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mrsnancywheeler · 4 months

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the lakes (8) // finnick odair x f. reader

summary: it's supposed to be over, you and Finnick are supposed to spend the rest of your lives helping each other heal. living as peacefully as possible, but the the third quarter quell throws a wrench in your domestic bliss.

previous part / next part

prequel

4.6k words

warnings: angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, manipulation of someone's feelings, drinking away problems, mental illness, mentions of suicidal ideations, savior complex Finnick and reader, codependent relationship, allusions to trafficking and forced sexualization of body, mentions of death/violence happening to children, unedited, no use of y/n, arguments, self-hate, self-doubt, a love triangle that really isn't a love triangle

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

“Oh, you look so beautiful." Cambrie was crying, actually crying. Standing behind you in the mirror, staring the the gorgeous dress she'd designed. You wanted to cry too because even if she'd always treated you more like a doll than a living, breathing person it did hurt to know you'd never see her familiar presence again.

“You did an amazing job, Cambrie, it reminds me of home." Truthfully the dresses shimmery deep blue did make you think of the waters of home and the seaweed and pearl based jewelry was a nice touch. Of course it was a too low cut for your liking and regardless of the colors would be completely translucent if the light hit it right, it was stunning.

“You really think so?" Her eyes were full of tears and you nodded your head turning to hug her.

“Yes, thank you." It pained you too think about how even if she never treated you fully human she would still be deeply hurt by your death. Her favorite muse.

“I don't know who I'm going to model my designs off of anymore, unless you come back or course, but you make it so easy." Of course she had ulterior motives, but it was somewhat amusing to hear her problems when yours were so much more lethal. She pulled away from you, “I wanted to go more bridal, but President Snow wanted Katniss wearing her wedding dress, so we're going to go for the more subtle route.”

It wasn't subtle in the slightest, a similarly shimmering, translucent veil was in your hair although not covering your face and adorned with sea thrift. Your arms had bouquet-like bracelets of yarrow, lavender, and sea oats from your shoulders down to your wrists. Then there were the sandals covered in pearls and seashells, if it hadn't been purposefully forced to be more sensual you would have genuinely loved it. More of a “natural" makeup look had been preferred to create the essence of more of a sweet mermaid than a sultry, seductive siren.

Suddenly you could feel the tears threatening to pour over, “I wish you would have been able to just design my wedding dress with normal circumstances. Thank you for this.”

"Oh you're such a sweetheart, I can't fathom how they could do this again to such a sweet girl. Everyone loves you, there's so much outrage. You'll certainly have lots of sponsors.” She cupped your face, shaking her head sadly. "We'd best be on our way.” She sighed, leading you out of the room for the last time.

There all the tributes stood waiting in their line, Katniss was already waiting in her wedding gown. She caught you staring at the dress, "Snow made me wear it.”

"Make him pay for it.” Johanna remarked ok the side, in another one of the tree related get ups her designer has such an attachment too. She looked you up and down,"Even in death they just can't leave you alone?” It was true, you were basically naked if people were staring at the way the colors caught the light.

“Just making sure to squeeze out every last drop before I go." One last glance at the body they'd controlled before you took it back forever. Johanna scoffed.

“Make him pay for that too." You took your place in the line next to Finnick, whose shirt was heavily unbuttoned.

“Is this our own wedding get-up?" He asked, arm sliding around your waist. You hummed a yes as you pecked at his lips.

“Do you like it?" You asked, hand playing with his sleeve.

“You look stunning. Do you like it, would it be your top contender when I finally get you that real dress?" He asked, a loving grin adorning his face.

“Maybe, if it wasn't so see-through. Reminds me of home though.” Finnick nodded in agreement.

“Look like you came straight from the moonlit waters, angel." You rested into his warm arms which were a godsend when the fabric did even less to protect you from the chill in the air. Cashmere and Gloss both proclaimed how difficult it would be to let go of their friends from the Capitol. How they were all like brothers and sisters to them, trying to further manipulate the audience's feelings into somehow getting them to prevent the games. Snow would never let that happen, but taking a shot at it couldn't hurt. Enobaria and Brutus both acted like it was a normal game, with just as much intensity as they had the first round. Wiress was rambling on and on, sometimes coherently, but the audience simply laughed like it were some huge joke about how unstable she was. Beetee’s rationalization took hold, talking about all he had done, all he'd offered to the Capitol, and questioned how legal this type of Quarter Quell was, couldn't it just be unwritten since it would have such a negative effect? Finnick rubbed circles on your arm as you nervously tapped your foot. “You've got this, my love." He reassured you as you were lead to wait off stage.

“Our very own Capitol Princess!” Caesar Flickerman’s voice blared and you put on your most charming smile to enter as he said your name. Waving at the audience, blowing kisses. The cheering soon calmed down and he turned to look at you, “Now, I think we're all a little bit upset with you and your husband. Aren't we?" The audience gave out enthusiastics agreements.

“I'm sorry!" You giggled, breathily. “We didn't want to take away attention from the star-crossed lovers."

“Oh we have enough love for the both of you!" The audience cheered in agreement.

You looked out at the crowd, “And we love you! It breaks my heart to know we won't get to share our journey with you." The tears that wanted to spill about other things you willed to appear now.

“So a secret marriage? How did that come about?" Caesar asked after the ooh’s and aww’s had quieted.

“We just knew that if we were going to die in the arena, we needed to be one with each other, and the waters." The first tears began to roll, “Now that we know we can't ever again have those moments. Especially to share them all with you." You could vaguely see tears on obscured faces and you knew it was working. "We'd been quietly planning how we'd get engaged in front of all of you, but when the Quarter Quell announcement came it just couldn't wait. So now we can't do the dress, and the wedding, and the house decorating, and the kids with all of you.” Wiping away the tears falling down.

"We'll certainly mourn that just as much, won't we?” The crowd boomed with agreement and cries. "One more thing, last time you were here you were also going into the arena with a romance, now it's happening all over again, does that add to the emotions we’re feeling tonight? The idea that if you win you'll have lost another love?”

Your tears glistened under the lights as you nodded, "All I have to say about that Caesar is that I have no intentions of leaving that arena if I can't be with him. We are one and I couldn't bear to live my life without knowing I'd see him everyday. This hurts so bad because I know it'll be my last time seeing all of your kind faces.” By now the audience was sobbing and suddenly the tears began feeling real, creeping up on you.

Caesar nodded solemnly, “And we'll be sorry to see you go. Ever romantic, our Capitol Princess!" Tears were blinding you and it was difficult to find your way to the pedestals where the other tributes were standing. Suddenly your face was being held and honey tasting lips were on yours, Finnick. You could hear the audience cooing and crying, he wiped the tears once he pulled away and led you to where you needed to stand.

"Sorry, Ceaser I couldn't help myself." His warm voice filled the room, his gorgeous smile being zoomed in on by the cameras.

“Oh no worries! Making ever the entrance, Capitol darling Finnick Odair!" The audience let out a resounding cheer for him. “Finnick, can I be honest?"

“Of course, Caesar." That gorgeous, sunshine smile rested on his face and it was no wonder it left the Capitol citizens swooning for more.

“I don't know what we're going to do if you don't come back. Right?” The audience loudly agreed and Finnick chuckled. "I mean you've been such a favorite, both of you have, and the world will not be the same without it.” How ironic, if it would be so painful then they really should make more of an effort to put a stop to it, but they wouldn't.

"I'm very sorry about that Ceaser, but my hands are tied. If we could, we would spend every moment with all of you, we're so grateful for your love.” A bold-faced lie, every party to keep up appearances, each call from the Capitol was far more draining then just spending a peaceful day together which could be endless.

“We wish you could too. Being married in the arena, how's that going to work? I mean we've heard from her that there's no grand plan for her to come back, but I assume as the husband you might have something to say about that?" This elicited a laugh from the audience and Finnick nodded.

“Well certainly, Caesar, what kind of husband would I be if I let her have her way in that? I will say, my love, you have my heart for all eternity, and if I die in that arena, my last thought will be of your lips.” You were sick, honestly nauseated with grief. This was so unfair, you'd tried not to think about it, but in just over 12 hours you'd be forced back into the arena and risk losing each other.

"We wish you the best luck with that." People were weeping in the audience and Finnick's face had become so sober that it was jarring how naturally it fell back into an easy smile. “That's Finnick Odair, Capitol darling." Soon he was right beside you on the podium, kissing you again for the audience to be giddy with joy, but also hearts ruptured for the lovers torn apart for only the first time of the night. You could taste your salty tears mixing with the honeycomb of his lips before he pulled away, giving another grin to the audience.

His hand stayed intertwined with yours, but something wasn't quite right about his demeanor. Even if physically he kept up the same presence as always you could feel the shift in his aura, in his touch. He was upset, but not in the way you were. You couldn't stop yourself from continually glancing over at him, silently trying to get his attention so you could see what was wrong. Squeezing his hand with yours to try and get a response when he finally did meet your eyes it hit you that the look was disappointment, dread and when you shot a quizzical look back he looked like he was going to cry as he put his focus back on the stage.

You were stuck in your own head no, had it been something you said? Did? It was all for the performance which he had to know. Your foot was tapping and you were zoning out of the interviews until all the sudden the audience was shrieking. Katniss’ wedding dress disappeared in clouds of black smoke and when they disappeared the dress had transformed. Upon lifting her arms you could see what it was, a mockingjay. A public symbol of the rebellion, Caesar was trying to cover, but the cameras already would have caught it.

One more interview before the night would be over and you'd wait to be shipped back off to the arena where certain death awaited you. Charming Peeta insisted that he and Katniss too had a secret wedding to have the traditions of District 12. The audience ate each crumb he gave right out of his hands when suddenly he made the world stop, “If it weren't for the baby." Shock, outrage filled the room. All of these people who'd been fine watching children fight to the death and suffer after they won for personal entertainment couldn't stand the fact that Katniss could be pregnant. The irony of it all, how smart Peeta had been on his feet made it hard for you to suppress the smile. As Caesar desperately tried to do damage control once again you noticed how everyone of the tribute's hands began linking, placing your free hand in Beetee’s who bobbed his head before holding Wiress’. Hands joined, you lifted them above your head increasing the audience's screams and Caesar was yelling for lights to be turned off, all this did was illuminate your figures in the low lights.

Then you were being filed off of the pedestals and to the hallway. You instantly met eyes with Haymitch, holding some glass filled with some type of drink. You didn't say a word to him before taking it from his hand to take a drink.

“Dealing with pre-game jitters with alcohol really seems like a great idea." He said sardonically, scoffing. He didn't try and grab the drink back though even when you scowled at him. Right when you'd taken another drink of the bubbly liquid it was Finnick who took the drink from your hand, handing it back to Haymitch. "What? Trouble in paradise?” He took a drink too.

“Just need you to be rational instead of hungover in the morning.” Finnick muttered, he was angry at something, that much was obvious.

Haymitch took something off of his wrist and handed it to Finnick, “Show her this and she'll realize I gave it to you, since she won't ally with you of her own accord." It was a gold bangle and Finnick nodded as he slid it on his wrist. They were whispering something to each other and you pulled away to an Avox holding a tray of more bubbly drinks nearby. Grabbing one you nodded a thank you, swallowing it down as fast as you could before Finnick had grabbed it again, looking at you sternly.

“I'm not going to be hungover.” You rolled your eyes and he handed the second, nearly empty glass to Haymitch as well.

"Well you don't exactly make great decisions for yourself.” You rolled your eyes at him as he ran his fingers through his curls.

"What's your problem? I made them sympathetic, I did what I was supposed to!” You couldn't fathom why that would upset him, it was a performance and he did the same thing.

"You have a death wish, that's the problem, I'm not letting you die for me!” You stared into his gorgeous sea-green eyes and scoffed before turning around to walk straight back to your floor.

"Thank you, Haymitch.” You heard Finnick say before he was following you to the elevator.

"You're really gonna argue with me about what I said in the interview right before we head back into the arena?" You pressed the cold buttons before crossing your arms, refusing to look at him.

