#I also think there are a lot more circumstances where he will peace out during DA:O than DA:I

[danlous]

It's interesting that even though Louis goes to the park we don't actually see him doing anything sexual with men there or even interacting with them. Just watching and passing by people hooking up, who are clearly interested in him but Louis just ignores them. I feel this suggests he maybe didn't have sex with anyone in the park at all and really was there just to observe and fantasize and experience the atmosphere. It also brings to my mind what Jacob said about Louis and the vampire community:

I think Louis sees the vampire community and lgbt community in the same way; it brings him some joy and peace to know the the community exists and glimpse it, but he doesn't necessarily want to be a part of it, have a direct experience of living in it and being together with other people. He's eternally an outside observer.

There's also how Louis views sex and relationships in general. Jacob was talking back in s1 how Louis wanted a traditional monogamous relationship with Lestat and how hurtful it was to him that Lestat wanted to sleep with other people - and that Lestat at first (untruthfully) said that he would be fine with Louis sleeping with other people. I don't think that's just about Lestat either - i think Louis is (both because of his personality and catholic upbringing) fundamentally someone who wants a passionate, committed relationship with one person, and wouldn't in most circumstances be comfortable with an open relationship or casual sex.

When Armand approaches Louis in the park he's gentlemanly and romantic and essentially asks him out on a date. Even though they are immediately attracted to each other if Armand's approach would've been blatantly sexual i think Louis would've turned him down. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't had sex with anyone after Lestat in the years before meeting Armand. I think the hallucination of Lestat interrupting Louis and Armand before they've even done anything and calling Louis a whore also implies this. In the traditional catholic thinking sex outside marriage is always seen as sinful, and sometimes it's been considered infidelity even if your spouse has died.

From this point of view it's also interesting that Louis still eventually ends up having threesomes with Armand and lots of casual sex. During the interview they present this to Daniel as something fun and happy, but when young Daniel met them they seemed to be unhappy. Does it represent freedom and happiness to Louis or is that more something he's telling to himself? Or both? Neither, something in between? In any case i'm curious to see how we get to the point where someone as monogamous as Louis feels comfortable enough to have threesomes together with his partner and many strangers

[emeryhiro]

What Daryl and Carol mean to each other

And why France may have been the best thing for Caryl

This idea has been sitting in my drafts for about six months, but now that we're only 9 days away from the Tribeca premiere, I finally decided to flesh it out and post it.

This post can be taken as part two of my previous one on what Carol means to Daryl [here], but it can also be read independently. And just as a disclaimer, this is just my understanding and opinions on Caryl and all the scenes I mention below. So grab a nice cup of your choice beverage and get comfy 'cause I had a lot to say, and this turned out to be a long one.

I want to start by pointing out some moments where Daryl and Carol got to enjoy each other's company and talk in peace.

Yup, that's all of them... a long list of 4...

I didn't realise how rare these moments were until I started looking through season after season. Don't get me wrong; I know there are countless sweet and meaningful moments that they've shared both on screen and off screen (implied), but very few that we've seen without heartbreak, grief, or danger looming over them. And even the moments in the gifs above were still sandwiched between disasters.

I've read and received many questions, such as, "Why have we had to wait all these years and are having to continue to wait for Caryl to be canon?" and "If it was going to happen, it would have happened by now." and I feel like the above gifs answer all of that.

These two have endured unimaginable pain before and after the outbreak, and throughout it all, they have been each other's light, held each other together, helped each other heal from their past, and become the strongest versions of themselves.

However, they have never been allowed to be selfish, to take a moment to think about what they deserve, or to imagine the possibility of accepting the love they want and need; why? Because they have been so busy protecting and making sacrifices for everyone else.

For the past 13 years, they have been content as long as they have each other in their lives, accepting their current circumstances as long as the other seems happy. But during all that time, they also connected in more ways than they had realised.

The major connection I wanted to point out is that their lives depend on one another now (mutually inclusive). Whether knowingly or unknowingly, they are alive at this moment because of each other. I don't mean this just in a 'save their life when they're in danger' way but also as a 'I can't imagine my life existing beyond yours' and 'I can't distinguish between my life and yours' kind of way.

I briefly touched on this in one of my previous posts about Carol [here], and the show, in general, has been a lot more open with us regarding what Carol wants, but here are a couple of more nuanced instances from the later seasons where we see those feelings show from Daryl and Carol's perspectives:

~~~~~~~~

S10 EP3 Ghosts (Daryl)

The first scene I wanted to mentions is when Alpha confronts them about crossing her border. The moment she says, "You have to be punished," and the whisperers reach for their weapons, we see Daryl shifting on his feet as he prepares to move at a moment's notice.

And as soon as Carol talks back to Alpha, calling her words "Bullshit", Daryl is already moving.

He immediately places himself between them to shield Carol in case Alpha decides to attack her.

Then, when Carol snaps and tries to shoot Alpha, Daryl grabs and takes complete hold of her.

He's not just trying to stop her; he's using himself to shield every inch of her from any possible incoming assault from the whisperers.

Once Alpha allows them to leave, he grabs Carol and her bow and arrows without a second of hesitation (leaving behind his own crossbow) and immediately moves Carol away from the situation.

Once again, when everyone is in danger all Daryl can think about is Carol, making sure she's safe and unharmed, with no concern for himself.

I also think it's so beautiful and important to point out here that while all Daryl could think about was shielding Carol, Michonne was also there trying to protect both of them ♡

~~~~~~~~

S10 EP3 Ghosts (Daryl) - Part 2

The second one I want to mention is later in the same episode when Daryl and Michonne rush Carol back to Alexandria/Siddiq for help after she cuts her arm open badly.

We first find Daryl holding onto a column outside to steady himself while he waits to find out if she's okay.

When Siddiq comes out full of hesitation and can't find the words to answer Michone when she asks if Carol is okay, we see a look of pure fear on Daryl's face.

He freezes; he's holding his breath and won't dare move or say anything because he feels like his whole reality is hanging by a thread, and in the moment, the smallest thing or whatever Siddiq is about to say next might make it all fall apart.

~~~~~~~~

S10 EP9 Squeeze (Daryl)

The third moment I wanted to mention is when Carol is hanging off the edge of a rock in the cave, risking her life just so she can try to destroy part of Alpha's horde, but Daryl finds her and is so confused and terrified by what she's doing.

He tries to tell her, to warn her that she's gonna get herself killed if she tries to go through with what she's planning.

Look at how he flinches and instantly loses his breath when her hand slips a little... breaks my heart every time.

When she responds to him by saying, "She killed my boy", Daryl's fear is now also combined with desperation because he realised that he didn't need to warn her about the possibility of getting herself killed; he realised she knew the risk all along and was in such a low place that she was almost welcoming the consequences.

What previously was a tone of alarm in Daryl's voice turns into a whisper, and he's now pleading with her. Without saying the actual words, he's begging her to choose to live again, even if it's just for him.

~~~~~~~~

S10 EP14 Look at the Flowers (Carol)

What Caryl wants is also kind of answered in 10x14, where Carol is having an internal confrontation with herself. Subconsciously, she has chosen and manifested Alpha (who is now dead) as the face and voice of the one confronting her.

Timestamp 19:10 - 20:15

When "Alpha" says to her:

"Being out on your own... you've tried it before. They always pull you back. Always wanting more. Love. Motherhood. Death. But they don't know what you truly want. Admit it. What do you want? Say it..."

Carol responded by saying :

"I want to be alone."

To which "Alpha" says:

"Yeah. That's not it."

So the question here is, if it's not love in general, motherhood, death, or being left alone, then what does Carol actually want?

It's important here to note that Carol already knows the answer to that question. She's only asking herself this question because she hasn't accepted it; she isn't being honest with herself yet.

Timestamp 33:15 - 35:20

While Carol is stuck under the rubble and can't get out as the walker is getting closer to her, "Alpha" taunts her by saying:

"Stop fighting. No matter what you do, you lose people. Sophia, Lizzie, Mika, Henry, Ezekiel... And if you go back, Daryl could be next."

To which Carol responds:

"I could never let that happen."

This internal confrontation with herself and the realization that even when everything else in her world is dark, just having Daryl and making sure he's okay is worth living for and fighting for and that it's not too late for her to start over. The acceptance that that's who/what she truly wants gives her the strength at that moment to fight again, dislocating her shoulder to get free and killing the walker that was about to reach her.

~~~~~~~~

S10 EP16 A Certain Doom (Daryl)

Looking back at 10x01 for a second, Carol asks Daryl to run away with her, but he says no and explains that life in tiny boat cabins is not for him. Then Carol presents the idea of running away on his bike instead, and he's much more enticed by his idea; however, by the end of the episode, they both agree that they can't because they still feel responsible for the people around them and making sure that they're safe against the threat from Alpha. 

Back to 10x16, after Carol went to lead the horde off the cliff, Daryl would have almost been expecting and terrified that she wouldn't come back, that she'd take this "out" and end her own pain in a permanent and self-sacrificial way like she's tried before, but this time, he wouldn't be there to beg her to come back to him and to save her. 

Once again, we find him leaning and steadying himself against a tree, preparing for the worst possible news or, as the episode's title suggests, a certain doom.

And when he sees her again, he can't take his eyes off her.

He doesn't believe his eyes at first; he looks all over her to make sure she's not hurt, but when she speaks, asking him if he's good, he finally breathes again, letting out the breath he's been holding.

The community is safe (for now) since the horde has been dealt with, and his next immediate thought is, "You still got me" and "New Mexico is still out there." He immediately brings back the idea of running away together; why? Because he now knows that this time he got way too close to losing her forever and will not be risking that ever again. He's now ready to leave everything and everyone else he cares about behind, so he'll never risk losing her again. 

He loves her so much that, once again, all else comes second.

When he hugs her, he pulls her in tighter than ever before, making sure he's holding onto as much of her as possible because he needs to know that this is real, that he's actually holding her, that she's right there, unharmed and breathing, and not just a part of a dream of what he wants to see. 

I believe he forgives everything in that instant, including her actions that led to losing Connie, because his pain is not worth causing her any more of it. He will now carry that guilt for himself, taking as much of her burden as possible just to make living a little easier for her. Because he'd rather shoulder all the pain and guilt than lose her, and because he can live with the pain and guilt, but he can't live without her. 

