#but the absolute flipside to this is the idea that the dude in question would never dare have a relationship that wasn't his one true love

[scintillyyy]

the thing is that there are interesting ways to play with the idea that thomas and martha weren't the perfect parents that bruce will always venerate them as on account of they died when he was 8 (i feel like the ones i'm most interested are the throwaway lines that imply they might've sent bruce to boarding school + the idea that thomas was maybe a little too focused on prioritizing his work over family), however dc seems to constantly go for ~but did thomas cheat on martha?? was he imperfect in his potential unfaithfulness???~ (they do this for a lot dad characters in general i feel like) and it's just overdone and tiring and i hate it so.

#i genuinely think their go to when trying to interrogate if a dead father figure had flaws is to be like “oh he might've cheated” #stop stop i beg u #(this is also why i generally don't like secret siblings because it feeds into this tendency) #also i will defend melinda and meili bc it's not their fault they were created by tt #but the absolute flipside to this is the idea that the dude in question would never dare have a relationship that wasn't his one true love #'even though i knew he would never love me he only had eyes for your mother i was totally cool being a pity fuck dw' #anyways i would fix melinda by having her actually be zucco's daughter #or by having john and meili be in a relationship and then he broke up with her for mary. let's get messy.

[fruitcoops]

i would love to read coops doing one of those lie detector youtube videos!!

This was such a fun fic to research! I highly recommend watching the Try Guys Lie Detector videos if you'd like some context. Coops credit goes to @lumosinlove!

“Why are there so many of these?” Remus muttered, shaking his hand around. A series of multicolored wires smacked the table and Marlene rolled her eyes as she passed. “Sorry.”

“Welcome back to Lion Pride!” Sirius said as he turned to the camera with a smile. “I’m Sirius Black, and I’m here today with my husband, Remus Lupin, to get some answers.”

“We are also joined by Mark, who is an expert at reading polygraphs,” Remus added.

A middle-aged man in a blue shirt raised his hand in a slight wave. “Thanks for having me. Since you’re already hooked up, you’ll be going first. This machine measures your sweat, your heart rate, and a couple other common tells for liars. Do you lie often?”

Remus hesitated; Sirius hid a smile in his hand. “No, since I suck at lying, but I’ll do it if it makes somebody feel better. I think I’m pretty good at that.”

They stared at the polygraph for a moment before Mark nodded. “Checks out. Take it away, Sirius.”

Sirius cleared his throat and took a notecard from his stack. “Was going to college worth it?”

“Yes,” Remus answered almost immediately. “I don’t know what I would have done without getting my degree and staying close to hockey. Wouldn’t have met you, for one.”

“True,” Mark said without looking up.

“Do you like my playoff beard?”

“I do, yeah.” Mark raised his eyebrows and Remus pressed his lips together. “Okay, sometimes it’s a little much, but you’re pretty good about keeping things under control.”

“Alright,” Sirius said with playful skepticism. “Good to know. Who’s your favorite Lion?”

“Besides you? Talker.”

“Yeah, we don’t need a polygraph to know that,” Sirius laughed when Mark nodded. “Did you like my last haircut?”

“Oh, fuck,” Remus said under his breath, looking away.

“I knew it.”

“It wasn’t bad—”

“He’s lying,” Mark interrupted.

Remus turned to him with betrayal written all over his expression. “Dude!”

“You are.”

“Answer the question, Loops,” Sirius said, leaning back in his chair. “How did you feel about my last haircut?”

He bit his lower lip. “It was a little too short and really threw me off for a couple days. But you didn’t like it, either.”

“I didn’t,” Sirius agreed, grinning. “But I vividly remember several ‘no, honey, you look great’ conversations.”

“Next question,” Remus sighed.

“Ha! This one is self-explanatory. Have you ever lied to me?”

“Yes, but only when I knew it would make you feel better.”

“True,” Mark confirmed.

“Do you think you’re a better dog owner than me?”

Remus thought for a moment. “No.”

“True.”

“Do you think I’m a better dog owner than you?” Sirius asked.

“No. I think we balance each other well, and we wouldn’t be as good apart.”

“True again.”

“Interesting.” Sirius surveyed the cards. “Do you trust me?”

“A hundred percent,” Remus answered without hesitation. Mark nodded.

“Do you think I would be a good dad?”

He rested his chin on his hand, then smiled a little. “I do, yeah. I think you know what to do and what notto do, and you’re very protective without being controlling. So, yeah. You’d be a good dad.”

Mark glanced over. “He’s telling the truth.”

Sirius leaned across the table and kissed Remus on the cheek. “Merci. Oh, this’ll be fun. Is any of our relationship just for show, especially on Lion Pride?”

Remus narrowed his eyes with a hum. “Yes and no.”

“Pick one,” Mark said.

“In a general sense? Yeah, sure. We’re not perfect all the time, but we pretend to be. The specifics stay honest, though. None of our relationship is based on building clout. We keep the core genuine.”

The polygraph beeped for a moment. “He’s telling the truth.”

“This one is super morbid. Ready?” Sirius rested his elbows on the table. “You are Spiderman, and you’re holding two trolleys over a lake. One holds me, and one holds Jules. Which one do you drop?”

“I love you, but I would absolutely drop you,” Remus said after only a brief period of thought.

“Oh, thank god,” Sirius huffed. “I would be so upset if it was the other way around.”

“Right? I love you more than anything, but it’s Jules.”

Remus turned to Mark, who shrugged. “True.”

“Do you think we live together well?” Sirius asked.

“After a full year of it?” Remus laughed. “Yeah, I do.”

“True.”

