#I mean there are some days I actually do indeed do Nothing due to The Problems And Disorders And Health Issues.. But there are also plenty

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Welp, it's Nikke, so of course I'm gonna request Rapi, Anis & Neon who catch their S/O staring at their ass (not in battle, just during free time)

(GoV: NIKKE) Rapi, Anis, and Neon's S/O looking at their butt

NSF-W IMPLICATIONS (Obviously, though this is more humorous than lewd)

Of course this is literally the first ask I get for Nikke. ...Well, at least you had the politeness to not do so during combat.

A/N: Okay I genuinely forgot how NIKKE throws ass in your face first thing when you're playing, especially Rapi's.

Rapi detects S/O's IFF behind her while she is near the counter, organizing some paperwork.

At first, she smiles due to their presence-

-...Before quickly realizing S/O's heat signature seemed to be rising on their cheeks.

(Rapi) "S/O. I would kindly ask for you to keep your eyes above my waist."

(S/O) "S-Sorry! I was just...Um...It looks nice, at least!"

She can't help the blush that's currently making her core overheat as well.

Rapi immediately turns around and reprimands S/O by gently flicking them on the forehead, careful that her mechanical finger didn't actually harm them.

(Rapi) "Thank you, but do not stare when there's the risk of someone walking in."

Before they could get a word in, she shook her head.

(Rapi) "A-And, that is not an invitation to stare in private either!"

The single stutter was enough to tell S/O how flustered Rapi was.

Being complimented by someone she loved was usually enough for her systems to simulate the phenomenon of "butterflies in her stomach", but in this case it was definitely different.

Thank the goddess that it was just them in the room at the moment. She did not want Anis's commentary on this situation.

Granted, her wardrobe did admittedly make it hard for S/O not to notice.

...Maybe she should change wardrobes when at the base, or at least wear something longer.

Anis was lying down on the sofa, idly flipping through her phone with S/O in the same room.

She sighed before flopping over onto her back, glancing at S/O.

(Anis) "Jeez, could you be any more obvious about where you're staring, S/O?"

(S/O) "S-SORRY! I didn't mean to!"

Her eyes widened in surprise before scoffing.

(Anis) "Wait, seriously? I was just cracking a joke, wooooow!"

If S/O was anyone else, she'd probably just punch them in the face for that.

But, since it was them, she'd allow it...Not that she's going to say that, because it's pretty funny to watch them get flustered.

Though Anis wasn't completely immune herself.

Plus she didn't want to give the green light for S/O to be ogling her all day during their free time.

Anis was somewhat flattered that S/O thought she was pretty enough that they even stared to begin with.

As long as it was only just her, anyways, she'd remain flattered.

(Anis) "Had no idea you were such a pervert...Well, actually yeah I can, considering who your usual company is."

(S/O) "The Commander?"

(Anis) "Ah yes, because I'm definitely referring to the only guy on base at the moment, present company included."

Anis replied, rolling her eyes.

(Anis) "If I hear you staring at anyone else, your ass will be in trouble."

Neon was honestly busy focusing on adjusting the scope on her rifle, hoping that it would land an explosive shot more accurately on the range.

S/O was in the room, though strangely they had not said anything for a small period of time.

Were they focusing on something too?

Neon glanced back at S/O and noticed they were staring down.

...Meeting where their eyes were staring at, it was indeed her backside.

(Neon) "H-Hey! What the heck are you doing?!"

(S/O) "AH! Sorry, m-my mind just spaced out and!-"

Neon pouted, crossing her arms while her core began to overheat.

(Neon) "That's no excuse, you can't be staring at my butt while I'm focusing here!"

She wasn't careful with her volume, which meant that someone definitely overheard that line, much to the despair of S/O.

Neon however didn't really notice, and began loudly lecturing S/O how her butt was nothing compared to the power of the firepower she was going to unleash!

And at this point, S/O was starting to sound like the perfect target!

Anis heard the conversation and began snickering, ready to use it for teasing ammo later.

Rapi heard it and began blushing, trying her best not to pay it any mind.

The Commander simply sighed and went back to his paperwork, attempting to tune out Neon still talking.

[ghcstao3]

I am back at it with sleeptalking!Soap because why not!

Anyways, Soap's sleep talking stops being so much of an issue for Ghost after a while. Part of it is he just becomes used to his lover spouting nonsense in his sleep, and the other part is because hearing Johnny talking, even while asleep, is so comforting because it means they're both alive.

Ghost just loves hearing Soap's voice at night; somewhat gruffer than normal due to his sleeping state, but still proof that they both made it another day, that Simon made it another day.

But then Soap realizes he's only ever talked in his sleep with Ghost. He's only ever gotten sleep so deep it allows him to start talking in his sleep when he's with Simon. He only ever sleeps like this when his Simon is wrapped around him because "Johnny~, you're so warm and I'm so cold~"

And it's a nice revelation for them both, despite neither sharing their sentiments about Soap's nightly one-sided conversations. So it becomes their little secret, something for them to hold and share together to remind them of how far they've come.

At least, it is that way for a while. And then the one mission happens and Soap falls asleep during exfil.

The actual exfil isn't even a one-way ticket out. They first have to spend several hours cramped in a truck with the rest of the team and their friends from Las Almas. But still, it isn't the worst and allows some recovery time before making it back to base. Soap and Ghost had spent a couple of days straight trapped in a rather awful situation, and the truck was roomy enough to allow the two to curl up together in a small corner of their own and drift off to the dull rumble of the truck.

Except Soap is the only one able to fall asleep, and judging by the way he forces himself into Ghost's side in his sleep, it's clear he was very tired indeed. So what if Ghost and Soap never actually openly addressed their relationship to Alejandro and Rudy? Ghost knew that they knew and he was too tired to do anything but wrap his arms around his sergeant.

And what no one expects, especially not Ghost, is that Soap will in fact be so tired and will fall in such a deep sleep, he begins to mumble. Incoherent mumblings at first, with a few Gaelic phrases thrown in here and there, nothing too much but still warrants confused and mildly concerned glances from Alejandro, mostly. Gaz offers at least one side-eye at the snoozing Scot, but is too tired to be concerned.

But then the one-sided conversation starts as Soap sweetly nestles further into Simon's neck. And suddenly the atmosphere inside the truck is incredibly awkward. Ghost can't even muster a dark enough glare to dissuade the others from staring; he's too busy trying not to laugh.

"No, yer wrong. Clearly's got himself a whole fuckin' bakery." Soap's first coherent sentence of the night. Not quite enough to rattle everyone, but enough to earn him a few confused glances that don't last long.

"It's nae even close. He'd out cake yer cake any day." Now that? That earned a couple of lingering, very confused stares. Even Ghost couldn't help but look down at the peacefully sleeping Soap and think 'what the fuck' to himself.

"Just admit yer jealous of me and move on, Garrick!" Soap's angry little outburst actually elicited a couple of nervous laughs from some of the others, and Ghost was extremely tempted to wake him. He only decided against it because fucking hell, even though they weren't alone and this was supposed to be their secret, Soap hadn't slept in a couple of days and he deserved such deep slumber. Besides, it's actually incredibly rare for Ghost to hear Soap address any specific person during his sleep rants. Not to mention the awkward half laugh that escaped Gaz at the mention of his name was too good to ignore.

"Yes yeh are jealous! Yer jealous cause I get all the cake!" Chaos. Gaz leaning into Price, absolutely wheezing from trying not to laugh so as to let Soap stay asleep. Alejandro dropping his head down and practically falling into Rudy's lap with a silent laugh. Price and Rudy both letting out small chuckles and snorts. And Ghost? Man's is shaking from how hard he's trying not to laugh. Why his love was arguing with his friend about cake in his dream is beyond Ghost, but by god is it hilarious.

"Yeh could just ask him, Gaz. It's nae even mah cake, it's Simon's." Soap mumbles, a frown drawing on his sleeping face. Ghost matches Gaz's wheeze as they exchange confused, yet amused glances.

"Aye, ah ken we're datin' but there's no shame in asking. I dinnae blame yeh, why'd ya think I liked him in the first place?" Everyone has mostly calmed since apparently in Soap's dream world, Simon must make some really good baked goods.

"Ah know, Gaz! It was the fuckin' thigh straps tha' got me. Just the icin' on top of the cake, yeh ken?" If Ghost wasn't so busy trying not to laugh loud and hard enough to startle Soap awake, he would've been much more concerned for Gaz. The second the statement left Soap's mouth, Gaz let out a rather inhuman wheeze as he collapsed to the floor of the truck. Alejandro is back on Rudy's lap, loud laughs only slightly muffled.

Unfortunately for them, Soap begins to stir at the sudden uptick in commotion, as Gaz remains curled on the floor laughing his ass off. Even Rudy had hidden his face in Alejandro's shoulder to hide the tears of laughter. Price attempts to check on Gaz but is laughing too hard to be effective.

And Ghost, well let's just say Soap was okay being woken up by laughter. It was genuine belly-aching laughter coming from his Ghost, his Simon, whom probably hasn't laughed so hard in his entire life. Soap, of course, is incredibly confused as to what the fuck was so funny it was making Ghost choke from laughing too hard.

"Wha's so funny?" Soap slurs, sleep still clinging to him. Ghost can only wheeze in response, hugging Soap closely in an attempt to show he does love him despite what they are laughing at. Ghost even has to remove his mask and wipe the tears that have now begun to make his eye-black run.

"Do you remember your dream, Love?" Simon asks in between giggles. Soap slowly shakes his head, as he normally did when asked this question. Ghost can only laugh again as red floods Soap's ears as he realizes he must've been talking in his sleep.

"I didn't know I wanted your cake so bad, Lt." Gaz finally manages to say, causing Alejandro to let out the most startling high pitched laugh anyone has ever heard. Ghost snorts and laughs so hard he ends up coughing again, yet Soap isn't really paying attention. He's too focused on the beautiful way Simon's face lights up with laughter, the way his cheeks redden and emphasize the scars that litter his face.

And then he processes Gaz's words, and suddenly his entire neck is red with embarrassment. He hides in Ghost's neck again, to which the elder can only keep laughing.

Safe to say, Soap is only okay with the others knowing he sleep-talks simply because it let him witness the most beautiful thing on earth: Simon Riley's full belly laugh.

(This somehow turned into laugh headcanons for the 141 and Los Vaqueros, idk how that happened??? I can make an official post about it because, as someone with a very weird laugh, it's nice to see people depict them with silly goofy laughs like normal people)

Also this was soo much longer than I originally anticipated??? Sorry??

don’t apologize!! i loved this!! soap defending his bf’s ass in his sleep is so silly

also i would love to see a laugh hcs post that would be so fun

[heartsoji]

meeting and falling in love with sugawara koshi.

strangers → friends → lovers suga x reader

word count: 2k

warnings: not proofread sorry it was too long and i didn't feel like it

a/n: i might make a "dating sugawara koshi" for this! i'll link it if/once i do ^^

suga had always felt like the guy who was so close, yet so far.

you both kind of knew each other because you both went to karasuno and you were kiyoko’s younger sister.

you knew him, and he knew you. however, you had only ever briefly said hi a couple of times, and you had stopped by the gym a few times to give your sister a lunch, a message, or to take her home. he was nothing more than an acquaintance. and due to the fact that he was a year older than you, you assumed that he probably viewed you as shimizu’s little kid sister, which honestly, he did at first.

one day, however, he came over to your house along with daichi-san and asahi-san to study with kiyoko.

he came way too early, (like way too early even for him) so both daichi and asahi weren't there, and your sister was out running errands because she hadn't anticipated that he'd be so early, so she wasn't there either. when he came, you were in the middle of a destress-cooking-sesh (that's what i call them bc i have little cooking sessions to destress)

you couldn't really let one of your sister's closest friends stand outside your house, so you let him, served him some tea, and got back to cooking.

since there wasn't much to do, he just watched you cook while the two of you made small talk.

he was amazed at the skill, precision, and passion that went into the food that you made.

you let him have it because you didn't really want any, you just wanted to cook.

mans was blown away.

it was possibly one of the best things he had ever eaten.

