#most things and doesnt have much of a drive to do things for her own sake

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for avoiding my husband on purpose, like, all the time? my husband (m36) and i (f34) have been married for almost 10 years (anniversary in a few months). we have 3 kids (m10, f8, f1) and he works full time while i stay at home. even before we got married i didnt really have friends other than him, and i always had a hard time finding excuses to get out of the house. frequently, he gets to hang out with his buddies who he also works with, and ever since we had kids he's always going out and leaving me home alone even when hes not at work just to idk. hang out at bars and pretend we don't exist. well lately ive been making time for myself to go out when the kids are at school (my youngest is pretty well behaved so i just take her with me instead of paying a babysitter) and i had managed to get kinda friendly with some of the wives of my husbands coworkers (theyre all members of the same union, so we see each other at those functions every once in awhile). i thought it was all going well and i was having fun and enjoying getting to be social for once, but about 2 weeks ago, the whole family was invited out for lunch (a picnic type thing) with his buddies from work's families. all was going well and for the most part even the kids were having fun, but then my husband got absolutely fucking trashed for no reason. none of the other guys were acting like that, and we've had conversations about him not doing that sort of thing, but he NEVER listens. he's always acting like this, but usually i dont have to see when its in public. well he embarrassed me so fucking much. he was trying to start fights, messing up his clothes, and wouldn't listen to me at all. just in his own world as always. i should've known because its been a decade of this, but i could have sworn it wasn't this bad before. he wasn't like this when we dated you know? so we got home and i was just. grossed out and annoyed. i slept on the couch and pretty much ever since then, i haven't been talking to him. i got a text from one of the ladies saying that a wednesday hangout thing i had been invited to had been canceled, but i pretty much KNOW 100% that it wasn't, and that they just don't want to be associated with me now. the kids don't really seem bothered by the tension around the house (i think its sort of normal to them since hes frequently not around anyways). i wouldn't be near as annoyed if there wasn't a part of my brain telling me "he did it on purpose". i know that's just how he acts but i could SWEAR its almost like he just doesnt want me to have friends. he doesn't want to hear about it, he just wants me THERE at home, watching the kids and existing solely for his convenience. i used to consider divorce, before we had our youngest. but i haven't had a job since high school, and i couldnt put the burden of asking for help on my sisters. they hate him, but i couldnt ask them for that support. and i dont even know what the kids would think, i cant do that to them. but yesterday, my husband brought it up (cornered me in our room pretty much) and asked why i was ignoring him. what if he really didnt know why? i TOLD him, but its like he forgot or just expects me to be "over it" by now. all i wanted was just this one thing, to HAVE FRIENDS, have that time away from being just "mom" and do what i want. he gets to do that so why cant i? or AT LEAST he could put some more effort into being around and doing things as a family? but i still wonder if im being the asshole, for giving him the cold shoulder for this long. he didnt have a happy childhood or good examples for parents so maybe he just thinks this is normal? i never asked because i assumed he knew it wasn't. and he does seem like, disappointed that i wont come to bed. maybe ive been driving him off and that's why he doesnt like to come home? idk at this point, im at a loss. aita?

[ganondoodle]

random thought about the memory system

a big difference between why botws memories worked so well but totks didnt is mainly bc in botw, there wasnt that much plot, you kinda knew what was up by the time you left the tutorial, all memories serve you just as well as link, sending you around a hyrule you dont know, the few scenes of main characters do a good job of giving you an idea of who they are, but the majority is focused on zelda and link, why she acted to cold to him at first and later became friends, the characterization being not jsut in memories but also in how people remember them, their diary etc, when you meet their ghosts theres a familiarity to how they talk to you, they know and care about you, its like giving you late friend one last visit; getting memories out of order really doesnt hurt that characterization and overall it really just serves to flesh out the past and what made this world the way you see it now but mainly it gives you characters

in totk, its ... the main plot driving thing, you are here for the story now more than the world bc you know the world already, besides the sages stuff (that isnt much either besides some legends that apprently were always a thing but never popped up until now), its basically the entire plot and it all hinges on it, its trying to be both plot and character introduction AND characterization, which it simply cant do; we already know zelda and what shes like, but its like the game itself doesnt know what to do with her now, she doesnt do anything, she stands around listenign to strangers talk, whenever she says anything shes dismissed or it simply doesnt matter, the most she does is go around to faceless and nameless sages of old we dont know nor care about in a damn near copy paste scene begging them to help link of the far future somehow even tho they really have no reason to and then she swallows a stone bc she has literally no other choice; fleshing out the past doesnt work either bc this past is so far removed from anything of the world and people you know that theres simply no meaningful connection to make you really care, there are no characters alive that knew the people of old ...except mineru and rauru are still there, but then dont tell you shit, theres so much you dont know about them, their world or history and they dont tell you anything bc *gestures vaguely* ?? even ganondorf only says some standard villain stuff that tells us pretty much nothing about him nor rauru, no one in your time asking you who the hell that ghost powered robot is? no she sits in her robot somewhere deep underground (how does she even get out of there at the end, she needed you to drive her around to her own temple after all) given how straight up obsessed hyrules entire population is with sonau stuff they sure dont do anything with a literal person from that time and then at the end she jsut goes poof, welp, guess we will never, sure, fine keep your secrects; getting the memories out of order destroys literally any kind of story that was there, like it wasnt predicatble from like memory 3 to where it would go (predicable can be good but in this case its boring as hell) anyway

.. theres more i could talk about but this is already longer than intended and i want to do other things but this with my evening, you probably heard most of my problems with this game in my rants by now anyway

[marinetteplztakeabreak]

The arc with the resistance in ml season five???? Is so good????????????? The way that???? Its been going on low-key for a while????? But theres this Massive Shift this season where literally the entire miracuclass stops running away from akumas or hiding???? And its like???? The fear is GONE by the end of the season???? Theyre not scared anymore theyre just pissed off????? At the system???? Not at the akumatized victims???? But also its not a “babying the akumas” thing either like when gabe is akumatized theyre like “WRONG BAD” at him????? Same with chloé???? But like the entire class will see a butterfly and start running TOWARDS it because theyre like “oh no someone needs help goddamit i gotta get there before hawkmoth” and they dont always win and they dont beat themselves up about it???? Like in confrontation, Juleka got akumatized despite their best efforts and theyre all like “ugh this sucks” but no one’s giving up hope or anything???????

And!!!!! The way that the anti-akuma charms work in that episode??????!?!??!?? The way the fandom has this trend of thinking like,,,, the only way to escape akumas is to push emotions away deep deep down,,,, thats how marinette and adrien have kind of been operating?!???? But then it’s revealed on no uncertain terms that the powerups of the anti akuma charms are reactive to emotions?????!?! That pushing things down doesnt help?? you have to Fight Back and FEEL on your own terms and accept others’ help and feelings?????

Juleka shutting down and curling up into a ball and trying to disapear didnt work!!!but her yelling about how its not fair and shes proud of mr damocles despite it all???? like??? Catalyzed the entire anti akuma charm shield thing???????

The way that this season has shown time and again that it’s okay to be mad and frustrated and hate the system and its okay to feel trapped and scared but you have to learn to reach out and find a good outlet for those emotions even if that outlet is yelling with your friends???? instead of isolating yourself and pushing away people who have your best interest at heart????? And lying and pretending it’s okay doesn’t help but looking for bits of real joy and support amidst the chaos does???

The way that ladybug and chat noir started this season as The Most Alone Theyve Ever Been with the miracle box stolen??? and realized by the end that no one needs powers to be heroes??? they just need to be able to trust each other and take turns carrying Hope for the group and remembering whats worth fighting for!? and as long as theres a drive to fight theres always little victories to celebrate??????????!??

(Also the way that Nino—who heads the resistance—literally calls everyone in his group including Bustier Comrade and the way that they talk about how sometimes it feels like no one’s listening and revolution is the only way?? and the way they address fears about spyware and technology only benefitting the elites and the school system being designed without students’ well-being in mind and environmental terror and the police being corrupt and they take all of that and they say “it is Still a worthy battle and it sucks but you are going to be okay,,, just do not give in to hopelessness… find the people who will help you keep fighting and keep believing in a better future and Cherish Them”)

People complain about this show going “off the rails” as it’s switching its target audience and addressing more “mature” themes or whatever but like do you guys understand how much every single narrative decision makes me scream

[yantooning]

Hi! I've been on quite the gravity falls kick lately, so it's so nice to see someone writing for that fandom!

