#it was both the most funny reason to show up again and the most justified

[katyspersonal]

#shitposting #fandomry rambles #sigh... #i really can't explain it #it is just that mal coming back would've instantly made overall fandom's quality 40% time better #italian fans do that lol #*just keeps waiting* #i mean she did mention that she had full time job as art teacher now and had lotta projects to prepare #so it is fair it takes some time #omg do you all remember how she vanished for years and then 'joined the hunt tonight' when you-know-who started to- #-bully gehrman fans #it was both the most funny reason to show up again and the most justified #what normal people are excited for: gehrmaria content finally!!!!!! #what i am excited for: HER VERSION OF ROM WILL SEE THE UPDATE GIVE ME YOUR ROMS (AND CARYLLS) AYYYYYY

[skeletinmoss]

Ruffled feathers

Ships planned: Prinxiety, Logicality, Dukeciet

Warnings: Human traficing, abuse, injuries, imprisonment, captivity and all that comes with it, restraints

Patton and Virgil are brothers in this one

Thanks @lovelivingmydreams for being my beta. It was very much needed since english is not my main language

His hands were itching from the cuffs, he was sick of them for a long time now, and moving his hands so fast made it worse. His wings ached unable to be spread, pressed together in tight restraints. Funny, like he could have escaped without them. And now his throat hurt too. Bastards. He only wanted them to stop yelling at Patton, it wasn't his fault he needed to use claws to get his point across.

He almost missed the moment smoke filled the room.

It took Virgil a couple of minutes to fully understand what just happened. His head was still a little fuzzy after the electric strike. The same guy that just knocked out their captors helped him up and lifted him in a piggy back position. The guy took him and Patton outside, where two other men in gas masks circled them, pointing their ( how was it called again?) guns at their surroundings. And next he knew they were inside the van.

" Roman, I told you to wait for the signal, " the fourth guy, who was also the driver, berated the first one. " He was using a shocker! " justified their savior as he was taking off Virgil's muzzle and the bindings off his wings along with the handcuffs. The other two helped Patton with the same. And Virgil almost relaxed in their presence, that is until Roman and the rest took off their masks, " What? I was supposed to let him hurt the poor creature? "

Humans. Taking a defensive stance, Virgil covered his brother with his wings and growled. He was ready to show them why he had that muzzle if they dared to touch Pat. Humans were the whole reason they got in this situation. He interacted with so many shitty ones he was pretty sure being assholes was their race trait. Humans took them away from their forest, locked them in a cage, fed them some garbage and drugs, and the most infuriating they cut their wings! And they had the audacity to complain about ' ruining the best part'. And now him and his brother were locked with another bunch of them. He knew better than to trust them. he saw what they can do. And so he hissed at their every movement. He wouldn't be hurt by them again.

The team looked at the unfolded wings in awe and understanding. Roman was not surprised by the sudden aggressive change in avian's behavior. They expected the victims to be hostile in such situation and trained accordingly. It was best not to touch them, that's why they took the opposite corner of the van.

No wonder the traffickers were interested in them, both seemed to have rare colorations. The older one had black as his main color, which was one of the rarest, with purple and cyan as his other colors, also a pretty rare thing to see. The younger one, who looked more concerned than scared, was more close to regular brown wings but also had a bunch of blue and white feathers instead of orange or red. The saddest things was the state of those wings, both birds had their long feathers cut, weren't groomed and had some patches of feathers missing no doubt from all the stress. They were in such a bad state the whole team was wondering if the traffickers really were planning to sell them.

The dark one was so on edge they didn't have a choice but to leave both alone so he could relax. Thankfully their enclosure had cameras so the team could check on them. The team got into the the security room and stared at the screen. And sure the second they left the avians alone both relaxed and cuddled up on the mossy floor. So cute.

Both talked, but in their native language which none of the humans knew. Judging by other clues both were making sure the other one was ok. Even cuter scene happened when they discovered the bathroom.

The bathtub was build more like a pool with warm water, both avians jumped in as soon as they saw it and started to preen each others feathers. As they were busy with cleaning up Roman took it upon himself to bring them the new clothes. He knocked on the bathroom door and got a loud hiss in return. Rude. But he calmly opened the door ( which got him another hiss), put down a box of clothes and left. He hurried back into the surveillance room to see their reactions. They were hesitant to approach the clothes at first, so they focused on finishing up the bath. The first one to make a move was the Sweetie, but his moody brother covered him quickly from the supposed danger and took it upon himself to inspect the new object. Of course there was nothing dangerous and he allowed the young one to come closer. They both studied the things they were given and judging by their faces quite liked them. Both chose a hoodie with an open back that allowed them to move their wings freely. Both also chose comfortable pants, the rest of the clothes they folded neatly and placed outside the enclosure in the same box they came in.

" They are adapting great, " commented Janus following a chuckle from Remus, who was still excited about two naked butts he saw. His boyfriend clearly didn't give him enough attention today. Logan gave a nod. This rescue mission was their most successful one, ignoring mild insubordination from Roman. Both avians were rescued without any additional injuries. He was a little disappointed with himself at the fact that he couldn't track them earlier. Now they needed intense medical care and therapy. " Look at the Stormy Night. He's acting all tough, but he's as sweet as his brother, " it seemed like Roman already got a favorite. He always did, and when as the time came to release them back into the wild he would whine at the sight of them leaving. Every single time.

Jan ran his hand through Remus' hair, who now took the place on the floor between his legs, "What do we do now? " " I would suggest taking them to Emile, but considering the state they are in it would be best to let them get used to the new environment and people, " answered Logan. " Can't we just put Sugar Tits inside the enclosure instead of throwing them inside the van again? We don't stress the bird butts and they relax after talking to a non human. Like triple win! " " Not now. Emile can't come here because of a family emergency. We will have to monitor them until he can".

During next couple of weeks Logan documented the patterns in the avians behavior.

The one they nicknamed Moody was protective, yet in front of any of the humans present he acted very cold towards his brother. As the Nerd hypothesized this was directed on making them think they weren't that close, so they would not hurt one to punish the other. Honestly the fact that he thought this was necessary infuriated Logan the most. The younger of the brothers was more open to the new people. After only two days he started openly showing interest in anything new. Logan tried to explain to the best of his ability, thinking there was a language barrier involved. Which was not actually true. Both avians could pick up on languages very well. And had learned several human tongues from their previous captors. Patton really wanted to talk with the new humans, but couldn't do so because he didn't want to disclose the same with Virgil. Virgil didn't trust them at all, and he was hoping they would spill something important in front of them if they thought they couldn't understand them.

He also grew worried around one particular human. Princey, as he started to call him, was more irritated with him out of all of the humans and V just couldn't understand what he was doing wrong. They weren't trying to run away, they did behave. Why send such disgusted looks?

He was the most terrified when he started to feel sick. " Virgil... Are you ok? " Patton asked as Virgil stared at the pill he just spat out. He took the bread from Patton's hands and threw it on the floor. Not again. No wonder he was feeling like shit! They put something in the food! As to prove his thoughts the door opened and in came the humans.

They fucked up. They really did, and for the first time Remus was the one to say " I told you so", though he wasn't happy about it either. He knew that giving the guy medicine inside his food would turn out bad for them if he found out. And wouldn't you know it, the first pill and he found it. Worst part was that he was the go-do guy in this situation. That was probably because of his kinks for biting and stuff which was absolutely fucking involved in capturing an avian and separating him from his brother. He got plenty of it as he dragged the winged man towards the van, his brother crying in the background, held by Roman.

Remus pressed Moody into the floor with his legs, while holding his wings with his hands. Jan-jan took care of the avian's legs and arms so he would be easier and safer to transport. He very much appreciated when the avian relaxed understanding his helpless situation, his hands might have gone numb otherwise. Got a wing in the face a couple of times though as they were on their way to Emile. " Relax, Snappy bird, we're taking you to the doc~" Remus purred sealing his words with a sound slap on the guy's buns, which he quickly regretted because the avian started resisting again.

They should have started with bringing birds to Emile, and now they were paying for their decisions ( mostly with Remus' flesh). " Oh my goodness, what happened? " Emile sprinted towards the van. Logan got out the driver seat and opened the back doors. Snappy started to shift again, but went completely still seeing the fawn in front of him.

" There. We're ok, aren't we? " the new figure spoke in avian's language, quickly going back on the human one to ask the reason for their visit. " He got sick and the dorks tried secretly feeding him the meds, which he found. As I told you all would happen! " declared the human on Virgil's back.

" Are you feeling bad, Sweetie?" the fawn asked motioning for the human to let go. As soon as the weight was lifted off him, Virgil crawled away in the other corner. " It's ok. Please forgive them. They were concerned about your wellbeing, " the fawn said as he approached and sat down.

" I'm Emile. Can I have your name? " " Are you with them? " the avian asked with venom on his tongue. " I am, but I'm concerned about your understanding of the situation. They don't hurt me, don't worry. We're actually good friends, and I help them heal other creatures just like you." He reached his hand forwards, " Is it ok if I touch you? "

Virgil showed his fangs, " You can try. "

Emile however wasn't impressed and just touched the avian's forehead with the back of his hand. " Yup, you're burning, " he declared and picked up the confused man, bringing him to his office. He gave the bird an antipyretic medicine and started the overall checkup.

" My goodness, your wings look awful! " the doctor gasped and got some sort of ointment from the cabinet. He generously applied it on the spots that missed any feathers and at the base of the wings. " Now, I know you have a brother. So I'm going to give you this thing, ok? You and your brother need to apply it once a day after a good bath. Can you do that, Sweetheart? " he asked.

Virgil nodded. The medication started kicking in and he suddenly felt exhausted. He almost fell asleep on his way back. He didn't purely out of spite and hissed at humans a dozen more times.

Patton was hysterical. They took Virgil! They took him away! In his frantic sobs he didn't even care if they found out about the language thing, he started pleading.

" I'm sorry! Forgive him for whatever he did. Please! Don't take him away! We're sorry! " he cried. He unsuccessfully tried to get out of the hold.

Logan took avian's hands in his own, " We're not taking him away. He needs medical care. We will bring him back. " " Promise? " the avian uttered quietly. The technician gave a firm nod.

He waited another minute for sobs to die down, while holding avian's hands.

" Now, if this is resolved, we need to talk, " he said. And Patton anxiously squeaked and hid himself behind his wings.

