#they’re all right and wrong that’s what makes it so compelling
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MRS. AND MRS. SMITH — abby anderson x fem!reader
ways you can help gaza 🇵🇸
do not buy tlou2 remastered!
a/n: this is way more inspired by the mr and mrs smith series (2024) not the 2005 one!!! this explains why they’re wives :3
you’re an assassin along with your assigned partner/wife, abby anderson. fed up with her toxic behaviour, you’re pleased when the mission is centred around you seducing a man for murderous motives. why? well, because you know it’ll get under abby’s skin. little did you know, things would blow over way more than you thought it would.
cw: mdni, owen feature🤮🤮, long fic, kinda slow-burn ig?, femme fatale, arranged marriage couple, kinda toxic relationship, violence, mention of blades, car sex, mean!abby, bratty!reader, dom!abby, degrading, bdsm, ass-smacking, finger-fucking, cursing, jealous!abby, hair pulling, dry-humping, finger-sucking, choking, rough sex, teasing, squirting.
“short brown hair, rugged beard. got that?” abby’s murmuring voice comes in from the earpiece you’ve got attached. you groan and roll your eyes, wishing you could mute the goddamn thing.
see, any other day, you would’ve loved to hear your wife’s pretty little voice guiding you — her praises when you’d do something right or her degrades if you’d do something wrong both sending shivers down your spine, compelling you to do whatever she wanted.
but not today. today you’re over it. so what do you respond with?
“yeah, i know, anderson. we both got the fucking brief.” you hiss. you know how pissed abby gets whenever you curse at her; so that’s exactly what you do. you relish at the thought of her gritting her teeth, not being able to snap at you in front of all of these people.
that’s right, you two are at a charity gala event. it’s fancy. too fancy to the point where it’s intimidating: glistening chandeliers, artistic decorations and bustling people wearing glamorous attire. you and abby needed to blend in with the crowd so not only are you two dressed smartly for the occasion but are also split up. not that you’re complaining. you’re sick of her. sick of her petulance whenever you’d get glorified by the agency instead of her, sick of how sometimes she can be so simple-minded, sick of how, at points, she lacks at making you feel loved.
your job is to take out an owen moore, for unforeseen reasons. you never question what the agency tells you to do, neither does abby.
you’re planning to lure him in an concealed area with your enticing charisma, make him believe you’re going to sleep with him before slicing him dead with your blade. you prowl through the many people, scanning the area with a keen eye to find him. claude debussy plays as background music, taming your harrowing nerves. killing is never easy.
“found him yet?” abby sighs.
“please don’t distract me.” there’s way too many people and it’s beginning to stress you out. what if you never find him? failing the mission is the last thing you wanna do.
“i’m getting bored. plus, small talk with strangers pisses me off.” she complains.
“not my goddamn problem.” you retort, the ends of your tight-fitting dress flailing against your legs as you pick up the pace, worrying if there’s not enough time, worrying if he’s even here in the first place.
“literally what is your problem? acting extra fuckin’ snobby tonight...”
your eyebrows knit together. abby always finds a way to get under your skin.
“let’s not fucking start—“ you’re about to snap and make yourself look like a fool in front of all of these people until somebody accidentally bumps into you: spilling his drink all over your dress. great!
“oh shit. sorry, i didn’t mean that.” you hear a man’s voice as you stare down at your ruined dress in disbelief. you slowly glance up at the culprit; only to find the noted brown hair and rugged beard staring right back at you. owen moore.
despite your worked up embarrassment and your extreme annoyance, you manage to flash a smile.
“it’s okay, but... you do realise you owe me now right?” you bat your eyelashes, hoping you don’t look silly.
“and what’s that?” owen chuckles, rubbing the back of his head and making immense eye contact. he’s already flirting back, you think. this is about to be so fucking easy.
with a few drinks, owen’s already tipsy and you’re leading him to the vast room. you make him believe you’re just as woozy; stumbling and giggling away. you take advantage of his obliviousness: your hand brushing against the slit of your dress, fingers cupping the wooden handle of the blade in the garter wrapped around your thigh. whilst he laughs and babbles nonsense, you carefully trace the edge of the blade — feelings of excitement rushing to the surface. regardless of the fact that killing is never easy, it’s also never not exhilarating.
you’re about to fully whip out the blade until owen decides to be bold: setting his slobbery hands against the small of your back and trying to lean in for a kiss.
“woah.” you feign a grin, pulling his hands away. “we go at my pace.”
“aww… please?” he mumbles, trying to seem like an adorable puppy but instead making it look disgusting. this is sad, you think. you try to grab your knife again but he’s now grabbing your arms; desperate for a fruitless smooch.
“come on… don’t play hard to get.” he growls, his sudden aggression catching you a little off guard. no need for stress, you know what to do. your knee prepares itself to kick hard in between his legs until somebody’s arm suddenly emerges from behind, wrapping around his neck and squeezing hard.
“what—“ you breathe in bewilderment, eyes widening. despite owen choking and uselessly clawing at abby’s arm for escape, her gaze stays intently trained on yours; a death stare. it’s unnerving.
it doesn’t take long for owen to turn cold and slack, eyes rolling to the back of his head. abby lets him go, but not without cracking his neck first, and you watch as he flops onto the floor.
“what the fuck, abby…” you mutter, palming a frustrated hand across your face. “where the hell did you even come from?”
“there’s doors.” she tilts her head towards the backdoor behind her. you hadn’t even noticed it. your eyes travel back to her; irresistibly ogling at the black suit clinging to her body, complimenting her form. you almost forget you’re supposed to be mad at her.
the blonde chuckles wryly, a petty exhale. “you starin’? assumed pussy boys were more your type.”
“real fucking mature.” you snarl. “i had him. i was this close to killing him, abby.”
“you were taking too long.” abby shrugs, condescendingly pouting. you grit your teeth.
“jealousy? really? grow up.”
“at least i watch where i’m going. nice dress, the wet splotch is a nice touch, really.” she slanders, narrowing her eyes. you scoff, trying to pretend as if that dig didn’t offend you.
“you’re a fucking child. help me with the body.”
you two leave the building with ease, pretending as if owen is a friend that’s had too much to drink, wrapping his arms around the both of your shoulders and leading him to your car. abby opens the boot and you two push him inside. you two will decide on how deal with the body later.
for now, you’re sat on the passenger’s seat whilst abby drives, the two of you salty and quiet. abby’s driving way too fast; her hand gripping the steering wheel like her life depends on it. she’s obviously fuming.
“can you slow down?” you glare at her.
“you owe me… i mean, who even says that?” abby grumbles, ignoring your request.
“a lot of people do. now slow down, we don’t wanna attract attention from police knowing there’s a dead body back there.”
“not to mention that you’ve had an attitude since last night! the way you were flirting with that oliver guy? or whatever the fuck his name was, had to be on purpose. to spite me.”
abby starts driving even faster, increasing your stress. “owen.” you correct, “you’re so self absorbed!” you continue to beg for her to slow down.
“he’s, like, the embodiment of revolting too. don’t even get me started at the way he was trying to force himself on you. i should’ve put a bullet in his brain.” abby rattles on, pure jealousy oozing from her tone.
“you were definitely enjoying it too. i know you were.” she turns her head to look at you, not paying attention to the road.
“abby. abby!” you scream as abby almost runs through a poor family trying to cross the road.
“fuck.” abby murmurs as she swerves messily, just in the nick of time, steering into a deserted field. the two of you are out of breath from the fright, hearts racing from the adrenaline. abby rests her head on the wheel, letting out a long sigh.
“just what the hell is the matter with you?” you scold, “all this shit over a mission? are you serious?” abby’s lack of response leads you to continue yelling at her.
“of course we’re going to have to flirt with our targets now and then! the fuck happened to your professionalism? if i had known you’d be acting like this then i would’ve never—“
“why didn’t you kiss him?” abby raises her head to look up at you, her face blank. you blink, a little taken aback by the unexpected question.
“i…” you look away. you’re not exactly up for abby knowing that you couldn’t kiss him because of her. “where even are we anyway?”
“nice try. since you’re so professional, why didn’t you kiss him? he clearly wanted to. you could’ve easily killed him then.” the corner of abby’s lips arch up into a smirk — the familiar smug look of hers that never fails to get you weak.
“for someone who’s had so much to say just a second ago…” she leans in a little, arm resting against your headrest, “…you’re awfully quiet.” her voice is hushed down to a soft whisper, and you swear you’re beginning to feel a little lightheaded.
“look, abby, you’re my wife… so…” you mumble in response to her pressing question, avoiding eye contact. abby chuckles, loosening her tie. here comes the floodgates.
“don’t play dumb and pretend as if the agency didn’t arrange that.” her finger presses against the dome light of the car; illuminating your embarrassed face. just what she wanted to see.
“you’ve been enjoying yourself, seeing me all jealous like this. you liked playing femme fatale, hmm?” her finger slowly twists itself around a strand of your hair, before she yanks a handful, forcing your head closer. you wince, eyes clenched shut. your cunt decides to flex too — reminding you that she’s got a mind of her own, and that she finds being in an empty field like this, in abby’s car, pretty fucking hot.
“let’s face it…” abby whispers, so close that you can feel her breath tickling your ear, shooting heavy tingles down your body.
“you want me so bad it hurts.” her eyes drift down to your thighs that are starting to shift uncomfortably in your seat. it’s beginning to ache down there and it seems like abby’s aware of that. you can’t help it. after all, abby sitting so close: loose strands of hair framing her face, unfastened tie and darkened eyes fixed on you, feels so good that it’s suffocating.
you squirm a little and abby grins, her fingers still laced in your hair. her grip slightly tightens as she licks her lips. she looks hungry.
“maybe what hurts is your fingers in my hair.” you quip, though your voice is a little shaky.
“maybe you need to fix your attitude.” abby retorts, “like, seriously, pipe down… you’re probably soaking down there.” she snickers, right on the money.
“fuck you.” you glare at her, gauging her reaction. you want to believe you’re saying this out of sheer anger for what went down tonight, but deep down, you know that’s not the case. in reality, you just want to get under abby’s skin. it’s what you’ve been craving since the beginning; to get her pissed.
you wipe the pleased look off of abby’s face, which is now replaced with a frown. your heart pounds with anticipation: so much so that your chest faintly heaves, lips parted.
abby’s eyes wander to your lips and in one swift movement, she pulls you in; pressing her lips against yours. you’re quick to kiss her back, the sweetness of her mouth sealing yours. fervent can’t even begin to explain the way you two are kissing. akin to wild animals, small muffled groans escape the both of you.
desperation is thick in the confined air of the car, as abby pulls away and shrugs her blazer off. you stare up at her.
“hurry… with your slow-ass.” you whine.
“watch your fucking mouth. c’mere.” abby commands. you naturally do as she says and she begins to unzip your dress — not without making sure to go deliberately slow.
“why do you have to be so mean?” you sigh, burying your face in the crook of her neck.
“oh, trust me… i’m only gonna be meaner.” she warns whilst planting gentle kisses on your neck. you’ve always admired abby for her ability to vary from being sour to tender in seconds. little did you know, the peppered kisses on your neck served as a prior apology to how cruel she’s going to treat you in a second.
once everything is off, abby marvels at your body. like a painting in an art gallery, she makes sure to pay attention to even the minuscule details of your body. it’s her favourite thing in the entire world.
“turn around.” abby mutters, her eyes hazy; voice bleeding with lust.
“what?”
“just do it.”
you hesitantly do as she says. abby beams: finding your weak resistance amusing yet is also excited to break you.
“now… bend over.” she coos, clearly poking fun.
you shoot her a glare, cheeks flushed. “what am i, your dog?”
“don’t piss me off.”
you glare at her for a few seconds longer before sighing, reluctantly bending over.
“arching that back and everything… wooow.” abby teases, “and to think i haven’t even touched you yet.”
“oh, just fuck off, abby…” you complain, the embarrassment beginning to overwhelm you.
“what was that?”
“i said fuck—“ but you’re cut off by a yelp when abby brings her palm down flat against your ass. you flinch violently; very, very taken off guard.
