#wouldn't he do all he could to uphold that and take it seriously?

[nemaliwrites]

have a snippet from the lil kwami swap thing i'm working on!

High above the streets of Paris, Mister Bug and Lady Noire talk about love.

It's a dangerous topic, to be sure; one that has to be tiptoed around with utmost care. A balancing act for Mister Bug. For Lady Noire too, perhaps, but she never seems like it affects her quite as much. Maybe that's why she's the one who brings it up.

"Are you in love, Mister Bug?"

His feet, from where they'd been kicking back and forth rhythmically, come to a stop. "Huh?"

"I'm just curious," says Lady Noire. On the rooftop they sit, there's more than a few centimeters of space between them. A gap that they're both waiting for Mister Bug to bridge. He only wishes he could. "Are you?"

Mister Bug tries to catch her eye. "Are you sure you want to talk about this? We... we don't have to--"

She waves a clawed hand in the air dismissively. "It's fine," she says, even though he knows it's not. He wonders what it is that's fine: talking about love, or talking about love when they both know he won't -- he can't -- reciprocate her feelings? "I wanna know. Is there anyone you love?"

There is. 

[angelfishe]

>> 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄

>> scaramouche x kitsune reader ( reverse au )

Instead of abandoning kunikuzushi in the original time line, ei decided to keep him and make him inazuma prince as well the shogunate and leader of inazuma in her place while she's meditating. Him and the head shrine maiden seem to have chemistry together

Inspired a fan art of this au, credits to the artist

After his creation, kunikuzushi was soon crowned to be the prince of inazuma as well as the shogunate of the ruler of inazuma in his mother's place while she was meditating in the plane of euthymia.

He was known as a cold, calculative, cruel but also can be caring for his people, he takes his position with seriousness as well as pride being the son of the electro archon.

In front of the citizens of inazuma he is a strict as well as strong leader. He upholds the rules of the inazuma in high regards following his mothers ideal of eternity.

Amongst the electro nations there are powerful clans as well as powerful warriors and individuals lurking in the nation but not one will be on top of the head of the shrine maidens.

The most powerful yōkai of the current era, the leader of the Narukami shrine as well the heir of kitsune lineage your position was second to the electro archon himself. You were also recognized to be the prince muse.

During your childhood you would visit the electro archon and meet him during his early creation, you and him one time intertwined your hands together and a spark emerged from this action. Even tho he was a puppet he could feel the connection and warmth from this action.

No one is allowed to insult you, it's the same equivalent of insulting the prince himself and anyone would ever do this blasphemous act it's an insult to the electro archon and will be immediately stripped from their position or will be struck by lightning.

You were allowed to visit tenshukaku without permission due to your position, as well when you walk by the guards in order to give a small bow towards you.

Sometimes when duties get too hard, he would lay his head on your lap or chest to hear your heart beat, when he finally knew your present or heard your heartbeat he could rest peacefully knowing you will be there.

One of your duties is to exorcist bad spirits and protect inazuma from them. If there was a spirit that is going rogue in the land you personally would go to the area and banish it, he would tag along with you to make sure you're safe no matter what if he has duties, he will put it on hold because your safety is his priorities amongst all.

You and him sometimes would take a walk together and eat together, many locals recognize you but the prince himself going out with you is something new. Even tho he doesn't have the necessary to eat, he usually enjoyed it because it feels nice sharing a meal together with you.

He would brush your tail due to it bringing comfort towards you, your tail is soft and very puffy as well as big ( similar to Tingyun tail from hsr ) the reason it's big is because it is a combination of your other tails into one.

Sometimes when he's doing paperwork, you would shift into your fox form and lay on his lap and he will continue to pet you.

You bring him comfort as well a lap to lay on when he talks about how he dearly misses his mother even tho he is not allowed to enter the plane of euthymia because it would disturb her meditation. You would comforted and ease his worries.

You would be adorned with expensive kimonos and jewelry from him, exquisite hair pins, kimono made from the finest silk and jewelry made from the rarest of diamonds would be given to you by him.

His favorite activity with you would be admiring the stars or sun on top of tenshukaku as well admiring the fireworks of the festival with his head laying on your shoulder.

He easily gets jealous when a noble man or other yōkai approaches you especially a certain oni who wouldn't stop approaching you and seeking your attention.

He has absolute confidence in your abilities, you're the most powerful yōkai in the current era of inazuma he would always be there to protect you if there's ever a situation of you getting hurt he would personally hunt the thing that dared to hurt you.

If there was ever a battle you and him would stand side by side together, fighting together. Protecting each other.

[changingplumbob]

Silver: Wow you inhaled that

Glenn: Sorry, I was hungry. I'm kind of always hungry

Silver: Don't be sorry. I've just not had anyone be able to out eat me in a long time

Glenn: Well that's extra embarrassing considering you're like a millennium old

Silver: I'm not a millennium old

Glenn: Two millenniums?

Silver: How old do you want me to be

Glenn: Now that is a leading question

Silver: I'm less than a millennium

Glenn: Hmm, 69 decades?

Silver: *not getting the joke* Not that old even

Glenn: You must be over a century

Silver: I didn't see you asking Grayson how old he was

Glenn: It's not polite to ask a possible partner

Silver: Ah, so you'd never see me as a partner?

Glenn faltered. He really wasn't used to people being so direct. Of course he hadn't meant that. His normal flirting wheelhouse was stereotypical comments but nothing about Silver seemed stereotypical. Best defense is a good offense he supposed.

Glenn: Are you saying you don't see me as off limits having dated your brother

Silver: Why would I? He's with Clive, he's happy. Doesn't mean you have to be alone forever

Glenn: But... he's your brother

Silver: I know

Silver didn't understand what Glenn's point was. He came from a time when people often paired off with siblings if their original intended rejected them. What was the big deal?

Silver: You said Grayson didn't tell you about what happened with our pack?

Glenn: No, the production company just said he had no family left

Silver: Would you like to know

Glenn: I mean, if it's not difficult to talk about. You don't have to share if you don't want to, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable

Silver smiled. Glenn really was thoughtful even if he passed it off as no big deal. He did want to tell Glenn about it. So, taking a deep breath, he did. He told him everything but the secret he'd kept to himself. The lie he told. Glenn was a great listener, showing shock and sympathy in all the right places.

If you have not read Silver's past it can be found here.

When he finished he expected Glenn to look disappointed but the look he gave him was harder to read. Maybe he should have spent more time with people in human form in the last few decades? These days there seemed to be no such thing as keeping a straight face.

Glenn: You're amazing

Silver: What? Did you miss the part where I let my dad convince me Grayson was a traitor? Or the part where I couldn't bear to mess with the life he's created now?

Glenn: I only heard how as a kid you believed your parent. How you did your best to uphold the pack your dad was driving apart. How in the end you decided the best thing to do was walk away from a bad situation. I'm in awe of your resilience, seriously

Silver: Oh? Well... I guess that's a way of looking at it. Not the logical way mind you

Glenn: I don't put much stock on logic, I'm all about heart

Silver: Does that mean I get a cute nickname like stud muffin now

Glenn: *laughs* Wow you really did pay attention to the show

Silver: You know you're good looking. Are you surprised I paid attention when you were on the screen?

Glenn: Not really. I'm kind of insulted my abs didn't distract you so much it prevented you from hearing what I was saying

Silver: *shrugs* I have abs to

Glenn: Oh I bet you do

Glenn could almost picture them in his mind. If he leaned over he'd be able to lift up Silver's sweater to check- NO. No, not doing that. Silver was his guest, it wouldn't be right to overstep.

Silver: Ah... what were we talking about?

Glenn: No idea, I kind of got lost in your eyes there

Silver: *smiles* Since I told you about what happened with my pack don't you think you should tell me what happened with your family?

Without hesitation Glenn told Silver everything. How his family were kept as circus attractions, how his mother had enough, how a fire began and only he and his grandfather got out. About how he'd been picked on most of his life and how his confidence had grown as a necessity to survive.

Silver sat and listened. He wasn't as good as Glenn at commenting, but the spellcaster didn't seem to mind as he recounted his life for Silver, with a touch more dramatics than was necessary.

Previous ... Next

[ninothebirb]

WE WERE ONCE ONE

Content Warning: Angst, fluff, implied sex, gn!reader, one sided love, minors dni, cheesy stuff?, mental trauma, etc

Please read the previous chapters (1, 2, 3) and the prologue if you haven't already!

Chapter 4: You and me

Might be the last chapter I think.

You spent the next few weeks locking yourself up, refusing to interact with anyone. Jing Yuan would visit you everyday, only to be told by Bailu that you weren't taking any visitors. Until he snapped, and snuck into your room from the window instead.

"Jing Yuan- seriously?" You threw the pillow you were clutching onto, on his face. "Hey, I can't stand seeing you like this." He rolled his eyes, shrugging off the pillow and walking over to your bed. "I'm pissed at you. So much." His tone changed almost immediately, it was somewhat a mix of worry and frustration.

"Why are you angry? I should be pissed at you, not the other way around." You glared at him, those gorgeous orbs of yours were hurt. He could see it, he could see the pain behind them. "Fuck (reader) you don't get it...you just wouldn't move on! You- went ahead and blindly depended on his existence- without considering any fucking factors!!"

This was the first time you had heard him raise his voice, and your natural reaction was to flinch. "Do you have any idea- how much I care for you- how much I worry every time for your mental fucking state. I wish that we would go back to them time when you trusted me with your life!" His hands were gripping your shoulders tight by now, trembling and shaking.

You were speechless, Jing Yuan, the smug general was on the verge of tears in front of your very eyes. "You refused to- to even hear what I had to say a-and- you left me alone- I hate you so much for that, but I fucking love you too." The intensity of the moment was eating you up, you thought he was the one without any suffering. Turns out this man had been going just as crazy as everyone in the post high cloud quintet.

"Y-You- you what?! Jing Yuan- you know I've devoted my whole being to Dan Feng how could you ever-" You were suddenly interrupted by him pulling you close to his heart, and you could hear his sniffles and sobs. "Please...give me a chance-" Nothing could describe the amount of emotions you were feeling. Confusion? Anxiety? Whatever it was, it was incomprehensible.

