#and while isolation isn't the greatest thing

[misty-wisp]

not to be normal about splatoon but i really like the wintry splatfest theme shows that spending the holidays alone is a perfectly normal and okay thing to do. like i'm sure a lot of people who do so feel really bad bc they're usually expected to hang out with a family that might not treat them well or friends they may not have with them so they feel that they may be simply rotting alone but it's okay. it's okay to relax on your own. it's ok to spend the holidays solo. you can relax with a comfy blanket and a nice warm cup of coffee, watching fireworks from afar as others are partying like mad. what matters is you're celebrating in your own way. you're alive and okay. you got through the year and that's what matters. take comfort in knowing you can get through the next and come out of it even better than before.

[sparrows4bats]

Damian as Selinas Sidekick AU

This can go one of two ways. Either Damian gets left with Selina instead of Bruce by Talia for some reason and is a little shit. There's a few fics about this, and I love them.

But maybe funnier and more interesting is that Damian becomes Silenas apprentice out of rebellion and spite.

So in those first few weeks after he arrives, where Bruce avoids him, and the other batfam members treat him like a ticking time bomb. Damian, who is ten, traumatised and fresh from a cult, is left alone in a strange country. He only has Alfred the butler and his new kitten to keep him company.

So, in his loneliness, his talks to his kitten about how he is feeling and all the things he learns about this weird new city and people. The kitten sits on his chest and purrs while he wonders why his father doesn't love him when he's supposed to be the perfect blood son.

It's during one of these conversations that he meets Silena Kyle. She just snuck into the Manor to see Bruce about a case when she comes across a little boy who sounds like he should be crying but doesn't let the tears fall, pouring his heart out to a sleeping kitten. Silena decides she is going to steal this precious boy from Bruce until he learns to treasure him properly.

Damian, understandably, attacks her, but is hindered by the fact he won't risk Alfred the Kittens' safety around a stranger, so Silena manages to pin him after a long struggle.

The boy hisses threats and demands to know why she's here in his fathers house. When she lets him up, he asks whether his mother sent her.

Silena stays quiet and assesses the kitten he keeps bundled up carefully and protectively. When Damian notices what she is looking at, he tells her that her fight is with him and only scum harm the defenceless.

Silena smiles and agrees. She uses what she has overheard and makes Damian an offer she hopes he won't refuse. Come with her, and she will let him go wherever he likes and she will train him properly. Damian, who is reluctantly impressed by her skill and so isolated, agrees after she lets him bring the kitten. He figures that Bruce will come for him eventually, so what's that harm in getting a small reprieve from the Manor in a way he won't be blamed? (This is technically a kidnapping. Father can't berate him for that.)

Silena helps Damian pack his belongings. He has very little in Gotham enough to fill one bag, and she takes note of his sketch book and other art supplies. After she explains that she is the world's greatest thief, he asks her to liberate his swords from where Bruce has locked them away. She does so gladly while he tells Alfred the plan.

Alfred promises not to say anything unless Bruce asks. He smiles at Silena when she comes in with Damians swords and sends them on their way. (Bruce goes on his mission without asking Alfred where Damian is, not because he doesn't care, but because he is not used to having to anymore. Damian isn't Robin, so how much trouble can he be getting into without Bruce knowing?)

Damian settles in with Silena quickly and begins to train with her, getting good at using a whip and practising his swordsmanship. Silena compliments his technique but makes him rest after every session. Eventually, Damian starts honing skills in infiltration and social exploitation. He learns to assess people without as much trauma clouding his judgement. He gets so good at it that interacting with strangers feels less like a minefield and more like an opportunity to learn. Silena praises his patience and progress.

He loves Silenas' never-ending parade of Strays, and after a few weeks (Bruce is still away), he doesn't want to leave. Silena is patient and kind in the face of his insults and listens when he tells her that at Nanda Parat, things worked differently. If she can, she alters her language and home to suit him better and explains those differences to him without making him feel like a monster or an idiot. The first time he makes a mistake and expects punishment, he shouts at her. He makes himself look larger and stares her down like an abused cat expecting to be hurt, and Silena, she understands. So she sits with him, and they talk about what he considers fair rules and boundaries, and they negotiate relevant and just consequences.

He opens up to her about how he misses his mother but doesn't want to be an assassin anymore, how he never chooses to be violent without cause but still does not understand his fathers refusal to kill. Silena hugs him gently, and he just melts. The cats join their cuddle pile.

He goes outside and finds restaurants that serve dishes from his home and buys clothes that keep him warm and dry in Gothams permanent overcast weather. He goes to school and gets the teachers to give him advanced work while he interacts with people his age for the first time. He decides that he wants to be a doctor like Talia and Ras and provide health care for the people of Gotham who are not as lucky as him and Silena.

Silena brings him on jobs after he asks to join and agrees to her rules. They are gone with jewellery long before they need to be, and Damian finds it fun? Like an adventure, no one gets hurt, but he still scratches that itch to challenge himself and grow more competent. He starts to have real fun!

After a few jobs, and a camera catches a photo of him, he decides his name will be Stray. Silena helps him design his cat themed costume.

When Bruce gets back from space or wherever he is, he is stressed to find his son missing, and no one knows where he is!!

He searches everywhere before Alfred has enough of seeing him brood and gives him the lecture of a lifetime. It has been over two months, and Bruce only noticed now?! Only after hours of berating and forcing Bruce to make several therapy appointments does Alfred tell him where Damian is and what he has been doing. He's both relieved to see Damian alive and with someone he trusts but also jealous of the fact he looks so happy in his little cat hood and goggles

Bruce is prepared to plead and grovel for Damian to come back. But Silena denys him. Damian doesn't want to leave, so he won't. The rest of batfamily receive their own lectures and start trying to meet Stray during his robberies, where he easily escapes capture (or attempts at apologies for how they treated him).

It's not until Tim hunts him down that he has a proper conversation with any of them. Damian apologizes to Tim for hurting him and explains how what the League taught him about his family and how he knows now that it was wrong and cruel. He tells Tim how he is trying to find his own path, with Catwoman to guide him. He may not be a bat, but he is also no longer an assassin. Tim is confused, feeling a little guilty, but touched as he stares at this small child with cat ears on his hood and paw pads on his gloves.

Tim knows what neglect feels like and is horrified that he let it happen to another kid, even one that tried to kill him. Tim accepts the apology and, on the advice of Alfred Pennyworth, asks to visit him soon. Damian allows it as long as he teaches him how he tracked Damian down in the first place.

Tim and Damian become friends in no time, with Dick joining them later, after he convinces Tim to help get Damian to trust him so he can say sorry for not trying harder to get to know him.

Silena still will not return her kitten no matter how much Bruce begs. He eventually argues for visitation roghts and makes up with both Silena and Damian. A lot of bribery is involved, and large donations are made to all Gotham no kill shelters.

When he and Silena start dating again, Damian holds him at sword point and delivers a horrifying shovel talk. Bruce pouts about his own son telling him he will never deserve the gift that is Silena Kyle, so he better work every damn day of his life if he stands a chance in keeping her. When he proposes Damian battles Harley and Ivy for the right to be her best man. Years later, Catwoman and Stray are common members of the Batfamily.

Talia accepts Silena in time after she sees how at peace her baby is. They have tea every few months and swap stories about their favourite men. Damian grows up so pretty with both his moms, influcing his looks and style. He is a beauty, and it makes him even more dangerous.

The Justice League meets Damian after Tim calls him in on a mission that requires infiltration and recovery of highly delicate materials. Stray gets the job done in a few hours and strides into the hall of justice and the Watchtower with a grace only a cat possesses. He waves at Tim and Dick. Bruce thanks him for a job well done, and even after all these years, Damian preens under his praise. He gives his report and the stolen material over and charms everyone before disappearing back into the shadows in front of everyone. How?? Only Cass can do that? Right? (Damian insisted on training with his family for them to earn his forgiveness, and now his siblings know that if they need a favour, they muster offer a skill.)

The younger members of the League develop a collective crush on Stray, much to the horror of his family.

Jon Kent meets Dr Damian Kyle-Wayne a week later when he brings a teammate to the hospital and recognises his hypnotic heartbeat and pretty green eyes.

Jon then does his level best to court the cat themed anti hero without being found out by his overprotective family. Jon is a simp for this man, and it's not long before Damian returns his intensity.

He showers Jon with gifts and flirts shamelessly. Jons' poor Midwestern heart can only take so much. Jon teases him back, of course, but is a lot more physical. He hugs Damian and runs his hands over his cheek before kissing him. Both delight in trying to get each other to blush and often end up in a state themselves.

Damian charms all the Kents and has fun getting to know them all after bringing him to a family dinner. After a while, Damian brings Jon home to meet the family, and Jon survives the gauntlet that is the bats and cats.