something about the food brought the two of you together, and the room became instantly less awkward. the more he learned about you, the more he realized that you weren't actually a little kid. sure, you were in nishinoya's year, but you had a summer birthday and you were actually the same age as him. plus, despite you in the year below and him being pretty smart, you two somehow were taking some classes of the same level. the more he talked with you, the more he realized that you weren't as little as he initially thought.

the two of you began noticing each other more and more in the hallways. you had always gone the same path to your classes, but the two of you were for some reason only now noticing that you took the same path.

the two of you began to talk more and more, gradually learning more about each other's interests and personality traits.

suga was kind. he was sweet, understanding, compassionate, and had a dorky sense of humor. he was gentle, soothing, caring, and had a very high EQ.

you began visiting the volleyball practices more often, both to support your sister, but also because getting closer to suga made your curiosity in the volleyball club grow.

maybe suga hadn't realized it because he had known you since you were in middle school, but you were gorgeous. i mean, you and kiyoko share the shimizu bloodline, how could you not be absolutely stunning? but perhaps it took tanaka and nishinoya pointing out in a very loud and straightforward manner that you were indeed beautiful was what made him realize it.

you often brought homemade food for you and your sister when you went to the gym to watch, and suga found your lunches so intriguing. your food was thoughtful, smart, complex, and delicious. you would keep in mind kiyoko's preferences, what would and wouldn't be good in a packed bento, and how you could find new flavors with spices, ingredients, and techniques.

when you offered him a bite for the first time, he happily accepted and was in awe of how delicious it was. the first time he ate one of your bentos consisted of odeng, kimchi, oi muchim, kongnamul muchim, hobak bokkeum, mu saengchae, and myeolchi bokkeum, (these r some of my fav korean banchans if ur wondering! im korean btw) an onigiri with a smoked spicy anchovy filling, and extra spicy mapo tofu made with a homemade vegan meat. you offered him some because you got carried away and made too much, but you hadn't expected his reaction.

you hadn't expected his eyes to light up the way they did when he tried your mapo tofu. you hadn't expected him to comment on the flavors of each banchan you made and for him to tell you why he liked that one in particular. you hadn't expected him to be in such awe at the flavors and textures in the onigiri. you hadn't expected his enthusiastic and animated reactions. you hadn't expected him to be so cute.

wait. cute?

from then on, you began bringing extra accidentally on purpose so that you could give some to him while tanaka and nishinoya whined in the back about how it wasn't fair that he got to eat the food made by a goddess. he caught on quickly and began accidentally on purpose forgetting to bring a quick snack to fuel him through practice. it was the kind of thing that the two of you never mentioned you were doing, but you both knew you were doing it.

before you knew it, you and suga were hanging out outside of school. you had a sleepover with him once when you stayed over at his house too late. you were constantly meeting up to hang out, study, or just be in each other's presence. he comforted you at your lowest moments, and you did the same for him. when you were on the verge of tears and all alone, you would facetime suga and cry on camera with him. when exams were stressing you out and you were neglecting your health, suga would pull you apart from your studies and into the biggest hug. when suga was feeling doubtful of his volleyball skill, you would reassure him that despite him not being a genius setter like that kageyama guy, he had things that made him special and set him apart. (no pun intended im sorry) when suga felt incompetent and unimportant, you reminded him that humans are living imperfections, and that he was only human, and doing great. (your food also helped the situation) suga had quickly become your best friend.

and it wasn't until one day when your friend asked, "so, shimizu-chan, what's up with you and that third-year on the volleyball team? are the two of you, like, secretly dating or something?" that it hit you.

you had the fattest crush on sugawara koshi.

at first, you didn't know what to do with this newfound information. with yourself.

you began overanalyzing every interaction the two of you shared.

every conversation, every touch, every text.

you began noticing every detail about him.

his pretty brown eyes.

his fluffy grayish hair.

his gentle smile.

his mole under his left eye.

the way his eyes lit up when he ate your food, or when you two were talking about something really interesting or funny.

the way he let out a soft, breathy laughs whenever he found something hilarious.

the way he studied so diligently and somehow wordlessly inspired you to do the same.

suga liked disney songs. when you two studied together, you would listen to disney tracks. it helped him focus, and the two of you would occasionally take healthy dance breaks whenever the best song ever came on.

suga danced and laughed when he got nervous or felt embarrassed. it was his way of shaking it off and coping.

suga liked ballroom dancing with you for no reason. he would wordlessly turn on an elegant ballroom type song and he would sweep you up with his hands above your hips and your arms around his neck. (he got consent the first time) it didn't matter before, but now that you had realized you had a crush on him, it made you feel slightly giddy.

suga taught you how to pepper (if you don't know what that is, it's when two people pass-set-hit to each other! im a competitive elite vb player if ur wondering :) also i started playing vb before i watched haikyuu. idc if u don't care bc im just saying that i liked vb before it became popular and it's a point of pride hehe) so that the two of you could pepper together.

suga was really happy when you told him you wanted to learn how to play volleyball. he taught you the basics with patience and kindness, and it made him so happy that you, a person that he held very dear to his heart, wanted to learn about the sport that he held very dear to his heart.

suga cried easily. he had a big heart that was broken easier than most people thought. he was good at putting up a strong front for others, but he was just as soft as asahi when it came to certain things on the inside.

you loved suga.

you couldn't deny it, or try to erase your feelings at this point, because you were very aware that you were in love with sugawara koshi.

and you know what? you were fine with that. you felt confident that he didn't like you back, which was sad at first, but you got used to it. you loved suga as a friend too. all you had to do was not take the crush too far, and make sure he felt comfortable. you were perfectly happy to stay the way the two of you were and remain status quo.

until you weren't.

it upset you that every time suga did something cute or attractive, you couldn't just kiss him and embrace him and tell him he was adorable.

it upset you seeing your friends happily in love while you had to suppress your feelings just so that you wouldn't lose him as a friend.

it upset you that you were feeling such emotions when you had promised yourself that you wouldn't take this crush too far.

it upset you. this whole situation upset you. however, you didn't have the courage to confess to him, so you would have to be content with your current situation.

until one day..

"what?" it took you a moment to process what suga had just said.

"i.. really like you, shimizu y/n."

you froze. you didn't know what to say. it hadn't felt out of the ordinary when suga texted you to come outside to that special spot behind the trees for lunch. you had expected the two of you to eat lunch as per usual, but that was not the case. instead, you were greeted by a red-eared sugawara koshi with a bouquet of flowers and chocolate covered strawberries confessing his love to you.

" you are beautiful, smart, kind, funny, sweet, and the best girl i have ever met. you're my best friend, and i'm so glad that you share shimi- uh, kiyoko..?'s blood, because i don't think i would have met you otherwise."

his face and ears were a bright tomato red.

"so, uh- if you don't feel the same way thats totally cool and i respect that, but i just felt like i nee-"

you enveloped suga in the biggest hug and gently whispered, "i like you too," in his ear.

you didn't know that it was physically possible for ears to get any more red, but they did. he teared up a little and hugged you back. tight. life felt crazy at that moment. he had finally won the girl of his dreams. he needed to hug her tight just in case this was a wonderful dream, and she would disappear if he let go. so he did. held you tight as tears fell from his face in bliss. he knew that this moment would be the start of a beautiful adventure.

and it was.

𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒, 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃

[cerise-on-top]

Giving Ghost a Music Box

Since I didn't receive any requests for once, I wrote something I've been wanting to write, which is just reader giving Simon a music box as a gift. I think he'd love something like that, with the small tune calming him down whenever he needs it. This is just self indulgent, but someone else might enjoy it as well, so I'm posting something for once.

A rather cold winter evening it was, the sun having kissed the world goodbye quite some time ago. With the final moments before dusk finally faded in its entirety, you looked at the blue sky, a blanket of clouds draped over it. A lovely sight, really, one you had seen a thousand times already. Not much snow was left, with a few piles serving as reminders of the cold that once was a week ago, but that, if nothing else, meant that you wouldn’t slip on the remaining ice anymore for there barely was any. You sighed as you waited at one of the traffic lights, having turned red just as you thought you could still make it. What a bother. Glancing at the small wrapped box on the passenger seat, you smiled. In your eyes, it was a rather special gift for a special someone, a person you had adored for years now. It may have been something small, but it held a lot of meaning to you. In fact, you had desired something like it for a long time yourself, but you knew it would make for a special gift for that special someone.

It was a music box, the wood adorned with carvings. It didn’t seem like anything extraordinary, and that it wasn’t, but it had a place in your heart. You played its melody in your head, remembering the metallic sound that came from it as you turned the handle slowly enough for it to be in tune with the actual song. You hoped Simon would love it as much as you do. And even if he didn’t want it, you’d be more than happy to keep it for yourself.

The light turned green once again and you hit the gas pedal, driving for another few minutes before you finally got home, watching as the lanterns automatically turned themselves on as it grew entirely dark outside. But it didn’t matter, nothing did in that moment. Not the dark, not the cold, not you shivering as you weren’t wearing clothes fit for such a cold evening. Soon enough you’d be inside anyway, reveling in the warmth of a nicely heated room during January. With the car parked in the parking lot nearby, you headed on home, not forgetting about the small music box.

You’d been thinking of getting Simon a gift for a while now. It wasn’t necessary, he always assured you, but you wanted to anyway, just to show your appreciation for him. He was a lovely man, a lovely boyfriend, who you could always count on, no matter what. Even when he wasn’t home, he’d try his best to talk to you whenever you needed it, listening to your woes as you rambled about a day, at first so sweet, gone sour due to the wrong people. Even though you could be quite the handful, something you were aware of but simply couldn’t help, he always stayed by your side, always making sure you were well. Sometimes he would neglect going to bed just to talk to you over the phone. Simon was a sweetheart indeed.

You held the wrapped box tightly in one hand, fumbling with your keys in the other as you tried to unlock the door of the apartment. It took a while, but you got it to work eventually, with the only obstacle left being a few flights of stairs until you could finally see the love of your life. As you were in no hurry, you opted for the elevator, pressing the button and waiting for it. Your mind wandered to the last time you and Simon made a small trip away from where you lived. Mind you, you were simply visiting his friend Johnny in Scotland, but you recall the sweetness of him defending you from some drunken people wishing to pick a fight with you. It definitely had its perks, having a boyfriend in the military, even if there were just as many downsides to it all.

You stepped inside the elevator, letting the door close behind you as it took you upwards. When you had gotten sick recently, he wouldn’t leave your side, unafraid of catching the flu himself. It was always a treat when Simon cooked, and that time he made you the best chicken soup you had ever had in your life, followed by a hearty vegetable stew as well. Even when you whined about being cold, when the three blankets weren’t enough, he wrapped you in his arms and made sure you stayed warm with him around, despite you sleeping all day anyway. And yet, somehow, he never got sick himself, getting away with a light cough and nothing else.

As you made your way up the final flight of stairs you thought about how he carried you back home when you had gotten injured. Hiking, while it could be a fun thing, could also be quite dangerous. And such a thing had happened as you barely had entered the forest. You slipped and twisted your ankle, unable to move up the entire mountain. You apologized over and over again, feeling shame and guilt upon not being able to go up the mountain with Simon. But instead of being angry with you, he picked you up, kissed your forehead and told you to be more careful next time. He even waited at the doctor’s office with you, just so he could keep an eye on you.

There are many things that can be said about Simon Riley. He’s a heartless killer, he’s a scary guy who knows how to end someone’s life with his bare hands, he’s stern and objectively scary to have around. And yet, at the same time, that man with an expression usually so cold has the warmest heart you’ve ever seen. If you had to, you would make every single mistake in your life again just to get a chance at meeting him, a chance at being with him, once more.

Finally, you stood in front of the door to your apartment. Quickly, you unlocked it and took off your shoes inside, the door simply falling closed behind you.

“Simon,” you called out, “I’m home!”

It must have been around 8pm, so it wasn’t very likely he was out anymore. No store would normally be open at such an hour. And soon enough, you heard something big get off the couch, the movement making its way towards you. The door to the living room was opened, revealing him. He seemed a bit out of it, a bit groggy even as he stared at you. Seems like he took a nap while he waited for you.

