#does. but they will continue to think she is that clever. bc she set that expectation and what IF their most insane theories ARE right one

[thekidsarentalright]

I don’t know if you want to continue this at all, but I find swiftie internet culture soooo interesting (my stance is that I like her music, but don’t consider myself a swiftie because I’m fairly indifferent to her as a person if that makes sense? I know quite a bit because her impact on culture is interesting)? Like the theories and the secret symbols they pick up (like six stairs, five holes in the fence = countdown), which most of the time aren’t actually there, but every once in a while, the like 1% of theories are actually proved (like the blue outfit rotations recently to signal 1989 tv, or the elevator goes to floor 3 in the bejeweled mv, signalling speak now tv).

oh i would be soooo happy to continue this discussion bc i'm in the same position as you, enjoying her music but not really caring about her/being part of the fandom but God is it interesting to watch the swiftie culture. the theories and secret symbols swifties are always picking up on is definitely one of the most interesting things, because taylor Has set the expectation that she hides symbolism and hints for whats to come in music videos, outfits she wears, etc, swifties now looking for clues in Everything, even where there absolutely is nothing. they often seem to Find things just because they want the symbolism to be there and it's just. so interesting bc, from an outside perspective, the symbols she leaves are often Glaringly obvious, she isn't as much of a mastermind as they act she is like. it is just so so interesting to see how she opened the door for some speculation and hint finding, and it's snowballed into swifties being like. unhinged levels of speculative. a very huge testament to the influence she has over her audience and how insane the power one celebrity can have over the people that like them.

[roobylavender]

had talia not been character assassinated do you think she and bruce should have gotten back together?

no. i hate to use the word "phase" bc that would seem to diminish the importance of what's between them, which is something that will always persist esp as their continued dedication to the same causes and their respect for each other remains. but i do think realistically bruce should be a phase in talia's life. at least in terms of consummated romances specifically. i do love the idea of them remaining allies, close friends, and co-parents, but i think allowing talia to walk away from ra's and bruce in the first place has to stand for something in the long term. before talia went her own way i think it was easier to imagine a potential future where she ended up with bruce bc it felt like the desirable option. she was in this very debilitating position where she had little to no freedom to act on her own desires and goals, the embodiment of which was none other than bruce. so when you frame her situation pre-tower of babel, obv wanting to be with bruce was appealing. he was as much the love of her life as he was a means of escape and freedom and talia having the scope to then act on her own desires. i think that's what subsequently makes dc #750 (or is it #570. i never get the numbers straight and i'm too lazy to check) a really clever issue, actually, bc it acknowledges that and the fact that bruce once again setting her free bc of his love for her actually gives her the courage to step out on her own where she never has before. the fact that she has the option to go back to gotham with bruce and presumably have everything she's ever wanted with him, but she leaves it anyway, is a really huge deal. it's a statement. she loves him, but not more than she loves herself. and sure, what talia puts herself through during lex corp era certainly begs the question of whether her version of loving herself is really viable or in any way healthy, and i would love to see bruce help her recognize that she's not alone and that she doesn't have to do it alone to prove that she's capable. all of this i agree with. but i don't think that really means she and bruce have to fall back on their once-imagined dream of playing house. even if talia did find methods of going about her work that were mentally healthier i don't really know what'd be in it for her to play house with bruce in gotham. bc that is what it would have to be, for their relationship to work in any way. bruce will never leave gotham and son of the demon didn't need to explore that issue bc it was never going to get there but trust that corny as the line about naming the baby thomas or martha was it was reflective of a reality: gotham is bruce's entire life. no matter where he goes, no matter what he does, no matter who he works with, in the end he will always belong to gotham. and i simply do not think that would ever work for talia bc there is so much more she is capable of. while her vision is aligned with bruce's her scope of access and ability is entirely distinct of his own and there is so much more that she can do aside from relegate herself to gotham (hence why lex corp as an arc makes so much sense, bc it capitalizes on that scope). and yeah every superhero couple is kinda crazy and they have teleportation and shit but idk i don't think it's really a relationship for each party to go on long missions with ill-defined parameters that give them the worst sleep schedules known to man and occasionally they share a bed. it really isn't. and that's something that bruce and talia have to live with. their duty is always going to come first even though they both have a passion for civilian life. for talia to be in a relationship again she would have to stop having the liberty of being able to go wherever the work carries her and for bruce to be in a relationship again he would have to have the equivalent of a robin-wife. neither of these things is ever going to happen. so

[eggsaladstain]

Hey, it's me again! Bc I loved how insightful your posts about Olek and Ling Yi were, showing you clearly think deeply about the show, I would like to ask you something outside the couple, if that is okay! So, I was rewatching Ep 3 (I have a severe case of brainrot for the two lovebirds) and something that Eyk said about the ships messed me up. He said the company bought 3 German ships. We have Kerberos and Prometheus, but who do you think is the third? I almost lost it. Could it be important?

@inferubim hello hello again, i'm so glad we are all still foaming at the mouth over this show.

i don’t know if the third ship itself is important, but the fact that there are three ships is important, and that importance is twofold: first, it continues the show’s central theme around triangles, and second, the ships themselves serve as a clever bit of foreshadowing for the plot.

triangles are obviously a huge part of the show, both literally and metaphorically. you have the ship company’s logo being the triangle with the line through it (the alchemical symbol for earth) and that symbol is repeated throughout the show in the set and costume design. we see the symbol tattooed behind elliot’s ear, and later on in the “present,” we see it tattooed on maura as well.

the characters are also grouped into sets of three, but never equally. there is an imbalance in each trio, and while that is certainly just a fact of human relationships, given the context of this show, i think it’s an intriguing detail we can’t overlook. maura’s first family unit is with henry and ciaran and her father prefers her to her brother. her second family unit is with daniel and elliot - she doesn’t remember either of them and the two of them are working together to change the simulation, and henry later tells elliot that daniel will always pick maura over him. maura has a love triangle with daniel and eyk and while she is married to daniel, she arguably has a stronger connection with eyk. speaking of the captain, he has three daughters but nina is clearly his favorite as she’s the only one he calls out to by name over and over again. clemence is married to lucien but has an instant connection to jerome and jerome and lucien have a shared history and secret from the war. krester, tove, and ada are siblings with krester and tove being much closer in age to each other than they are to ada. ramiro and angel are lovers but angel is tempted by krester. ling yi and yuk je are both employed by and at the mercy of virginia wilson. i could keep going but i won’t, and i should mention that of all the main characters, olek is the only one who doesn’t have this dynamic. he does have a brief scene with the two stokers, but that’s really it. instead, he has two strong duos - his partnership with jerome and his relationship with ling yi. this may or may not be significant, but when you take a step back and see all the other trios happening on the ship, olek’s lack of one really sticks out even more.

there’s also the fact that more or less everything significant to the plot is presented in a set of three. the three items that can alter the simulation - the pyramid, the remote control, and the lockpicking bug (alfred, you’re doing amazing sweetie). the three distinct time periods - 1899, the 70s/80s look of henry’s office, elliot’s bunker, the soundtrack, etc., and 2099. the three times we see the words “wake up” - on the memorial cross, on the stone pyramid, and on the toy pyramid. and of course, the fleet of three ships that started it all.

which brings me to my second point - the ships and their names directly tie into the events of the first season. prometheus is a titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind, giving them knowledge and technology, and it’s only after discovering the prometheus that maura and eyk gain the knowledge that there is something deeply wrong about both ships and their entire reality. kerberos is a computer protocol that provides authentication and allows a server and user to identify each other and it was named after cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld. many of the passengers on the kerberos are hiding their own and discovering each other’s true identities, and in the last episode, the remaining survivors end up in an afterlife of sorts in the graveyard with all the other failed simulations. i love little details like this when you reach the end of a story and then realize all the breadcrumbs the creators left starting from the beginning. and fun fact, in episode 1, we learn that the prometheus had 1,423 passengers, and in episode 2, we learn that the kerberos has 1,612. which means the kerberos has an additional 189 passengers. i know we’re missing a whole digit, but come on, what a great detail!

i’ll end with this - cerberus’s three heads are said to represent the past, present, and future. you have prometheus as the past, kerberos as the present, and the unnamed third ship as the future. but is that a happy future where everyone is free of the simulation or is that future simply a return to the beginning of the loop as the cycle begins anew? despite ciaran welcoming maura to “reality” in 2099, the fact that they are once again on a vessel named prometheus also with 1,423 passengers should at least make us consider the possibility that they have simply traded environments, swapping a steamship for a spaceship. so perhaps we end at the beginning where the future is the past. after all, a triangle can always fit a circle inside it and vice versa.

[atopvisenyashill]

🔥2, 13, 23 for the violence ask game!

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

have i made the joke before that ned is like that burt kreischer joke where he’s never been with a man bc he’s worried he’ll like it too much. i think nothing has ever been near ned’s ass bc he’s secretly afraid it’s gonna Mean Something and while being a cis guy and wanting to bottom does not mean anything re: sexuality, it DOES mean something for ned’s sexuality and he is captain repression here so. i think catelyn is always fighting the urge to ask if she can peg him but they’ve definitely done some positions that got like close to it and she could see the fear in ned’s eyes of realizing he likes men and getting dicked down so she spared him bc she’s a loving wife.

13. worst blorboficiation

for the main series……….it’s kinda hard bc i think jon And dany both get mischaracterized often in fandom but it feels different than “blorbofication” which to me is like “taking this character and making them my wittle cutie” and that’s not the vibe i get from those two…………..OH WAIT ITS LITTLEFUCKER AKSJSJS the way those people were crying screaming throwing up when the starks killed him in the show “how dare they those tyrants they didn’t even give him a trial look at him he was so scared” this is a monarchy what do you think a trial and sentencing look like, they accused him, no one defended him bc he’s a creep with no real friends, they executed him, that’s feudal justice babeeeeeeee i hope he goes out like a crying lil bitch baby in the books too!!!!

23. ship you've unwillingly come around to

i don’t feel like i ever come around on ships i feel like i become more of a hater over time.

maybe ever since i saw the sailor’s wife theory i’ve become a bit more fixated on tyrion & tysha. i’ve always found the idea that tyrion gets off scot free and is hand at the ending to be wildly unsatisfying as an arc - what tyrion wants more than anything is romantic & sexual acceptance bc his sexuality & attraction is in equal parts denied and demonized by the people around him but tyrion is so sexually traumatized he’s incapable of being romantically vulnerable with another even tho he craves it and so he pretends like what he really wants is to be the viserys to someone else’s baelor, aegon, and daeron and the idea that That’s the ending he gets, he gets to continue to not engage with the way his view of romance & sex is so distorted and pretend like being surrounded by these nasty people is what makes him happy is not bittersweet to me it just sucks! BUT. if it’s the other way around. if tyrion gets a reunion with tysha, to meet his daughter lanna, to set them up in casterly rock as his heir and lady wife, but then like goes to the wall or something? NOW WE ARE COOKING. lann the clevering casterly rock out from under the noses of those god awful freaks and giving it to his lowborn wife and daughter, and then being forced to LEAVE BEHIND the politics that are making him SICK i think there’s something interesting there personally and i’ve become very fixated on the concept.

[nobibiname]

HOFAS spoilery thought part deux 2️⃣ — chapters 1-11

(I think I’m gonna continue this for a while 😌)

I LOVE the scenes with Nesta and Bryce. I think it does a fair job of slowly building trust. It’s believable and endearing yet not overly precious

Also it sets up Nesta as a warrior and leader beautifully. If in the next ACOTAR book she becomes a general, we now have a lot of build up to that, and not just girlie girl training

I think she does a fantastic job of showing Bryce who’s in charge, facing danger, she has gumption courage and intuition , we see her described as having graceful skill with Ataraxia, strategic thinking and so much more.

So if you read CC3, jumping into the next book and Nesta is a mature warrior, it won’t be jarring and confusing to read, bc we have a good foundation for her story as potential general of the Valkyries.

I don’t think her story is done yet, and this was a clever way of hinting where it’s going ✨👑🗡️

[lewlthea]

I think I’ve never seen a Fire Emblem game where the characters feel like set dressing instead of an important part of the story like they do in Engage.

While they all have different character traits and designs, most of them have the same dynamics with almost every other character and theres just. A lack of flair there that I cannot understand. Because half of the cast are nobles, and because for some reason the game itself hides important character backstories from the player unless they go into supports (e.g citrinne and diamant being childhood friends, panette and pandreo being siblings), they all feel flat- they’re either retainers or nobles and theres no interesting dynamic outside of that. For example, you’ll never see a support like fe7’s priscilla/lucius in this game because while these two share the same roles as most characters in engage (noble and retainer), their dynamic is hostile and uncomfortable to each party because of their connection to other people and their past, which we already know of because to recruit lucius, priscilla must reveal to raven that she is his long lost sister - and because of that even though their conversations are very stinging to one another and it gets interesting fast because it brings to the table yet another character’s intentions and feelings, they manage to sort it out. Literally close to none of the Engage characters have any of that because almost none of them are allowed to have a shared history to anyone other than the lords theyre bound to serve or the retainers that protect them.