Sirius checked the list and his eyebrows rose. “You’re going to hate this one.”

“Am I?”

“What do you really think about my parents?”

Remus’ smile turned thin and Sirius spread his hands in a see? motion. He was quiet for a few seconds, then ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t think I’m allowed to use those words on this channel. Um, I don’t like them.”

Mark snorted. “Very true.”

“Last one,” Sirius warned, though his eyes crinkled happily at the edges. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“That’s cute,” Remus said. “And…yeah. I think I do.”

“Wrong,” Sirius said before Mark could answer. “You have absolutely no idea.”

“Sap,” Remus scoffed. His cheeks were pink, and he pressed a quick kiss to Sirius’ temple while they swapped chairs.

“He was telling the truth,” Mark informed them as he helped Remus untangle his arm and hand, then transferred the devices to Sirius. “Though I am interested to see the flipside. Do you lie often?”

“Not anymore. I’m pretty good at it, though.”

“First one: have you ever had a crush on one of your teammates?”

“Oh, for sure,” Sirius said with a light laugh. “I never did anything about it, but I was the king of pining for a solid decade.”

“True,” Mark affirmed.

Remus cocked an eyebrow. “Who is the handsomest Lion?”

Sirius bit his lip, making a thoughtful noise. “That’s a tough one. I’m assuming a player other than you?”

“Yes.”

“In that case…I think Dumo is the classic definition of ‘handsome’ even though he is so not my type, but Kasey might be the most attractive.”

“Not Pots?” Remus teased. Sirius pulled a face and flicked him on the arm.

“He’s being honest,” Mark said.

“Do you think you’re the best player on the team?”

“…no.”

“He’s lying.”

“Shit.” Sirius sighed heavily as Remus looked at him over the edge of his notecard. “Look, it’s—it’s not an ego thing.”

“It’s the captain thing, isn’t it?” Remus sounded quite amused.

“Yeah,” Sirius said, defeated. “It’s stupid, I know.”

Mark nodded. “He’s telling the truth.”

“Oh, another parent one,” Remus remarked. “Did my parents scare you?”

“Not really.”

Mark furrowed his brows. “You’re right in the middle.”

“Huh.” He thought for a few seconds. “I think seeing you all together was a lot like meeting Dumo’s family the first time. You’re just so…normal. And you genuinely like each other. So I wasn’t scared, but it was definitely an adjustment.”

“He’s telling the truth.”

Remus nodded. “Yeah, they adore you. I’m glad we didn’t chase you off, though. Does it really bother you that I leave my socks around the house?”

Sirius pressed his lips together as several people off-screen began to laugh. “I can’t answer that.”

“See, that’s all the answer I need.”

“Fine. Yes, but only because I don’t know where you get them from. You don’t actually own that many socks, and I still find them every-fucking-where.”

“True,” Mark said.

“I’ll try to keep a better eye on things,” Remus assured him, smiling. “You are Spiderman, and you’re holding two trolleys over a lake. One holds me, and one holds James. Which one do you drop?”

“Goddammit,” Sirius muttered, tilting his head back. He thought for a long, long moment. “I can’t answer that.”

The polygraph buzzed. “False.”

Sirius shook his head. “Neither of you. I wouldn’t drop either.”

Mark raised his eyebrows. “True.”

“On a much lighter note,” Remus said with a cough. “Which of us is lazier?”

“Me.”

“True.”

“Really?” Remus gave him a baffled look. “You work so hard all the time.”

Sirius shrugged. “Agree to disagree?”

“Fine, but I hope you know taking time for yourself doesn’t mean you’re lazy.” He shuffled through the cards. “Oh, this’ll be very interesting. Do you think I talk too much?”

“No.”

“True.”

Remus sat back in his chair, a pleased blush coloring his cheeks. “Wasn’t expecting that. Good answer, I love you. Do you think we’ll get divorced someday?”

“Oh, god, no.” Sirius’ previous self-satisfaction turned to revulsion. “I don’t even want to think about that.”

“True,” Mark said again. “For someone who said he was good at lying, you’re very honest.”

“No point in lying with that thing around, is there?”

Remus shrugged. “Saves time, for sure. Have you kissed any of our friends?”

“Yeah,” he snorted.

To his credit, Mark didn’t even let a smile slip through. “True.”

“Do you enjoy getting stopped in public by fans?”

“Fans, yes. Ex-fans who take it upon themselves to explain why I shouldn’t be gay, no.” He paused, then shook his head with a smile. “I’m not good at talking to people, but I do like it when people say hello. It’s cool.”

“True.”

Remus raised his notecards. “Two left, and the first one is hella morbid.”

“Hella,” Sirius murmured, earning himself a teasing glare.

“Watch it. If I died, how long would you wait to get remarried?”

The playfulness dropped away. “What?”

“If I died, how long would you wait to get remarried?” Remus repeated.

Sirius looked horrified by the very thought. “I wouldn’t.”

“True,” Mark said, seemingly uncaring about the alarm on Sirius’ face.

“Even if it happened tomorrow?”

“First of all, thanks for my new nightmare. Second, no. I wouldn’t get married again.” He kissed Remus’ forehead gently. “Let’s not test that, though. Like ever.”

“Deal. Ready for the last one?”

“As long as nobody else is in danger of death.”

“I dunno, it’s a tough one.” Remus gave him a solemn look across the table. “I need you to be really honest with me on this one. Do you think you have better hair?”

Sirius blinked at him, then burst out laughing. Even Mark’s lips twitched into a suppressed smile. “Oh my god.”

