#Children are still exploited there though to be clear

[badwolf-67]

Have we thought about just…not monetizing online content that is based around children? Like where children are the main source of entertainment on that show. I’m not talking about like actual tv shows/movies (that’s a different conversation though) but like YouTube, TikTok, or family vlogs that are entirely based around a child being the main reason people watch. I know it doesn’t solve every problem, but if those kinds of things were de-monetized, or at the Very Least were harder to monetize, would that not solve at least some problems?

[x-reader-things]

Hello!I just stumbled upon your recent post about opening up commissions again. And it makes me happy you do Arcane!😅. Anyway I was maybe hoping for my request/suggestion.

Vi x female reader(She/her). It's just romantic of course!idk of you're comfortable with a single mother fem y/n?like reader already has the child it's ok to not do this!!

I just more so want some Vi x female reader where Vi gets out of Still water and going to find her onve teen girlfriend again baisvally a chess reunion between them

It's been a while since I've written a request, and anything for Arcane in that matter so I hope this isn't too ooc-

Anyways I love Vi <33333

"I trust her."

Vi x f!reader [could be easily read as gn!reader though too, no phsyical specifics about reader were described]

Summary ; In which Vi discovers you're looking after a kid.

Requested? ; Yes.

Warnings ; None, outside of a small description of an injury and some mentions of enforcers being awful.

Word count ; 1.3 k words.

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"You... have a kid?"

The small hellion behind you hid by your legs. He barely reached past your knees. A bit small for a five year old, but given the circumstances of Zaun... it was the norm.

You turned towards the kid, and placed a comforting hand on the top of his head. He visibly relaxed at the gesture, and tentatively peaked out to look at the strong woman in front of you both.

"Not my kid by blood, Vi", you told her with a forced chuckle. "You know me, I don't think I'd get with any of the guys down here in Zaun. Even here in the Firelights."

Vi took her gaze off of the kid, and settled her eyes on you.

"Well...", she started, her tone a bit tense. "It has been, what, seven years? Things change."

Except you, she hoped. Kind hearted, beautiful you. A light in the dark of Zaun and Piltover alike. At least, that's how she described you as when it was just her and Vander, talking about everything and nothing during one of the calmer nights before shit hit the fan.

"Not always", you replied. You kept your voice calm, and careful. A habit you've made for yourself whenever the Firelights let in someone new. It kept the children the group took care of calm, and kept the adults from lashing out. You did that because you had no idea what the newcomers had been through. Be it their addiction to Shimmer, loss of a loved one, or the brutality of an enforcer.

You had to make sure there was a level of trust. And stars know how you needed to keep that up with Vi, with everything she's been through at Stillwater. Keep a level head. Don't let all your old emotions and memories resurface to the cracks you painstakingly had to fill.

Especially with the little guy near your legs, who had begun to stare tiny daggers at Vi.

"This little guy--", you began, voice straining with a bit of effort while you hauled him up to your hip. "--is still new here. Kind of. Won't leave my side, not that I mind. Scar said it was like I was... reverse adopted or something like that."

You smiled wryly at the thought. "I figured why not take him under my wing? Help him acclimate and get used to it here. I had extra space in my room too, so it all worked out."

A small smile pulled at the corners of Vi's mouth. You were still just as kindhearted as when you both were teenagers. Still lovely.

Good, she thinks. That's good.

"So... not your kid then, bird?"

The nickname fell so seamlessly off her tongue. A nickname she gave you because during your little exploits up to Piltover, whenever it was just you and her, you practically flew around the buildings. You had told her it was because you had a good teacher to help you. If Vi remembered correctly, that was around the time of her first kiss with you.

She said you were amazing, you said you had a good teacher and gave her the softest eyes she could ever imagine and then...

Well, your glance away from her said it all. You remembered it too.

She missed you so much.

Clearing your throat, you continued. "No, no, he's still my kid. Best kid all around - and I will be biased, 'cause he's a great helper, isn't that right, Clay?"

Clay, the boy in your arms, nodded. He still glowered at the woman in front of you.

"Doesn't seem like he likes me all that much", Vi said. She shoved her hands back into the pockets of her jacket, and took a small step forward. Clay leaned back into you defensively, and a small arm wrapped around the front of your shoulders. Vi raised a brow at that. A curious one, rather than the usual judgemental one.

You adjusted your hold on the five year old, one hand raised to his back to keep him stable on your hip. Your other hand moved to his arm, and gently pried his hand off of your shoulder. You let him keep a hold on your hand to mess with it, an action you were used to doing by then. Over time you had found out the kid was tactile, and hated being left alone for too long.

"He doesn't trust people he doesn't know too well. Gets quiet, too. Plus you were hauled in here with a bag over your head and got tied up before Ekko found out it was you, and not some other piltie, so...", you shrugged. Vi huffed out a wry laugh.

"Figures. I wouldn't trust me either, kid", she said to Clay. Clay blinked at her, the sharpness in his eyes reducing the slightest bit.

"Vi, here, isn't like those pilties though", you said to him. "She's not like those enforcers from what happened, kiddo. Can't say much for that friend of hers, but Vi's trustworthy. You alright if I show you?"

You held out the hand he was playing with, and opened it with your palm facing up, as if you were offering your hand over to Vi. Clay glanced in between you both, and regarded Vi with a careful scrutiny. When he saw the care in your eyes, and the calmness in both of you, he quietly spoke.

" 'Think so."

"You sure?", you asked. Vi swears your voice got ten times more gentle, ten times more sweet. Although, that could be the nostalgia talking. Nonetheless, it was still there. "I don't wanna do something you're uncomfortable with, bud."

" 'M sure."

"Alright." You nodded at him, and your eyes went back to Vi. Your hand still remained outstretched towards her, a quiet beckon for her to take it into her own. Just like you've done dozens of times before this, when you were just teenagers. Just kids.

Your eyes traced over her. Took in every new scar, every new tattoo and muscle. Her hands were infinitely roughed up, even with the bandages over them. However, it was still her. Still Vi.

Your Vi.

Changes or no changes, she was still the person you grew to love years ago. And hopefully, she still understood that silent plea in your eyes to hold her hand.

Vi's eyes, the softest of powder blue, went gentle. The bags under them still sagged, but the weight of them lightened. Almost tentatively, she raised her hand to yours.

The briefest of touches, her fingertips to yours, sparked with static. Vi flinched her hand away at first, and shared a laugh with you at how sudden it was. But after that, her hand slipped right onto yours.

You squeezed her wrist, and she did the same. You turned her hand over, so that her own hand was laid out, palm up, and raised it just a bit so that Clay could see it better.

"See? She's not so bad", you mumbled. "Rough around the edges, sure, but everyone is. Vi won't hurt you, and she won't hurt me."

Clay stared at Vi's hand, and listened carefully to your words. He reached down, and placed his small hand onto the bandages covering Vi's palm.

The sleeve on his jacket rose up, showing the bandages wrapped around his own wrist. An injury from a harsh scrape he got from running away from an enforcer. By the time you and a few firelights found him, it was already infected. Luckily, back there at the Firelight's tree, there were enough antibiotics there to help. And luckily, he was healing.

Vi and Clay looked up at each other. The tension pulling at Clay's shoulders dropped some, and Vi just gave him a small nod.

"See what I mean, Clay?" Your thumb brushed against her wrist, moving slowly in a crescent shape against her skin. A habit you used to have, years ago. "She won't hurt us."

You gazed back into her eyes. Longing and love and hurt swirled behind them. Tapered down, but still there.

"I trust her."

I missed you.

[lovesim09]

Free Labour?

As you know, Cale has a lot of people, so he also has a lot of expenses. Even though he calls himself trash and often talks about using people, does he really exploit them and give nothing in return?

The only people he uses in my opinion are Rasheel and Pendrick. However, in Rasheel's case, he listens to orders from the Dragon Lord, and he afraid of the two oldest dragons. When it comes to Pendrick, as an elf he is not interested in material gains. His ability can heal and can be used on people with a dark attribute. It is very easy to convince him to cooperate, just tell him that he is doing a good deed, or say that a dragon would like him to help the Cale group. I remember at Castle Leona, Eruhaben wouldn't come empty handed and who did he take with him? Yes Pendrick. He even took him to another world with him. The wind elementals don't get anything from him either, but these adorable creatures are so happy that he hears them and talks to them 🥹. They also have a lot of fun when it comes to destroying everything, robbing people, etc.

So is Cale really taking advantage of his people?

▪︎Children, I'm not just talking about kittens and Raon. I'm also thinking about wolf children. First, Cale didn't want to take them to dangerous places. When it comes to wolf children, they appear during fights when he's sure they won't be hurt too badly. Cats and Raon are always close to him or hidden. They never fight directly. Lock is the oldest but he doesn't even take him often because he's still a kid. And he always tries to make sure that nothing will happen to him. Even during the war he told him to stay close to him and protect Raon nothing more. He's the one who got them a new home, he probably gives all the children pocket money, with the wolf children he may not do it directly, but they definitely get money too. I am also sure that the Henituse family helps financially with them. In addition, he never forget about gifts. Accept that you are a father.

▪︎Choi Han, homeless and poor. Cale gave him money, arranged for a new sword, new clothes. A new house, a place to train. He also arranged better graves for the dead residents of Harris village. It also gave him a reason to distract himself from this traumatic event. Choi Han did as Cale asked in gratitude, but he actually got more than Cale in their transaction. Even when Cale sent him to Lock's village, he gave him potions, and they're not that cheap. Don't fool yourself, Cale.

▪︎Rosalyn. He became her sponsor. She has her own lab in his house, he gave her mana stones. Do I need to remind you how many billions, was that? Traveling with him gave her more than one opportunity to grow and develop, and more often than not, she did. In the future there will be a free city where she can build tower, he also has a project for a tower. I understand that having a future Mage Tower Master as a friend is beneficial, but you still spent too much. He scams himself again.

▪︎Molan family. In this case, his family did a lot for them. They got jobs, Beacrox learned how to cook. They had a place to hide. Later, Cale gave them a chance for revenge. He literally blew up the island for Ron. They got their home back and Cale also helped regain his foothold in the underworld. And he was supposedly trying to get rid of them so that they would travel with Choi Han 🙄.

▪︎ Sun twins. He saved their lives, hid them, gave them shelter and a home. He cleared their names, gave them a Church to control. Saint Jack is the Pope, the head of the Church, even if he is not officially named that at this point. He gave them divine artifact. He helped them in the rebellion so that their homeland would not have a civil war and would not be taken over by other countries. Okay, they helped him weaken the empire, thanks to the rebellion. So in the future, the title of empire may be taken away from them. They still got more benefits as if Hannah was still alive thanks to you and Mary.

▪︎Tiger tribe. He gave them Harris village, with the consent of Deruth. The clothes they are often described in. The dojo uniform was bought by him. He gave them an opportunity for revenge. You gave them a home where they can run wild (poor monsters in the Forest of Darkness), you got gifts from them but it's nothing compared to the benefits they got.

▪︎ Crown prince Alberu. Cale gave him precious dead mana from the dragon, thanks to him Taylor is on his side,Duchess also went over to his side. Support of the Henituse family, the richest family in the Roan kingdom. Cale helped him develop Roan militarily, he gave him mages. The alliance between the kingdoms was formed with his help, after all, he was the one who had a connection to every single person there. Not to mention emotional support. Ok he can give him a headache, extra paperwork, but he still has benefits. Thanks to him Alberu can become the first Emperor of Roan Empire. He doesn't even realize that he has become an Emperor maker.

▪︎Mary and dark elves. Mary got a bunch of bones from his backyard, he gave her dragon bones. She has a new home, he gave her the opportunity to travel. Dark elves and Mary have been accepted by the world, the Church can't even touch them. Helping him in the fight they got dead mana, became stronger. He also gave them the opportunity to go wild during the war. I haven't forgotten how they behaved in the empire and Molden Kingdom. In addition, he tried to reduce the pain Mary felt. No wonder the dark elves like him so much and always help him.

▪︎Eruhaben. Even if he didn't want at first, Cale helped him extend his life. Cale supports him financially after ARM robbed him, all alchemical ingredients are bought by Cale, gave him lots of mana stones. Eruhaben adopted himself into his family. He helps them because he does not want young people to suffer and be hurt.

▪︎ Whale tribe. They appeared so often that they are now part of the family. Paseton was saved by him. He helped them destroy the swamp from which the mermaids were getting their poison. He destroyed the mermaid base along with the island. He gave them the opportunity to take revenge on ARM for helping the mermaids. Even Archie can show his true character around Cale. At first it balanced out how much help Cale got and how much they got from him. However, as the story progressed, those as part of his family were happy to help

▪︎Mila and Dodori. In their case, it's hard to say. Dodori is obsessed with the heroes and would like to write a book about Cale and others. Cale has also become his teacher. Mila is a supportive mother. Later they too were adopted themself into his family. Cale has an affinity to dragons, probably through dominating aura.

▪︎Elves. They were his people for a while, they even called him Commander . He helped the World tree, in return they were supposed to help him. They tried to help Bud find his people, but it was a trap.

