#I'm sorry to any Iceberg fans

[love-bitesx]

I loveeeedd the last story Tysm ❤️❤️❤️ Keep up the amazing work 🌈

I have another request

Hobie x fem spider reader

Reader has a weird stalker ex-bf, and the reader tries to keep it a secret from Hobie but he finds out and deals with the ex.

: ̗̀➛ STALKER. hobie brown x fem!reader

any criminal minds fans out there … i hope u see the parallels of my baby spencer also i'm so sorry, i didn't see until after i wrote this entire thing that you said 'fem spider reader' so it's a fem normal reader, so sorry! i hope it's still okay, tho!! thank u sm for ur support angel !! summary: hobie & y/n have been doing long distance for months, but she never told him exactly why. words: 2.8k (the words just kept coming, sorry its so long lmao) warnings: fem!reader, pronouns not really used but "my girl", "lady", etc. are, read at your own risk! weird stalker bf, creepy fella, hobie n y/n are long distance, very very soft hobie

“when can i call you next, darlin’?” hobie’s voice was laced with longing, bass distorted by static at the other end of the phone.

“if you’re quick, we can call tomorrow after 5,” you smiled, and if you were in an 80’s romcom, you’d be twisting the phone cord between your fingers.

“5pm it is, don’t be late,” you can hear his smirk, and a bolt of guilt strikes your chest.

“look, i need to ask something, and i think i already know the answer,” hobie speaks, and you bite your lip in anticipation, “the band and i are playing at a new venue tomorrow, it’s the biggest we’ve played, we’re all dead excited, and…”

a sigh.

“well, it won’t feel the same without you there, pretty.”

if the first bolt wasn’t enough, then the second one lived up to it, striking you into the dead center of your heart. it had been well over 6 months since you met hobie. well, “met”. you’d accidentally called the wrong number one day, meaning to contact a friend of a friend, but typing the last number wrong. picking up at the other end was a deep, almost mesmerising voice, telling you; “no bother, darlin’. it happens, just make sure not to lose this number, wanna hear more from ya.”

“hobie, you know i can’t,” your voice is brimming with remorse and you look to the ground.

“i know, shit with your parents, i get it," he tried hard to hide the disappointment, but his heart twanged with neglect and it creeped through into his words.

parents. strict, all-demanding 'parents'. that's what you told hobie when you first started dating, that the reason you aren't able to see him was because your mother was overbearing and extremely protective – it was a lie. a lie that was eating you up from the inside out. the truth was slightly more grim, however.

years ago, you got involved with a guy at work. a couple brief conversations turned into dates, and dates turned into anniversaries, anniversaries turned into toxic, violent arguments and after a long time of dating, you broke up with him. to say he took it badly, was a criminal understatement. threatening phone calls, showing up at your work, sending you gifts and menacing letters – his signature move was scaring off, and even once harming, any man or potential love interest that you interacted with. it was exhausting, and terrifying.

and hobie was different. he was sweet and kind, but rough around the edges, and his voice dripped in passion no matter the topic of conversation. his promises were never empty, and most importantly – he loved you. and you loved him. the last thing you wanted, was your ex to pop up and scare him off, so you kept it from him. limiting your relationship to phone calls at arranged times incase your ex was keeping tabs.

“i’m sorry, hobie,” is all you could muster, not even scratching the tip of the catastrophic iceberg that wedged the back of your throat.

“it’s okay, darlin’, don’t worry that pretty little head over it,” and just like every phone call, you melted into his words, “i love you, yeah? i’ll call you tomorrow at 5.”

“i’ll be waiting,” you smiled, cheeks flushed at his gentle affirmations, “i love you.”

with a ruckus of movement, and what sounded like a kiss, the call ended, and you stared at the screen silently for a moment. not much longer could you avoid it, and the malten bubble of dread spilled into your gut.

sending him a quick text:

‘good luck tomorrow, handsome. what’s the venue called again? you’ll do amazing x’

you turned off your phone, discarding it on the bed as you climbed into the hole of guilt you’d dug yourself.

“oi, you ready, blud?” hobie’s band mate yelled above the bustle and cheers from the crowd before them. large, bejewelled hands poised onto his guitar strings, he smirked.

“always.”

with a nod to the roadie, the lights went up, illuminating the stage and instruments, hobie's glowing with a harsh red tint. immediately, his sepia eyes digested the crowd. seeing the flushed, excitable faces staring back at him sent a shot of confidence to his bones, and they moved, strumming the guitar with such vigor that the stage floor shook beneath his feet. cheers erupted, and yet felt oddly empty. it was missing something, and he knew what it was immediately.

he'd truly give his all to have you there, front stage in his eyeline, screaming his songs like gospel. not that he'd ever seen you properly, only seeing teasing selfies you'd sent him over the months you'd been together. he didn't care, inherently, he'd fallen head over heels for your personality; a pretty face was only just a bonus.

however, he did yearn for your touch. to feel his hands in your hair, to kiss your cheek, your nose, your neck. he longed to have you with him, even just doing stupid little tasks, having you by his side through the domestic side of life.

his gall spurred him on, his passion surging through his fingertips, spilling out into the sound waves. the audience were lapping it up, screams and chants only barely audible under the booming power of their set. song, after song, after song his talented blood seeped out onto the strings, and his feet were almost numb from the vibration of the bass.

the final song arrived, and his chest was burning, vision blurry, heart pounding against his chest – and he loved it. it was their biggest crowd, their most excitable achievement so far, and his blood pumped with adrenaline as he finished off the set, falling to his knees as he strum his guitar with one final chord. lights falling, his chest was heaving and his eyes scanned the audience one final time – you weren’t there. he had to accept that.

“that was fuckin’ sick, blud!” his bassist yelled as they exited the stage, palm slapping hobie’s shoulder blade and elicited a wide, ecstatic grin.

“you smashed it, mate,” hobie shouted back over the booming stereo that took their place.

“nah, man, you stole the show,” his bassist shook his head, patting him again in appreciation, “good that your lady’s here to see it, too, she must be proud.”

“i wish, mate,” he sighed.

“did you not see her?” his ears perked up, and at his confused expression, his bandmate continued, “over at the back, by the bar, i didn’t know what she looked like, but she was asking after you. ‘er story adds up.”

"shit," he mutters, feet solid on the ground. his heart pounds, skeptical of your presence, but chest bursting with hope that it just might be you, "look, bro, i need to–"

"go! go, man, go see her," his bandmate pushes him in the direction of the bar, and he almost stumbles over his own feet to push the stage door open, met with the chaos of the crowded bar.

dark eyes scanning the aimless faces, he searched for anyone who could look like you; his stature brought him above everyone else, only by a little, but gave him an advantage to seek you out.

"sorry, i need to get past," he repeated, over and over to unassuming bodies, setting through the chaos to find his peace. pushing out at the back, a wave of light met him, shining through empty pint glasses and illuminating the bar.

there you were.

standing quietly, head nodding along to the blasting instrumentals, drink in hand; you were heart-stopping. and he was pretty sure his did. even if he’d never seen you face-to-face, he’d memorised the soft plump of your lips, alluring light in your eyes, even the way your hair fell against your skin from the photos he'd seen. there was no doubt it was you, and my god, you were beautiful. he couldn’t even stop his legs if he tried, as they carried him over to you.

"y/n?" his voice barely travelled through the sound waves, but it hit your ear like a familiar embrace.

turning to him, eyes wide and bright in the twinkling of the bar lights. you drunk him in, warm eyes swallowing every part of him. you'd seen pictures, again, but it could never compare to him. dark brown skin, soft to its complexion, hugged his bones in every perfect way; folding at the creases of his handsome face. he was tall, very tall, and the detail of the curves and indents of his muscles, altered by the shadows of the dim bar light, made your head fuzzy. god, he was beautiful – nothing that a digital screen could ever portray with justice.

"hobie," your voice was crisper than he was used to, and he would bottle it if he could, "hey, handsome, you got a–"

"come 'ere," he interrupted, essentially scooping you into his tense embrace, melting into your scent, the feel of you in his arms. his heart was pounding against his chest. you wrapped yourself around him, running your hands along his leather jacket, ghosting the skin below it.

"you interrupted my introduction," you pouted against his shoulder, "had a whole little joke planned and everything, you know."

"go on, hit me, love," he pulled back a tiny bit, his arms still glued around your waist, looking down through his lashes. you faltered under his intense gaze, giddy smile bursting onto your face and you buried your head in his chest.

"nuh uh, not anymore," you shook your head against him, "you ruined it."

his hand came up to touch your face whilst you spoke, following the edge of your hairline and tucking your hair around your shoulder. he was in awe, having you here, having you with him. tightening his embrace, he didn't want to let you go – ever.

"mhmm," his voice vibrated his chest, and you pulled away, "i'm sure it was hilarious, love."

"it really was," you chuckled, giddy in his presence.

the air grew thicker, your laughter dying out and left with just his strong gaze, his dark brown eyes following yours. you could barely comprehend him being here, in front of you, around you, and he was so much more than you had imagined. feeling his calloused hand caress your cheek, you leaned into his touch, inviting him into your world. cupping your face, hobie bought himself to you, leaning down until his pierced lips were ghosting your own. months he'd dreamed of this, imagined how it would feel to kiss his girl, to taste your lips and feel your love. he could feel your breath, and you were about to give in, until you pulled away.

"wait, i–" you swallowed thickly, pulling your touch from him.

"what's up, darlin'?" his eyes scanned your face for any sign of reason, "did i do somethin'?"

"no! no, you," you sighed, "you're perfect, it's not you."

he'd be lying through his teeth if he denied the pit of anxiety building deep in his stomach, bubbling up his throat.

"what is it?"

"i–" you stuttered again, and fought to get your words out of your brain and into the thick air of the bar, "i haven't been telling you the truth."

silence. just for a second. hobie's brain working over time.

"look, if you've got another fella, or somethin', just get it over with–"

"no! no, hobie, i'm yours, i promise," your words settled him for a second.

"my parents don't care about us, they aren't strict, in fact, they were happy when i told them about you," you begun, opening the dam.

"they know about me?" his voice was smaller than you were used to, and if your brain had a spare synapse to process it, you'd probably have melted.

"yes, and i'm sorry i haven't told you," you avoided his eyes, "it's my ex."

"oh, fuckin' 'ell," he sighed, dropping his arms to his side, and he's about to speak, until you interrupt.

"we broke up years ago, but he's never left me alone," you ring your wrists with your hands nervously, and hobie notices – you looked terrified, "i've tried everything; i've tried the police, i've moved countless times, i've changed jobs, made new friends, met new people – he won't leave me be."

tears welled up now, and his heart reached for you, but his arms stayed stuck by his side.

"every guy that i meet, he's, i don't know, calling them telling them i'm someone i'm not, or following them home and slashing tires, or roughing them up outside pubs," paranoia enveloped you, and your eyes darting around the crowd, "i was so scared, because you're the best i've ever had, and probably will ever have, and i don't want him to scare you off."

"y/n–"

"and i understand if this has done exactly what i'm scared of, because i get that keeping it from you was awful, but i was only trying to protect you and–"

his lips cut you off, warm against your own, capturing your words and pushing them back down your throat. hands on your cheeks, body flush against your own, you melted into him completely. it felt like heaven, like months of tension and longing unravelling like ribbon into the wind. it was safe, gentle, like a promise – a promise that it didn't scare him, and that he was yours.

"is he here?" his voice was low, lips hovering yours.

"i-i don't know," you were flustered, your brain trying to make sense of it all, but his hand on the small of your back stopped any cognitive thoughts, "i haven't seen him."

watching him, hobie's dark eyes floated around the crowd, before falling back onto you. smirk on his lips, he placed a quick peck onto your cheek.

"hmm, i hope he enjoyed the show," he chuckled lowly, and you couldn't help but mimic it, relief flooding off your shoulders, "how about we go somewhere a bit safer?"

"like where?" you questioned, intrigued by the coaxing tone of his voice.

"well, i only live around the corner," he shrugged, before offering his hand. blushing, you slipped your hand into his, the soft skin of his fingers pulling you towards him, until he threw his arm around your shoulder.

"nothing could scare me off, you know," he whispered, placing a kiss to your hair, "i'm 'ard as nails."

"oh yeah?" you giggled.

"mhmm."

clothed eyes glued to the suspicious figure, hobie stood on a rooftop, footsteps silent as he follows the man below. tailing him through the cobbled back lanes of london, hobie's back tingled with apprehension – he'd been following him for at least a mile, waiting for a perfect opportunity.

and he'd finally found it.

pausing his heavy stroll, the man dug into his pockets and pulled out a slightly crushed pack of cigarettes, fumbling further for a lighter. a small orange glow lit up the air around him as he puffed away, smoke fluttering to meet hobie's nose.

silently, hobie swung to a platform below, pulling his guitar tighter against his back and dropped to the hard ground. the sound of his leather boots colliding with the cobble made the man turn in his direction, eyes wide at the sight.

"spiderman?" the man breathed between puffs, voice hoarse, "can i help you?"

"you know what, i think you can," hobie strutted, hands stuffed into his leather jacket, lanky stance towering him, "are you y/n's ex fella?"

"who's asking?" he questioned stupidly, and hobie let out a laugh.

"bruv, who's– are you stupid or somethin'?" hobie punched him lightly in the shoulder, "do you not see the whole get up?"

