#so these may actually be common things that i just either didn't remember

[infernalurge]

tbh I was kinda shocked that so may people got to Act 3 without figuring out that the Dream Guardian was an illusion, and more so that they didn't figure out it's either a gith or a mindflayer

by the time I left the creche I was like "okay so either Orpheus is in the box or a Mind Flayer is in the box"

and a lot of people seemed betrayed by it and really hate on the Emperor but I clocked within the first interaction this was a "I'm using an image I believe will be non-threatening and appealing to you" situation. maybe it's just because I'm an older nerd who remembers this being a common sci fi trope but I recognised it very quickly and I never put any moral value behind the strategy. I was just like oh he's doing that thing aliens do in sci fi a lot

on this run I'm actually noticing that DG/Emperor is preeeetty fucking honest with you, all things considering. he tells you that the power he's using to keep you safe was stolen, for instance, and that the reason the Prism is being attacked is because they want it back

which sounds "no duh" but I got into the habit of skipping dialogue after my dozenth fucking run and somehow I had the impression that he lies to you about the power, but he doesn't

if anything every conversation with him is like

"this is everything I can tell you, what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, and why we're doing it. understand?"

and then most of the time he has to deal with responses like "I SLICE OFF YOUR HAND HEHEHEH", "prove that you are not my intrusive thoughts personified", "okay but tell me who you REALLY are(has already tried to answer this)", "I'm not listening lalalalalala", "you look stressed out actually do you want a massage? ;)", "I know you said NOT to do the obviously bad thing that will endanger us, but I'm bored so I'm going to do the obviously bad thing."

sorry I have nothing but unending sympathy for this poor creature

#bg3 emperor #the emperor #I don't know how to tag this without being a spoiler to someone who hasn't reached act 3 so those are the tags I'm using #people always say he lies to you but I feel like that's pretty grey #he's lying by omission yeah #but 90% of that is literally just “alien being trying to communicate with another species without freaking them out” trope

[seawitchkaraoke]

went to see Cats last night (christmas gift from my parents) and it was very funny (duh, cats is always fun unless it’s the 2019 movie).

They made some really fun/smart/interesting choices which I hugely enjoyed such as:

-Old Deutoronomy took a much more active role than he often does moving around the stage a lot more, singing the first few lines of a few songs such as Skimbleshanks, which worked really well, he was actually leading the jellicles instead of just watching their antics

- on that note though the one and only thing I didn’t like about this was that Old Deutoronomy hugged both Gus and Grizzabella and also misto after getting rescued by him. Idk. Hugging just feels? Not cat like? I didn’t like it  but it was literally just 3 hugs so i’ll forgive it

- they made the VERY clever choice of moving Pekes and the Pollicles after Gus the theatre cat and having Gus play the great Rumpus Cat. I loved that bc it gave pekes and pollcles more weight (instead of just being ‘’the cats put on a play inside the play’’ it’s now ‘’Gus is old and kind of sad and wants to reprise his old role so the cats encourage him to do just that and they all put on a play together’’ it gave Gus more room while still cutting  Growltiger’s last stand (which let’s be real is always cut. Like. I’ve seen cats 3 times and they all cut that song which is..... sad).

- just in general the songs all connected really well, the transitions between them always felt really natural and good which you don’t always get with Cats. The flow was really good.

- they made Tugger and misto somehow even gayer by having misto not just magic the rainbow banner out of a hat and dancing around on stage with it but also then linking arms with tugger and skipping over said rainbow banner and just adding a lot of misto/tugger arm in arm dancing to the song in general

- they also replaced Tugger’s ‘’ladies and gentlemen...’’ with ‘’felines and friends’’ which is a small touch, but I am nonbinary so it made me happy

- just. Tugger. He’s always so fun but this one had SUCH gremlin energy it was incredible, he was shorter than other Tuggers I’ve seen which didn’t make him any less hot (judging by my mom’s reaction to him lol) but it just. idk it added something that he was shorter than both misto and munkustrap and also was constantly climbing onto tall things when he needed to just exist in the background, like he’s hot and he’s absolutely one of the leaders and yes he’s respected but also he’s a little gremlin cat who wants to be tall

- munkustrap who’s always been one of my faves was incredible as always and he was very annoyed at tugger the faces he made in the background of tugger’s introduction song were hilarious, he took great care of the kittens as always and his fight with macavity was?? so good? idk if they made it longer or what but it somehow hit me more than it usually does, the way once he went down all the other cats who’d been scared ganged up on macavity? they love him so much this is so cute

#cats musical #saw the production that's currently touring they're in frankfurt for another two weeks i think #no idea where they're going next but uh #go watch them if you get a chance #honestlly though i've seen cats 3 times #but the other two were ..... a while ago #so these may actually be common things that i just either didn't remember #or changed since like. 10 years ago #still it was great fun #i wanna watch it again right now #why oh why must theater be a once only thing #every performance is unique #every production does things differently #this is the curse and the joy of theater

[rejectedfables]

While the source material clearly intends Xue Yang to be read as an orphan (perhaps orphaned so young he has no memory of his parents), I think it’s underexplored in fandom that he never ACTUALLY SAYS that his parents DIED, but rather that he was a child without parents. 

"He had neither dad nor mom nor money" (via the official english translation)

I think there's something in here worth exploring about the possibility that Xue Yang was abandoned by his parents. 

Perhaps he remembers one or both of them and/or the event, perhaps he does not but just has a sense of it having happened, perhaps he has no memories of it at all but it still psychologically impacted his development. 

Just about every character in the story can be better understood by looking at how they were raised, and Xue Yang is CERTAINLY not an exception. 

There are myriad ways to interpret his childhood (though none of them stable, safe, or cared for), but I have been thinking a LOT lately about how being abandoned by his parents could have shaped him into who he later became.

His behavior in the Villainous Friends extra (wherein he, seemingly arbitrarily, breaks things and antagonizes people and then specifically challenges Jin Guangyao about paying for damages) COULD be interpreted as acting out in a way that's common for children and teens with a history of abandonment who are testing the waters of just how much their new guardian/s will tolerate. This sort of behavior can be a self fulfilling prophesy as well as an attempt to prove to themselves that their expectations of rejection or punishment are correct.

If Xue Yang has only ever known the world to be a painful place where people reject and abandon him, then that's how he expects the world to continue behaving. If suddenly someone defies this expectation, it is simultaneously a fascinating and wondrous thing, and also a threat to his worldview. After all, if THIS person can be kind and care for him, then why didn't anyone else?

If JGY, who at this point is essentially just his handler, can be unconditionally patient with him... then why couldn't others have been patient with him over much less? And why couldn't his own parents, who had considerably higher responsibility to him, be as patient as JGY?

It's much easier to push and push and push until you break the patience and prove your cynicism correct, than it is to grapple with those painful questions. And after all, Jin Guangyao had an exterior force (Jin Guangshan) requiring him to show patience. And once that force was removed, so was Xue Yang. This, perhaps, felt as much like validation as it did betrayal.

There might be a parallel to be made here, too, about how JGY was and felt betrayed/abandoned by his father. This in common might be something that they bonded over.

And of course, as always, there's Yi City.

Xue Yang expects Xiao Xingchen to abandon him, and his elaborate “revenge” was at least in part in preparation for that anticipated betrayal. He "knows" he will be betrayed and, perhaps unlike what happened with Jin Guangyao, he intends to be ready for it this time. Ready to punish Xiao Xingchen the MOMENT it happens, or ready to convince him not to betray him after all (what is "We're not so different, I'm not uniquely evil, you're ending our life together because you think you're better than me but look! Look! You and I are the same now" if not a deeply misguided and utterly desperate plea?).

At some point he starts hoping it just won't happen, and stops needing the “revenge” plot. When it starts unraveling before him, he tries for understanding first. What is "Hear my story, THEN decide--" if not begging to be understood?

Of course it doesn't work.

Xiao Xingchen doesn't even kill Xue Yang, either; he goes Away. Goes where Xue Yang can't. If Xue Yang is read as having this particular trigger, Xiao Xingchen's suicide may feel like abandonment all over again.

Perhaps Xiao Xingchen NOT killing Xue Yang becomes a parallel to Xue Yang's parents abandoning him to suffer alone instead of keeping him or killing him. Or else maybe Xue Yang's mother DID try to kill him (drown him or left him out in the cold) and he just managed to survive, in which case Xiao Xingchen NOT trying to kill Xue Yang puts him a cut above even Xue Yang's own mother/parents.

Final thought:

While I find Xue Yang's lack of familial connection to the rest of the cast compelling, I also find "what if" scenarios fascinating to explore, and "Xue Yang was abandoned by parents who might still be around during the story" does create some fascinating opportunities for fic.

Such as:

What if Xue Yang was yet another illegitimate son of Jin Guangshan? What if he knew but Jin Guangyao didn't? What if Jin Guangyao knew but Xue Yang didn't? What if Jin Guangshan himself knew? That would really put the insistent protections into a very weird light (is there a heart in there? Or did he think he could string Xue Yang along like he did Jin Guangyao? Or was Xue Yang blackmailing him?)

