#(more shared trauma is bode)

[stealingpotatoes]

cal 🤝 sabine - having badass and pretty white-haired girlfriend who is force user and pretty much was after them trying to kill them at some point

he's explaining the wifeing strategy

(commission info // kofi support!)

[envy-of-the-apple]

Hiii poly I would love for u to know that your work is rly good no matter the fandom!

…buuuut I was wondering how RAST would react if they found out/thought (u decide) that Mrs gem had a crush on ijichi? Or maybe if her crush was reciprocated? Idk it only seems totally natural for them to bond over the sort of shared trauma of working for satosugu 😭

🤍

jsdhhdjs feel free to alter if it doesn’t fit into the au or something

omgggg yall are so mean to Ijichi oh gosh-

pre-'relationship' if they find out that you and ijichi are a thing they'll probably find it a little funny. It makes sense why you two like each other, you're both so similar. but once you three get-together and they still catch you making googly eyes at each other, they'll put a stop to it. It only takes one threat for Ijichi to stop looking at you forever. You can't blame him. It still hurts.

hello! kk so miss gem technically isn't a prisoner but it's gonna be very hard to get anywhere outside of the property. I feel like (especially in the beginning) sato and sugu try very hard to keep you in the house, but at the same time, they aren't forceful. there will be guards everywhere too so it will be hard to leave.

Eventually, you'll be allowed to leave but very very rarely AND with a chaperone. I feel like small requests are doable. By small, that includes 'jewelry, dinner requests, clothes'. But they do ask for favors in return. The gifts aren't free:)

most of the time miss gem will be at home but they do bring their darling on a field trip every so often. mostly when they want to show off.

again miss gem isnt a prisoner. inviting friends/ family over is on the table, but they will be firmly vetted. regarding education, suguru will 'gently discourage' it, but with enough pleading and begging to satoru, his support might be enough to turn the tables. you will still be heavily guarded/online school. It's because they're possessive and you're the darling of two organized crime dealers. Being in public in general with that type of title wont bode well. but if you do act up, those privileges will be revoked.

a very interesting theory !

They would definitely feel guilty, but they would handle it in different ways. I think Gojo will try to justify it. He'd constantly try to push the blame onto you and your personality and try to brush off your deteriorating state. But he's the one who will snap first. If it gets so bad, he will panic and try to force-feed his gem. Suguru is definitely more sympathetic. He'd keep repeating how you just need time, and eventually, you'll be happy.

He might even get the great idea that you need a distraction to get your mind out of it. Gojo was adamant about his refusal to have children, but Suguru knows for your sake, Satoru will change his stance.

[outofangband]

For the sensory hc asks!

12, 7, and 15 for Aerin?

And 12, 16, and -7 for Barahir if you’d like a second ask? 🥰

From this ask game here! Still accepting them

I'm so sorry for the world building ramble!! Also let it be known I originally read Barahir as Baragund (this is what happens when you are so Morwen centric...then I had to quickly save those ideas and write new ones for the actually correct character!)

Barahir

7. What they smell like

I have a headcanon that the Bëorians made strong alcohols and that Barahir and Emeldir experimented with recipes before Beren was born. During this time he often smelled like juniper berries and bark and hay from their sheep. He smells of the earth and the fur of the elven horse he rode for some time

After the Bragollach he smells of mud and Heather and sometimes infection when he’s been helping with the wounded

12. Their feelings on physical touch

Oh this gets into a lot of thoughts I have on customs and norms around physical affection between the different Edain cultures. Obviously there will be variations just like in any group these are just some thoughts on customs

The Hadorians are probably the most open with physical affection and contact. Physical work is also highly valued among them and these two points are connected. The Drúedain also value physical affection in similar ways . 

Among the Haladin, physical affection is freely given but mostly private and contained, for example In households and families, among members of a scouting group who have built up trust and intimacy over years of work together, etc. Touch in public is not considered wrong or taboo, it’s just not very usual. Physical affection is seen as something important to share and public spaces may distract from it. The Bëorians are similar to the Haladin though public displays of touch and affection are somewhat more common, especially in ceremonial settings. 

Barahir is affectionate with others but is highly aware of setting and circumstance. He is more prone to brief but sincere gestures, clasping someone’s shoulder or hand, kisses on the cheek, that sort of thing

16. A sound that makes them sad

His dreams of Finrod’s songs, the laughter of his people’s children (it makes him happy but he fears it will not last), the cries of the vultures in the alders though of course, he has no idea

Aerin

Putting under a cut for discussion of abuse and trauma (though I included pre Nírnaeth and such HCs too)

7. What they smell like

Horses, lilac, warmth, various grasses, occasionally clay

Post Nírnaeth she mostly smells like lye soap and occasionally the herbs Morwen gives her sewn into her sleeves (I know I talk about that a lot but it’s a very important HC to me)

12. Their feelings on physical touch

Pre Nírnaeth Aerin was very openly affectionate with others! One of her favorite feelings is being relaxed or falling asleep next to or cuddling with a loved one

Post Nírnaeth it’s complicated.

The physical and sexual abuse she endures as well as the isolation from her loved ones and community has a profound impact on her relationship with physical touch and affection. There are times that even gentle or supportive touch feels unsafe, either because it reminds her of the abuse or because she has seen people suffer for showing her kindness.

But she is also extremely lonely and often feels desperate for physical affection in the ways she remembers from before. The contradiction and so many factors make everything feel even more confusing.

It worries her sometimes, how she responds to touch that doesn’t hurt or frighten her.

15. A sound they can’t stand

Pre Nírnaeth mundanity: any sounds that indicate issues with horses, the creak of wooden fences after rain which indicates that they did Not survive, unexpected thunderstorms (she’s not afraid of them but the chaos that can occur never bodes well)

Otherwise, Brodda’s voice, her own voice when she speaks to him, the frightened, subservient voice her kin must use when they speak to the incomers and sometimes, to her, the sounds of revelry that used to make her excited and happy but now make her almost numb with dread, the cries of the children she cannot comfort…there is so much

Going by the description of Brodda’s festivities in BoLT tbh it sounds awful

I love Aerin so much thank you. I hope this is ok! I wrote it while very sleepy

[eruden-writes]

The Unexpected Human Problem - Part 30

Part 1 | Part 2| Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31

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I'm weak and shared this at the same time as my Patreon.

Comments, tags, and reblogs are real motivators for me! ♥ ♥ ♥

Becoming a patron of mine would also mean a lot, too.

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Summary: The night her abductors die, Rayelle finds herself running for her life. She doesn’t know where she is, what is following her, where to go. All she knows is she’s not on Earth any longer and the thing chasing her has the capacity to kill.

Tai'qdei never anticipated finding a human when he took the job of tracking and subduing a small contingent of smugglers. It was only when the human attacked and fled fled, Tai'qdei - hopped up on the euphoria of a successful hunt - gave chase, instinct burning at his center.

Will sense return to Tai'qdei before he catches Rayelle? Or will Rayelle be subjected to the yautja’s natural inclinations?

