#that his actions are just. selfish and he doesn’t care about what happens to those around him

[constantineshots]

this is so intriguing to me. this is something that is so important to me. so basically, everything is psychic poisoning that john didn’t exactly know he was getting into ( when does he know what he’s getting into ) and this here is his subconscious.

this tackles a lot of his self guilt, and it’s clear that he’s debating on. dying himself, which is why we have the statement of “it’s my life too. you’ve killed off everyone who ever cared for you. now you want to kill me too.”

sure, it may not have lasted very long in this instance, but i think when people ask about his mental health, his mental illness, whatever the case might be, this would be a good way to show a somewhat decent revelation of it.

[elyvorg]

The Real Reason That Sissel Refused to Help

(or: the subtle genius of Ghost Trick’s tutorial)

“I just want to find my own lost memory. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

Here’s a post in which I talk about this particular part of Ghost Trick’s story, which I’m keeping as vague as possible outside of the spoiler cut, but those who’ve finished the game should know what I’m referring to. What’s actually going on here is rather interesting, and paints our friend Sissel in a much less negative light than the face-value assumption I tend to see most people jumping to with this.

First, though, I have written a fic illustrating this idea in narrative form rather than lengthily explaining it. If you’re interested, I recommend you go read that first before reading this, because being shown is more fun than being told!

(Also, spoilers, obviously. Go play Ghost Trick if you haven’t; it’s so good and absolutely not the kind of thing you want to be spoiled for.)

So, in the original timeline, Sissel refused to help Missile save his mistresses, stating that he just wants to find his own lost memories.

It could easily seem at a glance like Sissel’s character development over the course of the game is that he started off selfish, only caring about his own mystery, and it’s only through getting attached to everyone throughout the night that he begins to care about others and the bigger picture. As such, his refusal to help Missile in the original timeline is easy to read as being born of that, since this was early on when Sissel still only cared about himself.

But… it’s not actually that simple, because Sissel isn’t as selfish in the beginning as one might think. Sure, he’ll say things like “I have to focus on my own mystery”, or “this is all for my own benefit”. But that doesn’t actually match up with his actions. His own mystery may be, in theory, his number one priority, but a remarkably close second priority for him is to save the lives of any dead person he happens to come across. Even very early on, before he’s grown to care about any of these people!

He doesn’t hesitate to save Missile, despite having zero reason to assume that this little doggie will be any help with his mystery. The second time he finds Lynne dead, when he’s getting to talk to her and learns that she doesn’t actually know much about him and probably won’t be able to help him because she’s got her own case to pursue tonight, he still reassures her that she doesn’t owe him and he’s going to save her life anyway.

And even right at Lynne’s very first death, in the game’s opening narration, Sissel makes a point that he doesn’t want to stand back and let her get shot, and that he feels bad for her, despite her being a complete stranger!

Evidently, even right at the beginning, Sissel isn’t selfish. He just thinks he is. Because cats can be tsundere like that.

Sissel:  “Why am I so determined to save this woman? After all, it’s not as if I know her. My reason is twofold. Number one, I’m not the type to leave women lying around, discarded like trash.”

(Here’s a bit from later in chapter 1 featuring Sissel being amusingly surprised by his own altruistic streak. He seems to expect to only care about himself – yet here he is, not wanting to leave a stranger lying dead if he can help it. Not so selfish after all, huh?)

So if that’s not the problem in the original timeline, then what is? Why does Sissel leave Missile to deal with saving his ladies alone when he’d have no reason not to try and help? – after all, he hasn’t been given a fake time limit in this timeline! He’s not even in a hurry with his own mystery! For that matter, Sissel was still there in the junkyard at the beginning – why didn’t he just save Lynne himself?

We can get a good indication of what the issue is from that very same opening narration I was just talking about.

Sissel:  “Now, I’m not the kind of guy who can just stand back and watch a poor woman get shot. But I have just one little problem… I’m already dead myself.”

Sissel:  “I feel bad for her, sure. But what can I do? I’m dead. But just as I was thinking that…”

The real problem is not that he doesn’t care about saving a stranger’s life. Rather, it’s that, because he’s dead, he doesn’t think he can. He’s not expecting to magically have ghost superpowers; why would he?

And it’s just as he was thinking that he can’t do anything (which, while part of his screen-filling monologue narration, was still his thoughts and therefore something any nearby ghost could hear)… that Ray speaks up to tell him that actually he can save her.

Sissel:  “Huh?” (Me? Save her? Uh, how?)

Immediately, Sissel questions the notion once again, not with a why but with a how. It’s not that he doesn’t want to; he simply doesn’t think it’s possible.

This general idea continues throughout the entire tutorial, which is absolutely packed with lines that show Sissel being deeply sceptical about the idea that he could possibly save someone’s life or alter someone’s fate.

Once Ray’s taught him about his basic ghost tricks and he’s managed to delay Lynne’s death by a few moments… she still ends up dead anyway. And Sissel thinks that’s it. Because of course he does. Even if he can stop time and manipulate objects, he has zero reason to believe that his powers can undo a death that’s already happened.

Sissel:  “In the end, it looks like her fate remains unchanged. So what good are these ‘ghost tricks’ of mine? But just as I was thinking this…”

Sissel:  “It looks like my ghost tricks didn’t do much good.” (She still ended up just as dead as before.)

He even ends up feeling like his new superpowers are barely worth anything, because he can play a few little tricks on someone, but that’s not enough to save someone’s life, is it?

Ray:  “Isn’t it a shame to see such a pretty young woman lying here discarded like a piece of trash?” Sissel:  “But what can I do? She’s already dead.”

Ray:  “And while she’s resting, you can save her life.” Sissel:  “Oh, sure. You make it sound so easy.”

And again, he’s very dismissive of Ray implying or telling him that he can do something about this. After all, how could that be possible any more?

In particular, there’s this vital little bit of trickery here…

Ray:  “Now what do you suppose will happen if you possess a corpse?” Sissel:  “Nothing, because I already tried that, remember? And nothing happened at all.”

…in which Sissel assumes his powers just don’t work on corpses, because he’s already tried and failed to do anything with “his” corpse. If he’d been alone, without Ray to guide him through things, he most likely wouldn’t have even tried to possess Lynne’s corpse in the first place, because he would have had no reason to believe it would achieve anything!

(Meanwhile, Missile in the original timeline also had zero reason to believe he could do anything for Kamila, but he was so anguished and desperate that of course he would have tried anyway. He’d try anything to save her, because he is good and loyal and Dog. So he was able to discover his time-rewinding powers where Sissel didn’t, and thus he passed that knowledge onto Sissel in the game’s timeline.)

And as Ray tells Sissel that he can in fact rewind time to redo the last moments of Lynne’s life, he’s completely dumbfounded and bewildered by the very idea of it.

Sissel:  “Are you serious?! Back through time?!”

Sissel:  “But this is crazy! None of it makes any sense!”

Ray:  “To the time four minutes before this woman was murdered!” Sissel:  “H-Hey, wait a second! I still don’t know what you’re talking about!”

What is this lamp even talking about?! Of course turning back time isn’t possible! He had no reason to believe it was possible, even as part of his new wacky ghost powers.

(Meanwhile, when Sissel is saving Missile in the game, we get a little exchange that shows Missile being completely unfazed by the idea that Sissel’s brought them back in time. It’s no weirder than humans walking around on two legs, right? One way or another, the cat can barely wrap his head around it, while the dog sees it as perfectly plausible.)

One thing Ray says more than once during the tutorial is, “The best thing to do is try it.” Because Sissel is being so stubbornly cynical that he will not take this desk lamp’s word about how useful his powers are and has to literally be pushed into trying it himself in order to believe it, every time.

Even after seeing for himself that he can go back in time and watch Lynne’s death again, Sissel still manages to be pessimistic about this.

Ray:  “And there you have it. The last four minutes of her life.” Sissel:  [strained] “No…!” Ray:  “It’s kind of ironic, when you think about it. A woman toyed with by fate, and a man toyed with by a ghost.” Sissel:  “But she still died.”

He went back in time, and she still died. There’s still apparently nothing he can do, right? No, Sissel, just have a bit of patience! This is just the mechanic that lets you understand what happens before you dive in and start changing things; you’ll get your chance soon!

And once he’s finally successfully saved Lynne…

Ray:  “You used your powers to avert that woman’s fate.” Sissel: “So I did that?”

Sissel still has a moment of being surprised at the notion that he was capable of something like this.

It’s really striking to me, watching over chapter 1 again with this thought about original-timeline Sissel in mind, just how many lines to this effect there are throughout the whole thing. The writers did not need to include this many moments of Sissel being sceptical, or even any of them at all, really, in order for the tutorial to do its job as a tutorial! But they’re here anyway, because it is in fact really important to the story that Sissel is somebody who would not have tried hard enough to figure out that his powers can undo deaths unless he had someone holding his hand through it the whole way.

The way old-Missile talks about it when he’s explaining himself at the end, it’s easy to get the takeaway that the most important thing he did as Ray was to take advantage of Sissel’s supposed self-interest: by not contradicting his misconception that he’s the man in red, by telling him Lynne is the key to his mystery (a half-truth at best), and by giving him a fake time limit. And it’s not that those things didn’t help, but they’re not really the most important thing at all.

The most important thing Ray did for Sissel, the thing that Missile absolutely most needed to spend those ten years waiting to do, was exactly what it appeared to be during chapter 1: to teach him how to use his powers to save lives. Because the number one thing the Sissel from the original timeline needed but didn’t get was, quite literally, a tutorial.

There’s a little bit more to it than this, though. So, okay, Sissel in the original timeline didn’t know he had the vital time-rewinding power. But then that begs the question: why didn’t Missile just tell him that while asking for his help?

For that matter, why did Sissel leave Missile shortly after being asked for help? It can’t just be because he urgently had to go and look elsewhere for answers to his own mystery, because he’s not pressed for time here. And he was apparently chilling at the junkyard just eavesdropping on the investigators’ conversations before Missile showed up. Why the sudden shift in locations now of all times, when there’s someone here who’s actually talking to him – the first person Sissel would have been able to talk to all night – and asking him for help?

The issue here, I believe, is that this isn’t just a matter of Sissel’s lack of understanding what his powers can do. It’s also a matter of emotional state – both Sissel’s, and Missile’s. Both of them would have been incredibly stressed out and upset, Sissel due to his loss of memory and seeing deaths in front of him that he doesn’t think he can do anything about, and Missile due to his mistresses’ deaths that he also can’t do anything about, even though he has a superpower that lets him try but it just isn’t quite enough.

