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#we have a lot of good parts of our relationship
sweetnans · 1 day
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"I just hope that one day, we both can laugh about it, when it's not in our face, won't have to dance around it. Don't drive yourself insane. It won't always be this way" - Skin. Sabrina Carpenter (quote inspo)
Bakugo knew nothing about love. Well, that's what you thought when you first met him.
At the tender age of six years old, he had this habit of pulling you by your arm to drag you around when he wanted to show you something, his little fingers leaving marks in your skin.
When you were ten years old, he started putting his feet in your way so you would stumble and sometimes kiss the floor while he parted himself from laughter.
In the beginning of teenagers' age, thirteen, he used to put his arm on top of your head to make fun of you because he was actually getting tall while you were stuck in your pre-adolescence height.
At sixteen, he ghosted you.
Yep, that's what you read. He ghosted you because he felt this funny feeling growing in his tummy every time he saw you.
Katsuki never knew about love. You thought crying in your dorm because your best friend wasn't acting like your best friend anymore.
You actually believed it.
It all began when you two got into UA. He was excited, having someone to actually compete with? You learned a lot from him (almost against your own will), but after a few years, he considered you a fair opponent.
The feeling inside his guts happened instantly. One day, both of you were returning home from classes, in the train he was behind you, protecting you from all the people that were squeezing into their spots. A baby caught your attention immediately. She was smiling at you, and you couldn't help but make her faces, smile, and bat your eyes at that little baby, gaining a few giggles in return.
Katsuki found that amusing.
He started to see you with other eyes. Helpless eyes. That feeling that woke up one day to another got him desperate, pacing around, fighting with his own thoughts in a manic state.
He had never felt that before. He knew nothing about love.
So he did what he knew best. Ignore.
But we all know him, he isn't the kind of guy who can just let something (someone in this case) go...
He watches you from afar. He has studied your antics, your movements, how you express yourself with other people, with your classmates, with the teachers. He learned about you just by observing and now he could easily read you.
A few days later, you came down from your dorm with puffy eyes. He knew something was off. No one noticed because you made a pretty good job hiding it behind makeup, but he could tell, and he was about to figure out what happened.
You were preparing your breakfast. Something quiet shitty, Bakugo thought, but it wasn't his priority in that moment.
"What's wrong?" He asked directly.
He hasn't talked to you in months, so you were impressed that he decided to share space and air with you, let alone ask something so private.
"What do you care?" No one could blame you for your response. The bastard has ignored you after spending every day with you since you both were six years old. You didn't need his sympathy.
"I care," he said, leaning in the kitchen table, looking at your eyes. They were red and swollen but beautiful too. He had forgotten how you looked like up close. The butterflies in his stomach woke up instantly, but he didn't fight them this time.
"I'm not having a good week, that's all" you explained pouring some artificial cereal on your bowl.
He took that from you and exchanged for granola and oatmeal.
"I hate seeing your face like that. After class, I'm taking you to that ice cream shop you like, " he said nonchalantly like it wasn't one of the biggest gestures that he had done since you came to UA.
You couldn't help but smile. Maybe you could fix your relationship after all.
"It's winter, Katsuki," you stated, testing boundaries.
"Yeah, as if that had stopped you before" he rolled his eyes and flicked your forehead.
In the end, after he grabbed you by the arm and tossed you all the way to the ice cream shop, you came with the conclusion that Bakugo Katsuki knew about love in his own way and you were more than ready to explore that path alongside him.
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ladykailitha · 2 days
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Icarus Part 10
Just a little metal band Steve while the poll for what do with boy w/a bat and werewolf Steve is ongoing. Here if you want to vote.
Corroded Coffin is almost done with their album when the shit hits the fan and Eddie soothes away some of Steve's insecurities (and accidentally creates one more.)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
****
Eddie was grateful that with the album ninety-eight percent done the label had released Jeff and him from their jail sentence so that they could go out and be people again. Brian had also been released for good behavior, but Dr. Owens suggested that Gareth stay away from the booze and parties for awhile, so Gareth had chosen to continue the exile willingly.
So to say he was excited to see Steve without all that shit hanging over his head. It was like a rare cool breeze against his skin on a hot summer’s day.
He got a table at the bar he told Steve to meet him at and ordered their drinks. He looked around the room as his knee began to bounce. He didn’t think Steve would stand him up. Steve wasn’t like that. But what if something happened? What the new studio they got was in New York or London or Chicago? How could he suggest that to Steve? He nee–
A warm hand touched his shoulder and all anxiety vanished as Steve murmured his hello.
Steve tapped the center of his forehead as he sat down. “What’s going on inside that head of yours? I can tell you’re spiraling, you’ve got this wide-eyed panicked look to you.”
Eddie rubbed his forehead and pouted. “Everything.”
Steve sighed and tenderly took his hand. He brought it up his lips and kissed each knuckle separately.
“The music business isn’t a forgiving industry at the best of times,” he murmured gently. “But it’s really rough on relationships. All kinds of relationships. Family, friends, lovers. But you’ve got me, okay?”
Eddie let out a low shuddering breath and then nodded.
“So tell me about your day,” he said with a slightly crooked smile. “You talk to Robin and your friends?”
Steve looked around the bar and nodded. “Robin says she’s working on the change of scenery, but she’s not sure how long it’s going to take. As for the other thing... we’re split down the middle. Me and Spence want June, while Simon and Shane want January.”
Eddie cocked his head to the side. “Why the split?”
“Spence and I have hope we can get the,” he lowered his voice, “album,” he raised his voice again, “done and want the time to finish it. While the other two are clawing at the walls, chomping at the bit, and just begging for a chance to travel again.”
Eddie sighed. “I’m sorry, Stevie. We’re pretty much into editing portion of the album and agreeing on the song order. But we can tour whenever. That’s the best part about being us. We can take six months to do five shows if we wanted to and our fans would eat it up. But if your guys want to wait until next summer, then we can do that. If your guys want to leave right after the New Year, fuck we can do that too.”
Steve sighed. “The record label is just pushing us to the limits and I think even Robin is beginning to crack. First there was the mix up with our contracts then this new thing, plus the touring and everything else. It’s a lot put on her and she’s starting to go mad.”
“They like to do that, unfortunately,” Eddie agreed. “I know Celeste is a good manager, but I think that The Fallen could use an actual agent, someone to take the load off of her back.”
Steve chewed his lip. “But won’t they have to be brought in on the secret if The Fallen were to get an agent?”
“Not if you don’t want them to,” Eddie said with a shrug. “A lot people use stage names they have to have contracts. So...” he waved his hand. “I’m assuming Celeste has control of all the fiddly business stuff for each member of the band?”
Steve shrugged. “Pretty much I guess.”
“They could work through Celeste if the band doesn’t want them to know,” Eddie said with another shrug. “But I recommend bringing them in. They can’t put out fires if they don’t know there’s more than just smoke.”
Steve rubbed his bottom lip. “Yeah...I don’t know. I’m not in the band so I couldn’t say for sure, I’m only a lowly peon.”
“Maybe, but they trust you,” Eddie scoffed. “Look I get that you don’t feel like you think the band can trust someone else with this, but agents are there to protect the band. They could lose all their business if they went around blabbing shit about their clients.”
“Maybe they should just get yours,” Steve joked. “Who is it?”
“Nancy Wheeler.”
The color drained from Steve’s face and he shook his head. “We’ll find someone else. I don’t–can’t trust her with a secret that big.”
Eddie tilted his head to side as he considered Steve’s odd reaction.
“Oh shit.”
Steve laughed weakly. “Yeah, oh shit.”
Nancy was another one of Hawkins High’s alums. Bright and powerful, smart and capable. Steve could see why Corroded Coffin had gone with her. Only he couldn’t trust her to hand him a knife, much less a secret as big as this one.
They had dated before she decided that he wasn’t ambitious enough for her and dumped him for Jonathan Byers. But not before cheating on him with the guy first.
Nancy had stabbed Steve in the back once, he had no desire to give her the ammunition to do it again.
Eddie paid for their drinks, and then took his hand to lead him outside. He pulled them into a small alleyway, barely big enough to fit them both, where they would have some privacy.
Eddie took Steve’s face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together, letting their breaths mingle. Steve’s fast and panicked, Eddie’s slow and calm.
Eventually Steve’s breaths matched Eddie’s and Eddie sealed their lips together.
“You’re okay, baby,” he soothed. “I’ve got you. You’re safe in my hands. You know that right?”
Steve gasped, taking in air as if coming up from the bottom of a vast lake and break the water for the first time.
Eddie combed his fingers through Steve’s hair as the other man fought to get his emotions under control.
Steve let out one more shuddering breath and Eddie smiled. “There you are. I was getting worried for a moment there, sweetheart.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “Opening up our secret to other people is always terrifying, but Nancy? That’s monster level dread right there.”
Eddie continued to run his fingers through Steve’s hair. “I understand that, but do know what would happen if she did that? She wouldn’t just lose you as a client, she would lose her whole catalogue of clients. Corroded Coffin included. And not just because of who we are to each other. It would be such a serious breech of confidentiality that she would literally be scorch earth’ing her whole career.”
Steve let out a long breath. He knew that objectively. He knew that she also could just not take him as a client. Decide that The Fallen wasn’t worth the risk.
“What if we sent in Robin as Celeste Baptiste and see what she thinks?” Eddie suggested. “You know Robin’s instinct is killer. It’s why she’s such a good manager. Or even better, why doesn’t Robin meet with Chrissy and have Chrissy go over agents with her and see what Robin thinks? That okay?”
