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selfdestructivecat · 5 months

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I’ve seen quite a few posts in response to Thomas’ recent video, specifically his year in review. In this video, he discusses the setbacks he’s faced the past few years — such as the quarantine, Joan’s departure, and his own personal doubts and insecurities — and how they impacted the production of Sanders Sides.

And I truly sympathize with him. No, seriously! It’s already difficult to create something this big almost entirely on your own, but I’m sure this year only made things even more difficult. I know I’ve definitely felt insecure to the point of feeling sick when it came to things I created, so I can empathize with the enormous amount pressure he must be feeling.

However, many posts I’ve seen following this video are saying things along the lines of “If people still criticize Thomas after this video, then I’m going to lose it” or “Not that people who criticize Thomas even care, but Thomas really struggled this year. I’m with him all the way!”, or even “I bet SaSi critics will still demand the finale even after this. I doubt they’ll even watch the video!”

I want to clarify that this is obviously not everyone who doesn’t like ts criticism. People who block criticism blogs and/or the tag, who ignore criticism in general, or who feel upset when they see criticism of something they love: this is not about you. You are absolutely valid and entitled to feeling the way you do, and I hope you have a lovely day. Feel free to block me if that would be good for your mental health. Please take care of yourself. /gen

But to those vocally condemning ts critics, I want to make several things clear.

First of all, you are lumping everyone who criticizes the show in with people who demand the finale with no regard for Thomas’ well-being, for the well-being of his crew, and for basic common sense. While many people are upset that the finale isn’t out yet, we aren’t specifically mad that we don’t have a completed video to watch; rather, we are frustrated with what this says about the SaSi crew, their work ethic, and how they treat fans of the show.

We aren’t upset that we can’t watch the finale right now. We are upset that we’ve gotten very few updates about the show during this period between canon episodes. This video provided wonderful insight into why the finale has been delayed, and we would have loved something like this years ago. Obviously it didn’t have to be a 20 minute video, but maybe a Twitter thread? Something small that made us feel heard?

Hell, even announcing an official hiatus would have satisfied the vast majority of critics (myself included), instead of throwing SaSi into this limbo of “Oh it’s going to be finished this year, we promise- oh whoops, never mind! Next year for sure!” It’s been a constant chain of broken promises, and we were more than happy to give the crew some grace the first few times, but after a while, a repeated mistake becomes a pattern. And this pattern is not pretty.

We are upset that the crew seems incredibly disorganized (going back to the lack of updates, and of course taking into account how we haven’t gotten even a single part of the finale in five years), which could affect the quality of this series we all love so dearly. beauty-and-passion has spoken about this a lot (and is a lot more eloquent than me lmao, please go check out their stuff!) The most recent Christmas video seems to demonstrate that the series may be on the right track, and I will admit I was wrong in regards to this video, but the Inside Out video is a mess in so many ways. Even if this doesn’t prove a decline in quality, it certainly indicates a lack of consistency, which can be just as damning for a series.

We are upset that, while SaSi is in this limbo, Thomas seems to have been focusing on his other projects without telling us about this change in priority. He is welcome to pursue other projects, obviously. I’m thrilled that he is having fun with Roleslaying with Roman and My Roommate is Hades. But these new projects have come at the cost of Sanders Sides content, which also points towards a lack of organization. Some clarity towards which projects Thomas chooses to focus on would have been wonderful and greatly appreciated, so that we know not to expect something we won’t receive. And hey, maybe if we knew not to expect SaSi content until much later, maybe we wouldn’t have been constantly asking why we weren’t receiving SaSi content?

(And this is not an excuse for aggressively demanding content, obviously. But I feel like people who are confused and frustrated at not receiving something promised to them are justified in these feelings.)

And maybe we’re jumping to conclusions in many regards. I won’t pretend that we are prophets who can peer into Thomas’ mind and know what he’s thinking and feeling at all times. But it’s pretty damn difficult to say that NONE of the above could suggest that Sanders Sides isn’t held in the same regard as it once was. Hell, Thomas even admits in the video that he doesn’t feel as connected with these characters as he once did.

Second, many people attacking critics are also quick to drag their character. We are impatient, greedy, selfish, and cruel. We don’t care about Thomas; we only care about the end product! More Sanders Sides at any cost! We don’t like critical thinking, since we obviously didn’t watch the video; we only want to find mean things to say about Thomas and the show! We don’t like engaging in civil debate with our fellow Fanders who may disagree with our opinions; we only want to make other people feel bad, and to make others hate the show, too!

Well, guess what? You’re doing to us exactly what you think we’re doing to Thomas: you’re assuming the absolute worst of us and looking for any reason to drag us down.

We are critics. We analyze media (media that we love, mind you) and we acknowledge that it isn’t perfect, that the creators aren’t perfect, and we point it out. But we still love it anyway, because to truly love something is to love it with its flaws, to know that it could be better, to brainstorm how it could reach its true potential, and to keep doing so because you believe in this potential.

We aren’t trying to take away the joy you feel from Sanders Sides. So please don’t try to take away ours.

#ts criticism #ts critical #sanders sides criticism #my ramblings

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possessionisamyth · 1 year

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Thank you for the reply. Part of the reason I asked this is while I think maybe Capcom is moving Ada away from the dragon lady stereotype, some elements of it still remain (her outfit is still meant to be very obvious sex appeal for starters). Ada's a character I sometimes struggle in understanding how I feel about and no two fans ever quite seem to agree on what she's all about (I'm not even sure if I can say her putting herself first is a totally accurate reading of her depiction RE2 remake but could apply to RE4 remake) . It can make for a frustrating, interesting discussion or even both.

I guess that's my weird way of saying I hope Capcom develops Ada as a character and makes her feel like a person. I certainly hope she's given an actual origin some time soon given just about every character is. The whole mystery thing is what I think contributes to issues with her character, even more than her sexualized design.

Anyway thanks again.

Oh yeah! I totally get the whole everyone's response to Ada is different when we cut out the people who hate her for misogyny reasons and the people who love her so much they erase all her flaws for ship/slash stuff. The people who have mixed/negative feelings about her due to charged racial depictions and the femme fatale stereotype mix in with the people who have positive feelings about her due to getting any representation or who love women characters that aren't there to serve the stereotypical romantic interest storyline that leads to erased personality + marriage and kids (fuck you boring writers!!!!).

I would argue that even RE2R Ada is still looking out for herself first, but Leon's actions and behavior challenged it in a way she was completely unfamiliar with navigating. Which is why she fails at maintaining the persona, and that's also super interesting to me as it deepens her character. When she swings back into the persona for RE4R, and she's suddenly the one on the opposite side of the RE2R dynamic with Leon, she's forced to push harder in order to dig into the little cracks Leon has, and she's successful! And it's like she's reclaiming that power she probably thought she lost when dealing with him in RE2R.

I know a lot of people were trying to defend the sweater dress in RE4R, but got quickly slammed down saying "no, it's still skin tight, it's still sexualized, let's not do this", and they're right. Not wearing the thigh high boots when I need sturdy coverage and as little restriction to run when dealing with hordes of ganados.

But we're on the same boat! I want Capcom to unfuck her character by maintaining a group of writers and directors who give a shit and want to do better by making her as human and well thought out over the game series as excellently as they did with Ashley and Luis in a single game. I'm not sure about origin stories. This might be one of those copyright owner scenarios where they say attaching characters to a childhood past limits their room to narratively spread as adult characters. Which is a thing. Using Lupin III as an example, fans were super lucky to have gotten Lupin Zero at all. In fact, I have a high suspicion NOT FACT that it's only because one of the ancient copyright holders who would give it the veto might've died.

I don't know much about Capcom and how the copyright holders function, but I do know they tell all the directors what they can and can't do with the characters. So we'll see! Thank you!!!

#re #resident evil #cbros5 #heh nothing personal kid #re analysis

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hero-deserves-to-be-happy · 1 month

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aaa that snippet makes me so excited for the next part of when sun shines!! been absolutely loving the series so far and am eager to see hero and zoey meet proper!! :o

Awww thank you so much for sending in this ask, Anon! 💙 It made my whole day, and I know I speak for both Sprinkles & myself when I say that it really means so much to both of us to hear that you’re so invested in “When Sun Shines Again” and excited for the next part! It’s so flattering and encouraging to hear that other people are interested in our work, especially a story that is so dear to us.

To be honest, I’ve been struggling a lot with the next chapter (which is now so long it’ll (probably) have to be 2 chapters 😅) thus why there has been such a delay. I was sharing some of my frustrations with Sprinkles the other day and groaning (somewhat jokingly) “Is anyone even going to care if this ever, actually gets written?” (lol) 😅 So needless to say I really needed to hear this, Anon! Thank you so much for sharing how much you’ve been enjoying this series and how excited you are for the story to continue.

I'm going to include some unsolicited ramblings about the origins of "When Sun Shines Again" and a little bit about why it's so humbling and flattering to hear that you're so interested and invested in it (apologies in advance for even more ramblings from me!), but I've put it under the cut (since I've rambled enough already and it get into some OMORI spoilers 😅).

To wrap up here, however, thank you so much again for such a kind ask and your encouragement! I'm extra determined to wrap up these chapters for you, Anon! 🥺 Please don't ever be shy about reaching out to us, especially if you want to talk about "When Sun Shines Again." ⛅ Cheers & much love to you! 💙

"When Sun Shines Again" is such niche project and, in a lot of ways, an unexpected one given how much everyone (Sprinkles and myself included) absolutely love HeroMari and desperately wish they could have gotten their happy ending. Sprinkles' often makes the joke that "Of course, I want Hero to be happy and move on & love again if that's what he wants. I just don't want to know about it" (lol 😅😂). In that way, it honestly shocks me sometimes to learn that anyone is actually interested in this project. I certainly wouldn't blame anyone for not having it as their cup of tea, and genuinely thought "no one is going to read this" when I started posting it, so it has been such a flattering and encouraging experience to hear that people are interested and even invested in exploring this and considering what Hero's life after Mari might look like.

As much as I can get absolutely squealy over Mari Lives AUs where Hero and Mari get to live happily ever after together, at the end of the day, I feel like they don't comfort me, personally, because I know that the reality is that Hero has to learn to live in a world without her. And after spending several weeks listening to sad love songs and crying about HeroMari in my backyard after finishing the game (almost a year ago), I remember just genuinely thinking “Is Hero going to be okay?” and really trying to ponder what that would be like and what his future would look like.

I remember the first time I asked Sprinkles, “Do you think Hero is ever going to love again?” and she said, “No.”

I said, “Well what if he did?” And we kind of had this discussion about how neither of us had any ideas about what that would even be like. But I was feeling determined so I remember saying to her "I'm going to figure this out and get back to you."

I took that very seriously and did a lot of research and pondering and eventually came to the conclusion that Hero didn't have to be "ready" to put himself out there and actively pursue a relationship with just anybody (i.e. go a bunch of blind dates or try online dating or something like that), but he could eventually be ready to love a particular person. It's not so much that he's ready to love again in the general sense, but more that he's ready to love that person (in this case, to love Zoey specifically). And even that was going to take an extremely long time.

Using this as a jumping off place, I had this idea of what if Hero had this extremely slow burn with a friend of his from college who is spunky, smart, a little snarky, and really focused on her ambitions and her career (so she isn't just waiting around for a decade for him to be ready to date her). She's confident in herself and isn't threatened or insecure about Hero's love for Mari, rather she is actually very sensitive to his pain and his grief. She's intuitive enough to know that he's lonely and is kind enough to encourage him that he can open up to her and can share these things that are incredibly difficult for him to talk about. (And she was always a redhead in my mind too but that's not that important).

I named her "Zoey" because it means "Life" from the word ζω meaning "to live" (thank you high school level Greek class) which is what I wanted so desperately for Hero. I wanted him to live and to have a life even after everything that he's been through. That life doesn't have to include moving on, loving again, and settling down, but if it did that's what Zoey represents. (Though, to be fair, I did ask Sprinkles' if the name was a little too on the nose 😂).

After I had this vague vision, I took this very barebones idea back to Sprinkles and she encouraged me that I should write this story. I told her, "I don't think anyone will read it" 😅 But she said she would, so I decided to write it for her and for myself. That said, it means the absolute world to me to hear that other people out there are interested and that they want this story too.

It started off very small, but it grew into something much bigger because I think "When Sun Shines Again" is about so much more than just Hero eventually falling in love again. It's about Hero finding healing, finding people who love and support him, and ultimately finding himself and his sense of purpose again. Even Zoey isn't just there to eventually date him, at least I hope not! (I was thrilled and incredibly touched that you mentioned her in your ask! Thank you for that!🥺💕) It's important to me that she has a whole life and a purpose outside of just being a love interest for Hero and that they have this deep and meaningful platonic friendship which would be just as beautiful even if it remained purely platonic between them and Hero was never ready to move on and never wanted to take it to a romantic place.

I think is why I actually started with "Am I Ready For Love Or Maybe Just A Best Friend?" which is mostly about their platonic friendship and Hero finally opening up about his grief and how much still loves and misses Mari. I always go back to that heartbreaking line in the game on One Day Left when Hero says, "I've been so busy with school and studying, I don't really have time to make friends anymore." He's so alone at a time in his life when he is most in need of the support of people who love him. Even if Hero never loves Zoey romantically, there's something beautiful and something important in him having a friendship with someone who says to him, "You can open up to me. It's safe. You're not going to hurt me" and for him to believe her.

From there we created this whole group of friends for Hero to have at college. We tried to be very thoughtful in the creation of them and really just wanted Hero to have these people in his life who love and support him and who he can hopefully (one day) open up to without the fear of hurting them (or of bumping into their own wounds and grief surrounding Mari's death) so he can really start to heal. We felt strongly that those degrees of separation for Mari were really crucial, though there were many discussions (and some disagreements) about how similar Hero's friends (and especially his eventual love interest) should or shouldn't be to Mari. In a way, I think every single one of Hero's friends that we've made up has something in them that parallels Mari at least in some small way whether it's Lorraine being giggly and talented arts & crafts or Kyle's having an injured knee. (Tamra is probably the most like her, but I digress... This is all a discussion for another time, perhaps).

The truth is that Mari is irreplaceable, but that doesn't Hero mean can't build meaningful relationships with other people. His new friends don't have to be Mari, and they don't have to replace her either. Moving on doesn't mean having to forget.

And that's really what this new section of the story is all about so, needless to say, we are so excited to finally get there and are so happy to hear that others are excited too. Thank you so much for all of all your support and encouragement! Take care 💙

#thank you so much for this anon!#you're so sweet #it means so much to hear that you love 'when sun shines again'#honestly teared up a little when i read this ask #i'm determined to finish the next chapter now #expect to be thanked in the author's note #also please stop by any time to talk about this project!#it is so encouraging to hear the thoughts & feedback of others #and that people care about our work #thank you so much for this!!#mod ramblings #answered asks #when sun shines again ⛅

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oonajaeadira · 2 years

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The Sentimental Defacement of Homemade Cookies

(CHRISTMAS COOKIES - Sweets Series)

Rating: T. Fluffy AF.

Fandom: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Pairing: Javi Gutierrez and f!reader (not truly “paired” in this fic, but “potential,” definitely real care between them)

Warnings: soft!Javi G. He just…ruins me. Stupid amounts of fluff and joy.

Summary: Javi is your boss, and you’re making some cookies.

A/N: I wasn’t gonna write for Javi G until the movie came out. But then the Writer Wednesday prompt appeared and I COULDN’T HELP MYSELF BECAUSE I LOVE HIM ALREADY.

Thank you to @autumnleaves1991-blog and @clydesducktape for their amazing work prompting, organizing, and compiling Writer Wednesday!