OR

What if Xue Yang was the illegitimate son of Chang Cian? It certainly puts a spin on that entire scenario. Little Xue Yang has another reason to want to please this man, and a further reason to feel betrayed by the abuse. Chang Cian not even recognizing him. Xue Yang taking revenge on the entire family because they ALL wronged him in a way he can't articulate. Because they got to live the life he could have if he'd been wanted.

Certainly none of this is canon, but it's not TERRIBLY far beyond the bounds of canon either, and makes for some juicy food for fic.

#Mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #the grandmaster of diabolism #Yi city #Xue yang #mdzs meta #yi cheng #xue chengmei #xuexiao

[kkl1nch0r]

title: sealed with a kiss (jingyuan x gender neutral reader)

notes: ok but not me shapeshifting and writing hsr content that i barely have any comprehension of???hsr as a whole??? so i try my best when i write this stuff. help me. i had FUN WITH THIS. giggling and shit when i wrote this HAHAHAHA

Fingers across a chessboard. The satisfied sigh from the general next to you. The rustling of the trees, their branches bearing the endless yellow that was nothing but background noise.

All of this came to your mind when you looked at the chessboard, locked in a battle of ecstasy and anticipation-- Jing Yuan, general of the Xianzhou Luofu, looking smug at the pieces. He's baited you into "sparring practice" with his disciple, yet Yanqing himself is nowhere to be seen.

The game seemed to be ending, and you bit back a gasp-- the pieces themselves had been in your victory, why had they turned against you now? Jing Yuan looked sincerely pleased, having beaten his accomplice at yet another round of chess.

"Checkmate," he calls, and you lean back, sighing. It was always like this: yours, defeated, and his, victorious. But you found yourself anticipating the general's genius moves, and had even sometimes put him in a position where it took several minutes for him to make his next move.

"Another round?" you asked, forgetting the "sparring practice." The pieces rearranged themselves back into place-- yours black, his white-- and stood right into rigid position.

"Why not?" Jing Yuan replied, fingers hovering idly over the pieces. He looked lost in thought: looking at the chessboard, mind straying somewhere else.

Then he smirked. And you knew.

"Let's make this a contest," he proposed casually, taking a piece and placing it one square unit forward. The soldier piece stood there, your eyes catching on it. "The winner gets to request whatever they wish from the loser."

Your heart caught in your chest. This was an opportunity that rarely came by; getting personal grants of request from the general was not common. You marveled at Jing Yuang's resolve, having said something so bold who held themselves in such high regard. A king against a pawn.

"Oh?" you asked. "And what limit may those requests have, if I ask?" "

Jing Yuan paused, eyes on the chess piece. You sat there in awe, remembering what he'd said to you days ago when you actually doing sparring practice.

"Eyes on the pawn, mind on the prize," he had said, smiling. "The prize would never know they're the prize, either."

Jing Yuan stared at you. You stared right back.

"Anything," the general said finally. "Free to request anything you wish. So, what is yours?"

You shrugged; it wasn't as if you were going to win-- but it was rather tempting, to request something the general could not grant.

Your mind whirred, thinking of all the possible things the general could not, would not, fulfill.

And you'd found just the thing.

"A kiss," you announced smugly, crossing your arms, then taking one of your chest pieces to mimic Jing Yuan's previous move. "If I win, you give me a kiss."

Jing Yuan froze, but then he regained composure before throwing back his head a bit and facing the sky. "Ha!"

You'd drawn a blank as to where you'd gone wrong as Jing Yuan laughed, wiping fake tears from his eyes. Then he was still, his eyes meeting yours-- for his oppressors, the look would have chilled them.

"That's funny," he said quietly. "Because that was exactly what I would request of you. Let's start."

You sat there, shell-shocked, as the general made his next move.

The next few minutes were tough. Every change you made to the chessboard reflected what was to come. Your mind incanted one word: kiss, kiss, kiss. It seemed to cloud your thoughts as the rest of the match flew by.

Jing Yuan huffed, but it confused you; you didn't know whether it was one of exasperation or complacency. A few pieces rolled off the board, followed by another, another, another...

It was a rough match; it seemed that you worked under pressure, and your moves perfectly opposed each of the generals... it was the final move, you were so close to victory, there were only a few pieces left, and...

"Checkmate."

But it was not you who said the word, it was Jing Yuan, and you sat there, in awe and in wonder...how had he dominated the chess game so quickly? You were stunned, as Jing Yuan sat across from you, eyeing the chess pieces like he'd fought well.

"Eyes on the pawn, mind on the prize," Jing Yuan said, extending a hand. "Good game."

Without thinking, you took his hand to shake it, but Jing Yuan yanked you in--

The kiss was something. Your mind had just drawn a blank, trapped in endless white space as Jing Yuan had placed his lips against yours. The only thing anchoring your consciousness was the intense pounding of your heart. You'd lost, and he won, and here was, doing what he'd requested, it was so--

Jing Yuan lost air first, as he pulled away, face smug. You exhaled, trying to calm yourself down, and sighed.

He'd kissed you. The general of the Xianzhou had kissed you. You yearned more, but that was...certainly something. Something no words could describe. Warm and stirring, perhaps?

There was a lot of steam to let out after that. Sword glittering at your hip, you unsheathed it, bringing the blade to the light.

"Care for some sparring practice?"

#honkai star rail #jing yuan honkai star rail #hsr jing yuan #jing yuan x reader #jing yuan x you #honkai star rail x you #honkai star rail x reader #gendern neutral reader #xianzhou luofu #xianzhou luofu hsr #hsr fanfic #hsr #hsr x reader #hsr x you #jiayun's ugly writing

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

I absolutely love the hype Bill’s getting and I’m here to contribute ꨄ︎ My request of today is; Remember the celeb crush thing I requested a while ago for Tom? Well my love for Bill is taking over and I’d love to see how you’d adapt it for him! To make it more interesting, I thought maybe the reader is already a fan and confidently goes out to talk to them even though the language barrier is present. Couple days later she goes and surprises them at a concert and makes this a little tradition til she and Bill realize they’ve developed feelings for each other but of course, work and distance is a huge obstacle

(Hello, lovely! Sorry this took so long and I didn't know if u wanted a oneshot but I was pretty lazy so here ya go! Enjoy!)

Bill Kaulitz x Celeb-Crush Reader

He actually was pretty calm when he first noticed you

He had been one of your fans for a bit, seeing you in tabloids and online and had even gone to one of your concerts when him and the band weren't really well known

You were actually an example of his dream of being young but making it big

And as he grew up in fame, you never really left his mind because you also grew with your fandom and fame

Your style may not have been the same, your music either, but Bill still loved watching you on stage and on videos

He was almost starstruck when he actually saw you in the flesh when they were performing

YOU were at THEIR concert?!

By choice?!

He almost freaked out on stage but surprisingly hid it well

He just smiled, flashed a wink at you and somehow kept making eye contact

And you didn't look away and you fed into it from the crowd!

He tried so hard not to faint

When it was all over and he went backstage he was ranting to Tom, Gustav and Georg the whole time

"She looked at me! She looked at me- huh?! Who?! (Name)!"

Bill almost knocked Georg out right then and there

They then clicked in their mind he was actually talking about the one star he could rave about for-literally-ever

Bill was still a mega-fan, and the boys were dragged into it or ranted too

But what really almost killed Bill was after the concert and they were meeting with fans and signing stuff

He had just finished up taking a photo and signing a T-shirt and looked up to see you!

He took a moment and was just staring, mouth open and looking to Tom to see if he was hallucinationing

Tom laughed at his brother as Georg and Gustav watched as Bill almost dug his grave

You had to snap him out of it as you asked for a autograph

You almost out him in cardiac arrest because he rushed to find a marker

He snatched Tom's marker in the moment but he didn't give a shit

He was so giddy you asked him for his signature and was so happy

He tried to strike up a conversation but failed

Not to worry, you were absolutely glad to talk to him

Bill was so happy, and he and you had much in common and actually flirted surprisingly

Once he got over his shock, of course

You guys actually clicked

Turns out, you were a fan too, which shocked Bill

There was a language barrier, but Bill spoke a bit of English so he could at least speak to you

You knew a bit of German due to playing there either solo or in a band and you guys figured out a way to understand each other

As time went on, even after you guys parted ways, you somehow kept in touch

You would go to their concerts and he would be glad to go to yours

You guys were spotted by photographers leaving hotels, walking in the city on "dates" as they called it and many more

Fans went crazy and so did paparazzi, chasing you guys down almost all the time

You and Bill didn't mind, even enjoying it in photos and you guys got a few photoshoots together

You guys were a pretty popular celebrity ship but would never admit it, even with the looks and smiles you two would give over time

Bill always thought he was in a fever dream

Because no way his celebrity crush would actually like and be a fan of his, much less spend time with him

You and Bill developed a tradition of traveling to see each other

You mainly did yours in surprise, but sometimes it was difficult

You were on tour and so was he, so spending time and being together for a bit scarce

You did your best hut Tom and you spent less and less time together and it was actually quite sad

Until you surprise him by showing up backstage, which he was shocked and ecstatic to see you

It was a tradition, either of you would sneak off and find one another no matter where

But it got a bit complicated as fans doubled down on this ship and your friends always compared your "relationship" and labeled it more than a friendship

Maybe there were feelings, maybe there wasn't

But the red dust and smile on Bills face would choose the latter option

#tokio hotel georg #gustav tokio hotel #tokio hotel imagine #tokio hotel x reader #tokio hotel #tom kaulitz #bill kaulitz imagines #bill kaulitz #bill kualitz #bill kaulitz x reader #bill

[yukidragon]

I'm a bit curious was it ever confirmed that Shaun and Ian interacted with one another or met before the eventual breakup between Ian and MC. If not what are some of your headcanons on this matter would they have gotten along at all?