“Hey, love. How are you doing?” His voice was lower than usual, a bit more gruff as well. Although adorable, his hair was also a bit messier than usual. Seems like he genuinely was sleeping for a little bit. You granted him that, considering it wasn’t always a given he’d sleep well at night, even if you did feel a twinge of guilt for waking him up. As you took off your coat, you put down the small box, which Simon spotted immediately. “What’s that?”

Hanging up the jacket, you chuckled. “Open it and find out. It’s yours anyway.”

And that he did, carefully peeling off the tape to reveal what was inside. It took him a while to realize what it was, considering he just woke up from a relatively deep slumber. Setting down the wrapping, he looked at the small wooden box from every angle before taking the handle in his fingers. It was cute how small the box really was in his hands. When he turned it, he jumped a bit as the first sound played, stopping in his tracks before continuing. He let the entire tune play out, a smile forming on his face as he recognized it. “You Are My Sunshine”, something that held true for the both of you. A second time, he played the tune, listening intently as he seemed to be lost in thought, but happy regardless. It wasn’t much, but it conveyed how you felt about him.

“Thank you, lovie. It’s so very sweet.” Music box in one hand, he wrapped his free arm around you, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“I’m glad you like it, I was worried you’d think it to be childish.” You wrap your arms around his large frame, taking in his warmth, the scent of his body wash wafting in the air.

“There’s not a single reason I wouldn’t love it.”

As you let go you gave him one more kiss on the cheek before heading off to the bathroom to wash your hands. It seemed to have been a good gift as, from time to time, you can hear him play with it. A smile etches across your face every time your hear a small, metallic version of “You Are My Sunshine”, knowing fully well he appreciates the gift as much as you hoped he would. Every time he thinks you’re not around, not listening, he’d play the small melody, and every time it would warm your heart. Simon was a sweetheart, it showed in his actions and the way he appreciates everything you ever did for him, how he treated every gift you ever got him.

[thatfreshi]

Always (Uni AU P. 16)

Thank you all for patiently waiting :)

tw - mentions of abuse, grooming

Your eyes flutter open slowly, unsure of exactly where you are. When you move your head, you feel the bone in Astarion's shoulder, and remember the night prior. When you realize you indeed were asleep on him, you jerk back up.

"What time is it?"

"Almost six. You must've been tired."

He puts his phone down and sits his head on his knees.

"You alright?"

"Just not looking forward to today. Twelve-hour day, nine to nine, no breaks."

"Sounds horrible."

"It does, doesn't it? And I haven't slept in days either."

He gets out of bed reluctantly and goes to the closet, almost tripping over nothing.

"You could probably spare some time to lay down a little longer."

"No, sadly I can't. The location is an hour away, I still have to get ready, and I have to pick up some things on the way. All of that and maybe find time to eat something."

He methodically looks through the many fabrics, finding a silk dress shirt. Thoughtlessly, Astarion throws off the sweater from yesterday, revealing what appears to be many scars across his back.

"Holy shit."

You don't mean for the words to stumble out the way they do, but it's not often you see someone's skin decorated in old wounds.

"Right, forgot I hadn't told you about all of those. Though to be honest, I've never seen them."

He quickly puts on his newly chosen shirt, fiddling with the buttons on the sleeves.

"Are they-"

"From Cazador? Of course."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did he do it?"

He stops in his tracks, dumbfounded once again by you and your questions.

"I mean, there's always plenty of reasons to him. Misstep on the catwalk, look the wrong way in a photo, make him look bad in front of someone else in the industry. He does his punishments in private obviously, but you always know when you're due for one. Always."

Light steps make their way to the kitchen to get some coffee. You follow, silently.

"Sorry. I know I have more of a stomach for this kind of thing than you do."

"You shouldn't have the stomach for it at all."

"You think I don't know that?"

He turns to meet your eyes, and then sighs, leaning against the counter.

"Really, I am sorry. I'm just very irritable right now."

"Anything I can do?'

"No, I think I just need to be by myself, for the little time I have. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing."

He perks up at that.

"Why?"

"I mean, none of this is your fault. No need to apologize about things out of your control. Besides, I ask about all of it anyways. If you need alone time, you need alone time."

He's so used to 'sorry's, even if they aren't always genuine. Sorry when he's at Cazador's whim, sorry to people he's looped into horrific schemes, sorry any time he fucks up. Most recently, he's so incredibly apologetic to you, the way he's fallen for you, the way he can't bring himself to leave you alone, the way you always ask about the worst of it and he almost always shares. That look in your eyes when you see him hurt, he's been trying to avoid it, because it makes him feel monstrous.

"Anyways, I hope it's not all that bad today. If you need something, let me know, okay?"

You grab all your things from the night before, and make your way towards the door.

"Okay. Thank you Tav."

You smile.

"Of course Aster, anything for you, any time, anywhere. Always."

He almost says something when you walk out the door, but simply has his mouth agape, watching you walk away after saying probably the nicest thing he's heard in years.

When you make your way back to your dorm room, you hear shouting from inside, which you can only assume is Shadow and Lae arguing again. Then, when you walk in, you realize it's actually Gale's voice going back and forth with your moody roommate. Lae'zel seems to be absent from the dorm.

"Gale, you can't be fucking serious. You're sleeping with a professor? Not just any professor, but Mystra? Really? Are you that fucking stupid?"

"We are not just sleeping together, it's a real relationship. We have something special Shadowheart, not that you would particularly understand that."

"No, no you don't have something special with her, she's using you. You work for her, she's your teacher! She can decide your entire academic future on a whim!"

"No one better to fall in love with then, right?"

"Oh, fall in love? You, you are not in love with her, and she is certainly not in love with you. She's using you and your naivety Gale."

You hear her voice crack at this point, the concern for her best friend seeping through.

"Oh, so I'm naive now? Great to know you think so highly of me Shadow. You were begging me to tell you, I thought you'd be happy for me!"

"I'm not listening to this. When you want to have a real conversation, and not just make me feel like I'm crazy for worrying about you, come and find me."

Her door slams, and she storms past you in the living space, rushing out of the dorm. Gale slowly makes his way out of her room, not expecting you to be waiting.

"And now you know too, wonderful. Are you also going to call me insane for being in love, or are you capable of being reasonable?"

No words come to mind. Instead of sitting around waiting for a response, he walks right past you, off to brood in his room alone. You decide to try and find your roommate, just to make sure she's alright, and possibly get the rest of the story. Despite your efforts, you find none of your strange friends. It's as if campus has been entirely deserted. With the new chill in the air as Fall becomes even more intense, you find yourself feeling lonely, and even sad. So, you do what any other reasonable college student would, and you go grab a coffee and throw yourself into some assignments.

Essays, discussion boards, projects, powerpoints, they all sort of just blur together. Word counts become meaningless, rubrics are like unspeakable languages, emails are a life-sucking endless void of nothing. You close your laptop and stare at the ceiling, wondering why you're even sad to begin with, why all of this seems like treacherous work. Your mind floats back to Astarion, as it often does. Perhaps he was the cause of your melancholy, him and all the scars you had seen that morning. But now it's hours later, close to nightfall, and you barely have anything to show for it.

That's when Karlach and Gale show up, which helps you snap out of the mood a little bit.

"She'll come around Gale! I may not get it, but hey, we all just gotta do our own thing."

The two of them sit at your lonely little table, and Gale sighs.

"Well Tav, how's the rest of the day been?"

"Uneventful. Sad. Boring."

Gale nods in agreement.

"Oh cheer up you two! There's still time left in the night, things can get better!"

You can't help but crack a smile.

"You know what Karlach? You're right, and just for that, I'm going to get us all a little treat."

The two of them insist that you shouldn't, but you're already walking off to the coffee bar that's going to close soon. You buy a couple of stupid little candies, just to make sure everyone will have something they enjoy. You thank the barista and walk back to the table. On the way, you feel at your pocket for your phone, but it's not there.

"Must've left it at the table."

And you were right, because when you look back up Karlach is receiving a call on your phone. You walk over to try and figure out who she possibly could've answered, mouthing a question to her. She tells you to shush, her eyes far more serious than normal.

"What do you mean he's in the hospital?"

Her voice cracks when she asks, and without thinking you snatch your phone out of her hands.

[seyaryminamoto]

Do you have any particular thoughts on Netflix Avatar Season 1? I haven't watched it myself but I would be curious to hear what you have to say.

I do indeed! I didn't watch it right away, but I have watched it indeed. I think there are merits to certain changes they did, I can see the sense in many of them, that doesn't mean EVERYTHING they changed was good, but it does feel like they were engaging with the original content in a far more creative way than a lot of people are willing to acknowledge or try themselves. No, it isn't a perfect remake of ATLA, but being the critic that I have been of the original show, nobody could ever convince me that the original was perfect, just as this new show isn't perfect.

I want to make a big post on the subject one day and try to get to everything it brought up... once I have more time on my hands, I'll try to do that. But, to give you a bit to chew on... I'll try to do one good vs. one bad on my part, of whatever I can remember right now.

GOOD: I actually do not mind the multiple prologues in the first episode, even though I don't think the changes were handled perfectly. I do believe that showing the genocide is not nearly as bad a choice as a lot of people pretend it is (the way it was portrayed is questionable mostly from a tactical point of view but that's just me being a freak about that... studying basic warfare really fucks up your suspension of disbelief when it comes to war scenes). Mainly, I think it IS important to show it due to the amount of people who are still convinced that Aang didn't suffer nearly as much as most other popular characters did -- that soooo many people have made these claims without a care in the world throughout the twenty years since ATLA first aired proves that the genocide was not treated with the severity it should have been by the OG show. I'm not even sorry to say it. It doesn't feel like a trivialization of violence, it feels like actually setting straight the degree of violence a genocide entails. People asking for a less intense version of genocide basically appear to be asking for the actual gravity of such events to be sanitized so they can chew on them more easily... and that's exactly what leads to it being trivialized, minimized and not taken seriously, if you ask me.

BAD: I don't particularly like the way Fire Lords are so... casual with commoners. Both Ozai and Sozin stood on the same level as a rebel/spy right before setting them on fire, no doubt it's meant to be some sort of flex, but... men of their ideologies and pride would not want to be up close and personal with anyone they consider that far beneath them. Odd choice there, imo.

MOSTLY GOOD: Aang does feel way more serious and has much more dramatic gravitas in everything he does. And this is not a bad choice, in essence. I don't particularly love that they tried to lessen it with occasional "Aang's a silly kid!" verbal reminders that don't actually have any proper visual evidence, because most the silly things he's up for are things the two older kids (Sokka and Katara) are perfectly fine with doing too, hence, he doesn't feel childish at all and it comes off out of place for him to talk about being more childish than he actually is. So... they really didn't need dialogue to try to emphasize his childhood if they weren't going to write him being a goofball. It's fine if he isn't one. He always could be a more serious character, it's only a problem when there's no further substance to him than just brooding (which is what I remember from the Shyamalan movie...).

WEIRD: Aang and Katara both had weird scenes of standing around doing nothing but smiling at their hometowns in episode 1. Maybe it was done as a parallel between them, but it felt a bit... overly theatric? If that makes sense? Like... I know we need to see their daily lives and the context in which they've lived... but it doesn't feel entirely logical for that to happen with them just standing in place and smiling fondly at their world. Most people do not do that in their daily lives...?

GOOD: ... Contrary to what a lot of the fandom seems to think, I actually like the suuuuuper slowburn Kataang here because any potential romantic payoff those two might get isn't nearly as in-your-face as it was in canon. The way their friendship is growing feels far more organic. And some of my favorite character moments in the show were actually between them. Which is not something I'd EVER say about the original show. There's a different sense of maturity for the characters here, and I like that.

