#he's NOT loyal to fault! he is extremely loyal but it's fully conditional!

[bitimdrake]

the thing about Dick and Tim in relation to Bruce that I am constantly spinning around and around in my head is like

if they’re talking about Bruce, Dick will be the first one to be like ‘bruce is an asshole he’s being terrible fuck him you don’t need him’ while Tim will be like ‘no you gotta give him a chance he’s just struggling and it’s our job to be there for him’

but if something actually Happens, then Tim will be the one like ‘we have to sincerely consider the possibility that bruce may be a murderer while i hold him at arm’s length’ while Dick is already trying to die for Bruce without a second’s hesitation and won’t lose loyalty in a million years

[alexalessandro]

Frederick is not what you think

I saw a lot of people take umbrage with Frederick's new characterization in the train cart scene, but this is setting us up for either misdirect or a deeper nuanced take on Frederick's character.

Remember, they're setting up a parallel between the love Percy knows and understands and the love Annabeth has come to accept.

Percy is our voice for unconditional love. It's why he loves and trusts so fiercely; loyalty is his fatal flaw. He hasn't received much love from the world, but he will hang on with dear life to the love of the few people in his life. He will sacrifice himself for Grover and Annabeth. He will lay down his life on a quest he didn't want for the slight chance it could bring his mom back. He is loyal and stubborn, and he can't, and won't, accept the gods' definition of love and family.

"This is the kind of family the gods are to each other..."

"But at least with the gods you know the rules"

Annabeth is our proxy for every child demigod at camp, for all the campers that drunk down the Kool-Aid camp half-blood and the gods are feeding them. Most of these kids didn't have a Sally in their life. They didn't have someone who loved them and stayed in their corner no matter what. "All that matters is that you're safe... I told him I believe my kid, it was a very short call".

Annabeth has fully bought into the fact that love is conditional, that to be the pride of Athena's offspring, she has to be perfect.

"A monument to perfection... that's how you show Athena your love"

Now... Frederick.

From the train cart scene, we understand that Annabeth felt loved by Frederick and that she was "treated as a gift", but even gifts can be returned.

To argue in favor of Frederick for a second here, the way children of Athena come into this world is extremely jarring for their mortal parent. In the case of most other gods that have normal relations with humans, at least both parties are in favor during the act (one can only hope) or can expect a child as an outcome. With Athena, a child just plops on your doorstep after a nice conversation you had with a woman once and surprise surprise! You're a parent now! Congratulations! No, we do not take receipts.

This doesn't set up the relationship between the kid and the parent to be amazing (just another way that gods keep being inconsiderate of mortals and their children), to Frederick's merit, at least he tries with Annabeth in the series.

Their situation is neither of their fault he knows that, so he reframes Annabeth's arrival as a gift (prompting her to idolize her mom even before she knew she was a half-blood). He tries to be a good parent to Annabeth, but if there's anything that Annabeth's story and the fact that he didn't even try to look for her in the 5 years she's been missing tells us that he wasn't all that grateful for Athena's gift. Yet again, the only instance of love Annabeth has ever known has been conditional. I'll love you until I start a proper family of my own. I'll love you until it becomes inconvenient to go after you.

This leaves Annabeth with only Luke... Even Thalia had her "prove herself".

Thalia was most likely worried about Annabeth's chances of survival if she traveled with her. Annabeth was 7, untrained, traveling with a forbidden child of Zeus, with Hades actively trying to kill them. It makes sense she would try to keep Annabeth at arm's length at first, for both their sakes.

TLDR: In the end, I believe the series is setting up Frederick to be more of a nuanced character. He tried with Annabeth but he let her run away, proving his love to be conditional. I think the series is setting up Annabeth and Percy to be mirrors of each other in the way they perceive and understand love, all to make it all the sweeter and more painful once they discover the traitor's motivations because Percy gets it, but Annabeth won't understand. Annabeth perceiving Frederick's love as genuine and unconditional even though he didn't look for her is essential to set up her worldview of the gods and parental love.

[twst-headcanon]

I’ll probably ask for each dorm. But what do you think is some defining moments or traits that each boy needs to really feel like they trust someone? Are they just a naturally trusting person? Maybe they’re really hard to get trust from?

mod Amy here ~ I have a lot of work for school so sorry for the delay (I didn’t think editing would take so much time ha) anyway we have been working on it together ! I hope you will like it ~ 

and thank you so much  everyone for all the request we received! (its make my heart full of love) 

HEARTSLABYUL

. Riddle is more trusting with people who follow the rules and if they are hardworking, its obvious but he really needs to be sure he can count of them. He has a lot of presure being a dorm leader so this little reasurance helps him a lot. That being say he does give chances at people in general. Riddle doesn’t question them if someone says anything to him, he will believe it unless their action are contradictory. Yes, even if some are « magnet trouble » or « chaotic » he will give them a chance but will most likely keep an eye on them so he knows when he can help to make things right.

. Ace would like to be aware of some people but he will end up trusting them without knowing it. Because of that he end up in many trouble, but its not his fault. I mean he meets this people, like, an hour ago, and they liked the same card game has he does so... They can be trusted right ?

. Deuce  is ready to fully trust people who doesn’t mind his shortcoming or those with a sense of justice. Beacause of that he trust a little easly. This boy wants to make friend ! And nothing touches him more than one who can fight by his side against a gang inside of a warehouse during sunset or does share his hobbies like magical wheel. All of that is enought for him.

. Cater  is one of the most trusting of Heartslabyul but that doesn’t mean he is naive like the first year one braincell duo. He likes to talk and mingle with people, and that makes him sharp enough to see through people and knows if they think bad of him or if they are lying. Not that he shows them if that even happened.

. Trey is a little more complicated on his end. He is  used to be rely on ,like the big borther of the dorm. So if people trust him to help them then he trust them. Trey expect people not to turn on him, so unless he feels threaten by others, he will trust anyone. Be aware if you crush his trust you can't get it back.

SAVANACLAW

. Leona is one of the hardest to earn trust from. He puts on wall around himself and his pride won’t let him open up easily. Thanks to his instinct, he knows who are hostile toward him. He is most likely to trust those who are honest and strait-forward, follow him but aren’t afraid to speak their mind either. Those who fight for their belief too. It’ll take a long time and when he does give his trust you won’t be able to tell since he won’t bother to change his attitude.

. Ruggie because of the harsh ambiance he grew up doesn’t gives his trust to anyone either. He can’t help but to be on his guard no matter what. But when he does give his trust, you can be sure he will be the most loyal. I feel like he will trust more selfless and helpful people even if it might takes more time (less than Leona tho).

. Jack acts like a tsundere, and in the end he is still a tsundere, so he is the easiest to earn trust from in Savanaclaw. Like Deuce he gives his trust to honest people with a strong sense of justice (even more). If you managed to earn his respect it helps too.

OCTAVINELLE

. Because of his childhood and because he is a business man, Azul knows not to give his trust blindly. He will most likely trust someone if they are earnest with him and efficient. Also if they help or defend him, without expecting anything from him might help. He’ll be surprised in a good way.  Of course mockery and bad mouthing is a big no, and once he learns of it (rather quickly might I add), it’ll be even harder to get his trust back.

. Jade isn’t an easy ont to earn trust from either. The absolute condition is not to harm Azul and Floyd in any way. If they don’t like you for whatever reason then it’s an “out”. If they amused him by making his sadistic sense tingle or if the are somehow useful (to Azul) then it might help earn his trust.

. Floyd is a real wild card but will trust other easier than hos dorm-mates the other two. Of course the more interesting people are to him, the easier it’ll be able to earn his trust but thanks (?) to his attitude he doesn’t expect people to harm him, or those he loves in the first way. If they did, well he’ll get angry, wipe them out and that’s it.

POMEFIORE

. Vil will trust hard working and proud people, those who take care of themselves and pay attention to details (bonus if they follow his standard). He is picky about who he trust but never give up on your beliefs, it should help make him impressed.

. For Epel, you need to “not judge a book by it’s cover” , no “cliches”. Take the time to learn about him, let him take his time to learn about you and the rest will naturally follow. Accept him for who he is not what he looks.

. Rook would more likely trust anyone as long as he has time to stalk gather data about people. If they are curious and doesn’t mind helping him learn about anything -even the most silly thing- then it would make happy our local animal lover and Disney princess.

IGNIHYDE

. Idia would trust those who are not forceful. Also you need to be trust by Ortho otherwise it’ll be really difficult (he loves his brother so much). Pretty sure that if you are a cat lover or an actual cat or if you encourage/reassure him it’ll help ! Social interaction is hard so please give him some time to feel comfortable enough with you (its a big mood).

. Ortho is naturally trusting ! Because sunshine boi loves his brother if you tell him you want to befriend him, not only he will help, moreover he’ll be moved. Help him with his thirst of knowledge should be enough too.

DIASOMNIA

. Lilia is old, and thanks to that (?) knows when to trust people or not. He has a pretty good radar for knowing if a person has good intend or not. Earn his respect and he will be at your side for has long as you live . Otherwise as a parent he would be proud if someone wants to be genuine friend with Malleus or Silver so I guess it helps (of course maybe not right away but give him some time)?

. He is old as well but he is a baby in fae years (?) so it would be easier for Malleus to trust someone if they want to befriend him. Not as Malleus Draconia the next King of the Valley of Thorns, Top 5 mage in the world, but just him. The one called Malleus. See past all those titles and rumours, take the time to learn about each other and the rest is history. He is a little more trusting that Lillia, again be aware he is not naive by any means, he know humans are weird foe. Bonus point if they like gargole, then that make them people of culture.

. It will take Sebek the longest time to trust anyone out of the four in Diasomnia but he would trust people who likes/love/worship Malleus. However if they are human it will take much longer. He might not look like it but because his fanboy spirit is stronger than anything, he can’t help but to befriend them at the end. Start talking (good of course) of Malleus and it should do the trick.

. Silver is a little more naive than the rest. In his mind it goes like this : "Since both of my dads are here it should be fine". The keyword here is "should be". But more seriously it'll be easier for him to trust someone with a calm and relaxing aura. Don't be loud (like Sebek), and help him sleep more comfortably if you pass by him, napping on the ground. He is a ball of fluff, treat him like the cinnamon he is.

SCARABIA

. Jamil is not a trusting person. He will do a background check if he has to. He needs to look after Kalim, so putting his trust in someone would be extremely complicated. It'll be easier for him to trust helpful and productive people, or someone who can help him relax. Jamil doesn’t need another person to make his blood presure rise (he has Kalim for that). When he sees that he can count on them, how efficient they are, he knows he can rely on them.

-Kalim- (we couldn't agree, so enjoy two point of view for our local sunshine boy ! )

1 ) I wish, I really wish Kalim would be more aware of people. He is the most trustful sunshine ever existed and distrust someone has never crossed his mind. Does he even know what distrust is ? He is so pure, he just wants to see the good in everyone not that it’s a bad thing but I swear to god Kalim please you are making me worry.

