#we kept telling it that it was doing great

[cloudcountry]

I sent my request via dms but I'm still sending an ask for the sake of it, woops

Remember to hydrate and unshrimp :}

SUMMARY: idia doesn't how how to react when you show up at his door late at night and reveal something as earth shattering as your most recent breakup.

COMMENTS: we talked about this in dms but i hope you like the finished product!! <3

I CANT TELL IF THIS OR ANGST OR FLUFF. MAN.

reading this against its def angst oops

idia has issues but you're gonna get him through them trust 💪

The sound of mindless clicking, fans whirring, and Idia’s steady breathing are the only sounds that can be heard this late at night. It’s not that the residents of Ignihyde are sleeping—no, they’re all tucked away in their rooms, either tinkering with new tech or in the same position Idia is now. His lower back starts to ache from his slouched position in his chair, and so he straightens out his back to ease the pain. His spine cracks once, twice, thrice before settling down, and Idia promptly falls back into his old posture.

He briefly hears your voice in his mind, a reminder to sit up straight and not surf the web too late. He blinks slowly, briefly considering obeying your imaginary command, before he rationalizes using his PC more because you’re not actually here, you’re out with your boyfriend right now.

Or so he thinks.

It’s as though he summoned you, your knock on his door, a secret knock that only you would ever use. Idia insisted on a precaution like that so he’d know when it was safe to open the door and when it wasn’t. So far you hadn’t abused the privilege, never using it when you had friends with you. In fact, Idia was fairly certain you’d created a new knocking pattern recently when you had friends with you, just so he could know it was okay to respond but he didn’t have to open the door if he didn’t want to.

It's the knock that tells him you're alone.

So this time, he wants to.

He stands up, pushing his gamer chair to the side as his joints creak from being held in one position for far too long. He stalks over to the door, shaking hands reaching towards the doorknob. Because of your boyfriend, he’s always kept his feelings about you under wraps, wanting your happiness first and foremost. Besides, in what world would anyone be interested in him? He wouldn’t even want to associate with you like that, the thought of dragging you into his darkness was too much.

The doorknob turns and his door creaks open, a sliver of light spilling into his room until the rest of it is blocked by you. Idia opens his mouth to ask what you’re doing at his door this late, especially since you have a boyfriend and if anyone should be hanging out with you this late it really should be him and—

And—

And you have never looked more serious. It makes the words die in his throat, his lips parted like a fool.

“Do you have time to talk?” you ask softly, shifting from foot to foot in your pajamas and oh Great Seven, did you walk across campus like that? There were so many bugs out at night and snakes too, and what if you tripped because you couldn’t see where you were going? You came alone, WHY would you come alone this late? You could have gotten hurt—

His hands are twitching as your eyes drift down towards them, watching silently as they shake towards and away from you, like he wants to touch you but isn’t sure if he can. You initiate, taking his hands in yours and gently pushing him back into his room, nudging the door shut with your foot as quietly as possible.

“Um...what are you doing here this late?” Idia asks softly, his hands in yours, still twitching restlessly.

“I had to tell you something. It’s nothing bad on your part, before you start overthinking. It’s something to do with my boyfriend, now ex.” you say, each word purposeful and slow, like you’re picking your words very carefully in your sleepy haze.

“You broke up?” Idia murmurs, ignoring the way his heart jumps in his throat. 

Of course he’s happy you’re single now. Of course he is. But that doesn't mean now is the time to start fantasizing about actually dating you. Oh who is he kidding, he wouldn’t be starting that, he’s been doing that. The last thing he needs to his feelings getting in the way and making things hard for you, you’ve been his best friend for years now, ever since he came to NRC you’ve always been in his corner, even though sometimes you don’t get to see each other that often and he’s not going to fuck this up because he likes you more than he should, no way is he going to fuck this up—

“Yeah. We broke up a few weeks ago.” you say, moving your hands from his and pressing them into your thighs.

“Oh.” Idia says dumbly.

You smile weakly, glancing around his room before gesturing to his bed. Idia feels his heart in his throat again—it’s the only place with room to sit, yeah, but it’s so messy and oh Great Seven what if his manga makes you think he’s weird and you never want to speak to him again.

You don’t even spare a glance at his mess. You just sit down and clench your hands in your lap, watching him as he sits down next to you. His eyes land on your hands, white knuckled and shaking, and it squeezes his heart when he thinks about just what your boyfriend could have done to hurt you like this.

Your ex, he means. Your ex. He’s never going to be your boyfriend again, even if he apologizes, because as much as you’re hurting right now Idia knows you'll only come back stronger for it.

It’s one of the reasons why he admires you so much.

“It...wasn’t something I was planning on broadcasting. And as far as I know, he hasn’t told anyone either. Not that he’s good at telling people things.” you remark bitterly, a frown twisting your lips.

“Was he not talking to you?” Idia asks, balling his hands into fists in his lap much like you.

“No. He wasn’t.” you sigh, looking down at his floor, “He wasn’t at all.”

His room grows silent again, but Idia hopes you don’t hear the gears in his brain turning. He wants to make things better for you, he wants to make sure all the time you have left with each other is good for you, he wants to make sure you can live the rest of your life happy with the knowledge that you’ll never have to think about this guy.

He wants you to be happy so he can let you go after you two become seniors.

“Is...there anything I can do?” he mumbles, eyes darting around the room for a distraction, “Um, I made a mini planetarium projection for Ortho since he likes the stars so much and I think I have it somewhere in here—”

He knows exactly where it is. Like he’d ever forget.

“—I have some games, um...which ones do you like? I probably have something—”

He’s fairly certain you’d love the game sitting on the bottom shelf of his desk. It reminds him of you whenever he plays it.

“—or would you like to watch anime? Read a manga? You can leave too, that’s okay, just let me walk you home so you don’t get hurt—”

Not again, at least. But he’ll do anything to keep you here with him.

You cut him off with a small giggle, your balled up fists now pressed up against your face in relaxed palms, covering your mouth as your eyes crinkle in the corners.

“I’d love to stay. Thank you, Idia.” you smile softly and move your hands away from your mouth, and Idia feels his heart jump into his throat again because of course you’d know.

You’ve always known.

He swallows back a wave of sadness as his mind reminds me once again that he will leave you one day, and that day will come sooner than he wants it too, that he’s cursed and he shouldn’t taint you too—

“Anything is good as long as it’s with you.” you laugh quietly, falling back onto his bed with a soft thump.

It’s like you were always meant to be there.

#rubia <3 #auburn's fics <3 #twst #twst wonderland #twisted wonderland #disney twst #idia shroud #idia shroud x reader #disney twisted wonderland #gn reader #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader

[ashwhowrites]

hi!! can I request stevie boy loving to suck on the readers boobs while they make up? 🫣🤭

You definitely can. My brain went in three directions with this because I couldn't tell if you meant makeup as in a fight, makeup as in doing makeup, or a type and meant wake up. So I went with the first one. It's a short blurb.

I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting🫶🏻

Sucker

"Steve, I'm sorry," Y/N said, but the boy still cried as he kept his head down. "Come here," she cooed, he crawled into her arms and allowed her to hug him. The couple sat on the bed as they embraced.

"I'm sorry for crying. I know I'm sensitive." Steve apologized against her chest.

"Shh, you don't have to be sorry. I'm sorry for being insensitive and hurting your feelings. "What can I do to make you feel better?" She asked

Steve felt his cheeks burn as he thought about it. He was embarrassed to ask, but he had something in mind. And it had been in his mind since their first date.

Steve was a boob guy and he will be one until the day he dies. To him, they had so much purpose and looked great in everything.

He liked to use them as a pillow when they cuddled. He melted into her with the way she played through his hair.

He liked to feel them against his chest as they hugged.

He loved seeing them in her outfits, hidden or out on display.

He loved the way they bounced in his face as she rode him.

He loved feeling them in his hands when he ate her out. He loved how sensitive her nipples were to his touch. He sucked on them slightly during sex and played with them with his teeth.

But he hasn't done what he's been craving to do

"Steve?" she asked, leaning back as she looked at him

"I don't know...I'm scared to ask," he admitted

Y/N sighed and pulled back. She let go of his body but grabbed his hand. "It's okay. Just tell me. I'm your girlfriend, I'd never judge you."

Steve took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, then down to her chest. She wore a loose shirt and he could see her hard nipples looking back at him. He looked back at her face and blushed.

"I um...I think I know what will help me feel better," he said shyly, "can you take your shirt off?"

She bit back a laugh, "You wanna see my boobs?" A small chuckle escaped as she took off her shirt. He beamed with happiness when they came into his view. His hands already reaching forward to cup them.

"I love your boobs," he complimented, squeezing the flesh. "Can I...maybe suck on them?"He shyly looked at her, his hands still massaging her breasts.

Y/N was silent for a minute. She wasn't sure what to say, the question went in a direction she didn't expect. But she'd do anything to make her boy happy.

"Of course, do you want me to like lie down?" She asked

Steve looked at her shocked. The way she just agreed and asked how he wanted to do it made his heart melt.

"Um yeah, maybe like the way we cuddle? Where you play with my hair?" He whispered as he grew more shy under her watchful eyes.

"Yes, pretty boy," she said, she leaned over and pecked his lips, his hand moved away from her chest as he cupped her face and kissed her back.

She pulled back with a smile. She moved down on the bed and rested her back against the mattress. Steve took off his shirt, joining hers on the floor.

He crawled on top of her and placed his head on her chest, his legs tangled with hers. He lazily wrapped his lips around her left nipple, swirling it with his tongue before he began to softly suck.

He moaned in delight as her hands ran through his hair. He sucked gently and it made Y/N more relaxed than she thought it would.

His eyes were closed as he felt himself calming down. He popped off her left nipple with a pop. Then he wrapped his lips around her right one and began to suck.

He switched back and forth until his eyes grew heavy. Her fingers were in his hair as his sucking slowly came to a stop, but his lips were still wrapped around her.

She smiled to herself as he fell asleep. She continued to play with his hair as she closed her eyes. Time ticked until she fell asleep beside him.

#steve harrington fluff #steve stranger things #steve harrignton #steve harrington fluff x reader #steve Harrington x reader #steve Harrington x female reader #steve Harrington fluff x female reader #ashwhowrites #steve harrington requests

[sirfrogsworth]

Adventures in Cooling

The 5-star rated HVAC repair service I used kind of depressed me.

It was almost... too good?

Like, they offer 24/7 service. They have a text message system that lets you know when the tech is coming. Every tech has their own custom van that serves as a giant advertisement. The entire process is documented with a tablet computer. Every serial number and model number must be photographed. He has to follow a diagnostic checklist. And an upsell checklist. And a repair checklist. He had so many checklists that at one point he pulled a card out of his wallet to make sure he didn't forget one of the steps. He had a poorly memorized speech for every upsell. You could tell he didn't have "his" tools, but the company's tools that he borrowed.

None of this was "bad" as far as a workflow. The service was flawless and nothing was forgotten. But you could tell that every detail was micromanaged and if the tech didn't follow the procedures to the letter, he would probably get some kind of demerit.

I felt sorry for my tech. He was in his 60s and clearly had a severe chronic knee injury. He walked slower than I do. He was quite monosyllabic and difficult to make conversation with. Not unpleasant, just not great at communicating.

At one point I asked him if I was a good candidate for a heat pump and he was like, "Everyone is."

End of advice.

Oh, and the uniform.

The uniform was very silly.

Every square inch of his shirt was meant to assure people they have a qualified technician. The one sleeve listed his certifications from some Alphabet Association that certifies such things. And then the other sleeve made sure to let me know my technician was drug tested and background checked.

The entire visit I kept trying to imagine how being stoned might negatively affect HVAC repair. I mean, if he was on a little cocaine perhaps we could have wrapped things up 30 minutes sooner. Marijuana might have helped him communicate. Opioids could make his knee feel better. I don't think shrooms would have been a good idea. If he hallucinated an angry fan monster in my A/C unit that could have been really awkward.

He was a terrible salesman—but for some reason, I fell for every upsell. Actually, I sold all of the upsells to myself in my head. I got a new filter and had him install it because I worried I would forget or I would install it improperly (not really possible, you just stick it in). But for the price I paid I could have bought 6 years worth of filters.

I just wanted everything sorted. I am so stressed and do not have the bandwidth to deal with A/C troubles. So I just said "yes" to everything. But the price kept inflating as we went along and every time it inflated he required a signature on his tablet.