Actually, yes, it has been confirmed that Shaun and Ian knew each other before Ian and MC broke up in this comic posted over on the official Sunny Day Jack twitter!

Credit as always to Sauce for their awesome artwork and for giving us this hilarious glimpse into college age Ian and Shaun. Consider supporting them and the rest of the SnaccPop Studios team by joining the patreon for even more lore tidbits I can't even mention publicly. Just remember, don't share anything privately posted!

While a lot of teaser/development art should be taken with a grain of salt, if it appears on one of the official pages, it's a pretty safe bet that it's canon to the timeline of the game.

So this comic, also drawn by the awesome Sauce, while hilarious, may or may not be canon.

I think it's a pretty safe bet to say that Ian did not pass Shaun's vibe check.

The first comic certainly makes it clear that Shaun didn't find Ian attractive considering the way he reacted. Maybe it's due to jealousy (I don't think Shaun wants to think about his crush having sex with someone else) or maybe it's because of Ian's bad taste in anime. Who can say?

Content Warnings: This post contains talk of cheating, jealousy, drinking in excess, (unintentional) self-harm, near death experience, SA, issues with sex, and toxic relationships.

I suspect that these two just didn't get along. Between Shaun suffering from jealousy due to his crush and the two of them having different tastes, they were probably only friendly to one another for MC's sake.

I would imagine that Shaun's opinion on Ian took an extreme nosedive when they found out Ian cheated on MC.

Man... can you imagine how much pain Shaun has been through? He had to watch his best friend/crush be happy with someone else... then get devastated by being cheated on. The worst part was if he had bad vibes from Ian from the start, but he ignored his gut feelings for MC's sake.

When it comes to my personal headcanons that I use for Sunshine in Hell... Shaun and Ian had friction since the first day Alice introduced the two of them.

It wasn't just Shaun being jealous of Ian either. Ian was jealous of Shaun too!

Ian has always suffered from a low sense of self-esteem. Shaun, by comparison, is much more well put together, more outgoing, and has this natural charisma that draws people to him. Shaun is just so likable that he gets a lot of attention and friends. For years, Ian was the exact opposite of that, which led to him being bullied and degraded often.

So one day Alice, his childhood friend and partner, is super excited to introduce Ian to her new friend. Shaun and Alice have a lot in common, and it was very visible in the early years of college when Alice was in the middle of her pastel goth phase. Shaun and Alice had a love for horror movies, cats, the goth aesthetic, and a whole bunch of other things. They clicked so quickly, and it scared Ian a little.

It didn't help that Alice had trouble making friends like Ian did. They had that in common, something that gave them a sort of understanding that no one else could intrude on. Now that they were in college they started making more friends, and that was a good thing, really! But Alice clicked with Shaun about as fast as she did with Ian.

In the 1st grade, one day Alice mustered up the courage to talk to Ian in order to cheer him up. After that they started talking every day and they were besties ever since. From there, they started dating. She's never really clicked with anyone else so fast like she did with Ian...

Until Shaun, that is.

Ian kept comparing himself to Shaun, unfavorably. He kept worrying about Alice falling for Shaun instead since, well, clearly Shaun had so much more than Ian had to offer. Why wouldn't she? What didn't help his insecurities was the fact that they had been a couple since high school, but they still hadn't had sex yet.

I integrated the comic into part of Alice and Ian's troubled sex life. The depicted instance was Ian's attempt at making things romantic so that they could finally go all the way.

It took them a while to start being sexually intimate due to their mutual lack of practical knowledge and Alice's SA trauma. She was very cuddly with Ian, not afraid to kiss him or go into a make out session, but she struggled to go further than that for a long time. It left Ian struggling with insecurities, fearing that he wasn't attractive to her despite her constantly reassuring him that wasn't the case.

Really, it was that insecurity and self-blame that pushed Alice to go further than she was ready for, to pretty painful results that she learned to just accept as part of the experience.

Alice is the type of person who can't be comfortable with people touching her unless she trusts them. However, when she gets close to someone, she can get pretty cuddly, even with her friends, giving them hugs often. So, for Ian, seeing his girlfriend get comfortable hugging another guy... someone he might have noticed looking at her a certain way...

Well, getting cockblocked on his rocky road to losing his virginity didn't help Ian see Shaun in a more favorable light.

Really, this was an incident that pushed Ian to be a bit more possessive of Alice. He was already struggling with the fact that his partner was sharing a dorm with someone else, but for Shaun to just casually walk into her bedroom like that without knocking? Ian certainly had permission to come in there without Alice knowing since he's her boyfriend, and he was planning to surprise her with a romantic evening, but how long had Shaun been just letting himself into her private space so casually?

Ian didn't believe that Alice was cheating on him, but what if Shaun decided to take advantage of her? What if this casual blurring of their living space led to feelings blooming?

What if Alice realized that Shaun was so much better than Ian in every way?

This led to Ian asking Alice to move into an apartment with him, even if it cost them money. He was able to feel more secure when they were living together, and he could be the one going into her bedroom at any hour of the day to be with her instead of someone else.

Shaun did try to befriend Ian, but it seemed like every time they hung out, something would rub him the wrong way. He did his best to be happy for Alice and Ian in their relationship, but it wasn't just Ian's shit taste in anime that struck Shaun as a red flag.

It didn't take Shaun long to notice a pattern in Ian and Alice's relationship. Ian would be down on himself, even cry and apologize for being inadequate, and Alice would reassure him. It seemed like every day, he saw this happen at least once. He tried reassuring Ian as well when he could, but after a while it gets tiring to try and lift someone up who keeps dragging himself down. Shaun would suggest Ian try therapy, and Ian would insist it wouldn't work, he was hopeless, and it wasn't worth wasting money on.

It was only when Alice showered Ian with love, and when their mutual friends bent backwards to cheer him up, that Ian would perk up again.

Shaun saw the red flags going up, how Ian was so needy for Alice and it was wearing on her. She went out of her way for Ian all the time, doing so much more because Ian "needed" her.

What made it worse was that Shaun saw how unbalanced their relationship was, how Alice gave Ian so much more than Ian gave back. Because Ian was so clingy, Alice had to often cancel meet ups with friends at the last minute, citing that he was having a bad day and needed her. Yet, on days when Alice was feeling like shit, she just kept powering through, pretending nothing was wrong. It took Shaun a lot of effort to pry her into leaning on him, and he'd even go out of his way to do stuff for her without her asking, like buying her lunch when she was so overworked she forgot to bring any.

Shaun worried for Alice because she was his friend, and she didn't deserve this sort of treatment. It was like she had become Ian's emotional crutch. Regardless of his attraction towards her, regardless if they could ever get together, he wanted her to be happy.

Shaun's opinion of Ian slowly deteriorated over time, but it turned into downright hate when Ian cheated on Alice, especially after she almost died because of it.

It was just a normal night when Shaun got a phone call from Ian. It was about Alice of course. It was the only reason Ian ever called Shaun - to check up on Alice. That night was different because Ian was in a panic. Alice wasn't picking up for him, which was unusual enough, but Ian was insistent that Shaun needed to check on her to make sure she was okay.

It was lucky that Shaun had the spare key to the apartment Alice and Ian shared. The sight of her lying unconscious in a pool of blood in the bathroom is a scar that'll forever be etched in his memory.

Shaun spent an entire night terrified, wondering what had happened. Did Alice try to kill herself? Why? She might have been missing Ian after he moved across the country, but she always reached out to Shaun and others when she wanted company. What happened that night? When he mentioned Alice's state to Ian, he just wailed that it was all his fault and Shaun couldn't reach Ian after that, as Ian was busy trying to book a flight back home to see her at the hospital.

Shaun had to be the one to call Alice's family too, but he had no answers to give them. The doctors would only let family or her legal partner see her for a while. It was only the next day that he learned that it was all because Ian had cheated on Alice, and she drank to dull the pain, only to hurt herself under the influence of alcohol poisoning.

Shaun could've kicked himself. He saw the problems in their relationship, but he didn't think it was his place to say anything. He worried his jealousy was coloring his perspective, seeing things too negatively. Now he wished he pushed harder like his gut told him, got Alice to see that the relationship was no good for her.

When Alice forgave Ian and tried to make it work, Shaun couldn't just sit back and let it happen.

So, yeah, Shaun's opinion of Ian in the present day is very negative. He views Ian as a toxic, manipulative, cheating scumbag who didn't deserve Alice. It was a relief when he managed to help Alice see that too so that she could finally end that toxic relationship. He was there for her so many nights when she cried over Ian and missed him. He saw the pain Ian put Alice through, and it just made his hatred of Ian grow.

