#but you are both going at this with the same logic so please refrain from digging into eachother further because it's just annoying

[ihatethiswebsite77]

When will the "Cartman has a crush on Kyle, but shipping Kyman is crazy" crowd realize that they make absolutely zero sense.

Like-

IN CANON neither Cartman nor Kyle have a crush on eachother. What they do have is a deep and weird obsession with eachother. YOU are actively choosing to interpret that obsession as a crush Cartman has on Kyle, but that is not the "canon" dynamic or nature of that obsession. In the same way people who ship Kyman will interpret it as reciprocal (or maybe they won't, it depends), cause the thing is that Kyle is just as obsessed with Cartman as Cartman is with him. That's why you can interpret this dynamic as any shade from nonexistent, to one sided, to reciprocal.

If Kyle is as obsessed with Cartman as Cartman is with him, and you think that Cartman has a crush on Kyle because that's how you CHOOSE to interpret that obsesssion. Then it's just hypocritical to go off on people who use the exact same logic you did to come to that conclusion. You don't have to think of it as reciprocal, it's completely valid to see their obsession as manifesting as a crush in one and not the other, or to even see it as just obsession in both.

It's just god damn weird to be so nasty about it to other people. Both of them are obsessed with eachother in a way, and people are allowed to interpret each of their obsessions however they want. If people who ship kyman are delusional for interpreting Kyle's obsession with Cartman the same way you interpret Cartman's obsession with Kyle, then I'm afraid you are all sinking in the same boat load of delusional together.

[asitrita]

One Piece Harry Potter AU (Hogwarts Houses) SPOILERS!

Ok ok ok, so first, I'm new to the one piece fandom. I actually have known One Piece for over a decade, and even watched the first chapters (actually, I watched till just the end of Arlong park arc, and maybe I did spoil myself the entire Doffy/Cora/Law backstories because I randomly found out about them and felt in love with the three of them immediately), and I was familiar with some characters, but I wasn't really into it till the live action, and now I'm just obsessed, lol. So just mind this is just my personal headcanon, and I do not intent to force my view of these characters on anyone. Also, SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS. Please, refrain from reading if you're not up to date with the manga.

Thing is, I also love Harry Potter, and I was wondering what house some of the characters would be assigned to and this is more or less what I've came up with. Also, since J.K.Rowling confirmed that hybrid houses would kinda be a bit more accurate, I will assign to some characters (most, actually) a mixed house alongside the house I imagine they would be assigned to according to the classical 4 house system. Let's see:

Luffy: Slytherin. "I'm gonna be king of the pirates". Okay boy, we hear you. Also, he won't share his food. Hybrid house: Slytherpuff. I mean, going around doing unintended but still good deeds, his ability to make friends and make people follow him, plus the reciprocal support and loyalty he gives his friends. However, I'm not entirely sure Luffy needs a hybrid house, I feel he's a solid Slytherin, tbh, we know they can also be charismatic and draw people in to follow them. So take the hybrid house with a pinch of salt, I feel Slytherin fits him just right.

Zoro: Hufflepuff. Tbh, it was actually a bit hard for me to choose Zoro's house, I'm not that well acquinted with Zoro, so maybe I'm missing out on this one, but, though he does seems a little Slytherin-like to me, or even Gryffindor (the whole swordman code of honour and all that), Hufflepuff wins this over. He is hardworking and loyal, and he tries to keep things logical (iykyk). Maybe not exactly just, or empathic, but still objective and practical. I feel it does fall into Hufflepuff sense of fairness. Also, Hufflepuffs make a good companion for Slytherins, so him beign Luffy's first mate plays into it. Hybrid house: Slytherpuf. Just like Luffy. "I'm gonna be the best swordman in the world". Say no more. He sure is very hardworking and loyal, but he is also ambitious, and at least as a kid, he was pretty... intense about it XD Heck, even as a teen/young adult he is. However, just like in Luffy's case, I think Zoro would make a solid Hufflepuff.

Nami: Ravenclaw. She's kinda the brains of the group, at least at the begining, and she is quite witty and cunning. I thought about Slytherin because of her being a thief and the cunning aspect of her personality, but it was a bit too obvious for my liking, and I think her personality goes a bit in a different direction when you dig deeper. Hybrid house: Ravendor. I don't know, she just has a Griffindor vibe to me, even if she's a little bit of a "coward" (more like, she's not stupid, tbh), but she did face up to Arlong, and her ambition to save her village all by herself all those years kinda strikes me as a Griffindor; not like a Ravenclaw couldn't do the same (or a Slytherin, she sure had to do a lot of shit when she was part of Arlong's pirates, she was all for gaining her island's freedom at all costs), but there's something in Nami's personality that I find Gryffindor fitting? Hope it's not the ginger bias, lol (although it could be the live action bias). Maybe it's just me, though.

Ussop: Gryffindor. He's kinda the Neville Longbottom of One Piece. I say kinda because both characters are pretty different, but there're undeniable similarities between the two of them. Also, it was stated that you could also be assigned to the house which values you valued the most, and Ussop dream is basically to become a brave pirate captain, so, from that pov, this house fits him like a glove.

Sanji: Gryffindor. That's it. He's a noble knight in shiny armour. He's Gryffindor poster boy. His backstory, how he faces up to his family, but honestly, his entire personality and demeanor and code just scream Gryffindor to me. He's so sweet (more so in the LA) that I was tempted into making him a hybrid with Hufflepuff, but who said Gryffindors can't be sweet? He's a Gryffindor through and through.

Ace: Gryffindor. He feels like a Gryffindor to me. He's a dork, he's brave, he thinks himself a hero, carries himself as such, he's hot-headed, and in the end, that's his downfall. Whatever, I just feel his face would come up first when searching for Griffndor boy in Google.

Coby: Hufflepuff. He's a hard worker and dreams of justice, he's loyal and strong-willed. Plus, he's adorable and a loving child, he's a Hufflepuff u.u Sure, I could make him a hybrid with Gryffindor, as he is brave (he stands against his friend, Luffy, that's part of his arc), but I think most of his personality traits linger strongly on the Hufflepuff side, so I see no need to give him a hybrid house.

Helmeppo: Slytherin. This was so hard, because at the begining he seems to fit the Slytherin stereotype quite a lot, but he does change a lot. And sure, Slytherins can be decent people too (again, to me, going by classic sorting, Luffy is a Slytherin through and through), but there's something else to his character. And that's why... Hybrid house: Slytherpuff. He becomes a very hard-working, just, and loyal individual. Maybe his true nature was hidden behind all that horrible nurturing he got, who knows. He still is at least partially a Slytherin, though (btw, I love him in the la, the actor really made the character stand up).

Garp: Gryffindor. He's mad as a hatter hahahahaha but I love him. He's brave, has a strong feeling of justice, a strict but fair moral code, and he comes up as a bit impulsive. But he has this hero complex going on too, as well as hero guilt (not sure that's a thing, but I hope you get what I mean). Him backing down from becoming an admiral because he believes in freedom and doesn't want to follow orders he already knows he won't like so he can be free to follow a more morally aceptable and chivalric path strikes me as very Gryffindor coded. That sense of justice also strikes me as Hufflepuff-like, but considering the rest of his personality traits, I think Gryffindor suits him best.

Mihawk: Ravenclaw. This was a super tough one. I was so tempted to just throw him into Hufflepuff. Sure, Hufflepuff house values are loyalty, fairness, justice (Doffy knows) and hardwok, but it was said this house would also accept any student that didn't quite fit the other houses, and Jesus, Mihawk was so hard, plus he lives a calm life growing vegetables (smells like a Hufflepuff if you ask me). Problem is, he really doesn't give much of a flying f*ck about anything so... Ravenclaw XD For whatever reason, I do see people from this house being the ones more capable of living an isolated monastery-like life, and that's exactly what Mihawk does, except his life is more of a cementery-like one, plus he has a ghost daughter XD It is also the house that gives me the most "I couldn't care less about politics, you, or your family" vibe out of them all XD Plus, he's a little b*tch with Shanks, not wanting to fight him only because he lost an arm (sure, he appeals to the honour code of a swordman and whatnot, but it still smells fishy to me u.u), and that kinda gives me a Ravenclaw vibe too. Hybrid house: Ravenpuff. Again, he lives calmly, actually acts with honour, kindness and fairness, taking Zoro in and training him, even when he knows Zoro's to become his rival and most probably take his title in a near future; and he values determination, hard work, and fairness in a fight, and again, he grows vegetables, knows how to cook, and enjoys a good wine. That's a Hufflepuff.

Shanks: Gryffindor. He IS a Gryffindor. Golden boy Shanks. I know some people enjoy the idea of him being a Slytherin, and though I do see the appeal of it and it would definitely fit some aspects of his personality (the cunning rat he is), this guy could be a poster boy Gryffindor. His hero complex is also quite obvious (though, truth be told, that burden was bestowed into him since he was a child). His ambition (obvious by his conqueror haki) could play into a Slytherin personality, but it also has a very strong Gryffindor vibe to it. And I said could, yes. Hybrid house: Gryffinpuff. Have you seen him as a kid in the Oro Jackson? How Buggy teased him about being too soft and naive? Sure, Gryffindors can be soft, but kid Shanks is just so Hufflepuff to me. As an adult, his laid-back, goofy, extrovert, affable and charming demeanour also reminds me of a Hufflepuff. Again, people from all four houses can show traits of other houses, there's no clear cut, so Shanks could just be a Gryffindor. But, honestly? I feel he could even be just a Hufflepuff, I would 100% support Hufflepuff Shanks hc too, my sweet alcoholic golden boy (I just don't want his fate to be that of Cedric T_T). Seriously, he IS a Griffindor, but he IS a Hufflepuff too. And that's why I definitely believe this hybrid house suits him the best, it reunites most traits of his personality perfectly.

Buggy: Ravenclaw. I mean, it matches his pretty long hair. Ok, no, but truly, he's a Ravenclaw. He is witty, he is smart, he's creative, he's a showman. His charisma and everything about him, including his goofiness and drastic humor changes, for whatever reason, strike me as Ravenclaw-like. I can think of a charismatic character who belonged to the Ravenclaw house that used his wit and quackery to fool everyone. Plus, as a child he seems to have been more observant and perceptive than Shanks, which makes him seem "wiser" in a weird way; plus he is also very crafty (buggy balls anyone?). He also likes to avoid fighting, be it because he thinks fighting unnnecesary or suicidal, which is quite "clever" of him. True, even in the direst circumstances he gets himself into trouble for not being able to shut his big mouth, but that's just his bombastic personality and caothic nature getting the best of him, he's just a passionate guy, the boy can't help it. Despite what some may think, despite he's egocentric and semi megalomaniac personality, he's also well aware of his weaknesses (I mean, his inferiority complex is quite obvious), and he isn't fond of attention if he hasn't planned for it beforehand. This is obvious by his reaction to all the attention he was attracting after escaping Impel Down, everybody claiming how great he must have been, for he was a former memeber of Roger's crew, a "brother" to Shanks and a close acquaintance of Rayleigh. Yet, he was so shy about it, and reluctant to take in all that attention, till he thought about it and planned a way to take advantage of the situation. A bit delusional, but still a quick-thinking clever guy. Hybrid house: Slytherclaw. Yep, he is also ambitious, and even with his whole inferiority complex and obvious weakness he aspires to be pirate king. He loves treasures and shiny things (actually, this sounds a lot like a magpie, which are close relatives of ravens, and yes I know Ravenclaw's pet is a bronce eagle, but there's still a raven in the name). And again, he is very witty, but also selfish, and he is not beyond abandoning everyone and everything to save his ass. Also, Buggy loves the sea, he would probably like Slytherin common room with its underwater views of the lake and mermaids. It would remind him of the ocean, he would be so happy there (I just want the lil silly clown to be happy u.u). Slytherin is a house associated with water, and we know Buggy was a very good swimer, and he surely loves the sea and the freedom it gives him (by now we all know the real reason why Buggy holds a grudge against Shanks is not exactly sea-related, but I'm pretty sure he still regrets what happened to some extent, though he probably, and rightfully so, blames his dumb self for that). Also, loving the sea, and loving treasure maps, also adds to my Ravenclaw headcanon, because I associate Ravenclaw with the sky, constelations, astronomy, star maps, etc., and to sail you defnitely need to know how to map the sky, and I feel that's something Buggy would be pretty good at, he seems to enjoy maps a lot (same logic applies to Nami, btw, she loves money, but she certainly values map knowledge above money). So yeah, hybrid house for Buggy, definitely. I think these two houses complement each other very well in Buggy's personality and character, similar to how I really like a hybrid house for Shanks (and they would complement each other so well, being from the exact opposite houses).

Roger: Gryffindor. The King, the Hero, the Legend. I don't know, it just fits him right. He's brave, he is hot-headed, he jumps into the fight without thinking. The way he's praised as a hero, with so many followers with that last stunt he pulled off right before kicking the bucket. That's very Gryffindor of him. Whatever went down in God Valley, why Roger decided to side with the Marine, why he didn't side with Xebec against the Celestial Dragons and World Gobernment, got me thinking. We still don't know what really happened there, I feel like the reason behind Roger's actions could change my mind about his house, but as it is for now, I think Gryffindor fits him good.

Rayleigh: Hufflepuff. He's the calm guy. Sure, he fights, and he's a menace, but what he finally wished for was to live peacefully in a calm island for the rest of his life. He's so chill and also fun, and enjoys a good party. Hufflepuff for the Dark King. Hybrid house: Ravenpuff. I don't know, he just has this "wise" bive to him. Maybe it is because of how he wants to have a nice, calm life as an adult. Also his calm and softer demeanour around Roger. I feel a wise and calm partner would be a good contrast to Roger's Gryffindor personality.

Crocodile: Slytherin. He's a snake. Not a crocodile, but still a reptile. Seriously, he's ambitious, he's maffia boss level, he gotta be Slytherin. Hybrid house: Slytherclaw. He's smart, cunning, and has experience. He manages bussiness with expertise, he just has that ravenclaw vibe to him. Plus, I just find the idea of Buggy and Crocodile being in the same house hilarious. At first sight no one would even phantom these two characters to have anything in common, nor his personalities to be somewhat compatible or similar in any way or form, yet this hybrid house fits them both like a glove.

Doflamingo: Slytherin. I mean... I hope the giant fish bowl that is the common room reminds him of the fashion back home.

Corazón: Hufflepuff. The boy is all heart. He believes in justice (heck, he's a marine), he's good-hearted, golden-hearted even, basically, a cinamon roll. He's also most probably a pretty hard worker, and he risked his integrity for a kid he didn't even know all that well. Also, he's a "trickster", so to speak. He must be a Hufflepuff, no doubt. Hybrid house: Gryffinpuff. He has a lot of the traits of a Gryffindor. You can't deny he's brave. He overcomes trauma as a child, and is willing to revive it and face his brother, spying for the marine, while dealing with Doffy's crazyness, and then he makes the selfless decision to save Law no matter what, at risk of his own life. He also feels he has some type of responsability regarding his borther's actions, when he truly doesn't, but taking responsability for things you're not really responsible for due to some sort of self inflicted guilt tripping type of torture sounds pretty Gryffindor to me, plus the "I must save the world from my evil brother, and because he's my blood brother, it must be me who faces and stops him" also strikes me as very Griffyndor-like. As I said many times before, I know some traits are shared between houses, and can apppear in members of different houses, but Corazón is definitely at least partially a Gryffindor. This would also explain his betrayal, Hufflepuffs are supposed to be loyal, I'm with Doffy in this one u.u (though I guess he never truly commited treason, as he was never on Doffy's side to begin with, lol).

Law: Ravenclaw. To be honest, a friend convince me of this one, I was so unsure and conflicted about him. But yes, I think Ravenclaw suits him well. His background as the child of doctors, and wanting to follow their parents' steps works out with a Ravenclaw personality. He's knowledge starved, and he's smart and witty, even a bit manipulative. Hybrid house: Slytherclaw. There's no way to avoid Law's ambition for knowledge. He is also quite determined in his path to avenge Corazón and bring down Doflamingo's downfall no matter what. I know determination is more of a Gryffindor and Hufflepuff trait, but it also goes well with Slytherin's desires to get their way, take what they want, and achieve whatever they've set themselves to (which is why Luffy is definitely a Slytherin too).

Aaaand this is all for now, it was already quite long, I may do a second list with the remaining mugiwaras and maybe some other characters I like :)

[belit0]

I have so many songs I wanna submit for TobiIzu but I’m trying to refrain from submitting so many like a madman. Anyways Tobiizu: “Portrait of a Female” by Cruel Youth

PLEASE SEND ME AS MANY AS YOU WANT, TOBIIZU IS MY TRUE LOVE AND I LOVE WRITING FOR THEM!!😭🙏💕

"I wish I don't need you." Tobirama spits angrily on his pompous, soft lips, waiting to be kissed. He is consumed by anger, by those feelings he carries within and fights so hard against. Falling in love with his former enemy should not have been included in the peace treaty. "I've been so deprived... boy, when I'm with you, my hands are fucking tied." The Senju punches the wall, right next to his head, as the Uchiha stands motionless in his arms. He looks at him with a mixture of amusement and love, knowing exactly how he feels because it's the same thing he experiences deep inside him.

Neither of them wanted this, but one way or another it ended up happening.