Steve smiled and brought their lips together. “You take such good care of me, Eds. I love you so much.”
“Back ‘atcha, pretty boy.”
Eddie’s phone rang and he picked it up.
“‘Ello?”
He pinched his nose and sighed. “Yeah. How long?”
There was brief pause as he listened to the other person on the line.
“I’ll check Mancharo’s and El Dios and you check out that strip of bars a few blocks south of the hotel.”
Again he listened, his brows furrowing deeper.
“Then I’ll just hit up El Dios and let you know if I find him,” Eddie muttered and then hung up.
“Fuck!”
Steve rubbed the wrinkles between Eddie’s nose until his pinched expression soften.
“That was Jeff,” Eddie murmured when he was calm enough. “Gareth stormed out of his therapy session today and hasn’t been seen since. They thought he was in his room, but when they checked, he was gone.”
Steve ran his hands up and down Eddie’s arms soothingly. “I’m sorry, Eds. Do you want me to go with you?”
Eddie wanted to answer yes, but if Gareth saw Steve he would absolutely pitch the biggest bitch fit outside of literal toddlers.
“Nah,” he murmured instead. “You’ve had a rough day. I’ll call you when I have news, okay?”
Steve nodded. “I love you, babe.”
“Back ‘atcha, darlin’.”
Steve sighed as he watched his boyfriend hail a cab.
He pulled out his phone and went right to Gareth’s Instagram. His location was off but Steve almost recognized the background.
He called Robin and sent her the picture. “We’ve been here before, right?”
“Uh...” she said. “Yeah! Dustin’s twenty-first! The Devil’s End!”
“If you weren’t a lesbian and I wasn’t dating Eddie I would kiss you on the mouth!”
“Eww...” she huffed. “You going to tell me what this is about?”
“Meet me at the apartment and I’ll fill you in.”
Then he sent off a brief text to Eddie.
-Try The Devil’s End. It’s where we had Dustin’s birthday bash.
The reply was almost immediate.
-God I love you.
-On it, babe.
Steve smiled to himself as he put his phone away. He couldn’t repay Eddie back for how kind he had been tonight, but at least he could help with this.
He just hoped Gareth was okay.
He knew that this business could and would chew up the best of people and spit them back out again without a single care.
Having a double life helped keep Steve and his friends humble. But he had no doubts in his mind that that could change at any moment.
Because if it wasn’t the business that would do the trick, it would be the isolation of not being able to tell anyone about what they really do for a living.
If he was being honest with himself, had it not been for Eddie figuring out who he was, Steve would have bet on himself being the first to fall to the Beast.
Both of his parents were raging alcoholics and he knew for awhile there when he was in middle school, his mom had gotten into some pretty heavy drugs.
It was why his high school days were so lonely. Because his dad was either hauling her off to rehab, or going on long trips where he would cheat on her and the cycle would begin again.
But now, with Eddie to keep him grounded?
His bet was on Simon. Hands down. The guy was very insecure outside of his alter ego Asmodeus.
If Steve only knew.
Trouble was brewing on the horizon, just not in the way Steve had thought it would go.
****
Tag List: @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03
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AITA/WIBTA for checking up on my abusive ex's current partner?
Everyone involved here is in our mid 20s and knew each other in real life.
🎑🎑🎑
I recently broke up with and then cut off my ex, for a whole realm of reasons that I won't get graphic about, including but not limited to emotional manipulation, borderline assault, faking a medical scare, threats against my life, endangerment, stalking, etc. The relationship was quite honestly pretty traumatic and it put me in a bad mental place that I'm only just now, months later, starting to crawl back out of with the help of therapy and a good support network. My Ex had another partner, who would really go to the ends of the Earth to defend my Ex. They were together for far longer than me and my ex (a few years or longer), and the two of them live together. When I was dating my ex, I got the vibe that the two of them were on shaky ground, but I had mostly chalked that up to me being in the picture and causing some tension, because they had apparently never fought and had been together for a long time beforehand. My Ex would also try to subtly pit the two of us against each other a lot, and as a result we weren't really friends, and any time the two of us would voice similar concerns my Ex would make a big deal about us "ganging up" on them, so we typically didn't talk about our dirty laundry with each other. When me and my Ex parted ways, even before we cut each other off completely, said partner blocked me completely and made it very clear that I was not to ever contact them, and I likewise blocked them. Looking back on shit, I feel really bad about how I treated my Ex's partner. For a while I continued to receive messages from them (from sockpuppet accounts, but I knew it to be them) defending my Ex after I cut them both off, but these messages always felt a little off, like they were defending my Ex to themselves more than they were to me. Eventually I caved and figured that if they were content violating my boundaries to check up on me and keep sending me messages, I was in my right to check up on them. So I did. Apparently my Ex and this partner are still going through a rough patch, because the partner has been posting a lot of personal accounts of abuse strikingly similar to what I went through, alongside what seems to be sexual coercion as well. I feel disgusted, and part of me wants to reach out, but part of me knows it wouldn't do any good right now because they're still very defensive of my Ex, and they kind of see me just as a blatant villain who just hates my Ex. But at this point, I know I'll probably keep checking in periodically, mostly because I feel guilty for how I treated this person and I also know that they have NO support network outside of their current (abusive) relationship. I also just wanna make sure this person doesn't off themselves or something, really, and I want to be prepared to jump in if I need to. I know this "isn't my problem" but I'm probably taking it upon myself anyway all things considered. So, with that said, does that make me the asshole? Am I being a piece of shit for checking this person's socials after they blocked me, even though they did the same to me? etc.
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climbthemountain2020 · 13 hours
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Flame of Autumn - Chapter 25 Epilogue
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Part 26/26 | Ao3
[Thank you all so much for your words of kindness and support while I wrote and posted this fic. As someone new to writing, having you here with me was everything. Your interactions mean the world to me, and I hope you all loved Tilly and Eris as much as I do. The art is from the absolutely incredible @VFisch on IG. She is open for commissions and absolutely LOVELY. ] Epilogue
Four Years Later
“Kieran, wait please!”
The boy was off like a shot, tearing wildly out of the front doors of the Forest House and out into the lawn, the troupe of dogs bursting out behind him like a cloud of smoke and fur. Eris trotted after him, Tilly following slightly behind. The sun was bright, and the air was warm for Autumn, the scent of sun-warmed pine needles permeating the air as the leaves swirled on the wind around them.
“Dada! I can climb!” Kieran was already scaling up the stone wall near the training rings, taking careful but quick steps as he danced around the half circle, his mop of bright red curls flopping into his eyes. Eris was transported to a similar scene in his mind of another small redhead dancing around a crumbling stone wall once upon a time. He couldn’t help his smile as Tilly snaked her hand around his arm and leaned her head against him.
“You climb so well, buddy!” Eris shielded his eyes from the sun with his other hand, then said lower to Tilly, “He makes me so nervous when he does this, but I don’t want to keep him from doing fun things.” She patted his arm, laughing.
“I know, love. I know.” She took a few steps forward towards the wall and their son. “If we stop letting your brothers watch him, perhaps he’d be a bit less rowdy.” She shot him a grin over her shoulder.
“He’s got enough practice swords. I thought he’d be safe with Bray, but do you know I caught him scaling the library shelves the other day? The very top. And every time Azriel visits he just ends up taking him flying. Do you know how stressful it is to walk outside and see that great bat toting our baby through the air?” Tilly just sighed.
“Yes, yes, my dear. Very frightening.” She feigned a pout at him, but couldn’t keep the smirk from her face as he huffed indignantly. “Kieran, love, would you like to go on a special trip?” His sweet hazel eyes widened comically, his nodding so violent that Tilly couldn’t help but smile. He loved surprises and adventures and dragons, and he demanded lots of books and stories and playtime revolving around them. Tilly and Eris were both enamored with their son, finding very little fault in anything he did. He was always running circles around everyone in the Forest House, and Alanna liked to point out frequently that it was like seeing a small Lucien running around all over again. Ironically enough, Lucien and Elain’s daughter, Sirene, often reminded Alanna of a young Eris, brooding and quiet and full of fiery temper. Helion liked to joke that perhaps they’d been switched at birth, much to Eris and Lucien’s collective irritation and violent eye rolling. Kyra balanced the two out–a quiet and silly girl who loved climbing trees and painting, and who loved to herd the two younger cousins around the Forest House property.
Sirene, Kieran, and Kyra, despite their differences, were inseparable when the families got together. Lucien and Eris had been tentatively rebuilding a relationship and long-overdue conversations had been had. While there was some lingering awkwardness between all the brothers, apologies had been given and tensions had eased greatly in the past few years. They knew it did Alanna’s heart good to see them overcoming the walls Beron had tried so hard to build between them, so they tried to make an honest effort. To everyone’s surprise, the relationship with the Night Court and their children had evolved as well, the children and parents getting together multiple times a year to catch up on less-than-official business. Ever since Gwyn and Azriel began making more regular trips to Autumn, the hatchet had been buried, and everyone had done their best to move forward. Strangely enough, in the aftermath of war, they’d found themselves becoming less allies and more friends.
“Come on, Mama. Surprise!” He tugged her hand as he jumped off the high wall, and Tilly could practically hear Eris’ heart rate spike behind her. The male had seen centuries of war, torture, and horrors, but nothing gave him more fear than the safety of his rambunctious child. She didn’t think she’d ever loved him more than she did seeing him care so deeply about their son. She’d been right from the very beginning–he was the most wonderful father. She held her hand out to Eris and he took it, winnowing them all through the world to a quiet spot in the deep woods, another wall of stone standing proud against the forest background.