And what happens afterwards?

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The rest of Rayelle’s life came sooner than expected. She should have known Evan wasn’t going to take his losses well. To his credit, he bided his time with a fake smile on his lips and even seemed to move on with a girlfriend. She hoped everything boded well.

She should have known better. That was all Rayelle thought as she was pulling into the parking lot of a highway truck stop, when she saw the truck speeding toward her in the rain.

This truck stop was a “drop off-pick up” location she and Evan had designated. Neutral ground. It was midway between their respective homes and very much closed on this day of all days.

“-ey were supposed to wait.” Blearily, she heard Evan snarling to himself as he yanked one of the back doors open. A little farther off, she heard the squeal of tires as the truck drove off. There was more scuffling closer by and she realized Elliot and Skylar were getting ushered out. “Get in my car!”

“What about mom?” Skylar asked, their tone wobbling. “We gotta take her to the hospital!”

There was a pause. A hissed expletive. Then she heard gravel crunching away before her door suddenly yanked open. She felt herself lifted, smelled the sickeningly familiar aroma of Evan’s cologne.

With her head still spinning, she struggled in his hold, but he quickly threw her in the back. Both kids crowded around her, asking her questions. Her head swam, unable to focus on any of their words. There was a sense of movement, a faint register of turn signals clicking and the roar of the car speeding up.

Rayelle’s brain didn’t make sense of anything until Skylar nervously said, “Dad, t-this isn’t the way to the hospital.”

“You wanna tell ‘em about the men y’sent after me?” Rayelle pushed herself upright, words slightly slurred. The world spun at the edges of her vision.

Ice emanated from Evan’s answer, “I have no clue what you mean.”

“You remember. It was the last dinner I agreed to with you, alone.” Rayelle waved her hand, shooting him a look in the rear-view mirror. Part of her knew she was traveling down the worst avenue of discussion in this circumstance, but something in her wanted to needle at him. Maybe it was head trauma, making Rayelle reckless. Or maybe, given how he’d paid someone to run them off the road, she was ready to let her kids see his colors fully. “You waved as they shoved me into a van.”

“I have no fucking clue what you’re saying, Rayelle,” Evan savagely spat, turning briefly from the road to glare at her before whipping back around.

Her expression darkened just as a rumble of thunder sounded overhead. Vibrations rattled the car and she realized just how jumpy, how shaky Evan appeared. Looking in the rearview mirror, she spotted deep dark bags under his bloodshot eyes.

Flanking Rayelle, her children remained quiet and tense. Until Elliot shakily asked, “Where are you taking us?”

Evan didn’t even look back to his children, didn’t soothe them. He just growled, “Somewhere. Just shut up, sweetie.”

Beside Rayelle, Skylar whimpered and Elliot shakily reached for her hand. Her expression pinched, attention flickering from one child to the other. She looped an arm around Skylar’s shoulder, pulling them close. They both were deathly pale, Skylar trembling and Elliot on the brink of tears. Neither was understanding what was happening. Thankfully, neither seemed hurt from the literal car crash that Evan had staged.

Taking a deep breath, Rayelle tried to remain calm. Her kids needed her to be sturdy and strong and unwavering. A brief thought of tendrils and textured red skin and mandibles flared through her mind. Something solidified inside her as her eyes drew to the front, to the rain pelting the windshield.

Attacking him as he drove would do no good. They’d all end up in an accident, possibly dying. She just had to find an opening and take advantage.

It wasn’t long until Evan was driving them off the highway, through rural town streets. Rayelle’s stomach flipped when she noticed he’d driven into a nature park. On a stormy day, it was guaranteed to be empty.

Rayelle and the kids braced themselves as the car raced through the parking lot, hopping a curb to drive on a bike trail. The sounds of rock and mud and the chugging on the engine roared around them as the car shook from being forced off-road. Rain continued to patter over the car, loud and incessant. The tattoo of the rain was joined by the shrieking scraping of branches along all sides of the vehicle.

By the time the car stopped, Rayelle wasn’t sure if it was by Evan’s design or whether it had enough. Either way, Evan grabbed something from the other seat and slammed his car door open

“Out!” He barked on the other side of the back seat’s door, waving a gun to emphasize his authority. Slowly, all three clambered out. Elliot, then Rayelle, and finally Skylar. Where the car had finally stopped was in a clearing, a yard or two away from the edge of a cliffside drop-off.

With the firearm acting as a guiding force, Evan waved them to stand between himself and the cliff’s edge. While he motioned, he continued talking. His tone of pained sensibility, verging on breakdown. “It didn’t have to be like this, Ray. We didn’t have to divorce or go through court or any of that! We could’ve been together and happy.”

She positioned herself between her children and her ex-husband, too apprehensive to do anything with that gun pointed at them. Her expression and tone hardened, eyes narrowing as she shot back, “Was I supposed to be happy when you hired those men to kidnap me?”

Evan’s features darkened, pinched as he scowled. “What does that fucking matter? They didn’t do their job.”

“Dad?” Skylar’s uncertain voice barely sounded over another roll of thunder overhead. Rayelle almost flinched, listening to her child’s image of their father start to fracture.

Evan ignored them, opting to wave his ex-wife closer with his gun. “Come here, Rayelle.”

With no other course of action, she obeyed. As she took a few steps forward, Elliot whipped his stricken attention to her, immediately grabbing for her arm. “Mom!”

“It’ll be alright. Just stay close to your sibling.” She shot him a smile, though she herself knew she couldn’t make that promise. Gingerly, she pried her son’s fingers from her arm before continuing toward Evan. He listened to her direction, sidling closer to Skylar, though his expression remained warily on both parents.

“On your knees,” Evan sneered, once more motioning with the gun. She couldn’t help but feel he radiated some malicious smugness, under his bitter exterior. He was going to get ‘the bitch’ on her knees, one last time. Angry swirls clawed at her stomach at that thought.

Just as slowly as she approached, Rayelle began lowering to her knees with her hands still raised. Evan scoffed, oozing disdain as she got halfway. That small sound razed over her, igniting the stoking fury.

With her left hand, she grabbed at his gun-wielding hand, twisting his wrist - away from her kids - just as her right fist slammed into his groin. The impact sent a rush of satisfaction through Rayelle. Watching Evan crumple with a pained groan, the gun clattering away over pebbles, just doubled the satisfaction.

Before Rayelle could dive for the gun, Elliot rushed in. Quick as he was, he snatched up the weapon. Before she could praise him for helping, he threw the gun over the edge of the clifface.

“No!” Thunder rumbled overhead as Rayelle screamed, taking a step toward him while watching the gun careen in the air. Something in her stomach sunk as she whipped around to face Evan again, putting herself between her child and her ex once more. Evan was already on his feet, reaching for something inside his jacket pocket, which only made her stomach lurch. Oh no.

Elliot sobbed, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Can’t we just talk?”

