#but yet can't put two and two together and figure that they related

[yesyourstalker]

Neta: uhhhhh......*yawn* good morning everyone....

Mahi: morning Neta.....you look different

Neta: yeah don't get used to it.... I'm just letting the red fade out they look a little orange. Next week my tentacles are going to go back to being................. Green..... Mahi

Mahi: do you like it?

Neta: it's green! You dyed your fins green!?!? Oh my cod you look........ you look.... you look................... Hm......... You look good mahi I like it.

Mahi: yeah... I thought I'd mess with ya when you came back..

Neta: hahaha well you did throw me off a bit. Uhhehe................ You do look like someone I used to know.......... just like him...... What made you want to dye your fins green anyway?.... You trying to be like your manager? Hmmm hmm? You want to be like me???

Mahi: shut up...... No... I just wanted to change my look........ I chose green.

Neta: and you chose the exact same green that I wear.. mmmmmm sounds like you want to be meeeeer awwww I'm flattered

Mahi: nooo this green is a little bit darker and earthy you have green ink 24.....I have ink 45... So it's not the same........ it's a lot closer to my grandpa's fin color more than anything

Neta: heheheheh... Well! Whatever I like it on you! [Ruffles head]......hahah..............................................

Mahi: what? I'm staring at?!

Neta:you look.....................so familiar..... someone I used to know

Mahi: who? An old military friend? Are they dead? Please don't tell me that I look like a dead soldier.

Neta: mmmmmmmmmm ehhhhhhhhh.......never mind

Mahi: what?! What do you mean never mind? Who do I look like besides my grandpa?

Neta: I don't know! Shut up. Forget about it. You just look like someone I used to hang out with.............. They look just like the old man

Candi: morning everyone! Sorry I'm late I had to drop my kid off to school.... Notice something different?

Neta: mmmmm... Uhhhh.... You got your finger tip dipped? Looks nice. I like the pink.

Candi: ok. anything else you notice? Mmmm anything look different?

Neta:uhhhhh

Candi:........... ....... Really ???

Neta:....................................... Your lip gloss is pinker?

Mahi: Neta her tentacles are blue! oh my cod....

Candi:.....................

Neta: oh.... OH... oh! Ohhh my cod.... they are blue!! Nice baby blue..... It looks cute.

Candi: yeah!.... heh... Yeah.....*sigh*..... Thought you would notice

Neta: I'm sorry

Candi: no! No! it's fine! It's-

Neta: I'm going to be very honest. I kind of forgot what most of you guys look like... Hehehe....

Mahi: old fuck

Neta: it's not about my age! It's just I..... I just have a lot on my mind..ok I can't remember every single body modification you kids do to yourselves!!!..I'm not old!

Mahi: hahahahaha all right grandpa...

Mahi belongs to @fish-at-fish-fish-resort

[burntoutdaydreamer]

Things That May Be Causing Your Writer's Block- and How to Beat Them

I don't like the term 'Writer's Block' - not because it isn't real, but because the term is so vague that it's useless. Hundreds of issues all get lumped together under this one umbrella, making writer's block seem like this all-powerful boogeyman that's impossible to beat. Worse yet, it leaves people giving and receiving advice that is completely ineffective because people often don't realize they're talking about entirely different issues.

In my experience, the key to beating writer's block is figuring out what the block even is, so I put together a list of Actual Reasons why you may be struggling to write:

(note that any case of writer's block is usually a mix of two or more)

Perfectionism (most common)

What it looks like:

You write one sentence and spend the next hour googling "synonyms for ___"

Write. Erase. Write. Rewrite. Erase.

Should I even start writing this scene when I haven't figured out this one specific detail yet?

I hate everything I write

Cringing while writing

My first draft must be perfect, or else I'm a terrible writer

Things that can help:

Give yourself permission to suck

Keep in mind that nothing you write is going to be perfect, especially your first draft

Think of writing your first/early drafts not as writing, but sketching out a loose foundation to build upon later

People write multiple drafts for a reason: write now, edit later

Stop googling synonyms and save that for editing

Write with a pen to reduce temptation to erase

Embrace leaving blank spaces in your writing when you can't think of the right word, name, or detail

It's okay if your writing sucks. We all suck at some point. Embrace the growth mindset, and focus on getting words on a page

Lack of inspiration (easiest to fix)

What it looks like:

Head empty, no ideas

What do I even write about???

I don't have a plot, I just have an image

Want to write but no story to write

Things that can help:

Google writing prompts

If writing prompts aren't your thing, instead try thinking about what kind of tropes/genres/story elements you would like to try out

Instead of thinking about the story you would like to write, think about the story you would like to read, and write that

It's okay if you don't have a fully fleshed out story idea. Even if it's just an image or a line of dialogue, it's okay to write that. A story may or may not come out of it, but at least you got the creative juices flowing

Stop writing. Step away from your desk and let yourself naturally get inspired. Go for a walk, read a book, travel, play video games, research history, etc. Don't force ideas, but do open up your mind to them

If you're like me, world-building may come more naturally than plotting. Design the world first and let the story come later

Boredom/Understimulation (lost the flow)

What it looks like:

I know I should be writing but uugggghhhh I just can'tttttt

Writing words feels like pulling teeth

I started writing, but then I got bored/distracted

I enjoy the idea of writing, but the actual process makes me want to throw my laptop out the window

Things that can help:

Introduce stimulation: snacks, beverages, gum, music such as lo-fi, blankets, decorate your writing space, get a clickity-clackity keyboard, etc.

Add variety: write in a new location, try a new idea/different story for a day or so, switch up how you write (pen and paper vs. computer) or try voice recording or speech-to-text

Gamify writing: create an arbitrary challenge, such as trying to see how many words you can write in a set time and try to beat your high score

Find a writing buddy or join a writer's group

Give yourself a reward for every writing milestone, even if it's just writing a paragraph

Ask yourself whether this project you're working on is something you really want to be doing, and be honest with your answer

Intimidation/Procrastination (often related to perfectionism, but not always)

What it looks like:

I was feeling really motivated to write, but then I opened my laptop

I don't even know where to start

I love writing, but I can never seem to get started

I'll write tomorrow. I mean next week. Next month? Next month, I swear (doesn't write next month)

Can't find the time or energy

Unreasonable expectations (I should be able to write 10,000 words a day, right????)

Feeling discouraged and wondering why I'm even trying

Things that can help:

Follow the 2 min rule (or the 1 paragraph rule, which works better for me): whenever you sit down to write, tell yourself that you are only going to write for 2 minutes. If you feel like continuing once the 2 mins are up, go for it! Otherwise, stop. Force yourself to start but DO NOT force yourself to continue unless you feel like it. The more often you do this, the easier it will be to get started

Make getting started as easy as possible (i.e. minimize barriers: if getting up to get a notebook is stopping you from getting started, then write in the notes app of your phone)

Commit to a routine that will work for you. Baby steps are important here. Go with something that feels reasonable: every day, every other day, once a week, twice a week, and use cues to help you remember to start. If you chose a set time to write, just make sure that it's a time that feels natural to you- i.e. don't force yourself to writing at 9am every morning if you're not a morning person

Find a friend or a writing buddy you can trust and talk it out or share a piece of work you're proud of. Sometimes we just get a bit bogged down by criticism- either internal or external- and need a few words of encouragement

The Problem's Not You, It's Your Story (or Outline (or Process))

What it looks like:

I have no problems writing other scenes, it's just this scene

I started writing, but now I have no idea where I'm going

I don't think I'm doing this right

What's an outline?

Drowning in documents

This. Doesn't. Make. Sense. How do I get from this plot point to this one?!?!?! (this ColeyDoesThings quote lives in my head rent free cause BOY have I been there)

Things That Can Help:

Go back to the drawing board. Really try to get at the root of why a scene or story isn't working

A part of growing as a writer is learning when to kill your darlings. Sometimes you're trying to force an idea or scene that just doesn't work and you need to let it go

If you don't have an outline, write one

If you have an outline and it isn't working, rewrite it, or look up different ways to structure it

You may be trying to write as a pantser when you're really a plotter or vice versa. Experiment with different writing processes and see what feels most natural

Study story structures, starting with the three act structure. Even if you don't use them, you should know them

Check out Ellen Brock on YouTube. She's a professional novel editor who has a lot of advice on writing strategies for different types of writers

Also check out Savage Books on YouTube (another professional story editor) for advice on story structure and dialogue. Seriously, I cannot recommend this guy enough

Executive Dysfunction, Usually From ADHD/Autism

What it looks like:

Everything in boredom/understimulation

Everything in intimidation/procrastination

You have been diagnosed with and/or have symptoms of ADHD/Autism

Things that can help:

If you haven't already, seek a diagnosis or professional treatment

Hire an ADHD coach or other specialist that can help you work with your brain (I use Shimmer; feel free to DM me for a referral)

Seek out neurodiverse communities for advice and support

Try body doubling! There's lot's of free online body doubling websites out there for you to try. If social anxiety is a barrier, start out with writing streams such as katecavanaughwrites on Twitch

Be aware of any sensory barriers that may be getting in the way of you writing (such as an uncomfortable desk chair, harsh lighting, bad sounds)

And Lastly, Burnout, Depression, or Other Mental Illness

What it looks like:

You have symptoms of burnout or depression

Struggling with all things, not just writing

It's more than a lack of inspiration- the spark is just dead

Things that can help:

Forget writing for now. Focus on healing first.

Seek professional help

If you feel like it, use writing as a way to explore your feelings. It can take the form of journaling, poetry, an abstract reflection of your thoughts, narrative essays, or exploring what you're feeling through your fictional characters. The last two helped me rediscover my love of writing after I thought years of depression had killed it for good. Just don't force yourself to do so, and stop if it takes you to a darker place instead of feeling cathartic

[reidsdimples]

Can i request something? But if you can't , its okay. Reid x reader, enemies to lover, undercover as married couple, Get gift from the other, play game, open the box, need to use whatever in the box. one of it's "vibrator underwear" then up to you...

