#so i. feel like that should have some ramifications for her likely ability to do social modeling and give actually good advice

[unopenablebox]

unfortunately those Cutting and Deep h3ather havril3sky ask polly "here's why you're lonely/here's the empathy failure holding you back" excerpts everyone loves to post

are just permanently recontextualized for me by her series of op-eds about how everyone in her family is an incomprehensible one-dimensional pod beast with completely unlovable preferences for things like "starbucks drinks" and "conversations about their lives", which she tolerates, with enormous difficulty, only through a sense of duty and a bunch of rationalizations about how actually it makes her sexier and cooler that she's willing to endure it

#like. i don't actually know enough about the typical content of one of her Actually You're Failing To Do This Empathetic Basic Mental Action #And That's Why You Have No Friends In Your Thirties and/or Are Constantly Beating Yourself Up For Things columns #because i'm a little generically allergic to that kind of thing #but the excerpts seemed pretty reasonable? sensible people i respect like them? the written content was always the kind of thing that seems #like something a reasonable person might form as a generalized observation based on their social experiences? #but uh. she DOES have an op ed about how listening to her husband tell her about the walk he went on is an experience she only gets through #by imagining that tolerating it makes her beautiful and feminine by contrast to his grizzled broken-down Man Nature #so i. feel like that should have some ramifications for her likely ability to do social modeling and give actually good advice #box opener

[iron-touch]

"But the world’s an ugly place. Buttering up the truth with ideas of fate, like we’re all pulled in by gravity to some predetermined result no matter what we do, doesn’t make it any better."

Read Iron Touch, a JoJo fanpart starring Polnareff’s daughter, Michelle, after Passione’s Stand arrow is stolen.

Official synopsis and the start of Chapter 1 below the cut:

Official synopsis:

May 19th, 2009: the unthinkable has happened—Passione's prized Stand arrow has been stolen. The perpetrators appear to be a group of unidentified Stand users hiding their faces behind masquerade masks. Giorno suspects who one of the thieves may be, and it's the last person Polnareff wanted to get involved.

Or, in which Polnareff’s daughter goes on her own wacky quest and learns some self-love along the way. Hol Horse is there too, though he'd really rather not be.

Chapter 1: Revelations

Giorno had always considered himself to be a fairly competent man.

To most people, competent was an understatement; a blatant example of unwarranted modesty. From the members of Passione who had witnessed his growth as a leader firsthand to the rival gangs across the globe he had crushed underfoot to the kind old ladies he always offered help to, competent didn’t even come close to expressing Giorno’s natural ability to adapt to and overcome any obstacle that stood in his way. Even before having been blessed by the power of Requiem and thrust into the position of mafia boss at the ripe old age of 15, everyone had considered him to be wise beyond his years, complimented by street smarts and a silver tongue. Yes, competent was usually a perfectly acceptable way to describe Giorno Giovanna.

So it only made moments like this, where Giorno felt so completely incompetent, all the more embarrassing.

He still had a hard time believing that such a thing had happened right under his nose. A childish part of him prayed that none of this was real, that it was a nightmare or some kind of twisted joke set up by Mista as vengeance for putting him in a team of four on his last mission. The embarrassment of being so incompetent was already bad enough, but the potential ramifications for this one error were far more daunting.

Someone had stolen the arrow.

An uncomfortable, almost itchy feeling coursed through Giorno's body at the thought, like a snake slithering up his back and threatening to bite his neck. He fluffed the pillow behind him, swatting at it. This was wrong. It was all wrong. The room inside Coco Jumbo was supposed to be a place of cozy isolation, a place where he could relax and decompress between missions, not a place for him to have a borderline panic attack in. He hadn't felt this way since he was a child, hiding under his bead from his stepfather's screeching threats and leather belt. Although, no amount of privacy could spare him from the shame he felt. Nor should it, the arrow was Giorno's responsibility after all. It was his duty to get it back.

Besides, he wasn't completely alone.

Whilst Giorno sat on the couch fluffing pillows, Polnareff paced around the room's exterior. The cheap prosthetic legs that adorned his stumps never failed to catch Giorno's eye. It just looked strange for him to be walking around on them, like they ought to give out under the weight of the rest of his body. In lieu of the usual cheeky "my eyes are up here" response Giorno usually got for staring, he only got the faint sound of his footsteps clanging against the floor. Slight as it may be, the metallic sound of each step made Giorno's stomach turn. If only I got there sooner, he thought, if only I had gotten to the colosseum before Diavolo that night, I might've been able to restore your legs. If only I had got there sooner, you might still be alive and not chained to this room.

Even through his unkempt hair, wrinkled suit, and heavy bags that weighed his eyelids down, Giorno admitted that Polnareff undoubtedly looked worse than he did. All of his frustration was laid bare on his face; his brows arched upwards, eyes unfocused yet brimming with inner conflict as he surveyed the room, the occasional vexed sigh escaping his lips. Considering everything that Polnareff did in order to keep the arrow away from those who would misuse it, his reaction was justified. Additionally, when considering other recent revelations, Giorno figured that he would be just as distressed as Polnareff were he in his prosthetics. Tired of pacing around the same four corners, the Frenchman flumped into one of the armchairs and laid his head in his hands.

"Would you like to go over everything again?" Giorno asked mostly because the useless silence between them tired him. "Now that we've had the chance to sleep on it, we may discover something we had overlooked before."

After taking a deep breath to steel himself, Polnareff lowered his arms but did not look up to meet Giorno's gaze. "That sounds like a good idea," he responded.

Nodding in approval, Giorno began to sort through the mess of documents laying on the coffee table. The regretful, lingering stare Polnareff kept on two of the papers that had been brushed to the side did not go unnoticed as Giorno attempted to line up all of the relevant files in front of them.

“So,” Giorno began, “Tuesday, May 19th, 2009.” He shook away the self-reproach clawing through his thoughts. It had already been three days. “At 3:47 AM, a suspicious man was seen loitering outside of our base of operation. Tall, pale skin, mint green hair. Armed with a Desert Eagle.” In one of the images taken from the security footage, the man sneered at the camera, cigarette clenched between his pearly whites. Giorno couldn’t help but scowl his cheekiness. “He stayed outside the building, standing at the corner of the sidewalk by himself for eight minutes. At 3:55, two other individuals joined him, both wearing dark blue masquerade masks and hooded robes. Both are shorter than the other man, but given how tall he is, that doesn’t narrow anything down.”

He slumped back into the sofa. “It bothers me that only two of them made an attempt to disguise themselves,” he commented, “The fact that he got there first seems to suggest that he’s either their leader or a decoy. Given what ended up happening, I’d say it’s the latter, but,” Giorno glared at the knowing look that the man had flashed at the camera, “I have my doubts.”

He looked up at Polnareff, waiting for his consigliere to give his thoughts. About six seconds of silence passed before Giorno cleared his throat to summon Polnareff’s attention away from the stray documents. It took another moment or so after that for him to register that Giorno expected his input, after which he sat up a bit straighter and finally let his eyes scan over the other papers.

“He could’ve just been full of himself,” Polnareff added, his stare wandering back to those same two papers, “not every man is as committed to keeping themselves hidden as Diavolo was.”

“But you would think that he would at least be someone we knew if that were the case,” Giorno rebutted, “like someone from a rival gang or someone with the government. If he was someone new who wanted to make himself known, he did a laughably poor job.” Giorno grabbed an autopsy report from the table. “We have this man’s corpse but not so much as his name.”

Polnareff sighed. “That is also true,” he said, his voice tired.

“Either way, I had Sheila E use her Stand on the street corner the three of them waited at, as well as the rest of the area to see if they talked about anything. Unfortunately, it seems that they were prepared for that.” Giorno rested his thumb and pointer finger on his chin, deep in thought. “That alone is enough to raise suspicion. And, along with the fact that they knew exactly where the arrow was hidden, then as much as I hate to say it, at least one of the perpetrators could be someone from within Passione.” The very thought of a traitor within their ranks brought about a suffocating tension to the room. Giorno could practically hear Diavolo’s mad laughter ringing in his ears; how ironic that both of them would be undone by one of their underlings.

“We shouldn't forget that we've taken precautions in order to make sure that’s not the case.” At this point, Giorno was all but talking to himself. “It could just be that whoever we’re dealing with is very cautious. Even within Passione, most of our members don’t know the Stands of those outside their own teams. Sheila and her teammates are my bodyguards, if I can trust anyone, it’s them.” He hoped so at least, especially given that Giorno had left Mista in charge of affairs in his absence. “Their alibis are also—”

A sudden bump in the road caused the room to jolt. The papers on the table scattered on impact, turning the organized mess into a more standard one. Shaken from his trance, Polnareff nearly jumped out of his own ethereal skin from the unexpected force. Giorno sighed and began to reorganize the papers. After taking a moment to gather his bearings, Polnareff assisted him.

"Giorno," he said, putting some papers back in their folder for known suspects, "I understand we're traveling incognito, but we really should consider taking more comfortable means of transport in the future."

Giorno laid the timeline out once again and grabbed the basket of fruit that sat on the end table. "This was the best I could get for us under such short notice." He began to lay out the fruit on top of the papers, giving them extra weight to pin them in place. "I don't need to tell you that traveling via plane in these types of situations is a bad idea."

Polnareff observed Giorno take the two papers that called for his gaze and place them in his coat pocket.

Before he could interject, Giorno continued speaking. "Now then," he said, brushing some stray curls behind his ear, "at 4 AM sharp, our building lost power. Our security cameras, smoke detectors, laser grids…all of it shut down. We were the only building in the area to experience a power outage. Sometime soon after, the thieves blew a hole through the side of the building, about two meters tall and two meters wide, and broke in. Shards of glass were found near the scene even though all of our windows remained intact through the ordeal."

Giorno returned his attention back to the timeline. "From this point on the details are a little fuzzy, but we do know a few things for certain." He removed the apple weighing down the stack of autopsy reports, simultaneously taking the papers and a bite from the apple. "Eleven of the twelve guards on duty were killed via electrocution. The only guard who survived, his name was Mente Vettore, shot the green haired man four times in the head, just outside the hidden room where we keep the arrow. He died on the spot and never even removed his gun from his holster."

He took another bite of the apple. "Vettore fired two more shots, hitting the wall and a chair, but he didn't seem to hit the other two assailants. He would've had four more shots left, but there’s no evidence to suggest he fired any more bullets. Around the same time, another hole was blown in the wall, revealing our hidden vault. Just like with the other hole, shards of broken glass were found by the impact. The vault we kept the arrow stored in was also destroyed. At 4:15, the power came back on, and the two masked assailants were already long gone. Vettore has also gone missing. We arrived at the scene ten minutes later."

Giorno picked up the profiles of the two masked assailants they had drafted up. "From what I can tell, the power outage must've been caused by a Stand. That same Stand is probably what electrocuted the guards. My guess is that it's a Stand with the ability to steal electricity, store it, then channel it somehow. I don't think it's what blew holes in the walls though. I think a different Stand did that, and it's likely linked to the broken glass in some way." He placed the profiles down and retrieved an autopsy report. "Interestingly enough, the man with green hair doesn't seem to be a Stand user. We couldn't gleam anything else of note from his autopsy. His fingerprints have been sanded off, his blood and face don't match up with any on record, we couldn't even discern where his clothes are from."

Trading the autopsy report for a mission log, he choked down yet another bite of the apple. “I had Murolo send All Along Watchtower out for reconnaissance. He spotted the arrow yesterday just outside of Orléans, carried by another masked individual. We don't know if they're one of the thieves or someone else. They were headed north towards Paris, which is where we’re on our way to now.”

Taking a final bite of his apple, Giorno looked up to his consigliere. "So," he said, "do you have anything to add, Polnareff?"

He took a moment to examine the mess of papers, reorienting himself so he faced them head on as he ran a hand through his column of silver hair. Polnareff still seemed unfocused, perhaps even more so than before, though Giorno noticed that he made an obvious effort to hide it.

"We should've kept the arrow in the turtle," Polnareff quipped.

Giorno shook his head. "It would've been a bad idea to keep it here. It was starting to affect the turtle. We wouldn't have felt those tremors earlier if we had never put the arrow in here. This would've been the perfect hiding place for the arrow, but it's not worth risking sacrificing you over."

Staring at the ceiling, Polnareff groaned with uncertainty. "I guess," he muttered.

For a while, the two of them just stayed like that, with Polnareff's sights fixated upwards and Giorno looking back at him with concern. Only the faint sound of the engine and the occasional cluck of a chicken bleeding into the room from outside accompanied them. Though he normally strived for this quiet, almost contemplative atmosphere, Giorno figured it wouldn’t do to leave off the conversation like this. It was time to address the elephant in the room.

"There's also the subject of your family…"

Polnareff instantly locked eyes with Giorno, ready and alert. Chuckling at his immediate shift in attitude, Giorno pulled the two papers from his coat pocket, reading the names at the top.

MARYLOU POLNAREFF, NÉE DELON (DECEASED)

MICHELLE POLNAREFF (AGE 17, STATUS UNKNOWN)

"I can't believe you hid the fact that you have a wife and daughter for eight years," Giorno commented, shaking his head in disbelief.

(Alright, that’s enough from me. Now go read the rest on AO3)

#iron touch #jojo fanfic #jojo's bizarre adventure #jjba #jojo oc #JoJo fankid #jean pierre polnareff #giorno giovanna #hol horse #he’s there too! and he’s important! #stardust crusaders #vento aureo #golden wind #polnareff headcanons

[vitasexualiiis]

i have literally been unpacking the fukuchi/fukuzawa situation since watching last night and while i feel sorry for fukuchi and i empathize with him and his motives, i still highkey do not LIKE him.

now that we've seen the culmination of his arc, i was right that his major M.O./character trait is to deny people choice, even IF denying people choice is to save them. using the book. using one order. fucking with literal time and space to negate the choices of OTHERS.

and then finally what he pulled with fukuzawa at the end there.

and like? that behavior is SUPER antithetical to BSD's anti-authoritarian core themes as a whole. think about dazai's speech to kyouka...that the only thing people truly have is the ability to make choices and to agonize over those choices.

even by LITERALLY DYING, he's denied fukuzawa the right to choose his role in this. even if fukuzawa can't kill him, he'll die anyway, and burden fukuzawa with a role he DOES NOT WANT, and a choice that he KNOWS will cause him immeasurable pain.

and seriously??? i don't think he would leave that choice to fukuzawa unless he knew there was a high chance fukuzawa would go through with his plan.

(hell, fukuchi's entire relationship with teruko--his closest confidant, the only OTHER person he seems to trust--is based in unwavering, unquestioning loyalty. to the point where she'll kill him JUST because he ordered her to, in spite of the fact that this is literally the last thing she wants to do.)

and like...i definitely don't think the ramifications of fukuchi's actions are over yet whatsoever. like, shit. obviously.

if anything, i think the theme of choice is going to come back around big time. fukuzawa has, uh, some big decisions to make lmao, and i'm hoping that more rational characters like dazai and mori have some bearing on those choices.

more than anything, i'm hoping that ranpo finally asserts himself with fukuzawa and pushes him toward an answer that doesn't involve self-sacrifice.