“When this started I begged you to talk to me, to stop punishing yourself for whatever you did six years ago to survive, but you still are. You didn't say anything until right before we headed back into the arena, informing the world all about how you plan to die in there.” The elevator opened and he stepped in as you followed.

“I don't plan too, I just expect it. I'm not going to keep going if you die."

“Yes, you are, Annie needs you, Mags needs you." He pointed to the bangle quickly to put off anyone who could be listening in, “Needs you. This insistence that you're going to die is ridiculous, angel, I'm not going to let you.”

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

You stood backstage with Conway, having to consciously force your leg to stay still, to not keep tapping as you waited to do on stage. The air was chilly which wasn't helped by the thin material of your dress, it's low-cut, or the huge slit in it's side at least Conway got to be in a suit. Your eyes were glued to the screen where the male tribute from District 3 had just begun his interview.

“Now, how old are you?" Caesar asked, the boy was small, he couldn't be that old, it looked like the seat was going to swallow him whole.

“Thirteen." His voice was shaky and your ears started ringing. How were you supposed to do this, that was a child, a tiny kid whose family was sitting back home watching their baby boy be shipped off to certain death. You could feel the tears approaching and your breathing getting more shallow. Cold hands were suddenly on yours.

“Are you okay?" Conway asked, as you began to hyperventilate.

“I can't do this." You whispered out as the first tears began falling, “That's a little boy, I can't-"

“I get it." Conway reassured, his big, brown eyes trying to comfort you. “You've got this though, you can't do anything about him being here, but you can make a good impression with the audience. We have to focus on that no matter how screwed up you feel like it is. Go up there and do what you have to do.” What you have to do, charm them, be sweet, and pretty, but a little mysterious. Finnick had all types of angles for you. You gave a final look back at Conway who tried to give a reassuring smile, but you could tell he was bothered too. Caesar's booming voice called your name and you stepped out into the bright lights of the stage. Beaming for the audience, waving, giggling at their cheers.

“I have to say, everyone was blown away with how charming you seemed at the tribute parade, but then that training score came out. How did you do that?" Caesar asked as the two of you sat down, the audience murmuring in agreement.

“Well, Caesar, a lady has to have some secrets for herself." You made your laugh airy and winked at the laughing audience. “I have to save some things for the show, don't I?"

Caesar nodded, laughing along. "Of course! You know when I saw your face at the reaping I couldn't help but feel like I recognized you from somewhere, did anyone else feel that way?” The audience cheered out agreements and your stomach knotted. What was he talking about? You certainly didn't know how they knew you. "I mean this was literally keeping me up at night.”

You leaned forward, the dress putting a little too much on display, but you persisted. "Well do tell.”

"Months ago we were doing a catch up piece of Finnick Odair and you were in some of it, very briefly, but you were.” The audience was wild, they adored Finnick and loved any type of connection. Your stomach clenched, how were you supposed to seem in love with Conway when this was being chosen for you.

You blushed, “Oh yes, Caesar! I didn't imagine anyone would remember that!"

"Well we did and we love it!” He proclaimed and the audience agreed. "So tell me, just between us-” The audience laughed and you did too. "Are you and a certain victor pining for your return to tell us all some very exciting news?” You shook your head slowly, trying not to look as embarrassed as you felt. “No? I don't believe that, look at you, charming and obviously extremely talented. There was definitely something going on when that program came out, not anymore?" Time was running out and this was not going the way you planned.

So new plan, “No, Ceasar.” Your voice was light and sounded shaky on purpose. You shook your head.

"Oh, so this is a tale of heartbreak?” He asked and the audience cooed. "Well if you win, he'll have to take you back won't he? I'm sure we won't let up until he does!” He laughed and the crowd seemed to agree with him.

“I'm afraid it's much more complicated than that." You smoothed out your dress even if it needed no smoothing.

"Oh! Is there another man as well, we live for the drama!” You nodded slowly.

"Yes and I'm afraid winning won't help me in either case.” You were alluding and there was only a few seconds left. Caesar stood up.

"Well now you have to win this thing, so we can all know about this tale of romance. It's going to be keeping me on the edge of my seat!"

“And I'd love to share it with all of you." You let a few tears fall as you blew a kiss out to the audience who adored it. The two of you bowed as you walked off the stage. Heart pounding rapidly as you were escorted out to the hall where Finnick, Ondine, and your designer Cambrie stood.

“Oh you looked divine!" Cambrie announced, hands on your shoulders. “All of my friends are going to want to sponsor you, I'm certain you'll be the talk of Panem, leaving us on a cliffhanger like that!" She was basically shrieking in joy when she got distracted by some hors d'oeuvres an Avox was holding.

You buried your head in your hands as Finnick approached, “I didn't know they were going to side swipe you like that. It could be good for your image though." You were now hyper aware of the eyes on the both of you even if technically he was your mentor just giving you advice.

“Could be bad for that, unless he picked up what I was putting down." You pointed at the screen where Conway sat with Caesar.

“So Conway, I'm sure all of us were very impressed by your training score, a big, strong man like you, what's your strategy?" Caesar asked and the audience made comments under their breath, acting as if they were also part of the conversation.

“Let's just say I know what I'm up against and am confident in the people I've decided to trust." Looking at him made you see flashes of your childhood, of him crabbing with your family as kids, hair billowing in the wind as he made sure you didn't slip on the water covering the boat’s deck.

Caesar nodded, “Well alright, making us wait for tomorrow as well?"

Conway smiled that kind, loving smile he gave everyone, “I guess you could say that.”

"Now everyone is dying to know if you have a special girl back home, I mean you’re a good looking guy and even girls in the Capitol are swooning.”

"Well, it's a lot more complicated than that, Caesar.” Conway and his boyish charm was sure to bring in more sponsors as well. Caesar took a second, looking at Conway and the audience with as much drama as he could, like he was slowly connecting the dots.

“You're not saying what I think you're saying are you?" He asked and the crowd screamed in agreement, eating it up.

Conway adjusted his shirt collar, “Regretfully, I might be."

“Well isn't this straight out of a fairytale." A dark, corrupted one if that. “That sure complicates things doesn't it?"

Conway nodded, “Yes."

“You're certainly going to be keeping all of us on our toes, a love triangle. Well I certainly wish you the best of luck in your endeavors." Caesar laughed. What luck? Only one ‘choice’ would be alive if you won.

“Thank you, Caesar. All I can say is even if it's doomed, hopefully she doesn't pick the one who already broke her heart.” Even if it wasn't meant that way to you it felt threatening, hopefully you didn't or he'd be forced to kill you? You honestly had no idea what the best outcome was, maybe him asking you to take care of his family before sacrificing himself? But now you were overtly aware that you not only had him observing you, but all of Panem desperately wanting to know where you would land.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

You were laying on the bed, hands covering your face as Finnick went on and on about how self-destructive you were. Maybe he was right, but you didn't see why it mattered. It's not like you were going to do anything intentional, you'd just do what you could to get Katniss out of the arena alive and be with Finnick.

“How are we supposed to do this if you don't believe you can survive?” He was pacing the room,"The moment that gong rings you need to come find me, I need my eyes on you.”

"I will, Finnick! But you need to focus on other things too.” You defended, sighing.

"How am I supposed to do that when the person I love the most is a danger to herself?” He stopped moving for a moment to stare at you, even with your face hidden in your hands you could feel his eyes burning into you.

You finally moved your hands,"I'm not! I just want to go to sleep, Finnick, can't we just rest?"

“We can sleep when I can rest well knowing you're not going to make impulsive decisions or give up if I get hurt. Don't be dependent on my life, angel, you deserve to live." You stood up only to walk to the open bathroom door and begin removing your makeup.

“I don't know what you want me to say, Finnick." He followed you and stood behind you watching you in the mirror. You were passive to his pleas, you couldn't understand why it mattered so much to him. If he died it's not like he would know if you did too and if he lived there were plenty of other women who would be glad to comfort him, plus the revolution would keep him distracted.

There was a pause as you continued with your routine before he removed the bottle from your hands and turned you to face him, he'd always been much stronger than you and there was no use trying to release yourself.

“That your life matters to you just as much as it does to me and I want you to believe it when you say it."

You sighed, “Finnick I will do whatever you tell me to do, I'll stay right by your side if you want me too. All I want is to be with you, that's all that matters to me."

He closed his eyes, exhaling shakily, “I can't believe I let us get so codependent." You watched a tear make its way down his cheek and felt you swarmed with guilt. “I can't make this better overnight no matter how badly I want to, but I do want you by me every second in that arena. Don't you dare go sacrificing yourself for someone, anyone. Angel, I can't live without you either.” His warm arms brought you to him, caught in his embrace as the guilt overwhelmed the numbness. "We're both getting out of there alive, no matter what it takes.” He whispered and although your brain told you not to believe him, to accept your fate you would trust him to the grave so you nodded your head into his shoulder.

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

thank you so much for reading and all the support I've been receiving, I love you all so much and am glad you're enjoying my little thoughts. next chapter we can finally get into the games of it all, not gonna like this chapter was a lot of fun to write but took forever because I was having too many thoughts. if you enjoyed it feedback, likes, reblogs, and comments are all super appreciated. my inbox is always open! I love you all, thank you again! 💋

taglist: @imaegonstargaryenswife0 @avoxrising @artsyaquarium @jennaaaaaaaaaaaa @secretsicanthideanymore @darlingsoulbeautfulthoughts @thatonegayloser616 @kybermp3 @meri-soni-meri-tamanna @ravensinthedaylight @innercreationflower @uhnanix @aesthetic0cherryblossom @yourdailymemedelivery @ang3lflor @maxinehufflepuffprincess @prettybiching @miserablebl00d

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im-a-hoping-beetch · 8 months

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Many people seem to get genuinely confused, whenever we, zutara shippers, mention how underdeveloped kataang really is. Usually, they’ll brush it off as us being delusional, bitter and you know the drill. Their main response to that, usually is: “How, could they possibly be underdeveloped, they had 3 seasons!?!”

The thing is they forget that the amount of time isn’t as important as what you do do with it. Cuz, yeah, Aang and Katara did have 3 seasons, but their relationship still managed to feel rushed as hell. Heck, even Bryke, out of all people, admitted to it. Which mostly as to do with a bunch of things that I’ll get into right now.

Let’s start with the fact that, Katara never actually shows any interest in Aang.

Now, many of y’all will probably come for me by citing how the cave of the two lovers or even the Headband have moments of her showing interest in him, but all of them end up falling flat at some point.

The cave of the two lovers:

The argument here, usually is“if she didn’t have any interest in him, why would she kiss him?” or “why would she blush at the idea of kissing him?”. The former seems to forget this is a life or death situation and that we don’t really know for sure that if there were another way to get out if this, she wouldn’t take it. For the latter, I’d like to say that blushing can have many significations such as, embarrassment. Which, here makes sense when considering what she says and overall demeanour, after suggesting to kiss.

Like yeah, a fourteen year old girl blushing bcz she’s embarrassed at the idea of having to kiss, her friend, out of all things, cuz you know… awkward. Can you imagine that (pun fully intended)???

The headband:

This one is going to be a ride, but stick with me. The arguments can range from “What about her jealousy while Aang is dancing with other girls.” to “What about the way she looks at him during the dance.”

Here, is said jealousy being shown:

And said look being done:

Now, yeah, I can absolutely see why these two exemples would be used as a way to prove her interest, but let me remind you that this is the same episode where we have this happen.

Yeah, the same episode where Katara is acting all jealous and giving flirty looks to Aang is also the same one where she pretends to be is… mother. While, I could go on about how it wasn’t the best idea on the directors or whoever was in charge of the episode part if it was their way of giving a glimpse of Katara being into Aang. The issue is, them doing so wasn’t completely farfetched either, because up until now it’s been established that Katara can be very motherly and she acts that way with almost everyone in the gaang. More specifically, the one with who she does so the most is, Aang.