BAD: I... do not like Sokka's changes. No, it's not about the sexism. It makes sense to me that this aspect of his character would be changed, updated in a sense: you can even still read him as sexist in some regards! It just isn't as simplistic and straightforward as it was before. But that's... not what bugs me the most. The show genuinely surprised me by taking him far more seriously as a character than I anticipated they would, but they absolutely picked weird choices with him in stuff like his family issues (... the Hakoda changes are just straight-up cringe for me, there's no justification for making him some sort of bitchy soccer mom who congratulates his son but then shits on him behind his back??), his insecurities as a warrior and the frequent remarks about how maybe that's not his path in life even though he does just fine at it, and... his romantic relationships. It's wild, because I actually think they did Sukka a thousand times better than it is in canon, and yet in doing so, they absolutely deadlocked themselves into a whole other problem: Sokka bonding that much with Suki and then hitting on a random Fire Nation soldier like two episodes later?? Then having the romance of his lifetime with Yue by the end of the season?? Ngl, it feels like we're watching one of those sitcoms where characters switch love interests in the blink of an eye. Changing this element of his character this way, when Suki's romance in particular was given new qualities and way more substance... may not have been a great call since it makes him come off insanely shallow, ready to get with any girl he comes across, and frankly, he didn't feel like that in the original show to me. He's also not really funny when he's supposed to be? Part of what made Sokka funny originally was his role as a voice of reason while everyone else ignored him. They occasionally tried to mimic that here... but in ways that didn't really work? Also, the Ron-Weasley-In-HP-Movies brand of comedy of "watch this guy scream, it's soooo funny" is... so trite at this point. Please, don't. Personally, this really feels like a whole other character who isn't Sokka. And some people might think that's great... I'm not one of them. Maybe I'm just experiencing the crisis a lot of people are over Katara with Sokka? But where changes with her do seem to go for things I actually wasn't fond of in her character, I don't really feel like they did better with Sokka in the least.

GOOD: ... "Katara learned waterbending too fast", they say: she did in canon too. A month of training under Pakku is not nearly enough time to justify her being deemed a master in canon. Complaining about how she didn't get that training at all here and still got deemed a master gets a "meh" out of me because I frankly do not see it being remotely as different from what canon did as people want to think it is. Katara was fighting Pakku with way too much power in the OG show for a kid who never got formal training to begin with, and somehow nobody minds that. I don't think someone who was on that level of power in the OG show was nearly as inferior to a seasoned master as a bunch of people want to believe. So... outrage about how they sped up her learning process when we in fact see a LOT more internal growth for Katara, and a lot more depth to her bending source here, makes no sense to me.

Along with that: bending has always been connected with a bender's internal energy, which is related to their peace of mind and internal balance. This show did not invent that. Firebenders are the ones who are most explicitly shown to be connected to their feelings that way, sure, but if you needed ATLA or LOK to non-stop feature characters talking about how a person's chakras had to be cleansed and their hearts clear and their every spiritual thread cleaned up in order to reach their best possible shapes as benders? You probably have bigger problems in analyzing this show than just whining over whatever the liveaction did. A straightforward connection for Katara with her emotions and bending isn't a negative choice in the slightest to me, more so with a character who has constantly been characterized as deeply connected to her emotions: it makes sense that her bending works and evolves the way it does in the liveaction to me. Sorry not sorry.

BAD: Zhao. Uh... I've seen people say they like him here? I felt like I was watching a con artist. It's not the actor's fault, clearly he was given this concept to work with and he did the best he could with it, but the idea of removing Zhao from all prior connection to the Royal Family, making him a total unknown who came out of nowhere and rises to prominence through conniving and scheming feels like they decided to merge him with Long Feng, maybe? And it might even backfire if they DO have Long Feng next season (... they should???) and he has a very similar profile to what they did with Zhao. I didn't enjoy his characterization at all, he was just... weird. So, not a change I was big on.

GOOD: Iroh. My god. I hate the fact that I'm saying this. But I will say it was insanely cathartic to watch that EK soldier beating him up. And that's not all: Iroh actually seems to be struggling actively with right and wrong here, showing hesitation over the war, and most importantly... HAVING A PERSONAL DYNAMIC WITH AANG??!!! I never imagined I would be that happy to see that, but I was. The few moments those two had together were damn solid, some of the best in the show (and the best for Iroh, sorry not sorry, I have never ever been an Iroh-Zuko obsessive fan and I genuinely find myself more intrigued by Iroh's potential bonding with other people, never thought about it with Aang but this show 100% blindsided me with it in a good way). It seriously made me mad that the OG basically never gave them that chance besides... that one scene in the catacombs that was very much just Iroh being a fortune cookie? Aang actually being an element that basically waters the seeds of doubt in Iroh's head is a GREAT change. I said it and I'll stand by it.

BAD: Hahn and not because of the usual reasons: their characterization rework of Hahn was fine. More than fine. The actor they cast was also very pretty! All of which makes it EXTREMELY questionable that Yue somehow has this perfectly decent guy and... uh... chooses the reworked Sokka instead? Like, I know that's how the OG story went, but when you turn Hahn from an opportunistic dick to a perfectly admirable warrior and individual, and feature Yue saying he's great but he's "not the boy of her dreams" (you... dreamt about him ONE TIME?? He's never been in the Spirit World besides that, so wuuuut...??), it makes her choice in romantic interests feel extremely questionable and weird. I'm all for Yue being given more to work with, but this seriously feels like she's... a little crazy. Hahn comes off waaaaaaay too decent for her not to be interested in him... ofc, as long as she's someone attracted to men, which, considering she picked ANOTHER GUY, it's to be assumed that she is?? Ergo nothing makes sense to me. Come to think of it, a lesbian Yue rejecting Hahn is probably the only way her rejection of Hahn would make sense... and it would also not cast such a questionable light on reworked Sokka if he and Yue weren't romantic at all, right after he had that big connection with Suki back when the show began?? So, heh, maybe lesbian Yue is the only thing that would've made sense if Hahn gets reworked for the better like this, sorry not sorry....

GOOD: The full-blown, outright display of Ozai's abuse on Azula rather than subtleties and insinuations. Again, much like in Aang's case with the genocide: PEOPLE DENY AZULA WAS A VICTIM OF ABUSE ALL THE TIME. People pretend Ozai actually loved her on some weird level or that she FELT loved, ergo she was fine and Zuko's the one who was abused. This is not new. We've been dealing with people barking that kind of nonsense since almost twenty years ago. And the backlash from that exact crowd when this show made it evident proves that they refuse to accept Azula as a victim of abuse to this day. Ergo, sorry not sorry: I'm glad they handled it as they did here because it makes it undeniable that Ozai is pushing Azula to extremes and she's pressured to deliver and become the weapon he wants her to be.

BAD: ... the Mother of Faces. That may have been the most egregious offensive and bullshit moments in the entire show. I was so mad when she was brought up at all. It was awful. I hated it. It really must be my most hated moment in the whole thing. UGH.

GOOD: Katara apologized to Sokka once. You know. One time. That, I think, marks the single time in any official Avatar content where she has done that. Call me a salty asshole, but I'm genuinely impressed that they did that, so they get a point for it.

BAD: Bumi. I know some people think the rework for Bumi is great... I could not disagree more. His treatment of Aang is really unacceptable, his behavior is very irresponsible but this time in a vindictive way... I was even reasoning with the fact that he knows Aang is the Avatar, which ALSO happens in the OG, without having known it in the past! The difference? It feels too arbitrary and random that he'd know that here, whereas in the OG show, he IS random and arbitrary, yet somewhere amid so many nonsensical ramblings, he shows insight and intelligence that makes you think there's more to him than meets the eye. I may need to rewatch episode 5 of the OG show in order to confirm this, but I also think that most of the implications there regarding his challenges is that they were actually harmless even if it doesn't look that way all along. Here? They're not harmless at all, he's basically vindictively trying to get Aang to either die for his "sins" or get himself killed through him and neither thing sits well with me at all with this character.

GOOD: Gyatso, expanding on his character and making him a much more straightforward equivalent to Iroh for Aang actually is really helpful, it makes him less of a "stock character" victim to the Fire Nation, it gave him more depth and it makes Aang's bond with him feel much more real. I am very sorry to all OG apologists, but I continue to believe Aang's cheerful behavior was written primarily to appeal to the children demographic that Nickelodeon was aiming for as their audience, which meant he could not be particularly human and truly grieve for everything he had lost. This show doesn't hide that pain at all, and it's particularly good that it does that by showing what a constant presence Gyatso was in Aang's life and by letting them have a manner of final farewell in that episode (... even if I didn't particularly like the episode, but still, it wasn't a bad idea to do that).

BAD: ... call me a consistency freak if you will, but I did not spend all these years obsessively trying to make sense out of the wobbly worldbuilding of the Avatarverse to be told that the entrance to the Cave of Two Lovers is within Omashu and that it leads into the arena within Bumi's Palace. Sorry. I can't accept that. I can't. I legit laughed throughout that whole situation because that's not where the cave of two lovers was, the badgermoles would be causing earthquakes non-stop through the city, and the sewers system would not even work because they'd constantly get fucked up by the creatures (as we know, there's a scene in Book 2 of the kids climbing out of the sewers, so either they won't do the pentapox or they'll forget about the badgermoles conveniently by then...). So. No. Sorry but no. Also, why did they kill Oma??? I know they turned both lovers into women, but... precisely because they did that, why exactly was there any need to change which one died?? Either one you kill is a woman now anyway so... what's the difference? WHY the difference?? Odd.

GOOD: ... Zuko keeps a notebook on his research and investigations into the Avatar. There were many changes to his character but that's the one that stood out the most to me. He actually seems a little bit more methodical, if not smarter, but you know? Kinda smarter anyway for at LEAST thinking that keeping a book with the results of his investigations could help?? Feels like he's actually trying rather than just whining about how rude the world is and how hard he has it. Which, in the end, might ALSO come down to him actually having some hope that Ozai didn't hate him irremediably... which, too, is a good change. I've talked about it before, other people have too: a firstborn firebending male prince has no business being discarded because of incompetence unless he's just THAT pathetic, and even in canon, Zuko wasn't as bad as to justify pushing him out and treating him as shittily as Ozai did without an actual, THOROUGH, exploration of Ozai's motives. You can elaborate, but the show never really did it, and if anything, it offered a bunch of conflictive information about why Zuko thought his father liked him. Here, it makes more sense that he thinks Ozai isn't as much of a bitch as he really is: the Agni Kai is a lot more interesting because they merged both Zuko vs. Zhao and Zuko vs. Ozai into one. The fact that Ozai actually burns Zuko and defeats him BECAUSE he was punishing him for not taking advantage of an enemy's weakness? It's a million times more telling about Zuko's character than what we saw in canon, where he was down to fight an old man out of hybris and then shat himself as soon as his father stepped up instead. So... I don't like this Zuko, which tells you they're doing him right anyway x'DDDD but I find there are a few elements about him that make him at LEAST a little more respectable than he was in the OG show. Among them? He's not constantly ranting about honor but actually lashing out at dishonorable choices out of principle, which makes it sound like he has a WAY better grasp on that concept than he does in canon :'D sue me. This is a Zuko rework too, and fortunately, not ONLY geared towards sanitizing him (even though there IS a fair amount of sanitizing too... which annoys me, but what else could we expect in the era of political correction).

BAD: ... Why the fuck did they decide the way to fix Iroh harassing June was to make her horny for him? Please? Of all things??? All they had to do was just... not make any romantic/sexual implications there. At all. Was that so hard to achieve? This is probably the second worst thing for me in the entire show, ngl. I do not understand the need for it at all. Most of all when they CLEARLY changed it due to knowing Iroh absolutely was a bastard in the OG with his behavior towards her. Isn't it easier to just NOT put any implications of attraction in there? I mean, I should be happy June didn't fully harass Iroh but the way they presented it, it felt like he wasn't even comfortable with it either! This... is not the way you take revenge for a character sexually harassing another one. Bad, bad take, I don't know what made them do this but they absolutely did not "fix" this, they overcorrected it and made it gross as fuck to me anyhow, most of all with the context of knowing that Iroh was the one being inappropriate as fuck back in the OG.

