#which actually might be the case because if i weren't a bad person i think my life might be different

[olliecoded]

dude. i am such a fucking selfish piece of shit.

[unbidden-yidden]

I have gotten so many messages from folks who see what's happening to Jews right now, how literally any statement from us that isn't straight up "death to Israel!" "tear it down!" "river to the sea!" etc. - no matter how tempered in other ways or critical of the Israeli government it is - anything even mildly supportive of the terrorism victims/their families in their grief and/or Israelis deserving to live is getting dog piled to an absurd degree. And yes, that primarily targets Jews (because we're the ones primarily speaking on it) but it definitely is also hitting anyone not Jewish who says this as well. Immediately, overnight, the left has made any position that respects everyone's human rights and allows Jews room to grieve our murdered and missing family and friends without telling us they deserved to die in terrible ways completely radioactive. Like literally even the most milquetoaste statement attracts numerous hysterical commentators. And because it's so toxic, people are afraid to speak up.

And I've now heard from a lot of gentiles that they had no idea how deep the rot of leftist antisemitism went, how they've been seeing this unfold with horror, and are afraid to speak up.

Here's what I'll say: those messages give me a lot of strength, because they help me remember that I'm not insane, that this is horrendous, and we are seeing in real time exactly who would have helped the Gestapo find us if they were sufficiently convinced that this is "decolonization." That yes, the backlash really *is* that bad. I hear that affirmation and I appreciate it, and I understand your fear, because it was mine too. I myself strongly considered at the beginning not saying anything about this until I could do so without being harassed. (I decided against that because I am physically incapable of shutting up when it pertains to my people, but I understand the sentiment.)

Here's the thing: this is never going to end - those people who take seriously the question "are Jews people?" are going to be the vocal minority unless and until we all speak out. Jews are 2% of the US population and 0.2% of the world's population - there are literally more self-identified Nazis in America than there are Jews. I would honestly be surprised if there weren't more horseshoe theory leftists in the world than Jews also.

That being the case, we really do need our allies to speak up with us. I think if we all spoke up at once, it might be enough to break the silence-taken-as-agreement and shame everyone but the avowed antisemites (rather than the thoughtless and opportunistic ones) back into keeping their antisemitism under wraps. Which does have the effect of bringing the mob under control. Jews have faced a ton of mob violence in the form of pogroms throughout our history and backlash to Jewish victimhood. (Tl;dr - "How dare you make me consider how I might have benefited from or been complicit in hurting Jews? This is actually the fault of the Jews." is a disturbingly common thought process.) (You may also be wondering what I mean by "opportunistic;" I can explain in another post if people are interested.)

I know it's scary. I am well aware that you might lose friends from this. I personally decided that if those "friends" valued Jewish lives so little, they were never my friends to begin with, but it's different for non-Jews. They may genuinely be your friends. I'm not demanding you do this for me or my community, but I am asking you to consider what your line is for your friends. And if you are able to talk to them, to ask them what makes this group different from all other groups in terms of deserving compassion and human rights, it may just help us to quiet the mob.

And, if nothing else, just privately reminding those of us who are speaking about it that we are grounded in reality and compassion helps combat the mass gaslighting going on.

[14dayswithyou]

I was thinking over the landlord situation because a small detail stuck in my mind. Ren seemed surprised that the issues in Angel's building weren't being dealt with.

Possibly it's just that a negligent landlord would never happen to him with his fancy apartment, or he owns it, and he's out of touch with normal renting problems.

But for fun maybe he secretly is the landlord and wasn't getting the complaints because he doesn’t pay much attention to duties? Is he getting the complaints but putting himself in the position to fix them as 'Ren', impressing Angel? He already volunteered for guard dog duty against… himself.

Was it faked surprise because he's responsible for causing those issues for his own benefit? 

I feel Ren potentially did ruin the air mattress in advance hoping to be invited into the bed, blaming rats when it was discovered. Maybe it was done that day while waiting for Angel to get off work. 

Maybe he remotely jammed the elevator too because... idk why he'd do that, there should be cameras already in the lift and they should be hackable. Or maybe he just uses the stairs for stealth and only spies on Angel’s flat, so genuinely didn't know the crappy elevator wasn't working. Possible. Maybe he also wants the flat to be shitty and seem dangerous to push Angel into moving in with him.

Perhaps Ren knows who the landlord is and was surprised for that reason? It's not likely that he's installed a friend into the job if he's a loner, but I think he did once have family friends (of his parents) into some shady business. Perhaps they pivoted their legit real estate investments into a money laundering front and no longer attend to the tenants needs well. Maybe he knows the building layout from visiting them years ago as a child, and that's how he avoids being caught.

Or is Ren making a mental note to kill the bad landlord for inconveniencing Angel? and potentially take over the job

Anyway don't mind me, I like to puzzle on things.

✦゜ANSWERED: In case some folks might not know: if you make the right choices, you can actually meet the landlord in Day 3 instead of Olivia! They also address the rat complaints — though their response is kinda meme-y — and the overall scene isn't intended to be taken seriously.

Ren, however, does know the landlord’s identity already, but doesn’t do anything about it because they actively play a massive role in his plans.

⚠️ Day 3 + general lore spoilers under the cut!! ⚠️

Essentially, Ren wants Angel to move in with him — which is why he’s so adamant on giving them a key to his place. And like you picked up on; he keeps bringing up how awful it is to live in Angel’s neighbourhood in hopes of having them realise this and depend on Ren instead. After all, the only thing he wants is to be Angel's top priority and the person they go to first in any given situation.

Ren is also no stranger to rent problems while growing up. I've mentioned this before, but prior to living in a small, rundown home; Ren and his family used to live in a trailer park. There was hardly much room or privacy for everyone, and the maintenance there was awful.

I do like the theory about Ren using shady connections between his friends/family for his bidding!! Canonically though, Ren has no friends outside of Angel and River, and he hasn't been in contact with any of his blood relations in years.

Also!! I do want to restate that the rats in the demo genuinely are rats. It wasn't Ren tearing up a hole in Angel's mattress (he didn’t think you'd invite him over in Day 1 + he respects your comfort level), but it was him stealing specific items.

[vikkirosko]

Hi! May I please request headcanons for Lucifer, Charlie, Vaggie, and Husk (separately) with a sinner!S/O who stays at the hotel and somehow has a pretty innocent and kind personality despite being in hell? Thank you so much!

Headcanons Innocent and kind

🌈 Charlie Morningstar x sinner!Reader 🎶

When you arrived at the hotel, Charlie was happy. There weren't many guests in her hotel, so she was happy with every new person. You were a special sinner. Even though you were in Hell, you were a kind, innocent and sincere person. At least that's how you seemed to her when you first met

When she got to know you better, she was convinced that you were sincere, you weren't pretending and you didn't have ulterior motives. Charlie liked the fact that you were genuinely willing to help others. You sincerely believed in redemption and the princess was sure that you would succeed

You were both kind and you were happy to help her at the hotel. You believed in her idea and supported her when Charlie was in decline. Your sincere belief that her idea had a chance to come true and that sinners could really atone for their sins

Charlie knew that someone might find you both a little naive, but she knew that you would succeed. She was glad that she had you, because together you could handle any difficulties. You were both sure of that

❌ Vaggie x sinner!Reader 🎀

Once in Hell, Vaggie doubted that it was possible to find someone untouched by sin there. She thought so before she met you. You were an unusual sinner. You were unusually kind and innocent, as if you were not a sinner but a real angel. It made her uneasy. She thought it was just a mask and you actually had ulterior motives

She watched you for a long time, trying to find out exactly what you were hiding. However, she saw absolutely nothing suspicious. You were really sincere, which made her feel guilty, because Vaggie really thought that you were cheating on her and everyone else

You genuinely cared about her and helped her. She felt safer around you, because she knew that she was safe with you. Next to you, Vaggie could relax and not think that something bad could happen. It was like you were sharing your warmth and faith in the best with her

Vaggie didn't know why you, being such a kind and innocent person, ended up in Hell. She wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be a mistake and you really should have been in Heaven. But even if that was the case, you were together now and that was the main thing for her

🃏 Husk x sinner!Reader 🥃

Husk was skeptical of everyone who came to the hotel and you were no exception. He didn't understand how you could even be so kind and innocent, and if you really were like that, then why did you end up in Hell. He didn't hide the fact that he didn't believe you and it upset you. Husk found it hard to believe that someone like you could end up in Hell

Husk watched you interact with the rest of the hotel's residents. You were always sincere, you tried to help others and you even reminded him of Charlie in some way. In the evenings, you kept him company while sitting at the bar. You didn't drink, but you sat with him, not wanting him to sit there alone. It was thanks to the evenings you spent at the bar together that he got to know you better

