#honestly just accept some thing are not for you

[byrdblood]

Have you ever lived in an area that gets really cold — and I mean, really, dangerously cold — and been out doing some work in that cold, only to suddenly get to enter, say, a heated car? And for just a brief moment, you turn the heat in that car all the way fucking up, and even though your skin can detect that it's Too Hot, it doesn't hurt you? In fact, if only for the short period it takes your body to readjust, it's honestly Utter Bliss?

Well, Nightmare is not fragile. Nobody but Dream can generate positivity in quantities enough to burn him. At worst, Nightmare may get that sensation of "ouch, too hot-!" or a bitter taste lingering like rotten flesh on the back of his tongue, but paltry mortal positivity is never going to hurt him... and yet he's been a long, long, long time alone in the bitter cold, with only the long-defunct memories of his brighter half proving to him that blissful warmth could be a thing at all, that there existed a type of heat that did not harm, that there was a way to get warm that didn't involve getting thrown under the scorching mid-summer sun and pierced straight through. Show Nightmare a sun the didn't bleach the color from the world and blind the eyes of its desperate worshipers, he thought, and Nightmare would show you a liar.

Nightmare would not understand why his employees feel anything positive to him at all. He hasn't gone out of his way to be especially pleasant to them — had even tried to chase Killer off in the beginning, for all that entailed — and he's had people hate him for far less than the cold and distant monolith of "fair" he's carefully chosen to present to these men. They have plenty of reason to be loyal, but all else is inexplicable. Obviously, he concedes, there is something terribly wrong with all of them; that's why he sought them out. He expected strange, and he got it. They are all cruel, learned or not. Most of them, like Nightmare, have learned to enjoy their job. Most of them, like Nightmare, have nothing else. Most of them want nothing else.

...But when those gentle first sparks of warmth flicker to life in their bitter winter souls, one by one, he cannot bear to snuff them out.

He could — it would be easy. So, so, so easy, like crushing a newborn rabbit in your palm — what can it possibly, possibly do? You are so much bigger than it. Your strength, to it, unknowable. Perhaps it would even be merciful, to crush it before it can open its eyes and see the boundless expanse of biting snow — perhaps to cut it short now, asleep in its crooked cradle, would even be an act of love.

Perhaps Nightmare is cruel.

Presented with the miraculous remnants of a fire somehow smouldering under 2 feet of snow, visibly one shift of wind away from snuffing out completely, maybe Nightmare stepped carefully away. Maybe bone-thin twigs and tufts of rooted grass began to find their way into the hungry embers, mysteriously dry and ready to eat. Maybe he sits by them, sometimes, only ever on the cusp of the snowbank they themselves have burnt away — watching. Waiting. Taking note of size and shape and color, using the scratching of the pen as a skin-deep excuse to warm his frostbitten fingers, and all the while never once stopping to think too hard about how easily the flames accept his gifts — how eagerly, how patiently they beckon him. Always a seat waiting for him to take it. Always a plate ready at the table. Always a warmth ready to consume him whole.

Nightmare is an ocean; a deep, black, endless weight, cold and erosive and alive. He is the bitter wind, the deadly snow, the sonorous gnaw of black bile. He is, and has always been, the force that drove people to seek refuge in the warmth. He could not be more different than the fire.

...And yet, somehow, he finds himself understanding.

He, too, is hungry.

And his hunger, too, destroys.

---

(One day, he finds out that the new one is purposefully stifling themself in front of him, having gained an ounce of knowledge of his nature and inexplicably decided to become concerned for his comfort, and suddenly he finds himself angry. Dont they know that if he intended to use them so, he wouldn't have bothered giving them jobs? That if he wanted mindless, unfeeling machines, he would have sucked the souls out of all of them and filled the gaping, bloody, tooth-torn holes with his own essence and will? Can't they see how big he is, compared to them? Don't they know how easy it would be?)

(...When he cradles them in burnt, bileous ichor, can't they feel it?)

---

When Nightmare backs away, maybe his men mistake that for a discomfort with the positivity, if they themselves are aware of the feelings at all. After all, monsters are used to loving and being loved in absolute, with absolute ease. Maybe, Nightmare thinks, they cannot recognize a love that doesn't burn straight through.

Maybe he stays in his office.

Nightmare has plenty of work to do, after all, since his blasted brother woke up seemingly stripped of all capacity for critical thought, blind to the roles they had inherited upon their mother's death and blaming Nightmare — only a bit less than half-rightly, mind you — for the cursed hands of cards they now dealt with.

And here, at least, there are only fragile things worth crushing.

[nervocat]

hii a request for you :

receiving a ‘strange’ gift (like the chopsticks/ladle) from zhongli + neuvi ? the gift itself is up to you :) (btw i love that neuvi ladle so damn much ,, )

no pressure ofc just want to see what you’ll write ^^

“A ‘Strange’ Gift to be Received.” (no cws - wc: 386, romantic/platonic (tho it's romantic leaning)/fluff, gn reader)

Zhongli, he wasn't exactly the wealthiest or well known man, but you loved him all the same. Especially the little gifts he gives you from time to time with the money he does have.

He likes to give you things he buys he thinks you'll like, but Zhongli likes to give you food above all. He likes to cook, so why not give you some?

You come home to a warm plate of food on the counter — your favorite, nonetheless — and see Zhongli cleaning up some stuff.

“Zhongli? You made food for me again??” you inquire, slipping off your shoes. The former Archon looks up to you and smiles, a gentle look in his gold eyes.

“I did. Come — I'd hate for the food to become cold,” he invites, to which you accept with a nod as you hop up on the chair and start eating. The foods taste washes over your taste buds as you eat, the food being as good as ever.

“I’m assuming you like it, [name]?” Zhongli asks. You swallow and beam at him.

“I do, Zhongli. Your food will always be a gift to eat.”

Despite Neuvillette not exactly knowing how to show his appreciation for the ones he holds dear, he wasn't so clueless to how he could express himself (kind of). He liked to give you gifts — and you loved receiving them. Said gifts were seashells, to be exact.

You've decided to have this little jar of the seashells he gives you. You can tell that some of them are bought while some he found himself, which is what most of them are from.

Maybe you could go seashell searching with him once? You think it'd be a fun idea.

You wake up, rubbing your eyes and stretching. You turn over to look at your bedside table and see a seashell — a very pretty one at that.

It was simple. A pretty, slightly dirty white color with some sand still on it. You smiled tiredly at the shell. You grabbed the shell to look at it, the shell glimmering in the orange rays of sun coming through your window and curtains.