(this is going to get messy...i'll be surprised if it doesn't.)

i think the best outcome here is the story playing with the idea that humanity is collaborative. no one person should EVER have the power to control others. our actions effect each other, for better or worse. we all deserve to have a say in what happens.

that's literally baked into fukuzawa's character! he says it on screen RIGHT before this happens! so to see him struggling with this is...concerning and painful, even though i genuinely think (I HOPE???) he'll make a rational choice here. even if it's a struggle to make.

but...idk. yeah. i feel sorry for fukuchi, i really do, but i don't think he's a good guy in this story by a longshot.

#fukufuku #fukuchi #fukuzawa #bsd meta #bsd s5 #bsd spoilers #im unpacking!!! there's a lot to unpack!!! #fukuchi is one of those characters where its like...man i just cannot get behind him. i like that he's sympathetic but also like #he's the worst?? he's absolutely the worst. #he's got like all of mori's and dazai's controlling behaviors turned up to eleven with NONE of the self-awareness!!! #also i am bracing myself for an increase in authoritarian left fascism discourse in the BSD fandom lmao #i exactly don't trust the “kill urself prosh*pper” fandom to not be like #''uhmm fukuchi is right and fascism is good actually if it controls and eliminates Bad Guys aka the ppl i dont like :)" #wow that got heavy there lmao #anyway i feel ~insane~ how are all of you holding up??

[scriibble-fics]

Is Bought abandoned. Or will you return some other time later? I hope you do continue. It has the best characterisation of Lily

I've received, with no exaggeration, at least a few dozen asks almost identical to this. I won't bore you all with posting them all, but hopefully this will answer the question. Read on or don't, but this is the last time I'll probably talk about this for a while. I neither expect a response to this nor particularly want one, tbh. Please don't leave me hate.

Inspiration is difficult enough under the best of circumstances; inspiration under fraught circumstances comes even more difficultly. Watching Bought and fics like it explode the Jily fandom several months ago really upset my ability to write for a long while. I'm only now getting back into the swing of it. A lot of that came from really nasty, vitriolic abuse I received in my inbox that I'll never post because it never should have been sent. I think that sort of reaction, sent repeatedly to any author, would probably discourage even the strongest of writers.

I still think Bought and fics like it have a place in the fandom and deserve creation. I also think that people are well within their rights to dislike them and not want to read them or interact with the people who create them. In the very first chapter, I was explicit about the content of the story for that very reason--so people understood the plot and the triggers and could make their own decision based on their own life experiences as to if they wanted to engage or not. I don't think the people who were offended were wrong; I also don't think that the people who enjoyed reading it--or, in my case, writing it--were wrong either. I do think it's wrong to spew hate at anyone regardless of what "side" of this they fall on--and I hate that there are sides, because I consider fandom a place where people should be able to create and interact as they see fit without feeling targeted one way or another.

I know I came to this space in 2020 as a place of healing after I lost my parents, and it's meant a lot to me to have a space of escape from the ongoing legal and personal ramifications that still continue. Although that's my personal story, I know a lot of people also see this as a safe space and I'd never want to contribute to taking that away from them. But the only person who knows what makes a space safe for you is you. (A general 'you,' obviously, anon.) There are things frequently discussed in fandom that I purposefully avoid. As a sexual assault survivor, I don't engage with fics that deal with any sort of theme of sexual assault. It's not good for me and I know it, but I think those fics have a purpose--even those that might glorify it, which was an accusation frequently given towards the fictional, magical racism in Bought (although I could write an entire separate essay about why I don't think that's true). I curate my experience accordingly, because only I know my triggers, and what upsets me might not upset another sexual assault survivor or another woman or another reader generally. I'm not trying to say that fictional sexual assault and fictional racism are the same, just as their real-life counterparts are not. What I'm trying to say is that your life experiences and triggers and squicks are valid, but only you know what they are.

As an author, I feel a responsibility to warn you about what you're going to consume before you get into a fic, which is a courtesy that most traditional media doesn't extend. As a reader--or a follower or a member of the community--I view it as your responsibility to decide if you want to engage or follow or interact. If not, please block me. It doesn't and never has hurt my feelings. In fact, I'm all about it. Protect your mental health and make this space safe and happy and enjoyable for you.

I still really love Bought. I love Lily's courage and her internal conflict and the sheer messiness of the entire situation. I love the idea of redeeming a man who irl doesn't deserve redemption, and I think that there can be learning done in seeing a fictional character come to reckoning for the choices they've made in a way that most people irl will never face. I think there's catharsis in that. I hope to come back to Bought someday, although not now. If and when that happens, I hope the people who find the fic distasteful will have taken steps to keep my content from reaching them, just as I hope that the people who enjoy it will be excited to see it return. That's it, really.

#scriibble scribbles on writing #Bought #no need to respond

[callsign-bunnie]

Chapter 2 (A magic users AU)

Rodolfo is left to deal with the ramifications of not being listened to. It worked out in the end, but not for him. However, he discovers a new ability given to him by the predicament.

--

Soap sighed, watching Alejandro pace. Rodolfo was with healers in the infirmary. They’d already started to get the base back to full function, even though a lot of it was just blown up. “Will the higher ups say anything?”

“No, they’ll have us send an invoice for repairs and then continue to ignore us. As long as whatever we do is contained to Las Almas, they don’t care.” Alejandro said, finally slamming down into a chair.

“What about Valeria?” Soap frowned.

“She assaulted a military officer. Keeping her detained will be no issue.” Alejandro waved his hand.

Soap nodded and then finally sat as well. “Will Rodolfo be okay?”

Alejandro tensed. “He’ll live. Okay is… subjective. He’s fully healed, just… scarred. No one but Valeria can remove the sigil.” He was calm but Soap knew enough about him to know he was five seconds away from snapping.

Soap nodded a little. “I see.” He didn’t know much about sigils beyond what the basic ones do. “Will you be okay?”

“I am…” Alejandro clenched his hands into fists, his tattoos starting to glow. But then he just sighed and his shoulders dropped. “Angry. Rodolfo was right. I didn’t listen. I was grasping for straws.”

“It worked. Graves was detained. Valeria has been arrested again.” Soap offered, trying to reassure Alejandro.

“At the expense of my pair. I’ll be lucky if he ever forgives me.” Alejandro shook his head. “The only time he questions me. And he still ends up right. He’s been right about everything for most of my life.”

Soap frowned. He thought of Rodolfo. Rodolfo wasn’t talkative unless you asked a question he wanted to answer. During Valeria’s interrogation, he’d sat silently and listened. The most he had done was mute Alejandro so he wouldn’t kill Valeria.

Even when breaking Alejandro out, Rodolfo had been nothing but calculated. Even still, he doubted Rodolfo was always right. But… this was the worst time for him to be right. “You two are damn near opposites.” Soap offered, now trying to distract him.

Alejandro laughed, softly. “Completely. The Vaqueros call him my impulse control.” He shrugged. “I can think of so many times I almost burnt out and he stopped it. He can’t afford to be reckless with his own life, you know? But I… I can be with mine.” He leaned back in his seat.

Soap frowned. “No one should be reckless with their life. But… if you die, it won’t kill Rodolfo?”

Alejandro shook his head. “No. My… power has no real grasp on his own. I can force him to magnify me if I really wanted to, but it’s violating. I would never do that.”

Soap could imagine having your power triggered without wanting it to be fairly violating. “Do you mind telling me more about the bonding process? Rodolfo kind of talked about it but he’s a little cagey.”

“Don’t take it personal, he’s just like that.” Alejandro nodded. “And, sure. I am still surprised that it hasn't caught on over there. Bonding is different for every pair. Really, it’s just our energies grabbing onto each other and intertwining. We have to want to. Hence the need for an emotional connection. You need to go through an intimate action together. Some have sex, some do it on accident when one is dying and the other saves them, it’s just something intimate.” Alejandro shrugged.

“What did you two do?” Soap frowned, unsure what would really be intimate enough between two friends. 

Alejandro winced. “Look, before I say this, you need to understand, Rodolfo and I are…” He looked to be grappling for words. “It was my idea.”

Soap raised an eyebrow, now concerned. He could only imagine what would be so bad it had Alejandro feeling the need to justify himself, first.

Alejandro sighed, looking away. “We had sex.”

Soap blinked and then started to laugh. “Oh, that’s it?? I was worried you stabbed him or something. Just sex??”

Alejandro seemed embarrassed. “Well, it was the easiest option, in my mind.”

Soap suddenly stopped laughing, remembering Rodolfo had also had to bond with Valeria. “Rodolfo has fucked Valeria?!” He exclaimed.

Alejandro winced. “That is something I try not to think about too hard. From what I’ve heard… against my will from Valeria… Valeria fucked him.”

Soap stared at Alejandro for a moment. Oh, that was going to take a while to get out of his mind. “I know too many things about Rodolfo, now.” He groaned. He wanted to continue to learn about bonding, though. “Rodolfo mentioned that… the first month was hell for you guys. That they tested your bond at every opportunity.”

“Yes, it’s necessary to make sure it won’t break. The first month is the safest because if it does snap, we both could make it out okay.” Alejandro nodded. He seemed to grow a little distant. “Hell is an understatement. We fought a lot. Rodolfo had to be tortured so I could adjust to the feeling.”

“The feeling?” Soap frowned.

Alejandro nodded. “I can feel it. When Valeria was burning his neck, you noticed I knew immediately. I could feel it on my own neck. When Graves stabbed him, I felt that too. It’s not painful, but it’s uncomfortable.”

Soap had been surprised how Alejandro seemed to just know Rodolfo was in trouble. “How uncomfortable?”

“Deeply. I’m able to ignore it, now, but in the beginning, I struggled to contain my own power. It’s… like something is pressing. I want it to stop.” Alejandro sighed. “To be bonded is to suffer together.”

Soap frowned. “How… romantic?” He tried. “Explains why most of the pairs I’ve seen are straight.”

Alejandro shrugged and went quiet. “Romantic doesn’t begin to cover it.” 

Soap hadn’t quite expected Alejandro to admit that. He smiled. “Rodolfo makes it sound like you are just friends.”

“I don’t think we could ever truly be just friends.” Alejandro shrugged. 

“So you two are… a thing?” Soap raised an eyebrow.

“It’s complicated.” Alejandro sighed. “Our bond messes with more than our connection. It messes with our emotions, our feelings. I worry that if I tried to pursue that, how would I know it’s consensual? I know my pair, he.. Would give up his entire being for me. How could I know he is not giving up his body just because I ask?”

Soap frowned. He didn’t know much about relationships, to be honest. But… that sounded like Rodolfo loved Alejandro. “I don’t know much about relationships or pairs or bonds or anything. But, Rodolfo told us that Elementals choose their Prisms. But Prisms can say no. He made it sound like there was never any thought in his mind but saying yes. You suggested sex to bond, and he said yes?”

Alejandro considered. “He seemed reluctant. But ultimately agreed it was the simplest option. I don’t think either of us could have chosen the other options.”

“And he would give his whole being for you?” Soap asked.

“Yes. I wish he didn’t feel that way. But yes.”

“Would you give yours for him?” Soap raised an eyebrow. 

Alejandro frowned. “Undoubtedly.”

Soap smiled. “I’ve never seen anyone talk about anything the way Rodolfo talks about you. He speaks about you as if you’re the sun.”

Alejandro frowned more and seemed to consider it. “I don’t know.”

Soap shrugged. “Like I said. I don’t know much about those things. But… it kind of sounds like you’d die for Rodolfo. That would be the ultimate sacrifice. But… It sounds like Rodolfo lives for you.”

Rodolfo blinked as he woke up, his eyes having to adjust to the intense light glaring down at him. There was still a dull burn on his neck, but it was able to be ignored. He could still feel that chain, binding him to Valeria. He hated it. It felt disgusting.

He remembered when he was first bound to Alejandro. It was hard, he’d admit. He wasn’t in love with Alejandro, yet, but there was definitely something there. But… constantly feeling attached to him, knowing Alejandro had some kind of power over him, even if Rodolfo had an equal amount back, had been stifling.

This was worse. If Valeria ever got out, she had so much power over him. It felt like a collar on his neck, choking him. He lifted his shirt, touching the raised skin where she’d carved the sigil into his skin. He felt her symbol. He remembered her making it in training. They all had sigils. It represented something but was easy to recreate. Carved into your own skin by your own hand. 

You could bond without them, but some chose to deepen their bond with the sigils. Rodolfo had never been able to stomach the idea. It had made him feel suffocated.

He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, glad to see they’d left his clothes alone. “H… Hello.” He relaxed. Good, she hadn’t fucked up his vocal chords. He stood, stumbling on his feet a little at first, but it seemed the incident had left him no more than violated and scarred.

He knew everyone would be in the meeting room, likely discussing their next steps, so he headed that direction. Sure enough, he could feel Alejandro’s energy as he neared and then could feel everyone else’s when he was right outside the door.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped in.

“Hassan is in Chicago, Valeria confirmed. We only know because she assumed that would send all of us in that direction.” Price was speaking. He stopped when he saw Rodolfo had entered. They were all standing around the meeting table, documents and plans laid out.

Alejandro immediately turned to face him. “You’re awake.”

“Wish I wasn’t.” Rodolfo said, his voice bitter.

Alejandro winced. Everyone kind of glanced between them. It was awkward, Rodolfo knew, but he didn’t care. He went to the table, standing between Soap and Ghost.

Price seemed to hesitate before continuing. “But, with the damage done here, we cannot all fly off in the direction of Chicago. So, we send a group to Chicago to deal with Hassan and uncover the third bomb.”

Alejandro, who had stared at Rodolfo the entire time, nodded. His eyes were clearly on Rodolfo’s neck, and Rodolfo had noticed Gaz and Ghost glance at it a few times as well. “My men will be needed here.” Alejandro stated.

Price nodded. “Hassan is not your problem, Vargas, it is ours.”

“I’ll go.” Ghost spoke up. “I’ll take one person with me. But… two people are not going to cut it.”

Soap seemed to grin. “Well, we know who the obvious pick of the group is.”

“As much as I want to say no to knock that grin off your face, you are the pick. Gaz, you’re better here with Price, doing damage control.” Ghost sighed. Gaz nodded in understanding.

“Who will the third person be?” Price asked, but the way he said it implied he knew.

“I know a man. Ex-military. He’s a mercenary, now. He’s a Summoner with a specialty in insects, and a secondary Spirit ability.” Ghost nodded. “He owes me a favor.”

Rodolfo frowned. He hadn’t met many summoners. Technically, Elementals could be considered Summoners, since they summoned their elements but… it was different. They more summoned… alive things. Plants, animals, the dead… Most that he had heard of were either plants, mammals, or the dead. He’d never heard of someone with an insect speciality. 

“What’s his name?” Soap asked.

“It’s tongue in cheek but Roach.” Ghost shrugged. “I will call him.”

Price nodded and smiled. “Good. Then, it’s settled. Ghost and Soap will meet with Roach in Chicago. They will take down Hassan and then travel back. We will decide the next step once Hassan has been taken down.”