Husk was getting softer next to you. He smiled faintly, watching you sincerely help others. It started to seem sweet to him. You and your innocence began to seem sweet to him. The fact that you did so much for others without any benefit to yourself was unusual, but since it pleased you, Husk was not going to interfere with you

Husk knew that you were having problems because of your kindness, so he looked out for you. He didn't want anyone to hurt you. You were a really good person and he hoped that you could stay that way

🍎 Lucifer Morningstar x sinner!Reader 🐍

Lucifer sincerely believed that sinners would be able to atone for their sins, but over time this faith faded. He saw how sinners did not change over the years. It was only thanks to his daughter that changes began in Hell and it was at her hotel that he met you

You were a sinner, but you stood out from the rest because of your character. You were kind and innocent, even though you lived in Hell. Lucifer was watching you with surprise. It was hard for him to believe that a good person like you ended up in Hell. It was like there was some kind of mistake and you should have ended up in Heaven. But looking at you, the hope burned in him again that sinners still have a chance

Lucifer enjoyed talking to you. You smiled sincerely, looking at the rubber ducklings that he made, you talked on a variety of topics and next to you he felt like he was inspired. For the first time in a long time, he felt like this. Next to you, he was genuinely smiling and laughing. He felt happy with you

Lucifer saw how hard you tried to atone for your sins. You remained the same kind and innocent no matter what, and he wanted to help you. There were warm feelings for you in his chest and he hoped that he could make you happier

[iam93percentstardust]

one of the things that really bothers me about modern franchises, and in particular over the last 5 years or so, is their refusal to commit. what i mean here when i say this is that it's not uncommon for a major franchise to make a decision, whether about the plot or the characters, that should have had huge, world-changing consequences... and then just never address that again or worse, immediately go back and undo it. and i'm gonna pick on star wars and the mcu here because those are the two big franchises i'm into at the moment (and i think they're kind of the worst at this), but i don't want you to walk away from this thinking that this is solely a disney thing. i've seen this happen with game of thrones and supernatural and plenty of other non-disney franchises. spoilers ahead, you've been warned:

in ant-man & the wasp quantumania, scott and hope make the life-altering decision to stay behind in the quantum realm and defeat kang instead of going through the portal to return to their world. this should have been a huge meta decision for the mcu, and when i first saw it in theaters, my immediate thought was wow, what is this going to mean for the mcu going forward? are we going to get a movie/miniseries about scott and hope helping to rebuild the quantum realm? how are cassie, janet, and hank going to react to the losses of their loved ones (in some cases, for the second time)? is cassie going to become the "first" young avenger because she has to take her father's place among the team lineup (and i only say first because as of this moment, none of the other young avengers introduced to the franchise are official avengers yet)? except nope, because less than 2 minutes later, cassie had fixed the portal that had broken way back at the beginning of the movie and brought scott and hope back.

and it felt like such a cheat. i was so disappointed in that theater, not as someone who was invested in these characters on a personal level (because yay, cassie gets her dad back!), but as someone who has spent years investing themselves in the story of the mcu. what was the point of wasting screentime on scott and hope accepting their new lives in the quantum realm if it was just going to immediately be undone? the entire scene could have been cut to scott and hope making it back bare seconds before the portal closed and it would have had the same emotional impact. there was nothing added by making scott and hope (and us) think that there was no way back only to rip the rug out from under us and go "gotcha! you really thought we were gonna give this movie a sad ending? haha! you're so dumb!"

and this isn't the first time the mcu has done this. one of the biggest complaints about endgame was the decision to set it five years in the future with no consideration for how that would actually change the setting of the mcu. characters were brought back to the exact place they disappeared from with no consideration for how things might have changed in the interim five years (like planes that weren't in the air anymore, buildings no longer standing, even just something as simple as a chair being unoccupied). and then the mcu didn't even really have the courage to address how this would have shaped the world other than a few jokes and making the bad guys in the falcon and the winter soldier people who cared about how the world had screwed them over during the blip.

and things like this happen over and over and over again. the accords are put into place in civil war, but by the time we get to she-hulk, they're gone with no explanation because, as best as i can tell, the writers didn't want to have to deal with the worldbuilding that went into the accords. gamora is killed in infinity war, but heaven forbid quill not have an emotional investment in a film he appears for maybe 10 minutes in so now she's back in endgame. steve got to go live in the past with his ex-girlfriend (which is in itself a refusal to commit after the mcu both gave her a different husband and had the woman herself tell him to move on) but we need to establish that messing with timelines is bad because that's what the entire next phase hinges on so actually his ending was predestined and it's only everyone else who can't change time. whoever took this entire town and also wanda hostage and forced them to live out a sitcom fantasy is bad and needs to be stopped but wait, it's actually wanda and she can't be the bad guy yet, we need her for doctor strange 2, so actually everyone's going to defend her now and say that no one else could ever possibly understand her grief. thor has decided to accept responsibility as king of asgard, but we can't use him for any more movies if he's stuck in asgard, so actually he's decided to pass it on to someone whose entire leadership capability is developed offscreen. i could list more examples but this is making me angry, so let's move on to star wars instead.

with star wars, i look at first the oft-quoted meme, "somehow palpatine has returned." yeah, i shouldn't really need to go into detail on how that counts as a refusal to commit but. the last jedi was a study in how johnson refused to commit to anything that abrams had laid down in the force awakens, but rise of skywalker was almost like abrams had looked at the franchise and said "screw you for taking it away from me, i'm going to come up with the most bullshit stuff just to spite you for doing that in the first place. and i'm going to start by undoing the most important plot point of the first trilogy: the emperor dies." and yeah, disney's kind of tried to salvage this by dropping hints into the bad batch and the mandalorian about cloning, but that only really works if you're watching the franchise chronologically and not considering that both of those series came out after rise of skywalker.

and then there's the mandalorian, my sweet summer child, who is, in my opinion, the worst at backtracking their plot points. i'm not entirely convinced that any of the higher ups for this show really knew what they were doing when they started working on it and i'm not convinced that they know what they're doing now. yeah, there's the tie-in to the last season of clone wars, but the mandalorian has managed to walk back pretty much every single major plot point it's had. din is this legendary warrior who can't be beat, but no one will watch this show if he defeats everyone too early, so he's constantly getting beat up (tbf, sometimes some of the fights he loses makes sense like the krayt dragon and the mudhorn, but a lot of them don't. at all). moff gideon is dead, no wait no he's not, now he's imprisoned, no wait no he's not, now he's definitely dead, you can totally believe us this time guys. grogu can use the force and must be placed with the jedi, but wait, the only person still actively teaching the way of the jedi is luke and all of his students will be brutally murdered ten years from now, and we can't have that, everyone will be mad at us for killing off such a cute character and no one will buy baby yoda dolls (and also we have to set up luke's character degradation from hopeful, believes-in-love cinnamon roll to "i'm going to kill my nephew") so in between seasons let's have grogu decide to go back to din (and don't even get me started on how frustrating it is that a casual mandalorian watcher also had to watch book of boba fett to understand why grogu is back). din has the darksaber now which makes him king of mandalore, that's totally going to be important and what the entire series has been building up to, right? wrong! he might have spent the first two seasons making connections, learning about the world outside his sheltered upbringing, and demonstrating the various qualities that would make for a good leader, but the entire third season will be about din realizing that actually he's super unworthy and the darksaber should actually go to someone who... saw an animal in the water.

and it's really, really frustrating as a viewer! because how am i supposed to get invested in any of these plot decisions when they almost always get reversed? why should i care that mj and ned have forgotten peter when ant-man 3 has shown me that they'll remember him the next time they're all on screen together? why should i care that tech is dead when half of the last season of clone wars was about how echo was actually alive? if none of these decisions have any permanence, then where are the emotional stakes? why should i watch your movie if all you're going to tell me is that nothing matters?

[penofwildfire]

One of my favourite subtle things about Ninjago is Garmadon's body image arc. It's not something you'd really notice on a first viewing but in early seasons, Garmadon is actually quite concerned with his weight. The first instance of this is in season 1, when he's staying on the Bounty with the Ninja. During the montage of him being a horrible roommate, there's a scene of him eating "condensed evil", which of course grosses out the team.

Kai comments on it to one of the other ninja, saying that "it's supposed to be low in fat". It's a throwaway line that wouldn't really matter, if it weren't for the next instance.

In season 3, Cyrus Borg reveals that he has attempted to create "a diet pill that actually works".

Garmadon is the most intrigued by this invention, and near-frantically asks Borg if the pill actually works, telling Lloyd that he'll "understand when he's older". He shows strong disappointment when Borg says that the pill does not in fact work as intended.

These two scenes, taken together, are very telling. Garmadon for some reason or another is self-conscious about his weight.

Now, flash forward all the way to Crystalized and what do we see?