So far to me very few supports stand out in my mind, the most clear being alcryst/ivy (which actually uses the game’s threadbare story and ivy’s actions as a former enemy unit as a jumping point, i wish the c support did not resolve their animosity so fast but i do appreciate how the character whose entire personality trait is to apologize for everything he does actively refuses to do so when consumed in anger, thats character depth baby!), pandreo/panette (which i do enjoy but i can confess that i havent finished yet bc i do not use pandreo) and lapis/rosado (just has general good vibes and uses past chapters for reference in a clever way, plus this is the support that rosado explicitly confirms that theres no concept of gender in their hometown and i did not ever imagine a fire emblem saying the word gender in a positive way in my entire life). Overall, so far not much has impressed me in terms of characters in this game- the most I’m doing is hyping up Alcryst to myself at all times to at least get attached to something so I can bring myself to continue the game - and I’m already at the doorstep to chapter 25, at this point im only grinding for supports - and the last time I’ve had to do this sort of thing was to complete PERSONA 4 (aka hatecrime the videogame) so yeah engage is. Bad.

[charlotteperaltaalcott]

charlatans -- 0 - prologue

-- crossposted on ao3 under tearjerker -- summary: --

AU -- jake has an actual sister --

"Charlotte Peralta-Alcott, pretty, clever, and moderately financially okay--she lives in a city, with an unsettling home-life history and incredibly happy disposition, seemed to unite *some* of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly thirty-two years in the world with very...little...to distress or vex her."

Set around the beginning of Season 1, Jake reunites with his full-blooded, (weird adjective!) biological younger sister after about 15 years of separation when she leaves London and decides to look for a job in New York. Shockingly, Jake hasn't disclosed that he has a sister to the precinct. Which is odd, considering he has no qualms complaining about his dad frequently.

-- notes: --

hi squad,

this is my first b99 work so tell me if there are any inaccuracies!

(btw technical non-inaccuracy: gina is not included in the prologue because charlotte did technically know her, but they had too much of an age gap for them to be close friends enough for charlotte to divulge the events referenced in the prologue.)

have fun reading as much as i did writing bc i just think jake deserves a witty, lawfully good relative who shaped him into the childishly mature man he is. and also wanted to diss roger more than the show does bc he SUCKS.

----- 0 -- prologue

The world swarms around me as I tumble, pretty comically, down the side of a flat, emerald-green hill. I’m 16, almost 17, poorly playing girls’ football, in preparatory school. I’m also in England. These are all rudimentary, digestible facts that don’t seem weird for my age and geography.

Then, the world gets a little more familiar. Six months ago, I was in America, in New York, eating pretty good pizza, going to high school, and having a stable shelter for a bit—six years, to be exact. No, no. I lived in more than just a ‘shelter’; I lived at home, my home.

I continue to roll down the endless saturated, green cliff; it seems pretty endless. It’s spring. My birthday is soon. It doesn’t feel like it should be. The rest of the girls are 17. Maybe I should blame my poor sportsmanship on our age difference. I don’t want them to know about my birthday being soon though because it feels weirdly sacred, like Christmas being dedicated to spending time with family. At Christmas, most of the other girls left to go home for the break. I stayed at school with some girl named Cathy, who’s a self-proclaimed orphan with a rich, alcoholic uncle and blabbers about him all the time. Luckily, I got one crackly landline call from my family to escape from her.

I finally stop plummeting, landing in a rather supportive flowering shrub. I roll out of the bush, some brambles tangling in my hair—thankfully it’s pulled up, and I snake my way towards a creek. It’s quite beautiful out. It’s March 31st, which, according to the prep-school girls, should be a drizzly, frigid day. It’s around 12 degrees Celsius out. I sit with my legs pulled against my chest, so I can pull my school sweater over my bare knees, on some relatively smooth, mossy rocks near the creek’s shore. I see my reflection, set against the whites and light greens of the early blossoming trees in the distance, in the babbling, green-hued water. I’m still pale from the winter. I have box-dyed black hair, in the color ‘Midnight’, which is fading patchily; I did it in the airport bathroom in London in September when I was first sent to board. My dad left me at the airport alone, so the parentless paradise of England seemed like a pretty good place to express myself. I have hazel, green eyes that seem to match the color of the creek’s water.

I feel a tingle of nostalgia as I look up from the water. The surrounding shore is gravelly like Upstate. The trees are old and tall like Upstate.

I never was this sheltered, really. I am a pretty happy person, sunny even. Maybe I just feel scorned because of my parents.

I miss New York. I dip the tip of my right Oxford in the creek. The water is freezing still. At least the climate in New York is similar to England’s.

I suddenly grow more conscious of my surroundings; my eyes dart around at the nearly barren scenery before growing misty with remembrance. —— Suddenly, in my mind, it’s August. Jake stops our dad’s musty, antiquated cobalt-blue car in the middle of New York State. We both get out and sprint into a meadow, a little off the highway, that looks out to a mountain range. Jake yells something enthusiastically that cheers me up, but I can’t hear it now, it’s all garbled like I’m underwater. I’m really nervous still, but I start laughing.

We sit down in a patchy clearing in the meadow; the grass is just beginning to die. It’s a beautiful rust color in the evening sunlight. We talk and laugh some more. I pull a few blue and white wildflowers from the field, and I braid them gingerly together in my lap. He watches me and tries to do the same thing, but his fingers are larger and less gentle so they snap a few of the stems. We laugh. He asks me something, related to what I told him in the car. I can vaguely piece together one of my replies, speaking in a pretty cheerful, sincere tone,

“Oh, and I would have bouquets with ivy and Queen Anne’s Lace and peonies. And you would walk me down the aisle.”

He laughs at my inflection, but then he considers what I said. The conversation seems less foggy as it goes on. “Wouldn’t Dad walk you down the aisle?”

I suddenly turn serious, a grim look on my face, but I don’t know why. My hair’s still honey-blonde, and it matches the golden August sky, and it whips in my face slightly while I speak.

“Dad only cares about you, Jake. He was married to your Mom, not mine.”

He seems hurt by this, his brown eyes, the same color as the old, tall trees, widen slightly and he tries to respond. I continue despite this, my eyes feeling heavy from the unbearable truth. And tears. More from tears than the truth.

“I found something in the mail yesterday. Dad’s sending me to boarding school. In England. When you leave for the academy.” I enunciate bitterly, looking down at my lap at my loosely connected flower crown.

Jake starts crying. I don’t know what to do. My hands raise involuntarily to try and comfort him, and then he hugs me tightly. I start crying, tears drip down my cheeks as the wind continues to batter them. I hug him back. I squeeze him like I won’t see him ever again. Like he’s being drafted and it’s 1970. I grip the flower crown painfully hard in my hands, my arms wound around his back.

——

I feel the same wind beat against my face as I hug my knees closer to my chest. I’m still in the forest downhill to the school. I feel a little lightheaded. Suddenly, I recall what I said to Dad when he left me at the airport.

—— “You don’t care about us! Jake left for the police academy, so now you can remove us both from your insanely busy, tedious life by sending me away for school as well! How is that something that a selfless, caring parent would do?”

Dad defended himself loudly, but I couldn’t hear. The blood rushed in my ears too fast for me to hear what he said.

“Fine! You know what? I’m going to become a cop, just like Jake. And you’re going to have to deal with both of us abandoning your great expectations for our lives.”

He yelled something strong back, invective. “At least Jake will never be a—”

I didn’t allow him to finish his sentence before I slapped him. Because I knew that the next word—the way his lips curled around his front teeth as if he had savored waiting to say it—would be despicable.

——

I feel lightheaded as I recall this. I think I have a mild concussion. I flop over uselessly against the rocks, my vision dimming from the cool mist-colored skies to the warm black of subconsciousness. I dream of not being in England. I dream of home. I dream of being something more than a preparatory student in England. An American one. I dream of meeting with Jake again. I miss my brother. I hope the world will bring me back to him.

The sun pricks bright green dots in the darkness of my closed eyelids. Someone lifts me. They smell like cheap musk and sandalwood cologne and mop water. A dog sniffs at me. Oh, it’s the janitor. He had a dog? I think Jake would laugh if he saw me now. Or he would say, “Where did you go wrong?” And I would say, “I didn’t?” Or I would say, “When I slapped Dad and dyed my hair black and said I was going to become a detective and decided to label myself a ‘scorned daughter’ just like Cathy did. Nothing Cathy does is mature. I should've known.”

The janitor accidentally, feebly slipped into a puddle while carrying me. I’m muddy and my navy sweater is partially soaked and will probably smell like mildew even after the nurse sets it out to dry. His stubble grates the side of my face as he lifts me again; it feels like a handful of needles scraping against my cheek. Jake would probably laugh if he saw me. Now. Not probably, but 100% for sure. -----

[heartorn]

hello i need to talk about show!colin bridgerton and how he's my favorite and why he is so well written <3

i think colin is the bridgerton who has shown the most character growth out of all of the bridgerton brothers ... which i know is an unpopular opinion (he's sooo hated and it makes no sense to me it makes me wanna cry actually!) but let me get into my thoughts as to why, beginning with season one and the conflict with marina, which i think plays out so well. marina (who i think is a morally grey character who makes extremely hard decisions based on what's best for HER and her children!!) i think when it comes to colin, she was very manipulative ... she has to be in order to do right by her children.

she can see how colin is naive, so she’s very smart in the way she behaves to try and convince him she doesn’t see him that way. when colin tells the ton they’re engaged, the bridgertons are all shocked by this and anthony says “it’s my fault, i should have taken you to brothels, you’re too green.” emphasizing how his family as well as the ton do not take him seriously and cannot see past his “naive but charming and charismatic” persona. further proving this, when marina’s betrayal gets out, he says “i was a fool, marina was the only person who took me seriously, etc” very good set up into the realization that he needs to enter the world and find his purpose!! hence why he travels. this is where his writing comes into play. he’s a writer, he writes to pen as well as his whole family on his travels. despite his efforts, penelope is really the only one who is consistent in her replies. strengthening their friendship. which to me is just so good, its so good ! TO ME !

now season two, he comes back from his travels. his family, specifically eloise, clearly still hold the same view as they did last season. in fact, eloise downplays his letters and writing, and openly tells him she’s tired of hearing about his travels.

however we see the most growth through his interactions with pen. he tells her he spent a lot of his time getting to know himself, he’s sworn off women … given this, why would he even consider pen when he’s very clearly on his own journey (nothing to do w love or romance, he’s learned his lesson from last season. don’t just jump into things, consider options, etc.) great set up by the way, and love the continuity, him learning from his actions and wanting better for himself !! 

season 2 is him realizing he can learn about himself, his purpose, his passions and he doesn’t NEED to swear off women to do this. he’s healing from the transgressions of last season. he visits marina and realizes so many things. she never really took him seriously, she wouldn’t have been happy with him or their marriage bc she did not love him and he realizes he also didn’t love her. again, more set up to him coming to the conclusion that he needs to trust himself, his gut, and to consider that people in the ton are not always genuine with their intentions. which leads perfectly into his conflict with the featheringtons and his realization that there is a person who he KNOWS cares for him, would never betray him, and thinks very highly of him - penelope duhhhh. he’s finally learned that he can trust his instincts, that he’s clever, worthy, and there’s so much more to him than just the charming bridgerton. so he takes on cousin jack and essentially comes out on top, meanwhile, protecting the family of the woman he considers his best friend. 

chefs kiss if u ask me

NOW we get to his mistake, declaring what he does about penelope. he’s coming off of a high btw, he finally feels like people are respecting him and taking him seriously. (a reflection of his own feelings and how he views himself) we don’t know why he says what he says but we do know it’s essential to penelope taking him off of the pedestal she puts him on. 

and so when he comes back from his travels in s3, and penelope is not the penelope he knows so well. it makes him pause. he says over and over she is a “constant” in his life. but when she doesn’t respond to his letters, and is cold to him at the ball, he has to consider why he’s lost her and how it makes him feel. 

it’s all honestly such beautiful story telling and does the friends to lovers trope so well. both pen and colin are young (the major difference to me when it comes to the books) they have a lot of growing up to do and both of them are on their own separate paths to doing this. it’s great writing and really shows how they’ve grown so much from season one and now that they’re a bit more mature, how are they going to navigate this new version of themselves and come together to love each other !! its so good and i love it and i dont get the polin hate train at all i dont get the colin bridgerton HATE !! I REBUKE IT !!

[nabrizoya]

RoW Theories and Things I Want to See

with RoW literally a few weeks away, here’s some theories your way. 

this is Really long. like, really very long; mind you. 

Nikolai might become a disabled character.

