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comradekatara · 2 months

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Ok we should talk more about sokka and aang because these two dumbasses are adorable together! Underrated relationship

The gag with Katara and blind Toph in season 3 is still the funniest scene in the series lol

yeah their friendship very cute. i like how when they're left to their own devices their respective adhd tendencies combine, that feels very true to my relationships with my friends who also have adhd lol. it's also just really adorable how through aang's sheer lovability, sokka learns to loosen up a little and appreciate life (somewhat, sometimes) in a more relaxed, content way. aang is a really good and highly valuable influence on everyone around him, especially as he counteracts the logic of war and its necessity for violence, which is an ideology sokka not only heavily subscribes to, but to which he attaches his very personhood. aang reminds sokka that he is still a child (he reminds katara of this too, but it happens in the literal pilot, whereas sokka's journey to literally enjoying himself ever is far more gradual and grueling). aang reminds sokka that he is human.

that said, i do think that people tend to be reductive when talking about the value of their relationship. not to single you out specifically, but i do kind of take umbrage with the notion (perhaps unintentional) that all their dynamic is good for is being adorable and funny. calling them "dumbasses" because they can be silly and goofy sometimes, or scatterbrained and absent-minded. i genuinely think that aang and sokka constitute one of the most interesting foils in the entire show. normally when we talk about character foils, we talk about characters who are positioned in opposition to each other, but aang and sokka are fascinating because they're allies (and friends) who nonetheless approach the same problem with the same intentions and the same goals but from completely different angles.

in many ways, sokka is aang's most distinct opposite. but first, to address their similarities: they're both victims of a genocidal imperialist project that has burdened them with a responsibility to their people that they are too young and barely equipped to handle; they are both expected to shoulder this burden easily by those around them due to their nature as "gifted" child prodigies with distinctly unique skillset and an unprecedented ability to absorb and apply new information that they learn at a genuinely abnormal rate (remember that aang is not just the avatar, but an incredibly prodigious avatar at that; he mastered all four elements within less than a year by the age of twelve, whereas most avatars take at least another four years to master their elements); they are both the "leaders" of their small guerrilla militia of child soldiers, and they take turns giving each other guidance and trusting and following the other's lead; they both consider katara the central figure in their lives and love her with an almost obsessive devotion; they both repress their grief and other unpalatable emotions through humor and constant distraction, and sometimes even depersonalize entirely when they feel that their goal is more important than retaining their humanity (sokka does this more frequently, but when aang does it, it's more blatant); and of course, they both harbor massive guilt complexes for the devastating tragedies (largely beyond their control) that have shaped their lives, and are constantly replaying those moments of "failure" as that of acute shame to motivate themselves as they strive to rectify and "atone" for their past errors.

so, as you can see, reducing their friendship to "adorable dumbasses" is already not very interesting. to me, the best aang and sokka scenes aren't the ones wherein they are playing and goofing around together. those scenes are sweet and charming, of course, but the best aang and sokka scenes are the ones wherein sokka is positioned as the logical consequence of aang's grief. wherein present-day sokka becomes the worst case scenario for a hypothetical future aang. in many ways, their friendship is incredibly bittersweet, because it is also punctuated by moments wherein sokka threatens aang's entire value system and quote-unquote "innocence" through attempting to mold him into a Man Of War the way he does those hapless toddlers in his village. for all that sokka is remarkably open-minded and receptive to new ideas, he cannot see past the limits of the world he was born into and the mechanisms and assumptions of violence he was forced to internalize and embody. aang is, of course, totally unique in his ability to not only envision a world beyond the war (i would argue that katara has the ability to do this as well), but also to have actually experienced it. and so it is truly a testament to aang's resilience that he is almost entirely impervious to sokka's ruthless, militaristic logic, even as sokka constantly attempts to enforce it.

i have a much longer post in my drafts about how aang and sokka are positioned in "the serpent's pass" (one of their best episodes in terms of their dynamic, also just a highly underrated episode in general), so i'm not gonna get too much into it here, but katara's relationship to aang as paralleled with suki's relationship to sokka is really fascinating in this episode for the ways in which it also positions katara's grief over witnessing aang's attempt to detach himself from his grief to focus on his goals and aang slipping into "sokkahood," and the absolutely devastating implications of what that must mean for katara. i think there's a strong case, in general, for the reading of katara attempting to replace her lost childhood (with sokka) through aang as he represents a vehicle for her overly idealized nostalgia (much like how zuko projects onto aang and views him as a vehicle to return to that site of his overly idealized childhood), and thus, quite literally, replacing sokka with aang. to katara, aang possesses what sokka has since lost, or perhaps something he never got the chance to have in the first place. and that isn't to say that katara views aang as a brother, but rather that katara longs for companionship in any form, and what is aang if not the ideal companion? so aang's grief and rage scares her not only because it pains her to see someone she loves so deeply in so much pain, but also because it reflects her own pain back at her, as someone who has lost so much, including family members (also including kanna and hakoda) who are, ostensibly (at least physically), still alive.

one of the most fascinating scenes between sokka and aang in the entire show is when sokka straight up attacks aang for burning katara in "the deserter." katara is very clearly affected by this beyond simply the physical pain; being burned by the weapon that killed her mother is explicitly triggering for her, and she retreats into herself and sobs like a child (she is a child, but you know what i mean. an even younger child). and sokka in turn is triggered by katara being triggered, because his entire existence revolves around his oath to protect her, and she was just hurt by the one person to whom she stakes all her hope and pride and joy and affection above all. aang obviously understands the gravity of this accident immediately; it of course wasn't intentional, but he nonetheless takes full accountability and apologizes sincerely. but sokka only calms down somewhat once he knows for certain that katara is okay. and instead of going to find katara as she sobs, he spends all his focus on yelling at aang, throwing him to the ground, more furious than we have ever seen him. and in a way, it's clear that he's also furious at himself, for having let his guard down around and trusted aang, and for his failure to perform his primary duty, protecting his sister. the fulcrum of aang and sokka's relationship is, necessarily, katara. she is the force that brings them together, and the person who is most important to either of them, but she also person who connects them in her mind, and so our perceptions of them as the audience are primarily informed by her perception of them as the narrator.

moreover, sokka's advocacy for killing zuko (in "the siege of the north") and ozai (in "sozin's comet") constitute two more fascinating scenes with aang, for the way in which sokka does not even find the act of killing something to flinch at, let alone an absolute betrayal of core principles and values the way aang does. killing is simply not something sokka feels guilty about, despite the fact that he seems to carry guilt over simply existing a lot of the time. and that juxtaposition, between aang and sokka playing together, of sokka learning how to have fun and entertain his little friend, versus sokka chastising aang for refusing to commit murder, is what makes their relationship so compelling. when people reduce their dynamic to its most comedic and innocent mode, they are reducing their roles as they embody two opposing relationships to violence, and how that reflects their ideological positions as someone who has subscribed to imperialist logic insofar as his values have been shaped by war, as opposed to someone who knows through his own experiences to refute that logic by any means necessary. when we talk about aang helping sokka to regain his humanity, it is crucial to understand specifically how sokka lost his humanity in the first place, but also why aang specifically is so crucial in counterbalancing his logic in a way no one else alive actually can.

ultimately, if sokka represents the voluntary auto-dehumanization of the colonized subject, then aang represents the potential of preservation and even reclamation of humanity and the imaginative potential of a world[view] beyond those colonial limits. their ideological conflict is not simply one of what it means to be human within a colonized paradigm, but what it means to exist at all.

#lilith-91 #asks #aang&sokka #analysis #aang #sokka #katara #under a readmore again bc i ended up writing a bajillion paragraphs (again)#also sorry for getting kind of existential with it #again obligatory disclaimer that i recognize that this is a nickelodeon y-7 cartoon #that said. i do think aang and sokka are really deep characters. like truly #and i want to honor that properly #(when i finish that serpents pass essay its over for u hoes...)#anyway. i love them so much. they are so much more than adorable dumbasses.#although yeah they are that too

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guardian5tiger3 · 1 year

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The next phase of your life.

Options

1 2 3

4 5 6

Pick a picture, tarot + intuitive messages :)

Group 1

Page of cups, ten of pentacles, ace of pentacles, temperance

So I'm seeing success in family and support from eachother. That could be anybody cause on the ten of pentacles there was two dogs that caught my eye. Could even be spirit ok. The page of cups is coming off like a well nurtured child so that could be you because of this going on in the future feeling like this or you should be proud of a child in your life. If any fighting or I wanted to say bickering is going on, spirit wants everyone to calm down and get along and at least be civil. I am feeling lighthearted so the fighting could be lighthearted but someone just said to me "chill." So yeah. Really positive energy but I did get behind the scenes it of course isn't perfect but I say while you're transitioning into the new energy just look on the bright side and try to be the person that initiates a peaceful energy.

Group 2

You guys and or someone around you is choosing love over something else. I felt really light in my chest earlier so this is going to naturally get rid of a lotta negative attachments. This seems subtly life changing. For most of you no this is not romantic, some of you it is but for a lot of you if anything this is first self love and love for everything around you which is the realest form of true love you guys. This will make you generally really content and nothing will feel so serious and possibly damaging. I didn't get the fool but damn it's almost like fool energy.

For those who this is romantic! Someone from your past is choosing love or you are and you guys are simply gonna get back together :) . 💗

And for all of you, romantic partner(s) will come in after you've balanced out this energy and got settled into it.

Group 3

You guys must have cut someone off or something I suppose that was causing issues and it feels like, ahh finally peace. Well that's honestly about that. Nobody has the right to take advantage of your time and energy. You're moving onto better things and I think you guys already know what that is and with six whole piles you all feel completely different and special.

Eye of the tiger came on the radio . Been my favorite song since I was probably like 7 years old so I love you guys that must have something to do with something regarding some of you. A lot of you must be focusing on something important..

Group 4

So you guys the song playing on the radio is called like a prayer by Madonna. I'm being told and the cards are also showing that you guys it isn't really just faith by any means but you guys are so well off because you carry this energy with you that you know the universe and what it's about and you all are just blessed I can't even put it into words but I think you guys know. I see y'all being obedient to a higher power and they're guiding you to an energy that almost is like a rising sun. You seem to trust anything you lost or will lose is in your favor and the favor of the highest good of everything and everyone. I'm seeing that you're being guided to go exactly. I repeat exactly. Where you need to be. I'm getting something like nourishment for your soul. It kind of seems like a lot of you have to be strong and let go of certain people and you know it's ok. Just remember not to worry. You are being guided. Bless! I'm not being told anymore but I do hope this helps.

Group 5

I'm getting something about math or spiritual laws maybe first and foremost.

I think your souls know exactly how things work and how to manifest new things. It seems like currently the manifestations are coming from your heart.

Ok lol so the song that just came on the radio is the one by queen that goes can anybody find me somebody to lovee.