You get up to put it in a safe spot, making sure you're gentle with it. Maybe you should return the favor and give him a shell as well?

[ ★ - notes . It was a bit bittersweet to write this and look at the final result honestly bc I feel so bad writing this after Dumbi deactivated (even tho this was changed to anon), but it's done! It's just been sitting in my drafts probably for abt half a year but I think it turned out pretty good ^^ it's also been a bit since I've written for genshin so if anything is ooc, that's totally on me 😭😭 and I might've written this more romantic leaning but I tried not to 😞😞 ]

[gabessquishytum]

Morpheus usually ignores whatever new craze is sweeping through his high school, and at first the new hypnosis app was no acception. Nobody had really gotten it to work, but the general consensus was that it wasn’t a dud, but that there was merely a trick to it, or that only certain people were susceptible to its power—Morpheus had merely rolled his eyes at the gullibility and continued on with his day.

Except just a couple days ago, he had passed by his crush Hob hanging out with his friends, who were attempting to use the app on him…and it was working. Hob was following every silly action they commanded him to do, without question or hesitation. Morpheus had hurried off, his mind whirling with the implications and temptations now before him. Clearly someone as lovely and popular as Hob would never normally go for someone like Morpheus, but if this hypnosis app actually worked on him, then perhaps Morpheus actually has a chance here. He’s wanted Hob too much for too long to let an opportunity like this pass him by, no matter how morally dubious it was.

——

What Morpheus didn’t see though, not long after he’d left, is that Hob had stopped pretending to be hypnotized and started roasting his friends for actually believing his act. So a few days later, when he’s cornered alone in the locker room after school by his crush Morpheus, who shoves a phone in his face open to the same hypnosis app with a determined look, his mind and actions are still all his own.

And yet, when Morpheus orders Hob to kiss him, and remove his clothes for him, and touch him, Hob finds himself obeying without hesitation. It’s not a conscious decision to trick him into thinking Hob’s really hypnotized, but he’s wanted Morpheus so much for so long that he can’t make himself let this chance pass him by (and he’s suddenly learning that he finds Morpheus ordering him around like this extremely hot). For now, the question of what to do if or when Morpheus learns that Hob isn’t hypnotized is a problem for Future Hob.

——

Morpheus can’t believe that this is actually working, that he’s actually hypnotized Hob into fucking him like he’s always dreamed! He knows he should feel guilty about making him do this, but he’s too distracted by the discovery of how hot he finds ordering Hob exactly how to make him come. Honestly now that Morpheus’ had a taste of this he’s not sure how or even if he possibly can limit himself to this one time. But for now, the question of that as well as the ethics of his actions is a problem for Future Morpheus.

-🪽anon

Askskakdjska sounds like Hob WAS a lil hypnotised by Morpheus’s crazy bold actions... whether he realises it or not. He never realised exactly how much he wanted - needed - to be dominated and ordered around, until that precise moment.

But of course as soon as the fun is all over and the post-nut clarity kicks in, Morpheus is horrified. He still fully believes that Hob was under the influence of hypnotism. He feels like the worst person in the world and Hob suddenly finds himself with a sobbing Morpheus clinging to him and desperately apologising, even offering to turn himself in to the police. Hob realises there and then that he needs to set the record straight and he thoroughly explains to Morpheus that the hypnotism app is total bullshit, he was totally in his right mind and what's more, he's had a crush on Morpheus since the moment he spotted him in the hallway.

Morpheus quickly recovers and gives Hob a proper telling off for making him believe in the hypnotism (and you best believe that Hob enjoys his "punishment" very much indeed, Morpheus doesn't need some stupid app to help him be a good dom). Although the whole hypnotism thing is kind of super hot, and maybe they'll be bringing it back in a role-playing setting...

The next day they debut their relationship at school, and all their classmates are astounded by the spectacle of popular, cool Hob Gadling carrying Morpheus’s bag for him, collecting him from class, even doing his homework for him! All because Morpheus orders him around like he's a servant! And Hob doesn't seem to mind! In fact, if you look closely, you'll see him blush and strategically cover his crotch with his bag...

And if you happen to walk into the locker room at an inopportune time, you may hear Morpheus telling Hob precisely what to do with his thick, callused fingers. In intimate, excruciating detail. Morpheus really is a natural at giving orders, maybe he SHOULD explore a career in hypnosis...!

[faeriekit]

some venting: on parent fandom acceptance and the danny phantom tag

Honestly, the worst thing that certain Danny Phantom fans have done on this site to other fans is say that dp x dc is its own fandom. It's not. There's no such thing as a "crossover fandom" unique unto itself. You can say that people are too into this crossover or too into this au or whatever, but people who are fans of DC and Danny Phantom are into Danny Phantom and DC. That's just. What it is. Both properties are cool and combining them adds more characters and settings to play with together. All lore leads back to one or both parent fandoms, because those are the source material.

"Well the DC crossovers are so different—" Please. There have been Danny Phantom and Teen Titans crossovers since Danny Phantom was airing. I have read crossovers with House, NCIS, Supernatural, and probably anything else ffn had to bother with. One of my favorite works is a Gravity Falls fancomic that I still hope will update one day. No one cared how it was crossover then. In fact, I would say that we were one of the most crossed-over properties I knew of at the time that wasn't a SuperWhoLock-type popular show. DC crossovers are not new, they're just popular now.

"Well, it's got its own lore! >:(" Oh, like the vivisection aus? The Full Ghost aus? The corpse aus? The Danny-is-a-portal aus?? Tell me more about how new it is for an au to have its own unique lore. Love to hear it. Definitely it's the same for every author with no variation. There's for sure no unique takes from fans at every step of the way.

"Well, there's so MUCH of it." Tell me more about how other people having fun in their own way is your problem. Go ahead. Tell me more about how other people doing their own thing is personally horrible to you. It's really terrible when people do things you don't want to engage with, isn't it. It has to be separate from your fun. There is definitely no place where they blend; it has to be segregated altogether.

"But they're doing it in MY tag!" Oh, the Danny Phantom tag? The one with Danny in it? Where he's a main character? In the art and fic where he features??

The result is exactly as you'd expect; people who would be interested in joining the Danny Phantom community and making art and fic long-term because they like the characters and the show are getting sidelined because they're failing to like the show in the 'right way'. People who might love to join in and participate in community events and discussion and bring new ideas and aus to the table are being told that they like something completely different than the show in a way that, you know, somehow the original and extremely malleable fandom isn't??