Ghost and Soap left the table, Soap clearly looking like as soon as they were alone, he was going to ask a million questions.

Price nodded and turned back to Alejandro. “I know you lost many men. So has the cartel. But… I know someone. She has experience in these things. She will come to help. And… there is another. Where she goes, he will.” Rodolfo definitely picked up on the way Gaz seemed to perk up. He knew these people. 

Alejandro considered. “If you think she can help, then call her.” He looked exhausted. “Anything to clear this problem, faster. Shepherd burned us, too. As long as Mexico continues to ignore Las Almas, we will help you bring down Shepherd.”

“Thank you.” Price nodded. “I will call her.” He gestured and Gaz followed him away.

Rodolfo avoided Alejandro’s eyes and turned to leave as well. Alejandro immediately rounded the table. “Don’t… Don’t do that.” Alejandro stopped him. “Please, Rudy.”

Rodolfo stayed half facing away from him. “I said… she couldn’t be trusted. I told you. All of you.”

“I’m sorry. I… relied on her still caring about you as a friend enough to not do this.” Alejandro sounded so desperate that Rodolfo almost forgave him. Rodolfo flinched away when Alejandro touched his neck, tears filling his eyes.

Rodolfo didn’t stop Alejandro as he pulled him to his chest, holding him. This was rare but not unheard of. Alejandro tried to be careful with his touch, but he always knew when it was needed. “I’m not gonna let this happen again.”

“I have to go around with this on my neck, forever. She has me on a leash, Alejandro.” Rodolfo took deep breaths, trying not to cry. “She won’t remove it.”

“She will. We’ll make her remove it.” Alejandro nodded. “If I have to skin her alive, she will remove it.”

Rodolfo shook his head, unsurprised Alejandro’s mind went straight to the most gruesome idea. He pulled away. “Even if you manage to make her remove her sigil, my neck…”

Alejandro gently tilted Rodolfo’s head up, inspecting the skin. “It’ll fade.”

“Never completely.” Rodolfo mumbled. He didn’t want to even see it. But he could feel it. He reached up, feeling over the rough skin. “The one on my cheek hasn’t.”

Alejandro’s eyes moved to that and Rodolfo could see the guilt there. He watched Alejandro’s hand retreat and grabbed it again, not wanting him to pull away. “Please don’t.”

Alejandro hesitated before nodding, though he was tense. Rodolfo relaxed. He hesitated. “If you had been the one to make the scar, it would not feel so awful.” He admitted. “I have forgiven you for the other one. I wish… you would forgive yourself.”

“I hurt you because I was careless. Worse because I was angry.” Alejandro shook his head. “I should never have lashed out at you.”

Rodolfo was quiet for a moment. He didn’t like the guilt Alejandro felt. “I forgive you. For Valeria.”

Alejandro frowned. “You shouldn’t. I should have listened to you.”

“You didn’t. It’s too late for should haves…” Rodolfo mumbled, the anger melting out of him. “What are we doing now?”

“We are rebuilding what we can of Las Almas.” Alejandro nodded. “Once Hassan is down, we will be helping the 141 take down Shepherd.”

Rodolfo nodded a little. “We will need to interrogate Graves.”

“Done.” Alejandro nodded. “He… didn’t know anything.”

Rodolfo frowned. “How??”

“Shepherd must have been real close with his information. Need to know, only. We already know everything Graves needed to know.” Alejandro shrugged. “You should rest.”

“There’s things that need to be done.” Rodolfo shook his head.

“They can wait a few hours while you rest.” Alejandro shook his head.

Rodolfo hesitated before nodding. “Fine.” He was exhausted, anyway. 

Rodolfo held onto a glass orb, resting like Alejandro said. These things were created for prisms. They had a small amount of energy from a caster, which Rodolfo could use to practice magnifying and muting. Admittedly, with where his skill level was, he didn’t need it anymore. But, it was nice to idle with.

It’d been given to him by the military, as a part of their training experience. Part of their final stuff was expanding the energy in a giant one the size of a car. No, probably closer to twice that size. Rodolfo had nearly passed out from the effort as they were supposed to expand it beyond the orb.

They’d used Alejandro’s energy for Rodolfo’s orb. So he’d have a tighter bond with him, supposedly. Rodolfo wasn’t sure it actually did anything, but he was willing to pretend. 

Watching the flame dance around in the orb, he carefully expanded it. He didn’t want to set the orb on fire and burn himself, so he kept it small. While he focused on it, he thought over everything. He was still upset that no one listened to him.

Yeah, sure, it was all fine, now. It’d all so conveniently worked out. Valeria was contained, Graves was arrested, and they were all on the right track to get everything worked out. But… No one else had a chain around them, binding them to someone who very clearly wanted him dead. 

No one else had been scarred and violated. Just him. He was the one who didn’t want any of this to happen and he was the one who suffered the worst. Everyone else was completely unscathed. How unfair. How fucking utterly unfair.

Rodolfo really tried not to be bitter. He really did but… look at him! He would never be the same! He had known something horrible would happen and look where it’d gotten him! And… now he knew that Alejandro would not listen when he had concerns. It was one time, but it’d been the most important time. 

Rodolfo stared at the orb, watching the flame dance again. He flinched at a knock on the door and stood, carefully crossing to it. Gaz was standing there, which surprised Rodolfo. “Hey, um-” Gaz seemed awkward. “Some things aren’t adding up. I… want to question Graves myself. Without any of the officials there. He doesn’t seem to respect either of us, so I think he may be more casual.”

Rodolfo frowned. He considered over it. If he played up being scared and vulnerable, Graves likely would not see him as a threat. “Play up that Alejandro didn’t listen to me, and it got me hurt.”

Gaz seemed shocked. “Oh. I didn’t expect you to agree so fast. Hell yeah!” He grinned and then shrugged. “I can do that. Price and Alejandro are out at the moment. They’re scouting Las Almas, looking over the damage. Ghost and Soap are talking to that mercenary on the phone, so… We shouldn’t be interrupted.”

“Good.” Rodolfo nodded a bit and then followed Gaz down to the holding cells where Valeria and Graves were both being held. 

“For the record, I… I’m sorry that happened to you. I should have been more on guard.” Gaz said, when they got to the entrance.

Rodolfo shrugged, not angry at Gaz. “It was a tough situation. Valeria seemed to take a liking to you, I can understand that you let your guard down. I… did as well. You are not at fault here.”

“Alejandro is really tearing himself up.” Gaz hesitated, clearly nervous about saying this. “He won’t show you and… Only really Soap has gotten to see it but he’s so upset. I don’t know him that well, I really don’t. But… He’s very obviously… distraught at what happened.”

Rodolfo had to take a moment to understand what distraught meant. He hadn’t actually heard that word too many times, but he remembered. Deeply upset. He looked over Gaz, tilting his head. Gaz was clearly reluctant to say this. He imagined the poor kid probably wanted to defend Alejandro. Even if he didn’t know him.

Rodolfo took a breath. “Don’t… worry. I’m upset but… I will move on.”

Gaz relaxed. “I will help you get that sigil removed, I promise. Even if I have to skin Valeria to get her to do it.”

Rodolfo was surprised by that statement. Gaz seemed so… tame. He was shocked the kid could manage that sort of animosity. He smiled. “I like you. Let’s do this.”

Gaz nodded and relaxed, smiling and they both finally went to the holding cells. They straight up ignored Valeria. She didn’t seem to notice them come in, anyway. Rodolfo knew she had to have. She would have been able to feel Rodolfo approach. But, she ignored them back, at least.

Gaz got out keys and Rodolfo blinked. “How-”

“Alejandro is easy to pickpocket.” Gaz shrugged and glanced at Rodolfo for a moment before turning back to the cell and unlocking the door. Rodolfo was impressed.

“Don’t do that again but… Good job.” Rodolfo followed him in, making sure the cell shut behind him.

The holding cells were rather large. They had to be. Most of the people they held were very good at getting themselves out of trouble. The first thing they claimed were inhumane holding conditions. So… the holding cells were pretty nice.

Rodolfo hung back at the door, doing his best to shrink his form and avoid Graves’ eyes. He let Gaz take the lead on questioning, needing to really sell this damaged idea. Was he actually damaged? Yeah, probably. But he was bitter, not afraid. He needed to be afraid.

Gaz gave him a knowing glance before turning back to Graves. “They sent us to question you again.”

Graves was in a fairly untouched state, the burn on his face already mostly healed and fading. He laughed softly. “Oh?”

Rodolfo watched Gaz seem to shrink back a bit. “Yes.” He sounded so unsure. He was… entirely convincing. If they hadn’t pre-planned this (albeit for maybe five seconds) he would have been completely convinced. 

Gaz pulled up a chair and sat in it. He didn’t make common mistakes, like trying to fake a stumble. He just… moved a chair. Sat. Small, simple movements. “What was your mission?”

“No.” Graves sighed, leaning his head back. “I’ve given all of the information I have.”

“They think you weren’t being truthful.” Gaz frowned. He’d grabbed an interrogation clipboard at some point. 

“I was.” Graves shrugged. He was lying. He wasn’t even trying to cover it. “I have given you everything I know.”

Was he this obvious with Alejandro and Ghost? No, Rodolfo didn’t believe they’d be so stupid to believe him just like that. Ghost was incredibly intelligent, he’d seen that first hand. And Alejandro… he knew him better than that. “Give up. We can’t do this, I don’t know why they sent us down here.” He looked away when Graves looked at him.

Graves cut Gaz off before he could speak. “I heard what happened with the Drug lord. I heard about it through some of your Vaqueros.”

Rodolfo tried not to cringe at how he said Vaquero. Rather, he cringed at the whole of his sentence. “Garrick.”

“Hang on, I want to try.” Gaz shook his head. He sat up a little, going over his clipboard. “When did Shepherd approach you?”

Graves ignored him and Rodolfo watched Gaz’s face fall. “One of them said you tried to warn everyone what would happen. They didn’t listen to you.”

Rodolfo stared at the ground. “You’re right.” He muttered. He knew Graves was just trying to get to him, so it was easy not to give in. Hell, he didn’t even have to try. “Garrick, can we please go? I don’t want to be down here much longer. I-”

“Doesn’t it just… boil your blood? You’re second in command, but no one respects you as if you were. You might as well be the dirt on the floor for all that everyone walks all over you.”

A flash of rage turns into a flinch. Rodolfo couldn’t afford to be angry in this moment, he needed to be… scared. Violated. He needed to be small. “Shut up.” It was half hearted.

Gaz cringed. “Yeah, let’s go. We’ll just… tell Price it didn’t work. I don’t know why they sent us…” He said the last part quietly, like he was attempting not to let Graves hear. Rodolfo had to admit, he really liked this kid. He was brilliant. 

Gaz went over to Rodolfo and both turned to leave. Rodolfo hoped Graves would stop them. He’d had two toys thrown into his enclosure, surely he wanted to keep playing with them…?

Graves did stop them. “Alright, I’ll throw the little guys a bone.” Rodolfo suppressed a laugh at the victory on Gaz’s face. They’d been given an inch, it was time to go a mile.

Gaz turned back to Graves and seemed to hesitate before going back to the chair. “What was your mission?”

Graves considered. “Burn your asses, obviously.” They already knew that. Rodolfo took a moment before taking a few steps forward. 

“You like to make jokes.” Rodolfo hesitated. “Garrick, what do they call those in English?”

“Puns.” Gaz nodded. “I think.”

Rodolfo wasn’t sure he liked that word, but he rolled with it. “You make many of those… Puns.” No, he didn’t like that word at all.

“I will admit to liking wordplay.” Graves nodded and chuckled. 

Gaz hesitated. “I’m curious… why the Shadow Company? You’re a Persuader.”

Graves considered and then shrugged. “I won’t be able to show the other but… I can show you.” He took a breath and then Gaz was immediately jumping back, the chair hitting the ground behind him.

Rodolfo straightened up, surprised. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t fucking see-” Gaz touched at his face, eyes wide. 

“That’s why.” Graves laughed. “Huh, I didn’t think I’d be able to do that in here. Wonder what else I can do-”

“Enough!” Rodolfo dropped the facade. He wasn’t going to let Graves hurt Garrick just so they could get information.

“No.” Graves laughed. He furrowed his brows and Gaz started to scream, clawing at his face. He left scratches, deep ones. There wasn’t even any build up. Rodolfo stared in horror as blood dripped down Gaz’s face.

He wanted this to stop. It was a flash. He felt warmth in his hand and then a ball of flame was soaring past Graves’ head. Gaz fell to the floor and backed up, going behind Rodolfo. 

Graves laughed. “When did you pick up that little ability?”

Rodolfo looked at his hand. He’d love to know as well. “Fuck this.” He murmured, getting the door open and shoving Gaz out it. “We need to talk to Valeria.”

#Alejandro Vargas #Rodolfo Parra #Alejandro x Rodolfo #Aledolfo #Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II #Call Of Duty #John Price #Kyle Gaz Garrick #Gaz COD #Price COD #A father and his son #Call of Duty Modern Warfare II #Johnny Soap Mactavish #Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 #Simon Ghost Riley #Soap Cod #Ghost COD

[nikethestatue]

I kinda need to vent a little and you seem like the person everyone vents to so:

I can’t have kids. Like I am physically unable to (thankfully my husband and I don’t want them anyway, but that’s beside the point).

There are days when I’m in my head..when I feel like I should want them, and since I’m already depressed about the fact that I “should” but don’t, I start feeling bad that I CAN’T. Like I’m less of a woman because my body decided that for me.

The whole reason I’m saying this is because no matter how long it’s been since ACOSF came out, there has been and will be discourse regarding Elain’s ability to procreate and whether or not that means she’s Azriel’s mate/LI/whatever. That ideology hurts real women.

It fuckin sucks that we lose ourselves in this fantastical world only to be ripped out again by people saying a FICTIONAL CHARACTER is not worthy of love because they can’t bear their FICTIONAL love interest’s child. I-? And that’s not even starting on the way the whole pregnancy was handled..we’re sticking with Elain here.

I know there’s nothing you personally can do about any of this. It’s not like you can find SJM and shake some sense into her (not that any of us would complain about that lol). Like I said you seem like the person people send stuff like this in to, so thanks for that.

So this is an interesting one, because I bitch and moan about SJM plenty, however, in this case -- the stupid pregnancy plot aside in general -- I really have a hard time with blaming her.

Yes, her fake feminism died the moment Nesta began augmenting everyone's pelvises and making them nice and stretchy for Illyrian babies. However, I think that the place where SJM wrote this from was ...positive? I think she really wanted to make sure that none of the sisters are left with the same choices and no answers as Feyre did. And I think in SJM's mind, it was another step in Nesta's 'redemption arc' that she thought of Feyre, herself AND Elain when she was playing god with her sisters' hips. Now, the whole thing is ridiculous of course. But SJM did the best she could with the wording of that conversation between Nesta and Feyre. So not to give away her precious endgame couple, SJM still had Nesta say 'so NONE of us have to go through this again'. She could've said 'so you and I never have to go through that...' ir 'the two of us...' But she said 'none' which implies Elain is included. Now, the ethical ramifications of whether someone's body should be changed against their will, or at least without their consent, I think are lost on SJM. But I think that she left all of it open ended, and a choice.