How would Missile and Sissel’s interaction go when they’re both so upset like this? There’s actually a fun little bite-sized example of this in the actual canon timeline. During the last desperate struggle to escape the sinking submarine…

Missile:  “Sissel! Y-Y-Y… You’re not telling Miss Lynne to leave poor Miss Kamila behind, ARE YOU?!” Sissel:  *sigh* “Could you just be quiet for a minute, Missile?”

Missile and Sissel are bound to be both extremely anxious and stressed in this situation – trapped in the submarine, Lynne and Kamila in danger of drowning if they don’t do something. And in that state of mind, it seems that Missile is prone to eschewing logic to be even more loudly desperately protective of his mistresses… while Sissel especially does not enjoy Missile being Loudly Boisterously Dog in his ear when he’s stressed out. After all, cats and dogs have very opposite and very incompatible ways of dealing with stress!

So it follows that the conversation between Sissel and Missile in the original timeline would likely have been an incoherent emotional mess, in which neither of them properly communicated their side of things at all. Missile must have just never even thought to tell Sissel that he can rewind time and therefore saving his ladies is actually possible in theory, because that was already obvious to him! He wouldn’t be capable of understanding why Sissel would be so reluctant about this.

As for why Sissel wasn’t just reluctant to help but outright ran away and sealed the deal – I think, more than anything, it’s got to be down to the fact that he couldn’t stand having Missile being so loud and energetic at him when he was this upset. Especially not while repeatedly saying that he can save them, which would be the exact thing Sissel has been miserably convinced that he just can’t. It follows that he’d just have wanted to run and hide somewhere Missile isn’t, where he can have some peace and quiet. Cats who are upset often like to hide and isolate themselves to feel safer.

There’s one other part in the game’s tutorial that suggests the problem originally might have been partly a matter of Sissel’s emotions:

Ray:  “Hello there. How are you feeling? Not very well, I imagine. A terrible tragedy, what happened tonight.” Sissel:  “………” [neutral face] Ray:  “Ah, ignoring me, are you? It’s a little too early for you to be so stiff and cold, I’d say.” Sissel:  [smiling] “Ah, so it was you. You were that voice in my head, right?”

This is very noteworthy, because Ray is the only person in the entire game who ever takes the time to ask Sissel how he’s feeling. He wouldn’t be feeling great after waking up dead, watching a woman die in front of him and failing to save her, would he?

It seems like old-Missile, with his years of wisdom and time to reflect on everything, realised that his approach to getting Sissel’s help last time really was way too focused on his own problems, and he never even stopped to think about how Sissel must have been feeling. So here, he presents himself as a friend, someone who cares about Sissel and his journey, because that’s exactly what Sissel needs! This poor kitty must have felt so lonely and sad and helpless in the original timeline. But hearing Ray’s words, and realising that this desk lamp is someone semi-familiar, does seem to cheer him up at least a little bit here! Sissel really is a character whose core desperate need is to just not be alone, even if you’d be hard-pressed to get him to admit that at the beginning.

Interestingly, way back when I first played Ghost Trick, on the DS soon after it came out, I found myself intrigued by Sissel in the original timeline. I vaguely toyed with the idea of writing a fic exploring how he was feeling and why he refused, though I never got around to actually doing so. Then recently, the game coming out in HD rekindled my hyperfixation and made me think about it some more and actually end up writing that fic after all. And the thing is, back then, I didn’t remotely consciously understand any of this stuff I’ve just explained here. But even so, I find it neat how I still had this wordless sense that what was going on with Sissel must have been so much more than just selfishness – that he must have been so sad in that timeline and that had to be the real basis of why he didn’t help.

[upsettimyspagetthi]

Actions that are valid and not selfish can have negative consequences while still being valid and not selfish. Just because those negative consequences came about as a result of the action doesn’t mean it was the person who took the action’s fault.

This is about Kristen Applebees.

Yes, she left home and by extension her brothers. We must remember she was kicked out. She didn’t have a choice to leave. But even if she did, it's not selfish to leave a toxic environment with parents who clearly don’t value you beyond your religious role. In a perfect world, Kristen wouldn’t have had to leave her brothers behind when she left. And she clearly loves them and missed them. See her scene at the start of Sophomore Year, where she was audibly in tears leaving them gold. I don’t take her not going in as a sign she doesn’t care, if anything it's a sign of how much she cares. I take it as her knowing if she goes in and has to face even one of her brothers, she’ll never be able to leave.

Now that Bucky’s back, we actually get to see the impact Kristen’s absence left. Mac and Donna are clearly stricter and meaner in their parenting, being reintroduced bullying Bucky. Bucky is, quite frankly, a nervous wreck who thinks he’s going to Hell. He’s clearly torn between his religion saying Kristen is a sinner and the fact he missed her so much and wants his big sister back. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bucky has been trying to be The Good Kid/peacemaker since Kristen has been gone. You could say her leaving was the catalyst for these events. 

And none of that is her fault.

Mac and Donna don’t have to double down and bully their remaining kids. There’s probably a world where they are normal people and realised they fucked up and did better by their sons. But the fact is, they didn’t, they remained abusers, when they didn’t have to. Notice how Bucky doesn’t refute Kristen when she says she had a hard time with their parents. On some level, he must know what their parents do and say isn’t normal. He doesn’t seem to resent Kristen for leaving, even if her absence left him in a bad place.

The weird wave of Kristen hatred has me nervous for when we see Bucky again/if we see Bricker or Cork. I know they won’t be okay but some part of me wants them to be for fear of rancid takes that what happened is Kristen’s fault.

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 31-35 author notes

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

The chasm in their understanding of what makes Vivi tick.

The stakes in this scene seem low and the twins are just overdramatizing the danger for the sake of unwinding and being silly, right? Yesn't. One wrong move or word, and they join those leafmen scattered all over the place.

Finding the line between bad actor and caring sister.

Of course Alisaie wants to hang out with Vivi. She doesn't want to admit that to herself, let alone risk looking desperate in her brother's eyes. Tsundere moment. It's been a while since they've. Had a rest. Between rescuing Minfilia from Laxan Loft and making their way to Il Mheg. Alphinaud, at least in my hc, isn't as physically durable, but definitely as stubborn and proud as Alisaie, so he wouldn't simply agree to chill out for a moment. Alisaie makes him tunnel-vision her bad (?) acting and openly throwing the game for supposedly selfish reasons, while she gets what she wanted, AND forces Alphi to sit his ass down.

I’m sorry but I really need to point out that her ahoge did, in fact, launch into the stratosphere.

More under the cut~

....Can you blame her tho.

Vivi’s shirt’s a bit more plain than usual, he needed to wear something practical under his crystarium guard disguise in Laxan Loft.

The flashback in episodes 32-33 has no dialogue per se, only monologues, to emphasize how disconnected they are.

Technically both vivis are real, but Exarch’s memories are definitely heavily skewed. He’d only known Vivi during the CT quests, in this story it’s a month or two in summer, during which literally nothing bad happens, sans the finale. Alisaie, however, got lucky to experience Vivi during Stormblood, his absolute low.

Exarch and Alisaie sit on opposing sides of the bias, one wears pink glasses, delusional and bluepilled, the other one’s (heh) redpilled, perhaps a bit too much. Hence Alisaie feels the whiplash when her jerkass woobie friend suddenly acts mellow (back in the present), still she has the expertise to tell that he’s not affected by a fae spell or anything.

Full page because I’m so proud of the paneling here, simple as this trick is, these speech bubbles blocking Vivi from sight neatly illustrate that Alisaie just babbles away, paying no heed to his state.

With the power of flashbacks and stories told by one character to another, I’m able to revisit any moment in their past whenever I please. I didn’t commit to a linear story because there was no story! Well, just the outlines. Vivi as a character began in ShB because I really needed to fuck that old man, I started writing down the lil scenes loosely connected by the canon plot, and that’s how the whole concept of Fragments came to be.

It may not work for everyone, but my secret sauce’s that you don’t have to begin at the beginning. Make a guy, put him in a situation, then ask a lot of whys and hows to expand his story backward and forward.

Keeping the past events for later allows me to flesh things out at a leisurely pace. This Alisaie flashback is actually an iteration, originally I’d planned to have Vivi stand alone and just think the broody thoughts, and that was supposed to be the transition between ARR and ShB arcs. I grow more writing muscle as I go, and I’m infinitely happy that I avoided that angsty infodump.

Okay this’s becoming a big fat tangent, but I wanted to acknowledge another pitfall: overusing a character as a mere exposition tool. I wouldn’t do this for, say, Tataru or Y’shtola. Being THE flashback haver makes sense for Alisaie because a) they’re close with Vivi, b) her worldview and opinion on Vivi are changing in ShB, she’s a smart lil thing who would slow down and reflect when appropriate, c) she has a distinct arc in my comic, and knowing what’s going on inside that elf brain will give you the most entertainment out of her actions in the present moment.

I’m new to writing and very excited about the story that comes together as we speak, so I like to show around my kitchen. Please lemme know if you enjoy this. I don’t know if I’m parroting the boring 101s, or if this’s actually useful to someone.

“Meals made for me” YEA HE CAN’T COOK. Well, barely.

New sharp outfit, procured by our most magnanimous branch. The “tail” will help me draw the upcoming Titania fight, it adds fluidity to his movements.

*presses the upgrade button*

There's a lot happening in his head that's not being shown. I hope at least some readers wonder who or what he leaves behind in his mind's eye in this moment. What we know for sure is that he doesn’t take too long to make a decision.

Not sure if subtle, but I did try the breadcrumbing:

Unfortunately for everyone, including himself :’>

I love this one especially because, instead of telling that about himself, Vivi asks Ardbert, kinda gauging his wol experience against the other wol’s.

Episode 34 really shook people awake and reminded that we’re off the msq rails with this story. I loved the response it evoked in the tags, lots of thoughtful rambling about being a hero.

Fae temptation jokes and all, but Feo Ul really says what Vivi needs to say out loud to himself.

Normalize prioritizing self-care over world-saving.

Vivi genuinely cares about Feo Ul. That’s unusual. It might be my storytelling mistake that I didn’t show much of his typical indifference before this scene, unless you count the episodes where he does this

instead of hurrying the fuck up with the msq. Or, perhaps, it’s okay, since this gets plenty of attention later on. You won’t miss the fact that he isn’t eager to set himself on fire to keep others warm. Feo Ul just lucked their way into his heart, and, as a result, he approaches the Titania fight with unusual consideration.

