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#i mean he had a perfectly valid reason
sneezypeasy · 21 days
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The Lightning Scene, How Azula Targeted Katara (of All People), and the Doylist Reason Why That Matters
Mention Zuko's sacrifice for Katara in Sozin's Comet Part 3 as part of a pro-Zutara talking point, and invariably you'll get a Pavlovian response of:
"But Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone."
(Not to be confused with the similar-sounding Pavlovan response, which is "Zuko's sacrifice ain't shit compared to a mouth-watering, strawberry-topped meringue dessert"*, which is actually the only valid counter-argument to how the lightning scene is a bona fide Zutara treasure, but I digress.)
Now, I've talked in depth about how the lightning scene is framed far more romantically than it had any right to be, regardless of how you might interpret the subject on paper; this is an argument which I still stand by 100%. That Zuko would have gotten barbecued for anyone, and that he was at the stage of his arc where his royal kebab-ness represented his final act of redemption, doesn't change the fact that the animators/soundtrack artists decided to pull out all the stops with making this scene hit romantic film tropes bingo by the time it played out on screen.
(I mean, we stan.)
There's also a deeper level to this conundrum, a layer which creeps up on you when you're standing in your kitchen at night, the fridge door open in front of you, your hungry, sleep-deprived brain trying to decide on what to grab for a midnight snack, and quite inexcusably you're struck with the question: Okay, Zuko may indeed have taken the lightning for just anyone, but would Azula have shot the lightning at just anyone?
But there's yet a deeper layer to this question, that I don't recall ever seeing anyone discuss (though if somebody has, mea culpa). And that is: would you have written Zuko taking the lightning for anyone else?
Or in other words, who Zuko would have taken the lightning for is the wrong question to be asking; the question we ought to be asking is who Zuko should have taken the lightning for, instead.
Get your pens out, your Doylist hats on, and turn to page 394. It's time to think like an author for a hot minute.
(If you don't know what I mean by Watsonian vs. Doylist analyses, and/or if you need a refresher course, go have a skim of the first section of this 'ere post and then scoot your ass back to this one.)
So. You're the author. You've written almost the entirety of an animated series (look at you!!) and now you're at the climax, which you've decided is going to be an epic, hero-villain showdown. Classic. Unlike previous battles between these two characters, your hero is going to have a significant advantage in this fight - partly due to his own development as a hero at the height of his strength and moral conviction, and partly because your villain has gone through a bit of a Britney Spears 2007 fiasco, and isn't quite at the top of her game here. If things keep going at this pace, your hero is going to win the fight fairly easily - actually, maybe even too easily. That's okay though, you're a talented writer and you know just what will raise the stakes and give the audience a well-timed "oh shit" moment: you're going to have the villain suddenly switch targets and aim for somebody else. The hero will be thrown off his groove, the villain will gain the upper hand, the turns will have indubitably tabled. Villains playing dirty is the number 1 rule in every villain handbook after all, and each of the last two times your hero's braved this sort of fight he's faced an opponent who ended up fighting dishonourably, so you've got a lovely Rule of Three perfectly lined up for the taking. Impeccable. The warm glow of triumph shines upon you, cherubs sing, your English teachers clap and shed tears of pride. (Except for that one teacher you had in year 8 who hated everybody, but she's a right bitch and we're not talking about her today.)
Now here's the thing: your hero is a hero. Maybe he wasn't always a hero, but he certainly is one now. If the villain goes after an innocent third party, there's basically no-one your hero wouldn't sacrifice himself for. He's a hero! Heroes do be like that, it's kind of their thing. The villain could shoot a bolt of lightning at Bildad the Shuhite, and the only thing that'd stop our boy Redeemed Paladin Bravesoul McGee from shielding his foxy ass is the fact that Bildad the Shuhite has the audacity to exist in a totally different show (disgusten.)
But. You're holding the writer's pen. Minus crossover shenanigans you don't have the licensing or time-travel technology to achieve, you have full control over how this scene plays out. You get to decide which character to target to deliver the greatest emotional impact, the juiciest angst, the most powerful cinematic suspense. You get to decide whose life you'll put at risk, to make this scene the most intense spine-chilling heart-stopper it can possibly be.
This is the climax we're talking about, after all - now is not the time to go easy on the drama.
So.
Do you make the villain target just anyone?
Or do you make the villain target someone the hero cares about?
Perhaps, someone he cares about... a lot?
Maybe even, someone he cares about... more than anybody else?
You are the author. You are the God of this universe. You get to choose.
What would deliver the strongest punch?
If you happen to make the inadvisable decision of browsing through these tropes on TV tropes, aside from wasting the rest of your afternoon (you're welcome), you'll find that the examples listed are littered with threatened and dead love interests, and, well, there's a reason for that. For better or worse, romantic love is often portrayed by authors, and perceived by audiences, as a "true" form of love (often even, "the" true form of love). Which is responsible for the other is a chicken/egg situation, one I'm not going to go into for this post - and while I'm certainly not here to defend this perspective as objectively good, I do think it's worth acknowledging that it not only exists but is culturally rather ubiquitous. (If you're playing the love interest in a story with a hero v. a villain, you might wanna watch your back, is what I'm saying.)
Regardless of whether the vibe you're aiming for is romantic or platonic however, one thing is for certain: if you want maximum oomph, the way to achieve that is by making the villain go after the player whose death would hit the hero the hardest.
And like I said, this doesn't have to be played romantically (although it so often is). There are platonic examples in those trope pages, though it's also important to note that many of the platonic ones do show up in stories where a love interest isn't depicted/available/there's a strong "bromance" element/the hero is low-key ace - and keep in mind too that going that route sometimes runs a related risk of falling into queer-bait territory *coughJohnLockcough*
That said, if there is a canon love-interest available, one who's confessed her love for the hero, one who has since been imprisoned by the villain, one who can easily be written as being at the villain's disposal, and who could quite conveniently be whipped out for a mid-battle surprise round - you might find you have some explaining to do if you choose to wield your authorly powers to have the villain go after... idk, some other sheila instead.
(The fact that this ends up taking the hero out of the fight, and the person he sacrifices himself for subsequently throws herself into the arena risking life and limb to defeat the villain and rescue her saviour, also means the most satisfying way this plays out, narratively speaking, is if both of these characters happen to be the most important person in each other's lives - at least, as of that moment, anyway - but I think this post has gone on long enough, lol)
This is, by and large, a rebuttal post more than anything else, but the tl;dr here is - regardless of whether you want to read the scene as shippy or not, to downplay Zuko's sacrifice for Katara specifically as "not that deep™" because "Zuko would have taken the lightning for anyone anyway", suggests either that a) nobody should be reading into the implications of Katara being chosen as the person nearest and dearest to Zuko, so that putting her life in jeopardy can deliver the most powerful impact possible for an audience you'd bloody well hope are on the edge of their seats during the climax of your story or b) the writers made the inexplicable decision of having the villain threaten the life of... literally who the fuck ever, and ultimately landed on someone who's actually not all that important to the hero in the grand scheme of things - which is a cardinal writing sin if I ever saw one (even disregarding the Choice to then season it with mood lighting and sad violin music, on top of it all), and altogether something I'd be legitimately pissed about if my Zuko-OTP ship paired him with Mai, Sokka, or just about anybody else 😂
Most importantly c) I'm hungry, and I want snacks.
*The Aussies in the fandom will get this one. Everyone else can suffer in united confusion.
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Literally all of The Shadowhunter Chronicle romances are completely unhinged it’s not even funny (I lied, it’s very funny). Here’s just some examples:
William “Will” Herondale/James “Jem” Carstairs + Theresa “Tessa” Gray: It totally would have been a vee type polyamorous situation if it wasn’t for all the death and 1800s London society going on.
Henry Branwell + Charlotte Fairchild: How dare this misogynistic society put us together, I mean, we wanted to get together anyway, but not for those reasons. Welp, time to be as unconventional as possible.
Gabriel Lightwood + Cecily Herondale: Look, you made fun of my sister, it’s only fair that I marry your sister; that’s the rules.
Gideon Lightwood + Sophia “Sophie” Collins: Dad, I have a perfectly valid reason to betray you and go to the other side. What your doing is wrong and – nO tHiS haS nOThiNG to do wiTh tHeIR mAid wHy wOUlD yoU eVEn sAy tHat?
Jesse Blackthorn + Lucie Herondale: Your request to not be brought back to life has been denied, deal with it.
James “Jamie” Herondale + Cordelia Carstairs: He didn’t commit arson we were just having sex – why are you all looking at me like that’s worse?
Anna Lightwood + Ariadne Bridgestock: Listen, there’s a lot of society going on right now, so we’re going to have to get together in secret. Oh, you don’t want to? Okay, never mind, fuck society, let me win you back real quick.
Christopher Lightwood + Grace Cartwright: Oh good, you broke into my house, now we can talk about science.
Thomas Lightwood + Alastair Carstairs: I’d really like to hate you, but I think the biggest problem with that is that I love you. Once I get over that hurdle, I think we’ll be in the clear.
Lucian “Luke” Graymark + Jocelyn Fairchild: Good job on us for breaking away from the genocidal cult run by our best friend/husband; we should hook up, you know, as a reward.
Jonathan “Jace” Herondale + Clarissa “Clary” Fairchild: Ayo the same guy conducted experiments on our blood, that’s crazy; btw so glad we’re not actually siblings.
Alexander “Alec” Lightwood + Magnus Bane: Marrying each other is against the law? Okay, fine, I’m a law biding citizen. Oh oops, I made it legal. I am the law now, and I want a wedding on the beach.
Simon Lovelace + Isabelle Lightwood: It makes sense to have our engagement party on the day of my brother’s death, that’s when we really started bonding.
Helen “Alessa” Blackthorn + Aline Penhallow: Well, I guess we’re going to go in exile together. Yes, I said together; your exile is my exile, what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine, that’s how relationships work.
Julian Blackthorn + Emma Carstairs: Yes, it’s a technical war crime to love each other, but the law itself is not really our main concern about it.
Kieran Hunter + Mark “Miach” Blackthorn + Cristina Rosales: We’re really living that cottage core aesthetic, and all we had to do to get here was do a small war and some amnesia. Worth it.
Gwyn ap Nudd + Diana Wrayburn: I’m going to stand by just in case something happens, but it probably won’t, she knows what she’s doing – WHY IS SHE JUMPING OUT THE TENTH STORY WINDOW OH MY GOD WAIT
Tiberius “Ty” Blackthorn + Christopher “Kit” Herondale: We take cosplaying Sherlock and Watson VERY seriously, so of course we needed to go to all the most illegal places, it’s only natural.
