#with no other motivation of cause except. you know. they're able to

[llycaons]

jgy did end up getting the power he craved and he still murdered so many innocent people out of resentment and paranoia and vindictive cruelty so who’s to say he wouldn’t be equally sadistic and self-serving in a universe where he and his mother were treated with respect

[bbyquokka]

fizzy pop

– yn has a habit of bottling up their emotions, chan comforts them & explains the importance of communicating about feelings/emotions.

pairing | bang chan x gender neutral reader

genre | angst w comfort – 18+ is strongly advised!

cw | established relationship, mental health (low moods, low/no motivation, lose of interest in hobbies/things), pet names.

words | 2k ~ ( 2,042 )

notes | idk why but i've been putting off on posting this for months, maybe bc im nervous 🤔 don’t forget to leave feedback, reblog and tell me what you think here. i hope you all enjoy! ‹3

m.list — wips list — you can also read it on my ao3

dont repost. dont translate. minors, ageless & default blogs; dni! feedback and reblogs are highly advised and appreciated!

it's just another day. another day of just being there. another day of feeling like you have no purpose in life except to please others. another day of wondering “what is the purpose of me being here?” you fake smiles, say you're "ok" because saying how you actually feel is exhausting.

aside from it feeling exhausting, you also don't want to draw attention to yourself and when you do speak, you feel stupid for doing so, so you keep it all in, bottle it up until it's too much for you to handle. some days you wonder why you even bother to get out off bed.

is it because of the birds you hear outside? the sun's heat that you want to feel on your skin? could it be the laughter and chitter chatter of others? or maybe you want to hear the rain on the leaves–who knows. all you know is that everyday is the same and it's tiring.

the days merge into one. what day is it even? monday? tuesday? oh wait, it's saturday morning. time doesn't exist anymore. in your mind you see no point in getting up out of bed because again, what's the point? 

so why is it that your boyfriend is gently shaking you, asking, no, begging you to get up.

“darlin'. please get up.” chan whispers as he gently shakes you by the shoulders. you sigh deeply, a tired sigh that causes chan to swallow and his suspicions to come to light.

you pull the duvet over your head, body curled in a small and fragile ball. the curtains are still drawn providing darkness despite the morning rays that wish to peak inside. 

chan has been up since the crack of dawn. he has showered, made breakfast and managed to get dressed. he gave you some extra time to sleep in because he knows you're not a morning person but when the number nine on his watch turned to twelve and you're still not up and out, does he grow concerned.

he's had his suspicions for a while. he's noticed how defeated you sound. how there is little to no energy in the words you speak. he's tried everything to cheer you up, thinking, hoping you were just having an off day. but that off day turned into an off week which slowly, but surely, turned into an off month.

you lost your passion for being creative, lost the will to make anything which you despise. being creative is one of the many pleasures you have in life, to be able to make something and share your creations with others is exhilarating but when you feel like this, your mood turns bitter and cold towards everything you do which results in you resenting everything you create.

you lost the energy to speak to people. to pick up the phone and just talk. you're not deliberately ignoring nor trying to be difficult but keeping conversations flowing is just too hard right now and when you think they're giving you the same energy back do you feel so guilty. 

what have i done to deserve this? why am i forced to feel like this. you find yourself questioning everything late at night. your head loud as soon as it hits the pillow and no amount of music you blast down your ears can silence those thoughts.

everything is so exhausting. everything is the same. you just want to disappear whether that be for a few days or forever, you're not quite sure, but certain people around you wont allow that to happen. they are keeping you afloat, head above water. you desperately and silently wish they never let you go, no matter how hard you fight and push them away.

“baby, please.” chan's words dripped with desperation. his knees on the bed behind you as he kneels causing the mattress to dip. his hands on your shoulders gently as his eyes bore into the duvet, burning holes into it until he is burning holes into you. tears threaten to spill down his soft cheeks as he becomes increasingly worried for you.

“chan..“ you whisper, your words shaking. “please.. leave me alone.” 

he swallows. those three last words he hates to hear. now he is left in a difficult position. should he do as you say and leave you? leave you to fester and rot in your own thoughts and feelings. watch you melt into the mattress and become nothing but a lifeless shell. or should he force himself, force you to acknowledge him. show you, tell you that's it's going to be ok–even if you don't believe him in the beginning.

but this is chan and you know more than anyone how stubborn chan can be.

“lets go take a shower yn, together! and maybe we can go out and get lunch at that café you love so much?”

silence. 

“or how about we go to that art shop! pick up those water colours you've been eyeing up for months?”

silence.

“ok well, what about some new cloth–”

“chan please!” you snap, causing him to jump. “what part of leave me alone don't you understand?!”

you don't mean to sound harsh and you hope chan doesn't take it to heart. the last thing you want is to hurt the one person you adore so much. luckily, chan knows you don't mean it but it doesn't hurt him any less.

“all of it.” he softly speaks. you feel the weight being lifted up off the mattress and footsteps against the wood flooring before the bedroom door squeaks open at the hinges.

your heart breaks. hot angry tears finally being set free and rolling down the bridge of your nose and cheeks, soaking into the material of your pillow. you sob, curling up into a ball even more as your heart aches in your chest. you grip onto the pillow as you silently cry out for chan, thinking he has completely left you alone.

but you did ask for it so why do you feel so guilty?

the duvet gets pulled back from you, the cold air hitting your hot and sweaty skin. the mattress dips once again as an arm snakes over your midriff. chest being pressed against your back as chan spoons you.

“don't cry, darlin'. i'm here, your channie is here.” his soft words provide you with a sense of comfort and an indescribable feeling of warmth as well as relief. his hand strokes your soft stomach, his lips kissing your neck so tenderly you worry that he isn't really there. 

“c-chan…” you sob through your words as a way of confirmation. you can't breathe, the pain of everything that's built up over the past months is making it impossible for you to breathe. your mind fogs over as your chest heaves up and down.

you struggle to take breaths as tears stream down your face. your pillow becomes soaked with your tears. chan strokes your unwashed hair gently, hushing you and singing softly to help ground you.

“sh sh sh. you're ok, you're safe.” he whispers.

“sorry! i'm sorry!” you repeat over and over again in your fits of tears. chan continues to hush you, noticing that it's not working so he gently rolls you over to face him and pulls you into his naked chest. 

the warmth and softness of his skin calms you down in an instant. his natural scent hugs your nostrils and sinks into your heart, soothing your heartbeat as well as your mind. you grip onto him, desperately trying to cling onto something before resulting in wrapping your arms around him tightly. 

he gives you a bear hug. arms around your shoulders gently, fingers raking and massaging your scalp. his chest wet with tears as he continues to hush you through your episode.

there isn't much he can do when you're crying like this except wait. wait for it to pass–and it does, fifteen minutes later.

“better?” he gently asks. you peer up at him to notice that his own cheeks are wet with a few tears slowly falling.

“you're crying..” you whisper as you reach up and wipe the tears away. chan laughs softly before leaning into your touch. “why?”

“because it pains me to see you like this, my love.” that guilt comes back, settling in your stomach and wrapping itself around your heart, like black fog. you look down, tears falling from your lower lash line.

“sorry..” you mumble.

“hey.” chan unwraps his arms from you to gently lift up your head. “it hurts because i can't do anything about it. it hurts because i love you! seeing you in so much pain is rough darling. and it's not physical pain either, it's not like i can put a band aid on your wound.”

“i'm sorry i'm like this, chan. sorry i'm so difficult and such a disappointment.”

“oi.” his tone of voice turns stern which causes you to look up at him. his brows furrowed together as he reaches and strokes your cheek. “you're not a disappointment or difficult baby. it's ok to feel like this, to have off days and feel like nothing is right, however, you have to come to me when you feel like this! or if you can't come to me, talk to a friend.”

“but i hate talking about my feelings, chan.. i feel like a burden and that it just bores people and when i do confined in people, it feels like i don't get the comfort i expect to get so i'm left thinking if it's worth it and if i just expect too much from people.”

“what have i told you about bottling things up, mhm?”

“that it's just going to keep building and building until i explode.” you mumble to which chan hums and nods too

“imagine you're a bottle of fizzy pop. your body is the bottle, your feelings are the fizzy liquid. what happens when you shake a bottle of fizzy pop?”

“it bubbles and explodes, creating a huge mess.”

“and what happens when you bottle your feelings up?”

“i get shaken up by the smallest of things, which causes me to bubble and explode..”

“mhm. you have to remember, my darling, that how you feel is valid. your feelings are valid. you might seem like it's something so small or stupid, but that something small could build and build and build.”

“so i should come to you whenever i feel negative?”

“yes.”

“even if i'm frustrated at a piece of work? even if i can't get a recipe right and it annoys me?”

“yes.”

“but that is so small and not as important..”

