#to answer questions easily

[wobblefloss]

Mark it on your calendars. We're going to celebrate this day every year from now on.

I had to fill out intrusive government mandated paperwork online.

AND IT WAS EASY!!

Oh, Winter Miracle! This time they didn't need me to scan in my medical expenses or my bank statements or anything!

.

Happy Reasonable Webform Day, Everybody!

[rocketbirdie]

face value

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Out of sight, out of - wait.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[ivanscarf]

allies idol au!

[dear-ao3]

How many mods run this blog? Names of each?

almost like no one knows how to read a bio these days smh

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

so does steven know who rose really is? yet?

Does he.... act like he knows...?

[rottentricks]

Can we give your Jax candy in exchange of chin scratches? 👀

Jax in general doesn't mind sweet-related goodies, however he rather not get tooth ache so chin scratches are always acceptable! (if feeling down, he'll allow but it's rare)

[leonardcohenofficial]

there is something so fascinatingly deeply unsettling (positive) about both the sound and the fury and absalom, absalom! and i’ve been trying to find the words to articulate just what it is about both novels that prompts that particular affective response. faulker is invested in an examination of both the compson family and the south itself as different but interconnected mythos (it’s difficult to not see parallels with ancient tragedy); it often seems that through this myth-making and storytelling and retelling and various streams of consciousness he’s attempting to find the root of what exactly is rotten in the county of yoknapatawpha but also in the compson bloodline; the death of the “southern way of life” and of the compson and supten families are interwoven in such a way that the works require you to consider the broader sociopolitical systemic issues causing a multitude of personal familial and social collapses. quentin’s line from the sound and the fury “theres a curse on us its not our fault is it our fault” is the one i return to most across all of faulkner’s work, and is perhaps the question i find most haunting—if you are doomed by the fact that you are a member of the house of atreus, is it your fault? how do you deal with that knowledge? how do you get out?

[askwonderlandsprotector]

Hello, everyone.

It certainly has been a very long time, and I have missed all of you greatly!

Today is going to be a fresh start, clearing out old questions, and coming back to the things I’ve missed.

So please, ask what you will, interact how you would like, but above all, please be kind. Times have not been, but recovery is important.

It’s good to be back.

[a-most-beloved-fool]

If Spock and Jim merged into one being (no euphemism here lol) like Tuvix, what do you think the personality of the new being would be like? What impact do you think that would have had on the lives of both of them after they separated again? I love your headcanons, thanks for the answers!

thanks for the question!! <3

Hmmm... I think they would work pretty well as one being, actually. I'm thinking about all of those quotes from Roddenberry about how Kirk and Spock were supposed to represent two halves of a whole person, so I have to assume that they would be quite content. Though, disclaimer as I continue: I have not yet seen any of Voyager - there might be aspects of Tuvix's combination that I don't take into account because I don't know they exist. If so, uh, sorry. My bad.

For the sake of avoiding confusion, I'll call the merge Kirok (after the name Kirk chose when he lost his memories in The Paradise Syndrome). (Also, I fear that calling him "Kock" would have... deleterious effects on the readability of this post... for no reason at all...)

I do think that Kirok would, overall, have the best parts of Kirk and Spock. Combined, they are tactically fearsome. With Kirk's intuition and understanding of people and Spock's knowledge of statistics and science, Kirok is brilliant. However, I do think that Kirok would be a worse captain in practice than if Kirk and Spock simply had a mental bond. Part of the brilliance of Kirk and Spock as a command team is that, while they very much respect one another and take the other's opinion into account, they do also. regularly ignore each other's advice. And this is usually to their benefit! They each take risks that the other wouldn't, and, often, it saves them (in part because they always back each other up, even when doing things they don't agree with. Spock will be like "this is unwise" and Kirk will say "maybe, but I'm doing it anyways" and Spock will just... go with it.). But, if they were one person, I think that impulsiveness would be tempered. The Kirk part would have a brilliant idea, the Spock part would say "wait, there is too much risk, we can make a better plan," and then Kirok would lose his chance to act. When they're separate people Spock is ride-or-die for all of Kirk's decisions, but when they're one person, the Spock half won't always allow those decisions to be made at all (and also won't necessarily be able to tell when he does need to rein things in a bit). (Also Kirk and Spock both tend to be reckless, and then rely on the other to save them - as Kirok, who would back him up when he needed it? Bones would, but he's a medical officer. He simply can't do everything they would have. And, no matter how good of a first officer Kirok got (probably Sulu?), they couldn't be that good.)