Not So Faux Lovers

18+ ❤️‍🔥MDNI‼️

my take on this request, hope you love it! 🥰🫶🏻

"Oh honey! You shouldn't have!" You gush at your faux-husband Spencer.

"You have to open it!" Cara, the unsubs wife, beams.

They were deep undercover as a married couple. The team was trying to figure our who in this underground kinky sex group was trying to involve minors. You guys had been at this for weeks, this being the third party you attended.

You were just grateful Spencer got you guys out of the group orgy that took place the night before. You were dedicated to your job but not dedicated enough for groups sex to keep cover.

Besides, you and Spencer had started to get on each other's nerves. Both of you wound tight from stress and short tempered with one another. The two of you had been fighting before the party but played as if you were the happiest married couple.

This party in particular involved the exchange and mandatory use of sex related gifts. You hoped Spencer figured out something that didn't involve one of the party members shoving something inside of you.

He nudges you to open it.

You tear the box open, less than eagerly. It takes you a moment to deduce what exactly the odd looking item was. You tilt your head and pick what appears to be a wireless remote.

"That's for me," Spencer snatches it from you.

You hold up what you realize to be underwear with something in the crotch. It was a pink lace thong with a fucking vibrator in a small pocket in the front. You blush and swallow hard.

You had opted to get him flavored condoms in which you would feign sex on the other side of a closed door as you were forced to do once before. This was...

"Oh hell yeah!" Trent, one of the party members claps Spencer on the back.

"Go put them on," another girl smiles at you. "Let's see if you can control yourself when he uses it against you."

You fight the urge to glare at your 'husband'. He was eating this up, putting you in an awkward position and watching you get all flustered after such an argument earlier.

"Honey, would you assist me please," you hiss and tug Spencer out of his chair.

"What the hell is this?" You whisper shout at him when you both get into the bathroom.

"Thought it might be fun," he smiles mischievously.

"Are you serious?" You smack his arm. "How am I supposed to focus with you and that damned remote... You are such an asshole."

"Like I said, it might be fun," he exits the bathroom with a cocky wink.

You didn't know where this sudden shift in him came from. Perhaps the fact that the two of you have been playing these rolls for five weeks and were pent up after constantly being tossed into sexual scenarios and fighting all the time. He just changed the game.

You hesitantly pull on the thong and adjust the vibrator against your clit where it's meant to sit. This is insane. Yet you find yourself coiled tight with excitement at Spencer controlling your pleasure... that was new.

You pull up your skirt and exit the bathroom with your head held high. If he wants to play, let's play. You toss your original underwear at his chest and sit in his lap. You hear his breathing hitch in shock but he plays it off as natural.

"How do we know she's actually wearing them?" John, the unsub, purrs.

Spencer holds up the small oval shaped pink remote and presses the center button with nimble fingers. You jolt in his lap as the vibrator hums to life against your sensitive core. You grip the back up his neck and squeeze your legs together.

"Okay!" You bite out.

He switches it off with a sinister sort of chuckle.

You feel wetness gather between your folds as you adjust yourself on his lap and turn to the others who were exchanging gifts.

“I bet you’re wet already,” he turns it on the lowest setting and nips at your ear. “I’m sure it’s not because of me though. It’s just your body reacting,” he purrs condescendingly.

You elbow his abdomen and shift in his lap which prompts him to turn it off.

-

"This was great, thanks for coming!" Cara hugs you as you and Spencer exit her house.

Luckily he had only pressed the button one more time when John seemed to be inspecting you for signs of him using it. That was until you dropped into the passenger seat of his car.

He flicks the vibrator on seemingly a low setting and stares at you as he backs out of the driveway. You don't give him the satisfaction of responding but have to sit up straighter.

He moves his thumb up to the next, more intense setting and you can't hide your response. You squeeze your legs together and bite down on your lip.

"You are infuriating," you spit at him. You dig your nails into his forearm and tilt your head back. God it felt so good, you hadn't had an orgasm in so long.

"Spencer," you draw out the warning. A moan escapes you though.

"So pretty when you moan," he breathes. He focuses on the road, the streetlight flashing over him as he drives. You don't miss his fingers gripping the steering wheel. "So much better than when you argue with me," he smiles at himself.

You drag his free arm over to you and force him to press the vibrator harder against you.

He obliges and flattens his palm between your spread legs, the sight of his strong arm there is intoxicating. You try to remember why you guys were arguing but come up with nothing.

"Spencer," you whimper and find yourself grinding yourself against the vibrator and his hand. "Please," you cry out as your legs start to shake.

Your orgasm fires through every nerve in your body, leaving chills all over. You let out a series of whimpers as you cum, the orgasm leaving you feeling deflated against the seat when he turns off the vibrator.

You glance over at him where he is trying desperately to keep his eyes on the road. But you eye his cock straining against his pants.

"Pull into this parking garage," you point ahead.

He glances at you in confusion with furrowed eyebrows but obliges.

"Get out of the car," you order when he parks on the empty top floor. He hurries out of the black SUV and you don't hesitate to grab the collar of his shirt.

You crash your lips into his hungrily until he's leaning back against the driver's side door. His tongue greedily invades your mouth and he tastes better than anyone else you've ever kissed. His large hands explore your waist and run up your back as he moans into the kiss.

Your hand finds the back door handle and you swing it open, shoving him in with a giggle. Both of you scoot in until you're straddling him, you can feel his erection against you.

"Are you sure?" He asks as you rip his shirt open.

"Shut up, Spence," you pant and kiss him hard with your hands in his hair. He flips the vibrator on, causing you to jump. "Damn it, Spencer," you groan and take the remote from him. You turn it off and throw it in the trunk.

He smiles and lets out an amused huff when you shuffle out of the thong. You lean back and undo his pants, pulling his impressive cock free.

"Oh," you gasp.

"You can do it," he praises as he slips his fingers into your cunt. You soak his fingers instantly, earning a satisfied moan from him.

You grip his hair near the back of his neck and angle yourself above it. Your pussy clenches with need as you ease down.

"Fucking hell," he throws his head back. "You're so tight."

"You started this, you better fuck me properly before you cum," you growl in his ear.

"Still talking shit?" He challenges you and bucks his hips upward.

You cry out as his entire cock is shoved inside of you, forcing you to stretch to his girth.

"You..." you start but then he grips your ass and thrusts upward again. You claw at his shoulders.

"I what?" He glances at you, his mouth agape as he watches you take his cock with each thrust he gives you.

His hand curls around your throat and he picks up speed as you hover slightly over him so he can fuck you deep. He trails his hand up and grips your jaw while he shoves his pointer and middle finger into your mouth.

"This smart mouth..." he muses. "Sounds so pretty crying out for me."

He snaps his hips hard upward, his cock slamming into your cervix until you scream. While one hand grips your jaw, the other moves to your clit. He massages it harshly, quickly as he fucks you.

You suck on his fingers as tears stream down your face from raw pleasure. He felt unbelievable and you were getting close. You were going to soak him like this. You were a squirter when penetration and clitoral stimulation mixed. You worried he would be disgusted but as you wound tighter you couldn't stop him.

"Fuck," comes your muffled cry.

"Cum for me baby, show me how much you hate me," he teases.

His filthy mouth is the last straw. Your body goes taut and your head rolls back. He takes the opportunity to grip your throat as your walls tighten around his cock, drawing a moan from him. You explode around him, you feel the liquid pouring out of you and down onto him.

"Holy shit," he pants in awe.

"Ah!" You keep cumming as he thrusts into you enthusiastically. He smiles, satisfied as his cock starts to pulse.

His cum fills you deliciously as you roll your hips onto him, greedily taking everything he has. The flesh between the two of you is drenched, its filthy, its so fucking hot.

Your phone rings. Hotch, fuck. You glance at Spencer who is still inside of you and shush him.

"Hotch," you answer the phone. "No nothing of note tonight. He didn't mention the minors."

Spencer tenses his cock inside of you, causing you to bite your lip when you feel his cum dripping out of you.

"Yeah I can send you the photos from his attic, Spencer got some good ones," you start teasing him back by grinding your hips.

You clamp your hand over his mouth as you tease his oversensitive cock by tightening your pussy.

"Yes sir, got it," you tell Hotch and hang up.

"You're impossible," you slap his chest and lift yourself off of him.

"I've never seen that before," Spencer blushes. Actually blushes despite what just happened.

"Seen what?" You ask as you pull your skirt down.

"So much... um so much..." he stumbles over his words.

"You've never been with a squirter?" You ask.

"No," he laughs nervously.

"Cherish it, it's the last time," you smirk and hop out of the car. You watch him adjust himself and fix his clothes through the window.

"We'll see about that," he winks and gets back into the drivers seat. Ugh.

[zivazivc]

Did Les ever dated in the past? Also is he with anyone recently?

Les quit school really early, like 10-years-old early, and he started working soon after, so he didn't really have friends his age. That kinda puts a buffer on a teenager's social and love life. Though there was something that happened at a house party once, that was, uh... a bad experience, and it left him with a lot of issues. Also, partially because of this, he's not really someone who acts on his crushes. So he never dated before.

But at one point the band spent a few months in the same location (dunno the reason yet, but maybe they weren't getting enough gigs and they had to take up some part time jobs for a while), and Les developed a crush on a bartender at a nearby club.

She's the only OC of mine who's visually a bigger weirdo than Les, and he definitely saw a little bit of himself in her, and hoping for someone with some shared life experience, it's what initially attracted him toward her and vice versa.

So they had a thing going on for a short time. It never developed into anything serious because sadly they are very alike, which means they are BOTH morons who are shy about making the first move. And after a while they came to the agreement that they were better as just friends.

Floyd with his persistent crush was not happy about the possible romance at first, but he ended up being happy for Les, and he finally decided to give his hopeless longing a rest, since the only good it was doing was growing a rift between his and Les's friendship.