"You're the devil disguise, and feels right, wrapped in your chains of... love. Now, I'm so miserable, Uchiha, when I'm free I just suffer and... too much, not enough, wrapped in your fucking chains." The albino turns his back on him, walking to his personal desk in the Hokage's office, resting his hands on the wood, and trying to collect his thoughts.

His head is a mess when it comes to Izuna, he can't explain how a rivalry as passionate as the one they had mutated into such strange feelings, and he chokes on not having answers.

"It ain't love if it don't hurt, Senju." The Uchiha purrs, coming up behind him and resting his forehead against his back. There is no logical understanding of how this happened, how the peace their brothers encouraged grew such a twisted bond between the two, full of betrayal for the mutual hatred they both swore to each other just a few months ago.

Izuna doesn't get it either, but he is used to feeling, not trying to rationalize, and letting himself be carried away by what his heart dictates. Today, it begs him to claim this man as his property.

"Do you remember, no safety word here? how my hands were tied, literally, faithfully, to the bedpost that night, all for you?" He evokes memories of the first time they shared together, where they both let themselves go without looking for meaning in what was transpiring. He remembers how he gave his full trust to the one who swore to be his mortal enemy, allowing him to restrict his freedom and giving unlimited access to his being.

There were no questions that night, no hard feelings.

"Your two hands cover my screams, like porno on the big screen..." his fingers run down the side of his body, up his waist toward his ribs, resting on his pecs and squeezing the soft fabric of his shirt between his hands. He can sense how Tobirama trembles under his caresses, perhaps from excitement, fear, or both.

"You ain't shy, don't lie... I'll try anything twice, maybe hit me when you're cumming, safe shit that you're running. I can learn, I'll try anything." He feels desperate, genuinely scared because he doesn't know his opponent on these grounds. They both learned to read each other accurately and prevent every move and attack, but no one taught them to detect their feelings, emotional reactions.

Izuna surrendered to the event that night, and managed to accept what was occurring inside him, the whirlwind of trouble the Senju generated, at least physically. Perhaps there are no words for what happens between the two, but the Uchiha feels an emptiness in his stomach every time he thinks about how Tobirama can disappear, not wanting to assume the undeniable between the two.

If the albino was not ready, he would be left with hands full of things for him, feelings and emotions, unspoken words, and ungiven caresses.

"There's nothing, nothing I can do..." Tobirama whispers, taking his hands in his own before turning around and facing him, looking him in the eyes and going against all the instructions he grew up with in his head.

"No... I ain't deprived, I just wanna feel. You bring out the worst in me, and that ain't how love's supposed to be!" His face becomes tense, full of restrained utterances and unaccountable emotions, and Izuna could swear it's the same countenance he faced time and time again in battle.

"And I ain't disturbed, I just prefer it... Let's not pretend that we're friends, I don't care about your plans or how your day went..." The Uchiha can already feel all the blood in his body rushing down the stairs, answering the demand his former enemy seems to require.

There is no need to understand, no use in trying to justify, guided only by bodily sensations and physical needs, an attraction it is useless to ignore. Lust for each other corrodes them, sets them on fire like the hottest flame in all hell, and leads them to contradict everything they have learned about one another, disarming themselves in each other's arms and surrendering the secret of their bodies.

[inmyimperfectmind]

The Miyas

Read the original thread fic here: https://twitter.com/MsMeressa/status/1487158527810433024?s=20

Rin & Keiji watched in quiet embarrassment as Atsumu and Osamu performed a dance routine complete with failed attempts of flossing, the robot, and other moves that displayed their nonexistent dance skills.

"We love them, right?" asked Keiji, as they performed their 'secret' handshake.

"That's what I've been trying to tell myself,” Rin said, head tilted.

At that moment, the twins ran towards each other to chestbump, before falling to the ground.  They got up calling each other names, blaming each other for their clumsiness, but couldn’t hide their wide grins.

"They're both idiots," said Keiji, a small smile escaping his lips.

"Yeah, they are," said Rin, shaking his head as he finished recording the performance.

"What does that make us?"

Both brothers look over at them giving smiles meant for their respective partner.

"Idiots in love with idiots," chuckled Rin, as Atsumu ran towards him.

"Angel, didja see me?" asked Atsumu excitedly.

"It's hard not to notice the two idiots thinking they can dance."

Pouting, Atsumu said, "Can't help it that Samu’s got no rhythm! And ya wouldn't dance with m- "

Rin suddenly picked him up and swung him around wildly. He couldn't help but laugh watching golden eyes twinkling happily.

"Happy?" asked Rin.

Atsumu leans in to kiss him, filling Rin with butterflies even after all these years.

"Very," replied Atsumu, smiling brightly.

Osamu grabbed Keiji's hand, pulled him in close and began swaying to the music.

"You know I don't dance," said Keiji, trying to frown but the smile broke through as Osamu moved in exaggerated circles.

"Ya seem to be doin' pretty well," he teased.

"I know how to dance. I just don't."

"But ya are now."

"Maybe I just needed the right partner," said Keiji, wrapping his arms around Osamu’s neck.

"Smooth line," he said, arms around Keiji’s waist.

"I thought so," he smirked before leaning in for a deep kiss. They were then interrupted by gagging noises next to them.

"Can you please refrain yourselves from acting inappropriately in public?" asked Rin. "And you know Tsumu has a sensitive stomach."

"I got all sick seein' the grossness," said Atsumu pouted, laying his head on Rin's shoulder. Rin kissed him on the forehead and rubbed his back, while giving the other pair a deep, disappointed frown.

Samu and Keiji gave matching blank stares.

"Yer a buncha hypocrites considerin' ya dumbasses were makin' out earlier," said Samu, arms crossed.

"We were inside our car, so it ain't in public," said Atsumu, turning around to glare at them.

"It's not our fault people were invading our privacy," said Rin.

“You were in the backseat with the windows wide open,” said Keiji. 

"And yer parked in a public area!" yelled Osamu.  "Where lots of people can see ya!”

"If people are peeping in at us through our open apartment window, you'd consider it an invasion of privacy because we're inside our house and that is private property," explained Rin.

"It's the same thing with our car," said Atsumu nodding.

"Your logic is mind boggling," said Keiji with disbelief.

"Whatever, assholes," said Atsumu.

Looking at his phone, Rin said, "We have to pick up Himari. Okada-san can't babysit too late tonight."

"We have ta go, too,” said Osamu.  “Getting deliveries early tomorrow."

"Are we still on for dinner next Wednesday?" asked Keiji.

"Yeah," Atsumu said.

As they went to grab their jackets, Osamu said, "I really wanna try this new Italian place. The chef studied in Bolagna and the menu looks real interestin'."

"I want tsukemen," declared Atsumu.

"Ya got ta choose last time, so it's my turn," said Osamu.

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, ya did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, ya did!"

Keiji and Rin looked at each other as the brothers' argument descended into a wrestling match, then started walking ahead of them.

"What's all the ruckus?" asked one of the event staff.

"Just the Miyas," replied his coworker, looking towards the four men. The twins punched each other as they caught up to their husbands, who were calmly chatting.

The man chuckled and said, "Of course, it's the Miyas."

[lazarusawaken]

Random Nona thoughts

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

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— No but really, what medical(?) secret did Nona tell Hot Sauce? Will it ever be revealed?

— As someone who doesn’t speak Māori and is not familiar with the phonetics, I was 100% sure that “Kiriona” was a play on “Kyrie”, as in “Kyrie eleison”. Still not sure Tamsyn didn’t put the same connection as a second layer of meaning (because we’re talking onion layers of meaning with tlt)

— I absolutely love that the pre-ressurrection chapter is so NZ-centered

— Kinda feel that the main problem with Paul is that both Camilla and Palamedes have very strong presence and vibe, which was played beautifully in this book. With Paul, we didn’t get a strong introduction of character’s personality and at the same time it’s hard to imagine a melange of Cam’s and Pal’s personalities because they are so different.

— I normally don’t enjoy heterosexual romance in books, but even if we read Cam’s and Pal’s relationship as a platonic romance, they still have a place in my broken heart

— Still waiting for Crown to reveal herself as badtwin. So far she’s just very indecisive and tries to have all at once when it’s obviously not possible.

— Messenger????! Message?????!!!

— Was very intrigued by the nameless nun, but it’s very hard for me to keep track of ALL the original Lyctors (thanks God Tumblr exists for people to explain tlt to me), so didn’t catch Cristable but MY GOD, SHE.

— I really hope there will be a better explanation on how and why John’s powers manifested rather than “it just happened”. I mean, it wouldn’t ruin the series for me if it just stays, but I think it was not the usual level of, erm, logical basis?

— OG Lyctors, you bunch of horrible enablers.

— The cow refrain. My god.

— No but the cow wall. The “accident”. The way John’s arc was almost redeeming until it wasn’t.

— I personally did feel that NtN works perfectly fine as a separate book. I feel like a lot of criticism on that comes from a bias as we already knew that it originally was supposed to be a part of AtN.

— I really hope that we’ll see Nona integrated into Alecto’s personality.

— I’m still curious whether Pyrrha made up the mustache t-shirt or really bought it.

— Somehow Nona’a tantrum was really scary. The finger. Ouch. Oh.

— Is there some connection between Alecto wielding a two-hander and two-hander being Gideon’s favorite sword?

— I’m kinda happy that I’m not the only one confused by the whole BoE inner feud. At least it’s not me being dumb lol

— Genuinely enjoyed the domestic part of the book because it felt very much like grasping at tiny shards of happiness amidst hell knowing that something even more horrible is coming and everything will end soon, and I wish I could relate less.

— I kinda think the pacing was similar to the previous two books? The long slow beginning and a chaotic last third — at some point I almost walked away from GtN because of how slow it was? So happy I didn’t though.

— Reading tlt is like talking about your pain and trauma with a very compassionate listener. I don’t know if I can elaborate.

— Mercy appreciating the fierceness of teenage girls. Yes please. John getting a bunch of babies as Lyctors. No please.

— No but Ianthe in leather pants.

— Naberius was the last character I expected to have a comeback. Sort of.

— Alecto starts with Harrow in Hell — and seemingly picks up where HtN ended, Harrow-wise? I’m curious whether the Harrow John was talking to was Harrow at all? I was going into ask whether we’ll get a glimpse of what half a year in the River was for Harrow but we sort of already did?

— I love Tamsyn’s love for the most clueless characters as narrative focus.

— The Tower feels like the Tarot Tower. Like, a lot. I think there’s actually more of Tarot symbolism in tlt, but I’m not entirely sure.

— there will probably be more thoughts later, but it I don’t wrap up now, I will simply never stop

[sinistershepherd]

Moony's reaction when seeing a kid CLEARLY over—stimulated but, , DOESN'T want help / worry / bother other people??

CRIES

I did get this in yesterday but my mental health was just like. So bad (still is but a bit better) so now I’m answering it today instead :)

Oh my God, is that kid ME????

Moon would go about it very, very carefully. He’s meticulous, logical, and stubborn as all hell. This kid is struggling and he is going to help, no matter what.

He assesses the situation for a few moments so that he can note what sort of interactions may be going on for the kid to be overstimulated. He makes sure to remember whatever he notices so that he can refrain from putting the child into the same sort of situation, or at least make it easier for them if it does come down to simply helping instead of completely disengaging.

He will casually pull the child aside, making sure to keep his voice level and gentle- soft, understanding. This child isn’t alone, as Sun can get overstimulated at times, as well. Moon is even worse in that regard- that’s why he’s the naptime attendant, there’s no noise or rambunctious kids to make him nervous.

He knows it’s hard to ask for help. Which is why he isn’t exactly surprised when the child denies that anything is wrong. A blatant lie, but it’s for defense. They don’t want to cause a scene, he supposes. Either that, or….

“Do you not want help because you think it’ll make us fuss over you, starshine?” Moon would ask, tilting his head a slight bit, like a curious puppy.

The child could nod or shake their head(overstimulation can make it harder for some people to speak), either way, Moon is taking them off to the side of the naptime area, where distance can be put between the other kids, but still close enough so that Moon can watch over them.

He would pull a stuffed animal from the pile, and hand it delicately to the kid.

“How about we just sit and calm down, okay? You focus on the fur of the plushie, and I’ll focus on getting you all situated.” Moon smiles, gathering a blanket that he settles at the child’s side if they desire to use it.

He would let the kid keep the stuffed animal for as long as they need, hoping that it will be grounding. He gives them some space, but still stays close enough for hugs or reassurances if they ask for them.

By the end of naptime, he would ask to make sure that they’re okay.

“No! No, it doesn’t make you weird to have those feelings. I know you must still be a little rattled, but…may I give you a hug?”

If the child says yes, he will wrap his arms around them, scoop them up into his lap and ruffle their hair a slight bit, a small smile filled with warmth crossing his face.

“It’s never wrong to need a bit of a break. That’s what naptime’s for, after all. If you ever feel like that again, please come to either me or Sun, alright? It’s never a bother, starshine. I just want to make sure you’re okay. We both do. Your needs aren’t troublesome or overbearing- that’s why they’re called needs. Needing something different doesn’t make you wrong.”

———————————————

That’s to everyone out there reading this. Please, please take time for yourself when your mind and/or body is telling you to take a break. You are so, so important, and nothing you feel makes you wrong or incompetent. A feeling isn’t something you can just erase. If something needs to change to make you comfortable in your life, find a place or time that you can start changing it. You deserve to have your life the way that makes you feel best. Overstimulation is very common on all spectrums of both neurodivergency and neurotypical folk. It doesn’t make you weird. It doesn’t make you a burden. It just makes you more human. Love you guys, stay safe <3

[danses-with-dogmeat]

could you do the anxious tics prompt with fo3 and new vegas companions? sorry, i think i’ve asked you to add characters a lot but i just really love your writing ^^”

FO3 and FONV Romanced! Companions react to Lone's/Six's Anxiety Tics

Here you are, my love. Please never feel bad about requesting more people! It's honestly what I live for, and I loooooove making content for the FO3 and NV folks, since I feel like there's a lot less written about them in general 😊

So thank you so much for the ask!

Here is the prompt with FO4 Companions!

FO3

Butch:

     The flash of large red-framed letters had caught Butch’s attention as the pair stood waiting to speak to Doc Church outside his clinic in Megaton. “Whatcha got there, babe?” he had asked, before realizing that it was, in fact, exactly what he had thought. Lone blushed as they looked up at him, hiding behind the pages of their comic book. “You really kept that? After all these years?” They had nodded to him, explaining that it was a sort of security blanket for them, that they could always count on reading the same story, seeing the same happy ending each time they looked between the pages, each time they felt uncertainty or stress, they could count on Grognak to see them through it. He grinned whenever he saw them with it, often curling up beside them, or leaning his head on their shoulder to try and read along with them. In these cases, Lone had to read the pages slower than they normally would, reading the same comic book over and over for the last 10 years means you can skim through it pretty quickly, but they don’t really seem to mind. Now they get to watch as this person that they care so much for enjoys the comic book they relied on and adored for so long.

Charon:

     The ghoul was curious about Lone’s tendency to nap directly after dealing with stressful situations, but he decided not to voice any inquiries. His companion would explain themself if they wanted him to know more. One day, they did. Lone had thanked him for always looking after them while they rested off their anxiety, and mentioned that it was something they couldn’t help. Charon had nodded at them, acknowledging their gratitude, before his blue eyes had narrowed in his effort to process the rest of what they had said. It seemed strange to him, sleeping off nerves... Wouldn’t that make it more difficult to sleep? He decided that the logic of it didn’t really matter, whatever it was that caused it, he would look after his partner as they took the time to rest. Soon enough, they would beckon for him to join them, leaning against his shoulder or laying their head in his lap as he kept watch over them. A scarred hand would come to run softly through their hair, or graze lightly over their arm as they dreamed away their anxieties alongside their watchful partner.  

Clover:

     Lone wasn't quite sure why, but it seemed to them that Clover was always so handsy whenever they became anxious. They had to admit, they didn't necessarily mind it, but she always seemed to get frisky at the most inopportune times. Meanwhile, Clover just can't seem to figure out why Lone is always casting hints her way in the middle of stressful situations. She gets it, she totally is picking up what Lone is putting down every time they draw their bottom lip between their teeth and gnaw away so suggestively, but do they really have to do that right now?! Once Clover finds out it's just Lone's way of coping with their anxiety, she feels sort of foolish… but that doesn't stop her from getting a little turned on whenever Lone does it, even though the timing is usually inconvenient for both of them. But after the trouble and stress has passed, Lone will certainly need to blow off some steam, right? If that’s the case, Clover is more than ready for it. 

Cross:  

     Cross often noticed when Lone had trouble focusing, she tends not to miss a thing, especially when it comes to her Lone. When she sees her partner struggling to keep their attention trained on the person speaking to them, she usually will step in and ask if the person can speak to her companion again at a later time. Her direct and clear way of speaking is a relief for Lone when they are experiencing tension, as their listening becomes almost ineffective when they are being spoken to during times of high stress or anxiety. Paladin Cross understands this, and pays particular attention to speak slowly and with great care in these times. Due to her affinity for speaking this way normally, she and Lone tend to never have issues with communication; which evidently, tends to keep Lone from becoming anxious when they’re around their partner.