You guys don't have to physically do a damn thing. Whatever youve been wanting all of those things that are truly favorable for you are gone come in right after some type of ending that's happening to clear the way I feel. It seems like not only that but you're receiving different options , a lot of them, and they're going to almost snowball meaning more and more of this energy is gonna keep coming in which really hints to me this has been blocked for a while. Cause I'm getting the vision of water, like a small river building up until a dam breaks and it all coming through.

Group 6!

Uhh you guys rock. So for an example for you all to interpret into your own situations, say someone has been practicing guitar for the longest time and they're feeling a certain groove and they go and just rock the hell out. A lot of you are showcasing talents yall have. Others of you are just super in a rhythm you guys have had your fair share of bs it seems so if that's the case for you this is definitely true. Other people are also going to be supportive of you so say you go on a stage people are gonna rock with you. Or people around you will just reciprocate your energy. I'm thinking about when I'm in a happy mood and walk around outside a lot of strangers I see will have good fun conversations with me like they feel the same way! You guys are kinda giving off , can't nothing break your stride! Definitely roll with that.

Love you guys. Peace

#free tarot readings #pac reading #pick a card reading #pac #pac tarot #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a pile #tarot pac #tarot reading #intuitive messages #channeled message #psychic messages #spirit message #psychic predictions #predictions #pick a deck #pick an image

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hunterbunter3000 · 1 year

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Okay so, since Krueger is obsessed with Sweetheart. Does that make him a Yandere? I mean like after he first met her and is with her like lost puppy. Does one of the men’s notice his behavior?

Oh damn... I guess so? 🫢🫢🤔🤔🤔🤔 he does have yandere tendencies. Wow I guess I made him a Yandere 😭😭 BUT LIKE-- HE WOULDNT KILL JUST BECAUSE?? like "just because you talked to Sweetheart I wouldn't kill you immediately, I would just threaten you and be intimidating so you can back off and not make a move on my future wife." But if you hurt Sweetheart then yeah you're done. DONE.

And he isn’t the type to be “if I can’t have you, no one can” and kill off Sweetheart, or be the type to lock her in the basement or have sadistic punishments. GOD NO

He would throw up if he ever tHOUGHT of hurting Sweetheart like that. (He has gotten on his knees, legit sobbing like he lost a family member, and apologizing to her because he slapped her when she accidentally startled him— it was a reflex and Sweets understood but Kruger did not stop crying. And then he bought her a designer purse 💀) he’s just a really big love drunk guy that treats his future love like a fucking goddess.

He listens to Sweetheart only, (and Graves I guess because thats his boss) so whatever she says goes. She says to leave her alone? Alright I'll give you some space. (Even tho he would be crying) she says to beat up that guy cause he disrespected her capitan? Done and done. She says to stop threatening strangers that come up to her? ...eehhhh that's gonna be hard, but I'll do it.

He does it because he wants to please her. Like a lot.

It’s unhealthy how attached he is to her, but he’s still respectful. He doesn’t want to lose her, but he also doesn’t want to be alone anymore. Does that even make sense lol

But yeah, I guess he is a yandere. BUT LIKE A SOFT YANDERE WHO UNDERSTANDS SOME BOUNDARIES

And good lord, everyone notices every time Krueger is around. Especially König (since they're step-brothers in this) König has always seen Krueger act like this, but not to a person, so it was shocking to see that happen.

He's so restless and snappy when Sweetheart isn't around and always asks where she is and why she isn't here yet. And one time, Ghost is like "Calm down mate. She's just running some errands." And Krueger just tenses, and you can see in his body language that he's getting angry. "By herself? You let her go by herself!? Where? Which store!? Fuck!" And he storms out of the lounging area. That was when they all knew that Krueger had a different kind of love for Sweetheart. And was waaayyyyy different than them. They feel a bit awkward with him because they know he's unhinged and a bit psycho, especially when it comes to Sweetheart. He's a very skilled soldier and will not hesitate to rip and tear everyone that is around her in a heartbeat. And they know Krueger's distain towards them, except with Ghost, Roach and König, Krueger just toys around with him like the annoying big brother he is. With Ghost, he's kind of friends with because he knows that Ghost will sacrifice everything for Sweetheart just like him. And they also have somethings in common- like torturing people and watching football. (soccer) With Roach, Krueger likes him because he's quiet and has sadistic tendencies when it comes to fighting enemies.

(He doesn't like when Roach hangs off of Sweetheart tho)

He gets jealous and irritated easily when he doesn't get his way when Sweetheart is around them. Like with Soap, he HATES Soap so much omfg- that is his enemy. He sees how close they are to each other and sees how Soap touches her and vice versa (he has many violent fantasies when it comes to Soap. König knows about this and purposely makes him avoid the two when they are together) those two butt heads CONSTANTLY

Like one more word from that Scottish dumbass and he will put him under bro 💀

They see how clingy Krueger is when she gets back from a mission, especially a solo mission omg

He would just hug her from behind and sway back and forth, his hood draping over her head as well as his (the hood that she made him is huge) and Soap can hear him whisper praises to her and her giggles. He can also hear Krueger kissing Sweetheart. Where? He doesn't know. Hopefully, not on the lips. WHY ARE THEY SO CUTE TO ME WTFF

And Krueger will not. Let. Her go. AT ALL. Like if he comes over to their side of the base, Krueger takes allllll of the attention from her (I talked about this before) especially if they're taking a nap together, like he's sitting on the couch with Sweetheart cradled in his lap, asleep on his broad shoulder as his arms hold her. Gaz fucking hates when they take naps together, especially when he sees their breathing in sync (Like FUCK OFF) So one time, Gaz was sick of it. He reaches for Sweetheart but Krueger tightens his hold on her, and he growls so fucking low and animalistic like a damn rabid dog protecting its owner-- it legit scared him. (Especially when you can't see his face 💀) And Krueger just says, "mine." In the lowest voice Gaz has ever heard-- he just backs up and leaves (AND WASN'T HE SUPPOSED TO BE ASLEEP??? LIKE IS HE MAGICAL-)

Krueger is something else yall 💀 can't wait to write more of him with Sweetheart 🤭🤭

#hes delulu yall #and a soft yandere too i guess LOL #DIDNT EVEN NOTICE IT AT FIRST TBH #sebastian krueger x reader #krueger x reader #call of duty #sebastian krueger #black fem reader #cod x y/n #141 sweetheart #141 sweetheart x krueger #hunter's ask lounge ☕️

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black-lake · 2 years

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astro observations 2

more observations today for ya? this time both signs and aspects. 🦊

Should I call it the Aquarius post? 🤔 I mentioned Aquarius too many times, sorry I relate too hard, bear with me.

Highlights: aquarius, MC, IC, sun, virgo, capricorn, gemini, sagittarius, jupiter, mercury, moon, scorpio, aries, uranus

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🦋 Aquarius placements especially sun, moon, mercury, mars, MC and ascendant are PROS at ignoring your texts until they want to answer. It's like they either consciously ignore your text to rebel against what others expect them to do and do exactly what they want at that time, or unconsciously rebel in the same way desiring complete "freedom". My bestie is aquarius sun and I'm aquarius MC, we answer each other's texts days or weeks later and are okay with it 💀 oh, the answer is also too irrelevant it makes you want to throw your phone at a wall yay 😻

🦋 Fire moon + fire/air mars and anger issues 🤝

🦋 Virgo moons, you had a critical mom or parental figure, you internalized her voice, you criticize without knowing. Your words can make someone self conscious even if you think it's innocent judgment 🥺 Your words can also make some's day because you are trusted! (applies to gemini moons and mercury too). Don’t take it for granted. Until you know how to use your judgment for good, with balance and kindness you become the warmest most looked up to friend.

🦋 Capricorn moons are such complex individuals, their trauma is unique to them, they can endure and have endured a LOT. They are extremely caring or deadly careless no in between. Keeping it professional is what they're good at. Each one I met is so much different than the other, they have similar but different stories, but they all have this grounded energy that can make them even seem heavy energetically. Once evolved, they can be the wisest people to talk to.

🦋 Aquarius MC individuals might have been too emotionally attached to their family at a young age, especially their mom (with leo 4th). They had so much passion and love for their mom and realized it wasn't equally reciprocated, they were manipulated (hits home). They also might have been jealous and needed the love and attention all on them, but they dgaf anymore. 😎 At a certain age, their family broke their trust and they became completely detached. They learned to be emotionally secure and set strong boundaries with people which shocked everyone. They stopped giving energy to their family or anyone else. They ran out of f*cks to give so soon.

🦋 Aquarius MC/IC they were and always will be seen as weird and different from their family and everyone else (hell I'm seen as controversial and questionable even when I sit still and do nothing). love that.

🦋 Also if you have Aquarius MC, IC or Ascendant check when saturn transits 4th or 10th or aspects the nodes/mc. This indicates the end of karmic cycles with your family related to your self concept and self expression. You will have a chance to break cycles and be more individualistic. It may be painful but hold on. 🥺

🦋 Gemini and Virgo ascendants can be introverted or extroverted, mostly introverted, unless they have planets in the 1st, much air or fire energy. They always have a way with words tho no matter what, and they always are nervous, their minds never shut down, they keep thinking and rethinking lol. These individuals break social norms, research and discuss topics much more profoundly than what has been done before. They have topics to talk about that were forgotten or not discussed enough.

🦋 Sagittarius moons and placements, feeling the need to laugh at the wrong, very wrong time. LOUD laughs . Laughs that make others stare with a look of concern. Making jokes when it's time to get serious. Repeating jokes as it gets more serious. Making more jokes when someone tells them to stop. Laughs at people not laughing at their jokes. Laughs at their own joke before they say it. plz I admire.

🦋 Gemini, Virgo, Aquarius, Capricorn, Aries, Leo, Scorpio mercuries intrigue me the most, they got something impressive about them, the way they talk and their words are powerful, can equally be destructive and toxic. People can take them the wrong way. What they have to say should be heard period. Watch your speech if you have these signs, you don’t want to hurt people or yourself.

🦋 Now I don’t like to talk about how Scorpio and Aries mars are seen as "sexy" because it's been said trillions of times (even tho I like to read them because I'm a scorpio mars 💀). But hear me out, the most prominent thing about all scorpio mars individuals is that they like to move in complete silence, like they don't exist, like you will never catch them. Every decision they take in life is private, because that's the only way they can shock you with their big success and revenge on all people that didn't believe in them. They want to keep you guessing and never give you answers but will show actions and accomplishments only. Their biggest dream is to come out on top once everyone has forgotten about them (or not), but to see your jaw droppin is their wet dream loool.

🦋 Mercury conjunct Uranus? and all aspects for that matter, but especially the conjunction. You cannot convince me that these individuals are not geniuses, no matter how dumb they act. Take care of your mind, it's something special gorg. Also your voice must be so unique, it stays on someone's mind and is so vivid when they think of you.

