#as much as for the suffering of her children

[sayruq]

NAHLA AL-ARIAN HAS been living a nightmare for the past seven months, watching from afar as Israel carries out its scorched-earth war against her ancestral homeland in the Gaza Strip. Like many Palestinian Americans, the 63-year-old retired fourth-grade teacher from Tampa Bay, Florida, has endured seven months of a steady trickle of WhatsApp messages about the deaths of her relatives. “You see, my father’s family is originally from Gaza, so they are a big family. And they are not only in Gaza City, but also in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, other parts,” Al-Arian told me. Recently, the trickle of horrors became a flood: “It started with like 27, and then we lost count until I received this message from my relative who said at least 200 had died.” The catastrophe was the backdrop for Al-Arian’s visit last week to Columbia University in New York City. Al-Arian has five children, four of whom are journalists or filmmakers. On April 25, two of her daughters, Laila and Lama, both award-winning TV journalists, visited the encampment established by Columbia students to oppose the war in Gaza. Laila, an executive producer at Al Jazeera English with Emmys and a George Polk Award to her name, is a graduate of Columbia’s journalism school. Lama was the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Alfred I. duPont–Columbia Award for her reporting for Vice News on the 2020 explosion at the port of Beirut. The two sisters traveled to Columbia as journalists to see the campus, and Nahla joined them. “Of course, I tagged along. You know, why would I sit at the hotel by myself? And I wanted to really see those kids. I felt so down,” she said. “I was crying every day for Gaza, for the children being killed, for the women, the destruction of my father’s city, so I wanted to feel better, you know, to see those kids. I heard a lot about them, how smart they are, how organized, you know? So I said, let’s go along with you. So I went.” Nahla Al-Arian was on the campus for less than an hour. She sat and listened to part of a teach-in, and shared some hummus with her daughters and some students. Then she left, feeling a glimmer of hope that people — at least these students — actually cared about the suffering and deaths being inflicted on her family in Gaza. “I didn’t teach them anything. They are the ones who taught me. They are the ones who gave me hope,” she recalled. “I felt much better when I went there because I felt those kids are really very well informed, very well educated. They are the conscience of America. They care about the Palestinian people who they never saw or got to meet.” Her husband posted a picture of Nahla, sitting on the lawn at the tent city erected by the student protesters, on his Twitter feed. “My wife Nahla in solidarity with the brave and very determined Columbia University students,” he wrote. Nahla left New York, inspired by her visit to Columbia, and returned to Virginia to spend time with her grandchildren. A few days later, that one tweet by her husband would thrust Nahla Al-Arian into the center of a spurious narrative promoted by the mayor of New York City and major media outlets. She became the exemplar of the dangerous “outside agitator” who was training the students at Columbia. It was Nahla’s presence, according to Mayor Eric Adams, that was the “tipping point” in his decision to authorize the military-style raids on the campus.

