#All of this... and there's still an instance in the final act where... true to my hopes...

[zingaplanet]

Here's my take on the loki finale and why Mobius is the only one of the gang who didn't seem to have a conclusive, 'hopeful' ending.

Can't predict what the writers are thinking but the way I understand it is it's a hint that there's no version of reality where Loki is not there with him that will ever leave him fulfilled.

"Most purpose is more burden than glory," he said.

Others are shown finally having the choice to pursue their own "glory"/hope/ happiness. B-15 finds her purpose to lead and protect something she believes in, O.B. gets to live out his science fiction dream, writing a book of a place he now knows to be true and care about.

The end scene with Mobius and Sylvie is fascinating, for instance, because it shows the contrast between them both. Sylvie is different, she's reconstructed her own reality, found her own happines, lived a whole new life in the timeline without Loki or anyone.

But Mobius is the realist out of them all.

Mobius said before that he'd rather not know about his life before as it's easier not to, that the TVA is his whole life, that that's where he belongs. When the TVA changed, he finally left, but now he's there in front of the life he's supposed to have but he's in no hurry to go back, content to just "let the time pass."

I think he knows no matter which purpose he chose, whether at the TVA or getting his memory reinstalled back to him for a life on the timeline, there will always be a 'burden', something left lurking behind.

Maybe he realises he doesn't have a place 'he belongs to' anymore.

Perhaps it also dawns on him then, that it's never about the how (the TVA is changed now, no more prunings, no more sacred timeline, he would've done something he'd morally believe in if he stayed),

or the what (the jet skis, his garden, even his family, it could never be the same. It's incomplete, with all the burden of eons of memories behind him, and the lost of someone who made it possible)

or even the why (he's driven by 'the bigger picture', it's his one saving grace, the one thing he holds on to. He spent eons doing the same thing over and over, protecting the sacred timeline and what he believes to be true, when that turned out to be a bust, he turned his life upside down to protect his new purpose, the multiverse, but all of it is still to waste, they couldn't do it still, not without sacrificing-)

In the end, that wasn't what it's all about. The reason this whole madness started was because of one simple act of his, an insignificant character, to save someone, to be willing to take the leap in trusting one that everyone always dooms to fail. To tell that person, who never had anyone believe in him before, that they could "be anyone they want to be, even someone good."

It was never about the universe. Loki was right. It was never about the how, the what, or the why.

All along,

It was always about the who.

[ddarker-dreams]

How much do you think it takes to fluster the husband rotation???

it doesn't take much?? not most people's definition of 'much', at least.

for chrollo, overhearing you talk about him (whether it be on the phone or you haven't noticed him standing there yet) gives him pause. it's in instances like these that people reveal their true colors. he's confident in his ability to read you, sure, but hearing your unfiltered thoughts out loud? that's an opportunity he'd kill for. metaphorically and literally. he waits with bated breath, almost embarrassed by his anticipation. you'd think he was a school girl eavesdropping on her crush. and when he hears you not only call him handsome, but emphasize just how much you enjoy your discussions with him? those very discussions that he cherishes dearly? he smiles without realizing it. faced with death, his heart remains steady. faced with anything related to you, it can't slow down.

gojo is, to the surprise of no one, kinda weird. you could huskily whisper the naughtiest line into his ear — he'd just grin and flirt back. he gets so caught up in outdoing you that he forgets to feel embarrassed. want to leave him speechless and knock the air from his lungs? it's surprisingly simple. steal one of his shirts, wear it as your PJs, then doze off waiting for him to return home. he secretly feels bad that his work hours are so erratic. he'll tell you not to stay up for him, but that doesn't mean he isn't touched when you try. the idea of you sitting there, fighting to stay awake because you want to spend time with him? cupid's arrow couldn't compare to the emotions that makes him experience. this, along with the added bonus of his too large shirt engulfing your form does him in. gojo takes enough pictures to necessitate buying additional cloud storage.

for scaramouche..................... just be nice to him without ulterior motives. that's it. no, really. he can't comprehend kindness. he understands transactions, where anything done for the sake of another is still ultimately for one's own benefit. this cynicism has helped him navigate fatui politics yet impedes any personal growth. brew him his favorite bitter tea, organize his belongings, gift him a homemade trinket; he'll flitter through multiple emotions. suspicion, confusion, then, finally, this warm sensation in his supposedly hollow chest that he can't find a word for. this little act haunts him. he can't stop obsessing over it. he wants to find proof that you're like every other wretched, self-serving creature in this world — (or does he?) — but his investigation proves unsuccessful. confronted by this undeniable reality, he's left to wrestle with the implications. you're genuinely thoughtful (ew) and most egregious of all, he likes it (ew x2). this is going to be his undoing, isn't it...?

blade is similarly simple. you needn't jump through hoops of fire to get his obstinate heart pounding. as for what does him in most effectively — your greetings. it's why he shows up unannounced. you'll freeze, giving him a once over, eyebrows cutely scrunching together as your brain puts two and two together. then stars twinkle in your eyes. you glow with the radiance of a thousand suns, running at him, your arms outstretched and legs keen on jumping. he catches you with ease. he's grateful that your face is buried into his chest. otherwise, you'd spot how the tip of his ears go red. what has he ever done to deserve such an enthusiastic welcome? nothing, as far as he's concerned. he doesn't deserve it, doesn't deserve you, yet here you are, excitedly rambling in his arms over his return. he'll say he just happened to be in the star system and decided to stop by. don't believe him. he traveled across the universe for you.

[leo-artista]

Hey. So. About that frankenstan comic I was making. I may have turned it into a oneshot that I wrote at like 2am. It's not very well written, and it's also pretty short, but I thought it was decent enough that I could post it instead of the comic (that I will not finish because burnout is kicking my ass rn)

So enjoy some of my rare mediocre writing I guess, because I will not be doing this again anytime soon (also constructive criticism is welcome and very appreciated)

Stanley Pines had died.

He couldn't remember exactly how. Every time he tried to piece together the events that transpired, his memories would get further and further repressed into his subconscious until all he was left with were vague feelings and snippets that he couldn't be sure were memories or a dream he had once. Which, frankly, is expected. Why would his brain want to keep that in his head when it would most likely only give him night terrors? Yeah, no thanks. He already has enough of those as is.

Still, part of Stan wished he knew what had happened. He had tried asking Ford, once, about a week after he "woke up". That was a mistake. Ford didn't say anything. He just looked at him with an expression that Stan spent the next few days regretting having put in his brother's face. Afterwards, they hugged for a long time, until Ford quietly spoke against his heart: "You were murdered."

He didn't try asking again.

Sometimes, it kept him awake at night, making him recount every instance in his life where he almost died. Running from the police, freezing inside his car, getting chased by Rico, starving in the streets, chewing his way out of a trunk- there were so many ways he could have kicked the bucket. So many instances where he had thought his luck had finally ran out, and this time he wouldn't make it. In the end, he had been right about one thing- there was no way his life would end peacefully. Dreams of getting rich and growing old were something Stan had given up on long before his time was up. There was no point in seeking that out anymore, no hope of actually living a life. Only surviving.

Until Ford decided to say fuck you to God and bring him back to life, that is.

When his brother told him what had happened, Stan didn't know what to think. Not because of the whole yeah so I'm Victor Frankenstein now I guess deal- honestly, that was the least surprising part of the whole story. If there was anyone on earth who could manage to figure out a way to reverse death- something no human has succeeded at in centuries of existence- it would be Ford. His brother was just cool like that.

He was more surprised at the fact Ford had done it for Stan, of all people. The man who ruined his life. The guy who couldn't leave his childhood dream behind and grow up. The con-man and criminal who never managed to make up for his countless mistakes. The worthless one.