Superboy is a clingy little puppy the next time Stray visits the Watchtower, much to the confusion of most other hereos. But no one is stupid enough to risk trying to get close to Stray with his guard dog nearby. Bruce, while hesitant about their relationship at first, (he wept at the idea of losing his darling baby boy to a super of all people). Looks at Jon approvingly all meeting long.

Bruce, Talia, and Silena all give Jon permission to marry Damian after he saves him from a hostage situation at the hospital. Tim and Dick never let Jon forget they will destroy him if he ever messes up while Jason and Stephanie welcome him to the nut house.

Stray and Superboy are the JL OTP after they announce their engagement, even if a few people glare at Jon with envy. Jon knows and is so proud of himself for landing such an incredible husband.

[animeyanderelover]

how would yan jouno (bsd), L(death note), Gojo and Megumi(jujutsu kaisen) react to seeing darling bloody and passed out?

Tw: Yandere themes, possessive behavior, obsession, paranoia, clinginess, stalking, isolation, abduction, death

Tags: @maggiequinn59 @shumidehiro @leveyani @izanami78 @lovley-valentine7

Bloody and passed out

L Lawliet

🍰​Watari can't help but give a subtle look of concern in L's direction as the detective stares at the screen which is paused at the image of your form, passed out on the ground and covered in blood. His grip on the fork is subconsciously tightening as L requests Watari after a moment of silence to call an ambulance and keep an eye on you whilst you are hospitalised. Meanwhile he will go through the video tapes to find out what happened to you in the little time he didn't watch you through his multiple screens to eliminate the culprit before they could pose more of a threat to you. In reality L also doesn't have the courage yet to face you in your current condition as seeing you in person would only solidify that slimy feeling of guilt for not having been more careful, for not having seen this coming. After all he is not just any detective but the world's greatest detective. For him to let this crime happen instead of preventing it beforehand as he should have done is going to be a permanent burden he is going to have to carry around with him from now on. To prevent such things to happen to you in the future though L simply deduces that it is perhaps time to finally put you under special security.

Jouno Saigiku

♦️​Every attempt to keep his violent nature hidden fails when Jouno finds you. He may not be able to see your current condition but his enhanced hearing is enough already to keep him informed about your dire situation. He doesn't say anything for a while as he just bends down to your body, wipes away some of the blood on your face, not minding that he stains his uniform in the sticky liquid and it is this heavy silence that puts the other people from the government who accompanied him on edge. When he finally does speak up his voice is sharp and dangerous as he asks why none of the fools have called an ambulance yet. Is he the blind one or are they? He has everything to do himself, doesn't he? Jouno is the one who calls the government, shortly stating that they are going to need some doctors and a new accomodation before he ends the call, barely leaving them time to ask who it is Jouno intends to not only bring but also keep. Whilst you are being catered to by doctors Jouno starts searching for the bastard who did this to you, brimming with barely suppressed rage he desperately needs to unleas onto someone. He's going to make that person beg for death as soon as he has caught them.

Fushiguro Megumi

💙​His heart is in his throat the moment his Divine Dogs find you. Even whilst tracking down a curse he is supposed to take out Megumi already had a bad feeling as his shikigami were acting strange yet he still isn't prepared to find you. Why you? Why not someone else? Even as his shikigami tear the curse apart Megumi is unable to collect himself, his hands shaking ever so slightly as he wipes away some of the blood clinging to your face before he pulls out his phone and calls Shoko, begging her in a thin voice that she must help you. He's clearly shaken by the time you are cared for by Shoko, is barely listening when Gojo pops up because he has heard what happened and attempts to cheer his student up only to stop when noticing that Megumi is elsewhere with his mind. It is only when Shoko steps out of the room that he seems to return to the present, asking her quietly how you're doing and only when she informs him that you'll survive does some of the tension leave his body. However, after this day his paranoia has significantly increased. Who is to say that you won't be attacked again and that next time he won't be there in time? He can't let that happen.

Gojo Satoru

🩵​His presence alone has the curse cowering in fear, fleeing the scene the moment it senses Gojo's massive Cursed Energy only for the sorcerer to catch up in the blink of an eye, his eyes gleaming with darkness and a deep fear of loss that shouldn't appear in such beautiful eyes before he effortlessly crushes the creature, their existence gone within less than a second. As soon as his desire for revenge has been fulfilled he rushes over to you, taking you in his arms as he inspects the damage before calling Shoko and shakily begging her to help you. He doesn't once leave your side even whilst Shoko is inspecting you and heals the worst injuries you suffered at the hands of the curse, his larger hands gently engulfing yours as he remains by your side long after Shoko is done and has left you alone so that you can get some rest. He should have been there for you. You shouldn't have even gotten into such danger. Yet what were you supposed to do? You're a non-sorcerer, unable to see the creatures that threaten your life, much less defend yourself against them. That's why you need him. You need him to protect you and Gojo will ensure that after today he will keep you safe.

[phantom-thieves-official]

can I say something controversial. I think by interpreting the Maruki reality stuff w Akechi as 'Joker's greatest wish was for Akechi to live bc they're in love!' is kind of a poor read of the text. Not because I don't ship them or whatever, my shipping opinions aren't relevant to this post. But because I think it overlooks a big part of Joker's actual character. He wanted Akechi to live because he saw an innocent person taken advantage of and discarded. He saw someone who needed help. You can even go further with this and say, okay, Akechi wasn't an innocent person - he killed people and tried to kill Joker himself. And what does that mean for Joker's character? It means he saw someone who had done terrible things - some of them to Joker, personally - and he still came away from Shido's palace with the understanding that while he did bad things, Akechi was a victim of Shido's, too. Good, or bad, or in between, that he still was someone in need of help. Joker wanted to help Akechi. He wanted to give Akechi a chance to make things right, and to show him that they didn't have to enemies - that Akechi didn't have to fight the Phantom Thieves, and he didn't have to be alone; that it's never too late to change course and be a better person and that Akechi's life didn't have to be one of hatred and isolation. He could atone for his crimes, still take down shido, and have a group of people to support him. After the terrible things Akechi did as Shido's lapdog, after he sold the thieves out and plotted to murder Joker. Joker still just wanted to help him. Joker saw that while Akechi was undoubtedly a criminal he was also a victim, and there was something in there worth trying to save. But you know what? He couldn't do it. Right as he seemed to be getting through to Akechi, he was killed by Shido's cognitive version.

And so when Maruki's reality brings Akechi back, it means imo that Joker feels guilty. Out of all the people he'd been able to help, Akechi was the one person he just couldn't save. It's not because they're in love, it's because Joker regrets how things worked out. He regrets that he didn't get through to Akechi sooner. He regrets failing a vulnerable and victimized person whom he feels he could have helped. Even if that person hated Joker. Even if that person had previously tried to kill Joker with his own hands. Joker's sense of justice is imo his biggest character trait, followed closely by his massive savior complex. Of course he wanted Akechi to live. Because in Joker's eyes, despite what he'd done to hurt Joker, Akechi was still a victim. He was still someone Joker should have been able to save.

This all comes to a head when Joker chooses to deny Maruki's reality. He's choosing to live with the guilt; to accept he can't save everyone no matter how hard he tries. He's moving beyond the savior complex and recognizing that sometimes, some people are really just unreachable, or don't want to be helped. It's a moment not only of characterization, but of character growth for him.

anyway that's my hot take. by viewing the third semester through a shipping lens exclusively you lose a huge point of characterization for Joker bc you overlook the nuances of Joker's desire to help everyone all the time and the guilt he feels about failing to help Akechi. You misconstrue Joker's desire to help in the first place as coming from a place of love rather than a place of selflessness and justice; a place of 'doing what's right simply because it is the right thing to do.' You miss out on the subtle ways it shows Joker's not biased by hatred or contempt, how despite the heinous things Akechi has done, and despite the harm done to him directly at Akechi's hand, Joker is still capable of seeing that Akechi is a victim, too - which in itself shows that Joker's idea of justice isn't motivated by personal relationships, grudges, or biases.

[luvrxbunny]

flower

pairing: bf!Miguel O’Hara x f!reader

summary: You won’t let Miggy play.

warnings: 18+ MDNI, sad feelings, clothed sex, cum in pants (lmk if I forgot anything)

wc: 2.2k

a/n: Gwen is 21 just for drinking purposes— everyone say thank u to @naeverse for giving me an alternative to google translate for the spanish!! ily bby!! 🫶🏾

Miguel is like your best artwork, in your opinion. The way you took the hard seed he was and watered, loved, cared and nurtured him so he could bloom into the flower he was today is one of your greatest achievements. 