“What’s so funny?” Remus asked, completely poker-faced. “This is important, honey. I’m really counting on you to be genuine with me here—”

“You can’t even—” Sirius broke off again and gestured to Remus’ face, which turned steadily pinker as he bit down a grin. “You can’t even keep a straight face.”

“My face is the only straight thing about me. You know this. Answer the question.”

“He’s trying so hard,” Sirius managed as he looked to the camera. “So hard, mon dieu.”

“Shit,” Remus muttered as he finally gave in and hid his laughter in the crook of his elbow. “We were doing so well until now! It’s the last question, just answer it!”

Sirius wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and nodded. “I do think I have better hair, but I love yours, too.”

Mark chuckled. “True.”

“It would help if you finally got a haircut that was different from the one you’ve had since you were thirteen.”

Remus closed his eyes, sighing. “Y’know, exposing my haircut choices for the entire internet to mock really wasn’t how I planned this day going.”

“Isn’t that the point of this whole video?”

“Mark, I’m not sure if we owe you an apology or not, but thank you for putting up with us.” Remus turned back to the camera with an easy smile. “Thanks for joining us today, everyone. Make sure to like and subscribe to Lion Pride for more videos like this!”

#sirius black #remus lupin #coops #sweater weather #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #social media #lion pride #lie detector

[certifiedceraunophile]

Hi! A fan of your writing here. I just love the way you write Caroline. An Avoidable Heart is my comfort fic and I am constantly in awe with the way you write and craft the dynamics in that story. Caroline's inner monologue is just priceless and God! I just love that intro scene where Caroline is walking into the Mikaelson compound with vampires and hybrids in the surrounding ready to pounce on her.

I would love to hear how you would have visualized Caroline crossing over into TO or not? Like in what season and why? How it would have likely gone?

Thank you!

First of all lovely anon gimme a moment to breathe, asdfghjkl why are people so lovely 😭😭🥺✨ It means sooo much to me that you’d take the time to jump into my inbox and send these kind words, like please I’m not worthyyyyy, But you make me smile and feel really freaking warm so *handcuffs your hand to mine* you aint leaving 💖✨💞🙃

But OK ALSO oh my god dude THAT CAROLINE WALTZS INTO THE COMPOUND AND TAKES ON A COUPLE HUNDRED VAMPIRES BY HERSELF SCENE???? Ughhhhh I’m sorry but I have SUCH a boner for Caroline in that, like my badass -I admit kinda op- QUEEN IS HERE and she’s fucking shit up, I’m sorry but I love that scene so much it’s so dear to me I was killing myself over how self-indulgent and grossly Over powered Caroline is but like idgaf man it’s such a hot scene and Caroline is practically invincible and we just love to see that, so seriously lovely anon, you telling me you LOVE that scene??? Puts the biggest smile on my face and reassures me a LOT bc I was whining and cribbing over how absolutely unbalanced that scene is to literally everyone BUT LIKE YOU JUMPING OUT OF NOWHERE and pointing that exact scene UGHH…...meant to fucking be the both of us 💖💞✨

And ALSO Caroline’s monologue is quite honestly the easiest inner monologue out of the three voices I wrote for that work, Klaus’s is the real pain in the ass tbvh like it is NOT easy writing pretentious besotted losers with a Kardashian complex especially when you need to make them sound cool when they’re the lamest OP dude bros to ever exist - and no I don’t hate Klaus although I seem to try my darndest to convince ppl I do- I just personally believe that a feral fucker like that with a thousand years of existence under his belt can grow a pair and graduate from his kindergarten level of emotional maturity to adult sometime soon, But then on the flipside he’s so grossly adorkably smitten and feral for Caroline plus hella horny for her all the time that its usually easy to write the trashed and devoted idiot he is into something pretentious and powerful and potent when relating to his unflappable arrogance and his narcissism, but sometimes I also need him to be *deep* and ffs profound for the sake of the plot and jfc my muse just wont work with me on that, she’s like I’m sorry I’m not about to bust my ass to make this mongrel intelligible like no sir all I wanna do is make him uncomfortably horny for Caroline and leave him like that.

So smh yeah the struggle is real….but lmao Caroline is just so precious and fiercely protective and just so achingly lonely in that story, so desperate for connection and trust and intimacy yet so guarded and impervious to everyone like it hurts me to write her like that but it really challenges me as an author to balance out her inherent light with the “void” I create in her and through her, so yeah it’s a very fulfilling task and I wouldnt change it one bit, and also I had to balance out her physical op-ness w half a millennium of the ugliest emotional trauma lol so I guess that figures, but the point being….once again I am overjoyed knowing that you liked a facet of the story that I tried so hard to make as authentically Caroline and achingly real and moving as I can and I cannot possibly feel more accomplished than rn for it so ty ty ty ty for reaching out to me and telling me *tackle hugs* It makes me GIDDY knowing that you enjoyed that particular part of the story like ugh stab me please you're too sweet.

