#he's very respectful of others and doesn't enforce it on anyone else

[ineed-to-sleep]

Funny how all it takes is a couple of conversations with a cis straight man about gender to make me go "yup I'm definitely not cis"

[yanderes-galore]

A concept of Aegon I Targaryen if you can please????

Sure. Includes his wives as I see them all together. I struggled on this more than I thought.... Would like feedback, I kinda wanted to make this more yandere but wasn't sure how?

Yandere! Aegon I Targaryen Concept

(The Conqueror - FT. Rhaenys + Visenya)

Pairing: Romantic - Some Sharing

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Targcest (Aegon/Rhaenys/Visenya), Polygamy, Manipulation, Possessive/Protective behavior, Violence, Blood, Murder, Isolation, Dubious relationship(s).

Aegon is considered the very start of the Targaryen dynasty to most people.

He is the king who conquered and united the seven kingdoms.

He and his wives are feared for controlling dragons.

Aegon is the rider of Balerion, Rhaenys is the rider of Meraxes, and Visenya is the rider of Vhagar.

Aegon wanted peace above all else, so after his wars he did whatever it took to maintain order.

Visenya is his stern warrior queen, while Rhaenys is kind and caring for her people.

Aegon himself did his best to appease his people, even respecting religions of all sorts of areas to keep them on his side.

I imagine if Aegon was fond of another besides his two wives, his wives would know.

Rhaenys would be a bit more accepting if she learned of her king's obsession.

Visenya would take longer to accept such a thought, but if it makes Aegon happy, she'll get along with you.

While his wives support you and care for you to varying degrees, Aegon is the one obsessed with you primarily.

Perhaps you are a noble, or maybe even a servant.

Or, as Targaryens are, another sibling he decided to take as his own.

Regardless of who you are, if the king becomes fond of you, you're one of the most protected people in the realms.

Why? The man has three dragons under his belt.

As these were some of the first domesticated dragons, they are huge.

Aegon's even known for parading Balerion while visiting the smallfolk.

Despite being intimidating, Aegon is no doubt one who wishes to please.

He has charisma when speaking with his people.

Visenya enforces his laws while Rhaenys helps maintain peace between families through marriages.

Aegon doesn't care if others look down on his companionship with you.

The faith already looks down on him for marrying not only two wives... but his sisters.

So if he took you as his own, he cares little for rumors.

You almost never leave his side.

Aegon doesn't keep you at King's Landing or Dragonstone, if he travels to one or the other, you will accompany him on top of Balerion.

Rhaenys and Visenya care for you because they see how Aegon acts around you.

Like the dragon blood that runs through him, he's possessive.

He married Visenya out of duty, Rhaenys out of desire, but who knows why he wants you.

Married to him or not, he has darker motives with you.

Like a king should, he spoils you.

He dresses you in Targaryen garb and doesn't trust anyone but himself and his wives with you.

Sometimes he even gets Balerion used to your presence, the large black dragon staring down at you beside his rider.

Naturally, with all dragon riders, their dragons are attached to their rider's obsession.

Many tend to see you as Aegon's secret adoration, a pet he toys with when his wives are away on business.

In reality, his wives not only know how lovesick he is towards you, but support it.

Rhaenys suggests attire you should wear if Aegon ever decides to marry you.

Visenya warns you to behave for her king, giving you subtle threats in case you try to run.

Running is pointless.

You would never be able to get far on foot.

Even if you took a horse, you'd quickly have three dragons hunt down your smell for their riders.

If anyone tried to take you or harm you, Visenya is the one more likely to slaughter them for Aegon.

She'd feed her victims to Vhagar, or Balerion if her king wished.

While Aegon's main priority is peace, He knows bloodshed may be necessary.

In that case, he doesn't mind staining his blade in blood for you with Visenya.

Anything for you... as your king, he can give anything you want... as long as you don't leave him.

Aegon is careful to prevent such a thing, often showing you affection and showering you in gifts.

Contrast to the Fire and Blood he's caused, He's affectionate and caring in his touch.

His kisses are light, easing you into his adoration for you.

He loves his wives, but he also can't seem to part from you... his third desire.

You're already quite isolated during his obsession.

You are only ever allowed in King's Landing or Dragonstone.

During parties you must always be beside him and in sight.

No one else should think they have a chance with you.

In both King's Landing and Dragonstone you have a private chambers, well furnished with dragon decorations.

He wants his sons, Aenys and Maegor, to respect you as another parental figure in their life.

Aegon only seems to get worse when he hears of Rhaenys and Meraxes dying during one of his final wars.

He may even quickly spring a wedding onto you, making you officially his as some last ditch attempt to not lose you.

I imagine the death of Rhaenys affects him terribly.

Visenya almost pities you when she sees how Aegon clings to you.

He turns to you for mourning, kissing your skin and asking you to promise he'll never lose you.

It gets to the point he locks you away with him, hoping such a thing will prevent you from being harmed.

Physically, at least... mentally you feel very Isolated.

Even as his princes grow up, he encourages them to see you as family.

Who knows, perhaps even the princes are attached to you as a parental figure.

Towards the end of his life, Aegon never has you far from him.

Even in death you may still be affected by his obsession, Visenya now the one to encourage you to stay around.

Perhaps she's fond of you too... or maybe it's just for the two young princes now under her watch.

Aegon may be caring, charismatic, and kind with his beloved...

But like a true dragon, he's possessive and fierce when it comes to making you his...

Even after his death you'll always belong to the dragons.

[eevees-hobbies]

Suo and Umemiya’s words of praise please (bonus points if you a bad bitch in the streets but a soft one in the sheets)

Author’s Note: Thank you for the thirst/ask, anon! I am not ashamed to admit that I was lightheaded by the end of writing this! I hope the formatting doesn't come out too wonky as I try and figure out how I want my anon thirsts/asks to look!

Content Warning: Fem!Reader x Hajime Umemiya, Fem!Reader x Hayato Suo, smut, making out, fingering, mention of overstimulation, and oral. Minors Do Not Interact.

Word Count: 1.4K

They Whisper About You in the Streets, You Know?

General Background of You

You realized early on that you needed to be able to protect yourself as a citizen of Makochi. It pissed you off seeing the level of delinquency that created chaos and ultimately terrorized the members of the community. You grew up here, and there’s no way you would be intimidated by a bunch of low-lives or run out of your town. 

You’ve built up a larger-than-life reputation for yourself, outfitting your business with security cameras, motion detectors and arming yourself with a right-hook that could put almost anyone on their ass. The only people who fuck with you now are people who either haven’t recieved the message or are too dumb to save.

Hajime Umemiya

Umemiya had met you while out on one of his patrols. You were very well aware of him, and what he meant to Makochi as the previous leader of Bofurin, so you went out to greet him. He was as pleasant as many of the townsfolk had said and just as handsome, too. You exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes–him asking what you sold in your shop and you asking what he liked to do in his spare time. Talking about simple things felt silly, but small talk was your way of continuing a conversation you didn’t want to end.

As he finally turned to leave, he stopped and faced you again: “Hey, if anyone gives you any trouble, I can always stop by and…help.”

Umemiya internally berated himself. Help?! Why not say something cool, like beat them up, or anything that doesn’t make you sound like a middle-aged dad? But he found you so cute; the way you wore an apron around your waist so you didn’t dirty your adorable clothes, the way he towered over you, and how you were biting your lip as you looked at him with big doe eyes. You were endearing to him, and he’d grasp at straws to find a way to talk to you again.

He expected a shy thank you or a cute smile in his direction, but what he got instead was even better—you snorted.

“If anyone gives YOU any trouble, let me know, and I’ll come by and kick their asses.” You ended your sentence with a perfectly timed wink and returned to the interior of your shop.

You didn’t witness this, but Umemiya tells his version of the story to your friends, family, and anyone else who will listen. He swears that after you turned away, he gripped his chest and muttered, “Oh, I just met my wife.”

And the rest was history.

Despite your eventual marriage to Umemiya—someone that others refuse to antagonize out of respect for his reputation or out of fear–you still continued to ruin the day of anyone who decided to mess with other shopkeepers.

It was so arousing to Umemiya that you were an enforcer of the town, but you were still his sweet angel at home. You’d often find yourself making out in bed, sometimes with no intention to make love. If sex happened, of course, neither of you would complain, but sometimes you just need to make out with your partner. As Umemiya's fingers languidly roam across the flesh of your hip, he’d often narrate just how he felt about you:

“My little enforcer. They still whisper about you in the streets, you know? Sometimes, I eavesdrop when a kid from Bofurin visits the nursery, and I can’t help but be so proud because they’re talking about my wife.”