The two of you stayed like that for a while, his heartbeat was loud and his crying had fainted away. "You're an idiot." You mumbled against his chest softly, not sure how to respond to what he had just said. You gently retracted from the hug when you got no answer, only to find out he had fallen asleep.

The thought of Jing Yuan liking you all this time led you to a plethora of confusing thoughts. He had been your best friend- but you never saw him in that way. But- your heart worked in a different way. Being so deprived of affection and the feeling of being wanted for all these years made you have second thoughts.

You placed a blanket on him, and walked over to your balcony, indulging in the unsolved puzzle that your mind had turned into. You glanced back at Jing Yuan, going into a completely different relationship wasn't the best idea- but it was something you desired deeply. Dan Feng had moved on- going so far as to change his name. He didn't do it on purpose however, his memories had been wiped out.

Maybe...you needed some change. Maybe you could give this a chance and let yourself go for the time being. After all- you could never had predicted at that time what a future could uphold, so you couldn't predict it now either.

After a few hours, Jing Yuan had woken up with you sitting by his side. "I'm sorry..." He whispered softly, getting up. "Why?" You placed down the book you were reading, he was about to leave. You immediately grabbed a hold of his hand, making him stop in his steps. "I really shouldn't have said all that I-"

Your lips were now connected in a soft and sensual kiss, it was a gentle touch between you two. As if nothing mattered in that very moment except for you and Jing Yuan. He was left gaping after the kiss- completely jaw dropped. "I...thought about it- I s'pose...we can try.." You spoke so gently, walking up closer to him. He wrapped his arms around you once again- keeping you in his embrace. But this time it wasn't for comfort- it was to share what you had made. Together.

And that very night you guys fuck. Be top or bottom you can imagine whatever you want.

[starryalpacasstuff]

Last Twilight Ep 8; Thoughts

We're at the 2/3 mark of the show, and the episode honestly felt surreal. Last Twilight is continuing to parallel iconic moments of Bad Buddy, this time with running away and scenes on the beach. However, it never feels like it's boring or repetitive, because while the parallels are clear, the shows are also distinct. It's clear that the characters in the two shows are pushed by different things.

I was yelling at the screen when I realized Mhok and Day were going off on their own, because ditching Night = recipe for disater (he'd obviously call Day's mom!?!)

But then this happened, and I had to pause and take a moment, now that my fears had been resolved. We know so little about Night, and yet so much. Understanding his character requires a lot of reading in between the lines, and until we know what happened between the brothers, the picture won't be complete. I did, in fact, breathe a huge sigh of relief when I realized that Night was in on it, because while Mhok and Day are capable of handling themselves, if Day's mother found out, we all know that it wouldn't make for a pretty situation.

Which calls in something else I'm curious about. Is Day really naive enough to believe that they can ditch Night with no consequences? Or is there some trust left in Day, that Night will let them go. Has he figured that Night is likely in on it, and is choosing to remain quiet?

There's a number of possibilities, and I'm curious to see how it plays out. It's highly likely that his anxiousness to get away from Night, and trust in Mhok meant that the though simply hasn't crossed his mind too.

On that topic, if we rewind to the beginning of the ep

I just love how much Day trusts Mhok. It's obvious, but I felt it was worth pointing out. Mhok tells Day that there's no one there, and Day accepts. Mhok having played the caregiver role for Day for so long is definitely the main reason for this, and it's beautiful to watch.

Speaking of transparency in their relationship, can I take a moment to talk about just how much I loved this scene? Mhok was upset about the prank, and Day wasn't taking it seriously. Mhok could have clammed up, creating tension between the two. It would even be expected, given his role as Day's caretaker and the 'put Day first' mentality that we've seen so far. But he doesn't, and oh my god, this calls for aplause. He calls Day out on it, and gives Day a taste of his own medicine. And, this is something that perfectly shows that things are not the same now that they're boyfriends. Mhok gets more agency, more say, because he's one half of the relationship. I've said thia before about the subversion of faen fatale, and I'll say it again; Last Twilight has a very strong identity as a show, and a very strong grasp on what it's doing. Time and time again, it has shown us opportunities that it could have taken to create drama, and veered in the opposite direction entirely. The subversion is intentional, and clearly so.

While we're talking about characters standing up for their feelings..

I feel like someone should create a masterpost of everything we know about Night, and we can add on every bit of new info we get and compare it to the rest, because everything tells us so little yet so much. It seems that Night is still willing to push against Day's hatred. But of course, he's more willing to allow Day to live happily, as we see him letting the two go off on their own. It seems that every time Night does something for Day, he prefers to do it anonymously, such as showing up to the race. We've seen that he's accepted the villain image. Is this why he seems keen on upholding that villain image in front of Day, while helping him behind his back? P'Aof isn't one to write conflict for small or petty reason, so I'm starting to be more and more convinced that Night genuinely did something wrong to Day. He regrets it, but he also knows he can't take it back or heal their bond, so he's simply keeping the status quo, helping his brother behind his back, while only allowing himself to be selfish on occasion, like this one. I'm so intrigued by Night and his mannerisms, his actions.

Back tracking a bit again, (this is a mess)

This scene was a pivotal moment. I've previously mentioned that Day was living in a fantasy, and I've also briefly touched on Day's sence of normalcy in a post, how he was relying on things to go back to 'normal' and how he's been able to build a new normal with Mhok. He'd get the transplant eventually, and things would go back to 'normal'. Mhok helped Day redefine his 'normal', but the hope that his sight would return one day was still present. Here, it's shattered. Up till now, Day was living his life as if he were biding his time till he got his eyesight back. Now he's going to be living as if he has to wrap up a lifetime of memories in three months. He's feeling as though time is running out.

I think this is one of the first times I've seen Day talk back to his mom, which is fair, because it's ingrained in asian kids to not talk back to your elders. Day is, in the end, a rich kid. On top of that, he has a single mom. 1+1=2, Day didn't get to see much of his mom growing up. @waitmyturtles talked about this a bit in a post, mentioning how Day's mom's career always came first. She didn't have time to attend a game because she had an event, she couldn't come to school for something because she had a meeting, etc etc. (I don't know how much of an age gap there is between Day and Night, but anyone thinking that Night had to fill in on occasion..?) He's making a jab at his mom, that she's far to busy to be there with him for stuff, and she's far too overprotective to let another be there with him for it. Again, typical rich family dysfunction. Day and his mother's dynamic will be an interesting thing to watch as the episodes progress, that's for sure.

Alright, onto the last one

When I'm not sure if there's a deeper meaning behind a scene, music is always a great clue that there is something greater behind it. As episodes progress, we've seen Day slowly reassimilate himself in society. This is such an important theme, because being a part of and engaging with society is a huge part of asian culture. I view this dance as a sort of culmination of the progress that Day has made over time with Mhok. Would the Day at the beginning of the series have danced with a stranger at a party while having worse eyesight that before? No way in hell. Also, paying respect and interactling with older people is, again, a HUGE part of asian culture, so this was essentially the perfect way to depict this culmination. When the first episode had aired, @twig-tea had first introduced in a post the theme of liminality in Last Twilight. One of the definitions given was "of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : IN-BETWEEN, TRANSITIONAL". Since Mhok entered Day's life, he's been in a liminal (transitional) state, as he moves closer to rejoing society. In this scene, we see what I'd like to say is the end of this liminal state. Of course, this isn't to say that Day is no longer in a state of liminality. Liminality presents itself in various ways throughout the show. This is simply a culmination of Day and Mhok's efforts to reintegrate Day into society. While the battle is far from over; disable people often find themselves outcasted and removed from society; it's a sign of hope, a sign of growth, a sign that their efforts have a result.

[kairiscorner]

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

mfw the rest couldn't fit in one post, so imagine:

atsv babes with an insomniac partner (part 2!)

(part 1)

pav would have received a miss call from you, which you regretted later because you knew how worried he gets when he misses a call or a message from you. the minute he heard his ringtone and watched as the light faded from his phone, he panicked when he saw your caller id and immediately called you back, even if it was 1:15 am when you called. you answered, because of course, what could you do? you didn't wanna worry him anymore, you wanted to explain you called randomly because you couldn't sleep, but boy was asking you questions a mile a minute. "babeareyouokayimsosrryicouldntpickupiwassleepingohareyouokaypleasebeokayimissyouandiloveyouandifyoustillneedmeimhereaaaaahpleasetalktomeee" he said that all in one damn breath, and the only thing you could pick up was the "are you okay" and "please talk to me". "i'm sorry, pav, it's just... i called you because i had trouble sleeping." you admitted, a little ashamed of yourself that you called and worried him for such a minor detail, or at least, a minor detail to you. to pav, it was okay to have done that, not a lot of people are in their right state of mind when they're running on a body that's barely slept and can't sleep. if anything, he's happy he was the first one you thought of telling and confiding in about it, it goes to show you trust him and want him to know. "love... it's okay. i'll be here for anything and everything you're going through, even if i can only help at a distance right now, i'll never fail to meet you halfway. i'm spider man, after all, i can do everything for you a thousand times over, just ask me to do something for you, and i'd do it." he told you over the phone, which relieved you so damn much. "would you... be willing to listen to me ramble all night until i sleep...?" you asked seriously, but you wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to. but, surprisingly and unsurprisingly, he said yes. "and hear your voice and have a peek of your mind? yes!" he beamed as he settled in his bed, hoping to hear your voice all night, until the instant you both finally doze off.

hobie would have probably caught you leaving your house in the middle of the night while out on the streets as spider man. "hey, what are you doin' out here? last time i checked, you were on a curfew you so religiously follow. not that i'm upholding authoritarian rule over adolescents by shirty 'rents... but i'm a li'il worried, y'know? you good?" he asked in a concerned tone as you avoided his gaze. "not... exactly." you croak out as you look up at him. "well, lemme hear it. wait, before that..." he muttered as he gently grabbed hold of you by the waist and swiftly swung the two of you up to the roof of a tall apartment complex. you screamed as hobie smirked. "still not used to it? that's ar'ight. sorry for startlin' you, love." he said as you breathed in and out heavily as he still held you in his arms. he sat down by the edge of the building's roof and took off his mask, patting down a spot on his side for you to sit down. "so... what's wrong?" he asked again as he caressed your cheek with his palm. "i can't fall asleep." you said briefly in an exhausted manner. he nodded as he looked at your sullen face. "well, tomorrow's a weekend, innit? how about you and i make the night ours?" he suggested with a comforting smirk on his face. you raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. "we can go anywhere you want tonight, do anything you want--my treat." he said as he stood up and extended you a hand. "let me help you live a little more, so what's one night of not sleeping? a whole world of possibilities, is what." he said with a small chuckle as you smiled up at him. "take me away then, spider man." you say as he mutters a, 'wicked' underneath his breath. he holds you close as you cling on to him, and he swings you all around the city; taking deep plunges and high jumps--the wind behind your hair as you two scream into the night in excitement and adventure; he may not be very consistent, but if you ever wanted, he'd stop everything he was doing and take you out for an adventure, just for the two of you in your own world in the night.