▪︎Clopeh. I know, he had no choice. But Cale spared his life, allowed him to create a new legend with the wyverns. Then Choi Han and him helped him obtain the technique to use dead mana, which made him stronger. He also gave him a sword to be his guardian.

▪︎Dragon half blood. Even though he was his enemy, Cale gave them the choice to live or die. Then, he made him wash dishes, his people put his soul in the bones of a dragon. It really sounds awful, but the most important thing for Half Blood was that he had a choice. Even as an enemy he was given a choice, something he had never had in 900 years. In addition, he was able to experience a normal life during the time he worked for him. Even in the second part he saved his life and gave him a name. Something he had wanted for 900 years 🥲.

So yes, all this time the people he helped got more benefits than him. But he will still argue and call himself trash.

[pruneunfair]

The relationship between Penelope and Eckles: A bad ending scenario.

Readers of the popular manhwa/novel "Villains are destined to die" are well aware of the dynamic between Penelope and her first choice for survival, Eckles and many claim that it is a toxic relationship, which it is, but what REALLY makes it not only toxic but also a bad ending scenario for the characters? A lot of people shift the full blame to Eckles for bringing Yvonne/Leila back to the Eckharts, thus putting Penelope in danger, but he isn't the sole person to blame.

The relationship in its simplest form is of a slave and his master. Their first meeting involves Penelope purchasing him from a slave auction for 100 million gold, and she makes it clear to him that he is still not a person in her eyes. The whole purpose of Penelope buying Eckles was for her own survival, yes but she doesn't try to hide what she sees him as: A pet or a dog that she is training to obey her every command.

Since Penelope is the slave master in this dynamic, she holds all the power that determines the fate of Eckles depending on if he obeys or disobey's what she wants out of him. Though she may be the most hated member of her household, she is still is the one with the money she used to purchase a human being or in her view a "pet"

The thing with Penelope that makes it harder to defend her when she does the things that she does is that the new soul in her body is originally from the modern era. She of all people should know better that slavery in general is one of humanities most disgusting crimes against itself and of all else, she has experienced severe abuse at the hands of her family, both her original family from the modern day and the Eckharts.

Penelope's own experiences and how they play into her abuse of Eckles.

As I'm sure we all know. Penelope was originally a poverty stricken girl who was barely getting by before she was adopted and welcomed into her new family when she was 12. Despite duke Eckhart being the one to adopt her, he does a half-assed job at it and pretty much gives up on trying to do anything more than the bare minimum when she supposedly starts acting out.

Her new brothers are no better than her original brothers and they absolutely despise her, seeing her as a shallow replacement of their lost younger sister and Penelope secretly wishing that Yvonne would either die or never come back did not help her case at all. Reynold would blame her for petty thievery to get out his frustrations on Penelope and Derrick was both lusting after her while wanting to trap and hurt her at the same time. The entire house family as all essentially a death trap where something as little as fork could kill Penelope. In general, she had no one she could trust and would be victim blamed if she ever voiced her concerns or even anger for her treatment.

However, when Penelope/ Cha Siyeon purchases a seemingly loyal Eckles, she doesn't believe that she could ever be at fault for being the master of a person who has been broken down so badly that he is essentially a blank slate for what could be considered grooming. Aside from Cha Siyeon being 20 and Eckles being 17, (which while that could be an interesting story to tell, I doubt that was meant the main point of why the relationship was abusive given that the body of Penelope is the same age.) The reason I believe that Penelope groomed Eckles is because even if you say, "But Penelope is also 17-18" Grooming can happen to anyone, children are the most vulnerable to it of course but it can also be applied to anyone around the abuser's age.

Grooming overall is taking somebody who is incredibly vulnerable and in need of care and exploiting that person by manipulating them through a built of trust to get what the abuser wants out them, which is usually sexual gratification but that's not what I think Penelope wants out of Eckles, what she wants is the safety she'll get from securing a good ending with one of the male leads and Eckles is the easiest to earn affection points from. The dynamic between them though is still under a huge power imbalance, where Eckles would not be allowed to say no to her no matter what she asks of him.

At first, Penelope thinks she is already doing a good job by doing the bare minimum for Eckles which at first includes not doing things that a lot of slave masters did to their slaves which you probably guessed, isn't really that worthy to earn an applause for not whipping a man. Besides, while Penelope hasn't been shown to be physically abusive, that doesn't mean she sees him as someone worthy of respect.

Below is a basic summary of what Eckles is to Penelope in panel form.

Penelope is essentially asserting her power over Eckles by reminding him that she has the power to send him back to slavery if she feels he is disobeying her.

If that alone isn't messed up, she is also given a ring that has the ability to paralyze Eckles if she presses it.

I don't think enough people realize how disgusting the choker and ring really are. If someone really wanted to, this ring could be used to paralyze Eckles, and he wouldn't be able to anything to stop the ring holder from doing whatever they want to him. I would say that he is extremely that Penelope's goal isn't sexual gratification but really, we shouldn't be congratulating a slave owner for not sexually abusing their slave

When the audience sees that Penelope is praising Eckles instead of verbally abusing him, defending him from other guards that see him as lesser, and buying him new clothes and a sweet new sword, it is believed that Penelope is already breaking the cycle of abuse by what is essentially love bombing Eckles, which is a common step in the grooming process that is typically used so that the victim will have a harder time recognizing the abuser as abusive when they think back to all the adoration they showed for them in the past.

Remember, Penelope is not doing these nice things for Eckles because she wants him to feel comfortable or because she loves him. She's doing it for her own benefit: Her survival. Later on, when their relationship progresses, it seems like to some level, that Penelope starts to enjoy the power she has over Eckles, not just in the form of relief that she feels like she'll be safe but also as a twisted form of power that she finally has for herself. Everyone from both of her lives treated like absolute shit out of pure hatred for her or in Derricks case, as a sick way to distract himself from the fact that he wants to cage Penelope and keep her as a hidden wife. This would be the first time Penelope had control of really anything at all, a human being, I do believe that the big reason Penelope doesn't acknowledge that she's hurting someone is because Eckles is "willingly" serving her, obeying everything she says, seemingly not minding that she sees him as a pet, and calls her master, that she technically isn't doing anything wrong because ECKLES is the one who wants it even though he is a 17 year old slave who wouldn't be allowed to hate her even if he wanted to. She can't possibly fathom that she is an abuser because Eckles, a person who has been broken down so many times that he sees no value in himself as a human and only as Penelope's pet, is the one telling her she didn't do anything wrong.

while the goal of surviving the game isn't unreasonable, Penelope seems to justify EVERYTHING she does with her own survival. As I said, she isn't the type of person who wants to admit she's become exactly what she hated, this is most obviously shown in recent chapters where she tells Eckles that the reason she attempted suicide was because of him and that if she knew she would have to see him again, it would have been better if she actually died.

She is completely ignoring the fact that she played a huge hand in dehumanizing Eckles as nothing but a tool and when that tool feels to have lost its purpose, she breaks his collar that was initially used to control him, setting him free which represents the toxic relationship beint broken off while still thinking of the person bitterly when she wishes Eckles well with his new master (Leila)

Eckles as an abuser.

Now before I get accused of painting Eckles as a soft lil victim who did nothing wrong. He, like Penelope, is not a perfect victim.

Since he has no human rights, the best way for him to survive is to do what his master wants even if he hates it. Eckles has been shown to fantasize about doing the same thing to her by trapping her by bringing Leila back to the mansion (He was brainwashed but I'm pretty sure Leilas powers work best when the feelings she's looking to amplify are already there.) and betraying his own people just so he can gain a commoner status and an excuse to force Penelope by his side.

Over time, he develops hatred for Penelope alongside his obsession for her. While he is categorized as a yandere, I believe that the reason Eckles "loves" Penelope is because he really just loves the idea of hurting her the same way she hurts him. Whenever this is because he thinks that abusing each other is just a way of expressing love, or if he genuinely wants to hurt her back as a form of resentment. He too, wouldn't be entirely opposed to abusing Penelope by isolating her and forcing her to rely on him and only him, perhaps even killing her himself, thus repeating the cycle of abuse yet again.

In general, this relationship was doomed to fail no matter if it was Penelope sending Eckles back to the auction house or if Eckles succeeded in defeating Callisto, It serves as a bad ending where nobody had to be better and take responsibility for their behavior. Penelope could continue enjoying the power she has over Eckles while Eckles isolates her and becomes violent enough to keep her away from everyone else in the outside world.

[lelanida]

The dualism of Sky. A small essay.

Vincent Diamante, maestro, we don't deserve you. Music is the heart and soul of Sky. It's not the face of the game, no. Music does not try to attract attention and force you to interrupt the gameplay in order to enjoy it. Instead, it works for the atmosphere, not just without overriding everything else but also giving other aspects leadership positions. Sky's music is patiently waiting for you to pay attention to it. And since we're all here, let's appreciate it.

Sky has two main leitmotifs. The first is the theme of our first flight on the Isle of Dawn. It also plays during the loading of the game during the daytime. The second is the "Flight" by Aurora. Not many people pay attention to this, but these two melodies accompany us (in one form or another) in a bunch of other compositions. "The first flight" sounds at moments of special emotional uplift and "Flight" at moments of decline. You may think: "Well, what's the big deal? The music, written at a time when lore was still important, contains an interesting subtext.". But it's not that simple. I listened to the rest of Sky ost. I have tracked the use of these leitmotifs, and I can say with confidence that these two themes never play together. The composition either uses only one of the leitmotifs, or both, but at different ends of the song... ...I was thinking until I listened to the soundtrack of the season of prophecy.

The theme that sounds when you complete the trial. In it, both leitmotifs are woven together.

This is the ONLY theme in the entire game built in this way. I sat in a stupor for a while and was about to bury this musical analysis. But then it hit me. What was the season of prophecy about anyway? No, not about the trials. NO, not about the extra candle cakes. The season of prophecy was about Alef.

The theme of passing the trial is the theme of Alef. And it combines two opposing leitmotivs.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, get ready for madness because this simple detail puts everything in its place.

As soon as I found out about the existence of the Megabird in lore of Sky, this character immediately interested me. I liked how she was essentially detached from the whole action, but at the same time, incredibly tightly woven into it. Megabird is Sky's phenomenon whose potential TGC is afraid to exploit.

I have always been confused by the generally accepted image of a Megabird. She is always portrayed as a powerful, very wise, prudent, and merciful being. The true and only ruler of this world. Everyone was pleased. But not me. And the most important thing is that I couldn't explain why! Something inside me subconsciously resisted the concept of monotheism within the framework of Sky, but there was no specific reason. I had a feeling that it was simply... wrong. And now I realized: This is indeed wrong! Megabird, as the only deity, will actually break the whole system!

Sky is steeped in dualism. It's always one thing against another. I mean:

Life and death.

Nature and machine.

Sky and ground.

Descendants and ancestors.

Children and elders.

Light and darkness.

In this, Sky is different from Journey. In Journey, you didn't have a clear enemy. Journey taught that you can become your own enemy. The ancient civilization destroyed itself, not someone from outside. And the messengers must step over themselves, and themselves only in order to be reborn. Journey taught you to look into yourself. Sky is about something else.

Even though the concepts of these games are similar, Sky is a fundamentally different game. Sky is about joining up with others. Therefore, Sky sets a clear boundary between "we" and "they". And I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Otherwise, this system simply would not have worked. In Sky, everything has an opposing force. The other side of the coin, if you please.

Megabird just can not be the only deity. This contradicts the whole system, starting from philosophy and ending with music. Someone, something, sentient, unsentient, there MUST BE SOMETHING on the other side. That's why I made Angst.

Let's return to the topic of the two leitmotifs and the Alef. The system of confrontation between the two sides can give us an answer to another question.

What is "the void"?

We know that after the explosion of the crystal, Alef fell in a kind of "void", from which he still has not found a way out. But what kind of place is this? Many people used to think that this is something like a dimension of darkness. But I can disagree with this.

At first It is logical: Alef was imprisoned in a darkstone crystal and fell into darkness. But I have a question: Why does this "darkness" charge us?

The void is not darkness. If it was the darkness, it would have extinguished the skykids' cores in the blink of an eye. The void is the place BETWEEN light and darkness.

Alef, the child of light, was imprisoned in a darkstone crystal, the gift of darkness. Together, they created a new, third kind of energy. Chaotic, unpredictable, wrong. Alef has united in himself, things that, according to the laws of this world, cannot be combined. Therefore, it is his theme that connects the two main leitmotivs of the game. The Alef was on both sides at the same time.

But you can't be on two sides. You're either light or dark, or you're not on anyone's side, like ancestors were. At the moment of the Shattering, Alef literally tore the fabric of the Sky universe itself. That's why he got into the void. After all, if he does not obey the fundamental law of this world, then he has nothing to do in this world.

The void is the space between light and darkness. Like a number divided by zero, the void is negligible, but at the same time infinite. It is a mirror that doesn't allow energy to mix. Therefore, the floor in it charges us. The void reflects our own light back into the cape.