Garmadon enjoying himself some pizza and canned drinks. (Now some might see this as another instance of him being a bad roommate, and while that is partially the case with him leaving chip bags and pizza boxes lying around, it's also fair to note that he tells Wu and Lloyd to avoid making a mess because "Vinny just vacuumed". So either this is just an error on the animation department's part, or Garmadon has some intention of cleaning up after himself (we also see a large stack of pizza boxes outside the apartment, implying that he's not just gonna leave them on the floor).)

Anyway, this scene shows significant character development on Garmadon's part for multiple reasons. The main point of this entire episode is to showcase how much effort Garmadon is putting in in his attempt to become a better person. And I'd like to think that part of that arc was about working through his issues with his weight and body image, because fun fact, being kind to yourself is part of being kind to others.

Anyway this is just a fun observation I had, and one of the many reasons why Roomie Garmadon is my favourite Garmadon.

[oddballwriter]

HEYAA. I’ve been so obsessed with ur MK stuff lately it’s insane. Wondering if I could request a little blurb with Steven? 🙏 Maybe artistic reader who uses Steven as a muse of sorts? 🎨 Maybe Steven finds reader’s sketches of him and Reader is like embarrassed 😨 that he may be uncomfortable with it? Add and change up anything you’d like!! 😽 ur my fav writer thank you 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼❤️❤️

Your Drawings Look like Heaven to Me

꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦

Summary: Steven always enjoys your drawings and art, big or small, painting or simple sketch and doodle. But he's a bit surprised when he discovers that you have a habit of drawing a certain muse that you have. 

Warnings: There's nothing that I can actually thing of other than it's mentioned that the reader draws Steven when he's unaware, but I don't think it's that bad. Also 'Y/n' is used once. 

Author’s Snip: This was meant to be just a little blurb but I got the writing equivalent of zoomies. You asked for a cookie and I made you a cake with layers, frosting, and toppings. This is insane how did I do this. I think it's because I've been drinking a monster while writing this. I have paused the video that I was previously watching in the background because I am so focused. I'm not even joking this shit is 1517 words long and that is before I proof and grammar checked it. I think this might be the longest writing I've done thus far. Enjoy your free cake, anon.

Notes: This is written in the lens of a world where it's just Steven, so none of the actual events in the show happen.

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦

Steven always knew you drew. You met at your jobs at the museum, at the time, you were working the front desk while he of course worked at the gift shop. The two of you weren't all too familiar with each other since you only saw each other in passing. You knew him as Steven from the gift shop, and he knew you as Y/N from the front desk. You did learn more details through others. Steven was a chatty guy who had an impressive knowledge about Egyptology and mythos. And you were the person at the front desk who did nothing but sit there and draw all day when not granting visitors entry, or in most cases, taking a second to scan a preprinted ticket and check the schedule.

Steven heard talk that you were really talented in your art. You were able to draw what were basically pictures of things you saw or even made up. He hadn't seen your actual art till one day he found you sat where he usually did for lunch, drawing the statue man that he talked at everyday. And wow, were they right about how well you could draw. Though while you talked to each other you laughed "Well of course I'm able to draw him perfectly. He doesn't move.".

That lunch break was a long time ago. You two started dating between then and now. Steven managed to leave the museum for a new one that actually let him be a tour guide. You eventually managed to find work that let you use your skills in art instead of using it to beat the boredom of your job. And you also moved in with Steven in his little flat, in which he cleared out some of this clutter to make a space for you to work and make your own.

You would draw little doodles for Steven to have. Like Gus swimming around. An Egyptian god that you made using his books as a reference. You even drew him a little alligator with a speech bubble saying "Later" on a sticky note. He still has it by the way. He laminated it using clear tape and has it in his wallet as a pick-me-up when he's upset or as a lucky charm of sorts. You always made drawings for him. But never once had he thought that you would make drawings of him. Let alone how many drawing you made of him.

Steven isn't a man who likes to snoop around regularly, feeling a massive sense of ruining someone's privacy. But you said that he could always look through your sketchbooks and art pieces if he wanted, as long as it wasn't a commission that was still being worked on, which he respected. You, like any other artist, had a plethora of sketchbooks of different sizes that served different purposes. There were your personal sketchbooks, outline and testing sketchbooks, practice sketchbooks, a lot of sketchbooks with a lot of different things they were for. It amazed him just how many you had and how you were able to remember which is which.

He knew which ones were ones he gifted you though. Steven was never confident when it came to gifting you supplies. He wasn't an artist himself so he didn't know what was perfect and what was something you would say thank you for out of courtesy. One of the things he used as a safe play were sketchbooks. The bookstore he frequented had a section of art stuff and found that the sketchbooks were not only great quality but also had various designs on their covers. So he'd get you one almost every time he went.

When he looked at them on the shelf next to your desk he realized that he had never actually seen inside of those ones. He was a bit hesitant to grab one since he didn't know if you would want him to. It's not like he could ask you right now. You were out running some important errands and he didn't want to bother you. However, they were on the part of the shelf that you put all your regular personal sketchbooks, which he was allowed to look at so he took a one random from the collection and flicked through the pages.

Out of some coincidence, it was the first sketchbook he got you, which was admittedly one he got you before he learned what pages were good for actual art. The first few pages were doodles that were likely from testing how the paper held up with the actual process of drawing which soon stopped and the rest of the art was actually taped on like they originally belonged to another sketchbook.

Steven thought of that as a clever use for the pages. You would sometimes make art you thought was nice on miscellaneous papers and would simply take the piece with the art out and stick it somewhere else. But he soon notices a theme amongst all the doodles and drawings, which then follow into all of the other sketchbooks he gifted you.

Him.

Most of the drawings in these sketchbooks were of him.

They were all different. Some were him lounging around or taking a nap. Something that would have made him unaware of you creating a drawing of him. There was one that was him asleep laying in bed from what would be your side of the bed. His face was calm, the limpness of his arms and body was captured perfectly, the sheets drawn with the most accurate wrinkles, and the lighting gave the impression of the light of the morning that came in through the curtains. It looked like you simply took a picture of him while he slept but it was clearly a sketch drawn using a pen and pencil.

There was these bust and face portraits that spanned through out the books, of course of him. The first were already so good in detail considering these had to be drawings of him from memory. But they only got more detailed as they went on. You managed to get his amount of stubble right. You had the little baby curls that lived along his hair line. The crease between his eyebrows he had since he always had a slight anxious expression. That tiny little dimple that he had next to his nose that he didn't know existed until you pointed it out one time.

Steven's mind was boggling to him to see such detailed drawings of him that looked so carefully done even when they were simply quick sketches. They were life-like. They were him. They were Steven. To be honest, how could it not? You see his face all the time. So why wouldn't you have him completely memorized. It was just the fact that you had taken time and pages to draw him and him alone.

It was a bit jarring, for the both of you, when you walked through the front door with a hand full of groceries and other things from your errands and he was seen looking at all the drawings of him. You were embarrassed that he finally saw all your drawings of him and worried that he would think it was weird. He thought that he crossed a line and breached your privacy.

You two avoided talking about it till Steven finally did during dinner later that evening.

"You, uh, draw me... a lot." Steven spoke. "Yeah. I do." you blush as you avoided eye contact in case his eyes showed that your fear of him finding your habit with drawing him was strange was correct. "Why do you draw me so much?" he questions. You sighed, "It's sort of a habit I formed." you confess. You proceeded to explain how it started,

"I first drew you as an exercise to get rid of some art block. I usually draw faces of people I know as a means to do that. So I drew you. It was okay. But when I looked at it a couple days later I thought that I could do it again to improve on detailing some more. Then I used you as a study for lighting and colors.".

"Then, sometimes, I would just draw you when I thought you looked pretty or thought of you. And that's sort of what I've been doing." you explain further. "I thought you would find it weird if you saw all the times I drew you and so I just put them in the books you got me and hoped you wouldn't see them." you say in a timid manner.

"I don't think it's strange. I think it's actually quite flattering." Steven clarifies. "I was just surprised that you think of me as something worth drawing. Especially with such detail." he remarks. You breathe a sigh of relief at that.

"If I'm entirely honest, love," Steven spoke up, "Never tell me that you're drawing me from where I am. I'll get nervous and possibly ruin the position that you're drawing me in." he remarks.