Ian is grateful for Shaun being there to help Alice and even getting her to the hospital, but that doesn't get rid of his jealousy. Shaun and Alice are still talking even though she never picks up the phone for Ian anymore. He sees their exchanges online. They're still close. Shaun could one day sweep in and...

Ian can't let that happen. He can't let Shaun steal away the person who means so much to him. He can't let Alice just let him go like this. He just has to apologize to Alice, keep apologizing, and everything will be fine.

Sooooo... yeah, suffice to say, Ian and Shaun do not get along, and I doubt that they ever will... at least in my headcanons.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #sdj #swwsdj #Headcanon Ramblings #Sauce-y Art

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids,

Many years ago I watched a documentary about interabled couples (meaning that one partner is disabled, the other one isn't).

They interviewed multiple couples and asked how they met, what their friends and family think of the relationship, things like that. I don't remember most of it (I can't even tell you if it was an actual movie-length documentary or just a short piece in the local news) but there was one story that always stuck with me:

An autistic man had a crush on a woman he regularly saw at his doctor's office. So he decided to write her a letter. He wrote down a detailed description (if I recall correctly it was multiple pages long) of how their relationship could look like: date ideas that would be safe and enjoyable for him, situations in which he may require her support or help, possible communication struggles they may face and ideas on how to deal with them etc. The next time he saw her at the doctor's office, he handed her the letter. She read it, smiled and said "This says you can't go dancing with me because loud music overwhelms you. But I really love dancing. Could we dance at home if you are in control of the music volume?". He said "Yes" and she said "Okay, then let's do that"... and they have been a happy couple ever since.

I love that story. Honestly, I wish someone would come up to me and hand me a letter like that!

There are so many unspoken rules in the dating world that (neurotypical) people oftentimes just expect you to know and understand - especially the whole "be mysterious, play hard to get, don't scare people off by being too honest" stuff can be really confusing! His letter feels like an antidote to that. He clearly communicated his individual set of "rules" (boundaries, needs, wants). It may be my autism speaking, but this sounds like the ideal way to start a relationship for me: they were both on the same page from the get-go rather than having to guess what the other one wants.

As someone who has been rejected for being too honest and talking about boundaries too early, it feels comforting to me to know that someone did exactly that and was so successful with it.

I mentioned this old story to a friend a few days ago - and they didn't think it was cute. In fact, they were shocked and disgusted by it. That sounds incredibly toxic, they said. You can't just hand your partner a set of rules at the beginning of the relationship and demand they stick to them forever. Those things need to be an ongoing conversation that both partners get to contribute to. Love isn't a business contract that one person writes and the other just signs off on. Treating it like one is a red flag. And quite frankly, they'd feel super creeped out if a quasi-stranger wrote multiple pages about a relationship they didn't even agree to yet!

And you know what? I absolutely believe that my friend is right - and I also believe that I am right. It could be cute and it could be a red flag.

This goes for all kinds of relationships but it's especially important for those of us who have unique or less common "rules"/needs (which could be because you are neurodivergent, disabled or chronically ill but also be lgbt+-related, e.g because you are ace or aro): Doing things differently is not by default toxic - and not by default wholesome, either.

That letter could be a great starting point for healthy ongoing communication in a relationship... and it could also be toxic if it is used as a binding contract that doesn't allow any further conversation.

Apart from a few obvious exceptions, we can't really make a definite list of things that are always good or always toxic when it comes to dating/relationships - we need to think of things in context. And that goes for the "standard route" as well as for more unique approaches.

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

(P.S: For the record, I'm sure that the couple in the documentary does have ongoing, healthy communication!)

#I think it's unlikely that any of you know the documentary since it was so long ago - but if it seems familiar I'd love to know the title! #lgbt #lgbt+

[autumngracy]

Hi, just a random question from a fan of AROS (for which I have no coherent words to decribe my admiration)- I'm sure you've been asked this a million times already, but I'm quite new to this fandom, so forgive me and feel free to ignore the question, of course- who did you base your Javert on, appearance-wise?

Actually I don't think anyone directly asked this before!

To be honest I didn't actually base him on anything or anyone in particular ... I think the reason for this is because I read the brick before ever seeing any adaptations of Les Mis, so the first Javert I pictured was just my own interpretation of him from the brick ...

And what's funny is I can't remember if I originally pictured him with short hair or long hair. I read the 1938 Heritage Press edition of the brick, which is the Wraxall translation + about 1500 Lynd Ward illustrations, and in those illustrations he has short hair. But, oddly, I didn't remember it as being short in those illustrations? I had to go back and look years layer to confirm. (Alas, my beautiful Heritage Press copy is lost somewhere now!)

So I don't know if the long hair thing was me originally picturing it that way despite the illustrations being otherwise (possibly because the illustrative style made it somewhat vague at first?), or if it was from me later getting brainrot from looking at all the post Terrance Mann Javert designs ...

Best I can say about the hair issue is, well ... I just really happen to like male characters with long hair ... idk why lol. I have a lot of male OCs with long hair and every time I make one, part of my brain goes "Another one? For real? Do we not have enough of these little bitches already? If you don't stop putting long hair on all these characters people are gonna start to think you have some kind of kink."

Which. Well. I'm actually asexual so idk lol I think it's just an aesthetic preference

ANYWAY

For his wardrobe, that's just the brick descriptions plus factual research into 1830's era menswear. The only anachronistic element of his appearance really is his hair, but I do get around that by pointing out that he could have simply picked the (older and naval oriented) style up while he was at the Bagne (which did in fact have a dress mandate for keeping long hair tied up, suggesting it was a common enough hairstyle among the guards) and just never dropped it even after it became unfashionable—because A) he doesn't seem to give two shits about being fashionable, B) keeping short hair means either spending money to keep it short or having an intimate enough relationship with someone that they will do it for you free—neither of which I can see him wanting to do—and also C) he appears to be a creature of habit, so keeping the same, easily self-maintained hairstyle over the years fits my understanding of him.

Also, I'm not even exaggerating his tools of the trade because there really is a line in the brick about him having some kind of sword, which I had to go back and reread several times because it surprised even me (but it's 3am and I'm too assed to look it up rn). And we already know he has 2 pistols and a bludgeon (which the brick says he holds tucked up invisibly in his sleeve, Assassin's Creed style, lmao).

On another subject—

Given his stiff and distanced way of interacting with the world, questionable of social skills (see him bluescreening when Fantine is pleading with him in the mairie by way of what may be thinly veiled sexual advances), as well as his black and white thinking, penchant for being distracted by his thoughts to the point of complete obliviouness, propensity to either give extremely short responses or to go into ranting monologues, with little in between—plus the idea that he hates reading but makes himself do it for self improvement reasons, and how he seems to start stimming when lost in thought—I could definitely see him possibly being Autistic or having ADHD.

Now then, about his race ...

I know originally I actually pictured him differently than the Javert I wrote for my fic—as more white, at least—the way he appeared in the Lynd Ward until I read people discussing how he was probably supposed to be part Romani. And when it came to me having to pick conclusive character designs for my fic, I thought it would be much more interesting if it was a Javert who was visibly Romani instead of white passing, which he seems to be in most everything that bothers to mention his background.

I do find it weird that he's seemingly been played by nothing but white guys except for Norm Lewis and David Oyelowo (that I can find). So there's never really been a Romani Javert in stage or screen adaptations ... However, there's still a decent amount of fanart that shows him as darker skinned/Romani, so at least there's that.

Anyway I find that a visibly non white Javert just adds a lot more nuance and depth to his character, even compared to a still Romani but white passing version of him. Because then it changes how he interacts with and views the world (and vice versa), and it changes or adds to his motivations for doing what he does. It brings his (very canon!) struggle with internal racism to the forefront, which a lot of adaptations downplay or completely ignore.

I think part of why this appeals to me is that in modern times we are very used to the idea of the shitty oppressive white cop who is approaching everything from a position of absolute privilege and authority (which is a very shallow and uninteresting archetype, character-wise) ... and brick canon Javert, regardless of whether or not he is white passing, is not coming from a position of privilege—and not just because he is poor. He is coming from a position of social insecurity and vulnerability, which (at least it seems to me) he is trying desperately to escape/overcome.

And this makes his motivations for choosing his specific job far more interesting than "shitty white cop that enforces the status quo because he gets off on exerting power over other people". It suggests a sort of willful mental dissonance and denial that also make a lot of sense in hindsight when we consider the effects of his derailment.

The idea of him snapping and realizing for the first time that most everything he was doing was morally corrupt (or at least highly questionable) is one thing (and a level of obliviousness/ignorance that is somewhat hard to believe, imo) ...

But the idea that he knew how morally reprehensible his actions were all along, and was repressing it on purpose? To gain the only foothold he could see on the ladder of a world he was born on the lowest rung of? And after decades, is forced by external factors to finally, finally look his decisions in the eye and confront himself about them?

Well, shit. That hits a lot harder, doesn't it?

And it certainly hits him pretty hard. Obviously (as I pointed out in the the fic) he did mentally store away notes of things he found morally questionable about/during his career over the years—he just didn't let himself act on them. But it implies he was aware of the injustices, even if he only relegated that awareness to his subconscious.