That's why the Megabird sends us to die in Eden. With our sacrifice, we repeat the same shattering on a reduced scale and fall into the void to the Alef. But Alef sacrifices a fragment of his former power to bring us back to the side of light. And when that happens, the void just pushes us out.

Something like that.

[sarasade]

It's been pretty interesting to follow the

"Why Didn't Viren Get Redeemed vs Viren Got What Was Coming To Him"

discussion after The Dragon Prince's 6th season got released.

Hot Take

I think Viren got redeemed.

Because to me Viren humbling himself and acknowledging the hurt he has caused was redeeming. His conversation with Soren was the main event. His rather heroic death was only the cherry on top of the character development cake that has been baking since s4.

I think Viren dying wasn't as significant as what he did before that and how he tried to provide Soren with some kind of comfort and closure, you know, as a parent should, before going. Viren's redemption wasn't just him dying for Katolis but acknowledging his wrongdoings and trying to salvage what he could.

That was pretty redeeming for me at least. Viren did the right thing even when he knew there wouldn't be any reward for it. Even if he couldn't stop Aaravos from destroying Katolis or manipulating Claudia even after his death. Like, man, I kinda feel for the guy.

I think it has always pretty easy to feel sympathy for Viren. Viren wants to matter and wants to be important. However, his grandiosity, as psychologists would call it, keeps him from creating genuine connections with others. His friends, wife and children are only there to prop up his ego or get rejected if they fail to live up to his expectations. It's also pretty damn tragic that Viren opens up about his deep insecurities to Aaravos of all people. Someone who was the most likely person in the world to exploit these insecurities for his own gain.

Viren had to taste his own medicide but I don't think TDP says that's an objectively good thing per se or that we should enjoy this sort of revenge fantasy uncritically. Viren is still portrayed rather sympathetically and of course there is the part about his actions affecting others and the world in unpredictable ways. It's still a tragedy because Viren's actions and personal problems have caused so much collateral damage. The Why behind Aaravos exploiting Viren and Claudia is part of that tragedy, too. There are no winners here. In a way Viren is a victim of his own narcissistic tendencies, too.

This isn't just about the final episodes of Viren's arc. To me it's essential to ask What was Viren's biggest sin he should be redeemed or punished for? Depending on your answer you may have a relatively different reading of s6 story development compared to mine.

To me it's not a specific action he took but his whole worldview. Viren is a fictional character (duh!) so his story isn't exactly literal but metaphorical, a representation of certain values and morals real people and society holds. In s3 TDP draws a pretty straightforward, though brief, comparison between Viren and reactionary right-wing ideologues. It's not exactly subtle.

It's just one way TDP goes to show how toxic and abusive Viren's core values are. that gets reflected both in Viren's personal life aka how he treated Lissa, Soren and even Harrow and Claudia (last two more indirectly). Since he also had a ton of political power as a high mage and briefly as a king we see what he did with that power. It's a pretty clear take on people who dehumanise others, fetishise power and see all living things as something to exploit. TDP explores that both philosophically and psychologically through Viren. Dark magic encapsulates this philosophy well since using magical creatures like tools or objects is essential for it to work.

Also also- I don't really get why people see redemption or atonement as something black and white. It's not bad or anything but Redeeming Yourself For Your Sins is a very Christian concept and Christianity isn't the only way to understand villain story arcs. Like I wish there could be more discussion about WHY redemption is the main analytical framework we impose on villains when villainous characters have a ton of variety anyway.

I don't really have anything to complain about Viren's death itself and I'm not surprised that he ended up dying (for real this time). Aaravos seemed like someone who'd turn against Viren the moment he stopped being useful to him so Viren's life has been hanging by a thread since s4. Viren was the best part of TDP and every scene he's been in had been a delight, well expect the s5 dream sequence because it was too long-winded and obvious, anyway, I'm sorry to see him go and I look forward writing AU fix-it fics where he and Aaravos are married and run a hot brown morning potion shop with all their four totally not dead children. RIP Viren. You lived like a messy bitch and died like a messy bitch. Iconic.

[fiftysevenacademics]

Over the recent years, the term guofeng ( literally means “national style”) has seen a rising prevalence in Chinese media to describe popular televisions, films, and musics that are considered to embody an essential “Chinese-ness.” While originated from the Chinese classic The Book of Songs, the concept of guofeng nowadays has already become a part of popular culture. National style is often utilized by the state media to emphasize Chinese history and de-emphasize the queer elements in the drama when discussing boys’ love stories. In her analysis of another BL Xianxia drama, Ye identified Word of Honor, with its soft masculinity, as comprising a larger landscape of reconstructed Chinese masculinity that includes more militant depictions, such as the Wolf Warrior films (dir. Wu Jing, 2015 and 2017), and thus being complicit in “brand homonationalism with Chinese characteristics’.”39) In The Untamed, the national style is manifested through two instruments: the historical items with clear cultural fingerprints and the martial arts chivalry extolled in Xianxia stories.

Set in the ancient indeterminate times of China, the cultural elements like Mo’e (old-style headband), Liusu ( decorative silk tassel), Chinese style gardens and architectures, and frequently mentioned Confucian quotes are prevalent throughout the drama. Some of them are savvily deployed by the producers as a hint of boys’ romance. In most Chinese historical dramas, Mo’e is always used by beautiful men with feminine traits, such as the most widely known characters like Jia Baoyu (Figure 1) and Liu Xianglian (Figure 2) in Hong Loumeng (The Red Chamber, 1984). Gradually, this code is fixated with the meaning of beautiful men (and many times, effeminate men) with fair skin, exquisite facial features, slim yet strong body figures, and graceful manner. In The Untamed, when the male protagonist Lan Wangji appears with Mo’e (Figure 3), his configuration would recall people of the early screen visual presentations and to relate the androgynous beauty with the characters. This cult of male beauty distances young men from the traditional masculinity and delivers a non-conforming gender attitude towards conventional hegemonic models. Moreover, this cultural symbol is deliberately encoded with homosexual implications by the screenwriter. In the drama, people of Lan Clan are asked to wear Mo’e to restrict their behavior ever since they are a child. As a sacred symbol, no one can touch it except for their parents, wife, and children. It represents their identity and bears a sense of belonging. Though acutely aware of its significance, when Wei Wuxian is in danger, Lan Wangji still chooses to take it off and ties it to Wei’s wrist with no hesitation. The emphasizing of “Only wife and son can touch it” in the early part of the same episode denotes that when Lan takes off the Mo’e, he already acknowledges and places Wei Wuxian in the position of a “wife.” His action of taking off the Mo’e not only breaks their clan discipline but also functions as a repudiation of social norms. 

However, all this more or less overt depiction of boys’ romance is ignored and even recognized by state media because of its application of national style. Its adaptation of ancient oriental elements was even praised by The People’s Daily for its “wonderful presentation  of Chinese characteristics,” and “manifestation of Chinese people’s confidence and pride for our own culture.”40) As a Chinese traditional clothing accessory tied on the forehead and decorated with embroidery or pearl jade, Mo’e originated from the Shang Dynasty (1600 to 1046 B.C.)41) and was used in the military for managing and distinguishing troops, but in its later evolution, both men and women, especially in the rich family wore it as a decoration. When The Untamed gets an unprecedent hit in the overseas market, the Chinese government chooses to exploit its  cultural values to exert its “cultural export” program thus turning blind eyes to its boys’ love content.

Coalition between Drama Producer and Audience: Encoding and Decoding of Boys’ Love Stories in Chinese Xianxia Drama The Untamed (陈情令) 건지인문학 2024, vol., no.40, pp. 135-174 (40 pages) DOI : 10.22830/humins.2024..40.135 by CHEN YUE

[dozing-marshmallow]

hi! i was wondering if you could write duncan and courtney dating headcannons with a fem reader on the show? (separate) if not that's ok!

Awww no, it is okay! Thank you so much for the request, enjoy!<33

DATING COURTNEY HEADCANONS

From what we know about Courtney, it wasn’t hard to guess that her type was someone contrasting her.

So you were a bit of a cheeky contestant.

Okay, “a bit” was an understatement. Courtney didn’t like to admit it, but she found jubilation in your many ploys on the show.

Because of them though, she’d be on the assumption that you weren’t taking the competition seriously (even though you weren’t actually there to win the money), but you appreciate her reminding you to focus on the game and her helpful tips.

She wouldn’t want to openly say you guys are in a relationship as she’s aware that some people may try to exploit that for their own motives, but makes it clear that you’re off limits.

At night, you often share a bunk with her. Courtney would insist to be the little spoon, all the way through to the morning with her head on your chest.

Your darling Princess!

She loves sharing school stories with you.

“They actually had to rush her to the ER! Can you believe the manners some people have? How much of a litterbug do you have to be to throw your juice box out of a window from the fourth floor? We have bins for a reason!”

“Woah... So your teacher got a concussion from someone doing that?”

“Yeah! It sounds pathetic, but it’s what happened! The school assigned me to be in charge of delivering work from her and delivering notices to her. Makes sense since I was the only qualified student to take up that responsibility while still ace all my classes!”

She’s also fond of discussing hair with you and you play with hers and vice versa.

You like giving her little plaits, ponytails or a bun as high as it can go.

Additionally, she tries persuading you to do karaokes with her.

“It’s way better if we don’t have any instruments! You have nothing to hide behind and we’ll get used to being vulnerable with each other!” she smiled when she said it.

Looks like that couldn’t apply to her,“Oh, man...”

Though she’s a perfectionist, she loves complimenting you a lot.

“If you took that cap off your head and wore a headband instead, you’d look even more adorable! Would you do it for me at least?”

And her occasional feedback.

“What do you mean you haven’t read a single book this entire year!?” she jumps to her feet, horrified.

“Courtney, relax! It’s not a big deal.” you try to assure her with a grin.

She was more shaken at your presumably clueless behaviour to reading,“No, it is a big deal! You can’t just have everything on the outside and nothing in here!” she taps a tense finger to the side of her head,“My girlfriend’s gotta have brains with her beauty! I’m not dating no dummy!”

So she ordered you to sit down on the entrance steps of the Killer Bass cabin while she searched for a novel to give you- girl brought ten.

Out of her choices, she decided to provide you with Mercy Among The Children.

“There!” she hands you the clean copy, no crease or wrinkle, like all brand new,“You will read all of that and when you’re done, you will answer ten summary questions that I came up with to show me how much you learnt. And I will know if your answers are accurate, because I happened to give a presentation on this very book! I did it with ease thanks to my experience as a CIT.” her CIT talks got tedious very quickly, however if it made her happy, you didn’t want to take that away from her.

Therefore you gave something of your own instead,“What if I don’t know how to read?” you knew such question would aggravate her.

She shakes her head in disbelief, perfect autumn hair swaying,“Oh, you’re gonna have to do a lot better than that! You read the fine print of the contract to participate, didn’t you?”

Nope, but let’s pretend you did.

After a few seconds of “reading”, you call her name, to where she sat next to you, watching.

“What’s on your mind now?”

“I uh...” you turn to the back of the book, eyes scanning over the blurb,“Kinda don’t like the voice in my head narrating this. Could you read it to me?”

It seemed this request had halted her brain for a moment as she had stared at you with eyelids split apart again before her loving reprimand frolicked in the air,“Are you crazy? (Y/N), you know I love you, but I can’t do that! You gotta do this on your own, get used to reading in your head! How will you do in an exam when you have to stay quiet? I refuse to hear you getting disqualified over something as little as that!”

She’s so irresistible when she gets worked up,“Then I’ll transfer to your school so I can hear your voice everyday and be sure to pass my next exam.”

Her aim to lecture you had evaporated,“Oh wow...“ her eyebrows sprung back and she couldn’t believe herself for laughing at your not so futile charm,“Okay okay, just this once!” she declares, gently taking back the novel with both hands so it was still open.

As Courtney’s elegant voice embellishes the passage written down on the pages, you make promise to yourself to continue reading it in your own time.

After all, you know she’s just looking out for you.🤎

DATING DUNCAN HEADCANONS

You thought he asked you out as a joke, but he was serious.

Serious in love.

And he loved to be open about it. Not with words, but with his arm around you, calling your name.

He sprayed your hair for a day to see how green would look on you, however you got worried when it didn’t come out.

He would share stories from juvie and usually had an edible treat to give you as you talked. You always thought he had brought a stash of sweets, but looking at his luggage, you realise there was no way any high caliber food could survive in it.

“Mm, thanks Duncan! Where did you get this from?”

He winked,“Don’t worry about it.”

So you didn’t.

Duncan’s surprisingly very good at drawing; you use that talent as a couple’s activity.

He also likes drawing his initials on your arms with a marker, never forgetting to add a skull.

Loves playing with your hands and placing his one on your leg.

Sometimes you wear his shirt or use it as a blanket.

While Duncan wouldn’t really like to hug in public, he’d do gestures like rubbing your head or squishing your face.

He fantasises you someday getting a matching piercing, since you refuse to let him give you one.

“This nose piercing wasn’t painful, like a lot of wet wussies say, but it is a bit uncomfy for a few days. You sure you don’t want me to pierce ya? It’s free of charge~”

The treatment for the infection won’t be,“No thanks! I might decide to pierce my ears!”