And ok NOW, coming to The Originals part of the ask, (also please note that when I say TO headcanon; Hope does not exist, Hayley is a dead in a ditch and ofc Klaus will stop being that lil bitch they tried to pawn off as Klaus in TO) 

HEADCANON 1

Honestly my biggest headcanon when it comes to TO crossovers somehow always include non-humanity!Caroline like it’s just so perfect to me?? The opportunity to make shit BLOW UP b/w them like imagine the DEBAUCHERY, the heat, the SEXUAL TENSION, the repression of one Klaus Mikaelson, the EXPLORATIONS, and omg the role reversal when Klaus has to be the voice of moral reason between them and not bc he believes Caroline would not be able to stand herself if she does something heinous and monstrous but bc he wants her to be completely and utterly herself, and yk *aware*, when she DECIMATES ppl to the ground and is in full-on predator mode, like he wants her monster to come out and play with him when no part of Caroline is locked away or suppressed, so obviously when she is w/o her humanity KLAUS exercises restraint on her behalf, like can you imagine that, Klaus restraining himself and being the vague, extremely broken and just largely inaccurate moral compass between the two of them for ALL the wrong reasons- and the entirety of NOLA just standing there watching him herd this baby vampire who seems to be intent on riling him up and angering him when all she is doing is giving him a massive hybrid hard on, like IMAGINE THE GOODNESS of non-humanity Caroline wrecking NOLA and Klaus letting her wreck it bc he is helpless in the face of Caroline Forbes and also bc he is quite honestly *enjoying* the debauchery himself so why put a damper on the festivities.

-I might wanna add that I favour this headcanon a lot bc I genuinely do not even remotely *like* the idea of NOLA as Klaus's chosen place to set his roots so like I would love Caroline going to NOLA and destroying everything there just bc I detest NOLA and the storyline behind it in TO. (yes is it petty? Obvi, but like I am a petty soul and I make no apologies ma’am)

HEADCANON 2

So yeah that’s my main TO headcanon, but my other one being, one I talk about very frequently, scream about in tag rants to an obsessive level, and like this is a cracky one but still very valid, where Caroline rolls up to NOLA humanity intact and all, finds Hayley preggo and is just laughing her fucking ass off bc anybody ANYBODY, with half a brain and a two minute convo w klaus would know how UTTERLY stupid the entire baby shit is especially when it’s with an immemorable one night stand, and Caroline’s just losing her shit about how like an entire city is obssessed w this baby and she just straight up tells Klaus he’d SUCK as a dad (which he really does tho like he was a shitty fucking dad canonically too) and Klaus is just like *sigh* girl tell me about it. I mean basically he’s finally relieved that someone is on his side about the whole baby thing and how he definitely does not want his entire millennium of life to finally sum up to this one squalling leaking stinky infant/unicorn Hayley is apparently baking in her oven, and I say this headcanon is cracky bc klaus would never have put up w this mess long enough for Caroline to come in and sort it out, there’s this preferred method of disposal of his called heart ripping that would've been employed quite early on and honestly saved us all a lot of brain cells and minused years of life, bc let’s be real any Klaus who’s NOT a lil snivelling bitch wearing a Klaus skinsuit would’ve yeeted the baby and the mama first chance he got, and that’s just how I see it.

Lmao I really hope I didnt scare you away w my *strong* opinions Ik they can be a bit much but I enjoy having them so theyre not going anywhere, anyways this ask answer got WAYYYY too long but I’m hoping I answered your question well with this or atleast left you slightly confused and bemused over my feral screaming....either ways I’m really really really happy to have got your ask and the chance to rant so much bs, Twas cathartic and honestly I had nothing to do today so I was more than happy to dish this baby out for you. Thank you so much sweet anon for putting a smile on my face today I am absolutely HONOURED by your words you’sa cutie 💖💞✨🗣🗣

#first of all #LONG POST #second #I did rant a LOTTTT more than what was prolly expected but lmao am I sorry? #no #anyway so those are my general drivel-tastic thoughts straight from glitter graveyard brain #hope you enjo navigating through so much bs anon #and I hope someone puts a smile on your face that's as large and bright as the one you've put on mine today #anon asks #ask certified ceraunophile #anti the orginals #tvd headcanons #tvd #klaroline #anon youre the sweetest #shakes hand cuffed hand #you stuck w me lovely #💞💞

[elfyourmother]

this might be kinda out of the blue, but I've been wanting to make a Viera alt because I've always really adored the buns. Would you consider it okay for a lighter skinned/white person like myself to make a darker skinned character?

( I quite frankly feel uncomfortable as hell at the idea of making a pale skinned Viera as they weren't like that at all in original canon. Never really got why SE decided to make a whole white subtype just for ff14.)

you don't have to answer this question if you don't want to! was moreso looking for opinion if you're willing to give it !

tbqh I feel weird about these questions bc ultimately I can’t give you permission to do or tell you that you can’t do anything. to the point that i usually don’t answer these kinds of questions because I’m not trying to be somebody’s permission slip and trump card to be used in future arguments w other Black folk who might take issue (“well, Aurora said it was ok!”). just so we’re on the same page, know I am speaking solely for myself and my own opinions

but I’m answering because this is re: Viera and I am willing to speak my peace on it bc I am so tired of the whitewashing and the erasure of Viera Blackness that has happened in this game (really since FFXII). I keep quiet about it a lot of time because I’m old and too tired to be fighting w people anymore but it’s really Bad and it hurts as a Black femme to see some of the precious little rep we have had in the FF franchise get systematically demolished, so anything that pushes back against it even a little is fine by me regardless of who’s doing it; I don’t love Viera because they’re Black, but it helped!!

so like if you love Viera then make one! there is such a dearth of Black and brown female characters in the game. fortunately the flipside to the snow bunnies running rampant has been way more darker skinned female characters than I saw prior to ShB. So many times I have been the token Black female character in duty roulette. I can count on one actual hand the number of Black Femelezens in particular I’ve seen besides Gisele. But there have been many more Black ladies running around and it’s worth it to me even if I hate the bs.