"the fuck have you got to do with y/n?" he spat, defensive stance taking over his body.

"none of your business," hobie knew that would sting, "but you're gonna leave her alone, fella."

"you don't know what you're talking about."

"i'm not askin', mate," hobie stepped closer, "and i'm not givin' you a choice."

before he could even utter a response, hobie had swung his spike-studded arm in his direction, knuckles colliding against the pathetic man's jaw, knocking him to the ground below.

"tha's my girl you're messin' with now."

#hobie brown #hobie brown fanfiction #hobie brown imagine #hobie brown x you #hobie brown x reader #spiderpunk #spider punk x you #spider punk x reader #spider punk #hobie #hobie my beloved #atsv hobie #hobie spiderverse #hobie x reader #across the spiderverse #hobie x you #across the spider verse spoilers

[biconickyoshi]

The boys! 🔥🌪

So I got a Huion drawing tablet this summer but never ended up doing much with it due to how intimidating Clip Studio Paint is lol. This weekend, however, I finally sat down and watched some YouTube tutorials, and behold! We have Zuko and Aang as they appear at the start of my Zukaang AU, The Avatar and the Fire Prince!

Just a quick summary again for those who have not read it: this is an AU where Zuko and Iroh discover Aang in the iceberg shortly after Zuko is banished at age 13 in 96 AG, so they're only one year apart. It's an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers slowburn that will eventually follow a similar course to the canon events of the show, just with more focus on Zuko & Aang's friendship and eventual romance.

23 chapters of TAatFP are currently posted, the most recent of which is The Fortuneteller (a chapter I have been so excited to adapt since I started this fic in early 2022)!

I used to draw AtLA fan art allllll the time when the show was still airing, and I used to draw more in general in high school, but this is the first time I've really tried to seriously draw in nearly a decade, and also my first time really making any art digitally that I feel looks good enough to post.

That being said, I'm quite proud of what I was able to do. I very much tried to make Zuko look like he's 13, and I think I did a pretty decent job? Also I got very lazy with the shading... I just kinda put it where I thought it needed to go, so sorry if it looks wonky lol.

I'm going to try to do more of these character sheet-ish type things to show what Aang and Zuko are going to look like as they continue to grow up throughout my AU, and if I get really ambitious, I might even try to draw pivotal scenes...

Btw if any of y'all ever decide to draw fan art of my fic, PLEASEEEE tag me in it because I would absolutely love to see it!

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla au #zuko #aang #zukaang #avatar the last airbender au #zukaang au #zukaang fanfic #a:tla #avatar: the last airbender #zuko x aang #aang x zuko #the avatar and the fire prince #taatfp #taatfp update #my art

[gotstabbedbyapen]

Hyacinthus Iceberg Meme EXPLAIN (P2)

Part 1 ✿ Part 2 ✿ Part 3 ✿ Part 4 ✿ Part 5

It's time for me to answer your questions about this Hyacinthus iceberg meme. There is a lot to tackle, so I'll divide it into 5 parts for the sake of my sanity.

Quick disclaimer: I am NOT an expert in Greek mythology, just a fan of Hyacinthus who wants to learn about him and anyone related to him. Most of the things I'm about to discuss are just theories and speculations of a passerby on the Internet, so do not take them as valid facts!

Apollo x Hyacinthus x Cyparissus

This OT3 has one painting made by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, but it's enough to convince me they are canon.

What's interesting about Hyacinthus and Cyparissus is that they are also pursued by Zephyrus, and the flower/tree they transform into after death represents mourning and sorrow.

"A young Lakonian [Hyakinthos] shook Zephyros; but he died, and the amorous Wind found young Cyparissus a consolation for Amyklaian Hyakinthos." - Nonnus, Dionysiaca

"[Apollo to Cyparissus] And the God, groaning with sorrow, said, 'You shall be mourned sincerely by me, surely as you mourn for others, and forever you shall stand in grief, where others grieve.'" - Ovid, "Metamorphoses"

Apollo x Hyacinthus x Boreas

I used to talk about this OT3 before. It's interesting because, unlike Zephyrus, Boreas seems fine with Hyacinthus dating Apollo and even dated Apollo before.

There aren't any paintings or ancient literature written explicitly about their relationship. It's more of an "if you think about it" thought.

(I won't discuss Apollo & Boreas because we will get off track, but there is a post about them for anyone interested!)

Hyacinthus' death symbolizes the vegetation wilted under the summer heat

Since Hyacinthus is assumed to be a pre-Hellenic nature god, and Apollo is the god of sunlight, we can piece together that Hyacinthus dying by Apollo is the metaphor of the plants dying under the scorching sun. This is why I said in Part 1 that Zephyrus killing Hyacinthus is a later version, and I'll say his present will ruin the myth. Having Zephyrus (the wind) as the "real" culprit will erase the original symbolism of the sun killing the plants.

(Sorry for hating you all this time, Zeph. You are in the clear now.)

Back to the main point.

Georg Friedrich Schömann seems to coin this theory in his book "Griechische Alterthümer" (1855), or he's only popularizing an existing theory. At least, that is the reference I get from the two of the sources I read.

(Hellenica World, "Hyacinthia")

(Michael Pettersson, "Cults of Apollo at Sparta: The Hyakinthia, the Gymnopaidai, and the Karneia")

Pettersson's essay also mentions G. F. Unger, another author who supports the theory.

Or we can take a step further and say this myth is about one god usurping another. As I said, Hyacinthus is a god worshipped in Amyclae long before the arrival of Apollo, so it's not a stretch to say his death at Apollo's hands also metaphorizes his cult getting replaced by Apollo's cult. It's the same as Apollo killing and replacing the Python as the patron of Delphi.

(Damian Pierzak, "The Case of Apollo and Hyacinth in the 'Second Tetralogy' Attributed to Antiphon")

However, there is one thing that I haven't understood.

In the myths, once Apollo killed the Python, he took over the Delphin temple for good. But in the case of Hyacinthus, Apollo is said to mourn Hyacinthus greatly and later revive him from death. He even shared the Hyacinthia festival and Amyclean shrine with Hyacinthus, with his statue built on top of Hyacinthus' tomb)

Is there a historical event that made the people worship both gods together instead of replacing one with another? Or are Apollo and Hyacinthus' joint worship an eventual thing? We'll never know for sure.

Hyacinthus is resurrected + Hyacinthus represents the death and rebirth cycle of nature

Hyacinthus' resurrection is like the hidden ending most people are unaware of, but it's a thing. No, we are not making it up because there are legit records and studies about it.

(Pausanias, "Description of Greece")

(Nonnus, "Dionysiaca")

(Angeliki Petropoulou, "Hyakinthos and Apollo of Amyklai: Identities and Cults A Reconsideration of the Written Evidence")

From here, we can assume that Hyacinthus' death and resurrection is the allegory for the cycle of plant life and death, like how Persephone descending to and ascending from the Underworld is the allegory for season change.

However, I only draw this conclusion from mythology blogs. Few ancient poets and professional scholars seem to talk about this theme of Hyacinthus.

As of now, I've only got these two sources that slightly discuss it:

(Ovid, "Metamorphoses")

Ovid's version is debatable because Hyacinthus still remains dead in his story. We can argue that Hyacinthus still "lives on" in the form of the flower, but it won't align with Hyacinthus' resurrection in the myths.

(Damian Pierzak, "The Case of Apollo and Hyacinth in the 'Second Tetralogy' Attributed to Antiphon")

Again, Mr. Pierzak cites Ovid's retelling when he mentions the "Hyacinthus is connected to nature's rebirth" theory.

I'm still looking for more accounts (both from ancient Greek and scholarly research) where Hyacinthus is fully revived and symbolizes the plants' cycle. If anyone has anything, please let me know! I would love to read more!

The Hyacinthia festival

The Hyacinthia festival is confirmed not only in mythology but also in history.

(Michael Pettersson, "Cults of Apollo at Sparta: The Hyakinthia, the Gymnopaidai, and the Karneia")

(Pausanias, "Description of Greece")

Until now, people are still studying about this ancient festival.

(Angeliki Petropoulou, "Hyakinthos and Apollo of Amyklai: Identities and Cults A Reconsideration of the Written Evidence")

I will talk about the Hyacinthia's rituals, practices, history, etc., but then we'll be here until next summer. So, I recommend everyone check out this post made by a Paganist for a deeper study.

TO BE CONTINUED

#hyacinthus #greek gods #greek deities #greek mythology #iceberg meme explain #long post #my ramblings #my theories #analysis #this takes a lot of work than i thought #this is what undiagnosed ADHD can do to an individual

[redjaybathood]

I'm sorry, I am still in the bomb shelter so I need to take my mind off the things like sounds of explosions and how my stomach is hurting right now from stress+constant coffee bc I've been pulling doubles and weekends on 3 hours of sleep basically the whole week+I literally have no food money left so I'm eating like, once a day and it's the cheapest crop there is. So yeah, my stomach is fucked up again.

Anyhow! Need to take my mind off things, and been browsing Tumblr insomuch as weak connection allows me. So happened upon a post that was about fixing Jason in comics. And the thing is, it's not about this particular post, I've seen a lot of them. By fixing things, people propose different things. Leave Gotham, have some of his own friends so not to steal from Dick of Tim, being community minded, etc etc. And most of the things listed are already in the canon.

Jason got his own friends back in 2016 with Artemis and Biz. Of course, Wonderfam/Artemis fans weren't happy about it either. And nobody would. You can literally not allow any established hero or villain or any character at all, to become Jason's friend, because it's stealing. You just need an OC. But fandom doesn't like OC that much either, seeing how when he got some more friends in 2020ish with Dana Harlowe (with a few unfortunate mentions in between, like Max Dawkins, fridged, and Numbers, rewamping Jason's story in Ma Gunn's school, never to be seen again), people were harping that it's rewriting Jason's history again, because he didn't have any childhood friends, otherwise he wouldn't be so alone and died. Now some people say that Martinborough doesn't respect Jason as a character and makes his OC the star of the show. So this doesn't work either.

Leave Gotham. He left Gotham plenty in 2016 run, and I'm not scandalsavage to be up to date on sales figures so I don't know how it did, financially speaking. İ would bet not that good tho. İ didn't enjoy the Year of the Villain event and Jason's group of kids/teen villains, and I don't see anyone enjoying them or even bringing them up in meta or hc or fic much. Yeah, I would bet it didn't do all that good. So. They probably wouldn't do that anymore.

And there's people who, the opposite. They want Jason back to street level, as if he ever was. Okay, so Red Hood: The Hill.

And there's people who say, Jason should help community in other, cool, hip, anarchist ways of growing community gardens or whatever. Do charity like multi gazillioner Bruce Wayne does. And wadda you know, Jason also did charity in canon! Again, Rebirth. İceberg Lounge arc.

The problem is consistency. The problem is making it matter for more than the issue it appears in.

İm sincerely holding up hopes for Martinborough's run. İt's a mini series, as far as I remember, and they're supposed to be easier in that - if you don't count, like, Rosenberg's Man Who Stopped Laughing being fucked by Zdarsky's Gotham War (fucking distasteful ; could have come up with a better name: Lover's Spat; or, Consequences of Not Getting Enough Sleep. Which honestly, I can relate, Bruce. Can relate.)

But from what I ve seen from the first issue, it's not exactly... There's too much going on and I don't know where he's going with it tbh.

#jason todd #fandom discourse

[moonypears-blog]

Hi so I had ✨️thoughts✨️ on a concept for a stf episode/scenario/etc that I remembered tangentially related to your Papa story (so good btw) (also this may end up being long I'm so sorry)

It'd most likely be something geared towards an older audience (like not kindergartners lol, something for the spinoff whenever that happens maybe? Idk what the target audience for it will be considering we dont know anything about it) and framed as either a Father's Day or Halloween episode (I don't think we got any Father's day eps other than the one episode I hate with a burning passion)

Basically, Sofia is going through her things and finds something of Birk's, whether it be some sort of sailing gear or clothing or a gift or an image of them together (idk it could be anything, we know borderline nothing about this man) and she's hit with what I'm going to call the Rose Quartz effect. Missing a parent who you barely/don't know, having unanswered questions that won't/can't be answered, having all these conflicting feelings about this one person and feeling all of them yet none of them at the same time. Losing a parent at such a young age is rough and was just the tip on the iceberg of Sofia growing up far faster than she needed to.

Where am I going with this? Well, because of all of these unanswered questions and difficult emotions, Sofia wants to talk to her deceased father. Ghosts exist canonically in the series, who's to say they can't be summoned? Maybe she gets help from Cedric, or she finds a book on her own, or maybe she even gets help from Lucinda and the witches or that one ghost from the Ghostly Gala episode who's name I can't remember but I definitely had a crush on as a kid.

The main conflict of the episode would probably be all of these internal conflicting desires for Sofia, possibly also Miranda's own feelings about her belated husband (is this how you use belated? Idk lol).

Regardless of how it happens, the episode ends/has its final act with Sofia summoning her father, Birk. He sees how much his little girl has grown up, how brave and kind and smart she is. She gets to see and say goodbye to her father a final time and get proper closure. Maybe throw in a line or two there from Birk on just how grown up Sofia is, almost (definitely) too grown up for a pre-teen/adolescent girl.

The message of the episode would probably be something about grief and the process of it all, how it's okay to be angry that someone you love is gone, how talking about it opens old wounds but helps to heal them. It's bittersweet.