2)  Seeing Kalim like that you could say : " This boy will trust you when he sees you ! Look at him being friendly with everyone !". Sorry to tell you that but no. He doesn’t trust easily. Being trusting and being friendly are two different things. The only person he trust is Jamil and adding another person to his personal circle takes a lot of time. Him being wary of people come from somwhere right ? ( and him being a expert for judging poison too)

[robuttsinyourthighs]

Definitely want to hear about SG TFP Cons.

Mmmboy here comes the sunshine crew!

There's so many (I know I didn't include all the boys like ultra Magnus and Wheeljack but for the cons I just love them all)

Airachnid is heavily based on a jumping spider. She's fluffy. That's all I can say.

Dreadwing AND Skyquake would both be alive and happy and no don't @me I don't care that's just how it is they're both in the ship and they're super good guys.

Shockwave is still very thorough and monotone and seems strictly logical but he'sb actually very concerned for bringing life back to cybertron, even going as far as to create the predacons as a preliminary test. Megatron knows it was his passion project but he really wished he hadn't. Color wise he would probably be a lighter purple closer to his g1 colors.

Predaking (dragon form) is the creation of Shockwave still, and he is just the bestest goodest dragon you ever did see. He's loyal, efficient, never loses his prey, but he gets extremely cranky and rowdy if not given enough time to play and stretch his wings. Lots of light grays, orange and gold are his colors.

Soundwave is still faceless and comes off as intimidating but it's only because he's constantly hovering over others, always wanting to know what people are talking about whether it is relevant to his surveillance needs or not. He's always got some good music going and you can hear him coming because it's that loud. He's rarely out in the field because, as sociable as he is, he's greatly suited for communications and surveillance. His deep blue/purple would be much lighter and more matte finish.

Knock Out is an absolute fuss pot over anyone in his medical bay. He doesn't care if it's a sub level drone or Megatron himself, he will NOT allow you to leave his care looking like THAT! He takes great pride in his work and it shows in every happy patient that walks out looking and feeling like new. He's still a car enthusiast in SG and he's gotta go fast, only racing while on patrols that conventionally take him close to areas that are are hotspots. It's not his fault that his patrols just conveniently keep taking him to ask these races and car shows and luxury dealership lots 👀💦 His paint is ever changing and always vibrant. He is a man of many tastes and he wants to taste the rainbow.

Breakdown is... I mean he's the same. He still loves knock out and is at his side, he's still bull headed and rivals Bulkhead, but he tries not to wreck up everything in his path but if he happens to throw Bulkhead into a few walls then that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Knock Out has tried to get him to change his paint many times to match or compliment his own, but he settled on a lovely royal blue shimmer coat with chrome details. It's an absolute pain to get fixed whenever he's damaged but knock out REALLY insists 😏

Starscream takes pride in his position second to Megatron. He's always got some nugget of wisdom to imbue onto the Decepticons and it's always quick with a plan in as pinch. He's gotten them out of many near impossible scrapes with the Autobots with his aerial support and prices himself on his elite Eradicons. He was a little inconvenienced at first but eventually greatly enjoyed his time training Shockwave's new predacon. Countless flights and air maneuvers seemed to make progress far more than verbal commands. He may or may not be responsible for spoiling the dragon rotten with energon goodies. his colors are similar to g1 Skyfire with white base and red and blue accents. His crest is still a signature red strip.

Predaking (bipedal) - when it's revealed that he can transform and is sentient to the same degree as any other Decepticon it comes as a huge shock but huge morale booster. Shockwave is motivated doubly so with his projects and Megatron now fully approves of the research. Predaking does approach Megatron with his own input about this war and that he'd like to be in charge of any more of his own kind that are created. He wants to help bring an end to the war, and so he and the Decepticon leader form an agreement to work together rather than one beneath the other. It's a little awkward at first between him and Starscream, the key feeling guilty for having viewed him as a pet for so long and thinking he may have insulted his intelligence, but eventually things are worked out and, much to Predaking's relief, the steady flow of energon goodies from the Description second in command resume.

Megatron is a very methodical, logical mech. He wants to strategize and move carefully, which the Autobots mock for being too slow when in reality it is the very reason he has so many troops still under his command. He can get irritated like any other mech, and his past as a gladiator is the same in my SG idea, so he understands all the more how precious life is and not to waste it on trivial skirmishes. He tries at every chance to convince this Prime to leave his ways behind and start anew but it always ends in violence and spilt energon. The war has aged him greatly and has only made him more steadfast and determined that they will end this war on their terms. For all the seriousness that he has he still has a softness for his crew and if harassed enough about something (like the crew wanting to reposition the do to view a meteor shower) hell probably give in with very few conditions, as long as they remain vigilant and get back to work asap.

[letterstoleia]

Important Lessons Learned from Gabby and Brian

As an author and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, I’ve learned a lot about the predictable patterns of unhealthy relationships. After years of personal experiences, research, and outreach, I’ve learned to recognize the tell-tale signs of abuse. I am not a licensed therapist, social worker, police officer, or minister. So please understand I shared my thoughts as 3 a.m. musings. When a few people asked me to make the post public, I agreed, reluctantly. I had no idea this message would resonate with so many people. I've worked back through the original post to explain a bit better how I'm feeling. I realize not everyone will agree with me, and I respect all opinions and views. All I ask is that we engage in respectful discourse on all sides. Thank you all.

In recent days, the tragic events involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie have given us a lot to learn. This case is still under investigation, and I can only make assumptions based on the textbook patterns of abuse I’ve witnessed too many times to count. I also recognize that multiple families are grieving, and I have tremendous empathy for everyone involved. However, many survivors will resonate with at least some of the following insights, and I’m hoping we can use this tragedy to shift the way we as a culture approach the complicated issue of domestic abuse.

Let’s examine 30 important lessons this couple teaches us:

1. Followers on social media saw a smiling, happy couple, full of love and wanderlust, setting out for a cross-country adventure while documenting all the joys of young life. In many cases, targets become very good at smiling through the pain.

2. When the public was shown body camera footage captured by Moab City Police officer Daniel Robbins, (who pulled Laundrie and Petito over after the 911 call on August 12), some viewers assumed Petito was suffering from mental illness and Laundrie, while nervous, was the steadier of the two.

3. Other viewers assumed both partners were equally at fault—the old “it takes two” myth that doesn’t really apply to most abusive situations.

4. Some people even assumed Petito was the abuser and Laundrie was the victim.

5. These three assumptions probably crossed everyone’s mind as a possibility (they did mine). Healthy minded people tend to give others the benefit of the doubt, especially when someone is being accused of a negative act. Also, we can all understand that mental illness is a difficult situation and can tax even the kindest most gentle of souls (and the people who love them). Unfortunately, in many cases, this thought pattern leads us to assume the victim is mentally ill or that the victim is to blame for an altercation.

6. “Victim blaming” can happen even in the worst cases of abuse because we don’t see the longitudinal story unfolding. What we don’t see is that the target has managed to keep things together until she reached her threshold, at which time we may see her crying, yelling, or breaking down emotionally. By exhibiting those behaviors, many might assume the target is “crazy,” and it’s natural for us to feel as if the more stable person is more trustworthy.

7. If we listen carefully to Laundrie’s conversation with the officers, he even laughs and says, “She’s crazy.” (17.09) Then he dismisses it as a joke. Of course, he’s already put this claim in the officers’ minds (and by the nonchalant way he says it, many might assume it’s not the first time he’s said these words.)

8. So while viewers (and officers) start wondering if perhaps the target is “crazy,” the abuser plays the part of the poor, patient partner who has to deal with this irrational person. In the video, Laundrie mentions Petito’s anxiety and her OCD, painting her as an unstable partner. (Please note: I’m not at all justifying any physical violence against either party. No one should intentionally harm any other person. Period.)

9. A typical abuser would be skilled at convincing people that he’s innocent, while in fact he’s been acting very differently behind closed doors, pushing his target to this point intentionally and feeding on her emotional break. Many abusers LOVE to see evidence that they’ve hurt their target. They LOVE to see their target in pain. For this reason, “breaking” the target is usually the goal from the start. In cases of abuse, it may take an abuser hours, weeks, months, or even years to break the target, but he won’t stop until he gets that reaction, and then he’ll point the finger and say, “See? She’s crazy. I’m just trying to keep her calm.” And then he’ll do it again. And again. And again.

10. As a result, some people will buy into that false narrative. Even the target can be brainwashed to doubt her own truth. Which may be one reason we see Petito making many excuses for Laundrie’s behavior and taking the blame for everything.

11. In contrast, we see Laundrie blaming Petito, insisting he never hit her and saying he was just trying to keep her calm. He’s charming. He comes across as the loving and loyal partner. He’s joking around with the officers and even gives one a fist bump in the end. All the while, his fiancée is at risk of being charged with domestic assault and possibly spending the night in jail.

12. Later, we’ll hear the 911 recording that (it seems) the responding officers were not fully informed of at the time: “I’d like to report a domestic dispute.” The 49 second audio recording continues as the caller says, “The gentleman was slapping the girl.” When the dispatcher asks him to confirm that the man was slapping the girl, the caller responds, “Yes, and then we stopped, they ran up and down the sidewalk, he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off.”

13. But long before the 911 call was made public, many survivors could already see through the spin playing out on the video footage. They easily recognized the “red flags” because these cycles become the norm for victims of long-standing abuse. Many targets eventually become conditioned to believe everything the abuser does is her fault. Covering for the abuser, accepting all the blame, trying harder to make the abuser happy—this warped reality becomes the only truth a target knows.

14. Also, it seems clear that Petito doesn’t want her fiancé to be in any trouble. She’d rather pay the price and protect the man she loves. And because she probably believes he only acted this way because of her mood/behaviors/anxiety/OCD/job, she doesn’t want him to be blamed. This is also the norm in abusive relationships.

15. Many experienced and well-trained officers see right through this typical pattern. Others buy the cover-up story. And, sadly, because some officers are also abusers, some side with the abuser even when they know exactly what’s going on. Throughout the video, we get the sense that Officer Robbins senses there’s more to the story.

16. I credit the police in Petito’s situation, especially Officer Robbins. The four responding officers (two of whom were park rangers) remained calm, they separated the couple, they interviewed them individually, they split them up for the night, they consulted the domestic violence shelter … many would say they did everything right considering the information they had at the time.

17. I imagine the officers involved may be suffering from tremendous guilt and wondering if they could have prevented Petito’s death, but I want to give credit to the officers in this case. While it’s easy to look back and say maybe they should have handled things differently, knowing what we now know, I was impressed with how well they treated both Laundrie and Petito (and, sadly, I was thinking how rare it is to see that level of respect and professionalism in most cases of domestic violence, particularly in the South where I’ve been most involved with survivors’ stories.)

18. After Petito was reported missing, many people expressed shock in response to the Laundrie family’s refusal to cooperate early in the investigation. Petito reportedly lived with the Laundrie family for more than a year. Anyone can see that this family will do anything to protect their son, even at the cost of an innocent young woman who was a real part of their family and soon to be their daughter-in-law. While most of us can certainly understand parents wanting to protect their son, most would agree they crossed a moral line when his fiancée went missing.