It’s just the vibes. If we can take reference from the Too Clever Fox story, there’s a line that says “...and his [Koja’s] fur never quite sat right the same...”, which might hint at it (mostly bc i don’t want him to die). Also if this is indeed possible, it can be used to address ableism if it exists in this universe, especially since Nikolai is someone in the highest position of power. 

Zoya will experiment the shit out of powers. 

Idk why the synopsis says that using her powers might be a great deal, which tbf will be because she is truly the most most powerful atm; but Zoya wouldn’t mind taking the step outside of the old norms and bend the orders until they serve their purpose. That’s the entire goal rly.

But all along, she will consciously keep herself mindful to not hunger or discharge her power in a way that may cause harm. She knows the tyranny of the Darkling and the ways he employed. She knows better. 

More character depth to Zoya. 

Given the excerpts, the book does seem to explore Zoya’s infinite grief. And of course her Suli heritage, which a great part of the fandom consistently wants to shadow what with the talk “white features/ part Ravkan” bs. 

But there’s more. I hope RoW will show Zoya’s dilemma (that was alr hinted in KoS) she has with the power she holds, the responsibility she has with having that power + using it in the way that will not be detrimental to her and the country. It will be a great way to portray her self-awareness and doubt and insecurity. She is a good leader, that much is told in text but not shown. There’s character development from the end of R&R until KoS that makes her evolve from a what she was then to the capable and mature 22 year old she is in KoS. 

Of course all of their capabilities will come to light in RoW but I think Zoya and the agency to her as a character will play an integral part. More so because Zoya is to be the conduit to reversing the current Grisha orders, which runs in parallel with the fact that she needs to go back, go back to the roots of her Grisha knowledge and roots of her i.e. her unending grief and trauma. 

She will need to forgive herself while also dealing with the guilt and anger she may have caused due to her position and power. All of this while dealing with her own complex and contrasting emotions due to her own trauma.

Nikolai is held for treason. 

The word of allying with The Darkling may be out and that is enough reason for the entire country to turn against him. The secret about the monster causes issues more than enough already, and this will plunge the country into deep political turmoil and threats to security. So RoW will be more politically driven. That said...

There’s no overt war. 

By this I mean that there will not be war on the battlefield, both armies or more charging at each others’ enemies and such. Ravka cannot afford one either. The excerpts have already proved that. There will be skirmishes akin to a war scenario, but a complete battle like the last battle in R&R? Like a final battle? That’s not going to be there, I think… What I’m assuming might happen is that the Fjerda and Ravka will take a possible Cold War route, if it isn’t already the case they’re already dealing with atm. 

Ravka’s monarchy will collapse. 

It may become a democracy or any other form of public or majority vote. But the monarchy (as well a possible dictatorship, esp with the Darkling returned) will be eliminated. ...Or so I hope, since it has been alluded to in KoS. 

But that poses many problems. With no one line for the throne, let alone with a crime so dark like a blot on Nikolai’s skill (of taking the Darkling’s help), it is possible that Ravka will shun it, right alongside being torn about it because Nikolai has been, for the best of his ability, a good King. All of this in line with the Resistance rising in West Ravka. 

This ties in with the court matters, especially if I want to hold the further points I make true. The resolution to acquit Nikolai of his charges requires a testification forth a jury which will then make a decision about his motives and future. 

Zoya as the Interim Head. 

After all of this, Zoya’s point about Ravka not accepting a Grisha Queen will be true after all, because there will be no monarchy to welcome such an arrangement. 

But Ravka will need a good and trustworthy leader despite Grisha powers and Zoya is the best person to take care of that. The comment “...becoming a steady leader...” and the “Welcome home, Commander,” were there in KoS for a reason (and this is what I think it will link to). 

That being said, there’s more nuance to this than my summary. Zoya is a character of colour. That—in addition to the already existing threats, objections and possible question of capability in the position—ill play into how she will be able to discharge her responsibility. It’s not going to be convenient.

EDIT: taken from a reblog/addition to the og post:

A smoother/more structured transition

Once after the monarchy collapses and a leader must be chosen, it will not be Nikolai. Nor will it be Zoya, though she might serve as an interim head. What I assume might be possible is that someone older is chosen, someone older and loyal and with the proof of knowledge and service to the country. Possibly by majority vote or elected by a council.

Instead of the sudden change, this can be a smoother (if that can even be said about such a major political scenario change) or more structured. I also say this because a. if Nikolai is indeed charged (and later acquitted), firstly his political career will already hold a blot if the word about using the Darkling as a resource is out and secondly, he’s way too young to serve as the leader (by modern standards, sure, but like, the required age will be set while drafting the constitution? currently its 35+).

Instead, the current cast can become representatives (which Zoya would already be, (mostly the head of the) international committee that safeguards the Grisha all over the world) and the Triumvirate will be dissolved. (it should be, tbh)

And hey, b. after all of this, they can and kind of need to take a step back. Nikolai and Zoya will be able to truly explore their relationship, given how Nikolai mentions how he wouldn’t marry unless he’d have had the chance to court someone and marry someone he barely knows nor knows him. For Zoya’s part, she does know Nikolai but surely probably not the extent of openness that a healthy relationship has, and on Nikolai’s part, he admits he barely knows her beyond as a General except for just little things about her.

They could be able to realize and work on their feelings while alongside being involved with the workings of the country and the constitution.

“One day you will overstep and I will not be so forgiving.” 

Need I say more? Something that Zoya does will cost her Nikolai’s goodwill and we know Zoya knows her practicality and the extent to which she will unapologetically move if there is threat to the country and its King. She will do what was right and required. 

A major part of that line ties in with Magnus Opjer and I think with the confidence in the versatility of her powers, Zoya might as well move w/o any word to the Triumvirate to eliminate the most direct threat to the throne. This will bring splits in Nikolai and Zoya’s relationship. 

How this tension between them will be resolved without compromising either of their values, without playing into fandom stereotypes and others must be carefully handled. All of this while showing the best of their dynamicity, practicality and priority as they carefully pull out just those weak sticks of the jenga without putting the whole country into trouble. And with a war in plain sight, they’d know better than pointlessly argue and would rather see how the two of them are wrong. This ordeal will bring out just how condensed power is in the current scenario, imo. 

Importance on the way women have shaped history. 

Something that KoS has already set precedence for. Zoya being a PoC, Nina taking into account of the sufferings of women she comes across and the consistent ‘Who will remember them?’ will be elaborated on further. As for how it is done and how well it is done, that remains to be seen. 

Baghra is alive but maybe not thriving bc she’s stuck in the Ice Court. 

They entered a chamber where an old woman sat with her hands chained, flanked by guards. Her eyes were vacant. As each prisoner approached, the woman gripped his or her wrist.

A human amplifier. [...] But the Fjerdans used them for a different purpose – to make sure no Grisha breached their walls without being identified.

Kaz watched Nina approach. He could see her trembling as she held out her arm. The woman clamped her fingers around Nina’s wrist. Her eyelids stuttered briefly. Then she dropped Nina’s hand and waved her along.

Had she known and not cared? Or had the paraffin they’d used to encase Nina’s forearms worked?

- Chapter 22. Kaz; Part 4: Trick to Falling, Six of Crows.

Nina will be the one to free her and together they might wage a war from Djerholm together.

This gets even more interesting because we know the anguish and scorn that Baghra feels for her son at the same time; she understands the wrongness that he used to seek and will continue to. Zoya does take Baghra’s name at the Fold when she mourns and rages over how people forget the destruction and most importantly, forget the women. Baghra could be the symbol of the stag as the art piece depicts, or will be shown with relation to the Darkling’s powers.

As for how she will play into the story, perhaps she will be the one to help reverse and find the roots of the orders, in the sense that changes the perception of the Grisha powers for the Grisha as well as the common folk of Ravka. She is the only other person other than Juris and the Darkling to have the age of eras together, knowing Ilya Morozova, and she will be instrumental in giving Ravka an advantage over Fjerda. Either that or she will help in scrubbing the prejudices of Fjerda slowly away with whatever powers she has left. Or both. 

Alina will reappear, but will not contribute to the plot significantly.

Zoya understands that the truth she knows about the Darkling is very minimal not enough to end him for once and for all. It makes sense that she will probably consult Alina for it. So, Malina appearance, possibly at the orphanage. Alina will not directly contribute to this war, but she will play a critical role in defeating the Darkling.

Besides, Alina —and Baghra— are the only ones who know that there has only ever been two Darklings. Zoya did sense, multiple times during KoS, that the Darkling is damn old. Yuri mentions it. And while it is not outright specified, the fact that Zoya thinks that she realizes just how ancient Lizabetha is in context of meeting the Darkling is enough proof for her to seek more information about the age and the older skill of the Darkling. 

And I think it goes without saying that I want to hope that the Darkling and Alina will not meet. Pls, she’s had enough. 

Lada is the lost, other friend that Zoya refuses to bury. 

“She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend.”

Liliyana is dead, we know. But there’s no other mention of Lada except for the “wondering what happened to the pug faced girl.” Lada is possibly a part of the group of women and a Grisha returning to Ravka from Fjerda, exploited by the parem. She might die being unable to withhold the sheer torment of the parem induction, which will devastate Zoya because Lada was also the closest she’s had to a family with Liliyana. 

Either that or Lada is already dead or dies some other way, and Zoya cannot bring herself bear the grief of losing her. 

Cameos: Inej and Jesper. 

The most likely of the crows to appear in RoW are Inej and Jesper and they’ll play equally important roles in the plotline. Here’s a breakdown of why:

Inej

Inej has taken the responsibility of becoming a slave hunter, and it makes sense for Inej to make an appearance in the book, given that there’s going to be a ship taking the Grisha from Fjerda to Ravka. 

The women aboard are vulnerable and require immediate attention, which Inej will immediately zero in on. She will have enough reason to suspect both Leoni and Adrik on the ship, especially when the jurda parem is still a secret. Leoni and Adrik cannot give that information away because they don’t trust Inej (and have no reason to either). Inej won’t trust them either, not until she understands that the reason why the women are being taken to Ravka and for what reasons. 

Which gives her excellent reason to step in, try to analyze the situation and help the women accordingly.

Here’s an exciting thought though. Once after the entire misunderstanding is overcome and Inej understands (esp. if Nina is brought into the conversation and security and secrecy of the conversation is ensured), there may be discussion about how the Grisha might find a safer space in Ravka.

Inej’s appearance might also extend to playing a pivotal role in giving Zoya the confidence to seek her heritage and where she hails from, to embrace the part of her past and forgive herself and others for her mistakes. 

ALSO, 

Grisha finding a safer space in Ravka will mean that Inej can pitch Jesper’s case for him to Zoya. Being the highest authority who takes cares of the responsibilities of the Grisha, Zoya will be the best person to talk about this with. 

And so, here comes Jesper. 

Jesper

For one, I wish Jesper and Leoni interact, talk and just bond like the iconic siblings they would be. <3 But more than that, Jesper plays very integral to the plot for more reasons.

Jesper’s arc will parallel Zoya’s. Both of them are new to their powers in their own individual sense; Zoya is trying to use her new powers in a way that hasn’t been done before, thereby breaking the Grisha orders of powers and Jesper (assuming he has decided that he might want to learn and embrace his Grisha powers) is learning them afresh. 

This journey of them trying to embrace, learn and relearn and reject older norms and experiment really work in tandem.

That will lead us to a further (plot) theories. 

Ties with Novyi Zem 

As of the KoS end, Ravka has no support from anyone atm. Sure the Kerch will provide funds but Ravka has no real allies. Here’s where Novyi Zem and Jesper come in. 

We know Novyi Zem is a new country and also that it is the second safest country for the Grisha in the universe. As of KoS, their agreements are not renewed and they would be since between Kerch and Novyi Zem, Ravka was forced to pick Kerch. Yet Ravka needs their help in acquiring jurda for the antidote. 

So here’s the deal: Ravka will get their jurda but at many conditions that the Novyi Zem will impose on Ravka to not let exploitation get in the way. 

The conditions imposed could be (these are just some at the top of my head but I hope there are more to ensure the safety and security of the Zemeni, in Novyi Zem and in Ravka too) : 

Naval support from Ravka

We know of the Zemeni ships and ofc Nikolai has been hard at work trying to develop plans to use the sea to its fullest advantage. While the news of the izmars’ya isn’t public, Zemeni can place a condition for technical aid from Ravka since Ravka does have the technical knowledge it can dispatch as a condition.

A Grisha School in Novyi Zem

Think about it. Ravka, despite being the safest place for the Grisha, still isn’t entirely safe. Not all Grisha become soldiers in Ravka, they have a choice to abstain but those who are training are still recruited a honed for purpose alike preparing for war, especially the teens and preteens from the time of the Civil War. The training does take a lot of time. Ravka intends to make a home first and then service, but at the moment, while the Grisha are provided safety, it’s not assured in the best sense. Both the facts about a home and service are in precarious positions atm.

