#I'm avoiding readings again

[brucenorris007]

“Why do autistic folk make up such a huge percentage of the Sonic fando-?”

Because the characters are colorful and funny and can be appreciated either superficially or in-depth just the same; whether surface-level stories or lore appeal, it’s available. Because they’re anthropomorphic animals, and holding any one of them would probably be a unique and possibly peerless kind of stim all by itself in addition to snuggly.

Because all too often neurodivergents are made to feel like we’re a different species to neurotypicals so we project onto and find comfort in characters who are confident and assured in the things that make them different. Because autism doesn’t give us superpowers but it’s an important aspect of who we are that will never not be relevant to our daily lives just the same as Blaze’s fire or Knuckles’ strength or Silver’s psychokinesis.

Because autism presents in as many different ways as there are Mobians in the cast of the games and comics and shows; even more besides, to say nothing of the even broader spectrum of neurodiversity as a whole.

Because there are days when we feel and mirror Sonic’s idealism; there are days when we relate to Shadow’s nihilism more instead, just keep hold of our closest friends and damn the rest of the world. 

Because connection with other people is an inherent and primal need for all humans, be it Sonic and Tails’ unbreakable bond, deep mutual respect and care of Team Dark, or the strangely functional not-quite-familial dynamic of the Chaotix. Because finding that connection is so often disproportionately harder for us on the spectrum than off the spectrum, and at least on Mobius, we can find that connection vicariously.

Because projecting that onto these characters provides comfort and doesn’t hurt anyone and most importantly doesn’t change who they are at their core; Sonic is still Sonic.

Because despite an admittedly rocky decade in the 2010′s, he’s still here and still fighting and going strong; same as we are despite all the nonsense of our individual lives and of the world writ large.

In sum:

We like him.

[coffeeworldsasaki]

Another thing that makes kaladin so painfully relatable is how much his mental illness hides his personality, because between depressive episodes and trauma he's this sarcastic little shit that smiles a lot at his friends and then the depression gets to him and all that disappears

[kirby-the-gorb]

[viperwhispered]

Rest

Guess what? I've got more Jamil x reader for y'all. You can also find this on ao3. No warnings, just 866 words of kinda fluffy(?) caretaking stuff with gender-neutral reader.

At this point, you know Jamil’s schedule almost as well as he does. So, when you have the chance, you head to Scarabia’s kitchen, hoping to spend some time with Jamil while he and the other students prepare dinner. 

However, when you enter, it takes you but a moment to notice Jamil’s uncharacteristic fumbling and the tired look in his eyes. The way Jamil’s chopping the vegetables has you worried about him cutting himself with that knife he’s usually so adept with, and it seems it’s only force of habit that’s keeping him on track.

You frown, and when your eyes meet Jamil’s, you can already see him put his guard up.

So he knows what state he is in, huh? And still, here he is.

It seems Jamil is reading your thoughts, all of him telling you drop it before any words are even said.

At least he still lets you lean in and give a quick kiss to his cheek in greeting.

“Hello love. Do you still have a lot on your agenda for today?” you ask, keeping your tone low for at least some semblance of privacy in the busy kitchen.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” is the response you get.

Of course.

It takes a little more pestering before Jamil actually answers your question. Your lips purse. That list is far too long to your liking.

You take a moment to think, juggling your own plans and to-do list against the urgency of the things Jamil mentioned.

“Will Kalim be eating from that?” you ask, pointing at the food Jamil is preparing.

“Yes.”

“Alright, I won’t be touching that one, then. I’ve gotta do a few things but I’ll be back when you’re done here.”

“Don’t,” Jamil says with a glare, clearly aware of what you’re thinking.

Yet even his disapproving look doesn’t have the usual weight behind it.

“Yes. I will,” you say firmly, even as your heart curls inwards with another bout of concern.

Really, when did he get so tired?

And how did you not notice it earlier?

You leave the kitchen before Jamil can protest further, hurrying through the dorm corridors to find Kalim.

Soon you have an enthusiastic – and concerned – supporter for your plans. You have Kalim point out a few reliable Scarabia students to help with a few of the most urgent matters Jamil mentioned – cleaning up the common areas, delivering some paperwork to Crowley, preparing some dorm-wide notices – while you see to Kalim getting his school supplies in order for the following day. You even recruit a couple of third years to help Kalim with his homework.

