#why am I not being treated kindly in return

[apple-grass-and-smiles]

Very cool and not heartbreaking at all for the PJO show to emphasize that Percy is an outsider not only because he's new to the whole demigod thing, but also because he doesn't know the rules of being a traumatized kid with all the daddy/mommy issues possible

[judesmoonbeauty]

Once More, An Evil From Which You Can't Return SE - Part 1: Elbert Greetia

᯽Please note: I am only translating Elbie's end for this part one event. Meaning it's Elbert's chapter, the Ending and Epilogue. The "second" Chapter is solely Alfon's Chapter and has no bearing on the story. And sorry if it sounds a bit stiff, it's been a while since I’ve translated Elbie.

This is a fan translation only. Please expect grammatical errors and translation inaccuracies. This is a full translation. Creative liberties are taken for characterization and smoother translation process. Cybird owns everything. Re-blogs are appreciated, but please do not post my translation elsewhere. Thank you for your support! ☾.

(Huh?….Where am I?)

When I woke up, I wasn't in my room at Crown Castle, but lying on a bed in a strange room.

(I remember that last night Alfons and Lord Elbert invited me to drink some delicious alcohol...)

The sweet apple-flavored liquor was easy to drink and scrumptious.

I had only intended to drink a little, but they urged me to drink more, and before I knew it, I had passed out.

(Someone brought me here while I was sleeping…..?)

Amidst my confusion in an unfamiliar place, there was a knock on the door to my room, so I opened it.

Elbert: …..You woke up. Good morning.

(Good thing I’m in a place where I know people…!)

Kate: Pardon me, Lord Elbert. I don't remember coming to this mansion...where am I?

Kate: Perhaps, I’ve lost my memory again…?

It was only yesterday…..that I experienced amnesia when I woke up.

So, I ask timidly, worried that I've forgotten something today too.

Elbert: Al and I brought you to the mansion while you were drunk and passed out, so it's no wonder you don't remember.

Apparently, this is a mansion owned by Lord Elbert.

Kate: I see…….I'm glad I didn’t get drunk and storm into someone else's house or anything.

(But why was I brought here?)

(If I was drunk, they could’ve just returned me to my room at Crown Castle….)

(Well, whatever the reason….It’s probably the best not to overstay here.)

Kate: I can't cause you any more trouble, so I'll be returning to Crown right away.

Kate: Thank you for all of your help…… -?

As I was leaving the room, Lord Elbert grabbed my arm.

Elbert: …..Roger explained that if you change your environment, it may help recover your memories.

Kate: Is that why you invited me to your mansion, Lord Elbert?

Elbert: …..Yes. I’d like you to live here for the time being.

Kate: Lord Elbert, why do you want my memories to return?

Elbert: ……

Kate: Oh... I'm sorry. It was rude of me to ask such a strange question...!

Kate: I also want my past memories to come back.

Kate: It’s just, I’m a bit confused as to why you’re treating me so kindly, Lord Elbert…!

As if to ease my tension while I tried to explain, Elbert gently smiled.

Elbert: It’s fine. ….I understand.

Elbert: ….You may have forgotten, but I do have a reason.

Elbert: Kate, the reason why I want to recover your memories….. is because…

Perhaps it’s because Elbert is standing with the sunlight at his back…

….But a shadow suddenly fell across his face, making his expression look heavy.

Elbert: And now…..I have to protect you.

Kate: Protect…?

Elbert: No, I’m sorry…..Please forget about it.

The questions were growing, but the atmosphere wasn’t conducive to digging deeper, and Elbert’s grip on my arm didn’t weaken.

Kate: I understand. I think I’ll stay her for a while.

Elbert: ….I’m glad. You can think of this as your home….So, spend your time at ease.

Thus began my life at Elbert’s estate.

To keep my spirits up, Elbert takes me by the hand and shows me things everyday.

Today, Elbert took me to the mansion’s garden.

The sun was rising in the direction he was pointing, and as I squinted my eyes at the brighteness -

Kate: Oh…! What a cute little bird!

There were seeds in a wooden box in the garden, and several birds were visting to peck at them.

Kate: Lord Elbert, do you always feed seeds to birds at your mansion like this?

Elbert: No…..I tried it after you came to the mansion. I thought that looking at cute animals would soothe you…..

Kate: Thank you, Lord Elbert. Hehe….the little birds look happy too.

Elbert: It’s only been a few days since I started leaving the bird seed, but…..Day by day, more and more little ones come.

Kate: Maybe the birds are spreading word about the nice garden with delicious food.

Elbert: ……Perhaps you’re right.

Elbert: Kate. Does this mansion…..feel comfortable to you?

Kate: Yes, very much.

Elbert: ….Could you, stay here forever?

I hesitate to answer.

From Elbert’s expression and tone of voice, I sensed an incredible weight in the word “forever.”

Kate: Um….

Elbert: …..I see.

As I stammered, Elbert just smiled sorrowfully.

Kate: Do you want me to stay at the mansion to protect me?

Elbert: …..Yes.

Kate: Um….Can you tell me? What is it you’re trying to protect me from, Lord Elbert….

I wanted to know what was making Elbert’s expression cloud.

To know and remove the cause….I wanted Elbert to smile.

Elbert: That’s -

Just as Elbert was about to speak,

Alfons: Lord Elbie.

Alfons appeared and called Elbert’s name.

It was like he was trying to prevent Elbert from answering.

[Event Master List] [Elbert End]

If you wish to be added (and 18+ YO), or removed from my translations tag list, please let me know!

Tag List: @sh0jun @theimaginativelyreticent @sapphire-323 @velisle @nateko @greatwitchsongsinger @injudescoat @aeyumicore @complexivelovely @yuoi-the-magnificent @husbandosandladders @nawlink @cosmowgyral @lunaaka @rosalyne08 @8the-perfect-lie8 @voydsoul @goustmilk @kraiyne @midnightsrunaway

[monstersholygrail]

I’m the anon who was “flooded” by your orc fic from earlier. Since you asked, I’ll share with the class:

I’m obsessed with his size first off. The way I’m made to feel small by his home, his body, his cock. His body is power, he demonstrates it openly, confidently, and without shame or subtlety. I’m obsessed with how small I am to him. Does he think it’s cute that I have to look up at him? Or that I have to stand on my tip toes to kiss him? Or that he could pick me up and haul me around without breaking a sweat?

That power makes him…secure? Maybe? Yes in a “he could protect me” way but also in a personal sense. He won’t be intimidated, and thus the very human tendencies of lashing out or being vindictive are foreign to him. (Sorry if I’m prescribing attributes that aren’t there I’m in heat for him rn). His monstrosity makes him immune to the insecure trappings of a human partner. His power simultaneously empowers me emotionally. Does that make sense at all?

I’m realizing I have more to say than I thought.

I love how I appear demure to him. I’m smaller, frailer, and softer than an orc woman. He treats me like a work of art because he knows his body is far more powerful than mine or any other humans. Like, I’m above average height for my demographic, but he’s something else completely, so he’s mindful about how he touches me… exceeeept I don’t mind at all if he could hurt me because I WANT to feel that size difference. I want my wrists to feel sore from the way he grabs them and holds them behind me while fucking me. I want feel like he might push me through the mattress when he holds down my shoulders or hips. I want my guts to hurt when he uses his massive cock to breed his filthy, whorish, needy little orc-slut (me, if that wasn’t clear).

Speaking of his cock- I want everything about it. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: it’s huge. Don’t get me wrong, I like cocks of all sizes and shapes- all bodies are beautiful and I mean that- but this one speaks to me. I want to know it intimately. I’d be BEGGING him to let me suck it, or stroke it, or even just kiss/smell it. I don’t even think I want anything in return (although he’d probably escalate things) I just want to service it. I want to watch every angle of his orgasms. I want to see those thick ropes of cum paint our bedsheets, floors, kitchen counters, and of course me.

Obviously, I’m not content with just that though. I want him to breed me, clearly. Like, let me be clear, I want to get pregnant and carry his child (children, actually). I want to be a canvass for his monstrous nature to be passed down and merged with human frailty. I’d be such a good housewife for him you don’t understand.

Is this gross? Am I being gross? I cannot tell anymore. All I can think about is orc bf.

I am respectfully, gently, kindly, asking that at some point in your life you write more orc bf. But I’m doing it in like a mega horny, dripping wet kinda way.

This… is single-handedly the best ask I have ever gotten. It seems like it was a very intense experience for you and that’s seriously the coolest thing ever. I think you perfectly describe so many of the reasons why people, myself heavily included, love Orcs and want to be with them so badly.

The whole ask is so insanely relatable, I see you I see you, I feel the same way. I love that you discovered so much about yourself from this fic and that you’re so feral for him.

[runicarbiter02]

Helllooo! Request are open and I'm running over here. Can I request hdc for alejandro vargas and ghost, being jealous because there crush is a little bit touching with another men. Thank youu honey.

A/N: This is definitely an interesting one! I'd be happy to write these for you, since you specifically specified them, I'll just do them for this one. :) I hope you enjoy, darling! I'm still learning how to write for Ale, so I apologize if he's a bit OOC! Also, thank you all for over 1,000 notes on my first headcanon request! I am so, so happy you all are liking the post! ~ Hannah

ALEJANDRO VARGAS

I imagine with Alejandro, this would be a slow burn friends to lovers sort of situation. You, Alejandro, and Rudy have all been friends since you all joined up together. Alejandro has always been on the flirtier side with most people, which is why whenever he flirts with you, you don't tend to think much of it. That's just who he is, right?

Los Vaqueros had just gotten a new member, a young, handsome man in his mid-twenties. He's conventionally attractive and funny, which some of the other women definitely admire, but your thoughts are elsewhere. Unfortunately - or fortunately, if you look at it a certain way - you were assigned to show him around the base and get him up to speed.

Cut to the both of you in the mess hall on base, chattering away. Alejandro sees the both of you, and his blood boils. Who does this hijo de puta think that he is?

What really pisses him off is when the young man leans in, saying something that makes you laugh and you playfully shove him away with a coy smile. Alejandro quickly storms out, furious with the young man, but furious with himself for getting so upset.

He doesn't realize you follow him out until he feels your hand on his shoulder.

"Ale? What's wrong, hermano?" If only you knew how much he hated that nickname coming from your lips.

When he turns, one look at how concerned you are, and all his frustrations come spilling from his lips. He's just about to brush it off as him being silly when you don't respond right away before a laugh is erupting from you.