ALRIGHT. I know there's bound to be more, and I probably could think of more soon but I think I'm giving you this for now or else I'll end up making my major post here x'D

All in all, I don't think this show is unwatchable, I absolutely understand people who think it was fun, I also understand people who couldn't get used to the changes and outright dropped it. What I can't understand/accept is either pretending this show is the greatest thing ever (much like I don't think the OG ATLA is...), or pretending that it's the worst one either. This show engaged with a lot of elements in different ways than the original did: not all of it was a miss, not all of it was a hit. And I feel like it's a matter of fundamental, human decency and respect not to go completely berserk taking a ten-ton dump on this show, which to this date is the biggest production in Hollywood with a primarily Asian cast and crew of all time, from what I know, by pretending it has destroyed this franchise completely and that any support for it must come from brainwashed idiots or "not true fans". The gate-keepy attitude comes as absolutely no surprise in this fandom, ofc, but it's still disgusting to see. You CAN be critical of this show with dignity. You CAN do it while respecting other people who enjoyed it completely. It's not too much to ask. I may have learned that lesson the hard way with the ATLA comics, but even then, it wasn't my M.O. to jump into every single comics-positive post to tell people why they sucked and how dumb they were for enjoying them.

That's what I've got for the time being :'D hope it's enough for now.

[survivalove]

hello! hope you have a good day! I love reading your meta.

as a fan of Katara, can you please share your opinion about the TSR episode? I love Katara very much, but this episode has always caused me discomfort, as if Katara's grief was used to hastily close this hole "zuko has redeemed himself and now they are friends." it seems to me that Katara and her grief (as well as Sokka's grief!) deserved a better attitude than to become a bargaining chip "we will write a hasty episode to redeem Zuko and will not return to this topic anymore." Yes, I understand that this episode is firstly dedicated to Katara, but it always seemed to me that it was written without due respect for her.

so I wasn’t gonna answer this because you mentioned voldemort but then like a hypocrite I broke my own rule and replied to an idiot so here it is:

while I think the premise of TSR is egregious I don’t think the episode as a whole is ruined because of it. I actually think it’s the climax of Katara’s entire arc as it builds off from multiple moments not just about her mother, but her as a bender, her power and always remaining in control of said power. not to mention all this time, she’s confronted and helped persons that have been oppressed throughout the war and now seeing someone who oppressed people for most of his life, of course inflicting unparalleled pain on her, but not letting him own that power and reducing him to (figurative not literal!!) shreds. very good stuff.

so yes, i enjoy it voldemort aside, however comma: the premise is indeed quite horrible.

i agree, the writers definitely used katara and sokka’s trauma as a means for this very middling redemption arc after 3, just as bad if not worse, episodes of the same stuff IN A ROW.

katara getting yelled at for not being so forgiving like everyone else, and then sokka’s trauma being used as a means of information for a trip he wasn’t invited on???

(can we be real for a second and admit that sokka and katara should have been the two persons on that trip in the first place?)

next up, my favorite line:

forgiveness is the same as doing nothing!

coming from the person that literally begged for forgiveness from every other person in the conversation, including katara hhhhhhhh

and then the racist comments to boot like 😭😭 may i remind you once again the premise is based on him needing to earn a genocide survivor’s forgiveness so of course he (the writers) couldn’t help himself and had to make fun of the other genocide survivor! he makes it so easy for me to be a hater.

(can we also talk about how some people like to frame this as him defending katara as if 1, katara can’t defend herself?? which she did and 2, didn’t need to be racist to do it???)

and then you have the sokka discourse which pisses me off because most people that harp over that line don’t even like him like that, and trying to pick and choose which sibling is correct when talking about their mother’s death?? both of their opinions were valid and it’s a reflection of their core personalities: sokka is pragmatic, rational and logical. he didn’t agree with aang because he suddenly adopted pacifism, he agreed with aang because yon rha no longer posed a threat to him and his loved ones and to him, confronting him wouldn’t be worth the effort or ease the pain of kya’s death. meanwhile, katara as we see throughout the show, dives headfirst into doing whatever she thinks is right (imprisoned, painted lady, waterbending scroll) she wasn’t concerned about the logistics, she was concerned about the principle and of course, having to essentially replace her mother’s role made her feel more tied to her death at large. one mean comment throughout sixty one episodes does not define her relationship with sokka. pretending otherwise is just annoying.

after that, i find the episode pretty enjoyable i can’t lie to you. getting kya’s story told and witnessing the satisfying climax to katara’s arc (which is far superior to anyone else’s in my opinion) makes the rest.. almost worth it.

[how-do-i-delete-this-acc]

meeting and falling in love with sugawara koshi.

strangers → friends → lovers suga x reader

word count: 2k

warnings: not proofread sorry it was too long and i didn't feel like it

a/n: i'll prob make a "dating sugawara koshi" for this! i'll link it if/once i do ^^

suga had always felt like the guy who was so close, yet so far.

you both kind of knew each other because you both went to karasuno and you were kiyoko’s younger sister.

you knew him, and he knew you. however, you had only ever briefly said hi a couple of times, and you had stopped by the gym a few times to give your sister a lunch, a message, or to take her home. he was nothing more than an acquaintance. and due to the fact that he was a year older than you, you assumed that he probably viewed you as shimizu’s little kid sister, which honestly, he did at first.

one day, however, he came over to your house along with daichi-san and asahi-san to study with kiyoko.

he came way too early, (like way too early even for him) so both daichi and asahi weren't there, and your sister was out running errands because she hadn't anticipated that he'd be so early, so she wasn't there either. when he came, you were in the middle of a destress-cooking-sesh (that's what i call them bc i have little cooking sessions to destress)

you couldn't really let one of your sister's closest friends stand outside your house, so you let him, served him some tea, and got back to cooking.

since there wasn't much to do, he just watched you cook while the two of you made small talk.

he was amazed at the skill, precision, and passion that went into the food that you made.

you let him have it because you didn't really want any, you just wanted to cook.

mans was blown away.

it was possibly one of the best things he had ever eaten.

something about the food brought the two of you together, and the room became instantly less awkward. the more he learned about you, the more he realized that you weren't actually a little kid. sure, you were in nishinoya's year, but you had a summer birthday and you were actually the same age as him. plus, despite you in the year below and him being pretty smart, you two somehow were taking some classes of the same level. the more he talked with you, the more he realized that you weren't as little as he initially thought.

the two of you began noticing each other more and more in the hallways. you had always gone the same path to your classes, but the two of you were for some reason only now noticing that you took the same path.

the two of you began to talk more and more, gradually learning more about each other's interests and personality traits.

suga was kind. he was sweet, understanding, compassionate, and had a dorky sense of humor. he was gentle, soothing, caring, and had a very high EQ.

you began visiting the volleyball practices more often, both to support your sister, but also because getting closer to suga made your curiosity in the volleyball club grow.

maybe suga hadn't realized it because he had known you since you were in middle school, but you were gorgeous. i mean, you and kiyoko share the shimizu bloodline, how could you not be absolutely stunning? but perhaps it took tanaka and nishinoya pointing out in a very loud and straightforward manner that you were indeed beautiful was what made him realize it.

you often brought homemade food for you and your sister when you went to the gym to watch, and suga found your lunches so intriguing. your food was thoughtful, smart, complex, and delicious. you would keep in mind kiyoko's preferences, what would and wouldn't be good in a packed bento, and how you could find new flavors with spices, ingredients, and techniques.

when you offered him a bite for the first time, he happily accepted and was in awe of how delicious it was. the first time he ate one of your bentos consisted of odeng, kimchi, oi muchim, kongnamul muchim, hobak bokkeum, mu saengchae, and myeolchi bokkeum, (these r some of my fav korean banchans if ur wondering! im korean btw) an onigiri with a smoked spicy anchovy filling, and extra spicy mapo tofu made with a homemade vegan meat. you offered him some because you got carried away and made too much, but you hadn't expected his reaction.

you hadn't expected his eyes to light up the way they did when he tried your mapo tofu. you hadn't expected him to comment on the flavors of each banchan you made and for him to tell you why he liked that one in particular. you hadn't expected him to be in such awe at the flavors and textures in the onigiri. you hadn't expected his enthusiastic and animated reactions. you hadn't expected him to be so cute.

wait. cute?

from then on, you began bringing extra accidentally on purpose so that you could give some to him while tanaka and nishinoya whined in the back about how it wasn't fair that he got to eat the food made by a goddess. he caught on quickly and began accidentally on purpose forgetting to bring a quick snack to fuel him through practice. it was the kind of thing that the two of you never mentioned you were doing, but you both knew you were doing it.

before you knew it, you and suga were hanging out outside of school. you had a sleepover with him once when you stayed over at his house too late. you were constantly meeting up to hang out, study, or just be in each other's presence. he comforted you at your lowest moments, and you did the same for him. when you were on the verge of tears and all alone, you would facetime suga and cry on camera with him. when exams were stressing you out and you were neglecting your health, suga would pull you apart from your studies and into the biggest hug. when suga was feeling doubtful of his volleyball skill, you would reassure him that despite him not being a genius setter like that kageyama guy, he had things that made him special and set him apart. (no pun intended im sorry) when suga felt incompetent and unimportant, you reminded him that humans are living imperfections, and that he was only human, and doing great. (your food also helped the situation) suga had quickly become your best friend.

and it wasn't until one day when your friend asked, "so, shimizu-chan, what's up with you and that third-year on the volleyball team? are the two of you, like, secretly dating or something?" that it hit you.

you had the fattest crush on sugawara koshi.

at first, you didn't know what to do with this newfound information. with yourself.

you began overanalyzing every interaction the two of you shared.

every conversation, every touch, every text.

you began noticing every detail about him.

his pretty brown eyes.

his fluffy grayish hair.

his gentle smile.

his mole under his left eye.

the way his eyes lit up when he ate your food, or when you two were talking about something really interesting or funny.

the way he let out a soft, breathy laughs whenever he found something hilarious.

the way he studied so diligently and somehow wordlessly inspired you to do the same.

suga liked disney songs. when you two studied together, you would listen to disney tracks. it helped him focus, and the two of you would occasionally take healthy dance breaks whenever the best song ever came on.

suga danced and laughed when he got nervous or felt embarrassed. it was his way of shaking it off and coping.

suga liked ballroom dancing with you for no reason. he would wordlessly turn on an elegant ballroom type song and he would sweep you up with his hands above your hips and your arms around his neck. (he got consent the first time) it didn't matter before, but now that you had realized you had a crush on him, it made you feel slightly giddy.

suga taught you how to pepper (if you don't know what that is, it's when two people pass-set-hit to each other! im a competitive elite vb player if ur wondering :) also i started playing vb before i watched haikyuu. idc if u don't care bc im just saying that i liked vb before it became popular and it's a point of pride hehe) so that the two of you could pepper together.

suga was really happy when you told him you wanted to learn how to play volleyball. he taught you the basics with patience and kindness, and it made him so happy that you, a person that he held very dear to his heart, wanted to learn about the sport that he held very dear to his heart.

suga cried easily. he had a big heart that was broken easier than most people thought. he was good at putting up a strong front for others, but he was just as soft as asahi when it came to certain things on the inside.

you loved suga.

you couldn't deny it, or try to erase your feelings at this point, because you were very aware that you were in love with sugawara koshi.

and you know what? you were fine with that. you felt confident that he didn't like you back, which was sad at first, but you got used to it. you loved suga as a friend too. all you had to do was not take the crush too far, and make sure he felt comfortable. you were perfectly happy to stay the way the two of you were and remain status quo.

until you weren't.

it upset you that every time suga did something cute or attractive, you couldn't just kiss him and embrace him and tell him he was adorable.

it upset you seeing your friends happily in love while you had to suppress your feelings just so that you wouldn't lose him as a friend.

it upset you that you were feeling such emotions when you had promised yourself that you wouldn't take this crush too far.

it upset you. this whole situation upset you. however, you didn't have the courage to confess to him, so you would have to be content with your current situation.

until one day..

"what?" it took you a moment to process what suga had just said.

"i.. really like you, shimizu y/n."

you froze. you didn't know what to say. it hadn't felt out of the ordinary when suga texted you to come outside to that special spot behind the trees for lunch. you had expected the two of you to eat lunch as per usual, but that was not the case. instead, you were greeted by a red-eared sugawara koshi with a bouquet of flowers and chocolate covered strawberries confessing his love to you.

" you are beautiful, smart, kind, funny, sweet, and the best girl i have ever met. you're my best friend, and i'm so glad that you share shimi- uh, kiyoko..?'s blood, because i don't think i would have met you otherwise."

his face and ears were a bright tomato red.