🦋 Mercury conjunct Jupiter, the philosopher. You just like to talk about abstract and broad topics. Spiritualist at heart, rational to deny it often tho. You have sooo many interests it's insane. You are the jack of all trades. People expect you to know things? You come off as a know it all, even if you don't mean it (yea I have it I relate). You have lessons to learn and teach those around you especially about their concept of life and beliefs. Any compliment you give can mean a lot to people. Your positivity is infectious.

🦋 Mercury aspecting Jupiter, especially conjunctions can give a lot of optimism, this applies to neptune positively aspecting chiron as well. I see it in charts of people that have heavy saturn, pluto or chiron energy, to balance the darkness, their ability to think positively is healing to them and others because likely other things are destroying them in life and they already have many wounds. Your optimism is not an illusion, it's a gift from the universe. Life gets better as you spiritually evolve.

🦋 Moon opposite/square mercury, such a hard aspect. A constant mental and emotional conflict. You don't know whether to trust your thoughts or emotions. You don't know when you're trusting either. There is a direct and strong influence of thoughts on emotions. Now that means your thought can hurt you or elevate you so be careful. Especially at a young age your thoughts and others' thoughts have hurt you deeply, as you grow you learn how to balance it out, to not give a f*ck. The good thing about this aspect is that these people pick up on their thought patterns easily and have potential to manipulate their minds to their benefit. Mental health is important to these individuals. Don't let your mind run wild especially in a negative direction. It's also important to surround yourselves with positive people. Music might be important for you to process emotions.

🦋 Conjunctions are far from being "neutral" aspects imo. They are powerful natural talents and gifts in perspective, confidence, expression and skills. These aspects are always positive, even to challenging planets, if they act negatively then there are likely other challenging aspects to the same planets, the native might have not learned yet how to work with this energy or hasn’t realized their potential. Conjunctions are the highest and strongest potential any two planets can reach. The planets don't become "one", they rather meet eye to eye, acknowledge their qualities fully and work out their differences beautifully which manifests in the form of talents and potential. Yes like all aspects they got their negatives too but their positives enormously surpass the negatives. Conjunctions are highly positive aspects, it's unfair to call them neutral.

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songofthenightingale19 · 1 year

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I don’t know if anyone's mentioned this before, but Raine's titan badge after the time skip looks a bit different than the others:

They have this red piece of cloth attached to their badge that I haven't seen on anybody else.

Now, theorising time: I think they might be part of the new government, maybe even the president of the Boiling Isles. Hear me out, I have good reasons to believe so (and it's not just because they're my favourite character and I'm biased, shush):

1) As the former head of the Bard Coven, they'd certainly be qualified for the job: Raine has been part of the government before (as much as you can be when you're not the monarch in a monarchy lol) and knows how to lead.

2) They're probably more respected/trusted by the population of the Boiling Isles than most other public figures at this point - working together with the wannabe genocidal former emperor tends to ruin your reputation, so someone who led a rebellion against Belos (and fought against him personally in the final fight, though the question is if anyone except the people who were there knows about that) and has ties to other known rebels aka Eda should be quite well-liked.

3) They have already proven that they're able to make sacrifices for the sake of the whole Isles (for example: risking their own life and that of the woman they love to stop the Day of Unity in Eda's Requiem). Most of the other characters, like Eda and Luz, in comparison, have proven again and again that they would never be able to sacrifice someone they care about - which is an admirable trait, don't get me wrong, but you want a political leader to be able to consider what choices are best for everyone and compromise, if necessary.

4) It would be a great conclusion to their character arc: Raine spent half of their life trying to destroy the coven system from the inside and has witnessed its worst sides first-hand, let them be the one to build something new and better for the future of the Boiling Isled.

So in conclusion: Raine has the potential to be a great president....... as long as nobody forces them to make public speeches regularly.

Them being a member of the government would also explain why they are present when that coven sigil was removed: Why would someone who specialises in Bard magic be needed for something that seems to be based on Healing and Abomination magic? Because they're a representative of the government/the Boiling Isles!

Also...........

Give me power couple Raeda as president of the Boiling Isles and Headmistress of the University of Wild Magic!!

#the owl house #toh #raine whispers #eda clawthorne #raeda #toh spoilers #just to be on the safe side #toh theory #belos #toh headcanon #bards against the throne #covens against the throne

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ghostbite0 · 8 months

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How conscious are the hashira about their transformation? Like uhhh

A. they’ve reverted back to their younger selves and lost memory too

B. they’re in children’s bodies, retain their memories, but still act like children

C. they’re basically just adults in children’s bodies

D. your own explanation if I’m wrong!! Just curious about the logistics lol

excellent question! it's somewhere between B & C!

i made a graph to explain it a little better :D

warning for demon slayer manga spoilers (regarding character backstories)

essentially, they all retain their memories, but naturally because they've all been de-aged their instincts and what not are all over the place. Gyomei is the eldest, so he retains more of his personality, whereas Muichiro is a literal infant, so of course he'll act pretty different!

Mitsuri + Rengoku kinda embrace their situation and try to make the most out of it.

Shinobu is similar, but she's more eager to find a cure and has fun along the way.

Giyuu is a lot like his usual self, but the reason he's closer to the middle is because his personality as a kid starts to resurface the longer he's de-aged!

same applies for Muichiro; he mainly keeps the whole "stoic/intimidating/etc" act but overtime his true personality resurfaces. he's an infant so he kinda can't help his baby instincts, but he's conscious enough to, for the most part, act like his usual self

the one with the most noticeable personality change is Obanai; he's mainly the same, but he's pretty vulnerable because of all the bad memories and what not attached to being his child self again, thus his shyness.

Sanemi feels some side effects as well; because he was de-aged to a point before all of his siblings (excluding Genya) were killed, he can't help but feel protective and will speak softly toward the younger Hashira.

Tengen is in the same boat; he also lost all of his siblings (but one brother), and naturally coddles everyone to "make up" for what happened.

Gyomei is basically the same, just younger. he's much softer and affectionate, though, and is regarded as the "big brother" the whole time they're stuck as kids. he loves taking care of them, but often gets really sad because it reminds him of the kids he looked after prior to becoming a Hashira :(

#askbites #not artbites #pint sized pillars au #demon slayer au #demon slayer spoilers #demon slayer manga spoilers

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iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia · 1 year

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what about mc who's very flirtatious and blunt?

The Arcana HCs: M6 with a flirtatious and blunt MC

~ oh dear, all the flirting I've done has either been painfully underwhelming (read: handing someone a can of monster and then walking away) or entirely on accident. Maybe writing this will give me the chance to take notes from MC lol - brainrot ~

Julian

Look, he's used to being the one with his heart on his sleeve. He's used to initiating relationships

He has no idea of how to respond to someone else doing that too

Seriously, every time you beat him to the charm he bluescreens

If you keep this up he's going to overheat, he already falls for people quickly and intensely and you are not helping his case

He's very happy to get swept up in it though, so once he can get his heart rate somewhat under control he will take things as far as you let him

He deeply admires your honesty

It's a trait he's not used to seeing in people, but it annoys him a little when it prevents him from being as melodramatic as he wants to:

"Ah, Pasha, give your wretch of an older brother a hug. He needs it after the trials of this cursed day."

"What? MC, did something bad happen?"

"Yeah, the leech dealer wouldn't give him a discount."

Your bluntness cuts through his constant kerfuffling but it helps him keep things in perspective and he can respect that

Asra

They're really not sure what to do with you at first

He's plenty practiced in being a flirt himself, but he's not the type to grow attached to anyone. When you flirt with him it hits different

Which means that they blush and fumble and maybe trip on a few things while they try to collect themself and maintain their cool, calm, mysteriousness

Speaking of which, your bluntness completely freaks him out (in a good way)

They're used to living in secrets and whispers, always slipping through the crowd and somehow convinced that they go completely unnoticed and unremembered by the people they meet

You, on the other hand, always cut straight to the point, and he doesn't know how to maneuver around that:

"Asra, I'm taking care of dinner, what do you want to eat?"

"Are you cooking, my love? Can I help with anything?"

"Sure, but that's not what I asked you."

They admire the courage behind your honesty, though, and they try to be more like you in that way

Nadia

She's delighted by your flirting

She normally prefers to take the lead in wooing her partner, but when you reciprocate it means she gets to test her mettle against yours and it's positively thrilling

It also means that you're not just going along with what she's suggesting, you're communicating on her wave length

And it tells everyone around her (especially her family) that she is desirable to you

She's not used to your bluntness at all

Her family doesn't trade in schemes or secrets, but they were all raised to be diplomatic

Bluntness and diplomacy don't always go hand in hand

"MC, what do you think of this hat the chamberlain selected?"

"It's too big to match your dress."

"I - I supposed you're right. I rather agree with you myself. Let's not tell him though, shall we?"

Does she find your honesty refreshing? Yes. Does she still prefer to keep you within earshot whenever someone important visits, just in case? Also yes

Muriel

Your flirtatious habits are going to be the death of him

"Here lies Muriel of the Kokhuri, who died of dehydration from nervous sweating."

- that's exactly what he's convinced his tombstone is going to read

It doesn't help that Inanna thinks it's hilarious and likes to egg you on

However, he loves your bluntness. Please don't stop

He knows exactly what to expect from you. If he asks you a question, he can believe your answer. He doesn't have to be afraid of ulterior motives or manipulation tactics with you

He's pretty blunt himself, so if he hurts your feelings he can ask you to tell him instead of trying to cover it up

"MC, when I told you that you weren't welcome here ... did I hurt you?"

"A little bit, yeah. I know you don't mean it anymore though."

"I'm sorry anyways. I do like having you around, very much."

If you use this as a chance to flirt with him he will dash outside to cool off, but he'll be smiling because he knows your affection is true

Portia

Yes! Yes, marry her please!

She loves your flirting. She loves how straightforward you are. Now please, let her put a ring on your finger already

Having you flirt with her is like a dream come true. While she knows she's quite the catch herself, her older brother is much more attention-grabbing and she often gets overlooked

Being noticed and wooed by an attractive magician who's caught the eye of the Countess herself? It's like she's a main character in a story or something

She gives as good as she gets, too, so you can expect a lot of teasing in return

And don't get her started on how much she loves your bluntness

She lives in all the intricacies and layers of palace gossip while being entrusted with state secrets herself, having to keep her own mouth shut and the guests around her happy. You ground her so wonderfully

"Ugh, that nobleman was really tricky to deal with."

"Yeah, he kept talking over you and he had food in his beard."

"I know, right? THANK YOU!"