Not minding at all, the human continued, " First I want to apologize for our decision to hide the medicine in the food. We were hoping he wouldn't find them this quickly and would feel better without interacting with us, " he nodded for Roman to let go off the avian as now there was no need for it. Sweetie peeked curiously from behind his wings.

" Seeing as you in fact do understand me, allow me to explain ourselves a bit better. We are a special rescue team, that specializes in rehabilitation of humanoid creatures found sold on the black market, " the technician continued. " Usually we take our time to infiltrate the organization and remove the victims safely and quietly. Sometimes if that's not possible we pose as buyers, for some instances we actually pay, but usually we scam them."

Actor nodded along, " Yup! Bad people deserve no money! "

" In your case we could do neither. It is thoroughly my fault. We didn't know about you for the longest time and when I was able to find any information it was obvious that we needed to intervene as soon as possible. I need to mention that we never had any experience with such terrible treatment, " Logan looked at their new friend with pity.

" Yeah, " Roman added, " Usually those guys try to make you look pretty for the buyers. Not torture you. "

Patton didn't understand everything the humans told him, but at the end of the conversation he felt reassured, safe even. He asked them to keep this conversation a secret for now. He didn't want Virgil to get mad, it would be better if he opens up at his own pace.

He sat on the mossy floor waiting and, like humans told him, Virgil returned. He looked tired, his huge wings mopped the floor behind him and he carried a small jar in his hands. His eyes seemed dazed and focused on the jar rather than his steps and this focus was the last thing keeping him from the firm grip of the dreamscape. As soon as his bother hugged him he lost that focus and relaxed in the familiar hold fast asleep

Next chapter

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #ts virgil #roman sanders #ts roman #logan sanders #ts logan #patton sanders #ts patton #ts janus #janus sanders #ts remus #remus sanders #ts emile #emile picani #prinxiety #logicality #dukeceit #tw captivity #tw imprisonment #tw human trafficking #tw abuse #tw injury #ruffled feathers au

[animentality]

the main reason ds9 isn't remembered as well as the original series or tng by the general populace is not just because it wasn't the very first trek or the most popular trek (tng's popularity was what really brought trek into the mainstream).

it was hated by Rick Berman, who was the head of the franchise at its height, and who deliberately spited it by never including its canon in other treks.

and that effect has lasted to this day, as modern writers who only bother to watch Star Trek movies never seem to remember ds9 even exists. the way the Pine-Quinto movies mention Archer and his beagle, and trek movies and shows make multiple references to TOS, and newer treks center entirely around tng plots or the Borg.

the way they brought back seven of nine before literally anyone on the cast of ds9.

there's a reason that the damn tng movies had a million references to Voyager, with Janeway and the EMH actually having cameos, but ds9 never even got a passing reference, even where it actually would've been appropriate.

Berman hated ds9 for its focus on serialization, i. e., connected storytelling, rather than syndication, i. e. episodic storytelling, because he was a money grubbing misogynist and homophobe, who thought all the money was in syndication. he hated the writers/other producers of ds9 for going behind his back and doing their damnedest to make quality star trek.

one of my favorite spiteful Berman stories is that in star trek first contact, the 2nd tng movie, he wanted to blow up the defiant and destroy it permanently, just for no reason at all.

and the ds9 writers were upset because no one had asked them about it. so they said you can destroy the defiant, but we're just gonna keep using the defiant and pretending it didn't blow up if you do.

which is why Worf asks Picard, in a completely thrown in line, what's the status of the defiant, and Picard says adrift, but salvageable.

and this particular movie is funny to me also because in that period, Worf is technically supposed to still be serving on ds9, and bringing him into the movie was basically justified as something of a side quest for him, being dragged off the station for a little tng romp.

so you see the crew of the defiant, but... again. Berman spite. rather than letting ANYONE on ds9 cameo in the first contact movie, even though that might've been cool... they just have some randos. one might be Adam Scott.

and remember that JANEWAY AND THE EMH are in that movie.

so berman deliberately wanted to spite ds9 by destroying the defiant, stealing worf (even making fun of him for his role on ds9 in another thrown in riker line) AND snub the entire crew of ds9 by having none of them anywhere in the movie, even though they COULD HAVE CAMEOED TOO, or at least been mentioned...

and to me that's pretty funny, because Rick Berman could have as many tantrums as he wanted behind closed doors, and hate the staff of ds9.

didn't make a difference. they'd still keep defying him, and you know...

not to be a total prick but... ds9 still has a thriving fanbase to this day. tng does too, and so does tos, and star trek in general is doing pretty well...

but out of all the old treks, ds9 has aged the best, not just in how it looks, but also in how it bridges the gap between, old world optimistic charm and more gritty, humanistic sci fi story telling.

it balanced syndication and serialization really well, and had great standalone episodes AND a fun connecting overarching narrative that made the world of star trek feel richer and more lived in. I also want to say that for modern audiences, who are accustomed to serialization more than syndication, ds9 is a far easier entry point into the world of star trek than any other trek.

Rick Berman can go fuck himself, is what I'm saying, in summation.

ds9 will stand the test of time.

and you know what?

both tng and voy succeeded in spite of Berman. not because of him. everything that makes those two shows work, is in defiance of the Roddenberry mandates that both Roddenberry and Berman constantly tried to uphold, even though it was to the detriment of the stories.

#star trek #tng #tos #voy #ds9 #ent #rick berman #star trek aos

[buddhamethods]

10 BL Characters I Want Carnally

AKA I'm just a person with two keen eyes and dubious morals when it comes to enjoying media so don't take it seriously, I'm here for a good time.

Thank you @sndrys for tagging me! This was an eye opening experience putting this together. As it turns out I might have a type (ew).

1) Guy from Bake Me Please (2023)

The sole reason for me creating this list! Look, I dropped Bake Me Please almost immediately because it just wasn't for me BUT I've been lowkey watching through my dash. And let me tell you, my fingers gain consciousness and hit reblog everytime this baby's face pops up because...well...LOOK AT HIM. He is beautiful and he should get the guy (hehe get it) in the end idc.

2) Yok from Not Me (2021)

Yok is such a beloved character and for good reason! He is sexy, he is gay, he sets buildings on fire and steals cops' wallets on accident because HOW WAS HE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT GUY HE WAS STALKING WAS A COP??? I love you Yok, never change.

3) Palm from Never Let Me Go/ OurSkyy2 (2022-23)

The anger I felt for all the injustice and mistreatment our beautiful Palm had to face in this show took literal years off my life. It's rare for me to get this passionately protective over a character and yet here we are, in the Palm Protection Squad headquarters. Even Nueng is on the watchlist!

4) Tonhon from Tonhon Chonlatee (2020)

Not to out myself as an enjoyer of silly goofy times , but I did have fun watching Fish Upon The Sky and Secret Crush On You, so OFCOURSE I thought I would like this one too but GOD was it rough. Did I still finish it? Yes. Did I fawn over PoddKhao pairing and have been quietly praying for some kind of reunion ever since? Also yes. Was I foaming at the mouth barking everytime Tonhon AKA Podd was on my screen? I'm not gonna comment without lawyer present.

5) Tew from My Dear Gangster Oppa (2023)

Speaking of Tonhon Chonlatee...AH! Ai Long Nhai (TC's spiritual prequel of sorts) was sure...something. And by something I mean I saw Meen and decided I will never speak ill of men ever again, feminism quite literally left my body. And then a year later My Dear Gangster Oppa came out and guess what??! MEEN IS THE GANGSTER OPPA! Dreams really do come true, kids.

6) Wen from Moonlight Chicken (2023)

(or Tian from ATOATS or Mueang Nan fron FUTS). Mix...I will eat you. Always so dewy and healthy and sparkly-eyed. But Wen from Moonlight Chicken is something out of the realm of my imagination. The sex appeal? The maturity?? The gentleness??!! Somebody sedate me before I say something I will not be able to justify in court.

7) Vee from Love Mechanics (2022)

He is a pretty bisexual who makes the most abhorrent stupid decisions known to men and then weeps and suffers for them WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED? Once again, is the show flawless or even remotely coherent? Absolutely not. That being said Vee brought me so much joy by being stupid I'm forever grateful.

(also YinWar are so back GO WATCH JACK AND JOKER TRAILER)

8) Prapai from Love In The Air (2022)

To a certain extent I've enjoyed every MAME show I've watched. To do that you need to possess the rare ability called "I abandoned every shred of moral integrity to gawk at hot men". And Prapai? MAN is this bitch hot. Tall dark handsome? Check! Bisexual on a bike? Check! Stubborn and annoying? CHECK!

9) Xiang Hao Ting from HIStory3: Make Our Days Count (2019)

*incoherent wailing and sobbing* IM NOT EXPLAINING SHIT ABOUT HIM LEAVE ME ALONE

10) AlanJeff from Pit Babe (2023)

My newest obsession! I refuse to separate our local senior citizen and his favorite prophetic mechanic. Both of them are hot as shit in their own way. Alan is a sexy dilf with so much weight and responsibility on his shoulders it's a miracle he retained his optimism and youthful awkwardness. And Jeff is a prickly baby-cow-baby-deer eyed baby that is so touch starved it's actually a little funny. SO I GUESS ALANJEFF SANDWICH IT IS.