You’ll see to the rest tomorrow – after all, you do also have a boyfriend to look after.

Your conversation over dinner can hardly be called anything else than an argument – despite Kalim’s best attempts at acting as a moderating force between you two. It is very tempting to ask Kalim to tell Jamil to take the rest of the day off – it’s not like Jamil would be willing to openly disobey a direct order. Still, you really don’t need to remind Jamil of his position on top of everything else that you’re already doing more or less against his wishes.

Eventually, however, Jamil’s had a square meal, the most urgent things on his to-do list are being taken care of, and you’ve managed to drag him to his bed.

“I really wish you wouldn’t push yourself so hard,” you murmur, your arms wrapped tightly around Jamil. You’re telling yourself you really do just want to cuddle, to offer some respite to Jamil. Still, there might also be a part of you worried that if you were to let go, he’d just jump up and get back to working himself to the bone.

Yet, for all his protestations, just the fact that you’ve gotten Jamil to lay down with you speaks volumes of his current exhaustion.

“I can’t just leave my duties, albi. You know this.”

“Making yourself too indispensable, is what you’re doing,” you protest.

Oh, you know it’s not so simple. Not with his background, not with all the expectations and assumptions.

But sometimes you really wish it would be.

Jamil merely scoffs in response to your words.

Still, it is undeniable that he is slowly beginning to relax in your arms, slowly bringing his head closer to yours. His eyes are starting to flutter, too.

“I will still need to help Kalim with his homework, at the very least.”

You wonder who he is trying to convince more, you or himself.

“Amin and Khalil are helping him. They’re basically top of their classes, aren’t they? I’m sure they’ve got it.”

Still, Jamil frowns.

You sigh. He really is not letting go, is he?

“Do you want me to go supervise?” you ask.

And leave you, unsaid yet hanging there right after your words.

“Don’t,” Jamil eventually says, the word barely more than a breath.

It seems he has accepted his fate.

You softly caress Jamil’s hair, listening to his softening breathing.

And when you wake up, wholly unaware of having been lulled to sleep in the first place, it’s to the lightest of touches from Jamil’s fingers.

Tagging @diodellet @twstgo @crystallizsch @jamilvapologist @jamilsimpno69 as per request If you'd like to be tagged for any future works, let me know!

[khaotunq]

and your trust intact by khaotunq (stilinski)

Moonlight Chicken: Alan/Gaipa Word Count: 14,105 #: Dating, Getting Together, Moving On, Grief/Mourning, discussion of canonical death of a minor character, Gaipa is not as smooth as Alan thinks he is, Gaipa POV

Alan turning up at the market looking positively edible on Friday was a move Gaipa hadn't seen coming. His shirt was at least two buttons less than entirely professional and his hair was ever so slightly ruffled. To add to the whole effect, the little smile on his face was there before Gaipa even looked up, so it was completely unguarded and all for Gaipa. (all your wonder, from Gaipa's POV)

[m00ngbin]

TFS TUESDAY! BUT ACTUALLY TUESDAY THIS TIME!

[grimdarkfandango]

spending this weekend hobbymaxxed. enjoymentpilled. whatever the kids are saying that I can make sound uncool

actually managed to paint for a couple of hours yesterday after an early call with friends!!! threw out a thing I've been meaning to toss for months and it being gone makes me feel better!!! (rip monstera plant I killed, you did not deserve that) watched more young justice!!! read some book!!! played two different types of viddy game!!! did my chores!!! went out and got a coffee!!! maybe I'll go watch a movie and knit!!! maybe I'll sew a little doll outfit or finish some bookbinding!!! i'm unstoppable!!!!!

[batsplat]

hi batsplat! i would like to say that you are an absolute pillar of the motogp community on here, like you are truly so so appreciated. both for your knowledge and also for the way you write about things (i think you could write 3000 words on a grocery store trip valentino took in 2003 and still make it super interesting reading)

i was reading your post about your favourite rivalries that didnt include one of the aliens, who would you personally include as part of that list? (versus who is really good but not quite alien status) id also really like to know if (and who) youd count as aliens from the pre-motogp era, and if theres been a difference over time about how often we are seeing aliens or if theyre easier/harder to spot as technical developments have sped up

hope you have a great day!

that's so sweet... thank you that's such an incredible compliment dsdkhfkhfd

about the aliens, the way I use the term is entirely as a historical descriptor, not as a qualitative assessment of any riders. it's a useful shorthand for a specific riders in a specific era, but to me it has limited relevance outside of that era. so to be clear we're talking valentino, casey, dani, jorge and marc - and according to common wisdom this usage originated from colin edwards' 2009 comment:

“But as I’ve said before, I’ve got to be pleased to be finishing next best behind those four guys, or should I say aliens. “They are riding out of this world and to be right behind them means I’m doing the best job I can and that’s about as good as I can hope for at the moment.”