The brick talks about how he felt he existed outside of society and had only two choices in life—black and white thinking; criminal vs protector, etc.—and it spells out how this is pretty much the direct result of his internalized rascism—so, I mean ... I don't think it's unlikely that canon Javert knew from the beginning that he was sacrificing his his heritage, culture, and moral compass in pursuit of respect and recognition from society (and thereby, social safety).

And in a Post-Seine world, he's forced to reconcile with all of that.

I may have just spoiled a major upcoming plot point for AROS tbh but oh well I was dropping breadcrumbs of foreshadowing about it the entire goddamn time lmao

#A Reflection of Starlight #AROS #Les Mis #Les Misérables #Javert #Tell me why I just spent 2 hours writing an essay in response to a *checks notes* single sentence ask

[kaija-rayne-author]

Ugh I can’t not theorize. I’ve been at it non stop. Once a story catches my interest my brain just going into hyper speed trying to figure out how the writers (if they do a good job) will bring all of their themes, hints, etc to fruition. All I’m missing is a cork board, pins, and miles of red string.

What’s super exciting this time is I’m actually dealing with a property where the writers are….good? I’m so used to being disappointed when fan theories (often my own) turn out to be much better than the canon, but I don’t see that happening here. Weekes is clearly a masterful writer and knows how to build up to a satisfying twist.

Because you just know another twist is coming. Solas, despite everything, is just too soft hearted to make a convincing final boss. It couldn’t be more obvious that being The Dreadwolf and putting aside his own conscience takes every ounce of energy he has. Eventually he’ll have his breaking point and that’s when we’ll find out who our true villain is.

It’s Mythal. I’ll eat my damn hat if it isn’t. She’s either not the person Solas remembers, or maybe she never was. In either case, there’s been plenty of clues both in DAI and in subsequent materials (specifically Tevinter Knights) to imply that there’s something else going on here.

We keep seeing imagery of the Dreadwolf as a mutant abomination that is part wolf and part dragon. It’s easy to point to the end credit scene of DAI and say “well yeah he fused with Mythal who is a dragon” and sure it looked that way…but is that actually what happened?

We saw Flemeth part with some form of magical energy before Solas arrived. We also know that she’d taken the soul of Uthemiel from Kieran. Uthemiel happens to be a dragon, or was until he was tainted and became an Archdemon.

Archdemons can control Darkspawn. And taking a Darkspawn army past the Veil to enact vengeance upon the Evanuris sees like something Flemeth would do. But that doesn’t seem like something Solas would want. His agenda has always been to fix his past mistakes and tear down the Veil for the greater good. He doesn’t seem that fond of Darkspawn, in fact he was pretty pissed at the Wardens for screwing around with them.

Where I’m going with this, is I think it’s entirely possible Solas is being used. He may have unwittingly fused himself with an Archdemon, assuming it was the essence of Mythal. The real plan, now that plan A failed, might be turning him into an Archdemon so Flemeth/Mythal can use him to start another blight and wield the darkspawn. Corypheus managed to mind control an Archdemon, so clearly it can be done.

And if that’s the case, then ooooooh boy.

Poor Solas.

OMG. I missed this one and I'm so glad I finally found it!

What a fascinating idea. Holy shitballs.

Okay, so I just restarted DAO, I'll be on the lookout through these playthroughs (I'm doing DA2 next, then probably DAI again, because I'm an utter sucker for lore) for hints about all that!

I thought the whole point of the dark ritual w/Morrigan was to purify Urthemiel's 'soul' through being born as an innocent child. But what if that didn't work?

But then, wouldn't Kieran have shown signs of taint? Hmmm. Maybe not, given it's just the soul?

I'm still not convinced that Flemythal parted with any kind of energy in that scene. BUT if she did... well, she's pulled the whole 'soul piece recovery schtick' before. So if it was energy or a soul, it could've been hers. Leaving just Urthemiel. Which would very possibly warp Solas into a dragon/wolf thing. And Mythal is very used to Solas going along with what she wants. So it feels like something she wouldn't think twice about. She uses Morrigan too, and Kieran, so it’s definitely something she's used to doing.

I have a strong feeling Solas is indeed being used. And has been since he was 'born' from the fade. There's a lot of hints to his resignation, nay, even belief that it's right that Mythal used him. (This is... common, in abuse survivors, FWIW.)

But I believe it's canon that his forehead scar came from when he burnt off Mythal's Vallaslin? I have to see if I can find that again. I can't remember where I read it.

I think Mythal will be rather unpleasantly surprised in the spine Solas has developed since her 'murder'. He doesn't seem at all likely to me to be all 'hey! My enslaver is back! Let me just get my slave brands again'. Now, if he were still truly alone, he might just cave into it because man, does Solas have some pretty massive Mythal issues. Not sure if he regards her as his mom or something else or a mix of things, urk.

BUT he's not actually truly alone anymore is he? No matter how hard he tries to be. A Romanced Lavellan can tell him "Var lath vir suledin" which translates sorta, into "Our - love - way/path - endure/strength to withstand loss."

So he knows he's not alone. That inky will absolutely go to the mat for him. He has actual friends, too. He said Bull has him, if you don't betray Bull w/the Chargers. Solas doesn't strike me as someone to say that lightly.

So, he also knows he has friends, too.

I think, if Mythal actually is the big bad (kinda hoping for this tbh) she's gonna have a rather rude awakening when it comes to Solas. Who, from all I can tell, has always willingly served her whims. Because she was 'the best of them' doesn't mean she was actually good.

I talked about how he's heavily neurodivergent coded before, and we're generally loyal to a fault, which Solas very much shows.

But we do also often, eventually, reach a 'no more' point. After which, we'll absolutely close all those doors we'd previously left open.

If Solas acts the way I suspect he might, he'd then use everything he knows about Mythal and the Evanuris to help the game protag (I still wish I could just carry my inky over) defeat the buggers.

But what would it take for him to finally reach that point with Mythal? Mommy issues are soooo hard to deal with in therapy because it's so damned easy to backslide.

Hurting Inky? Doing something that will destroy the fade (like marching a darkspawn army into it)? Making him betray all of his followers who truly believe in him and his goals of freeing enslaved elves?

Solas deeply believes that slavery is wrong. In a way that makes me think he was actually enslaved at one point. Obviously to Mythal.

Oh, fuck me. What an amazing story they could tell about the whole 'but there were good slave owners' bullshit nonsense some people like to spout.

Of course, I still really wish Bioware would tell a story with a disabled protag. Which the end of Inquisition really would set up nicely. But given their shit disability rep, I know not to hold my breath over that.

#dragon age series #dragon age #solas #dragon age inquisition #solavellan #inquisitor lavellan #solas dai #dragon age dreadwolf #dragon age theories #mythal #Flemythal

[theflyindutchwoman]

Given recent discussions in the fandom and because I’m curious to hear others’ opinion… would you want to see a Chenford breakup next season?

All right, let me start with my usual disclaimer : this is only my opinion and it has no more (or less) value than anyone else's. And this isn't meant as a personal attack either, regardless of which side of the equation you're in. I actually enjoyed reading other people's takes on this, particularly the ones who want a breakup, to see their perspective on the subject. It was truly interesting (no sarcasm).

To answer your question, dear Anon, no, I don't want a breakup. Mainly because I feel that so many shows go there, so I'm more interested in seeing Tim and Lucy navigate the ups and downs together.

One thing that attracted me to their relationship was their ability to talk to each other about everything and anything. How, despite their differences and their rocky start, they could always confide in each other… Be extremely vulnerable. And that is what I would love to see going forward. How this shorthand they've developed by working together can translate into their personal relationship. Don't get me wrong, just because they are usually good at communicating doesn't mean that it is perfect. It's not. Even before they became a couple. There are some cracks that became more and more visible as the season progressed. The theme of 'honesty' was their main thread in 5b. The storylines involving Sava & Jake or Isabel served to highlight that aspect. To emphasise how lies, deceit and miscommunication can destroy a relationship. Now it could be used as a foreshadowing… Or it could be used as a warning. Tim and Lucy already have a much stronger relationship, so I choose to believe that this could be a learning experience for them. Learn from other people's mistakes, learn from your past (in Tim's case).

Right now, those moments of dishonesty revolves around one common theme : work. Tim taking a desk job without consulting Lucy first… Lucy doing the five-player trade behind his back… Him trying to lie at first that he wasn't bored out of his mind… Her not saying anything about Primm (as far as we know)… Him not wanting to open up about his fears regarding undercover…  Those are starting to pile up and they're going to need to address it. The sooner, the better. Particularly the undercover talk. This has been a long time coming. It's clear that Tim is terrified but doesn't want to burden Lucy with this. And she can sense it. That last scene in 5.21 was (for me) a step in the right direction where they started voicing their concerns. It's nowhere near sufficient. But they stopped avoiding that topic altogether. Like I said, they can be great at communicating… But they can also be their own worst enemies. They're both selfless when it comes to the other… they're both used to do things a certain way. And now, they need to learn how to do these things together. To talk about these moments that may seem insignificant to them but isn't to the other. To stop making decisions for the other. This is quite new to them : as we've seen in the past, they didn't truly open up to their boyfriends/girlfriends. That's something they are going to have to learn together. And that's okay : this is part of the journey of being in a relationship.