You’re piping an eyebrow onto a gingerbread man and he goes from surprised to pissed off in an instant when you jump at Javi’s entrance behind you–

“Oh! Sunday! You are here! What are you doing in the kitchen? We have a cook if you need something made…where is…the cook…”

You can hear him spinning wildly in the huge villa kitchen as if he can’t just be satisfied with turning his head.

“It’s his day off, Mr. Gutierrez, remember? He’s going to be cooking all day tomorrow to prepare for your Christmas party so it’s better for him to take today than–”

“Are these for the party!?” He swoops in and grabs a cookie off your sheet, a snowflake, the prettiest one, the one you piped the heaviest detail on before deciding it was too much effort to do the whole batch like that and decided to save it especially for…

…the absolute look of glee on his face as he bites into it…you can’t be mad at that.

He stands there in a light colored button up, sleeves rolled up, looking very casual and comfortable, (even though you know exactly how expensive that shirt was), breezy, beautiful curls moving in the cross current between the windows of the open space.

“Mmm! This is wonderful–what is this?” He takes another bite, studying the cookie top and bottom as if it has a designer label on it, and you barely hold back a laugh as you turn back to the piping.

“It’s just a soft ginger cookie with almond icing. They’re my grandmother’s recipe. I was missing home so I thought I’d make some. And no. They’re not for the party.”

You can feel him hovering over your shoulder, no sense of personal space. It’s something you’ve gotten used to in the months of being his personal assistant, come to realize he isn’t threatening, just…earnest?

Genuine. Javi is genuine. Without pretense. Sure, he may treat you more like a friend than an assistant and you may sometimes have to be the one to remind him that you do have to get work done for him from time to time. You’ve learned that he prefers your shoulder to a tissue when he weeps (often), and that he expresses his happiest emotions by squeezing anything near him…which is frequently you (more often). But. He treats you kindly and gives you run of the house, actually listens to you when you have advice or schedules to heap on him, gives you everything you ask for without question, seemingly frustrated that you use that advantage sparingly. He wants your opinion constantly, refusing to buy an article of clothing unless you say the words “yes for God’s sake buy it if you want it, it would look good on you,” assigns you movie scripts to read so he can have somebody to discuss them with at ungodly hours of the night, and trusts you so much that he insists you be the one to pick out the selection for Sunday movie night (courtyard viewing, mandatory attendance by the entire house and staff).

At first, you thought this last detail was why he called you Sunday. But he had blinked at that assumption and explained “Like the movie. His Girl Friday. You are my Girl Friday. But Sunday is more special than Friday. It is a holy day and you are sweet like an angel. And there’s sun in it. Sunday fits better. My Girl Sunday.”

That had set you staring out over the water from the balcony, with probably the stupidest look on your gob, not sure if you felt more amused or touched. It was the first of many genuine moments when Javi would make you understand without warning or filter just how absurdly highly he valued you, and you’ve since gotten better at schooling your face.

In the warm, sunlit kitchen, he dips his own face low around your shoulder into your periphery, blatantly worried. “You are missing home? Let me send you home for Christmas.You can use my jet, my pilot. I could call him–”

You laugh, piping a perfect grin on a gingerbread man. “Thank you, Mr. Gutierrez. I am completely capable of calling on Mateo myself. I’ve arranged many flights for you, remember?”

“Do you want to go?”

The sincere concern in his voice tears your attention away from the sheet of cookies and into his pained, puppy-dog eyes.

“No, sir. Truly. I’m happy to be here. I wouldn’t miss your Christmas party for the world.” Judging by that smile, you’ve just made his entire week. He loves a good party and you know nothing would make him happier than if you were there for it. You help him turn it up a notch with a quiet smile of your own…and by taking his hand and curling it around the piping bag. “You wanna help me with these?”

Ever willing and eager, he steps up to the counter, surveying the wintery shapes in front of him, none of them native to the south of Spain, but welcome and delightful to him all the same. “What do I do?” The question is warranted, but of course he doesn’t wait for an answer and just squeezes the bag hard, giving one gingerbread man a very large, very pornographic appendage–

–and getting red icing all over his very expensive shirt in the process.

Your shriek causes him to jump. “Shit! Oh no! No! Shiiiiiit….” Immediately grabbing for a towel, you try to mitigate the damage of the red dye on the pastel silk, your hands shaking, all a fluster.

But he collects your hands, calmly--so calmly--closing them in completely with his own, immediately doing whatever he can to put an end to your dismay. “Shhh. Shhh, Sunday, it is alright. Don’t worry about this.”

“Aw shit, I’m sorry. It’s such a nice shirt… I just…I really like it…”

“Shh. It is alright. I have two more! Do you want one?”

The unannounced laugh this pulls out of you yanks all of the panic away with it and you relax into it, closing your eyes and shaking your head. “No, sir. Thank you. I should have given you an apron. That’s on me.”

“Well, no,” he says, smiling brightly, anticipating his own joke, “It is on my shirt.” As you continue to press your lips into a straight line and shake your head through a suppressed giggle, he jostles your shoulder lightly and grins widely into your face. “You get it, huh? It is on me? Because the red is on my shirt?”

“Yes, yes okay! Stop trying to cheer me up. I’m cheered. Mercy!”

Once you’ve both exploded in laughter again and calmed down with a sigh, he looks over the carnage on the counter. It’s not too bad.

“I’m sorry that I have ruined your beautiful work. I hope these are not for anything special.”

Your sigh arrives heavily with the knowledge of what comes next, ready to surrender to a truly Christmasy moment. “They are, Mr. Gutierrez. They’re for you.”

He gasps, wide, slowly. Genuinely. Just like he does everything else. “Really??”

“Yes, sir,” you smile. “Dig in. I’d tell you to wait until the icing’s set, but it doesn’t really matter now.” You indicate the stain on his–again–very cringingly expensive shirt.

But he doesn’t notice. Doesn’t care. He’s just looking at the cookies like they’re worth ten silk shirts. A thousand shirts.

Or–you can almost hear him saying it–just one of you.

It causes your cheeks to flood with warmth.

“Can I have the one with the dick?” he whispers.

You school your face.

“Yes, sir. You can have the one with the dick. You can have them all. Merry Christmas.”

________________

SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

#writer wednesday #tuwomt #javi gutierrez #javi g x reader #the unbearable weight of massive talent

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bigassheart · 4 years

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I’ve seen a couple posts about how everyone was wildly out of character and totally inconsistent this season and I’m just like... were you guys paying attention?

1. Luther

Arguably the biggest shift in character between the two seasons, but it makes sense. Luther spent a year fending for himself and thinking his entire family was dead.

This is the first time in his life that he had to hold down a job and actually live on his own. It was literally his first time living out in the world among anyone other than his family, and you can see in his reactions with the other characters from that life (the boss, his landlord, those kids that idolize him, and the waitress) that it has really mellowed him out. It has allowed him to be more normal, despite being very much not normal. You can see the way he’s so much more comfortable in his skin. Literally the only times he looks uncomfortable is when he’s fighting people, shirt off and body on full display. He’s still not comfortable with that, but he’s not trying to hide under huge overcoats anymore. He has people in his life who accept him for being a little weird, but really do treat him normal.

So is he a little less uptight and mission focused? Yeah. Because he can finally see another life, and it’s the life that he honestly did want in season 1 but felt like he couldn’t have because he was number 1 and he had a responsibility to his dad, his family, and the academy to be the leader. Having a year on his own frees him of all that.

But he also spent all that time thinking his family was dead and feeling so guilty about it. You can see in his very first interaction with Vanya, where he suddenly feels that responsibility again. He brings a gun, not knowing what’s going to happen and, despite what he told Five, he absolutely does still have that lingering feeling of responsibility. But then he sees Vanya and she’s not a threat and everything he has been holding in for the last year comes out. Because he does feel guilty as hell for what he did to Vanya, but also for the fact that his actions pushed her into causing the apocalypse. He spent a year with the knowledge that he did that and thinking that his family was dead because of his actions.

He’s willing to listen now because he spent a year living in a world where his actions killed his whole family. And now he finds out that that didn’t happen and he has a second chance. Of course he’s going to take it!

2. Diego

In the first season, Diego finally admitted that he wanted to be close to his family and that he cared about them and wouldn’t leave them again. He confronted the guilt about leaving, which he had previously denied. He realized the difference between revenge and honoring someone’s memory. But despite all that, he never confronted the reason why he, a grown-ass-man, wandered around the city as a leather clad, mask wearing vigilante.

So when we see Diego show up in 1963, that’s still who he is. He wants to be that hero and he finds an answer for how to be that hero in the first several minutes that he’s there. So he takes it. I mean, what else is he going to do? His family is gone. Maybe they’ll show up again. Maybe this is it. Either way, he’s on his own like he was before, so he’s got a duty to be the hero he has chosen to be.

And then he meets his dad again. Everyone keeps telling him he has daddy issues, and they’re right. He absolutely has daddy issues. He’s still trying to simultaneously prove that he’s good enough for his dad, but also doesn’t need Daddy’s approval. Except he does need it. He still desperately craves it and he feels gutted when his dad denies him that approval, even falling back into the stutter he had as a kid.

Now, despite the way we joke, Diego is not dumb. He is so observant and he makes some of the most poignant statements about his siblings and the way they see the world. He sees the people around them and he understands them, but he has never been able to completely turn that gift inwards and see those same things in himself. In this season, Lila breaks through all that and he finally sees himself in her at the end.

“Do you know how hard it is to trust people when your whole childhood was bullshit manipulation? Then why would you do that to me?”

Diego sees himself in Lila, in her failure to break away from her mother despite the fact that he knows she wants to. In the final episode, he sees that she is just like the rest of the siblings, but she doesn’t have to be. None of them have to be stuck with their daddy issues, because they have each other. They can support and care for each other. It’s the last step of the growth he started in season 1, moving beyond his tendency to define his life and his family through their father.

3. Allison

Throughout season 1, Allison struggled with whether or not to use her powers, but it was all centered around getting back to her daughter. When she appears in 1961, that motivation is effectively removed. She thinks everyone else is dead. She thinks that she is stranded in the past and that she will never get back. She finds a group of people to support her and before long... she finds her voice again.

It’s no coincidence that Allison’s first spoken words in the series come right after she gives Ray that pamphlet with a bunch of added notes. She finds her voice in the civil rights movement. She finds her power there. She finds a way to help change the world, to change reality, and she does it without her powers.

This is something she struggled with through the entirety of season 1, feeling inadequate for using her powers to get what she wanted, not knowing if anything was real or earned. Now she has the chance to earn everything without those powers and she is thriving.

And then she is forced to use her powers again. It all turns out fine, but now she’s showing off and experiencing all over again how good it feels to have power. She spent two years in a world where she was denied equal treatment, where she could be arrested and assaulted for any reason those with more power came up with. And now she feels that power... She doesn’t have to wait for people to give her respect. She can demand it. But the pain is still there, and it’s not enough to just be respected, because these people have hurt her. They almost killed her husband. They have used their power to cause pain to her and all those who look like her time and time again and now it’s time to understand what it’s like to be powerless, to be hurt and to be unable to stop it and...

And it’s scary. It’s scary to have that much power, to see how you could become the kind of person who uses your power to hurt others. And she knows that her power has hurt people she loves and suddenly she’s right back where she started.

Only not entirely.

She doesn’t shy away from her powers in the final fight. She is obviously still finding that balance and I would expect this struggle to continue for her in future seasons. Power can be addicting and Allison’s power is so strong. She knows the danger there, but she also knows that sometimes it’s needed despite the danger.

4. Klaus

Klaus is an addict. He finds obsessions to bury himself in to avoid dealing with reality. In season 1, he buried himself in drugs and booze. When he shows up in the 60′s, he finds a new drug to bury himself in: adoration.

Klaus is so impulsive and it’s not difficult to connect the dots of how one thing leads to another until suddenly everything is out of his control. Honestly, that’s the story of Klaus’s life, no matter where he goes. And then something changes. He gets tired of his cult and leaves. Except... that’s not really the reason.

After all this time, Dave is still the love of his life, and he knows he has an opportunity. He knows where Dave will be at this one time and he knows exactly what he has to change to keep Dave alive.

He also knows that Ben is going to have thoughts about this.

I know some people were disappointed that there wasn’t more Klaus and Ben bonding this season, but it makes sense that there is tension there. I think a lot of that tension comes from Ben’s circumstances, which I’ll discuss later, but Klaus is also not responding to that tension well.

They are fighting more than ever (not that they ever didn’t fight in season 1, where they spent much of their time being snarky to each other and Ben literally punching Klaus in the face for being an asshole), but the fighting is about something new this season. Ben wants his own life and Klaus is not in a position to give Ben what he really wants. We also learn that he has been carrying around this guilt for the last 17 years about forcing Ben to stick around as a ghost. He forced this half-life on his brother and now that it’s not enough for Ben, Klaus doesn’t want to deal with it. So he avoids and deflects and snarks and we see the toll on their relationship. We see it in the way he tries to deal with his plans around Dave entirely on his own. He focuses so much into that last ditch effort. He’s already in such a low place before this, so when that fails, we see him snap. We see him give up and crumble. And Ben falls back to his old role, trying to save Klaus from himself.

But the tension isn’t gone and Klaus’s guilt isn’t gone. We see it again when Klaus finally agrees to let Ben possess him. Klaus has always been afraid of his powers and being possessed is just as terrifying a thought as being surrounded by the dead. And yet he gives Ben that chance. It’s the last good thing he can do at that point.

I do wish we had gotten more closure for Klaus and Ben’s story. I think Vanya’s reveal could have been given a little more time, but that’s not really a problem with inconsistent characterization, so we’ll save that for another post.

5. Five

OK, who would argue that Five was out of character or inconsistent? He’s obsessed with stopping the apocalypse, is willing to cross a lot of lines to save his family, and constantly frustrated by his family’s failure to go along with his plans. This is textbook Five.

What I loved about this season was that we got to see Five finally meeting his father again. They interact as two adults, not as a child trying to find away to become his own person, frustrated by a lack of trust from his father. It allows Reggie to see Five in a different light and to actually provide advice in a constructive way, something he has almost never been able to do when viewing them as his children. But despite outward appearances and despite the fact that Five is a grown man, he still sees his father the same way he always has. He doesn’t register Reggie’s advice as advice. He hears that he’s striving beyond his abilities and that maybe he can only travel in seconds. He hears his father telling him he can’t handle time travel. That’s why he doesn’t try to actually take the very good advice until the very end.

An old dog can still occasionally learn a new trick and Five proves that true.

6. Ben

As I mentioned earlier, Ben is chaffing at his ghosthood. Maybe it’s because Klaus has been sober enough to keep Ben around solidly for 3 years. Maybe it’s because Ben is no longer spending all his time trying to keep Klaus alive and sober. Or maybe it’s the fact that he has finally found someone that he actually wants to spend time with. Whatever the reason, Ben wants to be alive this season.

Again, as I mentioned, that’s causing some tension. Ben doesn’t want to be tied to Klaus, but Klaus is ignoring that because he feels so guilty about it. Ben doesn’t want to admit that he was too scared to go into the light on his own, so they’re at a bit of a standstill.

And then Ben gets the opportunity to be alive again, if only for a while. And in a lot of ways, it’s wonderful! But it’s not the same as being truly alive.

So when the time comes, when he’s faced with that light again... he’s not afraid. He knows that it’s time to move on. He knows this isn’t where he should be, but he also got the chance to be there for his family. He misses them, but he got to talk to Diego and Vanya. He got to save Vanya. He got to save Allison and Diego and Klaus and Luther and Five and the whole world! So while he would have stayed, he’s not sad about leaving anymore, and he’s not afraid.

