#it’s a combination of both lol yes that’s what she believed but she never wanted to leave her brother like that or hurt him 😭

[akkivee]

My thought was that Nemu was already sympathetic to the party of words pre-brainwashing. She started voicing her distaste for Samatoki's violence after being kidnapped with Jiro and Saburo. I got the feeling she started researching and agreeing with party of words ideology during that time and that made the brainwashing way easier.

in a different timeline nemu just would have been radicalised rather than brainwashed and would have joined the party of words on her own instead of the true hypnosis mic putting her there and we would have seen a different form of the same conflict between samatoki and nemu pan out but whatever lol

so like it stuck better because the initial reason was one she agreed with unlike sasara and kuukou’s?? that’s not bad either!!! 🤔

[finnbbl]

Hyunjin x M! Reader - Dancer AU | SMAU | Chapter 7

Ch. 7 - Friend? | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |

| Story Masterlist |

Written: Yes

Smau: Yes

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: I just wanted to mention that I’m aware this may not be how it actually is to be a backup dancer, or that this stuff wouldn’t actually happen IRL. However, it is just a story and an AU so it really isn’t that serious. I ask to just enjoy the story and not criticize plz !! tysm for your support :)

Warnings: Swearing, Sex jokes lol

That conversation was one you particularly weren’t fond of. It did you no good and only flooded back negative memories. Sounds silly, but you had your own reasons. All you could have hoped was that they were just bluffing and wouldn’t actually try to go through with the idea. What really shocked you was Lia. She was on board with it and was encouraging it, despite what you had told her years prior. Maybe she just forgot? Or did you imagine you told her and to never really did. Both was a possibility and now you were second guessing yourself. If the second option was true then you were upset for no reason, which only caused you to feel guilty. All these thoughts ran through your head and it felt like one big jumbled mess. You sighed as you saw the studio come into sight. You had arrived, thank god. Maybe you could push everything out of your head now.

As you guys stepped off the bus one by one, you were led by staff members were you were given instructions. You had about 10 minutes before group rehearsal would start. You’d actually be dancing with Stray Kids. It started to be come hard to believe, how had you gotten to this point? No idea, but all you knew is you were incredibly lucky. And you weren’t gonna allow yourself to let them down or take this opportunity for granted. As everyone was doing stretches or warming up, the eight of them wandered in. Laughing and bantering with each other. You decided to try and avoid eye contact with them right now, especially Hyunjin. This whole thing was new and you felt rather awkward about the situation. Making eye contact with him would only make you start thinking, and you’d most likely be distracted. You couldn’t afford it right now. So, you blocked everyone out as you continued your leg stretches. It was definitely something you’d always struggled with. You weren’t the most flexible and always had trouble with this particular stretch. Sitting on the floor as you did your best to reach your toes.

However, this was quickly interrupted as everyone was called by the choreographer. He was there to make sure everyone was on point. His plan was to watch the members do it, then the backup dancers. Followed by combining everyone to make sure it looked good. That’s when something had caught your ear. They said you had only one day to rehearse, you must’ve gotten dates mixed up. It wasn’t really a problem for you, but it was stress inducing none the less. You’d made a mistake of mixing up the dates and now you had to deal with it. You convinced yourself you’d be fine.

Hours and hours went on of rehearsal. It was exhausting dancing for hours upon hours for sure, but dance was something that had brought you comfort and peace. Even with the yelling, the sound of feet against the floor and deep breaths of the others around you. Somehow you were able to tune it out, and focus on your performance and matching the moves to the music. Then, it wasn’t long before it came to an end. Around 9 P.M. it was. Staff, managers, and the choreographer had praised you all. They gave encouraging words as you exited the building. You all waited and waited for the buses to show up outside. Everyone else had seemed to have had their own little groups already. They must’ve all known each other already, wasn’t that great for you. It felt so awkward, standing off to the side as you impatiently tapped your foot on the ground, hoping the buses would show up soon. Fortunately for you, you received a phone call. That would give you some relief and not make you feel like an absolute idiot all by yourself.

Pulling the phone out of your pocket, you noticed it was San calling. Most likely to check up on you and see how your day went. San was probably one of your biggest supporters right now, aside from your girls. You could tell he was a very genuine person who had a very kind and fun personality. Swiping right, you brought the phone up to your ear.

“Hey, San! What’s up?” You spoke as you glanced around for the buses once more.

“Y/N! Just wanted to see how rehearsal went, was it fun?”

“Yeah, definitely. You know how much I enjoy this stuff.” You smiled, chuckling lightly into the phone. Making sure to be aware of how loud your voice was, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to yourself.

“Awesome, the concert’s in a few days right?” With hearing San’s question, you sighed. Being reminded of your careless mistake.

“Ah no actually. I mixed up the dates, it’s tomorrow.” You said sort of embarrassed.

“Well, it’s nothing you can’t handle I’m sure. I know your trip has been hectic so far but, hang in there. It’ll get easier.”

“Thank you, so much San. It means a lot.” Truly, you found his words quite comforting and reassuring. You’d traveled with a few other groups, sure. But none of them were as popular as this one. So although it was entirely new, there were definitely some things you had to adjust to.

“Oh I wanted to ask by the way-“ As San had started to ask, his question was interrupted by a small shriek that came from your side of the call. Followed by a male’s laugh.

You had felt someone poke your sides. You weren’t really ticklish, but it definitely caught you off guard and scared you a little bit. Turning around ready to swing, you were met with Hyunjin laughing. At this point you had suddenly forgot you were on the phone. Before you could say anything, San had brought you back to reality as he spoke.

“You okay?” A laugh had laced his voice. He had known the surface of your situation as you had explained a lot of it.

“Yeah I’m okay it’s just some idiot.” Making sure to put an emphasis on the ‘idiot’ part, specifically so the blonde male that decided to surprise you, could hear. His face fell into a playful pout as you focused your attention back on the phone call.

“Didn’t know your voice could go that high.” At this point, San had to be teasing you. It was a lie if you had claimed you weren’t embarrassed by that. In your eyes, it wasn’t a very flattering thing.

“Anyways, you sound busy so I’ll let you go.” You took a peek at Hyunjin who still had a small pout worn on his face.

“Alright then, bye San. Talk to you later.”

“See ya y/n.” Pressing your finger on the red button, ending the call with a smile. It quickly faltered as you turned to the blonde haired boy who has interrupted your call.

“Now was that necessary?” You let your head fall to the side with an unamused face, crossing your arms. “Was calling me an idiot necessary?” Hyunjin retorted, taking a step closer mocking your movements. Except his eyebrows were raised as if he was very much aware of what he was doing. Shaking your head and rolling your eyes. “Anyways, what do you want?” Your body relaxed as you searched for an answer in his facial expressions.

“I don’t know you seemed lonely so…” Hyunjin swung his body side to side. Almost as if he was trying to act shy, though both of you knew that was definitely not like him. Narrowing your eyes, a few brief moments of silence followed. “Well you must’ve not noticed I was in fact on the phone.” Sarcasm was now leading your voice. You hadn’t known him for very long, but for some reason you felt as if it was the opposite. Almost like you’d known him longer than Lia. Despite your hesitance of interacting with him, as the situation felt rather awkward and unusual, something about him drew you in. And it wasn’t long before those feelings of uneasiness got pushed to the side. You found yourself enjoying the banter you shared.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a familiar yet unfamiliar male voice. “Hey Hyunjin, why’d you run off so quick?” It was a short haired male, and you couldn’t help but notice that his face was rather representative of a fox. Remembering his name was Jeongin, or I.N, he glanced between you and Hyunjin. It shown on his face that his question was answered.

“Oh, this is my new friend Y/N.” The word “friend” fell out of his mouth, and it caught you off guard as you almost didn’t know what to say. “Friend?” You questioned, making sure your ears weren’t fooling you. “Yeah, I mean.. what you don’t wanna be?” That definitely wasn’t the case, you particularly didn’t mind it would just take some getting used to. “You’re always putting words in my mouth I swear dude.”

“Yeah, you’re just easy to tease that’s all.” He shot a dorky yet mischievous smile as you briefly raised your eyebrows. “Sure.” That’s when you two were interrupted by Jeongin. “You know we should go, I see the buses.” I.N spoke to Hyunjin, “I’ll be right there.” He said before turning back to you, “Well, see you tomorrow then.” He nudged you with his shoulders before lightly jogging back over with Jeongin. Waving bye to him as it was finally time to head back to the hotel. You wasted no time at all, it had seemed like a such a long day and you knew you’d most likely pass out as soon as your head hit the pillow.

