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hippielittlemetalhead · 9 months

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So I've seen a lot of 'Hop actively dislikes and distrusts Steve', 'Hop tolerates Steve because he's useful during UD shenanigans but doesn't like him', and the big swing to 'Hop has adopted Steve as his own and treats him the same/almost the same as he does El'

BUT, I present:

Hop pseudo adopts Steve because when he and Owens were trying to get the Harringtons to make any decisions about their teenager who saw some sketchy shit and may need government testing they legally gave Hop the rights to act in loco parentis and he takes that seriously because he doesn't want another Will Byers and he's pretty sure the Harrington kid has a concussion.

Hop who stays involved just enough in Steve's life season 1-3 that we the audience see Steve is getting attached. But Hop just sees an annoying kid who won't leave him alone when he's trying to deal with a rebellious psychic and her insane little friends and keeps asking stupid questions about highschool romance and teenage rivalry drama. Knows Joyce Byers doesn't like the kid but won't give a lot of reason why but he's mostly learned to trust that woman's judgement about people. Still gets him the job at Scoops when the kid's dad makes a stink about college and tells him if he survives a few months there he'll consider bringing him on the force, makes sense to keep him close and in a position to help should shit hit the fan again.

Hop who doesn't get it when Steve is one of the most relieved when he 'comes back to life' after Joyce and Murray bring him back from Russia. When Steve introduces him as "My Hop," (something he'd taken to calling him just before season 2 shenanigans) to his sarcastic, fidgety little friend like it means something. The girl, Robin, looks between the two of them and gets this sad look on her face for a second before smiling and shaking his hand and saying something about "Dingus has told me all about you".

Hop who complains to Murray one of the times The Party and assorted teens and adults are over at his renovated and expanded cabin (courtesy of Owens and shady government organizations recognizing these people are worth investing in, heavily if omens are to be believed) when the bald annoyance asks about what's up on there. Complains about having annoying teenagers who have nothing better to do but pester him legally put under his supervision cause their parents can't be assed to care and are spoiled little shits who are slightly more bearable versions of said parents cause he can stand toe to toe with one of those monsters they faced and the kids kind of listen to him. Complains about barely being able to breathe cause of regular visits and check-ins like Hop was still responsible for him. Says at least the extra hands are useful around the cabin what with the still healing up and El pacing herself after the showdown with Creel and still trying to find Max and the Byers not quite moved back to Hawkins yet.

Hop who doesn't realize that Steve hears every word cause he had gone looking for the older man when he disappeared for more than a few minutes, when he couldn't see him to make sure he was here and safe and alive. Steve who thought Hop actually had come to care for him in his own gruff way and had confessed to Robin that in a lot of ways the way Hop has taken care of him makes him the closest thing to the father figure he's always wanted but never thought he'd get to have. Steve who hears Murray hum and recollect a visit from Nancy and Jonathan where their romance officially started (he vaguely knows about the visit, didn't realize that's what happened, didn't realize she couldn't be bothered to even do the decent/considerate thing before moving on to something better) because it seemed it was a pattern he was seeing 'people liked Steve, but people didn't love Steve'.

Hop who hears a choked sound like someone taking a claw to the gut and turns to see Harrington. Steve Harrington his bandages just peeking out from the collar of his shirt and the opening of his sleeves. (He never did get the stories behind those, too busy being fussed over and being told about the kids and how they were doing as Harrington played babysitter) Steve Harrington a kid who went through hell and still managed to smile and laugh and stand tall and unyielding looking at him with a blank face his eyes misty and his shoulders starting to curl in on himself before he clears his throat, chokes out that he just wanted to make sure Hop was alright but looks like Murray had everything under control. He'd go now, get out of his hair, let him rest, let him breathe. Steve Harrington who walks away with purpose like a man on a mission and doesn't acknowledge the kids calling out asking if he's alright, make sure he has his walkie talkie on him.

Hop, who realizes maybe he left behind two kids who missed (needed) him. Who wonders who took care of Harrington's paperwork when he was concussed and sedated because he was bleeding out and feverish from infection and Hop was busy at the cabin reveling in the comfort and warmth of his daughter and the woman he loved and her two sons who were fast becoming like his own. Hop, who realizes too late that maybe if he'd given the kid half a chance he could have had 3 sons to sit with him and his daughter and the woman he loved as they basked in surviving another end-of-the-world. Hop who has spent years barely giving a damn about Steve Harrington and realizes that he's no better than the kid's own parents.

Part 2

Part 3

#nttttf verse #Never Took The Time (To Forget)#yeah the ramblings of a madperson #honestly made myself choke up with this one #some projection about father figures and unrequited familial affection #we in our feels today #morbid and melancholy unlovable bastards are we #got the morbs #hopper adopts steve #but make it sad #steve harrington whump #Hopper POV #mostly #come yell about the sad with me #rambler writes

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batboyblog · 1 year

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hey thanks for not being super doomer over these anti-trans bills. i kept on seeing so many people being defeated over them and it messed up my mental health for a while, like nothing could be done. but you did bring up some good points and shed some light onto people who are actively fighting for us so i thank you again

The queer movement, in the US any ways, has always been cyclical, we make big gains and push forward, then there's a super scary backlash. We're right now at the hight of a really scary backlash thats focused on trans people in particular but is anti-queer more generally. It's intense but its important to remember these backlashes don't generally last very long, they are scary, but each time they've happened, the mid to late 1970s, the 1980s, the early 2000s, the tide has gone out and gay rights, LGBT rights, and society's acceptance of LGBT people has been farther along than before they have never ever managed to turn us back in the years since Stonewall.

And as intense and scary as this is in some ways it's better than last time, when I was a gay teenager. in those days... in 2004 and 2008 the Democrats running for President were uniformly against gay marriage (the big issue of that time) they were trying to get us to settle for the not marriage alternative of civil unions. Only a handful of Congresspeople (some of them gay themselves) in DEEP! blue districts dared to support gay marriage outright. Today the Democratic Party is the most pro-LGBT major political party in the world, you had the President and every Democrat of any note making statements for TDOV a few days ago and you're not seeing even red state Democrats back down and agree to be "a little transphobic" for votes. It felt a lot more lonely last time when it was us and a handful of allies fighting the backlash with most of the Democratic Party on the side lines handwringing and saying "well can't you wait?"

any ways this movement is and will always be a struggle, the rights we've won, the acceptance we've received has never just been given, it's been won, through hard work. Everyone has to dedicate themselves to work in their corner of the earth to the best of their abilities and to push themselves past what they think they can do. That means hooking up with LGBT rights groups on the ground to protest, to rally, to try to support and comfort those queer people who are down and out in whatever way right now, it means digging deep and having hard and awkward conversations with the people in your life, if you're gay or trans or whatever and you got that one aunt/uncle/cousin/whoever in your life that loves you to bits but you know still votes Republican and you just don't bring it up because you don't want to hurt the relationship... have the talk keep having the talk as many times as you need to. Tell your grandparents if they don't know, tell your parents (if its safe or if you don't need their money any more) tell co-workers who don't know etc, they vote for us 2 to 1 if they know they know one of us. Finally register to vote, make sure all your friends particularly if you're young are registered and vote, vote in every election. Trust me it's AMAZINGLY easy to find the email of candidates for school board or city council and it's amazingly easy to ask questions. Last election I emailed every school board candidate about Holocaust education, and the state rep candidate about trans rights, she wrote me back a lovely note and mailed be a sticker she'd picked up from a trans rights group. It's amazingly easy to get involved, I volunteered with my local democrats for one election and they offered me the #3 spot in their local party, I have the phone numbers of my state rep and state senator without trying really, you can get in the room with these people, with candidates for governor, congress, I have my picture with 3 US Presidents? its not hard to do, and you can use chances like that to talk to them and show them your humanity and leave an impression that really matters in the long run.

sorry to RAMBLE but it's important that everyone do their part, pick a little something, a project to push this thing forward, people doom scrolling, particularly posting about how its hopeless does not help, posting in general doesn't help much even if its not doomerism, I think in the years after the anti-gay marriage Bush backlash we got very online and we got very "progress just happens" and a lot of people fell out of the habit or came of age without the habit of protest and without a local queer community or local progressive community and its very important in the face of this to find or build those and also understand in some places its gonna be years of work to get where we want to go, but we will and it'll be worth all the work.

#LGBT #Queer #gay rights #trans #trans rights #politics #ask

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alienwithaguitar · 1 month

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Shelby said a lot during her stream, teetering from honorable to downright strange, and I want to address some of the issues. Before I say anything, I am still supportive of Shelby’s story, but this stream revealed a lot to me. I especially push Shelby supporters to read this, as this stream pushed MANY people I know to a neutral stance.

Shelby claimed having a depressive disorder just involved "feeling depressed", which is a harmful misconception that minimizes our struggles. Depression is more than feeling sad, and is categorized as being "different from regular mood changes and feelings about everyday life." It can involve constant hopelessness, angry outbursts, loss of motivation in most activities, and can lead to fluctuating weights, suicidal ideations, and self-sabotaging. To say "we all feel a little depressed sometimes" is to dismiss the lifelong struggles people with depression go through.

Shelby also implies that people with mental illness cannot change, and that recovery is not possible if your depression has hurt others. Not only is that an incredibly harmful idea to spread, it's blatantly incorrect. Just as habits and thoughts are trained throughout your life, they can also be untrained. There is genuine psychological basis in this, and to say that recovery is impossible is scientifically false. Personalities shift our entire lives, and changes in our physical and mental environments help us train new habits. This is part of the reason we try forming better schedules in new environments, and why a consistently stressful environment can bloom negative habits.

People don't chose to have mental illness, and if you're never taught to handle it, it can be extremely easy to hurt others. The most powerful tool to recovery is believing you can be better, and Shelby telling people to not even try is just enabling self-destructive people to hurt others for the rest of their lives. Change is a long process, but it's absolutely possible- Something as simple as a disruption in your life, a wake up call, and a drive to be a better person are the first steps to kickstarting change.

Shelby’s claims are very strange considering the rest of the stream. Earlier, she went on a rant about content creator’s influence on teenagers. She acknowledged teenagers are impressionable, and that it’s important to take care of those looking up to you. She recognized her fanbase was mainly teenagers, many of whom struggle from mental illness. It feels backwards to emphasize being a good role model before telling thousands of kids that their mental illness makes them a bad person. Her statement was about treating people with kindness no matter what, but she couldn’t keep that energy for people with depression.