~~~~~~~~

S11 EP24 Rest in Peace (Daryl & Carol)

I believe the events of the season 11 finale forced them to come to a new level of internal acceptance. Seeing the people around them lose the ones they love the most started a spark, and it started to force them to have those internal conversations.

The reality began to sink in for both of them that there had been too many close calls to keep denying themselves what they truly wanted, and It's now more true to them than ever that their tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

We all expected this to be the moment they went for what they'd wanted for so long, but we were wrong; their wounds were just too deep, and their instinct to self-sacrifice was once again too strong.

A year later, we see them once again dedicating their lives to helping others, Carol taking over Hornsby's job and helping put the commonwealth back together, and Daryl setting out to see what's left out there, hoping to find Rick and Michonne and bring them back to their family.

~~~~~~~~

TOWL S01 EP04 What We (Daryl & Carol) - A Parallel

There's a pretty important parallel that I'd like to point out as well. In episode 4 of TOWL, when Micheonne asks Rick what the CRM took from him, Rick responds to her by saying:

"When I got taken, I fought, and I fought, and not just by trying to get away, but by how I would dream. I'd meet up with Carl in my dreams. And that's how I survived in here. Kept me alive... But then I started dreaming of you [Michonne]... and it kept me going... I can't live without you. Without you, I die."

It's important here to note that Rick is speaking to his wife. When he was taken away and at his lowest, he survived because when he went to sleep, he dreamed about Carl (his son) and Michonne (his soulmate) and his happy memories with them.

So what does Daryl dream about when he's taken away and at his lowest? (TWD:DD S01 EP01)

He dreams about Judith (his surrogate daughter) and Carol (his soulmate).

He dreams about Judith telling him that he deserves a happy ending too, and his very next thought is of Carol, seeing her again and being with her again because that's the happy ending he truly wants.

And what does Carol dream about when she's at her lowest in season 10?

She dreams about Henry (her adoptive son) and Daryl (her soulmate)

She dreams about the life she's always wanted, a home, a family and a life with Daryl because that's the happy ending she truly wants.

Also, just a quick mention that even Michonne refers to Rick (her husband) as her friend when speaking to Virgil in TWD 10x08 (TS: 40:00 - 41:20)

~~~~~~~~

So why is TBOC going to be any different? And why was Daryl ending up in France the best thing that could have happened for Caryl?

Because they have finally reached a point where they almost believe they've lost the other, they have been forced to feel the dependence of their existence on the others.

They have never been truly separated before, not to this extent. And what to them was previously only a fear has now become a reality.

When they're reunited, it's going to be with a completely new perspective and total understanding of the extent of their need for one another, and the idea of just having one another in each other's lives will no longer even remotely come close to being sufficient.

I'll elaborate a little...

After all these years, we've seen them constantly save one another and be terrified of losing each other. But no matter what, nothing got them to the point where they felt they needed (more than anything) to confess to the other. So far, everything they have faced during the main show has been different shades of the same thing, and the urgency was never high enough to outweigh their self-doubt and insecurities.

What France has given us is a whole new level of steaks. Where we'll find them in season 2 is on the verge of believing that they'll never be able to see each other again; this, coupled with the fact that they don't even know if the other is even alive, and the fact that the distance and time apart has given them a true taste of how much they need the other, we now have the perfect and unique recipe for something that outweighs their self-doubts and insecurities.

It's the age-old idea of you don't know what you have until it's gone. The difference between:

Watching everyone around them lose the people they love most: they empathise with them, their heart breaks for them, they may even be devastated by that loss, and ultimately, it probably makes them cherish the ones they still have even more.

They, themselves, losing the person they love most: this is something that needs to be experienced to be understood. It's reality shifting, and the pain/loss outweighs anything else.

And now, after experiencing that loss for themselves, by some miracle, they're given another chance with that person... what a way to completely shift someone's priorities and ability to act past insecurities.

~~~~~~~~

To wrap up I wanna go back to Norman's words from the NYCC TBOC press conference:

"[Carol] feels something's wrong. They have that kind of bond, where there's a lot of unspoken things that are said... the bonds that we made in the flagship show are still very strong... [Carol] can take care of herself, of course... but the bond just keeps getting stronger and stronger..."

And David Zabel's words from his interview with Entertainment Weekly (interview link):

"The main focus of season 2 for me was always Daryl and Carol coming back together and what does that mean? And it becomes ultimately a story about how we as people can save each other. She's trying to find him, but in the process of telling that story: How are they ultimately getting to a place where they're kind of saving each other?...showing what's happening inside these characters as people in the most intimate personal way"

Daryl and Carol have loved and cared for each other so profoundly, especially when they couldn't love themselves, even to the point of sacrificing their own happiness to prioritise the others. If that is not the true meaning of soulmates, then I don't know what is. And we all know that some of the greatest loves are routed in the truest friendships.

~~~~~~~~

Thank you to everyone who read through this! I know it was an extra long one, and it could have been even longer, but I've decided to post their moments from 10C separately, as there's a lot more to break down there. I really enjoyed writing this, and I'm so happy/grateful that I have this platform to share these thoughts with you all. I'd love to know your thoughts on the things I've mentioned or missed ♡♡♡

As some of you already know, I'll be attending the Tribeca Premiere for TBOC in 9 days. After that, I'd like to write and share a spoiler-free-ish afterthought for this post, including what I've taken away from episode 1, what was said during the cast panel afterwards, and my thoughts on what's to come for Caryl. If anyone would like to be tagged when that's posted, please let me know.

I'll be posting a more detailed and spoilery analysis of Episode 1 once it's actually released.

[lover-of-mine]

I'm gonna start this off by saying that this has been ping-ponging around my head like that old dvd screensaver, quicking around and getting more unhinged every time it hit a corner since April. And while this is a meta on the cemetery scene in Death and Taxes, I will be going back and forth in the whole show, so I don't know, buckle up, grab your delusional juice, and come with me if you feel like it.

First thing about that scene is that it tries to make you think about the equine therapy conversation in Dumb Luck.

They are in a location we have never seen before and probably will never see again, the outfits are similar, and even the circumstances of the conversation could be read as close to each other, considering Eddie wasn't doing well after almost dying, Buck is definitely not handling his death well. I made a way too detailed meta about the cinematography of buddie during Eddie's breakdown era (you can read it if you want more details) but the main thing about the dumb luck conversation is that Eddie is finally letting Buck in after continuously shutting him down when he tried to offer help and that's reflected on the way they filmed the scene, the way they are talking, moving, positioned in the frame. It's about Buck reminding Eddie that there's hope after all. Considering the moment Buck's in, with them alluding to that conversation, you would've expected for them to do a similar thing with Buck, right? That this scene going to give Buck the same type of peace the equine therapy talk gave Eddie.

But it doesn't. One thing that's kind of a pattern with Buck, Eddie, and Eddie reassuring Buck (if you could call 2 scenes a pattern) is that they have Buck looking up at Eddie (I also talked about this in more detail here if you're interested) but that's interesting because of Buck's height, he's the tallest person in the room, so he's not usually looking up at people, but something about Buck as character is that he has the tendency to sit in higher places, so he's always higher, and he even picked a place where he can sleep in a high spot.

But when he's getting reassurance from other people in his life, they are both usually sitting down, at the same eye level.

But when he goes to Eddie for reassurance, Eddie is standing up and Buck is sitting down, so Buck is literally looking up at Eddie when he goes to Eddie for advice. And Eddie is always focused on Buck, in Home and Away, Eddie is reasoning with him, and in Recovery Eddie is trying to give Buck what Buck is asking while not pushing his boundaries.

Why is that relevant here? Well, Buck spends the whole conversation in the cemetery trying to get Eddie to look at him and Eddie spends most of the conversation looking forward so he won't have to.

And that alone is very interesting because Eddie is always looking at Buck. I could legit put 100 screenshots here to prove it. So the fact that Eddie can't look at Buck here, means something. Because Buck wants Eddie to be on his side, he needs Eddie to tell him he's doing the right thing, but the way he's talking is making Eddie shut down.

Buck wants answers, right? He wants the easy way out. He died, he has feelings about it he doesn't want to deal with, so he's looking for whatever answers he can get so he won't have to. But the way he's talking sounds a lot like the way Eddie talks to him in Kids Today when he drops Christopher off with him before the tsunami. Very you're alive, get over it thing Eddie had going that ended with him literally destroying everything he had. So, like, we know that's not the way to go about near-death experiences, it doesn't end well because the pressure has to go somewhere and let's face it, Buck has never dealt with anything that happened to him ever. He can't just keep moving past the shit he's been through, at some point, that's gonna catch up to him.

But the thing about the actual content of the conversation is the way that Eddie tries to do the thing he usually does, reason with Buck, "been down that road, don't recommend it" or "or you don't know her the way he does" or "now am I allowed to ask how you are", because it's how they work, but Buck shuts him down with the "I feel like she sees me, like she really sees me for who I am" because that threw Eddie off balance in their relationship, in their friendship really, considering they way they showed us buddie from in a flash to mixed feelings, Eddie is trying his best to be someone Buck relies on, the way we've seen him rely on Buck through his trauma recovery. And one thing we see Eddie constantly do is back away so he won't get hurt once things get too intense. He puts space between him and whatever is bothering him, he ran to LA to escape his parents' judgment (and to be closer to Shannon but his parents played a part there), he kept Shannon at arm's length through most of the time she was back in his life before she died, he kept pushing Buck away after the lawsuit, he pushes everyone away really before his PTSD took him down. Dude retreats from the fight if he's not sure and Buck throws him off balance. Because up until this moment, Eddie thinks he's helping, but we see him realize he was wrong and shut down in real time.

