#all this is completely true but i will also add that the long distance argument is bullshit

[paceypeternathanslawyer]

There was nothing special about Stefan. Yes he was cool and not clumsy but he wasn’t intelligent like Steve, he didn’t have a heart of gold like Steve. Yes he was in love with Laura but he was just there and I feel like Jaleel White needed a break from his Urkel voice. People say Laura settled for Steve because of how she got tired of long distance. However, when Laura did have a chance to be with him forever and ever she got bored. The first time she had an opportunity to be with him, they were together for a week and she looked annoyed. “131 or 132 conversation” Laura looked irritated with him a few days before that convo. Then the other time she messed with the transformation chamber she felt guilty confessed and literally ran off. With Stefan yes Laura would have “An exciting glamorous life and be with a happy man who never falls down” however she wouldn’t have deep conversations with him like she does with Steve. She wouldn’t be challenged to be better. Laura and Steve are very intelligent, hard working people. Laura and Stefan are for aesthetics. Steve and Laura are able to have hard conversations, push each other to be better. Has Laura actually sat down and named qualities about Stefan that she loves? The only things she likes about him is that he figure skate Roman Numerals on the ice, that he dressed well and that’s basically it. Things Laura loved about Steve, he had feelings he cared about people, he is intelligent, he makes her laugh, and he is sweet and gentle. When Steve was away she missed him. Every-time Steve returned she was happy even looked relieved to see him.

[randomshyperson]

WANDA X READER - 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU - Final

Gif is not mine.

Summary:  Pietro Maximoff is handsome and popular, but he can’t date before his twin sister. The problem is that no one can get close to his sister, Wanda Maximoff. To resolve the situation, a girl interested in Pietro bribes a colleague with a mysterious past to go out with Wanda and, who knows, try to win her over. Or The one directly inspired by 10 Things I Hate About You.

Words:  11,620K (Complete)  /// Read on AO3 too || Part I

Warnings: PG, fluff, language.

She doesn't answer your messages during the weekend. So you don't press her. But then you are on the field, in physical education period, and she is practicing.

You sit on the bleachers, trying to focus on the math homework you needed to finish, when Monica joins you on the bench.

- Hey, girl. - She says hello as she sits down. And noticing your gaze shifting from the notebook to Wanda, she comments. - What happened between you two?

You sighed angrily.

- I did the right thing. - You comment with irony, but seeing Monica's frown in confusion, you add. - She wanted to kiss me after the party. I refused because she was drunk.

- But the plan was working! - said Monica.

- So what, you called the whole thing off.

Monica giggled, and raised her eyebrows slightly.

- Yeah, I know, but it was...it was before what happened. - She said, and you looked at her with confusion. - Pietro kissed me.

You blink and then laugh, shaking your head. And then Bruce comes to join you two.

- I just talked to Wanda. - He says. - Look, she said she hates you with the intensity of a thousand suns.

You let out a dry laugh, running your fingers through your hair.

- Thank you Bruce, that's very comforting to hear. - You tell him wryly, and he nods uncomfortably.

- Maybe she needs a day to calm down. - Monica says, and the three of you look toward the field, where Wanda was training veritably.

- Maybe two days. - You comment as you watch her knock a girl down.

//-//

You managed to fix most of your motorcycle. And then you found out that your mother punctured the tires, and you stormed angrily into her room.

- Have you completely lost your mind? - You shouted, and she just took off her glasses and crossed her legs while looking at you. - You slashed the tires on my motorcycle?

- I told you that you were grounded.

- That's ridiculous! - you say. - You don't have the slightest respect for my things.

- Don't talk to me that way. - She warned, and you let out a wry laugh.

- Be damn sure that when my bike is up and running, I'm out of here!

You shout before leaving the room, slamming the door.

You were coming out of geography class when Pepper Potts came to talk to you again.

She pulled you into a far corner behind the closet, and held out a hundred dollars to you.

- Take her to prom. - She said. - It's all here, limousine, clothes.

She pushed the money in your hands, but you pushed it back.

- I'm done with this game, Potts. - You retorted, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

You started to turn to leave, but Potts stepped in front of you.

- Hey, hey, wait. - She asked, and then pulled three more bills from her purse. - Three hundred dollars, okay? Come on, it's just a date.

You swallowed dryly as you accepted, trying to push to the back of your mind how wrong it was. And Potts smiled mischievously, then left.

//-//

You went back to the same record store in front of the laundry room where you found Wanda that other day. And you tried not to be so nervous.

Looking around, you found her walking around the shelves, and she was admiring a guitar. You put your hands in your pockets as you watched her put on the headphones and try the instrument, sitting down on one of the stools in the store.

You moved closer, and could see her reflection in the mirror a few feet away, but Wanda didn't see you, as her eyes were closed while her fingers danced on the guitar strings.

You smiled at the image, she looked so peaceful and comfortable. You couldn't disturb her. So you just left the store.

//-//

You saw Wanda again the next day. You didn't give up talking to her, and ended up going to the only bookstore in town that you knew sold the poetry that Wanda liked to read according to the list Monica had given you.

And while you were browsing the shelves, you found her looking distractedly at a stack of books. You walked over to her, following her across the opposite shelf, and when the shelf was over, you ended up in front of each other.

- Excuse me, miss. I'm looking for an Avengers comic book, have you seen any around? - You joked, but Wanda didn't smile, looking annoyed.

- What are you doing here?

- I hear you like poetry. - You answer and she sighs impatiently.

- You're so...

- Charming? - You interrupt with a smile, Wanda rolls her eyes as she walks away from you. - wholesome?

- Inopportune. - She says irritated. You bite your lip and walk toward her.

- You're not as mean as you think. - You tell her.

- And you're not as bad-ass as you think you are.

- Oh, someone still has her panties in a twist.

- Don’t for one minute think that you had any effect whatsoever on my panties.

You let out a smug chuckle.

- And where did I provoke?

- You provoked my vomit, nothing more. - She retorts, then grabs a comic book from the stack of books in front of her and slaps it against your chest, walking away.

You stare at the Avengers comic book in your hand for a few minutes before handing it back, completely impressed by the dialogue.

//-//

At break time, the day after your argument with Wanda, Monica and Bruce approach you in the snack line.

- She's still mad at me, people. - You tell them as you put some noodles on your tray.

- Look, you embarrassed her, you need to apologize. - Monica said and you frowned.

- I'm not going to apologize for not taking advantage of her drunken state! - You retort. - It's not my fault she's stubborn, and would rather be angry than admit she's wrong.

You finish your lunch and get out of line, Bruce and Monica follow you to the table. They don't sit with you, but watch you sit next to Carol at one of the circular tables.

- Come on, Y/N, try to think of something to please her. - Bruce says, and you roll your eyes.

- You can sing your apologies. - Mocks Carol from beside you, making you laugh. But then Bruce and Monica have serious expressions and you frown.

- Not a chance! - You warn them, but they are already letting out excited exclamations.

Carol starts laughing next to you.

- I have the perfect idea! - Monica says. - You can sing a romantic song in front of the whole school! Any girl would love it.

- I'd kill anyone who did that to me. - Carol mumbles humorously, and you laugh.

- Can I at least finish my lunch in peace? - you say, and Monica and Bruce nod in agreement. You point to the free chairs at your table, and they are very happy to sit with you.

//-//

And then you ended up outside the school again. After infiltrating the upper booth of the soccer field and getting a microphone and access to the outside speakers. You also had to pay the band guy, but you figured it was only worth it.

- You're just too good to be true. - You sang into the microphone as you walked out of the booth toward the stands. Your voice echoing across the field - Can't take my eyes of you. - You continued as you walked. All the students were looking around trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. - You'd be like heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much. At long last love has arrived. And I thank God I'm alive - You sing and finally become visible to the people in the field. - You're just too good to be true. - You look for Wanda in the crowd in the distance, and sing the last part while looking and pointing at her. - Can't take my eyes of you.

And then the band starts playing, and you follow the beats, continuing to sing the song, as the crowd claps their hands and enjoys your performance.

You keep looking at Wanda throughout the song, and even as the security guards pull you off the field, you see that she is blushing, and smiling.

//-//

You end up in detention after hearing from Principal Harkness that she was impressed that you did romantic acts, and you laughed before leaving the office.

And then Professor Thanos was walking around the detention room, and stopped at the desk next to yours.

- You look nervous. - He said to the student who was sitting down.

- A little bit sir.

- You are sweating like a pig. - said Thanos.

- Yes sir. - agreed the frightened boy.

- Your eyes are red. - He said.

The boy nodded nervously, looking down at the table.

- You have pot, don't you? - said Thanos angrily, and the boy turned pale. - Hand it over right now.

After confiscating the boy's weed, Thanos walked back around, and then the door opened. You raised your head when you heard Wanda's voice.

- Professor Thanos, may I speak with you please? - she asked, entering the room and walking towards the man.

- What can I do for you, Miss Maximoff?

- I have some ideas for improving the team. - She says.

- Great! But we'll talk about them later. - Thanos replies with a serious expression, and as he looks across the room, Wanda looks at you, and quickly signals the window of the room. You blink in confusion, and when she whispers "window," Professor Thanos turns to her again.

- As you know, we have an important match against the Panthers coming up. - She starts to say, clearly trying to distract the man. You rush to gather your backpack and sneak out of his field of vision. - Wow, your muscles are huge! - She comments with a false sweetness in her voice, pulling the professor along and enabling you to run behind one of the pillars. The floor is very noisy and Wanda is trying to keep the man distracted by talking about match tactics, and when you finally reach the window, there is a metallic clatter and you think Thanos is going to see you, but then Wanda is pulling you by the arm again, and lifting up her own blouse.

The whole room makes a celebratory buzz and you try not to blush at the image of Wanda's exposed breasts, hurrying out, around the building on the fire escape and out the side.

//-//

It takes a while, but Wanda joins you.

- I can't believe you showed your breasts to a professor. - You remark with a laugh when she arrives.

- I can't believe you sang in front of the school. - She replies with a smile.

You shift the weight of your feet, staring at the ground for a second.

- Do you want to do something now? - you ask, and Wanda smiles as she nods.

You sneak off the school grounds, avoiding being seen by any security or teachers.

You end up in the city park, on the pedal boats in the middle of the sea.

- I can't stop thanking you for getting me out of detention. - You say with a smile as you pedal along together. - That was really nice.

- No problem.

You are silent for a moment, before you decide to ask her what she wants to know.

- What is your excuse?

- For what? - she asks confused.

- For behaving the way you do.

- I don't like to do what everyone expects. - She says. - Why should I meet other people's expectations and not my own?

- So you disappoint from the start, and then you don't have to worry?

She smiles lightly impressed.

- Yeah, something like that.

You nod, looking away.

- So you failed.

- How so?

- You've never disappointed me. - You confess, and Wanda looks at you. You smile at each other for a moment, before you look away again.

A few meters from the edge of the beach there is a paintball field.

- Hey, are you in? - you ask, pointing to the place.

- Yes. - Wanda agrees, slightly excited.

When you get off the pedal boat, you race to the paintball field, and Wanda absolutely beats you to it. You are laughing as you pay the entrance fee, watching her excitement.

After you put on your protective clothing, and get the paint ammunition, she moves first into the field, and hides, causing you to lose sight of her. You walk around looking around, and then feel something cold hit you on your back.

- Cheater! - You shout cheerfully, as you grab some paint from your ammunition pouch, and run toward Wanda, who is laughing as she tries to run away. You hit her in the leg.

And you stay in this race for several minutes, throwing paintballs at each other while laughing and trying to dodge the shots. At some point between ducking behind one of the obstacles, you corner Wanda, but she looks so cute that you don't have the heart to throw paint at her.

So you just put your hand down and smile. But seeing your hesitation, Wanda laughs and jumps at you, knocking you into the hay as she falls on top of you. You both laugh but your laughter dies down when you notice how close you are. And then she gets that look in her eyes again, and you want to kiss her, so you do.

And you kiss against the hay for many minutes, the feeling of having her against you makes you absolutely satisfied. And you continue there, until Wanda sighs against your lips, and you are warm, and it is better to stop before you are thrown out. And when you part, Wanda hits you on the head with a paint ball, and the moment changes completely. Soon you are back to playing and running.

//-//

On the way back to Wanda's house, you talked about the most varied subjects. When you are arriving, you start talking about the rumors that have been made at school about you two.

- I've heard that you sold your liver on the black market. - She remarked, making you laugh as you turned off the car.

- Those things are lies. - You retorted sheepishly as you got out and walked towards her backyard.

- The parole story?

- False - You deny it laughing. - The fight that ended in death in the parking lot?

- Rumor. - Wanda says with a laugh. - The robbery in New York?

- Just gossip. - You say. - And the kick in Tony Stark's nuts?

- True, he deserved it. - She says. - I'd do it again, he tried to grab me in the cafeteria.

You nod in agreement.

- What about your accent? - you ask curiously.

- I thought it was one at a time. - She jokes, and you shrug. You sit on her balcony. - It's real. My family is from Sokovia, we moved here when I was eight. - You grumble in agreement, waiting for Wanda's question. - Where were you last year? Since the parole story is a lie?

You laughed, looking away for a moment.

- I was in Colorado, living with my father. - You tell, and then look at her again, tucking her hair back behind her ear.

Wanda looks at you with curiosity and tenderness.

- Tell me something true.

- True? - you repeat with a thoughtful tone. - I hate peas.

She laughs lightly.

- No. Something real. - She clarifies. - Something no one else knows about.

- Okay. - You agree by coming closer. - You're sweet. - You tell her by lowering your head to her neck and kissing. - And sexy. - You kiss the skin on the other side. - And you're completely crazy about me. - You say as you bump your foreheads together, and Wanda laughs, pulling away a little.

- You have a huge ego, anyone ever tell you that? - she scoffs.

- I tell myself that every day. - You smile back, before kissing her. - Come to the prom with me.

- Is that a request or an order?

- Come on, go with me.

Wanda sighs.

- No.

- Why not?

- Because I don't want to, it's a silly tradition. - She explains.

- Now, nobody expects you to go.

- Why are you so insistent about it?

You look at her in surprise, feeling your heart race. Then of course you get defensive, because Wanda can't know. At your lack of response, she asks:

- What's in it for you? - She sounds suspicious and irritated.

- Now I need a reason to be with you?

- You tell me.

You look away, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

- You need therapy, you know. - You say back. - Has anyone ever told you that?

- Answer my question.

- Nothing. - You exclaim without patience, looking at her. - I get nothing, just the pleasure of your company.

You look out into the yard again, and Wanda lets out an angry exclamation before getting up and walking into the house, slamming the door.

You run your hands through your hair, hating that you accepted the damn money in the first place.

//-//

You thought Wanda was angry, but she calls you the next day after school. And she accepts the invitation. You are surprised, and feel guilty, but you are also happy to spend time with her.

She says she will accompany her sister, and meet you at the dance. So you stand at the entrance to the party, wearing your best clothes and trying not to look so anxious.

Wanda doesn't see you as she walks up the stairs to the party, and you bite your lip, impressed by how beautiful she looks.

You approach slowly, and whisper a hello in her ear, which startles her slightly, but she smiles turning to you.

- You look stunning. - You say breathlessly.

- So do you. - She replies with a smile.

You offer your arm for her to hold, and she accepts. You walk together toward the ballroom.

- How did you get such a fancy outfit? - she asks with a slight irony.

- Oh, I had kept it at home. For situations like this. - You joke.

- What situations?

- A date with a pretty girl. - You retort with a smile, and Wanda laughs lightly.

You walk to the entrance of the photos, and you lean against the pillar.

- I'm sorry I questioned your motives. - she says when you stop. - I was wrong.

You swallow dryly, feeling guilty. But you try to cover it up.

- You are forgiven.

Wanda smiles.

- Are you ready for the ball?

- Yes, miss. - You agree with a light laugh as you turn toward the party.

You dance together for a few minutes. The songs are terrible, but with Wanda, it's fun.

You also see Pietro and Monica dancing together, and Wanda exchanges a pleased look with her sister.

- Girl, have you seen him? - asks a redheaded girl walking up to Wanda. You know they are friends, and that her name was Nat or something like that.

- Who? - Wanda replies, confused.

- William! - she replies. - He asked me to come here.

You and Wanda exchange confused and amused glances.

- Natasha, please don't tell me you're hallucinating.

You were going to ask what they were talking about, but then you looked toward the stage and understood. You signaled for the girl to look, and she cracked a big smile when she saw Bruce Banner dressed as William Shakespeare waving at her, and walked off in your direction.

- I'm not even going to ask. - Wanda remarked with a chuckle before she went back to dancing with you.

And then the music is ending again, for a romantic one to take its place. You turn Wanda in your arms, kiss her tenderly for a moment, and then dance again, feeling her rest her chin on your shoulder.

And you dance for several minutes, and then someone pulls you away.

- Girl, what is Pietro doing here with that asshole? - Pepper asked aggressively as she pulled you away. - I didn't pay you to go out with Wanda and get nothing for it.

It was as if a bucket of cold water had fallen on you. Your gaze returned immediately to Wanda, and she was already looking at you with teary eyes.

- You have nothing to gain from this, have you?

she retorted wryly before walking away, bumping into you. You gave Potts one last look before following her.

- Wanda! Wait! Please! - You shouted as you walked out of the hall. She then stopped walking, and you let out a sigh. - Give me a chance to explain.

- You were paid to go out with me by the person I hate the most. - She retorted. - I knew it was a trick.

- No, Wanda. It wasn't like that.

- How was it then? An advance, and the rest of the money when you sleep with me?

- No! - You denied it with a shout. - I didn't care about the money! I cared about you.

Wanda shook her head, incredulously.

- You're different than I thought you were.

And then she turns and runs outside, and you sink your hands into your face, trying to calm yourself down.

- Where did she go? - You hear a male voice, and take your hands away from your face to see Pietro standing in front of you.

- Away. - You retort, feeling your stomach clench. - I screwed up.

- We did. - He says upset, putting his hands in his pockets.

- At least you got the girl. - You comment wryly before turning and walking away.

You think you're crying, but you don't care as you leave the party.

//-//

Your first lesson is literature the next day. And you know you will see Wanda, but you are hating yourself so much right now that you don't care. You arrive early for the first time in the whole school year, and sit in one of the back chairs.

As the other students arrive, you keep your head down, trying to distract yourself with your cell phone, even though you know that all your attention is on the girl sitting two chairs in front of you.

When Professor Fury finally starts the class, he is all excited.

- I guess everyone had time to finish the poem I asked for. - He announces standing at the front of the room. - Except for Mrs. Potts, who has an excuse. - He scoffs lightly, mentioning the confusion that occurred at the dance when you left, where Monica punched her in the nose. And now she was wearing sunglasses to cover up the purple. The whole room giggles at Fury's words. - Okay, does anyone want to start the reading?

The room is silent, but then Wanda raises her hand.

- I will.

- Lord, here we go. - Comments the teacher as the girl gets up, and stops at the front of the room. Wanda begins to recite the poem:

-I hate the way you talk to me. And the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. - She narrates, without taking her gaze from the notebook - I hate your big dumb combat boots, And the way you read my mind. I hate you so much, that it makes me sick, And even makes me rhyme. - She pauses, taking a deep breath - I hate the way you're always right, I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh. - She looks directly at you, her eyes filled with tears and her voice trembling. - Even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you not around. And the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you, Not even close, Not even a little bit, not even at all.

