thinks he's here to kill him. so thats fun. eventually Darius gives up, scruffs Raine, and throws them down at Hexside and demands they finally clear shit up. its a very cute scene of Raine sneaking in and slipping little notes under the door of whatever classroom Hunter's hiding for his life in, wherein he realizes Bat's come back. and Hunter's finally brave enough to yank open the door to---RAINE?????

6) more stuff that mostly stays the same. Hunter however is very stressed over Raine when they're trapped in the human realm which eventually leads to him and Luz talking a lot and him realizing "im sorry waht the fuck do you MEAN that the owl lady and raine whispers were a THING??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERES STILL SOMETHING THERE????" but above all i want to fuck this boy up so insanely bad and at least give him a GLIMPSE of Raine's puppet body being possessed by Belos. even if there is no interaction other than Hunter seeing them for a brief flash I know in my heart that would fuck him up so bad. he would blame himself so so much. Belos really here to kill everything he loves before he can finally be free huh

7) MOST importantly they finally get to hug when everyones reunited and hunter feels SO INCREDIBLY GUILTY when he sees all the fresh new scars Raine has courtesy of Belos. to which Raine, in peak parent fashion, just goes "nah, i dont mind 'em. now we match :]" and Hunter's just god u are missing the point so badly but i'll let it slide. how'd you know my new scars were from belos. and raine just stares like "how did i know your new scars were from WHAT????? oh im so glad i killed his ass" "YOU DID WHAT"

[mocchii-writes]

Hi queen!!

Could i get 4 squid game matchups for fem x fem?

I have brown-ish red hair, mid-chest length. Green/gray eyes, and round features overall. I wear contacts and braces T-T.

I’m pretty anxious in social environments sometimes, and overthink sometimes. I wouldn’t consider myself very social, but people seem to approach me often. I’m not confrontational, but i’ll speak up if i need to.

i’d like a relationship to be fairly equal in regards to effort and stuff. I don’t really like gift giving but i’m all for physical touch and words of affirmation. If i had to choose between the extremes of them being too quiet or too loud i’d rather them be too loud, i like people who have a lot to say.

Love your work!! you’re my idol!!! <33

Hey babes!! So unfortunately, I only do 3 matchups at a time, but I hadn't posted the rules when you requested this. Here's your matchup ♡ (in order of most to least fitting)

#1 matchup: Ji-yeong (s1)

From what we can see in her (sadly short) screen time, Ji-yeong is very mature. She can be a bit pessimistic, but she would value equality in your relationship. She doesn't really like gift-giving either, so there are no issues there. She enjoys quality time and words of affirmation, and overall, just enjoys being near you. She's sometimes bad with words, though. She'll always make up for it with her thoughtful actions, even if unnoticeable.

As for uncomfortable social environments, do not worry about it. She totally understands when you just want a second to yourself or if you want to leave. She's good at reading you when you don't want to outright say something, and she is always there to comfort you. She would also know you're not helpless and would respect and admire you if you were to stand up for her or someone else. She doesn't really care about what people think or say to her, but she would appreciate if you did care.

You two probably met at some event, maybe a con or a party. She approached you, for sure, discussing the dryness of the activity and her boredom. She loves talking and loves more that you'll listen to her thoughts and her ideas of life. Eventually, she would suggest you both get out of there and maybe you two go and cause some trouble hehe.

#2 matchup: Se-mi (s2)

Se-mi's sarcastic and strong personality is a good clash with yours. She tends to be gentler to kinder people and wittier to aggressive people. She's also smart, and she knows how to weave her way into and out of situations if need be. She probably shows affection in words of affection or actions. She'll complement you casually, give you some advice, or help you complete a task, and that's her basically proposing btw!

In terms of your introverted personality, she's more the type to defend you whenever you seem uncomfortable around someone, but she'd just as often be able to know when it's time to go. She might tease you here and there, but overall, she knows you're strong, and everybody shows their strengths differently.

I think you probably pined for her, anon ♡. She definitely doesn't seem like the type to shoot her shot very boldly, but if you're lucky she'll notice your little crush pretty quickly. That will give her the confidence to ask you out, maybe something brief but also like your first conversation lol?? Anyways she'd take you to some secluded location (and murder you muahaha) and eat a picnic with you or watch a projector movie awwww.