Lucio

Not gonna lie, talking to you was a mind bender at first

Is he used to being flirted with? Obviously, he was a dashing Count, people were flattering him wherever he went, duh

Of course, that doesn't mean they actually meant what they were saying, but he would punish them if they didn't so they had to

In their eyes, he was perfect!

And in your eyes, he's not, and you keeping pointing out all of his oopsies and he doesn't like it

And then you keep turning around and flirting with him!

You know all the things he's done wrong! It's not very convincing if you pretend to like him right after you watch all of his mistakes play out in front of you and then force him to acknowledge them!

Unless of course, you're not pretending, because you are being honest, which means that when you do flirt with him it means -

- oh Oh. OOHHHHH

He still doesn't like it when you call him on his BS, but it keeps him on the right track and it means that you're being honest when you tell him that you love him. He'll have some more of that please

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #portia the arcana #lucio the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana shitpost #asra alnazar #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #portia devorak #lucio morgasson

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fumifooms · 5 months

Text

Marchil crumbs part 3

Part 1 - Part 2 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7

Count of times canon reminds us that Chilchuck is very attracted to blondes: 3rd For context: this is the canon explanation for everyone's shapeshifters

I can’t get over Chilchuck seeing Marcille like she has anime sparkles around her hair. How long have you stared at it. It’s like with the handsome Senshi where everyone is like "no this looks legit and absolutely like the real one" but her hair is shinier/prettier in the changeling than in the actual her

It drives me crazy that Marcille styles her hair every day for herself but little does she know she’s giving Chilchuck the show of his life, daily arranging his favorite thing aka blonde hair into different unique ornate hairstyles. Not that he cares about the details but ohh my god.

It makes sense that Chil would be the first one to notice her hair being all loose and messy then. He’s bothered by seeing her like this and wants her to tie it up again, and is even more unsetled and shocked when she says she doesn’t want to anymore. Though he also recovers from the shock quicker than Laios and takes charge of the situation. HE NOTICED. HE CARESSSS. IT BUGS HIM

^ That is what you call a character arc, of becoming attached to her hair lmfaoo(more like to Marcille and her habits). Or lying. "Man I sure wish she'd shave her hair I'd be less distracted on the job. Her golden majestic hair is so blinding with how shiny and sparkly it is ugh" /j

He chose to do a portrait teehee <3

Chilchuck defending her honor even under mind control that makes them honest zombies

Marcille out there defending his VIRTUE. It’s not just that he didn’t commit infidelity, he HAS A PURE HEART!! Honestly, assigned virtuous by a bicorn would so be the type of novel shenanigan that Marcille would hella romanticize. Which we do see her do lmao but <3

They're so funny together in the golden kingdom chapters. First of all, sitting in front of each other at the table? Nice. Second, them being on the same wavelength all throughout lmao.

Them. Sharing the same numerous braincells, nodding together and making good use of it to make good decisions for the party. Valuing their noses

Also can we apreciate that they like, can talk together. Communicate and debate. Even under tougher situations or more sensitive topics. Shit this would have been a good place to put the pages when Marcille was dungeon lord... But they're lined up for part 4 and part 3 is already full with pics... You guys have no idea how much Tetris I'm doing for these marchil crumbs posts

I wanna do a full compilation of every time he laughs at her but in the meantime have this small imperfect collection as well as this reddit comp. I swear she's the person/thing that makes him laugh and smile the most. Besides alcohol maybe

The gang and Chilchuck both knowing her well and not at all lol. Gotta love Chilchuck's confidence about knowing her favorite meal, and him remembering the bare minimum that even Laios hasn't lol

Marcille infesting his life to the point that, quote, "her delusions" are even part of his adventurer’s bible life timeline. The only picture in fact, in the streamlined canon reference to Chilchuck's life. "Hey is Marcille imagining herself as an halfling and Chil's wife with a mini Chilchuck baby Chilchuck's canon family appearances" canon: well no but actually yes /j

Chil at her bedside <3

Looking out for each other comp Yes thank you Chil captain obvious (he's trying his best and doesn't want to die let's not be mean c'mon). But like you know with that whole scene of the mad sorcerer attacking, for Chil it must have been the most terrifying thing ever. Ancient magic?? By an elf, targeting them with murderous intent?? With only an elf with also ancient magic to keep them safe attack by attack in the nick of time?? His biggest nightmare. I'm also reminded of when Chil talks with Leed about how "our magician held under the mad sorcerer's attack" all fond and 'I am so relieved I can trust her with my life' and Leed is like "That silly looking elf?!" and Chil was like "Yeah she's silly. At least she's strong tho." I'm getting carried away but yes this scene was relationship-defining in some ways

But they keep each other in check too

She was trying to make conversation and sharing her interests aw Chil come on

They're sooo domestic. "Chil are we there yet" "Marcille I swear to god if you ask me that one more time-". Also second time through the manga that Marcille squishes Chil against the ground/wall.

Get squeezed idiot

Part 4 is here!

#dungeon meshi #marchil #shipping crumbs #on today's menu: sigh... chilchuck fixating on blonde hair again... Marcille defending his virtue. Sharing brain waves across a dinner tabl #they're so... married behavior #looking ateachother and nodding wordlessly that they have to keep laiosfro mdoing this or that.

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ohbo-ohno · 6 months

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bo, first of all i adore your writing!!

but you've mentioned a few shall we say 'darker themed' books you've read in asks here and there, can you give some recs of your faves?? pretty please??

first of all, i love you! and also yes always, i never mind giving book recs! i sorta ramble under the cut, sorry lol

alright i'll start with the darker romances. these are hard noncon, and depict abusive relationships that aren't always framed as bad. when i say dark i mean dark lmao, always be aware of what you're going itno before you read a dark romance

If you like my fics, I can almost guarantee you'll like Taken by Felicity Brandon. This is about an author who writes dark erotica and gets kidnapped by a fan, who forces her to live out some of her scenes. Includes petplay! I have my issues with the book (and I DNF'd the sequel) but ohhhh the smut is so good

I mentioned them a while back, but Measha Stone's Owned and Protected series is a 6 book series with noncon/dubcon petplay in every single book. Calling these "romance" is a stretch, but god if you like my noncon petplay stuff (and you're alright with reading explicit noncon and forced relationships), you might like these

I haaated the ending of Distorted by Nyla K. but dear fucking god it is a good prison dark romance. Also it is SO Ghoap coded, I would recommend reading the first ~80% of it lmfao

Corrupt Idol by Dinah Harper is the first book in a series that will probably never get finished, but honestly it's pretty good as a standalone. Dark step-brother romance, and I thought the writing (at least in the first half) was so good, I genuinely felt for the FMC at times (even if I was screaming at her)

Ok I'm not confident in this rec because I'm still not suuuuper sure how I feel about this book, but Torment by Dylan Page is a dark step-brother biker romance. The FMC is the MMC's "rock", and the only thing that keeps him from flying off into a violent rage when he's upset, and he develops an unhealthy attachment to her that everyone around them allows because they don't want to deal with him. I never read the second book, but this is another one where you really feel for the FMC

One of my favoriteeee dark A/B/O (specifically the first book) is Born to be Bound by Addison Cane. I would suggest not reading anything past the third book, and I'm not a huuge fan of the side plots, but the stuff with the FMC and MMC is just. God it's the perfect brand of dark A/B/O (in MY head)

I've recommended it before, but for my truly fucked in the head followers - Under His Heel by Adara Wolf is probably the darkest book I've ever read. It's a four book series (and I think the whole thing is worth reading) and it's got every single trigger warning except for (i think) scat, pedophilia, and necrophilia. it has rape, incest that's also rape, extreme body modification (though it's not permanent), severe public humiliation, severe mental torture, and just about 0 aftercare for our MMC. The book follows a man in a far distant future who's working as an indentured servant to pay off his debts & his incredibly sadistic and evil master. These books are far from "for everyone", but if you really want some fucked up romance (with heavy smut) I think these are worth reading!

aaand some softer dark romances. to me, these are books with some lighter kidnapping or soft noncon, abuse in a mental but not physical way, and MMCs who just think they're in the right

Gemma Weir's Montana Mountain Men is like an acid trip and it's kinda crack, but i read all 7 in like a day, so take that as you will. Each book is about a different brother in the same family as they fall in love - except, in this family the men supposedly know who their soulmate is the moment they lay eyes on them. So there's some light kidnapping, some manipulation/unhealthy behavior, and some birth control tampering in these. For what they are, I enjoyed almost all of them lmao

The Darkest Temptation by Danielle Lori is like a kidnapping romance written for non-dark romance readers tbh. It toes the line of noncon/dubcon, and it's definitely a kidnapping romance, but it's really not that dark.

Nicky the Driver by Cate C. Wells is (in my opinion) not as good as the first book in the series, but it's way lighter in terms of darkness level

Shiver by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine is a stalker romance that fell a little short for me, but was overall enjoyable (iirc lol). It's about a young man who goes into a kink club and attracts the attention of the owner, who then stalks him. I think it just wasn't as dark as I wanted tbh, but if you like lighter dark stuff I think you might like this!

#recs #this got long sorry #asks and answers

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twst-drabbles · 6 months

Note

I don’t think this counts as a request because it’s more of a question about a situation that would lead into a total AU of the pet AU lol but if it is a request please tell me so I have a better understanding of what a request is and what just a question is because I’ll admit I’m a little confused on that…

In the pet AU, you’ve mentioned that obviously the Caretaker can’t form a familiar bond with the pets because they don’t have magic of their own. But I am a curious being and as I just literally finished going through all of the AU, I couldn’t help wondering what would happen if the Caretaker suddenly DID develop magic somehow.

Like, if they developed magic and chose to have one of the pets become their familiar, who would they choose?

Or… oooh better yet… what if Caretaker didn’t REALIZE they had developed magic somehow but maybe the pets can sense it? Would all of them be vying to try to form a familiar bond with them? And the Caretaker is just sitting there like “wtf is with all of you lately???” I know with a bond like that the mage at least would probably need to know and agree but the familiar wouldn’t necessarily have to consent *glares at the villains in the sanctuary AU* but maybe the Caretaker loving them all is enough? If so, with the Caretaker not having any idea, and all the pets vying for the title of their familiar, who would win out in the end?

And then I imagine Crowley coming over and he sees his child neighbor not only has magic but now has a familiar and he just passes out in a dead faint and the Caretaker is like “????!!!!!!”

Sorry for the super long ramble. And again sorry if this is more of a request than ask? Like I said I’m not super sure what makes the difference?

(I also wanted to say thank you for writing a person with visible and undeniable depression. I know you have said you have it so the Caretaker’s experiences are probably based off of yours and they are so relatable and it’s comforting to feel seen. Always sucks to know others suffer too, but it’s also nice knowing you don’t suffer alone. So yeah… thanks.)

- 💜

No need to worry, a request is specifically when people want me to write a drabble of what they're asking. Yours is just a question asking for my thoughts, so you're good.