You groan softly into him, partly because of the way his tongue parts your lips as he mumbles into your mouth and partly because you know what they say about you.

“Don’t be so bashful, my little ass-kicker,” he whispers, a smile forming on his lips and against yours. “But if only they knew how good of a girl you are for me.”

You pull away to nuzzle your face into his neck. Your cheeks are growing hot as Umemiya pulls your thigh around his waist, kneading the tense muscle in your calf.

“If only they knew that I get to see you like this, so sweet, perfect, and-”

“Pitiful,” you interject.

“If you’re pitiful, then I’m worse.”

He places a soft kiss against your cheek and slides his hand between you both. His touch is familiar and yet still setting your body ablaze as he parts your folds and rubs gentle circles on your clit.

“God, Ume..” your heart quickens as his fingers make expert work of the sensitive bundle of nerves between your thighs. You find his hold on you after all these years incredible, and you even say so in that moment.

“I can say the same about you, my sweet girl. I feel like I’ve known you in every life I’ve lived and every life I ever will live. You feel so constant to me.”

His lips are back on yours, searching tongues, and hungry groans are shared between you as he continues to rub your clit with his thumb and slips his middle finger inside your sex.

You grip his shoulder as you buck your hips against his palm.

“That’s it, baby. Just like that.”

You run your fingers through his hair, pulling some of the longer strands and earning a soft growl from Umemiya’s throat.

“I love you so much, Ume.”

If you weren’t so enraptured by his fingers and the pleasure he was bestowing upon you, you would have noticed how his eyes sparkled when you uttered those words. Whenever you say you love him, he looks at you as though it’s his first time hearing it–with eyes full of absolute adoration and devotion.

“I love you, too. I knew I loved you the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Your breathing is shallow now; he knows how close you are, so he pulls you closer, the hand that was previously keeping your leg around him now snaking around your waist.

He knows what to do—and what to say—to get you exactly where you want to be.

“Let go, baby.” 

“Come on, pretty girl.” 

“It’s ok. You can hold onto me if you need to.”

“I promise I have you.”

“Let me have all of you.”

“Cum, yeah, just like that. Theeeeere you go, sweetheart.”

After your orgasm, he pulls his fingers away—a brief pang of disappointment radiates through his chest at no longer being inside of you—and raises them to his lips to lick them clean.

Hayato Suo

You lay on your back, feeling as though death would be a welcome end to your current state. You’ve been exhausted for some time, and you will continue to be exhausted as Suo, as naked as you are, hovers over you and places kisses against your back.

“Do you need a break?” His voice has returned to the cool tone you’ve come to know, signaling that there might be a lull in your lovemaking session.

“I think I have one more in me.”

You can feel him smile against the sweat-slicked skin of your back. 

“That’s my princess.”

He trails kisses down your spine, making sure to lick the hickeys that have formed into angry welts.

“What do you think our friends would say if they knew you liked to be called something so adorable?”

“Sakura would laugh at me,” your deadpan delivery earns a chuckle from Suo.

“Sakura is terrified of you, dove.”

“As he should be. Do I scare you, Suo?”

“No, you don’t scare me. But I am scared of the absence of you. I never want to exist in a world where you don’t.”

“You’re being dramatic. You know I can handle my own.”

His hands part your ass, and his tongue slides down to your mound, already covered and stuffed with the previous sessions' saliva and cum.

“I know what they whisper about you. But it’s hard for me to believe them as I only know of you in this way.” He’s circling your tender entrance with his tongue, allowing yours and his thick cream to coat his lips.

You quiver, your body already aware of what’s about to happen to you.

“I’m so fortunate to have the Makochi bruiser under me, coming undone on my tongue.”

“Suo, please…”

He slips a hand under you and massages your clit while finally sliding his tongue into you.

“I’m so lucky that you give so much to me. It’s only fair that I reward you, don’t you think?”

You moan in approval, gently bouncing your hips back and riding his tongue.

“Please let me cum on your tongue, Suo.”

“Anything for you, dove. Absolutely anything for you.”

[prettyboykatsuki]

fang now you got me curious... thoughts on ex boyfriend bakugou? 👀

he is a wet cat kdjhsdkjsd

i really think bkg is a "mate for life" kind of a guy. if he's in a serious relationship he does not plan on breaking up ever. very "i'd rather start over with you than anyone else even if we have to do it 100 times". so if you're breaking up - the chances the break up isn't a hot emotional mess is slim to none

and the chances that bkg was the one to initiate is fucking zero. once you're in the relationship you're in it, and while he's not gonna stop you from backing out, you're basically it for him. like. forever. he has a hard job and love was alr the bottom of his priority list.

to be honest i think he's a little bit more of a soggy guy than we'd like to believe. everyone thinks he's going to be really...? angry about the situation. but he's actually just. alarmingly sad. there's something really hollow about him and he's still very very kind to you and very amicable but he always sort of looks like he's in pain. he speaks much more gently and is way less playfully gruff in a way that's very gutting.

even once he gets over that, he doesn't know how to butt out of your life. he wants too so much. he really does but he can't. you became his person so long ago and now what? you want him to pretend that's not true?

bkg will respect ur boundaries if you enforce them. and he certainly won't chase after you if he feels like you don't want him anymore.

it's not him who chases after you but his friends dfkjkfhs. bkg is a person who by all intents and purposes - is defined by the relationships he's made. and his friends know more intimately than you ever will, how much you mean to him. they're also ceo of meddling lmao so just. one after the other you get messages like hey....... and its so insane

they all meddle trying to get you two fall back in love like a shitty hallmark movie. you practically never see bkg cry, but once the two of you are alone in a room and you ask if he really misses you, he sort of turns his head and says fucking obviously - all while sniffling a bit. and it just sort of strikes you that maybe it's worth it trying to work it out one more time

i would love to write him in a hot sexy way but i actually think he gets DEEPLY pathetic as an ex in a very not fun way KJSDHKJF. our emotionally well-adjusted but ultimately riddled with attachment issues king.

[kzele]

Unpopular TSSM Opinion

Sha-Shan was a better example of a serious moral compass love interest to Flash than Gwen was to, well, anybody.

The gal clearly has no problem turning a guy down until they've proven he isn't a too much of a douche. And she doesn't care how popular they are. If they make make the right, but hard choices, then they've got her interest.

Gwen, on the other hand, can’t seem to judge any of her friend’s moods or situations correctly and make an appropriate decision. For instance, whether as friends or love interests she and Harry are a dumpster fire. When the guy passes out in the courtyard and then avoids her, what does she do? Does she (a) tell her COP dad about it at home, (b) tell Harry’s father, (c) tell a teacher/coach/school counselor AKA any other figure in a position of actual authority? Nope. She tells Peter that something’s wrong with Harry, but doesn’t elaborate enough for him to take her concerns seriously, so he puts it among the lesser problems he has to deal with. Because if Peter was actually told the specifics, this would be MUCH higher on his problems list. There’s no way he’d have to be bullied into talking with Harry, otherwise. (Also, how is it possible that she couldn’t sense anything off about Eddie after he returned to the lab? He’s obviously creepy and fake and you’ve known him since you were both in single digits. If it was just Eddie this happened with, I wouldn’t be having my doubts about her judgement.)

This brings me to my next point about boundaries. Peter respects hers more than she respects his. Thus, she can only enforce her boundaries and/or will if someone already respects her. Harry and Gwen’s full-on couple status is proof. Harry’s shoved her against a locker, jumped over her during a villain attack (did he ever apologize for that?), and the first thing he does is ignore his new girlfriend in favor of calling his dad about having a girlfriend. Oh, and she’s ignoring all these red flags in an implied attempt to make Peter jealous. Nuff said about that ball of toxicity they got going on.

Flash saw Sha-Shan as a hot nerd/rebound, then as a challenge, and finally as someone whom he wants to be respected by. She didn’t let him get anywhere by being a jerk or overstepping. Granted, she had the benefit of not caring about Flash’s opinion of her, like Gwen would with long-time friends. And yet, despite being very judgy about him at the start, once they’re together she understands that Flash will say/do dumb things but it doesn’t take away from his good heart. Sha-Shan accepts him and his flaws. Ironically, despite Gwen being in love with Peter over Harry, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a time where she cuts Peter any slack for anything even when it’s not his fault. Including and up to not dying.(Not actually joking about that. See Christmas Tree aftermath s2ep3.) Maybe it’s just me, but I swear Harry and Eddie could be be kicking puppies off the Brooklynn Bridge in front of her and she’d be giving Peter the silent treatment for missing her calls trying to stop it.