Fawkes:  

     Within his first couple weeks of traveling alongside Lone, the mutant noticed their need to constantly snack. When he decided to inquire about it, and they hesitantly explained their habit to stress eat, he wasn’t sure he understood it, but he knew that he had his own ways of dealing with his nerves, which came in the form of wringing his hands whenever he became anxious. So, if this is how Lone deals with it, he will accept it without question. It wasn’t until one fateful day, when Lone had realized they were completely out of snacking material and they were on the brink of a breakdown, that they realized Fawkes had taken their words to heart, as he reached out a large hand, filled to the brim with an assortment of their favorite snacks from one of his pockets. All this time they thought he only kept ammunition in there, turns out, their partner always had a well-stocked stash of their anxiety-repellent hidden away for cases just like these. They smiled coyly as they took a box of snack cakes, and a tin of crisps, settling down beside Fawkes as he lightly ran his hand up and down their back as they leaned into him, their breathing already beginning to return to normal with each passing moment.

Jericho:

     The ex-raider always thought it was a little annoying, the way his companion would stutter at him every time something got dicey, or when they had to deal with some sort of verbal confrontation. It was painful to watch, and when he brought it up to them, and they stuttered back an embarrassed response, he realized it was well out of their control. It would still bug him, and he might make an off-handed comment about it every once in a while, but the more he saw that those comments weren’t funny to his partner, the more they glared at him as he laughed at his own rude jokes, he decided he should refrain from such talk. Lone hadn’t developed a thick skin like most wastelanders he was used to, and certainly not like most raiders; and he would have to constantly remind himself of that. After his realization, he wouldn’t say a word about their stutter again, and God help anyone who did. You mention his partner’s stutter, you’ll probably have one too by the time he’s done with you. If you still even have a tongue, that is.  

FONV:

Arcade: 

     The doctor almost flinched at the feeling of Six’s fingers wrapping around his thumb the first time they did it, but he managed to keep his composure and simply utter a sarcastic comment in response to their sudden action. But when their stress passed, and they explained that it was a tic of theirs that they had trouble controlling, he immediately understood. Not only was he a doctor (so you know, he has pretty extensive knowledge regarding things of this nature) but he’s also had his own lovely tangles with anxiety in the past, and can’t really blame Six for their habit (despite the fact that he has absolutely no tics of his own to deal with). However, his understanding of it doesn’t mean he isn’t going to make some sort of humorous comment on the action whenever it occurs. At Six’s annoyed expression he says that he is simply trying to lighten the mood a bit, maybe distract them with his humorous musings. Six thinks he must not have a clue that he exercises his own coping mechanism (ahem, sarcasm) whenever their gesture makes him uncomfortable, so they end up trying to keep themself from grasping onto his thumb to the best of their abilities. But, to be honest, they’re relieved when Arcade begins reaching over his hand to them in times of stress, his eyes avoiding theirs, and his comments going unuttered, but his thumb extending outward to allow easy access nonetheless. This gesture usually results in a kiss on the cheek for the doctor when his partner has gotten through their bout of stress.

Boone: 

     He had noticed it when he first met the courier, the way they couldn't look him in the eye. Boone hadn't been sure if it was just him, considering his constant need to wear sunglasses and his somewhat stoic demeanor, or if it was the way they were with everyone, but either way, he didn’t mind in the slightest. When he found that it was a result of their anxiety, he simply nodded to them in understanding, and the pair went on their way. The sniper honestly wasn’t big on direct eye contact himself, another boon of wearing sunglasses was being able to keep your eyes trained wherever you liked, and so people tended not to notice his own habit of avoiding eye contact with them. He threw the idea out to Six one night, and soon enough the pair wore matching sunglasses nearly all the time. And though, as he said, he didn’t mind Six’s habit one bit, the knowledge that they only looked people in the eye when they felt completely comfortable and at ease with them made it all the more special when they did decide to look into his eyes when the pair was talking, or sharing a tender moment. In those little instances, Boone liked to study the details of his partner’s eyes, committing their warm and vibrant glow to memory, paying distinct attention to their unique shape, and the way their pupils dilated as they gazed back at him. He only wondered if they noticed his eyes doing the same in return as he took in the details of the one he loved.

Cass:  

     The caravaner always tends to offer some form of alcohol to Six whenever she sees their leg shaking in such a way. Cass is familiar with the side effects of withdrawal when she sees them, and she'll try to help her partner to the nearest drink as soon as she can. When Six finally asks her about why it is that she offers alcohol to them when they’re feeling stressed, mentioning that it maaaaaay not be the most healthy coping mechanism for anxiety, she is a bit confused. They were anxious!? Strange, she only tends to shake like that when she hasn't had a drink in a while. With the knowledge that it’s a nervous tic of theirs, Cass uses it to her advantage to better tell when her partner needs to take a load off, or blow off some steam. At the sight of their leg thrumming away, she’ll give their thigh a pat to get their attention, and then ask if there’s anything she can do to help them. As luck would have it, a stiff drink does tend to give Six the time to calm their nerves, so that trend isn’t completely abandoned once Cass has found out the truth about Six’s habit.

Raul:

     "What's the matter, boss? Can’t find the right word? Lo siento, mi corazón, English isn't my best language, but I can try and help if you want." Raul is… confused at first. Whenever Six snaps their fingers, he can't seem to figure out if they're trying to find the right word to say, or if they happen to be looking for something, maybe they're trying to keep time, or make a beat? Maybe they’re counting something, trying to remember a phrase? Once they tell him it’s just a nervous tic they have, Raul looks a little embarrassed at the fact that he didn’t assume this earlier on. The ghoul tries not to pay much attention to his partner’s habit, since he knows it must make them a little self conscious when people point it out, but sometimes he can't help but snap along, trying to make a little song to go along with their own improvised rhythm. When Six does finally notice his contribution, Raul just likes to wink at them in response, flashing a playful little smile as they blush in embarrassment at the fact that he caught them doing their nervous tic.

Veronica:

     When Veronica noticed that her partner had pierced ears, she was ecstatic. Ecstatic, and jealous. She always wanted to pierce her ears, to find or make her own pretty little earrings to decorate herself with, but alas, ear piercings were certainly not within the limits of Brotherhood dress and decorum. Given her interest in them, it’s no surprise that she noticed the way Six twisted the backs between their fingers, twiddling the bits of jewelry absent-mindedly whenever they became stressed or nervous. Often times, Veronica would reach a hand out to gently pry their fingers from their earring, pulling their hand to her lips so she could give it a small kiss before bringing it to settle somewhere else, to keep them from damaging the little bits of jewelry in their ears that she envied so much. 

[robininthelabyrinth]

Spilled Pearls

- Chapter 9 - ao3 -

Lan Qiren was groggy with lack of sleep the next morning, but an evening’s contemplation of the Lan sect’s rules had put him back into the right mindset.

As a disciple of the Lan sect, he was entitled under the rules for his elders to remember do not disrespect your juniors just as he was required to respect and obey your elders. Pursuant to the rules, he should have the protection of his sect and their support, and if what he had was imperfect, it was at least something; for every Lan Ganhui that mocked him, there was a Lan Yueheng that encouraged him, and there were plenty of teachers that preferred him over all the others.

As for his brother – Lan Qiren should not hold his anger against him. He had been acting in the best interest of the sect, seeking to obtain benefits for what had been lost; he had thought throughout the trip that Lan Qiren had given up more than just his word of honor, but had refrained from punishing him accordingly. In the end, even his father had assigned him only to kneel, which was a milder punishment by far than he deserved for all his mistakes and insolence.

More than that, his brother was right: Wen Ruohan would be bound by his own word of honor and public reputation to treat Lan Qiren with dignity, and by endorsing the relationship rather than rejecting it, his sect was indicating that they would hold Wen Ruohan to his word. His father had appropriately expressed concern on Lan Qiren’s behalf, his brother had refuted those concerns with well-reasoned logic; it was inappropriate for Lan Qiren to take such an intellectual discussion to heart.

That he had – and that he had forgotten, even temporarily and in the privacy of his own head, the rule do not argue with family for it does not matter who wins – was merely evidence once again that Lan Qiren was inferior to his brother, who through keeping a cool head had enabled their sect to turn what could have been an embarrassment into a victory.

As for his father…Lan Qiren shouldn’t have been surprised, that’s all. Hadn’t years and years taught him that fathers only gave what they chose to give and no more? He had long ago learned that his father was kind and noble and equitable, concerned with all the Lan sect disciples (but for his dearly beloved eldest) in the same way and the same manner; being disappointed to receive that and nothing more was only his own foolishness.

(He only wondered, in passing, why it had been his father’s glacial voice that had scared him so, compared to the familiar warmth of his brother’s anger.)

So fortified and reassured, Lan Qiren returned to the regular flow of daily life at the Cloud Recesses.

It was not easy. As his brother had predicted, rumors about his sworn brotherhood with Wen Ruohan sprang up at once, and many of his fellow disciples were prone to staring at him when they thought he wouldn’t notice. The teachers handed out many punishments for breaking the prohibition about talking behind people’s backs, although with a certain leniency that made Lan Qiren suspect that they themselves toed the line of that particular rule behind closed doors.

The rumors themselves were split between those that theorized that Wen Ruohan had used nefarious means to entrap Lan Qiren and force him to agree to brotherhood – the Fire Palace was mentioned often, as were various theoretical misapplications of cultivation techniques of dark and unsavory natures – and those that skipped over the how of brotherhood and went straight to speculating as to the why, which typically also involved a variety of references to misapplied cultivation techniques, this time of the sort most often found exclusively in certain types of low-brow spring books.

Someone even suggested that Wen Ruohan intended on taking Lan Qiren to bed as a cauldron, which was the stupidest idea out of the whole lot.

“Of course that can’t be true,” Lan Qiren patiently explained to Lan Yueheng, who had come to collect his geometry book. As a gesture of thanks for his support, Lan Qiren had read the whole thing and sent an annotated list of questions and comments; Lan Yueheng had practically turned pink with excitement when he’d seen it and then secluded himself for two days to write a response. Lan Qiren still didn’t see the appeal of geometry, but he’d managed to coax Lan Yueheng into a discussion of the mathematics of music theory, an area in which their particular interests overlapped, and he had hope of a fruitful dialogue continuing into the future. “At least traditionally, cauldrons are individuals with high cultivation potential that has yet to be developed – raw natural talent, in other words, which can then be refined into strength for another. My inborn talent is only moderate, even low, and my progress is primarily due to good resources and hard work. So even if someone put in the work to make me a cauldron, they wouldn’t get much out of me.”

Lan Yueheng nodded, his brow wrinkled thoughtfully. “So your brother would’ve been a better cauldron than you.”

“…that is correct, but please don’t say it.” Lan Qiren quietly pitied Lan Yueheng’s etiquette teachers, and spared a thought to hope that his cousin’s children, should he have them, would take more after whoever he married than him. Even if only because Lan Qiren hoped to become a teacher himself one day, and he was sure that Lan Yueheng’s particularly brash and un-Lan-like bluntness would make for a terrible future student. “Perhaps it would be more helpful for you to think of it in the sense of energy transfers of heat? I’m already cold, so to speak, so he wouldn’t be able to draw out much heat from me.”

“Wait, if you’re cold and Sect Leader Wen is hot, would that make him the cauldron? Assuming you ever did dual cultivate.”

Lan Qiren pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s...not how that works, Yueheng-xiong. At all. I was merely attempting to use a metaphor to clarify the issue. Clearly I failed and only confused things further.”

Lan Yueheng shrugged. “At least you try,” he remarked. “And when you fail, you try again, doing something different. It’s better than the teachers who just do the same thing every time and blame you for being as bemused on the seventh repetition as you were on the first.”

Lan Qiren felt his ears go red at the compliment. “You’ve been here too long,” he reminded his cousin. “Your parents won’t be happy to see you spending too much time with me.”

“My parents don’t care. It’s my aunt and uncle who don’t like it. They say that people might start asking if I cultivate as a cauldron too –”

“Your parents listen to your aunt and uncle, so if they don’t like it, you shouldn’t disobey them. The rules say Be a filial child.”

“They also say Do not form cliques to exclude others, but that isn’t stopping the other disciples from playing favorites, is it?”

That was definitely one of the rules more honored in the breach, Lan Qiren thought with a sigh. But what could be done, when their elders did the same? The sect followed the example of its leader, and his father’s tendency towards favoritism were well known, albeit one that was widely indulged as a quirk rather than condemned as a serious flaw. 

“I will remind the teachers of that one,” he said. “Perhaps a refresher would be suitable, to remind people. But the rule are meant for your own discipline, not others, and – ”

“Just because other people aren’t following the rules doesn’t mean I shouldn’t, I know,” Lan Yueheng said with a sigh of his own. “I’ll go…oh! It’s getting late. Weren’t you supposed to go to the guest’s pavilion by the western watchtower already?”

Lan Qiren blinked. “I don’t have that patrol route in my schedule until the end of the week.”

“No, no! I was supposed to tell you! Lao Nie’s come to visit, and –”

There were rules against running in the Cloud Recesses, so Lan Qiren was slightly late despite his best efforts, but true to form Lao Nie didn’t admonish him: he only turned from where he was sitting in the pavilion and smiled, calling out, “Qiren! There you are!”

“Forgive –”

“Forgiven,” Lao Nie interrupted before Lan Qiren even got the first word out. Lan Qiren was relieved to see that there was neither food nor tea already prepared; he would have been mortified if it had grown cold while Lao Nie was waiting to see him. “And don’t bow, either. How have you been? Tell me people aren’t harassing you over the nonsense with Hanhan.”

Lan Qiren opened his mouth, then hesitated.

“Do not tell lies,” Lao Nie observed, grimacing. “Ah, Qiren! Sometimes your brother’s worse than useless. It’s a pity, really, I hadn’t realized – well. At any rate, I’ve been bothering him for weeks to tell me about you and he wouldn’t say a word.”

“He was angry at me for messing up the conference,” Lan Qiren explained.

Lao Nie’s eyebrows arched. “You mean the conference where the Lan sect got first place in both major events and then extracted serious concessions from the Wen sect in a completely unexpected and nearly inexplicable political coup that got the whole cultivation world talking in awe at your political acumen? That conference?”

“I lost face for him. He thought – well, he’d thought it was worse than it was,” Lan Qiren hesitated. “He’s not the only one.”

Lao Nie huffed. “People are, by and large, stupid,” he declared. “Don’t let them get to you. They’ll change their tune soon enough.”

Lan Qiren wasn’t so sure. “They say a reputation is like a porcelain vase,” he said, unable to conceal his worries in the face of someone actually expressing concern rather than curiosity. His dream was to be a traveling cultivator, and that would be much easier with a good name, which he had always had before – good, or at least boring, which was just fine with him. He preferred to be boring! It had never occurred to him that he might do something that would render him the subject of gossip; it had never happened before. “Once cracked…”

“Right now, there’s only some bored people speculating that there might be a crack,” Lao Nie said. His confidence was contagious; Lan Qiren couldn’t help but relax a little in the face of it. “No one’s actually sure about it, and they’re willing to hear otherwise – things aren’t yet so bad. Don’t worry. I’ve spoken with Hanhan about it already.”

Lan Qiren felt his ears burning in shame. “Lao Nie! You didn’t!”

Especially since that would undoubtedly only make Wen Ruohan even more angry…

Lao Nie laughed and put his hand on his head, rubbing it lightly. “I did. Not in your name, but rather his own – do you think the Wen sect wants to get a reputation for being led by a man with an unhealthy interest in noble-born children? It’s in his interest to get this cleared up as much as you.”

Lan Qiren felt the tension rush out of his shoulders all at once. That hadn’t occurred to him, but now that Lao Nie had pointed it out, it was clear enough.

After all, for all the talk going around about Lan Qiren, it was widely agreed that he was clearly the victim in whatever scenario they’d thought up, whether through having his oath extracted under torture or by force; even among those who theorized that Wen Ruohan intended to use him as a cauldron, the reputation Lan Qiren might get would be, at worst, that of a seductive flirt who couldn’t be resisted. Lan Qiren’s brother had scoffed audibly the first time he’d heard that, saying that such a rumor would naturally be dispelled the moment anyone came in contact with Lan Qiren for more than a moment, and in all honesty Lan Qiren agreed with his assessment. He had the classic Lan sect looks, yes, but so did many others, and he had a demeanor as stern as a schoolmaster, giving off the feel of an old man even though he wasn’t even of age.

Meanwhile, for Wen Ruohan, the consequences were undoubtedly more dire – if he was said to have a taste for boys, especially noble-born ones, the other sects might be afraid to send their sons around him. It was a different reputation by far than his taste for torture, or his supposed use of dark and forbidden cultivation; those would make people fear him, while lusting for children would only make people disdain him.

Still, Lan Qiren wasn’t sure how exactly even someone of Wen Ruohan’s cunning would go about fixing such a mistake – and that was putting aside why he would make such a mistake over Lan Qiren in the first place. He hadn’t had a chance to explain to his brother his theory that Wen Ruohan had acted just to irritate Lao Nie, and in the end he’d decided it wasn’t worth drawing his brother’s attention back to the subject.

Besides, if Lan Qiren could figure it out, with his notorious inability to understand interpersonal affairs, then surely his brother was more than able to do the same. It wasn’t as if Lao Nie were being shy about it…

“Hanhan said he had something in mind,” Lao Nie was saying, shaking his head. “He usually does, I find, and each idea’s more awful than the next.”