"Why did you do it?" Stan asked one evening. "Bring me back, I mean."

Ford looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. "What?"

Stan shrugged, "Just... seems like way too much effort just to bring someone back, y'know? I'm not sure if I'm worth all of that."

Ford's expression quickly turned sour. "What do you mean by that?"

Stan sighed. "I'm just saying, it would be one thing if I was at the hospital and you came over to help or something. But I was dead, Ford. You can't just come back from that."

Ford's eyebrows scrunched up and his mouth trembled, as if he couldn't decide whether to be angry or upset. "If that was true, you wouldn't be here right now." Instinctively, Ford's hand snatched Stan's wrist, his thumb pressing right above his pulse point. Stan could feel how much that small action calmed him.

He swallowed. "Yeah. Because for some damn reason you thought turning me into fucking Frankenstein was a better idea than just mourning me and moving on with your life."

The hand holding his wrist squeezed harder.

"You act as if it would have been easy." Ford hissed. "Like your death was something trivial, unimportant." He looked into Stan's bleak eyes. "Do you honestly think I would have spent all this time working to get you back if that were the case? What, did you think that- that I wouldn't care?" he said, offended.

"I didn't say that." Stan replied. "I just- fuck, Ford. I thought you hated me for all those years."

Ford looked like he had been slapped.

"But bringing someone back from the dead? Spending months fixing their body- replacing limbs, stiching new skin, getting new organs from God knows where? That ain't something you do for just anyone. And sure as hell not for someone you hate." He released a breath he didn't notice he was holding. "And... I don't know what to do with that."

A long moment passed where neither of them spoke. Then, Ford lunged at his brother, griping him with all the strength he had.

"You" Ford croaked, "are an idiot. Of course I would do the impossible and more to get you back. You're not allowed to leave me. I don't care how mad I was with you back then, none of that mattered. You always mattered." He leaned his head against Stan's shoulder to hide the tears pricking his eyes. "I just wish it hadn't taken you dying for me to show that."

Stan swallowed the lump forming in his throat, putting his arms around Ford and squeezing. One of his hands -the few parts that had been preserved from his original body- went to Ford's head, caressing his scalp in the same way he always did back when they were kids. He felt Ford sigh and sag against his shoulder, breath gently ghosting his collarbone.

"Thank you." Stan murmured lowly against his head.

Thank you for giving me this. For forgiving me. For still caring about me, even if I don't deserve it.

Ford didn't reply, but he squeezed back.

[drchucktingle]

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #1

hello buckaroos chuck tingle here to talk on my book camp damascus. i am very ADVERSE to spoilers and even though i LOVE discussing art i never want to discuss a book too soon, gotta give buckaroos a chance to read. i have been trying to find a balance of WHEN and HOW to have these talks because there is a lot to discover in camp damascus, and i finally think i have found safe way to do this.

i am going to write some posts talkin about various subjects relating to camp damascus themes and symbols and ideas. i will title these posts DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS and give them all the hashtag: "deconstructing damascus". if you do not want to be tempted you can go into your tumblr settings and MUTE hashtag "deconstructing damascus" until you are ready to come back and trot in this way.

i am also going to put all spoiler content below a READ MORE line so that buckaroos will not stumble upon it. you must click below to open these words up.

(EDIT: PART 2 IS HERE)

(EDIT: PART 3 IS HERE)

(EDIT: PART 4 IS HERE)

alright buckaroos lets trot. WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #1: NEVERLAND

camp damascus is about SEVERAL things thematically, but i think in BROAD STROKES you can narrow this story down to two ideas. the first is about control through infantilizing victims of religious or conservative organizations, keeping them 'young and naive' forever, and the second theme is about taking a story and using the same text to pull out whatever viewpoint you want. in other words, there are MANY readings within a story and us readers see whatever story we want.

i will dive deeper into these topics in later DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS talks, but both of these concepts relate in some way to THIS discussion, which is the story of peter pan and neverland

camp damascus is about text having many interpretations, and so as a sort of META ART PIECE i wanted camp damascus to have many interpretations. i did this by creating thematic layers on top of each other in the SAME STORY, like a cake. in the case of camp damascus we have BIBLICAL LAYER, FAIRYTALE LAYER, and LITERAL LAYER.

today we are going to talk about the fairytale layer.

peter pan is the story of wendy darling, who is whisked away to a magical place known as NEVER NEVER LAND by peter pan, who is an eternally young boy. nobody ever grows up in never never land. in camp damascus we have rose darling, who is a resident of neverton, a small town in montana where all of to children are kept young and naive to their own true adult nature for as long possible. this is done in many ways, for instance all of the KINGDOM OF THE PINE kids act and talk like teenagers when they are technically adults (rose is 20). they are all still in high school due to intervention of the church. the practice of oppressing someones natural sexuality and growth into adulthood a way of keeping them young and 'innocent'. the KINGDOM KIDS are perpetually stuck between childhood and adulthood. when you are reading the book, there should be something about this age and behavior discrepancy that feels a little strange.

to capture this effect i also tried to create a book that was both categorically YA (young adult) and adult horror. there are topics and conversations and situations that should feel like you are reading a 'younger book', then moments of violence and layers of complex themes that feel like an adult book. it should straddle this line in an uncomfortable way.

now to the story itself. camp damascus is NOT a retelling of peter pan in any way. the plots are not the same at all. however it uses peter pan as a literary allusion in order to discuss the themes listed above. these references are to reinforce the idea of keeping buckaroos young and under the churches control by any means necessary.

many do not realize that the original peter pan character was quite a bit more sinister than the cartoon version. here is a quote from the original text about HOW neverland worked to keep the lost boys young:

“The boys on the island vary, of course, in numbers, according as they get killed and so on; and when they seem to be growing up, which is against the rules, Peter thins them out; but at this time there were six of them, counting the twins as two.”

yes CAPTAIN HOOK is the big villain, but peter pan himself is just as brutal. this is where we get PASTOR PETE BEND, the current head of camp damascus. in his own way he is HIP AND COOL AND ETERNALLY YOUTHFUL just like peter pan, but he also falls into the roll of a ruthless captain who will do whatever it takes. to pull apart his name we have pete, as in peter, and bend. what is another word for bend? hook.

kingdom of the pine members wear a red band round their left wrist, which is where the hand of their prophet as severed. you can also note that when pete bend he uses a weapon he uses his left hand, which is pretty notable for someone who is right handed. consider where a certain captains weapon is permanently affixed.

also working for kingdom of the pine and camp damascus, under the direct orders of pete bend, is DR. SMITH. dr smith is a jolly henchmen with a white beard and glasses. despite his drab office he sits in a blue and white striped chair. i should also point out that a version of the name smee is smeeth. just SAYIN.

WILLOW is another interesting one. after her time at camp damascus she gets into photography. she turns to NATURE and TRUTH and as she takes these photos her finger is steady and rhythmic like a clock. click. click. click. click. click. could these photos eventually be the downfall of pete bend?

when we see willow early on she is drinking for a coffee mug with a certain reptile on it. her last name is crogall, which translates to the name of a specific animal in scottish gaelic. rose also goes to meet willow where she lives, one town over from neverton in a little village named lebka rock. i will let the buckaroos figure out what that means.

there is actually much more than this (who is saul for instance?) but i think i have said all that buds need to know to enjoy this layer.

thank you for reading. FEEL FREE TO REBLOG but try not to put spoilers in the tags. i will talk on OTHER aspects of CAMP DAMASCUS soon and i hope this has inspired you to look at the text in a brand new way. LOVE IS REAL

[mythbringer-mayhem]

GODDAMNIT

man, I was just scrolling and now I'm a goddamn Raidioapple shipper what the FUCK

Ok ok-

And now I'm going to elaborate just because.