When you met him he was cold, closed off, and angry. It took months of breaking down his wall before he could even admit his feelings for you, it took even more, to get him to express his feelings for you. It was like luring a stray cat, slowly getting him closer, and more comfortable with you before pushing your physical feelings onto him. You coaxed him out of his cave of isolation, of touch deprivation, and showed him how it felt to have someone love on him. 

You were so proud when he started coming to you for simple little things, like a kiss or a hug. You’d be working and he’d stride in, tall and confident just to ask you, shyly, for a kiss. For a long time you explained to him that he didn’t always need to ask you, you were okay with him just coming in and kissing you. You also had to explain to him that he’s allowed to ask for more than a hug or kiss, he was very resistant on that matter but you managed to break him. 

One day he woke up in the middle of the night, you were asleep next to him and he needed you. He laid there for an hour, debating on whether he should wake you up or not. When he did wake you up, you couldn’t have been prouder. You made sure to let him know that as you rode him. 

At first, he wouldn’t even hold your hand or hug you in public. He got comfortable with PDA much quicker than the others, it only took him a few weeks. He plunged himself into it head first.

He went from barely touching you to being all over you. He started sitting you in his lap, resting his arms over your hips while standing behind you, or laying his head on your stomach whenever you guys were chilling in the lounge.

He even got into the habit of running his fingers over your tummy, going under your shirt or dissipating your suit just to feel you. Or he’ll just grope you through your suit, it doesn’t alway seem sexual for him… more like he enjoys the closeness, the intimacy of touching you, holding you in places no one else can. For example; your boobs, your ass, and his most recent, most consistent obsession… your pussy.. just cupping, your clothed pussy.

He says it’s calming for him, most of the time he does it absently. The goal isn't to make you cum, or prep your for his cock. He just loves touching you. It made you unbelievably happy to see him like that, your secretly sweet boy, loving all over you, not caring who’s around. It was one of the best things to ever happen to you.

Which is what makes this current conversation so awkward. 

Hobie is rambling on and on about how disgusting PDA is. Miguel isn't around, thank god. He went to get a drink and never came back. Hobie has been ranting about how inconsiderate, and inappropriate PDA is as you awkwardly sip on your drink, feeling oddly targeted. Jess and Gwen agree with him, saying that it’s not that serious but definitely annoying. You’re just wishing for them all to just stop before Miguel returns, terrified that he’ll retreat back into his shell. That you’ll loose your sweet flower.

“ ‘M jus sayin’ it’s not like they can’t wait ‘til they get ‘ome. I jus feel like… come off it, y’know? Like you’re in public, right? Jus... keep it in your pants.” You down your drink and decide to finally butt into the conversation. 

“Hobie. I love you but you’re the same guy who doesn’t believe in consistency.” You earn a little chuckle from the table. “Get in a loving, serious, consistent relationship, and tell me you’ll never want to be affectionate outside your house.” The words spit from your mouth with more venom than intended but you stand your ground. 

“Aye, I guess. But like, some people don’t know when to dial it back.” He laughs with Gwen as you get up to leave. Jess is sending you an apologetic look that you smile at briefly before turning to walk away. You’re stopped by a.. wall? 

You open your eyes to see what you ran into and see Miguel smiling down at you. “Where are you going?” You smile back at him, genuinely, and tell him a half-truth. “I was looking for you! Where have you been?”

Miguel looks a little drunk, his face flushed, and his eyes hazy. You guys have been drinking but it usually takes more. He shrugs and sits in your seat, patting his leg for you to sit in his lap.

You start toward him but then Hobie’s words play in your head and you shake your head softly at him. He looks confused but nods at you and falls into the conversation, now talking about the latest mission. 

You’re standing there considering Hobie’s words. If you imagine how you and Miguel act from an outsider's perspective… you can see why they’d find it annoying. Anxiety curls and makes a home in your chest as you flip through all your favorite memories of you and Miguel, all of them now tainted. You head over to the bar silently, needing another drink when you feel someone behind you. 

You feel pressure on the top of your head and know it's Miguel, placing a kiss on your head, another recent habit of his. You do nothing, ignore it as he wraps his arms around your waist and leans into you. “Oh, Peter B. says Hello. He was here earlier for a bit. That’s what took me so long. He made me drink with him too. Puede que haya bebido mucho.” 

(“I may have had too much to drink”)

A smile makes its way onto your face as you listen to him, his accent thicker with his intoxication. He’s leaning on you, not for support but just to feel you against him. You guys stand there in comfortable silence until you feel Miguel’s hand begin to slide from your hip to your pelvis, it slides underneath the band of your skirt and you stop him. “Not now, Miggy. Sorry.” Your drink arrives, you pay, and leave. Miguel follows behind you, slightly deflated by your rejection. Your mind is still on Hobie’s words. 

Are we “too much”? Do we take it “too far”..? Maybe we should just dial it back a little... 

You guys arrive back at the table and Miguel tries again. His hands come to your waist and quickly slide down, trying to get under your skirt. You don’t say anything, you keep talking to Gwen as you pull his hand out.

The night goes well from that point. Miguel makes more advances that are gently rejected or avoided by you. You all gradually get drunk as the night goes on, Miguel drinks a bit more than he usually would and recluses himself to a table next to where you guys are sitting. Jess leaves first, Gwen and Hobie following her not too long after.

You and Miguel decide to leave and Uber home in silence. He usually talks more after hanging out in a group, saying everything he thought but couldn't say, giving his rating on the interaction, and more. This time, however, he’s silent, looking out his window with furrowed brows the whole ride. The silence only breaks once you both are in the apartment and you speak up. 

“Why are you so quiet tonight?” You’re staring at his back as he stands in the living room. He doesn’t answer you at first, he just stands there before sighing and turning around. 

“Why won’t you let me play with you?” His voice is weaker than you’ve ever heard it, his eyes look sad and desperate and his hands are wringing each other. You’ve never seen him like this, nervous and unsure. It breaks your heart. 

You rush over to him and wrap him in a hug. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you wanted to that bad, baby.” You let him go and kiss his cheek. “I—“ You sigh defeatedly. “Hobie got in my head about PDA. I don’t know why I listen to him.” Miguel lets out a sigh of relief at your words, some of the tension leaving his body. 

“That idiot? Yeah, no. Don’t listen to him, amor.” You smile at him and he kisses you softly. When you pull away he still has that nervous look in his eyes. “Do you wanna play with me now?” you ask gently. He nods so timidly that you regret ever rejecting him. You kiss him with a smile as he walks you backward, only stopping once your back hits the wall.

His breath is already speeding up, his chest heaving as his hand slowly slides up your skirt. The moment his fingers come in contact with your clothed pussy he groans out, louder than you. You’re shocked by his reaction as he keeps rubbing your clit, gasping, and moaning with you as if he was touching himself. 

His mouth is open as moans tumble through his lips. He’s not looking at you, just watching his fingers move on your pussy. His eyebrows draw more inward the faster he moves his fingers, his moans turning into whines the faster he goes. 

At some point, his fingers roll over your clit more perfectly than you can handle and your hips buck into his hands. His knees almost buckle at the sight as he lets out a deep, rumbling groan. 

“Santa mierda.” His eyes roll back as he feels your wetness soak through your panties and dampen his fingers. He’s desperately hard in his pants and his hips are thrusting up into the air in time with his movements over your pussy. “Echaba mucho de menos esto, cariño”

(“Holy shit.”)

( “I missed this so much honey”)

You giggle at his apology. He tends to do this a lot when you have him extra worked up. He always feels bad because he knows you can't understand him but the truth is that when he gets you like this… Whining, moaning, and pressing into him.

He cannot function.

He can’t think about anything but breeding you, getting his fat cock into your soft pussy, and painting your cervix. He’s not worried about what language it happens in. His brain can’t focus on things like that, he’s tried.

Your hips thrust up into his hand as you grip his biceps, your nails digging in painfully, making him moan even louder. His fingers move against you perfectly, the Spanish falling from his lips pulls you closer and closer to your orgasm. Your legs start to twitch and tense, your knees weakening as the burning in your stomach grows. Your hands come up around Miguel’s neck to pull him closer to you. 

“You’re making me feel so good, Miggy. Fuck- I love you so much, baby.” He lifts you off your feet, pressing you up against the wall and lifting your legs over his waist. He takes a step forward and buries himself in your neck, his hips come forward, pressing his bulge against your mound with a groan. “Yeah, good. Good, Miggy- shi-it.” You feel his fangs slide out of his mouth and press into your skin as he whimpers. “Holy- Miguel, I- fuck, like that baby please.” 

His whines turn to groans as he thrusts against you like he was actually fucking you. His hips swivel into yours, stuttering as he listens to your moans. “N-nena, estoy tan cerca. Maldita sea, te sientes tan jodidamente bien, mi amor. Siento que no puedo respirar. Mierda, te sientes increíble.” 