TL;DR: Ravka isn’t entirely safe for Grisha therefore the Grisha themselves too are not + Ravka is war torn. 

So what happens? 

One of the conditions as the next best country that serves as home to the Grisha, Novyi Zem may put forth the prospect of building a Little Palace like institution for the Grisha in Novyi Zem. It sounds morally wrong in the sense that the Grisha there will also be trained for war, but the war will end and soon, the Grisha will not be subject to serve for something but engage in economic activities as anybody else with the progression of time.

All of this won’t happen immediately either; learning their powers, honing it in the way that is unocnventional from what it had been pre-RoW and that transition + the building of the establishment in Novyi Zem and laying foundation for the  transnational panel or committee for Grisha that Zoya talks about will all take so much time. 

A few Grisha representatives from Novyi Zem can learn at the Little Palace and by the time the construction of the institution is done in Novyi Zem, these Grisha, along with other willing Grisha who either want to return to the country they were born in (like Leoni) or are offered to teach in a different country can do so too. 

There will be stricter terms so as to not ensure exploitation and possible colonization in these nations. 

Zoya mentions in one of her chapters that eventually there will be a need for the a  transnational panel or committee for Grisha. Jesper can Zoya can make it possible, adding in other countries to the panel slowly as the war recedes. 

Kaz and Wylan? 

Least likely to make an appearance, in my opinion. I think they’ll be mentioned plenty of times or brought up once and given great importance for how they can help in the side plot. 

Shu Support: 

This is more a hope than an actually theory dfbkdhjadfh but Makhi might have to step down from the throne because Ehri will take the place; either as a Queen (no...) or she might oversee the process of strengthening Shu Han and finding a leader (if she doesn’t want to become one herself). 

Ehri is capable, more than capable despite the little we know of her from the last chapter in KoS. All I hope is for an understanding and friendship between Nikolai and Ehri (and the subsequent cancelling of the marriage duH) for this to happen. She has little interest in statecraft but with the time she might spend with Nikolai, she might change her views. Even if not then she still gets the happy ending she deserves with Mayu (which is canon at this point rly).

Emotional Development or Breakdowns

Okay but I really, really, really hope we get to see all the three protagonists lose their shit and deal with their trauma, seek help or trying to stop isolating themselves or anything else they do to cope? Nina, Zoya and Nikolai, all of them cry, all of them get to completely lose it, let themselves be human and healthily cope and learn to rely on the people they trust the most. Like the sheer power and potential to show the myriad of ways to deal with grief, sadness, stress and more and make use of the trio’s backgrounds to show healthy and diverse ways of helping themselves, by letting themselves and others help them is just *combusts* Incredible! 

That being said, can I also ask for moments of fear and desolation from the side characters too? Impending war isn’t small business, it will take its toll on people, and all these reactions just cement their fears and what they value the most so. pls. Humanizing them rly. 

The Saving Each Other 

As much as I mostly kinda hate this trope, there are traces in the KoS that Zoya might be the one to end Nikolai’s affliction. On the other hand, there is talk of Nikolai helping Zoya control her powers which seems counterintuitive when you consider that Zoya knows that there is a line that she must never cross and that she is very, very careful about it and will continue to be. 

They can instead be the ones who motivate each other in times of distress as they always do (as shown with how Nikolai tries to gain control over his monster during the burning thorn ritual in KoS, allowing himself the vulnerability but also knowing that giving up will be unforgivable to both himself and Zoya as well) but I seriously do not wish for each other to be the ones directly ending one another's misery. Or perhaps this is just a fear imo that Leigh wouldn’t even take the route of (in which case, thank fuck).

Stab Stab Stab 

Zoya gets the chance to kill the Darkling with the rest of her friends. After all, Darkling does call them all his old friends. Just Julius Caeser him all the way and put a bow tie on the book. *chef’s kiss* Everybody deserves a second chance... at ending a tyrant when it fails the first time. 

+

So far, this is it. Rule of Wolves is in less than a few weeks and im- asdfghjkl. not Ready. i’m more Worried than Ready.

[whoreiaki-kakyoin]

(As for OC's, I have an OC named Belladonna Una, she's Trish's twin and she's a generally very shy individual. She wears a purple dress and she's a stand user with a penchant for arson and using her father's favorite move, the donut. She's got pink hair, green eyes and freckles and tends to take more after Diavolo than Doppio and she adores Fugo; yes I was the anon that had asked previously about OC's)

May I please have Belladonna and Fugo with the "no panties?" prompt?

AH awesome! I'm really happy you asked tbh bc I hadn't thought before about whether I’d write for OCs. And I think Belladonna sounds awesome, so hopefully I did her justice here! Sorry about the wait 💖💖💖

It's a typical enough day to begin with— Mista rummaging in the kitchen, gathering snacks for the pistols, while Narancia grumbles under his breath about a set of math problems. Belladonna seats herself easily at the table next to her sister as Trish thumbs through a fashion magazine.

When Fugo comes down the stairs, Belladonna finds her gaze glued to the boy. God, he looks good today. Of course, he always does, but— a foot taps hers under the table. When she glances up, Trish raises her eyebrows with a small smirk, her meaning clear: You were staring again.

"Shut up," Belladonna mouths, and Trish purses her lips in that tight smile that usually means she's stifling a giggle.

"Just tell him," she mouths back, and Belladonna just shakes her head, electing to ignore Trish's eye roll. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about making her affections clear to Fugo. But actually doing it... that was something else entirely.

"What are you two whispering about?" Speak of the devil. Fugo takes the chair between Narancia and Belladonna, because of course he has to sit that close. It takes Belladonna a moment to process those violet eyes staring right through her, and her breath catches in her throat, but luckily Trish speaks up.

"Nothing," she tells him airily. "Girl talk, you wouldn't be interested." She returns to her magazine with a shrug, but Fugo keeps his eyes trained on Belladonna. She toys with the fabric of her dress under the table, fighting the urge to squirm under his searching gaze. Realistically, she knows it's only a moment or two, but it feels like the silence stretches endlessly before Mista makes some comment that pulls Fugo's attention and she allows herself to breathe again.

She thinks maybe she's in the clear when Fugo turns his attention to Narancia'a work. At first, anyway. The first time Fugo's leg brushes against hers, she assumes it's unintentional, even if it does wake up every nerve in her body. The second time is suspicious, and the third.... her heart just about stops when Fugo's eyes meet hers, the corner of his mouth twitching upward ever so briefly with a raise of his eyebrows. Just as quickly as it happened, he dips his gaze back to Narancia's papers on the table.

It continues all week. Fugo's hand brushes hers over dinner with the team at Libeccio. Belladonna contributes an idea when discussing a mission, and the blonde allows his typical serious expression to slip, giving her a slight smile as he nods. "Clever. That might be just perfect."

Belladonna finds herself turning it all over in her head one night, lounging in the sitting room when the rest of the gang is asleep. She flips idly through the pages of a book, but her eyes gloss over the words, her mind miles away. Could Fugo be attempting to flirt with her? She didn't want to read into something that wasn't there, but she could swear there was something in his eyes lately.... something that wasn't there when he looked at the others.

She couldn't deny that there was something that drew her to Fugo. He was intelligent, passionate, had strong convictions. Something about those deep violet eyes made her shiver when they met hers, and then of course there was the low timbre of his voice. She wondered how it might sound if he would—

"Belladonna?" Looking up, she sees Fugo standing in the doorway. She hadn't even heard him come in.

"Fugo! I didn't realize you were still up."

"I could say the same for you." He smiles slightly as he crosses the room. "Lost in thought?"

"I guess so, yeah." She offers a shy smile of her own, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.

"Mind if I sit?"

"Of course not, sure!" She sets her book aside as Fugo seats himself next to her, their legs brushing despite the ample room on the couch.

"I wasn't able to sleep," he tells her. "I figured I'd get a little air. It's a nice time of night for a walk." Belladonna smiles softly.

"I couldn't sleep, either. I have a feeling I'll be up for a while if you want to hang out."

"Hm. Anything in particular on your mind? A reason you can't sleep, maybe?" Ah. Shit. Fugo's eyes narrow as he assesses her. She's seen him look similarly at puzzles, at Narancia's homework, at Giorno when he suggests a plan that shouldn't work but undoubtedly will... like she's one more thing that challenges and perplexes him, and he's eager to figure her out.

"You say that like you know what it is," she counters, her eyes not leaving his once. She's aware that the gap between them has narrowed, though she's not sure which one of them leaned in first.

Fugo's fingers twitch, like he's uncertain of himself, before he raises a hand to brush soft, pink hair back from Belladonna's face.

"It might be presumptuous, but... I was hoping it's the same thing that's been on my mind." Belladonna feels her heart skip a beat as she places her hand over the one cupping her cheek, leaning into Fugo's touch with a sigh.

"I think it might be."

"Belladonna..." He says her name softly, like it's the first time his mouth has held each syllable. "May I kiss you?"

She doesn't give him an answer, at least not in words. She closes the distance between them on pure instinct, pressing her lips against his own. It's the right decision, she decides, if the sigh Fugo gives against her is anything to go by. It's sweet, chaste, at first— she thinks in the back of her mind that she can taste a hint of strawberry chapstick— and she buries her fingers in soft hair.

Without thinking, she tugs a bit harder than she meant to, prompting a low groan from Fugo that sounds like pure sin. He blushes redder as they separate to breathe, his eyes huge. Belladonna doesn't miss the way his pupils are blown wide and dark.

"I'm... I'm sorry about that, I didn't..."

"No, it's okay. I thought it was hot." Fugo's eyebrows raise, and his eyes glint mischievously.

"Did you? Mm, pulling my hair like that to get a reaction out of me, of course you did." The next thing Belladonna knows, Fugo is pulling her into his lap, kissing her much harder than the sweet kisses they shared a moment ago. He nips at her bottom lip with his teeth, and she makes a pleased, breathy sound against the heat of his open mouth. His hands are strong, firm, as they hold her, a warm palm at the small of her back as the fingers of his other hand toy with the soft hair at the base of her neck.

"Pannacotta..." She arches into his touch, and the blonde gives another low, needy sound at the shift of her hips.

"Fuck... Belladonna, don't... Don't fucking do that." She blinks at him for a moment, then smirks, grinding down against his crotch more deliberately.

"Don't do what, Fugo? That?" His hands come to rest on her hips, fingers establishing a bruising grip on the soft skin. Fugo breathes out slowly before meeting Belladonna's gaze.

"I never thought you'd be such a fucking tease, you know that?"

"Mm..." She smiles, pleased with herself as she presses herself down against him once more. "I could help you if you'd like."

"Oh, I think you're going to." He tips her chin up with his fingers, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "If you're intent on causing problems, you ought to at least fix them, don't you think?" Belladonna shivers, and the breathy squeak she gives in answer elicits a laugh from Fugo.

"You're stunning, you know. Fucking perfect, Belladonna." He runs his hands down her sides. "Are you certain this is okay?" Eagerly, she nods.

"I'm sure, Fugo. Please. I'm certain about my feelings for you, I want to do this." Grinning, he leans in to press a gentle kiss to her lips.

"Okay. Here, undress for me?" Gently, he guides her shirt over her head before turning his attention to her sleep shorts. His breath hitches as he helps Belladonna out of them. When he returns his gaze to Belladonna's and cocks an eyebrow, his violet eyes are dark with lust.

"No panties?" She blushes, but nods. "Fuck," he breathes. "Just walking around like that, ready for me to take you... You're so wet for me, too." His hands fumble, making quick work of his pants and underwear, discarding them in a heap with Belladonna's clothes. Her eyes drift to his hard cock, the tip flushed and glistening with precum... He was decently thick, and had to be at least a good six or seven inches, she figured. She blushes as she glances up to see Fugo’s eyes on her. As she was definitely staring at his cock. His cheeks are dusted just as red as her own must be, and she runs a hand down his now bare chest, taking in every last scar and freckle.

“Beautiful,” she breathes. “Fugo, you’re stunning.” He shakes his head, a tiny smile settling on his lips.

“I think that would be you, bella. Sei perfetta.” Belladonna gives a breathy moan as he slides a finger into her aching pussy. It feels strange, different than the way she stretches herself, but it’s a pleasant feeling. She gasps and whines as Fugo curls his finger to hit exactly the right spot, and he huffs out a soft laugh as she squirms.

“Ah… you’re so beautiful like this, you know?”

“Fugo…. Fuck, please…”

“Mmm, more? I don’t want to rush and hurt you.” He slips a second finger in, and Belladonna sighs, canting her hips into his hand as he spreads and crooks both digits inside her. It’s good, but it’s not enough, the pace agonizingly slow when what she wants is him.

“Pannacotta… I need you to fuck me, please.” Belladonna feels her cheeks burn at the words. “I need your cock.”