I was wondering if you could please write some Headcanons about Ford Pines (romantic) and Stan, Dipper and Mabel (platonic) taking care of a reader who's chronically ill and/or recovering from surgery?

I just got diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and it's kinda bumming me out, and I also am prepping for a really big scary jaw surgery. In case you're wondering about symptoms and such, the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis are just a lot of pain and inflammation in my finger and knee joints - I always wear compression gloves and knee sleeves to help with that, alongside using antiinflammatory gels.

As for the jaw surgery, I won't have my jaw wired shut (thank God) but I'll still have trouble talking and will need to be on a liquid diet for awhile, as well as just being in an insane amount of pain. I imagine the Pines would come up with a 'thumbs up or thumbs down ' system for that sort of thing, and Mabel would insist on making all sorts of soft dishes herself. There would be a LOT of milkshakes and ice cream lol.

You can choose either one of these scenarios you feel most comfortable with, but I'd be ecstatic if you could do both! But I understand if that's not possible, so it's up to you. Have a great day, I'm wishing you the best hun 🥰

hi there!! id be happy to complete your request :) im chronically ill as well (i have a load of illnesses but my chronic pain stems from fibro and EDS, which is not super fun) and have had a handful of surgeries so i understand completely how it can be such a bummer!! prepare for some gravith falls lovins >:) hope your recovery goes well and everything goes smoothly for you!! wishing you sm love and care!!

THE PINES X READER RECOVERING FROM SURGERY!

ford pines x reader (romantic), platonic pines twins + stan

general headcanons

ford does SO MUCH research prepping for surgery. like to the point of he knows more about the entire procedure + your condition and how to care for you than you yourself!

hes just so nervous even if its a low risk surgery, he just doesnt wanna see you in any pain!! hes gotten surgery before too (metal plate in his head) so he also knows a bit of what the recovery process is like.

dipper does his own research as well, not as extensive as his great uncle but enough to know what to look out for and how to care for you just in case he's needed. also so that he can tell mabel to stop doing something because lets face it she is very chaotic LOL

she means the absolute best but she's never gotten surgery nor is she chronically ill, and for someone recovering, could be a bit over stimulating.

stan doesnt do research but he DOES make the den all nice and cozy for you once youve returned from your surgery. he allows you to use the chair he normally reclines in and has a fold up table situated next to it with anything you could possibly need. he doesnt say much but he shows he cares by doing this, and you appreciate it so much

mabel sews you custom compression sleeves, socks, braces, you name it! that girl is crafty as hell and her love language is making things.

dipper isn't as creative as his sister, or crafty, but he's always offering to make med runs for you if you're too tired to go!! he likes being able to help in any way he can, and doesn't mind driving out of town to get anything you need.

ford probably figures out his own sciency or magical recipe for a topical gel for you! hes wicked smart and wants to ease your pain in every possible way he can. hes putting all of his phds to use!!!

stan also has arthritis!! a different version, but he understands your pain. he's got a load of orthopedic equipment he's happy to let you use. he knows how much of a sucker his brother is for you, and you're an important part of the family. he'll do what he can to help out!!

scenario

"We're back!" Ford's voice exclaimed from the doorway, helping you slowly walk in and sat down in Stan's recliner, which had been set up at the perfect angle for you to lay comfortably. Ford carefully helps you into the chair as two pairs of footsteps can be heard coming down the stairs (one pair running excitedly and the other walking at a fast pace).

"They're still a little loopy from the anesthesia, and can't really talk, so we'll be doing the thumbs system we talked about earlier, kids," Ford said, gently stroking your hair in a soothing manner whilst talking to Dipper and Mabel.

"I MADE YOU A GET WELL SWEATER!!! Waddles tried eating it but I made sure it was completely in tack for you when you got back!" Mabel said to you excitedly, proudly presenting her sweater. It was a red rust color, with the words "Get Well Soon!!" hand stitched to it. Sweaters were her love languahe, you had discovered while living with the Pines family (cue your closet, having its own section dedicated to Mabel sweaters).

You managed a small smile and a shaky thumbs up, and this was enough to make Mabel happily set it on the folding table next to the recliner. Dipper look like he was struck with an idea, and rushed into the kitchen, grabbing your pain medication and a glass of water.

He gently set it on the table next to you, and you gave another shaky thumbs up.

"Sorry about that, Grunkle Stan told me to set that out but I got so absorbed in the new journal," He said sheepishly, and you gave a small shrug to let him know you weren't upset.

"Ooh! That reminds me, dinner is on MABEL TONIGHT!" Mabel happily exclaimed, fist pumping the air excitedly. She was rarely allowed in the kitchen, or more specifically, near the oven. Even if she wouldn't be cooking anything, the thought of caring for someone and making them a dinner of ice cream and smoothies was very appealing to her.

At some point you had fallen asleep, Ford sitting on the couch next to you gently holding your hand. Stan had joined him on the couch while the two watched TV. Ford eventually too took a small nap on the couch while still grasping your hand.

When you awoke, it was to Mabel gently tapping your shoulder, careful not to harm you.

"I hate wake you up, you and Grunkle Ford were so cute!! It was definitely a scrapbookortunity... But I have your dinner!! Vanilla and chocolate ice cream with a strawberry banana smoothie!! Courtesy of Mabel," she added the last part with a playful wink before handing you the bowl and setting the smoothie on the table.

You could hear Stan and Dipper in the kitchen while Ford slowly woke up from his nap on the couch. He rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses before glancing at you lovingly. How you could still look so lovable after getting surgery and ravenously eating ice cream, he wasn't sure. But he loved you so much he didn't question it.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to your forehead, mumbling a small greeting against it. You slowed your eating and gave a weak smile, to which he happilt returned.

Yeah, you were glad you had the Pines while you recovered. You wouldn't have anyone else.

[paragonrobits]

so i was reading some complaints about how Marceline is only really present in Fionna And Cake in a brief snippet and then only in AUs, and then it occured to me: Marceline not being around in an active way is necessary for the plot to happen.

Essentially, the plot of Fionna And Cake might be summarized as 'longing the magical life, Fionna and Cake flee from a Lawful Neutral cosmic killjoy and enlist the help of Simon Petrikov who agrees to become Ice King again, but is explicitly not telling them about what this is going to do to him'. The story is essentially about Simon WANTING to become Ice King while at the same time really not wanting to do that at all, pressuring himself into losing himself once more because he thinks its the only way for him to be needed by anyone anymore.

If Marceline is around, this doesn't happen. She is Simon's biggest reason for staying; she's the happiest part of his life, the most fulfilling and rewarding part of his life. It comes up, time and time again, that in the end becoming Ice King was the best thing to happen to Simon despite all its misery, suffering and tragedy because he otherwise would never have met her; he wouldn't have survived the great mushroom war, or the horrors following it, and would have died long before ever meeting her.

And the show details how INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT Simon raising her really was. The Marceline we know was shaped, by a massive degree, by Simon; his example of self-sacrifice, him letting his mind disintegrate by inches, him going out of his way to help a complete stranger and a monstrous child horrifying by the standards of the setting, all implciitly RIGHT after Marceline's mother died and Marceline had resigned herself to being a scary monster that drives everyone away. And then here came a stranger out of the blue, and spent the next few years telling her that yes, she DID matter, she was a person, and that he cared about her so much he destroyed himself so she wouldn't get hurt... or perhaps because her only means of defending herself, ripping out the souls of others, hurts who she is.

It's not a nice kind of comfort. But it still shaped her into someone willing to be a hero in her own way.

And this goes both ways; we can see that the proverbial straw for Simon is him calling Marceline and concluding that she doesn't need him anymore. It's only after this he starts trying to contact Golbetty, with the potential doom that may befall him. If Marceline doesn't need him, he seems to think, he doesn't matter. The need to be needed runs deep in Simon's character; its what draws him to help Fionna and Cake, and the worlds they visit seem to impart a lesson to him on how he matters more than he thinks he does, both by the things he's done and what he means to others; that he's not as bad a person as he thinks he is, or that Marceline would be fine without him.