"so, uh- if you don't feel the same way thats totally cool and i respect that, but i just felt like i nee-"

you enveloped suga in the biggest hug and gently whispered, "i like you too," in his ear.

you didn't know that it was physically possible for ears to get any more red, but they did. he teared up a little and hugged you back. tight. life felt crazy at that moment. he had finally won the girl of his dreams. he needed to hug her tight just in case this was a wonderful dream, and she would disappear if he let go. so he did. held you tight as tears fell from his face in bliss. he knew that this moment would be the start of a beautiful adventure.

and it was.

𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒, 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃

[beautifulpersonpeach]

https://twitter.com/BTSTrendSongs/status/1700192589583089887?t=P3WaK2L2uLhMszFaUmqSTA&s=19

I just saw this and I am confused.

Why are army accounts explaining what solo fbs are doing? I don't see why we should involve ourselves (us as in armys) with what solos do.

Secondly, it says Tae's china bar ordered 815k albums at 7pm today to push his numbers up. I am sorry, but a sudden order of 815k albums? No one seems concerned, that's huge amount to drop last minute.

***

Your link, Anon.

Your second paragraph answers the question you're asking in the first. But I'm sure you already knew that.

"Why are army accounts explaining what solo fbs are doing? I don't see why we should involve ourselves (us as in armys) with what solos do."

For the same reason ARMYs have to explain to other (baby) ARMYs every time solo fanbases show their ass and reveal they have absolutely no ordered thinking whatsoever, and that rather than Tae's deleted sales being 'HYBE sabotage' (which is the default reasoning from akgaes), it's actually the result of a power-tripping fanbase who cared more about bragging rights against other solo stans, than using well-known ARMY buying practices that by design avoid this kind of embarrassment.

Remember what I said a few days ago about the massive bulk sales method that Taehyung's solo fanbase was pushing, about it triggering an audit? Well...

There are some ARMYs who think they can work with solo stans or find a middle ground with them somehow, but those are ARMYs who have no idea what the consequences are. Each time I've talked about deleted sales in Chapter 2, first Hobi's then Jimin's, all I've said till this point is that (1) all the members are affected and that (2) it has nothing to do with HYBE.

I didn't say anything more to explain what could've triggered those deletions because I didn't want to apply a situation I've seen in other groups to BTS, so I left it at that though I suspected basically what we've now got proof of. ARMYs use a network of buyers spread over time. For reference, many of the sales through OT7 channels happened regularly throughout the pre-order period (a month) giving sellers time to confirm stock amounts. This is ARMY best practice that literally avoids any claims of 'mass buying', because ARMYs have absolute numbers in transactions to show it's fairly indicative of real demand. Taehyung's C-bar wanted to flex their buying power and influence, so they thought it would be a perfectly rational choice to place an order of that size, through a small and unknown retailer, all at once...

If the order size (and resulting stocking bottleneck) didn't trigger an audit, it's likely the fact that order was going to only one address would've triggered it instead. Like, anyway you look at it, it was a dumb idea and mistake, but one solo stans often make. Because the success of the idol for them is always a means to an end: bragging against other solo stans who are indeed that myopic and that shallow.

HYBE has nothing to do with Hanteo noting or creating irregularities on their platform. Whenever sales are deleted as has happened for other idols and groups, it's usually due to a miscalculation of stocks and shipments... something that can be triggered by a fanbase mass ordering a ridiculous amount or someone internal simply messing with the numbers.

Today V's fanbase inadvertently showed the former. And ARMYs jumped in to use it as a teachable moment for the 'Tae-biased ARMYs' who were ready to wield pitchforks to bring down 'evil HYBE' for an akgae fanbase fucking up.

Again.

[whitehotharlots]

The left-ish void

Lot of understandably intense reactions to the tweet screenshotted above, which was posted by some member of Biden administration about 600 days into Russia's invasion of Ukraine and two weeks after a Hamas invasion of Israeli territory triggered a barrage of retaliatory bombings and a blockade of all food, fuel, and potable water into Gaza.

The first point is the most obvious: it takes a lot of nerve to decry Islamophobia and antisemitism after providing many billions of dollars of support to neonazis in Ukraine and openly genocidal zionists in Israel. If a person were insane or stupid enough to believe that all forms of hate are indeed connected and that they emanate from the a singular "place," that place would likely exist somewhere inside the the United States' military and security state apparatuses.

This observation misses a fundamental point, however: people are indeed insane and stupid enough to believe what Biden's twitter account is asserting. And this fact alone is more troubling than the routine hypocrisy expressed with the tweet. Because, seriously... what in god's name does this even mean?

This is every bit as incoherent as the old Bushisms that NPR listeners once scoffed at. It reflects a Kindergartener's understanding of foreign policy and is presented in the language of a preschooler. Calling it pabulum would be an insult to the infants who drink literal pabulum. It is the diplomatic equivalent of the high-pitched mumbles I make when I encounter a new puppy, only less coherent and more shameful. And it's coming at a time when the world is teetering on the brink of total collapse.

Is the Commander in Chief of the world's largest and most aggressive military suggesting that international conflicts transpire due to the presence of metaphysical hatred? That the brutalities stemming from these conflicts would have been avoided if only leaders had streamed the correct TED Talks or been yelled at by more DEI ladies? That a response to NATO expansion, the normalization of white nationalist paramilitaries, the brutalities of irregular war, the massacre of kids at an EDM festival, the targeted bombing of ambulances, and a clear statement of intent to starve 2 million+ concentration camp prisoners to death are all not only caused by the same thing but somehow equivalent to kids using slurs on Xbox Live?

For the longest time, I was certain that no one actually took this stuff seriously. And I was probably right, most of the time. I'll bet my last dollar that whomever in the Hillary campaign posted that moronic intersectionality diagram did so out of raw cynicism. But now... now I'm worried that this truly is the scope of left-liberal analysis. What started as a means of destroying the small whiff of 2016's class consciousness has been codified into official policy. Our leaders now sincerely believe that "hate" is some kind of magic, unstoppable, unknowable force with limitless causal potential. Nothing is or could ever be our fault. Effect does not stem from cause. It's all ghosts and spirits and vibes.

This would be funny, perhaps, if these people did not have the power to kill every living thing on earth. But they do. And we are at their mercy.

[sublimecatgalaxy]

Friends with benefits situation and Daryl accidentally got Reader pregnant (oopsie!). One time she overheard his conversation with someone so she confronted him saying: why do you feel the need to specify we're just friends?

And yes, feel free to do angst.

Love love love love love. I didn't do so much angst because I couldn't imagine a situation where he genuinely meant it in a confrontational or mean manner so I hope this is okay :) Plus it's really late and I'm so tired.

Everyone citizen in Hilltop knows the reason why I'm so moody and swollen and that it's due to the man who stops by our settlement every other week just to check in on me. They've watched my belly grow over the last few months, my legs beginning to waddle as I make my way to the farm every day to salvage any of the usable crops, barely being able to bend over without the supervision of someone else there with me.

I think that, at first, every assumed that I had a husband or a partner, especially with how confident I've felt about my pregnancy this whole time. But over time, people watched Daryl and I interact and realized that he was indeed the daddy and their gazes switched at some point from something resembling pleasant shock to naive judgment.

I can see the wandering eyes, especially from Maggie and Jesus, as Daryl and I greet each other awkwardly at the gate every time that he stops by, sharing a weird and uncomfortable side hug. It's weird to answer questions about the baby and our future especially when there was never an intended future between us. We were having fun- a bit too much fun- and now we're stuck with something that'll bond us together forever.

It's not the worst idea of a life for me, but to him? To him it's probably comparable to prison.

We've been friends since his old group found me at the quarry, broken and scared as can be. He was strong and protective, something and someone that I found comfort in and he found the same in me. We didn't actually start sleeping with each other till we settled in Alexandria and realized how much more we could actually find in one another. It was more than sex- it was comfort and passion in an otherwise pretty cold and unforgiving world.

"W-Well who is she to you? She takes up a lot of time and energy with our doctor, barely pulls her weight-" Gregory starts but I hear Daryl grunt under his breath and the hair on my neck sticks up, my eyes fluttering shut to hear their words through the wooden door.

"She ain't n0thing special to me- a friend." My heart drops, my eyes opening as my whole body droops in disappointment, my frown deepening as I continue to listen. "That's all. If you need the man power, I'm willin' to help out. Jus' stop giving her trouble." There's still a sense of protectiveness in his voice, regardless of the friend zone that he just put me in, and in fills me with the same sense of comfort, knowing that he'll always have my back when I need it.

Suddenly, the door creaks open and I trip into it, sending me into the room and down onto my knees in front of the two men. I look up at them, winded, with a bashful smile, trying to think of a way to get me out of this without telling the two of them that I was eavesdropping.

But there's no getting out of it, especially when Gregory just scoffs and Daryl's head tips back with a small smirk on his lips. He knows full well that I would never just let two men decide my fate in where I live and what I do, especially if it's revolving around a pregnancy that I could've done nothing to control.

"I was eavesdropping but only because I hate men talking about me behind my back." I force myself to my feet, holding the underside of my belly as neither men make any move to help me to my feet. I frown at the both of them, watching Gregory just fall back into his seat with a small sigh.

"I'll talk with Maggie and Jesus. Maybe they can shift your skills elsewhere, somewhere other than the garden." Gregory mutters before waving Daryl and I off, silently shooing us out of his office. I watch Daryl hesitantly as we step out of the office and into the privacy of the hall and I don't waste a moment before speaking my mind.

"Why do you feel the need to specify we're just friends?" I ask with a small pout and his back stiffens visually at the comment, his hand reaching up to run his fingers through his hair, my eyes following his every move.

"Gregory ain't gotta know our business. Doesn't matter what he thinks." He shrugs simple, taking a step closer to me as my chin tilts to gaze up at him through my lashes, still, a disappointed frown on my lips.

"Are we just friends?" I ask nervously, swaying on my swollen feet as Daryl laughs a bit under his breath, hair falling in his eyes as he shakes his head.

"You havin' my kid, aren't you?" He asks and I nod, my hands still soothing over my aching stomach, catching the way his eyes flutter down to look at my hands. "Then how 'bout you answer that question." He whispers, voice comfortingly low as he reaches out, his fingers brushing against mine.

"I'd say we're more than friends." I chuckle, thinking back to all the times that we've passed the line of typical friends and how quickly we've slipped back into just being and acting like friends for the sake of those around us.

"Then we're more than friends." He shrugs simply, as if I just clarified our whole relationship in one simple sentence, defining our relationship as 'more than friends' which would be obvious to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention to the two of us. "Don't know where you got the idea that I've got any say or any opinions about this." He laughs, reaching out to pat my stomach gently before pressing a gentle kiss to my temple as he makes his way past me. "You're in charge."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpci @joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90 @szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane28282 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna @f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin@abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy @steezysimfinds @its-ya-gay-boi-luigi

@crunchytoenailsyum@glizzymcguirex @beth123lg @melovesmut @rafecameronswhore @ariianelle @write-from-the-heart @vampviolets@haylee-e@popehaywardssecretgf @honee-chai-tea @lokiandbuckywife @smoke-and-fire @officiallyunofficialperson@heyaitsklaudia@rosepetalsparks @bluetreecloud20 @scenesofobx @double-shot-of-tequila @1dluver13xx @colbysbrocks @iamasimpingh0e @smoke-and-fire386 @loveshineslikethesky @id-3-kbro @diorsitgirl @errorfound101-allideasburnedout @neverwillknowme18 @ellyskey @taylors-folk @loversjoy @myaloveee @thyris-is @lagataprrr @aaaaslaaaan @minjix @luvrosee @storytellingwitht @savageneversaw

[stemms]

c!Prime’s relationship is of a truly tragic and complex kind, and perhaps, they could’ve been friends, if only c!Dream had chosen friendship over godhood, but if he once chose power over c!Sapnap and c!George, why would it be different now?