I was expecting someone out there to ship Lucifer and Alastor the second I heard Hell's Greatest Dad. I mean- two people singing/arguing over being father figures? Sounds gay to me /pos. The internet sure does love it's enemies to lovers (me included. I'm hopless lmao.)

BUT. I have specifics for this ship.

I hate it when people just look at Alastor's aromanticism/asexuallity and just go "nah. I'm just gonna do it anyways." I used to headcanon Alastor as complete aroace in the sense that he just can't feel that way for someone (this is not meant to sound like "oh he can't love anyone :( he's incapable" I mean specifically a romantic/sexual relationship.) Then fucking short ass king of hell arrives, and Alastor just IMMEDIATELY chooses violence.

I didn't think much of that besides "oh that's a little interesting," and then I stumbled across Radioapple and had to take a double take. My brain needed to figure out how that would work, like how it would start, flourish, ineract, yadda yadda-

.....so now I consider Alastor Demiromantic-

(I'm still goddamn writing jeez-)

Read on if you like random people looking wayyyyyy too much into fictional characters.

Headcanon timeeeeeeeee

When Lucifer and Alastor first meet, Alastor is surprised Lucifer doesn't know who he is. Up to this point, everyone knows about the terrifying radio demon, so it must be a little weird for someone to be completely ignorant to his existence. Especially when that person should probably know the ins and outs of what's going on- ....because he's the fucking king of hell.

This is something new for Alastor. It made him curious. When you're curious, you try to learn more right? So, Alastor starts pushing Lucifer's buttons, seeing how he reacts. On Lucifer's end, Alastor's just being a smug asshole. However his true intentions are information on the esteemed oh-so-powerful king of hell. Maybe Alastor doesn't quite know where this fascination comes from, but regardless he wants to learn more. I can picture him progressively bothering Lucifer more and more (this is his unique way of getting to know him semi-discreetly)

As well as figuring out what ticks him off, Alastor would also probably passively learn things Lucifer likes. For instance, he finds out what Lucifer's favorite alcoholic drink is or something- bare with me- Let’s say Lucifer has a rough day, and it's very clear to everyone in the hotel. While he's frustrated in his own room, he hears a knock at the door. Answering it, he finds his aforementioned favorite drink. At this point, he wouldn't know who left it. But after a while, he'd be able to figure out it's Alastor through process of elimination. (This is inspired by a comic I saw! :))

Now we've got Alastor trying to discreetly be kind to Lucifer, and Lucifer is aware without his knowledge. And Lucifer would call him out for it lmao. Slowly, they'd start acting friendlier towards each other. It would take a long, long time though. The slowest slow burn of them all. They'd hang out more, do things, kick angel ass, have friendly banter, do stuff with Charlie. Untill Alastor finally realizes that he might have a crush on Lucifer. Though, I feel he'd take a while to fully figure that out, do some soul searching, maybe go to Rosie for advice.

Then they'd confess. Or they wouldn't lol. I can totally see them going on what is essentially a date, even though they just consider it "hanging out". It would be a quiet relationship. Something you'd miss if you aren't looking for it, but it is there. They both just need someone they can rest with in my opinion.

These ideas are probably sporadic and nonsensical- but I ✨️don't care✨️ I just needed to rant about the old timey deer man and the short depressed apple gremlin.

[quitealotofsodapop]

There will be a massive debate/argument between them all when they find out. Because the first reaction Li Jing will have upon putting two and two together that Wukong and his protegè is somehow related to the strange changes in fate they've found in the draft copies is to summon them once more to Heaven. Which, considering the last time he did that, does not go well and it takes a lot of fighting before Xiwangmu finally gets tired enough of the squabbling on her front yard to intervene and explain WHY Wukong and his friends were summoned to Heaven once more.

Xiwangmu: With the Ten Kings of Diyu gone, Heaven and the Underworld have been forced to use some... archaic means to keep the balance between life and death. The Scrolls of the Dead have a drafted copy so to speak, one that is constantly updated but holds none of the powers the original document held. Whilst going through it, we discovered something... rather disturbing."

Wukong: And that involves kidnapping me and my friends... how?? Also there was a SECOND COPY!?

Nezha: Don't worry, we verified that while your name remains in this copy, you still retain the stolen immortality wiping your name from the true copy did. Twas one of the first things we did considering the reason the... original was covered in graffiti.

Wukong: I'm not apologizing for that. Meant to die or not, mortally wounded or not, I was not dead when they dragged me down the first time.

MK: Wait, what was that about being meant to die? When was this??

Macaque: *sighing* MK. When he removed his name from the Book of the Dead. Didn't you say you'd read the book!?

MK: It's so long and has weird vocabulary that makes my head spin!

Li Jing, trying to steer the conversation back to the to the point: Sun Wukong. There's been a series of events where many a being, whether they be mortal, celestial, or demon, was meant to meet their end where said fate was averted. While it isn't unusual for such a thing, the amount of time and consistency is rather strange. And... all of those instances point to some sort of interference related to you.

Xiwangmu: We summoned you here in hopes of understanding how that might be. Particularly in regards to that considerable feats that my general and grandson witnessed you and your heir perform recently. One does not simply break a cycle of destruction and rebirth so easily."

Prev.

The monkeys all get summoned like "AH! Not again!"

And reoccurring gag of MK not reading the book cus it's so dense and flowery. I think in canon he mentions Wukong erasing his name from The Book of the Dead though.

The squad are on close monitoring and/or house arrest until Heaven can figure out what the heck Wukong and MK are exactly able to do.

Macaque's own hearing powers mentioned in Jttw could also be similar to Wukong's fate-changing ability.

A sensitive ear, Discernment of fundamental principles, Knowledge of past and future, And comprehension of all things.

Macaque is able to know, but Wukong is able to act. Macaque has knowledge of the past, present, and future through his ears, but can't do much to change it. Wukong meanwhile has broken down so many barriers and saved so many lives completely unknowing.

The celestial primates as a whole could be individuals with these specific "screw destiny!"-powers gifted/created by the Universe to defy expectations of the Gods.

I would also like to mention an idea we had in DMs about Nüwa and her mate Fuxi the ape-man - that MK (and possibly even Wukong) were created specifically so they could have the choice to save/restart the world when the apocalypse came to past.

Cus whats the most powerful thing in the universe besides the chaos entropy? The ability to choose your fate.

[davidtennantgenderenvy]

My Two Cents On The “ Is David Tennant Queer” Drama

As some of you know, I spent a solid third of the past year working on a movie-length video essay about David Tennant. This video essay features an eight minute section titled “Gender, Vulnerability, and Why David Tennant Is A Queer Icon”, which does not speculate on David’s own sexuality, but discusses the queer coding and subversion of gender norms in plenty of his roles and his importance as an ally to the LGBT community. At the same time, I was also coming to terms with my own identity as nonbinary and bisexual, and it ended up playing a crucial role in me finally working up the courage to come out to my parents. Characters like Crowley and the Doctor, both in terms of how they present themselves and how and who they love, have been absolutely instrumental in me developing my queer identity, and my comments section was full of people who had had similar experiences, who’d realized they were trans, nonbinary, gay, etc thanks to David and his characters. And as a result, I won’t deny that if David himself were to be queer, it would mean a lot to me.