(“B-baby, I'm so close. Damn, you feel so fucking good, my love. I feel like I can't breathe. Shit, you feel amazing.”)

You moan louder at his words, the way they roll off of his tongue. You can’t even describe how you feel when he speaks, especially in Spanish. It feels like his words vibrate through your ears, to your stomach, and settle in your core, winding you up as tightly as you can go. “Yeah? Oh, I’m gonna c-cum. Fuck- talk to me, Miggy. T-tell me how it feels, honey.”

Miguel can feel his eyes roll back into his head at your words. You know he can’t speak English right now, and he knows you love it anyway, the thought has him hurtling toward his orgasm. “Te sientes tan perfecta, nena. Voy a correrme tan fuerte por ti. ¿Lo quieres? ¿Quieres que te dé mi leche, miel? Te lo daré, todo por ti, nena. Mierda.” 

(“You feel so perfect, baby. I'm gonna cum so hard for you. Do you want it? Do you want me to give you my milk honey? I'll give it to you, all for you, baby. Shit.")

Your legs crush his waist as you cum, trembling in his arms as his hips keep fucking against you, his moans growing in volume. You bring your hands up to dive into his hair, pulling at it, gripping it as he growls into your neck. He’s trying to hold off until you’re done, he wants to keep going, he wants to make you cum for so long that you can’t breathe but the way you’re grasping his brown locks makes it impossible. His muscles tense, his hands squeezing you into a bruising hold as his groans devolve back into whines, his body shaking as his cock explodes. 

He cums so hard he thinks he blacks out for a moment. His cock pumps out rope after rope of his cum into his pants, he wishes it was inside you for a moment and he’s cumming harder at the thought. His hips continue to buck into you desperately as he moans out your name. You feel one of his hands leave your waist and rest on your cheek shakily, pushing your head in his direction and placing a kiss on your cheek. He grunts as he bucks against you one more time before putting you down. 

You knees give out the moment you touch the ground and Miguel holds you up with a chuckle. “¿Qué? ¿No puedes soportarlo, cariño? ¿Tus piernas ya no funcionan?” He teases you as he carries you to the bedroom, your head rests on his chest, feeling the vibrations as he speaks. 

(“What? You can't stand, honey? Your legs don't work anymore?”)

“You better hush up before I fuck you.” You spit back at him jokingly but you feel his pace falter at the threat. 

“Uh, Qué... ¿Cuál es el dicho? Don’t threaten me with a good time?” He says in a teasing tone but his eyes are already clouding over again, desperate. 

(“what... what's the saying?”)

thank you so much for reading!! please please please give any feedback you may have! I want it all! also if you liked it please take a look at my masterlist!

[golden-primrose]

You Know, I Think I Can Understand Why Michi Didn't Care About Mai

P.S: This post is meant to explain bad parenting, not excuse it. And this analysis will be focused on the show, not the comics.

Inspired by @zuko-always-lies and a Twitter thread I made earlier in the month(https://tinyurl.com/5epfmkvp)

The relationship between Mai, Michi(her mother), and Ukano(Mai's father) is not one that is given vast amounts of exploration. In fact, it's only explored in two episodes. But it still provides fascinating insight into the FN upperclass, and how imperialism can warp human relationships, even for the victors.

This is the first piece of dialogue we get when we first meet Mai and Michi:

It may not seem like much, but there's a lot to unpack here:

The conversation starts with Mai voicing her intense displeasure with the move to Omashu. Michi responds by bringing up Ukano's new appointment and their families' rise in status, and she states that Mai should be happy and enjoy the perks of their new position. Mai then responds by saying she has nothing to do and nothing ever happens, which Michi responds to by scowling.

Now, Mai isn't someone who's shy about expressing discontent (we see that throughout the show). But Michi's response (or lack thereof) to her discontent is very telling about their relationship. Firstly, Mai felt comfortable enough with her mother to openly express her dislike of their current situation, which indicates that Michi is probably the more active and approachable parent (Mai was angry about the way Ukano handled the pentapox situation, but all she did was offer him fireflakes).

Secondly, she didn't expect anything more than for her complaints to be dismissed and ignored. When she voices how bleak Omashu is, she doesn't expect a response, nor does she react to Michi's disdainful frown.

On Michi's end, while she's definitely not passionate about her daughters' continued misery, and would like to see her happy, she also doesn't really care. She never once asks about possible solutions to her daughter's boredom or isolation, nor does she ask Mai about what exactly is missing from her current life in Omashu that's causing her misery. She has no response to Mai's second comment, and is content to just side-eye her and move on.

I think we can all agree that this isn't stellar parenting, but if we go back and look at things from Michi's perspective, it makes sense:

I think there's enough in the text to conclude that Michi had fertility issues (Having 2 children 13 years apart doesn't seem like something someone in Michi's position would have done by choice. )

(Plus, if you believe Mai is Izumi's mother, this may be why Izumi is an only child).

So imagine this: you've spent a significant amount of time trying unsuccessfully to produce a male heir because men are the only ones that get high-ranking positions in your nation(remember guys, Azula was the only female in the war meeting and she was the Crown Princess who was specifically invited by the Firelord). While you're going through that, you and your husband have been working to advance his political career in order to protect and elevate your family. Then, finally, after 13 long years, you have a son, and soon after that, your husband is elevated to the position of governor of an entire colony. You've hit the jackpot, and all your efforts and ambitions have finally paid off. Under those circumstances, how perceptive would you be to the needs of the least necessary member of your family?

That scowl is foul, but I understand

In an imperial system, someone's intrinsic value is based on how much of an asset they are to the system. Mai is neither her family's future nor is she it's present. Her greatest task is to marry well, and her biggest prospect was burned and sent on an impossible scavenger hunt. Every time we see Michi care deeply for something, there's a logical reason(she cares about the fate of the city because her husband could potentially lose his governorship if it's mishandled; she cares about her son because he's the future of the family), but Michi doesn't have a logical reason to care about Mai, so she doesn't. And that makes Mai feel like her feelings don't matter, which causes her to repress herself.

Azula, the world's least qualified psychotherapist

I do think Mai cares about her family, and she wants their approval. But she much prefers that the company of the Fire Siblings and Ty Lee to theirs. That's why she was ready to go the moment she had the first opportunity. I'm not a big fan of the way the comics reset the familial relationships, because it didn't feel earned, and it felt like Yang missed the point of the original dynamic.

PS: I don't know why so many Zutara shippers insist on denying Mai's trauma. It doesn't actually make sense from a shipping standpoint because Mai's trauma doesn't somehow make her more suitable for Zuko (you could even argue that it makes her less suitable if you want to take it that far). Honestly, sometimes it feels like character spite drives certain segments of this fandom more than anything else.

[anistarrose]

Really Small Problems starts with King's bread puns, so obviously, it's already crucial to the emotional arc of the finale. But knowing that the Titan was watching that day, do you know what else the Titan must have noticed, and how that makes the finale so much more impactful?

[ID from alt: King talking to a disguised Tibbles, then Luz kissing King on the forehead after they reconcile. End ID.]

In the episode, King gets used as a pawn by Tibbles — who preys off of King's desire to spend time playing with Luz — and as a result, King puts Luz and her friends in a lot of danger. But Luz, while initially angry, realizes that King was being manipulated, not malicious — and at his absolute worst, just an irresponsible kid who really wanted to spend time with his friend — and she reconciles with him, leading to their bond becoming stronger than ever before.

But hey, for no particular reason, remember what the Titan's greatest regret was, again?

[ID from alt: a projection by the Collector, of the Archivists reaching out to the Collector, then a projection of the Titan glaring menacingly. End ID.]

When the Collector was being used as a pawn by the Archivists, who were the ones who really killed all the Titans, King's dad didn't realize the truth until far too late. Rather than talk to the Collector and try to understand, let alone reconcile, Papa Titan lashed out at the Collector for their perceived betrayal — imprisoning the Collector, thereby plunging him into traumatizing isolation, for millions and millions of years. It's the Titan's worst mistake. The Collector didn't deserve anything like that — the Collector was just a misguided little kid. But the Titan had let his rage consume him. And now, slain by the Archivists, the Titan can no longer undo her mistake.

So... fast forward to when the Titan's own kid has finally hatched, and started to grow up. The Titan sees his kid make a friend in Luz, whom the Titan already likes, because she was kind to King and respectful to the Isles. But then — the Titan sees her own kid do something misguided. The Titan sees his own kid put his friends in danger. Only... instead of fallout from Luz's feelings of betrayal, the Titan sees Luz actually reconcile with King. The Titan sees Luz recognize that King didn't want to hurt anyone. In other words, the Titan sees Luz avoid repeating the Titan's mistake.