“We’re already past that point. Your mom has already poisoned you enough with this gender confusion bullshit, Emma.” Evan growled as he whipped out a second gun. Rayelle flinched, hearing him say what had - thus far - remained in a court setting. Behind her, she could feel Elliot struck by the emotional hit. He’d been so careful, waffling for a long time between presentations. With the divorce settling down, with the talks he’d had with Evan, Rayelle knew he’d gotten his hopes up.

There was no time to think about that as Evan cocked the gun, the click clear despite the pattering rain. “Maybe I can save Austin, but you two are too far gone.”

“Dad!” Together, Elliot and Skylar screamed, the former a watery cry and the latter a shriek of horror.

“Get down!” Rayelle waved behind her, motioning for her eldest to drop.

The gun went off a deafening boom. The world slowed as Rayelle’s mind raced for options. Duck, dodge, drop… She didn’t have the time. Bracing herself, she waited for the pain of the bullet to rend through her, hoping it didn’t hit anything vital nor cleave through her to Elliot when…

The bullet stopped. Midair. It didn’t simply freeze. It hit something, crumpling in on itself as the sound of impact echoed through the air.

Everyone froze and Rayelle’s brain fritzed for a second, before she realized something else. Where the bullet stopped, where it hit something, rain was not falling. The air in front of Rayelle flickered like a glitched artifact as her eyes slid upward.

An organic clicking mixed with a warble, before the cloaking flickered out. A tall and broad back, armored in black, stood before her, between herself and Evan. Her breath caught as her brain tried to shake off the delusion. There was no way. There was absolutely no way.

Even as she denied it, her eyes caught sight of red-orange textured skin between the plates of armor and long red-black tendrils, pulled back into a sort of ponytail.

Rayelle’s heart thundered in her chest, a sound threatening to escape the back of her throat.

“You!” That caught Rayelle’s attention and her eyes swung toward Evan, her eyebrows furrowing. How the hell did he know about Tai’dqei?

“I knew you were real!” Evan’s scream sounded hinged and deranged as he took a step toward the alien. The gun in his hand shook, but Rayelle wasn’t sure if it was from fear or rage. “Everyone said I was just stressed, but you’ve been tailing me, haven’t you?”

Tai’dqei angled his head at the human and, despite months apart, Rayelle thought she could feel smugness radiating off him.

“And you,” Evan hissed, turning his attention to Rayelle. A growl rose up slow and quiet from Tai’dqei, his muscles tensing even though Evan didn’t seem to notice the warning. “You have something to do with him, don’t you? You weren’t happy ruining my life and my children. Oh no, you had to keep tormenting me!”

Whatever he was about to do was interrupted as Tai’dqei charged at him. Evan howled as a crushing grip snatched up his arm, the firearm was yanked from his hand. Not one to be taken so easily, Evan jerked and struggled. Mud beneath the two struggling opponents gave way, and their footing slid.

Where Tai’dqei remained upright, Evan slipped, landing in the mud. But that was enough to make inspiration strike, as he hefted a glob of mud and hurled it at Taid’qei’s face. It landed with a smack, causing the alien to pause.

A very loud snarl rumbled out of Tai’dqei as he wrenched his mask off. As he latched the mask to his hip belt, the angry guttural clicks echoed through the rain and trees.

“What the fuck, what the fuck,” breathed Evan, scrambling backward on the ground when he caught sight of the alien features. A low growl continued to emanate from Tai’dqei as he slowly followed Evan, like a jaguar stalking their next lunch. Tai’dqei’s mandibles flexed and, from the way he walked, Rayelle got the feeling he was playing with her ex. Evan was no actual threat to him and he was broadcasting that fact.

Quick like a viper, Tai’dqei lunged and snatched Evan’s ankle. A surprised yelp burst from Evan. Tai’dqei hauled the man up upside down, holding him at arm’s length. With a few heavy squelching footfalls in the mud, he headed toward the cliff’s edge. Tai’dqei easily dangled Evan over the edge. A silent threat made which only made Evan yell louder - beg louder - voice tinged with further terror as he remained still.

“Wait, don’t!” Now it was Skylar’s turn to rush in. They grabbed at Tai’dqei’s free arm, but flinched away when the yautja turned his gaze on them. Skylar’s lips trembled, blinking back tears as they weakly said, “He’s… he’s still my dad. Please.”

Tai’dqei glanced up to Rayelle, tone soft though he still held Evan over the precipce. “What are they saying?”

Oh right, Rayelle straightened as she remembered the translator nanobug. Of course, Tai’dqei couldn’t understand her kids.

“They don’t want to see their dad dropped to his death.” With a wave of her hand as she edged closer to the car. She sighed as if resigning herself to taking the higher road. Ignoring the confused and curious looks her kids shot her, she waved Tai’dqei over. “Bring him over here.”

Tai’dqei’s eyes narrowed, his mandibles twitching with amusement. There was something in her stance that made him believe she had something else up her sleeve. Something she deemed more appropriate for her kids to see than their father splattered on the rocks below. So, he obliged.

As soon as he was set down, Evan scrambled to his feet, moving toward Rayelle as if to hug her. “Thank you, Ra-”

Whatever gratitude he was about to show her was cut off as she grabbed his collar, her other hand reaching for his head. Using her pent-up rage, she forced Evan’s face toward the car. Surprised, the man barely even had a chance to resist as his face kissed the hood.

“Never. Threaten. My children. Again!” Punctuating every syllable, Rayelle slammed Evan’s face into the car. The sound of flesh hitting metal echoed through the air, between the raindrops. Once finished, she released him and, with a groan, he slumped against the car. Blood smeared along the metal, his face, her shirt.

With a sigh and her shoulders still tense, she turned to her children and Tai’dqei. All three watched her quietly. She waited for her kids to say something, to voice their dissent.

“Is dad going to be okay?” Skylar piped up, their eyes shifting from Rayelle to Evan. They didn’t exactly move to help their fallen parent, but there was concern woven into their tone.

From the ground, the aforementioned man groaned.

“He’s alive, at least,” Rayelle scoffed, fighting the urge to kick Evan while he was down. She knew she’d have to have a long and difficult talk with Skylar and Elliot - likely two different sorts of conversations - about what just happened, but those talks could be had later. There were more pressing matters on her mind. Turning to Tai’dqei, she demanded, “Why are you here?”

“I… It’s a long story.” Tai’dqei’s fingers flexed as he considered what to tell her. There really wasn’t time. They had a lot to do, depending on the actions they chose from here on out. “We should get go-”

“No, TAC told us you couldn’t come here. What’s going on?” Rayelle took a step closer to him, her finger jabbing him in the chest plate. It was easier for her to hang on to suspicion and anger, than let herself believe their story could have a happier ending. Her mind flew wildly with questions and accusations, her eyes widening as one potentiality settled. “You didn’t steal the time machine thing did you?”

“I did not,” was all Tai’dqei managed to say, before Elliot grabbed his mom’s arm.

Her attention wheeled to her son, finding his expression curious but conflicted. “Mom? How can you understand them?”

