#but i like it as a characterizing moment lol................ if i make shit up. look mean a couple times and then give up w.o a fight

[joelletwo]

eastern forest part 2 dub clips /_^

[pandorasfavorite]

hi i have so many dom smut ideas!!

-reader is new social media person & dom constantly flirts with her, maybe inviting her out to a club with a few others & she has to sit on his lap & when he flirts with her he feels her pussy clench on his thigh & he calls her out on it and smut ensues

- mutual masturbation when sharing a room (maybe happens by accident or overheard)

- flirting with reader & getting needy and begging to be touched & she makes him put on a show or guide her hands because she enjoys seeing him pathetically needy

Filthy and teasing

AN: I'm doing all of these BTW. But we are starting with the last one because I crave needy Dominik. I'm trying to work on my characterization for him, so help me out, guys. OMG, he's so sexy when he's sweaty. Also, this is kinda of long and Filthy guys. WHY DO I HATE MY TITLES LOL.

You are obsessed with changing your outfits, almost every time you walk into the ring, you are wearing something new. Its always a variation of dark colors that represents the Judgement Day and it drives Dominik crazy. The way your outfits hugs your curves and shows off every bit of your body is chilling for him.

Seeing you walk into the dressing room in all black, and purple outlining the outfit at the curves of your boobs and ass makes him sallow. The outfit is modest for the most part but it shows just enough skin for the imagination, the top going into a V down your chest. Your legs are out and smooth, but with fishnets going all the way down.

Dominik doesn't even speak when he sees you, Finn was talking to him, but Dominik doesn't even remember the conversation. The only thing on his mind is how good you look, how easy it would be to rip those fishnets off and bend you over the counter.

You walk around the room leaning over counters and trying to find a spot, Dominik gets to see it all. Your ass looks so good in that outfit and all his thoughts are reaching his dick. Your outfit is just so tight and fitting, complimenting every inch of your skin. It feels like hours but you finally turn around and make eye contact with Dominik smiling at him innocently, like you were unaware of the effect you had on him. "Dominik! I'm talking to you", Finn says loudly from the other side of the room trying to break his concentration. "Stop ogling her man", Finn noticed just like everyone else. Damian laughs to himself and Rhea just grins looking off to the side.

"Sorry man", Dominik waves it off, even though he feels the burning in his cheeks from embarrassment. You smile genuinely and strut over to Dominik, you lean down and kiss his cheek, and some of your lipstick stamps onto him. "That's okay Dom. You can ogle me", you say to him not worried about the listening ears. Dominik looks up at you, everything but you is blurred in his vision, he revolves around you and only you. He can barely speak at your loving display, all he knows is that it's making it hard for him to keep it in his pants. You kiss the other side of his cheek quickly before yelling out a quick, "gotta go", not only him but the rest of the group. Everyone throws out 'bye's and 'good luck's and the door clicks shut behind you.

Rhea becomes super confused for a moment and she looks over to Dominik who is still stuck in the same position you left him in. "Aren't you supposed to be ringside?", she mentions. Dominik throws himself off the couch and curses while running, "Shit, I forgot". Damian slaps Finn's chest while joking, "Guess she did too" and he raises his eyebrows suggestively. Finn busts out laughing at some sort of underlying joke, Rhea just rolls her eyes and gets on her phone; enjoying her time to rest.

Dominik was in his own world for a minute there, you're so breathtaking to him that he couldn't find the words to say anything. Now he feels more prepared to speak to you, to get your attention that he aches for. Dominik managed to find you waiting close to the entrance, there were only 2 minutes until you were supposed to walk out. Dominik walks up behind you smacking and grabbing your ass suggestively, "God you look sexy tonight", he says huskily. You turn your head to the side to notice him, "Am I not every night?", you grin knowing his response.

"You know you are. This though, I've never been this hard", he moves to kiss your collarbone, his hair fanning over his face attractively. You feel him brush against you and he reacts strongly, whimpering without meaning too. Falling out of his dominant role accidentally. You spin around and press your front against him, You run your finger down his Adams apple and his chest, all just to grab him by the loops in his pants and giggle at his flushed face. He looks down at you, taking his hand to hold the side of your face and to rub your bottom lip, like he's considering leaning down and taking advantage of the position you're both in.

Your entrance music blasts and you whip around walking out, but with Dominik's hand clasped in yours. Dominik's eyes linger on you for longer than they should, fans will definitely notice the sexual tension between you both if he keeps it up. During your match you show out as much as you can, willing yourself to jump around to get the attention of Dominik; though you don't have to do much.

Dominik is starting to sweat; your beauty and his neediness not being a good mix, and he attempts to control himself. He closes his eyes for a split seconds and reminds himself over and over that he is on public television that he has to wait. Like clockwork Dominik ushers you out of there discreetly, wanting to grab and hold you to him and never let go.

You walk into the dressing room smiling proudly at your win, but Dominik just looks exhausted and ready to go home. Some would think he just ran a marathon but really all he's been doing is thinking about you on your knees bobbing on his cock. You take your time getting things out of your locker, longer than usual to be a tease. Dominik stands extremely close to you, he holds your waist and he lays his forehead on your shoulder. "Can we go now?", he asks squeezing his eyes shut; he's trying to force all of the dirty thoughts out of his mind for just a moment. You shake your head smiling to yourself, "I'm hurrying, just a few minutes". Dominik trails after you, every step you take he does too. Dominik taps his hands on the steering wheel shifting a bunch in his seat, impatiently.

You slide your hand onto his thigh trying to relax him but it just makes things worse. Dominik twitches at the proximity and at this point he's so hard it's starting to hurt, and his pants feel tight. You unlock the door and step into the house, Dominik rushes in after you, pushing you against the wall and sinking to his knees while he kisses down your body. He squeezes your thighs and kisses them erratically. You grab Dominik's hair pulling up a little to get his attention, "Stand up" you tell him without room for argument.

Dominik's eyes glint and his stomach flutters. The pulling on his hair alone makes him feel close to cumming. He raises up his face only a centimeter away from yours, his breathing fanning across your lips. His breath then becomes yours. You peck his lips and say the words that make him whimper in distress, "I'm going to take a shower". He rubs his clothed cock against your thigh and he closes his eyes breathing heavily, "Baby can it wait? Please- can it wait?", his fists clenching at his side. He shakes his head side to side, controlling himself, trying to last for you.

You pull on his hair making him groan and rut his hips more, "No. Go sit down, I'll be out in a minute". Dominik looks at you, trying to break your composure, to change your mind. You raise your eyebrows at him, daring him to argue. He pulls himself away from you, doing one more once over before moving to the couch. Sitting down and manspreading to release some tension. You smile mischievously and sway your hips while you walk, your bottoms ride up some, so more skin is right in front of Dominik taunting him. "Fuck me", he mutters to himself, the words slipping out seeing you walk away.

You take much longer in the shower, teasing him is so fun. While your in the shower you imagine him withering and trying to control himself, willing himself to hold off touching himself till you get back. You have only a towel wrapped around you when you walk out of the bathroom; small droplets of water run down your body from the steam. You step a few feet in front of Dominik and he swallows, "Gonna make me wait?", he says in false confidence. You drop your towel, water from your hair falling and running down your tits and thighs. You walk over and climb onto Dominik sitting your bare pussy onto his leg.