I also think that Kirok wouldn't be quite as at ease with his position on the ship as Spock and Kirk individually were. The Spock part of him loves science far too much to just abandon it. He wants to spend time in the labs! He wants to make discoveries! Likewise the Kirk part of him can't truly be anything but a Captain. So, Kirok stays a captain, but he's less passionate about it (or, rather, more passionate about things that aren't it). This doesn't actually affect Kirok's satisfaction - it just affects his performance and relationships with others. He might spend off-duty time working on science experiments (which he can no longer do during shift, due to captaining) and neglect forming bonds with his crew, and he might place more focus than usual on scientific discovery missions.

As for the crew... Well, it's not as weird of a change as they expected. As expected, Kirok is less outwardly friendly than Kirk, and more outwardly friendly than Spock, but he's - cohesive. He still feels like their commanding officers. His humor tends to be a bit drier than Kirk's was, but he's a very compassionate and reasonable captain. (Tbh I tend to think that Kirk is actually more of a hardass than Spock (people just assume Spock is worse due to being Vulcan), so some crewmembers are surprised when Kirok is more lenient about certain things than Kirk would have been. Not lenient about cruelty or anything genuinely important to the safety of the ship, but about other things.) But, he's still not as good at making personal connections as Kirk was, and he's still inclined to spend too much time in the labs, so things aren't perfect.

Really, I think that the person having the worst time of things would be Bones, lmao. He'd have to deal with his Best Friend suddenly being the same person as The Guy He Affectionately Antagonizes (totally not a friend no how could you even think that). I think he'd be more lost than anyone else about how to address Kirok. Is this Kirk, his old friend, who he can be truly comfortable with, or is this Spock, who he snipes at and who snipes at him in turn? Who can he turn to, when the man he normally approaches for comfort is now the same being as one he doesn't want to seem too weak in front of? Does he turn to anyone else, in the meantime, or does he weather it alone?

Kirok himself, though, is actually pretty okay with the change. The different parts of himself simply - mesh well together. It's very satisfying for him, if not for his career and those around him. There's some minor bits of tension, especially regarding changes in biology and telepathic status, but, for the most part, he's doing well. The things you might expect to be major points of tension somehow... aren't. They compromise remarkably easily. (No meat, yes logic, no emotional suppression, yes casual touching, no casual relationships, yes meditation, etc.) And the Kirk and Spock parts of him both enjoy the closeness, the sense of knowing they now have for one another. They're one person, and know themself completely as they've always longed to know each other completely. (he does miss playing chess against someone who could beat him, though!)

Now, because I am Spirk-brained, I also think there's potential for Kirok to have Very Confused Feelings about discovering that the two parts of himself each had secret feelings for the other prior to the merge. There could be this odd sense of loss - like, yes, they are now technically one with one another, but they also completely missed out on their shot at a romantic relationship. They mourn what they could have had. The Spock part, especially, mourns the potentially for a telepathic bond (because with how smoothly they've integrated with one another, it surely would have been a strong one). So, as much as Kirok does enjoy existing as Kirok, I think he might be more willing to attempt separating back into two parts than I believe Tuvix was.

And, when they're two separate people again, they both feel like they're missing some part of themself, even once they've begun their new romantic relationship - but quickly discover that a mental link between them fills that hole. (And then, of course, because they are hopeless and in love, the "medicinal mental link" very quickly just becomes a marriage bond. They're like "well, we've already been one person and liked that well enough... a marriage bond is hardly anything different!" To Spock's endless pleasure, they are highly compatible and have a remarkably strong bond.) The mental link also allows them to have the same quick reaction times and combined brilliance of Kirok without the negative side effects of their own individual strengths being tempered. (they're also like. annoyingly codependent for a bit after Kirok's separation. oh boy are they always touching. "it gives them emotional security." bones looks at them in disgust (he loves it).)