19. But perhaps it goes deeper than that. Perhaps what we’re seeing is a system of enablers who not only allowed their son to abuse Petito (which may have been a factor in her reported anxiety) but also a system of gaslighters who may have always been shifting the truth to keep Petito confused and make her believe she was the problem.

20. It’s not a far stretch to assume Petito was caught in a system of abuse. And once a target is caught in that psychological web, it’s extremely difficult to see a way out. Reality becomes flipped.

21. It’s also worth noting that Petito and Laundrie had been involved in various levels of a relationship since their teens. This is also commonly observed in dysfunctional partnerships.

22. These immature relationships work beautifully when both partners grow together and mature emotionally. But when one wants to keep the other down, naïve, and under his control … and the other is growing, learning, and maturing … it doesn’t work.

23. We hear Petito tell the officer that Laundrie didn’t think she could succeed with her travel blog (3.25). It seems clear that he didn’t believe in her and that he was trying to make her doubt herself.

24. Throughout the conversation, he implies that he locked her out of the van because she wouldn’t calm down. But when we listen to the full video, it seems he was upset because they’d spent too much time at the coffee shop with her working on her website when he wanted to go hiking. This suggests that because she wasn’t in the van when he was ready to leave, he lost his temper.

25. In the moments that followed, the altercation became physical. Reportedly, Laundrie squeezed Petito’s face with his hand, cut her down verbally, and criticized her.

26. Some would argue that this escalating abuse typically persists until the target reacts emotionally and/or physically. If this case follows the norm, Laundrie may have been trying to break her spirit, intentionally.

27. Why? Again, if this case follows the typical situation, it would likely be because Petito’s focus wasn’t 100% on Laundrie. She had found this new job she enjoyed. She was succeeding at it, and it was allowing her to connect with other people. (Remember, she’d already left her job as a nutritionist to travel around the country with Laundrie.)

28. In a healthy relationship, the new job might be considered a positive opportunity for Petito. Especially considering Laundrie admits they have very little money (not even enough to afford a hotel room to prevent his fiancée from going to jail). But in an unhealthy relationship, the abuser wants the target all to himself. And when that doesn’t happen, he can become increasingly violent.

29. Petito now had this one little piece of her life that Laundrie couldn’t control, so if we’re looking at textbook patterns, perhaps her blog angered him. Perhaps he didn’t like all the attention she was getting on social media. Perhaps he punished her for it. And then a cycle developed. Even though she was doing nothing wrong by building a new career.

30. The next thing we know, we have a missing person, a recovered body, a young man on the run, and several families destroyed. Too much grief to measure. And the truth is, it will happen again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, until we learn to recognize and respond to abusive situations in healthier ways.

The overall takeaway?

When we see someone at her emotional end during a domestic dispute, we shouldn’t assume she’s crazy. We shouldn’t buy into the false narrative given by the abuser. We shouldn’t believe the cover-up story by the target who has been conditioned to carry all the blame and shame. And we shouldn’t assume they’re going to be okay.

Instead, we should all learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. We should learn to recognize the warning signs of abuse. We should engage in respectful, fact-based conversations about trauma bonds, abusive cycles, and emotional intelligence. We should be familiar with terms like gaslighting, hovering, love bombing, enabling, triangulating, and projecting. We should stop blaming targets and help them reclaim their truth. And we should stop repeating the age-old myths that keep targets trapped in these dangerous and all-too-often deadly cycles.

Finally, while I’ve used the most common scenario of male-on-female violence in this article, we should recognize that abuse crosses all barriers and can impact anyone regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, religious affiliation, age, or socio-economic level. And we should stop assuming these situations will get better in time. Personally, I haven’t heard of one abusive relationship that became healthier. Not one. Not with therapy. Not with church. Not with prayer or forgiveness or complete surrender. When an abuser is determined to destroy his target, he will not stop until that target is erased from this world or stripped from her life. And in many cases, he’ll walk away without any consequences, often taking the target’s finances, home, vehicle, reputation, or even her children with him.

Please don’t let the next statistic be you or someone you love. For support, contact the Domestic Violence Hotline. From a safe phone, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788.

[frogmanwritings]

Loyal and Loving | A Thrushpelt and Bluestar one-shot

I tried to stick to canon with this, with Bluestar not truly loving Thrushpelt, but I may have strayed some lol. Let me know what you think, kinda went outside my comfort zone to make a one-shot.

Alternative reading links: Fanfiction AO3

Bluestar always wanted to be leader. To be the face of her clan, to lead through thick and thin. And going through the thick, it was glorious. It was painful at times, to remember what she had given up to do it, but being able to stand up on the Highrock, to look down at her allies, her warriors, her friends... it was comfortable, everything she had ever dreamed of. But going through the thin right now? It was agonizing. This leafbare was the most brutal one that she had ever experienced, with prey being extremely scarce and sickness ravaging the camp. And tales with the elders only confirmed, this one was the worst they had ever seen as well.

The conditions for kits was unbearable, and Robinwing's most recent litter had already lost two kits within a moon of their birth, while a third, named Ravenkit, was fighting greencough. Elders were starving, with Windflight's body unable to hold up with the lessened food, and passed on just a few nights ago. Adderfang, stubborn as a badger, refused to rest in brutal conditions, and eventually died of illness as well. Even Rosetail, her friend for most of her life, lost her entire litter to illness, and was ravaged so badly by greencough that she had to retire to the elder's den, her lungs too far damaged to keep up with a warrior's life anymore.

As much as she tried to remain strong, it was appearing near impossible with death and suffering was clawing its way through her Clan, intent on claiming every life within it. And sitting in her den, Bluestar tried to calm her breathing. They would get through these moons, to get to newleaf, where the snow melted, illness passed, and prey became plentiful again, but it was at a snail's pace, and how many more cats would they have to lose to get there?

"Bluestar?"

The voice of Spottedleaf made the leader blink, looking upward towards the beautiful dappled medicine cat. Usually, in any other condition, the presence of the tortoiseshell was comforting, her mood and intelligence always lightening the mood. But in times like these, it just made Bluestar's stomach tighten, with news of another cat dying or falling ill coming her way. And with the look of sorrow in her eyes, she suspected no different. But even so, she kept her face as straight as she could, her fur only bristling just a bit.

"It's.. Thrushpelt." That sweet voice meowed, and Bluestar let a shiver run through her fur. Thrushpelt was a... special cat. Not because he was extraordinary at anything, he was just generally.. good at everything, but he was a welcoming spirit to the Clan, his kindness never leaving him and his warm green eyes promising comfort. But also, he was her mate. Or at least, that's what they had the Clan believe.

Bluestar foolishly engaged with Riverclan's Oakheart when she was younger. Her heart would always belong with him, but she ended up pregnant with his kits, and in order to cover for herself, she needed a tom within the Clan to be her mate. And Thrushpelt, he was infatuated with her, and agreed without any further question. Which made it all the worse that she had to then give away her kits to Oakheart later, when the Clan needed a new deputy, and Thistleclaw would bring Thunderclan to ruins under his reign.

"Is he sick too?" Bluestar carefully asked, knowing that another sick warrior was the last thing they needed now, already being short on paws. And yet the sorrow-filled eyes of Spottedleaf only turned darker. "He's dying."

"What?" That made the leader jolt up to her paws, her body suddenly rigid after having been slumped over before. "H-How? He just went out on patrol, was there-" "There was no attack. Redtail and Lionheart had to drag him back to camp, he collapsed after a heavy coughing fit. I'm not sure if it's greencough, but.."

Bluestar blinked, her pelt suddenly feeling hot, the tips of her ears and tail burning, yet this warmth during leafbare was something she did not desire. She'd rather be cold and shivering than.. this. "He wants to see you, Bluestar. I've given him some medicine and some poppy seeds to ease his suffering, but.. it won't be much longer." Spottedleaf went on, and her tone went low as she explained, ears flattening just a bit.

There was almost no time for the leader to process all of this. Just a few seconds of thought, of realization, before she nodded to her medicine cat. "You did the right thing, Spottedleaf." Bluestar mewed, hoping her tone didn't sound too shrivel and was comforting enough as she began to pad past, out to the snow-filled camp. Apprentices were making fortifications to the camp, warriors were constantly on the move, measly morsels of prey in their mouths before they went right back out, elders and queens camped away in their dens. When the leader was spotted exiting her den, she could see a few cats dip their heads away, while others looked to her for guidance, for words of encouragement.

But there was nothing she could tell them now. Another cat was dying to this forsaken season, and she had to be there for his last moments. Leaping down from her den, she quickly padded over to Spottedleaf's den. "Bluestar, I-" Darkstripe began to speak up to her, but a hiss from the trailing medicine cat quieted him. The young warrior's words would have to wait, their leader was needed for a cat's final moments. And this one had to be the most bitter for her yet.

"Thrushpelt?" Bluestar called out gently, dipping her head into the den, the smell of herbs instantly hitting her in the face, but her tired eyes eventually caught the sight of the pale brown fur of the warrior, huddled up in a den of moss. "Bluestar..?" She could hear him call out in return, but it was practically a croak, and she quietly hissed. That was how Windflight sounded before he passed. How did this happen so quickly...

"I'm here, Thrushpelt, I'm here.." She meowed, walking forward and immersing herself fully into the den, seeing those light green eyes, like the grass of newleaf, open up and meet her gaze. Maybe in another life, she could find herself tantalized by that gaze, to fall in love with it. He was certainly a handsome tom, charming in his own way, and if he hadn't been so infatuated with her, he would've surely found himself a mate. But instead, he acted as hers, to keep her secret safe. He was loyal to a fault, and Bluestar could never thank him enough for it.

And now, at his side, Bluestar could see the extent of his illness. Green mucus was splattered on the ground next to the moss, his nose running and chin damp with drool. The brightness in his gaze had dimmed, and even while under the influence of those poppy seeds, his flank was still raising quickly, as though desperately sucking in air for damaged lungs. He was very sick, and the leader could hardly bare it. "Bluestar.. I'm sorry."

Thrushpelt apologized, and this time, the leader made sure her hiss was heard. "Don't apologize." She practically ordered him, and yet he continued to meow in a shriveled tone. "I knew I was sick... but I couldn't just stop. I couldn't bear to hear Robinwing's kits whine. The elders.. begging for prey. Apprentices working up frostbite. So.. I hid it."

"You acted valiantly, Thrushpelt, it's ok." Bluestar responded, laying her body down close to his, one of her paws pressing down over his. Her ears could pick up Spottedleaf gently backing out of the den, as though to give the two their final moments together. "Starclan will honor you. I promise."

A harsh cough then escaped from Thrushpelt's mouth, more green spit flying out, though thankfully the warrior had enough mind to turn his head away. As much as Bluestar wanted to be there for her warrior, she couldn't afford to get sick when she needed to be the beacon for the Clan. Though it still made her ears flatten to hear, her heart aching for the tom.