I'm aware that Gwen isn't evil whatsoever but I find her immensely frustrating when TSSM has better female characters to choose from. And this post is for other people who agree with me. I'm not denying the flaws of anyone else here, be it Peter or Harry or whoever else, but I can't cover my thoughts on all the dynamics at play here without overloading my laptop and this site. I feel like Gwen's actions in the show get glossed over a lot. I've seen Peter and Harry get criticized for their actions and sympathy for their differently bad lives within the show, but Gwen. . .doesn't get that same scrutiny. She makes objectively horrible/stupid choices about how to go about things in her relationships but somehow she seems to get less spotlight shed on those things. Instead, the responsibility is often shoved the two guys for screwing up, despite either having far more on their plate or a bad home life. Anyways, I've rambled incoherently enough. Hope it brought you some food for thought even if you don't agree with everything.

[lordofdestructionm]

Yano and Sekiguchi

More than boss and bodyguard?

These two Yakuza gangsters are a big part of the Odd Taxi manga and anime. In the show itself it is made clear that the large and intimidating Sekiguchi has a LOT of respect for his small, eccentric, rapping boss, to the point it borders on reverance.

While this could just be deference to his boss and respect for the hierarchy, he does not behave this way towards anyone else, even other higher ranked Yakuza members like Dobu. While Yano for his part is never shown seriously scolding or losing his temper with his henchman, even when the latter fails in some way, like not stopping Dobu from taking their hostage, or not checking the money they recieved was real before their arrest at the end of the series

But its the extra content for the series that makes it very clear how close this bond is.

Yano tells us in his song that Dobu refused to take him to a Yakiniku (BBQ) place because they are "the kinda place you'd take someone on a date", only for Sekiguchi to reveal in his song that Yano took him somewhere like that

Sekiguchi is shown to have a violently intense jealousy of Dobu and his history with Yano...

His talk of “being left behind” implying that he thinks he is just a "rebound" from Yano’s falling out with Dobu and that if things improve between them ("Black crows can turn white") Yano will throw him away, and that "violence is neccessary", meaning he feels he may need to "prove himself" to Yano by defeating Dobu.

This seems to be an entirely uneccessary jealousy and a paranoia of someone taking Yano away from him

Later in the same song Sekiguchi starts making clear just how much he looks after Yano, to the point he seems to behave like his butler/valet rather than just a bodyguard or hired muscle. Meaning he is going far beyond his job description to be close to him

He even gives Yano advice on buttoning up his shirt, raising the question of why Yano is shirtless in his bodyguards company

This "malewife" side to the usually terrifying enforcer is further backed up by this official art

Yano saying in his song that he "hates Dobu making him look bad in front of Sekiguchi" specifically which parallels Sekiguchi not wanting to look weak in front of Yano in the show.

They are both very concerned about looking their best in front of each other

Yano is his audio while rapping at Sekiguchi while unconscous from the fight with Dobu, and instead of being angry he lost the fight makes clear that he is hungry but that he usually relies on the big guy to help him with this sort of thing, not beinf used to using Uber etc

Tellingly he say he doesn't want to ask another henchman to bring food to their warehouse hideout as the place is "secret", impying its a place only for them

Yano calls Sekiguchi his “family”,  promises him he "won’t let him say he is lonely anymore" and that he sees them as underdogs that will rise to the top together, and that "eveyone else is fake", and therefore that they can only rely on each other

Other details include the scents sold with the Odd Taxi brand had this line attached to Sekiguchi’s bottle

Then of course there are things the Odd Taxi director himself has posted

[cosmicbucket]

this is by no means an educated and informative post but rather a severe understatement of the rage i feel over the interview regarding one Gale Dekarios.

under the cut is a stronger criticism on the narrative's integrity with this ending; everything before that is tearing into the lead writer's statements.

note that I will be referencing other companions as contrast. this is not supposed to be tearing them down nor casting shade on anyone who enjoys these characters; i am trying to make a point through relevant comparison.

-----------------------------------------------

"the guy who starts off annoying everyone" that is such a blatantly subjective thing to say about a character.

for me personally, i Loathed shadowheart at first because of the immediate fantasy racism towards lae'zel. this is very clearly a subjective opinion as she's the most romanced companion, and I'm not mad about that in the slightest! she rocks! you can't judge a character on behalf of everyone ever. that's a foolish thing to do, full stop.

"constantly asking you to give him your most treasured possessions to eat" three times. he asks you for a magical item, three times. after that you are NEVER required to part with a magical item on his behalf again.

the game practically THROWS magic items at you for completing side quests, looting crates and chests. magic items are in ABUNDANCE and a lot of them won't be useful to your party depending on your companions and your chosen class. meanwhile, astarion's peculiar diet lasts the entire span of the game, creating a situation where should you choose to let him feed on you every night, you suffer a penalty to attack rolls, saving throws and ability checks OR waste a spell slot to remove the condition. astarion is most certainly in no shortage of fans and again! he rocks! but by comparison his effect on the player can stretch so far as to affect the final boss battle. gale's condition doesn't even make it past the end of act 1.

"at the end, he gives himself for the world" is it worth it though. is it really seriously worth it.

you can still defeat the elder brain yourself. it's not impossible. hell, with the right spells it's really fucking easy. are you seriously going to rob yourself of the satisfaction of defeating the final boss by sending someone to their death instead and calling it a day.

I can understand the narrative catharsis of a character who is so selfish, constantly, over and over, doing something selfless for the greater good.

But that just is not what Gale's story is.

Gale is ambitious and boastful, certainly. Gale is not selfish.

His attempt to impress Mystra - The Mother of Magic, Goddess of the Weave - came from a want to be equals with his partner. He explains how she refused to allow him to witness the depths of magic, and while that's a reasonable thing to enforce to a regular mortal, she had made him her Chosen, her lover. I would hope I don't need to delve into the blatant grooming (ie Elminster approaching Gale at the age of eight) and the obvious power imbalance between a goddess and a mortal in a relationship, but his desires - ambitious as they were - were not selfish.

When he asks for the player's assistance, he does so knowing that he's asking a lot from them, especially in terms of trust. While it's easy to see his pushiness for magic items as self-serving, it is quite literally a much larger problem than him. The damage he's capable of "could level a city", and that affects not just your party but the surrounding area for miles. His urgency, his impatience, comes from having to rely on someone else who might not respect the gravity of the situation (which, evidently, a lot of players don't.)

When he realises the magic items are doing nothing to prevent his hunger, he lays it out plainly to the player, apologising for having broken their trust, and gives them the choice to send him away to certain death with no hard feelings. He even explains his plan to find an Absolutist base and hopefully destroy that in order to aid you in his death, should you choose to kick him out. This is in Act 1, way before any massive character developments - that is to say, he is unselfish from the start.

Come Act 2, when Elminster tells Gale that Mystra expects him to detonate the orb to kill the Heart of the Absolute, Gale is immediately willing. He will answer to his goddess' whims without so much as a query. You don't have to convince him to do it - rather, it becomes your choice to convince him not to do it.

And you do have to convince him! You have to actively make the choice, over and over again, to say no, we can find another way. You are not dying today.

Even in Act 3, should you take him through Zethino's Love Test, you are able to call him out for his greatest flaw:

"He thinks he, and the world, might be better off if he were dead."

I am not calling him selfless by any means; he is not a paragon of virtue. He is, however, a character whose hubris (spurred by an abusive relationship with a goddess) is amply punished, so much so that he believes this punishment is entirely deserved. He is a victim of grooming who is told to kill himself in order to gain forgiveness for trying to be equals with his partner, who took advantage of him as a child.

What kind of message is Larian trying to make here? What are they trying to tell their audience? What are they saying to people who relate to Gale?

It's fucking horrible. Do better.