This repair business had been corporatized to death and it made me miss all of my dad's friends from the old days who he would ask for favors. He always "knew a guy." He would trade car repairs for discounts on things we needed around the house. And they all worked for themselves and had their own tools and their own shitty truck and they all said, "There's your problem!" with the same masculine affect.

Their uniform was a flannel shirt and jeans and I bet some of them were high as fuck.

And this elderly gentlemen with the bum knee kept checking his checklist to make sure he checked every check because he feared managerial discipline.

He got to the sales pitch for the fluorescent dye. He was like, "Do you want this? You don't have to buy it." And I started selling it to myself in my head despite his assurance it wasn't really necessary. I worried if I had a big leak and I don't discover it until the middle of July, I would regret saying no in this moment. But then I realized he hated the dye injection process. And his poor salesmanship was mostly him not wanting his hands to be fucking radioactive yellow for the rest of the day. He tried wearing gloves to avoid it, but he still ended up with yellow hands and grumbled, "I really hate this stuff." Which was one of the few unrehearsed things he said to me the entire time.

Once the checklist was complete and the house was already starting to cool, he had one final sales pitch for me. He asked that I give his company a 5-star review and to make sure I mention his name. He told me that in July all of the techs with the most 5-star reviews will have their names put in a hat. And "the boss" will give one lucky employee a free vacation.

This vacation thing sounded like such a manipulation. And I'm sure "the boss" has instructed his techs to tell this tale of the free vacation so customers will be like, "Well, shit. I don't want this poor old guy with the shitty knee to miss out on that."

And it was then I realized just how this company got so many 5-star reviews.

Diabolical.

But the good news... my house is cold as heck.

And I keep shivering because I can't figure out the perfect setting on my thermostat. I guess I was used to the inefficiency and I will have to recalibrate.

[multifandomslxt]

Hey Krystal! 💎 It's me again 😌

Hope you've been well. 🥰

WayV members as type of rich bfs (sugar daddies) 👀..... Anything and everything within this prompt is most welcome 🤭. Have a great day bye ❤

Hey sweetheart! how are you?

You scared me again with the name ngl lmaoo

but it's all good

ENJOY<333

Way V Members as Sugar Daddies

MDNI

MINORS GO AWAY

Kun

He's a bit hard to get through to at first IMO

When he says sugar daddy he means money in exchange for accompanying him to events

he's so strict with himself that he really doesn't allow it to get past that.

That's all it is for a few months yk?

until you express that it seems a bit weird because you were definitely expecting more...

And Kun like the damn provider he is

gives you just that...more

but definitely explains to you that he's a possessive little shit.

good pu$$y turns a perfectly sane man in to a mad man pt.1

he's mad asf for youuuu

now that s3x is involved this man SPOILSSSSSSS you

way more than he was doing prior

which seems a bit impossible because babyyy you were getting bagsssss

he's so strict too like he makes it clear that you belong to him

period.

istg at some point he graduates from sugar daddy to husband

you want a spontaneous trip to some crazy rich island? ok, no problem

you want a bag that costs way too much money? he'll get you that in the next 2 hours

also...don't let that cute smile fool you, the man is a menace.

"Can't believe I deprived myself of this pretty c*nt" he thrusts inside you so slow...dangerously slow

"That's right baby Daddy's right here to give you everything you need"

Ten

Maam.

he gets right to it. lmaooo

Tells you that he needs you to accompany him to events and asks you if you're ok with other "stuff"

duhhh

first off the chemistry between y'all is AMAZINGGG

We all know this man loves fashion so having the latest designer pieces is a given

what starts off as a lil service after events

blooms into something more

very protective of you

baby he doesn't play about you or the custom diamonds he put around your neck. TRUST!

compared to before the relationship bloomed the s3x between you two was rather respectful?...yh that's the word

now?

LMAOOOOO

he rips that shit off youuu

President of the "I'll just buy you a new one" club

it's rough btw unlike Kun, Ten is rough and occasionally enjoys it when you're on top

hehe

"fuck...I'd choose this pu$$y over diamonds any day"

Winwin

See how pretty this man is?

yeah he's gonna make sure you're even prettier than him

Literally bathes you in expensive shit.

SPOILLS you omggg

it's worrying sometimes

to the point where the bank calls him

asking if he's aware that there is a concerning amount of money leaving his account

From head to toe it's luxuryyyyy

the s3x is good....just good

I'm sure I've said this before but Winiwn strikes me as someone who just gets to it.

not too rough not too gentle yk?

its just right

he does like when you wear that little diamond collar he got you when he's ball deep inside you though

he's strictly sugar daddy btw

I think he'd prefer that

Xiaojun

if you manage to pull him and keep him you're one lucky mf

this man moves through sugar babies like the days of the week

He likes the thrill of it all imo

yes he'll spoil you

but you better make sure the pleasure you give him is worth the 100k he just splurged

"C'mon now princess, Daddy knows you can do way better than that" he whispers teasingly as your body trembles from exhaustion and overstimulation

he likes to be kept on his toes

and you keep surprising him

your bills are paid and you're getting f*cked dumb

and he has the prettiest girl to spoil and break

It's a win-win honestly

Hendery

he's so sweet at first omlll

yes he dotes on you and all that jazz

but you guys actually become friends yk?

he's a whole gentleman

never crossing the line

just kind and attentive

gets you WHATEVER you want

and mean ANYTHING

nothing is out of reach for his baby

he just expects you to behave

but what's the fun in that?

let him catch you trying to buy things with your own money

or some shit like that

you are DONEE

when he f*cks you

he ensures that you merge with the mattress

takes "fuck you into the mattress" literally

ass up face down supremacy

do not play with him like that.

"Move your hand baby, I told you actions have consequences"

Yang Yang

This mf is just horny

lmaooo

very possessive oml

and not in the mature way like Kun or the gentlemanly way like Hendery

but possessive like a damn child

you go to parties together and he doesn't want you talking for anybody else too long

look at him and only him

the fucker got you a carrier bracelet with his name embedded into it

and told you to wear it at all times

for the most part, he's harmless

extremely touchy-feely

controls his urges well though

unless you're fucking around too much

then he has to show you why you should just let him be

it's fast and hard

I'm so serious

This MF can go roundsss

because he's desperate asf

BABY TRAPPING CENTRAL

"Such a fuckin' tease. let's see how much teasing you'll do when I swell you up hm?"

#nct smut #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct yuta #nct doyoung #nct fanfic #nct dream #nct fluff #nct taeyong #nct 127 #nct way v #nct wayv #wayv #wayv reactions #wayv scenarios #wayv headcanons #wayv fluff #wayv fanfic #kun wayv #ten wayv #winwin #xiaojun #hendery #yangyang #nct reactions #nct fic #wayv smut

[norraexploradora]

The Tragedy of the CX Troopers and the Missed Opportunity to Teach Us All an Important Lesson

A deeper look into how the CX-Troopers were handled in the Bad Batch and the narrative surrounding them that unfortunately got dropped in season 3

I want to start off by applauding the Bad Batch for the brave attempt to tackle dark topics throughout the series and presenting them in a way that is appropriate for families to watch and discuss with their children. Most of series is successful in being just dark enough to raise tension but to also keep things suitable for a child’s first glimpse into the harsh realities of life. However there still a few places that missed the mark.

The one I wish to cover today is the inconsistent narrative surrounding the CX-Troopers. I’m not here to say it was bad writing per se, but if a dark topic is discussed in a family oriented tv series, it is best to commit adequate time to truly flesh it out so the messaging is clear. Subjective is great in a mature series like Andor, but kids lack the life experience required to read between the lines.

And yes, exposition does make dialogue sound clunky at times, but there is a reason why most cartoons in the 80s had the kind of “The more you know” lesson after each episode. The Bad Batch was no different. Tech’s speech in the Crossing and his encouragement to Omega at the end of Retrieval are perfect examples of this.

In my opinion, there was an opportunity for an important lesson to be learned from the CX Troopers that was brought up but left unfinished. These shadow operatives could have been a way to show the viewer how anyone can be “brainwashed” either by force or by clever manipulation.

One operative in season 2 called himself a “Believer” which seems to evoke he was forcibly submerged into a cult-like indoctrination. It’s also why I prefer to use the phrase “coercive persuasion” or “forced persuasion” instead of brainwashing as they are a more accurate description of the process that has been historically implemented by governments, cults, and captors in order to make good people believe in or do horrible things.

Dr. Hemlock’s use of forced persuasion on select clones to turn them into CX-Troopers is a interesting look into the real world and well-documented cases of brainwashing within fascist regimes; especially in wartime settings. It is common and disturbing tactic implemented in moments of great despair and something that deserves more focus within the narrative if it is to be brought up as a major plot point.

Most of the brainwashing aspects in the Bad Batch were rapidly glossed over probably due to time and budget constraints, and not so much by the dark and disturbing imagery. One can easily get the “idea across” without showing it explicitly. (Like Crosshair having his hand chopped off. We didn’t see it but yeah, we get the gist).

I will say however, that despite the mystery surrounding brainwashing in the CX-Program, one of the more poignant moments was Captain Rex telling a caught CX Trooper that he was still their brother and that they would help him. It was a beautiful show of compassion and introduced new plot element; that the soldiers who undergo forced persuasion could possibly be reached or even saved.

It’s not a stretch to believe that the Bad Batch would take this route given the series had built up “we don’t leave our own behind” as one of the main themes. It would also be safe to say that saving fictional heroes from brainwashing gives us hope that real life survivors can recover from such trauma.

It was one of the many reasons fans were led to believe that the mysterious CX-2 operative could have been Tech or Cody. The focus on this particular shadow operative gave rise to speculation that he was different, that there was something coming to shed light or hope that a lost soldier could be found and rescued; something that would make sense of it were a character we already cared greatly about.

Alas, CX-2 was kept a mystery box that gave no insight to the tragic nature of his existence nor gave us a reason to mourn his death. That is why the battle between the Bad Batch and Hemlock’s Batch of secret operatives felt rushed and incomplete to some viewers. There wasn’t proper time for the story to breathe beyond “One Batch is good, the other Batch is bad.”

There were simply too many dropped narratives throughout the final season that reduced the whole CX Trooper plot to a video game-esque final boss battle. Don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing fight, beautifully animated, terrifying, and intense; but nevertheless, it felt hollow because the build-up went nowhere.

At that’s exactly where the narrative around the tragic nature of brainwashing got lost.

It’s important for you to know that I’m not saying the Bad Batch killing these operatives in the final fight was wrong. I’m also not saying that they should have tried to reach out to save these Shadow Operatives in the middle of of a life and death situation. It’s just unfortunate that we were never given a reason to feel anything other than relief that the CX-Troopers were killed.

And yes, this is a show about the Bad Batch and not brainwashed mystery troopers, but I stress, the writing set up these characters and introduced a very dark and disturbing concept to young viewers. With more time and effort spent on the narrative, it could have been an important lesson that applies to real life.

Coercive Persuasion is not a fantasy concept. It is very very real. Sleep deprivation, isolation, abuse, constant interrogation, drugging, shame, and humiliation, are all various means to break down a person’s will and forcibly persuade them into believing anything.

One can simply look to how many people get forced into false confessions by unethical police practices, or those who end up committing atrocities due to cult leader manipulation. A more common and less obvious example is social media outlets designed to spin conspiracy theories; coercing people into believing anything they want, like like the Earth is flat and microchips were put in Covid vaccines. By preying upon people’s anger and fear, these sites cultivate distrust and can lead one to extremist thinking.

This is real world, dark and scary stuff that needs to be handled with serious care and consideration of bringing it into an animated Star Wars series.

So given more time and budget, how could this lesson be shown through the story of the Bad Batch? How could these brainwashed operatives been presented in a way to that is scary but still gives younger audiences a way to sympathize with them?

Shedding more light on a terrifying process would remind us the CX-Troopers are victims and despite their terrifying nature, they still deserve our compassion and empathy. So giving the operatives more of a backstory is a good start.

For Example:

Showing the transformation of at least one of these operatives before the final battle would provide more emotional impact after their demise. Having kids clearly, and not subjectively, understand that under those cool costumes there used to be good men is such an important lesson. It reinforces the narrative that the real villains aren’t these soldiers but the regime that warped their minds and forced them into mindless monsters.

To be clear, this a a family series and I am in no way implying that a clear visual of lengthy torture would be acceptable. There are already hints through Crosshair’s PTSD and that is enough to get the idea across.