“mm? didn’t quite hear you. repeat yourself.” abby taunts, smacking you again. you grunt and flinch yet again, feeling the sting of her slap coarse through your body. abby’s humiliating you, milking every last drop of your embarrassment. the worst thing yet? you’re enjoying this way more than you should be.
“i’m not kidding. speak.” abby commands, showing no signs of mercy. your skin is already starting to gleam red, and your pussy? well, it’s a fucking party down there.
“abby…” you cry, completely under her control. the more she smacks, flesh recoiling under her palm, the more your head goes blank.
“go on babe… finish what you were saying before.” abby prods. this time, when she smacks you, her fingers grasp the flesh on your ass tightly; watching in delight as her fingertips leave little red marks. you’re trembling like a leaf, both from the pain and the arousal.
see, the thing with abby is that she never likes to let things go. she adores jabbing at you until she gets what she wants.
another smack, this one so hard that you need to press your palms against the window. abby then grips your waist and pulls you way closer; making your ass press against her hips.
“you wanna get fucked?” abby mutters, teasingly bringing your waist back and forth against her hips: hard, playful thrusts. your bare cunt pressing against her crotch is, without a doubt, driving you insane. you frantically nod in response to her question, in which abby replies with latching her hand around your neck; forcing you upright so that your back is now against her chest.
“use your words.”
“y-yes…” tears begin to stream down your face. you’re desperate, yearning for her touch as if it’s a life or death situation.
“so finish what you were saying.” her fingers slightly squeeze around the sides of your neck.
“i-i told you to f-fuck off but i d-didn’t… haa… mean it.” you splutter. the you a while ago would’ve had her mouth agape in horror at your behaviour right now.
“see? that wasn’t so hard, was it?” abby coos, her fingers tracing down your stomach, in between your thighs. long, drawn-out circles are traced on your swollen clit, her fingers pressing just the right amount of pressure. you groan, and abby taps her chin against your shoulder; smirking at how your legs are writhing, desperate for more.
“where’d all your attitude go?” the blonde ridicules. her other hand moves over to your breast, squeezing it, her thumb caressing your nipple. as to the hand working on you, her middle and ring finger brush against your folds; up and down. she’s touching you but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough: abby knows that.
“don’t do this to me, abby…” you exasperate. she lets out a breathy chuckle before flipping you over and setting you down onto the car seat. she reclines it back, eyes yet again fixed on you. you stare up at her with big glossy eyes, your head blank as if you’ve been dumbed down.
abby gloats at how helpless you look, grabbing your face with one hand and squishing your cheeks. “you look stupid.”
“shut up and fuck me.” you mutter in a muffled tone. abby laughs as if what you’ve said was the funniest joke in the entire world. you wonder if abby can feel your cheeks burning up against her palm.
before you know it, abby plows her thick fingers so far inside your cunt that you’d squeal, if it wasn’t for abby’s hand still clenched on your cheeks.
“this what you wanted?” abby purrs, fingers curling up against your g-spot already. you moan, back arching and squirming.
“oh! riiiiight, you can’t speak.” she gloats, playfully shaking your head with her hand. you whine in embarrassment, yet you secretly enjoy how she’s handling you like a doll.
abby’s finger-fucking you rough, wet squelch noises filling up the car. the sound of it is so erotic that it leaves you dizzy, eyes rolling to the back of your head. the blonde releases her grip on your face but not her thumb, that slips inside of your mouth.
“suck.” you mindlessly do as she says, as if you’re brainwashed. you can see abby’s cheeks tint red when you slowly suck her thumb, making sure to keep eye contact.
abby chuckles, looking away. seems like she didn’t think you’d actually do it.
“you’re shy.” you point out. you triumph over the fact that now it’s her turn to be embarrassed, but not for long.
“shut the fuck up.” abby says brusquely, her fingers operating way harder than before; relentlessly pounding against your g-spot. you cry, feeling overwhelmingly good.
that rigid attitude you had a moment ago? now dead and buried. you feel surreal, a series of mewls and sobs leaving your lips.
“nothing smart to say anymore? you look fucking pathetic.” and she’s right. you look like a hot mess. abby smothers your tears all over your face. you mindlessly move your hips, fucking yourself on her fingers. she smirks, loving what she’s seeing. you feel a knot beginning to untie in your stomach, sublime throbs coursing all over your body.
“i’m cumming…” you manage to choke out.
“i know.” abby buries her face in the crook of your neck, and you shiver at the feel of her breath against your skin.
“i’ll decide to be nice and let you finish.”
and that’s your cue. with an ending moan to seal it off, you feel your body tense up, eyes widening. abby leans in and presses her forehead against yours. you squeeze your eyes shut, before your body relaxes. you’re panting like a dog, staring up at abby with foggy and depleted eyes.
“so cute…” she murmurs before cupping your chin and kissing you — this time, soft and tender as opposed to the way she was kissing you before. you feel warm.
so absorbed in each other, you two forget about how you’re in the middle of nowhere and how the body in the car boot needs to be dealt with. for now, you two have something more important to worry about: how you’re gonna clean up the mess you’ve left all over the chair and dashboard.
a/n: you made it !!! thought it’d be funny if the target was owen😭😭 hope u enjoyed reading <3
#abby anderson#abby tlou#abby anderson fanfic#tlou2 smut#tlou2#wlw#smut#the last of us#abby the last of us#abby anderson smut#abby anderson tlou2#tlou fanfiction#abby x fem!reader#abby x reader#abby anderson x reader#abby anderson x female reader#abby anderson x y/n#lesbian
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Astrology Observations: No.25
*just based on my personal observations, only take what resonates
Omg my first degree theory observation was wrong Danial Kwan has moon at 18 degree, a Virgo degree ! (My bad y’all I’m learning). I’ll say that he had to get a hold of his mental health while in Covid and his adult adhd diagnosis and that influenced the writing of everything all at once (Imma learn this lol, more studying must be done)
Ok better degree theory lol, the degree of your Venus and/or mars can show placements you attract. My Venus is at a cancer degree and I’ve dated a l o t of people with Cancer placements (an experience lol)
A guy’s Lilith can show that his sort of femme fatale attraction (type of girl that overstimulates him, makes him feel enamored but is also his weakness.) His Lilith placement can describe this femme in more detail. For Aries, a go getter that takes no shit (I believe @zeldasnotes said Lilith in Aries in a man’s chart is a strong indicator that he’s a feminist and I totally agree.); For Sagittarius she’d be untethered and have a great sense of humor and may be outside of his culture. For Aquarius she’d be idealized as a manic pixie dream girl, like quirky in a way he could never figure out. let me know if you all would like a whole post on this !
Only outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) in your 1st can give you an extra ordinary appearance and make you stand out quite a bit.
Your mars conjunct to someone’s sun can make them feel competitive with you. Venus on the other hand can make you put the sun person on a sort of pedestal and can make the relationship feel like you’re a fan of the sun person. Moon to someone’s sun can feel more at home and at ease.
Men with water Venuses seem to be super monogamous or like incapable of monogamy (which is fine lol, but be ethical about it and establish boundaries and don’t cheat yo)
12th house synastry is sticky asl, as soon as you moved on someone just appears on your mind out of nowhere, lotta hidden energy all tied up together; 8th house synastry is really intense but it’s often hard to build something stable out of the intensity. 4th house feels like home, but as someone with Uranus over their 4th, I associate this synastry with being unpredictable and chaotic in familiar way. 5th and 11th house synastry tends to be good long term. 5th house means you feel fun and creative and always excited together. And 11th house will mean that there’s a feeling of friendship underneath the passion that usually sustains the connection imo.
For all of the seriousness associated with Capricorn placements (especially suns) often focus on a lot on whimsy in their creative works, like it’s the outlet for a lot of their hidden optimism (Hayao Miyazaki, Nobuhiko Obayashi the director of Hausu).
Ok ok I know Scorpio risings are known for intense, bedroom eyes and their overwhelming s*x appeal and making suitors flee because they’re so intimidated etc etc… but quietly I think our biggest weapon that people don’t see coming is our sense of humor. (Honest to god I was thinking of how funny Hugh Grant is even though he doesn’t need to be bc he’s been so handsome this whole time lol. He always puts in the effort into that comedic timing) (Also people still think if you’re hot and intense you can’t be funny so it defuses some of the tension pretty well imo)
I feel like Virgo placements always seem to think they feel boring even though they’re like very knowledgeable and compelling in their own right (I’m getting all reflective and remember when like Virgo moons/mars would always ask if they’re being boring or complain about being boring but they tend to be good conversationalists when they allow themselves to analyze things so deeply)
I think cancers are actually the most defensive sign, naturally. I want to say they have this in common with their sister sign bc Capricorns are defensive and don’t like to show “weakness”. But the way that underdeveloped cancers (can) play the victim when scrutinized is different. (Like Capricorns do that earth sign thing where they use their perception to make you feel like you’re wrong, and they want to be seen as the authority not the victim). Where cancer is in your chart could show where you’re especially guarded and trying to protect your sensitivity.
To me Jupiter conjunct south node means you’ll reap benefits of good karma from a past life (or the effects of bad karma will be a lot in this lifetime but I saw this in obama’s chart and it’s a benefic planet so the first thing is what I thought of lol, he’s not a good guy but becoming the first black president of the us seems like a past life power play imo)
#sorry been super busy lately lol#but I’m back#astro observations#astro notes#astroblr#astro community#astrology#lilith astrology#venus#mars#8th house#12th house#5th house#4th house#11th house#Capricorn#cancer#Virgo#scorpio rising
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JayTim omegaverse AU where Tim presents as an omega when he’s stalking Batman and Jason-as-Robin. Jason finds him collapsed on a rooftop and tries to help him but the proximity triggers his own presentation as an alpha. From there things go to hell in a hand basket and they ride out their first heat/rut together. In the immediate aftermath, once they have both recovered enough presence of mind, they agree that this is no one’s fault but it doesn’t stop Jason from feeling guilty about taking advantage of Tim so he escorts Tim home (in the process finding out they’re neighbours) and asks if there’s anything that he can do for him to make up for whatever the hell just happened.
There’s a lot of trauma to unpack here for the both of them but Tim is barely a teenager and Jason has emotionally repressed Batman for a parental figure so they just mutually decide not to mention it ever again because if you pretend it never happened then it can’t hurt you right? (Wrong.) Anyway, Tim tells Jason that if he really wants to do something for him then maybe he can just not tell Batman that Tim was on a rooftop at night, pretty please? At which point Jason, horrified that a boy Tim’s age is running around on rooftops unsupervised in the most crime-ridden parts of Gotham at the most crime-infested time of the day, makes it his personal duty to figure out why Tim does this and also how he can convince him to NOT do this. What he did to Tim was wrong on so many levels but oh god, what if someone so much worse found Tim instead? He agrees to Tim’s request on the condition that Tim carries a beacon at all times during his nighttime extracurricular activities.
Jason brings the beacon over as soon as possible, which turns out to be the next day after school (as Robin of course), and the sight of Tim alone in a giant house compels him to stay for a while, and a while turns into the rest of the day. Tim shows off the photos he’s taken of Batman and the Robins, and Jason is reluctantly but appropriately impressed by Tim’s stealth.
A friendship grows between them.
And then Jason dies.
And Batman grows too reckless.
And Dick refuses to be Robin again.
And Tim becomes Robin—
Except he doesn’t. Not really. He wears Jason’s Robin suit for a very short time before random bouts of nausea take him off the field. But Batman is still beating the shit out of petty criminals and Tim is desperate to help, so he allows Alfred (bless him) to call him a discreet doctor to ensure that his illness is not due to anything he was exposed to while Batman-wrangling before he’s allowed back on the field. Tim just wants it over and done with quickly so he can get back out there and—
He’s not allowed to back on the field.
He’s holding a little black-and-white picture of a literal human growing inside him and he is absolutely benched until there is no longer a literal human growing inside him.