/srs mode on ^

Remember how I just talked about developing this story in all directions at once? I planned Vivi to have this demeanor during the early days of writing Fragments. Like, most of the time. He’d be a broody bitch, get slowly thawed by Exarch’s kindness, and... That’d be it. In veeeeeery broad strokes, this’s still the case, but the current iteration has much more nuance.

Vivi and Titania’s likeness has no deep meaning, take it or leave it. Vivi cares about appearances, he was bound to notice this. Feo Ul can see souls, visuals are secondary to them. But Vivi, being himself, must doubt and question everything.

He moves fast and thinks a lot as the adrenaline speeds him up.

Notice how he lets Titania speak and remains quiet. This’s common in most fights: he doesn’t indulge with chats or banter those who he sees as mere targets to destroy. There’s like a point of no return, if an enemy poses no threat and can be talked out of dying, Vivi will speak, sadly he enters this fight knowing that Titania has to die no matter what.

Once he’s familiarized himself with the situation, and realized that Titania’s more than just a mindless husk, things change up a bit. But for now, he just runs in circles, analyzes the situation, and overthinks about their visual resemblance :’>

Sorry not sorry but unintentional reference x’DD

To be fair Vivi IS being a magical boy in this miniarc so this works lmao.

Wrapping up on this note, thanks for sticking with me and reading till the end~

[dilfs-bitch]

Again | Jake Sully

Pairing : Jake Sully x Recom female reader x Neytiri te Tskaha

Warnings: Mention of Kiri, Spider, Tuk, Loak and Neteyam, Tsu'tey and Moa't, mention of the recom unit, age gap, (reader in her early twenties, Jake in his late thirties, Neytiri in the mid-thirties) angst, secondary character death, injury, pregnancy, mates, smut suggestive content.

Word accont: 3k

Summarry: After you die, Jake never thought he’d see you again, but after fifteen years, the RDA brings " you " back.

Chapter one

Some events in the movie were modified to suit the chapter and sorry if there are grammatical errors english is not my first language

Jake's euphoric.

A soft smile adorns his lips as he wakes up with the soft chirping of Pandora’s diurnal creatures, he is hoping to feel the warmth radiating from your body, but instead he is brought back to reality.

His body is inert, is the tension that forms quickly on his shoulders, his heartbeat is agonizing when he realizes that him was left alone by you in the tree of voices after everything that happened, after everything you said to each other.

The remorse of his actions now weighs on his conscience, what was he thinking? Acting like an immature teenager having sex with another woman, blinded by an old feeling that should have remained deep in his heart because it makes him not even think he has a mate, a family, an important position within the omaticaya clan.

Jake is not even thinking about the consequences of his rash actions, it's the unhappy glare of Neytiri who took her hand to her mouth, silent tears welling up from her eyes upon she's realizing what happened when he returns the next morning to the clan alone, it's the confusing questions of his children about where he was and why their mother is suddenly so desperate as he just stands there letting her put out all her frustrations he himself has caused in recent months. And perhaps the greatest of its consequences is yet to come because it's only a matter of time until you take Quaritch to high camp and this time there is no more time to argue or to regret, him and the clan is more prepared than ever ready to die and kill

lf days, weeks pass and when it finally happens, it's not Quaritch and his recom unit that attacks directly, it's the consequences of the stubbornness of his youngest son who once again disobeys his order and goes to the battlefield, it's unbearable to try to fight against the feeling of fear that spreads in his body like a disease, what if when he gets to the battlefield it’s too late? Jake would not forgive himself if his mistake caused the death of one of his children, even though he's instinctively preparing for the worst when Lo'ak no longer responds through the throat comms and everything he can hear it's the gunfire, when he lands with his ikran along with Neytiri and Neteyam who insists on helping, but Jake cannot risk the safety of his another kid.

He won’t think twice about killing anyone who dares to put his family’s safety at risk, and that includes you.

It’s a kind of feeling that not even Jake doesn’t know how to control, it’s a mix of guilt, anger, betrayal, remorse, he didn’t care for fifteen years that what he experienced in side with Neytiri, the memories they created together, he didn't care about the bond that connect their souls forever, to at the end of it all be left alone to deal with his own choices and at the same time he almost feels compassion for himself.

The woman he always loved before him “alive” fifteen years later, saying she is in love with him too, and what should he do? Ignore all those feelings he couldn't forget for years, and that soul connection he always felt? At that moment, Jake was willing to pay the price, but now the consequences seem too high, would you be able to betray him, your feelings? Would you be able to put his children at risk for pure selfishness and revenge? No, it can’t be you’ve never been like this and no matter how hard him tries, Jake can’t accept that.

And he is unbearably relieved when upon seeing Lopez and Warren’s bodies dropped to the floor lifeless, Lo'ak and Kiri hiding against a fallen tree trunk and your body protectively protecting Tuk from the gunshots of Quaritch and Lyle’s weapons.

It is the sudden hormone of epinephrine that causes him to act in automatic mode, it's the shots, Neytiri’s straight arrow that hit Brown and Walker in the head, it's the loud and sudden sound of bullets fired from his gun against his sensitive ears hitting Praguer’s neck and Fike’s back, it's an unexpected emotion of surprise to see the hard and agile work between Neytiri and you to get the children out of the crossfire.

It's the fear triggered by Kiri's cry and seeing you put yourself in the crossfire once again to rescue Spider who seems unconscious, it's the despair that makes him instinctively hold his breath when he sees the bullet from Quaritch and Zdinarsk's gun cross your arm and pierce your thigh when your body tries to lower itself against a fallen log but Neytiri was there guiding you to a safer place.

It's when he's finally realizing that he would never be able to hurt you, even if he was blinded by hatred, even if said he would.

His body is inert is only his heart that beats at a much stronger frequency than usual when he's watching Moa’t treat the wounds of your body passed out in her hut while Neytiri is frustrated to hear what her mother has just said, although he is more concerned, ecstatic, happy to know the news of a new child and what Ewya destined to him.

All life is a blessing to Eywa, and Jake would never dare to say the opposite of his children that's growing up in your womb.

“ Ma sa'nok, Why? Why should we mate with another? A demon who brought so much disgrace to our people! “ Neytiri hissed at the Tsahìk.

Mo'at looked at her angrily, she didn’t teach her daughter any less? “ Must be done, Eywa has spoken “

Neytiri did not understand, she and Jake were happy together, before you, she did not need someone else to ruin what was no longer so good. She turned to her husband, who was sitting on the woven mat near your body, urging him to give an opinion on the matter, although she almost knew what he would say.

“ The great mother did it for a reason that I do not know why, but I’m not against her will. “ Neytiri’s ears sharpened, and she hisses at her husband. ' Won’t go against ? '

His mate continued to talk to her mother, and her it's almost forced to the understanding that one cannot go against the will of the great mother because what she gives, she takes away.

Ewya gave you back to him, gave a kid, a mate to him and Neytiri is not up to her to disregard the wishes of the great mother, so she accepts.

Now with the latest events, he decides to leave, it's a difficult decision, but Jake understands that he has to leave Omatycaia, leave his home, his people, give up his title of Olo'eyktan, take Neytiri and his children away from everything what do they know because he needs to keep your family safe, keep you and the baby safe from Quaritch, from the Recom, from the sky people because they won't stop until you're both dead.

A few days pass until the symbolic ceremony for Tsu'tey to “ kill ” him by scratching him with a knife to transfer leadership, the clan omatycaia would be fine with a leader like him, so they leave for Awa'atlu, a village of the Metkayina clan that Moa’t told him in search of uturo and the journey across the seas is exhausting, It is difficult to adapt that's suddenly forced not only for their children that requires knowing why suddenly you accompany them, and he omits some details while trying exhaustively along with his mate explain that now you are also part of the family because now you are their mate chosen by Ewya.

It was an eight-hour flight including two stops to the reef, Jake didn’t know what to expect from the Metkayina clan, if they were kind and willing to welcome him and his mates and their children, and he is more than grateful to the great mother who guided him during this journey and that the clan leaders allow him to stay, he is aware that it's a new and difficult restart, it would be challenging to be in a way in a new environment forgetting his forest teachings to replace by the water path, but they will overcome that.

At first, Neytiri had not yet completely accepted the fate that was forced on, and neither did you.

The communication was just the basics, but it almost becomes frequent the way she's petting your belly every day, thanking Ewya for the baby that's growing healthy, and Jake almost feels tempted to interfere when you didn’t seem to try so hard, though he knew your way was more subtle, so subtle that it becomes almost imperceptible but there you are advising their children to spare her the trouble of doing it almost daily considering how many confusions Lo'ak gets into and this creates a kind of bond over the months in Metkayina, so strong that Tuk calls you Sa'nu not unlike Spider who is glued to your hip since omatycaia.

Life is going well, though Jake begins to feel left out when your relationship with Neytiri seems to progress, it becomes so frequent the smiles and conversations in the marui pods, his heart is so warm to watch for the first time his first mate teaching you to weave a tewng for the baby who has not yet born .

It's if everything was the way it has to be.

But he is brought back to harsh reality every time it’s just the two of you in the marui pods, and you seem tense with his presence, embarrassed, almost annoyed every time he tries to start a conversation and a shock of perception hits him.

Your opinion was never heard, you were just forced to leave everything behind and start a new life in another clan, accept this fate that was given to you by Ewya to have two mate without even a chance to argue, for Jake you’re on the edge of impatience, and it’s only a matter of time until you lose the ability to reason and your anger is directed directly at him and Jake doesn’t know how to avoid it because you don’t listen to him, you do not give him a chance to explain himself and for his luck it's Neytiri who approaches you about it.

“ I know it must be hard for you” She smiles, holding your hand against hers” But Ewya has a role for all of us and her will cannot be ignored “

Since a young age you understood that sometimes in life there are no choices and in Pandora would not be different, but the problem is the guilt that consumes you for your rash actions to get involved with a man who has a family, and now it has put you in this situation more than strange between the woman in front of you that you like so much and the man that you’re in love with, although you’re aware that it’s Jake that’s being left out by you in this adjustment that gets better every day.

Your jaw tightens, your ears flattened in shame. ” I know, but sometimes I can’t help but blame myself for interfering with what you two had before and that got us into this mate thing "

The next look of her reveals how uncomfortable she gets with what you just said, Neytiri can not deny how hurt she was to learn that her Jake was able to relate to another woman besides her, but from the moment you were surrounded by the atokirina seeds it was Ewya’s plans to prevent later her children and the rest of the clan from suffering the hatred of Quaritch and the sky people.