Starting with S0, and ending with Pogtopia, until c!Dream switched sides, they were rivals and their relationship was quite complicated indeed, c!Dream was the one responsible for the Final Control Room incident, which actually traumatised c!Tommy, and the war with l’Manberg caused massive devastation to the nation. Still, there were some moments when c!Dream acted like a decent person, so I believe that at that point, he could still be considered morally grey. Despite his lust for power growing stronger, for example when he tried to get his hands on c!Tommy’s discs or chose to cut off his attachments, in order to be the in control, he wasn’t far too gone with it yet, and his relationship with c!Tommy was at a pretty stable stage, unlike the exile or prison arc, in which c!Tommy was his only obsession, as he saw him as the heart of the server and yearned for controlling him in order to control the server, and owning him to torment him eternally for his sick enjoyment.

c!Tommy, being his sympathetic self, always tried to see the good in c!Dream, and genuinely forgave him after every single traumatic event, and they acted as best friends again, and only sometimes did c!Tommy interrupt it when c!Dream did something hurtful to him once again. For example, on the second day of exile, when c!Dream visited c!Tommy with c!Sapnap, c!Tommy initially told him to leave, but after they spent some time together, he came to genuinely enjoying his company and making jokes, as if nothing happened. No matter how much c!Dream hurt the boy, he always found enough sympathy to forgive him, but the moment he killed him in prison was the last straw, it was the sign that c!Dream would never ever change, only get worse.

I believe that c!Dream’s infatuation with c!Tommy formed in S0, when he stalked c!Tommy, followed him around, and had dug a tunnel to his house, and it grew stronger when he saw c!Tommy’s fiery personality and how, unlike the rest of l’Manberg, he continuously defied him instead of blindly bending to his will. For example, when he challenged c!Dream for a duel during a meeting, even though c!Wilbur warned him not to do so beforehand. The strong bond between c!Tommy and c!Wilbur that c!Dream noticed, only fuelled the fire of his obsession, and the man became determined to take c!Wilbur off the picture, and take his place instead.

As I said previously, after all his mistakes, c!Dream still had a tiny chance of becoming c!Tommy’s friend, but he had thrown it away to become divinity. Similarly to exile being interpreted as a metaphor of ‘Garden of Eden’, it also applies to the prison arc. After c!Tommy got stuck in prison, c!Dream could stay in his little perfect paradise with c!Tommy, which implies being imprisoned together, and having the tiniest chance of improving their relationship, as c!Tommy still tried to see the good in him. The act of killing him, however, was the forbidden fruit he took a bite of, with no second thought, and was chased away from his paradise (his more or less peaceful life in prison worsened due to the torture he had to endure, and there was no more c!Tommy…) c!Tommy was the definition of c!Dream’s paradise, and without him, none of it had any meaning (similarly to how c!Dream cared not about immortality, but about immortality with c!Tommy). If only c!Dream controlled his violent impulses better, he wouldn’t have lost it so abruptly.

[themegachessatron]

A Review of my time in Skyrim's Prisons (Featuring some followers): Riften Jail

Part 5 of my Skyrim Prison Review series. This chapter finally breaks the "every interior looks the damn same" chain by looking at Riften, Skyrim's capital of corruption, inequality and... fishing. I think that last one might be important.

Since my last review the inner circle has grown a few notches. Joining me this time is Dunmer heartthrob Teldryn Sero, Whiterun's finest donkey Lydia, Jordan the peak Riekling specimen and the returning Inigo and Sofia. Actually getting arrested and put into the cell here proved surprisingly difficult. We first tried punching one of the homeless people on the streets unprompted but nobody batted an eye when we did. Then I tried stealing food from a nearby cart but again, nothing. So for the third attempt I thought of a real humdinger. I went into the orphanage and suplexed the old lady running it so hard that her spine broke and she died instantly. The children in the orphanage were naturally very happy and- wait, happy!? I was shocked to find them all celebrating her death! I mean she was called Grelod the Kind for Diagna's sake! I swear, kids these days are so ungrateful! Nobody even called the guards! I murdered an innocent old lady without consequence and I have no idea why. In the end we had to literally beat a guard to death to finally get in enough trouble to warrant an arrest. So much hassle, and for what? Well let's see...

Riften's cell is oddly nice, with a full bed provided in each cell as well as a desk, lighting setup and chairs (no rug though, unfortunately). It was also quite cramped inside the cell with all us inside of it due to the relatively small floor size. Had we all not decided to investigate as a group this would've likely been far more adequate of a cell. There are even multiple other cells in this jail, so it's clearly built for capacity (Maven has a lot of enemies it would seem).

Attached to the back wall was a pull ring. The ring in question somewhat blended in with the dark colouration of the walls and pulling on it opened a secret entrance and revealed a secret tunnel behind the prison walls. The actual outline for the secret entrance was quite clearly visible so identifying it as a possible escape route was easy. Normally in this situation I'd leap at the opportunity to criticise the laziness of the guards in not being able to identify the obvious avenue for escape, likely by making some joke about them being more blind than a Falmer or the like, but given the very obvious and deep-rooted corruption in Riften hold (which on fear of my life I know nothing about), it's more likely the guards know about it but are paid to turn a falmer's eye. This isn't as bad as the guards being incompetent at their jobs. It's worse. It shows just how tarnished the internal systems of this city are and is beyond shameful.

Further down the path we were greeted by... a bathing spot? Excess water flow point? Fishing training spot? Given the large Riften fishing scene I'm inclined to assume it's the latter (See? Told you the fishing would be important!). Unfortunately when we arrived there were no fish in the water or indeed fishers-in-training doing their practice reels. Perhaps they were taking the day off?

The path continued downward to eventually lead to a sewer grate (very original, Riften. Veeeeerrrry original). We sent Jordan ahead first to ensure the path ahead wasn't too mucky and/or filled with waste. He (She? It?) was hesitant at first but a quick reminder of her (His? Its?) position in our tribe proved convincing enough to put its (I'm going with its) mind at ease.

We were dropped out of the grate into the depths of Lake Honrich. Hardly the most glamourous escape but it sufficed. Inigo wasn't particularly happy getting his fur so wet but the damage had already been dealt. We took this opportunity to return to the jail normally using guard armour and a few brilliant false moustaches as disguises to look at the space outside the cells.

As previously mentioned, there are a lot of cells in this jail, significantly more than most and the building is well-designed to accommodate these large cells. Though if the rather pompous-looking man in the top left corner is any indication some of the more well-off prisoners can quite easily obtain certain luxuries for their cell. It's also worth noting that (while not pictured above because I forgot to take a visual illustration of it at the time) the prisoner belonging chest is in a wholly separate room in the jail, multiple rooms apart from where the cells are located so no optimistic burglar is picking their cell lock, breaking into the belongings chest and retrieving their beloved Nightingale Boots easily, that's for sure!

Overall... wow. This jail is something else. Much like Riften itself it's simultaneously a brilliant location that operates highly efficently or the biggest sack of Chaurus droppings I've ever encountered. Much of it's defining strengths only exist due to deep seated corruption and the influence of one particularly angry middle-aged woman making them so (which again, I reiterate, I know *nothing* about). As such I can't in good faith call Riften Jail an adequate prison.

Final score: Three Nightingale Boots out of Ten Nightingale Boots

Thank you for reading this review. Next time we go slightly more formal and investigate Imperial HQ, Solitude and the Castle Dour Dungeons

[joezworld]

The Headboard [Shitpost]

So, I just want to preface this with: I'm probably sorry for this.

That being said, I put 45 whole minutes into this, so it's not like I can't post it.

Also, the art is by the very wonderful [NAME REDACTED], who definitely doesn't want their name associated with this.

(This image is here so the joke isn't spoiled by tumblr embedding the first image in the post in links. Also so I don't have to look at it.)

----

Tidmouth, Present Day

It started innocently enough. 

A “Twitch Streamer” - someone who played video games live on the internet - had contacted the railway, asking if it would be possible to charter a train. He explained that he was planning to do a live event with his fans, and as most of the video games he played were about trains, it seemed like a “fun idea” to do so while onboard a real train.

While it may seem unusual for a media personality to charter a train, on Sodor this wasn’t exactly unusual. Money was money, and trains were often chartered for sporting events, railtours, and film and television productions; while it was for a different media spectrum than usual, the NWR didn’t see anything wrong with operating a single charter train for him. 

They even did their due diligence, consulting some of the younger members of staff. to make sure that this individual hadn’t done or said something morally reprehensible, and that his content wasn’t something shocking or provocative.

It should be noted that, while incredibly tech savvy, the specific youths that the head office inquired to (which included Richard Hatt’s own children) had never actually heard about this particular “streamer” before. As a result, they did some cursory searches of his available videos, and watched a few of his live streams. 

Nothing that they saw stood out to them, but that was because they didn’t know where to look. 

--

A few weeks later

The box showed up with the post only a day before the charter was to take place. The charter would have its own special headboard, and the streamer had had one made specially for the service, so its timely arrival was a relief. 

“-eard about it,” Said one of the fitters, as he carried the box into the sheds the next morning. “From my nephew, he watches ‘im. Said it was some sort of collaboration video with a bloke who does metal forging online. Certainly feels heavy enough.”

“Looks big enough too.” Siobhan followed him through the door. “We might have to mount it up high.” 

Henry rolled his eyes hugely. Of course Gordon had been selected to do the Charter, and he’d been as insufferable as ever for the last few days. “Must you do this while I’m still here?” He yawned. “It’s too early to hear him go on and on about fitment.”

Gordon had apparently not been asleep, as Henry had thought. “Henry, if you are indeed so bothered by the early hour, maybe consider not taking the Flying Kipper? I’m sure Marina would be honored to take it more often.”

“How dare you-”

“Oi!” Siobhan shouted. They’re a hundred years old an’ yet I still have to mother them. “You, shut up. You, don’t encourage him.” She pointed to each engine in turn. “We’ve got to make ‘im spic and span in time for this shite, so no arguin’. Understand?” 

Ominous threats were left unsaid, and Gordon and Henry quickly shut up. 

Behind Siobhan, there was the sound of tearing cardboard, and then a confused “Eh?” 

“What?” 

“That’s an… odd choice of, well everything to be honest.” 

She looked in the box. “Isn’t that a… burger chain or something?”

“I think so.” The man turned his head as he pulled the headboard out of the box. “Why’s it on a headboard? An’ what does that word mean?” 

“I don’ know.” She reached into a pocket and pulled out her cell phone. “Ah, great, no service. Fuckin’ Vodaphone.”

“No wifi?” 

“It’s on the fritz, an’ IT works normal hours.” She turned to Gordon and Henry, who were steadfastly pretending that they weren’t curious. “You two know what this means?”

Henry laughed to himself. “No, but what a… jaunty colourscheme that is.” 

Gordon glared at him. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It looks silly! The letters look like they belong in a cartoon or somesuch!”

“But what does it mean, Henry? You don’t know anything?!” Gordon was indignant.

“I haven’t the slightest clue, but I assume that this is some kind of in-joke for whoever is chartering the train.” 

“A joke?! Siobhan! I will not be party to someone else’s sense of humour! Have Henry take this train!” 

By now, most of the shed was awake, and Gordon was promptly drowned out by his ever-so-supportive friends. 

“Oh no! You spent all week going on and on about this train!”

“You’re not getting out of it that easily, Gordon.”

“What’s this? Karmic retribution for how much of a pain in the buffers you’ve been? On Sodor? Who could’ve predicted that?”

“Well I certainly am not taking it.” 

“Och! Ye canno’ take a feckin in’ernet joke? Wha’ kind of a stick in tha mud are you?”

“Just wear the damn headboard!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure your picture won’t be spread far and wide on the internet or anything!”

Gordon turned a bright shade of red and wheeshed steam at them all, which did absolutely nothing except make them louder and more insistent that he take the train. 

Biting her lip to keep from laughing at the engine’s absurdly angry expression, Siobhan helped the fitter put a ladder next to Gordon so he could mount the headboard at the top of the firebox. 

“If this turns out to be some obscene prank,” Gordon stared at them through narrowed eyes. “I will make it my mission in life to make you regret it.” 

“Good wit’ that, Bluey.”

----------

Later

The cleaners came and went in a flurry of polish and rags, and Gordon sparkled from end to end whether he liked it or not. Not a person he asked knew anything about the headboard, which only made him more suspicious that someone was keeping something from him. 