Doctor Thompkins lays out his options, is brutally honest about how his body (too young, too small) will handle a pregnancy (not well), and asks if there is anything he wants to tell her (if there’s anyone Batman needs to put in jail for touching him). Tim doesn’t have long to consider his options—he’s nearly too far along for most clinics to be comfortable performing an abortion (although, given his age, they might be sympathetic enough to bend the rules if Doctor Thompkins can’t perform the procedure for him).
He decides to keep it, a parting gift from his friend Robin to be cherished beyond his death. There is a difficult conversation with Bruce about the child’s father (no, you can’t arrest them, they’re already dead, no, I’m not defending a heinous rapist, it’s your goddamn son, Bruce, this is your grandchild). An unforeseen but extremely welcome consequence of this is that Batman starts pulling his punches, now that he has something to live for again. He looks only half-broken now and he offers Tim a room at the Wayne manor when he finally learns about Tim’s extremely absent parents.
(Tim worries about how to break the news to his parents until he no longer has to worry about it because his mother is dead and his father is in a coma and god he wanted to avoid having that conversation with them but this wasn’t how he wanted it to happen.)
Properly benched now for the foreseeable future, Tim picks up remote vigilante-wrangling instead (from Babs?) and makes headway in some cold cases. He pulls out of school to be homeschooled instead, keeps out of the public eye, and generally avoids leaving Wayne manor because a thirteen-year-old pregnant omega living alone with an adult alpha (and his butler) is a Very Bad Look even for Brucie Wayne and Tim would rather not be known as Bruce Wayne’s child bride thank you very much.
Life proceeds in this manner, the child is delivered by Caesarian with very little fanfare. It is, unfortunately, very difficult to hide the presence of a whole infant. The public settles on the theory that the child is Bruce’s illegitimate son from one of his many dalliances and Tim allows the misconception to propagate simply because no good can come out of him, all of fourteen, publicly claiming his child. But it still stings, just a little. He made this child, held him safe in his womb for eight months. He puts him to bed and nurses him and loves him so much but nobody outside the manor will see it.
Tim bursts back into society when he’s officially adopted by Bruce. He refused to register his son as Bruce’s (it takes some extremely deft work by Oracle to file the appropriate documents for Tim’s claim on his child to be legally valid without alerting the press) but he also understands that Bruce wants a legal connection to his grandchild, so he becomes his son’s dead father’s legally adopted brother. It’s a mess, but at least people who should be are allowed into hospital rooms. It’s not like it will matter, right? Jason’s dead, right?
Wrong.
Jason is very much not dead and very much bewildered by the presence of a baby Wayne that isn’t Damian and it completely derails his plans to exact revenge on Bruce for not killing the Joker. It fucking hurts to see that he’s been replaced by not one but TWO new children but at least they aren’t Robin. At least no one is Robin. At least one of them is Tim, his lonely friend who deserves a family. He returns to Gotham, heads to Crime Alley, becomes Red Hood, and buries himself in shooting out enough kneecaps to push Bruce and Batman from his mind. That was another life. He’s fucking furious at Bruce and his replacements but god the baby has the same curly hair that Jason did and Jason can’t help but think that Bruce might actually have missed him, at least a little.
But probably not enough to love Jason as he is now, full of anger and rage and impulse to hurt hurt hurt the people who hurt others. He channels it all into cleaning up the Alley, perhaps more aggressively than Batman would (should) have, but Batman doesn’t give enough of a shit about the Alley to know that what he’s doing isn’t enough and it’s up to Jason to get his hands downright filthy if he wants to make any changes around here.
Tim notices Red Hood, because of course he does. And it takes him no time at all to realise, oh, that’s Jason. That’s Jason.
#jaytim#notfic#there's potential for drama here if Jason finds out that the kid is Tim's while still thinking it's Bruce's#especially if Jason and Tim have become friends/lovers as adults#I want to be a fly on the wall when Jason punches Bruce not for Joker still being alive#but for knocking Tim up when he was 'just a fucking child you fucking freak what the fuck'#Bruce with a hand on his smarting cheek like a wronged maiden: ???? that's YOUR child????? what are you on??????
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No one does queer representation quite like One Piece.
Allow me to explain in great detail.
I’m going to talk about the queer rep in Impel Down, and you’d best buckle up cause it’s rant time.
Impel Down is one of my favorite arcs because I love the story line, it’s downright hilarious, and Luffy’s struggle to rescue Ace is incredibly compelling.
But there is another reason why I love Impel Down so much, and that’s the queer rep that utterly knocked me off my feet.
Now, I’ve come to accept that queer representation in anime (not touching on any other media in this rant) is generally nonexistent or extremely rare… if you’re watching anything other than a BL.
On the rare occasion that we do find some LGBT rep it is usually extremely subtle, and shown exclusively in convoluted subtext and minuscule details that are easily overlooked. While this representation is so incredibly meaningful to everyone who’s able to pick it out, the subtly makes it all the more easy for homophobes to argue that it was never in the first place.
Keeping all this in mind, I finally picked up One Piece several months ago after refusing to watch it for a long-assed time (It was too long and I thought the art style was weird. Dear god have I eaten my words.) I’d heard on social media that One Piece was big on trans representation, but I wasn’t prepared at ALL for what I’d find in that department.
I had NOT expected to find One Piece’s treasure trove of LGBT characters in Impel Down of all pleases, and the shock factor made it so much better.
The arc had already been chaotic as fucking hell by the time Luffy reunited with Bon Clay, and their reunion made me tear up. Like dude!
I hadn’t been particularly attached to Bon Clay before but THIS ^ was it. This scene right here, he wormed his way into my heart istfg.
Can we appreciate this scene please?! The sparkles in the background?? The leg lifting?! The REUNION HUG?!?! I love this so dearly not just because it’s fucking ADORABLE but because of what it *says.*
Bon Clay is an outwardly queer character, and Luffy absolutely adores him. Those two are best friends and we treat queer people with respect and they are good people. We can be friends with them and allies with them and they aren’t something to shy away from just because they’re different.
Be fucking for real. The representation is so positive, and it never ceases to blow me away.
If you thought that this representation was enough YOU WERE WRONG because this BARELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.
Iva. Emperio Ivankov. The Queen of the Queers. He is a gender fluid ICON and a literal drag queen. His special attack is a wink that blows shit up. His Devil Fruit ability is quite literally hormone therapy.
Do I need to say more?
THATS RIGHT, I FUCKING DONT
Now, this is One Piece we’re talking about, so naturally characters are going to be wildly exaggerated but ARE YOU KIDDING
IVA’S ABILITY IS HORMONE THERAPY. HE CHANGES PEOPLE’S GENDER AS AN ATTACK. HIS POWER WORKS THROUGH SYRINGE NEEDLES THAT POP OUT FROM UNDER HIS ACRYLIC NAILS.
I love Iva so fucking much words cannot describe 😭
Oda didn’t just say “look, I made a queer character” he really said “fuck it, nuclear option it is.” It is literally impossible to ignore the fact that Iva is LGBT, and One Piece’s queer rep is SO IN YOUR FACE, especially in Impel Down. It’s impossible to ignore, which is the stark opposite from the usual business with “implied” queer characters in anime.
Implied? HAH.
There is a kingdom of gay people living INSIDE THE WALLS of the biggest prison in the world. They are led by a gender fluid drag queen and run a strip club bar in the middle of a fucking prison, where they drag new gays through the cracks in the walls to join them.
Dude.
I love One Piece so much.
All joking aside, the introduction of Iva and his kingdom of gays drove me to tears. Like deadass. The representation literally drove me to tears, I was sobbing.
Why? Because it was so positive.
Do you know how meaningful that is?
It made me fucking cry, man.
Iva’s speech introducing his gay kingdom, like goddamn. I can’t even remember exactly what he said because I was crying the whole time.
“We’re here and we’re queer.” That’s a quote from fucking One Piece, dude. I can’t, I can’t.
It wasn’t just the introduction of Iva’s kingdom or the LITERAL LESBIAN COUPLE SITTING AT THE BAR, it was the way the sense of community was presented.
We’re called the LGBTQ Community and I don’t know if Oda’s a member or not but HOT damn if he doesn’t know what it means to be a part of it.
I’m talking about the Luffy situation. He fought the Warden and got his ass handed to him. He was poisoned to all hell and about to die at 17 but Bon picked him up and carried him to Iva’s Kingdom. He’s wanted to meet Iva his whole life but by the time he did he was more worried about Luffy’s condition than anything else.
And then we find out that Luffy had insisted that Bon get medical treatment before he did. What a guy. When Iva got Luffy, he said that it was a lost cause to try and overcome the poison. But he was willing to give it a try anyway.
Let’s discuss.
Iva injected Luffy with hormones to help him beat the poison. Luffy underwent hormone therapy. (I will cling to this tidbit of information forever, YOU CANT TAKE IT FROM ME.) When Bon woke up, he demanded to see Luffy.
Iva warned him about what he would find, but brought Bon to Luffy at his request. When Bon found Luffy, he found his friend chained up and screaming in excruciating pain. We didn’t see Luffy in full at all during this time, but when Bon looked through the door he was horrified.
He got defensive. He started yelling at Iva, saying that the person inside that room was not the Luffy he knew.
Iva was firm, and told Bon that Luffy was going through a tough challenge, and he would be different afterwards, but he was still the same Luffy.
Do you see it? Can you read between the lines? This exchange made me sob all over again. Why? I urge you to think about it, to see the underlying message here.
Bon broke down into tears, realizing that Luffy was fighting for his life. He apologized and took back his harsh words.
Then he spent hours outside Luffy’s cell, screaming till his throat was raw and cheering him on. He couldn’t do anything to help Luffy, Luffy was fighting this battle on his own. But he could be there for him.
I ask you again, do you see it?
As the hours passed, others in Iva’s kingdom trickled out to see what Bon was doing. They told him to stop screaming, that it was useless. They mocked him, told him he was being a fool.
Then Iva stood up for him, and told them to see Bon for what he was doing. He couldn’t help Luffy, but he could cheer him on. He could be there for him.
Within moments, the entire kingdom was outside Luffy’s cell. Cheering him on. Encouraging him. Supporting him. They didn’t know who he was but they saw him fighting and immediately backed him up.
It isn’t just representation, merely the presence of a queer character or even an entire kingdom of gays that makes it meaningful. It’s how those characters are shown, how they behave.
Oda could have thrown in a queer character here and there and left it at that, but he went out of his way to show the incredible support system that this community provided. They jumped to Luffy’s aid. They were so supportive and cheered him on until he beat the poison. They fought alongside him… and you know what else?
When Luffy woke up, he accepted them in a heartbeat. He didn’t question anything, just saw a bunch of people and thought “huh. New friends!”
Oda’s representation is exaggerated as much as it is painstakingly accurate in nature and positive to a tee. Obviously it isn’t perfect. Iva and the squad were still mocked, called “freaks” and “weirdos.”
But it’s about Luffy. How Luffy behaves. How Luffy reacts. Even in the face of how the rest of society views Iva and his kingdom, Luffy sees them as friends and allies and doesn’t give a singular shit if they’re gay or not.
Luffy accepts everyone, and he doesn’t draw the line at queer people. The aroace king himself. You heard it here, Luffy is the ultimate ally.
Of course I’m not even scraping the surface on this topic and Oda’s representation is in no way perfect, but Impel Down remains the greatest example of queer rep that I’ve seen this far.
You gotta give credit where credit is due ✨
#one piece#✨✨✨#rant post#one piece analysis#opinions#hot take#luffy#bon clay#iva#emporio ivankov#monkey d luffy#lgbt representation#ayyyyy#the gays#luffy the ultimate ally
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— 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝓅𝓊𝓉𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 ౨ৎ
haitani rindou x reader. 1.3k w.c. ﾉ sfw ﾉ fluff ﾉ college au-ish :3 ﾉ just some rindou lovin' ﾉ repost!
it’s been a while since you've been out with your friends. can you really call them that, though? they are classmates at the very least, ones that feel compelled to invite you to their gatherings. it’s thoughtful, you’ll give them that, but part of you wishes they didn’t. maybe the outing is just boring or maybe they have all grown dull, but either way, it’s easy to zone out in their presence. their chatter seems distant. you don’t even really know what they’re talking about—something regarding everyone’s plans for this saturday.