“ Don’t say that, from the beginning was the plans of Ewya Ma' Y/n “

Although Neytiri had tried to resist at first in accepting her fate, little by little she got used to your presence, it is lovely the way you treat her so kindly, always hearing her so interested in the history of her clan, and a new feeling that grows in her heart usually reserved only for her mate, but now she is so in love with you too.

She now perfectly understands Ewya’s plans because it's such an intense happiness that blooms within her with the latest happenings, she never thought she needed another mate, but now Neytiri swears she can no longer live without your presence, though for her happiness to be complete she needs you to understand that the great mother’s plan isn’t just she’s and Jake, and she’s and you, it's the three of you together as mates, she needs you to understand that there’s no reason to blame what happened.

Standing up, she reached out her four-finger hand, and you took it, mirroring her actions, she watches you, waiting for any sign of hesitation before stepping out of your shared marui pods.

Your feet ran hurriedly against the soft sand toward that part of the sea that and farthest from the village, were only the sounds of the calm waves, noises of oceanic creatures. Your heart that beat against your rib cage increasingly stronger each time you saw yourself closer to the place that Jake usually stays when he wants to be alone.

It was already dark, but it was possible to see his figure by the luminescence of his own skin that was sitting looking at the horizon, perhaps so distracted that he doesn't even notice that you two are approaching, and he only realizes that he is no longer alone when Neytiri kneels down sitting and the palm of her hand rests softly against his shoulder, he turns to face her who smiles nodding in the direction you are standing awkwardly and Jake hesitantly extends his large hand to you which you have take sitting kneeling in front of him and beside her.

“ Ewya destined us as mates…the three” Neytiri starts holding your hand and Jake’s” There’s no more reason to feel guilty, the will of the great mother is that we become just one “

Your ears flattened against your head, you nodded understanding what she was saying, the bond of tsaheylu was something you had already done before when you claimed your ikran, but it was not an erotic bond. It was just like a different mind control as it seems to interweave your kuru with your partner’s, you are confused about how it works, In the months that passed in omatycaia no one dared to explain how it works when choosing a mate and this time it is Jake who decides to explain seeing the look so confused in face.

“ It's a ritual of union, like a marriage but a powerful bond that binds two souls for life” Jake's hand goes up to the back of his head bringing his braid over his shoulder, lifting to you” As me and Neytiri did”

Your hand goes instinctively against the back of your neck, bringing your neural queue under your shoulder and lifting it so close to Jake's that the thin, pink strands spurt ready to connect and when Neytiri finally reaches her and all the three of them meet intertwine, pupils immediately dilate, their foreheads resting against each other, breathing unevenly as if they've run a mile.

But it's just the state of body consciousness now united accessing each other's emotional sensations, Jake and Neytiri had already experienced tsaheylu's sensation before when being mated but now it's so intense, so raw it's a whirlwind of feelings of the for life bond forming, it all feels so intense that's hard to focus on just one, but it's like you can feel exactly what each one of them feels, Jake's sadness, the need he feels not only for you but also for Neytiri, the happiness with the last events, the love he has felt for you and his mate all these years, the fear of Neytiri, the anger, the suffering, a mix of need and happiness since he arrived in Awa'atlu, the love she feels for Jake, the strong feeling she has for you that makes you smile, it's everything so new, so intense, so erotic.

And you’re not the only one who feels that way, because Jake’s hands immediately cupping your face as he leans his lips against yours, it's soft just to remind your body of what’s to come. His chest beating frantically as feels your hand resting against his muscular thighs and he gasps softly.

You kiss him with so much passion, hungry to deepen the kiss but is slow almost desperate with the time you two miss it that soon the kiss becomes sloppy, teeth pounding making noise with the impact and you two chuckle and Jake almost moans to feel your tongue slide against his. Your tail curling Neytiri’s leg when you break the kiss and Jake’s hand instantly goes against the beck of her neck pulling her close to kissing her so intensely that Neytiri tries to pull away, only for his five fingers hand on her neck to keep her in place, unable to have enough.

When it becomes difficult to breathe, he finally lowers the kisses to her jaw, neck sucking the exposed skin, and she whines with pleasure, leaning towards you who kisses her.

It's slow, full of need, and you moan at the feel of her tongue sliding over yours, and it catches Jake's attention, the sight before him of the two women he loves so much is enough to form a growing erection beneath his loincloth, and he's tempted to just fuck you both right there but now that tsaheylu has been formed he can't, although he thinks he can't control himself for too long.

 “ Tìyawn ” He says, smiling when your ears tremble, and you break the kiss immediately, gaze at him. ” We need to mate before Ewya, at a sacred site ”

When you nod, he just stands up, extending a hand to you and Neytiri, who takes it as he leads the way to the Cove of the Ancestors.

[soullessduck13]

Not ur DMs but oh man!! Do I have a character analysis to dump upon you. I’m not gonna do a ton of editing, but I do wish to share.

Oh bro, Q!Foolish is so cool as a character. Him and BBH are literally both insane in the exact same way, but with such different views on morality. It results in wildly different ideas of themselves and the world around them!

Foolish is selfish and he knows it, but he also loves his family dearly. He will do anything to protect the people he cares about even though that circle is pretty small. Anyone outside the circle is fair game tho. (BBH is an exception because he’s trusted, but Foolish and him love endangering each other for sport). By “fair game,” I mean Foolish will actively throw anyone under the bus just because he feels like it. Honestly doesn’t even have to be for any particular gain. He will absolutely do things just to see what happens. He acts like a morally grey immortal who doesn’t quite understand how normal people think anymore.

At the same time, a lot of his actions do have motives. A big part of his character is that Foolish just wants rare/unique items and will do nearly anything (including endanger others) to get them. He sees the island as a game to win, which makes it easy to not care about consequences for himself and others. He’s not malicious and he doesn’t seek to cause others pain, but will still do things knowing full well they could harm. He also fully accepts other people seeking retribution for his actions, because he’s got a “fair is fair” type mentality. He will simply deal with whatever consequences float his way for his actions.

Because Foolish is aware of his selfishness, he will never try and take a moral high ground. He doesn’t think he’s a morally just person, and he doesn’t care to be. He cares about chaos for the sake of fun, doing things to get him stuff, and protecting those he loves.

(Also, Foolish & Jaiden as people are both the embodiment of chaotic neutral. Everything they do together is fun as Jaiden enables the hell out of any idea Foolish has. Morality be damned, they just wanna be menaces for the sake of it.)

Also also, Foolish is actually smarter than he appears and presents himself. He’s actually a strategist at heart, but will only use it for his own personal gain and often under the table lol. He’s silly, but he uses that to play all fields and knows how to keep things secret. His behavior will often trick others into underestimating him, but unfortunately also leads to people fundamentally not understanding him or his motives.

Idk,, I stay spinning these Minecraft people in my brain like a microwave lol. I could probably give similar level analysis on a handful of my other main QSMP people, but yeah. Foolish is especially cool to me because people who have zero illusion about being morally fucked by normal standards are soooo interesting! It’s a very atypical way to aproach the world not giving a shit about morality while also being zero percent malicious. His /goal/ isn’t ever to hurt people for the sake of it, he’s just a means to an end kind of guy. He’s neat because about him and his explanation for his actions tends to embody a genuine sense of neutrality in the most insane way possible.

god this is so cool

I really want to watch more of Foolish’s vods to really get a grasp of him and I can’t really add onto this much at all but oh anon I appreciate so much. Thank you for this meal of a character analysis served on a silver platter

I think the type of morally grey Foolish is, is by the far the most fun to me. It’s that loyalty to these select few people and that loyalty will not change unless extreme circumstances causes it to. So so interesting. And also like. Him being friends with others but if given the popular he will screw them over? That’s hilarious. Good for him, doing things for the bit and for his own personal gain. I wouldn’t, probably, but selfish characters are soooooo… rotating around inside my head.

[bebx]

So I'm not in the Harrow fandom but like, what would happen if he met Henry (or Eddie because I'm biased w my boys) or Jack?

Harrow is a crime show from what I can tell?

Just curious what your thoughts are.

*for my other moots and followers, this is about Henry Creel from Stranger Things, not Henry Morgan from Forever (though I love both Henry’s very dearly).

okay, a little background for my beloved Doctor Daniel Harrow (played by the one and only Ioan Gruffudd)

Doctor Harrow is the main protagonist of a series called Harrow, and he’s a talented pathologist who’s… well, highly stubborn, so he doesn’t follow the rules and always does things his own way. he can be reckless and arrogant, some people call him selfish (also a pain in the ass) but in a good way, and he’s a good person. (he’s also extremely gorgeous it’s insane.)

so basically in the show, we often see Harrow conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of each body’s death. except that sometimes (most of the times) Harrow does more than his job description says, and goes out of his way to investigate things by himself if he suspects a foul play was involved. and he’s always right and basically he’s the one who solves crimes with his stubbornness and recklessness and also his talent.

I love this show so so very much. it’s so very good, one of the best shows I’ve ever watched, and it means so much to me (and I need a season 4).

now back to your ask! I call it a sign because a crossover between Harrow and Henry Creel is actually something I’d been thinking about writing for like a couple of months now. then I got your ask and I was like ‘now this is a sign. I really have to write it into existence!’.

so here it is: a modern age AU Stranger Things where Henry and Harrow met!

anyway, I think, if we’re talking about canon Stranger Things, I think Harrow would never be okay with Henry’s actions, what he did (the massacre, which, for the sake of the plot, never happened in the crossover fic I wrote). he would never condone the abuse Henry went through, but that didn’t mean he’d think the massacre Henry committed in canon could ever be justified.