“yn, if it's bothering you then it's big. if it's bothering you, it's important to me. if you feel angry, upset, energy less, i beg that you come to me or to a friend! it's important that we voice these things, let it be known because you'll feel better.” he tucks your hair behind your ear gently before you nuzzle into his chest, thinking about what he's saying.

he is correct. he always is and that's the thing that sometimes bothers you, but in a good way! it just means that you can't hide anything from chan, whether it's good or bad and when you are feeling down, chan is always there to pick you back up and dust you off, providing you with love and comfort.

“shall we go shower together to start the day?”

“isnt it a bit late for that? besides, hasn't your day already started?” you mumble against his chest.

“it's never too late to start the day and besides, i don't mind ‘restarting’ my day if it means i get to do it with you.” he kisses the top of your head gently, stroking your back as you tangle your legs with his.

“soon.”

“soon?” he questions.

“i just want to spend some more minutes with you..”

“we can spend as many minutes together as you like, my darling. as long as you're happy and content.”

“i'm always happy and content with you, chan. you're my safe space.”

“and i hope i continue to be and provide you with that safe space, yn.”

[i-starcreamed]

Hey can I get three different scenarios if, Optimus, Mirage and bumblebee from Rotb, had met a tameranean who is like Starfire in a way, and is a princess. How would they react when they meet her and learn how strong and powerful she is, and what would their romantic relationship be like. Also the reader acts like starfire too, but I would find it funny if she kissed the Autobots to learn their language when she too comes to earth cause they were the nearest thing near her. Sorry if this is a lot I just love the idea since she too lives in space, that they may know a little bit about each other. Also I would find it adorable if they had sparklings with her since I head canon tameraneans can practically mate with anything. (I’m gonna scream if you except this, cause I don’t think you will but thank you for at least reading this! 🫶🏾)

i actually thought this idea was super cute, anon. I decided to do long-ish headcanons because I wasn't sure how to fit everything into one scenario for each.

[ tameranean!reader post includes: ROTB Optimus, Mirage, and Bumblebee

OPTIMUS

once he assesses that you're not a threat, I imagine he'd be super curious about your powers and abilities. Once he finds out you're too from space, I feel like he'll be able to confide in you a bit more than he would with humans?? Like, you're an alien like him, possibly stranded on Earth as well

he respects you so much, because wow you're a princess? He admires your bravery, especially if you're willing to help them. Despite being reluctant at first

Just imagined Optimus Prime bowing down to you a little, started going crazy

anyways

The Autobots were the first you came across upon landing on Earth, you didn't speak their language nor did you speak English. You proved you weren't a threat, but they didn't understand you or know your motives yet. You realized you landed on yet another civilization that doesn't speak nor understand Tamaraneans. And so, you did the only thing you could do. Optimus was the closest, so you gave him a simple peck on the mouth. The other autobots around were trying not to giggle at the look on Prime's face. He was shocked, confused, and maybe a bit flustered. You swore he didn't answer for a couple minutes when you greeted everyone.

He's suchhh a big fan of your Tamaranean features, you're so unique and yet so human as well. Again, he admires your bravery and strength and your attitude. Genuinely enjoys your company. If you're somewhere secluded, he'll go on a drive with you maybe flying next to him as you talk :3

I think Prime would be one to want sparklings with his significant other, he could only hope they will live in a world outside of war. He would never want them to experience what he and many others did. Also deep down, the Orion Pax in him that would've never thought about fighting in a war would've wanted to happily settle down somewhere. Knowing that you're a bit stronger/resilient than normal humans (or most types of aliens he knows of) he feels a lot more secure with having sparklings with you. How many? No one will ever know.

MIRAGE

okay so imagine you meet in the middle of a fight accidentally. You've been trying to blend in like a normal citizen of Earth ever since you got here, you were shocked to see that humans were in fact not the only species that lived here. Unfortunately for you, the same city you were staying at was being attacked by giant evil alien robots.

You're in the middle of the street, not really knowing the extent of what these robots can do. One second you see a Porsche, a semi truck, and a camaro speed past you and transform into more alien robots...but this time they're fighting the one destroying the city so they're good you think? The next second, you were too frozen in admiring these aliens when suddenly a car goes flying towards you.

It happens in slow motion, Mirage is the only one who sees it go straight for your face. But he's confident, he knows he can catch it and save you. Except...it slips through his servos. His spark nearly stops. Instead of seeing a poor 'human' go spat on the ground, he can't believe his optics when you reach out and catch the fucking car??

After that whole incident, he's asking you a bunch of questions. You give him a lil kiss so you can answer him in his language, you're slightly surprised when suddenly you know english and cybertronian, whatever that is

Honestly, I could imagine Mirage never letting go of that kiss, like he's going to joke about it for years.

You're a princess? hell yeah, he thinks you're super badass and wants to see you in action tbh. He's still gonna act like a knight in shining armor but he knows you can handle yourself, he wants to impress you fr

Wants you to teach him your language, he will try but it'll sound like gibberish. Either that or he will learn it immediately because uhh cybertronian super advanced robot?

He's definitely an excited father to your sparklings, you will need to make sure he doesn't teach them to be troublemakers because HE WILL raise them into little fuckin risk takers

BUMBLEBEE

Unfortunately he would not be able to learn your language since there are no tameranean radio stations.. but hey you can still kiss him!

once he gets to know you and where you're from, he's a huge fangirl I think

definitely hypes you up and praises you when you chuck a car at a deception or something. Once he knows you're probably as strong as they are, you guys do some cool combos out in the battlefield.

power couple !?!?!

jokingly does a little bow every time he greets you, then crushes you in a hug. Probably plays some cheesy line from some radio station

he lovesss how you're so kind and compassionate to species you don't know and a planet that isn't yours, but also the fact that you're brave in the face of danger. He knows you can defend yourself and still come back to give him a lil kiss afterwards

he asks if you can carry him. you probably lift him up by one hand and he's going crazy that you might drop him.

you will both learn about Earth together, as well as each other's home planets :3

laying out in the middle of nowhere, staring at the stars and reminiscing about your home? of course

he'd be sooo nervous about sparklings, nervous but excited. He'd be the most caring boyfriend and equally as caring father

thinks your sparklings are the cutest ever ever

[luimnigh]

Okay, I wanna pitch a Marvel movie.

Now, this is a Marvel movie that will absolutely never get made. They would not allow this. So here's my pitch:

We open on a heist. A group of absolutely Z-list, one-paragraph-on-the-marvel-wiki, single-digit-appearance-count supervillains robbing a secure facility. The villain that hired them narrates the plan as we watch, and while it doesn't go off without a hitch, some of the more bloodthirsty villains cause some unecessary bloodshed, it succeeds.

Our villain protagonists leave the scene in a van, loot inside, and drive off into the countryside to a rural, isolated house in the forest to lay low for a couple days. Everyone's celebrating their success, they're drinking, there's some drugs, a few people sneak off for sex. This is the point where we get to know the personalities of our villains, some are assholes, some are complete monsters, and there's a few people who are pretty decent and are really only in supervillainy because life dealt them a shit hand. We can see factions dividing our group of villains.

Their boss finally arrives separately, sporting some more villains as muscle, and the conversation turns back to business: the division of the loot.

And then someone finds a body outside.

One of the villains has been murdered. Everyone is immediately suspicious of everyone else, accusations are thrown, motives speculated, tensions get higher and higher, weapons get drawn-

A shot rings out. Everyone either opens fire or runs. One or two villains die in the crossfire, others are injured, this goes on until one of the more sympathetic villains calls for a ceasefire.

They're in the middle of trying to talk everyone down when they hear a car engine start, and one of the villains who ran from the fight bursts out of the garage in the getaway van-

With the loot still inside.

A few of the villains fire shots at it, but are soon stopped- they could destroy the loot. The boss explains as the van drives down the road that with his resources, tracking the villain that's double-crossed them would be easy as-

And then the van explodes in the background.

As our main party of villains makes their way to the burning wreckage, flaming dollar bills falling around them, they speculate on who the hell boobytrapped the getaway van-

But are interrupted by a click.

One of our villains looks down to see that nobody boobytrapped the van. Someone landmined the road.

Thankfully, one of our villains is a techie, and after a few tension-filled minutes, they disarm the mine. The villain who stepped on the mine is thankful, and the techie explains that they should be able to clear the road soon enough, right before their head explodes in a shower of gore.

If the landmines hadn't made it clear enough, that certainly sealed the deal: this wasn't a double cross, this wasn't an ordinary murder.

They're being hunted.

This is a slasher movie.

The film continues on, the villains getting picked off one at a time in creative and gruesome ways, some even having their tech stolen and used to kill other villains. But throughout, we never catch a glimpse of the killer.

Right up to the end of start of the final act. By this stage, you've started to root for our supervillains to overcome this. There's a few assholes left you wouldn't mind seeing die before the final curtain, but the killer's will have lost sympathy by this stage, having killed some of the more likable villains. We wanna see them pay for that.