"I'm.. I'm not scared, Bluestar. I'm.. happy." He mewed softly, turning back to her once he wiped his muzzle with the moss of his bedding. "I get to see our kits again..." His eyes lit up just briefly at that, meeting Bluestar's gaze, and her heart sank. Guilt had always raked her heart over giving away her kits, not just because she was losing them, but because Thrushpelt was too.

He knew that they weren't his, and that he was merely to keep her secret affair with Oakheart safe. And yet he loved them, with all of his heart. She thought back to how her father treated her and Snowkit, when they were kits, and he almost never took enough time out of the day to truly see them. Bluestar loved her father and understood that he put his duties first, like she did in a way, but it was something heartwarming to see how good a father could be, with Thrushpelt. One could've never guessed that her kits wasn't his, with how much he loved them.

Anytime she needed a break, be it to stretch her legs and walk or just needing to relax after having three kits prod their growing claws against her belly, he was there. If they wanted to topple a fox, he played the biggest and baddest one. If Stonekit was the valiant leader, he was the most loyal warrior, ready to take any command.

And when she gave them away... when she had to tell Thrushpelt the lie, that a predator had scooped them away, it almost made her break, and tell him the truth instead, though she knew she couldn't. He looked, and looked, and looked. No other cat, not even Bluestar herself, looked as badly as he did. She could still remember the look of absolute sorrow in his eyes as he began to realize that they'd never find them. Just thinking of it made her gulp down any sound of sorrow.

And that was why she couldn't tell him now. As much as she wanted to, Bluestar knew that him passing would be far easier if he thought their kits were waiting for him, and she could only hope that he wouldn't be angry once he realized, even if he had all the right. At the very least, he'd have Mosskit, and she could only hope that that would satisfy him when he went. "Take good care of them... for us." She meowed, dipping her head close to his flank.

Did she love him? Well, she loved all of her clanmates, happily ready to sacrifice herself for any of them. But there was no denying that Thrushpelt.. he was special. Perhaps she wasn't in love with him, perhaps he wasn't truly the one for her, but she also couldn't deny that there was some semblance there. Acting as mates together, there had to be some level of acting in order to keep appearances. They'd join patrols together, eat prey together, share tongues, and he'd never ask for anything more. Perhaps in another life..

"I'll tell them.. all the tales of their mother." Thrushpelt croaked, ending his sentence with a sigh, as though it was difficult for him to let out. His time was coming closer, and Bluestar pushed her nose against his flank. To comfort him, to feel his breaths... to be close to him as Starclan began to take him.

"Oh. I can feel it.." He mewed, his body slowly beginning to tingle and shake, his mouth gaping and eyes widening. Starclan was coming to take him now, and Bluestar could only murmur sadly. As to bring him anymore comfort, to make his journey any easier, it was the least that she could do for him, for any of her cats who were dying in front of her.

"I'll miss you, Thrushpelt." She uttered. Just outside of him being the former father to her kits, he was a great warrior. His jaws always swelling with prey, his claws always meeting their mark, a kind soul that looked out for others and a stern face when there needed to be one. Thunderclan would certainly miss his presence, and getting through leafbare would be even more difficult without him, though her mind didn't linger on that at the moment. Right now, in Spottedleaf's den, it was just the two of them, in his final moments, with everything else outside not existing. Just for these minutes.

"Bl-Bluestar.." His voice had lowered even quieter, but Bluestar could just hear it, turning her head to see his gaze on her, green and blue eyes mingling together. "Get the clan.. through this.. I know you will.." He rasped, the emotion in those eyes unmistakable, even with his body weakening. "I'll.. always love you." He whispered in a hush, that adoration gleaming in his eyes, and she heard it loud and clear. Her heart tightened, and the leader stepped forward to push her muzzle against his forehead, her paw pressing down over his and a comforting rumble in her throat building next to his ears. "Rest.." She could only murmur, as to speak any louder would allow the crack of grief to be audible in her tone.

Silence filled the den for the next seconds, almost as though it were abandoned, before finally, Bluestar could feel that last shutter run through Thrushpelt, a mild gasp acting as his final breath, and his body finally still. Thrushpelt had passed. And the leader took the time to drag her tongue over his head, to take in his scent one last time, to groom him one last time. She'd give him this moment, to show him that she truly cared as he ascended to Silverpelt.

And when Spottedleaf peaked in, she only nodded her head to Bluestar, in a quiet understanding that.. Bluestar just wanted these few more minutes before they took out to the center of camp. To Spottedleaf and the rest of the clan, their leader would grieve for him as a mate. But for her, and for him, it'd be because of a deep bond that never turned romantic, but it was someone that Bluestar could never, and would never want to replace. He was there when she needed him, went far and beyond what she asked of him, and never faltered in his loyalty.

That was just the type of cat Thrushpelt was. Loyal and loving.

[angerissue]

Anonymous asked… What is your take on Bruce Banner's love interest? Whether we’re mutuals or not, feel free to ask me about Bruce!

Oh, this is a good question, and something I haven’t discussed in months. Thanks for asking it!

This version of Bruce is hopelessly in love with Betty Ross. He’ll always love her, even if they’re miles apart, and both of them have moved on and dismissed the hopes of seeing each other again. Even if Bruce were to meet someone else, his feelings for her would remain in perpetuity.

I’ve written some headcanons with someone (she's no longer on tumblr, sadly) where Bruce and Betty met in a library during their university years, and the whole dynamic was very much a friends-to-romance one. Their earlier interactions were essentially the "study buddies" kind, and I imagine it was the combination of their shared work and interests, and the comfortability in talking about that stuff, that snowballed into other conversations and ultimately, a romantic relationship. And it continued up until Bruce's accident.

This pairing has always been very special to me because, unlike the others, Betty was the first person to see a far more vulnerable side of Bruce. Bruce has always been an extremely closed-off and reticent person; he hates revealing too much about himself because he feels this information could be abused somehow; that somebody would take issue with what he was telling them, just like how Brian would react vehemently whenever he watched educational children’s television shows, or played with certain toys. Betty was the first person that Bruce felt comfortable enough to open up to, in multiple manners. Not only would he discuss Brian with her (granted, sometimes he didn’t say much, but even dropping a few tiny mentions of Brian was huge for him), but he also felt like he could simply be himself around her. He didn’t need to keep his guard up around Betty like he did around other people. He was still sky, awkward, and nerdy around Betty, but he could voice his opinions more confidently in her presence. And the adaptation I've been writing with; she’s a slightly more modern version of the character — soft and gentle, but she has a temper of her own and a tangible boldness in certain situations, and it can be a subtle juxtaposition to Bruce’s own personality at times. It’s quite lovely.  

There are other aspects of the relationship, here and there, that I also love. In "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), Betty could swear that she saw some aspect of Bruce in the Hulk, and Bruce refused to accept such a possibility at first, because he believed the Hulk was a sentient and autonomous being — a belief that had grown over the years, predominantly because of his immense guilt and an unconscious desire to reduce his sense of culpability. If the Hulk somehow wasn’t him, its destructive actions were no longer entirely his fault. But after the Chitauri invasion, at which point he was able to remember his actions as the Hulk, and self-assess his behaviour in that state, Bruce realized she was correct about everything. If it wasn’t for Betty and the statement she made, he may not have fully accepted the Hulk as a part of himself — as himself, and he would’ve been stuck in denial for years. Lots of his development can be attributed to Betty, even if they aren’t in touch anymore.

Not only this, but Bruce met Betty during a time where he hadn’t experienced all his hardships with Ross. He was nowhere near as world-weary, and while he didn’t trust people much back then, either, it was better than his tendencies nowadays. In that sense, Betty is one of his last few connections to the past, and a time when he was more hopeful and innocent.

But while Bruce can control his condition now, he hasn’t reconnected with Betty. She's been in the dark ever since the Harlem incident, save for glimpses of him on the news here and there.

Bruce does want to see Betty again. He would love to see her. But he’s made some personal discoveries related to his condition that convinced him he’s not a good fit for her, or anyone in general. He doesn’t see himself as completely human anymore, which has become even more of a tangible sentiment ever since his transformations became a typical and even daily occurrence. As a result, there are some philosophical quandaries that prevent him from resuming a romantic relationship with her, or with anyone else. Given his current development trajectory, he would be the Hulk almost constantly in later verses. It’s not an ideal scenario to create a potential relationship from — especially with Betty, because he’s unable to meet some of her needs when he's the Hulk. Additionally, he cannot guarantee Betty’s safety with Ross still around, because he doesn’t know if Ross is still looking for a way to capture him. He suspects there were times in the past when Ross backed off temporarily, like after the Chitauri invasion, because capturing the Hulk at that time would have caused a huge public outcry, but nowadays, he’s unsure where Ross’ intentions lie. He's unwilling to take the risk.

All this being said, Bruce doesn’t expect Betty to remain loyal to him, or vice versa, because he understands the necessity of moving on and not dwelling on the past. It would be melancholic if Bruce discovered that Betty had met someone new, yes (this was certainly the case with Leonard Samson), but ultimately, he would be happy for her, and he’d tell himself that his own feelings don’t matter if it means she’s content and safe. Of course, there is always the possibility that Banner could reach out with letters, or another kind of communication channel. And it's possible that if Ross was gone and the world was more settled, he would meet her in-person, even if he didn't intend to restart a romantic relationship. At that point, there’s nothing stopping them from sharing their work and collaborating professionally, too. This kind of interaction could eventually become the norm. But I don’t really see their relationship shifting to a romantic one again.

So I suppose in the end, I don’t see their relationship as having a cliché happy ending, in the sense that they end up together, are happily married, and are living in their own little cottage somewhere. I see it as a mature progression from young love, to a failed effort to make things work in a terrible situation, and then an acceptance of knowing, while their situation has improved, it’s still not going to work out. And they both have the courage to run with things and make the best of it. Betty would be understanding of Bruce’s situation, as she’s always been, and in concurrence, Bruce would be happy as well, because he knows Betty can have a romantic relationship with someone who completely presents as human. They can still work together too, which is a callback to how their relationship first began in the library. And it continues to build on all the trust and confidence they initially showed each other, and continued to show each other, over the years.

So it’s very bittersweet.

I’m also going to mention the pairing of Bruce and Natasha, because I need to assert that I do enjoy this ship! As a matter of fact, it’s something I’ve enjoyed for years and years. I was one of the wierdos who was shipping them soon after the release of The Avengers, earlier than most to the point where the tag was completely blank. I guess for me, there was something unique about their dynamic in The Avengers that stood out from Bruce’s other interactions. Natasha was ordered to approach the doctor in Kolkata, and at that point, she had seen the Hulk's capabilities in-person during her involvement in the Culver University incident. Her distrust of Bruce and his alter ego was justified, especially given her personal experiences with everything, and while it may (or may not) have lessened over the course of the film, Natasha clearly came to respect Bruce at the very least, and she understood the benefits of not only putting his intellect to good use, but the Hulk itself. During the final battle, Bruce had come on his own volition and was fully prepared to transform, but she still made the active effort to tell him the Hulk was valuable. Given her past experiences with the Hulk, this meant a lot coming from her. And it's clear this wasn't just a "tactical" choice on her part; if she didn't say anything, the outcome wouldn't have been any different. This was a nice way to end the film and create a foundation for their future development between them. If their relationship continued to open up, I could certainly see them developing feelings for each other.