I mean, even the show makes a point of poking fun at their mother-son dynamic on several occasions all throughout the show (ie. the don’t-rub-your-eyes-when-you’re-speaking scene in “The runaway” episode). So realistically, the two exemples shown way above could somewhat work, but only if you decide to completely ignore what episode they take place in, one that hasn’t really helped at stopping the mother-son dynamic allegations kataang has been getting, for years, now.

So, back to the development aspect, I think it has always been stunted from the beginning, because, fundamentally, the ship as always been designed to be Aang-centric. If you’d like more insight on that I’d recommend checking @starlight-bread-blog’s amazing post on the issue. But also, that their lackluster resolution is way much more obvious, cuz both are leads in the show. Katara's existence in the show, isn't solely there to serve as some love inerest for Aang. Shocker, but she's actually a MAIN CHARACTER in the show, meaning that we spend three seasons where we get to learn about her battles, fears and aspirations, none of which seems to involve a relationship with Aang.

Like yeah, the reason why The Ending Kiss™ feels so unsatisfactory is, simply, because, Katara doesn't like Aang (at least not like that). Katara, likes Aang, because the show said so. Now, stick with me, cuz I can already feel some of y'all ready to jump at the screen. Within the show, name a single moment where she ever comes to thinking of Aang in a romantic way. One that doesn't involve any external sources, such as someone suggesting about it or because of the given circumstances she has to. The answer is none. The only time we ever get to see her voice her ACTUAL opinion about it, this is what she says:

That's not even counting how her overall demeanor, from the body language to her choice of words seems to suggest that she's actually trying to let him down gently. Also, may I remind you that at that point THERE'S ONLY 3 FREAKING EPISODES LEFT BEFORE THE BIG KISS™ and this is where there at in their relationship. Plus, within the 3 episodes that are left WE NEVER GET TO SEE THEM TALK ABOUT IT, EVER!!!

This obviously was part of Bryke’s horrible attempt at the will-they-won’t-they trope. Which ended up playing right in their face, cuz like I mentioned they themselves had to come to glaring realization that kataang was rushed. Now, it could’ve been it, the creators realizing their obvious mistake and if they could, trying to fix it by giving us what seemed like the natural progression of their relationship, which was for it to end.

Instead, we got comics!Katara and oooh boy…

Basically, they decided that they would throw away Katara’s meticulously built characterization in order to make her existence revolve around, Aang. I kid you not, when I say that she isn’t allowed scenes, lines and actions that do not revolve around her “sweetie”.

Remember how I said that, Katara likes Aang because the show runners said so. This is an example of this cranked up to a hundred.

Essentially, when you start thinking about where these two are in terms of growth, kataang is the antithesis to development itself. On one hand it validates the regression of one (ie. the dropped chakra plot line), while simultaneously, having to strip any previously built characterization of the other (ie. comics!katara).

On that note, I’d like to remind people, how important Katara is to the story. Without her, the entirety of the gaang would be dead. Without her, there would be no story. Without her, there would be no Aang.

She deserved to have a voice within her own relationship and not for it to be stolen by two grown men who were still stuck in their childhood fantasy.

She deserved better.

#atla #avatar #anti bryke #avatar the last airbender #anti kataang #zutara #pro katara #katara deserved better

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beannary · 9 months

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OK so I dont really like this but this 2012 tmnt mermaid au has been driving me INSANE so here are some mermaid designs for the boys (which I might change if I draw more stuff for this au) and some lore for the au under the cut!

also Donnie is ftm and Leo is mtf and those are the facts! (Donnie did do top surgery on himself, do NOT ask me how he did that underwater safely)

(just a quick note: I am using some japanese mythos for the mermaid part but I'm also being loosey goosey with it alskjdfh)

ALSO slight tw for cannibalism? or like cannibalism adjacent behavior

There is a yokai described in Japanese literature called the ningyo, a creature that is half human and half fish. Legend says that if you capture a ningyo and eat its flesh, that you will be granted eternal life. Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki were familiar with these legends, though Saki always believed in them more than Yoshi. Saki believed in the legends so much that he became obsessed with finding the legendary ningyo and becoming immortal after consuming its flesh. Yoshi accompanied his brother on these ventures, more out of a sense of familiar duty and a need to watch out for his younger brother than an actual belief in the ningyo.

And of course, it just so happens that the brother who does not at all believe in the existence of yokai would be the one to find one. Yoshi encounters Tang Shen, a ningyo who has been living throughout the local freshwater river system. And suddenly Yoshi realizes that Saki's quest for murder might actually come true since apparently these ningyo are very much real. So now whenever he accompanies Saki on his hunting quests, he does everything in his ability to try to dissuade Saki from his plan, and when he realizes that isn't going to work, he starts to sabotage Saki's efforts. And Yoshi does this because well he kept in contact with Tang Shen, and the two became close friends, and son fell in love, bridging the gap between yokai and human.

They can't get married, obviously, Tang Shen is fully a yokai, but they build their lives together and eventually Tang Shen falls pregnant with their daughter Miwa. The two weren't entirely sure what to expect of their child, but Miwa turns out to be a completely normal human child.

Over the years as Yoshi and Tang Shen's love and family grew, Yoshi started pulling away from his birth family, and more noticeably, from Saki, who was you know pretty angry with Yoshi who seemingly disappeared on him with no explanation. Saki channels his anger into his search for the ningyo, and it takes three years but eventually he does finally find one.

Around three years after Miwa was born, Tang Shen and Yoshi welcome in four new kids! Quadruplets! Three boys and a girl. And these four, unlike Miwa, seem to all be fully ningyo, which very much surprised Yoshi and Tang Shen (both the fact that there were four kids and those four kids are all mermaids) but hey, they knew their genetic situation would be weird and they were fully ready to hop into raising these four.

It's only a few days after the birth of their quadruplets, so soon after that they haven't even given them names, that Saki stumbles upon the home of Yoshi and Tang Shen. And He Is Pissed. Not only did his BROTHER ABANDON him but he abandon him to start a family with this yokai? The yokai that he's been hunting all this time? And Saki, like in canon, kills Tang Shen and Miwa. (Or well you know, he kidnaps Miwa and renames her Karai but Yoshi thinks Miwa is dead)

Yoshi manages to get away with the quadruplets in the chaos, and he tries so hard to establish a new life for himself in Japan, but no matter where he goes, Saki manages to find him. Eventually Yoshi gets desperate enough to flee the country, and he finds himself in New York City!

But meanwhile back in Japan, Saki did in fact end up eating Tang Shen but idk how he realizes it but he figures out that he didnt get immortality, and so he concludes that oh, Tang Shen must have been tainted somehow by her relationship with Yoshi, which sucks because now he has to find a whole other ningyo to get immortality. Luckily he happens to know of four ningyo that he would be more than happy to kill, which is basically Saki's drive to finding and killing the Hamatos.

Anyways that's all I have so far!!!! I'm trying to think about how they would live in NYC, if they can somehow become human (in maybe like an H2O just add water situation) or if they are stuck in the water all the time.

I'm leaning towards them being able to shed their fish tails if even only for a small amount of time, just so they can still be ninjas and train on land, since I think Yoshi would still want to train them to defend themselves. I think that if they can be human for a bit, they still get dried out really easily so they can't stay out of the water for very long, probably not long enough for them to go to school full time, so they still live super isolated lives. Or maybe Yoshi figures out a way to train them to fight in the water? Idk suggestions are appreciated!

They do eventually meet April and Casey, I think April is gonna be on the swim team and so she's a fairly strong swimmer (for a human) and so she spends a lot of time in the water with the hamatos which they appreciate a lot! I think maybe Yoshi isn't a super strong swimmer so as much as he tries to spend time with his kids he can't really.

Casey is still on the hockey team and he can't swim, the hamatos try to teach him but they fully dont know how to swim with legs and so they are Bad tm swimming teachers salkdjfh.

#my art #tmnt #tmnt 2012 #2012 tmnt #tmnt 2k12 #2k12 tmnt #tmnt leo #tmnt leonardo #tmnt raph #tmnt raphael #tmnt donnie #tmnt donatello #tmnt mikey #tmnt michelangelo

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cherryfennec · 4 months

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what are some of your favorite Super Paper Mario headcanons?

I wasn't sure how specific you'd want those to be but I tried to think of a few that I personally enjoy/tend to apply myself!Includes spoilers.

Some general headcanons:

SPM takes longer than than a day/few days (maybe about a month or two)

Flipping into 3D is a nauseating experience and it takes time to fully adjust to it (especially for Mario, he never really managed to get over it).

Pure Hearts emit a comforting aura, a sense of warmth and calm, while the Chaos Heart feels like a thousand voices are whispering in your ear.

Some character specific headcanons:

Mario finds himself confused and lost more than he ever did in his life during this adventure. His usual confidence and grounded attitude are shaky because almost everything in these other worlds makes no sense to him, which is rather frustrating, especially at the beginning of his journey where he's completely surrounded by strangers and forced into the hero role. (Seriously, Mario couldn't even go home if he wanted to because he's stuck not on an island but between dimentions where he was TELEPORTED IN. There isn't really a door that leads to the Mushroom Kingdom.)

Peach's parasol is hardened by steel and enhanced by magic with a sharp tip at the end. She changed her heels to something more comfortable on the Flipside and put her hair up so it doesn't get in the way during travel and unavoidable combat.

Bowser takes his 'marriage' very seriously. He cares more about Peach than Mario in the team so when she's trouble he'll dash to assist her (he can run when he really wants to huh), but if the red plumber's in trouble he'll pretend to not see it or brush it off. (unless his lovely wife nags him about it).

Luigi, after landing is the Underwhere, finds lots of stuff in his pockets that he doesn't remember squirreling away like firecrackers, bolts and a small screwdriver. He is in fact very confused.

Count Bleck isn't very emotional. Most of the time he only has one, sad and dull expression. Any type of larger emotion showing through means that you've REALLY pushed it to the extreme.

The minions know the kind person that the Count is deep at heart so they're not put off by his frown, except for Mr.L. A default reaction that the brainwashed soldiers get as a 'bonus' from Nastasia is the highest respect for the Count, yes, but also fear of him. The fear ensures that they are most obedient but it's more of a failsafe than anything. You can imagine how it looks when Mr.L, an exploding and tempered personality, runs around the castle causing havoc like a brat and then suddenly just FREEZES on the spot at the sight of Bleck.

On the topic of the quirks of Nastasias ability, usually a person only needs to be brainwashed once. HOWEVER due to a certain someone who likes to provoke the man in green and his subconscious she is required to sometimes strengthen the control on Mr.L as she doesn't trust the magician with keeping his mouth shut. At one point she directly orders L to actively stay away from the jester, even forcing him to follow her around when she works.

Dimentios poncho and hat are covered in glitter and his mask is porcelain-esque, also the idea of him being the "son of the magician". I just think this theory is quite fitting and I like the thought of him being actually 3000 years old. He's not very popular at the castle but everyone has a silent agreement to not bother him. He however bothers everyone and likes to stare. When he's intrigued he tends to tilt his head slightly.

Mimi enjoys designing clothes and tries to give fashion advice to her teammates (to absolutely no avail because who cares we're literally ending the world, we're evil and depressed blehhhh). She and Dimentio have an 'annoying sibling' dynamic and she wouldn't hold back against him in battle at all for all the times he's messed with her. She also enjoys filing her nails to be super sharp.

Nastasia is a very strict person who takes her duties seriously but she does have a side for fun. You just need to search for it a little.

O'Chunks likes to spar with Mr.L in his free time. Mr.L is in general one of the few people he can do this with since Mimi says that 'she doesn't want to ruin her dress over such a stupid thing' and Dimentio always finds an excuse or simply dissapears.

Post SPM headcanons:

There is little conflict with the neighbouring kingdoms after the void incident. Peach, Mario and Luigi use that free time to have fun and just relax after everything that happened. They need eachothers support for the time being.

'Team Bleck' still meets up often after everything and hangs out. They don't necessarily talk about the Count but it's nice knowing that there are other people who understand what you're feeling right now. *They've been trying to have a full group reunion with Luigi included for some time now. Things are a bit awkward among them but it's still nice when he agrees to come along.

