#but when the plan failed and she was positive that they were going to die

[this-is-a-love-story-isnt-it]

I was just thinking about how in the episode The Flax, Aeryn revived John so she didn’t have to die alone…

[physalian]

How to Subvert Expectations Without Compromising The Story

Whoo boy, is this a contentious topic with the last few blockbuster franchises. To “subvert expectations” is to do the opposite of whatever your audience expects to happen. Your audience expects the story to go a certain way based on the archetypes and tropes your characters follow, the tone you’ve set for your story, and the level of mature themes that tone allows.

It might mean your long-lost princess doesn’t actually reclaim the throne she’s been fighting for. Or the presumed hero (or any of their straight friends) of the story dies halfway through their arcs. The mentor pegged for death actually survives to the end credits. The villain’s plan actually succeeds, or the heroes fail to deactivate the bomb before it explodes. The “will they/won’t they” is never fulfilled.

Supporters of SE argue the following:

It’s refreshing, novel, new, a fun twist on a classic tale

They like that it’s unpredictable and bold

They’re tired of stories fitting within the same wheel ruts of every other story that came before and like to see creativity thrive

It gives audiences something they didn’t even know they wanted

Haters of SE argue this:

It’s only done for drama at the cost of fulfilling character arcs

It’s a cheap gag that only works once and has zero rewatchability with the same impact

Tropes and archetypes have stood the test of time for a reason - to entertain

Plot holes ensue

When expectations are subverted and the story changes in a more positive light (like a beloved character who doesn’t die when we all think they will), the reaction is not nearly as emotionally charged as when the story changes negatively. Thus, the haters have plenty of evidence of bad examples, but minimize the good ones. Good SE is novel, or a pleasant surprise, or a quaint relief. Bad SE trashes the story and spits on the fans and destroys the legacy of the fandom.

What makes a bad subversion?

Like killing any character for shock value, bad SE takes all of the potential of a good story and gambles it for a string of gasps in the movie theater. It exists only to keep the audience on their toes, or because the writer went out of their way to change the direction of their work when fans figured out the mystery too quickly and now *must* prove all the clever sleuths wrong.

So, say your subversion is making the hero lose a tournament arc when they made it all the way to the final round and the entire story is riding on this victory. They may have stumbled along the way and had some near-misses, but they must win. Not just so the audience cheers, but because this is the direction their arc must take to be at all entertaining and fulfilling.

Then they lose, because it’s *novel* and irreparable consequences are reaped in the aftermath. They lose when, by rights, they were either stronger or smarter or faster than their opponent. They lose when the hand of the author rigs the fight against them and everyone notices.

Sure, it’s not at all what audiences expect, but you, writer, your first responsibility to the people consuming your content is to entertain them. So what purpose does this loss serve this character? How does it impact their arc, the themes that surround them, the message of your story?

Even if mainstream audiences don’t care on the surface about themes and motifs, they still know when a story fumbles. It’s not entertaining anymore, it’s not satisfying. Yes, crap happens in reality, but this is fiction. If I wanted to read about some tragic hero’s bitter and unsatisfying demise, I’d read about any losing side in any war ever in a history book. I picked up a fiction book for catharsis.

On the topic of “gritty fantasy/sci-fi anyone can die and no one is safe” – no author has the guts to roll the dice and kill whoever it lands on. Some characters will always have plot armor. Why? Because you wouldn’t have a story otherwise, you’d just have a bloody, gory, depressing reality TV show with hidden cameras.

What makes a good subversion?

Now. What if this character loses the final round of their tournament, but it’s their own fault? Maybe they get too cocky. Maybe it’s perfectly, tragically in character for them to fall on their own sword. Maybe the audience is already primed with the knowledge that this fight will be close, that there might be foul play involved, but still deny that it will happen because that’s the hero, they won’t lose. Until they do.

Then, it’s not the hand of the author, it’s this character’s flaws finally biting them in the ass. It’s still disappointing, no doubt, but then the audience is less mad at the author and more mad at the dumbass character for letting their ego get to their head.

If you write a character who’s entire goal in life is to win that trophy, or reclaim their throne, or get the girl, and they *don’t* do those things, then the “trophy” had better be the friends they made along the way, that they learned it wasn’t the trophy, it was something *better* and even though they lost, they still won. Even when expectations are shredded, the story still has to say something, otherwise the audience just feels like they wasted their time.

A good subversion does not compromise the soul of the narrative. You might kill a fan favorite character or even the hero of the story, but their impact on the characters they leave behind is felt until the very end. The hero might lose her tournament, but she still walks away with wisdom, maturity, and new friends. Heck, sports movies leave the winner of the big game a toss-up more often than not. Audiences know the game is important, but they know the character they’re following is even more important. Doesn’t matter if the *team* loses the battle, so long as the protagonist wins the Character Development war.

Good SE that should be more popular:

The “Trial of threes” – your hero faces three obstacles and usually botches the first two and succeeds on the third attempt. Subvert it by having them win on the first or second, lose all three, or have a secret fourth

Not killing your gays. Just. Don’t do it. That’ll subvert expectations just fine, won’t it?

Let the villain win

Have your hero’s love interest not actually interested in them because they realize they deserve better / Have the hero realize they don’t want the romantic subplot they thought they did

Have the love triangle become a polycule / have the two warring love interests get with each other instead, or both find someone they don’t have to compete for

Mid-redemption villain backslides at the Worst Moment Possible

Hero doesn’t actually have all the MacGuffins necessary at the Worst Moment Possible

Hero is simply wrong, about anything, about important things, about themselves

The character who knows too much still can’t warn their friends in time, but lives instead with the guilt of their failure

The mentor lives and becomes a bitter rival out to maintain their spot at the top of the charts

Kill the hero, and make the villain Regret Everything

More deadbeat missing parents, not just dead parents

Let the hero live long enough to become the villain

—

Why write a crown prince that never becomes king? What’s the point of his story if all he does is remain exactly who he was on page 1 and learns nothing for his efforts? Why write a rookie racer if he spins out in the infield in the big race and ends his story broken and demoralized in a hospital bed? Why should we, the audience, spend time and emotional investment on a story that goes nowhere and says nothing?

Cinderella always gets a happy ending no matter how many iterations her story gets, because she wouldn’t be Cinerella if she remained an abused orphan with no friends. We like predictability, we like puzzling out where we think the story will go based on the crumbs of evidence we pick up along the way, we like interacting with our fiction and patting ourselves on the back when we’re proven right.

Tragedies exist. There’s seven types of stories and the fall from grace is one of them… but audiences can see a tragedy coming from a mile away. Audiences sign up for a tragedy when they pay for the movie ticket. We know, no matter how much we root for that character to make better choices, that their future is doomed. Tragedy is still cathartic.

What’s not cathartic is being bait-and-switched by a writer who laughs and snaps pictures of our horrified faces just so they can say they proved us wrong. Congratulations? Go ahead and write the rookie broken in the hospital bed. I can’t stop you. Just don’t be shocked when no one wants to watch your misery parade march on by.

[wingzie]

Keeping a "Safe Place" on Social Media (As Army and a Jikooker)

In my opinion, social media needs to take responsibility for what it has become. I don’t think it ever will, because it feeds on negative attention, but I try to focus on what I can do to help. For myself and others.

My bio on Twitter includes the sentence “A Positive and Safe Space for everyone” and I take this very seriously. As a baby Army, I used to be in several GC’s for report pages. Back then, reporting used to be primarily done in GC’s privately and we tried to limit any engagement. Soon afterwards, I started to witness a change: Egos started to get big, there was a saviour complex with Y/N tendencies, some would start engaging with the posts we reported and deals were being made behind the scenes to protect certain accounts. It made me sad to see this change in priorities and it wasn’t why I joined them in the first place, so I left when things started to go bad.

What did I do instead? Mute, block and report with my own system. I tend to “mute” someone first if they really annoy me and then “block” a second time if they are a repeat offender. I will automatically block and report someone if they say something really bad. I do not engage. That includes: liking, retweeting or quoting. It boosts the harmful tweet. Even more so if your display name includes something related to BTS or the members and it will add to the trends. By taking away the engagement, you are taking away their audience that they are hoping to gain.