So. If Marceline talks more to Simon, ESPECIALLY after he resolves to throw his progress away and let his mind be lost all over again just so he doesn't have to hurt anymore... well, his character arc in this series is about accepting that he's actually ok, the way he is, and to gain perspective on his feelings that he doesn't belong anywhere (and the answer is that he DOES, more than he knows). Marceline doesn't inhibit that, but she WOULD make it harder for it to happen, arguably at the cost of sidelining Simon's character arc here. He would pretend that okay he doesnt want to be Ice King even if he DOES still intend to go through with it, and not in the same way as when he comes to the conclusion that he ultimately does.

If Marceline is there, he doesn't think those thoughts, and he won't come to the same conclusion.

And at the same time, despite not being there, Marceline's presence hangs over the entire show in Simon's character arc. She is the best thing in his life; his greatest success, the most purely positive and happy part of his life. It can't be understated how significant Marceline is; as miserable as Ice King was, she was someone he cared about even if he didn't understand why anymore. Ice King shows a remarkable amount of restraint in context, but it becomes a lot more obvious whenever she's involved, or in danger; a care so deep and ingrained that when Ice King was often pretty callous, whenever she was upset you could see flickers on his face, genuine distress rising up from some forgotten memory or part of who he is.

Marceline pervades Simon's character and the impact he had on the world; the idea of him being able to pull through this and come back to Ooo for her feels very evident, and the impact Simon has in her in other worlds remains extremely important in all of them, sub-textually or otherwise. Sometimes, its a hint that the Winter King is far more morally ambiguous or even malicious than he lets on (the only Marceline present being an eternal child that, from context, is just a simulcrum for him to play pretend parent with) or evidence that without Simon, Marceline grows up into the monster she always feared she was (Vampire World).

She's a presence, hanging over Simon in a good way and reminding us that not only does he have somewhere to go back to, he must understand that he does belong there. And furthermore that the world of Ooo, whimsical and ultimately a better one than most of the places he visits in the miniseries, can only exist because of him.

In Winter King, we see what he could become, without his moral choices. In Vampire World, we see what happens without Simon Petrikov. And in Marceline herself, we see the surest evidence of how important he really is, even if he can't or won't acknowledge it. In his loved ones, in the family he made, even if its not the family he thought he was supposed to have.

[basilpaste]

hey hey do yall want my incoherent classpect rambles for the isat cast that i wrote while half asleep at 2 am?? too late!!!

odile is a heart player. 'oh but basil!! shouldnt she be a mind player or something?' no. the core of her character is her identity and lack thereof. shes intelligent and strong willed and has an innate understanding of many things. she cares for others deeply in a way she keeps close to her chest. mage of heart? she understands people but feels separate from them. i think her repeatedly almost clocking siffrin is also something that feels right for a mage of heart. despite sharing a classpect with meulin, shes less of a leijon heart player and more of a dirk one. if that makes sense.

mira is a maid of hope. this is an easy one. she could also be breath, i also see breath, because… change. but her character is so tied to the idea of hope that its gotta be. other peoples hope for her, the pressure she puts on herself because of that, that stuff. shes a maid not just for the housemaiden thing but because maids are 'fixers'. it ties nicely into her quest to save her home and also the fact that shes the only one who can. i also think her lack of belief in herself is a very 'hope' thing. jake is a pretty prime example of a hope player who doesnt hold hope for themself as much as for others.

i!!!! like mind player isabeau!!!! i think odile heart and isa mind is very good!!! im thinking heir of mind isa. heirs are passive which works well with isa being the character who gives the team the most buffs! heir of mind reads 'im going to weaken my enemies and bring up my team' to me. hes a smart guy. he knows hes smart. even when he lets people walk all over his intelligence. hes shockingly bad at handling his own emotions despite being good with other peoples. hes a loyal and trusting guy who often finds himself lost within the gap between who he is and who hes perceived as.

bonnies a range player. thumbs up. anger and fear are their driving forces for a lot of the game. theyre deeply emotional at the best of times. theyre a kid with a lot on their plate. this makes sense. i kind of like rogue of rage for them? their feelings tend to instill emotion within the rest of the party. even the idea of them being hurt drives a protectiveness in the adults. in the same way, they can steal away peoples emotion and mellow them out by being the most emotional person in the room.

also i like the symmetry of two aspect pairs with sif being alone. which leads me to:

sif is a time player. an argument could be made for him being a space player. but they are a time player because of the fucking. time loops they manifested for themself. sifs a knight. hes a knight of time. yes like dave strider but also because they are. every action they take is for their family. the time loop they stick themself in is because he wants to continue to be with them. knights serve. they push away their own thoughts and feelings for the sake of protecting those they feel an obligation towards. get back to the stage, siffrin.

loop is also a knight of time! hope this helps!! but theyre an arguably less stable knight? their influence in the story is mostly from the sidelines. they dont have control over anything anymore. they watch as the same thing happens over and over and over again. i think that seeing that and knowing that you not only caused it but you cant directly do anything to stop it is the worst punishment a knight could possibly receive.

[scrollonso]

i have come to the realization that waiting room by pheobe bridgers is the most first kiss strollonso song ever.

let me explain.

If you were a teacher, I would fail your class. Take it over and over 'til you noticed me

I feel like the hint at a teacher-student thing shouldn't be taken as a taboo in this context because (not only is the age gap smaller but) lance truly does what he does for the attention and praise he gets from nando in return, he continues to fail because every time he does he is noticed by the "teacher"

If you were a waiting room, I would never see a doctor. I would sit there with my first-aid kit and bleed

This mainly makes me think of lance crying in nandos arms after he dnf, holding on tight to him as he "bled" but not necessarily "seeing a doctor" (talking about it) because the best thing for him was the "waiting room" (fernando)

I wanna be the power ballad that lifts you up and holds you down

He wants to be fernandos everything, his motivation, his friend, his lover, his supporter, HIS SUN.

I wanna be the broken love song that feeds your misery

He wants to be something fernando continues to come back to no matter what, like a broken love song fernando adores and even though it can hurt he cant stay away because it is his favourite

And I can wish all that I want, but it won't bring us together

As of right now in the au lance isnt even aware of his own feelings let alone the fact fernando feels the same, no matter how much he tries that longing and craving he has for more doesnt disappear because he isnt aware just how much more he needs

Plus, I know whatever happens to me, I know it's for the better

As lance continues in his rookie season he becomes used to losing, used to retiring early, used to fucking up, while fernando continues to win, but he cant bring himself to care when he goes and sees fernando on the podium

And when broken bodies are washed ashore who am I to ask for more, more, more?

When both of them have been hurt, been through things, struggled, had their own negative thoughts about the feelings they'll soon come to terms with, who is lance to beg fernando to be more than just friends and coworkers?

But you're breathing in my open mouth, you're the gun in my lips that will blow my brains out

Fernando literally takes lances first kiss. He's the first pair of lips lance has ever had on his own, the first person to hold him this way, touch him, love him, soothe him, praise him, his first everything, if this doesnt work out its going to kill him.

I wanna make you drive all night just because I said, "Maybe you should come over"

In the au lance lives in geneva switzerland like in real life and fernando was visiting mark in queanbeyan australia WHICH IS A 36 HOUR FLIGHT AWAY THAT LANCE TOOK WITH NO HESITATION JUST TO SEE FERNANDO A WEEK EARLIER THAN HE WAS SUPPOSED TO.

Wanna make you fall in love as hard as my poor parents' teenage daughter

He knows fernando is older and has most likely loved someone before but he cant help but want nando to love him as hard and passionately as he loves fernando (HIS POOR PARENTS' TEENAGE SON.)

She'll be the best you ever had if you let her

This could truly go both ways, with fernando being more expierenced and willing to do anything for lance with no hesitation and lance not knowing exactly how to love but willing to do anything to show fernando just how much he truly loves him.