7. Vanya

OK, she was a little out of character because... you know. She had amnesia.

But aside from erasing her past, the amnesia allowed us to see Vanya without the anger and resentment that plagued her for all of season one. Vanya was always someone who was kind and loving, someone who cares enough to leave peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches out for a missing brother for years. Someone who knows the pain of not being seen and who will always take the time to truly see other people. She’s someone who wants to love and to be loved and to protect those she loves.

That was all here, with or without the memories. And as soon as the memories came back, so did the guilt and fear about what she had done, what she had become, terrified of what was inside her in a way that she was not when her powers first surfaced. But Ben is used to being afraid of what’s inside of him. He knows she’s not a monster and is the perfect person to explain that to her. And this time around, she has experienced the love and care and attention of her siblings (and Sissy) to back up those words. That’s how she finally accepts them as truth, how she finally accepts her power as a part of her.

Overall, there are things that I wish this season spent more time with, but there was nothing that I felt was out of character or wildly inconsistent. The characters still struggled with all the baggage from their shitty childhood, their fear of their powers, and the guilt in their past. Some struggled in new ways this season and some continued old struggles that had never fully been resolved. The season felt very different than the first, but it still felt like the Umbrella Academy. It was a good mix of new and old and a good mix of feel-good moments we have all been waiting for and frustrating and sad moments that just come with having a complicated family. I loved this season. And now, I’m going to go re-watch every episode.

#tua s2 spoilers #tua season 2 #tua analysis #The Umbrella Academy #tua #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #alison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves

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sparkbeast20 · 3 years

Text

You're my Treasure (Mammon X MC) Pt5

The Blue Lotus petals (series)

As a fan of Beauty X Beast pairing, Showing your “true self” to Lover or (Monster Love) Tropes. I figure to make a (More Demonic Forms AU/head canon) story for each brothers. heads up each brother’s Story is long as fuck. So, I’ll be posting them as parts and finishing one brother before moving on to the rest of them.

(spoiler for lesson 1-60)

Pt1 Pt2 Pt3 Pt4

Warning: Swearing, Demonic nature, mention of Pain, Vomiting, Attempted Murder

Previously

He let go of his lips and stare at himself in the mirror.

“What the hell is happening to me?”

“You know, you kinda look cute with longer hair” you cooed Mammon playing with his hair which gotten longer, while his playing poker on his D.D.D

“Really Asmo hate it, he said I look like a banshee” he turns off his D.D.D and turn around to look at you.

“Hey! Asmo might be the demon with the eye in beauty. But you’re dating me and…… I kinda have a thing for dudes you long hair”

“Oh, if that so, Maybe I’ll keep this~” he slowly lean closer about to kiss you when you two hear a police whistle and froze in mid kiss.

“PDA officer, you’re under arrest for violating probation, after your incident of two week ago” Levi announcing himself with one hand rise up halt and the other holding a whistle near he’s mouth.

“Tch, oh please I can do what I want with y/n when no one’s home, you can’t just~”

“Y/n!” Luke voice startle you and Mammon, causing you to push him off of you.

“Hi Luke” Luke walks in, saw you and rush over for a hug, while Mammon quickly got on his feet and fix himself and smile to Luke like, he didn’t try to do something naughty.

“Eh? What were you two doing a moment ago?”

“Nothing!” you two screams in unions, just make the little angel more confuse, while in the background Levi glare at Mammon, Lucifer facepalm, Simeon smile, and Solomon chuckles behind his hand.

“While you two are doing “nothing” Lord Diavolo call to Summon all seven of us to the castle at once” Lucifer broke the awkward silent.

“Eh? Why are the angels and Shady here” Mammon asks?

“They’re here to accompany y/n while we're at the castle”

“Lucifer is it necessary, I’ll be okay alone in the house and I don’t want to trouble the three”

“Nonsense” Solomon spoke while walking over to you “we are more then happy staying with you here, beside this is a perfect opportunity to practices some defensive spells”

As Solomon and you are talking, Mammon notice something isn’t right, he glazes over to Lucifer and Simeon who are whispering at each other.

Once every brother gathers at the front door, that when stood up from the couch where you two are sitting.

“Hey” he calls to you and look back “Are ya sure you’ll be, okay? Maybe I can ask Lucifer for me to stay~” he was cut off, by you kissing him on the lips and hug him tightly.

“I’ll be okay, beside I don’t think that Lucifer will let you skip this one” you look at him with eye of caring. He quickly kisses the top of your head and hug you tighter. Then he hears a voice.

Don’t leave them!

Startle he look around the room to see where the voice came from.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing” as he said it, you can feel his hold on you gotten tighter.

“Mammon! Let’s go” Asmo calls him to the front door.

“Be back soon kay’” with one final kiss on the top of your head, he let’s go and start walking to the door.

“What took you so long” Satan asks as he got there.

“I was hugging y/n….” Mammon trail off for a moment “Lucifer, do I have to go with you guys. I don’t want to trouble Simeon and Solomon~”

“Lord Diavolo called for all of us to came to the castle. I don’t want to hear anymore complaining from any of us. Especially you Mammon. End of discussion” Lucifer stern voice, silent the rest of the brothers.

He opens the door and when out first, follow by Satan, Asmo, and Belphie. While Levi and Beel look over to Mammon who has an angry look on his face, before following the rest out.

Mammon standing there think about how Lucifer always single him out all the time. Does Lucifer see him as a failure because of the casino incident or is it he and the rest of his brothers see him as nothing more than a scumbag and a joke. All then negative think he been hold back final spirally in his head. Which didn’t happen back then it’s not like his brothers never get the same treatment. But something about how sees Lucifer right now kinda piss him off.

He stomps his way out and close the door behind him. And process to the follow his brother from afar on their way to the castle.

“He’s loose!” Shock to what he just heard. Mammon can’t believe it,

“He tries to kill y/n two weeks ago.”

“I understand your upset Mammon, but we are doing all we can to find Basto as we speak. But that demon has powerful connection So, is going to be difficult to track him and~”

“KILL HIM!” he cuts Barbatos off, with a deeper voice. While Lucifer is at his last patients with Mammon right now.

“Mammon! Control your tone~”

“NO!! I will not control my “TONE” when there’s a demon out there ready to attack me or y/n because of my irresponsibility. I should be with my mate right! But NO. you knew and you didn’t told me or the rest of us” Mammon is fuming. He storm off out of the throne room as the brothers watches and Lucifer frustrated.

“Apologies Lord Diavolo, I’ll remain my brother to control his temper”

“No need Lucifer, I understand Mammon distress. But I want to help him right now, I’m not why but you must not let his anger over come him” with that Lucifer bows and processed to go after Mammon with rest of the brothers follow suit leaving the castle.

“Mammon! Stop” Lucifer calls out to his brother; however, Mammon keep on going straight home not paying attention to Lucifer or others calling him.

Until Levi rushes forward standing Infront of Mammon’s tracks. “Mammon please come down” but he just walks around him, then Levi grabs his wrist, stop Mammon for a moment.

“L-listen y/n is safe the reason, Lucifer didn’t tell us is because of this~” But Mammon looks back at his younger brother with disgusts causing Levi to flinch.

“Are You for Real. Levi!! You’re taking his SIDE” he pulls his hand out of Levi’s grasp turn to face Levi with his entire body tense up, as he stomps closer to Levi get to his personal step. As the others final catch, up to them

“I-I’m not taking anyone’s side” Levi is stuttering, really think hard not to say the wrong word.

“Why is it when Lucifer made a mistake or not tell us something you just go along withed”

“It’s not like that. P-please Mammon!” Levi is pleading to his brother right now. Something about Mammon’s emotional outburst at the castle doesn’t sit well him.

“Mammon be rational, will find that son of bitch and kill him. But we can’t act like this” Satan interject, as Beel and Asmo walk closer to Mammon slowly.

“I wouldn’t act like this if Lucifer told me, when the bastard got loose that day!” Mammon replied to Satan his voice is get louder and deeper.

“I didn’t tell you, for this exact reason. The moment you hear the news of Basto’s escape you got anger and emotional. And storm off out of the castle” Lucifer defended himself in a calm and collected tone which just made Mammon even more piss.

“Yeah, that’s you see me, that’s all of you see me. Nothing more of an impulsive and emotional one. NEWS FLASHS I wouldn't act like this. We're talking about Basto here the same demon I own money to. The same demon I been avoiding and hiding for years. The same demon who I know will do anything to get what he wants by using his contacts. AND THE SAME DEMON THAT TRY. NO! ALMOST KILL Y/N AT THE CASINO. The last thing I need to do is leave my mate alone in the house where he knows and can easily get to.”

“Mammon” Beel mumble his brother’s name. completely understanding were his coming from. As the others standing there in shock, as Mammon continue to rant or finally letting it all out.

“I’m sick and tired of all of you see me as useless. Not to mention the insults, after the shit that happen at the casino, I wanted to changes because I couldn't do anything to help…Hell saves y/n from Basto. But NO! Because our mighty older brother thinks I can’t be trusted with knowing my mate attempted murderer is loose in who’s nowhere”

“Mammon is isn’t like that, even if I told you and you did have had known. Its Basto were talking about, he won’t hesitate in kill y/n this time. What if Beel or I aren’t there~”

“I’m that weak!!” Lucifer, Satan and Belphie was startle. While Levi, Asmo and Beel took a step back and gasps at Mammon change in voice which gotten deeper and raspy and sclera of his eyes turns black with sapphire blue glowing iris.

“I will find him and kill him myself if the last thing I do” after saying all that turn heel and keep on walking.

“Mammon!” Lucifer calls to him, he pauses and his keep clenching and unclenching as Lucifer walk over to him “we won’t let anything happen to y/n~” a sharp cough cuts off Lucifer.

Mammon start couching violently causing him to cover his mouth and clinch his chest as he drops to his knees. The other saw and quickly rushes over, Beel and Satan kneel in each side with Belphie standing behind his twin while Levi, Asmo, and Lucifer stood Infront Mammon look down with fear and worry on their faces as they can only watch their brother keeps on coughing.

Mammon bend’s down place both hands on the ground. Then he starts to hurl, Asmo it and quickly look away and Levi covering his eyes. Lucifer just look on in horror.

Then Mammon start puking up blue ink-like substance. After a moment of panting Mammon look up to Lucifer before passing out. Satan and Beel quickly grab him by the arms and place them over their shoulder.

“Get him back to the house and into my room” Lucifer order Satan and Beel, who nod and carefully take their brother home with Levi and Asmo follow suit.

Belphie look on until he can’t see them anymore, then turn to look at Lucifer who is bend over to pool of blue substance. With the tip of his finger, he dips it and examine it, then it started to turn black.

“Is he?” Belphie asks Lucifer with a worry tone.

“We just have to keep an eye on him, what ever is happen is not good for us and y/n if my suspicion is correct.”

#obey me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me reader x mammon #obey me monster love #obey me shall we date #obey me mc #obey me blue lotus petals

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frogtanii · 4 years

Text

{patient: tsukishima kei | session: 34 | begin recording}

[dr otsuaka] hello tsukishima-kun. how are you today?

[tsukishima kei] not good, obviously. that's what you're here for right?

[dr o] so it seems. now, over the phone you told my secretary that you had something specific you needed to talk about. would you like to begin speaking about that now?

[tsukishima k] uh, yeah, i guess so.

[tsukishima k] ...

[dr o] would you like me to ask you a question?

[tsukishima k] please.

[dr o] when we last spoke three weeks ago, you expressed excitement for a potential relationship with... (shuffles notes) ln-san. how has that been going?

[tsukishima k] (exhales) fuck.

[tsukishima k] i, um, fucked that up pretty badly, pardon my language otsuaka-san.

[dr o] no worries tsukishima-kun, express your frustration as you wish in my office. how did that occur?

[tsukishima k] i told her she meant nothing to me.

[dr o] did you mean that?

[tsukishima k] of course not!

[dr o] then why did you say it?

[tsukishima k] i-i'm not good enough for her.

[dr o] why do you say that?

[tsukishima k] because it's true.

[dr o] but why do you feel that is true?

[tsukishima k] i hurt people. that's all i do.

[dr o] is it?

[tsukishima k] yes, that's what i just said.

[dr o] so you agree that all you do is hurt people.

[tsukishima k] yes.

[dr o] did you see any people before coming to my office today? on the street or in your apartment building?

[tsukishima k] ...

[tsukishima k] yes?

[dr o] who did you see?

[tsukishima k] an old man was waiting for the bus by the road.

[dr o] did you push that man? into the street?

[tsukishima k] what?! no!

[dr o] did you... curse at him? call him names? trip him?

[tsukishima k] what the hell.

[dr o] so you didn't harm him at all?

[tsukishima k] no, of course not.

[dr o] why not?

[tsukishima k] why not what?

[dr o] why didn't you hurt the old man?

[tsukishima k] i don't know!

[dr o] what would you call someone who did trip that old man or who pushed him into the street?

[tsukishima k] (scoffs) a horrible person.

[dr o] so by your own definition, a horrible person would have pushed the old man into the street.

[tsukishima k] by any sane person's definition too.

[dr o] you just told me that all you do is hurt people but when given the chance, you chose not to.

[tsukishima k] well-

[dr o] and continuing with your own words, only a horrible person would have hurt that man and you did not, therefore you, once again by your own words, are not a horrible person.

[tsukishima k] i-

[dr o] tsukishima-kun, when you first came into my office back when you were in highschool, you shared with me your inability to get close to people because of your fear of being hurt, isn't that correct?

[tsukishima k] ...

[tsukishima k] ...yes.

[dr o] once we established that not everyone was out to hurt you, the fear turned to yourself. your abrasive language and uncaring attitude caused you to worry that you would hurt others.

[tsukishima k] could you stop talking about me like i'm some case in a textbook?

[dr o] (giggles) of course, sorry. i get carried away sometimes.

[tsukishima k] hm.

[dr o] (clears throat) i believe you are reverting back to your highschool self, hurting others before you believe they can hurt you.

[tsukishima k] ...but i thought- i thought i had gotten better.

[dr o] you are leagues from where you once were but i think ln-san has gotten very close to you, very fast and you got scared.

[tsukishima k] ...

[dr o] tell me this, tsukishima-kun; do you care for ln-san?

[tsukishima k] yes. a lot, actually.

[dr o] have you ever intentionally hurt her besides your last conversation with her?

[tsukishima k] ...no.

[dr o] what makes you think that you will hurt her again?

[tsukishima k] because i always do.

[dr o] but you don't always hurt people as we just discussed.

[tsukishima k] but i-

[dr o] no you don't. say it tsukishima-kun. i don't always hurt people.

[tsukishima k] ...

[dr o] say it.

[tsukishima k] ... i don't always hurt people.

[dr o] good. now say i am not a horrible person.

[tsukishima k] i am not a horrible person.

[dr o] you need to start believing that. you won't hurt ln-san by just being near her. do you think you hurt yamaguchi-kun everytime you hang out?

[tsukishima k] no.

[dr o] then why do you feel this way about ln-san?

[tsukishima k] i... i don't know.

[dr o] i think you just expect your romantic relationships to fail because you're actually scared of them succeeding. you are always expecting the situation to end horribly which leads you to attempt to ruin it before the bad thing happens.

[tsukishima k] ...

[dr o] tell me this tsukishima-kun; do you want to ln-san to be in your life?

[tsukishima k] ... yes.

[dr o] then you have to try and look past your fears of things ending poorly and take risks to keep her. bad things happen in life but if you are always looking for them, then they will be found.

[tsukishima k] how do i... do that?