Of course, dealing with Tibbles is far, far lower-stakes than dealing with genocidal Archivists. But what the Titan sees is Luz proving that she can be levelheaded, and forgiving, and most of all, trustworthy with the challenging decisions that the Titan himself has messed up before. Luz finds her last two glyphs rapid-fire after this episode, after the first two were comparatively slow-going. She still has to work for them, by being attentive to nature and to magic, but that change in pacing isn't a coincidence. The Titan is selective about who can be trusted with glyphs — but Luz earns that trust. By being kind to King, first and foremost — but even more specifically, by extending understanding and forgiveness, instead of blame, to a child who had just wanted to play.

And that all culminates in why the Titan trusts Luz to wield the full power of the Boiling Isles in the finale. It's why the Titan believes Luz is a genuine and kind person, who can defeat Belos by force without ever being or becoming as bad as he is — because Luz does give people second chances, and resolve things non-violently, when people aren't as malicious or set in their ways as Belos is. Because Luz gave a second chance to King, and even gave a second chance to the Collector — thus, doing what the Titan couldn't. The Titan trusts Luz not to give into destructive, punitive options — neither killing, nor imprisonment — unless there is truly no other option, in which case killing Belos isn't punitive or retributive in ideology; it's just self-defense.

So, when the Titan makes some of her final words a bread pun, it tells King and Luz and the viewer so much. That the Titan was watching the whole time — but that the Titan was watching Really Small Problems, specifically. That the Titan watched King mature, and the Titan watched Luz forgive him. The Titan watched and made reference to a story about second chances and reconciliation working — because they do work, most of the time, and the fact that Belos is the rare exception is crucial to the message of the finale.

And in a more meta, ironic way — yet one that I'm sure the writers were aware of — the Titan was even watching what some fans called a "filler" episode. But Titan cared so much about Luz and King's development within. And what a brilliant way to tie the whole show together! What a good tribute to the value of gradual character development! And to rewatching a show with fresh eyes, now metaphorically from the Titan's perspective!

It changes everything. It makes you appreciate Luz and King so, so much. It's such a subtle, beautiful writing choice. And the Titan is such a beautiful character. Really Small Problems is not a skippable episode. It always had good character development, but the way it's utilized and recontextualized by the rest of the narrative is nothing short of brilliant.

[sidsinning]

To expand on Lucifer's neglect more

Yes he loves Charlie dearly, yes he showers her with his love and affection and semi-approval ("it's uh...got a lot of character!") when he sees her after all these years for the first time, yes he is desperately trying to switch back her reliance on Alastor to reliance on him- all these feelings are real and strong when she's right in front of him

-but when she isn't he is back in his own little world and rubber ducks. When he doesn't see Charlie in person she becomes white noise to him besides fleeting moments of courage and pining he gets to try and connect with her again. These are the moments where he regains a bit of clarity on just how fucked his family situation is.

He knows he has to maintain his connection with her somehow while also battling his own depression and urge to isolate and block off the rest of the world. They're in limbo of whether or not their relationship will finally be unrepairable, also expressed in how him and Lilith are not fully divorced, but still separated, with him still clearly loving her bc he still wears his wedding ring.

I love him, I think his love for Charlie is stronger than anything in his life, and I know he'd do anything he could for her (besides the one thing she asked which is very unluckily directly connected to his trauma)

But it's true that he doesn't listen to her, doesn't keep up with how her life is going, and has remained estranged from her as a child through her adult life for years for whatever reason (smtg implied through this flashback we don't understand yet, and/or his mental health issues)

For Charlie at this point, she's not a kid anymore, so just getting a call from him once in awhile is not enough if he still isn't addressing any of the issues that have built up between them, which has made her susceptible to being tricked by Alastor's empty words of praise and bonding

During Hell's Greatest Dad he isn't trying to address anything she's told him to, just trying to fix the surface level physical issues with the hotel to satisfy her- she looks uncomfortable the whole time he's trying to give her a sales pitch while smiling at everything Alastor says bc he is getting to her emotional needs, bc the bastard sees right through the father-daughter pair's issues

"I have angel powers! I can give you mountains of expensive things!"

"I'm always here for you! I'm so proud of you and all you've accomplished! We've grown so close bc I've always been by your side (unlike a certain someone 😇🐍🍎)"

He's excited when she asks him to come over, and we're excited for him to finally see his daughter he seems to love so much who doesn't talk to him, but from their conversation it is very much shown that Charlie is the one who has been more desperate to remain connected to him. She always updates him on her life when she can and asks him if he's paying attention to her- which he doesn't. Leading to her disappointment and/or annoyance with only jobs for her or random calls where he talks about smtg irrelevant.

I am a Lucifer stan through and through, but it is undeniable that he has not been a good dad despite being a good person. Now he's stepping up and reconnecting to Charlie again as she's fully accepting of him which is sweet.

It's also nice to see that helping Charlie and reconnecting with her is what brings him true happiness in life- bc of his anxiety and trauma he avoids the thing he knows deep down is the underlying cause of his unhappiness- his distant family and confronting their fractured relationship

So now that he's addressed a major part of the root of his depression, he stopped isolating himself, is being active, and given himself smtg productive to do, so his anxiety is down :)

Helping Charlie addressed how broken hearted he was over his family splitting, and restored the faith in humanity and good he lost after he was banished from Heaven and failed to redeem sinners when he tried

Shshsjdjdkfk I just love the characterization we get in just 2 23 minute episodes, even though the pacing is undeniably insanely fast and I would have preferred more time to marinate in it- but what can you do about capitalism vs. artistic freedom

[babiestbubbles]

I saw that requests were open sooo~

Tim's nervous (Read: really scared) around Jason. Jason does not like this and wants to fix it. Tim's prone to panic attacks. Tim hides in the vents. Somehow Jason finds out.

The first days of Tim's being Robin. Bruce and Dick are concerned, while, oblivious, Tim is doing things that only neglected kids do. He is surprised others care. Dick sets out to change this.

AU where Jack ends up being a crap dad. Bruce has had enough and steals legal custody. - Bruce: Well you had one chance at being a dad and you blew it. - Bruce: Tim's my kid now. - Jack can't do anything about this. To Tim, Jack is 'Father'. Bruce is 'Dad'. I have mor ideas on my blog @dc-gotham-instincts-wild.

Answering the one that caught my eye "The first days of Tim's being Robin. Bruce and Dick are concerned, while, oblivious, Tim is doing things that only neglected kids do. He is surprised others care. Dick sets out to change this.", here's a quick drabble for you! It's not that they were looking for signs of abuse, begging for a reason to adopt Tim. Hell, Bruce had more than his hands full with Dick and- …with Dick. It's just that, well, Tim is… strange. Now, Bruce is no stranger to weird kids, and Dick is in no place to judge, but this kid gives strange a whole new meaning.

He's driven to almost a concerning degree, it's like his entire life is his work. He never complains about the weird hours or grueling amount of work that comes with cases. He's never busy when they call him or has to run away from work because his parents need him. In fact, they hardly hear about his parents at all. Which, is fine, could be totally normal. The Drakes have always been a rather private family, but there's something more to it than that. Tim… Tim doesn't talk about his parents the way a kid should. Dick can't say he's all that much of an expert on parents himself, but even from his hazy memories, and his complicated relationship with Bruce, he's certain he can recognize that classic sparkle in a kid's eyes when they talk about their parents. The fondness in their smile, the warmth in their voice. There's depth and inflection and Love sewn into the words. That's what a kid should sound like when talking about their parents, not an empty hallow recount of events, no different from a case report.

Dick's pretty sure he's heard more emotion in Tim's voice during injury reports than he ever has when Tim talks about his parents.

But, that's circumstantial evidence at best. A hunch. Far from enough evidence for even the world's greatest detectives to draw a conclusion from.

Except, that the further they look into it, the more they truly pay attention, the worse it seems to look. Suddenly Tim's wiry frame isn't just the lanky side effect of a teenage boy's metabolism, it's the silhouette of a malnourished child. Suddenly Tim's awkward cadence in speech and inability to pick up on tone isn't a personality quirk, it's a sign of undersocialization. Tim's discomfort with crowds? A side effect of isolation. His reluctance towards hugs? A reflection of his lack of consistent physical contact. The way he cringes at praise? A painful marker of just how little positive attention he's gotten.

[luna-azzurra]

Hello there! Your posts on writing tips have been invaluable to me for a while. You're wonderfully insightful and say things that make me think about my work a little differently, which has been very helpful. I was wondering if you have advice on something specific I've been struggling with?

Do you have anything to say about characters that are self-inserts?