Another reason why I don't want to see that is related to the characters' growth. The thing is, I actually could picture Tim breaking up with Lucy because there is a pattern here. If he got it into his head that he is holding Lucy back, an idea already planted by Noah in 5.16, then yes, it wouldn't be out of character for him to break up, thinking it's the right thing to do for Lucy. Which is not that dissimilar to what he did in 5.02 : sure, they weren't together, but it still felt like a separation. Especially since the end of that scene mirrored so well another one from 1.12… when he decided to divorce Isabel. And if you remember, that was pretty much for that very same reason : he was afraid that being with him would only remind her of her time as an addict and bring her down. So he did what he thought would help her the most and decided to divorce her. So breaking that pattern would be a tremendous character development for Tim (in my opinion). Then, there's the fact that this is something they knew would be coming up at some point. This isn't a new obstacle. The episode before they got together had Lucy go undercover. And Tim, even more so than her, knew what he was getting into when he told her that it was worth the risk. He may not have explicitly said it but the implication that she was worth fighting for was right there. So breaking up for something that they could foresee kind of negates those words. And it would play right into Lucy's insecurities. She was so hesitant because she didn't want to lose what they have. She is finally letting go of the fears that prevented her before from fully committing to a relationship… Her certainty in them is absolutely amazing. So breaking up now would hurt her so much. (I focused mostly on Tim here because I struggle to see a reason for Lucy to break up. At least, not if this is related to her career, be it undercover work or her promotion).

Now, that's not to say that it can't be executed in a beautiful way. Sometimes breaking up can help strengthen a relationship, as odd as it might seem. Sometimes it gets too much and taking a step back can offer a new perspective and a fresh start on healthier grounds. Just like sticking in a relationship at all costs can be very damaging and toxic. I mean, take a look at Lucy and Tim in their last respective relationships… They stayed well past the expiration date. But I, personally, would rather see them work this out together. See them 'fight' and argue, like they've done in the past… that very same thing they didn't do with Ashley and Chris. See them all vulnerable with each other, like they've also done in the past. I honestly think the writers could pull off the angst and drama with this storyline, without having to resort to a breakup. But again, that's only my preference :)

#ask & ye shall receive #the rookie #chenford #lucy chen #tim bradford

[ikamigami]

What happened to Moon's therapy with Earth where she told him to re-establish the bond he had with Sun and Moon agreeing to it? Like Moon, where is the progress in that? Hello??? I get it, Moon and Solar has a lot in common (and that's one of the reasons people ship them together but I digress) but like Sun is his brother. The one who has been there from the start, Old Moon, to now, New Moon. I get it, Moon wants to protect his family that's why he is always keeping things from them but as Earth said before, Sun wants to protect him and everyone else too. Please, I'm so tired of the Solar and Moon show episodes...

Thank you for asking this question, anon!

I hope that you don't mind that I'll use your ask to address the elephant in the room.. which is why Moon is keeping things from Sun once again?

The one conversation I had with my friend on Discord.. reminded me that I saw the shift in how Moon acts towards Sun.. and that it all started when Moon went to Evil Sun's dimension.

I realised that from that moment Moon stopped informing Sun about things and started distancing himself from Sun...

It's also that from that moment Moon started to tease Sun again. First it was Sun turning into a dragon but later Moon started teasing Sun about "the crush he has on Roxanne"...

Moon also stopped calling Sun brother.. and when you remember that Evil Sun told Moon that Sun and Moon being brothers is rare.. things start to make sense...

I thought that showrunners run out of ideas to give us the plot of "past repeats once again" and started using jokes about Sun having crush on Roxanne to fans' annoyance.. but if we take Moon's visit in Evil Sun's dimension into consideration then it all makes sense...

Moon is paranoid and I'm afraid that he's scared that Sun may start acting like Evil Sun.. and he's scared that maybe his brotherhood with Sun isn't that.. deep...

It explains why Moon started distancing himself from Sun and why he started teasing Sun.. it's because Moon sees Sun as his brother and he cares about Sun deeply.. but he's scared of these doubts that appeared in him since the talk with Evil Sun and he tries to be casual about it and that's why he started acting like that towards Sun..

I think that Moon didn't lie to Earth that he trusts Sun with his own life.. but I think that Moon is doubting that trust and he's scared of it.

It's the same thing when you starts to distrust your own family due to how paranoid you are and ofc Moon is scared of it.. Who wouldn't be scared?

But Moon should talk about it with Sun.. Sun needs to know why Moon is distancing himself.. why Moon is pushing Sun away...

Because if Moon won't talk with Sun soon.. something terrible will happen and Moon will regret running away from this issue forever...

Moon doesn't realise how much it is affecting Sun.. how much Sun is suffering because of Moon's decision...

Earth sees that something is off with Sun and she sees that Moon distanced himself from Sun that's why she both tried to reassure Sun that he can talk to her about whatever is bothering him and tried to push Moon to reconnect with Sun...

And like I said Sun is lying that everything is fine and he's in his best mental state.. it's a lie.

He's suicidal and Moon's decision to push Sun away makes Sun feel like he's unneeded and it's pushing him more and more on the edge...

Something tragic will happen.. and I can see it happening in three ways (actually two but.. I'll give three options just because):

Sun will try to sacrifice himself by going after Eclipse or creator - it happened once already so I'd love if showrunners wouldn't do that with Sun again...

BM will attack Sun and Sun will give up - it's very likely to happen.. it was established more than once that BM wants to kill Sun and Sun giving up was hinted in episode when Sun and Moon played Joyville.. Moon said that Sun will give up in life or death situation one day...

Sun will try to kill himself by overusing star's power either on himself or maybe on the voodoo doll - the possibilty is high because Castor reminded Sun twice to not use star's power, Sun throat was hurt similarly to Lunar's and Lunar's throat was hurt due to overusage of their powers.. The thing with voodoo doll is more unlikely to happen...

I think that Earth would push Moon even more to talk to Sun.. bit she's busy dealing with that whole creator situation and it's a big deal for her so I can't blame her for not thinking about Sun and Moon's situation at the moment...

Moon on the other hand is once again prioritizing wrong thing.. He's taking care of Eclipse's situation.. but the thing is Eclipse isn't a threat... He didn't do anything. The only thing that Eclipse is trying to do for now is to find out who brought him back. In other words Eclipse is busy with his own issues...

Moon should talk to Sun. It's more important than Eclipse's or Ruin's situation...

It's not that surprising that Solar doesn't see the issue with the way Moon is distancing himself from Sun.. because Solar doesn't understand how it is affecting Sun and why it is bad for Sun's mental state.. It's because Solar is poorly managing his own feelings and emotions... That's why he doesn't see that there's a problem and that something tragic will happen really soon...

So it seems that I was right and show is really going with Sun is suicidal plot and that's good because it shows us that the story is consistent and that showrunners aren't giving up on some parts of a plot like some of us had thought.

Unfortunately we're heading into one of the most angsty story plots in the show and we need to prepare for it.. At least I'm sure (or I hope so) that Sun won't succeed and he'll only end up in a coma or something similar...

I hope that the answer satisfies you, anon 🙇‍♀️

#sun and moon show #sams #sams sun #sun and moon show sun #sams moon #sun and moon show moon #sams eclipse #sams solar #laes #laes earth #sams evil sun #tw suicide #anon #anon ask #ask answered #sams bloodmoon #sams creator #laes lunar

[fivie]

Hello, if I may ask, do you have any headcanons about enjolras and courfeyrac in the umw universe?

Hello!! I'm about to become an unskippable cutscene 😃

I can't quite remember if any of this has already been mentioned in Enjolras POV chapters but I'll just list everything I've got lol:

- They met when they were seven years old. I've never thought all that much about their parents since they don't feature in the story (though it's safe to assume that Enjolras was already fairly estranged from his parents by the time he became a hunter) but I've always had it in my head that they were initially shoved together because their parents were part of the same social circle and did that thing where they decided their kids should also be friends. I think this happened a lot to both of them as kids and generally didn't work out, especially for Enjolras, who was a shy, serious sort of child and often considered either intimidating or just plain weird by his peers, but on this one occasion it turned out well! Courfeyrac immediately considered Enjolras to be extremely smart and cool, and while Enjolras (unused to positive feedback) was a little unsure of this at first, he quickly realised that Courfeyrac was genuine and they've been best friends ever since.

- They are a classic case of an extrovert adopting an introvert.

- Enjolras has always struggled with making friends—Courfeyrac was really his only close friend through their earlier years at school, but Courfeyrac is very outgoing and gregarious and has a lot of love to give and so he always had a lot of friends, and there were definitely times when Enjolras felt sort of jealous of that, and worried that Courfeyrac would lose interest in him in favour of others. It never happened, of course.

- They met and befriended Joly and Bossuet in their first year at high school, and Marius in their first year of university. 

- Their friendship has always confused onlookers since they seem so different, but they actually do have quite a lot in common, and the ways that they are different work to their advantage: Courfeyrac sometimes does need someone to be the voice of reason and responsibility, Enjolras sometimes needs someone to tell him to lighten up.