(jorge discusses valentino as an alien in 2007, see here. which might be complete coincidence, but has always made me kind of curious whether the word was floating around in the paddock in some capacity before edwards 'coined' the term)

the thing is, right, it made sense to treat those four (and later -casey +marc) as distinct from the field, because they were winning almost everything. one reason for this was that they were very good, very skilled riders. another was that from 2007-15, only four to six bikes were capable of regularly challenging for wins at any one time. it was a massive field disparity that quite frankly was partly enforced through machinery. that's why it makes sense to include marc in that term: it's not just the fact that he was very good, it's the fact that he was riding a repsol honda that was the best or second best bike by a long way for his first three years in the premier class. in 2016, motogp returned to michelins and introduced new technical regulations - and for all intents and purposes, the alien era ended. it ended when eight different riders won in eight races that season. yes, marc, valentino and jorge were still the top three in the championship... but it's the difference of whether you go into a weekend convinced you know the winner will come from a list of four riders, or if you very much do not know that. between 2008 to 2015, apart from the aliens, a grand total of two riders claimed wins - dovi on a repsol honda in 2009 and ben spies on a factory yamaha in 2011. both of those were wet races (which of course are generally more open than dry ones). so just to reiterate: a greater number of riders won in 2016 alone (9) than in 2008-15 combined (7). (in 2007, a further two different riders won races - capirossi on the championship-winning factory ducati and vermeulen on the suzuki.) yes, obviously the aliens were very good riders, nobody is going to argue with you over that... but those numbers? they're only possible in a specific version of motogp - one that only existed for a few years

honestly, I don't even really use the term 'alien' to describe valentino pre-2006 or marc post-2016. it's just not that useful to me... aliens to me is a 'pack hunter' thing, where even if some of them are injured or are having a bad day or whatever, at least one of them will basically always be there to pick up the pieces. marc and valentino might have dominated the sport as a whole - but not all of their championship seasons were completely dominant, and there's only so much any one athlete can dominate in the sport... you're not going into every single weekend thinking 'oh yeah they're definitely going to win' (yes, yes, there were two times per year where you did very much do that with marc). which is different when you compare it to the aliens as a pack, where you could be confident that ONE of them would end the weekend on the top step of the podium

which is why I just don't apply the alien term to anyone pre-valentino - it's not because I think they were less good or less talented or less anything, it's because for me it's a term that's more about an era than it is about individual riders. you have to treat each era on its own, and I'm not really a big fan of inter-era comparisons. it's just kind of impossible to say whether a rider in the 1970s is more talented than one in the 2020s, whether ago's numbers are more or less impressive than marc's and so on... the sport has just changed in so many ways over the years. of course, in sports you do generally have this upward momentum where each generation is 'better' than the last. sports has gotten more professionalised, there's been massive advances in terms of pedagogy and sports medicine and exercise science and all of those things - all of which already affects how athletes train from childhood onwards. the young aren't more 'talented' in the sense that they were born with an innate superior ability to compete at the sport, but they are more 'talented' in that their ultimate ceiling will be higher as a result of all these gradual changes over time. these things can change quite quickly even (and if other sports is anything to go by, I wouldn't be surprised if the nineties/early noughties brought some big changes in that regard) - so already between, for instance, valentino and marc there'd probably been a real shift in how young talent is being nurtured