On February 20, 2003, Nahla’s husband, Sami Al-Arian, a professor at the University of South Florida, was arrested and indicted on 53 counts of supporting the armed resistance group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The PIJ had been designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, and the charges against Al-Arian could have put him in prison for multiple life sentences, plus 225 years. It was a centerpiece case of the George W. Bush administration’s domestic “war on terror.” When John Ashcroft, Bush’s notorious attorney general, announced the indictment, he described the Florida-based scholar as “the North American leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Sami Al-Arian.” Among the charges against him was conspiracy to kill or maim persons abroad, specifically in Israel, yet the prosecutors openly admitted Al-Arian had no connection to any violence. He was a well-known and deeply respected figure in the Tampa community, where he and Nahla raised their family. He was also, like many fellow Palestinians, a tenacious critic of U.S. support for Israel and of the burgeoning “global war on terror.” His arrest came just days before the U.S. invaded Iraq, a war Al-Arian was publicly opposed to. The Al-Arian case was, at its core, a political attack waged by Bush’s Justice Department as part of a wider assault on the rights of Muslims in the U.S. The government launched a campaign, echoed in media outlets, to portray Al-Arian as a terror leader at a time when the Bush administration was ratcheting up its so-called global war on terror abroad, and when Muslims in the U.S. were being subjected to harassment, surveillance, and abuse. The legal case against Al-Arian was flimsy, and prosecutors largely sought to portray his protected First Amendment speech and charitable activities as terrorism. The trial against Al-Arian, a legal permanent resident in the U.S., did not go well for federal prosecutors. In December 2005, following a six-month trial, a jury acquitted him on eight of the most serious counts and deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquittal on the other nine. The judge made clear he was not pleased with this outcome, and the prosecutors were intent on relitigating the case. Al-Arian had spent two years in jail already without any conviction and was staring down the prospect of years more. In the face of this reality and the toll the trial against him had taken on his family, Al-Arian agreed to take a plea deal. In 2006, he pleaded guilty to one count of providing nonviolent support to people the government alleged were affiliated with the PIJ. As part of the deal, Al-Arian would serve a short sentence and, with his residency revoked, get an expedited deportation. At no point during the government’s trial against Al-Arian did the prosecution provide evidence he was connected to any acts of violence. For the next eight years following his release from prison in 2008, Al-Arian was kept under house arrest and effectively subjected to prosecutorial harassment as the government sought to place him in what his lawyers characterized as a judicial trap by compelling him to testify in a separate case. His defense lawyers alleged the federal prosecutor in the case, who had a penchant for pursuing high-profile, political cases, held an anti-Palestinian bias. Amnesty International raised concerns that Al-Arian had been abused in prison and he faced the prospect of yet another lengthy, costly court battle. The saga would stretch on for several more years before prosecutors ended the case and Al-Arian was deported from the United States.

“This case remains one of the most troubling chapters in this nation’s crackdown after 9-11,” Al-Arian’s lawyer, Jonathan Turley, wrote in 2014 when the case was officially dropped. “Despite the jury verdict and the agreement reached to allow Dr. Al-Arian to leave the country, the Justice Department continued to fight for his incarceration and for a trial in this case. It will remain one of the most disturbing cases of my career in terms of the actions taken by our government.” That federal prosecutors approved Al-Arian’s plea deal gave a clear indication that the U.S. government knew Al-Arian was not an actual terrorist, terrorist facilitator, or any kind of threat; the Bush administration, after all, was not in the habit of letting suspected terrorists walk. Al-Arian and his family have always maintained his innocence and say that he was being targeted for his political beliefs and activism on behalf of Palestinians. He resisted the deal, Nahla Al-Arian said. “He didn’t even want to accept it. He wanted to move on with another trial,” Nahla said. “But because of our pressure on him, let’s just get done with it [because] in the end, we’re going leave anyway. So that’s why.” Sami and Nahla Al-Arian now live in Turkey. Sami is not allowed to visit his children and grandchildren stateside, but Nahla visits often.

[themissinghand]

Genshin Impact: The Overworked God [2]

Part 1

Summary: In which one of the lore writers who help write the world of Genshin Impact was suddenly thrusted in the very world they created. 

Well, testing characters is one thing, but playing God, and raising 7 children at a time? 

Oh boy. He just wants to go home and sleep.

Note: Finally back from break!

Part 2 of the Overworked God! Creator! Male OC!

What if we had a smarter Creator that never forgot his initial wish of going home?

Warning: Genshin and SAGAU themes, some OOC and angst.

★・・・・・・★

Tempus, or Kai has been in the world of Genshin Impact for a very long time, since its creation where it was just him and Celestia. 

He struck a deal with Celestia, promising to be the Creator and consequently the God of Time to help create Teyvat, but on his own terms. Doing what he can to save his creations from unnecessary pain and suffering. 

So, he’s still overworked, stressed and sleepy all the time, especially now that he has to take care of 7 children too.  

But finally…today is the day he could finally go home. 

Home sounds foreign to him, after all, he spent more years in Teyvat than on Earth, but he has never given up on returning after fulfilling his duty as the Creator. 

It’s going to be a difficult announcement to make, considering how attached his children could be, but perhaps, he could twist the narrative just a bit to appease them.