Funny enough it was Floyd backing down which allowed the two to grow closer. Les lowered his guard since he no longer had to overthink if Floyd would interpret anything he did or said as some kind of flirting or act of love, and he no longer had to brace himself for any uncomfortable romancing coming from Floyd either.

They were already good friends since the start but they became much more casual with each other and began to understand each other on a deeper level as years passed. As Floyd got older and more mature, and became an equal with the rest of the bandmates, it was actually Les who fell for him, hard. He didn't really do anything about it though, but Floyd eventually realized this and you know he did something about it. Though Floyd's crush had gone from looking at Les as this cool experienced older guy when he was younger to now seeing him as a shy innocent teddy bear compared to his lewd self ksjhdkjs.

So technically they became each other's first proper all-encompassing relationship. And by that I mean that besides the lovey-dovey obvious stuff, they were also best friends and helped each other grow a lot. Also Floyd by the time they got together, already started a habit of hooking up with strangers at parties, so being with Les forced him to slow down and progress through a relationship slowly and at a healthy pace for someone his age (since you can't really get anywhere with Les without a lot of patience). And Floyd got Les to become comfortable with opening up and talking about his deep-rooted feelings. They talked about issues they faced, many of which were related to Les's childhood trauma, instead of him just ignoring or suppressing it all. (Floyd also opened up about his own family trauma with Les obviously, but he talked about it even before they got together.)

The relationship, especially at the start, could still be considered questionable from an outsider's perspective, but so was the band's lifestyle in general. They were good for each other during that period while they were growing up and figuring themselves and each other out, which is what matters I think.

It was honestly mainly Floyd's undiagnosed bipolar disorder that made the relationship suffer toward the end of Floyd's days in the band. It created a lot of trust issues between Floyd and Les, and also Floyd and everyone else, heck it even made Floyd distrust himself, since he and none else knew or understood what was happening with him. This led to a lot of misery and anger that he mostly ended up directing at Les, and it was what eventually made them break up and Floyd leave.

[blue-isnt-here]

💙The Mutant Mayhem boys with an ftm boyfriend/crush💙

Leonardo

- Bless this guy's heart. With the way you nervously pulled him aside during a hangout at the lair, hands shaky and eyes escaping his own, Leo seriously thought you were going to break up with him.

- You could tell he was starting to panic and quickly de-escalated it, comforting your anxious, teary-eyed boyfriend by hugging him close.

- After calming down, he asked you what was really going on, and, well... you told him. Openly, with scattered giggles and stuttered words, as well as a few stray tears.

- Leo was quick to place his thumbs on your face and rub the tears away, listening closely as you told him everything.

- Proudly proclaims (when you're comfortable with it) about having you as his sweet, wonderful boyfriend.

- Constantly checks his internal alarm clock (as well as his phone) whenever he knows you're wearing a binder. Leo worries he's being too overprotective, but that thankful smile of yours whenever he does bring it up washes all the bad thoughts away.

- Reassures you whenever you're feeling down about yourself (best boy) and claims that he'd physically fight your dysphoria if he could.

- You're saved as "Prince💙" in his phone and his brothers never let him live it down.

- Totally relates to your insecurities of not being "manly enough" and so, you two hype each other up, in your own cringy, dorky lovestruck way.

- "You're so handsome!"

"No, you!"

- If you have a similar taste in clothes to him, get ready to be dogpiled by his brothers for the crimes of "dressing like bestbuy employees" and "looking like you're gonna sell them an insurance plan"

- With the way you laugh it off, Leonardo can't help but join you, adoring your new-found confidence and the loving look you gave him as you met his eyes.

- Cringefail boyfriends fr

Raphael

- He was kind of confused at first, but listened intently as you explained how you felt, occasionally taking your hand in his and toying with your fingers.

- Raphael never gave much thought to his orientation, even after falling in love with you and getting together. He may need some help understanding a few things, but he's thrilled to call you his boyfriend.

- Like... Nothing changed. You're just a boy to him now.

- You were a little nervous about him not making a big deal out of it, but it quickly turned into relief once he crushed cuddled you for the rest of the night, occasionally making some VERY crude gay jokes to make you laugh.

- Will not let up with the "no homo" jokes after you tell him. The both of you could literally be kissing and-

"I love you so much, Raph"

"Love ya too. No homo though right?"

- Loves it when you laugh and/or scoff at these jokes

- Since you're a guy, Raph figures he can tell you all about gross guy things like he does with his brothers. He's just that comfortable with you.

- If you're trying to put on muscle, he's all smiles and already dragging you to the training area. You're not getting out of this. (affectionate)

- Raphael actually has a pretty good fashion sense and would be really flattered if you asked him for advice. He'll never admit that though, obviously.

- One time, you came home with a pair of matching red and black jerseys, in yours and his respective sizes.

- Raph.exe stopped working

- Like... Face redder than his mask type of gay panic.

- Offered to steal testosterone for you more than once.

- Noogies you/threatens to shove you into lockers affectionately. When you confront him about his nerd/jock thing, he just malfunctions and denies it.

- Would beat up anyone who gives you trouble for your identity in a heartbeat. No one messes with his man.

Donatello

- It was late at night at the lair, during one of your hours-long gaming sessions with your best friend, Donnie. He laid in his tent, shifting side to side excitedly, relieved that you couldn't see how much of a mess you made him whenever he heard your voice.

- And yet Donnie made the effort to hide his feelings, because you two were friends. Wait, no. He was your BEST friend.

- ... Who had been crushing on you for ages now. Painfully so.

- Much like his older brother, Donnie misinterprets your anxious tone and stuttering as something different, thinking you were about to tell him you've always loved him and wanted to be together forever-

- "Donnie, I'm trans."

- A choked sound comes out through the other end of the call as Donnie faceplants into his pillows, face flushed in embarassment.

- "T-that's okay. I, um... Totally cool."

"You sure? You sound weird."

"*voice cracks* ..yEP!"

- Really supportive, but in a chill sorta way.

- Donnie is easily the most casual about it. Barely questions it - before you know it he's already complimenting you, telling you how well you pass.

- If you're self conscious about your voice, Don makes sure you know that he loves it and also jokes about his own, saying that you don't need a deep voice to be a man.

- "I mean... Look at me! I'm pretty much a falsetto and you like me anyways!"

- Donnie says that last part lightly, but he listens intently for your reaction, and is relieved when you laugh; he successfully cheered up his crush. Score.

- Compares you to various anime guys he thinks resemble you - given that you may not know much about the characters or Donnie's knowledge of them. His brothers, however, noticed a pattern - they're always the anime boy archetypes he seems to favor the most.

- And so they tease him, relentlessly, mercilessly, about his crush on you.

- "Donnie's got a tyyyypeeee!"

"Quit it, Mikey!"

"C'mon guys, maybe he wants to go see his boyfriend!"

"H-he's not! Shut up, Raph! You know what? I'm gonna go."

"What, you miss your senpai already?"

"WHAT THE HECK LEO!?"

Michelangelo

- You sort of came out to Mikey shortly after becoming his friend. Being a member of drama club, you were lucky enough to find yourself in a supportive environment and you were finally free to be yourself, much like the turtles.

- Mikey always tiptoed around the idea of what romance could be like and, well... you were just his type.

- You didn't mock him, or treat him like the weakest one of the group or anything. You took him seriously.

- And so Mikey was seriously obsessed with you.

- So much so that when your group was tasked with dressed rehearsals for the play you'd been practicing together, he can barely look in your general direction as you slip off the stage garments to reveal black underarmor.

- It was chill. You were just friends. Totally chill. Be cool. Mikey could do that, right?

- "W-wait, where are you going?"

- He was struggling with removing his shirt, the thin cotton getting caught on his shell. Mikey stood there, watching you step out of the changing rooms and into one of the bathroom stalls, face flushed and arms raised awkwardly as he fiddled with the shirt.

- "I just gotta get this binder off. S'been knocking the wind outta me!"

"O-Oh..."

- Unexpectedly, Mikey's kinda paranoid about you binding. It leads to some awkward questions, but he's genuinely worried and means well.

- Mikey gets very passive aggressive whenever someone misgenders you on purpose; you may have to hold him back a bit.

- Does his best to cheer you up when you feel down about yourself. This man will NOT rest until that handsome smile is back on your face.

- Tries to low-key sneak it into conversations that he likes guys. And that you're a guy. And that he REALLY likes guys. And-

- He's just a gay mess, forgive him.

[regular-gnome]

I adore your Archivists and the lore you make for them and their personalities and relationships between each other and Collector! You don't paint them as Good but misunderstood or cartoonishly evil.

They are god-like entities and their morality system and values are way to different for mortals to easily relate and understand. And good luck for them to not grow up with an issue or two and then proceed to raise a young collector with no problems =3

Also a question if you don't mind👉👈(sorry if you already answered it, my memory is bad TT) So all five of them are collectors(and they are the only ones of their kind), the siblings have a different name for their group why? And our Collector's name is the same as species or will he have something his own later like others when he is older?

The empty, uncaring void filled with extinction and destruction is not a place where kids grow happily without any lasting issues and from a mortal point of view - a weird perception of good but they are trying

I don't think anyone has asked about this one yet! Their names are related to their identity and that connects to their history; they don't really use individual ones, but rather what describes who they are.

I've put the reasoning and my stab at the lore under the cut since I thought it might be a bit long and not everyone into it (and I just figured out how to add the read more cut so im gonna use it)

They are not the only ones in existence; they are just in this part of the galaxy we see. In the beginning, when the universe wasn't as expanded, the Children of the Stars were closer to each other, exploring the young galaxy together and living among other living creatures - mortals.