Taglist: @silverstarburst @virluna148 @galaxycatdrawz @onementally-unstabel-kid @uso-dakedo

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[thrashkink-coven]

this may seem like a weird question, and if this comes across as disrespectful i apologize. but, could lady aphrodite be - well - a man? could they appear to a devotee of theirs as male instead of female? i know spirits' appearances are fluid and change depending on who, when, where, what, and so on, but, is it possible that they ever change their gender? i've never seen anybody mention it, and, aphrodite doesn't feel female to me, instead they feel as a gender-reversed version of themself.

DID YOU MEAN APHRODITUS ?!

Lol I love this topic. Yes! You are not confused in feeling a male or masculine energy in Aphrodite. There’s a LOT of really cool history that goes into the archetype of the God(dess) of Venus and love and war, but to make a very long story short, Aphroditus (or Aphroditos) was the male Aphrodite originating from Amathus on the island of Cyprus and celebrated in Athens. He was later then syncretized with the offspring of Aphrodite and Hermes, Hemaphroditus. Different interpretations may or may not consider them to be the exact same entity. What we do know is that both Aphroditus and Hermaphroditus are always portrayed with an androgynous, intersex, or transsexual body, a mix of female and masculine traits and anatomy.

It’s widely accepted that Aphrodite/ Aphroditus is derived from the Mesopotamian Goddess Inanna/Ishtar. Inanna is a very important deity in regards to gender and sexuality, as she was the Goddess known to transform men into women and women into men. She was the patron of transgendered, intersex, and nonbinary people, and her holy priests and priestesses were very queer! She was portrayed with a beard, breasts, basically whatever she wanted lol, as she was believed to be the origin of queerness itself. All bodies, male, female, or something in between, are capable of exercising the joy of Inanna!

In general, the energy that we receive from Venus has always seemed to be inherently queer, gender bending, and fluid, which makes sense for the planet of love- love for others as well as love for the self! It transcends our traditional understanding of gender and sex and shows us how all of these identities are beautiful and powerful.

People often associate Aphrodite very highly with females vagina power, which she totally does embody to the max of course, but she also very much represents love for the self that transcends the flesh. She has always been the biggest ally to transmascs and femmes. In some interpretations, the God(dess) may be trans and queer themselves.

As a trans man myself, I personally view Lord Lucifer as an Aphroditus, the beautiful son of an Aphrodite. The divine masculine aspect of Venus that exists within the divine feminine. Combined with his values of self love, luxury, freedom, knowledge, and the courage to be your most authentic self, I see Lucifer, Aphroditus and Aphrodite as the pillars of queer divinity.

[figureofdismay]

i want to know about the extreme outlier opinion on never again!

ooh, thank you for your interest and I hope I don't get myself in trouble with this lol!

So this opinion is in multiple parts.

The first part being the one most unpopular, which is that Ed Jerse was not to only man who was not Mulder that Scully, that Dana had a night or a mini fling with between Jack Willis and/or then getting assigned to the X files and when MSR got together (whenever you believe that might be), and probably not the only dangerous one to some degree.

She's got that thrill seeker side to her, which is to some extent satisfied by chasing Mulder around on the X files. But Mulder keeps her in a sexless box in his perceptions -- IMO this is partially self defense on his part because if he lets himself go there even a bit in thinking of her dating potential/as a potential romantic-sexual partner his already limited ability to hold onto any kind of boundaries would just collapse. And I don't think this sexless view of her is at odds with my belief that Mulder was in love with her within a few months of working with her and knew it, but he doesn't think he deserves a relationship like that and more importantly he doesn't think Scully wants a relationship like that with him, or maybe not with anyone at all because she's given up dating completely after Jersey Devil, and what they talk about is work and theory and science and case notes and things within the kind of fixed shadow of their partnership/the files. Thus he's got this view of her that's completely divorced from her hedonistic, risk taking, rebellious, attention seeking, obsessive side.

I believe her ruthlessly compartmentalized nature and her constant awareness of other people's expectations of her, especially the expectations of people in authority or pseudo authority combined with a need for a release valve and a clear thread of sensualism in her character make it highly likely that there were other times when she picked a near-stranger and acted out a role with him, letting herself act out parts of herself she doesn't often express and using him as a proxy for her conflicted and/or baser feelings towards the Ahabs and 'fathers' in her life in a very limited capacity that is both satisfyingly dangerous (near stranger, almost certainly someone she doesn't really trust or want to get to know, after all she's not looking for a real and lasting relationship) and very safe because she can just stop playing that character and stop seeing that man and he won't even have ever 'met' the person she is the majority of the time.

I don't think she does it a lot, but by 'never again' it had been 4ish very high stress years with Mulder and 5ish years since Jack Willis, which, since Ethan didn't make it into the Pilot, was her last relationship, so yes. Maybe once or twice a year there's a bit of an 'i'm crawling out of my skin i need to tempt fate' ritual. And since we see so little of their personal lives, not hearing about it doesn't rule it out, the reason we saw this time because it was such a disaster and became another X-file -- and because Jerse was so dangerous and violent, and because Mulder found out about it, that particular game stopped being interesting even in a self destructive way. Plus very soon she would realize she had cancer and would take stock of her life in a different way and get closer to Mulder on another level so there was less of a need for a pressure valve rebellion.

And I don't think that this idea cheapens her relationship with Mulder or means she was cheating on him if that did happen, because it would be about simple attraction and being not 'herself' and also a proxy thing for her feelings and frustrations about Mulder that she's too afraid of tarnishing his image of her to let him into directly. And if it would make Scully's jealousy of Mulder interacting closely with other women hypocritical, well, she's certainly allowed to be a flawed character and is shown to have double standards about a number of things.

Part 2 of my outlier opinion is that Ed Jerse isn't out of character for Dana. Going back to Jack again, instead of believing in possession, she thought he'd had a mental break after years of obsessive work and mutilated a cadaver and killed a guy and she was not surprised at all. She had a fairly long relationship with him while believing he had that level of instability and violence in him when pushed. That means Jerse lines up for her.

part 3 of my outlier opinion (I guess it is, I don't see it talked about directly afaik) is that the story is dark as fuck with Jerse and his ergot psychosis but at the same time the tone is not horror-bleak the way Blood is and many s2/s3 with similar types of plots, but more extremely darkly ironic or wry. Between Mulder in Graceland and the extended Rocky and Bullwinkle plot discussion, and the fact that all it takes is a divorce and an Evil!Rosie the Riveter tattoo to push this guy over the edge there's this air of like, pulp noir mundane and ridiculousness. Fandom generally treats it as this like this profound statement about Mulder and Scully's relationship and Mulder's selfishness and thoughtlessness and if he just brought her a bottle of wine and asked about her day a la Van Blunht in Small Potatoes she could've been flinging that fling with him. Except, no, she couldn't use him as his own proxy, so she'd have to crack herself open a lot more than she was ready to. But also it's a story about both of them spinning their wheels and not getting anywhere and ending up feeling dumb, it's absurdist, it's a comment that neither character is smarter than their narrative, it's not a statement about a fractured partnership.

Part 4 is a little more out there and whatever but I do think Mulder's reaction is interesting. He's obviously hurt and completely baffled because he can tell Scully's given him very little of the actual framing of her distress and because 'i'm bored at my job' is both hurtful to him and something he can't conceptualize as leading to 'so i'll have a one night stand with a violent man' -- because that isn't her complaint, it's just what he heard. But in that last scene he doesn't read as angry or jealous, even the hurt doesn't exactly read as sexual jealousy. He's confused, he doesn't know what she wants, and he gets in some cheap shots with his annoyed. But there's an interesting tone to it. Maybe i'm reading too much in. I think there's a combination of trying to laugh it off/brush it off because he can tell she's feeling too exposed, and aside from the 'was the professional dissatisfaction worth all this??' he was curious. He'd caught a glimpse of the barest silhouette of her wild child side.

like a combination of 'so you slipped off your pedestal and bounced a little, so your halo got dented, so what' (paternalistic, dismissive, kidding) (reassuring) and 'oh, so she's a little like that? what else does she like? can a person get her like that without actually being on the verge of snapping?' He knows about Willis and Jerse now. It's more than one, and Willis is now certainly not a fluke. He's got to be sure there's some fascinating things brewing in her subconscious, and he's got the idea that her sexual side is one part girlish wounded bird, one part manic live wire, and one part intellectual 3D chess. He's curious about what that means for him and them. Curious about what she might be willing to do with him now that he's been reminded she'll do it with other people. He's even optimistic, I think, about what he could coax from her.