“Tempus!” Speaking of, two bundles of mass hopped towards him as usual, and he caught them with both arms as if it was a routine. He stumbles a bit, sighs, but pats them on the head. 

“It’s been so long since you visited Monstadt! I missed you~” Venti hugged his waist as he peaked up with puppy eyes. Before Kai could respond, Furina beat him to it. 

“It’s because he likes Fontaine better! He’s been in my country the longest!” Furina quipped back with a proud expression on her face. 

“That’s because you suck at ruling your country!” 

“Says you, Mr. Drunkard Bard!” 

At least they both have trustworthy people like Neuvillette and Jean to take care of their country…

“That’s enough, you two.” A spark of lightning scared the two to cling onto Tempus even more, but Ei easily picked the two off. 

Ah, one of the more responsible leaders…

“Please ignore these two, Tempus.” Ei says stoically, as she sends a deadly glare that shuts the two up. 

“It’s fine.” Tempus greets every single Archon with a nod, before taking a seat at the head of the table, his expression showing his tiredness despite the light-hearted banter that usually happens during these meetings.

“Have a seat everyone.” All the Archons did a curt bow before taking their respective seats. 

Materializing snacks resembling that of an English afternoon teatime, he smiled when even the stoic Tsaritsa seemed to enjoy his food. 

It’s a shame though, this will be his last time. 

“Tempus.” He turned to the Tsaritsa, who seemed to notice his distress.

“I’m fine.” He brushed it away, before he felt a cold hand on his. 

“Let us know if anything is bothering you.” Zhongli added on, and Tempus shook his head. 

His children could handle Teyvat without him, what else would he be worried about? 

“Tempus, are your worries the reason why did you call us all today?” Sharp as always, Nahida asks, gaining everyone’s attention all at once. 

In the end…Rukkhadevata chose her fate. There are things that could not be changed…

“Yes.” Feeling everyone’s eyes on him, he felt even more estranged. 

"As you know, I've overseen Teyvat, guided you all, and tried to make amends for the mistakes of the past," Tempus continued. 

“After much thought, I believe it’s time for me to rest.” 

Multiple teacups fell onto the table with a loud thud. With a wave of his hand, the spilled tea disappeared. 

“T-Tempus! What, what do you mean?” Murata stood up abruptly, knocking over a flower vase, which Tempus easily dissolved to nothing. 

“Tempus, how could you abandon us!” 

“Calm down.” But it seems to have no effect, instead, he felt the cold hand squeeze his own, sending a shiver down his spine. 

“Tempus, you belong to us.”

“As I’ve said, I will be going into deep slumber-” Suddenly, many eyes shot towards the Bard who looked very pale. 

“-to take a break.” A teacup shattered, but Tempus paid no mind to it. 

“My decision is final, and I hope you can take care of Teyvat while I rest.” For eternity. 

“Tempus.” Scoring golden eyes burned into Kai’s soul, and he forced himself to remain neutral as he stared at Zhongli-Morax. 

“Please stay. I’m begging you, please, Your Eminence. Please don’t leave us.” 

"But what of Teyvat? You've become integral to the stability and well-being of this world, and us." There were many nods that followed. 

“We need you.”

There was desperation in his voice, and while it did hurt Tempus to leave them, he doubted he could stay any longer knowing that he could finally leave. 

“All of you are strong and are capable enough to rule your countries, which I am very proud of. Teyvat will be in good hands." Some Archons smiled briefly, but it was short lived. 

"Which is why it's time for me to step aside and take a break."

They had grown accustomed to Tempus's guidance, his wisdom, and his tireless efforts to steer them towards a better path, so for them to lose his support is like fighting without a weapon. 

“W-Where, will you be resting? In Temporium?” Furina’s shaky voice filled the silent room. 

“Stay here, the Fortress of Meropide will keep you safe. Fontaine and I will keep you safe.”

“Yes.” 

“For how long?” Venti asked, anxiety in his voice. 

“I’ll find you, I’ll find you no matter where you run.” 