"Ale, he's not into me. He's just friendly. I thought he was flirting with me earlier, but he let me know that he's no even interested in sexual stuff. He's ace," You reassure, and suddenly, Alejandro feels ridiculously stupid. But that falls aside when you stand on your toes and brush a kiss to his cheek. "Now come on, cariño, you need to eat." His eyes follow you as you return to the mess hall, and he's stunned into silence.

Maybe he feels a little less bad about getting jealous.

SIMON "GHOST" RILEY

This man hates his jealousy. Despises it.

But, it's a part of him nonetheless, and it's something he has to live with.

I imagine it as quiet, little things around base that really gets to him: you're a medic, a really good one at that, and the men absolutely love you for how kindly you treat them all. You have patience, but you aren't afraid to bark orders at them if they're acting out of place.

"MacTavish, if you rip your stitches one more time, I'll kick your ass into next fucking week." "Captain, I don't care if you have more paperwork to do, get your ass in bed before I drag you there myself." "Hold still or I will personally strap you to this cot myself, rookie."

Your feisty nature and take-no-shit attitude is absolutely what drew him to you initially. Cue almost a year of pining on his end, and on your end, but not to his knowledge.

The final straw that ultimately cracks his resolve is a young sergeant that is trying to flirt with you while you stitch up a bullet wound on his side. It's obvious you're just being polite as you accept his compliments and hum in response at his attempts at flirting, but it still rubs Simon the wrong way.

Simon's jealousy is quiet, boiling, settling in the center of his chest. Every touch of yours against the sergeant's skin merely stokes the flames, but he does nothing, continuing to brood in the corner. He waits until you're done, shooing the young man off with a half-assed threat of harm if he ruins his stitches. That's when you finally notice him.

"Ghost, what have I told you about lurking in my med bay?" You tease softly before taking note of the hard look in his eyes. Slowly, you put two and two together, chuckling softly. "Ah, I see. C'mere, big guy."

He isn't mad. Not at all. All he can think about is that young man, who has all he doesn't: charm, good looks, youth, and the blessing of a childhood unscarred by a demon of a father. Simon isn't so lucky.

He can't stop himself as he follows your instructions, stepping into your office and taking a seat at your desk as you close the door. You sit on top of your desk and smile down at him before you hold out your hand expectantly. He furrows his brows but gives you his hand anyway, grumbling something about how he "doesn't know where your filthy mitts have been."

As soft kisses are pressed to his knuckles, however, he goes quiet. "Silly, jealous man. Can't even see that I look at you the same way you look at me. Eyes of a hawk, my ass," You tease.

He turns every shade of red beneath his damn balaclava, and you're damn certain to tease him about it as he melts back into the seat.

Hijo de puta - Son of a bitch

Hermano - Brother

Cariño - Honey; dear

TAGLIST

@floral-force

[rottenpumpkin13]

Hi! ☺️ I hope your week has started off kindly and continued to be such!

For my ask this time, I am high-key curious: Reasons why Dadzard Lazard has gotten protective over/gone to bat for his SOLDIERs?

Tyvm for your time~ ❤️

 

— 🪷

Yes, because while Lazard is actively working to dismantle Shinra from the inside and despises the company with every fiber of his well-tailored being, he will still throw hands over how unfairly they treat his SOLDIERs. His jurisdiction is his domain, and if the board wants to mess with his men, they're going to have to go through him.

• The Hair Incident: During a board meeting, Heidegger had the gall to openly criticize Sephiroth's hair, muttering something about "unprofessional length" and "military standards." Without missing a beat, Lazard responded: "I apologize, I wasn't aware the Shinra Army had a division dedicated to hair care expertise. Tell me, Heidegger, do you file your battle strategies under 'bangs' or 'baldness?'"

• The Genesis Fan Club Incident: When the company tried crediting one of Genesis' mission successes to Sephiroth to further inflate his legend while erasing everyone else's contributions. Lazard took immediate action. He attached the full mission report, complete with glowing commentary about Genesis' performance, and emailed it directly to the Red Leather fan club. Within an hour, Genesis was trending on multiple Midgar forums, and Lazard was sipping his tea while executives scrambled to clean up the PR mess.

• The "Wait, You Can Rest?" Incident: One of Lazard's first interactions with Sephiroth as the new director involved him pointing out the boy's less-than-perfect posture during a meeting. Sephiroth muttered something about being exhausted. Lazard, completely unfazed, suggested he take a break and return later. Sephiroth just stared at him.

Sephiroth: …Rest? In the middle of the day? Lazard: Yes, that is typically how exhaustion is managed. Sephiroth: Hojo won't let me go back to my quarters in the labs until the end of the day. Lazard: You can sleep on the couch in my office. Sephiroth: …..?……?…….??

*This was, in fact, the first nap Sephiroth had ever taken that wasn't in a lab or a helicopter between missions.

The SOLDIER Pay Protest: When Shinra attempted to slash mission earnings, citing "budget concerns." Lazard knew this was going to hit SOLDIERs hard, especially men like Angeal, who sent money home to their families. So he took immediate and drastic action: He organized a full blown lock-in on the 49th floor. No one left. No one entered. HR tried emailing him, but he was suddenly out of office. Security was called, but SOLDIERs were blocking every entrance. By the time the executives realized they couldn't access SOLDIER until Lazard got his way, the pay cuts were off the table, and everyone had their bonuses reinstated.

• The "If Sephiroth Is on the 49th Floor, Hojo Can Die" Policy: Lazard might not have direct authority over what happens to Sephiroth in the labs, but if Sephiroth sets one foot on the 49th floor, he is under Lazard's jurisdiction. And Lazard makes damn sure Hojo knows that.

*Sephiroth is sitting in the SOLDIER lounge when Hojo shows up*

Hojo: Ah, there you are. I summoned you for an examination an hour ago. Let's leave. Immediately.

*Lazard appears with a shotgun*

Lazard: Let's conduct an experiment to see how fast you can run when I start shooting.

Hojo: !?

Sephiroth: <3

[super-paper]

I feel like Toga and All for One have many similarities, but I am unable to articulate as to why I feel this way.

I think it's safe to say that AFO is an intentional foil to Himiko, Tenko, and Touya at this point! I've discussed how he shares body motifs with all three of them before, but his backstory more or less cemented that he's supposed to be read as "the worst possible extreme and the worst possible conclusion" to each of the trio's respective origins and overall stories.

As for how Himiko and AFO foil each other, specifically:

Cannibalism as a metaphor for Not cannibalism

Let's get the obvious point outta the way first, lol.

AFO and Himiko are both established as children that society wasn't prepared or willing to care for-- AFO was born during the advent of quirks where "paranormal" children like him were treated as diseased and shunned (or worse) by the rest of society, while Himiko was born during an "era of peace" where civilians are expected to maintain said peace through endlessly conformity and complacency-- outside of pro-heroism, civilians are essentially expected to role-play as though they've returned to "normalcy" (i.e. pre-quirk society) and the fear of being labeled as "abnormal" (despite living in a post-paranormal society) drives them to shun those who can't easily conform.

Both AFO and Himiko's "first sin" involves the "consumption of their fellow humans," which they both commit when they are too young to fully understand what they're doing-- and both acts of consumption were initially tied to their attempts to fulfill a basic human "need" that wasn't being provided for. Himiko drank the blood of a friend whose smile she envied after years of having her own smile called "creepy," AFO was a starving newborn whose mother couldn't provide him milk or protection and whose cries were ultimately ignored by everyone else. When Himiko takes someone's blood and "becomes someone else", she finally feels good "about herself". When AFO takes his mom's quirk and uses it to drink her blood, he no longer feels hungry and no longer has any reason to cry out for help/attention. Thus, AFO & Himiko ultimately learn and internalize that in order to fulfill their own neglected needs, they need to take from others.

Something something re: "the catharsis that comes with finally """"embracing your true nature'"""" so you can finally become what your family always feared you'd be (POV: you are 14 years old and utterly doomed by the narrative) (and so is the main object of your ""affection"") (puberty is a bitch ain't it!)" something something

To Himiko, the consumption of others becomes a way to "become somebody else"-- someone the world will treat more kindly than they treat "Toga Himiko." She feels the urge to completely drain the blood of anyone who has the life and relationships that she desperately wants for herself. Before that, drinking blood was simply her way of expressing admiration/affection and fell under the banner of MHA's definition of "pure love" (i.e. love as imitation). Himiko showed no inclination towards completely draining the blood of those she loves until her psychotic break with Saito, and she is notably able to restrain her supposed "urges" around the LOV despite loving them deeply. The "urge to drain those she loves completely" isn't actually tied to her quirk, but to her desire to "become someone else."

To AFO, the consumption of others became yet another way to rob them of their autonomy-- by taking away "a part of them" and forcibly turning it into a part himself in the most base, unsettling, and crude way possible. Before that, his consumption of others was simply driven by his instinct to survive. AFO's "urge to take" is tied to the preconception that no one will provide for him or look at him UNLESS he is taking something from them-- like Himiko, his quirk merely makes it easier for him to act on urges that don't actually stem from the quirk itself. AFO's warped perception of other people balloons wildly out of control by the time he reaches his teens, and finally cumulates in him ""eating"" the glowing baby out of jealousy:

*Kills someone over their follower count* Man, AFO is nvr gonna beat the "was a tiktok e-girl in his previous life" allegations

AFO and Himiko both "consume" other people out of jealousy and a desire to make up for what they feel they lack as individuals-- but an important distinction between the two of them, I feel, is that Himiko's consumption of others is ultimately driven by her desire to connect with other people while AFO's consumption is instead based on fear + mistrust of others. It's the difference between "Consumption as wanting to become a part of someone and become a part of the world they live in (+ consumption as a way to become a part of the world by living vicariously through someone else)" and "consumption as forcibly making someone a part of you and forcibly taking away their connection to the world."

Speaking of "consuming someone who has traits you envy in an attempt to make those traits your own" *pointedly looks at AFO's dynamic with Tomura* ...........yearp.

It's only after Himiko's human needs are finally addressed by Ochako, that Himiko learns the desire to "give" rather than take. I feel that this is probably one of the core take aways of the series while more or less being the "end goal" of the OFAFO plot-- "endless giving without ever taking" (All Might becoming the number one hero at the steep price of himself and Izuku almost destroying himself in the process of trying to emulate All Might) and "endless taking without ever giving" (AFO full stop, as well as society itself towards both the heroes and villains) are both extremes that only cause more people to get hurt. There has to be reciprocity. It has to be "One for All -AND- All for One." Give -AND- Take.