So anyways...

Now if I were to have the Caretaker suddenly have some kind of magic, it wouldn't be a lighthearted affair. The Caretaker, if they knew they developed magic, wouldn't be jumping for joy or simply just shrug their shoulders and go "Well, this is my life now."

The Caretaker would be bitter. Even more bitter than their already bitter self. Because where the hell was this magic when they needed it most? They're already past the age when they're absorbing knowledge like a sponge, and all classes and clubs that are dedicated to teaching people about magic are for kids or for people who are going to use their magic for a professional profession. Places like that already expect people to know the basics by the time they're adults, and no place wants to take the time to teach the Caretaker about these things, so they'll be viewed as someone not worth investing in.

So, simply put, the Caretaker would refuse to use their magic, because to them, there's no point. Any small use of their own magic would remind them of how their body lied to them for years. Had them suffer disappointment after disappointment because of some vague requirement that they somehow don't meet that everyone else was able to meet. That apparently they are so slow that it took this long for their magic awaken when these events were happening to toddlers.

Not only that, but their magic feels like a lie. The Caretaker doesn't believe that this magic is here to stay. It suddenly just appeared one day, it could very well disappear just as quickly. They don't want to get attached to this.

As such, the Caretaker would actually shut down any attempts of the pets trying to be their first familiar.

Now, exploring the different scenario of the Caretaker not knowing they had developed magic, it would be a time of denial that would almost lead to some new self destructive habits. If, say they're cooking one day and a spoon just floated to their hand when they almost dropped it, they won't be looking at the spoon again. And if new utensils keep coming to them, they'd end up avoiding the kitchen altogether and would settle for take-out.

Probably might even scare one of their pets when they start their familiar-courting-ish behaviors. Giving little gift and doing little dances in the hopes the Caretaker would consider them for being a familiar. The Caretaker, once it clicks with them that that's what they're doing, that they meet the requirements to have a familiar, would ask the pets to just, leave them alone. Stop it. They don't want this.

Either way, this is not going to be an easy period for the Caretaker.

Alrighty now that the heavy stuff is out of the way, let's entertain a more lighthearted scenario of after the Caretaker accepts that this magic is here to stay and has integrated it in their daily life. And after Crowley teaches the Caretaker to have better finesse over their magic so they can choose to hide it or use it.

The amount of familiars a mage can have is entirely dependent on how much magic they have and how well they can control it. And, well, having more than one familiar is a burden upon the human body. However!

However... in order to keep the pets from fighting one another for that familiar spot, there is a set schedule for who can be the Caretaker's familiar. A familiar contract can be formed with consent, and it can be broken with consent. There's no limit to how many times a contract can be broken and re-established. As such, there will be times when Ace is the main familiar, or Deuce, or Jack, or Ortho, or Riddle or anyone really! So long as they follow the schedule. There's no risk for the pets since contracts are just a means of getting their bigger forms quicker and forming a closer emotional bond with their Caretaker.

But of course, there will be little shitheads that will want to hog the spot for longer than is set, but they have to let someone else take their turn in the end because they don't want to make the Caretaker angry. Just imagine Leona burying Ace under sand because it's his turn but you can't re-established the contract if you can't find him.

#admin #house pet au #sanctuary au

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fandomlurker333 · 18 days

Text

My Argument for Homosexual but Panromantic Art and Aromantic but (Something)sexual Tashi

@seek--rest I AM SO SORRY BECAUSE THIS IS A BOOK. That's why I didn't put it in your asks, so I could put it under a cut.

Okay, so I think it should be acknowledged before I get into my thinky thoughts that art is up to interpretation and I am not really trying to convince anyone of my perspective. There's a certain amount of bias that anyone comes into any experience with and it's going to color their perception no matter what. And that bias could be anything.

It could be the experience of having been cheated on and really loathing any kind of infidelity, emotional, sexual or otherwise. It could be being queer and therefore more fluent in queer subtext (though, of course, this movie was pretty blatant -- bananas and churros and boners abound lol) or being a black woman and sympathizing with Tashi's experience (which I am and do), or having been homeless/hungry and sympathizing with Patrick or any number of other life experiences that lends us to partiality toward one character or another, or more aversion to/disidentification with one or another character's plight.

So, I just wanted to start with that universal acknowledgement first. And then also say that I love each of these characters in their own ways and so when I say something that could be perceived as negative, like Art is petty or Tashi is cold, or Patrick is trash, I mean it in the most loving of ways. lol Because I enjoy seeing complex characters come to life. I don't need them to be right all the time, or for their motivations to be simple. I prefer the more complicated motivations and relationships, tbh, which also plays a part, I think, in how I see them. My take on these characters is the least kind. I see them all as their worst selves lol

So my point is that some of this is just down to what we think. And we won't ever be on the same page, because we're different people. With all that said...this is why Art's feelings for Tashi are ambiguous to me and why I think Tashi could be read as aromantic (not just not in love with Art, but not in love with Patrick either. Not in love with anyone, just in love with tennis.)

It's been clearly stated by the director himself that the movie is queer, which is, in large part, a reference to Art and Patrick's non-platonic relationship to one another. Poly relationships could be argued to be inherently queer, even if the relationships are all hetero-romantic, but I don't think that's how it was being used. Everyone, down to the actors themselves and the people who made the soundtrack are aware of the movie being about "Unending Homoerotic Desire". That's gay. lol It's not JUST gay, but it is gay.

And to me, this desire is seen to be mutual from pretty early in the film, both by how they look at each other and interact with each other and through Tashi's recognition of their intimacy. i.e. working deliberately to get them kissing (not holding hands, not hugging, kissing, something romantic/sexual) -- Tashi, to whom tennis is a relationship. Who noted that they are Fire&Ice and was drawn to them (Both of them together, not separately!) enough to come into their space and fuck around. lol

We learn quickly that they've shared bunks since they were around 12 years old, that Patrick was essentially Art's first sexual experience, that they're incredibly tactile, attached at the hip, and that they move in unison.

My read of Tashi here is that she's young and having fun, and she has her whole life of tennis stardom ahead of her. And she's an enigma to them. I would argue that much of both their attraction to Tashi has much to do with her dominance on the court, her ferocity, her skill, and her take no bullshit attitude. I think it has as little to do with her gender and her physical makeup as it has to do with her race or whether she's left-handed. Tashi OWNS the Tennis court and that's hot.

But if we're going to talk just about physical attraction and sexual desire, I'd argue Patrick's desire is put front and center. Art's is....more questionable. Patrick is the one who shows Tashi to Art. He's the one who has been following her game, knows who she is. Has watched her play. It's established right away that Patrick finds her "hot". Art asks why he's into her "Is it her game?" (his first thought is her skill, not whether she's pretty), and Patrick clarifies, no, she's the hottest woman he's ever seen.

Small, yes. And something I can see a lot of people disregarding, but since it's already been established this is a queer film, and we have little dialogue to go off of, I think it's significant that Art's frame of reference, or the way he relates to women is immediately presented as non-sexual. For a horny 18-year old this is notable.

Then we have Art say, "Look at that Backhand" in a dreamy voice. Not, look at those legs, or look at that ass. Patrick grabs his leg in excitement, eyes only on Tashi. And then we have two boners. lol Okay, yes, Tashi is without a doubt a part of this, but the camera didn't show that touch for no reason. Patrick is not outside of the bubble of desire for Art, even here. He's adding to it. And later we get something along the lines of Art saying, "that scream". Okay, so Art's drawn in by her, yes. He seems to be mesmerized and in awe of her power and skill, how wild she is on the court.

Later at the party, again, Patrick is the one to articulate sexual feelings tied to whatever makes him mesmerized about Tashi Duncan, "I'd let her fuck me with a racket," visceral, physical, sexual, tangible.

They both watch her on the dance floor, again, there IS desire, but that desire for Art is not articulated, and STILL Patrick is present, being very vocal about his. So, for me, it's all tied together -- there is no separating Art's desire for Tashi from Patrick's desire. We only see it with Patrick present. (Throughout the whole film! Because scenes with just Tashi and Art, throughout the entire film, are without the evident heat, fire, and urgency that is very much present with Patrick and Tashi. I'll get to Art's ahem performance issues in a bit, but yeah )

Then the introduction, Okay. There's this kinda immediate back-and-forth with Patrick and Tashi. And Art's quieter, almost left out of the conversation until he inserts himself. Then she leaves them dizzy in her wake. And Art says they should go. Some might say, "oh poor doggo just didn't think he'd have a chance." Maybe! Or maybe he really was just going to leave without shooting his shot because he wasn't running this show, flirting with her wasn't driven by his desire. It was driven by Patrick's. It was enough for him to meet the future Queen of Tennis, may she forever reign. And they could go back to the room and jerk off in separate beds thinking about her, just like they had that other girl.

He said, "okay let's go". and Patrick just sat there, and Art smiled knowingly, seeing he very clearly was not getting up to walk away. It was Patrick who pushed this. And then again, in the room, Patrick who was STILL talking about her. And Art said, offhandedly, not sounding miserable or even all that hurt, just kind of knowing and teasing, "she's not coming man." Patrick is obsessed, the way you are when you're really into someone. Art is...neutral. Did he find her magnetic? Hell yes. But does he see her as a person who he wants to pursue and further connect to? Not sure.

Okay, and then we have the lovely scene where Tashi asks if they've ever.....and Art get all flustered and No No NO, and Patrick is the one to let slip. And we're also given this lil tidbit that Patrick has dated girls, is apparently somewhat of a player, and Art is...what? Said to be dating no one, possibly having dated no one? Patrick jokes "of course he cleans up with that face", but it's pretty much implied that Art hasn't dated. Again, small things. But now they're starting to add up for me.

Between Patrick being his first sexual experience, Art apparently not being all that into girls in general, and the already established intimacy that they share, I'm thinking hmmm, maybe Art is in the closet. First thought, right out the gate. But maybe not enough for some people. Cool.

Then we get the game. And one could argue Art wanted to win to date Tashi. OR one could argue Art wanted to win so that Patrick wouldn't date Tashi. Hold my beer. lol

Lbr, do you know any 20-year old lad that, had they lost a bet or a game, and promised they wouldn't try and talk to some girl because they'd lost, wouldn't try to slide into the DMs anyway? Like, be for real. Art is quieter than Patrick, but he's smart, talented, cute, he is the one who makes calls during their double's games. He isn't some delicate flower who can't have a conversation. He can hold his own when he wants to.

He does just fine telling Tashi he wants to kiss her when he's good and ready, so if he wanted her, why not go after her? Or at the very least, why not attend her games at Stanford? Why not ask her out to lunch? Why not get close to her under the guise of exchanging messages for Patrick? Folks seem to want to paint him as a saint. He's a teenaged boy. No one takes dating all that seriously at that age, especially not in college, when everyone is hooking up. I'm not saying he isn't loyal to Patrick, but the occasional conversation? Or just being friends to be in her space, since he had so many feelings? Nothing?