[pretty-toru]

I saw a Satoru fanart where he was doing finger heart which is sooo cute 🥹 Can I ask for request? Like, Satoru's been annoying you all day but this time he just pissed you off that you're so close on getting mad at him but he suddenly gave you a finger heart which made you laugh on how corny he is and forget what you're mad about. Thank youuu

white hearts┆gojo satoru

୧ genre: fluff

୧ wc: 800+

୧ synopsis: gojo loves to annoy you (affectionately) and most of the time he could get away with it.

a/n: that fanart sounds so adorable! he'd 100% abuse the finger-heart gesture, I'm almost certain he would

There's never a dull moment with Satoru, and after many years together you have sorta learned to just go along with his playful mannerisms and questionable quirks. You usually don't mind it because you came to understand that him constantly hovering over you with no regard to boundaries is one of his ways of expressing his affection, especially when he's fully charged with a generous amount of love to give and can no longer suppress the swelling inside his chest.

Today just so happens to be one of those days where he has too much time on his hands and he doesn't know what to do with it, and what better way than to spend it with you? Even though you have your own agenda and responsibilities to uphold at Tokyo Tech, Satoru invites himself to accompany you because everything is more fun when you make it a two-person job. Which you realized soon enough that it was just an excuse to hang out with you all day.

You must admit that some of his methods of getting your attention when you're busy are somewhat comical, such as when you're taking a phone call and he's handing you random objects from around your office and you just accept it against your better judgment, casting him a rather confuse and dazed glare before setting it back to its rightful place. You figure that he picked up the prank on social media and wanted to try it out on you to gauge your reaction.

Another is when he's swiveling his chair around you while you're filling out paperwork and he's lightly prodding and tickling your side to elicit a small yelp from you, making you overly cautious and nervous to focus on your task at hand because you never know what his next move is. It makes him laugh when your body visibly stiffen as he reaches for the glass bowl of melon flavored hard candy, and he mockingly surrenders with the show of his hands that he only wants a treat.

As much as you love Satoru, you were getting seriously annoyed when there's seemingly no end to his constant teasings and schemes when you had deadlines to meet and having him around was getting you nowhere. The last thing you wanted was to get another earful from Yaga, so the only logical thing for you to do now is to kick your dear and beloved husband out. You stand abruptly which startles Satoru, interjecting the million and one thoughts he's been spewing into the void and pulling him up from where he's situated and leading him out the door.

"Satoru, honey, I absolutely love and adore you to pieces but you have to go."

"What? Whyyyy?" You didn't have to get a visual on him to know that he's pursing his bottom lip into a melodramatic pout as you're pushing him from behind. Although it took a little muscle because he can be effortlessly resilient with just his 190 cm stature alone, you managed to force him out into the corridor successfully without breaking a sweat.

"Because some of us have work to do! I'll just see you at home later, mkay? I'm sure you can keep yourself busy in the meantime." You press a soft peck against his jaw to establish that there are no hard feelings between you two and shut the door on him, but muffled sounds of protests and cries such as "Noooo, I promise I'll be good this time! I'll be so quiet — you wouldn't even know I'm there!" and "Please give me another chance, it's cold and lonely out here... And I miss you already!" can be heard through the barrier that's rudely standing in his way of you.

After some time had passed, silence ensues and you're finally able to continue your work without any more external distractions. Of course, you feel a little bad about temporarily banishing Satoru from your office but it simply had to be done. And speaking of the devil, you get a text notification from none other than Gojo Satoru himself with an embedded photo of a personal-size boxed cake from your favorite bakery sitting neatly outside your door.

You pull yourself upright to retrieve the decorative white box, glancing down both sides of the empty hallway to see if he could be spotted anywhere before returning to your desk. You notice a card attached to it and inside pertains a concise message "I'm sorry for upsetting you, Angel. Please don't divorce me. I love you 🤍" which draws a genuine smile to your face and a playful roll of your eyes. You text him back with a picture of his note and answer with, "I'm not going to divorce you over this, silly! Never even crossed my mind. I love you too, Satoru — Immensely, if I must add."

Without missing a beat, Satoru responds with a photo of himself posing a finger heart that instantly lifts any tension you had felt prior because you could never truly be angry with him no matter what. Your phone then pings when you receive another message and it reads,

"Got dinner covered. Hurry home so I can finally have you all to myself ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡"

[erasso]

chapter 46 thoughts

long!!! I think this chapter is great!

I didn't really like many of the kamunabi designs originally but when given personality and more focus here they seem much more lively, I can't complain

the blood test... I hope it'll lead to us learning something about chihiro's mom. I really wouldn't want some kind of kunishige not being his dad reveal. I can see how that might play into the drama of upholding your father's legacy to find out the guy you thought was your dad wasn't your dad at all, and all the "found family" themes at play, but I really don't like it. yep. that's my whole argument about it.

hakuri is so dumb and cute. going into this big important trial meeting with tissues stuffed up your nose... and then we have chihiro shouting his name when he passed out earlier and him ready to go all out if they hadn't gotten interrupted. and hakuri just being all yep. gonna follow my samurai everywhere. straight into the gates of hell. when hiyuki says chihiro has him on a leash.

I hope hakuri gets to build himself up more over time though. relying on chihiro and letting chihiro rely on him is great, but you're more than a tool, hakuri!

it doesn't seem like the kamunabi have that much info about the storehouse. the sazanami guarded the secret even from their own strongest family members, so I wonder how many people actually have any idea of how it works? they seem to underestimate and not take hakuri all that seriously which is. also good! it's kind of a continual theme with him so far and I want him to get to show off. he's so cool aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I don't think hiyuki or tafuku saw him use isou, so they don't know he has multiple kinds of magic either... he's in a dangerous position. if people understood what he could do, who wouldn't want him on their side? and I feel like the hishaku would be all too happy to kill him

I wonder how old hiyuki is? her comment about chihiro only cutting down evildoers makes me wonder if this is going to be a theme at some point. we know chihiro is really emotionally sensitive, he's going to face off against some grey villains in the future, right? he couldn't even bring himself to kill soya originally.

and usually while the protagonist might have some more sensible friends... hakuri is much colder when it comes to killing but he doesn't really seem pragmatic, and if chihiro wanted something, I'm not sure I could see him arguing against it as he is! please get stronger both mentally and physically, hakuri...

thinking back to chapter 1, this was always something going on with chihiro. he wanted to try to negotiate with the yakuza before he saw bodies strung up and realised they were scumbags

then we learn that chihiro wasn't born and raised in the mountain home we saw in the intro, but that he was brought there by his dad instead...

but, he could be lying. he immediately continues by saying that he's never met any of the kamunabi council before and that's obviously untrue. and it's clear that most of these council members don't know anything about chihiro, many of them didn't even know he existed and most of them don't believe him right now, so I'll have to see how that goes

I really love chihiro, hakuri, hiyuki, tafuku...

I like the asshole kunishige hater guy, too. there's no way shiba didn't kick his ass in the past, right?

I'm sad the onsen episode didn't come to fruition. please let them rest hokazono... this episode seems really dangerous. neither chihiro or hakuri seem to ever get the chance to heal, and, since they're being controlled by the kamunabi now, it doesn't seem like they could go and get char to heal them (if she's even recovered enough to heal them)

it would be nice to see shiba doing something offscreen, or if hiyuki and tafuku also feature in this rescue mission (hiyuki is the only one with the power to rival the blades, so I think she might come?) but I'm looking forward to meeting the swords master and seeing what happens next. hakuri and chihiro working together... waaa

[bcbdrums]

Fave character from an oldy show / fave line from Soul Eater / how would u handle it if u were the Tweebs' music teacher?

i see you.... heheh thank you for the ask.

How does one choose...between their children... No seriously this is hard. Top choices I'm stuck between are Adam Cartwright from Bonanza, Al Calavicci from Quantum Leap, H.M. Murdock from The A-Team, or Spock from Star Trek. I love them ALL for very different reasons, but they all have things in common. Dark and angsty characters with difficult lives (in different ways) who struggle to overcome things and never quite achieve their peace... And...while the character I've spent the most time on is probably Spock, I think ultimately I have to go with Adam. I suppose I relate the most closely to him, because his struggle is so human and relatable to many. A good upbringing not without challenge, a steady adulthood offered to him...but he simply is never satisfied. And we never get an ending for him in canon! So he appeals to me and my creative side, both as an exploration of himself and as a way to process through some things of my own. Al, Murdock, and Spock all a semblance of peace in the end or at least we're told they get it (some more than others/in unique ways) but Adam just...vanishes, and we never truly know. So I guess he'd be the fave pick. (But how can one choose a favorite child, heheh.)