[yardsards]

thinking of the Implications of the blight parents signing their 14 year old daughter up for emperor's coven tryouts

because

1: the emperor's coven takes their recruits away from their friends and family

2: they do not wait until you are an adult to do this

(like, even assuming the process from getting accepted into the coven to actually joining it and moving to the castle aren't as fast as hunter makes it sound here it's like.

we do see lilith having dinner at home after eda's been cursed. so it wasn't immediate (at least back then it wasn't)

but they weren't waiting til she was an adult either. cuz eda was 2 years younger than lilith (thus at least 2 years younger than whatever the boiling isles considers an adult, cuz we know lilith was still a student then too) and she and lilith planned on joining at the same time. there wasn't a "well, eda can't actually *join* join for two more years, so she might as well wait for next tryout anyway"

which, tryouts might not be *yearly*, perhaps it's more efficient to not have to run the training camp every year, but i don't imagine they'd be less often than every couple of years)

so this?

the blight parents are 100% willing to send their FOURTEEN YEAR OLD CHILD away *forever*

14 years old. not even done with puberty yet. half a head shorter than her siblings and a whole head shorter than her parents. face still covered in baby fat.

this is a child who is called *mittens* by not only her siblings but by the very parents who were willing to send her away

and they weren't just sending her off to live far-ish away and rarely see them again; they were sending her off to have a Real Grownup Job. even if exactly how bad working for the emperor is isn't a well-known fact, it's still obviously a full-time job.

odalia has wanted amity to join the emperor's coven for a long time. after all, having a daughter in the emperor's coven would bring a lot of prestige to the family, and she could maybe try to leverage amity's position to gain more power

and odalia can be an impatient woman, so it makes sense that she'd want this to happen as soon as possible. not to mention, she's canonically not averse to child labour

(i briefly considered that maybe odalia wanted amity out of her life but i don't think that's the case. odalia doesn't outright hate amity; odalia's cruelty comes from seeing her family as tools (and seeing amity as very useful but flawed) rather than malice)

meanwhile, alador explains his choice by saying he thought it was what amity wanted

and it's addressed that that's not really her dream (at least, it DEFINITELY isn't anymore. they way she used to "want" to join the emperor's coven is worthy of its own post tbh). and that if he paid attention to her, talked to her, listened to her, and made himself a person that she could comfortably admit these kinds of things to, then he'd know that.

but he also ignores her when she says she doesn't want to go to tryouts that night (even if she didn't admit that she never wants to join the emperor's coven at all) and wants to go to the bonesborough brawl instead.

doesn't stop to question why his daughter -who has previously shown herself to be rather studious, responsible, and goal-oriented- would suddenly want to "goof off". he just... assumes she's being irresponsible and thoughtlessly not pursuing "her dream" or "a bright future" for no reason, and just needs to be pushed into doing the supposedly responsible thing

but that doesn't quite explain why he's convinced that she needs to do this at *age fourteen*, why her future can't wait a few more years, why her dream needs to happen as soon as possible before her childhood's even over. (and i'm not gonna take "because odalia said so" as an answer here; he's clearly convinced that what he's doing is right and is not just mindlessly following orders)

well, first possibility: i think maybe, while he's not as bad or blatant about it as his wife, he might also think material success is the key to happiness (and the emperor's coven is considered one of the most successful positions in the world, next to being a covenhead)

and with that kind of mindset, a lot of the things that would bring the children actual happiness just get forgotten. their needs for attention and affection, for friendship and leisure, for the freedom to express themselves, for the chance to just be kids, all get thrown by the wayside -sacrificed in the name of "success"

by that line of thinking: joining the emperor's coven = material success and material success = happiness. and if joining the emperor's coven = happiness, then joining sooner = being happy sooner. and why wouldn't a parent want their child to find happiness as soon as possible? unfortunately her age and specific needs are not in that equation at all, even though they're obviously actually very important factors

(you could also honestly apply this reasoning to odalia herself as well, if you want to be charitable. cuz i've seen good arguments that she does actually care about her family's wellbeing, but in a twisted sort of way, wherein her priorities are extremely skewed AND it gets obscured by her own selfishness. idk, the show's characterization of her is weird, even compared to her husband (i blame the s3 shortening rushing their development, tbh). so i waited to bring this up til after i started talking about alador.)

there's also a second possibility: maybe he realizes that their home environment is bad for amity (which, it is), and thinks getting her out of there early by any means would be good for her (which, not quite the case)

maybe not even by noticing her actual misery, but by projecting his own misery onto her. like, he's in an abusive marriage and severely overworked. when he says amity has a bright future, he's kind of contrasting her with himself, and -consciously or not- implying that his life is not what a bright future looks like (which kind of goes against the first possibility, because he is rather financially successful). and he's very afraid of his children having to take his place: probably especially amity, because she's the abomination witch and would be more likely to have to take on his exact job

(ironically, though he doesn't know it, emperor's coven members are just as overworked and controlled as he is)

except, y'know, leaving a toxic home environment to become fully self sufficient is not the kind of upgrade for a kid that it would be for an adult. it'd just be throwing her from one bad situation to another

and also it's your responsibility as a parent to provide an environment for your child that they don't need to escape from. and while some concessions can be made due to the whole abusive wife situation, that doesn't absolve him of all responsibility.

like, the whole point of his role in reaching out was that the WERE things that he COULD do better. like, he became a better father at the end of that episode than he was at the beginning. and none of that change was due to "my wife changed, so i now have the ability to be a better father"; odalia wasn't involved in that growth at all

[candyhoiic]

Okay so hear me out what if when a soul went to heaven, they would still remember a majority of their previous life while other memories would be forgotten almost instantaneously. However, the longer they exist in heaven, the more they will inevitably forget until they can only remember the basics of their past. Like they know who they are, but they're not sure how they exactly became that person.

I like to think that if this were the case, some memories would vanish faster than others in order to make it easier for the soul to be happy and move on with their (after)life. Like the more traumatic memories would be erased from their mind while the happier memories would linger. And to some extent I feel like this would also pertain to people they knew as well. For example, say they had a lot of happy memories with someone who went to hell instead of heaven. Well the good news is they won't remember them for long! /sar

It would actually be so messed up if this were the case like they just wouldn't remember the person one day. Even though they would still know that they must have been close to someone in their life on Earth, but whenever they try to remember they just end up with a headache. So, they decide it must not be that important anyways.

I feel like in that case the only way this effect would be reversed is if the winner/angel was directly face to face with the person they had previously forgotten about, which is unlikely considering how closed off heaven is to hell. Which would also make sense why Sera isn't exactly thrilled with the idea of sinners being redeemed because well wouldn't that just be another way of showing how unperfect heaven actually is. Instead, of them treating the problem, they simply hide it. Sounds familiar, right?

Anyways I want you all to imagine this happening to Adam. Imagine him coming up to heaven, and as the first human soul to enter, he was sort of a heaven's guinea pig leading to the effects being stronger on him than it would be on others since at that time heaven wasn't exactly fine tuned for a human soul to exist there. So, instead of having most of his memories in tact, he basically has none. He doesn't really remember Eden or what went down there. He knows he's the first man and that he lived there at one point before something bad happened, but that's basically it.

He doesn't remember his first or second wife nor does he remember Lucifer much less how he was betrayed by him because honestly, there's no doubt in my mind that these two knew each other and were at the bare minimum friends back in Eden before everything went down. I like to think he doesn't even really remember much of his life outside of Eden. Cain and Abel, who? He just remembers that his life had been better in Eden then it was outside of it.

With his lack of memory as to who he is, he's stuck grappling with the little he does know. Which would justify why he holds onto the title of the first man so hard throughout the series. Because in the beginning that's all he had. Anything else he knew about himself was told to him by Sera and the other angels. Of course, this would lead to him feeling unsure of what to do with his afterlife, and very much like before in Eden he was mainly left alone to just stumble and learn things for himself.

The lack of supervision didn't do much good for him, and I can imagine he was feeling quite lonely not having any other human souls to interact with. It made him feel alienated, and left him with time to wonder about all the things he must have forgotten because he knows he had people he loved back down on earth. Knows there's so much of himself missing that he has no hopes of recovering. It leaves him frustrated and what should be paradise feels like a prison.

Honestly, he might have ended up going crazy if it weren't for him discovering music, and using it to express himself even when he had no one to really share it with. Until one day he was playing a random string instrument and then there was suddenly clapping, and that's how he met the second human soul to ever enter heaven. He instantly clung to their presence, and probably would have hoarded them all to himself if it weren't for Sera and the other seraphim showing up.

When he first saw the angels again, his first instinct was to cling to the other soul for some reason. His body just kind of reacting on its own as if angels had taken someone away from him before. He didn't let go of the other human soul until Sera reassured them, that this soul would be staying in heaven with him. However, even then he didn't stray far from the other's side, but Sera simply moved on.

In celebration for the second human soul finally making it to heaven, the angels gave him the privilege of naming what human souls would be called once they entered heaven, explaining to him how he had been in charge of naming all the animals in Eden beforehand. And when they told him this, he couldn't deny how right that sounded. It brought warmth to his soul to have this little piece of himself back. He felt like he won something in that moment, and thus human souls would be called winners.