Ash Morgenstern + Drusilla “Dru” Blackthorn: So anyway I saw them in a sort of fever dream like state this one time and they’ve still been on my mind for years.
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berriweb · 9 months
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╰┈➤ ❝ white lies ❞
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: ̗̀➛ ft. miles morales x gn! reader
: ̗̀➛ warnings. none
: ̗̀➛ part two
: ̗̀➛ a/n. i love miles sm :(, no further comment, ill make another part if I feel like it
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Miles is lying to you.
The signs were subtle at best at first, and you weren’t going to get suspicious or start poking your nose around over a few lies you’d caught him in.
Starting sometime during freshman year, he changed. There would be nights when your messages would go unanswered for hours, extremely rare compared to the conversations you two would have over the phone that would last for hours, which was only when you two weren’t constantly glued to the hip in person. He’d brush off the few times you did question him on what he was up too and you left it at that, but that was only during the beginning.
Things only seemed to progressively raise suspicion for you as time went on. Leading into sophomore year, it started becoming unbearable. You were lucky to get a response from him in less than a few hours, if you got one at all. He was less open about what he did outside of school, and while you weren’t going to interrogate him on what he did every second he wasn’t with you, it would’ve been nice to know that your boyfriend wasn’t actively avoiding telling you what he was up to every once in a while. I mean, you were only his childhood best friend for more years than you could count on your fingers turned lover, who were you to snoop?
Miles doesn’t trust you.
Miles started claiming he was busy more often, meaning less dates and less time you spent coming over to visit. Sometimes you wouldn’t even get to enjoy his presence in class due to the occasional times he’d skip. Compared to how clingy and jumpy he was before, he hardly ever acted shocked when you attempted to surprise him and was reduced to a nervous mess when you’d question his odd behavior.
He gave vague responses when you’d ask why he was acting distant and if you had a dollar for every time he rushed off in the middle of your hangouts with no valid reason you’d be a millionaire. He wasn’t exactly failing as a boyfriend and you didn’t feel any less loved, but it was more than clear that there was more going on in his life that he was keeping from you, and the fact that he didn’t trust you enough to tell you was painful to say the least.
As annoying as it was, you were more than willing to let it slide for the time being as he clearly had a lot going on, and after the death of his uncle you didn’t want to be too pushy with your boyfriend. All of those behaviors you were willing to ignore. At least, until the day she showed up.
Miles is keeping secrets from you.
The sound of loud music blaring from speakers and multiple conversations and laughter surrounding you from multiple directions was almost enough to drown out the rushing thoughts in your mind and the ringing in your ears. Key word: almost. You tried to distract yourself with the drink you’d grabbed in the midst of the party, taking a sip to ease your mind but the juice box only ended up being a source to take your frustration out on, slurping aggressively until the beverage was long gone as you crushed the poor box in your vice grip and tuned in to the two adults that stood on either side of you muttering with poison in their tones.
“She’s probably no good,” Mrs. Morales hissed, arms on her sides and her hands on her hips as she impatiently tapped her foot. “Sneaking off with some gringa then having the nerve to go off with a perfectly good party right here? And leaving Y/N?!” She let out an annoyed huff and muttered under her breathe what you believed were some inappropriate curses in Spanish that would put a Puerto Rican sailor to shame. Without a word she gently grabbed you by the wrist and pried the juice box out of your hand that you hadn’t even realized you were still strangling, tossing it in a nearby trash can and giving you a pat on the head that made you eternally grateful for how kind that woman was. Your subtle anger wasn’t as subtle as you assumed. “I thought I raised a gentleman, that’s more than enough grounds to add another month!”
“You can say that again, and look at how she’s dressed! I say we go put a stop to this right now. It’s good parenting, right? He doesn’t need any more bad influences-” as Miles’ dad began to ramble you tuned out their constant, yet valid, complaints and instead refocused on the scene that had all of you riled up.
Up on the water tower stood your boyfriend, laughing and talking in what seemed to be a really engaging conversation with a girl you hadn’t seen a day in your life.
A million questions ran through your mind every minute. Who was she? What were they? Why had Miles never mentioned her before? Saying you were annoyed was an understatement. There was no way she went to your school, you would’ve recognized her if that was the case and likely seen her and Miles interact before this happened, but that was all negative. You’d let a lot slide before this, but seeing them together just might’ve been your breaking point. What were they talking about? Why is he smiling so much? Does she know I’m his s/o? Does she know he has an s/o?
“-and after showing up late?! I bet she doesn’t even know Spanish!” You forced yourself out of your thoughts, coming to at the end of the conversation and his mother’s angry rant. You didn’t want to wait any longer and force yourself to bite your tongue when it came to your concerns any longer.
“I’m going.” Pushing yourself off of the table you’d leaned back against, you marched towards the tower only for Mrs.Morales to catch your hand, catching up until she was back at her side and her husband joined her, the intimidating glare on her face putting your sour expression to shame. “You’re gonna give that boy hell, do you hear me Y/N?”
You made it to the top before his parents, popping up and meeting Miles’ eyes as he trailed off on his sentence to the girl, smiling at the sight of you only for it to melt away into a nervous grin when he noticed your glare. You pushed yourself over the railing before putting on an extremely forced smile and sticking out your hand to the blond, having yet to even acknowledge your boyfriends presence.
“Hi! My name’s Y/N, I’m Miles’ s/o. You know he has one right? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before and he definitely hasn’t mentioned you, who are you?” You spoke too fast for her to get in a response at first, resorting to hesitantly shaking your hand and nervously chuckling when forced to practically yank her hand away from your unknowingly strong grip. “The names Gwe- Gwanda! He’s mentioned you before, a lot actually,” she snorted and elbowed Miles, to which he gave a pointed look. “Practically drools over you too, he mentioned this one time he stayed up all night-”
“Ooookay that’s enough of that!” Miles cut her off and stepped between you two, leaving you to wonder what she was going to finish that sentence with. The revelation of him constantly talking about you would’ve been enough to make you a stuttering mess if you weren’t still extremely upset. You wouldn’t exactly call yourself the jealous type, you had full faith in the fact that Miles only wanted you and would never break your trust or your heart like that. However, you didn’t know what else to possibly think with everything that had been going on. “Great! That’s just great! Lovely meeting you-” you hissed, despite the conversation just barely starting.
Miles’ mom popped up just after you spoke with a happy greeting that was seeping faux cheerfulness and a plastered on grin, introducing herself and starting to engage in conversation alongside his father when he appeared seconds later. Hearing Gwanda call them by their first names was enough to make you wince, and not wanting to stick around to hear what would come after, you got your boyfriends attention.
“We need to talk.” He got no further explanation before you grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him towards the ladder, leaving his questions of what your deal was and what you needed to talk about as you climbed down the ladder. He had no choice but to follow.
As soon as you were far enough on the roof from the rest of the party and Miles, you turned on your heel to face the boy and the ends of your lips tugged into a frown, crossing your arms.
“So, what’s the deal? Did I…did I do something wrong?”
Miles looked at you dumbfounded, searching for a place to awkwardly place his hands before resorting to sticking them in his pockets. “I- what? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me Miles!” He flinched. It wasn’t often you lost your temper, and he knew that. Whatever you were on about was clearly more serious than he had assumed. “First you’re always busy, then you’re not being honest with me, now you have secret friends too?! It’s like you’re a completely different person!”
His hands shot up defensively, and just like before, his nervous started appearing. “No- you’ve got it all wrong. I’d never-” “You’d never what? Lie to me? Don’t even try to feed me that bs.”
Miles shifted nervously between both of his feet, and you could almost see the gears shifting in his head to try to come up with an appropriate response. It was unusual to see your boyfriend so unable to talk to you, it made you anxious.
“Look, Miles. I get it if you’re out doing something that could get you in trouble, you don’t have the cleanest record. I’m not here to tell you what you can and can’t do, but I am here to support you. I don’t understand why you keep hiding things from me! Your parents I can maybe believe, but me?” You hoped he hadn’t noticed the way your voice cracked in that sentence. “What’s even the point of me being here for you if you’re not even going to tell me what’s going on?”
Your chest felt heavy but your shoulders felt lighter, the relief of finally getting what’s been on your mind for many months seemingly lightening the load. It didn’t stop you from getting emotional over it, however. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes and you continuously clenched and unclenched your fists.
Miles couldn’t describe the guilty feeling weighing him down in that moment, the frown on his face and uncertainty in his eyes making that clear. He reached to grab your hands, his own being slightly sweaty but he wasn’t too worried about it at the moment, intertwining his fingers with your own. “And that girl! How do you even know her?! Your parents don’t know her, she doesn’t go to our school, for all I know-”
“I promise it’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it, Miles?”
“I…” he trailed off, biting his bottom lip as you looked at him with expectant, almost desperate eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to meet them and his gaze fell down to his Jordans. Even then, he couldn’t muster up the courage to spill his secrets to you. Not even one, but at the same time a plausible lie or excuse didn’t come to mind, maybe for good reason. “I can’t tell you. I swear on my life I’m not trying to hide anything, you gotta believe me, I do need you! But I can’t have you involved. It’s just not the right time.”
Then when is?
Any trace of hopefulness in your eyes disappeared and your face fell. Miles felt his heart sink down to his shoes, letting go of your hands with fingers traveling up your arms until he cupped your face on either side, using his left thumb to swipe away a stray tear that threatened to fall from your eye. Being the source of your despair was a dreadful feeling, in fact he hated it.
Your fingers wrapped around his wrists and you flashed him a bittersweet smile before pulling his away from your face. “Miles, I love you,” you started, and he gave a halfhearted smile that would normally leave you swooning over his pearly whites, “but I can’t keep doing this.”
The smile disappeared faster than it had shown itself, and you could feel him tense up in your grasp. “What? What are you saying?” The fear of a prompted break up on your end after those words kept him on his toes. His gut twisted itself into spirals and loops, the back of his head throbbing from the tension as he unknowingly bit the end of his tongue.
You let go of his wrists, grabbing the collar of his jacket to pull him forward and leave a tender kiss on his cheek. “Hit me up when you’re ready to tell me the truth.” You offered no explanation before pulling back from him, speed walking back through the crowd and towards the door to head home.