I mean… I don’t know, that didn’t mean Harrow wouldn’t understand either (understanding something =/= condoning or justifying something). because, in the series, Harrow himself also had his own dark secrets that he had to hide. so I think… Harrow would understand why young Henry felt the need to kill his parents. but adult Henry who murdered those kids in canon? yeah, I think that would be another story.

from how I see it, if Harrow could, he would have done anything and everything to stop adult Henry from hurting innocent people. that meant either he or Henry would end up dead, because Henry would have to kill him first if he wanted to go ahead and hurt those innocent people.

however, Harrow also had the tendency to do anything and everything to protect the people that he loved. so I think it would depend on who Henry was to Harrow. if Henry wasn’t a friend, then I think Harrow would stop at nothing until he stopped Henry (and yes, that meant either Henry killed him or he killed Henry). but if they were friends, then I think that would be where things got complicated. because while, in canon, Harrow used to break laws to protect people he cared about, what adult Henry did was still something I really don’t think Harrow could ever accept or condone. so, even if they were friends, I think Harrow would still do anything in his power to stop Henry. he would hope he could stop him by putting him behind bars so that Henry was at least alive and so that Harrow could try to help him walk the right path, but if his hands were tied and if stopping Henry meant killing Henry, I think Harrow would probably go with it still, only because he didn’t have any other choice. and then he’d probably blame himself, thinking maybe if he’d done something differently he could have saved Henry. but basically Harrow would end up with yet another lifelong trauma.

(good thing is that the angst isn’t this severe in that crossover fic I wrote, so don’t worry, they’re both okay there!)

moving on to Eddie Munson. if Harrow met Eddie, oh I think that would be interesting and nope, it wouldn’t be anywhere as angsty as his meeting with Henry, that was for sure.

I think Harrow would see Eddie as a son, and Eddie would see Harrow as a father figure of sorts, a role model even.

in the show, Harrow did (almost) have a troubled son whom he looked after. I think if he met Eddie and if Eddie had a rough childhood, was somewhat troubled, then Harrow would step in and look after him.

As for Jack Sparrow, I think these two would probably find each other annoying at first. But after some rum, I believe they would be some sorts of a chaotic duo who caused shenanigans together.

Harrow and Jack are actually alike in several ways in my opinion: both are stubborn, reckless and Harrow sure can be mischievous.

so yes, him and Jack together would be hella fun.

[bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky]

Maybe I’m the odd one out here but What is and What Should Never Be always absolutely destroys me. I weep for almost the entire episode.

Dean has a home. He has someone who loves him. His life is normal and safe. And I cry.

The way he looks at Mary when he sees her for the first time. The way he nearly crumbles when she says “I told you angels were watching over you”. And then he hugs her with everything he has. He’s so happy to be back with him mom, back in his childhood home. His mom makes him lunch and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He gets to mow the lawn like a normal person. The trunk of his car isn’t full of weapons. He’s just ordinary, and he’s so happy about it. So I cry.

And the way he hugs Jess? He only ever met the girl once but he knows how much she means to Sam. And he knows that losing her almost killed his brother. And so he hugs her as tight as he can, because he’s so thrilled that she’s alive and Sam is happy. And I cry.

But what also kills me is the way that Sam and his mom talk about Dean. They’re always asking if he’s been drinking. They’re suspicious of all of his actions and his affections. Maybe the version of Dean from this life wasn’t exactly on the straight and narrow, but they talk about him like he’s a deadbeat. So I cry.

Jesus Christ, and when Dean goes to talk to his dad at the cemetery?

“It's like my old life is… is coming after me or something. Like it like it doesn't want me to be happy. Course I know what you'd say. Well, not the you that played softball but... "So go hunt the Djinn. He put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness for all those people's lives, no contest. Right?" But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero? What about us, huh? What, Mom's not supposed to live her life? Sammy's not supposed to get married? Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad?”

He doesn’t say “why can’t I have the life I want?” Sure, he asks why he has to be a hero. But he makes it more about Sam and his mom. Because he wants them to have the lives they deserve. And this moment just gives us another look at what a bastard John was. Dean knew how dismissive and rude John would be. He knew that John would never choose his own son’s happiness over the lives of strangers. And he’d probably scream at Dean for even considering the “selfish” option. The way Dean says that his old life doesn’t want him to be happy also kills me. Because it’s like, no matter where he goes or what he does, he’s destined for misery. So I sob.

And so Dean goes to hunt the Djinn. He chooses the lives of others over everything, like he always does. And he realizes his new life isn’t real. He realizes he’s been unconscious this entire time, and that Jess is dead. His mom is dead. Carmen doesn’t really exist. And I cry.

So he’s ready to kill himself, but the way that his family tries to convince him to stay?

Oh my god. Spiegel im Spiegel starts playing, and Sam asks “why’d you have to keep digging?”

Mary tells him to put the knife down. She says it doesn’t matter that this life isn’t real, it’s still better than anything he had before. And that yeah, in real life, he will die in a few days. But it will feel like years. And there will be “No more pain. Or fear. Just love and comfort. And safety,” none of which Dean has in his real life

But Dean still chooses to return to his life, because he cares more about our saving people than he does about his own happiness.

And he tells Sam about the fake life the djinn created for him. About how Sam was happy with Jess. And their mom was going to have grandchildren. Sam commends him for having the strength to fight it, to leave it behind. And Dean says, “But I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay so bad. I mean, ever since Dad... all I c– all I can think about is how much this job's cost us. We've lost so much. We've... sacrificed so much.”

and it’s like, damn. Why can’t Dean ever be truly happy? Cause even in this “happy” version of his life, everything was tinged with pain and sadness and grief. And I just wish he could get a break. So I cry and cry and cry and cry.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

I can't help but wonder if the Gdorf that was transported to a new land. I think Golden Mercy?

I wonder if he realizes that the entire reason that OoT Link even came after him was because he essentially killed the closest thing the boy had to a dad? And then he went on to kill OoT Zelda's dad, too. So, now he has 2 children after him.

Like, does he even recognize how much his actions upturned the lives of those 2 children?

Not only that, but he went to his neighboring kingdom, put on this show, & attacked the King's allies to steal 3 sacred relics, even killing one of them in the process! He threatened them, invaded a holy site, & stole what amounted to the holy grail.

Isn't that tantamount to destruction of cultural property? You know, a war crime??

Like, how does that man rationalize all this?

He really doesn’t, because he’s a selfish piece of garbage. That’s what happens with selfish people, they do not care about the impact they make on others, only what benefits them. To Ganondorf, it’s all just things that need to be done because he will get what he wants, and he does not care who burns to accomplish that. He’s king, it’s his right to take what he wants. That’s how he grew up.

Ganondorf hasn’t learned his lesson. The main reason he doesn’t cause a bunch of problems any earlier than he did was simply because he was kind of satisfied with what he had for a little while, until he learned that the Triforce existed in this Hyrule. Having children has helped him a little, making him gentler at times, trying to make him more rational and reasonable, but at the end of the day he never addressed the issues that led to his actions in his own original Hyrule, and therefore he hasn’t learned from it. As decent as he becomes in his new home, when the temptation strikes he doesn’t fight it, and giving in to that urge makes him completely reprehensible as time goes along. He starts a war, he eventually kills his wife when she turns on him, and he tries to kill his daughter when she teams up with Link. And by heaven did he completely upturn their lives, the Gerudo people, and all of Hyrule.

But worry not, my dear lovely, a few thousand years in agonizing captivity will make him far more contemplative. :)

I mean, I love writing the guy, but that doesn’t make him a good person. The reason I use the good Ganondorf tag is not because of his actions prior to Hyrule Warriors, it’s because Golden Mercy gives him a chance at redemption.

[adhdbisexualramblings]

I’m likely going to regret posting this after an actual rewatch of season ten, but-

Chloe was a wonderful foil to Timmy. They should have shared fairies. They’re perfect for each other friendship-wise.

Timmy’s conflicts are mainly external - neglectful parents, abusive babysitter, sucky school life - and despite his rowdiness and forgetful nature, he’s genuinely a very sweet boy who just gets caught up in whatever rash wish he’s made. Sure, he only has two friends (excluding his godparents), but that’s because he’s unpopular.

Chloe…has the exact opposite problem. All of her problems are purely internal. She does good everywhere she goes and strives to help everyone, which makes her a good person by nature, but it’s because of that giving nature why she has no real friends. She’s elevated immediately upon going somewhere to a celebrity status - it happened in Dimmsdale, and though she didn’t seem particularly upset about it, she still hasn’t stopped getting praise for her actions even months after moving there. Her life is the antithesis of Timmy’s to a T - wonderful, caring (if not overprotective) parents, a lot of people around her all the time, and a genuine love for everything that would theoretically make her the ‘perfect godchild’.

But, she has no real friends. No one she can count on for a cry or to lean back on if she needs help. Because she’s Chloe Carmichael, perfect girl, she shouldn’t have problems when everything in her life is great. Unlike Timmy, who is seen again and again clearly needing assistance, mainly assumed by characters and not explicitly said aloud by him. Chloe doesn’t have that specific ‘normal child’ status he has (no I am not projecting my survivor’s guilt onto a fictional character be quiet) because her life looks so good from the outside.

Despite what many reviewers, angry YouTubers in 2017, and a look at the first episode may tell you, Chloe does have flaws. Sure, she does actually like doing all this good stuff, but she’s…well, not far from, but you get it. She’s not totally perfect. She’s very protective about things she values (her DVD box set (which I totally get because those things are pricey, especially in this economy)) and tends to blow up if there’s any chance they’re threatened (yelling at Timmy to never lay a hand on said box set). She can be selfish (that episode where she had to share Timmy’s birthday and tried to one-up him) and a bit of a control freak (ideas likely coming from her parents’ want for perfection). She’s overly ambitious and her desire to find good in everyone blinds her to their bad parts (Foop may be a baby, but he’s not exactly as innocent as Chloe thinks). She can be easily-impressionable, as shown when she took to a brief life of crime in one episode. And, as Timmy puts it, she’s a little nuts.

Back to Chloe having no friends because she can’t be vulnerable with people who see her as a celebrity. She has a lot of traits that people might not like (see above) and can put them off on being an actual friend. Timmy has never seen Chloe as this popular untouchable mini-goddess - he hated her from the moment he saw her. Him having to share his fairies and subsequently be around her more often allows her to show those ‘worse’ (read: naturally human) traits off, and he won’t mind because those aren’t new to him, or weird. Timmy becomes, because of this, her first actual friend.

So while Timmy is rambunctious, mischievous, and has trouble paying attention but is still a sweet child in the moments where we see it, Chloe is a kind, generous, potentially self-sacrificing, overflowing-with-love girl who can get obsessed at times and lets her kindness be her downfall (sometimes). In the end, they’re both kids who have flaws.

Chloe and Timmy prove that misery is in the eye of the beholder. What’s miserable to Chloe may just be a normal day for Timmy, and we don’t know what fairy council grounds are for distributing godparents.