#3 matchup: Kang Sae-Byeok (s1)

Don't think that just because she's #3, she's not a good match for you! She's very smart, as we can see, but also very untrusting, which either makes your relationship very difficult or very special. She's kind of very hesitant about affection, and probably only shows it in acts of service for a while. When she warms up, she may say something sweet to you or hold your hand. She really likes you, which is rare, but because of that it's unfamiliar and almost scares her sometimes. Be patient, she's shy. ♡

She's also a pretty quiet person, but she doesn't really get anxious from social environments. She isn't 100% sure how to help, but she can certainly offer her company and whatever else you ask of her. She truly wants you to be comfortable and will not hesitate to fix a situation where you're uncomfortable. She'd prefer the non-confrontational route, but she's not against it. She might get a little jealous, sometimes, but won't do anything weird from it. She just really values you and couldn't stand to lose you.

You would 100% have to approach her, I fear. If you didn't meet in the games, it would be difficult for her to trust you within a short period of time. You could just keep trying, or maybe you could just offer yourself and let her warm up to you, but you're definitely not going straight to lovers. Good luck! ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ /gen

[compressednerve]

🖌, 📺, and 🍂 for the ask game?

HELLO! Richard 🐔 welcome to the askbox thunderdome 🌩️⚡. Thank you for sending me this ask I have appreciated it greatly to be asked these emoji questions :~)

🖌 - Do you have/want any tattoos? Yes, I have two tattoos. One is of a wasp on my shoulder/back that I got when I was 17 (regret, mostly, want to get this covered up ASAP), and my other one is a Sunrise/Sunset over the ocean with a palm tree in the foreground that I got when I was 19, on my right bicep. I won't post a picture but here's a drawing of them. The wasp was because I wanted a tattoo so bad so bad so bad so my mom hooked me up with a tattooist who happened to live down the street from us... I don't like it because it's just, very small, on the large expanse of my back, right next to some cigarette burn scars??? it just feels. out of place... The sunset was because @parasitefun and I had made life plans to live together within like, two months of us talking, and the original plan was for Florida. Because we met thru the Hotline Miami fandom, and also there was this band I was obsessed with that originated in Tampa and this article I read about them made it seem so romantically warm and humid and hazy... gosh. So the same tattooist who did my wasp also did my sunrise. It's not nearly this vibrant IRL because she was doing my work directly on my skin, and at the time I was only working in watercolor?! so it actually looks faded as fuck 😭 but other than maybe touching it up, I want to retain the meaning and build around it. my favoritest part has to be the lines in between, they're really broken up like that so the skin shows through!!!

as for if I want any more tattoos, yes, of course I do! I want more tattoos every day, but I've gotten more picky in the past few years... I can't really decide on any one design, and Parasite has been the sole earner for our entire relationship >_< so there's not usually any fun money set aside for things like body mods, unfortunately. Here's a design I've wanted since 2016- it's the cover art for Oneohtrix Point Never's "Garden of Delete" which is one of the only things that saved me that year ;_;

This morning I read an article about how heatwaves affect Train Tracks, which for some reason I can't find the article now but I'll try to find it later, but anyways heat causes train tracks to "buckle" which is just ludicrous to me, I had no idea, very terrifying. Railways are beasts... so beautiful... so feral... augh.

^aspd mantra.

so anyways, then I fell into a 3hour nap and woke up to the sound of Parasite cooking dinner/lunch (pork chops n rice a roni), banging the spatula against the pot <3. And the first mental image that came to mind was of a tattoo design for a buckled rail, as a metaphor for having a hard time with your body, and doing what you're supposed to do especially when under heat and stress >_< cripple metaphorz, I guess...