I have mentioned before how a particular anti revealed that they would aim to get on a report page's radar, because the posts on them helped advertise their posts and accounts. Their plan was rather like a business model and it was scay how well thought out it all was. It was also clear that they had help and was in a GC thrmselves, just like the report pages were. When report GC's started to die out, they grew even more with how public the fighting became. The antis figured out how the change in social media worked in their benefit, before the rest of the fandom and even the social media creators itself did. They still fail to this day to understand how fandoms (and the language within them) changes over time. The algorithm encourages these type of negative posts too. On my second account I accidently liked a BTS tweet and my feed suddenly contained so much negativity about them, rather than about their projects or joy.

But how is all of this linked with being a Jikooker? Because we sometimes end up boosting that negativity that we really shouldn't. I quite honestly do not care what their theories are, but I always end up seeing them somewhere. More than I see actual posts about Jikook sometimes. Someone reached out to me that they felt like they knew more about tker theories than about BTS or Jikook as a whole. It's also why, whenever something negative happens, I start to spam more Jikookry instead. It's actually how the Live Reactions series was created, because I wanted to counter those talking bad about it. And to help us relive it with fondness.

I also think there is a lack of understanding about what the word "cult" actually means. It is up to an individual to try to break free, but it might also be difficult. There was a post by a young girl who had been added to a tker GC by a friend from school. She wanted to leave, because it was quite frankly bullshit, but was afraid to because she had given the GC owner some private information that they had threatened to leak if she left. That is terrifying and I sometimes think back to that girl and how she is doing. If she did manage to leave or not. For some, they are persuaded to stay whether they really want to or not.

That adds an entire new layer to all of this: Children being on the internet too young or not understanding the implications of certain things. I am a 90's kid. It was drilled into me religiously about the dangers of The Internet. That doesn't seem to be a thing anymore though, or they are quite literally left to their own devices. Because of this, we sadly saw an increase of online crimes aimed towards children during lockdown. There needs to be more done and again social media needs to be taking responsability. Ticking a box claiming your age does nothing to protect anyone. Not every Army with questionable intentions is a child though, of course. There are those that refuse to watch content or rely on heavily edited clips. I get a lot of those edits myself in my inbox, either by tkers or jkers who have found them and asked if they are true. My common answer: No. This is also why I try to give sources and encourage anyone to try to watch all the BTS content that they can. I know there is a lot, but it will help you on your journey. What can be done to stop them? Honestly, not much. We can hope to encourage them though and stop those that wish harm in their tracks. How do we do this? By being louder in our support. Because, at the moment, we're being louder with our hate and social media is boosting that even more. Rather than the praise and love that BTS and Jikook deserve.

[ralibo14]

TPN Brainrots part 1:

Another TPN manga panel redraw, but this time everyone goes down with me (because it's sad).

Also part one of my 'wonderful' tpn theories and head canons. It'll be long😅. There will be manga spoilers so please, read at your own risk😊.

First character I go through is... Ray.

He is one of the most complicated characters I ever saw (all tpn characters are, tbh). I always thought that people who have photographic memory are so lucky. Ray showed me that it's both a blessing and the curse.

Like in the picture above. You can clearly see that the first 2 kid waving at his direction. It's strange to know that there was a time when the Trio were one of the young kids and not the older ones. My first head canon is that Ray tried to save more kids, not just Emma and Norman when he was younger. When the blond haired boy leaves (first panel) he looks like he is about to cry (also the Trio is around 4 or 6) but when the other kids get 'adopted' Ray keeps his head low most of the frames (I'm convinced that when the second kid left he was already working as Isabella's spy.)

Ray coloration explained:

Purple eyes are self explanatory to me. I started draw him with purple eyes as soon as I found out he is Isabella's son. Purple in the hair and freckles? Well... I'm still very, very convinced that Leslie didn't die (at least not when he left the House). I always think about his situation, like what Norman got into with Lambda. The Ratri-clan is big but they need outsiders, to be soldiers, scientists, etc. And since girls from the Houses can only become Sisters and Moms... maybe some boys can become scientists and soldiers. (I can't believe I'm writing this but think about Andrew🤢... he was 100% not Ratri yet he could become an adult). So by this logic I believe Leslie could grow up too and (because I'm a sucker for happiness) he met Isabella again at some point.

Ray turning away:

On the second frame he is not looking at the girl who is leaving, but to the opposite direction. Why? Notice something else? Yes, Norman is missing too. Gilda has her winter jumper on so I figure Norman got sick again. Ray priorities his friends safety over everything else.

Also notice how Emma and Norman slowly get into the middle of the frame while Mom/Isabella get out of it? Pretty strong metaphor. It's the perfect example of 'Blood related family ≠ real family'. And while I'm a RayEmma shipper (obviously aged up version) I would never forget about Norman. He is as important to Ray as Emma. This Trio sticks together no matter what.

(older manga colouring ⬇️)

Now onto the hearth breaking stuff:

Ray's relationship with Isabella:

This deleted scene with Ray and Ayshe lives rent free in my head. Like there are two people with similar family situations and the one who lived int the middle of nowhere with a demon parent thinks positively about their parent, while the other, who grew up in a comfortable home like space with a human parent, thinks the opposite.

"But to me, she was always a monster"– Ray.

Like ufff... This sentence hits real hard. And it's low-key true from Ray perspective. He studied and read all the books in the House, not because he was interested, but because he had to. Norman is a genius, Emma learns real fast, Ray does everything he can to always get max points on his tests. But he also secretly planning his friends excape. Collects scraps of technology to build the device which makes them able to excape, plans his own 💀 carefully, so no one else will get hurt and on a top of that he is 'spying' for Isabella. Sacrifices people he wanted to protect. I can't imagine that inside panic when he didn't get max scores to that one test. I'm sure he was happy because Norman and Emma got their regular scores, but deep down he felt like he failed.

My head canon here is that Ray always gets nightmares if he is alone or in an unsafe place. And 'thanks' to his perfect memory his nightmares build up from actual memories (like we see that in the Seven Wall Arc). Also he doesn't get sick often but when he does... it's like a memory fuelled fever dream, with hallucinations and etc.

Ray's healing journey starts after the Jailbreak Arc. As soon as Mom is not around anymore, he ever so slowly starts to let down his guard and starts to show more and more emotions. His relationship with Yuugo/Mister is like a greatest archivment in his case. The playful, sarcastic 'arguments' and the way he openly said his opinion on things in front of Yuugo and Lucas. Shows how much he changed and opened up.

Isabella on the other hand... her change of heart and feelings were a mistery almost to the very end. To be honest I hated her most of the time, until the Back to Grace Field Arc. (Older manga colouring again⬇️😅)

Two things in this page which are very important.

1: Ray's guard is up again in no time, when he sees Isabella, while her emotionless mask is cracking. This is the first time we get a little inside of how she really feels about Ray.

2: Flashback of the two most important things that connects them. The song and the way they were forced to sacrifice others to stay alive.

The lullaby is very important, because it's calming and feels very intimate (like a normal parent-child relationship should be).

You also can't convince me otherwise that Ray didn't hummed this lullaby at least once in the B06-32 shelter to help the youngest kids fall asleep.

And now... onto the last picture. Their goodbye.

Saddest part ever! Never forgiving for this decision.

Ray and Isabella were never allowed to talk even two short sentences with each other without any consequences. In the House they had to play their assigned roles. Then they didn't see each other for almost 2 years. Finally they had to save half of the team from getting unalived... And they moment they would have time the last twist happens... leaving us with a sad ending.

Epilogue and Human World Arc...does little to compensate. Although I can't get over the fact that Yuugo's, Conny's and Isabella's 'ghosts' helped Ray found Emma in the Human World.

Speaking of finding Emma. My last head canon for Ray is the following;

When they found out that Emma lost all of her memories from the Demon World. Ray couldn't help himself but whisper a "I wish this happened to me". And everyone looks at him with an understanding smile thinking he blames himself for this... But in reality he really just selfishly thought (only for seconds) that he could forget everything happened on the other side.

Okay. That's all. Sorry for the supper long post and I'm forever thankful if you read through my brainrots 🥰😘. Also let me know if I should cover more characters like this. I'll obviously do Emma and Norman but if there any other characters you want to see please let me know🥰🤩💖.