I know it's for the better. Know it's for the better

With lances internalized homophobia in the au he believes that convincing himself he truly just looks up to fernando is for the better because admitting he's in love with another driver would be insane

[if-mirrormine]

sandcastles

summary: for their first date, grayson takes paloma to the beach to recreate the first time they met.

pairing: grayson x paloma (f!oc)

word count: 970

as one of the winners of my valentines giveaway, this drabble is for @frutillia! the artwork was done by @softfairies, who is very cool and also proofread this for me so yk,,, go support her :)

paloma sits restlessly in the passenger seat, glancing between the road ahead and grayson next to her, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel along to the beat of the music playing in the background. she doesn't recognise the artist, but her best friend seems to be a fan of the acoustic melody and raspy vocals. she still can't quite wrap her head around it; she used to know everything there was to know about the man and now she finds herself getting to know him all over again. so much has changed and yet not enough, especially not the butterflies in her stomach anytime they're together. but then again, it's finally their first date; she's allowed to have butterflies.

she clears her throat, shifting in the seat to turn her body towards him and he tilts his head towards her to show he's listening. "so, um... you haven't told me where we're going."

keeping her eyes on his face, she watches as his cheeks begin to turn red.

"it's a surprise," he says softly, almost as if embarrassed by his idea and before she can come up with a reply, he reaches over the center console to take her hand in his.

"okay," she agrees, her own face getting warm and she gives his hand a gentle squeeze. the drive continues in comfortable silence and its not long before grayson pulls the car to a stop in an empty parking lot, the beach front sprawling out in front of them.

she glances at him curiously but he only smiles back. climbing out, he rounds the front of the car to open her door for her, refusing to listen when she insists she can do so herself, and he makes sure to grab a backpack from the backseat before taking her hand once more. she follows along as he leads her down the sand, the waves lapping softly at their feet.

"if i had known we were coming to the beach, i wouldn't have worn jeans," she jokes and he glances down, sheepish.

"sorry," he says before looking at her again, a smile curling on his lips. "but i'm hoping it's worth it."

"what is?"

squeezing her hand, he slides the backpack off his shoulder. "since it's our first date," he says as he begins to pull open the zipper, "i thought we could maybe build a sandcastle."

he pulls out two plastic buckets and spades, and she feels as if her heart swells in her chest. judging from the size and bright colours, it's obvious that they're cheap children's toys but it doesn't really matter. not when it's with grayson.

she smiles back at him, overwhelmed by the amount of love she feels for him in that moment, and she reaches for a spade. "just like when we met," she says softly, running her thumb over the groves in the handle. when she glances up at him, she finds him watching her with a hopeful look on his face. "i think it's perfect."

his shoulders sag with relief and he pulls her into his side, pressing his lips to the crown of her head as if its the most natural thing in the world. she sinks into him, breathing him in and longing for more, but he lets her go all too soon.

"so, paloma," he states. "tu veux construire un château de sable avec moi?"

she laughs. "of course."

grinning, he sinks to his knees on the sand and she follows suit. together, they build in silence, though as the castle grows, she notices him paying more attention to her than the task at hand.

"you know, it doesn't count if i do all the work," she chuckles and he shakes his head as if to shake himself from his staring only for his eyes to lock back onto her face almost immediately.

"sorry," he says but she can tell he doesnt quite mean it. "i'm just not fully convinced this is actually happening."

she can't help but frown. "what do you mean?"

"that you're here, real and in front of me, for starters," he replies and her stomach twists at the thought of their time apart. "and that you agreed to go out with me. i never thought you would."

"i never thought you would," she says. "i've had a crush on you forever."

a bright smile unfolds on his face that she finds contagious. "who knew we were such idiots?"

"i think everyone but us," she quips and when he laughs, she realises just how much she wants to make him laugh for the rest of time. and without really thinking, she says the words she been wanting to say for lifetime. "i love you so much, gray."

as if a switch has been flipped, he launches himself at her and her squeal of surprise is effectively cut off when he kisses her. full of passion and years of pent up longing, it only takes them a few seconds to get lost within each other. it feels like an eternity when they pull away and simultaneously not long enough. he presses his forehead against hers; his hands gently cupping her face, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. she thinks she could lose herself in the warmth of his gaze until he speaks. "i love you too, paloma. forever and always."

feeling suddenly shy, she glances away, turning her head to the side and catching sight of the heap of sand that used to be their castle. "looks like we'll have to start again," she pouts and he glances briefly at the castle ruins before kissing her cheek.

"i'll do anything you want me to," he states. "especially if it means i get to kiss you again."

"grayson?"

"yeah?"

"kiss me again."

he's all too happy to oblige.

[actualbird]

Luke Pearce and Conditional Faith: When Does A Skeptic Believe (or When Does He Want To)?

wc: 1.4k

obligatory disclaimer that these are just my own thoughts and interpretations. spoilers ahead for: SSR Shape Of You (the summer breeze card), SSR Overflowing Thoughts (the sott card), SSR Twinkling Eyes (the skadi card), and Main Story 9. 

Luke is a skeptic. 

I feel like anyone who is familiar with his stories knows and fully accepts this fact. While he’s a very emotional and warm guy, when it comes to like, his general view of Reality, he is the type of person to believe more in facts, science, evidence, tangible proof, and empirical explanations. A lighthearted example of this is in Luke’s Sweet Chapter Personal Story 3, where he and MC were investigating that abandoned school that everybody said was haunted by spirits and Luke calmly proved that it was nothing more than faulty circuitry. And in the same scene, MC fondly remembers how in their childhood, when other kids were telling ghost stories, Luke would just exclaim “THAT DOESNT MAKE SENSE” and spoil the fun of the spook. He’s such a STEM guy, it drives me nuts. 

And his skepticism doesn’t just happen there. It pops up over and over across a lot of his stories, and not just in terms of the supernatural. In general, Luke is a skeptic of anything that can’t be empirically proved, including: folk beliefs, spiritual things, the divine/gods.

(sidenote 1: which is REALLY interesting given what I brought up in a previous analysis I did about Luke and Catholic Guilt. Like, so much of his mental framework and morality is something very familiar to the kinds of ways-of-thinking you’d see in this religion. And yet he’s not religious. god gives the biggest ironies to his most skeptical soldiers, or something).

So he’s a skeptic, that’s clear. 

Except it isn’t, because there are times when he does believe in faith. Or wants to believe in it. And these moments are made so striking because of Luke’s general disposition towards skepticism, which is why I’d like to do a deep dive of When Luke “Skeptic Extraordinaire” Pearce Decides Or Desires To Believe.

(sidenote 2: just a disclaimer, all folk beliefs, spiritual things, the different kinds of divine/gods are all obviously very different from each other and I’m not saying that they’re conflate-able, DEFINITELY NOT, but just that in Luke’s stories specifically, they Do serve the same purpose to him; they're something he doesn't believe in)

But before I go into when he Decides Or Desires To Believe, I wanna first tackle why he Doesn’t.

The first reason for why Luke is a skeptic is just his general inclination towards empiricism (things are proven via experience and experimentation) and rationalism (things are proven through logic and reason). Like how it happened in the abandoned school scene I mentioned before. And it makes sense for Luke. He’s a STEM guy, but he’s also a detective. Proof matters, and proof creates reality. 

But another reason is more personal. Sometimes Luke doesn’t believe because of a sense of Betrayal mixed in with a “Fuck It, I’ll Do It Myself” mentality. 

In SSR Overflowing Thoughts, the AU shows Luke originally being trained to be a temple priest while MC was originally trained to be an assassin. But after seeing the sheer suffering MC had to withstand day after day even after praying to the for a peaceful life, Luke took her place and then later remarks “If gods truly exist, then why didn’t they help you despite all your prayers?” and in the flashback, he says “If she dies one day during training [...] then I’ll stop believing in the gods.” 

Here, Luke’s non-belief is due to what he expects higher powers to have responsibility over; taking care of good people. While this card is an AU card, I think it still carries over to regular-Luke because of Luke’s very strong sense of morality, of good and bad. If higher powers are good, but they allow bad to happen, then they can’t be good, or they must not exist in the first place.

So someone else has to do it. In SSR Overflowing Thoughts, it was Luke who saved MC, not the gods. And in SSR Shape of You, during their childhood, Luke had gone missing during the festival to seek the Land God to make a wish to erase himself from existence because Luke believed he was a burden and was robbing MC of the love of her parents buuuuut in the present, Luke remarks that he himself will be the one to repay all the love he had robbed her of.

In a way this is an honestly pretty noble kind of non-belief. There’s a cynical aspect to it, but Luke doesn’t just go “gods aren’t real, cowabummer”. Instead, it’s more like “there are no gods to do the good we want to see in this world, so we have to do that good ourselves.” 