Miles was left dumbfounded, standing with a blank expression on his face and the urge to shove something out of frustration yet kicked the ground as an alternative. Looking back towards the water tower, he eyed his parents and Gwen having what seemed like a tense and awkward conversation, moving to join and hopefully separate the three, but the only thing on his mind was figuring out how he was going to win back your trust.
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Not enough music could distract you from the turmoil going on inside you head, yet still you mindlessly hummed along to the upbeat music blasting through your earbuds as you walked home.
Was this the end?
No, you kept your mind far away from that harmful thinking. Technically, you hadn’t broken up with Miles, had you? It was open ended, whether or not you two worked out solely depended on if he was willing to tell the truth or not. You hated to entertain the thought of him being so willing to keep a secret from you that your relationship would end over it, but seeing how things had gone, it couldn’t be ruled out as a possibility.
The air was chilly as the sun met the horizon, and you stuffed your hands into the small pockets of your pants. On a normal day, Miles wouldn’t have let you walk home alone. You would’ve walked hand in hand, laughing and talking the entire way down the streets about any and everything that came to mind. The two of you would’ve skipped and you would find yourself silently watching his feet to match his footsteps, meanwhile unbeknownst to you Miles would notice and slow down so you could. At the end, you’d stand at your door and bid him farewell, sharing a goodbye kiss as if there were a chance you’d never see each other again before he gave a cheesy compliment and promised to see you in the morning, flashing you a smile before you walked in and he rushed back home.
The thought made you grip the fabric in your pockets, torn between smiling at the memories or frowning at the fact that today wasn’t the case. Today wasn’t a normal day.
Instead you walked home alone, nothing but the sound of music to keep your ears full but to you the air was still more silent than ever. Instead, you made it home alone, quietly fishing for your keys on your doorstep while cursing yourself for not cleaning out your messy bag, so invested in the search and the music that you didn’t notice the walls and ground behind you begin to change, flashing in different textures and colors that ranged in shape and size. Finally getting a grip on the keychain, you pulled it out with a small triumphant smile. Noticing the shifting colors approaching your feet, you turned around, unable to process the glitching textures or register the “flight” in your fight or flight response before a large gaping hole emerged from the colors —and with a cut off scream— sucked you into it.
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v1olentdelights · 8 months
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Just saw the Barbie movie, so a quick thought???
Spencer reid x reader There are no spoilers, but just to be safe, don't read unless you've seen the movie.
Spencer and you had finally had a day off, and though your work colleagues invited you to hang out with them, you already had plans.
"Do I really have to wear this?" Spencer complains about his pink sweater vest.
"Yes, Spence! I tried to make it as comfortable as I could for you. Everyone is doing it, and I want to as well. Plus, you can't say no to me, right?" You heard him huff and then shuffle around the living room. Presumably looking for his keys and wallet. Though they were in your room, so you grabbed them as you walked out.
"Do you know where my..." He trailed off as he saw your outfit. Pink, that was the first and only word that came to mind.
"What do you think?!" Passing him the keys and wallet you twirled about and smiled happily. He took longer than you expected to answer, and it made your heart drop a bit. Was this too much? You didn't want to go crazy, but you wanted to have fun.
But as he stepped closer to you, a smile grew on his face. He reached for your hand and spun you around before pulling you close.
"You are the most stunning Barbie I have ever seen." He kissed you all over your face causing you to pull back.
"Don't ruin the makeup, baby!" You rushed over to the couch to pick up your zip up before pulling him out the door.
~~~~
Handing you a tissue from his pocket, you gratefully took it. Spencer then moved to rub your back gently.
The movie had ended, and your heart felt a little less heavy. All those years ago, you remember playing with your Barbie, all the places you brought her. She was your best friend, someone you confided in about all the trivial arguments you had with your mother.
Stepping out of the theater was almost worse. It felt like you were saying goodbye to part of your childhood again. But you leaned on Spencer, much like you always have, because he was your rock. He was your Allan.
Wiping your nose before quickly discarding the tissue, you kissed Spencer on the cheek, his nose scrunched up as you did.
"Thank you for coming with me, Spencer. That meant a lot." You could still hear the stuffiness in your nose. But he just looked down at you and smiled, something shining in his eyes.
"Of course, sweetheart." He returned the kiss with one of his own to the top of your head.
On your way out, you saw turns of pink going out and in of the theater. Though someone caught your eye.
"Y/N!!! SPENCER!!!" You heard the familiar heel clacking and the heavy boots scuffing the ground. Then you almost got tackled by Penelope without even getting a good look at her. She squeezed you incredibly tight. You could hear Derek patting Spencer on the shoulder.
"Did you guys just watch it, too?" Spencer questioned, though when Penelope pulled back, and you got a good look at her face, you could tell the answer. If you were the definition of pink right now, Penelope was double pink. And she looked gorgeous.
"You got dragged into watching it, too?" Derek chuckled. But you saw how his eyes were the slightest bit puffy. "I thought the ending was a bit... eh."
Yours and Penelopes heads snapped towards him. Then he looked like a deer caught in headlights. Spencer even looked a bit taken back.
"What?!" You and Penelope asked in unison.
"Well, I just mean, I wish they showed more with the mom and Barbie. You know?" He crossed his arms, not once breaking eye contact.
In a moment, the rage that had built in you dulled. That made sense. It ended perfectly in your opinion, and Derek's point was valid.
"Okay. You get a pass, Derek Morgan, that was a reasonable thought." Penelope announced. "Now, shall we go get some ice cream? It's the boys' treat!" She exclaimed as she linked arms with you. The boys laughed before following.
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comicaurora · 8 months
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When did you decide on introducing Falst as a fakeout villain? in my head it's such an ingrained part of the arc but I have to imagine his intro wasn't always like that.
It wasn't! In the very earliest version of the story, aka the loose pre-scripting nebulous idea for how to get him in with the group, it was a pretty simple scenario where Falst was victimized by some bad guys and the gang helped him out, validated his existence, etc. It was functional for what it needed to accomplish - getting him in as a Main Character - but it had a lot of problems, namely that he had no agency in any of it.
I realized as I got closer to introducing him that Falst had a characteristic that none of the other protagonists had: he was rough. Erin isn't nice like Kendal and Alinua, but he's not going to go out of his way to purposefully hurt anyone who hasn't hurt him first. Erin can be rude and thoughtless, but he likes explaining things, and that does a lot to smooth over potential miscommunication. Falst isn't like that. Despite suffering deeply from loneliness, Falst is not good at making himself palatable for other people, and for the most part doesn't want to, in part because he shouldn't have to. It took a lot of bad stuff to grind him down to the point of seriously contemplating turning himself human to make it stop, and even then, he typically responds to antagonism by hitting back twice as hard, not making himself more inoffensive in the hopes of making it stop. In the trifecta of fight-flight-freeze, he defaults to fight, and he has a lot of reasons to wall off every conceivable vulnerability and snap out at people instead of giving them an in-road to hurting him by being nice to them. This makes him incredibly vulnerable to conflict and miscommunication plotlines because he will never explain himself if he thinks he has any other more combative option available, and that makes it very easy to turn people against him if they aren't willing to reach out and potentially take a hit trying to close that gap.
What I like most about writing Falst is that none of this makes him a monster, and none of it makes him unworthy of chances, love or understanding. He's a ball of sharp corners and he hurts people, and he's very easily framed as an antagonist because of that. And framing him opposite a kind, soft-spoken, eloquent, handsome small town doctor makes it easier to see him as a villain. And the fact that the doctor is actually a manipulative villain doesn't undo any of the stuff Falst did during their initial encounter when they didn't know each other and he made his introduction by robbing the party and lightly maiming Kendal. Falst is not perfectly nice, and it doesn't take much to get him to be actively mean or unnecessarily defensive. It is easy to convince characters and an audience that a character like that is a Problem, because if he weren't a Problem he would be nice and non-confrontational and conventionally attractive. Undercutting aesthetic morality is always fun, and sometimes you just gotta judge a character by their actions and conclude that they might not be good at making you like them but they're not actually doing anything all that bad.
Falst is kind of a jerk. He also has a lot of qualities that are not jerk traits. Falst found people who like him, and the fact that he's a jerk doesn't contradict that. We're all jerks sometimes, and we all tank hits from our friends being jerks sometimes. Falst is at his most interesting when I let him be emotional, hostile and imperfect, and I think it's nice to give him people that love him without undercutting the things that make him believe he's unlovable.
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whathorselegs · 14 days
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This is probably going to be controversial take (I mean no harm by it, and its not hate directed at anyone), but the reason Dazai shooting at Akutagawa in Dark Era is so shocking to people is because he did it to a character we've had time to get attached to.
If Dazai had shot/killed/wounded a random subordinate for messing up his plans, it would be in all the PM!Dazai remixes as one of his dark and cool moments. Like when he's repeatedly shooting that guy in fifteen. It's messed up, but it doesn't happen to a character we're attached to, it happens to an enemy, so we swallow Dazai doing it much easier. If Akutagawa had been a random subordinate, people might even say Dazai was right to do it because that subordinate did a dumb thing that led their investigation to a dead end. (This is theoretical example not my opinion, I don't agree with what Dazai did)
I'm not justifying what Dazai did, but it's the framing that makes this so much more "evil" and unforgivable for people than anything else PM!Dazai did. It's stated multiple times Dazai was terrible to his enemies AND his own subordinates. Akutagawa wasn't the exception, he was just the one we care about. (Q too, though I see less talk about that and we're not actually shown what happened to Q)
Yes, it is cruel, no denying that, he hurts Akutagawa to teach him a lesson, that what's the mafia life has taught Dazai is effective. I'd argue though, it's not anymore cruel than what Yosano does to Tanizaki and Kunikida. She literally tortures them, but it's fine because it's played off as a joke and they're healed in the end. When in reality it's Yosano taking out her trauma on her patients and friends, and she's enjoying it. She didn't need her patients to be half dead in the flashbacks, that came after the trauma. She hurts them to discourage them from getting hurt again in the future. (Again, no hate intended, I love Yosano and all her complexities)
Dazai hurt Akutagawa the same way. Except it's never told as a joke. It happens brutally because it is and the show wants you to feel it in those moments. There is plenty brutal things that Dazai does that are played off as not serious. What he does to Ango with the airbag in his car is brutal. Yet its framed as a dark but necessary action, we're supposed to agree with Dazai because it ultimately saves Kyouka and Dazai gets to have some vengeance. It's a framed as a victory over Ango that we're supposed to support.