“Shit.” Fugo breathes. “You don't know how incredible it is to hear you say that. Amazing. But first—“ He slides his fingers out of her, only to position them at her lips. "You made a mess, so clean it up." Obediently, she parts her lips, taking his long, slim fingers into her mouth, swirling her tongue around them to taste herself. He groans at the sight, Belladonna's lashes sweeping her cheeks as her eyes drift closed.

"Che bella," he murmurs, slipping his fingers from her mouth and bringing them to his own with a chuckle. "You taste so sweet." His voice is low, breathy with want. "I think I could get addicted to that easily. But I did promise I'd fuck you properly first." He guides the head of his cock carefully to Belladonna's entrance, pushing in slowly. Her head tips back, a choked-off moan catching in her throat as Fugo hilts himself inch by inch inside her.

"You're doing great, that's it," he breathes, rubbing gently at her sides. "Ah, you feel amazing..." Belladonna rolls her hips with a soft whine, enjoying the fullness she feels, the stretch of Fugo's cock inside her becoming less discomfort and more pleasure by the second.

"Fugo, mm, please move? I need— need you to... ah!" Fugo's hands grip her waist firmly as he ruts into her, guiding her hips to move along with his.

"So gorgeous, Belladonna... Does- Does it feel ok?" Belladonna tucks her face into Fugo's neck, pressing soft kisses against the skin between low moans.

"P..Perfect, Fugo... Go faster, please?" Fugo swears softly under his breath as he quickens his pace, angling his hips to drive deeper into Belladonna. Their breathing becomes uneven as they each start to near their peaks.

"Fugo," Belladonna whimpers, feeling heat pooling in her stomach as he fucks right into her sweet spot. "I think I'm close!"

"Cum for me, bella, per favore, merda—“ Fugo brings a hand down to rub rough circles over Belladonna's clit, and in moments, her back is arching as she cums with a cry of Fugo's name. She pulls roughly on the blonde's hair as she rides out her release, and Fugo follows shortly behind, cumming deep inside her with a moan.

It takes Belladonna a few minutes to process what happened as she lays there in the afterglow, pressed against Fugo's chest.

"So," she murmurs, carding fingers through his hair.

"So. I, uh. Take it you feel the same, then?" She laughs, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Definitely. I'm a little glad you couldn't sleep tonight." Fugo's hair sticks up at odd angles, and his skin is flushed a pretty pink from his climax as he pulls her closer.

"Yeah. I am, too."

[leia-imogen]

aaron & the family he's found all by himself; vol. 1 // vol. 2

( ft. the first meeting & the first family game night )

okay, rundown of his first meeting w the vixens!

the vixens don't really like the foxes. they cheer at their games and all, but outside of that, they mostly stick with the football players

bcs, well, the foxes are,, intimidating and most of the vixens don't get how or why katelyn started dating one

especially one half of the terrifying duo that is the twinyards. like these tiny blonde angst goblins have absolutely zero chill, and this is the backliner one, the one that shattered the nose of a dude basically twice his size

they may be short as fuck but they're scary, and the vixens are worried that he might break katelyn's heart

but katelyn's sure about aaron minyard, and when cleo softly asks, "is he worth it?" she knows her answer is a yes

savannah and the rest of the girls aren't convinced tho, so she asks aaron if he'll meet them for one of the afterparties they have after games

he agrees after seeing the hopeful look on her face

and surprise, surprise, it isn't a complete disaster!!

see, aaron has a habit of mirroring the nature of the person he's with. in the book, we mostly see him as an asshole bcs it's from neil's pov, and neil, as much as i adore him, is an asshole

i think that when he's with nicky ( someone he loves and trusts ), he's like, nicer. it's not in his nature to be cheery or anything but he's less,, hostile? and way more relaxed

and katelyn's been nothing but sweet and polite to him, bcs katelyn's sweet and polite till you give her a reason not to be

so he's sweet and polite back, or at least, sweet and polite as aaron minyard can get.

yeah, he's definitely interesting enough, clever and quick-witted enough, respectful and loyal and insanely talented enough, that katelyn decides he's worth it. doubts he'll ever get boring

and yes, she knows this is a big risk, bcs she knows the foxes' rep, knows how fucked up he must to secure a place on the psu foxes, notices how aaron flinches when she makes any sudden movement

but you know what? fuck it

so when aaron tells her his strange, twisted little deal with his brother, katelyn's willing to fight for him

and after nearly 2 months of this, she drags him to the vixens with their fingers interlocked and a hope in her heart that they'd play nice like she's asked ( practically begged ) them to

aaron's buzzing a bit with nervous energy. it's very endearing, how his eyes had lit up at the sight of her, then how she felt her anxiety about the night melt away into excitement

sav tries, bless her, tries to engage aaron in half-hearted conversation about exy ( which she hates ) and aaron tries back, but that fizzles out bcs for someone on a full-ride exy scholarship, aaron doesn't like exy at all

thank god that marissa, who's been trying to be less of a bitch all night, bless her too, lets it slip that sav detests exy

"okay, i can't anymore. minyard, savannah actually hates exy and she hates the foxes too, but we're hoping that you're an exception."

aaron, holding back a laugh: honestly? same.

sav: oh thank fucking GOD we have something to talk about then

"yeah, the entire sport sucks, doesn't it? i literally play it at college level and i still have barely figured out the goddamn rules."

"exactly! and my entire family's fucking obsessed for some reason, it's so annoying! ugh and the foxes suck even more, they're all so goddamn rude for no reason. except maybe the cute goalie."

". . ."

"eww not your brother, i meant renee walker,, and maybe you're not too bad either, minyard."

"you flatter me."

katelyn watches their exchange with more than a little amusement. aaron's not smiling, but his features have softened and he's flushed from the alcohol he'd had and she can't rly believe that this is the boy who they all thought would break her heart

bcs later when aaron comes up to her with a cookie dough cupcake ( her favourite ) she didn't even know was served at the party, leans into her so his face is buried in her neck, whispers "thanks for taking me", when she takes in all her friends laughing and chatting and waving at her, when sav gives her a thumbs-up and nods to aaron, she's never felt more whole

like she was part of something bigger than herself

then aaron starts hanging around them more! yeah he saw the look on katelyn's face and he was going to TRY for her or so help him- usually just with katelyn, sav, and cleo

she invites him to the "family game night" sav is making them have, and he's like "sure why not."

he knocks on the door of sav and cleo's dorm and sav lets him in

"yo, minyard! glad you make it, katelyn's out on a donut run but she'll be back soon."

okay,, okay. so he'll,,, what? interact w people?? hell fucking no

then he realises that it's only cleo in the dorm, plugged into her headphones, playing mario kart, and thanks katelyn for ensuring there would only be ppl that like, he didn't mind

the other vixens were okay, but way too LOUD, and aaron wasn't rly up for spending a whole night w them

cleo hands him a controller, an invitation to play, and he takes it gratefully. he and cleo hadn't talked that much at the party, but she was perfectly tolerable so far, which was a good sign

and mario kart was a part of his childhood, one of the only few that nicky's parents had owned, so he and his cousin had spent hours curled up in front of tv trying to beat each other

even tho he beats nicky most of the time, cleo absolutely destroys him. he mentally tries to brush it off as him being rusty ( which he definitely is ) but damn, cleo's good. still, she brushes off the compliment when aaron blurts it out

okay so then katelyn comes back with like way too many donuts and they start playing monopoly gathered around the coffee table

sav insists on putting on some music. wannabe starts playing. she winks at aaron and aaron winks back, still not smiling. cleo snorts and katelyn kisses his cheek

listen, cleo is a monopoly master. soon, she owns over half the board and it's pretty clear she's gonna win, someone ( savannah riley jameson, everyone ) flips the board

"jameson, what the actual fuck."

"shut the hell up, minyard."

"come on, sav, i was winning!"

katelyn's trying to pick up all the pieces and aaron bends down to help her, shaking his head at sav, who pouts and joins them while cleo grins, headphones slung around her shoulders while she perches herself onto the arm of the settee and hums to wake me up before you go-go

next, sav begs them to play twister. cleo's great at most games, but she has a particular dislike for twister, so she's out quick

katelyn is super bendy, bcs she took gymnastics for years, and aaron holds his own surprisingly well, considering the fact that he's short as fuck

sav: katie, right hand red

katelyn, ending up right on top of a blushing aaron: okay, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?

sav: i stopped spinning like 15 turns ago, i'm surprised you didn't notice sooner

eventually aaron collapses and katelyn is hailed as the queen of twister and they spend the next 10 minutes just calling out random spots for katelyn to try

she gets all of them, and aaron is actually smiling now and it doesn't matter that it's only a tiny quirk of his lips, it's something and katelyn cherishes it

they play some sort of surgeon simulator thingy next, and aaron "gonna be a future neurosurgeon" minyard is awesome at it, bcs duh

katelyn's not very good at this. her hands get SHAKY okay

cleo also sucks at this, bcs she keeps getting nervous and having muscle spasms. sav's just doing the dumbest shit bcs it's bringing aaron closer to the edge of cardiac arrest

aaron: jameson holy shit what are you DOING

sav, slicing open the spinal cord: okay so what if i take out the lungs through the back haha

and now sav is sulking over the fact that she hadn't absolutely murdered the others at a game

so she brings out the ultimate game. the game of bastards, one that tears families apart, sets friendships on fire, starts wars too gruesome to be started by anything other than this wretched, cursed artefact. . .

s c r a b b l e

aaron's already having war flashbacks. katelyn groans and goes to make popcorn, bcs this shit's gonna take FOREVER and she knows it. cleo, an english major, is preparing herself for battle with the force of nature that is savannah

"the fuck do you MEAN fergalicious isn't a word???"

"savannah, please."

"no, here, listen to this."

"sav, we were listening to that!" katelyn complains. sav sighs and switches the song back to her "90's bops" playlist, then changes it to "hell yeah feminism" which instantly starts playing run the world ( girls )

katelyn happily starts singing and aaron's not even reluctant to hum along

sav and cleo are still arguing. this has been going on for so long. sav looks ready to flip over the board again, so cleo does it first

katelyn: cleo what the heck

cleo, the tired mom friend: don't fucking curse

aaron is also tired, but in a good way, in kind of that soft lazy droopy way

he falls asleep leaning against the sofa and katelyn's shoulder, with god is a woman playing in the background while sav and cleo continue arguing. cleo is standing on the coffee table. it's true anarchy

he wakes up on the sofa with a blanket thrown over him and sunlight streaming in through the lacy curtains and katelyn making a complete mess of the kitchen in a futile attempt to make breakfast. sav and cleo are draped across each other on the floor

katelyn, struggling to pick up burning toast: morning babe, how did you sleep?

aaron, calmly using a pair of tongs: pretty well. who wants pancakes?

sav, instantly shooting up: DID YOU SAY PANCAKES

so he makes pancakes! nicky taught him as soon as he'd gained custody of the twins, so he's pretty much an expert. he tries to teach katelyn, but then just gives up bcs she's clearly not listening in favour of staring at him

and they all gather around the coffee table and cleo's humming along to the song on her headphones and wow these pancakes are rly good omg

while aaron is chatting to cleo about what video games they should play next, sav whispers, "kate finley, if you don't marry this boy just for his god-tier pancakes, i will."

"sav, you're a lesbian."

"not anymore, i've decided that i am pancake-sexual."

aaron hears all of this btw, bcs cleo stops when she hears them talking. he blushes, and smiles, just a little bit

( if anyone actually cares about this, tell me! shoot me an ask if there's any particular ask you want to see with these characters, or just the foxes! )

[shatouto]

hi yes this is another installment in the raised-as-sith anakin x jedi obi-wan au i co-write with @obiwanobi. we’ve been putting what we got so far on ao3 for archiving/organizing purposes so before you read this pls check it out first if you haven’t bc there is some semblance of continuity, thank you :’) (this installment on ao3)

content note: past psychological and physical abuse, messy healing, please proceed with care

you love him dearly

You stand alone in a great dark hall. There’s no sound but your pulse jolting in bouts inside your ears. Like the footsteps of a scared bantha. And you feel like a scared bantha. You haven’t felt like this in a long time. You used to be worth less than a bantha, with your weak hands and your small body. All you were ever able to do was get yourself and your mom hurt. You felt so bad, so very bad, so bad that you were willing to beg your mom to let you go, when this man came and swept you up. This man who called you the Chosen One. This man who you now call...

“Master,” you say, and waits for your Master to acknowledge you.

Sometimes you think it’s strange, to trade one master for another. But this Master, your Master, is a different sort. Your Master taught you how to hate the right people, in the right way; gave you a crystal and let you forge your own lightsabers. Your Master told you you were special. No, no, it doesn’t matter that you were a slave, you are special, my boy. You know you are different, do you not? That you learn faster than children your age; that your reflexes are sharper, your intuition stronger. You see things before people do, know things before people see, and do things before people know. The future and the past are sometimes indistinguishable in your dreams. Clever child, golden child, you are certainly worth more than a bantha; oh, you are worth more than the population on that sandy speck combined. You are the Chosen One! You are destined for greatness.