Probably also reminded to be cautious about what entanglements with him that he could accidentally 'manipulate' her into with some of his more demanding behavior, though. But like, even though they're both feeling bitter at that moment i do feel like there's a 'positive' in the kind of colliding worlds event of the episode in Mulder being reminded of Scully being a human woman with a carnal side.

And that is... I think the bulk of what I wanted to talk about re: NA? I think? My brain feels overcooked now. But I rewatched it to refresh my memory (i'm now in s5) but I stand by this. And also I think I need to break my custom and do post-episode fic about it, honestly.

[wanderingaldecaldo]

Tagged by @gloryride, @gamerkitten, @chevvy-yates, and @aggravateddurian to share something I'm working on. Thanks, chooms! Still leaning into the ADHD, so there's several things I'm working on simultaneously. Most recently it's been...

Modding

The cutoff vests are 95% done, just need a few touches before I can make them live on Nexus, so what better time to start a new modding project? 🙃 A friend mentioned wanting Vik's pants and I'm always looking for more butch clothes for Val especially ones that ride low on those hips but also the belt & tools seem like a fun project.

Unedited. Not bad for an hour's work ☺️

Both the pants and belt are simple replacers to start while I test. I have some clipping to deal with on the pants, but so far the weights look okay. 🤞

As for the belt, I lost the tools somewhere between Blender and Wkit lol. I wanted to take a go at texturing them in Substance Painter so I split them off into their own submesh. Not sure where I lost them but I'm sure they'll turn up again.

Writing

It's fitting that Durian tag me because my latest writing was incited by a scene in his fic "The President's Lady" in which Myers invites Sol and V to lunch at the White House. I'm going for a more, uh, traditional take on The Tower ending than he is, using my fave angst, combined with some good ol' longing and probably some flashback smut. I've been canoodling on this in my notebook since Durian's chapter came out, writing a bit each night before falling asleep. I started transcribing it just for this post, so here are 315 of 338 words, hot off the Google Docs.

Some backstory: The second time I played Phantom Liberty I beelined to Dogtown, and skipped meeting the Aldecaldos and doing pretty much anything past finishing the VDBs quests. Vik was the only one who called, and she decided to take Sol up on his offer of a job at Langley. Soon after she's back in DC, she gets an invite to lunch from President Myers.

“Thank you, Madam President.” “V, please. No need to be so formal. I believe we’re well past that now.” “Heh, just a few weeks ago, told you—” “Yes, V,” she cries out, breath hot against her neck— Stopping, Rosalind turns to look at her, eyebrows and lines of her forehead drawing to a point, as if finally she recognizes V for who she still is. “I suppose that really was like yesterday for you.” The lines soften and she leads V to a sofa across the room, gesturing for her to sit first, then sits close and takes her hand. Long, graceful fingers teasing her skin— V stares down at her hand in Rosalind’s, her arms blank of cyberware still a disconcerting sight, but she doesn’t pull away. “How are you feeling? I can’t imagine the news was easy to hear.” “No, wasn’t,” she says with a shake of her head. “Thought I was gonna die a merc but now....” “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to tell you myself. Solomon suggested it would lead to too many questions among the staff. He’s right of course, but I still feel I let you down.” V frowns. “Ma’am?” “You weren’t my agent for long, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t important. What you did...” Rosalind trails off, eyes dipping to her mouth before she drops her gaze to their hands on her lap. Her nails are still perfectly polished, buffed to a shine. She looks up and says, “I’ll never be able to repay you for all that you did for me.” V down looks at their linked hands then, heart pounding, she leans forward to kiss her, as if she’s just any other woman, not the most powerful in the world, and Rosalind tilts her head and parts her lips and— She swallows and shakes her head. “You did, though. Least as far as I’m concerned.”

Tagging with the usual no pressure disclaimer: @medtech-mara @breezypunk @streetkid-named-desire @peaches-n-screem @rosapexa @luvwich @merge-conflict @steelscorner @ghostoffuturespast @byberbunk2069 and YOU!

Take this as an invitation to share something you're working on and tag me! Doesn't have to be Cyberpunk, or anything fandom-related!

[driftwood-fireflies]

any billy hcs?

OKAY I'm finly tackling this. lightning round.

I know that the general fandom perception of billy (in a few different circles anyway) is that he's trans, and I DO understand this. however it's not my personal headcanon. if you want to know why it's simply because the idea of him being a chaser is like insanely funny to me so. stu is trans and billy is weird about it. this is my dynamic.

as for sexuality, I've described this to people before, but to me he's bisexual on a technicality. what's that technicality? he REALLY thinks he likes women. like he's convinced himself he does. (he does not.) so like, if anything, he'd consider himself bisexual and so I call him bisexual. but. he's gay. dykwim.

anyway yes billy is a bi chaser and he is down horrible for stu though he can't really show it. I don't know if I even brought this up in my stu headcanons post but I do think they are BOTH autistic and bpd so they're really failmaxxing as a romantic duo

billyboy loomis is the undisputed mommy issues king, I think him and his mom were very close when he was a kid, like almost to the point where she was smothering him, but he loved her and became codependent with her. I think that's a theme for billy - codependency. he grew to be that way with his mom, and since I personally believe that him and stu have been friends since childhood, he also grew a little fascination with him at around the same time. he's always been Weird about stu in a myriad of ways, but the moment his mom abandoned him it was almost guaranteed that his closeness with him would turn into its own codependency. and it did.

I think his family has moved around a lot, only settling in woodsboro when he was maybe eleven or so. that's when he met stu.

I think they were both independently weird freaks of their own nature, as in, billy has always had his horror movie and psychology fascinations, but stu really amped up the crazy for him. like many people, I hc that stu is a big hunter and likely showed billy how to hunt and gut animals, and I even think he introduced him to the more gorey, less plot-centric horror movies that he loves. I also think the buck that they share was stu's initially, who then gave it to billy sometime after his mom left.

as for current day (read: 1996) stuff. a lot of people tend to stereotype stu as The horny one in their dynamic, but idk. they're both teenage boys and if anything, billy was the one trying the hardest to get laid in the movie lmfao. (I know there was an actual reason behind it but I do also think he just wanted to fuck lol) I think they're both raging horndogs and they rile each other up all the time.

we never see anyone but randy with an actual job, but I think billy's done some under the table type work around town. he strikes me as a guy who'd do good at a mechanic shop, or something. nothing too serious, just whenever he needed some pocket change he couldn't swipe from his dad.

as for horror movies... oh man.

billy is a real pretentious guy. he likes horror, he likes thrillers, but he's not as much of a gorehound as stu. that's not to say he doesn't like it - but it usually only interests him when it's the real deal. in terms of movies, he's actually your pretty generic film bro type, in that I think his top three are psycho, silence of the lambs, and the original house of wax. were he alive today, he'd be BIG into the 'elevated horror' genre, I think. think jordan peele and ari aster. overall he's a real snob about it, he can only get into a horror movie if the killer is someone he can idolize and get into the mind of. he's not a fan of monster movies, thinks it's scarier when the monster is just a regular guy. psychological horror is right up his alley, and I think he'd also love candyman for the way it combines artful and intriguing psychology into a more typically 'slasher' narrative.

I could talk about how billy watches horror movies forever but I'll move onto music so this post doesn't become a novel. I think he's big into rock, pretty similar to stu's taste in that regard. I think he'd really love green day, for sure. I also think he'd like the cure and REM, maybe soundgarden, too. he's really into anything moody or brooding in some way. besides rock though, I also think he enjoys older, more classical stuff. I could see him buying a film score cd and listening to it to sleep, or something.