After the extinction event that left the children alone on the barren world, they decided not to let it ever happen again. They began collecting life from the surroundings and spread it to uninhabited systems, later establishing the first archive to help with it. Thats when they started call each others collectors, and after creating archive those collectors connected to it that cared for and used it were archivists. It didn't go fantastic, they were young figuring things out on the way, the lessons they learned got contained in the Guidebook everyone took. At this point, they also realized that everything they were doing was not enough. The galaxy was too vast, with too many worlds facing their ends too far apart. They separated making own archives, now too far away to ever really meet and find each other.

On how it realates to names. Collie is a kid, they are a collector so The Collector, they live around the archive but it's not their responsibility at this point -it's The Archivists. As Collector grows up and becomes an Archivist they can take a specific set of tasks and be associated with them taking on a title. However, this also means that titles can change.

The first sibling in the story, after establishing their archive, was just named The Archivist. When another collector grew up to help, they divided roles, with Curator handling organization inside the archive and Naturalist handling "ground work". Later, the tasks of the Naturalists were divided, now becoming Anatomist and dealing with the living environment and Architects handling the unliving aspects . Following Archivist became The Wayfarer, responsible for keeping track of every collected place and noting any changes they undergo. They scout out planets that are to be added to the archive.

I'm not certain what Collie would want to do in the future. I think they might be inclined towards tasks related to being around mortals as they are pretty social, so they could probably take on some responsibilities from Anatomist and Wayfarer. But, I can't say for sure what title they might take

And here's a fun little aspect: the universe didn't stop expanding. The places their archive reaches keep getting further away and more advanced systems, so planets that are more than basic fauna and flora are more prone to collapsing. At some point, probably when Collie is an Archivist, the archive might have to split, and the names will shift again

[pomefioredove]

Not necessarily an ask but what do you think the catalyst for Rook genuinely falling in love would be

ah... now that's a complicated question because, hypothetically, I think rook could really fall in love with anyone. it would be a soulmate situation, he would just know

if I had to put together a character profile for such a person...?

I suppose the first thing is that they wouldn't be famous, or have any ambitions for fame. in simple terms, they need to be available, and they need to be his. I characterize rook as a possessive lover, the last thing he would want is to have to share their attention (or worse, affection) with others. more so, the relationship needs to be very equal for him to function, to prevent him from feeling the need to distance himself. rook would need someone he feels he can share his world with.

in terms of personality...?

patient and trusting

like I said before, rook falling in love would be a gradual process. getting him to let his guard down would be, too.

and even after that, rook is still a private person. he's faithful, god he's faithful, but he needs his alone time, and he needs his partner to able to trust that his intentions are pure. it's not that he can't offer reassurance, but someone too clingy or insecure or suspicious wouldn't thrive in a relationship with rook.

2. warm and close

they can't be too clingy, but they can't be too distant, either. figures like vil and neige are completely unavailable: practically, physically, and emotionally, in one way or another (and that's how rook prefers it). while someone who's highly organized, busy, and important would be compatible with vil, that wouldn't work for rook. he needs closeness, he needs privacy and intimacy.

(their differences are really highlighted by their prospective career paths. vil going straight back to acting and modeling while rook pursues archaeology, which is such a personal and quiet profession).

romance with rook would be slow and tender. he would want to experience every part of being in love to the fullest extent, so there's absolutely no rush with him. he's happy to take his time exploring this feeling of vulnerability for the first time.

3. curious and open-minded

rook's soulmate-soulmate is someone he feels comfortable talking to about anything that crosses his mind, someone he can be bluntly honest with, someone with a similar love for life and a passion to understand the world.

...someone who can find happiness in the smallest of things, who can see the beauty in anything, like he does. he would be enamored with such a person.

a true relationship with rook wouldn't be the "owner and dog" thing he has going on with vil (bless his heart and sorry to everyone who likes that sort of thing in a man), it would be very equal. he would take so much joy in sharing his world with them, and having them share theirs in return.

he also needs someone to infodump to. badly.

4. committed

rook's jp suitor suit card states that he's not ready to settle down yet. he hasn't found "the one". but God, when he does? good luck.

the romance is a slow and gradual process, but he's absolutely the type to want to get married (the idea of unraveling the mystery of another person throughout a lifetime is very enchanting to him) and I can imagine he'd want a family at some point. it would be a quiet life, though there's never a dull moment between the two.

so, yeah, it's a for-life situation. once he's imprinted it's over

5. (bonus)

not necessary but certainly couldn't hurt: a love for the outdoors, an interest in the natural world and/or history, a passion for the arts (especially the classics like poetry, plays, opera, etc). being able to relate to someone is a comforting feeling for him.

I can also imagine rook being more attracted to someone caring and gentle and good. rook is a good person at his core, he strives to do the right thing. considering his fondness for neige and that one groovy I have in my gallery but can't be bothered to pull, he would be so enchanted with someone who just radiates kindness.

[bestworstcase]

If the Silver Eyes are more aligned with Death/The Void than Light, then is it possible that what they affect could be substantially broader than just Grimm? Death/The Void comes for all, Human, Grimm, Faunus and in a sense Gods alike, and the power of the Silver Eyes might relate to that.

In that sense, Cinder isn't just getting hurt because she's part-Grimm, it's because Ruby explicitly wants to use the Silver Eyes to HARM her, and the Silver Eyes' power is tied to this desire to harm or protect, and how much it damages the target is affected as a result. Thus, any subsequent uses after V3 have been less effective because Cinder is not only getting more resilient/more guarded against it, but also because Ruby's motives have changed from harming Cinder to trying to keep Cinder away from her loved ones.

The reason why Ruby can't figure this out yet is because she's still struggling with her own faulty understanding of the Silver Eyes due to messy information and her own inner psychological issues screwing up her ability to master them.

ough i talk about this periodically so here is some background reading: pattern theory (tangential, this is about death in remnant generally) + some observations on the beacon tower glare. i have some older posts pertaining specifically to cinder and the glare too but i don’t have have the energy to go looking for them rn. anyway!

my theory is that it isn’t related to anything ruby thinks or feels or wants – but rather, cinder’s vulnerability to the glare is directly connected to her killing people.

first observation: cinder uses her right hand to summon the grimm beetle, and if any residual grimm remains inside her body afterward, it makes the most sense for it to stay in her right arm, yes? or at least her right side. but the first glare destroys her left arm and her left eye.

second observation: while ice queendom is an ancillary text, not necessarily canonical, i think it is worth noting that ruby’s glare destroys one of the nightmares infesting weiss, while both she and the grimm are literally inside weiss’s head, and weiss of course does not come to any harm. this tracks with maria’s assertion that the glare only harms grimm. the actual question with regard to cinder is why did the glare burn her human flesh?, because ‘she had parts of a grimm inside her’ isn’t actually an explanation.

we have never, ever seen a glare harm somebody who happened to be touching, or close to, a grimm in any other context. if cinder had something grimm inside her body and the glare destroyed that, there is no reason to think that this would hurt cinder. it would just remove the grimm, leaving her unharmed.

(sidebar: this is why nobody in salem’s inner circle, including cinder, has brought up “grimm” as a possible explanation. the fanon that cinder either 1. doesn’t know the glare hurts grimm even though the rest of her colleagues are clearly informed about silver eyes and openly discuss it in front of her, or 2. somehow hasn’t put two and two together to work out that her grimm parts are vulnerable to the magical power that destroys grimm, is nonsense. nobody in salem’s employ is confused about the glare hurting grimm, the question is how and why it hurt cinder.)

third observation: when cinder killed amber, claiming the other half of the fall maiden, her left eye is the one that ‘received’ the flames (her right eye having lit up when she took the first half). minutes later, she uses her left hand to kill pyrrha. symbolically, at least, the glare takes from her 1. her victory in killing amber (the eye) and 2. the hand with which she murdered pyrrha, ruby’s friend.

i think that this goes beyond mere symbolism – i think this is also what happens in the literal sense at the top of beacon tower. the glare taps into the liminal boundary between life and death, and in that moment cinder was (as pyrrha’s killer, and amber’s killer, and all three of them having been linked through this tug-of-war over the fall maiden) entangled with that boundary, so the glare burned her.

(i think this is also why salem – working with very limited information about what happened – believes that becoming the maiden is what left cinder vulnerable: she’s not referring to the magic but rather to the act of killing necessary to become the maiden. salem is unlikely to know the exact sequence of events leading up to the glare and cinder frankly may not have even mentioned killing pyrrha at all; we know that cinder was cagey about whether she did or didn’t kill ozpin, so there is every possibility that salem said “it’s because of the maiden” while under the impression that the girl cinder killed right before ruby struck her was the maiden.)

this also tracks, i think, with what we see with subsequent glares. the partial one at haven causes what seems to be a lot of pain in cinder’s grimm arm, but doesn’t harm cinder herself. (also jaune, who is openly death-seeking at that point in time, flinches from the light—he’s the only one who does, aside from cinder.)

in 7.13 cinder mows through a lot of soldiers to get to fria’s room, but it isn’t clear that she kills any of them (as combatants these people would be aura-trained, and cinder was in a hurry; it’s probable that she just plowed through and left them dazed / injured / aura-broken behind her, bowling pins style) – and then she doesn’t kill winter or penny or fria before ruby blasts her, and again we see that it causes pain in her grimm arm without harming cinder herself.

i think there is some grounds for thinking that the glare itself can also be resisted – the fact that cinder’s grimm arm hurts but isn’t destroyed is suggestive. given the nature of the glare itself, empowered by “the desire to preserve life,” my thinking here is that the defense against it is self-preservation – cinder (i believe) chose that arm and has embraced it as part of herself, and so whenever she’s hit by one of ruby’s glares what happens to the arm is a contest between ruby’s desire to protect her friends from cinder vs cinder’s desire to protect herself (including her arm) from ruby.

[btstulip]

Are You Sure?!

NO! I am not!!! What did I just watch?!? And I am not even talking about the episodes yet!