But yeah definitely not something suited for what the original demographic for stf was. Of course important to talk about, but with what I'm talking about it'd probably go over such young heads.

Sorry that this is so long! I had to get all my thoughts out and it got pretty rambley lmao

This is such a good idea for an episode!

I agree that Birk would be disheartened at how grown up Sofia is, obviously he'd know she's grown since she was five, but she's too far ahead, and not in the natural way that some children just emotionally mature quicker than their peers.

I think even though it's been a long time and Sofia doesn't really have anything to miss as she hardly knows life with him, she still really misses Birk, like I said in chapter two of "Papa..." some days she just wants to be by herself and lay in bed grieving him. I wish the show brought it up, especially for the potential children watching who lost one of their parents like Sofia. This would be a really good episode for that reason alone, honestly.

Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if this spin off went a more mature route, considering how a good deal of the fans are teens and adults, and there's going to be people watching who grew up on the show and are now older just out of curiosity. If I remember rightly something similar happened with miraculous ladybug, they started making the episodes more mature after the creators realised the main audience was teens and adults, not their original target audience. I've seen Craig interact with lots of older fans so he definitely knows they're a big audience!

#Also you don't need to apologise for rambling in my asks I love it!/gen #sofia the first #sofia the fandom #stf #princess sofia #sofia balthazar #moonypears asks #asks

[not-souleaterpost]

Manga and Copyright

I'll be honest, I'm only asking because I need the info to figure certain things out for the SE Iceberg, but I think it would be interesting for people in general, no matter what series or author we are speaking about:

Are there any general rules about "ownership" of a series, franchise, "ip" in relation to the original creator?

Like does it depend on magazine, timeframe, individual contract etc? As an example, I think back in the day most American Comic writters didnt keep any rights for their charachters, atleast in the big magazines, but did Shonen Jump and the others copy that model?

Probably not, considering the orginal creator seems to be allways credited, like thw famous line of "Original Creator ____"

But still it is obviously still beholden to magazines and othet institutions, not just the fact that publishers like Shueisha or Square Enix get credited, but more the fact that they run in magazines that hold the sway over cancelations, brand deals, tie ins, anime productions etc.

And the fact that you so rarerly hear that a canceled manga just got continued by the author on their free time would suggest that its just legally not possible (still it could just be that its either not economical to do, or the author doesnt care enough about a flor or maybe both and other reasons, maybe also a cultural thing out of respect or shame but dont quete me on that just speculating)

So if I had to guess there probably is a system where the author and publisher have partial ownership (+parts owned by other parties depending on situation) - I would have thought that probably only the magazine owns it, but the fact that Atsushi Ohkubo could connect two of his works published in different magazines with different parent companys suggests that he atleast owns it partally, and that is enough to atleast do what he did, even if there are still some strange details.

Anyways, this is all just my baseless apriori ideas, would appreciate if somebody who is actually knowladgable about this could give some info.

(Also I am only asking all this in a descriptive way, no moral judgments about if its fair or not. Personally I am against copyright in principle, but still I wonder how it works in the reality of the current legal framework and reality).

And if this seems just to be a boring question - yeah...sorry

#manga #publishing #copyright #question #legal #legal question #ownership #soul eater #atsushi ohkubo #who owns what

[frodolives]

Hi!! So sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you could please expand on the pedophile investigation? I’ve never seen anything that suggested he was a pedophile so this is pretty shattering. I was abused as a child so to find out one of the few men I trusted may have also been an abuser is very sad 😭. Anyways sorry if that’s too much info lmao (p.s i love your blog!!)

OK since I got a few asks about this specific iceberg entry I suppose I should make it its own post. It sounds worse than it (probably) is so I'll just say right off the bat that I don't think Paul was/is an actual pedophile or sexual abuser of any sort... But he's by no means a saint and still did questionable things that I feel a lot of his fans are too wilfully forgetful of. However, I also understand the reluctance to talk about it because it's definitely an uncomfortable and potentially triggering topic. TW for paedophilia and sexual abuse mentions under the cut.

Basically the specific incident I was referring to in the iceberg was this video:

This video is the only thing I can find on the incident and it's not long so I recommend watching it if you're curious of all the details... The gist is that when the Beatles were in Minneapolis in 1965, the police got reports there was an underage girl in one of the Beatles' motel rooms and when they showed up to investigate they found her in Paul's room.

To Paul's credit, he's kind-of addressed this? Not the specific Minneapolis incident, but he did admit to sleeping with young girls here, saying:

“More generally, then the whole sort of scene was not so PC. [In] that postwar boom, girls and guys, it was a much more open scene… free love and the Pill had just come in, so it was a completely different scene. The other aspect, of course, is that we, though not quite Jimmy [Savile], we were of the age of the girls, we were all young. So if you’re now talking about a 17-, 18-year-old boy with a 15-year-old girl, we all knew that was illegal. We knew it and it was like, ‘NO’. But the closer we were in age, of course, the less it seemed to matter. We knew with under-16s it was illegal, so we didn’t do it [...] We tried to make sure. We couldn't always be sure but there was a definite no-no involved in under-age kids. Hey, listen, we didn't have to worry. There were plenty of over-16-year-olds.”

So Paul admits he slept with young girls when he was young himself, but is also adamant they were never underage. On the surface this kind of contradicts the police investigation saying there was an underage girl in his room, but it's worth noting that the specific age of what is considered "underage" varies from place to place and time to time. (In addition, I think when the police heard a Beatle had a young girl in his room they assumed that meant a child which would explain the need for police intervention, but when they probably realized it was somebody older they seemed to drop the case because as far as my knowledge goes there were no charges made.) Paul specifically says he never slept with anybody under 16, thus essentially admitting to sleeping with 16-year-olds who still would be considered underage in a lot of places. In addition, he admits that "you couldn't always be sure" and I wouldn't be surprised if there were any mature-looking underage fans who lied about being older to sleep with Paul. So personally I think Paul is being honest and I doubt he ever purposefully sought out younger girls (I'm maybe giving him the benefit of the doubt here but I truly don't believe it fits with Paul's personality). But Paul was still on a very thin line...

While Paul wasn't a pedophile in the literal definition of the word (I'm quite positive he never ever slept with a prepubescent child), the age of these teenagers he was sleeping with is definitely still questionable... Paul defending himself saying he was young and that it was a different time kind of sounds like a cop-out, but I also think it's worth emphasizing with him. Paul was young and we know he stopped sleeping with groupies by the time he was in his mid-20s. And as for the different time thing... unfortunately in the 60s, rock stars sleeping with very young fans was incredibly common and normalized. I honestly can't think of a single rock star from that era that isn't guilty of sleeping with questionably young girls. It's also worth noting the young girls in question tended to be groupies who were extremely willing participants and wouldn't themselves have called it abuse (even though it can also be validly argued that Paul took advantage of his fans’ adoration of him and they were too young to properly consent).

Since "free love" was the rock and roll culture and Paul was young and in the depths of it, I can't really blame him for being influenced... at least I can understand his perspective somewhat... of course it sucks that he wasn't the "glowing exception," I really wish he was more careful about who he slept with, but he wasn't.

In short, it's a very complex situation and one of Paul's more questionable incidents... I don't think Paul is some irredeemable pedophile or sexual abuser or anything, I just think this is more a case of him being young, horny, stupid, and negatively influenced by his environment. Though I'm also aware I'm maybe not the best person to give a "take" on this since I know I speak from a place very far removed from groupie culture and I'm a McCartney fan and thus biased. So while personally I "forgive" him for this, I completely understand if somebody can't.

Overall, I believe there should be more wider discussions about the ways rock stars interacted with groupies because there's definitely truth to rock stars abusing their power and influence over fans (some worse than others...) and since it's only really us fans who know about it, we don't want to expose or think about the flaws of our icons, and thus rock stars have basically gotten away with it. I'm not saying we should "cancel" everybody or anything, but I think we should definitely do a better job at evaluating their legacy and the legacy of rock and roll in general. I love rock and roll, it's my favourite thing in the world, and I love Paul McCartney. But completely idealizing is also never healthy.

#i might regret posting this idk this is a serious topic and i don't feel like the most articulate person right now #but i also feel like i'm responsible for giving my thoughts atm since i'm the one who brought it up lol #ask

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

By far the biggest Zutara crime is acting like Katara would want to be Fire Lady or live in the Fire Nation at all

I've seen some Zutara fans trying to "correct" that by making Zuko move to the south pole with her. Zuko!

The guy who spent years trying to go back to the Fire Nation. The guy who turned against his uncle to be able to go back home. The guy who explicitly said he was trying to save his country by joining the Avatar. The guy who choose, of all the possible options, to hide with his friends in his family's old beach house. The guy who fought his sister, and nearly died, for the crown, throne, and title of Fire Lord.

THAT Zuko is going to just pack his things and willingly move some other place permanently? No fucking way. There is exactly zero chance of that ever happening. He never stopped seeing his nation as his home, and that's where he belongs.

And like you said, why the fuck would KATARA ever want to move to the Fire Nation? Sure, she helped the people who needed her help - but like she said, it was because she would never turn her back on anyone who needs her. She has no connection to the people of the Fire Nation, never felt part of them or expressed any desire for that to change, and for many years the only role they had in her mind was as the evil, heartless monsters who destroyed her village and killed her mother.

Hakoda, Sokka and Gran-Gran are her family. She loves them and she once explicitly said "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again." She wanted to help Jet free people, and she inspired Haru and the captured earthbenders to fight to take back their villages. She was excited at the thought of learning about her culture from Hama. She was happy when Pakku said it was time for the Northern Tribe to help rebuild the South. That sounds like someone who wants to go home and make it better than it was when she was growing up, not like someone who wants to leave it - especially not for the nation that destroyed it.

This is how incompatible Zuko and Katara are: the things they want in life are so different that there is no way they would live in the same country. And I'm supposed to believe these two would not only try giving this a shot, but would actually end up married? I'm sorry, but that is even more unrealistic than people bending the elements and someone surviving being frozen in an iceberg for 100 years.

From what I've seen, Zutara shippers seem to believe that Katara would have a better future by essentially being a queen - but when exactly did she ever say she wanted that? She is a fighter and a healer. She wants to help and protect people, yes, but she never seemed to want any kind of political power for her own gain.

They want her to have hope for a better life, and something that can actually give her said life, which is completely fine. But being Fire Lady would not give her that, because that title means nothing to her. It'd give her powers she didn't ask for, over people she doesn't feel a real connection with, and it would demand her to leave her family and tribe. This wouldn't make her happy, and there's no way she'd choose that for herself.

You know who DID give her hope for a happier future? Who she had faith in before she ever met him AND before she even connected the dots on who he was? The guy she reminded us of every single episode and who succeeded in giving her the better world she dreamed of?

Aang. The guy she ended up with.

It's almost like, despite the flaws in the writting of their romance, Kataang was endgame from the start, and that decision actually made narrative sense even when the execution could have been handled better because these characters are obviously meant to be together AND are compatible.

#asks #pro kataang #anti zutara #anti zvtara #katara doesn't want to be fire lady #katara doesn't want zuko

[violetren]

Ok live action atla reaction for episode 2.

It was better than episode one. Where episode one was a dumpster fire actively trying to hurt me both as an avatar fan and as someone with a basic understanding of how multimodal media is used to craft stories, episode two is fine.

I hesitate to call it great or even good when my only other point of reference so far is one of the worst episodes of TV I have seen in the past decade. Or possibly just ever. But I can comfortably say it was fine.

Perhaps my biggest on going issue is still the dialogue. When they don't sound like they just walked out of a LA therapists office, they instead sound like they are either in a circa 2010 disney original tv show, or just straight up like the writer explaining directly to camera how they are justifying skipping events from the animation because they have made the characters so much more mature and self aware of what they need to do/become for the sake of saving the world.

In short, Sokka remains unfunny.

I can't believe the "I bet you taste like chicken" comment wasn't even in response to Momo doing anything in particular. Momo is just there chilling on Aang's shoulder and Sokka is glaring at him like Momo is his arch rival, talking about a singular non mishmash animal that he has probably never even seen before because where the fuck where the chicken coops in the south fucking pole!?

Katara's strives in bending probably look impressive to anyone who hasn't seen the first episode of the animation where she already outclassed her current progress. Girl was out there (accidentally) splitting icebergs out of anger, but I'm meant to be impressed she can make a water ball in 3 seconds? I hate how badly she has been nerfed.

I also hate how they made it that Gram Gram actively helped nerf her by denying Katara her inheritance until it was clear she was gonna hop on a flying bison and go on adventures with the Avatar. She didn't even give her the scroll directly and apologise to her face. Just shoved it in her bags with a sorry note and now we're deprived of Katara stealing from pirates! Which means Katara is gonna be carrying that "goody toe shoes always morally correct with no room for nuance mom friend" burden for who knows how much longer now.

We did FINALLY get some Iroh adjacent behaviour from Uncle Iroh. Him trying to cajole Zuko into eating some street food and getting distracted mid sentence because he noticed some sticky rice wasn't perfectly executed but it was better executed than any other Iroh moments we have seen so far. Mostly he still hits as gaslighty and condescending. And don't get me wrong. OG Iroh COULD be gaslighty but never so fucking blatantly. There's no finesse, no gentle distractions layered with concern. Where is the charisma? Instead we effectively get him going "you're wrong. you should consider giving up." at every other time he talks to Zuko (less so this episode than last but only because he "tries" to teach Zuko diplomacy. Yes there are quotes around tries for a reason. He basically says Do This, gives no real guidance on how and then steps in to do the thing the second Zuko is sucking because he's never had to do this shit before and doesn't want to do it now especially since he has no idea wtf Iroh means).