You were weak and small and nothing. You deserve so much more, so much more. A pity that the universe has never given you and will never give you what you truly deserve. None of that is your fault, my poor boy; they are simply too blind and puny to appreciate your capacity and recognize your power. But worry not: Your Master will give it to you. Your Master is here to help you. You love him dearly, because you are nothing without him, because the universe is stupid and cruel and you hate it for making you feel like nothing. Your Master, on the other hand, must love you dearly, or else he would not have told you all about how special you are. Would not have trained you to be so strong. Would not have given you the respectable name of…

“Darth Vader.”

The greeting sounds more like a warning, because you deserve it. “I—I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough.” Even your voice comes out too small.

“Little need to apologize in words, my apprentice,” says your Master. “You know what must be done. You must learn your lesson.”

You love him, you love him, you love him. You love your Master, you chant in your heart, as you hang your head and tuck your tongue back and wait like the good apprentice you are.

The first blow is always the hardest. You convulse, feeling as if a thousand red-hot needles are exploding from within your sinews. Blinding pain crackles through your body, and you scream yourself…

Awake.

Anakin sits up in his sleeping bag, panting. He thinks he heard the tail end of a scream, his own, but it’s all silent now. He’s alone in the dark, the healed stump of his right arm tingling under the prosthetic cap. He searches his psyche for the tatters of a bond between him and the late Sith Lord; there's nothing left. Darth Sidious is truly dead. Two strides away from him, Obi-Wan Kenobi sleeps soundly in his bed.

His eyes soften. The sight of Obi-Wan soothes him, reminding him of where he is in time and in space. It has been a few months since he killed his Sith Master. He is in the Jedi Temple, in quarters belonging to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padawan Ahsoka Tano. Nobody knows he is here.

Anakin turns away as one would turn away from a too-bright light. You can’t look at the sun for too long or it’ll burn your eyes; especially if you are used to darkness. He breathes in, and out, and shakily pulls off the cover of the sleeping bag. His new metal fingertips nearly tear through the fabric.

“Anakin?”

Anakin doesn’t flinch, but his stomach flips. Obi-Wan’s silhouette slowly sits up in bed, tousled and softly rumpled and Anakin feels frighteningly tender in the chest. He keeps his head down, not wanting to meet Obi-Wan’s eyes right now.

“Anakin, is everything alright?”

Anakin mumbles out something vaguely affirmative, and pushes himself to his feet. “Fresher,” he says, hurrying away. He doesn’t return to the bedroom afterwards, but goes straight to the kitchenette and begins to prepare a rather large breakfast. He knows Obi-Wan doesn’t go back to sleep either. He wills himself to ignore the circles under Obi-Wan’s eyes, come morning.

—

“Anakin, I have been thinking,” Obi-Wan begins, as he takes their empty plates to the kitchen, where a dishwashing droid stands await. “You don’t happen to have a habit of meditating, do you?”

Anakin almost tenses up at meditating, but he only lets out a huff of breath and opens the droid’s compartment doors. He’s glad Ahsoka is away for the night, staying in her friend’s quarters or some such. If she joins in with Obi-Wan it’ll only be harder for him to reject the request. Because that’s clearly a request, no matter how fancily Obi-Wan phrases his question.

I hate it teeters on the tip of his tongue, but Anakin just answers: “No, I don’t.” Obi-Wan likes meditation, as all Jedi do. It would feel bad, be bad, to say he hates something Obi-Wan likes.

Obi-Wan hums. Dishes clink as he sets them in one by one. “Would you be so opposed to it, then?”

Anakin pulls his shields higher so that none of the screaming No no no I hate it in his mind is going to bleed through to Obi-Wan in the Force. He makes the mistake of turning to look at Obi-Wan, because he can’t help it, and he's met with a hopeful smile and gentle, crinkled eyes. He can't bear to see that smile fall. “...Guess not,” he mutters.

“I would keep you company, if that’s fine,” Obi-Wan continues on merrily, like the good-natured Jedi he is. “I mean to invite you to join me for meditation before bedtime, in fact. Is that alright?”

Anakin stares down at his mismatched hands. If there is one thing he hates more than meditating, it’s meditating with someone watching. He tries very hard not to grit his teeth.

“Of course, you don’t have to,” Obi-Wan adds, fingers briefly brushing Anakin’s flesh wrist. The sensation shoots right into Anakin’s heart. That settles it; it’s not even a question. Obi-Wan will be disappointed if he doesn’t.

“It’s alright,” Anakin says, shutting the droid’s compartment door. The timer beeps, unhelpfully helping him count down to the dreaded session.

—

“So this is meditation?” Anakin blurts.

Obi-Wan sits cross-legged on his bed, in his soft robes and sleeping pants. He opens his eyes in a quizzical gaze as Anakin remains standing. Anakin curls his hands into fists and tries not to fiddle with the hem of his tunic. Obi-Wan frowns, unfurls from his position and comes up so near that Anakin wants to hold his breath. He smells like the cotton flower-scented fabric softener, like crisp, warm laundry - he smells like hard-earned safety. “You don’t need to lie to me, Anakin,” he says, a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “I will instruct you from the beginning if you need me to, and I promise to help you with any difficulty. Now tell me: Have you meditated before?”

Obi-Wan says so, but Anakin is not about to tell him about the Sphere; about the long hours spent in that terrible spheroid room with enough space for you to wish you could move from your spot, but the walls were too smooth and curved for you to scale; about how silent it was in there save for his Master’s voice in his mind. Anakin is not about to tell this Jedi about the splatter of blood in the Sphere where he once bashed his head against until he passed out because he could not take it. How Sidious had punished him for it afterwards. How he never dared to do it again.

“...No,” Anakin says. “Show me.”

Obi-Wan nods; his hand slips down his shoulder and runs gently down his arm. Anakin blinks. Obi-Wan's touch always feels so… nice. Unhurried and mellow and never really demanding anything back. “I see. Take a seat beside me. Make yourself comfortable, please.”

Anakin crosses his legs as Obi-Wan does. Nervousness winds his core tight, makes his back rigid and ramrod straight. Obi-Wan is near him, both in physical presence and in the Force, his signature pulsing with the light of sunrays through butterfly wings.

“Relax, Anakin. Loosen your muscles”—his warm hand traces across Anakin’s back from shoulder to shoulder, then down his spine—“and your jaws.” His fingertips brush the hinge of Anakin’s jaws just as he says so. Anakin nearly shivers. It takes him longer than he thought it would, to truly follow those orders.

“...There we go,” Obi-Wan says. He draws back, and Anakin should be glad that the distracting touch is gone, but he feels disappointed instead. “Now breathe in deep. Ah, wait. Do it again, breathe in, deeper, and try to hold it. Yes, like that…”

They spend the next quarter hour or so wrestling with his breathing pattern, keeping it both deep and steady. Anakin goes from counting the beats to counting the breaths to finally not needing to count at all. And then when he thinks he’s gotten the hang of it…

“Let go? You mean I shouldn’t focus on my breathing anymore?” he asks, puzzled, bordering on frustrated. “But you just told me to be mindful of it.”

“Yes, correct, Anakin.” Obi-Wan sounds unfazed. “Be mindful of the rhythm, and keep it up. You’ve done well so far. Now you must turn your focus inwards, and meet the Force within you.”

Anakin’s eyes slide open for a split second and then fall shut again. He doesn’t understand, but he could just try. This isn’t any difficulty that he needs to bother his instructor with. He nods, and begins again. He begins with his breathing. In, and out. Slow, and steady. And now he must not think about the breaths anymore. Now he must...

The Force within him is a well of ink. Ink that glisten from black to crimson like the blood on his hand. Ink that sloshes and laps against the walls and the echoes turn into screams. A bright white fracture crackles from one corner of his vision to the other. Centipede-like arches of incandescence skitter under his skin. Drip, drip, the blood, no, the ink, it drips and it trails and it tickles his skin. There’s the familiar taste of copper at the back of his tongue, flavors just waiting to burst. Cruel laughter echoes from the bottom of the inky well, and somewhere in the thick darkness there is the outline of a woman’s silhouette, of small but strong shoulders and—

Something warm brushes his psyche.

Warm, but too close. Anakin snatches that tendril without a thought and delves counter-current through Force-realm. He forces himself to the other side, even as something shatters around him. He knows the drill. *Your self-preservation can only come at the cost of others', my boy.* Colors begin to flash, gentle and muted, bearing the fuzzy quality of memories. Sunlight flickers, filigree wings flutter, landing on durasteel grounds. He feels tears on his face and tears in his throat and his forehead is pressed close to someone else’s, someone he loves so dearly—no, not him, someone that the person to whom this mind belongs loves so dearly.

“...proud of you. Carry on, Obi-Wan. Live brightly.”

“Yes, Master.”

There's no silence more thorough than a heartbeat evening out into nothingness. There's no solitude more poignant than the company of a vanishing light. Saying goodbye is never an easy feat, even for a Jedi, and the anger and sorrow he felt—

“Anakin! Stop!”

Anakin jolts awake. A thick, ferric drop trails from his nose, warm on his lips. He opens his eyes and finds Obi-Wan beneath him, wide-eyed. His hands are pressing Obi-Wan’s shoulders into the mattress. Obi-Wan, who was teaching him to meditate, who brushed his mental shields in the process of instruction. Obi-Wan, his teacher. And if all of those images belonged to Obi-Wan…

He just broke into Obi-Wan’s mind.

Anakin scrambles back. The ink, no, the blood, now drips down his chin. It tickles. His teeth clatter as shivers rake up inside him. He clenches his jaws and stares at the ground. The sheets rustle.

“I think that’s quite enough for tonight.” Obi-Wan doesn’t sound angry, just somewhat breathless. Even concerned. Anakin doesn’t believe it. “Anakin, you’re bleeding. Do you need—”

“No.” Anakin staggers to his feet and backs away. Nothing worse than asking for more and becoming even more of a burden because everything he takes is a debt and he will pay for it. His Master always made sure he paid. “No. I’ll—I’ll clean up. I’m sorry. I’ll clean up.”

He stands there just long enough for Obi-Wan to respond - with anything, words, blows, anything. In the end, Obi-Wan only says, “Alright. Please, take care.” Anakin’s eyes flick up to find a grimace. He turns away and all but runs to the fresher, more dismayed than relieved.

Because if the punishment doesn’t come right away, that only means he’s going to have to wait.

[galacticlamps]

im sorry im sorry im sorry i know it’s been well over a year but i accidentally thought about Short Trips: Deleted Scenes (again) and it’s killing me (again) so i think im just gonna go ahead and post all these stupid thoughts that have been plaguing me about it since i first heard it & maybe that’ll help clear up some space in my head for like, real life things.

Spoilers I guess? It’s like a year and a half old but also high key the most recent 2nd doctor content i believe we’ve gotten which is like, the only negative thing I can say about it

The TLDR version is this:

I literally cant believe how sweet it is? Painful, but sweet. Like. I don’t honestly know what’s more likely - did they set out to write Jamie a nice little straight love interest and just fail miserably at it by constantly likening her to the Doctor AND paralleling the Doctor’s perspective with her ex’s AND putting Jamie’s relationships with both of them in direct tension with each other while constantly letting his with the Doctor win out?

OR - did they do a very 1960s thing and say hey we’re gonna write what’s essentially a story about how much Jamie and the Doctor love each other and release it on Valentine’s Day thinly disguised as a one-off romance with a french lady?

Now, as a general rule, my attitude toward questions like that is usually “don’t know, don’t care, doesn’t matter” - and while I 100% stand by that, I also have to admit that this particular audio seems to pay enough attention to detail that I’d kind of think I was selling it short if I assumed too many of these things were just meaningless coincidences, you know?

Anyway, that’s the most coherent/overarching thought. And here’s a disorganized list of things I absolutely cannot get over about it (they don’t form any kind of argument, mind, they just all happen to live rent free in my head):

- Celine is first taken in by Jamie being an idiot (specifically him claiming not to speak French, in perfect French); likewise, her entrance in the scene where they actually kiss is marked with a little anecdote about her hat getting stuck on a doornail and her scolding it as she attempts to fix her un-tameable appearance, and the narration says Celine “would often clown for Jamie like this” - all of which, while undeniably adorable, don’t exactly strike me as entirely original traits to have been assigned to Jamie’s love-interest (but also Celine is so cool and her perspective on film/media/time is an excellent addition to the long list of dr who characters)

- When they’re in the present, describing Jamie’s relationship with Celine in 1908, they call him her “companion” and highlight his going nearly everywhere with her, which earns a laugh from the 4th doctor (and me as well, though probably for slightly different reasons - but like, is that really all it takes to have a fling with someone in 60′s era who? bc if so...)

- Celine’s ex-fiance is still in love with her and is jealously watching when she kisses Jamie ... and then the Doctor appears beside him, evidently doing the exact. same. thing. They have the following conversation:

“You know, it’s not prudent to spy on people. But then, people in pain can’t be expected to act prudently.”