Dominik shudders at the sight of your dripping pussy sitting on his leg, You grind forward against his leg, the sound of wetness making Dominik moan. You kiss down the side of his face then under his ear, "You'll have to wait until I'm done" you whisper to him sweetly. You rock against his leg, your clit brushing against his flexed leg. Dominik's head lolled backward and he tried to compose himself but only pleas fell from his lips, "I need to be in you. Let me feel that tight pussy baby" Your other leg brushes against his cock just a little, "Fuck..fuck". His eyes squeeze shut and he grips the couch, "Mami, I'll do anything'. He feels his eyes well up in desire for you.

You still your movements when the idea comes to mind: Dominik moves his head to look at you. You move the hair out of his face to get a better look at him, "Okay. Show me what you want", Dominik's hands rush to touch your body but you grab his wrists before he can touch you. "No touching-", "Mami~", "Use my hands to show me what you want". Dominik swallows the whines of protests, he knows this is the most he is getting right now. He holds your wrists and puts your hands on your boobs. You moan quietly, starting to grind against him again. Dominik moves a hand down to slide down your stomach lowly and slowly, your pussy clenching at the proximity it brings. Dominik makes eye contact with you as he moves your hand to slip down to your pussy, your own fingertips grazing your clit.

You moan eyes fluttering closed while you play with your clit, Dominik aiding your movements. You twitch on his leg, his leather-like pants helping you glide against his leg easily. Dominik pulls your own hand back to put it on his chest, "Baby" he mutters like it's painful. You start to pull off his shirt, a relief for him, Dominiks positive he's getting what he wants. He lifts his hips up when you start to tug off his pants, his pants sliding off alone was enough friction to make his knuckles turn white from gripping the side of the couch. You sit on his lap now, his cock prodding and aching in need, leaking so much precum you thought he already came.

You kiss Dominik's cheeks and then ask, "What do you want baby?" you whisper in a seductive manner. Dominik's hips thrust up a little while he speaks, "Anything. Ride me, my cock, my face. Just sit on it Mami. Fuck just sit on it", the thought alone provokes his body to shake. You take your finger and run it down his cock and Dominik gasps his whole body shooting back. You wrap your hand around his cock and pumped him twice, your thumb grazing over the tip of his dick.

Dominiks dick twitches and his cum spills out coating your stomach and thighs, it all dripping down your body. Dominiks trying his best not to push you away from him, your warm pussy still laying on him. You notice his struggle and the way he’s pants with his lips are parted; overstimulated. You notice this, it’s so hot the way his body is begging for you, you stroke his cock; lifting a little to rub your wetness on him. “Mami wait. mmm s’too much”, A hand finds your hair for support and his other hand is lying on your bare waist to hold you still.

You ignore him, grabbing him by the base and slipping him into you. You moan at the slight stretch, how his cock fits into you perfectly. You lift up arching your back and you knock Dominik's hand away from your head, you grab his hand and put it onto the other side of your waist. You press your lips to him, your lips moving against each other, both of you trying to control the pace of the kiss. You hum into a kiss grinding back and forth, his dick moving inside of you. There's a fluttering in your chest from the overwhelming feeling of lust and pleasure.

“Taking it so well”, you say; fingers scratch down his back lightly, your pussy clenching on him, the smacks of your skin against his; one of the many things Dominik manages to grasp. His mind is flooded and mushy, he can’t comprehend anything but you and how long he’s been waiting for this, how badly he always wants you. Your thighs burn from riding him, to the point you want to lay down and take it. You slide off of Dominik, pleads tumbling from his lips immediately. “Baby?”, he looks down at himself making it so much more intense, “Don’t leave, let me help please - please”, he turns his body after you.

You lay on your back taking up the rest of the couch, you smile and put your hands above your head sexily, spreading your legs slowly for Dominik to take it in. Dominik licks the bottom of his lip, his eyes not leaving you. Like it’s instinct he grabs your thighs and pulls you flush against him and his cock. He spreads your legs further and he pushes into you cursing lowly.

He thrusts into your dripping hole mercilessly, his hips snapping against your ass. Dominik's hands grip your thighs to where it’s turning red, but his roughness feels so good, the switch in his behavior was sexy to you. Dominik rolls his hips, the tip of his dick hitting that spot inside of you that makes you moan loud and arch off the couch. “Always letting me finish the job and fuck you right, huh mami? Ain’t that right baby?” He grunts out his hair falling over his face some in the most perfect way.

You nod quickly your hands reaching to hold onto his biceps while your tits bounce at the force. He reaches down and plays with your sticky clit from his precum and your own wetness. You feel yourself clench around him and he moans. Your close with the feeling of Dominik inside of you pushing you close to the edge. “So tight -haahh- that’s it mami. Don’t run from it baby, so close”, your moan your vision goes dark for a second and your mouth falls open in a moan. Dominik smacks your ass and thrusts into you quickly, the tip of his dick being squeezed by your clenching pussy. Dominik cums and leans forward towards you, his eyes closing for a moment and his face blissed out. “S’so fucking good,” he says opening his eyes to see the love of his life fucked out with her chest heaving and lips wet with him.

[jazeswhbhaven]

Is it weird that I love the Likeability comics more than the story? I feel we get more in depth characterization and I love that they also extend from the loading screen comics too.

But the Levi Attacker one makes me super conflicted because I love that he has that super shy moment about his scars, but everywhere else I get iffy(maybe also because MC is a complete pushover but I won't get into that since I think that's a shared agreement with many). I 'm letting Ch5 slide because that's MC's first meeting with him so yet but god I'm so not sure how to feel about him atm. I want to like him but I think something isn't lining up and IDK what i t is

I'm telling you rn anon I really want like a full based comic of WHB because I feel they'd pace it out better with the backstories, daily lives that they live, I feel like I learn much more about everyone just as you explained here.

I learned a bunch about the seraphim too from their comics.

Now on terms of Levi, in each comic I've seen of him he's like toned down compared to how he is in the game story (though that may just be me) For Chapter 5 (SPOILER WARNING) SPOILER WARNING) He was a little shit being that rude as the shoved MC in a damn coffin, have the nerve to be upset that they knew about some embarrassing moment from his earlier years, and then have Foras go and spy on Minhyeok and was hesitant to even let Ppyong leave to go get Minhyeok's spunk so they can fucking breathe lol I feel that he only cared because he needs MC...but he's so untrustworthy of everyone due to his trauma he just acts like an asshole. I'm reading more of his selfie card story as I unlock the unholy board and I'm really just not liking his attitude whatsoever. Again...he's pretty but he's sending me up the fucking wall in a bad way. It was even revealed in his likability that he isn't close with any of the kings despite growing up with them. The group photo of him with the kings looks so genuine tho like he's enjoying himself and in one of his comics they played pranks on one another when younger so I just was like huh.. okay? I'mma see where PB is going with his character development...because he somehow got along with Solomon, and Solomon himself advises MC on how to handle him because he figured it out. Me? I'd strangle him non-sexually lol like omfg Levi

[sixteenthchapel]

Hello! Just wanted to say that I'm in love with your art and ur one of the people that made me fall in love with jttw jdjdje Also ur characterization of Wukong and Tripitaka makes their dynamic so charming and amusing 😭 (They r so dumb god)

Random question! Do you have a favourite moment in the book?

First of all, thank you so much!! oh my gosh that is so kind TToTT I'm really happy you liked them!! The pilgrims all being dumb together is my favorite thing hhaha As to your question, oh man, absolutely. Its more a bunch of moments all from one chapter. My favorite chapter of the book goes something like this: And I've said this before but should say again, it has been several years since I read the novel cover to cover, so I may not remember all the details just right, but as I recall it, my favorite chapter is the one immediately following the story of the White Bone Devil, which is one of the most famous chapters. But to me, the story of the White Bone Devil is nothing compared to their ridiculous conflict with Lord Yellow Robe, Kui Mulang.