He's still trying, but his thing now is agreeing with Buck. This gif has 11 seconds, black and white because I wanted the whole thing in one gif, but Buck is trying to get a reaction out of him, but Eddie already moved to a whatever you say buddy mode. AND EDDIE JUST WON'T LOOK AT BUCK.

So Buck wants to know if he's doing the right thing, Eddie is agreeing with him not because he agrees with him but because now he thinks that whatever he's doing is not helping so putting distance between them will be what's best because Buck is getting what he needs somewhere else so he needs to minimize the damage to himself.

And the distance thing is something that stays until the end of the season, because during the first half of 6B, they are together the whole time, mixed feelings being obviously the biggest example, but they made a point of highlighting the fact that they were very close outside the firehouse, just to stop. They were chilling at Buck's loft, they were out and about scheming the fire captain, Buck looked more comfortable at Eddie's than he did in his own place. But then we don't even see them together in the hospital after the bridge. Like, there's s p a c e now.

And I spent a really long time trying to figure out what was going on with this scene that made such an impression on me, and it's that Buck doesn't sound like someone who believes in what they're saying, he sounds like someone who's justifying themselves and hoping they are doing the right thing. And Eddie doesn't really let him get away with this line of thought, not usually, but he does now, so they leave that conversation with different impressions of how it went. Buck thinks he's right and Eddie is just backing the fuck off.

And a while back it downed on me what other scene this made me think of. And that's the fountain scene in merry ex-mas.

They are even shot in a similar way, the off-center wide angle, the close-up from a side angle where you can see the other one slightly blurry, the focus of the conversation angled toward the front of the frame, everything happening in an outside location we will never probably see again, the way they are not looking at each other. And the conversation is similar too, I mean, sure they are not talking about dying but it is a big decision in Eddie's life that sounds like Eddie is justifying himself and needs Buck to agree with him. And Buck is agreeing with him, and not talking about it even though we KNOW he has opinions because he kept trying to talk about it with Chimney because Buck doesn't think it's his place to have an opinion and offer it to Eddie. Both scenes sound like they are talking and understanding each other but what the scene is showing us is that they are not.

And something about the way they are pretty much never looking at each other is that it is a way to show they are not seeing eye to eye in a situation, the most extreme example I can think of it is when Eddie drags Buck out of bed in Kids Today because they are pretty much never looking at each other there.

But to have them face the same direction is a really easy way to make you feel like something is wrong, especially if they are not moving, because if they are standing in the same spot for 3 minutes they could've turned to face each other, but they don't, because the message here is that they are not really seeing each other. And that in a conversation where Buck is talking about being seen by someone else????? Like, come on, that's so on purpose.

I also wanna add a take that's not mine, all credit to @anxieteandbiscuits for putting this particular thought in my head with this post, that's basically about how the "dating someone you rescued? that never ends well" line might also be another justification for why Eddie chooses to stay quiet. Because one thing is true, and that is that buddie do be rescuing each other. And it really sounds like something Eddie would do, to justify to himself not doing something that could make him lose Buck any way he could, because romantic relationships are very unstable, no matter how much you want it to work, how much you love each other, there's a very real level of unpredictability in a romantic relationship that doesn't exist in their friendship. So to imagine him going "the friendship is good, the friendship is what I need, I won't do anything to change that because I don't have to and it probably wouldn't end well with our track record anyway" makes a lot of sense too.

If you made it to here, I love you <3

I have more metas here if you feel like reading more of my brand of insanity.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Can I ask D (distrust), P (protective) and I (Injury) (angst alphabet) for Sir Pentious?

Sir Penious w/ D, P, I (angst alphabet)

Woo yeah first angst alphabet post YIPEE!!

Prompts: distrust, protective, injury

Notes: reader is GN, although like most of my other alphabet posts we're focusing heavily on the canon character, established relationship, prompt I was written before P sooo... wording may be a little confusing since P references I!

CWs: vague injuries and blood, talk of death as a hypothetical for P, mentions of panic attacks

DISTRUST

i think it would be really interesting if the two of you were friendly with one another prior to him joining the hotel... i think you can see where im going with this-

you of course find out he was plotting to rat you all out to vox, and while some members of the hotel are quick to forgive (charlie), or simply dont care (husk), youre crushed. bonus points if youve already told him you wanted to go to the hotel to try to better yourself

to you it looks like he just... went and tried to ruin that for you, which in a way yeah thats what he did even if it wasnt a personal attack on you

it takes a while for you to trust him again, you dont just bounce back from that sort of thing..

he tries to get you to hear him out on his apology as well as leaving you small things he knows you like; treats, trinkets, stuff like that

its not until charlie says something that he gives you space

you can tell hes also crushed, and he blames no one but himself

funnily enough, i think if you did the same thing back it would break his trust too... at least after he commits himself to redeeming himself. that may make him a hypocrite, but in a way that adds to the hurt...

PROTECTIVE

so so protective of you, even if he doesnt have a reason to be

likes having one of his egg boiz follow you around in case you need assistance, hes a lot more lax if nothing has happened to make him worry his head off for you

actually, he thinks youre quite strong! you have your strengths that can help you in a fight, or to avoid on... and he trusts you!

but what if something does happen!

as mentioned in the I portion, hes going to be hovering around you after any incidents; you getting injured, robbed, snatched, or even killed (if youre a sinner and you were killed by normal hell circumstances), not only does he send his egg boiz with you but he might tag along with you if he can

if he cant i can easily see him passing you a weapon... please take it... for his peace of mind...

stays up at night blaming himself for not being there for you when you needed him.. he didnt want to seem clingy or controlling so he let you go out alone, and while yes he does still want you to have your freedom and space... hes scared that its going to happen again... what if something happens during an extermination?

for the first few weeks after any incidents he can be jumpy

INJURY

I WAS going to reference my I headcanon from the fluff alphabet but i realize... i skipped it! so... yeah!

i can imagine theres a difference between seeing you hurt but untreated, and seeing you hurt but treated... and since this prompt tackles the untreated version...

he probably tries to keep himself together as he tries to stop the bleeding, or trying to remove anything that may be lodged into your body...

but hes so very clearly putting on an act, hes so so scared of losing you

even if youre a sinner and youve just been attacked under normal circumstances, no angelic weapons, he still doesnt want to see you in this way.. especially if hes done his best to try to prevent you from getting hurt

the type to just his bare hands to try to stop the bleeding if theres nothing else to press to the wound, it just makes things worse because his hands keep slipping and harshly rubbing into the wound... his claws arent making anything any easier

likely loses himself at a point and just shuts down, he kind of goes into shock himself as he tries to save you- despite his best efforts to remain composed and to keep himself anchored to the moment his mind begins to slip

if youre a sinner and you regenerate, hes going to be lingering around you even closer than ever before. he refuses to let you leave his sight for a while

[mixelation]

been thinking about reborn au........

thought one: i think the initial chunin exam mission will be in iwa. there's some post third shinobi war thing that minato desperately wants but failed to get during peace negotiations (i'm leaning towards an actual prisoner but my mind could change). iwa has agreed to let konoha join their chunin exam after 5 years of peace but there's a lot of terms and conditions and restrictions

minato makes team kushina specifically for this exam.... his initial concept is that it's an itachi + kushina mission where deidara is a distraction (remember that in this AU deidara never joined iwa) and tori is basically his leash, because that's what the initial psyche report indicated their relationship is (it isn't). the fact that they're all 12-13 helps solidify the cover story that they're actual, legit genin even if they're obviously talented, and itachi's ANBU mission record is classified enough that iwa is unlikely to suss it out. minato's unsure they'll let KUSHINA in because she's his wife, but also something something they need a sealmaster for the extraction. plus he's not sure..... anyone else could handle itachi as a subordinate........ or deidara......... or even tori

initially i wanted to place the exam in kiri for more named characters who could cameo, but i used a lot of my ideas for it in homemade dynamite LMAO. i also think forcing deidara into iwa could make for some interesting character work, which i don't have a lot for him in this au

minato doesn't initially plan to inform deidara and tori that they're part of an ultra classified mission, in part because if it goes wrong then they risk reigniting war and so the fewer people who know, the better. you don't HAVE to know you're the distraction to be distracting, especially if you're deidara. itachi is the one who suggests they let them in, not because he's loyal to them that way, but because he's acutely aware that tori will notice something is up immediately, and tori is.... he doesn't always understand what game she's playing, but there's like a 22% chance she will ruin everything on purpose if they don't get her on board right away. this is late-game plasticity tori so if she decides to screw you over. listen. it won't go well for anyone involved. also because she's late game plasticity he's like "i genuinely think if they don't let kushina in, tori can just do it?" he's seen her done worse smh

(deidara might notice eventually and then there's a 75% chance he ruins everything on purpose, but he's so self-absorbed itachi anticipates this taking long enough that deidara ruining everything on purpose could just be their "distraction." unless tori tells him. because they hit that 22%)

thought two: i have been kind of struggling with what TORI'S character arc is, which is bad because she's the main character. i wanted to have her start in oto because that sort of gives her an excuse for being the way she is, but i realized that between that and her circumstances in plasticity...... this girl's sense of trust is just fundamentally broken LMAO. tori goes through life assuming everyone will turn on her if pushed. some people will just turn on you because they get bored. so maybe this is a story about finding a home, the way plasticity kind of is, but less fucked up and more ~learning to trust~ lmao

i think this theme also helps with like.... tori is just not someone who's loyal to a village because That's What You Do. villages are bad. she grew up surrounded by military propaganda and now she's allergic to it. you think she's fight a war for you? she wouldn't. but maybe that's okay if her home is there

[theamityelf]

Question for naehinahara au. Who falls for who first (if romantic) and how would the interactions be when they figure out they like each other?