Chuuya is constantly being brutal in fights. He kills those people in the woods when he goes to retrieve Q and it's not a gentle killing either. He enjoys the fight, he's happy to get his hands dirty, he likes throwing bullets at people. And we accept this because he does it to the "bad guys".
Yet when Chuuya murdered the guards at Meursault, people thought this was out of character for him. It wasn't. These characters simply seemed more like innocent bystanders to the audience so the reality of how vicious Chuuya's actions were, kicked back in.
So many characters do messed up things in BSD, to pin one as irredeemable because of them doesn't make sense when so many characters are guilty of similar actions. People put Oda up on a pedestal just like Dazai does, because he stopped killing and took in some kids, but he was still a murderer, he still shot and maimed people with ease, as long as they were breathing he was fine with hurting them.
Sure, you can certainly say, "I no longer like this character because of their actions." and that's perfectly fine. You have no obligation to like a character, your preferences are perfectly valid. I just don't believe there's meant to be such a thing as irredeemable or truly evil in BSD. Just people who choose to keep hurting others, and those who try to be better than who they once were.
Dazai has hurt literal hundreds of people during his mafia years but that's off screen and to nameless background characters, it's easier to dismiss. The way he treats Akutagawa is a reminder to the audience that all the characters' actions have consequences. That Atsushi's hero was another person's nightmare and that BSD has many characters like this.
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sebsbarnes · 4 months
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lover girl || tangerine
tangerine x f!reader
summary: tangerine saves you from an awful date, cliche realizing feelings afterwards
warnings: mentions of killing, language, talks of insecurities
word count: 2k+ ; angst, comfort, fluff-ish
tangerine masterlist
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"i have a date," you excitedly told the twins.
"ain't this the third one this month?" tangerine asked popping grapes in his mouth. lemon knocked him on the head in disapproval. tangerine whipped his head around, glaring at lemon as if he was the one in the wrong.
you simply rolled your eyes, "i feel good about this one."
lemon and tangerine both knew you wanted to be loved more than anything else. you constantly said that was the one thing missing in your life. you loved your job, your family, your friends, your hobbies but you just wanted someone to share all the good with. which is why you made it your mission in between jobs to go on as many dates as possible. the twins understood the desire to find someone, they wanted it too, but they held their hearts close to their chests whereas you did not.
tangerine often ranted, to a knowing lemon, how you needed to be more careful for a plethora of valid and invalid reasons. it was dangerous dating as an assassin, your cover could be blown easily, or it could be a set up. and then, there were the selfish reasons that tangerine didn't even realize were selfish. you sometimes would opt out of jobs to meet someone you were interested in or you would cancel premade plans with the twins to see someone. and this irked him. what do you mean tangerine didn't have his favorite sidekick with him on missions? what do you mean you skipped the weekly brunch you and the twins had? all lemon could do was console a jealous and unwilling to listen tangerine.
you lived in the apartment next to the twins and had made your way back over to get ready. the guy you were meeting was handsome and a total gentlemen over text and you were feeling giddy. you played dress up for hours. perfectly styling your hair, coating your skin, eyes, and lips with makeup. the dress was the showstopper. it was a fitted red satin dress that you paired with black heels. your date told you he made reservations for a steakhouse which truthfully you weren't too keen on, but it allowed you to dress up which you never did with your job.
lemon had offered to take you to the restaurant since you didn't want the man knowing where you lived. tangerine stayed back as lemon exited the front door but couldn't resist looking through the window. it was only a glimpse, but he saw the lowcut back of your dress and your shiny hair and he bubbled with jealousy.
your date was waiting outside the doors for you chatting away to the valet girl, a little too closely for your taste. his body leaned onto the podium, head cocked to the side as if he was mesmerized by her and that should've been the first red flag. he greeted you with a hug that you returned.
"i am starving," he basically yelled, "i wish you said you could do dinner earlier."
"oh i'm sorry," you said blinking rapidly feeling guilty.
"yeah it's chill, i'm ready for a beer," he waved off, opening the glass door but letting it fall on you. your eyebrows knotted together. did he just drop the door on me? you were baffled but chuckled awkwardly grabbing the glass door, smiling at the older couple who witness the whole thing.
the tension in your body made you rigid. you felt uneasy across from the man who was obnoxious and blatantly checking out the waitress. he had already finished his third pint and you hadn't even ordered entrees yet. you were poking absentmindedly at the salad, grimacing at him.
"so what's you job again?" all you could see was the food in his mouth and you dropped your fork.
"i work at a catering company," you lied. it was your go to fake profession as it could excuse your bizarre working hours and absence from town.
he patted his mouth with his napkin, "oh so you don't make such money don'ya?"
"excuse me?" you were completely and utterly flabbergasted at the remark. though, he seemed unfazed and gestured towards your salad you had now abandoned. you were disgusted by everything and pushed the plate towards him.
"i'm kind of a hot shot at work," he bragged and you were motionless. any further movement looked robotic meanwhile your douche of a date was leaned far back in the chair, his beer in his hand, and manspreading to the point his feet could trip someone.
the twitch of your eye was becoming more dramatic as he droned on. was it not obvious that you were paying zero attention to the man before you? the only thoughts circling your head besides how he's a douche is the fact you could easily take the knife out of your purse. with ease it would slip through the fabric and you'd lean forward dragging it across the man's adam's apple and watch the blood trickle down onto his ugly polo shirt.
"pretty impressive, right?" the dull man asked. he had been on a ten-minute rant on how he was promoted within a month of working at his company because he stole a coworkers idea but it was okay because 'well the boss hates her so i knew he would approve the idea if i brought it to him'.
"mmm, riveting," you mocked, swirling the red wine in the glass.
"i'm gunna go take a whizz," he pointed, throwing his napkin onto the table. your mouth slacked open at his actions.
'im begging you to pick me up' you texted frantically.
'you haven't even been there long what's wrong?'
'either you tell me yes or i slice this man's throat open'
'on my way.'
your fingers drummed on the white tablecloth, chin perched on your fist waiting for the clown of a man to return. his figure approached from the bathroom and just when you thought you couldn't be more turned off by this man he shoved his hand down his pants adjusting himself. in front of the whole restaurant.
when he sat down you slowly stood up placing your purse on your shoulder, "look, i'm feeling a bit unwell so i'm going to head home. and this was awful," you muttered the last part under your breath.
"well aren't you going to pay?" he asked dumbfounded.
you couldn't stop the guffaw that left your mouth, "good one, prick."
you sauntered outside waiting for tangerine. the cold air nipped at your skin and for some reason tears started to line your eyes. they closed and to calm yourself you let out a shaky breath through your nose, though this did nothing for your watery eyes. tangerine's head lights moved slowly beside you and you ripped the door open before the car came to a complete stop.
"well don't ya look fuckin' joyous," he joked, his eyebrow high on his face.
you huffed, finding your red dress constricting and pulling at it to let your skin breathe.
"not in the fuckin' mood for jokes tangerine," you hissed. you leaned back against the headrest eyes closed trying to calm yourself from the swirling thoughts on why you can't find someone good. tangerine went quiet, silently observing your resting state, throat bobbing up and down. he sighed before slowly pulling away. the ride was silent for a few minutes before you felt the rant bubbling up in your body and your lid was about to explode.
"he shut the door in my face!" you laughed incredulously, "he only talked about himself. god he wouldn't shut up! he works in tech so he thinks he is hot shit."
tangerine laughed, "definitely shit."
"then he had the audacity to say i make no money. me! tan, we make so much money that man would be ashamed of his check if he saw ours. he gawked at every single lady in the building and i know i shouldn't care about anything that prick thinks but he must think i'm ugly. i worked so hard to look pretty tonight! he ate my salad, granted i had two bites but he took my food? and then. then he touched himself! in the restaurant!"
tangerine's foot slammed on the break in shock causing your bodies to lurch forward and he immediately stuck his hand in front of your body to not fall into the dashboard, "sorry i didn't mean to do that."
"you're okay."
tangerine didn't really know how to respond. his brain was reeling of ways he could kill the man for hurting your feelings. if he could he'd kill every asshole you went on a date with. you don't deserve to be treated poorly and it ached at tangerine's soul every time you'd come to their apartment after a date sighing in disappointment when it didn't work out. lemon would be the one to comfort you as tangerine stayed quiet nodding as you ranted but silently raging.
tangerine turned off the main road, a destination in mind that wasn't the apartments. your head swiveled towards him in confusion and he glanced out of the corner of his eye, an amused smirk on his face. he paralleled parked and turn the engine off.
"what...?"
he smiled, "c'mon."
you slowly opened the door skeptically looking at tangerine.
"we can't waste a good outfit now can we love. plus, you need to eat." tangerine grinned sticking his elbow out for you. baffled, you wrapped your arm around his staring up at your favorite speakeasy.
arm in arm you two entered the building and he didn't drop the door on you. he pulled out the chair to the high top allowing you to sit. tangerine immediately ordered your usual drink and appetizer. he ran a hand through his curls giving you a smile.
"why are you doing this?"
he paused briefly, "i see you every week get treated like royal shit love. truly i don' know why any of these pricks, first of all, think they have a real shot with ya nor do i know why they'd treat someone like you so poorly. i know i don't do the mushy stuff, but i don't like seeing you upset. it's not a good feeling and i know it's not for you either. you think their actions are a reflection of yourself but it's not. their dicks okay? so you can't keep thinking you're the problem 'right? you're hardworking, you're smart, you're kind, caring, loyal, honest, funny, beautiful and these pricks deserve none of that. not from anyone and especially not from you. your heart is too good for most people."
to say you were shocked in this moment was an understatement. never in your years of knowing tangerine had he spoken so highly and with compassion about someone other than lemon. your heart ached at the sentiment and you knew every word was true. you were easy to give your heart away to be loved and you took the failures as your fault, a reflection of you like tangerine said. deep down you knew it not to be true but the insecurities loomed and swallowed your confidence like a storm. you also knew deep down that's why you do date shitty men sometimes because you think it's what you deserve. tangerine knew this too and he was here stepping up now to help you in stopping the cycle.
"tan, wow i-," you stumbled over your words, once again teary eyed, "you see right through me don't you." your hand snaked over to his, softly wrapping your hand around his palm.
"i care about you, i do. i want you to protect your heart just as much as i want to," he confessed placing a soft kiss to your hand.
a few beats had passed and the server walked over placing the dishes around your entangled hands, "you're a beautiful couple," the young girl spoke before leaving.
your's and tangerine's cheeks went pink. your eyes fluttered down to look at his hand in yours, "we would be, right?"