Anyways, didn't they say they were overhauling the Ba Sing Se arc to make it less gaslighty? Yet they let this vibe fly with Iroh of all people?

We did at least get Suki though. And she's mostly pretty recognisably Suki. Save for the instant and hardcore pining for Sokka because he immediately became a surrogate for her yearning for the outside world. I can appreciate that they wanted to nix Sokka's sexism and instead just made him insecure about his status as a warrior, and they almost made it work but they cut themselves off from such an interesting interplay of tension by having Suki just as, if not more, eager to show off her skills to Sokka as he was to act like he was a big tough southern water tribe warrior. They were on to something when they had her question how he could be the guardian of his village if he was here with the Avatar instead. They could of had her be dismissive of his claims at being a warrior when he was clearly acting like an undisciplined blow hard and the fanthrowing/chokehold scene could have been a "stop acting tough, I am the warrior you're claiming to be" moment which wouldn't have involved any sexism on either side and have made a basis for mutual respect when Sokka comes along to the training hall. They could have had him humbly ASK instead of awkwardly miming until Suki noticed. We could have still had Sokka in Kyoshi Warrior garb. It would have stuck closer to the original, it wouldn't have taken up more time, and it would have created a much more satisfying interplay of tension between the two characters which also would help ground their future relationship in mutual respect.

I will say though, although the writing fucking choked the cinematography, the lighting team, the actors and the editors all came through with creating a sense of attraction between the two characters. So that wasn't nothing.

Kyoshi was a high point. Still fell victim to the dialogue writing, but a very strong perfomance by Yvonne Chapman accented excellently by the sound design team during some of the more intense parts when they layered in all the other Avatar voices. She was a good choice for giving Aang a bunch of hard truths and I liked how she both told him he had to find his own path but when he kept pushing for a more concrete answer just started telling him to deal with shit her way, because that felt very Kyoshi.

Also the entire sequence of her manifesting through Aang to show him a bit of what he could do as the avatar and lowkey to protect HER island was fucking badass. Not a single fire nation soldier left that island with clean underwear after facing Avatar mother fucking Kyoshi.

Unfortunately I was very quickly brought down from this high by Aang closing out his part of the episode by saying that Kyoshi told him something terrible was going to happen to the Northern Water Tribe if he didn't get up there and do his duty as the avatar to stop it. A conversation beat that happened off screen btw.

This annoys me for several reasons, starting with since when can the Avatar's collective past lives tell the future? The big threat to the Northern Water Tribe was originally Zhao coming to kill the moon spirit, which is a culmination of his lust for dominance and power and his plans to capture the avatar for himself. So either that isn't happening (and they are unnecessarily trying to revamp a perfectly good finale to stroke their own egos) OR they have made the nonsensical decision to foretell this tragedy in the show instead of just letting the tension mount naturally because 80+% of their audience already know shit goes down in at the Northern Water Tribe. Which annoys the fuck out of me. Aang was always going to go North for water bending training anyways, and especially this borderline hyper responsible version of Aang who knows even if it will hurt emotionally he will need to learn the other elements. There was no good god damn reason to add a second layer of urgency by saying if he doesn't get there bad shit will happen!

My closing rant is really more of a question, but why the fuck is it every time we see a firelord, (Sozin and now Ozai) that they are just hanging out in the middle of the fucking chamber chatting with some fucking guys until a prisoner/messenger arrives while the fire throne looms menacingly in the background upstairs and 50 feet back. Where is the menace and pizazz of them sitting looking down on literally everyone and everything from up on high flanked by flames, committing atrocities with a wave of their hand and a few low spoken words that everyone grovels to hear? I believe in Daniel Dae Kim's ability to look scary and lordly on a fancy chair, especially if the fancy chair has FIRE, why doesn't the director?

#chirping wren #live action atla spoilers #live action atla critical

[oldcoyote]

"How I wanted to be a writer my entire life until Glee fandom literally just crushed it right out of me" OK except you were one of the most popular writers in Glee ficdom so how did that 'crush' anything? I'm sorry if this seems rude but your tweet seems rude when so many of us supported you and your writing.

oh god ok. first off, i am very sorry if the tweet caused any offense - that was certainly not my intention at all. but i need you to understand that the situation at the end of my time as neaf in Glee fandom was an iceberg; you only saw the very top peak, and there was a veritable fuckload of traumatic shit going on underneath.

let me explain properly, at last, why i left

let me say first and foremost that i am still overwhelmingly grateful for the support and kindness that thousands of people in Glee fandom showed me. for the response to my writing, the support for the blog itself, and for the wonderful interactions on this site day in and day out that made those some of the best days of my life

that said, when you have a blog like that, one that grows rapidly in popularity, you do get - as I did - an array of responses that vary from unsettling (people wanting your advice, people coming to you for help), to upsetting (people despising you for your undeserved popularity), to downright frightening (people trying to find your real name and home address, people building shrines to you, and no i'm not joking on that last one)

the main reason i started the blog was to get my writing out there, that's why the blog began, but it became such a huge part of my life due to the popularity of it that i spent the vast majority of my days on it answering messages and interacting with everyone. my entire world became the blog, and it had a deeply negative impact on my real life relationships - which was one reason why i left

another big reason why was the volume of asks i would get about people's trauma, none of them with any warnings, or asks begging me for help or exposure. they were ceaseless, and exhausting, and after years of it i was struggling to cope

and then there was the drama, or the rest of the iceberg, so to speak - the real, main reason i left

essentially, in the early days of the blog i was happily oblivious to a growing discontent with my presence in fandom. other writers and big names (BNFs or 'big name fans' i believe was the term, oof) in the fandom had slowly become angry that i was getting so much undeserved attention for my blog and my fics, and while i still to this day don't know why they hated me so damn much, that hate was very real and it grew rapidly. vagueposting began about me being full of myself, about how little i deserved what i was getting, about how unfair it was that people liked my work when my writing was so bad. eventually, my attention was brought to it by a friend who was also a friend of theirs, and i remember that night so well - the night i discovered how deeply these people who didn't even know me absolutely loathed me, and how many of them there were

after a lot of crying and weighing options, i decided to ignore it, and leave them be. our spheres rarely crossed anyway, why engage and potentially make it worse? but ignoring it didn't help, as with all hate it begged for attention, and it continued to spread to places where it became far more visible - like my ask box

then the stories started.

on anonymous Glee hate-gossip groups on livejournal and dreamwidth, they went in and made up tales about things i'd never actually done - the nastier details of which i will leave out, but suffice it to say i was painted as a self-serving, self-obsessed bitch who used her followers to ostracize other writers, and far worse. i was suddenly Cassandra Claire 2.0., but in my case, it was as horrifying as it was fictional, and it left me helpless to defend myself without giving it more attention despite the fact that i could prove none of it was true

i felt broken at that point already, but then came the doxxing, and the fallout

during my time on the blog i'd made quite a few close friends with other very popular bloggers, some of whom were adored by fandom and some of whom were... well, very much not. but they were my friends and i stuck by them, even when they did things i didn't necessarily agree with

now, a very dear friend of mine who wasn't a huge 'bnf' had written a fic based around a fairly uncommon AU that had barely been done before in the fandom. it was a wonderful fic, and wasn't getting the attention it deserved (in my opinion), but i reblogged it whenever i could to draw attention to it. not long after it became popular, another close friend - one with a bigger blog and a vast array of followers - decided to write a very similar story right down to the AU type. when i mentioned in passing that it was very similar to the first fic that was going around and did they intend that, they got very angry with me, yelled at me for insinuating that they were copying someone else, and the friendship quickly imploded after that in a messy, ugly kind of way, taking other friends out with it

when i say it got ugly, i mean that this person was the kind of person vagueblogging and vindictiveness was invented for. i also learned the hard way thought the fallout that this 'friend' was actually one of the people who had been going and posting things about me that weren't true, just to drum up hatred for the neaf blog and to knock me down a peg

then, out of nowhere, someone started leaving my real name in my inbox. i was horrified and frightened, and used an old trick to try and track the IP address of the anonymous sender. it turned out to be, once again, that friend's location

in the wake of all of that, feeling absolutely gutted and betrayed by one of my closest friends, feeling overwhelmed by begging strangers, and spending too much time on the gleeme dreamwidth reading about what a disgusting and worthless person i was and how my writing was such a joke -- i fell to pieces, and stopped functioning for a few days

finally, after i got myself back together, i realised what i had to do. ending my time in the Glee fandom was largely done for my mental health - but the biggest step in that was stopping writing altogether. even now, the idea of writing makes me sick to my stomach. i will never regret the fics i wrote, i know how much joy they did bring to a lot of people, and i will forever be grateful for those who read them and continue to read them on ao3. there are people across the world with my words tattooed on their bodies, in my handwriting. there are people all over who still remember me fondly, and that brings me a great deal of peace and comfort

but i cannot forget the hate, or the cruelty, that these people flung at a complete stranger on the internet just because it was fun for them to do so. when i say my writing was crushed out of me, it has nothing to do with my gratitude, please believe that. it's just that it literally was.

#the neaf thing #fandom histories #glee related

[crossroadsserpent]

Overstimulated.

Gotham! Penguin x Autistic! GN! Reader.

(A/N: I know it's not a Dano riddler Fic but I've been wanting to write this one for a while, I adore that gay lil' penguin and I want to start writing more for him! Next up will be a transmasc reader fic for Gotham pengy then I'll do a Dano riddler and autistic reader.)

Summary: (This takes place when Oswald is running the Iceberg lounge.) Oswald spends a lot of time in the lounge, chatting with a lot of powerful people and generally enjoying the fruits of his labors. But wherever he is, his bestfriend (other than Edward obviously) is right beside him, he never minded because he did have feelings towards them. The reader loved the Iceberg but wasn't a fan of the loud music chosen by the powerful people, it hurt their ears and really made them feel horrid. After two hours of that constant horrible music and the nasty colognes and perfumes the people wore the reader starts to shut down, covering their ears while trying to hold back the breakdown that was bound to come when overstimulation starts. Oswald finally takes notice and not knowing that the reader was autistic, starts to panic, pulling them into his office.

♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~

The iceberg was usually quiet, but not tonight, tonight the lounge was catering to a very high paying client and that meant the client was paying enough to allow them to choose the music and had full access to any and all alcohol.

Oswald had offered you alcohol the first time you came to the lounge but you politely declined, not liking to drink outside of your apartment and to your surprise, Oswald wasn't upset, he didn't mind that you didn't drink. He never guilted you for not drinking and even made sure to keep a mini fridge in his office stocked with your favorite drinks and snacks.

Oswald chatted cheerfully with a male patron, placing his empty Burbon glass down on the table and it wasn't long before a waiter refilled the glass. You kept quiet, fidgeting with the hem of your shirt under the table, you'd been here for two hours alternating between talking with Os and watching him talk to the lounge patrons, the music playing drilling into your skull and making your skin crawl. You werent sure exactly how long Oswald had been talking but you silently prayed for the conversation to end quickly so you could tell Oswald you needed to go outside. Unfortunately his conversation ended just as you began to shut down, covering your ears with your hands as you shut your eyes tightly, trying not to break down. Oswald looks at you with a worried look "Y/N? hey, are you okay?" You couldn't respond, tears rolled down your cheeks as you started to shake. Unsure of what was happening or what to do and beginning to panic, Os got up, carefully leading you to his office "H-Hey, Hey, Y/N, what happened? What's wrong?" He looked over you, worried womeone hurt you when he wasn't looking.

It took a good 10-ish minutes for you to calm down enough to speak "I-I'm sorry! I-I guess the music was a little overstimulating...." you felt horrible for making Oswald worry. He gave you a look of confusion "overstimulating?"

You nodded "Yeah... I-I'm autistic, I'm really sorry..." you hung your head as more tears began to fall.

Oswald quickly dropped to his knees infront of you (completely ignoring the searing pain in his knee) placing a gentle hand on your cheek "No no no, you don't need to apologize for this! You can't help any of this... it's not your fault, it's mine, I didn't check in on you enough and I didn't think that the music might bother you."

"Os, it's not your job to take care of me, I should have gone outside but I didn't want to seem rude." You let out a soft sigh as you placed a hand ontop of his. He took your hand in his, squeazing slightly "Y/N... I-I want to take care of you. I want to make sure you're okay, that you're happy. Y/N, I'm in love with you and I want so badly to be able to hold you and comfort you when you need it...." when he finished he held his breath, preparing for you to push him away or cuss him out but you didn't. You sat there for a minute, quietly thinking about what he'd just said.

Oswald let go of your hand as he started to get up "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said anything..." you quickly grabbed his wrist, stopping him "n-no! It's okay!" You got up from where you were sitting, pulling him into a tight hug "I've been in love with you for years, Os, I was just afraid you only thought of me as a friend."

Oswald felt as though his heart might explode, you loved him back? Was he dreaming? Was this a joke? He didn't care, he just wanted to enjoy the moment. He wrapped his arms around you, burying his face into your neck, taking in your scent "I thought the same thing."