“Ooh, where are we?” Kieran looked around in wonder, the massive trunks of overturned trees and moss-covered rocks an entirely new world to him.
“This is where I first saw your mother.” Eris was smiling, looking at Tilly with love that only seemed to grow over the years sparkling in his eyes.
“Mama was here?”
“Yes, I used to come here to practice my portals when I was a bit older than you. One day, I had an audience.” She shot a smile at him while Kieran climbed the crumbling rock wall, resuming his antics.
“Portals, mama. Like this!” He threw an arm out, casting a circle of flame, jumping into it before they even had a chance to shout, and then dropping out of the sky into Eris’ panicked arms. “Portals!”
Eris and Tilly’s wide eyes found each other immediately while Kieran giggled wildly in Eris’ arms, flailing so he’d drop him back to the ground. Eris obliged, jaw still agape, and Kieran ran back to the wall to play again.
“Well…things certainly won’t be dull now, will they?” Tilly leaned in and kissed Eris on the cheek, then rested her head on his shoulder as he wound his arm around her and placed his hand on her growing belly.
“Things have never been and will never be dull with you, love.”
Taglist (lomls): @cauldronblssd @queercontrarian @byyalady @thelovelymadone @clockwork-ashes @lovingkelj @lilah-asteria
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nalyra-dreaming · 1 day
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From Reddit:
The show wasn't performing on a stellar level in S1 when Lestat was in every episode. The fact of the matter is this show had a lot going against from inception. For one, the source material isn't all that relevant today if I'm being brutally honest. That's why it took as long as it did for an adaptation to come to fruition after being scrapped and passed up on other networks. No disrespect to Anne Rice, she did set the path for all these other shows to tread, but vampire media has become a tough sell in recent years and it's popularity is no where close to where it was in even 2010. Fox's The Passage was a wonderful show that was canceled the first season. Morbius was a box office failure, The Strain-canceled, NS4A2- cancele, and Dracula (NBC) - canceled. Now throw in a show centered around a melodramatic gay vampire relationship? Very tough sell because queer shows often have their own set of struggles appealing to a wide audience (RIP Our Flag Means Death, and Good Omens was very lucky to be revived for one more season after being canceled).
I for one love the relationship aspect of the show, but it made IWTV that much more niche. The movie back in 94 was controversial because it was so niche, luckily it had the start power to make it successful but it messed up Tom's career for years. Even if every book reader did show up for this show (and they didn't) it still would have been too small of an audience. And I say this as an avid fan of Rice and a book reader.
I have watched nearly every person who has reacted to the show on YouTube who wasn't a book reader and guess who is their favorite regardless of race, age, or sexual orientation? Lestat. And guess which episode they all have liked best? Episode 5 because it was an escape from all the melodrama and actually had some action. Despite my favorite parts of the show being the Loustat romance, I can admit that most people aren't tuning into AMC, home of The Walking Dead, for that. I hate to say this, but the show would probably have performed even worse if Lestat was not made as extreme and off the wall as he was. You either love him, or love to hate him.
Unfortunately, we live in an age that quality shows such as this don't make it very far. Hence why television is so weighed down with police, medical, and firefighter dramas at the moment (yawn).
Nalyra, it sounds like the show really will be cancelled based on this. Do you agree with this comment? I know AMC owns the intellectual properties. What is stopping them from cancelling the Immortal Universe & selling those rights if it’s not making money & people aren’t watching?
Alright, Nonny, sorry I needed a moment.
cracks knuckles
Let me take that one apart :))
“The show wasn't performing on a stellar level in S1 when Lestat was in every episode. The fact of the matter is this show had a lot going against from inception. For one, the source material isn't all that relevant today if I'm being brutally honest. That's why it took as long as it did for an adaptation to come to fruition after being scrapped and passed up on other networks.”
Nope. It was passed on and from network to network because Christopher Rice wrote the script and wanted to start with “Wolfkiller”. Now, as has been detailed here by @cbrownjc (for example), that wasn’t a good idea, because it would literally give all the story away. And THAT is why it was likely passed on. Note also that when AMC finally acquired all the rights they scrapped that script immediately, and Anne and Christopher likely signed NDAs, because though they were/are Executive Producers… there is no statement, whatsoever. Which MIGHT have to do with Christopher’s rejected script. 😬
Also, I think the show has more than proven how just slight twists can make this source material immensely relevant for today. Their social commentary and color-conscious casting is top notch. Not seeing that… well. What do you want me to say to that? 😅
Fox's The Passage was a wonderful show that was canceled the first season. Morbius was a box office failure, The Strain-canceled, NS4A2- canceled, and Dracula (NBC) - canceled.
… Okay I did not watch “The Passage”, but the other ones. And apart from The Strain’s first season they were all very sub par. Like the first season of NS4A2? Intriguing!!! Second season? I wanted to bash my head against the wall!! The Strain I actually bought, and the initial setup was awesome… and then it just went downhill. Dracula… lol, yeah. I wasn’t surprised. And let’s not even talk about Morbius. (I think I was very drunk by the end of that one, lol)
Imho - it’s not the “vampire media” but the quality of said vampire media. And, let’s not forget - this is the Vampire Chronicles, the very basis for a lot of these re-inventions. It’s a very different kind of beast. And a very distinct universe, imho.
Now throw in a show centered around a melodramatic gay vampire relationship? Very tough sell because queer shows often have their own set of struggles appealing to a wide audience (RIP Our Flag Means Death, and Good Omens was very lucky to be revived for one more season after being canceled).
Yeah well, from what I heard OFMD killed of one of the very beloved characters there in very bad writing and… well. That didn’t go over well. (So I heard.) And Good Omens was never supposed to be more than three seasons afaik (after that initial ONE season).
It's not the gay or queer - it's the quality and setup, imho. It's why the rating is at friggin' 97% this time round. And why there is a whole universe being set up. There is just SO MUCH you can do with the VC.
The movie back in 94 was controversial because it was so niche, luckily it had the start power to make it successful but it messed up Tom's career for years.
WHAT. What are they talking about. Niche??? I was there, in packed theaters. WHAT??? Also Tom's career. Niche... yeah it was controversial, but not because of niche, but because it was very gay for the mainstream 90s!!!!
Even if every book reader did show up for this show (and they didn't) it still would have been too small of an audience. And I say this as an avid fan of Rice and a book reader.
🙄 To be honest (forgive me but), they sound like one of those hardcore book fans who stop after QotD because it’s “not the original trilogy” after. SMH.
I have watched nearly every person who has reacted to the show on YouTube who wasn't a book reader and guess who is their favorite regardless of race, age, or sexual orientation? Lestat. And guess which episode they all have liked best? Episode 5 because it was an escape from all the melodrama and actually had some action. Despite my favorite parts of the show being the Loustat romance, I can admit that most people aren't tuning into AMC, home of The Walking Dead, for that. I hate to say this, but the show would probably have performed even worse if Lestat was not made as extreme and off the wall as he was. You either love him, or love to hate him.
That one… is probably true, I guess. Or at least in parts, I don’t think that everyone liked ep5 best, nor wanted to escape “the melodrama”. But there is a reason why Lestat is the main character of the VC, and why he is so iconic. And Sam…. manages to conjure him, on possession-level, lol shrugs
Unfortunately, we live in an age that quality shows such as this don't make it very far.
At least they acknowledge the quality :)) … this is why it’s so good we’re on AMC. They have experience with shows like this. And they own the books.
_____
Okay. (I think it’s clear I don’t agree with this comment^^)
Nonny, the show won’t be canceled because of takes like this, or through takes like this.
You ask what is stopping AMC to cancel the IU and sell it all?
Well, for one - who would like to buy it if they fail to develop it? They would NEVER get the money back if THEY fail to monetize this. And they did pay big bucks to get all of it.
There is a whole universe in those books. And I mean, Mark Johnson only said just the other day, at the fan premiere, that they’re developing Talamasca and more. Why would they put money into an adjacent show, if they were planning on cancelling the IU?
And, trust me, this IU… is built on the VC. There is a reason why Rolin Jones is on record saying AMC wants to do 10 seasons. They are going to milk this thing, for all it’s worth.
Also - people are watching. It has its audience. I have no idea where this is coming from - from the cable ratings? The show is #1 on all streaming sites. What do you mean people aren’t watching? :)
IWTV has been adapted before, and so I do agree with the OP wrt to some people biding their time. Which is something I low-key understand, even though I do not agree, because they’re missing out big time, and ultimately only hurt themselves with it.
But … trust me - when the truly “new stuff”(*) will happen?
I bet then this show will take off.
(* Mandatory disclaimer: IWTV is brilliantly reimagined, but some people seem to be stuck in the book structure mentally, even though we are far from “only on one book”. Still, for all intents and purposes we are on IWTV for the majority of the story, and (a lot of) that HAS been told before. However… we will enter never before seen territory soon. Have actually already gotten to see a revenant?!!!
Let’s… just wait.
But I actually, sincerely doubt this show will be in any kind of danger.
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I'm not into pup play myself, but good boy and bad dog make me feel more confident about my own kinks so I just wanted to thank you for that
Thanks
You're very welcome!
Reminds me (Zac) of a talk I did at Anthrocon a while back, we call pup play a "kink" for lack of anything better to call the category of thing that it is, but that word "kink" has a deeply sexual connotation that makes it easy to devalue or dismiss relationship styles like pup play. If you call something "just" a kink, for instance.
It's perfectly possible, and normal, and often, that we just act like dogs in the way we love each other without anyone pulling out a genital.