[hectic-hector]

I am not naming any of her victims out of respect for their privacy and safety, but if they wish to come forward in the comments, they are free to do so. I've been informed that @angelbabyspice has gone through her feed to delete the posts she has made for the sole purpose of mocking and bullying people, which doesn't surprise me. I do not condone doxxing bullies or threatening to contact their employers (except in extreme circumstances where local law enforcement should also be involved, e.g. terroristic threats, stochastic terrorism, intentionally driving a person to become suicidal). I hope @angelbabyspice sees this message, because I want to tell her a few things: 1. "I don't want to see it" Nobody is forcing you to see it. You are free to scroll right past it, just as we are free to blaze a post if we so wish. We all see things we don't want to see, but we are smart enough to know that we have the ability to look away and move on with our lives. You are making the choice to not only look at art you don't like, but to obsess over it to the point that you spend hours of your time harassing those who create and share it. You are choosing to do this to yourself when you could have just kept scrolling and forgotten about it. This is on you. Don't blame other people for YOUR issues. 2. You had said in another post that people should at least lust after someone "fuckable" like Gojo. I looked him up, and he is as generic-looking an anime character as they come, in my personal opinion. But that's all it is: my opinion. I would never mock you or anyone else for being a fan. If I don't have something nice to say, I don't say anything at all, because I know how it feels to be mocked and ridiculed for my love of a fictional character, and unlike you, I DO NOT want to make other people feel the same way. 3. So, you're really tired of getting messages from people who claim you're "trolling", eh? You ARE trolling, in fact you're straight up bullying with the sole intent of trying to make people ashamed of their own completely harmless hobbies and interests for no reason at all. You. Are. Trying. To. Hurt. People. Where on earth did you get the idea that what you're doing is even remotely okay? Where did you get the idea that your victims are demented and YOU'RE the rational one? 4. WE'RE really tired of YOU making dozens of posts about us in order to mock us behind our backs. It doesn't need to be a direct message. What you are doing is cowardly and cruel. There is NOTHING to be gained by treating people the way that you do. You are literally complaining about the fact that we are standing up for ourselves against your smear campaigns, which we are all well within our rights to do. You have a lot of nerve trying to make yourself out to be the victim in all of this. YOU made the choice to be a bully; you can make the choice to stop, own up to what you've done, apologize, and move on in a healthier direction in life. Wouldn't you rather have friends and allies than enemies? 5. I have no idea who doxxed you, but I know it's not the person you suspect, because we are both very much AGAINST doxxing. I am sorry that happened to you, but honestly, what did you expect? You have done nothing on Tumblr but go out of your way to treat other people like garbage. You have proudly made it your mission to hurt and humiliate them, and you know this. Where on earth did you get the idea that this wouldn't backfire on you? 6. Actions have consequences. Respect must be earned. You are bullying innocent people whose hobbies have NO effect on you whatsoever. There are so many horrible things happening in the world today: war, famine, hate crimes, animal abuse, child abuse, etc. etc., but total strangers sharing their love for fictional characters is the hill you are choosing to die on? Really? Churchill once said that a person is only as big as the things that make him mad. Think about what this says of you.

[space-blue]

Hi! I like your Arcane anaylses :) I wanted to ask for your opinion on why Sevika is celebrated and Marcus gets shamed? I mean, they basically did the same thing. Both betrayed their "friend(s)" - Vander and Grayson - for their personal beliefs.

Heya Anon, thanks, I'm glad you enjoy my meta! Hope you enjoy me disagreeing with your premise x'D

Sevika and Marcus have nothing in common imo. At no point in the show is it established that Sevika and Vander are friends. There are no outward signs of friendship. The person standing next to Vander and joking with Vander, and left in charge in episode 2 is Benzo.

We meet Sevika in a confrontational scene where she's against Vander. Vander doesn't meet her or anyone else's needs in that scene. He puts them all down and enforces, as he's been doing for years, The Status Quo. He doesn't listen, he's doing this meeting to reinforce that nothing should be done and enforcers left alone. Vander is ruling. He's the leader of the Lanes.

Sevika and Vander in that moment have conflicting interests. Sevika wants change. Sevika wants to lash back while Vander wants everyone to stay under the heel of Piltover, hoping that if they don't fight back the boot won't squeeze.

You can't blame Sevika for thinking that's crappy. She's making a life choice informed by her analysis of the situation. We don't know when she made her decision either, or for how long she's been hostile to Vander.

I'd argue too that there's a strong argument that Silco already has Sevika as an ally at that time :

He's famously untrusting.

The chemist I nicknamed Syd is at Vander's place riling people up with Sevika, and next scene he's manufacturing Shimmer for Silco, which can't be an easy process.

Silco has people spying on Vander AND his kids.

I think this telegraphs that Sevika has potentially been on his side for a while and was at the Last Drop to undermine Vander.

That's rough life politics. What can you do? You can't blame Sevika for having dreams of her own and seeing Vander as a massive obstacle on the way. Again, she's never shown to be one of his cronies and we have no clue about the nature of their relationship besides the fact she used to respect him. But we know so did Silco, and Vander has changed a lot.

On the other hand, Marcus has a very bad start…

He's an enforcer with a chip on his shoulder. I made this post theorising as to why… And it's whack and may be totally wrong, but it's clear Marcus is shown as going above and beyond in his hate of "trenchers". He uses slurs, is violent towards even children, and is happy to take bribes and underhanded deals in his goal of dragging said trenchers to jail.

He's also a doofus who doesn't realise what he's getting into. Blinded by his hatred and wading into dangerous waters. He's not smart enough to come on top and ends up being a tool.

Also… he's a COP. He's part of a system. He has a boss who he's NOT friend's with as far as we see, but he's her explicit subordinate and gets thrown around the office after disobeying her.

He put Grayson in a bad spot and led her to her death, failing his entire organisation by then not coming clean. He keeps dirty secrets that weigh him down, while Sevika is shown to be blunt and entirely truthful to Vi, Jinx, and even Silco.

He goes behind people's back, and sure, Sevika goes behind Vander's too. But Marcus is paid in literal blood money and never comes clean. Sevika is fine being open with her allegiences once shit hits the fan, and she's there for ideology, not self interest.

We don't know the details of Sevika's dream, but we know she keeps Silco on his toes. Silco's dream is the Nation of Zaun. Independance. Not the erradication of Piltovans.

Meanwhile Marcus just wants to throw children in jail, and DOES, again behind everyone's back.

Sevika is a bull. Marcus is a snake.

Sevika is making life choices and chosing who will serve her interests. She chose the anti hero who wants freedom for her oppressed people. Marcus is THE OPPRESSOR and a shitty one to boot who disobeys the very order he serves.

Funniest of all, I don't think Marcus was betraying Grayson. Her death was not part of "the deal". That asshole truly just wanted to arrest a kid and glean the recompense of a job well done. But there's no hint that he was trying to unseat Grayson.

In a way he's just as zealous as Sevika. He follows his hate and prejudices and she follows her principles. She doesn't mind bashing her own people to get to her goals, but Vander is literally doing Grayson's job for her. He's a freelancing cop and an enemy of any Zaunites dreaming of independence.

Vander has a stance, and Sevika has the opposite one.

The only person who perceives betrayal is Vi. But Vi is a child and doesn't understand politics at all. She's completely blinded by her love for Vander and her mindset of 'everybody is my enemy'. If she slowed down a bit, she might notice she and Silco want the exact same thing. Literally. A better world for Powder, and everyone like her. Vi is poisoned against Silco by Silco and Vander's fateful clash. It's perfectly understandable! I don't think it'd be easy to have her not be rightfully prejudiced against Silco.

But she IS our eyes for a lot of the story. We perceive Vander a lot through her extremely rose tinted view.

Sevika probably doesn't couch her own siding with Silco as a betrayal…

That being said, we don't know their backstory. Maybe Sevika was friends with Vander when they were younger? We have a picture of young Silco at the bar with Vander… did she know them both? Because then we can do anything you want.

My favourite take being that she took Silco's side after Vander's betrayal, but stayed out and public and was careful not be 'seen' with Silco. She's a true believer. I think if she had hesitations, learning Vander was sucking Grayson's toes most likely fully turned her away. That's just my prefered fanon, but if you have a fanon theory of her being Vander's friend, of course it'd colour your view. I just don't think the canon reactions of both characters really compare.

[lassieposting]

Fletcher for therapy please

Oh Fletcher would do great in therapy. Like, 10/10 client good job

It'd take him several years - and probably some prompting from Ghastly, whose opinion he respects - to get him to realise he should really go, largely because he's surrounded by a social circle that isn't very open to the concept.

When we meet Fletcher, he's a hurting teenage boy who badly wants approval from a role model. And while he does eventually get some good solid advice (as well as time and empathy) from Ghastly, that's only after he splits up with Val and feels like he has nowhere else to turn. Prior to this, he actually spends several years fruitlessly trying to win that approval from Skug. Which is a problem, because Skug isn't in the market for a surrogate son. He sees Fletcher primarily as a rival for Val's attention and secondarily as a nuisance, which leads to a situation where Fletcher is consistently trying to impress him and getting knocked back. And we see that Fletch remains selfconscious about Skug's opinion of him for years after he gives up trying to bond - he makes two really obvious attempts to reestablish their relationship on an even footing and remove himself from that subordinate clinger-on role (i.e. shaking hands as adults); he clearly expresses that he's not thought of or treated as part of the team; he knows he's Mickey to Skug's Doctor and Val's Rose. He's the tin dog.