So those are what leads to his non-belief, which is 99.9% of the time. But the few times he does the opposite were interesting because Luke only tends to do it under two circumstances.

1) I Want To Believe In This Because I Love You

Two cards I wanna talk about here: SSR Twinkling Eyes and SSR Shape Of You (again, not sorry, this card is so important to this post and also to mE PERSONALLY AHVKHS). 

In SSR Twinkling Eyes, Luke was his usual skeptical self at the whole local faerie folk beliefs up until Peanut’s messing up that faerie house meant that under the belief system, misfortune might fall upon MC. 

In SSR Shape Of You, at the very end of the story, he releases lanterns that are all wishes for MC’s benefit.

In both these cases, whether or not he truly believes or simply Wants To is up to debate, but it is clear that he does ascribe to actions under something that requires faith due to his love for MC. 

What happened to Luke the skeptic? He’s still very much there but there’s caveats now. He’ll ascribe to a degree of belief if it means keeping MC safe, if it means ensuring her safety and happiness in the future. Which is so fucking sweet and tender, fucking hell, Luke “I’ll give the divine a chance if only for you” Pearce, OOOAAAUUUGGHH.

But where there’s light, there’s also dark. Because sometimes his reason is…

2) I Want To Believe In This Because I Hate Me

Two stories I wanna talk about here: SSR Shape Of You (this card is a legend, mentioned 3 times in this post alone…) and Main Story 9

In SSR Shape Of You, the entire reason Luke even looks for the Land God (thus implying that, if even for one night, he did believe in the god) was due to self-loathing. He saw himself as a burden, he wanted to wish he never existed and that nobody would remember him because he was convinced his mere presence caused bad.

In Main Story 9…..hoo boy, Main Story 9, HAHA. At the very end of the chapter, we see a flashback where Luke—a little bit after the mission where he was the only survivor—has this exchange with Aaron

Now, it could be argued that this is more psychological than it is spiritual (this whole thing smacks of unaddressed PTSD, after all) and while that Definitely is a factor, it’s key to note the language used here being specific: spirits, gods, believe. 

And why does Luke want to believe? Why does he wish it was real even if his usual inclination is skepticism? 

Because he’s guilty. He’s so guilty. And you only ever feel guilty when you think you’re in the wrong. You only ever apologize when you think you’re responsible for wrong.

He wants to believe because he thinks himself a sinner and that only afterlife can grant him a chance at absolution.

That’s the flipside of his belief. Either he loves another so much or hates himself too much. 

So like, now that we’re here, what does it all “Mean” then? Ehhhh nothing much tbh jHVKJ. It just Struck Me. It’s just something I really liked seeing because it’s such a genuine and human kind of ‘hypocrisy’; no matter how rooted in reality we are, when we’re driven by intense emotion (positive OR negative), we’ll grasp for more.

More what? More Anything. More answers, more possibilities, just…More. Sometimes intense emotion makes Just Reality feel like it isn’t enough to explain or address whatever we’re feeling. 

When Luke is pushed by his devoted love or by his intense self-loathing, the limits of tangible empirical reality just don’t cut it. He’ll believe or want to believe in something more.

[e2019]

i'm also concerned about developing a tolerance to NSAIDs from taking aspirin too often but i mean it doesnt even matter because well i rant about this all the time so yall know how i feel about NSAIDs but like i have (had) a fri3nd who claims NSAIDs stopped working for her (*shes like one of those ibuprofen addicts) i searched the literature and cant find much info aside from statements that yes you do in fact develop tolerance to NSAIDs with repeated use but like no duh thats true of everythuing

also aside from just hating NSAIDs for (mostly unfounded) personal reasons , i now feel like they are kinda dangerous. i was researching a little aboiut the like high-caliber NSAIDs after someone suggested to me if im ever in the hospital or something to request IV NSAIDs (ketorolac) + ketamine. i read someone who was given toradol for 5days and developed severe GI issues. not the same but i assume it's similar

idk how much doctors are willing to listento someone who is trying to advocate what their preferences are for their own care but i assume it's not much and it's weird to request things by name but idk why it'd be a issue for these drugs that are not a big deal but you know how it is with doctors. ofc fentanyl would always work i'm honestly not agaonst being given fentanyl in a medical setting i just wiouldnt want it more than a day or 2 cuz a week on opioids is enough time that it makes me go thru the whole withdrawal process

i tjhink about this a lot because in my mind it's basically a giventhat i will eventually get in a car wreck serious enough to require hospitalization since imo driving is the most dangerous thing ever and i have to drive every day for work so it's literally just a matter of time therefore it's only prudent that i figure it out now beofre that inevitably happens

[1n-bl0om]

finney and robin hcs

they were in love your honor </3

- finney carries around a small first aid kit in his backpack. it’s packed with bandaids, alcohol wipes, gauze, and wraps. he’s had to use it more than once to patch up robin

- robin is the only person that calls finney finn. it makes robin feel special that he can call finn something others cant

- robin prefers drive-ins. there is something nice about sitting in the back of a car and staring at a big screen surrounded in night sky. he especially loves going to the drive-in with finn. they share a blanket and eat snacks until their stomachs hurt

- finney loves baseball. him and robin watch the games on tv. he raves about the plays and yells when the players make an error. robin doesnt really understand the innings and signals but loves to see finn so passionate

- finney always throws robin a wink from the mound when he plays.

- robin is a horror fiend. he drags finn with him to every opening night showing.

- finney loves books but sometimes words look like mush to him. robin reads to him whenever he stays over, softly playing with finney’s hair as he speaks

- finney loves robins hair, its long and pretty. sometimes finney runs his fingers through robins hair and gives him messy braids. (he learned from gwen but isn’t as good)

- robin picks up skating, showing finney all of the cool tricks he’s learned. finney tries copying a trick but ends up face planting in the road

- carrie is one of robins favorites. once every two weeks finney stays over and they watch it.

- finney and robin have known each other for so long that they dont sleep in separate beds when the other stays over

- robin is the little spoon and finney will forever tease him for it

- finney is guilty of stealing the covers

- most of the time they wake up tangled together and hot from the body heat. finney complains that robin is too warm to cuddle with

- finney spends his friday nights tutoring robin. they never get far, always distracted by the tv and magazines

- robin teaches finney how to throw a punch. he’s horrible at first, tucking in his thumb. robin is almost in shock at how bad finn is

- finney understands words and phrases in spanish due to robin. he tries to learn on his own, butchering the pronunciation

-robin has an older sister. she moved away a long time ago, they are fourteen years apart. she visits with her kids once in a while. she loves to talk with finney and tells him to not hurt her little brother or she’ll hurt him.

- robin tells finney all of the things he wants to do once they are older. he wants to get tattoos and piercings and take a road trip to california with finney. finney cringes at the thought of needles poking and prodding his skin.

- finney likes to doodle, he draws silly little cartoons and gives the funny ones to robin

- robin is a couple inches shorter than finney and hates to be reminded of it

- finney is always gentle with robin. he patches him up after fights and scolds him for picking them. most of the fights are because someone said something about finney or robin (mostly finney). finney feels warm at the thought of robin standing up for him, but he hates the fights and hates seeing robin hurt.

- sometimes finney slaps the back of robins head when he’s being particularly stubborn

- finney tried making up a nickname for robin. he tried robbie for a while but robin hated it

- robin is brilliant, the teachers may not see it but finney definitely does. he thinks robin is one of, if not the smartest person he knows

- there isnt much to do in denver. they spend late summer nights out on a field, looking at the stars

- whenever nights with his dad get bad, finney shows up on robins doorstep. they spend the night looking at comics and astronomy magazines (robin had saved some for finn)

- their hair gets longer. robins hair is curlier and so is finneys. finney’s hair covers his eyes most of the time while robin still uses his bandana. sometimes robin puts the bandana on finney, watching as the boy looks in the mirror at the new hairdo.