“Ear piercing?” his face scrunched like the choice was boring, but his voice held hope,“Where exactly?”

“The lobe would be nice... But I’d also want to get one on the inside! Like industrial!”

“Now you’re talking.” Needless to say, he approved of those ones.

Duncan’s a night owl, so found his favourite part of the day being at night, when everyone else was certainly asleep. You two would go out to a different part of Camp Wawankwa every time to breathe in the wildlife air and have conversation crafted for the dark.

The first nights, you were hesitant. Your chest was tight. It was hard to enjoy the secluded moment with Duncan when your mind was racing with panic.

“Oh Duncan... What if someone sees us? I don’t wanna get in trouble...”

“We won’t. We’re not doing anything wrong.” his calm tone of voice somewhat helped, head swivelling to the closest functioning camera duck tapped on a tree,“The worst Chris’ll do is tell us to go back inside, though knowing him, he probably doesn’t care.”

You trace a finger on his chest,“I wish I could sleep with you in your cabin. But the girls would be suspicious if my bed was empty, and let’s not talk about what the guys would do.”

“Keen, huh?” his unibrow forms a squiggly line as one of the separate eyebrow bones upreared, making you push him gently out on exposed instinct,“I’m pretty sure everyone knows about us by now and the guys would be fine if you crashed in for a night or two.”

“I know...” Duncan’s friends were nice guys. When they wanted to be,“I just don’t wanna make anyone uncomfortable.”

His laugh gets clogged by his nose,“You? Make anyone uncomfortable? Babe, trust me, unless your name starts with H and ends in arold, you don’t gotta worry about being alienated. If it means that much to you, we can wait until more people go home for us to share a bed.”

Ohh! You had forgotten about the competition and how it worked! Love makes you forget about the everyday things like the collection of the fires supplementing the sky just being rocks floating in space,“Until more people go home... How...will we make sure it’s not us?”

“Welll. I like you so that’s one less person to vote for you.” he starts,”The rest of the guys like you so you can count them out. Now for the chicks... Anyone you think wants you gone?”

Instantly, someone came to mind,“Heather,” your boyfriend makes gagging noises at the name, vining a smile on your lips,“Ever since I turned down her offer to join her alliance, I must’ve ended up on her watch list. Sure, we can act civil, but I can tell she’s impatiently waiting for my elimination.”

He snorts, brushing his hand on your back,“Seriously? Chicks hold a grudge over anything! Well, that alliance of hers can’t be doing so good when one of her so called members don’t even like her, so it’s not like you’re missing out on anything.”

“True... I get to enjoy the Duncan instead,” you look into his blue vision for that, seeing his irises sprout in ardour. You leave a tangible mark of your lips on his, finding your eyes wondering to a large robust tree not so far away from where Duncan held you,“I wonder... Do you think we could secretly build our own secret treehouse?”

“Up there?” he follows your gaze and whistles,“It is possible... All I’ll need are some tools to steal from Chef and it’ll be there in no time.”

“Duncan!” his romantic selfless take on your suggestion is piled over by his out of place mention of Chef’s inventory, which clicks something to your attention,“Is that...where you’ve been getting the snacks from?”

An unbeaten chuckle rippled out of his ribs, how carefree he was,“Looks like the cat got outta the bag!”💚

[kyuriin-chan]

The Path Between Us | Tsu'tey

Chapter 6

Tsu'tey x OC (Avatar driver)

Words: 2.530

This is a story of love and war. Of sacrifice and hope. Of two souls finding each other in a world that threatens to tear them apart. 

Intro - Chapter-index

As the golden light of the setting sun bathed the Hometree, Tsu'tey led Seraphina back to the heart of the clan. The air was filled with the earthy scent of roasting meat and the low hum of voices as the Omaticaya gathered to share their evening meal. The sounds of laughter and conversation echoed through the great tree, blending with the sounds of the jungle.

Tsu'tey glanced at Seraphina, noting how out of place she still seemed, standing there in the middle of the bustling clan, despite her efforts to blend in. Her white hair shimmered faintly in the twilight, and her bright blue eyes darted nervously as Na'vi children ran past her, playing and laughing, their bare feet dancing across the earth.

“You should eat,” Tsu'tey said gruffly, gesturing to the fire where food was being prepared. He didn’t look back at her, his tone blunt. He had done his part, guiding her this far, and he wasn’t about to babysit her while she figured out how to eat with the clan.

Seraphina nodded, looking at the food with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. Her stomach growled quietly, reminding her of how long it had been since she last ate. She stepped toward the fire, still feeling somewhat out of place among the Na'vi, but her resolve was stronger now. She was here to learn, and she wasn’t about to let her discomfort stop her.

Tsu'tey, meanwhile, didn’t wait for her to settle. His friends were gathered near a stone platform where they often shared their meals, and they waved to him as he approached. He gave a curt nod and excused himself from Seraphina’s presence.

With a last glance at her, he walked toward the group of warriors, their voices rising in easy camaraderie. They laughed as they patted the fresh kill they had brought, discussing the hunt and exchanging stories of their exploits in the forest. Tsu'tey was more than just a warrior—he was a leader in training, and he still had his pride. While he was responsible for Seraphina’s training, he wasn’t about to let his duties erase his place among the clan.

As he joined his friends, their attention shifted to him. They greeted him with respect and a mixture of teasing remarks about his new “charge.”

“Training the dreamwalker, huh?” one of them, a burly Na’vi with a scar across his cheek, joked. “I didn’t think you were so eager to babysit.”

Tsu'tey rolled his eyes, but a small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “She’s not like the others. She’s… different.”

“If you say so,” another laughed, earning a glare from Tsu'tey.

But the teasing didn’t bother him. The truth was, despite his earlier grumbling, there was something about Seraphina that intrigued him. She wasn’t like the other dreamwalkers he’d encountered—there was no arrogance, no superiority in her movements. She was learning, and she was willing to try, even if she was clumsy at times.

He shifted his attention back to the fire, knowing that for tonight, he had done his part. Tomorrow, the real work would begin. Tomorrow, he would teach her the ways of the Na'vi.

But for now, he allowed himself a moment of peace, sharing a meal with his friends, knowing the responsibility of the day would soon return. And as he glanced at Seraphina from across the clearing, seated near the fire with her own plate, he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps, in time, she'd find her place here among them as well.

Seraphina sat down at the edge of the gathering, the warmth of the fire flickering across her face. Even though she wore the traditional clothing of the Na'vi now, with its woven fibers and beads, she couldn’t shake the feeling of standing out. Her white hair, the color of moonlight, contrasted against the darker hues of the Na’vi around her. Her bright, sky-blue eyes caught the light in a way that made her feel even more like an outsider, despite her best efforts to fit in.

She scanned the crowd, her gaze lingering on the other members of the clan who laughed and talked in their own language. They seemed so comfortable, so at home in this world. She longed to feel the same, to ease into the rhythm of life here, but it was difficult. There was too much she didn’t know. Too much she still had to learn.

Her eyes drifted across the gathering, searching for Jake. He seemed to be missing, which was odd—Neytiri, his guide, was never far from his side. Seraphina tried not to feel a pang of envy. It must be nice to have someone like Neytiri guiding you. Neytiri had that presence—strong, unyielding, and proud. She would make a perfect teacher for Jake, Seraphina thought. They would work together well, no doubt.

But Seraphina pushed that thought aside, unwilling to let the feeling linger. Jake was lucky, yes, but it wasn’t as though she was alone here. She had Tsu'tey, even if he was rough around the edges.

Speaking of which... Tsu'tey. She had to admit, there was something intimidating about him. He had that air of authority that was impossible to ignore. His towering presence and the way his eyes constantly scanned the surroundings with a calculating edge made her wonder if she would ever be able to get through to him.

She couldn’t help but feel the tension between them. It was as if, no matter how hard she tried to be respectful and open, he saw her only as a dreamwalker—a stranger. She wondered if he’d ever accept her, if he’d ever see her as more than just an outsider to be tolerated. She hoped, though, that with time, things would improve. They had to.

Tsu'tey was tasked with guiding her through the ways of the Na’vi, after all. And despite the gruffness in his tone and his dislike for dreamwalkers, there had to be more to him than that. She had seen the faint flicker of something different in his eyes when he spoke to her earlier—perhaps it was just a fleeting moment of curiosity. She clung to that hope, willing to try and understand him as much as she could.

She sighed softly and glanced at the fire again, watching as some of the children danced around it, their laughter echoing in the air. She would need to work hard to earn their respect, but maybe, just maybe, she could find her place here.

As the firelight danced in her eyes, Seraphina couldn’t help but think that maybe—just maybe—this was the beginning of something truly important. She wasn’t just a dreamwalker in a strange world. She was someone who could learn. Someone who could make a difference. And if Tsu'tey was going to be her teacher, then she would prove to him that she could be more than just the outsider in this clan. She would prove that she belonged.

Seraphina was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the unmistakable thud of someone stumbling toward her. She turned just in time to see Jake flop down beside her, a look of mild frustration on his face as he awkwardly adjusted his new clothes. It was clear he wasn’t quite used to wearing the traditional Na'vi attire—he fidgeted with the loincloth and the woven chest piece, his movements clumsy and unsure.

Seraphina couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her. His struggles with the clothing reminded her of how she had felt not too long ago, trying to figure out how to wear everything properly. But Jake seemed to be taking it to another level. He had that look on his face like he’d just discovered that Na'vi clothing was a mystery he might never solve.

He caught her laugh and, without missing a beat, stuck out his tongue at her in a playful gesture. His eyes twinkled with mischief, clearly trying to lighten the mood between them. Despite the challenges they both faced, it felt good to have a familiar face by her side.

"Don't laugh at me," Jake said with mock indignation, adjusting himself for the umpteenth time, clearly uncomfortable. "This stuff is... weird. How do they wear it all the time?"

Seraphina grinned, shaking her head. "You’ll get used to it. Besides, if you’re going to learn the ways of the Na'vi, you’ll have to get comfortable with their clothes sooner or later."

Jake huffed, looking down at his attire in distaste. "I thought I was going to get a little more time to adjust to being a giant blue person, you know? Now I have to be... graceful?" He gestured to the group around them, the Na'vi moving with a fluidity and ease he clearly felt was out of his reach.

Seraphina smiled, leaning slightly toward him. "It's not about grace, Jake. It's about understanding. They live with the land, with Eywa. Once you understand their connection to this place, you'll understand the clothes, the customs... everything." She paused and glanced around at the Na'vi, who were going about their evening with a natural fluidity she was still learning to emulate. "It just takes time."

Jake groaned, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Time... right. I’m pretty sure I don’t have a ton of that. I’m supposed to be learning the ropes, like, yesterday."

Seraphina chuckled softly. "We both have time to learn. We'll figure it out together."

Jake shot her a wry look, clearly not convinced. "Together, huh? You mean you’re going to help me figure out how to be more like them, right?" He raised an eyebrow playfully.

She shrugged. "Well, you’re the one with Neytiri as your guide. You’re already ahead of me." There was a hint of teasing in her voice, but it was clear that, despite the difference in their guides, she was glad Jake had someone like Neytiri to help him.

Jake smirked, leaning back slightly. "Yeah, well, she's pretty intimidating. I think she might kill me if I mess up too much."

Seraphina laughed, her voice light and warm. "I think she might give you a few more chances than that. She’s just... strong. You’ll see."

Jake seemed to relax a bit, the tension easing from his shoulders. For a moment, the two of them sat in comfortable silence, watching the other Na'vi around them. Seraphina couldn’t help but feel a little more at ease, even if she was still far from truly belonging here. But having Jake by her side made it all a little less daunting.

"Well," Jake said after a moment, rubbing his hands together, "I think I’m starving. Let's see what we’re eating."

Seraphina nodded in agreement, already eyeing the roasted meat being passed around the fire. "You go ahead, I'll follow your lead," she said with a small smile, relieved by the familiar banter between them.

Jake shot her a look. "Oh, trust me, you’ll want to follow my lead when it comes to food. I know exactly where the good stuff is."

Seraphina couldn’t help but laugh again, her heart a little lighter. No matter how strange and new this world was, it was nice to know she had a friend to help her navigate it.

Jake, looking overly confident, handed Seraphina a portion of food, a mix of roasted meat and some vegetables that had been carefully cooked over the fire. "Trust me, it’s good," he said, his tone serious, though his eyes were sparkling with mischief. "I can feel it," he added with a grin, clearly amused by the fact that he was making it up as he went.

Seraphina chuckled, taking the food. She had seen enough of Jake's unorthodox confidence to know that he was probably exaggerating. But she appreciated his effort to lighten the mood. As they ate, a few of the Na'vi in the gathering chuckled at Jake’s enthusiasm, but for the most part, the group was indifferent to their presence. The murmurs around them were soft, distant. Yet, despite the laughter and the casual atmosphere, Seraphina couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

She tried to ignore it, focusing on Jake and the meal, but the weight of those unseen eyes pressed on her. It wasn’t until she glanced around the clearing that she found the source: Tsu'tey.