Wanda lets the tears flow as she finishes, and the room was too shocked to react. She rushes out next, grabbing her backpack on the way, and slamming the door.

You are trying to hold back your own tears as you stand up.

- I'm going to the bathroom, Mr. Fury. - You grumble as you leave, without waiting for permission.

But you don't find Wanda, and you decide that you’re simply not in the mood for school today.

//-//

You sell your motorcycle. You hate that it has the parts for the money Potts gave you, so when it is fixed, you call Carol, and she finds you a buyer. This means you are stuck with your mother for a longer period, but it seems like the right thing to do.

And then you text Wanda, asking her to meet you wherever she wants. She says she won't leave the house to talk to you, so you end up at her front door, shifting the weight of your feet before you decide to knock.

Wanda's father looks stern, and he doesn't smile when he sees you.

- Are you the girl who made my daughter cry? - he asks with a serious expression.

But then Pietro appears at his side, patting him on the shoulder.

- My God, Daddy, don't be like that! - he asks, smiling at you. - Y/N, you are here to apologize, I imagine. Let her talk to Wands.

Mr. Maximoff takes one last look at you before entering back into the house, and Pietro smiles, nodding his head for you to enter.

- Thank you, Pietro. - You tell him, and then he takes you upstairs.

He drops you at Wanda's door, and you take a deep breath before knocking.

- Come in. - You hear her voice on the other side.

Entering the room, you are slightly overwhelmed by the amount of visual information. Wanda has many posters. And she is sitting on the bed, with a book on her lap.

- Hey. - You greet her, closing the door. You leave your hands in your pockets, deciding whether to stand.

- Hi. - She replies, placing the book on the bed and crossing her legs. - What did you want?

You swallow dryly, and decide to sit on her bed, keeping your distance.

- To apologize. - You clarify, and she looks away. - Properly apologize.

- I don't know what you want me to say.

- I just want you to listen. - You retort and straighten your posture, feeling your heart soar. - I'm sorry I took Potts' money, because regardless of my motives, it was wrong to put your feelings on the line.

- Wanda frowns slightly, as if deciding whether to believe you or not. You clear your throat.

- I never should have accepted it in the first place, but mostly I should have stopped when I realized I was falling in love with you. - You say, and Wanda looks at you, surprised by your confession. - But I didn't stop, and I lied to you and kept deceiving you, when I should have told you the whole truth. I'm sorry I hurt you, Wanda. I swear I didn't think all of this would happen.

You take a deep breath, running your fingers through your hair. Wanda just stands there, looking at you as if trying to read your mind.

- I just wanted to say that. - You tell her feeling flustered,

- Are you in love with me?

Wanda looks at you intently, and you just smile shyly.

-Very much so.

And then Wanda approaches you, and when she is close to your face, she says:

- I'm still mad at you. - And then she kisses you. You have missed her lips, and unfortunately the kiss doesn't last long.

When you open your eyes, Wanda has already moved away again, leaning her back against the headboard.

- When you are no longer angry, can we do something together? - you ask her tenderly. Wanda stares back at you, as if to say something.

- I received my acceptance letter today. - She tells you suddenly, and you blink in confusion. Before you can congratulate her, she adds. - In California.

You look at her in surprise, feeling your heart race. Wanda was leaving.

- Oh. - You swallow dryly, shake your head slightly, and smile. - I'm proud of you, Wanda. Congratulations.

- I thought you'd be upset.

- No, it's okay. - You give her a sad smile. - I'll miss you, but it's amazing that you're going to college.

Wanda lets out a sigh, keeping quiet for a moment.

- What did you need the money for?

You are surprised by the question, and look away from her, feeling slightly uncomfortable that this subject is back. But you decide that Wanda has the right to know whatever she wants to.

- I needed to fix my motorcycle. - You tell. - My mom is... hard to deal with. We had a fight and she broke some parts with a hammer. The next day, Potts was offering me the money I needed.

Wanda looks at you for a moment, seeming to be absorbing the story.

- Did you fix it?

- Yes. - You confirm, but let out a humorless chuckle. - But I sold it later.

The girl looks at you, frowning in confusion. And you shrug.

- I felt bad about everything. I decided to try to do the right thing then. - You explain. - I think I'm stuck with my mother for a while now.

Wanda looks surprised at your conclusion, and you let out a sigh, flopping down on the bed as you stare at the ceiling. You are silent for a moment, and then Wanda crawls over to you and lies down beside you, looking up at you.

- What if you leave with me? - She whispers, running her fingers across your face, and you blink in surprise.

- What?

Wanda smiles shyly.

- I have a car. - she says. - And you could work, and we could share an apartment.

You straighten your posture, leaning on your elbow and looking at Wanda in amazement.

- Are you serious? - you ask, smiling, and she nods slightly. You let out a happy exclamation, and move in, kissing her on the mouth. Wanda giggles against your lips, but returns the kiss.

You quickly let go and sit down on the bed when Wanda's father suddenly opens the door.

- Keep this door open! - He warns with a stern look, and you swallow dryly.

- Yes, sir. - Wanda says with humor.

When he leaves, you throw yourself on the bed next to Wanda, and she goes back to reading while you lie beside her.

- Any chance you have any comic books around here? - You joke, and Wanda giggles, denying it with a nod.

You don't mind though, her company is enough to keep you distracted.

//-//

You end up using the money from the motorcycle sale to pay the deposit on the apartment you find for yourselves, fifteen minutes from her college. You get a job the same week, and you finally read the poetry that Wanda likes as you both drive towards California.

[idontblushsrry]

SFW Alphabet|| Megumi Fushiguro

A/N: Uhhhh I’m back on my bullshit >:) it’s missing Fushiguro hours folks.

Word Count: 2050

A: Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

(If you want some more in depth affection headcanons click here)

Fushiguro is someone who isn’t big on pda but makes up for it in private. In public, he’ll hold your hand but in private he’s laying i your lap while you massage his scalp. Basically, he’s a big softie that just represses his urge to cuddle until he’s alone with you.

B: Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Best friend Megumi is literally the president of the Y/N defense squad. If anyone has a problem with you, they have a problem with him. Of course, you have to rein him in sometimes and remind him you can fight your own battles, but just know he’s lookin out for you.

C: Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Fushiguro loves to cuddle, but he will repress the urge to do so for as long as possible. Because of that, he doesn’t let you go, preferring to cling to you throughout the night. His cuddles are always deceptively loose too. His arms give you just enough wiggle room but the second you try to get up, it’s like fighting two pythons.

D: Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

I don’t think he ever really planned on settling down, Megumi figured that he’d die long before he ever got the chance to settle down. Everyday is pretty much a new experience in terms of domesticity for him, he doesn’t have plans for the future, but as long as you’re with him, he’ll be happy.

E: Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

If he ever had to break up with someone, he’d probably ask for help on how to do so. The first person he’d ask (regrettably) would be Gojo who’d tell Megumi to just ghost the person. After asking around some more, he figured Kugisaki’s approach of getting it over with as bluntly as possible (although less mean) was the best option.

F: Fiance(e) (How would they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Megumi isn’t really the type for wedding ceremonies. He’s all about commitment (even though working up to marriage for him is longer than most) but he’s not a fan of being the center of attention, so a wedding ceremony/reception wouldn’t be his thing. If you wanted a ceremony, he’d be willing to compromise somewhat but otherwise, he’s perfectly fine with just going to the courthouse.

G: Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He’s kind of rough around the edges. In private, he can be the sweetest, most tender soul, but in public he’ll put 7 yards of distance between you both if you try to hug him. Basically, he’s very shy, so anything that’ll draw too much attention is a no go (he isn’t opposed to linking pinkies though).

H: Hugs( Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?

At first Megumi really only hugged you when he was missing you, sad, or tired. Over time though, he got better at becoming more open with his affection and he’ll hug you whenever he feels the urge to. Despite that though, his hugs still have an undercurrent of desperation in them. He holds on just as tight each time like he’s afraid you’ll disappear.

I: I love you (How fast do they say the L-word)

He’s operating on a very strict ‘If you don’t say it, I won’t’ policy and as such this man will not say a single thing to you unless prompted. He knows deep down that he loves you and that you set off butterflies in his stomach every time you smile, but he never really thought to verbalize that until you say ‘I love you’ first.

J: Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous)

Megumi doesn’t get jealous, he’s fought side by side with you and he knows you’re more than capable of fending off any unwanted suitors. Megumi put a lot of trust into you by already being in a relationship so to him, it makes no sense to be jealous over you. That all being said, he’s not above the occasional side eye if someone’s getting a little too buddy buddy.

K: Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

On a normal day, his kisses are so natural, he’s so slow and the pressure is just enough to have you thinking you’ve got all the time in the world. In near death/ post-near death circumstances, he’s a little more feral. When he kisses you like that, it feels like it’s the end of the world and he’s trying to make the most of it.

L: Little ones (How are they around children)

Fushiguro isn’t good with kids that aren’t old enough to communicate. Older kids are fine with him, but guessing what a baby needs based on how loud it’s crying? Hard pass for him and he doesn’t even feel bad about it. The last time he had to watch a baby, he tried to leave one of his shikigami to watch it; long  story short, he had to explain to a cackling Gojo why his demon dogs wouldn’t let him leave to go to the bathroom.

M: Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings with Fushiguro are pretty rare. Most of the time you guys don’t really get to sleep in or even spend mornings together since most of the time there’s missions or trainings you’ll have to go to. When you do get the rare morning off, Fushiguro makes the most of it. He sleeps in and doesn’t wake up before 10 no matter what you try. When he does finally wake up, he loves cooking breakfast with you, he’s not the best cook, but he treasures the experience over anything.

N: Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights with Megumi are also rare as most curses come out at night and that’s kinda your guys’ job. If all goes well though, you’ll both come back a little earlier and just go straight to sleep. If it’s a late night where the curse took more out of either of you than expected, yall usually stay up and talk and snack until one of you falls asleep or the sun comes up.

O: Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

It takes him an extremely long time to open up to you about his past. Not because he doesn’t trust you, but because he’s embarrassed and doesn’t want you to think less of him for it (especially during his problem child era). To be honest, you probably find out about certain things from other people. Once he’s cornered confronted, he’ll be completely (albeit a bit grudgingly) honest about it.

P: Patience (How easily angered are they?)

His anger is kind of weird, whereas before, he was a lot quicker to explode, bluntly telling off or even fighting whoever pissed him off, he’s changed. He tries his best to repress his emotions and as such, he comes off as patient, never expressing his true feelings/desires until pushed to the brink. 

Q: Quizzes (How much would they remember about you?  Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He’s the king of remembering details you mention in passing. His love language is partially acts of service so for him, remembering details about you helps him later. Oh remember that one time you needed a pen/pencil but didn’t have one? Never again, this man has a section of his shadows dedicated solely to pencils because of you. Oh what’s that, you like this random song? Guess what just got added to the playlist he made for you. Basically, while he may not look like it, he’s actually a simp and so if he can make your life easier/ make you happy, it’s worth it.

R: Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

So Megumi is someone who doesn’t play video games but is really good at them for no reason. One day, you’re playing a game of smash bros. and he’s just kicking your ass, like it was sad. Needless to say, after his 4th win, he “accidently” pressed the wrong button and let you win. He thinks you don’t know he did this but when you won, you kissed him and completely flustered him, to the point that he couldn’t play for a solid 5 minutes. 

S: Security (How protective are they? How would they like to be protected?)

Despite knowing and trusting that you can defend yourself, he’s still super protective of you. You’re one of the few people that he cares about in the world and he’d give everything to see you safe and protected. As for how he’d like to be protected, knock some sense into him every once in a while. He has a habit of self sacrificing so if you want to protect him, remind him that you want to keep him alive as much as he wants to keep you alive.

T: Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

On the outside, his dates are very simple. They usually consist of you and him either staying in or just hanging out at stores and the like. Every once in a while, he’ll try to take you somewhere special, like a cove he found or a festival. For most people, these may be simple dates, but Fushiguro puts so much effort into so may aspects of your dates that honestly, anything bigger would lose the personal touch your dates have.

U: Ugly (What are some bad habits of theirs? (I’m gonna add arguments here because they aren’t on the prompt list I found))

One of his worst habits is his self-sacrificing tendencies. Even during a baseball game, he can’t help but sacrifice himself (especially if it means his friends/ you get to get the glory). With time though, he grows out of this and realizes it’s not selfish to want the best for yourself.

V: Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He’s giving “I woke up like this” and it’s... it’s something. One might think the style is intentional since obviously, the look could only be achieved with gel, and to an extent, it is intentional. He might use gel to spike it a little more but the man legit rolls out of bed and chooses to leave his hair up like that.

W: Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

No, as much as he loves you, Fushiguro is an introvert. He needs time to just be by himself and unwind every once in a while, so he’s got no complaints if you leave him to his own devices or have to be gone for a long time.

X: (E)xes (Any previous relationship experience. How does that factor into your current relationship?)

Megumi has negative zero relationship experience. He’s never found someone that was worth the risk/ worth opening up to, hell, he just barely got friends when he entered high school. Because of this, every part of your relationship is like navigating uncharted waters.

Y: Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner)

He’s less someone to dislike a specific thing/ personality trait, and more someone who doesn’t like different people for different reasons, ex. Todo and Mai. If he had to pick a single trait, it’d probably have to be hypocriticism.

Z: Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

He is someone who will fall asleep spread eagle one night and the next be huddled into a tiny little section of the bed. Mercy on you if you try to cuddle because now you’re wrapped up into his unconscious acrobatic routine.

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Hey, did you saw the film theory on Invader Zim on Membrane that Low-key makes sense

NO. IT. DOESN’T!

Okay, maybe this is my personal bias shining through, because I really don’t like Mattpatt sometimes... No. Okay, I have nothing against the guy personally. More frankly, I don’t like his fanbase or the way he structures his videos.

The way Mattpatt words and structures his videos acts like he’s the first person who thought of this idea, it’s the main contributor to why I stopped watching his videos a long time ago.

He speaks in a lot of rhetorics and strawman arguments rather than just saying what he wants to say. Like “If you don’t believe me... look no further then...” and that’s the one thing I ABSOLUTELY HATE on theory videos.

And some of Mattpatts own theories he doesn’t take seriously, but this is what you get when you base your INCOME off of youtube ad revenue and browse the reddit forums for new ideas. A completely monopolized way of theorizing. (and this is why there are several paragraphs in my current chapter of Tech Support of Zim’s Computer complaining about the concept of youtube entertainment in general.)

Sure, I don’t think Mattpatt will run out of theories... but I really hate the structure of his videos follows along strawman arguments, acting like he’s always arguing with an imaginary audience for entertainment value rather than just say what he wants to say.

That, and people will often cling to theories of someone with good editing software and a youtube channel then Their own opinions.

Something that I learned was incredibly dangerous to do. I learned my lesson with “That Guy with the Glasses dot com” and I don’t plan to act like I know something or am better than someone else cause I agree with someone who said something on youtube once.

I do watch Internet reviews and theory videos for entertainment, but that’s all they are to me. I don’t like to watch youtube videos to give me opinions on how I feel about things. And I seriously think a wide margin of his subscribers lack critical thinking skills at times, as well as a majority of the youtube audience, or from what I’ve seen in the comment section.

However, remember... These are just my thoughts on the matter... My thoughts are not law and I never claim them to be.

Like when I first joined the fandom and posed my GIR analysis questions... I even said:

“I don’t know if the fandom has talked about this in depth or not... I just got here... or if someone put it into this many words before but...”  

Also... the thing that bothers me about his Invader Zim theory...

A lot of Mattpatt’s sources are just..... Wrong...

(for the next few minutes I will be talking about this video, feel free to watch or don’t)

Okay.. “Membrane is an Irken” this has been a popular fan theory since before I even entered the fandom and there are old fics about this. I have read Irken Membrane stories before.

It’s not personally my cup of tea, but it’s fun to think about.

But the straws Mattpatt grasps in his video.... Really upset me because there is some thought to the theory back in the day.. ... Like back in 2002??? but like.... NOW?!

Okay, I’ll pick apart this a little... bit by bit...

He says that Membrane takes a hard stance against anything paranormal.

Kinda... but no.. Membrane never outright denies the existence of aliens. (except in ETF... which he mainly says out of frustration...) This is what Membrane says about “there are no aliens” in the show:

Membrane just says that there are no “intelligent” aliens...None that are able to travel the massive distance to Earth, anyways... If aliens existed at all, (like the cryptoids Dib talks of) they would have traveled the distance to the planet and communicated with them by now.

However, this is a nitpick of a minor issue. One that a majority of the fandom tends to overlook when viewing Professor Membrane and Dib’s relationship in general. 

And I do find it weird that he used this for evidence when he cut out the most important snippet from the full lecture he gives Dib here.... JUST to support his claim... as if he’s intentionally leaving that part out.... hmmmm

However, I can let this slide, because it’s a nitpick and really doesn’t change anything that Membrane is very dissuasive of Dib’s alien-hunting hobbies. (I have a theory as to why and I explain it here in my own way)

The point is, Membrane is dismissive of anything alien... maybe because he’s an Irken...okay, good, yes. fair. 

A lot of Mattpatts claims from then on are pretty solid, and I won’t bunk them with “But in my headcanon/Fanfic verse...”  Because what he is saying is all true.

Membrane denying the existence of aliens even after being taken to space jail doesn’t have much of an explanation and is played for comedy and there are many ways you can go with this, and I am not going to bring up my fanfics or my own headcanons to argue with him here.

Because there is no explanation, and he is going with the “Membrane is Irken” theory... So that’s very solid when he’s talking about Membrane denying the Hallucinations. 

Mattpatt claimed that Membrane wore his face covering at all times and had been dressed this way since he was a child.

I will not deny this. This is true.

However, isn’t bringing up Membrane’s childhood kinda put a hole in your own argument?

MEMBRANE WAS A CHILD.

He had been shown to have childhood memories in the comics and the show.

Irkens don’t really have a “Childhood” per say, at least not in the way that humans do. They are a smeet, then elite, then Invader..

If he’s claiming that Membrane came to earth as an Irken SMEET....How, why, and when? 

That kinda raises more questions than it answers.... What are you proving by bringing up Membrane’s baby pictures on Earth exactly? It kind of works against your own argument? 

Saying that they’re Irken because they all have the same hair.... that’s just stupid... and he’s citing the Invader Zim wiki on this .... oh boy.

Yeah, Like before I watched the show I thought Dib and Disguised Zim were the same character or brothers...

But I don’t think character design here is a solid enough reason in this case... At least not when it comes to the hairstyles... That’s a stretch.

“Hmmm Membrane’s hair forms an M shape... What could the M stand for? Mirken?! SUSPICIOUS!” (this is just a joke)

Also... the lack of ears thing... He did say it would be hard for Membrane to hear if his headpiece was covering his ears, but not necessarily... The entire thing is a headset and he is the man of science, he can really do whatever the fuck he wants cause Science is like magic in a show like this. So if Membrane wears a headset that doesn’t obstruct his hearing at all, I can buy it... Also.. it’s equally possible his ears got blown off in a chem lab accident or he’s legally deaf and that headset acts as a hearing aide and HELPS him hear... 