And just as the killer is stabbing one of those likable villains to death, our surving villains, and the audience, finally catch sight of the predator that's been stalking them through the night.

A man dressed all in black... except for big white skull painted on his chest.

And suddenly there's no guarantee that any of the villains you've come to like are walking away alive.

[blushingdread]

Hi MLB fandom, I am a passerby that tried to watch the show for my GF and failed, but I have read a bunch of fanfics and I think Butterfly Emilia would be cool as fuck

Some headcanons:

The butterfly does long-range magic by connecting to others and giving them magic, they're weapon isn't a weapon. It's a tool for communicating with their champions. Emilia has this big ass old timey microphone bc she's a former performer (actress if i rember correctly?) And she's all for the dramatics (Gabriel would have a head set) Despite it not being a weapon, she still wacks people with it

She has seven different pieces of butterfly jewelry on her transform (2 earrings, 2 rings, brooch, hair piece, and one holding her skirt in the back) fighting her directly is very annoying because they have no idea which fucking one is her miraculous

You may notice she's not wearing a mask, just makeup. Her face has been run through every database known to man. The cloaking magic makes it impossible to actually figure out. She doesn't really see herself as a villain, and she doesn't read comic books. Her outfit is more of a performance outfit (Marinette likes western comic books and is super hero themed, Adiren sees himself as a magical girl)

Her main motivation is that she's a MASSIVE control freak with entitlement issues. She was born rich rich and stumbled upon God jewelry. She is drunk on power 24/7 and doesn't think consequences exist. She wants to revive Gabriel bc she loves him. She's terrorizing Paris bc she thinks her happy ending is the most important and doesn't care about anyone else

Gabriel "died" from using both the peacock and butterfly to make Adiren (who Emilia designed herself, with blueprints) despite the fact that Noorou and Duusuo told them that using two miraculouses at once was a bad idea. He's her SIMP

Natalie is her childhood friend who is used to her "eccentric" behavior, and isn't in on the evil

Monarch constantly hyjacks tv/radio waves to harass the heroes. "This would be all be over if you just gave me your miraculous", "Why do you have to drag out this conflict? I just want to fix the wrong thing this magic caused.", "did that old man tell you anything before he gave you those?" <- at first. She tries to have good pr by making all her akumas only capture and sometimes helping people, but eventually she shows her true colors and she's no longer able to make the media call Ladybug and Chat selfish for not giving her their miraculouses. After her flip switches, she still does this, but it's more obvious. "This is all your fault, you know."Maybe I'll just keep doing this at 3am :D." kinda shit

Let's Adiren go to school bc both of the Kawami were like, "He doesn't actually love you. You just made him love you. You're actually a shitty mom." And it hurt her pride so much that she let her control of him slip to prove that he prefers her, and then he wanted to public school and it made her so maddd that she constantly targets the school to scare him and chase him back into her arms "of his own free will"

Emilia thinks Marinette is absolutely perfect and fits in her family so nicely. Except for some minor defects, she can correct ♡ much to Mari's slow dawning horror

Very vindictive and petty. Like, have a butterfly follow Ayla around for a week for reporting on her petty. She is doing psychological warfare on the children

Let's Chloé be childhood friends with Adrien literally bc she makes him uncomfortable, seee how good your mom is compared to others + Really likes Audrey and having perks from the mayor which means they have to be childhood friends

[shepherds-of-haven]

the screenshot game got me thinking..what are all the RO's like if they have to pose as a couple with a friend they *don't* have feelings for? I got Blade and I genuinely can't tell if he'd be more or less awkward, lol

Blade: he would be way less awkward with just a platonic friend, he would have just be breathing deeply through his nose and letting the other person talk more, but it would be wayyyyy easier and more comfortable to pull off and believable, lol! He's far smoother with someone he doesn't have feelings for and would be able to lie pretty easily, lol!

Trouble: I think he would be pretty awkward about it because he's not great at actively lying, but depending on the person, they could put him at ease! If paired with someone who's naturally outgoing or can just brush it off and make it funny like "dude don't make this fucking weird, suck it up and act like you're my husband, I'm not going to jump your bones you dipshit kakhead!! (Ayla)" he'd be fine; if it was someone he's not as comfortable with like a Lavinet or maybe, like, Red or Riel, it'd be slightly weird but they'd just forge past it and give it the good ol' college try. Mostly he'd just stand there uncomfortably looking lost and like he doesn't know what to do with his hands, lol

Tallys: she's smooth regardless if it's someone she has feelings for, is sleeping with, or is just platonic friends with, it doesn't really change her behavior either way (except that she's more outwardly handsy with a FWB or lover, lol)! She'd be like "seriously, you can't be mature about this -_-" while Trouble freezes up like "yes......... you are my wife and we are looking for a honeymoon suite................." but she'd be the one swiftly and graciously moving the conversation along and selling the whole bit!

Shery: she's certainly less awkward with a good friend (pretending to be a fake couple with someone she has feelings for seems like it would cause her to melt into a puddle on the floor), but she's still definitely a bit awkward about it, lol. Luckily for her, most people would just assume she's like a blushing virgin bride or something, so she'd be able to get away with letting the other person talk!

Riel: he's an unapologetic liar, so I think he'd be able to manage this successfully either way. He's probably more internally comfortable with a platonic friend than the object of his affections, but then again, he might also enjoy the 'fantasy' of roleplaying this with someone he had feelings for more! The sexual tension would be an added complexity, but honestly he probably wouldn't be that mad about it, lol

Chase: he LOVES this either way. he EATS IT UP. He's ridiculously over the top and hammy about it whether with a friend or with someone he has feelings for, honestly: it's just his motivations are different (to make the friend want to die of embarrassment and troll them if platonic, or because he thinks it's wildly ironic and hilarious if with someone he's already sleeping with/has feelings for and it's just another way to flirt outrageously with them). he also just loves lying and spinning stories for people, so this would be just a boatload of fun for him!

Red: I think he'd be smooth about this either way, but he'd definitely be far more internally nervous and overanalyzing everything with someone he's attracted to versus with a friend. (But on an external level, he'd pretty much just act the same.) With a friend, this is just like any other mission: whether they're pretending to be a pair of merchants or a married couple, it doesn't really matter to him or make him feel any differently about it (though certain pairings would certainly make the whole charade go smoother. Someone like Lavinet or Briony?? Sure, they can collaborate on a lie and 'make pretend' very easily. Pair him up with Blade? Why would you do that.). But if it's with someone he has feelings for, half of his mind is occupied at all times with keeping focus on the mission and reminding himself that this is about work and reining in slut-Red's innermost hopes that this scenario could lead to very interesting resolutions to the tensions he's been sensing between himself and his crush... (don't think about that, don't think about that, this is a very important mission and it would be very scummy for you to think about anything else besides that.' slut-red: unless?...)

Ayla: I think she'd definitely be more comfortable doing this with a friend than she would be with the object of her affections! Every little thing her crush would do would throw her off or make her jumpy, like if they put an arm around her waist or hold her hand, she'd jump and hiss, like, What are you doing!! You can't just do that!! MC: Aren't I your spouse though LOL She'd get flustered and also a little singed over the fact that MC is only doing this for the ruse, so what is she getting so excited about... It would just be a difficult time for her! With a friend she'd just roll her eyes and go along with it, or she might even have fun with the whole situation, so it'd definitely be way easier for her!

Briony: I think she'd be a bit more comfortable and happy with the fake couple scenario if she was doing it with her crush, because she'd view it as a way to 'safely' flirt with them all she wanted, and it would make her very happy to hold their hand or be treated like their girlfriend/wife and she could happily commit to the fantasy of it with her whole heart (for the mission's sake and authenticity of course)!! So she'd have way more fun and would be more comfortable acting affectionate/flirtatious with them if she also held real romantic feelings for them. With a platonic friend, she could get by well enough, but she'd be just a little too cautious about not wanting to make them feel uncomfortable or crossing the boundary of their friendship/making things weird (like she'd always be whispering, "is it okay if I take your hand?" or "i had to kiss you on the cheek earlier to sell it, i'm so sorry if that was weird....") So basically it would actually be more uncomfortable for her with a platonic friend because she'd be over-conscious of making them uncomfortable or crossing some hidden boundary between them! (Ironically, she's very thoughtlessly physically affectionate with her friends as it is, but there's a huge difference in her mind between taking their arm and walking down the street as friends and literally pretending to be their wife and playacting romantic gestures at them).

Lavinet: she'd be excellent at this either way, though, like Briony, she'd definitely internally enjoy it more with the object of her affections than with just a platonic friend, because she'd also enjoy committing to the bit and losing herself in the fantasy of it all! Her "comfort level" and external behavior doesn't change at all, but her general excitement/enjoyment of the affair does, if that makes any sense!