“I do not know, for as long as my body needs.” Their faces became pale at thinking of the possibility of not seeing Tempus again. 

With a sigh, he stood up, making others rush to stand too. 

“Come here, each one of you.” In an instant, they rushed over and Tempus pulled them one by one into a hug. While he made himself tall and muscular, he felt small in the group hug that lasted an incredibly long time. 

He felt arms around his waist, chest, arms and back, being hugged by 7 people at once was somewhat suffocating. 

“You all will do great. I will miss you all.” This was not a lie. 

“Time flows like water, and perhaps I will wake sooner than you all expect.” This was a lie. 

Tempus heard sniffles, and felt hands grabbing his robes and weaving through his long hair. 

“Tempus…do you have to leave us?” Nahida asked, tugging his heart strings as he saw such a wise person tear up. 

Did she read my thoughts? 

Tempus got rid of that idea as he forbade her from doing so, and with his current power alongside Celestia’s authority, she should be blocked from doing such a thing. 

“I am not leaving, Nahida. I am merely resting.” 

Finally, with some coaxing, he managed to peel them off one by one. 

“I leave Teyvat in your hands.” 

With that, Tempus bid farewell to the Archons and quickly prepared to depart from Celestia. The longer he stayed, the more unbearable this would become. 

However, once he left, the atmosphere shifted once more. The Archons, loyal to their Creator beyond measure, exchanged anxious glances, and a heavy silence settled over the chamber.

“Tempus lied.” Nahida said, as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

“Nahida?” All of the Archons felt their heart drop at her words. 

“He may be resting in Temporium, but there’s more to it. I can’t read his mind completely, but…he’s going to leave us if we let him go.” 

“What are we waiting for then?” Suddenly, the atmosphere turned cold. The Tsaritsa stepped forward with her Ice scepter, Permafrost. Like many other Archon’s weapons, they were gifted to them by the Creator himself.

“If Buer’s words are true, then while his body remains in Temporium, his soul is elsewhere.” 

The Archons soon came to a consensus. 

“We cannot let him go into slumber.” 

Or they will lose him completely.

[Are you ready, dear Creator?] 

Tempus laid in his resting chamber on the edges of Temporium, in a makeshift mountain. He created this place in secret, so no one else by him knows. 

He felt bad for his kingdom, as he told the royal family that he will be gone doing his Godly duties for a long time, but never informed how long. 

Regardless, they should be able to live without a god, considering the technology and time Tempus gave them. 

[Yes]

As he lay in his comfortable bed with minimal decorations or other items, he shut his eyes and reminisced about the past. 

Although it was a very long time, he was never really alone. 

But he has seen much more than a normal human on Earth, from war to life and death, to the repetitions of stories by going back in time many times to fix his mistakes. 

“Stop him! He’s going back in time!” 

Truly, it takes a mental toll on his mind. He can’t let his emotions take over, otherwise, he would have to redo everything again. 

[Thank you for your work, dear Creator]

[Just make sure you fulfill your side of the deal]

[Of course]

When he shut his eyes, he felt safe, comfortable and oddly relieved, relieved of his duties at last. 

“Tempus!”  

His eyes snapped open and saw his chamber shake with vigor. All of his protective mechanisms activate, indeed, he prepared for this.

“Tempus!” 

Voices slowly became louder and the earth seemed to roar. 

How did they find him? Was it Buer? It must've been.

“Tempus!” 

There was desperation in their voices, and Kai assumed that they seemed to have figured something out. 

Perhaps honesty was better, but in the end, this was always the outcome. 

Yes, Tempus already knew that no matter what he did, the Archons would rebel, would seek him out.

Even if the walls seem to crumble, it did not affect Kai’s chamber, after all, it was sealed and protected with his powers.

But perhaps with a bit more persistence, they would soon destroy the mountain all together, leaving him and his chamber exposed. But, Tempus was not worried, after all, he had prepared for this moment too long ago. 

[Farewell, dear Creator] 

Suddenly, he felt a bright light engulf him as he felt incredibly sleepy. 