Lan Qiren shifted a little from one foot to the other. “If you know he’s awful, why do you…” he hesitated. “I mean, you call him – an endearment.”

“Oh, he’s a little awful, no doubt,” Lao Nie said, sounding rather fond. “But as long as it’s not my sect, what do I care? Anyway, Qiren, you shouldn’t worry. If there’s one thing you can trust with Hanhan, it’s that he takes care of anything associated with himself.”

Lan Qiren didn’t really like the fact that he was now counted among that number.

It didn’t seem all that safe.

“Though of course that doesn’t protect him from you,” Lao Nie added, suddenly smirking, and Lan Qiren blinked owlishly at him. “Apparently, you’re a very talkative drunk.”

Lan Qiren’s face burned red.

“And effusive, too! According to Hanhan, even after you forced him down in his seat to keep listening to you, you kept waving your hands around while you were talking and knocking things over; he had to pin you down to keep you from destroying things by accident.”

That would explain the marks on his arms.

“Apparently, you didn’t appreciate him doing that and kneed him right in the –”

“You really think he can make the rumors go away?” Lan Qiren hastily interrupted, rubbing the back of his neck a little as if it would make the heat of hideous embarrassment go away. That tallied up a little too well with the physical evidence to be anything other than accurate. “There’s – a lot of them. And I’d like to have a clean reputation.”

“You will,” Lao Nie said, thankfully distracted from his mortifyingly plausible story. “Anyone who meets you will know at once that you’re a righteous and upstanding person.”

Lan Qiren liked that better than the way his brother had put it.

“It’s just that you haven’t had a chance to make your name in the cultivation world,” Lao Nie said. He sounded sure of himself. “You’ll do wonderful things one day, Qiren. I’ve no doubt.”

“I don’t want to do wonderful things,” Lan Qiren said, scowling. “I just want to travel around and help people.”

“Yes, I know,” Lao Nie said, and he sounded fond again, just the way he did when he was talking about Wen Ruohan, or even Lan Qiren’s brother. Truly, Lan Qiren thought to himself, the Nie sect had no idea how lucky they were to have him as sect leader. “Really, Qiren, it’s like I said: don’t worry about it. Now come, tell me what you’ve been studying recently.”

Lan Qiren had promised himself that he would reduce the amount of time he spent with Lao Nie on his occasional visits to the Lan sect, not wanting to risk inciting Wen Ruohan’s unreasonable anger and jealousy any further.

He would need to assign himself an appropriate punishment for breaking that promise, he thought, and sat down to start telling Lao Nie all about the work he was doing with one of his teachers on comparing the origin points of the various Lan sect rules, as well as his experiments on arrays to enhance open-air acoustics that would, he hoped, eventually be inscribed on all Lan sect instruments to increase the range and impact of their spell songs.

He even mentioned the possibility of a joint project on the mathematics of musical theory, and for whatever reason he thought Lao Nie looked especially pleased about that.

He didn’t think about Wen Ruohan at all.

[sidespromptblog]

What to Do?: Chapter 5

One, Two, Three, Four, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten

Warmings: Angst, Logan says some hurtful things (He doesn't mean it), General Anxiety (Virgil), and thoughts of ducking out.

Summary: Logan realizing that his first mistake was seeing the other sides as anything other than coworkers. They weren't a family. They didn't even like each other. How had he not realized sooner?

Word Count: 2,552

Virgil had really had enough of all of this. 

The thoughts of his own head bludgeoned him from every side, anxiety crawling its way through his veins and making him itch all over. It was like he had just stepped into a bed of ants, and there was no way to make it all stop. 

So he’d had enough of it. 

Honestly he had, there was only so much he could take of Patton’s sad looks, Roman’s withdrawn attitude, and his own dour feelings that made him not feel in control of his own emotions. And before he even knew it, it was all going to be way too much for him to handle right now. Ordinarily, when things got like this… Logan was there to help him out of it, Logan was there to make sure that he looked at the actual facts and not the lies that he was telling himself and Thomas. 

But that wasn’t exactly possible now was it?   

Logan didn’t want them around, or in the very least he didn’t want them… period. 

But he needed help, he was man enough to admit when he was clearly in over his head when it came to his own anxiety. Usually he could handle things on his own, he usually knew what to expect when it came to his own fears, and he usually knew how to easily combat them. But right now… he really did need help with this, he needed a calm confident voice that would help him see the truths behind every scary thing that his mind was trying to conjure for him. Patton and Roman were too emotionally distraught for him to even think about going to, his own fears would just add onto theirs and just make everything so much worse for all of them. There was no way that he could tell them, let alone unload onto them. 

He needed someone who was smart enough to help.

He needed someone who was calm in the face of danger.

He needed…

He needed…

“Logan.” Virgil mournfully whispered to himself, wishing it were almost anyone other than the one side who wanted nothing to do with them. Of course it would have to be him… 

But considering how desperate he was… he could swallow his pride for the time being and ask for help. 

He could totally do that… 

Logan had even said in the past, that should he need some help in seeing past cognitive distortions then he could always go to Logan’s room to relax. The logical side’s room had that effect on him, bringing everything into focus and clearing his head out of everything that had tried to distract him before. He’d even once attempted to start learning how to knit in Logan’s room, as the pursuit of curiosity and knowledge had led him to cracking open a few books in his spare time. He’d only realized that it had been several hours later when Logan finally managed to drag him to dinner, when he could have sworn he’d just had breakfast almost an hour ago. 

He could go there… Logan had said that he could go there. 

He wasn’t breaking any boundary with Logan, not when the other had specifically given him permission to do something. 

Closing his eyes Virgil attempted to concentrate on sinking down from his own room, and rising up into Logan’s. He waited, trying to feel the sensation of calmness that was supposed to overcome him from just stepping inside of Logan’s room, and he waited…

There was nothing. 

Opening his eyes, Virgil felt something inside his chest seize abruptly at the realization that… he wasn’t inside Logan’s room, nowhere close in fact. He was in the hallway upstairs, one that didn’t even lead to Logan’s room.

Clenching his fists, he tried again. 

And again. 

And again. 

And… again. 

Everytime, nothing happened. He remained in the same spot that he had opened his eyes to, Logan’s room was nowhere in sight and he was nowhere closer to being calm. If anything he was the exact opposite now, an old fear rearing its ugly head at him. 

“Logan!” Patton had scolded the logical side, a hurt look on his face as he clutched the picture book in his hands. “Can you stop?” 

Logan had taken a step back, an equally if not more hurt look darting through his eyes, before he thought to cover it up. 

But Virgil had seen it. 

“Fine…” Logan had said, giving Virgil only the tiniest of glances before he sunk down and out of sight.

Ducking out. 

No… no no no! 

There was no way that Logan would have ducked out, no way on earth. He had promised Virgil that he wouldn’t, and Logan knew that he was too important to just go away like Virgil had before. He knew that Thomas would be a mess without him… didn’t he? 

Didn’t he..?

A sour taste coated Virgil’s tongue in an instant, “Logan!” He barked out, his voice shifting to match his rising anxiety, the eyeshadow around his eyes darkened to the point that it nearly reached the middle of his cheeks. He looked like someone had taken a handful of black powder and smeared it down the sides of his face, and truthfully… he looked awful. “Logan!” He tried again, forcing the tremor out of his voice and a layer of calm that he most certainly did not feel in that moment. “Where are y-” 

His voice choked for a moment, as he found himself blinking back tears that were attempting to rise up. 

Honestly, he had never known how much he would miss Logan if the logical side truly attempted to duck out like he had. Logan was stubborn, this proving it more than anything, and he wouldn’t be swayed like Virgil had been… at least not so easily. So if Logan ducked out… it was probably going to be permanent.

They would have no chance of-

“Did you need something Anxiety?” 

Virgil’s head snapped up so quickly he was sure that he had pulled some kind of muscle, he had never been more happy to hear his old title than he did now. Before him stood Logan, a handful of paperwork in his hands and the kind of expression that told the anxious side that he was both bored but also exhausted as well. It truly surprised him how badly he wanted to reach forward and pull that stupid logical side in for a hug, that was usually Patton’s thing… 

But still he refrained. 

Coughing into his hand Virgil looked away for a moment, “I couldn't rise up into your room,” He tried to explain in such a way that wouldn’t make him feel like he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Like a kid with their hand in the cookie jar. “So I got worried…” 

Something inside of Logan softened for a moment, as he took in Virgil’s words.

Like a scrap of paper pulling apart from being submerged in water, he felt himself loosening up a little upon noticing Virgil’s rather distressed expression and the caked on eyeshadow that seemed to be receding now that he was here. It was fairly clear that the anxious side needed some kind of help, that being the reason he was trying to rise up in Logan’s room to begin with… but it also being the same reason Logan had barred all of them from entering to begin with. He couldn’t just let them walk in whenever they wanted to, and corner him where he was supposed to be safe. He couldn’t… he couldn’t let them come in, and try to change his mind. And he most certainly couldn’t let them come in and let them see how much he would have wanted them to stay.

Doing so would be giving them the opportunity to just use him, walk all over him again, and then immediately forget about him once they didn’t need him. 

Truthfully he was very touched that Virgil had worried for him, and even more so that his first instinct was to make sure that he was alright.

But...

He had lost his footing when it had come to Janus, and if he really wanted to go all the way and not slip up again… he needed to double down on it, and not let up for a single second. But in order to do that…

Logan looked back at Virgil, seeing the confusion, concern, and the tiny bit of hope that still remained ever stubborn in the anxious side’s eyes. 

He was going to have to break Virgil’s heart. 

“I don’t see why you need access to my room, Anxiety.” Logan began, forcing himself to watch closely as Virgil’s expression started to crumple. “You are anxiety, and I do not believe that it would be beneficial to let you enter Logic’s room whenever you please.” There it was, that small glimmer of hope being ruthlessly crushed with every usage of the other side’s title. The very title that Virgil had clearly forgotten the more that they used his actual name and forgot his title more and more, with this Logan knew that he’d hate himself for this forever. Virgil had been getting better, and Logan had been one of the very first people who had accepted Virgil into the fold before he’d even ducked out. And now… now he was practically throwing that away, for what he hoped to accomplish..

He was a terrible friend, as if he was anyones’ friend anymore. That alone had been his own doing, he had ensured it well and truly. 

Virgil looked like he was on the verge of tears. “Logan-” He began only to cut himself off, as he took in a deep breath forcing the warbling in his voice to quiet. “What can I do?” He honestly asked, hating how much it sounded like he was begging. Holding out his hand his entire expression was begging for Logan to take it, and to let him help with whatever was going on with him. “What can I do to make things better? What can I do to fix whatever I helped to break? Please!”

No… no no no. He couldn’t, he could not. 

It won’t last. No matter what they promise to do, it won’t last for long. They’ll just go right back to how they were before, and you’ll be left feeling stupid and alone. Logan inwardly coached himself over and over again, forcing himself to not take Virgil’s hand to not even look at it. He felt like his insides shaking, just one bad move away from going back to everything he swore that he never would. He had said that this time would be different, and it was going to be whether he wanted it to be or not. 

It was going to be different. 

No more chances. 

No more. 

“You can help,” Logan began, hating himself for the stupidly hopeful look in Virgil’s eyes that he was about to crush again. “By getting this paperwork done, and letting me know specifically on these days that I have listed exactly what you think would be okay in letting Thomas get done. Once I know that, then I can finally get a proper schedule that we can all agree upon. Okay?” 

I hate myself… Logan thought faintly, as each word from him seemed to crush what little spirit Virgil had left. If the anxious side had any more desire to help Logan before, or to continue being his friend… then he didn’t anymore. 

Not after this.         

 Virgil though to his credit didn’t cry, he didn’t even look like he was going to shed a single tear in that moment. He just looked incredibly crestfallen, as he stared back at Logan, before his eyes finally dropped down to the papers that the logical side had given him. 

“Okay…” He finally whispered, his fingers brushing over the crisp corners of the freshly printed papers. “Logan?” Virgil softly asked, “Will this make you happy? Doing this? Acting like this? Becoming this?” 

For a second Logan felt himself stiffen, he wasn’t… he wasn’t becoming anything that the others hadn’t already made him in their minds. He had already been too boring and typical to Roman, so he never even bothered to even try to listen to him anymore. He had been happy when Logan’s schedule hadn’t worked out, because it had benefited him. The same went for Patton, as much as the moral side would try to deny it. He had never understood him, and constantly tried to undermine him when he was attempting to make a point. And Virgil… 

Logan stared back at Virgil, “I will be satisfied, once you get that work done yes. But as for the other things…” He looked Virgil up and down, trying to shove the hurt down as far as it would go. “I don’t think that you have much room to talk about that… Anxiety.” With that being said, Logan turned on his heel trying desperately to tell himself that he wasn’t running away from Virgil’s other questions. “Have a good night.” 

Logan was gone. 

And now Virgil was alone, staring down at the sheets of paper that were steadily getting more and more crumpled as he clenched his fists. His chest heaved, and he tried so very hard to hold in the sob that was curling up inside of him. But even he couldn’t stop the trembling of his bottom lip, and the way that the world through his eyes clouded around him as the tears welled up. Before he even knew it, a tiny whimper fell from his lips, and a smattering of wet droplets landed on the papers that Logan had given him. He felt more alone now than he had in a very very long time, the loss of Logan as a friend felt as if he had ripped out some part of him leaving a big gaping wound in his chest. 

Something inside him told him that he deserved it.

But another part told him that he didn’t know why, even though he had the tiniest inkling as to why. 

Logan was gone… 

Gone.. gone.. Gone..

Gone.

The sob that had been building in Virgil’s chest finally burst free, and without thinking he clutched the bundles of papers close to his chest. As if those very papers were everything that made up Logan, and by holding them close he still had Logan with him. The tears were coming faster now, he could feel the thickness of his eyeshadow running down his face and completely staining his cheeks with dark watery lines. But he didn't care, there was a kind of solace in crying as hard as he was crying. As if letting out all of the emotions he had been building up during the past couple of days was any better than continuously letting it out like Patton was. 

So he cried and he cried. 

Until he felt a firm hand land on his shoulder.

Snapping his head up, Virgil felt his eyes widen exponentially at the person that was standing there just behind him. 

With steely dark eyes staring down at him, Remus looked at him with something akin to pity.

“Hey...”

[i-will-physically-fight-you]

One Word Prompt: Fish

Title: Scaled and Icy

Pairing: Platonic, familial Logince

Summary: “Oh, Virgil is going to hate him. He’s going to erupt in a rant about Logan being too impulsive as if Logan doesn't think out every action in a methodical manner.” Or. Logan decides to adopt an abandoned human child. 

Word-Count: 1k

Warnings: Dubious Morally Grey Logan, Merfolk But They’re Like Fae!, Presumed Child Abandonment, Slightly Unreliable Narrator, Transformation, Emotional Manipulation, Mentioned Cannibalism (Kinda), Angst With a Kinda Happy Ending, Don’t Worry Roman’s fine, Probably, It’s Dark Fairytale Vibes Okay

Here, have another eldritch logan adopts a child au! 

-

"You're like a fish!" The human child crows, his brown eyes alit with both wonder and joy. He couldn't be much older than three, possibly four. Which is all the more concerning, really, for where is his parents?

Logan blinks. "Not entirely but yes, I do share similar characteristics to them."

"Fish, fishy, fish-man!" The child declares, pudgy fingers reaching to touch Logan's bioluminescent blue scales.

"A-aahah--" Logan begins, moving slightly back, "Please refrain from touching people without asking their permission first."

He tilts his head, golden brown locks falling over his eyes. "Pleeeease can I?"

"Of course, thank you for asking."

The human child's face brightens at this. He reaches again, this time delicately touching Logan's scales with care.

"Whoa," The human child breathes in, "It'ssocool."

He then draws the hand away, resting it against the sandy shore. "My name is Roman and I wanna be a prince! What's your name?"

"You may call me Logic," Logan smiles, showing a slip of his sharp needle-like teeth. There's several rows of them unlike a human’s set of teeth.

This terrifies most humans, but not Roman who possesses the boundless courage of childhood. He leans closer, face scrunching up.

"Logic's a silly name." He declares.

Logan laughs, "Well good thing it's not my true name."

"It's a pretend name? Like make-believe?"

"Essentially, yes. You shouldn't give names away, they have power."

Roman doesn't seem to heed Logan's words, instead protesting, "Well, then, I wanna be Prince Romanul-us-ulus--Romulus then!"

Logan lets out a low, crooning noise, one generally meant to console young merlings. He never expected himself to so enchanted with a child, let alone a human one. Yet the instinctual parental drive is stronger than he thought.

"Well, Roman, would you like to be a prince?" Oh, Virgil is going to hate him. He’s going to erupt in a rant about Logan being too impulsive as if Logan doesn't think out every action in a methodical manner.

"Well, yeah!" Because Roman needs someone to look after him. His parents are clearly not doing a great job of it. He could've gotten swept up in the waves and died if not for Logan.

"Take my hand, come with me then, Roman." This is something the Ocean surely wills. She offered Roman to Logan and he must honor that.

"Okay!" Roman says, eagerly taking Logan's webbed hand.

And it's all Logan needs to pull the child underneath the water, wrapping his arms tightly before Roman can squirm away. Oh, how the child thrashes, his human instincts kicking in and trying to get him to go towards the surface.