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

i think the thing about sokkas life changing field trip that i find interesting is that,, sokka didn't really get any sort of big change like aang or katara. obviously he saw his dad again which was super important for him, but aang got the meaning of fire bending, katara got closure, sokka didn't really get any of that- i mean, he got his dad out, and then lost him again. one thing i never see people point out is that sokka was going full well knowing he could die, and he was fine with that, he knew the chances of him finding his dad were slim and he knew him getting found out was high- there's a reason he didn't take appa, because he knew there was a good chance he could get caught and if he did take appa, the others wouldn't be able to get off the air temple. maybe it's just been a long time, but I remember the beginning of the episode saying that sokka feels a lot of guilt over the invasion, he feels like it's all his fault it failed, but it's not really addressed or gone into as the episode goes on

i feel like sokka does have an arc in boiling rock. it's subtle but it's there. like, it's actually zuko who suggests they take the war balloon and not appa, because sokka isn't thinking straight. when zuko calls him out on it being a reckless plan, sokka explicitly says "my plans haven't been working out lately so now i'm playing it by ear". he's lost confidence in his intelligence and strategic planning abilities, so he's not using them.

but throughout the course of the episode, he's constantly coming up with plans, and plans that work. and when he wants to abandon a plan to stay and wait for hakoda, he has zuko and suki there to support him, and reassure him that they're there for him even if it doesn't work out. hakoda calls him a genius when they meet up, and they come up with a plan together. and when aspects of that plan don't work, other people step up. chit sang starts the prison riot, suki captures the warden, mai stops the guards from cutting the lines.

sokka comes out of "the boiling rock" with more confidence in his intelligence, because he's proved to himself he's still capable of coming up with effective plans, but he also learns that if he doesn't have a perfect plan it's okay. he has people who believe in him anyway. he has people who'll pick up the slack and support him when things go wrong. he has people who care about him even if he isn't perfect.

the fact that he reconnects with suki in this episode is key, because that's her role in his arc generally. he feels like he has to be the warrior and protector for everyone (especially his younger siblings katara aang and toph) and she's someone who doesn't need his protection and can even protect him if he needs it. he can put down that burden around her.

by the end of the episode, i think zuko also occupies that position in sokka's life, and that's because it's the field trip he set out on with the most selfless intentions, not looking for anything for himself. sokka needs people who don't need anything from him but still want to be around him anyway, and that's what zuko was.

[videogamesincolor]

Brodie and the role of determination in "Still Wakes the Deep"

From the start, Still Wakes the Deep depicts Brodie as one of the more clear-headed characters after the Beria D is, effectively, attacked by the entity. Granted, if you're working on an oil rig, you (probably) have to be a certain person to work under high-stress conditions. As the apparent diver on the Beria (and senior figure, after Roper, Innes, Trots, Finlay, and Rennick) Brodie is probably accustomed to working under pressure (literally and figuratively).

Brodie operates under the pretense of what my former supervisor called, "positive reinforcement". Highlight a person's strengths, and address their weaknesses as "areas for improvement". Hence why he gets annoyed with Caz when he heightens Rafferty's anxieties about going down in the diving bell with his own personal fears.

Folks like Douglas and Rafferty look to him to know what to do, so Brodie takes it as a personal failing when someone is harmed under his charge. When Gregor and Caz fall into the water, he's the one who goes in after them. And given the height both fell from, by the time he was prepared to dive, he shouldn't have been able to find either, but he gets lucky with Caz.

Of the survivors, Brodie is together enough to send Finlay down to restart the generators as they're cutting out and sends Caz to reach the surviving radios (initially). Even when preoccupied with another situation, Brodie was forward-thinking enough to consider mitigating the broader damage on the Rig.

When a panicky Caz, probably to his surprise, completes what he sent Finlay to do, he reorients Caz (by hyping him up a little) and asks him to help with tension wenches in the Pontoons. Whatever reservations he might have about Caz's anxieties, Brodie appreciates that he's willing to throw himself into certain danger to help.

Brodie's determination to save the Rig, perhaps to save themselves (because there was no way to physically leave the rig without transportation) was such a gripping story beat to watch play out between himself and Finlay.

Way before Caz gets himself out of the pontoons and encounters a mutated O'Connor, they're talking to (or at) each other in notes. Brodie operates like the situation is another high-stakes circumstance that he (as a diver) must be accustomed to. Process of elimination.

He is pushing to save the Rig, but only long enough for rescue. But his initial plans fail. The surviving radios don't work, so they can't reach the support ship. Most of the Rig is collapsing and flooding from the damage. Stabilizing the tension wenches leaves the Rig vulnerable to sinking. The tone of Finlay's notes suggests they should focus more on leaving the Rig altogether, instead of hailing the support ship. (Again, the issue with that being, of course, that there's nothing sea-worthy left on the Rig to even float on.)

And she's already speculating at the entity's intentions after seeing so many of their coworkers die, transform, or become gore on the walls. Brodie, however, isn't particularly curious about the entity beyond seeing it as an (environmental) obstacle. Stabilizing the flare stack prevents explosion, but he initially believes it was at the expense of Caz's life.

Brodie could be motivated by what happened to Raffs in the diving bell. I can't imagine seeing someone under your charge explode into a hostile lump of tentacles and inhumanity would leave you anything but determined to save as many people as you can, bad odds be damned.

And in that dynamic, the person delaying what's inevitable really can't stop the person who's decided about what they'll do. And, for me, that's interesting, as Brodie and Finlay were both kinda positioned in the story to be 'dependable' and 'pragmatic' in the face of terror.

Both of them try to sway Caz from going after Roy, but relent, knowing he won't be any good to them with his mind elsewhere except in the priority situation (the tension wenches).

(One of the last bits of advice he gives to Caz when they're face-to-face is to make his every move count, and not panic when he goes underwater.)

In most circumstances, I would've expected Finlay and Brodie's roles to be reversed. So, that Finlay was the one to just accept that they were all doomed after a certain point, was nice.

Brodie's willingness to venture into certain danger and death ultimately seals fates and is catalyst enough to push Finlay to do what she'd been thinking about since their exchanges. Caz is convinced of Brodie's own "jamminess", that he believes he can get out of the oil-flooded pontoon to return to them, and if he can't, he has him to rely on. Brodie knows otherwise, and, so, home (Isle of Skye) is the last thing he thinks of before imploring the others to escape.

I don't know if the Isle of Skye is considered a "harbor town", but Brodie's apparent comfort in and underwater struck me as a connection to his home. That he dies, drowning in oil, feels like a cruel irony of circumstances.

On a more personal level, given that Scottish / English / Irish narratives trend towards whiteness (and are often loaded with weird "racial purity" undertones), I wasn't expecting Still Wakes the Deep to have any significant characters of color in the game. That Brodie is the only Black character in the game with a major speaking and narrative role within the narrative (and voiced by a Black actor, thankfully) is a double-edged sword.

It's a) par for the course (and disappointing), but also b) nice to see a predominantly white narrative acknowledge Black Scotsmen exist. Sunil (Scottish) and Dobbie (Irish) are two other Black/Brown characters with lines, but they're minor characters (both killed by a mutated Muir on the Derrick).

Throughout the multiple playthroughs I've watched since SWTD was released, I've always found it extremely baffling that most (white) players assumed malice on Brodie's part when he's surprised to see Caz survive the collapse of the skywalk connecting to the stack.

He's clearly relieved to see his friend alive, but most were like, "Was he trying to kill Caz?" And it's like, how the hell did y'all come to that conclusion?

And if I were to speculate about the entity's intentions, it wouldn't be much interested in going anywhere except back down below. The potential threat that was the Rig, is no longer a danger to its existence. Hence why everything it pulled apart and invaded, was gradually sinking under the water.

[slutforreginageorge]

Secret surprise arm muscles

Ship: Regina x Janis, Cady x Aaron, Gretchen x Karen

Tw: mention of self harm, little bit of sexual content, Regina simping

Fluff

It was hot in Evanston, the children in school were sitting in class with portable fans. The AC was constantly running, trying to cool down North shore highs class rooms.

“It’s so fucking hot, I think I might die!” Damian exclaimed as he tried to fan himself with his hands. Cady nodded in agreement as she help her cold water bottle against her forehead.