Through his blurred vision, he could see the stormy skies, and all seven Archons rushing towards him. 

“Tempus!” 

“You can’t leave us, Tempus!” 

Seeing them in their prime, in their Archon outfits was a little nostalgic. 

Hearing a crack in his chamber’s shield was somewhat surprising, but also, incredible. His children have grown up well. 

[Farewell]

With a fleeting smile, Tempus bids farewell to his second home. 

“Tempus!” 

His eyes close, just as the light takes him whole. 

“Tempus!” 

Morax and Murata pierced through the tough protective layers desperately, and Ei and Venti whiz past them to reach their Creator. 

But, they were too late. 

“No, Tempus is…he’s-” Barbados was crying as he held Tempus’s hand. 

“Kai! Kai!” Furina bawled her eyes out, calling his real name repeatedly as if it would bring him back. 

But he won’t come back. 

Bal held his body as she froze in shock (in regret), as if she was reminded of her past. 

“Tempus, you’re cruel.” Buer, the one who got them so far and so close but not enough. She knelt down beside him and cried while pressing his hand into her face. 

“You’ve left us with death, not slumber. You lied, you lied!” 

It was like they lost a part of themselves. 

After all, Tempus was there whenever they needed guidance, he sacrificed his own personal time to make sure they were alright. 

“K-Kai…” Morax stumbled towards the still body that used to be his friend, mentor, benefactor, love, and everything. 

Even in death, he was still so beautiful, kind and holy. 

Tempus was their everything. 

The Tsaritsa dragged herself towards Tempus with her scepter. She was known to not show her emotions, even when Tempus encouraged her to do so to stay emotionally healthy. He was the only one that saw her vulnerable side, and knew who she really was, and never judged her for it. 

“Tempus. How dare you…abandon us like this?” She stood by Tempus’s feet and her eyes did not leave his body at all. 

While others wept, her tears were turned into weapons. 

Murata stood by her with the same dark, solemn expression. 

It’s not fair. 

How could he treat them like his everything, and then leave them so abruptly? 

If only he could open his eyes again and say it was nothing but a terrible joke. 

But Tempus is gone, leaving his lifeless body as his final memory and gift. 

[cowgirleddiediaz]

#how do you hate bucktommy so much that you've looped back around to defending the buckley parents?

they're really reaching now, aren't they? like this is so insane to me. absolutely wild to hate a character so much that they defend actually canonically neglectful parents who had a superiority complex about *checks notes* their daughter being in an abusive marriage for years, instead of, you know, doing anything to actually help her while she was suffering.

all Tommy has done is grow as a person, off screen, over the course of ~a decade (which is a more than reasonable timeline to go from being scared in the closet and staying quiet to protect himself, to being more out and proud and comfortable), and been really good to Buck. but no, he's definitely worse than the people who were so caught up in their own grief that they emotionally neglected their children for decades, and now act all high and mighty any time Buck or Maddie struggles with literally anything.

It’s crazy, I don’t get the need to prove b*ddie is perfect above all else to the point you end up twisting yourself into this big a knot

[number1-jojamember]

Currently thinking about how when if Shane now lives with an has kids with the farmer Jas probably start to resent Shane when she grows older and more aware. It's like "He was supposed be my godfather... He barely did anything with that status, leaving Aunt Marnie to raise me and then while I was like 8 he goes off and raises two new children with the new farmer? Bullshit" Godddddd I shit and piss everywhere every time it crosses my mind. I fffffucking WISH WE COULD ADOPT JAS!!!

When she's an adult she'll probably forgive Shane, knowing he was going through a really hard time because his friends died and he was suffering with being an alcoholic, but she would still be upset with Shane having kids, kind of like a "Why not me? Why couldn't you just have been there for me? I was suffering through grief too, and I was a child, I would have done anything for that loving family you created, why couldn't I be apart of it?"