Additionally, Nick ruined Chloe as a character by breaking the show, don’t tell rule (telling us why she needed fairies instead of showing it through body language or actions) and sweeping her other bad traits under the rug. I despise the bright colors and neat lines of the new Flash animation they used, I hate it immensely, and Timmy’s character was botched within the first two seconds he was onscreen, but those are all their own posts.

[lurkingshan]

La Pluie: We Must Speak Our Love

La Pluie, my precious child, my perfect show, I could not love you more. You stayed true to your themes the entire way through, and you trusted the audience to use our brains to understand what you were trying to say. You stuck to your guns about focusing on the relationships and the choices the characters made as the driving forces of this narrative, not the mythology and not destiny. You knew exactly what story you wanted to tell and you told it with a clarity and completeness that is extremely rare in these drama streets. I salute you.

This show never intended to solve the questions around the workings of fate in this universe, and while the characters individually may or may not believe in soulmates, what matters is who they choose to love. Tai even said it a few times in this episode to make sure the point was extra clear:

As for the destiny and soulmate stuff, they are like a trap in our relationship.

Love is about two people. It doesn’t need destiny to pave [the way]. I don’t care whether you are my soulmate or not. The most important thing is our feelings…I love you, Patts. I don’t care if it rains or not. I do love you no matter what happens.

No one chooses to find an answer anymore [about hearing loss or soulmates]. Because whether or not we know, it doesn’t have anything to do with the path that each person chooses. At least, we get to choose our own path, instead of destiny determining for us.

With that theme (which has been present through the entire show) coming through loud and clear, in the finale La Pluie was able to turn to another very important theme and hammer it home: the importance of speaking our love out loud, and communicating clearly with the people we care about. The fantasy of romance novels–that your lover will just intrinsically understand you without need for you to speak–was fully dismantled. This show said it is selfish to hold back your true thoughts and feelings from those you love, and we can only really connect with each other when we are willing to use our words. Below, I break down the many places this theme showed up in the finale’s excellent resolutions for our characters. 

Dream and Nara

First of all, let me just scream again because AHHHHHHHHHHH. I did not dare to dream that we would actually get this pairing, not as subtext, but as actual text in this show. We got to see Dream ask Nara out! And importantly, we got to see Nara nudge her into doing so by asking her to be clear. When Dream started hinting about whether Nara was open to a new relationship, Nara said straight out:

Can I ask why you want to know that?

Dream then got shy, but Nara kept talking to make it very clear exactly what they were discussing. She didn’t want any uncertainty between them, so she told Dream directly that she was welcome to hit on her. We love a confident and direct communicator! And we see in the epilogue montage that this clear communication paid off for them, and they are now happily dating.

Lomfon and Tien

I have to start this section by giving mad props to Lomfon, because that boy: understood exactly what he did wrong, reached out to Tien to try to make amends many times despite being rebuffed, put his effort into a film project that would get Tien’s attention, and then when the crucial moment came, used his words and used them well.

Lomfon was determined to show Tien how he felt, which was an important part of their resolution. His persistence mattered because it proved to Tien that he was serious. But his actions alone were not enough. When Tien asked why he made that film, Lomfon said:

I have already told you. I would show you with my actions.

And Tien walks away. It is only when Lomfon opens his mouth and begins to speak, in no uncertain terms, about what he did wrong, why he is sorry, and what he wants with Tien going forward, that Tien accepts his sincerity (and lays one on him). 

The words mattered. Tien needed to hear them to know that he could trust Lomfon with his heart. And now that he has heard him, he will.

Tai’s Journey

When we first see Tai in this episode, he is still stubbornly clinging to the idea that Patts is going to reach out to him first, passively waiting for that to happen, and resigning himself to giving up if it doesn’t. Tien shares our frustration with this knucklehead, and tries one more time to get through to his brother:

For the past two years, you haven’t talked to him. He had tried to reach you so many times.

Tien said brother, I love you, but it is your turn to try. And he’s right! Patts has been doing all the heavy lifting in this relationship, and Tai is the one who was in the wrong. He needs to be the one to reach out to Patts this time. 

This inspires some further reflection for Tai, and he finally makes an important connection: he has been doing to Patts what his mother did to him.

You’re really not going to say a thing?! I can’t understand [if you] say nothing.

Yadfah’s silence hurt Tai deeply, and as he remembers his painful conversations with her in the aftermath of the divorce, he realizes he stonewalled Patts the same way his mother stonewalled him. He finally seems to grasp how unfair that was, and he immediately springs into action. 

Tai’s first stop is Dream, who he is hoping can tell him where Patts is. In his conversation with her, we hear him reflect again on how his silence harmed their relationship.

If I’d understood him and talked to him earlier, it wouldn’t have turned out like this.

He also learns about Patts seeing him with Lomfon, which clarifies for him why Patts hasn’t reached out and why he has cut off contact from everyone. His determination grows, and with only the knowledge that Patts is helping to open a veterinarian clinic somewhere in Chiang Mai, he hits the road. 

But we’re not quite done with Tai’s lessons yet! As Tai wanders aimlessly around Chiang Mai, checking every clinic he can find, he makes some new friends when he runs out of gas and a shockingly kind couple invites him to eat dinner with them and stay overnight in their home. Art and Phueng are lovely people who have been together for years, sticking it out through Phueng becoming permanently disabled. Tai asks them for their secret to being happy together, and Phueng tells him:

We listen to and understand each other. We listen more, and speak less…if we speak more but listen less, we don’t hear [each other’s voices]. Then we don’t understand each other.

Do we got it yet, friends? Communication is the key to a happy relationship. 

Tai and Patts 

After days of searching, Tai finally finds Patts by chance, looking like a dead man walking in the street outside his clinic. And Tai wastes no time, calling out for him, running to him immediately, and launching into his verbalization of everything he’s realized. Crucially, he starts here:

You don’t have to say anything. This time, please let me say it.

And y’all. Y’all! Those words meant so much to me, let alone how it must have felt for Patts. We see Patts draw in a surprised breath after Tai promises he will say it this time, and as Tai goes on his eyes get increasingly misty and he struggles to keep his face neutral–you can see how much it all means to him. To finally have Tai acknowledge that Patts has been the one doing all the communicating, that he understands where he messed up now, that he was wrong, that he is sorry, that he absolutely does love Patts and he should have been able to say it. 

I didn’t talk to you well. I let it slide until [it got] bad like now.

Tai finally understands that his refusal to speak was the core problem, and he is saying it all now.

And that is all Patts needs to forgive him. Just the words that Tai has been holding back. Tai’s silence was always the thing that caused him the most pain, and now that he is speaking his love out loud, they can move forward. They can choose each other with no further doubts and a commitment to keep talking.

(Thank you thank you to @wen-kexing-apologist for grabbing screenshots for this post for me, and an extra special shout-out to @bengiyo for grabbing me after episode 1 of this show and telling me in no uncertain terms that I needed to start paying attention immediately. It has been an honor to clown with you and work to bring so many along with us for this wonderful show.)

[sokkastyles]

i’ve seen people argue that it was selfish/unethical of zuko not to kill ozai when they were alone during the eclipse since he had the chance and placing that burden on aang’s shoulders (even though it had been on aang’s shoulders since the start of the narrative.)

aside from the fact that, from a doylist perspective, aang is the main protagonist and the audience would have been disappointed not to see HIM driving the final confrontation with ozai, i also think it would diminish zuko’s arc as he lets go of the control ozai once had over him, as not allowing himself to be goaded into violence and only defending himself when attacked is defiance in and of itself.

i can’t help thinking, though, what would have happened if he had, and i only see two/maybe three logical outcomes—none of which would have actually helped the team, anyway. either zuko IS goaded into a fight (not in line with his arc at this point, but for the sake of argument) and ozai kills him (because i do still think ozai would be manipulative enough to stall/prolong combat until the end of the eclipse), or zuko redirects lightning at ozai, which maybe kills him. (though iroh survives getting struck by lightning with, like, no healing in book two, so… who knows? not me!) whether it does or doesn’t, zuko would likely be arrested as a traitor (at best, though it seems unlikely execution wouldn’t be on the table), and if ozai did die, i can only imagine that would mean azula, who still actively upholds imperialist ideals and actions, ascending to the throne and carrying on with her father’s plans. i guess there is some small chance zuko could escape after an assassination (attempt), but i find “zuko is either killed or imprisoned, aang never gets a firebending teacher, and the team has a much harder time winning the war and/or they don’t” a far more likely chain of events.

i don’t really know what the point of this is, other than that i can’t stop thinking about it, and i’d love to hear your thoughts if my rambling happens to inspire any <3

Not only has it been Aang's burden to begin with, but another reason why Zuko should not be the one to kill Ozai is for the same reason Iroh shouldn't. It would look like an attempt to steal power from within the royal family. The burden has to be on Aang's shoulders because as the Avatar, he acts as an ambassador of all nations. That's the whole purpose of having all four elements in one body. If Zuko kills Ozai, he actually runs the risk of threatening the peace Aang is trying to create. What would it look like if word got out that the firelord's son did what the Avatar failed to do, after 100 years of people already losing hope in the Avatar? Part of the whole deal is returning that hope to the world, that faith in the harmony that the Avatar symbolically represents. Otherwise, why should the other nations care that one fire nation royal deposes another?

As you say, a number of things could go wrong. One is that Ozai goads Zuko into a fight and kills him, which was Ozai's plan in the first place. Like, does anyone think that Ozai was trying to get Zuko to do this for Zuko's benefit? Ozai is absolutely trying to manipulate Zuko in that scene and goading him into a fight, goading him into being angry and emotional and vengeful in the hopes that he makes a mistake, is one way to do that.

Any of the other possibilities, such as Zuko being arrested or branded a traitor or Azula taking the throne, would only increase the discord in the Fire Nation. Like I said, the Avatar is not just important as the Hero(tm), he is a political symbol. Even those who reject the spiritual significance of the Avatar would have a hard time disputing it if Aang has the backing of an army and several world leaders, whereas it would be too easy to paint Zuko as someone who acted alone, a son trying to steal power from a father. And those who supported Azula would recall how Zuko had been banished, how he had always been second fiddle to Azula, and look, it turns out he's also lied about killing the Avatar in an attempt to steal his sister's glory! Those who support Aang but distrust the fire nation would be suspicious of Zuko killing Ozai seconds before the coup, who again, looks like he is acting alone. Zuko could end up being killed or imprisoned by either side, and since Aang and co. don't know he plans to join them, they wouldn't know any different, either. Imagine the gaang showing up to Zuko, who has been their enemy for the past three seasons, being like "hey guys, I killed the firelord for you!" Do you think they are likely to trust him?