I chose from the anime because I need to re-read the manga (even tho I do have a favorite manga moment). And I must give must preamble to this... So you know how from Death the Kid's very first introduction he's falling on the ground and having fits about possibly having done something wrong, leaving something asymmetrical (which...symmetry for him is symbolic of the balance between good and evil, which he as a Reaper must uphold), and in these fits he has he calls himself worthless garbage and he's basically given up in all of these situations and his weapons have to talk him out of it and it takes a lot of effort? And these moments are always played comedically right up until one moment... His final moment of development in the anime, right before facing down against Asura... After first he thinks he can't help, then Lord Death is defeated, and so he resolves to protect the world. He has one more of these self-deprecating rants, but...this time it's spoken to this dad, who he thinks could be dead. This time it's not calling himself worthless for a lack of symmetry, but not worthy to be his father's son... You really feel the weight of everything he's been going through up to this moment. BUT...this time... Instead of declaring himself worthless and that's the end of it, Kid says, "Maybe I don't have what it takes to do this... But... I can try!" That's my favorite line from Soul Eater.

I'm thinking of them at their age in the beginning, as ten year olds. So first of all they'd be percussionists in the 5th grade band cuz they'd get to do a variety of things. Since that wouldn't be enough, I'd give them extra (optional of course) challenges to learn some solo pieces for percussion. And knowing they'd wanna take everything apart and make new things, I'd also hang around with them after school to show them instrument maintenance on all types, explain how all the things work. And if I had some instruments broken beyond repair (we often do and keep them for spare parts) I'd let them play with those in whatever way pleased them. Lol they'd likely make their own frankenstein'd instrument... Or do chemical experiments on the brass since there's some toxicity risks.... Yeah. And that's just band (but I'm tired now so that's what you get lol). Meanwhile, I'm operating on the assumption that they are good, well-behaved kids at school unless they're either bored out of their minds or the teacher is lousy.

[astridthevalkyrie]

Hey! Hope you are doing well! I just have to ask based on your recent post about Cobra Kai and people trying to make Daniel out to be the bully which I agree with. What were your thoughts on Sam and Tory’s fight? I think Daniel did the right thing in stopping it. I try to understand both sides of where they were coming from though.

daniel absolutely did the right thing stopping it. we could debate about whether or not it's a good idea for tory to be fighting right after her mom died. i'm no expert in child psychology, and everyone expresses themselves in certain ways. maybe she did need to spar with someone, or train or fight or whichever (however, despite not being an expert in child psych, and as just an average person, i don't think i would be comfortable with a teenager competing and fighting in her situation).

regardless, it was not safe for sam to be fighting tory. she already kicked her after scoring a point, and sam and tory have history, it wouldn't be a crazy idea to think that tory, in her anger, wouldn't be twice as vicious to her than she would be to anyone else. there was a very high chance sam could have gotten seriously hurt. sam is daniel's daughter. of course he stopped the fight, it'd be really strange if he didn't.

the whole thing is exhausting, though. we're bringing back issues that should've been resolved. i was happy the dojo name thing was handled maturely, but why was it a problem in the first place? in s5, when the sekai taikai committee asked them for a name, both daniel and johnny seemed more than willing to compromise. the "which 6 will make it to the competition" thing was incredibly stupid too. the strongest fighters were the couples, hawk and kenny. if someone wanted to challenge one of them to take their place, get on the mat and compete. why the fuck was mike barnes involved at all. bring chozen back. what do you mean people can die during the sekai taikai. how is it not shut down.

and genpop hates daniel for??? holding his father figure on a pedestal??? wanting to uphold the legacy that changed his life????? maybe i'm wrong but has johnny ever genuinely apologized to daniel? not that daniel has asked for an apology but cobra kai is not just some little bully group that shoved him into lockers. they beat him up and made his life miserable in the first movie, and then TORTURED him in the third movie. mr miyagi saved his LIFE. johnny let kreese back into his life after a few pity me bullshit sentences and i'm supposed to be mad at DANIEL??? (just to be clear i don't entirely blame johnny for that either, he also has an unhealthy (but fascinating) relationship with kreese who manipulates tf out of him, but i'm just comparing the two).

of course daniel should learn that mr miyagi was human and made mistakes. it does feel like the kind of arc that he shouldn't be having in the LAST SEASON though!!!! and where did the compromise from season 5 go???? what happened to the kids learn defense first and when they've mastered it, they learn offense? why are daniel and johnny STILL beefing about different teaching styles??? why is johnny still a man child???? "she was working through it" she's a teenager who lost her mom johnny not a kid struggling with math class!!

[flightfoot]

I know everyone has weak stomachs for it, but if this show were more ambitious, this would be the ideal time for a temporary Adrien and Lila team up.

Consider it: Adrien just spent the past season putting his foot down. He unfriended Chloe. He stopped trying to give Lila the benefit of the doubt. He trashed his dad's pancakes to his face. There's evidence that he is done giving people so many chances and it would be really ironic if he took Felix, Kagami and Marinette's own advice against them. The former told him to get a backbone and stop letting people screw him around in so many words. Marinette told him that sometimes the good we see in others is just a reflection of our own goodness. Imagine him taking all that to heart, but against them.

Secondly, he's been on edge all Season 5, acting outside of himself and almost attacking people. Combine that with his dad being gone. He no longer has the invisible restraints of having to uphold the Agreste name. He has complete control over his choices AND he's about to receive a dozen terrible secrets. He could be a loose canon for a while.

Thirdly, Lila serves as a twisted mirror to Adrien. Lila is what happens when someone uses empathy and knowing what people want against them- for personal gain. Adrien has always used those things to be liked and to help others. But when he discovers that all these people that he wanted the esteem of/helped were keeping world crushing secrets from him/weren't taking him seriously, he might be resentful enough to see more value in her way of thinking for a time, possibly just out of spite.

Fourthly, Adrien has the capacity for this, for spite, and that's been narratively proven. It makes him reckless, aggressive and/or moody. It causes him to project his issues onto others who aren't always deserving of it. He's been cold to or ditched Ladybug in battle momentarily. He's verbally lashed out at Felix's and Scarabella's insecurities, showing that he is capable of wielding empathy as a weapon too. He shows this sparingly under Gabriel's control, only as Chat Noir. Now Gabriel is gone and he has 10 times the reason to be pushed to the edge. Adrien is extremely resilient and kind, but even the kindest people have a breaking point.

Fifthly, you might say Adrien would never team up with Lila because she used and lied to him too in the past. But he knew she was a snake most of the time. It's different when someone you trusted so intrinsically hurts you/lies to you like Marinette or Felix or Kagami or Nathalie or his parents. Sometimes, especially if you are feeling spiteful or resentful, the enemy of your enemy is your temporary friend.

And hey... even if Adrien refuses to team up with 'Lila' because of trust issues, that's okay. She has like 20 more identities and the miraculous cast are not very good with telling those apart. She can weasel into his good graces as Cerise or whatever and do some incredible psychological manipulation, using truth to bring him to her side against Marinette.

I'm not saying this spiteful team up would last. It totally wouldn't. Adrien and Lila's values do not align. He'd come to his senses by seeing the extent of her ruthlessness or realizing who she is. This duo will crumble at the first pull of tension and they'll turn on one another. But it would be an interesting turn of events, it would be realistic for someone whose been through what Adrien has and it would be a great challenge for Maribug and the rest of the team.

I know they probably won't do it. Or they won't do it well. But I'm not afraid of the pain and character exploration and I'd love to see it.

Oh I highly doubt this would happen in the show. I could see her revealing those secrets to Adrien and getting him to doubt his friends, to be frustrated and snap at them, but I just can't see it getting beyond him being snippy and cold for a day or two. I don't think it's physically possible for him to stay mad at Marinette especially, he loves her too much.

This is an interesting, dramatic idea that could be good for character development, I agree with you on that, but pulling it off in a way that still feels in-character for Adrien would be VERY tricky.

[countlessrealities]

Blitz do you care about stolas?

Unprompted asks || Always accepting !

Blitzo's shoulders tense at the question, even if just imperceptibly. It would take someone who knows him well to notice and, nowadays, there's no such person. The one who comes the closest to it is Millie, but even she isn't really allowed to see everything that hides under the mask he wears every time he's not on his own.

"Stolas?" He repeats, mostly to buy himself some time to figure out how to answer the question...without really answering it. "I mean, we're...good business partners, I guess. I gets me what I need to run my business, I give him what he wants in return. And I don't have to watch my fuckin' back around him, 0cause he always upholds the end of his deal". A shrug. "That's rare, especially in Hell, so I'd be an idiot not to value our partnership."

That's not what he has been asked and he is very well aware of it, even if his casual attitude could easily lead to believe that he had misunderstood the question. And that's exactly what he wants everyone to think, because being honest would mean confessing that he has no idea.

His relationship with Stolas has been confusing for a good while now. What has started off as a mutually beneficial exchange has turned into something much more complicated. He wouldn't know how to call it and, if he has to be fully honest, he isn't sure he wants to know.

They aren't dating, of course, that's pretty much clear. They aren't lovers, outside the physical sense. They are friendly, sort of, but they aren't friends either. He likes the prince, but he also can't stand him either at times. They can have a good time together, but it can also get beyond uncomfortable. They are protective of each other, even if not always openly, but they also seem to have no qualms in using each other for their own goals.

There's a voice in the back of his head that tells him that the last part is him projecting his own behaviour on Stolas, but he refuses to listen to it.

And then there is the matter of the most recent events, when he has been slapped with the fact that even a demon as powerful as Stolas isn't invulnerable. The other was in danger and he didn't even think about taking it seriously. If something worse had happened to him, the blood would have been on his hands too.

And the guilt would have been much more crushing than the one he was already experiencing.

"Is this all? I'm a busy guy, you know? So, if you aren't here to hire an assassin, fuck off and let me go back to my business."

[lastoneout]

Sorry to hijack your post OP but people in the tags were saying "well it says Zelda's house on the sign ect." and I just wanted to tackle all that because this assumption is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

'Cuz like, from what I recall Zelda evicting Link is what most people assumed, but imo that's also the most bad-faith read on the situation imaginable, and is directly contrary to Zelda's established personality. There are so many other reasons why the house could have transferred ownership that are in line with both Zelda and Link's characterization and also how the world seems to work, jumping to the most extreme one that paints her as a selfish asshole is ridiculous.

BotW/TotK Zelda is not selfish. She is a little arrogant and rude, but she's under a hellish amount of pressure and that's only at the beginning of the story, by the end she absolutely respects and values Link as her equal, and based on subtext(that's basically text) she's clearly developed some sort of deeper feelings for him. This Zelda would never storm into anyone's house and demand they move out and give her full ownership of the building, let alone Link's house. I genuinely do not understand how anyone who is actually paying attention to the story could come to that conclusion unless they just really do not like Zelda.