After Monkey is banished by Tripitaka, he goes back to Mt Huaguo, leaving Pigsy and Sandy to look after the priest. Which goes about as well as you'd think. Pigsy says he'll go find food, then just takes a nap, Sandy I think goes looking for him, and when they both don't come back for a while, Tripitaka goes looking for them and ends up walking DIRECTLY into this demon's lair.

When Sandy and Pigsy learn of the priest's capture, they attempt to stage a rescue. During the middle of the fight, Pigsy thinks they're going to lose so tells Sandy to cover him, he has to go take as shit IMMEDIATELY. Runs into the bushes, and escapes all the while Sandy is captured and yelling at him for being a fat, useless, coward (rude.. but in this case very true lol)

Pigsy, now alone and unsure what to do, flies to Mt Huaguo to find Monkey and ask him to come back and save everyone. He tells him everything that's happened, and that Trip has been captured and will surely die if he doesn't help. Even after hearing all that, Monkey refuses. He's still upset that Trip dismissed him and thinks dying and reincarnating ought to teach the brat a lesson! Pigsy gives up at first, skulking off and mumbling to himself about what a flea-ridden bastard Monkey is... this is overheard by some of Monkey's minions who deliver the news to the king himself. Monkey orders Pigsy to be brought back for execution LOL Thinking on his feet, Pigsy tries to redirect Monkey's ire, and thinks one of my favorite lines in the novel. "A warrior is more likely to answer a challenge than an invitation".

He tells Monkey that it wasn't him... This demon, Lord Yellow Robe, he's the one who called Monkey a weak, pathetic, cowardly fool.

And this makes Monkey ENRAGED

Monkey springs into action, flying to confront this demon. Screaming about all the nasty things this demon said about him while Lord Yellow Robe has no idea who the hell this monkey is or why he's so pissed off.

And boy, does Monkey go HARD on this guy. After he beats him up and along with a bunch of his soldiers, the demon retreats into his lair and Monkey is left out. He can't find a way to get to him, so instead takes out his anger on Kui Mulang's wounded but still living soldiers, killing them all. He meets back up with Pigsy and Sandy and tells them his brilliant idea to draw the demon back out.

By taking his half-human children and killing them outside the gates, hoping that will enrage their father enough to come back out. Even his companions think he's malding a little hard

This has gone on awhile so to cut the rest short, Monkey is eventually "victorious". I think I recall a subplot about Trip being turned into a tiger too, and there was this captured princess subplot too.

But this is my fave chapter lol. Basically "Monkey Accidentally Saves The Day By Avenging An Imagined Insult To Himself"

Peak Monkey behavior, absolute mad lad, everyone is an idiot. Its just a mess and I love it.

[a0random0gal]

If you had the chance to change something about the dance of the dragons (TV show or book), what would it be? For example, how a character dies, which team a house is on,or an entire character personally. How would you change it to make the story better, in your opinion?♥️🖤💙💚

Ohh anon i've got a list.

When it comes to the tv show there are a few choices the writers made that just don't sit right with me.

Laenor

I do like the characterization they went for, he's a pretty cool dude who really loves his weird, dysfunctional family. What I really don't like is how they handled his death.

See I truly can't stand it when a character is sugar coated just because they're the protagonist and thus must be righteous and always objectively correct.

So to witness the writers white wash his murder, having him flee to essos instead of being killed by Rhaenyra pisses me off. I get that after showing them being good friends it would be very odd to have her kill him.

But that's the thing, they should have opted for a more ruthless Rhaenyra in the first place!

Laenor's death in the books (at least for me) was the first instance of Rhae Rhae making morally wrong choices in order to pursue her ultimate goal. It was compelling! Here she just takes the easy way out, without having to make a tough choice.

Also his survival really fucks her up when you really think about it. Now all her sons are bastards since her marriage to Daemon isn't valid, and for the upcoming season 2, how are they going to handle Addam and Seasmoke? Laenor is still alive, his dragon won't accept a new rider. This doesn't make any sense and just causes plotholes what the actual fu-

Sidenote: After Laenor's very moving speech on how he was done goofing off and was now willing to really step up for Rhaenyra and their family it's super strange to imagine him ditching them all immediately afterwards Lol.

Rhaenys

My gosh, where do I even begin with this woman?

She too is pretty cool at the start, but then episode 9 rolls around and I roll my eyes.

She's so hypocritical. She tries to shit on Alicent for "toiling in the service of men." When that's all she does in the goddamn story!

She wants Baela to get Driftmark, tells Corlys about it, he shuts off the whole plan cause he wants a kid who he's not even related to on the driftwood throne, and when she complains about it he dismisses her.

So what does feminist Rhaenys do about it?

She... submits to her husband, something she conveniently forgets about when talking to Alicent. My god. Just remove this entire exchange, it hurts to watch.

And the coronation scene, Jesus Christ! It was so cool in the books, why did they have to ruin it? Had they replaced it with something better I wouldn't have complained, but this is just, the worst.

Rhaenys shows how badass she is by.... Brutally crushing hundreds of small folks to death and almost slaughtering the greens.

Cool, cool, absolutely necessary. Thanks Sara.

And you know what's even more infuriating? When she flees to Dragonstone to inform Rhaenyra of all that happened. She says she didn't kill the greens cause she didn't wish to start a war. I'm sorry what?

That would have ended the war at the start! As glad as I am that Rhaenys didn't barbecue them it makes absolutely no sense!

If she had killed them there would have been no dance in the first place!

I hate these dumb show only moments. They needlessly complicated an already complicated story and just mess everything up.

There's probably other stuff I could rant on, like how Aegon was made a rapist sorely to make the audience think:

Oh look! The greens are so baad, they believe a rapist alcoholic douche should be in charge instead of our empowered dragon queen, they sure do suck!

Or how house Velaryon was disrespected and mistreated by D*emyra but still somehow decided to support Nyra's claim.

They didn't really have a motive to be greens though, so I think they should have stayed neutral. Their fervent black support makes no sense.

The writers really should have given them more reasons to back up the blacks or had their beloved queen treat them better so that their loyalty made more sense ( I mean holy hell I wonder how they will handle the two betrayers and Corlys's arrest lmao).

But other greens have already shat on these awful decisions and I won't beat a dead horse.

Book

When it comes to fire and blood I surprisingly have very little complaints, except of course, the Jaehaera situation.

My poor baby deserved better, I've made a post about it in the past

(where I ranted and said stuff I kind of regret now, don't post while very angry guys I don't recommend it)

tackling how the little queen was unnecessarily killed off and how her death genuinely adds nothing so why was it added? God I get upset just thinking about it lol.

Some people say George did it cause he needed Aegon's kids to be born after Viserys's, and apparently he couldn't fathom a married teen not having kids until her 20s, which is veery weird.

The more plausible theory is that he got rid of her cause he wanted more Velaryon queens to showcase how close they used to be to the Targs.

Which is something I had understood already thanks to Alyssa, the sea Snake and all the Velaryons who were masters of ships but whatever.

[04tenno]

Mine is in the circle of hell where every demon is female and they keep hitting on him

Also as for your own personal thoughts, do you think Daigo could have been into Mine?

I mean... maybe because I'm bi, but sounds preferable to burning in hell for "quintillions of years" as described lol

And I've talked about it a few times (though I guess I've never compiled it all in one place), but personally I think it all makes less sense if Daigo isn't into Mine. Take, for example, Mine's original character story. From start to finish, while Mine's agonizing over initiating a friendship, Daigo's the one who's "making moves."