My suggestion would have been to place the sniper clone who eventually became CX-2 in the cell next to Crosshair while on Tantis. The viewer gradually sees these two men go back and forth to their cells after these conditioning sessions and the witness bond that forms between them. Crosshair is forced to see CX-2’s identity slip more and more away after each session until he is no longer the person he once was. The sadness and loss of seeing this man lose his identity not only leaves a mark on Crosshair, but by the viewer as well.

The scene of the shadow operative watching Crosshair on Tantiss and the one shadow operative calling him “brother” would have made more sense in retrospect. In addition, having an emotional and clear connection between Crosshair and the man who became CX-2, would have given their epic fight on top of the waterfall more emotional weight. CX-2’s line “You could have been one of us. You made the wrong choice” would be more resonant to the viewer. CX-2 would literally be a sniper shadow operative that Crosshair could have become verses a subjective mystery box.

To further this narrative and Crosshair’s character arc, making the above change to the story could have also opened the door to Crosshair eventually saving this lost brother. Omega’s determination to never give up on Crosshair could have resulted in Crosshair reaching out to CX-2 and eventually getting through to him before the final battle. It would have been so emotional and fulfilling.

And yet…as lovely as that would have been, I realize the above scenario would require at least one additional episode; which the animation team probably didn’t have the luxury or the budget to do. So I’ll offer another solution:

Adding a few minutes here and there during season 2 and the beginning of season 3 dedicated to Hemlock’s treatment to the CX-Troopers and other Clone prisoners would give the viewer a clearer picture into the nature of the CX Program. The result would be that the feeling of triumph wouldn’t be seeing the shadow operatives lying dead on the floor but knowing that the experimentation on the clones at Tantiss by Dr. Hemlock was finally over.

So in conclusion:

It’s a shame that the shadow operatives were left a mystery and simply became foils and metaphors. The fight at the end was nothing more than the Batch having to kill or be killed and it failed to showcase a serious topic with less black and white thinking.

With more time, the writers could have explored the tragedy of forced coercion. Discussing a difficult subject in a manner fit for young audiences could leave them with awareness when they are faced with a similar real world scenario.

The CX-Trooper plot could have also been a good way for a parent to discuss what coercive persuasion does to people; especially in today’s world where social media is rife with bad people luring in youth and manipulating their anger and fear into extremist thinking.

Think about it.

How does someone get so isolated that they fall prey to extremism and they end up committing acts of terrorism? How does one get indoctrinated into a cult and become so brainwashed that they take their own lives or the lives of others at the behest of a cult leader? How would an innocent person sign a confession of a crime they didn’t commit?

These are all good questions that people often ask after horrendous real life events and can regularly be seen on the daily news and social media. Having a fictional metaphor for scary real world issues that children could easily understand would be exactly the kind of thing Star Wars was created for. It was also created to give children and all of us hope.

So in the end, the lesson should have been that people who fall victim to brainwashing aren’t weak or gullible. They have been put through extreme duress and put through unethical means of isolation and manipulation.

And if there is hope for even one of the CX-Troopers to be saved, we as a society should have empathy and try to reach out to those in our own lives who have been a victim of coercive persuasion before writing them off.

Disclaimer:

One thing I’ve learned in life is that platforms like Twitter are not places for deep discussions and good faith arguments. You have a set number of letters to get your ideas across and interpreting the meaning or tone always leads to misunderstandings.

That is why I’m coming to to Tumblr to discuss my deep dives into season 3 of the Bad Batch. I am the type of person who doesn’t like angry, confrontational sparring over ideas.

My goal is to shed light on a different perspective; not to make anyone agree with me, but just to understand that we can all watch the same show and interpret things differently due to our own life experiences. By explaining my viewpoints, I’m showing you into my thought process. You are certainly free to disagree but I’m not trying to change your feelings on the matter, nor do I wish for anyone to forcibly change mine.

We can all exist in the same space and I encourage anyone who has a different view to write an analysis of their own instead of arguing in anyone’s comment section. Be kind and respectful and most of all, remember this is fiction and subjective interpretation. There are so many things to be really angry about in the world and Star Wars is the least of our worries.

Cheers and as always, May the Force be with you!

#tbb #tbb crosshair #the bad batch #tbb tech #the bad batch crosshair #bad batch spoilers #bad batch season 3 #badbatch #clone force 99 #bad batch tech #cx 2 #cx troopers

[velvetvexations]

The fact that Junior Year didn't at all challenge the way ANY system is set up is insane to me.

In the first half of the season I kept telling people the solution to Adaine's money problems wouldn't be Fabian buying her shit for her, because Brennan - DECOLONIAL PHILOSOPHER THAT HE IS - would never construct a scenario in which the solution to a ruinous lack of funds would be to get your rich friend to pay it off for you. This was just the foundation of my argument that Fabian literally, in-universe, did not have access to enough money to do that, because BLeeM usually plugs those holes and that seemed to be essentially the point of kicking Hilarial and Gilear off-screen for most of the season, but put that aside. The point is, it was clearly a critique of the system.

Right?

Because I assumed the solution would in some way be either changing the system or breaking free of it. Part of Adaine's problem is capitalism in general, but most immediately it's the financial demands the school system makes of her.

And then...the solution is not that. The solution is that she yells at her bosses to start paying her for being the Oracle, and Fabian beats someone in a dance contest so they do it. Problem solved. It's fine that Aguefort, which prides itself to an insane degree about what an anarchic madhouse it is for all the real freaks who want to just reach out and take life by the horns, requires you buy literal barrels of diamonds to be a wizard. That's fine.

The problem was that Adaine didn't have a fortune, not that she needed a fortune in the first place.

And it's wild because exactly that's something I liked about A Starstruck Odyssey. Obviously, Starstruck is an existing IP, and there wasn't a lot of room to just revolutionize galactic society overnight, but thematically it only enhanced the season's thrust to have everyone's problems be tied to money and for them to get past them by inventively striking a fortune. It was essentially taking this mildly grimdark capitalist hellhole and being like "okay, we'll play by your rules, assholes" and by the end it felt like there was a heavy tone of irony to the celebration of The Ball Rolling Up. Like you were meant to notice and be aware that the crew of the Wurst basking in their newfound riches was good for them personally but also a fucked-up reflection on how the setting operates.

And there was little tiny baby steps towards acknowledgement of systemic issues in JY that seemed promising, but all ultimately fizzled out.

Fig being overwhelmed by her responsibilities as a working musician and owner of a part of Hell? She orders her demonic underlings and indentured souls to help her put on a hella sweet concert and she goes quintuple platinum and her old agent is totally seething.

Gorgug is being failed by an educational structure that won't allow and doesn't even want him to succeed in the way he aspires to? Zac rolls insanely well so no he isn't, he's doing great, everyone should take four times the coursework.

Riz has to do a ton of shit to get into college because as a poor person he has to run to where others walk? Jokes are occasionally made about him being in a lot of clubs but that's never once examined or otherwise touched on between the the third and final episode, with the resolution in the epilogue being his mom going "hey kiddo wherever you end up you'll do great, just as long as you get enough sleep and take regular breaks to eat ice cream!".

Fabian trying to live up to the pressure of his legacy and maintaining his social status at school? Bill has a genuinely moving conversation with Fabian in the finale, indisputably one of the highlights of the season and a moment that in spite of everything I found incredibly powerful, where he tells him that he would love him even if he weren't a Maximum Legend, but it ends on "maybe we can have both" because as Brennan himself noted Lou was rolling so well that it was actively strangling the theme of his arc so that it ended up just being Fabian occasionally feeling a bit frustrated about the pressure while effortlessly succeeding to the point that not even Fig's catastrophic bardic put a dent in his popularity, but not enough for it to be a full case of tragic imposter syndrome.

Kristen failing cleric class? Kristen deserved to fail cleric class.

The issues with Fabian and Gorgug's arc was just luck and a flaw in the downtime mechanic. The others went deeper and man I really wish more had been done there.

#dimension 20 #fhjy #adaine abernant #figeroth faeth #gorgug thistlespring #riz gukgak #fabian seacaster #kristen applebees

[harukamitsuki]

Ugghh been consuming some bnha stuff and I'm reminded of why I largely prefer fanfiction over the actual story. I have so much hate and pettiness within me. Even so, I am never going to change my mind on how much I hate how bnha is just an amalgamation of wasted potention. Search the definition of wasted potential up and there's just an image of bnha.

I remember watching it as the first season was coming about because it was made by Bones and I just have to watch it in that case. I watched episode one and was so excited.

We have our mc, Midoriya Izuku, being powerless in a world full of quirks.

His childhood friend turned bully, Bakugou Katsuki, is shown to be favoured by literally everyone and this feeds into his ego.

All Might, the number one hero, is jaded and powerless for 21 hours of the day because of a fight nobody knew existed. Izuku is attacked and helpless, but saved by All Might. All Might tells him he can't become a hero. A much needed reality check because Izuku didn't work out a single bit before then and it's so incredibly hard to fight someone who has something you lack.

Then Bakugou is attacked and helpless. Bakugou, who is so much stronger and who people love, is left useless, only able to make the situation worse with his explosions creating a fire hazard. The pro-heroes can't do anything. All Might and Izuku both hate themselves for the part they played and how useless they are. Then Izuku sees how scared Bakugou is. He runs in, inspiring All Might as he mocks himself for breaking Izuku's dream yet forgetting the core of heroism.

Then, after all is said and done, All Might goes back to Izuku. And he tells him he can become a hero.

...

Then he offers him One for All. Now, when I was watching this for the first time, I was so disappointed. You set up a powerless mc in a world full of powers and you just give him the power of the strongest hero? Great. But, I kept watching.

I watched Izuku work to get his power, struggle even after getting a quirk. I watched as Izuku finally stood up for himself and win against Bakugou. I watched as the series went on and I... I started noticing more and more missed opportunities.

See, bnha is supposed to be a zero to hero story. It's supposed to be about the mc going from powerless to powerful. But it does it so quickly. Suddenly, it's not about Izuku finding his own form of strength, or realising how being quirkless may not give any advantages but it also has no disadvantages, or even any commentary on quirk discrimination or fantastic racism or anything.

It turns into a story about controlling your power. It's not what I signed up for.

That's just one missed potential. There's so many more. Horikoshi clearly tries to make some commentary on quirk discrimination and female heroes/sexism in the workplace and entertainment over peace. There's some effort put into making a comment on how heroes are glorified and people don't see them as public workers, they see them as celebreties.

But it's never delved into. We don't see how bad people with mutant or 'villainous' quirks are treated, and we don't see how people with weak quirks are treated, or how the quirkless are treated (because the only reason Izuku was treated so horribly was because of Bakugou). We don't see how female heroes need to have a bit of allure in their personas to have any sort of support.

Yuuei is literally a camp for making child soldiers, yet there's no controversy over it? There's no such things as heroes having to take lethal action and no moral dilemmas over it? There's nobody speaking out about how Midnight flirts with students?

We have literally no information about how heroes work. We don't know how their salaries are decided, how they're ranked, how undergound heroes work. if twilight heroes are a thing, how anybody but Rock Lock feels about bringing children into adult matters, (seriously, why do people hate Rock Lock for being rightfully worried about having 15 year olds in a raid against the yakuza), we don't know how villains work and how to decide if one's a criminal or a villain.

Heck, the only laws we know of are fanon, and the canon stupid idea that you can't use your quirk in self-defense.

It's just. Incredibly infuriating.

Also, analysis as a whole is so under-utilised. Both Izuku and Shigaraki are deemed creepy for their analysis, which is such a useful tool. I mean, Izuku accurately guesses Stain's quirk, which is useful because, otherwise, they wouldn't be wary about Stain licking their blood or cutting them. Shigaraki accurately guesses the time intervals between Aizawa's blinks, which helps him a shit ton.

But is it ever used outside of these situations? No. The thing is, quirks are scientific in nature, not magic. Therefore, they're not restricted like magic is. Fire doesn't always have to be fire, it can be smoke or just heat. Ice can be water or steam. Acid can melt through anything or just be used as a mario kart banana peel.

There was so much missed potential and that's exactly why there's so much fan content.

Horikoshi leaves so much out, and everything he misses tends to be the interesting parts. He willfully explains Bakugou's quirk in detail, but everyone else? Nah. Fuck them.

I mean, let's look at Ochako's quirk.

Gravity negation. Or is it? See, if it were just gravity negation, then two things, in particular, would happen. First of all, Izuku would have fucking died when she saved him from falling. Second of all, she would not have been able to get infinity in the ball throw.