Every character we talk to in TotK who has met Zelda talks about how selfless and kind she is. How she helps people with their problems, loves learning and sharing new information, sets up sanctuaries for rare animals, contracts Hudson Construction to leave free building materials around for people who need them, puts up monuments to everyone lost in the Calamity, builds a school for the children of Hateno Village, makes a new tunic for Link as a gift, and never acts like she's better than her subjects. There is nothing in the text that points to Zelda being the kind of self-important careless jerk who would steal someone's house.

My personal assumption was that Zelda has an image to uphold. She's trying to rebuild an entire country, how people view her is important, and the people in Hateno Village are clearly ALL up in her business like 24/7. Plus, from what I recall, the sensibilities of this world are still a bit old fashioned. Zelda isn't married, so I can kinda imagine that the villagers would think it a bit improper/weird that the Princess(and future Queen) of Hyrule is living with a man. Especially her sworn knight. And yes times have changed, but to the rest of the world they have a very specific kind of relationship and I figure them showing up and saying "yep we're together and living in the same one-room house completely unsupervised and we're not even married dwbi" would raise a few eyebrows. There's only one bed in the house, and based on that and the fact that in the game you can only sleep in beds Link "owns" or is renting, and you can indeed sleep in this bed, I think they're both sleeping there. Based on all that I think the most logical conclusion is that they are living together, but to save face Zelda and Link pretend it's her house, even though it technically isn't.

(And that could also account for the decorations being gone, if people come over and the place doesn't look like Zelda's house they are going to make assumptions. Even then, the most important belonging of Link's, the photo from BotW's DLC, is still up. Yes, Zelda probably has emotional attachment to that picture as well, but leaving it up could also be a sign she still values Link's having a say in how their shared living space is decorated, as he's the one who displayed it in the first place.)

The other possibility is that Link gave her the house without her asking. Link takes his job as Zelda's sworn knight VERY seriously. He's shown to be incredibly devoted to her, and she just spent 100 years trapped in a hell dimension holding back the embodiment of all evil. Wouldn't it be nice for her to have a safe place to call her own? Somewhere remote that isn't under as much scrutiny? Where she can close the doors and relax and not have to be the Princess and Reincarnated Goddess for five minutes? Somewhere with no visual reminders of violence? I can absolutely see Link giving her the house, or at least telling her she can call it her house and have some control over the way it looks, and even taking the weapon plaques down of his own volition and replacing them with peaceful pictures of Hyrule so she isn't thinking about fighting while she's resting. Like there's no way Zelda doesn't have C-PTSD from all the shit she's been through, she's seen enough violence, taking the weapons down makes sense.

It could also be a misunderstanding. I love the idea of Zelda trying to broach the topic of their relationship by talking about them living together, hint hint wink wink, only for Link, who doesn't have an off switch and would do anything for her to be like "oh you can have this house dw I'll sleep in the shed" to Zelda's immense disappointment. It could just be a miscommunication that Zelda doesn't know how to correct.

The villagers could have also assumed it's Zelda's house, and that misunderstanding also blew up to the point that it's just impossible to correct. We don't even know if Zelda is the one that put up the sign saying it's her house. The villagers could have done that without talking to her about it. Maybe they made the sign to make her feel more welcome and just didn't think that adding Link's name was important. She's not gonna turn down or complain about a thoughtful gift from her subjects.

Link also isn't a glory hound. He specifically has talked about how being in the spotlight stresses him out to the point that he can't even speak most of the time, and the people in Hyrule continuously assume he isn't the Hero because he's short or weird or whatever. I can think of multiple interactions in BotW and TotK where people just refuse to believe Link is who he says he is even when he's bluntly telling them exactly who he is and HOLDING THE DAMN MASTER SWORD TO BOOT. Maybe he just doesn't care if people think it's Zelda's house, or he even prefers it that way because it means people aren't paying as much attention to him.

Also, while it's obvious that Zelda doesn't feel that way, he is her knight. Sharing her spotlight isn't really...appropriate based on the etiquette of the royalty. He is important, but still below her. He's her shadow, not her equal, and he's meant to sacrifice his own comfort for hers. If there's one bed, Zelda gets it. If they're camping and Zelda is sleeping, Link is keeping watch. If there's only enough food for one person, Zelda gets it. Link is a hero and a knight, but Zelda is royalty and a goddess. If Zelda is in danger, Link saves her, even at the cost of his own life. He literally dies for her in BotW. That's how this works. Even if Zelda herself would disagree, WHICH SHE WOULD, bcs she clearly loves Link and views him as her equal, if not her better.

There are tons of reasons why the house could be thought of as Zelda's that don't involve willfully and blatantly mischaracterizing her as a selfish asshole who kicked Link out of his own home and makes him sleep in the damn shed just because she wants a house. Zelda is the opposite of selfish, she gives up everything multiple times just to save Hyrule. She weeps over her fallen friends because she couldn't protect them from Gannon. She hates herself for not being able to communicate with the Goddess, spending hours and hours praying on cold hard stone or in freezing water wearing a dress she hates because she knows what's on the line. She writes in her diary about how she was unfair to Link because she was jealous and how she just wants to get to know him and apologize for treating him so poorly when he didn't do anything wrong. Urbosa literally talks about how Zelda is essentially killing herself to try to save everyone and how unfair that is to her, like Urbosa is one of the few people who actually treats Zelda like the scared, abused, miserable teenager she is who desperately needs time to just exist without people worshiping the ground she walks on or expecting her to nearly kill herself to awaken her powers. The other Champions also recognize how much she's doing and how awful it is that this is all on her shoulders.

Even Zelda's father recognizes how badly he fucked up by treating her the way he did when all she ever did was try to help.

Hell, in TotK she essentially commits a sin to save Hyrule, one she believes will permanently separate her from everyone she knows and loves, and lives for thousands of years as a dragon. You literally BREAK PIECES OF HER SCALES AND TEETH AND CLAWS OFF OF HER to upgrade your armor. She is legit sacrificing her life, mind, her soul, her entire body to help Link and the people of Hyrule.

Say what you want about BotW/TotK Zelda, but she is the opposite of selfish. She would never walk into Link's home, claim it for herself, and kick him out. If you think she would, again, you must already dislike her/aren't paying attention because her doing this would be contrary to every single piece of characterization we are shown in both games. There are DOZENS of reasons the house could have transferred ownership, or appear to have transferred ownership, and the fact that people immediately assume that Zelda was an asshole about it is sus as hell. Legit blaming a female character for something she never did that goes against everything we know about her. If you don't like Zelda that's fine, I won't tell you you're wrong, but at least hate her in an accurate way. This is like a level 4 headcanon moment. You just made that shit up. It isn't supported by the text or world-building or characterization.

Anyway end rant, sorry again OP but I love Zelda and BotW/TotK and this shit just pisses me off SO bad.

remember when totk came out and people realized that zelda was living in link’s house but instead of her moving in with him, which is the obvious answer that nintendo handed to us on a silver platter, they legitimately believed that she just evicted him

[fasa-umich]

Amanda Sutherby, FASA's 2022 - 2023 Co-President

Okay, let's do this one last time, yeah? For real this time. This is it. My name is Amanda. I was bitten by a radioactive spider. And for like 364 days (I counted), I've been one of FASA’s Co-presidents. I’m pretty sure you know the rest…a couple mass meetings, a few FAM/Lineage reveals, Halo-Haloween, Couzens MPR, CHAMPAIGN ILLINOIS, October burnout, PCN, BOTB, and so much more.

No, but in all seriousness, I can’t believe I am writing my second, and last, FASA e-board testimonial. If you asked me last year if I saw myself as one of FASA’s Co-presidents, the answer would be absolutely not. Even before election season, my roommates and I would sit and contemplate who we thought would be in each executive board position. Not once during this “fantasy e-board” (Caldito, 2023) did I draft myself as president. If anything I thought I was more suited as a secretary. But somewhere along the way, I gained a different perspective. I took a minute for myself and thought about the direction I wanted FASA to head in. After I had that in my mind, I asked myself if it was possible to implement these changes outside the presidential position. Would I be able to accomplish the things I wanted without the resources that came with being co-president? And I think we can all guess what conclusion I came to.

Now officially, being a FASA co-president involves overseeing and delegating the rest of the FASA executive board. Overall, it’s their responsibility to ensure that FASA is upholding its three pillars of community, culture, and outreach. Unofficially, being a FASA co-president was the most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever done. There were times when I felt like I was a friend, a mom, a therapist, or generally just someone trying to put out fires where I could. But if I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Even during the most exhausting and frustrating moments in the position, I was so grateful to have these experiences. 

As my time as a co-social chair came to an end, I knew I wasn’t ready to leave the e-board. I believed that I still had growth inside the organization that I wanted to achieve. Essentially, I had so much left to give to FASA, and I wasn’t quite ready to let it go. I am ready now. It’s bittersweet saying goodbye and stepping down. But I leave knowing that I have learned so much by being a leader in FASA. I have become confident, not only in myself but in my cultural identity. And that is thanks to my time both on board and in FASA.

Coming into college, I was so disconnected from my cultural identity. I grew up knowing virtually nothing about Philippine culture. No one ever talked about the Philippines around me growing up. And besides the occasional lumpia or adobo, Filipino food was not made in my house. I was never given the chance to learn what being Filipino meant. So, even though my cousin (Samuel Dennis Baine) was encouraging me to join FASA as soon as I got accepted into Umich, I planned not to. In fact, I even remember telling my mom that I wouldn't fit in because I wasn’t “Filipino” enough. Luckily, Sam didn’t take no for an answer and he all but forced me to FASA’s welcome weekend. And I am forever grateful that he did. By making me come to welcome weekend he set off this crazy chain reaction that led me from general member to FASA intern to social chair to one of FASA’s co-presidents. 