“what about you?” the girl beside you nudges your ribs to gain your attention—and it works. the jab is surprisingly painful given how small she is. “can you make it?”
“sorry, i already have plans with someone else.”
“aww,” she whines at your answer, “who are you hanging out with? maybe they can tag along.”
“rindou.”
all the idle chatter at the table stops upon the mere utterance of his name. suddenly, all eyes are on you. he’s popular, but not for the right reasons. not many people are fond of him. and you never minded that, but the people who dislike him don’t just dislike him; they’re afraid of him. so although you have no problem associating yourself with him, you’ve learned quickly that bringing him up around others often leads to unsavory reactions. you slipped up at this moment.
“you mean… haitani rindou?”
“mhm.” you’re aware of the common consensus when it comes to rindou and what people think of him, but you want to test the waters and see how your peers perceive him. “why? what’s wrong with him?”
the replies flood in like a tsunami.
“he only hangs out with his brother and you know how much trouble ran is.”
“yeah, they’re total scumbags. i’m pretty sure they’ve almost gotten arrested—and on multiple occasions at that.”
“you’re perfectly capable of surrounding yourself with better company. why on earth would you want to be seen with him?”
“that’s really none of your concern.” the last comment strikes a nerve and causes you to raise your voice. shocked eyes accompanied by gaping mouths stare at you in surprise. you don’t know why you expected their responses to be any different. everyone jumps to the same conclusion and they aren’t an exception. their feelings about him are crystal clear. if they think so poorly of him, they have no place in your life. “and i’d rather not talk to you guys if you’re going to continue to speak about him like that. i’m leaving now.”
and with that, you stand up, collect your things, and start on your way home.
• • •
rindou is in the kitchen when you walk through the door. a head of blonde hair sits at the small table, slurping up ramen noodles. the steam wafting from the bowl leaves the lenses of his gold-framed glasses foggy. your keys clatter when they meet the ceramic of the dish that holds little things like chapstick and mini box cutters. the noise grabs rindou’s attention, his gaze abandoning his food in favor of looking at your figure that approaches to take a seat next to him. he didn’t think he would see you back so soon; it felt like you had just left. but he doesn’t say a word, instead, offering you the noodles hanging from his chopsticks. you lean forward to accept the mouthful of spicy ramen. every other bite of what remains in the bowl is reserved for you.
you stay attached to his hip for the rest of the day; helping him wash the dishes even though it’s your least favorite chore, sitting in his lap and snuggling into his neck as he boots up his computer to play who knows what game with his friends—you even go as far as getting comfortable on the lid of the toilet while he takes his shower for the night. it isn’t unusual for you to take care of his hair once he emerges from the steamy room, combing out the tangled strands of blonde and blue before pulling out the hair dryer. after the locks are fluffy and dry, his hair sits in a neat bun on the top of his head. the only pieces that escape are the ones not quite long enough to be tied up with the rest.
you wonder if your actions came off as overbearing; not that you would care if they did. the conversation from earlier reminded you of how poorly people regarded your boyfriend. someone has to love him when everyone else thinks so little of him, and you’re more than happy to be that person.
and you’re content at the moment, practically lying on top of him, your fingers tracing each curve of the black ink tattooed into his skin. you can feel the thumping of his heart, hear the rhythmic beat of it in your ear.
“what’s wrong?” rindou speaks up out of the blue. so then he had noticed the shift in your behavior.
“what do you mean?” you feign ignorance. you know rindou was fully aware of his reputation, but that doesn’t stop you from wanting to shield him from the harshness of others.
“you’re even clingier than usual.”
“i’m not clingy,” you mumble against his chest.
“mm, yeah, you are.” he pinches your cheek that isn’t pressed against him. it doesn’t hurt but you look up at him regardless. lilac eyes peer down at you. the blank expression on his face may not show it, but his gaze is enough to tell you that he’s concerned. “are you gonna tell me what happened or not?”
rindou isn’t the type to push you, to make you tell him something you aren’t ready to tell. if you told him you didn’t want to talk about it, you were sure he’d let it go. but since it’s weighing so heavily on your mind, maybe it is best to share. “i brought your name up in front of some classmates and they said some pretty rude stuff about you.”
he snorts as if what you were worried about was silly. and to him, it is. it doesn’t bother him—the wandering eyes, the hushed whispers, the anxious avoidance. everything that you seem to be hyperaware of is the norm for rindou. and he can understand why it upsets you, he wouldn’t want people speaking ill of you, but he’s accustomed to his bad reputation. “i thought i told you not to let stuff like that get to you. you know i don’t give a shit about what people think.”
“well, i do.” maybe you shouldn’t, not to the extent you do, anyway. but after getting to know rindou, the real rindou, you can’t help but feel offended when people reduce him to nothing more than a no-good criminal. sure, he isn’t a saint, but he’s far from evil. what gave them the right to form opinions when they only got a glimpse of one side of him? “they shouldn’t get to judge you if they don’t even know you.”
he lets out a heavy, dramatic sigh, the breath heaving from his chest causing your head to raise. though, not long after, his lips find their way to your hairline, pressing a light kiss to the skin. his hand runs up and down your arm, “it doesn’t matter how often i tell you, huh?”
“nope.” you shamelessly reply. you’ll never stand for people demeaning the man you’ve come to love.
“how stubborn,” he clicks his tongue. it’s clear that this was a matter he won’t be able to change your mind on. of course, he doesn’t care what people think about him, but seeing you so protective of him and his image is oddly endearing. “so what, are you my defender or something?”
“mhm,” you hum, letting your eyes drift shut, “now and always.”
thanks for reading! pls consider reblogging or commenting if u enjoyed :3
#₊˚ପ⊹ signed: tokyo revengers#rindou x reader#haitani rindou x reader#tokrev x reader#tokyo revengers x reader#rindou fluff#tokrev fluff#tokyo revengers fluff#rindou drabble#tokrev drabbles#tokyo revengers drabbles
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I got home from work today sneezing my head off with a right eye that won’t stop watering, took a hot shower, climbed into bed, and I haven’t climbed out since. I’m grumpy and I have a headache and if I’m not testing positive for COVID or debilitated by symptoms tomorrow I’ll still need to go to work because that’s twenty patient visits that would need to be rescheduled, usually with someone else, and that’s twenty people I’m letting down. Today I did one of my patented 45-second Pap smears (if it takes longer than that, your doctor needs to get better!) for someone with vaginal atrophy from menopause (it is both very common and very treatable) and she was in disbelief. (This time it was more like 30 seconds.) I saw a suicidally depressed patient who’s clinging to life with both hands and I changed their meds last week and I am not making them wait to see me. I cleaned a wound no one else gave a shit about and I saw a bitter pissy Republican Party bigwig who has terrible anxiety and depression she doesn’t tell anyone about, who’s alienated everyone but who I can still convince to try treatment.
I do my job on hard mode on purpose. I like being important—who doesn’t? I like being legendary, I like that when people move to town and ask for doctor recommendations on Facebook so many people mention me that other patients feel compelled to tell me about it. I got nominated for best doctor in our local region last year. (I didn’t win, out of 5 nominees.) But when I’m sick, when I’m the kind of sick that can be hidden easily, the kind of sick I was always expected to go to school and rotations and residency with, it’s so hard. I hate exposing patients, even to a cold, but the benefits of receiving care are probably enough to outweigh the chance of transmission. I wrestle with myself: if I call in, it starts a ripple effect. Can they get a per diem from their “pool” (of three) to come in? Can they reschedule my patients with me? I don’t have any open spots for five weeks. Can they open same days? None available for three weeks. Can they open blocked spots? That’s going to make my life hell when I come back from being sick. That’s clinic staff calling twenty patients, trying to reach them. That’s twenty patients who feel abandoned. They can know intellectually that doctors get sick too, but they don’t believe it. They take it personally. I have seen this over and over again, until I had to believe it.
It is so EASY for people who don’t do this job to tell me how I’m doing it wrong. “Just stay home!” Oh, okay, you want to tell the person whose chronic opioids I’m supposed to write for that I can’t? You want to put the nurses through getting the on-call to write a bridge prescription? I write more ADHD meds than most of my peers—usually a lot more. You want to tell my colleagues to write meds they’re uncomfortable with? How about tell my suicidal patients (which is a lot of them!) that the provider they know and trust after months or years will be replaced today by a 70-year-old white man who still thinks they should pull themselves up by their bootstraps? Tell my queer patients that they have to wait until I’m better and back to get their hormones and their STI screenings, reschedule a Pap someone was dreading. Every day is a kaleidoscope of opportunities to make a real connection with “difficult” patients. I’m good at it. I may be the best at it at my clinic.
I don’t hate calling in sick just because the clinic manager is a judgy bitch, though that doesn’t help. I hate it because of what it does to my patients. And it’s not simple. Pretending it is does all of us a disservice. I am not a widget. I am not easily replaceable. You can’t plug any of our per diems (all men, 2/3 white, 2/3 old, 1/3 a Bitcoin bro) into my place and call it an equivalent, and my schedule is already so packed that if I call in sick, patients will be guilt-tripping me about it for months. I’m not kidding. That happens every single time.
Christ alive, I wish it was true that doctors never got sick.
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Why ZaDr?
Think of every worthwhile rival ship that has ever existed; dip it in a poison coating of cynical worldbuilding, sprinkle it with a topping of shunned existence, and let the devil kiss it with a waxy pair of slimy, scifi alien lips. Only then, will you have yourself a sample of what ZaDr has to offer.
These characters are compelling in themselves; one being a bizarre and paranormal obsessed clone of Earth's greatest scientific mind, the other a malfunctioning spaztic robot ant from beyond the stars. Each of them ostracized, for one reason or another, largely by virtue of their own passionate past mistakes.Those mistakes, failed efforts to be seen as worthwhile, to be praised, to be loved.
But then you set them against each other, as enemies. As mirrored foils.
Neither of them in the right, gray morality reigns supreme as they are purely obsessed with their own selfish reasons for self aggrandizement. Anything “good” that might happen as a result of their actions is always cast in the light of unintended circumstance. The true fight is with reality itself, while the sharp end of that crushing conflict is pointed towards the only one who could possibly understand what they’re going through.
In the world of Invader Zim, every mentor, leader, parental figure, teacher, adult, child and Invader, feels more real by virtue of misanthropic absurdity. Their inability to provide the support and guidance for the main characters to function in a healthy way, is so very like the absence of nurturing many people feel in their youth.
To anyone who has experienced life at its worst growing up, these caricatures of the real world provide a powerful sense of being seen.
There is something radical about a story that isn’t written with any other moral than “ this living in society shit sucks”. That speaks to people, and continues to speak to me.
ZaDr has always smacked of tragedy, in that you know things will end badly for everyone involved, but it’s still impossible to look away as everything is set ablaze. Two headstrong protagonists, locked in a battle of opposing wills and addictive delusion.
It makes the sweetness sweeter, it makes the pains of grand fantasy ache deeper, knowing that these two characters are ultimately fighting losing battles for pitiful reasons.The denial of personal failure, the stubbornness to find purpose. In all of reality, all they truly have is each other. To see that dynamic and ship them is to say that love is possible even in the most dire of circumstances.
Time and time again I find myself returning to ZaDr. I think something about the dynamic speaks to the part of us that knows things are wrong and that the fight against it is worthwhile. And that struggle, while futile, can still hold a tremendous amount of personal importance. It speaks to failing, and having the strength to get back up to try again. No matter the odds.
For a pairing hated by its own creator, the fixation that Zim and Dib have on each other is an undeniable magnetism seen by the fandom since the launch of the cartoon, all the way back in 2001. This ship has staying power, and after over two decades has failed to fall into total obscurity.
Those touched by its effects have gone on to create resonant, deeply meaningful works. This blog, and the posts that I make on the topic, are my way of giving back to the ZaDr community. By displaying the stories of triumph and tragedy put forward by the IZ community, I hope to welcome new fans and give back to long standing fans by providing a living archive and blog space.