Fertility and childbearing are complex issues. Personal and societal. Whether you want, you can't, you don't want, you planned, you didn't plan, etc. it's an issue wrought with both sorrow and pain.

The problem is that SJM decided to switch the direction of her writing mid-series --went from YA, geared towards younger audience, where sword fighting is a lot more important than baby making (hence no one except Yrene had children there on page), to NA, which should be geared towards a more mature audience. Or at least an audience which wouldn't take the issue of fertility so lightly and flippantly. Yet unfortunately, the switch wasn't done well. So now, we are stuck with 13 year old TikTok pontificators who think that they know something about something. And they amplify their own noise, talking about something which I don't think SJM ever meant to be talked about. I certainly would never think that she'd write a storyline where a woman is rejected by her potential lover over her inability to have potential children.

a. I don't think that's what she was hinting at at all

b. And while she is definitely very much an author where HEA means happy coupling with offspring, she did create quite a number of couples where children were not their HEA at all.

it's frustrating that so much animosity and sometimes real pain has been generated over a stupid ship that doesn't even exist.

[caelumsnuff]

this is really long!!

i really like your post cause i feel the same way! i feel like if your stories are gonna go in a darker direction go for it! and make what your characters do fit for their personalities. angel and david even becoming a couple doesn’t make sense to me (same with FL and gavin), bright and fred should have been continued. i almost want a redo of everything because it needs to be tweaked. maybe not make david such a dick, extend some of these stories (slow burns be slow burns. having a lot of characters will make the slow burn seem forever but idc make it actually be one)

and alexis annoys. we have 3 people complain about her and not either listener pry for more information or even get a cameo of her. i can only see her as “i tried to save someone and now everyone fucking hates me. i feel bad cause i did it but i was scared” a car wreck is a big thing and i think sam said he had something in his chest so yeah she’s gonna do the first thing that comes to mind.

i agree about thé vamps ages. if they’re gonna mention their turnings it should be more “oh if you wanna here how it happened” versus them still feeling the ramifications of it. they both are going on mid 30s to early 40s. sam and vincent seem to have a bond. i’m not saying trauma leaves you at some point but it has happened and shouldn’t be always on the front burner (if that makes sense).

bright and fred are still canonically there but no storyline. have a solely platonic storyline made me so happy because as much as i love caelum i don’t want to be friends with someone who is supposed to be seen as like 10. and seeing the power change in friends and them having to overcome it would be amazing. and it would have been a chance for sam to have growth too because that dude was an asshole to bright when they had a one-on-one talk.

milo and the inversion annoyed me. dumbass plan. and if anyone needed to die it was him. i love him soooo much but with that plan it would have killed him with the way he explained. and if he wanted to keep him at least take the ability to shift away. make him face a consequence that already fit into his insecurities. (people in the pack should have died too considering they were the security and helping/protecting people so it was weird how not even one person didn’t die, making amanda “leave” doesn’t count)

geordi and cuties audios are basically only angst (excluding HBS and HBW). i want at least a cute audio or two between them because telepathy could be cool and geordi has mentioned that they can look silly in public together when talking in their heads.

i want more of The Balance (Blake/Elliott/Sunshine/etc) but it’s the one we’re getting the least of :/ i want to know why Blake is doing what he is doing to them, what is up with his listener/best friend because why did he take them to that meeting.

i love the antagonists of the series but mainly for how they sound and their potential. (same goes for all characters. i prefer drawing them and tweaking them to my preference to how the story could be better)

i hope now he doesn’t look at any fan redacted stuff, gets an editor or beta reader, and more since he’s growing a lot. i feel like if you’re gonna have a story with stuff like this then doing it right and have other people who don’t watch your content help you. (freelancer story annoys me to no end)

i didn’t know where to add and idk if i already mentioned this but imo don’t try to use SA as a stand in for anything. SA is SA period. all the vamp stuff is about taking away consent and the choice to live. kody is terrible with the bridging and i feel like it could have been explained better. also feel like kody didn’t need to be there 🤷‍♀️

i have a lot of feelings on the stories even if i like some of the characters. i half the time forget how they are/were because of how i changed it in my mind.

love your posts.

to continue because i forgot something: if you don’t explain in a video that we don’t get/aren’t going to be able to explain with a character, can you at least clarify in the description, community post, a video explaining/summarizing all the “minor” lore/details of your world and make those the finalized ones?

idk want some things to be a little be more clear and some not so it’s still fun for us but 🤷‍♀️

omg yeah this is long *cracks knuckles* alright lets get to it then

I also almost want a redo of everything, but at the moment i don’t trust Redacted’s writing abilities as i think they’ve gotten worse, i think he’d just make a lot of his earlier stuff worse 💀 The fact that we don’t even have a cameo of Alexis is incredibly annoying. What the fuck. If youre gonna make her out to be some heathen, at least show us. Or idk, subvert our expectations and make her far more sweet and kind than other people talk about her (not likely) Yeah i hope i didn’t come off as saying that like... trauma wouldn’t still be there, like as a person with trauma i am well aware of how it works lmao. I didn’t want it to be something that was on the front burner, at least not with the way that the clan and the ages of the vamps are currently written One of the reasons i think i would have liked to see Bright and Fred stay is because we could have seen Sam grow into a good maker. Would have been a good part of his story seeing as his own maker is written to be shit. Also, yeah, i wish we had more platonic stories. Not like pack mates or an emotional support, like genuine affectionate mutual friendship. Like.... the way that Elliot and Sunshine were in their first video. The gentle teasing about the grocery store dream, the platonic cuddling, the playful smacks, all of it was just really nice. I wish Inversion had consequences SO badly!!! Milo dying or never being able to shift again (or at least make the issue last more than two videos for fucks sake), Asher in a coma or something, Amanda dead, that one pack member actually losing their leg, David and the pack having a more tarnished reputation because of his choice to close the ward. Xavier dying was stupid. We talked to him once and heard his name once or twice, he should have killed another one of the DAMN boys. Especially because it would have been a more emotionally impactful moment having Gavin watch someone he knew and cared for die in front of him instead of someone he barely knew (so maybe Lasko???). I genuinely dont understand why Geordi’s regular audios are just angst thus far. Can i have the two of them being cute? Looking ridiculous in public? i dont know, develop the relationship before you show me conflict between them so that i actually care about it a decent amount?? I also want more of the Balance, i love Brachium and Elliot, and Blake is an interesting character to say the least. I also love a lot of the antagonists, i just love bad men <3 I sure hope he doesn’t look at a bunch of fan stuff, he seems to be easily swayed by the opinions of his fans. He needs an impartial beta/editor. Personally, i feel like the situation could be handled in a way that wasn’t offensive, but it’d have to be drastically different from how it was. If i ever talk about how i would change some of his content, i will definitely be addressing Kody’s situation. I really hate consuming content outside of the original media to understand the story/lore or whatever. I’m sorry, but if i have to consume a seperate video explaining lore, i’m just not even gonna consider it canon. Put it in a regular video (explictly state it, imply it, or show us with actions and whatnot), or it’s not canon. (I hate when creators do stuff like that, like.... they’ll tweet about lore or characterization and fans will be like “canon!!!” No one should have to consume extra lore videos, a comic, and follow the creator on some social media account to understand the story.) But that’s just my opinion on it. Glad you enjoy my posts, even if im just complaining aksjdfasd

#ask #anon #redacted asmr

[simplysoriya]

What’s their species/subspecies? Do they have any special/magical abilities?

OC Questions

Soriya is a Blood Elf, or Sin’dorei, I feel like most people who come here have some vested knowledge in what that means but let me elaborate on Soriya specifically and her interactions with her biological needs.

Blood Elves essentially need to survive off of magic, and did for a very long time from arcane. Unfortunately for Soriya this was so early in her life she genuinely does not remember it. She was young enough to be given fel crystals while also not understanding what or why. Frankly she probably should have perished when she left Quel’thalas, as she was still just a child and unaware of the ramifications that come with not feeding that dependence. Fortunately, however, when she did eventually find a camp of decent people, as she drew ever closer to withering, that group also held Quel’thalas refugees who ended up giving their rationed arcana crystals to the Sin’dorei child who was at that point severely mal-mana-nourished. Granted this was a wilderness camp, and as she ended up staying, mana crystals weren’t always in supply, though, when they were Soriya would often get them due to her age, the elders figuring her growing body would benefit more from a purer source of magic. This is where her turquoise colored hue in her eyes comes from. It’s representative of the muddled magics she basically subsisted on living so far away from her people.

Now fast forward I don’t know 20 years or whatever it is (oh that’s actually right, totally guessed). As mentioned she didn’t really receive as much corruption from Fel energy just because of others kindness. Though she eventually found her own source within herself in the form of Chi, when she went to Pandaria. Now I have a bunch of home brew headcanons about how Chi works in the Warcraft universe, but we won’t get into all that. The long and short is that chi is a form of spirit magic, and that spirit comes from within ones self. Also on the purer end of the magic spectrum, a natural magic like Druidism or Shamanism. She basically runs her own magic supply simply by keeping her chi high, which is often what she does when she meditates or trains.

I know I know, when am I getting to her special abilities this is all just context flavor. Wait no more! Essentially, because elves have a natural affinity to magic, and a high command of it, Soriya was naturally always very good with managing and deploying chi. And to me, chi is the thing that allows her to put power into her punches into superhuman levels, or her reflexes, it’s what she infuses water with to make healing mists, or even the occasional kamahama (I swear I never wrote it but she can do it). Don’t get me wrong, Soriya is dedicated and well-practiced in her fist fighting philosophy and lifestyle, and even if she doesn’t realize it, that inherited mastery over fonts of power helped her quickly become an impressive healer and fighter, it certainly helped that she had some raw talent in that department just based from her races physiology.

Thanks @nixalegos !

[sokkastyles]

I've written before about Aang's trouble with understanding the reality of violence, and one thing I'm thinking about is that he never really learns to take Katara's healing seriously as a result.

In the episode where Aang accidentally burns Katara, Aang feels incredibly guilty, and he is confronted with his own recklessness and the danger of firebending. He feels so guilty that he decides never to firebend again. At the same time, Katara discovers that she can use waterbending to heal, an ability previously unknown to the group.

The episode presents an important lesson about personal responsibility and consequences, but the problem is that due to Katara's healing, the focus shifts from Aang having hurt Katara to Aang's pain over hurting Katara. Katara then has to comfort Aang over her own hurt, and Aang's feelings take precedence as a major plot point as Aang has to spend a large part of the series overcoming his mental block over firebending, since he is the Avatar and must firebend eventually. The episode ends with Katara healing Aang's singed arm after his battle with Zhao, further positioning Katara as the healer of both Aang's physical and emotional wounds and the carrier of his burdens.

Katara later uses the spirit water to save Aang's life, but because Aang is not forced to deal with the consequences of violence on his own, because Katara is always there to carry that burden for him, he is dismissive towards Katara's healing abilities in the series finale.

Aang: [to Zuko] So, have you ever redirected lightning before?

Zuko: Once, against my father.

Aang: What did it feel like?

Zuko: Exhilarating ... [Flashes back to the moment for a few seconds.] but terrifying. You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body, but you know if you make the wrong move, it's over.

Aang: [Chuckles.] Well, not over over. I mean there's always Katara and a little Spirit Water action, [Turns to Katara.] am I right?

Katara: Actually, I used it all up after Azula shot you.

Zuko: You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life before he takes yours.

Aang: Yeah, I'll just do that.

This conversation is there to remind the audience that Katara's resurrection of Aang was a one-time deal and to highten the stakes of the finale, but it also tells us a lot about the characters involved, specifically about Aang and Zuko's views on violence.

I've seen a lot of people try to paint Zuko as violent in relation to this conflict of interest with pacifist Aang, which extends from "The Southern Raiders" to the finale, but it really began as early in book one. Aang jokes about using the spirit water because the plot never really forced him to face the ramifications of being without it. And, despite Aang's growth in learning firebending and learning not to fear fire any longer, which also goes with learning to use it responsibly, his discussion with Zuko about lightning bending reveals that he still sees things as not as serious as they are. He asks Zuko what lightning bending feels like, because he's interested in the experience. He doesn't seem to process what Zuko says about who he bent lightning against, doesn't react with shock to hear that Zuko's own father shot lightning at him, but treats it as a kind of game. Zuko's response was that it was exhilarating, but also terrifying, and that the consequences for failure are death. Aang then brushes this off. Katara tells him that there is no more spirit water, and Zuko again emphasizes to Aang how serious the situation is and says that Aang needs to kill Ozai. Aang again brushes Zuko off.

Now, while I also don't think that killing Ozai would or should have been the only way, my point here is that there should have been some acknowledgement here that Aang's stance on this is naive. He does not take the situation seriously and is dismissive of what his friends say. And while Zuko does advocate for violence against his father, he also knows the consequences of failure. Zuko had to redirect lightning from his father, and had to face violence from his father before that.

Zuko's relationship with the spirit water and Katara's healing is also different. Zuko is offered healing from Katara, and accepts it, but is interrupted. Before that, Zuko told Katara that he had come to accept his scar. The context makes it clear that although Zuko wants to be healed, he knows that he doesn't need it. His wound is a scar, and has long since healed, although that doesn't mean that he doesn't still carry around that hurt. But he ultimately doesn't need Katara to take it from him, and her doing so would have diminished his ability to make the right decision for himself.

When Katara heals Aang in the same episode she offers it to Zuko, it is a life or death situation, and was the result of Aang's botched attempt to follow Guru Pathik's advice. I've written before about how this moment is one I felt had a lot of missed opportunity, as the conflict for Aang is glossed over in favor of Katara once again taking up the role of Aang's caretaker.

Katara ends up saving both Aang's and Zuko's lives, but her healing of Zuko at the end of the series is so much more meaningful because Zuko knows the consequences of his actions, he knows he might not come out of the fight alive, and he doesn't take Katara's presence there for granted. I've seen some people say that Zuko chose Katara to go with him to fight Azula because of her healing powers. And although that is certainly true from a plot perspective, I don't think Zuko was thinking about her healing him if that possibility were to come up. The conversation I quoted above shows that both Zuko and Katara are aware of the finality of what they are facing. I think he chose her for her combative skill. I also think he chose her because they are alike in this way, having made the journey together in "The Southern Raiders." Not because of their shared "darkness" or propensity for violence, as some people might say, but because both of them have faced violence, knew the consequences, and had to make hard choices without themselves being corrupted. Katara chose not to harm Yon Rha just as Zuko chooses to defeat his sister while trying to cause as little damage as possible.

I love that Zuko and Katara's relationship has this emphasis on personal responsibility, and both of them end on an equal playing field, saving one another's lives when neither was guaranteed. Both of them end up doing the impossible to save the other, Zuko redirecting lightning with an improper stance and Katara healing him even without the spirit water. The term "deus ex machina" gets thrown around a lot, usually in a negative way, but here we have two examples of how a problem can be solved by a seemingly impossible occurrence while making it seem believable and also serving the narrative and character's arcs. In contrast, Aang refusing to face the reality of his situation and getting the ability to defeat Ozai from the lion turtle seems like a cop out because he never has to learn the lesson the show seemed to be setting him up to learn.