Do I think David is queer? It’s certainly possible. I see a lot of how I express my queerness in how david chooses to express himself, most prominently through his frequent queer coding of characters who don’t necessarily have to be played as such. This can especially be seen through his Shakespeare characters, such as Richard, Hamlet, and some would argue Benedick as well. When I was 15 I played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, who I chose to play as a closeted young gay man harboring an unrequited crush on Romeo. I think I saw this role subconsciously as an outlet for my own repressed queerness, both of gender and sexuality, as I had experienced an unrequited crush on my female best friend the previous year which I was still in denial about. I’ve described my gender identity as “a girl with a chaotic tortured gay man inside of her that needs to be let out every once in a while”, which has never been more true than with Mercutio- a character who I might add, I took a great deal of inspiration from David when playing! In terms of using roles as an outlet for one’s queerness, I could absolutelt see this being true with David, especially when it comes to Crowley, who seems to have had an impact on David’s style, behavior, etc in a rather similar way to how he’s impacted me. I don’t want to act like David wearing pink docs means he must be gay, I think people should be allowed to wear whatever they want regardless of sexuality, but taken in conjunction with so many other things about him, it does make one wonder, and the fact that a seemingly straight man has been so many people’s queer awakening is a bit puzzling to say the least. I won’t pretend that these “signs” (if you interpret them that way), haven’t been increasing somewhat in the past year, and if I got to share my own coming out journey with the man who inspired it, I would be absolutely thrilled. I also can’t specifically think of an instance where David has SAID he is straight, as opposed to Taylor swift, who has.

With all of that said, where I personally draw the line is when mere speculation crosses into interfering with the subject’s personal relationships and the sense that one is OWED something. I believe that what matters to David more than anything is being a husband and a father. I believe he adores Georgia and his children and would not do anything in the world that he believes would jeopardize his family. As happy as I would be for David if he were to come out (probably as bi) I realize that that would put so much unwanted attention on his marriage and family and I think that’s the last thing he wants. I don’t think it’s IMPOSSIBLE that he and Michael Sheen are having a passionate love affair behind everyone’s backs, but I absolutely don’t consider it my place to insist that they are, because as much as I may feel like I do, I don’t know these people! And besides, if David were cheating on Georgia, he really would not be the person I thought he was.

So many queer people see themselves in David and his characters, and that is beautiful. And I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with having theories that David might be queer himself. However, it must be acknowledged that these theories are THEORIES, and they should not be used to invalidate people’s real life relationships- after all, it’s totally possible to be bi/pan and also be in a loving and healthy heterosexual relationship like David and Georgia at least seem to be in! If David were in fact “one of us”, I would welcome him with the openest of open arms, but unless and until he himself decides to proclaim himself that way, I will not expect anything of him other than to be the incredible artist and person we know and love.

[icycoldninja]

Lab Visit (Sephiroth x Scientist!Reader)

(Set in Crisis Core)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sephiroth was due for a physical today. He was supposed to receive new Mako injections and stamina boosters, as per Hojo's orders. You, one of Shinra's top scientists, had been ordered to complete this procedure. While the very mention of such a task frightened your fellow scientists, you were not to be deterred. Sephiroth was a bristly, rather cold person, but he wasn't as cold to you, which could probably be credited to the little friendship the two of you had built. Over the years, Sephiroth's visits to the lab had brought you company, real company, not the ramblings of some deranged lunatic who lurked about in the shadows. Sephiroth was different, both physically and mentally, though you could never tell why. There was something about him that enabled his very presence to be both calming and terrifying all at the same time. Yes, the man could be nice at times, but there were several disastrous instances where he lashed out in anger at anyone who dared approach him with a needle or syringe, though when you did it, you were a different story. One could even say...he trusted you. This trust allowed you to do things to him no one else could, such as take samples of his blood without him going ballistic and destroying everything in the lab in a fit of rage--or possibly, fear.

"Y/N," A low, sinister voice intoned, as an old man with greasy black hair tied back in a low ponytail emerged from the shadows.

"Dr. Hojo," You greeted, feeling yourself tense under his menacing gaze. Of all the scientists--no--all the people in Shinra, Hojo was who you detested the most. The acts he'd committed were unforgivable. Turning your own assistants and fellow scientists into mutant creatures for "research"?! Unbelievable! Not to mention the things he'd done to Sephiroth before you'd even arrived. You hadn't even uncovered the details of what happened, but you knew it had to be bad.

Still, Hojo was your employer; he was paying your wages and providing you with opportunities to learn and grow your experience--as well as chances to talk to Sephiroth more often, so you had to grit your teeth and bead it.

"The subject will be here soon," He finally said, sounding rather giddy. "Prepare the equipment. I want samples of everything." You gulped, knowing full well that when Hojo said he wanted "everything", he meant everything. Skin samples, hair samples, sweat samples, and more. You barely finished gathering up your gear when a familiar figure trooped through the door.

"Dr. Y/N, how do you do?" You spun around, trying--and failing--to hide the grin on your face.

"General Sephiroth, a pleasure to see you again. Do have a seat." Sephiroth nodded before tugging off his leather trench coat, revealing his lack of underclothes. He hung the coat on a rack on the wall and took a seat on the hospital-style bed you'd prepared for him. From the corner, Hojo watched, a devious glint in his eye. You busied yourself with gathering up vials and beakers, and such, while the two men glared at each other silently. After several minutes, Hojo departed, presumably to slither back into whatever hole he crawled out of, leaving the two of you alone in the room. Almost instantly, the tense mood was lifted.

"I can't believe you can put up with him," Sephiroth sighed, crossing his bare arms. You shrugged, sterilizing a needle with alcohol.

"Believe me, I'm trying very hard not to throw something acidic at his head." Your eyes met, smirks both plastered on your faces.

"I would like to see you do that," Sephiroth chuckled, extending his arm for you to prick.

"And to do so would be my dream come true," You responded, gently pricking his arm with the needle and drawing a few small drops of blood.

Sephiroth nodded, a smile on his face as he relaxed into the hospital bed. Over the course of the next hour, you collected all the samples Hojo would need for his sick creations, and once the Mako infusion drip was in, you were both free to chat, about work, about your own personal lives, about everything. Throughout the entirety of this short visit, Sephiroth looked happier than you'd ever seen him, even though he was in a place he hated. He was happy with you, and you were happy with him.

Once the infusion was complete and Sephiroth was free to leave, he did so reluctantly, for the only reason he braved the nightmares of this lab, the only reason he subjected himself to experimentation, was so he could see you.

[poolseason]

Misc. notes on Lloyd's power because he has...

TWO(2) maybe even three(3) types

Common form pre-s8: Green/Energy ->

Originally introduced as some type of glowy mirror-like energy power.

Supposedly these are directly tied to the elements of creation, when he was possessed and couldn't use his power, the others couldn't use theirs.

He can blast stuff make force shields (which they should've kept), and some really crazy strength.

Season 2- Lightning, Ice, Fire, Earth, (LIFE?):

He can wield all four elements of creation, Maybe the green power is just a manifestation of these 4,

though he actually seems to favor Earth and Lightning more than the others, using them the most, which is cool, considering those are the two elements we actually see him training to use.

But this really frustrates me sometimes because clearly they had the idea of Lloyd being the avatar or something but instead (an probably for the better) went down the direction of giving him actually... green colored powers.

Season 2-3: Golden Power! ->

Powerful enough to defeat the embodiment of evilness?

He usually uses it to create stuff, namely a bridge one time- a given since Golden power is all the elements of CREATION, ofc he can create things, Wish he got to use that golden power construct things more, it's a lot like a.. green lantern's ability…. omg

Apparently he can levitate and gets a dragon, free of self reflection

Here's the big one, he can literally terraform the land? Seems to be a really amplified use of Earth powers.

S8 - now: Green, but greener! we're still officially calling it Energy ->

works pretty much like concentrated energy blasts....

It looks more green and the particle effect gives the impression it fizzles, like it's volatile, which,, it might be.