Oswald drove you back to your apartment building and escorted to your door, wanting to make sure you got in safely. Once you got your door open you turn to him with a sweet smile "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

He nodded, returning your smile "of course, and tomorrow we don't have to stay at the lounge if you don't want to."

"Sounds good to me." You place a kiss on his lips before wishing him goodnight. He just stood there in shock, tough the kiss was quick and sweet it still sent sparks through him.

#oswald cobblepot #gotham oswald #oswald cobblepot x reader #gotham

[imnobodyuknow]

Surprise!!!

Well, I hate to tell y'all this, but...

I wrote another fan fiction!

Yep... And if that wasn't cringey enough, it's one about my favorite Ace Attorney ship!

And did I happen to mention I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic?

Dang, I'm just diabolical today. 😐

But for those of you who don't mind fanfiction, ships, and a bit of non-canon romance (and have played through both of the Ace Attorney Chronicles games), please enjoy a brand-new short story featuring two characters from my first one -- Ryunosuke Naruhodo and Susato Mikotoba!

I was hoping to have it ready by Valentine's Day, but I don't mind having a little extra time to polish things, so I'll just say "oh, well" to that. 🤷‍♂️ Now, without further ado...

***The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Spoilers Ahead!!!***

A Moment of Warmth

A short story by the Co-Mod

Dedicated to anyone struggling to stay positive (and every hopeless romantic out there)

5th December, 8:08 pm

McGilded Park

(Ugh…  We sure picked a lousy time to visit this place again.  London winters are the worst.)

The young man slumped over on the bench in his brown wool coat, crossing his arms and hating the bitter cold with every fiber of his frigid being.  He was grateful to be able to rest after the long trip from Japan to Great Britain, which had ended with a loud greeting and a sorry attempt at playing the violin from his eccentric British detective friend.  He was also grateful to be in an open space with no sound, save for that of a light wind blowing.  And at the moment, he was especially grateful to be alone.  He had met many friendly people here in London, but as a defense attorney, someone who had to deal with some of the worst cheaters, liars, and cold-hearted murderers on a regular basis (and had already seen more than his fair share of them), he was all too happy to be the only person in the vicinity.

He wished he knew of a better place to find solitude, though.  The only other quiet locations he could think of were the office of Prosecutor van Zieks and the house of the Garridebs, and he was never one to intrude unnecessarily.  Much as he loathed the biting cold, he preferred it over the chaotic company he was accustomed to here.  Being a Japanese in the Great British Empire had brought about a number of bizarre events in his life, some good, others not so good.  He was grateful to have established a reputation as Ryunosuke Naruhodo, a skilled defense attorney, and was equally grateful that his close friends Kazuma and Susato, also Japanese, had themselves achieved good standing with the people of London.  He was well aware that respect and social standing were often difficult to come by for outsiders to this nation.  All things considered, he and his friends had been truly blessed during their time here.

Even so, he was struggling to feel grateful for much else at the moment.  The cold weather and the dark sky above him reminded him of how cold and dark the human soul could be.  In just a single year as a defense attorney, he dealt with criminals liars of many different sorts—one of which had tried to frame him for murder—and he was well aware that this was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the evil still lurking in Great Britain, his home country of Japan, or any other land populated by people.

“Haah…  People…” he muttered to himself.  When he was younger, he’d read all about evil villains in books, both real and fictional, but seeing them with his own eyes had been an entirely different experience.  Not only were they less fun to observe in person, but they often had a way of leaving one with a somewhat less hopeful outlook on life, as well as the future of the world and humanity.  And then another thought came to him – with all the new gizmos and gadgets being invented that were making possible things that were previously impossible, who could say what would happen if one of them were to fall into the wrong hands?  What new sorts of horrible crimes would be concocted and executed, and how many would suffer for it?  The thought made him shiver…although it didn’t make much difference in the cold winter weather.

On the other hand, he had been lucky enough to become someone who, with the help of friends, both old and new, was able to stand against the evil schemes of the wicked and put an end to them.  He’d never thought of himself as a hero, but somehow, he’d found himself in the position of being one now, at least in the eyes of his clients.  The smiles on their faces and words of gratitude always seemed to make everything he’d been through for them feel less like a trial and more like the end of a thrilling adventure, or like reaching a long journey’s destination.  It was those bright moments that truly made his efforts worthwhile in the end.  But even so, unlike the fictional heroes he’d read about, he knew he would never save an entire town or city from a dastardly villain’s evil plot.  Whether in Great Britain, Japan, or any other nation, all he could do was save one person at a time, and often only by sheer luck.  He was simply a cog in the machine known as the legal system, and one cog could never be strong or efficient enough to keep the machine from breaking every now and then.

But regardless of what he was able or unable to do, he knew one thing for sure – he needed a break from people.  Why else would he be out in the freezing cold, if not to get away from society and spend some time by himself, after all?  Sadly, he couldn’t say that he felt much better now that he was alone.  All he felt was the coldness of his surroundings, which only served to remind him of the coldness in the world and in pe-

“Naruhodo-san?”

He turned his head quickly in the direction of the familiar woman’s voice he’d just heard.  Standing only a few feet to his left was the concerned face of his judicial assistant and friend.  She wore a pink wool coat with the same design his coat had, though a bit fancier.

“Susato-san? Wh-What are you…?”

“I…could not help but worry when I saw that you had come out here by yourself.  And in the freezing cold, of all places.  Is there…something wrong?”

“Er…  N-No, of course not!” he answered with a sheepish grin. “I just…wanted to be alone for a moment, that’s all.  Heh…”

Her face grew more concerned.  “I see…  But…why out here?  You could catch a cold in a matter of minutes!  And besides, isn’t it rather uncomfortable?”

“I…  Well…  Uh…”

He paused for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts.  Why was he out in this frigid park?  Sure, there were no people here, but it hadn’t done much to relieve his inner stress.  And it wasn’t doing much for his outer self, either.  What had even been the point?

“…There is something wrong, isn’t there?” Susato asked with even stronger concern in her voice.  “What is it, Naruhodo-san?”

He struggled to find an answer.  She certainly wasn’t wrong, but what could he possibly say?  That he was sick of people?  That he’d rather be alone in the frigid cold than be near even one of them?  He wasn’t sure if he even had a good reason, for that matter.

“I-It’s nothing…  Really…”

He turned his face away, hoping she would believe him.  After hearing nothing from her for a few seconds, he assumed she’d decided to leave him alone and rejoin their friends in the comfort of their warm and cozy flat.

(Haah…  I hope I didn’t leave her feeling too concerned abou—)

“Naruhodo-san.”

“Ah—!”  He jerked his head up and saw her standing in front of him, looking down at him with an unsatisfied gaze.

“I have never known you to do something so rash without a reason.  Will you kindly tell me what it is that has brought you here?”

Realizing he had no choice, he let out a deep sigh, a large white cloud spewing from his mouth.  “It’s…sort of hard to explain.”

He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before looking down cheerlessly.

“I guess you could say I’m…feeling overwhelmed right now.  I can’t put a finger on why that is, but…I thought it might help if I could just get away from the clamor of people talking, laughing, and shouting…”

He heard Susato’s shoes in the snow as she gently stepped closer to him.

“I’ve never really been someone who hates being around others, but…I guess they get to be too much to deal with sometimes.  It’s almost like…they wear you down over time, like a horse that’s pulling a heavier load than it’s used to.  Does that make sense?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Gyuh—!”  He jumped as he noticed her sitting right next to him.  How had she done that so quietly?

She remained in silent thought for a moment, looking out into the distance, before turning to face him again.

“Is that all?”

“Ah…  Mostly.  There’s also…”  He gave another deep sigh.  “…the bad feeling I get when I think about the malice and cruelty people are capable of.  It’s not as though I wasn’t aware of it before, but…it just makes me wonder…if…”

“If…?”

“If…there could be malice and cruelty inside everyone, only a few layers deep?”

“Inside of everyone?”  Her eyes widened at his words.

“Well…maybe not a lot of it, but…enough to make anyone resort to criminal deeds, given the right circumstances.  Enough to change them from a person to a heartless beast.”

She stared at him in silence, not moving a muscle.

“Look at Kazuma, for example.  He said himself that there was a demon inside him.  One that almost drove him to murder.  He said that it nearly consumed him, in fact.”

“Well…  Yes, he did, but…he managed to conquer that demon in the end, didn’t he?  At least temporarily?”

“Sure, but…”

“But what, Naruhodo-san?”

He thought for a moment.

“I…used to think there were some in the world who had no such demon.  I’ve come to terms with being wrong about that, but…”

He let out another deep sigh.

“…I never suspected there would be so many whose demons had conquered them.  It almost seems like a disease that no one is immune to.  I suppose that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will catch it, but…to realize that even those with strong hearts and minds can be overpowered by the evil inside of them…”

He glanced over at Susato, who was still giving him a motionless stare.  Looking toward the ground again, he continued, “I do apologize for sounding so gloomy.  I’m not usually this negative, am I?”

“I was just about to say that,” she answered in a harsher tone, now wearing an unhappy glare.

He turned his head to her, wondering where this sudden tone had come from.  “Eh?”

She put a hand on her hip.  “I have seen you pout, slouch, groan, and sigh on many occasions, but not once have I ever seen you speak in such a horribly negative tone.  And I must say, it does not suit you well at all!”

He stared at her for a moment before sighing again and slouching, “Sorry…  I can’t help it if I’m overwhelmed, can I?”

“And now you’re doing all four at once!  Will you kindly get ahold of yourself, Naruhodo-san?”

“…You make it sound so easy.”

“It has never been too challenging for you in the past, has it?”

“Hm?”

“As I recall, you have been overwhelmed on several occasions before now.”  She held up a pair of tightly-clenched fists as she continued, “Yet you have always been able to pull yourself together when it counted, even when it seemed as if all hope was lost.  And that is precisely why you are known and loved by so many today!  Surely you haven’t forgotten?”

“…”

“…”

“…I…guess that’s true…”

“Then prove to me that you have not lost your resolve,” she shouted.  “And do it now!”

Her words shook him out of his depressive state, if only slightly.  But he knew he couldn’t disappoint Susato, no matter how pessimistic he was feeling.  Sitting up straight, he paused, took a deep breath, and vigorously slapped his cheeks.

“Hah…  That’s a little better.”  He looked at Susato again and saw that she was still wearing the same glare, apparently still not satisfied.

“O-Oh, right!”  He quickly stood up and, with a look of confidence and determination, pointed his left arm straight in front of him, as if accusing some invisible witness of lying.  “OBJECTION!!!”

Susato giggled.  “There it is!  I was sure your resolve hadn’t left you entirely.”

He sat back down with a satisfied smile, feeling refreshed, and a bit warmer than before.  “Thank you, Susato-san.  I think that was just what I needed.”

She smiled sweetly.  “Do you understand now, Naruhodo-san?  Overcoming your negativity was as simple as that.”

He grabbed his chin and thought for a moment.  “I suppose so, but…what else did that achieve?  My mood might be a bit better now, but it’s not as if I’ve slain anyone’s inner demon by doing that, is it?”

“Oh…!  There you go again!” she groaned.  “And you were looking so content just a moment ago.”

“Ah…!  Sorry.”  He grinned at her again, unsure what to say next.  She closed her eyes and huffed through her nose, looking almost like a dragon exhaling smoke.

After a few moments of awkward silence, she spoke up again.  “I’m not unfamiliar with being overwhelmed myself, you know.”

(I can see that...) Ryunosuke thought to himself.

“And do you know what I prefer to do in those instances?”  He turned and gave her his full attention.  With a warm smile, she continued, “I prefer to be around familiar faces.”  He gave her a look of uncertainty, wondering what she meant.  “Being among company reassures me that I am not alone in dealing with my inner struggles, and it reminds me that I have people to help me calm down should my frustration ever get the better of me.”

(Assuming you don’t execute a Susato Takedown on any of them, that is,) he thought with a smirk.

Her eyes fell as she placed her hand on the bench next to her and added with a frown, “I suppose that’s a bit easier for us women, of course.  We’re more social creatures than men, after all.”  She looked up at him plainly.  “But if you prefer to be alone, it would worry me much less if you were to do so indoors.  I believe I speak for Sholmes-san and Iris-chan as well.”

He looked at her idly as he considered what he should do.  He doubted his mood would be improved much, if at all, by rejoining everyone inside the flat, but he hated the thought of making them all worry about him, and his solitude didn’t seem to have helped much, either.  If anything, it had only made his inner turmoil even worse.  But he still wasn’t sure what choice would be the better one…or at least the more tolerable one.

He sighed and muttered, “All right, I’ll go back in.”

She smiled.  “Thank goodness!”

“In a few minutes, though.  I still need some time to think.”

Her face dropped as she gave an unhappy sigh.  She looked down and saw his bare hands resting on his legs.  “Well, you certainly won’t be letting your hands freeze solid in the meantime!”  She quickly grabbed his hands and clasped her gloved fingers around his bare ones.  (Honestly…) she thought.  (How can you manage to be so careless?)