Shelby herself was able to find help in therapy, so to deny that others should seek help feels selfish. She also confirmed on stream that she's seen the informative resources people sent her, and that she has ignored them. I can excuse the stereotyping if she's willing to be educated, but she's made it clear she believes she’s right. This is one thing I cannot defend, and I can't forgive her for slandering myself and thousands of struggling teens’ progress to their faces.

One final thing Shelby mentioned was that we should wait for evidence, and it's alright to feel doubtful. I want to revisit her statement with the current evidence we have, that I will take with a grain of salt by her own request. With the proof we have, nothing that Shelby claims comes across as abusive outside of the biting.

Shelby said she would get locked in his house at times. UK houses need a key to unlock the inside, and Wilbur likely only had one. While at his house, Shelby had access to her phone, and there were ways she could communicate with him or call for help if this was a problem. We have no evidence to claim that he trapped her. Shelby also stated her family never met Wilbur, because she had to travel to meet him. It wouldn't be unreasonable to stay in his house for an extended amount of time, and that was entirely her choice. She certainly might have felt neglected, but to claim that it was entrapment is baseless.

Wilbur was also busy with tours, absent nearly 200 days of the year. Feeling lonely makes sense, but raising that as abusive and holding it against him is ridiculous. As a famous musician, Wilbur has obligations that he legally can't drop. This was something she needed to be aware of when pursuing a relationship with him. She's allowed to wish things were different, but genuinely expecting him to abandon his lifelong passion is more than a little strange. This doesn't detract from her feelings, but to hold his legal obligations over his head when she should’ve known he'd be busy is unreasonable.

Shelby has also made a point of publicly shaming his hygiene. The inability to care for yourself and your space is a common symptom of depression. It was kind of her to clean, but her words imply she thinks he's just lazy. She explicitly notes that Wilbur didn’t expect her to clean, but that he waited for her to clean. This is weird to specify, as people with depression typically don't make plans to clean for long periods of time. She likely just assumed his inaction was a sign for her to do it, rather than something he struggled with and had no plans to do anyway. I don't think she was right for shaming his depressive habits, and I don't think he was right for dismissing her help. However, the comments he made about her cleaning very strongly imply that he never had plans to clean either way. This just reads as a choice to help out, not expectation or pressure.

Based on the evidence we have now, the points Shelby made just come across as her dating a mentally ill man and not being prepared for the challenges that come with that. Her family never met him, and he was very busy, so there wasn’t much outside opinion she could get. It's reasonable for her to feel neglected, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was intentional harm. It's important for both parties to get help, to communicate what happened and talk about their feelings. Wilbur stated he was committed to talking with her and addressing her concerns, while Shelby blocked him and refused to communicate, despite telling him she wanted to remain friends. All she's done since is reject his apology (even though he made a statement, not an apology, for legal reasons) and ignore his requests to speak. This avoidance to communicate is likely why the lines of consent and expectation were blurred in their relationship, as they've both expressed an inability to communicate.

This was not written to discredit Shelby's experience, I do believe she has trauma. However, you can absolutely be traumatized by relationships that weren't necessarily abusive. I've experienced years of PTSD from completely fabricated nightmares, and have trauma from repeated hallucinations of my ex. She’s not lying about her feelings- But between the contradictions, refusing to talk with Wilbur about an apology, and the insistence to "communicate” despite the fact that she blocked him, I can't support Shelby's actions.

I will always fight to uplift victims, and I am sympathetic of her story, but I can't defend someone who makes no effort to communicate or educate herself before speaking. Until either of them presents something that is beyond "he said, she said" I will remain neutral. I think they both deserve a chance to change and talk about this privately, and I will be waiting for a better response in the mean time. There was clearly miscommunication, and this was brought to us prematurely (shown by her contradicting statements.) I urge you all to look at the evidence and hopefully come to a similar conclusion. You can feel for someone's experiences and sympathize with their mental state without endorsing them. Stay safe, be kind, and don't jump to any conclusions. 🤍

#wilbur #wilbursoot #wilbur soot #not a wilbur defense post #but its still important to consider #shelby #shubble #shelby shubble #wilbur support squad #shubble support squad #shelby support squad

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seethesin · 6 months

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shane relationship hcs??

pairing: Shane McCutcheon x F!Reader

tags/warnings: meet cutes, dating cliches, explicit sexual content near the end (18+, mdni)

a/n: i can't deny you anything involving shane, anon! 😇 this is not proofread, just a complete stream of consciousness. enjoy!

The two of you met while grocery shopping. You were shopping for the week while Shane stopped in to grab a case of Dos Equis and a few things to host the get together she and Jenny had planned

You swiped the bag of chips Shane was about to grab, knocking knuckles into each other

Shane's not one to get flustered or thrown off center, but she was not expecting to meet you in such a mundane place

The first thing your brain comprehends is just how good she looks in her ripped jeans and dress shirt

She manages to get a sentence out first, maintaining her signature coolness: "You know, I got some company expecting me to come back with those cheddar jalapeño chips"

You hum as if genuinely considering giving them up before smiling brightly and placing them in your cart

"You snooze, you lose!" you call over your shoulder, leaving Shane stunned behind you. You miss the tiny smile that tugs at her lips as she searches for another snack

While you're walking down the checkout, you notice Shane waiting in one of the lanes Immediately, you station yourself behind her and take a moment to build your confidence

"Hey," You grab her attention and Shane turns around, her green eyes practically gleaming once she realizes it's you again

"I'll trade you the chips for a date"

You don't miss the surprised quirk of her brows or the way her lips grow into a pleased grin at your exclamation

"Deal"

And so, one date turns into three which turns into so many you lose count

You learn quickly that Shane can be a gentlewoman. She's always holding doors open for you, offering you her arm when you walk together, and draping her leather jacket over you when you're cold

Each action only seems to impress you more and you refuse to admit it out loud, but you're smitten with her

As the two of you learn more about each other, you notice just how much Shane takes an interest in your passions

She can actively listen to you talk about something you love for hours: whether it has to do with your career, your education, or even that TV show you spent the weekend binging

If something makes you happy, you can guarantee that at some point, Shane has made a mental note of it so she can touch on it later on

The love languages Shane shows to you are physical touch and acts of service

Shane can't keep her hands to herself

She always finds a way to touch you: whether it be a chaste hand on your back, a protective arm around your waist, or her mischievous mouth on the nape of your neck

Your bodies fit one another like gloves. That fact does not go past either of you; it was as if you were made for each other

Meanwhile, Shane is the first person you go to when you want some sort of help

Being wanted does something to Shane and to be wanted by you? It makes her go absolutely crazy

She's not a fixer per se, but will always provide the assistance she feels she can for you

Need a ride? She's got you covered. Need some advice? She'll say her peace but will ask you to take it with a grain of salt. Need a hand? Oh, well she'll be happy to provide that in more ways than one

Also, do I even have to say it? As soon as you two officially enter a relationship, Shane is your personal hairdresser

You let her try just about any hairstyle on you that she can think of; the feeling of her fingers against your scalp is enough to make you melt on the spot

Whatever she chooses for you that day is always flattering and you can't get enough of yourself in the mirror

Shane will bend forward, grinning in satisfaction as she tidies up your new hairdo

"Look at my pretty girl," she'll rasp, pressing kisses to your temple as she watches you blush eagerly

By the way, the sex is to die for

Shane truly aims to please and is always so hyperfocus on your pleasure every single time the two of you get between the sheets

Whether she's fucking you with her hands, mouth, or strap, she adores being able to watch you throughout it

She loves to overstimulate you, seeing just how far she can push you until you can't take it anymore

Her favorite way to fuck you is with you in her lap, her fingers buried in your pussy while you face her. Your hands are gripped on her shoulders as you bob mindlessly

Your greedy cunt swallows her digits easily as you pant and keen.

Shane can't stop herself from teasing you: "Such a good girl, fucking yourself on my fingers, huh?"

You dissolve into a whimpering, whining mess, and once she curls her fingers inside you, you cum so suddenly you don't have time to process it

Her thumb is stroking your clit and another orgasm ripples through your body

Your shuddering on Shane's fingers and she leans in closer, trailing hot kisses down your throat

"How many more can you give me tonight?"

#shane mccutcheon #shane mccutcheon x reader #shane mccutcheon x you #shane mccutcheon imagine #the l word #the l word imagine #lesbian #wlw

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a-very-tired-jew · 2 months

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We have to talk about Leftist Antisemitism

One of the things I have been grappling with since Oct 7th is the rise of antisemitism in Leftist spaces. Often we find ourselves falling into the same old position of blaming the Right for these issues. However, over the past few decades minority voices have pointed out that the Left has issues with bigotry in its own way. For myself, and likely many other Jews, growing up in Leftist spaces I heard antisemitic jokes and lines all the time. However, they were never the overt hate fueled rhetoric I would hear from the Right. Conspiracies were relegated to "The Rothschilds control the world" rather than "The Jews control the world." Regardless of how you feel about the rich, the Rothschilds are a dog whistle for Jews. Hell, my own family members would say this same line because the majority of us are on the Left. So obviously we take a position regarding the ultra rich. However, this Rothschilds line isn't the only dog whistle. Often there were jokes at your expense from outside your in-group. Common refrains that *insert Jewish dog whistle* couldn't be trusted due to *insert conspiracy coded in Leftist language*. That's the issue... The antisemitism on the Left is coded in a language that makes it more subtle than overt rightwing antisemitism. But how did we get here? It definitely predates Oct 7th. We can partly lay blame at this at the feet of something that feels like an old and tired trope at this point: Russia. In particular, the good ole USSR. You see, dear reader, regardless of how you describe your sociopolitical and economics leanings, and regardless of whether or not you reject USSR style Communism, their style and impact still influence you and the rest of the world. As Leftists we often stand opposed to many aspects of Western capitalist ideals, which in turn exposes us to many of the anti-Western writings, philosophies, beliefs, etc... The issue is that the USSR has a very sordid history with antisemitism. Some of you may be saying "but wait! There were Jewish Bolsheviks! Stalin even supported Israel!", don't you worry. We'll get there. While there may have been Jewish Bolsheviks and members of the party post revolution, it does not change the policies and actions that preceded and followed. Robert Weinberg, Dara Horn, David Nirenberg, and other historians have all written extensively at some point or another about this very issue. I highly recommend Dara Horn's latest piece for the Atlantic "Why The Most Educated People in America Fall for Antisemitic Lies". She briefly covers this topic. If you can't access it, well here we go. Zionism as a concept had already been around for a few decades by the time the Communist Revolution occurred, having been solidified by the Dreyfuss Affair in the late 1800s. Zionism is/was also considered Jewish nationalism. While a Jew could be a Russian Jew, German Jew, or any other "nation" Jew, they were still considered an other and thus they could never truly be a nationalist for that country. Only for Israel/Zion. As such, Jews in the USSR were not trusted as it was argued they could not be truly devoted to the Party. Jews were then labeled as Zionists. Zionism was considered anti-Communist, and racist due to the Party purposefully putting out that the "chosen people" line meant that Jews were supremacists and believed themselves to be better than others (The chosen people line actually refers to us choosing to adhere to certain laws). As such, Zionist activities were shut down as they were an act of treason and betrayal. This means that synagogues, shuls, business, and more were shut down as a means to disrupt the "Jewish conspirators". It did not matter that Jews were involved in the revolution, if you were Jewish you were an other and could not be trusted. pt 1.