I would suggest @writingwithcolor as a resource, look through their links and faqs regarding stereotypes to avoid. research like you would any kind of creative thing you’re not familiar with.

also accept that there will be people who straight up have a problem with it and they have a right to feel that way. there is the “brown paper doll” phenomenon of white folks making ambiguously brown characters for The Aesthetic or w/e, getting plaudits and cookies, but Not Too Brown. and fans of color with OCs of color never get the same kind of praise or positive attention. many of us feel pressure to conform with standards of whiteness in fandom. a lot of folks were sharing their experiences with that during pocwolweek last year. you may see people talking about their resentments; don’t be defensive, just acknowledge that comes from a very real place of pain and frustration. do what you can to minimize harm, boost writers and artists and RPers of color w their characters, engage with their work like you would anyone else.

and also realize that your experience as a white person playing a COC will not ever be the same. being raised and socialized as a Black woman there are things in MSQ that absolutely hit different, for bad (Magnai, Zenos calling you a beast all the time), and for good (the DRK questline absolutely Spoke to Me as a Black femme wrt the burdens we shoulder always with a smile and the resentments we’re forced to bury, etc.). I also experienced misogynoiristic sexual harassment in Duty Roulette once where somebody was going on about “gorgeous chocolate bunny” and I felt so degraded that I left after ripping the dude a new one in party chat and was 100% fine with eating the penalty. yes that would be nasty for anyone behind the screen but when it’s a reflection of the fetishization you experience irl it’s a whole other thing

so with all that in mind, You Do You. I have white friends and mutuals with some fantastic OCs of color. it can be done, and well. but do it in a thoughtful manner and try to be cognizant of the pitfalls and your privileges. and don’t do it for the clout, which I don’t think you are--Viera are fuckin awesome.

#the unbearable whiteness of fandom #i'm not upset w you for asking #that's just my tag for race and fandom #sixthmagic #ask bisho

[iiasha-archived]

So, I recently was binge-re-watching Avatar and was wondering how you'd place the SVT members in terms of benders plus non-benders. Vernon really seems like a water bender to me because he's so chill but that also makes me think he'd be Gucci as a non-bender. But Jun as air and Minghao as fire?

AHHHHH omg this is SUCH a good question and i hope you’re ready for the whole ass analysis under the readmore bc i have many Thoughts on the subject 😂 honestly though arguments could be made for any, since i think they all have traits that could fit in with multiple elements!! but anyways longass rambling ahead lmao ❤️

seungcheol

definitely a firebender in my mind, no questions asked, but i could also see the argument for earth

this kind of comes out of his character of being such a great leader

on one hand he has such a passionate and ambitious personality, which is the main reason why i see him as a firebender

especially on stage you can really feel his energy explode

his loyalty also runs soooo deep and one of the things i really admire about him is the lengths he’ll go through to do what’s best for his members. he really does take care of them

so on the other hand, that’s why i also see the argument for earth!

again making him such a great leader, he has a lot of patience and stability

it’s clear that he’s a rock that the others can rely on during turbulent times, and that steadiness is definitely a trait i associate with earthbenders

but overall i think his own personal aspirations and drive make him more suited as a firebender

jeonghan

waterbender! there is a trait that water benders are versatile and adaptable to situations, which i can DEFINITELY see with jeonghan

i mean obviously we speak loads of his cleverness (cheating) and how good he is at speaking out of his ass on the fly

at the same time though i also kind of see him as a flowing river

as in he’ll flow and move in any direction he wants, and is definitely open to change if he is willing to

but god if you try to force that change out of him he is absolutely immovable; he can also be pretty stubborn and relentless sometimes!

and also with rivers how there’s always a destination for it; jeonghan is completely not afraid to do whatever it takes to achieves his goals, which to me is a lot like a river steadily rushing on towards the ocean

even if there are obstacles he’ll do whatever it takes to overcome them (even if it means cheating lmao)

at the end of the day though he’s definitely a healing presence for other members, considering how much they confide in him, which is another property i associate with water 

joshua

now with joshua i’m not entirely sure. i could definitely see him as an earthbender or nonbender

my rationale for earthbender is that he’s just very... grounded

while of course he can be really goofy and playful at times, i think in general he’s very down to earth 

like in interviews and stuff he obviously isn’t the one always reaching for the microphone

and his answers are honestly pretty standard most of the time, i haven’t really seen him try to answer in an outrageous way, especially compared to someone like, say, hoshi lmao

even in going seventeen he seems more content to literally just sit back and enjoy the show, only speaking up when he really feels like it

he just gives off super reliable vibes as well; i mean that’s probably half the reason why he got that gentleman nickname lmao

it’s also this difficulty of pinning an element to him that i could see him as a non-bender??? 

i’m not really sure what traits drive home for a non-bender but that’s just my gut feeling lmao. if he was an earthbender he’d be an incredibly chill one

jun

ahhhhh my boy is definitely an airbender!!

i keep thinking back to that interview where the members were asked something along the lines of whether they had worries or something? i can’t remember the exact wording

and like jun (and maybe vernon?) said no and the others were like “that’s just because he forgets” lmao

he is suuuuch a go with the flow type of dude, and his playful nature really plays in well with the aspect of freedom that’s tightly associated with the element of air

another reason i kind of associate him with airbending comes from the show itself, namely aang’s own personality and how much aang would stand his ground to defend his own beliefs and morals

i always come back to jun’s selfless attitude in cyzj when he had to perform without yanan, specifically the stage where he performed with two microphones to represent that he was still thinking of yanan in that moment

like even if he seems all over the place at times, when it comes down to it he’s really going to do what he believes is right, and can be incredibly stubborn about it too

but at the end of the day jun is a lover not a fighter and just wants everyone to have a good time and god i fucking love him for that

hoshi

what else could our resident tiger be but a firebender

again, the main thing i associate with firebending is high energy and passion and BOY DOES HOSHI DELIVER