Also, man, these people will do anything to preserve Aang's moral purity but think it should be fine for Zuko to murder his own father? Where is Zuko's lion turtle in this scenario, I wonder?

[weirdestbooks]

La Conversación con un Imperio (Wattpad | Ao3 | CH HHM Oneshots)

“United States. When will your troops leave my country?” Nicaragua asked the taller nation as soon as he arrived in her country, about two months after his troops had come.

“When it is safe again. This is done with your best interests in mind.” United States said, his tone condescending.

“You mean your best interests. You wouldn’t be here if there weren’t something in it for you.” Nicaragua said, tone even as she crossed her arms.

“Whatever happens in our continent is of interest to me. That includes protecting you and your family,” United States said. Nicaragua scowled. She hated how United States got like this, like all the shitty things he did were with some noble and holy reason, like he was some grand protector protecting all of mankind when in reality he was a selfish asshole who cared for no one but himself and found pretty little words to hide all his shitty little actions under. 

“Lie to yourself and your people all you want. But I am no fool, and I will not be fooled by your lies. You have been interfering with my family for many reasons, and those are not reasons backed by good intentions for me and the others in Central America,” Nicaragua said, her voice a venomous hiss. 

In that moment, America changed, his eyes darkening behind his glasses.

“I am helping you. I am letting you conduct this meeting in your language. I have been nothing but kind to yo—”

“And yet, who’s fault is it that José Zelaya is gone? He was a well-loved president, and you forced him out of office!” Nicaragua said, storming towards United States, who grabbed her wrist in one hand.

“Be careful,” he said, his tone one of warning, before he let her go. Nicaragua pulled her hand away, teeth clenched. There was something so patronizing about his voice, something that reminded Nicaragua of the man’s estranged father. 

“Or what?” Nicaragua challenged. 

“I have no command over the men stationed here. But they, like many of my people, do not take insults to their nation kindly, especially when it comes from someone I am working hard to protect. They’ll see you as ungrateful,” United States said. 

“I am ungrateful, you self-righteous nation! Because you have occupied my country and changed my government, and you want me to be grateful?” Nicaragua exclaimed, hardly believing the audacity of the man before her. United States stepped back, mouthing something, before shaking his head.

It was a strange reaction to her comment, one that left Nicaragua puzzled. What was he doing?

“Listen, I gave Cuba his independence—”

“Not Puerto Rico.”

“Puerto Rico doesn’t want it. Cuba did. And you want your independence, so that I will give that to you. You have to trust me. I promise it will work out fine. You just need to have a little more faith,” United States said, crossing his arms, eyes staring her down in a silent challenge.

“Forgive me, sir, for not believing you when you say that. I find it very unlikely that a foreign army will leave after already interfering in my government,” Nicaragua snarked. The darkness in United States’ eyes increased. For a moment, Nicaragua felt fear. United States was much more powerful than her, and she did not want to cause him to snap and hurt her, decide that taking over her country was really worth his time.

Nicaragua felt more like an interesting little experiment to him, something to study and observe before leaving when he had taken what he wanted. She knew United States was here for his own selfish interests, and she wished she could do something more about it without risking an international incident.

“I suggest you believe it. And if not, my men will show you. But a reputation for being selfish and ungrateful gets you nowhere in life, you know,” United States said. 

“I’ll keep it in mind. But I think it’s best that you yourself go. Best not to start a diplomatic incident.” Nicaragua said. United States tilted his head to the side, something akin to amusement in his eyes.

“Are you saying you’ll hurt me?”

“Are you willing to find out?” Nicaragua challenged, knowing it could backfire on her at any given moment. Luckily, United States just smiled, and vanished, headed back to the Land In-Between or his own land.

Nicaragua scowled at the place where the empire had once stood.

She really disliked that man.

[cvlutos]

"Fall of the Blade"

| Repost: 02.01.23 | 1.5 K | Rated PG |

Samurai!Akaashi K. X Emperor!GN!Reader X Samurai! Bokuto K.

| Angst | Unrequited Love | Use of ‘My Lord’ n’ ‘Emperor’ | Forbidden Love | Arranged Marriage | War | Mentions Blood | Etc. | Proceed with Caution, Beloved. |

T.Manor.Notes: I wrote this years ago, so this is a rewrite of one of my old posts.

I guess it’s painful.

Watching the blood soak the once-white bandages. While the war still raged on beyond the small medic tent. The man’s face scrunched, covered in sweat, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder and arm. The shouts and yells of servants, deafening and panicked, while the royal doctors try to save the life of your most loyal Samurai. Yet the truth is obvious as when the sun rises from its slumber. He can no longer fight. He can no longer protect you.

Watching destiny take the things you love.

“I am resigning you from the army. I don’t want to argue anymore about it. You can’t wield a bow, nor a sword. You’ll only get in the way.” Your voice is harsh, but you need to be harsh, to get the fact to remain in his head. He can’t fight for you.

Maybe if I was less selfish with those I loved.

Watching the world crash within your tired gunmetal blue eyes. Watching as the 12th arrow missed the intended target. Again. And again. And again. While you watch, unable to conceal the clear pity within your eyes as he fails to prove that he can protect you once again. Watching the bow string snap and the longbow clatter to his side, sweat dripping off his pale skin. He pants for air, exhausted. Trying to find the words to prove you wrong, trying to justify his actions. ‘Time.. I just need time…’ You can only shake your head, a frown across your lips. With his useless arm and shoulder, time would do nothing but age him. Yet you still drop to your knees, bowing lower than you should, until your forehead is pressed against the dirt.

Like a dog.

“I just want to be of service to you, My Lord. Please… I’m… I’m begging.”

Maybe if I cared for your self-worth more, then my wanting for you to be alive.

Keeping your stern expression, an exhausted sigh leaving your lips, you turned away. “We’re done here.” A warrior who cannot fight isn’t a warrior at all. Is what you should’ve said. Is what you wanted to say, to crush his dreams. For him to simply become the type of man to give up. Yet he doesn’t. He won’t. Not once does his kind eyes reflect any malice towards you. As if able to see the internal struggle, to see that you truly do care for him. Thus, his loyalty is unwavering.

Until a year later.

“My Lord. May I present Bokuto Koutarou? The son of a well known Samurai located west and one with exceptional talents. He will be your new bodyguard.”

Staring down at the younger man with black and white hair and piercing golden eyes. From where you sit, you could tell that he was kind and wouldn’t hurt a fly. Yet while training, he surprises you, his strength unparalleled to others. Simply amazing. Slicing through the air with ease, performing a sword style you had never seen in battle.

Yet your loyal samurai didn’t like him. Any interaction was fake. Any smile, greeting, conversation. Completely forced. Mocking each other. To others, they say a mentor and student relationship, a blossoming friendship that would rival no other. Yet you knew better. Keiji could never be the man he used to be, not within this lifetime.

And Koutarou would never live up to Keiji. Not yet, but he would serve well to protect you. It was infuriating to be stuck upon a scale and to know that you can’t step off unless deemed unfit due to your inability to control your personal emotions. You are merely Lord, an Emperor upon an ever-growing empire, and such simple matters of silent rivalry aren’t something you’re allowed to partake in.

══════ ♡ ══════

Slowly gliding the brush against the paper, writing a letter to the General about further plans involving the war that was happening north. The war in which wounded Akaashi. The room of your study is silent as you keep to your thoughts.

“It must be tiresome. To spend the day writing letters.”

Bokuto broke the silence. You nearly jump out of your skin, forgetting his presence since he’s usually talking your ear off. Yet today, he’s been quiet. You move the brush from the paper, glancing at the samurai. He sits lazily, leaning against the wall. His gaze focused on you as one hand rested inside his black yukata, partly revealing his bare chest, his right hand resting on his katana hilt. You think over the phrase before turning back to the paper.

“Sometimes,” I glance at him with a small smile, “but you must get tired of fighting or having to constantly protect someone.”

“Not when it’s you. I get to protect my Lord.” There’s a hint of seriousness that forces a silence over us. The tension slowly thickens with something he desires from me. Something I cannot give. You don’t move when you hear him move to your side, sitting down next to you, and you turn your head, eyes widening. He’s close. His breath fans across your lips. Slowly closing the distance.

A soft sound of someone clearing their throat bursts the bubble surrounding you. You snap your gaze to the door. Akaashi stands with his brows furrowed, staring at you before glancing towards Bokuto before bowing.

“Pardon my intrusion, My Lord—”

“No. No, it’s fine.” You clear my throat, slightly embarrassed, and offer a small smile, while Bokuto snorts. Akaashi sends a quick glare before looking back at you. “My Lord, the children have been practicing their bow skills, and they wish to show you.” Your eyes widen and you nod eagerly, placing the brush to the side. Rising from your seat and quickly following beside Akaashi. Bokuto follows, much to Akaashi displeasure. The walk to the train hall is long, but you make do with a lot of small talk. It isn’t often you get a moment alone.

“I’m glad you didn’t throw away archery permanently, Akaashi.”

The archery of the palace children have gotten better since the last time. Each excelling in their own speeds, it’s impressive as each bow to you after their demonstration, before gravitating to Bokuto who cheers them on happily. He’s well beloved, and you watch with a tiny smile, while Akaashi stands by your side.

“It’s my passion, of course, but there is something I wish to show you. I’ve been creating a one-handed sword method.”

Jealousy.

Replacements.

War.

Love.

Lust.

The sound of your guard’s katana clattering against the dirt floor skidded towards your feet. You shouldn’t be surprised, yet you are. Your gaze flickers to the scene before you. “I win...” Muttering softly, Akaashi pointing the blade closer to his neck, Bokuto cradling his cut hand, having lost.

“It seems the one sword style even out powers the most skilled.” You mutter under your breath before picking up the discarded sword. Much to your servants’ dismay, you silently wave off. You clap and congratulate the two.

“Both of you are amazing—Bokuto, let’s go take care of your hand.”

“Akaashi, is your shoulder alright.” A few servants scurried forward, taking care of Bokuto’s hand, while I moved closer. Yet he rejects your advances. “I’m fine.”

They both walked off in different directions. Bokuto’s pride hurt while Akaashi seemed to swell in it. Placing the katana in its sheath, turning on my heel and heading back to my chamber. A soft sigh leaving my throat.

They were each other’s weakness yet strength.