Halek: he's just wearily along for the ride if they're just friends; he's pretty much expecting this is going to lead to fucking if there's attraction between them (this kind of scenario always does) lol. He's not mad about it either way, though!

[scoobydoodean]

I think people tend to view Dean as more unhinged about Sam because Sam seems to be the one shown consistently "fine" living without Dean. Like S8 Sam and series finale Sam. Like not trying to get Dean back. Whereas in S6 Dean said he tried to get Sam out of the Cage but kept hitting dead ends. But he didn't just let Sam go like he said he would. Sam seems to be less hesitant to just let Sam go and more able to live on without Dean. Idk what are your thoughts on this?

Context

The thing is is that I don't feel the need to respond to the notion that being willing to sacrifice yourself for your brother is more unhinged than killing people to keep him alive or get him back or get revenge on his behalf. Because I don't think that's true at all. All that difference reflects is Sam's willingness to go to morally questionable lengths beyond where Dean will go. Dean's moral compass will cause him to hit a point where his only option is self-sacrifice long before Sam ever hits that wall.

That said... some of what you've said is extremely misleading.

Between season 3 and 4, Sam ignored Bobby's calls and spent months in a bottle stumbling drunk, drinking hard liquor straight from a bottle. He captured a crossroad's demon and tried to trade his life for Dean's (Gifset), and tried to open The Devil's gate (Gifset). He at one point planned to charge into battle against Lilith knowing he would lose and die—it's an intentional suicide mission (4.09). He also readily rejects Dean's dying wishes by working with Ruby for revenge against Lilith (Gifset).

Contrast this with season 6: Dean researched how to get Sam out of The Cage—in books--on the side while living with Lisa and Ben, without risking his own life or anyone else's, and without trying to make any demon deals or do anything else reckless, and while managing PTSD.

Which of these people actually sounds more "fine"? Because there's an objectively correct answer here and it's not Sam.

Season 8 Sam is an exception—not the rule. What we're looking at is not character growth (we need no more proof of that than season 10 and The Book of the Damned). The Reason Sam Is Like That™️ is because he's experiencing a break from reality.

As for 15.20 Sam, we have no idea if Sam tried to find a way to bring Dean back. SPNWin might actually suggest Sam has been trying to get Dean back the entire time Dean's been dead (depending on whether you think "Clarence" is an obvious Cas reference, whether the brother relationship makes it clear he's Sam, or whether he's both). Regardless, at that point we are dealing with a Sam who has maxxed out his knowledge about the pitfalls encountered when you try to bring back your family (this includes Jack). This makes him generally less reckless because he vividly understands the consequences. We see the same thing with Dean as early as season 6, and again in 13.21, when he thinks Sam has been torn apart and is convinced to leave Sam behind and prioritize the safety of the people around him instead.

Additionally, a lot of the less versus more reckless plays the brothers make with their own lives have to do with how badly they might be struggling with suicidal ideation at one point or another. This is a massive motivator for Dean's deal in 2.22 for example. His actions aren't just about Sam—they're also about his belief that he "came back wrong" and shouldn't be alive, and that dying will set the universe right. Literally the entire season he is struggling with the intense guilt and a sense of wrongness over being alive.

So yeah. One time, Sam abandoned Dean to die. At other times, he came up with plans that involved sacrificing himself, or other people, or dedicated himself to revenge to the exclusion of all else.

[joanofexys]

Can you talk more about Florian and Mara airing out the Ravens dirty laundry? You mentioned it on my RIP Riko meme post and I’ve been curious about it. (Also just talk more about those OCs too if you wanted. Who are they n what’s their deal?)

with TSC now out I've been able to refine them and some of their facts and also more of what they'd spill about the Ravens and their experiences

putting this under the cut for TSC spoilers and also cause it'll probably be a long post

quick rundown of Mara and Florian's characters ig

Florian Laska (he/they):

19 years old

extremely bisexual

an early recruit to the Ravens who graduated high school early with the intent of running away from his mother as soon as possible

started playing for the Ravens at age 16

started as dealer but now plays as a striker

got a severe injury "in a scrimmage" with the Ravens that resulted in the loss of his leg, he continues playing with a prosthetic

fingers are heavily mishapen from being broken so many times and never set

dropped out Edgar Allan University for reasons still unknown (refusal to explain to the press)

wanted to be a nursing student

at the time of TSC is the youngest recruit for the olympic court and plays with fellow former raven Mara Fasil

commitment issues

covered in scars the most noticable being around his wrists, self harm scars, and a bite mark on his neck

learned french from Jean and Mara and bits and pieces of arabic and berber from Mara

told Kevin if his hand didn't get better they could just chop it off and give him a new one like they did with Florian's leg

Mara Fasil (she/her):

23 years old

if I did my math right she would've been a junior at the time Florian started with the Ravens

i don't actually remember if the Ravens have rules against partners being different genders but um if they do then fuck that because Mara was Florian's partner and they're still unhealthily codependent

wanted to major in architecture

she's lost track of how many times her nose has been broken but she's pretty sure it's in the double digits. has been pressured to get surgery to straighten it and refuses to

a raging lesbian who's also a raging asexual

personally i think she should date thea but idk ig i can't have everything

a dealer

still has not adjusted to 24 hour days

graduated in 4 years instead of the expected 5 which was partially motivated by Florian dropping out

ANYWAY these two are major troublemakers especially for their Olympic teammates. Florian is typically much more subdued and grounded than Mara who is more hot tempered and has trouble watching her mouth except for that time that Florian yelled at Tetsuji in front of a bunch of players from a variety of teams (and immediately threw up) (this was post leaving the Ravens)

Mara has a bad habit of just not shutting her mouth around the press now that she's allowed to be in front of them. she will not so subtly imply that most of her injuries are not from innocent practices and games. Has engaged in twitter discourse by dropping memes (specifically dropped one of that grant gustin peace sign meme with riko's name on the grave and "me" written over grant gustin shortly after riko's death)

Florian's exposure of the Ravens is largely from slip ups in front of the press. Pulled a Kevin Day "did you never know I've never been skiing" implying him losing his leg wasn't caused by a really bad scrimmage injury and was a lot more purposeful than that. Refused to meet with the press for 3 months following the incident.

it's almost impossible to catch the two separately. and if they aren't seen together they're always with someone else (usually Emiko or another member of the Olympic team, who did not sign up for this shit rip). Florian specifically has a godawful time not being with someone 24/7 (if he's at an Exy event and can't find any of his team he will purposefully seek out other Ravens, usually Kevin or Jean if he can find them, or Thea if she's there)

It's by the time TSC rolls around/the end of TKM that Florian starts getting pissed off enough to start purposefully dropping hints to the press about the Ravens. When the investigation starts and Tetsuji resigns a lot of his comments become a lot more targeted and it eventually results in Jeremy seeing enough that he contacts Kevin to get Florian's contact info so he can hopefully get some answers (he is only somewhat successful and Florian tells him it's only cause he has such a pretty face)

I don't know how yet but one of them, Florian I think, has some ties to the Moriyama's albeit distant that manage to snag them some level of protection from Ichirou so they don't yk get killed

Florian has visible scarring he does often hint at coming from other Ravens and it being purposeful. Mara has outright stated she was a target of many of her teammates. Mara has also called the Ravens a shit team which Florian then tried to smooth over and failed to do so (couldn't call them a good team without implying they're only that successful cause they play dirty)

Florian's a lot more snarky (and really just an outright cunt) in private and without cameras in his face but if he's being hounded enough it'll come out and he has flipped off more reporters than he'd like to admit

basically they're stupid and stumbling their way through dealing with the press for the first time in their lives and it just happens to coincide with the Ravens having the WORST time

that's where i'm leaving it cause this shit has gotten too long omg though i'd love to talk about Em and Ilya at some point I cannot keep writing an essay on these guys lmao

[warning-heckboop]

Okay, hear me out:

So this episode / song from MLP. If you're familiar with it, you know that the premise is the Mane Six are off having a wonderfully successful friendship retreat and reflecting on how happy they are for their friendships with each other, but meanwhile, Starlight and Trixie are back home in a lot of trouble because Starlight has been literally bottling up her frustrations with Trixie all day until they're accidentally released, infecting a trio of nearby ponies and causing them to act on that anger and frustration in Starlight's place. The Mane Six end up failing their retreat because they were so distracted talking about how perfect their friendships are, and Starlight ends up only able to get the trio who are attacking Trixie under control by expressing her frustrations herself. Moral of the episode is friendships aren't perfect and it's better to talk about problems than ignore them and let them fester until they're out of control, yada yada, anyway.

Trolls.

Specifically, Poppy and Viva, and the Brozone Bros. I think it goes without saying that Poppy and Viva would fit into the Mane Six's roles. They're both the types to think their bond as sisters is just perfect and nothing can go wrong, especially after all they went through during Band Together. They've moved past their issues, and now everything is going to be perfect until the end of time! Simple as that! Except, obviously, life isn't that simple.