[dr o] buy a journal and everyday write about all the positive things in your life and the positive things that you have done. then start changing the negative thoughts you have about yourself into positive ones. when you think "i'm a monster", banish that thought and transform it into, "i have made some mistakes but i am better now for it."

[dr o] (watch beeps) alright, all our time is up for today. i have some homework for you to do before i see you next week.

[tsukishima k] great, more work. (smiles)

[dr o] (laughs) this should be easier than your uni work, promise. i would like you to make a list of all the good things about your relationship with ln-san. after your list is written, i would like for you to express those good things and the way she makes you feel to her when you're ready to apologize.

[tsukishima k] w-what?

[dr o] (giggles) don't worry, you can take your time. i would like to see your list next week though.

[tsukishima k] (stands) thank you otsuaka-san.

[dr o] of course tsukishima-kun. now hurry out alright? and don't forget to buy a journal!

{end of recording}

< omg they were roommates :0

buckle up, we’re going to therapy

series masterlist

——————————————————————————

an: get you a man who talks about you to his therapist 😩😤🥵💦 sorry if this is inaccurate btw!! i have NEVER* (ong i’m illiterate) had a therapist besides my mom so if this is not how sessions go, i am so v v sorry 😔✨ ALSO SORRY FOR TAKING FOREVER TO UPDATE SCHOOL SUCKS ASS AND I WANNA DROP OUT luv y’all lots muah muah 😽💕

taglist: @notamazinglizzy • @waitforitillwritemywayout • @1-800-schmacked • @babyshoyo • @tetsufairy • @deephumandragonperson • @krynnza • @tsukkiboii • @chaichai-the-weeb • @raineedayze • @moonlightreetops • @akirudo • @febvrury • @kamidoesthings • @boba-teaaaa • @lookuptotheskiesandsee • @akaashiissimp • @akvvard • @kittynovaaaa • @tinymouth • @ethylalcoholforfandoms • @smellybananaz • @animeanxiety • @angrylittlezizi • @mariamonteon97 • @rotn-decay • @galagcica • @rachelexe • @soleil-sole • @freyafolkvangr • @pleasemelafook-outta-ere • @hon3y-baby • @itsalyssa15 • @kac-chowsballs • @1987hotschott • @tsumu-core • @mangobeann • @moonlightaangel • @jaayypasta • @blveteaaa • @h0ngh0ngh0ng • @multifandomphenomena • @micmic-21 • @bokutosuwus • @melacholy • @loving-unicorns106 • @vanilla-beanzz • @obsessedwhxre • @hebotoxincheck • @slythxr • @kodzu-ken

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader #hq smau #hq x reader #haikyuu x reader smau #tsukishima kei #hq yamaguchi #haikyuu tsukishima #hq tsukishima #tsukishima smau #tsukishima angst #haikyuu tsukki #tsukishima x you #tsukishima x reader #tsukishima x y/n

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foxymoxynoona · 2 years

Note

I've noticed recently that some readers are being way too judgemental towards Sasha. The comments are always "she should do this" and "she shouldn't do that", and it's breaking my heart a little 💔 From what I understood, Amended had the same response, right? How do you feel about this, Foxy? I feel very protective of our Sasha bear 🥺 The world is always telling women what to do and I just hope that people will think twice before they say a comment, even if it comes from a good place. How would you feel if a stranger dictates your way of living and say you're not good enough, you know? And I wonder if those readers will feel the same way towards JK...

Long so behind cute ;)

Yeah, Isabella and Sasha have without a doubt been my most divisive OCs. Sometimes it's hard for me not to be protective of her too, not because I agree with all of her choices and think she's above criticism, but because I understand why she is the way she is and I personally have a high level of patience for people working through things. I know not everyone does! I've also seen people sometimes forget or miss things that actually happen in the story that direcitly relate to their point, which makes it hard for me to maintain my rule about not explaining my writing. LIke if someone says "she never does XX" and there are actually plenty of examples of her doing that. But I also know my stories are sooooo loooong so people could just be forgetting and emotionally remembering the story...

It's not lost on me that my two characters with mental health struggles are the ones who have gotten the most criticism. I really try to give the benefit of the doubt and not read too much into individual comments, sincere there's any number of reasons someone may react to a character any given way (not to mention, lots of people are commenting not in their native language!) People have different boundaries and limits in their relationships and that can come out in how they relate to a character who may not behave a way they're comfortable with, regardless of what led the person to that beahvior. I think there are readers who may not really understand what it's like to struggle with mental health issues or trauma and how that can impact behaviors, to the point that the thought process doesn't even make sense to them. And I think there are readers who do understand, whether they do or don't have personal experience with something similar, but just aren't comfortable watching without calling out behaviors they see as concerning, or they want to have a discussion as they think through things more. Literary characters are such a great opportunity to have these discussions about appropriate behavior, empathy, and personal limits! I try to look at it from that angle!

With Sasha, there may also be this additional element of people self-inserting as they read, so maybe they get frustrated when Sasha behaves in a way they wouldn't because it breaks the immersion. I think that series (because it's idolverse) has a slightly different readergroup with some different expectations for an idolverse story. Or people who are worried that I'm glorifying parts of their youth or young relationship that actually aren't great yet --even though that's something I'm writing on purpose. It's not like some criticisms aren't valid, and maybe it's just worth thinking about scale of response haha.

I also think those of us who struggle with mental health issues can feel like criticism of characters who also struggle just confirms the worst things we (or society) tell us about ourselves --I know that can make me quick to feel defensive, and is why I sometimes don't answer comments right away 😅. But I know that's not true! There are so many readers who adore these characters, which confirms it's not true.

So... do I sometimes think people are too hard on a character? Sure. Do I draw my own conclusions about where that criticism could be coming from? Definitely. I just try to give the benefit of the doubt unless I see a really wrong or clearly unkind comment and then sometimes I can't help myself in responding. :)

#asks #flux

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snowdice · 3 years

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Migration in Spring (Once There Is Something Left Series)

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Remus & Emile

Characters: Remus, Emile

Summary: Remus and Emile start to travel during the first spring of the apocalypse.

This is the fic for my 8th BINGO card. Thanks for voting!

Notes: Zombie Apocalypse AU, discussion of mental illness (including someone with mental illnesses using the word ‘insane’ to describe themselves)

This takes place in the same universe as the Is There Anything Left of Patton? series.

“Where are we going anyway?” Emile asked.

Remus glanced at him. He looked tired and cold, but there wasn’t much to do about that. Remus was tired and cold too. “We’re not really going anywhere,” Remus said.

“Then, why are we moving?” Emile asked, a tinge of real frustration in his voice. He was usually rather chipper or at least pretended to be even now. He’d been able to keep his mood light even in the winter months that were just now starting to be over, though the current early morning temperature would beg to differ. Yet even someone like Emile had lines Remus had discovered over the past few months where they were each other’s only (living) company. “Why couldn’t we just stay there.” ‘There’ was the house they’d buckled down in for the winter. It had had a lot of supplies which helped them get through this first winter of the apocalypse, but as spring dawned, Remus had spotted the signs it was time to leave.

“It’s not about where we’re going,” Remus said. “It’s about what we’re avoiding.”

“What we’re avoiding?” Emile asked.

“The dead are migrating, can’t you tell?” Remus asked.

“They’re what?!” Emile asked alarmed. “No! How can you tell?”

“They might be corpses reanimated by some unknown parasite or virus or whatever, but they still obey some of the laws of nature. They don’t move well in the cold, so the mobs traveled South for the winter, but spring means they’re starting to move back North. I’m assuming they’ll go back to wherever they were ‘born’ for the summer like sea turtles return to the beaches they were born at to lay eggs. There’s been some signs of them moving North already and that house was great for the winter, but it’s directly South of New York City. We have to move out of the path before the big mobs start coming.” He glanced at their map. “The best place would be to get up into the Appalachians for the migration if the weather keeps them at bay long enough.”

“A-are you sure?” Emile asked.

“Nope,” Remus said cheerfully. “Just my gut.”

Emile sighed. “Well, your gut has gotten us this far,” he acknowledged. “So, I’ll follow you.”

“Aw, thanks Doc.”

“Please start to call me Emile, Remus.”

Remus fake gasped. “Honestly, Doctor Picani, just because I’ve seen your penis one time doesn’t mean we should drop doctor-patient etiquette.”

“I was bleeding out from a bullet wound, Remus. Is that really all you could focus on?”

“Obviously not. You’re still able to walk, aren’t you?”

“That is true,” Emile acknowledged.

“Though…” Remus started.

“Don’t,” Emile said, and Remus was delighted to see him have to cover his growing smile with his mitten. “Don’t start. You’re horrible.”

“Horrible is my middle name.”

“It is not,” Emile said. “I’ve seen your paperwork.”

“Well, I wanted to have it legally changed, but mother never let me. Who names their child Remus Reginald Royal? No wonder I grew up to be fucking insane.”

Emile frowned at him, clearly about to go into one of his head-doctor lectures.

“Yeah, yeah,” Remus cut him off before he could start. “I’m not insane. Just clinically depressed with a nice case of PTSD and probably borderline personality disorder…because there’s a real big difference.” He said the last under his breath, but unfortunately Emile heard.

“There is a big difference!” Emile protested, “especially for you as you have a history of using words like that to not only put yourself down but to reinforce a self-constructed sense of helplessness in the face of the problems you can control…”

Remus groaned as he, as anticipated, started in on another head-doctor lecture. Was it too much to ask the universe for a zombie to come out of the bushes and try to eat them?

Want to read more? Click below!

Is There Anything Left of Patton? Master Post

Main Master Post.

#sanders sides #remus sanders #emile piccani #otisl #adriana writes #not pieces fic #zombie au #discussion of mental illness

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itsclydebitches · 3 years

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There seems to be no middle ground with RWBY+, they trust you or they don’t. Some have no chance to “earn” it, but others don’t do anything to gain it. James should’ve earned it a hundred times over. He did so much but it wasn’t enough. What did Robyn do? She tried to attack Ruby and was only stopped by Penny. After that? Yang trusts the woman who almost hurt her sister over the man who gave her an arm, then blamed Ruby. Any wonder I hate these characters so much?

The frustrating thing is that I think I can see what RT was going for. Frustrating because it's the reading most of the fandom falls back on, despite the fact that the show... never actually wrote that story. In short, it's the belief that there's established good and bad in this world and we have a responsibility to uphold the former regardless of personal trust. So if a friend of mine is, say, being a racist asshole and a stranger is not, I have a moral responsibility to side with the stranger, despite the fact that I don't know them, technically can't trust them on other matters, and have little to no emotional investment in them as an individual. You need to take the side of what's right, no matter how hard that is. It's why we get so many heroes facing off against former friends and mentors. "You'd really betray me for them?" they say, pointing to the sidekick our hero only met at the start of the story, maybe a couple months ago in-world. "Yeah," they reply. "Because they're not trying to kill everyone." Basic humanity trumps long-term relationships.

That, as far as I can tell, seems to be the basic setup that RWBY was going for: Robyn may be a stranger, but she's the Good Person sticking up for Mantle, whereas Ironwood may be an ally and friend, but he's also the Bad Person hurting Mantle. Ergo, aligning with Robyn wins out, no matter that she's a stranger and Ironwood an ally. That's likewise why fans are so quick to dismiss evidence of Ironwood's good nature. Things like Yang's arm or the licenses aren't accepted as evidence for why the group should have started with more trust in him, they're reframed as excuses for why critics supposedly want to overlook his presumed, horrific nature — something that the story later made real with him shooting Oscar, killing the councilman, hacking Penny, and threatening to bomb Mantle. Viewing the good Ironwood did as some manipulative temptation the group was right to resist depends entirely on seeing Ironwood as the archetypal bad guy to Robyn's good guy.

However, this attempt failed spectacularly for numerous reasons already discussed over the past two years. Ironwood's actions were never revealed as manipulations. The group continued to work with him, thereby shouldering responsibility for his choices. Ruby actively pushed to complete Amity, despite the harm it was doing to Mantle. Robyn never did anything with the resources she stole, etc. This presumed line between Ironwood and Robyn simply doesn't exist in the text — or at least it's incredibly blurred — so when Yang and Blake run to share intel with her, it doesn't feel like the heroes turning away from the wrong path to back the real hero. We don't understand how resources to build a communications tower are hurting everyday peoples' lives. We don't understand why Weiss can't just go up and plug the hole with a bunch of ice. We don't understand why, if hurting Mantle is such an objectively awful thing, our hero Ruby keeps pushing to finish Amity anyway. We don't understand why there isn't at least an acknowledgement of good intentions here, considering that the tower is meant to save the world from Salem, helping Mantle in the long run. We don't understand why, if the group is so concerned with Ironwood's choices, they don't tell him the one piece of information that would get him to stop. And we don't understand Robyn.

Because here's the thing: it's badly written. The whole Amity debate straight through to the Fall of Atlas is a mess of ill thought out morals, shoddy worldbuilding, and outright contradictions. There's no salvaging that without rethinking Volumes 6-8, starting with the group's response to Ozpin. But all that aside, even if we kept things exactly as they are and bought into the assumption that Ironwood is as Bad and Robyn is as Good as the story wants us to believe... the group still should have at least hesitated to trust Robyn. More than a line or two of dialogue between Yang and Blake. I mean actual hesitation and a serious acknowledgement of the complications here. The concept of trust is now a focal point of RWBY and there's enough material across the entire series to make the Robyn situation way more complicated than just the group going, "We should side with her because she wants to do right by the people." Here I'm not talking about what we the audience know about RWBY's construction as a story, I mean what the characters have experienced on screen. It's a simple question at the core of the trust Robyn debate:

How do they know she's telling the truth?

Seriously, how do they know Robyn is who she says she is? That she doesn't have ulterior motives? That she's not outright lying to them and the rest of Atlas? Everything I've heard in defense of the group's fast-track trust falls short. "Well, she's presented as one of the good guys in Atlas, fighting for what's right." You mean like how Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury once posed as huntsmen and joined Ruby's school, supposedly fighting for what was right? "She's interested in politics. It's not like she's out there attacking them like Tyrian." You mean like how Salem infiltrated a kingdom via Lionheart, the White Fang has likewise tried to worm their way into positions of power, and Jacques is currently trying to steal an election? The bad guys don't limit themselves to just trying to murder people straight out. "But she stole resources back for the people!" And did... what with them? For all we actually know, she put those towards a different, nefarious plan. "But she's so passionate and she's sworn she wants to help." People lie! That was the whole thing with Ozpin! Ruby just lied at the start of the Volume. And, funnily enough, Robyn has the semblance that forces others to tell the truth, but no one can make Robyn do the same.

To be clear, I don't actually have a conspiracy theory that she's secretly a baddie. My only point is that fans were right to wonder if she was a White Fang or Salem agent and our group absolutely should have wondered the same. Take away all the personal reasons to trust Ironwood (defending Weiss, Yang's arm, friend of the inner circle, etc.) and we're still left with proof of his intentions in the form of things like Amity's plans and him continually giving the heroes more power, more resources, more connections, more ways to hurt him if they were to ever turn against him. In as much as you can prove anyone is trustworthy, Ironwood was there. But Robyn? Robyn had none of that work. More importantly, that lack interferes with our "She's doing the right thing, so we need to back her" reading. How did the group know she really wanted to do right by the people? And since that's always hard to prove, what did they do to at least attempt to reassure themselves? Absolutely nothing. Which is why the current writing makes them look stupid. They watched the bad guys infiltrate their school, organize the Fall of Beacon, stalk them, pose as allies, turn on them, lie to their faces, are telling lies themselves... and none of them came up when the question of trusting Robyn was put on the table. The idea of someone tricking them (again), or betraying them (again), or lying about Important Topics even though they're doing the same seems to have, somehow, escaped them.