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messiahzzz · 1 month
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while it’s perfectly fine to have your own headcanons that are non-canon compliant — by all means, go wild. recognizing pieces of yourselves in fictional characters can be a very healing and validating experience. this is nonetheless a casual, well-intentioned reminder that gale, in fact, does not have bpd.
bpd is a pervasive pattern of instability affecting interpersonal relationships, self-image, and mood. the disorder is marked by impulsivity beginning in early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts. a diagnosis requires at least 5 of the following 9 criteria to be met:
Fear of abandonment
Unstable or changing relationships
Unstable self-image; struggles with identity or sense of self
Impulsive or self-damaging behaviors (e.g., excessive spending, unsafe sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating).
Suicidal behavior or self-injury
Varied or random mood swings
Constant feelings of worthlessness or sadness
Problems with anger, including frequent loss of temper or physical fights
Stress-related paranoia or loss of contact with reality
source: [x]
i highlighted the criteria that do apply to gale in one way or another in a pretty purple.
i personally believe that it’s rather harmful to equate his relationship with mystra with her being “his fp”. she is a deity, his goddess, and the source of his powers, who is in in full control of the magic he wields.
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gale: mystra commands all magic. salvation, if such a thing exists, is hers to bestow or withhold.
gale has been effectively groomed and conditioned to serve and revere her at every turn since early childhood. imo this comparison really undermines a lot of crucial points in gale’s story that deal with his overall trauma and abuse. after all, you wouldn’t call shar sh*dowhe*rt’s fp either.
gale doesn’t revile mystra, nor does he commit benevolent deeds solely motivated by the secret hope that she will somehow notice and take him back. when you meet gale in the game he has already fully come to terms with the fact that he has been abandoned by mystra with no hope of reconciliation whatsoever. he also had some very fitting lines in ea regarding this topic that i'm sad haven't been repurposed in the full release in some way.
gale: [the tadpoles] don't know that some things are impossible. they don't know that... they don't know. player: what is impossible about what you're being shown? gale: forgiveness. gale: it is mystra i see. and yet it cannot be her. there was a time when i would have believed - but no longer. gale: suffice it to say she would not bestow upon me the favors promised in these dreams. that is how i know they are delusions.
he has already reached the stage of acceptance. moreover, gale only starts to realize that mystra might have been in the wrong for requesting his death once the tadpole squad & tav speak some sense into him. and even then he doesn’t ever show that his emotions regarding mystra are anywhere along those lines. he is instead rightfully angered that she only saw value in his death, after he had been worshipping her loyally for years.
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gale: i worshipped mystra loyally for years, and in that time she granted me the barest sliver of the power i was ready to wield. gale: even with the fate of the world at stake, she had little more to offer me than the means of blowing myself up at a more convenient time. she's done nothing to help us.
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gale: you abandoned me in my hour of greatest need. i had no obligation to help you in yours. gale: because you had no right to ask that of me. you cast me out, remember?
gale doesn’t display rapid changes in mood either. he is a character who is generally very composed and has been known to remain nonchalant even in the face of utter horror. tim downie himself even commented on this once. source: [x]
the only instance i can think of is his sudden switch from resigned-to-death to utter-eye-sparkling-enthusiasm once he spots the crown of karsus. apart from crucial story reasons that i won’t touch upon in this post, i’d also like to add that it’s a rather common phenomenon for people who have just barely survived a suicide attempt to suddenly be filled with zeal and unbridled energy. he doesn't display impulsivity without thorough consideration when it comes to its acquisition either. he considers this a golden opportunity and is positively enthusiastic and elated that this might prove an alternative to him ending up in a cloud of netherese smoke. nonetheless, he knows what he is doing. evident in him actually succeeding in ascending in one of his endings.
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gale: this is no passing whim, trust me. if i can obtain that crown, it will affect us all. it is not a decision i'll take lightly. gale: it's our future that i'm thinking of - we can't rely on anyone else to do it for us. gale: for now - we've learned all we can.
neither are his relationships that we do know of (namely elminster, tara, and morena) frequently changing. they are marked by years of mutual respect, care, and consistency. there is nothing unstable about them. while it's important to note that his relationship with tav is still in its honeymoon stages during the main game, there is no inclination of any push-and-pull dynamic between them whatsoever.
gale isn’t preoccupied with keeping up some sort of benevolent act in order to win (back) affection — he genuinely IS a good person and he proves this at every turn. moreover, to have a tressym become your familiar you must be of Good alignment.
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(taken from tumblr user galedekarios's post.)
there is never a moment where his ideals or alignment suddenly change. in fact, i’d argue that he and wyll are most consistent in this regard when compared to the rest of the companions. gale makes his moral standpoint very clear from the beginning on and also explicitly states that he believes that in order to survive this entire ordeal it would be selfish of him if he wouldn’t be willing to compromise on his morals. this isn’t a sudden bout of ✨muahahaha wizard hubris✨ that he barely contained to hold in before, this is yet another act of selflessness — it is what he’s willing to do for the group and subsequently, the welfare of faerun.
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player: i love unsavoury things. don't feel guilty on my account. gale: that's good to know. although i should say i do what i do out of a sense of utility and pragmatism, not a love of the unsavoury. gale: we're up against the greatest threat faerun has ever faced. i don't mind getting my hands dirty if it gives us a better chance of surviving. gale: whatever advantage i can gain for us. i will. and i refuse to feel guilty for it, no matter how much mystra's chidings might echo in my skull.
this is him, once again trying to be useful in whatever way he can. to give them an advantage, a slither of hope against seemingly impossible odds, so they might make it out of this in one piece. gale wouldn’t approve of those actions under normal circumstances, but their predicament is as far from any definition of “normal” as it can get.
gale is no fool, he realizes this is essentially about survival. he knows that he has no option left other than to tolerate, which is why he can be convinced to not immediately depart tav’s company even if they choose to commit atrocities. this is no character flaw of his or him displaying a previously dormant openness for cruelty, this is about recognizing the necessity.
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player: you don't stand a chance alone. you're free to go. i dare you. gale: gods damn you - you're right. few things are more powerful than the will to live.
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gale: i thought the orb to be the greatest of my sins, but i see now that there are darker depths to which i might yet sink. you may be content to sink into that abyss, but i assure you - i am not.
gale doesn’t lead a split existence. he has a very strong sense of identity. he knows what he wants, what he doesn’t want and he isn’t shy in expressing his boundaries either. which he has especially shown when it comes to his relationship with tav. i originally had intended to touch upon this in another post entirely but: i firmly believe his entire Gale of Waterdeep™ persona is more of a performance than him struggling to find a sense of identity and trying them on for size. it is an intentional decision to separate gale dekarios from the great wizard of waterdeep, to create distance and make sure his family name remains untarnished in case things should ever go sideways.
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gale: i agree. and on the plus side, if i get myself into any truly cataclysmic straits during the remainder of our journey, my family name will go untarnished.
there is also a deep-rooted feeling of unworthiness and his firm belief that love and praise are conditional resources that he will only be granted through his talents alone, naturally. presenting himself as gale dekarios, the man, would mean highlighting his shortcomings and very human flaws, while distracting from the aspects of himself that are deemed praiseworthy, the ones that actually matter: his magical prowess.
i personally believe that part of the beauty of gale’s story is him realizing just how “little” it takes for him to be truly content. he gets his happy ending, with someone at his side who truly sees him, understands him and unabashedly commits to him. they worship and adore him in return — and it is well deserved. he isn’t reduced to be constantly and restlessly searching for some unattainable ideal to fill the gaping void within himself. he doesn’t secretly thirst for more power still or believes that in being with tav he is settling for something. instead, he is finally happy to just be. be and be accepted. teaching a class of unruly wizards and coming home to his spouse each day already fulfills him.
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gale: that's how i feel with you - content. it's a rather unfamiliar feeling, i must say. not something gale of waterdeep ever craved.
even if he doesn’t pursue a romance with tav, he reaches a realization of “oh, it appears i am not irredeemably flawed and only able to reach true redemption through my own death. what i needed was actually with me all along.” throughout their journey and through his friend's support. i think that’s a very powerful and comforting message. he is very well capable of finding peace within himself.
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devnotes: his default state is that he returned to waterdeep and became a professor of illusory magic at his former school, blackstaff academy. general vibe here is that this is a gale who's found peace with himself - he's a great teacher, one his students are mostly in awe of.
to repeat myself: sharing your headcanons is all in good fun, nor should you ever be discouraged from doing so. this is your personal tumblr experience, after all. but i personally think we should be mindful of unintentionally perpetuating negative stereotypes, such as narcissism being a general indicator or being deemed a classic depiction of bpd. i think we can all agree that the continuous longing for acceptance, connection, praise, and approval is something we all have in common deep down, regardless of whatever disorder we may have. [insert victoria justice meme here]
gale may be many things to many people, but he is no entitled narcissist.
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idleorbitals · 7 months
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sandray making out in ray's car. we knew this scene was coming on multiple levels but still. ouch on multiple levels
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says the man that is about to give the puppy dog eyes of all time. of All Time
sandray are so tough to watch right now because the reason they're wholesome is that they're properly guarded against each other. ray, though he's clearly catching feelings for sand, is in love with someone else, which is very fortifying. sand is testing his own boundaries and being honest with himself about what's working and what isn't. he pulls physically away from ray multiple times here. this scene also has him admitting that he's never had sex more than once with someone he wasn't seeing seriously. when ray asks "so do I have to be your boyfriend to get more?" and sand says "i'll never take someone like you as my boyfriend" and then ray says "can't you just make an exception for me?" neither of them are saying what their words are (of trailer playing us again!!)
ray is not really offering, not in any meaningful way; sand is not declining as much as he is protecting himself. multiple times in this episode sand has indicated that he might be open to something serious with ray and ray has playfully offered something serious in a meaningfully disingenuous way, specifically to ward off the real conversation, and sand has performed brushing him off, to make it clear that he understands what's actually being offered and not offered. it's so twisted because all their surprisingly healthy communication is happening at a level where their words mean almost perfectly the opposite of what their words Actually Mean. it's only healthy because they both understand the nuance here. dangerous fuckin game boys
then mew calls. I've already seen some discourse about this so here comes my addition: yeah it's a good move to prioritize getting your drunk friend to a safe place. ray is doing a good thing here and he's also doing nothing wrong, even if he weren't. as aforementioned in the healthy communication bit; as sand will say shortly; he's made no promises and is well within his rights to do what he pleases, whether or not that comes at the expense of sand's feelings.