Luigi inherits some of Dimentios mannerisms which shine through from time to time such as laughing patterns, hand gestures and a rather malicious looking grin... A bit more unrelated and physical change is that his hair tends to turn white when he's around strong sources of power. (Dream Stone and Dark Star levels kind of powerful ykyk maybe Super Star as well or stardust in general cause star child origins) and the eyes somewhat darken.

He's also never really informed about the specifics of his Mr.L and Super Dimentio arc. Mario doesn't really want to burden his brother with something that was in the past and not a necessary in his eyes knowledge since it wasn't truly him.

The Chaos Heart isn't completely gone. It rests, slowly regaining power within it's host, accumulating all the scattered fragments like puzzle pieces. Try all you want but you can never fully get rid of chaos, it's an inescapable force.

I might gather up some more another time but I'd say that's it for now! You might've already heard some of these before but I hope it was at least a good read.

#spm #super paper mario #myart #askbox

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readychilledwine · 3 months

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Breathplay

✨️Kink Education with Elizabeth✨️

If you're looking to add danger to your sex life, look no further.

Erotic asphyxiation, or breath play, is one of the most dangerous kinks in the BDSM community. Breathplay is the act of cutting off air supply during sex with the goal of achieving a more intense orgasm. There's mild forms of breathplay (hand or elbow around throat, closing partner's nose off during oral), less mild (forcing head into pillows or objects, hoods specifically designed for breathplay), to extreme (use of plastic wrap or plastic bags, waterboarding, forcing your partner's head into a body of water) and none of them are 100% safe.

Breathplay is dangerous for anyone, but if you have an underlying health condition, especially one involving your heart or lungs, it's best to possibly avoid this form of play. You can enjoy a hand necklace without the pressure, don't worry.

This form of kink play is not recommended by any medical professional nor sex therapists.

Please play safely💜

💕Peep the Valentine's Day list here💕

As always, NSFW below cut.

Rowan Whitethorn x Reader

Warnings - I picture Rowan as a mean daddy dom with a masochistic streak, oral m receiving, p in v, reader passes out, references to her being passed around the Cadre, references to forced submission, hints of degradtion, unedited because I was running a little behind today 🫣

Rowan’s head fell back, a soft grunt falling from his lips as he seated himself all way into your throat. One hand had you back the back of your neck, forcing you where he wanted you for as long as he wanted you.

Breathing was becoming difficult, vision blurring slightly as you did everything you could to take a deep breath with your air way constricted the way it was. “Struggling whore?” You felt yourself clench at his words, at the deep graveled tone of his voice.

Rowan was never gentle with you. He was strict, demanding, and a masochist. He enjoyed watching you struggle, seeing you in pain and begging. He loved watching you cry as he pounded into you withholding orgasm after orgasm until you were so over stimulated you could do nothing but lay there, pliant to his pleasure.

You knew he cared for you, but you were his small fraction of peace in this fucked up world. One he so desperately was fighting tooth and nail to make better.

You weren't a warrior, you weren't blessed with healing magic. You were just a simple fae female. Well, as simple as a female capable of shifting into any form could be.

You were his spy. A spy damn near useless for anything but scouting, but still a spy.

Besides, he found use for you. So many uses actually.

His personal lap pet.

His personal whore.

His personal toy he could loan out to his brothers when they needed stress relief.

Right now, though, your biggest use was being his.

He pulled out slightly, grip on the sides of your neck tightening as his other hand came to hold your nose shut. “If you are struggling this early, how am I supposed to have fun with you?” The lack of air was getting to you. You knew you could tap his leg twice, and it would stop, but you wanted to desperately please him, to be of service. “Such an eager slut. You are lucky I can tell you need to breathe, y/n.” He pulled out completely, letting go of your nose. He forced you up, hand moving to the front of your throat as you gasped for air.

Precious life giving air.

He pulled you to his lips, a messy harsh kiss cutting air back off for a second as his grip tightened again.

This wasn't fully what you had in mind when he said he wanted to try something new, something Fenrys told them he had tried recently.

You would have to talk to the wolf about his reckless endangerment of himself later.

Rowan turned you, letting go long enough to force you down on the bed, forcing you hips up slightly. “Such a pretty cunt,” he slapped your core, watching in sadistic glee as as you screamed and wiggled, wetness now spreading and dripping. “All mine, isn't she?” He shoved your head into the pillow, forcing you into shocked silence.

Forcing you to be unable to answer him. “I asked you a question. Is this pussy mine?” You could hear the smirk in his voice, hear him planning on how he'd punish you.

You felt the slaps land. Three consecutive slaps right to your aching needy center.

Your moans were muffled by the pillow. You tried taking a deep breath to still your body and calm back down, but your airways were mostly blocked again.

4 more slaps came before two thick fingers plunged into you. Rowan growled behind you. “Wyrd, you are so tight. You'd like after this long we would have ruined your holes by now.” He began pulling them in and out at a blinding speed, hand still holding you in the pillows.

Your vision was going black again, mind racing as it pleaded for oxygen.

His fingers curled, and out of nowhere, an orgasm tore through you, ripping a scream of his name and the rest of the oxygen from your lungs. Rowan was silent behind you, hand moving to your hair to pull you up.

“Status?”

You shook your head, throat so sore and body needing air so badly you couldn't answer. You tapped the bed once, a code you normally only used when your lips were wrapped around his throat to indicate you needed him to slow down.

“I figured. You have never done that. You have never come without my permission.” Rowan removed his fingers from you, wiping them on the bed. He went behind you, holding your hips in his hands.

You knew he'd be gentle for a bit as his cock entered your soft walls slowly inch by inch. He took you slowly, a finger playing with your clit until you were calm again, body welcoming and swallowing him.

You relaxed, enjoy each roll of his hips as it sent a wave and wave of pleasure through you. Of the Cadre, he would always be your favorite. His length filled every inch of you so perfectly, so snugly, sex with him felt more like a puzzle finally finding its last piece than it did the obligation you were actually sent to them to fulfill. "Daddy," you moaned out, hips meeting his in a practiced dance. "So good, Daddy."

He groaned behind you. "I know, princess. Daddy's cock always makes you so wet." His hand found the back of your neck again. "Take a deep breath, princess."

He was pounding into you with in second, head forced back into the pillows as he did. You felt your hands curling at the sheets as you writhed moaning and crying below him.

It felt so fucking good. Better than normal, actually. It was as if your body was too lost on where to focus, fighting for air or relaxing and enjoying the way Rowan was ripping you apart.

You felt yourself becoming lightheaded, body softening. Rowan, misunderstanding, smiled, thinking you had fallen into his favorite overestimated dick drunken state. Your vision was filled with black dots, mind focusing on the sounds of him above you. Of his moans, his groans, the growls.

Rowan felt the moment he lost you, pulling himself out of you and flipping you as quickly as he could. "Fuck! Princess, I need you to come back to me," he started rubbing your sternum, eyes wide as he took in your face.

Your beautiful face where blood vessels had ruptured as your body struggled.

Struggled because of him.

He had almost killed you.

And you had almost let him.

He didn't know if he was angry, aroused by your complete trust in him, or just scared, but that first breath, that gasp you took before your body shook in his arms, tears falling. He laid you back down, hovering above your face and stroking your hair back. "Deep breath, y/n. There you go. Good girl."

You were met with light and green eyes staring down at you. "What happened?"

Rowan kissed your brow. "You did not use our fucking safe word or tap system is what happened. I almost fucking killed you."

You smiled below him, eyes closing again. "Felt so good. I wanted you to keep going."

Rowan’s forehead fell to yours, a rare full smile on his face. "Only you would pick dying with my cock inside of you over having to take a quick break."

He heard you moan, lips tugging up at the idea. "I would die a happy female if I died on your cock. Seems like the best way to die, actually. You buried so deep inside me, using me, body spent from pleasure."

He kissed your temple. "You will be punished for this later. Rest, my love."

"Are you sure you want to wait?"

Brows went up as he shook his head at you. "I will be bringing help with me to keep your mouth shut. Rest and prepare, princess."

General Taglist:

@hnyclover @glitterypirateduck @slytherinindisguise @mischiefmanager @bloodicka @starsinyourseyes @the-sweet-psycho

@mariahoedt @rinalouu @sarawritestories @starryhiraeth @starswholistenanddreamsanswered

Valentines Day Taglist :

@sfhsgrad-blog @amara-moonlight @eternallyelvish @novaksangel @teenageeggscissorslawyer @thisblogisaboutabook @azriels-shadowsinger @amygdtjhddzvb

@justasillylittlegoofyguy @avajustreads

@littlestw01f @azriels-shadowsinger

#tog x reader #throne of glass x reader #throne of glass #rowan whitethorn x reader #rowan x reader #rowan throne of glass #rowan whitethorn #Rowan whitethorn x y/n #readychilledwine valentines day bingo

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cealchylle · 6 months

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I've been thinking about what Ballad says about the nature of evil.

Evil isn't born, it is made. Evil doesn't live in our thoughts, or personalities, it is manifested by our actions. Coriolanus doesn't start out evil because he hasn't done anything wrong. In fact, he does quite a lot of good things in the book, including protecting and helping Lucy Gray in the games.

We see through Coriolanus's narration the change in his worldview. At first, he's skeptical and doesn't quite believe Dr Gaul that humanity in its "natural" state is brutal and violent. But by the end, he has fully embraced this teaching. And it's easy to see why, since we are privy to his thought processes. He sees incredible violence from a young age. He was conditioned and manipulated into becoming who he is. Which is ironic, because he never sees that the brutality he is witnessing is caused by manipulated circumstances. The Hunger Games are literally engineered and run by a Gamemaker. The Capitol creates the very need for violence in the games and in the districts, where people rebel in order to be free. If Coriolanus had ever gotten to freedom, he would be a completely different person.

It's just like Gale. Was Gale evil? I don't think so, but he designed and contributed to something evil. Was Coin evil? She was responding to the environment around her, to the atrocities committed by the Capitol. It's about the cycle of violence perpetuating itself.

Was Billy Taupe evil? He was an anti-Capitol rebel, but he cheated on Lucy Gray. He called her "my girl" just like Snow did, even when she didn't want him. Instead of protecting her, he tried to kill her and drag her down with him in the end.

These characters are all complex and their actions are sometimes good. It's not that Coriolanus was always evil, it's just that his trauma and background made him a prime target for conditioning by adults who had already been corrupted.

#hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #coriolanus snow #there are some extremely interesting parallels to explore re: coriolanus and billy taupe #they are really two sides of the same coin #like if coryo grew up in the districts i wonder how he would be #anyway #got a date for the movies tomorrow!!

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292pantone · 1 year

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Okay! Time for some Glass Onion analysis bc I'm already obsessed with this movie.

GLASS ONION SPOILERS AHEAD READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

I've seen people saying that it was unnecessary for the movie Glass Onion to be set in May 2020 during the height of the pandemic, and that it took away from the movie, but I disagree. The specific setting is relevant because of all the movie's subtext about the Black Lives Matter movement and its resurgence in May 2020. Hear me out- there are several parallels between Andi's death/Helen's avenging her death by wrecking the mansion, and the riots in 2020 following the unjust deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others.

To begin with, there's the power dynamic between Andi and Miles. A mediocre, unexceptional white man stole the contributions of a brilliant black woman and got away with it because his influential friends closed ranks around him in a system designed to benefit him. He got the benefit of the doubt and weaponized the legal system to financially ruin her. Even though she was telling the truth, no one believed her, and Miles fully expected this pattern to continue once her sister Helen took up the cause.

Miles burns the incriminating evidence of his lies and flat-out tells Helen that no one will ever believe her with only circumstantial evidence. Even Benoit Blanc acknowledges that his skill as a detective can only go so far without the police and courts on his side.

In the case of police brutality, cops similarly weaponize the legal system and avoid accountability for their murders by closing ranks through police unions that invoke "qualified immunity" (aka shielding the cops from legal liability). The privilege of white men, compounded by their wealth and connections, makes it difficult for them to face actual consequences for the harm they do.