I'm thinking Makoto and Hajime already kind of have a preexisting rapport, having known each other longer and relied on each other in the past. They don't read their own interactions as flirty, but there are a lot of grim smiles exchanged over jokes that no one else understands, and since they're the only pair of people there who have a mutually-remembered deep connection, basically all the ingredients are in place for them to swiftly bypass every step between fond acquaintance and "I can't lose him." It's not even a situation where they really consciously notice the transition, besides maybe a thought like "I never imagined sleeping in Hajime's bed before, but this is nice."

They both feel protective toward Shuichi, since he's the most recent survivor, and he's initially looking to both of them as the two guys who are supposed to be able to handle this. Between the Ultimate Hope and the Ultimate Talent, if anyone can face this and pull everyone out alive, they can.

Shuichi's arc is realizing that Makoto and Hajime are both also guys with killing game trauma who shouldn't have to be dealing with this again. He sees Hajime cry, he sees Makoto shut down, and sometimes he's the one getting them out of bed. Seeing this side of them makes him realize how alike they are, and how they're some of the few people in the world who have been exactly where he was and understand completely. It's a very intimate feeling. Shuichi's feelings toward them turn into something like thirst (and I mean that non-suggestively, unless you want it to be suggestive, lol). He feels as though he's getting by on just this feeling of being so understood, and getting to understand them better makes him feel like there's something in this situation that he can grasp. Piece by piece, they become more human in his eyes, and more wonderful.

Makoto starts to feel attracted to Shuichi during their normal conversations and free time. It makes him feel a little more at peace when he's able to get a normal conversation out of Shuichi and see him smile. The situation is really stressful for the three of them especially, and anytime he can get Shuichi or Hajime to take a breath and not be in survival mode is a big relief. They get to know each other much like he got to know his friends in his first killing game. When talking to Shuichi and thinking about Shuichi makes him feel all warm inside, he does wonder why he feels that way, but he doesn't pursue the thought too much. It's just nice, that's all.

Hajime starts to feel attracted to Shuichi in moments where he is made to confront the fact that Shuichi isn't just another person to protect. When Shuichi comforts him, comforts Makoto, he sees someone who genuinely cares about them and isn't just relying on them to get him through a killing game, and that really means a lot to him, because he knows how tough it is to feel that kind of thing for anyone under these circumstances. The furthest he goes, as far as considering the nature of his feelings for Shuichi (or Makoto, for that matter) is deeply wishing they weren't in a killing game. By which I mean, when they are cuddling in bed together and he watches them fall asleep, he consciously thinks, I wish we weren't in a killing game. He thinks about sharing these moments with them in times of peace. He doesn't think about whether the feeling is platonic.

Shuichi's the one who probably very consciously notices that he feels romantically for both of them and they feel romantically for each other. He doesn't think they feel that way towards him, because he reads any affection they show him as a continuation of that initial protectiveness.

[halfagone]

Hi Halfa! How would you incorporate Danny Phantom with the DC Injustice Universe?

I actually made a post about this back in April, which you can find here. But the basic gist of the post is that Superman is going down the deep end and when Bruce finds out about Danny and his all too similar situation (this is a post-The Ultimate Enemy timeline where Clockwork didn't reverse time after the Nasty Burger explosion) he reaches out in the hopes Danny can get through to Clark.

I will be the first to admit that I do not like the Injustice Universe. It ruins just about every single member of the Justice League for one reason or another. I could rant about that here too, but I want to stick to the ask for once. lol

For that post I linked at the beginning, I wrote it so that Danny was already an adult so that he's had a long time to think about what happened and come to peace with the fact that he can't save everyone, even the people he loves.

Hell, imagine a Danny that knows how ghosts are treated. Knows that ghosts will probably always be viewed as nothing more than cruel monsters. So he takes one for the team and kills the Joker for Superman. Because he knows that Superman can't come back from this, who knows what he would become if he did. But Danny has no personal stake in the game, other than the target he just put on his head. He can divorce himself from this kill, because he wasn't personally hurt or victimized by the Joker, but he knows if the Joker doesn't die, something far worse is going to happen.

But another way you can incorporate Danny Phantom into this universe could be in a similar vein to what I did with Mandated Reporter, where it happened in the background worldbuilding and the consequences come to rear its ugly head at some point during the events of the show's canon.

If Danny is still early in his hero career, I can see the Injustice Regime intending to take him out before he gets too powerful. He's young, and maybe in other circumstances they could have used this to mold him, but he's also unpredictable and not easily controlled. And for a regime that is all about control, they can't have that. So they would try to wipe him off the map, and if they have to wipe out a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere to do it, then they would. Because they are far beyond caring about casualties and collateral damage (can you tell why I hate the Injustice Universe yet?)

At the same time, however, you can still have Danny early on in his identity as Phantom when Metropolis' destruction goes down. Imagine a little fourteen year old Danny, hearing the news about an entire city's destruction, and he goes and does what any good superhero does:

He goes to help.

I have a whole fic idea for this that I might just have to write today while it's still fresh for me. But a lot of it is based on this clip from the DCAMU movie, Justice League: Apokolips War.

CONTENT WARNING: ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

(I put it in the in-line link because the thumbnail does not pull its punches.)

I'm definitely going to write the fic and I'll have to link it when I'm done.

There's a lot you can do with this Universe, loathe as I am to admit it. XD You can always go with the simple route of having Danny go in from another dimension and trash all these fools because "what the fuck is wrong with you people?" But I like to think there can be more to it than that.

[chromotps]

If you're still up to doing the ask game... 7, 14, 18! 😊

yes!!! thank you for enabling the brainrot in yet another avenue 😂😂

7. Who are the maids of honor and/or best men? Why and how were they chosen?

On Shanks' side, his crew first and foremost, right? It just feels right to have Benn as best man... Outside of him, Yasopp seems like he'd be part of the party for sure, as one of the oldest RH members. Then, it might depend on the AU? I like picturing a timeline where Shanks and Mihawk and Buggy have all had a chance to get reacquainted, although it might be a bit much to ask any of them to be part of the ceremony, I guess... ;v; Would also be very cute to have Uta included in the wedding party!!! Yeah, if this were some "everything-is-fine-and-perfect" AU, I can see her fussing over her dad's outfit and helping style his hair because, "really, you're going out there like this? Not even a bit of mousse?"

gdfkjhjg poor Ace might have some trouble. He's got Luffy and Deuce both seeming like strong best man candidates, and Sabo might be in the running too depending on the circumstances... I can see Deuce getting it, being particularly long-suffering in this whole journey (and Ace could never choose between Luffy and Sabo)... Maybe Ace just goes with all 3. 😂 Then, it's like, he's got all the WBP to contend with, and his original Spade pirate crew... It's not like he can have all his brothers up there during the ceremony!! But I'm sure he chooses well—Thatch and Marco, Izou... the entire 2nd division..........

14. Do they follow any familiar, cultural, and/or religious traditions at any point of the wedding?

hhhhh this makes me wish I knew more about different traditions, I bet there are some that would be really fitting!! It's also hard to say what might be traditional in OP, but I like the idea of there being something that was commonplace on Roger's ship that carried over. Like............ going off of that post you made about Shanks maybe being Irish 😂😅 I could see handfasting being cute... Maybe young-Shanks heard about it from one of the Roger Pirates and always thought the idea resonated with him somehow. :')

My friend also told me about a Chinese tradition, I think called door games? Where a groom/groomsmen have to complete little challenges set by the bridesmaids (like performing bits of love songs or eating spicy food) before seeing the bride 😂😂😂 and low key I can kind of see the Whitebeard pirates putting Shanks through a bit of a ringer as a tradition before the big day, that would be hilarious. Ace is watching from somewhere far off, laughing, but also so smitten while Shanks and the RHs bob for apples or something ashgljdfg

and ahh, I guess the candle thing from the other answer resembles the idea of a Unity Candle. gosh. thinking about Shanks and Ace lighting the candle together, and then having that "you may now kiss" moment and the flame flares up like a torch 😂

18. Did anyone oppose the marriage? Did they speak then, or did they just forever hold their peace?

LAUGHS. laughs. ok so again circumstances pending:

I can see Buggy grumbling a lot if he's in attendance but not actually being so opposed

I want!!! Dadan to be present!!! And to grill the hell out of Shanks!!! But she's also just being a hardass haha and thinks Shanks is a standup guy, 100%

GARP opens his mouth to oppose and Luffy, Sabo, & Dadan all converge at once to deck him. from across the aisle, Whitebeard cheerfully motions for Rayleigh to go on

[still-a-morosexual-help]

So I got a comment on my latest fic about how usually those types of fics are about feral Beel and they liked seeing feral Mammon for a change given how rarely Mammon is the one who loses control in canon as well

And I ended up explaining my thought process behind the choice to use Mammon (yes yes surprise it was a choice! And yes there is a thought process behind my fics!) And realised the answer to that comment sounded like a tumblr post...so here we are! ;

I actually shut my Mammon-Brain off for once and considered if I should make this ambiguous? Take out MC calling Mammon's name and instead just say MC called the demon in the fic by his name. Change some of the identifying emotions, reactions and such around - leave it up to the reader to decide who the demon in the fic was. And that kind of small mystery was very appealing but in the end I decided against it because;

• MC really does have a bias when it comes to Mammon and whether or not he's dangerous to their continued well-being (in that even when he believes he's dangerous MC laughs it off or is actually into it)

a.) When Mammon tried to get them to run away from him during the first Paws Event because he was scared he'd attack them and they said 'lol no'

b.) During Mammon's Vampire Devilgram where they basically begged him to drink their blood, even after he said he wouldn't be able to stop himself once he started and that he may end up killing them, and how absolutely turned on they were

c.) During the 2021 Masked Halloween event where they were very much turned on by Mammon (and the rest of the brothers) trying to kill them

d.) In S1, before they were friends when Mammon talks about eating humans or threatens MC, they dismiss the whole thing either by telling him they don't care, talking back to him or just straight up not listening. They were also regularly sharing a bedroom in S1 after like 1-2 weeks of knowing each other, before they became proper friends. And despite how they acted towards Mammon in S1, they were a lot more reserved and careful around the other Sins in S1, which Beel points out to Mammon - saying that MC seems to like him and seek him out.