“Pain, monsieur? You mistake me.”

“Ah, do I? Good, because I rather thought you’d lost something.”

“What would you know about loss monsieur?”

- I’m sorry doc but who do you think you are, saying stuff like that and smiling sadly at the floor to boot? I 100% had to pause it here the first time I listened, just to not throw my laptop across the room. 

- Then when I recovered continued, the Doctor closes the door so they can’t watch anymore and explains “Possessing things comes so terribly easily to some men that losing them can feel cruel, intolerably cruel. In my experience, only the very best of men cannot be tempted to answer that cruelty with more - I do sincerely hope that you are the best of men.” (guess who gets described as the best of men by the end of the audio?)

- Jamie and the Doctor apparently develop a habit of walking along the river in Paris in silence

- During one such walk, Jamie suggests Celine come with them since she already figured out about the Tardis - and when the Doctor’s worried by this, he says he only allowed Jamie & Celine to grow closer “because of Victoria.” Jamie takes offense at the ‘allowing it’ comment and also refuses to admit he knows what the Doctor means about Victoria, which leads the Doctor to say that he knows how fond Jamie was of her - he was too, of course, but with him, “it was different, wasn’t it?” Jamie only says maybe that’s true and maybe that’s not, but his voice catches until he changes the subject

- Jamie doesn’t see Celine for days both times that she’s recovering from the shock and depression of her work being destroyed. In contrast, when the Doctor’s not well, Jamie’s "afraid” and “guilty” and hardly seems to leave his side at all, if his being there “rushing to embrace him” the second he wakes up - after a period Jamie describes as “at least a week” - is anything to go by, anyway. so either bf writers need to learn how to write a committed straight relationship or admit that’s not what they ever intended in the first place

- Oh yeah, and the Doctor spends that week "asleep” in Jamie’s bedroom - no, there’s no explanation as to if that’s where he was when he first collapsed or if it’s where Jamie decided to take him bc why would they feel the need to explain him being there? why was it even relevant to tell us it was Jamie’s room in the first place?

- The Doctor somehow manages to control the Tardis enough to take Celine on one trip to an alien planet and then return to the correct time & place for her to use the footage she recorded there in her new film - and while the audio doesn’t do very much to explain how that was possible, it does treat this as A Pretty Big Deal, and immediately afterward the Doctor has to spend a week communing with his past self (and/or the Tardis?) debating how likely it is that the Time Lords could use this to trace him. When he decides it’s not worth the risk and they have to stop the film from ever being shown to the public, Jamie asks why he agreed to it in the first place, and all he can say is “Because, Jamie, you asked me to!” earning awkward stares from the crowd.

- Oh, but, lest we forget, that little outburst is also immediately followed by him putting his arm around Jamie’s shoulders, and, shockingly, apparently beginning to actually explain the truth about the danger from the Time Lords - until they’re interrupted, of course idk why exactly but the idea of a 60s dr wanting to come clean with a companion but not being allowed to bc the show demands the war games be something of a reveal hurts me in a very good way

- The mental image of “the Doctor and Jamie, resplendent in borrowed evening wear”

- The audio admitting that Jamie’s not very good at subterfuge, and the Doctor asking if he’s going to be alright with them having to steal the film back from Celine - and Jamie’s little “Aye, Doctor” as he feels a ‘glass arrow piercing his chest’ glad to see bf is reading all my letters about exactly how i feel any time something sad happens to james robert mccrimmon

- The Doctor’s anxious to get out of there for obvious reasons, but he hangs around bc Jamie wants to see Celine again - which doesn’t happen, because of her aforementioned shock & depression, but she does leave Jamie a note that ends “you and that Doctor of yours - look after him Jamie, he loves you dearly, as do I.” yeah, if you didn’t want people to draw a parallel there, you could’ve picked, like, any other wording in the world.

- In case you weren’t fully convinced I’ve been reading too much into this whole audio already, consider this: Celine dies in Long Island in 1968, three days before her birthday - 1968 is when this story would’ve taken place in the show’s history (between Fury & Wheel), and dying three days before/after a birthday in America seems a bit... well I had some deja vu from it, anyway

- Four of all people being the one to bring back the film - I know he does it bc Sarah Jane makes him, but personally, I often feel like despite the length of his run, 4 is the Doctor with which we might’ve gotten the fewest glimpses into his interiority, so the fact that it’s him and not one of the more overtly sentimental Doctors makes it feel like it carries even more weight somehow, to me anyway. I think I wrote a post saying roughly the same thing about 4 & Fate of Krelos/Return to Telos but maybe I only did that inside my own head lol. Still, I’m all for any opportunities for Jamie to be one of the few characters to draw some noticeable emotion out of Four, but in fairness I haven’t touched too much of his EU stuff to really be able to compare the frequency with which this happens with other past companions

- Is Four referring to Two or Jamie when he says he got the film from “an old family friend”? Two did the actual stealing, but he probably means Jamie’s involvement - either way, it’s an interesting way of describing old companions - or selves?

- When Jemima goes to call Jamie a thief, Four is “roused” to defend him: “he really was the very best of men” again, any time four freely shows he cares about someone, im over the moon about it

- Oh ha ha, there’s an audio called “Deleted Scenes” featuring the Doctor who’s most affected by junked episodes. And at the end of it, a character who’s spent her life researching and lecturing about a lost film gets to watch it be ‘rediscovered’ after it’s gone unseen for decades. I feel marginally less stupid for reading into the other details of a story like this when it ends up deciding to be to be clever & slightly meta like that

But yeah

all in all, it’s kind of amazing to me that this genuinely reads like they sat down and said okay boys it’s valentines day, let’s write an audio where jamie kisses a girl, since that hasn’t happened except as a plot device in one story in 1967 - but then when they got down to business they accidentally(?) wrote a story all about how important his bond with the Doctor is and how easily that can be compared to a legitimate love interest (even if the love interest in question is a one off character & the extent of the relationship appears to be like one kiss & then having Jamie spend most of his time around the Doctor instead)

I realize there’s something slightly illogical about writing the words “shipping aside” after a post like this but seriously - no matter how many categories you’re able to see two & jamie’s relationship fitting into, this is 40 minutes of big finish just hitting you over the head with how powerful/special/important that relationship is, and with them being two of my favorite characters, i really haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since

[bl1ndbraavosi]

Hiii!! Requesting Kakasaku and 6 from the prompts list please 😉🙏🏻

hehehe THANK YOU n sorry for the wait!!!

i am assuming u r referring to “Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”, mostly bc i really want u to be referring to “Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

-

“I get the bed!” she called out as they squeezed into the room together, both angling to toss themselves onto the bed and claim it as their own.

“Age before beauty, Sakura-chan,” he said, bumping her out of his way. “And I happen to have the edge up on both,” he added with a stupidly smug eye-crinkle. She held onto the crook of his elbow unrelentingly, her grip teetering on the brink of too-strong.

“What you have is my last nerve. That bed is mine,” she growled out, holding him steadfast and refusing to let him get the better of her.

“Mah, Sakura-chan, at my age, I need the back support,” he said with his signature crinkly-eyed, bullshitting smile. “As a medic, you should know that.”

“This is coming from a man who falls asleep in trees at least three times a week.”

“And do you really want to perpetuate that problem?”

“I want my bed,” she said adamantly, flexing her hands around his elbow as a slight reminder. “Your posture is already terrible; you might as well let me maintain my perfect posture,” she said with a wide grin.

“Mm, you make an excellent point,” he said, shocking her to her core. And then he flashed away from her, breaking her grip and flinging himself onto the bed. “But I am very fast, so it doesn’t matter,” he finished with two smile-crinkled eyes.

“Banana-shaped bastard,” Sakura grumbled as she headed for the shower. What kind of inn had rooms with a single twin bed, anyway? And why was Kakashi such a cheapskate? They could have gone to the nicer inn further in town, the one with air conditioning and double beds, and those fancy little bottles of complimentary shampoo.

Instead, she was going to sleep in a cot, and her hair was going to be dry and frizzy, because she hadn’t brought enough shampoo and conditioner with her. Kakashi had offered her his, but judging by the state of his hair, she figured she’d be better off without it. She enjoyed the hot water for as long as she dared before moving to cut the shower short and conserve some heat for Kakashi.

On second thought…

“Enjoy your shower, Sakura-chan?” Kakashi asked pleasantly from his seat on her bed, glancing at her over Icha Icha.

“Hmm, yes, it was very relaxing,” she said amiably as she toweled off her wet hair. She could feel that his eyes were on her as she moved about their small room, walking over to her small, sunken cot that she was expected to sleep in.

“Did you forget something?” he asked pointedly, his eyes glued to the towel tightly wrapped around her.

“Just air-drying,” she said easily. He grunted in response before snapping his book closed and hopping off his bed. She watched with wide, innocent eyes as he headed for the bathroom. “Oh, I didn’t realize you wanted to shower. I used all the hot water,” she said sweetly. He didn’t buy it for a minute, but he fixed her with a happy smile.

“Oh, that’s alright, Sakura-chan. I can use a fire jutsu to heat up the pipes.”

Bastard.

But while he disappeared into the washroom, Sakura took the opportunity to sit herself on the bed. It wasn’t exactly luxurious, but it was a hell of a lot better than the cot. If it had been just a little bigger she would have suggested they share it, but Kakashi was tall, and Sakura was a flailing sort of sleeper, so she knew that that would never fly.

Close as they were, she was pretty sure Kakashi had his boundaries. And cuddling up to Sakura on a twin-sized mattress was definitely pushing those boundaries, she was certain. If only she could set his boundaries over to that cot so she could keep the bed to herself.

She snickered as she stripped the towel off and dove under the covers. Let’s see how that speed serves you now, she thought wickedly, snuggling into the mattress and brimming with self-satisfaction.

She cracked one eye open, a wicked smile on her face when she heard the bathroom door open.

“Get off my bed,” he said without much conviction. She hummed noncommittally.

“No, I don’t think I will.” He grabbed at the blankets by her feet, intent on stripping her of them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she teased, feeling all too pleased with herself when a little line appeared between his eyebrows, evidence of his confused frown.

“Are you…?”

“Naked? Why, yes. Yes, I am,” she said happily, sitting up in the bed with the covers clutched to her chest so he could see her bare shoulders, clear as day.

“And is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?” he asked carefully.

“My bed,” she corrected, feeling smug and very proud of herself. “Unless you’d like to crawl in with me?” she taunted, lifting a corner of the blanket and sticking her bare leg out of it. His ears went red.

“Sakura,” he warned, “you shouldn’t put yourself in positions you aren’t prepared to get out of.” She felt her own cheeks heat, not entirely sure what he was alluding to, but feeling enticed by it nonetheless.

“I think you’ll find that I am a very conscientious kunoichi,” Sakura offered, all bullshit, pleasantness and easily smiles. Kakashi hummed and leaned over her on the small bed, his hands planted on either side of her hips.

“Is that so?” he asked, his voice low as his eyes roamed her face. She swallowed as his gaze dipped below her chin and down her neck, to her collar before landing on the sheets that hid her naked body. She hummed in confirmation, not necessarily trusting herself to speak. Even her hum came out squeaky and tight. She thought she could see his lips quirk upward under his mask.

Lips that were angling towards hers and she noted that this was not the result she had been aiming for when she’d crawled into this bed. She had anticipated awkward spluttering and indignant resignation, but for once in her life, she found herself happy to be wrong. This was an unexpected turn of events, but she found herself entirely welcoming of it.

She could feel his breath sweeping across her lips through his mask, and was suddenly very aware of his hands bunching up her sheets on either side of her hips. She felt pinned down even though he wasn’t touching her; even though she could very easily over power him with physical strength. She wondered if he would let her pull that mask down. It seemed only fair that she should see his face if he got to see all of her.

She tentatively raised her hand to his cheek, keeping her eyes locked on his. He didn’t flinch when her palm rested against his face, and she thought what the hell, nothing was making any sense anymore anyway. She might as well go for it.

Wrong.

Just as she hooked a finger into his mask, the world around her went dark and she felt the bed disappear out from under her as she swung wildly mid-air.

“Kakashi!!!” she shouted into the blanket-cocoon he’d wrapped her in. Not a moment later, she felt herself drop, and she gasped loudly as she flew through the air, only to land hard and with an embarrassing grunt onto that horribly uncomfortable cot. By the time she untangled herself from the mess of linens, Kakashi was laying back on the stripped mattress, looking happy as a clam.

“Sleep well, Sakura-chan,” he said before clicking the lights off and ignoring every protest she tossed his way.

-

When they arrived back in Konoha the next day, she was as banana-shaped as he was, and thrice as grumpy. He had been disturbingly nice, bringing her coffee in the morning, and dropping her folded clothes by her cot so she could dress herself while he was in the washroom. She figured it was the least he could do after flinging her around their room in a fitted sheet.