Actually, I always noticed how in Membrane’s original design from the show, the headset looked a lot like a hearing aid. Specifically one with a head clip, It’s one of the things I first noticed about his design in the show.

And it’s just something I always assumed because he’s a scientist who deals with explosions in his face on a daily basis... (in fact he experiences one in episode 2B) So on first viewing, I thought that his headset served as a hearing aid as well as prescription glasses and a communication device. 

I’m just throwing out possibilities because the “lack of ears” is also kinda a stretch.

Mattpatt complaining about “lack of nose” however... Okay, yeah I’ll give him that one. It’s a character design choice that is a little odd for Professor Membrane, but it does fit with the Irken theory, since a majority of human characters, in fact, all have noses. So, Yes the “lack of nose” does fit more into the Irken theory. 

However.... Florpus anime Membrane DOES have a nose...

Meant to be drawn in a more semi-realistic artsyle, you can clearly see the bridge of his nose here.

And he looks very similar to anime Dib... Sooooo... Shrug-city... 

It’s likely that Membrane not having a nose in the show is simply a stylistic choice than anything else. Basically, the bridge of the nose is there... we just don’t see it.

Especially since Nightmare Membrane has a nose as well..

Membrane is like Home Improvement’s Wilson. We will never see his face, and that’s part of the gag. The man probably sleeps in his labcoat honestly...

I also find the voice pattern thing a bit of a stretch. Membrane and Zim are just eccentric characters who yell to emote or emphasize a point or emote stronger. And Membrane’s inflections are never the same as Zim’s.

Remember, no other Irken TALKS like Zim. Professor Membrane doesn’t really go around screaming: “I AM PROFESSOR MEMBRANE” either..... 

If anything... it just kinda proves both characters have auditory processing issues or hearing problems more then anything.

And there is a lot of screaming on this show.... Screaming from Dib, screaming from Membrane, Screaming from GIR, screaming from Zim... Screaming is funny... and characters scream so much that the characters with their mouths wide open is somewhat a staple of the show.

This is more because of Johnen Vasquez’s voice direction...

Especially since no other Irken really talks like Zim..

Zim’s manor of Speach is strictly a Zim thing and not an Irken thing.

Professor Membrane’s manner of speech is simply a Membrane thing and not a human thing.

I will give Mattpatt that. That a lot of tech in the show looks similar to Membrane’s. I feel this is mostly a stylistic choice, but it really does fit in with the Irken theory. 

Like that Zim just so happens to use the same operating system as Dib is played off as a joke. But it does add some small credence to the theory here... I need to point out when he does get it right... some pats on the back.

These are very good points and does follow through with what he’s trying to prove by the end of the day.

(even if Membrane was lying about the destruction of all mankind with the beans thing, but that’s a minor nitpick here) 

But his entire paragraph comparing Membrane’s tech to Irken tech is a really good one. Props there.

This whole paragraph about there being only Tall or short irkens cause their society is height based and there are no “medium-sized” irkens....cause they were “dealt with”

Okay.

....

Sure Mattpatt. Let’s just entirely ignore the existence of the Frylord and this entire character even though you mentioned it in the synopsis at the start of your video... Showing that Taller irkens are in positions of power against the shorter, also... Zim is a tiny irken... there are many Irkens that stand taller then Zim.

Being tall in Irken society is a rarity, and Almighty Tallest Purple said that he and Red “became” the Tallest. How? We don’t know, but we do know at one point the current Tallest looked like this:

How do Irkens get that Tall? Body modifications? Maybe... it’s never explained, but considering the Frylord is super big and probably eats a lot of snacks might have something to do with it. We don’t know.

It’s safe to say that being Tall in their society is a rarity and Tallests are either born or made special from the cloning chamber from the get go.

Not to mention, Membrane is Taller than the current Tallest are already...

 and you said earlier in the video that Membrane would have gone to Earth as a child...

When he was no taller than a wrapped Christmas box of socks...

So why would Membrane take refuge on Earth at this point? Mattpatt says that Membrane was sent on a mission to Earth because the Tallest felt threatened by his rule...

BY MEMBRANE’S RULE?!?

HE’S THE SIZE OF A CHRISTMAS BOX OF SOCKS!

What do they have to be threatened by? 

Because... Mattpatt DID bring up Membrane as a child earlier in the video... meaning Membrane came to earth when he was about the same size as Zim.

SO THEY HAD NOTHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT AND HAD NO EVIDENCE TO BELIEVE MEMBRANE WOULD GROW TO BE TALL ORE EVEN VIEW HIM AS A THREAT

You bunked your own argument. Congradulations.

Membrane conquered the world through his inventions. In a way, sure. Membrane Labs does own a lot of stuff. But he doesn’t own everything. A majority of the Corporations that keep the population stupid usually don’t have anything to do with Membrane Labs and aren’t affiliated at all. 

But this does fit into the “Membrane is an Irken” theory so I will give him that one.

However, Membrane being an evil corporate dictator is a hot take I never really appreciate at all and I can never get behind it.

It hits too close to home in the real world, and I always like to view Membrane as a self-made man and a World loving hippie at his core who just wants to make the world a better place, much like his son, but he actively does something about it. (which can also be why he encourages Dib with real science so much cause he knows Dib wants to save the Earth as much as he does)

Just calling Membrane a capitalist billionaire that doesn’t care about the little guy kinda seems disingenuous towards his character for me. 

Especially when Membrane in “Ten Minutes to Doom” created a machine (foodio) that completely end world hunger... which was in BETA in the unreleased episode...

 but by the time the movie rolls around... Foodio exists... past his BETA, meaning that he’s probably no expensive than a common household microwave and can materialize food from nothing:

Yeah. Membrane completely ended world hunger off-screen. thanks. (something no capitalist would ever do...)

Membrane also does appearances for charity (in the comics), and often takes funding for sponsorships when he is low on funds and he had to find a cure for pig mouth. 

Sure “Membrane conquered the world” fits the Irken theory...

But I never appreciate that take on his character and that is admittedly, very personal bais. 

I just wanted to say my peace a little bit here about how I 100% don’t vibe with the “Membrane capitalist/billionaire scum” especially since he ended world hunger...and invented a cure for the un-common cold.

Works for the theory, so good on Mattpatt for that one, but I personally don’t vibe with it.

Mattpatt compared Zim and Dib’s head shape as something to argue... Like because Dib has a similar head shape to Zim... that Dib has to be an alien... Okay... But If you look at the Invader Zim artbook (which I own)

The show has a very distinct look on how they draw characters’ heads. It’s a very distinct stylistic choice and there are pages upon pages in the artbook describing the style and how it looks in motion, and many revision notes to the Korean animators.

There are lots of pages on the artbook describing in detail the differences between the main characters’ heads, what to do, and what not to do.

It’s a difficult style to replicate, and Dib having a big head was mostly a joke from the showrunners to the showrunners, cause they kept drawing Dib’s head slightly bigger to make him look more appealing.

A majority of the audience doesn’t really notice because all the children in the show have big heads. All the kids are like 3-4 feet tall and have huge heads. 

Also... Dib’s head is far more rounder then Zim’s in the comics and the Movie... comparing their head shape as an arguing point, when Dib’s head shape changed midway season 1 when the designs got slightly more streamlined is just... bad form..

Dib and Zim’s heads never really look the same from the early episodes as they do later on.

Comparing this character design similarity just because of the artstyle is really stupid.

This is the most infuriating thing about the video... because Mattpatt disproves his own argument with his own footage not a few seconds earlier. 

He claims that Gaz sarcastically mentioning she has a squeedly spooch is a canon fact...... but ... hmm.. Mattpatt... can I rewind the footage of your video, please?

Where’s her squeedly spooch?

IS IT BEHIND HER CLEARLY HUMAN ORGANS?! I DON’T SEE IT?

And this isn’t just a stylistic choice... here’s a picture of another human’s organs for comparison.

Mattpatt literally disproved his own argument and ignored the fact that we saw an X-ray of Gaz’s organs in the very same episode...

Gaz doesn’t have a squeedly spooch and she literally was being sarcastic.

and the whole thing is disproved very easily.

Everything Mattpatt says in between those two points, about Dib being taken aboard an alien ship as a baby, and that there is no mother, and the Clone theory... That is all good stuff and this is what the theory video should have speculated and focused on, because there is some digging to be had here... I feel he focused a lot on the wrong points in his video...

And this is the most outrageous point he makes in his video. It’s the thing that pissed me off the most... and lead me to write this essay in the first place.

He claimed Eric Trueheart himself confirmed the clone theory and had story plans where Dib would discover his clone origins.

HE DID NOT!

IN FACT, Eric Trueheart himself published Volume One of the Invader Zim script book AND THIS IS WHAT HE SAID:

Eric neither confirmed nor denied the rumor.

But for Mattpatt to blatantly say that Eric said that Clone Dib was a planned thing by the screenwriters?!

He is BLATANTLY putting words into a Screenwriter’s mouth! Something that you should NEVER do.

Because it is 100% a lie.

He had no source for this claim. He probably just read the same rumor on the wiki and has no source.

This is the reason why I don’t trust videos like Mattpatt. The truth is often stretched for entertainment value, or information is just made up to prove “they were right” about whatever the topic of the day was. He doesn’t even bother to cite the source he got “Eric Trueheart’s word of mouth” from... because it was wrong.

Sorry if this whole thing is more hostile than it intended to be... But Mattpatt was looking at the ENTIRELY wrong evidence for this show....

Irken Membrane is a fun theory... but Mattpatt picked the entirely wrong topics and points of discussion, even to the point of hiding the truth and straight-up lying to his audience about his sources.

It’s kinda like saying “Birds eat ghost peppers because they’re part dragon and dragons can handle spicy food”

While, yeah, Birds are descended from dinos, it’s kinda missing the full story there and it’s not the reason why birds can eat spicy food.

Irken Membrane is a fun fan theory... do what you want with it. I am not here to dissuade Irken Membrane headcanons...

I’m just here to encourage critical thinking, and perhaps NOT put words into content creators' mouths when there is no credible source for it just because it benefits your argument.

[fenristheorem]

Hello!^^

I'm very curious, how do you imagine Guardienne and Lance's relationship once they're a couple? 😊

Hello there! Thank you for asking!

These are written in headcanon format since this ask requires a very broad answer.

~Under the cut~

Lance in a relationship with Guardienne:

They had a rough start prior to the relationship, but over time Guardienne began to realize that Lance had actually changed, and she slowly began to realize that she was falling in love with the man he became through tragedy.

Lance always knew that he had admired her stubbornness and vigilance to keep the guard safe, even when he was trying to destroy it, and this is still true even after seven years. However, now living beside her everyday, he begins to see just how much she falls apart sometimes - only to get right back up afterwards and keep forging her path in the world. In a way, he sees things in her that he once saw in himself and wants to make true again after his falling apart into a lust for blood and destruction.

As they grow closer, they begin to see each other for who they really are, the bad and the good, the weak and the strong - and they begin to realize that, in the whirlwind that is life, seeking shelter within the presence of the other is very comforting.

They’ve both suffered tragedies, they’ve both lost people incredibly close to them, and they’ve both needed to regain their faith in Eldarya and the guard. As different as they were, they were very similar.

This begins to translate into their relationship; they both have days where they feel hopeless, they both have days where they want to invest so much into the guard that they risk running themselves to death, they both have days where they need to take time and reflect on everything they lost so they can keep pushing themselves forward. And because they both have these days, they know when to recognize that the other is having one of these days, and they know how to react to it.

They’ll comfort each other if needed, or provide inspiration, or remind each other that they’ve been through so much already and can’t just give up now.

On days where they have the same mentality, they may just take a day off to linger with the other if they need the comfort. Or if they’re both feeling inspired and enthusiastic, they may try to go on missions together.

They’re a force of nature together really. In battles, they’ll throw themselves onto the frontlines when it’s called for and fight beside each other, watching each other’s back and fearlessly carving a path to victory for the guard. They’ll train together and devise new tactics to use on enemies - non-lethal but disarming all the same. Their passion for life and creating a better future will be a driving force within Eldarya’s new era, and their relationship of past-enemies to lovers will be an inspiration proving that things can always change for the better. In time, they’ll learn that their shared past of hatred for each other will be insignificant and, if anything, they won’t be afraid to call the other out when they’re arguing about something (which doesn’t happen much anyways) because they’ve had way worse arguments before.

Lance will take her flying when he’s shifted into his dragon form, sometimes telling her where he intends to take her, other times leaving it to be a surprise. Guardienne will savor the feeling of flying through the sky to unseen destinations, and over time they’ll have a widespread network of small date spots - deep within forests, among the tall peaks of mountain ranges, and over the great expanse of plains - that only they know about and visit.

Guardienne breaks a barrier between Lance and the rest of the guard as well. They trust him, of course, but Lance still keeps his distance from everyone; he has a hard time connecting to others personally and allowing himself to have close relationships after everything he did. However, the guard begins to find their relationship ironically beautiful - the man who tried to destroy Eldarya and the woman who saved it from him eventually falling in love, and a connection begins to form between Lance and the guard through this. Lance begins to accept that he can work hard for the guard while still being personal with others, he can loosen himself up around others because they do appreciate him now and the work he does. The people within the guard begin to see him in a different light; a more humane light. They begin to see not only the seasoned warrior that defends their walls, but also a man who has now gained a grace in dealing with the hardships of life. Falling in love with the same woman who destroyed his plans at the last moment became a signal of hope and sealed the fate of Lance’s relationship with the guard. If the woman who once despised him can now truly fall in love with him, then the rest of the guard can grow closer to him in time, and Lance will allow himself to accept forgiveness in many forms until he eventually allows himself to integrate into the common ‘fun’ activities of the guard and gain friends. Guardienne helps Lance learn to forgive himself, and by doing so he can learn to move forward and live his life to the fullest.

Lance’s knowledge of different people and cultures within Eldarya will help Guardienne further integrate herself into the world as well. While Guardienne helps Lance find his place inside the guard, he helps her find her place outside the guard. He’ll teach her about the different cultures and rituals of each people, and their history in the world of Eldarya. When they’re sent on missions together to foreign lands, he’ll make a point of trying to indulge her into the people’s culture when they have time. Not only does he truly enjoy the wide differences between these cultures, but he also enjoys teaching these differences to a partner who appreciates this as well.

They enjoy exploring different places and going on adventures together, but they also love spending time together in the sanctuary of their own shared room. Both being important to the guard, they don’t always have a lot of time to spend in private together, but the guard does have it’s peaceful days. In those days, where nothing significant need to happen or certain things can be pushed back by a day, they like to spend time alone together. This can include flying off to their date spots, but the comfort of their own room is also quite nice. They can spend the day pressed tightly against the other in bed, reading or talking about whatever strikes them, or spending the day cleaning or organizing a few things if that’s what they wish. Frankly, on some of these days, Guardienne may teach Lance a few games that she learned back on Earth. Some he may recognize as a different version of something in Eldarya, but others may be completely new to him. This also works the other way; Lance may teach Guardienne a few games he happens to remember from his childhood in the village, and they soon start to jump into long conversations comparing the games and debating which ones are better.

Their relationship may be a bit of an odd one considering their past, but that also strengthens them. They’re not afraid to argue with each other if the need strikes, and they’re not afraid to admit when the other is right either. Knowing that they’ve both experienced tragedies helps them overcome those hardships together, and having the other to believe in them on days where they can’t believe in themselves reminds them that they’re appreciated and have worth in more ways than just being an asset to the guard. Their relationship is one that enlivens not only the both of them, but the guard as well.

There’s many different aspects to their relationship that I could talk about, but I decided to give just a basic overview of how I feel it could be for the sake not writing a novel and being able to focus on talking about the generality of their relationship. I certainly don’t believe that Beemoov would write all of these cases into the game (like Lance flying Guardienne to different date spots), but beyond the things they write in, I can easily imagine many of these cases taking place. Since there’s a lot more that I could add in, just send an ask if anyone wants me to make a part 2! I’ll probably focus on a more specific aspect of their relationship in that one that I haven’t written yet.

Have a request? Ask them here!

But first, please read the rules list for asks!

[bigbrotherlouis]

i’m obsessed with joel farabee and morgan frost and you should be too: a primer

hello! welcome! recently i have become infatuated with morgan frost and joel farabee for a lot of reasons but mostly because of that one post that i spent like twenty minutes searching various blogs for that said “people are freaking out about sexualising hockey players, meanwhile joel farabee is one instagram comment away from telling morgan frost he’d suck him dry.” in my head rent free. hit a girl up if you have the post.

anyway! frosty and beezy:

[hard cut to me whispering “oh my god even their nUMBERS are friends” i’m fine.]

this is more like about vibes and less about facts, so you can google if you want to know more about their, like, bios and stats and stuff that’s not 99% rpf or conjecture. this primer is just the things that make me scream. however, that being said, they do play well on a line together and both are very good players.

joel farabee is american, from new york i believe but his dad is from philly, and falls neatly into the category of BORN TO BE A FLYER. longtime fan, hugely excited to play for the team, brings it up all the time.

morgan frost, from ontario canada, was not.

a real, actual tweet. he tweeted this with his WHOLE chest and then joined the flyers like three years later. i adore it. another real actual tweet i adore:

sweet, sweet joel. he misses his buddies :( no doubt including morgan because they are, by all appearances, obsessed with each other. i’m trying not to keep  using the word obsessed in this primer but it’s hard because they are. morgan’s a year older, a first round draft pick in 2017 and joel’s a first round pick in 2018, but they didn’t start playing together until 2019, i believe, because joel played for a college team in boston. side note: he also captained team usa and wore a number 28 in honour of claude giroux and i am absolutely not okay about it.

e! mo! tion! al! incidentally, frosty wears danny briere’s number when he plays for the flyers, which. take from that what you will. iykyk. their NUMBERS are FRIENDS. HERITAGE SOULMATES. joel’s been called up to play on the flyers (and did really well in the playoffs!) but we’re still waitin’ for morgan to come along too but the coaching staff hasn’t recognised the raw power of true love yet so.

at this point, you’re probably saying “sasha shut up about their fucking numbers and talk about why they’re obsessed with each other” but good news! i do not need to do that because the official flyers media has done that for me! (x) i’d recommend watching it because it’s a lot packed into a neat 100 seconds, but notable moments include the voice over saying “joel farabee and morgan frost have found that going at it together has its benefits” within the first thirty seconds. that is a real direct quote. i can’t believe it either. there’s also a lot of light homoerotic bonding over playing chel, them sitting across from each other  on their beds, the admission of being ROOMMATES (oh my god they were roommates), this shot of them sitting with their mouths wide open on either side of their dad,

and also joel wearing a hat with a canadian maple leaf on it, despite being from the the united states. wonder where he got that from. please watch the video.

when they’re not playing chel or, you know, going at it together, they’re being horny in each other’s instagram comments. there’s honestly.... so many of these that i can include but we’re just gonna go with my favourites.