Meanwhile, the Bros taking on Starlight and Trixie's storyline. Now, one thing I didn't mention earlier is that one of Starlight's main motivations for bottling up her emotions is that she's scared of losing her closest friend because of them. I think this applies perfectly to the Bros, because, after the events of Band Together, they're all probably on edge and worried about being the one to accidentally start another fight and cause them to split up all over again. As such, really any of the brothers could take on Starlight's role for that reason alone. But there's one other factor that makes me tend towards one specific brother to take on that role--and no, it's not Branch.

The thing with Branch, along with JD, Clay, and Bruce, is that they're all very open about their frustrations. The three older brothers are at each other's throats constantly once they're all together in the movie, and Branch doesn't hesitate to tell them all off and storm out when they've hurt him. The only brother who we haven't really seen act on anger, and as a matter of fact is seen trying to dissipate the other brothers' fights, is Floyd.

Floyd is the sensitive one. He's the quiet, shy, sweet one. He's understanding, he's never angry, he's always going to be the voice of reason. His very role in the band/family is to bottle up his emotions.

Speaking from experience, there's only so long you can keep up that kind of facade before you're just going to snap under the pressure of it all and lose your shit.

So, yeah. Floyd takes on Starlight's role, getting progressively more and more annoyed with his brothers but trying to keep it under wraps, only to ultimately, inevitably fail. Honestly, while it might make more sense for one of the three older brothers to take on Trixie's role, and he the one person his anger is ultimately directed towards, I honestly like the idea better of that role belonging to Branch. After all, Floyd and Branch are meant to get along the best of the brothers--but that certainly doesn't mean they won't have their issues, too. And maybe Branch is too excited to have his favorite brother back to be willing to acknowledge those problems right now, resulting in Floyd's annoyance with him.

Tl;dr: Just let Floyd lose his shit. Just this once, let him blow off some steam. He deserves it, as a treat.

[thelazyhermits]

Got some info about my Yuu that I wanted to share, which I'll put underneath the cut

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, and y'all probably already know this just based on certain scenes I've written, but Yuu can be pretty oblivious when it comes to people's feelings about her, more specifically the feelings of people who actually like her/think favorably of her.

The only exceptions are Yuu's sons since she knows her boys so well and understands that they love her very much. Plus, their feelings are so obvious when she showers them with physical affection lol

However, Yuu doesn't know that Ace and Deuce have crushes on her since nothing about their behavior around her comes across as being romantic, which is understandable since Deuce is just as oblivious about his crush and Ace is in total denial about his 😂

Regarding the faculty, Yuu really doesn't understand that they all have a soft spot for her since she's so distrusting of them at first, and for a while, her thoughts when around them were focused on gauging what kind of threat they were to her, seeing if they were anything like the adults from her past, etc.

Whenever they're nice to her, Yuu, after realizing there's no hidden ulterior motives behind their actions, just assumes they treat her well cause she's one of the only students who actually behaves in class and cause she's a girl since they all seem like the type of guys who were raised to be gentlemen.

Regarding Yuu's upperclassmen, Yuu knows that her older friends care about her, but she has a tendency to underestimate/downplay those feelings since the majority of the guys are so dishonest about their feelings.

Kalim/Silver are exceptions since those two are always honest and never hide anything from Yuu, and so is Ruggie cause he can't help but make his feelings about Yuu obvious due to how overprotective he is haha

While Rook is also very honest, he also can be hard to read at times, so Yuu doesn't completely understand him/can't fully read him and his intentions sometimes.

Her obliviousness is why Yuu never believes Ace/Cater when they say she's Riddle/Trey's favorite first year since she really doesn't realize how much those two favor her and she has no idea how Trey would absolutely spoil her rotten if she ever gave him the opportunity lol

It's also part of the reason why Lilia's desire to adopt her goes over her head. Like the main reason is that Silver/Sebek told her not to take Lilia seriously, but they were able to succeed in convincing her cause Yuu doesn't realize that Lilia likes her so much to the point that he wants to make her his daughter.

The reason Yuu is oblivious about so many people's feelings about her is cause, after going most of her life being unloved and dealing with all of Mumei's abuse, she has really low self-esteem, which makes it hard for her to believe that people really do care as much as they do about her.

For so many years, she received the bare minimum and she didn't even always get that much so she's more than satisfied to get at least that from her friends and tries not to ask for/expect more.

Plus, Yuu gets so much love from her sons, more than she ever thought would be possible for someone like her, so her need for physical affection/love is easily met through them.

This lowkey makes some of the upperclassmen envious. Like they don't want to be in the first years' shoes cause no one wants to constantly deal with Yuu's mothering and all her "embarrassing" physical affection.

However, they DO want Yuu to rely on them more and seek out their affection/attention. A lot of them are kinda like cats ngl lol 😂

It kinda strokes their egos whenever Yuu seeks them out since she's normally more independent around her upperclassmen, so in a way, it's also all about bragging rights cause you can bet the majority of the upperclassmen would hang this over the heads of the other guys, like what Leona always does whenever his dorm is one of the only ones that never harasses Yuu lol

[seth-shitposts]

DEFECTORS, DEFECTORS, DEFECTORS-

For you? Always friend 🫂💙💙💙 😘😘😘🥰

(Stars, I badly need to organize our docs for Defectors. I'm scrapping together to see what im pretty certain I haven't shared or gone into detail of yet.)

----

The main story of defectors will be split into two or three main parts, I think. (All of it will be in the same fic, though. The chapters will just be grouped into the parts.) Probs 3.

[I have a feeling I'm going to ramble a lot in this one so I'm going to go ahead and place a cut here😅]

The Bridgers//part i

There's going to be the first 5 years, from the night of the Bridger Raid, when Ezra is 7 in 12bby through to 7bby. This is the time span in which Kallus is taking care of Ezra, slowly losing his loyalty over the span of 4 or 5 years.

Year I

Kallus is loyal during the first year, and is conflicted about the exceptions he makes for the bridgers. For Ezra. It does and doesn't go against what he was trained for. To him, the situation is much more complex than the empire would view it and he wasn't prepared for that. His training hadn't included young children and he himself being young at this point doesnt know what intitive to take. So he's figuring things out. And he reasons it with himself, convinces himself that while he's crossing into a grey area in the eyes of the empire, that the goal of this is to establish order, therefore he is still carrying out his duty.

This first year is him trying his best to learn how to take care of a child and gain that child's trust. (Because if Ezra can't trust him, Kallus won't be able to take care of his needs. Lack of trust will mean lack of desire to communicate needs.)

Through the year, Kallus also works on some of the cases Mira and Ephraim give him while they do as promised and integrate into the rehabilitation program. He quickly realizes that they aren't the type of people he had thought they'd be, but more similar to the person who had taken him in when he was young. He isn't sure if he's taking back some of his judgment from objective observations he makes about them or because of how much they're hitting one of his soft spots and he's becoming bias.

So he turns his focus to the work they give him. Which is releasing civilians who were arrested due to a misunderstanding or without any real proper cause. Ones whose cases would have sat in some officer's desk for months, or even years, before being gone through properly. All while the civilians in question would have still been in detainment. Busy work, but Kallus is helping them and it's motivating Mira and Ephraim so he doesn't mind doing a few extra hours of work every other day.

•Before the Bridger Raid, he had done quick work of climbing ranks within the ISB branch. Having finished top of his class already put him farther ahead. By night of the Bridger Raid, he is either ranked 101 or 100. So not to double digits yet, and him being there on the cusp is the end of being able to quickly climb ranks because of how further more ruthless the shark competition is.

•Kallus enlisted to the academy when he was 14 in 21bby. He lied about his age to get in because the bare minimum requirements is that you had to be at least 18. The recruiter knew he was full of shit about his age but still allowed him to join because Kallus was eager [desprate].

[The idea of Kallus enlisting at such a young age is inspired from a conversation we had awhile back with @heart-of-a-rebel16 💙🫂]

•Jovan had been a major help to him in the academy, and because of his help in finding footing, Kallus was able to qualify for the new ISB training program that became available a year later. Kallus graduated sometime around 18 or 17bby, still top of his class. It would be very soon after that that he was on Onderon, when he was around 18.]

•Kallus’s parents had died when he was very young. He barely even remembers them. For a few years he was treated as a feral alley cat; a sewer rat. When he was around eight or nine, a miralukan chef from a restaurant a few levels up slowly worked on trying to gain Kallus’s trust. And they eventually did. They took Kallus in as their own and looked after him. Kallus had slowly built trust with them, and even looked up to them. However both Kallus and the chef became sick when an virus swept through the lower levels- Kallus had just turned 14 and barely survived. Most who were sick didn't, the person who took him in among them. So when recruiters swept their way through the lower levels, Kallus seized his chance immediately, was willing to do anything to ensure his basic needs would be met and that he could dedicate himself toward a worthy cause.