#atla critical #zuko #katara #antikataang #kinda #aang critical #zutara #atla meta

[min-jpg]

Hi!! Can you do they boys getting kidnapped but its Diluc, Childe, and Kazuha? Thank you!!💗💗

Note: I just want to point out that there's no actual reason on how I choose for the reader to beat up the kidnappers since part 1,, it's totally random as long as I'm trying out different ideas whatever fits ehe. Enjoy! 💖

---

Kidnapped Genshin Boys x Fem Rich!reader pt.2

Part 1 (Kaeya, Zhongli, Xiao)

Characters: Childe, Diluc, Kazuha

Genre: fluff, established relationship, some woman kicking ass action, (TW: mentions of blood and violence)

---

CHILDE

Your boyfriend would definitely try to go head-to-head against the shady group of people who abducted him. The gang accountable must be living under the rock for even considering one of the most dangerous Harbingers as their prey to carry out their schemes.

However, Childe learned that there would be ramifications if he tries to be rash without gathering solid intel first. Having no knowledge of your current circumstances and whereabouts troubled him to the core. They could have already sent out a corresponding group towards you and endanger you if he failed to listen.

Being wealthy is not a foreign concept to Childe as he is also a wealthy man himself. That said, the premonition of being a target for a ransom would not be unrealistic to him. For now, he is glad that he is the victim here instead of having to witness you kidnapped.

"You know, you could've asked me nicely for some money. I might just give it to you, instead of doing all this for my girlfriend's money." Despite being in a position far from desirable, Childe leisurely sat on the chair that he was bound to, crossing his legs. He was making small talks to push away the worst scenarios happening to you. Are you safe? Are you crying? Did they hurt you?

"I don't know who you are to be running your mouth, but you should value your life a little more." Their leader emerged from the group.

Childe's ocean eyes squinted as menace casts upon his pupils, his voice lowered, "Is that so? Ironic, because you guys seem to value money more than your lives."

The head stepped back slightly, "Enough with your empty threats! You should be aware of the current situation you're in. We're not fooling around here."

"I'm not fooling around either."

As sparks were thrown back and forth, you made your way in through the main entrance. Tapping the shoulder that belongs to one of the men, "Excuse me, I need to get to my boyfriend." Your fist sunk into the side of his face when he turned towards you. He collapsed on the ground with a few broken teeth and blood spewing out of his mouth. Moving on to the next adversary in your path, you fought with full faith in your abilities no matter how intimidating they were.

Soon, the leader and people further ahead finally took notice of it. You pave your way towards your boyfriend and eventually, both your eyes meet each other. Childe puffed out a breath of relief when he finally saw you, but also registering the fact that you just took down most of the men with your bare hands.

Kicking away the men who tried to grab you, you then waved enthusiastically at Childe, "Hey girlie, hold still." Rushing right ahead to the leader, you brought your arm near your face, elbow pointing outwards. The sharp edge from your elbow jabbed his throat, causing him to choke and lose balance.

As his reaction dulled, it was your chance to strike again. Thus, you gallantly overthrew their leader and the entire gang by yourself.

After helping Childe, he stood up abruptly and placed his hands on your shoulder with eagerness written all over the face, "I never knew you could fight so well! How about a spar with me right now?" Expect your boyfriend to continuously bug you to indulge in his rampant itch to fight anyone that comes across as a worthy opponent. Though, the real takeaway from this experience was the way your hair clings to your face with sweat as the adhesive and the triumph look in your eyes. It was a rather attractive sight to relish in his taste.

DILUC

Your boyfriend would be infuriated that crooked people like these exist, much less target him to extort money from you. Just another validation to add up on how incompetent the Knights of Favonious is, he thought. Someone will have to clean up their mess, that someone being him. What better way to do that than to follow them to their hideout to seek out the whole organization?

Diluc is renowned for being one of the richest men in Teyvat. Naturally, the group thought they hit the jackpot on not only holding him for ransom, but potentially garnering some money from him as well.

The only concern he carries is your wellbeing. Diluc fears that this incident will affect you mentally. His head started filling up with formulations on ways to resolve this matter without causing any uproar to guarantee your safety.

When the head was introduced to him, he gritted his teeth to suppress every ounce of his might to not reach for his claymore. Diluc still has to prioritize gathering information first regarding the gang. His patrons at Angel's Share are usually the ones providing him with promising intel of any evildoers, but some things are just meant to be obtained by himself.

"Is this the only hideout you have? Quite in a shambles, don't you think?" Diluc's eyes shifted around the dilapidated building, observing the surroundings to know his enemies better.

The leader rolled his eyes, "It wouldn't be so bad once we get some funding from you and your girlfriend." Diluc hummed. Judging from his answer, it is safe to assume that the organization is rather a small scaling one. Defeating them right now will result in uprooting the source once and for all.

As Diluc was about to do so, a lackey of the gang ran frantically towards them, panting labored when he reached and trying to catch his breath. "What is it?" The leader question.

"T-there's... there's someone." He pointed towards a direction with fear layering his voice.

"What? Why are you so scared?" They all glanced towards the spot.

"I swear there was a woman! I don't know who it is, but she took out some of our guys on guard outside."

In disbelief that a woman could have done anything so reckless, the leader trudged to said location. As it is a spot lacking light, the darkness and shadow made it challenging for him to pinpoint if anyone is there. When he moved closer, you crept out behind from his blind spot and kicked the back of his head, causing his head to spin. Your arm lunged forward, gaining a tight hold onto his nape. You put everything into pushing him, his forehead hammered down to the floor. Creating a loud thud, it gave him a concussion.

"Looking for me?" Your foot stamped onto his back, just making sure he stays down.

Everyone, including your boyfriend, had their pupils dilated at the scene. You sighed at the silence, "All of you just messed with the wrong couple." Lifting your foot away, you stomped forward without giving them a second thought. Your arms and legs are all warmed up for many rounds against your foes.

Diluc watched you from afar as you drove your way towards victory. Although he could step in to help, he admits silently to himself that he would like to observe you a little longer. Putting his trust in your calibers to carry you far, his eyes never left your brave figure.

Once you cleared the group, the next thing to do is checking on Diluc. Already unfastening the restrains himself, he walked to you, "That was well executed. Your abilities shouldn't be underestimated. Don't join the Knights though." He stressed the last remark, scoffing. You chuckled and held his hand to guide him out of here, "Thanks. Glad to impress you, Master Diluc. Let's go home."

KAZUHA

Your boyfriend is a rather hard target to impose on for their plans of kidnapping him. His senses are just too refined for an ordinary person to challenge. Basic tactics, such as overthrowing him with the element of surprise have proven to be futile. Thus, Kazuha will always be able to evade falling prey into their hands.

The only way Kazuha could have been kidnapped is through falsifying evidence of you being in a life-threatening situation. Although he has successfully saved his own skin, not the same could be applied to you. Feeling his resolve shaken, what other choices could he have? Prioritizing your safety is the most important thing right now.

Kazuha may have faced similar situations in the past when out in the sea, encountering pirates of other crew aiming for the Crux Fleet's fortune. Being in the position as a captive for ransom is new. He actually found it amusing, rather than having thoughts of blaming you. It is not your fault that you are blessed with wealth. It is the fault of the criminals.

"Ain't you that the kid who's with Beidou? You're part of her crew." The leader questioned his target, to which he was greeted by Kazuha's silence. "Tell you what. You're just like the rest of us. We want to be rich. How about you ask your girlfriend to bring some more money and we'll give you a share as well?"

Kazuha's face darkened, "I don't know what you've heard, but it must be really valiant of you to assume to worst out of the Crux Fleet and myself. I'd appreciate it if you cease lumping me together with criminals like you."

The Crux Fleet does put up with an infamous reputation amongst the Qixing. Perhaps the abductors concluded that Kazuha has a negative conscience just like them, as in upholding a relationship with you to have a taste of your assets. Still, if he tried to talk his way out of it, barbarians like them will never reach a mutual understanding with him. Kazuha shut his eyes, ignoring any further confrontations to preserve his energy as he contemplates a plan.

He was interrupted when he thought he heard your voice nearby, carried by the wind. The others around him did not hear it since it was just something only Kazuha could pick up. Applying full concentration, he managed to form what he heard, "Get out of my way, please, while I'm asking nicely."

Opening his eyes, he turned to stare at the entrance. As if on cue, the door swung open when you kicked it down, announcing your presence. Some men fainted below your feet.

The others instantly reacted by storming towards your direction to stop your advancement. You stood still in your position, taking a mindful deep breath. One thing you learned from Kazuha is to always remain cold-headed before engaging in a fight.

Kazuha wanted to get out of the restraints to rescue you, but instead, you started dishing out few moves against the men.

When you thought you finished with the remaining numbers, their leader was about to declare his victory, "I got you!" Encircling his arm around your neck in an attempt to strangle you, you huffed and grinned towards Kazuha to signal him you have it under control.

You elbowed his stomach and felt him loosen his grip when he winced. Making enough gap between his arm and your neck, you slipped away and swiftly kicked in between his groins. The color drained from his face and tumbled to the ground, passing out in pain, "Hmph, this is what happens when you touch a lady without her permission." You brushed away the hair from your face after an arduous fight.

Jogging towards your boyfriend, "Kazuha!" He brisked towards you as well and held you in his embrace, softly rubbed your nape, "You're giving me plenty of inspirations for a haiku after such a wonderful performance." Kazuha would appreciate you refraining from such a heedless approach next time. He was comforted to see you safe and knowing the threats were nothing more than to use you, his weakness, against him. After witnessing that, Kazuha will be slightly ashamed he even doubted you in the first place, so he trusts that you can watch out for yourself next time.

#childe x reader #childe genshin impact #diluc x reader #diluc genshin impact #kazuha x reader #kazuha genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact headcanons

[celestialholz]

Celestial Live-Reacts: STP 2.5, 'Fly Me To The Moon'

Well, my darling new friend @porgthespacepenguin has informed me I should look out for some gay shit in this one, so, erm...

Make it so boys!

Oh, hello there Renee! 😍 She's beautiful, damn

Weird American Laris?????

He's blaming Q, because of course he is 😆

... And then we get a flashback to "Is that what you really want?" ?????

... AND HE KNOWS IT ISN'T HER BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO Q IS? Jesus fuck, real subtle here CBS 😂😂

She's not Laris, but she is named after the capital of Estonia! 🤔

... Renee's not the best pilot, apparently?

"Boom, you're dead" - this woman would have loved the Kobiyashi Maru 😂

Ahhhh, the launch day is the key

So Estonia's here to protect Renee, and fancies mentioning 'a grand tapestry' whilst she's here... is she also protecting her heart?

This intro theme goes harder than anything Russo did in Avengers

Frakes my guy! 😍 Back in the director's chair, as he should be ❤

"Alone, but not lonely"... this Queen's a fucking joy, truly 😍

... Rios didn't give Picard command access to his ship? 🤔 Lack of trust, or lingering guilt over his last boss...?

What the fuck is she doing

Queens in the house 😍 I'm a Raffen fan, I'll be real

... Bit late to consider the ramifications of public beaming after last week Seven babe 😂

"You need a target" and "all you want to do is run away" is a gorgeous dichotomy

Niiiiiice rescue ❤

She's hallucinating Elnor, bless her 😭

Supervisor???

GARY SEVEN! I was mentioning this to @q-card this week 😍 It's the fucking smoke box guys, dead giveaway 😂

"I watch, but I'm never seen" - could not be Q 😆

So Renee's an expert sailor, went to university at sixteen, and has a boatload of mental health problems. The drawbacks of genius ✊😔

Estonia be like 'fuck privacy'

"Feels like nothing matters" ... I feel you, Renee. We'll both be okay. ❤

HE RECOGNISES GERMAN Q FROM TAPESTRY 😂😂 Yeeees!

Ahhh, so he IS changing the future through her!

"I'm a god, and as I look down at humanity I see them at a crossroads. Will they evolve toward enlightenment, or will there be a divergence into darkness?" Here's this week's mirror image then 😍

New-age Lal? 😆

"People... are idiots." 😂 Amen Doc

Is this who Soji and Dahj are based off, his daughter? Precious 😍

Too much red tape in this fucking century, thank god we evolve 😒

"I CAN HELP. CHECK YOUR 3D PRINTER. ;)" Christ 😂 Just HAD to stick the wink in there didn't you king

... That's a Qcard. Again. Fuck off CBS 😂😍😍

Why's the cop here? Is she trying to, as my boyfriend just wonderfully put it, 'Borgify' them? 🤔

Sleepy Agnes, bless ❤ Is this about to be a self-blaming thing?

It's a traaaaaap

Poor cop 😆

... Yeah okay, that is not how I want to give up nicotine 😂

Hallo king, lovely to see you as ever 😍😍

"Why thank you, I worked hard on that" - did you? Did you actually? Has he really lost his omnipotence? 🤔🤔

"It seems I've taken time for granted recently, and she's threatened to abandon me" - what a delightfully poetic way to tell someone you've fucked yourself over, and that little crack at the end? 😭😍

Father-to-father solidarity, very nice 😍❤

"I am the evolution of stardust, I am the gentle flutter of a butterfly; I am death, destroyer of worlds... and I'm also a big fan of your work." Jesus wept John, you absolute star you 😍😍😍 What a stunning piece of prose for one thing, showcasing the duality of ultimate power and the ability to do what you want with it whether for good or bad, with John's insane tonal range... and we even get a lovely little Data reference at the end! Fuck, I'm in love ❤

... Also I'm sorry, is he drinking fucking Earl Grey? 😂 I wish for the sweet embrace of the void thank you (bless you Porg for pointing this out just before I wrote this review up from my notes, the speech killed me too hard to notice 😂)

This whole banter's wonderful to behold, which is a natural conclusion when you put two of Trek's best actors together 😍

"I don't know" - a permanent mood on Q's motives, though I'm getting there 😆

Galas! ❤

Stay asleep Agnes, for fuck's sake

MORE LADIES WITH GUNS 😍

This poor, poor cop 😂

"It's you I want", "alone in every timeline", "your fate in every universe, to be utterly alone", "loved completely"... good lord Queenie, get yourselves a honeymoon suite 🤣

... She's almost convinced, though...

She shot him! Smart girl, poor cop 😂

Being angry at Q's genius is such a Picard mood 😂

... Oh good gods, what can Q possibly need him to do for such a precious gift? 😅

Kore - which is her name, apparently - is wonderful, bless her 😍

... IT'S TEMPORARY. Q, you capricious bitch... 👀 "This is what you could have", yeah? Must be important, whatever he needs...

... Wait wait wait, she SHOT THE QUEEN???! 👀

"His spleen's in a box over there", good-o 😂

"... There are people carrying a dead cop out the door." "Oh, I'm sure he's not dead" 😂😂 'Space Dad Amazing At Excuses', more at 11

God in the fucking Continuum John's hot here 👁👄👁

"Do you have the cure? The real cure, not something that wears off? Because if you do, I am a hostage to you, sir." 😭 Bless him

"We're all hostages to what we love. The only way to truly be free is to love nothing. How meaningless would that be?" ...