Negating gravity does not negate the forces. Therefore, when she saved Izuku from falling, he would have still been affected by the force of his fall. It would have been no different from hitting the concrete. Additionally, when she threw the ball, it kept going. Air drag would have made it so that she couldn't possibly get an infinity.

More accurately, rather than force negation as some fanfics suggests, she's telekinetically accelerating whatever she touches. She telekinetically accelerates Izuku's body to stop him falling, and does the reverse for the ball, making it so that it continues to accelerate after she throws it.

See what I mean? Because Horikoshi gave Bakugou's quirk a scientific explanation with him sweating a nitroglycerin-like substance and being able to spark it, you have to look at every quirk with scientific knowledge. He could have said 'oh, yeah, I store energy from my quirk in these gauntlets' but Hori just had to be a smartass.

By the way, because of Bakugou's explanation, it's possible that his quirk is not what is named. Yes, it's possible to have two sides of a quirk, as we see in Shouto, but Bakugou's quirk isn't explained in the same way.

Rather than his quirk being creating explosions, his quirk is more like creating sparks in his palms. Why? Well, you see. Bnha never delves into actual quirk theory, but there's more than enough canon evidence that you have one main quirk and then one or more quirk mutations. For example, Ashido Mina's quirk is secreting acid that she can manipulate the acidity and viscocity of. Her appearance is not related to her quirk at all, meaning it's a quirk mutation from her parents. Same with Tokoyami Fumikage. Quirk is Dark Shadow, so there's no need for the bird head.

Why does this relate to Bakugou? Let me explain: Bakugou explains that he recieved a mutation from his parents with his mother secreting glycerin and his father sweating acid with combustive properties. In other words, Bakugou inherited nitroglycerin-like sweat from his parents, but his actual quirk is being able to create sparks.

His quirk is 'Sparks'. Not Explosions.

Why am I ranting about this? Because bnha completely misses all of this! It makes no sense which is a shame because the concept is so interesting! But then it throws away any scraps of potential left when it becomes 'My Kacchan Academia'.

Seriously, why do people and why does Horikoshi love abusive pieces of shit so much? Why did he throw away the potential to look into Shouto and his siblings' feeling about Endeavour? Why did he make Dabi's plot all about Endeavour instead of Shouto?

It's so easy to compare the ways Dabi and Shouto handle their trauma and their ways of revenge. It's so easy to look at Dabi and think about how easy it would have been for Shouto to become like him.

Shouto was transfixed on Endeavour. Everything he did related back to his hate for Endeavour. Using his quirk, fighting, grades, social interaction, everything. His only reason for becoming a hero is to spite Endeavour. It's only because Izuku reaches out to him and saves him from his own toxic mindset that he's able to move one and do things for himself.

Dabi, or Touya, on the other hand, doesn't get that. He doesn't get that person who recognises how far he's gone, how, in trying to spite Enveavour, he's living a life centred on him. How he's jealous of his little brother for being abused and tormented.

While Shouto became a hero to spite Endeavour, Dabi became a villain.

They're both full of hatred at first, but Shouto is saved from that spiral. Izuku helps him. Dabi doesn't have that. It would have been so interesting to see these two face of as parellels, but nope. It's all about Endeavour. Shouto is nothing more than an accessory.

I understand Dabi being hung up on Endeavour, but to outright replace Shouto with the abusive flaming trashbag? No.

Also, if Horikoshi wanted Dabi to be seen as sympathetic or redeemable, don't make him kill innocent people. Don't make it so that he unlocks an ice aspect to his quirk in a life-or-death situation because all that means is that Endeavour was right to hurt Touya the way he did. All that says is Endeavour should have hurt him more.

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON BAKUGOU.

This piece of shit bullied Izuku relentlessly for years, used his quirk on him (yes that is canon), told him to end his life, tried to assault him in Yuuei, tried to kill him, threw a tantrum at an abused kid for not being magically okay with using a quirk that reminded him of his abusive father, assaults Izuku when he tries to work together but still magically gets a pass for being carried out unconcious which Sero was failed for, and the list just keeps growing.

Oh, but my bad. He has a sad backstory. You see, he fell in a river.

#bnha #mha #my hero acedamia #boku no hero academia #izuku deserves better #cnaon is awful #so much missed potential #anti bakugou #anti endeavor #anti bakugou katsuki #bnha critical #mha critical #analysis #character analysis #this is why fanfiction exists #fanfic > canon #stop hating on all might #i didn't include them but i also have beef with shinsou and aizawa #also all for one should have stayed dead after kamino #and bakugou's apology was awful

[spacechalk]

Gouda

“Muriel!” Aziraphale called, head buried in the refrigerator. “Did you eat the gouda?”

            Muriel popped up beside him. “What’s a gouda?” they asked excitedly, eyes roaming the interior of the refrigerator like they were about to witness a new and exotic form of life.

            “It’s cheese,” Aziraphale said. “It comes in a red rind. Like this?” He held up the shards of rind he had found glued to a shelf. Muriel nearly went cross-eyed looking at his fingers.

            “Oh! Yes!” They nodded with satisfaction. “I ate that.”

            Aziraphale sighed. “For future reference,” he said, turning away from the refrigerator with his arms laden, “you’re supposed to peel the rind off. You don’t eat it.”

            “Oh,” Muriel said, expression contemplative. “It did taste bad.”

            “Yes, it would,” Aziraphale said. He began stacking the brie and salami into the basket. Muriel watched with fascination.

            “Can I come on the picnic?” they asked eagerly.

            “Not this time,” Aziraphale said, tucking a jar of olives safely against the side. “We’ll bring you next time, okay?”

            Muriel blew hair out of their face. “Okay,” they said. “Will you tell me all about it when you get back?”

            “I’ll be sure to tell you the highlights,” he said dryly.

Muriel beamed. Leaning forward on the desk with their chin in their hands, they asked, “What are picnics for?”

            Despite himself, Aziraphale cast them a fond smile. “They’re for fun,” he said.

            Muriel kept watching him, eyes round and expectant.

            “We’re going to eat delicious things, take advantage of the spring weather, and enjoy each other’s company,” he said, waving Muriel aside so he could reach the napkins. “Does that help?”

            Muriel scrunched up their face. “And you can only do that outside?”

            Aziraphale smiled. “It’s good to have a change of scenery every now and then,” he said.

            The bell on the door jingled and Crowley’s voice came from the doorway. “Sorry I’m late,” he called. “I couldn’t decide on drinks.” He spotted Aziraphale and Muriel by the desk and started toward them.

            He had dressed for the occasion. A black sunhat with a blue band perched over the braid that trailed down between his shoulder blades. The short, twisted straps on his shirt dress revealed the freckles scattered across his shoulders. The tapered sides of the dress danced beside the knees that were revealed below the hem with each step. The usual silver scarf and necklace were in place. His boots still managed to be loud on the carpet of the shop floor.

            He stopped in front of them and held out the bottles in his arms. “I got a red and champagne,” he said. “All right?”

            Aziraphale ran his hand down the front of the waistcoat he was wearing, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about it. “Yes,” he said. “Those look lovely, my dear.”

            “Good,” Crowley said, stowing them in the basket. “Ready to go then?”

            “Just a moment,” Aziraphale said. He retreated to a cabinet and retrieved two boxes of biscuits.

            “Great,” Crowley said, lifting the basket. “Shall we go? We’re burning daylight.”

            “Keep an eye on the shop, will you, Muriel,” Aziraphale called over his shoulder as he took Crowley’s hand and was led out of the shop.

            “Have fun!” Muriel called after them, flapping their hand like they were waving off a naval ship.

__

            Crowley sprawled on the blanket, not bothering to keep his legs together. Aziraphale sat beside him, slightly less buttoned-up than usual with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, leaning back on his hands. He closed his eyes, savoring the breeze.

            Many other people had had the same idea as them and the park was crowded, the grass teeming with children and dogs. One family settled their blanket too far inside the polite distance maintained by strangers and Aziraphale tried not to resent them. He could hear every word they were saying as the children tramped their muddy shoes all over the blanket, one mother searched frantically in the hamper for the juice boxes, and the other mother fought the dog for a ball. He felt a headache coming on.

            Suddenly the babbling of the family turned to shrieks.

            “Ow! Ow! Something’s biting me!”

            “What the hell – ”

            “It’s in my pants!”

            Aziraphale risked a glance over.

            The little family was in chaos as a seething mass rose up from under their blanket and spilled around them. Thousands, possibly millions, of ants emerged seemingly from the earth and swarmed the family. It seems they had set their blanket down directly on a nest.

            The family made a hasty exit, leaving the blanket behind entirely, apparently believing it to be a lost cause. Aziraphale cast his companion a look from under his eyebrows.

            “Crowley,” he said reproachfully.

            Crowley cackled.

            Aziraphale offered a quick prayer that the family’s bites would be soothed and healed. Turning back, he dared to allow himself a moment to admire his counterpart. 

            “That’s a very nice hat, dear,” he said.

            “I burn easily,” Crowley said defensively.

            Aziraphale hesitated, then boldly reached out to skim his fingers over the freckles already blossoming on Crowley’s shoulders. Crowley sucked in a sharp breath.

            “Aziraphale!”

            Aziraphale flinched and pulled back as though caught. Crowley groaned.

            “Aziraphale!” the voice came again.

            “No,” Aziraphale said crossly as Muriel skidded to a stop in front of them. Crowley sat up, waving his hands at Muriel like he was warding off a swarm of flies. “Piss off,” he growled.

            Muriel clasped their hands over their chest, eyes wide. “Please?” they begged. “I don’t know what to do!”

            Aziraphale sighed.

            “Aziraphale,” Crowley said warningly. Aziraphale didn’t heed him.

            “What happened?” he asked wearily.

            Muriel’s face brightened with relief. “Some people came into the shop and they said they wanted to give me books! That’s not how it works, is it?”

            Despite himself, Aziraphale perked up. “Oh? What kind of books did they have?”

            Muriel looked lost. “Ones…in a box?”

            Aziraphale waved a hand. “No matter. Tell them we’ll take them and put them in the back room. Make sure to write down their phone number so we can contact them about payment if we do end up putting any of them on the floor.”

            “If,” Crowley muttered moodily beside him. Aziraphale ignored him.

            “Okay!” Muriel said, immensely relieved. “I can do that!”

            “Yes you can my dear,” Aziraphale said encouragingly as Muriel beamed and took off across the green again.

            “They’re never going to learn if you keep digging them out,” Crowley complained. He waved a hand. “Sink or swim. That’s how you build confidence.”

            “Yes, but everything is so new to them!” Aziraphale said. “Some guidance while they get some experience under their belt will set them up for success later.”

            Crowley rolled his eyes and flopped back onto the blanket. Aziraphale looked down at him. He wiggled a little and then lay down beside him, their shoulders touching. If he tilted his head it would be like he was resting it on Crowley’s shoulder. He promptly did so.

            “How long can picnics last, do you think?” he asked hopefully.

            “Hmm,” Crowley said, faux-thoughtfully. He shifted so that they were pressed more firmly together. Aziraphale tried not to wiggle again. “I was once on picnic that lasted a whole week.”

            Aziraphale tilted his head so he could see his face. “Were you?” he asked fondly. “What happened?”

            “Well, you see, the Mount Auburn Cemetery had just opened and the crowds were bonkers…”

#good omens #fanfic #aziraphale #crowley #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #but soft what light #this is my contribution to the crowley wears dresses canon #this fic exists to describe his outfit #you're welcome

[magnifythesun]

Absolutely loved ur latest prompt about Anthony picking Ian up and how you stick true to their characters it feels too realistic. On that note, since I'm an avid fan of protective worried Anthony, would you pls write something with Ian passing out while filming and Anthony hyperventilating over it.

aaaa this prompt has had my mind spinning since I first read it I'm so hyped to write it! and thank you soooo much, I tried really hard to keep their voices realistic in that one and I'm honestly very happy with the way it turned out! I'm so glad you enjoyed!! :D

(post-writing note: this turned out way more comfort than hurt lol, but it was just too cute to resist!)

It was a rager of a hot day in southern California. They were filming their latest sketch, which was unfortunately entirely outside, and were eager to just get the thing done.

"Should we take a break?" Anthony asked, "It's been a few hours out here, and this heat's really killing me."

"Let's just finish up this scene," Ian said wearily, his face slightly red from the sun.