“It’s Friday l, so we could go to my family’s lake house. It’s not far, maybe an hour or two and it’s probably not as hot as it is here.” Gretchen said taking a bite of her food.

Damian’s face lit up at the idea ”Absolutely, yes!” he exclaimed, a little too loud since a few students around them turned their head.

Regina raised an eyebrow having just arrived at the table ”What has gotten you so exited?” she asked. Damian started to explain the situation to her, ignoring the disinterested that was laced in her voice. He knew she asked out of politeness but he decided to ignore it and just continued to tell her their plans, since most of them had agreed to it.

Regina had gotten a lot nicer since the bus crash of course there still were times where she could be quite mean, but most of those times she had a reason so the friend group just ignored it.

”What’s up with her?” Aaron asked, once he had set down his lunch tray, nodding his head to Janis who seemed to be asleep.Aaron had to do senior year again, since he had failed Ap calculus. Janis’s head was resting on her arms which were clad in a long sleeve. ”Asleep, didn’t get much last night, since she had to finish a school project” Damian answered glancing hat his best friend, Regina frowned looking at her girlfriend with concern.

”Yeah, no! I can see that she is asleep. My question was why she is wearing a long sleeve. It’s burning hot outside.”

“Aaron you can’t ask things like that, maybe Janis doesn’t want to wear a shirt or something that hast shirt sleeves” Cady scowled him, giving him a glare.

“That’s not the reason, well it is at some point.She just does not want people to see her arms” Damian spoke. ”Omg, she has self harm scars and is insecure about them,” Aaron gasped, Regina looked like she was going to slap him while Cady and Damian just glared at him.

”Aaron that is not the reason at all!” Their heads whipped around when they heard the new voice join the conversation.

”It’s true, I don’t want people to see my arms but not because I’ve got self harm or scar from self harm in them. I have got a skin disease, that when it’s healed or in the process of healing looks like I have a heroin addiction” Janis spoke, her voice calm.

”To answer your questions, it’s a form of neurodermatitis, that forms little knots under your skin which then fills with fluid and start to hurt or itch”

Aaron just nodded and continued to eat his food.

”Janis we thought about gong to my families lake house over the weekend, do you want to come?” Gretchen spoke up trying to change the subject.

”Sure!” Janis smiled leaning against Regina, who kissed her on the head.

”Babe, are you sure you are fine?” The blonde whispered looking down at her girlfriend

”Yeah, I’m good” the smaller woman smiled up at Regina and kissed her shoulder.

The friends gathered at Gretchen’s house after school to drive to the lake house, the ride it self was fast and relaxed. Everyone keeled to themselves most of the time and while Regina and Janis as well as Gretchen and Karen were in their own little worlds the rest decided on what to cook for dinner, in the end the only thing they could decide on was pasta with pesto.

———————————————————

”Jay?” Regina asked from her position on the bed. “What’s up?” the brunette spoke as she stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in an old t-shirt from Damian and a pair of shorts.

“Can I see your arms? It’s fine if you don’t feel comfortable showing me them” Regina spoke softly not wanting to cross any lines. There were still some parts of their relationship where Regina, and Janis as well, were careful not to over step any boundaries. They had only been in a relationship for about 3 month. Janis smiled softly and made her way over the bed.

“Of course just be careful with touching them,” she spoke while sitting next to her girlfriend, careful not to sit on her legs by accident. Janis rolled up the sleeves showing Regina her arms.

“Does it hurt a lot, or is it just dry skin that sometimes gets infected,” Regina asked eyes going over the area of dry skin on the brunettes arms. There were small scares from what Regina could guess was self harm but nothing too big, like she had seen on other parts of her girlfriend body. “It’s fine most of the time, but there are times where its more dry that usually and it gets infected more easily. But that really just happens in winter and I have a cream that helps with it”

Janis’s voice was soft, there was no hint of insecurity or anything else in it.

“Is there anything that I can do to help it or is it just something that you have to wait out?” Reginas was trying not to make her girlfriend uncomfortable but also wanting to know how she could help her.

“Not much I’d say. It’s the best if you don’t gift me skincare, because most of the time im allergic to it and it all could just get worse but besides that nothing really.”

Regina just nodded trying not to show that a part of her was worried that she could make Janis’s neurodermatitis worse or asked out more than usual.

“No, you can not make it worse by doing anything, stop worrying. You are going to get wrinkles in that beautiful face of yours,” Janis said while kissing her girlfriend’s cheek hand smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed due to being in thought. Regina smiled had kissed Janis on the lips “I’m not worrying you are. I would never worry about someone like you,” Regina said a hint of irony in her voice. Janis gasped, “ how could you say that?! I think you need to get punished for saying something like that to your own girlfriend, who had caught you carrying and simping over her several times.”

“Yeah, are you going to punish me?”

Janis pushed her finger in the side of the blondes rips making her shriek.

“You fucker, come here!”

Regina grappled on to the brunettes waist and allied her down on the bed, sitting on top of her, as she began to tickle her. Janis who had been caught in sock from the quick movement startet to laugh and kick trying to get her girlfriend off of her.

Which was not as easy, since Regina was good one and a half or two heads taller than her.

“Stop you are pushing my boob,” was the only thing Janis was able to get put in between laugher.

After a while of egging and kicking from Janis the blond decided to let her go and just lay down on her girlfriend chest.

“I think like you more than most people I know,” Regina whispered agains Janis’s chest, who was breathing heavily. The statement was followed with a quiet `I love you’ and a kiss to the collarbone.

Regina could feel the smaller woman smile against her hairs as she kissed it and whisper “I love you”

———————————————

The next day the friend group decided to go down to the lake, Gretchen said she know a cute spot not far from the house - they ended up doing an hour long hike, but in the end they had to admit it was worth it.

While most of the girls- Regina and Gretchen-as well as Damian decided to stay out of the water and tan - “Janis, honey, I gotta keep the tan up” Damian joked and but on the rest of the sunscreen- Aaron, Karen and Janis decided to try the water. Karen came out a few minutes later because it was too cold for her, while Janis and Aaron decided to water fight. Around lunch time the two decided to come out and eat.

The conversations they had were flowing uncomfortable, no one made any remarks or stared at Janis is arms or made comments about Regina scars or in-general made any remarks about anyone’s body.

Regina was mostly listening not in the mood to talk, or maybe she was too busy staring at Janis’s, who had decided to wear a simple dark green bikini top with swimming shorts. Regina wasn’t starring at her boobs or abs- which she had never seemed to notice before- no the blonde could not tear her eyes away from her girlfriend upper arms. Which flexed every time the brunette shifted changing her sitting position or when Janis reached out to grasp another sandwich and Regina caught a look on her shoulder, which was just as muscular as her arms.

If you had asked the tall blond what was going through her mind in that moment she would have given you a glare and walked away.

“Regina you are starring,” Damian had leaned over to whisper in her ear, to his surprise she lushed and moved her eyes away from her girlfriend’s arms top her face. Just to see that Janis was looking at her smiling with a mouth full of some kind of sandwich they had made before leaving, there were soft freckles on her face and she was just had that glow on her, that made Regina fall even more.

“Jan, when did you become so muscular?” Damians voice interrupted their conversation and Regina just glared at him, if looks could kill Damian would be six feed under. Of course Damian already knew the answer he just wanted to annoy Regina.

“Always been, I just don’t wear things tight enough to see,” she answered taking another bite out of her food. The other nodded in confusion not really knowing where Damians question came from.

The group of friends made their way back to the house in the late afternoon exhausted from swimming and everything that had happened that day.

They all decided for a nap bevor going out for dinner or cooking together.

————————————————

“Damians question confuse me earlier, i like came out of o where and I thought he knew that I did sport on a semi regular basis,” Janis stated as she crawled in to bet wearing nothing but the lose fit tank top and her underwear

A blush creeped up Regina’s neck as she thought for an answer, not trying to give herself away.

“Pretty weird right, but what kind of sport do you do? You never really told me about it”

“Gymnastics, I nerved really stopped doing it. It just is something that does not come up often in conversation and so I did not think about bringing it up.”