I've been following multiple Danny Phantom blogs (or their author blogs that used to post dp fic) on and off on different accounts since 2015. I used to read Danny Phantom fanfic on ffn on my ipod touch during lunch or on my laptop once I made it home from school years before I even made a tumblr. I used to look forward to Dannymay and Ectober and I think I was even on tumblr the year that Narwhals started the Dannypocalypse?? (I for sure only saw the fallout though. I think I was busy that day)

I don't even open the Danny Phantom tag anymore. I still follow the people I follow...minus the people who've talked crap about fans who like Danny Phantom wrong, apparently, and I hope that good art comes my way without the constant underlying message that we're a scourge on our own fandom, I guess.

Congrats. There are no Danny Phantom fans who find the show through this form of crossover content. You've convinced them there's no point. They have their own tag, their own headcanons, their own fics, and their own culture. Are you happy now? Are you proud to be the fandom that doesn't want new fans? Is it nice, that people won't want to see your art and fics now, despite being hungry for new content? Did it help? Are you better for it? Did you maintain that canon purity you craved??

I saw a supernatural x danny phantom art piece today that kicked ass. It's from an artist I really, really like, who makes a lot of great stuff. I've bought their merch before and was excited all the way through their creative journey. No one tried to jump on them for crossover posting in the Danny Phantom space, using lore that's unique to that crossover.

But it's not about the crossover itself, is it.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/753405110589259776/note-spoilers-on-this-ask-for-anyone-who-hasnt

I’m this anon, and using your anon box to reply to a bad take in the reblogs of it lol.

1. aO3 treats the show and book series as separate fandoms for Bridgerton. My friend’s genderbend fic though is based on the books — thought I made that clear here. And yes book fans were being genuinely homophobic in her comments, not just her interpreting them not shipping it as “homophobia.” It was full of “get out of OUR tag” and claiming just writing a female character in a male version or shipping her male love interest with a guy was “misogyny,” exactly as I said. It’s a huge problem in the fandom. The main Reddit sub is so full of homophobia that queer fans had to spin out a separate inclusive sub called r/bridgertonlgbt. I’ve heard of people on TikTok being called “bourgeois degenerate” and “groomer” just for questioning why it’s supposedly such a dramatic and horrible change to make Michael into Michaela in the show.

2. Can we finally fucking retire the really tired, knee jerk “book is always better” attitude that has never been universally true anyway lol. The books Bridgerton are based on are pretty middling het histrom that repeat plots so much between them that that’s one of the big changes the show has had to make — just not have seasons 1 and 2 follow the same plot beats like books 1 and 2 did. The show has had to make a lot of changes just because it has a bigger audience than your average het histrom reader and while I haven’t loved every shift, it is overall better for it. Or just like, focusing on more than just each season’s main couple like the books only do — also better! The subplots are some of the most fun parts of that show, but also, it makes sense that people are going to continue to want to follow their favs from season to season and not just zero in on each couple. Yes I’ve read all the books. They simply are just not that great, TV is a different medium than books anyway and so certain changes are necessary, and frankly most of the loudest parts of the “book fandom” online who complain about the changes are people who read the books because of the show anyway. They’re all wildly inconsistent in what they consider acceptable changes: they’re largely on board with making the universally white books more racially diverse, but not adding queerness and gender diversity. Why is one ok but not another? Especially when a lot of them are ok with sad or bittersweet queer stories in subplots like Brimsley’s but not happy stories for main characters. Why is that, I wonder? A lot of people are pretending to be “book snobs” as a mask for bigotry, or just have bad taste, but regardless I think we need to get over the idea that stalwart defense of some mediocre and overly tropey romance novels is more elevated or intellectual and like the show isn’t an improvement in being less lazy about the cliches of that genre than the original author. (Seriously, I read a lot of romance novels, so this is not a knock on the genre as a whole or its readers — but the Bridgerton books are SO lazy and SO repetitive. Honestly I think a lot of the book defenders need to read more histrom themselves. Then maybe they’d see how weak and lazy those books can be compared to what else is out there.)

Fandom please learn basic things about how adaptation between different mediums works 2k24 also stop assuming that consuming a story in text form over another is an inherently intellectual activity

--

A pretentious friend of mine who loves Shonda Rhimes was going on at me a while ago about how she ~always reads the book first~ and then waiting for applause as if that's unusual!

She then tried to launch into how shocked she was by the books being... well, lowbrow trash, but she had some complex and boring way of explaining this.

I was like "Honey, you do know what a regency romance novel is, right? Right?!"

I mean, there are adaptations that are nearly exactly like the middle tier of romance novels. They're movie length and they air on Lifetime. This was a change not only of medium but of overall target audience and vibe.

[nightcolorz]

i read through a few of your recent asks and it got me on an armand defense blender so here we are. & i thought about doing this anonymously but then decided to rawdog it so fuck it. this is probably gonna be ridiculously long but i have Thoughts + i have a feeling if anyone will understand it's you (also i'm too much of a coward to make my own post on this topic)

ANYWAY the way some people in this fandom treat armand is actually like... vile. it goes hand in hand with the whole "reducing louis to a victim and nothing more" thing which you talked about and i want to expand on allllll that because jesus christ some of this shit

people have been talking about how armand is Literally The Worst Ever for two years now and that has really imbibed into to the fandom. i mean i was affected by this as well, i went into the books expecting the Worst from him but it wasn't nearly as bad as i had believed it would be (though tbf i am also biased here, i saw armand in a tiktok edit like a year and a half ago and autistically imprinted on him for a long while before i even watched the show. he can do no wrong ever actually)

but that mindset of "oh you thought LESTAT was bad wait until you meet ARMAND lmfao" (not flaming anyone for that btw, i'm pretty sure even i've jokingly said that at one point) has really poisoned him to the fandom. i fully get book readers being wary of him and overanalyzing everything when it comes to him but it's often the show only fans that are the worst culprits and it's a bit out of hand honestly

after s2e4 i legit saw a person say that they don't believe a word that armand said about his backstory and that he probably made up marius and all the abuse he suffered because he wanted "sympathy" (very pointed quotation marks on that one) from louis and to manipulate him. and it would've been bad enough if those were the words they used but instead they were downright horrible about it. i genuinely had to put down my phone and take a few deep breaths after reading all that. like why would you even assume that? i really hope that's not how that person treats real life victims because holy shit

and like I DON'T GET IT!!!!! people just loooove to apply malicious intent to armand in situations where there is none and i don't get it. this is the series about complex, shitty vampires and yet some people still shove them into boxes like Irredeemable Abuser Who's Just Horrible All The Time (armand, lestat), Perfect Innocent Victim Who Can Do No Wrong (louis, claudia) and Pinnacle Of Neutrality (daniel)