...

... EXCUSE ME????

... And then he follows that up by saying he needs him to remove an obstacle, for 'US'????? And that that obstacle is... fuck right off, that's insane 👀😂

... I just... sorry, bear with me... you're having a bloody laugh aren't you? So he saves the person that means the most to Soong... and makes that only temporary, which is a lovely character deep-dive into dark!Q anyway... and then says we're all hostages to love... ties that together by suggesting they're both going to be saving the person that means the most to them by doing this... and we know Q's doing all this shit for Picard from interviews with John anyway... dear sweet fuck, just swallow me whole 😍😍😍

Oh, also: "I have discovered recently that I have certain... limitations" - still doesn't technically confirm the lack of complete omnipotence, but given the earlier thing about working hard... he's done all this off his own merit, and that is exactly what I've always wanted to see from depowered!Q: competence. Guy's an unrivalled genius with omniscience - he should not be anything other than a huge threat even without omnipotence, and this is brilliant character work for him 😍

... Is there more of this episode, I'm done 😂😂

"Good talk" 😆 Oh Raffi ❤

... Ohhh, so no Europa mission means awful future? 🤔

Microrganisms on Io? 🤔

Let's party lads, ayyyy 😍

'Intro to Antique Coding', oh my god 😆

Fly Me To The Moon ❤❤ Appropriate, and I love me some jazz, but it is a walking travesty that Frakes can't sensibly insert himself into this ensemble ✊

... Dear god, Agnes? You are gorgeous ma'am 😍😍

Queen's a dick even in death, very on-brand

"We had NOTHING together"? Cold 😂

... No no wait, SHE'S THE QUEEN???! Just when you think your mind can't be blown anymore, fucking hell 👁👄👁

Wow. Just Owen Wilson wow.

Celestial Rating: 9/10.

... Excuse me, darlings. I need a lie-down. 😂😂 Fucking spectacular.

#star trek picard 2.5 #star trek picard spoilers #jean-luc picard #Q of the continuum #cristobal rios #seven of nine #raffi musiker #agnes jurati #borg queen #qcard? #TWICE 😍 #next week on picard: celestial spontaneously fucking combusts probably #what the fuck boys 😂😂 #celestial live reacts #celestial reviews

[female-malice]

Oh. What The Fuck.

Okay are you guys ready for this? Let's do it...

Erica Sullivan Shares Thoughts on Lia Thomas: “I Just Feel Bad For Her”

At the women’s NCAA Championships next week in Atlanta, transgender woman Lia Thomas will be the top seed and favorite in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle races. Few of her national competitors have weighed in on the controversy surrounding Thomas so far. The only significant statement came from Stanford fifth-year swimmer Brooke Forde, who said that she would not have a problem racing Thomas in the 500 free at NCAAs.

Now, another key swimmer who will race against Thomas in the 500 free at NCAAs, Texas freshman Erica Sullivan, has shared an opinion. Sullivan was a U.S. Olympian in 2021, and she captured the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the 1500-meter free. With her performances, Sullivan became the first openly-lesbian swimmer to qualify for a U.S. Olympic team and then to win an Olympic medal.

Okay swim lesbian. Are you a sigma-female or are you struggling with your Ledecky complex?

Asked for her own opinion on whether Thomas should be allowed to race, Sullivan downplayed the competitive ramifications while lamenting the effects of the criticism Thomas has taken on her well-being.

“I think people are asking for this big, well thought-out explanation, especially for me as a gay swimmer, but my explanation is pretty simple. I don’t care. It comes down to the fact that when I race, I don’t race for the status or for the gold or for whatever. That’s just not why I do it. I love winning, don’t get me wrong. Getting a silver medal was so cool, and that’s always exciting, but I swim for the people around me,” Sullivan said.

You're an Olympic medallist in an individual racing sport. INDIVIDUAL sport. You do not swim for the people around you. And you never have. You don't get to an Olympic podium by swimming for other peoples' sake. You put yourself and your competitive athletic goals first over and over and over. That's how you got to that podium. You should be extremely proud.

I know that, as a lesbian, you're trying to downplay your gender non-conforming personality traits. But no one is asking you to do that. You swim for yourself and you know it. So own it.

“I feel bad for Lia because imagine being on a team where you know some people don’t want you there. That’s just a terrible environment to be in. I feel like I’m in an environment at Texas where I’m accepted by everyone here. If they’re not, they haven’t verbalized it to me. They’ve kept it to themselves, very supportive of my relationship, love it when I make my jokes. They’re very supportive of who I am as a person, and I just feel bad that Lia doesn’t have that.”

You're a lesbian woman succeeding at University of Texas's prolific swim program in liberal Austin Texas. You're also a superstar.

You were the only Texas swimmer on a podium in Tokyo. Before Tokyo, Texas swimmers walked away from every Olympics adding an armful of medals to their schools' prestige. The last Olympics to feature only one Texas medallist was the 1980 Olympics boycotted by the US swim team. There were no Tokyo boycotts. Texas's Olympic swimming prowess is just fading.

You're the last great hope of a legendary swim program. Of course they love you. Your teammates are starstruck by you. Do you see how your locker room impact is completely different from Lia's locker room impact in every possible way?

Sullivan was in favor of new USA Swimming rules creating policies and procedures for transgender females to be eligible for elite-level competition, but she expressed concerns about the NCAA changing eligibility requirements for trans swimmers such as Thomas in the middle of the season. She admitted that she would be upset if Thomas beat her but no more upset than if she lost to any other competitor in the field at NCAAs.

“I’m going to swim my 500 free to the best of my ability and try to beat her, not because she’s trans but because I’m competitive and I don’t like losing,” Sullivan said.

Erica... Lia Thomas is not Katie Ledecky. Please see a sports psychologist. You need to find a healthier way to process your rivalry with Katie Ledecky.

“If I lose, I’m going to be pissed, not because Lia’s trans but because I’m a competitive person, and I’m going to go back home and train as hard as I can.

You want to race against men. You want to face impossible competition. That's what motivates you. Why else would you train for the event Katie Ledecky has owned for a decade?

In the Olympics, there were 4 seconds between you and the GOAT. 4 seconds between you and that gold medal. But you went into the pool prepared for silver. You trained for a time that would edge out Sarah Kohler, not a time that would challenge Ledecky.

You were bold enough to choose Ledecky's event. So compete with her! She's human. She's female. She's not a man. She's beatable. What's the point of Ledecky pushing the frontier of women's swimming if you shy away from challenging her?

You can't write Ledecky off as an anomaly in the pool, and you know it! If you could write her off as unbeatable, you'd be satisfied with silver. And you're clearly unsatisfied. You're mildly traumatized by the process of settling for silver. Now you're projecting that "settling" mentality across all of women's sports to make yourself feel better.

I’m going to be the same amount of angry if Emma beats me, Emma Nordin or Emma Weyant. Or Brooke Forde.”

You know who your real competitors are. You just want Lia in the pool to help you cope with your Ledecky complex.

You want to win another silver, look at the gold medalist, and say "oh well. Nothing I could've done. We're built different. At least I beat the competitors built like me." With Lia, that is true. There's nothing you can do about Lia's competitive advantages. But with Ledecky, that isn't true at all. You can beat her.

You're struggling to accept that silver medal behind Ledecky. So maybe a silver behind Lia will help you settle down. Maybe it will help you be less frustrated and intense and competitive. Maybe it will help you give up on chasing after the greatest swimmer in the world. And maybe you'll finally accept modest athletic goals and a more gender-conforming outlook on life.

But that's bullshit. You'll never be satisfied. You'll never be able to convince yourself Ledecky is unbeatable. Stop trying to smother the sigma-female inside of you and woman up.

Ledecky's reading what you're saying and she's worried you've lost the plot. She needs you, Erica. She needs you to push her. She hasn't broken her 1500m record in 4 years. In the Olympics, she swam 15 seconds behind her 2018 record. She's slowing down. So, are you speeding up or settling?

Sullivan expressed empathy for Thomas as she has received considerable criticism despite not breaking any rules. “She’s getting hate from all sides. All I can think for her right now is that sucks for her because that has got to mess you up at night. That’s got to hurt as a human being,” Sullivan said. “I just feel bad for her. She doesn’t deserve what she’s getting.”

I feel bad for Kamila Valieva. She's a 15 year old trapped in an abusive training environment. She did not choose to start doping. She had no control over what was and wasn't in her system. Her image is ruined. Her career is over. The gold medal she was promised was taken from her. She's lost her chance at the life-long salary awarded to every Russian gold medalist. Her life seems impossible now.

But just because I feel bad for her doesn't mean I'm okay with her competing.

Valieva's coaches jeopardized the level playing field of skating. Valieva had no choice in the matter. Lia Thomas is actively choosing to disrupt the level playing field of swimming.

I wonder if you'll still feel bad for Lia when you meet him at the national championship. When he's no longer a political hypothetical concept. When you realize he's truly male and no stand-in for Ledecky. How will you feel when you watch him swim in other heats and events right there in the pool in front of you? How will you feel when you're watching this live with no twitter commentary to guide your thinking?

How will you feel when it's your turn and you're standing side-by-side before the 500 free? What will he say to you?

"Not my best times so far today, but at least I'm winning everything. Can't wait to compete against a fellow lesbian!"

Will you settle? Will you do the gender-conforming thing and be nice?

Or will you find your rage?

[runephoenix6769]

Why Netflix aging up the Characters could spell disaster.

Ok, so I’ve tried to find confirmation that this is true and kinda found bubkiss so far.  But.... Zuko being aged up by two years does not bode well his motivation or Azula (or Sokka for that matter), narratively speaking and will massively change how their stories/character arcs hit.  It’s my belief that by aging up the characters they’ll kinda lose some of the soul of the show AND the poignancy of just how much pressure has been laid on the shoulders of Gaang and Azula's trio. The nuance of Children fixing a world broken by adults. (I shall preface by saying that anyone under 18 is a child and therefore even joining the military at 16 is still awful, but this post is being written within the context of the avatar universe, its societal norms and customs.)

Hear me out.  Within the show, all the main cast of children are supposed to be outliers and exceptionally skilled, even surpassing many of the adults in that world in terms of mastery of their elements and ability to execute strategy.   At 16/17 Rangi had her first commission after graduating from the Junior Corps in record time, to eventually become one of the youngest Lieutenants in Fire Nation Army service, during peace time.  400 years later we are in the midst of a global war, meaning the goal posts within the various societies would have shifted considerably. (Apart from the Earth Kingdom, they seriously need to get with the times.) Zuko is the heir to the throne of an imperial expansionist country, where military service is expected of many of the aristocracy. (If not every citizen doing something towards the war effort.) And has been since the reign of Sozin.  Being the heir, he would naturally be expected to take a military commission at 16/17, as precedent has been shown to us via Rangi. This would serve to foster loyalty from his soldiers, train him in ways of command to prepare him for taking over the Nation, etc etc.  Lets say that Netflix keep the rest of his story the same, so he is still ousted at 13 sent on a mission of folly as a cruel punishment. Well that just casts his 4 years at sea and his behaviour towards his men in an awful light. In four years he has not learned regard for the safety of his men? It makes the treatment of his men look callous instead of being a child who doesn't quite grasp how much his crew do for him, that they too have been ousted and separated from their loved ones! Four years of shite treatment would surely land a mutiny on his hands?  If anything, it serves to make him look whiny, and incompetently oblivious to the needs of others.  And what does it mean if they move the timeline of the Agni Kai up by two years, to 15?  It doesn't have quite the same impact. Remember what sits at the core of this show. It is ultimately about children trying the fix the world that the adults broke, violence, cruelty, child soldiers and the effects of war upon them, under intense pressure to succeed.  Zuko is supposed to be a child who hasn’t even begun to figure out what he wants.   His character arc in the show is supposed to be that journey!

Which brings me to Azula!  A child prodigy, who took down Ba Sing Se in a relatively bloodless coup at 14! Its meant to be an awe inspiring Herculean feat! A top notch military strategist, she is meant to be unmatched by any of her peers.  Her age in the OG show certainly explains her behavior, her not being developed enough in many ways. This contributes towards the deterioration of her mental health when she cannot reconcile the heavily cultivated sense of self with the reality culminating in the tragic and heart wrenching mental breakdown at 14! At 16/17, it makes it look like a huge ass hissy fit! OG Azula’s inflection moment begins in The Beach episode. She is begins to ask questions of herself in the form of small experiments. It takes the form of her hiding their identities on Ember Island.  It is as if she is trying to feel out if she is as witty and charming as she believes, but she comes to learn that she is woefully socially inept, people don’t like her for her, beginning the spiral of insecurity and self doubt. We are also told that Azula’s mother thought her a monster and she is massively hurt by that, though she plays it off as nothing.  This insecurity is blown wide open on the Boiling Rock cemented by Ty Lee’s betrayal and culminates in Azula, who is truly terrified that he might burn her in a way similar to Zuko, seeing her being sidelined by Ozai.  She takes as a form of punishment for her ‘failure’, a form of banishment, that she has been discarded like Zuko, when she had imagined being by her father’s side as they burned the world in celebration of their mutual victory rather than for what is truly is which is Ozai being a glory hog and reaping all the benefits from Azula’s hard work.  Which brings me to the suggestion by Azula to burn the world in the first place. A child suggesting that you ‘Burn the World’ smacks a whole lot differently when you think of it as a kid not quite grasping/understanding the ramifications of such a suggestion, but a 16 year old? Such a thing tips her from confused mentally unwell child with a crippling fear of failure raised without a lick of compassion to full blown villainy with nothing remotely sympathetic about her! The way the last Agni Kai is framed you are supposed to feel sympathetic towards her! Which makes me wonder if they are gonna paint Azula as unhinged straight from the get go? Her unravelling at the seams is supposed to be her journey!

Sokka.... at 17!  In the OG show, Hakoda does the right thing by telling Sokka to remain behind to look after the village because at 13 he is too young to go to war.  Why leave him behind at 15? Would that not serve to feed into feelings of inadequacy, that he was deemed too weak to leave and fight with the other men and boys of the tribe?  Now, I would argue that Sokka’s OG arc rivals Zuko’s redemption. He does feel inadequate and overcomes it. He also unlearns a shit load of misogyny! What 17 year old doesn’t take responsibility for his own clothes, in a tribe were adults are few and far between? What 17 year old expects his little sister to be his mother and bear the brunt of the domestic? How obtuse and unfeeling would that make Sokka? It would propel him to the side of boorish, lazy and entitled rather than the sweet teenage boy who grows to realise he has a lot to learn.  OG Sokka is humble as hell and not afraid admit when he is lacking! He will go and openly admit his flaws and learn from others who he had previously written off.  Suki gives him a glass of respect women juice and he keeps on chugging, only adding to the Sokka we know and love.  This is supposed to be his journey! 