SO. YEAH those are some of my billy hcs.. like I said w stu I have like a million thoughts about both of them that I couldn't possibly include in a single post so if you have any specific questions about stuff I didn't cover .. lmk ^_^

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[charlie-pippin-faraday]

if nickelodeon weren't cowards we could've had eddie and jerome bonding over complicated relationships with shitty dads who are trying but will never be able to make up for a life time of Issues

God they TANTALIZED us with that. The Jerome/Eddie friendship was SO CLOSE to truly blossoming, especially right at the end of season 2. And like, the show does make the connection with the two of them and their daddy issues. Mara writes about both of them in her article and makes parallels. Additionally, the two of them together go to Mr. Sweet to get Mara reinstated. Eddie also tells Jerome that Joy entered herself in the writing competition instead of Mara, and together they: 1) Ensure Mara gets credit for the father/son article, 2) Clear up the Jack Jackal stuff and reveal that Mara is Jack Jackal but throw Joy under the bus for writing the Nina article, 3) Reveal that Joy didn't enter Mara in the competition, and 4) See to it that Mara does get entered. And like, they accomplish all this scarily quickly and scarily efficiently. If they'd ever truly combined their powers, they could've been a formidable team. They could've accomplished a lot of good together, or they could have committed many crimes and evils. Like those boys did not hesitate to be VERY cold to Joy on Mara's behalf, they could've been a pretty intimidating and powerful team if they'd ever wanted to or tried. But unfortunately they were both too stupid.

So like as you were saying, yes I so wish they would've expanded upon their friendship, especially with their complicated relationships with their dads being the basis of it. Like, after the truth about Jerome's dad comes out Eddie is the first one to reach out to him and be like "hey we would've been cool with it." And when the truth about Eddie's dad comes out Jerome doesn't laugh along with most everyone else, he looks surprised and a little bit mortified, like he knows what that sort of feeling is like. And there were so many glimpses into a potential wonderful and entertaining friendship. Eddie makes Jerome violently ill via creamed carrots and then underpays him at Donkey Day, they make the dance bet which Jerome believes will make Eddie look like a fool but ends up backfiring on him instead, and Eddie sees Jerome getting kidnapped by Rufus and eventually ends up inadvertently alerting Sibuna to the problem and helping him get rescued. Jerome confronts Eddie about the letter business at the beginning of S3 [which was unfortunately probably their last major interaction :( ]. And Eddie fuckin calls him JERRY, repeatedly lol. Also, my favorite Eddie/Jerome scene: when Jerome asks Eddie for French notes, and Eddie hands him a sandwich. (And also in this scene when Jerome encourages Eddie to open up to him and tell him what's bothering him and Eddie actually DOES!!)

Not to mention both are shockingly involved in the other's relationship: Jerome pairs Eddie and Patricia for Donkey Day and makes them be tied together for a full day and likely providing a big assist in their sparking feelings for one another, he teases him for having a crush at the dance, he and Alfie make the dance bet with him, he listens to Eddie's concerns after their first date and offers him relationship advice (which he is NOT qualified to give lol), and Eddie even tells him how deep his feelings are and that he's never felt like that about a girl before, which Jerome does not understand but accepts. Also when he got stood up by Patricia, Jerome was like "wasn't she supposed to meet you already?", implying that Eddie told him about this previously and that they talk about this kind of stuff together. In season 2, Jerome might be the one he talks about his Patricia feelings/drama the most? Although that's debatable, as he does discuss them with Mara and Joy as well. Additionally, Jerome often laments about his girl problems with Mara to Eddie, he points out to Mara that Jerome very clearly treats Mara better than the rest of them (meaning he's been noticing and observing this behavior all school year to the point where it's painfully obvious to him), and pushes Mara into accepting her feelings for Jerome. In a way, neither of their relationships might happen without the help of the other.

I was so sad when they just didn't have much of a friendship in season 3, especially with all the buildup and potential at the end of season 2. They could've been everything. We truly could've had it all. But alas, we were robbed.

[reds-skull]

Hi I’m the work anon from earlier

Wow your revenant fic was amazing! I’m so glad I got to read it from start to finish and watch as your story grew and took shape

I adored Soap and Gaz’s friendship but I also adored how Ghost trusted and was friends with him too especially when he asked him for advice! 😭 (there’s so little of their friendship the fandom and it sucks ) Price was best dad and deserves all the hugs (and cigars for dealing with his sons squad every day) Rudy and Alejandro (and the vaqueros) were adorable and had the 141 backs from the start, they were ready to throw down! Grave’s got what he deserved I hated him in this fic so much (great job) he was such a smug smarmy bastard until the end. Farah and Alex were so sweet they were like the favourite cousins that got roped into the family drama (I still want Fahra to BITE shepherd you know as a treat!) Laswell knows things and is scary she will happily help people reach the find out portion of their fucking around.

The reapers were so cool!!!! Especially with how they combined I was not expecting that, was legit shooketh (I now imagine limbo as a pitch black ocean full of burning stars (I also have a couple questions regarding it I would like to asked later please?)) Soap’s reaper was warm and kind Ghost’s was cold and clinical together they’re so much more?!?! Like it’s poetic there the best version of themselves together (like ghoap)

Speaking of ghoap they’re so in love it’s sickening all I could imagine during the vows was Price “listening in” and then getting Laswell to hand the boys a bloody wedding certificate so sweet 😭

Thank you for putting in the time and effort to create something so beautiful for so many people have a lovely day or night you deserve a break after all of that hard work!

And with all my admiration fuck you for making me cry (again)

Hello work anon! Hope it went easy haha

I feel like there's a few versions of Ghost headcannons floating out there, one is basically "the man believes he's broken beyond repair, he doesn't think he's human, all he does is focus on work" and the other is "yeah he went through really fucked up shit, but he holds himself together pretty well, and while it's hard for him to find someone he trusts, the people close to him are priceless."

I like both versions, but this time I went for the latter. I love love love Ghost and Gaz as friends (mw4 please give me them interacting), and you can see that in my comics as well lol.

I made Graves such a little bitch that everyone hates from the start lmao.

I didn't plan for Rudy and Ghost to interact that much if I'm honest, but because Soap wasn't the POV and I wanted to have the Vaqueros more prominently in the story (it does take place mostly in Las Almas after all), Rudy's initial reaction to Ghost's mask was the perfect opening for a deeper friendship.

Farah and Alex weren't too active, if I make a sequel, I think I'll make it focused on the situation in Urzikstan. Farah deserves to take her own revenge and get her happy ending...

I love your description of Limbo, especially because I mentioned in the fic that Ghost loves seeing the stars, because it's the first thing he saw after he was Reaped (and now Soap created stars for him in the void).

I'd love to hear your questions!

Ghost and Soap, like someone else commented, are practically married on all levels beside legal lmao. I never planned for them to be so fuckin' whipped for each other tbh, like the vows at the start were not planned at all. I just looked up Celtic wedding vows, and it was literally so perfect for them ("I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One./I give ye my Spirit, ’til our Life shall be Done."? Couldn't fit more to their story), I just had to add it.

Thank you for reading and commenting! I wish this break was voluntary, but my semester is ending in 3 weeks and I have many projects to finish, so I have to prioritize that for a while T_T

[idkhowtoread-ink]

Guys my head is flooded with au ideas and I don't have enough time to draw all of them so I'm just going to talk about it.

Religious!Dreamswap (+Lust!):

Dreamswap but everybody is religous and Dream + Nightmare have severe religous trauma and are gods of love and lust but they both reacted differently.

Nightmare(Lust) grew up to hate Christianity and even became a Satanist. He was constantly hated as lust was seen as a sin against god.

Dream grew up believing everything the church told him, he was praised for his ability to give love. Whenever Dream tried to protect his brother, he would be forsed to watch Nightmare being punished by the cherch, causing Dream to be unknowingly scared all the time of sin. He was scared others would go though this because of lust, thus makeing the Anti-sin Home of God (Very creative verion of JR)

Little does anyone know, it's also Dream's job to break people up, he doesn't like doing it and knows if it ever got out he would be thought of differently.

Scene style Swapdream!Nightmare:

I just like the thought of Swan dressing as a scene kid! Nothing else to it. (Maybe ds Nightmare and Swapfate Nightmare too lol)

Under-construction au:

I was originally going to make this au but there was too much to make my idea happen so I just accepted it would never get posted.

So basicly, it's an Undertale au where its not done yet. Constant changes happening to designs, storys, personalities, ect. It looks like Inks abandoned au tbh. And the bodys will be half way done. Like, the rest of the head and chest will be fully drawn but the arm will be a stick with a circle on the end.

Sometimes there are double the amount of characters because the creator is stuck between two disigns.