and the person from earlier was a die hard loustat shipper and stanned lestat and whatnot and like i'm sorry but only one of these characters has committed dv atp and it wasn't armand. why is armand the scapegoat here? (it's because he comes in the way of loustat) (also i really don't like flaming individual people for their opinions but i feel like this is vague enough that it gets a pass + this one genuinely made me want to bang my head against a wall)

people are just not equipped to deal with 3 dimensional characters because not only can they not accept that armand is not a cartoon villain that is Unequivocally Evil and some machiavellain mastermind but they also can't accept that louis is a shitty person. you can be a victim and a bad person. you can be a victim and toxic and abusive. like.. the way louis is treating armand is not okay and people shouldn't be afraid to accept that. HE'S A BAD PERSON THEY'RE ALL BAD PEOPLE THAT'S THE WHOLE FUCKING POINTTTT

and if people are bothered by that then this is not the show for them

personally i am glad they made louis actually be undeniably shitty this season it made me like him even more (& i say undeniably but people will still deny it like their life depended on it lmaooo). and i am also glad that they managed to really humanize armand for the sane of us because this portrayal of him and his character and personality is just *chef's kiss*. assad GETS HIM and all his little nuances and autistic swagger

yeah anyway uhhhhh people stop immediately assuming the worst of armand challenge (impossible) & i could keep going for another 7 paragraphs but i fear i've waffled on enough i am really fucking frustrated with parts of this fandom send help

(also like, hate armand if you will but hate him for actual things he has done lmfao stop making him something he's not. if you hate him for what he did to claudia, fair enough you do you i can't stop you but jfc some of these people)

YESSS GO OFF 🙏🙏🔥🔥‼️‼️ U or anyone else r so so incredibly encouraged to put ur steaming hot Armand takes in my ask box that ur too scared to post urself for fear of back lash! my Armand apologist army will eat it up and I will shield u from the masses ❤️❤️ consider urself protected and embraced solider.

but anyways, ur so right omg say that shit. The “if u think lestat is bad wait till u see armand he tortures people and does animal cruelty and frankensteins kid heads onto adult bodies lol all Lestat does is graphic domestic violence Armand is like crazy fr” meme has done irreversible damage to this fandoms comprehension skills it’s wild 😭 like due to two years worth of bracing themselves for mega evil Armand we have people spouting the most disgusting insensitive takes about sexual violence I’ve ever seen said so casually in a fandom 😭. I don’t think I’ve come across the post ur referencing tho *holy shit*, even in a fictional context “this person must be lying about being assaulted” is an insane thing to say with ur full chest, but I digress. I’ve seen takes where ppl r saying Armand was trying to emotionally manipulate Louis by talking about being repeatedly raped as a child and like ?? 😨😨😨. Excuse me😭😭 genuinely what the fuck. That’s the same thing as saying Claudia was trying to manipulate Louis by telling him about when she was repeatedly raped, like that is genuinely a fucked up thing to say😭. I don’t think it’s irrational to be weary of Armand’s actions at all because of course we were all bracing ourself for his betrayal so it’s not unreasonable to suspect he has ulterior motives, but it’s both dumb and also fucked up ngl to assume that literally every thing Armand does or says is two sided, especially when there has been nothing in the show besides fandom speculation to suggest that this is the case with him😭. It’s such a shallow, dumb assumption to go “oh this character is two sided so therefore he is never ever sincere at all”. Especially since Armand isn’t two sided bcus of non complex villainous intent, his motives and his lack of trust or loyalty for people or consistent, reliable behavior is very trauma based. I always like to say, he’s not like a snake, he’s like a reactive former fighting dog. A reactive dog can and will attack you without warning at any moment, but a reactive dog is so often disproportionately violent and unreliable because it’s learned that the world is unreliable and violence is how it can protect itself. Armand isn’t rlly the schemer type, he’s more of the “lifts his head from your lap and bites your face off” type.

I think that if the show was trying to suggest that Armand telling Louis about how he was raped was emotionally manipulative that would have been a fucked up and insensitive thing to write! and the fact that ppl r interpreting it that way without anything there to imply that is 😭 um. Woah?? It’s pretty overtly explained why Armand tells Louis his backstory, I’ve talked about it before but, in that scene prior to the backstory dump Louis is telling Armand that he doesn’t feel like he knows him, and he wants to know who he really is. And in this episode Louis and Armand r having a conflict where Armand perceives their relationship as intimate and important and Louis doesn’t even really see them as “together” because he doesn’t want to open himself up to that kind of vulnerability. So when Louis explains to Armand why he doesn’t feel as close to him as Armand does, Armand decides to be vulnerable with louis and tell him about who he is (and why he is the way he is) since Louis told him that that is what he wants from him. I don’t see how telling ur partner about ur life (which is made up of constant trauma) when he tells u he doesn’t know anything about ur life and would like to know more is in anyway manipulative or deceitful. Usually when I see a take I rlly disagree with I am at least able to discern how someone could come to that conclusion, but honestly I have no idea with this one 😭. Just, dude, come on. Y’all do realize that instantly assuming wrongfulness or deceit from a scene where a character is talking about their history of childhood sexual abuse does not make u look good 😭 right? The lack of self awareness is insane 😭 I understand it probably feels uncomfortable to watch a character u perceive as a straightforward manipulator and abuser talk about being horribly abused himself in a way that’s overtly sympathetic, but I think doubling down on ur previous black and white interpretation is like kind of silly goose behavior!