📺 - Favourite show? This has been answered here:

🍂 - What’s your favourite season? ah god.... oh fuck.... *falls over and clutches my chest and sobs and weeps*

I'll attempt to keep this a little short, but mainly: my system is so fragmented, so compartmentalized and so blacked out of Sense Memories, and seasons are senses. My mom has bipolar (or schizoaffective bipolar, or Sadistic Personality Disorder + HPD + ASPD, or god knows what else) and Seasonal Affective Disorder, and I ended up with Seasonal Affective as well v_v I think most people end up with a Strong Sense Memory attached to, usually, only one season, usually Winter or Summer... that's at least what I see most often when people talk about it, if they talk about it at all, but I ended up with serious trauma that seemed intrinsically linked to each of the Seasonal Changes 😓 It doesn't help that I'm exquisitely sensitive to temperature/air pressure changes, and I'm more or less "severely" agoraphobic both on a physical level (outside is way too large) and on a mental level (i am so small and there are so many people out there, people who can and will stare at me, and the architecture, oh god!)...

I have a lot of good memories attached to each season, and a lot of bad memories as well... so I guess it's more about the minute moments contained within each swirling maelstrom of seasons. Going out to the city with my mom in late October on an unusually crisp, sunny day so I'm sweating under my leather jacket but the air is stinging my face. Laying down on the concrete in the middle of the road in early March, feeling the sun on my eyes. That first breath of fascination upon waking up to the first snowy morning, at any point in Winter, except for most of my life I lived in Washington so, sometimes there wouldn't even be snow :/ These are flash in the pan memories that stick out like little shimmering crystals in a sea of lead and blood.

Most of my positive associations with seasons also has to do with how nature changes alongside with it, seeing the trees die and regrow, rain falling or sun shining or clouds moving, animals present or not, etc... it's all very magical and wondrous. Listening to birdsong calms me down, and it's one of my nicer hallucinations usually when I'm awake in the early morning hours... god there is nothing better than being awake at 4am in the middle of summer and seeing the very first slivers of sunlight followed by birds waking up 🐦🦆🕊️🌅

[ofsteelroses]

SA POVS >>> CE POVS

(This is not meant to be a contest and is instead, thematic journeys of the following):

Damocles (bk1) + Abira (bk2) -> Leah Weston

2 sides of the same coin of her being a change agent, deciding on the fact of sinborne rights

Refuses to conform to expectations & forbidden loves; specifically w/ abira - dodges marriage, gives up a position of power (throne, Leah's title)

literal mentors in how to be nobility, but still stand for justice - doesn't always work? but they are the ones that have her like "don't you dare settle"

still privileged as fuck, but they try to be chill about it

Rowland -> Mitchell

Defined by wishful thinking and unfortunate absence

literal progression in the sinborne fight (from rowland opening the cause by opening damocles' eyes to mitchell rightfully saying "fuck being patient")

actually sassy fuckers

Maeve -> Jane

need to emphasize in their upcoming scene the fact they connect on words and research and a love of scientific fact

Jane needs to learn to listen like Maeve does if she actually wants to be persuasive in the future

both privileged, who like fine art and wine and dresses, and yet hardworkers who see things others don't

George -> Malcolm

despite their ENTIRELY different temperaments, Mal is just as impulsive as George in SA & (more importantly) fed-up with the status quo

defined in weighty expectations and duty - and they actually live up to their responsibilities

Adelina -> Karyn

outsiders who decide to say 'fuck it, i'm going to act to make a difference' and take either revenge - or act to heal someone, both unexpectedly

in touch with their dark side & happy to be who they are

Marcus -> Geoffrey / Valeria

"somewhere between fuck you and i'd want to fuck you"

Garrett -> Frederick

literal "fuck it i'mma do what i want fuck who i want" attitude (and plot)

often spends the book in a way that ends up with them needing to earn redemption, show humility, etc

Jude -> Arthur

sinborne with One Specific Thing(tm) they care about (music, fine linens)

very, extremely prone to saying "fuck off" to all class distinctions despite their position that is somewhat half-and-half

Evelyn -> Ariadne

survival of self is a reason to betray someone important to them, actually

actual feminist (TM)

willing to bend the rules as long as, in the end, they get what they want

survivors of abuse

Rebecca -> Alec

the fact they are from the future is NOT the most interesting thing about them. their gigantic "you shouldn't know this" intelligence, IS.

literally they break the time continuum to be with who they love. repeatedly.

I HAVE EMOTION ABOUT THE FACT ALEC TAKES AFTER HER A LOT, OK.