His gaze was locked on her, steady and intense. She could feel the weight of his scrutiny, even from across the fire. There was no warmth in his eyes—only a quiet, calculating watchfulness. His expression remained neutral, but there was something behind it, something that made her stomach twist with unease. It wasn’t just the usual suspicion that came with being a dreamwalker. There was something else there, a kind of quiet disapproval.

Seraphina quickly looked away, focusing on the food in front of her, though the sensation of his eyes on her lingered like a shadow. She knew it wouldn’t be easy. Tsu'tey was proud, protective of his people, and probably more than a little resentful of the dreamwalkers, especially someone like her—someone so visibly different.

She sighed softly, hoping that in time, she would prove herself worthy of his trust. But, deep down, she knew it wouldn't happen overnight. She would have to show the Na'vi that she respected their ways, that she understood their connection to the land, and that she wasn’t just another outsider.

"Don't mind him," Jake said quietly, breaking her thoughts. His voice was softer now, not teasing. "Tsu'tey's just... protective, I guess. He's not exactly thrilled about us being here. But we'll earn his respect."

Seraphina looked back at Jake, giving him a tight smile. "I hope so," she said, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I just don’t want to be a burden. I want to learn from them... I want to prove that I’m not just some outsider they have to tolerate."

Jake gave her a reassuring nod. "You will. Just takes time. Trust me, they’ll come around."

She smiled faintly, though the doubt still lingered. It was hard to push away the feeling of being an outsider, of not quite belonging in this world. But with Jake by her side, maybe it wouldn’t be so impossible. Maybe, in time, they could both find their place here.

As she took another bite, she couldn’t help but glance back at Tsu'tey. His gaze had softened just a little, but there was still a guardedness in it. He wasn’t going to make it easy on her, she knew that. But Seraphina was determined. No matter how long it took, she would earn their trust. She just had to prove she was more than the dreamwalker she appeared to be.

With that thought, she focused back on Jake, and the chatter of the clan around her. For the first time, she felt a glimmer of hope that maybe—just maybe—she could make a life here, on Pandora.

Feel free to leave a heart and comment if you liked this chapter and my story so far 🫶🏻

I'm always happy to receive some honest feedback :)

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[horizon-verizon]

I know your main focus is House Targaryen but I just wanted to know your opinion on Tywin and Joanna because you have an extremely interesting interpretation in general.

Too often, Joanna is viewed as Tywin’s “moral compass,” and her death a way to excuse Tywin’s inexcusable actions. Fanfictions and fandom discussions reduce her to that saintly Madonna-figure who, if she had lived, would have single-handedly transformed the dysfunctional Lannisters into the happy-go-lucky Brady Bunch. 

First, Joanna’s presence doesn’t delete the systemic problems of misogyny, patriarchy, and ableism. These aren’t just personal problems, they’re problems with society. You must completely and radically change Westerosi society to change House Lannister, but unfortunately that’s extremely difficult to do. Second; Tywin killed off all the men, women, and children of two whole houses when he was 18 years old. Long. Before. Joanna. Died. He punished his father’s mistress when Joanna was still alive. Tywin started ignoring Cersei before Joanna died. She’s Tywin’s first cousin, the Lannister blood flows through her veins, Joanna clearly approved of Tywin’s implacability and ambition, and I do think she was his chief and most trusted advisor. Over forty years after the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt, Genna is still pleased by the death of Ellyn Reyne, a woman who laughed at her when she was SEVEN. There is no reason to believe Joanna would think differently. Like Genna, Joanna would see Tywin as a hero. No Lannister is free of sin, especially no one who loved Туwin as much as she did. You are the company you keep. From what little we know about Joanna; IMO she was clearly quite adaptive and did not feel as obliged to social norms as someone from her standing usually would be. I mean, she married for love and if that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know then I don’t know what will.

Something else I think we have to remember is that Joanna grew up under Tytos’s weak rule and had lived through the decline of her house. While Tywin was off playing cupbearer in King’s Landing, Joanna had a front row seat to his lordship’s follies and the resultant lawlessness of the Westerlands. Thrice in his reign, Aegon V sent the forces of the Iron Throne to intervene and restore order to the West, but conflict resumed after the king’s knights departed. Tytos was a kind but faint-hearted man, eager to do and give anything to have the approval and attention from those around him, which resulted in his vassal houses taking advantage of him. Tytos would hand out money and laugh off excuses for not repaying it, and allowed his vassals to mock him at court or ignore his orders, making House Lannister seem like a massive pushover and easily exploitable. The more he laughs and gives, the more they despise him. Tytos’s poor leadership and desire to be loved was a disaster that almost destroyed House Lannister.

But Tywin is the one who restore the prestige and glory of House Lannister. Tywin allowed it to punch above its weight. His manner of dealing with the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt had made him respected and feared throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Though the brutality of Tywin’s methods drew censure from some, everyone agreed that order had been restored to the Westerlands. It’s quite clear to me that Joanna had nothing but admiration for the way Tywin restored respect and power to their house.

Allowing transgressions of established societal boundaries, finding escapist ways to avoid responsibility for as long as possible, forgiving people too easily, is what caused so many problems for Tytos and brought the Lannisters to near ruin, so why would Joanna want a repeat performance ? I don’t think that Joanna was cruel or sadistic or insensitive but I do think that she was ambitious, pragmatic, cunning and manipulative. Personally, I think that her being similar to Tywin in terms of personality and values is infinitely more compelling.

Tbh, I haven't thought much of Joanna besides she must have been pragmatic for Tywin to ever have any interest. That or she was very delusional and fed Tywin his own delusions. But this pseudo-essay makes her more compelling as you put it.

[monstrouslyobsessed]

Hey,I have a question, if the Beastfolk cheat on their human mate… the human mate can get a divorce?the cheater Beastfolk can force the human to go back to them by the law? Is there a famous example of something that happened simular to this situation in this fictional world?❤️

oh, good question! for clarity's sake, here's the part one of the cheating taboo in beastfolk society.

this post sadly got long with my nonsensical rambling so it's all under the cut!

so considering the fact that the cheating is considered the "scarlet letter" in beastfolk culture, yes. it's easier if you're in more progressive area and depends on what era you're living in. it wouldn't be easy, but doable for the human spouse to file the...i wouldn't say divorce because the beastfolks hold different views on marriage* (more on that below), but severance to free themselves from their (ex) beastfolk partner.

severance would probably be a more fitting term for the dissolution of the relationship (regardless if the relationship's against the human's wills in the first place).

anyway, it's much easier to end the relationship if there are no children involved (which is unheard of, given how driven the beastfolk society is to have children, particularly with their declining population to the human's, but it can happen). if there are children, however, it's...difficult. complicated, even. but if you happen to have the ex's family's support (or even any beastfolk's support, actually), they will vouch for you to dissolute the relationship in court. there may be stipulations in order to be freed from the ex (such as having to hand yourself over into another beastfolk's custody, staying under the ex's family's care, etc.), but this is mainly for the child/ren's benefits though.

again, keep in mind, this is highly dependent on when and where you are. if in a more progressive area and era, you actually do have a fighting chance to get out. but if in a more conservative area, unless you have a friend (sugar daddy/mama who fell in love with you) who is made of money, you're SOL. more progressive regions may even provide you a lawyer pro-bono, especially if you have evidence of the ex's cheating. reminder, cheating is extremely taboo in beastfolk society--far more so than ours, where it's often forgotten within a few months. It's so taboo for the beastfolks that it's often a lifetime of shaming. even incest isn't as looked down upon to that extreme.

in conservative areas, the cheater will just be publicly shamed, but society will still pressure you to stay with them ("for the childrennnnn!"). however, they won't force you to remain with the cheater physically, they will drag out the process (such as screening the cheater for STDs, which can take months, even though while you were already cleared long ago), and may even place the cheater behind the bars. they'll encourage you into staying with the cheater's immediate family and expect you two to find a "compromise" for the sake of your children (if any or presumed).

of course, this creates a huge loophole for any cheater with a working brain cell to exploit to crawl their way back into your life though.

now, suppose that the severance did go through, but the ex wants to get back with you? anything could happen, really. considering beastfolk society's heavy focus on children's well-being, no severance is ever truly permanent. it's just a basic independence card for the human until they become involved with a(nother) beastfolk, without being labeled as a cheater. in some areas, there might be extra layers of legal protection from being attacked and taken by a beastfolk (be they the ex or otherwise), but this, too, is very area (and era) dependent, unfortunately.

one example i could think of that would be made into a hallmark-styled movie is probably something like...

a gorilla-based treefolk businessman who often travels and his human spouse who they had a child with. the treefolk is soon caught for cheating and having another family--whoops! the human, being smart and having lost love for their cheating spouse, files for severance and presents all the evidence to their lawyer. within three months, they clear out the house and leave with their child, leaving the cheater fuming and desperate.

i....actually imagined that this movie got remade several times lol in the original, there's a 'bad ending' that upset so many sensible viewers, since the human returned to the cheater after constant harassment and probably adopted the second family's kid/s when something happened to the affair partner (probably implied to be murdered by the cheater, idk). considering beastfolk society's consistent views on cheating yet focus on the kids' welfare, this movie probably got very mixed reviews. the next remake probably featured a much better ending, casting the human in a more positive light (humans were viewed in negative light back then by the beastfolks) for putting their beastfolk child first and being sensible to keep contact with the ex's family.

so, anything can happen regardless of the relationship status. i'm sure if the cheater beastfolk is very wealthy/influential even in the progressive region, no laws can prevent them from getting their human back anyway.

i'll have to think more on this one, but i hope this helps answer your questions! <3 it's a complicated set to answer, and tbf i cannot speak legalese, I can only share the concepts of inequities between two races swirling around in the nugget that is my corrupted brain.

*to the beastfolks, "marriage" felt too...politically charged. in our own irl history, marriages have often been used as political tools. now, don't get me wrong, the beastfolks do have a history of doing the same (indigenous chiefs surrendering children to protect or merge tribes to better benefit everyone was and still is a very common example)--but they are very driven by their own instincts. In most cases, this instinct produces stronger and healthier children, so they tend to trust themselves to find compatible mates. ofc, this isn't always true for every beastfolk though. anyway, for the reasons above, they prefer terms like "mating" over "marriage". i'll probably talk more about the political involved relationships another time to keep this short...er. er. yeah. tl;dr, they're more romantically inclined.

[alovesongtheywrote]

nightmare academia puts me through the ringer EVERY TIME and i love it

♥ Summary: in a few chapters, it's gonna get worse!! for now tho... In this chapter of Nightmare Academia, case stuff ensues and you prepare for heartbreak. [Prof!Spencer Reid x GN-Prof!Reader]

♥ Warnings: cops. cops being terrible, cops exploiting the system, and cops shaming a woman for being a sex worker. also, violence, implied violence, and past violence.

♥ A/N: holy shit, this chapter is Very Long

♥ Word Count: 4885

Series Masterlist

♥♥♥

In the weeks that followed, Spencer brought the BAU to you.  Of course, not everyone could make it.  Kate Callahan was off raising her children.  Penelope Garcia was the target of several  hitmen (whereas Frank was probably the target of a single hitman.  Massive difference.  Trust me.)  And Derek Morgan remained at Quantico with Garcia- so you really weren’t sure what to expect.  The agents you had the strongest feelings about were out of commission.  The last time you’d met his team it did not uh, how would you put it?  End well?  So you were- justifiably- a touch guarded.

That changed. Eventually.

It started with Adam.  

At that point in the investigation, local law enforcement had only shown your friend cruelty, distrust, and skepticism.  Honestly?  You were about to start biting people about it.  (Yeah, maybe it would have gotten you arrested, but at that point, you did not care.  At the very least, biting would make you feel productive.)  You were well and truly prepared for Spencer’s law enforcement team to behave in a similar manner to the local cops- and to be honest, you probably should have been.  Most Feds would carry that same suspicion and distrust, and if they didn’t they were probably faking it to try and get a confession.  

The BAU, however, are not most Feds.  For several reasons.  Either way, you were well and truly prepared to maul the next person who treated your friend like garbage, fed or otherwise.  There was never a need.

The BAU showed Adam basic decency.  They didn’t talk down to him or dismiss him as a demeaning stereotype- and yes, that was the barest of bare minimum, but it was still something.  While they regarded him with mild suspicion for the first like, two minutes, it only took the team that same two minutes to come to the conclusion that Adam was innocent.  After that, the BAU was just as dedicated to clearing Adam’s name as you were.

“Adam had an incredibly emotional response when we mentioned Frank,” Hotchner explained to the local detectives, “He’s genuinely devastated by what happened.  He couldn’t have done this.  Even if he did attack Frank, it wouldn’t have been a clinical hit.”

“Emotions tend to make things messy- we would have seen something much more personal, with more violence and more remorse,” Rossi added.

The detectives did not listen.  The detectives did not care.  

“I’d say a gunshot wound is pretty messy,” one laughed.

“Yeah,” another jumped in, “Try telling the vic’ that things aren’t messy.”