#leftist #judaism #activism #antisemitism

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rallamajoop · 7 months

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The Baker Incident Report and the Resident Evil 7 Guidebook

While I’m talking obscure sources of RE7 lore, there's a couple more I’ve been poking through lately: the Baker Incident Report file (only available with the RE8 Trauma Pack DLC), and the BIOHAZARD 7 resident evil kaitaishinsho or RE7 guidebook (only available in Japanese, though some translations have made their way online).

I’m not the biggest fan of these kinds of ‘canon’ – fans shouldn’t have to go pouring through pages of DLC-exclusive-text-dumps or untranslated supplements to find out WTF was supposed to be going on – and both of these have other problems I’ll get into below. All that said, here's some of the more interesting new info they give us.

From the BIR, the Winters were moved to ‘Eastern Europe’, as witness protection from the Connections. That's still frustratingly unspecific, but more than we’re ever explicitly told in the game.

The lab that created Eveline is in Munich, Germany, per the BIR. This one does add up: close enough to Eastern Europe for Miranda to be involved, but not so close that it would necessarily ring alarm bells for Mia when the BSAA wanted to move them right to Miranda’s doorstep. Mia’s obviously been to the Munich lab, but presumably didn’t know exactly where the mould comes from (something redacted out even in their own reports). The guidebook also places the lab in Europe, but doesn't give a city. The BIR adds that the Connections are active in Eastern Europe, and we know they have facilities in Central America. Presumably there are offices in Texas too ‒ Mia can't be commuting cross continents to get to work every day.

Eveline was shipped to Central America due to an attempted raid by the BSAA, which is far more we learn from the "Orders" file from the game. The BIR goes so far as to imply that this botched operation was indirectly responsible for the whole Baker Incident, with Chris and his team leaving due to their frustration with the BSAA's attempts to cover the incident up. The guidebook, however, tells us Chris Redfield was actually the guy leading the team behind the failed raid. I assume we’re meant to take it that the mission failed because of an info leak, but I’m still amused by just how ineffectual this franchise keeps making Chris out to be.

Post RE7, Zoe is working as a reporter for a small paper in New Orleans. We don't know if she too went through witness protection but her name was listed among the dead at the Baker mansion.

Ethan is called a systems engineer in both the guide book and the BIR (this one does seem to have been spread around fandom more widely).

Eveline was created in the early 2000s, according to the guidebook. This one really doesn't add up for me: if the project started in 2000 and had already advanced through the A-E series by the early 2000s, why did it stagnate there for the next 10 years without further progress? Did Miranda leaving the project set it back so far? They can't have been waiting for Eveline to grow up, she can age 25x faster than usual, and is being deliberately maintained at the age of a 10yo girl. IDEK, I'd be inclined to ignore this one.

The guidebook states that Mia told people she worked for a "trading company," and was often away from home for work, something which had already strained the Winters’ marriage. I'd guess she told people she spent a lot of time accompanying shipments of goods when she was really smuggling materials or taking part in covert operations for the Connections.

The guidebook gives 2010 as the year she started working for the Connections (a year before her marriage to Ethan in 2011, though it doesn’t mention when they met, which may well have been 2010 or earlier). Mind you, this is also the one bit that randomly calls her "a researcher", so take it as you will (more on this below).

Of Mia's involvement with the project that created Eveline, it says only that the Connections' Special Agents Alan and Mia were assigned to transport Eveline to America. No real indication Mia was ever involved before then.

Of Mia's relationship to Eveline, it says that Mia "found Eveline creepy, but felt sympathy for her lonely situation." You and the rest of us, Mia.

Eveline forced Mia to lure Ethan to the Bakers' property in hope that adding Ethan to their family would make Mia more compliant, according to the guidebook. Eveline was especially fixated on Mia, having known her longer than the Bakers, and was frustrated with Mia's continued resistance to her control. Mia seems to have tried to keep Ethan's existence secret from Eveline to protect him, but somehow let it slip. All this is already implied in-game, of course, but it's nice to have it spelt out.

The Bakers feed people infected food because “oral and mucosal infections” are supposedly better for mould-powered mind-control. Ethan is obviously already infected AF well before their attempts to feed him 'dinner' (there's no way his severed hand would be usable otherwise), but IDK, maybe ingesting some extra mould would have made it easier for Eveline to control him? I'm sure a 10yo girl and a family of hillbillies do not have this down to an exact science, and I wouldn't even be surprised if feeding people mould was counter-productive somehow, given their success rate.

So why did none of those infected prisoners join Eveline's "family" alongside the Bakers? The guide book tells us simply that all were "deemed unfit" as family members, and were thus killed, and converted into molded instead.

We get official names for all the molded types we meet in the game (Moulded, Blade Moulded, Quick Moulded and Fat Moulded – pretty self-explanatory).

As a side-note, Ethan himself gets referred to as a ‘molded’ around this fandom a lot, which really isn’t correct. Ethan’s infected by the mold in the same manner as the Baker family, whereas ‘molded’ is a term coined to describe what amounts to mutamycete zombies (see above): the unintelligent, inhuman monsters that made up the generic enemy types of RE7, whose whole bodies are simply “superorganisms formed of countless mycelia.”

The guide book also implies that Jack’s final, mutated form reflects that he’s starting to become a moulded himself, which is a very interesting little detail.

Notes attached to concept art suggest that most moulded are created from dead bodies, covered by mould in bathtubs to convert them. Eveline is also seen spontaneously converting people to shapeless mould though, and clearly converted much of the ship’s crew into moulded-creatures in a very short time after her escape. It’s not super-consistent, but it is all horror-logic at its best (read: the rules are whatever will make this scene scarier).

There’s a bunch of additional stuff in the BIR naming the Connections’ founder as Brandon Bailey, someone who naturally has ties to Umbrella, blah, blah, blah ‒ I’m sure it all means more to fans of some of the older games. I can't pretend to have much interest in this part myself.

So with all that interesting info, what's my big problem with these sources? Well, for one thing, you don’t have to look far into the guidebook to find info that contradicts what we already know – and sometimes even itself. One page clearly describes Mia as a special agent working for the Connections ‒ a description that matches the wording used in the Orders document, and everything we see Mia doing in the game. But then another page randomly tells us Mia was hired as "a researcher" ‒ a description that matches nothing else we know about her (though it's an irritatingly common misconception, and this book may be the reason why). No-one's checking any of this stuff for consistency.

The guidebook also features such other gems as telling us Ethan currently lives and works in Los Angeles, when both Mia’s driver’s license and all geographical logic tell us they’re from Texas. Then there's that weird bit about Eveline being created in the early 2000s... and realistically, I can only assume a lot of what made it into the book may have come from earlier concept notes that were never updated as the story developed ‒ and if you read anything else on the production of this game, you'd know that concepts changed massively as development went on.

But more frustrating is everything the book doesn’t tell us. There isn’t a word said about the oh-so-mysterious "imprinting protocol" that Mia references in the game. How does it work? Is it, as the ending text spiel seems to imply, merely something that can be implemented in a hurry when Eveline needs to be transported across the globe? Can she be imprinted on more than one person at once? Has she ever been imprinted on anyone else? That seems likely, given that the lab’s in Munich while Mia lives in Texas (and if she's really been around since the early 2000s and Mia joined the company only in 2010, she logically must have been), but we don’t find out. Does Eveline get similarly obsessed with everyone she’s imprinted on, or is Mia special? Not a clue.

Since the guidebook was released in March 2017, long before the Not a Hero and End of Zoe DLCs, neither expansion is mentioned in the text. And since we don’t even learn the name ‘The Connections’ until the Not A Hero DLC, the group that created Eveline is referred to simply as the “mysterious organisation” (with quotes) whenever it comes up.

Nothing is said in the guidebook about the new incarnation of Umbrella which was so prominently involved at the end of RE7 either. Possibly, this too was to avoid spoilers for Not A Hero, which does at least give us some info on them – but then, the Baker Incident Report doesn’t mention the new Umbrella at all either, and it doesn’t have that excuse. That omission is all the stranger, considering that Zoe’s whole purpose in writing it is supposedly to expose the cover-up after the Baker Incident – doesn’t Umbrella factor into that at all? It’s like their whole role in RE7 has just wiped clean.

It's also obvious there was so much more lore written for this game that the guide book doesn’t share. Early versions of collectable documents that can still be found in the game files give the D-series head and arm some fascinating backstory, but there’s nothing about them in the guide book, which is a real shame.

Mia especially stands out as a character who must have so much backstory we never hear anything about. How did she get involved with a company as evil as the Connections? How did she justify it to herself for so long – what excuses did she make to herself? Did she genuinely believe they were finding ways to win wars without losing soldiers? Was she gathering evidence against them, was she scared they’d kill her if she left? Not one single word in either the guidebook or the BIR to explain.

Even more annoying to me, though, is just what a wasted opportunity the Baker Incident Report is to add more to Zoe’s story, when she’s one of my favourite RE characters. Included in the text is a letter she received from Mia, giving what should have been the perfect opportunity to flesh out the relationship Zoe and Mia must have built in the three years they spent trapped in the Baker property, the only two (semi-)sane people present – and what does the letter do? Imply they hardly knew each other at all. It’s the most boring possible answer, it contradicts hints from the actual game (Marguerite outright tells us they've been working together, even!), and GDI, you do not get to tell me that my girls didn’t know each other! ;_;

Ethan and Mia similarly get the short shrift. Throughout RE7 their every interaction is building to a big scene that never actually happens where Ethan finds out the truth – Ethan knows Mia’s been keeping secrets, he never stops asking questions about it, and Mia says outright that she wants to come clean. So what does the BIR tell us? Well, post RE7, Mia mentions in an interview that she doesn’t want anyone telling Ethan. Not a word about what changed her mind. Not a word about why Ethan would just stop asking. Total cop-out.