"True Potential" when he was taking a lot of damage in the fight against the resurrected Garmadon, his powers sparking all over him. It's explained that his powers were acting in a way to protect him from fatal injuries, but they were depleted as a result. (the reason they stayed gone until the s9 finale where he defeated garm is lowkey still a mystery to me. um, was Garmadon destruction element holding them hostage or smthing?) Point is, that Lloyd's behave on their own, in a way, specifically in a way to heal/protect him. Pretty handy in situations where you're thrown through several walls of concrete and iron.

By the time season 8 begins, Lloyds eyes have fully turned green, but after losing his powers, they revert to black! Why did they become green to begin with??? Whatever Lloyd's power is, awakening them literally changed his physiology?

Incidently Lloyd's taken more (physical) damage since season 8, and seems more exhausted after big uses of his power. ex,, collapsing after warding off Griefbringer, the fact that he literally died from making a Tornado of Creation, when everyone else was fine. I wonder if that was another instance of Garmadon's powers doing something fucky with his though.

in DR3p1 Lloyd's disembodied soul is LITERALLY GREEN. Whatever the fuck that means...

On a more fun note, seems like he still has a bit of access to the elements of creation, he's used... Lightning(?) recently. Honestly I think he favors that one the most, since it acts the most similar to the ambiguous green power he's got. One point to the Big Brother Jay truthers, he was probably the best mentor for Lloyd when it came to learning to use his powers

Lloyds ability also comes with a kawaii sparkle sound effect.

Crystallized -> Oni Powers

Elemental powers come from dragons, and can be suppressed by vengestone, these... don't have that issue, because they come from wherever Oni abilities originate from. Source Onis?

Purple, and the particle effect looks a little fire-y between the sparkles <3 bit different from Garmadon's purple power, which looks darker and more flamelike

Eyes glow purple, add that one to his collection of eye colors

Activated through anger, despair(?), severe negative emotions

Enhanced strength, durability, anger, and appendage count when transformed.

Oh yeah, he can transform, and supposedly, all the powers are stronger in this form.

These seriously need more explanation. like SERIOUSLY. this stuff is suited to combatting the Overlord, i think was stated to be an Oni(?) but like the overlord was also a dragon in s2. um. Is the Overlord a hybrid, like the FSM? An evil twin? A jilted ex? hm.

putting many big purple question marks(???) on the Oni powers notes.

DR -> Conduit Powers

Able to channel Source Dragon energy, but so far he’s only channelled Energy’s power. He’s definitely going to do it again. 

Gets visions, and sometimes gets pulled into the SD voidscape. Um also it looked like he experienced what you might if you get pulled into a black hole.

Levitating is BACK ON!!!!! 

This power is seriously taxing on his body, he was in a coma for a little while there? This might be because he's a mortal, or because he's 50% human or hm

Quick question. Was the FSM a conduit? And Ras gets similar levitating voidscape visions, so what does that entail for him.

Being an SD Conduit makes his soul fundamentally different from any other human's souls (different from even other elemental masters!) and Thunderfunder really wanted to eat that.

I'm not certain if Lloyd is specifically Energy's conduit rather than a conduit for all of them, because I feel like that distinction could be important.

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

How about an jealous furina, or drunk furina?

Furina being jealous

characters: Furina x gn!reader

warnings: none

a/n: I have returned from my brief trip to get the milk. I'd love to say there were some AO3 author levels of tragic events that made me vanish for a month, but the reality is that I've been playing Persona 3 Reload and now Persona 5 Royal again.... yeah.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Furina

While Furina loved to pretend she was above the whole “being jealous” thing, you knew better than to trust her with that. She was human after all, and if there was one emotion more human than anything, even compassion and love, it was jealousy.

And yet, her jealousness would surface quite differently from others’, the former Archon suddenly growing very talkative as she began trying to show off, donning a smug while getting into a pose only akin in confidence and pride to the great orators of old before directly or indirectly talking about how great she was. Whether it was to impress you or to make the source of her jealousy back away, you weren’t too sure. What you were sure of however, was that it was a sight to behold. More entertaining than an award winning theater play and pretty endearing.

But while you would have loved to commend her for being able to handle her negative feelings without harming anyone, you had witnessed her dig herself into a metaphorical hole far too often for that to be the truth…

When you had completely halted to a grind during one of your walks, only to stare off into the distance, a wave of confusion washed over Furina, the former Archon quickly following your gaze before her eyes landed on a woman not too far away. For a moment, she wanted to ask you about her, but when the woman spotted you, started waving and approaching the two of you, her voice got stuck in her throat.

What followed was the two of you cheerfully talking to each other, reminiscing of days gone by, leaving Furina no choice but to simply listen...

While she felt confident in saying that she had known you for quite a while now, your chat about your school days made Furina's time with you seem quite insignificant. And yet, when it finally became time for you to introduced the two to each other, describing the other person as “a former upperclassman that helped you through school”, any doubts and hesitations Furina felt seemed to vanish within an instance, her stance as proud and confident as during a speech, as she talked with a wide smug on her face.

“It is an honor meeting you. I’ve actually been a huge admirer of your works”, the other woman said, and judging from the sparkle in her eyes it made no sense to question her in the slightest, and yet, because of her pride as an artist and definitely not for any ulterior reasons whatsoever, Furina still felt the need to make sure all three of you were well aware of how fantastic she was.

“Ha, my deepest apologies. I did not expect to run into a fan today. I should have brought a pen with me, after all this happens quite frequently as well. How careless of me”, she ‘apologized’ in a voice that made it difficult to miss what her true intentions were, and yet, all you could do was smile at her act. Something the director didn’t seem to miss as her smug quickly disappeared into thin air and a faint blush settled on her cheeks. That brief moment of embarrassed silence quickly vanished however, as Furina turned her attention back towards your acquaintance. 

“Well, I’m glad to hear you like them. I’m actually working on my next play, one that will for sure become known as my magnum opus”, she proudly announced with a big smile on her face, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them however, both of your expressions could not have been more different. While the woman looked as excited as a small child, your eyes had widened in surprise.

And you had every right to. Her? Writing a new play? Where did that come from?? She hadn’t even started thinking about what it was supposed to be about! Forget “Magnum Opus”, she could count herself lucky if she even managed to finish a draft in the next year.

“Really?? That sounds wonderful! I know I shouldn’t pry and that pinpointing a date should only be done once you feel confident in it, but may I ask when we can expect the premier?”, your friend asked, eyes filled with as much excitement as those of a dog seeing its owner for the first time in a while as her voice threatened to crack any moment. And so, before Furina had the chance to stop herself, her mouth had already begun to talk once again.

“I cannot tell you a date, but considering the script is as good as done, it shouldn’t take longer than a year. If the casting and everything else goes smoothly, at least.” A YEAR?? WHAT WAS SHE SAYING?? “Well, more like nine months.” NINE MON- Furina’s knees suddenly grew weak, threatening to give way and send the rest of her body on a one way trip to the pavement.

Luckily, before Furina had any chance to dig herself an even deeper grave, your friend said her goodbyes before going on her merry way, leaving the two of you in complete silence for a few moments.

“You never mentioned working on anything. Didn’t your last play just release?”, you asked, clearly concerned for her, something only made worse when she began to lean on you to keep herself standing.

Nothing. Not a single noise came out of Furina in response, instead, you were greeted with the sight of small tears threatening to form on the corners of her eyes as she silently grinded her teeth.

“Let’s get you some coffee, I get the feeling you might need it these next few days.”

[aintnoloveintheheatofthesun]

Still not done

I've got a theory. In that back room, sometime between the kissing and pussy eating; Pearline confessed to Sammie that she was a werewolf. She offered him the chance to become a werewolf, so that he could have some kind of protection as he continues to nurture his gift. She would have explained that garlic, silver and bullets are harmful to them but in the right conditions, they could endure.