Regina nodded eyes lingering on the brunettes triceps imagining what it would feel like biting or gripping them as her girlfriend’s finger put her over the edge making her scream and cry for more. Janis smirked knowing exactly what was o the blondes mind, they did not have sex with each other yet, there were several steamy make out sessions that could have led to more but every time that happened they were interrupted by someone or something.

“But do you really not know why Damian asked?” Janis teased moving her arms behind her head flexing them in the process.

Once again creeped blush up Regina’s neck making her face go deep red.

“Oh, you absolutely know why he asked stop teasing”

“Babe I very much don’t, that’s why I’m asking,” Janis camel over to Regina sitting atop of her legs flexing the muscles in her thighs and arms as she leaned forward.

“Fuck me, please! I don’t care that our friend are in the room next to us. I need you so badly it’s not even funny anymore.”

“Desperate are we, ‘Gina you know who much I want to, but you already her how Damian teased you about your starring today. Do you want that about hearing you screaming my name?” Janis moved to kiss the blondes neck, she knew the answer and she hated, but she knew that she would be fucking her girlfriend the moment they got home the next day and she did not care who hear.

“No, I just need you so bad,” Regina almost whined trying to get some friction by moving her hips against Janis’s.

“Tomorrow baby i promise. Let’s just take nap now, cause I actually am really tired.”

“You can not leave me all hot and bothered now, Janis do you hear what I’m saying?!”

“Yes I am but we both know you can’t take the fact that the other are going to knew that you are a bottom, so just wait till tomorrow, okay?” Janis kissed her lips and moved to lay her head on Reina’s chest.

The blonde huffed but wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s waist and kissed her head.

Let’s just say the wait definitely was worth it and not just for Regina.

That’s it, I did not spell check so don’t mind the mistakes

Feed back always welcomed

[crazy-ache]

Eclipse the Sun {Helion x Lady of Autumn Drabble}

“Shall I beg?”

Helion Spell-Cleaver looked down at Orla from where he stood, memorizing every inch and shade and detail of her. The colors she brought from Autumn didn’t exist here in Day, from the gleaming ruby of her hair, the freckles scattered across her skin, the amber of her eyes—and the red of his mate’s blood that he had killed to protect.

“Are you going to make me go on my knees?” She laughed the sweetest sound, even if its echo only revealed the layers of sadness beneath its song. Helion flashed his usual, iconic grin, even if it wavered in her presence.

And when she still said nothing, he dropped to his knees. The fall was two resounding thuds against the marble floor.

For his mate—the Lady of Autumn—this position was usually reserved for happier times. For his devoted tongue and merciless hands. Where he would kiss her like sunlight catching through the canopy of Autumn’s jewel-toned leaves.

But he wasn’t smiling anymore.

“I’m begging you, Orla.” He said more seriously now. Her milky white skin shot up to stroke his dark, strong jaw. Begging. Begging in her own way for him to not say the words—but there was no choice, not for him. He was not a male of half-measures.

“I’m begging you to reject the bond. Because if you’re going to end this, it needs to be permanent.”

He had to pull his head into her lap, a hard swallow forced down his throat as if the words itself wanted to claw back down his throat to be never said. His blood cried in outrage. Helion could not bring himself to look at her, or he’d remember too much of their story—of the Equinox ball where the bond had snapped from across the dance floor at first sight, to the many spelled gifts and enchanted letters he had masterfully sent to her in secret over decades, to the passionate affair they had just shared right before this conversation.

To right before she had told him Beron finally knew.

He was no High Lord and there was no going against the wrath of Autumn Court’s cruelest. Because no one would survive the aftermath—not him, not her children, and certainly not his mate.

“If you don’t reject it, then I won’t be able to stay away. I won’t. And your plan will fail.”

“Helion—”

“Please.”

He finally looked up, his dark brown eyes swirling with agony as he wrapped his arms around her middle, shaking her with desperation. “Please. Don’t leave me here bleeding for eternity with the insanity of hope. Just end it so I may at least one day die with the peace of knowing you are not mine.”

She ran her fingers through his long hair. Tears streamed down her cheeks and the bond felt like it was already fraying at the ends, splintering down to the very core of their souls.

“I can’t do that to you. I can’t hurt you—”

As he rested his head again on her lap, he knew there was nothing she could ever do that would truly hurt him. His own pain was nothing compared to the thought of a world without her, and he would do anything, anything to ensure she was safe. He would burn the world for her. Instead, the world was going to burn him—and Helion would let her break the bond.

There was no spell or tonic or indulgence that would help him forget that day. And he tried. Cauldron, did he try. Neither would he forget the day he became High Lord of Day—and the hand he had broken from when he punched the mirror so forcefully the entire palace trembled. Too late. Too late he had risen to power. Too little, too late, he was still powerless to save her.

Madness. Is that what this was? A neverending gnawing that was forced to keep at bay constantly. Madness, he had been told, would befall him if he were to be rejected. But Helion was far from the madness of the mind—but he was furious. Always furious. A secret so carefully hidden like the magic he controlled. He mastered the careful, magnetic smiles, the way he sought fucking to fill his mind with anything but her, and the joy he could plaster to his face like a mask.

Helion Spell-Cleaver marched through the halls and libraries of his court and wondered what his people would think if they knew their High Lord of Day had a heart filled with nothing but darkness. If they knew he wasn’t who they thought he was—he was just the dark side of the sun after he lost her.

[ranna-alga]

I think about this conversation between Ellie and Tommy in TLOU2 a lot, particularly this line, because what if it was Ellie that died instead of Joel?

(Disclaimer: this text will make absolutely zero sense probably since I put very little thought into it and there are likely some plot holes. You can choose to dislike it or not but this is all hypothetical so let me have my depressingly whimsical wonders here)

Imagine it this way: Joel's death scene pretty much plays out the same way as it does canonically, except that the roles are reversed: Joel is the one who is pinned down and forced to watch Ellie be brutally murdered in front of him. Perhaps, in whatever way, Abby's group discover that she's The Immune Girl™ that Joel killed almost the entire Saint Mary's hospital for - the reason why Abby's father was murdered. If she's here, and is still as close with Joel as Abby may assume, then he couldn't be that far (say that members of the group saw Joel and Ellie moving together for a while before taking separate directions for whatever reason or something). The plan was to originally kill Joel, but Abby can't help but think: why do they get to live a picture-perfect life with each other as father and daughter, when he was the one who robbed me and my actual father of that life and she was the reason my father was in that position in the first place? How can he commit the sin and live without consequence after? Knowing that Joel would be looking for Ellie, the attack on her would start and continue even when Joel finds her and is made to watch - a sort of 'you took away the thing I cared about the most in this world, so now I will do the same to you and make you feel the pain I felt' message to Joel from Abby.

This would have been the second time he watched his daughter die. The second time he lost the one thing he lived for. The second time he's failed - as a protector, as a survivor, as a father. He had only four years with her, two of which was lost due to her anger towards him for what he did at Salt Lake City. And only the night before her murder did she confide in him about possible forgiveness, only for that to be taken from him? For her to be taken from him? After everything he did for her to ensure her safety, even if it meant the cost of her trust in him. Every part of him that died alongside Sarah was brought back to life slowly but surely thanks to this girl who stole his heart in only one year after two decades of being an empty shell of violence and resentment towards the world and himself.

His biggest fear came true - losing Ellie, failing her too - and it happened right in front of his eyes, just like Sarah.

Remember when it was heavily implied that both Tommy and Joel had a very violent and vicious past during the early years of the apocalypse where they were their darkest selves? Joel would have likely reverted back to that in this scenario. Absolutely nobody in Seattle will be safe. That man would turn that militarised city into a fucking ghost town, no doubt about it.

As for Tommy... Would he have been the same? Would he also want vengeance for Ellie as much as Joel did? Or would the pain of having another niece die + watching his brother descend into bloodlust and resentment again be simply too much to bare? Could he tolerate losing his brother and not get him back this time ever again?

It took twenty years after Sarah's death to find solace in life thanks to Ellie. He can't wait another twenty for another one - he can never go back, never again. He failed to save the lives of those he cared for (Sarah, Tess, Sam/Henry) and he feared the same for Ellie. But at least they made it into Jackson, their new home, alive and safe. But now? What more does he have to live for? How much more stronger would his self-hatred become for failing again and again and again where he can no longer see the light Ellie brought to him?