He's inviting Mine out to a bar (one that's intimate and out-of-the-way, located in the Champion District—where, As I'm Always Saying, the LGBT-friendly establishments we're aware of are clustered—with a bartender he's comfortable confiding in). He's asking if Mine's currently seeing anyone, taking care not to gender a potential partner. He's leaving the area where all the nightlife is to take Mine to the hotel district and tell him he "wants some action."

And he's clearly thrown off when Mine doesn't catch on to what he means. Like, I fully believe Daigo was intending to propose a sexual encounter of some kind—maybe going their separate ways, maybe arranging a threesome or foursome with some ladies, maybe a one-on-one with Mine, who knows—and ditch Mine at the hotel.

Then there is, of course, the reserve bottle. Now, I can't speak from experience, but I'm told it's exceedingly unusual to reserve a bottle (particularly an expensive one) for a "friend." And that's sort of corroborated by the story Kashiwagi tells in Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Like, it's in how they look at each other on the rooftop. It's in how Daigo is willing to lay down his life for Mine without a second thought and always has been, even before Mine felt the same about Daigo. It's in how, despite the fandom's incessant "yandere" characterization of Mine, Daigo is just as willing to kill to protect him.

They have one of the most special bonds in the series to me. They're best friends, and Mine is undoubtedly Daigo's closest confidant; of course, it helps that Mine takes no shit, much like Kashiwagi, but I think it would've been invaluable for Daigo to have someone like that his own age. And Daigo's got nothing but praise for Mine except his misgivings that the seems too guarded around him, but then again, he's not going to force Mine to open up before he's ready.

In a series that's all about beating your own ideals into the other person, it's wonderful to see two people who genuinely like each other and are able to make themselves clear with words and actions alone. When it comes to the thoughts they allow to come to the surface, at least. I think Daigo has to be into Mine, but I also think Mine's too dense to realize it. Perhaps vice-versa, too.

That all ties back into what I was saying about the reserve bottle. I can't help see it as perfectly symbolic of their mutual attraction. Never acting, waiting for "the right time" until it's too late, but holding it close to their hearts even when the moment has passed. And then all that's left to do is preserve the memory.

But, you know, that's just how I'd like to see it. I can't make any definitive statements (not that I was asked to, but as a wiki editor, I can't suppress the urge). Overall, I'm more inclined to believe it's not purposeful. Like, twooo gay major characters!?!?! That's pushing it...

[itsclydebitches]

I’m screaming Clyde, what WAS that epilogue?! Also since semblances were just a discussion did you notice the moment when the guy tripped and Qrow caught him THEN we see the pin? Which is probably calling back to the mine incident where he tripped and Clover caught him? But now he’s kinda in the unique position of causing both. Looks like Qrow did indeed get a semblance upgrade without explanation. Maybe that’s why he’s so dang happy lol

Oh man you're right! That callback didn't occur to me, but it seems too big a coincidence to not be a callback. Yeah, I'm wondering now if we're meant to take this as further evidence that Qrow's semblance has evolved into a kind of...equalizer? The man near him still trips (bad luck) but now Qrow, in a mirror of Clover and his own good luck semblance, is able to catch him with a smile. I mean yeah, we could simply chalk that up to Huntsmen reflexes, but it seems a little too on-the-nose to not be meaningful, particularly after the miraculous save on the airship. That begs the question though of what this actually means for Qrow moving forward. I mean, if he has good luck and bad luck now, don't they just cancel each other out? That's just normal luck. Congrats, your semblance makes you like everyone else where some good things and some bad things happen in your vicinity.

Ngl, after RWBY semi-canonically introduced the concept of some semblances severely impacting mental heath via Ironwood, my mind immediately jumped to the possibility of Qrow's upgrade coloring his reaction to everything. Not that I think this is actually happening in the story (and not that I'd want RT to attempt such a story-line), but from a fun AU possibility my brain went, "Qrow is acting all content and optimistic after everything in his life has gone to shit. Salem won back in Atlas, she's two steps closer to destroying the world, a whole Kingdom is dead/displaced, his nieces are presumably dead and at some point he's going to have to tell Tai that... and yet he's smiling. Not even in a 'I'm holding it together through extreme denial' way, but acknowledging that yes, he's actually, surprisingly happy. That doesn't make sense! I wonder if this spontaneous upgrade that presumably revolves around generically Good Things is fucking with his head somehow." In more nuanced and respectful hands, it might be interesting to explore what it means for a magic-based power to influence someone's mood. Can it be equated to medication? Is it seen as an "unnatural" version of who they are (something that, again like meds, could be a bias the show works to unpack)? As events unfold, is it revealed that his semblance simply gives him a stronger, more optimistic will for shouldering such tragedy, or does it become clear that he's not reacting appropriately to what everyone recognizes as—formerly for him—crippling emotional blows? There's a difference between, "My semblance keeps me from sinking back into my self-destructive depression. No, I'm not like who I was before and that's a good thing" vs. "Ruby? Yang? Uh... sure. I guess I miss them? I recognize that I'm supposed to miss them... but I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be? They did a good thing, those girls, trying to save the world and all, but now it's time to move on. Chins up, everyone! :)"

In my attempts to work through Qrow's everything from the epilogue, I'm also dying to know how long has passed. This is one of those times when a firmer timeline makes a huge difference because it can make or break our acceptance of these characterizations. How long did it take for them to accept that Team RWBY aren't coming back? How long passed after that when Qrow goes to wipe dust off the grave? If it's, say, a few days or weeks then I'm like hey wtf they should still be DEVASTATED. If, however, we've jumped forward six months, a year... that at least makes a little more sense. I don't like that we've skipped over all the cliffhanger conflicts of Volume 8 as well as a long-term grieving arc for every character that would fundamentally change who they are and their approach to this war... but I find that slightly easier to swallow then Qrow strutting around the new slums with a smile on his face, happily telling the ghosts of his dead family that he's doing surprisingly good during the end of the world.

Also, in the realm of skipped-over character growth, I saw someone point out that Oscar's tiny smile at the group's arrival... might not be Oscar's. Or might not be Ozpin's. God knows the writers have proven that they don't know how to write the merge on screen—they just keep insisting it's happening without either of them changing in any meaningful way—so this would be the perfect opportunity for them to just skip over all the important bits and land on the final product, a la Oscar getting over his crisis in Volume 6. If we hypothesize based on what RWBY has shown us before (ha) we should expect for Ozpin to be gone for good and Oscar is now in control, but with mannerisms and knowledge that he's never displayed before; a fundamental shift in his personality. After all, we never got to hear Ozpin the host. The show acts like Ozma existed on his own after a certain point, a body without a voice in his head anymore, but living as a, you know, merged version of himself and whoever was last with him. Which I hate! And Oscar hated it too, as evidence by him understandably freaking out about it, but the story never bothered to let him work through that. (Or just solve it with the magical aura machine + android bodies that have already been introduced.) As a favorite of mine, I'm not looking forward to being told that they've merged now. It's not Oscar. It's not Ozpin. It's someone who sounds like both at times, but really the characters you enjoyed are gone... without fully being gone. Combined with worry that Ironwood might come back—someone commented that the "Don't come back" was directed at Weiss, though that doesn't make any sense to me?—if we do get Volume 10 I can't help but think that, like Penny, the writers aren't going to leave these characters alone, despite them supposedly having left the story.

[yellowocaballero]

I'd be interested in those writing shortcuts 👀 (don't feel pressured though)

Yeah sure! This is in reference to this and this posts.