I've come to realize the main character in my book sounds like a light self-insert the more I write, particularly in his fears, motivations, and a few personal quirks. This was never my intention. I feel I have been drawing logical trains of thought based on his experiences (which are nothing I have personally experienced), but it has caused me to self-analyze and caused significant writer's block.

It feels so uncreative to find the character is "just me" in several ways, even if accidental. Also very exposing, when I think about friends and family who may one day read this and notice immediately. Truthfully, it makes me think I should just start over from scratch but that also sounds extreme.

Hi there, first of all, thank you so much for your kind words. It truly means a lot to hear that the posts have helped you see your work in new ways, that's honestly one of the best things anyone could say. Writing can be so isolating sometimes, and hearing that kind of connection reminds me why sharing ideas matters.

About your question — honestly, what you're experiencing is extremely common, and it’s not a bad thing. It’s actually a sign of depth and honesty in your writing, even if it feels uncomfortable right now. A lot of writers, without meaning to, leave fingerprints of themselves on their characters, especially on protagonists. It's almost unavoidable, because we naturally pull from the well we know best: our own emotional truths.

The fact that your character shares your fears, motivations, or quirks doesn't mean you’ve failed or been lazy. It doesn’t even mean you lack creativity. In fact, it shows your writing from an authentic place. Emotions like fear, hope, ambition, shame... those are universal currents, and drawing from your own makes your character feel real to others. Readers don’t connect to characters because they’re purely made-up. They connect because they recognize something real inside them.

Self-insert isn't automatically a dirty word either. Some of the greatest characters in literature have been, in part, reflections of their authors. Mary Shelley poured her grief and fears into Frankenstein. Sylvia Plath practically split herself open in The Bell Jar. Even more fantastical worlds (think Tolkien) carry pieces of their creators’ values, loves, fears. The key is not whether your character resembles you, but whether they are allowed to be themselves within the story.

Now about that exposed feeling — I get it. It's terrifying to imagine someone reading your work and seeing you peeking out from behind the words. It can make you feel raw, almost naked. But most readers, even friends and family, don’t see it as clearly as you do. They don’t have your internal map. To them, your character will just seem vivid, human, real. Not a "copy" of you, but a person they can believe in.

As for the thought of starting over — I would really, really encourage you to pause before doing anything drastic. Instead of scrapping everything, you might just refine your character a little if it still bothers you. Give him fears you don't share. Let him make choices you would never make. Let him fail where you would succeed, or succeed where you might falter. Push him to places you wouldn't dare to go. In doing that, he will naturally step away from being a mirror and start becoming something new, something richer and more complex.

But even if some of you stays in him... that's not a weakness. That's the place where real writing often comes alive.

You don’t have to be invisible inside your work to be a good writer. Sometimes the most powerful stories are the ones where we, without meaning to, leave a little bit of ourselves behind.

You’re doing brave, thoughtful work. Don't punish yourself for it.

If you want, I can also suggest some exercises to help you loosen that feeling of “this is too much like me” without losing all the beautiful emotional threads you’ve already woven into your character. Just let me know, send me a DM!

You're doing better than you think. Truly.

[katharsisboy101]

Moon Phos' hyperrationality and self-sabotage, and why it's a paradoxical step into happiness.

Or, basically, a Moon Phos analysis.

I think this part of the manga is genius, both thematically and for Phos' original character, because it goes against everything she used to represent, and it showcases both the dangers and strengths of reason, and how isolating it can be.

OG Phos vs Moon Phos

While OG Phos used to be a lot more present-focused and someone who took things at face value, that also made her capable of reaching out in a very honest and genuine way to people like Cinnabar, who was too caught up in her mind and insecurities to see an escape for her situation. Phos used to be someone who was able to enjoy the moment, and the simple things that come with it, whether it was the butterflies, the amazing views, or her own cute mint-colored hair.

I'd argue this way of experimenting life is what HnK argues to be the key to happiness: that existence is what you make of it, and Phos was content as she was, but everyone around her pushed her to become something else, to the point that she absorbed those frustrations and lost sight of her way of living.

What corrupts Phos isn't that she acquires new body parts; that's just an extreme metaphor for what changing would look like if our soul also experimented physical change—it's all about how she loses sight of the simple happiness she could have experimented on her own (and along with Cinnabar, if she reached out to her), in favor of increasingly more complicated goals. (Moon Phos is the extreme version of this.)

Phos' corruption into overthinking doesn't come out of nowhere, though and it starts to manifest strongly the moment she loses herself in the stress and burden of losing Antarc in Winter. Phos does retain some of her groundedness as post-Winter Phos, but she also starts to think more, to question more things and to brute-force her way into change, with disasterous results.

When she realizes this, she makes the right call by trying to stop, but it's too late by then—she had already stared at the abyss, and the world wouldn't let her forget all that she had learnt.

When Phos loses her head, now she has all the tools she needed to generate change and innovation—to look at the big picture and avoid getting caught up on the little things... and that's her demise.

Because in comparison with OG Phos, who looks at the present, Moon Phos is someone who always looks forward. Someone who always uses reason as her greatest weapon, in order to manipulate others while losing sight of many important details (some related to her own well-being and that of others) in favor of big, complicated plans in which everyone's feelings, even her own, are just pawns in her game.

Cairngorm explicitly warns her about this, saying that she hasn't valued those at her side (Cairngorm herself, or Cinnabar) as much as she should, and that's why she's become such a lonely individual.

Moon Phos is someone who lives in her head, in the world of ideas and the abstract, while OG Phos was the complete opposite, and the change in approach has a direct impact on her happiness, as she loses sight of the simple things in favor of objectives that just don't translate into happiness as well as she thinks she does. Moon Phos optimizes, but loses the essence of happiness that she could have achieved in a simple manner by focusing too much on "what should be" rather than "what it is".

To put it succintly, Moon Phos is brute-forcing her way into being accepted, into bringing change for her people, losing all the tact that was needed for a moment as life-changing as a pact with the lunarians could be for the gems. And if OG Phos had something that Moon Phos didn't, was that ability to look at things in a simple way that would have avoided such a mess in the first place.

By talking about both of them, I think it's clear that each have their strength and weaknesses, and that's why talking about Phos is so difficult. Because even if she lost many of the good things that made her who she was, she also gained many others that brought "prosperity" for the gems. Prosperity in quotations because later, we'll see that the optimization didn't really bring many benefits.

Whatever the case, in order to truly understand the strengths and weaknesses of Moon Phos, we need to analyze her sacrificial role in the story according to the themes of buddhism in it.

The Bodhisattva

A sacrificial figure in Buddhism, and that Phos, especially Moon Phos, represents to a T.

But why? Well, one of the fundamental characteristics that the Bodhisattva represents is that they work towards enlightenment in order to save others, being a kind of Buddha in training. The problem here is that sometimes, saving others requires for the Bodhisattva to sacrifice their own happiness and enlightenment.

Phos becomes the opposite of the teachings of buddhism. Hyperrational, manipulative, working towards her own desires and masking them as altruism. (because we all know Phos didn't do everything she did for the gems, she did it for their validation and to be acknoledged by them). And yet, the contradictory part of it is that it was necessary for everyone's enlightenment, but most important of all, for Phos to be given the chance to be happy, away from a world that pushed her to be rational.

Buddhism has this constant theme of paradox in it. The paradox that in order to reach happiness, you must let go of happiness. The paradox that in order to realize that you must focus on the present and stop thinking, Buddha had to spend years thinking about it. And Phos is a living paradox, in the sense that her hyperrationality and look into the future and big picture was needed for everyone to reach happiness, at her own expense. She was played a fool by everyone, and it's even implied that Kongo was on it, all because she was the one most attached to her earthly desires of them all, to the point of changing every part of herself in order to accomodate to what she thought others wanted her to be.

In a way, Moon Phos (and the lunarians, because it's no coincidence that the "lunarian" Phos is the one that represents these themes) doubles as a criticism of our present capitalist society as a whole, with all its hyperrationality and big-picture focus that allowed for progress and suffering alike, always at the expense of oneself. Because we're our own slaves, and we work ourselves to death to reach a happiness that is further and further away from us due to those same efforts (paradoxically). All Phos wanted at first was to be loved by those around her, but she chased that dream with such relentlessness that she ended up casting away the parts of her that made her loveable and losing the people that would have been able to connect with her. And yet at the same time, Moon Phos (and the lunarians, the rationality, Ayumu herself) paved the way for God Phos' chance at happiness at the end of the story.

A Paradox

Thus, to the question of how to live in society and be happy, Houseki no Kuni poses that the answer is balance, or perhaps, a paradox. It showcases the ugly but necessary aspects of humanity, and the reality that every time you gain something, you lose something else, through Phos and her loss of body parts that benefitted society at her expense. Thus, there is no right extreme, and no goal that can be achieved by just rigidly doing the same thing.