But the next film... Eugh. I was gravely disappointed by the sudden schoolgirl-crush syndrome that Natasha was demonstrating, which was unrealistic in itself (I'll explain my reasoning in a bit), and the total handwaving of everything that led up to it, which ultimately did nothing but break Natasha’s character and make it difficult for most of the audience to accept what was happening. Because... What initially made Natasha go from having a reluctant admiration for him, to downright falling for him? We did not see the process, or the catalysts. They had jumped from Point A to Point Y, and we saw nothing of the points in between. So the whole thing immediately fell apart for me.

A common argument I see in defense of Natasha’s behaviour is, simply put, she’s in love, so it’s natural for her to act a little kooky. However, love doesn’t have the effect of completely negating deeply-ingrained character aspects, especially fundamental traits. And Natasha has many traits that are the complete antithesis of how she was behaving in that movie. It’s the same as seeing Christopher Nolan's Bruce Wayne, a normally close-mouthed and subtle character, gushing, nudging up to, and grinning like a little boy around Rachel Dawes. It doesn’t make sense... So why is it suddenly acceptable for Natasha?

In that sense, I could also presume that Natasha’s behaviour was Joss Whedon’s misogynistic projection of how he, himself, believes a woman in love should behave. There’s a real possibility, given how Natasha was characterized in earlier MCU films, versus how she was acting in this movie, that Whedon threw out her characterization in favour of playing out a fantasy; a stereotype. And unluckily for him, that stereotype (as the word itself implies) does not fit all people or characters. So it was noticeable, and not in a good way.

And honestly... I’m disappointed that this disaster has caused so many people to discount the ship as a whole, even though that film was simply one poor adaptation of it. People also tend to dismiss the pairing because they believe Bruce and Natasha are too different. But they both have trust issues. They both have experiences where they’ve been used for other peoples’ goals. Natasha has seen a very vulnerable and intimate side of Bruce that most people never have (that look he gave her before he transformed on the helicarrier, honestly, was completely unlike the self-composure he obsessively tried to convey in all their prior interactions)... And frankly, I'm sick of hearing about the “age gap” between them, because my aunt and uncle were twelve years apart, and they were happily married for decades. Not to mention, Bruce and Natasha have been through countless hardships, and they probably have a lot more common ground than many people with an “age gap”.

So if things were properly written? That would have been phenomenal, I think. The potential was certainly there in the first movie; it’s just a shame those foundations were ignored and not directly built on.

But that’s enough salt from me!

As for this Bruce in particular... I can see him having a relationship with Natasha in the earlier part of his timeline, before the Sokovia incident occurred. There would've been a lot of opportunities for their relationship to develop, especially because Bruce wasn't just working with the Avengers; he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and was working on the same helicarrier as Natasha for around a year, too. He would've avoided her a lot, but I can easily see Natasha approaching him eventually, or them running into each other and trying to reconcile. Especially once Bruce remembers everything that happened during the helicarrier incident, and how scared Natasha was. He had offered Natasha a brief apology during the Chitauri invasion, but after those memories were dredged up, it would suddenly become insufficient.

But during or after the Sokovia incident, I doubt they would start a relationship with each other. This is simply because Natasha caused Bruce a lot of turmoil around this time, and afterwards. She betrayed his trust during the Sokovia battle by forcing him to transform, which also worsened an issue that Bruce was currently having with his condition. Her support of the Sokovia Accords didn't help either, because Bruce was vehemently against them from the very beginning, having seen Ross’ wish to exploit the Hulk’s abilities, and he feared this would continue on a much greater scale if the Accords were ratified, with hundreds (if not thousands) of identified superhumans now vulnerable. I hesitate to say Bruce will never trust Natasha again, but while he could probably reach a tentative comfortability around her, a romantic relationship might be asking too much. There’s simply too much negative history between them, a lot of which entails broken trust. And once Bruce’s trust in someone is broken, well, it’s monumentally difficult to restore.

[tekkai]

🅿 Here's your official pass to gush about headcanons for CP-9 (ft. your insert as well if you want)! Go wild!

Thank you Anon I love you for asking. I wasn’t able to go in depth for everyone so I focussed on the few my S/I is closest with. ;^; 

Lucci 

Lucci is an impossibly light sleeper and grows irritable due to his disrupted sleep schedule. He’s seldom able to sleep soundly through the night and attempts to recover by napping throughout the day. 

With the extremely specific and conscious exception of chicken, he is offended if you try to serve him any kind of fowl/poultry. He has a strong preference towards ‘red’ meats such as beef, lamb, and even game such as venison.

Obsession by Calvin Klein, or the closest in-universe alternative. In addition to bathing in Civetone, he carries the scent of brandy and sawdust. 

Hattori is more than a mascot, he is Lucci’s service animal. Most of his task serve to mitigate Lucci’s psychological needs. Among other tasks, ventriloquism is part of his work, as it allows Lucci to interact with new people in a roundabout way. Hattori can also ‘sweep’ rooms, alerting him to be certain a space is empty and easing his hypervigilance. Disrupting night terrors and providing sensory stimuli when his feeling overloaded. 

In canon we know they’ve been a team for at least 24 years. I would like to believe they’ve been together longer, prior to his arrival. I’ve thought a lot about a possible backstory for him, but we’ve been given so little in canon for me to work with it’s purely speculation. 

His father had been a no-name pirate. He left shortly after conception and the two never had any kind of relationship save for their genetics. Ironically he’d be killed by his son later in life. 

His mother was a lesser noble with a daughter from a previous marriage. As a baby he was close to his-sister,but he was so young when they died their memories are distorted. He blames the death of his family on the cowdarce of their appointed guard when their city was besieged. This is the root of his philosophy. 

Racing pigeons were an important culturally and Hattori is a descendant from his mother’s line of birds. 

Lucci is nearly legally blind. He is completely dependent on his contacts to get through the day. Caught without them however, not many people would be able to tell how much he struggles. He’s practiced in hiding his vulnerabilities and can get by without assistance by leveraging his other instincts, but he does struggle. The fact that his eye color changes significantly every time he appears is due to his colored lenses.  

Lucci was given the epithet of Massacre Weapon and conditioned to see himself as a tool. He holds himself to an impossible standard and values his worth based solely on his objective usefulness. 

He would never admit it to anyone, but he identifies with the local stray cats. Wherever he locates he makes a point to feed and look after the ferals in the area. He’s absolutely blown his cover once or twice confronting anyone stupid enough to harass a colony he’d been overlooking. 

Lucci honestly believes he’s working towards a more peaceful world. He does have a ravenous bloodlust, but if that was his only need, he’s strong enough to go rogue.  Lucci does not need his license to kill. The only reason he’s remained complaint to the WG’s needs is because they align with his own vision. 

Kaku

Kaku and Usopp both originated in the East Blue, have a natural affinity for working ships and are canonically mistaken for one another. I’m not about to claim a direct relation but I don’t think distant cousins would be out of the question or improbable. Kaku was an orphan taken in by WG and underwent intense programing to model him into the agent he is today. It would be reasonable to assume any record of his life before the government got a hold of him would be purged. I don’t think it’ll ever be a plot point but I just like this theory. 

Kaku may be the next young prodigy of the group, but he is also the designated baby/baby brother. As an unit it’s just universally accepted that he get’s a ‘pass’, especially in regards to Lucci. 

Ussop was able to antagonize Lucci twice after the the Leopard Man had brutalized others for less. It’s a subconscious reaction adn Lucci probably doesn’t even realize why his first instinct wasn’t to kill this pirate the moment he drew his weapon. 

He’s an effective agent but he get’s emotionally attached to places and people. Unlike Lucci who finds ideological satisfaction in his work, Kaku is loyal to CP9 due to his relationship with his colleagues. For this reason he’s a more efficient spy. 

Kaku has an aversion to alcohol. He’ll drink socially but only if it’s pushed on him.

An avid outdoorsmen. Kaku would spend everyday in the wilderness if he could get away with it. He has a secret cabin he escapes to and uses to decompress after an excessively stressful mision. 

Horses love him. Every since he was a child he’s been a natural with horses and no one can figure out why. They just instinctively adore him.

Jabra

Incredibly sensitive to chemical scents. He refuses to enter the laboratory for this very reason. 

I’ve touched on Zoan’s influencing their users in regards to Lucci before, and Jabra is no exception. Unlike Lucci however he’s happy to lean into his instincts and takes great pride in being a wolf. 

Makes really terrible dog puns. 

He prideful and arrogantly confident, but once his audience has left he’s painfully lonely. He craves a ‘pack’ and is hopeless romantic at heart. Has bounced from one failed relationship to another near constantly. 

He cares deeply about his fellow agents and views them as a kind of family.

He’s the first to throw insult or a playful jab, but the moment something is wrong he can tell. Jabra can be a jerk but he’s the best person to talk to if someone needs to vent or be comforted by. 

Claims it’s nonsense but he’s extremely superstitious. If Kalifa makes a comment about the stars aligning he makes note. 

Angel’s self proclaimed older brother.

He’s competitive to a fault. It doesn’t matter what the challenge is he needs to be the best. 

Found his Rooster as an abandoned chick and has been raising it ever since. He’s a proud father and carries photos of the bird when it can’t accompany him specifically so he can show his son off. This tactic has never once worked while he was trying to flirt with someone. 

Kalifa

She’s mildly allergic to animal fur. It’s nothing significant but she’s forced to carry allergy pills when she’s working with her Zoan colleagues. Her new abilities, however, have been a godsend in keeping the annoying fur at bay.  

More so than any of the other agents she struggles with feeling ‘good enough’. Having been born into her role she feels an immense pressure to live up to the expectation that were set for her.

Her mother was also a government agent at one point.

Collects ‘lamb’ themed objects. She doesn’t love having to be around actual farm animals (and despises Jabra’s rooster) but she finds the artistic representations of lambs aesthetically pleasing. 

Is secretly really into astrology. She’s complied full birth charts on her co-workers using what little information is available and reasonable estimating the unknowns. 

She is extensively musical trained and is by far the most talented agent in that regard. 

Angel

Not a Ciphor Pol agent. Not a government agent. Not even a marine. But since you were kind enough to include her, she’ll get a guest feature.

Angel was blessed with a powerful fruit but cursed with the lack of willpower to use it properly.

She can be friendly but it takes a long time before she can fully trust someone. 

Used the name Lucifer before settling down and trying to start a new life for herself.