To Board, first of all, I am so incredibly proud of each and every one of you. I don’t think any of you hear it enough, but you all have done such amazing work. Honestly, you all were half the reason I wanted to run for president to begin with. I wanted to be there to watch every single one of you grow into your positions. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more ambitious or creative board. 

Justine, remember when I compared you to a blizzard? Well, I still double down on that. You are truly a force of nature. You are diligent, kind, and a true girlboss always. 

Sophie, You have the ability to make anyone feel welcome and laugh for no less than ten minutes straight (to this day I am still laughing about the thumb joke you told me).  

Alyssa, your passion and drive for not just FASA and its members, but towards the history and culture of the Philippines is truly an inspiration.  

JC, you always account for every aspect and person on board, making sure nothing and no one goes unnoticed or is left behind (also thank you so much for always giving me a ride home after my shifts at the hospital). 

Angeli, I loved watching you grow this year. You are so creative in many ways that I can’t wrap my head around it. I am in awe of everything you have accomplished, and I can’t wait to see what else you do.

Andrew, your love for FASA is so evident in everything you do. The initiative and ability you have at reaching out to people and making them feel heard is not something everyone can do (also lowkey I will miss bringing snacks for you during our board meetings). 

Kyle, you are so genuine and kind. At every board meeting, I could count on you for a smile. I will truly miss working with you.

Ashley, you are incredible. You are kind, driven, smart, and beautiful. You have approached the external chair with such professionalism that I believe people can learn from you.

Mikey, you are probably one of the hardest workers I know. The drive with which you approached External Chairs this year truly changed the position for the better. Thank you for setting such a great precedent. 

Caitlin, you inspire me every day with your kindness and ambition. The way you have balanced performance duties and nursing is crazy to me. Every decision you make is always done with someone in mind. You make sure everyone feels included.

Bryson, the dedication you have for FASA is amazing. You truly give 110% not just in your position and performance, but in all things FASA related. I have loved watching you grow into the leader you are today.

Christian, I am so thankful that we convinced you to run for the board. Having you has been such a great asset. You never falter in lending a helping hand to anyone. Your generosity and warm personality makes you a great friend and board member.

Emily, the work you have put into FASA is indescribable. You were quite literally doing the work of two people AND you were doing it with such a positive attitude. You are genuinely such an amazing individual and I am so grateful to have been given the chance to work with you.

Together, as a board, we hit the ground running from the very start to make our version of FASA You have all gone above and beyond my expectations, and have accomplished more than I ever thought possible. Yes, we had our ups and downs. But what family doesn’t? I just want to let you know that I am so thankful to have worked with you all <3

To Celeste, the love and care you have for this organization is undeniable. Your passion for FASA and Philippine culture was always so evident to me. You inspire me with how intentional you are in your relationships. You never fail at checking in on those around you and making sure they are doing well. I never got to truly thank you enough for stepping up and helping me when I was going through a hard time in November. You made sure I wasn’t getting overwhelmed by FASA tasks and were always there to lend help. I am so thankful that you and I were cos together. I want you to know that I am proud of the person you have grown into over this year. Thank you for all the laughs, memories, and late-night emergency meetings - xoxo

To Emily and Michelle, you both deserve such a big shoutout. You have been my support system since day one. I love being able to talk to you both about my day, board, FASA, literally anything. I can always count on you to have my back through anything. You have both helped me in more ways than I can describe, and I want you both to know you are some of the most important people in my life. Emily, your mindfulness and reflectiveness has been such a blessing to me. You are constantly teaching me new ideas and ways of thinking. And I think out of everyone, you have helped ground me the most. Michelle, there has not been one instance where I have not felt loved and welcomed by you. You are the embodiment of a ray of sunshine. I want you to know that you are such a big source of happiness in my life and always will be. I love you both beyond words. Thank you for helping me grow into the person I am today.

To Alyssa and Bryson, I am so excited for you both to be the next FASA co-presidents! The FASA I entered my freshman year is not the same one Celeste and I are handing off to you. The organization as a whole is constantly evolving and growing. But I want you both to know that I believe you are the best two individuals to help lead FASA through this growth. I am confident that you both will create a supportive environment that allows the board and FASA to grow to their fullest potential. I know FASA is in great hands, and I am confident in both of you. You are going to love watching your board members learn the ins and outs of their positions. You are also going to be equally in awe and in fear of their ambitious ideas. Don't be afraid to ground their ideas when necessary. Remember to take care of yourselves and look out for one another. The position isn’t easy but support from both of you and the rest of your board will make it worth it. Please reach out if you need anything at all. I am truly so happy for both of you. Good luck next year!

To FASA, thank you for being the community I needed when I entered college. You paved the way for me to educate myself about Philippine culture through workshops, services, and events. You taught me more languages, histories, and traditions than I ever knew existed. For the first time, I feel connected to my cultural identity, and that is thanks to you. You also made it possible to meet some of my closest friends. So thank you so much for all of that. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully articulate how grateful for the effect you have had on me. Just know that it has helped me more than you will ever know. 

FASA I have loved working with you for the past two and half years, but I am officially ready to retire! 

Maraming Salamat - Amanda Sutherby <3

[starrynightmuse]

A Character Study: Aemond from House of the Dragon

Almost 4k words. My thoughts on Aemond Targaryen. This is me trying to make sense of his character and guessing his motivations. I'm focusing mainly on the show so I did not mention Daeron.

To the greens, Aemond was the spare. To the blacks, he was even less than that.

In the show, he was born after The Green Dress stunt at Rhaenyra's wedding, when Alicent got rid of her Targaryen red and black dresses in favor of Hightower green, signaling her true allegiance. Sides are declared. The die is cast. In the book, Alicent's stunt wouldn't be pulled until a year after Aemond was born, but I like the show's timing better.

I like the idea of Alicent being in full-on war mode while she was pregnant with him. It would be fitting, knowing she would give birth to a baby boy with a choleric temperament. The boy who would one day grow up to be the young man whose actions started the Dance of the Dragons.

Aemond as might as well pull an Athena and come out of the womb fully dressed in armor and ready for war.

From the time Aemond was old enough to understand, the tension between his mother and half-sister had been so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

In the show, Aemond and Jace are roughly the same age, so Jace was probably born not long after Aemond (I'm guessing their age difference is a year max). Then Rhaenyra churns out two more bastard kids throughout the duration of Aemond's youth. Growing up, this boy would’ve been mighty familiar with hearing questions about his nephews' legitimacy as more and more rumors of Rhaenyra's trysts with Harwin Strong spread throughout King's Landing. 

To properly understand Aemond's childhood, we need to talk about Aemond's momma, Alicent Hightower. Mommy dearest.

Alicent was literally a teen mom who had been forced to grow up too quickly. After Viserys fired Otto and her friendship with Rhaenyra disintegrated, she had almost zero allies in court. She was scared, paranoid, and bitter. Alicent was nowhere near prepared for the motherhood and queenship that was thrust upon her. I'm pretty sure that she often found herself needing someone to vent to, and I think Aemond would've been that someone for her (My Son is My Therapist).

Alicent was, by definition, an emotionally immature parent. In this scenario, it’s common for parents to turn to their children for emotional support. She couldn’t turn to Viserys, Aegon was rowdy and does his own shit, and she and Helaena never quite connected. That left Aemond, who strikes me as a naturally attentive and observant child.

This is just a theory, but I don’t see why it couldn’t have happened given the circumstances. It would certainly explain why Aemond and his mom are so close. (And why Aemond gives "older sibling who acts like a parent" vibes.)

I mean, have you seen this scene? The softness they have for each other? How in tune they are with each other’s emotions? They act more like equals than Mother and Son.

With Viserys being a shitty father who'd rather play with his legos than pay attention to his son, Alicent would also be the only person Aemond would look to for guidance, to make sense of the world.

I'm imagining Alicent ranting about Rhaenyra's irresponsibility while a young Aemond listens, absorbing every word.

Here I am, upholding the kingdom, the family, the law, while she flouts it all to do as she pleases.

The audacity of her to name her common-faced bastards as heirs while you and Aegon are pushed further down the line of succession.

Where is duty? Where is honor? Where is sacrifice?  

It’s a wonder to me that her sons’ eggs ever hatched. We all know what they really are.

Aemond takes Alicent's words to heart and he treats them with a level of seriousness that is rare for most children his age. He strikes me as a very precocious kid. I see him as an overthinker, which would mean he has a tendency to mull over things for long periods of time and find deeper meanings where most would fail to. (A trait that would serve him but ultimately destroy him in the end.)

Like the good student he is, Aemond takes in everything that Alicent has to say. And if my My Son is My Therapist theory is correct, then out of all of Alicent’s children, Aemond would be the one most privy to her thoughts. It would explain why he's so similar to her in beliefs and personality. Everything he knew, he learned from Alicent.

Helaemond shippers like to point at this scene and say Aemond had a crush on Helaena and idk about you but it sounds like he's just echoing his mother. This is a 10-year-old boy.

Thanks to Alicent, Aemond would see the world as being split into two groups: the “worthy” and the “unworthy”. The worthy are the ones who uphold honor and duty. The unworthy are the ones who do not. 

His sense of worth would be directly tied to this metric. Aemond has a strong desire to prove himself worthy by being the perfect prince, the perfect son. He cares deeply about how others views him, and he becomes a perfectionist.

Aegon being a useless drunkard and Rhaenyra being a lawbreaker would only motivate him further. (Yes, Rhaenyra naming her bastards as heirs is literally illegal. It's high treason. It's an offense that would result in being disinherited and even executed, I can't stress this enough.) I can do better, Aemond thinks.

So, being the only boy in the family without a dragon would do monumental damage to his self-esteem.

I'm imagining him listening to Alicent rant about how Jacaerys and Lucerys are unworthy of having their dragon eggs hatch. Being the over-analytical little shit he is, Aemond would've come to the conclusion that the eggs only hatch for true Targaryens. And suddenly he's worried because what if I'm not worthy of my name?

Even my idiot older brother and my bastard nephews have dragons. What does that make me? He thinks. Aemond would've felt so small.

As if it wasn't bad enough to know that he was only the spare to Aegon's heir, to watch his father neglect him while pouring affection to his half-sister and her kids, to know that he was the least important member of the family. (Knowing you're not the favorite child hurts even for normal people; imagine growing up in a family system where every child is ranked from most important to least.)