Side note: Himiko's favorite food being pomegranates also strikes me as ironic when you remember that Hori is gigantic mythology nerd-- In both art and mythology, it's not uncommon for pomegranates to be used as a visual for "flesh" and for their consumption to be used as a stand in for cannibalism. In greek mythology, pomegranates are known as the "fruit of the dead", and are believed to have originated from the blood of Adonis. There is also the legend of Persephone, who was cursed to remain within the underworld for six months each year as the price for consuming six pomegranate seeds while in hell.

The Buddhist legend of Hairiti/Kishimojin also stands out for framing pomegranates as a "cure" for cannibalism, by offering them to man-eating demons in lieu of flesh:

As for AFO-- it's been pointed out by several different people that he shares several parallels with the greek titan, Cronus, who is most famous for having devoured his own children whole.

With that in mind, I feel like the act of consuming blood has an almost mythological edge to it for these two (outside the obvious reality-based social stigma of it lol)-- the act of "eating" others, regardless of intent, is what condemned both AFO and Himiko to hell. But Himiko is offered a way out of that hell and ultimately finds salvation in allowing herself to be "consumed" in turn, while AFO just doubles down on eating every rando beefcake he can get his hands on while giggling like a school girl (and yet, when the chance to eat Toshi finally presents itself, he totally fails to capitalize on it. mfer can't even "cannibalism as a metaphor freaky gay sex with your dramaturgical foil" right smh 😤).

As an aside, when I say "people generally read into MHA too literally and expect entirely too literal conclusions for what is largely a fantastical story about abuse/trauma/coping mechanisms," how MHA depicts ""cannibalism"" through Himiko is actually one of the examples that comes to mind lol. So many people think that death or jail is the only appropriate conclusion for Himiko's character because it's the "only realistic conclusion" like they aren't reading a story where people have tape dispensers for arms lmfao.

OMNOMNOM-- (On Mouths)

:D

Not much to elaborate on here, mouths (and smiles) are AFO and Himiko's shared body motif in MHA's narrative. AFO's mouth is his only distinguishable facial feature during Parts 1 & 2, Himiko's smile/mouth is her defining feature and how others perceive it is a source of trauma for her. Her villain outfit is notable in how it covers her mouth/hides her smile while also resembling AFO's act 1 mask:

*squish*

During the final war, Himiko puts her mask on and hides her mouth immediately after being rejected by Izuku. This is symbolic of a lot of different things, but mostly, it drives home how she is no longer interested in talking things out and has "fully embraced being a villain." Ochako understands what's at stake and spends the rest of the fight trying to "take the mask back off"-- she understands there is something behind Himiko's villain mask that she needs to save.

Meanwhile, Toshi smashes past AFO's mask during Kamino and finds there is simply nothing underneath it-- reinforcing the idea that AFO has made "being a villain" his entire identity and that there is nothing worth saving behind his mask. However, Toshi was also the one who "smashed" AFO's facial features away in the first place. AFO definitely deserved getting his head popped, but in the context of MHA as a whole, I feel like AFO and Toshi's dynamic only highlights the overall tragedy of the hero/villain system and why it's a good thing that the new generation is starting to challenge it.

It is worth mentioning that mouths are frequently used to mask and dehumanize within the context of MHA's narrative, but this isn't something exclusive to AFO and Himiko ('sup Toshi) (''sup Tomura).

(I don't actually have anything else to add here lol)

Demon Child, Demon Lord

AFO and Himiko also stand out in how they're both framed as having been "born bad"-- Himiko by her parents, AFO by himself and the narration. Discerning readers already know that this is a crock of shit.

Child for One sees the Demon Lord being surrounded by people who provide for him out of fear while he's stuck living in isolation and squalor with Yoichi, and decides the only appropriate reaction to this is to make a children's comic book his entire personality (he's just like me fr)-- He embraces the idea of becoming a demon and shedding off his humanity, and immediately starts self-styling himself off a generic biz-caz corporate shmuck (lmfao).

Unlike AFO, Himiko resists the label of "demon" as much as she can-- she styles herself as "a cute high school girl" despite being a middle school drop out because she realizes the world will treat her a little more kindly this way (but only a little). Himiko longs to be seen as human, but is made to feel like a monster instead.

What I find interesting is that AFO himself outright admits that he lacked the ego/awareness necessary to "consciously" take Yoichi's quirk when they were children-- yet, both he and the narration continuously frame the siphoning of his mother's life, quirk, and Yoichi's nutrients as though they were intentional, malicious acts. AFO leans into this framing and builds his whole identity around it until that framing is finally pulled away from him literal seconds before his death.

Being "human" to Himiko means going back to a time where she was loved and accepted unconditionally. Being "human" to AFO means going back to being that screaming infant who no one would look at.

Like it or not, everyone is human in the end little dude.

Other Miscellaneous Similarities:

This one doesn't require much explanation-- through prioritizing their own needs above all else, AFO and Himiko both dehumanize other people the same way other people dehumanize them. Himiko is still a child, however-- and she is ultimately saved by her desire to be accepted and form genuine connections with others. Her final fight with Ochako is as much about getting Himiko to see Ochako as "human" as it is Ochako acknowledging Himiko's humanity. Once again, it's all about reciprocity/give-and-take.

""join our family and let me raise you! :D *hard cut to a burning orphanage*" AFO being genuinely puzzled that ppl aren't jumping at the chance to raised by him is my favorite running gag in mha.

Both AFO and Himiko also have a habit of being.... inappropriately intimate with other people, often to the point where whatever "relationship" they have with others exists almost entirely in their own head. Himiko calls Tsuyu by her first name and gets told to cut it out because this is a privilege Tsuyu reserves for her friends, and Himiko immediately interprets this as Tsuyu offering to be friends. AFO calls his worshippers his "friends" and his cult "his family" and asks that his young victims call him "uncle" like he's a kindly family friend and not the dude who is blackmailing them into betraying all their friends.

Also, neva 4get.....

To think AFO could have also had fun yuri times if he had just stopped being a dickhead for five seconds. Tragic. 😔

(/j)

[ryuichirou]

EEEEEE I love Idia’s bday groovy so much!!! Happy birthday to him!! But on that note, who do you think would treat him and ‘treat’ him (wink wink) the best out of your ships for him? Any notable presents or experiences?

Now that it’s been like two weeks since Idia’s birthday, and Lilia’s birthday is almost here, it’s time for me to write this reply! Sorry for being late as always… And thank you for this question! Idia’s bday groovy is wonderful, even after staring at it for this entire time I am not over it. It’s so good…

Anyways! I think everyone treated him well, wink wink~ But in all honestly, this ended up being a much more wholesome reply that I expected it to be, even though I’m ending it on a spicier note lol

Azul’s go-to is to get Idia some game, but it’s not too unique of a present, is it? Not to mention, Idia buys all the games he wants for himself anyway, so it’s difficult to pick something new for him. So I think Azul is going to end up giving him a gift of “we can play whatever you want today”, which would result in Idia setting up all the games Azul refused to play anymore… he can’t say no now… he’ll break the fucking table because of his poor luck, and Idia will laugh….truly, an amazing gift. Azul doesn’t understand why Idia is so excited to see him seething and malding.

Floyd is going to bring him a bunch of clothes! Did he go out and buy it specifically for Idia or did he just find something that he bought and forgot about? Anyways, somehow all of it suits Idia so nicely: a hoodie, a bunch of oversized tshirts, knee-long shorts, a bag, a hat and of course a pair of sneakers… Idia feels weird wearing it, but Floyd wouldn’t leave until Idia tried all of it on. I guess it doesn’t look that bad… huh…

Jade is going to bring Idia some homemade treats, and he’ll say that this is a thank you for that time when Idia gifted him a chocolate bar for his birthday… you know, when Jade saw him near the wending machine and basically bullied him into giving him candy? Yes, that one. Jade remembers <3 This is why he kindly made delicious stuff for Idia in return! It didn’t even taste weird, but… it was kind of salty, Idia expected it to be sweet…

Lilia could actually gift him a sleepover party~ for the two of them, of course. He’ll bring a lot of snacks, energy drinks and a huge pile of homemade…whatever that was (Idia couldn’t even look at it, maybe it was supposed to be a birthday cake), and they’ll spend the entire time playing all kinds of games. But they won’t just play throughout the entire night, of course Lilia will start kissing the birthday boy at some point… Idia will be tired and sore the next day…

You know what Ortho is going to get him? You know you know? >:3 He is going to bring him to an escape room! With a bunch of friends! Since I’m biased, it’s going to be Azul + the Tweels! They’ll go through several quests, and Idia would have to team up with each and every single one of them at some point! Ortho planned EVERYTHING, he is actually the quest master, but that’s a big se-cret~.

But worry not, because after Idia survives this whole ordeal, Ortho will gift him a chance to stay in his room without interacting with anyone for a whole week. He deserved it.

… in all honesty, I think all of them should gift Idia a good ol’ orgy, and cosplay characters from different games for him while doing it. Make his brains melt, make him believe like he is in some kind of messed up dating simulator. Jade, bring the mushrooms, make this hallucination more believable..!!

[thetombedspirit]

First Playthrough of AFoP: Secret of the Spires! - WARNING! Spoilers Ahead!

The Majority of my thoughts throughout playing the DLC.

Finally, I got the glitching drum quest and the Games Camp community basket done and over with! It was a good way to get back into practice with the controls.

Am I just dumb, or is the game glitching on me?! Why won't the plane blow up- OH COME ON! I'M THROWING EVERYTHING BY THE HOMETREE AT THIS MOFO!! - Really?! You wouldn't blow up because I wasn't shooting you in a very specific spot?! Bird you, dude!

Nor? Oh NOOOOOOR! Where are youuuuuuu? Oh, talk of a stranger Na'vi hanging around the area? About time- wait, Rasi who-? Oh, hello, fellow Sarentu character! Have you seen Nor? He's about this tall, clearly emo (and maybe gay) but we never had the talk.

Oooh, I have more skills for my Ikran and I can actually apply defensive armour and cook treats for her? WHERE WERE THESE OPTIONS IN THE CORE GAME!?

Getting mad at video game mechanics is automatically cured by sneaking around and killing video game fascist mercenaries.

... we don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no.

Oh, random Na'vi identified as a Sarentu saved So'lek from a sniper shot! Is it Rasi and Nor? Nope, just Rasi, that's cool! Love how protective Teylan already is of her once I said she was in the base.