I also had this idea where the characters are desperate to be completed, so they may try to steal anything from a completed au and stick it on to themself such as completed clothing and sometimes a soul.

Biblicly accurate Dreamtale:

So the whole thing sumed up, is that it's Dreamtale, but when Dream and Nightmare eat an apple, they turn into these big 15ft angels with wings and rings, protecting the tree of feelings from mortals.

I also had this idea that Nightmare is littrally invisable when he's not near Dream in this AU, because you know, tge moon only shows in the sky because of the sun's light!(I'm so smart)

Trans MtF Ds Dream:

I'm actually making a short story abt this but I may not finish it>3<✌

Dream wears Nightmares dress at a young age(yes, Nightmare is trans FtM), and secretly likes it.

MDream is in denial abt it and distracts himself for 100+ years untill he finally takes a break and finds out that she's trans and curses herself out for ignoring it for so long.

"You are me and I am you?" Dreamtale au

Basicly, the normal story of Dreamtale but the twins are jelous of what the other has.

Dream is jelous because he wishes he could have a break, to have some time to himself instead of helping the villagers all the time because "thats what he's supposed to do as the gaurdian of positive feelings".

Nightmare is jealous because he wishes to have friends and to be liked by everyone like his brother is. He doesn't want to be bullied and hated anymore.

Out of jealousy he kills his twin and absorbs his soul using the magic of the apple tree. He then becomes the guardian of feelings, but forgets who he was.

He remembers being jealous of his brother but since their thoughts are now combined, he can't remember who he killed or who he once was. Causing him to go insane.

(This was inspired by a song I can't remember the name of)

[twilight-deviant]

As a Fiskmatt fan, I like to see Fisk and Matt falling in love, but it seems difficult and illogical to make Matt to love a villain. Have you ever had the same problem?

Oh my god, auuuuugh! Yes! lol.

At times, the FiskMatt relationship does feel impossible given Matt's sanctimony. Some heroes are more morally gray, but Daredevil leans pretty clean. He has horrible anger issues and he'll bend the rules fairly often, but his one constant is "No killing." Which is obviously something Fisk does a lot. A lot, a lot.

So it can be difficult to reckon with the idea he would ever be in a relationship with Fisk— and that it could last if they ever were.

But not... impossible...

[Concessions for Love?]

One ace-in-the-hole I'm always happy to have is Matt's canon relationship with Elektra. She's a morally complex murderer, and Matt loves her anyway. Though he does often grapple with this choice.

[Daredevil #610]

But he returns to her every time. Again and again and again and again and again.

[Defenders 1x08]

[Keep Reading]

Even if certain concessions have to be made.........

[Wastelanders: Hawkeye #1]

People can prefer Matt with other women from the series/comics (more than fair), but everybody knows his soulmate. ¯\_(╹◡╹)_/¯ Matthew Michael Murdock will (figuratively) stare a healthy relationship in the face, then about turn and get back together with Elektra. Again.

[Daredevil: The Man Without Fear (1993) #3]

"I don't know what we are together, and if we have any chance in the future… I don't… But I… I do know that I'm free with you. Like with no one else."

I take this quote from Matt to Elektra in the DD S2 finale and very simply, very easily lay it over FiskMatt. Truly no effort at all.

[Daredevil 2x13]

I absolutely use Matt's decisions in his relationship with Elektra to justify a lot of my FiskMatt shipping. Because he doesn't agree with all of who she is. He even hates significant parts of it. But he loves her, and he'll always love her.

So when I think about FiskMatt, I already have this bedrock foundation of, "Yes, Matt feels very strongly about his convictions and morals. He will also set them aside and be a hypocrite when he cares about someone." At the very least, I believe he'd choose denial over confrontation. In that, if he were in a relationship with Fisk, they could constantly fight about what the man does, or they could choose to not discuss that part of their lives.

I've gone that route in fics many times. And yes, it is absolutely an unsustainable powder keg. But for me, that is part of the appeal of FiskMatt: a volatile combination brought together out of mutual affection that wants the relationship to last as long as possible while knowing that isn't forever. I get so excited at the visual image of them digging their heels into the earth while being pulled to the inevitable, wanting to be together and fighting all the reasons they can't be.

Granted, I have a strong love affair with bittersweet.

⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗

[Fisk Quits]

But then sometimes, I'll write FiskMatt where Matt cannot accept Fisk's criminal lifestyle. He gives an ultimatum that Fisk can have Matt or his empire, but not both. The idea that Fisk would give it all up for love sounds like a lot, but I can think of two instances where he has. (More if you want to get technical.)

[The Amazing Spider-Man #197]

[What if...? #73]

Fisk is a cutthroat villain, but never forget that his center is so gooey soft for those he loves. Apparently, even a relationship with Matt can get him to walk away from crime (granted, the above situation is more of a familial affection).

I think if you cultivated a reality where Fisk really comes to care for Matt, he could be coerced into giving up crime for him. Which would remove a great burden from Matt's ability to love him in return.

Although... with such a direction, you still have a reckoning with Matt accepting what Fisk has done in the past, even if he won't offend again. Wouldn't that be interesting if Fisk gave up crime for him, only for Matt to realize it still isn't enough? He thought he could start with a blank slate, but he can't let go of the past. Or... you lean into, "Well, Matt is Catholic, and a big selling point is that someone's sins can be forgiven, no matter how heinous." Could go either way.

I do like to think Matt could forgive Fisk's past evil though. *gestures at beloved comic page*

[Daredevil #300]

But it is interesting to imagine Fisk giving up crime, Matt realizing it doesn't fix the past, still breaks up with him, and Fisk gets angry. Now he has no empire or love. 🍿👀

⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗

[Compromise]

I also like the allure of a middle-ground. Fisk still commits crime. Matt acknowledge he commits crime. But there are conditions.

And this comes from canon (series and comic) acknowledging that if you remove Fisk from the underworld, the ensuing power vacuum is so much worse and more violent than if you just left him. So you write Matt putting on his big boy pants and admitting Fisk has to be the Kingpin. The notion that there could ever be a crime-free, utopian city is a pipe dream. There's going to be evil. Let the best case scenario control it. Fisk is better and smarter than anyone else in his position. He takes over and keeps down gang wars, etc.

But if Matt were to admit that Fisk in power is the lesser evil, his conscience can't let the actions of it be a blank check. There are conditions. No one innocent gets hurt in the crossfire, so on. People who willingly entered the life knowing the risks? Fair game. That way, Fisk can still control crime with more than empty threats. Granted, I consider even this to be its own powder keg. Matt thinks he can accept evil men dying. The question is how well he actually does whenever that's tested. Maybe if Fisk works hard to keep it from him.

I suppose that goes back to them stubbornly wanting to be together and ignoring why they shouldn't be. In a situation like this though, Matt might appreciate that he controls the man who controls crime. I like in Jessica Jones S1 when Killgrave suggests Jessica stay with him and tell him everything he should do to be good. Delicious. Though I imagine it would weigh heavily on Matt's mind.

⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗⫗

I guess what I'm saying is there are multiple ways Matt could handle Fisk's villainy, and how you approach it depends on personal preference or situational requirement. The answer in one scenario won't work in another. IE: if I write a fic where Fisk has all the power, Matt can't bargain with or leave him. He has to concede.

I think I've written several different options using the above or a combination. It just depends what I want from them at any given time.

But genuinely, Matt loving Elektra despite her darker nature remains one of my greatest justifications for FiskMatt. It really shines a spotlight on the fact that Matt's choices are different than we would otherwise predict. My guy can ignore so much if he wants to.

[clairelsonao3]

Top 10 Character Essence

It's tag game time again!

@tabswrites and @hollyannewrites challenged (and I do mean challenged) me to name my top ten characters "decided by their essence or meaning to you."

  A challenge to give your Top 10 favourite characters, based on their ESSENCE. They have to be favourite characters that also have a deeper literary value, where you enjoy their specific role in the story, and this means that the list also should exclude characters that would normally count as favourites if for purely nostalgic reasons. They can be from film, tv, or written media, anything.

Thank you! I hope I fulfilled the challenge the way it was meant to be fulfilled!

Although TBH, I can't believe I'm even attempting to tackle this. I have to choose only 10? I think it goes without saying this list is not exhaustive, nor does it represent all of my favorite books/movies/media. I really did try to capture the question by focusing on "essence and meaning" (including how they've influenced my own writing and not just "random characters I like." I also have to attempt not to write an essay for each because we don't want to be here all night.