when i say i think about this comment on a picture of morgan with isaac ratcliffe, a fellow flyers prospect on a daily basis, i mean it. i’ll be just doing my thing, minding my own business, and MORGAN MAKES ME VENMO HIM JUST TO TALK will pop into my head, completely uninvited. king shit for morgan to do and king shit for joel to admit on social media for the world to see, but joel admitting things he maybe shouldn’t is a running theme. 

cool. TOTALLY not flirting or anything.

joel. also both their exhibitionist streaks should be explored in fic more i am JUST sayin.

ok but bee you were lookin. like you can chirp but you were lookin, don’t lie. 

when ur in love with ur roommate but ur both hockey players so u can only communicate that love via chirping when he’s with the boys :(

what’s it called when you vibe really well with someone and also live with them and also comment on their shirtlessness and also maybe kiss them on the mouth a little? d... da... dating?? can’t be it.

morgan is a little more composed in the comments and mostly just posts inside jokes i cannot comprehend, or compliments. it’s still cute.

this was on a playoffs pic where joel’s wearing #28 love 2 see it love a supportive boyf always

this one was of joel with a fish he caught and i’m sorry but i did not want it on my phone.

but morgan can’t hide his affection for long. (me, in the distance: TWENTY EIGHT TWENTY EIGHT TWENTY EIGHT!!!!!!!)

there’s more comments but they’re boring and this is long, mostly joel chirping  morgan for wearing baseball or football stuff. however! they are also on twitter where they keep each other humble after incredible goals, like bros do,

this is DEFINITELY flirting. like, blatant. it’s like that kind of flirting when you’re thirteen and you don’t know what to do with your body so you just kinda steal your crush’s stuff or insult them because all attention is good attention, right??

but when push comes to shove, beezy is always gonna look out for his boy (because they are in love):

some important pictures of them together, for your pleasure: 

this is so DUMB and i love it

friends supporting friends!!!

this is them meeting their hockey dads :) so cute :) joel is promising g that he’ll have morgan back by ten yessir he will be respectful of boundaries and curfew. jake is high fiving morgan on getting some. this is facts i just call em like i see em.

and finally!

is this allowed?????  is this allowed???? it’s hard to tell but i’m pretty sure that’s joel on his knees for in front of morgan and i just??? how is that allowed???? it’s been five days and this picture has RUINED me. someone write me an essay to have on my desk by morning, stat.

also v unrelated but here is a video of morgan frost reading, proving he’s the smart one in the relationship. that’s not saying much but, hey! at least there’s proof he can read.

obviously different ships capture people in different ways but there’s something about them to me, personally, that is just so captivating. there’s a lot of potential for different fic vibes, and joel in particular always has a really fun voice to read (and also to write). they definitely have chemistry, they’re pitted against each other so there’s a good-natured rivalry going on, CLOTHES SHARING AND HERITAGE SOULMATE NUMBERS, and, like, they just genuinely seem to enjoy each other. someone PLEASE write more fic for them or by god i’ll have to do it myself.

ok that’s everything for now, i believe. they’re in love and don’t care who knows it and i’m obsessed. (however, i’m also obsessed with joel farabee and andrei svechnikov together, for which i have a one-picture argument for here.)

(p.s. anything not linked i screenshotted myself thank youuu for reading have a good day and remember: morgan makes joel vemno him just to talk 😌)

edit: hello. i wrote this on election night as a way to take off the edge of my nerves and it is not as funny or screechy as i wanted it to be so i’m going to add some now.  

[hysterialevi]

Hjarta | Chapter 17

Fanfic summary: In an AU where Eivor was adopted by Randvi’s family instead, he ends up falling in love with the man his sister has been promised to despite the arranged marriage between their clans.

Point of view: third-person

Pairing: Sigurd Styrbjornson x Male Eivor

This story is also on AO3 | Previous chapter | Next chapter

A FEW MINUTES LATER

BJORNHEIMR

Sigurd dragged his feet across the uneven terrain, slogging through the dead woods that now served as Dag’s tomb. His hand shone vividly with a bright layer of red due to the blood that clung onto his skin, and his ears still buzzed with the echoes of his friend’s final cries.

As for Eivor, the jarl’s son appeared to be equally as harrowed as his companion. His eyes mirrored the frozen desolation of the bleak landscape sitting before him, and his face remained expressionless much like the corpses that now rested at Bjornheimr’s temple.

Both of them traversed the world like a pair of hollow shells, wandering through the dark in search of any light to hold onto. A black haze had blotted out the beam that once twinkled in their eyes, and it seemed as if the fire that once burned in them had been completely snuffed out.

Eivor just prayed this would be the end of their grief. It wouldn’t be long before they got the information they needed from Gorm, and the young man imagined they would soon be braving the seas again in search of the wretch’s father.

It was an endeavor that would only lead to more war, no doubt. There was a high chance that more people would die during their pursuit, and Eivor could no longer guarantee that even he would survive a second battle against Kjotve.

But after everything that had happened, he refused to shy away from this fight. Kjotve’s death wouldn’t bring Ulfar or Thora back from the dead, that much was true. But even then, Eivor hoped that -- at least -- it would serve as a balm to ease the pain now wracking his heart. 

He didn’t even care about reclaiming his honor anymore. All he wanted was to bring this horrid war to an end. Far too many people had been lost to Kjotve’s barbarity, and Eivor’s only desire now was to deliver peace unto those who had suffered for so long.

It was something he was willing to die for at this point, and a part of him suspected that he would.

“Wait,” Sigurd said as they entered the village. He stopped in his tracks and gazed in the distance, looking towards the docks. “Is that Randvi’s ship?”

Eivor followed his line of sight, nodding in response. “Yes. Randvi and her men returned not too long ago. They arrived whilst you were dealing with Dag.” He paused briefly, giving the prince a grim face. “...I’ve already told her about Thora and Ulfar. She’s at the temple now with my father and Ingrida. They’re preparing for tomorrow’s funeral.”

“...How is she?”

“How do you think? She knew Thora and Ulfar even longer than I did. She... she’s beyond devastated.”

Sigurd sighed deeply, hanging his head low in regret. “...Damn it. I should’ve killed Dag weeks ago. I should’ve confronted him from the start. He had been acting so strange ever since we came to Bjornheimr. I shouldn’t have waited this long to do something about it. Perhaps none of this would’ve happened then.”

Eivor took a few steps closer to him, speaking softly. “You are not to blame, Sigurd. You had no way of knowing Dag was the traitor.”

The prince wasn’t swayed. “On the contrary, I was the only one who could’ve known. I was the closest one with Dag out of anybody in our clan. I should’ve been paying more attention. I shouldn’t have let my love for him blind my judgement.”

Sigurd shut his eyes for a moment and let out a breath, clearly exhausted from the day’s events. “...I’m sorry, Eivor. I know you don’t fault me for what’s happened, but even then, I still carry some of the blame on my shoulders. I must be more vigilant from now on. I can’t allow anything like this to occur again, and I won’t. You have my word.”

Walking away before the other man could respond, Sigurd left Eivor behind and simply pushed forward into the village, emerging from the forest like a shadow slipping out of the night. The despair that once dimmed his expression had been replaced with the flickering embers of a growing rage, and the Wolf-Kissed could almost see sparks igniting in his eyes.

As for the young man himself, he simply followed the prince from a distance and trailed along quietly, unsure of what else he could do to comfort his lover. A few of the villagers -- including Styrbjorn -- had turned their heads upon Sigurd’s anticipated return, and immediately brought their attention to the blood now staining his hand.

The color faded from the king’s flesh as soon as he noticed the striking pigment. He didn’t seem to understand what had transpired just yet, but the dreary cloud hanging over his son was enough to imply that something terrible had unraveled.

Styrbjorn approached the two of them, carrying a look of concern.

“My son...!” He called out, keeping his tone hushed. “Where have you been? What’s happened to you? Whose... whose blood is that?”

Sigurd exchanged glances with his companion, hesitant to answer. He didn’t appear to be any calmer than when Eivor first found him in the woods, and the younger man feared that it wouldn’t take much more to send him into a storm. 

“It’s... Dag’s.” The prince admitted. “...I killed him.”

The older man fell into silence, taken aback by his son’s actions.

“You did what?”

“I had to,” Sigurd justified, steeling his voice. “Dag was the traitor. I had to get rid of him before he did anything else. I couldn’t allow him to harm more people.”

“A traitor?” Styrbjorn repeated in disbelief. “Are you positive? What makes you so certain he betrayed us? Did you find any evidence?”

“He confessed his crimes, father. He told me everything. Dag was the one assisting Kjotve. He was the one who informed him of our alliance. Ulfar was right.”

The king didn’t seem convinced. “I see. And was there anyone else around to hear Dag’s confession?”

“...No. It was just me and him.”

Styrbjorn shook his head in disapproval. “Then how can we be so sure that you killed the right man?”

Sigurd stared at his father in bewilderment, finally catching on to the man’s concerns. “...You don’t believe me?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, son. But other people may not -- and for good reason, I might add. You just killed one of our own clan members because of a confession that nobody was around to hear. Nobody except for you. How can I accept that as evidence? How am I going to explain Dag’s death to our people? How can I convince them that what you did was not, in fact, murder?”

Sadly, Sigurd was in no state to process things rationally. The king’s doubt only added more fuel to the anguish that was already festering inside him, and his temper quickly took over like a hurricane commanding the seas.

“You can explain to them that I just killed the man responsible for Thora’s death! I killed the man who would’ve thrown the rest of us to the wolves. Had it not been for that rat, this village would still be in one piece. Thora would still be alive. I killed him because it was necessary.”

Styrbjorn was quiet in response, urging Sigurd to fill the silence.

“You think I murdered him out of indulgence? You know how much I loved him, father. He was my brother! I didn’t want to see him dead. But I did what was required to keep our clan safe. I finished what Ulfar started.”

But the king had nothing else to offer other than criticism. “You acted carelessly, Sigurd. There is no honor in slaying a man who cannot defend himself. You know this. If you truly believed Dag was the traitor, you should’ve brought him to me -- not slaughtered him in the woods. I could’ve held a trial to determine his judgement. His crimes would’ve been brought to light.”

“You think we have the time for something like that? Dag may have been reckless, but he wasn’t a fool. If there really was any evidence to find of his collusion with Kjotve, he would’ve destroyed it. We’d be investigating for weeks, if not months!”

“And what if there is evidence? What if we discover that Dag was not the only traitor in our midst? What will we do then, hm?”

Sigurd grew irritated. “We’ll deal with it. Just like I dealt with Dag.”

Styrbjorn sighed in defeat. “You rely too much on impulse, my son. You cannot take matters into your own hands like this. If you are to wear the crown someday, you must learn to respect the ways of our kingdom. A good leader enforces the law with a firm hand, but is never above it.”

The prince didn’t take kindly to that. “You are the last person to dictate what makes a good leader. While I’ve been fighting alongside our warriors on the battlefield, risking my life, you’ve been idling with a bottle in your hand, watching everything unfold! You say I’m reckless, but who else is going to defend your kingdom if not you?”

The older man turned away in shame, causing his son to descend even further into his tirade.

“Killing Dag was the only way to proceed, father. I wouldn’t have done it if I had any other options, but we are at a dead-end here. You don’t want me to act like this? Then you can swing the axe yourself next time!”

Coming to an abrupt halt, Sigurd cut himself off and took a moment to glance at his surroundings, suddenly realizing just how much attention he had drawn to their argument. Everywhere around him, men and women alike gawked at their altercation with a blatant sense of fear in their eyes, alarmed by everything they just heard. Not a single word was uttered amongst the small crowd that had gathered around them, and yet, it felt as if their very thoughts lingered in the air.

Looking at his father, Sigurd stepped away from the other man and slunk to Eivor’s side, backing down as if he were shocked by his own behavior. He appeared to be even more devoid of life now that he had argued with Styrbjorn, and within moments, he was desperately searching for a way out.

“I... I need to be alone.”

In the blink of an eye, Sigurd removed himself from the vicinity and retreated to the longhouse, aching for the solitude of his chambers. He left Styrbjorn and Eivor with nothing more than the company of their own thoughts, and disappeared as if he were smoke being whisked away by the wind.

In the meantime, the two men simply watched the prince vanish in the distance as the crowd began to disperse, granting them the luxury of privacy they so fervently desired. A portion of them already felt somewhat sheepish due to announcing their troubles to the public, and frankly, the only thing Eivor wanted was to lock himself in his room.

Unfortunately for the young man though, Styrbjorn didn’t seem ready to let him go just yet.

“Oh, Sigurd...” the king muttered to himself. “When will that boy learn...?”

Eivor approached the conflicted man, attempting to calm his nerves.

“Forgive him, my lord.” He pleaded. “Grief has befallen Sigurd. He made a great sacrifice for us today, cutting down his own friend like that. It will take him a long time to recover from this.”

Styrbjorn pinched the bridge of his nose out of stress, pacing back and forth in the snow.

“I understand that my son was only trying to protect our clan, but I must ensure he’s prepared to inherit the throne. We are at war, Eivor. There’s no guarantee I’ll be around by the time Kjotve is vanquished. The dawn of Sigurd’s reign could arrive sooner than he expects. He must be ready.”

“He is ready,” The Wolf-Kissed reassured. “He just needs time to heal.”

The king halted in his tracks and glanced at the younger man, inquiring about one other matter.

“Listen, Eivor. I hate to ask you of this considering everything that’s going on, but could you speak to Sigurd for me? I’d feel better knowing he wasn’t dealing with this alone.”

Eivor raised a brow. “Me? Why not you?”

“You’ve witnessed firsthand the animosity that stands between me and my son. Very rarely does Sigurd ever greet me with a smile. Whenever we’re together, it always feels like he’s angry at me, or frustrated. And the worst part is... I can’t even say he’s completely unjustified.”

“What do you mean?”

Styrbjorn sighed regretfully, dropping his gaze to the ground. There was a clear rein of hesitancy holding him back, but he knew that in order to help his son the best, he’d need to offer his full candor. 

“Perhaps he’s already told you this, but... ever since Sigurd’s mother passed away, I’ve found myself continuously drawn to the allure of drink. It’s something that’s haunted me for years now. I’ve tried many times to put down the bottle, but in the end, it always ends up trapping me in its clutches. I’m not proud to admit it, but it’s the truth.”

Eivor nodded in remembrance. “Sigurd has told me about this, yes.”

“I’m not surprised. He often speaks fondly of you. It’s clear you’ve gained my son’s unwavering trust. Unfortunately however, I cannot say the same for myself. My relationship with Sigurd has suffered due to my addiction. I have not always been the father he deserves, nor given him the guidance that he needed.”

The king’s stone facade faltered briefly. “It breaks my heart to consider it, but I fear that my own son views me as a nuisance more than anything. A lingering shackle that keeps holding him back. Sometimes I even wonder if the boy hates me.”

The young man’s expression softened with sympathy. “...No, Styrbjorn. No. He  doesn’t hate you. Even Sigurd himself has told me that he loves you. He just feels ignored.”

That caught Styrbjorn’s attention. “Ignored?”

“Yes. The last time he and I spoke about this issue, he expressed that he often feels like you don’t heed his advice; that his words tend to fall on deaf ears. Sigurd wants to help you overcome this, but he says you won’t let him.”

“It’s... true that I haven’t always kept my promises. I cannot deny that. But this battle is not so easily won.”

Eivor gave him an understanding look. “And Sigurd is aware of that. He knows you won’t be able to discard this overnight. But he just needs to see that you’re making some kind of effort. That will be more than enough for him. Trust me.”

Styrbjorn took the man’s advice to heart and quietly thought to himself for a moment, evidently shaken by this revelation. It was clear that a part of him drowned in guilt due to the discovery of Sigurd’s frustrations, but a hint of relief also twinkled in his eye now that he knew the boy still loved him.

“...I see.” The king said sincerely, gazing at the young man with an immense amount of gratitude. “Thank you for telling me this, Eivor. The path to reconciliation will be one laden with difficulties, but at least I can see where I must go. I will think on what you’ve said, and I’ll speak to Sigurd when the moment is right. In the meantime, could you talk to him for now? I fear that my presence would only amplify his anger.”

“Of course,” Eivor said with a firm nod. “I’ll check on him for you.”