“I promise you that we’re not.” The Fat Controller had made his way over to the sheds at the urging of everyone who had spoken to Gordon that morning. “I assure you that this person is merely an… internet personality. If this is a joke, it’s harmless.”  

“But sir!” Gordon protested. “Nobody is even willing to find out! What if this is all just a joke?”

Stephen smiled kindly. “Nobody can look anything up right now - someone in Suddery was doing some digging last night and cut through a major communications cable - half the Island has no telephone or internet service today, us included.”

“Well, that doesn’t ch-”

“And, if it is a joke, even one at your expense, I expect you to be pleasant and composed for the railtour like the express engine you are.” He finished firmly. “If that is the case, we will deal with it as it comes, and you can tell me that you were right until you are blue in the face. Understand?” 

“Yes sir.” 

“Excellent. The train boards at nine sharp, and I expect you to be as pleasant as you possibly can be.”

Behind him, there was a murmur of “that’s expecting a lot, isn’t it?”, but the culprit was too stone-faced to be picked out of a lineup, despite dual glares from man and engine. 

----------

Eight Thirty. 

Gordon collected the train from the coach yard, and pulled into the platform with all of his considerable grace and pomposity on display. He was serene, he was calm, he was not the butt of someone’s-

“Oh” Two platforms over, Tornado stared, not at him, but up, at the board, looking for all the world like someone had smacked her upside the smokebox with a heavy object. 

“What.” He said, his fears instantly solidifying, and then transforming into anger. 

“Oh no.” She said, not paying any attention. 

Before anything else could be said, Donald rattled through the station, a heavy stone train from the Little Western trailing behind him. Tornado’s guard blew his whistle and waved his flag as the hoppers rolled by, and before Gordon could ask her what was wrong, she left in a great hurry.

His scowl formed and then instantly deepened. I have been made a fool of.  

He stayed this way, simmering angrily for almost ten minutes before Siobhan came out, a trainee fireman in tow. She walked down the platform, explaining the specifics of main line firing to the young man, before realizing that he’d stopped dead in his tracks. “Somethin’ wrong lad?”

“You do know what that means?” He said, blushing scarlet. 

“I knew it!” Gordon whistled angrily. “It is an obscene joke! What does it mean?! Out with it, boy!” 

The young man went pale underneath his blush, and shook his head back and forth in terror. “Oh no, no no no, no way.”

Siobhan wasn’t sure if she should be upset at the apparent obscenity, or in stitches at the idea of it happening to Gordon of all engines. “Lad, seriously, wha’ is it?” 

“I’m not saying it at work.” He said in a small voice. 

Gordon looked thunderous, and Siobhan decided that the headboard needed to come off before anything else was said. 

Of course, this was Sodor, and trouble reared its head at exactly this moment. 

The charter train was quite short, and Gordon was somewhat further back in the station than he ordinarily would be. This meant that when Oliver puffed in with a passenger train from the Little Western, he stopped ahead of Gordon on the platform. His passengers disembarked, streaming out of Dulcie and Isabel towards the stairways for the under-platform tunnels. 

It was half term, so quite a few young people were on the train, and as they walked down the platform, they all did the same thing: they looked at Gordon, looked at his headboard, looked at the platform or their phone, then quite violently looked back at the headboard. Some even stopped in place, and one girl just barely managed to stifle a shriek that otherwise would’ve echoed throughout the station building. 

Then the cell phone cameras came out. 

-----

In the station cafe, Stephen Hatt’s phone ‘pinged’ - the first time it had done so all morning. 

Ah! He thought to himself. Service is back. 

He immediately began paging through his rapidly growing backlog of emails and news alerts, before a business news article caught his attention.

That better not have been an obscene reference… He thought to himself as he typed in the seemingly innocuous phrase. 

-

-

-

His phone almost fell out of his hand, as he flailed and struggled to close the obscene tab he had just opened. 

Shoving aside another patron, he flew through the door of the cafe, his top hat just barely staying on his head. There, across the platform, Gordon was surrounded by a crowd of helplessly laughing teenagers, looking angrier than he’d ever been. 

“SIR!” He boomed, having seen the man exit the restaurant. “I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU THIS WAS A JOKE AT MY EXPENSE!”

[vvalengogh]

SPILL THE LORE

ANON I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED. I AM SITTING YOU DOWN AND SITTING ACROSS FROM YOU.

OKAY SO. the priest dogman: his full name is wolf von bluth, though he insists people just call him “von” rather than his first name. he’s an old demon, a hellhound to be exact, who used to be a human back in the 1850’s and was formerly known as nikolai vasiliev-sovetsky, then. able to shift between both hound and human forms; he terrorizes people in many ways throughout the centuries, his most recent method being that of disguising himself as a priest. he finds religious people to be easier to manipulate, and thus, pushing them to sin and eventual, large scale crimes that leaves the town he’s in in a panic.

authorities are, of course, quick to get on the case and determine there might be a serial killer on the loose but nothing concrete on the killer’s identity because all victims so far appear as if no one had actually killed them. and this is where the second player of the story comes in: having recently gotten his degree in criminology and given an opportunity to work under the wing of a to-be-named detective, kind-hearted but slightly odd oliver jr. wright is tasked with investigation. he’s an upcoming bright man sorta type, and because the elder authorities couldn’t piece together the puzzle thanks to von being a tricky little demon, they figured they needed a fresh pair of eyes and a new mind on the field.

this was both a good thing and a bad thing for everyone involved. while authorities interrogated everyone who knew the murder victims even just a little bit, von was always marked off without real suspicion. oliver, however, felt that something was off about von. his visits to von were professional at first, asking him about the murder victims and von would simply manage worm his way out of concrete suspicion.

regardless, despite still doubting von was entirely 100% innocent he started to turn to him for advice as the pressure to solve the murders built. von offered him shelter, care and affection in the form of friendship.

a fourth victim pops up, and this one’s murder is a little different from the other two. this one is sloppier, and not made to look like someone didn’t kill them. a couple of montbs went by like this, each day starting to feel more stressed and worse. this is where i still need to figure out the details but basically: the last two victims were sloppy murders on purpose. a man was murdered, and some form of evidence left behind that was groundbreaking as prior, there was nothing left behind which upped the weird factor on the cases. the last victim, this husband’s wife, who is murdered roughly a week or so later, is shot outside the bar and the killer is caught on camera.

the killer is indeed oliver: he pulled the trigger, and he is quickly under arrest by the man who was responsible for him. but he swears up and down that he didn’t kill her. the theory they have on him is that he on purpose went into the field of criminology to cover up his crimes, thus the lack of evidence. he is soon looked at for not only the murder of this lady’s husband, but the others that have happened over the last few months.

the truth is: he did commit those last two murders, but the first three were von’s doing. due to the nature of oliver being more gullible and kind hearted, welcoming von into his life, made him more susceptible to his influence: aka possession. von took great interest in oliver, something about him was special in the manner that oliver seemed to crave the approval and kindness of a parental figure and von noticed he seemed to fill that role for him. so, he was able to quite literally pull the wool over his eyes and send him off to do his bidding for a short time.

the only reason he did this was as a means to ostracize him. the other three victims were part of something else entirely; some messy situation von just wanted to stick his nose in. in the end, they played no part to the bigger picture. this lady and her husband were just causalities for von along the way.

well, one thing leads to another, von entirely disappears off oliver radar for that time while he’s preoccupied trying to prove his innocence despite the fact that his gun was connected to the bullet that killed the lady. the detective who was watching over him wants to believe he didn’t do it, that there’s something else afoot here, and brings him back to the agency against all better judgement so he can try and look at evidence to build a case. no matter how illegal that was, he wanted to try and see what was up.

one thing leads to another and oliver blacks out; it’s like a dream, where von talks to him and reveals to him all of what’s gone up until now. and when he wakes up, the building is on fire, his boss is dead, and von is cradling his dying, broken body.

“there is only one way i can save you, oliver,” von tells him. “god doesn’t care if you die, but i do, so here i offer you survival under one condition.”

“that is?” oliver weakly responds.

“you are to be bound to me for the rest of time,” he explains. “you will have freedom, but you will work for me. simply do as i say; and you will be just fine.”

and oliver is far too disoriented to really think about that. he’d rather be dead than help the man who ruined his life; but in the embrace of someone who seemingly cares for his well being, he agrees, and essentially sells his soul to von.

and that’s that; oliver disappears from the public and he’s framed as a serial killer. von remains within the public eye, completely free of his crimes. oliver lives with him, does von’s bidding as his proxy. basically, he either kills or finds people for von sorta deal. tracks them down, all that fun stuff.

the two of them overall very much hate each other but oliver has this dependent nature on von. again, he sought for someone’s approval and he found it in von and that costed him literally everything. von, surprisingly, does care a little bit for oliver. they would still very much kill each other if they could tho ❤️

[demonsfate]

tek8 is only like 21 days away and i'm once again thinking what that will mean for this blog and my portrayal. obviously, this is quite the canon divergent blog. i obvs reject the tek6 story hard. and as of now, i say, during tek8, jin does indeed feel guilty and is trying to "redeem" himself. but not because he actually... did the war, but because he felt that devil was his responsibility, and it was his weakness that caused everything to get so bad. he also feels bad for not being able to help much during most of the war due to being Absent / recovering. jin also feels guilty because he had his chance to kill kaz earlier on, but chose not to. jin feels guilty because of the choices he made or didn't make, but he holds no actual responsibility in the war, no matter what he thinks.

the tek8 story looks like tek6 is probably gonna be heavily ingrained in it. right now, with the little we got, i can continue on with my portrayal with ease. however, i do fear that once it comes out, the story will make it harder for me to continue writing jin way the i do. i fear it might make some changes that will be difficult to say "oh, that doesn't happen in my depiction" or "it happened like that."

there's also dj. dj's been in the games since jin has. but... we haven't seen as much of dj in the main story. mostly when concerning the devil gene, we just see jin wanting to get rid of it, rather than him dealing with the devil itself. this makes it easy for me to say exactly how i envision jin and dj's dynamic, why, and how i like it to play out. i have a very specific idea of what dj precisely is, and what he is to jin. since this is dj's first major role in the story, it could be that dj's depiction could be drastically different than what i envision. of course, so far as we've seen, i've been really enjoying him. but i just have a feeling, even if he's actually BEEN separate from jin and treated mostly like a different entity in 8, i fear he will, in the end, be symbolism of "jin's sins." this feels apparent by two facts. 1) again, tek6 and jin's "redemption" from it feels like it's gonna be heavily ingrained in the game. 2) if you really look at dj's design, it definitely feels like it's heavily inspired by jin's tek6 design with the long jacket, and the floral(?) design on his vest. which, in my blog, i just say that's bc dj is obvs the one responsible for the war, and that's just his fashion tastes. but i have a feeling the game is gonna say otherwise.

finally, the potential rise in the tekrpc. ofc, i WANT the tekrpc to get bigger, and a lot of times with new game releases, its rpc becomes more active, even if just temporary for the hype. i fear with more new blogs, comes new people who may not agree with my depiction or being canon divergent. there seem to be a lot of canon blogs who love to follow what happens in the story. and if ppl are excited by the new game, they might not like that i alter the story because i personally wasn't happy with my muse's depiction in it. of course, this is nothing but my own anxiety, but i can't help but fear this may happen...

now the game isn't my story, and i'm not saying i'm gonna write about a thousand rants if it doesn't go the way i want it to. (unless it is just genuinely bad regardless of what it does). but i just feel no matter what the game does, i will always dislike tek6. tek6 will always feel like a mistake (regarding jin at least) that should've never happened. i don't think i'll ever acknowledge it in my canon, even if tek8 is the most well written beautiful "redemption" story ever. jin will never have the deaths of thousands, potentially millions on his hands. nope. it's just not gonna happen. plus, i'm pretty happy with how i have written jin and dj's dynamic. i'm happy with how i've written dj's role in tek6, that it'll just be hard for me to change it. but i do worry it'll be even harder for me to keep it this way with the new game.

hopefully! i'll love everything in the new game, and it won't make it too difficult for me to keep my depiction the way it is! :]