- finney rarely sees robin without his bandana but when he does he’s thankful. robins hair is shorter at the top, almost giving him bangs. finney tells robin he should wear it like that often but robin refuses

- sometimes while walking in the middle of the night they hold hands. it isnt for any reason, maybe comfort. those moments are some of robins favorites (finney too)

my hcs for now. i love these little guys awe. if you guys have hcs or anything feel free to leave them in my asks <3

[doodlebeeberry]

what implications do u think the amelia investigations episode (possibly) being last has......

thinking about it im not sure implications is the word i was really looking for, rather i think theres like. a particular weight, to me, in placing her episode as the last one (presuming, of course, that there are only 5 episodes in investigations like is generally whats being assumed. for all we know though there could be more than that but thats the assumption im working off of)

ive always read the lack of any particularly tangible details about her pre-plane life, let alone the lake of an actual disappearance scene for her, as a means of further alienating her from her previous life. It drives in this wedge between Amelia and Scenty, such that even though shes probably the most vocal (at least throughout s1) about wanting to go home, her desire is countered by the fact that pretty much her entire existence in the show is defined by exclusively her time on the plane. The lack of a background for her (as absolutely crazy as it drives me) does play a pretty notable role in how her relationship to earth and the plane and herself are laid out.

This, in my mind, creates a bit of an interesting situation for investigations to play with. seemingly, investigations kinda requires an exploration into everyone's pre-plane lives, a certain insight into their lives that amelia just doesnt have. so, unless they do something a bit radical in the presentation of that episode in particular, youd have to explore her old life on some level without undermining the dynamic with it that we already have. I guess the most obvious answer is that it wont be amelia telling her own story to the audience. We wont be hearing her explain or be in her perspective, we'll be hearing from (presumably) garret. Its a story about her that isnt her story to tell. even when we do finally get to see it, her life, her disappearance isnt hers. not really. and i think placing it last in the sequence, the final mystery to unravel, the hardest answer to get, implies at the very least an acknowledgement of that.

but i do have a degree in Reading Into Things so like. who knows. maybe thats just what i want

[quodekash]

GUESS WHAT BITCHES KANGSAILOM HAVE KISSED AND NOW ITS TIME FOR ME TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK BECAUSE OF THEM, ALL OVER AGAIN (im so hoping it doesnt take me 2-3 hours to watch this episode again but it honestly probably will)

NO

I KNEW THE FRIKIN BACK PAIN THING WOULD COME BACK INTO PLAY

ISTG IF THESE BITCHES KILL HER THEY'LL ALL HAVE HELL TO PAY

NOT MY GRANDMA MILF GODDESS QUEEN SHIP-CAPTAIN

NOT ON MY WATCH

NOT ON MY WATCH

PFFFFFFFFT

oh honey

he's desperately pleading, he wants to tell him but he doesnt want to say it, he wants sailom to know what he's thinking and what he feels and what he wants and what he needs, but he still doesnt understand his own feelings and thoughts and desires

why did you kiss me? why aren't you talking to me properly? why are we here, in this locker room? why do you like me? do you like me? why can't everything be simple?

all condensed into a simple word

and he's avoiding eye contact, he cannot look at kang and he will not look at kang but it's not like it used to be, where he wouldn't look at kang because kang didn't deserve the respect, where he would only look at kang to smile and laugh at him because he doesnt fear him, no this time he wont look at him because he's afraid. afraid of the answer, afraid that he's wrong, afraid that he's right

AND HE WIPES HIS MOUTH

AND KANG IS WATCHING THE WIPE SO ATTENTIVELY

he sees sailom wipe his lips, rid himself of their kiss, rid himself of this conversation and of the fears and thoughts and questions and confusion, and kang just wants him to know what he feels but he doesnt know what he feels and the best he could put it was through that kiss, and kang had to watch as sailom removed any trace and feeling of it from his mouth

ouch

LOOK AT HIM

YOU CAN SEE HIS SWIRLING HURTING THOUGHTS

perth and chimon are both such astounding actors I cannot fathom them

PLENTY MORE CHANCES TO TALK TO EACH OTHER PROPERLY WHEN YOU'VE FIGURED OUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR MIND AND HEART

is this not post-patpran-rooftop-kiss-scene

its literally exactly the same

THE LITTLE LIP BITE I CANT

its the small little nuances and facial expressions and tiny reactions and thoughts communicated on their faces

is nuances the right word to use there? idk, it's fine

LMAO IM-

WAIT SO THIS QUESTION IS POPPED AT THE START OF THE EPISODE??? DAMNNNNN

MAN HE'S GOT A WAY WITH WORDS

and I mean that genuinely

WEAR YOUR SEATBELT BITCH, WHAT THE HELL

WHY IS NEITHER OF THEM WEARING THEIR SEATBELT

GUYS

DRIVING IS DANGEROUS

ITS A HIGH-RISK ACTIVITY

AND YEAH MAYBE A TINY STRIP ACROSS YOUR TORSO DOESNT SEEM LIKE IT DOES MUCH, BUT IT'S STILL BLOODY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BONK AND A SPLATTER IF YOU CATCH MY MEANING

SEATBELTS ARE IMPORTANT FOLKS

WEAR THEM

Y E S

HE OPENED THE FRIKIN DOOR

LETS GOOOOOOOOOO

are we finally gonna get the scene ive seen in the end credits so many times and die every time I see it where they're lying in bed together and smiling at each other and ghkerbgjksdb

FUGWE9JOGSBNVPIWEKGNPIVWEKNMSDGPOVKNERIPKDNGPBIVKERVLNDPOGIKNVEPORILKSNDGPBVOIKERNMD-OFPSGKJBVEPS

OML THE HITTING ON HIM SAGA/MONTAGE

THESE PARTS ARE ALWAYS SOME OF MY FAVOURITES

AND THESE TWO GOT TO IT A LOT FASTER THAN MOST OF THE OTHERS IVE SEEN GEUIRJGBKSD

GOUEWBJDSG THE BLOW KISS

HE'S SO UNASHAMED

IM LOSING MY MIND

THIS IS EVERYTHING I COULDVE DREAMED FOR

HOLY FRICK I LOVE HIM

THIS IS AMAZING

IM SOBBING FROM HOW HARD IM LAUGHING

I CANT GET OVER "ill eat you then, because I like you" LIKE DAMN BRO THAT WAS SMOOTH AND MY MIDNIGHT BRAIN SOMEHOW DIDNT SEE THAT VERY OBVIOUS FLIRT SETUP COMING AND I LOST IT

HIS HAPPY LITTLE SMILE OMG I CANT

fR I C K

it's okay it's okay, she just has a bad hip, she's not gonna die I swear she's not gonna die

also can we just take a moment to honour the mesh shirt kang's wearing?

savour the moment a bit longer...

let the moment of appreciation last...

okay that is all thank you for joining me in worship

A L S O let's just think about this. im guessing grandma and dad and that nurse are all going to the hospital.

whICH MEANS the two gay-ass teenagers who are gay-ass specifically for EACH OTHER are gonna be home alone in a huge-ass mansion for a while

I wonder what they could possibly spend their time doing

what are you eating, sailom 👀

THE HAND RESTING ON HIS SHOULDER

BOYFRIEND BEHAVIOUR MAKES A COMEBACK

THE EYEBROWS-- I CANT

they're really channelling the patpran this episode

and im so happy about it

"just go straight" lmao good luck with that one buddy

breaking news: it comes as a shock to absolutely no one: quodekash has, once again, run out of images. a new post will be made for your enjoyment shortly (but it wont be posted for at least an hour because I cannot watch things at a normal pace and the post wont be posted until I either run out of images or finish the episode, whichever comes first)

[just-some-guy-joust]

alright, as requested and promised, my explanations for why everyone on side b got into the tourney

once again making the note that i was desperate for women that weren't blatantly written by a misogynist and it influenced a couple choices

starting with the most argued about characters again

mob (mp100): 1 submission, good description. "he has powers he can't be just some guy!" NOT WHAT THIS TOURNEY IS ABOUT. mob is a kid. he's just a kid doing his best. like the whole plot of mp100 is that he's just some kid isn't it??? i haven't watched it i can't argue the details but he is a very good example of just some guy

rung (transformers): 1 submission, good description. submitter got extra points for being the longest submission and being so sweet to me. rung is like, God, or something but he doesnt Know That so he's just living a perfectly normal life. he's so average people regularly forget who he is or what his name is. from the submission, "He's just the definition of 'some random kind guy you bump into in the hall and then completely forget about two hours later' I really don't know how to explain it."