It doesn't matter what Robyn's stance on Mantle is because the group never justified trusting her word and the story failed to show us (and them) that Robyn was doing good. Literally all she does pre-trust is stand for election and, again, we could say the same of Jacques. If the story wanted to make at least a miniscule improvement on this arc, we needed to see either a compelling reason to believe Robyn is all she presents herself as (for example, Penny could have known and vouched for her), or gotten an explanation for why they'd take an unjustified leap of faith when others haven't gotten one, people who have done much to earn that trust. It's a problem that grew exponentially once Oscar trusted Hazel and the group trusted Emerald, but it has existed since Ilia. As it stands, by this logic, Cinder should be able to walk up to the group and go, "I'm not bad anymore. I actually want to help now. No, I'm not lying :)" and that's that. That's what trust means to them. Taking people at their word ...unless you're a flawed ally who has made mistakes. Then trust takes months to rebuild, or is off the table completely.

Ozpin is not trustworthy. Ironwood is not trustworthy. Qrow saying "Hey" is not trustworthy. According to the fandom, Tai is not trustworthy.

Ilia is trustworthy. Robyn is trustworthy. Emerald is trustworthy. Hazel is trustworthy.

It's completely backwards and Robyn was a large part of that strange flip.

#rwde #rwby #mymetas

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yukipri · 3 years

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Bad Batch end of season thoughts/ramble, bc it's been a week and I just wanna get it all off my chest...

(end of season spoilers and very disorganized rambling)

First off, I do want to say that I enjoyed watching the show. It fulfilled its primary purpose: entertainment. It was nice having something to look forward to every week, and even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was fun. The animation was gorgeous, I liked all the references and tie ins. I will likely watch it again, and will watch season 2. This is by no means meant to be a hate post.

That being said, it is critical so please just skip if you're not into that!

The thing is...it takes very, Very little for me to love a clone. He doesn't need lines, or a face, or even a name, and the default is that I will love him. He can even be a little bastard, like Slick, and it's fine. I always want to know more about them, and wish they had more screen time and time in general to develop their characters. So given that we were getting 16 (20 eps total if we count TCW S7 pilot arc) centered around these guys, I was expecting to absolutely adore them by the end.

And I wanted to love the Bad Batch, I wanted to love them so damn much, and I tried. But I think one of the reasons why they never fully clicked for me was that their thing seems to be "we're unique, we never fit in, we're outsiders in our own home, among the people who are supposed to be our own family, and so we've found our home with each other."

Which! That's usually a wonderful message, and not a particularly rare or unique one either for stories! I usually dig these kinds of stories!

The problem here is the extremely unique situation of the clones. They are literally created to be identical, brain washed to be uniform. They must conform, or are killed off by their creators, and their conformity isn't a choice in the slightest, but one of fear and necessity.

Their uniformity is something that they are also entirely aware of--it's unavoidable, they're clones. Once out in the real galaxy, they all strive to find and establish unique identities for themselves, struggling against a galaxy that just wants them to be faceless products. It's a shared struggle, and all they have are each other, and their brotherhood is sacred as a result. Shunning unique identity is the opposite of who a clone is--it's what they all want.

So on one hand, it's understandable that the Batch stuck out (when all others who would have also stuck out were culled, when individuality isn't allowed). It's understandable that they would have yearned for the brotherhood shared by the other clones, and when they couldn't have it, they stuck closer to each other. It's even understandable that they would feel bitter, having experienced bullying at the hands of the other clones (but isn't it also understandable that the other clones would feel bitter that the Batch gets special treatment, when their own brothers with less-than-beneficial mutations were taken by the Kaminoans to never return?).

And so we have this batch of clones, who the Kaminoans call "mutated," but also specify that their mutations are "desirable" (implying what happens to mutations that are undesirable...). They have their own unique unit, in which they're able to improvise and act freely with seemingly little to no oversight, so long as they complete their mission. No Jedi to obey, no nat-born officers who look down on them. In fact, they look so different from standard clone troopers that most of the galaxy probably don't even know they are clones. They have their own ship (personalized), they have their own possessions (which we don't really see any other clones have), they have their own barracks (probably also very unique), and they even have access to superior weapons and armor (most of the Batch, minus Echo, seem to be wearing modified Katarn-class armor which is supposed to be for Commandos. we KNOW it holds up better than standard trooper armor).

So I'm sure they had some unpleasant experiences growing up, and I do get it. But at least at "present" end of clone wars, they honestly seem to be living infinitely better than all other clones? They still need to follow orders but they have more freedom, and perhaps most importantly, they have clear uniqueness that is denied almost all other clones. And yes, some of the clones on Kamino bully them, but we've seen NONE of the "regular" clones that we know to be particularly nasty to them, and in fact it's Crosshair who starts it by calling them "Regs."

And how does the Batch respond to this situation? By acting superior. It's Crosshair who says and it believes this firmly, and I do feel that the others are likely mostly influenced by this, but it's also true that Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech don't really deny this either. They don't like the "regs," they do act like they're "better." Poor Echo, who they repeatedly seem to forget is in the room, and who they call "machine" and such...yikes yo

So I guess the point is, I just really struggled to feel sympathetic towards them, and was already on a kinda eh about their premise. They're marketed as "the special clone squad"--and yet they're not nice to the clones I love. I thought that wasn't great, but also hoped that the series would work towards them understanding the other clones better, and I love character development so that woulda been fine--but, nothing. A glance from Hunter at Howzer. Extended camaraderie from Gregor, who I feel they mostly just tolerate for the mission, other than Echo who genuinely cares.

And on top of feeling not feeling particularly sympathetic towards what I saw as a pretty privileged group of clones, the Batch seems to place primary blame of their woes on the "regs" themselves, who again, honestly seem far worse off! There isn't blame directed at the people who demanded the conformity from the other clones in the first place, that made it so the Batch couldn't fit in. The Batch was modified due to the Kaminoans (and implied specifically Nala Se). She's the reason why they don't fit in. And the Kaminoans are also why the other clones have to be so uniform, why they must fight to be people and not products.

Bitterness and pettiness can be fine in characters. But it's frustrating to see in a group supposed to be competent and elite, especially when those feelings have consequences. Sure, it sucks when someone throws a food tray at you. You can throw food back. It's not an equal reaction to feel no remorse when you shoot that guy dead in a blaster fight, when for all other clones, having to kill another clone is one of the most horrible, tragic things that one can do (thanks, Umbara).

Fives was the only clone to actually point a blaster at Nala Se.

We know Omega has deeply personal history with Nala Se. She was Nala Se's personal medical assistant. We see her cry when she takes off her head ornament that matches Nala Se. We know that being back in the lab gives Omega complicated, and probably not entirely positive feelings. But we barely learn more about this relationship, other than these glimpses.

And I get the feeling that to Omega at least, Nala Se wasn't all terrible. If Omega grew up with mostly only Nala Se for company, she had to have gotten her sheltered outlook on life, and her willingness to help others from somewhere. Nala Se intentionally let Omega go, to be "safe."

I think Omega's adorable, and I do like her. But I wasn't able to fully love her to the extent I wanted to, because there was always the fear that she was involved in the creation and implantation of the chips. She knows about them, she would have been positioned to do so. I want to think she would never, and I was hoping the show would reassure us of that, but it never did. We don't actually know how Omega feels about Nala Se, or even the chips and their presence in other clones. Instead, all we know is that Omega doesn't like "regs."

And again, "they call me lab scrubber," and "I helped put (or am complicit in putting) mind control devices in their heads," are kinda, unequal. Again I hope it's not the case. But it definitely kept me feeling uneasy throughout the show.

It really boils down to I don't trust or forgive Nala Se, and the Batch's lack of stance against her and the other Kaminoans, and clear distaste for their other clone brothers, really puts them in a situation that makes it difficult for me to take their side entirely.

And then gosh, Hunter. During Crosshair's whole "you never came back for me," spiel, I couldn't help but think he's kinda right. He had 15 episodes. Sure, it's difficult to get Crosshair back. But they could have done something. They could have done research. We could have had scenes of them wondering where Crosshair is, discussions on how best to find him, even if that discussion ended in, "but we can't risk it right now." They could have grilled Omega for information on the chips, which they really shoulda done either way, but especially since that knowledge is important to understanding what (they thought had) happened to Crosshair. Instead, they just ran every time Crosshair showed up. The show could have done better to show that they cared, and were trying, instead of just, y'know, doing chores for Cid. One, "I kinda miss him," doesn't really count as working on getting him back, at least in my books.

The sole exception to all of this, of course, is Echo. Who really, he works with the Batch fine, he's a former ARC and can more than keep up. Skillset-wise, he fits in well enough. But this season really made me wonder why he's with them at all. Crosshair's revelation and true feelings at the end of the season were no surprise to me, as they're consistent with what we've seen of him from TCW S7. But for Echo, a former "reg" to have to work with someone like Crosshair...even if Crosshair thought Echo was "different" enough to accept him, those are his brothers that Crosshair thinks he's so superior to, and has no issue speaking disdainfully about.

The increasing tension between Echo and Hunter, Echo's interest in helping Rex, in helping other clones, in doing something...I do hope they reach a point where Echo demands they go help, or he's leaving.

They gave Crosshair a chance, despite the fact that his choices were willing. I really hope Echo can convince the Batch to help save the other clones who don't have a choice. Because even if the Batch doesn't consider them their brothers, they're certainly Echo's. They matter just as much as Crosshair, and I really hope season 2 shows it narratively.

To conclude, again I'm interested in seeing what happens next, and I want answers about Omega and Nala Se. I find it interesting that they tied the facility where they took Nala Se in with the scientist dude collecting data on Grogu in the Mandalorian and those cloning labs. All of this is interesting, but at the same time I feel like it's trying to build up to Snoke/Palpatine stuff in the sequels which...I don't care nearly as much about, but who knows, could be neat ^ ^;

I'm okay with, and have made peace with the fact that the Bad Batch probably isn't the "clones-centric" show I wanted, and that they'll continue their own story, and probably continue to not care much about other clones in upcoming seasons. That's unfortunate, but alright. I'm interested enough in their story too.

But at the same time...I can't help but think man, if they have the time and budget to do a season 2, after seeing what was (or wasn't) accomplished in season 1...I wish they'd also make a Rex/Cody/Wolffe/"regular clones" show, because in the end, if you're going to do a "clones show"....that's who I want to see most.

If you got to the end, thank you for reading, and being an ear to my ranting ^ ^; Again this is literally just getting this off my chest. If this take isn't one you agree with, please just ignore. For people who did fall in love with the Batch, I'm happy for you, and regret that it just couldn't happen for me. But, I'm hoping that S2 will change my mind, but we'll just have to see! ^ ^;

#the bad batch #bad batch #YukiPri rambles #really i'm not interested in a debate i just want to ramble

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hopeymchope · 3 years

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How would you rank the 18 Class Trials from THH, DR2, and V3 from worst to best?

This is... virtually impossible for me, lol. Comparing the trials from each game to each other?

How about I just rank them within each game? That'll make it a little easier for me to deal with...

DR1

6) 5th. It's driven by lies and ultimately rushed to its end before the characters can draw any solid (pointless/meaningless) conclusions. So of course it's last for this game, and it’s probably last for the entire series as well. If there are any saving graces to this trial, it’s the surprise when your closest ally is willing to let our protagonist die... and that this trial contains the fake/bad ending route.

5) 3rd. Although the main culprit is pretty obvious from the jump, it requires some surprising twists to explain how everything got to be the way it turned out. But did I always find those twists plausible? Errrrm... not really.

4) 2nd. Pretty good trial that's hurt for me by the fact that there'd barely be any need for a trial at all if a certain third party didn't dick around with the evidence for no reason. Also, the dual nature of Toko is an incredibly predictable reveal. Without those two aspects dragging it down, though, this could easily go higher.

3) 1st. Sure, the major hint given and, subsequently, the eventual culprit are pretty obvious, but this one establishes so much about how the trials work and how much the details you observe will matter that it’s still pretty fun that first time around. The initial surprise of the first victim makes for a great way to keep you invested in the trial experience. This trial is damn near iconic now, so it feels almost mandatory to respect it.

2) 6th. DR1 still has the best "final trial,” easily. SO MANY great reveals, and they all totally work for me. Nothing rings false or disappointing, and it also features Makoto finally coming into his own and taking the lead. I nearly labeled this my top pick for DR1, but...

1) 4th. It's easily the most emotionally dramatic/satisfying for me, and there’s something weirdly inspirational for me about Hina’s incredibly harsh stance during it. This one GOT ME IN THE FEELS, and in part that was because I saw so little of it coming. After the more predictable elements of the first and third trials, this felt like the writing was firing on all cylinders.

DR2

6) 2nd. You have to accept a couple leaps of logic to make this trial keep flowing, and the fact that trial is ultimately reliant on someone noticing a candy that’s very small and hard to see while the person is also in a stressful situation and they are groggy from being drugged/asleep and it necessitates the person retaining this seemingly useless detail inside their brain .... that’s always bugged me. The “escape route” conversation even retroactively raises questions about the first trial. Oof. On the upside, the reveals it brought us about Fuyuhiko and Peko were incredibly important, satisfying, and legit surprising turns. And it’s pretty cool how it’s basically a two-for-one combo trial because you have to solve the Twilight Syndrome case before you solve the current case.

5) 3rd. Other people have pointed out the leaps of logic and missing pieces of this trial, but at the same time, the candlelight hanging is so intense and the ultimate reveal of the culprit is such a brutal turn that I have to give it some props. The culprit’s primary plan is ultimately one of the most ingenious in the series, IMO, and definitely one of the most twisted/fucked-up, which earns it some points.

4) 4th. This is probably the single murder case in the franchise that I understood the absolute least about when entering the trial, for better or worse. On the one hand, that made it really fun to see the mystery gradually unfurl, but on the other hand, it made it tough for me to provide the right answers at certain points in the trial, leaving me fumbling. A big part of those issues was how it was initially hard for me to wrap my head around the nature of the funhouse via the provided 2D graphics... but once I eventually got there, I had to respect the creativity that went into devising such a “weapon.” Also, it can be hard to tolerate Komaeda in this trial. He’s even more of a know-it-all-but-reveal-none-of-it jackass than ever before, and his turn towards overt cruelty towards the others (and Hajime in particular) left me raging. The culprit reveal is good, but the motive does beg the question of why he didn’t just come forward from the jump.

3) 6th. There are a lot of great reveals in the final trial that totally reframe how you see the characters, and some of them are deliciously twisted. There’s also a ton of great dialogue provided, and in retrospect, it’s actually sort of neat to have one endgame mastermind reveal in this franchise that doesn’t involve the “They were hiding among us this whole time” trope. All that plus the surprise return of our surviving heroes from the first game! However, this is also where they officially reveal a core element of DR2 and its setting that I've never liked. This knocks the trial down a few pegs for me. Of course, by the time you reach the trial, I'm sure 99% of players have already figured that particular "twist" out. There’s adequate evidence to predict it in the first freaking chapter, and I know this because I DID predict it in the first chapter of my initial playthrough... which further hurts the supposed “reveal” of the island’s true nature when it comes around.