We see the concept of avoiding consequences again with Miles' crew of "disruptors", all of whom rely on his money to bail them out of trouble. Birdie was implied to have done blackface, made tone-deaf comments comparing herself to Harriet Tubman, completely ignored all COVID restrictions, and tweeted ethnic slurs to the point where her assistant had to take away her phone, but her line of loungewear still takes off thanks to Miles' financial backing. In response to the latest scandal, personal assistant Peg says "We will do what we always do! Deny, half-apologize, then go silent awhile." Despite her litany of offenses and half-assed attempts at accountability, no consequences stick to the privileged Birdie either.

However, Helen refuses to accept this unfair state of things. In a situation where she appears powerless, with her sister gone and the valuable napkin burned, Helen essentially goes "fuck that" and makes Miles pay for what he did anyway. If the law won't take her side, she has to take it into her own hands. This is where the parallels to the 2020 riots come in.

We see her smashing the symbols of Miles' wealth, starting with his glass sculptures, and at first the other characters don't mind. They cheer her on from the couches, even though they all just refused to testify for her in court. This parallels the performative activism seen in many celebrities, who would rather watch from the sidelines and say vaguely supportive things rather than do any meaningful action to change the system. The other guests are happy to break the glass sculptures alongside her, saying how cathartic it feels, but they get antsy when she moves on to breaking more valuable things instead of giving up after a short while like they did. The camera shots of Helen smashing things and lighting a fire linger uncomfortably long as it starts to sink in that this isn't just a momentary temper tantrum. The so-called "disruptors" wince and gasp and exclaim how a piano belonged to Liberace and so on, completely ignoring how THE DESTRUCTION IS THE POINT, because if Helen only broke safe, acceptable targets, then it wouldn't actually mean anything. Similarly, when people rioted in 2020, there was a huge amount of pearl-clutching by people saying rioting is going too far, and can't we all just be nonviolent and have unity and forgive each other? In both cases, there's a veneer of support from people who just want the victims of injustice to "get their anger out of their systems" and move on without any serious changes being made.

I find it very fitting that Helen burns the Mona Lisa with Miles' own unregulated hydrogen fuel cell, using the override switch that he carelessly installed. She exploits the natural consequences of his self-centeredness so they all catch up to him at once. In the end, Helen's acts of protest do disrupt things and lead to change, even as people tell her she is going too far. Once Helen does the actual work of tanking Miles' reputation for good, only then do the "disruptors" jump ship and promise to back her up in court. They're willing to take the side of justice only when things have shifted to the point where it's the better act of self-preservation. If there was any chance of still hanging onto Miles' golden titty and making his reputation their hill to die on, they would've done it.

Blanc, the protagonist of the movie, gives Helen tacit permission to burn everything down by handing her the chunk of hydrogen fuel. He stands by her the whole movie and takes her seriously, demonstrating a path to better (non-performative) allyship.

Glass Onion shows that lasting change has to be demanded, not wheedled, and that sometimes things have to reach an undeniable crisis point to do so. In other words: protest is necessary.

#discussion #glass onion #knives out #glass onion analysis #black lives matter #knives out analysis #benoit blanc #miles bron

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statisticallymorelikely · 5 months

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00Q au edit for @ironpe: pre-MI6 relationship

AU where Q and James had a relationship before James was recruited to MI6. After a hasty recruitment, James disappears suddenly, ordered not to contact anyone from his past life, including his lover, the man who would become Q. He's pronounced dead from a botched Naval mission that never happened, and Q goes on to search for him tirelessly for years. Until, one day, they finally meet again, as agent and quartermaster.

---

After one particularly close call, James decides enough is enough. If he can die at any moment, he'd rather do it without any more regrets adding to the pile. So when he goes to return his equipment, he ignores R completely, marches into Q's office and stands right there, locking the door behind him.

Q's mouth opens, but James beats him to it. "I'm not leaving."

"007," Q sighs. "Unless the world is actively imploding, I have nothing to say to you. Kindly return your equipment to your designated handler."

"Alright, Q, you don't need to talk. I only need you to listen to me."

Q stands up, arms folded. Though his demeanor seems guarded, James notes the excessive blinking and the clench in his jaw. "I don't want to listen to any of your excuses, 007."

"No excuses, Q. I'm here to apologize." James lets out a rumbling breath. He can practically hear the grief and regret rattling in his bones, he's tired. "I shouldn't have left like I did. I've broken rules before, could've easily snuck away to contact you. Truth is, by the time I could, I had so much blood on my hands, I couldn't risk staining you. Every day since I've hated myself for hurting you. I'm sorry."

The moments stretch out between them silently, until it's suffocating. When Q finally does break the silence, it's with a whisper. "I thought you died. I've committed treason several times over, hacking into government records just to find you. I didn't want to accept you were dead."

Q looks up at him for the first time, eyes wet. "I grieved you, James, and to find out that you've been alive this whole time--"

James moves closer, but Q holds his hand up to keep him at bay.

"-- and not only that, but to find out you've moved on." Q swallows thickly. "I know about Vesper, James. Do you know what it says in your file?"

He does.

"You almost retired for her. So I suppose I never mattered enough for you to give all this up."

James sighs, defeated. "What can I do to earn back your trust?"

"I don't know if you can." Q hugs himself tightly. "And if you could, this is not the way to do it. You can't just barge in here and ask for things to go back the way they were! This isn't something you can fix with an apology!"

"I know that. I'm not trying for a quick fix, Q, I'm in this for the long run. Whatever it takes, however long it takes, I want to earn your forgiveness, please."

The last word softens Q, the fight dissipating from his posture. "I'll think about it. For now, put what's left of your kit on the table and fuck off."

James nods once, taking the small leather case from his suit pocket and placing it on the desk. "Thank you, Q."

With that, he leaves.

Q opens the case to reveal a gun, radio and electronic lock pick, all fully intact. Despite his better judgment, his battered heart skips a beat.

#00Q #007 #quartermaster #james bond #00Qedit #happy momf bebby #buzzer beater lmao #au edit tag #snippet lifted almost fully from the one we wrote together #except the shitty ending because once again i ran out of steam

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rigberts · 1 year

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thinking about how insane the demon slayer art style and character design is. like, the the nose, mouth, and face shapes of everyone in the main cast are virtually identical regardless of gender, and yet every single character has a very distinct personality at first glance. And unlike other popular anime, it isn't their rainbow hair colors or painstakingly customized uniforms that help the audience tell them apart (though I do love their outfits).

It's almost entirely their eyes.

The best example of this is probably shinobu. Her eyes are enormous, round, and purple, things associated with femininity. However, they have no pupil or sclera and have a matte gradient effect. The gradient effect gives an appearance similar to an insect's compound eyes, giving a nod to her abilities and character aesthetic, but more importantly, the lack of reflected light makes her eyes look completely dead. This tells you everything you need to know about shinobu's character. She's beautiful and graceful in her appearance and mannerisms, but she's also lost the most important thing in her life, is capable of great cruelty towards her enemies, takes a sadistic delight in their pain, and her cheerful and benevolent persona is a facade. Basically, by just drawing a couple of carefully shaded circles, the artist lets you know that even if this character acts lively and upbeat, that fact that there is no light behind her eyes shows that it is false.

This is thrown into even greater contrast when a flashback is shown of kanae, shinobus late sister, who we know that shinobu seeks to imitate with her faux cheerfulness. Though their faces are identical, their eyes couldn't be more different. Where shinobus eyes are matte and reflect no light, kanaes are glossy and have three enormous highlights in each eye, making her look literally starry eyed, and that's reflected in her personality. Kanae is shown to kind, overly idealistic, and optimistic to the point of being airheaded: the exact opposite of shinobu, who is bitter, cunning, and capable of great cruelty.

Anyway demon slayer really makes the most of visual storytelling in even its smaller details.

Some other highlights in character design:

rengoku's constantly wide eyes with their rings of contrasting color that almost resemble an optical illusion perfectly convey everything about his most important character trait, his unrelenting intensity. Additionally, depending on context, his wide-eyed appearance can either be played for laughs or deeply unnerving, depending on whether his neverending enthusiasm is being directed towards complimenting tasty food or carving up his enemies with a smile.

Obanai has heterochromia identical to that of a cat, and let's be real, his personality is pretty cat-like. He's proud, disdainful, and judgemental of others, but he is also full of unconditional love for Mitsuri, even if he usually only shows it by quietly enjoying her company. Plus, it's also revealed that the reason obanai fell in love with mitsuri is because she is a genuine person who doesn't push his boundaries, giving him someone he can truly be comfortable around. Anyone who's interacted with a cranky stray cat before can tell you how familiar that sounds.

Nezuko has three separate sets of eyes throughout the series. As a human, her pupils are pink with complicated black shading and with a white highlight, once again hinting at her innocence. As a demon she usually has pink eyes with a circular highlight, but all the shading and therefore all the "depth" is gone. Since she doesn't remember that her family was killed and has somewhat regressed to a childlike state, nezuko still has her innocence (as shown by the highlight) but has lost her complexity that made her fully human. When she becomes enraged, her pupils become dark and slitted and her irises lose their reflective sheen, showing that not only is she monstrous, she has temporarily regained the capacity for anger and other dark emotions, and lost the ignorance/innocence that keeps her monstrous instincts at bay.

Muichiro has no memory of anything but the last three months of his life, and likewise, his eyes are foggy and dull

In the case of aoi, the square, blocky shape of her pupil implies a lot about her character: the fact that she's somewhat ordinary and a reliable, steady ally, even if she can be a little stiff.

I'm fairly certain that tanjirous red eyes were supposed to have narrative importance and signal that he is a descendant of yoriichi until it was decided at some point that yoriichi had no children and tanjirou was a descendant of a friend of yoriichi instead (either that or the reveal was planned from the beginning and the eye color was a red herring), but that's beside the point. Tanjirous eyes are red with dark shading, and do not have a highlight, though they do have a white pupil. This combination represents tanjirous emotional maturity, the combination of negativity and positivity. Unlike shinobu, who has no light in her eyes and is controlled by her resentment, and kanae, who has nothing but light in her eyes and was idealistic to the point of foolishness, tanjirou has both. Yes, he has suffered, he lost almost his entire family, even after he dedicated his entire self to caring for them after his father's death. However, tanjirou is still a fundamentally compassionate and hopeful person. No, Tanjirou is far from the first shonen protagonist who is kind and a genuinely good person (Luffy, Naruto, and Goku come to mind), he is one of the more emotionally intelligent ones. Tanjirou empathizes with the demons and recognizes the suffering that made them into monsters, but at the end of the day, he still kills them. There is no talk no jutsu, there is no transformation of enemies into allies, and there is no sparing of enemies out of respect for their fighting prowess. Though Tanjirou recognizes that demons are tragic and pitiful, he also knows that they are creatures that survive only on the slaughter of innocents. This isn't to say that stories about redemption or forgiveness or once-feared villains turning into the protagonists wacky neighbor are inherently bad, far from it. But for the story that demon slayer is, tanjirou is the perfect fit. And you can tell, just by looking in his eyes.

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #kny #tanjirou kamado #nezuko kamado #iguro obanai #rengoku kyojuro #muichiro tokito #shinobu kocho #kanae kocho #aoi kanzaki

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ididntknowwhattocallthis · 4 days

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Ok I wanna talk about Ethari's clothing/design over all. His clothes and tattoos are different from every other Moonshadow elf we've seen, and he's one of the few that doesn't wear braids. Like:

The recurring elements are intricate patterning; over layers and under layers; multiple colors in the same garment (or at least same outfit); wraparound construction, color contrast between mediums, lights, and darks; and the dominant color is always the medium, never the lightest or darkest color (usually navy, true black is very rare outside of the assassins). Even arc 2 Rayla follows most of these rules and she's been away from her culture for two years!