“I appreciate it. Stay safe, my boy. Our struggles are far from over. I pray that the gods will extend their mercy to you from now on, and that you recover quickly from today’s tragedies. Peace is a distant reality for us at the moment, but not unreachable.”

~~~~~~~~~~

THE LONGHOUSE

SIGURD’S CHAMBERS

Wandering through the longhouse’s dimly lit halls, Eivor followed the trail of torches as he made his way to Sigurd’s chambers, overwhelmed by the looming silence that was broken only by his footsteps.

The adamant walls of the building had blocked out any intrusive sounds --  including that of the howling wind -- and as a result, nothing but the low crackling of fire was present to accompany the thoughts screaming in Eivor’s head.

He just didn’t know how to feel anymore. When he first discovered Thora’s body, the agony that overcame him was so fierce it almost crippled him entirely. He felt like the gods had ripped a hole in the very fabric of the world, and the impact of Ulfar’s death only pressed harder on the weight that was already resting on his shoulders.

Still, he couldn’t imagine what Sigurd was experiencing. Even though Eivor was no stranger to the atrocities of war, he had never been cursed with the responsibility of striking down his own brother. The mere idea of putting himself in the same position with Randvi was enough to crush him, and he worried that the guilt would twist the prince’s spirit into something much darker. He just hoped he could help the man before it was too late.

“...Sigurd?” The Wolf-Kissed said gently, knocking on the surface of his door. “It’s me, Eivor. Can I come in?”

A soft rustle emitted from the inside, followed up by the muffled thuds of Sigurd’s boots. The door swung open after a few moments, and standing in front of him, Eivor saw the prince, looking somber as ever.

“Eivor...?” He whispered, still afflicted by the ordeal with Dag. “You’re here?”

“Yes. I know you said you wished to be alone, but... I was worried. You disappeared from our sight before we could even get a word in. I wanted to check on you. I hope I’m not intruding.” The younger man paused for a second. “...How are you feeling now?”

Sigurd’s gaze fell to the floor. “I... I don’t know, Eivor.” His posture slouched in remorse. “...I’m not doing well.”

“Of course not,” Eivor said in understanding. “Dag was like a brother to you. No one could do what you did and come out unscathed.”

The prince scoffed. “No one except for my father, apparently.” He turned away from the door and stepped aside, allowing Eivor to come in as he spoke. “Can you believe that man? We are this close to winning the war against Kjotve, and he’s more concerned about due process.”

Eivor followed Sigurd into his chambers, closing the door behind them.

“Your father just wants to make sure you’re ready to rule the kingdom.”

“Well, there won’t be a kingdom to rule if we don’t catch Kjotve soon enough. My father says I’m careless in my behavior, but I don’t recall the last time I saw him lifting a sword. What else does he expect me to do?” 

Sigurd took a seat on the edge of his bed and sighed, completely drained of all vigor. “...I know I’m not perfect, Eivor. I know I still have much to learn. But everything I do is for the betterment of this clan. Why can’t my father see that?”

Eivor sat beside his lover, placing a comforting hand on his back. “He does see it. He may not be the best at getting his message across, but trust me when I say your father knows you have good intentions. He just worries that you’ll act with too much haste.”

The prince’s brow furrowed in curiosity. “Is that so? And what makes you so certain of that?”

“He and I talked after you left,” the younger man admitted. “He wanted to speak with you personally, but he thought that his company would only aggravate you more.” Eivor frowned in empathy. “...Your father thinks you hate him, Sigurd.”

Sigurd’s entire mood seemed to shift at the response, and for a split-second, it almost looked like he had completely forgotten about the rage he harbored. 

“He does...?”

“Well, he suspects it,” Eivor clarified, “but he said that things are always tense between you two. There never seems to be a moment of peace whenever you’re together.”

The prince shook his head, eager to dispel his beliefs.

“...No,” he said softly. “No. I don’t hate him. I love my father, in fact. I just hate the things he does sometimes.” Sigurd leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I want to keep him safe like I promised my mother I would. It brings me no joy to see him endure any pain or hardship, but...” he let out a breath of frustration, “...he never listens to me! Whenever I try to help him, he only pushes me away. Once, I even dumped all our ale into the river to stop him from drinking, and he broke into a fury unlike anything I’d ever seen.”

A grip of fear took hold of Sigurd’s voice. “...That stuff is poison, Eivor. It’s going to kill him someday. The last thing I want is to see my father step into an early grave, but how am I supposed to help him when he won’t even help himself?”

Eivor brought his partner into a hug, allowing his chin to sit on the man’s shoulder.

“You need to be more patient, Sigurd,” he advised. “Ultimately, your father’s recovery is his own responsibility, but a hostile relationship won’t do anything for either of you. He’s still trying to move on from your mother’s death. Just like you’re trying to move on from Dag’s. Give him time.”

The prince let out a sigh and warmed up to Eivor’s embrace, finally cooling off from the heat of his argument with Styrbjorn.

“I... I suppose you’re right.” He conceded, turning to face the younger man. “...Okay, Eivor. I’ll try to make things right. Not just for my father, but also for you. I promise.”

Eivor smiled at that. “Good. It won’t be easy, I know. But it’ll be worth it.”

Sigurd sat up from his position and laid a hand on the Wolf-Kissed’s lap, diverting the focus of their conversation elsewhere.

“Anyway, enough about me. How are you doing, my love? I’m... so sorry about Thora and Ulfar.”

Eivor separated their hug and stared bleakly at the floor, trying to keep himself together.

“...I still can’t believe they’re gone,” he said. “I thought I’d be used to losing people like this after what happened to my parents, but it hurts just as much as it did all those years ago. Only this time, I feel like I could’ve done something. I wish I did.”

A tinge of regret blanketed Sigurd’s face. “Are you angry that I held you back during the holmgang?”

“No,” Eivor answered truthfully. “I know you didn’t mean any harm. You were only trying to preserve Ulfar’s honor, and to be honest, I’m grateful that you did. As much as I wish I could’ve saved that man, I’d feel even worse if he never reached Valhalla. I’m going to miss him more than words can describe, but at least I know he’s at peace now. At least I know he’s reunited with his wife.” A cloud of sorrow fogged the young man’s eyes. “...I just wish I could say the same for Thora.”

Sigurd’s nose crinkled at the memory of discovering Thora’s body. “Gorm is even more of a coward than his father. It’s a shame what he did to her. He will get the punishment he deserves, Eivor. I won’t let him get away with it.”

The Wolf-Kissed found some solace in the prince’s reassurance. “Thank you. I know there’s nothing I can do to bring Thora back, but it seems only fitting that the man who murdered her joins her side in Helheim.”

“And he will. One way or another.”

Standing up from the bed, Eivor straightened his tunic and inched towards the door, preparing to take his leave. He didn’t want to abandon Sigurd’s side just yet, but he also wanted to see how his family was coping before the day came to an end.

“Anyway, I’ll give you some space, Sigurd.” He said, pressing a hand against the door’s surface. “I imagine you probably want to be alone right now, and there are some things I need to take care of before the funeral starts.”

Contrary to his belief however, the prince didn’t seem to share his sentiments. “Actually, I’d like you to stick around a little longer. If you’re willing to stay, that is.”

Eivor halted mid-action, unable to hide his interest. “You would?”

“Your company is one of the few things that offers me peace nowadays, Eivor. If you want to take this conversation further, you��re more than welcome here.”

The blonde viking took a hesitant glance outside the door, still carrying the same concerns he had lugged around for the past two weeks.

“But what if someone finds us? Don’t you think it’ll strike them as odd that I’ve been with you for so long?”

Sigurd let out a fatigued breath, slowly rising from his bed. “...I don’t care anymore. All this death sitting on our doorstep has shown me just how precious life truly is. I have no idea if I’ll even survive this war, Eivor. I’m not going to spend what could possibly be my final days pretending that I don’t feel anything for you.”

He walked up to his companion, leaving no more than a few inches between them. “I love you, Eivor. And I’m not ashamed to say it.”

Eivor froze at the confession and simply stared at Sigurd in silence, entirely at a loss for words. It wasn’t too long ago that the prince nearly tore himself apart trying to keep their affair a secret, and yet, he was practically declaring his love from the top of the world now. He no longer cared about the rumors that would spread, or the judgmental glances he’d receive. He was finally done hiding, and Eivor wondered if it was time he felt the same.

“Forgive me,” the younger man replied, “I... I don’t know what to say. I just never expected to hear you say those words.”

Sigurd chuckled. “Neither did I. I used to berate myself without pause when I first realized I was growing attached to you. I tried so desperately to shift my attention to Randvi for the sake of this alliance, but... it never worked. Things only deteriorated for me, and as a result, my life turned into a never-ending battle. I was miserable.”

Eivor smirked affectionately. “And now?”

Sigurd returned the grin. “Now, I know what I want at last. I can finally see why the gods led me here, and I’m done pushing against this fate that the Nornir have woven for me. I’m done with living a lie. My only question is... do you feel the same?”

The Wolf-Kissed let his hand drop from the door and focused completely on the man in front of him, peering fondly into his eyes.

“Of course I do. You’ve always been there for me ever since you first arrived at Bjornheimr. The circumstances under which we had to meet will forever leave a scar on this clan, but I can say for certain that our encounter was a blessing.” Eivor beamed brightly at the prince, holding his cheek in his palm. “I love you too, Sigurd. And nothing will ever change that.”

Sigurd’s expression radiated with a vibrant joy upon hearing that, and he pulled Eivor even closer to him, gently pushing him against the wall. He pecked a small kiss on the younger man’s neck and held him securely by the waist, allowing himself to forget about his troubles for just a brief moment.

“Then let us cast away the burdens of our struggles for tonight, and cherish our final hours of peace together. The stability of this war is precarious enough as it is. If anything happens to us, I don’t want to leave this world with regrets. Freya gave you to me as a gift the day we met, and I don’t intend to waste it.”

Eivor closed his eyes in bliss and linked his arms around Sigurd, caressing him in his embrace. The prince’s touch soothed his skin like ice on a fresh burn, and for the first time in a while, he was able to let his mind roam free from its continuous torment. The bond they shared was something that provided Eivor with a tranquility unlike anything else, and he silently begged the gods to keep his lover safe.

“From here to Valhalla,” Eivor whispered warmly, “I’ll always be at your side, Sigurd.”

[evakuality]

Hanna, episode 7

1.  It’s really interesting what they’re doing with Amira this whole season.  It’s setting up to a whole lot of the stuff that happens in the later seasons really well.  She suffers so many microaggressions all the time, and even here - she makes a joke about costumes parties and they all just swallow it.  It’s a really vivid recognition all the way through of exactly how much Amira deals with on a daily basis.  Considering we all know where this is leading, it’s difficult to watch, but also it’s good that they do this.  

2.  But oh yikes, this whole bunch of rumours swirling about Sam ‘making out’ with someone at the party is really well done.  It’s pretty obvious that no-one genuinely knows - the only people who know what happened are Hanna and Sam (and ‘making out’ isn’t exactly how I’d describe it) so the rumours are all based on a love of gossip.  Who knows how they started, but it’s obvious just how guilty Hanna feels.  How awkward for her to be hearing this!  Then her very very obvious ‘I have a boyfriend so it wasn't me!!’ move (very similar to Matteo’s in s3 in the discussion about homosexuality with Amira, which is illuminating - they both want to try to ‘prove’ something with these moves).  Also, Kiki and her thing about Alex - it’s terrible how invested she is when it’s obvious that he’s being an asshole.  The excuses she makes for him unfortunately ring true - this is exactly how people try to convince themselves of this sort of stuff.  In reality it’s a shame the girls aren’t more forceful - they clearly want to say Kiki is being an idiot, but after Amira got shut down last time, it seems none of them is keen to be more explicit.  

3.  Ohhh poor Hanna.  This thing has been eating at her and she had to tell someone about it.  But choosing Matteo was NOT a good idea.  I mean, we all know this is going badly (Snakesak is such an iconic take on the season that even if you forgot everything else, you’d remember that), but even without that, Matteo feels a bit more... I don’t know.  Shifty?  Somehow?  There’s something really calculating in the way he examines her.  Like, even without knowing what’s coming, there’s clearly something goin on in his head.  With Isak it came out of the blue; he was set up much more supportive/innocent because they wanted the shock value when the reveal happened.  But with Matteo there’s something different. I guess at least partly because most people watching would already know what’s coming so hiding it is less imperative.  Hanna sees him as a friend and the only one she can tell, but it’s such a weird choice anyway (as it was in the original).  He’s Jonas’s best friend.  Like he says, why tell him?  Even if he wasn’t a little snake, this is putting him in a really difficult place.  Effectively this makes him choose between his best friend (who he’s kind of in love with even if she doesn’t know that) and his friend.  Him choosing to let Jonas know wouldn’t be all that strange and it’s a big risk to take before she knows he sits in the ‘don’t tell’ camp.  I am also baffled that they did this with other people in earshot.  It could totally get out, even if this girl agrees she should keep quiet.

4.  I really like this adaptation of the ‘claim’ Alex makes into ‘he told me I have a cute stomach’ instead of the hoodie thing in the original (though that works very well too).  This way it’s much less overt and also it really plays into Kiki’s fears about her looks.  We’ve seen small hints of her eating issues already, so this just adds to the weight of that.  Specifically targeting a body part that girls can be sensitive about is clever - at first it can seem sweet, like he’s being so nice about something vulnerable, but then you can see he’s being very deliberate with that impression and it really hammers home the insecurities Kiki is already harbouring.  

5.  It’s a fascinating dynamic between all the girls in the argument about how Kiki should deal with Alex.  I’m with Sam and Amira - stay above it and move on (tbh, Kiki should never have gone there in the first place, but she did so this is her current best option).  But the fact that Mia is so strongly in favour of telling him he’s a dick is swaying Kiki.  Of course, Mia is a strong person and from her it probably would feel empowered.  But Kiki is, and always has been, far more innocent and vulnerable and sensitive.  It doesn’t feel like (even without knowing where this goes) that this will go well for Kiki, and the fact that Mia doesn’t get that says a lot about her.  I like this; it’s nice to see her not being quite right here - it sets her up for some growth as we move on.  And super yikes when he tells Kiki to take a breath and she does.  This, the importance she places on him, is exactly why this was a terrible idea, and why Mia’s encouragement was wrong.  It’s easy for her - she’s not invested, and her failure to recognise the difference between her and Kiki is really important.  And Alex is SUCH an asshole that this scene is so hard to watch.  Kiki’s acting is superb in all these scenes and it’s so damn hard to watch her take in ‘you’re not worth it’ but as with the original, Mia’s ‘take down’ doesn’t land for me, probably because while Alex’s acting is far superior to William’s, there’s still a fundamental lack of caring about what she’s said.  It doesn’t feel like saving face, but more a genuine lack of care.  And this is why I really dislike this ‘William’ character; he doesn’t seem to care.  I have said before that I’ve never watched Mia’s season because I cannot stand William in the original.  So if I do watch I’ll be interested to see if they can make me like him better.  So far, they’re not succeeding.  

6.  And just like that, we’re back to the soft, dreamy colours and shots of the start of the season.  But there’s a harsher light coming in to some of the shots. particularly with Jonas and so it’s not comfortable.  This is something on a precipice.  The kissing is back and they’re reconnecting on that level, and it’s working again.  The darkness is gone, but things are hovering still - that Sam stuff on her phone with Jonas in the background, slightly blurred but very overlit, adds to the sense of unease.  You can feel something coming, even if it’s not obvious what that is.  

7.  Man this fight is so funny.  I know I shouldn’t say that, and it’s a very serious moment for Hanna, but the slo-mo and the faces they make!  And Amira’s moves!  Kiki, full-on legs wrapped around this girl as they both collapse to the ground!  Priceless.  I do like the way the sound gradually fades out as Hanna’s realisation of what’s happening sets in.  That’s really well done.  

8.  What a change from the earlier moment when Hanna woke with Jonas and they had their sweet little moment.  Now we’re fairly tight in on her face as she keeps trying to get hold of him.  It sucks a lot, and you can sense the anxiety and worry she’s feeling.  Also, I do understand why she feels the way she does about all this, and why she leans on Matteo.  Unlike earlier, here it makes sense for her to rely on Jonas’s best friend.  He’s the one who has the best line in to Jonas when he’s staying so distant from Hanna.  But wow his advice is truly shitty.  On the surface it seems sensible, both times.  Nah don’t tell him; it’ll only hurt him.  Nah leave him be; he needs time and space.  But in both instances it’s the complete opposite of how she should be acting.  And in both cases, Matteo knows Jonas, he knows what he’s like and how he’ll act.  This is so calculated.  And he’s still in a space where he has little to lose.  He feels like he can still ride the ‘hey I had their best interests at heart’ line and get out of it.  I always felt like Isak was more opportunistic in his lying; saying and doing things in the moment.  Whereas this really does feel like Matteo has thought it through more - that’s some difference in the way the two characters are presented and acted.  But I like that it’s different, and his little hint of a smaile when she collapses on him - Isak seemed a lot more genuinely wrapped up in Eva and his face seemed more overwhelmed.  But Matteo really seems to know what he’s doing.  Also - sound mixing in this scene: top notch.  I love that you can hear every swallow, every breath, every step, movement etc.  It really heightens the tension right up til she gets Jonas’s ‘don’t call me’ text.

9.  I said it before and I’ll say it again, Leonie’s savage pleasure in Hanna’s troubles is a real reflection on her - and not a good one.  I really do get that she’s hurt, but this is vicious and she’s being awful!  And Kiki - ugh, just be quiet child.  Calling other girls sluts is pretty shitty.  

10.  I really like that Eva’s mother morphs into Hanna’s father.  There’s a difference in this dynamic that builds on that difference.  Eva and her mother seem closer, even while her mother isn’t around much.  Hanna’s father just feels more absent emotionally, so these moments where he tries to be a dad fail because of that.  It’s obvious that he cares for her and that he’s trying, but equally obvious that he just doesn’t know what she needs or how to approach her.  Not that Eva’s mother was much better, but it was still a different sort of distance.

anyway, this is suuuuper long because so much happened in this episode.  It’s packed with a lot of stuff and while some stuff is starting to resolve, there’s so much that’s hanging over their heads still.  I like this one a lot, but I think it could have done with a little bit of breathing room.  Maybe that one episode where it felt like things were waiting to happen could have picked up some of this heavy lifting.  But either way, this one has a lot going for it and really does set us up for what’s coming in the next few.

[justawritingblob]

JD being possessive over a s/o? just in general

“I worship you” your boyfriend mumbled into your hair. He was holding you from behind, his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you close to him and holding you there. It was warm, but it wasn’t uncomfortable, and you could feel his heartbeat against your back. It was soothing. Your arms were free, but the only thing within reaching distance was the book you’d been reading before J.D. decided to come over for a surprise visit. You opened it up and scanned the pages, it didn’t end up interesting you much though. “You should read to me.” So you did. It was a suspense novel, one you’d found at a nearby bookstore. You were about halfway through, but since you had an audience you decided it’d be best to start from the beginning. You kept stumbling over your words, but he didn’t say anything. It was a soft moment, and it was special. It was something that you didn’t really want to ever end, it was something that reminded you why you loved him so much. 