until ur ask I never rlly considered that some fans might be viewing Armand as noncomplexly always in the wrong bcus they are die hard Loustat shippers, but it makes sense! It’s also even more dumb 😭 I love Loustat a lot (mostly in the books cuz the show borderline desecrated them but whateves), but the thing about iwtv and tvc is that literally every character has and will date and be with each other constantly. The defensiveness over ur ship is not necessary 😭 if ur so hyper strict over monogamous shipping that it stresses u out to see ur favs in multiple relationships in the span of a show maybe this isn’t the fandom for u 😭🙏. I think maybe this attitude is coming from a place of “I need Armand to be worse then lestat because if Armand isn’t worse then lestat then loustat will look worse then Loumand and Louis will be wrong to go back to lestat”, and like, babes 😭 Lestat has already violently beat Louis on screen the harm has already been done, if ur still clinging to the hope that lestat will be ultimately the good and right choice for Louis u r fighting a loosing battle. Ship what u wanna ship guys, u can love loustat without trying to justify it as healthy or “healthier” then Loumand . But u do look like a dummy when ur trying to vastly mischaracterize Armand for shipping reasons 😭 like c’mon now. i feel the same way about Louis being portrayed as bad making u like him more!! I’m sure I’ve talked about this, but I kind of hated iwtv s1 and a lot of it was due to how Louis wasn’t at all overtly shitty or unlikable and seemed to be mostly in the right. My favorite thing about Louis in the books is how he portrays himself as a frail gentle human-like saintly vampire who wouldn’t hurt a fly and is better then other the vampires when in reality he is really a horrible, self victimizing unempathetic judgmental asshole who only cares about morality because he wants to boost his ego and feel better about himself. AHHHH it’s so interesting and entertaining to me, I love deceitful, selfish bitch louis sm. And I’m rlly happy with how s2 is leaning into this a little more than s1 is by making Louis such an asshole to Armand!! It feels really appropriate with the former slave owner/former slave parallel translated to the former pimp/former sex slave version in the show, and the way they are fleshing out the relationships in the books and adding more context. Louis is such a great character and I like him sm more in s2 lol, let him be shittyyy!! I beg u!! It’s such a shame that a lot of fans refuse to let their faves suck 🙏

and yessss!!! Armand is being portrayed so perfectly!! Assad is the perfect Armand I am so grateful for him, he is so beautifully nuanced and complex and human. So sad some fans refuse to acknowledge that 😭

on ur last paragraph!! Yesss literally there is so much about Armand to hate so if u hate him hate him for like canon things he has done instead of twisting everything he does into being non complexly evil bcus ur making the show worse for urself if ur viewing it so shallowly 😭. Armand has fucked over Claudia and Nicki and lestat and Louis, and if u hate him for that go right ahead 🙏 I hate Marius for ruining my faves life but guess what 😭 Marius is like a complex varied character and I’d sound like a straight dumb ass if I went on tumblr and tried to claim that literally everything he does is bad intentioned and evil, bcus that’s just not the case. U guys jumping through hoops to claim that Armand is always evil is like if I tried to say that Marius was actually being evil when he tried to save half the world from genocide from Akasha 😭 u know what I’m saying? Fortunately these characters r all incredibly complex and capable of like, nuanced intentions and behavior. If u can’t handle that in ur gay vampire show then I’m sorry ur going to be disappointed. God bless tho

thank u sm for the ask ur literally such an icon and I’m obsessed with u and ur steaming hot takes, everyone stands up and claps

[lovesicklovermia]

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙚

﹒﹒ ﹒summary - silence had been infiltrating for longer than you could recall. even reunited, silence was continued. yet, it was silence filled with joy.

﹒﹒ ﹒set in - some point during/after daryl dixon tv show! but don't worry, no spoilers, you dont need to watch that to read this!! (mostly because i havent even watched it)

﹒﹒ ﹒pairing - daryl dixon x reader

﹒﹒ ﹒ content inclusions - france!!! angst!! light fluff!! reader is a ballet dancer!!

notre dame once owned lights, candles that glistened and glowed above tourists, mourners, anyone’s eyeline. they had filled the old building with so much historical knowledge, so much joy and understanding (usually) for the place they were visiting. yet, as walkers took over, the visitor numbers fell almost instantly, until there was nobody.

then, many years later, there was you.

a ballet scholarship in paris had been extremely short lived. you recalled the day well. dancing around your room, as stupid as ever, and although alone in this momentous occasion, it didn’t take you too long to realise you had someone who you could celebrate with.

so, with your best friend in lead and a grin on his face, you’d driven his motorbike to the cheapest liquor store you could, gotten wasted, then kissed yourselves dizzy.

three weeks later, you left for paris. suitcase in hand, your best friend was honestly troubled by the fact he couldn’t drive you on his motorbike all the way to the airport. you’d laughed it off, and driven together.

the goodbye was the worst. you didn’t know what to do, where to touch, who to hold who. to his surprise, you'd held him. you placed one hand on the back of his hair, one on his collarbone, and you’d leaned in, and given the most awkward press-hug of your life. 

you regretted it every day. 

a week later, the apocalypse had began.

you’d been in a stretch class, until the only thing that really stretched was those vile creatures, their pale and disfigured arms reaching towards you with the cruellest of intentions. the girls you danced with named them as ‘laidrons’, meaning ‘uglies’, and you found yourself in no rush to disagree. 

the nights trapped in the ballet academy were long, but your regrets lasted longer. you didn’t doubt your talents in ballet - not that it mattered anymore, anyway. you didn’t doubt your skills, or your willpower to move countries, to move to a country where you could not understand the language so well. 

you regretted not kissing your best friend goodbye.

perhaps it was stockholm syndrome, your captors being the vile, sickly creatures that had taken over your lives, where you could go, how you had dressed in preparation, what you could eat - everything benefited those who had taken over. you’d lived first. now, you couldn’t imagine a free world. yet, as these days had gone by, you imagined how it’d feel holding him, him holding you, the simple emotion that flooded and pumped through your veins as you thought about the taste of his lips, a taste you’d so quickly recalled from the drunken night of your acceptance, yet forgotten soon after.

yet, as years came and went, and zombies showed no signs of stopping, you regretted your choices of education, not only those regarding your best friend. you longed for sanctuary, so sanctuary is where you went.

notre dame.

a gorgeous building, and although the bells no longer sang to warn of new hours, new days, you practically sang with joy as you’d entered the building. those joyous notes had quickly been subsided, however, as you’d realised you had to clear out an entire hoard of uglies. cameras dangling from their sickly necks, t-shirts with baguettes, macarons and eiffel towers. you’d kept a camera, but once looking through the photographs, had decided to bury it in the back garden. it felt wrong, to rifle through photos of the person you’d just killed.

you made a life for yourself in notre dame. towering walls and doors meant years of salvation, and salvation is what you received. wine, stored in towers. food, that you took from stores and rationed without failure. perhaps it was wrong, to bury your life away in one building, for the rest of time. perhaps it was wrong for whoever to send a zombie apocalypse upon this weak world. what could be done?

you reflected, every day. however that looked that day - that was up to you. you changed your ways of reflection often. sometimes you’d close your eyes, sometimes you’d plead for a bright future, and sometimes you’d stare up at the stain glass windows. just because the world had been overthrown, that did not effect the bright light emitted from the sun.

today, you’d stared. and you’d stared, and you’d stared. your doors were blocked with such precision, it was a wonder anybody had entered the building at all.

yet, they had.

instead of violence, you’d pleaded for your life to be taken quickly, with ease. you’d pleaded for your life to end as if you were approaching sleep, as if you were returning home, as if you were receiving a kind hug. it had been several years without a hug. it had been several years without people at all.

there had been silence. hell, you hadn’t even heard the footsteps.

then arms looped around your waist, and you’d heard nothing other than a sob.

confusing, yet you’d understood. this was still a cathedral, and you should provide sanctuary for anyone and everyone you could. it wasn’t your fault, that people had presumed that notre dame had been overrun with cruel monsters. it wasn’t your fault, that they were unaware of your newfound title of a murderer.

clearly, your newfound friend had dealt with worse.

you hadn’t pried this individual away, and simply glanced left, instead. a head, tucked away on your shoulder. you recognised the hug, yet your heart beat too quickly to give a quick-witted response. instead, warmth filled your heart.

