#how many lifes she touched

[just-an-enby-lemon]

People talk about a reality where Zolf made a better first impression and is on Campbells books and that's amazing but I present:

SASHA made a good first impression. In fact she was the only suport Campbell had during his horrible no good airship travel. So instead of Zolf being oblivious to his presence as this interesting new dwarf protagonist, Zolf reads about Shasta Bracket and smiles and cries as she mentions her very odd and akward dwarf friend, Azu reads Shasta Bracket and sadly smilles thinking about all the lifes Sasha touched, Wilde reads Shasta Bracket and suddently Zolf's infodumps aren't the only reason he keeps reading Campbell, Barnes reads Shasta Brackett and remembers about a fierce woman that was almost his friend until he arrested her friend and she refused to interact with a traitor.

[carefulfears]

thinking about "you have a life" / "i don't know what i have" + "what do you want, dana?" / "i want everything that i should want at this time of my life" + the perceived shame in scully's loss of normalcy... "unlike you, mulder, i would like to have a life" + "do you believe in the afterlife?" / "i'd settle for a life in this one" + "don't you ever want to just stop? get out of the damn car? settle down and live something approaching a normal life?"

her friend ellen saying, "well, first you have to get a life." tara, pregnant with their christmas gift, saying that life before one grew inside her was "somehow...less, just a prelude," while barren dana cries in the kitchen. "i know you and dad were...disappointed...that i chose the path that i'm on."

thinking about how mulder said, "this is a normal life," and how she smiled. (he doesn't know any different). how, in the end, he said, "hey, scully? i know it's not your normal life, but thanks for coming out there with me."

(christmas before quantico, "i guess i'm afraid of making a big mistake. dad thinks i am." and missy's response: "it's not his life, dana.")

her application to adopt emily was rejected: "you're a single woman who's never been married or had a long-term relationship. you're in a high stress, time intensive, and dangerous occupation."

bill's reaction: "sounds like something your partner would say. this isn't about any little girl, dana. this is about you. it's about some...void, some emptiness inside you that you're trying to fill."

and mulder to the judge: "the fact that she can adopt this child, her own flesh and blood, is something i don't feel i have the right to question, and i don't believe anyone has the right to stand in the way of."

(that last christmas with missy before everything: "there is no right or wrong. life is just a path...just don't mistake the path for what is really important in life. the people you're going to meet along the way. you don't know who you're going to meet when you join the FBI. you don't know how your life is going to change, or how you're going to change the life of others.")

and ultimately, it all leads to a leather couch. and after contemplating that sacrifice of normalcy, what she should want, the decisions she could have made, she says, "i once considered spending my whole life with this man...what i would have missed."

she could've been a doctor, like her father wanted. she could've settled down, married waterston, had a normal life, like her friends and brother wanted. but what would she have missed?

"what if there was only one choice and all the other ones were wrong?" / "and all the...choices would then lead to this very moment. one wrong turn, and...we wouldn't be sitting here together."

[allegoryofthebeast]

I think I love zelink so much bc read either romantic or platonic the vow of love and loyalty between them is so strong their relationship is so fulfilling regardless of anything canon we KNOW they mean something indescribable to each other and they like to be together WANT to be together and help people whenever they’re able they were HURT and they’re doing everything they can to heal

[thedevotionaltour]

even for period typical ableism it still drives me nuts for karen to go oh poor matt how can he deal and get around as if he hasn't been blind most of his life at this point and living on his own by himself as an adult for his entire adult life after college and has also lived in the city his whole life like girl use your damn brain he can get around by himself just fine. good god. like take five seconds to use your brain. literally adult man who lives by himself if nothing else that should tell you he is fine and when he needs assistance has the knowledge and ability to go get it you act as if he can't even walk on the sidewalk by himself. he literally shows up to work by himself. it drives me up the wall sometimes how she sees proof of him functioning fine independently literally witnesses it on the daily and still thinks these things. like again foggy isn't great either bc again the period typical ableism (and just general ableism in the world outside of this period as this is a common attitude of viewing disabled people as helpless and unable to function even if they are people who do live independently (and im not touching on people who do need extra support and caretaking in this context. as this post is about these characters in the context of a story. so im talking about what we see there instead of any truly meaningful nuanced way) but the writing here is like. Particularly this way due to the time) he has a modicum more of understanding that matt is literally a capable grown adult man. literally told karen matt is a big boy who can handle himself and then karen went b-b-but you forget he's blind as if foggy hasn't known him for years of his life and is his best friend like PLEASE SEE HIM AS AN ADULT. I AM GOING TO GO INSANE. PLEASE RESPECT HIM IF YOU LOVE HIM SO DEARLY. AND EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T. JUST RESPECT HIM AS A PERSON!!!!!!