Year II

The second year Kallus has grown more confident in his ability to take care of Ezra and unknowingly more attached. There isn't anything anyone can't adore about this sweet kid. By this point, Ezra has started coming out of his shell and Kallus has visibly become much more relaxed and gentle.

During the second year, Kallus works on trying to build good relationships with Tseebo and Morad. They have vital roles in Kallus’s ability to make the deal with the empire/the warden feasibly work. And for that to be done smoothly, it would be best if he also has their trust. It's hard for him to try and be friendly or personal; the loss of the squadron he had been a part of still unpatched.

He's opened up more to Mira and Ephraim, has seen how similar Ezra truly is to them. He decides to start negotiating with the Warden on shortening the sentence. He does manage to get it cut down, but he isn't satisfied so it's something that he goes back and forth with him on.

He's also realized a pattern between the behavior of imperial officers and wrongfully arrested civilians and has been working on correcting that behavior. Try and fix the problem at where he thinks the source is.

He learns more about lothal and some of it's traditions. Mira loves to talk about it and some of the ways she would suggest the empire change in order to best change and support lothal. Kallus takes notes of that and in his down time does research on that.

Kallus learns that Ephraim had also lost his parents at a young age, but the town he lived in endlessly supported him. And that's the type of community he wants to help build and maintain for Ezra to have and be a part of when he's older, for Ezra and for the future of Lothal. Kallus includes that in his notes and has a moment of curiosity- if the lower levels of coruscant had the resources to take care of themselves, would they have had the same compassion that lothalites had for each other?

Mira and Ephraim add in cases in which citizens were arrested simply because of not having resources. Of those who aren't able to take care of themselves. Or those who have people they needed to take care of. Kallus begins on helping them as well.

Year III

Kallus has taken initiative of helping establish systems of support on lothal by giving ideas and leeway to Governor Azadi and Minister Tua. They're both thrilled, and with Kallus helping back them to the other branches of the empire by advocating that if these changes are made, rebel activity will be lowered. They've been implementing these systems in short bursts, but without approval of the empire, the programs will die off or be reported since it isnt official imperial regulation.

He keeps getting ineffectual and half-arsed responses on the situation concerning the bridger's hearings. Mira and Ephraim have been exceptionally patient. Far more than he is. He was able to lessen their time, but by the time they're to be released, Ezra will nearly be an adult himself. It's not soon enough. Not for how compliant the two have been to everything asked of them.

Kallus has also been getting draw back from his superiors, been met with resistance for the changes he'd been trying to implement. That he can do as much extra altruistic work in his time, but not to bleed that over and confuse it with enforcing the regulations and mandates. They don't want to allow Kallus to reason with them on it. And many of the officers have been more and more distasteful and unaware. He hates that he's starting to feel seeds of resentment, so he carefully keeps attempting to get his reasoning across that this produces the best results. There's so much back and forth and near the end of the year, he sees how Ryder is also getting pressed into a similar corner. He starts to wonder if the empire is simply making mistakes that they're choosing to stick to or if they might actually not have what's best in mind.

Year IV

Kallus still has some hope at the beginning of the year, but as the year goes on its harder and harder to believe it. Near the beginning of the year, Ryder was accused of treason. His replacement seemed to have been aware of it before either of them were. Kallus met her months before and she's worked around on operations with him. He doesn't trust her and starts to lose trust in Tua when she seems to attempt to get into Pryce’s good graces. Kallus is much more careful about what he says around either of them, especially the months following azadi's arrest.

His impatience and anger toward his fellow officers has increased as they continue to ignore his corrections, saying that it's not protocol or not their job to take into account.

Kallus wishes to speak to Mira and Ephraim about it, but he worries that he could put them in harm's way since none of them can speak freely. He's been fighting harder to get Mira and Ephraim released as soon as possible. But he's run out of strings to pull. Over the past few years, he'd accepted several promotions in hopes that having a higher standing will give him more influence over their case. But now, instead of being met with weak responses or excuses, he's being downright denied.

At one point he was offered that if he stops fighting the front of keeping Ezra from being enlisted into the academy, that Mira and Ephraim could be released on probation. Kallus shoots that down immediately. He is not even going to entertain that notion. Ezra is too young. And he isn't even going to bring it up to the kid, because Ezra will feel that it's his responsibility to give his parents the chance for their freedom. Kallus will have to be dead for that to happen. He isn't going to allow it.

He's not out of options yet. So he's going to keep trying.

Things on lothal have been getting worse. He can't keep up with the cases of citizens being arrested and detained. The empire is choking lothal and its people. This isn't what he thought the empire stood for. When did this happen. [It's been like this and slowly getting worse, he realizes.]

Year V

By this point the only thing keeping Kallus in the empire is the fight for the Bridger’s freedom and the fact that if he simply walks away, he's putting not just Mira and Ephraim indanger, but also Ezra and Tseebo and Marida and Morad. Anyone he's grown close to. The empire would not just detain him, but go after them as well. He isn't sure what he's going to do, but he can figure that out once he's freed Mira and Ephraim. Near the end of the year he realizes that he'll just have to free them himself. He'll talk things out with the Sumars once he return from a mandatory operation across the galaxy. Once he returns, they'll make a plan of action.

-But Lasan happens. And in the same point as does Mira & Ephraim being rerouted to a prison off lothal. He tries to act quickly, if he doesn't persue Mira and Ephraim now they'll be lost but he can't bring Ezra with him deeper into the Empire.

Tseebo disappears, and Ezra refuses to be found, Morad tries to reassure him that he and Marida will find him. Kallus tries to work as quickly as possible to find Mira & Ephraim and bring them home. Stars, let him find them within a couple months.

^^^^^ [this is an organization of thoughts I've been trying to figure out and finalize for months now. ]

The Search for Mira&Ephraim//part ii

The next section will pick up right after that and through to s2e11, the era of Kallus searching for Mira & Ephraim, becoming more and more desperate as time goes on.

He helps any rebel cells when he has the chance and smuggles imperial captives away. He works with Morad and Marida when he has the chances.

Over the course of this arc, he grows closer to Marida. She's still very reluctant. Morad has helped Kallus from completely neglecting himself. He tells Kallus how they have been able to find ways to make sure Ezra is getting food and proper clothing, but any time they even see him, Ezra disappears. Steadily avoiding them.

Kallus makes himself blend back into the empire. Figures out how to produce results by framing imperial supports who actively commit crimes themselves. This aids him in gaining ranks, the higher his rank, the more classified information he's given access to.

Though, he's moved up to ISB-051 and still can't find the Mira & Ephraim.

I'm thinking of having Kallus fake Tua's death. Passes her more information to give to the rebels in addition to what she has.

Fulcrum//part iii

This would be everything from after Mira&Ephraim's deaths up to the liberation of lothal.

---

Epilogue

And then the epilogue was originally just going to be maybe a couple additional lengthy chapters of afterwards.

But I thank @mystical-salamander for going back and forth with me so much in the comments of this post because Defectors will be getting an entire spinoff as an epilogue.

So there will be

-The Concept Dump of Defectors AU

-The Fic Itself

-The Epilogue Spinoff

-and then collection one-shots that aren't part of the main story or that explore possibilities that didn't make it to the 'canon' of the au.

[lockpickingliar]

Ouma Kokichi (Joker) on Bias

So obviously I was never around to witness the trial. That's a given. And every time there was a trial, Ran-chan was there. That's how the time loops worked. If he was dead already when it happened, my death would have been the one to reset the loop, and so there would never have even been a trial to my knowledge. But that's a lie, since I don't remember loops anyhow and ultimately besides the point.

I have, however, seen the game and how the canon here goes.

And I'm not surprised in the slightest.

I will fully admit that I expected this to happen. I set up these dominoes for myself. I knew Saihara-chan and the others were so ingrained in the mechanisms of the game and that Monokuma was desperate enough that it would be inevitable for him to rely on the Talent of the Ultimate Detective to get out of the mess I'd made for him and they would just accept it because as far as they were concerned, Monokuma was the god of this world.

I wouldn't be surprised if the first time this happened, it went almost exactly like this with the exception of Ran-chan's presence (and the fact he sabotaged it, but I'm not in the mood to elaborate on that).

It's just a fact of the bias I set up. I'm a liar. I'm a cheat. While I'm not proud of the narrative I was complicit in letting Shirogane set up for poor Gokuhara as the easily-manipulated idiot, it absolutely served its purpose to cast an even worse light on me in the end.

That's what I wanted. I needed them to believe I was the mastermind, and in the event of my death, that they would be so biased towards my "malice" that they would not possibly be able to conceive of an outcome where I was the one under that press and Momota was the one in that Exisal.

That of course doesn't mean I had to like it.