Here me out

What if cheating ass Pearline also told him how he can return to being mortal? What if when Sammie hit Remmick over the head with his uncle's guitar, he was really setting Pearline free? Free from her husband, free from lycanthropy, free from this backwards society that hunts black folk for sport?

There are elements of my theory that the final act supports. For instance,

if Pearline was not a vampire, then where did she get those teeth? She is a werewolf outside during a full moon, those teeth would appear regardless

if Pearline is a werewolf, how is she wearing silver jewelry? It's steel

if Pearline was a mortal by the end, then why did she scream and burn? What if the flames and the head clutching were a representation of Remmick's agony? Like how the ancestors appearance was a way to represent Sammie's gift.

how would that work if she was not a vampire? As a werewolf, she can handle a lot. Besides she was the last one Remmick bit. What if her supernatural healing slowed the vampiric transformation thus making her (mentally) part of the hive mind but (physically) still herself.

(I promise you I stretched before this reach)

With all this in mind, could Pearline see heaven? I sure hope so.

In the 90s post credit scene, Sammie seemed quite content to die of natural causes. Why embrace that fate unless he already knew who wad waiting for him on the other side?

Walk with me here. We know that Sammie and Pearline had a time/fucked nasty/was busy sinning in the back room but we don't see everything. What if this is when she scratched him? Thereby welcoming him into her pack and making him a werewolf too.

Yes, he plays secular music. Yes, he likes to perform for drunks and adulterers but he is still his father's son. Some believe that werewolves are the hounds of heaven. That hunting monsters does not make them monstrous, it makes that heroic. If this is true, then their shared disdain for Remmick from day one is logical. As griots, they can sense a man out his time and they know something ain't right.

In this scene, Preacher Boy was adamant that she wasn't a vampire, going as far as challenging Smoke, because he already knew her secret. No, she ain't mortal.

This woman is sexual, strong and loyal. She is a creature of the night; just not a vampire. After she spent all of Pale, Pale Moon marking her scent on stage, her protectiveness over him, and by extension, everyone in the Juke Joint was never in doubt.

Offering lycanthropy as a means of protection, meant that Preacher Boy could continue to share his gift without regular human vulnerabilities. He survived that massive fall in the final act because he had just been made into a werewolf.

That's a lot of damage for a young man with no supernatural healing. Yet somehow, he can drive the next morning? Hold is own against Remmick at several points in the final battle? Stand without a cane decades later in his old age?

Sammie got scratched, y'all.

Meaning that he wouldn't want vampirism the same way Pearline didn't want it. They fought like hell to stay as they were. Not necessarily mortal, but good. And decent.

In this film, we watch Sammie go from small town share cropper to bad blues man.

From dutiful son to proud musician.

From a boy terrified the devil would come after him to a grown man that has danced with the devil and won.

I would add mortal to werewolf in there because in the words of the late, great Octavia Butler said:

"Transformation is sexy"

Speaking of future Sammie. Why turn down vampirism? Especially so close to his last breath? I choose to believe that Preacher boy swore off anything supernatural thay didn't come from his guitar after that night. He got his mortality back and lived a regular life.

Think about any recent supernatural media: True Blood, Twilight, Shadowhunters, The Originals. They typically portray creatures of the night as isolationist under normal circumstances. Werewolves and vampires do not mix. It's centuries of bad blood between them. So, as someone who has experienced lycanthropy, he knows better than to tempt fate.

Sammie, is a man ready to see his wife again, becoming vampire is not remotely enticing.

TLDR: Not all monsters are made equal. Pearline was a werewolf that scratched Preacher Boy. She died mortal after he freed her. They finally reunite, decades later after he rejects Stack's offer.

[justforbooks]

Val Kilmer

Star of films such as Top Gun, The Doors and Batman Forever whose acting could combine playfulness and intensity

Temperamental on-set behaviour by successful actors is common, but rarely made public. So it takes a particular type of performer, or one with poor PR defences, to become notorious for tantrums or capriciousness. The actor Val Kilmer, who has died aged 65 after suffering from pneumonia, was one such case.

He starred in several box-office hits, including Top Gun (1986), and played roles as distinctive as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) and the ghost of Elvis Presley in True Romance (1993). He also got a fleeting taste of superstardom when he took the lead in Batman Forever (1995).

Yet still he was better known in Hollywood for being difficult to work with than for any of his performances. Michael Douglas berated him for unprofessionalism on the set of The Ghost and the Darkness (1997), while John Frankenheimer, who worked with him on the ill-fated 1996 remake of The Island of Dr Moreau, said: “Even if I was directing a film called The Life of Val Kilmer, I wouldn’t have that prick in it.”

On the other hand, Michael Mann, who directed him in Heat (1995), and Oliver Stone, who wrote and directed The Doors, spoke admiringly of him as a collaborator. At its best, Kilmer’s acting combined playfulness and intensity. He also had a flair for comedy that was under-used except in a few instances. One of these was his film debut, Top Secret! (1984), a scattershot spoof of second world war movies in which he demonstrated straight-faced comic aplomb amid a myriad wacky sight gags from the team behind Airplane! Even here, though, his approach was one of the utmost seriousness.

The film-makers Jerry and David Zucker and Jim Abrahams advised him to loosen up and enjoy himself. “The boys always wanted me to have more fun,” recalled Kilmer, “but I wanted to be good and I took it all way too seriously.” It was ever thus. As an adolescent, he had reportedly walked off the set of a hamburger commercial when he found himself unable to manufacture sufficient enthusiasm for the product in hand.

Kilmer, whose ancestry was Cherokee-German-Irish-Swedish, was born in Los Angeles, to Gladys (nee Ekstadt) and Eugene. His father was said to have amassed a $100m fortune from supplying parts to the aircraft and aerospace industries (though his real-estate business filed for bankruptcy in 1991). Kilmer’s parents, who raised him as a Christian Scientist, divorced when he was nine. The second of three sons, he was distraught at the death of his younger brother, Wesley, who drowned at the age of 15 after suffering an epileptic fit while swimming.

He was educated at Chatsworth high school and the Hollywood Professional school before studying drama at the Juilliard School, New York, where at 17 he was its youngest ever student. It was there that he co-wrote and played the lead in How It All Began, a play about the German terrorist Michael Baumann.

The producer Joseph Papp staged it at the Public theatre in New York. Kilmer won acclaim at the Playhouse theatre in 1983 for playing Alan, the rich kid in John Byrne’s The Slab Boys, opposite Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon as his working-class tormentors. Frank Rich of the New York Times commended him on the “fine, firm shading” of his performance.

That led directly to him being cast in Top Secret! He starred next in the comedy Real Genius (1985) and played Tom Cruise’s rival, Iceman, in Top Gun. Kilmer later called Top Gun “silly” and “a horrible celebration of redneckness”. He reprised his role briefly in the 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, which became his final screen appearance.

Though he turned down prestigious directors (Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Altman) and high-profile films (Blue Velvet, Dirty Dancing), Kilmer stayed in work, though his choices sometimes betrayed an uncertainty about the sort of actor he wanted to be. He starred in the whimsical fantasy adventure Willow (1988), produced by the Star Wars creator George Lucas, and won plaudits for the TV movie Gore Vidal’s Billy the Kid (1989). He appeared in the noir thriller Kill Me Again (also 1989) opposite Joanne Whalley, whom he had met on the set of Willow. (“Top British actress elopes to Arizona with Cher’s former lover,” reported the Daily Mail, making reference to one of Kilmer’s old flames.) Whalley added Kilmer’s surname to hers after the couple were married in 1988. They divorced eight years later.