And that's the thing: from what we see of Fletcher, he's actually very introspective. When he speaks to Ghastly, he's clearly done a lot of thinking about why and how his life has ended up the way it has. And he's done that all on his own, because who's going to listen to him?

So like. He's not going to ask Skug and Val to recommend a therapist. He knows exactly how they'd react. Skug is an incredibly macho manly man - Special Forces, law enforcement, and from a time before anyone knew or acknowledged that mental health was a thing - so he's fiercely adamant that he, traumatized as he is, doesn't need therapy (ha) and he's openly dismissive of the concept to Val. He'd laugh, or take the piss, or make a shitty little comment, and Val would laugh along with him because that's what they do.

But approval from Ghastly - who's equally macho, equally manly, but far more well adjusted - gives him the confidence to start thinking about it. And then after Moira tries to kill him, he actually makes an appointment.

A lot of Fletcher's issues come down to trust and abandonment. He has no dad. His mom died on him. He's been used and undervalued by Val and Skug and the rest of the gang for years. Val cheated on him. Reflectionie died on him as well. This is a boy for whom nobody has ever stuck around long term. A boy nobody has ever prioritised. And he has to learn to work through the negative impact that has on self-worth and self-esteem, and learn to stop Yes Man-ing Valkyrie and her friends and prioritise himself. And he wants a more normal life - Lardo makes him teach for some reason, I keep him with the Monster Hunters. So that means distancing himself from his ex and the people in her circle, even though he feels like they're all he has. He knows he'll never get to have that more normal life while he's hanging out with people who seem to attract trouble in various eldritch and evil forms. He has to learn boundaries - how to make and defend them. He has to learn to stop being drawn to girls he wants to save, and start looking for partners who are as mature and invested as he is. He has to completely relearn how to relate to others.

And like. He knows he needs these skills. He wants things to get better. So he goes to his sessions, he does his homework. He comes in with theories and suggestions and ideas.

His therapist loves him. Good job, Fletcher.

[kihyuni3]

Enha as Part-Time Coffee Shop Employees

gonna be real I wrote this one during my shift today because it was extremely slow and I have been having a lot of enha brainrot lately.

College Student! Enhypen Headcannons

Warnings: absolutely no proof-reading, written in the worst format possible, no punctuation

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

hee:

- always gets the best tips because he flirts with every customer that steps foot in the shop

- (and i mean like every customer, he’s giving free treats to little kids while telling their moms how well they pull off their business casual work outfits. at least one college frat boy has left questioning his sexuality. and he also somehow got that old couple to blush and giggle while taking their order)

- honestly he’s just average at his actual job but he is just so confident that everyone believes he’s doing an exceptional job

- always singing along to the radio while he makes people their drinks, will serenade customers directly if they are close enough to the counter

- uses pet names when delivering orders

- (“here you go sweetheart” “your order is ready darling”)

- he is a manager because he’s been working there the longest and his customer service is immaculate

-doesn't usually enforce any rules or use his manager position but when he does...

-none of the other boys really respect his position as a manager (they forget he's a manager most of the time) even though he is the oldest and he has to tell everyone multiple times to do anything

-"hey man you gotta clean the espresso machine before you go" "haha yeah, very funny bro. i'm gonna clock out" "no I'm serious you actually have to do it" "oh shit, you were serious?"

jake:

- also gets good tips for flirting but unlike heeseung he is completely unaware that he’s doing it, he thinks he’s just being nice

- is so many people’s campus crush that there are quite a few regulars that have his schedule memorized and come in specifically when he is working to have a chance to talk to him

- sometimes he tries to joke with the customers but the jokes don’t hit

- (usually they still laugh anyway cause he’s cute and then don’t want him to feel awkward)

- gets confused sometimes and gets orders wrong but when the customer comes to tell him he’s so genuinely upset while apologizing with his cute pouty face that the customers usually end up just keeping the drink they were given and still tip him

- one time he dropped someone’s order and said fuck really loud in the store in front of someone’s kid, he spent the next 30 minutes apologizing even though the parents said it was fine and that they thought it was funny

- (whoever was on shift with him had to clean up the mess)

jay:

- runs his shift so tightly

- everything has to be going smoothly and the shop has to be clean or else he will have an aneurism

- will absolutely scold the other boys for making mistakes at full volume in front of customers and then when he turns to take their order his personality does a full 360 and he has his customer service voice on

- is a manager because he is actually good at his job and keeps the shop running smoothly

- gets so scared when he makes mistakes

- (“i’m the manager i can’t make mistakes like this” mentality)

- scared of getting fired even though he’s one of the boss’s favorite employees

- people will come in the shop to watch him work because he looks really handsome and chic in his apron and glasses

- but one time a girl tried to get his number and he got so nervous that he ended up spilling her drink or her shoes and then tripping when he came around the counter to clean it up

- she did not text him back

sunghoon:

- doesn’t talk much during his shift so everyone thinks he’s mysterious and intimidating

- he’s really just shy

- actually extremely clumsy

- cannot remember anyone’s order even if they’ve said it to him 6 times

- has broken the espresso machine more times than he will admit to

- your order will either take 30 minutes and be correct because he has to really think to remember or it will come out in a reasonable amount of time and be wrong

- customers do not complain because they are scared of him

- he actually knows that he messed up that persons drink so he started glaring so that they don’t bring it back because he will get in trouble if he gets another complaint

- secretly really funny and makes a lot of jokes with his coworkers so everyone loves being on shift with him even though he makes mistakes

- he is one strike away from getting fired (his boss told him this but doesn’t actually mean it, they think he’s a good kid he just needs to get it together)

sunoo:

- knows every regular and remembers everything about their lives

- knows all of the campus drama because he is so easy to talk to

- (is he in the art club? no. does he know that two members have a crush on the president but he’s actually gay and in love with his best friend? yes, of course)

- gives customers extra pastries or upgrades their drink size if they tell him good drama

- honestly he works kind of slow but he talks to every customer while he’s working so they don’t realize how long their order took at all

- (he’s putting cute art on the top of drinks so it always takes longer than normal)

- is also really good at talking customers into getting extra pastries or cookies with their order even if they only came in for one drink

- the boss put him in charge of making all of the signs and decorating the store because he’s the best at figuring out aesthetics

- gets mad if the other boys move his displays without asking

- if he sees a customer he recognizes outside of work he will go up and say hi to them

jungwon:

- just really good at his job

- picks things up really quick, new special menu item? he looked at it one time and can already make it perfectly

- the shop is also the cleanest whenever jungwon is on shift

- is everyone’s favorite manager

- in charge of training new employees because he is the only one who ever actually knows what’s going on (and he's nicer than jay when it comes to newbies making mistakes)

- the only employee that never gets any complaints

- so sweet to every customer and makes sure to ask them how they are and all about their day while they wait

- (he genuinely cares and isn’t just asking to be polite)

- gives the best advice to customers and ends up getting really good tip because of it

- is so nice to the customers even if they are a little bit rude to him

- (except for one time a customer was rude to sunoo while they were on shift together and he was actually prepared to go to jail)

- gets paid the most but don’t tell the other guys

ni-ki:

- you know when niki is working cause the music is absolutely blasting over the speakers

- has literally never been on time once

- (consistently pulls up to his shift 45 minutes late)

- honestly he’s not very good at his job but he’s goofy and fun to talk to so people don’t mind

- only gets about 50% of the orders right even though he was the one who wrote them down

- refuses to clean anything

- for some reason every older woman that comes in the shop absolutely loves him and will ask other employees about him if he isn’t on shift that day

- gets everyone’s names wrong on their order on purpose cause he thinks it’s funny

- (if they correct him he pulls the foreigner card and then they get really awkward)

- ((will laugh about it after they leave))

- probably should’ve gotten fired by now tbh but the owner just thinks he is such a sweet boy and doesn’t have the heart to ask him to leave

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

best work combos:

jay and niki:

- the store is in complete chaos niki is messing up everything and jay has to follow behind him no fix things while apologizing to the customers.

- niki keeps turing up the music and jay keeps turing it down but then the second he isn’t paying attention niki turns it up again

- customers think it’s funny and still end up getting the correct orders so they don’t mind.