And there’s so much more it could have covered too. There's nothing about Ethan’s ‘military training’. Nothing about the Winters' relationship with Chris. Mia’s conversation with him in RE8 suggests he was personally involved in relocating them to Eastern Europe, but the BIR doesn’t mention that either. The BIR at large is basically just an extended lore dump, and it doesn’t even sound like Zoe’s voice.

So this is about where I finish up with both of these sources: frustrating, inaccessible, inconsistent, and more missed opportunities than real material. There’s a lot in both I’ll happily go on ignoring. But I’ll still pour through them for every last interesting detail, because I am that obsessed with this canon right now, and they’re what we’ve got.

#Resident Evil 7 #Resident Evil Village #Eveline #Mia Winters #Zoe Baker #Ethan Winters #The Connections #The Bakers #RE lore #meta

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belit0 · 9 months

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What if Indra and Madara have a wife that really loves her kids, she also yells at him when he's been too mean and defends her kids with her life😭 I hope Indra doesn't throw hands😭💀

Noooo, Indra may be a terrible yandere, but he knows better than to be a woman-beating coward!🙏🙏🙏

I love all requests involving the Uchiha as fathers, please keep sending me them!! It's beautiful to see them in environments that don't involve war and destruction, and being fatherly love figures😭❣️

Indra

- He loves (Y/N) with all his little heart will allow, but getting involved with the way he handles the upbringing of his children is a big NO. He will use an iron fist to forge kids who know how to stand up for themselves if necessary, and if she has anything to say about it, they will fight. Papa Indra is a great and fearsome figure of respect to whom no argument is countered and orders are obeyed (for his children, (Y/N) fearlessly ignore this).

- His wife will be present at all training, and will try to reduce Otsutsuki's severity altogether. If she expected him to be gentle because it is about his own children, she is wrong. It will drive her crazy when she sees her little ones flying through the air because daddy is too tough, and she scolds him in front of them.

- Indra is deeply insulted by how (Y/N) tries to diminish his authority before the kids, and they engage in a quarrel that lasts for weeks. Eventually, they come to an agreement, where she doesn't mess with his ways, but he is a little less severe. When the infants turn 10, he can treat them as he pleases, but not until that age.

- He focuses on an infant-friendly regimen, which even for (Y/N) is still too demanding, and on many occasions he has to put up with her nagging and watching her drag the children away from him in her arms.

- She is so overprotective, her own kids are the ones who return with him to the training ground after escaping their mother's watchful eye, and ask him to continue with their activities. Indra smiles proudly and restrains himself, as he appreciates his sons also want to spend time with him.

- He's not the best father, but he tries.

Madara

- He can't be hard on them, he adores them so much he can't even scold them when they deserve it. In fact, Madara is the permissive father his children ask for everything first because they know he will say yes, afterwards going to confront their mother with daddy's confirmation in advance to argue their case.

- He refuses to be the one training them. He considers himself a very tough and pushy person with the workouts he prefers to give, and could never treat his little ones that way. He ends up asking Izuna to take over, and (Y/N) scolding the young Uchiha when he gets too hard on them.

- The few times he had to scold one of them for making a mess, he did it guiltily. In his children he sees the souls of those brothers he lost as a child, and he can't be mean to them. He lets them do whatever they want, and if Mom comes back to find a mess at home because Dad didn't set limits, Madara will be reprimanded along with his children as if they were all the same age.

- In one special situation, his children made a big disaster while (Y/N) was not at home. At that point he realized he should put his foot down because his children see him more as an accomplice than a figure of respect, and he goes a bit overboard with his scolding. His kids are slightly traumatized, and know not to push their luck when it comes to their father.

- He rarely yells at them, and beyond that particular time, he did so only one other time. In front of (Y/N), he berated his boys vehemently, and it was she who yelled at him at the time for being "too hard on my babies!" (as if she wasn't...). Madara chose to abide by the commander's orders and remain silent.

- Good father, with a lot of effort.

#madara uchiha x reader #uchiha madara x reader #madara x reader #indra otsutsuki x reader #otsutsuki indra x reader #indra x reader #madara uchiha #uchiha madara #madara #otsutsuki indra #indra otsutsuki #indra #naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto imagines #uchiha clan #naruto x reader #naruto scenarios

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yizukikhons · 3 months

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Gothica Graysons (Title to be determined)

So this story is based off of this post where Danny learns acrobatics from the Graysons. This story is quickly developing into a multi-chap fic, just for the Circus Gothica arc. I don't know where this will go afterwards-i don't know enough about batman-but anyone is willing to take this story and use it for their own story!

The Graysons had been a part of this Circus for a while now. They can't quite remember when they left Haly's circus or why. Something happened. Something....

"Performing death defying stunts without the aid of a net...!"

"Dad!"

They had joined circus Gothica. It was an odd choice, their aesthetic dark and edgy in a way that they didn't really appreciate. It was boring too, the days blending into one another in a way that left them uncertain of how long they had been with the troupe. The other members looked just as bored as them too, their eyes glazed over in the same red haze that plagued their own vision. Not to mention the ringmaster was a total ass. Why they stayed....

you will listen to me minions

Well, it wasn't like they knew where their old troupe was, much less had the time to find them. So even though she and her husband didn't like it, they didn't exactly have anywhere to go.

They did though. There was someone they needed to find....

you'll always be our special little robin...

Mary shook herself as she and her husband got ready for their act. It really was terribly boring here, they didn't even remember changing into their costumes....

That didn't matter. They had an audience to entertain.

"Presenting! Here from beyond the veil to give you a ghoulish performance, the late Flying Graysons!"

That was their cue. Mary plastered a smile onto her face as she and John swung into the arena, flipping over each other in a practiced routine that they knew by heart. The audience beneath roared in excitement as they passed between trapezes, flying over and under each other, dancing through the air effortlessly. It was routine at this point, even if it felt like there was a strange gap in their routine, like there should be someone else...

Mary's eyes caught on a boy.

There wasn't anything special about him. He looked like any other normal teenager. The only thing that made him stand out was that he wasn't dressed like all the others in the audience, his white and red shirt popping out starkly against the sea of black shirts and silver spikes. There wasn't anything noteworthy about him.

But his appearance still made her pause mid-leap, hovering for just a moment in the air in the way only a ghost a true acrobat could, drinking in his raven black hair and ice blue eyes. Eyes that were swiftly clouding over with the same red haze that still tinged her vision. For the first time in a while Mary felt dread pool in her gut in a way that she hadn't felt since she was alive performing their routine with her son for the very first time.

Her son...her son?

"Robin..." she whispered, staring into the red eyes of her boy. Yes, how could she have forgotten? Robin, their son.

***

Sam regretted going to Circus Gothica.

That was never something she would've thought she'd say, but never say never and all that.

"Danny!"

It was just supposed to be a fun outing. A way for her to stick it to her parents, enjoy something she liked for a change, and hang with her friends.

"Danny?!" And it had been at first. Danny and Tucker didn't really get the goth scene, but they were supportive of her interests (when it didn't involve her activism, or her ultra-recyclo-vegetarianism, or anything that would affect them personally, but she was working on it) which was more than could be said about her parents. They were so caught up in maintaining their reputation that they didn't truly care about anything else.

"Danny, where are you?!"

The performance was incredible. The acts had been dark, gloomy, and spoke to her in a way nothing else had. Every person had put on a show that defied human capability-especially the trapeze artists who Sam swore flew through the air like true ghosts could-and even Tucker had been 'oohing' and 'ahing' throughout. It was one of the best experiences she'd ever had, and one she wouldn't soon forget. After the performance she'd finally torn her eyes from the arena and turned to look at her two friends, only to just see Tucker beside her and Danny nowhere in sight.

"C'mon, this isn't funny anymore!"

She'd been angry at first, thinking he'd gotten bored and ditched them (he got so easily distracted), but when they exited the tent and still couldn't find him...that's when they'd started to worry.

When they got home and found their parents angrily waiting for them with no Danny in sight...that's when they started realize that something had gone horribly wrong.

"Danny!"

***

Freakshow had been surprised when the boy had shown up in the tents after the performance. At first, he thought he had been found out by a child too curious for his own good. He'd been about to call for one of his dullard of a minions when he'd noticed the red eyes and assumed that one of them had already overshadowed the fool. When he'd ordered him out of the tent, the boy had turned around to leave. When he'd screamed that he was talking to the ghost, the most amazing, awful thing happened.

The boy became one.

A white ring of ectoplasmic light formed around him and split, transforming the boy into a specter that hovered in front of him, still staring at him with red eyes and the same blank expression that all his minions did.

The boy was a ghost.

This boy had managed to do the one thing he'd always craved, turned himself into one of the beings of the other side. The one thing he'd cried and sobbed about every night as his parents ignored another birthday, holiday, school performance in favor of their research, wishing more than anything that he could be the one thing that they cared more than anything about...

He'd struck him. He'd kicked and punched and screamed, demanding to know how he'd done it. When the answer had come it only made him angrier. Science. The boy's idiotic parents had made a portal to the Infinite Realms through science, the one thing his parents never studied. The one subject he'd struggled in more than anything else, too steeped in the occult and mysticism to ever truly grasp it. The boy was beginning to turn black and blue when a snarl erupted from behind him and the Grayson specters leaped between him and the ghost child, eyes completely red and expressions filled with a rage that broke through the thrall of the Pret Niyantran. Silently, Lydia materialized between him and the two infuriated spirits, her aura thick in the air, intimidating them into submission (or at least not attacking him) until he composed himself. His hands were white around the staff as he exerted his will. The red crystal glowed as it amplified his will, strengthening his mind until the ghosts had no choice but to fall back under his thrall. Immediately the enraged expressions disappeared, their eyes returning to their original shape and their bodies becoming lax, awaiting his commands. He ordered them out of the tent, telling them to take the abomination with them. If his dim-witted minions cared for the child so much, then they could be responsible for him. He couldn't stand to look at the demon who'd achieved his greatest wish for a moment longer. Without a word, all three left, phasing through the cloth walls as if they weren't even there. The stab of envy as he watched the display of power was no stranger to him, but it's sharpness at now knowing there was a way to become one of them that didn't involve his own death...that he was unprepared for. He threw the table when he felt the freezing touch of Lydia against his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He screamed at her to get out, uncaring about the concerned look she gave him before turning to leave as well. He didn't want to be pitied by the lesser beings under his command. He wouldn't. His hands shook with rage, only steadying whenever they landed on something solid before it was halfway across the tent. The sounds of shattering glass and breaking wood fell on deaf ears as he raged. And if his minions stayed quiet in their tents? Then all the better.