“are you alright?” you’d practically cooed, for you knew the person well enough, of course. pure silence followed, so you affirmed that you knew who he was. “daryl?”

nothing more than a muffled noise, then as you’d attempted to turn your whole body, you’d practically been launched onto the steps, arms wrapping securely around you. “of course ya’d be in the prettiest damn place ya could find.”

those words, the distance from your last moment that you’d managed to hear his voice, to this precious event. you’d practically only sobbed in response, a small chuckle escaping your lips, before you pressed each palm onto each cheek of his, lifting his head up slightly.

he was a different man.

but, to him, you were still the prettiest girl, lighting up the place, making it the prettiest place in the universe.

maybe you had changed. hell, he wouldn’t have the faintest clue. he was quite worried - not for how he’d fare with the girl he’d been missing for this great number of years, but how he could convince you that he could still love you, despite his fear to say so.

he thought it felt wrong, to hold you in such a doting and gentle manner, while he had slung people-killers, a bow and arrow thrown over his back. he’d held you gentler than he’d held anything since the apocalypse, yet, as you’d squeezed him back tighter than ever, he’d recalled that normalcy was, to some, the easiest way to deal with such an inhumane situation.

he understood quickly that you were one of such people, and as he’d whispered his vows to stay with you, whether here, whether in america, or whether on the moon itself, thoughts of others had been discarded - for once, in his life.

he’d lived so long without you, his strength emitted from serving justice to you, which - despite his usual confidence in you, had faltered as the world did too. he did presume you were dead.

yet, as you’d lit a candle together, the light from both the windows and the one singular candle emitting you to see one another, you’d simply studied one another for a while.

feeling whole was no longer something either of you could reward yourselves with. but, one another’s presence was the closest you could ever reach.

[adviceformefromme]

Listen I feel so ugly all the time I'm trying to get myself better but it seems like every time I do something comes up and knocks me down to the point where I just quit and it pisses me off. Recently I started to use my journal more to write down stuff to better myself I write down quotes of the month, and listen to podcasts at work sometimes. But after work, I'm so tired I work from 8AM-4PM I don't have the energy to do anything especially working out and that's my biggest issue and it hurts me to the core that I'm this way. Do you have any tips to help me? Please cause I need it bad.

Hey sweetie, okay some ideas...

What is it you don't love about yourself ? What is that makes you feel ugly? Are these things you can accept or want to change? If you can't accept things you don't like about yourself, then honestly I would start thinking about making some changes. What is within your power to change? What would make you feel beautiful? Is it your teeth? Start saving for the Invisalign or teeth whitening strips, is it your thin hair, look into new hairstyles, weaves, extensions.. If it's your face shape that you really can't make peace with maybe its worth getting some fillers. And while I don't want to promote these things, in my personal experience I have felt happier when I've invested in my image. I had 11's between my eyebrows and after so long of trying to accept these lines in my head I got botox and I was the happiest. So go invest in you, if you can't afford it do what you can, save up & research online. Invest in your image. I've seen friends feel so unaccepting of how they look for years, putting themselves down because of early wrinkles, bad teeth - when all it would take is some investments. So choose you. This is your one life, do you want to spend it feeling ugly and second class every time you look in the mirror? Or do you want to invest in looking and feeling your best?

On the low energy - I would assess your diet. What are you eating, drinking? This will be a huge factor. Carbs - the devil in my opinion. I spent a vast majority of my life in carb crashing and hunger and needing more sugar / food DESPITE thinking I was eating and drinking healthily. Now I am studying nutrition, I am learning how detrimental my diet was to my overall health. So I would advise, protein and greens diet. Cut sugar, in the form of carbs/ starchy vegetables, replace chocolates / crisps with nuts and fruits. Drink more water, invest in some celtic salts, supplements (vitamin D + k2, vitamin c, DIM, selenium, magnesium - ensure there on no nasties inside bulking agents), grass fed meats, organic veggies, salads, bone broths weekly.

I would also make sure you are doing exercise. It needs to be sweat inducing. A run down the road and back to start with if you're unfit. You don't need a fancy gym. Take a cold shower when you get home (you can start with a hot temp and then do 30-60 seconds cold to build yourself up). Do some stretches, make an effort, as simple as while the kettle boils, make this an opportunity to touch your toes or rotate your hips.

These are some starting points. I would begin the latter first, get your energy and body right initially and then start putting money and investments into your image. Health is wealth, so while you may or may not feel beautiful, without investing in great health you will ultimately struggle.

I hope this helps. DM is open if you have more questions/ need more support xoxo

[kevinsdsy]

Random but do u have hcs for Kevin’s sexuality + relationship status in ur socmed au (highkey excited for Trojan + Kevin interactions for the Olympics) I mean Trojans + foxes but Kevin especially bc he’s babygirl

KEVIN SEXUALITY HEADCANONS— ANON I LOVE YOU FOR LETTING ME TALK MY SHIT HEHE i do have to put a disclaimer and say these headcanons are specifically for the socmed au i guess because i think his sexuality is more trauma-induced, but i keep the socmed au lighthearted because it’s just silly tweets and texts :)) but ANYWAYS LET ME GET STARTED

BISEXUAL KEVIN DAY NATION RISE ‼️ ((this is just my headcanon in general, kevin day is fr bisexual like he told me himself in a dream))

for the socmed au kevin has accepted his sexuality. it’s simply something he knows about himself, but also he doesn’t really care.

he doesn’t have as much of an existential crisis about this (which is only a headcanon for the socmed au, i think in general i headcanon for him to have a bit of an existential crisis about this due to trauma in the nest and him going around saying it’s easier to be straight)

for the socmed au the others know about his sexuality as well. so the foxes obviously and then jean + jeremy too.