Once I finished speaking to Anufi and Tsu'lo, I go up to find Teylan and Ri'nela and on my way I think, "Wait, what if Rasi is Nor's mum?" . I don't think that's the case, or she would have verbalize as such when we were talking about Nor, but how neat would that be. It'd be like we have a piece of Nor with us until we find him. Anyway, now that Rasi is here, I expect us to be re-educated on the way of the Sarentu. Maybe we'll finally get a Na'vi accent 😆

Cons:

This game needs some SERIOUS fine tuning, because I'm having bad guys be 'alerted' to my presence, when I'm literally half way across the map. One instance, where I'm trying to hunt for some Meer Dear, and this chopper just comes out of nowhere, attacks me, flies off to the horizon, but then summons two more choppers and a squad to my location, and they are already in the red despite being several yards away from me.

Maybe I'm just dumb, but I feel like it should not be so hard to find the objectives of certain quests.

Pros:

New Location!

And it looks gorgeous. The Spires are beautiful, there are new animals, and they freaked me out (the whole bit with the tunnels in the beginning, I thought I was being chased by something much bigger and completely ignored the first appearance of the Chiroptera XD)

2. The New Characters

The story kicks off when Anufi asks us to find another branch of the Kame'tire, who have still yet to return. While it is ultimately disappointing that we're not getting an entirely new clan, just a variation of a familiar clan, we are introduced to a new character: Rasi, a fellow Sarentu Survivor living in self-imposed exile.

Speaking of which, I like the one Na'vi that chided me for using a Sky Person name for a Pandoran creature, and my character correcting herself for it. Yes!

4. The Chrioptera

These guys were so cool, and so annoying at the same time. I thought they were gonna be so much bigger, but thanks Eywa, they were Ikran size!

4. Taylen is as cute as ever.

Just throwing that in there, I love my tall, strange son. I love when he starts geeking out, and we have to kindly reprimand him that we are in the middle of a hostile base and nows not the time!

My poor baby misses Nor so bad and just wants him to come back.

Overall View

While I am a little bit disappointed that we didn't get a brand new clan and that we didn't get Nor back, I do think this DLC was worth the wait.

While tiresome that there weren't that many fast travel points around the map, I actually like that, as it forces us to get to places via Ikran, something that the DLC advertised!

And while the new villain of the DLC was pretty boring compared to our literal kidnappers and abusers, he was a very challenging boss and it felt good to hit him with lightning and watch him crash and burn.

And we have a new veteran Sarentu to add to our family. I love that Ri'nela tries to comfort a homesick Teylan by humming the Sarentu song, only for Rasi to appear out of nowhere, singing the words and painting a Sarentu mural (seriously though, how did she get that done so quickly without anyone noticing? No wonder the RDA couldn't find her.)

And that voice cameo of freaking Quaritch basically putting his foot down on our resistance efforts and demanding we get squashed. Nice! And with how pissed he sounds, I'm guessing that this is right after ATWOW, where not only he lost his entire team of Recoms, but lost Spider too. Cuz yeah, he sounds angee.

Love how tight knit our little family has become and how steadfast they are in their bond (thought Ri'nela was running up to hug So'lek for a second, and my man looked so surprised when Teylan touched his shoulder XD) and now they all agree that it's time to find Nor and bring him back to the clan and prove that the Sarentu has a future.

So, overall, while I felt that this DLC was a bit short and the villain had little meat on his bones, this was a good DLC and with how they ended it with a possible sequel game with the mission to find Nor and the cameo of Quaritch so fingers crossed that AFOP comes back and that whatever sequels pops out pops with a BANG!

And hey! Since this game takes place during the one year absence of the Sullys, maybe if they do make a sequel, it'll take place during Ash and Fire! Maybe, Quaritch's cameo is a hint of him coming in, after aligning with Varang and the Mangkwan Clan! Can you imagine? A small clan that is rising to reclaim what is taken from them, vs a clan that has forsaken Eywa willingly and aligned with the RDA! With Quaritch leading them! That'd be bananas!!

Fingers crossed! C you guys around!!💙

[imagine-darksiders]

I am on my hands and knees begging for any sort of headcanons of Samael being just, in love, feet over horns, fluttering heart, romanced to the bone, with this weird little human who's obsessed with stuff that doesn't even benefit them and has the bloody stars in their eyes

Samael x human!Reader headcanons:

You're... different from the usual company he keeps. You speak with him, not at him, and certainly not while trying your damndest to appeal to his every whim.

It’s refreshing to be spoken to kindly but without any semblance of an ulterior motive. In his experience, those who are ‘good’ to him, are always after a favour.

You don't know how to engage with him as a demon, having grown up on Earth among humans, so that's how you treat him, as if he were a fellow human. And it's far from the insult he thought it would be.

It’s so, damn, frustratingly charming that his every attempt to court you is met with confusion and reciprocation. He gives you the largest ruby he has in his collection, you give him a leather bound book of poetry you’ve thumbed through for years, adding notes in the margins for him to read.

No. No; you’re not… you’re not supposed to do that. He’s the one in a position of power and elevated status - he’s the one who’s supposed to court you. Now he’s falling in love even harder. Of all the paramours he’s taken, you’re the first and only one who has returned with gifts in kind. And not only that, you put thought into said gifts. You give him things you think he’ll like whereas he merely tries to drape you in beautiful things because he thinks you’re beautiful…. Perhaps he needs to revisit his approach…

Just like that, Samael starts to pay close attention to the things you’re interested in.

It's taken him a long, long time to convince you that you can trust him - you know what he is, after all. Now however, rather than locking yourself in your bathroom and refusing to emerge when he turns up outside your bedroom window, you’re only slightly miffed, poking your head through the open window and ushering him around the back of your home where there are less prying eyes.

It seems you still haven’t figured out why he turns up so frequently. You seem to think it’s because he wants to garner favour with the Horsemen by treating their favourite human cordially.

How sweet.

He doesn’t mind playing the game until you figure it out….

He can - and always will - spend hours in your company, content to bask in your presence as you regale him about your latest ventures and interests. He has to wonder why his heart thumps with longing when he hears about your adventures with the Horsemen. If he had been travelling with you, you’d never have had to lift a finger to protect yourself. He’d have crushed anything that so much as looked in your direction.

And yes, sometimes he watches you from the shadows to ensure that nobody else is trying to encroach upon his claim. He wishes other humans could smell him on you. He only needs to ‘accidentally’ brush his tail against your legs for a fellow demon to catch his scent and get the message that you’re off limits. But humans don’t have the same heightened senses. Even the burning grooves he carved into your front door - much to your chagrin - aren’t enough to deter those would-be suitors who stink of desperation and lust that turn up at your home.

Being the human who helped save your own species has made you particularly… sought-after….

[piracytheorist]

Considering that you're a person who doesn't care about romance, what attracted you most to Twiyor?

Well, they're my favorite couple from Spy x Family, but I know they're very Slow Burn, so much so that Damianya ended up being the favorite of most of the audience.

That last comment kinda takes me out because, if people were so much in a rush to see a romantic couple that they preferred to call the shenanigans between two first graders as the better romance, then why are they following Spy x Family of all things? It feels like a misunderstanding of what the story stands for.

But then again, I did say I'm not interested in romantic stories, so I don't really get why one would read a manga that isn't in the romance genre and be so impatient about a romantic story. Maybe it's just me and my aroace ass being glad for a story where the main characters' story and development doesn't hinge on romance.

And that's exactly the reason why I love twiyor. I don't remember exactly at what point I started shipping them, because I binge watched the first cour of the first season all in one day, within a few hours in fact, and then watched the second cour a couple months after as it was coming out. I'm pretty sure I felt something in episode 9, particularly in the way Twilight reacted to Yor saying she's glad she married him.

But what caught my attention from the beginning was how honest they were with each other despite the lies and secrets. With Twilight you can already see, from the beginning, that he shows an unprecedentedly big part of his true self to her, and Yor is just open with her heart and trust in the family. And honestly, that's much healthier than the majority of canon ships in fictional media... And even some relationships in real life, lmao.

(I'm not talking about openly toxic ships. But there are romance stories that are just so bad and so unhealthy but the narrative presents them as perfect and cute and healthy... And I'm just not for that - in fact, stories like that may be part of the reasons why I don't usually like romance stories)

And idk it may be because they're both written to act their age, late twenties at the youngest, that the handling of their relationship feels so mature. Yes there is the occasional "if you get too close to me I might punch the lights out of you by accident" but the way they talk, the way they support each other, the way they express each other and connect and relate to each other... It all feels so conscious and cared for. Endo seems to take a slow path because this is how a bond is reached, through slow and everyday connection. The romance isn't the peak of their story, it's how they connect and see each other for who they are.

So yeah. I believe I like twiyor as a romance because there is so much more than the romance. Twilight shares honest parts of himself with her. Yor is getting the recognition she had stopped looking for after years of taking care of Yuri, who idolized her within a world that judged her. Twilight gets to not fake romantic feelings for someone for once, and in return he's treated kindly and as a friend. Yor has been made aware of the fact that she doesn't fulfill the requirements of being "normal" in society, but she's getting to know that she doesn't need to, and that she's enough.

And I think all that comes with the admittance that their relationship DOESN'T have to get intimately romantic. Their development can conclude satisfactorily without even an on screen kiss (I would want to see at least one but I am aware it's not a romance manga and kisses are rare in manga outside that genre) and it's based on such solid foundation that the lack of an explicit declaration of romantic love won't make it any less deep and real.

And as a side note, I would be curious to see how they would navigate their intimacy, considering that Twilight has done a lot of honey traps that meant nothing to him (how will it feel for him, to touch someone he is actually in love with?) and that Yor has trained to not let anyone get too close to her (how will it feel for her, to let Loid touch her and hold her and to relax in his proximity?) I don't know if the story will take such a depth into their intimacy, but it's an interesting point for headcanons and fanfic if not.

[sleeplesssmol]

So like how would the team react to smolnetto pre breakaway? And her to them in return?

I was thinking about this for a bit. I think it might be kind of sad...

Smolnetto is very strict and stifles her curiosity compared to Smoltin. I think she might be confused if she sees Vertin leading a bunch of the most dangerous arcanists the Foundation's come across.

While she may be reserved with the others, I do feel like she'd eventually be coaxed into relaxing. However, she has no idea how to deal with Vertin.

The top student is now the assistant to the worst student?? How did she end up in that position?

I have a feeling this might break Vertin's heart, but she's understanding. She and Sonetto had a complicated relationship before the break away event.

Post break-away Sonetto is the opposite of pre-break away where she and Vertin are almost inseparable. Sometimes you realize how important something is to you once you lose it and I hc Sonetto that way. The fear after hearing what happened to her classmates and the relief that Vertin is still alive. She's not going to let her Smoltin go after that.

But pre-break away still doesn't quite understand her feelings toward Vertin. She always puts up with Vertin and never snitches. When they talk she always brings in Vertin's well-being into account, like Vertin being punished or facing the dangers outside. She cares about Vertin a lot but the Foundation wants her hate everything Vertin stood for. She shouldn't like the troublemaker but she can't stop caring about her.