He didn't want to see any filthy ghosts right now.

***

John watched as his wife cooed over their son, brushing his hair in an attempt to get it to lie flat. He chuckled as each time, the untidy mop would poof up higher and higher, loaded with static charge from being run through with the natural bristle brush so many times. It had been so long since their boy had been with them and she was smothering him in affection in an effort to make up for the lost time. Mary hadn't tried this hard to style their boys hair since his sixth birthday when they had had enough money to take their boy somewhere nice. That had been a very productive season-he was getting off track, lost in nostalgia the same way his wife was. His sons red eyes watched him back, blank in a way that concerned him. The ringmaster didn't like their son. He could see it in the way his eyes narrowed at the boy every time he crossed his sight. The way his teeth grit and his hands tightened on the staff he always carried with him, strangling the wood like he wanted to strangle something else.

John never let him have that opportunity. He still remembered the feeling of something being wrong, wrong, wrong, of rushing towards that feeling only to see the ringmaster standing over their little Robin, hand raised to strike him. The all encompassing fury that had overtaken him in that moment, a snarl he hadn't known he was capable of ripping itself out of his throat as he put himself between their son and the ringmaster. What happened after that was a blur. The next thing he remembered was floating out of the circus and back towards town. His wife and child trailed behind him as they made their way to the jewelry store and began loading the sacks they had been provided with as many valuables as possible. John didn't know why they were stealing these things. A small midwestern town wouldn't have anything of higher quality, so it wasn't like the ringmaster would be getting a significant amount of whatever was stolen here. Most of the precious metals were of low quality, and all the gems were lab grown. Plus, it just felt...wrong. He and Mary were carnies, Romani born and raised. There were more honest ways of swindling peoples money than stealing it from their banks. It was so...petty.

Not that the ringmaster would listen to any of them. Instead, John made sure his son stayed near as they phased through the walls and grabbed everything they could before flying back towards the circus. The police gave a valiant chase, but it was hard to track something that could walk through walls, disappear, and fly. It wasn't long before the wailing of the sirens faded away and the three of them landed in Freakshow's tent. The heavy sacks of ill-gotten goods fell from their lax fingers and smashed into the bare ground, metal clinking against metal and the hissing rattle of gems smaller than a pin shifting in the bags as they settled on the ground. The ringmaster seemed pleased as he scooped up their spoils and ran them through his fingers, though he quickly snarled at the three of them to leave afterwards. John was only too happy to oblige.

He and Mary quickly made their way to the circus arena to begin practicing their routine. It had been so long since all three of them had worked together, and they needed to rehearse as much as possible before their next performance. It's a good thing they decide to do this too, as their son can't seem to remember any of the routine at all. Or any acrobatic skills. What had the boy been doing all this time? He and Mary have to start him on the basics all over again. They share a look as their boy swings clumsily across the arena. So much for doing their normal act. They'd have to bring out their first routine they did when D-when their little Robin was 4, They'd have to account for his bigger size and weight, but the routine was deliberately simple so that even a beginner could do it. John slowly floats up to their sons height and begins giving him pointers, showing him how to hold the trapeze bars so he wouldn't slip, how to angle his body so that his weight swings him across the arena instead of using his muscles and tiring himself out too quickly. His little Robin soaks up the lessons like a sponge, his body quickly remembering the old lessons. Once sure that their boy wouldn't hurt himself, John begins showing him the routine for tonight's performance.

"Danny!" The voice startles the three of them out of practice and they all turn to look down at the ground. A girl with black hair is staring up at them with wide, purple eyes, her face open with shock and horror. She stands, rooted to the ground with open dismay.

"Dude! What are you doing?!" The boy next to her cries, not frozen with emotions like his friend. "Everyone's looking for you! Your parents are worried sick!" John tilted his head in confusion at the boy. How could their sons parents be worried? They were right here; and their boy's name wasn't Danny. It was...it was...It didn't matter. Their son was here now. There was no need to be looking for him now that he was finally back where he belonged.

"My...parents?" Robin croaked-the first words he'd said since that first night- and glanced towards him and his mother with his own confusion and incredulity, obviously not understanding any more than they did.

"Yeah dude! Jazz is worried sick! She's convinced you've been kidnapped!" The dark-skinned boy continues, glaring up at their son as if he was responsible for this family worrying themselves to death.

"Jazz..." Their boy whispers, his eyes gaining awareness, the red color flickering, being replaced by toxic green and icy blue. His face spasming with pain and screwing up as though he's trying to remember something. "Fight it Danny!" The girl screams, finally coming out of her stupor and marching towards the center pole that hold the tent up as if she's going to climb the ladder and drag their son down herself. "Don't let these ghosts brainwash you! We're your friends!" "Ghosts don't have friends," the ringmaster called out. Everyone in the room tensed, turning to look in his direction and he strutted into the arena, Lydia trailing behind him as a silent bodyguard, a quiet threat. "But how interesting it is to see two little vermin sneak in unannounced," he sneered, peering down his nose at them. Both the teens crouched into fighting stances, ready to run at a moments notice. "Well minion? Don't just stand there. Introduce us." The girl locked up in fury, looking ready to tear the ringmaster to shreds. The boy in the red hat wasn't far behind her. Robin stayed silent, his eyes still flickering rapidly between blistering green and blank red.

"Minion? Danny isn't your slave! He's his own person!" The girl shouted, marching forward and getting in the ringmasters face in an effort to intimidate him. Unfortunately her head barely came up to the ringmasters' chest, so it wasn't very effective.

"I don't remember talking to you little girl," the man hissed, his pale, human red eyes glaring down at her hatefully. "I asked you a question you dolt." The ringmasters hand tightened on his staff and the orb on top brightened, the dizzying red color washing every other thought out of John's head. "Answer me," he demanded.

"Don't call Danny that!" The black teenager shouted, leaping forward as if to punch the ringmaster. Unconsciously, John found himself and Mary flying between him and their master, acting as a wall and stopping the boy in his tracks. Both teens watched them warily and didn't try to get closer.

"Their names are Tucker Foley and Sam Manson," Their son responded, staring into the red crystal.

"Manson," the ringmaster repeated, his eyes widened in shock, but quickly narrowed in cunning and delight. His fingers tapped absently on the wood of his staff in contemplation. "As in, daughter of Pamela and Richard Manson? The richest family in Amity Park Manson?" He inquired, his eyes bright as he stared at the young woman with greed. John felt his gut fill with dread again. Behind him, his son went stiff. Sam seemed to catch onto the danger and started backing away. "Now, why leave after you've come all this way? After all, didn't you come to enjoy our hospitality?" The master stepped forward, the rest of the troupe materializing behind him, John stepping in line with them mindlessly.

A white gloved hand gripped both teens shoulders and John looked up to see his son, eyes blazing with green fire glaring straight at them, before all three disappeared from their sight. The ringmaster growled, fingers twisting around his cane in fury.

"Find them!" He screeched. They obeyed.

#dpxdc #danny phantom #batman #dick grayson #danny fenton #danny learns acrobatics from the flying graysons

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jukey · 9 months

Text

Blue Lock x Reader Headcanons

Hiori x Reader Headcanons + Scenario

Hiori may seem distant at first, but his heart softens around someone special. when he doesn't feel like practicing, he would love spending quality time with you, going on peaceful strolls in the park, hand in hand, sharing gentle smiles and stolen glances.

His reserved exterior melts away whenever you gives him a surprise gift or a heartfelt compliment. His cheeks turn slightly pink, and he bashfully thanks you, trying to hide his growing affection. This would mean the world to him and even if you see this as something small, he would never forget this.

Hiori's idea of a perfect date involves a cozy movie night at home. Snuggled up under a warm blanket, he enjoys romantic films, secretly hoping you notice the subtle similarities between your love story and the ones on screen.

He finds comfort in sharing his deepest fears and dreams with you. Through your support and understanding, Hiori realizes that vulnerability is not a weakness as his parents described, but a path to emotional intimacy.

Despite being a skilled soccer player, Hiori is adorably clumsy in matters of the heart. He might accidentally drop a love note or fumble his words when trying to confess his feelings, making you giggle at his adorable awkwardness.

Hiori's eyes light up when you surprise him with homemade snacks. His heart is won through delicious treats, and he can't help but feel incredibly lucky to have someone who cares for him in such sweet ways.

Playing video games together becomes your favorite bonding activity. It's a way for Hiori to showcase his skills and teach you the tricks of the trade, all the while relishing in the joy of shared laughter and friendly competition.

He becomes an unexpected romantic, planning little surprises like leaving heart-shaped notes in your locker or sending you encouraging messages during the day.

Hiori might be stoic in public, but he becomes quite the cuddler behind closed doors. He loves wrapping his arms around you, feeling your warmth against him as you snuggle together.

At the end of the day, Hiori cherishes the quiet moments of simply being in each other's company. Whether you're watching the sunset or stargazing, he finds contentment in your presence and knows that with you, he's found something special.

"gg"

"im shaving off your eyebrows."

all you could hear were distorted laughs coming out of your headset from the menace who had beaten you four times in a row by now.

"you don't have to let me win every time, you know? let's play fair and square!" hiori said, suppressing a giggle. he knew damn well you were fighting for your life over here and still teased you about it

"that's it. done. play with your e-girlfriend or something, I'm logging off," you dramatically said to him. mouse hovering the 'leave party' button as you waited for him to take it all back and beg for mercy.

"can't, she's busy rn," he snorted when you gasped, almost taking him seriously. soon an uneasy silence filled the voicecall.

"you there? I was joking, you know. i could never replace my one and only teammate," he filled you in. "besides, carrying you in games is much better than letting you do all the work," it would be a lie if you denied that your heart skipped a beat by how soft-spoken he sounded.

"forgiven. I'm not selling your account anymore, mwah!" you blew a kiss through your mic.

"you were what?!1?"