She opened her mouth, but closed it when she realized she didn’t have a good answer. Despite how the phrase echoed in her head, considering Tai’dqei had just used it on her, she muttered, “It’s… it’s a long story, sweetie.”

“No, seriously. What the fuck is going on?” Elliot’s grasp released Rayelle as he ran his hands through his own short hair. It was easier for him to focus on the absurd, rather the family trauma that had just passed. “A time machine? And them, are they an alien?”

As Elliot paced away, Skylar intercepted him. They pressed a hand to his arm, as if the touch could calm their brother down. Looking up to Rayelle, their own expression a mirror of conflict and pain and uncertainty as their brothers, Skylar asked, “Can we get out of the rain at least?”

Taking a deep breath, Rayelle turned her attention back to the patiently waiting Tai’dqei. “We need to get out of the rain. Somewhere dry.”

Tai’dqei nodded, inputting a command onto his gauntlet. His ship uncloaked itself, right at the edge of the cliffside, hovering in open air. With a motion of his arm, he wordlessly told Rayelle and her children to follow as the boarding gangway lowered.

“How long has this been here?!” Elliot yelled, though he trudged grudgingly toward the boarding ramp.

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Tag list: @ajarofpickledtears, @boogeysmoth, @omg-the-nutella-queen

[queenofalpaca]

PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT MERMAID BODE 🖤🖤🖤

Yes! A second ask! Of course I’ll tell you about mermaid Bode 🩵 (I actually got curious about this one when I found it in my wips and went back to check it out so lucky you, this one’s fresh in my memory)

So this wip came from me wanting to participate in MerMay someday and deciding I needed an idea. Lo and behold, my brain promptly complied and came up with this. Sadly there’s no snippets to share (yet. Perhaps we’ll make this may my first MerMay) but I have some concepts/ideas.

First thing’s first:

Who’s who?

Well, Bode is a mermaid/merman. The sort that can shift into a human. And here comes the fun part: my half-asleep brain decided all good mer shifters need to be mute (Ariel style) so Bode’s got to be mute. Why is he mute? Because there’s a superstition about mermen being sirens and someone made sure to damage his vocal cords to take his voice. He’s got a nasty scar on his throat from it too. Additionally, this au was created around the time I was taking a sign language course at uni, so I feel I have at least the beginnings of an idea of how it works and what to watch out for when writing a mute character. I will have to do more research but at least I have a head start, right?

Now, of course this is SpyScrapper (I say, despite the fact that SpyScrapper always seems to come second to everything I write having to be about Bode first and foremost), so Cal’s here too. I’m not sure what his exact relationship to Jaro was in this verse but in any case, Jaro ended up dead because of mer-people and Cal got his famous cheek scar from that encounter. He’s then taken in and raised by Prauf because we love him. Cal’s obviously got big trauma about mer-people and the ocean in general.

All the other characters may feature as I need them, but they don’t have a concrete role to play as of rn.

The Plot

You can guess where this is going but I’ll spell it out anyway. Cal and Bode meet at a bar. Cal catches sight of the big cutie and goes to introduce himself. Bode is pleasantly surprised by Cal’s ease around the fact that he’s mute. They communicate by writing/drawing out letters in Cal’s palm before they get a pen, the scraps of sign language Cal picked up (spontaneous idea: could this be where he picks up the nickname?), and a lot of lovingly gazing at each other of course.

Something something, they go on a few dates, something something, they start falling in love (not yet sure what to do about this part). Cal being scared of the ocean comes up. Bode starts helping him work through it. Side note: Bode does have scales as a human, but they’re so light, they can be mistaken for strange scars. Thus, Cal doesn’t know he’s been falling in love with a mer. Big angst when he finds out. I’m thinking something with a big storm, choppy waves, potential almost drowning or something. Whatever it ends up as, I’m sure it’ll be fun, heh

That’s about as far as I’ve gotten. But man, now I really want to actually write this.

Hope that satiates your curiosity 🩵 I really wish I had a snippet to share, but rest assured, when I do, you’ll be the first to know about it

[naffeclipse]

No Naff no actually. I can't stop thinking about it actually. The boys really fucked up this time - and I'm not (just) talking about the picture in the cloud. I cannot stop thinking about this scenario as described by whatever very biased witness making it back to Y/N. Y/N, and this is even under ideal circumstances of calmness at the revelation where Y/N knows what they are and has accepted them, learns that their buddy, a demon, has killed a cryptid hunter, in a cornfield. In the cornfield where a few hours earlier they killed a fueled by the full moon werewolf and then spilled their own trauma involving almost being killed by a demon in a cornfield. That's going to sting with a special kind of betrayal. I get why they did it, and I melted at their confidence of "Not every one" but still, ouch. And if Y/N would still have to grapple with the reveal at the same time? I do not see a happy conversation about this in the boys' future.

Also yes I am still unhinged <3 However it was pointed out to me that I am no longer lying when I say "I'm normal" because this is indeed my normal for Cryptid Sightings <3 I'm glad you enjoyed the comic!! I love that you actually got the liveblog via comment of when I had my little lightbulb moment - first I was gonna elaborate, and then rewrote the part so you'd still be surprised if you read the comment already! Wanted to pay you back in kind - chapter was a treat as always, thank you so so much for sharing! <3

Ahhhhhh, Luce!!! You and so many others more or less agree that Sun/Moon killing the cryptid hunter will not bode well for the future! I'm glad everyone went:

Not the best decision they could have made, but the boys are still cryptids. They're going to behave like one.

Let's hope that doesn't affect how the reveal goes :)

ALSDJFASDF I love your normal, I cherish it every time I watch your unhinge-ness unfold ♥ ♥ ♥ AND OH MY GOSH YES! I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT AND BAM YOU POSTED THE COMIC!!! AH!! It was absolutely a treat ♥ No, thank you, babe ♥

[uncorrupted-godemperor]

In response to this post.

“How does it feel to be mortal again, Kain?”

"Mortality has its curses. This body is fragile and sensitive, I've accumulated many scars. (Most of them from cats, because dear Shadow wrangles them without fear.) Mental health struggles are ones that, through my corruption, I had not experienced in past life. Unsavory incidents and circumstances were easily brushed back then. But poor Shadow is sensitive and holds onto trauma, whether the boy sees it or not.

Regardless, things of this world can be... decent. I'm glad that indoor plumbing remains. Shadow keeps his hair short and simple to wash, which is easier, but I miss the tedious ritual of tending to my own hair. Hobbies are plentiful when Shadow isn't dealing with... ridiculous people at his occupation. (Shadow would bode well with the Soul Reaver, but unfortunately he'd be "arrested". Also, he claims he can't lift it anymore.)

Speaking of people, there are some that I'd love to rend fleshless. The system of law is certainly human enough- useless. I long for the simplicity of my empire; if someone commits an evil, I had them executed. Simple. Alas, it's not so simple anymore... for example, magic is more complicated in the fact that you can't see its effect easily. Regardless, Shadow continues his spell workings, and he works with my alternate-alternate self, referred to as a "pop culture deity", along with a deity of Raziel. That Kain is aloof, but enjoys offerings of Dr. Pepper and chocolate whilst that Raziel enjoys offerings of fruit candy.