but his outrageous outbursts aside i also think there’s a lot to be said of his work ethic that i think really fits into firebending

from the show there is a lot of discipline and hard work that comes with firebending, as fire is often seen as difficult to control

while all the members are obviously hardworking, a lot of them have pointed to him and woozi being the hardest working of them all

hoshi is definitely the kind of dude that throws himself into his work with everything he’s got

and of course the fact that it’s what he loves only helps push that drive and determination even further

i also often think of how hoshi mentions he basically feels possessed when he’s dancing/on stage lmao

but i think that can be attributed to the overwhelming passion he has for the art; it consumes him like an overwhelming flame

wonwoo

for me wonwoo definitely feels like a waterbender

again with the idea of water being adaptable, wonwoo is really good at adjusting to the energies of the others even if he’s not naturally super outspoken himself

he can easily go from low to high just like the tides (haha get it), and if the other members are being super excitable it’s very easy for him to join in on the fun

but on the flipside he also has the capabilities of just completely shutting them down lmao kind of like how he cuts people off in debate night

not to bring astrology into this but he’s also the one helping bring some water into this air-dominated group lmao

so yes, versatile, adaptable, but also really good at literally dousing out the flame when needed

if jeonghan was a river i see wonwoo more as a vast like, in that even if he’s somewhat quiet on the surface there is so much more going on underneath

there’s just something very tranquil about his energies that i think make him very suitable for waterbending

woozi

honestly woozi is another one that’s hard for me to place, but i’m going to go with firebending on this one, although i can also see earthbending

i know i’m sort of sticking to the same traits for these lmao, but woozi is kind of that perfect combination of being super well grounded and stable vs just sooo so passionate about his work

he’s always throwing himself into his music like never has anybody questioned his absolute passion and determination for it

as such it sort of makes me lean towards him being a firebender, but a more like... aloof one i guess??

kind of like uncle iroh, except instead of tea it’s music lmao

and if you hurt the people he cares about it’s going to get SERIOUS because how DARE you

but that sort of distance is also sort of why i see more earthbending traits in him; he’s more comfortable with sticking with what he’s used to, and isn’t as inclined as others to go outside his comfort zone

and why he facepalms so much when the other members do stupid shit lmao

seokmin

seokmin i actually have no idea

if i had to pick an element i’d say either water or air, but somehow neither of those completely fit either. so maybe even a nonbender???

like for water, i see it through his kind and healing soul and heavily relate that to the healing properties of water

he’s also just so expressive, which honestly to me can be represented in the many different forms of water there are

like he wears his heart and emotions on his sleeve, and i feel like that is something that could be reflected in waterbending

for air, i see it through his playful and joyful personality and the childlike innocence he embodies, like a playful breeze on a warm sunny day

like jun he’s completely a lover not a fighter, and if he had bending it’d be more about mediation than confrontation

but at the end of the day i think he’s more grounded by his emotions which is why i feel slightly more inclined towards waterbending, but honestly it’s still pretty 50/50

he’s also one of the members i can definitely see being a nonbender; i don’t have anything to back this up but it’s kind of just a gut feeling lmao

mingyu

interestingly enough i kind of see both firebending and waterbending for him, and kind of like seokmin i’m very 50/50 on the two

for firebending i actually literally associate him with fire, and my nickname for him is also spicy red hot chili pepper lmao

i also see fire with him because almost everything he does is done with extreme eagerness and curiosity

for me he almost encapsulates the tantalizing allure of playing with fire, and how he wants to try his hand at experiencing many different things as quickly as fire spreads from one interest to the next

for waterbending though it’s kind of for the exact same reason

i keep preaching about the versatility and adaptability of water, and what better aspect to associate with mingyu’s continuous curiosity for trying new things? 

so it’s a mix of the two due to the passionate determination behind his desire to literally get his hands on everything

and there is no end goal, it is just an all consuming fire that is hungry for more until there is none left

minghao

okay i see minghao as a firebender as well and also this is a slight nod to the minghao = zuko agend LMAO

but kind of in the same vein where iroh/zuko used elements of waterbending in their firebending, i think minghao would also have a lot of the more fluid waterbending techniques in his firebending

like where traditional firebending is perhaps more of a hard, fighting style, minghao gives me a much more fluid vibe

this also comes out of his artistic style with contemporary dance and abstract art, and his passions with developing it

i’m not totally sure how to explain this but to me his artistic expression has a lot of fluid movement in it in which the driving force isn’t the necessarily the user/artist (minghao) but more about where those energies want to go themselves

compared to hoshi where i said the fire consumes him (in a good way), minghao’s fire is more directed at releasing the energy where it needs to be released and not forcing it

i think that’s also why minghao finds a lot of stress release in drawing and art

so still very passionate, very hot, but fluid, like a dancing flame

seungkwan

seungkwan i see mainly as an earthbender but maybe with some fire as well!

a lot of this comes with just how extremely disciplined he is with pretty much everything

even if he is extremely witty and incredibly funny on variety shows i think a lot of it comes out of him just being extremely socially aware, or like aware of his surroundings if that makes sense??

one of the key elements of earthbending is sort of taking in the environment around you and waiting for the right moment to strike

and for seungkwan i think he just has so much natural wit and knowledge that he is able to always come up with the right thing to say at the right time

but i also see some firebending in him because he also gets easily frustrated lmao

like how he gets so easily flustered when he does say the wrong thing at the wrong time and it doesn’t get the reaction he wants

he wears his heart and emotions on his sleeve a lot like dk but tends to also act on them, which to me is aspects of firebending shining through

vernon

personally for vernon i very much see air bending!