But then we have Ethari:

He doesn't have an outer layer, he wears almost solid navy, none of those clothes are wraparound, he has no light color, there's not a lot of contrast, and his dark color is true black despite not being an assassin. He bends all the rules, though he only breaks one completely. He still has that patterning, but it's minimal compared to the others. He has plenty of accent colors, more than anyone else actually, but they show up on him far less. He does have light, medium, and dark colors, but his whole pallet is darker than everyone else's. The only rule he 100% breaks is the wraparound construction

A lot of this probably derives from the fact that he's a metalsmith:

For the most part his clothes quite are practical;

Black/navy hides coal dust/soot very well. It gets everywhere, on your pants and face especially, and is highly visible on just about every other color.

Forging is hot work & you do it next to a fire that needs to be at least 1000° celsius, I never wear more than one layer either.

those sleeves, while a bit looser than I'd be comfortable with, probably aren't going to get in the way. Plus I heard somewhere that they're spelled to repel heat (couldn't find if that's actually canon tho), so if that's true they're much better than my gloves.

The crop top isn't great but he's got that belt to stop most embers. Besides he's probably not the type to yelp every time one lands on him like I am.

if he pulls the scarf over his mouth & nose it'll help delay him getting lung cancer in the death trap of a smithy Wonderstorm designed for him (my problems with it are a post all on their own. I have nothing against the artists, its pretty, but by all rights he should be dead)

There might also be a cultural aspect to his clothing:

I think the navy blue, the arm bands, the boot decorations, and his belt & tabard could all be symbols that mean "I am a metalsmith" in Moonshadow culture. (Quick side note, he's not technically a blacksmith. historically blacksmith means specifically iron workers. If anything he's a whitesmith since he usually works with silver.) We see it with the assassins, why not metalsmiths too?

Plus if you take a look at his forge in the art book, there's a design carved on it that looks almost exactly like the one on his tabard. Elements of it also appear on other parts of his clothing:

I suspect that this is some sort of symbol for metal working or fire protection. If he's in a guild it could be their symbol, or it could just be a wider cultural symbol. Either way it has a meaning that relates to the forge specifically. I couldn't find it anywhere else in the room.

I just realized that I never even brought up the metal hems on his sleeves. Then again what is there to say? It's metal, he's a metalsmith. It's pretty, he likes pretty things.

But what about the rule he completely breaks?

As I said, every moonshadow garment has some sort of wrap-and-secure construction to it-- except Ethari's clothes. I seriously doubt this is a metalsmith thing. Basic garment construction isn't a sensible way to differentiate your group within one culture. I fully believe Ethari is doing this on purpose. But why? That why gets even bigger when you realize that no other moonshadow elves we've met have brown eyes or periwinkle blue tattoos.

Put a pin in all that, I need to explain my interpretation of Moonshadow culture for this to make sense.

"Moon Primal creatures can be private and secretive, and are keenly aware of the power of appearances." - from the official website

"Moonshadow Elves obey a rather rigid, honor-driven culture." - from the wiki

To me this paints a picture of a fairly collectivist culture. They place a heavy emphasis on community and duty, two things that are usually more peaceful/simpler when you have cohesion within the group. Cohesion creates less conflict, less conflict makes your community more peaceful and your duty to it easier to complete.

But they know that this cohesion is- to an extent- only an act, so each person has a sub community where they don't have to act. Your inner self is for family and friends close enough to be family. (I honestly think they might have some sort of ritual to formally adopt friends as family) To everyone else you're supposed to put up a front that makes you seem more like everyone else.

OK back to the pin

Even without his clothes, Ethari is already visually different from everyone else. No other Moonshadow elves we've seen have tattoos or eyes the same color as his. It's a subtle difference but it is noticeable, and in a culture so focused on appearances people would notice. Most people's instinct would be to try to hide or downplay it, to prop up that front as much as they can. Yet Ethari doesn't put up a front, not to the extent that most people seem to. He's even accentuating his differences by dressing in a different style than them- and he's respected.

In my comm class the other day we were talking about groups, and one of the things that came up was that cohesion fosters sameness and diversity fosters innovation. Ethari is an innovator, it's literally his job. He invents the wingalings in bloodmoon huntress, Runaan and Rayla's weapons, and probably a bunch more stuff we haven't seen. Maybe for all they value appearances and fitting in, moonshadow culture still recognizes that people like him are important and they aren't as effective when they have to fit in. They can't be too out there (remember, Ethari only bends the rules rather than breaking them) but as long as they stay within a certain radius of the norm they can gain a lot of respect. I think this is what Ethari has done. The fact that his family (Runaan, Tiadrin, Lain) are all pretty traditional probably helped a lot. They keep him from pushing too hard on the edge of the box and he keeps them flexible.

That they aren't there anymore has probably exacerbated the rift between him and the rest of the silvegrove caused by Rayla's ghosting and whatever news has reached them from the storm spire.

I am so excited to see him in S6. I thought about adding some speculation about what his new design might look like, but I honestly don't think he'll have changed that drastically aside from his hair. My biggest question is honestly whether or not he's still in The Silvergrove.

Bonus:

I bet that some of Ethari's relative weirdness rubbed off on Rayla. She didn't have many friends as a kid so, when she wasn't in school or with the assassins, it makes sense that hung out with Ethari a lot. Since he's less strict than Runaan she was probably only comfortable completely unmasking with him. He heard about all her crushes, fears, and insecurities that Runaan didn't. Which goes a long way to explaining why Ethari was the only one who could see she wouldn't be a good assassin; she was hiding those traits from everyone but him.

This also explains some of why he was so willing to believe that she ran away. Ethari saw all of her vulnerability, but he didn't see all of her strength. While she was out training and facing her fears with Runaan, Ethari was in the smithy and only heard about their exploits after the fact. Neither of them saw all of who Rayla is, but both of them thought they did and had to find out that they were wrong in just about the most heartbreaking way imaginable.

#this started as me going “how actually practical are Ethari's clothes?” while I was forging that touchmark stamp #and spiraled out of control from there #also we're ignoring Redfeather because a) she was ghosted b) I didn't remember she existed when I started this #ethari #tdp #the dragon prince #tdp ethari #tdp meta #character analysis #rayla #tdp rayla

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gffa · 7 months

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Ive been thinking about the anakin world between worlds sequence and I really hope and think that it was really anakin. Since I first got into star wars i thought at the end of jedi he became anakin again and completely shed vader but I realised him coming to be both vader and anakin like that is really cool and narratively really nice. Because the force is all about balance that there are equal amounts of good and evil. And this being represented in anakin the forces special little guy. Who brought balance to the force twice just makes sence.

Here's the thing for me: The Force isn't just an unspecified magic field, that whatever mysticism remains about it (and I love that aspect!! it is fundamentally impossible to completely wholly perceive it!!!) it still operates on some foundational thematic rules. And people are fully free to disagree or whatever, my speaking in a confident voice is only about me being confident in my views, not a condemnation of anyone else. But I do think those foundational thematic rules are central to understanding Star Wars. The Force is about your mindset, your emotions, that what you bring to the Force is what you get back out of it, that the dark side isn't just randomly evil, it's about embracing fear, anger, and hate. You don't just go to the dark side because you're born a bad person, it's about the choices you make along the way, it's about the mindset you have, it's about how you think of things. Lucas' themes for Star Wars are centered on how letting go of the bad shit in your head, on how not clinging to others out of fear of living without them, of how you need to think of others selflessly rather than what's more comfortable for you personally, those are central to what the Force is, because the Force is the unifying aspect of all of his Star Wars. So, what does that mean for becoming a Force Ghost? If Anakin holds onto Darth Vader, if he doesn't let go of the anger and hate and fear that make up Darth Vader, I think that goes against everything the Force is, everything about what Star Wars is trying to tell us. To become a Force Ghost, you have to let go. To become a Force Ghost, you have to be completely in tune with the Force, which means letting go of the hate and fear and anger. Lucas says that a Sith/dark sider cannot become a Force Ghost, they cannot achieve immortality. Only through the light side can this be achieved. Which means I don't think Anakin can hold onto Vader and have become a Force Ghost, I think worldbuilding necessitates that he's shed that part of himself.

So how does that square with what we see in Ahsoka? Letting go of the fear, the anger, the hate doesn't mean that you don't acknowledge that you held those things in your heart, that you didn't do those things, that you weren't responsible for them. Anakin is acknowledging that, yes, he was lost in the dark, those things dug claws into his heart. But his appearance there wasn't for his own sake, we're not seeing Anakin there to learn a lesson--he's there for Ahsoka's sake. And what does Ahsoka need from him? Ahsoka needs him to say that he's more than just Vader so that she can still care about him without feeling guilty, she needs him to point out that, if he can rise above Vader, she can rise above being the student of the man who became Vader. He shrouds himself in Vader's appearance for her sake, to force her to confront her feelings about how she has to keep fighting to live, to let go of her fear about him. I think all of that was a play designed specifically for Ahsoka's sake, because he doesn't really go full Vader until he says she's not listening to what he's saying, she's not getting it, so he has to change tactics. It isn't because Vader is still part of him, but because she is still holding onto Vader and he needs to show her how to let go. Balance isn't equal light and equal dark, Star Wars is pretty against that message. That's neutrality and neutrality in the face of evil is letting evil flourish. Look at Bendu--he's the one in the middle and, ultimately, he's a coward who refuses to help save anyone's life because he's equally light and dark. Balance is stability, balance is moving with the currents and changes of life, moving with the Force that resides in all life forms--balance is exactly what the Jedi teach and practice. Balance is the light side.

And I think to become a Force Ghost, one of the ultimate expressions of the Force, one of the most important thematic examples of What Star Wars Is About, has to be aligned with Letting Go and finding selfless peace. That's why Anakin wears white Jedi robes at the end, rather than his usual dark tabards--because during Attack of the Clones and the Clone Wars, he was equal parts light and dark and that wasn't stable at all. But once he let go, he became stabilized, he became a Force Ghost, he became a Jedi of the Jedi Order, he became balanced.

#star wars #ahsoka series #anakin skywalker #jedi order #meta

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utilitycaster · 2 months

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Regarding Editing and Innovating in the space, 2 people who get a Fraction of the credit they deserve are Ivan Van Norman & Marisha Ray. I mean, they created and developed one of the original mixed media cinematic interactive actual plays, Sagas of Sundry: Dread, and then Sagas of Sundry: Madness, and Marisha (later hiring Ivan as well) has continued that trajectory in some of the more intriguingly edited mixed format Actual plays at CR, like Call of Cthulhu, Undeadwood, and others, and being Instrumental in the developments at CR. Like, when you do watch the interviews you get a sense of just how Much of CR's current content designs, ttrpg intentions, and series are marisha's brainchilds, and it sucks that she doesnt get the credit others involved in similar projects, and even those projects, do.

This is a great point. I've mentioned this before w/r/t the fandom - Marisha, perhaps more than anyone, gets reduced even by many fans to "she's pretty and her characters are like what if a girlboss were a girlfailure" and her creative direction goes unheralded. It feels like this has gotten worse in recent years; I was baffled at how many people seemingly resented Calamity or Candela for taking up space they felt should go only to the main campaign when those were not only showcases for Marisha as a performer but also clearly something in which she had a strong hand in designing. Whenever people whine about there only being two main campaign episodes in a month because of Candela Obscura, I do think "You realize this was probably Marisha's call?"

I was focused in my response much more on Daggerheart, and so on the game design side (quick side note - reviews of A Familiar Problem, which Marisha worked on, were pretty positive; I wonder if something's happened in the past 2 years since that's when I've really felt this Damn Critical Role energy among actual play journalists), but I had been thinking about Sagas of Sundry and Undeadwood! I think I mentioned Sagas of Sundry in one of my posts about how Kollok isn't, in my mind, impressive. I loved Dread but never finished Madness before Alpha folded, but actually I was imagining something like Madness - fully on a set, people walking around like it's a play - for Kollok! When I saw everyone at a table with that rotating rock I was like "is this...it?" And, you know, Sagas: Madness wasn't entirely for me, but you can't fault the innovation. Similarly, when I think about the (baffling) criticism from one of the prominent actual play journalists I've had in mind while writing this, that Candela Obscura the show did not fully teach people Candela Obscura the game, I think about how Ivan Van Norman did straight up teach Savage Worlds during Undeadwood. Whenever people gush over the shadow puppets in Burrow's End I think it's deserved, but when they claim it's utterly new? Nah. Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace did it first. And Marisha had a guiding hand in the creative direction of all of these.