(the most blunt illustration of this is that young valentino's lifestyle was completely different from that of young riders today, in terms of how much time he spent training in the gym, sleeping habits, nutrition etc etc. athletes now can't get away with that much deviation any more, and indeed valentino had to massively change his approach in the 2010s to remain competitive - but of course it's different if you haven't been doing this stuff since you were a kid. I think we can safely assume valentino's 2003 supermarket trips looked rather different from marc's 2017 ones)

being good in pro sports may in some ways be harder now than it was in, say, the eighties, and the level of competition you're facing might be higher now - but of course, it would also by extension be unfair to judge those athletes by the standards of today. also, different eras are going to lend themselves to different profiles of rider depending on competitive trends, type of machinery and so on - even very basic stuff like how tall you are might have helped you in a certain era and hindered you in another... so what does that mean for talent? if we're discussing 'talent' at all, how can we possibly treat it as anything other than relative to the era we're discussing? to me, it just makes these comparisons between different generations pretty pointless... or well, I like talking about some of this stuff in a more holistic 'isn't this interesting' kind of way, not a 'this is why xyz is better than xyz' approach... this kind of thing is also why I finds goat debate such a uniquely boring way to spend your time, incidentally

this is a very long way of saying, I don't have a metric by which I judge athletes pre-2000 as 'alien' or 'not alien'! I think you have similarly dominant athletes, though again it is so tough to decide how much of that is down to talent and how much of it is down to bike advantage. if you take doohan's title winning seasons for instance:

yeah, look, sure, you can call him an alien as far as I'm concerned - if I'm watching these races live I will be expecting doohan to win in any given weekend. I'm still kind of missing the pack hunter feel in some of these seasons, so I won't know for certain the winner is going to come from a very short list. like take 1998:

not really one group vs the field, is it? and yeah, even if I consider doohan an 'alien' in some of those seasons, I'm still not going to call him that - because the term was essentially coined in 2009 for a specific group of guys that one other guy was later added onto. the competitive landscape and demands of doohan's era were so different that it feels off to try and go back and label him or any other past riders aliens... they were phenomenally talented, yes, they were great champions, yes, they can be called as good as the aliens, sure - but why wrench the term out of its historical context? is it still an analytically useful concept if you do so, except as a way to generically refer to a rider as 'very talented'?

which is also why I personally don't describe anyone since then as an alien. this doesn't mean I don't think fabio or now pedro aren't as good as those guys were, I just don't think they've been given the opportunity to have that kind of hold over the sport. fabio won five out of eighteen races in 2021 - and he did so on a yamaha that basically only he was able to consistently get a high level of performance out of. which is deeply impressive - but unlike say casey in 2007, he didn't have those other riders to dominate all the other races. eight riders won a race that season! it's just a fundamentally different competitive landscape. personally, I'd be perfectly content if we don't get another alien era. of course 2007-15 isn't all bad, but for good reason most fans' most fondly remembered eras are either 2001-06 or 2017-19... yes, at times one rider was too dominant, but it still felt like more riders had a shot at victory - and most importantly the quality of the racing was generally very high. this kind of domination by a few mega talents on the best machinery can get drab pretty quickly (though of course a lot of the blame for decreased race quality needs to be assigned to the 800cc era 2007-11, not to any of the aliens themselves)

I'd be quite happy to retire the term alien going forwards... except as a useful shorthand for a specific group of guys who have mostly retired. it shouldn't be used as a way to bash the young stars, as if they just can't measure up to the legends of the past. which would be dumb! again, plenty of ways in which motogp is harder now than it ever has been, though the most important thing is that it's just... different. not better, not worse, just different. sure, maybe we'll get another equivalent to the alien era, even though I personally think it's quite unlikely. if it happens, yeah, let's discuss cranking the term out again (and, yes, if you look at the current season and ignore sprints... if this current trend continues then we can have the debate at the end of the season. pecco and jorge despite all their apparent inconsistencies are currently building a pretty solid case for themselves) (now I've said that they're both gonna crash out of assen huh)

that being said! I don't exactly neatly follow this principle myself, because sometimes I do use something like the term 'alien-like talent' to refer to fabio or pedro... obviously, you can argue this is basically the same as calling them aliens in everything but semantics. so what's the criteria there? when do I use this term? I think to me it's just... instant, 'in your face' talent. they arrive to the premier class and they shine basically immediately. valentino got a relatively sedate start to the premier class by alien standards - which is fitting, because he's not really about that blistering raw pace. still, he wasn't far from being a rookie champion, got ten podiums, two wins... not too bad. casey was on a satellite team, but he got pole in his second ever race and came painfully close to winning his third. dani got a podium on debut and fought for the championship for almost the entire season. jorge got pole in his first three races and won his third. marc won the second time out and of course secured the title in his rookie season. compare that to fabio - pole in his fourth ever race on satellite machinery, fighting for wins in his first season. pedro got a podium in his second ever race and is handily outperforming everyone else on that bike