[feelslikegold]

supposed to fly home today like I didn’t see the most babygirl jake possible last night and just ruin my entire life

[quietwingsinthesky]

little amelia pond with her missing tooth and mels with at least one band-aid always stuck on her somewhere and rory following them both around with his first aid kit, the one the doctor gave him after seeing the child one that he had before that was more toy than anything

[an-angels-fury]

"Oh I HATE when most of the Phantom of the Opera adaptations try to turn the story into something romantic! It was supposed to be a HORROR story, not a LOVE story!"

AND WHO THE HELL SAID IT CAN'T ACTUALLY BE BOTH?!

P.S.: some of you have to update yourselves about the true meaning of 👉 "romantic" 👈

[clerichs-xi]

tender as a bruise, sharper than a razor wrap her tentacles around me like she'll never let me go

klaus' backstory arc just ended heho and it was revealed he used to be the lover of the goddess of storms and pirates... she had basically kidnapped him and imprisoned him into murder and piracy for 20 years and needless to say it greatly damaged him on every level <3 its okay he's been able to be normal for once since the start of the campaign thanks to the party aka his new found family

get urself a surrogate middle-aged father who can speedrun a forbidden romance in one minute and then immediately go to confront the darkest version/a corrupted version of himself, as well as his toxic lover as she tortures him -w-)b

details and just the lines hehe

[opens-up-4-nobody]

Me, decorating my room: ...should I get a naruto poster?

Also me: If I search for naruto posters... they'll all make me angry in a way that's fucking unhinged

[gothmods]

But also if someone really is going to decide to do absolutely nothing with their life despite being thrown a rope on multiple ocassions i would still rather they do that nothing in a clean and safe home. If someone is going to neglect their own physical and emotional wellbeing i would still rather they recieve the same standard of care as someone who doesnt.

Because i dont know if we can ~save~ everyone so to speak. As in i dont know if we can fix all those wrongs in a persons life that have lead to that point. Preventing them from happening to begin with feels less daunting than confronting the baggage thats mounted up over years. A chunk of that is at the end of the day down to them.

But i still want everyone to have a level of dignity in life yknow?

[thriftdyke]

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[fabuloustrash05]

I love how so many TMNT fans nowadays are acknowledging the beauty of 2012 RaMona and praising them for being the only good, happy and healthy relationship in the series. 

[softquietsteadylove]

I’d love to see some angst for the circus AU! Kro can’t be too happy that Thena keeps gravitating toward the lowly veterinarian 👀

Thena dismounted Angus, landing on one foot then the other. She hit her final pose, arms in the air, counting to three.

"Good!"

As soon as Kro's cane tapped the ground, Thena all but crumbled. At first she just hunched her shoulders, then she slowly sank to her knees, her chest heaving for breath in her tight, sparkling costume.

"Thena!"

He leaned over her, his hands hovering near but never on her. He bent, tilted his head, trying to see her and asses the damage. His worry was always evident, not that being a veterinarian qualified him to look after the health of the human performers.

Not that they had a proper physician in the company anyway.

"Thena, are you okay?" Gilgamesh asked gently, still hovering close but never making contact with her pale skin.

She nodded, although her gasping for breath was plain to see to everyone around the ring. She put her hand up to tell him she didn't need his assistance. Again, her hand drifted in the direction of his, but the two never met. "I-I'm okay, Gil."

Kro eyed them as he made his way down from the stands. "Run it again."

The vet looked up, glaring at him with a surprisingly intimidating expression, for someone always smiling. "Are you crazy? She can't do it again--look at her."

Thena only continued to get paler and paler.

"Are you telling me what my wife can and can't do?" Kro had no problem demanding, getting in Gil's face and using every inch of height he had on him.

"I'm saying that Thena is exhausted," Gilgamesh insisted, meeting his glare head on, like two dogs nearly locking heads as they bared their teeth.

"I'm fine," she huffed and puffed. She finally did pull her head up, indeed white as a sheet, "just...give me ten minutes."

"It's almost time for lunch anyway, boss," another stage hand suggested gently.

Thena remained on the ground as a few more came to her defense as subtly as possible. She looked up at her husband, "please?"

He all but snarled, picking up his cane in his hand.

Gilgamesh flinched, hunching closer to Thena, in front of her. He had thought Kro would pick up his cane and strike her in her defenseless position.

Kro looked at them both with as much disdain as he could afford to show so publically. "Half an hour--then I want tot see a run of the full show, front to back!"