It sure didn't help that Aegon, Jace, and Lucerys took advantage of his biggest insecurity to bully him.

Now, we don't know exactly when this bullying started or how long it had been going on, but the Pink Dread incident was nowhere near the first time. To find a pig and to attach wigs on it takes a bit more effort than your average taunts. There's a lot that has to build up for that to happen. I'm guessing the bullying had been going for a few years.

But the pig was definitely the crescendo. With each taunt and sneer the boys had thrown at him, Aemond's self-esteem had gotten worse and worse. When the Pink Dread happens, something in Aemond snaps.

It was more than just a pig with wings. It was utter humiliation. It was telling him no matter how perfect you try to be, you will always be lesser.

Knowing this and all the pent-up anger that Aemond would have towards his brother and the Velaryon/Strong boys, it probably took him a lot of self-control to not explode right there and then.

In Fire and Blood, Aemond is described as being a feisty kid.

"Aemond was said to be half the size of his elder brother but twice as fierce."

In the show, he's more chill, but I don't think the book is wrong. F&B is written like a history book, and history only remembers what was notable. Aemond has this sort of vibe that says "I'm chill on the outside but I'm screaming on the inside." Like his mother, he holds in all his feelings for the sake of appearances but you can bet that during the times when he does let it out, this boy would have an anger that burns hotter than the seven hells. And it would be enough to give him a reputation.

Aemond tries to be on his best behavior and bottles up his emotions... until he can't anymore. Being a perfectionist, he has a do-or-die mentality. This aspect of him was ever so apparent when he sees Vhagar at Laena's funeral.

The oldest, largest, and most dangerous dragon in the world... out in the open, without a rider. And one desperate boy who has had enough of feeling weak and inferior.

Hell, it was like dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit.

This is my one and only chance, Aemond thinks. My brother and my nephews want to laugh at me? Fine, I'm going to claim a dragon that'll make theirs look like a pig.

At this point, Aemond could care less about the dangers. Give me the biggest dragon in the world or give me death.

Vhagar sees Aemond and goes, "This little shit has balls... I like it. But let's see how he does in the air." She tests him by flying like an absolute maniac but when she realizes that Aemond has persevered regardless, she deems him worthy of being her rider. Vhagar likes her riders strong-willed and courageous. Aemond didn't claim Vhagar, Vhagar claimed Aemond.

And that validation from Grandma Dragon was all Aemond needed to go on a freaking power trip. This lonely boy — who had been bullied for years, whose only "friend" was his mother — was suddenly given the highest level of approval from an ancient war dragon who people write songs about. Becoming Vhagar's rider gives him newfound confidence and Aemond feels on top of the world. He's still riding that high when the Strong boys and Daemon's daughters attack him.

It's this same rush of power that makes him utter the forbidden word.

Bastards.

I don't think Aemond actually hates Rhaenyra's boys for being bastards. I mean, look at this scene where he goes up to Jace during Laena's funeral. The look of sympathy. He wants to say something to offer condolences about Ser Harwin's death, but he knows he shouldn't. And the future love of his life is literally a bastard of House Strong.

During the fight, Aemond calls Jace and Luke bastards as a way to get back at them for making him feel weak. He's saying, look who's the inferior one now.

Then Lucerys stabs him in the eye and all the euphoria he felt a few minutes ago goes down the drain.

It only got worse from there.

Instead of giving him sympathy, his half-sister politicizes his trauma, makes the entire thing about her and her sons, and accuses him of treason. His father is angrier over the fact that he called his nephews bastards than the fact that he was maimed. The little shit who took out his eye doesn't even apologize.

And where had his useless older brother been all this time? Drunk beyond repair.

The only one who seems to care is his mother, and Aemond watches as she gets excessively gaslit for wanting justice on his behalf.

He's sitting there in the armchair while all this goes down, one of his eyes is literally gone, and his injury is probably so painful that his head feels like it's going to burst.

I let my feelings get ahead of me one time and this is what happens, Aemond thinks.

Any other kid in his position would've felt entitled to act out, but Aemond swallows down his emotions and puts on a brave face. He protects his mother from his father's wrath and even steps in to defuse the situation by placating her. Mommy's little therapist.

This ten-year-old boy was forced to take on the role of an adult while his eye had been freshly slashed from his skull. The trauma of that night would stay with him for years afterward.

Three things were certain in Aemond's mind:

He can't count on his father to defend him.

He can't count on his older brother to defend him.

His half-sister cares more about the throne than his safety and most likely his life.

When the family returns to Kings Landing the next day, Aemond leaves his childhood behind at Driftmark.

He develops hyper-independence and spends the next several years trying to compensate for his disability while preparing for the Targaryen Hunger Games that will come one day. Aemond would be the first one up at dawn, already in the training yard, and he'd be the last one to retreat to his chambers at night, reading page after page in the library and sometimes even falling asleep there.

Well, okay, maybe he's not exactly the last one to bed.

I'm imagining pre-teen Aemond coming out of the library at the hour of the owl, only to bump into a staggering teenage Aegon who was just sneaking back into the Red Keep after a late-night rendezvous, high as a kite.

This is the idiot who is to be king, Aemond thinks. (Rhaenyra's gang can delude themselves as much as they'd like but Aemond knows the precedent set by the Great Council of 101 AC, the primogeniture, was bigger than the wishes of a dying king and an entitled princess.)

No matter how hard he tries, his clown of a brother would always get what Aemond had always been more qualified for.

Because Aemond was only the second son.

Worse, a second son with just one eye.

Aemond's quite insecure about his looks; I'm sure he thinks his scar looks ugly and horrifying. It's canon that he wears the eyepatch to not frighten the ladies. The sapphire is there so he looks cool when he does want to frighten them.

I don't think he would've had a lot of crushes. Not because he doesn't care about romance or sex, I think it would be because he's scared of getting rejected. He hears the court calling him Aemond One-Eye and people whispering about his fiery temper behind his back. As a side effect of that traumatic day in Driftmark, I think Aemond would now anger quite easily, as trauma survivors often do. And when he isn't angry, he's putting on a stone mask of confidence to seem indestructible. It would definitely come off quite cold to others, but after all the helplessness he had felt, Aemond adopts the "I'd rather be feared than loved" mentality.

He knows he's not crush-worthy material (don't fight me on this, it's different for fandom girlies because we know his story, but imagine if you didn't and you met him in real life, only knowing him based on the rumors? and, while I think ewan mitchell is handsome af, he's not conventionally pretty.).

I have other things to do than think about girls, he tells himself.

Then Aegon takes him to a brothel on the Streets of Silk on his thirteenth birthday. His older brother basically rapes him by proxy via a woman who is twice Aemond's age. (We don't know if this trauma did anything to affect Aemond's sexual preferences but we do know that teenage Aemond would never look at girls his own age. He falls in love with Alys Rivers... who's like 40. Aemond also has mommy issues so there's that.)

When Aegon marries Helaena, Aemond does his best to protect his sister from his brother's abuse because he knows what it's like. Both being victims of Aegon, he forms a special bond with Helaena and takes on the role of being her protector. This protectiveness he feels is extended down to Helaena's children.

A few years go by and Aemond settles into a routine that consists of him picking up after his brother, taking care of his sister and her children, being a confidant to his mother, and essentially taking the position of the family patriarch. On top of this, he has a rigorous training regimen and he's studying everything he can about history and political philosophy so that at least someone will know shit about ruling when Aegon becomes king.

This boy had so much on his plate.

Eventually, the matter of Driftmark's succession brings Rhaenyra's clan back to court. Bro definitely had flashbacks when he heard the news that they were coming. During the petitions scene, he's tense and on guard. He's trying to act like seeing Rhaenyra and her kids doesn't bother him, but his hands are clasped high behind his back as if he's trying to keep it all in.

At this point, it was about more than the loss of his eye. It was about more than just that night. More than the pain of the injury, and more than the phantom pain that he probably still feels occasionally in the place where his eye had been.

(Edited: I found this amazing post explaining that Aemond most likely had chronic pain resulting from nerve damage. So he probably had more than phantom pain. Which makes his trauma ten times worse.)

No, this boy has been hurt mind, body, and soul. He looks at the blacks and he sees all the years of helplessness, loneliness, resentment, anger, and insecurity that he had been through as a result of their actions. (I've said before that Aemond is a ruminator, and ruminators are often the best grudge-holders.)

Daemon beheads Vaemond for saying the same thing he did when he lost his eye, showing absolutely no mercy. Then, during dinner, the little shit who took out his eye had the audacity to laugh at him when he saw a pig.

Aemond's like, y'know what, I've been acting cordial all day for the sake of being respectful but these people don't deserve it. Fuck it.

After Vizzy T dies and Aegon runs off, Aemond volunteers to find the fool. He prides himself in being dutiful and loyal, it's literally his entire sense of identity, and if it means tracking down his idiot of a brother just so the fool could be crowned — so be it.

That doesn't mean he has to be happy about it though. Aemond finds himself alone in the streets of Flea Bottom with Ser Crispy — the man who taught him how to fight, the man who has been there for his family ever since he was born — and decides to take the opportunity to vent and grant himself some much-needed catharsis, if only for a few seconds.

I think all the resentment that he had felt during the last few days finally boiled over when he saw Luke at Storm's End.

There he was, selling himself up for marriage, trying to do what's expected of him even though he probably feels like a puppet on a string — just so Eggy gets to keep his crown. And this boy, this boy who took his eye out, who bullied him, who laughed and never apologized, waltzes in. The same boy who, a few days ago, was named heir to Driftmark, even though he was a bastard and a second son.

Aemond is triggered. He's a trauma victim; his mind immediately reverts back to the state it was in that fateful night in Driftmark. Mentally, he's no longer the dutiful young adult. The helpless little boy in him comes out and he sees red.

"I want you to put out your eye."

My theory is that Aemond had been dreaming about taking Luke's eye as retribution for years. It's pretty common for victims of violence to fantasize about attacking their abusers — it's a defense mechanism to prepare them for violence to come, and in Aemond's case, violence was guaranteed to come. My dude has probably been suffering from intrusive homicidal ideations for while.