Charlotte Doyle (The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi) Rich girl in the early 1800s gets on a ship with a mutinous crew and an evil captain, joins the crew, defeats the captain using only her wits, miraculously makes it home, AND THEN DECIDES TO GO BACK TO SEA AND BECOME A SAILOR. I read this all in one sitting one night when I was about 15 (after avoiding it because I thought it looked boring) and then literally decided to reshape my entire life based on it (I'm not kidding). Yes, I actually took up sailing. Also, there's a hot sailor that she obviously has chemistry with but it's left unresolved, and no one has ever written a future fic about it to my knowledge, and that's a CRIME. So yeah, step right up.

John Bender (The Breakfast Club) He's not just the original '80s bad boy with a Dark and Troubled Past, but what most people forget about him is that he's also hilarious. It's a rare combination. Honorary mention to his love interest, Claire, and not just because of her name.

Fantine (Les Miserables by Victor Hugo) - Mostly the book version of her, though she obviously has a showstopping number in the musical as well. She was the sad, angsty character I needed during the most sad, angsty period of my life. She was a poor, lonely urchin who found fleeting love and happiness in the spring, got abandoned and pregnant in the winter -- and it only got worse from there. Also, apropos of nothing, at one point, I wrote a short story featuring a dog by the same name -- who, um, died.

The Artful Dodger/Dodger (Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens/Oliver & Company) - I'm including both the human version and the dog version of this character because I love them both (though I actually prefer the Disney movie, lol). They're both thieves with devil-may-care attitudes, with soft spots for those more vulnerable than themselves. Plus, the dog version is Billy Joel, wears sunglasses, and plays piano with his tail, which -- I don't care what anyone says -- will never not be cool.

Satine (Moulin Rouge) - She was the beautiful, sparkling, singing, dancing tragic sex goddess I so badly wanted to be. So much so that as recently as five years ago when I reluctantly dressed up for a Halloween party, I chose her silver-dress-and-top-hat ensemble.

Rick Blaine (Casablanca) The most endlessly quotable character from one of the most endlessly quotable and romantic movies of all time. He sticks his neck out for no one. Except, oops, wait, he does. The OG Hollywood antihero with a Dark and Troubled -- whatever, you know the drill. Plus, he's also my dad's favorite character in his favorite movie (and I discovered it because of him), and so this pick has sentimental meaning for me.

Leah Price (The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver) - When we read this book in high school, she was the least popular character, probably due to her unwavering love and support for her dad, even though he was a singular-focused religious zealot who destroyed his entire family by dragging them into the African jungle in an ill-thought-out missionary trip. And then she married a guy with some of the same qualities (but he was better, thankfully). But for whatever weird reason, I related to her most. Anyway, for class, I wrote and tried to perform a monologue where I played her but forgot 90 percent of my lines. Oh well.

Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden by France Hodgson Burnett, I found the movie version fairly meh) There were a lot of spunky, iconic childhood book heroines to choose from, but she was Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, and so I choose her. (I got told to "smile" a lot as a kid). Also, as I mentioned in a previous post, I was a Mary/Dickon shipper before I even knew what shipping meant.

Neal Caffrey (White Collar) - Does anyone remember this show? I have no attention span for TV, and this is probably the last scripted show I remember watching every episode of during its original run, which is saying something. Everything I know about being a con artist (in fiction, lol) I learned from this charming, charismatic art-forger-turned-FBI-consultant. I think he also has the honor of being the subject of the first actual fanfic I ever wrote.

Iris Chase Griffin (The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood) I also had to pick one character of my favorite author, so Iris gets the crown. She starts off the story as an old lady looking back to when she was forced to marry some rich asshole instead of the science fiction writer (with a past that was -- wait for it -- Dark and Troubled) who BOTH she and her sister loved, and meanwhile, her sister became a writer and when she died it was discovered that -- oh, just read the goddamn book, I won't spoil it for you here.

Honorable mentions, in no particular order:

Violet Westing (The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin)

Jack Kelly (Newsies the movie, NOT the stage musical)

Turonga Leela (Futurama)

Vicky Austin (The Austins by Madeleine L'Engle)

Jack Dawson and Rose Dewitt-Bukater (Titanic) I can't decide between them, so they're getting an HM.

Palaestrio and Milphidippa (Miles Gloriosus by Plautus) Same as above.

Michael Furey (The Dead by James Joyce) Who is, in fact, dead throughout the story -- but being alive wasn't one of the requirements.

I wish I could include a Star Wars character, but could never decide, so let's say, oh, all of them, except that one you hate.

In case the following people want to do what I did and spend several WEEKS on this fascinating but life-ruining (in a good way) tag game: @mysticstarlightduck @enne-uni @kixngiggles @obviousknife + OPEN TAG because you don't even have to be a writer for this one, so I'd be interested in hearing from anybody who wants to chime in!

[jaggedwolf]

2. Share your thoughts about Beau

Beau thoughts! Always Beau thoughts hour over here. Can you believe there are still Beau thoughts I haven't yelled at you yet? What a gal.

Don't think Beau cares much for fiction. She's canonically not much of a reader before the campaign, and once she gets into it she cares way more about the world's secrets and connections than a story. An adept, instinctive liar, it's warped truths that are her jam. She would've cared even less than we did about that long-ass cat story Caleb told Jester, except maybe as a lens through which to psychoanalyze Caleb, and I doubt she's one to go see a theatre show of her own accord. She'll dramatically read out lines from Jester's smut books though, she finds that funny. Her accidental ownership of Courting of the Crick (Jester bought it for Caleb, who didn't want it and gave it to Beau) is 50% because it was banned in the Empire, 30% lol Kryn smut, and 20% burgeoning history nerd

Beau is deeply embarrassed by how much the single incident of the monk kidnapping got to her. While I'm sure part of its lasting impact is the final parental rejection it signifies, exacerbated by the later letter she gets about TJ, I think a lot of it is the sheer helplessness of it. She had that young person's confidence in her own immortality and ability to get out of any scraps on her own merit, and gets hit by the one-two punch of needing her dad to bail her out of jail and then experienced parent-endorsed monk kidnapping which she could not escape due to a combination of emotional shock and plain physical inability. This seems quite pathetic to her, and is one of the reasons for sharded backstory strategy she employs. A Beau who left her parents of her own accord, heck, a Beau who got plain kicked out of home, would be a significantly different Beau at the start of the campaign.

Related: It was really really good for both Beau and the Nein as a whole that Beau was one of the rescuers in the Iron Shepards arc and not one of the rescued. You know how Fjord took it badly, having to be rescued at such a risk? I think Beau at that stage of the campaign would have taken it worse, in a more volatile way. Subtract the confidence boost of defeating Lorenzo's crew, add in a sense of debt of not carrying her own weight, oof, messy AU there.

IMO, the only worlds in which Beau's mom leaves Beau's dad are worlds in which Thoreau is societally condemned, which means I don't think of Clara as sooo much better than Thoreau. Only a little. I do think Beau is willing to give her way more grace because Thoreau did do worse shit, Beau has more of a complex about Thoreau, and Beau also just tends to give women more grace. (I don't think I'm making up that last bit lmao) So yeah, I can see a post-campaign Beau rebuilding her relationship with her mom or whatever, but I will be eternally judgy-eyed about the woman who sent her monk-kidnapped daughter a letter saying the Lionetts had been "granted their greatest wish and had a son". It is not a Thoreau move to tell Clara to send that letter.

Scrolling through the wiki about post-campaign canon, and while I abstractly respect all this "the Mighty Nein see each other regularly!" and "Beau has a good work-life balance" stuff...my favorite take on a post-campaign Beau will always be one who dives in full speed with Caleb into taking down the Cerberus Assembly, each of them barely pulling the other back from burnout, literal or metaphorical. An obsession that leaves them neglecting the others and themselves, yes.

I still think it would so funny for Beau to have a one-night stand with Astrid after the campaign (only once Trent's trial is complete ofc, what a professional) and then go oh shit...bro code.. Visits Caleb and go yo I slept with Astrid sorry if that wasn't cool and Caleb's immediate reaction is "are you sorry because she's my ex or because she's part of the Cerberus Assembly??" And then he goes, actually no, we will never speak of this again, because he's scared Beau will go into detail. (Beau wouldn't, Beau would only go into detail about hypothetical sex acts in front of Caleb, because it would scandalize him without revealing anything about herself, the perfect Beau troll bit.)