It's alright though, it won't last long. Logan sings, thanking the Ocean for Roman. He won't beg for the Ocean to be merciful because the Ocean is not merciful. The Ocean will either let Roman live or She won't. It's something humans seem to fail to understand, time and time again, as they try their hardest to thwart Her will with their contraptions.

Soon Roman's thrashes go weak and the child is limp, heavy in his arms. Logan hums, rocking the child gently back and forth. His grin widens at the slits forming on the child's neck, acting as the opening for gills.

It's the only warning he receives as Roman's eyes reopen, a fiery red hue, as a piercing wail escapes his lips. The child’s soft, rounded baby teeth fall out as little rows of new merling teeth replace them. Still not full-grown teeth, but better at tearing through raw fish than a human’s dull teeth ever could.

"I know, I know," Logan croons, stroking his golden brown locks, "It'll be over soon."

Roman is not the first human Logan has seen the Ocean take as Her own. Virgil was one of the first Logan witnessed. He’d fallen overboard off a human ship, too young to know how to swim. Logan’s pod circled around his sinking figure, tails whipping with fervent excitement.

“He’s an offering from the Ocean,” Logan’s father had whispered to him, “Either he’s meant to become one of the Ocean’s children or he’ll perish and we’ll feast on his flesh.”

Virgil survived, snapping and clicking with the ferocity of a bullshark. Logan has an inkling Roman will be the same as his wails become more of a hissing, shrill noise. 

His ears has elongated, tipped with small winged fins. Similar fins appear on the backside of his elbows and Logan suspects on his back as well. The most important part, of course, is when the human’s pair of tails conjoin together to become one. This is where many prove their unworthiness to be one of the Ocean’s own. They perish, a mockery of what a Mer should be; malformed and incomplete, a disgrace to the Ocean.

“Shhh, shhh, Roman, let the Ocean accept you as one of Her own, don’t fight it,” Logan continues crooning, adjusting his grip so he is only holding onto the upper half of Roman’s body. The sliver of Roman’s soul that is still human tries to use this to kick at Logan, to dislodge his grasp. 

But this is hard when the tails become stiff, rigid as they become one, shimmering as ruby scales overtake soft flesh. The outerwear humans are fond of wearing tears, ripping to shreds as its unable to handle Roman’s growing unified tail. The tail itself almost makes up his original height but not quite. Roman’s tail twitches once, then several times.

“Rather an odd sensation for you I imagine, hmm?” Logan comments, tracing the edge of Roman’s finned ear fondly. Oh thank the Ocean, he never thought he’d be happy to have a child of his own until this moment.

Roman opens his eyes again, a good proper glowing red hue. “F-fishyman--Logic?”

“Yes?”

“I--I’m a fish too?”

“No, Roman, you’re not a fish. You’re like me--you’re one of the Ocean’s children now.”

“O-ooh. But why? It hurt so much!” Roman pouts, tail lashing angrily.

“That’s simply how it is, little prince,” Logan hums.

“Well, I don’t like it! Can I change back? I wanna see my mom and dad.”

“Now, Roman, you can’t do that. Your parents left you, they weren’t watching you like they should and now I will take care of you. You want to be a prince now, don’t you, Roman? Roman, you will be a prince and you’ll be so excited you’ll forget those humans ever existed, alright?”

Foolish, foolish humans. They really should’ve taught their child about the importance of names. That’s alright, Logan will teach Roman now and keep him safe.

“I do wanna be a prince, I’m going to be a prince, right?” Roman murmurs, yawning. The process of becoming one of the Ocean’s own is a tiring one. He snuggles closer to Logan, curling his tail around Logan. Something Mer instinctively do, to ensure they won’t drift away from their loved ones when they fall asleep. Logan smiles at this.

“Yes of course,” Logan soothes, “You’ll be my little prince and I won’t ever let any harm come to you.” 

[flowerzchild]

Elain and Azriel’s book is ACOTAR 5, and here’s why:

Disclaimer: if you are not a fan of the couple or unwilling to open up to the possibility of them being together then please refrain yourself from reading this. This is just my opinion, if your opinion is different then that’s okay, it’s natural, people think in opposition anyway. And I’m not Native English speaker, so shall you find incorrect use of terms or grammar please forgive me, I know how frustrating it is when we encounter them.

For me, what makes me believe that Elain’s book is next is solely based on what she did on ACOSF, when she owned up to Nesta that she is capable of doing things herself, when she declares she is a part of the Night Court. Sure, some people would say that Elain shows little development but so does Nesta in ACOFAS. Her development would be shown in her own book. I’m a fan of Elain and she definitely takes me by surprise with her talking back to Nesta, and for me that scene is showing her biggest development yet as Elain is often thought of as this meek, feminine, and pushover female. Other than that, ACOTAR 5 is most likely dealing with finding the fourth trove which we know Nesta couldn’t find and it only leaves the possibility of Elain finding it.

All of that is then solidified further by Feysand’s POV and countless evidences of Sarah implying the second book is Elain’s. In my opinion, Azriel’s POV is intended to confirm him as Elain’s love interest and to set up the conflict for their relationship. The thing with Gwyn is very much similar with Cassian and Emerie in ACOFAS, if Sarah has done it before why would you think that she will not do it again? And to be frank, I don’t interpret their scenes as romantic at all, it is up most very ambiguous. Sure, they could be mates but then Azriel’s reaction to Gwyn when she is kidnapped does not show mate behavior at all, quite the opposite when Elain is in danger or threatened to be honest. And it is definitely a possibility that Gwyn has the ability of a lightsinger seeing as both Nesta and Azriel’s shadow are drawn to Gwyn, particularly her voice.

Hence, there is literally no point of Elain being the common denominator in the two bonus content if her book is not going to be the next. Here’s how I view it:

Feysand: Why of all equally important scenes in ACOSF does Sarah highlight the very scene where Elain takes anyone by surprise? And why does it go further by Rhysand mentioning that Elain is not who we think she is, that she is hiding her true identity in favor of pleasing everyone which stems from how she was raised by her mother.

Azriel: If Sarah’s intention in writing Azriel’s POV is to showcase only his lust and entitlement over Elain then it definitely backfires. Why? It completely ruins Azriel and his characterization, at least for me. The text implies that Azriel pleasures himself to the thought of Elain nightly, which for me, makes him a creep and ruins his future interactions with Elain if in the end they are not endgame. Thus, I firmly believe, if that’s what Sarah’s intending then she would’ve gone low and detailing his lust to a minimum instead of going on full detail that only left the readers uncomfortable in the future reread (similar as to many readers feel when they reread ACOTAR with the sex scene between Feyre and Tamlin, and we know now that Tamlin is hated in the fandom for his toxicity toward Feyre).

Thus, if you are going to use Azriel’s POV as the indication that his book is next, then why don’t you extend the same courtesy to Feysand’s? Both are exclusive content, both are only available to US readers only, both are not being restocked, and most importantly both can be not read by the readers.

And if you are going to use Sarah’s word of ‘by the end of ACOSF we would’ve known who’s the next book going to be’ then only apply it to Azriel’s POV, how about the people who have Feysand’s POV? Is Feysand going to be the second book? We all know that in the end of ACOSF Sarah foreshadows Elain through Nesta placing a carved rose on top of her father’s grave which he made for Elain. And not to mention both exclusive content take place in the early and middle of ACOSF.

Let’s play hypothetical game and say that ACOTAR 5 is:

Azriel and Gwyn:

Then, the international reader wouldn’t know that there is something going on between them as the possible evidence that they are mates is included in his POV only, which is only available to the US readers, as most of international readers interpret their scenes in ACOSF as a friendly banter and definitely incomparable with Elriel’s interactions alone in it. Adding to that, Gwyn and Azriel doesn’t have enough evidence to tie them with the overarching plot (i.e. Koschei) thus, the plotline would be static, contributing nothing to the main plot of the series.

Elain and Lucien:

Then, the international reader would be confused as hell since in ACOSF there hadn’t been any progress between them, and quite contrary, instead we got Elriel’s confirmation from ACOSF alone (i.e. the charged glance between them) and Elriel is completely left open-ended which begets possible endgame.

What about ACOTAR 6 then? In my opinion, we shouldn’t speculate who’s going to be the stars of ACOTAR 6 since what’s going to happen in the third book is a direct result from the second book. But, let’s play another hypothetical game again shall we:

Let’s just say that Gwynriel’s book is the last, to see Gwyn’s role in defeating Koschei and a possible build up to their relationship, but then why does Azriel get a POV in the end? The same goes for Elain, if her book is ACOTAR 6 then why Feysand’s POV showcasing Elain’s future development and blankly pointing that after they are done with Nesta they will deal with Elain? It still doesn’t add up since both POV is supposed to be a teaser for what is to come as well as extra content (Rhys and Feyre choosing Nyx’s name).

Thus, in conclusion, Elriel’s endgame is the logical road for me. Not only their relationship has the most realistic build-up in the span of four books, but also some significant moments between them to just be dismissed as ‘nothing’. I also believe if Sarah doesn’t intend Elriel being endgame then she wouldn’t have developed them as romantic in the first place. Why? It only complicates the matter further for Elucien when their conflict can be from Elain’s feelings toward Graysen, instead Sarah makes Elain move on from Graysen in favor of Azriel. The same goes for Gwynriel, Sarah could use Azriel’s feelings toward Morrigan instead of making him get over Morrigan in favor of Elain.

In addition, Elain and Azriel's relationship has the highest chance in resolving Beron’s situation. Beron is a part of the overarching plot, shown in his allegiance with Briallyn thus indirectly with Koschei. As of ACOSF, Beron-Briallyn alliance didn't make any sense and it ended in a cliff-hanger. Will Beron ally himself with Koschei? Will Beron stay idle? One thing for sure is that Elriel’s relationship will trigger that particular conflict as it is mentioned in Azriel and Rhysand’s discussion. More on that note, Beron’s situation would be dealt first, similar as Briallyn with Nesta, before Koschei is dealt in the last book.

[shihalyfie]

Hi :) If it's not too much trouble, could you please share your take on why they'd continue the Adventure brand after tri. was such a flop? (and a tangent: what does "dark history" even mean?). We got Kizuna, the reboot, and a 02 movie. Logically, it doesn't really make sense they'd keep investing in it.

This is a thorny topic, and I'd like to reiterate that although I've ended up making more posts related to this series and the discourse surrounding it recently (probably because it's even more on the mind now that another movie is on the horizon and a lot of people are apprehensive for various reasons), I do not want this blog to be making a brand out of being critical of this series. I’m writing this here and in public because I figured that there is a certain degree I need to clarify what I mean about audience reception/climate and how it might impact current or future works, and I’m admittedly also more than a little upset that I occasionally see Western fanbase criticisms of the series getting dismissed by people claiming that the only people mad about it are dramamongering or ignorant Westerners (which could not be further from the truth). However, this is mainly to address this and to answer your question, and is not intended to try and change anyone's existing opinion or impression of the series as much as it's me trying to explain (from my own personal reading of the situation) what practically went down with critical reception in real life; no more, no less.

The short summary of the matter is:

The series was a moderate financial success (albeit with some caveats; see the long version for details) and definitely outstripped a lot of prior attempts to revive the franchise;

However, the overall Japanese fanbase-side critical backlash from tri. was extremely and viciously negative to the point where even acknowledging the series too much could easily result in controversy;

Kizuna’s production and the PR surrounding it very obviously have this in mind with a lot of apparent “damage control” elements.

The long version is below.

Note that while I try to be diligent about citing my sources so people understand that I’m not just making things up wholesale, I’m deliberately refraining from linking certain things here this time, both because some of the things mentioned have some pretty crude things written there -- it’s not something I feel comfortable directing people to regardless of what language it’s in -- and because I don’t want to recklessly link things on social media and cause anyone to go after or harass the people involved. For the links that have been provided, please still be warned that some of them don’t really link to particularly pleasant things.

I am not writing the following information to suggest that anyone should agree or disagree with the sentiments being described. I know people tend to take "a lot of people like/hate this" as a signal of implication "it is correct to like/hate this" when it's not (and I especially dislike the idea of implying that Japanese fanbase opinions are the only correct ones). There's a reason I focus on "critical reception being this way" (because it influences marketing decisions and future direction) rather than how much this should impact one's personal feelings; this is coming from myself as someone who is shamelessly proud of liking many things that had bad critical reception, were financial failures, or are disliked by many. As I point out near the end, the situation also does seem to be changing for the better in more recent years as well.

Also, to be clear, I'm a single person who's observing everything best I can from my end, I have no affiliations with staff nor do I claim to, and as much as I'm capable of reading Japanese and thus reading a lot of people's impressions, I'm ultimately still another “outsider” looking in. These are my impressions from my observation of fan communal spaces, following artists and reading comments on social media and art posting websites, and results from social media searches. In the end, I know as much as anyone else about what happened, so this is just my two cents based on all of my personal observations.

A fanbase is a fanbase regardless of what part of the world you're from. There are people who love it and are shameless about saying so. There are people who have mixed feelings or at least aren't on extreme ends of the spectrum (as always, the loudest ones are always the most visible, but it's not always easy to claim they're the predominant percentage of the fanbase). That happens everywhere, and I still find that on every end I've seen. However, if I'm talking about my impressions and everything I’ve encountered, I will say that the overall Japanese reaction to tri. comes off as significantly more violently negative on average than the Western one, which is unusual because often it's the other way around. (I personally feel less so because the opinions are that fundamentally different and more so because we're honestly kind of loud and in-your-face people; otherwise, humans are mostly the same everywhere, and more often than not people feel roughly the same about everything if they’re given the same information to work with.)

This is not something I can say lightly, and thus would not say if I didn’t really get this impression, but...we're talking "casually looking up movie reviews for Kizuna have an overwhelming amount of people casually citing any acknowledgment of tri. elements as a negative element", or the fact that even communal wikis for "general" fandoms like Pixiv and Aniwota don't tend to hold back in being vicious about it (as of this writing, Pixiv's wiki refuses to consider it in the same timeline as Adventure, accusing it of being "a series that claims to be a sequel set three years after 02 but is in fact something different"). Again, there are people who openly enjoy it and actively advocate for it (and Pixiv even warns people to not lord over others about it condescendingly because of the fact that such people do exist), and this is also more of a reflection of “the hardcore fanbase on the Internet” and not necessarily the mainstream (after all, there are quite a few other Digimon works where the critical reception varies very heavily between the two). Nevertheless, the take-home is that the reputation is overall negative among the Internet fanbase to the point that this is the kind of sentiment you run into without trying all that hard.

I think, generally speaking, if we're just talking about why a lot of people resent the series, the reasons aren't that different from those on the Western side. However, that issue of "dark history" (黒歴史): there's a certain degree of demand from the more violently negative side of the fanbase that's, in a sense, asking official to treat it as a disgrace and never acknowledge it ever again, hence why Kizuna doing so much as borrowing things from it rather than rejecting it outright is still sometimes treated like it’s committing a sin. So it's somewhat close in spirit to a retcon movement, which is unusual because no other Digimon series gets this (not even 02; that was definitely a thing on the Western end, but while I'm sure there are people who hate it that much on their end too, I've never really seen it gain enough momentum for anyone to take it seriously). If anyone ever tells you that Japanese fanbases are nice to everything, either they don't know Japanese, are being willfully ignorant, or are lying to you, because there is such thing as drama in those areas, and in my experience, I've seen things get really nasty when things are sufficiently pushed over the edge, and if a fanbase wants to have drama, it will have drama. This happens to be one of those times.

(If you think this is extreme, please know that I also think so too, so I hope you really understand that me describing this sentiment does not mean I am personally endorsing it. Also, let me reiterate that the loudest section of the fanbase is not necessarily the predominant one; after all, as someone who’s been watching reactions to 02 over the years, I myself can attest that its hatedom has historically made it sound more despised than it actually is in practice.)

My impression is that the primary core sentiment behind why the series so much as existing and being validated is considered such an offense (rather than, say, just saying "wow, that writing was bad" and moving on) is heavily tied to the release circumstances the series came out in during 2015-2018, and the idea that "this series disrespected Adventure, and also disrespected the fanbase.” (I mean, really, regardless of what part of the world you’re from, sequels and adaptations tend to be held to a higher bar of expectation than standalone works, because they’re expected to do them justice.) A list of complaints I’ve come across a lot while reading through the above:

The Japanese fanbase is pretty good at recordkeeping when it comes to Adventure universe lore, partially because they got a lot of extra materials that weren’t localized, but also partially because adherence to it seems to generally be more Serious Business to them than it is elsewhere. For instance, “according to Adventure episode 45, ‘the one who wishes for stability’ (Homeostasis) only started choosing children in 1995, and therefore there can be no Chosen Children before 1995” is taken with such gravity that this, not anything to do with evolutions or timeline issues, is the main reason Hurricane Touchdown’s canonicity was disputed in that arena (because Wallace implies that he met his partners before 1995). It’s a huge reason the question of Kizuna also potentially not complying to lore came to the forefront, because tri. so flagrantly contradicts it so much that this issue became very high on the evaluation checklist. In practice, Kizuna actually goes against Adventure/02 very little, so the reason tri. in particular comes under fire for this is that it does it so blatantly there were theories as early as Part 1 that this series must take place in a parallel universe or something, and as soon as it became clear it didn’t, the resulting sentiment was “wow, you seriously thought nobody would notice?” (thus “disrespecting the audience”).