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yes, and: I think this shot summarizes really well the emotional heart of this. sand is not offended by ray picking up the call. he's feeling some physical feelings, obviously, about the interruption. but it's only when ray physically shrugs off his arm that he does the kicked puppy face. we see it again when he sighs and swallows his feelings until he hears ray say "sure, where are you? i'm coming" without any acknowledgement, implicit or otherwise, of what ray will be leaving to do so.
there's a perfectly valid scenario here where ray is interrupted in the middle of fun sexy times by the deeper bonds of friendship and goes honorably to attend to those priorities. but that's not what this is, or not the whole of it. he's not just picking mew's safety over sand in this moment; he's actively pushing sand away in favor of attending to mew, before he even knows what the call's about.
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sand is duly hurt and we get to hurt along with him, /especially/ because he's going to take ownership of his own pain in a moment and reiterate his own responsibility. "I don't have the right to be upset with you," he says. and on some level, this is true. but it sure is easy to get why he's hurting
(all ofts watch throughs)
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rowanwithaz · 7 months
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When Did Bakugo Realize His Feelings?
So,I do not write about Bakugo enough :p Also,I'm writing something about Horikoshi's Frame Placement and I realized it's going to take a little more time,so,have this in the meantime.
Izuku real quick
I think we can all pinpoint when Izuku realized his feelings; the Joint Training Arc of course. Izuku realized Kacchan was showing his true heroic side,the side Izuku hasn't seen see they were little. It was probably when he realized, "Oh...ooh...OOOH,I'm gay." I think deep in his mind he knew he wasn't "normal" about his feelings for Kacchan.
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But he never once let himself really think about it like that. Deep in his mind;he knew he didn't have a chance with Kacchan like that. But,when they stated getting closer,Izuku wanted more. He got selfish,and that's why he needs to control his heart. When you love someone you'll have negative feelings too. Like,you hate it when you see someone you care about get hurt,that's a negative feeling driven by positive emotions. What Izuku feels for Kacchan is positive,but when Kacchan gets hurt he has a negative reaction. The more you love someone,the more negative your reaction will be.
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MAN. Izuku is just too fun to write about. Lord save me now. (I mean they both are,but Izuku is just something else.)
Bakugo's gay realization
This one is a little harder for most people to pinpoint. I think like Izuku,he had a realization that he wasn't "normal" about Izuku. Izuku wasn't an extra,he never was one in Katsuki's eyes. In the beginning it was; "Because he looks down on me," and the more he grew the more that reason wasn't valid. The more he realized, "I'm weak too," can also be seen as the beginning of the realization "I'm not normal about him."
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(*But,can we a just agree him thinking about his experience with Izuku when he's struggling is so..JKSHSKJSK? Like,him constantly thinking about Izuku and his experiences with his feelings for him is just so telling how much he's grown.*)
And who's willing to bet he had a flashback to the lake?
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This. When he's having a flashback about how much he cares about Izuku as he's saving Izuku...that's when it clicked. Why he isn't normal about Izuku. I think he was like, "I care about him. That's it." But when Izuku left and he couldn't sleep he realized the feelings were much DEEPER. That he doesn't care about other people the way he does for Izuku. His feelings are something else entirely. So,in my opinion,he realized, "I'm in love with this damn nerd" when Izuku left. When he got that letter.
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When he realized he NEEDED him. That's when it clicked;he'd get stabbed through the gut,he'd stand in the rain,he'd die,just to make sure Izuku was okay. That he could smile,that he could be with him again.
So,I think it was the vigilante arc when Bakugo realized ,
"Oh,I'm not normal about him because I love him."
And I think that fits perfectly. That arc being the arc Katsuki realized he was in love,and that arc being the one Ochaco realized it. She realized they loved each other,and that was the arc she moved from Izuku. She became her own hero,without Izuku's influence,without wanting to be like Izuku.
In conclusion:
The vigilante arc is my favourite one by far.
Actual Conclusion:
Izuku realized he was gay gay when Bakugo learned how to save again,Katsuki realized he was gay gay when he couldn't sleep without Izuku,and that he wanted to be with Izuku. And Ochaco is a girl boss.
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beanghostprincess · 3 months
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Can you elaborate on shanks being rightfully blamed for shuggy break up? I’m genuine
Okay, so it's not that he's "rightfully blamed". When people say Shanks did nothing wrong, they're completely right. He did absolutely nothing wrong. He's an angel. Shanks, if you're reading this, I love you. In fact, his POV when it comes to his relationship with Buggy is equally heartbreaking if not even more painful and confusing. What I mean when I constantly say Buggy is rightfully angry and resentful, is not that Shanks deserves to be hated, I'm just saying that I understand Buggy perfectly. And even if Shanks doesn't deserve to be treated this way, Buggy's feelings are perfectly understandable.
Buggy has lived as Shanks' shadow his whole life. He had to give up on his dream because Shanks was the chosen one to keep Roger's legacy alive. He gave Shanks the straw hat, and not Buggy. As we can see in the flashback in chapter 1082, it's noticeable that it was not a one time thing. Shanks was constantly seen as brighter, smarter, braver, etc. Buggy was just in the background. And you know what? He was okay with that as long as he followed Shanks, because they were best friends and if Shanks achieved his dream, Buggy would too. He gave up on his dream to follow Shanks instead because he accepted he would never be seen as somebody like him. And you can blame Buggy and say "It's not Shanks' fault that he felt inferior! He could've fought for his dream instead!" but dude, sometimes people are fucking tired of fighting when nobody else is supporting them. It's just... Understandable. And he was a kid. You know how fucking painful it is to be neglected and see how much love your best friend received? From your dad of all people.
And then Buggy thinks "Fuck it, gonna go the easy way. I'll just follow this map and sell this devil fruit". But then Shanks' appears and he makes him eat the devil fruit and lose the map. "But it wasn't Shanks' fault! He literally did nothing and it was Buggy who got scared and ate the thin-" it's a metaphor. It's not hard to understand. It's- It's symbolism turned into a literal plot. Shanks' mere existence (appearing right behind Buggy when he was about to go follow his dream) made Buggy lose his independence as a pirate (made him eat a devil fruit, making him unable to swim an d be on his own. He's literally now hated by the sea, a pirate's home) and lose the path to his dream (quite literally, lose the map). Shanks did absolutely nothing to hurt Buggy, but Buggy's feelings toward him are understandable. It's the way envy and jealousy affect people. Mostly kids/teens. And this literally ruined Buggy's life forever. He can't even go to Laugh Tale, and even if Shanks stays with him, he can't go because of his Devil Fruit (I mean, not canon yet, but quite obviously real already, c'mon). And that's just gonna give Buggy more reasons to be resentful.
Then Roger (their captain. Their dad) dies. Gets executed in front of them. Buggy sees this as an opportunity to be his legacy, so of course he trusts Shanks to do it. It's obvious in the way he talks about it that he was going to follow Shanks, or at least trust him in his journey. But then Shanks hesitates. We don't know exactly why (maybe he knew something back then. Maybe he knew they weren't ready yet. Maybe he was scared. Whatever) but he hesitates. He doubts. And Buggy, who sees Shanks as this powerful force and as the brightest pirate of all (because he has lived in his shadow for so long), of course gets angry. It isn't fair that everyone sees Shanks as the brightest when he's the one hesitating about following their dream. It isn't fair that Buggy, the one who believes in Shanks and their dream, is the one looked down upon.
Idk, I don't think Buggy hates Shanks either. It's just that his mere existence hurts too much to be with him. And tbh I find leaving somebody for that extremely valid.
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thepetesimp · 6 months
Text
Ok, Ok, I think I need to lay down. Yes, SandRay floored us today. Yes, Khaotung wanted to personally kill me with his acting and First with his huge eyes filled with tears. Yes, whatever the fuck TopMew had going on this episode had me pull my hair in frustration in a good way, because Mew is a hilariously horrible person and Boeing is unhinged. BUT. Listen. BostonNick stole the episode for me. That scene. That fucking scene. Everything that happened before that scene was the perfect set up. Atom setting Boston up. Cheum and co going to his house to shame him and denounce him as their friend. Nick and Dan. Their encounter at Nick's shop. It was all delicious and perfectly executed but it could never prepare me for this. We see Boston looking sad at the distance and Nick coming to him to talk (after he saw Boston's feelings about him through the fucking phone wallpaper pls, I'm not OK). He asks him and Boston is defensive but then Nick insists and Boston, in his need to have someone comfort him FINALLY, says what happened. At first Nick responds by telling him how things are; seems legit, he says, given what you've done. Boston tells him to cut it off but not in his usual way, he's not cruel or rude, he's simply asking to not be shit on rn. Nick listens and apologizes and he means it and I love it.
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But Boston feels weird and cannot understand wtf is wrong with him and it's real and I love that he trusted Nick to ask him about it. And Nick's answer is perfect for Boston, because sure, for us, the audience it seems so obvious; of course Boston is doing fucked up shit in his desperation to be loved and accepted, but Boston doesn't know that. No one TOLD him that, no one SHOWED him that.
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Boston's answer to that is even better, because he still doesn't understand. And he needs a more valid reason than that.
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Nick's answer? Oh, my beautiful nasty little boy. He was so real for it. He needed to gather himself to say it. He needed time to utter those words. "I also did nasty shit to you, Boston" he tells him. "Maybe we belong together" What Boston said next was breathtaking. I love him for that.
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He might as well have said "I love you" here. It has the same weight as that phrase. That's why Nick breaks down. That's why he kisses him like that, crying uncontrollably and telling him he missed him too. Because we already knew about Nick's feelings towards Boston. We knew the guy had an obsession turned love towards him. But with Boston it's different. And Nick thought so too before this phrase was uttered, before Boston basically confessed he has feelings for Nick, or more precisely, that Nick is special to Boston. And he proceeds to say it AGAIN, after Nick says it. He says AGAIN how he missed him and he THANKS him for staying by his side with TEARS in his own eyes. They hug while crying together, please, I'm too weak for this. And then they make LOVE. They don't just fuck, they make sweet love to each other while staring at each other's eyes and kissing and being cute and I fucking DIED right there. BostonNick is all I ever wanted and more. I need MORE, please, I can't handle myself. This episode was SO GOOD, I can't DEAL with this.
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Honestly? All your evidence against Ruin is very very true, very very sus, and very very convenient for him.