I look forward to sharing the wonderful talents of so many artists with you all. Happy first ZaDr day of many
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The Two Types of Redemption
Aka, why Avatar’s story works when so many others don’t.
There are two main paths to redemption: a shift in perspective and a shift in personality. The first is quite common and works very well for a character arc. The second is incredibly rare and should only be used if you’re going to heavily focus on it. Unfortunately, the ‘personality shift’ path seems to be the go-to and, while there is absolutely nothing wrong with this type of story, it requires a ton of work to make it feel earned. Work that is often hand waved away.
To start, let’s define these paths.
A shift in perspective: your character is already a fundamentally ‘good’ person. They just have a messed up view of the world, likely due to their upbringing. During the story, their world view will be challenged, forcing them to realize that they’re on the ‘wrong’ side. The classic example of this is someone raised bigoted and then going to college or moving to a city and turning out accepting after being exposed to people of other races, sexualities, and so on.
A shift in personality: there is something fundamentally wrong with your character. The reasons for this are many and I’m not going to list them out, but they probably know that their behavior is unacceptable. They probably don’t think of themselves as being on the ‘right’ side or, if they do, it’s because they refuse to consider another perspective. During the story, they will have to do an incredible amount of work on themselves to try and completely change the way their brain is wired. The classic example of this is someone who goes through years and years of therapy.
Now I’m gonna talk about Zuko and Azula from Avatar because they’re extremely well-known characters, so most people on this site can read this without getting spoiled like they might with a lesser known property.
The reason why Zuko from Avatar has such a compelling story is that he’s a case of redemption through a shift in perspective. His personality doesn’t actually change. When we flash back to who he was as a child, it’s the same person that he ends up being as an adult. A loving, kind, honor-driven man who wants to be on the ‘right’ side. His only flaw is that he’s been raised in the Fire Nation, which means that his head is full of lies. Once he’s forced to interact with people on the other side of the war, he realizes that they’re not what he’s been told. This rocks him to his core and he struggles with it, but ultimately ends up giving up everything to be true to himself. To fight for honor.
His sister, Azula, never gets redeemed, but imagine if we put her in Zuko’s place and tried to tell the same story. It wouldn’t work because Azula delights in hurting others, something Zuko viewed as an unfortunate necessity of war. She views ruling as a way to gain power while Zuko views it as a burden taken on from duty to his people. To redeem Azula, you can’t just pop her in the Earth kingdom and make her see things from the other side. She actually does that and all that she sees is a great way to spy! Her redemption cannot be a passive one like Zuko’s was. It has to be an active focus of the story and would need her to want to seek help or have it forced on her.
Of course, there is a spectrum here, but the general principle that you can't lump all redemption stories together is an idea that often goes undiscussed, leading to characters like Azula getting treated like Zuko and it bothers me so you get a tumblr post about it!
As always, feel free to send me asks!
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Katara.
Ugh. Ok, let's get these thoughts out of my head before I scream.
Katara could be a frustrating character in the original show. She was bossy, overbearing, and controlling. But those traits all stemmed from the same source: her desire to protect others, and to change the world for the better.
When talking about her personality, the word often used is "angry". But I think there's something more to that, the real heart of her character.
Katara is passionate.
Passion, by nature, is a hard emotion to control. It is an intense emotion that compels action. She was angry about her mother's death, angry at her father for leaving them, angry at herself for not being able to master her bending, angry at the Fire Nation for everything it took from her. But more than that, she was driven to do something about it.
From the very first episode, she takes no shit and refuses to let anyone get in the way of doing what she sees as the right thing. Everything she feels, she feels intensely, and she struggles to control that intensity and what it drives her to do. And the show allows her to make mistakes. She trusts the wrong people, bosses the group around, lashes out at them. At its very worst, her passion turns to cruelty, and she’s good at being cruel. If you know how to heal, you also know how to cause pain. Being empathetic and compassionate also means you know exactly how to hurt someone’s feelings.
Water turns to blood.
The live action version of the show has stripped that away completely. This Katara is passive, meek, and lacks autonomy. When she does speak up for herself, it falls flat, because it lacks any show of backbone at any other point in the show. She can't even bend on her own until she meets Aang, a change I can't forgive. She deserved that moment to herself.
And you expect me to believe that this girl will learn to bloodbend?
Bloodbending is every flaw she has taken to extreme. It’s absolute control, turning people into puppets, the ability to bend and break a body however you please. It’s passion turned to domination, to hatred, to vengeance, to destruction.
Katara was a great character because her choice to be loving, nurturing, merciful, and in many ways traditionally feminine challenged the notion that those things are in some way easy or weak. They aren't. Loving people is terrifying, forgiving your enemies fucking hurts, that shit costs you. Caring so much you smother the very people you’re trying to nurture and protect, feeling so strongly you can’t act in moderation, was a compelling, logical arc for her.
I don’t understand what they’re trying to achieve with this new version of her character at all. The actress is doing her best with what they're giving her, but they're giving her nothing to work with.
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10 Things I Love About Cooking Crush Episode 11
It's not every day that a Thai bl delivers a classic Episode 11 DOOM episode that fills me with joy, so I feel compelled to celebrate everything this show did right in its penultimate chapter. A list of things I loved about this episode, in no particular order.
All the conflict was external. This is how you deliver drama and tension without messing up your core relationships--let them stand together against external forces! When Prem told Ten he wouldn't let him take the fall alone for punching Chang Ma because they're a team, I cheered.
Ten and Prem continue to be communication kings. The way these two talk to each other is just excellent. In any other drama, Ten finding that sticky note would have led to him hiding it, starting to doubt Prem's love, and crumbling in a crucial moment. Not in this show! Ten asked Prem directly what it was about, named that it hurt his feelings, but then listened to the explanation and forgave him. We love to see it.
Struggles aside, all the pairs are so happy. I love how consistently we saw joy from Ten, Prem, Fire, and Dynamite this episode. The friends all cheering for Ten and Prem getting together was fucking adorable, and Fy and My look so content. I’ve never seen Prem smile as big or as often as he did this week. The couples have fun together and they’re all good for each other.
The villains in this episode were calibrated just right. The school bullies and Chang Ma were just on the right side of the line in terms of being assholes but not so harsh or irredeemable that it feels out of sync with this show's light tone. Chang Ma did the right thing in the end by taking responsibility for his own inappropriate behavior and ensuring the Three Must-Eat-Ers could stay in the competition. The bullies will surely get their final comeuppance next week.
The conflict with Ten's dad was appropriately nuanced. I am no fan of that man, but he was making some valid points! He wasn't entirely wrong in what he said to Ten about resorting to violence, though like most parents he is being a hypocrite with selective memory (no sir, I have not forgotten you using physical violence against your own son). Their relationship is so tense, and he continues to antagonize Ten about Prem, so it's no wonder Ten could not receive it calmly. I appreciate that even though Ten didn't listen to him in the moment, he still came to the right conclusions about how to address his mistake.
Fire loved up on Dynamite on national television. Y'all, when I tell you I almost cried to see that expression of queer love and joy from a boy who has previously been so afraid, to a boy who has previously been so unloved. Their relationship is setting them both free, and I am looking forward to Fire finally looking his mother in the face next week and telling her who he is.
Smart use of social media in the cooking show subplot. I like it when dramas use netizens well to create conflict, and I thought the way the fans of the cooking competition reacted to all the drama rang true. I'm glad the trio is going into the final with some fan goodwill on their side.
Prem has really grown into his vulnerability. I love the way Prem was able to express his feelings to Ten multiple times in this episode, having honest talks, asking for support, and sharing his fears. And of course Ten was there to catch him every time he took the leap.
The friendships continue to matter. I love the way Ten and Prem's friends are so involved in every important plot of this show. That scene of them all discussing the cooking show drama together and deciding what they wanted to do was tops. This is a big queer friend group who takes care of each other and I love them, your honor.
Ten and Prem made out in the kitchen!! Listen, I am a mere mortal and I like it when couples in romances are actually into each other. I never would have guessed that this would be the show to deliver more kisses than all of Off/Gun's previous shows combined, but I am living for it.
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the mere existence of harue shigima paranormasight absolutely flies in the face of every piece of 2012-2016 feminist discourse arguing that “you can’t write a compelling self-sacrificial housewife character” or that “housewives are antifeminist” because it subverts 0 tropes and relegates women away from the public eye and makes them only child managers. and i LOVE that about her
not only is she an important character within the narrative of paranormasight, including the most important character in her side of the story because you’re playing from her point of view, but it is HER choice to resurrect her son, no matter the cost. it is 100% her choice, and you hear that from her point of view. in fact both ayame and richter argue it at the end of her route, and they’re totally right that harue is ultimately being selfish. harue may be driven by grief and anger, but it’s 100% her grief and anger, not given to her by anyone else.
she doesn’t lack agency because she’s a housewife either. she’s more than willing to commit murder under her own set of conditions, if that’s what you call agency, and her movements aren’t restricted by anyone. richter himself pretty much does whatever she tells him to, with his role being the investigation ability needed for the operation.
and there is so much depth to her. there’s a total apathy for everything, and a dislike for her own home. wouldn’t you be hollow inside if there was only one person in the world you truly loved, and it was taken away from you by a murderer? beyond that apathy is grief for her loss, and anger for the one who killed her son, and selfishness and yes, her choice to sacrifice herself if necessary for the sake of her son. still, it’s not all negative. she has fun watching richter horse around with kids, for instance. her point of view shows you so much about her personality, and it reflects the thoughts of a person, not the thoughts of a throwaway housewife.
basically, i support women’s wrongs, but there’s so much depth to those wrongs and i’d be doing a disservice if i didn’t point out that she is an amazing character before those wrongs.
#by liking and reblogging this post you affirm you support the rights of trans and nonbinary people to identify and express themselves#however they so please. even in ways that fly in the face of your sensibilities of what you think is proper gender expression#paranormasight#paranormasight spoilers#harue shigima#harue shigima paranormasight#listen i have a lot of feelings about her as a writer okay. i LOVE her. she feels like a real person with so much depth#she's a housewife? that too. she's actually a person with a thought process and a personality who happens to be a housewife#her clothing would look terrible on me though... i've been taking fashion advice from richter kai lately and let me tell you#i have never felt more gender#i'm jojo posing up and down the streets of the city. now all i need is fingerless gloves
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Part 31 - The bathroom equation
Masterlist
Series Masterlist
Part 30 -- Part 32
Summary: The guys (and girls) take to the group chats to discuss some serious issues
Warnings: Post contains generalizations. Please don't murder me for that.
Word count: Exactly 3k!!!!
**A/N: **SO! The guys joined me in the shower yesterday (not as sexy as it sounds, unfortunately) and as @geralts-yenn and I had had a discussion about what the house groupchat would look like (including very necessary shadow-group with just the girls, and a group chat with everyone who regularly spends time at that house...) this is what I came up with.
[The guys' chat is 179CS🏡, the girls are 179CS🧠🧠, and the everyone-group is 179CS Full🏡]
@geralts-yenn @deandoesthingstome @summersong69 @livisss @sillyrabbit81
@ellethespaceunicorn @ylva-syverson @poledancingdinos @thelastsock @wa-ni
@proud-aroace-beastie @totalwool
Mike:
instagram
Sherlock: Great, she’s asking me what I’m laughing at.
August: If you value your life, don’t show her.
Sherlock: And if she steals his phone and sees it anyway? Xoxo Elena
Marshall: Paramedics or police?
Charles: Both.
August: Both.
Leon: Both.
Marshall: 👍🏻
Sherlock: They’ll never get here in time 😈
Mike: Nice knowing you, buddy ❤️
Elena: Dani, get your man in line.
Dani: What he do?
Elena: [video]
Ange: I mean…
Sol: He’s not… wrong…
Dani: He sent me that 🙊
Lexi: Is he okay?
Dani: Was he okay to begin with? 😂
Ange: Not that we know of…
Sy: Speaking of showers… We need rules.
Mike: Eh, why?