And then the FIRST time in a year -- a year of Tashi and Patrick dating -- Art sits down with Tashi and he doesn't talk about her game. He doesn't talk about how beautiful she looks. He doesn't talk about how much he's missed her or what he'd love to do with her (or have her do to him), he talks about.....Patrick. lol wtf.

When Tashi asks him if he's in love with her, what does he say? He doesn't say yes. He doesn't even jokingly say yes, in a flirty, teasing way. He says "who wouldn't be." Think about how carefully that sidesteps her question. Not "of course I am". "Who wouldn't be?" That is not a yes, fam. That's a general, anyone would be in love with you because you're Tashi Fucking Duncan. Thanks, she knows, that's not what she asked. She asked if You love her, and we know how perceptive Tashi is, how astute.

She knows what she's not hearing. That's why she asks again 3 years later, slyly, "you still in love with me, Art?" knowing damn well that man never said he was. (This isn't just about what's being said, this is tone, body language. We speak with more than our words, you know? Anyway...)

So, Patrick comes in to visit. And Art is visibly happy to see him. And then Patrick says it's for Tashi, "Why do you think I'm here?" and look at Art's face. The man is NOT happy. Why? Because Patrick wants to see his girlfriend of a year? Who he talks to weekly? (Who Art already knows he talks to, because they've been dating?) Maybe. Or maybe because Art and Patrick have literally lived in one another's back pockets for 7 years and they've been separated, and the one time in however long Patrick comes back to visit and it's for Tashi. Might that bother him? No?

Okay. Then the fight, then the accident. And now suddenly Art doesn't talk to Patrick for YEARS. YEARS??? Someone explain this to me. Your here-to-fore best friend's girlfriend gets hurt, (and yes that's what I'm arguing Tashi was to him at this point, because aside from one awkward lunch that's all we have of their interaction) and you see it. And she's understandably mad, because she has to blame someone. And you're....Also mad??? Why, again?

Because she's the love of your life? Hmmm, reaching imo, Art barely knew her. They hadn't spent any TIME together. And this is where the realist in me comes out. Very romantic to imagine one night on the beach (with Patrick present) and a snog in a dank hotel room (again with Patrick present) made him fall in love with this woman, but I'm not buying it.

No, his longest lasting and most intimate relationship to that point is Patrick. And that's why the silent treatment is so peculiar. Even Patrick doesn't understand why Art stopped talking to him, and it's not because he's an oblivious dick. Patrick knows Art. He knows Art's patterns, his habits. And he knows Art's years-long freeze out just did not make sense, especially since Tashi had likely stopped blaming him years ago. I mean, Tashi clearly didn't blame Patrick for her injury when she and Art met up 3 years after college. So, if Tashi's not mad anymore (at him, specifically. she's mad in general at the world -- she's bitter and angry and in lots of pain. but she's not holding a grudge at him.), if she wants to move on, why are YOU still mad Art?

Make it make sense.

I argue Art was mad at Patrick for all of it. For leaving him at Stanford, for choosing Tashi, for taking their friendship for granted, for not prioritizing him. And then, somehow, for Tashi's injury too, because Patrick had the nerve to choose her and then be so insecure he couldn't go one day without fucking it up. And then Tashi got hurt and that somehow made it Art's fault (in his mind) and he resented that too. I think Art's resentment and anger was real and intense and I think even he didn't completely understand that this level of betrayal wasn't appropriate for a friend. But that's my take. lol

Anyway, then we get into Tashi and Art. And we see that it's been 3 years since college when they meet up again. So, Tashi had time to fully understand that the career she thought she'd have is never going to happen. And Art says she should be his coach. And she's a better coach than anyone could be, and Art, Art is good at flattery, and he's good at saying the right things and showing her that he'll basically be the anti-Patrick. He will listen to her, he will do as she says, he won't try to take anything she doesn't want to give, and he'll let her lead, he'll let her take him to his wins.

And Tashi, god Tashi needs that. Not a dick inside her. Not a tongue in her mouth. A body. A healthy, working body to mold and shape and make a winner. That's what she needs.

And so let's come back to the opening scenes. I saw someone say it was so crazy to see Art go from getting dragged out of bed to a physical therapist who stretches him out, to a nutritionist who feeds him and gives him his meals, to Tashi who instructs him and trains him. The man doesn't own his own body. He barely has autonomy. He's given it all over.

And if they love each other so much, they should happy with their arrangement right? But look at them. They sit on couches and benches five feet apart. They don't talk about anything but tennis. There's two scenes in the script (only one in the movie) where Art can't get it up for sex and Tashi is trying to coach him into an erection. Literally coach him through sex.

Not like...he has E.D. or he's depressed; then she wouldn't be trying to Jedi-mind trick him into getting hard. In the scene as written, she says something like "come on, you can get there. We always do" Always. As in every time they are trying for sexual intimacy -- which Tashi clearly wants, or she wouldn't be trying to get him there -- this is what they're doing. Working to get him hard enough. Yikes.

At their age, this is pretty confusing. So, this goes into my pile labeled, "things that make me think Art is not sexually attracted to women".

And then we have Art saying "I love you" and Tashi saying "I know." Art saying "I just need to know you'll still love me" and Tashi refusing to give that to him. Art having to beg for affection "just hold me?" and Tashi literally looking dead in the eyes as she acquiesces. This is not a couple that is happily married, if they ever were.

I think they've always had these issues, this mismatch in their needs. But Tashi needs to win so bad and Art needs so badly to give that to her, and to be something other than what he fears he is (nothing, no one). That, I think, is his biggest fear. That Patrick leaves him -- as he did -- and he's got no identity, no function. (This is where that part about co-dependcy the director talks about comes in. The codependency is not just between Tashi and Art). He needs to be able to be something without him. So he sets out to prove that and in the process what he becomes is hollow -- a machine. A body to be used for Tashi's win (HOT! okay, moving on lol).

I do feel there is love between them. You don't maintain a relationship, even a very broken one, for 13 years without loving the person in some way, somehow. I believe that Art has a lot of respect, admiration and affection for Tashi. I believe he loves her, truly. He might even be in love with her, but, from what I'm seeing in the "text" as you say (lol fancy term), I don't think he wants her. I don't think he's sexually attracted to her. Does he need that in a relationship? Maybe not, but he certainly needs a level of physical affection that Tashi does not seem very wiling to give him. Not if he has to beg for it.

Meanwhile, Patrick says Tashi hates Art, a little. And I think he's right. I don't think she wants to hate him, but Art is healthy. More than that he's recovered from an injury and she didn't! And even though he's well enough and good enough to win it all, he'll never want it like she wants it. He'll never eat, sleep, breathe, fuck, die for tennis. He wants to be good, he wants to play well, and he does. But that hunger? That drive that Tashi had (that Patrick also has) to be the best, to dominate on the court, that crazy, insane love with the game of tennis? That's not Art. Art is tired. And he wants to retire. And that makes Tashi hate him a bit.

Now, I don't think he's just a "dick and a racket" to her, but I do think it's interesting that she said it that way. We can't take dialogue just at face value. Dialogue is always doing more than one thing, especially in film, where screenplays are just dialogue and sparse action. She says it, not Patrick. And she's defensive about it.

This is another little clue on the pile of "signs Tashi loves Art but is probably incapable of being IN love with him". lol He isn't just a dick and a racket. He's the father of her kid (maybe! o__o), and the man who gives her what she needs to survive (the wins). But that's...pretty close to being a dick and a racket. lol And well, being a racket is a pretty big deal for Tashi.

Now their engagement didn't seem to be a particularly joyous affair. Tashi was drinking a scotch pretty moodily with that ring on her finger. You say you can't see her marrying without loving him romantically. And that's, again, a very sweet sentiment. But people get married for all kinds of reasons.

Art was already hers in the most important of ways. He'd given her his body. If he wanted her to marry him, why wouldn't she give him that? Who else was she going to marry? She'd gotten into bed with him (figuratively) for his entire career. Her life is getting him to win the grand slam. Her ultimate romance is winning that.

Tennis is her love affair. Why wouldn't she marry the only person who could possibly get her as close to her dream as she would ever get? They get the tax breaks, he binds himself to her even tighter. What's the downside?

And as far as the kid, I have theories (look at her hair!), but suffice it to say even If that's Art's kid, people choose to have/keep kids for all kinds of reasons, no? And it's not always "I love this person, I want to make a baby". Again, very sweet, but sometimes people decide to keep kids cause they hope that shared purpose brings them closer together. And I can see Art wanting the child and Tashi agreeing very practically, because why not? It's what families do, right? They could afford it -- they had present parents, and their kid would be the best tennis player this world has ever seen.

For all her passion and fire with Patrick, for all the sex and good feeling there, she doesn't seem to be particularly enamored of him. He's arguably, the person whose gotten the most from her, the biggest rise out of her, seen her underbelly, and he's the only other person in life she's gotten into bed with repeatedly (presumably). But she's not overly concerned with keeping him for herself. Or getting anything else from him. Monogamy. A confession of love. Affection. She even says it herself,

"Did I say I wanted anyone to be in love with me?"

Maybe she doesn't because she can't give that back.

Sex is shown to be something she wants and participates in with gusto. Romance? Mmmm. Not so much.

The most romantic thing she's ever said has been about tennis. Falling in love across the net. THAT is her romance. It's why she was drawn to Art and Patrick in the first place, Fire&Ice. She saw their intimacy and wanted to see it play out in another way. But ultimately she didn't even stay to watch them fuck -- she just wanted to see some good fucking tennis. And the most alive she looks in her adult life is after their match.

To me, you can see she's unhappy -- that she only feels satisfied when Art plays good fucking tennis, but Art only plays that way with Patrick, and Art was determined to freeze him out, so they were both miserable. Art without romantic love and affection, Tashi in a sexless, unsatisfying marriage. It takes Patrick coming back in to give them both what they need. They don't work without him, love him or hate him.

So yeah....that's my take on Art and Tashi. I think there is so much there, comfort and partnership and mutual need, but.....the romance people are seeing I'm just....I'm not seeing it.