Or, if we wanted to be McSpirk-brained... I'm enjoying the imagery of Kirok (who both had crushes on Bones as well as on one another) just directing all of that missed romantic potential onto Bones, who is... like, he's not not into it (Kirk was hot, Spock was hot, ergo Kirok is hot), but he also misses and loved his Original friends, and so he is very torn between accepting Kirok's advances and trying to find a way to split them apart again. (Flustered Bones, flustered Bones!! I do love flustered Bones!! He is blushing and stammering and having multiple ethical crises all at once. They never covered this in Starfleet Medical...) He also doesn't quite know whether Kirok's feelings truly belonged to both Kirk and Spock or not, and doesn't think that Kirk or Spock would truly act on it if they were in their normal state, so a small selfish part of him wonders if that's the only chance he has to be with them (even if it's not quite the same 'them' he fell in love with). And then, of course, there's the fear that trying to get back the original Kirk and Spock will actually just kill them! Yeah, poor Bones has a rough time of things. But, when everything is fixed, he does still wind up getting two boyfriends out of it. It all works out in the end?

[kkoct-ik]

I do apologize if this is an odd and/or rude question, but I am genuinely curious about this

...Do your tastes change depending on who is fronting? (the question is mostly regarding food)

GUYS! THIS GUY WAS ABUSED AS A CHILD! AND NOW HE CAN NEVER REMEMBER ANYTHING! HIS PERSONALITY AND SENSE OF SELF CAN SHIFT RAPIDLY! HE WALKS THROUGH LIFE FEELING LIKE A SPECTATOR AND HATES REMEMBERING HIS ANY ACTION BECAUSE THEY DONT FEEL LIKE HIS OWN! THATS SO COOL! CAN HIS ALTERS DO TRICKS?

[sneakyboymerlin]

My hot take is that if Merlin didn’t love Arthur, the Disir episode would have still gone exactly the same.

[technovillain]

inside out being relevant again makes me just sigh like.... i wish all these people knew about psychonauts.... inside out's brain world just doesnt hit the same

[inkblackorchid]

Had a general faithshipping thought pop into my head and figured the best thing to do with it was to yeet it into your ask box:

Between Yusei and Aki, who do you think would have an easier time adjusting to being parents? Each of them has unique trauma with their own parents, and by the end of the series they’ve made peace with it, but I could see the news that they are about to become parents bringing up old pains and worries

I personally see Aki being more outwardly nervous at first but getting reassured fairly quickly (it helps she’s a doctor and friends with other doctors) while Yusei’s outwardly perfect dad material and fully ready but internally is agonizing over how to be a father since he had no example growing up and it’s not until he’s holding his kid that he’s convinced he can do this

But I’m curious what you think

Faithshipping thoughts are always welcome, haha.

Interesting question! While I can see your reasoning and agree with certain parts of it, I see Aki and Yusei a bit different in this scenario, though. For me, I think it'd be Yusei who would have an easier time adjusting to being a parent—and the "why", ironically, comes down to role models. You're correct to say that Yusei's dad wasn't around to model fatherhood for Yusei, but the thing is, Yusei did have a positive role model when it comes to parenthood in general: Martha, who, based on everything canon tells us, seems to have been an excellent guardian. Jack, Crow and Yusei all have fond memories of her, visit her every once in a while, take her advice to heart when she gives it, and, most importantly, feel safe turning to her when shit hits the fan. All of that checks out as a great parental figure for me. So while Yusei may not have had his dad look up to, he does have an idea of what raising a child properly entails.

Aki, meanwhile, is a whole different can of worms. I stand by the firm belief that Aki's parents love her and want the best for her, but canon shows us that both of them were mediocre at best at showing it, and that might still be generous. (Granted, Setsuko barely gets enough of a personality for us to tell whether or not she was a capable mother. But the fact that she worries about her husband and not her daughter first in every flashback we see of the Izayoi family, even the one where Hideo hits Aki, and that Aki condems her and Hideo both when confronted with them during the DS arc says something, I think.) Point is, I would argue that between Aki and Yusei, Aki is the one who doesn't really have a frame of reference for what good parenting is. She knows what you shouldn't do, but that doesn't translate into knowing what will work. And the thing is—and I know this because I have seen it in real life—not having a good role model when it comes to parenting can make you very insecure about how to be a parent and sometimes even about whether you should be a parent in the first place.