Anthony nodded in agreement and turned to tell the crew to set the cameras at another angle.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ian suddenly drop like a sack of potatoes, one second standing, then not. It was almost like a bit. It would have been funny, except that the way he ragdolled to the floor sent a horrid chill through Anthony. That was not the way someone fell on purpose, for comedy or otherwise. Anthony turned.

"Ian?" He said, distantly.

Erin was already running toward him, holding her huge water bottle. "Someone bring a sheet!" She called over to the crew, who, behind the sudden haze in Anthony's vision, were little blobs scurrying to and fro, some toward Ian, others running toward the house.

Anthony stumbled over. "What happened?" Erin glanced up at him. "Is he all right?" Her eyes widened at the way he was swaying on his feet.

"Don't you pass out too!" Erin snapped, voice tight with worry. "Go sit down." She waved toward the shade by the house.

"But, Ian," Anthony started. He swept his eyes over his friend, who was starting to stir. Ian's eyelids flickered, then opened as he started to wake up.

"Ow," He groaned, raising a hand up to clutch at his forehead. "Oh wow, my head hurts really bad."

"Like you hit it?" Erin asked sharply, then looked back up at Anthony. "Anthony. Go sit down."

Anthony took an involuntary step backward from the command in her tone alone, then kept backing up until his back hit the side of the house. Tears jumped to his eyes, and he knew in that moment he needed to get out of sight. He went inside the house, ignoring the way different members of the crew were reaching out to him, worry in their voices, and headed straight to the bathroom. Closing the door, he sank to the ground immediately, trying to breathe.

His breath was tight in his throat, like a great beast had a hold on his neck and was squeezing him. The sensation traveled down to his chest, causing him to gasp quick, shallow breaths as he tried to wipe away his tears.

Was Ian alright out there? His mind was spiraling as he desperately sucked in little gasps of air. He had just left him there, too wrapped up in his own frightened reaction to comfort his friend. A pang of guilt burned bright in his chest. He had to get this under control and he had to get back out there.

Anthony focused and started his yoga breathing routine that he used every time he exercised. Slowly, slowly, he controlled his breathing. He stood up shakily, and glanced in the mirror, making sure to wipe the tears from his eyes. There was nothing he could do about how pale he looked, or how red-rimmed his eyes were.

He took one more deep breath and pulled open the door to the bathroom. Walking out, he could hear many voices in the kitchen, which was out of sight. Sounded like most of the crew had taken shelter from the sun in there.

Anthony turned toward the living room and startled. Ian was sitting there, a wet rag on his head and Erin's big bright blue bottle of water clutched in his hands. Anthony felt his breath catch in his chest again.

Anthony walked over to him. "Hey, man. You feeling okay?"

Ian smiled guiltily up at him. "Well, better now," He glanced up at Anthony towering above him and patted the couch cushion next to him. Anthony sat. "I should have called a break sooner. I could tell it was getting to me."

"You don't need to push yourself that hard," Anthony said quietly.

"True," Ian's mouth quirked. "Plus the crew deserved a break too." Ian stared off in the direction of the kitchen for a moment. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly, fingers shifting on the pastel surface of the bottle.

Anthony grimaced. "Yeah, I'm good."

Ian turned to look at him, a sharp look in his eye. "Uh-huh."

Anthony intently examined the table in front of the couch. "You saw?"

Ian took a big gulp of water. "I may have just woken up from the consequences of my own hubris, but I, I caught a glimpse."

"Sorry," Anthony said quietly, "I really don't know what came over me."

Ian didn't say anything for a moment, just slurped another sip of water. Anthony couldn't look at him. Then, Anthony felt Ian's hand, cold from the surface of the bottle, rest on top of his own hand and squeeze slightly.

"Always good to know you care." Ian said lightly, the veneer of a joke over his words, but the slight drag of his thumb over the back of Anthony's hand emphasized his words.

Relief and affection rushed through him, and Anthony glanced at Ian. "Your head okay though?"

"When is my head ever okay?" Ian laughed, "But yeah, I didn't hit it. Water?" He lifted the bottle and offered it.

"God, yeah." Anthony took it with the hand that wasn't still covered by Ian's and took a long, refreshing drink. "I can't believe we still have to go back out in that to finish filming."

"Ugh, don't even remind me," Ian groaned.

Right then, Erin's voice called from the kitchen, "Alright, back out there to shoot in ten minutes!"

Various shouts of "Heard!" echoed around the house, accompanied by several grumbles.

"I gotta lay my poor heat-stricken head down for a few minutes before we head back out there," Ian said.

"Oh okay," Anthony said, preparing to get up to let him lay down, when Ian just tilted his head slightly to rest it on Anthony's shoulder. Anthony stilled, his breath catching for the nth time today.

"I'm gonna try to visualize myself in the Arctic," Ian mumbled, "Quiet on set."

Anthony tried to not shake his shoulders as he laughed. "Alright, alright. Make sure to get back from your polar expedition in ten."

Anthony let himself rest his eyes too, the warmth of Ian's hand and head soothing the last of his rattled nerves.

#my fanfic #ianthony #☀️🔍 #asks #i hope yall enjoyed!! <3

[themultifanshipper]

“You utter cunt!”

“Fuck you!”

That was how karting usually ended when you two were involved. No matter where either of you started on the grid, you and Liam always found a way to crash into each other.

Warnings: gn!reader, rough sex, lots of swearing, rivals to lovers, smidge of angst, like 2 seconds of fluff before it descends into madness

“That was my line!”

“You call that a line? Ha! My blind grandmother can see that’s a shit line!”

And you were only thirteen then. Now you were both in formula 1. But unfortunately, the insults hadn’t matured, and neither had you.

“You absolute wankstain! What the fuck was that?!”

“That was me having to crash into my teammate! Because my teammate is a shit driver who doesn’t leave me any room, you fucking prick!”

“Oh, dear! Looks like the alpha tauri duo are having a trackside screaming match... again.”

Crofty sighed. At this point it was almost a weekly occurrence. You and Liam were bitter rivals on track and had been since you started karting all those years ago. It always ended in a screaming match that usually lasted well into the evening, and sometimes all the way up the corridors of your hotel rooms, and one time, it ended with Liam shoving you into your room and fucking you right there on the carpet.

That was one time. And you and Liam had never talked about it. The next day you’d bickered on the private jet, as per usual, and just like that it was forgotten.

Except it wasn’t, not really.

The problem was that Liam had unknowingly taken your virginity that night. And it was, by default, the best sex you had ever had. But your relationship stayed the same and the two of you never even acknowledged what happened. You weren’t obsessed with the concept of virginity either of course, it was what it was, and he was you first, whatever. But it would be nice if he stopped being such a huge prick, you know?

Then came the end of season celebrations in Abu Dhabi. You’d been drinking heavily to forget this nightmare of a season and the fact that you (just you, not Liam) had essentially been threatened to stop fighting next season or you would be out of a seat faster than you could say ‘hypocrisy’.

You tried your best to avoid him all evening. But he kept appearing in your line of sight, on the dancefloor, getting drinks at the bar, shuffling off to the toilets every now and then. You kept drinking so that your vision would hopefully go so blurry you wouldn’t be able to see him at all, but of course with those drinks came the need to pee.

So, there you were in one of the stalls thinking about the face of the man you were trying hard not to think about. Then, said man walked in, crossed the room and the sound of him undoing his zipper was heard.

You knew it was him from his stupid shoes that you recognised very well, as he had once thrown them at your head. That was an incident worthy of getting fired....

Anyway, for some obscure reason (about 7 tequila cocktails) you thought it was a great idea to voice that thought out loud.

“I never told you, but those are the ugliest shoes on the fucking planet”.

There was a pause as he zipped his fly back up.

“Jesus, are you stalking me now? The fuck are you doing in there?”

“Pissing, obviously”

Another pause.

“Right” he said “anything else you want to tell me? Or can I get back to having fun now?”

You rolled your eyes “Yeah actually, you need to stop crashing into me, dickwad”.

He snorted. “And why the fuck would I do that”.

“Because I’m out of the seat next time we crash, and because you fucking owe me, so please just cool it with the- !”

“Wait, why the fuck do I owe you anything? It’s not my fault you can’t drive!”

“Because you fucking took my virginity Liam!”

Okay maybe you weren’t completely over it.

You could’ve heard a pin drop. You desperately hoped there wasn’t anyone else in the stalls.

“What?!”

You were so embarrassed you tried to get out of answering by flushing the toilet and waiting for him to leave.

Obviously, that didn’t work.

“Unlock the door, please” He sounded almost winded, which confused you so much you actually opened the door. He was leaning against the wall and as his eyes snapped to yours, you could see there were tears in them.

Your bewilderment must have been visible because he immediately wrapped his arms around you in a tight bear hug.

“I’m so sorry you’re first time was like that... I’m so, so sorry...”

You pushed him off enough to be able to breathe again “The sex was great Liam, what the fuck are you sorry for?”

He stroked your hair as he spoke, refusing to meet your eyes. “Because... I thought you hated me so I... Your first time shouldn’t be, you know, hate-sex. I thought that was the only way I would get to do it with you so I-   I didn’t know you’d never done it before- it was a spur of the moment thing”.

You were even more confused. “The only way you’d get to do it?  What the fuck does that mean?”

He finally looked at you and he seemed so weirdly vulnerable, so heartbroken that your brain started to catch up, and your breath caught in your throat.

“Do you...” your heart was beating fast as you scanned his face for a reaction “like me?”

He had a pained look on his face and just looked down at the floor. He didn’t like you. It went deeper than that.

“Liam look at me” He did. You didn’t know what to say so you just stared at him.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about that night, you know” he said softly. 

“Neither have I” you whispered, and your eyes met as he looked at you in shock.

You both moved at the same time, crashing your lips and bodies together as the years of tension finally washed away and you were on the same wavelength for the first time.

As you both caught your breath a minute later, he chuckled. “Come on, let’s get back to the hotel. I owe you a do-over”.

And do-over he did.

As in, he did you, over every surface.

It started out sweet enough. He carried you to the bed, undressed you slowly and took his time fucking you slowly, almost maddeningly so. But you both quickly realised that he’d already corrupted you the first time, and now you liked it rough. So he gave it to you. First he flipped you over on the bed, grabbed your hair and pushed you face down into the sheets as he pounded into you mercilessly from behind, occasionally leaving hand prints on your ass, then he took you standing up against the glass windows, one hand around your throat, the other sneaking down to touch you where you were making a mess of yourself.

“Fuck, you like it like this don’t you? You’re basically dripping onto the carpet”.

Then he flipped you and lifted you up, your legs hooking over his arms as he entered you again, the position giving you no choice but to just take it.

“Yes, take it baby, fuck- so tight around me, take my fucking cock” he growled and bit into your shoulder, making you moan. “You’d take anything I give you right? Such a fucking slut for it my god”

His hips stuttered as he had a thought.

“It’s my fault, isn’t it? My fault that you take it like you were made for it, fuck”  his thrusts became even harder as you both felt your highs quickly approaching, your hands were scrambling for purchase on his sweaty shoulders, settling in his hair to give it a sharp tug, his answer was a deep thrust that knocked the breath out of you.

“Fucking made for me. Only I get to see you like this now, don’t I? My little cockslut, all for me. Isn’t that right?”

You nodded quickly, but he made a noise of discontent.

“Words baby, I need words or I won’t let you come. Who do you belong to?”

“You Daddy, please I’m gonna come” you couldn’t help it, the name slipping out as his hips stuttered and he made a punched-out noise.

“Shit- say that again baby, that sounded good”.

You huffed out a whine, now was not the time to be embarrassed “Daddy please, please I need to come so bad”.

He groaned “Okay baby go ahead, come on daddy’s cock, now.”

You came so hard. All over yourself, and it ran down onto his thighs and the feeling of you dripping everywhere sent him over the edge, thrusting a couple more times before stilling, deep inside you as you felt him fill you up.

He carried you like that into the bathroom, setting you down gently in the shower, legs and hips sore from the position and you both spent an eternity in there, soaping each other up and kissing tenderly, trying to make up for lost time.

As you got into bed with him, you checked your phone and saw two things: the alarm for your flight was in 2 hours, and a text that read “does this mean you two will be cooperating from now on?”  from your performance engineer.

Your cheeks burned red, she had the room right next door.

Inspired by lestappen tbh

I blacked out, and an hour later this monstrosity was born! Hope you enjoyed lmao

Also I used alpha tauri bc i refuse to put Visa Cash Card Paypal App Racing Redbulls in my goddamm fics.