Yes, I believe Jimin and Jungkook are very close, and in my opinion, likely have a romantic relationship. So I was very excited when their travel show was announced because I love some Jikook content. But all I wanted and expected from this show was to watch Jimin and Jungkook having fun together before their military enlistment. Of course I figured there would be cute and sus moments, but I expected it to be no different from In The Soop or some Run BTS episodes. That was my belief right up until they started showing us the promo teasers...

Wait. What?!

I had already raised an eyebrow at the mention of GCF Tokyo. That already had me feeling delulu as hell.

I 100% expected Are You Sure?! to be a "bro" show, and everything we had seen initially fit that expectation. NEVER, in a million years, did I expect the official trailers for the show to look romantic as hell. I was NOT prepared!!! This was the first teaser that full on broke me. They showed so much couple looking content... I mean they freaking showed them brushing teeth together in matching PJS! And that was just the start of it. This is not what you would do if you're trying to play this off as just good friends traveling together. So what the hell are they doing officially promoting the show this way?!

I was seriously confused by that trailer. Like my brain broke. I just could not understand how this was the official trailer. That is what lead to this theory:

And the rest of the teasers just solidified that theory for me because they obviously went with "couple" over "bro" vibe.

@stormblessed95 talks about the AYS trailers:

@kanmom51 talks about Are you sure? main trailer:

If Jimin and Jungkook aren't together, someone needs to tell Bighit!

Honestly though, I still thought this would end up looking like fan service and maybe the most couple looking moments were cut into the trailers to make the show look tame in comparison. And then I watched the first two episodes. WTAF?!?!

I seriously can not believe the stuff they put in the show. But that's another post.

Here are some of my favorite prerelease Are You Sure?! related posts:

💜 Post about youth and romance by @haedalkoo

💜 Post about Jikook headed to Tokyo by @kookmin-curious

💜 @stormblessed95 post with Jikook theory during and after Japan trip

💜 @kanmom51 has a fun post about Jikook sitting together and Jimin hugs inspired by trailer clips

💜 Another cute Jikook sitting together post by @seoul-bros

💜 @stormblessed95 discovers the likely reason Jikook were laughing about beds

💜 @stormblessed95 shared an incorrect quote that killed me!

[dumbass-duo-showdown]

DUMBASS DUO SHOWDOWN ROUND 1 BATTLE 4

burton guster & shawn spencer (PSYCH) vs Rosencrantz & Guildenstern (Hamlet + Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are dead)

PROPAGANDA UNDER THE CUT

Gus & Shawn

They’ve been friends canonically since at least 3 years old and at the start of the show they’re I wanna say 30 maybe? And yet these two grown men are THE most chaotic idiots (affectionate) in the whole show (and let’s be real anywhere). The entire show in fact hinges on the idea that they’re dumbasses and WILL get into carat shenanigans. Episode examples include the one where they are investigating an alien abduction, the one where they’re looking for big foot, the vampire one, all of these by the way they hundred percent believe to be true until they themselves unwillingly prove otherwise. And maybe the most dumbass moment of all time, when Gus finds his boss dead and instead of calling the cops he gets his dna ALL OVER THE CRIME SCENE, calls Shane to help clean up and Shawn gets HIS DNA ALL OVER THE CRIME SCENE AS WELL!!!! Truly cannot think of a worse reaction to finding a dead body. They’ve been sucking that single brain cell that exists between them dry for over 3 decades now and they show no signs of stopping.

they are such idiots (affectionate) and they can't live without each other

they are. so stupid. both of them can be smart in their own ways but when you put them together the dumb best friends energy is unmatched. they are platonic soulmates pretending that shawn has psychic powers and solve crimes by dicking around and somehow always coming out alive. they accidentally befriend the criminals they’re supposed to be investigating constantly. they’re always one step away from being fired or arrested bc of their dumbassery

the entire show is literally shawn pretending to be a psychic (← dumbass behavior) and gus aiding and abetting him and actively a dumbass as well

If you have seen even a single episode of this show, you know these two fools are the best duo ever. Constantly bantering theough 80s movie references and animal like noises, most often above a dead body, these two bring unique different dummy energy that both brings each other up and builds up their own skills along the way. I will love these two men until the day I die and they deserve an honest chance to be the best dumbass duo of all time!

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern

They have no clue what’s going on and keep trying to figure it out but they keep missing the clues. Rosencrantz keeps echoing Guildenstern (He’s only good in support). They completely miss that they are characters in a tragedy and doomed by the narrative

The OG dumbass duo. Like....these two share one braincel and usually Guildenstern holds it but that makes them none the cleverer.

they literally had a second play written by another person that expanded upon their dumbassery

so like first of all they are one unit. second of all they have silly recorder-related shenaningans. third of all they're doomed by the narrative but they're silly enough to make being doomed by the narrative fun and entertaining

[queenvhagar]

One of the things that bothers me about how Rhaenyra is portrayed in the show is that it doesn’t really capture how deeply her daughter’s and Luke’s deaths affect her. Aside from the first episode, where she does look exhausted, the rest of the season makes it seem as though their deaths haven’t deeply affected her. If the writers wanted to keep the focus away from constantly mentioning her losses, they should have made sure the weight of those events hung over her in a more subtle way. But instead, Rhaenyra often seems too well put together. While Emma looks absolutely stunning this season, Rhaenyra doesn't come across as a grieving mother. Even when she’s poring over scrolls, searching for Targaryen connections in other royal families, or dealing with members of her council, she appears too well put together, even in moments of anger and stress (that slap feels like it came out of nowhere). After the traumatic birth of her daughter and the way Luke died, you’d expect her to look physically and emotionally worn out. I understand that the show wants to present her as a powerful figure, but it’s reached a point where she’s not relatable. Take the scene where she wakes up to talk to Alicent; Rhaenyra looks almost ethereal. Her braid is flawless, her face looks well-rested, and she’s far too put together for someone who’s been woken up so early. I’m not saying she shouldn’t take care of herself, but it would be more believable if we could see that she’s going through something really tough.

I still can't get over the fact that Rhaenyra goes through an absurdly traumatic stillbirth of her daughter... this trauma to her body and her recovery from this birth being a reason in the books for why she was physically unable to engage in battle early on... only for the show to have her, literally a day or two after pushing a baby out, decide to hop on her dragon, fly out to meet an enemy emissary, and then easily and quickly dismount. Like for a lack of a better term... ma'am your hoo ha? Imagine riding a horse after giving birth but the ride has way more rough movement and a landing on the ground to experience. Afterbirth recovery is painful and uncomfortable and it would be especially so for such an awful experience as the one Rhaenyra went through, yet it's completely disregarded for an unnecessary girlboss moment that just breaks immersion.

And it continues when they retcon her look of war at the end of season 1 and have her forget all about her stillbirth and the death of Lucerys after a couple of episodes. Her grief and bodily trauma should have been an easy way for the writers to explain Rhaenyra's inaction in this part of the story and the ways her council *could* have tried to take advantage of her in this state. But then they just... never used it... and instead she instantly recovers from birth and has completed the grieving process on speedrun and her inaction is solely due to her desire for *peace* in a war she is actively pursuing to win a throne because her father said it was hers...

It really makes such little sense.

[fangirlofallthefanthings]

heard you have headcanons on ody and dio meeting again after he returns. how does that go? how does penelope feel?

Ooooo!!! Boy, do I have ideas [insert shakey turtle of excitement here]

So, it's a little bit complicated, and I don't want to give too much away since it relates to what I'm currently working on, BUT!

I GOT YOU, FAM!

Basically: after Diomedes gets kicked out of Argos (it's very sad, the poor man), he realizes he has nowhere else to go except literally anywhere but the Eastern Mediterranean. So, he sets off for Hesperia (aka modern Italy) to start a new life there. But in this time of heartbreak, he's missing Odysseus even more (they had a sad goodbye on Crete; it's a long story), and he decides to stop at Ithaca on the way to get some supplies and maybe visit Ody. But when he gets there, he finds that Ody is MIA and Penelope is running things. So he hangs out for a while and gets to know Pen and Telemachus (who is about 11 or 12 by this point), and quickly figures out why Ody would talk about her literally any chance he got. She's beautiful, yes, but she's also just as cunning and wise as Odysseus is... The same qualities Dio fell in love with. And Pen is curious about Dio, too. She's heard many stories and news about her husband's schemes with Dio, and she starts falling for him a bit, too. But Diomedes doesn't want to dishonor the Bro Code by getting with Penelope. Ody loves Penelope! Dio could never hurt Ody like that. So... He leaves. He says goodbye to Pen and Telemachus and heads off to Hesperia. He and Penelope wonder what could have been since they believe they will never see each other again.

BUT THEN ODY RETURNS TO ITHACA!!! YIPPEE!!! Diomedes hears this news, but he has his new city to run, so he doesn't return immediately. After a few years, though, he gets usurped and kicked out again, so he's like, "Welp. I have nowhere else to go," and he goes back to Ithaca. He and Ody reunite and there's hugs all around and it's really sweet. Dio soon finds that OdyPen had another kid, a daughter (I haven't figured out a name for her yet, but she's two when Dio shows up). This part of the story is very loose, but I do know they all put two and two together eventually (Odysseus is very happy about this as you can imagine lmao!) It's little slice of life stuff from there. A little hc I have about the three of them is that Dio teaches OdyPen's daughter how to box because she's a little firecracker and needs to get rid of excess energy somehow, but she can't stay still long enough to weave (plus she's really little and doesn't have the fine motor skills for that yet). Dio and Ody also work together to hone Telemachus's and Diodotus's skills (who Diodotus is... you'll know soon enough lmao). I also hc that Pen frequently tricks OdyDio into wrestling each other so she can watch for her own entertainment. She's just sitting to the side, eating her bowl of table grapes, enjoying the show okasdfhsdugif- I also hc that... Once OdyPen passes on, Diomedes leaves again. The kids don't want him to go, but he can't stay. He wants to honor Ody's wish for Tele to be king. If he stays, people will think he wants to take over. He doesn't want a war among Ody's people so... he leaves. He establishes one last city in Hesperia and feels his life coming to a close. He climbs a nearby cliff by the sea to enjoy the view, looking east. Then Athena shows up, and he accepts immortality. Sorry... Got sort of sad toward the end there, but that's a few things! I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm very scattered rn. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask! I don't bite, I promise! :D

[wheels-of-despair]

Under Pressure | Eric x You vs. The Apocalypse | Series Masterlist

Chapter Twelve: This Could Be Our Only Chance Summary: You and Eric make a break for it. Very quietly. Words: 2.4k

You wake in the same position you fell asleep in; the big spoon to Eric's little one. Your is arm still slung across his middle. His finger is tracing some imaginary shape on the back of your hand. He's awake.