All this is a rather long-winded way of saying that while Aki and Yusei arguably both have plenty of baggage surrounding parenthood and would approach the idea of becoming parents with no shortage of well-hidden anxiety, I think Aki would be the one who'd have more trouble adjusting because she would never stop questioning whether she's doing her job right. Given her history with her own parents, I think there would be few thoughts more painful to her than her relationship with her own kids turning out like the one she had with Hideo and Setsuko as a teenager. Yusei, meanwhile, I could see turning to and being reassured by Martha (and by Crow, who, let's be real, has a good deal of experience with children himself before canon even ends) when he doesn't know what to do. So while I agree with you that he'd have his troubles with the idea of parenthood, too, I don't think they would be quite as persistent as Aki's.

[queermania]

i'm considering sending out incredibly christian christmas cards to my friends this year (like: jesus is come and all that stuff) just because i think it will be funny

[syluses]

big girls dont cry QNA

i know you guys have lots of curiosities about this fic lolll so i’ll try to answer some of the questions i received (∗ᵕ̴᷄◡ᵕ̴᷅∗) 💕 if u still have some, just shoot me an ask!! :] also im really bad at explaining so i apologize 🤦🏻‍♀️ i have the plot nailed in my head but its tricky to articulate it in a clear, linear way for yall considering all the little nuances i added lol. i’ll try my best tho hehe :,)

Okay so there’s a whole ‘nother plot that exists in the background of this fic- which was super fun for me to write, but im sure from a reader standpoint it’s also kinda thrilling to try to connect the dots i left lol. thats why theres so many interpretations for this story (which i love!! i loved reading all yall’s theories)! 💕 BUT. that being said, the ‘canon’ goes like this:

SPOILERS BELOW read it first then come back! ( ⸍ɞ̴̶̷ ·̫ ɞ̴̶̷⸌ )

was caleb really dead?

No. Caleb staged his own death and then, similar to the main story homecoming wings, didnt tell mc :,) for his own reasons, for a time, he decides he’ll let her go on believing he’s truly gone…

why did he stage his death?

I dropped little crumbs of it in the fic, but it’s hinted that mc, on top of all her grief, feels a bit bitter over the whole shebang and also blames herself for it. hmm… why would that be? 🤔 well because their final moments together (or so she THOUGHT) were emotionally charged and volatile.

the foundation of their sibling relationship was growing weaker and weaker before the explosion. arguments are forming out of nowhere- things are becoming more tense and mc, for the life of her, can’t understand why her gege is always pulling her into a heated debate about safety, danger, blahblahblah, this that and the third, every time they interact. He’s being wildly unreasonable, which she knows, and protective- a trait that has snowballed as they entered their adulthood- but what she doesn’t know is the why behind it. she tells herself she just has a super protective older brother who views her as a little baby in need of his guidance- which isn’t entirely wrong… but she doesn’t see the full picture. His true feelings. All this tension eventually climbs to its peak. Caleb just gets worse and worse. He needs to do something before the world collapses on them both.

Now, in this au, he works at EVER, a somewhat shady but lucrative company- which dabbles in robotics amongst other things. I imagine they have abundant resources and wealth- and what with his promotions, it’s safe to say caleb is making a LOT. So, the delusional guy he is, he buys a big fancy suite with the idea in mind of two eventually living in it ;) but mc doesn’t want to- she has her own life in linkon!! She wants to spread her wings and separate from the nest anyway. Partly to start her own life; partly to prove to her gege that she can take care of herself. The argument that unfolds over this is the last they have before the big tragic explosion 😭 caleb, putting on a show with his beaten puppy eyes, leaves and then that’s the last time she sees him.

Caleb meticulously plans his ‘death’ out (with some help from his wingman ofc) and then eventually the robot is introduced to mc. It serves as a trojan horse. He’ll finally conquer her heart with it and win full autonomy over her. THIS IS HIS MAIN GOAL WITH THE ROBOT. WHY HE EVEN DOES ANY OF THIS TO BEGIN WITH.