The show told the tale from Luke's POV so we see the boy running out the hall after Borros ends the conversation, only for a mean nasty Aemond to chase him on Vhagar. In the book, however, another secondborn decides to stir shit up after Luke leaves the room.

And there it might have ended, but for the girl Maris. The secondborn daughter of Lord Borros, less comely than her sisters, she was angry with Aemond for preferring them to her. "Was it one of your eyes he took, or one of your balls?" Maris asked the prince, in tones sweet as honey. "I am so glad you chose my sister, I want a husband with all his parts."

So what I'm thinking is that Aemond did try to drop his anger when Luke took his leave. But then the girl picks at his insecurity (bro doesn't know shit about girls and he takes everything so seriously, there's no way he could've seen that she was just jealous).

And that was the final straw. The boy who has tried so hard to be perfect loses control. Honestly, this moment has been a long time coming.

Aemond chases Luke on Vhagar to scare him. He wants to make Luke feel as helpless as he did when they were younger. It makes him feel powerful, and after feeling stepped on for so long, he's letting himself enjoy it while giggling like a maniac in the pouring rain.

Vhagar, however, had other plans. I think she sensed his anger and madness, just like Arrax sensed Luke's fear and anxiety. Aemond might've been playing around, but Vhagar had a mind of her own.

Aemond's only friend (who doesn't also double as a mom or a training teacher) is his geriatric dragon, so of course he would be a tad overconfident in their bond. He definitely wasn't planning for Vhagar to dive in for a little snack.

And that's the story of how the lonely boy who tried and tried and tried to be the perfect son went down in history as a kinslayer.

I can't wait to see him in season 2, absolutely wrecked with guilt. And who's going to believe that mean ole Aemond One-Eye never meant to kill Lucerys? Kinslaying is a serious offense in Westeros. Aemond fucks up one time and now he's going to be ostracized for the rest of his life (which isn't too long 💀).

I can't wait to see how his dynamic with Alicent is going to change since he's no longer this golden boy.

I can't wait to see him become absolutely deranged when Blood and Cheese happens. Aemond thinks he knows what guilt feels like? Think again. The guilt of killing Lucerys was only the prologue. With Blood and Cheese, Aemond wouldn't just be losing a nephew, he'd lose his sister too. Helaena becomes a ghost of a person, and Aegon... I think Egg would be so mad at Aemond. The roles between the brothers would suddenly reverse.

Also, I can't wait to see how they'll portray his relationship with Alys Rivers. (I will sue if they make Alys a skinny, young cottage-core girl. Give me an actual middle-aged woman and make her a witchy girlboss with a fire that matches Aemond's. Give me Katie McGrath.) I want to see him meet Alys and be like "Fuck the Baratheon girl, I'm going to hell anyway so I as might as well enjoy life while I can." I want to see the dutiful side of him unravel as his desires get the best of him. I want to see him drunk with power when he becomes Aegon's regent.

[proxis-shattered-expectations]

Guess who got accepted into the FBI academy, this girl! Oh I’m so excited and nervous!

If your willing, could you please do a headcanon about the Horsemen’s human friend getting accepted into the FBI academy?

Congrats! That is gonna be tough work ahead I'm sure. Here are some Headcanons!

War

. Literally the epitome of Justice, while not usually the verbal type, would congratulate you on your acceptance.

. This is an achievement for his human friend, and thus is proud of you that your work paid off.

. But don't think just because you got accepted means the tests and training ends there.

. Like the honor bound warrior he is, will stand by you thick and thin without prompting. He won't do anything grandiose to help, but he helps the only way he knows how. To make sure you are always prepared.

. He does best by helping you do your best, so expect him to start waking you up early to get in a run and exercise. Being in the academy means you need to be sharp of mind and body.

. Absolutely a gym helper too. Won't make a show of it, but will help spot you for weights and keep you motivated.

. No overdependence on coffee, as he believes it will be a hindrance to your health. You may not like it but he is aware of the side effects it could give so why risk it.

. Out of nowhere will start training you on your awareness and reflexes. Be prepared to act when he announces "Dodge" (Pillows, rubber/tennis balls, things that don't break you or on contact) Will know you are ready physical wise when you start dodging without his warning, and or catch it.

. Doesn't like to keep you or him guessing, so I personally think he wouldn't be the greatest at bookstuff. Not that he doesn't understand it, just that he would directly tell you what the answer is if you don't know.

. Would actually be helpful with the law stuff. While some of it he doesn't personally agree with, the basic right or wrong stuff is something he can help you understand

. Cue him advising some of the punishments for criminals should be vengeance for the family and or execution. You would have to explain to him how it can be circumstantial.

. Firearms are not his strong suit, but he could be better for self defense. Maybe not as hand on hand combat considering his size, but pointers and him showing you how is usually what he would do.

. Does not like the paperwork part, he thinks it makes things too complex for such simple things. "You have to make a report on the things you didn't do or were even responsible for?". He does not like the mundanity, even if some is important.

. Makes it a point to tell you that tho he is proud you are going into something that is there to uphold the law, never be afraid to stick to your values if this branch acts at odds with it or puts lives at risk.

Death

. Also proud. As always won't outright say it, but like war, won't let that stop him from making sure you are the best. Where do you think War got it from?

Though his teaching method is more of do as I say not as I do. Meaning he actually knows the answers but won't tell you directly. There are just some things you need to figure out for yourself inorder to be prepared.

. To him, while you got in to the academy, you have yet to prove yourself to him that you are ready for the challenges.

. He is the eldest, which means he would be damned if he let you fail under his watch. Even more so if you do not prepared for the trials ahead.

. Is he taking it way too seriously? Absolutely. Will it stop him from caring about you enough to help you? Never.

. Is most likely to use his Phantom steed to get ahead and make you follow as exercise. He's helping to train you, not training with you

. Would also teach you self defense, but is more hand to hand combat. Also doesn't really hold back technique wise. In a way to teach you consequence for doing it wrong, and to help you learn to not make the mistake again. Better from someone who cares than someone with killing intent.

. All goes toward his desire to see you succeed and not get hurt in the future when it really matters. Might as well make that mistake at your own peril. Better than doing it at the cost of other lives

. I think it is a general notion that the four hates paperwork, but Death would be more patient with it.

. Would be really helpful in history and ethics. Though he is not the epitome of good decisions, he has the years that helped him gain wisdom from it. Even if it made him existentially tired of the world.

. Reminds you that if something is corrupt in the system you join, he will be there to help you stand for your beliefs and loved ones

. Excels in helping you understand forensics, interrogation tactics, worst case scenarios, and detective stuff.

. In all, will continue to be proud of you, as long as you keep in mind that no matter the rank you get or rise to, always know you are learning and will always be tested.

Strife

. Straight up happy for you, and is quick to recognize the importance. Cue a party, drinking, dance filled night to celebrate you victory.

. He knows this means alot to you, and knows it is hard work. So after a night of fun, it's go time (Eye of the tiger and Rocky on blast)

. Will actively exercise with you, support you when things get rough, and keep you upbeat

. Is actually more lenient on the coffee rule, since the last thing he wants is to see you burn out from exhaustion. He knows it is hard sometimes, and prefer you take things at your own pace.

. Don't put him anywhere near paperwork. It will bore him to death and make games out of it. Origami/paper planes/football, you name it. He will do it.

. While he's more than willing to help you with the ethics and law, he is not afraid of questioning or voicing what he thinks about some of them. He definitely helps you understand it different and think outside the box.

. Once he learned that a requirement for the academy is to have experience/learn about firearms, he is the guy to go to for lessons

. He will even take it the extra mile and break down the weapon to show you how it works, how to clean and manage it, types of ammo and guns, and tips on aiming and firing. All this to teach you not to fear the weapon, it is a tool. And to show that with the right intent and proper training, can save lives.

. His teaching method is unconventional, and he will find ways to make the learning experience more fun and engaging.

. Great for hand to hand combat lessons tho he can get carried away sometimes. Considering his experience, I bet he knows tricks and techniques that even Death doesn't know about. This guy will probably show you how to fight like in the streets so you are prepared

. His worst fear is that you get in trouble or hurt because of your lack of knowledge and experience. The last thing he would want to happen is to lose his friend due to a mistake.

. Strife would stay up and help study with you no matter how boring or long. He doesn't want to miss the opportunity to help you and or get you to bed when you need it.

. Knows the importance of mental health, and so is not afraid to get you to relax every now and then.

. Guaranteed he will sneak into the academy just to hang out with you.

. In all, is very happy for you, and would support you no matter what you choose to do in that career

Fury

. At first doesn't know what it's about, until you explain just what FBI mean. Now she would be intrigued and impressed.

. But just because your her human friend doesn't mean you get special praise for it. Because unlike her brothers, is not always helping you 24/7

. Her interpretation, you got in on your own Merit, so it should be you putting in the work to achieve it.

But this doesn't mean that she won't help you if asked, or be there in her own way.

. She won't run with you, but she will help carry your water bottle and time you if need be.

. Also don't put her near paper work. She despises being near the things that make doing simple things harder.

. Out of the four, is actually the best self-defense teacher and sparring partner. Fury understands what the human body can take, and what it's capable of. So she would understand restraint and techniques to show you so you are prepared.

Like War would absolutely adopt the Dodge tactic of teaching. Except less soft and more direct physical objects. (She would definitely use objects of value to you to incur initiative to catch it, or get better faster so she won't have to)

. She is the only female horsemen, hence her fierceness and passion to get better, which meant learning the importance of patience. Which is something she shows you is vital to your teaching and future plans.

. Could be helpful with firearms, if only for improving your aim and using projectile weapons.

. Despite her demeanor, is willing to show you the ropes then leave it up to you to continue practicing. Even she understands that sometimes her way isn't the best, and advises you to do it your way or the human way if it would lead to better results.

. Only after your graduation would she praise you. In this sense she's like Death, where like you earned your place at the Academy, you had to earn the praise from her for putting in the effort and training. Because life does not give things freely, and the best things to have are those you have earned.

Thanks for the ask, and I wish you luck!