And I didn’t really get to Patrick/Tashi, but THIS is part of it too.🤣

#challengers #challengers 2024 #art x tashi #tashiart #tashi feeling alive when she sees some good fucking tennis #tashi seeing art and patrick and knowing immediately based on their doubles game that the relationship they share is magical #art donaldson #tashi duncan #ot3 #if tashi and patrick could actually communicate #and if art and tashi figure out their shit furreal #musings

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kyuusberry · 3 months

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assign you're moots to an idol & a trope for valentines 🤭? and explain why 🤭?

key to your heart | moots - imagine

pairing: moots x idols

genre/theme: fluff, many different tropes lol

warnings: kissing, cursing

notes: all of my stories, oneshots, drabbles, ect are all fiction (fake/made up) except for the idols!! my stories do not depict how these idols actually act or their sexual orientation (straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, aromantic, ect). the only time you'll ever read semi-true things is if it's my headcanons then i do use some facts from kprofiles and sometimes youtube videos but that's it.

a/n: before we start, i'm going to sincerely apologize because i've never done this before, so this will be a struggle.. the only time you'll ever see me write male idols as well because i gotta create a variety for this type of stuff!! also, i only have 3 moots atm, so that's sad lmao

credits (tropes): @delusionisaplace , @urfriendlywriter

cis men, homophobes, racists, 20+, smut accounts dni

female idols:

kai (@rosiehrs): i feel like ningning (aespa) tbhh! your personalities match a lot! and i think a stay with me tonight trope where ningning would be playing with your hair while watching a movie and after the movie, you say that you have to leave, but she doesn't want you to leave!! she would say something along the lines of "don't leave me alone.. please?" she'd be attached to your hip, wanting to shower you in hugs and kisses all of the time!! just wants to show her affection :((

ash (@aeriniee): giselle (aespa) with a grumpy x sunshine trope!! gigi is totally the type of person to not show her affection cause she's too shy!! just randomly hugs you and hides her face in your neck!! or whenver you hug her, she either stiffly hugs you back or just stands there like an npc, all flustered. she looks and seems so mean all of the time, but she's such a softie on the inside, spoiling you with gifts and stuff.. chose this because i think you're honestly like this trope sm!! so nice and loving :( these r just sounding like headcanons at this point LMAO

yin (@yinyinwon/@so-lychee): wonyoung!! (iz*one & ive) and maybe like a fake dating trope??? cause wony wants to get back at her ex or smth lmaoo!! she'd end up falling in love though! i feel like it would be something along the lines of her asking you (more like bribing you) in the bathroom because she wants to get back at her ex for leaving her, trying to convince them to take her back, telling you stuff like, "they're looking. kiss me. now." until she falls in love with you, completely forgetting about her ex and telling you stuff like, "forget them, i'm yours now." gdhkaldskxndbv i want this for myself aw chose this 'cause i lowkey think you'd fit with wony!! ur posts are so pretty and your personality is very beautiful lol

male idols:

kai (@rosiehrs): hyunjin (skz) for sure!! with an academic rivalry or something! he'd be so cocky whenever he gets better grades than you by like 1 point or something!! bothers you 24/7. always appears when you're doing something other than working/doing schoolwork like taking a break or texting your parents!! everyone thinks he has a crush on you and he always denies it!! i chose this trope and idol cause i think you're very nice and smart!! picked hyunjin 'cause he fits this lol (in my imagination)

ash (@aeriniee): soobin (txt) with one-sided love probs?? like he really likes you and he tries not to make it obvious?? but everyone thinks he's obvious!! loves giving you gifts and affection (hugs, holding hands, ect) such a sweet baby tbhhh!! says stuff like, "your smile is pretty." while smiling so sweetly gkdlksjb based this off of your post asking if u should come out as lesbian cause you haven't liked a boy since the 8th grade LMAO, but soobin cause ur both very funny and caring!! leader material as well.

yin (@yinyinwon/@so-lychee): jungwon (enhypen) ofccc! (it was because of ur user..) a chaotic duo, i feel like! nothing romantic, just pure friendship! you two would do everything together, some crazy shit too.. people would honestly think you two were drunk!! would be something along the lines of, "bitch, what the hell are you doing!" "i'm walking!-" then one of you runs into a pole or whatever.. chose this because you two are the sweetest people everrr! so adorable <33

a/n: hope you enjoyeddd!! this made my head hurt a lot lmao, so much thinking and trying to match idols.. mooties, i hope these didn't make you uncomfortable lmaooo!!! love you guys and happy valentines <33 i'll take you guys all on a virtual date sometime /j

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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 11 months

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Here's a collection of Trigun Stampede thoughts and observations I had from someone who has only seen this series, since big long posts rarely go over well lol. I'm really intrigued to contrast with the manga later and see if I get similar takeaways... I'm eagerly willing to expand on any of these if anyone is interested but for now they will exist as loose point forms! Hopefully this is coherent!

Firstly: Vash my beloved... please be nicer to yourself... please... you are so kind...

Meryl and Knives are the lead active/driving forces of the show, in contrast to most everyone else's passivity and Vash's reactivity

Meryl's influence on Roberto over the course of the story - she actually has him taking a pretty firm stance later on (which is likely the opinion he held all along, he just buried it), which brings me to the next point-

Conrad and Knives claim to be looking to the future but ignore the present - Roberto dismisses this because those who won't even save a life in front of them in the present moment won't save anyone (this is more in keeping with what Vash does)

The juxtaposition between Conrad and Luida's methods are great and I hope we return to that in the next season

I love Meryl. This is not an observation or analysis it is merely a statement of fact. :)

I wonder if we'll get more Zazie and Meryl interactions. Zazie seems to find Meryl intriguing at the very least. I also just like Zazie and think this could be a really interesting dynamic.

I would also like to see more of Rem, hopefully outside of the biased recollections of Vash and Nai... I still don't feel like I know anything about her :(

Ideals in the service of people (Vash) vs people in the service of ideals (Knives)

Most of the children in the series literally age too quickly. There's a lot to examine there.

Given the attempts to create Independent-like humans by Conrad and the rapid aging of these children... is the serum created from Plants?

Vash 🤝 Me: "Wolfwood" 🥺 (I'm kidding, I'm kidding... mostly.)

Vash and Wolfwood are not fundamentally different, as they first appear to be, but are actually quite similar in their drives (protection of others at personal cost) - the difference in their perspectives comes down to the scope of what they swore to protect (with Wolfwood's being far more limited, thus there are outsiders) and propensity to hope (Vash will act on hope without solid proof, while Wolfwood needs the proof but will jump on it if he sees it - interesting for someone who is associated with religion and faith)

Wolfwood's version of mercy is an unfortunate form of projection (aka Legato is a fucking idiot for thinking removing Wolfwood's attachments would lead him to be solely devoted to Knives. my dude, I am pretty sure that attachment plus raw survival instinct is the only thing keeping him going)

Vash: allows himself to get shot and reveals his scars / Wolfwood: >:O !!! / also Wolfwood: repeatedly takes hits either shielding people or just plain not dodging when he 100% could / Me: 😐

I wish we'd gotten some breathing room in the series. That's my number one gripe about it. Specifically, I wanted a little more time with Wolfwood to get to know him in the present before we got into him having the worst life of his fucking life in the span of two episodes... I also wanted to see a little more of this world that Vash cares about so much! I understand the manga and 98 series do this a little better so I'm excited to see that. Meryl's arc was great though!

Loved the really clever way the flashbacks are done!!! Nai is barely focused on at first, then as his character is slowly revealed, he gets the camera focus and childish behaviours more and more!!!

Huge themes of autonomy and choice. I think they're actually more the point than the whole morality aspect. It's not as important that Vash be perfectly moral and right than it is that his philosophy allows people the chance to choose and change for themselves - Knives' doesn't grant anyone that choice, and in fact, he and the people under him actively remove free will (breaking Vash's mind, the experimentation on Rollo, Wolfwood and Livio, what he did to... the Plants... etc.)

Vash is genuinely angry at Nai in a way he doesn't seem to be with anyone else. I do think a part of him can't forgive what happened to Rem or the emotional strain that comes with watching someone you love repeatedly do horrible things. I don't know if humanity could hurt him the way Nai has. The worst part is that I don't think Nai fully comprehends how badly he has hurt Vash. He looked so confused and hurt when Vash trained the gun on him for the first time. The "ominous piano playing" probably isn't meant to be ominous at all, once we see they used to play that piece together. Nai's been playing it on loop for so long. He wants his brother to come home. :(

The twins treat each other like an extension of themselves for a lot of the story, which is somewhat ironic for a couple of Independents. Vash blames himself and seeks to atone for his brother's actions, Nai thinks any differing opinion his brother has is a result of corruption instead of him being his own person. That is why it is a triumph when Vash finally asserts his identity away from Knives in episode 12, declaring himself his own person. That is why it is a tragedy when Nai would rather let his old self die, figuratively and literally, than accept that.

Nai did not want Rem dead. I stand by this strongly. His anger at her is I believe in part to justify her death in his mind.

Nai wants to return to a time of safety more than anything (the higher dimension is like an "egg", the ship's dome around the two as children, the quietness of the tree, etc.).

Tesla 🤝 Livio: products of human experimentation who really ought to be dead but apparently... aren't??? I am putting them both in my pocket and running away

#had to write this all down before i started the manga... agh i am so behind...#anyways. please. please talk to me about trigun.#trigun #trigun stampede #tristamp #trigun meta #storyrambles #vash the stampede #meryl stryfe #nicholas d. wolfwood #roberto de niro #<- i cannot believe they actually named him that. dfhvbsdfhvb #millions knives

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ignitesthestxrs · 4 months

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How do.you interpret Show!Alina and show!darkling? They were completely different characters than the book ones (less interesting) so do you think differently about them?

hahaha (less interesting) is correct imo. uuuuh i think the show tried to a) girlbossify alina in a way that skips over any ability or reason for her to grow into that personality, and i think they played too far into the idea of the darkling having a genuine emotional attachment to her in the adaptation of the first book.

obvs people's interpretations will be different, but my read on the darkling has always been that for most of the first book, he's manipulating alina and at best, views her as a pet to indulge and a possession to own. so to have him more....emotionally invested? i guess? in s1, didn't really vibe with me. a part of what i have always enjoyed about the character is his descent into obsession, which only increases as alina continues to defy him - he doesn't really hit that point until the second book, which is also when alina starts gaining power and agency in her own right

one thing that really stuck out to me was her like,,,'taking charge' in the romantic aspect of their relationship. this is supposed to have the effect of giving her more agency, but that ignores the fact that the darkling is? manipulating her? she's not being a badass when she kisses him first, she's falling for his ploy 😭 you aren't increasing your protagonist's control of a situation by having her dive headfirst into the manipulation just because it looks like she's Taking Charge Of This Romance.