han solo (star wars): 2 submissions. its like his whole thing. the rest of the team is a princess, a jedi, man i don't know the rest i haven't watched star wars in years but they are all supremely not some guy, and han's just some cunt with a van to drive them around in. yeah he's got his own shit going on but also. i dont remember how it actually went down but he really feels like he just stumbled into the plot and now he can't leave

ok now the rest of the characters under the cut

carol kohl (cateotw): 1 submission, good description. the description really moved me and i have GOT to watch this show at some point. carol lives on an earth that's going to end in a few months and everyone is trying to make their last months exciting and happy and getting to do what they've always wanted to. what carol wants to do is keep working an office job and continuing her routine. the show does not shame her for this, it's just who she is. and man..... as a chronically ill person who's had to think about that kind of thing. that really hits hard.

jaehee (mystic messenger): 1 submission. the woman situation is fucking dire. i will admit she seems to be written the way she is because of misogyny n shit but at least this submitter actually acknowledged it. mystic messenger is i believe a dating game and her route involves dealing with her shitty boss and quitting her job. the other routes have fucking wild shit going on but jaehee just quits work

paul matthews (guy who didnt like musicals): guaranteed entry

emma perkins (guy who didnt like musicals): 3 submissions. one person described her and paul as "guy4guy" and i was so enamored with this concept i gave her a guaranteed position. she works at a coffee shop and seems to not give a fuck that she's in a musical and needs to sing. major "i cant wait to clock out and go home" vibes

su moting (god troubles me): 1 submission. the child of a monster and a god so she was just born a regular human. that's so fucking funny. she has some wild roommates (a "phone god" and a "cat monster") but she's got a normal office job so she's not even around them much on weekdays

satou hiroshi (saiki k): 2 submissions. canonically the most average guy. perfectly average in every way. average grades, weight, height, family, etc etc etc. as average as possible

chilchuck tims (dungeon meshi): guaranteed entry

michelle nguyen (wtnv): 1 submission. i mean. its fucking night vale. that place is fucked. and yet michelle just runs a record shop and loves her girlfriend good for her

tad strange (gravity falls): guaranteed entry

colin robinson (wwdits): 1 submission, personal bias. he's an energy vampire that feeds off peoples energy so he will ramble to them for 6-12 hours about taxes. has a regular office job because what better place to find miserable people to torment. prides himself in his ability to be just some guy

bard (wandersong): 1 submission, friend bias. they're the protagonist of the game but they are not the hero of the story. they're on a quest to save the world but destiny does not care for them. they are trying so hard to bring people joy and that in turn is what makes them actually able to succeed. they are not a hero, but they are a friend

usopp (one piece): 1 submission, friend bias. i will be honest you i avoid one piece at all costs but he gets a pass for my buddy. unfortunately none of the info they gave me actually stuck in my brain so my explanation is gonna suck ass but he seems very scared and very weak compared to everyone else and everyone knows he's the just some guy of the group

nick carraway (great gatsby): 1 submission. i do not remember reading this book for school but idk that seemed like a correct vibe check and i wasn't gonna argue with it

link (oot): 1 submission, personal bias. SCREAMS. WAILS. POUNDS FISTS ON THE FLOOR. I LOVE HIM!!! i am extremely mentally ill about most editions of link being just some guy but i agreed heavily with the submission saying oot is probably the best example. HE'S JUST A KID!!! he thought he would never have to grow up because he was a forest kid too but then he did have to grow up what the fuckk

kazooie (I MADE HIM <3): he is my oc and i love him so fuckign much

connecticut clark (florkofcows): guaranteed entry

samwise (lotr): 1 submission, personal bias. only here because he refused to let his friend have to deal with this alone. its the whole point of the story, that hobbits are the just some guys of the world. that these hobbits were just normal innocent men now trying to end a war. and sam is the most just some guy of the bunch

hitomi (madoka magica): 2 submissions. only one that isnt a magical girl. im sure there's more to it than that but i haven't watched madoka in years and the submissions didn't give me anything else so that's it

junpei iori (persona): 1 submission, friend bias. persona characters can get fucking wild but he seems to be the resident normal dude. and tbh i just can't stop thinking about this part of the submission

tomoya (ensemble stars): 2 submissions, good descriptions. ok so like. ensemble stars has like 50 main characters or something i dont know i dont go here. tomoya is the Only One that's normal. he's just trying to be a teen idol and his defining character trait is that he is tomoya and he is here.

peter sqloint (jrwi): 1 submission. i have listened to a bit of this and while i did have to put it down cause it wasn't really my thing, peter must've made an impression on me because the Only Things i can remember from what i listened to was just how bizarrely normal peter is. yes he has the angel of retribution inside him urging him to kill the gods but his life goal is to buy a new log for his pet lizard and his job is to sort rocks and its his favorite thing. sometimes you have to wonder if peter is even aware of whats going on or if he is too busy thinking about cool rocks to notice

cabbage merchant (atla): 3 submissions. i dont care. but very few characters actually got 3 submissions so i let him in. i was trying to avoid characters that clearly just existed for a bit or are simply background characters with nothing else going on (they count as just some guy but its just not as interesting to me) but he made it in anyways.

marta cabrera (knives out): 1 submission and that submission was ME because im THE ONLY PERSON WHO GETS IT (/silly). i cannot fucking believe no one else submitted her im so fucking mad her being just some guy is literally the entire point. spoilers for knives out, SHE'S A GOOD DOCTOR. SHE'S JUST A GOOD DOCTOR. SHE NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG!!! she was always just some guy no matter how much everyone else wanted her to be something different. i love her

greg universe (steven universe): 1 submission, good explanation. he's just stevens dad <3 he lives in his van and is an ok musician and he's very content with his life. he's hanging out

mishima (persona): 2 submissions. he's just one of your classmates. this is signifcant because other supporting cast characters have a lot of their own wild shit going on. mishima is your classmate and he's trying to help the phantom thieves look cool on social media. thatse it babey!

gingerbrave (cookie run): 1 submission, good description, personal bias. ok so its a gacha game about cookies that run. gingerbrave is the mascot and the most basic guy you can get. he's a cookie and he runs. and he's very sweet and i like him <3 he loves his friends. anyways google like any other character in the cookie run franchise and you'll understand.

arthur dent (hitchhikers guide): 2 submissions. honestly i don't have strong opinions on him and he's got a fuck ton of propaganda on the post im skipping this

elsen (off): 1 submission, friend bias. i am enamored by how this is like a species of normal guys. they are meant to reflect the struggles of average normal people. they have office jobs and a fuck ton of anxiety so you can see how they reflect that <3

tadano hitohito (komi cant communicate): 2 submissions, good description. HIS NAME LITERALLY TRANSLATES TO "JUST A PERSON" THAT'S FUCKING AWESOME I HAD TO PUT HIM IN

[roseworth]

Would you have done Terror Titans differently?⚔️

i would change pretty much everything about rose's characterization </3 my biggest problem with that book is that her motivations make no sense and arent at all in line with anything about her character and it drives me crazy

it seems like they thought that rose secretly working against him the whole time would be too obvious so they just. didnt. and shes hanging out with clock king and working with him for no real reason. i think it would've been SO much better if, even though its an obvious twist, she was trying to dismantle the tournament from the inside. the story,,, sort of did this???? but not in a way that mattered. it basically waits until the end to say "now rose realizes that this is bad" as if she didnt know what was going on the whole time?????