I KNOW IT'S TOO MUCH TO ASK BUT PLEASEEEE AT LEAST LET HER IN ON OUR LIFEEEE!!! Like maybe the first kid you have with Shane is actually just Jas, like instead he's like "Can Jas be out daughter?" And then she's just there! ERIC I'M BEGGING I WILL SACRIFICE ONE OF MY CHILDREN IN MY MAIN SAVE JUST TO HAVE JAS!!!

[73chn1c0l0rr3v3l]

So I've had an interesting revelation irt the Timeless Children and one of the critiques I see thrown at it a lot. And I think I've had a bit of a lightbulb moment about it.

One of the critiques I see about the episode Timeless Children is that the Doctor doesn't actually... do anything with it, she just has to witness and listen to being told about the tragedy that happened to her.

And I was thinking about how that reflects what happens to a lot of people who are learning about tragedies in their own pasts.

I couldn't do anything about the antisemitism my dad experienced, I couldn't do anything about the abuse my mother suffered. I can't change the abuse that I experienced before I can even remember it happening. Sometime the horror of finding out your history is that it's what it is - it's HISTORY, and you can't change it. You can't redo it, you can't fix it, you have to just deal with the repercussions of it.

So much of what I love about 13's era and the way Chibnall has done Doctor Who is the fact that it feels like it deals with the REALITY of stuff. No, you can't save the man who was going to die because that'll change history. No, you can't get rid of the horrible racists even though they're a blight, because that has to happen for history to happen. No, you can't go back in time and save yourself.

You have to live with it and you have to process it and you have to pick up the pieces, because sometimes you can't fix it, no matter how much you want it.

But you can keep going. You can find things that are terrifying that unseat your whole reality and sense of self, but you can still keep going. And I really love seeing that reflected with the Doctor.

[bumblingbabooshka]

[TUVOKTOBER: Day 15] At First Sight.

[quietwingsinthesky]

the last unicorn post from earlier has me thinking about the master. that yana is still in there, you know? is still someone he was, if even for a brief flash across the life of a time lord. there’s no way to unlive that life. there are ways to twist it later, sure, to make utopia into hell on earth. but the life was lived. in much the same way that the doctor can remember, can feel, the love he held onto as john smith even as that life is ripped out of his hands. the doctor choose denial and then grief and then to shutter it all away. and so john smith died, and so professor yana died, and the doctor and the master live on. the doctor has done this before, and he lives in orbit around humanity, trying to keep the best parts of them and hold them deep enough to take root (which he can pretend he gets to choose, as a time lord. as a human, it all floods in and can’t be dug back out.) but what about the master, right?

to borrow a turn of phrase: i think there are two time lords left in the universe, and they both learned how to regret.

[the-meme-monarch]

I remember you talking about how you disliked the portrayal of uf sans and paps relationship even without the uh grosser parts, but how would you characterize fell sans and paps dynamic? And the Underfell au as a whole? I personally always saw the fellverse as a place that leaned more towards the kill or be killed mentality not that they all are abusive assholes just that they have less hope

yeah w everyone i like them leaning more towards the kill or be killed mentality/having less hope! w sans and papyrus being siblings and Literally Living Together i think there's like. a lot of trust in that. y'know. i think they're the only people they're comfortable truly being themselves around (until like the end of the theoretical end of an uf game) there's a drawing or two from the original creator of underfell that showed papyrus makes chimichangas and sans sells them (instead of papyrus making spaghetti and sans selling hotdogs individually) which i love that with my entire heart. even w things being Hopeless And Bleak for the underground they're Working Together. it's beautiful to me

also hi i went to look at the ut fan wiki recently and was really <:[ about it. what do you mean the community agrees asgore was the one to poison chara. i thought chara's death was the catalyst for Why Everyone's Like That. what do you mean the community agrees toriel dared sans to kill frisk instead of make him promise to keep them safe. y'all really just made shit edgy for the sake of it. made everyone just evil for fun and they always have been

[the-genius-az]

Azula: *behaves normally*

Her omega: *leaves*

Azula: WHAT THE FUCK? *hallucinates people, cuts off her hair, growls at everyone like a rabid dragon*

Her omega: *comes back*

Azula: oh, hi, I love you, please don't leave me.