"We need to talk," you sigh, rolling onto your back to stretch.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. You turn your head to him in the dark.

"Why?"

"For freaking out," he whimpers. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."

"Baby, there were literally monsters in the street yesterday," you whisper, rolling back over and embracing him. "You are fully entitled to monster-related freak-outs."

"If I'd made a sound, I could have killed us both."

"But you didn't," you remind him. "We got through it, together. We're okay."

Eric lets out a shuddering breath, and you give him a squeeze before returning to your back and trying another stretch. Ow.

"But we do need to talk about what comes next," you say quickly, wanting to get this out there before his brain can conjure up another reason to feel bad. "I turned on the radio again last night. There are survivors. On islands, off the coast. They're sending boats back here tomorrow, they put out a list of places for survivors to gather. One of the piers is just a few blocks away. We could make it."

"It's not safe," he whimpers, turning to face you.

"Nothing is safe anymore," you whisper, reaching for his hand. "But this makes sense. The monsters wouldn't be able to get to an island, because they can't swim. They said that when the helicopters were overhead; seek shelter on water, the fuckers can't swim."

Eric lets out a shaky breath. You haven't won him over yet.

"We can try," you suggest. "Or we can make a stand here. When we run out of food, we can raid the neighbors. Plenty of apartments in here, if we can figure out how to get into them. It would be hard, but we could try to survive here, at home. But is that what you want?"

"I don't know," he sniffs.

"We don't have to decide right now," you breathe. "We can think about it until morning. But whatever we do, we're doing it together. Alright?"

"Alright," he agrees.

You eat a quiet breakfast together. You gesture to the Central Park blanket, asking Eric if he wants to soak up a little of the morning sun. He shakes his head and retreats to the bedroom. You walk to the window, looking out at the bloody spot in the street and weighing your options.

You end up sitting at the kitchen table with a notebook and a pen and writing a letter to Evan. Every emotion you've felt since he's been gone, every thought that's crossed your mind since you brought Eric home. By the time you sign it, you know what you have to do.

You close the notebook and go to the bedroom. Eric's lying there, awake, tears shining on his face in the light from the hallway. You close the door and crawl to him. His arms open to draw you closer, and you rest your head on his chest.

"I think we should go," you whisper. "This could be our only chance."

"What do we take with us?" Eric wonders, having reached the same conclusion as you.

You spend the next hour brainstorming. Then, you leave the bedroom together and start gathering supplies. You dump them on the couch. Two old backpacks from college that Evan threatened to throw away during every cleaning spree turn out to be godsends. You fill the backpacks with tightly rolled clothes and plastic zipper bags containing everything from medical supplies to photographs. You'll be guarding those precious paper memories with your life. What good is digital content now? You pack your phone, too. Just in case.

You feast on canned food for lunch and dinner, not wanting to take any of it with you. It would only weigh you down. It's no Thanksgiving feast or Christmas dinner, but it's a nice change from the rationing you've been attempting.

When you return to bed for the night, you find that sleep won't come.

"I'm going to miss this place," you whisper. "Out of everywhere I've ever lived, this is the place I'll always think of as home. I spent the best years of my life here with your brother. And survived the end of the world with you. This place has been good to us."

But we can't survive here forever, you think.

"Where's home for you?" you ask. He thinks about it for a moment, and you mentally flip through photos of Evan and Eric's childhood home. Professionally decorated, meticulously maintained. Forced smiles for everyone.

"Here," he whispers, "with you."

"Dammit Eric," you growl, wiping away tears. "I'm already sentimental and scared, stop making me cry."

"Sorry," he chuckles, pulling you closer. "I'm told that it's okay to be scared."

Memories of finding him terrified and alone in that hospital bathroom flood back, and you hold him a little tighter.

"But now, we have to be brave," you whisper.

"Now, we have to be brave," he echoes.

"Actually, now we have to rest," you smile. "We can be brave tomorrow."

You're both shaky and nervous the next morning. You eat canned food for breakfast again, keeping watch out the window for more survivors making the trek to the pier. You don't see anyone. What if there is no one else?

The clock seems to stand still as you wait for time to leave. You double and triple check the contents of your bags, making sure you haven't forgotten anything. There's a framed photo of you and Evan on the kitchen table, on top of the notebook where you rambled for twenty-eight pages about how much you'll always love him. This morning, you added another page about where you and Eric were going. Eric scribbled a few things too, but you hadn't asked to read them.

When you run out of things to do, you decide to go.

You hesitate at the door, remembering all the great times you've had in this apartment. Lying on the couch and watching trashy TV with the best friend you've ever had. Watching him baby his beloved bonsai tree by the window. Watering the hard-to-reach plants he always forgot about. Making dinner together. Decorating Christmas cookies. A magic show and a picnic in a makeshift park.

You didn't even consider taking Eric anywhere else when the world ended. This was home. This is where you both needed to be.

And now, you need to go.

A tear falls from your eye as you reach for the doorknob. Eric's hand closes over yours. You look up at him, and he pulls you into a hug.

"It's going to be alright," he whispers. "We can do this."

"I know," you whisper back. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

You give each other one final squeeze, then turn the doorknob and step outside your apartment for the first time in over a week. You make your way down the stairs - easier this time, since Eric's no-longer-bandaged feet are protected by shoes and you have a flashlight - and out the door on the ground floor. The blood spot on the street looks much bigger up close. You can't stop staring at it.

Eric takes your hand and gives a slight tug, and leads you down the street and away from everything you know. You reach the pier well over an hour early, and proceed down the creaky boards with caution. There are no creatures or other people in sight. It's eerily quiet, and a little cool outside today. There is no sun; everything is dull and grey. The smell of smoke still lingers in the air. You wish the wind would pick up and add some extra noise. You don't like feeling this exposed.

When you reach the end of the pier, you take off your backpacks and sit with your backs to the railing. Your fingers intertwine. You take turns watching the water and watching the city. No signs of life anywhere except right beside you. It's unnerving.

You squint into the distance, eventually seeing movement on the street. People. Just a handful, but there are still living people here. You tap Eric's knee and point in their direction. He watches them for a moment, then looks to you and smiles. Hope. There's hope.

You stay put and wait for them to get to you, eyes sweeping the river again. Eric gives you a nudge and gestures behind you. You turn and see the boat approaching, so far away it looks like a toy. Your face breaks into a grin, and you turn back to him. You're getting the fuck out of here.

A scream sounds from the street. Your heads whip toward it. The people have started to run. Those massive monsters skitter across the sides of buildings on all fours, at least a dozen of them, breaking glass and sending bricks crashing to the ground as they move in. The people don't stand a chance. Not running and screaming like that. Hide! Shut up! How did you people survive this long?! You and Eric look on in horror as the monsters jump off the side of the building and onto the crowd below.

The screaming stops abruptly.

Eric's hold on your hand is becoming painful. He's shaking, and crying, and you need him to calm down. You bring your free hand to hold the side of his face.

"Breathe," you mouth, no sound coming out. You turn his face away from the city, hoping your fingers block his view of the street so he can't see the monsters still lingering.

He's starting to hyperventilate. You try to keep his eyes on you, showing him how to breathe in and out. He tries. He tries so hard.

And then you hear the motor of the approaching boat.

So do the monsters.

You hear them taking off before you see them. But they're coming, and they're coming right at you. The boat's not close yet, but you can't wait.

You have to go now.

You stand and put on your backpack, but Eric doesn't move. His eyes have locked onto those creatures, and he's paralyzed with fear.

"Eric!" you hiss. His head whips toward you, his eyes big and watering. "Come on!"

You reach down and grab his collar, pulling him to his feet. It seems to shock his senses back into him. He grabs his bag, and doesn't even have time to put it on before you drag him over the railing and into the freezing river. You keep a firm hold on him, refusing to let go of his sweater even after you've surfaced.

You both gasp for breath and look up to see those things thundering toward end of the pier. Why do have they so many teeth?! You pull Eric backward, kicking frantically and trying to put some distance between you and all the fangs. They stop at the railing and leer at you, and you swim away like your lives depend on it.

When your legs start to get tired and you realize that you're in the middle of the fucking Hudson, where those things can't get you, you settle for treading water and waiting for your rescuers to get closer.

Climbing the little ladder on the side of the boat is one of the hardest things you've ever done. A man grabs your hands when you're in reach, and hauls you the rest of the way. You land on your side on the deck, water rapidly dripping from your clothes and forming a pool around you. You're exhausted. Your body shakes, but you're not sure if it's from the cold or from the fading adrenaline.

"Thank you," you breathe, unable to speak any louder.

Eric hits the deck next to you, and you reach for him. You pull each other close, grateful to still be together.

"Fancy meeting you here," you shiver. His chattering teeth form a smile. It reaches his eyes, unlike last time you tried that line on him. That birthday adventure at the arcade feels like it happened a lifetime ago. In a way... it kind of did.

Scattered shouts come from around you, but you're too exhausted to hear them. Your eyes are locked onto Eric's, and you're perfectly content to lie there and stare at him for the time being. You made it. The two of you actually made it. You're getting out of here, and you're going to be okay.

Someone eventually helps you up off the deck, which is tough on everyone involved because of how much your wet clothes weigh you down, and leads you out of the way. You don't realize you're still wearing your backpacks until you try to sit down.