Anyways flash forward to years later and well Adam was doing better. He still didn't remember much of his life on Earth, but with more and more winners showing up he stopped caring as much. It was still in the back of his mind, but for the most part he was happy with his place in heaven.

He may have even gotten a little bit too complacent with his new life of being the first human soul to make it to heaven. He let himself go some since the winners would dote on him, making it so easy to simply let them do things for him. Although one thing he never stopped doing was playing music. Any and all instruments just felt right in his hands like music was an important part of him.

Life was good until he started to notice the new amount of winners coming into heaven started to slow, and how Sera grew worried with each passing day. Eventually he asked her what was wrong not really expecting an answer, knowing how secretive she could be. Although it seemed like even she had her limits because for better or for worse she told him about hell and how their population was rising faster than heavens. She unloaded concerns on him that she really should have known better than to burden him with. He may be the first man but he was still just that a man.

When he heard about this, he felt an urge to know more about hell. He felt like hell had answers he couldn't find in heaven about his life, and again he really shouldn't have been allowed to, but he was able to convince Sera to let him see hell. He reasoned he had a right to see where his other descendants were going. Besides maybe he could put some of her worries to rest by spying around what was currently happening in hell.

So, that's how he found himself heading down to hell to simply go down there and scout out the place nothing more, nothing less. Sera had even given him a mask similar to his exterminator mask we see him wear in the show so he could blend in better with the demons who lived down there.

If only he realized that even a quick visit to the dwellings of sin could still corrupt the soul. It wasn't as much as it would have been if he were cast out of heaven without his heavenly aurora to shield him from the brunt of hell's oppressive environment, but it still effected him more than one would think. It made him more sensitive to the the temptation of sin. Made him feel less pitiable towards the plight of his fallen descendants, but even then the trip would have gone without incident.

He probably would have even completely recovered from the surface level tainting his soul was experiencing if not for the fact he would catch a glance of Lucifer and Lilith of all people. Thankfully, he saw them at a distance, but a look was all it took for all his memories with Lucifer and Lilith to come slamming back. All the good and bad of a whole life time was remembered in a matter of minutes. Leaving him feeling rage and betrayal that he wouldn't know what to do with because well emotions and him just don't mix.

These already strong feelings were amplified by hell's atmosphere tainting his soul, which in turn would worsen the extent of harm his soul would go through. Thus, this mere instance would eventually lead to the development of exterminations, and developing Adam into the character we see in the show.

[minimoxha]

Tangled

Summary: After his wife and daughter died he thought he lost everything. However, you for some reason, you’d didn’t disappear. So, Miguel locked you up. He had to find some way to protect you so you couldn’t be taken from him like Gabriella. What better way to do that then keep you in his dimension where he could get to you in case of anything.

Warnings: Low key bad parenting, Mother knows best lyrics, Cussing if you squint. Maybe bad Spanish, things I grew up listening to.

W/C:

A/n This might be bad, it’s been a long time since i’ve written fanfic so bare with me! If you want a part two or three because i’ll prolly make a part too just let me know. And please give me some good Miguel and hobie fanfics down below!

Part two to this is posted: here

series masterlist is here

Even without a spider sense, Miguel could tell that something was up. The way she kept looking at him as she ate her breakfast, the way she kept shifting in her seat on the bar of their house that was really more of a castle that he forced her in years ago; and the way she was scarfing down her food so fast that it didn't even look like she had swallowed. Miguel liked to think that he knew his daughter pretty well, when her sister and mother died he became the only person she spoke to on a daily basis. However, who she spoke to wasn’t by choice. No, it was by force.

It was because her dad had locked her up in their house in order to ‘protect’ her from the dangers that could possibly be outside. Maybe an anomaly or some silly boy wanting to give you more but heartbreak. Miguel was all about protecting his one and only. You weren't bored in the house until now, your 18th birthday had finally been the day that cleaning, art, knitting, sewing and any of the other hobbies your dad had brought home for you to try became too tiring for your newly adult brain. You wanted to see the fireworks that unknowingly to you, Miguel set off every year in celebration for you. You wanted to meet actual people instead of being cooped up in the same boring house (Even if it was Huge!) every single day. It never actually rang to Miguel that one day, protecting you meant letting you out of his grasp at least once. Which is also why this time; he couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong with his daughter this time around.

“Que paso?” Miguel asked, food still in his mouth and turning to his daughter who had the same look on her face.

“It’s my birthday dad” His daughter, Y/n answered. She still had the smile on her face, when has Miguel ever said no to his daughter? Every single day she’d ask “when can I go out?” He’d always tell her someday and her eighteenth birthday had to be the day, Right? “I want to see the fireworks as my birthday present.”

Miguel’s eyes looked at her empty, as if there were no thoughts whatsoever behind his eyes. Except, all he could think about was holding Gabriella and you in his arms when she completely glitched and disappeared. The world risks something that would take his baby, his daughter, the thing that he fights for every single time he defeats an anomaly.

“You can see them from the window, you see them every year mami. Why is it so special this year?” (I see a lot of people using mami sexually but my dad and aunts called me and my sister mami as a nickname so that's what it’ll be!)

“I want to see them up close, outside dad. I’m tired of staying here all day every day. I need sun” She spoke, making Mig’s fist clench harder and harder on his fork, it was just about breaking now, minutes from that if he kept it up. “Please dad, I’m old enough to take care of myself. I’m eighteen! I can’t stay here forever with you. I want to go and have a life, meet people, make memo-”

“You speak as if you know so much about making a life. Mija, you know how dangerous it is out there. You are too naive, gullible, and ditzy to think that you will be safe with people waiting to mug you the moment you step foot from this house. I’m saying this because I love you. The final answer is no.” Miguel growled before finally snapping his fork in half and letting a sigh out. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair before taking the two clean bowls to the kitchen leaving his daughter to sit– dreams broken and in silence. Did he really completely turn her down? Suddenly, the girl felt her face heat up and her eyes develop that certain wetness that always came around on her birthday, never this early though. What coule she do now? What would happen now? Would she be stuck here forever without any way to get outside?

The familiar voice of her father woke her out of her thoughts. He came over, Putting an arm around his daughter as she leaned into his touch, sniffling. “Don’t cry, Mija. This is for the best so nothing will happen to you.” She nodded into his arms, not convinced. Miguel sighed and grabbed her head with his hand, turning the girl to face him. He could see the sadness that lied on his daughters face. However, he’d rather hurt her feelings then have her be hurt by anyone else. Why would she want to go out there when he could give her anything she ever wanted, easily. “Mija, I’m saying this because I love you. I want to protect you, tú entiendes.” The girl nodded and her dad kissed her forehead before leaving the house without even so much as a bye to his daughter. .

She didn’t understand. Why was it that every teen that she saw on the tv and her computer were able to go live outside their houses and have fun. Make memories like parties and Malls and games? Why was the world so dangerous for her but not for everyone else? The girl got up and walked to the kitchen where Miguel left his and her dirty dishes in the sink. She had to clean again, even on a day as special as her birthday. It was almost like, he didn’t even care. The girl turned on music, a group called Exon, the group was home to her dimension and happened to be dropping by for a concert in Nueva York. She was contemplating asking to go but Miguels answer would probably be the same as always. A no. Y/n felt those familiar tears well up in her eye before the sound of her window opening sprung her away from the music. Whoever was trying to break in, was really loud with it. Quickly, she grabbed whatever was closest to her- A frying pan and continued to the Dining room hesitantly.

Millions of thoughts were racing through the girls head. Who was breaking in? How did they get past the security system even she couldn’t break? Was what miguel said true? Were people really waiting on you in order to kill or rob you? Her thoughts disappeared when she stood in the entryway , seeing nothing but an empty dining room. She stood hands on her hips, questioning if maybe what she heard was apart of the song and the alarm system blaring was just an accident.

“‘Ello love, Have you seen this big man wearing a red and black spandex suit? He looks like a clown almost.” With a gasp, The girl turned to face another spider-man, just like your father. But this one was different, he was wearing clothes along with the suit. The suit even had cool little spikes on his head. She couldn’t stop herself from staring at him in awe, her eyes only widened when the man took his mask off. He was brown skin with Wiks Littering his head. She could tell that he grew his hair out for a while to achieve as much hair he had. Piercings littered his face, adding to the rocker touch that the man already gave. She dropped the pan to the floor and scrambles to get her thoughts together. So he was another spider-man, looking for her father. A cute spider-man at that.

Of course, she knew about Hq and the whole dimension things but usually people contacted him through his watch and not his phone. So how was he here and not through the hologram? It’d been ages since she’s seen another person other than her dad, it almost didn’t feel real or right to be here, looking at someone. “My names Y/n. My dad- My dad’s not here right now actually he just left.” She said, looking everywhere but in the eyes of the spiky spider-man. “What’s your name? You’re a spider-man just like him?”