when i’m gonna have everyone meet each other during the summer olympics i’m going to have more of the trojans know about it too.

but he is NOT out to the public eye. there are speculations due to a few retweets from kevin himself and jeremy and some (minor but) inappropriate tweets from both nicky & shawn because they’re just out there to create some chaos and leave LMAOOO

if asked by the media he will just straight up deny it like he is a firm believer that it’s none of their business anyway so!

when shawn finds out he will obviously make so many comments @ kevin like he will shamelessly try to flirt with him like he does with everyone else (even though he’s a bit intimidated by kevin) LMAO but a bit extra with kevin, because it’s kevin fucking day and that mean bitch is attractive enough to go to war for (shawn’s words)

shawn being so shamelessly shawn also makes kevin comfortable enough to not put up a persona and be a bitch :))) (he gets why jean puts up so much w shawn)

honestly i haven’t really given much thought about his relationship status though— he’s single in the au (so not dating thea).

i am a firm believer of his celebrity crush being jeremy LMAOOO which i think is funny for when jean x jeremy relationship gets established

kevin day keeps fumbling men from left to right

so yeah i guess that’s about it :) if anyone else has any takes or perceive things differently i would love to hear y’alls opinions fr <333

[drivinmeinsane]

Would you wanna expand on Anna and K being siblings in all ways that matter? I agree, I'd just like to hesr your thoughts on the matter too :]

Oh man, you've opened a can of worms. 👀 Here's some of my rambling threads of thoughts complete with my mauled digital copy of the script and screencaps galore.

Spoilers for Blade Runner 2049 under the cut.

From the moment Ana is introduced, even before we meet her face to face, she is a mirror of K. They are copies of one another. Two people can't have the exact same genetic code, but the closest one can get is twins. They shared their defining memory and splintered off later in life as siblings do.

There was always meant to be two of them. The files say that one died from an illness and the other lived. We find out that Ana was stuck on-world from an illness that she developed. Only, she didn't die. She was left behind and abandoned to work for Wallace and other corporations needing her memory making services. Ana is the real girl and K is her ghost.

A life of freedom as long as it's behind glass. K has the same as long as he obeys the rigid system that keeps him tethered. Neither are truly living. It's escapism. They both dream of realities where they are loved. By illegally putting her memory into K, Ana created a family member. He's her copy—a sibling, a twin—someone who shared her life experience and could relate. Two children, protecting the only item they have left from a father who they had never met. As one, they had stowed it away in a furnace and enduring being beaten. They lived this. Together. Ana's last name of Stelline. Little stars. It beings to mind the Gemini zodiac sign. The twins. Castor and Pollux and their horses. K was the invisible companion of Ana, an unborn ghost. Maybe she imagined him when things got too dismal. Maybe she thought about having a brother or a sister. When the time came, she offered up the memory to the Wallace corporation so the burden of that childhood could be shared, understood. A sibling made reality. A ghost was made solid, living flesh. Who would have thought that replicant would come looking? Who would have thought Officer K would break every shred of genetic modification and careful conditioning to find her, his sister, while searching for answers because he cared, because he was part of Ana's scattered family and didn't know it.

Again, they mirror each other. In the same moment that Ana is looking at the snow falling on her hand, K is doing the same. Even in the end, they are connected. Left hand and right hand—two parts of a whole.

No one had ever come for K. He makes sure someone comes for Ana. He knows what it's like to want family so badly that your very bones ache, that you would kill another one of your kind for the first time for it. He found their father and brought him home. He was a good brother, a good son.

There is a void over Ana's right shoulder where K should be. Her ghost—her copy—has died even if she does not know it yet. His death in a roundabout way fulfills the prophecy of the DNA database findings. Two siblings, a boy and a girl. One dies. He haunted her before his inception and he haunts her still after his body is found on the stairs of the upgrade center. If only she had spoken up. If only K had told Deckard the truth. If only there had been another way to love someone without remaining a stranger.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record because I've honestly lost count of how many times I've said this, I genuinely believe Deckard would have shrugged and accepted the fact that he and Rachael had had two kids.

I think the three of them could have been happy together, but Blade Runner 2049 is a modern Greek tragedy seeped in the lore from thousands of years ago. There are no joyous endings here.

[pikahlua]

Is it true that the fact that “Deku is like half quirk racist and judgmental is proven by the next season 7 episode because he rejects Toga because he’s an A-hole and judging her. I really dislike when in-universe characters keeping being mean to my favourite best girl in the series. Luckily, Deku gets whooped and bullied by her because he was in the wrong and disrespected her and judged her and made assumptions and pretending he knew her!! What a jerk.” - A guy on twitter said this to me and I’m like confuzzled, not my words!!!!😅😅😅 me copy and pasted AHH not me!!!! Anyways so is they right?

Uh...huh.

I think the statement in question is written in a pretty inflammatory, reductive way (on purpose). The writer is expressing their protectiveness of a character they like and/or relate to, so that explains some of the hyperbolic language. I don't agree with the statement; I think describing the situation requires a lot more nuance.

First of all, let us not make a habit of using this weird term "quirk racist." "Discrimination," or "quirk discrimination," are sufficient terms and don't invoke any awkward or insensitive equivocations.

Is Izuku judging Toga? To an extent, yes. But judgment is a necessary part of life when it comes to discerning other people's intentions and whether or not you wish to associate with them. No one is required to befriend anyone just because they ask. I could easily judge not to be friends with someone because we don't have similar interests or we have different perspectives on life. That's normal. What would be bad is if I were to judge that difference and remain close-minded to the possibility that my judgment is wrong, or if I were willing to take my judgments as far as harmful discrimination.

To bring this back to the scene at hand, I don't think Izuku has gone so far as to completely reject Toga. I think both Ochako and Izuku have honestly expressed their truths, their perspectives on life, and how they do not understand Himiko Toga. In a different situation, perhaps had they all encountered each other at younger ages, they would have had the opportunity to continue the discussion and come to a better understanding, and maybe then there would have been more acceptance for Toga. The problem is that they are meeting Toga after she has crossed an important line.

It's tragic. Toga did not receive the support and education she needed to properly integrate into society. Her feelings were rejected by everyone who could have helped, and all anyone did was try to repress her and make her conform. There was no attempt to socialize her properly. If they could have accepted that Toga genuinely felt as she did and needed to express herself, they could have taught her about consent. They could have taught her to express her desires in a way that others could better understand. She wouldn't have had to resort to attacking and killing others just to feel real. But instead they primed her to believe that everyone saw her as a monster, and she acted accordingly.