- in the end it works out because jay gets a lot of tip because customers can tell how exasperated he is and niki basically doesn’t have to do anything the whole shift cause jay doesn’t trust him so he just gets to have fun.

jungwon and sunoo:

- just feels like hanging out with friends while in the shop

- the environment is so calm and friendly that customers just want to spend all day there and usually end up ordering more than once just to hang out longer

- every customer gets their own personal therapy session while waiting for their drink

- a customer is having boyfriend problems? jungwon is listening intently and letting the customer vent while sunoo is telling her to dump his ass and to know her worth

- everyone leaves the shop feeling refreshed from both the drink and the nice conversation

jake and heeseung:

- tbh the service was average and so were the drinks but everyone will leave the shop with their heart fluttering and butterflies in their stomach

- they also have the best work playlist

[thronelessking]

Relationship headcanons I was tagged in, double feature just for Soma bc i could

name; Eileossayd

nickname; Ellie

gender; Dragon. He calls himself a man because the word is fun for him to say.

romantic orientation; shrug emoji, he's only ever fallen in love with one singular person and never found himself loving anyone else ever again.

preferred pet names; if Rae ever gave him one its lost to the long flow of time.

relationship status; widowed, he's working on fixing it.

opinion on true love; the concept of it isnt beyond him but he views it in a very clinical light. Some things simply bond and stay together for life and to him that's just biology. No he does not realize this applies to him and Rae’s relationship. Why do you ask?

opinion on love at first sight; see above

how 'romantic' are they?; his idea of romance is showing up on your doorstep and telling you about the cool stuff he learned and showing you.

ideal physical traits; unfortunately if you aren't Rae, then the next runner up to his favored appearance is his own. He finds nothing special nor interesting about people physically otherwise.

unattractive physical traits; he's gained a poignant disdain for the color white and shades of blue that don't match his own. “Is this how you're going to reveal that he thinks his son looks bad?” Yeah.

unattractive personality traits; He has no time or patience for anyone who lacks any respectable intelligence in his eyes.

ideal date; doing experiments, a while afternoon of theological debate, quiet research with a partner, teaching and or being taught something. Nerd.

do they have a type?; Rae

opinion of public affection; does not pay attention to nor participate in it.

Bonus feature for Mirb:

name; Mirabelle. This is a stolen alias, all of his names are. Good Luck.

nickname; Mira, but only one person gets the ability to use that.

gender; weird shapeless thing playing at being a vaguely tangible human shape.

romantic orientation; opportunistic, he'll be anything you want so long as it gets him what he wants.

preferred pet names; he doesn't have any but he thinks it'd be real funny if he was given one.

relationship status; whether or not Cornelius and Mirabelle are aware they're married to each other is up to scholarly debate

opinion on true love; doesn't care for it as a concept, that's not his domain of power nor area of interest. Love is an exploitable tool that should be taken advantage of.

opinion on love at first sight; see above

how 'romantic' are they?; depends on your definition of romantic. He thinks it's romantic to be doing whatever he's doing to Cornelius but also Cornelius does actually like to get stabbed and made out with all while bleeding out so like y'know.

ideal physical traits; he has no preferences, every trait is a good trait because he's just as likely to steal and wear a lover's face as he is a strangers. He thinks Cornelius’ soft and pliable fleshwarp body though is exceptionally charming.

unattractive physical traits; see first sentence above

unattractive personality traits; he despises people who espouse the virtues of mercy and kindness. While he has no issue with taking advantage of such people, he'd rather not be around them; his faith thrives off cruelty after all.

ideal date; on a dinner date that you foot the entire impossible bill for. Alternatively, a date that's too graphic to be displayed in public.

do they have a type?; Cornelius 

opinion of public affection; enforces it because he thinks it's very funny for Cornelius to endure the swathes of rumors that come from the fact a hot guy made out with him in public and yet they're still not married.

tagged by: @crimsontroupe hey guy

tagging: taps you with the magic stick that lets you just do this.

[obsolete-stars-if]

Okay so i was wondering how each RO would react if they found a engagement ring MC was hiding.

Bt then i realized wait. MC is already married. Sooo is divorce a thing? Or are we just having open marriages here?

An engagement ring would be very cute for mikhail if MC was like i want to marry you again because i love you this time. And I'd love to know his reaction but what about the others.. and if we're already married how does tht work? 🧐🤔

Now, I'm feeling in a nice mood, so I'm actually gonna answer all the questions. Keep in mind that these answers would be more of the last chapters / epilogue kind of situation (depending how the relationships go), this is spoiler ish territory. So after general information, the individual reactions and personal needs of the RO will go under the cut.

Divorce isn't a thing, but all of the RO are aware that the marriage you're in is purely political (in non Mikhail routes that is), and that there are no strings attached. Mikhail has no qualms about it either, he is not gonna enforce that you can only be with him, which is kind of the situation in riag marriages being monogamous. Oh yeah, every kingdom has different marriage / bonding rules and rituals.

As we know, Riags marriage is more closely representing a gift, with a necklace to symbolize the bond. Strictly monogamous.

Meanwhile in Malam tradition, their engagement/wedding rings are antlers, decorated with flowers and plants, which each of the spouses take care of, the longer the plants survive and thrive, the better the marriage between them will be. The antlers are collected when they're being shed in their respective seasons, monogamy being more popular than polyamory. (TK specific)

In Abuyo it is a tradition to braid each other's hair together, as well as weaving baskets. Most of their traditions formed around the enjoyment of nature and spices, with a very close and tight knitted, loving community, polyamory being very common too. (Alia specific)

Meanwhile I am trying to not pin the Ita wedding rituals, as you as a ruler can simply change them. But I decided to not specify the monogamy/polyamory likelihood, as well as leaving options for gift giving getting tied to different ideas of marriage in general. Which might get added to the epilogue for the Itan population (Kate, Sammy, Sascha, Gigi)

Now we get to the specific reactions/opinions/needs of the RO and marriage.

So under the cut we go.

TK would want to marry you. Like really badly. Like they're jealous and bitter towards Mikhail BCS of it (even in the poly route). If you put the actual work into learning malam traditions and customs, and offer them the antlers? Jesus, they'll be a MESS. Like sobbing, quietly tho. Being unable to do anything but just nod, maybe kiss and hug. But yes, they so badly would wanna marry you, even without it being official, just knowing you care that much about them, just the best way to make em soft.

Sammy doesn't mind that you're married to Mikhail, and while they'd def prefer you to be married to them, they don't take it that badly. They don't care that much about all the marriage traditions, since they grew up in a part of Ita where marriage isn't prioritized. HOWEVER, they will absolutely take you to their family for a big feast, and call you their love all the time.

Alia would be shocked at first, but then quietly remind you that she is not allowed to marry. She keeps her hair short as a symbol that she cannot get "entangled" with anyone, as her life has been dedicated to the worship of the Gods and the Beyond. If you would ask her to weave a basket with her tho, she'd smile and admit, that it would be a nice activity, and she cannot imagine doing it with anyone else.

Sascha would be mortified. Even at the end of the story, you CANNOT tie this man down. It might even be enough to scare him away. Like he is back on the run. Just don't.

Kate would be so excited. She's secretly already planning your wedding with her (even just as a symbol and not legally binding). She wants a big festival, with food, gifts, and expensive clothing. She is also inviting everyone. Everyone needs to experience the love she holds for you, and love you too. Yes, J and K will visit. Yes everyone she met will be there. Yes even strangers. And you will be covered in gifts and kisses.

Mikhail would be a bit against it. For him marriage is a promise of submission and protection, and he cannot imagine commanding you. Once you tell and explain it's to renew the shared love, he is so down. Very down. On his knees actually.

Gigi is so very sad. She would have to decline politely, not because she doesn't want to. But BCS it is not fair to claim you. She would gently let you down. And while it wouldn't destroy the relationship unlike with Sascha, it would put a strain on it.

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA Episode 7 - The North (3/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous/next>

I like Katara getting to learn about healing without the negative associations. In the animated series, Katara asks to learn waterbending and Pakku tells her no, to go learn healing from Yagoda. It's framed in an extremely negative light and Katara is already angry and sad going to the healing igloos. Once she arrives, the animated show again enforces that this is a demeaning place to be - all the other students are young children.

It's odd to me that HEALING is framed as a stupid, easy, skill that even children can do - and that it's 'beneath' Katara. People go to college for YEARS to be good at healing, medics are always highly prized in all people groups, and it's a complex skill that takes a lot of time and effort to learn and continue to get better at. The way the animated series frames it, healing is the easiest thing in the world and it just 'comes to you' - like when Katara perfectly healed herself on instinct after Aang burned her and here in the last episodes of the animated show where like, 5 year olds are learning the skill. I really like how the live-action gave healing the respect it deserves and had Pakku not let on that he wasn't going to teach Katara combat - and speaks of Yagoda with respect, not like in the animated show where he's extremely dismissive of her talents. Katara walks into the healing igloo with an open heart and mind to the skill of healing and it's treated seriously, like a waterbending skill that's valuable, not just a silly thing for children. Katara gets to express true interest in healing rather than the distain for it she shows in the animated show - which honestly doesn't really make any sense.