(don't be shy tag yourselves besties <3)

#tag game #bake me please #bake me please the series #not me #not me the series #never let me go #never let me go the series #my dear gangster oppa #my dear gangster oppa the series #moonlight chicken #history 3: make our days count #pit babe #pit babe the series #love mechanics #tonhon chonlatee #love in the air #love in the air the series #blacked out and tagged every show oops

[tdjustess]

Rating all Trent ships I've ever came across

Trent×Gwen - The only canon ship and for what it was, I liked it. It always felt like just a summer fling and them being each others manic pixie dream girl/boy is a detail I highly appreciate. It was the most artsy teen romance of all TD ships and should stay as only that 7.5/10 cause it does make me cringe nowadays

Trent×Justin - I don't know who was the first person to come up with this ship but holy shit their brain. And even if you're too good to fall for the trope of "two guys amicably standing next to each other", these two would be the Larry of the TDverse, which you have to at least admit it's funny as shit 10/10

Trent×Duncan - Listen. I've also been a 15 year old girl, I get it, but this is shit. They either forget about each others existence or actively hate each other. Even the fanfics I used to read back then had to jump through hoops or make them ooc to even get them to stay amicably in the same room 0/10

Trent×Geoff - The better version of Duntrent. They still ignore/hate eachother but there's literally no reason for it which is so funny. They're both pieces of shit and the only time it was justified was when Geoff was trying to protect Gwen over the breakup. Read the TDA bios, they're still trying to poke at some rivalry we never see on screen. AU writers I beg of you, write a enemys-to-enemys fic of their fighting backstage 3/10

Trent×Cody - Oh boy. Oooooh boy. I hate to play this card but they're brothers. Maybe if it's one sided like Cody having a crush for 2 weeks tops but yeah. Brothers energy 0/10

Trent×Courtney - Listen. Don't look at me like that and listen. It's two possibly unmedicated mentaly ill upper middle kids with dreams of success in performing arts that go about it in two extremely different ways. Like. I want to keep this short but they'd be so bad for each other while being the only ones who can understand the others devotion, they'd destroy each other. I'm tearing a phonebook in half with my teeth, shout out to the Ballet AU i'll never write 6/10 realistically but 9.9999998/10 in my heart

Trent×Leshawna - I was really surprised when I first saw this ship cause I'd only ever seen them as sort of "friends-in-law"? But now that I sit down and think of it, it could work?? Leshawna is assertive but also laid back, kind and has a lot of goofy moments. And Trent is a certified wife guy™. I'd never thought of this ship myself but it could work 9.4/10

Trent×Noah - Once again, would have never thought of this if I hadn't read one of the best ship-centered fanfics this fandom has to offer. But I think it works better in that specific fanfic than realistically speaking. Trent isn't the exact type of pathetic (positive) Noah hangs out with and in the long run they'd both be too messy. If Gwent is the cuter side of teen romance, Trent×Noah would be the depressing side. I never watched the show, but from what I remember from "2015 grunge tumblr", it's giving Skins vibes 4.8/10

Trent×Anne Maria - I appreciate the mediterranean representation but no 1/10

Trent×Scott - How. Why. Walk me through this one without making them ooc 0/10

Trent×Zoey - Only in a Doey AU where Duncan keeps throwing dogeballs at Trent in PE everytime he tries to talk with Zoey about british pop 2/10

#gwent #trustin #duntrent #trentney #troah #trody #i dont know the other ships names

[lace-coffin]

(hii!! I’m so sorry if your requests are closed and I just requested… idk I saw they were closed and then they opened so I’m a little slow, I’m sorry 🥲)

But if they are open, I was wondering like, gn!Reader or preferably male reader x Asa Emory?

But but— cowboy Asa?? Like Arthur Morgan coded Asa Emory x The Sherif Y/N who’s desperately trying to capture him, like hunting him down and stuff. (Pretty much bounty Hunter thingy eee)

But, instead of Y/J capturing Asa, Asa Captures them instead and like teases them and degrades them while edging?? I’m sorry I’m just horny 😔😔

Wanted! Asa Emory x Sheriff bounty hunter!Gn! Reader (nsfw)

requests are closed! (For now)

Warnings for ass play (u eat his ass lol), degradation/humiliation, power dynamics

This is literally such a fun idea I’m so excited! Ngl I had to look up some stuff to do with Arthur Morgan bc I’ve only played red dead 1 (yes my horse was named horsey, thank u 😌) also i adore degradation so this is super up my alley!

Bounty hunting wasn’t easy, often loosing multiple companions in the process, chasing dead leads and bumping heads with other hunters out for the prize money. It was high risk high reward. But that’s why you did what you did, and you were damn good at it. Or so you thought. Asa Emory had shaken your perception of yourself, he was the only criminal you couldn’t seem to get a firm grip on, you’d come close before but he always managed to fluster you and weasel his way out of it.

Asa was an interesting specimen, seemingly killing when it suited him and for any reason he can justify, most people killed over land, revenge, highway robberies, the usual. He seemed to have his own motives for killing. There wasn’t any specific pattern to the people he’d taken, all of different ages and backgrounds, it was what he did with them that caused his bounty to be raised multiple times.

Sick contorted amalgamations lined the walls of Asa’s new home, the last one he’d been driven out of after you’d caught wind of what he’d been doing with the bodies, once human figures now twisted into a perverse approximation of insects and wild animals. This should disgust you, make you sick to your stomach and make you throw in the towel on the case, but he’s just so odd but charming. On multiple occasions you’d had him corned, right where you wanted him. You wanted to see him sweat. Every time it ended in you being the one pinned suddenly, lost for breath and hot in the face.

You weren’t sure if you were even in it for the money anymore or if you just needed one last taste of him.

You shouldn’t be surprised it had come to this again, spending weeks tracking him and whatever band of criminals he was taking advantage of this time only to end up backed against a cold brick back alley wall, gun to your head.

“Pleasure to see you again cricket! Are we here for another rendezvous?” Asa chuckles smugly, tapping the muzzle of the gun against your head.

“Very funny, you know why I’m here” you deadpanned, trying not to let the fear coursing through your veins show on your face, you wouldn’t admit the fear was also tainted with excitement.

“I think we both know why your here, you came running back to me like a desperate mutt with their tail between their legs because you hate me, but you can’t stand not being mine, ain’t that right, doll?”

You sputter in shock but quickly try pull a neutral expression back on. “In your fucking dreams, the only place I want scum like you is behind bars so I can get my money and call it a day.” You attempt to say it with a bite but it comes out a little pathetic, voice unsure and wavering, it seems your mind and desires aren’t cooperating.

“So if I tell you to get on your knees and get to work right now, you wouldn’t?”

You scoff and avert your eyes, face reddening in betrayal. You’re supposed to be handing him in and leaving him to rot whilst you count your bounty, but here you are practically drooling over the idea of shoving his cock down your throat.

Asa grips the side of your head and pulls it harshly to meet his gaze, pressing the gun further into your temple for emphasis. “I’m talking to you, slut. Answer me.”

You don’t grace him with an answer, slowly dropping to your knees on the dusty ground of the back alley, there’s no point denying it anymore when your prize is right in front of you. You’ve needed this since the last time you’d watched him walk free.

You unbuckle his belt and zip with a giggle, taking him into your hands and pumping slowly. “Fuck, you don’t know how long I’ve needed this” you bite your lip.

“Can fucking see you’ve been gagging for it, walking around all high and mighty when we both know you’ve been needing to get fucked like the whore you are” Asa replies, cupping your face and guiding it to his crotch. You can almost see something affectionate in the way he’s looking at you, but that’s something you can unpack later.

Asa groans as you work your way down his cock, sinking as far as you can without triggering your gag reflex. Placing his hands on the back of your head, Asa speaks up again. “There we go, all the way down, good fucking toy”

You hum happily around his arousal at the praise, the vibration of it going straight to Asa’s dick. You let him manhandle you around for a while, pushing and pulling back into your throat, loving the way your desperate eyes water. The man above you pops you off his cock and starts to completely remove his trousers. You give him a questioning look.

“Just trust me doll, a mutt like you will enjoy this”

You’re almost in shock as he moves you behind him and spreads his ass cheeks. You watch in surprise that quickly turns into a deep warm feeling in your abdomen. Fuck, this is filthy, it’s depraved, you want it so bad. You dive in without any guidance, flat of your tongue licking fat stripes up his exposed hole. The wounded noise Asa makes only confirms this is definitely worth it.

You work him over, pressing the muscle around the edge and adding more pressure into the centre until your tongue finally slips in. You both moan in unison.

“Fuck that’s it, I knew a pathetic thing like you would be into this, you’re happy just as long as you’re getting used, ain’t that right?” Asa grits out as he pushes his hips back into your mouth.

Honestly you probably didn’t even hear that, too consumed with your task of making the man above you feel good, it felt depraved and dirty in all the right ways.

You vaguely register that Asa has began to tug on his cock whilst you eat him out, the wet noises mixing in a filthy way that makes you squeeze your legs together. you can tell he’s close from the way his hole flutters and tightens around your tongue.

Suddenly Asa grips you by the hair, causing you to wail in pain, and guides you to his front, pushing you bank onto your knees to face his cock.

“This is how this is going to go, I’m gonna jerk my cock over your slutty stupid little face and you’re going to sit there and look pretty whilst I cover it in my cum.”

You moan and nod eagerly, watching the way his precum beads at the tip, greedily wishing it was your mouth getting him off and not his hand.

With a final grunt and curse under his breath Asa finishes, streaks of warm cum splashing against your cheek and your hair. You look and feel used, it’s perfect. He tucks himself back into his pants and trousers and pets your face condescendingly.

“Well ain’t you a pretty picture?, sheriff”

#slashers #slasher x reader #slasher headcanons #asa emory #asa emory x reader #the collection #writing #my writing

[enemyoflactose]

I finished Battle City

So for my redemption arc, I have finished both Duelist Kingdom and Battle City.

I think I may have gotten worse.

I'll start by talking about voice acting and which one I prefer:

Bakurae: I like both Ted Lewis and Rica Matsumoto's performances. They both did amazing and I am so bi for their voices.

Marik: His goofy ass skeletor voice is not it. It's funny as hell, but he just sounds better in the sub.

Odion: I like both

Ishizu: I like both

Everyone else: could go either way

Characters:

Yugi didn't really do a lot at the start, and everything I want to say about him happens in his duel with Joey. Honestly, I don't like how in the anime he doesn't play much of a role.

Yami Yugi: this man... This man.

Téa: I love her. Honestly. She gave like zero friendship speeches this season and didn't really do much except help Yami find Ishizu.

Joey: I LOVE JOEY WHEELER.

Tristan: he's there. I don't like how he treats Serenity.

Serenity: I actually really like her. She's not the most realistic sister character, but I still like her.

Duke: my guy, leave the girl alone.

Marik: I can't take him seriously. I just can't. He sounds like Skeletor, his plans are stupid, he can barely duel, he's a coward, he dresses ugly, mother fucker uses Revival Jam, this happened

How am I supposed to take him seriously?! Also, his backstory didn't do anything for me. Like, yeah what he went through was awful, but it just feels like an excuse. It felt like Ishizu and Odion were trying to justify Marik's behavior and say he did nothing wrong and should be forgiven. (Also, I saw a post about how Joey should have showed Marik sympathy. They blocked me when I said that was stupid)

Ishizu: she's such a great character. Her love for her siblings feels real, she's a snarky dork, her duel with Kaiba is fantastic, and she's pretty.