He stared at her hands, taken off guard by her sudden gesture.  Looking up at her face, he saw her staring down his hands as if trying to win a staring contest.  Even more alarming, though, was the strength with which she was gripping his hands.  He knew she had strong hands, but he was sure he’d never seen her grab anything so tightly or focus so intensely.  What on earth could have brought this on?  Was she afraid he might get frostbit if she didn’t squeeze hard enough?  Whatever her reason was, the warmth her hands provided was both comforting and pleasant, so he decided he may as well let her continue until she was satisfied.

But then he noticed something different.  The coldness he’d been feeling in every part of his body seemed to be slowly dissipating, starting with his hands.  It was almost as if he were holding them in front of a warm fireplace.  Almost as if…Susato’s hands were a warm fireplace.

He gazed at her hands.  He began feeling nostalgic and thinking of all she had done for him with those hands – helping him find clues during investigations, searching through evidence to help him put together the truth in the courtroom, taking careful notes and finding just the right information at just the right time, and writing letters to him when they were separated, using the most beautiful calligraphy he’d ever laid eyes on.  She’d also used them to flip him upside-down on several occasions, of course, but he’d gotten used to it over time, strange as it was.

And now here she was, using them to create warmth, both in his hands and in his heart.  It dawned on him then that he’d been spending so much time thinking about the cold and cruel people in the world that he’d forgotten about the ones who made the world a warmer place – those who gave of themselves without expecting something in return, those who used their talent and skill to benefit others rather than only themselves, and those who dedicated their lives to fighting crime and protecting those who fell victim to it – fighting the coldness he’d been so focused on earlier.  He’d been lucky enough to meet and befriend so many of those people: the professor at his university, Dr. Mikotoba, his famous detective friend, Herlock Sholmes (also known as the Herlock Sholmes), Sholmes’s brilliant daughter Iris, the pickpocket turned detective-in-training, Gina Lestrade, and even his close friend Kazuma, whose heart may have been tainted by bitterness, but who had changed course in the end and become someone for him to look up to and admire once again.  And, of course, his trusted friend and judicial assistant, Susato Mikotoba, who was now putting all her focus into warming his hands, as if it was her job.

A smile slowly spread across his face.  A moment ago, he’d been talking about malice and cruelty existing inside of everyone, but after knowing, befriending, and working side by side with this young woman for almost a year, he struggled to recall her saying or doing anything malicious or cruel at all.  She was certainly far from perfect, and even had a bit of an aggressive streak at times (one he had been on the receiving end of quite often, in fact), but if there was anything evil in her, it must have been buried under so many layers that no one would be able to dig their way through to it in a hundred years.  What was easy to detect in her, on the other hand, was an extraordinary collection of good and noble traits: kindness, grace, humility, respectfulness, virtue, faithfulness…  Not to mention, she was certainly rather beautiful.  In short, she was the personification of an idealized Japanese woman, or as they said in Japan, a Yamato Nadeshiko.  Now he was beginning to wonder…just how on earth had he found and become such close friends someone like her?

He became nostalgic once more and remembered a more recent moment between the two of them at Port of Dover, just as he was preparing to begin his trip home.  It was a moment he could recall with perfect clarity, as if it had happened yesterday.  He remembered the sun peeking over the horizon behind her as she asked him, firmly but hesitantly, “Um…Naruhodo-san…”  He had looked at her quizzically as she mumbled, “…the path you’re going to follow from now on…  I wonder if I might follow it at your side.  Un-Unless I’d be a burden?”

Her question had left him almost speechless.  He’d been under the impression that she would stay in London with Kazuma and the friends they had made there, and instead she wanted to go back to Japan with him and remain his judicial assistant?  Not only that, but she’d already discussed her decision with Kazuma, who fully supported it?  And she had waited until just now to ask what he thought about it?  What was he to do with this situation?

Oddly enough, however, his response had come to him quite easily.  Without thinking, he had answered, “With you by my side…no trial would seem too daunting.  So, if you’re willing, I’d be honoured if you’d come with me.  Together we can take on the world!”  Her response had been a sweet, humble smile – a smile he had come to love seeing every time it appeared on her face.  It was one he had seen on no other face but hers.

Now it occurred to him just how different his outlook had become between then and now.  It was almost inconceivable that the man who had just been brooding over coldness and cruelty was the same one who had once believed he could take on the world with his trusted judicial assistant by his side, and that no trial would seem too daunting.  Those words repeated in his mind as he stared at Susato’s hands, still linked with his.  “We can take on the world…”  “No trial would seem too daunting…”  It seemed like an era had passed since he’d spoken them.

“Ah…  Thank you, Susato-san,” he whispered.  “I believe my hands are warm enough now.”

She loosened her grasp and gently pulled her hands away from his.  “Then I trust you will keep them firmly tucked into your coat pockets until you come inside, yes?”

“O-Of course.  Thank you.”  Without hesitating, he slipped his hands into his coat pockets, fearing something much worse than frostbite if he disobeyed her.

Now he was utterly perplexed.  His ponderings about the evil in the world had all made sense, he thought, but why on earth had he been so fixated on them?  Why had he completely forgotten about the good he’d seen in others, and acted as if he was entirely unfamiliar with love, compassion, virtue, and everything else that made life and people enjoyable?  Why, he was sitting next to someone who exemplified those things almost perfectly!

That’s when he realized what it was that had kept him from falling into sorrow and despair as he had traveled the bleak road of the defense attorney – it was her.  Well…her and those like her in his life – his family, his friends, and the strangers who had shown him compassion and courtesy.  Even if such people seemed to be few and far between right now, he couldn’t deny that he had the pleasure of knowing quite a few of them – people with warm, friendly attitudes, whose very presence could melt even the coldest of hearts, if only for a moment.  Perhaps this is what Susato had meant by being “among company”?  That the antidote to being overwhelmed by the coldness in people was to be around the warmer ones?  If that was true, then…perhaps being alone had only served to make things worse for him.

Turning to Susato, who was focusing her eyes on his hands as if preparing to shove them back in his pockets should he dare to take them out, he smiled with gratitude as he realized she had done him yet another great favor.  His thoughts took him to the past again as he remembered Kazuma’s words: “Ah hah hah hah hah hah!  Your fine judicial assistant has everything in hand as always, I see.”  He chuckled to himself.  Was there anything she couldn’t do?  It was now clear to him that of all the people who had made his life warmer in one way or another, none had done so quite so well or so consistently as Susato Mikotoba.  She was truly someone special.  A “special someone” in his life, as he’d heard some of the children of London say.

(Special someone…) he repeated in his mind.  His smile slowly disappeared as his thoughts started taking off in a new direction.  He could easily describe Susato as his trusted assistant and close friend, of course, but…could it be possible that she had become something more to him?  Someone he could see himself sharing the rest of his life and career with?  Someone…he could marry?

(Ah…!  Slow down, Ryunosuke!  Don’t get carried away!)  Without thinking, he placed a hand on his forehead and grabbed his temples, and was soon met with an icy stare and a gloved hand grabbing his wrist.  “Ah, s-sorry!”  Instantly, he put his hand back where it was and resolved not to take it out even partially until he was back indoors.

Special someone…  This wasn’t the first time the thought had entered his mind, but…would it be practical to enter a courtship with his own judicial assistant?  There were no laws against such a thing, as far as he knew, either here or in Japan, but would it be proper?  Would anyone object to it or find it strange?  Would a judge find it problematic for future trials?  And most importantly, what would she think?  Would she be comfortable being known as his “special someone”?  For that matter, would he be comfortable with that title?  Even if it was mostly used by children, he had to admit it had a rather nice ring to it.

(Special someone…  Special someone…)

“Special…someone?  Who is that, Naruhodo-san?”

“Agh—!”  (Do my lips still move when I think?)

“I’m afraid so, Naruhodo-san,” she answered with a giggle.

“Haah…”

Now he was faced with a new problem – should he try and come up with a bluff about what he’d meant by those words, or consider sharing his true thoughts with her?  He wasn’t sure how well he could pull off the former, but the latter sounded a bit improper, to say the least.  She did seem to be in a better mood now, but even so, if he were to suddenly bring up the subjects of courtship or marriage, it would sound like something straight out of the blue to her!  The question now became one he had often dealt with in the courtroom: What was the most prudent way to continue forward?  His eyes darted between her and his lap as he pondered.

Suddenly, his questioned was answered when he noticed her smiling warmly at him again.  He could almost hear her saying through her expression, “You don’t have to answer if you would prefer not to.”  And once again, he could feel the warmth inside him that was somehow ignited by her smile, melting away every worry and care that had plagued him.  With his mind now put at ease, he decided upon a solution that would let him express himself honestly to her – rather than discussing the subject of courting her, he would simply express his gratitude for all she had done for him.  She deserved it several times over, after all.  There was no harm in letting her know how much he appreciated her as a judicial assistant and friend, was there?

“S-Susato-san…  I…  Th-That is…”  She looked at him intently, waiting patiently for him to gather his thoughts.  He cleared his throat and tried again, “I…just wanted you to know that I…I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me.  I mean…truly, very grateful!”

She giggled and tilted her head cutely.  “How nice of you to say, Naruhodo-san.”

He took a deep breath, now feeling grateful to the cold weather for making his cheeks flush so that Susato was unaware that she was making him blush.  His words gradually started to flow better as he continued, “I…really owe a lot to you.  You saved me from a Guilty verdict…you helped me grow as a defense attorney…and you’ve provided so much help and moral support for me along the way.  I…”  He glanced at her for a short moment.  “I feel very blessed to have someone like you in my life.”  His eyes popped open as he realized how that last part could be easily misconstrued.  “Erm…  As a friend, I mean!  Ha ha!”  He took another glance at her and saw that sweet smile again.  (That was a close one…)

“Hmm…” she answered, sounding just as pleased as she looked.  “I appreciate that, Naruhodo-san.  Truly!”

His fingers tapped inside his coat pockets as he wondered what he should say next, or if he should say nothing at all.  He’d already told her all he had to say…or at least what he felt comfortable saying.  Should he leave it at that, or add a few more words of gratitude?  She surely deserved more than that much, didn’t she?  But what could he possibly add to that without venturing too close to the borderline of confessing his love?  And for that matter, was he even sure he was in love with her, or was this just a passing fancy?  Bringing up the subject without 100% certainty could lead to disaster…

He thought for a moment before finally deciding to leave well enough alone.  Besides, Susato had been completely silent for the last few seconds, so it was probably safe to assume that she wasn’t hoping for anything more.  If she was, then she surely would’ve—

“Was…that all you had to say, Naruhodo-san?” she asked curiously.

“Uh...!”  His body tensed up as he struggled to come up with an answer.  And just when he thought he was home free!  Now what was he going to say?

“Ah…  I…”

“…”

“…”

She looked away for a moment, closing her eyes.  What Ryunosuke saw next, he would never forget as long as he lived – as she opened her eyes and looked directly into his with a peaceful, inviting smile, she appeared to him like a sunrise in human form, dazzling him with its beauty, brightening the world around him, and filling him with the warmth of the morning sun.  Once again, her expression seemed to speak to him, saying, “I know you have more to say…but you may feel free to take your time saying it.”  (Could it be…?) he wondered.  (Does she know what my true feelings for her might be?  Does she…  Does she feel the same way?)

And then he heard another voice – it was his own this time, or rather, the voice of his instincts, speaking the same words he had heard many times in the past, especially in court.  Words that had never led him astray.  Words that had often given him just the push he needed to make it through to the victory he’d been striving for.  Words that, when he chose to listen to them, had made all the difference in his life: “This is it, Ryunosuke.  It’s time to move forward.”

His doubts melted away once more, giving way to numerous new feelings – excitement, anticipation, gratitude, disbelief, and overwhelming joy.  Could this really be happening?  Could a day that had been so dreary become one of the best days of his life?  Or perhaps the best?  Was this the day fate had chosen for him to discover his ultimate soulmate?  His “special someone”?  Before, he might have laughed at the thought of it, but could it really be possible?  Was it no longer just a fancy?  Was this woman…his destiny?

All he knew for certain was that his instincts had already spoken their peace, which could only mean one thing: There was no going back from here.  The only question now was, how should he take the first step in this unexpected journey ahead of him?  He took one more deep breath and thought carefully about what to say.

“…”

“…”

“…Do you…remember what I told you…the day you offered to go with me back to Japan…as my judicial assistant?”

“Yes,” she answered with enthusiasm.  “I remember those words quite well, in fact: ‘With you by my side…no trial would seem too daunting.  Together we can take on the world!’”

“Yes, that’s it!”  He knew there was a bit more to what he had said, but this was hardly the time to worry about details.  “I…  I’m…”  She gazed at him with the eyes of a child listening to a fascinating story.  “I’m starting to believe that…maybe…those words have taken on a new meaning since then.  Th-That is…  I…”

He looked down toward his hands, which no longer had one bit of coldness left in them.  “Um…  Do I have permission to take my hands out for just a moment?”  She looked toward his hands, then back up at him…and gave him a silent nod.

In one quick motion, he took out his hands and gently placed them around hers.  Lifting them up slowly, he looked directly into her eyes.  “I love you…Susato-san.  You’re the sweetest, kindest, most admirable young woman I have ever met.  You’re…truly very beautiful, inside and out!”  She gazed at him silently, still holding her gorgeous smile.  “Perhaps…if you’re interested, we can be by each other’s side in a different way?  Perhaps we could…take on more than just trials in the courtroom together?  I’d…  I’d be truly honoured…!”  He took a moment to admire the warm light that seemed to be shining directly on him from her lovely eyes.