To me, the animated show 'degraded women's work' far more than the live-action did even though people tried to argue that removing Sokka's sexism arc, therefore removing Katara's rant about how she always did the laundry, was somehow super sexist in and of itself. Framing women's work as healing - and something even children could do - and have Katara agree that it was stupid and less than combat (men's work) to me, is much more sexist. They've been at war for 100 years. Why are there not any adult women in the animated version visible being medics or practicing in the healing igloo? The live-action shows them going about their daily duties - healing cuts and injuries that all societies deal with - it gives healing the respect it deserves. We didn't even get to see any of the lesson in the animated series, it just jumps to Yagoda asking Katara who she's marrying (because of course that's all women would talk about).

Ironically, as the animated series tried to tackle the sexism of the Northern Water Tribe, they inadvertently made the story itself buy into sexist ideas. They made healing (women's work) the stupid and bad technique that we don't want to spend time with (we don't even get to see the lesson, it just skips to the end and isn't talked about again), combat (men's work) was the good and powerful thing we want to do. The sexist part of society wasn't the healing - just like doing laundry, cooking, or childcare isn't sexist - it's when you aren't ALLOWED to do anything else and ONLY one gender does those tasks that it becomes sexist. In the animated show, Yagoda and the healing huts were framed as the 'bad' thing rather than the system. The live-action corrected this by giving healing the respect it deserves and making the women of the Northern Tribe not 100% on board with the way things were done, but they did go along with it (as many who are raised in very strict societies do).

I don't see how anyone can watch this scene and say Katara doesn't have fire, she doesn't have anger, and she doesn't speak up against injustice in the live-action. Just because she doesn't start a screaming match with Yagoda (or Pakku) doesn't mean she isn't standing her ground. She doesn't just accept the denial of combat training - she argues her case, tells them their decision is wrong, and THEN picks the fight. It's good to show this, then contrast that to Sokka being welcomed in and respected for his abilities. Both he and Katara have things to share with the north, but if they only value certain contributions from certain people, then conflicts are going to come up - but Sokka might not see them at first since he's being treated so well.

It's funny to me how the times that the live-action makes the story LESS like Game of Thrones, people still complain anyways about that change. I don't think having the Northern Water Tribe not force engagements on their young women is 'weakening' the story at all or 'watering down' flawed cultures. Some ppl are saying that women being able to break off engagements in the northern water tribe is an example of inconsistent worldbuilding since women aren't allowed to fight there. But not being able to fight and being forced into a marriage you don’t want are two very separate social issues. In America, women got the right to choose whether or not to marry a man long before they got the right to go into combat.

It's canon that Yue's father loves her dearly, and even in high control groups, women usually have the right (even if it's frowned upon) to deny an engagement with a man. Gran Gran broke off her engagement to Pakku in the OG, so it's not like it's unheard of - maybe she ran away because she would have been forced to marry him anyways, maybe she did like so many people do and left home because she wanted something different. Do you still live in your hometown? If not, is it because you were forced to run away or just because you wanted to start your life elsewhere? In an already packed finale, adding a love-triangle/forced betrothal subplot wasn't necessary. It doesn't add much to the characters, it's not the main conflict for them - the fire nation attack (and Yue subsequently having to give up her life) is.

I LOVE that the live-action is giving ample time with so many past Avatars! The OG focused mainly on Roku (whom I love) but getting to see Yang Chen mentioned early, Kyoshi interacting with Aang personally, and now Kuruk who only got like, one line in the OG series, it really fleshes out the world - and Aang's expectations - a whole lot. Showing a wide variety of Avatars and the issues they faced/how they handled them/the price they paid sets the personal stakes for Aang and starts us down the path of figuring out what type of Avatar Aang is going to be (just like Katara says later in this episode).

Yue is actually a CHARACTER in the live action!!! I'm so glad they fleshed her out and explored what life would have really been like for someone with a piece of a spirit inside them! Of course it's going to change her, redirect the path she thought she'd go on in life, and the idea that she can pop into the spirit world in her dreams: it makes so much sense, just like the waterbending! In the animated series, Yue was just 'princess, must marry Hahn for my people', but here, she is an active participant in her duty to serve her people. She makes them food, she helps them with their spiritual journeys, and she explores the Spirit Word for fun!

I love what they did with Sokka's arc this season. We see why he keeps his mask of sarcasm and jokes up - so that he can put on a brave face when feeling inadequate and like his hurts aren't as important as the other harm in the world. Yue yet again is able to show she's her own character by performing the duties she's chosen on Sokka - to be a spiritual guide and help people. She saw who he really was - in the Spirit World caring about his friends despite the danger he was in himself, and she fell in love with him. To me, that's a much better love story than a princess just seeing a cute guy and falling for him.

Aang keeps trying to insist that he's going to do this with the help of his friends - but in this interaction with Kuruk, I get the feeling that he's starting to lean a little TOO much on them - just like he wants to lean fully on the past Avatars. He's 12, terrified, and ill equipped to save the world right now, but that's what people are asking him to do.

The past Avatars, though they give him the advice to go it alone, are all speaking from a place of pain because THEY didn't take that advice. Kuruk lost Ummi, Roku lost Sozin, though I haven't read the novels, I'm sure Kyoshi had attachments she lost too. They're all trying to fix their own mistakes through Aang and on the surface, the advice that Aang is going to have to bear the burden or risk his friends getting hurt has validity, it's how you use that advice that makes the difference. Yes, we all, in the end, have to make our own choices and put one foot in front of the other (metaphorically) ourselves - we can't shunt that task off onto anyone else - BUT taken to the extreme, it weakens you in every way to go it alone. But when you have people who have been hurt yelling at you to not get hurt like they did, that fear can take over and you might forget the strength of your friends.

I like how the live-action incorporates the animated concern Aang has in the Siege of the North Part 1 - that he's just one kid, he doesn't have the power on his own to defeat the fire navy - and had him go ahead and explore that before the battle starts. Since they know it's coming, trying to find a way to tackle the problem early makes a lot of sense. It actually lets the dread build up as we know the attack is imminent and there's no solution coming up rather than being in the middle and finally realizing 'it's too much to do alone'. In the animated show, Aang explicitly wants to talk to the spirits so they'll 'unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the fire nation!' and only amends it to 'or wisdom, that's good too' when he doesn't receive applause for that idea from Yue and Katara. That was animated Aang's goal during the siege - let someone more powerful than him take control and do it for him - a goal that he shares with the live-action Aang. Though in the live-action, this takes the form of him asking Kuruk, his past life, to do the job for him like Kyoshi did.

I love how the live-action makes Pakku just as sexist, but in a 'reasonable' way that we see more often in real life - just like Ozai, he genuinely believes what he's doing is right and has 'logical' arguments for it other than 'we just don't let women fight…because…for no stated reason, we're just sexist, don't think about it too much'.

But live-action Katara still doesn't let that slide - it doesn't matter how many 'logical' arguments you make or how 'reasonable' you sound, the practice is still wrong and she's going to let you know. Katara's right - she has EXPERIENCE fighting fire benders - again with the non-traditional methods of learning. Pakku's students learned fighting in a controlled and formal environment, but Katara has ACTUAL battle experience. It doesn't matter that she 'hasn't been training for this' her entire life, she's ALREADY BEEN DOING IT. But, if you only value formal instruction, real-world experience doesn't sway you (*cough* lots of watchers pretending Katara didn't train properly this season *cough*)

Some argue that Aang not wanting Katara to fight in the battle is out of character for him, but I'd like to point people to part 2 of the winter solstice where he tries to go to the fire nation without Katara and Sokka because it's too dangerous and when they meet the fire nation blockade, he repeats that 'this is why I didn’t want you to come with me, it's too dangerous'. Not to mention his whole thing at the beginning of season 3, so it is 100% in character for Aang to try to shield his friends from danger by having them sit out the dangerous missions. Aang being afraid for Katara's safety is fully in line with his character and I have citations from the animated show to prove it. Maybe end of season 3 Aang would never, but season 1 Aang, when faced with danger beyond anything they've seen before and after having been yelled at by his past life who just told him that his love had died because he was too close to her, yeah, it's in line with Aang's character to be shaken by that.