You bit your tongue to keep from screaming, but you didn’t stay entirely silent.  If the detectives weren’t going to give a shit on their own, then you were going to make them.

“Have you actually?” you asked, crossing your arms, “Have you spoken to the victim?”

“Eh, someone else got around to it,” the first detective asked, looking at his partner with the special kind of uncertainty that came with getting called out.

“Did you read the report, then?”

“Well, I’m on the case, aren’t I?”

“Answer the question, detective.”

In the telling silence that followed, Rossi had to turn away to hide his (failed) attempt to suppress a grin.  Hotchner looked proud, despite not knowing you very well.  Spencer looked like he might grab you by the waist and kiss you until you were out of breath.  He didn’t, though, for lots of reasons- his boss was there, he hadn’t asked you if you’d like to be kissed, there was more serious stuff to focus on, and like… you already looked fucking pissed.

The detectives just looked embarrassed.  

“I- uh.  I’ve skimmed it,” the first detective stuttered out.

“Yeah, cool, not good enough,” you nabbed the case file from a nearby desk and pressed it into the officer’s hands, “Consider reading the report.  You’ll find that the victim disagrees with you.”

Both detectives stared at the file as if they were seeing it for the first time- as if they were seeing a file for the first time.  You sighed.

“Detective, if I may ask, how much overtime have you put in on this case?”  the man in front of you blanched at your question.  You would’ve laughed if you weren’t so fucking angry, “Cool.  I thought so.”

“Ough,” Rossi winced with faux sympathy, “Overtime?  And you haven’t even read the case file?”

“Hey, we’ve been very busy these last few weeks!”

The second officer nodded, “Just last week, we had five break-ins in the downtown area.”

“Alright, I’ll accept that,” you turned to leave before doubling back, “But before I go, I need to ask- do you care about the wellbeing of the break-in vics the way you care about this case?  Do you care about all victims so dearly?  Or do you treasure their testimony the way you “treasure” the testimony in this case?”

“What?  What are you saying, what do you-”

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume it’s the latter.”  

“What?  Okay, what the hell do you know about police work-!”

“They’re an expert criminologist,” Spencer said, seething slightly.

“Dr. Reid is right.  I know a thing or two about crime- and if I’m just gonna put it this way.  I’ve seen the data.  I’ve heard testimony from victims and offenders.  I know the local and nationwide statistics for unreported crimes.  You’re concerned about the victim hearing that his case isn’t messy?  Look me in the eye and tell me that you’ve never told a victim that their situation- their serious situation- was a waste of police time.”

The officers couldn’t look at your face, much less your eyes.  You had done what you needed to do.

“You wanna solve crimes?  You wanna be the hero?  Then take a goddamned ethics class, read your fucking case files, care for your community, and do your fucking job.”

The detectives tried in vain to defend themselves.  They were unsuccessful- especially in the face of the three FBI agents that immediately backed you up.

“Dr. (L/N) is right.  The number of unreported crimes will astound you,” Rossi said, smirking like the little shit that we all know he is.

“This is especially prevalent with sexual assault cases, theft and scams, and other crimes where the victim may feel a sense of embarrassment- or crimes where the victim feels like their case won’t be taken seriously,” Spencer added in a very Spencer-like way.

“And everything you need to know about this crime is in the file.  If you’d read it, you’d know that the victim is very insistent that your guy didn’t do it, and one could say that, oh, I don’t know, he’s a strong eyewitness.  He is the victim and all,” Rossi continued, getting their asses.

They struggled to respond, “Well- I-  We-”

“And even if you discount the eyewitness testimony, there’s still the matter of alibis and ballistics.  Security cameras have placed Adam away from the community center at the time of the shooting.  The ballistics aren’t a match to any weapon that Adam has ever come into contact with.  Even if they were a match, he hasn’t handled a weapon since his release from prison as a condition of his parole.  But if you had checked the file, you’d know that,” Hotch added, also smirking like a little shit, but with a slight edge to it- that edge, kids, is called “pissed off authority figure.”

“Hey, it-”

“It just sounds like poor police work to me,” Spencer had the biggest smirk of all- the smirk of a little shit who’s proud of his team and of his hot co-professor, “Had you actually done any of your research, you would realize that the suspect you have in custody is being held on police bias and circumstantial evidence.  Any good lawyer can get this case thrown out, and then where will you be?”

His smirk turned to a full grin when you shot him a small smile of your own.

The detectives continued to sputter out responses.  For once, the second one spoke, “Now, we may not be fancy FBI agents, but this precinct has a solid track record of convictions-”

“Were those convictions based on circumstance and bias?” Neither detective answered Spencer’s question.  He continued, “Even if this precinct had a perfect track record, that wouldn’t make it invulnerable to mistakes- and even if it did, you would still have the responsibility of approaching each case like professionals to ensure the wellbeing of victims, suspects, and families.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” you slid forward, putting a hand on Spencer’s arm, “Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to go speak with the victim.  His name is Frank, by the way.”

And just like that, you pulled Dr. Spencer Reid away- and he did not resist in the slightest.  In fact, he held the door open for you as you exited the precinct.  Rossi was pretty sure he saw the kid get behind the wheel.

As the detectives scurried away with their tails between their legs, the older agent let out a long whistle.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say that our young Dr. Reid is officially smitten.”

“He was smitten the last time we were here,” Hotch said, pulling another copy of the case file from seemingly nowhere- one of his many unit chief powers.

“Yeah, yeah, but this time it’s bad.  Garcia’s gonna be mad that she didn’t get to see it.”

Hotch nodded, solemnly.

“Y’know, I think the three of them combined could probably take down the whole FBI.”

“You’re right,” Hotch snapped the file closed with a tiny little proud-dad-type smile, “We’re awfully lucky that they’re focused on something else at the moment.”

-

Missy got your guard to drop further.

Initially, she was hesitant to have the Feds drop in on Frank’s case- you both were.  You were used to local law enforcement treating her like shit.  You didn’t stand for it- every time a cop or lawyer so much as dared to look at her wrong, you bared your teeth like a damn dog and threatened to bite where it would hurt.  Y’know.  Lawsuits.  Missy wasn’t exactly a pushover, either.  She was one of the strongest people you knew, and you were well aware that she could hold her own.  If Missy wanted to be scary, she could be fucking terrifying.

Still, it was a little exhausting to fight all these battles against people in positions of authority who were so convinced that their series of events was correct, and anyone who went against it was nothing more than a lying ex-con.  Having the BAU in your pockets certainly helped with that.

“I already told you what happened.  I’ll tell you a thousand more times if I have to, but the story isn’t going to change,” Missy groaned, voice muffled as she buried her face in her hands.

“Okay, then.  We’ll go over your testimony again.  A few more times, if you don’t mind,” One of the local detectives smirked, ignoring the death glare you sent her way.

“Fine.  Frank was walking me to the community center.  I was taking a class on resume writing.  It was cloudy, not raining, but cold.  We came around the side of the building when a man in a leather jacket walked around the corner.”

“And what did this man do?”

“He- he shot Frank.  He tried to kill my-” she took a shaky breath.  You put a hand on her arm, aiming for gentle comfort and reassurance.  Missy nodded, letting you know you’d hit your target.

“Did you see his face?” The officer continued.

“No.  He was wearing one of those bike helmets that block off the person’s eyes- but I swear, it wasn’t Adam.  This guy was too bulky.  Adam’s made of wires, he needs to eat more.”

“You seem to have a lot of affection for Adam,” the detective leaned forward, “Now, we know you’ve claimed to be in a relationship with Frank- but could you describe your relationship with Adam for us?”

“I already said it!  I took a couple classes with him!  He’s a friend, that’s all.”

“Mhmm.  That’s all.  And in your previous line of work- the one that earned you a prison sentence of twelve months and a little over minimum wage- you had a lot of ‘friends,’ yes?”

“Excuse me?” your fingers bit into the table that separated you from the cop.  You had half a mind to jump over the thing and throttle the smug detective sitting before you.  

“What?” Missy growled, “You think just because I used to hook I fuck all my friends now?  I’ve taken a few classes with Doc (L/N), I haven’t fucked them!”

You nodded in solemn agreement.  The detective shrugged this off, ignoring everything that came out of Missy’s mouth.  When she spoke again, her voice rang with the faux pity of someone who held themselves leagues above Missy.

“You know, I can see why you were looking at writing up a resume- your old line of work is so degrading.  You know you’re never the same, afterwards.  You can never wash off the shame.  You’ll always be a little broken.  A little-”

“Okay, that’s enough-” you stood up, slamming your hands down on the table.

“Hey, fuck you, man-” Missy leaned forward, “Don’t tell me what hooking did to me.  You don’t know me.  You don’t fucking know.”

“And now you’re lashing out.  Poor thing-”

“Detective Foy.  A word,” Tara Lewis, a newer BAU agent who you hadn’t really had the pleasure of meeting materialized in the doorway like a perfectly timed ghost, ready to right some wrongs and keep you from committing a murder.  Her request for a word was perfectly intimidating, disclosing the not-so-secret secret that the request itself was not actually a request.  

“I’m sorry, Agent, I’m in the middle of an interrogation-” 

“It’s not an interrogation.  You’re questioning a witness.  Agent Jareau will handle things from here.  Now, a word?”

You and Missy watched as the detective slunk out of the room with her tail between her legs.  Moments later, JJ joined you, but she didn’t bother to start a line of questioning.  Instead, the three of you watched in giddy silence as Tara Lewis destroyed Detective Foy where she stood.  You couldn’t hear her through the glass, but you could vaguely read the words, “You are a police officer meant to serve and protect the people in your community, and uphold the law.  You should educate yourself on the law, and on what it means to serve and protect.”  On her lips.

You could’ve been off on that translation, but either way, it was sick as fuck.  By the time Tara was finished, you and Missy were barely holding back your laughter.  You probably would’ve held it in if JJ hadn’t turned around with a pleased grin on her face.

“Ok, well, I’ve known Agent Lewis for about three minutes, and already I adore her,” you cackled.

“Oh, she’s excellent,” Missy said, eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Well, we certainly like her,” Jennifer grinned, clearly proud of her teammate and happy to see that someone outside the BAU had taken notice.

A few moments later, Tara re-entered the room with a tired sigh on her lips.  It didn’t take her long to realize that you were all staring right at her.

“What?  What is it?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, we just think, as a group,” you looked around like you were the leader of the world’s weirdest (and maybe coolest?) group project, “That you are, objectively, excellent.”

“Yep.  Not bad for a Fed.”

Again, you nodded in agreement, “I concur.”

Tara raised an eyebrow, slightly confused, “Thank you?”

Missy gave Tara a thumbs up.  You followed her lead.  Not really knowing what else to do in this situation, and figuring there was no harm in joining the madness, Tara returned the thumbs up.

“Well, like we said, we’ll take over the questioning from here,” JJ took a seat as she spoke.  Tara joined her at the table.

“So, after Frank was shot, did you see where the attacker went?”

“No.  I was kind of focused on my partner bleeding on the ground.”

“That’s fair- but try to think back.  Did you see anything in your peripheral vision?  Did you hear anything?”

Missy paused for a moment, and when she spoke again, she still sounded lost in thought, “I heard a bike.  It makes sense with the helmet- I think it might’ve been a Yamaha?”  

“Wait, you can tell which brand a bike is by the sound?” you asked, not disbelieving Missy, but distracted by the new knowledge that a person could do such a thing.

“If you let me think about it, I could probably give you the make and model.”

“Holy shit, really?” your eyes were wide.  Your expression betrayed just how bewildered and impressed you were by vehicle knowledge.  It might’ve been basic knowledge, but fuck it, the author can’t drive.

“Oh, absolutely- different bikes make different sounds.  Cars are similar,” Tara nodded her agreement.

“You can tell cars apart by their sounds!?”

“Yeah?  Can’t you?” Missy turned to face you, slightly bemused.

“I can tell that they’re old?  Or like, electric, I guess?”

“Okay, when this is all over, I’m giving you a lesson.”

“I’d like to get in on that,” Tara added.

“Excellent!” Missy smiled, “Now everyone shut up and let me think.”

-

The way the BAU treated Frank dragged your guard down further.  They were gentle, but not dehumanizing or infantilizing.  They just treated him like a human person, and you found that neat, and more importantly, Frank found that neat.  

Also, the BAU laughed at Frank’s anecdotes and jokes.  I will be fully honest.  That was more of a relief to you, especially because a decent chunk of those anecdotes and jokes were about you murdering the shit out of Spencer Reid using nothing but your words.

It really started on that very first day, when you and Spencer had gone to visit Frank.  He could see it from his hospital bed- Spencer’s hand on your shoulder, the way Spencer was very clearly trying to comfort you from some unknown upset, and that was it.

Frank said, “Wow.  Those two have sure come a long way from Doc telling him to go die in a ditch.”

And JJ, who had been questioning him, choked on her coffee and wheezed out a, “What?”  

And that was pretty much it.  Frank explained that Spencer had pissed you off, you’d hit him with the “die in a ditch” thing, and he looked so sad that you literally forgave him the next day.  (He left out the bit about the stabbing, because stabbing doesn’t just kill people, it kills moods.)