The man gave a nod before walking through the house and taking a closer look. The girl followed right behind him watching him with wide eyes as he checked out the house. The two ended up right in the kitchen. “I’m sorry- who are you? Why are you roming my house like you know it?” She Was now defensive, arms crossed and shifted on one leg. If men had anything it was the audacity to roam her house without an intoxication at least.

“Right. Names Hobbie Brown.”

Thanks for reading! I hope y’all enjoyed that, it’s been a long time since i’ve written so i’ll try to produce better things next time! Until then,

[swordsandarms]

how would you describe the dynamic between aerys and rhaegar?? no matter what rhaegar was aerys's first and only child for a long time, and tbh i kinda love to delude myself thinking aerys loved him almost as much as he hated? him.....

Wrote about this before, but of course I can't find it, but since it's rarely given enough complexity anyways, might as well do it again.

This is the endless problem of not allowing Targaryens the right to be more than one dimensional and have complicated human feelings and Aerys is probably the sorest spot for it. A lot of people are finally backing down on the weird dehumanisation of Rhaegar, thankfully, but Aerys less so, as he is a big problem even for "Targaryen fans" - he is the sole Targaryen called fully "mad" - that can be acknowledged as that absolute sort of mentally unstable, and in a violent way that can be fully antagonistic, too - bringing that whole can of worms used against a whole 300 years worth of generations of a family, so everyone stays away.

Here comes the tired disclaimer that of course I've got to put out over and over before writing of Aerys as a mere person instead of a fairytale boogieman: he wasn't a good guy with particular virtues; he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed; he wasn't a proactive, great King, and although he spoke of great plans that sounded sound didn't put in the effort to accomplish anything; he wasn't a good father and least of all husband for most of his life, even in his better days with less excuses (well, explanation) to it. Etc etc

But he had the complexity of feelings and behaviour of a whole person! I've said it before but Aerys is one of these background characters dead before the story starts that gets TONS of interiority that adds so much nuance to this otherwise muddled portion of history, but he's not a "nice dead victim" and hence gets little attention while less "lesser" background characters get essays of made up fanon.

Aerys' desire for both successful lineage and grandeur for his House clashing with his deep personal insecurities is more of a downward spiral than his actual mental illness. (Again, something I touched on in a different post that Tumblr won't let me find) Aerys wants and fails to be anything grand, and Rhaegar being seen as great while being nothing like him is a sour spot, because if greatness is his opposition what does that mean? Of course he latches onto Viserys when it's clear he's got his character.

But what about Rhaegar? Did Aerys love him? Did Rhaegar love his father once? He was his prized heir in a positive sense for the longest of their relationship. He kept him close in detriment of his mother's claim on him (took him to Casterly Rock for a year when Joanna died). But does that necessarily say anything about love?

This is the man who would end up hurting his sister, who would be open about the intention to wish bad things upon his child, but he's also grieved these children with his sister once, he's turned to the gods humbled despite his self righteous arrogance, asking if it's him, if he can do anything to make it better.

And, in his madness, Aerys kills Brandon and Rickard for "threatening Rhaegar". Which is fascinating. I've been trying to think of whether he is trying to put Rhaegar in a worse position by it, but it doesn't work. If it were the case, he'd be glad to latch onto the accusations and make the best of it, instead of becoming the bad guy further by "protecting Rhaegar". If he weren't able to think that straight, at least his advisors would (he's got plenty of "whisperers" in his ears, we are told, and they are against Rhaegar's faction). But if they tried, but if they tried it's clear the "he threatened Rhaegar" convoluted thought won.

And I joke about the Rhaenys moment supposedly being the breaking point in Aerys and Rhaegar's relationship from his point of view (of all things) but... With these powerful families, the personal and political are in a constant clash. Yet it is quite something that political tensions are all high ("like before the Dance"), Aerys' undermining and threatening Rhaegar's position is open knowledge, and yet, what gets to Rhaegar finally is his father rejects his child - rejects family.

Was there only honour and "doing things right" in lieu of kinslaying? Was there a reason why it was hard to give up on his father and admit to himself he wasn't salvageable in any lesser ways until it's too late?

And oh, he was ever so aggravated by Rhaegar being so good at things and admired for it, but when he dies in battle... There surely must be some conspiracy, some betrayal for his shining son to be gone. Rhaegar himself wouldn't just be bested without a better explanation! Someone ought to answer for it, damnit!

[utilitycaster]

As a fellow DM, weren't you at least a little irritated of how Matt handled the shard situation? He once was so open and receptive when it came down to a players choice influencing the campaign, but now he let Tal roll and even after he succeeded he was like "nope, not gonna happen".

Nope!

It was, and I cannot stress this enough, really clear this was a terrible fucking idea. I know a lot of people started to nitpick how Matt said this "might" and "may" shatter Ashton instead of "definitely will", but like...as I said before, as someone with a severe allergy, I don't eat foods that say "may contain peanuts"; the idea that it was a massive risk was abundantly clear, and frankly the fact that in-world Ashton went “well, I’m built different” instead of “hmmm maybe I shouldn’t do Thing That ‘Might’ Make Me Explode” is highly relevant to the discussion. It's no different to me from how DMs (myself included) will often say "are you sure?" to mean "hey pal, this is a really bad idea FYI.” The successful saves mean “this did not kill you permanently.”

I also strongly suspect that Matt and Taliesin discussed this because Taliesin seemed pretty unsurprised by the top of the episode when Ashton’s Con score was reduced. I don’t know for sure - I’m hoping either Matt or Taliesin will be on the next 4SD to talk about it - but that’s the impression I got. If I had to guess I would say it was a choice between “the powers are somewhat nerfed because you already have a shard in you,” or “hey do you want the opportunity to do a much needed dramatic breakdown,” and I know which one I’d take. I could be wrong, but if this was the case, it would be a very thoughtful way to DM this.

Setting aside any DM-ing experience: I’m interested intellectually in what might have happened had Ashton successfully absorbed the shard, but also, I have watched that first half conversation literally every day since it aired except today, because I am on a train and my internet is unreliable and it’s not out as a podcast yet. I’m an episode 2x72 and C1 Feywild arc girl. I would like to see my favorite character have a complete breakdown at some point in the campaign. This is probably my favorite episode of C3 so far. I think this makes for a far, far superior story than the alternative and is not only giving a much needed shock to the Bells Hells character dynamics on the whole, but is also opening up some room for another character to take the shard and, now, for cool things to happen during the Feywild retreat. If Delilah eats the shard? If Fearne learns some deep secrets? If Chetney makes a deal with Morri? That is going to be because Ashton was rejected by the shard, and I’m far more fascinated by those possibilities than “Ashton gets super powerful, learns nothing.”

To that point: I know as always that it’s hard to convey tone via the written word on anon, but this feels frustrated toward the campaign in general, and while I do have my thoughts about the railroading earlier on, there’s actually only a few points where I really feel Bells Hells were outright shut down and honestly they were relatively minor (I do not personally mind the solstice episode cut scenes; that feels right for an event of that magnitude). I think it’s valid to feel that way, but I guess the best way to put it is that if you’re frustrated on the whole this feels like an odd place to vent it, and if you’re mad because Ashton is also your favorite character, I am interested in my favorite characters in part because of their development and their dynamics with others in the party. I am not here to watch the Ashton Is Super Cool And Everything Works Out Well For Them show; I’m here to watch the Ashton Goes Through It show.

[spqcebunsforever]

My “Prince” Charming

Pairing: Billy loomis x reader

Summary: Y/n knows of Billy Loomis always seeing him in the halls or seeing him sit with his friends at lunch but she has never spoken to him. That is until she is walking home at night by herself and bumps into Prince charming himself.

Y/n’s pov

Of course, it's just my luck that I have to walk home in the dark by myself. I had been at my friend's house and we both had completely forgotten about the time and again just my luck my friend's parents hadn't been in so they couldn’t even give me a lift. So here I was scared out of my mind practically jumping at any noise that I heard. But I just kept telling myself that I was being paranoid and that everything would be fine but I still knew how long a walk I had to my house and this new killer on the loose didn't settle my nerves at all.

So I just kept my head up and tried to walk as fast as I could but suddenly I heard a twig snap behind me making my head immediately turn but there was nothing there no little small animal or just a person so I took a breath in and just told myself that I was imagining things. But when I turned around to again start walking I was now face-to-face with someone and I let out a little scream which made the boy jump a little problem not expecting it. The more I looked at the boy I realised just who it was.