so it's about how quickly these guys pick this stuff up, how quickly they make that step from one level to another - though again, it's important to stress you can't just neatly compare these achievements! valentino's first two seasons were on 500cc bikes, which were notorious for being kind of evil. some of these riders started on satellite bikes (we're not counting valentino here), and there's also plenty of talk about how the bikes have become more complicated to ride now, making pedro's rapid adjustment even more impressive. but in every case, there is just this ability to 'be fast immediately', whatever the circumstances... and it's worth pointing out that even though pecco had a mediocre rookie season, he was incredibly quick in 2019 pre-season testing. jorge martin secured his first pole position and podium at his second race in motogp

speaking of, those two were already a touch older when they joined the premier class. there does generally seem to be something to the idea that in motorcycle racing, if you are not already very fast at a certain age, you will have a quite definitive ceiling... and from valentino onwards, the age by which you need to already have reached that standard of 'very good' seems to have gone down. when we're talking about talent and throwing around the term alien, this feels like another important change to mention - doohan was not winning his titles as a 22 year old! neither was rainey! or schwantz! or lawson! or... actually spencer was very young, yeah. but I think you get the point. I cannot tell you definitively why this changed, but it clearly has changed. in the 21st century, only two riders have won titles when they were older than 26: valentino (29-30) and jorge (28). valentino and marc were both 27 when their dominance over the sport ended (even if valentino secured titles after that point and marc will very probably do so as well). casey was 27 when he retired. (fun fact: pecco bagnaia is currently 27 years old.) so overall it's pretty rare in grand prix motorcycle racing to operate at the top of the premier class for more than a certain number of years - but the precise age window in which you are likely to be at your best does seem to have shifted pretty radically this century. which should demonstrate how hard these things are to compare... like I said, talent is often assessed by how quickly you are good at something - but if we called mick doohan a late bloomer, it would be wildly ahistorical

and yeah, look, this idea of 'you have to be good young or you will have a certain ceiling' is hardly unique to motogp, lots of sports are like that... another measure of this precocity that's perhaps more useful than just 'age' is looking how long it took them to win a title from when they joined the premier class (if they did so at all, of course). it's generally very fast! marc year one, valentino, casey and joan year two, jorge and fabio year three... and, well, pecco and hayden year four. of course, there's exceptions to this 'be fast immediately' rule - athletes who ended up being very good and title contenders who had slightly different paths getting there. the sete's and dovi's of this world - and to a lesser extent hayden too, who unlike those two was only even really a title contender in a single season... but generally speaking, those riders seem more heavily reliant on circumstances playing out just right to have a shot at a title

or perhaps! perhaps it's going to change! especially if you look at repeat champions, pecco does become a bit of an outlier in how he got there this century, doesn't he? compare the numbers he was posting in his rookie season vs valentino, casey, jorge and marc. and in some ways, you can extend this even further and say he's a massive historical outlier in terms of any premier class champions. there was an article about this in late 2022:

and some more about how historically unusual he is:

isn't that great? you don't become premier class champion with that kind of a rookie season, but pecco did! hey, aleix was a serious title threat in that season, which is a far more remarkable story still! and the thing is, right, if you're studying the current era and are labelling some riders aliens but leaving out pecco... then no offence but what's the point? look, who knows, maybe marc and pedro and david alonso are going to dominate the next twenty titles and pecco will have been a weird blip. but isn't there something fun about believing that a bunch of different riders could eventually develop into title threats? wouldn't it be kind of cool if you don't have to just write someone off age 22 any more? I don't know, I think it's a neat development! I hope it sticks around! there'll be plenty of alien-level talents in the future, but personally I wouldn't mind at all if there were no more aliens

[pinkieroy]

And another thing (this is the last one, I promise, I will stop going on tags and rabbitholing my way into reading discussions i disagree with)

Another thing I don't know where came from is the idea that the rest of the party doesn't interact with their relationship, that it is something isolated and that the others don't comment or interfere with, that it's kept apart from the group, because that is simply not true?

I'm too lazy to look for exact quotes right now, but in episode 65 Ashton was the one, after Laudna's outburst, that insisted for her to go somewhere to reconnect with Imogen, sure Imogen kept saying she would be with Laudna, but Ashton very clearly knew that some time alone with Imogen could make her feel better.