Whether you look at the enlightenment buddhism promises you (as showcased by the way of living of the gems, simple but without meaning and creating resentment between everyone, with a literal buddhist monk as its leader), or the prosperity that civilization achieves (as showcased by the lunarians, who corrupt and surround themselves with earthly pleasures to distract themselves from their problems), both have their strong points and weaknesses and seem paradoxically necessary to reach one another, to ultimately work towards the goal of enjoying existence, as it is, unabashedly.

The gems truly found happiness on the moon due to finally allowing them to be themselves, and eventually, all the lunarians (including the gems, who turned into ones by virtue of corrupting themselves with the eartly pleasures), reached enlightenment by letting go of those desires. Of course, if you analyze it more, it was a "fake" kind of salvation, and only Phos reached true happiness in her God form (expanding more on it on another post), but at least they got to enjoy more of their life than they would have if they had continued in the endless cycle they were put in (or the "samsara").

In the end, Phos had to gain the rationality that characterizes present-day humanity in order to save everyone, while at the same time, condemning herself. Because for all their short-sightedness, destruction and cruelty, humans are also kind and wise, and they allowed the rocks to live just that little bit more by escaping the sun in chapter 106. Both the optimization and the relaxation and appreciation of little things are necessary in order to become happy, and we need to find the balance in the different aspects of ourselves in order to do so.

As Phos herself says at the end of the manga, despite it all, she is grateful. Because no matter how she got there, every step of her journey was necessary to make her who she is—and that's how it is for everyone. Experiences mold us, they change us, we can't force change and we certainly can't predict where it'll take us... and that's the paradox. Because sometimes, working towards the result we desire leads us astray from it, and viceversa. Phos was someone who had her eyes set on a goal, one that she didn't want to admit: the goal to be admired and loved by everyone.

And in the end, she had no one.

Moon Phos was necessary, but she took it to an extreme and burnt herself up along the way. Thankfully, she was granted a second chance by the very same flawed people (Kongo, Aechmea, Ayumu) that made her into a sacrificial lamb for their own selfishness.

A chance she took to finally accept that no matter what she did, there was no predicting life or changing yourself to an "optimal" version of yourself, so she might as well enjoy the ride.

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Why is it always Hellva Boss earworms that make me come up with ideas?

So, during the whole Freakshow thing, it wasn't true mind control. Danny was definitely affected, but it messed with his self esteem and emotions to the point where he damaged all of his relationships and is considering running away. Freakshow, who was a little bit smarter in this, then reveals that he knows Danny's a halfa and hey, why don't you join my ghost circus while you figure some things out.

So Danny becomes a clown because he's always liked clowns, and if you've seen the new episode, you know what happens next

and over the course of a few years, Freakshow isolates Danny from his family and friends, indoctrinates him into the crime side of business, and gaslights Danny into thinking he's nothing without him. Danny loves performing, but is so beaten down that he thinks he can't leave even if that's what he wants. Danny's a famous performer at this point, even if no one knows his real identity. The other ghosts aren't really a comfort since they're mind controlled.

The Justice League, specifically Young Justice, already know that Circus Gothica is a crime ring, but have no evidence to get them arrested bc the ghosts (who they think are just metas) are too good. The leader during the thefts (Danny) is the only one they've ever been able to get close to. Maybe at some point, Tim!Robin and Danny get trapped and Danny has a panic attack for failing Freakshow? Something happens that makes Tim convinced Danny isn't a criminal willingly, but he can't convince the others.

Danny and Klarion somehow end up dating. Freakshow joins the light, probably, and the two work really well together. Klarion asks Danny out, and Danny was really reluctant since he hasn't had... anyone, in years, but they date and it's just another thing for Freakshow to hold over his head.

Eventually, Freakshow gets the inkling that Danny isn't working as hard as he should be so he puts "Greatest Clown in the World" contest, and tells Danny that all the clowns who don't win will be immediately killed.

Danny is horrified, but he can only care about himself right now, so he's working his ass off.

(Meanwhile, in Gotham, the Joker tried to join, but the Batman broke in, stole all his bones, and left him in the hospital for a few months)

So Danny's putting his all into this performance, but Young Justice finds out about the murder bit and infiltrates with, IDK, disguised Nightwing? Klarion is also there to support his man.

Danny ends up tying with Nightwing, and the tie-breaker is a three minute performance and whoever's more entertaining wins. Danny has a panic attack during Nightwing's performance and Tim and Klarion team up to talk to Danny.

Danny's convinced he will be nothing without Freakshow (literally, he might fully die), so while Klarion helps him feel better about his skills, Tim finally gets the deets about Danny's whole situation. Tim logics that Freakshow mindcontrolling this other dimensional species + Danny is half this species = Danny is being mind controlled, pissing off Klarion while Danny thinks back to what happened when Circus Gothica first came to town.

His irrational anger at family and friends, his desperate need for approval from Freakshow, how he never even considered going independent, how he thought he was immune to the mind control staff despite being half ghost.... He's pissed. He wants to quit.

So he tells Tim that YJ needs to get the staff during his performance; without it, Freakshow wouldn't be able to mind control anyone. And he goes on to give his performance.

As for that... look, 2 Minute Notice is an amazing song with amazing choreography. the only thing i would add would be a quad somersault during the trapzee part.

Danny proves himself as an amazing clown, Freakshow gets arrested since Danny is willing to testify against him, the ghosts are free, and Klarion later murders Freakshow in a cell because that's his boyfriend, you pathetic excuse of a warlock.

"Freakshow, you sad sack of shit! Fuck you!"

[pretentiousprecious]

𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲, 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥

Pairing: James Potter x Reader

Summary: Who would you kiss, marry or kill?

Word Count: 0.8k words

It must be the alcohol in your system that made you braver than usual. It could be because you felt light-headed which lead you to think that he's flirting with you.

James Fleamont Potter, the Gryffindor chaser and head boy, sat in front of you. He's too loud and proud for you to handle. He's too arrogant and boastful for your liking.

You despise that he's too confident. You envy the way he gets high grades without giving too much effort. You dislike that he's always full of happiness. You hate that you love him, unexpectedly.

He's a walking catastrophe but a living blessing. You notice that he always protects the younger Gryffindors from the bullying of Slytherins. You cannot ignore how big his heart is— to give his friend, Sirius, a family in his home.

James and you are the exact opposite of each other. Your personalities clash that you can only count with your fingers the times when you both agreed with the same thing. You argue with the smallest things and fight with the bigger matters.

He loves to tease you because your patience is always thin around him. He does this to arouse a reaction from you. You rarely show emotions around your friends as you tend to isolate and keep to yourself.

You don't love him, right? He's still the same boy you saw as annoying and infantile.

But, you agree to disagree.

As time passes by, you both grow mature. James somehow turned into a fine, young man. There were times when he was still a little bit naughty, but most of the time, he acted prim and proper like a lady.

The professors were shocked with this big change and it led to granting James the head boy title.

Pretty shocking, isn't it?

Still, he deserves it. He doesn't even plan pranks anymore but he makes sure to deduct points on the house of the bullies, without exception.

Strangely, he is now always calm around you. You both don't fight like cats and dogs anymore. You no longer clash with him. There's peace and equilibrium in both of you.

You can't help but notice how smart he truly is. How gifted he was with his talent for quidditch. How hardworking he is both in academics, and sports. How much he sacrificed in order to achieve his dreams, and goals.

You grow closer to each other as you learn more about him, and it frightens you. You're scared that your feelings for him will swell deeper.

You can't help but notice how attractive he was. How ethereal his features are. Like he's an artwork carved by the world's greatest sculptor with great passion.

You feel like you're deep into the ocean as you look into his eyes, drowning you with his stares as he makes eye contact with you in every conversation.

His eyes are full of life and emotion. He looks at you as if you're the only one he can see while you both sit and drink some tea.

His curly and unruly hair, which is soft to touch for he lets you brush and untangle it while you both read in the common room. He will wrap his strong arms around you, tightly, as you're both relaxing through this night activity.

Tonight is different from the usual. There's a party held at the Gryffindor’s common room as the quidditch team won the championship game against the Slytherins. It's a tough and rough game but they managed to win, fair and square.

You're not sitting closely with James on the sofa as you and your friends are sitting on the floor. You all form a circle as you play “truth or dare”.

You've been playing for half an hour and not even once you've been chosen by the bottle. You are growing more tired and uneasy as you patiently wait for this game to finish, yet there's no sign of its end as your friends are still sober.

You hold your breath as the bottleneck points at you. You felt dread as you looked at the person sitting across you.

James wears a sly smirk as he winked at you. You raised a brow on him as a response to his sudden giddiness.

“Truth or dare?” He asked you excitedly.

“Truth,” you answered unsurely.