A lot of the characterization incongruity is extremely obvious when you’re following only the Japanese version, partially because it didn’t have certain localization-induced characterization changes (you are significantly less likely to notice a disparity with Mimi if you’re working off the American English dub where they actually did make her likely to step on others’ toes and be condescending, whereas in Japanese the disparity is jarring and hard to miss) and partially due to some things lost in translation (Mimi improperly using rough language on elders is much easier to spot as incongruity if you’re familiar with the language). Because it’s so difficult to miss, and honestly feels like a lot of strange writing decisions you’d make only if you really had no concept of what on earth happened in the original series, it only contributes to the idea that they were handling Adventure carelessly and disrespectfully without paying attention to what the series was even about (that, or worse, they didn’t care).

02 is generally well-liked there! It’s controversial no matter where you go, but as I said earlier, there was no way a retcon movement would have ever been taken seriously, and the predominant sentiment is that, even if you’re not a huge fan of it, its place in canon (even the epilogue) should be respected. So not only flagrantly going against 02-introduced lore but also doing that to a certain quartet is seen as malicious, and you don’t have as much of the converse discourse celebrating murdering the 02 quartet (yeah, that’s a thing that happened here) or accusing people with complaints of “just being salty because they like 02″ as nearly as much of a factor; I did see it happen, or at least dismissals akin to “well it’s Adventure targeted anyway,” but they were much less frequent. The issue with the 02 quartet is usually the first major one brought up, and there’s a lot of complaints even among those who don’t care for 02 as much that the way they went about it was inhumane and hypocritical, especially when killing Imperialdramon is fine but killing Meicoomon is a sin. Also, again, “you seriously think nobody will see a problem with how this doesn’t make sense?”

I think even those who are fans of the series generally agree with this, but part of the reason the actual real-life time this series went on is an important factor is that the PR campaign for this series was godawful. Nine months of clicking on an egg on a website pretending like audience participation meant something when in actuality it was blatantly obvious it was just a smokescreen to reveal info whenever they were ready? This resulted in a chain effect where even more innocuous/defensible things were viewed in a suspicious or negative light (for instance, "the scam of selling the fake Kaiser's goggles knowing Ken fans would buy it only to reveal that it's not him anyway"), and a bunch of progressively out-of-touch-with-the-fanbase statements and poor choices led to more sentiment “yeah, you’re just insulting the fanbase at this point,” and a general erosion of trust in official overall.

On top of that, the choice of release format to have it spread out as six movies over three years seems to have exacerbated the backlash to get much worse than it would have been otherwise, especially since one of the major grievances with the series is that how it basically strung people along, building up more and more unanswered questions before it became apparent it was never going to answer them anyway. So when you’re getting that frustrated feeling over three whole years, it feels like three years of prolonged torture, and it becomes much harder to forgive for the fallout than if you’d just marathoned the entire thing at once.

For those who are really into the Digimon (i.e. species) lore and null canon, while I’m not particularly well-versed in that side of the fanbase, it seems tri. fell afoul of them too for having inaccurately portrayed (at one point, mislabeled) special attacks and poorly done battle choreography, along with the treatment of Digimon in general (infantilized Digimon characterization, general lack of Digimon characters in general, very flippant treatment of the Digital World in Parts 3-5). If you say you’re going to “reboot” the Digital World and not address the entire can of worms that comes with basically damaging an entire civilization of Digimon, as you can imagine, a lot of people who actually really care about that are going to be pissed, and the emerging sentiment is “you’re billing this as a Digimon work, but you don’t even care about the monsters that make up this franchise.”

The director does not have a very positive reputation among those who know his work (beyond just Digimon), and in general there was a lot of suspicion around the fact they decided to get a guy whose career has primarily been built on harem and fanservice anime to direct a sequel to a children’s series. Add to that a ton of increasingly unnerving statements about how he intended to make the series “mature” in comparison to its predecessor (basically, an implication that Adventure and 02 were happy happy joy series where nothing bad ever happened) and descriptions of Adventure that implied a very, very poor grasp of anything that happened in it: inaccurate descriptions of their characters, poor awareness of 02′s place in the narrative, outright saying in Febri that he saw the Digimon as like perpetual kindergartners even after evolving, and generally such a flippant attitude that it drove home the idea that the director of an Adventure sequel had no respect for Adventure, made this series just to maliciously dunk on it for supposedly being immature, and has such a poor grasp of what it even was that it’s possible he may not have seen it in the first place (or if he did, clearly skimmed it to the extent he understood it poorly to pretty disturbing levels). As of this writing, Aniwota Wiki directly cites him as a major reason for the backlash.

In general, consensus seems to be that the most positively received aspect of the series (story-wise) was Part 3 (mostly its ending, but some are more amenable to the Takeru and Patamon drama), and the worst vitriol goes towards Parts 2 (for the blatantly contradictory portrayal of Mimi and Jou and the hypocritical killing of Imperialdramon) and 4 (basically the “point of no return” where even more optimistic people started getting really turned off). This is also what I suspect is behind the numbers on the infamous DigiPoll (although the percentage difference is admittedly low enough to fall within margin of error). However, there was suspicion about the series even from Part 1, with one prominent fanartist openly stating that it felt more like meeting a ton of new people than it did reuniting with anyone they knew.

So with all of that on the table: how did this affect official? The thing is that when I say “violently negative”, I mean that also entailed spamming official with said violently negative social media comments. While this is speculation, I am fairly certain that official must have realized how bad this was getting as early as between Parts 4 and 5, because that’s where a lot of really suspicious things started happening behind the scenes; while I imagine the anime series itself was now too far in to really do anything about it, one of the most visible producers suddenly vanished from the producer lineup and was replaced by Kinoshita Yousuke, who ended up being the only member of tri. staff shared with Kizuna (and, in general, the fact that not a single member of staff otherwise was retained kind of says a lot). Once the series ended in 2018 and the franchise slowly moved into Kizuna-related things, you might notice that tri.-branded merch production almost entirely screeched to a halt and official has been very touchy about acknowledging it too deeply; it’s not that they don’t, but it’s kind of an awfully low amount for what you’d think would be warranted for a series that’s supposed to be a full entry in the big-name Adventure brand.

The reason is, simply, that if they do acknowledge it too much, people will get pissed at them. That’s presumably why the tri. stage play (made during that interim period between Parts 4 and 5 and even branded with the title itself) and Kizuna are really hesitant to be too aggressive about tri. references; it’s not necessarily that official wants to blot it out of history like the most extreme opinions would like them to, but even being too enthusiastic about affirming it will also get them backlash, especially if the things they affirm are contradictory to Adventure or 02. And considering even the small references they did put in still got them criticism for “affirming” tri. too much, you can easily see that the backlash would have been much harder if they’d attempted more than that; staying as close as possible to Adventure and 02 and trying to deal with tri. elements only when they’re comparatively inoffensive was pretty much the “safe” thing to do in this scenario (especially since fully denying tri. would most certainly upset the people who did like the series, and if you have to ask me, I personally think this would have been a pretty crude thing to have done right after the series had just finished). Even interviews taken after the fact often involve quickly disclaiming involvement with the series, or, if they have to bring up something about it, discussing the less controversial aspects like the art (while the character designs were still controversial, it’s at least at the point where some fanartists will still be willing to make use of them even if they dislike the series, albeit often with prominent disclaimers) or the more well-received parts of Part 3; Kizuna was very conspicuously marketed as a standalone movie, even if it shared the point of “the Adventure kids, but older” that tri. had.

(Incidentally, the tri. stage play has generally been met with a good reputation and was received well even among people who were upset with the anime, so it was well-understood that they had no relation. In fact, said stage play is probably even better received than Kizuna, although that’s not too surprising given the controversial territory Kizuna goes into, making the stage play feel very play-it-safe in comparison.)

So, if we’re going to talk about Kizuna in particular: tri. was, to some degree, a moderate financial success, in the sense that it made quite a bit of money and did a lot to raise awareness of the Digimon brand still continuing...however, if you actually look at the sales figures for tri., they go down every movie; part of it was probably because of the progressively higher “hurdle” to get into a series midway, but consider that Gundam Unicorn (a movie series which tri.’s format was often compared to) had its sales go up per movie thanks to word of mouth and hype. So while tri. does seem to have gotten enough money to help sustain the franchise at first, the trade-off was an extremely livid fanbase that had shattered faith in the brand and in official, and so while continuing the Adventure brand might still be profitable, there was no way they were going to get away with continuing to do this lest everything eventually crash and burn.

Hence, if you look at the way Kizuna was produced and advertised, you can see a lot of it is blatantly geared at addressing a lot of the woes aimed at tri.: instead of the staff that had virtually no affiliation with Toei, the main members of staff announced were either from the original series (Seki and Yamatoya) or openly childhood fans, the 02 quartet was made into a huge advertising point as a dramatic DigiFes reveal (and character profies that tie into the 02 epilogue careers prominently part of the advertising from day one), and they even seemed to acknowledge the burnout on the original Adventure group by advertising it so heavily as “the last adventure of Taichi and his friends”, so you can see that there’s a huge sentiment of “damage control” with it. How successful that was...is debatable, since opinions have been all over the board; quite a few people were naturally so livid at what happened with tri. that Kizuna was just opening more of the wound, but there were also people who liked it much better and were willing to acknowledge it (with varying levels of enthusiasm, some simply saying “it was thankfully okay,” and some outright loving it), and there was a general sentiment even among those who disliked both that they at least understood what Kizuna was going for and that it didn’t feel as inherently disrespectful. (Of course, there are people who loved tri. and hated Kizuna, and there are people who loved both, too.)

Moreover, Kizuna actually has a slightly different target audience from tri.; there’s a pretty big difference between an OVA and a theatrical movie, and, quite simply, Kizuna was made under the assumption that a lot of people watching it may not have even seen tri. in the first place. An average of 11% of the country watched Adventure and 02, but the number of people who watched tri. is much smaller, in part due to the fact that its “theater” screenings were only very limited screenings compared to Kizuna being shown in theaters in Japan and worldwide, and in part due to the fact that watching six parts over three years is a pretty huge commitment for someone who may barely remember Digimon as anything beyond a show they watched as a kid, and may be liable to just fall off partway through because they simply just forgot. (Which also probably wasn’t helped by the infamously negative reputation, something that definitely wouldn’t encourage someone already on the fence.) And that’s yet another reason Kizuna couldn’t make too many concrete tri. references; being a theatrical movie, it needs to have as wide appeal as possible, and couldn’t risk locking out an audience that had a very high likelihood of not having seen it, much less to the end -- it may have somewhat been informed by tri.’s moderate financial success and precedent, but it ultimately was made for the original Adventure and 02 audience more than anything else.

I would say that, generally, while Kizuna is “controversial” for sure, reception towards the movie seems to be more positive than negative, it won over a large chunk of people who were burned out by tri., and it clearly seems to have been received well enough that it’s still being cashed in on a year after its release. The sheer existence of the upcoming 02-based movie is also probably a sign of Kizuna’s financial and critical success; Kinoshita confirmed at DigiFes 2020 that nothing was in production at the time, and stated shortly after the movie’s announcement that work on it had just started. So the decision to make it seems to have been made after eyeing Kizuna’s reception, and, moreover, the movie was initially advertised from the get-go with Kizuna’s director and writer (Taguchi and Yamatoya), meaning those two have curried enough goodwill from the fanbase that this can be used to promote the movie. (If not, you would think that having and advertising Seki would be the bigger priority.) While this is my own sentiment, I am personally doubtful official would have even considered 02 something remotely profitable enough on its own to cash in on if it weren’t for this entire sequence of events of 02′s snubbing in tri. revealing how much of a fanbase it had (especially with the sheer degree of “suspicious overcompensation” Kizuna had with its copious use of the 02 quartet and it tagging a remix of the first 02 ED on the Hanareteitemo single, followed by the drama CD and character songs), followed by Kizuna having success in advertising with them so heavily. Given all of the events between 2015 and now, it’s a bit ironic to see that 02 has now become basically the last resort to be able to continue anything in the original Adventure universe without getting too many people upset at them about it.

The bright side coming out of all of this is that, while it’s still a bit early to tell, now that we’re three years out from tri. finishing up and with Kizuna in the game, it seems there’s a possibility for things improving around tri.’s reception as well. Since a lot of the worst heated points of backlash against it have a very “you had to have been there” element (related to the PR, release schedule, and staff comments), those coming in “late” don’t have as much reason to be as pissed at it; I’ve seen at least one case of a fanartist getting back into the franchise because of Kizuna hype, watching tri. to catch up, casually criticizing it on Twitter, and moving on with their life, presumably because marathoning the whole thing being generally aware of what’ll happen in it and knowing Kizuna is coming after anyway gives you a lot less reason to be angry to the point of holding an outright grudge. Basically, even if you don’t like it, it’s much easier to actually go “yeah, didn’t like that,” not worry too much about it, and move on. Likewise, I personally get the impression that official has been starting to get a little more confident about digging up elements related to it. Unfortunately, a fairly recent tweet promoting the series getting put on streaming services still got quite a few angry comments implying that they should be deleting the scourge from the Internet instead, so there’s still a long way to go, but hopefully the following years will see things improve further...

In regards to the reboot, I -- and I think a lot of people will agree with me -- have a bit of a hard time reading what exact audience it’s trying to appeal to; we have a few hints from official that they want parents to watch it with their children, and that it may have been a necessary ploy in order to secure their original timeslot. So basically, the Adventure branding gets parents who grew up with the original series to be interested in it and to show it to their kids, and convinces Fuji TV that it might be profitable. But as most people have figured by now, the series has a completely different philosophy and writing style -- I mean, the interview itself functionally admits it’s here to be more action-oriented and to have its own identity -- and the target audience is more the kids than anything else. As for the Internet fanbase of veterans, most people have been critical of its character writing and pacing, but other than a few stragglers who are still really pissed, it hasn’t attracted all that much vitriol, probably because in the end it’s an alternate universe, it doesn’t have any obligation to adhere to anything from the original even if it uses the branding, and it’s clearly still doing its job of being a kids’ show for kids who never saw the original series nor 02, so an attempt to call it “disrespectful” to the original doesn’t have much to stand on. A good number of people who are bored of it decided it wasn’t interesting to them and dropped it without incident, while other people are generally just enjoying it for being fun, and the huge amount of Digimon franchise fanservice with underrepresented Digimon and high fidelity to null canon lore is really pleasing the side of the fanbase that’s into that (I mean, Digimon World Golemon is really deep in), so at the very least, there’s not a lot to be super-upset about.

[cappymightwrite]

What are your thoughts on Ned Stark ?

Hi!

I have conflicted feelings on Ned. Probably just below Stannis, he's the Westerosi man most in need of therapy, in my opinion. Actually, that's an interesting comparison — Ned and Stannis, which I know has been commented on before. They're alike in many ways, in terms of reserve etc., which makes the fact that Robert saw Ned as his true brother all the more painful to Stannis (though of course this is never explicitly stated). But anyway, back to Ned.

There's certain things I struggle with in regards to Ned, even though I understand the reasoning behind his actions, or rather, inaction. So, it makes thinking back on him in a wholly positive and fond light somewhat difficult, as I suppose it must be for Sansa in a way, as well as for Jon, once his parentage is revealed. I don't wholly dislike him though, I actually value him a lot, I just take issue with:

Him never apparently trusting Catelyn enough to be honest about Jon's parentage (+ the way he avoids telling Jon, to some extent)

No matter how loving they were... there is this unresolved (and now forever unresolved) barrier at the heart of their relationship, an unequal exchange of trust, which was within Ned's power to lift, to make fully mutual. But he didn't. Now, he had his reasons, self-sacrificing and seemingly honourable as they may appear, and certainly the narrative required this secret to be kept. But even so, in terms of how I regard his character? It rubs me the wrong way because he never gave her the opportunity to sympathise and fully understand him, he cut himself off from that. And yeah, maybe it might not have improved Jon's situation all that much, but he never gave Cat the opportunity to think of him differently, in a way that wasn't dictated by the social mores of their world:

It had taken her a fortnight to marshal her courage, but finally, in bed one night, Catelyn had asked her husband the truth of it, asked him to his face.

That was the only time in all their years that Ned had ever frightened her. "Never ask me about Jon," he said, cold as ice. "He is my blood, and that is all you need to know. And now I will learn where you heard that name, my lady." She had pledged to obey; she told him; and from that day on, the whispering had stopped, and Ashara Dayne's name was never heard in Winterfell again.

Whoever Jon's mother had been, Ned must have loved her fiercely, for nothing Catelyn said would persuade him to send the boy away. It was the one thing she could never forgive him. She had come to love her husband with all her heart, but she had never found it in her to love Jon. She might have overlooked a dozen bastards for Ned's sake, so long as they were out of sight. Jon was never out of sight, and as he grew, he looked more like Ned than any of the trueborn sons she bore him. Somehow that made it worse. – AGOT, Catelyn II

"It was the one thing she could never forgive him" — yeah, me too honey! Ok, sure, we don't know for sure if Cat might have "overlooked" Jon's uneasy place in their household "for Ned's sake", if she knew he was actually her nephew — the world would still believe him to be Ned's, so to outward appearances the awkwardness is still there. And yeah, we don't know if she could have "found it in her to love Jon", but the truth certainly would have made it far more likely! But Ned decided that it had to be this way, that only he could participate in carrying this secret. So, I hurt for Cat AND Jon really.