I think the only reason why I want him to be innocent to some degree (either revealed he's still being controlled and not that just being him) is I don't want Moon's paranoia to be validated. That is literally it. If Moon is right to be suspicious, that he was right in doing everything he did with Ruin-
I just really really do not want that paranoia to be justified. That is literally it.
All your evidence is probably right though, Ruin, please be a better actor you have gained the ability to be subtle but that is really not helping you.
The thing is that, Moon feels he was disproven in his paranoia and that he decided to give Ruin leniency.
Which is why Ruin was able to get away from Moon, and ask for dimensional travel.
I have a feeling Ruin put a lot of things in place to assure that he would infiltrate Sun and Moon near perfectly.
Considering the latest MAFS episode (which I feel is very important considering how Daycare Attendant centric it is)
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"Cured" Ruin and Bloodmoon have not met up yet.
And I have a feeling they will very soon. And Bloodmoon was built with the sole purpose of being Ruin's minion. And Bloodmoon hasn't outgrown that purpose. Right now, Bloodmoon has no directive, and is taking orders from Stitchwraith, but once his maker comes back into the table, I feel all bets are off the table.
Also, lets rewind for a bit... What if Moon's earlier paranoia about Ruin is proven true...
THAT would have MASSIVE benefits that we aren't even thinking about. Like at this point, Moon's paranoia proven right would just help them rather then help them.
They'll trust Eclipse
Eclipse will be taken more seriously and less like a madman or feral child that Moon needs to manage.
Eclipse will get to be something else other then a villain or just an inconvenience for once.
THIS WILL NOT HELP MOON'S EGO AT ALL. For those who think Moon would gloat like "ha! I was right!" I don't think it'll be like that. HE'D FEEL BETRAYED and utterly devastated. It's one thing to be suspicious of someone. But to have those suspicions disproven and not being proven and put your trust into them despite all that and then the evil villain you've built in your head (Eclipse) turned out to be right the whole time and you fucked it all up by not listening to the untrustworthy one.
Remember Eclipsev3 was crying when he was captured because he knew it wouldn't matter what he said, no one would ever trust his word against Ruins? Eclipse would be given trust for the first time ever....
And you know what. AFTER ALL THIS TIME. SUN AND MOON DO NOT KNOW ECLIPSE'S BACKSTORY. As far as Sun and Moon know, Eclipse was a killcode that became sentient and started evil shit for no reason. I hope this will open the door for that conversation to be had.
Not to Mention, Evil Sun today told Moon that he should actually LISTEN to Eclipse. Cause if he doesn't, it just means that this universe will die faster.
I am also surprised that none of the characters call Ruin out specifically for lying. As I have caught him lying several times and none of the characters seem to be wise to it.
Eclipse when he was threatening Ruin did not even think to bring up the Magical Barrier he has encountered twice now. He didn't think to bring up how he was made from Arcade machines either.
All Eclipse thought about was his rage, but if he defused Ruin with logic, he could have easily caught him, other then just going "BUT YOU DID IT! WAH"
Ruin contradicts and changes his story so many times in the span of a few seconds and it has been proven in his Interrogation under the Virus he is a chronic lair. Lie detectors don't work. You have to catch him verbally in a contradiction. Which he has Spouted MANY.
So I always hoped that Moon, Solar or Eclipse would point out these purposeful contradictions but No characters do.
RUIN LEGIT SAID ALOUD "I don't know magic."
Okay. Then he said way earlier: "I constructed this magical barrier to trap you"
....... Okay. YOu can copy a spell, but even COPYING a spell itself is KNOWING magic. The mana has to come from SOMEWHERE. He's not pulling it out of his ass!
Eclipse NOR Moon called this out.
Ruin knows that NewMoon is not as experienced in Magic as OldMoon was. (WHICH MOON ADMITS) and Ruin is taking advantage of that.
Not to mention Eclipse’s magic circle is just an exact copy of Old Moon’s magic circle and wasn’t made by someone knowledgeable in magic.
Ruin being scared of Eclipse almost everytime he encounters him is interesting.
BECAUSE HE IS LEGIT THE ONLY ONE WHO IS. ALMOST LIKE HE'S OVERSELLING HIM.
One moment, Ruin will cower over Eclipse and act traumatized by him, but then he talks about plans about making Star-Powered type Nukes (LEGIT. HE DID.) and then gloat over Eclipse...
Not to mention, Eclipse had never tortured Ruin. He threatened him, sure, but he never physically harmed him. He left before he could do so. But Ruin told Moon and Sun that Eclipse physically tortured him for a long time... BUT THAT'S NOT TRUE. Because Eclipse just threatened torture and the moment Ruin mentioned the Creator, Eclipse went off chasing that wild goose.
So the question comes down to motive... Why do all this with Eclipse.
Well, to accelerate the Death of the Universe. Not just ours.
The Tsams universe is not the main universe. But it's a pillar universe. Meaning if it goes down it takes a few others down with it.
RUIN WANTS TO DESTROY MULTIPLE DIMENTIONS.
Why????
Where did Ruin come from?
What is his dimension?
He has a virus in him that makes him subservient to the Creator in his home world. (if not a little unhinged and bound for destruction and amplifying the violent parts of his personality)
What did the Creator of that dimension want?
He wanted to accelerate the death of the universe by star power so he could study it.
........well.
He already did that with his own dimension.
The creator needs more control samples for multiple dimensions rotting.
And why the hell does the Creator have a cure for the Ruin virus when it's beneficial to him in the long term?
Even Sun said he grabbed something he "thought" was a Cure, and Moon seemed unsure if it was a cure in the first place too.
All Ruin said it did was "cure the fog" from his head. Which makes me think that he's less focused on playing games... (like the Monty of Ruin's dimension thought he was a freakshow) so I think that Ruin is just more focused in long term goals... Also I think his goal was always to pretend to be cured. Looking back in how he acted and what he did when he took over last Halloween.
Ruin, He already knew Bloodmoon was rebelling against him. The protocols he put in bloodmoon to be obedient weren't working how he intended. So he made Eclipse with STRICTER protocols to not make the same mistake and to cause chaos among the Sun and Moon duo.
Eclipse is a distraction so that he can RUIN everything.
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utilitycaster · 4 months
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forgive me if i don’t make sense bc i don’t really know how to articulate this, but taliesin talked a lot about “trying to figure out what punk means in exandria” and wondering what’s there to be angry about. and after the last string of episodes i feel like that it’s a question that he baked into ashton’s character. like yes ashton is punk and they have justified anger but the Rest of their anger is deflective to stop them from interrogating themselves and their decisions further. idk it’s really interesting to me
It is! It's something I really love about Ashton and it's something I think Taliesin was very thoughtful about in his character creation. I think Taliesin is extremely strong in character creation in general, and it's a rare person who can make a character based on a philosophical premise who also feels very real.
That really is the core of Ashton, and I think it's a great commentary. I do still intend to watch The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (winter break perhaps?) but I am broadly familiar with the gutter-punks on which Ashton was based, and again, the punk movement as a whole. There have always been politically-minded punks; but I advise you look up the backgrounds of, say, the average Fugazi/Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, or Propagandhi musician because they are, by and large, middle-class white guys with relatively stable and happy childhoods, and the idea of Ashton as someone dedicated to the Tumblr uwu kindness is punk "look at this perfect baby who doesn't steal pennies how kind and generous to only take literally everything else" archetype was always a massive projection. They've always been far more in the model of the Break Shit, Get Wasted punk than, well, the straight edge and veganism of the above.
(I also think that while it's true that a lot of punk houses did take in anyone and were something of a refuge for many a la Color In Your Cheeks, there was also a lot of Missing Stair Fallacy shit going on in the punk community even then. Ashton is in fact an example of the flaws in that sort of subculture: the Nobodies were there until they really, really weren't, and that's not unusual for that kind of punk friendship. It's found family until you're too inconvenient and dangerous to make it worth it. Taliesin explores this a lot, incidentally; that was very much what he was doing with Molly, and I would love to hear him talk about that kind of surface-level closeness that isn't strong enough to stick because as someone who both participates in fandom and loves to observe and analyze fandom as a phenomenon itself, it's a very real dynamic.)
Ashton has had an awful life. That's the premise. Nothing good has happened to them. There are plenty of valid reasons for them to be angry. Some are people who deserve it (their parents for the fucked up ritual; the Nobodies for abandoning them; Jiana Hexum for exploiting them), some are people who don't deserve their anger but to be fair haven't done anything to deserve their respect either (Percy, the gods), but many have been perfectly kind and reasonable and Ashton has rejected them because they're in a position of authority or seemed too nice. And there's plenty of stuff he's mad about that isn't easily pinned on anyone; the chronic pain is a shitty side effect of one or both of his traumas but no one person is responsible.
Ashton is an incredibly cynical person, and this extends to himself. As I've said before, I think they absolutely mean it when they say that they would have done the exact same thing the Nobodies would do, and this has been used to both cover up the intense hurt that came from their abandonment, but also, I think part of Ashton's own self-loathing comes from the fact that yeah, they are the kind of person who'd have done the same, and that isn't a very good person, and being angry at the Nobodies and Jiana and the world at large has allowed him to avoid looking that truth in the face. Ashton has always bounced between "I'll be the best broken thing I can be" and "what if I could be more? what if I could be what I could have been if things went well?" and also "who the fuck cares" and the reveal, that when the chips are down, he will make an ill-advised and self-destructive choice from that place of pain and anger has really rattled them. He can't keep just being angry and using that to shield himself from difficult questions. It won't just kill them, but it will hurt everyone around them too.
A really ugly truth of life is that even when something is completely not your fault and even when you have been dealt a rotten, unfair hand, often, you do have some degree of responsibility to deal with it ("And if it isn't my fault, I certainly didn't do anything to deal with it," as Ashton says.) The mere act of being angry is cathartic but doesn't actually solve anything. I think that's Keyleth's message to Orym, actually; it's not fair, and you're angry that it's not fair, but you need to use that anger to do things yourself instead of letting it consume you or passing the buck because it sure as hell isn't your turn. Ashton has, since the solstice, been playing tug of war with the idea that this anger has perhaps not been serving him, and he finally lost. Initially they realized a lot of this anger had been self-pity, but then, as they said, one week of thinking their parents actually were something led them to do the exact same dumb cult shit. Instead of stopping and listening to Evontra'vir and Allura, he said "no, I'm special, actually." And to be clear I think their motives were incredibly complicated and well-thought-out on Taliesin's part. It's not just because of his parents, it's not entirely selfish or out of heroics but those certainly did play a part, he did genuinely think it would help but he also ignored a number of warnings that it wouldn't. Again, I think the parallels between Ashton and FCG are glaringly obvious this episode, except Ashton hid their feelings with anger and FCG with a focus on everyone else's needs.