It's laughably easy to tip the scales of bias when you know how. That's what lying is best for. Kind lies, cruel lies, they're all lies at the end of the day to the average person, and to the average person lies are bad. If you're known to be the boy who cried wolf right from the start, then people will just assume your only goal is to cause as many problems as possible just for your own amusement.

I don't usually broadcast myself as a liar, actually.

But that's also a lie.

It helps weed out the people with biases like that. Helps me find the people who understand the nuances behind motivation. Helped me curate my organization in a way that benefited the disenfranchised.

Not that the others would believe me. Because they know me as a liar, and liars are bad people so that means anything good I say must be a lie because why would a bad person who lies have anything good to say?

Even though I lost my cool and the mask cracked for a minute before Gokuhara's execution, they ate up my villain speech afterward like ravenous dogs. Do you know why? Because it fell in line with their bias. They had already made up their mind about me from the start, and I fed them and fed them and fed them until they had their fill.

It's easy. It's so laughably easy.

If it had been any other situation, I wouldn't have recruited any of them. Not one, except for Ran-chan, who was the only one of the bunch who picked up what I was putting down. But it wasn't any other situation. It was this situation, and I had no choice but to lead this sorry band of prejudiced idiots.

And what better way to string them along than to take advantage of their biases for my contingency plan?

It carried over from loop to loop, too. The disdain. The hatred. Even though no one else remembered the details, the feelings remained. It seemed to compound on itself and grow, more and more with every repeat. After that first time, that was it. I was locked into that role whether I liked it or not.

I made it work, though. I came up with all sorts of crazy ways to use it to my advantage. To steer the group in a particular direction with fear and fear alone. But maybe that's a lie. Maybe I was terrible at it and after that first bout with the press failed, it was all downhill from there.

I hated leading that way, but it had to be done.

But that's a lie, too.

Which part is the lie? Well, that's for everyone else to decide with whatever biases they have.

[coldslaws-gear-station]

I wanna know what happened after Alder caught up with bn in that one comic, I remember being really confused why it wasn't continued till I saw the pole from ages ago

Also yeah, roaches suck ass. Hate spring and summer cuz of them they scare the shit outta me

- 💌

scared of roaches gang ❤️ im lowkey so infuriated rn because i was legit about to turn over and go to sleep but i caught this one out of the corner of my eye and then it fell on my bed. so im definitely awake now

anyways woes aside. i still actually want to finish that comic and did make a bit of progress on it beyond whats been posted. problem is i don't have much motivation to finish the dream characters info (nero and gio jr) either because the person who i was developing them with left the fandom, and it sorta spurred me into losing interest in them except for penny. so im in this weird limbo zone of like "aughh i wanna finish the bau comic" "but i should finish the dream kids' info before i do that" "but i don't wanna work on them" if that makes sense u_u

but besides that, here are two unposted pages (theres an unfinished 3rd, but it's in too much of a messy state for me to post it without being embarrassed LMAO)

and then spoilers for the rest below

alder attempts to negotiate with n, but n just keeps refusing. alder knows he slipped up here in even mentioning prison, probably making n's stubborn refusal to cooperate even worse right now. he's just exhausted and frustrated, and admittedly, n has been one of the most difficult people he's ever worked with. he's given everything he can manage to try and help this man- he took hydreigon's blast to save his life, he's given him shelter and food, an opportunity at freedom, and n absolutely will not let his guard down even an inch. so alder is at his wits end.

"Natural... If you want to get off of house arrest, you have to stay here for two years. After that, you can just... lie to everyone, tell them you're better now. Then run off to wherever it is you wanna be so badly. I've given you as much freedom as I'm legally allowed, and still, it's just not enough for you."

Alder continues. "You can still come back in and go to bed. I'll do whatever I can to keep this infraction off your record, and we'll keep trying to figure out how to make this transition easier for you- but you need to be open with us. You can't be angry at a world that never wronged you. The only one to blame is Ghetsis."

N struggles to find words for most of Alder's rebuking, but at the mention of Ghetsis, of course, he snaps. "Do-- do you think it was only Ghetsis who hurt me? Do you think Ghetsis is the only human who I've seen cause pain? That man isn't even my real father- I-- I was born to a village that cast me out! Left me to starve- wanted me to die so I couldn't curse them with my presence!" This is the most N has even spoken to Alder his entire stay. He's out of breath. "And even once I was able to leave the castle-- everywhere I went, I heard- heard stories of humans mistreating each other, mistreating others. Constantly. Everyone turns at some point. Do you expect me to stay around you, just waiting for the day you show your true colors? Waiting for you to use me?"

Alder falters a bit. His heart hurts, his anger wanes. But he did what he intended to do; he got N distracted.

"S-so I have to run. I need to escape from you people before it.. it's too.. late." N's voice tapers into a breathless whisper as he bumps into something behind him. They realize what just happened immediately, but they dont get time to react- they're restrained by a move from venomoth, which then uses sleep powder on them as they thrash and scream at Alder. N crumples to the ground after just a moment, and Alder trudges over to collect them.

Alder knows it was a dirty move. It was just a last resort to keep the man from tearing off further into the woods and causing even more of a disaster for both of them. "I'm sorry, son. Just.. rest, okay." He whispers. "I'm not going to let anyone else hurt you. You have my word." N probably doesn't even hear it, they're out like a light within moments. But Alder could see plain on N's face, as he rapidly faded from consciousness, the look of a man that is terrified and trapped and desperate, utterly hurt to his core. And his will to keep working with N is renewed.

N wakes up at home, finding themself uninjured and tucked into bed rather than waking up on a prison floor, much to their surprise. Alder's kept this whole thing under wraps, like he said he would try to. They have one more chance.

[fyeahiwatarikei]

Shipping Hiwatari Kei - A non-exhaustive menu

Feat. Fugitivehues' beautiful art ♥ ♦ ♠ ♣

Obsession

“This is why I have always hated you.”

Love art deeply and I'll love you more, because you're the most talented being in this world and do I love beautiful things. Of course, you create for a reason, so having someone inconditionally support you through the agonising ordeal of manifesting ideas can be a relief. You can doubt, you can give up, you can cry your eyes out because this is it, you cannot go on anymore, but I will hold you until it stops and give you the means to overcome all obstacles. Your art is worth it. You are worth it.

Bitterly, you can feel the other side of that coin: that support can be... is suffocating. You do need a break from time to time. You do need someone getting mad at you for acting so whimsical. But I won't, which is almost terrifying.

No one will stop you if you ever go too far.

Worse, I'll shield you, destroy myself if I must. Then what? What can you do?

What else could you do? It was entirely your fault, you thought.

But I won't ever hate you.

Exception

“She felt no love, equally, for any work of art. [...] Therefore, I had been able to love her.”

Not only is that Hikari unlike any other, but part of her particularity is that she is unable to destroy him, so he doesn't have to watch himself around her. Thus, he is able to love her at all and indulge in the wonderful pain of never being appreciated back! Flawless. Dreamy. That angst is delicious, and it's canon! Anyone'd wish to see their fave tortured like this.

Besides, not only is she perfectly safe to have around, but she comes up with the best art collab ideas! No other Hikari has suggested this before and it's messed up: his motivation hasn't been higher in decades. (I refuse to believe he only participated out of sheer love and not because it was crazy and new!) Somewhere in the process, it was even decided that he'd have to pass as human, going as far as getting a job and giving up on the role he's been playing for centuries, for Satoshi's sake. How peculiar! A new challenge for him! Well… another one. These never stop coming, with her.

Of course, we're talking about a tragic non-love story so she dies early and he dooms himself when telling the truth to their son. His survival has always been an afterthought, after all.

Bon appétit.

Devotion

“I cannot afford to lose you.”

Pick two characters and give them similar tastes: nerdy art lovers, rather absent and discreet men who, most importantly, would both die for their respective son. Now, make one eager to help everyone and the other manipulative. You have so many ways to make them meet and interact that there's barely any challenge.

Kosuke is canonically sweet, ready to reach a hand towards Satoshi, refusing to sit back and see the children suffer, how can we imagine he'd skip an opportunity to verify if maybe perhaps eventually Hiwatari Satoshi's father knows something and is eager to… lend a hand? Join the cause?

And is that powerful cop eager. And dangerous. An alliance would come with a beautiful dance of knowing the other knows that he knows yet refusing the drop the D word in conversations (not that one, silly, the one that jumps on rooves at night.) Testing waters, loyalty or skills, may it be during a museum visit, a friendly chat, an apparently innocent discussion about their families. And being pleasantly surprised every time? Until a betrayal or divergence occurs and… they're in too deep to do what they should have long ago: give up on this ridiculous, exhausting relationship.

A capable (?) policeman. An unbiased (?) Niwa. Both patient, mature men with mutual interests and a burning desire to find a solution. What else?