again a huge association i have with air is also the element of freedom, and kind of literally doing whatever you want, which i think suits vernon SO well

we always talk about how he’s just simply vibin’/off in his own world and for me there is no element more suitable for that then airbending

he has the kind of energy where everyone else is forced to go at his own pace; you can’t really force it

to throw another pun in here it’s literally like trying to fight the wind: completely useless

but it’s not necessarily met with resistance; vernon has his own ideas but he’s definitely extremely open minded to others and could be swayed given a good discussion

like while jeonghan also goes at his own pace, it’s often feels like it’s towards some directed goal, again like a flowing river. but with vernon, i feel like he’s literally just kind of doing whatever, in the same way that the wind never has a destination or specific course

it’s more about exploring the possibilities and just straight up enjoying life

dino

dino is definitely a boy of the earth for me hahaha

while he is definitely just as passionate about things as his other members, his energy comes off more of a really steady and powerful determination

there’s this sort of strength and endurance with dino that for me makes him extremely suitable for earthbending 

like i think a large part of it comes from the fact that he has very clear goals and a steady mindset way of achieving them

like if he says he’s gonna do something then he’s going to do it, and also the way he always stands his ground when it comes to confrontation

he’s the guy who’s gonna absolutely speak his mind but at the same time be really open minded to other opinions

like he obviously gets teased a lot as the maknae but he takes it all in good stride and then throws it back with just as much force you know lmao although maybe not as much in recent episodes where woozi has just completely obliterated him with the razor

#seventeen #svt #asks #anon #omg this took way longer than i thought lmao but ty this was fun!!! #i did not proofread this i finished the last member and hit publish #if you guys have any other opinions/thoughts plss let me know i'd love to discuss this stuff #if the readmore broke im so sorry yall 😩😩😩 #atla #m:writing

[bbbclub]

Villainy in yyh

Expanding on this post, I thought i’d take a look at what makes Togashi’s treatment of villains unique.

As many people have already remarked, Togashi’s villains tend to be just as compelling and complex as his heroes : they’re nuanced, they’re cool, some are even likeable... for the most part. Togashi is not above depicting an absolutely irredeemable asshole. And more often than not, this type of villain is used in a parallel fashion to an interesting villain, and serves to reinforce that complexity. Sure, Toguro’s a bad dude, but at least he’s not Sakyo. Or his brother. Or Tarukane.

This lead me to think about what the way Togashi thinks of evil : specifically, that he doesn’t seem to believe in evil incarnate.

To clarify : Togashi doesn’t believe there’s evil so great that you stop being human. That’s a theme that’s spelled out even more clearly in hxh with characters like the phantom brigade or the kimera ants. Sure they do horrible things, but that doesn’t mean they stop being ‘human’ : they have lives and relationships and feelings and you can connect with them. That more than anything explains the complicated relationship readers have to these characters : we can’t help empathizing with them, even if we know they wouldn’t empathize with us. We see them as people, even if they don’t see us as such. Or, more specifically, we know we are all people ; they don’t.

For Togashi, evil is not born in a vacuum : evil has an upbringing, and a societal context. The phantom troupe or the kimeras are not “evil” for the sake of being evil, they enforce the moral system they’re been born in. They don’t feel bad about killing outsiders because these people are, at least at a psychological level, a different species. The same thing is at play with youkais in yyh : they don’t feel bad about feeding on humans because they have no reason to consider that evil. For them, it isn’t a deviation from the norm, it is the norm.

The most literal application of this idea is in the Sensui storyline. Sensui kills demons because that’s all he’s ever known : as far as he’s concerned, it is the norm. Then, an entity comes along and tells him he’s right to feel that way : the self-given norm is validated. According to this norm, killing demons is not evil because they are not people. And that’s only when he realizes empathy goes both ways that the norm is destroyed : if he can connect with a demon the way he would a person, then it means demons are people. Therefore, killing them is wrong. The flipside of this storyline is the Raizen storyline : why would he give up eating humans after falling in love with one ? Because if you can fall in love with a human, it means humans are people, just like you. And eating people just like you is wrong.

To Togashi, the worst and most dangerous thing one can do is treating people as things. Whether it’s eating them, collecting them, or profiting off them, every bad action depicted in his work comes back to stripping someone of their humanity. Look at the level of disgust he puts in depicting not only prince Tserriednich the phantom troupe but also Neon Nostrad, who’s much less harmful than the troupe but pursues the same ideology : that you can choose who is human and who isn’t.

So in that context, what separates Toguro from Tarukane, Sensui from Itsuki, Yomi from Enma Sr ? What makes these villains seem more redeemable than their counterpart who pursue similar goals ? Or, to put it another way, what makes an action not just wrong, but evil ?

It’s knowing you are wrong. It’s knowing the people you treat as things are indeed people, and doing it anyway. Tarukane sees that Yukina can cry and suffer, yet he treats her as a commodity anyway. Unlike Sensui, Itsuki knows his mindset on relationships and love is wrong - you can tell by the fact that he feels the need to explain it to the heroes - yet he keeps pursing this type of relationship. Unlike Yomi, Enma knows humans and demons are in the end pretty similar : yet he manipulates and exploits them all the same. All these characters’ conceptions of others are wrong, but not all of them are evil, because not all of them act knowing they are wrong.