• MC & Mammon are canonically very ride or die - with Mammon calling MC his "partner in crime" and saying if they were ever to become evil he'd follow them because his place is by their side. And with how much MC follows along with his schemes, to the point that there's one devilgram where MC, despite being present, doesn't say a word as they follow Mammon while he does something very stupid

• Mammon rarely loses his shit. But we have twice seen him get so pissed off he transformed - both times in Devilgrams - once when he thinks MC & Levi had sex & once when he hears his younger brothers insulting Lucifer via insulting Mammon. He also gets genuinely pissed off when he thinks Michael is the one behind whatever was hurting Simeon in S4. So he does get angry (rare as it is) but it's almost always for the sake of one of the others rather than for himself. While (as much as I love the others) they tend to get pissed off by some of the stupidest and most inconsequential shit. So I figured if Mammon got angry in this scenario it'd put emphasis on how dire the circumstances were and how it justified risking the tentative peace treaty held between the three realms - or at least that's what's supposed to be implied

• I'm a monsterfucker & a Mammon × MC shipper.... In the end, I couldn't not y'know?

Also here's the fic that spawned this post

Unname GN! MC × Mammon

Under the Gentle Rains

For the first time, his human sees what he truly is.

A creature of the night, of bared fangs dripping with the blood of the slain, of endless death and cosmic evil.

A creature finally brought to the light to face their judgment.

A creature that wishes to wail and weep at the realistic thought of finally losing them.

Tags: Blood & Gore ; Violence ; Cannibalism ; Established Relationship ; Fluff

[mllemaenad]

Re: the Prydwen being evidence of limiting the endings: I mean, they built the thing between Fallout 3 and Fallout 4. Give them the intervening ten years and they could’ve built another in the Capitol Wasteland for the show.

Hm. I mean, in theory I understand that they possibly could. But I sort of feel like in practice they probably couldn't.

The original Brotherhood airships were built in California, during a period of relative peace and prosperity. While the Brotherhood tends to be exceedingly isolationist and is unlikely to have engaged in the general rebuilding effort – and we know they are quite closed off in Fallout 2 – they would still have benefited from it. People would have been creating parts for a wide range of purposes, so trading (even on a limited scale) or scavenging would have been easier.

The Prydwen is a solo effort, and built under vastly different circumstances. While you'd want to hope conditions in the Capital Wasteland improve significantly after the construction of the purifier, they're still decades behind California in terms of reconstruction.

It took them years to build that damn thing – to design it, and to gather the scrap. And they're only capable of doing it because of their success in Broken Steel. All that scrap came from Adams Air Force Base. The whole thing relies on the Lone Wanderer helping them actually get somewhere instead of just spinning their wheels for another twenty years.

The Brotherhood aren't exactly known as scientists and engineers. I mean – they have such people, but scribes are typically treated as second class citizens who rarely achieve positions of power (Elijah in New Vegas is specifically called out as a rare exception). They don't innovate. What "advancements" they've made typically come down to tinkering with their weapons or power armour a bit. And that makes sense! They're descended from soldiers, and their society is structured around the fantasy of a modern knightly order. And, you know, they're the "technology is scary" faction. Of course they're a bit rubbish with it.

So the Prydwen is the result of a truly singular success, taking out the Enclave and securing access to a significant facility – and thus suddenly being in possession of an embarrassment of riches.

Now, if it's been destroyed in Fallout 4 there are a few things to consider.

Construction, from design to completion, seems to have taken something like six years. Which means it took longer to build it than it could possibly have been in service. That's a lot of resources for something that got blown out of the sky more-or-less immediately. I'm not even sure if they'd be able to get all the parts again, and even if they could they're looking at several more years of construction.

More than that, if it was destroyed the Brotherhood's East Coast leadership went down with it. Now, I may think Arthur Maxson is a revolting little toad of a man, but in Brotherhood society the heir of Roger Maxson is a man of literally mythic importance: they tell the sort of ridiculous "he was a war hero even as a child" stories about him that they tell about people like Alexander the Great. His forceful personality seems to be the thing driving them in Fallout 4.

So you're looking at a situation where Owyn Lyons is very dead, Sarah, his natural successor, is also very dead, Arthur Maxson – and with him the whole Maxson line – is not only dead but blown up, and the East Coast Brotherhood is now split between the Capital Wasteland and the Commonwealth with no easy means of travelling.

I just don't really see the Brotherhood getting their shit together fast enough after a blow like that to rebuild the Prydwen and fly confidently back west. Even if they did regroup ... "Let's spend another four to six years building another version of the thing that just blew up on our young god-king and ended 200 years of tradition" sounds like kind of a hard sell, you know?

There's a lot of "information pending" about the timeline in the TV show, so my opinions are likely to change as more information emerges. But right now, I feel like the Minutemen ending is the most likely one for Fallout 4.

The Brotherhood's arrival in California is significantly different to their arrival in the Commonwealth. The latter is unnerving. You've just dealt with Kellogg and heard that Shaun is "not a baby", and when you step outside there's this massive thing in the sky ... and its pilots trumpet its arrival. This is another problem in an already complicated situation. When they arrive in the TV series it's significantly more subdued. It's certainly impressive to the aspirants, but it lacks the confidence of conquerors that they had earlier.

The Minutemen ending can allow the Brotherhood to keep their shiny airship, and it's even possible Arthur Maxson is either still alive or at least produced an heir before kicking the bucket. But it also means that their success on the East Coast has been highly limited. They took Adams Air Force Base from the Enclave, sure, but they were unable to expand their reach into the Commonwealth or even recover anything of significance from the Institute.

They went east. They did okay. Nothing to write home about.

Quintus, in the television series, talks about the Brotherhood ruling the wasteland as part of a distant, "heroic" past. I'm pretty sure that's more mythmaking: the Brotherhood never ruled the West Coast, and if they're currently running everything between Boston and Washington DC, then it's a bit weird to talk about it as though they've fallen from grace.

Access to cold fusion will allow him to make a play for power, because that's significantly more useful than one very expensive and highly flammable airship.

But the airship still looks impressive to a group of wastelanders who won't have seen that level of tech since childhood.

At the moment, I think it makes better sense that it's the same one. but like I said – information pending.

[thelyingjoke]

hello mx bow today i cannot stop thinking about the motive video watchparty _(:」∠)_ it started w/ me thinking about how sad it is that gonta *agreed* to help kokichi show everyone the motive videos, and then kokichi lost his trust because he chose to lie abt everyone hating bugs *on top* of that...sir please stop self destructing all your personal relationships bc of your paranoia it hurts my feelings :[

but then i couldn't stop thinking about the plan WORKING nd how that would change the entire trajectory of the story...obv ryoma and kirumi would get A Lot of attention from the group but (unsurprisingly) i can't stop thinkin abt how it would affect kokichi...being outed as a pacifist w/ a small organization that just does silly hijinks would crush most of the villain plan. and he was *willing* to do that!! i don't remember where i was going with this. wah. kokichi being more integrated into the group is spinning in my head at all times forever.

SOSOSOSOOOOOO REAL

the plan working would lead to so many changes……..i love kokichi working in the main group scenarios it gets my brain going. especially with this scenario because it’s not just his word they’re relying on, they have more evidence that they can actually trust him!!! think how the group dynamics would change!!!!!! they’d still think he was annoying (he is) but they’d actually know he wouldn’t mean any harm. he can’t play himself up as a villain anymore and he’s fine with that because now he knows this current plan (the nicer plan) is working! not to mention ryoma & kirumi would be able to get the support they need. it’s not likely kirumi would try to kill again any time soon because at this point she’d be too obvious and hopefully everyone would convince her out of it

something interesting as well, i think, would be how everyone sees maki. how would people react to learning her talent from her video while also knowing kokichi is someone they can trust? would they distrust her more than canon? would some people sympathize with her, given that her orphanage was likely in her video, or would everyone focus on the assassin part? it also of course depends on how much of the situation the video gives away, if her being an assassin is even mentioned to be because of her worry for her orphanage in it at all. people were already a little wary of her in canon, after deciding to believe in her during the trial and her talent being revealed by a guy not many of them are fond of, and it makes me wonder what would have changed in these circumstances

it’s also funny to me to think about how MAD tsumugi would be at this. what the hell! this little shit foiled her heartwrenching murder of the chapter!! she came up with such good motives too!!! she can’t even try to villainize him later. what the fuck you were supposed to be the antagonist who fits with the season’s themes asshole we gave you a whole rivalry with kaito and everything stop breaking the script. she can’t just let everything stop before the chapter 2 murder! she’s definitely going to try her darndest to get people to kill. and given the new information about him, it may be hard to try and get someone to kill kokichi as much as it would be convenient for her. someone would probably eventually kill though, it’s important for the ratings, but also can you imagine how crushing that’d be

kokichi went and had the PERFECT plan that was working! he even showed himself to be trustworthy!! he gave up his villain plan for this!!! and then someone went and killed anyway. dude. Why Did They Do That. IT WOULD BE SO PAINFUL !! ohand imagine . he’s gained the trust of the group but then his trust towards them starts to be broken even more from this. he already had trust issues before but now it seems like they’re being confirmed. his nice peaceful plan only prevented one murder just for another to happen??? did he throw away the mastermind plan for nothing? he still believed there was a mastermind, and it seems even more definite now that someone in their group is working against them. he just doesn’t know who. in his mind it even further confirms his idea that cooperation will be punished. oughhh……… this scenario is so full of opportunities for both kokichi fluff & angst i am consuming it so hard even though it’s only mere crumbs i made up in my head

SPEAKING OF TRUST ISSUESSSSSSSS i am so with you on the gonta bit. stop it dude DON’T TELL A NEEDLESS LIE THAT WILL ONLY ALIENATE YOUR CLOSEST ALLY IN THE END. YOU ARE KILLING ME. although i also wonder if maybe it has something to do with the way he grows increasingly frustrated at gonta over the course of those 3 strategy meeting pre-fte dialogues! in the first one, if you invite kokichi, he’s hesitant about it before he receives the OK from gonta, while if you invite gonta, he’s very polite about letting gonta hang out with shuichi and saying they can meet later. in the second one, inviting kokichi has him expressing hesitance since he’s with gonta again—however, when you invite gonta, he gets more aggressive and goes “i get it, i’m not wanted!” after gonta mentions he’d been falling asleep. by the third one, kokichi doesn’t hesitate to hang out at all, and just says he’s got a plan, and inviting gonta has him go “i don’t mind, take him off my hands”. to me it seems like he was trying to explain everything, but gonta found it hard to follow—hard-to-follow things make gonta fall asleep, and kokichi took that the same as gonta calling him boring, which he hates. if you invite gonta the second time it merely comes out earlier, and kokichi probably notices it later if you decide to invite him instead, which irritates him. he gets tired of trying to explain it and decides lying to him would be easier, which is the plan he figures out by that third event. maybe a combination of all that and his paranoia made him do that? idk i’m just kinda spitballing ideas here . i’m very not normal about motive video watchparty !