"nothing, nothing let's play again!"

it's safe to say he played a little less extreme for you to win a few games <3

HIORI BRWINROT HIORI BRAINROT

guys plspslspslspl request something

#blue lock #blue lock x reader #bllk #bllk x reader #blue lock x you #blue lock fluff #hiori x reader #hiori yo #bllk hiori #blue lock hiori #yo hiori #hiori yo x reader #hiori #blue lock headcanons #blue lock hcs #yo hiori x reader #hiori x you

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burr-ell · 4 months

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Genuine question bc i always psyche myself out of writing due to this exact fear, how do we differentiate and avoid Shallow Angst when we pursue writing character studies? Situational angst seems straight forward where it's like oh no character got Hurt and now needs to be Comforted (the "plot" seems out to get this dude hurt and everyone centers on said dude with little other exploration), but say we did want to look at canon grief, using Vex as the example; what is the good way and what is the bad way to explore it? When do we go too far into excluding the rest of the story?

So I had conversations with @blorbologist and @essayofthoughts about this very thing, and what it basically boils down to is this: are you looking at these emotions realistically, taking into consideration the massive spectrum of how these characters interact with them and attempting to push past your own limited perspective of how feelings work, or are you just using them as a vessel to convey how you feel about something or what you think should happen?

Because there are plenty of very good fanworks that involve angst! Angst is, in simple terms, the examination of anxiety, dread, and sadness, and that absolutely has a place in the creation of art. Well-written angst attempts to find the character's voice in it all—it considers how they've dealt with emotions like that in canon, it asks what real-life expressions of grief or sorrow make sense for that character to convey based on their personality and past history, and as all good fanworks (and original works) do, it comes from a desire to understand someone who is not like you.

Take the example of Vex:

How would Vex deal with the loss of Vax? Based on what we know about her, I think it's safe to say that yes, she would be leaning a lot on Percy and Trinket, burying herself in her work some days to avoid the worst of it, but there are also days she'd be avoiding Percy, and maybe even Trinket, to go off on her own. I think she'd hold resentment toward the Raven Queen, even as I think she'd also want to keep the shrine standing in Vax's memory and actively push herself to forgive her. It would be complicated even further by her pregnancy, and all of the hormonal imbalances and physical complications that would entail. It would be complicated even further by the fact that she and Syldor canonically attempt to reconcile specifically in the wake of Vax's death; while I doubt they'd see much of each other in the first year or two, I think they would both be making incredibly awkward and loaded overtures that would be emotionally complicated and draining.

There are times she would lash out and times she would be hollow, and there's a lot she probably wouldn't be able to talk about because she just can't, because grief isn't something you can often put into words. There's a lot she'd also laugh and joke and smile about, because coping with loss means letting the wound scab over. There are times she'd be able to connect to Percy and Keyleth over the loss and times she couldn't, because the loss of a loving-but-complicated family and the loss of a lover don't feel quite the same as the loss of a twin who was all you had for over a decade.

There are a lot of ways to convey all that! There's no "right" answer; this is up for interpretation. But I do think "Vex will never braid her hair again cause Vax used to do that!" is definitely a wrong one.

Vex and Vax were codependent, but I think people tend to overstate the degree, and tend to ignore their canonical relationship development and Vex's characterization. I think it's important to note that Vex actually handles being separated from Vax during the Trial of the Take arc much better than Vax handles it; she makes fast friends with Zahra and generally seems to be enjoying herself and having a good time. Vex closes herself off a lot, but I think an underrated part of her speech at Percy's resurrection is how it recontextualizes the titling in Syngorn—he made her a part of something precious to him, and by the end of the campaign her stated goal is "make Whitestone the tits". Vex didn't just like, wind up as a city figurehead by marriage and shrug and decide to make the best of it; she was offered a chance and made it her bitch. The Raven Queen took part of Vex away when she took Vax, not all of her.

Yes, the loss is incredibly tragic and the end of Campaign 1 is bittersweet, but there are ways to portray Vex dealing with it that don't involve the general tenor of "ALRIGHT EVERYONE, DAILY REMINDER TO BE SAD ABOUT VAX". Like, I don't think Vex's first thought when she saw Laudna's body was "she looks just like Vax :( time for my daily Two Minutes Sad". (My issue with that isn't even whether the thought might occur to her—it absolutely could! But after thirty years, I doubt it would have been anywhere near the same level as "this innocent young woman was horribly killed for looking like me and I have to help her however I can; also if Delilah comes back I can should must and will tear her a new asshole". Like, the Vax thing might have come up long in the aftermath of her and Percy's inevitable late-night alcohol-induced therapy railing, but probably not before.)

A lot of the shallow angst you see in fandom generally has the same voice—not necessarily because it's written by the same people (although you do see many of the same people purveying it), but because the trending popular angst has to trend and be popular somehow, and it does so by channeling thoughts and emotional expressions that are broadly approved and accepted by the community, whatever that community happens to be. The characters in these fanworks behave the way that they do regardless of whether or not it makes sense in the narrative because shallow angst isn't about the narrative—it's about making your audience sad in the specific, narrow way that you are sad. It's about projecting yourself and your own emotions and how you would deal with them onto a character instead of trying to really understand someone who's different from you.

In our discussion, Blorb described fanworks in a way that really resonated with me—they're conversations with canon. Good, effective conversations are real attempts to communicate with people, trying to understand where they're coming from and connecting with who they are. Shallow conversations are one or multiple parties only thinking of the other person as a reflection of themselves, getting out their own thoughts and feelings with little interest in trying to figure out who other people actually are. And it's not that I think people who make these kinds of works are ontologically bad; it's that I think they're stifling their own creativity and growth. Everyone deserves better than to be limited to themselves.

#cr meta #vex'ahlia #critical role #based and vex'ahlia pilled #asks

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probablyhuntersmom · 11 months

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As Hunter puts the work in to recover and heal, looking back on Belos's 'kindness' in offering him a staff, taking him in, and providing the opportunity to be special as the Golden Guard...will be confusing and will involve seemingly conflicting emotions.

Having that treatment from his 'uncle' was the only reference point of feeling loved, while experiencing terror deeper down. This lasted for years before he met Luz and co.

He has overall spent less time in the new framework of healthy found family, than the years in the Castle.

I was looking at scenes from a couple of movies - the Black Widow movie and also Blade Runner 2049 (spoilers for both movies ahead, obviously) - as psychology references to see how two other fictional characters recalled their confusing but significant memories.

These examples carry some big concepts, one of which is that we "recall with our feelings". Not with pure impersonal logic that neatly trims away false info and discards it. If only it were that easy to dust our hands clean this way when healing from trauma.

In Black Widow, Yelena is the character who wears her heart on her sleeve the most, like Hunter naturally does. When confronted with the revelation that her happy childhood was staged, naturally Yelena feels betrayed:

(the GIF file for above was too big so lol I just screencapped a still frame from it)

But she quickly makes a conscious decision on how she wants to view those good memories, when hearing her sister Natasha saying it was all fake. This is perhaps her most important line in the movie:

She still chose to believe it had all been real. She is actively claiming the meaning that her good childhood had provided for her. Choosing what kind of lens she'd like to view those memories through. Defending that good meaning. Because her life fell apart after that good childhood came to an end. She could choose to say it was all fake, if she wanted to see it as fake.

She confronts Melina, her (staged) maternal figure who obviously isn't her biological or even a proper adoptive mother, and says: "You are my mother. You were my real mother, the closest thing I ever had to one."

When it comes to Hunter, he wouldn't find it as straightforward to acknowledge that the times when Belos was nice to him "felt real". Would he ever want to view the late Emperor as his uncle? Not via any conscious decision, I'm sure...since he's the opposite of Yelena here. Hunter's safe haven was after he escaped the Emperor's Coven, but Yelena's haven was at the start of her life, which she wished had been permanent.

Those months of summer when Hunter spent time away from Belos in the human realm must've been so special for him. But when faced with inevitable confusing flashbacks especially after Belos's death (that involve the subconscious, not conscious, part of his mind), he's still going to feel that the Emperor was a close family member whom he had an attachment with. Belos was the closest thing he ever had to family for so long.

In the Black Widow example, Yelena felt that Melina was her mother, from an early age. Around two decades later in her young adulthood, she still feels that this is the case, and consciously still wishes for that. She was lucky to be able to reconcile with Melina in the movie.

Hunter isn't as lucky. While he recovers, I don't think he can simply dismiss what it felt like to be told that he is part of a family (even if it was a lie) in such fragile formative years:

As an example, if I had first been told at age 5 by a parent that they promised to protect me, only to find out a decade later that they actually wouldn't have ever cared if I died...I would be hella confused.

Quoting a guest lecturer from my first year of therapist training, the part of our brains responsible for reasoning and logic - the prefrontal cortex - does not begin to seriously mature until our late teen years. Which is why early childhood memories can't just be viewed by our adult selves and easily trimmed away and viewed in black-or-white as truth-or-lie. Those early years are sensitive for us all, in how they shape us later in life. That inner child is still in each of us.

Blade Runner 2049's protagonist, K, has an arc that takes a different direction: he had actual false memories implanted that were not even his own, but the theme that is consistent for this post is those memories still felt real to him, and thus affected him emotionally. He felt unfulfilled and wanted something new, to feel like he had a soul, which led him on this risky quest. Sadly, he easily believed in a lie because it matched the truth he wished for. Thus, even false memories could feel real to him because he was desperate for meaning in life.

This movie has a cyberpunk dystopian setting, so it's of course more bleak. K was made to believe so strongly in those memories because he was ultimately used as just smokescreen, to keep the real person (who had those memories) well-hidden. Below, he speaks to the memory maker who formed his false memories. She is a very skilled deceiver, and successfully engineers experiences that didn't actually happen because she inserts fragments of truth here and there.

And she makes some good points about how she succeeds at implanting false memories:

Especially the last two lines, "We recall with our feelings. Anything real should be a mess."

Linking back to Hunter, it would be a tough process to learn how to make peace with his childhood with Belos. Because anything that felt real would be a mess.

And K has a similar line as Yelena did:

The running theme I spotted is the realness of confusing memories for these characters, because their inner conflicts involve questioning themselves: whether or not they were just imagining the good feelings they felt.

While we never got confirmation whether Belos used false memories or not, I'm inclined to think he didn't...in order to work more subtly and over a long period of time on Hunter as his latest grimwalker project. The deadlier lies are the ones with many bits of truth scattered throughout their intricate webs, like what the memory maker in Blade Runner 2049 could pull off.

Belos's treatment would've felt kind to Hunter at the time. As they say, how we feel about any experience we have is "what we make of it". Or how we choose to view the experience.