She descended from the upper vearths and is confused when people down here talk about religion. To her “God” is an epithet you can earn and a position of power in the sky islands. She’d interacted with Enel and caught wind that he’d ascended and is thoroughly confused every time someone makes an offhand religious comment or sees an act of devotion, ‘cause god is kind of prick?’. She’s never commented on her confusion. When her wedding was planned to take place in a chapel she was horrified for reasons that weren’t clear to anyone else present.

Since that was the only part she had an objection to the planner in charge caved and re-scheduled the event to an outdoor venue.  

Terribly pyrophobic. Ironically the devil is not okay around an open flame. 

[eloquent-music]

Why do I blame more Megatron than Tarn for Tarn's faults? It's the same with Overlord. I liked Megatron's redemption but he went too far.

/ Tarn is equally as guilty for going through with it. But I can see why Megatron is more to blame for a lot of things over Tarn (and Overlord as well) but like I said Tarn is still to blame for his actions. 

Both Tarn and Megatron are to blame for everything that happened. But Megatron was the one who set everything in motion. Tarn wouldn’t have been who he was without Megatron’s doing.

From how I interpreted the little information we got of Megatron bringing up Tarn into whom he became, it appeared that there was a lot of toxicity between the both of them. Toxicity meaning Megatron had filled Tarn with a lot of toxic and corrupt behavior and thoughts I suppose is how I’d put in words. Worse behavior than what the Cause stood for. Megatron used Tarn (aka Damus at the time) and his weaknesses at the time to almost brainwash him into doing his dirty biddings. Tarn was put into place as the Leader of the DJD to hurt someone, that someone I can assume a couple of mechs that come to mind but as to who actually it was I don’t think we know? Damus was the Commandant (Warden) of the Grindcore Prison before he became Tarn so I assume by what Megatron means hurting someone was when he put the DJD into place and not who Damus was beforehand. 

Tarn could’ve up and left but I think there might’ve been a few things holding him back (1) he was faithful in and loyal to the Cause because of whom he was and how he was treated before being rebuilt as a Decepticon, something he believed deeply in (2) defecting would’ve been a bad idea so he was stuck (3) would’ve been replaced because he was expendable and (4) he seems to have the same mentality as Overlord, wanting to impress Megatron for whatever toxic reason that is. 

We know he hated some of the things he’d participated in just look how in MTMTE 39 he states that he wears his mask to advert his gaze so he didn’t have to see the others kill Decepticons. So he wasn’t fully okay with SOME of the Decepticon Brutality he was part of and had to initiate. If he would’ve done something to retaliate, I think he would’ve been killed for it, then replaced.

I hated how Megatron dismantling the Decepticon Cause went down. I can think of a few different but better ways he could’ve dismantled the Cause that wouldn’t have upset a lot of Decepticons. It was really forced by the Autobots in a bad way. Like how someone else on Tumblr put it, it blatantly ignored all of what Megatron had originally fought so hard for and thousands died and fought for. Just look in RID how bad the Decepticons were continuously treated even after the war being “over” and the Cause dismantled. It was just a waste in my honest opinion. It could’ve been handled waaaay better.

Redeeming yourself is totally fine but it could’ve happened a lot differently. Switching to just being a NAIL would’ve been more appropriate in my honest opinion. Look at Metalhawk. Both factions ideals got very skewed as the War continued to rage on so that’s why I am saying Neutral would’ve been more appropriate for someone such as Megatron. Even a lot of Autobots were upset with it too so like you know.

Tarn and the DJD were thrown to the fucking dirt by Megatron. You can see it was extremely hurtful to Tarn. How Tarn breaks his victims is exactly what Megatron did to him. “If you want to break someone—mentally, physically, emotionally—wait until they're happy. Let them live and love and thrive. Once they recognize the value of a life well lived... THAT'S when you move in for the kill. Because you can't take anything from someone who has nothing to lose.” Everything was taken right from under him and he didn’t even know about it till waay later like how the hell did that work? It was like it was hidden from them for whatever reason? They had advanced technology to hunt down Decepticons so why wouldn’t they had gotten that. And RIGHT before Megatron dismantled the Cause, he was saying he could bring the DJD to help with the Dark Cybertron event because they were a force that could have assisted in (possibly died honorably for) and the Autobots flat out said no and ridiculed Megatron for having the DJD.

But i get what you’re saying anon. I can see why you blame Megatron more than Tarn and thats just cause Megatron set up Tarn into where he was and conditioned him to do his dirty work. But Tarn is also to blame to carrying everything out as well ya know

[emathevampire]

1, 7, 20, 36, 45, 55, and 82 for Orinn?

thanks for the ask! I love Orinn so much, poor kid doesn’t know about his tragic backstory yet and hasn’t hit his personal quest, and he’s already going through some rough stuff. But at least as he is now, these are all accurate answers.

001. When is their birthday?     Oh gosh, I hadn’t really thought about it. In the springtime, for sure! Probably mid-April, if I had to use a real world approximation, since that’s when I created him (roughly speaking) IRL. He’s about 42 years old though, which is still young for a half elf.

007. Is your character an optimist or a pessimist?     Orinn is an optimist to a fault. You know that post that goes around? With the japanese fisherman harvesting clams, saying never give up? That’s Orinn. There’s a LOT of hope for the future crammed into his skinny little frame. He always tries to keep his head up, despite the hardships he’s been through... but the harder things get for him and the party, the harder it is for him to keep being the upbeat fun guy. 

020. What are their hobbies?     He’s a professional cartographer and explorer, planeswalker, and for a small fee he’ll be your guide to whatever adventures you might need these skills on. But he’s also an artist, he sketches the sights he sees and people he meets. The closest real-world approximation to the style of martial art he practices is probably Tai Chi. Partly for the combat training, but also as a form of meditation to relieve stress and help him keep his calm and friendly disposition... he spends much of his free time meditating, drawing, or caring for his celestial hawk companion, Tyrael.

036. How honorable is your character?     Although he is chaotic aligned, he’s quite trustworthy and loyal, and does consider himself to be an honourable man.

045. Does your character have any chronic medical conditions?     He didn’t used to, but his time in the Abyss left him with some unfortunate lingering conditions. Though the party fixed the physical damages (he ended up blind for a while, along with being unable to use his hands because of the severe damage done by burns similar to those that result from extreme radiation exposure) with regeneration potions, he still suffers from night terrors, and needs more rest than is normal for someone of elven blood. He’s also not likely to ever fully recover from his time infected with Festering Anger (caused by proximity to the Lord of Hate), and will always be at risk of relapse if his immune system or his emotional stability become compromised.

055. Is your character an introvert or an extrovert?     Orinn is more of an ambivert. He WANTS to be an extrovert, but is quite comfortable with just the company of his animal companion. He’s always struggled with making friends (he’s quite socially awkward), but if he ever managed to make any, he’d be very much the extrovert friend who’s very spontaneous, dragging the introverts out of their shells to go hang out together. And then retreating to take a nap in a tree under the stars with his hawk afterwards. Gosh I really hope the party actually like... addresses this... I want him to have real friends... at this point in the campaign, he’s not really sure why they’re keeping him around, and feels very useless and out of place. He’s not sure if they’re doing it out of pity or if they actually like him. We’re making progress though. His character development is coming.082. What are your character’s sleeping preferences?     Used to be that he would look forward to getting cozy in his cloak curled up snuggling his hawk for about four hours every night, but things have changed. Now he has difficulty getting to sleep at all, and when he does, it’s never a good time. Even after six hours, he doesn’t feel rested. Tyrael doesn’t snuggle with him all night anymore, but stands vigilant to wake him if he has a nightmare. He sleeps with his armour on now even when he’s rented a room, just to alleviate his anxiety, it’s heavy and close and helps him feel safe. At least, as safe as he can feel when out in the wilderness on a quest to save the world.

[servaelynrillek-blog]

Vaelyn Rillek

Appearance -

Gender: Male

Race: Elezen

Height: 6″9′

Eye Color: Pale violet.

Hair Color: Black

The Facts -

Name Day: 10th Sun of the 1st Astral Moon

Occupation: Priest/Healer

Sexual identification: Bisexual

Romantic identification: Demisexual

Alignment: Some form of Neutral that’s slowly shifted further towards Good.

Criminal History: None

Relationship Status: Courting

Sweet on: Clayton Abercrombie

Favorites –

Favorite food: Spice cookies

Favorite drink: Tea

Favorite artist: Some Unnamed Ishgardian - his favourite piece has no record of the artist

Favorite scent: Lilac

Favorite person: Marceline Rillek(daughter), Clayton Abercrombie

Randoms –

Ten facts about your muse:

⚫ Vaelyn is nearly blind without his glasses because of an accident he had in childhood. His glasses are specially made, and the lenses are aether enhanced to allow him to see as he does. Without them all he can make out are blended colours. After an incident in which he lost his glasses in the middle of a battle, Clayton now insists he has them attached to a chain so that he won’t lose them again. Vaelyn thinks it looks doddering, but puts up with it for Clayton.

⚫ The very same accident that took his vision is also responsible for his poor constitution and frequent migraines.

⚫ By the time Clayton had become acquainted with him, and further asked him to dinner, Vaelyn had already attempted to close himself off emotionally. Clayton’s acquaintance had initially been surprising in and of itself, and he didn’t think someone who seemed so full of joie de vivre would want to associate that much with him. He was used to being somewhat of a social outcast amongst his peers in Ishgard. So, when Clayton asked him to begin a courtship, Vaelyn was taken off guard and tried to discourage Clayton from that course with self-depreciating comments. It obviously didn’t work, and Vaelyn has been surprised about how much he loves Lord Abercrombie.

⚫ Vaelyn did not choose to enter the priesthood of his own volition. While he is deeply religious, it was a condition of his arranged marriage to Iseonne - his deceased wife. Their marriage had been decided upon when they were both very small children, so he was raised to go into the priesthood.

⚫ Vaelyn’s decision to add a medical focus to his study was prompted by the accident in his childhood. While it is fairly standard for those who become priests to know some healing magic, Vaelyn has gone so far as to become enough of an expert in the field of healing magic, as well as more traditional, non-magical healing arts that he has created several new techniques and medications. The medication he takes for his migraines is one of his own design.

⚫ Vaelyn still feels beholden to his in-laws. They are still family to his children, though he has never felt comfortable enough with them to ever consider them so, and for good reason. It was their every intention to hold him in their shadow, and he represented a step up the social ladder for their daughter. Her death has made this manipulation into a more bitterness fueled thing, and they attempt to hold onto some control over him by making allusions that if he displeases them, they’ll have his children taken away. This was also a factor in Vaelyn attempting to shut himself down emotionally, and not initially wanting to get involved with Clayton Abercrombie in a romantic capacity.

⚫ Vaelyn is by no means a wholly righteous individual. He has allowed bitterness and anger to control his life in the past, and still struggles with his temper, penchant towards scathing words, and somewhat cruel actions.