I have always enjoyed writing, and Shadow has an entire headworld of a "post canon" Legacy of Kain where everyone is alive and well. He's still working on writing everything down and plans to make art of it, along with an "alternate universe" he shares with his friends for a modern Nosgoth. His friends have gifted him several merchandise items, including a figurine of both Kain and Raziel he's placed on his altars. He also has art dolls- one of me, two of Raziel (vampire and wraith), and one of Janos.

To summarize, I enjoy the things this world has to offer, but I do often long after my old life."

[This turned into more kin things than just roleplay but that's okay, it was nice to write.]

[aces-and-angels]

what's their style like?

Between Enid and Cameron, who's the most impulsive character, and who is their impulse control?

Do they believe in the supernatural?

Do they have a good relationship with their family?

For both: What is their moral alignment?

(These were all taken from various ask prompts I found, I'm not creative)

hello hello friend- thanks for joining the r&d team 🖤adding another read more section bc we've got a lot to cover

---

what's cameron's style like?

to start- a video analysis by taylor cassidy:

"at its core, the earthy black girl is something extremely personal to each black person. it's not about how good you can tie a headwrap- it's the intention of educating yourself about your ancestors' values, falling back in love with beauty defined for black people by black people, and exploring spiritualities that come from seeking your own roots. so no- earthy black girl is not 'boho'. it's not 'tumblr indie'. it's not 'grunge'. it's freedom according to how each person defines it."

i like to view cam's style as her way of healing from past traumas. no matter how you slice it, in canon you meet cam (or whoever your mc is for crimes of passion) as someone who has gone through loss. someone who is still working through that loss. the how of it all is left to your ✨imagination✨

cam's parental situation is tba for me (i mean- i got the dad part lol, not a lot of detail about the mom yet- but whatever the reason is for their mother's absence, it happens early on and it impacts cam's life a lot)

i feel like cam's fashion evolves as she processes the hurt/anger stemming from her parents' passing + moving through the world in dark skin. so their transition into these more flowy, liberating fits is a cameron (healed)

the video shows a lot of different outfits cam would gravitate towards. i am also sharing this dress in particular bc it's stunning and i need to sear the image of them wearing this in my brain:

between enid and cameron, who's the most impulsive character, and who is their impulse control?

there is no one regulating these impulses bc enid and cam, when put together, just enable the crap out of each other sdkjf

the whole 'never say no' mentality between them can be both positive and negative. on one hand- they will never turn down the other's idea to go to ktown and buy whatever. on the other hand- it's difficult for them to recognize when they need to pump the breaks and do some self-reflecting

currently- the backstory on these two is that they are childhood friends and each other's sexual/romantic awakenings (if yall want more tea on that pls feel free to send some inquiries); anyways, their shared past makes them each other's safety net in a way-- comfortable to be around-- comfortable enough to fall into old habits/routines (which doesn't really bode well for one's personal growth esp. if one were to, let's say, rekindle this type of bond at a low point in their lives)

does cameron believe in the supernatural?

cam doesn't deny the possibility of its existence, but i wouldn't say they are a full-on believer

does cameron have a good relationship with their family?

out of the people she has left? yeah sure- them and uncle tommy are doing a-okay 💀

(for enid + cam): what is their moral alignment?

simply put- enid is a chaotic neutral whereas cam is a neutral-chaotic good

enid's law philosophy (out of the three pb provides) aligns with pure law not because she wants others to follow the letter of the law to a t, but bc of her desire to know every which way she can bend it in her favor

cam's motivations are more geared towards helping a collective rather than themself while staying true to her own beliefs (ex: her hatred for the nypd)

[aggravateddurian]

🖊 for Vega?

Thanks to @pacificaisstillpacifica for asking!

Ever since I came up with Vega and the story for Chorus, I've been completely obsessed with Vega, her backstory and all of the implications.

Vega 'V' Hawse

Full Name: Vega Valerie Hawse Date of Birth: 12 October 2049 Affiliation: Bakkers (formerly), Afterlife Mercs, Aldecaldos (static)

They're both Vega... but they're two different people.

Quick Vega Facts:

Vega's mother named her 'Vega' after the second-brightest star in the northern hemisphere. Vega has also historically been represented as an eagle or vulture in astronomy, and her holo avatar features an eagle, a star and the capital letter V, with the eagle swooping through it.

Vega is pansexual

Vega was a guitarist prior to encountering Johnny Silverhand. Johnny described her technique as 'okay, I guess, but needs improvement.'

Vega's favourite music is a derivative of late 2010s-early 2020s 'phonk' music. Johnny... has opinions on this.

Vega is an unofficial member of the Welles family, and Mama Welles frequently calls in at her apartment to check in on her, and to occasionally leave food

Vega in 2079 dyes her hair red, because she's actually blonde (this was a side-effect of the hybridisation of Johnny and V's relic engrams by Alt Cunningham.

Vega Backstory (until 2077):

Vega's the daughter of Logan Hawse, pack leader of the second largest family (nomad pack) within the Bakkers Nation, aside from the Bakker family themselves. Vega grew up mostly without a mother, as her mother was killed in a NUSA 'counterterrorist' raid during the 2050s and was raised by her father. Though the leader of the pack was supposed to be decided by family meeting, the Hawse family had been leaders of the family for nigh on 30 years by that point, and it was expected that Vega would eventually become the leader of the family when Logan retired... or died.

This began to change when the Bakkers Clan began to suffer due to generations of poor leadership, including one case where the leader of the entire Clan simply up and left. Logan began to agree with the other families in the clan that the Bakkers should join Snake Nation. Vega strongly disagreed, beginning a long feud between Vega and Logan. Panam and Vega would bond over their shared experiences while working together in the Badlands in 2077.

During this time, Vega stopped using her family name, and began to go by the epithet 'V.' She became significantly more morose. The family elders passed this off as Vega being a moody teenager. She had a series of increasingly disastrous relationships, leading her to develop a betrayal trauma. Both ended with her boyfriend cheating on her. One ended with a family meeting after she broke his jaw in a tussle.

Over the 2060 and 2070s, the Bakkers degraded more and more, and Vega was increasingly frustrated at the state of the clan. The final straw was when Logan announced, without a family meeting, that he had decided that the family would join the rest of the Bakkers families in joining Snake Nation. Vega organised a group of younger members of the family against the proposal to join Snake Nation. Logan declared this treason and moved to exile his own daughter at a family meeting.

Vega declared that she'd 'had enough of this shit,' stood up, got into her Galena Rattler, and drove off, never to return. For Logan, Vega died on 21 May 2076, the second she left the family meeting.