“Who would you kiss, marry or kill among everyone in this circle?” You badly want to wipe off his stupid grin on his face.

“For a kiss… I would kiss Sirius because half of the Hogwarts' population vouch that he's good at it.” You saw his grin falter as Sirius winked at you from the other side of the circle.

“Okay… how about marry?” He asked as if he was expecting yet you noticed that there's a hint of nervousness in his smile.

“Hmm… I would marry Remus because he's such a husband material.” The other players all nod in agreement while James scoffed at your answer.

“And who would you kill, then?” He grumbles as he's the only male participant left in the circle.

"For kill…” You hesitate to answer.

"I would like to kill myself for lying instead of admitting that you're the only one I want to kiss and marry, Potter.”

© pretentiousprecious

[ilikekidsshows]

whenevee I said that I'm sick of miraculous because it going down so bad there's always people who told me to be patient, it will get better and my only question is "WHEN??"

No seriously I was told the same thing when s3 end, that Marinette will share the guardian secret to cat noir now that she's a guardian (because in s2 she told cat that it's not her secret to tell and now she's a guardian IT IS her secret to tell.

S4 proof that wrong.

Then I was told that it will get better since Marinette already apologize to cat noir and s5 just get worse and worsen.

And it's not me being impatient either because I don't mind long running show, I've been watching detective Conan since I was in elementary and now I'm already adult, that's how dedicated I am to a show. But only for a show that worth my investment.

Miraculous, since s4 already showed me that this show doesn't care about Marinette get out of her flaw, it relied on the show and the fandom (especially Marinette stan) to gaslight other audience to keep saying it will be better times and times again. I don't mind s4 because I know a conflict will be resolved but for it to actually not resolved at all but getting worst instead??? Yeah, I'm not going to stick around to see Marinette going deeper into the ugliest version of herself and see everyone just nod and say "that's the greatest ladybug in all history"

I'm now gonna say s4 isn't a ladynoir conflict season, it's a season to conditioned cat noir into perfect obedience pet and all that mistreatment? It's all just her being stressed, not a big deal, everyone has a bad day right? You just need to understand and be patient even if she leash out at you BECAUSE UNDERSTANDING IS THE KEY *HEAVY SARCASM*

---

The “just wait until it gets better” crowd needs to shut the fuck up. Season four premiered three and a half years ago. We’ve been waiting for this shit to get good for three years and 55 episodes (two of the specials are part of the S5 narrative so they count as S5 episodes). How reasonable is it to expect people to wait OVER FIFTY-FIVE EPISODES for a claimed-to-be-serialized show to deliver on any of its premises? I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say it’s absolutely bonkers.

I don’t care if there are good scenes or even whole-ass good episodes with nothing annoying in them in there. Anyone can manage to write one good episode if they're given a dozen chances to do so and the Miraculous writers have always been good at writing a singular, isolated scene that’s bound to get the audience hyped. But, like, is the show good often enough to justify the rest of the show being boring at its best or absolutely infuriating garbage at its worst? In my opinion, if the season premiere of season 5 is good while the rest of it is a downward spiral of garbage, then season 5, as a whole, is garbage. Even if we consider the specials good as well, that means less than 20% of the season is good, which is one fifth of the whole season. Season four was even worse with having only a couple of episodes I considered worth watching, meaning the percentage drops down to 10%.

This is even more inexcusable when we’re using those isolated scenes to justify this show still being watchable. Even if a single scene in an otherwise incredibly annoying episode is the hypest shit ever, it’s not gonna make me want to rewatch that episode, because those single, couple of minute scenes are, once again, less than half of the whole. This is extra annoying when the same episodes have some of the supposedly best scenes in this show coupled with some of the worst, or if the said "best scenes" are actually absolutely infuriating with their implications (like Bug Noire kicking ass only being possible by the absolute sidelining of Adrien's character). If just watching a compilation of “best X scenes” lets you get a better experience than the actual show, the actual show is bad.

Once again, the media analyst in me is looking at patterns. The people hyping this show up focus on these small increments of good or it-will-be-good-if-the-writers-commit-to-it-which-we-know-they-won’t, so they can say that following the show is still worth it, but is it really? If you start quantifying your enjoyment of this show, do you actually spend more time enjoying it than waiting for something interesting to happen? The “some parts of this show are still good” is a pattern, alright, but, we must look at what that pattern means. The pattern means that the experience of watching Miraculous is mostly waiting for that good stuff to happen every once in a while. And, like, even the good stuff has stuff that annoys me personally, or is only made possible through things that piss me off, so I find nothing to enjoy about this shitshow.

[nomoreusername]

How Maze Runner Characters Would Help You When You're Sick

Tries to make you laugh so you can forget about it a little bit

Lounges around with you and keeps you company

Kisses your forehead while you sleep

Matches his pajamas with yours so you don't feel bad about wearing them all day

Is the entire reason being sick isn't isolating

Takes the day off to take care of you

Takes you to the Med-jacks if it goes on for a long time or your symptoms are super extreme

Stays with you the entire time to see if there's more he could do to help

Makes you things he knows you can keep down

Is the most attentive caretaker, no matter how minor the illness is

Makes stupid jokes to make you feel better

Cracks your blinds for you so that you get a little bit of sunshine

One of the only times he’ll binge on ice cream with you

Doesn't even say anything when you hog the blankets in your sleep

Does what he can to make you happy, no matter how sick you are

Gives very practical advice on how to get better faster

Sits on the other side of the room because he doesn't want to get sick

Will get you anything you ask him to to make up for it

Will fake a cough just to stay in with you

Isn’t the greatest at it but he always does his best to make you feel better

Kind of a germaphobe but pushes that down for you

Lays down with you and keeps you warm by cuddling you

Gives you his hoodies so you always have something comfortable to wear

Looks up what you could have if it gets really bad

Puts you over everything else whenever you're sick

Makes sure your room is extra clean so no germs can make you feel worse

Brings you all your meals and eats on the foot of your bed with you

Doesn't get sick easily so he doesn't mind being close to you

Sometimes falls asleep on your floor so you put him in the bed

Does his best to help you out and make being ill not so miserable

Usually knows what you have before you do

Already has medicine ready to go for you to take

Lightly pats your head and rubs your back while you rest

Does her best to keep your temperature somewhat normal

Does a great job at being your nurse and your lover

Reads to you until you fall asleep

Makes sure to keep a cool, wet rag on your head

Keeps you under the covers and makes sure you're wearing socks

Washes all your sheets when you're in the shower just to be safe

Uses every trick in the book to nurse you back to health

Doesn't hesitate to hold your hair out of your face when you're throwing up

Kisses your forehead and says she's sorry you aren't feeling well

Makes you get better soon bracelets

Will bring you medicine and make soup

Forgets about all other responsibilities to take care of you

Makes sure everyone keeps it down so that you can sleep

Brings you soup and water to keep you hydrated

Makes sure you have a bucket by your bed just in case

Whispers sweet words and holds your hand until you fall asleep

Will check in on your daily if she has anything to do that day, no matter what

[fandomwe1rd0]

I feel like a lot of people ignore, or simply don't notice, that, while Morty is definitely not toxic, he still doesn't exactly treat Rick healthily, allow me to explain. Morty isn't toxic in the sense of him being abusive, yes he will argue with Rick, but arguments aren't abuse, and of course he would occasionally lash out due to Rick's consistent emotional abuse. He did shoot Rick and left Rick for dead, but these are isolated incidents and aren't a cycle. So they do not qualify as abuse, and more seem to be moments where Morty broke and lashed out, due to years of abuse, so those instances will not be what I will be talking about in this post.

Sooo with that, you may be confused, what episodes will I be talking about then? Wellll the answer will absolutely raise some eyebrows, I will be discussing is Fear No Mort, more specifically the inside the episode of it.

For those of you who are confused, inside the episodes are 2 minutes videos of the writers of the episode discussing the process of writing the episode, and explaining more moments of the episode in depth, I would suggest watching these since they are pretty quick and interesting, but that's not the point of this post, I only mentioned it because it inspired me to make this post.

Ok so in Fear No Mort inside the episode, a writer said this: "We start in the future Morty is most afraid of, which is Rick outgrowing his family, Rick finding something else to pursue because their partnership will spilt up"

So while Rick is definitely at fault for the codependency, since he pulls Morty away from school and will straight up manipulate Morty so he stays codependent on him, Morty also appears to,whether he aware of it or not, wants Rick to stay codependent on him a well,not wanting Rick to develop important things to him outside of the family due to fear of what that means, Rick leaving him and breaking up their codependency

That's apart of why Rick not caring about him is his greatest fear, if he stops being the most important thing in Rick's life, his mind immediately goes on the future Morty is most afraid of.

Rick leaving his family.

Rick leaving him.