#my thots #liam thots #f1 #formula 1 #liam lawson #liam lawson smut #liam lawson x reader #gn reader

[antithcsis]

wolfstar drabble, 1509 words, fake dating (??)

Remus Lupin is nothing if not a man of his word.

So, when he tells Sirius that he could easily make people believe that he’s dating someone without actually being together, he knows he’s going to make damn sure that he and whoever he decides to enact this bet with makes their time together as believable as possible.

They’re sitting at a table in the Great Hall discussing this topic when James plops himself down with a certain lack of finesse only he could pull off. “Moony, Pads, what’re we up to today?”

He immediately starts piling his plate with whatever food is in front of him, likely hungry from quidditch practice this morning, and Remus turns to Sirius with a raised brow.

Sirius pulls a smile with a scheming edge to it, and suddenly Remus wishes he had kept his mouth shut and not let Sirius goad him into this stupid bet. “Well, Moony over here thinks he’s able to get a girl to agree to be his fake girlfriend and convince everyone in the school that they’re actually dating.”

“Hey, I didn’t say the whole school, just our year. Stop lying, you git,” Remus cuts in, if only to prevent James from getting sucked into one of his and Sirius’ plotting rabbit holes.

“Oh, same difference,” Sirius drawls and rolls his eyes in that elegant manner of his.

James’ interest is clearly piqued at their bet, the food on his plate all but abandoned in favor of getting more information out of his two friends. “Oh? Honestly Moony, I would expect something like this from Sirius, not from you. This is bound to be interesting.”

It’s Remus’ turn now to roll his eyes despite slowly starting to realize that maybe giving Sirius his word about being able to do this might have been a mistake.

“Well I think it’s bloody brilliant,” Sirius says with a wide grin plastered on his face and his eyes gleaming from the chance at causing chaos. “I mean, girls have been lining up all year to get a chance at going on a date with our dear Moony here. This just gives a chance to one of the lucky ladies to experience what it’s like to date him.”

James scratches his head, tilting it in confusion. “If they’re expecting a real date out of him, wouldn’t it be a dick move to do this without telling them about the bet? It seems kind of mean.”

“Oh, you’re right…” Sirius taps a finger to his lips in concentration, and Remus has to make himself look away from his friend when he feels that tell tale blush creeping up his neck.

He doesn’t understand why he’s been so drawn to Sirius recently. Well, okay, he does know, he just doesn’t want to admit it. Having a serious crush on your best friend when he doesn’t even know you like blokes is not a very smart thing to do.

But then again, when has Remus ever done anything smart?

Sirius suddenly claps his hands in triumph, clearly having found a solution to their dilemma. “I’ve got it! Just date one of us.”

James and Remus both promptly choke on their food, the proposal clearly unexpected.

“I beg your pardon?” Remus chokes out.

James looks at Sirius with his eyes unnaturally wide. “You mean one of us four? Like you, me or Peter?”

“What? No. I meant one of us, like one of the girls in our friend group. None of them like Remus as far as we know, and we’re all already friends, so it’s the easiest solution,” Sirius says matter-of-factly.

“What’s the best solution?” Peter says out of nowhere, dropping down beside Remus at the table.

“Hey Wormy, we’re just trying to figure out who the best option is for Remus to fake date.”

Peter stops his process of piling the small sandwiches on his plate, looking at their friends like they’ve all lost their minds. “Is this for a bet or something? Remus, why on earth would you want to do that? You’ve rejected almost every girl that’s asked you out.”

Remus winces a little at that, fully aware of his romantic track record. The girls were all nice, don’t get him wrong, he’s just not interested at the moment. Or emotionally available to date someone who isn’t Sirius. So.

He knows there’s more of a chance for him to find a cure to being a werewolf than Sirius ever considering Remus as someone to date, so he’s left to pine and yearn from afar. Which is fine, truly, but sometimes it just hurts.

He’s sure he could find someone else if he really wanted to, but part of him doesn’t want to lose the dynamic he and Sirius currently have. Even if said dynamic is the cause of multiple 3 a.m. breakdowns behind the safety of his bed curtains when he’s sure no one else is awake.

So, yes. He’s completely fine with everything, and he’ll continue to be fine with everything, so long as it all stays as it is right now.

Sirius speaks up when Remus doesn’t, completely oblivious to his little bout of heavy introspection. “Moony made a bet with me and we all know that he never goes back on his word. So, yes Wormtail, he’s going to find a girl to fake date and try to convince everyone they’re dating.”

“You know what would make this even more interesting?” Peter says as he goes back to filling up his plate, “If you found a bloke to fake date. Now that would be one hell of a thing to convince people about. Might also give all those girls you rejected some closure on why you didn’t want to go out with them.”

All three boys are silent at that, staring at Peter with slack expressions. The boy in question stops when they don’t say anything, looking at them with a raised brow. “What? If this really is a bet between the two of you, why not make it more interesting?”

Sirius and James turn to look at Remus, who once again feels his neck flush with fervor. “I—” he tries to speak, but no words come out of his mouth.

A huge smile grows on Sirius’ face, and Remus knows he’s doomed. “Oh Wormy, you brilliant idiot of a man! That’s it,” he exclaims, “This makes it so much more interesting.”

“Shouldn’t we let Remus decide on if he’s comfortable doing that or not?” James cuts in before Sirius has a chance to start on his rambles, and suddenly all three pairs of eyes are on him.

Remus looks to his friends, his stare lingering on Sirius a little longer before looking away. He rubs his hand on the nape of his neck, suddenly feeling way out of his depth, but pushes on with what he wants to say anyways. “Given that I’m already into blokes, I don’t think I’ll have much trouble with it.”

What.

His mouth snaps shut as soon as he realizes what he just said, wide eyes trying to gauge his friends’ reactions. They’re all looking at him in different levels of shock, but Sirius has a different look to his eyes, almost assessing him in a way.

“Well,” Remus clears his throat, “that was unexpected.”

“You think?” James exclaims, clearly snapped out of his shock.

“Surprise?”

Sirius starts laughing at that, so hard that he bends in half and slumps himself over the table. James and Peter start laughing too, albeit more subdued, and eventually Remus joins too.

Sirius is the first to calm down, James and Peter’s giggles dwindling down as well. “Oh Moony,” he says while wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Yes?” Remus says a bit more wearily now, still unsure about his friends’ reactions to his sudden revelation.

“Oh, don’t worry, we’re surprised but not grossed out or anything. Right guys?” James asks and looks to Peter and Sirius, both of who nod sincerely.

“Definitely not. You’re still our Moony! It’s just an added part of who you are.” Peter pipes up and suddenly Remus feels a bit emotionally overwhelmed.

He looks back down to his plate, a little smile forming on his lips. “Thanks, means a lot.”

A hand closes over his forearm from across the table, and Remus looks up to find Sirius staring at him intently. “My proposal still stands, you know?”

Remus blushes violently at that, not fully believing what Sirius is trying to say. “Wh—What do you mean?”

“That you can do it with one of our friend group? I mean, the girls are out but we still have the boys to choose from,” Sirius explains, and Remus can feel his heartbeat slowing down drastically.

“Oh,” he breathes out, slightly disappointed that his friend didn’t mean what Remus was thinking.

“Or one of us three,” James pipes up, and damn it all, there goes Remus’ heart again. “It might be harder to convince people since we’ve been friends for so long, but I’m sure it’s doable.”

#little drabble i found in the depths of my notes app #idk if i’ll ever continue it but it’s a fun little idea #sorry about the abrupt ending i just really didn’t know how to end it 💀 #sirius black #remus lupin #james potter #peter pettigrew #wolfstar #sirius x remus #marauders #marauders era #m writes

[bestworstcase]

Genuine question, do you call Oz's (or Salems) circle a cult based on the ancient definition (i.e. cult of dionysus) or the modern definition of cult with the BITE model (i.e. Scientology, Manson family, etc)? And can you go into why you think they're cults, if that's okay? I'm very curious :>

generally speaking when i say cult i mean it in the non-pejorative sense of a system of religious veneration toward a particular entity, e.g. salem and ozma received cult as god-rulers back in the day. aside from. tyrian. i wouldn’t characterize salem’s present day operation as a cult because it’s Unclear to me whether the others actually worship her in any sense beyond like smiling and nodding when tyrian starts going on about Our Divine Savior. similarly ozpin’s inner circle is not a cult of him, it’s a cult of light.

In This Sense what makes ozpin’s circle a cult is the explicitly religious nature of the group. which is something a lot of the fandom overlooks because a) rwby is cooking the religious narrative very slowly and b) religion is not taken seriously as character motivation. but like, when qrow brings team RNJR into the loop he leads with "not many people are super religious these days and there’s a lot of Fake Made-Up Gods but ozpin says there’s two who Really Exist. they made us and they left behind four divine relics for us to guard from The Enemy." & it’s not an accident that he frames the situation in these terms, not is it accidental that oz presents himself as someone cursed (ordained) by the gods to stop salem. the organizing principle at the heart of this group is religious in nature—the gods entrusted us with these divine relics we must guard whilst we shepherd humanity toward redemption.

*teams RWBY and JNPR aren’t brought into that second part before ruby explodes ozpin’s whole situation by asking jinn her question, but in fairytales of remnant the story of the two brothers is attributed to qrow and overtly states the divine ultimatum:

“I disagree,” the God of Light said. “And we promised to share in the fate of our joint creation.” He gave a mighty yawn. “Let us rest, and when the time comes, we will see what Humanity has become in our absence. At that point, we will judge them. If they are worthy, we will take their forms and walk among them as equals. If not, we will take back our gifts and start over elsewhere. What do you say?” “Who will decide whether they are worthy?” the God of Darkness said. “Humanity will make it plain. If they come together in unity and find a way to destroy the evil in the world and within themselves, then they are worthy. If not … we will let them burn,” the God of Light said.

which ozpin reiterates in the commentary:

Whether or not you believe in the Brothers, or in this story in particular, the underlying message still holds value: We are burdened with responsibility for our world, and we share a common destiny. Like the twin gods, we are intricately connected with one another, and if we can learn to work and live together, we can create things greater than the sum of their parts. Remnant survived the Great War, but while the four kingdoms now cooperate and coexist, our bond seems tenuous. We have a fragile peace, and in some ways, we are more divided than ever. Even if the gods aren’t real, even if they don’t return to judge us for our deeds, we should act each day as though they are arriving tomorrow. In the end, we will be the arbiters of our fates. We will either create a beautiful, peaceful world and live in harmony together or destroy ourselves and our planet, and the gods will judge what we have chosen.

what this tells us is that a) ozpin’s innermost circle knows that the brothers will some day return for the final judgment and that ozpin is working to prepare for this, and b) the idea of the final judgment itself is not something ozma has kept secret, it’s mainstream brother-cult doctrine that ozpin publicly uses his platform as the headmaster of beacon academy to proselytize. the reason none of the kids reacted at all to the divine mandate/the final judgment is they already knew about it in the same way you’re probably familiar with the rapture in basic terms even if you aren’t a christian.

based on the fairytale anthology, i would also argue that all of this is true not only of the inner circle but of the academies writ large, because in the introduction:

When I became headmaster of Beacon Academy, one of my first goals was to introduce a deeper study of the stories that make up the fabric of our world—after all, I am first and foremost a teacher. […] It may seem self-serving to place this book at the core of a new curriculum at the Huntsmen academies; however, it also has been compiled with these academies especially in mind.

ozpin indicates that once he became headmaster he published this set of stories and commentaries and then made it the CORE of a new curriculum for the four academies; and fairytales of remnant is, again, an overtly religious text that exhorts the reader to believe in and act upon brother-cult doctrine. imagine an anthology of stories that included a hodgepodge of aesop’s fables, grimm fairytales, a couple greek myths, and a synopsis of the gospel with a commentary urging you to accept jesus into your heart. that’s what fairytales of remnant is, in essence, and the whole curriculum of the academies is structured around that. these institutions front as secular but they’re not.

(two brothers is also not the only story in the anthology that references the final judgment: the ‘circle’ depicted in the infinite man is explicitly working to “make ready for the final judgment” before they’re put to the sword by adversaries who presumably didn’t like the sound of that. so ozma’s been doing this with varying degrees of subtlety for a good long while.)