Odion: Am I supposed to feel bad for him? Not because he was horrifically abused I do feel bad about that, but with the way he was treating Marik... My guy was an enabler. Of course Marik is still evil under your care, you haven't done anything to help him be good. He just rolls over and lets Marik do what he wants because he doesn't want to betray his oath or something.

Mai: literally so cool. I'll actually get to talking about her in a bit.

Kaiba: iconic.

Mokuba: he takes his duel commissioner job so seriously it's adorable. He just pops up out of nowhere to catch people cheating and then Kaiba comes along to scare the cheater when they don't listen to Mokuba.

Regular Bakura: B-baby boy???

Yami Bakura: I'd literally bend over for him. He can have all of my possessions. Anyway I feel like he went through some character assassination this season. He just doesn't seem like a threat, but I guess that's how abusers get ya because he stabs Regular Bakura.

Arkana: I've said it once and I'll say it again, I am a sap. I felt so bad for this guy. First his magic show goes wrong, then his face gets mangled, then his wife leaves him, then he gets indoctrinated into Marik's cult, then he almost dies by saw blade, then he actually dies.

Lumis and Umbra: these two are gay and dating.

Strings: there is nothing there.

Mako and Weevil are pretty much the same.

Espa Roba: he's a cheater.

Duels:

Bandit Keith vs Yugi Moto (Duel 1)

The first duel of the season introduces us to Marik. We learn that he wants the puzzle and has a magic rod that can mind control people.

This duel shows off that Yugi is not yet as good a duelist as Yami because this loser gets fucking cooked.

Yami Bakura shows up and breaks Keith free. This makes Marik a little annoyed.

Marik makes Keith break the puzzle.

Bakura comes in and helps Yugi fix it, but he puts a little piece of his soul in the puzzle because of reasons that are never explained.

Bakura leaves and Keith burns the building down.

Joey and Tristan save Keith and Yugi.

Yami Yugi vs Jonny Steps (Duel 2)

I am not talking about the duel you suckers. I'm talking about what happened before the duel!

Yami and Téa go on a date. During this date they go on wacky high jinks and Yami gets Light Force Sword.

After dueling Jonny Steps, they go to the museum and meet Ishizu. She tells them that Yami is actually an ancient Egyptian pharaoh and he needs to save the world by joining Kaiba's tournament and winning it. Also he needs three Egyptian God Cards.

Joey vs That one guy (duel 3)

Joey gets Exodiad and feels so bad that he doesn't go and visit his sister in the hospital.

He also lost his Red Eyes Black Dragon.

Tristan finds him on the beach and shows Yugi and Téa who he found (fuck you 4kids)

Kaiba vs the machine (duel 4)

OBELISK, FIST OF FATE!!!!!

Yami vs the one guy(duel 5)

Yami beats Exodia and wins back Joey's Red Eyes.

Joey declined it.

Joey vs Espa Roba (duel 6)

In this duel Joey faces an alleged psychic who had already defeated Rex Raptor.

Rex tries to help Joey for a little bit, but stops like half way through the duel.

During this duel, Espa is talking about the universe and how he can't lose and shit like that and Joey's just clowning on him.

Espa Roba has his brothers up on a building helping him win duels.

Joey figures this out.

Joey wins the duel.

Some guy in the audience says "Espa couldn't predict he'd be a loser", and I think that's funny.

Joey got a Jinzo!! The only good card he'll get this whole tournament.

Yami vs Arkana (duel 7)

Yami faces a magician who's all like "Aren't you SO sad that your precious Dark Magician is in the deck of another duelist???!"

Some bullshit happens, Dark Magician is sentient and saves Yami, Dark Magician Girl is summoned by Dark Magic Curtain, there's shadow blades, guillotine-chan is here, apparently there's no service in the tent.

Yami wins.

Arkana dies or something it was really unclear.

Joey vs Weevil Underwood (duel 8)

Joey got his deck and Duel Disk stolen by some mustache and had a card put In it.

Joey and Weevil duel ata fountain.

During this duel Weevil calls out to the Parasite Paracide card in Joey's deck and turns all of Joey's monsters into insect cards.

Weevil brings out Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth. Joey destroys it.

Weevil brings out his Insect Queen and talks about how much he wants to fuck it. Joey destroys the Insect Queen and wins it.

Joey gained the worst card of the season.

Yami and Kaiba vs some guys (duel 10)

Kaiba uses Lord of D and two Flute of Summoning Dragon to summon three dragons and then he summons Obelisk and then he wins the duel and takes some locator cards.

Joey Wheeler vs Mako (duel 11) ft. Marik falling for the Bakura sham.

Joey and Mako duel.

Joey is putting on the world's greatest show, and is told to stop because it's "embarrassing and taking to long"

Joey tries to use Parasite Paracide, but flip monsters haven't been invented yet.

MEANWHILE

Marik almost runs over Bakura.

BACK TO THE DUEL

Mako is telling a son story about his dad and how Legendary Fisherman is his dad and he loves his dad so he has to win the duel for his dad because he loves him ever so much.

MEANWHILE

Yami Bakura is talking mad shit and Marik's all like "This idiot has NO idea that to open the door to darkness he needs the Egyptian God Cards."

What if my guy was talking 'bout Kingdom Hearts?

BACK TO THE DUEL

Mako used a ritual card 🤮

Now Joey has to find the fisherman and attack.

Joey finds the fisherman and attacks. Mako gets sad. Loser deserved it tho for using rituals.

Joey uses some gambling cards and oh no

MEANWHILE

Bakura puts his scam into action and says he's a strong duelist (He's aight.)

Marik doesn't even fact check this and makes a deal with him.

The rod for a god card.

BACK TO THE DUEL

Joey uses Panther Warrior to wipe out the ritual card 🤮, and wins the duel.

Joey has gained Legendary Fisherman! Not as bad as the last card, but Joey you have a shitty deck how do you keep winning???

Seto and Yami vs Lumis and Umbra (duel 12)

THERE'S ANOTHER FUCKING RITUAL CARD!!!! AND IT'S NOT EVEN A GOOD ONE!

It's awful, it sucks, it's worthless, they should have just used level cards

This duel is not worth my time.

Yami and Seto win.

We interrupt this essay to talk about important stuff that happened out of duels:

Bakura got stabbed

Mokuba, Téa, and Joey got kidnapped

Tristan ran for an hour with a teenage girl on his back

Duke hit some guy with dice

Mai met Serenity

Joey got mind controlled

Téa girl mind controlled

Joey vs Yugi/Yami (duel 13)

I cried during this duel

Joey got mind controlled by Marik and is evil and dueling Yugi for the puzzle and they're also strapped to this anchor that's gonna drag them to the bottom of the ocean in an hour and oh my God this duel

Téa's life is also being threatened but she's a badass who doesn't care.

Kaiba can't help because then Téa will die.

Joey was given all these rare cards and is using them against Yugi.

Yugi is so scared to attack because he doesn't wanna hurt Joey.

Yugi is so fucking sweet I love him so much.

Yami is just in the corner like "you good Yugi?" And "Oh no!!! Joey!!" I love them so much

Yugi ends up giving the puzzle to Joey so he can fight Marik better, he summons R d eyes black dragon to get through to him, this shit is just barely working I HATE THIS DUEL

Marik is being a whiny little bitch ass loser because his mind control is failing

Joey breaks free after attacking Yugi then he uses the effect of some mirror card to attack himsefl

Joey and Yugi both plummet to the ocean, Yugi is saved by Joey and Joey is saved by serenity.

I LOVE JOEY WHEELER

Meanwhile at the hospital

Yami Bakura vs Bonz (duel 14)

This episode is so fucking good. The animation, the duel, BONZ IS HERE

This duel starts off with Yami Bakura already being kinda annoyed. He just got jumped so it makes sense.

He summons a headless knight and it gets destroyed.

He destroys Bonz's cards.

Bonz fuses Medusa and crawling dragon to get... An elephant?

Then Bonz activates that one card that makes you lose life points for every card sent to the graveyard. Yami Bakura responded by fucking cheating and just tossing his hand to the graveyard.

Then he summons Earl of Demise and Bonz puts him in a cage.

Then Yami Bakura uses ectoplasmer and wipes out Bonz's life points and sends him to hell the Shadow Realm.

Mai vs Jean Clawed Magnum (duel 19)

I am not talking about this duel other than

Joey x Mai supremacy

We love polarshipping

Stuff that happens before the finals

The gang is shocked at the idea of Regular Bakura dueling (rude)

Tristan can't flirt

The gang raid Joey's pantry

A bingo machine

Yami Bakura pretends to be Regular Bakura and messes with Joey by saying shit like "Cheerio" and "fellows"

Marik does stuff

Odion gets threatened a few times

Ishizu shows up late

Mai drinks censored wine

Yami Bakura vs Yami (duel 15)

This shit is so hype

It starts off with Yami Bakura being dog shit and summoning weak cards (it's for a plan), and Yami and the gang just ragging on him and insulting him.

Then Bakura summons Dark Necrofear, but he doesn't attack because he's scared that Yami's face down card is a trap (reasonable)

Dark Necrofear gets destroyed by a buffed Dark Magician Girl, but this was all part of the an because now Yami Bakura can use not only his Destiny Board (worst win strat ever), but he can also use Dark Sanctuary.

At this point in the duel, Yami Bakura is cooking. He is dominating.

He got out his Dark door, Yami can't attack more than once. He got his spirit redirecting attacks at Yami. He's cooking something delicious.

Then Yami special summons Dark Necrofear and now Yami Bakura can't use his strategy.

Unless he summons Jougen the Spiritualist!

Now the sanctuary is back and he can keep up with his shitty win strat.

Then Yami summons Slifer and he contemplates death.

Marik makes Odion walk over and go "I release Bakura from the spirit" and Bakura starts dying and at this point my shipping senses start going nuts.

This duel has become a love triangle between Regular Bakura, Yami Bakura, And Yami Yugi.

But that's not important.

Bakura doesn't like this strategy because it's for cowards and he's worried Yami will attack his host. (Reasonable. The Yami he knows probably would've)

Yami meanwhile doesn't wanna attack Regular Bakura because that's his friend.

No one has told this boy to just surrender.