I think this is sort of elaboration on one of my points in my original post: I think a lot of the journalists are really out of their depth. I don't remember seeing their names when I first started watching CR in 2018, or when I got deeper into the fandom in 2019. My first actual play was TAZ, which I binged in late 2017. I really think a lot of the journalists flat-out don't know Sagas of Sundry or Undeadwood because they didn't show up until after Alpha folded. I've mentioned this elsewhere but so much of the claims of novelty and innovation are completely incorrect and not even terribly obscure. Look, I've seen/listened to most or all of 9 actual plays (this is counting D20 and CR each as one single unit, by the way - I've seen all but scattered one-offs from either), and seen or heard an episode or two of many more. I think that simply by doing that? I know more than a lot of these journalists.

Again: Worlds Beyond Number? The innovation is with the Witch class and the Wizard of the Citadel subclasses, and the allowance of extremely long downtime, but: longform podcast actual play with sound design? RQG did it starting in 2015. Griffin McElroy and Emily Axford have been composing their own music since 2017 or 2018 for their respective shows, both of which are also longform podcast actual plays. Again, Brennan pretty explicitly said "I don't think D20 is new, nor longform" in a quote and the article that quotes him argues that Fantasy High is new and longform...and that article also talks about how before D20 most AP video was livestreamed before talking about how boundary-breaking D20 was for having a livestreamed second season (you know, the thing that they just called old hat a paragraph earlier) that quickly pivoted to remote (even though remote livestreaming was actually quite common in smaller productions well before the pandemic, since you don't need anything but laptop cameras to produce it). I don't even keep up with much in the really indie AP scene, but those people I know who do are even less impressed by the state of Actual Play journalism than I, because D20 executes a lot of things extremely well, has a very talented roster of performers, and a budget most productions cannot hope to match, but a good deal of what it's credited for inventing (and which, again, it never claims to have invented. I want to be clear that the journalists decided to be like this for no clear reason) already existed. And, by placing this heavy emphasis on production, they are automatically making it hard for indie productions to impress them. For all they claim to be going after the 700 lb gorilla, they are simply cozying up to the 600 lb gorilla. It's real "um, why don't you try this little indie game called Pathfinder" hours.

I am fairly sure a lot of the people in prominent journalistic positions in the actual play sphere today came in only after the collapse of Geek and Sundry, is my point, and so I think they literally do not realize how much the medium owes to, for example, Marisha Ray and Ivan Van Norman, because they weren't watching in 2016 nor even skipping through the G&S archives, as I did as a new CR fan. I think they're absolutely out of their depth, and most of them don't even realize it.

#answered #Anonymous #long post #cr tag

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pyjamaart · 1 month

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Breaking Bot (read more for some rambling about mega man fully charged)

Mega Man Fully Charged has been on my mind again lately, which made me realize that there's literally a robot named Chemistryman who worked as a chemistry teacher. Not using him as a Walter White stand-in would be a criminal offense.

I'll have to admit I started getting back into Fully Charged again after seeing some asshole on twitter complain about the character design for the hundredth time. I just can't stand that kind of negativity. I swear to god, Fully Charged is like the Sonic Boom of the Mega Man franchise. Personally, I really enjoy the FC designs. I've probably said this before, but I feel like the redesigns give some of the more forgettable robot masters way more character. Like, do I care for Classic Drillman from Mega Man 4? I mean, yeah, I do, but I wouldn't care as much if it wasn't for his Fully Charged incarnation.

I also really enjoy most of the original robot masters. I already talked plenty about Blastowoman and why I love her so much, but I want to talk about the others this time.

Take for example Chemistryman. Comparisons to Walter White out of the way, I feel like his character was a really fun idea. God knows I had teachers who put me to sleep back in the day. For me, it wasn't chemistry though, it was my economics teacher. I always compared her to a story teller at a Christmas market who would read children stories out of her big fairy tale book. Only that in reality, it was stuff like the minimization/maximization principle. Most of my notes for that class were incomprehensible chicken scratch, because I just couldn't keep my eyes open. In the end, I slept through like half her classes, lol. But I gotta say that I still always got a B or higher in the end. Somehow. I thank god every day that I never have to step foot in a school again.

I really wish Chemistryman got a little more time to shine though. Two episodes is just way too little. I would gladly take three more episodes with him over those gross Gutsman episodes. I know I love talking about wasted potential with this show, but I wish there was an episode that focused on Chemistryman outside of the school setting. I get that his whole character is "boring, bitter teacher", but I'd really like to see what he gets up to when he's not trying to force children to listen to his chemistry lectures. Like having Aki try to talk him into going into retirement for good. And then he tries to find hobbies for him so that he doesn't bore himself to death. I can see him getting into building model ships or something like that, lol.

Now that I'm already writing up a storm again, I might as well talk about some other headcanons I have about the FC bots. Since Woodman was in sleep mode for 30 years after the war ended (I don't know where I got that number from. I rewatched his debut episode, but the exact number doesn't appear anywhere. Oh well, let's just pretend this is canon, even if it isn't.) we got kind of a Shadow the Hedgehog type situation on our hands. All of his friends and family got to live their lives in this new, peaceful world of harmony between robots and humans, while Woodman spent 30 years powered down in a bush or something. Completely forgotten about. Like, why didn't they go look for him after the war ended? I don't think Aki and Suna wandered that far into the forest for their school assignment. If you really think about Woodmans back story for a moment, you realize how fucked up it actually is.

Now my explanation for this goes into heavy heavy headcanon territory. When Suna calls the principal about Woodman, he warns her that Woodman is dangerous and to get away from him immediately. Now why would he say that? The principal also calls him "ruthless" in that same explanation. What I think happened back then was that Woodman actually planned to assassinate the human armies leader. (Possibly Sgt. Night?) The leader of the robots caught wind of his plan and put him into sleep mode himself, since he and Dr. Light were on the brink of finding a way to end the war peacefully. In my mind, this leader is the FC version of Swordman. Don't ask me why, he was just the first guy I thought of. And then it just stuck.

I know this makes Woodmans back story even more fucked up, but I just love putting my favorite blorbos through hardship. Don't even ask me about my headcanons for Drillman. They'd actually put me in prison.

Now all this culminates after Woodman is reactivated by Suna and Aki. Finding himself alienated from all his former friends and comrades (Maybe the other Mega Man 2 robot masters?), what was he supposed to do? He couldn't spend the rest of his life isolated (and homeless) in the forest, could he? And this is where season 2 could have delivered. But I'm done whining about that. If Capcom doesn't deliver, I gotta write my own season 2. Simple as that.

Anyway, getting back to Chemistryman, since he's pretty old, I imagine that he was already working as a teacher when Woodman was still around. Maybe he even was his teacher at some point.

And since I love having my favorite characters interact, I also thought of a scenario where Drillman wanders into the forest out of frustration over his miserable life, only to meet Woodman by coincidence. In the end, Woodman helps him work through his daddy issues and his body dysmorphia, while Drillman helps Woodman reintegrate and manage this (for him) completely new world of peace. Another great headcanon of mine is that Chemistryman is actually Acidmans father. Just because I think it would be funny. And as Fully Charged has confirmed: robots in that universe do indeed have parents. (Flashback to the time I drew Dr. Light beating the shit out of Drillman's father)

Speaking of Drillman.... For being one of my favorite Mega Man characters of all time, I haven't drawn him nearly enough. That will probably be my next project.

This might also be a great time to tell you that I've never watched Breaking Bad before, lol. Everything I know about it comes from RTGame's Stardew Valley playthrough and the RTVS Half Life parody.

Sorry for all the yapping. But if I don't talk about robots at least once a day, I might die. This is a serious condition.

#megaman #mega man #mega man fully charged #acidman #acid man #chemistry man #chemistryman #im just gonna add my essays under the read more from now on hehe #the funny crossover you never know you needed #i am very normal about the fully charged bots #should i also tag woodman and drillman? eeeh no

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rorypostss · 9 months

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Failed to notice

Aaron Hotchner x reader

Summary: The entire BAU team notices the undeniable chemistry between the reader and Hotchner, but the two remain completely oblivious. The team decides to play matchmakers, setting them up to push them closer together and finally make them realize their mutual feelings.

Contains:Fluff, Early season characters, flashbacks, setting people up

The BAU team had seen it all - gruesome crime scenes, twisted minds, and the darkest corners of humanity. But there was one thing they couldn't quite decipher the undeniable chemistry between their esteemed leader, Aaron Hotchner, and a member of their own team, you. It was a spark that lit up the room whenever you guys were together, but somehow, you both remained completely oblivious to it.

As you and the rest of the BAU team gathered for the morning briefing, your eyes immediately gravitated towards Aaron, as they often did. Today, however, there was something different about him, and it didn't take long for you to realize what it was. He was wearing a new suit, a perfectly tailored navy ensemble that hugged his frame in all the right places. The fabric accentuated his broad shoulders and defined physique, making him look even more commanding and confident than usual.

Unable to tear your gaze away, you found yourself captivated by the way the fabric stretched ever so slightly across his biceps, revealing just enough of the strength and power hidden beneath. It was as if the suit had been designed specifically to showcase his muscular arms, drawing attention to every flex and movement. The sight sent a jolt of electricity through you, igniting a spark of desire you hadn't anticipated.

Lost in your own thoughts and the captivating sight of Aaron Hotchner in his new suit, you failed to notice the subtle glances exchanged between Spencer and Derek. Unbeknownst to you, the two agents had picked up on your prolonged gaze directed solely at the unit chief, bypassing the usual observations of the other agents in the room.

As the meeting came to a close, the team members filed out of the briefing room, each heading towards their own desks. But you, on the other hand, had become accustomed to a different routine. You practically shared an office with Aaron Hotchner. He always welcomed you to sit on the couch in his office and work alongside him. This had become an almost everyday occurrence, so it was no surprise to anyone when you made your way to Hotch's office once again.

But it also came up with a perfect opportunity to plot on how to get you guys together.

"I don't get how they don't see it," Derek voiced his thoughts, a mixture of puzzlement and amusement evident in his tone. "They're both so in love with each other."

Spencer nodded in agreement, a knowing smile playing at the corners of his lips. "It's quite obvious, isn't it? The way they look at each other, the way they support one another. Their feelings are palpable."

Before they could delve further into their musings, Elle interjected, her curiosity piqued by their conversation. "Are you guys talking about Hotch and L/N?" she chimed in.

Derek chuckled, glancing at Spencer for confirmation. "Yeah, we are," he replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It's like they're the only ones who don't realize it."

Elle leaned against the nearby desk, her interest fully piqued. "But why? What's keeping them from seeing what's right in front of them? there both such good profilers."

Spencer sighed, contemplating the complexities of human emotions. "Love can be a strange thing," he began, his voice tinged with a hint of wistfulness. "Sometimes, it takes an outside perspective to recognize what's truly in front of us."

Derek nodded, his gaze fixed on you and Hotch, He was smiling at a joke you had said. They all notice he only really smiles with you or when your around

"We should do something about it," Derek suggested, a mischievous spark in his eyes. "Help them realize what's right in front of them."

Spencer nodded, a small smile forming on his face. "A well-planned intervention might be just what they need. We'll have to be discreet, though. They're both private individuals."

Elle joined in their plotting, her excitement evident. "Count me in. Let's create the perfect opportunity for them to acknowledge their feelings."

Just as they were about to delve further into their discussion, Penelope walks into the room, her vibrant energy filling the space. "Did someone say intervention?" she exclaimed, a mischievous grin adorning her face. "Count me in! I've got some tricks up my sleeve that will make their hearts flutter."