NOT TO DEVALUE THE SEX PART, because for a lot of people, pup is very intertwined with their sexuality and the way they have sex. Just like being, you know, queer. Sometimes two boys hold hands and kiss. Do they also fuck? Quite possibly! Doesn't mean we have to call it degeneracy and a threat to our children and blah blah blah when we see two boys kissing.
We fought for so long for people of whatever gender to be able to show affection, to disclose their relationships, and just be out and be themselves, without everyone else looking at two people being gay and in love and reacting the same way they would if they just started balls out rawdogging each other in the street.
So "kink." Kind of a tough word. It usually implies sex, but we also use it to describe some unusual ways of being affectionate or romantic with each other.
I don't have a solution to this, I'm just saying, yeah, this sure is a thing.
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buckysgrace · 11 hours
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Hi. You’re amazing!
Do you ever write fluff? Like if you found out you were pregnant with Billy’s baby and at first he’s upset and doesn’t want anything to do with you but after you have the baby ( a little boy with blonde curls like Billy) he gets all emotional and wants to desperately be a better father than his dad was to him 😭
Hello! Thank you so much <3 I absolutely will write fluff!
CW: Mentions of abortion, mentions of child abuse, lots of Billy being scared and a lil mean.
Billy's son is also referenced as having blonde curls and his nose, but the rest is ambiguous!
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He was scared.
Billy honestly didn't know what he was going to do. There had been many arguments with you about it, but you seemed fairly determined. You were going to have this baby, whether he wanted to be a part of the baby's life or not.
It wasn't necessarily that he didn't want to be involved, but he could feel a crushing fear spreading through him every time he thought about being a dad.
His relationship with his own dad was strained. Things weren’t the best between them. He never really had a positive father figure, someone that showed him how to stay calm even when he was frustrated. The last thing he wanted was to end up snapping at his own child.
He couldn’t be a dad.
“Not mine,” He said once you showed up with the ultrasound, the bloodwork and everything. Denial was all he could think about, all he could process. He couldn’t fuck up your life and this child’s life if he wasn’t involved. It was that simple, “I didn’t knock you up.” 
“Uh huh,” Was your dry answer, your eyes looking less than amused, “Do you want a paternity test then, William?” Came your snarky response, because you both knew the truth. This baby was his, there was no doubt in Billy’s mind about that. And it terrified him. 
“Don’t call me that.” He said as he pushed his hair off of his forehead, feeling sick as it continued to wash over him. He was going to be a dad. He was going to end up just like Neil. 
“Then don’t act like you weren’t a part of this.” You said, looking just as fearful as what he felt. He sat down on the edge of his bed, tapping his foot rapidly as he thought about how good a smoke sounded right now. He’d need a lot more to make him relax. 
“It’s still early, right?” He questioned at last, turning his attention back to you. He watched the way your eyebrows furrowed tightly together and then relaxed again. Your eyes softened, telling him what he already knew. 
“I’m not getting an abortion,” You said at last, “I’ve made up my mind. You can make your decision, but I’m not letting you walk in and out of our lives whenever you see fit. You can be a part of this baby's life or we can end this. Whatever you prefer.” You were gentle with him, setting out the options softly like you always did. You understood him better than anyone else, made him feel safe. It made him sick to think about how he was hurting the one person he really cared about. 
“Can I think about it?” He asked at last, feeling like there wasn’t anything else to do. He didn’t have an answer yet and he didn’t want to end up saying the wrong thing. He was growing angry at himself. He could only imagine what Neil would say once he found out. 
“Yeah,” You replied gently, eyes softening as you nodded your head, “But I can’t wait forever. I need to know your answer soon.” Your voice slightly wavered but he looked away, not wanting to see you so upset. 
“Yeah,” He responded as he nodded his head and placed his fingers tightly together, “I’ll let you know.” He said at last, staying put until you left. Everything was falling apart, breaking down around him. He couldn’t deal with it right now. 
Ignoring you was harder than he’d thought it would be. He looked for you everywhere he went, even though he knew he couldn’t have you. That was his own fault regardless. He’d made up his mind. It would be easier this way.
Yet, when the invitation for your baby shower arrived in his mail he felt his walls caving in. They crashed into him, making him break down as he stared at your handwritten notes on the card. He could tell just by reading it that you were excited, not afraid. He wished he could be more like you. 
In the end, he decided to go. He needed closure, as he was sure you needed to. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to stand living in the same town as you, knowing that his child would never know him. Somehow, that made him feel even worse.
He felt lonely as the months drew on. He had no one to confide in for his problems; especially Neil and Susan. He didn’t know what to say when they questioned about your disappearance and he felt even more at a loss when they asked him if you were pregnant. A shrug of his shoulders was his answer. He really didn’t know. 
The walk up towards the little gymnasium felt odd, like he didn’t quite belong as he stared at the little balloons and elephant decorations that were spotted throughout the room. There were familiar faces; your friends and family. Some other people that weren’t quite as well known. He still felt awkward, like everyone knew that he was the one who had knocked you up and ran. 
“Hey,” You drew out as you approached him, your palm flat against the bump in front of you, “I didn’t think you’d be here.” You said slowly, literally glowing as you stood in front of him. You had a sundress on, your cheeks were warm and forehead a little sweaty. He wondered if it was from the baby. 
“I didn’t think I’d come either.” He admitted at last, hating how horrible that sounded. He just felt like he was in a rut, buried deep inside of a hole with no real way of coming out. You were like sunshine through the dirt, warming his skin as he watched you. 
“What does this mean?” You asked him at last, tilting your head as your eyes softened over his features. He wished that he had a real answer for you, to tell you how he felt. He was in love with you; deeply. He just didn’t want to hurt you either. It was complicated. 
“I really don’t know yet,” He mumbled, “It just felt right.” He decided on, unable to tell you just how much he missed you. He was nearly desperate enough to fall to his knees and beg for your forgiveness. He would if you pushed him hard enough. 
“Billy,” You drew out in exasperation, “I can’t have you doing this, being so wishy-washy. What do you want?” You asked him seriously, looking like you were close to cracking too. He wanted to reach out and touch you, to hold you. He needed to apologize. 
“I just want to be better,” He replied slowly, “I want to be here. For you and for-,” He stalled for a moment as he looked down at your baby bump, feeling like he was at a loss once again. He wasn’t sure if you wanted him in his life or not. 
“Him,” You said quickly, “We’re having a little boy.” Your eyes were glazed over in tears, your lips pulling into the tightest smile. You were clearly emotional, making him feel awful as he reached his hand forward. Your fingers met slowly, molding against one another. He felt sparks traveling up his arms, leaving him resentful of the past few months he’d wasted. 
“That’s-, that’s good,” He answered after he cleared his throat. He was already scared to be a dad, but to have a son? He feared that even more. He was sure he was following directly into Neil’s shows, “Have you decided on a name?”
“I kind of like Cash,” You stated as you rubbed at your belly, “Just feels right. C’mon, you can open the presents with me.” You explained as you tugged him along, leaving him a little jittery. He thought about pulling out a cigarette, but figured it wasn’t the right place to do it.
He felt a little lost but slowly grew more and more keen on what was happening. It was still a lot to process, but it felt right being there by your side. You were clearly excited despite everything that had happened. He was grateful that you were so open, that you didn’t hold a grudge against him.
“Where are you living at?” He asked instead, curious as to whether your living situation had changed or not. You were still living at home the last time he checked. He was slightly nervous, wondering if someone else had slipped into his spot. 
“Still with my parents,” You admitted as you shrugged your shoulders, “They were upset, but they’ve come around.” Your lips were pulled into a smile, looking less than worried. Apparently things had been fairly well for you.
“They probably hate me.” He said a moment later, sure that it was true. He couldn’t see how they wouldn’t. He had practically left you. You snapped your eyes up towards him. 
“Hate is a strong word,” You told him quickly, “But yeah, they’re not the happiest. Especially dad.” You explained slowly as you continued to rub at your baby bump. 
“Great,” He mumbled as he placed his hands in his pockets, “I’m really sorry.” He breathed out slowly, knowing his apology was more important than everything else. He meant it too. He shouldn’t have pushed you away. 
“You just disappeared,” You started slowly, “I thought you were gone.” Your voice was soft, full of hurt and distress. He felt his throat tightening, burning as he thought about how much he missed you. He was a fool to ever stray away from you, to leave you on your own. 
“I thought about it,” He told you honestly, knowing there was no point in lying, “I don’t want to be like my dad.” He replied at last, getting down to the root of the issue. He didn’t want to accidentally lash out at you or at your future child. He never wanted that for him. It would be better to be alone. 
“You won’t,” You told him quickly, sternly as he exhaled deeply, “You’re not like your dad. I promise you.” You cupped his face softly, your hands smooth and gentle against his skin. He leaned against you, craving the feeling. 
“What if I lose control?” He asked at last as he drew his eyes over your features, taking in the way you were watching him. You sighed deeply as you rubbed your fingers across his skin. You looked deep in thought as you pressed your nails gently against his stubble. 
“You never did that at your swimming classes,” You reminded him, “You should come stay with me. Move in. It would be good for our baby.” You moved your hands to his neck, then to his shoulder and down to his hands. You gripped them slowly, pressing them against your growing tummy.
He stalled for the longest time, blinking slowly as he felt like the world was freezing around him. Underneath your skin he could feel your baby moving. He gulped, eyes wide as he felt the smallest smile curling against his lips. He exhaled deeply as he looked towards you again. 
“I don’t know.” He replied nervously as he felt his heart hammering roughly inside of his chest. He chewed on his bottom lip, thinking that it would be easier. He’d be closer for you, for the baby. If he was really going to do this, he needed to be near you. 