In 1991, The Doors gave him the nearest thing he had to a signature part, though he was excellent also as a foppish Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993). Subsequent years comprised a mixture of missed opportunities and misguided choices, with the occasional high-point such as Heat.

Kilmer was but one contributing factor to the disaster that was The Island of Dr Moreau, which went through two directors, the first of whom, Richard Stanley, was said to have later sneaked back on set in disguise. On that movie, Marlon Brando, himself no goody-two-shoes when it came to on-set etiquette, was heard to accuse Kilmer of having confused his talents with the size of his pay cheque.

The lead role in a feeble film version of the British television series The Saint (1997) did not improve Kilmer’s prospects. After providing the voices of Moses and God in the DreamWorks animation The Prince of Egypt (1998) and starring in the science-fiction thriller Red Planet (2002), he seemed to relinquish his conflicted mainstream ambitions and to prioritise quality instead.

He won praise playing the porn star John Holmes in Wonderland (2003) and had a small but significant part in the western The Missing (2003) after he wrote to its director, Ron Howard, apologising for his bad behaviour on the set of their previous film together, Willow. Kilmer was wryly charismatic as the taciturn agent hired to rescue the president’s daughter in David Mamet’s minimalist thriller Spartan. He was reunited with Stone for the historical epic Alexander (also 2004).

Kilmer did the warmest work of his career in the comic thriller Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), in which he played “Gay” Perry, a private investigator who teams up with a thief-turned-actor (Robert Downey Jr). The character’s sexuality had been Kilmer’s idea. “I said, ‘We gotta get a little colour in here. We gotta juice it up a little. I think I should be gay. I think I should kiss Robert Downey in the middle of the film. Maybe even earlier. Several times.’” He also observed that, “Maybe this wasn’t my first gay role. Maybe that was Top Gun.”

The parts that followed were divided between straight-to-DVD movies and television miniseries, though there were some interesting exceptions: Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009); the action spoof MacGruber (2010), which marked a welcome return to comedy for Kilmer; Coppola’s horror film Twixt (2011); and Palo Alto (2013), based on stories by James Franco and also starring Kilmer’s son, Jack. A 2021 documentary, Val, found him reflecting on his life and career, as he had done in the previous year’s memoir, I’m Your Huckleberry.

Theatrical endeavours included a return in 2004 to the role of Moses in The Ten Commandments: The Spectacle Musical, the lead in a West End production of The Postman Always Rings Twice in 2005, and the 2012 one-man show Citizen Twain, which Kilmer wrote and directed, and in which he also played Mark Twain.

Late in the day, Kilmer acknowledged that he had been a difficult collaborator. “I understand how hard it is for directors to direct,” he said in 2005. “I try to participate more in [the director’s] experience than I have in the past. I hope I’ve done my penance.” He appeared also to have grasped the value of self-deprecation.

He played two exaggerated versions of himself – first as a washed-up actor-turned-life coach in The Lotus Community Workshop, Harmony Korine’s contribution to the portmanteau film The Fourth Dimension (2012), and then in 2013 on the Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant sitcom Life’s Too Short, in which he was shown begging for funding for a sequel to Willow and harassing restaurant diners by challenging them to guess his identity while wearing a Batman mask (“Think! Don’t you people go to the movies?”).

This humorous side spilled over into his exchanges with the press. Asked in 2003 if there was a biblical figure with whom he identified, he replied: “Other than God?”

He is survived by Mercedes and Jack, his two children with Whalley.

🔔 Val Kilmer, actor, born 31 December 1959; died 1 April 2025

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[trancylovecraft]

*ੈ✩‧₊˚YANDERE KAEYA HEADCANONS!

ੈ✩‧₊˚FILE: 001

GENDER: Femme CHARACTER: Kaeya Alberich (Genshin Impact) SONG: Breezeblocks - Alt-J

ੈ✩‧₊˚ WANDERILLUSTREOUS! MASTERLIST! ✧.*

TYPING: Possessive / Manipulative / Stalker-ish

GENERAL:

��� I see Kaeya as a very subtle yandere in the sense that you PROBABLY couldn't even tell that he's different from in canon. At first anyways. Kaeya is use to covering up his true intentions and keeping secrets.

✦ Though Kaeya doesn't often show his affection towards you, do NOT fall for it. Him acting friendly is a tactic he uses often to lure people into a false sense of security. Sharing a drink with him can be dangerous, especially if a glass can get you to open up.

✦ He, himself, is good at gathering intel. He is not above sending his connections to keep tabs on you, nor is he above running background checks on the people you hang about with.

✦ He only gets jealous if the people you hang about with seem like an actual threat- For instance, someone like Amber would not be a threat to him considering he both outranks her and is most definetly stronger. However- Someone like Diluc or Jean however..

✦ Kaeya often likes to flaunt his little victories with you over the others. Him displaying friendly physical gestures such as hand holding or embracing is something he welcomes. To him, it sends a message. And considering the amount of situations you get yourself in, it may even provide reassurance that you ARE still alive.

✦ Kaeya is manipulative. No surprises there! You, who is known for their spontaneous desires and whims is a bit of an issue for him, however. His go-to tactics are sweet-words, however he can adjust himself well to a situation, even if you ARE an issue to deal with.

✦ Kaeya likes you so very much because you treat him like a friend. Considering who he is, he doesn't exactly have much of those, and you, naïve as you are, accept him as who he is. And as sweet and endearing as he finds this, it also makes you so very trusting.

✦ Of course- He wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you! He's not that bad of a guy, at least not to you. That's why he occasionally likes to follow you about.. Just to make sure you don't get too reckless. Just to make sure you don't injure yourself..

✦ Whenever you return back from a commission, he questions you subtly, but thoroughly. Where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with? How about you come get a drink with him and tell him all about it, eh? He wants to know all the details.

✦ Of course, he takes swift note of everything you say. He has a good memory, you know.

✦ And yes- He counts the minutes until you get back from your commission. Any longer than usual and he WILL get unusually worried.

✦ If you DO happen to get injured, expect him to hide all that anxiety and worry behind remarks and irritation. He really is worried- Which is why he's the one that tends to your injuries personally, all the while berating you for making mistakes.

✦ If it WAS a person that did that to you, trust me, you won't be seeing them again. Kaeya will make sure that they disappear off the face of the earth.

✦ As much as he would WANT to keep you for himself, he recognises, that at least at the moment- it's not possible. You're surrounded by people who would recognise if you're missing, and wouldn't take it sitting down. He knows Amber isn't a threat, but if anything were to happen to you, Kaeya knows that just may change.

✦ So, for now, he just leans back and watches. He'll continue to be good old Kaeya, listening and waiting. He'll make sure to endear himself to you, keep you close. You're his friend, right? He may want more but you don't need to know that. Not now.

✦ Not until he can finally make a move.

VOICELINE: About [F/N]

"Oh, you're referring to the Traveller? Hm.. How would I describe her.. Spontaneous? Friendly? Reckless, even. I must say, I've never quite seen someone down as many shots as her in a while. Do give my regards if you've seen her about, a conversation is long overdue."