But you also have other things sprinkled out through the campaign like the "are you staring because you are jealous?" From Fearne during the dusk arc, FCG after getting the share dream spell suggesting numerous times to use with them, FCG getting Imogen to kiss Laudna's forehead for the ritual, Orym comparing Imogen's loss to his own six years before, "that dead lady's got a lot of love in her heart", Ashton and FCG helping Laudna on the gift shop, Fearne trying to to help in episode 65 telling Laudna Imogen was thinking about her the whole time.

My point is the party is not alienated from them, they have private moments, sure, but some post I read was talking about how the party doesn't interfere with the "stagnation" of their relationship, which just sounds so weird to me? Where exactly do they need to interfere? Unless one of them was having trouble and was asking for advice (which is something that, ya know, happened) I don't see why they need to interject, unless you want their relationship/dynamic to change, because it is not your cup of tea, so it isn't that the other characters don't interact with their relationship is that you want the interaction to be different (which is valid, I disagree but everyone has their taste in shipping and fiction in general), but trying to say that they keep their relationship far removed from the others is not really true is it?

[sporadicboinglerstealer2000]

I'm starting the think Emhyr's plans are just bs. Right I was thinking last night about it all and pretty sure we can all agree both Emhyr and Vilgefortz plans for Ciri are like the worse out of any of the factions that want her (the lodge and elves are both shitty too but I feel like are not as bad compared to these two twits, not by much still bad) But Emhyr says he'll '...beget her a son who will beget a son.' which would not work for his plans of making Nilfgaard a powerful empire since the elder blood can only remain active in the female line, so Vilgefortz must have omitted some details there. However his plans for marrying Ciri will only speed up this process by one generation. Like if he was normal about this and was like 'this is my long lost daughter' (easy to tell cos they look near identical and Ciri has the obvious looks of her mother and grandmother so anyone who met those two women (like Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia, Calanthes relative) could verify that) then it would either be his foretold grandchild or great-grandchild who would be the actual prophecy child who would inherit his grand empire. However if he got his way then his son and grandson would have half of the gene because they aren't women and wouldn't be able to carry the full elder blood gene, so unless it was a family of controlled incest then the power he wants would just cease to exist. (I doubt getting the Nilfgaardians behind his whole Targaryen family would go down well).

Another thing, if the plan went accordingly and Ciri was on the ship with them then he'd would of sent away Pavetta anyway, which would make it all sooo much worse because Ciri would know he was then (even in the books she notes something familiar about him which would make sense since she was 5 when he 'died' so a part of her could have some recognition). Though admittedly that probably wouldn't happen since I think Vilgefortz would've gotten rid of him and then had both Pavetta and Ciri for his own sick plans. Essentially Emhyr has justified this incest by speeding up the process by a generation because he's impatient. If he hadn't attacked Cintra and instead sent some messengers to Calanthe being like 'hey it's me, your son-in-law I'm actually an emperor and Ciri will be my heir and as such Cintra will join Nilfgaard' then there's Cintra secured. Presumedly he had the whole incest plan the whole time looking for Ciri (I assume so anyway) and only changed his mind after Geralt tore into him, Yennefer didn't want her daughter to cry, said daughter cries so he lets her go. Like he only saw reason after having it pointed out to him? Also the fact it's obvious Ciri is practically identical minus the hair and probably eyes (are his eyes described?) If the incest plot didn't exist then he could just be like 'i've searched for you my long lost daughter you're an empress' then things could've gone a little better, only thing is now Ciri may actually want to go with him (I can see Geralt and Yennefer being able to accompany here or at least allowed to live), but no and I fail to see why at least a version of this couldn't happened.

[langernameohnebedeutung]

I've seen a lot of people read the scene of Angus killing Frau Bader as a positive scene for Blaine (one of his abusers getting literally torn to pieces, acknowledgement from his father of what he put Blaine through) but honestly...in many ways I don't think it is.

And I think his realisation that this didn't fix anything or make anything better (combined with tearing down some of his mental walls) contributed to his increased mental and emotional fragility later on in the show.

I would even believe that he subconsciously used to fear that Bader's (and Angus') death would do nothing to fix him and that this subconscious fear is part of the reason why he let them live for so long in the first place.

I think that's why Blaine sets infinite and unachievable goals for himself (money, power, things he can always pursue more of) rather than attainable ones. Because he alreasy suspects it won't be enough. That he still won't be happy. But if he keeps pursuing things that are infinite, he can tell himself that he just needs more money, more power etc. But something attainable? If he attains a goal and he's still miserable, then what's the point of anything?