You and Eric are given blankets and kind words and assurances that you're safe now, then left alone in a quiet little corner of your own.

You sit quietly, huddled under your blankets and holding onto each other for dear life, as you watch the city pass you by for what might be the very last time. Buildings are destroyed. Clouds of smoke still rise from places you can't see. Those things hover by the shore, following the sound of the boat's roaring motor.

More people come aboard.

Not many, but you feel your spirits rise with every rescue.

When the boat veers away from the battered buildings and toward the open sea, you heave a sigh. You don't know if it's filled with more sadness or relief.

"We're gonna be alright," Eric says, gazing out at the water ahead.

"As long as we've got each other," you add, resting your head on his shoulder.

The sun finally peeks through the clouds. When those first rays hit your wet clothes, you can feel the difference in temperature immediately. You stretch out your legs, and Eric does the same. You look to him with a smile. You're so glad he's here with you.

"Dumbest people left alive," you grin.

"But they'll live to see another day," he smiles, his eyes warming you more than the blazing sun.

"And maybe even live happily ever after?" you suggest.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," you whisper, out of pure habit.

Maybe you'll be able to break that one of these days.

[shoyosoneandonlywife]

INCOMING RANT

Yoshida shoyo should be treated as 1 whole man rather than 2 distinct characters.

(with manga panels and light analysis)

I will be exploring multiple personality disorder to a certain extent and the pivotal role it plays on his character as well as in gintama.

when I see people treating this man like he's twins or just legitimately viewing this man as two different people as if it is the right interpretation genuinely gets me tweaking so I need to put forward the facts of my case your honour😭😭😭

RANT BELOW:

I have to get this off my chest, Utsuro and Shoyo are two different PERSONALITIES, not two different men. Up until now, about like 50% of the fandom treat him as if he's two whole separate beings which is completely WRONG AND DUMB. He has multiple personality disorder, which is the reason why he started a whole ass school for free, but also somehow wanted to destroy the world. Why? Because he's mentally deranged, are you with me?

And these are the same people, the ones that see him as two different characters, sometimes ship these two personalities together, even that is not that important but what's more pressing is that ive seen them end up condoning the problematic ships in the fandom, like you just got to ship him with someone and they end up shipping him with his students from Shoka Sonjuku.💀

I'm including all of his disciples from oboro all the way to nobume, he has played parental figure for all of them.

Even though he may have disappeared for around a decade or a lil more, and then returned after they've all grown into adults, it doesn't change the fact that he played a crucial role in raising and influencing the ways they view the world as a parent would.

I'm emphasising on this because ive seen mostly oboro and gintoki as the victims, just because oboro may be a little near to a decade older than the rest of his shoka sonjuku juniors does not mean he was way more mature

Oboro was as young as gintoki when he had met shoyo and had since been learning from shoyo as his teacher/parent.

(oboro is technically blood related to him too since he had shared his blood the moment he saw oboro was dying so that amounts to accepting oboro as his son to me🤷🏽‍♀️ I said the truth didnt I)

Further emphasis on the fact that it was canonically discussed that Utsuro is a grandpa even to incredibly old geezers and he sees them as youngsters, so his shoka sonjuku disciples are technically fetuses to him😭😭😭

This is a man that cannot be shipped with anyone that's just the type of character that he is. I'm not even biased if you look at it from a general perspective you have no choice but to agree.

This particular idea/headcanon or whatever the fuck you wanna call, is a very common conception and dulls HIS(SINGULAR) character to a large extent. Seeing him as the character that he truly is, a mentally ill man that has a profound amount of knowledge, yet is unable to heal himself would make someone appreciate gintama even more, for its habit to cover many topics that are diverse in it.

A man who is torn WITHIN HIMSELF WE ARE SEEING IT THROUGHOUT GINTAMA AND IT GETS KNOCKED INTO OUR HEADS ALL OF THE TIME. And I promise you his character will appear to be much more dynamic, amazing and explosive I guarantee it.

I'm being so honest when I say that seeing him as an individual who's, like, not okay in the head, and how he went about handling these issues, is a much more fun and interesting perspective as well, in my opinion.

But I think a lot of people can't wrap their head around the fact that he has multiple personality disorder. I've seen a lot of people say, "oh, he's a bad character, his character doesn't make sense, especially when he comes back as a villain." However it's understandable since Multiple personality disorder is a very complex and tricky issue to understand

To the theories that Utsuro's plot and actions don't make sense, YES it doesn't make sense, and it doesn't make sense because he's unpredictable. Why? Because he's not okay psychologically and psychological imbalance can lead to irrational decisions(to put it in a summary)

Multiple personality disorder is one of the disorders that's considered like the apex of instability because the person themselves do not have control over it, due to how affected the person has been. And MPD IS ALSO UNPREDICTABLE ASH.

(Shoyo did claim he was planning to run away for a while to Oboro but a man that's been running this organisation for centuries suddenly taking this decision in a span of a few short years can contribute to this MPD)

Even the characters in the show couldn't tell what he was gonna do at all until the end(at least up till the finale). They couldn't tell what he was gonna do. Why? Because he's unstable and, the distinct contrast between the era where he was their Sensei to becoming the destroyer of the universe is like a slap to the face.

He's not okay in any sort of way, actually, which is why he's more traumatized than the average human could ever be. So it makes sense that he's very unpredictable and his actions don't make sense.

His whole character is actually a genius, sorachi was cooking when he introduced him because there are so many underlying facts that stem out to many aspects surrounding human suffering all the way till the cycle of life that intertwine with his character

AND so much intricacies to the way his character is shaped, which is considered complex. THAT is the reason why he's underrated and half of the time people call him a bad character/two different people because they have zero media literacy and they won't accept anything else beyond what they already know

(for example the variety and different ways psychological repression can be expressed)

I just know the reason he is not as famous or talked about often like aizen, sukuna, johan etc is because of his complications and so many many many aspects to his character that needs more research and more observation to be understood. The perplexity in this aspect of his contributes to him being overshadowed and underrated.

These mentioned characters are amazing villains in and of themselves but what makes utsuro specifically stand apart is his absurd backstory and the disorder that he had developed due to said past lives. It's not common for us to see villains with multiple personality disorder is it?

Hence my reason as to why people should probably take more time to understand his character, scratch that if you just watched it with an open mind at first I think you'll get his character's purpose and actions fast enough.

The same applies for gintama as a whole, the best way to watch it is with an open and empty mind, especially so that you won't miss the nuances and other areas that build gintama's characters.

In this case Shoyo requires us to really observe his actions and be able to understand why he is taking such drastic and contradictory measures no matter what he does.

It's just that Sorachi never really bothers to tell it to our faces or really jumbles it up here and there and we're left to pick up the puzzle pieces😭

E.g. The finale where it was only confirmed in an interview that it was takasugi reborn and it has other metaphors in it as well or smth😭

Shoyo's backstory and trauma leading which ultimately lead to the state of his psychological state:

When some people are like, "yeah, yeah, it's just two different characters". It takes away a really important aspect of his character. Believe me or not, his mental illness plays a really important role in the major events of Gintama.

That's due to the fact that THIS IS THE SAME MAN, THE ONE AND ONLY ONE, that raised the main characters and antagonists of the show, but also was the one who committed mass genocide, wanted to destroy the universe, etc. Why? Because of his multiple personality disorder.(STAY WITH ME)

And why did this MPD come about? Because of his extreme suffering and trauma, And to cope with that, he got MPD. So when people are like, "yeah, it's just two different people". You're missing an extremely vital part to his character,

and putting up a wall from understanding the various intricacies to his characterization including when you treat this mentioned miserable man like he's split into half and somehow is a pair of twins now like be fr w me💀

(it is much less entertaining than how his character is actually portrayed and it ruins his character, it dumbs down the unique qualities of him and lumps him in with the rest of some mediocre villains in shonen manga.)

(It somehow also dims the fun and variety of gintama and majorly makes shoyo ooc, like I said, seeing his character the way he has been given is without a doubt the one and only best way to view him and it's much more fulfilling)

Sorachi himself has joked about how this one man's confusing character can be mistaken as two different people due to their contrasting traits, but as explained in this panel as well,

in any media actually a character with MPD is often treated as if the person is two separate entities for a more easier understanding and mostly comic relief (in this instance as well in the 3-z segment). However it is still enforced that these oddly contrasting sides came from one singular brain, it is already enforced in the very same sentence of this dialogue in the panel shown above as well.

Sorachi already summarizes up his whole characters misconception in that dialogue for you 😭 Bro really wrapped it all up with an abrupt bang

it's just one singular man, who has multiple personality, or in this case just two personalities warring with each other that leads to the self sabotage hes doing rn in this panel😭😭😭

it is One man who has split his mind into many segments which have manifested to become two polar opposites of his mind, yet both are HIS thoughts,emotions and ideals.

To help provide an easier understanding,

The average human has many voices running in their minds, and are always contradicting one another like there are different personas living in our heads, however it is to a controlled level and we are able to distinguish these to a certain extent when making decisions and taking actions.

Multiple personality disorder stems from that same phenomena of the brain but multiplied by many many more folds due to psychological trauma, PTSD, and repression of emotions as a method to cope with said trauma

✯Yoshida shoyo is without a doubt an S tier character and villain as well

Hmmm not to be political or anything😭, but you're really undervaluing and undermining the issues of someone who's extremely mentally ill and deranged😟, and the fact such individuals need professional help to overcome their trauma and recover.

But then you're just twisting this problem into your own superficial convenience at the expense of an incredibly full-fledged character and a unique characterization. I truly think some media which has been as long-standing and entertaining as gintama should be appreciated at a straightforward and honest level.

Especially when the topic touches on mental health and trauma, trauma recovery. Gintama covers a lot of other topics like LGBTQ, beauty standards, Social outcasting, etc as well and I don't see us talking too much about it.