Normalcy

“I simply wanted to act like a ‘father’ would…”

What if your immortal character who's always been surrounded by extraordinary artists, witchcraft and cursed items decided to get an office job, with technology, gossips at the coffee machine, completely clueless people, the complete package in short? More: what if said clueless people were regularly exposed to part of the magic without any idea of how it works nor how to face it? And dealing with it more or less accidentally became their job? (What if the immortal character decided to not help them at all, too, because it's funny?)

Despite the comfort of being surrounded by familiar exceptions, the pressure can become overwhelming: Kei has always had to control himself, plan events in advance, keep an eye on the last Hikari who slowly decides to stop fighting… Can a relationship with a banal man (who potentially wants Satoshi safe, very sexy of him) be a relief? Fresh air in a life so far devoted to ungrateful, self-centered artists?

Saehara knows nothing. Saehara looks up to him (Debatable.) Saehara would jump if Kei told him to (Hugely debatable.) With him, the latter can pretend he is what he was supposed to be before canon changed its mind: a powerful man who just wants Dark captured.

A goal Saehara definitely shares. Alliance, then? With a mutual enemy, surely a dog and a fox can get along.

[istadris]

Some thoughts and theories after watching Hazbin Hotel :

Thoughts :

All in all, I think that compared to its premise, the show was...mild ? I feel like the season could have benefited a lot from more episodes to help flesh out the characters. Each main protagonist and antagonist just got one episode before we rush to the final episode battle and I feel it wasn't enough to care about them. Take Charlie's demon lambs Razzle and Dazzle. They're barely present on screen, their names are only given a couple of episodes before the end and I don't even know if it was Razzle or Dazzle who was killed...so I have trouble having any emotional emotion to his death apart from "aw shucks, I guess"

Likewise, the cannibal colony episode felt very rushed. In one episode everyone is introduced and then rallies to Charlie. At least with Carmilla we got a previous episode where her character, motivations and agenda was fleshed out before she was brought back in the last episodes.

The Vees better play an important role in next season. In this one they just show up, establish a conflict, and then...do nothing ? Velvette claims to have an attack plan+ knows Carmilla is hiding something but doesn't do anything with it, Vox has it out for Alastor but only watches from his couch the final battle...at least Valentino's conflict with Angel is clearly established and further clarified with his following interactions.

All in all, I feel like the antagonistic songs (Stayed Gone, Respectless, Hell' Greatest Dad, You Didn't Know) were more catchy and entertaining than the rest. With some exceptions. But maybe I'm just a sucker for villain songs or duets where each character fights. But Charlie's songs felt ...okay at best. Not for the lack of good singing from the actress, far from that. They mostly felt like the rug could be swept from under her feet at any time, while in comparaison Alastor's songs always felt like he owned every single second of them.

Ah, Alastor. My beloved. He's by far the most entertaining part of this show, partly because he's staying relevant in every single episode (while Angel Dust, Husk and Sir Pentious fell a bit in the background after their one-episode arc), and also because in a story where everyone's motives and goals are clear and for all to see, he remains a complete enigma. How much of his behaviour is him actually caring for Charlie and how much of it is him playing everyone like pawns for his goals ? It's a constant guessing game and it keeps you on your toes.

Charlie could definitely use more moments where she doesn't end up being "rescued" in one way or the other. Sure, they acknowledged that her kindness was a powerful weapon by inspiring others to die for her cause...but even when she gets angry at Adam, or shows him mercy after beating him, something comes along and takes away her moment of glory. Hope she gets better.

Vaggie best girl though. I totally relate to how she wants to protect Charlie from everything.

But for real, people devoted to hating on every single aspect of the show ...could do better with their time. Why are you so mad at everything. It's not that serious.

And now for the theories :

I think Alastor's contract is held by Lillith and it involves not being able to talk about her disappearance, but also depowering him a lot. He implies strongly that his own smile is a way to hide his own weaknesses, and while he's still strong enough to crush small-time sinners, threaten Husk (who's bound to him by his own deal) and frizz Vox' signal, I think he couldn't repeat his Overlord massacre from before. Which he is very careful to not let anyone know about; presenting instead the façade of the all powerful Radio Demon.

I think his real reason to help Charlie is because he knows Lillith is hiding in Heaven. Either Charlie managed to redeem Sinners, which gives him a way to plant spies inside and gather intel, or she goes to war against Heaven; if she wins , she manages to break the doors to Heaven (and Alastor can get inside), but if Heaven is forced to take a stand, Lillith has to intervene.

In every case, Alastor is winning.

And in the meantime, Alastor is also carefully grooming Charlie into a leader (and the heir to the throne of Hell). Her powers are growing with her confidence and Alastor is playing the long game, carefully waiting for the moment he can take advantage of that power. He already has a favor; I'm ready to bet it's for Charlie to break her contract.

His breakdown at the end of the season is hard to decipher...but in my opinion, it's mostly that he realizes how high the stakes are : he almost died to Adam, all in the name of playing Charlie's trusty ally. Was it worth it ? Does he have to keep playing the good guy when his clipped power isn't a match against Heaven's strongest ? And maybe, maybe he is growing fond of the hotel residents and is starting to freak out about that. But he soon reassures himself : it's all in the name of the long game, and once he's done fretting about these pesky feelings of friendship, nothing will get in his way.

[lunarlegend]

Hope you don't mind more questions about Stella! The more I learn about her through your blog, the more endearing she becomes :) In Stella's backstory, Ardyn kills her mom and sets their house on fire. Did he have any particular motive to do that? How did he know Stella was his descendent? Did he ever learn of the existence of Stella and Ignis's child? Lastly, did Stella ever tell the boys, or at least Ignis, about what Ardyn did to her mom, or was it too painful for her to talk about?

i don't mind at all! i'm glad you've taken such an interest in her, she's my baby. 😊💜

in my AU, Ardyn's descendants are a line of healers using powers similar to what Ardyn had when he was originally alive, and they access their magic by channeling the Crystal. except, since Ardyn was rejected by the gods, none of his descendants can use their powers without the blessing of the current King.

over the centuries, this caused a bond to form between the two sides of the continuing Lucis Caelum bloodlines, but Ardyn's bloodline no longer shared the last name.

Stella's mom Salvia was a prominent Lucian healer and had been good friends with Regis for a long time. despite being unaware of their actual blood relation through their ancestry, the two had a sibling-like relationship, and that's how Noctis & Stella grew up being told they were cousins.

Salvia was well-known in the region not only for her healing abilities, but also for her charisma and upbeat personality. as the years went on, and the situation between Lucis and Niflheim grew more tense, Salvia became more outspoken in her defense of her homeland and used her favor with the public as sort of a platform to speak out against the Empire. this put a target on her back, but nothing happened until Ardyn noticed who she was.

back up and wandering Eos again after 2,000 years, Ardyn obviously had questions about this mysterious line of healers who worked so closely with the Lucian Kings. once he figured out where they came from, it disgusted him to see his own descendants supporting the Lucis Caelums as they were. he decided to fix the "problem" by murdering Salvia, because he considered it justice and knew it would be taken as a political attack, keeping him anonymous.

he didn't expect Stella to get home from school before he left the house. her grief over her mother only angered him more, so without ever making himself known to Stella, he simply dropped a fireball to the floor and left. Stella should have died, but after trying unsuccessfully to drag her mother's body from the burning house, she luckily had the clarity to run and find a window so she could jump outside to safety.

after Salvia's death and Stella's temporary disappearance, there was a media frenzy. the murder was assumed to be a political attack; retaliation from the Empire, just as Ardyn had predicted. but no one knew that Salvia didn't die in the fire, only Stella saw that she'd been stabbed already. that fact haunts Stella to her core; not only that she had to find her mother's corpse, but the reality of knowing that whoever set the fire did it so they could kill her, too.

Stella keeps the truth to herself for a long time. she eventually tells Ignis about it before the journey while they're still living in Insomnia, but is adamant that no one else needs to know because she doesn't think anyone would believe her. her only focus at that point is figuring out who did it so she can get her revenge.

skipping far into the future, Stella doesn't give birth to Lucina until after the Dawn, thankfully, so Ardyn is already gone by then. her pregnancy is the reason Noctis insisted she didn't come with them into the Citadel for the final battles. had she gone in, Ardyn was planning to kill her when they reached the throne room (and he had Salvia's body strung up with the others, in place of Aldercapt in my AU). he sent a Red Giant after Stella outside instead, but she was able to fight it off thanks to Nyx's spirit, which rose up to help her.

the fact that Stella, another member of the Lucis Caelum bloodline, was still alive, is what prevented the prophecy from coming true and allowed Noctis to survive the Dawn. in canon, Noctis and Ardyn cancel each other out at the end, but in my AU only Ardyn is laid to rest. the bloodline is able to continue without the weight of the Crystal or the interference from the gods, and Noctis & Stella get to live in harmony in the rebuilt city with all the people they love, the way Somnus & Ardyn should have.