These are all pretty 'fic style' stories, because they scaffold off pre-existing canon. It's like you're walking inside of a pre-built house and you're putting up new wallpaper and designing the rooms. Novel style is like if you're building the entire house. So these are really great for fun and if you have writer's block or have problems starting a story. They're also really good if you're practicing your dialogue, scene composition, characterization, etc - they are not good for developing skills on how to build the house, but if you're trying to work on actually making a readable story they're great methods to practice. They're also a lot easier to make good lol.

While writing these out I realized that they're almost entirely AUs. This is because I like AUs. You don't have to do AUs, you can adapt these however you want if you just like writing canon. Loser. Anyway, these are my low-effort stories:

A series of disconnected scenes that take place over a long period of time. If you have an idea in mind (or you just want to use the OG work's timeline), then you can show scenes or moments over a long period in time. For example, ages ago I wrote an AU story following the life of one character. One scene for 2008, one for 2010, one for 2012 etc.

Rewriting canon. If you have an AU idea or have a way in mind to change canon to something you think fucks harder, then you can use pre-existing episodes or season plotlines and just add your own flavor to what already exists. If you write for BNHA you aren't allowed to do this. That's the rule. How is all BNHA fic 600k AUs where one extremely minor detail is changed. God they're boring.

Alternate viewpoint/missing scene of a story you have. Like you can do this for canon too but that sounds super boring. This is actually something I do in order to help the quality of the main story - if I'm finding myself writing a super complicated character, I write another story about him from his POV to help give me a handle on him. Or write her parts of the story from her perspective. It's a writing exercise to help me figure out the character and it is also easy and fun.

"X Meets Y". Do you really like Legally Blonde? Do you think your favorite character being Elle Woods would be really funny? Stuff like that. Would it be really funny if your blorbo was Sharpay Evans? Yes it would be. Yeah I DID write a story many years ago that was "X meets Teen Beach Movie", why?

I don't know how many other people out there have extremely convoluted entire AU ideas, but if you have the whole AU in your mind then it is incredibly easy to write little stories or snippets from the AU. Like, so easy. A stand-out scene in your mind, the life of one supporting character, an alternate POV, whatever. Literally whenever I want to write something absolutely 0 effort whatsoever I go back to one of my 3 bugfuck stupid AUs and write something for them again.

This is actually something I think everybody should do, because it is basically how I learned story structure: find the trashiest, most formulaic genre you can. Watch or read something from that genre, or just collect genre conventions. Use the pre-packaged and pre-written formula to structure your own story and fill in the blanks.

(Also, these aren't very tropey or reliant on shipping/romance beats, which is nice if you want to get away from that stuff)

Nowadays, I find all of that helpful when I feel like doing something 0 effort. When I was a less experienced writer and I deadass did not know how to build a house, then these were really helpful for learning what wallpaper looks good and what arrangement of furniture creates good fung shui and what couches go best with that coffee table. They're also good passing. Seriously, these are like the most popular stories on my AO3. People eat this shit up. Why. They're so lazy.

IDK, these are what I do because they're the kinds of stories I like to write! What you find easy to write will be different. This is all a very personal list. I can see my personal thumbprint (no romance, AU central) really clearly. I'm kind of curious now: what are y'all's favorite low-effort, easy, fun stories to write?

Also as a heads up if your story doesn't have any sort of conflict in it, then it will actually very difficult to write. Trust me. Conflict makes you voom. Do it. Please. Love of god.

[jade-of-mourning]

just rewatched the first three episodes of lok and i'm obsessed again. korra is SO CUTE she's buff she's passionate she's self assured she's sassy as fuck she's the whole world to me omg.

welcome to republic city & the revelation do SUCH a good job of establishing the character of the city and really, introducing the new world!!! the revelation has been one of my favorite episodes of lok for a long minute because of its noir aesthetic, the art in the cityscaping, the insane cinematography and composition of the korra/mako & chi-blocker fight! the way that mako's revelation of his and bolin's backstory is a direct parallel to the fradulent backstory of amon!!!! (and the potential behind the firebenders-killed-my-parents stereotype as inflicted on a firebending kid,,,)

AND THE WAY KORRA IS IMMEDIATELY SMITTEN WITH MAKO IS SO FUNNY. the way that it just does not occur to mako at all to romantically like korra at all — he sees that bolin is not in their attic and automatically assumes that he's flirting with korra and is just entire amused at the concept like okay,,, then korra offers to help him find bolin and he goes "nah i got it" and i'm like dude,, if i were in your position i would literally be hanging off of her bc she's so cute wdym Nah I Got It you do not got it you are a hot trauma mess let the pretty girl help you. actually he's aro what.

also i'm yelling about how bolin was written as, y'know, an actual human being with feelings and nuance in characterization in these first few episodes. the show could never make me hate you bolin. and the way mako looks so tired all the time especially in his initial introduction just looking at his side profile, and how he word for word goes "i think i'm gonna turn in; you kids have fun" at korra and bolin STOP. mako physically picking up an equalist and hauling them off the stage like a ragdoll bc they were going to harm bolin is the truest shit of all time. sorry i still think mako should've been a girl but in that moment where he asks if bolin is alright and bolin goes "YES MAKO I LOVE YOU" i agreed bc i love him for who he is in canon too

THE SETUP FROM A LEAF IN THE WIND guys the way the airbending philosophy translates over into an entire theme of the season,, how tenzin and korra's relationship already evolves so much over the course of one episode and how they recognize their own faults and acknowledge each other's perspectives; they were always meant to help build one another into better more empathetic people. i just love watching their dynamic so much um kind of the most important part of the show. also the way that korra sees what mako does in the ring and connects it to what tenzin told her about airbending and how it finally clicked for her,,, sorry i'm once again thinking about the sheer potential that makorra could've been until it got absolutely trashed in about one episode from now LOL. (i'm joking it took about another season before that happened but still.)

talk to me please i need to yell about season 1 again and esp the first three episodes because they had so much potential for so many good things and just never got the time to explore it in its entirety,,,, AAAAAAA never getting over the visuals the personality in the animation the background paintings the music just hgnajdsgbhkbsjdgajs SEASON ONE KORRA I LOVE YOU. also my chest hurts sm what

[rontra]

So, given you are interested in DC, or at least aspects of it and RWBY I am curious what your thoughts were on the recent crossover? I assume positive given the art, which s amazing by the by. Also low key curious if you have any "born in DC" headcanon for superhero RWBY. No pressure though.

THE MOVIE YOU MEAN??? well first off thank you hahahah

& for #2 i don't really have any headcanons like that ... somehow i struggle with conceptualizing rwby crossovers w my other interests in general. (maybe it's because rwby's language is so specific to me i struggle to translate in or out of it????)

i do think however we should rank dc characters on how competently they could solve the salem situation /j*

the movies... i watched them back to back in the same night of course, so it was very funny to like, go directly from v7 to post-v9. they were like Guys you will not believe the shit that happened to us since last time we spoke

of course it's crossover spinoff material and not that important to me in the grand scheme of things. so my mode of interaction with it is mostly Enjoying A Light Snack. i can't say i have many capital t Thoughts that are worth posting about individually bc of that. but i DID enjoy the post-v9 aspect of movie2 bc like--altho obviously they can't dig into this shit in a crossover spinoff film--it still gives somewhat of an inclination towards what the writing room is thinking about. ruby especially i had a great time with. how's figuring out the summer rose shit going for you girl (BADLY) (LOL)

oh and omg invoking raven's name ... RAVEN MENTIONED... (to yang no less. heh)

a lot of salem namedrops in movie2 as well which i did chuckle about every time. speaking of, salem not going to vacuo Bolstered... hee hee hoo hoo... pleaaase give me evil gang meetup at beacon pleaaase

movie1 was a special treat for me because i loved all the "this doesn't make any sense this doesnt add up" Memory/Continuity/Spatial fuckery. i could've genuinely watched two full movies about rwby characters going "wait, that doesn't make any sense" at each other. i REALLY enjoyed that. very good show. pyrrha moment very fun also

i think zatanna shouldve showed up in movie2. for me.