Yami Bakura takes control of Regular Bakura again and tells Yami to attack him

Then Yugi tells Yami that he did that because he needs Bakura, not because he liked him. (This is untrue if I believe hard enough)

Regular Bakura is knocked out and the ring is gone.

Joey vs Odion (duel 16)

Joey is talking shit.

Odion keeps setting and passing

And oh what's this?? FLASHBACK

Odion was abandoned on the door step of Marik's and Ishizu's parents. He was raised by them but never truly accepted.

He wanted the tomb keeper initiation to become accepted, but he was adopted. So that didn't happen.

DUEL

Joey's losing

FLASHBACKS

Odion was Marik's best friend and watched their mother die immediately after Marik was born.

He vowed to protect Marik.

DUEL

Odion has trap monsters and Joey is surprised by this.

A massive scorpion monster thing is summoned and Joey says

"Are you really Marik?"

Then Marik has a temper tantrum and tells Odion to summon Ra. Odion summons Ra and fucking dies.

Then Joey dies.

FLASHBACK

Odion watched as Marik got his tomb keeper initiation and afterwards he did his own initiation.

DUEL

Odion tries to get up, but he doesn't.

MEANWHILE IN JOEY DREAMLAND

Joey is having a dream about his friends helping him get ready for a tournament and he can't get up.

DUEL

Joey gets up and wins the duel.

Marik is having a migraine and then becomes Yami Marik.

Mai vs Marik (duel whatever I don't wanna check)

Marik got a fashion upgrade and looks better!!

During this duel Kaiba is edging himself waiting for Ra to be summoned.

Marik makes the duel a shadow duel and starts to erase Mai's mind.

Mai loses one memory and almost gives up immediately.

Marik continues his mind games while Joey and the gang try to help Mai out.

Mai is having non of this.

Mai steals Ra

Marik is cooking

Mai summons Ra, but Marik broke a rule because Ra is written in a foreign language without a translation.

Mai loses because she can't summon Ra and Marik attacked her, Joey, and Yami.

Final duel, Kaiba vs Ishizu

Ishizu should have won

Kaiba and Ishizu keep milling each other's deck.

Ishizu has a plan though. She saw it in her visions

Kaiba defys those visions tho and instead of summoning Obelisk, he summons the Blue Eyes White Dragon and wipes out Ishizu.

I forgot to talk about the Yami vs Strings duel

Marik is a pussy so he uses some murderer to duel

During this duel Marik is using cards like Revival Jam and Jam Breeding Machine.

He uses them to summon Slifer.

Yami is trapped in a cage.

Yami uses Revival Jam against Marik and uses it to cause Marik to lose by DECK OUT.

DECK OUT

That's embarrassing.

So yeah, I think this journey of redemption is becoming a journey of derailment instead. Wish me luck and health.

#yugioh #yami bakura #ryou bakura #marik ishtar #ishizu ishtar #yami marik #yami yugi #seto kaiba #joey wheeler #tristan taylor #tea gardner #odion ishtar #my redemption arc

[kaisacobra]

I just read Second Best and I've never been punched in the heart by a fic like that.

Like, I'm losing my mind over what you've written and had to read all of the asks since it came out.

I definitely think Tara doesn't deserve R after everything she's said and done, you can't keep hurting someone and expect that love will be enough to patch all wounds. You said that Tara had some reasoning (maybe not justified but still) as to why she treats R that way and also I understand that everyone grieves differently.

I'd like to understand Tara on this, because it seems despite everything that happened she did love Amber and it might be hard for her to reconcile both Amber as her girlfriend and Amber as one of her attempted killers and THEN having to shoot her and ofc being threatened by people who seem close to you has got to fuck you up irreparably, like she definitely needs help and maybe having THAT conversation in the middle of a volatile environment such as a party full of alcohol and high emotions was an awful idea and R was right in trying to stop Sam and Tara, still, Tara's lashing out seems to me like just that, her lashing out because she may have started feeling crowded on and Sam reminded of how fucked up she might actually be and THEN bringing Reader into the argument finally (and unfortunately) gave Tara an outlet for all of her conflicting emotions. She has the perfect target, she knows Reader's weaknesses, she knows how to frame her words and most importantly she knows that R won't actually fight back. She just wanted to inflict damage somehow and she got it, she just didn't have the wherewithal to hold back on her words, and now she's left with the consequences of the damage she caused.

I'm not trying to make excuses for Tara, what she said was definitely fucked up and she may seem undeserving of happiness to some, but I wanted to understand the reasoning behind it, because in the end she is just a girl who needs help but refuses to see it and lashes out when confronted. And if she were to get a happy ending, I think the best way to go about it would be to work on herself first and start fixing what she broke.

Anyways. As for Reader I am so excited as to the realm of possibilities of moving on mean, especially now that they are in NY. Bringing in Quinn for Reader just so the Gang still has a connection to R despite the shit show that went down AND to drive the knife further (literally) on how fucked Tara was and watching R falling for Quinn's charms (platonically or romantically) just for Quinn to end up harming them to get TO TARA, maybe Quinn senses how R means more to Tara than she likes to admit. R being attacked and feeling more vulnerable than ever is ofc going to make her close up even MORE when Tara tries to make amends because, hasn't Reader been through enough, R is going to be guarded and hesitant around Tara, not so much cold because despite everything you can't make a love like that go away that easily, so R may be civil and even friendly with Tara but definitely won't be getting close enough to give Tara the power to hurt R again.

As for the Kate Route, I can definitely see it happening, R is out in NY and ofc is looking at safety measures to implement, they somehow meet through Bishop Security and that's that, R has now a Golden Retriver friend (who has a Golden Retriever!) that somehow became R's loyal bestfriend. R definitely takes a quick liking to Kate too, since Kate tends to be funny and protective (kinda reminds R of Tara too) and she is so outspoken and confident that R can't help but keep her as a friend, a breath of fresh air after walking on eggshells with Tara because of R's feelings. And of course, Kate seems like someone who falls fast and hard, and isn't afraid to show it, so even if R can't feel the same at the moment Kate understands and respects that, even offering some comfort after finding out everything that went down with Tara and R. Kate being excited to meet the 'core four' and everyone can't help but fall for Kate's charming personality, they see her being hopeful and daydreaming as the perfect contrast to Reader's 'down-to-earthness' and are relieved that R has someone in the group who can finally choose Reader FIRST, since Sam is Tara's sister and the twins are hesitant to take sides (even though Mindy thinks R is almost always right). Kate being fast friends with Chad over sports and becoming gym buddies (love the hc of Chad spilling the tea to Kate over some reps), Mindy likes that Kate is loyal and keeps R happy and although Sam is distrustful and paranoid at first she eventually warms up to Kate after finding out that Kate lost her father and has a shitty mother (Sam can relate) and the favors from Bishop Security to the Carpenter's definitely help too.

If following the events of the movie I can definitely see Kate trying to sus out the killer and ALMOST getting it right, her going into protective mode so fast and losing her mind when R keeps risking it all for the sake of Tara, she gets it since she fell for R but can't help but worry if there's something else to it and maybe she didn't notice how devastated R really was after Tara.

Tara WANTS to hate Kate, and she definitely gets close to it when seeing how affectionate Kate is (Kate definitely is into platonic PDA and can't help herself, specially since R doesn't seem to mind) (it's nice to feel wanted for once) and how receptive everyone is to Kate's go-lucky attitude and neverending gifts. Like Sam, she definitely isn't trusting Kate from the get-go and all the gifts Kate brings the gang aren't helping, but even from the beginning nobody takes Tara seriously because they can clearly see that it all stems from jealousy of not having Reader's attention to herself for the first time. And even though they try to ease Kate into their dynamic as to not upset Tara further it doesn't work because Tara doesn't even realize why she doesn't like Kate fully! They both seem like they could be great friends! Why is it though when she sees Kate and R she gets so mad?

Kate definitely knows what's going on and can't help but be cocky about it to which the gang just gets more exasperated with the added antics of Kate (who is in love with R but respects R's feelings, but loves to make Tara jealous) Tara (who is jealous, doesn't know why and thinks R and Kate are together) and Reader (who is oblivious to all of this and is nursing a broken heart while still in the same friend group as Tara), while also dodging a murderer, yay!

Honestly however it ends up, Reader with or without Tara, adding someone to stir the pot like Kate or Quinn? For a moment? Maybe?

We can all agree that Reader definitely needs a moment to heal and survive what's coming.

Also

"...because you promised her you wouldn't leave her alone and she just doesn't wanna believe that death is the one thing that's gonna break you apart".

That line hits so hard how DARE you

...aand i know I'm late since you are already writing the 2nd part but I still wanted to share my thoughts.

Awesome writing and I'm so invested! Can't wait!

You see, this is precisely why part 2 is getting so long🤭 I want you guys to understand Tara and why she's doing the things that way and i want it to make sense ever since the beginning. I don't believe people are born mean and i wanna transfer that into the story. Tara wasn't born mean and i want y'all to see why she's like that.

Now, am i saying this is gonna wipe every damage Tara has made to R and make her a victim? Absolutely not. But at the end of the day, she's just a girl with issues that needs to get help before trying to make up and be in good terms with R again.

Kate would definitely integrate herself so well within the core four and that would make Tara go ballistic. Not only does she has to deal with Ms. Perfect stealing her place as R's number one person but now she's winning over her friends as well? Tara would be pissed and always on the verge of throwing a fit whenever Kate's around.

And Kate is a little shit, let's be fr here. This girl is a rich heir with no siblings, she never had to share a thing all her life and you expect her to just be cool about this random gnome trying fight her over R? Nuh uh. She's doing things to piss Tara off on purpose (and sometimes she even asks you for permission before doing it, just to make sure she's not creating an awkward vibe)

Don't worry, you're not late for anything! I loved your thoughts and i had so much fun reading them. I hope you'll like what i have planned for part 2 🥰

#✦: 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑠

[naviamin]

✰ Tengen and his crazy ex stories drabble <3

Okay so I don’t see the whole “Tengen sleeps around a lot” thing. Like yes, I don’t think he would an absolute virgin when you date him but that would be because of the one or two exes he dated prior. He seems like the type of guy who had his first girlfriend/boyfriend when he was like 16. Then one again when he was 18 bc he believed he would be more “mature” then and actually know what to do in a relationship. And then when he is with you it would be like SOME crazy story to why he was those two in the first place. Like, crazy.