Billy Loomis, I had never spoken to the boy but I had seen him in the halls or sitting with his friends at the water fountain but I had never actually spoken to him. “Oh my god I'm sorry for screaming but that's kind of what you get for sneaking up on someone” Billy chucked himself slightly and rubbed the back of his neck “Sorry didn't mean to scare you that bad but I just thought I'd come up to you, you know it is dangerous walking by yourself at night”. I gave him a quick smile “Yes well sadly I have no choice I was with my friends and her parents weren't home to give me a lift”. Billy just nodded and we stood for a second in silence just looking at each other until he started speaking again.

“Well if you want I could always walk you back home you know make sure you are safe” I couldn't tell if he was serious or not but I did like the idea of walking with someone rather than walking by myself so I nodded “well if you don't mind I would like that I've never been a fan of the dark I always feel like someone is getting ready to attack you”. I started walking and Billy started walking beside me “So why were you walking by yourself at this time if you know it's dangerous”. He just shrugged “I kinda like the dark I think it's peaceful and relaxing with everyone away and the silence except for the odd animal or something like that but you don't need to worry about me if anyone did try to attack me or something I am very capable of fighting back”. I just giggled “Well thank you so much for giving up on your peaceful and relaxing walk to make sure I get home okay your like my very own Prince Charming”.

Now that made him laugh and I don’t think I had ever heard Billy laugh until now “Prince charming that's a first do you treat every guy that saves you from walking home at night or does he have to be as charming as me to get a label like that” that in return made me laugh “Oh yes because it's just a normal thing for me to have guys sneak up on me at night and then offer to walk me home because I guess I'm just that popular” I playfully roll my eyes and I see Billy make a fake shocked face “Wow I didn't realise I was walking with such a big time celebrity we better be careful in case your fans get too possessive” he gives me a wry smile and I can't help the stupid big smile that's appeared on my face while talking to him “oh well then you better watch out my fans might not like that you were the lucky one to walk me home tonight they might get jealous”

“Jealous of me come on y/n don't make me laugh” he chuckled softly but then turned his attention back on me “But don't you worry if a jealous boy were to show up I would handle him easily quick and simple” I just playfully rolled my eyes again “ I would love to see that, that would make this night even better” Billy then let out a little laugh “well who knows maybe one day and I'll be fighting in your honour because of how much of a gentleman I am”. I again laugh “ I would love to see that just call me up and I'll be running” Billy then looked at me with a smirk on his face “And what makes you think that I would actually call?” he raised an eyebrow and waited for me to answer.

“Well, I would like to think you would call after all you are my prince charming”. His smile got even wider and he got a little bit closer to me as we continued to walk “Well if I did become your Prince charming I suppose you would have to give me a kiss goodnight, right?” I felt a small blush come on my face I thought “I guess it would” I noticed that we were not at my house and we both stopped “So, y/n we are at your house, aren't we, I don't suppose you could spare me a little goodnight kiss, could you”. I could still feel the blush on my face and I knew that I probably looked like an idiot but I tried my best to play it cool “Well I can't say no to my prince charming now can I” I kissed him on the cheek “thank you so much for walking me home you are such a gentleman Billy Loomis”.

Billy had a soft smile on his face as my lips touched his cheek and he winked before he responded “I'm just doing my job y/n but I suppose I should take my leave now…the Princess must rest after such a hard night out”. I walked to my door and Billy followed me “Of course, I am so tired from the long walk and you know how princesses are we are all very weak and fragile” I smirked at him and he returned it “How could I forget I suppose I'll take my leave now… unless you wanted to invite me in because you are so fragile and weak and you need some help from your Prince charming”. I knew exactly what he was trying to do and I wasn't going to stop him and even better my parents were out so we wouldn't be interrupted it was like this was just meant to happen.

“Well if Prince Charming would like to come in I am just too weak and fragile and tired to fight him on it” I opened my door and me and Billy walked in “Well if you're offering I guess I could come inside” his tone then turned into a teasing one “It might be dangerous for me to walk home by myself now you know since there are just so many monsters in the shadows” I led him to the living room and he started making himself comfortable on the couch “ see now you have to stay I wouldn't want my protector to get hurt now would I and anyway it is the least I could do”. I sat down next to him on the couch turning the TV on so we could watch something. “I hope I'm not disturbing you y/n I don't want to be intruding you know” I just shook my head “Now how could you be disturbing me if anything you've made my night so much better”.

While I was looking at the stuff to watch on the TV I felt Billy’s fingers on my face and he turned my face so that I was looking right at him. “I'm glad you feel that way because I can think of something that can make this night way more enjoyable” Again I felt my face flush and Billy started leaning closer to me and before I knew it he started kissing me and of course, I kissed him back my hands making there way up to his hair but before anything else could happen Billy stopped kissing me and I felt a sharp pain in my back. I turned around and saw the Ghost face killer I tried to scream or run but before I could do any of that the masked killer plunged their knife into my chest so fast I couldn't even count how many times they had done it. I felt myself fall off the couch and I saw Billy still just sitting there his face blank of expression I wanted to tell him to run or fight or do something but he smiled at the masked killer and then got off the couch and kneeled next to me and I saw the horrible and evil smirk he had on his face and I put two and two together and realised he was with the killer “Ya know y/n you shouldn't let strangers in your house they might just want to kill you no matter how nice they act but thanks for the kiss appreciate it”.

I wanted to say something anything but I couldn't I was in too much pain and I felt so cold and I couldn't move I felt paralysed. All I could think about was how stupid I was that I had actually let the killer into my house and how my parents would be so disappointed in me and how I would never see them or my friends again. I felt my eyes close and the pain that I felt was slowly going away the last thing I heard before everything went to black was Billy saying “Right come on let's move this stupid bitch so we can fuck off…guess I was a pretty shitty Prince charming huh”

[the-badger-mole]

I feel like I don't harp on Aang's lack of leadership skills enough. I can already hear people cracking their knuckles to type out some long diatribe about how it's unfair to judge Aang's leadership because he's a kid. Let me stop you right there. As with his lack of respect for consent and his lack of preparation to deal with Ozai, his age is irrelevant because the framing of Aang would have us believe that he's right. The show wants us, the audience, to see Aang as clever and wise beyond his years. To say I can't be too hard on Aang because he's a child flies directly in the face of what the writers intended. So, step away from the keyboard and let me finish, alright?

Bet.

When I think of Aang as a leader, the episode that comes to mind is The Great Divide. Someone recently brought this up to me as an example of Aang being a Trickster type. I disagree. I think Aang is more of an Innocent than a Trickster, but I get how someone might see him as either *. It doesn't make him a great leader, in any case. In fact, it supports my theory that he's a bad leader. His actions in TGD show that he is far more interested in taking the easy way out than in any real sort of conflict resolution, which in a world looking for guidance post war is...not a great attitude to have. This is the most egregious example of his lack of conflict resolution skills, but it's not the only example of this. He also looks for the easy fix when Katara and Toph are fighting (although, this is interestingly actually framed as a misstep for him. A box of Mars bars to Bryke for that, I guess). It would be fine if this was acknowledged as a short-coming in him, but the way TGD ends, it's supposed to make Aang look clever. (P.S. there's NO way those groups didn't go right back to fighting, because that's not how conflict works).

Bryke could have left that alone and just have more examples of Aang being a good leader in the rest of the series or in the comics, but seeing as they don't seem to understand why Aang isn't the wonderful person they frame him to be, I get why there's not a whole lot of growth in him. Speaking of the comics, remember that time that Aang jumped on board with anti-miscegenation without considering the consequences? Remember how the only reason he changed his mind is because he would be personally affected by it? Yeah...

So, in the comics, Aang meets a group of wanna be Acolytes who studied Air Nomad customs and wanted to actually live them out. They shaved their heads and painted on some tattoos, and Aang was all about it...until he realized that it wasn't paint, they had actually gotten the tattoos, and at that point, he feels insulted. Mind you, he wasn't insulted about his culture being used as cosplay. He was mad that they misunderstood the significance of the tattoos and in their misguided attempts they did something they weren't supposed to. I'm not saying he was wrong to be upset, per se, I'm just saying that cultural appropriation is probably something that the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender are out of their depths on. Well, this incident sours him on the idea of mixing cultures and in his anger, he jumps right to anti-miscegenation.

Let me repeat that. Avatar Aang, who is supposed to represent all peoples, got angry at some well-intentioned, but severely misguided girls, and decided that the solution would be to support policies that would literally tear apart families. Then he only walked that back because he wouldn't be able to keep Katara. It wasn't him realizing how much damage he would do to other people. It wasn't him understanding that the issue he's trying to solve requires more delicate handling than simply saying "everyone go back to where you came from". It was his selfishness that saved the day (sort of? I think annexing a part of the Earth Kingdom to make pseudo-New York was...questionable at best).