That being said, it's possible Vertin sometimes wonders where Sonetto's affection and admiration comes from. For example, does her protectiveness stem from guilt because Sonetto helped them "escape"? While Sonetto cares about her, maybe it's not actually because she "likes" her but because she feels responsible for her. Since Sonetto herself doesn't quite understand her own feelings, this gives Vertin doubts at times. However, regardless of why Sonetto chose to stick by her, her assistant is reliable and loyal so that doesn't matter (or so she tells herself like she doesn't dwell on it in AS or in her daily life. It's literally a point of trauma for Vertin).

Anyways, I'm thinking of an interaction where Smolnetto and Vertin are talking because despite the awkwardness, she has questions! Vertin answers calmly and kindly and Sonetto remarks on how different she is.

Vertin has a sad little smile and apologizes to Sonetto. She thanks her for putting up with her when she gave her every reason not too when they were kids.

Sonetto responds with another question. Why did Vertin keep trying to get close to her? Vertin wasn't bothered by bullies or instructors, but she reacted differently to her deskmate. Sonetto seems rather guilty about the whole thing as if reflecting on how she treated Smoltin.

Vertin pats her head and answers easily. "You were special."

Sonetto doesn't seem satisfied with that answer. "Am I not special anymore?" Referring to the fact she supposedly grows up to work under Vertin.

Vertin isn't sure how to answer but settles on "You are, but it's different now."

Now Smolnetto seems upset, which baffles Vertin. However, Sonetto doesn't understand why she's upset either. She admits something to Vertin that the Timekeeper has been waiting to hear for a long time.

"You're special to me too and that's why I don't like it when you do bad things!"

Sonetto hated seeing Vertin getting punished. She was mad not only about the frog, but because Vertin got burned by the electric fence. She felt like she needed to protect Vertin because she was tired of seeing the bruises and scrapes, but Vertin was determined to be a gremlin child.

Simply put, Sonetto only got as frustrated as she did because Vertin was someone important to her. She liked Vertin from the start but Smoltin did not make it easy.

It's almost tragic how much they cared about one another but never seemed to understand each other.

I'm a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope, but this hits different because you want to scream at them since they are so close to overcoming these misunderstandings but never quite make it!

[thelazyhermits]

Found myself wanting to talk about my Yuu's friendship with Trey, so I'll do that underneath the cut.

For the record, I honestly can't remember what all I have and haven't said about the Yuu & Trey relationship, so I'm just gonna make this is a post that provides the most up-to-date info on them since I am prone to changing my mind about little things here and there on occasion lol

One thing I do know that I've said in the past is that Trey acts like a big brother figure to Yuu and treats her kindly as a result. He really dotes on her, much like how he does with Riddle.

His favoritism is really obvious to everyone except Yuu who just thinks Trey is being nice cause she gets along well with Riddle and is one of the few people that tries to help Trey out and never adds onto his always busy workload.

While Yuu isn't exactly wrong, there's a lot more to Trey's favorable treatment of her, which I can't remember if I've discussed in detail in the past, so I'll just do that here.

At the beginning of the school year, Trey had every intention to treat Yuu like he does all the other first years, although he, of course, wanted to a gentleman to the best of his ability since that's just how he was raised, even though, according to his 2024 Halloween SR vignette, the poor guy is actually awkward around girls, at least older ones anyway, cause he has zero experience with them 😂

As a result, there is some awkwardness between these two at times, but thankfully, Trey is never as bad as Deuce used to be. That's because he mentally just started treating Yuu like he does his little sister in order to avoid that awkwardness and cause being a big bro just comes naturally to him.

Despite this, Trey still wanted to avoid treating Yuu too differently from everyone else back when he hadn't been particularly attached to her, but all his efforts were for naught.

Because she just reminded him too much of Riddle - to the point he couldn't ignore her.

As shown in this drabble, Trey learns early on that Yuu had a past that was similar to Riddle's, but he still intended to not give her any special treatment since Trey doesn't strike me as the type who gets easily attached/friendly with people.

(Despite how my writing may imply otherwise, I don't consider Trey to be the dad/mom/big bro of Heartslabyul who's always willingly looking out for people cause he's a genuinely nice guy, like how he's often portrayed in fanon.

Because Trey is just as sly as all the other NRC boys. He can be as petty/vindictive as the others if he gets irritated enough.

And he doesn't do all the work around the dorm simply cause he wants to. He does it to keep the peace cause the dude just wants a calm, normal school life and keeping Riddle happy is crucial to ensure that happens lol

However, that said, I do think, once you've earned Trey's respect/friendship, he would look after you like he does Riddle since their relationship tells us that Trey takes care of the people who truly matter to him.

That's why Trey is always warm/friendly toward Yuu in my fics cause, by that point in the timeline, they're friends, and he genuinely cares about her well-being.)

However, Trey's plans go out the window when the events of Book 2 happen cause Yuu prevents his canon injury and takes his pain as a result, which Trey really didn't take well cause he did not like the idea of Yuu suffering pain meant for him. It made him feel really guilty even though he did nothing wrong.

As a result, Trey really fussed over Yuu when she came to stay at his dorm following her injury cause Riddle had refused to allow her to return to her dorm cause he felt it was his dorm's responsibility to take care of her since she was in pain cause of him/Trey.

Trey volunteered his room for Yuu to use since there weren't any free ones available due to Heartslabyul dorm being the one dorm that's at full capacity, and Riddle was willing to share his room with Trey.

Anyway, Trey spent a lot of time with Yuu during this period of time since he felt it was his responsibility to look after her, and because of this, things really started to change because Trey started learning more about Yuu.

During this time, Trey realizes how difficult it is for Yuu to rely on others, and that it's not cause she's prideful or anything like that. She's just so accustomed to not having someone to rely on - someone she can trust - that it's just her nature to try to do everything on her own regardless of the kind of condition she's in.

That's why living at Heartslabyul is a rough adjustment for Yuu at first since Trey and the others are willing to do everything for her so she won't have to move her "injured" ankle.

Plus, Riddle has completely taken over the investigation that Crowley assigned to Yuu, so she won't have to do anything but focus on her recovery, which also takes some time for her to accept since she feels that's her job to do and it makes her feel guilty/useless that she can't complete the job assigned to her and has to be helped.

The more Trey observes Yuu and sees how hard it is for her to rely on others/how hard she is on herself/how prone she is to apologizing even when she hasn’t done anything wrong, the more uncomfortable he feels because all he can think about is what he knows about her past.

And he's really not liking the mental image that's forming as the puzzle pieces slowly come together.

However, what really hits him like a sucker punch is the one time when he had reached out to her to ruffle her hair, and Yuu, who hadn't realized what he was doing and wasn't paying attention at the time, flinched.

It was an unconcsious action on Yuu's part since, at that point in time, her body was just so accustomed to bad things happening whenever people reached out to her.

In that moment, the breath left Trey's lungs in an instant, and his blood turned to ice.

Because he knew exactly what that kind of unconscious action implied.

Even though Riddle was never physically abused, I still can see Trey being able to recognize those signs. I feel like what happened with Riddle when they were kids would lead to Trey doing some research on the subject of child abuse, perhaps because he thought it would in some way help.

Or perhaps a documentary or something along those lines about that topic came on TV one day and Trey, filled with thoughts of Riddle, couldn't bring himself to turn the channel.

This is how Trey Clover became one of he first people to realize Yuu had an abusive upbringing.

Fortunately for Yuu, Trey isn't the type to stick his nose where it doesn't belong, so he never tries to question her about her past. He never brings up the topic at all, so Yuu doesn't even know that Trey has figured out she was physically abused back in her world.

Because Yuu is from another world, meaning there's no one to report to the authorities cause her abuser is obviously back in her world, Trey knows that she's no longer in danger, which is why he doesn't try to tell anyone about this discovery or try to get Yuu to talk to him about her past.

Even though Trey feels that he shouldn't get involved since he doesn't want to risk causing trouble for Yuu by doing/saying something he shouldn't, Trey just can't ignore her now that he knows what kind of past she has.

But it's not out of pity. I just think that, after he "failed" Riddle when they were kids, Trey has the kind of mentality where, if he were to find himself in another similar situation, he'd be unable to ignore it cause he'd want to succeed and help the person, like he couldn't do in the past, especially if that person is someone he has begun to care about.

Trey just can't leave Yuu alone; his inner demons won't let him.

As a result, from that point on, Trey does his best to look out for Yuu, and he tries to be subtle about it and mostly fails since Trey really isn't good at being subtle when it comes to doting lol

It's because of Trey's decision to look out for Yuu that this relationship eventually turns into a close friendship cause, as time passed, Trey steadily grew fonder of Yuu the more time he spent with her, resulting in him becoming the big bro figure he is in my fics.

It was never Trey's intention for things to turn out like this, but Yuu completely won him over with all the compliments she gave his baking/cooking, her efforts to help him around his dorm, her growing friendship with Riddle, etc.

Amusingly enough, what also was a big factor in this development is that Yuu is one of the few people who doesn't try to ask Trey for help/favors or put work on his shoulders. On the contrary, she always tries to avoid doing anything that she thinks would be a bother to him.

The more Yuu would resist Trey's attempts to dote on her, which were essentially Trey's way of thanking her for her efforts, the more Trey wanted to dote on her and get her to willingly accept it lol

I just think it'd be funny if Trey's the type who would take this sorta thing as a challenge since normally he always gets his way when he implements his doting techniques, so he can't just allow himself to continue to be rebuffed.

Also, Trey just can't ignore the voice in his head that wonders if Yuu has anyone to rely on. Does she really think she needs to handle everything alone - that she doesn't deserve to be helped or receive positive attention?

It becomes like a personal mission of sorts for Trey, and because he's very good at what he does, he's able to eventually bring Yuu's walls down and get her to rely on him. It takes time, of course, but Trey is nothing if not patient.

That's how Trey becomes one of the upperclassmen whom Yuu feels the most comfortable relying on and why Yuu doesn't mind being doted on by him.

Because of his efforts, Yuu has a high opinion of Trey and a lot of respect for him since he's always working so hard to keep the peace at his dorm and does so much to keep everything working smoothly.

She also thinks he's very kind since he's always looking out for her and is always soft toward her during their interactions.

Now, that's not to say that Yuu doesn't know there's more to Trey than the sweet big bro persona he adopted when dealing with her since she knows full well that he's not someone to mess with.