Sy: Because I was late for my date yesterday.
August: Which is our problem… how?
Leon: It’s not.
Charles: 👆🏻
Sy: In a house shared by eight guys there’s no excuse for a line for the bathroom!
Mike: Some of us have ✨girlfriends✨
Mike: You should try it sometime
Sy: 🦆🫵🏻 ❤️
Mike: Aww ❤️
Charles: He has a point, though.
Charles: Don’t appreciate getting yelled at for taking a shit in my own damn bathroom.
August: Not to mention the hair.
Sherlock: I don’t see the problem there? Just ask them to clean the drain when they’re done?
Leon: Spoken like a man who has never once in his life watched a woman clean a shower drain…
August: Good luck and farewell, Holmes
Sherlock: ?
Mike: Tears will be cried. Drains will be cleaned — by you.
Mike: Murder may be committed.
Sherlock: Surely, it can’t be that bad?
Geralt: No, he pretty much nailed it.
August: As much as I hate to admit it, the man is right.
Sy: So. New rules?
Leon: House meeting?
Mike: Sure. We’re all home, right?
Sy: Nope.
Mike: What? Why?
Sy: … sometimes when a date goes well, you end up staying over.
Sy: Are there other questions you need answered, bud?
Mike: I think I’m good…
Charles: Ladies, enough with the gossip
Leon: Right. Some of us have work to do.
Charles: Exactly
Sherlock: I highly doubt he was referring to you, Brandon.
Mike: Oooh, mad shade!!! xoxo Dani
Charles: Thanks. Sy, the complaint?
Sy: I had to wait in line to take a shower because the bathrooms were overrun by women.
Leon: Noted. The proposal?
Sy: I’m just pointing out the problem. Someone smarter than me can worry about the solution 🤷🏻♂️
Sherlock: Am I right to assume asking the girls to just… spend less time in the bathroom would result in murder, as well?
Sherlock: Never mind, Elena is nodding violently next to me right now.
Mike: What do you want us to do? Assign all the girls to one bathroom?
August: That might work, actually.
Leon: Doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.
Charles: Yes?
Mike: Wow, the one time I have a good idea, I don’t even realize it’s a good idea…
Mike: Wait, no.
Mike: I’m not permanently sharing a bathroom with seven of you because we sometimes have girls over.
August: Kid has a point.
Mike: I’m on a roll today! 😎
Sherlock: That leaves us with the question of how many women would have to be present to necessitate giving them their own bathroom, correct?
Marshall: If you desperately want to make it sound like math, then yes.
Sherlock: Not math. Logic.
Sherlock: And I find myself compelled to point out that I understand and enjoy logic.
August: Dealing with women is an aggravating experience, then, isn’t it?
Sherlock: Absolutely mystifying. But I’ve found that thus far the benefits outweigh the costs.
Mike: You know, for you… That’s actually kinda sweet 😂
Marshall: Romantic 👍🏻
Leon: Don’t tell her that…
Charles: Guys, seriously!
August: Right. Sol and Ange together never caused any problems.
Sherlock: Neither have any… liaisons of a fleeting nature
Mike: Hookups. You mean hookups.
Sherlock: You couldn’t pay me to say that.
Charles: Moot point. The average walk of shame happens before the shower.
Leon: It’s not like they stay for breakfast…
Leon: Beat me to it 😂🤜🏻
Charles: 🤛🏻
Geralt: The both of you are unbearable.
Geralt: August is right.
August: But…
Geralt: Sol and Ange don’t cause problems because Sol doesn’t take forever in the shower.
August: Right. But Angel is a nightmare, and so is Elena. Those two alone are enough to cause traffic.
Sherlock: Correct me if I’m wrong, but ‘Elena and Anjelica together, or either of those combined with any two others, or neither of them but a minimum of three others’ sounds like the kind of rule that will ensure we won’t even need it for the foreseeable future.
Sy: It also gives me a headache.
Mike: I don’t think I even understood enough of it to get a headache…
Sherlock: Minimum of 3, then ask me and Angie to not occupy both bathrooms at the same time. 🙄🙄🙄 Problem solved. You’re all still in trouble for even talking about this ❤️❤️❤️
Ange: They’re giving us what now???
Elena: Bathroom rules…
Dani: Tell me you’re kidding 🙃🙃
Elena: Dead fucking serious 🙄
Sol: Why?
Elena: Apparently 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Elena: We caused a traffic jam last night and made Sy late for his date???
Elena: Fairly sure Alicia didn’t mind because he’s still over there 🙄🙄🙄
Ange: What are the rules?
Elena: I don’t know. I’m glaring at Sherlock from a distance now.
Elena: I’m pleased to report he looks terrified every time I do 😈😈
Elena: They’re considering a girls’ bathroom.
Ange: I’m considering permanent occupation of all bathrooms.
Elena: Your boy called us both nightmares, by the way 😇😇
Elena: Apparently we take too long to shower, idk
Sol: You both take your time, sure…
Elena: Okay, fine. But he doesn’t have to point that out 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Ange: Funeral invitations to follow…
Ange: No but seriously
Ange: He thinks I take too long in the shower?
Ange: Fine!
Ange: I’ll take shorter showers!
Dani: He really said that? 💀
Ange: Let’s see how he feels about that in a week or two.
Ange: Enjoy flossing, August 🙃🙄
Dani: 👀👀 [the agonizing scream you just heard was brought to you by me spitting my drink over Mike’s keyboard]
Lexi: 🙊 Mike and keyboard both okay?
Dani: Keyboard fine, Mike hyperventilating. He’ll be alright, back to you Ange.
Ange: I might have to rescind this attitude…
Ange: As much as I want to get back at him for this, I don’t want him to run…
Sol: You really think he’d care? Ange… he loves you…
Ange: Not that much…
Lexi: Girl, please?? Have you seen the way that man looks at you?
Ange: … He’s never seen me, like… untweezed and unshaved and whatever
Dani: Never?
Ange: Never ever ever.
Sol: 👀👀
Sol: But why?? I only shave when I feel like it – which is almost never – and Geralt has never said anything??
Ange: Girl, you’re a blonde 👀👀
Ange: I don’t wax this stache, 2 weeks from now you’ll be confusing me for August. I swear.
Lexi: Okay there’s literally no way that’s true.
Dani: And even if it was, he’d still love you.
Ange: Yeah but I’m not about to find out, thanks.
Lexi: It’s your body, obviously
Elena: Do what feels comfortable
Dani: But if you do ever miss a day and he does say something nasty…
Elena: I’ll grab the shovels 😇😇
Leon: Ladies and gentlemen — mostly ladies. A little PSA regarding an update in the house rules at 179th Crescent Street. It was recently brought to my/our attention that the addition of a number of regular overnight guests has created a somewhat unmanageable situation in the realm of bathroom use. Therefore, the new policy is as follows: When three or more of the girlfriends are staying over, the upstairs bathroom is all yours! Management is currently unavailable for negotiation.
Charles: TLDR: take your long-ass showers on the second floor. Please.
Ange: This message was deleted.
August: I saw that.
Elena: Oh, I’ll say it with my chest
Elena: You all suck.
Sherlock: No…
Mike: Whatever you do, man, don’t finish that thought 😂
Sherlock: I think they got the message regardless.
Ange: Oh, we got it alright…
Dani: You’re lucky you’re cute, Sherlock 🙄
Mike: Hey!
Lexi: I’m so sorry to say this but… Over my cold, dead body am I walking up a flight of stairs in the middle of the night to pee.
Charles: @Leon Told you the ‘not up for negotiation’ thing wasn’t going to work.
Leon: It was worth a try.
Geralt: We’re not banning anyone from the house for using the ‘wrong’ bathroom
Sol: Then why the pointless rule?
Sy: Because yesterday BOTH bathrooms were occupied for well over two hours!!!
Sy: Seriously, what do you do in there?
Mike: Elaborate satanic rituals?
Sol: Occasionally.
Ange: Let’s see… Do we actually enlighten them?
Mike: Please do, I’m curious now…
Charles: I know what happens when I’m also in the shower… 😏
Ange removed Charles
Ange: Any other takers?
August: Angel…
Ange: Don’t tell me I’m overreacting!
August: I didn’t say a word 😑
Ange added Charles
Ange: Behave.
Charles: 🤐
Elena: Good boy.
Leon: Do you say that to Sherlock, too? 😏
Ange removed Leon
Marshall: Jesus, Ange…
Ange: Ugh, fine.
Ange added Leon
Mike: Seriously, girls… Other than summoning the occasional demon — what are you doing in there?
Sol: I’m gonna let Elena and Angie handle this one…
Ange: Alright. So first I check if I have all 4059834 items I’m going to need. Then at some point you’ll have to get naked, unfortunately…
Dani: Look at everything you hate about yourself for a solid 5 minutes until you’re nice and depressed
Elena: Didn’t come here to be called out like this, but thanks 🙄🙄
Sol: Poke your boobs and watch them jiggle because it’s funny until you’re less depressed
Mike: Getting jealous…
Ange: Then you turn on the shower and wait for the water to warm up
Lexi: To those ungodly temperatures from the pits of hell, you know? 👀👀
Mike: I’m not apologizing for that video, just so you know.
Lexi: That’s actually useful time to make sure you find the right playlist ✨✨
Sy: YOU DON’T NEED A PLAYLIST FOR A SHOWER
Lexi: Hard disagree
Elena: Yes, we do.
Sol: … Am I supposed to listen to my own thoughts in the shower?
Ange: I’d never be able to suppress my homicidal tendencies ever again, holy shit…
Dani: Then we actually get in the shower and warm up because the bathroom is cold, just like our souls.
Marshall: I’m genuinely learning more than I’ve ever wanted to know…
Mike: This is already taking longer than my whole entire shower…
Ange: And we’re not even close to being done.
Elena: @Ange Especially us…
Leon: Okay, fine, I’ll bite… Why is it different for the two of you?
Sol: Because they have curls?
Charles: That makes a difference?
Sy: So?
Mike: Why does THAT matter?
Marshall: Is that… important??
Elena: You’re all so clueless, it’s almost cute 🥺
Ange: @Marshall you actually might want to pay attention to this…
Ange: Alright. By the time I’m warm, my hair is usually wet all the way through
Ange: Massively heavy, by the way.
Ange: It’s hair-washing time! Which, idk about @Elena, but I have to do this in at least 4 sections if I don’t want to miss half of it.
Elena: I can get by with 2, but 4 is better.
Elena: Of course, 9/10 times I fucking forgot to section it before getting in the shower.
Ange: Obviously. So now you’re wrangling your wet hair into submission
Elena: Which is damn near impossible.
Ange: Exactly. But when that’s finally done, you can get to washing it.
Elena: And rinsing it until there’s absolutely no way there’s still any shampoo left.
Ange: Which takes a long ass time, BTW.
Ange: Then it’s ✨deep conditioner✨ time!!! Like… it’s always deepco time. I don’t even use regular conditioner anymore because my hair thinks it’s pointless. So like. That.
Elena: Mood.
Ange: And that stuff needs to sit in your hair for like 15-30 minutes
Mike: That’s like… 3 whole showers…
Charles: I don’t even spend this kind of time on my schoolwork 👀
Geralt: That’s not something to be proud of.
Sherlock: Imagine what you could do if you did.
Ange: Either way, it’s okay, because next… We exfoliate.
August: For those who haven’t been keeping count, we’re on step 12 or something. Jesus.
Charles: @Leon what the damn hell does our water bill look like?
Sol: Pay attention! Exfoliate! Then shave. Which, when you’re 6 feet tall in the showers here… damn near impossible, by the way.
Elena: (Cut yourself at least twice no matter how long you’ve been doing it…)
Lexi: Ohh! Cubicle yoga while holding a razor!!!
Dani: And while wet and slippery…
Ange: We’re superhuman 💃🏻
Sy: You’re nuts is what you are. All of you!
Dani: Anyway, when we reach baby dolphin status…
Dani: Which doesn’t happen until we’ve checked at least three times if we haven’t missed any spots…
Dani: I personally squeeze in brushing my teeth and skincare before rinsing my conditioner.