I get why he doesn't tell Jon the truth. I understand his warped logic, how the trauma of his past informs this sort of self-punishing mentality of I must keep this honourable promise made of love till the day I die even though to the outside world it will appear as a stain upon that very honour... and to punish myself further for failing Lyanna I will never unburden myself to anyone, this is my cross to bear alone. I understand that, it's very manpain-y. But the problem is... it doesn't just punish Ned, it punishes Cat and Jon, and his other children too! Because they are by no means blind to this elephant in the room of their parent's marriage, and it's hard to rationalise:

He looked at her uncomfortably. "My aunt Allyria says Lady Ashara and your father fell in love at Harrenhal—"

"That's not so. He loved my lady mother." – ASOS, Arya VIII

Your father loved your mother, but he also had a child with another woman, whose identity he would never talk about. Your father loved your mother, but his dedication to this secret ultimately trumped being fully honest and open with her. It's hard not to feel that Ned's present came second to making up for the "sins" of his past. This is why he desperately needed therapy, lol, because (to take a line from my Byronic Hero meta) Ned's "traumatic past informs his present life," and to the detriment of that present life and those present relationships as well. But hey, that's the tragedy.

Also, I think his whole I'll tell you the truth when I next see you to Jon is really sketchy, because when exactly might that be, Ned? An avoidance tactic if I ever saw one. But really, I don't think he'd be emotionally equipped to have that conversation anyway... he might have said he'd tell him someday, but deep down, I'm sure he hoped he may never have to. And then he conveniently dies, taking the secret with him (or so we think)!

Allowing the death of Lady

Bran's wolf had saved the boy's life, he thought dully. What was it that Jon had said when they found the pups in the snow? Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord. And he had killed Sansa's, and for what? Was it guilt he was feeling? Or fear? If the gods had sent these wolves, what folly had he done? – AGOT, Eddard IV

"And for what?" Yes, quite. I don't really have much to say on this... I think this passage speaks for itself. There's probably some other things I could talk about, but those are my main two gripes.

That being said... what I value about Ned are his words of wisdom

The thing about Ned, for me, is that despite the unmaliciously meant pain he inflicts on his loved ones (which I do understand the reasoning behind, the trauma that informs it etc)... he's still ultimately a figure of hope to me, a notably flawed, but no less significant, ideal within the narrative too. And I think you need that — we need the memory of Ned as readers, and so do the Starklings. So, I love him more for what he represents, rather than his parenting and lacklustre husbanding skills. I value the fundamental truths he emphasises through his words, and the legacy of those words, embodied within his children.

For example:

"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa… Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you… and I need both of you, gods help me." – AGOT, Arya II

Honestly, people can "squabble" about which Stark sibling is more important, more this, more that, till the cows come home. But that's what it is... "squabbles", and it misses the mark completely about why the Starks are the heart of the series. They are the Starks, plural. They may be different from one another, but they are "pack", and come winter, (TWOW, to be exact), once reunited they will "protect one another, keep each other warm, share [their] strengths", because those are the values Ned taught them.

These are the things to remember, despite all the hellishness. This is why Ned's death wasn't in vain, it wasn't an edgy twist, or the first whiff of grimdark... because his legacy didn't end with him, it lives on, it is felt throughout the series, right up until the most recent book:

"Be that as it may. My father sat where I sit now when Lord Eddard came to Sisterton. Our maester urged us to send Stark's head to Aerys, to prove our loyalty. It would have meant a rich reward. The Mad King was open-handed with them as pleased him. By then we knew that Jon Arryn had taken Gulltown, though. Robert was the first man to gain the wall, and slew Marq Grafton with his own hand. 'This Baratheon is fearless,' I said. 'He fights the way a king should fight.' Our maester chuckled at me and told us that Prince Rhaegar was certain to defeat this rebel. That was when Stark said, 'In this world only winter is certain. We may lose our heads, it's true… but what if we prevail?' My father sent him on his way with his head still on his shoulders. 'If you lose,' he told Lord Eddard, 'you were never here.'" – ADWD, Davos I

I love this line so much, and I love that it comes from Ned, that just as we are gearing up to head into the darkest parts of the series (because Winds is apparently going to be very dark)... we have this light, this hope, this "what if we prevail?" And it's connected to this repeated refrain about the certainty of winter — "in this world only winter is certain" vs. "winter is coming" — which is closely tied to Ned as a character. So, yes, "winter is coming", but don't be decieved into thinking that that spells disaster, that no warmth can be found, for there is always darkness before the dawn, just as there is always a winter before the spring... and in the winter the wolves shall "keep each other warm", they will "prevail."

In conclusion

Whatever his flaws and mistakes, and there are several, at the end of the day... I will love Ned for giving us hope, for reminding the readers, and characters, of what is really important — to take strength from your loved ones, to give them strength in return, and to not give into despair, no matter how harshly the snows might fall and white winds blow. Yes, it's not certain whether they'll live, but likewise, it's not certain whether they'll die either... and that's where you find the hope, the light against the grim dark.

So, for me, he's a character who makes my heart sink, but then he makes it swell again. That's the duality, and it's a choice which you put most stock in... I'll choose the hope he inspires every time ;)

[spacedikut]

(nearly) lost love ; spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid (criminal minds) x f!reader

summary: “hi idk if you’re taking requests but if you are i’d love to read something where the reader ends up getting hurt somehow (maybe by an unsub) and is in the hospital and spencer is super worried about her and maybe confesses his feelings for her bc he thought he was gonna lose her?? idk just something super fluffy with a little angst if you’re up for it” 2890 words

a/n: im gon na be honest idk how to write angst so i just went where the story took me????

masterlist

Spencer was proudly stood in front of his geological profile in the Austin precinct when the frantic call was made over the comms.

“Agent down! I repeat, Agent down! We need a medic!”

It was Morgan’s booming voice, firm and commanding, and Spencer first felt relief knowing at least Morgan was safe. But fear follows, prickling through his entire body when, oh no, someone on his team has been injured.

Morgan kept his comm connected. Spencer could hear all the chaos on the other end – he picked up that JJ was counting bodies, there was at least four medics requested, and, the most gut-wrenching for Spencer, was listening to Morgan repeat variations of, “Stay with me Y/N. Don’t close your eyes – listen to me, baby, stay with me, Y/N!”

You. You were the agent down.

You, who, less than two hours ago, laughed at your own joke so hard you couldn’t get it out. You, who made plans with him to go shopping for Halloween decorations that weekend (which Spencer was way too excited about, by the way). You.

You, who Spencer recently realised he’s in love with.

Why does he feel like this is his fault? He knows, logically, it isn’t – the obvious reason is because Spencer wasn’t there (which, a little voice in the back of his head says well maybe if you were there this wouldn’t have happened…) and it’s likely that this is entirely the ubsub’s fault. He attacked and you were the unlucky target.

But the history of Spencer’s love life shows there is a definite risk to being associated with him.

Is this the world’s way of telling him he shouldn’t love you? He shouldn’t tell you he loves you?

Was the big speech Derek gave him, the month they spent building Spencer’s confidence up, all for nothing? Because Spencer’s cursed?

This isn’t about you, Spencer, he thinks, angry at himself. God, you’re hurt, injuries still unknown, and he’s floundering because he’s convinced himself he’s cursed.

“Reid? You there?”

It’s Morgan, still talking through the comm, and it knocks Spencer out of his head. “Y-yeah, I’m here. Y/N? Is it Y/N? Is she okay?”

Morgan’s voice is calm and collected, as always, “Hey, kid, chill. She’s with a medic on the way to the hospital. You wanna-“

“I’ll meet you there.”

Spencer dashes out of the room.

+++

When he arrives, Hotch and JJ are waiting for him at the entrance. JJ expected Spencer to be worried, a little agitated, but she didn’t expect him to look so dishevelled and distressed. His hair, usually so well-kempt, sticks up in all directions. He abandoned his jacket and satchel at the station, obviously in a rush, and now his shoelace is untied and it’s giving JJ anxiety.

“Reid,” Hotch greets.

“How-“

“She’s fine, she’s okay,” JJ immediately says. Spencer has always said JJ knows exactly how to soothe him. “A nasty knock to the head, but she’s been taken care of and she’s resting now.”

Spencer’s whole body sighs in relief.

He sounds fragile when he asks, “Can I see her?”

JJ gives a small, bittersweet smile, then gestures for Spencer to follow her. He stays close, basically standing on her heels, the entire way to your room, where Emily is leaving.

He struts straight in, acknowledging no one, intent on seeing you and seeing you only.

You lie there, lifeless. All he can hear is the haunting sound of the heart monitor, combined with your chest minimally moving up and down being the only signs you’re alive. You’ve lost all your usual colour – Spencer recalls JJ mumbling something about you losing a lot of blood – and the whole sight makes his stomach lurch.

He walks in, and walks right back out.

Everyone shares looks of bewilderment. He did a complete 180, hardly sparing you a glance, and ran straight into the hospital’s bathroom where the team hears the distinct sound of retching.

Derek sighs and follows him. Their gazes meet: Spencer’s head barely lifting from the toilet bowl, Derek shutting and locking the bathroom door with pitying eyes.

“I’m sorry-“ Spencer starts.

“Don’t apologise. How you feeling?”

He groans in response, leaning against the wall. He begs himself to not think about all the germs and diseases that are probably infesting his body as they speak – his heart stings too much in his chest for that.

Spencer swallows the stone in his throat, grimacing at the remnants of bile, “Seeing her like that..”

“I know.”

“I never thought I’d see her like that. I’ve never wanted to see her like that and-and.. I couldn’t be there to protect her and help her-“

“None of this is your fault, Reid. It’s not your fault, or her fault, or anyone’s fault except the guy that did this. And he’s dead. And she’ll be fine. Please,” Derek warns, “Don’t guilt yourself into mayhem. I know you, and I know her, and all she wants is for you to be the first thing she sees when she wakes up. If not, or if she finds out you’re beating yourself up over this, she’ll kill you, man. With her bare hands.”

Derek’s smirking at the end of his speech because he’s right and Spencer knows it too. And Spencer can’t refrain from grinning a little at the thought of you, just gaining consciousness, and leaping from your bed to smack some sense into him.

You’re incredible. Which both pains him and makes him fall for you harder.

When Spencer rises and starts swirling his mouth out with water, Derek gives him a firm pat on the shoulder and leaves, Spencer not far behind.

This time, he won’t run out of the room like a weakling. Because it’s you and you need him to be there for you.

It’s what you’d do for him. And before that thought can go any further, he’s taking a deep breath and opening the door.

You’re still resting, looking exactly the same as when he first saw you, and his stomach jumps into his throat again – it pains him to see you like this.

But Penelope is leaning over you, fingers brushing your hair back with the trademarked tenderness that is Penelope Garcia. You’ve always called her your Fairy Godmother, your guardian angel, the true love of your life.

Maybe you’d rather see her when you first wake up.

So he stays back, lingering by the entrance of the room, until Rossi nudges him and he stumbles to the top of your bed. Right by your face, your oh-so-gorgeous but bruised face, and Spencer stares.

He can’t explain how glad he is that you’re okay. You’re here, a little beaten up, but he knows that in a couple days, maximum a week, you’ll be back in the bullpen with your quirks and nudges and warmth that is so you and he’ll never let anything come near you again.

(He knows he can’t actually do that. You wouldn’t let him. But he still thinks it, because he loves you and he’ll do anything for you)

The team silently agrees that Spencer will be the one to stay with you. At least until you wake up.

(Why? You might ask. Because you drunkenly told the girls that you’re convinced the closest thing to heaven on Earth would be waking up and Spencer Reid being the first thing you see every day. Ever since, they’ve committed themselves to trying to set you two up)

Spencer sleeps next to your bed, cramped in the uncomfortable and tiny chair, until about seven am. Then he recites some books in his head, just to pass the time. Then Penelope calls.

“I’m on my way with baked goods, Doctor. Would you like me to pick something up for you and the sleeping beauty?”

Spencer goes to decline, before looking at you, “I think Y/N would appreciate a burger. Maybe two.”

Garcia hums down the line, “You know, she’s always been full of good ideas. I’ll buy too many burgers then be on my way. Kisses!” Then hangs up.

In the meantime, Spencer scrolls through your conversation on his phone. He’d never been one for texting, or technology (notoriously), but you always send him things you think he’d like – maybe an article (he’s read every single one you’ve sent, even the one about the monkey using a frog to masturbate), a picture of a cute dog (this one looks like you, spence!!!!!!), and anything else that catches your eye.

For example, a comprehensive list of way too many “why did the chicken cross the road?” jokes.

They’re your kryptonite. Even after you explained the joke to Spencer, in depth, he still doesn’t quite understand the appeal. But you love them.

So he reads them to you.

He knows you can’t hear him. Being asleep is obviously very different to being in a coma, where people have claimed to be able to hear the people around them, but it passes the time and eases him a little. Cause he also knows that if you were awake you’d be chortling away, happy as can be. And that’s how you should always be.

Happy.

Spencer hopes he makes you happy.

Damn, he loves you.

Damn.

He has to tell you he loves you.

It feels like this need, this obligation – if he doesn’t tell you when you wake up then when will he tell you? The next time you’re injured?

The thought sends him reeling.

No matter the outcome, you need to know. He needs to tell you.

“Why did the rooster cross the road?” He reads aloud, “To cockadoodle dooo something.”

He’s cheesing at his screen, at the audacity and stupidity of these jokes. But they’re sweet, just like you, and they take everyone prisoner when it comes to making people smile.

“That was a good one.” You heh.

Your voice is croaky after not being used in hours, but it’s still the same dreamy voice Spencer loves to hear.

You’re awake. And already smiling, which is one hell of a win in Spencer’s book.

“Good morning.” He whispers.

“It’s morning?” You ask, moving your head slowly to see outside your window. “At least I got a full night’s sleep for once.”

“Should you really be joking in your condition?” Spencer teases, leaning to fluff your pillow when you wince.

You exhale deeply, “And what is my condition, exactly?”

“You look as sexy as ever, buttercup.”

Garcia’s grinning from the doorway, Derek the same from behind her, two bags of food in her hands.

You’re ecstatic when you say, “Penny!” Trying to hide the pain when she hugs you. You’re too happy to see her to turn down her love.

She dishes out the burgers and, as expected, you ask if there’s another in there for you. You chomp happily, despite the dull ache still present, chatting jovially with the three of them.

Penelope gets caught up in telling you about the most recent documentary she saw. When he notices, Derek nods towards the door, making Spencer furrow his eyebrows in confusion. What does he want?

Derek does it again and Spencer gets it. He lifts from his seat the same time Derek does, saying nothing until they’re out of the room and the door has shut behind them.

“I’m gonna make Penelope leave-“ Derek begins, and Spencer stutters.

“What? Why? Is everything okay?”

Derek chuckles at Spencer’s reaction, “Kid, everything’s fine. You just gotta tell her.”

Spencer doesn’t even try to pretend he doesn’t know what Derek’s referring to. He peeks through your door’s window, staring directly at you as you giggle at something Penelope says.

“Do I?” He ponders. “It could-“

“Nope. We’re not doing that “it could ruin everything” spiel. You’re an adult, she’s an adult, and adults don’t play around with feelings like this. Tell. Her.” Derek’s got both hands on Spencer’s shoulders, grip tightening and loosening sporadically as he talks. He looks like a football coach giving a pep talk before the big game, and Spencer feels invigorated.

“Alright.” Spencer nods once, “Let’s do this.”

“I will remove Penelope Garcia from the premises.”

They nod at eachother and move back into your room.

+++

When Penelope is pulled from your room by Derek, stumbling and muttering and stuttering, all you do is blink in confusion.

“What’s going on there?” You say, speaking out of the side of your mouth, as if you’re sharing a secret.

Spencer doesn’t answer. You turn to look at him, another question on your tongue, but the words die when you see his facial expression.

It’s so tender. So soft, and gentle, the littlest of smiles on his lips as his cheeks darken.

“If I tell you something really dramatic right now, do you think you could handle that?”

Your head tilts, brows furrowed, looking far too endearing with your bandaged head.

He clears his throat, “I just-just need to make sure it won’t overwhelm you.”

You don’t know what to expect, but you agree anyway. Is this why Derek and Penelope left?

“I vomited when I saw you in bed. In this bed. In hospital.” He begins.

“Oh, thanks, Spence,” You tease.

“No- no. Hear me out!” He gives a little laugh, hands coming up in defence. “I don’t have a script, and statistically, both men and women speak around sixteen-thousand words a day – I want these ones to be special. Because you’re special.”

You’re still visibly confused. You clasp your hands together in your lap, “I’m listening. You have my full attention.”

Having your full attention is terrifying and electrifying at the same time. Spencer wants you to know that.

“You make me feel things, you know.” He reveals, “Things I’ve only ever read about, fantasised about – you know… things.”

This is going terribly. For a man who’s read the dictionary more times than he cares to count (he does care to count – twenty two times), he is very much struggling to explain himself to you.

Deep breath. From the start.

“It’s alright, Spence,” You console, hand resting on his closed ones. “Take your time.”

He does. He takes a few more breaths. “I don’t know where to start so- so bear with me.”

“Always.”

Why do you have to make his heart race like that?