- Courfeyrac has always been the more emotionally intelligent of the two, but he used to joke that this was the only area in which he was more intelligent than Enjolras because for a long time he didn't consider himself particularly academically smart and would be quite self-deprecating about it. Enjolras never agreed with this assessment and Courfeyrac eventually grew out of the notion, which mainly stemmed from how the adults in their lives perceived him and his more boisterous personality.

- Courfeyrac is bisexual and figured that out pretty quickly as a young teenager. He had a lot of crushes throughout high school and dated quite a few people and Enjolras was woefully unequipped to deal with the emotional turmoil of these teen relationships but did his best to be supportive. For a while they both thought that Enjolras just hadn't reached “the stage” of being interested in dating etc yet, but after a while they realised that this supposed transformation didn't seem to be forthcoming and decided to do some research, leading to Enjolras happily using the aro/ace label for a few years. He was extremely alarmed when he later did develop an interest in a fellow student at university, leading to further research and an understanding that catching feelings is something that happens to him very occasionally. When he least expects it, you might say 👀

- Truly there's a whole slice of life teen drama here that I could get into if I wasn't too busy writing the monster-hunting plot 😂

- Enjolras really struggled with his decision to leave Lyon to pursue hunting without telling Courfeyrac, to the point that I have often daydreamed of an AU where everything is exactly the same except Enjolras ultimately couldn't go through with it and Courfeyrac ends up going with him.

- The characters have developed a lot in the ridiculous amount of time UMW has been ongoing, and I think if I was writing the earlier chapters now, knowing what I know, that Enjolras would have tried to explain to Courfeyrac where he was going, or told some lie to reassure him, or done something other than just vanishing and assuming Courfeyrac would get over it. I don't think him taking off the way he did in the story makes the most sense now, with how much weight their friendship has been given. But I'm locked into it by me from 10 years ago 😂

#thank u for this opportunity to ramble haha #umw stuff

[not-goldy]

I’m gonna be real with y’all, most of the time these days I don’t think Jikook are dating per se But they are… they are… they’re… what are they? What’s their problem? What’s their DEAL like one min you’re just cute bros and then I remember jungkook sucked on jimin’s EAR

Said a long time army-jkkr on Twitter. You may know her - Jennie, a lesbian in a long term relationship, who once was a hard-core jikooker. But for past two years, she thinks they are not dating but are two cute bros. There are only 1-2 incidents which make her rethink her 'Jikook are bros' final decision. Just like majority of jkkrs, it's either ear sucking or hickey, which one day if JK himself comes and say it didn't meant a shit or does same thing with someone else gets immediately debunked. But does 2 incidents matter when rest everything they does, if we look around us or even among bts are all common dynamics between two men who are super close ? If even long term Jikookers don't think they are dating then why would we have to believe they are a couple 🤔 Because majority here are super convinced they are a couple when in reality it's 90% chance that they are not.

I see....

So before the ear sucking happened they didn't think Jikook were dating??? Is that it???

Before the hickey Jikook weren't - dating???

It's the ear sucking and hickey that proves of all things that they are dating?? REALLY Reindolf???💀

You guys should set up a platform and discuss all the ways and how Jikook are not fucking. Try it. its free and leave jikook spaces for you know like ACTUAL JIKOOKERS???

Why do you feel a need to enter spaces such as this in the first place???

Anywho I wish it were up to mine or dynamic ranger 286 X's opinion on what somebody else is or isn't. If they are dating they are dating and nothing you say can change that and if they are not they are not. It's that simple Karen.

[nofomogirl]

Before the Beginning (part 1.2.)

This series of posts is about the opening scene of S2. Obviously. In every X.1. post I will propose one theory of what I believe the scene tells us about the universe and the characters, and then in the following X posts (X.2. and on) I will interpret scenes from both seasons applying and further examining thet theory.

My first theory, which I presented in the opening post, is that the Fall was a far more transformative event than both we, the audience, and the characters in the show, especially Aziraphale, have ever realized. I believe it's communicated to us by showing us pre-Fall Crowley who has no serpentine traits, from which we can infer that he had no serpentine nature either. It had only appeared after the Fall.

Now I'd like to examine the scenes where Crowley's past angelic identity is ever brought up.

In this post, we'll be looking at the (in)famous Bandstand Breakup from S1E3. The beginning of that scene is one of the earliest instances Crowley's past angelic identity is ever brought up properly.

Here's the original dialogue:

A: It's the Great Plan Crowley. C: Yeah. For the record, great pustulent mangled bollocks to the Great blasted Plan! A: May you be forgiven. C: I won't be forgiven. Not ever. That's part of the demon's job description. Unforgivable. That's what I am. A: You were an angel once. C: That was a long time ago.

I'm not going to lie, I didn't notice anything unusual about it after S1. It's a brief exchange and the Bandstand Breakup is a heavily emotional scene, so even after multiple rewatches it got lost for me among all the other things that were going on.

If anything, my interpretation was that Aziraphale meant Crowley might not be as unforgivable as he claims. But I really wasn't thinking too much about it.

But now that I have a reason to look specifically at those two lines, they are very unusual.

Just compare them to the dialogue from the very same episode, from the 1862 St. James Park scene:

C: Look, I've been thinking. What if it all goes wrong? We have a lot in common, you and me. A: I don't know. We may have both started off as angels but you are fallen.

And, OK, this was somewhat unusual too, but only in how extreme it was, not in the sentiment either of them was expressing. It was perfectly on-brand for Crowley to try and bring Aziraphale's attention to how the differences between them weren't really all that big or significant. It was just as perfectly on brand for Aziraphale to insist they were on opposite sides.

In fact, they both express the very same sentiments during the bandstand scene.

Except in those early lines I quoted where their roles are practically reversed for a brief moment. By pointing out that Crowley was an angel once, it's Aziraphale who tries to convince Crowley they are more similar than it may appear. And by brushing Aziraphale off it's Crowley who shuts down that line of reasoning and underlines the divide between them.

You must admit it is unusual.

So why would they?

When it comes to Aziraphale, it's important to remember that at the time this scene was happening, he was in an exceptional and very difficult position. I've already addressed it in one of my older posts, so I'm just going to quote myself:

"At the end of episode 2, Aziraphale learned who and where the Antichrist was and it was the first piece of real information he got that could actually make a difference. He needed to make a choice about what to do with it and it pretty much paralysed him.

First, immediately after finding out, he got a call from Crowley asking for updates and lied claiming he didn't know anything. Then he arranged the meeting with the Archangels but withheld most of the information and when asked directly where the Antichrist might be he lied again that he wasn't sure. Then he met Crowley face to face (this is where the scene we're discussing takes place), once more lied (by omission) about the Antichrist, insisted he wouldn't tell him anyway, and eventually broke up with him. The next day he approached Gabriel and tried to reason with him by mentioning "human prophecies" but not the Antichrist. Then Crowley approached him again and was rejected again. And finally, he got cornered and assaulted by Michael, Uriel, and Sandalphon.

Frankly, I haven't even noticed it before, with all the other scenes in between, and all the emotions involved, but it's a very clear pattern, isn't it? Crowley - Heaven - Crowley - Heaven - Crowley - Heaven. Nothing could illustrate better how Aziraphale was swinging between the two."

Aziraphale is trying to figure out what to do. He's currently in a swing away from Heaven - which put him off the idea of telling them during their meeting - and towards Crowley. He's searching for reasons and arguments why he might choose siding with Crowley. And it's all very high stakes and emotionally intense.

And under all this immense pressure Aziraphale brings up, in a rather small and pleading voice, something that seems uncharacteristic at the time.

"You used to be an angel once".

You used to be like me. You still are.

This was a perfect opening for Crowley. He should have picked that thread and pulled and he would very likely get where he wanted. Starting from there would make it so much easier to back all his arguments and prove all his points. But he didn't.

Crowley straight-up refused to discuss it.

He pretty much shut the door Aziraphale opened for him and then not even a minute later proceeded to try and break through the wall...

Why?

That is a much simpler question. Just like Aziraphale, Crowley was heavily distressed. He didn't know about the Antichrist. He believed he was running out of options and out of time. The world was about to end and he was powerless to do anything about it. He didn't have the mental capacity to reexamine and discuss this very sensitive and problematic topic right then.

We are not done with the scene yet, but for now, let's leave it. In the next post, we'll look at ones when Crowley is a bit more open about the subject - the Job minisode.

#good omens #good omens meta #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #post series

[moodymisty]

Sort of part 2 to this request but not really

Author's Note: @1stunseeliefaelass So no joke I swear my pigeon walked over my laptop's touchscreen and ended up deleting this post when I was in the bathroom, so I really apologize for taking so long. Had to totally rewrite it from what I still remembered of the request, so I'm sorry if anything is off;;; Also only proofread this one once to rush it out, so apologize for any errors.

❗Warning❗ This fic references Abomination Vault where it's implied Lilith might've assaulted Death, It's a very subtle reference that would be missed if you didn't read the book, but I figured I would warn people anyways. Please exercise discretion.

Summary: Your habit of tracing Death's scars ends up ends up bringing back an unwelcome memory.

Relationships: Death/Fem!Reader

Warnings: TW for implied reference to assault, Scars, Fluff but with some angst, Death doesn't deal with things in a healthy way but did you really think he would?

It's not often that you're able to stay with Death like this.