[mangokabuto]

💛💚💙💜

💛: What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why?

Ohhh man... I'm going to be murdered if I say "all of them" but. Well. I promise I'm not "different from the other girls" or something LMFAO I just typically can't get behind monogamous ships because they do not interest or intrigue me, usually? It takes some really compelling characters to pull it off in a way that will get me invested. And honestly, I REALLY hate in shipping fanfiction/etc where the shipped-characters-in-question are portrayed as feeling "more" for their partner (singular or plural) than the rest of the crew. I feel this way for One Piece and the strawhats specifically. Like, as soon as I see the "A missed their captain and their crew, but they realized that they missed B more" or "loved B more" I've clocked out. It's just fully not believable to me. Why does romantic always have to be more, instead of just different? This is separate from my bias as a polyamorous person, btw. I'm not fond of the idea that you HAVE to love your romantic partner MOST; Like if you're closer to your best friend than your partner then you've failed somehow?? Or like you're supposed to be less close to your friends once you have a partner?? That's insane to me. And SPECIFICALLY I think it doesn't fit these characters. If there's anyone on the crew that any of them feel "more" for than the others it's Luffy, and they ALL feel that way, and it doesn't interfere with their romantic relationships because that is silly. ...I realize this probably isn't the type of answer you were looking for, haha. For a simpler one: I don't really get the romantic chemistry behind zosan as a ship, unless they're in a polycule with other people. Which is weird, because enemies-to-lovers usually gets me! Also I don't get the romantic chemistry behind lawlu either.

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

I have several favorite characters honestly, and I haven't been in the fandom long enough to know the most common opinions like that outside of some large-sweeping and very common ones. (So, it's hard for me to answer this question with Franky or Bon Clay.) So, I'll pick an example that involves two of my favorite characters (Usopp and Zoro) I feel very strongly about the platonic divorce arc (Water Seven), and I think a lot of people either don't really understand what Usopp did/was thinking, or don't really understand what Zoro did/was thinking, or both. Which sucks. "Get wrong" is a loaded term, since everyone's entitled to their own opinion/interpretation, ofc, but... I stand FIRM in my belief that if Zoro had not held the line like that, Usopp would not have been able to come back to the crew, and the crew wouldn't have survived it if he came back anyway. Zoro enforced that boundary BECAUSE he loved everyone involved, not because he "hated usopp's cowardice" or whatever the fuck. Usopp decided to leave, and Zoro held him to his word, and there is a lot of respect in that. And Usopp DID fuck up! Bad! He needed to apologize, and the Usopp fans out there who think "Usopp did nothing wrong/shouldn't have needed to apologize" need to unpack why they think so. This isn't to say Zoro and the others did everything right, either. EVERYONE fucked up there, but Usopp fucked up the most! Usopp stans I know there are few of us and we're used to him getting shit on by the fandom, but we need to accept that he really was at fault. And it's good to have a character in fiction who stumbles for understandable reasons, then pushes too far, and then is able to fix what they'd done and mend their relationships. That is a beautiful and important thing to have. (If anything, I think Usopp's apology should have been a little better, but that's just me.)

💙: Which character is not as hot as everyone else seems to think?

I could be here all day. :') I know anything is possible and different strokes for different folks, but I cannot believe THAT MANY people find Sanji and Law THAT attractive. Sanji's popularity baffled me more than law, but still. I know tattoos are hot but come on. Lets be serious. It's just us here I won't be mad tell me the truth

💜: Which character is way hotter than everyone else seems to think?

FOXY. SILVER FOX FOXY. IM IN LOVE WITH HIM DO YOU PEOPLE HEAR ME. SAYING IT LOUDER FOR THE PPL IN THE BACK, HE IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!

For my other controversial picks I also think Franky, Jinbe, Mont Blanc, Brook, Big Mom, Blackbeard, Magelllan, World from that one movie, and Borsalino are attractive but those aren't as controversial -- I've seen a couple other people be as open about them -- but no one appreciates my husband. Cowards!!

[meefy]

would it be possible to get all the questions for the get to know your characters ask game? 👀 haha jk...unless?? if u don't feel like it please do 1, 2, 3, 11, 13, 16 for...any character/oc you want!! ✨ (subliminal messaging for Feanne)

There is no "jk" here we die like Atri

All answers for Féanne under the cut!

1. What good/bad traits do they bring out in others? Good: she is quick to motivate and encourage others to "just go for it", when it comes to people trying new things, following their dreams, etc. Bad: in the same vein, she will walk head first into trouble to achieve her goals, and wouldn't really think twice about encouraging anyone to do the same, even if it caused them problems...for Féanne, it's usually worth it, and she doesn't always "get" that it isn't always for everyone.

2. What views do they have that differ from/contradict those of the other characters? Compared to her family, she is fiercely stubborn and independent. She believes gender and status should not dictate what someone does or how, or how it should affect their destiny. She is also much more scholarly-minded than those in her family's social circle, and believes much more in science than "fate" or the power of money/title.

3. What would be their reason for causing a scene in public? Anyone insulting her loved ones. She loses all reason whenever someone dares speak ill of her friends or twin brother Feiran.

4. What qualities do they look for or value in a partner/friend? Much the same for a partner and a friend: someone who mirrors her passions, hobbies, and interests; someone she can laugh with; and someone who respects her for who she is, and not her family name or title. For a partner, though, Féanne especially values someone who respects her space and independence, as well as someone who supports her goals no matter how unorthodox they may seem. Looks don't enter into it; someone becomes attractive to her based on their behaviour. Someone she can cuddle with on cold mornings is also important!

5. What do they consider red flags in a partner/friend? Someone who talks poorly about someone behind their back, and someone whose words never match their actions. She is typically a decent judge of character, though...so she rarely entertains those types of people.

6. What is something you should never do to them? Tell her to act more ladylike.

7. What is their most important or enforced boundary? Féanne will always do what is best for herself, and nobody else - not even Feiran, though she has a great deal of guilt about it. She has endured so much trauma from being tied down, being ordered around by her family as they tried to mould her into an ideal noblewoman, that she will very rarely oblige to a request that would make someone happy at her expense. She is the very opposite of a people pleaser.

8. What would break them? Any harm befalling Feiran, especially if it was in battle knowing he did not want to be a knight. Anything happening to Lata is an obvious close second.

9. What would push them to physical altercation or violence during an argument? She has resorted to violence - as a child she had gotten into physical fights with her elder brother Aleyan for mocking Feiran, but she eventually gave up because he would simply take out his rage on her twin instead. As an adult, she's punched another minerologist when they were insulting Lata...and she would do it again, no matter how many times he'd tell her not to.

10. How do they act in their worst moments? Féanne can be very bitey when she is overwhelmed or hurt; she can hit where it hurts most with her words when she is angry, although she almost always regrets it when she calms down.

11. What embarrasses them the most? Her family's behaviour. She knows how much nobles gossip, and how fast word spreads, so she has no doubts people speak about her father's affairs and her brother's tyranny. She doesn't care much what anyone thinks of her...but she isn't proud of it either.

12. What joke would amuse them? Féanne typically prefers dry/sarcastic humour or just simply annoying someone for its own sake. For instance, she'd find it funny to hide under Lata’s desk and pop out from underneath when he went to sit down...

13. What does it take to gain their trust? Time and consistency. She isn't so pessimistic as to trust no one, but she is careful giving out her background/title etc..

14. In what scenario would they feel most comfortable? In her favourite restaurant, with Feiran, Lata, and their friends, enjoying a bowl of noodles.

15. In what scenario would they feel most uncomfortable? At any noble soiree, particularly if she has to wear a gaudy dress.

16. How do they take criticism? Depends on what! She is okay with constructive criticism on her professional work, because she really loves to learn and improve. If it's about her mannerisms and etiquette...she will probably just keep doing it how she's doing it, only ten times worse.

17. What part of their past are they most ashamed of? Abandoning Feiran back at their home in Elsignia. She knows, intellectually, that she couldn’t stay just because he wasn't brave enough to leave, and he's long since forgiven her and moved on...but it doesn't make her feel any better about it.

18. What part of their past are they most proud of? Getting out of her hometown, getting her college diploma, and getting her first real job in Lyrias.

19. What do they believe is the worst fate one can befall? Living a life someone else has chosen for you.

20. How do they view death? With a sense of peaceful acceptance; her greatest wish is to accomplish her goals in her lifetime, and pass away peacefully of old age with her loved ones at her side. Nothing overly remarkable; she isn't sure about an afterlife, so she wants to make the most of the life she is guaranteed.