However I also think sorachi himself also could have dealt with the topics more extensively instead of glossing over in some places, still, this is mostly a comedy manga and is for shits and giggles, so I can't really expect a thorough run through of every topic covered. This can also be seen when he has many side characters that are loved but we still did not get enough screentime of time.

E.g. Katsura, Sakamoto, Nobume etc

Open your eyes and process the information you're receiving please🙄. Blatant disregard of the trauma here can come off as inconsiderate and insensitive, you're just treating him as two whole different people, like he's possessed or something, your honour.🤨

(Very derogatory to people affected by MPD by rejecting their inner turmoil as just another human being coming from them out of nowhere instead of addressing the complexities of the human brain that are still yet to be uncovered)

This isn't the 16th century where mental illness is treated like you've got a ghost in you or you've secretly been replaced by a clone.

This is NOT a yuji and Sukuna situation. Hes just one man, one soul, one mind, that mind is just broken into many pieces(personalities), because of his extreme suffering.

So please understand that okay just appreciate the mentally ill men representation smfh. I LOVE BROKEN TRAUMATISED MEN REPRESENTATION PLEASE

***IMPORTANT NOTE

TO CLARIFY multiple personality comes under dissociative disorders, considering how his life was, his mind coping with his trauma using this method makes the most sense

Of course trauma can cause many disorders like schizophrenia and what not, but this kind of like the apex of it

Makes sense given the amount of unimaginable horrors he has been put through. Therefore to put it simply he's completely torn within himself, but its just one source NOT a whole new other identity/man coming outta nowhere

And that same persona is DEFINITELY NOT something that shoyo himself cannot understand, he VERY WELL knows himself and all his different identities

(As shown when he clearly has his memories with all of his shoka sonjuku disciples even when he became utsuro) -> e.g. uses his past personification and sayings to taunt gintoki during a fight

He is completely aware of his nature, its just out of his control because of all the overwhelming psychological trauma (this leading to the reason on why he switched back to utsuro after his execution)

NOTE: MY ANALYSIS POST ON WHY SHOYO IS A VIRGIN ALSO COVERS THIS TOPIC TO AN EXTENT IT CAN HELP GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING THATS ALL BYE BYE GO CHECK IT OUT

[lost-inanotherlife]

"I Do" or when Kate and Jack almost got (figuratively) married

I've previously stated that I don't find "I Do" particularly excellent when it comes to Kate's flashback story. I still stand by that. From a creative point of view Kate reiventing herself as Monica and getting married to a police officer doesn't exactly scream "genius". Conversely, the idea for her flashback in "Left Behind" is way more compelling and allows us to see sides of Kate that aren't necessarily related to her interior romantic love life (in that episode Kate and Cassidy teams up to "con" Kate's mother in order for Kate to have a moment with her without getting arrested).

Having said that, "I Do" is, overall, a fucking great episode. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is written and shot to perfection so I thought to write a little meta about it.

Now, before we move on to the analysis, let's please consider that the previous Kate-centric episode is S2E9 "What Kate Did". I wrote an extensive meta about it and you can find it here. For the sake of this meta, though, all you need to know is this: what Kate sees in Sawyer is herself, specifically what she thinks she is in the present moment based on the things she's done in the past, i.e. a "bad" person or a person capable of doing "bad" things; what Kate sees in Jack is her potential self, what she thinks she can become in the present moment and simply be in the future because she intimately thinks she's capable of being "good" and doing "good" things.

In "What Kate Did" she chooses the black horse representing her "dark" self, therefore she chooses Sawyer. In "I Do" she symbolically chooses Sawyer again but things get a litte bit more complicated because this time Jack says his "I do" and Kate finds that she can't quite say "I do" back yet, but she can't say goodbye to her potential either: in other words she can't leave Jack/her potential behind. You'll see what I mean in this meta.

ACT ONE.

The episode opens with the song "Slowly" in the background. We hear the following lyrics:

Tell me you love me again but this time slowly 'Cause you're talkin' too fast, baby, much fast Come on and squeeze me again but this time slowly 'Cause I like your grasp but it's much fast

You said that our love will grow together 'Cause your mine all mine

Foreshadowing: this episode will be about "I love yous" and about something that's growing.

It'll also be about make-believe as we see a 50s-styled Kate opening a box containing a wedding veil. A man knocks on her door and we see the following dialogue:

MAN: Police, open the door. KATE: [Nervously] Um. Everything's alright in here. MAN: Ma'am, we have reason to believe that someone extremely dangerous is in the motel. We're conducting a room-to-room search. KATE: [Starting to smile] I'm alone, officer. MAN: The person could be holding you at gunpoint, forcing you to say that. Please open the door. KATE: I don't think I should. MAN: Then you have three seconds before I break this door down. One... two... [Kate stands by and opens the door right before he says "three", revealing the policeman, Kevin.] KEVIN: Hey. Wanna get it on? dialogue from https://lostpedia.fandom.com

We the audience (who already know about Kate's past) are already tipped off to the fact that this is all fake. Kate is clearly wearing a mask, she's being someone else, someone who perhaps she'd like to be or, at least, she's putting on a new persona-dress to see if it fits. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. However, this is also extraordinarily real because Kate's indeed a fugitive, she might as well be "the dangerous someone in the motel" herself. Ironically, in the scenario where Kate is the dangerous person in the motel, she's also the person who's holding at gunpoint... herself, forcing herself to say stuff. Interesting, right? In other words, the show is telling us to pay close attention because the episode will play with the line between fiction and reality.

In the very second scene there's a defeated Sawyer throwing rocks without purpose. Kate sees something's wrong with him, he's slowly giving up. She tells him to get a fish biscuit for her, implicitly telling him: "Provide for me, be here for me, don't give up". Sawyer's not stupid and immediately retorts with a "Psh. What, you trying to keep me feeling productive?".

In the last scene of Act 1, we're introduced to the final protagonist of this episode, Jack, and we discover what's growing as the song alluded in the very first scene: "JACK: [To Ben] The tumor on your spine is borderline inoperable. And at the rate it's growing, that borderline goes away in about one week".

By the end of Act 1 we have all the info we need to understand this episode: it'll be about love, it's gonna make us believe things that are not true and the thing that's growing on Ben's spine will be the keystone to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

To be continued!

[soopersara]

For reasons that have everything and nothing to do with the most recent chapters of I&S, I've been thinking a lot about a time travel AU that I will absolutely never write.

Specifically, I want a time travel AU where little-kid!Zuko (age 9-10) travels forward in time and meets angry-teen!Zuko (we're talking like... the Book 1 egghead version of angry-teen!Zuko here). I know that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but the way I envision this playing out is:

Teen!Zuko and kid!Zuko meet, and after a healthy amount of confusion, figure out that they're two different versions of the same person. Kid!Zuko is... not thrilled to be stuck on a rickety old ship with a much grumpier version of himself, but hey! Uncle Iroh is here, and he's got lots of board games and even more free time, so it could be worse. Teen!Zuko, meanwhile, is having a bit of a crisis as he gets slapped in the face with several realizations all at once.

Realization #1: A warship is not a good place for a 9-10 year old boy to live, but there's literally nowhere else in the world where kid!Zuko will be safe. For as long as kid!Zuko is stuck in this timeline, teen!Zuko has to look after him.

Realization #2: Oh, shit. No one has seriously fucked up kid!Zuko yet. His life obviously hasn't been perfect, but this is pretty much the peak of kid!Zuko's sweet-and-innocent phase.

Realization #3: ... as fucked up as teen!Zuko's life has been, he desperately doesn't want to be the person who fucks up kid!Zuko's life.

Cue teen!Zuko scrambling to get his shit together so that he can be a reasonably healthy and stable guardian/big brother figure for his younger self. He starts working on his temper and trying to take Iroh's advice more seriously, and while things don't always go smoothly (kid!Zuko definitely picks up some vigilante tendencies from teen!Zuko. There may or may not be sightings of a tiny Blue Spirit causing trouble up and down the Earth Kingdom coast), teen!Zuko eventually figures out what he's doing. He puts in the work to become a decent role model, he deals with some of his own shit (and his outlook on life improves), he grows to see kid!Zuko as the little brother he never had, and he generally doesn't fuck anything up too badly.

Basically, looking after kid!Zuko teaches teen!Zuko self love (but with extra steps! I don't think grumpy-teen!Zuko could ever learn anything the simple way 😂)

All of that growth makes it harder and harder for teen!Zuko to ever envision himself returning to the Fire Nation. After all, if he wouldn't put his younger self through the pain of going back there and dealing with Ozai, why should he put his present self through that? And on a related note, kid!Zuko definitely has questions about teen!Zuko's scar and banishment. When teen!Zuko reaches a point where he's able to think about the Agni Kai, he can't imagine anything that kid!Zuko could ever do to deserve that kind of treatment, which leads teen!Zuko to question whether he deserved it. And as teen!Zuko starts to come to grips with the fact that he's probably never going back home - certainly not if it would mean putting kid!Zuko through the same pain that teen!Zuko experienced there - he has to start considering what other options he has for the future.

Kid!Zuko may or may not accelerate teen!Zuko's redemption arc even more by befriending various members of the Gaang and dragging his 'big brother' along to meet his new friends/disappearing for a few hours with his new friends only to be 'rescued' by teen!Zuko who is... very surprised and very awkward about it when he realizes who kid!Zuko is hanging out with.

There are obviously lots of time travel AUs out there already, but apparently this one is just going to live in my brain for the forseeable future 😂 As much as I love the standard "post-redemption!Zuko meets Book 1 Zuko and mentors his younger self to accelerate his own redemption/drags himself kicking and screaming toward redemption" time travel AUs that I see around the fandom, I think I'm just hungry for a time travel AU where pre-redemption!Zuko doesn't know what his future could look like. To me, there's just something really appealing about the idea of a time travel AU where his redemption gets accelerated not because he knows his life will get better if he becomes a better person, but because he wants to be someone who his younger self can be proud of.