2) 1st. Probably my favorite of the “first trials,” there are lot of components that go into this one. There’s a combination of two premeditated killers plus one spur-of-the-moment accidental victim, there’s a satisfying (though admittedly maybe too easy) reveal of the killer being one of the most unpleasant people to be around during the first chapter, and I really dig how audio became a very important component of the mystery due to the total blackout. This is also the part of the game where we learn just how twisted Komaeda really is, which is HUGE both in terms of its immediate shock factor for a total newcomer and in terms of its impact on the game as a whole. Of course, since it’s a “first trial,” it can’t be too complicated... but they still manage to confuse so many of us with “MEAT ON THE BONE” :P

1) 5th. Again, I will almost always give the most emotionally intense one the top slot. The “traitor reveal” is obviously THAT MOMENT in DR2. I also love how this one used the strange internal logic established early in the game RE: Komaeda’s luck to develop the eventual solution. And forcing us to make use of evidence gathered in multiple locations outside of the immediate site of the body/murder? That more complexity of that type that I see relevant to a trial, the more I appreciate it, and this one has loads of that stuff. Although I guess the investigation isn’t technically part of the trial itself... but it’s still very relevant to it.

DRV3

6) 4th. I found this whole trial to be just... extremely predictable. Maybe it’s because I was so far into the series that I’d gotten used to its tricks by this point, but this was the most predictable trial for me since the first one in the first game. The whole looping/rollover map setup of the VR? Obvious. The murder weapon? Obvious. Our culprit’s ongoing confusion at everything discussed? Obvious. There were only a couple of points I didn’t have already figured out when I walked into the trial room, and those turned out to be basically irrelevant (such as the bottle of poison). The eventual motive is at least a surprise, but I also found it hard to accept that this culprit would really kill people over it. Overall: Super lame.

5) 3rd. Another double murder trial, and once again one murder overshadows the other. The séance murder is definitely clever. Sure, you know the culprit pretty early on, but the methodology is the good part. However, the real fascinating one for me is the art lab “locked room” murder. Going into the trial, I couldn’t fathom how they were going to explain that one, and I found the answer both smart and satisfying. It’s funny to imagine how many times the culprit had to try that stunt with the lock before it actually worked, heh. This is probably the best of the three “double murder” mysteries in the series, but the trial isn’t as emotionally affecting as the 3rd trial in DR2 to me. Moreover, the trial loses points for the most infuriating Hangman’s Gambit of the series and especially for the motive reveal. When the killer’s motive can be boiled down to “they’re basically just a psycho serial killer,” it’s not very interesting.

4) 6th. The first part of the trial, which deals with re-assessing the first case? It’s pretty damn on-point. That leads to the mastermind reveal, which... isn’t great, really. It’s not a terribly interesting character to make the mastermind, they have no interesting motives or characterization to unevil, and they’re ultimately just a pawn behind another, off-screen group of masterminds. But then things get uproariously funny to me. The metatextual stuff is just so goddamn ridiculous. It’s frustrating and annoying how much of our not-mastermind’s explanation is clearly full of lies and half-truths that we’ll never have complete answers on, but that’s also part of what makes it all fascinating. We get to swap protagonists like four times! There’s a fake-out Game Over! These are really cool things. But it all leads down the road of our protagonist arguing that fiction does affect reality (yes, good), that fictional people can still matter (definitely) and that... fictional lives are equal in value to real ones? Uhhhhh slow down there, champ. That only works for YOUR universe, where fictional people can be made out of living, breathing individuals. But in light of the metatextual stuff you’re surrounded by, you kinda sound silly AF right now?

3) 2nd. Look, this is still incredibly irritating to me. Also, if you go down the alternate “lying” route at one point, you are forced to accept that these piranhas were somehow trained to only eat dead things, which is just... so deeply dumb. But what is good is the entire ropeway conceit (which is a very significant part of the trial!) and the idea of the partition inside the tank. This was a murder with an elaborate, intelligent plan that is very well-executed. And the motive reveal? It’s one of the best in the series! I respect that stuff. (If I had the right to toss the execution in as part of the soup, I’d say that it’s also one of the series’ best. Let’s call it the icing on the cake.)

2) 1st. The writing that made this trial work is undeniably clever. The way the narration told us exactly what was happening without really telling us what was happening? It was a masterstroke of both great writing and perfect localization coming together. When it becomes clear during the trial what is about to happen, it’s a huge shock. The transition to another protagonist with the lights flickering out and back on is beautiful. Even the core concept of a protagonist who was willing to step up and try to kill the mastermind immediately is just deeply interesting. And obviously this one made my emotions run high. HOWEVER! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Kaede Akamatsu was a more interesting, unique, and compelling protagonist than Shuichi Saihara ever was. Ultimately, the protagonist-swap, no matter how well-written, was a mistake because they shifted us from a unique character with an interesting new perspective to a character who is, in many ways, “Makoto Naegi with even less self-esteem.” Yes, I know he has aspects that make him distinct as his own person, but there’s still just too much there that feels like we’ve done it before, and he never fully escapes from that. It feels like a massive waste and a huge missed opportunity to ditch Kaede like this. Now, if they had just done the protagonist swap in reverse — making us start out with Shuichi before flipping things over to Kaede — we could’ve had ourselves something amazing here.

1) 5th. I know I decided that I couldn’t rank all among each other, but if I did do that, I feel confident that the 5th trial in DRV3 would rank very high indeed. You go into the trial unable to even determine who the victim was due to the fact that two people are missing and there was nothing left of the body that spoke to an identity. Going into it, you naturally figure that one of the two missing parties has to be the victim and the other one is probably the culprit. But even with just two friggin’ suspects, the amount of turnabouts in the case that made me rethink all my assumptions was insane. Sure, the explanation for how the person inside the Exisal can maintain “character” is pretty damn thin, but once you get past that, I don’t think there’s a single false note in the trial. It even breaks unprecedented ground by continuing into another Non-Stop Debate after everyone has already voted. And of course, it culminates with a lot of intense emotion. Even the execution is emotionally satisfying! ..... although I’m not sure if I should count the execution as part of the trial, but hey, still. As far as Dangan trials go, the fifth one in DRV3 is basically a masterpiece.

#danganronpa #asks #danganronpa trials #drv3 #dr2 #dr1 #drv3 spoilers

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bookofmirth · 3 years

Note

I'm not up to date with all the drama in this fandom bc i tend to scroll past it. But being a reader of the books before I landed in these fandoms, I'm utterly shocked about how people treat eachother.

I'm very neutral on this stupid ship war going on. I tend to fall more for Elriel. But I understand everyone's opinion. I used to read all the book analysis, but now it just seems so exhausting. I get that people love books and ship different people. That's normal, everyone has different taste etc i'm just here trying to understand why we need to bring other human beings down in order to push our own narrative.

Since when is it okay to do that???? Can't we have a normal conversation without sending death treats?

I normally don't really respond to anything that involves drama. But these last couples of months have gotten me to dislike the books more and more solely because of these, may I call them blandly, horrible people.

And i'm very sad to have to admit that i'm also getting sick of the art of the multiple ships. Which that's horrible because I love what all these amazing artists create. But the hate they receive and the comments just make me hate it all more,this whole fandom with all these toxic people ruining it for me personally.

Can't we all just agree that we like these books, and respect eachother as human beings, no matter what everyone else thinks? And maybe wait and see what the author writes? In the end it are still her books and she will have the final say in everything.

I wish SJM would release the next book sooner so all this hate would stop, then again i don't know if it will stop. They will likely continue and probably bother SJM too...

Thank you for listening to me ranting, you always seem very nice to people with different opinions, so I thought i might as well rant a bit too.

Have a lovely day!!

Hello! Thank you for this message! I think it's really helpful for people to see because they can see the impact of the things they are doing and saying in the fandom. There are a lot of people who feel comfortable being vocal in the fandom, but I gotta say, if I were just joining now, I'm not sure that would be me. I wonder how many people walk in, take a look around, and walk the fuck back out. I probably would.

I got on my soap box a little bit because I was thinking about some of the things you've said!

I was just talking with some friends, some of whom I've been in the fandom with since 2017, some who are newer. And we all 1000% agree with you. It's so, so frustrating that the fandom has gotten so nasty to the point where we've become so separated from each other that we can't have a single civil conversation. Where people of color don't feel safe, and where a lot of the fandom doesn't even seem to care about that.

When I first joined the fandom, there were definitely people who shipped one way and people who shipped another, but we were still able to have conversations with each other. There would be these really, really long posts that were chains of people commenting on posts and reblogging, then someone adding on their thoughts, then op would respond, etc. Yeah, the posts were super long to scroll through, but there was so much engagement, ya know? And it was genuine, too. We could disagree or say "hey OP I like this point, but have you thought of X?" And it was great! (I even have a tag for it, #long post tag, because I once got an anon who was annoyed at how long my conversations with people would be 💀so I made that tag for people who wanted to block those posts.)

I'm not going to pretend it was perfect - there were definitely people I didn't get along with. But that wasn't a fandom thing, that was just a personality thing. And I never in a million years expected those people to fly off the handle and start attacking me anon, or to ss my posts to make fun of elsewhere. Now, that's a constant fear hanging over everyone's heads.

It has created an extreme echo chamber. I would genuinely like having those old fandom discussions where people would comment - in the open, on reblogs - and then we could all engage in that discussion in public. Now, all of that discussion happens in private, in groupchats and Discord. And don't get me wrong, Discord is super fun. But it also means that 1) people who aren't in those groups have no idea wtf is going on when we vague, although I try not to do that anyway, and 2) when people are in those groups they egg each other on to be worse and worse. Worse than they would have been if they were on their own and didn't feel like they had a group of people there to support their asshole behavior. tbh, I have to check myself sometimes and think, "would I do this if I hadn't just gotten into a rant conversation with friends on Discord?"

And what you said about fan art, it's so frustrating!!! Since when did fan art become a battle ground??? Since when did the appearance of fan art = a win for one ship or the other?? Why can't the comments of those arts ever just be nice and appreciative of the work someone has put into it? Honestly, it makes me paranoid to write fanfic, too! I mean, is that next???

I totally agree with you that we should be able to respect each other as people. We used to be able to do that. I hate to admit it, but I have so many people blocked now because I just don't trust them. I don't trust them to be civil, I don't trust them to be able to see my posts, I don't trust them to even read what I've written without misconstruing everything I've said.

I'm not sure if people realize that there is a big difference between this:

I don't like X ship

And this:

People who like X ship are delusional

The first one is okay! It's normal! Like you said, we all have feelings and interpretations and stuff we would prefer to see or not see!

The second one, not okay! Stop insulting people, people!!!!

The idea of engaging in a normal, healthy debate with a huge portion of the fandom is such a foreign concept to me at this point, and it never used to be. There could be a lot of reasons for this. And I always try to avoid pointing fingers because I know that not everyone is like that, though I'm sure I have slipped into that from time to time.

I think it would help if we stop seeing each other as a gwynriel or an elucien or an elriel, and start seeing each other as individuals. When acosf first came out, I started noticing a trend where people would send me asks and write them as if they were writing to every single person who ships elucien, or as if they were writing to every single person who holds a certain opinion about Azriel. It was really confusing at first, and I'm gonna request that the fandom stop doing that altogether, to everyone. If you want to engage with someone, engage with that person, not your idea of who they are and what they think.

I'm down for conversations where we talk about the series and what might come next as possibilities, because that's all this is, so far. Anyone who says that "X thing will never happen" is making some bold claims, and it's really off-putting to people who know that that's not why we are here. It's not a contest where we "win" canon. It's fandom, where we talk about what we like and what we don't like and what we want and cross our fingers and hope.

EDIT I wanted to add on one thing - a lot of this behavior is incredibly shocking and disgusting and I think that we, as a fandom, need to be better at 1) calling it out, and 2) not assuming that whoever did X horrible thing represents all people from that corner of the fandom.

I hope that you have a lovely day as well! And that the fandom doesn't get you too down. @heleencollier

#acotar fandom #acotar #acosf #fandom wank #leslie being a fandom grandma again

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thinkingisadangerouspastime · 3 years

Note

hi! random question that you’re not obligated to answer (i just love your ka metas): do you think that aang acted like he was entitled to katara’s affection? sorry for the bother if this is a question you’ve gotten before, i’m just curious about your thoughts

Hi anon! It’s always lovely to hear people like my metas 💛 And you’re in luck - I have not gotten this specific question before, though I have answered similar questions, and as such I will probably link those posts throughout.

Forewarning: I use the general you very liberally in this post, so like. It’s not directed at you, anon djhskdjsajs I don’t want you think my sarcasm is in response to your ask (your ask was very lovely!! 💕)

Okay. Let’s get started! The funniest thing about the (nonsensical) claim that Aang acted “entitled” to Katara’s affection is that there is no canon evidence to support it. Opponents more often than not can only bring up one (1) episode as an example of supposed “entitlement” because no other Kataang interactions in the series demonstrate entitlement from either end! Like, wow. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. And I’m sure we all know what episode opponents love to propagate, don’t we?

Yep, you guessed it: “The Ember Island Players.”

From the get-go, the fact that people who vigorously oppose Kataang essentially only appeal to the contents of one episode for Aang’s supposed “entitlement” is a major indicator that, in fact, the entitlement is not truly there, and that those opponents are actually misconstruing the entire episode. I mean, if you are trying to make an argument about something but you only have one piece of “evidence” to support your claim, then a) any half-decent teacher/professor would fail you, rip and b) that’s a sign that maybe your claim doesn’t hold water. If you can’t find evidence to support it, then you’re probably looking at your case from the wrong angle. Analysis 101.

As such, I find the “entitlement” claim particularly ridiculous because opponents repeat the same faulty rhetoric over and over! The only people that might be convinced are those with confirmation bias. I’m sure that’s their audience, of course, but it’s still hilarious dfjaksdasks.

Anyways. Here’s the excerpt from the EIP transcript that opponents l o v e to spotlight with their “entitlement” claims:

Aang: Katara, did you really mean what you said in there?

Katara: In where? What are you talking about?

Aang: On stage, when you said I was just like a… brother to you, and you didn’t have feelings for me.

Katara: I didn’t say that. An actor said that.

Aang: But it’s true, isn’t it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we’re not.

Katara: Aang, I don’t know.

Aang: Why don’t you know?

Katara: Because, we’re in the middle of a war, and we have other things to worry about. This isn’t the right time.

Aang: Well, when is the right time?

Katara: Aang, I’m sorry, but right now I’m just a little confused.

Aang tries to kiss Katara.

Katara: I just said I was confused! I’m going inside. [Exits the balcony.]

Aang: Ugh, I’m such an idiot! [Puts down his head on the balcony railing.]

Opponents claim Aang’s behavior is “entitled” here for two reasons:

1) He asks Katara several questions about their relationship status.

2) He kisses her.

Before I get too far into this, we have to consider the context of the episode. Katara and Aang have this conversation after just watching 95% of “The Boy in the Iceberg,” aka Fire Nation propaganda. I have talked about the specifics of the play being imperialist propaganda here, but the gist of it is that this play is meant to demean the Gaang, to portray them as lesser and weaker than the Fire Nation. The fact that the play ends with Ozai’s victory is a stark reminder of this mentality. So: Katara and Aang have just watched this play that preys upon their insecurities and paints them as awful caricatures of their true selves. It is only natural that they would be more tense than usual. The reason I bring this up is solely to inform their conversation on the balcony, however; I don’t think their frustration solely defines what they say/do, but it’s worth keeping in mind, “Hey, they’re stressed and upset, of course this conversation might not go perfectly.”

Now, I have talked about the infamous EIP kiss before and approached all the rhetoric surrounding it like Snopes Fact Checker in this post, lmao. I did discuss in there why the kiss is wrong, which no one has ever argued against, but also why the kiss is simply a mistake: not sexual assault, not entitlement, not an unforgivable decision. I’ve copied and pasted specifically my notes on the “entitlement” claim below regarding the kiss, but if you have time, I definitely recommend the whole post jksdhjasdka (I’m quite proud of it). Anyways! Here’s the excerpt:

Claim: Aang acted entitled to Katara and her affection.