It was ruined too quickly. Your mom knocked on your door to let you know some of your friends had come over, they wanted to see if you’d like to go hang out with them. The growl J.D. let out when your mom mentioned you leaving let you know that you weren’t going out tonight. “Will you please let me up so I can go tell them I’m not going?” another growl, and he pulled you to him tighter. “Please baby?” you ask softly. He doesn’t budge. You give him a couple more seconds before admitting defeat and calling out to your mom, asking her to tell your friends you weren’t interested. However, before you can finish three of your friends barge into your room. They all have exaggerated reactions to finding you and your boyfriend spooning, and you try to sit up in response; to your relief the grip on you loosens and you’re allowed to sit up. However J.D. also sits up and simply pulls you onto his lap. One of your friends makes a face at the display, and you question for a moment whether J.D. smiled smugly at them in response, or whether he glared at them. Judging from their reaction, he glared. “Come on (y/n)! It’s been forever, we’re all free tonight, let go!” “Yeah! The roller rink has our names written all over it” your friends insist. You shrug helplessly before looking up at your boyfriend, who’s iron grip on you gives no sign of letting up. “I’m really sorry guys, but I already told J.D. I’d spend the night with him.” you’d only agreed to it half an hour before realizing your friends also wanted to go out, but you stood by what you agreed to. “You spend every night with him!” one of your friends argued. You could feel J.D.’s body tense beneath you, but he still didn’t say anything. “You can even bring him with!” Your third friend adds, however the other two don’t even try to hide their displeasure with the idea. That was apparently too much for your boyfriend. “They’re not going with you. Go away.” there was a threat lacing everything he said, but apparently you were the only one who caught on. “They don’t fucking belong to you! You’re with them all the time, they’re allowed to spend time with other people. They’re allowed to spend time without you!” You’re heart rate starts to pick up and you know that nothing good is going to come from this. “Guys seriously, I already agreed to hanging out with him we can organize something la-” you’re cut off by a hand covering your mouth. “They don’t belong to me?” J.D. says it slowly, like he’s thinking over every word. “Dude you’re being really creepy, and I think you should let go-” “Shut the fuck up.” He cuts him off, then takes his hand away from your mouth “What do you think baby?” he asks “Do you belong to me?” You gulp. You can’t look at your boyfriend, but you can see all of your friends staring at you with concern. Your face is burning red, and you know that there’s very clearly a right and a wrong answer. Honestly beyond that you know there’s a true answer and a lie. You look at the ground in shame before mumbling out a quiet “yes.” But that wasn’t good enough for him, of course it wasn’t. “Louder.” he demands. You can’t make yourself look at anyones faces “Yes.” You say again, louder, clearer, “Good.” he say, and he sounds like he means it. He gives you a kiss on the top of your head and you know he’s giving all of your friends the smuggest of looks. “(Y/n)...” they trail off before they can say anything, they aren’t really sure what to say to this. After a moment of silence, with you just staring at the floor; your hair is pulled suddenly leaving your neck exposed. You felt him bite in the middle of your neck, it’s hard and you’re sure he broke skin. It hurts, but he also makes you feel so nice, Your eyes water from the feeling, but when one of your friends makes a shocked noise and you make eye contact with them again the tears quickly turn to shame. But still you don’t say anything. When J.D. finishes he kisses you before addressing your friends. “They belong to me, I know it, they know it, and now you know it. If you have any problems you could at least have the decency to not bring them up on our date night.” he says it all like this is completely normal, like there’s no room for argument. And honestly there really isn’t. You look at your friends one last time, and see the confusion, and you can’t really blame them. They don’t say anything else, but you can hear them walk out. You’re still crying, but you’re glad to be alone again. They left the door open, and you can’t help but cry harder while staring into the empty hallway. “You did so good for me baby. You’re always so good for me” J.D. praised. He left kisses along your neck in between words. “Can I close the door?” you ask finally He doesn’t say anything and you can feel the tears starting to spill more freely. “Please?” you finally add weakly. This is apparently pathetic enough to appeal to his sympathies, and lets go of you. You stand up and walk to the door, and once you get there you think for a second. You think about how you could run, how you could see if your friends were still there, you could beg them to help you and tell you that this isn’t your fault. You were sure your parents were gone on their own date night by now, but maybe your neighbors would be helpful here. You think for too long, because as you pull the door closed, you’re pulled into a hug. “You can’t leave me.” he says, you just nod. “You really do belong to me. You’re mine.” you nod again. “If they try and take you away from me again I’ll kill them.” you don’t react at first, but when he finally starts guiding you back to the bed you nod again. You don’t look at his face, but you’re sure he’s smiling. “I really do love you, you know?” you nod again before turning to kiss him gently.

[ill-be-istj-if-no-one-else-is]

More on Si irritation with Ni: I want to see if I’m following. (I deal with lots of Si users so I figure I should learn better how to relate to them). It sounds like Ni users leave you thinking, “Okay, that’s nice,” or irritated and resistant when the Ni starts to push their perspective onto you. It seems like the main issue is you can’t see what they see nor does their articulation of it to you lead to you seeing it, with the irritation coming in when they try to push their views onto you.

2/Here’s maybe a pair of useful examples. Sun Tzu, “Art of War,” is full of maxims presented as definitive truth, with almost no concrete examples. Chapter X, “Terrain,” “We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) entangling ground; (3) temporizing ground; (4) narrow passes; (5) precipitous heights; (6) positions at a great distance from the enemy. Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called accessible. With regard to ground of this nature, be

3/ before the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your line of supplies. Then you will be able to fight with advantage. Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling.” Etc. Why does Sun Tzu think this exactly? He says, “These six are the principles connected with Earth.” What set of facts led to the belief that these are true statements? We don’t know. An Si account would contain a historical example that led to the conclusion

4/ Contrast people thought to be Ne-dominant Si users like Che Guevara’s “Guerilla Warfare.” Che says there are “general laws that hold for all fighting of this type,” but almost all of his discussion is contextual and about what worked in his own experience. In writing a section on “Warfare on Favorable Ground,” which sounds like it’s going to contain a general discussion about terrain like Sun Tzu’s, Che wrote, “The arms preferable for this type of warfare are long-range weapons requiring 5/ ground, affording a greater margin of security for the weapon and its personnel, but they ought always to be a means of repelling an enemy and not for attack. . . 10 to 15 single-shot rifles and about 10 automatic arms between Garands and hand machine guns, including light and easily portable automatic arms, such as the Browning" Isn't this discussion wildly specific for a chapter that is supposed to be about a general topic? But the detail is there to follow the conclusion.

--------------------------------------

I should state: am not mad. I honestly think this is absolutely hilarious, and without even reading the excerpts from military theory here I can tell you right away that if you are a high Ni user and you think the high Si users around you are irritated...you are probably correct, because I'm pretty sure you just took five entire paragraphs and two wholly gratuitous references to say "So it sounds like Si wants historical perspective for things [note: not universally true] as well as detail [true], and Ni users may not [also true].

Anyway if you're irritating to Si users, they're not mad at you because you're an Ni user, they're annoyed because you could probably say what you just said here in a small fraction the time and it would be infinitely more effective. Honestly if you are like this all the time in person...look, I mean this gently, and again, because this is over text and I'm voluntarily responding I am not at all annoyed, but anyway if you're like this in person, probably more than just the high Si users are annoyed. If you are looking for advice, I would advise getting to the point and also saving the pretense for when you want to intimidate people.

(I would add: I actually completely disagree with the Sun Tzu example as being about Ni or Si and would be more of a Ti vs. Te example with Sun Tzu being more accessible to Te; it's been a while since I read The Art of War but it's fairly strategic, and the desire to need an entire detailed explanation of everything is more of a Ti impulse than Si. Meanwhile, Guerilla Warfare is written by someone you've said is a high Ne user but you're using it as evidence for high Si, which, no offense, a rookie mistake and why so many people are so bad at understanding Si, because descriptions of Si are often based on people with Si in the tert or inferior positions.

All that aside I just think your argument is mostly unmoored from context, which is to say The Art of War was written in ancient China and Guerilla Warfare was written in 1960s Cuba. Those are wildly different cultures, and a lot of the differences and stylistic choices need to be understood with that in mind; I'm not sure if you're just using them as analogies for MBTI functions or if you think the authors have Ni and (low) Si respectively but either way I don't think they're good examples in the first place.)

[plus-size-reader]

Betrayal

Loki Laufeyson x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1836 words

Warnings: This one hurts my feelings 

Summary: Dealing with Loki's imprisonment alongside Thor, along with some more troubling news. 

———————————————————————————————————

The news of Loki’s sentencing wasn’t a surprise to anyone.

After the events of New York, he would have to face some sort of consequences but that didn’t make it any easier to stomach.

All your life, it had been the three of you. It was always you, and Loki, and Thor. Neither you nor the latter would be the same without him by your side. You felt as though you had lost half of yourself in losing him-but that wasn’t even the worst part.

As Odin passed the sentence upon Loki, which would ultimately keep him locked in a cell for the rest of his life, he also decided to inform you that Thor would become the king of Asgard-

And you would be his queen. 

You should have been thrilled, as talk of your betrothal to one of Odin’s sons wasn’t new but it just didn’t seem right. You always thought that your marriage would be a joyous event, but without Loki-you weren’t sure if that was true. 

Something would be missing. 

Frigga informed you in passing that Loki was on his way to the throne room for his ‘unofficial’ sentencing. You smiled, grateful to her for letting you know, as Odin had ordered you and Thor to stay away. 

Seeing you would only add to Loki’s fire, and no one wanted to deal with that. 

Still, you couldn’t possibly stay away. You hadn’t seen Loki in what seemed like years and you wanted to make sure that he was alright. As far as you knew, your favorite trouble maker had completely lost his mind. 

You did your best to remain hidden in the corner of the room when they brought him in so you didn’t have the best view. However, even from what you could see, your heart was shattered. 

Loki wasn’t in shambles or broken as you may have thought, but instead was just as dismissive and argumentative as ever. 

That wasn’t a good sign. 

Odin didn’t need any more reasons to keep him locked up for the rest of his days. 

“You should have seen him Thor, he just kept smirking as if it would all be fine” you rambled, throwing yourself dramatically down against the bed sheets. 

Thor had just finished bathing, and was still getting himself presentable but that didn’t stop you from bursting in, clearly in distress. 

Seeing Loki wasn’t a good idea, and that was becoming more and more obvious as you spoke. Perhaps Odin’s plan to keep you away from him wasn’t as wrong as you originally thought. 

“How can we plan a marriage while our oldest friend, your brother, is rotting in a cell?” you huffed, muffling your grumbles and groans in one of the pillows from his bed. 

The guilt was killing you. 

“It is our duty to Asgard, Y/N, I don’t like it either” he shrugged, ringing the water out of the rag he’d had in a waiting basin. 

It just wasn’t right.

To think that there was a time, as a child, when you thought Loki would be the one standing beside you on your wedding day. Now, he wouldn’t even be in attendance at all. 

...Unless you counted being underneath the ceremony in a dingy basement. 

“We can’t do it. We’ll tell Odin, there is no wedding if Loki is still locked away” you proposed, sitting up with a new zest at your scheme. If the all father wanted to make Thor king of Asgard, he’d have to agree to your terms. 

It may not have been the brightest plan, but it was better than lying down and taking this. 

It just wasn’t right. 

“You know that wouldn’t work, father has never been one for negotiations” he smiled, clearly touched by your attempt, though it would never work. Odin ruled the world his way, and didn’t like to be told what to do. 

Nothing would change that, especially not a pouting bride-to-be. 

“But there has to be something we can do” you huffed, standing to close the space between you and Thor, until you could lean against his bare chest. 

Your skin was hot with all the fretting you had been doing but Thor didn’t comment on it. Instead, he just brushed the hair from your face and let you calm yourself down. 

You had always been prone to fits like this…especially when you thought that something wrong was going to happen. 

“If you and I are to be the king and queen, shouldn’t it be our choice where Loki goes?” you whispered, your words muffled into his flesh, though he could still make it out. 

-Just barely. 

“Perhaps after I become King, but for now, we simply have to do as father orders”  now it was his turn to sigh, upset that he couldn’t do anything to make this easier on you. 

He could hardly imagine how you were feeling about this whole thing. 

Still, as it stood in this moment, there was nothing he could do to make it right. 

“There’s a bigger problem as it stands” he started, stepping back from you ever so slightly to get a better view down at you. There was a tightness in his jaw that told you he was worrying about something...but you didn’t know what. You could only imagine what could possibly be worse than what you were dealing with right now. 

Thor waited to see if you would respond for a second before taking your silence as his prompt to continue. He didn’t really want to bring this up right now, but it had to happen. 

Someone had to tell Loki that the two of you would be married. 

It would be worse if he found out after the fact. 

“Do you want to tell Loki about the wedding, or shall I?” his voice was slight, almost comically so as he turned away from you. He wasn’t sure how you would react, but he thought it best to be prepared for anything. 

His words stopped you in your tracks.

Perhaps if they hadn’t been so jarring, you would have hit him or scolded the man in front of you for even mentioning it. You certainly wouldn’t just be standing there with your mouth open but you couldn’t help it. 

It was just all too real. 

“He’s going to be crushed Thor, you know that” it broke your heart to even think about. It practically killed you but deep down-you knew that Thor was right. 

There was no telling how angry Loki would be if he found out you were married after it already happened. 

...Now it was Thor’s turn to be silent. 

You had a point. 

“I’ll tell him” you decided, turning to leave the room without a second thought. You knew that if you stopped to think about for even a moment, you would turn around and never go. 

It had to be now...before you lost your edge. 

~ 

That edge melted away as soon as you made it down the dungeon stairs and saw him there. 

He was just sitting against the ledge, reading whatever novel Frigga had brought him. It was almost as if the idea of being locked away, likely for the rest of his life, didn’t phase him. 

Only Loki could act in such a way. 

As soon as you saw him, your blood ran cold and you thought about turning around and never coming back down but before you could make a move, he called out to you. 

“Visiting so soon?” he hummed, an obvious humor dripping from his words as they met your ears. 

He really didn’t care that he was here...or at least, he was doing an excellent job of acting like he didn’t. 

“You caught me” you allowed, finally making your way over to his cell, with just enough space between you to remind you of the circumstances. This was quite possibly the first time in your life that you couldn’t hug him. 

It made you sick. 

“It’s nicely furnished” you commented, trying to ignore the pit in your stomach as you looked around his holding cell. You were trying to keep your mind off of the news that plagued your head but Loki knew you too well for that. 

You should have assumed. 

“What’s wrong with you? I can feel the anxiety radiating off of you” he asked, ignoring your comment. He didn’t care at all for pathetic small-talk, not after all this time. 

You two knew each other too well to need that useless filler. 

“I come bearing news”  you shrugged, speaking more to the ground than your friend. You could hardly look him in his face, not knowing what you would find in those sparkling eyes. 

You couldn’t handle betraying him, after everything else that had happened. 

“Out with it, Y/N” he huffed, dropping his book now to give you his full attention. Usually, he assumed you were being dramatic for the sake of it but that wasn’t the case now. 

Something was wrong. 

You weren’t acting like yourself. 

“What is wrong with you?” he repeated, softer this time with worry written all over his face when you didn’t answer. He only ever acted like this with you, only when you two were alone but now that only made you feel guilty. 

You felt like everything was crumbling through your fingers. 

“Odin has informed us that Thor and I are to be married” you spit, instantly bringing your hand up to cover your mouth, finding it hard to believe that those words had dared to slip out. 

There was no taking it back now.

Worse than the betrayal of your tongue though was the silence that followed your confession. Loki had nothing to say, and there weren’t words. Nothing he could say would make a difference. 

Clearly, once Odin had made up his mind, there was nothing that could be done to change it. 

However, there was one thing that he couldn’t help but wonder. 

“Do you love him?” 

The simple sentence burned through the air, stealing the very breath from your lungs. It wasn’t fair of him to ask, and you both knew it, “Why would you ask me that? As if love would matter” you scoffed, standing from your kneeling position to put some space between you.

You felt like you were being strangled, but you knew that you weren’t really upset with him. 

You just didn’t want to think about what he was asking of you. 

“Y/N-do you love him?” he wondered, standing to match your height, those eyes burning into you, even with the distance between your bodies. 

You took a deep breath, “We both know that I don’t”  and before you could regret anything further, you took off toward the stairs, your gown fluttering around your ankles as you ran away from him. 

Loki had always made you feel this way, but you two had simply waited too long to admit it to one another. 

...Now, you would just have to deal with the consequences, for the rest of your immortal lives.

[plantwalkingamongstmeremortals]

Hi :) for the ask challenge : 1, 4, 7, 11, 15, 21

Obviously you don't have to answer all of them unless you want to :)

1. How long do you hc the travel time between Divinity’s Reach and Lion’s Arch?

I am VERY BAD at time and distances to be honest, something like a couple weeks by foot sounds like a decent distance between two major cities (esp considering how much of kryta is western europe and that doesnt seem completely incompatible with real life western europe) but i have a lot of trouble picturing how much that is, and tbh i'd need to add hundreds of villages and quite a few minor towns in between anyway to get something that feels like RealityTM.

Funny answer is the game is 100% of the reality of tyria. You CAN do the one-hour walk between LA and DR. the whole world is smaller than france. Not what i believe but really funny to think about.

4. How much smarter than everyone else are Asura actually? Is it all just hubris and in the end they just have a better education system?

YES IT'S JUST HUBRIS. The "some species just are Better at x" fantasy trope definitely is rooted in real life racism and i hate it so i really believe that all differences are cultural (because the implications otherwise feel kinda gross). And considering how high and mighty they are about it, them not sharing the education and science cuz "nah you humans/sylvari/charr/norn definitely are too stupid to understand" makes sense, but hopefully with everything that's been happening, asura seeing others make super cool tech and stuff, they'll realize that everyone will profit if they share their knowledge on a deeper level >:3

7. How does an average Sylvari’s average day look like?

im bad at average help. more seriously they don't feel like they have a structured work day like we do (and i assume most other races do too bc that's the vibe they give. gotta work in the fields or make tech or idk what). Maybe the Socialist Utopia where they come give a hand at the Necessary Jobs for a bit (just thinking about how the dream might mean everyone Knows how most of those work?) and then just chill out doing the hobby they feel called to. Overall i think they have a lot of ~empathy~ and respect of other individuals' liberties so theres not much being forced on others and people can just vibe however they want without having to stress about paying rent or shit like that.

11. Are magic abilities learned or are people born with them? A combination of both?

Mostly learned i think! There might be some biological stuff that might help somehow, like how some people learn how to draw way faster than others, and some others struggle A LOT but if the world has magic, i'd let anyone learn to channel it! And I think the way gw1 works might support it, with all the profession trainers who teach us skills..... The captured elites might be some form of "i saw magic used this way, so i am learning from seeing my magic used against me"? I really feel like i'm making shit up on the spot im sorry but also what did u expect from this idiot /lh

15. A headcanon about a minor race, like Quaggan or Dredge.

theyre all perfect. thats it. (more seriously i don't have that many thoughts about any of them i just think we should Learn More). Oh and considering the prev question: yes a necromancer quaggan is a posibility. Baby quaggan walk, followed by corpses, i love ♥

21. Mallyck. Other Trees. Mordremoth’s blighting trees… Are the Sylvari not unique?

hhhh so i was a bit no when i saw the question at first but ive been Thinking so. LETS RECAP THE DATA WE HAVE.

Apparently a dev confirmed malyck did Not Come from a blighting tree during a live or on reddit or whatever i can't check ever gw2wiki source okay, which confirms that whatever the most complicated answer to the question i come up with is most likely true.

The wiki says the seed for the pale tree was a blighting tree seed stolen by Ronan but the source seems to be an artbook i don't have so idk if it's the wiki people extrapolating because i can't check. so first let's assume it's the case: NOTHING is stopping anyone else from having stolen a seed too and planted a tree and theyre all kind of cousins (sylvari/mordrem/other tree ppl) which is very cute and that feels like the most canon-compliant explanation of malyck bUT it's not fucked up enough to my taste so i'm gonna say (for the sake of argument at least idk which option is alex-canon yet) the pale tree came from just something else. Ronan and Ventari planted a lil gay tree and some sleeping mordremoth magic made it Alive (because we need plant dragon connection anyway (we couuld fuck that up but that sounds like too much work for now)) but there were too many good gay vibes so the tree ended up making overall nice and very gay plants. WHICH MEANS. there's nothing preventing sleeping mordremoth power to just vibe with trees that are supposed to be significant in other ways and awaken them to make lil plant beings.