Knowing now that the surgeon he killed was Abby's father, he probably thinks it was an error to kill him instead of just knocking him out so that this WLF ambush costing Ellie's life wouldn't happen. But one thing he's certain he doesn't regret? Dooming humanity of a cure, because taking both of his daughters away from him proved Joel's decision to save Ellie from the Fireflies: to him, humanity didn't deserve to be saved, not anymore.

TLDR; I may be aromantic asexual but I'm still a proud Joel Miller simp who loves the thought of Joel in the bloody Santa Barbara appearance Ellie had in the canon TLOU2. No shame.

[breezybeej]

Back on the subject of characters breaking out of their fate/archetype/role: Whenever the tension between Faith and Buffy reached its breaking point, what were the things Faith was angry about?

You know, I come to Sunnydale. I'm the Slayer. I do my job kicking ass better than anyone. What do I hear about everywhere I go? Buffy. So I slay, I behave, I do the good little girl routine. And who's everybody thank? Buffy.

You get the Watcher. You get the mom. You get the little Scooby gang. What do I get? Jack squat. This is supposed to be my town!

She is The Slayer. She has a role, it is supposed to be simple. Show up, kill demons, die young, get a free pass to heaven. It's the Slayer Tradition.

Buffy ruined her plans before she ever had a chance. By surviving. By making her second fiddle. when the mayor recorded his will, he said that there was no place in the world for faith. And there quite literally was not, The position was filled. she was doomed from the start.

looking at this from a different perspective, both of our ladies struggled with the difference between Being a slayer and being a killer. Buffy was one which meant that Faith logically had to be the other.

she has two ways of approaching this. she can either get Buffy to become a killer which would prove that her station is not immutable: you can be both a slayer and a killer. or you can turn Buffy into a killer which brings you back to being a slayer. both of faith's plans are right here.

she tries to bring Buffy into the trench with her and almost succeeds but unfortunately, faith survived which means she never attained her place in Paradise and she failed to turn Buffy into a killer

she also attempts to literally swap places with Buffy and she does fulfill the role of Slayer does go to the church and defeat vampires. And it was good for her

But, again, all of her plans are ruined from the start because Buffy does not conform to the roles that faith is imagining. she already broke out of that.

as I said in previous posts, Faith survived because she broke out of her mold but in this case it's more like she never fit into it in the first place. she lost her family and her watcher and her home and was supposed to get all of it back by following Her destiny. it was supposed to be simple, it was supposed to take away the solitude and the pain.

And, of course, The tragedy is that Buffy did try to make space for her. tried to show faith how to fit in but she could not get the message across before the mayor simplified the situation. The easy route to feeling a sense of purpose which was to continue self-destructing for him.

[bookishgalaxies]

I have a fic request if you are comfortable with it. I was wondering if you could do a Carter Kane x GN! Reader where the reader has bad anxiety and always feels like their a burden. One day the reader completely breaks down and has a bad panic attack that Carter walks in on. This causes the reader to freak out more and Carter has to remind them that they are never a burden to him and it end really fluffy.

I'm sorry if that is to detailed and I completely understand if your not comfortable writing it.

Never stop writing!

"𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧?..."

summary: A mission didn’t go quite as planned. When you started to think back on it, negative feelings began to arise. Thankfully, a certain someone was there to help calm you down.

pairing: carter kane x gn! reader

type: oneshot, not proofread

warnings: overwhelmed reader, insecure reader, panic attack, mention of death

a/n: this took TOO LONG cause my ass was too scared to write carter kane-

Setting your staff down beside your bed, you sighed and flopped down onto the mattress face first. Laying with your face in your pillow, you thought back on the events that had happened later that day.

Sadie Kane taking a bad hit for you because you were too slow to catch it. It made you feel horrible to think back on it. What made it worse? She didn’t make a big deal about it at all. Taking the hit, continuing to fight, seeking medical assistance, and reassuring you that you two were still as chill as an ice cream cone.

You just couldn’t help but beating yourself up over it though. You were such a subpar fighter, and didn’t understand why the two siblings brought you along. Carter in particular always wanting to have you around.

The nerdy Kane sibling with pretty eyes and curly hair has your heart a little tied up. He was so smart and a bit too honest at times. You loved the way he would mumble random facts to you to calm you down. His hand reaching up to touch your shoulder as a way to ground you when your mind floated aimlessly.

You thought about about bad it would have been if something would have happened to Sadie. It would have been your fault. Carter could have lost his sister, his twin, because of your weaknesses.

God, why couldn’t you just be better?

Faster in combat, more magically adept, better educated on monsters? You were such a burden on the team, they really need to stop involving you in things.

You felt your throat tighten slightly as you thought of all the times in the past when you had fallen short, failed to block a hit for one of your friends, had to be healed immensely after a fight that should have been easy. Your mind becomes muddy with thoughts of how the team would be better off without you.

A year starts to run down your cheek, and a sob escapes your mouth. Before you know it, crystal clear droplets are falling from your eyes as you start to struggle to breathe.

Sinking down off your bed and onto the floor, you move into a position with your knees to your chest. Your body balled up as you panic. Panic about how something could happen at any moment, your friends could be in danger, and you would fail to protect them. You might have to watch your friends die before your eyes someday because you are too weak.

You start to have trouble breathing and can feel your throat closing up. Your face damp with fears and your struggle to breath becoming loud. Panicking even more at the fact that you can’t calm yourself down, you start to hyperventilate. Then, you feel a gentle hand touch your shoulder.

Jerking your head up towards the touch, you see in your blurred vision a familiar set of brown eyes.

“I, I’m sorry, I just-“ you choke out as you look up at him.

“Don’t apologize, you didn’t do anything.” He says calmly as he sits beside you, keeping his hand on your shoulder.

“Why, why are you, why are you here?” You barely are able to get the question out through your sobs.

“I came to check on you. You didn’t seem okay after the mission and, I just, I care about you and wanted to make sure you were well.” He confessed, using his other hand to scratch the back of his head, a small nervous gesture.

His voice combined with the hand on your shoulder seemed to help start and calm you down. He sat with you for a bit, helping you breathe to ensure you didn’t pass out. You laid on his shoulder for a bit while he told you about some of his favorite historical journals he had read recently. Before you knew it, you were breathing normally and no longer crying.

“Sorry you had to come in and see me like that.” You told him, sitting up and looking at him.

“Everyone has their moments, ask Sadie, I definitely have mine. You deserve to have someone to help you through them.” He reponded

“I really don’t mean to be such a burden all the time.” You mumble in a frustrated voice.

“Burden? I, uhm, well, I always thought your presence was quite calming.” He confessed, looking directly into your eyes with a small smile.

Your heart skipped a beat at the kind words. He was always so nice, you didn’t understand how he had gone all this time without having someone fall for him.

“I find your presence peaceful as well.” You respond to him, laying your head back on his shoulder.

You two sat there for Horus knows how long. He continued to ramble on about history and his adventures with his father. You felt your eyes growing heavy at his calm voice. Eventually drifting off to a calm sleep with your head rested on his shoulder.

thank you so much for reading !!

stay safe and hydrated !!

[smolbean-17]

Who I think is going to die from least to most likely

(Reminder: a character death is only well-written if it serves a purpose, and isn’t done just for shock value)

Omega

For hells sake if I hear another person say they think Omega is gonna die I’m gonna lose it. SHE WON’T DIE. She is a CHILD. She is the MAIN CHARACTER. In a CHILDREN’S PROGRAM. She will survive. Like Jen Corbett said, this isn’t HBO. This is Disney. It would be equivalent to Disney killing off Elsa. Could they tease Omega’s death? Yes. Could she go missing like Ezra? Yes (however very unlikely) Could they kill her off. No. She’s not dying. Disney Princesses don’t die. Their loved ones however…

Batcher

I don’t believe they’ll kill her off for a pretty much the same reasons I know they won’t kill Omega. Everyone hates it when a dog dies. And she is such a new character. It would serve no purpose other than to just piss everyone off. And she’s perfect for Star Wars merch.