For Vega's friends Lincoln Bode and Polaris Draper, the attempt by Logan to exile his own daughter for disagreeing with him was evidence that the Bakkers were dead, and they, alongside some of the younger members of the clan, and a few older ones disgusted with the direction of their clan, left to form the Drakes (based on the icon of the Bakkers Nation), who formed an alliance with a smaller Aldecaldos family, and eventually became part of the Aldecaldos Nation in early 2077.

For Vega, Mama Welles, whom she met through Jackie, and lived with for much of the first six months she spent in Night City, is her mum. For her part, ever since Vega came back, Mama Welles has been calling her frequently to check up on her. Vega and her partner are frequent visitors to El Coyote Cojo, though Vega has tiptoed around the issue of her relationship with So Mi around Mama Welles, and So Mi personally is worried about what her potential future mother-in-law thinks about her.

[polyhexian]

Cons of Ala-Jasp-Dari: At the moment, these men bring out the worst in each other, be it through enabling unhealthy behaviours (stopping that was half the reason Darius broke up with Jasper in the first place), or pissing each other off. They are all Bad Communicators in Hella Emotionally Unhealthy states that do not bode well for polycule negotiations.

It might be funnier if they try to be Just Friends, because then Eda can tease them relentlessly (once it's not Too Soon and won't just hurt) about the romantic and sexual tension they all refuse to address.

Pros of Ala-Jasp-Dari: Those very 'cons' are rich material to dig into for story content! Especially the "how dare you leave me for my own good" that Jasper feels towards Darius, Darius would feel towards Alador if he knew about Alador's parents forcing the breakup by threatening Darius' life, and Alador might be about to feel towards Jasper if Jasper refuses to talk to him (to avoid hurting his chances at custody) when Alador shows up at the Owl House.

Once the simmering anger is not there anymore, they would be so cute. They WANT to protect and take care of each other and make each other happy. Picture, Jasper trying to explain to Alador some of the self-care tips Darius taught Jasper, and Darius watching in horror in the background as Jasper leaves out steps Jasper thinks are unnecessary and Darius thinks are fundamental, and Darius silently going "why is this my type?" Or Alador making abomaton toys for the kids and Darius or Jasper objecting to the small parts/choking hazards of the clockwork bits and Alador pointing out that the mechanical features make them more accessible to witches who can't do abomination magic.

A triangle is the strongest shape in nature. They still need the support structure of their friends and therapists, obviously, but as a threesome they can share the weight of each others' trauma without leaning on just one other person. (Being Jasper's primary support and not feeling able to lean back equally was part of what broke Darius.)

Let them be the sandwich. All three men need the snuggles.

Vibing strongly with this

[the-violet-void]

y'know what, fuck it. time for some trauma dumping. big CW for child abuse, neglect, and self harm

I'm a victim of the terrible US adoption agency!

I was adopted at the age of three. I only have one memory of my time before being adopted, and it was a happy memory that admittedly has some really concerning connotations, but all I really have to go off was what people told me was reported to CPS and my biological mom denying all of it, so Idk I'll just leave this part of my past untouched for now. maybe it was a good idea to remove us, maybe it was total bullshit, either way there is no reason in hell I should have been given to the family I was given to

first of all, my two older siblings and I were promised that we wouldn't ever be separated, only for me to almost immediately be separated from them, and us put into two separate families in completely different cities

I don't know anything about how my siblings were raised, but they went back to our bio mom almost as soon as they each turned 18, so that doesn't bode well. also apparently their adoptive parents wouldn't let them see me more than like once or twice besides at the rare events where it was unavoidable, so yeah

onto the family I was adopted into

____

My adoptive dad has terrible anger issues. any little thing could set him off. like literally just stopping for a second, because whatever was on TV caught my eye while I was walking past while getting ready for school, was enough for him to yell at me. my mom would warn us when he was coming home from work that he was "in a bad mood" sometimes, which basically meant we better be on our absolute best behavior and not annoy him by telling him the joke I heard on TV earlier that day that I thought was really funny

frequently, he would hit me. his go to was slapping. mind you, not spanking (as bad as that is already). slapping. across the face. it got to a point where I developed a dread of getting out of bed in the morning, because the longer I hid on my top bunk, the longer I could stay away from him. I literally don't have a single memory of a school morning where I wasn't slapped around at some point. 9/10 I didn't even know why it was happening. he would never have a talk with me about why I was being punished, just kinda told me "you know what you did"

one day in like 5th or 6th grade I had enough and after he hit me, I hit him back and said "stop hitting me" and his response was to slap me the hardest he's ever done. I fell to my hands and knees, and after I got back up and walked away, my nose started gushing blood. he'll insist to this day that it was just that I was upset and it was cold outside (we were inside where it was reasonably comfortably warm) but I know for a fact that it was because he knocked something loose in there or something like that.

a girl at school noticed the clot in my nose and asked about it, and I told her what happened. she told an adult on my behalf (without me asking, btw). later that night my dad told me to explain to the principal the next day that it was "just spanking for discipline" and that he wasn't abusing me.

One day I was told to clean my adoptive brother and my shared bedroom, and I said "but that's his mess, why doesn't he have to clean it up? it's not fair" and he screamed at me, saying "you have ten seconds to get up there and get that room clean or I'm kicking your ass into next week, is that fair?" and, because I'm autistic and didn't realize it was a hypothetical, I said "no, it's not". he grabbed me by the collar, shoved my head in the nearby kitchen sink, and started blasting me in the face with the spray nozzle. he kept me down for what felt like forever, and I felt like I was drowning the entire time

when I got into high school, he stopped hitting me as often, but there was that one time my brother refused to clean up after his dog after it diarrhea-ed under my bed (for days on end, and I had to sleep right above it) and instead of making him or punishing him, my dad just told me to do it instead. I refused, and my dad shoved me against the closet door, knocking both it off its slider, and a lot of slats out, and then started pulling on my hair as hard as he could while pushing back on my body. I only got out because I managed to accidentally him in the face while I was flailing in pain and desperation, then ran to the bathroom and looked the door and hid until he calmed down. even after all of this I still had to clean it up myself

in adulthood, it doesn't happen a lot, but we get into fist fights sometimes. mostly now it's "just" verbal stuff, like making offhand comments about my weight (pretending he cares about my health when I call him out for it) for example. also even though the apartment we both lease (I hate this arrangement btw, but there's literally no other option for me rn) is equally under both our names, he insists that he is "king of the house" and that I'm "too autistic" to be in charge, when literally all I want is for us to treat each other as equals

btw I found out recently that in his mind, it's ok for a white person to say the N word (with a hard r and everything) as long as they weren't using it "against anyone" and that he wasn't "scared of a word". also he made a point to use the word as much as possible during that "discussion", with immaculate enunciation each time, far better than he was using for any other word of any sentence. I know this isn't abuse towards me, but I just want you to understand the kind of man I was given to. I will say though, I had asked him previously to try to help me de-escalate when our fights got too heated so they don't turn into fist fights anymore, and guess what he didn't do, and guess what happened

_____

on to my mom. as a kid she was my preferred parent. but that doesn't mean she was good.