OG Sokka is just as much of a genius as Azula!  They are both supposed to be exceptional. Having them sit at 16/17 figuring this all out within a war torn world were it would be totally normal for them to participate in the generational war machine kind of robs them of this. Their more child like behaviours, grappling with concepts and truly understanding their consequences is supposed to remind us that they are children, being asked to do something no child ever should! Aging them up casts these things in a whole other light, skewering the what makes this show so beloved!  If you change the core characters to the point their journey’s don’t make sense within the world they inhabit, or they become unrecognisable to the audience you’re trying to milk then really.....what’s the point?  

#avatar last airbender #atlab #atla #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #princess azula #sokka #zuko #azula #rangi #rise of kyoshi

[number5theboy]

Please elaborate on how Five could've turned into the most insufferable character to watch

Thanks for asking me to elaborate on this text post:

@tessapercygranger​, @waywardd1​ and @margarita-umbrella​ also wanted to see a more detailed version of it, and I ended up writing an essay that’s longer than some of my actual academic essays. So buckle up.

WHY NUMBER FIVE SHOULD BE THE MOST OBNOXIOUS CHARACTER IN TV HISTORY, AND HOW HE MANAGES NOT TO BE

Number Five: The Concept That Could Go Horribly Wrong

Alright, let’s first look at Five in theory in an overarching way, without taking into account the execution of the show. The basic set-up of the character, of course, is being a 58-year-old consciousness in a teenager’s body, due to a miscalculation in time travel. Right off the bat, Five is bar none the most overpowered of the siblings; by the end of Season 2, no one has yet been able to defeat him in a fight. He is a master assassin – and not just any master assassin, but the best one there is – and a survival expert, able to do complex maths and physics without the aid of a calculator, shown to have knowledge of half a dozen languages, has very developed observational skills and, to top that all off, he can manipulate time and space to the point where he can literally erase events that happened and change the course of history. And Five knows how skilled he is; he is arrogant, self-assured and sarcastic, and his streak of goodness is buried deep inside. David Castañeda once described Five in an interview as 90% chocolate with a cherry in the middle, meaning that you have to get through a lot of darkness and bitterness before knowing there is a good core, and I think it’s an excellent metaphor. However, Five is also incredibly, fundamentally terrible at communicating with anyone, and, because he is the only one with time travel abilities, the character a lot of the actual plot - and the moving forward of it - centres around. Also he’s earnestly in love with a mannequin, who is pretty much a projection of his own consciousness that functions as a coping mechanism for all the trauma he has endured. All in all, this gives you a character who looks like a teenager, but with the smug superiority of a fifty-something, who a) is extremely skilled in many different things, b) has a superiority complex, is arrogant and vocal about it, and most of the superiority is expressed through cutting sarcasm, c) has one very hidden ounce of goodness that he is literally the worst at communicating to other human beings, d) is what moves the plot along but is also bad at talking to anyone else, meaning that the plot largely remains with him, and e) his love interest is essentially a projection of himself. Tell me that’s not a character who is destined to be just…obnoxious, annoying, egocentric, a necessary evil that one has to put up with to get through this show. There are so many elements of this characterisation that can and should easily make Five beyond insufferable, but the show manages to avoid it, and I’m putting this down to three aspects.

That Trick of Age and Appearance

Bluntly put, Five as a character would not work if he was anything else than an old man in a 13-year-old body. Imagine this character and all his skills and knowledge, but actually just…a teenager. Immediately insufferable. Same goes for him being around 30, like his siblings, all of which are stunted and traumatised by their father’s abuse. If Five, being comparatively unscathed by Reginald to the point where he explicitly does not want to be defined by his association with his father, were 30 like his siblings, it would just take the bite out of that plot point and also give him a lot less time in the apocalypse, reducing the impact it had on him as a person. And making Five his actual 58-year-old self would make him very similar to Reginald, at least on surface level, with the appearance and attitude. Five and Reginald are two fundamentally different people, but having one of the siblings being a senior citizen that’s dressed to the nines and bosses his siblings around in a relatively self-centred way does open up that parallel, and would take away from Five’s charm as a character. Because pairing the life experience of a 58-year-old with the appearance of a teenager gives you the best of both worlds. You get the other siblings (and a lot of the audience, from a glance in the tags of my gifsets) feeling protective and paternal about Five, but his age and experience also give the justifications for his many skills, his arrogance, in a way, and his ability to decimate a room full of people. It’s the very interesting and not new concept of someone dangerous with the appearance of something harmless, a child. This is also where Five’s singular outfit comes in. I know we like to clown on Five to get a new outfit, but I think what gets forgotten often is how effective this outfit is at making the viewer take him seriously. The preppy school uniform is the perfect encapsulation of the tension between old man in spirit and young teenager in appearance. The blazer, vest and especially the shirt and tie are quite formal, relatively grown up. They’re not something we, the audience, usually associate with a teenage boy wearing; it makes Five just a little bit more grown up. But there is also a reason characters in this show keep bringing up Five’s shorts and his socks, because those are not things that we associate with grown men wearing; they’re the unmistakably childish part of his school uniform. Take a moment and imagine Five wearing a hoodie or a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers; would that outfit work for him as well as the uniform does? Would he be able to command the same kind of respect or seriousness as a character? I don’t think so; the outfit is a lot more pivotal in making Five believable than a lot of people give it credit for.

Writing Nuance

The other big building block in not making Five incredibly insufferable is the writing. Objectively speaking, I think Five is the most well-written, and, more importantly, most coherently written character on the show (which does have to do with the fact that the show’s events are all sequential for him), and his arc and personality remain relatively intact over the course of the two seasons. More to the point, a giant part of what makes Five bearable as a character is that he is allowed to fail. He is written to have high highs and low lows, big victories through his skills and his intelligence, but also catastrophic failures and the freedom to be wrong. His superior intellect and skillset are not the be-all end-all of the plot or his character, just something that influences both. His inability for communication has not (yet) been used to fabricate a contrived misunderstanding that derails the plot and left all of us seething; instead, it’s a characteristic that makes him fail to reconnect with the people he loves. This is a bit simplified, as he does find common ground with Luther, for example, but in general, a lot of the rift between Five and his siblings is that they can’t relate to his traumas and he does not understand the depth of Reginald’s abuse, which is an interesting conflict worth exploring. Another thing that really works in Five’s favour is that he is definitely written to be mean and sarcastic, but it is never driven to the point of complete unlikability, and a lot of the time, the context makes it understandable why he reacts the way he does. Most of the sarcastic lines he gets are actually funny, that certainly helps, but in general, Five is a good example of a bearable character whose default personality is sharp and relatively cold, because it is balanced out with many moments of vulnerability. Delores is incredibly important for this in the first season, she is the main focus of Five’s humanising moments, and well-written as she totes the line between clearly being a coping mechanism for an extremely traumatised man and still coming across to the viewer as the human contact Five needs her to be. In the second season, the vulnerability is about his guilt for his siblings, it’s about Five connecting a little bit better to them. There’s also his relationship with the Commission and the Handler specifically – which honestly could be an essay on its own – that deserves a mention, because the Handler is why Five became the man he is, and this dynamic between creator and creation is explored in a very interesting way – their scenes are some of the most well-written in the entire show. And TUA never falls into the trap of making Five a hero, he is always morally ambiguous at best, and it just makes for an interesting, multi-faceted character, well-written character, and none of the characteristics that should make him unlikeable are allowed to take centre-stage for long enough to be defining on their own. I know a lot of people especially champion the scenes where Five goes apeshit, but without his more nuanced characterisation, if he was like that all the time, those scenes would not hit as hard.

Aidan Gallagher’s Performance is Underrated

But honestly, none of the above would matter that much if the Umbrella Academy didn’t luck out hard with the casting of Aidan Gallagher. I think what he achieves as an actor in this show is genuinely underappreciated. Like, the first season set out to cast six adults having to deal with various ramifications of childhood trauma, and a literal child that had to be able to act smart and wise beyond his years, seamlessly integrate into a family of adults while seeming like an adult, traumatised by the literal end of the world, AND had to be able to create the romantic chemistry of a thirty-year-long marriage with a lifeless department store doll. The only role I could think of to compare is Kirsten Dunst in Interview with a Vampire, where she plays a vampire child who, because she is undead, doesn’t age physically, but does mentally, so she’s 400 in a child’s body. And Kirsten Dunst had to do that for a two-hour movie. Five is a main character in a show that spans 20 episodes now. That’s insane, and it’s a risk. Five is a character that can’t be allowed to go wrong; if you don’t buy Five as a character, the entire first season loses believability. And they found someone who could do that not only convincingly, but also likeably. As I said, he is incredibly helped by the costuming department and the script, but Aidan Gallager’s Five has so much personality, he’s threatening and funny and charming and arrogant and heartbreaking. He has the range to be convincing in the quiet moments where Five’s humanity comes to show and in the moments where Five goes completely off the rails. Most child actors act with other children, but he is the only child in the main cast, and holds his own in scenes with adults not as a child, but as an adult on equal footing with the other adult characters. That’s not something to be taken for granted. But even apart from the fact that it’s a child actor who carries a lot of the plot and the drama of a series for adults, Aidan Gallagher’s portrayal of Five is also just so much fun. The comedic timing is on point, he has the dramatic chops for the serious scenes, the mannerisms and visual ticks add to the character rather than distract from him, and his line deliveries, paired with his physical acting, make Five arrogant and smug but never outright malicious and unlikeable. It’s just some terrific acting that really does justice to the character as he is written, but the writing would not be as strong if it wasn’t delivered and acted out the way Aidan Gallagher does. He is an incredible asset for this show.

Alright, onto concluding this rambling. If you made it this far, I commend you, and thank you for it. The point of all of this is that Five, as a character, could have been an unmitigated disaster of a TV character. He is overpowered, arrogant, uncommunicative and could so easily have been either unconvincing or completely unlikeable, but he turned out to be neither. It’s a combination of choices in the costume department, decisions in the writing room, and Aidan Gallagher’s acting skills that make the things that should make him obnoxious and annoying incredibly entertaining, and I hope you liked my long-winded exploration of these. Some nuance was lost along the way, but if I had not stopped myself, this would’ve become a full-blown thesis.

#thanks for the ask again #TUA #The Umbrella Academy #Five Hargreeves #tua s2 spoilers #my meta #i guess #Replies #Anonymous

[thosewickedlovelies]

we could be Dreamers - Prologue

Pairing: Marcus Moreno x GN!Reader

Rating: T

Summary: How this world came to be

Word count: 1,671

A/N: Hiii friends 🤗 soo there’s not really a lot of plot or Marcus Moreno :( here, but consider this a prologue/worldbuilding for a Marcus Moreno x reader fic I may eventually write lol. I’m really interested in how this universe got from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl to We Can Be Heroes, because like. Sharkboy and Lavagirl were literally just some kid’s imaginary friends that somehow magically became real, so what does that mean for the other Heroics? Where did they come from?? So I kinda wanted to write something that would make you Think :) and explore the ramifications of such a transformed universe.

Consider my previous Marcus Moreno fic a prelude to this prologue 💗

--

It was a little unnerving sometimes, being in a room with so much power. No matter that this particular training arena at Heroics Headquarters was at least the size of an American football field- when all of the Heroics are gathered in the same confined space, focused on a single purpose, you can feel it. Like their power prances tauntingly in the corner of your eye, slipping away when you try to look directly at it. Like it winds through the air, worming its way into your veins, so your very blood breathes at you to run, run, run.

Not all of the individual Heroics gave off such uncanny vibes; some were simply ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. Techo-No, for instance, and his gift for creating fantastical gadgets. The implications of his works relevant to the world at large could be worrying, but he had limits. He was just a man. Determined, and creative (even more so with his son throwing ideas at him), but ultimately human.

Not like those with powers who’d been Dreamed.

Take Sharkboy. The temper for which he’d been infamous in his youth had cooled, but when he snapped, he did so literally- blade-sharp teeth an audible clash when he bared them in a ringing snarl. Any water in the room would roil and froth- but the most hair-raising sight was his eyes, tinged with the unreadable, abyssal blackness of his namesake. Focused with a predator’s calculation on the object of his fury. (It made you think that, ironically, his temper had cooled too much- concentrated into something as icy and merciless as the depths of the sea. Just as well his wife was a lava goddess).

It was well-documented that Sharkboy could influence his oceanic kin, seeing as he was half-shark himself. Some marine biologists postulated- in low voices- that fluctuation in his emotions could unknowingly influence shark activity no matter how far from the sea he was. But nobody at Heroics Headquarters had ever dared suggest attempting a study.

That you knew of, anyway. You wouldn’t be surprised if there was a classified government branch somewhere which dealt solely with more insidious studies of the Heroics. Their weaknesses. Ways to defeat them.

Just in case.

Sharkboy and his emotions had stabilized as his Dreamer matured, but not all Dreamers were so invested in the well-being of their creations, or of the world they inhabited and could inadvertently affect. It was suspected that not all Dreamers knew that they had Dreamed at all, that they unintentionally brought Dreams into being far from where they were located and simply never became aware. This resulted in some Dreamed individuals being...unstable. Incomplete, really. Brought forth from a child’s mind, a young person who didn’t yet fully grasp the complexities of existing in this world, or indeed, the intricacies of what made one human at all.

Dreamers were children, more often than not. Their imaginative abilities generally far outstripped those of adults, worn down as they were with the grind of building a real life. The younger the person, the more time and creativity they maintained. The fewer methods they possessed to process their struggles which were grounded in reality, and not their imaginations.

--

Despite the years that have passed, nobody quite knows what happened to lead up to the Incident. How a single young boy had imagined so powerfully that it had warped reality; how his imaginings had given him the ability to design the universe at will.

The Daydreamer.

Max, as he later insisted on being called. An almost disturbingly innocuous name for a boy who had changed the world. Who had all but envisioned himself into having terrific powers- and enabled others to do the same.

In the years following the Incident, Sharkboy and Lavagirl continued to visit him in secret (Later, scientists realized that this why they recorded occasional, inexplicable disturbances in seismic and marine activity). But it wasn’t long before a larger threat to the entire Earth appeared- and so did they. To defend the place which they declared to be their new home. Though they had been willed into existence to protect Planet Drool, as Max determined to relinquish his daydreaming abilities and by extension, his dreamworld, so did the planet and its life diminish. Their presence there was no longer required, they’d explained. But earth could still benefit from their protection- especially after the reality of the threat came to light.

Someone else had Dreamed.

It wasn’t clear who, or how, or what their intentions had been. But once it had been said, everyone was forced to acknowledge the truth of it- or at least, admit that there was no other explanation. The villain’s origins were not terrestrial in any previously established sense.

Anyone who had ever met a child could have a predicted it. Too many young people ended up feeling outcast, overlooked, by both their peers and adults in their lives. It should have been obvious from the way they whispered his name. Not Max- a moniker far too average and relatable- but what they reverently regarded as his true title. The Daydreamer. A near-holy figure who had changed the game for youths everywhere. Now they had a way to combat those who plagued them. A way to create or become the superheroes who previously only existed in comic books and TV shows.

Or some did, anyway. Individuals with the strength of will and heart to Dream weren’t rare, but they weren’t quite common, either.