The only ‘couples’ that diverge slightly from this view are Toguro/Tarukane and Toguro/Toguro Elder. Toguro knows the activities he participates in are evil, and considers both Tarukane and his brother trash for joyfully partaking in them. The illusion he falls prey to is the idea that you can walk the path they’re walking the honourable way. It’s disgraceful to play with the puppet of a dead warrior onstage, but it’s honourable to execute said warrior even as there’s no question that it’s an execution and not a fight. This is of course complete horseshit, but Toguro doesn’t realize that. He’s not consciously treating people as things, because he thinks you can exploit them all while treating them honourably.

That’s in my opinion, what separates the “villains” in yyh to the “real villains” in yyh, the ones Togashi considers redeemable to the ones who are just to be dealt with and forgotten. Now, even if yyh does encourage moral relativism, as always nuance is key and we shouldn’t fall to far into it. Togashi is not saying it’s okay to act wrong if you don’t know you are wrong. Toguro, Sensui and Yomi are still bad people even if they’re painted in a more forgiving light. What it comes back to is the possibility for evolution. All of us have something in our upbringing that leads us to see others as less then human even if we’re not conscious of it. But once we realize that, that’s when the real choice happens. That’s when we have to decide whether we change the way we think about the world, or remain the same knowing we are stripping others of their humanity. Now that’s evil.

#yyh #hxh #toguro #sensui #meta

[realchrisilluminati]

How To Choose A Tattoo That Won’t Embarrass You — Or Your Kids — Forever

In September 2016, I finally got a new tattoo. It’s my second tattoo (sort of). I got my first tattoo in 1996 but added more, and covered some of it for my 30th birthday.

My first ink was a tribal band – because they were awesome for like a hot minute. There was no significance to the tattoo. Its sole purpose was to piss off my parents who specifically said before dropping me into my freshman dorm “don’t come home with a tattoo.” I wish I didn’t because I hate it now.

I put absolutely no thought into the tattoo design. I went trendy. I was an idiot.

The new tattoo took some time to think up and means way more to me and will hold a significance forever.

Don’t make the same mistake I made as an eighteen-year-old “rebel” on his own for the first time in his life. If you’re going to get a tattoo, take these five things into consideration, or you’ll regret the tattoo design forever.

Do Your Homework

Social media has made it much easier to find tattoo artists. I got my first tattoo at a shop that a college friend frequented for his tattoos so I knew the place did decent work (he was a walking billboard) but I didn’t know much about the artists, their specialties or even their hours. There might have been an artist on staff who would have done a killer job on my tribal band but I just popped into a shop one day and told the woman at the front desk “I want a tattoo, who’s available?”

Every good tattoo artist has a website (or at least a gallery on the shop’s website) and most artists maintain a Facebook page or Instagram account. Do some digging on artists.

Also, do some digging for tattoo ideas. Maybe there’s something out there you’ve never seen or never considered. Maybe your idea is all over the place and not that original. Do your homework. There’s no rush.

Picture Yourself in 5 Years (Not 50)

When my mother finally talked to me again after a month of the silent treatment she asked, “how’s the tattoo going to look in 50 years?” Probably saggy as shit, I thought, but I hadn’t really given the future much thought. I assumed it would look ridiculous on my 68-year-old body, but by that point, who gives a shit? Who would be looking at my old ass anyway?

If you’re on the fence about your tattoo design, don’t think decades ahead; think just a couple years ahead. Will it work with your possible line of work? Will it be odd to explain to your kids? Will it even make sense? A box of Eggo waffles with the word Eleven replacing Eggo is a sweet tattoo idea but will people remember Stranger Things, will your kids think you got a breakfast food inked to your skin and do any 4th-grade teachers have visible neck tattoos?

Before getting something insane, in a spot you can never cover up, give it some real thought.

Allow The Artist Room To Create

Allow the tattoo artist room to create and put their own spin on the idea. That’s what the drafting process of the tattoo is for anyway. It’s a brainstorming for ideas — what works, what doesn’t, what looks good and what won’t and what’s possible and what isn’t – until a design is created that you can live with looking at forever.

It’s fine to have a tattoo design but it’s not fair to ask a tattoo artist to replicate the design exactly. Notice the second word in his or her title is ARTIST.

Don’t Let The Artist Talk You Into (Or Out Of) Anything

I knew what I wanted my new tattoo to look like but I couldn’t really envision the exact tattoo in my mind. While explaining the concept to my tattoo artist, he sketches it out in real time, and the creation slowly come to life.

“Honestly dude,” he said, “If I do it like this it won’t look like a dagger. It will look like a fancy letter opener. We need to go fatter with the blade.”

In my case, the artist talked me out of a bad idea without completely trying to change my mind on the concept. He gave his opinion, I agreed, and it was back to the drawing board. But if my heart was set on his first drawing, I’m pretty sure he would have done it anyway because “my body and my money” so what could he really do?

There are some artists who honestly don’t care what you want, they just want to do the tattoo they want to do. On the flipside, there are artists who don’t give a shit about adding anything to your design. They just want to get the tattoo done and move on to the next customer.

Ultimately it’s your arm, your money, and your decision.

Don’t Do It Just To Do It

I learned this lesson the hard way the first time around. I got a tattoo just to get a tattoo (and piss off my mom) and didn’t really think the whole idea through. I really did want a tattoo but should have done a better job asking myself questions like “what do you really want?” and “what tattoo will convey a message you want to convey?” I did it just to do it and that was stupid.

While the first tattoo wasn’t everything I hoped, my latest tattoo is more than I could have hoped or imagined in my head. I had rough ideas but what came out of my artist’s pen was above and beyond my mental sketches.

Immediately after the tattoo, I scheduled another appointment for a year later to finally cover up or convert the jumbled mess on my arm. I’m sure my mom will hate that one too.

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#tattoos #funny #wtf #regrets