ALL THAT SAID,

ozpin’s inner circle is absolutely also a high-control group (which is what people typically mean when they say "cult"). let’s walk through the BITE model real quick ->

behavioral control.

in reality this dimension involves various practices e.g. sleep deprivation, corporal punishment, social isolation, financial control that serve to establish and maintain direct power over group members such that they become physically and/or psychologically dependent on the group and therefore unable to leave. within the world of rwby and the specific context of ozpin’s inner circle, this is Not Necessary because all ozpin has to do is invoke the dangers of mass hysteria and the grimm. we mustn’t cause a panic or the grimm will come and there will be chaos and the world will go to war.

combine this constant drumbeat (“old ozpin would always put his foot down. ‘we can't cause a panic.’ heh, can't tell you how many times i’ve heard that…”) with the reality that huntsmen work is grueling in and of itself, and that we know from 9.10 that ozpin made it a regular practice to call individual members of team STRQ away on hush-hush urgent missions with no advance warning in the middle of the night. on its own, that isn’t inherently problematic (hunting monsters is a dangerous and difficult profession, duh)

but think about what it says about how ozpin operates that working for him means being on call at all hours for top secret dead-of-night emergencies that regularly turned out to just be “routine patrols.” this speaks to his paranoia but—do you want a group of people who are permanently stressed-out and exhausted? this is how you get that, by refusing to stay organized and just set up a schedule for routine patrols such that emergency becomes routine. if nothing else this is a horrible working environment. and this sort of thing is what the dimension of behavioral control is really about, because people who are stressed out and tired all the time are more susceptible to disinformation and manipulation.

the final piece is the inner circle’s perception of ozpin as the one who must guide them because, as glynda tells ironwood, he “has experience the rest of [them] lack.” again, taken in isolation this seems innocuous until to you consider that a) ozpin does not have the experience he claims to posses—he hasn’t been fighting salem for any significant length of time because salem has been Ignoring Him—and b) ozpin does things like LEAPING to the conclusion that lionheart is a traitor on the grounds of the mistral council overruling him, and getting first verbally forceful and then physically violent when the girls start to defy him. what first appears as ozpin taking the lead because he has the most experience turns into, well, lunging at ruby because she disobeyed him

✅ sleep deprivation + fostering an artificially high-stress environment ✅ encouraging groupthink ("we can’t cause panic") ✅ cultivating dependence on the group leader ✅ threats of punishment/dire consequences for failure (the grimm) used to guide behavior

information control.

this dimension. doesn’t need elaborating. lol

✅ deception (in all forms: withholding information, distorting the facts, & systematic lies) ✅ restricting access to unsanctioned sources of information (by keeping everyone too busy to investigate or ask questions, on this see also the way oz frames raven’s decision to leave) ✅ compartmentalization of information (information is heavily controlled, different levels of information provided at different levels of commitment to the group, "we can fill you in on the details once we know you’re with us," ozpin decides who needs to know and when) ✅ encourage spying/monitoring within the group (qrow accuses ironwood of "turning his back on oz," winter + ironwood accuse him of being compromised, summer and raven both feeling isolated/unable to trust others in the group, general high levels of distrust between group members)

thought control.

also very straightforward.

✅ instill black and white, us vs them thinking (specifically, "it’s us protecting the Helpless Frightened Masses against them," and reducing every problem to "we can’t let salem divide us" and "how can we kill all these grimm"—contrast how robyn operates, the difference is staggering) ✅ thought-stopping platitudes ("we can’t cause a panic" and "i always prefer discretion" and "we can’t let salem divide us" etc, with the latter note how rwby delivers the "you’re being divisive" rhetoric through jacques first, specifically to illustrate its efficacy as a tool of control) ✅ allowing only correct / good thoughts (because if negativity then salem wins!) ✅ rejection of critical thinking or constructive criticism (this happens every time someone is informed of the first layer of truth and starts asking why it’s secret; inculcating the group rationalizations to shut down this questioning is always step one) ✅ prohibiting questioning of the group leader (in the most extreme example, ozpin lunges at ruby to stop her from using the lamp, but see also his anger when the kids don’t stop questioning his choices) ✅ other belief systems labeled as illegitimate (the brothers are the only True Gods and other religions that exist don’t count except when we use them to justify keeping secrets) or evil (salem’s rejection of the gods is construed as a desire for the world to end, in some cases overtly, and this is explicitly manipulative)

& emotional control.

the grimm do most of the real legwork here. i won’t go into the Whole Thing on how the huntsman model is an, at best, incomplete understanding of the grimm but suffice it to say repressing feelings is, demonstrably, Not Effective at warding away the grimm and small villages outside the kingdoms with no huntsmen protection are demonstrably capable of dealing with grimm outside of extreme situations (bandit raids, giants like the nuckelavee) where huntsmen would be outgunned too. which i want to emphasize because the extremely dysfunctional way ozpin’s inner circle views negative emotions is NOT practical or necessary within the context of the setting, and in fact is arguably counterproductive to the stated goal of minimizing grimm attacks.

anyways,

✅ manipulate and narrow the range of acceptable feelings (all "negative emotion" is undesirable and actively shamed) ✅ inculcate guilt or feelings of inadequacy (in leaders specifically: "if you are not always performing at your absolute best, what reason do you give others to follow you?" + the condemnation of raven and general attitude of "there’s no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat") ✅ instilling fear of thinking independently (we see the consequences of this play out in v7-9, with the incredible anxiety over disagreement) and of the outside world (grimm, constant drumbeat of inescapable existential danger which can ONLY be avoided by keeping secrets and keeping the general public complacent) ✅ specifically inculcating intense fear of leaving the group (by ostracizing those who leave [raven] and cultivating the mindset that there is never an acceptable reason to leave [it is disgraceful and shameful to retreat, leaving is "abandoning your training/duties"], plus terrible consequences if someone leaves [without the spring maiden we’re all going to die]; with ironwood this escalates to him going to extreme, violent lengths to get penny back under control and punish winter for defying him)

note how:

many of these behaviors continue and/or escalate after ozpin’s death, because the members of the inner circle continue to follow the example he set and because the kids (ruby n yang especially, having been raised from birth by members of the inner circle) were inculcated with the foundational mindset and beliefs in academies that the inner circle a) controls and b) uses as a recruiting ground; and

since v6, the narrative has been developing character arcs that examine the Many Ways this system traumatizes and breaks people. this is of course exacerbated by the fact of the apocalyptic war happening, but the broken old guard—team STRQ, ironwood, ozpin himself, gretchen rainart—are there to make the point that the inner circle was breaking and traumatizing people long before salem went to war. so the abundance of these high-control methods exists in conjunction with the narrative focusing on how harmful and destructive all of it is; the inner circle is intended to be understood as deeply dysfunctional, and the huntsmen academies as failing institutions doomed by the inner circle’s beliefs and methodology.

so whether the Specific Authorial Intention is to depict a high-control group/cult, in the more general sense the inner circle is overtly meant to be Bad News. things like the sinister framing with pyrrha in v3, ozpin physically attacking ruby when she used the lamp, the throughline from things ozpin teaches ruby in v1 to her breakdown in v9, the whole Situation with summer and raven in the past, etc, all of this weaves together to paint a very fucked up picture of how the inner circle functions and the ripples of harm it causes.

#salems circle also operates as a high-control group but with the asterisk that #again it is not clear to what extent salem cares about control vs just being indifferent to tyrian’s behavior #because like ALL of it is coming from tyrian. so it’ll be interesting to see salem + summer + cinder and what that dynamic is like #if salem in tyrian’s absence starts to make those threats herself or if that’s just something she lets him Do because it’s useful #for keeping the ones who Aren’t Important To Her in line

[tansyuduri]

Merlin Loregasm Rewatch S1E7

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my rewatch of Merlin focusing on the lore. I am a giant nerd so pretty excited about this. We’re on THE GATES OF AVALON

Okay so them being atacked in the forest and Arthur not batting an eyelid means that this can happen fairly often and is not that strange. Uther claims he saved Camalot from anarchy and I expect he did in most villages but the roads and wilderness are not always safe. (Good news for fanfiction writers.) This is the first time we see this is the case I believe when it's not a magical attacking issue. HOWEVER Arthur and Merlin still go out alone a great deal.

Tir Mawr legit just means "Large Land" in Welsh.

The wiki assumes that Tirmawr is a land in Avalon. I dunthink so based on Uther seeming to know what it is, and the fact that the name is Welsh while sidhe spells are in old Irish.

Funfact Caerleon was the home of King Arthurs Court in the original Welsh version. Caerleon is now a town and comunity in Newport Wales. In the iron age (pre roman) it was home to a warlike tribe and the center of a wealthy trading network. It later became a Roman Port. In the 5th century (relatively around Merlin times) it became part of the new kingdom of Gwent.

What trouble? Does he mean her visions? It could be because he reminds her not to tell Uther about it. But if she did with previous dreams you would think Uther would have jumped on it one way or another. I think he means somthing else by how Morgana reacts. I bet she was a huge prankster as a child or kept doing non girly things and trying to learn fighting, or pushing limits. and since "Morgana can do no wrong" in Uthers eyes he looked for someone else to blame. (I may be slightly biased here since it fits my headcannons about young Morgana just a headsup.)

EYYYY First sidhe staff blast and first appearance of eyes turning red during sidhe magic! Sadly we don't see the blast on screen and just hear it.

Arthur: Well I'm supposed to be on Patrol with the guard and my father this morning.

Ok! So part of Arthur's duties seem to be going on patrol with the guard and Uther. This is probably a fairly normal thing. But I expect its happening right now more due to the fact some nobles were attacked in the woods recently.

Urged to tell Uther about her vision of Arthur drowning (More on this later) this is how Morgana reacts. Later Gaius tells merlin the Seer's Art is separate from magic but close to it. But I think Morgana just thinks of it as magic because Gaius never tells her anything. I mean she does have other magic, but at this point she doesn't know it.

Merlin confirms these are indeed tomatoes in an earlier line. Which means Camalot has tomatos, I have my wizard theory but my freind @catsconflictscopicsandchamomile And I talked about another theory she has. About Perhaps the Vikings in the Merlin world formed a bit earlier, and reaching more into America and starting a bit of a trade network. That these American crops were indeed grown in Briton BUT were gone by the time of the Norman conquest because the soil was not right for them.

I further propose that perhaps the volcanic winter of 536 and the subsequent late Antique little Ice Age (which lasted from then to 660) could have killed them. The battle of Camlan was supposed to take place in 537. However in this chronicle Arthur is pretty old then, while Arthur dies young in Merlin perhaps setting the battle back a bit in this timeline, Or even if it is not. It would have taken place at just the beginning of the late antique little ice age.

Okay first attempt to enchant Arthur its clearly starting to work but his eyes are not at all red yet. It gets broken off by a bandit atack and when he wants to go home she doesn't try again. It's possible Sophia is not the most powerful of sidhe and needs her victim's guard to be down.

Merlin: (About being put in the stocks) Honestly it wasnt my fault. Arthur wanted to get out of going on a patrol with Uther and the guard. so I covered for him and took the blame.

Gaius: And Arthur was prepared to let you do this?

Merlin: it was his idea!

Gaius: what made him neglact his duties? it must have been somthing terrably important

Merlin: Sophia

Gaius: The girl from the forrest

Merlin: He wanted to take her out for the day. he is besotted!

I find this conversation really interesting partly because it implies Sophia was working to enchant him before the first scene we see in the woods. That Sidhe enchanting the mind and making someone not act like themselves might be a long slow process. Gaius is surprised Arthur let Merlin take the fall because it is very out of character. And it is. We see Arthur take the blame for Merlin at times. And he never asks Merlin to take the fall for him EXECPT In these episodes when enchanted by the sidhe. Hell he doesn't do it when enchanted to fall in love with Lady Vivian, or when really in love with Gwen!

This furthers the idea I mentioned above.

Second eye reddening! This one had so magic he's just angry!

First look at what Sidhe think of humans. Also Arthur is neither weak or feeble so it implies Sidhe might have increased strength. Or she's just referring to him being mortal.

Okay so either Morgana has been jealous of other women Arthur has fallen for. OR Arthur has chalked up previous incidents to Morgana being jealous. I wonder how many times they might have crushed on the same woman growing up, or what else happened. Did she like see Arthur breaking an arm and be like "HEY bro! Don't try to impress the new girl that way!" Arthur all "hahaha you are jealous Morgana! *Falls and breaks arm* or was she actually jealous!?

Reasons why I think Arthur needed Gaius to dress him in season 5 is a practical joke.