“What?”

Oh. He said that out loud.

Well. Might as well repeat it.

“I said,” Louder this time, “Why do you have to make my heart race like that?”

“I’m sorry?”

“No. No- I like it. I like you, that’s what I’m trying to say. Maybe not like since Derek told me we’re not in high school, kid,” He lowers his voice to impersonate Derek, “But the l word is scary, especially when I don’t know how you’re gonna react. But whatever you say, however you react, we’ll be okay. I know we will. I just need you to know how you make me feel and how-how good I think I’d treat you, I guess.”

It feels like your silence goes on forever. Then you quietly ask, “And how do I make you feel, Spence?”

“Like I’ve never felt before. I meant it when I said you make me feel things I’ve only read about – you’re so easy to love, you know that? Infuriatingly so. And you’re so open – I think that’s what drew me in at first. You knew nothing about Doctor Who, but you heard I was asking around for someone to go with me to that convention and you said you were available if I wanted you and I… I had to practice how to ask you in the mirror for three days straight. Of course I want you, Y/N. I think I always have.”

His voice is timid when he asks, afraid of what the answer might be.

“Do you think you want me too?”

“Are you crazy?!” You cry out.

The volume makes Spencer jump. Then he registers what you said and slumps, rejection seeping in.

“Spencer-“ You say, exasperated, “You’re the most incredible person I know. I tell you all the time cause I mean it.” You give a short laugh, “How could you even think that I wouldn’t feel the exact same? I’m kind of obsessed with you, Spence.”

The shock on his face melts into pure joy. Is this really happening? You..

“I want you an embarrassing amount, Spencer Reid. I always have and I always will.”

He doesn’t know what overcomes him, but he leaps forward and smashes your lips together. It’s messy and a little clunky, teeth hitting together and mouths unable to stop grinning, but it’s perfect. Everything you could’ve asked for in your first kiss with Spencer.

It’s perfect. He’s perfect.

And he thinks the exact same of you.

He pulls back, heart racing and entire body burning, strong hands cradling your head. It doesn’t take a profiler to realise the two of you, foreheads leaning against eachother, are the happiest you’ve been in a long time.

“You taste like burger.” Spencer breathes, soft and low.

You giggle. “You taste like coffee and burger.”

His lips quirk, raising an eyebrow, “You like it?”

You hum, rubbing your nose against his, “I like it a whole lot. I like you a whole lot.”

Spencer kisses you again.

And again.

“Glad to know we’re on the same page.”

[lea-andres]

i'm giving you multiple ships that you either already know from our convos or that you're gonna know when i remember how to hold pm conversations or i'm fucking with you and no one will know the difference 😎

fiona and wave

bean and omega

storm and bark

jewel and tiara

shadsonamy

elise and maria

snively and molly

merlina and infinite

fang and knuckles

cosmo and zooey

mina and mighty

whisper and honey

SPEED ROUND LET'S GO!

Fiona and Wave - Don't know Fiona that well, refraining from making any calls or opinions on the ship. ?/10

Bean and Omega - Honestly? This might be the one Bean X Anybody ship that has me tempted to make it happen. Bean would be OBSESSED with Omega in a non-shipping way anyway, taking it one step further and giving him a crush on the robot would be even funnier. But I think I'm too attached to Bean the Sexuality Enigma to ever truly make that happen? 10/10, provides the most explosives and destruction.

Storm and Bark - I'm so pissed I can't steal your "Storm and Bark are exes, and things get weird after Bark and Jewel get together because 'Oh GOD my ex and the girl I threw against a wall once are dating now, they must HATE ME'" dynamic is so fucking funny, but the way I envision Team Hooligan and the Babylon Rogues both being kind of loner criminals who are aware of each other but never really crossed paths makes it really hard to make that make sense. 😭

I think in my lore, Bark views Storm the same way Jewel views Blaze, just: "...FUCK." 😂

9/10, because gay himbos.

Jewel and Tiara - THANKS FOR RUINING ONE OF THE WTDMTN SEQUEL SURPRISES!!! 😂😂😂

So, Tiara turns up in the sequel (and ends up joining Mina and the Hooligans 👀). She goes on the record during the sequel saying she thinks Bark's lucky to have Jewel (when and why she says this are massive spoilers) and we all know I think Jewel's a disaster pan who gets low key crushes on like every girl ever, so 8/10 there's some gay tension there.

Shadsonamy - I get where the people who ship it are coming from. SonAmy? Duh. Sonadow? Duh. Shadamy? When you look at their big conversation in SA2, I can see the logic of "Shadow would come to love and appreciate Amy's heart and support and her ability to see the good in others even when they themselves can't see it". So it makes sense to put the three together in a weird poly thing. 7/10.

Elise and Maria - 10/10 I'd legitimately want to see this happen please. Just soft sweet girly lesbians. A little bit of chaos, but mostly just sweethearts UGH-

Snively and Molly - I actually don't know Snively that well, refraining from having an opinion. ?/10.

Merlina and Infinite - I'm 99% certain you're just fucking with me, Oh Great Hog&Dog CEO, but why do I kinda get it (platonically) the more I think about it? 🤔 They'd be able to understand each other's experiences at least. 6/10, platonic potential.

Fang and Knuckles - This is another "Fang is putting off coming to terms with being bisexual" situation. While not to the same intensity as Espio and Silver, part of what drives Fang to be such a jerk to Knuckles IS a low key crush on him. Knuckles HATES him though. 5/10, Fang burnt that bridge too. (I think Bark's the only guy Fang has a small crush on that Fang hasn't completely killed all positive relationships possibilities with. 😂)

Cosmo and Zooey - 10/10 like Elise and Maria, just give me the sweetheart cottagecore bisexuals please. Or maybe a poly with Tails? 👀

Mina and Mighty - Eh, 6/10. I guess I see it, and they're both really friendly in my lore so they'd definitely get along platonically, but it doesn't do anything for me.

Whisper and Honey - OH AND THERE'S THE WTDMTN SURPRISE THANK YOU FOR THAT TOO!!! 😂

So... Honey appears briefly in WtDMtN, and plays a much bigger role in the sequel. (She fucking loses her mind with excitement when she finds out Bark's got a date in WtDMtN, and in the sequel she BEGS Jewel to let her design her wedding dress since she and Bark are old friends and she's just so excited for them and gets sucked into all the sequel drama because of that. 😂)

Honey's just got all the confidence and all the sweetness ever, and would just probably embarrass Whisper into shy silence with a thousand compliments about how pretty and awesome she is. Plus following my logic of "Everyone pretty much agrees Shadow, Espio, and Blaze are the hottest of the group", Honey could join them EASILY if more of the cast was aware of her. 8/10, stick Honey with any of the girls and watch her break their gay little minds. 😂😂😂

(I'll give you guys one more WtDMtN sequel hint, since the cat's out of the bag with Tiara and Honey. Remember how I said we see Bean go on a date with a girl? It's either Tiara or Honey. Not specifying which one or why, but he goes on a date with one of them. 😂😂😂)

[mystery-star]

Come and go – Spock

Pairing: Spock x reader(gender neutral)

Warnings: mentions of nudity

Words: 2349

A/N: @elysiansith ​ I’m just gonna tag you because that’s the cute idea I told you about that I had to write for Spock.

Please do not repost my work on other sites or platforms!

-

You were curled up on your couch, reading a book on your PADD when the door to your flat opened.

“Hey” you absentmindedly called into your boyfriend’s direction as you stretched yourself a little and sat down less slouched or you’d hear something about how it wasn’t good for your body. Not that you hated his lectures, at times they were just for your own best but it could be annoying to hear the same thing over and over. And you knew that sitting like this probably didn’t help your back but who cared, as long as it was comfortable? You heard him come to the living room almost directly and you frowned when you saw that he hadn’t even taken off his coat or his shoes because that usually was one of the first things he did after he came home

“You seem confused” he said

“Well you’re still wearing your stuff” you said, pointing at his Starfleet issue coat.

“I found it to be convenient to hide a surprise for you beneath it” you looked at him with your head tilted to the side. If you could, you would have raised your eyebrow

“Spock, I swear to fucking God, if you are naked under the coat I’m gonna… I don’t even know” he raised an eyebrow

“Why would I not wear clothes underneath my coat? Especially in winter and considering that Vulcans get colder more easily than humans?”

“Well” you said “makes sense but that just sounded like you’re gonna play exhibitionist here”

“Which would be illegal”

“Yeah whatever” you chuckled and switched off your PADD before putting it on the little stand beside the couch “So what did you bring me, huh?” he came closer to the couch before opening his coat so that you could see the little tabby kitten he was holding. “Oh my God” you cooed as you got up to take it into your own arms and pet it thoroughly “It is so cute. How did you get him or her?”

“I have found the animal on my way to work. Although I have planned to bring it to an animal shelter when I was done, it seemed to have taken a liking to me and I found that it would be better to take it home and clarify whether or not it has a family it belongs to before bringing it to a shelter”

“Aww” you cooed, stroking the animals head “you just don’t want to admit that Spock, the great Vulcan didn’t have a heart to give such a little cutie away” you rubbed your nose against its chest, making it purr “Aw did you hear that?”

“I did”

“Well it seems you have a competitor for my affection and tender loving care” he raised his eyebrow again

“I trust you hold another form of affection for me than for the feline?”

“Sure”

“Then it is illogical to see it as a competitor as you have just stated”

“Well I can still spend more time with it than you” the kitten let out a meow “Oh what’s wrong, cutiepie? Are you hungry?”

“It is possible. After all it as refused to eat the food I offered him in my lunch break”

“And what did you try to feed it? A salad?”

“Rice” he answered

“Yeah sure of course it refused. You want meat, don’t you?” you cooed at the animal “okay I need a name for you”

“I suggest you refrain from doing so or you will become attached to it and then you will not be able to let go when we give it away”

“Who said we’re giving it away?” you said, carefully pressing the furball against your chest.

“As I have mentioned earlier, we will ascertain if there is someone looking for it and if not, I will bring it to an animal shelter”

“And why can’t it stay with us if no one wants it?”

“Let us discuss this if we cannot find its owner”

“Means you might be persuaded to keep it?”

“That is not what I have said”

“But what you meant” you mumbled and got up “Alright, let’s see what we have that we could give you. Or maybe we could go and buy you cat food. I bet you’d like that, huh? But first let’s find out your gender and then name you”

“(Y/N) I still do not believe it is fortunate to name it”

“I’m gonna do it anyways” you glared at him, daring your boyfriend to contradict you again.

“Very well” he said “As far as I could ascertain it is a male”

“Oh you’re a sweet little boy then, huh?” you said “What would be a good name for you?”

“I suggest we call it cat”

“No, you wouldn’t call your child ‘baby’ either and that’s the same.”

“No, this would be illogical seeing that it would eventually become an adult, this making the name unfitting. Besides, cat refers to its species while baby would refer to the age of the child”

“Fair enough” you muttered “How about I call you Junior? Spock Junior?”

“Please do not name the animal after me” you chuckled and poked out your tongue

“What about Cookie? Or Mowgli, no wait Bagheera would be better than Mowgli, huh? Or wait, didn’t Egyptians worship a cat? They surely had a cat-god”

“Yes Bastet, who was, however female”

“Well it can still be a name for a male. Oh no wait. I think I have the perfect idea” you grinned “Socates. Or no, Spockrates” he looked at you with a mien that told you he was not happy at all about the name. “What? Would you at least agree to Socrates?”

“I do not care what you call it”

“Good, I’m gonna call him Spoc-“

“As long as it does not contain my name” you let out a huff

“Fine. Socrates then… wasn’t he one of the founders of logic? On earth I mean”

“No it was a student of one of his students. Aristoteles”

“Right, all the big names learned from each other, somehow. But wait, wasn’t Socrates executed?”

“Yes he was”

“Well then you probably saved at least this Socrates from death” he didn’t answer “Anyways since you’re still wearing your stuff…. how about we go shopping some things for Socrates?”

“Is that not something you can do on your own as well?”

“Yes. Don’t you want to come with me? Maybe you need to stop me from buying too much”

“That sounds reasonable”

-

Of course Spock had said he wouldn’t be jealous of the cat but you had noticed him throwing some not so neutral glances at Socrates while you were holding the animal in your lap and petting it in the following days. Or he’d give you a strange look when you were cooing at Socrates, although he probably was more wondering why you were doing that instead of being angry at the cat for getting all your attention.

The fun thing, however, was that you sometimes got jealous at Spock because Socrates seemed to adore him and was brushing against his legs all the time or hopped into his lap wherever he was sitting. But your boyfriend didn’t even seem to enjoy the cat’s advances and mostly shooed it away. Only then the animal would come to you as if to seek comfort, which you were willing to provide. Somehow you hoped that you wouldn’t find Socrates’ owner so that he could stay with you but at times you were certain that Spock would just bring him to the animal shelter anyway. Though sometimes he did seem to enjoy petting Socrates while he was working on something. At least his hand absentmindedly ran through the animal’s fur. Often you then would just lean against him as well, to remind that you were there too.

-

“But why not keep him?” you asked about a months later, when you still hadn’t heard of someone who wanted Socrates back or missed him “He’s happy here”

“You cannot know that for certain”

“Well you’re the touch telepath, so you tell me what he thinks” you crossed your arms and Spock was silent

“He is indeed content to be here and is fond of both of us”

“See? He loves us too. So why should we give him away? We won’t know what they’ll do with him”

“Perhaps we could attempt to find him a family he can live with? Would that appease you?”

“Well I already know someone he could live with; us”

“(Y/N), I understand that you have grown attached to him and you do not wish for him to leave but please understand that having a pet is a great responsibility”

“Sure because being a Commander means no responsibility at all, huh?”

“It certainly does hold responsibility, such as…”

“I was being sarcastic, Spock” you mumbled “I know, or better said can imagine what being a Commander feels like. But what I was trying to say is that if someone can take responsibility it’s you” he didn’t look like he agreed with your explanation “Or do you not want to keep him? Does Socrates annoy you?”

“He does not and if you believe that I do not want to have him you are mistaken”

“So you do want him?”

“I did not say that”

“So you don’t want to keep him but you also don’t want to give him away. What now?”

“As I have suggested, we could try to find someone who will take him”

“Hm that does sound better than giving him to a shelter. Because there he will be loved and not be one of many. But what if we don’t find someone?”

“We shall discuss this if the need arises”

“Alright” you said because it did mean that maybe you could keep him after all “Thank you” you said, pecking his cheek.

-

At first you were quite certain that no one wanted Socrates. But then Spock told you that a family who was interested in adopting him had contacted you. So they came to your place three days later to meet the cat and to see if Socrates liked them which was the case. Therefore, the next step you took was to go to the family’s place with Socrates to find out if he also was happy with the house he would be living in. Initially, he seemed a little scared but then went on exploring the new territory, sniffing almost everything he passed by. The kids of the family were super happy and followed him everywhere, trying to explain whatever he showed interest in was. It made your heart feel warm and a part of you didn’t want the kids to be disappointed in case the parents decided not to take Socrates. So you approached them to ask what they were thinking. When they said they would take him, your heart felt joy and sadness at the same time.

“Does he have a nickname?” the little girl suddenly asked, holding the cat in her arms while her brother was petting it.

“Well sometimes I call him Spockrates” from the corner of your eye you saw Spock throwing a glance at you “What? It’s a nickname” you told him “You’re called Spock but sometimes I call you darling or love too”

“I am under the impression that you solely called him Spockrates because I disapprove of the name”

“But it is cute. Because he is cute and you are cute” he raised an eyebrow “Don’t argue with me over your cuteness” you said warningly “Besides, you won’t hear me calling him Spockrates again…. they just agreed to take him” it hurt to say the last part

“Did you hear this?” the girl shrieked and almost started twirling the animal through the air “You stay with us!”

“Careful” her mother scolded “You could hurt him” you agreed that you would to home to bring the few items you had bought for Socrates and bring them here. Somehow, Socrates seemed sad when you left the door and you almost wanted to turn around, pick him up and take him with you. But that was nothing in contrast to when it was time to say goodbye to him. You cuddled him against your chest and silently talked to him, telling him to behave and be happy. Then you got up and walked over to Spock

“Do you want to say goodbye too?”

“That would be illogical seeing that he would not understand me. He cannot know what is happening”

“Well he might be sensing it” Spock looked at you and carefully stroked the animal behind the ears.

“I am certain he will have a good life here”

“Was that so difficult?” you muttered

“Yes” the boy agreed “We will feed him all the food we can find”

“Now that wouldn’t be good for him either. A bowl per day is enough although he believes otherwise. But don’t let him go through with it” you said with a wink, carefully placing him in the boy’s arms again.

“You hear? You can’t have too much food. So no begging” he leant closer and whispered something in the cat’s ear, making you smile. After the parents had thanked you and promised that you could come and visit him if you wanted, you threw a (hopefully not) last glance at Socrates who was pawing at the boy’s chest. When you left the flat, Spock placed a hand on your back and let you outside

“I understand this was not easy for you” you gave a shrug.

“Yeah. It was hard to leave him there. I mean I know he’ll have a good life but I will miss him”

“That is logical” you smiled

“But you were a very good pet owner, I must say” there was a smirk on your face as you pecked his nose “I’d like to see what kind of father you’d make” of course, Vulcans weren’t shocked but the expression you saw on his face was close to it.

-

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