The cast and crew held in their groans, all of them well beyond tired from their ruthless schedules. But Kro turned his back to exit the tent, leaving his staff - including his wife - to their work.

"Are you okay?" Gil whispered to Thena, kneeling down closer to her again. "You don't look so good."

Thena leaned into the press of the back of his hand to her cheek. Her eyes closed in pure bliss. "I just need to get off my feet, have some water."

Gil offered her his hand, letting her lean all of her weight on him as she stood. He wrapped his arm behind her and around her shoulder, holding it as gently as he would a bird in his palm. "Come on."

He helped her hobble over to the stands, even the old and unvarnished wood being better than being on her feet. Once they were both sitting, she continued to lean on him, seeming to fit right into his side like they were made for each other.

No one even batted an eye.

Thena reached for his cup of water eagerly, ready to gulp it down.

"Hey, easy," he spoke gently, like he did with his wounded animals. His hand tipped the cup up to her lips, letting her sip just a little at a time. "Don't make yourself sick."

He held the cup for her, letting her sip gently. Their hands met on the painted outside of the old tin, fingers brushing. She didn't even blink as he raised his palm to her forehead.

"I really think you should rest, Thena," he said just above a whisper. "You're probably coming down with something, you're so tired."

She didn't argue, just looked down at the water mug of his she held onto. "Kro won't have it. I haven't missed a single show since...well, since we were young."

The vet''s face hardened, "he's pushing you too hard."

Thena shrugged, "in sickness and in health."

The vet only looked angrier and angrier.

"Here y'go, Miss," one of the crew brought her a bowl of what they had cooked up for the cast meal that day.

She smiled at the extra piece of bread sitting along the side of it, "thank you."

Gilgamesh made no attempt to go get a serving for himself, sitting with her as she picked up a spoon and started poking at the meat stew. She took a small bite. "Not hungry?"

She shrugged again, poking around for smaller pieces of meat, or the beans they had used to fill out the body of the soup.

"Wait here," he put his hand on her knee before standing.

Thena watched him go, taking another sip of his water.

Kro kept quiet, despite the urge to demand what the hell all of that was. He knew that the vet had an obvious fondness for his wife. Plenty of men did--it was one of the many things that made him the man he was.

But this was more than a naive infatuation. More than a schoolboy crush on someone unattainable. Not only was his softness beyond want and desire, but it was not unrequited, which was the worst part.

Kro had never seen such an expression on Thena's face as when she was with that Gilgamesh.

Thena would light from within. Her eyes would become more green, her smile would lift, everything about her seemed to brighten. He knew what signs to look for. No matter what his relationship with her was, he undeniably knew his wife's behaviour. He wasn't a fool; he could see that whatever feelings the veterinarian had for her, she harboured them as well.

"Hey."

Kro remained as still as possible in his little spot in the tent's seam, where he could keep an eye on them.

Thena smiled as Gil came back with another bowl, he picked up hers and exchanged it with the one he brought back, making sure that she kept all three pieces of bread. "Gil-"

"You don't like meat."

That was ridiculous. When Kro had first found her, she was living on some remote, godforsaken little farm with her daft old father. She was used to living on animal meat.

And yet Thena looked...elated--and touched.

Gilgamesh started eating the bowl that had been brought to her. "But you need protein. I dug through it and got as much of the beans as I could. They'll keep you full. And eat the bread! You need the energy."

Kro scowled. He had no idea when eating meat had started bothering her. But he could bet it was because they had started using animals in the show. Blasted beasts were making her soft.

"Thank you."

Gilgamesh also laid his jacket over her bare, trembling legs as they ate. He scarfed down her bowl, with arguably less in it. He had given her his piece of bread, too.

Thena still ate slowly (it always infuriated Kro how long she took to eat a simple meal). But she ate more constantly, not breaking as she chewed the beans gently between each bite.

"I know you don't wanna say anything to him," Gilgamesh began. He was about to say something about Kro again. "But you're gonna get sick, Thena. Tell him you've sprained something, or I'll say that something's wrong with the equipment! But-"

"Gil," she said gently, her voice lulling him back into a sense of calm. She put her hand on his, "it won't do any good. I could fall off the tightrope and onto the ground before he would cancel a show willingly."

"I won't let that happen."

"I know," she smiled at him again. She had never smiled at Kro like that once in all their lives together. "Just don't let him catch you talking like this."

Don't let him see the way she loved him, she meant.

Gilgamesh put his hand over hers. "I'm starting to care less and less about what he catches me doing."

Those sounded like fighting words.