[apricustar]

I’m just feeling so emo today about buck and how he doesn’t have a family and he doesn’t have anyone who has ever chosen him and it’s all he’s ever wanted. And Eddie choosing to stay in LA could’ve been that! But instead he was still planning on going back to El Paso for absolutely no reason, even after bringing Chris and Pepa to Buck, even after coming to Buck’s rescue, both of which should’ve made him realise LA and the 118 is his home and where he needs to be. But no. He surrounded Buck with family as an apology and then was still going to take that family away from him again. He saw the 118 in danger and came to help, and helped Buck specifically, but it wasn’t anything deeper, basically just FOMO, like he said. Because Buck is always temporary. Everyone else has a family and a home to go to, and Buck is just a subletter. I need buck S9 depression arc and yet I know they’re never gonna give it to me

oh nonnie, i feel this, i do. it's so easy to fall into that ache when it comes to buck; i think about him an inordinate amount!!!! and you're right—there's something uniquely cruel about how often he's been the one left behind, how often he's had to carry the weight of being almost chosen.

but i also think there's more going on here than what the finale gave us room to see. eddie bringing pepa and chris to buck—showing up when it mattered most—to quote eddie, it's not nothing; it counted for something, most definitely. as i wrote about in these posts (1 and 2), eddie bring both of them wasn't simply a gesture of presence—it was an act of placement, of claim. it told us, in this quiet language, that buck is already a part of something, not waiting at the edge of it, already within. the tenderness between him and pepa—the ease, the warmth, the way she spoke to him as someone who's long since belonged—was deliberate; the kind of moment that doesn't just show us who buck is to her, but who he is to them: who he's become, maybe even without realizing.

buck has always carried this rootless hunger to be wanted, to be kept. and we got this beautiful scene in 8x17, only for it not to fully land because of the way 8x18 played out. it didn't give the weight of these moments room to settle. and so what we're left with is the hollow of what could have been.

still, i don't think buck is temporary. i think he feels that way, yes—like he's always borrowing space and time in other people's stories—but that feeling isn't the truth. the 118 didn't just let him in; they grew around him—with him and because of him! one of the clearest things we learn in the coma episode is just how important buck is, how integral he is to each member of the 118. he's not a placeholder—he's part of the foundation; the one who brought them all together and made them a true family. he just hasn't always known how to believe that, hasn't felt totally secure in that knowledge.

and with eddie, i don't think it was all FOMO. that scene of him showing up, ready to help? felt a lot like him not hesitating to take point and rush in during the fire at dispatch in s5. his come to Jesus moment, as linda said, when she made that comment at the end of that episode about Him speaking. in both instances, it wasn't about adrenaline or feeling left out necessarily; it's about acting on the basis of feeling—the pull of exactly where you're meant to be, even if you've tried to leave it behind. escaping your truth is near-impossible.

i’m with you though, the finale had so many possibilities to do so much and it just. didnt. i also complained about that here JFSJDFJ. we can hope s9 pulls through better...

anyway!! i’m emo too, you're not alone in this!! and thank you for messaging me hehe am always so happy to talk <3

[birbleafs]

I really like how Alhaitham hung around long enough to listen to Kaveh’s concerns about Mehrak's disappearance, even listening to Kaveh discuss his candy tower designs—and all this when he's actually supposed to be busy working. And at one point, Alhaitham even led the way to the tavern Kaveh was supposed to meet the others, and he only left after Mehrak returned and Kaveh was feeling better true love lol. The popular interpretation that I've seen mostly on twitter is that Alhaitham had intentionally used work as an excuse to go all the way to Port Ormos simply because he knew Kaveh would be there, and that Alhaitham had set it all up just so that Kaveh would "accidentally" run into him. While that's seemingly plausible, I personally don't think that was the case here and would posit a different reading. Port Ormos may be quite a distance from Sumeru City but most of it is still under supervision and jurisdiction of the Akademiya. That is the main purpose of Wikala Funduq as the Akademiya's trading hub office, after all, to monitor trade and travel activity in and out of the port. I imagine that Alhaitham makes work trips to Port Ormos off and on, probably to collect research findings/materials from Wikala Funduq for further documentation and record-keeping, or perhaps to deliver trade ordinances he'd drafted out under the Akademiya's directives. There are also lines we can read on the Port Ormos bulletin board and NPC dialogues from the ship maintenance workers and the fishermen (Kira) that suggest Alhaitham visits Port Ormos enough for the locals to recognise him as the Akademiya's Scribe. So, presumably, Alhaitham was indeed there for work in this instance, and that Kaveh did indeed run into him by chance. And to be honest, I find this exceedingly funnier because Alhaitham has a reputation (which he's smug about) within the Akademiya for being someone who is extremely difficult to find, especially when he doesn't want to be found. But no matter how many times he manages to slip off and hide away like a cat, Kaveh is almost always that one person who can still serendipitously bump into him—either because Kaveh knows Alhaitham and his habits well enough to accurately guess where he would be hiding away or simply because the universe just cosmically wills it to be so LOL. (The other two instances I can recall where Alhaitham had gone off somewhere but Kaveh still finds him easily happened in Act 5 of the Sumeru AQ and the epilogue cutscene of An Odd Textual Mystery WQ. Including this one in the Sabzeruz Festival event, that makes it a total three times we see this happening in game canon). Anyway, I digressed hhjsdjsd but my original point was: Alhaitham didn't really have to accompany Kaveh to the meeting point at all. He could have just stayed put while they were talking in the streets. But no, Alhaitham decided to continue walking down the path while Kaveh was flustered, leading the way towards Djafar Tavern. And Alhaitham only turned around and went the opposite direction after Mehrak finally appeared and once Tighnari arrived. He stayed with Kaveh long enough until Kaveh's mood improved and until he was certain that Kaveh was reassured, and only then did he decide to head back to Sumeru City. I just think that's a nice subtle detail to demonstrate how Alhaitham looks out and cares for Kaveh in his own way :__)

[saturnsnakebars]

Hey! Do you have any headcanons for what it was like for kaidan before he confessed his feelings, like figuring out he’s catching feelings and deciding to do something about it?

omg yes!!!

warnings: some spice but nothing too bad

Kaidan when he has a crush:

- He is AWKWARD.

- In the beginning, of course he cares for you. He’s sworn to be your shield, and as a result he’s developed a liking for you, a soft spot if you will.

- It never even occurred to him that he treated you differently. At taverns, he didn’t feel excitement when someone came his way with an offer. He started declining people without even realizing the reason why.

- He also starts offering you things, such as food and water without you even asking him or telling him you needed them.

- Low-key kinda starts to get jealous. For instance, other people flirting or if you decide to spend the night with someone else. It makes his skin crawl.

- If you travel with Vilkas, Farkas, or Erik, they are the first to call him out on this behavior. Mercilessly teasing him on the daily about it actually. It’s how he first starts to notice how he feels about you, even though he does not dare to admit it yet.

- This is where the painfully awkward flirting begins, and the endless teasing from his friends. He’s secretly writing down pick up lines for you, but he hasnt tried saying them yet.

- Starts taking mental notes of the little things about you. The food you like, the flowers you like, the music at the tavern that you like, all of it. Starts giving you things you like intentionally now to try and get a reaction out of you.

- Your reactions will determine his day, so be careful. If a flower gift goes well for him, he’s practically jumping for joy for hours after. He gets nervous around you, his whole body feels like it has been lit on fire when one of these interactions occur.

- Eventually he starts saying more things to you. Commenting under his breath about how good your ass looks, or how beautiful you look that day. Sometimes you miss it, and other times you act like to didn’t hear just to ask him and watch him blush.

- At this point he’s already admitted feelings for you to his friends, but he has still to make a move on you. He’s afraid of ruining something that seems too good to be true.

- He spends days trying to figure out the perfect time and place to try and talk to you about it. Of course there were plenty of failed attempts on his part, only because he got major cold feet and couldn’t even bring himself to begin trying. He plans talking to you at a quiet moment with just the two of you, getting help from his friends on how approach it.

- When be finally does manage to scrap up some courage, perhaps it goes a little too far (wink wink). He did not mean to rush so quickly into bed with you on the first night. He’s feeling extremely guilty, but after talking with him and discussing how you want things, he feels much better.