From then on, Frank was the premium source of gossip on you and Spencer.  Of course, Missy got in on it, too.

When they told Rossi about the time you’d called Reid a “shit-licking asshole fed,” the agent laughed so hard that he literally couldn’t speak for a solid minute.  Was he a big fan of the anti-fed talk?  Not particularly.  But you had gone at it with such gusto, and with such anger, that he couldn’t help but cackle.  

You knew none of this, but you knew that everyone involved seemed happier after the BAU took the case.  That was good enough for you.

-

Your guard fell because of Spencer.

Wasn’t that always the way this was going to go?

While the BAU took care of your friends, Spencer took care of you.  He made sure you got home safe.  He kept you in the loop about everything case-relevant.  He made sure you remembered to eat, which was kind of hypocritical of him, but oh well.  He offered to drive you to and from the hospital, which was a fun kind of hell, because the man obeyed every traffic law ever made, but you got to bully him for it, so it all evened out in the end.  He distracted you from the nightmare you were living through by offering fun facts.  He made the nightmare better just by being him.  

And he was the one to get Adam out.  

He didn’t announce this victory to you.  He just showed up one day, at the hospital, following behind Adam as the newly freed man burst into Frank’s room.

“Frank!  Hey, are you good man?  I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner, I would’ve been, but you know how it is with cops.”

“Shit, dude,” Frank beamed, “All things considered, I’m not too bad.”

“Holy shit, Adam?” you let out a hospital-appropriate screech.

“Oh my god,” Missy stood from her place at Frank’s bedside to give him a hug.  For a moment, she held him so tightly that it looked like Adam legitimately couldn’t breathe.

The moment she saw Spencer lingering in the background, she switched from one wire-shaped man to the next.  Spencer hugged her back politely, and then, in an instant, she was onto you.

“You sons of bitches did it!  You actually did it!”

“Did we?” you asked Spencer, lowering your voice as Missy, Frank, and Adam enjoyed their reunion.

“We did,” Spencer confirmed, stepping closer to you until you were side to side, whispering to each other to avoid disturbing your friends, “We found bank statements proving that this was a targeted hit, unrelated to Adam.  We’ve only been able to find the unsub’s side so far, but it won’t take us long to find whoever contracted him.” 

“Shit- that’s both really good and mildly fucking terrifying.”

“I know,” Spencer answered almost too quickly, but he covered it up just as fast, “But it means that Adam is a free man.  It’s almost over, (Y/N).”

You let out a small exhale, trying to maintain some semblance of calm, “Almost.  Thank you, Spence.  For all of this, for everything-”

“You don’t need to thank me.  It wasn’t just the new evidence.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, there was this local criminology professor, maybe you’ve heard of them.  They were incredibly insistent that law enforcement look deeper into the case, and because of them, the conviction vanished.”

A smile slipped onto your face as you turned to face him, “Was that a joke, Spence?  You’re doing ha-ha funny jokes now?”

“I’m saying you did a good thing, here, (Y/N).  Look,” he nodded towards the hospital bed, where your friends were talking, beaming, clinging to each other’s hands like they’d been shot, traumatized, and separated for months- which was an accurate summary, actually.

At your side, you let your hand slip into Spencer’s, weaving your fingers between his slender ones.  You felt his grip tighten, his palm pressed tightly to yours.  His hands were warm.

“We did a good thing,” you whispered.

You pulled him closer by the hand.  You weren’t harsh or forceful, but Spencer still stumbled into you with what can only be described as a somewhat lovestruck grin on his face.

And then his phone rang.

You watched his face fall as he answered it.  His fingers drifted away from yours.  You could almost hear Hotchner’s voice on the other end.  The call only lasted a few moments, but it changed everything.  The air in the room grew heavy.  The room fell silent.

“We found the unsub.  My team is confronting him now, I-” he paused.

“They want you to go with them.”

“I have to.”

A shaky breath escaped your lungs, and you were kinda pissed at it- how dare that shaky breath reveal how you actually felt?  How dare it break free from your body, alerting Spencer that your world had just spun out sideways for the millionth time that week.

You were gonna square up with that fucking breath.

But first, without saying another word, you nodded towards the door.  Spencer nodded back.  Like that, he was gone.  You watched him go.  You stared at the empty doorway after he’d left.   The room remained silent.

I mean, it did until it didn’t- your friends couldn’t watch that and say nothing.  I don’t think anybody could.

“Holy shit, you’re just gonna let him leave without saying goodbye?” Adam asked, looking between you and the door so quickly that you were almost surprised that his head didn’t fly off.

“He’s down bad,” Frank whispered, nodding in agreement, “Go get him.”

“I- he’s gonna be back in five minutes,” you tried to reason.  It didn’t work.

“He could be back never!  He might die!” Missy ran forward, gripping your shoulders.

“He’s got a bulletproof vest-”

“THERE IS SO MUCH THOSE THINGS DON’T COVER!!” Missy progressed to shaking you, slightly, “Go get him!  Hurry, before it’s too late!”

“I really don’t know what you want me to say here.”

“Tell him you’re also down bad!” Frank exclaimed, no longer whispering.

“Down bad-?  What the fuck does that even mean,” you said, your voice growing quieter and quieter as you left the room and headed down the hallway.

“... Y’know, they taught me what ‘down bad’ means.”

“Same.”

As your friends continued to discuss, you were already halfway down the hallway, walking as fast as you could given the hospital setting.  Spencer was nowhere to be seen and you really didn’t have time to look.  You really had one choice.  The elevators.

You reached them just in time to watch that lanky noodle motherfucker step inside.

Giving up on decorum, you raced through the hospital corridor, yelling out apologies at every human person you passed- fortunately there weren’t too many, so it wasn’t like you caused a massive disturbance.  Most people just thought you were having your rom-com finale moment.  Maybe some part of you was trying to, but honestly, you weren’t really thinking about it.  You were mostly just thinking, “Shit, shit, shit, I have to get in that elevator.”

And you did!  You made it!  You stumbled through the doors and came to a stop in the middle of that tiny box.  Spencer reached out to steady you, his expression letting you in on his amused confusion.  You smiled up at him, trying not to pant- and then you came to a realization.

You had no fucking clue what the hell you were going to say.

To be fair, what the fuck is a person supposed to say in that situation?  “Heyyyy, my friends think I’m in love with you, so now I’m here, wanna talk about that before you head into a dangerous situation involving a hitman and many guns?”

Or perhaps, “Hey!  You’re a good person even though I keep insisting you aren’t one, so I want you to know that you’re a good person before I send you off to get murdered!”

Or maybe, “You’re hot, I’m hot, wanna spend the next thirty seconds doing terrible things to this elevator that will get us forcibly removed from this hospital?”

Or even, “Hi, you just did a really nice thing for my friends, and I really appreciate it, and even though I don’t express it, I do care about you a lot, so maybe don’t die in the next few hours.  For me.  Please.”

In the end, you just settled for, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Spencer replied, not taking his hands from your shoulders even though you were more than steady, “Is everything okay?”

“Okay?  Yeah,  yeah, everything is, um.  Everything’s fine.  I just-”  you froze again, because seriously, what the fuck could you say right then and there?  What could you say that would let him know everything you wanted him to know?

“Are you sure?” he looked at you, held you with such delicate concern.  You kind of wanted to partake in elevator ruining activities with Spencer until the two of you got kicked out of the hospital together. 

“Yeah- yeah!  Everything’s- I’m okay, it’s just,” you raised your hand, letting it hover between the two of you for a moment before you placed it over one of his, “Come out of this alive.  Make sure everyone else does, too, but… come out of this okay, okay?”

Spencer hesitated.  And then he wrapped his hand around yours and brought it to his lips, kissing your knuckles ever so briefly.

“I will.  I promise.”

The elevator bell dinged.  You’d reached the parking lot.  Spencer let go of your hand with a different kind of hesitation.  

“I’ll see you soon,” he offered, “Okay?”

“Okay.”

Spencer disappeared into the parking lot, dashing out of sight and into danger.  You stood there, watching until the elevator doors slid shut and that infernal box pulled you back up again.  The humming metal lights above and the clanking metal around you harmonized into the perfect soundscape for your empty mind.

Spencer was heading into danger, as he always did.  You were returning to serve your community, as you always did.  Spencer might not come back, and you would always remain, and you realized that when the case was over, he would go back to Quantico with the BAU, and you probably wouldn’t see him ever again.

And it broke your heart a little bit.  Maybe more than a little bit.  A little bit, perhaps.

You were a long way from, “Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, go die,” indeed.

♥ Tags: @icarusignite, @usuallyunlikelyfox, @maraudersforlife2005, @fictionalcomforts, @morgthemagpie, @iiheartbowie, @digitalhearts, @corpsebridenightamare, @ghostatrixx, @reiding-writing, @mywellspringoflife, @80katie, @ms-ks-world, @logicalhorror if you asked to be tagged and i forgot, pls let me know!! if you would like to be tagged and aren't, also let me know!!

[buggiewritesthings]

Chart Seven -> Songbirds and Ocean Tides

TW: PTSD, trauma, alcohol use, suicidal ideation (implied), sexual exploitation (implied), grief, death of a child (mentioned), mental health struggles, coercion, profanity.

This victory tour is fucking humiliating. I feel like a fucking Muppet; the capitols hand up my proverbial ass – with how they pull the strings just so. Each district is the same. Smile, try not to throw up as I gargle capitol balls. I used to hate Finnick for it, Haymitch too. I understand them now, more than I ever could’ve imagined. It’s not because they want this. We victors don’t want this. It's still crazy that it's we – not them now. I’m no longer the covey songbird from twelve, I am officially caged. Trapped in an invisible box made of glass, tantalizingly giving me a view of what could’ve been, while hitting the proverbial glass each time I attempt to bust. I understand more than ever now why Haymitch drinks. I join him on occasion. When the memories become too much. When I hear that little voice tell me not to cry, when I see flashes of her score. When she eats that gummy. It’s looped over and over and over. I don’t eat. Sleep evades me. My saving grace is Finnick. He writes to me often and over these weeks I’m realizing that we’re friends. Our friendship is not just for them. It’s real. I’m going to be in her district soon. Four. I'll see her parents, but I’ll see him too. Finnick. I need to know what the letters can’t say. Do they still sell him? No one has tried with me but honestly, I care more about him than I do about me. 

 I’ve learned many things on this victory tour, but I learn it all behind the scenes. How much whiskey to drink to be sober yet not present. How much liquid a flask needs to contain to get through the marionette speeches where I justify the deaths of the children to the faces of their own parents. Classics I have re-learned from my own father, beer before liquor you’ve never been sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. I prefer honey whiskey. Like Haymitch, I keep a fridge filled with it, for the tougher moments but I have yet to stoop to his level. No, that is something about myself I will never let the Capitol or Snow take.  

Before all of this I wondered who I would be after I survived, if I ever did. I’m Haymitch with a great pair of knockers, with only slight alcoholic tendencies. Effie has become like my own mother, she certainly mothers me more than my own mom ever did. I still see the half assed Mother's Day card in her makeup box I made her back in district eight. Haymitch is complicated. Some days he’s a father, other days the fun older brother. We toe a line, but he’s the only positive role model I ever had. Him and Effie are slowly becoming my family, and I do love them, in ways I never thought myself capable of ever loving anyone. That is one of the few things that arena never took from me. My ability to love.  

The train passes through and for the first time ever, I see a real ocean. The water looks like Finnick's eyes, I need to remember to tell him, if I see him at this stop. I flop into the train cushions the same way I did when I first stepped on, only now I have a glass of whiskey in my hand. Haymitch sits across from me and smirks. What does he want? 

“What?” He shakes his head 

“Some things never change. You sat like that the first time we met.” I smile at the memory of it despite myself. Even though the arena put me through hell and back, I am grateful for the family I have made from it.  

“Guess I did, now look at me, belle of the motherfucking ball” I snort, letting my eyes crinkle at the thought of it. They dress me more conservatively than when I was a tribute now that I am a ‘kept woman’. The Capitol needs me to be a good role model after all, and the whore they had me originally casted as no longer fits that narrative.  

“You know they will want you to marry that boy” I look at him quizzically 

“We are in love” Haymitch gets as serious as I have ever seen him 

“We don’t lie to each other songbird. Look I know you’re pretending to love him. Or maybe you do who knows. You both need to be okay with knowing that this is the rest of your life. The interviews, the fake smiles. They want a ring on your left hand alongside a baby in your belly songbird. That’s all you’re good for now songbird. I see you as more, and so does Effie but to them – Ceaser and the audience, you are a doll they get to play with in real time. A world and story book come to life. You are not your own anymore. Just remember that as we get to her stop. Remember who you are fighting to protect and what the moments of rebellion will cost you.” I’m left to stew alone with my thoughts. I know what he means. Make it real. Make it so real even you can’t tell. Sometimes he tells me about them. Louella Mccoy. His dove. His Lenore. I know he’s terrified to lose me too, how he lost Maysilee Donner or Wyatt Callow. He has suffered so much and yet I am here. I have suffered my own loss. Yet here he is. Two fucked up people who have found family in each other.  