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jadeylovesmarvelxo · 1 year
Text
This Kiss
Reader has never been kissed and she's looking for candidates at a party but Eddie rejects them all and scares them off even before they're talking with the reader. After the party, he shyly announces his candidacy for her first kiss @saramelaniemoon 💖
Warnings; Reader is over 18, Fluff, protective Eddie, slightly jealous Eddie, friends to lovers.
I don't give anyone permission to copy my work.
If you enjoyed this then please consider giving it a reblog it is much appreciated 💖
💖
Telling Eddie her biggest secret was nerve-wracking. She knew he would never judge her, and he would be so supportive but she was still anxious.
"Sweetheart? What's the big secret? I'm thinking all sorts here" shit! now he looks worried so she just comes right out with it.
"I've never been kissed and I would like for it to happen" he states at her stunned.
"Never?" he gapes and she nods feeling flustered which he notices straight away.
"Never" she confirms.
"So you want to kiss the right guy, I'll help you find the right guy. He will have to be someone incredible though to be good enough for my princess"
His princess... she tries to ignore the butterflies in her stomach but it's hard because Eddie was so handsome and sweet to her.
They had just recently became really close friends and she didn't want to jeopardize anything by admitting she felt... more than friendly feelings for him.
What if he didn't feel the same and he was just being kind? She didn't want to take that risk, the embarrassment of being rejected, and then trying to pretend that it didn't hurt so she could still have Eddie in her life.
"Well, there's the party that Chrissy is throwing tomorrow. We could go to that? Scope up any candidates" she suggests and he nods.
"It's a date! Uh... I mean not a date like that" she stammers and inwardly curses herself for being so awkward around him.
He smiles though and squeezes her hand to let her know that he gets it.
"Tomorrow it is"
💖💖
Chrissy's party was one of the biggest of the year and since her parents, were away on a business trip everyone was attending.
It was also the party after graduation so it was anticipated by everyone and Chrissy had invited her and Eddie.
It was her first big party and she was excited.
At first, it was a little stifling, so many people crammed inside and out, the loud music blaring in her ears but she was determined to stick it out.
She had a reason for being here after all.
Operation First Kiss, yeah it was a kinda dorky name but this was just between her and Eddie who was staying close to her and handed her a beer.
"Okay, so candidates?" she prompted Eddie and tried to not notice how hot he looked in his leather jacket, black shirt, and black jeans.
Eddie wasn't very forthcoming so she looked around the room while sipping her beer.
"Okay, how about David, cute, nerdy guy? Standing over there beside Nancy. Think he works with her on the school paper" Eddie gives the guy a once over and shakes his head.
"Nope" she stares at him amused.
"Why not?" he shrugs and proceeds to drink his beer. Yeah, valid argument there Eddie.
She grins as she spots Jason and purely to wind Eddie up she points to him.
"I guess Carver is like a definite no then?" he almost chokes on the beer and glares at her and she looks back at him with a perfectly innocent expression.
"Oh ha ha" he murmurs sarcastically and she cuddles into him just for a second.
"I'm only teasing Eddie. I would never, he's a douchenozzle" Eddie snorts and whispers around his breath.
"Douchenozzle" he looks proud, he should be he's the one who taught her it.
They are so lost in their laughter that she doesn't notice one of the basketball players sidle up to her looking very interested.
"Hey?" he gets her attention and she smiles at him. His name was Danny and she knew he was very nice, Lucas liked him a lot.
"Hi"
"Are you enjoying the party?" he asks her and she shrugs.
"I'm not really one for parties but Chrissy invited us and she's really lovely so I thought why not?" at the mention of us he looks over to Eddie and pales.
She isn't sure why until she turns to Eddie and notices that his eyes are flashing dangerously and he does not look happy.
"Oh, I think I hear one of my friends calling me, got to go" Danny scurries off and she rounds on Eddie whose dark expression immediately soften. Now he's the one trying to look innocent.
"Eddie! What was that? We are trying to scope out potential candidates. Not scare them away. Danny is nice, Lucas likes him and says he's not a jerk like Jason"
Eddie gives her one of those heart-melting grins of his-all dimples and she sighs.
"Sorry sweetheart. You know how protective I am of you and I just want you to find a good guy"
Okay, she agrees and it was sweet of him to want her to find the perfect guy. Now it was on to the next one.
💖💖
Out of five other candidates she had found Eddie liked precisely none of them.
"He's far too into himself princess," he said about one of her picks.
The other was "A total butthead"
Even when she mentioned that maybe Gareth could be an option and worth considering as he was Eddie's best friend and all and was a great guy, Eddie swore and shook his head.
"No way, absolutely not princess" she is beyond exasperated by now.
"He's your best friend. You like him, what's wrong with him?"
"Nothing but it's still a no sweetheart" she huffs and Eddie offers to get her another beer when she sees Steve join the party with Robin and she has an eureka moment.
"I've got it," she says excitedly as Eddie comes back. He looks at her wary.
"What?"
"Steve, he is kind, handsome, sweet, and surely you have nothing against him right?" she implores and Eddie swallows and stakes his head.
"No, he's a great dude" he murmurs and fiddles with his rings, something she knows he does when he's anxious.
Almost immediately the idea disapatates quick.
"He's still crazy in love with Nancy though and I adore Nancy so that's not the best idea" is it her imagination or does Eddie relax after she says it?
Considering the party a failure she turns to Eddie and pouts.
"Did you make any more of that amazing mac and cheese Eds? This party is a bust and I'd rather be relaxing at yours" he brightens.
"Lead the way milady"
💖💖
Once they are back at his she is a little put out things never went how she thought they would.
"What a let down the party was. All those guys and every one was a fail" well mostly according to Eddie.
"There's still one guy left," Eddie tells her, and she feels her stomach fill with butterflies as his big brown eyes go all soft and he looks so shy which was a rarity.
"I'd like to put forth my candidacy"
Her jaw drops because she didn't expect this but then it suddenly clicks into place why he was so protective, how no one was good enough.
The only guy he wanted kissing her was himself. The butterflies intensify and she takes his hand.
"Eddie.. why didn't you say before?" she asks softly and he touches her cheek.
"I've always thought your were incredible. Beautiful. I like you a lot sweetheart, I've fallen for you hard"
"Oh, Eddie, I've been falling for you too. I wish you had said something sooner, would have saved us both a lot of pining" he grins.
"Yeah no shit" he teases and then he moves closer as does she and before she knows it they are kissing.
It's slow at first and very gentle. Tender, Eddie wraps his arms around her and holds her close.
They break away both grinning goofily. It was her first kiss and the first of millions more to come with Eddie.
💖💞
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gn4wz-0n-b0n3z · 6 days
Text
ithink this is what tumblr would be like in the dogman universe: a simulator
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😀 randomcivillian-956 follow
can those villain asshats get control of those goddamn monsters i have lost literally every single fucking thing thanks to those brainless pieces of shits last week a fucking T-REX SKELETON destroyed my fucking HOUSE and everything around it
🪻 inmylane-1999
how are you able to say those words
😀 randomcivillian-956 follow
what words?
🪻 inmylane-1999 the a word, f word, and s word
😀 randomcivillian-956 follow
oh i see you're one of the Collardale inhabitants. screw the fuck off your town is a CURSE
🪻 inmylane-1999
what did i do? :(
10 notes
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🪰 greenweirdthingwithteeth follow
hnstly i dont get y Daryl hangs arnd that pig guy hes rlly mean & bad
🐊 piethrowingboss
didnt u help us go after him when he ditched us after the mini jail broke 2 bits?
🪰 greenweirdthingwithteeth follow
yeh butt hes still rlly mean & i was a lil moar concerned 4 Daryl
🐊 piethrowingboss
ohhhh kk
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🐕 zupabuddiezthezenutz
zomg did u guyz watch that new mini-documentary w/ Petey The Cat n Zarah Hatoff??? that waz tragickk..
#holy shart i have so much moar respect 4 him now..
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🔄 24hotdogsatyourdoorstep reblogged
🌆 icareforyou follow
still dont know why people are supporting Petey Duckhat just because of that documentary, didn't he terrorize the city for more than a month or two?? ntm he quite literally MUTILATED Officer Knight and Greg The Dog's bodies bad enough with that bomb to where they had to become that sick and horrible abomination i have to stomach through seeing on the news every week.
😀 randomcivillian-956 follow
i know right?? like hes genuinely a horrible cat but people are supporting him for no other reason other than "oh hes a victim!!" like shut the fuck up and grow up.
comicpanel-deactivated-98325749857
op i wouldn't say DogMan is sick and horrible, he seems to be in great condition despite such an accident and hard surgery to conduct, and looks perfectly happy. while i don't support Petey Duckhat either, you took it a step further and suggested that DogMan is currently in conditions horrible enough to render him an "abomination".
🌆 icareforyou follow
dont you post tips for fucking evil monsters on your blog.
#LMAOOO dude was SLAUGHTERED so hard they deactivated #redogs
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🌭 24hotdogsatyourdoorstep
walking on the street with a small can of living spray in my pocket and the nearest cop explodes into blood guts and viscera
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🦷 bigmonsterinyourheart
okay i get that Dr. Scum is a real and kinda sucky person and all that but his labcoat kinda fucks!!
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✨ lookatthestars
Hot take or whatever but I don't think we should trust a guy who gets really distracted by squirrels and balls and a kitten who could easily get hurt to protect our city. Lightning Dude IS one of the better options as they ARE a highly durable and strong robot, but The Bark Knight and Cat Kid maybe aren't our best bets, they could get hurt easily and aren't exactly professionals.
Don't get me started on the Friendly Friends, I don't think we can trust two guys who JUST left the same exact trio that was responsible for that marshmallow factory's destruction (which left many injured, some DEAD), what if they're pretending? Also the bugs could easily get killed, they're small and fragile, the most work they can do without a high risk of getting smashed is spying on villains.
Commander Cupcake's a different story, as I'm pretty sure that guy only helped out, like, 3 times.
#anti-supa buddies #anti-friendly friends #twinkle twinkle little star
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🪁 lalalalala89
dude imagine if we were in a book rn and ppl were posting on tumblr abt us
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🎠 supastarr
remember, calico trans toms are perfectly valid! even cis toms can be calicos, and fur pattern doesn't determine exact gender, especially with fur dying technology nowadays! :)
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