The only truly neutral positive of the Dreamer evolution was that governments everywhere suddenly accepted the need for increased mental health resources. Designed to increase healthy socialization for all ages and give young people ways to process and communicate their emotional needs, such programs were approved seemingly overnight in schools from elementary to university aged. “Small town life” flourished, and many city quarters and apartment buildings took to implementing “community builders” or, less charmingly, “social facilitators”- positions designed to create cohesive areas of living and minimize the kind of isolation and negative feelings that could leave someone to Dream of improving their life.

--

Nowadays, not all super-powered individuals were Dreamed. The second generation of Heroics was a testament to that. As if the universe itself had reckoned with the self-inception of the Dreamers, and seen fit to provide reality-warping countermeasures of its own.

Less than a year after the Incident, babies with...unique qualities began to be born. Few and far between, it seemed at first. Whispered reports swept from far corners of the globe, a phone tree branching from frantic parents to anyone who could provide even the slightest bit of reassurance. It seemed like doctors everywhere were swapping glances, no one willing to admit what was happening- until a second Villain appeared.

Every incident report said the same thing: a baby started crying, and then the hostages were saved by a power outage. A wash of sparks that darkened half the city.

Webbed with red lightning.

You sneak a look at the fully grown Heroic now, the long braids of her ponytail slipping over the shoulder of her characteristic red training outfit. Red Lightning Fury flexes her fingers as she listens to the head trainer explain today’s exercise- the usual sort of ‘heroes versus villains’ battles, with you and your fellow specialists assisting as villains- but judging by the lack of the smell of ozone, she isn’t yet using her powers. Blinding Fast, on the other hand, appears to fritz in place every few seconds, and you guess he’s running invisible laps to pass the time. It’s hard to tell if that’s what’s causing Lavagirl’s hair to tendril like neon pink smoke even though she’s standing still; usually the hypnotic heat shimmer of her lava flow causes the effect naturally.

You stretch in place while team arrangements are announced. As the majority of the Heroics filter into the stands to wait for their match, the buzzing, writhing presence of their power fades, and you can breathe more easily.

A figure flickers into being beside you, and you jump. “Jeez, Visi! How many times have I told you not to do that?”

Having anticipated your reaction from the countless previous times she’s snuck up on you anyway, Invisigirl laughs. “You think you’d be used to it by now.” Your closest Heroic friend grins at you, all pearly teeth against smooth brown skin.

And she’s right, which is why you were so disgruntled. Having been caught unawares too many times by the invisible hero’s silent movements, you had once asked her to give you lessons. Her instruction had improved your own stealth immensely, and now that you knew what kind of signs to listen for, her attempts at startling you didn’t work nearly as often as they had. But- “It’s hard to focus on anything with all of your powers clogging up the air,” you grumble. The birthed heroes understood what you meant- they felt it too, the nagging hiss of something other in the Dreamed heroes’ energy.

Across the arena, it looks like Miracle Guy and Marcus Moreno are waiting to be your opponents. Interesting. Miracle Guy, with his Dreamed up Superman-like abilities, was the only one who had a way of seeing Invisigirl. What it was precisely, you couldn’t recall. You make a mental note to ask Visi later.

Marcus, however, telekinesis aside, is clearly meant to be the counter to your strengths. The two men are discussing intently, but as if feeling your assessing stare, Marcus glances over. He lifts his eyebrows at you in playful challenge, a hint of a smile quirking his shapely lips before he’s pursing them at his duel-mate again.

Suppressing the pleased flutter down your spine, you turn your attention to the task ahead as Invisigirl dips her head toward you. Planning something clever, you realize, intrigued by the glint in her eye. “Let’s talk strategy.”

When the starting bell rings, your partner vanishes, and your smile curves as sharp and gleaming as the blade in your hand.

#marcus moreno #marcus moreno fic #wcbh fic #wcbh #we can be heroes fic #we can be heroes #pedro pascal characters #marcus moreno x reader #marcus moreno x you #let me know what you think!!! #🙈🙈🙈 #and if anyone wants to help me dream up a plot for this...i have Some Thoughts

[musecharm-writes]

Bad Influence, Pt 3 (Steve Harrington X Reader)

Summary: A couple of days after your first day at Melvald’s, you tell Joyce about something that’s been bothering you; Steve gets help with his crush from a couple of friends.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Over the days following your first shift, things get much easier. You’ve almost totally forgotten the exchange with Harrington and his friend. You might be able to completely, if it weren’t for their extremely obvious attempts to spy on you.

You think they’re under the impression that they’re being very sneaky, which means they probably don’t know that you’ve already caught on, but it also makes you feel a little sad that this is the best they can do.

You elect to do your best to ignore it; a nosy jerk and his little pal aren’t gonna get to you, not when things are finally starting to go your way.

“You’re cleaning that counter a little forcefully, there,” Joyce observes, carrying a box past you. When she emerges from storage, she asks, “Something on your mind?”

You consider the question. You stop scrubbing the counter like it’s done something to offend you and lean against it, the rag still under your hand. “Nothing. Just thinking about the meeting with Chief Hopper.”

Joyce walks over to a nearby shelf with an inventory checklist on a clipboard. “Uh huh. Okay. So what’s really bothering you?”

You purse your lips. Putting the rag and lemon scented Pledge you were using to clean under the counter, you follow Joyce over to the shelves, shoving your hands in your pockets.

“Steve Harrington’s friend and some kid have been following me,” you confess softly. “Every time I’ve left to go home for the past three days, I’ve caught them trying to spy on me. They’re probably gonna do it again today.”

Joyce looks genuinely concerned. “Steve’s friend? Who, what’s their name?”

You shrug. “Some girl. She was in here with him the other day, I think he called her Bucky?”

Joyce’s eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline. “ Buckley ? Robin Buckley?” She gestures with one hand to indicate a height of about five and a half feet. “This tall? Short brown hair?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s her.”

Joyce has a look of growing suspicion and confusion on her face. She lowers her clipboard to put one hand on her hip. “What did the kid look like?”

You frown as you try to remember. “Uh… a little shorter than that Robin girl, with curly hair, I think. At least, from what I could tell; he was wearing a hat.”

Joyce nods slowly. “...I think I know who we’re dealing with.” She looks you directly in the eye, and says, “Do you want me to tell them to leave you alone?”

You think about saying yes, just for a second. Then, you shake your head. “I’ll tell them to stop if it really starts to bother me. They haven’t realised it yet, but they suck at spying.”

Joyce laughs. “Okay, but if you change your mind, lemme know, and I’ll rough ‘em up for ya.” She smiles playfully, and you can’t help but laugh at the image of Joyce Byers fighting two children for bothering you.

“...Thank you, Joyce,” you say softly.

She gives you an odd look. “For what?”

“For… I dunno. For not being too hard on me, even though you were the one who caught me… doing what I did.”

She sighs, looking around to double check you’re still the only two in the store. “I won’t get into it too much since we’re still working right now, but… I used to be a bit of a wild child myself. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Plus,” she gives you a little nudge with her elbow, “Hop likes you. That counts for something in my book.”

You smile at her. “I guess it does.”

--

“You WHAT?”

Dustin and Robin look pleased with themselves, despite the fact that Steve is filled with a murderous rage.

“We’ve been following your crush to make sure the two of you would be compatible,” Dustin repeats. “To be honest, I don’t think you’re cool enough to land this one, but Robin seems to think you have a chance, so I’m gonna go with it.”

Steve points a finger angrily, about to defend himself and his infinite coolness, and then closes his mouth and folds his arms. “I don’t have to signify that with a response.”

Robin chimes in with, “I think you mean ‘dignify,’ genius,” which really doesn’t help their case with the whole ‘Steve-is-incredibly-angry-at-them’ thing.

He throws his hands up, frustrated. “Whatever, who cares! Why have you been following a person who I have zero chance of ever being in a relationship with to find out if we could date? That’s weird! And probably invasive, I think! Which means it’s also creepy!” He stalls out as he realises the possibility that you may have noticed his dunderhead friends creeping on you. “You haven’t been noticed, right?”

Dustin blows a disbelieving raspberry. “Psh! Please, you’re kidding, right? I think if we were able to successfully spy on a bunch of Russian soldiers without getting caught, we can do this, no problem.”

Robin smiles triumphantly. “Yeah, Harrington. Have a little more faith in our abilities.”

Steve shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. He prays that they’re telling the truth; otherwise, he senses some major embarrassment in his future.

Steve sighs, resigned. “Fine. Fine . I’ll let you two keep playing secret agent on my behalf. But if you get caught, lie your asses off about what you were doing, okay?”

They both promise not to put Steve in any more hot water with you than he already is, but it doesn’t fully lay his fears to rest.

“Oh, hey! You should come with us this time! We can fill you in on everything we’ve learned so far, and then you can watch the wild crush in its natural habitat,” Dustin says.

Steve frowns. “I dunno… Sounds like a bad idea.”

“No, I think it’ll be good. That way, if we do get caught, we can say it was all your idea,” Robin jokes. (Or at least, Steve hopes she’s joking.)

Which is how they all end up hiding behind Steve’s car, across the street from Melvald’s, waiting for your shift to end.

When the time finally comes and you’re walking out the door, they have to communicate via hurried whispers in order to coordinate their movements. Steve thanks their lucky stars that you’d walked to work that day.

They follow you down the street away from downtown. In the moments when it seems you’re about to turn around and catch them or you’re waiting to cross the street, they duck into alleys or alcoves, dive behind cars, or hide behind other people. Steve hates to admit it, even only to himself, but he sort of enjoys the exhilaration of sneaking around. He’d forgotten how much he enjoys it.

At the corner of 12th and Oak, after hiding behind a parked car, Dustin hisses, “Shit.”

Steve immediately snaps to attention. “Shit? What do you mean, shit? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know where--”

“Hey.”

Robin, Steve, and Dustin all yell in surprise, whirling around to find you standing behind them. You have your hands in your pockets, a rucksack over one shoulder, and a bland expression.

“...Hi,” Dustin says awkwardly. He looks around for a moment, apparently noticing for the first time the ramifications of his and Robin’s actions. “Uh, we can explain--”

You hold up a hand. “Don’t bother,” you point at Steve. “You had them,” you point at Robin and Dustin, “follow me, for who knows why and honestly who fucking cares. Please stop. You’re not great at stalking people.”

Ouch. Okay. Well, there’s a hard truth.

“Sorry,” Dustin says, looking genuinely dejected. Steve isn’t sure whether it’s because he upset you or because you said he’s bad at spying.

Your face twitches, like you’re trying to maintain your vaguely stern expression, and then it crumbles, and you sigh. “It’s okay. I’m not really that mad about it since you guys aren’t really bugging me that much, but just…” You run a hand through your hair. “Look, please stop following me around, okay? It’s weird, and a little creepy. I don’t know why you were doing it, nor do I want to know, nor do I really care. I’m just kind of over the weird shit.”

Robin and Dustin share a look before nodding, and Steve says, “Don’t look at me, I got roped into this at the last minute.”

You look confused, but you nod back. “Okay. Cool. Bye, then.”

You go around them and start to walk away, but before you can make it to the crosswalk, Dustin calls out, “WAIT!”

You turn to look back, one eyebrow raised in a silent question.

Dustin says the last thing Steve wanted to hear him say. “Can Steve get your number?”

Steve’s entire face feels like it’s gonna melt off. He’s absolutely going to run away and change his name; this is just too goddamn embarrassing.

Then, you do something that shocks Steve to his core: you laugh. It’s a full, rich laugh, and it makes his heart pound so hard he thinks for a second he might be having a heart attack -- but, like, for real.

And then , you say, “Damn, kid, you have a lot of guts. Sure,” you swing your bag off your shoulder and root around in one of the pockets before emerging with a pen and a small notebook. You scribble your name and number down before ripping the page off and handing it not to Dustin, but to Steve, who feels like he might combust.

“I get home at one o’clock every day for the next two weeks,” you say, with a crooked smile. “Call me any time after that.”

Steve nods, dumbfounded, and you turn on your heel and saunter away.

“Holy shit,” Robin says, laughing, as soon as you’re out of earshot. “I cannot believe that that somehow worked in your favour. You are either the luckiest guy in the world or more pathetic than I originally thought.”

Steve pays her no mind. Instead, he’s desperately trying to remember if there are any rules about when to call once you get the phone number. Do you wait a day, or call that night? Or maybe you wait longer than a day? Or do you wait for them to call you? Wait, shit, he didn’t give you his number. 

Why didn’t he give you his number?

“Steve, I can practically hear you panicking. Calm down, it’ll be fine,” Dustin says.

Steve’s head whips around. He stares at Robin and Dustin, considering his options, and then realising that his only other options are Nancy and Jonathan.

“I need you guys to help me land a date,” Steve says.

--

You spend a couple of hours at home doing nothing in particular. You read a couple pages of a book you pull at random off the shelf, but you can’t concentrate on it, so you turn on the TV and start channel surfing.

All the while, you’re also trying to pretend you aren’t waiting for the phone to ring.

You gave Steve Harrington your number. If you’re being honest, you think you may be  panicking a little, but you don’t really mind the idea of him calling you so much as you mind the fear that this is some kind of joke.

A part of you is very, very afraid that it’s a joke.

You sigh, putting the remote down and stretching out on the couch. You gave him your number; all there is to do now is wait for him to do the rest. No use stressing over it since it’s out of your hands.

At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself. As the hours tick by -- as you make yourself dinner and put some in the fridge for your mom, as you watch a movie with your feet up on the coffee table and a bowl of ice cream in your lap -- you start to lose hope that Harrington ever planned on calling you at all.

Then the phone rings, and you almost drop your ice cream jumping up to get it.

“Hello?” You say casually, proud of the fact that you don’t sound out of breath from running to the phone.

On the other side, Steve Harrington says your name.

“Y-Yeah,” you say, and then clear your throat. “That’s me!”

“Cool, cool,” he says. “So, hey, uh… I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime?”

You chuckle. “Wow. That’s a little forward of you, isn’t it?” You’re thankful that he can’t see you blush through the phone.

“Oh. Is--Is that bad?”

You smile, a little charmed despite yourself. “Nah. I’ll give you brownie points for it, if you want.”

“Oh! Sure. I, uh, I love… brownies,” he finishes on a bit of a low note, so you decide to throw him a line.

“You wanted to hang out, Steve?”

“Y...Yeah. Yeah. Uh, if you want. I just… Wanted to give us the chance to get to know each other. Like, under the right circumstances, y’know?”

You hesitate for a moment. You have a feeling that he’s got more in mind than the arcade; after a bit of thought, you admit to yourself that you’re at least curious about where this goes.

“Sure,” you reply. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’ll meet you at your place at… seven on Friday night? If that’s cool with you, obviously. No pressure, y’know.” He sounds a little nervous, and you can’t help but feel for him a little. Poor guy’s clearly out of his depth.

“Yeah, Steve. That sounds great. I’ll see you then.”

It’s not until after you’ve given him your address and hung up that it hits you: you might, potentially, have a date with Steve Harrington.

Steve Harrington, who saw you get arrested.

Great.

#stranger things x reader #stranger things reader insert #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things #x reader #reader insert #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #joyce byers #robin buckley #dustin henderson #writing #writing blog #reader insert blog #x reader blog