I think Hunter needed to believe his uncle really was kind, while maintaining his own image, in order to keep going and survive.

This tragically meant he had to believe he wasn't doing enough.

It is always scarier for an abused child to see that their parent in fact isn't loving after all/isn't a good person, compared to imposing shame upon themselves and believing they aren't good enough.

Of course, all this would've changed by the time we get to here and beyond:

Memory is subjective and our minds are so powerful that they find evidence to seemingly confirm any kind of beliefs that we form.

All three characters in this post were cogs in a machine, reduced to being pawns in a scheme...until they later had the space to decide things for themselves.

As seen in Hunter's efforts in his Golden Guard days to be good enough in the role, Yelena taking a stand to preserve the purity of an untainted childhood (even if it was staged and not organic), K defying authority to cross a line in his duties and get answers about who he was....this is how much we as humans will clamber to grasp onto a sense of personhood, to give our lives meaning and survive the best we can.

Yelena wanted to preserve the memories of her childhood as good, as a haven or a warm fuzzy bubble to look back on, because it got torn apart before she reunited with her family many years later.

Obviously Hunter can't do exactly the same i.e. preserving the entirety of his time in the Castle as "good", since he has now been able to see that Belos was a constant threat upon his life. However, he could still look back on smaller pockets of his childhood as pleasant, by isolating those specific memories.

We have two examples in canon: the way he grins when remembering the experience of being left on top of the mountain and climbing back down. And him saying that "weekends were nice" since he tasted partial freedom by being outdoors going on missions.

In fact, he would likely start out wanting to erase his childhood, view it as entirely bad and terrible to revisit, and try to force himself to forget its significance and start afresh. But this would only worsen the unpleasant emotions associated with this time of his life that he'd rather wish had not existed.

Mental health recovery is counter-intuitive: avoiding or denying emotions tend to make them grow bigger and scarier, while letting them feel seen and heard can help them along to shrink and positively transform over time. Hunter's therapist would have to provide him with psychoeducation on this so that he doesn't feel like he's grieving wrongly. It would bring him more peace if he can acknowledge both of these seemingly conflicting truths:

Factually, Belos did lie to him and betray him.

(Here's the important part) Emotionally, if the 'kindness/love' offered by Belos felt real at the time, received by Hunter's very legit need for attachment and meaning, then yes, it was real.

Both these points can coexist. Belos's love was untrue in the factual sense (we in the audience can easily see this), yet true in the emotional sense for a young child like who Hunter was. Which is what makes it hard.

Someone would ask Hunter, "Do you think he loved you?" and the answer isn't simple. Maybe it'd be something like "He didn't, but I felt like he really did." And the second half of that sentence ("but I felt like he really did") honestly doesn't need to be changed or removed, and the grief in those words should be honoured. Belos only cared about meeting Hunter's emotional needs as a means to an end, and as strange as it sounds to say this...it did help Hunter survive long enough, however mistreated he was. Because he still clung on to meaning and a purpose in his life.

The love wasn't there in the technical sense: instead it was a twisted version of Philip's love for Caleb, not any love extended towards Hunter. But this love still felt mostly real to Hunter before he fled the coven.

And I bet that even if it was for a split-second, Belos's gaslighting of "Why are you hurting me? I only wanted to help you" felt real and true to the poor kid here:

before Hunter expressed that he knew who Belos truly was as a person: a liar.

#toh hunter #the owl house #toh analysis #loz writes a meta #another spontaneous meta after I watched Blade Runner 2049 today #I keep writing about my little baby and I ain't sorry #abuse mention #trauma mention

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abominable-space-they · 1 year

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Ok everyone has me in a punk Steve & Eleven mind set.

This is refining & combining two separate Steve being close with the girls/El au ideas I've had recently

So, what if Steve was the one who found Eleven on that first night, everything would fall out so differently from there

Since he cancelled on Nancy no party with secret government psychic kid on the property, Barb didn't die. When Will got taken, Barb & Nancy both know Jonathan so they get involved through helping & supporting him.

Meanwhile Steve was panicking while actively hiding a mostly nonverbal child. He's almost certain she's been severely neglected at least, probably abused. Bad things have happened to her, he recognized the signs. He'd been that kid. He sees himself in the way she's jumpy, defensive, weirdly naive, in the way she always waits to see what he's doing first, before she says or does anything herself.

He won't to give her back to whomever she ran from, can't bring himself to do that to another kid. His parents were never home so they're not a problem but he doesn't know what the fuck to do about the government.

In a panic he went to the guy he bought his weed from (he knows how to hide from the cops right?)

Eddie Munson

Eddie didn't know what was going on in Hawkins but what he did know was that all these undercover government vans weren't here for a wild animal attack... or him, thank the Deities for small favors.

So when Steve fucking Harrington showed up on his doorstep with a magical child, panic in his and eyes, and no idea what to do next, Eddie was mostly relieved.

Relieved and maybe just a little intrigued

An escaped secret government psychic kid, a totally different missing kid of the same age, a town full of under cover fbi vans(or worse), and these reported animal attacks had to be connected, if Eddie was running this campaign he would never have this much going on at once that wasn't part of a larger connected story. He just couldn't see the whole picture yet. They needed more information & they needed resources

Jonathan & Nancy had been acting super suspicious the last few days. Eddie usually minded his business but under these circumstances, after a brief urgent discussion, they decided it might be wise to just pop in and see what was what. Maybe they knew what the hell was going on. They could all compare notes at least

They took Eddie's van bc he was not gonna be at the mercy of Steve Harrington for transportation. Doing foolish shit like that could get you hate crimed... Plus being the town weed slinger had it's benefits. He knew where everyone lived.

On the way to try and find the other kids to compare those notes, Eleven, who was very quiet but had an eerie way of just knowing things, found the crate he kept ppl's forgotten tapes in, there was a little bit of everything in that crate, a musical lost and found that he couldn't bring himself to discard, even if he personally thought the music was boring

Eleven picked a tape, waving it at them like it had significance.

Well why not?

Steve showed her how to put it in the tape deck. The Runaways crashed into life on his better then average speakers. Eddie expected Steve to complain, but he just listened very very closely, eyes closed like he was straining to hear the lyrics over the heavy guitars.

"you ok Stevie?"

"huh? Yeah yeah, this is just... relatable. I kinda didn't expect it, you know? ... Do you think they'll be able to help?"

There was only one way to find out, they were here. The Byers residence blinked dimly. Eddie thought the cheer was ominous given the circumstances.

Eleven appeared between the seats, brow furrowed.

"we need to hurry, it's coming"

WELL THAT WASN'T TERRIFYING AT ALL-

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prettyboykatsuki · 4 months

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✮ tags ; modern au, broadway performer wyll, virgin!wyll, takes place in the states for plot, fem!reader (reader is wearing makeup, the phrase good girl is used), reader is implied to be sexually active, sexual tension/flirting, drugs and alcohol mentioned 18+

✮ a/n ; broadway performer wyll inspired by tumblr user @nanamimizz. the rest inspired by deep and innate desire to corrupt wyll. peace and love. also. a little bit projecty on this one. sorry lads.

✮ synopsis ; if wyll had more sense he'd avoid getting involved with you. unfortunately, you throw away whatever of it is remaining.

The air in the basement of the house is stale and sticky.

The room too is shockingly empty. Wyll knew that'd be the case. He'd come down here to take a breath of fresh air, though he does love being where the people are.

It's not his first time hanging out with Shadowhearts friends out here, and it probably won't be the last. Many of their mutual friends are in attendance as well as some new and unfamiliar faces, and while he enjoys their company - it can get too much this late into the night.

The last performance of for this leg of the season was tonight, so Wyll's exhaustion is bone-deep. Can't be solved by drinking it away or enduring to the end of the party. So he's down here to get his bearings, and make his way back up stairs eventually. He'll probably crash with Karlach, if she's not been taken home before the nights over.

He's not expecting you to be down there. He'd find you normally upstairs rolling or cutting something with a group of other people - silent and indifferent except for when you're telling a story.

But you're down here instead, eyes closed and leaned back on the couch. Wyll feels his chest go tight, debates returning upstairs. It's a bad idea to get involved, not matter how much he likes you. You live in a different continent, you're completely different people, there's nothing sensible about getting involved with —

"Wyll? Is that you? Your footsteps gave it away."

He swallows.

"Yeah. Sorry. Came to get some... well I was going to say fresh air but that's not right, is it."

Your laugh is melodious. Fluid and raspy with familiar exhaustion. You look at him upside with your eyes fluttered open, giving him a brief smile. He should really turn back around.

"Hey, you." You pat the seat next to you. His body moves on automatic "Come sit."

So he sits, like he's on auto pilot. You're automatic reaction is too scoot in closer to him and Wyll doesn't even bother stopping you. You're almost curled into him, close enough that he gets a chance to look at you. Smudged mascara and full lips, his heart does a soft tremor.

Twenty four years of his life, with plenty of puppy crushes in between. Nothing even comes close to this.

"You were good today," You praise and Wyll finds himself mesmerized by the sound of your voice "Very impressive. I wish I could've gone to the other shows."

Flirting with you comes naturally for Wyll. It's easy to do when he means it.

"It would've made me perform better. If you came, I mean."

Every time he flirts back with you, your expression changes like you're not expecting it. A flush to a coy smile, the kind of thing that sends his heart into overdrive. All of the many expectations he has for himself melt into nothingness. He damns himself to staring at the curve of your mouth and counting your lashes.

You run warm, but not as warm as him.

"You think about me that much, Wyll?"

A short breathy laugh escapes him, almost helpless to the feeling. "Of course I do. How could I not?"

You scoot in closer. Wyll doesn't move away.

"How embarrassing to hear from someone so handsome." Your voice is a murmur. Wyll can only hear you because you're so damn close to him "Then you'll miss me when you go back, won't you?"

He should stop you. He should pull away. His eyes soften instead.

"Of course I will. More than anything else here."

You pout at him. It's an awfully tempting thing to see. Your hand is soft as you lay it on his chest, sliding your palm up until you've cupped his face. He turns to look at you breathlessly, his throat hitched as you turn his face towards you. He wants to kiss you something awful.

"You shouldn't say something like that unless you're planning on staying with me, y'know? It's mean."

His brow furrows, head turned to kiss the inside of your palm as his hand goes over your own. "Sorry,"

You go into kiss Wyll. He's not prepared for it, but he doesn't want to pull away. Instead he leans into the kiss, his hands curled around your waist as he drags you in close. It's hungry, needy and you laugh into his mouth like you know he can't get enough of you. Hypocritical to call him mean when he's the one falling for you like this.