“You don’t have to marry me or anything,” You started, “Or be with me if that’s what you want.” You said sheepishly, looking embarrassed as you quickly looked away. He felt his heart shatter a bit again, worried that he had truly hurt you. 
“You have someone else?” He asked at last, worried that you had moved on. He had done wrong, but he really did love you. You were the only one he was passionate about. He wasn’t sure how to move on if you had found someone else. 
“No,” You responded with a smile, “But I just want you to be happy. Even if it’s not with us.” You nodded your head, but looked like that was hard to admit. He didn’t want you to be alone. Not anymore. 
“You make me happy,” He said at last, “We’ll work this out. I promise.” He said as he brought your hand up to his lips, savoring the feeling of your skin against his mouth. He closed his eyes, feeling very regretful. He wouldn’t lose you again. 
When he returned home he felt odd, but not like he had in the past few months. He didn’t drink away his feelings, or drown his anger out with music. Instead, he worked on packing. He wasn’t going to be like Neil; not at all. He was going to be there for you. He was going to be there for his son. No matter how scared he was. He couldn’t let either of you down. 
“Where are you going?” Neil’s voice made him jump, surprising him as he paused with the article of clothing in his hands. He turned slowly, looking at the way Neil was leaning against the door frame. He had his hands crossed tightly over his chest, his eyebrows furrowed together tightly. His features were stoic, like he was deciding whether he should be angry or not. 
“I’m moving out,” He said as he turned away, shoving the clothes back into his bag, “I uh, found a place.” Billy replied slowly as he finished zipping up his bag. He wondered how much he’d really be able to take with him. Probably not much if his dad got angry. 
“You moving in with that bitch?” Neil tilted his head up as he spoke, like he was trying to make himself taller. His eyes were sharp, cold as his gaze cut into Billy. He felt sick as he gulped harshly, trying to keep his tone at bay. 
“Don’t call her that.” Billy responded hotly, feeling defensive of you. You weren’t anything like that and you were letting him back into your life; just like that. You were everything and more to him and he wasn’t going to let Neil speak ill of you. 
“Is the kid yours or some little bastard?” His lip curled up in disgust as he spoke, his features filling with disappointment. Billy didn’t care. He was going to be happy with you. He wouldn’t be like Neil. Not ever. 
“Mine,” He said roughly, “And don’t you ever call him that.” He snatched up his bag, taking his few items with him as he moved forward. Neil scoffed as he shook his head, irritated as Billy pushed forward.
“She’s going to ruin your life,” He grumbled as he gripped Billy’s shoulder, holding him in place for a moment, “And don’t even think about crawling back. I won’t have you.” He said threateningly, like he might change Billy’s mind.
“I won’t come back.” Billy promised, stern with his answer as he walked past him. He wouldn’t let his son suffer the same way he had. They both deserved better than this. 
The rest of the months passed breezily, making him come to terms a little easier as your due date approached. He had done a lot of ass kissing, pleading and groveling until he got back on your good side. He brought you flowers every day, rubbed your feet after work and gave you plenty of kisses.
You complained about how you looked as the final weeks approached, but he thought that you looked beautiful. Stunning. In his opinion, you were glowing. He loved rubbing your tummy too, feeling like he got a deeper connection that way.
Your labor was messy, a little chaotic. Billy was terrified something would go wrong, but stayed close to you regardless. By the end of it, his hand was numb and his wrist aching from how tightly he’d been gripping you.
“Look at him,” You breathed out as you held the little boy in your arms, “He’s so cute.” You sniffled, looking like you were seconds away from breaking down again.
He stared and stared, memorizing his son's features as he came to terms that he was a father. He had a little boy, someone to take care of. He looked so fragile, so tiny. It made him nervous. He was fearful that he’d accidentally hurt him by holding him wrong, or by dropping him. He wasn’t sure how his rough hands were supposed to hold something so soft. 
"Billy," You breathed out quietly, making his throat grow raw as he stared down at the little boy. Soft blonde curls and the same sloped nose he had. Everything else about the little boy reminded him of you, "Are you crying?" You asked gently, making him feel even more emotional as he shook his head. 
“No,” He said hoarsely, doing everything in his power to keep from breaking down, “S’just a lot.” He mumbled as he wiped at his eyes, inhaling deeply through his nose as he tried to calm himself down. His hands were shaking, his heart thumping roughly inside of his chest. 
“I know,” You replied softly as you sat up a bit, gesturing the bundle in your arms towards him, “C’mon. You’ll feel better.” You reassured him, but he still felt hesitant. He pressed his fingertips together before he nodded, accepting the little baby from you.
Names hadn’t quite been figured out yet, but that didn’t matter at the moment. He looked healthy, his cheeks full and fists clenched together as he stretched his arms out. Billy felt a small chuckle leave his neck, fighting over the sob that was threatening to burst free.
He suddenly couldn’t remember why he had been so nervous, or scared. As his son curled against his arms it felt natural, like he already knew what he was doing. He savored the warmth, the way the little baby cooed as he adjusted him in his arms. Everything felt right suddenly.
“I won’t let anything bad ever happen to you,” He promised as he kissed his little head, sighing deeply as he snuggled his little son towards him, “Not ever. I promise.” 
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NO ONE F*CKING TOUCH ME!!!
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Alright, I know a lot of ppl weren't the biggest of the last Beast Yeast update, and to that I say it's understandable, they could've done a lot more with what they had in my opinion. . . But from just the first trailer alone, this looks really redeemable!!
For now, let's hope it's better than what we got last time!
You already know the jist, time for predictions!~✨ (Of course, spoilers ahead for the trailer!)
Given we now have Cacao heading off to Beast Yeast with his gang, I suspect that this'll be a common thing throughout the future Beast Yeast updates, with Hollyberry and Golden Cheese probably coming to Beast Yeast and meeting the owners of their respective soul jams
This'll probably end in them reuniting and creating some touching moments, before the final battle with Dark Enchantress (and or the Beasts)
But that doesn't mean we should leave everything in the last Beast Yeast update as after thoughts. From the 3rd Anniversary interview devs did, they confirm that Shadow Milk Cookie will be a looming threat within the Beast Yeast saga, though it is mostly unknown to us how. We do have a decent idea of what is to come
Back to the update, I think it'd be kinda cool, and very fitting, to have each of the characters represent the 5 stages of grief, with Mystic Flour representing death itself. I took a liking to this idea because firstly, death is a very present theme within the update so far, and secondly it's due to one scene; you know it, you love it, the Thanos snap scene! Within those short seconds of our favorites turning into dust(or well flour) we have Crunchy Chip yelling out to his majesty, practically begging for his life how "he doesn't want to be sick!" as everyone else accepts their fates
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More on the subject, that'd be another interesting thing to see in this update, seeing Chip placed in such a vulnerable position like this could introduce a side to his character we've only briefly seen. As yes, this isn't the first time we see Chip get jumpy around the idea of death; if we turn back time, back to the Odessey, when the gang meets Seaweed Cookie, he's horrified by the fact they were walking over corpses (aka cookie crumbs) And this doesn't go unnoticed either, as he gets called out by Wildberry, which causes him to backtrack. I wouldn't even be surprised if his implicated fear of death may be part of the reason he's the Crunchy Chip we know & love today, maybe he uses his relationship with wolves as a means of protecting himself? Wolves are an apex predator after all! Will this add anything to the story? Possibly not, but would it flesh out Crunchy Chip as a character? Absolutely! (Sorry for the tangent, I thought this was all worth talking about cause it's such a cool idea!)
Now, we can't go anywhere without discussing the massive elephant in the room. . . Dark Choco Cookie's sudden return. Unlike most things, we do have a good idea of why he decided to follow his dad & come back. Firstly, it's a update focusing on Dark Cacao Cookie and his kingdom, it's a no brainer Choco would show up. Secondly from the Warm Together update, we know that he's been healing alone for a long time, so logically speaking, he wants to reconcile with his father, once & for all. And this is just my idea, but it'd really be cool to see Cacao & Choco work together in defeating Mystic Flour!