[skzhocomments]

The Boundless Sphere of Fate - Lee Taemin SHINee Fanfic - Story Masterlist (COMPLETED)

General Masterlist

Pairing: Lee Taemin (of SHINee) x OC (called Blair)

Genre: non-idol AU, red string of fate theory, angst, romance, mature

Word Count: ~20k

Warnings: pretty extreme and graphic, mature, swearing, angst, explicit sexual content, blood.

This is just a story that doesn’t describe Taemin's true character in any way. It’s just a product of my imagination and should be treated as such.

This story is also on Wattpad (click here) and AO3 (click here)

A/N: As any other writer out there, I would appreciate reblogs and your comments on this story. Please let me know if you enjoyed it, and most importantly, have fun!

---

Summary:

'Fate. The cruellest unchangeable fact of life. There are many who believe in it, and even more who don't. And I consider those who don't believe in it to be idiots.' --- This story is based on the red string of fate theory, also known as the red thread of fate. --- Non-idol AU Taemin (SHINee) Fanfic

--- Mature content ahead. 18+

--- ©storminsidemycore

---

Additional info:

Hello!

It's Storm ♡

I'm back with another fanfic titled The Boundless Sphere of Fate, a Taemin Fic I've started writing in August 2023 and completed somewhere in December 2023 as a Christmas gift for my best friend @dani-less.

The protagonist of the story is called Blair, a made-up character with some unfortunate circumstances that you'll get to see as the story progresses.

The story itself is based on the red strings of fate theory. For whoever is not familiar with this theory, Wikipedia says: "The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soulmate or a destined partner."

It will be a pretty short fic, with only about 20k words, but hopefully you will enjoy it nonetheless and have fun reading it.

---

Important! Disclaimer:

This story will be 18+ where lots of sensitive subjects will be mentioned and/or introduced in some form. None of these will be marked during the story! Should you decide to read, do so at your own discretion, and if something triggers you or makes you uncomfortable in any way, please stop reading immediately.

Once again, there will be no warnings during the story.

*This story is not a real description of Taemin's true personality in any way. He is just a character I've created, so please don't take anything too seriously.

---

Without further ado, let's go!

Looking forward to what you think, as always!

Love,

Storm ♡

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Prologue - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 1 - The Cycle of Death - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 2 - Stuck with you - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 3 - At each other's throats - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 4 - Making up - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 5 - Future readings, lucky numbers and advice - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 6 - A peace offering - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 7 - How to bring back the dead - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 8 - If we are soulmates - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 9 - The Ritual - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 10 - An unexpected call - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 11 - The Curse - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 12 - The Forgotten Warning - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Chapter 13 - The Red Thread of Fate (Final Chapter) - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

Epilogue - Tumblr + Wattpad + AO3

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Thank you for reading!

Love,

Storm

[softfuzzyships]

S/I LIST (FINALLY)

okay finally got this one done. if u wanna know more abt me/my individual s/is, here u go!!! also yes I need 3 cg universes cause my heart is big and full of love

Promare (canon)

Zach, Lio's spouse, Meis and Gueira's little sibling. A lone burnish living on the outskirts of Promepolis. They're shy at first, and mostly remain reserved, but they're a lot more relaxed with Lio, Meis and Guiera.

They were brought back to the settlement by Meis and Gueira, where they meet Lio for the first time. They fall in love with Lio soon after, but it takes a bit for either of them to admit their feelings for each other. Meis and Guiera encourage Lio to make his first move.

They and Lio love ardently, yet quietly. They love each other more in private than public. Lio is fiercely protective, never wishing to see them suffer in any sense, though he is comfortable being vulnerable with them. They take care of each other with utmost care, keeping each other warm and safe for the rest of their days.

After the events of the movie, they find a new home together and begin a new life. Both are fairly relaxed, not wanting too much excitement and choosing to enjoy their peace.

Promare (Dragon Lio)

Zach Chevalier, Lio's partner/lover/mate. They are chosen as the yearly sacrifice to the local dragon clan, though Lio does not kill them.

They're very fearful at first, afraid to interact with Lio unless he's somewhat human-looking. He treats them well and cares for them, feeling bad about the whole situation. It takes a while for them to warm up and begin bonding.

Promare (Vampire Lio)

Zacharie Chevalier, the prince of the local kingdom, and Lio's husband. Considerably laid back for a prince. They aren't terribly interested in being a noble

They frequently sneak out at night to explore the town and it's outskirts unsupervised. Lio finds them, scolding them for being so careless, but they aren't afraid of him. He gets curious, and the two begin to meet up at night, getting to know each other.

They fall in love in time. Zach abandons their life of nobility to spend the rest of their life with Lio.

Code Geass (canon)

Zach Shirogane / Chevalier, Lelouch's partner (later spouse). Adopted by Britannian parents. They keep their birth surname after their parents pass, as they don't look Britannian and everyone would be racist and weird about it. They now live in the same apartment complex as Oghi, as well as part time at Lelouch's home and The Black Knights base.

Zach meets Zero first, having joined The Black Knights because they're gay and they hate the government. They fall in love with Zero despite knowing better. (And he falls in love with them, too.) He rescues them from being mugged in an alley one night, where he finally reveals his identity. And the rest is history. 

They're commonly found together, during and after work. Their relationship is made public (whether they want it to be or not), but Lelouch never minds. Zach is definitely more self conscious about it. They're both protective of each other, Lelouch choosing to shield them whenever he is able, though they sometimes protest. Their affection for each other runs bone deep, and they are always loyal to the other, regardless of any circumstances that may come their way.

Code Geass (canon past)

??? / Whatshername, C.C.'s former friend/lover/partner/it's complicated. A very gentle soul with a kind heart.

They only exist in her memories now. The two of them were together for a brief time, but they loved her with all their heart and continued to wait for her to return until their death.

C.C. doesn't think of them often, but in the present, she finds someone who reminds her of them a little too much.

Code Geass (Lelouch the Tutor)

Zach Chevalier, Lelouch's unpopular boyfriend. They're a junior at Ashford along with Lelouch and his friends. Both of them pine over each other before Lelouch asks them out. All the other students still adore Lelouch as if he isn't in a relationship, but he doesn't really pay attention. 

They are usually found together ditching class with Lelouch, and they're a de facto member of the student council (even though they contribute nothing).

Code Geass (Royalty)

Zach / Zacharie Chevalier, Lelouch's personal servant/companion, later partner and spouse. Both grew up together, rarely separate from each other by choice. Lelouch has always treated them more as a friend. They fell in love with each other early on, but it still took years for one of them to act. Lelouch confessed to them first.

They date behind everyone's back because Charles would kill them if he knew. Eventually, they marry after Lelouch promotes them to a noble class. 

Hunter x Hunter (canon)

Zach, Kurapika's partner. They meet after/during the Yorknew arc. Extreme slowburn. They're a transmuter, using their nen to create fire.

They worry themselves sick over Kurapika, although he insists they not. When he's home and things are calm, they enjoy a (mostly) peaceful life together. Kurapika cares about them way more than he lets on and is very protective of them.

Demon Slayer

Zach / Zenji Masamune, Rengoku's boyfriend, Tomioka's former apprentice. The Moon pillar. Almost always with Rengoku if time allows it. Both come off as very carefree and jovial, and they are, for the most part. They enjoy spending time with all of the hashira, particularly Tomioka and Kanroji.

They prevent Rengoku's death in the Mugen Train arc, but are killed in his place. Immediately following, they become a demon via Akaza's blood. They're a tame demon, like Nezuko, and Rengoku takes them with him from then on with a similar box. 

They're very hostile to demons and protective of humans. They retain vague memories of their life as a human and can recognize people they knew. They can speak, but only in short/one word statements.

Their relationship is a healthy one, both of them very supporting and loving partners. While they don't get to spent a ton of time together, they make the most of the time they do have, relaxing and enjoying each other's company. They both like to make each other laugh. They're also both fairly noisy conversationalists, to everyone else's dismay. Both care for each other immensely and always have the other's back.

Blood Demon Art: Shooting Star / Nagareboshi. Their physical abilities are exponentially increased, most notably speed and agility. Their marks glow brightly when activated. 

Persona 4

Zach / Zakari Shirogane, Adachi's…something. It's complicated. Persona is Tsukuyomi (holy). A young detective sent to Inaba to keep an eye on things. They catch feelings for Adachi (unfortunately). Their relationship officially begins after a night of drinking.

They stop contacting Adachi after the events of the game. They stay in Inaba post game, watching over the residents as Yu requested. 

They have a weird relationship. Zach very adamantly does not like Adachi, and has no problem letting him know that. Though they both know that's not the entire truth. Adachi loves to push their buttons and irritate them to no end. They get along like a house on fire. Yet, somehow, they always wind up going home together.

Adachi loves Zach openly in the only ways he knows how, which they always interpret as ingenuity. He tries his best to little avail. They reject him constantly, though they don't get why he keeps trying so hard.