⚫ Vaelyn never wanted children. His son, 12 years older than Marceline unfortunately received the short end of the stick, so to speak. While he dotes on Marceline, he has always been extremely cold and stern with his son. The reason for this is his bitterness towards his wife had grown since childhood and reached a point where Ronnault’s birth represented everything he didn’t want and felt he had no choice in. It was not his wife’s fault, of course, for she too had no choice in the matter, and despite Vaelyn’s obvious emotional distance and that he behaved as he did towards her only out of a sense of duty(he was duty bound to produce children to continue the family line), Iseonne met his bitterness and anger with grace and love. It was only after her death that it truly sunk in how selfish he had been, and Marceline in turn came to represent a sense of regret that took seed within him. He overcompensates for this regret in how much he dotes on Marceline, though he well and truly does love her, even if it took some time to acknowledge this.

⚫ Vaelyn never intended to adopt so many wards into his care. He had initially, fully intended to simply callously use Ulfarr, and had initially chosen charity work out of some vague sense of absolvement for his sins. Ulfarr has been an unintentionally positive influence on him, as the highlander was relentless in seeking advice for his problems and confiding in Vaelyn. While some of his wards do consider him as a father, and it can be said that he is a father to them, he still tries to maintain a certain emotional distance. He often also fails at this.

⚫ Mountain’s Shadow was a very unexpected friend. Let alone for him to become as dear of a friend as he is. His initial meetings with Mountain were not only filled with looking down upon the Roegadyn, but were meant also as a means to investigate allegations of voidsent activity and other suspect things that Ulfarr, who also worked at the agency at the time, had confided to him about. Mountain wore him down(whether intentionally or not) with a genuine sense of welcome and friendship. Their shared love of books of all kinds no doubt had it’s hand in it as well. Suffice it to say, Vaelyn is very bad at making friends.

Five Things -

Things they like: - Books and Reading - Animals - Cold weather - Tea - Working

Things they dislike: - The Garlean Empire - Large crowds - Hot weather - The crowded streets of Ul’dah especially - Deserts

Good traits: - Caring - Loyal - Honest - Charitable - Determined

Bad traits: - Arrogant - Cold - Temperamental - Self-righteous cruelty - Hyper-sense of propriety

Personalities they gravitate toward: - Polite - Confident - Loving - Mature - Distant

Personality types they avoid: - Saccarine - Those who don’t wish to think for themselves - Impolite - Brash - Aggressive

Fears: - Losing his children - Losing Clayton - Losing the ability to work due to health or other circumstances - That he can never truly atone for his sins - Exile

Tagged by: @anunlikelyknight Tagging: @theoracleofishgard @themountainsshadow @crooked-tarot-rp @fair-fae @ramenxiv @pilot-knight

[taetaeisbaebae7]

Lawlicht fanfiction: Are you my desire? Chp2.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: it might seem a bit rushed cuz I tried my best to write this in 2 days. ;_; . Hope u enjoy and suggestions are much appreciated :) 

 Lawless POV

Licht said that he would tell me the job he chose for me tomorrow. So I have approximate 20 hours to save myself from the hell approaching me. Should I start searching for jobs or just relax? “I won’t be able to find one anyway so it’ll just be a waste of time,” I replied to myself in an attempt to calm myself. “I mean, how bad can it be? Its not like he’s gonna make me an entertainer or something, right?”

“Still didn’t find a job? Not that I expected you to. Now for the job I chose for you……” He paused at that. “Its? Come on, don’t torture me more than you already are.” “Its actually as an entertainer.” I almost choked on my breath at that answer. “Excuse me but what the fuck ,Licht-tan?” “To be more specific, a host.” “You know I hate being the centre of attention.” “You hate being the centre of attention? Don’t fuck with me shitty hedgehog. Be grateful I even found you a job.” “But you chose this one on purpose didn’t you?” “And if I did?” “Ughh, no use arguing with you, lich-tan.” “Just be sure to do your job correctly.” “Correctly? I’m actually making great progress Licht-tan. You ALREADY look entertained.” “Oh shut up stupid demon.” “Okay then since you are the one who chose this job, I’ll be expecting you as a regular customer~~”I replied, boldly. “I pity the people who will even ‘come’ to meet you. But you can be sure of this. I’ll be watching whatever you do. To stop you before you do something stupid.” “What can someone even do at a….. Oh, you think I’ll flirt or something, don’t you? Don’t worry. I’m loyal to you.” “Loyal?” Licht inquired, raising an eyebrow. “Yes. Because you are my one and only.” I slowly brushed through his hair as I continued praising the angel. “Where else can I find a violent yet such a beautiful angel?” I slowly made my hands make their way to the end of Licht’s shirt. I could feel his body shudder on the touch. “Shit. I’m treading on some mighty thin ice here. Yet knowingly, I still can’t stop.” I slipped my hands underneath his shirt and starting making my way to his chest. Closing in, I whispered, “Licht-tan. Your temperature sure is rising. And your heart is beating like crazy. But then again, you’re not the only one.” I said that in a playful voice and then licked the shell of his ear which earned me a soft yet arousing moan from the raven haired boy in front of me. “Lich-tan, I…….” Shit, I can’t think straight. I wanna gulp him right now. I carefully caressed him, observing his cute responses. “Not enough lich-tan,“ I breathed. I dragged my hands down to his pants in an attempt to completely undress him. “Hey lich-tan wan—“ “You think you have earned the right to touch me wherever the hell you please?!” he yelled, glaring at me furiously. “B-but—.” He punched my chin, making me tumble to the other side of the room. “That hurt man!!!” I tried my best to quickly regain my vision , but by the time I did, I noticed that Licht was crawling towards me, his eyes fixated on me. “Um, Licht-tan?” He didn’t stop and continued his motion towards me. As if being pulled back by an invisible string, I laid back while he came and sat on top of me. “Don’t touch. Else I’ll kill you.” With that he undressed himself. “Lich-tan, what ar–.” Suddenly I felt a cold sensation on my lips as he touched his with my own. “This….feels so damn good.” I extended my hand to grab him by his hair and take the lead which instead got me a bite on my lip. That was my punishment for disobeying my master’s orders. He pulled back and gave me a growl. “Naughty boy”, he whispered slowly, his words exciting every part of me. “How does he expect me to stay still in a situation like this.” I clenched my fist in an attempt to restrain myself from making a move. “This angel must be really skilled at kissing being an idol and all.” I predicted. He started grinding himself against my delicate organ which made me moan in pleasure. The ends of his lips tilted upwards a bit. He was teasing the Servamp on purpose checking the vampire’s control on itself. “This is worse than torture. This guy really is a sadist.” I grunted, biting my lower lip. He then slowly approached me and his lips met mine once more. “Huh? He’s shaking badly. Is this his first time? He’s not very skilled at this but his lips themselves are so soft, wet, sweet and….and….. Shit, seeing him so desperately trying to do something he’s not experienced in is a first and it looks so fucking cute. I know I shouldn’t do this but…..” I paused my train of thoughts there and grabbed the back of my eve’s head and pressed our heads with more force, deepening the kiss between us. He resisted and tried to pull back but I kept my grip tight. I let my tongue trespass my eve’s mouth and tangle with his tongue. “Damn. This feels good.” “St-st-stop hy..de…” were some of the words my brain perceived from him. ‘He’s losing his strength to resist. He’s giving in. Just a bit more.’ The blazing kiss continued for a few more seconds till I finally let go, leaving a trail of saliva between our lips. I couldn’t resist the urge to lick my lips. “Ba…ka….Hyde….” he moaned, his head dipped down, but the blush had made its way to the tip of his ears, as they were burning bright red. “Lich-tan.” He lifted his head at my statement, giving me a full view of the condition he was in. Saliva was dripping from his mouth and his breathing heavy. The very scene made me shiver as if I was just electrocuted by someone and my heart thump hard enough to reach my throat. Just the scene of him being so submissive was unusual but enough to fully turn me on. This side of him was so different. So much cuter. I descended my hand downwards, only to be stopped by his shout. “I SAID STOP!!” “……Huh?” “Leave. Now!” “Licht-tan, but…” “NOW!!” “O…okay.” I knew I was getting ahead of myself. I should have known it would end like this. “I’ll…you know….just go check out the place enlisted for me to work.” i chuckled, as i took a final glance at him expecting a response from the raven haired human. “Nothing.” He just sat there, his eyes diverted from mine. I wonder what he’s thinking.

Licht POV

I waited till I was sure Hyde had left the apartment and exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I was holding in. “Wha-wha-what the hell was that?” I could feel my own face extremely warmed up and a weird tingly feeling in my chest. I covered my face in my hands to hide the visible flush of red on my cheeks. “Even though I told him not to stop…” “But, isn’t this half my fault? If I had stopped him right at that moment, nothing would have happened. Don’t tell me I wanted him to continue? That can’t be, can it? Me, an angel, giving in to these types of desires? Its all that damn demon’s fault.” These thoughts echoed in my mind as I started to dress myself back.

[tigerwriter]

For the OC profile thing, Leif and Cai!

((Replacing “phobias” with “fears” because I think the later is what the question meant, and I get nitpicky about that =P ))

Full Name: Leif JadeGender and Sexuality: Homosexual MalePronouns: He/himEthnicity/Species: Corvid human, probably has some Courdonian in him as wellBirthplace and Birthdate: Raylier, Corvus, September 28th 1288

Guilty PleasuresSee, Leif has no ability to keep the things he likes secret, soooo

FearsLosing people he’s close to, both by outside forces and by his own mistakes, the Killing Curse, some of his family members to some extent (it usually gets nommed by the anger but it doesn’t change that he’s kind of afraid of them coming into his life and ruining everything)

What They Would Be Famous ForBeing an archmage is pretty rare. He also summoned a dragon at the Bloody Coronation, has been involved with a number of magical crises in Medieville and Corvus, essentially writes all the spellwork for undoing Courdonain conditioning, and possibly writes other texts about magic (I imagine he would like to put together a compendium on mirror magic, with Elin’s help, since he had such a hard time finding information to help Elin) (he might also write a general text about all the weird magical shit he’s run across for funsies. It’s a shame you don’t keep a journal, Leif)

What They Would Get Arrested ForThere was that time he was almost caught breaking into the Keep.... If he used some spell at the wrong place at the wrong time - likely trying to help someone, but, time and place, Leif - he could maybe be hauled off by some authorities >.>

OC You Ship Them WithNot my OC, but his canon boyfriend/husband Kirin

OC Most Likely To Murder ThemWell, Bastien gave it a good shot...

Favorite Movie/Book GenreDoes it have birds? Leif will read/watch it =D

Least Favorite Movie/Book ClicheInaccurate bird facts and omg don’t use red-tailed hawk noises for all birds of prey, and I imagine he’d not be fond of “nerd-fixing” storylines.

Talents and/or Powers:Archmage. Knows ALL THE THINGS about birds, and a lot about magic as well. Good at being a nerd.

Why Someone Might Love ThemLeif’s got a good heart, under all the scowling and sniping. He cares a lot for his friends and loved ones and will do just about anything for them, whether that’s providing them with some material good, using his magic, or trying to guardhawk them from danger. He’s very passionate about his interests, and his rambles about magic and birds can be entertaining if one has the patience to indulge him. As someone who didn’t know much compassion growing up, he’s sensitive to those who need it now and, while sometimes clumsy in his technique, he does try to understand and help people who are having a hard time.