she didn't slap me around, but she would spank me from time to time. this was rare, though there was the time she threatened to pull down my pants and slap me bare-ass naked in front of the entire store

her go to punishments was time-out, fair enough I guess, but she would leave me there way too long imo. honestly I think she would forget she put me there sometimes

there were plenty of times where she would tell me that we didn't have money for a seven dollar Bionicle set or a cheap Transformer or whatever, then add a new Coach purse to her collection a few days later

because of my autism, vegetables taste like poison to me. like, actual literal poison. I can't handle it at all. it makes me dry heave and everything. the bitterant on a Nintendo Switch cartridge is a sweet treat comparatively. I dreaded any time my mom made dinner because it would mean the potential of being given a seving of vegetables of some kind, and if that happened I was fucked, because she wouldn't let me get up until I finished them. she would do this in front of the extended family too, during holiday dinners, and berate me saying "look at all the other kids outside having fun, you could join them if you just eat your vegetables". there was one time I sat at the table until like 9 or 10 pm before she finally left me get up because I just couldn't bring myself to eat it. dinner was at like 5 or 6

when the whole bloody nose thing happened, she guilt tripped me by saying that if I ever told anyone about my dad's abuse again, that all us kids would be taken away, and (seemingly more important to her) that she would loose her job (she works with kids)

I only ever had friends over once in elementary school, for my birthday one year. unfortunately I spent most of that standing in a corner because I said a word that sounded vaguely like a cuss word or something I don't even know what it was about, but it was one of the most embarrassing days of my life. I finally build up the courage to invite friends over, and she does THIS!? yes of course I was made fun of for this at school

as I got older and started thinking for myself (and by that I mainly mean "coming out" as an athiest) she became a whole lot worse. she started finding any excuse to pick a fight with me, and would intentionally escalate me until my "anger issues" came out (in hindsight I know this was Ember coming out to try to defend me) just so she'd have an excuse to punish me by grounding me. she would especially target weekends where I had big plans with my girlfriend at the time.

Idk if this is abuse in some way, but one day I was watching a few episodes of The Addams Family with that girlfriend and I had my arm around her shoulder completely innocently and my mom sees us from the kitchen and pulls me in there and starts berating me for "sexualizing" my gf. I asked what the problem was, that I just had my hand on her shoulder like pretty much any couple does when they're watching something together and she was like "don't lie to me, I know where your hand was". note that this was all still well in earshot of the girlfriend. if I remember correctly we just kinda laughed it off and went back to watching our show

actually, that reminds me. she didn't want me and the girlfriend having sex, or showing physical affection of any kind really, because she didn't want any of the younger kids exposed to it. the sex part I totally get, but like kissing, hugging, and holding hands was too far as well. hell she would get antsy if we even sat on the same piece of furniture. wanna know how she would make sure we weren't having sex? she would send my younger brother to spy on us secretly and report to her if he ever caught us in the act. y'know, the younger brother she didn't want exposed to that sort of thing? to this day that gap in basic logic confounds me

there was this one time when I was just watching Netflix on my 3DS and my sister kinda stole the ability to watch Netflix from me on another device (my mom was only paying for one person to be able to use it at a time) so I let her watch an episode of her show before taking it back. my sister threw a fit over this, and my mom came in and got Ember and me so wound up that E threw a book (not even in anyones direction, and it landed harmlessly on the floor with nary a corner ruffled) and she called the police on me for it. her exact words to the dispatcher was "hello, I would like to press charges on my son..." I went into the kitchen and made her watch me self harm and told her straight up that she and my dad are the reason this happens. she looked at me dead in the eyes and said "I'm not the one holding the knife to your arm"

nowadays we have a sort of unspoken truce, though she refuses to accept that I'm trans or call me by my real name or use my pronouns because I'm autistic so according to her I don't know what I want from life (btw, remember when I said she worked with kids? it's in the mental health field, so by now that should terrify you)

______

they were both pretty neglectful. I mean I was fed, clothed (even though I didn't like any of the clothes) and never slept without a roof over my head, but they were emotionally neglectful (mainly I couldn't depend on them to help me when I was upset) and my ability to hold a conversation took a hit because they refused to show any interest in a conversation with me that lasted longer than like 30 seconds or whatever. to this day I still have it internalized that no one cares what I have to say and that I'm a nuisance to everyone around me. I also have a really hard time reaching out to people when I'm need help

I was the scapegoat of the family. any time one of the other kids did something wrong, and my parents weren't around to see it, I would be blamed immediately

when I started self harming in high school, instead of trying to help improve my life, or get to the bottom of why I was doing it, or anything like that, they punished me. I'm pretty sure I was grounded, and they definitely went through my room and took away anything metal, even if it wasn't even sharp at all

one day after moving out I was visiting my parents' house and I saw a notepad back and forth between my fellow adopted sibling and one of my parents, I don't know which one. it was something about them wanting him to do a chore and him not wanting to do it because he felt like shit that day or something. this went back and forth for a few pages until whichever parent it was said "we adopted you. you are our property. you will do what we say". so yeah mask off there, huh?

____

I spent most of my childhood hiding in my room playing video games. they became an escape, as well as a way to stay out of my parents' way

I have flashbacks to my dad's abuse frequently. sometimes I'll be so wrapped up in intrusive thoughts playing through my mom's arguments that I'll find myself responding to "her" verbally.

like I mentioned before I have a really hard time believing anyone cares about me

no joke I looked up a symptoms list of CPTSD like a month ago and I found I could tick off every single thing on the list that came up. I talked to my psychiatrist about it, hoping I could get a diagnosis (over time of course, I wasn't expecting it right away), but she kinda dismissed me and told me that I had to talk to a therapist about it, so yeah.

at this point literally all I want is a reasonably comfortable quiet life, maybe sharing a place with a partner or a few, and never having to look at or talk to my adoptive family again. I honestly don't know if I can start healing and bettering myself in any major ways until then

[giriduck]

Breath of the Wild is simply excellent, but its gorgeous atmosphere is steeped in so much melancholy and sadness, through both widespread and personal tragedies.

The entire kingdom underwent a disaster that produced a shared trauma of which the survivors all had stories and perspectives. We catch little glimpses of that in BotW that they expand upon more in Age of Calamity, as you see the beginnings of the Calamity unfold.

Then in BotW, a century passes. Most of the people who lived through the Calamity have passed away. But the next generation(s) of the people born into the world have accepted the higher level of baseline danger as the only reality they've ever known.

Those who travel do so with swords and shields to protect themselves against an inevitable bokoblin attack. Goddess help you if you encounter a moblin. Invest in a horse if you can afford it; the ability to ride away will save your life. Stay away from Hyrule Field; that place is crawling with guardians. The castle? They say that a princess is in there; that she sacrificed herself to dam the flow of malice from that forsaken place. Will the Calamity someday break free and consume everything? Hard to say, but there are more and more places where pools and blobs of the nasty, glowing stuff have seeped up from the ground.

It doesn't bode well, but what can the average people of Hyrule do about it?