Six years pass and Adachi returns to them and essentially moves into their apartment. They slowly learn to get along again (and maybe admit their feelings).

Bad Guys

Zach Tora, Wolf's partner. Meet post movie, they're new in the city and Wolf approaches them. They fall in love along the course of a few months. 

Genshin Impact - Mondstadt

Zacharie Hagan, Diluc's partner. Wolf boy archer with a Pyro vision. Nothing here yet cause I just like Diluc a lot and wanna hang out with him.

Genshin Impact - Inazuma

Zenyari Yae, Thoma's partner, Miko's cousin. Kitsune with an electro vision. Wields a polearm that looks like a lantern. A mischievous fox who likes to goof off. They usually hang around the city and pull harmless pranks on residents, as well as steal food from carts.

After scoping out the Kamisato residence, they find Thoma in the garden with some daifuku and decide to take it. This goes on for a few nights before Thoma catches them; he's mostly amused.

The two bond gradually after hours. Yari comes to visit and eat with him every night. In time, they fall in love, and they become less of a troublemaker.

Trigun (+ Trimax/'98)

Zach / Zacharie, Wolfwood's partner and Vash's brother. They're from the same town as Lina and lived there until both parents passed away, becoming homeless. They wound up living in a carved out cave near town. They picked up scavenging as a way to survive, as well as building their own stuff (mostly janky borderlands guns). They meet Vash as Eriks through him leaving food outside of their dwelling, and wind up becoming close. Vash assigns them "little sibling."

When Wolfwood arrives and Vash regains his memory, Vash stops by Zach's cave before they leave. Vash wants to bring them along, and Wolfwood agrees. They and Nicholas gradually bond over the course of their journey. Quickly, it becomes clear to Nicholas that Zach and Vash really are siblings due to their personalities and mannerisms.

Zach catches feelings for Nicholas quickly, but they never say anything, not believing he would reciprocate. They're in more of a situationship together at first. Eventually, somehow, they both confess and agree to an official relationship. 

Their relationship is very up and down, in the sense that they will irritate each other to insanity, then snuggle together at night when they sleep. Wolfwood cares a lot more for them than he lets on, which they're aware of. They're generally affectionate with him in public and private, while Wolfwood's level of affection varies. While both are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, that doesn't stop the other from trying to protect them. At the end of the day, they do love each other deeply, and are willing to do anything for one another.

Dungeon Meshi

Zach / Zacharie, Mithrun's partner. A beast-man, and a former dungeon lord. The circumstances of their birth is unknown, though they've known they have always been a beastkin. They were adopted as a baby and lived with their tall-men family until they ran away, eventually stumbling into a dungeon.

The demon called to them, offering the life and freedom they always wanted, and they accepted. But their hunger was never fully satisfied. In time, their demon began to truly consume them. The Canaries were dispatched to seal the dungeon and captured Zach in the process.

Post story, when their relationship is established, it's fairly low key. Neither of them return to dungeon delving full time, choosing to live more peaceful lives. Mithrun loves them deeply, though he doesn't display it in many conventional ways. But he always makes it clear that he loves them just as much as they love him.

They were kept in custody until they calmed down, though several nights of mourning howls was irritating enough for Lycion to approach them and try to figure out what's wrong. He and Mithrun wind up being the only two that aren't afraid to get near the rabid wolf. Both of them try to held where they can, mostly by bringing them table scraps. Once they've regained their strength and their form, Lycion conveniently leaves the door to their cage open one night, turning a blind eye to let them escape.

Zach and Mithrun meet again two years later, during the events of the story. Zach recognizes him (and Lycion), though they're standoffish, and Mithrun gets curious enough to pursue them.

[yumeka36]

I finally finished the final season of Attack on Titan.

I've been an anime-only enjoyer of the series ever since it started airing 10 years ago. It immediately blew me away with how much action, drama, and suspense every single episode had. Unfortunately, watching the episodes staggered across the years was not the best way to experience the series, especially as the story got more complicated and more characters and subplots were introduced. It wasn't long before I'd have to refresh my memory every time a new season or cour would air by consulting wikipedia episode summaries, lol. But even with that, it's the kind of series where something in one episode will be relevant many episodes later, and I know I missed out on a lot of those details due to watching the series with so many gaps over the years.

But regardless, I was able to follow it well enough and appreciate everything about it. AoT has some of the best drama, action, and world-building I've seen in any anime - every episode left me in suspense! Obviously the story evolved over the years, with the post-time skip episodes being very different from the season 1 episodes, but it still delivered in terms of entertainment quality.

As for the ending itself, I thought it was good. The idea of someone wanting to wipe out humanity to save the world isn't anything new, but it's a plot I like, especially when it's done in a unique way like AoT. I loved that the series didn't paint any of the characters' choices as being the "right" one - not Ymir's, the Jaergerists', Zeke's, the Scouts', and certainly not Eren's - but in the end we understand why they each felt their choice was right, and that's what makes them relatable and interesting. I also love how the series portrays the sheer desperation of people in a world ravaged by war. Even though I had trouble following it, the political world-building in AoT is stellar.

I'm also glad I got to fully understand why Eren did what he did. Admittedly, it was hard for me to sympathize with him after the cruel things he said to Mikasa. But now that it all makes sense, I'm glad he got to reconcile with everyone before he died. Compared to how he's portrayed in the beginning of the series as a typical hot-headed shonen hero wanting to get revenge for his mom, to everything we learn about him by the end of the series, is mind-blowing. What an awesome protagonist turned antagonist.

Though I do think Eren turned out to be an interesting character, Mikasa and Armin were my favorites. Even though Mikasa started out with her only notable quality being her attachment to Eren, her character development throughout the series really came through, especially after the time-skip where she had to make very difficult choices. But even before then, I could feel her love for Armin and her fellow comrades, so Eren wasn't the only thing she cared about. And in the end, she chose to not only kill the person she had dedicated her life to, but also sacrifice the happiness she could have had with him, in order to save everyone else. And Armin always seemed like the most "human" of the group, always showing care and concern for everyone and wanting to help out, regardless of how dire the circumstances around him were (but not a pushover either).

I wasn't expecting a total happy ending for a series with such raw emotions and intense violence, but was hoping it wouldn't be too terribly tragic either. So I felt the ending we got was a good, bittersweet, middle ground: Eren was able to fulfill his wish for his friends to live out their lives in relatively peaceful conditions, but war would always be inevitable. But gosh, the epilogue during the credits blew my mind the most! Seeing the characters visit Eren's grave up until they too passed on, then hundreds or even thousands of years later we see giant cities being built up, then torn down by wars, only for the world to seemingly be destroyed again...it just kept going! I also liked the open-ended final scene which hints that the titan cycle could repeat itself again someday.

Overall, despite the long gaps between seasons, I'm glad I stuck with AoT all these years. I'll bid it a somber farewell for now, but I hope to rewatch it again in the future without the long gaps between episodes. Like I said, I missed out on a lot of the build-up to what happens in the end simply due to not remembering things that happened in episodes I watched years ago. This is definitely a series deserving of a second viewing!

[belltrigger]

For the drabble prompt reblog game, how about “Peace”

-Send me a “Peace” and I’ll write a drabble about them spending a quiet moment together [(Same anon) Blankshipping ofc]

Hello~~~ Hi! Thank you for your request! (❁´◡`❁) Let's have a peaceful, quiet moment! Eheh, I got distracted with Kudari's journey.

Title: A Moment of Peace Word count: 1,270 Synopsis: Kudari was finally reunited with Nobori! He spends a restful moment thinking about how he got there and how much he loves Nobori. Dynamic: NoboKuda

~~*~~

About a year ago, Kudari had found himself in a place called Hisui.

Although he didn't remember much of the circumstance, he was thankful for however it had happened. Trying to keep Gear Station running while also looking for his brother had dulled his reactions as well as his awareness of things around him. In fact, he'd been falling asleep on his feet the whole day. Battles weren't very satisfying that day, but they hadn't been for some time. Kudari had found that not much mattered without Nobori.

The verrrry last thing he remembered was being pushed from behind right after exiting his train.

Waking up, he found himself to be flat on his back under a tree with several curious wurmple hovering over him. The initial confusion of somehow being in White Forest quickly subsided when he'd realized that the tree he was under was nothing like the ones there. He'd sat up, one particularly stubborn wurmple clinging to his hat, and decided he needed to find his way back to Raimon City. If this wasn't White Forest, he wasn't quite sure where he was. But, seeing pokémon he recognized was a good start.

It turned out he was far more lost than he'd realized.

Though! Several people seemed to recognize him! That had been comforting! Well, up until he realized they were confusing him for Nobori. When he explained to them that he was in fact *not* Nobori, but instead Kudari, it was first met with confusion. Then, a flurry of interest surrounded him and everyone insisted he travel to a place called Jubilife Village. Since he knew nothing of the area he found himself in, a few of the villagers offered to take him there. He was quite used to being "returned" to Nobori, so that in itself was nothing new. However, he'd been searching for Nobori for what felt like an eternity by that point and these kind people just *knew* where he was? During the trip, much was made of him looking just like Nobori, as if the idea of Nobori having a twin was a foreign one to them. Ignoring the sting in his eyes that caused, he just smiled politely and listened to the stories they offered about his twin while they had been apart.

Oh but he could no longer contain himself when they arrived in Jubilife Village and a familiar albeit slightly bent shape came into view. The moment he'd seen Nobori his entire being sang. Breaking into a sprint, he'd left his courteous guides behind and leapt at Nobori. Expecting to knock his twin completely over, he was instead caught in powerful arms and spun slightly to divert the energy of the tackle. The shock of Nobori's new physique didn't settle in until much later.

His reunion with Nobori had been full of tears and tight embraces and whispered declarations of love. The feel of Nobori's arms around him restored his entire calibration, no longer feeling off-balance. Held close, Nobori apologized for everything under the sun. But, none of it mattered to him. After all, he'd found his twin again!