Izuku and Ochako meet Toga after she has become a serial killer and a terrorist. Toga already resolved to just do whatever she wanted without regard for others' feelings. The obvious response Izuku and Ochako would have to that is "Others' feelings are important. Consent is important. Respect for others' autonomy and well-being is important." They don't have the context about how Toga feels deep down, proven by the fact that Toga's confession on Okuto Island gave them better insight into what was going on with Toga.

So yeah, I think the circumstances of their encounters are what have exacerbated this situation. Izuku and Ochako have never had a real chance to talk with Toga, because they've only ever encountered her when she was trying to fight them. They've only met her on the battlefield. There wasn't a real opportunity for any of them to get to the bottom of things in time to avoid an escalation in their conflict, at least not until the end.

[butchyena]

i wish there was a more polite way to say “you are clearly being a contrarian for the sake of your own ego and only care this much because you feel personally slighted by other people’s enjoyment/opinions/engagement. clearly this topic is not for you so this is not a conversation we need to be having/i am uninterested in responding to devil’s advocacy”

[inkskinned]

you have to go to work so you can pay for your doctor, who is not taking your insurance right now, and if you say i can't afford the doctor's you are told - get a better job. it is very sad that you are unwell, yes, but maybe you should have thought about that before not having a better job.

(where is the better job? who is giving out these better jobs? you are sick, you are hurting - how the hell are you supposed to be well enough for this better job?)

but you go to the doctor because you had the nerve to be hurt or sick or whatever else. and they tell you that it is because you have anxiety. you try your best. you are a self-advocate. you've done the reading (which sometimes pisses them off worse, honestly). you say it is actually adding to my anxiety, it is effecting my quality of life. so they say that you are fat. they say that all young people have this happen to them, isn't it a medical marvel! they say that you should eat more vegetables. they say that you probably just need to lose a little more weight, and that you are faking it for attention.

(what attention could this doctor possibly give? what validation? that's their fucking job, isn't it?)

there is always a hypochondriac, right. someone always tells you about a hypochondriac. or someone who is unnecessarily aggressive during the worst days of their life. or someone looking "for a quick fix". or some idiot who wasn't educated about how to properly care for themselves who just abandons their treatment. and again, the hypochondriac, the overly-cautious hysteric. these people don't deserve to be treated like humans (right), and since you might be one of these people, you also don't get treated like a human. because those people can really fuck with the system, you now have to pay for it. and besides. you're actually probably faking it.

(more often than not, you find a 2:1 ratio of these stories. for every "hypochondriac", there are 2 people who knew something was wrong, and yet nobody could fucking find it. the story often ends with pointless suffering. the story often ends with and now it's too late, and it's going to kill me.)

you are actually just making excuses. someone else got that procedure or that diagnosis and he's fine, you should be fine too. someone else said they watched a documentary about other inspirational people with your exact same condition, maybe you should be inspirational, too. you're just too morbid. your pain and your experience is probably just not statistically concerning. it is all self-reported anyway, and you're just being a baby.

(once, while sitting down in the middle of making coffee, you had the sudden, horrible thought - i could kill myself to make the pain stop. you had to call your best friend after that. had to pet your dog. had to cry about it in the shower. you won't, but that moment - god, fuck. the pain just goes on and on.)

you know someone who went in for routine surgery and said i still feel everything. they told her to just relax. it took her kicking and screaming before they figured out she wasn't lying - the anesthetic drip hadn't been working. you know someone who went in for severe migraines who was told drink water and lose weight. you know someone who was actively bleeding out and throwing up in the ER and was told you're just having a bad period.

in the ER there are always these little posters saying things like "don't wait! get checked today!" and you think about how often you do wait. how often the days spool out. you once waited a full week before seeing the doctor for what you thought was a sprained wrist. it had actually been broken - they had to rebreak it to set it.

but you go into the doctor. the problem you're having is immediate. the person behind the counter frowns and says we're not taking your insurance. you will be paying for this out-of-pocket.

they send you home with tylenol and a little health packet about weight loss or anxiety or attention deficit. on the front it has your birthday and diagnosis. you think about crying, and the words swim. it might as well say go fuck yourself. it might as well say you're a fucking idiot. it might as well say light your money on fire and lie down in it. and the entire fucking time - the problem persists.

it's okay. it's okay, it's just another thing, you think. it's just another thing i have to learn to live with.

[yuutito]

I know everyone’s talking about Gojo as he’s the fan favorite but I really do think if this plan kills Yuuta it’s the most brutal death in the manga by a mile. And it’s so sad to me that no one’s really talking about that besides the few Yuuta fans out there.

[taibhsearachd]

So I was musing to Mags about how somehow in the last few years, after being weirdly unapproachable (and really awkward with children) all my life, I am now often the person that single mothers will approach to take a family photo for them, or small children will abruptly hand their toys off to with no warning.

And then I realized (after a moment, because I rarely get to go out around people anymore except when my dad abducts me for a tiny vacation, so I don't have a lot of normal life to compare that to) that all those experiences actually happened in museums and aquariums and zoos, where I am not more outgoing but I am much brighter and smiling more than usual and almost always sharing random facts with my dad because infodumping is my love language...

And then I realized these people are approaching me because when I am in that specific environment, I am giving off very chill Ms. Frizzle vibes.

[dustteller]

I think modern au Zhu SHOULD be the lesbian best friend trope to Ouyang except that its because this man is her pet project and gODDDAMIT she's gonna FIX him she's gonna MAKE him be BETTER she's going to SOLVE EVERYTHING and he will RESPECT HER (she is actively making him worse). She has a whole complex about it and everything. She has based a part of her identity on dragging this man up from his toxic funk and is fully convinced that if she tries hard enough he will eventually come to his senses and be an equal participant in this relationship. They have a terrible wonderful toxic loving codependent relationship that's neither a romance nor a friendship nor a rivalry but a secret fourth thing.

Predictably, this does not go well. The character arcs would be Zhu learning she can't fix a sinking ship and letting Ouyang fail by himself, and Ouyang learning to not be a shit person, actually, and coming out of his bubble of self-centeredness and working on himself instead of unloading his emotional labor onto the people around him. And they should both get to develop a healthier relationship with each other than what they had in canon bc queer solidarity is great and its even better when it's in the shape of some weird bullshit some gay people built out of the corpse parts of heteronormative romance (affectionate and completely unironic)