You weren’t sure on how to provoke the idea of Tengen’s ex’s. You weren’t sure if that was considered a dangerous or uncomfortable topic to bring up around Tengen.

But you pushed you feelings of anxiety away. After all, Tengen was quite the reasonable man. Never once has Tengen acted out of place, or disrespected you. The most disrespect you receive from Tengen is when he keeps you in the cold, whilst he hogs the shower. He laughs whilst he watches you squirm when the cold air pricks at your naked body—but, nonetheless, he’s like a big, giant, loveable polar bear. Minus the claws.

So, you gather up the courage to ask him.

“Hey, Tengen?” you ask, though you sound nervous and unsure.

“Yeah, babe?” he replies cooly, gently placing his phone face-down to the side. His full attention is on you now.

You smile, trying to not squirm. But, you cough before you speak, and gather yourself quickly. “See your exes...” you trail off for a moment, fiddling with your fingers—but you notice you have gained Tengen’s absolute full attention—so, you push on. “...what where they like?”

You both stare at each other for a while. Now, at this moment, you’re unsure to what your partner is thinking as he just blinks at you.

Quickly, to not make a problem, you justify your question to end the failed attempt of a conversation. Perhaps it was too touchy. “Oh, sorry maybe I shouldn’t have asked—”

“—No, no, no, it’s alright.” Tengen cuts you off as he waves his hand, “I always wanted to tell you about them, but I wasn’t sure if you would enjoy that...”

Tengen makes a show of that by pursing his lips and shrugging innocently when you give him a questioning look. A glare, perhaps? Even you yourself didn’t know.

“Ah, see? There it is.”

Tengen tries to joke, but he only makes matters worse as you narrow your eyes, with great suspicion.

“What do you mean?”

Tengen sighs, defeated. “Look, I’ll tell you about them—my exes.”

Tengen looks at you, in your eyes. Then he gives you a pleading look, to which your eyes have to soften at. “Just—just don’t get mad.”

You put both your hands up, like you were surrendering. “No promises, Tengen. No promises.”

Then you sigh, knowing that Tengen possibly doesn’t do that wrong. He is a good man, he always tries his best, and takes great care of people. Perhaps, you were being harsh on him. “But... don’t worry, I know. You wouldn’t do any wrong, so... go ahead.”

You urge him to go on with a soft smile; one that reaches your eyes.

“Well... to start off...”

Through his stories, with each word he talks, it’s like a child concocting what they believe to be a clever lie. But, all at the same time, every word that leaves Tengen’s mouth seems all too true.

His stories seem so fake, yet so real. And you know, for a fact, the only reason you believe Tengen is lying, because he always lies to you for no reason. To be funny. So he really isn’t helping his case.

“...So yeah, my second ex tried to fucking stab me. She had me on the ground, with a knife to my throat, and told me how much she hated me.”

You blink, stunned. Stunned isn’t even a word to explain your... your... amazement. “So, your first ex got her cousins to jump you?”

“Yes.”

“And then when she failed, she tried to kill you in your sleep... by feeding you poison.”

“Uh-huh,” Tengen said, completely unbothered as he scratched something out of his teeth.

“But, you woke up in time and flipped her over?”

“One hundered percent.”

“And then she tried to throw you out the window but you knocked her out.”

“You should have seen her face.”

“And then you second ex—”

“—Ruined my fucking sweet 18. Always doing wierd shit and trying to kill me.”

“And the one you had when you were 16?” You shout in utter shock. “She tried to kill you... twice!”

“Ah, the good old days.” Tengen dreamily sighs to himself, then looks back at you, and laughs at your perplexed face.

“Don’t worry, as long as you don’t wake me up with a knife, I won’t knock you out or throw you out a window.” Tengen winks at you, and then lifts up his phone from the side.

“Oh, hey. Our pizza is coming in two, lets get the plates, honey.”

You quickly smile at him, not wanting to make him feel any more wierd than he must be feeling... if he is at all. Because, he seemed perfectly happy sharing all that... interesting information.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get the plastic plates...”

You tried masking your unease and... utter shock but you miserable failed as you get shot a questioning look from Tengen. But, he seems to ignore as he looks back at his phone.

But, as you go to the kitchen, you can practically hear the mischievous smile that Tengen wears on his face. He finds this funny.

How on earth are two crazy exs trying to murder you... funny?

© 2023, NAVIAMIN

#𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐎 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒 #uzui x reader #tengen uzui #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #drabbles #drabble #exs #kny tengen #kny uzui #tengen x you #tengen x reader

[raayllum]

in honour of this post, tags on another of mine i cannot remember that talked briefly about Rayla's issues, and that I've talked about Claudia and Callum's moments of being hypocritical, now I want to actually talk about Rayla's hypocritical tendencies cause it's something S4 and S5 made a fun little consistency - let's dive in

Rayla can sometimes ignore (or react indignantly to) other people possibly having their own reasons/justifications because she's tunnel visioned into only thinking about her own justifications as uniquely warranted

Let me explain

The first time I noticed this was in 2x03, mostly because it was one of those moments that made me laugh even though it's not trying to be funny because

Cause Rayla, honey, you know you lied to them too ("lying and hiding the truth aren't that different") - and Callum forgave you for that and is still your friend. Why would Claudia and Soren be any different to him? (And they are, but not the point of this point).

Now, unlike Soren (who is the person they're primarily discussing), Rayla didn't lie outright, but she did lie by omission - much the same way Claudia did. And Rayla has known her own motivations all along - probably worried they might give up on their mission if they knew (especially at the start), and she doesn't want them to hate her, and most of all by this point in the show, she didn't want to hurt them ("I'm afraid of hurting him" / "when you care about someone, it's hard to hurt them").

This made sense to me in terms of Rayla being good at being initially (often times rightfully, sometimes not so) indignant on her own behalf. She is able to justify herself and does so often, both angrily - as the next examples will show - and more neutrally ("How could I take his life?"). She defends herself both physically and personally to Corvus ("I didn't kill anyone"), she smarts at Callum when he (rightfully) tries to push at her ("I don't have to explain anything to you"), and is mad at Ethari when they initially talk ("Yeah, it's me. Surprised to see my face?"). This initial defense of herself doesn't usually persist and typically gives way to self loathing ("I can fix this" / "I don't deserve your trust, not yet" / "They're right to reject me") but it is there at first and is usually her first reaction, which is very fun.

However, this coupled together with the other two instances arc 2 brings up in terms of her being kind of a hypocrite makes it a pattern, beginning in early season four. (Callum also isn't at his best in early season four, saying he doesn't want to talk about stuff and then bringing it up the next episode to take a jab at her - but he's still dealing with the fallout of the problems she caused, so he absolutely gets more of a pass. As always, see my In Defense of Callum's Narrative Lens from way back in the day if you're interested in more of how his perspectives are portrayed.)

Because gee, Rayla, I wonder whose fault that is? And again, it does make sense that she's angry - she's spent two years just wanting to be with him with none of the messy complex heartbreak he had to go through because she was the one who made the choice to leave. She expected him to at least shout at her, not ice her out completely. And again, we see that initial indignant streak fade when he reiterates he wants to go, and she looks down disappointed, but accepting of it (and puts whether she'll stay or not in his hands, too).

Since she had a good reason for leaving, and it's what her parents did, while she expected anger, she also wants affection and love. Isn't her justification enough, in some ways? Shouldn't it be? And while Rayla wrestled back and forth with this, it's clear she does think that it should be (even if both seasons show she's starting to realize just why she was wrong).

But we do see this hypocritical tendency of hers perhaps pop up most prominently in S5 with Nyx

Again, in Rayla's head, lying and stealing the key wasn't perhaps the right thing to do, but the better thing to do than burden Callum with what she was going through / to be open and vulnerable. It makes sense why she'd do so - and her shot at Nyx gets a tiny pass cause she's technically sticking up for Ezran - but it still falls back on Rayla leaning too heavily on her logic / independent streak to justify actions that are actually counterproductive to having healthy, wilfully open relationships.

And this is something I love about TDP. Even when the characters are genuinely making the worst possible fucking decisions they ever could (hi arc 1 Viren, Claudia and Karim constantly in particular) you completely understand how and why they're justifying those decisions, and Rayla is no different. Doesn't mean they're right, doesn't mean it's not logically stupid or fair or whatever, but it's emotionally consistent, and that's what matters most in the end. And now we have a fun little consistency to add to the pile

#in that vein of 'ezran can steamroll others bc the emotional solution is so obvious to him / #he suppresses the hell out of shit' spirit #tdp rayla #characterization #mini meta #analysis series #tdp #the dragon prince #like i love rayla but she's so full of shit sometimes lmao #analysis #like rayla really is a character where one of her core flaws is both #a lack of grounded self awareness amid too much self awareness #bc sometimes she's on the right path about her actual flaws (lying & leaving) #and other times she's so off base it's like girl what planet are you on this is Not one of your problems #steering her into the pile of actual flaws lmao #also why callum is good for her #'nah you're good. but that other dumb shit you did? jc"

[comradekatara]

I think where people get caught up on the healing/blood bending dichotomy is that we see healing with water bending as taking a glob of water and moving it over the skin until the burn goes away, using it to direct energy in the body, while they think of blood bending as some thing more internal somehow and I’m sure someone would think it’s easier to directly bend the blood and force it to clot then to take a glob of water and press it against the wound and somehow make the blood stop… I think it would’ve been neat if we had more time devoted to katara getting instruction in the art of healing, to learn some more technical details about it, because people really seem to ignore healing as an art form and then try to reinvent it through blood bending, when in reality it’s just forcing the water in someone’s body to move around thus forcing the body to move.

Maybe Aang should have gotten some time to learn healing while Katara was mastering more advanced forms, but idk. Sorry this is a bit rambly.

we see some of how healing works when katara enter's yugoda's classroom. once you realize that healing isn't just about treating surface wounds but also manipulating chi paths in the body, it becomes a lot clearer that healers are already using the techniques people think katara "banned" when she said no one should bloodbend.

katara: it's wrong to violate someone’s autonomy in this way that is akin to rape or torture

fans for some reason: omg she hates surgeons!!!!!!

also yes i definitely agree that it was weird for aang to never express interest in learning healing. i've said it before but i can't find where so i'll just say it again now. healing is one of the coolest powers ever and i don't understand why anyone with the potential to do it wouldn't want to do it?? it's not that aang believes in the gendered binary between healing and fighting that the northern water tribe does, so i can only chalk it up to his naivete, and imagine that as he gets older he learns healing from katara, as anyone with a shred of common sense would.