And that's all I got for now!✨ Surely, I'm only scratching the surface of what update has to bring, but I would say these are some solid ideas!~ Regardless, I'm super excited for this future update and the second trailer!!~
Please let me know what you think! Be on the lookout for my other projects And as always, stay tuned^^
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irlrikomoriyama · 2 days
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can i ask about how many ways can a raven break (if thats one of the thing u can ask was a bit confused)
its one we really hope to turn into a fic we have a friend who is very excited for it (and is also our sensitivity reader) riko joins foxes and as part of his therapy with abby he keeps a journal where he writes long thought spirals any time he is anxious so that then he can consider whatever or not he wants to show it to Abby or not, the journal is here to help him keep his thoughts a bit more organized. At some point Riko notices new notes in the journal notes in German (his notes are always in Japanese) as well as doodles and drawings. this agitates him. he is aware that andrew is the only person reading his journal which he passively allows but after the notes started appearing he started hiding the journal. this leads to andrew growing suspicious, when few days later riko catches him going through journal he had hidden they get in a fightt (riko punches him all of sudden something that somehow never happened before). one thing leads to another and over course of following therapy with new therapist as bee was not qualified enough to diagnose him Riko is diagnosed with dissociative personality disorder (all parts of system refer to themselves as Riko but they do have nicknames they use as well) There is "Fox" (you can think about him as all my cute fox riko headcannosn and arts very energetic and full of life very fannon kind of riko)- Riko after joining the foxes, he is much more open in showing his emotions he is actually based on the rp "quarterhouse/roadkill" he dates renee aaron and kevin , genuinely loves life and is very unhappy when he finds out details of his condition - he feels extremally possessive of the body and time he has which leads to frustration towards other alters and fear that their actions might fuck up his already complicated life "Raven" (much closer to canon riko or even fandom riko - evil brody mad bad) - Raven was the first fronter and keeps most of memories from nest, this is why fox himself did not remember much form before joining foxes, raven hates fronting now, he misses nest he hates fox tower hates the foxes , his pride is still not healed, he does snot feel safe or accepted around them, he is nyctophile and still gets triggered into fronting any time its perfectly dark (when foxes figure that out there is some teasing happening about it which he despises) as well as when it rains. Raven loves kevin and feels posessive over jean and does not see reason why renee and aaron should be part of that. is the one who broke jean "captain" possibly riko's first split - captain is on the court and takes care of all things exy, he will become good friends with neil who will be the only reason captain starts fronting outside of games- just to chat about exy. captain is also not convinced about need for relationship with renee and aaron as he sees both to be mediocre players and he is straight (all of this plays a lot into aarons relationship insecurities and makes fox miserable and resentful of his alters). captain is very frustrated to find out he is not a captain any more and is pretty damn hurt over not being a captain anymore it is bit of crisis for him considering the title was core of his personality as far as he rememberer. later on riko get title of co captain <3 is very confused as to why jean can not play "King" - trauma holder, specifically physical abuse , hates fronting because feels phantom pains constantly "Princes" - a split made to help King cope with the psychological part of the abuse, princess is regressed little girl who just wants to be loved and cared for, jean is her knight and she can NOT find out who hurt him , it would break her
there is also danny who is split from one of riko's most constant abusers he does not front just provides bad vibes and keeps them on edge psyhologically fun stuff i love about it: Kevin absolutely can not deal with the fact that he is not the favourite person of all rikos fox woudl prefer not to choose but renee was his girlfriend before kevin became his boyfriend again raven sees kevin as his everything so this checks out captain also likes kevin but he end sup pretty taken by neils approach to the game over time princess loves jean and renee and idk she doe snot give a fuck about exy so can kevin shut up about it? (jean is delighted) king does not like anyone i don't think kevin should want to be dannys fave luckily nobody other than riko knows about danny anyway there's actually .. a lot of lore for this technically the ship is riko/renee/aaron/jean/kevin the same way like in quarterhouse but fox unlike raven feels embarrassment and shame for pact actions and doe snot feel even allowed to look at the man
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kyotosummer · 1 day
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A Different Perspective - Stella, Stolas, and Octavia
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This is a really weird moment of the trailer, to me. I spent a lot of time thinking how Octavia could still think Stolas doesn't love her.? It doesn't make sense - we've seen time and again that Stolas gives her attention, so why does she still doubt this?
So I thought and thought and thought... and then I started thinking about another question - WHY is this line in the trailer? I mean, this whole trailer's about how much Blitz hates himself and their complicated relationship - so why is Octavia butting into the middle of this with her whining about not being loved enough??
More under the cut - I implore you to read before commenting on the above.
.............. wow, did I just get really annoyed about a TEENAGER whose upset because she doesnt feel like her dad's giving her attention? Wh- what the hell? Why is this show making me feel that way?
And why am I not this annoyed by Loona?? Arent they supposed to be similar characters? She also has a million more issues going on than Octavia. It's rather obvious, with all the time and attention the show gives her....
.....actually, the show gives Loona a lot of attention. We see her at her job with her dad, her backstory and how much Blitz attached to her.
I mean, we all saw how Loona was when she was locked up in that Hell Hound Pound. Thank goodness Blitz is around to hype her up and.... give her.... the attention...... she needs.......
huh.
Come to think of it.... huh.
The only time I remember Stolas giving Octavia attention was when he took her to Lulu Land.... as a distraction from his wife.
and even then.... he didnt listen to her wishes about not wanting to go - he just dragged her along......
...and he brought Blitz to flirt with. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, Stolas really only paid attention to Octavia when she ran away and started crying.
Oh, but then there was the lovely moment about the fireworks! Which... started because Stolas was busy with his divorce and forgot about the once-in-a-1000 year event with his daughter.
And while Blitz's job is an odd one, he's teaching his craft to Loona. She is incredibly capable at her job and can do it solo. She's also the one Blitz trusts most with the Grimoire.
When Stolas found Octavia in the fireworks episode, he lectures her about using the book when he hasn't taught her spells yet. SHE'S IN HER LATE TEENS???? HIS STUDIES STARTED WHEN HE WAS A CHILD????
......Holy shit, actually.
Finally, in regards to Stella - yes, she's a bitch who finds pleasure in tormenting Stolas....
and yet.... she goes out with Octavia on the weekends. It seems to be implied this was a weekly thing, even prior to the divorce.
And, like, outside of Stolas's perspective and her hiring a man to murder her husband.... do we... do we know her?
I mean, sure, this was both our and Stolas' first impression of her as a child:
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But there could easily be way more context to this than what the audience knows. We only see this picture and then Stella as an adult. She also didn't seem particularly hateful with Stolas during scenes when Octavia was a child - she just, at most, steals the blankets and grumbles the same as she does about who has to get up.
Just as Stolas had to grow up knowing he's going to marry a wild woman he didnt want, Stella had to grow up knowing she was going to marry a man who didnt want her.
She might have tried. We haven't seen a lot of her outside of her fights with Stolas, and I do wonder if part of her resentment is that she did actually try, and Stolas just.... never responded to her outside of obligation.
Either way, after going through these thoughts.... I've come to realize - Octavia may not understand everything, but she may actually have a point. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Text
Our Love Story
Nanami Kento x Reader
Part 9: Test Result
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8
(Song Inspiration: u & I by Anthony Russo)
You couldn’t help but pace back and forth around Nanami’s apartment. Nanami was on the couch, trying to read his book. However, he can feel your anxiety. You were like this since the afternoon once you took your license exam. You took the bus to the testing center and Nanami picked you up as he was able to leave work early. But you couldn’t help but let your mind race. You skipped dinner no matter how much he tried to have you eat.
“Sweetheart?” he called. You continued pacing, too distracted to hear him. Nanami marked his page and stood up, walking towards you. “Sweetheart.” He held on to your shoulders, causing you to jump.
“I’m sorry, did you say something?” you asked nervously. Nanami gave you a small smile and kissed you softly.
“Want me to draw you up a hot bath?” he asked.
“I hate waiting. I need these results. I finished with 85 questions. I’ll never know if I failed or not. I’m freaking out. I don’t know what to do,” you rambled. “I probably misread a lot of questions or second guessed! I’m gonna have to retake it. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight. Oh gosh. I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“Sweetheart, I know you passed. You worked your ass off for it,” he said. You bit your bottom lip.
“I-I…”
“Sweetheart.” Nanami pulled you in his arms. You felt some relaxation in them, but the nerves were too much. You held on tightly to him.
“Can-Can you join me?” you asked him. You blushed, hiding your face in his chest. Nanami felt his body freeze for a bit as he felt his face heat up too. “Or just stay with me while I’m…I mean, I prefer…I…” Nanami is flustered. He didn’t know how to answer you. He knew he wanted to join you, but the two of you never gotten that far in the relationship. You have seen him topless and you sleep in his shirt and your underwear. You like wearing his shirts, even button ups in your underwear around each other’s places, but never beyond that.
“Do you prefer me joining you? Will it help?” He watches your head nod. “I’ll do that.” You swallowed a large lump in your throat. But you wanted to stay in his arms.
You returned to the bathroom where Nanami filled the tub and the top was filled with more bubbles than usual. You chuckled to yourself. Nanami looked up at you with a smile.
“Go ahead in, I’ll be back,” he said softly. You nodded. Once he left, you quickly stripped off of your clothes and entered the tub. You smiled once you sat down. It was the best thing you did after that exam. You feel like you could just fall asleep right now. You heard a knock and you told him to come in. Nanami entered the bathroom with two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine. “I figured this would be nice too.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re the greatest boyfriend in the whole world?” you asked. He placed the glasses down on the floor.
“That might be the first time actually,” he replied. You blushed.
“Well, now you know. Are you coming in?” Nanami nodded and motioned you to turn around, and you did. You could hear him remove his clothes. Your heart started pounding and racing. He climbed inside, sitting right behind you with his back against the tub. You slowly leaned back against his chest and sighed in relief.
“Is the bath a good idea?” he asked slowly and shyly. You nodded and hummed happily in response. “Can you grab a glass for me, sweetheart?” When you did, Nanami filled the two glasses. You slightly turned around and clinked glasses with him before taking a sip.
“C-Can we do this often?” you asked, shyly averting your gaze away from him. Nanami smiled.
“Of course, my love.” He wrapped his arms around your shoulders and carefully pulled you close to him. He softly peppered kisses on to your shoulders, giving you all the butterfly feelings in your stomach. You held on to his forearm and leaned your head against him. You sank more in his arms, forgetting about how conscious you felt about this situation.
“This helps a lot,” you said. “Thank you so much.” Knowing that you were fully relaxed made him relaxed. The two of you remained silent, and you were both content with it.
Nanami would find ways to keep your mind at ease for the past two days. Before he went to work, he’ll make you a small breakfast and a cup of coffee.
“Take my card. Go out and have fun. Treat you and your friends out if you want,” he said. Your eyes were wide as you stared at his credit card. Nanami lightly chuckled and held your wrist so your palm was facing up and placed his card in your hand.
“I can’t just…you know I can be an expensive girl, right?” you questioned.