Elena: 👆🏻
Ange: Same! If I’m paying like 30 dollars for a hair mask that’ll barely last me two weeks, I’m gonna at least spend some time with it 👀✨
Sol: So that’s teeth and face wash in the shower. Then rinse that conditioner.
Ange: Which — again — takes a while if you have curly and/or a lot of hair.
Ange: Also, before I rinse my hair, I spend an ungodly amount of time detangling it with my fingers, which I have to do while the mask/conditioner is in. So…
Marshall: And at this point you’re finally nearly done, right?
Sherlock: … please, for the love of God, let it almost be over!
Ange: Oh, my precious little babies ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Lexi: At this point we’re slowly considering getting out of the shower, yes.
Dani: But the rest of the bathroom is cold, so we take our time gathering the courage to get out.
Leon: 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Sherlock: The entire bathroom is hot enough to steam salmon at this point!
Mike: And yet, they manage to emerge from Mordor absolutely freezing…
Sol: When we do finally manage to make it out, we wrap ourselves in the biggest towel we can find…
Ange: By the way, ladies, you can thank me and Sol for the presence of the big towels in this house.
Sol: Oh GOD I remember the first shower I ever took here.
Geralt: The towels were fine.
Sol: …………. Geralt, I love and respect you, but you’re wrong and also stupid. ❤️
Ange: You’ll pay for that…
Sol: Looking forward to it 😈😈
Mike: Please continue…
Dani: We’re left with the rest of our skincare. So; toner, 1-3 serums, moisturizer. Sunscreen or oil, for me, depending on the time of day.
Ange: But the mirror is fogged up from the shower, so you have to deal with that…
Leon: YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR FACE IS, DON’T YOU?
Ange: Yes, but it’s also very pretty so I wanna look at it. Thanks.
Lexi: How can I meticulously study all the imperfections in my skin if I can’t see my face???
Dani: Exactly! (To both of those things, simultaneously)
Dani: So, after that, it’s time to moisturize everything you’ve exfoliated and/or shaved.
Elena: Which is… pretty much everything.
Sol: Cue deep sigh because this is where you find out you actually did miss a spot somewhere.
Ange: And then it’s back to the hair for the curly girls!
Elena: Leave in ❤️❤️❤️
Marshall: What?
Sy: ??
Mike: Wut?
Ange: It’s like conditioner, but you don’t rinse it out.
Sherlock: @Elena the stuff that smells good?
Elena: Yes 😂😂😂
Dani: Which reminds me; @Elena, is that your Quench in the bathroom or mine? I can’t remember…
Elena: Oh, God, me neither…
August: Settle this in the shadow group, ladies.
Lexi: You know about that, huh? 😂
Dani: Shit, they figured it out…
Sol: Not surprised… They’re not completely clueless…
Ange: Just mostly…
August: Thanks. Enough of that.
Ange: Okay daddy 🥺❤️❤️
August: 🙄
Ange: Anyway. After the leave-in and maybe two or three other products, I wrap my hair up in my hair-towel — or hair-tshirt.
Charles: Another towel? Why in the fuck?
Ange: Boys. I understand that you don’t give a fuck about this, but…
Ange: Regular towels are actually not good for your hair.
Elena: 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻
Lexi: Besides… You can’t dry long hair and your body with 1 towel…
Sol: What she said.
Sol: What they both said, actually.
Leon: Are we finally at the end of all of this?
Leon: I’ve literally never been more glad to not have a girlfriend, jesus fucking christ…
Dani: Yeah, pretty much… You get dressed, dreading the cold of the hallway, and then we quickly go find a boy to snuggle up to who can then tell us we smell nice and are very soft, so we can convince ourselves we didn’t just spend an unholy amount of time doing all of that for absolutely nothing.
August: All of this is… insane.
Ange: Hey! I can stop doing half of this, if you think it’s so unnecessary 🙄🙄
Elena: Now that I think about it… It wouldn’t even save any time, because you still need to let the conditioner sit, so…
Charles: Right, ladies, this was very interesting…
Charles: I’m going to take a shower now.
Charles: Talk to you in about… 10 minutes 🙄
Sy: Remind me to never ask any of you any questions literally ever again…
#henry cavill fanfiction#henry cavill characters#mike hellraiser#sherlock holmes#walter marshall#august walker#napoleon solo#charles brandon#captain syverson#college au#fluff
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I’m looking for someone who can crack Amy Dallon open for me, and lakesbian thought you might have ideas! Everything about her is so interesting: being a body manipulator who brands herself as a healer, being a kid with the weight of the world on her shoulders, being raised by a woman who resents her, falling in love with her sister because she’s never felt like she belonged to the family. But when I think about the mindrape and the fleshpuddle, I bounce right off. They’re so over-the-top evil actions that I can’t conceive of a theory of mind for a her. So…thoughts about Amy?
to start with thoughts: i like amy. i like her a lot even! probably top 5 characters in worm to me. i think she's probably one of the most homophobic characters ever written and i also think she's incredibly tragic and compelling
to begin with, the first bit of mind control was, for all intents and purposes, an accident. victoria hugs her, amy's overwhelmed, and in the heat of the moment essentially literalizes her desires by making victoria like her. she's instantly remorseful and offers to fix it, but victoria's horrified and runs away. there's a lot of discourse surrounding the degree to which it was or wasn't accidental, but to me, the fact that she Immediately regrets it and that the text describes it as a semi-conscious reaction puts it pretty thoroughly in the camp of 'didn't mean to do this'. imo, if you were to Remove powers from the situation, it would be the equivalent of amy going in for a kiss -- she's overwhelmed and her guard's down from how emotionally bruised and battered she is and she does something rash, only powers make everything worse and more extreme and it turns into that whole clusterfuck instead. so, like, is amy accidentally or mostly accidentally making victoria like her back okay? obviously not, but i do think its an understandable Mistake to make
with the second bout of mindcontrol, its obviously dicier. not accidental, to start with, but while fucked up and wrong, there Is a rationale. amy wants victoria to be okay. victoria might die or be permanently disfigured because of her injuries by crawler. victoria won't let amy heal her because of how disgusted and angry she is at amy. obviously its better that victoria's healed, so amy decides to do what's best for victoria against victoria's wishes. (worth noting that taking it upon yourself to Do What's Best for someone else against their express desire is exactly what victoria did when she hugged amy despite amy's warnings) so amy mind controls her again, harder this time, and convinces herself that she's going to fix victoria's body And Then turn off the love effect. it's fucked up, unjustifiable, and wrong, but i think you can See how amy comes to make that decision, through a combination of a genuine humanitarian argument (victoria needs to be healed or she might be disfigured forever) and self-delusion (i'll not only be able to do this in the state the city's in, but i'll fix victoria's mind when i'm done)
and then there's the time when she turns victoria into a car. years down the line metatextual information and ward confirm it to be an instance of literal, rather than metaphorical, rape on amy's part, but i don't think that was the intention in worm and it's not my preferred interpretation (i think it's an insane idea that wildbow, who with his own words said he wouldn't depict rape in worm more explicitly than what the implications of heartbreaker's power portray, would write it as rape and then spend an insane amount of screen time focusing on amy and her story after that point while continuing to portray her broadly sympathetically). whatever the case though, it's an instance of amy going through with a gross violation of victoria's mental and bodily autonomy. the facts of the in-universe power mechanics remain the same whichever the interpretation -- amy, frazzled and traumatized, couldn't fix victoria anymore, her power not making the correct adjustments to her form.
amy convinced herself that she would spend some time with victoria while she licked her wounds and then remove the mind control and let her go, but she couldn't even fix her back into her old shape. it is an evil act. it's fucked up. but it's not... out of nowhere, you know? it's a culmination of amy's obsession and self-delusion and the lingering mental health crisis that's been hovering over her all book finally coming to a head, making her fall down a rabbit hole of self-justification that says that it's alright that she does this and that because it means she can fix victoria only to end up being wholly unable to fix her At All, and in fact only making victoria Worse
so like. i think amy does fucked up things to varying degrees of culpability and "forgivability", but there's definitely Reasons for why she did them, even if they're fucked up or not very good
by the time we get to ward there's no qualia whatsoever though lol she's just an evil devilspawn
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Okay. Finished a checks watch 10 hour play session, without breaks no stopping.
General thoughts down below. No explicit spoilers but tone/ personality reads ahead. Long post :D feel free to respond or whatever.
One of the first things that I just wanna get out the way is, personally, the cast in this game is leagues better than the first game. And that isn’t like a “ah they’re all hotter!” (They are, don’t misconstrue what I’m saying, they very much are hotter then the first game’s cast) but the general vibe in cross roads is significantly more intresting. Which is very funny considering the set up, on paper, is remarkably similar. Hard ass, stuck up head of the place, shade mentor, emo bitch who hates you and wants to fuck you, emo boy who wants to fuck you, nebulous little thing that doesn’t serve a purpose but allows for comedic relief, hypnos, skelly— the works.
Yet the energy is wildly different. Idk I’m not like a zagreus dick rider or anything he’s cool but you really can feel how lonely the house of hades was in comparison to cross roads camp, a place not even half its size. The affection for Mel is like bursting out the seems of everyone around her (save Nem) and it goes past duty or obligation to the cause. It really feels like they all love each other dearly. I think that was so missing in the house of hades, intentionally or otherwise, but it felt so… cold? I always knew hypnos got that treatment because I’m crazy, but looking back that’s how everyone acting with zag too. They just talked to him. lol.
Ahhh to this point but a little bit to the left— hectate and Mel’s everything is incredibly compelling. Mel clearly and obviously seeing her as a mother figure, the only one she’s ever known and loving her deeply for it and frankly fighting in this war partly out of duty but more for her family she DOES have now, and then Hectate who knew Mel’s family and knew what they went through and refuses to take the place of “mother” when Mel has a mother, even if she isn’t here right now. But instead of detaching and making sure no real connection is made she’s so kind. She’s so supportive and loving and sweet and you can tell she cares about Mel so much. Zag’s mom came home and like, never gave off the vibe she cared even half as much. There’s a few moments when Mel tries to convey this love and this almost… mm… this idea that she doesn’t … need? A mom because she has one (hectate) and the witch shuts it down soooo quickly and Mel is always so dejected and it hurts but it’s sooo good. God. I want more of that. For the whole game. Please
Moros is a fucking delight. Like absolutely delightful. He’s sweet and polite and unassuming and kinda just sorry for taking up space but in the dignified way. I love everything about him. I am writing this checks watch May 6th, 2024 and at this point he is lovely. Assuming he doesn’t like, back hand hypnos he’s top 5 easy.
Nemesis is… unfortunately funny and charming. I hate emos I hate the bitchy dark thing I hated Meg for the same reason. This character shouldn’t work for me…. But it does. She’s the worst. I routinely cursed her out when she came on my screen. And yet. I think where Nem succeeds where Meg (and than) failed, is that nem genuinely is like, an asshole. And that’s endearing. She insults Mel and undermines her and talks down to her and clearly they have crazy beef. Meg and than just felt sooo put on with their back and forth with zag and it got old fast. Nem is a delight. If she doesn’t like, back hand hypnos she’s staying in my good graces.
Odess… has the least for me to say honestly. He’s sexy. Not much more than that. I adore how smitten he is with Mel, he clearly adores her.
Hypnos. Hand waves. No need to rehash that. Don’t touch me.
As for the oylmpus gods, they’re all as amazing as before. Apollo is my favorite, obviously, and he isn’t how I expected but he’s like just as wonderful in the opposite direction. This is the wrong way but it’s still took us to a great place. I’m content.
The goddess of fire is broken as hell as a boon also she’s a delight. Adore her. Same for the god of forges. Everyone is wonderful. I need more gods tho the current batch is amazing but I need ares and Athena yaknow everyone else. Idk if that’s an “add to the game later” thing or a “pepsi needs to play more of the game” thing. Either way I’m excited.