Also Arthur asks merlin to cover for him again despite him being in the stocks. However he tells merlin to make sure he doesnt end up in the stocks. This is another sign of the enchanting being gradual. Weird music plays when he talks about Sofia as well. DID I MENTION GRADUAL? ALSO Merlin mentions potatoes thrown at him MORE AMERCIAN CROPS

She starts incanting and Arthur asks what are you doing. I think it's interesting. I mean he could chalk it up to her speaking in another language but when she continued without telling him he just stares. Either this is due to the GRADUAL enchantment or Arthur doesn't know enough about magic to clock it's what she is doing

When the enchantment finishes Her eyes glow red and then so do Arthurs. They don't stay red all the time but we now know he is udner the enchantment. So let's pay attention to WHEN his eyes glow red from now on.

Gaius: What do you know about seers?

Merlin: Not much, They're supposed to be able to see the future like Prophets

Gaius: it's said to be an innate ability. Those who have it are born that way. Some aren't even aware what they see is the future. It comes to them in their dreams Merlin: what's that got to do with Sophia Gaius: The night before she and Aulfric came to camalot, Morgana had a dream. Sophia was in it

Merlin: Before she arived in camalot?

Gaius: I've been watching Morgana since she was very young. And though I've tried to Persuade myself otherwise, I realized some of the things she said she dreamt came to pass. I kept it secret from uther of course, The gift of prophecy is to close to the work of magic

Merlin: you think Morgana is a seer?"

Gaius: I don't think it I fear it.

Okay so! Apparently a prophet and a seer are two diferant things. Prophets are never mentioned again but I think there are two possibilities both of which kinda mix Since seers are inate and born with the gift. It's possible that Prophets are people who gain the ability later in life. OR perhaps they are magic users who gain the ability to see with tools (Like Merlin does)

I think Gaius mentioning being afraid of it and trying to persuade himself otherwise is intersting. I think IF the theory that gaius actually kinda agreed with Uthers viewpoint about magic because he saw so many bad things happen is true, this might have been his turning point. He saw Morgana who he took care of being a seer and decided not to tell Uther. It also fits a lot with what we know about Gaius even if that theory is not the case. If he cares about someone with magic he will keep their secret. (or perhaps if he knows them as good).

Sophia: Our love is strong you feel the same way too

Arthur: I'd never let that happen

Sophia: you may not have the choice. There are some here who don't want us to be together. I'd never let them come between us

Arthur: I'd never let them come between us

Sophia: Because we are in love

Arthur: because we are in lvoe

Sophia: You must seek promission for us to marry so we can be together

Arthur: till death do us part

Sophia: till death do us part

Okay I think its intersting arthurs eyes are not glowing here, we know that when he wakes from the spell that he is appalled "WHAT WAS I THINKING" But they are also alone here. If Sophia was keeping his eyes from being red in the later marriage asking scene to not raise suspicion, he does not have to here? So when do eyes glow red. I think its when what is being done is VERY against what the person would normally do and when the spell is being placed. Which means Arthur here is not going fully against his normal behavior. If he loved someone he would be willing to throw away other people's objections in the end. He might try to marry someone inapropriate if he loved them. (Cough GWEN COUGH)

His eyes however DO glow red again when she leaves. NOT when she is encanting the spell again. Not when she kisses him Only when she says the last "till death do us part" and leaves I think this is because with her saying that then leaving part of his brain goes "WHOA HOLD ON" and then the sidhe magic is like NOPE you are doing what was asked!

There is more than one sidhe Elder. Later Merlin will kill one of them.

Sidhe being so fast Merlin has to slow time to see them is interesting. I think it is a nod to the fact that in celtic stories of the otherworld a lot of times someone can only stay there three days or three years, If they set foot on the real world again they die or find hundreds of years have passed otherwise because time passes differently in the sidhe world. (Can You tell I did a lot of research on this for a fic?)

I also love the gold clothing they wear and the fact Sophia has a lot of gold in her outfit. I think this is a reference to the Irish version of the Celtic otherworld which is said to have a lot in the way of precious metals in their architecture (CAN YOU TELL I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THIS FOR A FIC?)

Those lights in the water do not move as they sidhe do, they are a reflection of what is in Avalon not what is in our world. Avalon is lit with pretty blue crystals I'm calling it!

Aufric: I promise you the soul of the greatest prince of all, Arthur Pendragon. Even the Sidhe are like you know this Arthur guy? Pretty rad not gonna lie. Either that or they are measuring greatest by fighting skill.. or care for their people or something. WHAT IS THE MEASUREMENT HERE.

Gaius: Avalon-what you saw at the lake, It's Avalon, it must be

Merlin: Whats-

Gaius: the Land of Eternal Youth. Mortals are only supposed to glimse it in the moment before death.

Merlin: I've seen it and I'm still ehre

Gaius: extradenary what did it look like

Merlin: Does it matter they are going to sacrifice Arthur! This fits best with the Irish version of the Celtic otherword in which it is not actually the place where dead people go but a paradise, with yes Eternal youth

(CAN YOU TELL I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THIS FOR A FIC?)

Gaius: I found writing like this at the top of Alfrics's staff Its Ogham an anciant script "to hold life and death in your hands" From the writing on his staff and what you saw at the lake. I'm afraid I'm not certain. We're dealing with the sidhe

Merlin: that does not sound like a good thing

Gaius: They're masters of enchantment Merlin: you think Arthur's been enchanted? Gaius: Almost Certainly

Ok Ogham is an anciant script. It was used in Irland and parts of the UK beween the 5th and 9th centuries. So we have YET ANOTHER possible Irish conection. Also to hold life and death in your hands sounds a lot like the magic over life and death we see later!

This happens when Arthur tells the king hes gonna marry Sophia no matter what Uther says. Uther threatens and his and mentions executing them Arthur backtracks and he lets them go.

BUT SERIOUSLY WHOA Either Tirmawr, is REALLY not an important land. Or Uther does something really stupid here, Or he has absolute power on an insane level

See arresting nobles that are not from your land usually leads to war if you are not doing it while at war. If it's your own nobles you better have a good reason or the other nobles are NOT going to be happy. This kind of thing did happen with excuses in places where power was nearly absolute. But almost always with excuses about them being traitors or breaking laws ETC. The entire court can see Uther arresting them just to make a point. HE EVEN THREATENED TO EXECUTE THEM WTF UTHER!

Arthur: (packing) Get out

Merlin: I thought the king was a bit harsh

Arthur: I don't need sympathy Merlin, Especially not from you

Merlin: But I did think he had a point

Arthur: I ordered you to get out now leave me

Merlin: I know what you think youa re doing, and I know you think you are in lvoe with Sophia Arthur: Who Are you to tell me what I'm thinking!"

Merlin: I'm your freind

Arthur: No merlin you're my servant

Merlin: you don't know what you're doing. Shes cast a spell on you you're enchanted

This conversation is interesting because his eyes are not red, Some of these things are things he might say but NOT in the tone he uses and some of them seem OOC But his eyes are not red, so either the fact that they are close to things he might say in a diferant tone, Or they might be things he might have said to a typical servant at this stage in his development, might be causing this. I'm inclined to thing its the first one. Or perhaps my way of judging when eyes turn red is wrong.

Sophia: I told you people would try to keep us appart

Arthur: I won't let that happen

Merlin: Don't listen to her shes controling you

Sophia: we can elope together get away from this place these people Merlin: I saw you. I followed him they're planing to sacrifice you

Alfric: you let your servants speak to your guests this way

Merlin: I know what you're going to do because I followed you to the lake and I heard everything

Merlin: (turning to arthur) You have to belive me!

Sophia: Don;'t listen to him Arthur. Let's go, LEts leave tonight

Merlin: Shes going to kill you, Sophia plants to sacrifice you to buy a life of importality. if you go with her You'll die

Arthur: (Confused) "It doesnt make sence we're in love

Merlin: they're magical being look at the writing on the staff *tries to grab alfrics staff)

Alfric: (Tries to pull it away eyes growing red )

Merlin (speaking as Arthur is turned away from us) Look at his eyes look at them, Do you belive me now, I love this bit. It seems to support my theory. Arthur almost breaks out of it because he trusts Merlin and then the red eye comes back because it's against Arthur's nature not to trust Merlin. Also Merlin gets sidhe blasted making our Merlin death count reach two!

Arthur was underwater for 1 minite 36 seconds If Arthur was unconscious when he hit the water (And I think he should be considered such) he was likely fine, did not get water in his lungs much at all, and started breathing on his own after getting out of the water If he was awake he would likely NOT have fallen unconscious in that amount of time.

#merlin loregasm rewatch #merlin lore rewatch #merlin lore #merlin meta #merlin bbc #bbc merlin #bbc merlin lore

[spoofyleaf]

Sometimes I remember that my whole house was so obsessed with the show Merlin, that we named the first tree we planted in the yard Merlin.

When it was given to us 11 years ago it was hardly a scraggly stick, and now it looks like a giant bush

Artist rendition

#this is the first year it has like!! actual bark!!! #only the middle/ main trunk #I’m so emotional over this tree you guys don’t even know #he won’t stop growing branches on the bottom #so he just looks like a huge bush when leafed out #then another tree we planted the same year looks like a Maple Tree TM #I love all the trees in my yard #every day when it’s warm enough I tell them all they’re doing a great jobs #and one who burnt during a really hot summer didn’t grow for YEARS #but we didn’t give up on it #no sir #we cut off the burnt limb #we kept telling it that it was doing great #and last year!!! it finally started growing new twigs!! #it grew more than like 5 leaves!!! #and this year so far there’s already a LOT of growth!!!!!! #and one tree I got from a childhood best friend like 5 years ago has absolutely taken off #like holy hell #the tree was a sapling from the tree from her backyard #it was my favourite tree growing up #it’s were we were kids together #guys no you don’t get it #we slowly fell out of friendship and then years later she texted me #‘hey you know that one tree you used to love? do you want a sapling from jt otherwise my mom is throwing it in compost.’ #‘she thinks you don’t care about this tree anymore but I know you do’ #*sobs* #Spoofy tambles

[wishmemel]

only way i got through the day was hallucinating megumi beside me the entire time

#IT WAS SO COLD TODAY #wind was blowing so intensely #i kept picturing megumi walking beside me when i was outside n giving me his jacket #everytime i got distracted i could just hear his voice telling me to focus hehe #i should mention it was my first day back after a week of skipping classes cause i was sick #it was all just a haze but i got through it with hallucination megs !! #we did it guys #anyways he accompanied me to every single class #ngl i literally stepped foot in one of my classes and then #my teacher was like safi great you’re here !! we had a test yesterday that u missed btw n u can make it up right. this. instant!! #and i was like um. okay. #internally panicking #but the test seemed pretty easy so i hope it went well #it was super short too like a little quiz #but i was so surprised help #my friends told me about it n i really thought she’d give me a few days to prepare or smth #anyways guess who’s home now hehe > < #gonna eat smth yummy so i stop feeling dizzy and then lay in bed and do some homework #i have so much #megs is nagging me to finish it #if you read my entire rant then ily and if u skimmed it then ilyt #but if you didn’t read a word and skipped to the end then just know that megumi is flicking your forehead really hard rn #꒰ soon you'll get better. ꒱

[weenhands]

i feel so stupid but i miss my crush so much i don't see him again until next week i feel like i hauve rabies

#when he kept randomly saying my birthname (i didnt tell anyone i have a preferred name) #and he said 'i just want to make sure i get it right. theres many international students that go to my university and i make sure #i understand their names as well' #AUGHFHFHFHDHSJ!!!:---((( WAAAAAHHHHH WAH WAH WAH NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN THAT DETERMINED TO PRONOUNCE MY STUPID INCREDINLY UNIQUE BIRTHNAME WA #meanwhile mfs name is patrick . #:(((( WAAAAHHHHHHH an when i said 'well do i /look/ young?' (bc we were talking abt being too young or old for how we look) #and he said. :) you look great. EVERYONE KILL EACHPTHWREEEEEEEEEEEEWDJDJSKZKXJFFFGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH #aughhhhh he pointed at the moon when he showed me the special seats at the football game :(((((( #i miss him and when i was fanning myself and he fanned me with an empty pizza box #all the times he offered coffee #offered juice and water and pizza #uahgjdjdjdjdjfjdjdjdjdjdjd I AM GOING TO RIP MYSRLF OPEN FROM THE INSIFE OUT #i have hisnumber but ineed an opportunity.... #ill find one laterlol #dont know how broken i have to b to literally tear up on the bus ride home bc he felt so. comfy anf safe to be around HHHHHH die everyone