“My Lord, you will have to soon marry—There is a beautiful girl from the North. This will unite the North and the South! This war can’t continue to go on.” Crossing your arms, staring at your personal advisor. Who has been begging you to marry for as long as I can remember.

“I’ll meet her,”

“My Lord, please thin—You will!?” Ignoring his baffled look, a smile crossing your lips and softly nodding. Even if you weren’t in love with her, you had to think about the future of your empire. Even at the cost of your happiness and theirs.

Showing you the ink painting. She really was beautiful. Blackish blue hair and blue grayish eyes and porcelain skin and rosy pink cheeks. She had a neutral expression but kind eyes. Kiyoko Shimizu, a wealthy daughter of the Karasuno Empire. “My Lord. Are you sure? You don’t have to do this...”

Akaashi bowed in front of you, his voice quivering. Bokuto off to my side, his brows furrowed together. “It’s already final.” Tensions between the north and south seemed to grow, and with you not being pure blood and simply adopted into the royal family, it worsens. This is the only way. Even if it hurts them.

“My Lord...”

Bowing lower than you should.

“Get up, Akaashi. My decision is final.”

Like a dog.

I didn’t intend for my life to go this way…

Watching Kiyoko walk closer to you with a small smile, she seemed happy. Taking her hand within your own, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

I don’t think you planned your life to become this way either.

Bokuto.

Akaashi.

Don’t look at me with such sad eyes. With such yearning as I married her. As I would grow old with her.

“I’m sorry.”

ⓒ 2023 love-thanatopsis — all rights reserved. Any sort of plagiarizing, copying, modifying, translating, editing of my works are strictly prohibited.

[pumpkincarriage3]

Rook Hunt Character Analysis

Rook is an interesting character. With his french words, that I still want to know why the apparent translation spell over the school doesn't change, and his general personality, all compile into one of the most unique characters in Twisted Wonderland.

Rook is a character, that people in universe are mostly terrified of and are unable to understand. Of course, there are a few characters that get along with him, Vil and Trey in particularly, but that isn't typically the interactions we see.

Which is in part because Rook is a hunter. He sees the beauty in everything and because of that he wants to see every side of everything. In meaning, he doesn't just want to see when people are happy and their best selves, he wants to see them in difficult situations and see how they react. To Rook, watching people as a hunter would their prey, allows him to understand them more and see their true beauty.

Which is interesting when you consider the fact that Rook is one of the most private characters in the cast. He wants to see everything about a person to see their beauty, but he isn't willing to show every part of himself. Which, in a way, reminds me a lot of Cater.

Of course, even though Rook does intentionally make some people uncomfortable, he doesn't actually want people to be upset. Even though he wants to see them for them, he also wants to see them thrive in an environment that is so entirely them, because that is what is the most beautiful to Rook. Watching people and things simply exist as themselves. So, he'll take actions to help that person, or how he sees as helping them.

It's the entire reason why Rook voted for Neige's group. It's not because he likes Neige more than Vil, Rook never said that. It's just that he knew that later the NRC boys wouldn't actually feel as if they won and instead would be unsatisfied, therefore it wasn't their win and was instead RSA's.

Rook is a character that is motivated by his curiosity by the world around him. Curiosity about how the world itself interacts with things in it. How people interact with the world. How anything interacts with anything. He wants to see it all. And since he wants to see things as they are, at their best (and worst), he is more than willing to help people be their best selves.

It's why he helps and offers console to Epel but will hunt him down when Epel runs away from lessons. Rook isn't Vil's lapdog that just does whatever he says, it's his own choice to go after Epel and drag Epel back to those lessons. Cause he feels like those lessons will show Epel's true beauty and Rook wants to see it.

Rook is completely unapologetically himself. He will call people out if he sees an issue with something. If he is doing something, it's because he wants to do it, it is not from a decision he suffered over to make. He, while kind, can be just as shady as the rest of the cast. He has been multiple times and will lie shamelessly. He has pictures, of who knows what, "hidden" behind his wallpaper in his room. He is in a villain school, this isn't surprising.

The hunter from Snow White wasn't a hero and never will be. He was fully planning on cutting up Snow White until he got cold feet, that was the whole reason he lured her out into the forest. This is the same person that Rook is based off of. He's not in RSA for a reason, no matter how kind.

Rook can also be selfish for his own desires and belief, an example of this - spoilers ahead for chapter six - is when he goes to rescue Vil. He should have been watching over the dorm since Vil wasn't there to do it, it's what the rest of Vice Dorm Leaders, and Kalim, did. But he went after Vil anyway because he cares for Vil and he wasn't about to let something happen to him. Vil yelled at him for a reason. Because he failed to do his duties for his own selfish desires, no matter how noble those desires were.

Rook is a complex character and people shouldn't boil him down to the funny french man that's a weirdo. Because that's not who Rook is as a person. He's shameless, curious, persistent, and obsessed with seeing the beauty in everything, and he's even much more than that.

[irrlicht-writes]

Hello, first of all, I love your writing, I wish I could write like you ;u;, I really admire your dedication. I used to write on AO3, but I haven't done it for 5 years.

Anyway, I just wanted to express my opinion that, Vox doesn't deserve to be with Alastor because he is not a good partner for him. He always claims that he loves Alastor with all his heart, but it seems superficial, and here are my point

1. Vox almost abused Alastor in *Etched* if it weren’t for Alastor ripping his cables out. Maybe he would have succeeded.

2. Vox never sacrifices anything for Alastor. Even though Alastor doesn’t admit that "he loves him," he always gives him everything and sacrificed even his heart for him. And Vox didn’t even bother to defend him, nor did he care to believe him. He’s too selfish and delusional to admit any fault. I feel like he's the kind of person who feels guilty but believes that feeling bad is enough. He has never apologized to Alastor face to face while he's awake.

3. He never apologized for cheating on him with Elliot, Valentino, or Tornado.

4. He keeps being an idiot and supporting Redfall BOTH TIMES. My theory is that Redfall reminds him of how he was when he was alive, so he normalizes and justifies this type of person.

5. He left Alastor starving at his house and decided to ignore him, trying to convince himself that Alastor doesn’t love him, even though he kept his damn company. And then he abandons him again because obviously, his company is more important than Alastor.

6. VOX GOT A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF RECIPROCITY, AND ALASTOR TRUSTED HIM ONCE IN HIS LIFE, AND VOX JUST... ruined it.

7. He didn’t wear the ring Alastor gave him, and from what I’ve seen, as long as he’s satisfied and nothing happens in front of him, he doesn’t care about Alastor’s well-being. Then he did the "r-word" to Alastor (I’m not comfortable saying it) MULTIPLE TIMES (although I could somewhat understand it because he swore there was consent, but still, I don’t justify it). And he didn’t apologize either. He only realized something was wrong during the abortion scene (my theory is that in Alastor’s hallucinations, he was afraid the baby was Redfall’s). Anyway, THAT HAD TO HAPPEN FOR VOX TO REALIZE, and still the only one suffering is Alastor

I'm not saying it's poorly written, because it’s established that Vox is a bad person—with his ex-partners, with other people, harassing girls from what he talked about with Redfall, and being a coward, of course he is a terrible person. And if Alastor has never turned to him for help or much else, and still hasn't bothered to tell him what the hell happened in those 7 years he disappeared, it’s just that it bothers me that, as a character, Vox always claims to love Alastor, but never follows through with actions after those declarations. Maybe Alastor is better off without Vox. .

Hi! Thank you, I really appreciate it! You should get back into writing, it doesn't have to be good! I certainly cringe reading my old stuff. This is honestly the longest and most consistent I've been in years.

True, if Alastor hadn't stopped Vox, who knows what would've happened? It's possible Vox would've stopped on his own, but I think it'd be mre likely he would've gone too far before realising that Al doesn't actually *do* this.

Alastor is probably the one thing that Vox really truly cares about, and so is: he fucks up. A lot. He doesn't want to do anything wrong, and in so doing, he just makes it worse. Also Vox is usually with people that are very straight forward with what they want (like Val) so having someone like Al who just won't say what he wants, Vox is usually at a loss for what to do. Not that that justifies his behaviour, he should be able to pick up context clues :p

I'm impressed you remember Tornado... my little shark... rip him in pieces. Also, I don't think Vox *really* counts it as cheating. Val happened while Alastor was away, Elliot was technically assisted cheating and they had a fight (sort of) so Vox was justified. And Tornado; well, I guess you could say Vox wasn't sure if he and Al were in a relationship or not? And then you'd need to define what cheating would even entail because even if it might sound different, Alastor doesn't care if Vox has sex with Val. He cares whether or not Vox loves someone else, and those are two different things.

Yeah, Redfall def reminds him of himself a little. He ahould've taken Alastor's initial reaction to heart and kick the dog out, but he didn't.

To be a bit fair: Vox didn't think it would be so bad. All his life, Al had been this pretty untouchable thing that was just always going to be fine. The first month was put of his hand, and the second month was him being petty. And barren Elliot, when they had their fight, Alastor *was* fine.

Yeah.. yeah, he ruined it. But as always - Alastor will just forgive him.

Vox didn't wear the ring because he doesn't have it on his person. It's back at the tower, and Vox didn't want to go back to get it at that point, especially because Redfall came in right after. He didn't wear it beforehand because he was't sure if it was okay to do so, even though Al gave it to him. (Also it's a bit too tight because Al only had his own finger for comparison) To Vox, it really wasn't assault. Sure, he absolutely should've checked if Al was really okay, but all the signs he could see pointed to yes. Also in that timeframe, he believes that what Redfall did wasn't *so bad*. Sure it wasn't okay, but as an singular action existing in a vacuum, it wasn't the worst that could've happened. (He's wrong, of course, as Niffty basically tells him point-blank.) And yes, that's exactly what Alastor is believing in that scene :)

To be fair... Alastor hasn't talked about what happened in the seven years because... I don't know what happened? :P I like to stay as on-canon as I can, and we have no crumbs to go on atm. And I mean - that's why love isn't enough. He says he loves him, and he DOES, but there's nothing else. There's just love, and that's just not enough. Yeah, Alastor might be better off without Vox. But that's not really the thing that's gonna matter, is it? We don't always get what's best for us; or what we deserve, sometimes we get the thing we want, even if it's bad for us. And Alastor knows what he wants, and not much else will suffice. Vox might not redeem himself to Alastor, because in the end, the one person that matters won't ask it of him. He still can; and he still should, but he won't have to. We'll see what happens. Everything's still up in the air, and maybe Vox and Alastor will surprise all of us! :D