Why Someone Might Hate Them He’s a noble and not always entirely aware of or fully-appreciative of what his social status gives/has given him; he’s gotten somewhat better since making friends who are non-nobles, and he’s willing to share whenever he realizes someone needs something, buuuut I could see someone who’s had a hard time just getting by getting annoyed with his complaints, especially regarding his childhood. Like “yeah you had this noise thing but at you always had food and shelter.” And while I don’t think Leif’s estranged family members really know him well enough to hate him or kind of recognize they were at fault for some of the strain, there are a few that definitely don’t like him because of years spent with Leif being bitter, easily-provoked, extremely antisocial, and with apparently no desire to be friends with any of them. He’s definitely seen as vexingly immature in some ways, and negligent of his duties as a noble.

How They ChangeLeif’s entire mainstory arc was basically “Leif learns not to be a jerk to everyone and that people won’t all be jerks to him, also”, which was quite the change. He also gets some chill later in life thanks to his ultra-chill husband.

Why You Love ThemA bird-loving, snarky, socially-awkward nerd with a found family and fun magical powers? What’s not to love?

Full Name: Cai ShaharGender and Sexuality: Male, and straight...I think? I could also see him being demisexual.Pronouns: He/himEthnicity/Species: Human. His ethnicity, though, is totally up in the air. I initially headcanoned he might have some Kinean in him, because that was the only place we seemed to have similar skin/hairtones for a while. But now there’re a bunch of other places where those could come from, so who knows, really? XPBirthplace and Birthdate: Seguier, Courdon, October 14th, 1281. He celebrates his birthday on August 22nd because he doesn’t actually know his birthdate, and even made just a lucky guess on the year.

Guilty PleasuresHmm...I don’t know about guilty pleasures, though I guess I could see him liking trying different kinds of foods, and that wouldn’t be something he really shares (because Cai’s bad at sharing things).

FearsLike most of my character’s Cai’s afraid of losing the people he cares about. Fun stuff \ o / He’s also definitely afraid of somehow being recognized and hauled back to Courdon; it’s not always an entirely logical fear, and he often knows that, but that doesn’t stop it from showing up.When he and Ophee’s relationship gets more serious, I imagine he has some - also not entirely logical - fears about the burns and scarring from his slave years bothering Ophelia, but dude your face is a worse mess and she likes you already. What a doof. I imagine they resolve this fairly quickly.

What They Would Be Famous ForHmm, I dunno - he’s not the only slave who’s escaped and done cool stuff, and he’s hardly the only good fireknight, but uh. If he was famous for anything, it would be one of those two, probably.

What They Would Get Arrested ForRunning away from the Armels? =D

OC You Ship Them WithNot my OC, but his canon girlfriend Ophelia!

OC Most Likely To Murder ThemValerian Armel for sure would want Cai dead if he knew he was still alive. Luckily I imagine he never finds that out.

Favorite Movie/Book GenreProbably likes a “good guys overthrowing an evil regime” plot. Animal stories are probably something he likes, too. So long as his least favorite cliche isn’t involved...

Least Favorite Movie/Book ClicheDon’t kill the animals in the animal stories! DDD8

Talents and/or PowersReally good with animals; animals seem to like him and he’s actually pretty decent at reading their body language, which helps. He has some conditioning to high heat from growing up in an iron refinery, which is helpful for a fireknight. He’s been trained as a fireknight and so has the expected weapons, combat, and phoenix-riding training one would expect. Bilingual, speaks both Low Courdonian and Kythian fluently.

Why Someone Might Love Them Dude’s been through a lot and never quite broke. He’s a loyal and competent knight, and always keeps a level head. While it can take a while for him to reveal it, and/or for others to learn to read it, Cai really does feel a lot of love for the people (and animals) he’s come to care about. He’s compassionate and wants to help people. Pretty eyes and some nice muscles don’t hurt either

Why Someone Might Hate ThemCai could soooo easily be misinterpreted as being a jerk because he’s so damn reserved so much of the time. There’s also the whole escaped slave who became a knight thing that some High Courdonians might not be fond of. Probably the bandits and such Cai’s fought and captured/murderated aren’t really his biggest fans, either.

How They ChangeCai’s...pretty stoic and srs all his life, really. He learns some self-confidence through his knight-training. Later on, he changes by opening up a little more, especially to Ophelia.

Why You Love ThemI really enjoyed making Cai have different hangups and issues from his years as a slave than had already been explored - emotional lockdown, scars he can’t hide, paranoia about people finding out where he came from… His knightly scenes are a lot of fun to write as well. Phoenix-riding knights yeah!

[whereareroo]

BUILD A WALL AGAINST RACISM

WF THOUGHTS (7/21/19).

During the past week or so, Donald Trump came out of the closet. He fully revealed his racism. He told four Congresswomen, all people of color, that they should "go back" to the countries from which they "originally came." His tweet, dripping with racism, fully revealed Trump's identity. If you're Black or Brown, you're not an American in Trump's book.

Trump's statement was shocking, but not surprising. He's done a poor job of masking his hatred and bigotry. When he announced his candidacy in the atrium of Trump Tower, he said that Mexicans were rapists and criminals. When he got to the Oval Office, he promptly launched a program to ban Muslims and Arabs from America. He's clearly enjoyed his recent campaign to frighten or imprison Central Americans who seek to come to America.

Trump has a long history as a racist. When he was running apartment buildings in New York City, he was successfully sued for discriminating against Black families. One day, when he was running a casino in New Jersey, he took a tour of the administrative offices with the casino manager. Trump was shocked to see that Black people were counting the money. He screamed: "I have Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only guys I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day. Those are the kind of people I want counting my money. Nobody else."

By now, we should all know that Trump is a walking, talking, pile of badness. Racism is only one of his many defects. He is an extreme narcissist. He is a sexist. He is a misogynist. He is a greedy elitist. He is homophobic. He is Islamophobic. The list goes on and on.

Trump has no redeeming characteristics. Think about it. He's not a good guy. He's not generous or charitable. He's not loyal. He's not compassionate or empathetic. He doesn't have a great mind. He's not funny. He doesn't have a single good quality. He's totally repulsive.

Trump is so deranged that he cannot control his hatred and bigotry. During the campaign, Trump repeatedly attacked a Muslim Gold Star Family, parents of a slain Army Officer, who spoke out against the proposed Muslim ban. Trump also mocked a disabled New York Times reporter who suffers from a condition that severely limits the movement of his limbs. This week, Trump reached a new level of awfulness by suggesting that Brown and Black people should "go back" to "their original countries" because they don't belong in America.

For good reason, Trump's latest racist comments were met with an abundance of outrage. Unlike some of his other defects, Trump's racism is dangerous. It is a sad fact that America is home to a significant population of latent racists who have not come out of the closet. Left unchecked, Trump's overt racism could weaponize the racism of many other Americans. Violence is not out of the question. It was good to see widespread condemnation of Trump's racism, including condemnation by a small handful of Republican leaders. All of the racists in America, including Trump, need to see and hear that racism will not be tolerated here. We all need to build a bigger and better wall against racism.

At Mass this morning, I asked God to protect our minority communities. Trump has put them in danger. If something terrible happens, despite my prayers, it's all Trump's fault. He's gone way past simply dividing America. He's telling other racists that it's OK to express their racism. That's dangerous. Instead of protecting America, Trump is doing the opposite.

[allegiantfervor]

multiples of 10!!

Detailed Headcanons

10. Neuroses? Do they recognize them as such?

She has been medically diagnosed with PTSD caused by witnessing her brother (someone she loved as if he were her son) being murdered and by the attack the same killer initiated on her. However, had she never been officially diagnosed with it, she would not even recognize it as a mental health issue. She’s dismissive to her own health to a fault and would rarely ever ask to be evaluated for it. Admittedly, she would brush off her reoccurring nightmares as just normal bad dreams and not something that actually hurts her through stress or anxiety over the incident. As I’ve mentioned a long time ago in a short little comic I made, Iris did take medicine regularly to get to sleep but has since become less and less dependent on it. It took sixteen years, but Iris is finally learning to cope with her brother’s tragedy instead of continuing to brush it under the rug or bottle it up.

20. Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?

Despite not growing up under the best conditions, Iris was a fairly healthy child. She still had a roof over her head and food to eat, which is more than can be said for some other children of Noxus. Once Octavius was born and Iris was forced to grow up quickly to provide for him, she got stress related illnesses but as stated in the previous question, she was dismissive to any problems she had. It was all a part of raising a kid, despite him not being hers.

30. Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)

I realize a lot of these asks have references to Octavius in some way but just bear with me he was a very influential part as to how Iris turned out.

So immediately following Octavius’s murder, Iris was basically inconsolable for weeks. She recovered from her own injuries, returned home, and even then continued to avoid her family. It was around that time that Iris searched for literally any outlet to numb her pain. Iris did drink around that time, but cut down on that a lot once she found the fight clubs she participated in until being scouted for professional leagues.

The point being, if anything were to happen to another person extremely close to her again, Iris does react by shutting people out for a while. In a way, it’s her way of recharging and figuring out what to do with herself. It’s not exactly healthy, but she has found it eventually works. Especially in her more recent years, she doesn’t allow herself to cry a lot, even when she wants to. Those numbing outlets is the only way for her to let out her frustration and forget the awful feeling she gets. To Iris, tragedy is less something to be coped with and more something to forget.

Again, referencing the last question, it took her almost two decades to finally confront her brother’s death, and it take her just as long if another great tragedy struck her. On the positive side though, she has learned since then how to turn those awful situations into something constructive.

40. Would you say that they have a superiority-complex? Inferiority-complex? Neither?

If I had to choose one or the other, I’d lean towards superiority-complex, but even that is extremely lowkey and she does center more towards neither. In a way, her boxing was a way to hide what she thought of herself being weak or “non-Noxian”. However now Iris is much more at peace with herself and comfortable with both herself and her achievements. Probably one the few healthy things about her mindset is that she is confident in herself and her ability in a relatively humble manner.

50. Is this person afraid of dying? Why or why not?

Absolutely not. In fact, being on the front lines for so long, Iris is a little surprised she survived as long as she has. Initially, being recruited to the front of battle, Iris thought she wouldn’t last past a few battles and contributes the survival of her first battles on luck and proper training of her fellow soldiers.

But now Iris rarely thinks going into battle that she will die, though she openly accepts that it’s a possibility she’ll be one of the many fatalities. She vowed to lay down her life for her country and those words were not said just to seem loyal. Iris means them wholeheartedly that she would be willing to die serving Noxus. While she’s been through some life threatening scraps before and made it out alive, she fully accepts she’s human and will die eventually. It can be a little unnerving to think about, but I wouldn’t say she fears it.

TL;DR: No, Iris doesn’t fear death. She knows it can happen and accepts that.