That's why she considers him to be the dark horse of Heartslabyul - the most dangerous guy and someone she never wants to piss off cause she knows how cunning he can be and that he's a force to be reckoned with if you get on his bad side.

It's something she has learned from observation since he has never gotten mad at her, like he has at the members of his dorm lol

Yuu is completely oblivious to the fact that it would take a lot for Trey to ever get that mad at her cause he's developed a soft spot for her. She really has no idea about the kind of power she holds by being someone both Trey and Riddle are fond of, which Cater points out a lot haha

Anyway, Yuu & Trey end up developing a good, strong friendship during the course of the school year. It's why they both become so comfortable around each other and why it's easy for them to relax when they're alone together.

And they both really need that kind of relationship in their lives since those two are always hard at work & have busy/stressful schedules, so it's good for them to have those moments, such as when they bake together, when they can de-stress.

I just really love this relationship since Yuu & Trey are pretty similar in that they're good at keeping the peace, they always end up with a lot on their plates, and the fact that the way they act can lead to people incorrectly assuming they're too kind for their own good/are pushovers.

They're both also similar in that they're both really scary when they're pissed lol 😂

I just think this dynamic is a lot of fun cause of those similarities and cause I'm just a sucker for doting big bro figures 💕

[fujii-draws]

Hello hi it’s asimplearchivist again (I mixed up my main when I created my account just fyi) and I am having more thoughts about Dusknoir

Do you think that when he first came to the past from the future that he had a hard time measuring his strength? Having to rely on his strength and abilities to protect himself and to do Dialga’s bidding would mean he wouldn’t have ever had any reason to practice being gentle, right?

So what if the first few months of having to play the part of the gentleman and kindly explorer, shaking hands and interacting with others (picking them up when saving them, etc), he realizes how brusquely he touches them? Enough times if someone saying his grip is a little tight or he jostled them too much and such makes him realize he can’t just go full throttle because he’s a fully evolved and experienced and powerful Pokémon, these civilians don’t know what it means to survive in a wasteland where virtually everything is out to get you

…so, to conclude, how much gentleness does he learn by dealing with the hero and partner? I’m thinking of your riding on the shoulder and him carrying them around examples specifically but does he ever catch himself being harsh and they don’t even realize why (“haha, you’re crushing me! you don’t have to hold me so tight, you know, it won’t hurt me if I fall just from here!”) and he stops in dawning horror realizing that one day he’s going to have to hurt them in the end?

then he has to learn to be gentle all over again when he and the others return from the future—even more gentle and slow and careful this time—because now they’re afraid of him, knowing just how strong he is and exactly what he’s capable of doing to them?

now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go sob in the corner, goodbye👋🏻🥹

(this was mainly inspired by the comic of aimilios trying to trust him again when he’s hurt but still being terrified and dusknoir just h u r t i n g bc he knows it’s fully justified…crying in the club rn)

also I was curious how Dusknoir reacts when they evolve? is he bursting at the seems with pride at watching them “grow up” or is it more of a somber affair with him feeling relief that they’ll be able to defend themselves better against bigger, stronger pokemon (like himself) who would try to hurt them?

Sorry for the rambling, I just have a lot of feels about this big softy and I wanted to share them!😊

Op… your mind… is SO POWERFUL.

THE IDEA?? OF DUSKNOIR KNOWING NOTHING BUT DO-OR-DIE SITUATIONS IN THE FUTURE; ONLY SERVING AS A WEAPON FOR PRIMAL DIALGA TO USE… To then having to learn how to be gentle..? Of course, to fulfill the “humble and kind explorer” facade… but mainly achieving it because of Hero and Partner.

…AND HIM SEEING HOW THEY GET SLIGHTLY HURT BY HIM WHEN HE’S NOT EVEN TRYING. A SMALL PART OF HIM JUST DREADS HOW THEY’LL FARE AGAINST HIM AT HIS BEST.

AND ON TOP OF THAT?? HIM HAVING TO RELEARN IT ALL *OVER AGAIN??* AND HAVING TO ACTUALLY WORK TWICE AS HARD BECAUSE HE BROKE THEIR TRUST ONCE ALREADY????? I KNOW IM PARROTING YOUR WORDS BUT OHHHH MY GOD. IM INSANE. IM INSANE.

———

[For me, I’ve personally headcannoned it as Dusknoir being aware of his own strength. He always calculates how gentle he should treat a certain Pokémon. So he ends up having to hold back a LOT. And no one notices.]

[…Expect for Ribbon’s and Aimilios, that is.]

[They always see the slight worry mixed with concentration in Dusknoir’s expression as he gauges just how much pressure he can use when handling them. And the two always thank him for doing so.]

[In which, Dusknoir assures them that it’s nothing. It’s not like he actually cares. He’s just doing it to gain their trust more. Nevermind the fact he reminds those two to be careful. Or come to him if they sustain any really bad injuries. Or how he’s extra gentle with them specifically. It’s nothing.]

(…Is this setup for them recognizing him holding back during his fight? Is it angst potential for when those two realize just how easily Dusknoir could’ve offed them all those times they were alone with him..? >:3 maybe.)

[lesbianoms]

(Mrs. Doubtfire voice) Comfort is on the way, dear!

You seem like somebody who would love a dignified older lady pred. Someone with the air of Jessica Rabbit but the aged-like-blood wine grace of Lady Dimitrescu. Perhaps a “sugar mama” situation something-or-other.

Regardless, imagine if you were to come under the loving care of such a noble and elegant creature. Rubies on each finger and pearls dangling from the neck as she bends over you, turning over your pitiable, worried state. Yet, despite her care, there’s always the trace of a knowing smirk on her painted lips and the sense that she knows best.

“Why, my little dear. Whatever could be the matter with you, hm?” She takes your face in her hands and tilts your head from side to side, examining you.

You explain that things are stressful. The WORLD is stressful! And so very upsetting.

“Oh, but, my little love, you are confused.”

What could she mean by that?

“Why, there’s nothing wrong with the world at all. Do you know why?”

You shake your head. Things are pretty awful.

“My dear, I am your world. And, the last time I checked, there was nothing wrong with me at all.”

Before you can protest, she chuckles deeply and brushes a salt-and-pepper strand of hair from her face.

“Oh, I don’t mean to belittle your problems, darling. You just have more important things to worry about, you see?”

You don’t see.

“No? Let me give you a reminder, then, my dear…”

She smirks as she presses both of her palms to the back of your head, pushing you into a plushy ball belly wrapped in the fine, red satin of her dress. A belly you knew that you padded several times over…

“I think, when we are stressed with the troubles of life, it’s never a bad idea to return to our roots… to go home.”

A coaxing gurgle sounded below your ear, the fat quivering against you.

“And, would you listen to that, darling? Your home misses you.”

She bent down and gave you a teasing lick across the cheek, a sign of love to you more familiar than a kiss. Another deep chuckle bubbled up her long throat as you shivered.

“I think that you only need a different perspective on things… don’t you?”

You could always say “no,” of course, and she would respect it—but why would you? The welcome mat was already unrolling just for you, pink and beckoning…

———————————————

The madame of the house yawned luxuriously as she waddled off to bed. Her step was modified to a lopsided sway, what with the weight of one silly snack misaligning her center of gravity. Her bloated, engorged belly jutted out of a gap in her minky robe, wobbling freely. She smirked to herself as each step sent its contents sloshing thickly from side to side, its bubbler—you—in a state of dreamlike nirvana, fuzzy ecstasy, your mind as malleable as your body as your being rocked back and forth in a gooey wave. You moaned with each contact with the walls, each splash earning an involuntary moan.

“Thank you for being so cooperative in the bath, little love. I trust your stay is treating you kindly?”

She received a response—more of a bubbling than a word.

Bllluuurbbllblubb…

She smirked and gave her well-fed belly a firm rub.

“I thought so. And perhaps it would do you well to take a bit of a vacation, hm? Perhaps a few days? Your beloved home needs a bit more insulation, you know. I’m much too delicate for the cold, at my age…”

The chyme within churned, and her gut purred. More than happy to, of course.

“You will? What a generous little dear you are.” She grabbed her hanging underbelly and shook it playfully. “Unnnngh, and how generous I’ll be when I’m through with you!”

The satisfied lady ambled leisurely to her favorite chaise, falling backwards into it and sending her immense ball belly bouncing and sloshing. If you were whole before she flopped to the cushions, that jostling made short work of you. She yawned again and absently patted her incessantly jiggling gut. It would be a long weekend of digesting, and once you’d reconstituted, she was sure you would be singing a much cheerier tune…

All the better. Happier food was yummier food.

Hhhh I need this to happen to me right now

Thank you for the story! That does sound like a relaxing break… just being able to turn my brain off and focus on making my pred’s gut all noisy and full~

Also the line about the bath is pretty tantalizing and actually gives me an idea for something… hehe, I would love to just relax in that grumbly spa as I slowly become fat on her tummy 🥵

“Your new home” is a vore trope that drives me bananas. Uuuggh god I love it it’s so hot, and the line about the pink carpet rolling out <3

It’s so fitting that I can’t talk to her as I’m melting and I can only really communicate in sounds… plus, I’m probably too, uh, “distracted”, if you know what I mean

[rose-riot-johnson]

Well my Tumblr Peeps... I didn't think I was gonna write this, however because of atleast a couple of the fanfics I recently written, a fanfic or a few I have read, some thinking for maybe the last few days or so, I just felt inspired about writing a fanfic about a particular Blue Lock character I have written about before... And I'm starting to feel maybe I can write more about Rensuke Kunigami (fanfic wise)😃👍While I was gonna write a fanfic about the reader being a fanfic writer for a crossover fanfic I was thinking about writing and I did have thoughts of writing that for a couple different Blue Lock characters I have yet to write about, however my heart is telling me to write about the reader being the fanfic writer with Rensuke Kunigami in this type of fanfic⚽😁👍

*Note: From just realizing that I may have misspelled any part Rensuke's name for the 1st fanfic I have written about him, I sincerely apologize for it😅I get it's a minor thing to apologize, however I just figured I'd mention it😅And this fanfic contains 1 or more long paragraphs😅

⚽📝Being A Fan Of Someone, Who Turned Out To Be Your Biggest Supporter📝⚽((Adult) Rensuke Kunigami x Female Reader)

Genres: Fluff, Cuddling, Kissing, and Fanfic mentions in the fanfic (Warning⚠️: Manga Spoiler(s))

When you and Rensuke Kunigami first met eachother, he was a professional football (which some people call soccer) player and you became a huge fan of his. After every football match (which some people refer as soccer (ball) game), considering you madesure to attend the football matches (some call it soccer (ball) games) he was playing at, you talked to him and he also has been opening up to you more about his time in the Blue Lock program, his opportunity to walk into the "Wild Card" door, what happened while he was in there, and the aftermath of returning from the "Wild Card" door. While he admitted to you that this is how and why he became the football (some people call it soccer) player that he is today, however he has shown to treat you very kindly, so the both of you decided to exchange cellphone numbers and both you and Rensuke have began your relationship together, since then.