Well, they pushed through any sense of helplessness and got on with their lives. They took the proper precautions to take care of themselves and those around them. Age of Calamity digs into this adaptation phase a little more: mention of how a trade association was established, that there was greater coordination and alignment of relief and support efforts, etc. In short: things didn't grind to a halt forever.

It's probably because I didn't start playing Breath of the Wild until I had an abundance of time when all of my in-person / social / interface-with-the-general-public hobbies and gatherings were paused due to the pandemic, that I can't help but make parallels to our own global, real-life calamity. It's been three years since the pandemic began, and I'm personally having to re-assess my own risk threshold for the hundredth time and calibrate to what finally feels like a "new normal." I've been very cautious with the pandemic and locked down since it was detected in my region, but now I need to do some adapting and figure out how to safely and sustainably resume pre-pandemic goals, accepting that the baseline danger of getting sick is simply higher than it was before this pandemic started.

[walker-extended-universe]

WIP Emoji Game

My October WIPs are dwindling so let's see what you people can make me do.

Send me an emoji and I'll write five lines of any of the following WIPs and share them:

⚖️- Fire Country AU- Riley lives but Bode's still outcast. Now that Bode is back, how is everyone handling this news? 👹- Sam goes to Claremont- Sam uses Martin as his "stone number one" in the absence of Dean 🐶- Sam/Cordell Bodyswap Chapter 2- Sam tries to blend in and Cordell's in an action movie 🦄- Wildfire Season 4 AU- Dani follows Kris out of California 🍭- Fire Country/Tracker Crossover- Gabby is in trouble, Manny borrows more money, and tensions continue to rise as Colter looks for the truth 👶- Single Dad Sam AU- Raising a baby in a motel room brings up trauma for both brothers 🍻- Deranged Dean- August starts to accept his role as "Sammy", and Colter joins the fray 😱- Tracker AU- Russell finds out he has a daughter in the worst way 🎁- Tracker/Fire Country AU- What if Bode didn't get arrested and Sharon uses another method to find her son? 💔- Wildfire/Supernatural AU- Kris gets drawn into the hunting lifestyle and Sam and Dean are just what she needs to get over her heartbreak

[number63liveblogs]

Rule of Wolves, 41: Nina

Considering that it’s clear that Zoya is going to be a queen… it really doesn’t bode well for Ravka that Nina had to talk her out of attacking the Fjerdans here. What’s going to happen, once she has a lot more power and she’s still the same vengeful person? Most likely Nikolai will be able to keep her from stepping out of line too much, but I can definitely imagine a situation where Zoya thinks that Nikolai is being too soft or something, and going behind his back and hurting a lot of people.

I think the issue is that this scene is supposed to be a culmination of a part of Nina’s character arc, and that’s why Zoya’s character isn’t give the thought it needs. She isn’t the main character for this scene, so everything that happens is for the benefit of Nina.

Although I do want to see Nina’s next discussion with Joran, now that she’s come to the conclusion that he’s worth saving. I think it’s going to be something that the both of them need, to get over what’s basically their shared trauma over Matthias’s death.

[beepboop358]

I am very sorry for incoming thought spiral. But it has occured to me that Mike pulls away from Eleven -or rather their relationship gets more strained- the more outwardly feminine El gets. For example you could do a scatterplot graph for the length of her hair vs how "good" their relationship is.

Its funny because her hair is also a symbol of her own self worth or self esteem. Or maybe just her idea of "personhood". Which makes it doubly interesting the almost directly after her argument with Mike her head is shaved again. The monster vs superhero argument in her head is so tragically compounded by Mike that i don't know how people want them to be together?

I fully expect her, for example, to "find herself" in v2- her hair a metaphor for the shearing away of these ideas she's clung to of what makes someone pretty or good or whole, a total full circle moment to embrace herself and all that scares her about herself where the hair, again, is pretty symbolic.

So where does Mike fit into that? He doesnt, at least not as anything but a footnote. But his story mirrors hers so well! The identity crisis and shedding ideas of conformity and what he is supposed to do or want to fully embrace "the self".

Their story arcs, their growth, their whole journey this season doesnt make sense if they get back together. If this season is about conformity and growing (up) and finding yourself, then the only logical follow through is their break up.

So even without factoring Will into this, it just doesn't bode well for mike and eleven. Will though? Byler? Different story entirely.

Again sorry I just needed to word vomit 💖

Hi!!

Don't apologize, I love thought spirals :) That is literally just my brain 24/7 LOL.

I completely agree with everything you said. This is very well explained!!

As El gets more feminine, Mike's interest in her declines. And you're totally right that El does associate her having longer hair with the idea of fullness or personhood, and she prefers herself with longer hair. I think that's partially a trauma response from having to have her head shaved in the lab, but also because she's trying to emulate the women around her, because she idolizes and looks up to them so much. I don't know how people want them together either. They're just so bad as romantic partners...I like them as friends and I think they'll always be bonded because Mike saved El's life in season 1, but they just don't work as a couple - regardless of Will being in the picture, and regardless of Mike's sexuality too. Mike & Eleven's romantic relationship cannot stand on its own.

I completely agree the only logical follow-up to their story arcs this season is for them to officially, officially break up. And I feel like based on what we got in Vol. 1, we're well on the way there.

Thanks for sharing anon :) I hope you're well! xx

[share-the-damn-bed]

The tree portal scene and Jonathan sleeping at Nancy’s. Was simply bc he was there? Don’t u think he could’ve been anyone, it just so happened to be him so Nancy felt immediately bonded w him like did she forget he perved on her right before all of that? Do they get together simply because of their trauma bond?

Usually, I don't respond to these types of asks because I don't want to waste my time. However, I want to take this as an opportunity to clear up a big misconception I have seen many Jancy critics make recently.

Trauma bonding does NOT mean "two people who experience something traumatic together and thus feel boded over the experience." This is what I believe you are referring to, Anon.

In reality, trauma bonding is a signifier of an abusive relationship where the victim is love bombed before/after abusive episodes and manipulated into thinking they are in a loving relationship. It is very difficult for victims to leave and is a very serious situation (More information if interested)

In the future, Anon, if you are critiquing Jancy please don't use the term "trauma bonded" if you mean "the only thing their relationship is built on is shared trauma."

Now to briefly answer your questions since I've already wasted my time here: 1) I think if it could have been anyone and was simply because Jonathan was there, they would have gotten together at the end of season one and their feelings would not have lasted into season two and beyond (and their relationship definitely would have expired before the end of season three). 2) I don't think Nancy fell in love with Jonathan because he pulled her from the tree and they spent the night together. The build of up of their partnership and eventual romantic relationship is deeper than that and way more nuanced than that. I have not had a blog dedicated to Jancy for ~5 years because he pulled her from the tree and they spent the night together. 3) I've always understood that people are hesitant to like Jancy because of the photos. They were creepy. BUT he apologized and Nancy forgave him and that behavior has yet to be seen again across all 4 seasons. That's good enough for me, but it's okay if it's not good enough for you, Anon.