So aside from dragging Blaine’s trauma on a literal stage and talking about it to a crowd of strangers, confronting Blaine with his abuser without prior notice and Angus making it all about himself (no less: Punishing Bader to receive absolution for himself, not once asking Blaine what he wants) is just more of the usual McDonough ego show. It's Angus doing what Blaine also does: Taking short cuts. Taking the easy way.

But yeah, in short, it's a really good acting choice that he looks positively horrified and shell-shocked through that entire scene. Probably the moment authentically shocked we ever see him on the show.

Edit: Oh and just to drive it home. When Angus says he wants to make things up to Blaine, Blaine literally says 'better be a pro-sports franchise if he plans to make up for all the lost years'. Literally proving that the magical cure-all is not for one abuser to kill the other.

[cebwrites]

in death (eternally bound)

oc x canon | AU word count: 0.8k

In a different, perhaps crueler, timeline - Shisui's unable to erase his existence completely and Kabuto successfully revives him during the war.

The results are catastrophic.

Even the strongest present members of the Allied Shinobi Forces are pushed onto their back foot, and, with the five Kage busy putting their efforts elsewhere, numbers of ninja dwindle greatly at the edge of his blade.

Merciful as he was in life, Shisui's autonomy was stripped of him upon reincarnation and now has to watch in horror as he cuts down friend and foe alike.

Shinobi old enough to remember the fear his name struck into their hearts on the field, shinobi young enough to only barely have heard of the Uchiha clan and what befell them, former peers from his own village, enemy shinobi that still felt the pangs of previous wars - the movements Shisui's body was commanded to perform held no prejudice.

Just as he's about to cut down just another terrified shinobi, frozen in place after witnessing the carnage Shisui had inflicted on the ninja around them, Shisui's tanto is blocked by kunai held in familiar hands and he's sent back a few paces.

Shisui looks upon the face he fell in love with all those years ago; the light in his eyes have dulled over the years, though they're sharp with experience, he's trying to stifle the pain meeting again here like this means. He recognizes that the man who stands before him on this battlefield, primed to attack, has seen far too much in his life, yet none of that makes Shisui love every part of him any less.

Even now, he wants to run into his arms and kiss the pain from Taeru's vacant expression, even knowing how his partner dulls his emotions for battle and how much more difficult that'd make it for Tae.

But he can't.

Damn that Yakushi. Damn him and Orochimaru's twisted jutsu to hell.

Once this was all over, and everyone was rotting in the ground where they should be, Shisui would drag them both there if it was the last thing his fractured, beat up soul allowed him to do.

The battle is tense, filled with so many words held back by wavering restraint and grief; Tae's able to keep up with him but just barely, only with the help of his fellow shinobi and years of being at Shisui's side, memories that gnaw painfully at the edges of his heart with every blow.

Somehow, they manage to force him back between his monstrous attacks and fending off other poor, reanimated souls in the periphery. But Shisui was doing much more damage than everyone could tank, and even Tae's stamina was starting to wane.

In a last ditch effort, a plan was proposed.

While others kept Shisui busy, barely being able to withstand the sheer power of Shisui's Susanoo, Tae erased his presence - remaining hidden to prepare his final attack; a fuinjutsu that would bind them both and give everyone enough time to seal Shisui away.

The orders in control of his limbs made Shisui drive the tanto into his assailant's side before either realized, but that didn't matter - the plan was fully in motion now. Quickly, Tae formed one-handed signs as he trapped Shisui's arms and seals began to inch over both of their bodies.

Shisui was partially grateful that the Edo Tensei did not grant him many senses - just the bare minimum required to fight - the grief he'd have to die with for the second time, knowing the warmth of his lover's blood draining out onto the ground below them while Tae desperately tried to stop him.

The pain would surely turn him into a wraith.

This technique doomed them both; ironic how they were together so briefly in life but would be bound forever in death as the jutsu would slowly eat away at their bodies and souls, leaving nothing left.

The fact that Shisui wanted to cry so badly but was incapable, his body struggling against the one person he wanted to be held by after so long of wandering aimlessly after the Naka River, now that he was back in his arms but only in this twisted perversion of life and death - made him crave it more than ever.