[pebblysand]

Hi Jo! I was reading your answer about what the Weasleys individually think about Harry and Ginny. Can you tell us what Fleur’s thoughts are? Do you think she sees a bit more or suspects something of Ginny’s behaviour and what might be behind it? I always thought that she and Ginny got closer especially because of Teddy and Victorie, do you see that happening?

I was really glad you left in the wedding, it was great to see the Weasleys interact a bit. It was a great chapter as always! Thank you! 😊

hi there! thank you for your kind words, i'm glad you enjoyed!

okay, so i'm sorry to come at you from the get-go with my pet peeve but... it's Victoire. (pronounced: veek-twar). not Victorie. not Victoria. not Victiore. not Voiture. not All of The Other Combinations of Letters i have seen 😭. i'm sorry this is like my one fandom pet peeve and the one thing that will make my skin crawl.

this being said, i think you've actually got two questions there:

Can you tell us what Fleur’s thoughts are? Do you think she sees a bit more or suspects something of Ginny’s behaviour and what might be behind it?

honestly, no, i don't think so. i think fleur has a lot going on that first year after the war, and i don't think she particularly cares about ginny or the weasleys at large lol. they're... her in-laws, you know? she doesn't hate them but they were never particularly nice to her and so while i think she tolerates them, i don't think she has an interest in befriending them and i don't think she really cares about what they're doing. she cares about bill and their daughter, sure, but that's about it. that's why i love fleur so much: she is so self-confident she actually gives no fucks. and, also, i think she would see actively caring and meddling with ginny's life (asking her questions, etc.) as invasive. so, i think regarding ginny, honestly, she probably hasn't even noticed. maybe bill has mentioned it, in which case fleur was probably like "well, she is pretty of course she's dating."

if it went beyond that and she knew she was sleeping around... i honestly think fleur would judge her - in her head. i think she'd be like "ginny isn't respecting herself". she wouldn't say it and she wouldn't worry, because french people would never say that (other people's sex lives are very much considered their private lives and something that isn't to be meddled with) but in her head yeah, she'd probably judge. i think fleur comes from a pretty traditional background and has quite conservative views on things, to be honest.

i also don't think she would think ginny's behaviour is a reaction to anything. i don't think it would occur to fleur. i think fleur is someone who very much believes in individual responsibility and doesn't really believe in people having "excuses" for "bad" behaviour. she holds herself and other people to very high standards. she'd be the kind of person who, if you called her in a mental health crisis, would be like "call a therapist, what do you want me to do about it?" 🤣

I always thought that she and Ginny got closer especially because of Teddy and [Victoire], do you see that happening?

having said that, yes, i totally see that happening. maybe not right after the war but a few years later, when they both have kids. because a) fleur is hilarious and i think ginny would grow to appreciate that and b) fleur is someone who values strength and courage, qualities ginny (and herself) very much share.

and, don't get me wrong: if, say, ginny had told fleur about amycus, fleur would have been the first one to start a crusade against this man, literally eviscerate him and his sister, and piss on his grave after his death lol. but, she's not the cajoling type, you know?

[joeey-dee]

Do you have any Oliver headcannons? /gen

Yes, so many… don’t even know where to start, lol. 

Most are pre-Gambit, and who he was before. The show gave us very little information and what they did give us was a bit contradictory or the sources weren’t that reliable; the press, Oliver himself. And I know this statement probably seems a bit strange, how can Oliver not be a reliable source about his past? Well, it’s very simple, Oliver has a very negative view of himself, he also has the tendency to shoulder the blame for everything and twist and turn events around in his mind until he found a version of events that would make him the bad guy and solely responsible for all the bad that happened to people he cared about. 

This is shown very well during that scene by the fire with Sara on Lian Yu, when he apologizes to her and he pretty much tells her if it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be there. This scene also brings something else with it that makes me appreciate it and Sara a lot, because different than most people in his life, Sara points out how ridiculous the notion that he is responsible for her being on Lian Yu with him is, that he did not force her, and that he wasn’t even the main reason why she joined him on the Gambit. That she is responsible for her own choices and the consequences that came with them. 

And even though, she „absolves“ him of his guilt, Oliver never stopped blaming himself and feeling responsible for what happened to Sara. Coming home and having people put all the blame back on him again didn’t help the situation.

So, the way Oliver sees the person he was pre-Gambit is not objective because the people in his life act as if he had been horrible, but the few flashbacks we got, some of the stories we got, show something different. Sure he made some serious mistakes, he was pretty much out of control (might not have been had his parents parented more instead of letting him get away with anything and everything and made things go away by throwing money at the situation instead of trying to find out why Oliver was acting the way he was. It worked with Thea, once Moira stepped up, Thea acted out less.) 

If you asked me, and this is one of my major head canons which pretty much bleeds into all of my stories, Oliver was already having serious mental issues before the Gambit. Mentally stable, and healthy people who literally have the world at their feet and all the opportunities there are, do not get drunk to the point of punching a paparazzo or peeing on a cop regularly. They do not sabotage a seemingly perfect relationship by cheating repeatedly. They do not throw their life away and waste their potential, and Oliver had a lot, he is highly intelligent.

I think the partying and drinking was both an escape and a cry for help.

I personally think Oliver was the poster child of the upper echelon that we see so often in the magazines or on TV. The ones most people are envious of because they believe simply by having been born into such a privileged world their lives are perfect. Yet, what most of us never see or consider is the pressure and expectations that come with that privilege or in Oliver’s case last name. To me it appeared he had no say or control over his life and future, he didn’t want to work for QC, but it was clear to his parents that he would. He didn’t seem to enjoy school or actually want to get a college education, he dropped out of four, yet he was forced to get one. It’s a juxtaposition he was in, on the one hand the sky was the limit, there was nothing he couldn’t do, because he owned more money than most people can even wrap their heads around and money can open a lot of doors that otherwise would stay shut, Oliver also seems to be a thrill seeker and that is a dangerous combination. I’d say, it is a pretty fair assessment that Oliver didn’t just drink a lot but also used drugs. Again, going by what I know about that societal class, it’s not difficult to believe that drugs were easy to come by at those parties. On the other hand, he was trapped in a life and a future he didn’t want; going to college, taking over QC. I think that can really mess with you. 

Oliver is also a bit of a people pleaser and he hates to hurt people and he also really doesn’t like confrontation or talking about his feelings. Which I think played a huge part in the issues he and Laurel ended up having. Plus when he did actually share his feelings, she didn’t take them seriously. 

What always bothers me is the way people act as if Oliver is a horrible person, which just shows me they obviously haven’t tried to see his side of the story, which just boggles my mind since the show is supposedly his story. Oliver is such a troubled and misunderstood person, but like Raisa said, he was a good boy, with a good heart, and that never changed. Oliver has a heart of gold and he just wants to see the people he loves happy and to help where he can. 

I trust Raisa and Thea’s view on pre-Gambit Oliver a lot more than Oliver’s. And yes, Thea’s might have to be taken with a small grain of salt too, because she was so young, he was her big bro and she idolized him, but would she have idolized him if he had been a bad big brother? I doubt it, and I think the way he treated Thea, made her a priority in his life even with their almost ten year age difference says a lot about the kind of person and older brother he was. 

Thank you so much for that question, I hope I answered it, not sure since I feel I got a little off track and it turned more into a ramble, sorry about that. If not, don’t hesitate to send another question, or if you want specifics, just ask and I try to answer them as well as I can. But one of my major head canons is that Oliver has always been a good guy, even before the Gambit, he was just troubled and struggling.

[bikelock28]

I’ve read a lot of your Black family centric stories on Ao3 and I’ve noticed that Sirius essentially treats Regulus as a punching bag in most of them(for lack of a better word lol). It does definitely show a more nasty and not exactly justified side of Sirius, but at the same time- I understood that it was the result of many factors(his upbringing, being a teenager, general life stuff, dealing with anger and frustration) and it does help to explain his actions, even if it doesn’t excuse them.