i thought i was gonna miss bat ears brucie baby from the RWBYxJL comic more than i did. i think of him so fondly. but wings were kinda fun .... 🦇

movie1 had a little too much diana characterization disease for me to enjoy her. but that's so common its barely worth leveraging as Specific To This Movie. and i feel like she barely talked in movie2 so jury's still out on that. but of course there's a fair bit of wriggle room for the dc characters (in movie1 especially) as well given the "its a random ass crossover so the meta stakes have never been lower + they all got Genuine Teenager Brain for the whole first movie anyway"

movie2 had some pretty cool animation moments that i really noticed. movie1 wasnt like Awful but movie2 was the one where i perked up like "oh, that animation looked cool", you know? also i really liked the models they made for team rwby. the stylization felt nicely balanced to me?...if that makes sense. i hope we can see more models like them in the future just for me. idc who uses them but its my christmas wish RT please

final evaluation: better than DC/RWBY the comic. here is my favorite screenshot

so true girls<3

*wonder woman could fix everything i know this about her

[itookyoudown]

for the ask game: top 5 justified episodes?

oh lordy this is so hard to choose. i'm not answering this with any thoughtfulness just going with gut instinct.

5: Full Commitment, season 2. this is my guilty pleasure and comfort episode because of how western it feels and how much tim gutterson we get :)

we even get raylan talking to dan!! i just love how all the pieces of the plot and characters come together in this episode. this also sets up and kicks off the finale of Bloody Harlan. really the last three episodes of this season feel like a mini movie to me, they all flow together brilliantly.

4: The Promise, season 6. this isn't my favorite season or even my favorite season finale, but it's one of my favorite episodes because of how bittersweet it is. it was the perfect wrap-up for a perfect show and the final scene is my favorite final scene in any show i've ever watched.

some characters survive, but nobody really wins and i love that. it feels like such a real true to life ending.

3: The Hunt, season 6. the episode that cinched boyd's characterization and showed us two flavors of domesticity horror (raylan and winona with willa's heart murmur reveal and trying to navigate co-parenting along with raylan's lackluster fathering VS boyd's abduction, terrorization, and assault of ava).

this is the most thriller-esque episode of justified to me and truly does verge into lowkey horror at some points. it shocked and numbed me the first time i watched it and the reality didn't really click until the second rewatch and by the third time it truly sunk in.

the fact boyd became the type of man his father and his brother were...utterly devastating and really changed my perspective on his character. and he chose it, he plotted it and organized it in a cold fashion. it's heartbreaking and at first you can't believe it but upon rewatches of the show it revealed to me that yeah...yeah. boyd was always capable of this and it's no surprise this is where he and ava ended up.

outlaw king and queen they never were and never would have been.

this episode is also fascinating because you can see critic response to it as a disturbing time capsule. look at reviews of this episode back when the show was airing...be prepared to be sickened by how often boyd assaulting ava is framed as "making love" or a reunification/rekindling of their relationship 🙃

this episode is always difficult for me to rewatch, but i still love it.

on a lighter note, i also delight in raylan being a fail dad and with city primeval fresh in my mind i love how it really does confirm his work over family priority from the get-go lol.

2: Outlaw, season 4. in general this is a solid af episode of justified in the best season of the show, but it ranks so high in my mind because it's the culmination of Arlo and Rayan's relationship. look, the truth is abuse is so rarely accurately portrayed in media. usually, it's revenge fantasy or feel-good simplification that reduces things down to evil monsters and pure perfect victims. and i get why that happens, i get it, most people find it healing and those stories do need to exist i'm not knocking them.

but justified has a complex and multilayered way of dealing with abusive relationships (they did it with boyd and ava too) that actually digs into how complicated and messy and painful they truly are.

the fact we get to see Raylan grieve Arlo in such an understated but devasting way...holy shit. one of the best moments in the show imo. because it doesn't matter if you hate your parent and they were shitty and abusive. you still loved them. you still love who they were in-between the abuse and maybe you don't grieve the person they were but you grieve what could have been and what you never had with them.

1: Decoy, season 4: all-time best episode of justified and top-tier episode of television everywhere. the episode is really the pinnacle of justified's genre (neo western). e v e r y t h i n g about this episode honors justified's storylines and honors characterization. heart and soul and brain all in one go.

it respects the lawmen and the outlaws in portrayal. the writing is tight, the dialogue is outstanding, and it comes with one of justified's most iconic and thematic shots (the stairwell scene).

[detectivehole]

hey i finally watched the evil dead. it was pretty good. b (the b is a thumbs up because i dont have emojis on my keyboard)

which evil dead movie is your favourite and why (you can say multiple if you like)

i like the use of b as a thumbs up im stealing that

im glad you liked the evil dead! it's a funny series

my favorite movie is no question the very first evil dead movie from 1981. you asked why so i put a massive set of paragraphs of incoherent rambling below

it's a very impressive and influential project for its haphazard budget and production (even if its sequel, which used the same shooting methods, is what popularized them) which is admirable. visually is just nice to look at imo- im no film buff or even the biggest movie fan overall so i can't say why it looks as good as it does to me, but it just does. it's gross and strange and erie and i enjoy that in its visuals.

what certainly shoots it to the number one spot for me though is the characterization, most especially of ash but really of everyone. i found the way everyone behaved and interacted especially realistic, and uniquely compelling for me. for horror, which is a genre that usually takes liberties with behavior for dramatic effect (not criticizing that), that's not particularly common

they don't always get along, but they're all clearly friends. characters are hesitant to resort to violence but simultaneously totally willing to defend themselves. panic drives people to make dumb decisions but no one ever makes decisions i would call totally senseless. it's all very much believable. all the characters display this but ash (understandably) depicts it all the best. i wish i could articulate it better than this but i can't lol

two particular scenes i like;

- ash is finally the last one left, and he's just in the house, surrounded on all sides by the dead and dying and demonic, and it's a charged scene, but it's not tense, because it's not supposed to be. you understand in that moment- both because of the structure of a film but also just bc it does a good job communicating it- that ash is physically safe from attack for a bit. no one's gonna pounce yet. that is because the demons are focusing on mentally attacking him. it's the demonic mocking scene, where all of these things puppeting his dead friends and family are just teasing him over and over like children while he takes the time to freak the fuck out, and they laugh and jeer. and idk i just really love that scene it's very VERY compelling to me. i think it's the strange sense of inexplicably physical safety (however short) combined with the childish demonic taunting; a lot of demons in media taunt but they tend to do so in more "ohhhh so scary" or overtly violent ways. the demons in this scene aren't not doing that exactly, it's just that it's way more deliberately annoying and childish in its execution rather than super spooky, subtle, or esoteric

- the walls bleed scene (it's my pinned post rn). ash goes to get amo in the Evil Basement and the demons make a bunch of weird shit happen. why i like this scene is way less deep- it's a deliberately funny scene; goofy music is playing, it's got a lot of visually appealing shots, a comical amount of blood, and it does stuff that ties back into the "childish, goofy, but effective ways the demons torture ash" thing. also 21yo bruce campbell absolutely covered in bright red fake blood is hot i will not deny that

[psychologymajor226]