Hot take: Hama wasnt “right” exactly but she shouldnt be imprisoned again. She should be home with her people. She should be with Kanna , not living her twilight years in a firenation prisoncell. She should be pardoned or some shit idk. If we take her age and The conditions of the other victims in her flashback to the logical conclusion , she is likely the sole survivor of a concentration camp for the SWT benders. Its fucking abysmal. IDK what it would take but its so cruel her current status.

yeah i've said this before too. i like to think that instead of being reimprisoned or executed she manages to escape, and after the war katara finds her and sends her to the south pole to live out her final years there.

I like the great divide because I like the sibling arguing part over something that is kind of ridiculous, Katara and Saka are not part of these groups and neither has any particular reason to believe one over the other but they both pick a side and go whole hog, and as someone with a sibling with about the same age gap as those two that felt pretty realistic.

i mean katara and sokka fight over trivial shit all the time, that much is true, but the argument itself makes no sense. not only would katara not care about getting rained on, seeing as she is a literal waterbender, but the zhangs and the gan jins have the stupidest fucking "conflict" like this show that is otherwise wonderfully nuanced presents the most simplistic two dimensional plotline ever, and also expects us to believe in the process that katara is prim and proper and prepared and sokka is messy and spontaneous or whatever not only is that blatantly untrue it's just straight up bad writing it's a bad episode and you guys need to stop trying to justify it. that said aang's first ever conflict resolution as the avatar being a straight up lie is pretty funny.

Sorry for spaming ur inbox i am full of thoughts atm

i can see that

#madam-melon-meow #asks #katara #aang #hama

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 50 - Deadly Charm (part 2)

The Smisse family has been bothering the Crepin-Jurgen family for 600 slutty, slutty years. Time is a flat circle. 😭

THE FUNNYJOKE. I expected this the entire show. Kerubim Cretin :)

Kerubim: "My brother is terrifying, violent when his pride is insulted, mentally ill, and a danger to society.

Kerubim himself: [is terrifying, violent when his pride is insulted, mentally ill, and a danger to society]

Both of the Crepin brothers are scary as fuck, and them insulting one another will never not be funny because it's always [insults him for something he himself probably does] [insults him for something he himself probably does] [insults him for something he himself probably does]

For some reason I remembered this saying "faithful", but thankfully, the different word choice isn't really important, — it conveys the same emotion.

Still, I do apologize for not looking it up while referencing it in previous posts. I should have done better, considering how much I usually fact-check.

What is funny to me, is that this line isn't entirely untrue, despite this episode chronologically occurring before Ecaflip City, — he didn't... outright lie, to her.

But he really is overestimating how honest they were after that, considering how long it took for him to tell her he really isn't a woman during episode 30.

It really is one of the reasons their relationship is so tragic to me. He learned all the right lessons, but far too slow, far too late, and half the time didn't even apply them, did he?

And he's doing the same thing to Joris now, — constantly lying, or simply omitting the truths. Like, yet again, claiming they were honest after this, — which they weren't (or, well, perhaps Lou was).

The past 49 episodes had brought us to this moment, — with the complete understanding that Kerubim Crepin is fucking insane about fish. It's almost like a brick joke by now.

Of course he beat the shit out of some people and destroyed a building over fish. It was on his honour, as an ecaflip, as a person who had to feed a god with fish, as a guy who grew up around Madrestam Harbour, and, most importantly, as a guy who fucking loves fish.

...He's never beating those "Kerubim is as prone to extreme violence as Atcham, but he is better at hiding it" allegations I put forward.

"I don't want this pacifier anymore, but if I don't know that it's not in Brakmarian hands by the weekend, I will kill us all."

I hate Bonta.

Kerubim is... insane.

Joris may idealize Kerubim, but even that won't justify whatever the fuck this is.

#ep50 #ro liveblogs dofus #dofus #krosmoz #wakfu

[erinptah]

thoughts on Moon Knight 35?

It's the X-men crossover where Steven (and the others but mostly Steven) deal with being wheelchair bound and the reason he is in episode 5: Asylum. As someone who was temporarily chair bound in the psych ward both scenes mean a lot to me.

Also Storm flirts with frenchie, Nightcrawler saves Moon Knight's life and Bora is such a classic tragic villain and Xavier can read Marc's mind which we know is not true of most telepaths in Mckay run.

Ooh, hey, I remember that one. Time for a reread...

In the comic the guys are using a chair because of a spinal injury (a Comics Injury which comes and goes as the plot demands), and the implication I got from the show was that the asylum put them on meds so strong they couldn't walk. So I don't think they're that directly connected. But it's nice to have the visual callback.

Marlene being so present and supportive during the hospitalization and physical therapy is extra-depressing compared to how Marc will treat her hospital-grade injury in later runs =(

I don't think it's actually Steven fronting for the first chunk. Marlene usually calls them Steven, but that's just like how Frenchie always calls them Marc, and the diner crew always calls them Jake -- even if someone with a different name is fronting, he almost never corrects them.

(More than that, Marc specifically encourages Marlene to call him Steven! Skipping to a later scene, this is one of the issues where he spells out how much he wants to be Steven for her.)

Backing up: The whole "detaching from his personal trauma by obsessing over how to catch the bad guy" thing is classic Marc.

And when he starts getting snippy, then goes "Sorry, lady, that's the pain talking," that sure sounds like Jake, elbowing Marc away from the front to smooth things over.

(No wonder Marc's relationships really start imploding in the runs where Steven and Jake are MIA.)

The diner crew visits and calls him Jake, and I think it's Jake fronting for most of that, too. Especially when Crawley asks when they'll need his help again, and Marlene offers to just put him on a regular retainer salary. Steven would've offered that himself!

...Not that Jake doesn't care (he absolutely does). Just that he doesn't think of himself as having that kind of money.

It's totally Steven fronting when they do anything at the ballet studio, though. Marc wouldn't have the patience for it, and that kind of High Culture setting would make Jake awkward and out-of-place.

Extremely funny: the leaps the narrative goes through to justify "we're going to have cameos from like 20 other S-class Marvel heavyweights with actual superpowers..."

"...but all of them agree that Moon Knight -- a guy with gadgets and a cape who couldn't walk two days ago! -- should face the also-superpowered villain one-on-one."

She's such a typical Moon Knight villain (in a good way!) with the twist of mutant powers, most of this works. It's just. The avalanche of cameos, vs. how little they affect the plot, is a lot.

Looking over the Professor X scenes, and what he says he reads in Marc's thoughts...fear, doubt, agony...I think that's totally consistent with what we get in the MacKay run.

Marc's mind has always been a dangerous place. It's just that (a) by the current run he's learned to weaponize it against telepathic villains, which he's not even trying to do here; and (b) Xavier, for his part, isn't trying to stick his metaphorical hands in the psychic box of bear traps, just observe it from a safe distance.

And the ending, oof =(

Paired with the earlier Marc-Marlene conversation, it totally sums up one of the recurring themes of the MK comics.

When Marc can't be honest with himself and his loved ones ("I am definitely a mentally-stable singlet, who would be happy to be just Steven forever, and can totally quit being Moon Knight any time I want"), his relationships are tense and distant.

When he is honest ("so maybe I have a lot of issues, also this Moon Knight thing gives me purpose and I'm going to be doing it forever"), the people in his life are actually okay with it! Even if he's a weird mess, people can accept that and love him anyway! He just has to own it!

...We get a surprisingly close parallel to that in the modern run, where Marc obsesses over tracking a different bad guy, and ends up lying to Tigra, putting her through a bunch of extra work, and making her feel seriously betrayed. But when he gives her a sincere apology and owns up to some of his issues, that's when they get a happy makeout scene.

So! Has Marc gone through enough personal growth (and enough "accepting that he needs Jake and Steven around for support") to actually stay on the emotionally-honest path this time? Guess we'll find out.

#Moon Knight #Moon Knight comics #Ptah's inbox #so uh #was that enough Thoughts or what

[dr-lizortecho]

So the funny thing is that I actually think Damon has a soft heart lol? That is NOT excusing him for the awful stuff he's done and claiming he's a great person/vampire (almost no one on that show is), but I feel like he and Elena are meant for each other in part because they are both SUCH heart-centered people who are so driven by their emotions. When we first meet Damon, he's been on a quest for god knows how long to get Katherine back, and no amount of reasoning from the much more logical, calm (and, in my unpopular opinion, often somewhat detached and condescending Stefan) about how horrible Katherine was or how dangerous she can be etc is going to persuade Damon not to follow his heart, however screwed up that may be. His worst mistakes are not a result of plans he carefully constructs (that's Klaus!) but of being ridiculously impulsive, carried away by emotions---again, NOT excusing it, just making sense of it! Elena, too, is all about her emotions and instincts, which she determinedly follows even if some (sometimes justifiably!) accuse her of being unfair, selfish, or just incorrect etc. If her heart tells her that, say, her brother is much better off living elsewhere or that there's real goodness in someone even if no one else seems to see it, she's going to proceed accordingly regardless of what others think or say. She'll stay true to herself and her heart even if many deem it unwise, unsafe, self-centered etc. It's what I love and admire most about Elena and also what can sometimes drive me crazy lol. And so even though people say Elena and Stefan are so similar, deep down I think she's more like Damon---passionate, emotional, impulsive, stubborn, and needing a combination of adventure and security that the other can provide. I know people will accuse me of being a Damon apologist, but I'm just saying that I totally get why he and Elena were endgame :)

No- but anon! This!

Damon and Elena bring out the best parts of each other- the bits they tried to hideaway for various reasons (trauma and familial obligation mostly). And just like cruelty can be caused by logic it can be caused by emotion- which is where most of Damon’s transgressions come from. Love however twisted or psychotic. Cause at the end of the day he’s still taht lost kid whose traumas has him grasping for love of any kind- and the first love that fell at his door was Katherine and the derailed and set the tone of his life as a vampire as much as the betrayal he felt from Stefan- the only member of his family who hadn’t hurt him. So him being soft hearted doesn’t absolve his crimes, but it does explain his character arc!