These are the two biggest, if not only examples of the type of leader Aang is. In both cases, his solution had more to do with him, his personal convenience, his feelings, than any thought of how best serve the people looking to him to lead. They are not presented as issues with his leadership, highlighting the ways he needs to grow into his role. The solutions he comes up with are presented as examples of his cleverness and wisdom, but actually, they just show how he leads based on what's best for him. The people of Planet Avatar ** are subject to Aang's whims and how much work he feels like putting in on a given day. But the people he's leading are supposed to think he's a Big Dang Hero. In a better written story, this would be the beginning of a villain arc.

*(btw, it is still The Year of Content ™️©️®️, so probably expect another post in the future about why I think Aang is more in line with the Innocent than the Trickster. Maybe. We'll see...)

** (is there a name for that world in the fandom? Can we come up with one? Planet Avatar is incredibly lame.)

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

short taylor swift playlists for each tig character - grayson

here's the grayson playlist! again, some short explanations below that might make zero sense cause i'm tired and can't form a thought that makes sense for the life of me.

#1: down bad: this song's about falling in love with someone, hard, just for them to leave you. in the song, the person who's been left is completely destroyed (to the point where they even consider offing themselves). all of this perfectly describes grayson after the emily fiasco.

#2: the black dog: this song is about the aftermath of a breakup where one person is clearly more affected by it than the other. although the chorus doesn't really fit grayson bc the ex, in that song, is still alive (and emily isnt :)), the bridge perfectly describes how wrecked grayson was after her death, and, we all know that, if emily was alive, she wouldn't care as much as grayson. (its a great song, pls listen to it)

#3: the prophecy: the prophecy is about yearning for a different destiny and the hope one has for a better future. the narrator doesn't want money, they wish for someone who loves them. to me, this song suits grayson really well. the song also mentions a lost love the narrator thought was going to be their forever love, which i think also fits grayson (the lost love could be avery or even emily).

#4: you're on your own, kid: i added this one to my avery playlist, but i think it also suits grayson. i think the title is quite self-explanatory. grayson wasn't raised like his other brothers (they were all raised differently, but grayson was raised to become the heir and the others weren't), setting him apart from them.

#5: midnight rain: full analysis here. i already explained this in more detail, but this song is about a relationship that failed due to two people being too different (the narrator being 'midnight rain' and the lover being 'sunshine'). i think that this suits avery and grayson. i explained in another post that they both want different things from a partner. even if they would've gotten together, they would've never lasted. i also think that there are some lines that could be interpreted as him looking back on his relationship with emily (explained in more detail in my full analysis)

#6: right where you left me: this song is about not being able to move on from an ex. the narrator was left sitting in a restaurant after a break up, and, even after all of these years, she's still there, frozen. (you cannot tell me this isn't grayson. i will fight you if you disagree). some lyrics don't apply to grayson though because the ex in this song is still alive (and emily isn't).

#7: mirrorball: the narrator of the song compares themself to a reflective disco ball. they think they reflect other people's personalities to make them happy. now, grayson is grayson and doesn't change for anybody, but he does try his best to please everyone around him (the song isn't a perfect fit, but i wanted to add it cause the concept does)

#8: illicit affairs: for this song, the concept of it fits grayson better than the actual lyrics. the song is about the heartbreak and happiness that infidelity (or in this case emily) can bring. now, the verses' lyrics don't fit grayson to a T, but the bridge is just so beautiful and so grayson/emily coded that i had to add it (the bridge focuses on the heartbreak). (you could also see it as infidelity because emily was dating jameson and grayson at the same time, but, even then, it's not the best in my opinion). i don't really know how to properly explain this without making it make 0 sense so just listen to it cause it's really good.

#9: peace: this song is about a person not being able to give their lover normalcy or peace. the narrator of the song explains that they'll give them everything they could possibly wish for except for peace (bc of their fame). now, while i don't think the fame part would've been too much of a problem for grayson (even though he is famous), he was too hung up over emily in the first three books for him to have been able to offer a potential lover (avery or even the girl at harvard) peace.

#10: hoax: this song is about the struggles that come with the ending of a toxic relationship. the narrator of the song has been driven crazy by that relationship, but is still uncapable of letting go of the it (does this remind you of anyone... i don't think i need to say more)

#11: death by a thousand cuts: this song compares a break up to a slow death. now, in grayson's case, there was no breakup (just a dead girlfriend), but we could compare his grief and hopelessness after emily's passing to a slow death.

#12: clean: i added this one to my jameson playlist but felt like adding it to this one too. the song is a more hopeful one and talks about finally getting over an ex (getting clean). i think this fits grayson in the brothers hawthorne quite well cause he seems to be leaving that worthless bitch behind.

#13: better man: or in this case, woman (emily). this song describes the aftermath of a breakup with a toxic person and the feelings that come with it. in this case, though, it wasn't a break up, it was just a death. i don't really know what else to say about this song other than pls listen to it (especially if you like grayson bc it suits him really well, just pretend the ex in this song is emily and dead)

#14: haunted: this song is about being haunted by the memory of a past relationship. need i say more? (this song fits grayson so so so so so well, pls listen to it)

#15: last kiss: last kiss is a song about the aftermath of a break up and the feelings that arise (similar to better man but the relationship in this one was healthy, not toxic). the lyrics don't fit him perfectly because, again, the ex is still alive in this song, but i do think it's a beautiful song that suits grayson really well. there's not much else to say.

that's it. the bottom half kinda sucks because i wrote it at 2:00am, but it'll have to do bc i am NOT redoing it. hope you still liked it though <3.

[starflungwaddledee]

alright. look, we're going to go into this because i genuinely want to think you didn't mean harm by this, but it's unacceptable to use this sort of manipulative phrasing. especially with strangers, some of whom are kids.

this is not a call-out. i've hidden all names except my own. i just need to address this post i was tagged in, and don't want to add it onto the end of the original post. i could also have done this privately, but i want this to be here for the other folks who were @'d. i won't @ anyone else who was mentioned in this post, but many of us are mutuals, so if you see this post and you're feeling at all stressed out or bad, i recommend just clicking through because i'm going to go into this.

firstly, and i'm going to make this transparent, person who @'d me: i don't think you're being malicious or did anything purposefully bad. i don't think you intended harm or that you are "a bad person". i don't have a single negative thought about you as a person. i don't make this post to be mean. i truly think you made an earnest mistake that could easily have hurt others, and i am stepping in with the hope this can be avoided in the future! per my usual boundaries on reassurance seeking, i will not reassure about this further.

secondly, the post that you tacked this onto IS important and a helpful resource, and it is great to bring attention to it. we should be doing everything we can to not only defend against, but actively fight back against generative AI. many people cannot access the most commonly recommended tools (myself included), so a resource like this is fantastic and i'm glad to learn about it and share it! i don't speak for anyone else, but i've said before that i personally don't mind being tagged in resources that could help me or others and i'm usually happy to share them, especially if i think the latter

but, assuming that you are genuinely well meaning and don't know better, you need to know that this is not the way to go about it. i don't mean mass-tagging, which is fine in times like this imo, i mean your written add-ons that actively guilt trip every single person you tagged.

"if you weren't convinced by the idea of being a good person" and "I do hope anyone I @'d isn't a bad person" in particular.

you may not have realised, but these are profoundly manipulative and cruel things to say. regardless of how you intended them, they are inciting guilt in the reader, and especially in the people who you actively called to come and look at it. here's what it sounds like:

"hey! you! yeah you! come look at this!! come closer! now, do what i ask you to do, or you're a bad person."

there are a million and one reasons someone might not reblog something. being tired, offline, anxious, even needing to run a specifically professional blog with exclusively your art on it for your own financial survival which makes it hard to reblog important posts like this; none of those are bad.

in this case, only one thing makes them a "bad person", and it's "they're pro-generative AI and did not reblog because they want to hide this information to ensure they can continue stealing from creatives".

i'm fairly confident you don't actually think anyone you tagged here has that point of view, or that you really have any doubts about their stances on generative AI. in fact, of the folks i recognise here, they're all independent creatives, sharing artwork with fandom for free on the internet. they are the victims of generative AI, and like most of us, are facing a terrifying future and are already desperate to find a way to defend/fight back.

you do not need to use manipulative language like this to get us to care about this sort of content! this affects us all, content creators and content consumers alike!

in future if you want to direct folks to something like this, which is super helpful and it was good of you to do!, you can just @ them so they see it. you can even say something like "this is important and some reblogs would sure help to boost it!". this is still a call to action, but without the manipulative phrasing, just in case they cannot act for any reason.

in the end, guilt tripping people like this, intentional or otherwise, is dangerous.

at best it will make them feel like shit and they'll feel forced to reblog + share from you out of guilt rather than just believing in the cause. and sometimes it feels like it's most effective, especially when things are urgent; but in my opinion the risk of harm is just too high. because at worst, you could accidentally send someone into a negative thinking spiral. you can never know what people are going through offline, or outside of your spaces, and how something like this will hit them.