Enigma: Final Chapter (in three parts)

Here you go! Three-part chapter, because it got so long. But it's done. It's DONE. *laughs and cries and then throws self out window but not really but FUCK*

Chapter 31: Part I

Chapter 31: Part II

Chapter 31: Part III + Epliogue-y thing

And, finally, my acknowledgements, because on AO3 I promised a version with live links. <3

There are a few really integral people I want to thank, for either the help, inspiration or both. First off, my partner, Tyler, who has listened to me read every single chapter of this thing aloud to check for all kinds of stuff, including typos, awkward phrasing, etc. (Although I still missed tons of that shit, and for that I’m sorry. There are pros and cons to going beta-less on a fic this long, missing typos and repeating phrases and some general wonkiness inevitably showing up in posted chapters is one of them. But I don’t like asking anyone to read and edit a 20k word chapter, so yeah. You’ll find if you go back and re-read, a lot of it has been cleaned up substantially, me catching shit after posting. If I ever write a sequel, I’ll need to re-read this thing again, too, and I’ll clean it up another time.) Tyler also was my point person for so, so many discussions about characterization and plot points, etc. He is also endlessly patient and kind. And I love him to pieces. 

The second person I wanted to thank was Bright_Thorn (@bright-thorn) for encouraging me for many, many months in the form of reading and feedback and help with a lot of the Spanish translation and also with just being a phenomenal author. The first story I read by them was actually 404, which inspired so much of the chatter and relationships between the droids, and also really got me to think about what autonomy would look like in a droid. Of course Unorthodox Modifications was also a huge inspiration, in terms of not only how a relationship between Cassian and K-2 could develop, but also it provided inspiration in understanding how Cassian could be in a relationship at all. Lol. I have also always loved their inclusion of Chopper in their stories, and that inspired me from the get-go (even as early on as Integration) to make sure he was in this. (Sexy, sexy scene between K-2 and Chopper in armed. Sex between droids was inspired by that and something of Robotboy’s I’ll talk about.) Iterations was also incredibly helpful in exploring how various versions of Kay might deal with waking up after the loss of Cassian. And although this went a different way, it was exceptionally helpful in the beginning thinking of how Kay might even think about grieving Cassian. 

Other stories they’ve written that inspired either characters or the possibility I could even write a character like that included For the Long Haul, which included a sentient ship, which inspired Atlas’s character. Reed and Eirtae’s relationship, or the idea of just exploring other human/droid relationships was partly inspired by Non-standard Issue, which is a fucking lovely, beautifully felt fic. Go read it if you haven’t.

Robotboy’s (@r0b0tb0y) stories have also been incredibly inspiring and just downright beautiful to read. You, Me, and the Monsters Inside Us was paramount in exploring a more digitally-based Cassian, including ways the two of them might be intimate virtually. Defect was also just fucking wonderful, and really helped my exploration of Cassian undercover. Also Tax Deductible Fuck, because… of course. Basically all of them. lol.

Whalebone’s stories too. Oh, where do I begin? Their entire series Radio Heart inspired so many moments of how I could conceive of this pairing together. How they write these two is beautiful, and when I wanted to just call it quits, the emotion of this series kept me going. Thermal Coupling was also one of the first Cassian/K-2SO stories I read and made me fall in love with this pairing all the more. My favorite by them has to be while(true) though, and documents five very beautiful and different kisses. That’s one of my favorite Kayssian stories of all time. 

Maker, there are so many others. Movement Recalibration by theLoyalRoyalGuard helped imagine both Cassian and K-2SO surviving Scarif, both permanently changed. In fact theLoyalRoyalGuard’s whole series Dual Process Theory is amazing and go read it. 

There have been dozens of others, some which I can’t remember the names of. Truly though, I’ve never been a part of a ship with so many fantastic authors and so many intriguing, beautiful ideas. And I’ve never felt so supported and welcomed, so thanks to everyone.

And finally thank you to anyone who read or commented. I was almost exclusively writing the ScarletVision ship for years, and I really put my heart into that one. I got a lot of traction and feedback and love, in the form of hundreds of comments and kudos, but when I leaned more into the AI/robotics dimension of the ship, a lot of people stopped reading. It was heartbreaking, and I learned my lesson, about how to cherish a *single* comment I received, and how amazing it was if even one single human being sat down and read a chapter I wrote through to the end. Also, that it doesn’t feel good to write for any other reason than you enjoy it. I had forgotten that, at some point, somewhere along the way.

I write because I can’t *not*. I write because I have an extremely busy mind. I write because real life, at times, has been so incredibly hard, and slipping into a world where I can pretend is healing. Also because the characters always help me work through my own problems, help me think about themes and lessons maybe I, the person, am not ready to deal with just yet. I write to keep my sanity. I never write for reviews or comments or likes, because, lol, I don’t pick ships that generate a lot of that. But it’s lovely when I know someone read, because it feels like we shared the same world for a little bit. Because it’s the reason I read too. So if I offered someone a little escape from how hard life can be, even for just a little while, then I think that’s pretty amazing. 

So, anyway, thanks for staying (uh, a lot longer than I thought, in terms of actual time spent on this and length), but thank you anyway. Stay safe, friends. I appreciate you. 

Love,

Aero

[dyketubbo]

oh yeah i agree with the thing about ctubbo not getting angry about things around people. reminded me of a meta i wrote back when the nukes went missing. it has been like. two years. but here's some stuff from that i think still applies

"he has to be very loud about his weapons and very quiet about the things he loves" "but he also can’t be too bold about it. showing that you have powerful weapons is also a good way to get targeted, so he has to toe the line of either side to even exist peacefully."

"move on, don’t look back, never try to take revenge because if you do the pain will only come back tenfold."

and it's kind of interesting because that last one changed i think! i think he got a lot more jaded at the end and began being more and more reckless and stuff like going after sam goes against that. but i think it just shows that he couldn't afford to care anymore about his own safety along with everything else. it was tearing him apart

this switch really happened when cranboo died i think. ctubbo just stopped caring at all everything was a game to him because nothing was permanent and while god killed everything around him it wouldn't let him die. god that plot sucked so bad

REAAAALLLLLLLLLL

the revenge thing with ctubbo makes me hmmmmm so often because like. im a ctubbo kills cdream enjoyer but not out of revenge just out of the conclusion of how far ctubbo has gotten in terms of dropping morals for the sake of safety/self defense. so the way he got characterized as a big revenge enjoyer to me (esp with how it was encouraged by ctechno and ceret) just felt ehhhh to me yk. tubbo isnt a pushover but he isnt Aggressive. hostile towards sam in the moment of Getting Michael but i cant imagine him naturally gunning for putting him in the prison lol in my mind he would like.. very heavily focus on getting michael home and then building up defense. defense over offense and all

plus like. he would have learned from the festivals shit. hell he Did learn. he refused to execute ranboo because it wouldnt be fair. also i think him being suuuper against revenge after all that makes him a better foil to both quackity (active revenge enjoyer) and techno (hypocrite about getting revenge) . BUT YES REALLLL esp the loud about weapons but quiet about what he loves ougghhgh. yknow one thing that irks me is when people have ctubbo like casually reveal to people that hes married after its been established that yk. he and ranboo are truly just keeping it as secret as they pawsibly can. he wouldnt trust people with knowing about his family he didnt even mean to tell fundy

[aadmelioraa]

PLEASE tell me the context of the line, "If this fails and there is no escape for you, please tell me you'll find a man you trust to kill you softly." that is THE most intense line of dialogue i've ever ready holy shit i need to watch this show??