Status: False.

I’ve briefly addressed this already, but Aang backing off when Katara pushed him away is the exact opposite of entitlement. An impromptu kiss is not always indicative of entitlement. It can be, especially if the person being kissed has never expressed any interest in the person kissing them, but Katara and Aang were mutually interested in each other. They’d mutually kissed twice already by that point: in CoTL and during DoBS. The EIP kiss was inappropriate. NO ONE HAS EVER SUGGESTED OTHERWISE. But when you’re 12 and you’re already kind of in this semi-relationship with a girl you’ve been through hell and high water with (who has kissed you twice on the lips and on the cheek multiple times, not to mention it is only you she ever expresses such affection towards), it is not fucking “entitlement” to make a move on her, even when the timing is off. IT’S JUST A MISTAKE. A POOR DECISION. NOT ENTITLEMENT. NOT MANIPULATION. NOT SEXUAL ASSAULT. Full stop.

Also, these EIP people love to call Aang entitled for this kiss, but there isn’t a single peep heard from them about Zuko’s line in TSR where he demands to know what’s “wrong” with Katara, since she hasn’t forgiven him yet when everyone else has. And look. I think Zuko was just frustrated here, and that he, too, made a mistake and is obviously not irredeemable for it, but. If you’re going to argue that Aang was entitled in EIP, you’d better be ready to acknowledge the argument that Zuko was acting entitled in TSR, too. And hell, let’s take it a step further! Call Aang entitled for EIP. Call Zuko entitled for TSR. Call Sokka entitled for choosing to stay at Boiling Rock on the off chance his father would arrive, thus making Suki and Zuko feel obligated to stay behind with him, effectively putting all of them in danger. What an entitled decision, risking his friends’ lives on the 0.01% chance Hakoda would be one of the many, many possible war prisoners arriving at Boiling Rock!

Damn. That sounds ridiculous as fuck, doesn’t it?

And guess what. That’s exactly how the “Aang was entitled” arguments come across. Hate to break it to you. Trust me when I say to do yourself a favor and stop perpetuating that faulty rhetoric!

So that is what I have already assessed, lol.

To be frank, the most frustrating thing I see perpetuated is that the EIP kiss somehow ruined Aang and Katara’s relationship. But when it comes to assessing weighty issues like the notion of “entitlement” in a relationship, the fact of the matter is that you have to look at both the relationship as a whole and the context in which it is situated. Opponents never want to do that, because doing so debunks their entire (baseless) argument, lmao. Katara and Aang are best friends. And by EIP, they have both expressed romantic interest in each other multiple times. (Here is a post explaining the development of Katara’s feelings for Aang, just to put out that fire before anyone sets it lmao.)

So why, why do opponents think Katara would never find it in herself to forgive Aang for a mistaken kiss? Katara is shown over and over again throughout the series to have one of the biggest hearts. She wants to see the good in people. That’s why she gives Jet a second chance (even though a person could argue he did not “deserve” one); that’s why she helps the Fire Nation village in “The Painted Lady”; that’s why she forgives Pakku (once she sees he’s willing to change); that’s why she is the second person in the entire show (excluding Iroh) to offer Zuko a hand of kindness (in CoD)! That’s why she eventually forgives Zuko, even after all he has done to the Gaang (e.g. sending an assassin after them, being complicit in Aang’s death, attacking her and kidnapping Aang at the NWT, manipulating her with her mother’s necklace, to name a few, lmao. bless his heart, but like Jet, someone could easily argue Zuko doesn’t “deserve” another chance - and yet Katara still gave him [and Jet] one. in fact, she gave Zuko multiple).

In other words, Katara is almost always willing to extend friendship and compassion and forgiveness to others - why would she revoke that privilege from Aang after a single error that is comparatively lesser to all the other horrible things she’s experienced in the war? Again, I’m not downplaying how terrible of a decision Aang made. It’s inexcusable. But it’s not the end of the world, and considering the context of the show (e.g. Aang and Katara liked each other and they both knew it), it’s… not some heinous crime. Compared to, oh, how about attempted murder? lmaoo

Even beyond Katara’s innate kindness, Aang is Katara’s best friend. She loves him. The show portrays it as romantic through the seasons, but even if someone isn’t into shipping (which is super valid), Katara and Aang’s connection is one of the primary lynchpins of the show! (The other being Aang and Zuko, the greatest foils of all time.) Katara and Aang epitomize several of A:TLA’s thematics (and aesthetics) because they are complementary: yin and yang, push and pull, Tui and La, moon and ocean, blue and orange, water and air. This gifset and related commentary beautifully demonstrate how even when Katara and Aang disagree, they respect the other’s the decision. So after 60~ episodes depicting Aang and Katara as having mutual respect and love for each other in every form as well as emphasizing Katara’s natural inclination towards kindness/giving people the benefit of the doubt, opponents still think Katara wouldn’t forgive Aang because of one mistimed, inappropriate kiss? What?? Make it make sense, lmao.

In sum, the kiss was a mistake, not an act of entitlement, and it’s absurd to think Katara would hold that against Aang for the rest of his life.

To backtrack a bit, opponents also love to use the fact that Aang asked Katara several questions about their relationship status as examples of his “entitlement.” Just typing that out highlights the ridiculous nature of this assertion, lmao! Let me rephrase it for maximum hilarity:

“Aang was unsure about where their relationship stood? Well, how dare he ask numerous questions to resolve his confusion!”

Like, what was the alternative jskfajksdas if you are in relationship limbo with someone, it is far better to ask them ‘too many’ questions for clarification than to simply assume one way or the other! Kissing Katara was wrong, flat-out, but asking her questions to better understand where they were in their relationship was like. exactly the right decision, lmao. I genuinely don’t see how that could be indicative of entitlement? Especially because, once again, Aang and Katara both like each other and they both know that by this point in the show. That’s why Aang doesn’t ask if Katara likes him - he knows she does. That’s why Katara doesn’t negate her feelings - she knows she’s interested in him, and the blockade between them is not a lack of reciprocation, but the fact that they’re “in the middle of a war” and consequently it’s not “the right time” for them to begin a relationship. Katara has seen Aang die before! She knows he’s facing a near-impossible victory! I can’t blame her for not wanting to start a relationship with him at that point. It would hurt twice as much to lose him again if they were together in a romantic fashion (amatonormativity, am I right?). Again, Aang’s kiss was entirely inappropriate, but him asking her questions about their relationship is a) an example of fostering healthy communication and b) what any therapist would encourage, lol.

Oh, but I’m “forgetting” something, aren’t I? Right. This line:

Katara: Aang, I’m sorry, but right now I’m just a little confused.

If we want to talk about parallels, which I know the A:TLA fandom adores, this line sounds suspiciously like:

Yue: … but I like you [Sokka] too much and it’s too confusing to be around you.

Yue and Katara are actually in similar situations here. Outside forces are interfering with their relationships; for Yue, there is her arranged marriage, and for Katara, it’s the life-or-death nature of the war itself. They aren’t confused about their feelings, as Yue knows she likes Sokka and Katara knows she likes Aang, but they are confused about how to reconcile those feelings with their external circumstances. And can you blame them for that? They are facing impossible decisions (the fate of their nation and the fate of the world respectively). I would be confused, too! So Katara’s response isn’t a reaction to any so-called “entitlement” from Aang; she is experiencing genuine confusion about how to approach her own feelings for him in the midst of a war.

In sum, Aang asking questions about their relationship was a logical step to take resolving his confusion and is in no way related to “entitlement.” Katara’s confusion was not “letting Aang down easy” and interpreting it as such requires disregarding every preceding line of the conversation and its context.

As you can see, Aang’s actions in EIP are not at all “entitled.” His questions were understandable. While his kiss was inappropriate and inexcusable, it was also a mistake, and there is no canon evidence to support the conclusion Katara would never be able to forgive him (her literal best friend!) for it.

Before I end, I’ll touch briefly upon the DotBS kiss, because it is also occasionally used as an example of Aang’s “entitlement” towards Katara’s feelings. Whether you like the trope or not, this moment falls under what is called the “Now or Never Kiss.” TV Tropes actually lists Kataang/DotBS as an example under the Western Animation tab:

“Avatar: The Last Airbender: The fact that he’s finally going to face the dreaded Firelord, and possibility that he might not come back alive from that battle, gives Aang enough motivation to kiss Katara.”

Again, whether you like the trope or not, it involves reciprocation from both parties:

“The Not-A-Couple [i.e. both parties] don’t want to go out without revealing how they [i.e. both parties] really feel. It’s now or never. They kiss.”

Katara and Aang both like each other. When Aang initiates the DotBS kiss, Katara kisses him back. Her lips are still puckered when he pulls away. Furthermore, Katara had initiated a kiss with Aang prior to this incident, in CoTL. Katara was also the one to initiate every cheek kiss with Aang (who is the only character she ever demonstrated such affection towards). So Aang kissing Katara during DotBS follows an established precedent of Katara initiating different kisses, romantically inclined, with Aang. It’s not entitlement; it’s him knowing they mutually like each other and him realizing this might be the last time he ever sees her. Again, you can hate the trope, but don’t blatantly misconstrue its meaning. You’ll sound like Fire Nation propaganda, lmao. (For clarification, jic: the general you. not anon!)

Here is a fantastic post by @imreallyhereforkataang explaining the DotBS kiss in more detail as well as discussing why Kataang’s progression in the second half of Book 3 was, in fact, well-developed, and how Katara and Aang are best friends above all else and know that (which was the core of their relationship from the start).

And a bonus fun fact: in the original storyboard (link takes you to storyboarder Giancarlo Volpe’s DeviantArt with said storyboard), it is noted that Katara smiles after Aang kisses her. Why? Because she likes him as much as he likes her! It was changed by a “higher authority,” according to Volpe, probably to add more realism to the romance (i.e. Katara likes Aang, yes, but as she herself points out in EIP - there’s a war going on, and love is always terrifying to reconcile with war).

(Seriously, though, do read Volpe’s description on the storyboard. Takes you a second to scroll down and maybe a minute to read. Short yet informative, discussing how you can see on the storyboard itself that someone revised the image so Katara isn’t smiling after the kiss.)

Anyways! Opponents’ argument that Katara wasn’t interested in Aang therefore is and has always been entirely inapplicable.

To conclude: the entitlement assertion is laughable. There is no canon evidence to support it. As such, I encourage you to laugh whenever you see it! Pull an Azula, for that matter:

[ID: Gif from “The Beach” episode of A:TLA. Ty Lee, mimicking a guy, asks Azula, “Hey there sweet sugar cakes. How ya likin’ this party?” Azula proceeds to burst into exaggerated laughter, earning stares from everyone else at the party. End ID.]

Thank you for the great ask, anon! Hopefully my response was satisfactory 💛

#surprise friends!! a kataang analysis!! i probably will not write any others until may 💀#kataang #kataangtag #aang #katara #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla meta #amy answers #anon #amy analyzes

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aomineavenue · 4 years

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Homesick (Miya Atsumu x f!Reader) | 007. realizations

Summary: Six years ago, L/N Y/N wouldn’t exactly say that she loves her life. It had always been problematic but her best friend, Miya Atsumu, since she was eight when she moved to Hyōgo, has always been there for her, and she wouldn’t change it for the world. However, things would always fall apart for her ever since, so she should have expected of such. Running away from her problems seemed like the easiest route to take at the time, so what happens when the past comes barging back into her life demanding answers? Will she be able to confront her demons?

Pairings: Miya Atsumu x f!Reader

Updates: irregular.

Genre: Angst, ANGST I LOVE ANGST, a lil bit of fluff here and there.

Warnings: Language, etc. (Will be mentioned once posted because I don’t want spoilers huehue)

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for the reader and my ideas. I do not claim any images used for content in this fic, everything goes out to their respective creators unless it is mentioned that it is mine.

Status: ongoing. | series masterlist

↩ dinner disaster | realization | chapter seven bonus ↪

mia’s note(s):

another easter egg found here! can you find it?

i’m so excited because we’re almost done. remember how i said it’s 12 chapters? well, i’ve shortened it ok lmao dont be mad but homesick is almost over hehe

i would just like to personally thank @newfriendjen and @hqstuffsforme bcoz they literally give me the motivation I need to continue writing lmao

The model scrunches her features up in annoyance, puffing her cheeks as if she were a child being deprived of sweets. She flickers her attention over to you, her jaw clenching at the mere fact a woman was seated next to him. “Excuse me.”

You arch an eyebrow, noticing her glowering towards your direction. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” she answers, her eyes betraying the smile she had on, “I believe you’re in my seat.”

The past few weeks had been exhausting for him, and it wasn’t because of their intense training for upcoming games. His exhaustion’s source was mainly from the most recent important events, it took a toll on him emotionally. While this may be true, he understands there wasn’t anyone to blame but himself. The anger still existed somewhere in his mind, displeasing him whenever his thoughts reminded him of the chances he had lost to take care of his kids at a much younger age, but he had tried his best to subdue those particular emotions ever since that night. Chaotic as it was, it took him a step closer towards the realization of what he really needed to do. All he needed now was a little shove.

“‘Tsumtsum!” he hears her screech, the muscles around his shoulders grow tense. The irony of it all, just as they were discussing that horrendous memory of the Christmas Party just last December that he had tried his best to eradicate from his brain due to his own embarrassment, he couldn’t believe the model in question had instantaneously emerged out of thin air. What was she doing all the way here in Kanagawa? It was as if he had no escape from her suffocating clutches. A quick glance towards his brother and he recognizes the criticizing features sewn on his twin’s features and all he could do was share a silent communication, pleading for his aid.

Out of all the times this woman could appear, she appears at the very moment where he was sort of, trying, to redeem himself. Silently, he prays as she snakes her arms around his neck, that you, settled next to him, wouldn’t conclude anything from it, but who was he kidding? The position itself was sufficient evidence for you to come up with the conclusion he’s dreading. He can sense everyone’s eyes on him, the irritation they were radiating for such disruption. As she releases another infuriating squeal, this time an inch away from his ear, he pries her hands away from his neck and wraps his fingers around her wrist to pull her to the side.

Her lower lip juts out to a pout as she stands by the table, ignoring the dirty look he was directing her way. “What’s wrong ‘Tsumtsum? Did you not like my surprise?”

“Surprise?” he disputes, his brows furrowed in confusion as he releases his grip from her wrist, displeasure evident in his tone as he spoke. “Don’t tell me you were stalking me, Yumi.”

She folds her arms across her chest and lets out a scoff of disbelief escape her lips, “You make it sound as if I’m not your girlfriend or something!”

“Well, you aren’t.” he argues, a sigh of frustration escaping his lips, “We’ve talked about this. We’re not together and how did you know I was going to be here anyway?”

“That’s some serious stalking there, Yumi-san.” Hinata quips from his seat innocently, the other individuals around the table attempt their best to contain their sniggering at the sight of the model going red in the face from both anger and embarrassment.

She releases a grunt from her lips, sending a glare towards Hinata’s direction before turning her attention back at him, flashing him an innocent smile. “I don’t care what you say, we’re dating. You can’t just drop me like that. What we have is something special, you love me right? You never really said it before, but I know you’re just being shy, ‘Tsumtsum, it’s o—”

“Please,” He interjects, “Drop it. We’ve discussed this already, Yumi.”

You arch an eyebrow, noticing her glowering towards your direction. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” she answers, her angry eyes betraying the smile she had on, “I believe you’re in my seat.”

“Yumi!” Atsumu hisses, pushing himself to stand from his seat. “Stop this, right now. We’re trying to have a quiet dinner.”