A few years went by, as you and Rensuke Kunigami are still together in your relationship with him. You're even wearing your engagement ring he got for you, as the both of you have been engaged (up to reader's imagination how long ago Rensuke Kunigami has proposed to you (no longer than four years and 6 months ago and no shorter than five months ago, however)) ago. The thing is he thought he knew everything about you.

One day while Rensuke Kunigami was on vacation from professional football (some people call it soccer (ball)), as he notices you left your (laptop or cellphone screen on), while confused what social media platform you are on. While he doesn't usually snoop into your business when it comes to your stuff on your laptop and your cellphone, however he did start to get concerned about another name that is part of what you're trying to put in a post, so he figured he wanted to try to get to the bottom of what you're trying to do. Once he started to snoop on your (laptop or cellphone), he notices that name he was pertaining a character you like and he clearly read the word "reader" in it.

Once you got out of the bathroom you caught Rensuke Kunigami snooping on your cellphone, as you were confused (especially about if you should be upset or giggle or etc...), knowing it's very unlike of him to snoop into your personal stuff, including your laptop and cellphone. You then asked, "Rensuke... What are you doing, snooping my (laptop or cellphone)? Am I doing anything wrong?". He then grined and answered, "Ofcourse you didn't do anything wrong, cutie... I was just a little concerned about you, considering that I saw a name, which I thought something happened between you and a particular person, so I had to see, if someone was bothering or anything and come to find out, you seem to be writing a fanfic about a character x reader type of fanfic... I kinda find that cute... I didn't know you write fanfics on (social media platform up to the reader's imagination)...", before (closing your laptop or putting your cellphone down).

The next thing you did was replied, "I still feel that's not a good reason for you to snoop on my (laptop or cellphone), however I appreciate your concern... Anyways I'm glad you liked that I'm writing the fanfic, Kunigami... I'm not exactly the greatest at writing fanfics, however I really wanted to write them for fun, feeling inspired by other fanfic writers with the fanfics they have written, and I wanted to try to make everyone else's days and/or nights from writing the fanfics I have written and wanted to write like the other fanfic writers made my (day and/or night) with the fanfics they have written when I first started reading fanfics through (social media platform up to reader's imagination), since this was my first time reading fanfics in general, honestly...", before you started blushing. Rensuke Kunigami then replied back, "I actually find your reasons of writing fanfics pretty cool... The only thing is you can't just act like you're not confident with your own writing, sweetness... I actually think you're amazing at the fanfics you write from what I saw on your (laptop or cellphone), not too long ago... Especially with (up to the reader's imagination what character the reader is writing about) for this character x reader fanfic you're working on writing about. So, if writing fanfics is really your passion, then don't give up on it... I'm sure you will evolve, as time goes by with writing fanfics, considering I feel you are an amazing fanfic writer...", before he walked up to you and kissed your forehead to make you blush more. He then said, "Now let's start on some cuddle time, sweetheart... And by the way... I like it when you blush... I think it's cute...".

After Rensuke went inside the bedroom room you share with him, you followed him in the same room he went in. Once the both of you got on the bed together, he held you from behind, with his arm wrapped around you, as if you're his little spoon and cooed, "I missed you, so much, (Female Reader Name)... I've been waiting a while to have this moment with you...", before kissing the side and the nape of your neck, then you turned your head around just enough for both you and Rensuke to peck kiss eachother on the lips, as you replied, "I missed you too Rensuke Kunigami... I've waiting to have some time with you, especially cuddle time...", proceeding to kiss the left side of his facial cheeks. The both of you then had hours worth of cuddle time.

Once the both of you finished your cuddle time together, Rensuke Kunigami decided to cook supper, while you checked your cellphone to finish up with the fanfic you were working on. As much as Rensuke Kunigami doesn't mind you helping him with cooking, he rather that you relax while he's cooking. So you finished (and posted) the fanfic you were working on before you decided to set the table for him, since you figured he's cooking and you still want to help him with atleast something pertaining supper time.

After both you and Rensuke started eating supper together the notification sound came from your cellphone and it was multiple times your cellphone was making that sound. You were hesitant to check on your cellphone, however he smiled and said, "You can check on your cellphone, beautiful... It's not like anything bad is happening and you don't check on it often when we spend time together... I insist, (Female Reader Name)...". "Are you sure, Kunigami?", you asked. He replied, "Yes, I'm sure...", while trying to encourage you.

Once you checked your notifications, it turned out it was the notifications that was coming from the social media platform, pertaining the post of the fanfic you have written about the character you have written about. You have noticed alot of praise (and likes, shares, etcs...) pertaining the fanfic you have written about. "I take it you had some success with the fanfic you were working on today, (Female Reader Name)?", Rensuke Kunigami asked, smiling at you. "Yes, I did... And you turned out to be right about what you said about me as a fanfic writer, Rensuke...", you answered before the both of you looked into eachother's eyes, then proceeded to kiss eachother.

While you have always been a huge fan of your fiance Rensuke Kunigami, since the first time you have seen him playing a football match (to some people it's soccer (ball) game), you were surprised that he became your biggest supporter when it comes to you writing fanfics, when he first found out about you writing fanfics. Once you and Rensuke finished eating supper and tooken cared of the dishes, he picked you up and had your legs wrapped around his waist, your arms around his neck, and his arms around you (and behind your back), as the both of you passionatly kissed eachother even after both you and Rensuke Kunigami landed on the bed inside the bedroom the both of you share together (Rensuke Kunigami on top with your back laying on the bed). After the both of you finished kissing, you touched his face and he touched your face, as he said, "(Female Reader Name)... Not only you're the best thing that has ever happened to me... Aside from the day we met, the day we exchanged cellphone numbers, and the night I proposed to you, today must be one of the best days of my life... I love you very much, (Female Reader Name) and thank you for being a huge fan of mine, for all of these years...".

You replied, "You're very welcome Rensuke Kunigami and thank you, very much... I feel the same way with today, the day we met, the day we exchanged cellphone numbers with eachother, and the night you proposed to me... I'm truly grateful for you turning out to be my biggest supporter when it comes to me writing fanfics, today... And I love you too, Rensuke Kunigami.", as you and Rensuke, then gave eachother one more deep kiss before cuddling together again, while he gets you to lay on top of him (with your head on his chest). Before you fell asleep you cooed, "Good night, Rensuke... I love you...". Rensuke then replied, as he whispered in your ear, "I love you too, sweetie... And Good night, my beautiful (Female Reader Name)...", while he holds you into a tighter hug, while trying to keep you comfortable. Before he lets himself fall asleep, he madesure you're sleeping peacefully, as he enjoys watching you have a peaceful slumber and while you fall asleep, he carefully pets your head, until the both of you fall asleep.

📝⚽The End⚽📝

I do hope you enjoyed this Rensuke Kunigami fanfic my Tumblr Peeps📝⚽😃👍Anyways, if I wrote stuff that didn't make sense or might not, I do have an explanation (or so on) why I wrote the fanfic out the way I did😅 While I did want to write about Rensuke finding out the the reader writes fanfics, I also wanted to write about about Rensuke and the reader kissing, cuddling, and other stuff, because that's something that has been in my head, if not just similar stuff to this, and I really wanted come up with more than a few paragraphs for this fanfic, so I decided to mix atleast the reader writing fanfic idea and the kissing, cuddling, and other stuff pertaining the reader and Rensuke idea right in the same fanfic💡I also figured I'd come up with an ending for this particular fanfic, as well😃👍 I'm really considering writing another fanfic or so with Rensuke in the fanfic(s) and I basically have some more ideas pertaining when I do write those ideas out fanfic wise💡📝⚽😁👍

[the-one-where-casey-watches-tv]

From episode 3.10 "Revelations: Chapter 2"

It seems that my parents and I are the only people in the whole world who are watching this show, and I am completely baffled as to why. Realistically, the answer is probably a combination of a weird, unmemorable title that doesn’t fit organically into any sentence (it actually might be the worst title of all time. I’m still not even sure what it means), inaccessibility (what is MGM+?), and an utter lack of star power (which I actually think is a plus). Nonetheless, I cannot hype this show up enough. It’s worth the stilted conversations where no one knows what I’m talking about, paying for it on Prime or navigating its maze to find my way to this mysterious MGM+, and falling into the plot without the distraction or bias of any familiar faces.

After aggressively watching Lost a year ago- and dragging everyone in my life down this rabbit hole with me- my mom sent an article adamantly declaring that this show called From that I’ve never once heard of is even better. I’m the first to come to Lost’s defense, but even I have to agree. On paper, the two shows are so similar that I was skeptical that a rip-off was getting such high praise. It even stars Lost alum Harold Perrineau, the only remotely recognizable cast member, though calling him famous seems like a stretch.

Since I haven’t yet encountered anyone who’s seen it, I’ll start from the beginning. The pilot finds the Matthews family RV road trip impeded by a massive fallen tree in the middle of a wooded street. It’s too big to move, so they reluctantly turn around. With no clear landmarks to get their bearings and a creepy burst of flight from a nearby flock of crows, dad Jim, mom Tabitha, teen daughter Julie, and little (but wise) Ethan slowly roll along. Everyone is relieved when a town comes into view. It’s bleak, shabby, and not much to speak of (think Schitt’s Creek but half the size and even more desolate), but it’s civilization, nonetheless.

Us in the audience are wary of this town after being treated to a cold open in which a little girl, despite adamant town-wide warnings from Sheriff Boyd Stevens, opens her second story bedroom window for a very frightening old lady eerily tapping on the glass and pleading to be let in. When morning comes, the little girl and her mother (the only people in the house at the time) are discovered, rib cages split open, insides hollowed out, blood absolutely everywhere. Smash cut to opening credits (a spooky rendition of “Que Sera, Sera”- I like it).

The handful of townsfolk (a few dozen, maybe) are gathered for the girls’ funeral when the Matthews’ RV comes into view. We learn from snatches of conversation that these flesh-eating monsters tapping on windows after nightfall is an understood, nightly occurrence. The poor deceased family’s absent, drunkard of a husband/father was unacceptably careless in leaving his vulnerable family alone after dark, windows not nailed shut. Yet when everyone catches sight of not only the RV, but another car coming along the road behind it, their reaction makes things even weirder.