ULTIMATELY i think leaning into the ''''romance'''' of the ship makes the ship and both characters involved Worse, because that was like,,,,never the point of the ship (for me). the point was the abusive dynamic that gets turned on its head at alina gains power and control and the darkling slips deeper into obsession and loses sight of his goals in favour of Having Alina. do they love each other? who cares lol their relationship is about power and mutual understanding.

as a surprise bonus, the shwo character that frustrated me the most was mal LOL. i think the actor did a fanTASTIC job with him, truly no notes on the performance, but they started mal at his book 3 characterisation and i think that's silly. the whole point of that character is that he grows into his devotion. like he loves alina from the beginning, but it takes two books of fuck ups to get to the 'i am become a blade' point.

the show in general seemed so afraid of letting its characters be weak or unlikeable, which i think is kind of an outgrowth of the Netflix Uncertainty. like, fandoms are SO reactive + you don't know if you're going to get a second season, so better to start everyone off at the culmination of their character arcs where they're at their most interesting, while discounting the fact that the REASON they're interesting is because we've seen them grow to that point.

i didn't end up watching s2 and have only the vaguest idea of what happened LOL i did not like s1 enough to try and kick my attention span into focusing on a second season

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dearshelby · 10 months

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OTP ASKS GAME | T.S x OC

A/N: Absolutely no one asked for this, but you can't judge a girl for loving her OC, right? HERE is the template of the questions and yes, I'm encouraging my lovely mutuals to take a look at them because they really make you think deeper into your characters and I actually had fun with it! Also, the numbers are out of order because I only answered 31 out of 40, I thought it'd be better to keep the original order

1. Who most initiates PDA? Neither of them are really into PDA but before the war Tommy did it most, he enjoyed pressing a small kiss in Eleanor's temple when no one was watching just to get a shy/scolding look from her.

After the war though, Ellie always has a hand on his back or shoulder, it's grounding to him and reassuring to her.

2. Any sleep habits either had to get used to? Remember that scene in season 1 in which he is sleeping with his boots on, feet off the bed and an opium pipe in hand? That would've pissed her off to catastrophic levels because →

• The bed is clean and Tommy's boots are dirty

• He's ruining his already damaged back

• Where the hell is the blanket?

• She just knows he didn't brush his teeth, had water or took a wee

The thing is, Eleanor has an established routine while Tom contents himself with just laying down and if he gets any sleep, he's lucky. Once they adapted themselves he sleeps a little bit better because he sort of conditioned his brain into getting sleepy doing the "routine"

3. Hot and Steamy or Soft and Tender? Yes. Just kidding, it depends on their mood, Tommy enjoys sex in general and the only "demand" Ellie has is to be the closest as possible, which is possible at any pace.

4. How did they first meet? Tommy tried to steal some things for baby Finn at a grocery store and got caught. Eleanor happened to be there and noticed the owner of the store would beat the shit out of him, she didn't think it was fair and paid for the groceries. Out of gratitude, he walked her home afterwards.

5. What is their love language? Touch takes the first place, they don't say I love you often or consider themselves good at verbalizing feelings but if you pay close attention you'll notice they're always touching each other, be it touching feet under a table, resting a hand on the other's leg or touching elbows when standing together.

6. When did they realize they loved each other? They weren't officially together yet. For her, when she realized how utterly heartbroken she was thinking he was responsible for the robbery at her mother's shop (which he wasn't by the way), in her mind he had betrayed her, becoming exactly who her mother said he was and yet, she kept wishing he didn't have because she didn't want to stay away from him.

For him, when they went to a communist meeting and she enthusiastically talked to everyone, he felt a mix of joy for seeing her happy, with jealousy because she wasn't giving him attention.

7. Who is more sentimental? Eleanor. She keeps many of Theo's (her baby brother), Finn's and Tommy's old belongings, especially things like their first ties, hats or pocket watches.

Tommy is way too attached to "the past is in the past" to collect objects like that, however after her death in 1929, he kept all her discos, books and jewelry for their daughters to inherit, her clothes were only donated because he knew it's what she'd have wanted. The only exception is the gold bracelet she never took off, that is his, in his silly little head it still smells like her (it doesn't).

8. What’s one way their personalities complement one another? Besides being two introverts, they're very organized, determined and ambitious people (p.s - however, Tommy's ambition comes from trauma, Eleanor's doesn't, so she knew when to stop, he didn't ).

9. How are their personalities different? Tommy is realistic and spiritual (in his own ways lol) while Ellie is pessimistic and skeptical.

10. What are some non-sexual activities they do together? Much like cats, they're more than able to coexist in the same room minding their own business, but some things they enjoy doing actually together is having lunch/dinner or napping on the other's lap while they read a book.

11. Which member is more physically affectionate? Tommy initiates it more often at the privacy of home, doesn't necessarily mean he is more affectionate because touch is how they both show affection, but at home, he's the one to start it.

12. Which member is more verbally affectionate? Eleanor, mainly in a teasing way, she'll whistle, call him handsome or stud, anything that'll get him blushing and fussy.

13. Which member steals/borrows the other one's clothing? Eleanor because obviously Tommy wouldn't steal her dresses (perhaps her coats on some modern!AU). She's personally fond of rummaging his wardrobe for socks, shirts, sweaters and scarves.

14. Are they an introverted couple or an extroverted one—AKA would they prefer to go out to a party or event together or would they rather stay in? 100% introverted, especially after the war, if an event isn't related to the company or isn't a family occasion they're probably not going.

15. Who is more likely to make an impulsive decision and who is the voice of reason? Surprisingly, Tommy is way more impulsive, his arrogance pushes him into reckless decisions and Eleanor has to talk him out of it.

For example, in 1924 she wanted to deal with the Italians situation by firing Lizzie, then having John apologizing, or not killing Vincent Changretta after he made her get shot in an attempt to kill Tommy. He didn't listen and we know how it ended.

16. Who stays up way too late and who tries to drag them to bed? Tommy and his crazy sleeping schedule get on her nerves, sometimes she doesn't even say anything, she just shows up in his office and he knows, he follows her to bed without questioning.

17. Who fell in love first? Tommy did and oh, poor boy, it took a while to woo her.

18. What song fits them perfectly? Love me tender's cover by Pato Fu, the lyrics aren't very complex but are sweet, it's personally the song I picture for them if Ellie was a real character.

19. How do they deal with being away from each other for a long time? Fun fact: There's a bell in between his and her office because they're on different floors. When they're both home it rings from two in two hours, it was meant to be used when they have important things to say, but they actually use it whenever they want to see the other.

To be true, the only time they spent a long time away from each other was during the war. However, if they were to be apart, they'd call each other every day and unavoidably become more verbally affectionate, he'd spend some time thinking about her especially in the mornings and before sleeping, while she'd use his shirts as a pillowcase like a fool in love.

20. Who holds a grudge the longest? Oh woah, we're talking about two very proud people, but I'd say Eleanor, it's very toxic of her to give the silent treatment but she just can't avoid it. And at first, Tommy in his endless pride and anger swears he won't give in, he eventually does because he can't sleep well without their feet touching or focus on his paperwork when he's so tempted to ring the bell to her office.

27. What random everyday object/activity makes them think of each other? Not surprisingly, Ellie thinks of Tommy when she sees cigarette cases or red ties, she thinks they fit him well.

Now, Tommy is a certified coffee maker™ here, she always asks him to make some so its scent makes him think of her.

28. Do they get along with each other’s friends and family? I won't try to defend Eleanor, she had fights with each Shelby member at some point because even if Tommy is wrong, she tends to side with him, she's the typical "no one can be mean to my husband but me" wife.

She fiercely believes he infantilizes people, in 1919 for example, she didn't understand why he was so worried about Ada, she believed her sister-in-law was a grown woman and if she wanted to risk her life sneaking around with a communist racketeer, that was her choice. All she worried about was Karl and her and Ada had a big fight when she threatened to take the baby when he was born.

In 1924 she fought John for being dumb and threatening the Changrettas, and in 1926 she fought everyone who thought it was a good idea to push a prostitute into Finn.

Long short answer: Eleanor gets along with everyone, she's able to remain cordial, but she absolutely will pick up a fight if someone crosses hers, Finn's or Tommy's way, be it a Shelby or not.

Now, Eleanor's family is a complicated subject, her mother Ruth was never the same after her husband's death and Ellie doesn't remember much of her dad. Ruth never liked Tommy because he's a gangster, bad rumors always surrounded him and she simply doesn't understand what her daughter sees in a *Campbell's voice* murdering, cutthroat, mongrel gangster.

Theodore, the baby brother, sort of admires Tommy, if his sister loves him so much he can't be that bad, right?

29. What is their sex life like? Considering they were together for seventeen years, it's pretty well rounded. Tommy isn't that much of a whore in this AU, he had 5 or 6 people including Ellie and a few prostitutes, while she only had 3, the boy she lost her virginity to, Tommy and the woman she cheated with.

Out of the seven days of the week, I'd say they're doing it 3 or 4 times, mostly uneventful but not in a bad way, more like an intimate one.

They're both switches, varying between subs and soft doms at most, sometimes they try some different things such as bondage or unusual positions, but usually they stick to cowgirl/missionary and blindfold the other, they're actually fairly vanilla.

30. What is their favorite place to kiss the other? (Cheek, hand, closed eyelid, neck, nose, etc.) Tommy is very fond of her neck, it's where her scent lingers the most and he loves watching her trying not to laugh from the ticklish feeling.

Now, Ellie is a simple woman, she likes his lips, his wrists or the shaven sides of his head are a good call too but it doesn't come close to that cute little pout.

31. What’s the relationship like? Smooth? Rocky?I'd say something between both, the business makes them argue a lot, in 1922 for example, she got really mad at him for leaving the hospital to see Alfie without any warnings, but they usually make peace soon.

33. Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them? Tommy never stopped having nightmares about the tunnels and through his life he got other subjects to have nightmares about, such as John's death, his daughter being kidnapped, even his mum comes to haunt him sometimes.

Eleanor is a heavy sleeper but since they sleep touching each other, she wakes up when he moves abruptly. Unfortunately there was no solution for his PTSD, love can't heal him, so the best she does is soothing him, assuring he's safe and the shovels aren't real, bringing him a glass of water or tea and keeping him company until he sleeps again.

34. Do they give each other nicknames? I mean…Tommy and Ellie are nicknames, other than that they use love or darling, but it's not often.

Tommy is rather fond of being called darling though, it gets him all fussy especially if used in front of the family.

37. What do they like the least about each other? Eleanor's skepticism towards any mystical belief of Tommy was subject of argument more than once. She doesn't believe in curses, spirits, luck, fortune telling or anything alike, she doesn't know how a man smart as him can believe in what she deems as parlor tricks and he doesn't understand how she can simply not see what's right there

38. What was their most memorable date? Probably the one in which they had their first kiss, a small birthday party of a friend they didn't even consider a date, but ended up being special for both of them.

39. What other couple would your otp get along with the best? Well, Tommy managed to turn the whole family against him at some point, but Polly x Aberama and John x Esme in 1919

40. Who makes the other smile with almost no effort at all? Surprisingly or not, Tommy, he can make Ellie smile by simply having a glass of water, eating a healthy meal or looking particularly cute while resting in the sun.

#tommy shelby x oc #OC Eleanor Shelby

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