My question for you- do you think Sirius did care for his brother at all or was it really just dislike/anger/resentment? Most of the interactions I’ve read between the two brothers in your stories are fairly negative, but I see it as Sirius just being extremely frustrated with a lot of things and Regulus being the easiest person to take that out on(because in “An Autumn” at least, he really can’t fight back against the adults in his family 🤷‍♀️). His behavior and actions towards Regulus are certainly harsh and negative, but at the same time I’ve never believed that Sirius actually hated his brother(even if canon and a lot of fanfic shows they had a rocky relationship to say the least XD). I was also curious to know how you thought Sirius reacted to his death(perhaps both publicly and/or privately depending on how he found out) and do you think his opinion on Regulus would have changed at all if he knew what happened in the Cave? (My personal answer is yes, but it also depends on when and how Sirius finds out)

Anyway, I’ve really enjoyed your writing and I especially like your stories about the Blacks even if they do always feel rather intense and emotionally draining by the end XD

Thank you for your reviews, and for this thoughtful question. You’ve clearly thought a lot about my writing and how it’s shaped your headcanon. Thank you very much. Did Sirius did care for his brother at all or was it really just dislike/anger/resentment? 

Both. Anger is caring. To not care would be callous indifference- which I wrote that Sirius pretends to others, and perhaps to himself, is what he feels. But to bully someone the way he does Regulus is clearly not that.

If you meant “care for” as in love…it’s hard to say because most of S and R’s active relationship was when they were children, so had a different understanding of love to adults and teenagers. I think when Sirius was a child, if he saw Regulus in a burning building or about to fall off a cliff, he would have saved him. But I don’t know if that counts as love necessarily.

As for when they grow up and S runs away…it can be very difficult stop loving your family, even if you want to stop loving them. “Can’t help loving you even though I wish I didn’t” isn’t just a trope for romantic relationships. 

This is not something I’ve experienced personally, and even if I had, all family estrangements are different so it’s hard to say. I tried to avoid Walburga’s chapter of Bottle becoming too We Need To Talk About Kevin, but that comparison seems relevant here- she knows her son’s done something terrible (from her perspective), and she hates him and herself for it, but she also can’t help but love him.

I was also curious  to know how you thought Sirius reacted to his death(perhaps both publicly and/or privately depending on how he found out).

Backtracking to R joining the DEs in the first place: it was after S ran away and left school, so they wouldn’t have been each other for a while. Plus Sirius and his friends are in the Order, and people from school are in the DEs. So I don’t think it would have been a huge shock to Sirius, although I do think privately he would have been angrily disappointed and betrayed. Family can make you feel that way, right? “I feel let down and furious even though I saw this coming”.

When Regulus dies, Sirius has experienced the death of friends/colleagues in the Order, and presumably some combination of the Potter/Evans parents. It’s fun to write him as a badass carefree 20-year-old, but all of that generation are surrounded by so much death. So the R’s death, despite him being S’s brother, might seem insignificant to Sirius in amongst all the deaths of A. The Good Guys, B. People S actually knows and cares about. That’s definitely what he’d tell people. And he’d probably say R was a prick, an idiot, “one less of those bastards to worry about eh?”. 

But of course it couldn’t be insignificant could it? This is his brother. I think privately S would be quite jarred and unmoored by it. It would make him feel very disconnected from his family because the R he’d imagine in his head would be a few years younger than the R who died. Again, even if you want to be disconnected to your family, a reminder of it can be uncomfortable.

Selfishly S also be worried the Order would be more suspicious of him and his connections. 

I think he might possibly open up to the Marauders about this after a couple of drinks. But I don’t think he would actually mourn R.

do you think his opinion on Regulus would have changed at all if he knew what happened in the Cave? 

Of course. S never thinks of R as brave, and what R did in the cave was extremely brave- both in what he had to do, and because he was betraying Voldemort. I think S would be surprised and impressed by this. He’d realise that perhaps he didn’t know Regulus at all. But he also knows he didn’t want to and R still joined the DEs, so I don’t think this realisation would make S feel regretful. 

[glowyjellyfish]

…and I just finished Ducktales! Here are some semi-random notes on episodes roughly in order:

1. Okay, i’ll admit I am a little sick of kids’ shows always feeling obliged to stick a Real Santa in, but Ducktales did it perfectly. Super appreciate that they even made Santa a contemporary of Scrooge, because what could be more fitting or accurate?

2. The last Fenton episode was great, poor tiny anxious Huey. And Fenton was not faring much better but at least he had a girlfriend to show for it. Also, Mark Beaks acting like a stalker with a crush towards Gizmoduck, which is peak Beaks right there. And I loooove that Huey brought in Louie to lie for him, and didn’t even think to tell him about Fenton! Lol Dewey knew because he was right there when Gizmoduck debuted, Huey figured it out quickly when Gizmoduck was in front of him fighting crime, and Louie never even had a scene with Fenton or Gizmoduck until that moment did he? L O L.

3. I am still a little bit salty that the Talespin episode didn’t even mention Launchpad, but i get why now, it was all about following in the footsteps of the mentors and there really wasn’t room for Launchpad. I will just politely headcanon that Stunt Pilot Molly Cunningham is friendly rivals with Launchpad’s sister. And maybe that Della got home and promptly told Launchpad he is no longer the worst pilot she’s ever met.

4. I’m impressed how many flashbacks they crammed into The Life and Crimes of Scrooge McDuck! And also, Poe! I don’t think even 1987 Ducktales ever gave us Person Poe. Aw how cool. I feel pretty bad for Magica with that story. Scrooge really was a bit of a dick to her, and I’m glad that’s the one he owned up and took responsibility for. As an Animorphs fan, you really do not want to accidentally lose a loved one in bird form. Birds have short short lives.

5. THE FINALE.

A. Definitely felt like we suddenly hit fast forward and had to cram a ton in at crazy speeds, but Ducktales pulled it off!

B. I cannot BELIEVE they crammed a gargoyles reference in there too, Frank Angones you madman. With the addition of Keith David this truly was the correct thing to watch after I finished Community s6. It was practically the same cast!

C. Impeccable division of teams, so that everybody went up against the appropriate villain, teams were logical, and banter was beautiful

D. DARKWING AND GIZMODUCK AND LAUNCHPAD. OMG. I still would like to have approximately twelve seasons worth of bantering between Darkwing and Gizmoduck, and Fenton and Drake, and all combinations in between. Launchpad is everybody’s sidekick, EXCEPT WHEN HE PUTS ON THE GIZMO SUIT AND GETS TO SHINE. AWWWW LAUNCHPAD.

E. Okay I’m going to ramble about Launchpad some more for just a minute here. First, Launchpad’s subconscious has been struggling to tell everyone this intel the whole time??? And without his double-o mission they would have been stuck at square one?!? HOORAY LAUNCHPAD HELPED! Also, who is the first character to say “isn’t family the greatest adventure of all?” or most of it at least, that’s right, Launchpad! He is the HEART and I love him and I am very proud of him.

F. Back to Fenton and Drake, I am now going to assume that both of my suggested scenarios happened. Fenton had a long day and said something like “ugh, don’t even talk to me about Gizmoduck!”, then Drake took that as his cue to start griping about Gizmoduck, and Fenton just awkwardly agreed to be polite at first, and Drake was like “haha, yes! He clearly hates Gizmoduck too! My new buddy!” Also, I find it hilarious that Darkwing refuses to consider the possibility that Fenton is Gizmoduck, possibly because he likes Fenton too much? Which is great. I loved the classic versions getting on each other’s nerves every which way in Tiff of the Titans, but this is an extremely lovable dynamic as well. Especially that Fenton got frustrated enough to try to just tell him. These guys are terrible at secret identities, and yet still Fenton somehow managed to have one from Drake, and from Louie. Somehow.

G. Hooray, I finally know the thing about Webby properly! And yes, there was a TON of foreshadowing and themes about nature vs nurture all over the place throughout this show, omg! Especially as other clones we have seen on the show were (usually?) exact duplicates, while there is no question that Webby is fully her own person, despite having clear streaks of Scrooge in her. Which, to be fair, also could have just come from growing up around him! I wish there was more time to get to know May and June, and I love the way Beakley just kinda… bluescreened and went off on her own over Webby.

H. Seeing Scrooge and Donald and Della together in action was glorious. Surely we saw it before, can’t remember, buuuuut still glorious.

I. also aaaaaaaa Huey’s woodchucking skills saving the day, the parallel with the villain coming together nicely

J. and all the kids getting to shine too!

Okay, I’m sure I forgot a ton of important stuff as I just sat down and started rambling. Now I can look at TVTropes and the whole rest of tumblr and AO3 and everything!