Story isn’t fully clear yet, as for what happened, it’s all just the stuff in the trailers tbh so nothing new there. All and all is having a fucking blast. I didn’t mention everyone I saw and enjoyed or didn’t because I’m tired sleepy but I have no one I don’t like RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW everyone is a delight.
Fic soon…
WAIT I DIDNT EVEN SAY: MEL IS THR BEST. 3
EVERYTHING AVOUT HER IS AMAZING!! Im gonna give her a separate post tmw i adore her down BAD
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HYPOTHETICALS
A/N: "you and dazai talk about the hypotheticals in love"
this was something that popped into my mind a few times and I always found that, if I wrote it with dazai, i usually arrived at a conclusion. He's like my internal therapist that I have control over, or, whatever
AKA. Posted from my ao3 once again!
words: 1540
tags: Mild Hurt/COMFORT!!!!!!, Established relationship, GENDER NEUTRAL READER YAYYYYY!!!!!!!
Enjoy!
“Dazai.”
The moment I speak, Dazai’s eyes snap open and his gaze settles upon me. He raises a brow, turning around to face me properly.
“Hm?”
“What if,” I begin, “I fell in love with someone else, in the middle of everything we have, right now?”
Dazai’s quiet. His expression is somewhat neutral, but it’s evident he’s not exactly thrilled at the thought.
“Who?” He tilts his head.
“It’s just a hypothetical. Just a ‘what if’.”
“A ‘what if’…?” Dazai’s brows furrow as he stares at me, the gears in his brain turning.
It’s a weird question, alongside the many implications that came with it. It’s not exactly the right nor wrong question to ask, but it’s not exactly something anyone would ask when they already have a good thing going. In fact, I don’t even know why I asked it– but there was this creeping urge inside me that compelled me to; a creeping urge called anxiety.
Dazai shuffles closer, his hands resting on my hips. I blink, my attention moves back to him as he begins to speak.
“Hypothetically speaking,” He starts off light-heartedly, “Let’s say, you met someone more deserving of you, than me. Do you think you could love someone else? As much as you love me?”
“I don’t think I could. It’s hard to imagine, but it could happen, right?” I purse my lips, shuffling closer to him.
“I think so.” He raises his eyebrows, a bit surprised. “It’s entirely possible that there’s an even more charming individual out there. Someone with an even more charming smile, personality. Maybe that’s someone you’d love more than me.”
It sounds right, but it hardly feels so. He brings his hands to my face, cupping it and tracing his fingers on my cheeks.
“A handsome man with an attractive voice, it makes you fall head over heels.” He hums, a small, unreadable smile on his lips. “Could someone like that come along and sweep you off your feet, taking your attention away from me? If that happened, then what?”
“Is that even possible?” I raise an eyebrow, scrunching up my face a little that incites a little laugh out of Dazai’s lips. “I’d say, leave me first. If I were to fall in love with someone else when I swore to you, by my confession, that I would give my entire heart to you ; Did I never really love you, or did I never love you enough?”
Dazai blinks, raising both his eyebrows and widening his eyes. He moves his arm down, rubbing my arm gently. “That’s… a good question.”
We lie in silence, just for a moment. Like him, I’m a little surprised by the sudden intensity of the conversation. I suppose, hypotheticals never really end up with simple answers– they’re hypotheticals, after all. Complex in itself, from start to finish.
Dazai decides to break the silence. “Let me give you another hypothetical: what if I were to encounter another individual who could bring me more happiness than you?--”
I’d be heartbroken.
“--Say, someone with greater intelligence? Someone who could make me laugh, even when I’m at my lowest? Do you think I could fall for that?”
“Yes.” I reply without a moment’s hesitation. “Absolutely. I’d say, there are better people out there than me.”
His gaze softens, and it makes me feel a little bit small; I shouldn’t be. Knowing where it’s coming from– but I can’t help but feel defeated to even question the state of our relationship, when there was never any problem in the first place.
“You think there’s other people better than you, and that I deserve better than you?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I love you, and for that, you deserve the best.”
“But,” Dazai tilts his head, “Isn’t it true that I love you as well?”
I glance back into his eyes, my own eyes widening with surprise. He seems to know the answer, but, as always, he wants to hear someone say it.
“It is.” I say.
“See? So, if we were to go by that logic, I think I deserve you the same way you deserve me.”
He rests his hand over mine.
“But,” I frown, “In the case, if we were to meet someone else–”
“Would it be fair of us to abandon each other?” He asks.
“-- No, and, I mean, if we do.. How much do we really love each other, if that happens?”
Dazai is silent, simply nodding his head to indicate to me to go on. I take a deep breath, continuing. “So, that makes me a little anxious.”
I wrap my arms around him, letting out a big sigh. “It feels like betrayal– I would never want to betray you. I would question my very own heart: ‘Why would you love someone else? I thought this one was the one.”
Nuzzling my face into his chest, I take in his scent. I’ve never really taken notice of people’s scent before. It just never occurred to me that it was just as big of a personal trait as someone's eyes, hands or smile could be. But, recently, when I find myself in his arms, I’d realize he has a distinct sort of scent; It’s something my vocabulary could hardly describe, but it’s a scent that you’ll always know is his .
“Then, again, if my heart never told me that this would happen, why would it tell me the reasons why?” What a troublesome heart I have.
“I understand.”
Dazai holds me closer, and I realize another realization: I am small. Dazai is, obviously, quite a tall man, so of course, I am small. I never really felt that way, not until now, at least. It’s not a self-depricating kind of ‘small’, but, it’s who I am, and who I am is in his arms.
“Even if I did meet someone who I think may have the potential to steal me from you, perhaps, I would try to ignore it.” Dazai mused. “After all, the love I have for you, and the one you have for me, It’s not something I’d easily discard.”
“That makes me question love.”
My hand searches for his, and when I feel his bandaged hand, I intertwine it with my own.
“People say love is certain, but, if people can fall out and find someone else– It definitely isn’t. If we were to push down those feelings, are we betraying our own feelings for a diluted version of happiness, or, are we right to not trust the indecisiveness of our thoughts?”
“Perhaps love isn’t something that’s constant. Maybe it’s more of an ebb and flow kind of thing.”
“Then, I guess there’s no such thing as being ‘deserving’ of love. I think it's something that, simply, should be.”
“Hmm.” Dazai hums, closing his eyes. A strand of his hair falls onto his face, and I reach out to tuck it behind his ear. He smiles.
“If one of us were to stray, then, perhaps the other would soon follow. Love is something that can only survive with mutual effort. Love, in that sense, is not automatic.”
“I suppose. “ I purse my lips, feeling my head begin to ache, just a little, and my thoughts have begun to clump. “I don’t really know where I was going with this, Osamu.”
Dazai blinks, raising his eyebrows. “Osamu?”
“Sorry.”
“I like it. It’s okay.”
“I just-” I pause, a bit flustered. “I just thought about it and I felt a little scared. I love you, a lot, and I don’t think I could ever imagine not loving you, if we’ve come this far. Why would I stop? That’s just something I could never think of.”
“You don’t need to think about it so much.” Dazai chuckles, a small cheeky smile on his face as he pinches my cheek. “Don’t worry about any of the hypotheticals, because, as of right now, there really aren’t any reasons for you to stop. At least, not to my knowledge. So, you’re welcome to continue loving me.”
I blink, and again, and again. A simple, but astonishing statement. Hypotheticals are like ferris wheels, I realize. You go round and round, you see the same things in different times, weathers, skies and places– but it all stops the moment you get off. Does that make sense? If it doesn’t, then that’s how it should be. I could only open my mouth brainlessly and mumble:
“I guess so.”
Dazai’s lips quirked up, and in place of a chuckle, he giggled.
“See? You don’t have anything to worry about. Right now, I’m certain that you love me. There’s no ‘what if’, ‘why’ or ‘how much’ to it, and I have no doubts about the way I love you.”
How contradicting for him to proclaim that when our hearts are unreliable narrators to the story of our choices. I guess that’s why it’s a story, and I guess that’s why people find it entertaining.
Or, I guess it means, I should stop getting too deep into my head and see things the way they are, unless something hints to me that I shouldn’t. Yes, that’s much more simple than a metaphor, or any hypothetical.
“I love you.” I mumble.
“I love you too.”
#dazai osamu x reader#osamu dazai x reader#bsd x reader#bungou stray dogs x reader#moedull#YIP YIP YIPPIEE
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I am once again talking about morals and philosophy and such in the Trigun animes.
So, there’s a normative ethical theory called ethics of care that essentially prioritizes helping as much as you can wherever you can. The best illustration of it I’ve seen of it is the starfish story, which very basically involves a man walking on the beach at low tide and seeing a boy throwing starfish back into the water. He confronts him and tells him it’s pointless to do so because there are so many starfish on the shore. It won’t make a difference. And the boy picks up another starfish, throws it into the water, and says “it made a difference to that one.”
This is Vash. Vash has spent 150 or so years throwing as many starfish as he can reach back into the water. He cannot save everyone, but he will still try.
This is, at least to Vash (and I’ll mostly take his word for it since she did die trying to save everyone), what Rem believed as well. Rem is, in a lot of ways, Vash’s moral authority.
Vash performs a lot of moral goods throughout the series. He is often punished for them, especially the ones that are not social goods.
Is Vash saving someone like Father Nebraska or Gosef in Tristamp episode 2 a social good? Definitely not. But is it moral good? Well, that’s where it gets tricky because to Vash it’s obviously the moral choice. It’s the only course of action he can imagine taking.
However, Vash saving the townspeople that held him at gunpoint to get his bounty from the Nebraska family in Tri98 ep13 is both a moral and social good.
But what about Vash asking “it would be wrong to shoot him, right?” after Monev the Gale kills all those people in Tri98 ep12. Vash can’t save those people, but he didn’t kill them either. How culpable for their deaths is he? Monev is there, in that place, to kill him. He killed those people in pursuit of Vash. Does Vash hold any responsibility for this? Or for Brad’s death? The others on the ship? What about the Gung-Ho-Guns that Wolfwood kills to keep him safe?
This is just a trolley problem. There are innocent civilians tied to one track. The Gung-Ho-Guns are on the other. Vash has to decide if he’s going to pull the lever or not. But Vash takes a very Kantian approach: any choice here is immoral. Inaction condemns someone as does action. You killed them either way. Nevermind that there are innocent people being subjected to this against their will on one track and assassins on the other. Killing anyone is immoral. You will always be in the wrong here.
Ignore the fact that the trolley problem is inherently flawed. That the blame actually lies on the person who tied the civilians to the track. Who sent assassins after you. Everyone is here because of Knives.
Vash will still feel guilty though. Would killing Monev the Gale alleviate that? Would his death be justice? Who gets to decide that? Monev acts with the social authority of the Eye (and Knives) behind him. He’s functionally immune from the traditional justice system. Might makes right, y’know?
Wolfwood killing Monev the Gale in Tristamp is a mercy kill. They’ve suffered similar things, Wolfwood came out with his sanity mostly intact and Rollo…didn’t. And everyone Rollo loved is dead and even if it isn’t his fault he would have had to live with that. So, is Wolfwood killing him a moral good? It doesn’t have the sanctioning to be an ethical one, and there is no community left for whom it could be a social good. It’s just Rollo. Just Monev the Gale. And no more suffering.
How much of your moral judgement is just what you can stomach?
Wolfwood kills his guardian when he is seven years old. He is then trained by Chapel for ten years. It’s difficult for him to imagine other solutions, much less actualize them. He dies for Vash’s morals, but they’re more than he can stomach at times.
And the fear of losing Meryl and Milly and all those random, hapless bystanders is enough to compel Vash to kill Legato. He wants another solution, but can’t think of one. Not with so many lives on the line. So many already lost. And he lives with the guilt of it. But Legato was never going to stop. Not unless someone killed him. Even if Vash had killed himself instead there’s no guarantee that Legato would have spared his captives because life holds no value to him.
#trigun#trigun anime#trigun stampede#tristamp#trigun 98#tri98#trigun 98 spoilers#trigun stampede spoilers#tw suicide#vash the stampede#millions knives#trigun rambles#feverdreamsandlucidnightmares
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