JJ, who had been listening from the doorway, joined the group with a knowing smile. "I've been thinking, and I believe we should take a more unconventional approach. Let's trick either Y/N or Aaron into a situation where they have no choice but to confront their feelings."

Derek raised an eyebrow, intrigued by JJ's suggestion. "What do you have in mind, JJ?"

Little did you or Hotch know that a group of determined individuals had come together, plotting and scheming to bring you closer. With their support, guidance, and a touch of trickery, they were determined to pave the way for a love story that had been waiting to unfold.

You finished up your work in the office earlier than expected, and a sense of disappointment washed over you. However, before you could voice your thoughts, Hotch looked up from his own work and asked, "Done already?"

You nodded, a tinge of sadness evident in your expression. "I think so," you replied, trying to come up with a way to prolong your time together. You cherished these moments with Hotch, away from the prying eyes and interruptions of the rest of the team.

"I think I'll double-check to make sure everything is right," you said, giving the papers on the table a light tap. "Go right ahead," Hotch encouraged, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at you intently. His gaze, usually reserved for intimidating unsubs, held a softness that made your cheeks flush with a rosy hue.

As you pretended to review your work, your mind raced with ideas to extend this precious moment. Little did you know, your teammates had conspired behind the scenes to give you both a nudge in the right direction. Unbeknownst to you, Penelope had hatched a plan to lured you and Hotch into her tech office.

Just as you were about to suggest a break or find an excuse to spend more time together, the door to Penelope's office swung open, revealing Garcia who seemed in a panic state. "It's urgent," she said cryptically. "We need you both in here right away."

As you walked to her office, you noticed that the rest of the team was also present, wearing secretive smiles. Penelope's eyes twinkled mischievously as she closed the door behind you and Hotch. "What's going on, Penelope?" Hotch asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice. The team members positioned themselves strategically around the office, blocking any possible escape routes.

Confusion washed over you as you realized something was amiss. Before you could react, the doors locked automatically, trapping you and Hotch inside. The computer screens in Penelope's office flickered to life, displaying a slideshow of heartwarming and candid photos of you and Hotch.

As the images unfolded, your heart skipped a beat. There were stolen glances, shared smiles, and moments of genuine camaraderie captured by the team's watchful eyes. The photos showcased the depth of the connection you and Hotch shared, even when you weren't aware of it.

There was one image where you and fell asleep on the jet and your head rest in his lap and his hand was gently stroking your hair another photo where you guys are in his office and he was tucking your hair behind your ears you can still remember those moment so well

*flashbacks*

After a long and emotionally draining mission in Washington that had ended with a heartbreaking outcome, you felt defeated, tired, and in need of solace. As you sat with your head against the wall , fidgeting with your fingers in your lap, Aaron quietly approached you. "Hey," he greeted, his voice filled with genuine concern.

"Mm," you mumbled in response, barely lifting your gaze to meet his. His sympathetic look pierced through your walls, and he gently took your hands into his own. Slowly, he said your name, trying to capture your attention. "It's not your fault. She was dead before we even arrived."

You let out a heavy sigh, finally looking up at him. "I know," you admitted, your voice carrying the weight of the mission's outcome. "It's just..."

"Just what?" he probed gently, encouraging you to share your thoughts.

You paused, feeling the weight of your exhaustion. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm just so tired," you confessed, wishing for a moment of respite from the heavy burden you carried.

"Then go to sleep," Aaron suggested matter-of-factly, as if it were the most obvious solution in the world.

You chuckled softly, the weariness evident in your tired laughter. "But I don't want to wake up with a sore neck. Sleeping on a jet isn't as glamorous as it sounds."

Aaron's gaze traveled around the jet, assessing the state of your teammates. Derek was lost in his music with his headphones on, Elle was sound asleep, JJ engrossed in a book, and Gideon and Spencer were deeply focused on their chess game. They were all distracted, or so he thought.

"Then lay your head on my lap," Aaron suggested, his voice almost shyly. Confusion washed over you as you looked at him, unsure if he was being serious.

"Are you being for real?" you questioned, your voice laced with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

He nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Well, it would be more comfortable for you, and you wouldn't wake up with a sore neck," he explained, his concern evident in his eyes.

Reluctantly, you agreed, not because you didn't want to, but because it felt oddly intimate for a boss and agent returning from a case. As you laid your head in his lap, his fingers immediately began to stroke your hair, and in that moment, you both found solace and comfort in the simple act. Aaron reveled in the softness of your hair, wondering what it smelled like, but the thought was quickly pushed aside as you both became lost in the moment.

Unbeknownst to you, JJ had finished her book and now observed the tender scene unfolding before her. She smiled softly, silently appreciating the unspoken connection between you and Aaron. The team may have been distracted, but JJ's watchful eye captured the quiet intimacy

As you sat together in the BAU office, working late into the night, the room filled with the sound of typing and the soft hum of the air conditioning. The case had been a particularly challenging one, leaving you both mentally and physically exhausted. The tension in the air was palpable, and the weight of the world seemed to rest upon your shoulders.

Aaron glanced over at you, his gaze filled with concern, noticing how tired you appeared. Your hair, usually neatly tucked behind your ear, had fallen forward, framing your face. With a gentle and almost instinctive gesture, he reached out, his fingers delicately tucking a loose strand of your hair back behind your ear.

The touch was so tender, so full of care, that it sent a shiver down your spine. In that fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still. His touch, though brief, spoke volumes, conveying a silent message of support and understanding. It was a small act, but it held a depth of affection that went beyond mere friendship or colleagues.

As his fingers brushed against your cheek, a warmth spread through your entire being. It was a simple gesture, but it meant more to you than words could express. It was as if he knew exactly what you needed in that moment - someone to acknowledge your fatigue and offer a comforting touch.

you also didn’t know that Derek hadn’t gone home yet and secretly snapped a photo from where he was.

*end of flashbacks*

Some other photos were normally seeming photos but as you look closer you can see they way you two look at each other, like the other person had hung stars just for them

*flashbacks*

Hotch had walked over to where you were getting some coffee, the two of you sharing a lighthearted conversation that had quickly turned into a playful banter.

Hotch's eyes sparkled with amusement as he recounted a particularly amusing anecdote. His laughter was contagious, and you found yourself joining in, the sound of your shared laughter filling the room. In that moment, it was as if the weight of the world had lifted, leaving only the joyous connection between the two of you.

As your laughter subsided, you found yourself caught in the depth of his gaze. His eyes, usually filled with determination and focus, now held a softer, more tender expression. There was a moment of silence, an unspoken understanding passing between you.

You marveled at the way his eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled, the way his lips curved upwards with a warmth that reached his eyes. It was a sight that you cherished, a glimpse into the side of Hotch that few were privileged to witness.

Hotch's voice broke the silence, a touch of vulnerability coloring his words. "You have a beautiful laugh," he confessed, his voice hushed as if sharing a secret.

A blush crept up your cheeks at his words, a mixture of surprise and delight flooding your senses. "Thank you," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper. "Yours is pretty amazing too."

A genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips, his gaze locked with yours.

like before you both had failed to notice Penelope who had walked by and notice your two

*end of flashback*

Another photo was of you and Hotch sleeping on the same bed at a hotel.

*flashback*

As you entered the hotel room, you realized there was no other rooms available since Spencer and Derek were sharing, and JJ and Elle were sharing as well. The options were either to share a bed with Gideon or Hotch. "You can sleep with me—I mean, sleep in the same bed as me," Aaron said, catching his mistake, his face turning slightly red. You smiled at the thought and playfully replied, "Okay, I'll sleep with you," giving him a wink as you walked by. His heart seemed to skip a beat for a moment.

As expected, there was only one bed in Hotch's hotel room, originally intended for him alone. But on that particular day, you felt extra flirty. Throughout the day, you had been giving him subtle compliments and touches, creating a tension between the two of you that could be cut with a knife. So when it was time to sleep, the air in the room was thick with anticipation.

"So, um, which side of the bed do you want?" Aaron asked, his mouth feeling dry as he realized he would actually be sleeping beside you. "I'm not picky," you replied, grabbing your pajamas and heading into the bathroom to change. Upon returning to the room, you noticed that Hotch had also changed into his sleep attire—a grey tshirt and black sweats. Your mouth practically watered as you looked at him, feeling a surge of attraction.

He was looking through some paperwork for the case you were working on as you slid into bed next to him. "What's going on?" you asked, genuinely curious. "It just doesn't make sense," he huffed in frustration. "This unsub is a coward. He's messy, unorganized. Why hasn't he messed up or turned himself in yet?" You sighed, contemplating the case. "I don't know either, but we'll find out once we wake up," you reasoned, taking the paperwork and placing it in the nightstand beside you.

"You're right, you're right," Hotch acknowledged, getting comfortable in bed. There was a small gap between the two of you, the kind that would be expected between a normal boss and agent sharing a room. But you both knew that your relationship was more than just that. "I'm always right," you playfully replied, getting closer to him, subtly hinting for him to wrap his arm around you. At first, he hesitated, but as soon as you fell asleep, he couldn't resist any longer. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close, finding solace in your presence before drifting off to sleep himself.

While you both slept peacefully, Elle and Spencer entered your hotel room to inform you that the unsub had turned himself in. Seeing the adorable and cuddly state you both were in, they quickly snapped a photo before quietly exiting the room, leaving you two undisturbed.

*ends of flashbacks*

Laughter erupted from the team members as they watched your surprised expressions. "We've had enough of you two tiptoeing around your feelings," Derek declared with a chuckle. "It's time to face the truth."

JJ chimed in, her eyes sparkling with playful determination. "These photos are proof of the connection you two share. It's time to acknowledge it and admit your feelings."

You and Hotch exchanged a mixture of embarrassment and amusement, your cheeks flushed with a rosy hue. The evidence was undeniable, and the team's well-intentioned intervention had brought your hidden emotions to the forefront.

As the weight of the unspoken emotions hung heavy in the air, you found yourself unable to tear your gaze away from Hotch. His eyes, filled with both surprise and vulnerability, mirrored the whirlwind of emotions swirling within you.

With a deep breath, you took a tentative step forward, your heart pounding in your chest. The room seemed to shrink, narrowing down to just the two of you. Hotch, his expression a mix of anticipation and longing, met you halfway, closing the distance between you.

"Hotch," you began, your voice trembling with a mixture of nerves and determination. "Seeing those photos... it made me realize something profound."

He nodded, his eyes never leaving yours, silently encouraging you to share your heart. "Tell me," he whispered, his voice a gentle caress.

Your gaze never wavered as you poured your soul into your words. "I can't deny it any longer," you confessed, your voice filled with a newfound strength. "The connection between us... it's undeniable, Aaron. It's like a force of nature, drawing me closer to you with each passing day."

A soft smile played at the corners of his lips, his eyes brimming with tenderness. "I've felt it too," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "The way my heart skips a beat when you walk into a room, the way your smile lights up my world... it's been impossible to ignore."

A surge of courage welled up within you, emboldening your next words. "Aaron, I'm in love with you," you declared, your voice filled with a mix of vulnerability and passion. "Every fiber of my being yearns for you, and I can no longer imagine my life without you by my side."

His breath hitched, and his fingers, trembling with emotion, gently traced the contours of your face. "My love," he murmured, his voice filled with a depth of emotion that resonated deep within your soul.

In that moment, everything else faded away, and it was just the two of you, wrapped up in the rawness of your love and the shared understanding of the journey that lay ahead. The team's intervention had brought you together, and now there was no turning back.

With your hearts beating in synchrony, you closed the distance between you, enveloping each other in a tight embrace. The world around you blurred as your lips met in a passionate and tender kiss, sealing your love with an electrifying surge of emotion. It was a moment that surpassed all expectations, a culmination of all the stolen glances, the secret smiles, and the unspoken words.

As you broke apart, your foreheads resting against each other, tears of joy glistened in your eyes. The future might still hold challenges, but with your hearts intertwined, you knew that together, you could conquer anything that came your way. And so, hand in hand, you embarked on a new chapter of your lives, ready to explore the depths of your love and create a future filled with endless possibilities.

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