Downside to all this is why haven't we seen them in HoT, BUT maybe they were too far away. Maybe a chaotic neutral quaggan planted a cactus in elona and mordremoth made choya because of that. Idk man.

[holyangemon]

Episode 22 - The Saddest Episode of Adventure? (Not Clickbait)

Oh boy is there so much to unpack in episode 22. This episode is a lot. If you’d like to witness someone scream about just how much of a lot episode 22 is, then welcome. I have some screaming to do. 

(this is literally just a recap of the entire episode and I’m pretty terrible at analysis so this probably makes no sense but hey, I have spirit)

I don’t even know where to start there’s just so much going on here. Okay, from the beginning. Taichi gets back to the digital world and finds Tokomon passed out from hunger with Takeru’s discarded digivice and crest. Obviously some shit went down, and Tokomon is nice enough to explain.

Through this, we find out that Taichi and Agumon have been missing for at least a month and a half, which is where Tokomon’s flash back explanation starts, and that the kids stayed in the desert looking for Taichi for this month and a half. We see the group arguing over what they should do next. Sora wants to keep looking, Yamato thinks it’s hopeless, Koushiro wants to find Gennai, Mimi wants to go home, and Joe doesn’t actually say what he wants. (In the next episode it’s revealed he went to look for food before being led astray by PicoDevimon, but in the context of this episode he just kind of goes). But anyway, important thing to point out here is:

the saddest images I’ve ever seen in my life. Takeru is sitting off by himself, which may make sense while they’re having big kid talk and he stays warm next to the fire, but he also sleeps by himself while the rest of them are all huddled together. Also to note is that Takeru and Yamato are on the complete opposite ends. Here we can see how disconnected Takeru is from the rest of the kids, including his brother. This’ll be important later, but let’s put a pin in it for now.

Here is where the group falls apart, with Sora heading off on her own first. She lets Tokomon know that her and Piyomon are off to look for Taichi, to try to keep Takeru from crying if she doesn’t tell him.

(A month and a half in this desert, by the way). Koushiro heads off first, followed by Joe, and finally Mimi, leaving the brothers and their Digimon as the only ones left together. Once it’s just them, they finally leave the desert. We also learn that during this time they haven’t encountered any new enemies. Takeru wants to go back into the desert and look for Taichi.

But as we already know, Yamato has given up. You can’t blame him either, how long are they expected to just wait in a desert? Of course, Takeru cries, and Yamato instantly apologizes, and says that Taichi and Agumon are probably doing fine somewhere.

I’m telling you, this is some heavy shit. Yamato agrees, and says they’ll see them again someday. If he really means that, or is just saying that to keep Takeru happy is another matter, and probably something Yamato is conflicted on himself. Regardless, they continue on, and come across an amusement park. Yamato thinks to himself that it looks safe, and they explore the deserted park. And here is where things take a turn.

We see Takeru holding back tears before saying that he’ll be okay, and will wait.

He asks Yamato to come back quickly, as Yamato has decided to go check things out in the infamous swan boat, planning to only be gone for two to three hours. Now, it’s easy to judge Yamato a bit for leaving Takeru alone in the first place, he could have taken Takeru with him, but Yamato needing some time alone to think things over without upsetting Takeru would make sense. I wouldn’t  judge him for that, can relate, but it’s unfortunate how it ultimately turns out. In any case, Takeru insists that Yamato come back quickly, and waves him off with a smile. Once Yamato is out of sight though . . . 

And my heart breaks again. This boy is too good at hiding his feelings when it’s something that deeply hurts him. But that’s a long rant for another day. For now, unfortunately, Yamato does not end up coming back. Takeru waits until nightfall, and refuses to eat, before eventually falling asleep on a bench next to the wharf Yamato set off from.

Please my heart can only shatter so many times. Takeru continues to wait on the wharf, wondering why his brother won’t come back. He said he was just going to take a look around. He said he’d be back soon! 

Takeru reaches his limit and breaks down. But unfortunately, it’s not over yet. A certain bat shaped Digimon decides that this small sweet boy isn’t broken enough yet. He approaches them, pretends to have good intentions, thanks them for being involved in defeating Etemon, and offers to go look for Yamato. No good intentions can be found in PicoDevimon, and he comes back to spout some dirty dirty lies.

“Yamato said that he doesn’t want to see your face anymore. He said that he really, really, really hates you. He doesn’t want to be your brother anymore.”

“Oh, Yamato also said this. He really hates you for being a crybaby.”

This is too much for Takeru, and he runs off in tears.

Tokomon of course tries to tell Takeru that Yamato would never say anything like that. But Takeru is in no state to listen right now.

I’m not even halfway through the episode oh god. Tokomon runs off to confront PicoDevimon about being a lying little bitch, but he of course denies it, since Tokomon has no proof. Tokomon is pissed, and hits PicoDevimon with his baby bubbles. Unfortunately, Takeru chooses this moment to arrive on the scene, and he’s an anti-fight boy.

PicoDevimon sees his chance to cause a rift between the two, and says not to blame Tokomon, he was jealous that him and Takeru had been getting along. Tokomon scoffs at this, causing Takeru to get mad at Tokomon’s attitude, and tells him to apologize to PicoDevimon. Tokomon refuses, they argue, and Tokomon claims that he’ll leave if Takeru keeps trying to force him to apologize. So, Takeru tells him to go ahead and leave.

Tokomon gives Takeru the chance to change his mind, but Takeru is hurt, extremely hurt, and is taking it out on Tokomon.

And this is where the flashback ends, and we’re back to Taichi. Taichi is worried about Yamato, he knows that Yamato would never willingly abandon his little brother, but finding Takeru comes first. Meanwhile, Takeru is spending a very depressing time in the amusement park with PicoDevimon. PicoDevimon is trying to get Takeru to forget about Tokomon using the rides, but it’s not working out for him.

Yeah, Takeru’s not in the mood for fun. PicoDevimon asks if Takeru is worried about Tokomon. At first, Takeru says who cares, but follows it up with wondering if Tokomon is okay by himself . . . . but he really doesn’t care about him at all. PicoDevimon sees through the tsundere act, knows he needs a new plan, and heads off to regroup, leaving Takeru alone.

He deals with this by sleeping (relatable), and this is where Taichi finds him. The first thing Takeru says to Taichi is “Taichi! You’re alive!” and it’s just really heartbreaking that these kids had to seriously consider the fact that Taichi could be dead. They don’t dwell on it much in the show, but it’s pretty dang dark.

A rare non-Yamato related hug from Takeru. Taichi apologizes for making Takeru worried. Takeru notices that Tokomon is back, and ruins the happy mood by asking Tokomon if he realizes he was wrong now. Tokomon angrily replies that he did nothing wrong, which is true. And the arguing starts again. 

They really are kids. Imagine Angemon having this argument. This time, Taichi is here to break it up and tells them this isn’t the time to fight since they should go look for Yamato and other others. But Takeru doesn’t want to. Everyone left him. First Sora.

Can you here those screams in the distance? That’s me. Takeru has taken PicoDevimon’s words about how Yamato, and has applied them to everyone else too. Why?

Because he had already had those types of thoughts himself. PicoDevimon was voicing his worst suspicions. Whether they did it intentionally or not, we can clearly see that there was some excluding of Takeru going on. We don’t get to see what happens during this month and a half, so unfortunately the why is unknown. Maybe because their conversations are more serious in general and they don’t want to deal with Takeru crying. If he was crying often, maybe some resentment/annoyance was growing. Or maybe Takeru himself was distancing himself. However it happened, negative feelings were brewing, and being a kid sensitive to separation, everyone leaving would enhance those negative thoughts. PicoDevimon’s lie has grown from Yamato hates me, to everyone hates me. And that makes my heart hurt.

Taichi tries to counter this by saying that there was no way Yamato could ever hate him (which is true, but mention the others too Taichi!). And here’s where Takeru says something veeery interesting.

(episode 3, directed at Taichi)

It’s like they say, kids are more perceptive that they’re given credit for. Takeru isn’t exactly wrong about this, but he goes a bit overboard, and connects it with Yamato being against searching for Taichi when Takeru wanted to, and then adds an extra reason for why Yamato hates him.

Taichi is not equipped to deal with this. Takeru’s thoughts are really spiraling at this point, all centered around how everyone hates him and why. Let’s not consider him potentially thinking that his dad and brother left because they hate him. It’s a good thing Yamato isn’t here to see this, because Takeru claims he wants to be Taichi’s little brother instead.

That’s an understatement, Taichi. Taichi is currently the only person Takeru has who he doesn’t think hates him, so of course he’s going to latch onto him. Taichi is essentially the fun friend and Yamato is the strict brother. It doesn’t help that since the brothers don’t get to spend a lot of time together, there’s some awkwardness in their relationship, mostly from Yamato. There’s some awkwardness from Yamato just in general. He completely adores Takeru, but isn’t always great at showing that in ways Takeru can understand.

We don’t get to see the in-between of this conversation, but Taichi is able to calm Takeru down and coax him into agreeing to at least hearing what Yamato has to say in person. Things are going well, but of course liar mc-lying bat shows back up with a bunch of memory erasing mushrooms. Like he hasn’t caused enough damage. PicoDevimon tries to start an argument with Tokomon, but Agumon interrupts to ask about Yamato. PicoDevimon doubles down on his claims, because he sucks, and Taichi asks to be taken to where Yamato is.

PicoDevimon agrees, but offers them some of his sketchy mushrooms to eat before they head off. He’s just the worst. Everyone is hungry, apparently hungry enough for some sketch mushrooms, but Agumon needs a convenient bathroom break where a mysterious voice that sounds a lot like Sora warns him that the mushrooms erase memories. So convenient!

Thank god Takeru tried to eat the mushroom whole without biting into it. Phew. When Agumon reveals with the mushrooms do, Takeru finally gets suspicious. (Why no one is suspicious about PicoDevimon from his name alone I’ll never know. Shouldn’t the whole Devimon part set off some alarm bells?)

Panicked and with his cover blown, PicoDevimon admits to everything being a lie.

It sure is buddy. Takeru apologizes to Tokomon right away for treating him so horribly, but of course Tokomon tells him not to worry about it and isn’t angry at all. It’s like Takeru said in episode 12, fighting between friends is okay, because you’ll make up soon. But fighting between adults . . . 

With the partners friends again, Taichi gives Takeru his digivice and crest back. Thanks to the reveal with PicoDevimon was lying, Takeru has restored some hope that maybe everyone doesn’t hate him after all.

This is enough for the Crest of Hope to regain its light (what a tease considering it won’t be properly activated for 30 more episodes). And here we see a first for Takeru. He actually wants to fight.

This is the same boy who initially wanted to try to talk it out with Devimon first, so this is a big shift for him. PicoDevimon 100% deserves it, but it’s sad to see how he’s losing his innocence. But it means the return of Patamon! Hurray! Making his battle debut, since this marks the first time Patamon is in a proper battle on his own (the Elecmon battle was half a fight that turned into tug of war).

. . . it could be better. Patamon really gets slammed all over the place. It’s surprisingly violent. But with Takeru cheering him on, Patamon is able to ultimately win (unfortunately PicoDevimon doesn’t die, we’re stuck with this asshole for awhile). 

Takeru once again apologizes for what’s happened, but Patamon is a pure precious bean so everything’s okay.

Takeru also says he needs to apologize to Yamato later too, though if Yamato knew the full details of what happened here he’d freak as much as I have. The episode ends with Taichi explaining that the distortions in the Digital World are affecting the real world, and that they’ll need everyone’s strengths to fix it before they can go home.

And with that weight on Takeru’s shoulders, the episode finally ends.

Phew, that’s a rough one. There are so many insights into Takeru’s character here, but I don’t want to get too much into all that until the rewatch is finished and I can look at the whole package. 

Does anyone else internally scream when they think about this episode? Or am I just losing my mind? Let me know.

[starlightshore]

i accidentally wrote this essay about post pacifist undertale

ok i did this and it’s incoherent. i literally keep thinking about this i can’t make sense of this please mr.fox give us the forbidden undertale lore in the comics i beg of you

anyway i’ve seen arguments for and against the idea that UT takes place 100 years after 201x. Some say its more likely to be a few years but that sounds hard to swallow, especially since it being a long time for toriel being stuck in the ruins is essential to her character. it’s asgore and toriel’s immortality and tragedy of being stuck in a perpetual state of grief and inaction that define them. to have it just be a few years, while, to us mortals that’s a long time, but it doesn't hit the same does it? also, why would gerson who was alive back in the war with knights say it’s been a long time since toriel and asgore have been together. when he’s the only one to remember the story of “fluffybuns.”

the only time we get a character (one, mind you, has a meta-sense of humor) talk about how long toriel’s been in the ruins with a real number is with sans saying a hundred years. and that gives us enough time for humans to fall into the underground but still have most monsters be born and grow up without seeing any.

and you can argue around that, and you can look at different game clues that point to the other interpretation like how chara might(?) know the snowdrake family, or how the dog couple competed against asgore and toriel. and toby is very good at story consistency and world building. it’s a strange detail that the dogs would compete with them, especially when they’re still alive. but i’d argue that they’re clearly really old now. their fur is 100% white and they can’t see. which is like, very common for old dogs. tho that doesn’t say a lot since white dogs are also a thing akdsfjasldf 

and honestly idk how intentional this weird timeline thing even is! because like, at the pacifist ending it’s already established frisk is not chara and if it was the future we could at least get some hint to that? but then again if toby just dropped in a sci-fi world or post-apocalypse setting in the credits that’d be super jarring. but then again its not like! we see much??? we see a cityscape in the distance, an empty highway and a beach, all devoid of humans

like... it doesn’t disprove or prove either.

i guess and the end of the day your decision if the 100 year thing is true or not matters purely on personal preference. i find it hard to add real life politics (not as in, actual figure heads. tho that also just feels super wrong) to undertale’s universe like i don’t know the societal factors of either group. what are their populations, where are they, how much money do they have, what’s their education system and how does human society contrast that and interact with that. i hate to think of monsters coming out to our horrible, capitalistic nightmare of a world built on imperialism and a .001% hierarchy ruling class.

that said, it’s still a big factor in why chara and frisk likely chose to go to the mountain. Humanity is terrible, there’s a lot of floweys out there. that’s the whole point.

regardless though, if their world is modern or not, if it keeps the modern structure of awful systems (and frankly, with climate change this isn’t sustainable for 100 more years) its hard to imagine what UT’s surface world is like with just frisk’s fashion and a few quick glimpses. also, equally hard to think of these goofy monsters interacting with our real world in anyway.

also, as a side note, just who is the ruler post pacifist? because i see asgore is still king but he SHOULDN’T frankly, he’s not a good king as much as i love him as a character he’s not fit to rule. toriel is clearly living her dream of being a teacher but who else would rule fairly? a big part of the neutral endings being “bad” endings are that no one is fit to rule the underground.

on-top of that, how do they handle the whole “yeah our king killed 6 kids but like, ya’ll imprisoned us to die in a mountain 1000 years ago and you killed our prince x years ago so we cool? we good? yeah?”do they... not mention it? do they keep it a secret? cause then that’s conspiracy. humanity will want to know how come monsters were trapped and how they got out. they will demand answers.

this haunts me

and i get half the fun of fandom is coming up with your answers and maybe that’s why it’s left to be interpreted, or maybe it was the end of the game and there wasn’t enough room to explore all these things or there could be future material that covers it like how the first UT anniversary had that askblog set in real time 1 year later.

and at this point we could play death of the author, there is no canon answer, there is no 100% complete canon evidence-based result. none of this matters. we gotta pick and choose our own answers

[ineffable-endearments]

Interwoven

A 2300-word musing that starts out sounding like a headcanon and ends up being an obscenely sweet, gooey short fluff story.

Pairing: Aziraphale/Crowley

Rating: T

Warnings: Naked cuddling. The characters have no genitalia but they are very naked.

Read here on AO3, if you would like!

=

Crowley and Aziraphale have a fraught history with touch.

For Crowley, physical touch used to be a threat, or a challenge, or at the very least a gesture of disrespect. Hell is crowded, demons bumping into each other every which way. At the same time, none of them would admit to wanting any sort of touch anyway because Hell has told them, rather violently, that they’re not supposed to. It would be a funny world if demons went around leaning on each other and holding hands, wouldn’t it? (It might give them ideas.)

On the other hand, corporal punishment is highly favored among management. Demons get torn apart just for someone else’s fun on a regular basis. Many of them have learned to enjoy watching it happen to other people, too, given that it’s one of the few perverse expressions of humor that aren’t punished.

For Aziraphale, physical touch used to be a tool of manipulation. Although Heaven considers it acceptable to take pleasure in the occasional friendly expression, like a handshake, touching and hugging and holding are still seen as largely “beneath” angels, gross things humans do during their short, vulgar lives. Touches are therefore kept brief. For Aziraphale, they usually involve Gabriel clapping a hand on his shoulder to forcefully end the conversation.

There is a little reminder in there: I am stronger than you, and I am choosing to be nice because I am also a better angel than you. But you don’t have real choices when you talk to me.

During the past six thousand years, for both Crowley and Aziraphale, seeking touch on purpose has been an impermissible demonstration of vulnerability. And yet, they’ve been examples to each other, too.

Crowley’s touch, Aziraphale finds, is nothing like an Archangel’s. There is an exceptional sincerity to it. Whatever Aziraphale might have told himself must be true of demons, he has never felt remotely manipulated in the moments when Crowley made physical contact with him. Crowley keeps a respectful distance most of the time, offering only the occasional tap or nudge, perhaps a handshake. And yet, these rare touches are always imbued with genuine affection, a “You are fascinating” that is entirely novel to Aziraphale. Aziraphale has puzzled over how something as quick as a mere tap on the shoulder could convey all this, but it’s unmistakable.

Aziraphale had let himself touch Crowley, skin-to-skin, in 1941. He’d been so taken by the care Crowley had shown when he handed over the briefcase that Aziraphale had lightly caressed his hand, overcome with an all-consuming thrill of gratitude that sloughed off every single one of his tiresome defenses for a few moments. The whole incident had changed him, but the touch had left him wanting more.

Alright, well, perhaps there had been a moment when Crowley wasn’t so gentle. He had shoved Aziraphale a bit roughly against that wall in the convent, after all. But there was something in it - something so profoundly different from how it felt being shoved by Uriel. Crowley had been practically oozing desperation, care; Uriel had been steeped in a self-righteous contempt, which is far colder and more dangerous. Aziraphale had wanted Uriel to go away, but part of him had rather wanted to lean into Crowley.

Aziraphale’s touch, Crowley finds, is nothing like anything the demons inflict on each other. It’s almost absurdly gentle, attentive, and cautious. Whatever presumptuous hot air Aziraphale fills his words with, it does not translate into his touch. Aziraphale rarely makes physical contact with Crowley, but when he does, it brings with it a type of openness, Aziraphale’s full attention. In doing so, he makes himself vulnerable. Aziraphale’s touches always seem to say, “You are fascinating,” even when putting such a sentiment into words would be inadvisable.

It had been like that in 1941, when Aziraphale slid his fingers over Crowley’s for just a couple of seconds as he accepted the briefcase. Crowley had never been treated like the center of the world before, but there Aziraphale was, practically spinning around him, so wondrously charged was that touch. It was intense, overwhelming, but Crowley goes back to that moment often.

...Hmm. Perhaps there had been a moment when Aziraphale had touched Crowley with a bit of condescension: the horrid argument on the bandstand. He’d just barely brushed Crowley’s finger, pointing at him, but it had felt like being slammed against a wall for all the desperate, scrabbling frustration in it. Still, that tiniest of touches from Aziraphale had shut Crowley up, because it sent him reeling with how badly he wanted things to be different and, even more staggeringly, how badly Aziraphale also wanted things to be different.

MAY 2019

Now, things are different.

They had been close to each other, had held each other, on the night of Armageddon. But they’d both been overwhelmed and dissociating at the time, and it had felt like maybe things were supposed to go back to “normal” afterward. They hadn't touched so much since. In any case, Crowley really, really, really wants to hold Aziraphale. Now and all the time.