Clearing your throat, you avoid the model’s glare as you stand yourself, “I think I’m full, and I’d like to return to the hospital. She can have my seat.”

“Wait, what?” Reiji chokes, sharing a panic glance over to his current partner in crime across from him. “But we haven’t even gotten to the main course,”

Yumi squeezes her way towards your seat after pulling you away from where you stood with abrupt force, a happy squeal leaving her lips as she occupies the seat you sat on seconds ago, she turns to look up at you, a smug smile evident in her features, “Safe travels.”

“Enjoy the rest of your night, everyone.” you bid, bowing your head slightly before your feet take off towards the exit of the restaurant.

“Good riddance, if you ask me.” Yumi scoffs with a wave of her hand to capture everyone’s attention. She claps her hands together excitedly as she looks up at Atsumu, “I missed you so much, ‘Tsumtsum! You never bring me to dinners with your friends, this is so exciting for our relation—”

As Reiji was practically seething from the side like a predator ready to pounce an attack towards its enemy for disrespecting his best friend like that, and from the sudden thought of regret entering his mind of how he shouldn’t have trusted Atsumu for not doing anything. However, such thoughts were crushed almost instantly at the sight of the furious glare Atsumu was sending over to the model that was seated uninvitedly on your seat.

The sight of a furious Atsumu was enough to send a chill through her spine, as she was about to try to soothe the volleyball player by reaching out for him, he slaps her hands away which causes her to whimper, jutting her lower lip out to pout. “What did I do?”

“Are you serious, Yumi?” he snaps, nails burying into his palms to restrain his growing irritation, “I can’t believe you would do that.”

“Why does it matter?” she whines, trying to reach out for him once again, only to fail as he steps back further, “Are you serious right now? Who was that bitch anyway?”

Reiji interrupts, his voice full of venom from behind the model, “I’d watch your tongue if I were you.”

“Whatever,” she stutters, attempting to look unfazed by the singer’s words by rolling her eyes but her quivering posture radiated otherwise, “She shouldn’t matter, ‘Tsumtsum, let’s just continue dinner.”

“What are you? A child?” Osamu intrudes, not able to hold back his tongue any longer from this model’s personality, “Stop calling my brother such a horrendous nickname like a squealing pig.”

An offended gasp escaped her lips, glowering towards Osamu, “He likes it when I call him that, so sucks to be you! And I’m not a child, I’m a fully grown woman.”

“Could have fooled me,” Asuma mutters underneath his breath.

Yumi lets out a grunt. “Tell them, baby. You like it when I call you—Where are you going?”

He doesn’t spare her a glance, weaving his way through the restaurant to run after you, “I hate that nickname.”

Before Yumi could stand up and follow after him, her path was blocked by the other individuals around the table who had stood up the second they realized Atsumu’s plan of action. “What are you doing? Let me through! You’re all going to regret this!”

Yumi’s screech was the last thing Atsumu heard as he steps out of the restaurant, a part of him feeling bad for his friends being left to deal with Yumi’s ridiculous antics and well, for the other people in the restaurant that might have had their ears traumatized. He never really understood what he saw in her in the first place, it was Yumi who had approached him in the beginning anyway. He should have listened to Osamu instead.

He looks around frantically, wanting to be able to catch up to you. He needed to talk to you, to apologize for Yumi’s behavior. He was just hoping that, somehow, he still had a chance to fix things with you. Hopefully, Yumi’s appearance hadn’t ruined those chances.

He catches a glimpse of your retreating figure walking towards the nearest bus station and he feels his heart soar, you haven't gone too far yet. He doesn’t waste any more time than he already has, sprinting towards your direction, calling out your name.

At the sound of his voice, your name rolling off of his tongue in desperation, you turn your head to look back with confusion. He reaches you almost instantly after you pivot your body to face his direction. Despite looking flustered as he catches his breath, he takes your breath away.

“Oh, sorry.” a feminine voice interrupts his train of thought through memory lane, causing him to turn around, startled, “I didn’t realize someone was already occupying the balcony.”

He lets out an awkward laugh, shaking his head, “No, it’s okay. It’s not like I’d stop you, I don’t own the space or anything.”

“So you don’t mind if I share your space? The party inside is kind of suffocating.” she lets out a sigh, avoiding his gaze sheepishly.

“I don’t mind at all,” he nods, tearing his gaze away from her as she steps out onto the balcony. He returns his gaze over to the buildings of Shinjuku, the different bright hues from various buildings painting the night sky.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

He hums softly, lifting the cold bottle of Sapporo up to his lips to take a quick sip. He lets out a sigh, “Just some stuff, it’s nothing really.” He turns to look over at her when she steps towards the edge of the balcony near him, “Wait, aren’t you Tobio-kun’s sister? The sports journalist?”

She lets out a laugh with a nod of her head, “Yeah, I’m glad I’ve made a name for myself then for some of the players here to recognize me. Though, I don’t think I appreciate being known as Tobio’s sister, not that I’m not proud of my brother or anything.”

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to.” he states sheepishly.

She shakes her head, offering him a small smile. “It’s okay, no worries. You realize the party is inside, don’t you? I think I heard Bokuto-san looking for you or something.”

“I suppose I’m not really in the mood right now,” he mutters underneath his breath, looking back up ahead. “Not really in the right mind space. I don’t really know why I’m telling you this, you’re a journalist.”

She pouts, “I’m not as bad as those gossiping sharks. I prefer to actually produce worthy news. Speaking of news, you’ve been everywhere lately. I suppose it’s hard for you. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if that happens.”

“I don’t mind it,” he admits, his forehead creasing.

“Pardon?”

He lets out another sigh, shifting his position so his back is leaning against the railing of the balcony, “I don’t mind it. I just wish she was left out of things. She doesn’t deserve such slander.”

“I suppose the woman associated in the news with you actually means something to you then,” she muses, “I always thought that model Yumi was irritating. I’m sure her fame will fly out the window sooner or later.”

He lets out a scoff of irritation, taking another swig of the beer in his hand, “Don’t even remind me of her.”

“She’s not really well liked either,” the journalist beside him snickers, “Don’t worry about it too much, you’ll grow wrinkles. Say, Miya-san, do you love her?”

He’s startled by the direct question, if it were not for his tight grip around the beer bottle, it would have slipped from his fingers and came crashing to the floor. No one, not even his brother, had asked him such a question. He never really thought about it, but ever since that night, you were all he could think about. “It’s complicated.”

“A lot of things are complicated.” she starts, tilting her head back up to look at the dark sky from the penthouse balcony, “There will always be complications, you know. But, do you know what’s the bright side of it?”

He turns his head to look over at her in curiosity, “What?”

She lets out a heavy sigh, a sad smile forming on her lips. “For each complicated situation we are in, the only person who can deal with such complications, is ourselves. Everything is in our hands. The only question you should be asking yourself is, what is the outcome you wish to have? Then from there, I’m sure you’ll be able to find a solution to your complicated situation.”

“I wish it were that easy,” he frowns, fluttering his eyelids shut as he lets the cold night breeze brush against his skin.

A laugh escapes her lips, “Nothing is ever easy. Life would be boring if that were the case. But all I can say is, it’s really up to you whether you want to take action or not.”

A comfortable silence engulfs the two occupants on the balcony, the soft chatter from the V.League Association party almost seemed it were music flowing throughout the large penthouse, the usual busy streets of Shinjuku were quiet as the time flew by, signalling how late it had gotten.

“Thank you,” Atsumu breaks the silence, a small smile playing on his lips.

She nods her head, returning his smile with her own, “It’s nothing, really. I may not know what’s really happening, but I know the feeling of being part of a complicated situation. Trust me, I’m having a hard time following my own advice.”

“I’m sure you’ll—”

“Am I interrupting something?”

The two switch their attention over to the man that steps into the comfortable space, Atsumu flickering his gaze back and forth to the woman next to him and the volleyball player that made his appearance. He notes the stiff posture of the woman who had been accompanying him and he comes to the conclusion that it was his cue to leave. “Ah, no Ushijima-san. I believe you’re looking for this one, so I’ll leave you two to it.”

Before Atsumu could leave the two to talk, the woman calls out his name. He glances back over his shoulder, capturing a glimpse of her encouraging smile. “If you love her, you should let her know.”

He gives her an appreciative smile before stepping back inside of the penthouse, the murmur of a chatter earlier from the balcony becoming more clear and loud. Placing the half-empty bottle of Sapporo down on a surface in the lounging area, he glances over at the digital wall clock.

An hour until midnight. It would take him at least an hour or so to travel back to Kanagawa from Shinjuku.

Not wasting another second, despite the calls from his teammates, he leaves the party with determination.

The thin hospital blanket you had requested earlier from a nurse barely gave you any warmth, your body engulfed in a chilly embrace. Not even curling up your body to a fetal position and clinging the white sheets closer gave you any source of heat.

Letting out a groan of frustration, you push the blankets away and shift your body to a sitting position on the rather uncomfortable armchair provided by the hospital, giving up on sleep for the meantime. Aside from the murmur produced from the air conditioner and the steady beeping of Atsuhiro’s vitals indicating a healthy heartbeat from the monitor, it was too silent for your liking.

You realize it was almost midnight after a quick glance at the digital clock that rested on the surface of the side table next to Atsuhiro’s bed, and you couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh. At least Atsuhiro was sleeping peacefully. It had taken a while before he had gotten used to sleeping in another bed that wasn’t his, often waking up in the middle of the night or not being able to sleep at all.

The sound of shuffling breaks your train of thought and you shift your attention over to your sleeping mother who you insisted occupied the small couch. A little sore back was nothing of an appreciation for your mother’s attentiveness to your sons. She had refused to return back to Hyōgo until Atsuhiro had been discharged from the hospital, and despite it taking awhile since there hadn’t been a suitable donor for him yet, not a single complaint had left your mother’s mouth.

You couldn’t help but shoulder the burden of the delay on finding Atsuhiro a donor, the past weeks had been hectic and stressful. And if you were going to be honest, ever since that disaster of a dinner, you had been putting off the idea of having the much needed talk with Atsumu. You were just thankful that Atsuhiro’s condition hadn’t worsened since then.

You were, more or else, afraid, of where or how the conversation was going to end. The doubt you had was not just because of your insecurities, but it was also because, since that night, you hadn’t heard from Atsumu himself. You couldn’t blame him, the night had ended in disaster as well, nor was the morning after very pleasant from being bombarded with strings of questions from your friends.

Fame.

It was something you never got used to despite your friends being in a boy band for so long. You were now under the spotlight, and what was worse was that after some thorough digging by crazy fans, your sons, your precious sons, had been dragged through mud. However, you were grateful for certain fans, the fans of Galaxy Standard in particular, had defended you without much of a command from their idols. As soon as your name, and your kids, were mentioned, they immediately jumped in to defend you. Bless their souls.

Although, you still couldn’t believe it yourself of the events that occurred right after you had exited the restaurant, intent on returning to the hospital.

The already dreadful night takes a turn for the worst, the annoying high pitched shrill being repeated causing you to wince as the woman who had completely ruined, well, a already ruined dinner made her way through the threshold of little sanity that you had left and closed the gap between her and Atsumu by wrapping her arms around his neck from behind where he sat, she was dangerously standing close to you, more so enough for you to maybe stab your chopsticks to her side for her pesky squealing. What is she trying to imitate? A tortured pig?

You didn't bother to cease your eye roll, this is Atsumu's type? Now, you know you aren't all that amazing or anything and looking at the woman clinging to Atsumu, she looked all around amazing, it was pretty obvious that she was a model. However, the personality she was exhibiting was nowhere near your expectations of the women Atsumu would date. It was overbearing.

Instead of dealing with such ridiculous antics from a grown woman acting like a child, you decide it was best to find an excuse to leave. As the opportunity presented itself on a silver platter, you took it without any hesitation despite the quiet protests of Reiji from behind you. Exhaustion had left you with little sanity and dealing with someone like Yumi, well, you weren’t having it.

Saying your polite goodbye, you left without another word, ignoring the pleading looks from your friends. It wasn’t as if you were angry or anything, maybe just a tad on the jealous side when Yumi had introduced herself as Atsumu’s girlfriend, but either than that, you just wanted a quiet night. The rowdy bunch was already enough to drain you, but having to deal with someone like Yumi? Yeah, no thanks.

Stepping out of the restaurant, you shiver from the rush of cold air that brushes against the exposed patches of skin, making you silently regret not bringing a jacket with you. Instead of dwelling on your silly mistake, you wrap your arms around yourself for your momentary source of warmth, rubbing your exposed arms with your soft palms, it would have to do for the meantime.

Luckily, you were familiar with the area since you’ve been to the restaurant more times than you can count, that despite not having a ride back to the hospital, you were at least knowledgeable of the area. You began your journey towards the nearest bus stop, knowing it was still fairly early since the dinner hadn’t even progressed that far yet. Somehow, despite being irritated by Yumi's presence, you were grateful for intrusion, at least you would be able to return to Atsuhiro earlier than expected. You’d have to give Shizuma a call once you return to the hospital to check on Atsuhiko.

Thankfully, the walk to the nearest bus stop was short, because walking in heels was never something you adored, wincing already from the discomfort. You couldn’t wait to take them off for much more comfortable shoes. However, as you neared the bus stop, you hear his pleading shouts of your name and you halt almost instantly. For a moment, you wondered if it were just in your head, but at the sound of shouts mixed with hurried steps grew louder, your heart swells weirdly in your chest. Spinning around, you come to face Atsumu, catching his breath, his hands on his knees.

“What…?” you mutter under your breath, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be entertaining your girlfriend back there?”

As he regains his composure, he pushes himself to stand properly, meeting your gaze instantly. His gaze catching your breath in your throat. Mesmerizing.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he shakes his head, looking at you with sincerity in his eyes, “I promise.”

The corners of your mouth tug down to a frown, “Why are you telling me this, Atsumu? It’s fine. You’re not obligated to tell me who you’re dating. Just because we have kids together, doesn’t mean we should fix our shit and get togeth—”

“I’m sorry,” he interrupts, causing your eyes to widen briefly before your brows furrowed in confusion from his apology. Sensing your confusion, he continues, “I’m sorry for everything. For our shitty past, for not treating you better, for not realizing my idiotic ways. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for a lot of things.”

You press your lips to a thin line, racking your brain for a response. Well, what were you supposed to say? You had imagined this before, imagined what it would be like when Atsumu apologizes for things, and back then, you would have seen yourself rejecting his apologies, but as you stood there at that very moment, you couldn’t find the anger that you had. Then, you realized. This was Atsumu.

Your best friend since you were eight years old, the one person that always bothered and teased you to no end, but no matter what, you could never find yourself being mad at him for a long period of time. You were always quick to forgive him.

“And, I’m sorry for this,” he breaks your train of thought and you wonder what he means for a second, but as he closes the gap between the two of you as he cups your cheeks in his hands, you don’t fight back.

You let him bring your face closer to his.

You don’t fight back.

Not even when his lips had found its rightful place against your own.

You are pulled from your thoughts at the sound of knocking echoing throughout the quiet room, not realizing how your fingers have found their way against your lips, brushing along its luscious shape, almost as if you were reminiscing the sensation of his lips.

The sound of knocking interrupts you once more and for a second, you had thought you had imagined it, but as it was repeated a few more times, you began wondering who it might be. After crossing the room in long strides, you slide the door open, eyes widening at the man standing before you.

“I love you.”

#atsumu x reader #atsumu x you #atsumu imagine #atsumu imagines #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu imagines #hq #hq x reader #hq imagine #hq imagines #hq x you #atsumu miya #miya atsumu #miya atsumu x reader #atsumu miya x reader

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