Kudari had spent a year acclimating to this place without all of the modern comforts he'd always known growing up. The people of Jubilife Village were all very nice, of course. It was just that he missed a lot of things. He missed all of their pokémon. He missed Gear Station, trains, and all of the Agents they worked with. He missed having electricity outside of a pokémon's power. He missed convenience store snacks. He missed being able to wear all white.

But.

Looking down at his lap, where Nobori's sleeping face rested, he thought that the only comfort he needed was Nobori's presence.

The day was a pleasantly warm one, with gentle cloud cover and a soft breeze. The Training Grounds had been quiet for hours, and when Kudari continued to fidget outside the entrance, Nobori suggested that they could relax the rest of the day. It was impossible to decline Nobori's offer to spend time together, even this long after their reunion.

What he had forgotten to account for was Nobori's new propensity for getting up at sunrise to fulfill his duties as a Warden. A habit Nobori had developed while away from him. Not long after they'd settled down, Nobori began to look a little tired, the energy spent throughout the day catching up to him. Kudari did not miss the red that colored the tips of Nobori's ears when he patted his own lap for his twin to rest his head upon. Nobori didn't need to be shy.

And so, for a few hours, Kudari let Nobori rest, running his fingers through his twin's (thinning) hair. The sun shone through the leaves above, rustling quietly in the breeze, dappling them both in little blotches of light. It brought attention to the little creases around Nobori's eyes, the beginnings of smile lines... To think that Nobori had reduced the severity of his frown over the years.

Emmet had missed such a monumental change to his most precious person.

But he was here now. He would learn all the little changes to his twin so that they could once again know each other better than anyone. Perhaps now he would be able to confess his feelings to Nobori. After all, they were building up their life together again. What better time to reveal just how he felt? Surely Nobori had noticed there was something between them.

Nobori mumbled something in his sleep, turning to face Kudari. It made Kudari's heart flutter warmly, and he laughed lightly as Nobori extended an arm to wrap around him. "Nobori," he said, merely wanting to say his brother's name.

What he didn't expect, however, was for Nobori's eye to flutter open slightly, Kudari's name on his lips. "Mm, Kudari..." Despite being awake, he made no move to adjust his position, and just sleepily looked up at Kudari with curiousity in his eyes.

Hoping to keep Nobori relaxed, he kept his voice quiet, eyes squinting with his fond smile.. "Sorry Nobori. I didn't mean to wake you. You can go back to sleep." Softly petting his twin's hair, he hoped it was soothing and comforting.

"Yes, I can sleep quite well with an angel's lap under my head," Nobori mused, shutting his eyes again as he returned Kudari's smile with his own understated smile.

Kudari's face felt hot. Tugging his cap down just a little, he laughed shyly. It was probably just Nobori being in between dreaming and waking.

"My sweet angel Kudari..." Nobori murmured, nuzzling into his lap, before falling back to sleep.

Again! Again his older brother gave him the same... could you call it a compliment? Nobori had never said such a thing to him before. Lifting both of his hands to cover his face, he let out a muffled sound of embarrassment. It was lucky this clearing was far enough away from Kotobuki Village that no one could hear him. If someone came to check on them and saw his red face, he'd never live it down.

Peeking down at his twin over the tips of his fingers, he waited to be sure Nobori was asleep. Nobori's breathing was even, and he continued to hold Kudari in a light cuddle. He surely stared for quite a while, but Nobori didn't stir. After bolstering his courage, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss against Nobori's temple. He was okay with being his big brother's angel.

As long as his big brother was okay with kissing his angel, that is.

[scattered-winter]

ohhhh unpopular opinion rating!! lmao ok i will just let out saggome things cuz i too need to bitch to somebody, feel free to ignore this if you ain't feeling this tho ❤️ laugh love etc xD

1.) i liked the donor-not-dad storyline because it showed that no matter the circumstances of your conception and birth, you deserve to be loved unconditionally by your parents. i think that this will ultimately help buck to find peace with his own backstory 😭

2.) buck id not regress for choosing to date natalia?! we saw buck happily choose to only have an armchair for months after taylor (meaning he was okay with being alone), and he happily accepted his parents buying him a couch (showing that they are closer and buck is happy to have them in his life more). he went at his own pace, and we clearly see that by immediately choosing to get a new couch after the childbirth, he is finally at a place where he is ready for somebody new in his life. plus, he is the one buying his own couch, simply inviting natalia along, which is a beautiful metaphor imo

3.) alternatively, choosing eddie's couch would have been a regression even though buddies love to ignore that. buck said his past girlfriends "came with couches", meaning that those couches were not his in the first place and that none of them truly met them where he is at. we see that well with buck having no couch because taylor took hers with her when she left. buck choosing somebody else's couch again would have shown that he has not learned a lesson. so there.

3.) i think that natalia coming off strong at first is actually paralleling buck perfectly? he comes off strong, overshares often, and tends to overwhelms others. people judge her for it but… buck did worse in their second date lmao

4.) natalia stepping into buck's scary mess during the childbirth scene showed literally and metaphorically how she was willing to accept all of buck, his life and past and baggage

5.) the characters saying shit does not mean they are all-knowing! 🙄 yes, eddie said that meeting people on a call is bad, but we also know that bobby and athena met on a call and are endgame. we see these characters contradicting themselves a lot because that's how humans are. the fandom gotta stop taking the characters' words like the word of a god. the narrative's entire point is to teach them (and us) that their way of thinking may be bullshit sometimes

6.) i liked the finale. lmao 😂

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

SAY ALL THAAAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! god you're so right especially with the buddie/natalia stuff ohh my godfddd. gonna respond to these in the order u said them btw <3 because u have SO many good thoughts here and I wanna get into them

1) I also love the sperm donor storyline!! I was a little squicked at first but that was more of a "this arc has sexual themes involving pregnancy that make me, personally, kind of uncomfortable for ace reasons" than anything else. but once I got past that I LOVE what it's done for buck's arc!! and in the finale when he literally held a baby that he helped create in his arms, and the grief was tangible on his face, and then he handed the kid over to kameron??? POETIC CINEMA. I LOVE HOW THAT STORYLINE WRAPPED UP <333 and when he told connor to just love the kid?? when we all know how he was raised??????? auigghhh <33

2) and onto the couch thing!! I actually missed most of his dialogue w natalia at the end of the ep because I was still shaking from the stress and intensity of the emergency BUT I LOVE THAT!?!?!?! how he's choosing his own couch but letting her come along!?!? and that's such a great point about the metaphor of him being in a place where HE'S ready for someone in his life. and so he's letting her in but he's choosing his own couch because he understands everything the couch metaphor has been saying all this time. on GOD you are making me a bucktalia fan I'm obsessed with them <3

2.1). there's a phenomenon in this fandom where fans will outright ignore things in canon/twist it to fit the Buddie Agenda and the WORST thing is that the buddie subsection of this fandom is like a fucking HIVEMIND. the theories are made, sometimes even taking canon and twisting it around to Fit Buddie, and then everyone just takes it and runs with it. everyone freaks out abt the couch theory in particular. so you hit the nail exactly on the head with the couch metaphor thing because everyone LOOOVES to say buck needs to choose eddie's couch but that's exactly what he did with taylor!! and abby!!!! and everyone else!! just because it's eddie doesn't mean he's not just another relationship in a long line of relationships!!!! it's just. very telling how the fandom has blinders on when it comes to buddie. and yeah sure fandom is for crazy theories and having fun with them but there comes a point where the crazy theories are completely overtaking the entire fucking fandom so people who want to enjoy other characters just. can't.

3). well see the reason why natalia gets bashed for coming off strong but buck doesn't when he's literally done worse (I love him but it's true) is because natalia isn't only a Woman, she's A Woman In The Way Of Buddie. so clearly her only role in the story is as an antagonist who is actively trying to hurt buck 🤪 <- sarcasm. and also buck is the Fandom Sweetheart Who Can Do No Wrong so. there u go.

4). exactly!!!! I also think there's something to be said for natalia the death doula, who first connected with buck over death, walking in and visibly making that metaphor of rejoining his life even with all the wildness, during a birth. aka thee most powerfully symbolic act of life + new beginnings that exists. I don't remember the details exactly but I think she might have even helped deliver the baby, which just kinda makes me even more 👀 at the symbolism there <333 I'm LITERALLY becoming a bucktalia fan purely because of this ask because ur takes are soooooooo <333333333

5). YES!!!!!!!!!! I'd also like to add that for eddie, it's TRUE that people he meets on calls aren't necessarily great partners. he'd met ana before, of course, but it was when they bumped into each other on the call where they actually started seeing each other as a romantic interest. and well we all know how that turned out. so when eddie says this I strongly believe that that's why!! but you're exactly right when you say it's not necessarily the case!! eddie's just one guy, who has been affected by this in a certain way, and so of course he's saying that that's the given outcome because it's what happened to him!!!! but bobby and athena met on a call, and so did hen and athena, but both of those relationships are strong and solid!! imo eddie is a very unreliable narrator here because the thing with ana probably still stings, so he's just saying things without really thinking through that they might not be true for other people like bathena, and could potentially be untrue for others as well. there's just. an insane amount of fandom illiteracy the SECOND either buck or eddie are involved because all anyone can ever talk about is how much they want them to kiss. and also you're so RIGHT that people take things characters say as gospel truth when they're LITERALLY just people in a story.

6). YESSSSSS IM SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT!!!! honestly it's probably one of my fav episodes!!!!! my ONE SINGULAR gripe is that there wasn't a lot of time spent recovering, even for chim, eddie, and hen, who all had fairly severe injuries. they were all at the hospital one second, and then there was a time skip and they were all walking around fit as a fiddle. however I understand that they thought it was gonna be The Finale so they wanted to wrap up everyone's arcs as best as they could, and they didn't really have enough time to put in everything that they wanted to put. so the gripe is a minor one, and besides, I've added some ideas to the list of fic to write <3

send me an unpopular opinion and I'll rate it!!