Amongst murmurs that there hasn’t been “two cars in one day” in a “long time”, Sheriff Stevens tells everyone to finish paying their respects and then return to their lives- he’ll “handle it”. With the help of his young adult son Ellis and deputy Kenny, he kindly tells the Matthews that if they keep going straight, they’ll find their way back to the highway. But in an aside to Ellis and Kenny, he says he’ll let them “do a few laps” to “prepare them for what’s coming”, and in the meantime, they should get out the tire strips.

The Matthews indeed do a few laps: without ever making a turn, they drive through this same sad little town one, two, three, four more times. Panic rising, they eventually collide with the other car that’s doing the same thing. It’s dusk, little Ethan is severely injured, the driver of the other car soon succumbs to his injury (his surviving passenger Jade, however, will become a key player). It’s all a very high stakes and heart pounding way to learn the laws of the land: when you encounter the fallen tree in the road and the creepy crows, it’s already too late. You’re in town, and you can’t leave. And when the sun goes down, little stone talismans hung on walls behind closed doors are the only thing keeping out the scary human-like monsters that will sprout fangs and eat your guts if you succumb to their pleas and crack a window or open a door.

Throughout the three seasons we have of From so far, the more the eccentrically endearing cast of characters have tried to crack the mysteries of the town and find their way home, the more weirdness has sprouted up. It’s all very Lost- these wayward, quirky people are just trying to survive, but the weirder things get, the more these poor people seem to be fated to be here, carefully chosen by some unknown force for a specific, but as yet undetermined reason. I’ll often compare stories to puzzles, but every episode of From in particular feels like putting just enough pieces into place that you realize the overarching picture is bigger than you ever imagined.

My dad, who felt betrayed by Lost’s chaotic and confusing meandering, sat down almost nervously as we crammed all 10 episodes of season 3 into a 7-day free trial of MGM+. “I hope they don’t ruin it” he kept saying. I didn’t disagree- shows like this that are mysteriously building to a big something can all turn out to feel like a waste of time if the big something isn’t emotionally satisfying and narratively sound. I chose this most recent season finale to cover (I’m getting to it I promise) because this episode put more puzzle pieces into place than ever before. Show creators and writers have referred to it as the “end of the beginning”. To keep the puzzle analogy going, it feels like we have all the edge pieces in place, a border complete. And most exciting of all, I’m incredibly compelled by the image that’s beginning to come together.

If I’ve perhaps just convinced you to give From a chance, stop reading here and come on back once you’ve caught up. It’s time to unpack what I consider to be an incredible season finale.

The second half of this two-parter picks up with Elgin holding a now very pregnant Fatima prisoner in the creepy storm cellar, following the orders of the creepy lady talking to him through his polaroid camera. The whole town is still actively searching for her, but Ellis bursts into the Sheriff’s station, telling Boyd and Donna that he thinks Elgin knows something. They promptly isolate Elgin in Colony House, and Boyd brings Sara in to try to talk some sense into him.

It’s really helpful and compelling that the show drew this comparison between Elgin and Sara; Sara’s experience in season 1 is neither a one-off nor forgotten: it was a precedent for an even bigger event still to come. With now two incidents to consider- along with Tabitha, Jade, and Victor’s simultaneous work on the bottle tree- it seems clear that there are both Good and Bad forces at play in town and the forest beyond. Discretion is key. Fate is an undeniable theme of the series, and the forces of the town certainly nudge characters this way and that, but there is a time to follow and a time to resist. Elgin should have resisted. And this sequence of events only opens the floor for more Bad decisions.

The bottle tree, Victor’s family, Julie’s visions, and the weird little “Anghkooey” children feel very different. There is a very distinct separate-ness between the Elgin/Fatima/pregnancy plotline and the Matthews/Jade/Victor/bottle tree plot line that underscores the town’s division of Good and Bad. Throughout this season I felt increasingly sure that Jade’s obsession with the bottle tree and its numbers was productive, that Julie and Victor needed to face their fears and follow the paths in front of them, while Elgin was making a huge mistake. But not only that, following these forces of Good and Bad made the parties involved better and worse people respectively.

Of course, Elgin was succumbing to false promises just as Sara once made a fatal mistake, but this is only the beginning of Bad-ness surrounding the Fatima situation. Boyd, riddled with reminders of his own wife’s death, doubles down on his determination to preserve his family. Blind with this, he wastes no time filling a tool bag with what he clearly intends to be torture devices. He ignores his visions of Father Khatri (another supernatural source of Good, if you ask me), and actually goes through with it, hammering Elgin’s hand and revealing bone. The whole thing made me feel icky and sad. I couldn’t believe he did it, but really, Boyd’s judgement has been slipping ever since he found out about Fatima. He kept everyone else downstairs while he did it to preserve their innocence, but they’re all bystanders as far as I’m concerned.

Meanwhile, Jim Matthews has been working on himself in a kind of shockingly impressive way. It started with Jade, who actually did heed the ghostly advice of the town’s dead bartender. He slowed down on the drinking and gave Victor’s dad, Henry, the space and wise words to open his mind to Victor and his eccentricity. Henry then paid the unsolicited advice forward to Jim, who at long last stopped yelling at anyone who dared to speak to his family. He actually joined in on Tabitha, Jade, and Ethan’s quest to decode the hidden meaning behind the numbers, held space for the inexplicable, and turned out to be the missing piece of cracking the whole thing.

Things built to a climax (or should I say crescendo) as the group realizes that the numbers correspond to music notes. Things click into place seamlessly from there, the song suddenly coming to Jade as if he’s known it all along. Jim is hesitant to play it- a valid concern to be wary of things at this point, but I agree with everyone else, they have to play it. They just have to. They decide to head into the woods with Victor’s violin and play it at the bottle tree.

At the same time, Sara finally gets Elgin to admit where Fatima is- by cutting out his eye. I’ve been slow to forgive Sara, but this actually felt like a big moment of growth and understanding. She recognizes her mistake in trusting the voices she heard back in season 1, and also recognizes that the experience has already broken her. She actually protects everyone else by slipping upstairs without their knowledge and getting the whole thing done before anyone can intervene. The team races to the storm cellar, where Fatima is in labor and the ghostly woman is pulling a nasty something (definitively not a baby) out of her vagina.

The group bursts in to find an exhausted, childless, and belly-less Fatima pointing at the open trap door on the floor. Boyd doesn’t hesitate to follow the woman down it. What he sees is crazy. It’s the tunnels where the monsters live, and they’re all gathered around the ghostly mother and the lump Fatima just birthed. The lump grows and stretches. A human figure encased in a bloody, gooey film. Finally, out comes the one big-mouthed, smiling monster that Boyd had managed to kill with his skin worms a few episodes ago.

Upstairs, Fatima breathlessly says to Ellis, “Those things that come out at night, I saw what they are. They sacrificed their children because It promised them that they would live forever”.

A lot to unpack here, but it’s given some context by the wave of understanding that washes over Jade and Tabitha. The song seems to call the ghostly children out of hiding, who suddenly now seem pitiable rather than scary. The song also unlocks a crushing recognition for the two of them. “Anghkooey” means ‘remember’ and finally, they do. Tabitha is bowled over by this realization and can barely handle it. Jim, truly being his best self in this moment, pleads with her to explain. He doesn’t understand, but he wants to, he’s listening, he’s ready to hear it.

In broken sentences, Tabitha tries: “I know why I see those children. Why Jade can see them. It’s why there’s more than one bracelet. I kept making them. Somewhere, deep down, I remember. It’s because we’ve been here before, me and Jade. The reason I felt what Miranda felt… is because I was Miranda. And Jade… Jade was Christopher. We’ve come back over and over because we failed the first time. Jade and I were here at the beginning. We tried and failed to set them free because one of them was ours. She was our daughter.”

In Jim’s defense, I also don’t really have any idea what the fuck that means. Her and Jim’s daughter? Her and Jade’s daughter? Are they both incarnations of something even more ancient? And what is this ‘It’ that Fatima said promised the monsters immortality? But it’s a season finale, not a series finale, and these are massive steps in understanding the wider mechanisms of the town. It’s been hinted at for awhile that there are things out there “worse than the monsters”, and it’s satisfying to take a step towards bringing that blurry picture into focus. The way Tabitha said it also suggests to me a clear conclusion that this whole thing is heading towards. It didn’t make sense, but it was specifc. It does mean something, and in time we’ll find out what.

I’ve also come to think that whatever this force of the town is rewards the townsfolks for being on the wrong path and punishes them for being on the right one. The monsters changed their tactics this season, playing mental games as well as physical ones, deliberately shaking Boyd and the town’s trust in him. This moment was such a big win in their quest to understand, to get home, that it brought out the thing even more powerful than them. A piece of the bigger picture- the mysterious shadow that’s been out in the woods, shaking tents and playing by rules we haven’t yet learned.

While all of this was happening, Julie told Ethan that she felt she needed to go back to the ruins, to return to the place she goes when her body goes comatose. It seems that in that place, she’s able to travel non-linearly through time. She had big ideas about preventing some of the tragedies that have already occurred, but Ethan warned her that even if she can see moments in time, she can’t change them. As usual, I agreed with Ethan (like they say on Lost, whatever happened, happened). But it seems she saw something new that made her feel like she had to try. Right after Jade and Tabitha’s emotional revelation, Julie comes tearing through the woods screaming for Jim. Terror on her face, she pleads with him to run, to get away, to get to town right now because “I think this is when it happens! I need to change the story!”.

Tragically, Ethan was right. A man walks casually towards them out of the trees. He nonchalantly warns that “knowledge comes with a cost”, ignoring Jim’s now-appropriate insistence that this man back away from him and his family. Before fatally slashing Jim’s throat, the man says the last line of the season: “Your wife shouldn’t have dug that hole, Jim”. Since Jim is the only one who heard it the first time, this last revelation is more for us than any of the characters. This is the source of the voice on the radio that Jim painstakingly had the town build- the one that preceded the punishment of a massive storm and ruining of crops. All he got out of that radio was a haunting “your wife shouldn’t be digging that hole, Jim”, and a realization that this town doesn’t play by Earthly rules. And that someone is watching.

Season 4 isn’t coming until 2026 which is frankly super upsetting, but I know I’ll be just as eager for it then as I am now. Everything about season 3 suggests a painstaking master plan, a conclusion that will have everything click into place that we got just a little taste of in this episode. And in this regard, I think a lack of popularity may just be a good thing- Lost’s fatal flaw was a network’s insistence that it overstay its welcome due to its massive popularity and profit. With no threat of that, I think From should be able to end on its own terms.