Echo

I know there’s been some worry over him because he hasn’t been in the season a lot, but for that very same reason I’m certain he’s in the clear. It would be a massive disservice to fans and to Echo himself to kill him off when he’s had hardly any screen time. There wouldn’t be as much emotional impact if they decided to kill him off in a show he is hardly in. If they were planning to kill him off, they’d be giving him the same screen time as Tech got in season 2. I honestly think they’re leading up to a spin-off series with him and Rex. Echo is safe. For now.

Wrecker

Episode 11 actually cemented in my belief that he will be safe, with him getting injured and his close call with death. It was a fake out death, to get our hearts pumping and wondering if he’s a goner. If he were to die sometime this season, ep 11 would’ve been the time. But he doesn’t have as much plot armor as the others above. So his fate is still up in the air.

Crosshair

He still might very well die in the end. But I firmly stand by what I’ve said before: Redemption ≠ Sacrifice. He is doing his part to better himself and earn his own redemption. It doesn’t need to be earned by dying. They’re focusing massively on his hand tremor and loss of accuracy/skill. It would be so much more satisfying if he were to find healing “on his own” like Omega said. “There’s hope for us yet.” Hope for Crosshair. People can make mistakes. They can get better. And they can live to see better days. I’m hoping to see him make a crucial shot that ultimately saves the day at the end.

They didn’t kill off Zuko at the end of ATLA. They let him live. They let him have happiness after experiencing sorrow. I hope they give Crosshair the same.

Though, I will say, it would be a devastating blow if his tremors only ceased as he took his last breaths. There is no guarantee he’ll make it out of the series alive.

Hunter

I still think Hunter is the most likely to die, for a lot of reasons. While Crosshair’s arc is clearly defined and moving in a positive direction (with some hurtles along the way) Hunter’s story is much less clear. He has been avoidant the entire series. Avoidant and unsure, except for when Omega’s safety is in question. He doesn’t want to join the cause to rescue the clones. He doesn’t want to fight anymore. He wants a peaceful life. It would be incredibly impactful if the man who wanted nothing to do with the cause, died for it. Gaining peace and rest in another way, similar to Tony Stark (there are a billion similarities between his relationship with Omega and Tony’s relationship with Peter Parker, but that’s for another time)

Hunter will finally get the opportunity to save Omega, which he failed to do the first time. And he will finally make a stand. I think the entire season has been leading up to Hunter learning to fully trust Crosshair and hand over responsibility of Omega to him.

Lastly…

They will be going back to Pabu. The ending of the series will play out there. They might not stay there for good, but they might go back to lay someone to rest there.

The beautiful flowers on the weeping maya tree (weeping willows represent grief and mourning btw… you see where I’m going with this) will be laid on the grave(s). The moment I saw Omega find the rare white flower on that very specific kind of tree, I knew it would be important later on.

Lula and the last remnants of Tech are on Pabu. I don’t know if Tech is really alive or not, but if he really is dead, I could see them laying to rest not only Tech (his goggles) and whoever else dies, but also what the Bad Batch was (Lula) Those items will come into play in the end. I bet my life on it.

I think it will be a beautiful ending. Beautiful, and sad.

[sea-owl]

In your hunger games au what was the arena like for each other spouses?

Like what type of area they fought in? That's an interesting question, hold on let me think.

Simon: Simon's arena was miles of open fields. There was nowhere to hide, and the only option was to kill or be killed. Tributes had to be on gaurd every second in case another tribute or mutt spotted them. This led to many forgoing sleep, including Simon, lomg enough that the gamemaker debated leaking a gas into the arena so the tributes wouldn't make the games boring by passing out from exhaustion.

Kate: Kate's arena was rows and rows of different crops, trees, and other items one would need to help survive. It honestly seemed too good to be true, and it was. What the gamemakers didn't tell the tributes was that each time they picked an item, it was a gamble. Was what they grabbed the real thing or something the gamemakers mutated to kill them. The thing is, Kate's too stubborn to go down so easily, and she took great satisfaction of killing the mutation for her prize.

Sophie: Sophie's arena basically looked like the ruins of a city with nature beginning to overtaie it. This arena really urgered Capitol citizens even more to send her gifts. It's hitting a little too close to home that this tribute who looks so much like their Capitol children is wandering around, scared and fighting for her life. Sophie, who was always more comfortable among nature, stayed closer to that part of the ruined city, which she unknowingly played on the Capitol citizens even more.

Penelope: Up above were a set of islands, each one with a different terrain that a tributemight gravitate towards based on their home. But underneath was an underwater cave system with a few openings a tribute could set up camp. Penelope frequently used to hide herself in between leaving her messages to mess with the other tributes. Being from District 4, she and her district partner had the best chances of navigating that cave system. If it wasn't for that tracker and underwater cameras, the gamemakers probably would've called her death when she first discovered it.

Phillip: Phillip's arena is very much like Haymitch's. Pretty, but all that it really is is pretty poison. Phillip knew the prettier the plant, the more likely it's poisonous and he was proven right when he found plants he knew were poisonous because they grew back in District 7. Unsure of what the other plants did, he picked the poison he knew and used it to coat his weapon. He hunkered down and waited after that. He won't seek the other tributes out but he's also not dying in this arena like George did.

Michael: Michael's arena was rocky terrain with many cliffs and a never-ending fog. Many of the tributes fell or were pushed to their deaths over the cliffs. Michael himself even used the cliffs when he realized one was unstable and managed to switch positions in battle with another tribute who fell after the cliff broke out from under them.

Gareth: Gareth's arena was a little different as it was in an abandoned mansion. The gamemakers really wanted to stick it to Victor Danbury that her beloved grandson would die surrounded by all these broken luxury comforts. District 1's export was broken in this arena just as they planned to break District 1's tribute and District 1's victor. Many rooms in the mansion had a different way to kill you. What the gamemakers failed to realize though is that Gareth recognized many of these items and was able use the broken pieces against other tributes.

Lucy: Poor Lucy got thrown into a swamp, and everything was constantly wet. A few tributes managed to die from trench foot. Lucy tried to keep herself as dry as she could by climbing the trees. This also helped in her plan to secretly take other tributes because constantly looking down for any dry spots made it easier for her to shoot from the trees.

[galactic-pirates]

For @deathtodickens for the 2024 @b-and-w-holiday-gift-exchange

The single shot cracked the air. So close. Myka knew they were in the right place. She charged through the doorway. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pete fire the Tesla, and the menacing suspect collapse to the ground, but she only had eyes for Helena. Helena who was shivering on the ground, literally blue, with her breath puffing like ice.

“Helena!”

Myka dropped next to her, scooping Helena into her arms. She radiated cold. Even her clothes felt frozen. “Artie!”

“The plank. She needs the plank.”

Pete dove for it - literally - and threw it to her. Myka wrapped Helena’s arms around it but nothing was happening. It wasn’t working!

“You can’t die, you can’t! I still owe you. Remember? Your grappler. Nobody had ever actually swept me off my feet before-“

Despairing Myka choked back a sob. Helena was still so cold. Had she been too late? She was always too late. Her eyes flickered to Artie and Pete who were looking anywhere but at them, doing that typical male shuffling that screamed they were uncomfortable. Well, bully for them, Helena was dying and Myka didn’t care if they were uncomfortable.

“Or swept me off my feet at all.” Myka’s throat bobbed, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. “You are infuriating, and charming, and you compel me like no-one else. I love you.”

Helena drew in a shuddering breath. Myka let out a half-cry, half-laugh of relief. Helena’s skin was finally pink, rather than that horrible icy blue. Myka closed her eyes in thanks. When she opened them she saw Pete and her cheeks burned. Awkwardly she moved away from Helena.

*****

The damp cold of an English winter, the sort of chill that got into her bones, was going to feel positively balmy after that experience. Slowly Helena released the plank, ready to scoop it back up and hug it so tight it became part of her if the icy fingers slipped over her again. They didn’t so Helena got to her feet, putting her on equal ground with the two Warehouse agents and… Myka.

Myka who had listened and cared, who had trusted her abilities to save Claudia - had trusted her. Myka was intelligent, and well-read, and strong and more of an equal than Helena had ever known. Myka who was like nobody she had ever met. Myka who had just said ‘I love you’. A sentiment she had inspired a time or two in a paramour, and always seen as a sign to cut ties. But she hadn’t even kissed Myka yet, that was no lust-addled confession it was… Helena peered over at Myka who was suddenly finding her shoes fascinating.