As for Elena! Yes! Yes! Yes! People are too quick to call her selfish and entitled and forget she is a seventeen year old girl caught in a narrative of powerful supernatural creatures that are all attempting to use her or kill her. So of course she makes mistakes- she’s never had to go up against the vampire family all supernatural creatures have been scared of for almost a thousand tears before- and she just turned eighteen. But more importantly she finally starts listening to her heart and impulses without allowing (the keyword here) herself to be shamed by others when she chooses Damon in season four.

All to say they balance each other, but mirror each other just the same.

#tvd #delena #anon asks

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

You know something, Dessie DeLite might have become my favourite side-character pretty much overnight.

Yes, Ronnie is a thief almost purely to enable her spending habits, but I love the fact she doesn't think less of him for being a thief. He's still a good person in her eyes and it's not unfounded! He's too honest for his own good, leaves calling-cards before committing his crimes, and doesn't seem to actively hurt people in the process.

Well, maybe not...

I've just been describing Ronnie this whole time which is a little bad...

Actually the wiki page does a very similar thing...

HOWEVER! I think this speaks as much to Dessie's character as well!

Remember, she was held hostage by thieves herself - common, brutish muggers at that. Nobody would blame her for being the least bit miffed that her husband is also a thief. She isn't because she sees the nuance in people. Dessie can tell the difference between a good person and someone going out of their way to hurt somebody.

Even before Luke Atmey is outed as a criminal she doesn't care much for him. No one does, granted, but Dessie had her doubts from the start. She's the one who took the urn from his office after all! The fact his office was the only other confirmed place she looked for it (along with her reasoning that he has a tighter connection to the thief than anyone else) shows her intuition that something was up with the man. Both logically and in terms of judging his character. Given the events of the case, her judgement wasn't far off the mark.

She does straight-up tell you that she's alright with theives (being pulled over for speeding and living in the fast lane does imply something of a minor criminal streak herself). It's understandable that Ronnie would be wary of revealing his own streak due to how they met, though it's clear that merely being a thief isn't a factor; being a halfway-decent person is. Dessie tends to be a good judge of that, valuing it above being a law-breaker.

It's almost funny though. I could not for the life of me get a bead on whether or not she knows or believes Ronnie is Mask[what's the shortcut for this-]DeMasque before it's outed in court. Not until the very end anyways. With how earnest and not-at-all subtle he is it's hard to believe it'd go over anyone's head. I think it's more fun to imagine she did know and just didn't want anyone pressing charges on the man.

Besides, beyond Ronnie being a good person regardless, Dessie's a thrill-seeker! Having a great thief for a husband is just the icing on the cake!

Well, maybe...

She fell for him because he saved her life in a tropey sort of way...

No! Wait! That's not true! It's because she saw Ronnie at his most raw and unfiltered; dorkish, very emotional, more than a little pathetic, but good god does he care about people.

And I'm just describing the man again...

Alright, how about this; let's flip the PoV shall we? The same might be true for the inverse, as well. While not as criminal as him, Ronnie does see Dessie for more than the habit that pushes him to be a thief. She's a strong-willed person who loves good-natured thrills, someone who values every moment of her life enough to want to make each and every one of those moments for both he and her exhilarating. He's considerate of her surface-level disdain for crooks but comes to learn that - despite having an event in her life that would justify it - sees even the criminal for more than their crimes. As someone who values living life as earnestly and loudly as possible, she's warm to those who are considerate to the lives of others and disdains those who lie and hide like cowards, especially those who would worsen another's rather than take the brunt themselves.

Could you see Ronnie as a coward for not being upfront about the Mask[HELP-]DeMasque thing? Maybe. If you're shallow. Dessie? She's far from shallow. She doesn't even sound or look angry about it! No, she understands that he wouldn't think she'd be happy with it considering how they first met. It wasn't an act of saving his own behind as much as it was out of consideration for her own feelings, and that's the deal-maker for her.

With her red jumpsuit, brown hair and eyes, and fixation on motorcycles it's hard not to get Matt Engarde vibes from her. They're almost polar-opposites, all things considered; where he sees all people as either untrustworthy or things to be played with, Dessie knows where she can place her faith in and puts high-value on treating others well. Lord knows how intentional that was but it's a nice contrast, especially with Adrian Andrews featuring in the same case.

I forgot I was going to talk about Adrian at some point I'm sorry...

Actually, I'm sorry that this post was more rambly than even I'm used to. Part of that was trying to look past the 2000's writing that could have made Dessie out to be more flat than I think she deserves to be seen. A small part of 3-2 for sure but a DeLiteful one for sure!

The second case streak carries strong in this series. I'll decide once I get to AJ if it breaks there or with the Monstrous Turnabout.

#turn your thinking around! #a deliteful duo! #<- new tag. will guarantee they'll appear when i find more fanart. #because they deserve the exposure #long post #i could have absolutely spilled my guts on other things instead #but as a thing who started life holding the underutilised woman of the WAA up i have a duty to fulfill #and that is to beat AA with hammers until i find a reading that gives its girlies more credit

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

Show vs. Tell in The Darkest Hour

The thing about Lancelot's sacrifice in The Darkest Hour is that his motivations are all over the place. I welcome a debate over this, but I find it very difficult to see it as a sacrifice for Gwen, or even Arthur, even though that's clearly what the show was going for.

On the one hand, you have the influence of Arthurian legend, which ties Lancelot's story firmly to Arthur's and Guinevere's. We see this reflected in their close bonds in the show; more with Gwen, but Arthur also was shown to think highly of him in previous episodes (they didn't have many interactions in this two-parter, and none that weren't about Merlin).

We also have his spoken motives: he and other characters bring up his duty as a knight (his conversation with Merlin in Part One where Lancelot tries to convince him to go back to Camelot). Additionally, there's the promise he made to Gwen. So you've got both his affection for her and his sense of duty pushing him to protect Arthur (he says this himself during his conversation with Merlin in that cabin TDH2, that he'll go on with the quest that it's because of the vow he made). At the end of the episode, Gwen also says this (to Arthur, during the pyre scene.

In terms of composition and design, everything points to these being Lancelot's motivations.

And yet. None of this fits with his actual actions during the episodes.

We can overlook him talking almost exclusively with and/or about Merlin, because creating a relationship with the main character is a fast and easy way to endearing him to the audience, in addition to giving him more screen time, which would serve the same purpose.

But, if looking after Arthur's his first priority, how come he immediately tries to get his sworn protector to leave? Sure, Merlin's not a warrior, but it's not like combat skills are of any use against the Dorocha. Also, of the three episodes they'd met before this one, twice Merlin's proven to have privileged information about the threat they were facing. Even just as an extra hand to do chores, look for firewood so no one's ever alone could be useful. Lancelot ought to have known that having Merlin around could only make Arthur safer, yet he insisted that he should leave.

But, okay, let's say that, as a knight, he doesn't feel comfortable with anyone who doesn't know how to fight or who didn't swear an oath endangering themselves; especially if they're his friend, like Merlin is.

How does he justify leaving the quest to take Merlin to Camelot? Any other knight might have volunteered if he'd kept quiet for a bit longer and he could've advised them to go through the Valley. By being the one to take him, he's pretty much abandoning Arthur to his luck and breaking his promise to Gwen. Sure, all the knights are sworn to protect Arthur, but he and Merlin are the ones most devoted to him, for their own reasons. Or they should be. Instead of protecting him with his life, as he promised, Lancelot chooses to take Merlin back to Camelot, despite Merlin's own protests! You know, the guy who always seems to know more than anyone else what's going on and who wants above all else to protect Arthur? (Then again, Lancelot may not have heard said protests, being in such a hurry to ride off that he interrupted his goodbye to Arthur lmao. Sorry, that scene's kinda funny to me, like, Merlin begging Arthur to let him stay and Lancelot in the background, tapping his watch.)

So he rides off with Merlin, leaving Arthur to finish the quest alone, except that they run into the Vilia and they heal Merlin. What does he say to their statement that Arthur needs them both? No can do, I need to get Merlin to Camelot. It's okay, they'll heal him! As he sees for himself the next morning! This should make him change his mind about going to Camelot, right? Except no, it does not. Even after seeing him running around, spearfishing, after trying to smack him with a stick, when Merlin wants to get back to Arthur, Lancelot immediately shuts him down. Even once he agrees, it's only after Merlin makes it clear that he'll go with or without him.

(Then you have that convo in the cabin where he's like "I have to go because I promised Gwen that I'd protect Arthur" like babe you left him. 0/0 would not ask for a promise again.

The funniest thing is that having them go on their own also serves a literary purpose. It gives him and Merlin the opportunity to talk in privacy, giving the audience their due exposition, when around others they'd have to censor themselves to keep their secrets, Merlin's magic and Lancelot's love for Gwen.)

Then skip to the confrontation with the Cailleach. He already knew that Merlin was planning to sacrifice himself instead of Arthur. Arthur himself was unconscious. The only thing he had to do to protect him is stand there and look pretty. For all his penchant for self-sacrifice, we already knew he feared death, because he said himself that it was difficult to imagine knowingly giving his own life. But he still walked through the Veil.

Let's be clear. The person he saved by doing that was Merlin.

Not to say that there was no way of seeing that as protecting Arthur. He'd just been told by two magical sources (the Vilia and Kilgharrah) that Merlin had a huge destiny. It's likely that Merlin had told him the same thing before, as he was pretty loose with his declarations of how he was meant to protect Arthur. So, it's not impossible that he thought that the best way to protect Arthur, not just that once but in the future, was to save Merlin. You can definitely say that. Just like you can definitely get from Spain to India by sailing west without ever stopping on land. You will have to doge a whole ass continent that spans two hemispheres, though. And have fun in the Pole!

Anyway, this isn't meant to be a shipping manifesto. And while I love those two, and enjoy screaming about them to the void, it isn't even about them either. I most definitely don't mean to undermine Lancelot’s love for Gwen. I just wanted to point out this discrepancy between what the show says (Lancelot sacrificed himself for Gwen, Arthur and Camelot, in that order) and what it does (Lancelot sacrificed himself for Merlin).

#Merlin BBC #mbbc 4x01 #mbbc 4x02 #The Darkest Hour Pt 1 #The Darkest Hour Pt 2 #The Darkest Hour #Lancelot #Merlin #Merlance #Mercelot #lit analysis