Unsure of where to go next, he waited in silence for a moment before suddenly letting go, tucking his hands back into his coat, and turning himself forward.  “That was…all I had to say.”  He was overjoyed to have finally gotten these words off his chest, but now he wondered if he might have said the wrong thing, or picked the wrong time to say it…or how he could even be sure one way or the other.  But just then, he heard a sigh from Susato that seemed to blow these worries away, followed by a light giggle that slowly grew louder.  His muscles tensed up as she opened her mouth to speak.  (Here it comes…  The final verdict…)

“I…”

His heart skipped a beat.

“…would be truly honoured as well, in that case...”

(…Did…  Did she really…?)

“…Ryunosuke.”

(She…  She just called me “Ryunosuke”!)

He felt her hand on his lap.  “I’ve had the thought cross my mind occasionally, too…especially since that day.”  He slowly turned toward her, giving her his full attention.  “I…knew you were only speaking to me as a friend and colleague at the time…but there was still a part of me that wondered…if there was even a small chance that those words might be prophetic…  A sign of things to come...  If perhaps…there could more between us than a close friendship and a shared passion for justice.”  She giggled with a wide grin.  “I…always felt so silly when I let myself entertain those thoughts.  But now…”

She found the part of his coat containing his hand and gently grabbed onto it.  “…I see that my intuition was right…once again.”  Her warm smile returned as she looked deep into his eyes, making his smile grow like a rose unfolding in the sun.

“Was it…everything you were hoping for?” he asked.

“Hmm…  Yes, it was.”  They gazed at one another for a few seconds, although it seemed more to them like a few hours.  “Well…” she added, dropping her smile and touching a finger to her chin, “That is, until you lost your nerve and put your hands back in your pockets.  That part was a bit unexpected.”  They shared a nervous but hearty laugh.

He looked down for a moment, then back up at her.  “I’ll…try to do better in the future, then…”

She closed her eyes and sighed contently before looking him in the eyes once more, and finally, she spoke the words she’d only been communicating through her warm smile until now.  “I love you as well…Ryunosuke.”

He looked into her shining eyes and returned her smile again.  “It seems as if my intuition was right as well, then,” he whispered.  “I truly am blessed to have someone like you in my life…Susato.”  He gasped lightly as the shared warmth between them suddenly became a fire burning deep inside them.  At that moment he knew this would be a day he would never forget – the day when a moment of warmth sparked the beginning of a lifetime of pure joy.

(Hmm…  So this is love, is it?  A feeling this warm could bring us through even the coldest of London winters…)

Their special moment lasted for another minute or two until Susato quietly broke the silence.  “It’s getting rather late, Ryunosuke.  Shall we head back now?”

He nodded.  “Yes, let’s.”  They rose from the bench together, still holding their mutual gaze.  Ryunosuke began shivering a bit as the coldness caught his attention again.

“Ah--!” he shouted lightly, quickly straightening himself.  “I almost forgot to make it official, ha ha!”  He pulled his hands out once more and gently took her hands again.  Focusing intently on her eyes, he asked her tenderly, “May I have the honor of courting you, Susato?”

She gave a heartfelt smile and answered plainly, “Yes, you may.”

His heart and soul filled with warmth as he pictured the romantic endeavours awaiting him and his incredible new lover!  What adventures would they share as a couple, both in court and elsewhere?  Where would they travel together?  What engaging conversations would they have about their likes, dislikes, and interests?  What did the future hold for the two of them as they took on the world together?  Just the thought of it all lifted his spirits to heights he’d never known before.  All he knew for certain was that they had much to look forward to as their separate lives became one life shared between them.

His thoughts turned to the present as he began wondering what he should do next.  His plans for beginning a courtship with Susato had stopped short of anything beyond gaining her approval, unfortunately.  “So…um…” he muttered, looking away awkwardly.  “Do you suppose we should…do something to signify our courtship?”

“Hm…  What sort of something, Ryunosuke?”

“Um…  P-Perhaps…”

“…”

“…Perhaps a kiss?”

She jumped back a bit in surprise.  “Kiss?”

“Y-Yes!  Only a short one, of co--”

She pulled her hands away and placed them on her hips, giving him a dissatisfied glare.  “If you think for one moment that we are going to do that before we have had at least three outings…!”

“Ah, s-sorry!  I…guess I got a little ahead of myself there!”

She responded with a huff.  “Honestly, you men…”

(I must be sweating bullets right now…) he thought.  (I sure hope it doesn’t freeze.)

She softened her expression and spoke quietly, “You needn’t worried about that, Ryunosuke.”

“Huh?”

“Sweat doesn’t freeze in this sort of weather.  You’d have to travel somewhere much colder for that to happen.”

“…”

“…”

“Haah…  I did it again, didn’t I?”

She giggled loudly.  “I’m afraid so.”

He scratched the back of his head for a moment.  Looking at her apologetically, he asked, “…Perhaps a hug, then?”

She nodded and stepped closer to him, her smile becoming warm again.  “That I will gladly accept.”

As they fell slowly into a loose but heartfelt embrace, Ryunosuke began to feel as if, somehow, everything was right with the world.  But even it wasn’t, he felt more prepared than ever to face whatever challenges lie ahead for him.  No…not for him.  For them.  With this courtship, they had become one singular force for good in the world, whose strength, wits, and passion would make them practically unstoppable!

(Perhaps it’s only wishful thinking,) he thought, staring at the snowflake-filled sky above him, (But I’m beginning to think that perhaps…miracles do happen.)

5th December, 10:15

Sholmes’s Suite

The door creaked open as a half-frozen Ryunosuke shivered his way into the flat, holding tightly to a warm-faced Susato.  Looking at them, one might have thought they were drawings in a children’s book depicting the difference between cold and warm.

“Good heavens!” Iris shouted, jumping back and placing her gloved hands on her cheeks.  “Is Runo all right?  He looks like a walking iceberg!”

“He’s all right,” Susato answered calmly.  “He just needs a moment to warm up by the fireplace.”  She turned to him.  “And perhaps a few blankets as well.  Will that help?”

He nodded slowly, teeth chattering loudly.

“Well, I hope you’re happy now.” Iris grumbled as she crossed her arms.  “Your tea and cookies are stone cold, and I baked over three dozen cookies, so you won’t be getting any warm ones for quite some time!  Honestly…what were you thinking?”  She glared at the two of them as they hobbled their way to the fireplace.

“W-W-Well…” he began.  “I-I j-j-just n-need…needed a bo…a bobent t-to…”

Susato chimed in with a sad smile, “I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until he’s completely thawed out before he can answer properly.”

            “R-R…  *ACHOO*  Right…”  Susato pulled off his coat as he gently sat on the floor, inches from the glowing fireplace.

“Well, I hope he stays a bit closer to home the next time he wanders off,” Iris huffed.  She turned to Ryunosuke and added, “And I also hope you don’t expect me to be your nursemaid while you’re recuperating from your cold.  Hmph…”  She walked off with a pout, leaving them with their plates of cold tea and cookies.

Susato went to hang up their coats and fetch some blankets as Ryunosuke sat waiting for the fire to put an end to his shivering.  He heard her gentle footsteps as she approached him and draped several blankets over him.  Her presence next to him seemed to add to the warmth he felt from the blankets.  She sat down on the couch next to him before placing a hand on his shoulder and rubbing it tenderly.  He gave a quiet sigh in response.

“We seem to have left a bee in Iris-chan’s bonnet, hm hm!” she quietly remarked.  They chuckled softly.

He gazed at the small dancing flames in front of him, smiling as they warmed his face.  Turning to see the glowing face of his “special someone,” he admired the reflection of the fire in her eyes.  (It was worth it,) he thought to himself.

THE END

#toy story #rex #spongebob squarepants #my little pony #spike #ace attorney #the great ace attorney chronicles #ryunosuke naruhodo #susato mikotoba #iris wilson #fanfiction #will there be a drawing of this in the future? #you'd better believe it 😉

[woofdrm]

okay I am back and I have watched a few videos and read a good chunk of the article (I had to put it down for a bit it's very info dense for a newbie lol). here are some thoughts + sorry if this is long, if I don't talk about it I might physically explode

Video notes (I watched a bunch but I only actually recorded thoughts on these two lol):

1) the summoning live

holy shit he sounds like THAT live??? like it's obvious vessel is talented from the studio recordings but it's a whole other level to be able to one-up yourself on stage. I am in awe

I love his little dancey dance during the instrumental bits, it's very goofy but in an endearing way. I guess in terms of the lore it sorta reminds me of people dancing in church (I am Christian so some of the religious allegory is neat from a spiritual POV)

oooooh yeah I can see the pathetic slut vibes LMAO hes got me blushing just a tad but in a far less pathetic way

2) Drumeo's vid with II (or ii?

imo in metal I think percussion gets overlooked or a bit formulaic, so any band that shows their drummer some love automatically elevates them and their overall sound. what an absolutely talented guy, so cool to see that perspective

also he uses the toms! so many bands stick with just the snare and bass drums, so having that extra range of sounds is so cool and different

3) General observations

man they are zesty. a tad fruity if you will. they can queerbait a little as a treat, that's performance art baby! I've only seen a bit but I'm sure there's a gay moments iceberg chart floating around somewhere

I've seen III (or iii idk how it's stylized lol) be called bassy too and I don't know if that's a fan thing or what but I find that hilarious

another dream stan crossover appreciation moment: their marketing is actually insane. some of what I've read seems like some borderline arg stuff and that is so very cool to me. creative people who push the limits for awesome marketing opportunities >>>>>

again, sorry if this is a bit too long for an ask lol. I will gladly accept any additional resources, recs, or commentary you have. I'll report back on new things later if you are fine with that (chill if not I am just excited to see someone excited too lol)

I love your ramblings anon, thank you for sharing. A few things:

Yes, Ves sounds amazing live. I’ve seen them live, and can confirm they sound better in person. Ves adds so many extra vocal embellishments that aren’t on the recordings, and they’re amazing. His violent sobbing and amazing dancing just adds to it. Also he always thanks the audience by clasping his hands together and bowing, sometimes going into a full kowtow because he is so grateful. I love him.

II actually won drummer of the year from drumeo! For people more in the know about music, he’s a big favorite and his talent is very much appreciated and recognized.

III is kind of the most insane of the band. He’s actually spoken a couple of times and is constantly flirting with the band. He interacts with the crowds the most too, id say. He’s a fan favorite for sure.

#offerings #feels wrong to tag it like that #asega offerings not sleep offerings

[ajentmm]

Arcane Weapon Theorycraft 2

Alright, I'm back for more of these Acrane Weapon Theorycrafts. Here's part 1. Here's also a quick discuss when we got Arcane Eclipes right here.

So one change we've seen since the first post is that Rearmed heroes don't have to be "bad guys". They can just be normal characters. Alfred, a main character from Engage, is a Rearmed heroes with the Arcane Qiang (and an insane perf A slot). This means he will not be in the normal 5 star summoning pool and can only be summoned when he's a focus unit. A suppose that's the ultimate sacrifice you make to wield arcane power. Will our other royals from Elyos meet this same fate? Will your best chance of getting them be through SP4-star pool in 4 or so years?

Anywho . . . Here are those ranged weapons you may have wanted. Remember that these will be compared to Arcane Eclipse.

Arcane Eclipse: Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). At the start of turn 1, grants Special cooldown count-1. At start of combat, if unit's HP ≥ 25%, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+5 to unit, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack, and neutralizes penalties to unit's Atk during combat.

So to brake this down:

Accelerate Special Trigger *. If unit’s HP≥25%, grant (Stats), (guarantee follow-up/prevent follow-up), (minor effect X), and (minor effect Y / effect Y with condition). (Weapon specific effect)

So for minor effect, that's like neutralizing penalty on one stat of the unit or bonuses on one stat on foe. I'm also including "Quicken pulse". All of this is subjective, let's just go with this.

Arcane Volley: Effective against flying foes. Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). If unit's HP > 25%, inflict Atk/Def-6 on foe's during combat, unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack, grant unit Special charge + 1 per unit's attack, and neutralizes bonuses on foe's Def.

Now, while Eclipse is all about pre-charging specials, this Arcane bow is all about charging and triggering the special on the follow-up. This is to by pass pre-charged Pavise or skills that reduce damage on foe's first attack, than trigger Luna, Bonfire, Iceberg, or Sol. Deadeye can also be use to neutralize any remaining skills that reduce damage. The Rearmed hero with this weapon could come with Desperation or Wind/Water Sweep to stop counterattacks. This bow however, isn't that good on enemy phase as the Special charge +1 is only on unit's attack. Sorry to all the armored bow units.

Arcane Carver: Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). If unit's HP > 25%, grant Atk/Spd/Def/Res+5 to unit during combat, grants unit guarantee follow-up attack, and inflict penalties on foe's Atk/Def equal to 50% of total penalties active on foe during combat (Max 12). [Dagger 7]

Now you're probably expecting more Special stuff so they can use Lethality. Instead, here's a weapon that's all about getting the upper hand in combat against foe's with penalties, like the Broadleaf Fan. I'm counting Atk debuffs and Def debuffs as two major effects with conditions. Since [Dagger 7] inflicts Def/Res-7 on target and surrounding foes, 50% of the total is 7. You than need -6 on the foe to get the -10 Atk/Def. This is ideal used with a close counter skill and Spd Smoke 4 (cuz dodge).