Caleb gets to spy on mc with it and also slowly reshape her to accept his feelings; his ‘death’ has left her in a fragile state of mourning and he knows, after she warms up a bit to not-Caleb, he can more or less get away with anything- bc she will claw for whatever’s left of her family member. He can make her finally reciprocate and understand him— whether that be his feelings or fear or love. He tried to be patient, to be good, but obviously he had to travel a new route. He’s thinking of her 24/7. He’s obsessive, longing, protective, you name it- and all of this just worsens the more she denies him. When push comes to shove… well, caleb will do whatever it takes to win her :] He knows it’s unconventional and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t hurt him too- monitoring his endearingly stubborn, but sweet meimei and the shattered pieces he left of her through his android’s eyes— but it’s all temporary, and he truly believes it’s for the better.

did gideon know?

Yes, Gideon knew all along. He’s Caleb’s best buddy after all. To be matter of fact- Gideon didn’t just know, he quite literally ‘herded’ mc into the lion’s den in a way. Mc knew vaguely of their work at EVER, but not too much; so Gideon was the one who shined that light on their robotics and really introduced her to the concept of not-Caleb. Now, i wouldnt say Gideon is exactly comfortable with his involvement, but he actually really does care for mc and thinks she needs that help- as dubious as the means are. Anyway, it’s almost impossible to shut out all of his buddy’s demands: the brunet is nothing if not insistent on getting what he wants. In his own whacky way, Gideon thinks what he did- playing into Caleb’s plan- was for the better as well. I mean, Mc clearly wasnt doing good before not-Caleb came along,… but with the few visits he managed before the android got a little too stingy and sent him off, Gideon actually managed to catch a smile or two from her! So clearly he did the right thing 👀 not to mention… the real caleb seems very pleased with the progress, too. besides- the whole robot situation is temporary anyway :] She’ll be reuniting with the beloved gege she misses so much sooner rather than later.

how accurate was not-caleb?

His programming is like 100% accurate. Mc, for a mix of both naiveity and delusion, thinks not-Caleb is flawed when he starts to show signs of amorous/romantic feelings for her. Really, though, after she tells him to stay the night with her (innocently; and after years of having not shared the same childhood twin bed), it triggers a part of his ‘brain’ that undoes all real caleb’s self restraint thus far :] If the same exact situation happened with the real caleb, his reaction would’ve more or less been the same. Homeboy can only keep his feelings in check for so long

who programmed not-caleb?

Real Caleb

how is mc pregnant?

Because the robot’s creator wanted to add his own special touch to his work if you know what i mean :) yeah he’s a freak like that. Dont think he WOULDNT install in his robot the ability to indirectly knock his ‘meimei’ up. I will say though, that while caleb wants to get mc pregnant, its not fully bc he wants to start a family- at least not right away- but because he wants to emotionally and legally trap her with him. Besides monitoring her/wearing down her walls while she thought he was ‘dead’, this was actually one of caleb’s biggest goals with sending not-caleb into her home.

is not-caleb self-aware?

Yes

what’s real caleb been doing all this time?

Basically climbing the ranks of EVER from his lil perch somewhere in skyhaven. all the while, of course, spying on mc like a hawk. Biding his time & waiting for the right moment when she’s at her weakest, most codependent state to replace his carbon copy :)

was caleb controlling his robot?

No. But he essentially created its whole program. And there are cameras inside its eyes in which he watches mc from :) and cant help but snap pics with sometimes: she’s just so pretty— and endlessly sexy when he finally, in a vicarious way, gets to lie her back and make love to her <3

what is real caleb’s motive/ultimate goal?

1. to control/protect/‘tame’ mc through the robot; get her to see things from his point of view (which means realizing she belongs with him- where it’s safe and he can protect & love her)

2. to knock her up (hence the. ahem. reproductive abilities of the robot) so that he can trap her with a baby on top of all the other emotional strings he’s hogtied her with.

does gideon want mc too?

the question is not would gideon smash her. the question is would caleb LET him…. 👀

also, below i just attached a screenie from some of the notes i took. theyre ofc a little disjointed but i think it might clarify things too :] im so bad at answering questions esp for a plot this spiraling but i really tried my best guys my brain is tired forgive me :,)