"Truly, Gil," she asserted, slipping her hand away and moving over on the bench, as if she had sensed Kro watching them. "Let me handle him."

"Handle what?"

Gilgamesh nearly jumped up from the bench in reflex, but Thena didn't move. As far as she was concerned, she had nothing to hide. She picked up her spoon again, "myself. I'll do the run through, but that's all I've got left for today."

Kro walked around the stands and over to her, shoving his cane against the chest of the defensive young veterinarian. He leaned closer to his wife's face. "You're done when I say we're done."

She glared right back at him, "I don't have anything left. Unless you want me to collapse during the show tomorrow."

She wouldn't be threatening it if it hadn't happened before. It was just once, and Angus - of all the beasts - had run to break her fall. But the crowd had been so scared that they had had to end the show early, even offer refunds.

Ever since then, if Thena said she was truly and deeply done, then she was done.

Kro leaned up and out of her face, although he looked at her no differently from how he looked at Angus or any of the other beasts. "Fine, one full dress rehearsal, then we break for the day. You better be ready for tomorrow."

"I always am."

Kro grabbed for his cane, only to find his hand holding onto it. That felt like a fighting gesture. "Problem?"

Gilgamesh let go of it, glaring at him without any trace of his usual nervous energy. "No, sir."

"Good," Kro snarled at him before turning to leave again. He really would leave this time. He could take his meal in their sleeper car (Thena never liked eating with him these days anyway).

By all means, the veterinarian could pine and yearn for his wife all he liked. She was still his, as far as Kro - and the sanctity of marriage - was concerned.

Whether she wanted him or not.

[anirudhpisharody]

.

[ravenouswreckage]

(( The more I think about it the more I realize there's an unspoken hierarchy to Miranda's partners, a hierarchy that's absolutely more natural to her in both her culture and in being a royal in their own specific subculture, but one that's a lot harder to describe to anyone else.

I think touch is a pretty good measure of it. Miranda does like to be touched and even has a preference for receiving, but most of her partners are discouraged from or just don't touch her. She can touch them and she gets them off, likewise getting off from more sight and a demonstration of her skills and the ability to pleasure someone else, but she doesn't want them to touch her. They are not allowed to touch her, and they are not allowed to enter her. They are her toys and she will do with them what she wants, but what she wants has very specific uses.

Partners that she likes more and is closer to, she allows to them to touch more or to enter her. This isn't to say she can't do so as a form of domination in its own right, but it's a different sort of preference, something that Miranda doesn't talk about. She doesn't talk about it or directly mention it, beyond telling people that they aren't allowed to touch her, or where she wants them to touch, but it's still there. Her preferred partners, those that she likes and wants the most, are most encouraged to touch her and to hold her, or even allowed to get a little rough with her.

Honestly, Miranda has... A complicated relationship with sex. There's already her existing sexual trauma, but then comes the cultural issues adding on top of it, making it hard for her to communicate intentions or emotions or even basic standards and wants. People don't understand things that are simple to her, and they don't understand why certain things are more complicated than they appear. She doesn't know how to communicate to landfolk what a casual merfolk fling looks like and how it's different from what she does with a landfolk, and she doesn't know how to talk about all of the tiny differences that make her tense up with a landfolk but be more than happy with another merfolk. Especially it doesn't help to add in her own trauma, and how her brain manages and compartmentalizes it in a merfolk lens that won't necessarily make sense to explain to a landfolk.

Especially not with how the land can treat her sometimes. It's often very rough for her, coming from a species and a culture which treats sex as a casual thing done for simple bonding and connection without a whole lot of pretense, a subculture which treats sex as a form of agreement that means that she has to be extra careful with even mentioning it without it potentially being used for blackmail or to lie about her, and going up to a place which often demeans her and treats her as an animal for her body and the way it functions, or fetishes her as less of a person and moreso just a sexual object. She can't do what she was taught to do without being labelled a prude, she can't do what her culture tells her is a simple social function without being labelled a freak or only isolated down to a sex object, she can't have sex in a way that doesn't feel upsetting or traumatizing to her without forcing someone through intense discussion of her people that she's not fully capable of doing and that they tell her to just stop before she even gets partially through it all.

She keeps getting conflicting messaging when it comes to social relationships and the merfolk relationship hierarchy, and that extends to sex too, where it feels like things break apart on too many axes for Miranda to ever truly want someone else to touch her.

[thedragonsnotdead]

i love ur tags on ghost's fic let us screech together about it soon pls <3333

HIII. THIS FIC HAS ME SOO AAUUGGGDHHFFHH.