The pen I’m holding glides effortlessly across the page as I write my own letter. God, I’ll never get over the way I address him as love, even though these letters are private, nothing ever is in the capitol. We should leak a letter. I’ll tell him in person. I smile to myself as I slink back to the faux comforts of my capitol issued mattress. I’m going to need all the comfort I can get; the next stop is district four. Amala's parents. I feel the ghost of her little hand in mine as I drift off in a restless sleep.   

[the-eeveekins]

The Witch From Mercury: Tying Up Loose Ends

A look at the state of different characters, organizations and plot points after the epilogue of The Witch From Mercury.

Earth vs. Space, and Earthian Inequality

The crux of this conflict was the growing inequality between Earthians and Spacians, and that Spacians were exploiting Earthian labour and resources for their gain, while also pitting them in proxy wars. When Miorine dissolved the Benerit Group, all their assets were placed into Earthian hands, including all the resources the plundered from Earth and presumably a number of weapons. With this, the main driving force of the conflict is resolved, although tensions very likely still linger, especially among those who lost family and friends to the Benerit Group.

While it may not be a perfect long-term solution, it has definitely helped in the short-term. Gund-Arm Inc. has survived the transfer and we see Miorine working with Earthian protesters to solve lingering issues. And we even see that Sedo is now getting an education. Clearly, Miorine’s actions havehad a positive affect on Earthian lives. Suletta & Miorine changed the status quo in a far greater way for the better than many Gundam main characters manage to do in their own worlds.

The Benerit Group

The Benerit Group was dissolved, and all of the political and military might it wielded as an entity was destroyed. Obviously many members of the group found ways to continue working, and many will have had some assets stashed away not attached to the group, but they would lack the combined strength that the group wielding before.

We see that Delling and Sarius are under investigation in the epilogue, so even if they're still free as of the epilogue, they may not be so for very long. And for Delling, who formed the Benerit Group as a means to enforce a tyrannical "peace" upon the world, his life's work was destroyed by his daughter, and all the power that came with it.

We do see the Peil Ladies, who seem to have slinked away to some sort of retirement home in the aftermath of events. While some see this as a good ending for them, keep in mind they had just double crossed the BG in a play to be the next major power in the business world after the SAL wiped them out. Instead, they were left with nothing. No power, no super company. You can see how miserable they look in the epilogue.

The children of the Benerit Group all seem to have found a future, one way or another. Gund-Arm Incorporated is still around, with all it's Earthian and Spacian employees. Elan, Secelia and Guel are still kicking and running their own businesses, though it's unclear if they found positions with the new owners of their old companies or started over.

GUND Technology

The Prologue started with showing GUND as a means for humanity to travel into space, as well as conquering various other physical disabilities. The work of the Vanadis Institute is now continued by GUND-Arm Incorporated, which we see in the epilogue is producing medical technology to aid those with disabilities, like Petra and Ericht.

Shaddiq

I have talked about this a lot in the past, but Shaddiq doesn't have a bad ending. His goal was to dissolve the Benerit Group and transfer their assests to Earth to balance the powers, and Miorine successfully achieved his goal for him. Sabina and company came away from everything with their freedom and now work to better Earth. And as a cherry on top, since Shaddiq was already under arrest for Plant Quetta and Asticassia, he also took the fall for Quiet Zero as well, to protect Miorine’s new family.

Mercury & The School

We don't actually see Mercury in the series itself (except in a flashback of the Lfrith hanger), but we don't really need to. The planet itself doesn't have any relevance to events, and Cradle Planet (which does take place on Mercury) makes it pretty clear there isn't anything of interest out there anyway. And while Suletta is from there and wants to build a school there, she never once expressed a desire to return. We can pretty safely say that Suletta built her school there, based on the line "You're going to build another school here?"

Lingering Questions

The Space Assembly League

Quiet Zero not only shook up things in space due to the dissolution of the Benerit Group, but also the revelation that the SAL was directly supporting Earthian resistance groups and helping them carry out attacks against their own citizens, not to mention very publicly trying to wipe out millions of it's own citizens with a giant space laser. Presumably this caused a massive shake-up within the SAL, and between that and the Benerit Group dissolution, the entire political structure of space very likely changed significantly, but the epilogue doesn't really give much of a hint about what that looks like.

The Lfrith AI

A plot thread in the Prologue that completely disappeared afterwards. While I'm not personally convinced it was ever meant to be a plot point beyond the Prologue, I was convinced it was worth bringing up. It was meant to overcome the Gundam Curse and allow people to pilot Gundams without negative permet damage. However, by all accounts, it never succeeded. The show very heavily implies that Ericht's unique ability to coexist with the Data Storm is what allows her to connect to the AI and pilot a Gundam without harm, and it's never brought up again. Not to mention the Darilbalde used a new advanced AI that could pilot a mobile suit with pilot input at all, but not even that was seen as a solution to the Curse for the Schwarzette.

Elnora and the Covern

We know Suletta was the key. It was necessary for someone to pilot Aerial because Ericht couldn't. Whether it was Ericht's permet resistance that Elnore needed, or maybe just a close bond family bond to push permet scores, the solution she found was to clone her own daughter. Through context we might assume this isn't exactly unheard of in Ad Stella, given the lack of surprise about her origins from Suletta’s friends. But what about the Coven? We see that by the time Ericht "dies" and she is uploaded to the Aerial, Suletta was already born. Were they made before or after Suletta. Before implies they were clones that tragically could not survive and Elnora desperately uploaded them to the Lfrith to save them, unable to bear more loss. Afterwards implies that they were necessary for control of the Gundbits. Where they more repli-children uploaded, or did Ericht simply copy her data into clones to handle the bits more easily? There are so many questions about what Elnora did to make the coven.

Notrette

The woman of mystery. We never even see her face. Depending on who you ask, the mystery is a good thing and any more information would ruin it. We know she's from Earth, that she wanted to apply the evolutionary mechanics of plants to humans, and that Quiet Zero was the key to her plans. And that, for whatever reason, she left a backdoor into it for her daughter based on the genetic code of her tomatoes. Why did she marry Delling? What was her original goal with Quiet Zero and what did she intend with it? How exactly did she die? Did she have a love affair with Prospera that saw her help Elnora create a clone of her daughter?

The Future of Gundams

Perhaps the ultimate sequel hook: we do not know what the future holds for Gundams after Quiet Zero. The Ur is presumably still around, and even if it remains a forbidden technology, we've seen that there are those willing to sacrifice lives to use that power. On the other hand, is the original goal of GUND-Arm Inc. a possibly? Can GUND Format equipped Mobile Suits be operated safely and for the good of humanity, instead of as a tool for war?

Asticassia

With help from Guel, Elan and Secelia, Asticassia survives 3 years later. But what is it's purpose? Is it still a training ground for the spacian elite to train the next generation of oppressors, or has it found new life as a technical school that takes in students from anywhere, without prejudice.

The Three Kids

In the epilogue, we see Suletta playing with three children in the wheat field. Are these children that Suletta & Miorine adopted? Or simply some local kids who Suletta likes to play with? Due to the fact that they seemingly disappear for the rest of the scene, I'm inclined to believe the latter.

[for-teyvat-gravity-falls-au]

Have you planning to let OGTY!ford,stan Meet outlander ford and stan?

what about OGTY!ford,stan relationship and what element vision?

Original Teyvat Ford and Stan (Who lives in Teyvat) meet For Teyvat AU ford and stan aka outlander: The interactions between the two vary depending on many things.

To avoid complications, we will say that those who are originally from Teyvat are OGTY!

The main difference is that Stan OGTY! has even more experience as an adventurer than Stan and Ford from Teyvat AU, That is, he has lived in Teyvat since his birth, and has exploited it a lot, although of course there are areas that he would not want to visit for a reason.

And of course, Stan For Teyvat Au would want to learn everything that Stan OGTY! learned from his travels across the nations... And yes, he also wants to learn to fight with more weapons.

Stanford OGTY! He would be more distrustful after what happened in Sumeru, so he wouldn't trust Stanley, however, Stanford For Teyvat Au would make it clear to him that Stan is innocent on charges of ruining his invention and would tell him what happened at Fontaine, giving Stanford OGTY! a reality check

After that, Stanford OGTY! would hug his Stan and apologize because they are brothers.

Stan and Ford's visions: Visions occur depending on the circumstance and the predominant emotions that represent the users.

In my case, Stanford gets his vision on Sumeru, though the element remains unchosen as I'm thinking of the possibilities of it being Anemo, Geo, or Dendro. How he gets this vision is really simple, as in Sumeru, Ford begins to learn how knowledge is a danger, when he faces people who are like him, Ford realizes all the mistakes he made, this allows Stanford to access his vision when Stan is in danger.

Stanley would be a bearer of a Cryo vision, since tragedy, pain, fear and helplessness are the users who characterize the cryo element.The reality is that obtaining this vision is not always a cause for celebration, we have seen it with Kaeya losing his family, Qiqi losing her life and humanity, Diona with her aversion to alcohol thanks to her alcoholic father, the list goes on and on

Honestly, I like that Stan has an element that expresses how over the years he hardened himself to the point of being cold as ice for his safety.

How he gets his vision is during his own trial, when Ford declares to everyone that he would never forgive Stan for ruining his life, causing him to finally break down, The cold he felt at those words was reflected in a powerful blizzard that would leave anyone frozen.

That day a part of him died, and for that reason, he decided to be the one to defend those who have been nothing more than judged, that is why he would defend the children of Arlechino, as well as Tartaglia and Furina.

At Furina's trial, he would give a speech that would leave everyone breathless, making them remember how everyone saw the Hydro Archon and even the Cryo Archon: Imposing, with a powerful presence and an unbreakable willpower, someone mysterious, with an impenetrable sense of justice.

That day, Stanley Pines would be known as the king and defender of justice and sinners. And everyone would applaud him with emotion

The relationship between Stan and Ford: is complicated, as they still haven't patched things up until much later

Specifically, when they arrive at Fontaine, Ford has the "brilliant" idea of putting his brother on trial, since before everything else, they had had an argument

So after Ford makes his case, the machine that I won't bother remembering its fucking name because it's too fucking long declares Stan innocent, Which Stan actually didn't even expect.

Later, when Furina is blamed for being a false archon, Stan is the only one against the plan since he manages to see behind the girl's lies and smile, he is the only one who manages to hear her before and during the trial and fight tooth and nail to defend her, his goal is to at least defend someone like he would have wished someone would defend him when he was a teenager.

When all the protagonists enter Furina's mind, Ford sees a new perspective, that not everything is black and white, in addition to seeing his brother's memories through the years (This is because Focalor felt bad about what Stan went through and decided to do something about it)

In the end, the two reconcile, and Ford finally lets go of the resentment.

The question about OGTY! Ford and Stan meeting the outlanders Stan and Ford left me a bit confused, I'll answer that later, as I don't want to make a mistake when answering that question.

[tanadrin]

Is it plausible that children are most often abused by people that they know (rather than strangers) because we've steadily and consistently reduced the capacity for children to interact with strangers in potentially abusive situations? I'm pretty sure that's not the case, but you've frequently discussed the topic and it seems like you'd know if there was anything to back up the idea.

I think children are most often abused and exploited by people they know because children spend most of their time around people they know, and children have a marked lack of autonomy in our society. In the past (and, sadly, too often in the present still) there has been a marked taboo around discussing these issues, a refusal to educate children in age-appropriate ways about sex (meaning they often don't even have the language to explain what has happened to them), and a reluctance to believe victims of abuse. In fact, I think the real incidence of CSA has probably gone down markedly in the last 75 years, but it's hard to get clear numbers on this bc for so long we refused to admit the problem even existed. A problem people refuse to acknowledge exists will of course seem to have a much lower rate of occurrence than one people openly acknowledge.

Stranger danger has never been the primary risk to children. The primary risk to children is parents, relatives, teachers, pastors, and other figures of authority in their lives. That's true for CSA, and for physical abuse, and for emotional abuse. And it makes sense; if you were the kind of person to abuse or terrorize or sexually exploit a child, the easiest children for you to target are children in your community, where your reputation and authority can protect you, where nobody could possibly believe such an awful thing, but you know, poor Bobby has always been troubled, etc., etc.

There is no clean solution to this problem. I think most parents, and most people who spend a lot of time around children by choice, do so because they genuinely like and want good things for them! I think the best protection against child abuse and exploitation is being open and communicative with children, educating them in age-appropriate ways, giving them the tools to defend their autonomy, and making sure that when they have problems they are heard.

And incidentally, I think a similar approach is also the best tool for online safety for kids. It's a lot harder for strangers with bad intentions (who do exist, though they are not the primary risk to children) to target kids with a stable, loving home life, who aren't ashamed to talk to their parents or to other adults in their lives about what's going on, and whose feelings and autonomy are respected by those adults. We cannot arrest and punish our way to a world that is safe for children! This is an authoritarian lie we tell ourselves, because the truth--that there is no escape from the hard work of actually caring for and about each individual child--implicates how we think about children in uncomfortable ways.