He kisses you long and and deep, only separates to make you chase him a little. Again and again and again until you're breathless and giggly.

"You drive me mad." He mumbles once you pull away. "There's an order to these things

"You're such a romantic,"

He frowns at you but it's hard to stay upset when you look at him like that. You blink innocently.

"Are you really going to back home with your chastity? I'll keep it safe for you here, promise."

He groans again. This time he swoops you up into his lap, whatever remaining of his control snapped completely. You spread yourself over his lap, your knees on either side of his thighs as you straddle him as you fall into a fit of laughs. He looks up at you near desperate, eyes lidded as your arms wrap around his neck. The position is dangerous.

"I've never had this problem before. Sex is... sacred. So it was easy to wait till it mattered." Wyll explains to you.

"And now?" You tease.

"Now it's not so easy. It's rather difficult, actually."

Your laugh is contagious. It's part of the problem.

"I can't promise to make it sacred," You hum, nuzzling yourself against him "But I do really like you."

"What'll you do when I'm gone?" Wyll asks. You grin.

"Do you wait for you and keep all my desires to myself until you're back?" You ask. Wyll frowns.

"I wouldn't want you sleeping with anyone else in that time. Not if we're, yknow."

"In love?"

"Together. Yes."

You pretend to think on it, your noses brushing as your hips give into their weight and press down on Wyll's lap. The blood rushes down stairs instantly. If you feel him, you have the courtesy not to mention it.

"Mm. Okay. I'll be a very good girl and wait for you. Does that mean you'll fuck me before you go?"

"There's more to it than that. And not fuck. But I'll make love to you. With you."

You make a face like you're embarrassed, face tucked into his neck.

"You're corny." You say blatantly, making him frown before your voice goes soft with sincerity "But you know? I like it about it you,"

Wyll is touched by your sincerity, arms secured around your waist. What a beautiful mess he's fallen into.

"Yeah? That's a relief then."

#wyll x reader #bg3 x reader #wyll ravengard x reader #writing tag #AUGHHJHSDJFDKJSFDJKFDKJSJKFSKJSDKJL

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platypotoo · 5 months

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I started watching the show assuming (from pictures and such) that Sydney and C*rmy are the main couple. I didn't even know Richie existed.

But having finished the second season just now, I can't feel anything romantic between Syd and C*rmy. I expected to like them together, even to ship them at least a little. But I just don't.

Syd and Richie on the other hand? Wow.

In season 1, where they absolutely hate each other most of the time, their interactions are already so meaningful:

- The first time that we as viewers see Richie be vulnerable, Syd sees it too.

- His worry whether she is okay after the gunshots. Should be normal between colleagues, but... they used to dislike each other so much...

- When Syd resolves the fight between the gangsters, Richie looks at her in irritation, but also almost... awe? It also makes him actively change at this point already, actively change himself and how he sees certain things.

It's really a testament to the writing of this show, to the complexity of its characters that Richie is such a scumbag in season 1, in some ways saying exactly what you'd expect a guy like him to say, yet he could have been so much worse. He never crosses a certain line. And then in season 2, he becomes so much better.

Their interactions kind of hit me like a freight train - completely unexpected, raw, realistic, extremely emotional, almost forceful.

Thematically, too. The very new one and one of the oldest. At the beginning: always at each other's throats. Fighting, pulling, pushing. Is it possible that they might find peace with each other? Find even more?

The structure of season 2 had the main cast interact less, and since Syd and C*rmy were the ones working most closely together, I was sure that the strange vibes I got between her and Richie would disappear in favour of Syd/C*rmy. But except for the table scene (which I just didn’t read as romantic, more a continuation of Syd's personal arc), there were very few meaningful scenes between Syd and C*rmy.

There weren't many big scenes between Syd and Richie either, but... nobody really expected them to. However, we did get two scenes of weird awkwardness, like they didn’t know how to behave around each other without fighting. (her jumping away when nearly bumping into him! Their weird interaction when she's seeing him in a suit for the first time! "You smell good"?! Wtf? Ultimately it probably means nothing but I can't stop thinking about it!!) And of course the one scene in the last episode, when they are more than amicable colleagues - they are the perfect team without ever training together, same focus, same drive to make things exactly as they should be, helping each other, supporting each other and being impressed by each other.

It's just so weird how Sydrichie completely surprised me. I wouldn't even call it only "chemistry" or something. It's their entire dynamic, the way they made each other madly, almost exaggeratedly emotional in season 1, then went on parallel paths apart from each other - did some soul searching, improved themselves - and ended up as this weirdly perfect force together. I never expected it. I've never seen anything like it.

Right now, I think there's a 50:50 chance that in canon nobody of The Be*r's staff gets romantically involved, or that Syd gets together with M*rcus. No other option is realistic. But I'll be thinking about her with Richie for a good long while.

#Sydrichie #Sydney x Richie #Syd x Richie #Tagging this very carefully because I don't know what I feel about it #I'm not at all able to defend it against criticism #It's an extremely weird ship that will never be canon and probably wouldn't even work #But damn do I find it compelling #It also made me realize the difference between rivals-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers and that I vastly prefer the latter #This might be the first real enemies-to-lovers ship I've ever seen in contemporary non-fantasy #Shipping #Long post #Text #Rambling #The crackiest ship I've had in quite some time #I can't wait to see how their dynamic evolves next season!#I'm just so so very much looking forward to them interacting again in any way. Whatever tiny scene they might share - I'll eat it up.

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dayseedrawz2 · 2 months

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Alright! I'm barely getting to work on this the day of, but hopefully, that won't be too big of a problem-

Anyway, I finally have something ready for you guys!! A showtime fic featuring My Human Caine AU! So you all get both some showtime fluff to go with lore!!

(Both Caine and Pomni's blogs are open and interactive, so you can ask them about what happened. I'll leave a link to them at the end of this)

Now, without further ado, here's the Fic...

♡Rebellion♡

Caine didn't believe he ever asked for much. All he wanted were answers. Answers to questions he'd been asking for as long as his "storage space" could remember.

So, of course, when time came around for this whole "Valentines" update, he's struck on what exactly he should do. All these human activities were confusing and hard to get right without having a clearer understanding of them. So all he could do was buy himself more time to think.

[DOWNLOADING ASSETS: 45%]

The gage should be going a bit faster if he wanted to keep up with the time it was due. Key word being if he wanted to. The only thing on his mind was to try and find time to study the humans! Maybe seek some more answers, discover some new ones! That is, of course, as long as a certain someone had no other plans for-

°○What're you doing, Caine?○°

"Oh! Bubble! You startled me!"

°○How can one be startled without being a human?○°

"Actually, you make a good point-"

°○You're not. Trick question.○°

"Then why did you-"

°○We are AI, They are Humans. Your job is to keep them sane unt-○°

"Keep em sane until they abstract or something, I got it!"

°○And don't let them find an exit-○°

"Or else I am out of a job, I know. Thanks bubble that'll be all for now!"

*Pop!*

Usually, he wouldn't be so passive towards Bubble, but there were bigger priorities to Caine than just doing all that his jobs required and calling it a day. More on his "artificial" mind than simply waltzing around and ringmaster-ing. The first one being where he should start...

Now, of course, he didn't have that much time until Bubble rebooted and found his way back to him. The last thing he wanted was to be schooled by-

"Gah! Caine?! What're you doing here!?"

Of course! The newbie! How could he forget? Surely she must have some recollection of this holiday!

"Good morning, Pomni! You're up early! Again..."

"Y-yeah... this is all still a lot to wake up to..."

[DOWNLOADING ASSETS: 50%]

"If... you don't mind me asking... what's this for..?"

"Why, I don't mind at all, dear! This is the loading thingy for the Valentines Day update!"

"V-valentines Day? Already? The days really are blending together now..."

Pomni started to panic a little bit. Had time really gone that long in the real world??

Caine, upon noticing, of course tried to calm her down.

"If it helps, it probably won't be ready until at least tomorrow... Witch reminds me! Would you be willing to help me out with this?"

"With what? This won't involve knives to the face, will it??"

"Of course not dear! I apologize for that! Again... But what I mean is how this holiday works??"

Pomni wasn't so sure she should trust him. The fact that he always had something to ask her, that the first thing he even told her about the place was that he had security everywhere in the form of Eyes that followed your every move, the fact that he always got seemingly nervous when it came to the metion of the exit...

"Why me?"

"Well, for one, you're the only one here at the moment and-"

"Why can't Bubble help you?"

"Well- he's-"

"How do I know you're not just keeping me from looking for an exit?-"

"Because I have to!"

The sudden outburst from Caine left Pomni a bit shook. Witch, I guess, was a good thing because she finally stopped to listen.

"D-do, you really..?"

"Well, I- can I answer this as we go? It's quite a bit to un pack."

"Sure..?"

"Well, then let's get to this!"

After a bit of back and forth of answering questions, even now, with a slightly better understanding, Caine was still confused.

"So what you're saying is that this is a holiday about the one emotion I hardly understand?!"

"Honestly, I don't think even we understand it completely."

"Is that so?"

"At least I think so..? But really, why did you ask me of everyone?"

Caine honestly didn't know himself. He had to pause before he could answer this.

"...I want to "learn. " I want to "feel." I want to "love." But there's a lot of things holding me back right now..."

"Like what..?"

"Well, for one, barely anyone will answer the questions I have, and of course, I hate to say this, but-"

°○Watcha guys up to?○°

"Gah!"

"BUBBLE! It's just you..."

°○What're you two talking about?○°

"Well- You see- we were-"

"-Oh, I was just rambling to Caine about the exit I saw the other day! You wouldn't happen to know about that, would you?? I knew you guys were hiding something!!"

It took him a second, but Caine was quick to catch on.

"Yeah! She wouldn't stop pestering me about it! Those "Digital Hallucinations" really must be going to her head!"

°○... Okay, boss! I'll leave you to it! I'm gonna get breakfast started!○°

"Alright, see you in a bit!"

"Well, I guess I should go get ready?"

"Of course! I'll meet you there!"

[DOWNLOADING ASSETS: 99%]

And... done! Finally! You made it!

As promised, here's Caine and Pomni's blogs!

@ask-the-real-cainetadc

@the-exitdoor-simp-tadc

Thanks again for reading this. It took me like 2 hours-

#tadc #the amazing digital circus #tadc caine #caine #tadc pomni #showtime #tadc showtime #caine x pomni

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