Arcane Naga: Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). If unit's HP > 25%, inflict Atk/Res-6 and Special charge -1 per attack on foe during combat, prevent foe's follow-up attack, and restores 7 HP to unit after combat.

This is a green tome that's functions as a pure defensive option. Sorry to all the green tome nukes like . . . *Looks at list of green tome units without good perf tomes* Nino? Ricken? Ced? Compare that to the high HP/Def/Res low Atk/Spd units. Winter! Artur, Fall! Henry, Gatekeeper, Va! Alfonse, Merric, Julia, Deirdre, Orochi, W! Bruno, Boey, female! Robin, or Picnic! Leo? yes, but for far save tanks, like the four I just mentioned, this is great. But at least you got AS for 1 charge special Moonbows/Ruptured Sky for damage or Noontime for heal tanking, which pairs nice with 7 HP restored after combat, which can be used to maintain the 25% HP threshold. This tome maybe better off with guaranteed follow-ups, and we do have Seiðr providing the "prevent guaranteed follow-ups" status, so I think it's possible I could be wrong on this tome.

Arcane Aura: Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1). If unit's HP > 25%, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+5 to unit, grants unit makes a guaranteed follow-up, and inflict penalties on foe's Atk/Res = X during combat. (X = number of allies within 2 tile radius x 2; Max 6)

This blue tome is much better. This gives the same benefits my Carver, just with a different conditions, a better Owl tome. The more allies nearby, the more damage and less damage receive, giving 11 total different. This tome doesn't come with healing, Guard, or any other special thing, so it will depend on the passives you give, and the allies you have nearby (and your opponent not having Embla).

Arcane Cane: Accelerates Special trigger (cooldown count-1; max cooldown count value cannot be reduced below 1). If unit HP>25%, grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 to unit and unit makes a guaranteed follow-up attack, and after combat, if unit attacked, inflicts Atk/Spd/Def/Res-4 on target and foes within 2 spaces of target through their next actions, and grants Atk/Spd/Def/Res+4 to unit and allies within 2 spaces for 1 turn.

Heh Heh, Arcane Cane. So with the advent of damaging Specials for staffs to inherit, and their cooldowns likely being on the 3-4 cost, the necessity of AS has unfortunately came to the one weapon untainted. With this, I just when with a simple copy-paste of B!Veronica's staff. This does come with the benefits of in-combat stats and guaranteed follow-up, but you loose the Atk/Spd Drive and Def/Res Hold effect, meaning you have to attack or get attack to provide support. Also, the buff/debuff effect only happens when you are healthy, meaning getting Thunder Towered remove all your benefits. You may need a source of healing, like Renewal or Live to Serve. This staff, I feel, should work with any movement type, with Cav getting the jump on a foe, to a infantry baiting out mages to then boost the team next phase.

That's all I got. I doubt I would need to make another of these blogs, so it's back to the usually. Oh, and feel free to reply with your own theory craft Arcane weapons. Give me the nuking green tome you want.

#fire emblem heroes #theorycrafting #game design

[hollandorks]

Hay! I know it's been awhile since my last comment and it's been a crazy week for me but i FINALLY caught up and wow there is so much that happens!

First off I love how Y/n is getting stuff done and trying to find Annika and get down to the bottom of what's happening at the Iceberg Lounge leading up to Falcone. I also really like that y/n has panic attacks and PTSD from what happened when she was in the Iceberg Lounge in The Last Story and how guilty y/n feels when she couldn't save Maria and now is determined to save the other girls from the Iceberg Lounge and helping Catwoman find Annika kind of like a Redemption Arc for y/n and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Number 2! I love Catwoman and y/n interactions! I can't wait to see where their relationship goes in the later chapters and how y/n will react to Annika's death and all the other crazy stuff that happens in Selena's story also I can't wait till next chapter to see Bruce's reaction to her being at the Iceberg Lounge.

And last but not least Bruce and y/n taking a shower together!🥺 YESSS! I want more of this in future chapters please! The soft moments with those two are the best I know we have angst coming up in the next chapter but please more soft moments between the two of them before we get into more intense territory in the movie.

Sorry If this is so long I've been so busy lately and it's been awhile for me to just sit down and binge the last three chapters love the story so far and I can't wait for the next chapter!

🖤🦇🦇🦇🖤

Hi!! Sorry it took me a bit to get to this! ❤️

I'm definitely super interested in exploring how the events of MOTN effect the movie stuff happening for both Bruce & the reader, so I'm glad people have been enjoying that!!

I can't wait to add more Selina in this story too. I love her, even without any romantic attachment to Bruce. She & the reader have lots in common I think, and I can't wait to explore that a little more. And to share all the reactions you're waiting for!

I also love the domestic & fluffy moments between them!! Don't worry, they get some more soft moments even as shit is hitting the fan 😉

Never apologize for long asks--I adore them! 🥰🥰 also I laughed so hard at the Twilight pic 😂

#asks #sitn #sitn spoilers

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

(pt 1) i really enjoy all your atla analyses & you've done a great job breaking down the usual arguments re how eip shows that kataang shouldn't have happened. i'm curious about your take on one specific argument that i just saw today, in an analysis of the show by a zker that was otherwise quite good and respectful (i know you've already talked about eip a lot, so no problem if you don't feel like rehashing). the premise: aang didn't just pressure katara in eip, he threatened her.

(pt 2) they point to when katara joins aang & asks if he’s alright: “aang: no, i’m not! i hate this play! katara: i know it’s upsetting, but it sounds like you’re overreacting. aang: overreacting? if i hadn’t blocked my chakra, i’d probably be in the avatar state right now!” the suggestion is he’s threatening her when he says ‘i’d probably be in the avatar state right now’ to describe his anger. i think this take exaggerates and oversimplifies it, but interested in your thoughts on it.

Hello my friend!! It is true I am Old inside and don’t like rehashing dhdlksjslks BUT your comments on my posts are always incredibly kind and insightful so I am more than willing to do a bit of rehashing for you 🥰 Besides! I’ve seen this general take before a few times and it’s always irked me for the exact reason you point out - it simultaneously exaggerates and oversimplifies the situation (and honestly that’s an impressive duality since it’s seemingly contradictory, so hats off to them lmaooo) - and now is as good a time as any to address it. So, for starters, let’s go ahead and get the excerpt they love to focus on so much:

Cut to Aang standing alone on a balcony. Katara enters and walks up to him.

Katara: Are you all right?

Aang: [Angered.] No, I’m not! I hate this play! [Yanks his hat off and throws it on the ground.]

Katara: I know it’s upsetting, but it sounds like you’re overreacting.

Aang: Overreacting? If I hadn’t blocked my chakra, I’d probably be in the Avatar State right now!

Here’s the thing about so-called analyses of this excerpt: in a manner extremely convenient to the poster, they never seek to contextualize this moment. (I mean, to do so would deplatform their entire “argument” - perhaps that’s why they avoid performing a full analysis?) So let’s avoid that pitfall from the start.

Firstly, below are some links to related posts; I’m going to do my best to summarize the most relevant parts, but for anyone who desires greater detail, I gotchu 😤

This post explains why EIP (the play, lol) is imperialist propaganda and is intended to belittle the entire Gaang.

This post explains how Aang never acted “entitled” to Katara’s affections, particularly in regard to EIP.

This post breaks down the infamous EIP kiss like Snopes Fact Checker, covering common misconceptions, important perspectives to consider, etc.

Alright. With that out the way, it’s time for some context.

Aang and Katara have this conversation on the balcony after watching 95% of “The Boy in the Iceberg,” a play chock-full of Fire Nation propaganda that demeans the entire Gaang in order to prop up the Fire Nation as superior (hence why the play ends with Ozai’s victory). Here is my general breakdown of Aang and Katara’s treatment in particular from a previous post:

- katara, an indigenous woman, is highly sexualized and portrayed as overly dramatic and tearful, because the fire nation objectifies women not of their own people and views them as less intelligent and less emotionally stable

- aang, the avatar, the sole survivor of the fire nation’s genocide of the air nomads who is incredibly in-touch with his spirituality and femininity, is portrayed as an overly-airy and immature woman. the fire nation portrays him with a female actor to demean him (like, that’s classic imperialistic propagandist tactics) and furthermore writing his character as a childish airhead reinforces the fire nation sentiment that the air nomads were weak, foolish people who did not deserve to exist in their world

In other words, these kids have just watched almost an entire play that preys upon their insecurities and depicts them using racist and sexist stereotypes about their respective nations. It is completely understandable that tensions might run a little high and that their interactions would not be as balanced as usual (Katara and Aang have a great track record of communicating well with each other, as it happens!).

So we have to keep that in mind when examining the aforementioned excerpt. But there are other factors to consider, too! Namely: they are kids. Children. Teens. Aang is 12, Katara is 14.

If we want to be scientific, a person’s brain doesn’t finish developing until they are 25, lmao, and the preteen/teen years are when the prefrontal cortex that controls “rationality,” “judgement,” “forethought,” etc. is still developing. This doesn’t mean Aang and Katara are irrational and make poor decisions 24/7 (obviously not), but it does mean that in an intense, highly emotional situation, like after watching a play that intentionally demeans them and depicts them as inferior, they are more likely to overreact, more likely to be emotional, and more likely to make mistakes. Like, I’m serious, lol. “Teens process information with the amygdala.” That’s part of the brain that helps control emotions! It’s why teens sometimes struggle to articulate what we’re thinking, especially in situations that require instinct/impulse and quick decisions, because we’re really feeling whenever we make those choices. Acting more on emotion. Our brains simply haven’t finished developing the decision-making parts, lmao.

In sum: Aang and Katara are both kids, not adults, and should be interpreted as such. This doesn’t negate their intelligence, because they are both incredibly smart and Aang is arguably the wisest of the Gaang, but they are human. Young humans. They have emotions, and we should not be so cruel as to assume they’d never act on them.

So taking that all together, we can now acknowledge the high stress Aang and Katara are under, understand why they might be upset (*cough* imperialist propaganda is hurtful *cough*), and examine how their youth might play into their emotional reactions. And funny thing - all analyses that come to the conclusion of Aang “threatening” Katara here do not usually bother with this context. I can’t imagine why!

And you know what, let’s add one more piece of context: Sokka states that Aang left the theater “like, ten minutes ago,” which is what cues Katara to go look for him on the balcony. The reason I mention this line is because to me, it suggests Aang knew he was more worked up than usual! He chose to separate himself from his friends so he could process his frustration! He did not take his anger at the play out on them; instead, he purposefully took time and space to be alone.

With that in mind, I don’t understand at all how Aang’s Avatar state quote could be interpreted as a threat? Canonly, Aang is someone who was aware enough of his frustration to separate himself from the others - yet the logical next step is him threatening Katara as a result? He knew his intense emotions were because of the play (which he says himself), so the logical conclusion is that he then pinned the fault on Katara? What?? Sorry, that interpretation has no textual basis, lmao. But I digress!

Aang tells Katara, “If I hadn’t blocked my chakra, I’d probably be in the Avatar State right now!” As you said, this is the line people point to in an attempt to justify their (baseless) conclusion that Aang is “threatening” Katara. So let’s bring in the two key pieces of context: imperialist propaganda and age. Given that Aang is 12, and given that Aang has just watched almost a full play that demeans him and everything his people stood for (and let’s not forget it also mocks his and Katara’s love for each other)…

His reaction is understandable. An exaggeration and needlessly dramatic, but understandable. He feels vulnerable and insecure and Aang is human. He is human and flawed and he overreacts here and I love that A:TLA shows how even our heroes, even people who are truly good at heart and in soul, can get overly upset (especially given the aforementioned circumstances!). Would Aang actually be in the Avatar state at that moment, had it been possible? Of course not! He’s young and he’s hurt and as such he says something dramatic to convey his anxieties and frustrations. The line is not meant to be taken literally, and seeing people do so despite all the factors that should be taken into consideration when analyzing it… Cue a long, tired sigh from me and so many other A:TLA fans.

And to be honest? I cannot fathom how people watch this episode and come to the conclusion that Aang is “threatening” Katara. To me, this episode - besides being a recap episode - is one that humanizes our cast even further. Aang snaps at Katara, kisses her when he shouldn’t (which the story appropriately treats as wrong). Katara pushes down her true feelings and retreats into herself, afraid to start a relationship with the boy she loves because she’s already lost him once before and can’t bear to do so again. Zuko further confronts the hurt he’s enacted upon others, especially upon Iroh. Toph practices being vulnerable and accepting vulnerability from others by conversing with Zuko. Sokka witnesses how others have erased his contributions and labelled him as nothing more than the token nonbender in the group. Even Suki learns that she is not the only person who holds a place in Sokka’s heart and that she can never replace what he has lost.

To watch this episode where our heroes must come to terms with how the Fire Nation deems them inherently inferior, with how they have more fights to overcome in the future with the Fire Nation than a single war, and to come to the conclusion that… that what, Aang is abusive? A monster? Irredeemable? That he would threaten his best friend, someone he loves in every way?

Wow. That says more than enough about the viewer, doesn’t it?

#getting back into the swing of things babey ✌️ #aang #katara #kataang #kataangtag #the ember island players #atla #avatar the last airbender #amy answers #dramaticowl #amy analyzes #also i am speaking in GENERAL TERMS here lmaooo this is not a direct response to any one post 😂😂