“You told me you loved me.”

“I… I…” Myka stuttered. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “Yes.”

"While you thought I was dying in your arms."

“Yes”

"Well, I’m still alive. Care to repeat that?"

Myka’s mouth fell open, her eyes widened.

“Although I suppose we could start with a date and see where the evening takes us.” Helena winked, and Myka’s blush somehow deepened. Helena turned and raised an eyebrow at Artie. “What, no sarcastic comments?”

He shrugged. “You did just save my life.” His eyes flickered to Myka. “The Regents will decide what to do with you.” He pressed his lips together. “I’ll need to make arrangements for our Russian friend, and for shipping all these artifacts back to the Warehouse.”

Artie took two steps to the door and then turned. He held out his hand in mute demand. Pete stared at him for a moment before scrambling to give Artie his bag. Pete then dithered before producing a set of cuffs, and hauling Helena’s groggy would-be murderer to his feet.

“Hey, Myk’s-“

“Not now Pete.”

“Yup.” Pete frogmarched Ivan out.

Then it was just the two of them and Artie’s parting shot of the looming threat of the Regents. Still Helena had planned for this. Well not this but a return to the Warehouse. It was a roll of the dice but she was confident they wouldn’t bronze her again, or at least that wasn’t a possibility she had seriously considered. Rebronzing would mean failure, and she couldn’t fail, the plan was all she had left.

Helena swallowed, thinking of Warehouse 2 slumbering under the sand, and of her darling Christina, her shell contained in a much too tiny iron box with a very special handle attached. Then she looked at Myka. Correction, all she had thought she had left.

Perhaps it was time for a new plan. The old plan had never expected Myka Bering. Yes, a new plan, and maybe even a new goal. That better world she had lost hope in ever seeing? Would likely not be found at the tip of a trident.

Also on AO3

[cosmicjoke]

if you could save any character in AOT from dying, who would you save? not in terms of changing the plot or anything like that, but because you really like the character

That's a really hard question to answer, haha. There's so many tragic deaths in AoT, and an argument could be made about why every character that died should have lived.

I think maybe the most tragic death, to me anyway, was Sasha's, because she didn't choose to die. Hange and Erwin, as heartbreaking as their deaths were, at least had some agency in it. They chose the path that lead to each of their deaths, or were otherwise accepting of their deaths. But with Sasha, she didn't choose to die, or accept it. She was shot while believing she was going home and in a celebratory mood, even, happy that she had made it to the end of the mission with all her friends.

Of course, with Erwin, you wish he could have gotten to discover the truth. But I always think, if Erwin HAD lived to see what was in Eren's basement, while he might have initially been happy at finally having proof that his father had been right, it ultimately would have left him feeling disappointed and bereft, and I think his feelings of guilt would only have intensified. To realize he'd charged ahead so relentlessly, only to find out that the world beyond the walls hated them and wanted them all dead. That indeed the discovery of the truth didn't improve their position, but only made it worse. I don't know if Erwin would have been able to deal with the knowledge that he'd sent all those soldiers to their deaths, under the belief they were fighting to free humanity, only to exchange their original struggle for any even greater one. So, in the end, I think it was better for Erwin to die without ever knowing the truth. I think it only would have further deteriorated his mental state. There was a genuine relief in Erwin when Levi told him to give up on his dream and die. He was happy to be relieved of making the decision himself, happy to be told what to do, happy that Levi had freed him from the burden of being torn between his dream and duty, and especially the guilt he felt at wanting to pursue his dream. If the decision had been left up to Erwin, and he'd chosen to live to see what was in Eren's basement, I think it would have tormented him for the rest of his life. Levi allowed him to die a good leader, and that was as good an ending for Erwin as there could be.

And then of course Hange's death was also incredibly tragic, and the realization that she won't ever get to experience any more of the world, when she was such a genuinely curious person, is heartbreaking. But there's also an element of guilt in Hange's decision to go against the wall Titans. This feeling that she was failing to live up to her role as Commander, that she was responsible for leading them to where they were, and needing to take responsibility for it in order to ease her guilt. Of course, Hange wasn't actually responsible. Eren was. He lied to Hange when he accused her of forcing him to do what he'd done because of her failure to come up with a better plan, and that exacerbated Hange's sense of guilt, which in itself is a huge tragedy. Maybe Hange wouldn't have felt so compelled to go to her death if Eren hadn't said what he did to her. But either way, I think Hange felt she needed to sacrifice herself in order to fulfill her role as Commander. It's why Levi's so distraught at her language before she makes her decision, because it's the same sort of language Erwin was using. This idea of needing to fulfill ones "duty" by sacrificing ones self. Levi knew in that moment what Hange was planning. He knew she meant to die.

Anyway, yeah, I guess this isn't really an answer to your question. I wish all three of them could have lived. I wish Petra and Marco and all of Levi's OG squad could have lived, and Mike, etc... I also thought Nile Dok's death was really sad.

But I guess if I had to choose one character who got to live out of those who died, it would probably be Sasha, just because, again, there was no agency in her death.

[th-ramblr]

@iron-hearts-ablaze

These truly were becoming strange times indeed. Not because of getting yanked up into an alien spacecraft, or finding a nasty little brain-worm behind his eye that let him telepathically connect with other infected hosts, or having some weird man talking in his head that visited his dreams, or dealing with a crazy cult let by an immortal war-General. He'd gotten used to all these things by now and taken them as par for the course, just another knot in a long string of shitty luck throughout life that naturally had to fall on him.

No, the strangest thing in all of this was the company he kept finding himself in. However terribly mundane of a thing it was, for him, he'd never really found what he would call 'good company' until all this, and he still hesitated to think of it as such, even when he'd found people singing his praises or speaking up to vouch for him that he was 'one of the good ones', whatever that meant in all this mess.

Off and on, he'd crossed the paths of others similarly bound for a cure to these stupid tadpoles. Each time, he'd been determined to go his own way regardless of insistence that he team up, but the roads left to walk were narrowing and converging on one major point ; Moonrise.

And while this little tavern in a bubble wasn't Moonrise, it was close enough that he didn't have much room to complain about paths crossing once again. Even less so with the shadow-curse hungrily waiting just outside, choking the road against anyone who didn't possess a moonlantern from moving forward.

Right now, that consisted of only him and the stupid spider, which made him a much more popular topic than he wanted to be right now, but it couldn't be helped.

At the very least, this little den of Harpers and refugees had one positive thing to offer him -- a weapons' supplier and that Tiefling blacksmith who could set him up with some rather potent explosives to deal with the more dangerous threats and thicker crowds of enemies.

That that flaming Tiefling woman also had an interest in the services of the blacksmith was of little concern to him. Or at least it should have been, but out of all the oddities, that one was the highest.

It had been no planning of his, that he just happened to be there when the news was broken to her. That her flames would be better under control... but that her engine, her 'heart', was still doomed to fail her at any given moment. A matter of when, not if.

Normally, he wouldn't care. The plights of others had never been any concern of his, just as no one else cared for his troubles, or at best, all they felt was distant pity.

This, though...

For once, this was a unique kind of suffering he could relate to, more than he was strictly comfortable with, but the situation was what it was. Most of his childhood, he'd heard and been told how his weak heart would sputter out and fail him, that he'd die a young and premature death and there was nothing to be done to change it. It was a miracle he'd made it this far in life, as he'd often been told he likely wouldn't even survive to adulthood, but each day he survived, that threat of it being his last day loomed ever larger in his mind, its shadow growing longer, knowing that his time was rapidly counting down.

It was... a lonely feeling, always having that knowledge in the back of his mind, and knowing that no one else around him could understand it even if he tried to speak of it. Even his dream visitor, much as Kytes had come to confide in him, couldn't really understand it.

Maybe that's what brought him drifting closer after she broke away from the rest to be alone, despite that he'd normally never entertain even the thought of her company, his steps phantom-light as he habitually approached from an angle of least visibility and came to stop in her blind spots.

For a few beats, he was silent, his face giving a small twitch, his fingers loosely fidgeting with uncertainty. He debated stepping away to disappear again before she could become aware of him, the thought of interaction still one that intimidated him, but his voice ultimately won out before he could make up his mind on leaving, spoken soft and tentative.

"Are you alrigh'?"