“That’s okay,” he replied nonchalantly.
“Aren’t you worried that I can have this possibility of taking advantage of this opportunity?”
“If it relieves your stress, then I’m okay with that.” You looked at him as if he had two heads. Nanami leaned in and softly kissed your forehead. “Sweetheart, I’m stuck at work. I can’t be with you and I don’t want you freaking out while I’m gone. Please?”
“You know I worry about you while you’re at work too?” He nodded.
“I am aware. I expected that.”
“Thank you, Kento-kun.” You leaned up and kissed his lips.
Your legs shook as you sat on the couch. You impatiently waited for Nanami to return home from work. Your eyes couldn’t leave your laptop. You stared at the computer screen where you could purchase your results early. You haven’t paid for it, your legs shaking from your nerves.
“Sweetheart? I’m home,” Nanami announced. The silence worried him. He quickly became comfortable as he walked to you. He stared at your frozen body and shaking legs. Your hands were folded and by your lips. “Sweetheart?” No response. He has a feeling what happened. “Did your scores come in?”
“Yes. Come here please,” you answered with a monotone voice. He took a seat next to you and held you close with his arm around your shoulders. “You should click on it.” This time, you whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” he asked in hushed tone like you.
“Because I’m scared,” you answered. Nanami kissed the side of your head. You felt yourself relax.
“Let’s do it together,” he said. You nodded and held the wireless mouse. His hand covered yours and you moved the cursor to purchase your results. The two of you read through the words. Nanami would scroll for you until the results were shown.
Pass.
Your body froze. Your heart stopped. You had a shut down. Nanami felt your whole body freeze before he could say anything. With shaking hands, you held and squeezed his hand.
“I DID IT! KENTO-KUN I PASSED! I PASSED! I PASSED!” You jumped out of the couch and pulled him up from the couch and jumped while holding both of his hands. “I’M DONE! I PASSED! I DID IT!” You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him. Nanami picked you up by the waist and you wrapped your legs around his. When the two of you pulled away, your foreheads rested against each other.
“I never doubted you one bit, my love,” he said softly. “Congratulations, my beautiful and brilliant nurse.”
“I want to celebrate,” you said. “A quick celebration since you have work in the morning. Actually no. I can wait until—“ Nanami stopped you with his kiss.
“Where does the love of my life want to go and celebrate tonight?” You couldn’t help but laugh with pure excitement and joy as you hugged him tightly.
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metanoianmayhem · 4 months
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You Never Let Anything Go, Ever
Apparently, midway thru an acid trip was an appropriate time for my (then) nearest and dearest to tell me this.
I won't lie - I struggle to let things be bygones - to not remember them or try to remember.
Because on the other hand if I am wary of a repeated behavior, or I can't remember this thing that happened with enough detail, I get brushed off.
Sort of damned if I do, damned if I don't. "Oh you made that up" versus "you never let it go"
I'm not wild about ultimatums - but they do apply sometimes to life. I have a partner who hates them, and who's first response to them is "Fuck you."
We're nonmonogamous. Or, in theory are. In practice, it's more like "I see other people sporadically, he freaks out, but also has a girlfriend. But wait! That girlfriend isn't that into sex, so like, it's not the same thing, esp since by the numbers I've had more people!"
...yeah. You could say I'm a little over that part of the relationship. Don't get me wrong, there's a great deal of other things I love about him. We meet each other halfway on important stuff, share a lot of ideologies, we take good care of each other, make each other laugh until we snort.
Not small potatos either. I've never wanted to spend this long with someone full time before.
But I am running out of patience for the nonmonogamy hypocrisy dance.
Last minute birthday overnight with the other person that I get to find out? We're going on a trip for the next few days, so it was the only time he'd spend with her. That's fair.
Except.
If I did that? He'd blow a damn gasket.
Can I have preexisting partners? No, he freaks out. Share a partner? No, he freaks out. Date safe friends? No, he freaks out (or at least doesn't chill out until the concessions I have made for his comfort have eroded the other relationship/taught them this is the standard) Date friends of mine? No, he freaks out. Even if he gets time to get to know them. Date people from the internet? No, he freaks out.
Oh, unless I fucked them once two years ago and have a (sort of) defined relationship with them.
Or if I'm lukewarm about them.
The last time I dated someone else locally long term, was almost two years ago. He's adjusted (some) to some things. Eventually adjusted to preexisting partners. Eventually adjusted (somewhat) to me investigating dating apps (although I suspect some of that is because it doesn't go anywhere) Yes, we are in couples counseling. Yes, this is the current topic, so it is heavily on my mind. But I am running out of patience, i am annoyed as fuck, and so, I am venting here on the internet, in the space where I have always vented.
Feels bad that I only write when I have something negative to say, but I am also extremely frustrated.
We have things to unpack. I don't know how to keep doing this, especially the pattern of I ask, and ask, and ask for specific social things, kink things, life things and oh maybe yeah at some point.
A friend or his other partner asks? It happens! Why, he does things less regularly with them because of all the time he spends with me.
The only solutions I seem to be coming to are "Spend less time with each other", "Suck it up and stop asking for these things from him.", "Idk, I guess silently seethe about it."
More likely, I'll bring it up in couples counseling.
But I am very cranky. and very tired of this. and it makes me very unaffectionate and it shows. I never was any good at having a poker face.
But hey, you know me. I never let anything go, ever.
After all. There's no reasons for that.
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Are there any companions you can't stand?
I wouldn't say I have any that I can't stand. Something that's so engaging to me about DA is that the companions have good, bad, and a lot in between. Honestly, I don't hate any of them. There are companions that I have more issues with than others, but I like them all; even, and sometimes especially, the ones that tend to be heavily hated on by the fandom.
The only companion that might fall into this category for me is Sebastian, but I totally acknowledge that I've yet to make an effort to use him when I play DA2. I legit just forget about him. How am I supposed to have a good grasp of his character when I don't engage with him outside of his companion quests? Plus I usually romance Anders so Sebastian always leaves my party in the end with threats of bringing an army down on Kirkwall for not killing Anders, soooo... yeah. Not the greatest impression he's left me with.
I would like to have a more well-rounded opinion of Sebastian because the concept of him is interesting; he's this chantry brother who is also a prince, but his family was murdered so he puts up a bounty on the chantry board [which admittedly is SO funny] and his companion quests are about avenging his family and helping him decide if he should take back his lands or remain a chantry brother. But then I talk to him, I listen to him talk to the other companions, and it's like... oh, the chantry has become his entire personality because the dude was brainwashed and now he's saying shit like the maker was actually the one who freed Fenris from slavery, and when Fenris tells him a story about how Denarius killed a child in a ritual for more power, Sebastian just doubles down that the maker has his reasons, like....babe, c'mon now.
I feel like I've read pieces about him written by fans who love him that are more compellingly written than he is, if that makes sense. Really, I would love to be educated by those who love him, especially Sebastian romancers because of all the love interests in all of DA, he's the one I look at and go, "....okay but why?" I have a lot of fun with character discussions and other perspectives so I mean that sincerely.
Also I think it's worth noting that when I play, I tend to get super into the roleplay of my warden/hawke/inquisitor, but while they have party members they can't stand, I have opinions that are separate from them, y'know?
For example, since I've talked about it a lot recently, my mage Hawke and Aveline butt heads constantly. By the end of Act 3, they're rivalry is heated and Ed's surprised Aveline even sided with him in the end because THAT is how much their relationship deteriorated over the course of the game... but then there's my warrior Hawke who adored Aveline. The two of them were best friends and Aris always gave her the benefit of the doubt, like she had Aveline's back through and through.
I've complained about Aveline a lot in my posts so it probably does sound like I can't stand her, but that's not true. Aveline's actually a companion that fascinates me, like she makes me go, "God, you're such an asshole, tell me more right now." and it drives me crazy how she and Carver are foils, like I love it so much, I could go on and on about how foiled they are, it makes me want to bite something.
It's very easy to look at Aveline and think she's just a bitch, she's a cop, she's a bad character, #Aveline-critical, bad companion, etc. I see it all the time, and not just with her, but with every companion in dragon age, y'know? I'm not saying that's wrong or anything; some characters just don't vibe with you or you have legit reasons for hating them and that's fine. I'm just saying some of it's very surface level unless you make the effort to elaborate.
If you don't like a character, you're less likely to make an effort to understand or see anything positive about them. You're more likely to have confirmation bias, so whenever they do or say anything, you go looking for the worst interpretation. I try not to do this just because for me, that's the "boring" approach to games like this but as we've seen, I'm not immune either... y'know, Sebastian.
But Carver gets this a lot, too, and I think I've made myself clear that Carver is my favorite, I love him, the Hawke twins are S-tier companions and I would throw everyone in Kirkwall into the ocean if it meant Bethany and Carver's happiness.
Now that I'm thinking about it, the characters a lot of fans can't stand are some of my favorites?
Like a lot of people shit on Sera, and I'm like "Nah, that's my girl! Listen, she's got a LOT of internalized issues, but we're working through them okay! She's getting better!"
And Vivienne? Oh, don't get me started on Vivienne, I have a whole deal about her. She's also an asshole and I love her.