Individual angels are supposed to devote themselves wholly to Heaven, which they think means the Greater Good. Individual demons are supposed to fight for Hell, which basically means fighting to keep their own arses safe. In Heaven and Hell, there are friendships of a sort, people who prefer each other’s company to others, but no overarching support for committed intimate partnerships between just a tiny number of people. Heaven and Hell, in their demands for groveling loyalty, would both hate that idea. Aziraphale and Crowley are pioneers in this way.

It’s all a bit confusing, and Crowley is going to start just by getting very close to Aziraphale.

Currently, they’re at a hotel, and Aziraphale has opted to read on the bed next to Crowley instead of in the chair that also came with the room. Every one of his ridiculous layers is still on except for his shoes; in contrast, Crowley is in silk pajamas. Crowley puts his hand down, just casually letting it lie there, and closes his eyes, as if to doze off. Only a few minutes pass before Aziraphale takes it.

Crowley tilts his hand up to actively hold Aziraphale’s and spends the next ten minutes gathering the courage to look over. When he does, Aziraphale notices and gives him a quick, nervous smile. “Alright?” Aziraphale asks.

“Good,” Crowley breathes. “Yeah. Yeah, good.”

Aziraphale puts the book on the nightstand, turning to Crowley, and lies on his side. He adds his other hand to their hold, so he’s cradling the one Crowley had offered earlier.

“I’ve thought for some time that I would like to embrace you again,” he says. “Would you mind trying it?”

Crowley shakes his head. “No. I mean yes. No, I wouldn’t mind.”

They shuffle over to each other for a moment of indecision, not sure where to put their limbs at first. But Aziraphale moves faster this time, to Crowley’s surprise, pulling him into an embrace like he’s been waiting for this for months (and maybe he has). Crouching Angel, Hidden...Snuggler? Anyway, they shift about so that they’re more or less on their sides, lying nose-to-nose. After the rush of tension wears off, Crowley is swept up in the closeness, the heat that pours off Aziraphale, his cologne, the tenderness of his arms and thoughtfulness in his eyes. They’re blue, but an obscure sort of blue. An Earthly blue.

Aziraphale studies Crowley’s face, too. “What do you think?” he asks.

Crowley opts for something other than words and holds tighter to Aziraphale. Aziraphale seems to take a cue from this, squeezing Crowley close as well, curling toward him, in fact, and it feels only natural for Crowley to bring his hand up to ruffle Aziraphale’s hair as he practically nestles into Crowley’s chest.

“My dear,” Aziraphale sighs in utter contentment.

For a long time, they lie like this. This gentle, gentle touch. Crowley has never been “cradled” in anything - even in the Beginning, he never had that sense of security, hadn’t known he was missing anything. He has it now, his angel at once holding him and seeking the comfort Crowley has always longed to give. Crowley finds he wants more - wants to feel Aziraphale bearing his entire self, wants to bear his own self in return.

“I’m going to make a suggestion,” says Crowley, “and if you don’t want to go along with it, we’ll pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Aziraphale chuffs. “What is it?”

“See, what if we just ditched our clothes?”

“Oh, but I’ve had these for--”

“Not permanently. Just...take them off. So they’re not, er, a distraction.”

Aziraphale seems to mull the idea over in his head.

Okay. If he argues again, Crowley will let it go. “Thought it might be sort of nice to do this without them,” he adds. “Just as an experiment. But like I said, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”

“Oh, I didn’t say I didn’t want to do it. I was just thinking about how.”

Crowley nods. “Right. Right, then.”

“How do you want to do this?” Aziraphale prompts.

“Miracles,” Crowley answers. “I really don’t want to move right now.”

Aziraphale pauses, almost as if he’s getting ready to scold Crowley for being lazy, and then...he snaps his fingers. Their clothes disappear, presumably folded up on the dresser (not that Crowley cares).

Crowley and Aziraphale are in each other’s arms, still, but naked now, gloriously skin-to-skin. The pleasant shock of warmth jolts Crowley in the best way. Aziraphale makes a little gasping sound, and he feels Crowley's chest and arms and back as if to ascertain that he's still here. He plants a kiss in the notch of Crowley's neck.

Never has Crowley known such completion.

“Lovely, but a little cold on my back,” Aziraphale complains eventually.

Crowley glances toward the foot of the bed, where a deep maroon blanket is all folded up, and uses his foot to heft it up toward the two of them.

Someday, Aziraphale thinks vaguely, he would be curious about making the effort to manifest genitalia. It would be a very Earthly thing to explore, after all. But today is not that day, and they are entirely without sexual parts, instead somewhat smooth and rounded between the legs.

Crowley’s lanky limbs are perfect for wrapping around Aziraphale, an armor of affection, and Aziraphale would like to believe his own round softness is perfect for relieving the pressure on Crowley’s pointy edges. Today is a day for skin on skin, each angel’s soothing body heat enveloping the other under this cover of Earth-made materials, not a thread of firmament in sight. Good.

Crowley is wearing a mild but fashionable cologne that plays nicely with his natural smokiness. He’s like a hearth-fire, or the smoke from a birthday candle. He is the absolute essence of sanctuary, the lantern that lights everything inside and the candle by which Aziraphale reads.

Aziraphale finds himself pressed against Crowley’s chest, talking to his heart. This is as good a time as he will find, Aziraphale suspects, to get them both on the same page.

“I have no intention of making you uncomfortable, but I do believe there are things which should be stated plainly,” he begins. Suppose Crowley doesn’t want to talk about feelings? He’s never particularly been a fan.

“Right.” Crowley swallows. Aziraphale watches his throat, bobbing like he’s gulped his anxiety down. “It’s fine. Say what you need.”

Aziraphale does not rush. He does find, however, that it’s easier to say this when they’re embracing so closely. Perhaps the symbolism of removing clothes in literature has rubbed off on him; it feels as if his defenses are already about as far down as they could be, and Crowley is still here with him. Surely he won’t be chased away now. “Ah. Alright then. I wanted to say...you must know that I love you dearly, Crowley. You knew, didn’t you?”

A breath, as if of...relief? “I think I knew.” Crowley squeezes, caressing Aziraphale’s hair. “I knew.”

“I don’t expect--”

“I have something to say, too,” Crowley interrupts, then hesitates.

“Oh?”

“Well.” He clears his throat. “Everything’s always been all topsy-turvy since the Fall, good is bad, bad is good. Makes it harder to say the truth, you know? Since the Beginning.” He sighs and waits; hoping to soothe him, Aziraphale strokes Crowley’s back, where his wings would join his body if he had them out. “Somewhere deep down, I think I always knew. But Armageddon made me admit it. I love you, angel. Wasn’t made for it. But here I am.”

Aziraphale sneaks a glance up at Crowley’s face. He’s peering back, watching for Aziraphale’s reaction. And indeed, there are still things in this world they don’t see eye-to-eye on. He doesn’t want to mess this up, accidentally hurt Crowley or come across the wrong way.

“I think,” Aziraphale says carefully, “you’re fantastically good at it.”

A huge smile breaks across Crowley’s face. Never has Aziraphale known such completion. He squeezes again, hoping that Crowley can feel exactly how cherished he is. Meanwhile, Crowley returns the favor, pressing a kiss to the top of Aziraphale’s head.

Unlike the fraught impositions of Heaven and Hell, the touch that Crowley and Aziraphale share contains the thrill of mutual consent. Theirs is the adoring deep-touch of full-body skin on skin, of scarlet sunrays coming to rest on evening clouds, of roots in the soil. And it is the hold of two clasped hands, of braids winding together, of the nautilus curling into its shell. Each holds and is held. They wind around each other, naked and happy, as interwoven as the Earthly fabric that surrounds them, as interwoven as the fabric of the universe itself.

[taekooktimeline]

Mint Choco: Sara’s Take

I take full responsibility for this controversial analysis 

Mid August 2018 (filmed) - As part of a run episode, BTS engaged in a heated debate. The topic: mint chocolate, in favour or against its commercialization. Members were separated depending on whether they liked mint chocolate or not. Jimin and Tae were on the fence about it - neither liked nor disliked the taste - but ended up in the “dislike it” team. This is all true, they were actually grouped on the basis of their relationship with mint choco - how they really felt about the ice-cream. They were NOT grouped by any other secret criteria. This is extremely important to remember. However, I believe there was a hidden motive for this debate and that it wasn’t a coincidence that they chose food as the topic (preference-oriented), especially one that is only enjoyed by a minority of society. The topic had been pre-planned along with the ending and final consensus. At the end, Yoongi - as the moderator with the prepared cards - very clearly said: “We don’t want to say that someone is wrong and someone is right, we just want to take one more step towards a more peaceful world”. After that cue, they then effortlessly changed their attitude, agreeing to respect & allow mint choco as long as both sides were considerate of each other. Jimin also said: “The reason we were having the discussion was to make the world a better place”, sounding like they had all been instructed about how they should lead and end the debate, walking them through the scheme. Seems quite purposeful and deep. 

Their arguments were specifically suited for the mint choco debate, but the nature of the chosen topic made them have obvious parallelisms with the most common and basic arguments used in LGBTQ discussions. Of course, they are not interchangeable if we take details into account, but they are if we only focus on the general ideas. These parallelisms with food are frequently used in real arguments by many LGBTQ individuals / supporters where they bring up such comparisons. In sum, I believe they were arguing about mint choco with the sole purpose of teaching a lesson of tolerance, respect and inclusion of minorities with different preferences as part of some hidden pro-LGBTQ activism (since it’s taboo to be straightforward about it). This doesn’t make any of the members “homophobic” by any means because as I said, they were divided according to their food preferences. They were also playing a part because even if they personally didn’t like mint choco, none of them wanted to ban it in real life (outside of the debate they respected other’s taste to begin with) but they were acting as if they did want to ban it in order for the debate to be possible. I will link their pro & anti-mint choco arguments with pro & anti-lgbtq arguments - although comparisons are never intended to fit 100% - as well as point out and give insight into a comment that could be a direct connection between both topics, but please, don’t be scandalized about it because I clearly explained the situation. NON OF THEM ARE HOMOPHOBIC, even if there’s a hidden driving force. Carefully reread this introduction if you find yourself confused or infuriated by the analysis. At this point I’m not responsible for misunderstandings. If you are too young beware because this might not be suited for you. 

The debate starts with Jk trying to make the opposite team empathize with mint choco lovers. He knows they are few people but if they completely get rid of it, what about them? This can be compared to equal marriage / rights.

The opposite team distances themselves from the issue. Basically, something like: “What do we have to do with it? That’s not our problem”. A typical attitude adopted by society. (*Reminder: they are playing parts and actually talking about mint choco during the entire debate. There is just an underlying double meaning).

Jk gets political and demands a solution. He thinks it’s their right.

A comparison -

He then makes a solid point: you’re not obligated to experience it even if it’s included as an option.

Comparison -

The opposition wants to force their own views and erase / prohibit what they personally dislike (*Reminder).

Comparison -

Definition of intolerance:

The minority thinks it’s a forced opinion.

Comparison -

Mint choco team bring back up their prior argument-

The MC shows bias towards the minorities. “You shouldn’t criticize them”, he says.

Opposition questions if it’s as simple as not partaking of it if not interested. Jk continues by reasoning that if it’s not available / facilitated then minorities have no means of accessing it as they can’t make it on their own. Again, can be compared to equal marriage.

Opposition start talking about their own personal differing taste - which coincides with the majority’s - and try to use it as a valid argument to push out the variation that they don’t align with by saying “I don’t think it makes sense”. This can be compared to heterosexuality (a liking for the opposite sex/gender coupled with a dislike / distaste / unattraction to the same gender/sex) versus homosexuality (the other way around) and the confusion it can elicit in unfamiliarezed or closed minded people.

The opposition adds the visual aspect to it. They think it’s unpleasant to look at (*Reminder). This is comparable with the known fact that a great number of people feel or even express disgust when they see any type of homosexual affection.

Minority team differs.

Comparison -

Opposition continues -

Comparison -

Minority team interjects saying it’s a prejudiced thought that lacks scientific basis.

Comparison (prejudices vs science) -

Studies indicate homosexuality is a natural variant within the animal kingdom, compatible with the survival of the species:

Minority team really wants to make others understand that it all comes down to personal taste.

Comparison: these are pictures taken from Korea’s LGBTQ pride festival. “I like tomato spaghetti, do you like cream spaghetti?”, can be read on her sign. In this case she’s linking tomato spaghetti with homosexuality (liking girls in her case), versus cream spaghetti which would be linked to heterosexuality. She’s saying it’s not a big deal and just a matter of preference, “Love is Love”.

Jk can’t let go of his main argument  which is a plea spoken out into the world. He’s asking for compassion.

Moderator highlighting their petition for respect -

Comparison (pride festival, attendee) -

Opposition offers an alternative route to satisfy their wishes. Joons says mint can be found in Argentina, although it is not the top producer (*Reminder: they are playing parts).

If we research a bit we’ll see Morocco takes the lead by an astonishing difference: 92.7% of global production. It’s nearly a mint monopoly. Argentina takes second place but with a derisory 6.7%. If Joon was sufficiently informed to know that Argentina came 2nd place, he must’ve certainly known Morocco was 1st place by a huge leap. Why didn’t he mention Morocco instead?

After a little more research I found out that Buenos Aires - capital of Argentina - is one of the top destinations for gay marriage tourism. They were the FIRST country in the world to pass a marriage law that allowed even non-residents to celebrate same-sex weddings with international recognition (although limited to countries where it’s legal). Even today there aren’t many countries where this is possible because even if they legalized gay marriage some countries have residency or citizenship restrictions.

Jk says “that’s too difficult” in relation to mint choco. Going back to the hidden topic, despite these existing options, traveling abroad is not viable for everyone due to increased costs and complications. What about the guests? Even if koreans marry in a foreign country, their same-sex marriage will not be valid in their home country.

Minority team repeats their arguments because they are convinced it’s a simple matter.

The moderator shows more bias by saying “don’t keep prejudiced thoughts”. The debate has a clear direction.

Comparison (pride festival, attendees) -

The opposition argues that by enabling the polemic option, the rest are exposed to accidental contamination as a result of unwanted contact when sharing experiences with friends that have those preferences. I’m not so sure about this one because they are actually arguing about mint choco and not every argument that they come up with necessarily makes allusion or is aplicable to the lgbtq topic but it could maybe be compared to the fear of being hit on by an individual of your same sex - which is a common fear.

Minority team then suggests people should first ask each other about their preferences and that way avoid unpleasant situations.

Comparison -

The opposition argues that even if they know about each other's tastes that won’t prevent either party from pursuing what they want.

Jk suggests they take precautionary measures and separate for certain scenarios. Jin later responded by saying Koreans value attachment.

A possible comparison is this below scenario where some members of a group of friends wanted to go to a gay club but the males of the group were disgusted by the idea in fear of being flirted with or groped by gay men, which is apparently something that men in general do - gay or straight - in Korea’s club culture. It was a problem because they all wanted to party together.

Knowingly, the opposition says something quite ridiculous. Tae said he wanted his friend to read his mind and know about his taste without the need to ask. This can be compared to those who find it offensive when someone doesn’t automatically know they are straight, as if they were bewildered by someone possibly thinking they were anything but straight (*Reminder: he’s playing a part).

Teammates absolutely love the irrational but emotional comment. Perfect for what they are going for.

Minority team rejects such emotional responses. It’s dangerous territory because a lot of harm has been derived from clouded judgment caused by strong emotions such as phobias.

The opposition says you can’t remove emotions from humankind, to which Jk says he too has friends. He also has emotions like any other but wouldn’t be offended by such questions.

Opposition then says it saddens them when they see all the mint choco left-over that people didn’t buy. They say it goes against market principles because it has low demand.

Comparison -

The opposition says it’s a waste of ingredients. This can be compared to people saying it’s a waste if you aren’t able to reproduce.

Comparison -

The minority team asks for coexistence.

Comparison -

They end up running a poll to see how many people in the entire room like mint choco. Turns out it’s between a 10% and a 15% of the staff. These numbers are very similar to the suspected percentage of worldwide lgbtq population - data which is part of popular knowledge. There are certainly many commonalities.

(There are many bi people that would never admit it nor act upon it).

Regardless of the comparatively small numbers, it’s said minorities should still be taken into account and their needs should be met.

Comparison -

The moderator then utters some peace-making words. They seem to serve as a cue because the opposing team starts to take a step back so as to find common ground.

Mint choco team emphasizes their simple wish to be respected as a minority.

The opposition is willing to accept on the condition that they always ask if it’s ok to add their debated preference into the shared experience so that they have the chance to decline, or simply decide.

They also come up with the idea of mixing chocolate into their mint toothpaste in order to get used to the taste and eliminate the negative thoughts associated with it. It’s a method that replicates the mint choco flavour but without having to actually swallow, just familiarize oneself with it.

This reminds me of how consuming  media with lgbtq representation helps society come to terms with their existence, combats ignorance / prejudices and makes people much more likely to welcome their inclusion.

“Western countries in which being lgbtq is broadly accepted have tv shows with lgbtq representation. That kind of culture being liked by the general public helps the lgbtq community in being incorporated into the general society”

(netizen in favour of gay marriage due to watching american tv shows)

They all agree that both parties should be considerate of each other.

Joon really liked his mint choco toothpaste idea and further explains when questioned, dramatizing his words as he says he’d do it “to understand them” (*Reminder: Joon is already in touch with lgbtq culture).

Comparison -

They all are now finding consensus and preaching a positive message of tolerance and respect to construct a better world where everyone has a place, which was the initial plan all along.

MC gives final cue -

Messages they want to transmit -

Comparison -

Mutual consideration -

Agreement -

Joon comes up with another idea so that the minorities can easily recognize each other and happily interact, being able to share experiences that they commonly enjoy. He wishes for a peaceful world.

Comparison (minorities tend to seek a community) -

Jimin confesses that they began the debate with the intention of “conceding for others”. Definition:

Debates aren’t normally like that. What they were first carrying out could be classified as a competitive debate, but they just used it as a tool to bring a fitting topic forward, create a heated situation that mimicked society, and later deviate so that they could put a message across and set a good example. They all clearly wanted to campaign in favour of minorities. Info that I gathered on how it normally goes:

“In a debate, opposing arguments are put forward to argue for opposing viewpoints. Logical consistency, factual accuracy and some degree of emotional appeal to the audience are elements in debating, where one side often prevails over the other party by presenting a superior "context" or framework of the issue.” 

“Competitive debates may be presided over by one or more judges or adjudicators. Both sides seek to win against the other while following the rules. One side is typically in favor of (also known as "for", "Affirmative", or "Pro") or opposed to (also known as "against", "Negative", "Con") a statement, proposition, moot or Resolution. Both sides are required to embrace and defend their own positions, otherwise it’s not a debate.”

When the time comes for Tae’s final remark, he takes the opportunity to remind them that he is neutral towards mint choco (the actual flavour) but after hearing all their points he declares he now likes it. This doesn’t make much sense because your taste doesn’t change no matter how much you empathize or agree with certain postures.

He pauses before his statement and then lets out a bashful chuckle when he continues. They all laugh quite soundly - too much of a reaction. It gives the impression of an inside joke. To me it’s like he’s now specifically referring to the hidden double meaning - to him being lgbtq.

Joon even covers his face with his arm like he too felt shy by extension -

Vmin high-five as Jimin gives it up for him. Note how Tae had his hands clasped tightly together while he laughed. That’s another indicator of awkwardness / anxiousness. It’s an unconscious way to hug himself and close off.

High-five:

Tae finishes his wishes -

Good news -

The recap of what they all want to convey is to respect each other’s differences -

Comparison (Pride festival) -

(http://www.vlive.tv/video/112445/playlist/27764)

The end ! :) Hope you found it sensible enough.

As a final note I’ll leave you with their message for the Love Myself campaign.