It can be cute, it can be sad as in "Azula has abandonment issues". She reacts quite strongly to her omega leaving (just like she didn't quite react well to Zuko leaving, since he was still a platonic mate back then, but she had to hide the effect of part of her pack leaving like that.

I really love the Fire Hazard Siblings and would have a whole fic about them being platonic mates but not quite a required situation.)

She doesn't kill him, but she's very smug about it and about how Mai needs the total of one time with her to get pregnant and Zuko had months/years and there was no pups in sight. Let's say Mai's parents kinda push her towards marrying Zuko – since he's the crown prince (no, in this AU it doesn't matter if Zuko isn't an alpha, it matters that he's the firstborn). Maizula is an open secret but at the same time everyone assumes Tyzula is the endgame exactly because Mai's parents say she'll marry Zuko.

She'll never trust anyone fully. And by anyone, it does include Mai (she'll love her and will mate her and have kids, but full trust? Not with all of Azula's trauma).

Details about The Boiling Rock is coming in a separate ask.

Azula is like a cat owner when said cat is comfortable. You'll be in pain for the whole week, but you do NOT move.

- Ash 🔥🍌

Thanks for this, Ash!

It can be cute, it can be sad as in "Azula has abandonment issues". She reacts quite strongly to her omega leaving.

It makes me sad, come and pay me for the psychologist.

She doesn't kill him, but she's very smug about it and about how Mai needs the total of one time with her to get pregnant and Zuko had months/years and there was no pups in sight.

Did Mai do anything about it? I mean, she took pills to avoid having Zuko's babies?

Let's say Mai's parents kinda push her towards marrying Zuko - since he's the crown prince.

And? Did Mai just do what they wanted? Didn't he fight for the love he has for Azula?

Maizula is an open secret but at the same time everyone assumes Tyzula is the endgame exactly because Mai's parents say she'll marry Zuko.

What does Mai think about her Alpha being paired with Ty Lee? And Ty Lee's opinion?

She'll never trust anyone fully. And by anyone, it does include Mai (she'll love her and will mate her and have kids, but full trust? Not with all of Azula's trauma).

Are there no problems in the relationship? Doesn't Mai feel like Azula is so sad or doesn't she fully trust her? I wonder what he thinks when he sees or hears Azula cry.

You'll have to come and pay my therapist, He'll know about you, Ash!

[femmedefandom]

so I actually really enjoy the OG SQQ, he is such an angsty and dramatic bitch absolutely stuffed with trauma and terrible coping behind that ice cold veneer and it’s a shame we didn’t get more of him. there’s just so much to explore with him and he gets cut out and missed by his sect exactly 0% which is pretty heartbreaking.

[nardaviel]

god i hope everyone who made up conspiracy theories about kate or laughed about the situation feels like the biggest piece of shit. like did they think she was staying sequestered and subjecting herself to all that for fun. some of yall have no soul

[teecupangel]

To celebrate being almost done with Valhalla, I would like to offer this: events of Valhalla are a deviation from future Juno/Minerva/Tinia saw. Desmond, while burning, saw an opportunity and, wanting to live, reaches back and does some tweaks of his own. The whole Loki surviving thing? His doing. Basim is aware of who gave him a chance to do what he did. Future ark for Basim ends up in Desmond being resurrected

Additional ask from @fanworldbuildingfun:

(just a small clarification for previous ask: basically, Loki is indebted to Desmond for his survival; pays back by setting in motion Desmond's return. Potential way to do it? Remove the "new hook" of the reality (also known as 'main character'. Let the guy be selfish, he deserves it)

It is possible that Basim knew about Desmond (or, to be more exact, the Reader) since there was a way to reach the Reader using Yggdrassil (most probably because the Norns read the Calculations just like the Reader).

So, in this scenario, Desmond doesn’t have to tweak anything if you want to stay close to canon. We have no idea if Basim even knows where his children are at the moment, but the Reader, with the Calculations in hand, can give him all the information he needed, for example: the correct set of events that must happen for Basim to be reunited with his children.