My canon inquisitor is Surana who escaped the circle and joined the dalish, becoming Lavellan. Vivienne is a reflection of what Ash could've been if she hadn't run away with Jowan. She played the game of the circle, she stepped wherever she needed to step because Ash knew she was at a disadvantage by being an elf, for one, and for two, not coming from a family with wealth that would give her special privileges. Her downfall was buying into her own hype and believing she couldn't be wrong about Jowan, believing that she could either prevent them from making him tranquil or help him and Lily run away, and believing she was above punishment because she worked her way into being Irving's favorite. Yet it all bit her in the ass and she had to run… so then years later after living outside of the circle and realizing just what the chantry is, how it conditions and abuses mages and shit, she meets Vivienne who also played the game well and came out on top, who now spouts the same shit Ash used to spout and it's makes their dynamic sooo chewable.
Then there's Cullen who's not a companion but I lump him and Josephine in with the companions anyway. They're advisors, they're in the inner circle, they count.
He's such a spineless ass in DA2 like believe me, I get all the criticisms he gets... but he's also fairly polite to Hawke even if they're openly anti-templar, he's softer spoken, and he's unwell after what happened to him in DAO and Meredith's clearly taking advantage of his state... but then he becomes an advisor in DAI who is so done with people's bullshit and blatantly honest about it, like he looks at Chancellor Roderick like "this fucking guy again" and he's so ready to just go for it, y'know? Well... unless you're a pretty lady who bats her eyes at him, then suddenly he doesn't know how words work. Like sometimes I feel crazy because I find him to be so funny in DAI, and overall a compelling character that I enjoy interacting with even when he's being a total asshole. Yeah, there's issues in his writing but I appreciate the vision the writers were going for, even if they stumbled... except for Sheryl Chee, I don't appreciate her contribution of those few posts on the DA forums that everyone uses as a smoking gun to "prove" awful things about him. Nothing gets under my skin more in character discussions than bad faith arguments and there's so much of that when it comes to Cullen.
Actually, while we're on that, can I just add a note that when I first got into this fandom, I saw someone's post about Chee doing an interview where she said all those bad things about Cullen wanting to assault the mage warden and I was like, "What? An interview? What interview?? Where??" and I couldn't find shit until much later when I read another anti-Cullen post that cited a DA forum as the source for her saying those things... so not an interview. I went digging for the forum, went into the way back machine to find it.... only to discover that this smoking gun comes from a fanfiction forum where Mary Kirby was also talking about Sten and catgirls and y'all expect me to take that seriously?
We can have discussions about whether or not Cullen's a bad person or a bad character, but the moment you bring Sheryl Chee into it, I know you're here in bad faith and your argument is void.
Sorry for the tangent and the long answer but this is the stuff I enjoy. I could talk about the characters of DA for ages unprompted that when someone does throw me a bone, I will discuss and gush about them all.
#asks#dragon age#dao#da2#dai#sebastian vael#aveline vallen#carver hawke#dai sera#cullen rutherford#vivienne de fer#i have to stop myself before i go on tangents about morrigan and wynne and anders and isabela and merrill and dorian and varric and-#literally everyone sksksks i can't help it#also on the flip side of this type of discussion i also love looking at characters that most people adore and discussing their flaws#like i love alistair he's my favorite companion in dao BUT it's easy to forgot that he can be just as petty and selfish too y'know?#if you don't execute loghain he can straight up just abandon you and leave and you'll find him in da2 as a drunk like... babe really left#and let you deal with the blight because he was so blinded by revenge and thirst for loghain's death and that's not great??#not really something that gets brought up because it's unflattering it's an ugly part of his character but it's there mingling with the goo#and if you have a good relationship with him but don't know how he'll react when you spare loghain that can be devastating too#but it's also super understandable WHY he reacts like that WHY he leaves even if it's a selfish move on his part and hurts you#i dunno i think sometimes we're scared to talk about the ugly parts of our favorite characters because we love them#and don't want them to be wrong especially in fandom with a lot of pissing matches and bad faith arguments y'know?#i dunno this is my spiel of the night: i love all my companions except sebastian who is just a character that exists to me#i wasn't joking when i said i'd like to be enlighted about sebby and his romance like....... explain elaborate educate
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"Why does everything need to be Gay now it's so shallow to make men attracted to each other when they could be Pure Platonic Friends -"
oops sorry I can't hear you over the sound of me Doing What I Want Forever because I have been watching movies, TV, and animation since the 80s and have watched enough shallow heterosexual romances that would have been stronger as mlm-wlw solidarity friendships to fill the space between stars in a galaxy
#also 1) friends can fuck each other so you're not safe especially since gay guys do this a lot#2) why can't there be a cast with MANY mlm characters where some are strictly friends and some are partners#(bc this is a real thing that happens in the real world shocker I know but sometimes friend groups have several mlm folks)#3) as an aromantic vaguely ace spec person I get the need for good platonic relationships#but uh queer people reading mlm romance into something (often based on their own experiences or representation needs)#that creators refuse to delve into#or god forbid writing it into their own work#IS NOT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM HERE#i can't believe it's the year of our lord 2024 and i am still seeing this thinly veiled homophobic take everywhere#2006 called and it wants its 'I don't wish evil on gays but i dont condone their gay stuff' attitude back#Also when I think about all the shows and movies that came from source material with wlw or mlm characters who were all but TOTALLY erased#Or I think about media about queer historical figures who were utterly straightwashed or had their queerness demonized#or reduced to a footnote or Non Controversial background noise#My rage about this increases like 10000 fold#Anyway TLDR ultimately I fall under the mlm umbrella and that's part of the reason I write the shit I do and I'm not the only one#And I write cheeky posts about it but I actually am genuinely disturbed sometimes at this sentiment#Because no one says it outright but there's this massive undercurrent of an assumption that we don't exist#And we don't create#And we don't create things FOR OURSELVES not even bc precisely because of all the times we were told#'Well that's not really marketable so if you want to see it maybe you should create it yourself'#I feel like I'm talking to a wall here DOES NO ONE ELSE GET ANGRY ABOUT THIS#LIKE HOMOPHOBIA ISN'T OVER YET#ESPECIALLY NOT FOR MLM PEOPLE WHO AREN'T CIS AND WHITE#Like stop calling sex and/or romance shallow when it's gay and SUSPICIOUSLY 0 OTHER TIMES oh my fucking god
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rxttenfish · 1 year
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tbh tho this is EXACTLY what merfolk relationships look like
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and they just keep track of this. in their heads. all the time.
#all the care guide says is 'biomass'#they dont have gendered pronouns but they do have tone modifiers for every other fucking word depending on their relationship to the other#and their mood. and if theyre referring to multiple people at once or just one person. and often layered on top of each other too.#merfolk have poor vision but they DO inherently think of things in a more ''three dimensional'' way than we do#considering they live underwater and youre operating with another axis just to move around anywhere#which then gets applied to the rest of their everything#ESPECIALLY language because theyre nerds who went hard into the sound focus#their visual art in comparison has simpler elements than ours (but a lot more focus on light/movement)#this is why merfolk have some very unique spellcrafts and theyre notorious for complicated and detailed spellwork#like yes a part of it is the fact that theyre older than the other species and have had more time to work on it#but also they can just DO really unique things compared to other cultures because they emphasize layered detail in this way#this is also why - from the outside - so much of miranda's job looks like parties and balls and attending to the courts#because again. its all about the emphasis on who has what relationship with who and how to operate within that.#legal agreements are multilayered and come with terms and conditions a mile long and you need to have a very careful hand on the pulse#of all of this#even moreso because royal families go even harder with treating the lineage as the individual and the merfolk#as just limbs and organs of this equation#this is why it was so important that miranda be good at manipulation and speaking and just *charismatic*#literally making people do what she wants or needs them to do is just what makes the merkingdom GO and operate#and why she (and the other royals) occupy a space a little like a public performer does as well#and why royals showing personal favor and having close personal relationships is frowned upon as#mixing pleasure and business#since those relationships ARE their business and so much of the underlying politics#if youre showing undue favor to someone because you personally just like them then you aren't judging them based off of actual talent#merfolk complicated! merkingdom complicated!#(the merkingdom is also SUPER fucked up but thats tangential from this tangent)
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cogentranting · 10 months
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A book I read earlier this year made a claim that "motherhood is discussed in fewer than 3 per cent of papers, journal articles or textbooks on modern gender theory" and I wasn't able to verify their statistic but that idea sat with me (and certainly experientially the idea that modern feminism and gender theory drastically undervalue motherhood feels accurate) and so when I heard an old comment from an actress about being tired of playing wives and mothers it had a different ring to it. And I think that A. the problem isn't portraying wives and mothers it's a shallow conception of what those things are and B. maybe we need not less wives and mothers but more husbands and fathers and C. Once Upon a Time was doing something really right with Emma Swan.
#and obviously there's the importance of valuing singleness and realizing that not everyone is going to be in a relationship (and therefore#not going to be a spouse or a parent) and that's good#and that we have individuality outside of our roles#BUT.#and this is the big thing#I think our roles are a bigger part of our identity than we would like to think#and so what a lot of conversations do is flatten out the concept of wife or mother to be just a cardboard cutout to fill the role#and so its seen as if you take a woman and make her a wife and/or a mother you rob her of her individuality and limit her#and on the flip side men are kind of pushed away from their respective roles because they are seen as confining#and i think both can be attributed in large part to toxic radical individualism that is so prevalent in america/the west#that demands that you must be cut free of any of those ties and defined solely by yourself#but we are inherently made in connection to others#and we do ourselves great harm by believing that those roles of how we relate to (and serve) others diminish us#in reality they build us up and make us more than we could be individually#and i think even in singleness there's a common element that can be seen in the concept of what it is to be a wife/husband#or a mother/father in how we relate to people in general#for instance i think in all good authority there is an element of either the maternal or the paternal#and yeah big asterisk on that statistic because the book cited the article she got it from but the article does not cite where they got it
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