^ this is not a reveal. she knew exactly what was happening the entire time and she was a part of it. its a discredit to her character to act like she would've been complicit in this at all. honestly even as a "shes doing it for her own motives" thing, she wouldnt do most of what she did. she was fighting brainwashed heroes and training villains and enabling clock king for the whole book just to go "wow nevermind" at the end

fighting brainwashed heroes is probably the worst decision mckeever could've made for her. she KNOWS what its like to be drugged, brainwashed, and forced to fight. and then she lets it happen in this book anyway and actively encourages it. i am strongly on team "rose makes lots of selfish decisions" but this is a line that she would Not cross. yeah she enjoys fighting & would want to enter a tournament like that. but she wouldnt choose to fight people that didnt have any agency in their fight

which makes it feel like a slap in the face when she brings it up in the last issue

surprise! after shes spent the entire book fighting the people that were mind controlled to fight her, she now realizes that its a bad thing. she knew this from the start so this part feels extremely unearned because, again, she knew this from the start. they dont even try to build up to this moment

(everybody strap in; im about to say something nice about williamson's rose for the first time) theres a really good comparison to be made between terror titans and robin 2021. theyre both tournaments that rose is fighting in with ulterior motives, but robin does it sooo much better. she keeps her morals, she helps damian, she kills people because its a tournament that they all agreed to be a part of & the whole point is that the pit will bring them back after they die. in terror titans, shes fighting heroes that dont know what theyre doing and standing back while clock king kills whoever he wants to. everything she did in robin was at least sort of in line with her character & morals, but in this book they have to ignore everything shes done in the past just for it to make sense that shes there

which brings me to the other big issue i have with this book. mckeever had to ignore and roll back so much character growth just for this book to happen

^ this part from tt03 #41 is basically explicitly saying that rose Doesnt Kill. she didnt kill anyone after joining the titans until mckeever took over and pretended that shes secretly been a killer the whole time.

not to mention the arc in tt #43-46 where the WHOLE POINT was that the titans trusted rose and didnt expect her to kill

"even wonder girl's been nice to me" but you wouldnt know it since they ignored that as soon as johns left.

like this dialogue would've made sense when rose first joined the team but to say shes "homicidal and warped beyond words" after rose & cassie had been starting to get along AND rose hadn't killed someone is infuriating, especially since this is followed up with rose trying to kill them and acting like this is what always happens

it almost feels insulting that we have to pretend that she hasnt had all these arcs of her getting closer to the team and Not Killing People just to get this arc that leads into terror titans

anyways all this to say, terror titans relies on us believing that rose wouldnt care about the team's interests, the team doesnt trust her, and that she is fine with killing people. which are all things that were explicitly disproven 10 issues before this.

PLUS she, for some reason, trusts clock king. she doesnt know anything about him and watches him do all these bad things. but we're supposed to believe that she feels a Connection because of their precog

not to mention. she knows exactly what he did to eddie. it would be a stretch to say that she could have a civil conversation with clock king after this, let alone work with him and talk about their Connection

honestly. 90% of my problems with this book would be fixed if she had secretly been working with m'gann the whole time

if the twist had just been "mgann was secretly there, and rose knew and was distracting clock king & the terror titans (and trying to get more intel) while mgann freed everyone" it would have made so much more sense. that way she has a reason to be competing in the tournament and working with them, AND she would be working with the titans & reestablishing the trust that she had

in conclusion this book is bad. but it does have one redeeming quality: the fight between rose and lorena where she chokes her with her thigh while pulling her hair

[caterpillarinacave]

I love Charlotte and Henry and they're super underrated. And I would VERY MUCH like to hear the headcanons whirring about in your brain.

Oh well buckle up cause literally all I think about is head cannons. Like, you know how cells replace themselves every few years? Mine have replaced themselves with head cannons. *Sorry it took me a hot moment to answer this ask, I was busy howling into my pillow whenever I tried to articulate thoughts.*

First of all, they’re very cuddly. They basically sleep on top of each other (Charlotte hasn’t needed a pillow in decades). Henry cant sleep well without Charlotte in his arms and Charlotte can’t sleep well anywhere other than Henry’s arms so it works out. Plus, they both do that thing where they jerk awake like the world is ending and scare the shit out of each other, so sleeping in a hug that basically pins them both down saves some energy at 2am. Henry’s perpetually cold and sleeps under like, four blankets, so Charlotte just wears summer nightgowns all year and wraps herself around Henry like a koala.

Naturally there’s an angsty side to the incessant cuddling because that’s just the way I role.

Charlotte sleeps with her head on Henry’s chest so she can always feel him breathing because, by the angel, she remembers when he wasn’t. She sleeps with a hand on his pulse point because she wakes up in the middle of the night and she’s still half asleep they might as well be on the floor in that mountain and she might as well still be desperately swearing she didn’t imagine his heartbeat.

While on the topic of soul crushing feelings of guilt, y’all remember from Clockwork Angel that Henry was the one who told Mortmain what a Pyxis was? And he wanted Charlotte to tell the clave that and she wouldn’t because “they already treat him so badly”? Because I do. And so does Henry.

(I’ve got a whole WIP that I love very dearly about this head cannon and this chess game hehe) There’s one random old tutor who goes to the London institute once a month-ish, basically to hand out a few weeks of homework to any shadow hunters who don’t have their own tutors. Most shadow hunters who live in a more rural area show up a few times a year so the clave knows they’re alive and at least somewhat literate. Charlotte attends them every month since, you know, she lives there, but Henry lives somewhere around Yorkshire so he shows up every few months. The professor is kind of a dick ngl. He doesn’t help Charlotte with any school why would a woman need to be so well educated? “Go on find a husband and stop worrying you’re pretty little head” sort of shit. Henry drives him insane because he’s a) some random kid who’s smarter than him and b) didn’t use any of the professors materials to get that smart. Professor Douche is constantly trying to get him to be wrong about something, or at least flustered about something and he doesnt ever do either of those things, and even more aggravating he refuses to get upset. (He honestly just assumed the professor wasn’t that smart.)

Charlotte’s a really good student of course, but she’s having a shit time with some mathematics and the professor absolutely refuses to help her with it. Eventually she asks Henry if he wouldn’t mind helping her with it, which he’s happy to do (once he figures out that’s what shes actually asking lol.)

Charlotte is incredibly distracted the entire time by Henry’s freckles (and eyes. And hands. And the way his hair curls on the nape of his neck. And the spots of gold and green in his hazel eyes that flashed as bright as the sun when the light catches them. And-), but they get through it in an hour or two which leaves them alone in a deserted wing of the institute. They end up playing a game chess. Charlottes a decent player and thought since Henry had never showed any interest in chess it would be a probably be an evenly matched game. She didn’t know what hit her. He beat her in like, eight minutes, eighty percent of which were spent on the last two moves by Charlotte who, upon realizing she was fucked, spent five minutes staring at the board trying to figure out when he even started beating her. She was sitting there having a whole crisis, (she’d been distracted by a man who probably doesn’t like her, and certainly doesn’t think much of her now after a pathetic loss like that and now she’ll have to sit hear and wallow in failure-) just preparing for him to start that whole smug gloating thing men do when they win and Henry you know. Didn’t. He just put the pieces away and thanked her for the game, in that very genuine way, with the gloomy London evening light casting a depressing shadow across the room, a shadow that he stood out against all gentle, kind, bright and brimming with a sort of barely contained passion. If Charlotte had ever doubted that shadow hunters had come from straight angels then sitting there, looking at a boy stained in soot, who she loved more than anything else to walk the earth, she would never doubt it again.

(It wasn’t until after Henry won and noticed Charlotte hadn’t said anything in a while that he remember people don’t like losing. Honestly he was playing just to be around her and he would have thrown the game if he could conceptualize how to do that on the fly. They spent like five minutes in autistic silence waiting for the other to stand up and declare newfound hatred.)

In true British fashion the a modern tea bag would kill them both.

When they were both 13 or 14 Charlotte mentioned she was dreading winter because it’s so bleak and dark (and her mom had died a few winters before, though she didn’t drop that in casual conversation). Anyways, come winter Henry brought her a marigold preserved in something like resin. She kept it in her jewelry box for years and after they got married she found out he had literally dozens of them. Whenever he came across a particularly bright flower he preserved it and set it aside. He was never quite brave enough to give them to her pre-TID, but he now leaves them for her when she’s particularly sad or stressed. She keeps them all in a drawer- they fit together like little tiles, and still look as fresh as they would had they just been plucked from the ground.

Somewhat surprisingly Henry doesn’t really lose stuff, with the singular exception being his own medical equipment. He’s lost the leg braces he wears every single day of his life before. Charlotte’s not usually speechless but she wasn’t sure what to say to that one.

Henry gave Charlotte a watch with a hands and numbers that can glow the same way a modern day one would. It’s absolutely beautiful, durable and accurate, even if Henry set himself on fire at least four times making it. (They can say with confidence that that watch is fireproof)

—-

Honestly, I could go on and on, then on some more, but technically I’m supposed to be writing a paper on gut micro biomes that’s due tomorrow, so I figured I’d cut myself of. In conclusion, I love them dearly, they love each-other dearly, they deserve the world, all I can think about is them, and the world can pry them out of my cold dead hands.