Far too often for your liking he has to leave before you're able to invite him to bed, or he leaves in the middle of the night, waking you up as he slips away. It doesn't help that beyond those circumstances, he doesn't often indulge in things like this. Largely out of habit.

You lean more into Death's side; Wanting his cool skin against yours, as well as his weight makes the bed dip more so to his side than yours, sliding you closer. It slots you into the nook of his arm, as he lies on his back slightly tilted towards you. Said arm keeps a loose grip on your shoulders, though you can feel it tighten for a moment any time you attempt to make a move.

You don't know if it's because he doesn't want you to leave, or he's annoyed you're moving so much; But either way you just submit to his grip and lay there content. It wasn't as if you were actually going to leave anyways. You're too comfortable here, feeling his body fitted against yours like a puzzle piece. You may be much smaller than him, but you can't help but feel like it's a perfect fit.

But as much as you've tried you don't feel quite tired yet; Maybe it was still the excitement of Death returning running through your veins even this late into the night. His arrivals are almost always a surprise, only cued in by the sound of Despair's ghostly whinny or the flapping wings of Dust coming through your open bedroom window. Sometimes he sends the crow to simply check on you, but either way it's usually a sign he's either here, or not far away.

Your hand brushes slowly over a scar on his side, and when you glance up, you notice he's staring right at you. You've already played with those healed wounds so much as of late.

Death doesn't tell you to stop though, as over time he's come to enjoy the feeling of your soft hands brushing over his skin. It's been far too long, if at all, since he's felt something like that. And even if he grimaces in his own disgust at you touching old scars healed from battles centuries ago, you don't seem to mind them at all. They almost seem to entertain you in an odd way. Wouldn't be the first time he's thought you were a weird little thing, given you entertain having the Grim Reaper himself in your bed.

"It's late. You should be asleep." You hum, pursing your lips.

As if Death should be nagging about sleeping, considering he so rarely does so himself.

"I'm not tired yet. Give me a minute."

You hear him heavily sigh; A cop-out thing he does when he's going to let you do what you want, but he doesn't want to seem like he's just going to let you win.

You just want to enjoy this a bit more, knowing that quite possibly he'll be gone in the morning, or will have to leave shortly after. This isn't a common occurrence, so you'll forgive yourself for being a bit greedy as your fingers brush over a scar on his ribs. The feeling is odd under your fingertips, but it almost has the same effect as someone would rubbing the soft threads of a blanket- a mindless soothing action.

It can't be too much to ask for just a bit more, even if your eyelids are starting to feel more and more heavy. Just push it down. You yawn again, eyes watering even after you blink a few times to rid yourself of the tears. Just a few more minutes.

The trousers Death is wearing are resting quite low on his hips, enough so to show a large set of scars on his left hip. They're long and thin, and probably go down over his thigh, if you had to take a guess given the way they trail downward. You probably never noticed them, given that normally you can't see at all whenever Death undresses to any degree. You just brush along it; It's an absentminded, soothing gesture, you don't even realize you're really doing it until part way though.

When you look up at Death however, you wretch your hand away as if his skin is hellfire once you see the look in his eyes.

Something about Death you've noticed over your time with him is despite how hard he tries to present as the emotionless Reaper, just how much raw emotion swims in his eyes. And right now, it was very clear you dredged up something you shouldn't have. His body is tight and rigid, but not in an angry sort. For just a moment he's trapped in the past.

"Shit, I- Sorry Death."

He looks down at you- but it almost seems like he looking right through you, in a way.

"Leave that one alone." His voice is angry, making you shrink, but he's not angry directly at you. He seems more so at a memory being brought back up by your touch.

"Sorry."

You can hear his heavy breath, making his chest raise and lower drastically.

He cringes, knowing that he made you shirk from him even if it was only for a moment. That's always been his biggest fear; That you'll eventually run from him like everyone else has. You should, any life preserving human would do it. He got lucky with you, and he's not going to let that foul memory ruin it.

His hand around your shoulder tightens, pulling you back tighter against him. Almost too tight for a moment, before he eventually loosens just a bit.

You look up at him for a moment, biting the inside of your cheek. You know he probably won't tell you anything about it; That habit is so deeply ingrained in him and it no matter how much you try it probably never will. but the least you can do is just be there.

Pressing your legs more against his you shuffle into his side, trying to find a perfect position to fall asleep in. One arm drapes over his torso in an attempt to hold onto him, pressing your cheek into his shoulder. You quickly find it, and the moment you close your eyes, you feel like it's going to be near impossible to open them again. You pushed off sleeping for so long that it finally just sunk it's claws into you, intent on not letting go.

And neither is Death, judging by the way his hand cups your shoulder. You don't mind; If anything you enjoy the pressure, and the knowing that he's right there. At least for the time being.

Meanwhile Death is looking down at you, feeling your breathing slow down. He can still feel it brush over his bare skin, but the way your muscles relax cue him into the fact that you've finally drifted off.

He's thankful you never asked about that scar. It's not as if he enjoys lying to you, but it's not something he wants to bring up ever again. Just bury it so deep inside of him and pile good memories on top of it like fresh dirt on a flowerbed. He's getting more and more of those, with you around.

Call him greedy, but he wants more of them. Even simple ones like this; With you so comfortable around him that you can fall asleep against him.

He pushes this memory onto the top of the pile in his mind- and shoves those older ones deeper down before calling it a night.

#darksiders x reader #reader insert #reader #mywriting

[woefully-undercaffeinated]

What to do when something illegal happens at work

When your boss does something illegal at work, it's common to freeze up because you're not sure what to do. Here are a few tips for how to handle those situations during and after:

While it is happening:

Keep yourself safe. In the moment, your first priority is always to keep yourself and others from physical harm and out of danger as much as possible. If any other advice I give you conflicts with that, your safety takes priority.

Make sure you know where you are. If you think your safety might be at risk, getting your bearings can be critically important. Take note of potential exit routes, hazards, the flow of traffic (both vehicle and foot traffic), cameras, and any safe areas you know of. Later, knowledge of your exact location may be very important in reconstructing events.

Check the time. Knowing exactly when something happened, and how long it took, will be extremely valuable.

Look around for witnesses, and try to bring some over if possible. Witnesses will both reduce the likelihood of more outrageous behavior and help you to take action afterwards. Do your best to remember who was there.

Say "please let me finish" every time you're interrupted, and count the number of times it happened. Bullies love to interrupt people at the first sign of disagreement, and then later they'll claim that nobody disagreed with them when instead nobody could get in a word edgewise. Saying "please let me finish" calls out the fact that they were interrupting, and a count of the times you were interrupted will help you protect yourself from being misinterpreted later.

Avoid agreeing to anything or signing anything if possible. You have the right to review any document that you're asked to sign, which usually includes taking the document and having it examined by an attorney. If you're being threatened with serious consequences if you don't sign immediately, write "signed under duress". If they're asking for a verbal agreement, try to get them to accept a "let me think about it/check my to-do list/etc" rather than a hard "yes". Even if the thing you'd be agreeing to is something you're okay with, it's still important not to agree to things when you don't feel like you're allowed to say "no"; in stressful situations, our judgment can be seriously compromised, and allowing yourself to be bullied into saying "yes" will set a bad precedent for further interactions.

After it's over, as soon as you're in a safe place:

Complete the WTWFU checklist

Send a follow-up email summarizing your understanding of what was communicated. It can be as simple as "just to ensure we understood each other, what I got was that you were telling me/us that [we'll be disciplined if we discuss our wages/contacting a union is a fireable offense/our pay will be docked if anyone submits a complaint to OSHA/etc], is that correct?". If there is information that protects you, such as a health condition or pregnancy you need accommodation for or a prior agreement that is being violated, include it in your email even if the company already knows. CC HR and any coworkers who were present and BCC your personal email*. Forward any responses to your personal email as well*.

Rescind any agreements you made. Either in the same email as step #2 or in a separate email, depending on what you think is appropriate, say "I didn't feel like I could safely say 'no' in that situation, so I'd like to rescind my earlier agreement until I've had some time to reconsider." If it's something you think you'd have otherwise agreed to, try to offer a time frame for an actual decision. CC HR and BCC your personal email*.

Collect any evidence you can, and make note of any evidence that exists but isn't accessible to you. This includes emails about the issue, any photos that were already taken or that you can safely and legally take,

If something illegal was done or hinted at, contact the applicable regulatory agency as soon as possible with all of the information above.

Consider arranging a consult with an employment law attorney -- consults aren't the same as retainers, they're considerably cheaper (or sometimes free, depending on your income and the possibility of a lawsuit) and can either turn into ongoing representation or just be a one-time service.

* Don't include information that you have a legitimate duty to safeguard, such as customer data, protected health information, or non-public market-affecting information. This does not include any information pertaining to working conditions, your compensation, regulatory compliance, or workplace safety -- the company isn't allowed to demand that you keep those a secret. Either try to get the point across without including the specific information that's being safeguarded, or censor it by replacing it with two underscores per replacement with generic descreptors as necessary (i.e. 'I have safety concerns about the release of our secret robotics project on January 10' becomes 'I have safety concerns about the release of our __[project]__ on __[date]__').

#employment law #worker rights #labor law #labor rights #you boss doesnt want you to read this