Their journey back was mostly silent. Amicable silence on Kakashi’s part and hostile silence on Sakura’s. Even when he offered her one of his questionably-procured apples, she snarled at him and continued slumping back to Konoha, in all her hunched-back glory.

“Don’t be too mad at me, Sakura-chan,” he chided as they approached Konoha. “It was a very clever trick.”

“Not clever enough,” she grumbled, rolling her shoulders and sighing in relief as they cracked and popped.

“Mm,” he hummed with his nose buried in his stupid green book. “I’m inclined to disagree,” he said softly. “The plan was there, but the execution was a little off.” Before she could question it, though, they were at the gates and he was disappearing with a two-fingered salute.

-

“Execution was a little off, my ass,” Sakura grumbled as she let herself into his apartment later that night. “Who does he think he is?” She surveyed his modest studio apartment; the threadbare couch, the rickety bookshelf that housed a hell of a lot more than Icha Icha, and finally, the twin bed that was tucked into a corner beneath a window, a shuriken-printed comforter neatly draped across it.

Annoyed as she was, she couldn’t help but smile as she surveyed the two framed photos that sat next to the tiny plant on the windowsill. Kakashi had been a cute kid, she thought before her eyes moved over to the Team Seven photo. But I’m cuter, she thought with a wicked smile.

“Sorry, kids,” she mumbled to herself as she spun the picture frames away from the bed. She didn’t want eyes on her for what she was about to do—even photographed eyes.

She hadn’t been waiting long when his door opened and his eyes landed straight on her, grinning up at him from under that shuriken bedspread.

“What are you doing?” he asked in suspicion.

“Let’s give this another try, hm?” she suggested. “Don’t you want to know why I’m naked in your bed?”

[personalfandompastastrainer]

THEORY ON THE AVENGERS: THE FIRST ONE

I know this has been said before, but Loki brought the Avengers together on purpose. Here's who, what, when, where, how.

Let's start at the beginning. Loki lets go of the edge of the Bifrost. He falls into the endless void of space, devasted, and knowing that he will never ever be king, or please his father, or measure up to his brother.

Now, there's speculation. We know Thanos finds him, and tortures him. Why would he torture him? Because Loki, for all Thanos knows, is "Asgardian." Asgard keeps some of the most powerful magical items in the galaxy in its vault. Perhaps infinity stones as well. Loki probably knows stuff about them. Loki is confused at first, but probably to distract himself from the pain, he starts putting the pieces together. Thanos is a very large threat. He wants the infinity stones. If Loki ever wanted to rule something, he needed to make sure Thanos could be defeated. So he talks. Loki is a manipulator. A negotiater. Words are his domain of power. And illusions. Thanos is so darn lazy, he won't do anything himself because he feels it's beneath him. So Loki praises him. He convinces him that he's on his side. Then he says, I know where the Tesseract is. I can get it for you, and wield it to destroy the people who are responsible for taking it from you. I just need an army. Also, this plan gets him out of being tortured. It may have taken a long time, but eventually, Thanos must've said yes.

Anyway, Loki does his research. He's familiar with SHIELD, so he must get into their files somehow. He can shapeshift, so it would've been easy. Maybe he sees the file on the Avengers. And he's like "aha. perfect."

Then he steals the Tesseract, and something the female assassin cares about. Now she'll leave her mission and join the chase for him. He'll also steal someone Thor cares about, and the Tesseract. Check.

Natasha will be sent to pick up Banner, bringing in an essential part of his plan. Fury will get the man out of time. Coulson will grab Tony.

Now for phase two; get captured. That part's easy. Barton is an amazing spy and agent, break into the place where the stuff is, and oop, there's god's righteous man and his pals, metal suit laser boy, jet plane flown by female assassin, and also thor, late to the party. Have the two oppose so that they both earn Thor's respect as warriors.

Phase 3; Unleash the Hulk. Tell Romanoff the plan on purpose. You think she's the manipulator? You haven't met Loki. There's no way he dropped that info on accident. He's too clever. He knew Natasha's background. Through probability, she was the only option as his interregator. So he knew she'd understand his hint. She did.

Phase 4; Escape. Of course, it was too late to keep Hulk from happening. So that was their first fight, the one that united them and got past their anger at each other. Also, just before escaping, by stroke of good luck, kill the agent they all cared about. Of course, there's no way for Loki to like, kill him on purpose, but it ended up working to his advantage, and Fury's. The Avengers now have a reason to fight. Together.

Phase 5; Cause utter and complete chaos in the appropriate place; Stark Tower and New York. Cause a war. Also, interesting side note; After being thrashed around by the Hulk, Loki just Lies There. I mean, understandable, and his body must've felt like it was on fire, but surely he would've recovered before the Avengers showed up. Like, he's a GOD. He might've been really hurt, but he would've gotten up faster. Why then, did he lie there? He wanted to be there. Loki didn't want to have to report back to Thanos. He didn't want to continue to be tortured bc he'd failed. He knew if he was caught again, that Thor would insist on taking him back home, to Asgard. The perfect place to cause more mischief and just chill in a jail cell. Much better than torture. Anyway, just a thought.

Phase 6; Getting caught. The Avengers are a team of unlikely heroes. Going back to Asgard. The Tesseract is safe. For now. The End. (For now.)

Also, I should add, an interesting little tidbit. I'm like 90% sure that in Norse Mythology, Loki is not only the God of Mischief. He's also the God of Stories. Food for thought.

(sorry for the long post! I had a LOT to say. Also, disclaimer; there's obviously going to be a few gaps in this theory. There's always gaps. No theory is perfect or set in stone. I just really like this one, so don't roast me in the comments. Feel free to add your own ideas though! Maintain polite conversation or criticism plz, thanks!)

[korissideblog]

So! I decided I wanted to info dump about my bby, and I’m gonna do it here. Consider this a living document, cause ill be editing new questions and answers as they come in <3 if you have any more questions just comment them (or ask on anon if you want, I’ll answer both here and there)

Question from: @bobittybob20276

while Aito tries to train like the rest of her classmates (though sparring) his quirk really isn’t a fighting quirk, so yeah, most of her training happens out in the wild. He mostly trains on his classmates and teachers, but will occasionally go out of the school and try to charm random people she bumps into ;) . she continues his training after graduation, and keeps getting better and better the longer she’s in the field.

Question by: @zedthebuggy

kinda a tough question here, lemme try to explain how Aito’s quirk works; so pretty much it’s not really Aito’s gaze that makes it work, like his pupil doesn’t have to be trained on someone. His quirk works through her iris (the yellow bit). it looks normal most of the time, but when being used, it becomes wildly complicated, confusing the eye of her target and scrambling their brain a bit. pretty much, the brain normally simplifies everything so our eyes can kinda take shortcuts and let us quickly take in as much info as possible, but Aito’s irises are so overly complicated that the target’s brain is forced to focus excessively on them to keep up, making them very suggestible. that’s why Aito has to speak his commands, so that the target’s brain confuses Aito‘s voice for it’s own command (and also why the target won’t do anything too complicated or out of character. if the brain thinks too hard about what it’s doing, it could fall out of Aito’s control) his quirk would be better described as a sensory overload, but without the panic or any negative feelings. It actually feels rather nice to be charmed, like being a hot room with a cool fan blowing in your face, or drinking a warm drink in the snow. Very positive, yet opposity feelings at once if that makes sense

(side note, when Aito gets older, she can control when his quirk is “turned on” but while she’s in UA, it just constantly on all of the time, hence his choice in hairstyle)

so! To answer your question, if someone doesn’t know about Aito’s quirk, they have 0 clue that they’re being charmed, and will have 0 memory of whatever they do when charmed. If someone does know about her quirk though, their brain will recognize the feeling and will be able to combat it (she can still be pretty effective, but he still has to work harder for it) if someone knows about the quirk, their vision will get a bit darkend around the corners and may see quick flashes of darkness as their brain kicks off to focus on Aito’s irises. it takes a lot of willpower to fight Aito’s charms- or, just a very very simplified vision, like Aito’s mama has (if someone asks, I’ll talk later about Guadelupe’s vision, it’s actually pretty interesting) (side note again, if someone tires to fight her charm, it could leave them with a gentle headache <3)

and FINALLY Aito’s quirk doesn’t require her to physically see, as long as her target can see her, it works :)

Question by: @gatortopia

Aito decided to become a hero because… he’s perfect! And he wants everyone to know how perfect she is!! And everyone thinks heros are perfect!!! And soon EVERYONE will see how PERFECT he is!!!!!!!

(side notie <3)

when Aito’s father left them, he was cemented in Aito’s brain as someone who couldn’t see how perfect he was. Aito just wants to be seen by her father, but because he doesn’t know who he is, he assumed that the only way to get the man’s attention was to prove how perfect she can really be, and the only way she could figure out how to do that is by becoming a hero.

after he gets her license, he immediately starts heroing like others do, with big fights and capturing villains and saving people… but… that really didn’t work for her. No matter how strong or fast or clever she was, he couldn’t match up to his peers in the heroing world.her quirk just wasn’t made for that kinda work. He took some time off to figure himself out, and after a bit of time (and a lot of conversations with Michi, both professional and personal) he finally figured out that his best place to work was behind the scenes, collecting information and going undercover in villain hangouts and social events. he wears her support hero badge with pride. (and uhhh still sometimes helps with big fights and capturing villains and saving people. Hey! She spent good money on his hero suit! He’s gonna use it!!)

Question by: @ratty-memes

ooohhhh ok! This is the question I really wanna answer!!!

so! to clarify, Aito absolutely thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips, like even in the deep parts of her brain, she thinks he’s The Blueprint. I would almost describe her as narcissistic bordering on psychopathic. THE ONLY REASON I WOULDN’T DESCRIBE HER AS THIS THOUGH- is because of her reasoning

so- Aito was raised by his mama exclusively, and he thinks his mama hung the moon and painted the stars. Like she is a capital M capital B Mama’s Boy. He absolutely adores his mama and thinks she’s absolutely without flaw or defect. (She didn’t instill this in him, Guadelupe’s just a very nice lady and Aito was really messed up after his father left, so she clung to any semblance of a good parent she could find. (Even though he’s technically out of this stage already, and it’s much less pronounced, something similar happened when he met Sato. Guadelupe never dated after Aito’s father “because my mijo is the only person I’ll ever need” and because of that, Sato is the first positive male role model in his life. Most of his acting out actually is a product of wanting to keep Sato’s attention on him, and to subconsciously keep him from leaving like his father did))

Aito’s brain pretty much went “ok, my mama is Absolutely And Positively Perfect… and she really really loves me… she wouldn’t love a kid with flaws… so I must also be perfect!!” And that’s why she thinks she’s all that! She thinks his perfection is as obvious as the sky being blue, and his want for validation just his way of checking out the window and seeing the color or they sky. they sky is blue, and everyone knows that, and Aito is perfect, and everyone should know that!!

Question by: @cosmic-goof

you only get repercussions if you’re caught ;)

but also she’s promised multiple people that she won’t steal from strangers. In the classroom setting, people know that when your wallet or your ID card or your phone go missing, you should talk to Aito before you do anything else, strangers don’t know that, so whatever she takes is for keeps. He really doesn’t like keeping things from people as much as he just likes the act of pick pocketing, so if someone asks for their item back, Aito will immediately return it and will probably explain how and when he took it if they let him. only problem is, you obviously can’t do this with strangers, so instead she does other things, like asks them for a harmless favor that someone would never do for a stranger (“hey there, can you help me move tomorrow?” “Hi! Do you mind if I take your picture?” “Hello sir! can I look through your phone for a sec?”)

Question by: @cosmic-goof

at the moment, it’s usually an adult who knows about her quirk and tries very hard not to be charmed (think sato). she can still charm adults obviously, but it’s a bit harder to do bc she’s just a little baby. maybe when she trains more she’ll get stronger, but at the moment, that’s her limit (sorry if this is a weird answer, willpower doesn’t exactly come in like a points system irl, so I can’t be like “7 willpower!” yk?)

Question by: @glitchviper

I talked about this before with Rin’s blind eye (something I’ll probably add here) but being blind in one eye wouldn’t stop Aito’s quirk (as long as you look at her with your non-blind eye, you can still be charmed, hence why when looking at Aito with only her blind eye, Rin wasn’t charmed)

the only was to not be charmed by Aito is to just not see her eyes, so total blindness or some kind of visual abnormality (like her mama has. somebody PLEASE ask me about Lup’s eyes. I have diagrams) but! if a person is seeing, but can’t hear Aito (be it because of deafness, or some issues in the environment like loud noises or earmuffs) a person can be charmed, but cannot be commanded <3

((p.s. I’ll be talking a lot about blindness or other disabilities while discussing Aito’s quirk, but if I say or display any ableist language or sympathies, please know it’s out of ignorance and not malice, and correct me when you can.))