As the seal overtook more and more of their forms, restraining movement and binding both men for the beginning of their eternity, Shisui used the last of his time to confess everything; his fears and hopes for a proper reincarnation, for a full life lived together, just how much he loved Tae and wished he was able to be at his side like he promised all those years ago.

Tae's only response, feeling his mind start to ebb away, was that there was no way he was going to let Shisui go somewhere he couldn't follow anymore, and wherever they were headed now, damnation or not, would be together.

---

A little later on, once the Allied Forces developed a way to neutralize reanimated shinobi; Hyou wanted the earth to swallow him whole when he heard the details of his brother's sacrifice.

[thenixkat]

Still fascinating to me that there's people who truly think their experiences are universal, that because something is popular in the circles they run in means that everyone should know it and will insult and treat people like stupid uncultured swine for even perceived differences in experiences. or if folks disagree with them when they make overly broad generalizations on what 'everyone' knows or thinks.

(b/c it's not like poor people, people from different cultures/subcultures, and people with fundamentally different interests exist.)

Like? That's complete asshat behavior.

[crazysnakey]

Vislor Turlough my beloved you are so so special to me because of. how circular you are when you start off, character and motivations. his life in exile is basically a loop between "I want to go home (I want to be somewhere I belong)" and "I can never return home (I will never find a place where I belong)" and. and idk but that hurts and kind of reminds me of the doctor.

like. you want to go home. you can never go home. it’s all you’ve ever known. you have no idea what’s happening there. it’s where you were born and raised. you don’t know how things have changed since you left. it’s associated with your good memories, of family and friends and education. it’s also associated with some of your worst memories, of war and death and separation. but you want to go home. that’s the problem, isn’t it? you can’t help yearning for it, that familiarity that can’t be replicated anywhere else. it’s your home, your people, you don’t know where else to go, where else you could go. you can't go home. if you go back you will be exiled again or executed. but it’s the one place you may truly belong, you're tired of being an outsider and you want to be somewhere you belong. you will always be an outsider, you will never find somewhere you belong. you want to go home. you can never go home.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Lineup of all of the characters that appear long enough to need a visual representation of them in the game lol

[faytalepsy]

You KNOW I had to send an ask for the kiss one…this is so hard to pick but silrah and 48?

Silrah × Kiss out of habit

Saul admittedly wasn't a morning person. He never had been.

He had gotten used to the early schedule his life demanded over the years but that didn't mean he was fully functional in the early minutes of the morning. No, for that he needed a cup of strong coffee and a few minutes of bleary eyed staring at the wall, out of the window or -preferably- Farah.

That hadn't changed after breaking out of prison and taking shelter in the First World.

He groaned and reached over, finding the mattress next to him lacking the woman his hands sought out. Of course she was already up. Apparently not even dying could force Farah Dowling to sleep in for once.

Without her presence the warm bed quickly lost its appeal due to the growing uneasiness that spread whenever she wasn't at his side. The need to make sure she was safe had him throw back the cover and swing his legs out with more energy than the early hour usually allowed.

His hands moved mechanically, brain still not fully awake as he pulled a shirt over his head and slipped into a pair of jeans.

As soon as he opened the door to their guest room the warm fragrance of coffee tickled his nose, piercing tiny holes into the fog of sleep still shrouding his thoughts. He followed it to the Peters' kitchen, pausing in the doorway to drink in the sight.

Farah stood at the counter, hair falling over her shoulder in a loose braid. She wore simple loose pants and a smooth, silky looking blouse that practically begged for him to run his fingers over the fabric. The picture of her pouring coffee, hip braced against the counter stirred a sense of peace in him that he hadn't felt for quite a while, reminding him of quiet mornings spent in her suite, bracing for a day full of classes.

Having sensed his presence the fairy turned, a warm smile spreading on her lips as he stepped over. "Of course he can smell the coffee even in his sleep."

"Good morning to you too, Farah."

Instead of an answer she offered him a fresh cup of coffee, knowing glint in her hazel eyes and that mirthful grin widening.

Saul accepted it gratefully, leaning over to give her a quick kiss in thanks. Her lips still carried a hint of coffee and he hummed appreciatively. But Farah stiffened immediately, her eyes widened in surprise and before he could ask what was wrong the soft click of a spoon against porcelain had him whirl towards the dining table.

The dining table currently occupied by Bloom, her spoon hovering somewhere between cereal bowl and mouth, frozen with shock.