And, considering Basim is a Sage who has completely assimilated with an Isu’s memories, Desmond wouldn’t trust him completely, especially after the whole Juno debacle. Even if Basim himself can be trusted as a fellow Hidden One/Assassin, Loki cannot.

Desmond would not risk it.

So they make a deal.

Desmond will ensure Basim’s revival and give him the exact events that must play out for him to be revived and reunited with Midgarsormen.

But his other two children?

Desmond will only share that information if Basim does as he asked.

In exchange for Hel’s location, Basim must ensure certain events play out as they should and it will end with Layla’s revival.

Then, in exchange for Fenrir’s location, Layla will give him all the information he needs to ensure another set of certain events will play out and it will end with Desmond’s revival.

Basim knows he’s being used but this is the best course of action he could take and maybe he is even a bit fond of Desmond’s audacity to actually do this kind of shit to him.

(Removing the ‘new hook’ could be one of those events as well and, of course, finally keeping the world safe from whatever Isu or sun-related world-ending event that the Reader was trying to find a way out of from the very beginning)

You know what would be funny?

Instead of the plot twist being Desmond and Layla were actually the ‘reincarnation’/’Sage’ of Fenrir and Hel, they’re the reincarnation of Narfi and Váli (the children Loki had with Sigyn who was supposed to be Loki's loyal wife but their relationship is tainted by modern media into a more abusive/toxic kind of relationship which sucks)

OR

Desmond and Layla could be the reincarnation/Sages of Sigyn and Váli themselves with this entire thing being Desmond’s way to avenge Loki’s actions even though his memories of Sigyn loves Loki too much that she forgives him and understands. Well, Desmond understands it alright but that doesn’t mean he’ll forgive Loki/Basim like his past Isu-self, especially since Loki’s relationship with Angrboda/Aletheia is the trigger that destroyed their family in the first place.

The main idea is that Desmond is making Basim/Loki work his ass off to reunite with his ‘preferred’ children as a way to punish Basim/Loki for focusing so much on his children with his mistress (which is what Aletheia is in AC canon) and forgetting about, you know, HIS OTHER CHILDREN (including Sleipnir)? And Basim doesn’t realize that Desmond is the reincarnation of Sigyn/Narfi because of he didn't think the reincarnation could be of a different gender (which is canon thanks to Eivor) and because he only knew Narfi as a child. Basim feels Layla is familiar but doesn’t know why and Váli died as a child as well.

(Additional info: the only thing we have on Isu Sigyn is that Aletheia/Angrboda tells Loki that if Sigyn learns about Fenrir, their other children will be in danger too which sets Sigyn up as a more malevolent character... which isn't really much of a stretch considering all Isus are dick but it's like that frustrating misrepresentation of Persephone and Hades' relationship in AC Odyssey all over again and aaaaaahhhhhhhh)

[lessthanimpressedlesbian]

Volume 9 of RWBY is to the previous 8 volumes what Steven Universe: Futures was for the main Steven Universe series

[typinggently]

actually, here's one more:

Shane fiddling with Judith's clothes early on, high concentration, furrow between his brows, and she paws at him gleefully with a little sound. He nods, trying to make sense of diapers, maybe, and goes "yeah, googoo gaga, gimme a moment."

Rick, from the couch: "She thinks you're trying and failing to play a game with her, man."

Shane looks up from what he's doing, raises a brow. "What, you trying to mansplain what she's tryna say? Like some misogynist, is that it?"

(Carl, from somewhere in the back: "I wish you two would shut up sometimes." - "Hey, language!")

[psi-scribe]

Working on a Fabius centered fic and I had a thought that I'm torn about.

Part of me says that he has always been a very organized person, as in everything is put away and kept in a tidy order. Another part of me says that his private quarters/bedroom can only be described as organized chaos and god help you if you even think about moving a book stack off a table. There's an order to it but it only makes sense to him.

Both work so well in my mind?? If not the first then the second was at least him in his youth.

[madefate]

it's simple, i put on my angry girl playlist, think about clarisse, scream