AHHHHHHHHH Beth it is literally SO intense, like…ok, so…Uhtred, the main character and guy who says that line, is at this point in a relationship with Aethelflaed, the woman in the gifset. I very decidedly do not ship them together, I resent how often her character is sidelined to prop him up, among other things…the historical Aethelflaed is an incredibly impressive figure, but a lot of her achievements are given to the fictional Uhtred in the show…I will stop there, just…I really really do not ship them for a variety of reasons and that is a big one lol.

I do, however, ship Aethelflaed with the bowlcut dude, aka Aldhelm, our favorite morally flexible Mercian who at this point is ride-or-die for Aethelflaed. Their storyline makes me feral, which you know at this point given my unhinged posts. But like…Aldhelm is canonically in love with her and has been for a while (he confesses it during the s3 finale while bleeding out in Aethelflaed's room, having been stabbed by her abusive and nefarious husband for siding with Aethelflaed's leadership tactics over his, after he'd spent many years being loyal to the husband, scheming on his behalf, etc).

It's a GREAT scene, his s3 arc is just him slowly shifting to her side entirely and it is so FUN, the actor (James Northcote) is excellent and provides so much depth to what, in s2, had been a fairly straightforward characterization (though still very fun, I loved him in s2 also). Anyway, Aethelflaed never reciprocates Aldhelm's affections (which I personally think is a great writing choice) BUT they are like…functionally a team, very much operating as partners, he is supportive of her and she can rely on him fully in her function as a leader but also in a personal capacity. 

So the thing with that find a man to kill you softly moment: they're about to fight in a huge battle with the odds stacked against them and there is a risk that Aethelflaed, as Lady of Mercia, might be taken as a political prisoner and be tortured, used as collateral, etc. Uhtred, her love interest, tells her to be sure she won't be taken alive, and then Aethelflaed reveals SHE ALREADY PICKED SOMEONE TO KILL HER SOFTLY and that THAT MAN IS ALDHELM because OF COURSE IT IS!! BUT THE ACTUAL THING IS when it comes down to it…ALDHELM CAN'T KILL HER. HE HAS A KNIFE TO HER THROAT AND THEY'RE SURROUNDED AND SHE'S LOST HER SWORD AND HE'S WAITING TIL THE LAST SECOND but HE CAN'T KILL HER!! LOOK AT HIS FUCKING FACE WHEN HE REALIZES IT!!

They're only saved by the last minute archery intervention from her brother, their ally, who shows up with his army in the nick of time. This is a mere season and a half (though this does include significant time jumps, tbf) after Aldhelm suggested to Aethelflaed's husband that he HAVE HER ASSASSINATED. And a season after ALDHELM WAS SENT TO BE THE ONE TO ASSASSINATE HER! He has a knife to her throat there too, though he doesn't intend to actually kill her, he's just a lowkey dramatic bitch. There is so much fucking knife kink in their storyline, I swear to GOD. 

Also, back to the original question (sorry)…the writers made the choice to have Aethelflaed be in a battle couple with Aldhelm during this ep, not Uhtred (her canonical love interest), and it FUCKS. The whole sequence is just FLAWLESS. I have my issues with that season (season 4 out of 5 total) as it relates to her storyline, but the ship moments are so good. I can't recommend watching the show on the basis that it's good but I can recommend watching it on the basis that those two have burrowed into my brain and live there permanently. I have never written so much fic for a ship as I have for those two, they make me insane, I love them. The show is very much not about either of them (they both appear in s2, also), but they have a really satisfying joint arc for the most part. It's the perfect recipe for shipfic, for me: I am dissatisfied with enough that I have plenty of canon-based ideas, and that pairing has an extremely compelling relationship that's never consummated. Plus it hits all of my kinks: loyal advisor/queen, enemies to lovers, pining, angst, repression, and there is sooo much fic potential for secret relationships, and of course my beloved sexy paperwork feat competency kink as they tackle administrative duties together.

Thank you for letting me yell at you about them, I hope this answers your question hahaha.

[roosterbox]

October Almost-Drabbles 10/4: Pumpkin

Pairing: Steddie

Word Count: 621

Additional tags: FLUFF, pumpkin carving, transfemme!Steve

Side note: was initially going to be t4t, but I didn’t end up getting around to Eddie’s characterization. I think it’s already too long as it is, lol. I don’t mind it if you think of him that way though.

Side note #2: new headcanon unlocked - Eddie is awesome at pumpkin carving artwork.

———

“Is it ready yet?”

Stevie was almost bouncing in her chair. Her own pumpkin was finished - triangle cut out eyes and a big toothy smile - so now all that was left was Eddie’s. But the big jerk wouldn’t let her see. ‘Not until it’s done,’ he’d said.

Stevie Harrington wasn’t known for her patience.

“Almost,” Eddie said, not looking at her. He was surprisingly focused. For him, at least. His hair was tied back, though some thin wisps managed to settle against his forehead, and his tongue was pressed anxiously to the corner of his mouth. He wore a similar look when he was working hard on his campaigns. It seemed like an awful lot of concentration and trouble for a pumpkin carving, Stevie thought. But that only made her want to see even more.

“How much longer?”

Eddie sighed, more out of fondness than exasperation. “In a minute, baby.” He looked up and winked at her. “Can’t rush art.”

Right. Pumpkin art. She rolled her eyes a little. Never saw much need for any fanciness. Everybody loves the simple designs, right? Besides, there’s only so much a person can do with a pumpkin.

After a few moments, with one final flourish of the carving knife, Eddie turned to her, smiling.

“All done! Wanna see my masterpiece?”

She rolled her eyes again, but she was smiling too. “Damn right I do. Make some room.”

He scooted his chair out from the table a bit so she could plop down on his lap. Eddie coughed out a mild ‘gentle on the goods there, darlin’’ before wrapping his arms around her. She made herself quite comfortable before actually looking at the…

…pumpkin?

“Oh shit,” she breathed.

It was the moon. A carving of a full moon. With craters and everything, though they probably weren’t scientifically accurate if she’d had to guess. But damn, it looked good. The way he’d carved into the flesh of the pumpkin, not all the way through but thin enough for the light to pass through, was incredible. There were cut-outs along the side, a few in the moon shape itself. It took her a minute to realize they were bats. Just like one ones on Eddie’s arm.

“Like it? I was gonna try to do a howling werewolf or something. Felt too cliché.”

“It’s amazing, Eds.” She kissed his cheek, leaving a tiny smudge of her dark red lipstick. Neither moved to wipe it away. “Have you always carved pumpkins like this?”

He shrugged, and held her closer. “Not really. Got tired of the typical shit a few years ago, figured I could stand to get more creative.” At her withering look, he sputtered, “N-not that yours is uncreative or anything! I mean, that design is a classic for a reason, and-“

She silenced him with a kiss. Slow and deep, leaving his lips stained red. But before she could grab a tissue or a towel, he licked them clean. This earned him another fond eyeroll.

“How’s my lipstick taste?”

Another lick. He grinned. “Perfect. Just like my Stevie.”

“Dork,” she said, and settled further in his lap.

“You love me though.” He nuzzled at her neck, kissing a bit at the freckles and beauty marks there.

“Yeah, I do. God help me, but I do.”

Another time, he might have feigned offense. Maybe even whined about his cruel, cruel girlfriend, how could she say such mean things to him? But tonight? Tonight he just sighed, and squeezed her tight.

“Wanna help me set ‘em up outside?”

“In a minute,” her voice was muffled from where her face was pressed in his hair. “I’m comfy here.”

He chuckled, careful not to jostle her too much. “Dork.”