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closetsof-backlogged-dreams · 3 days

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okay so I’ve seen and loved a bunch of these posts already but everything u say is immediately correct and amazing and sending u asks is the best

opinions on why zukka works and makes sense as a ship and if you think it could work in canon (outside of fanon)?

I CANT BELIEVE YOU JUST MADE MY ENTIRE LIFE COMPLETE AND FULL BY ASKING ME THIS QUESTIONNNN (strap in folks hold on to your hats keep a good hold on your bladders bc this is 10+ years worth of BUSINESS)

Why "Zukka" works and makes sense as a ship

something i've discussed THROUGHLY with my notes app and a school slides presentation is that Zuko and Sokka are both direct parallels AND contrasts to one another, at the same time. i'll list them out here:

Their fathers' roles in their lives

Both Hakoda and Ozai were the leaders of their respective nations, with Sokka and Zuko as the heirs. Then, they both become absent in their sons' lives and leave them to fend for themselves.

This is a parallel, but this is also where they contrast. Sokka's father left to go fight in the war, a noble and honest pursuit, and left Sokka to protect his sister and the village.

Ozai, on the other hand, cast Zuko out of the nation and forced him to protect and defend himself, while effectively turning all their people and his own sister against him.

Their sisters' roles in their lives

Despite both of them being the oldest sibling and brother, they both have severe inferiority complexes due to their younger, powerful bending sisters.

With Katara, she was the only waterbender in the entire tribe, a marvel. She could learn to protect the tribe in a way that Sokka had been trying all his life, and she eventually does. Despite all this, Katara is still a grounding and valued person in his life, and he would be completely lost without her (something he openly admits to in canon!!)

With Azula, she was a prodigy firebender, while also being a special kind of keen and cunning. She was adored by their father and grandfather and Zuko could never quite measure up. Because of this, Azula is the main villain in Zuko's childhood. She does everything she can to break him down, and that continues when she returns as a character in his life in season two. All throughout the show, instead of being a source of comfort and familial love, she is his main obstacle he must overcome.

The loss of their mothers

Both Sokka and Zuko lost their mothers at very young ages to the Fire Nation, but they had vastly different impacts on their families (and further developed their sisters' roles in their lives!!)

When Sokka's mother died, she was killed by a Fire Nation general. Katara quickly took over the motherly role in his life, cementing her place as a grounding and comforting force. Her death also did not break their family. It deeply hurt all of them, but Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda still loved one another just as much as before.

When Zuko's mother died (obviously not really, but this is what he believes for many years), she was "killed" in order for his father to ascend to the throne and become Fire Lord. This left Zuko without anyone to protect him from Azula's tormenting and cemented her place as a destructive, villainous person in his life. Ursa's death also did destroy their family. Whatever way she had managed to keep them all together was eradicated, and Zuko was left with a sister and father that resented him and a sister fighting for his place in the line of succession.

Their obessesions

Both Sokka and Zuko had two bone-deep obsessions that were very defining parts of their characters in the first season, that slowly wavered and faded away as the story progressed and they developed as people. They were both given these obsessions by their fathers immediately before they became absent in their lives (whether leaving themself or sending their son away) and proceeded to dedicate their entire life to these goals in the name of honor.

With Sokka, his father asked him to protect his sister and his village. Sokka then dedicates all his time and energy to becoming a brave soldier and training the children of the village in order to protect his people. This is seen further in season one even after they leave, when he is overly protective of Katara and constantly worried for her safety (something this fandom doesn't talk about enough!!)

With Zuko, his father sent him on a wild goose-chase to find the hundred-years-lost Avatar, and when he actually does, all he can do is chase after Aang so he can go back home. As we see in season three, letting go of capturing the Avatar was essentially letting go of his former self.

Unlearning their flawed cultures (the big one!!!!)

Both of their cultures had many flaws that became ingrained in their belief systems and characters; their whole development is dedicated to unlearning these flawed teachings and reorienting their perception of the world.

It is very obvious throughout the shows that the Water Tribe had strict gender roles that were both implicitly and explicitly taught from birth. The men go off to fight in the war, the women take care of the children, Sokka has to protect his "defenseless" little sister, etc. Suki helped start him on the journey of unlearning his deeply-rooted misogyny, and by the end of the series he's really drinking the Respect Women Juice™�� (unlearning the flaws of his culture also brought him much closer to his sister and strengthened their bond and respect for one another)

The Fire Nation is a lot more complicated with a lot more cultural nuances and implicit and explicit teachings, but we'll focus on one central cultural theme: the constant prioritization of ambition over absolutely everything else, including (if not especially) love. (I actually talk about this extensively in another analysis post about Azula, if you want to check that out<3) We see Zuko battle with this teaching all throughout the series, and it is the main conflict he faces, at its heart.

We watch him commit his entire life to capturing the Avatar in season one. We watch him betray his uncle in season two. We watch him, time and time again, put his own health and safety on the line trying to capture Aang, especially in season one. Constantly, over and over again, he puts his ambition first because that was what he was taught.

And though this is a trait him and Azula share, it is also what pits them against each other. Azula's entire character is built on putting ambition first, and that leads her to chasing the throne that is Zuko's birthright. Zuko just wants to go home, but that would reestablish him as the heir to the throne. Time and time again, we watch them fight and betray each other, constantly battling for this crown for a broken nation. In the end, it is Azula's undoing, but that's another post.

All in all, unlearning the flaws of their culture is central to their development as characters and a place where they parallel... but it is also a place where they directly (and perfectly) contrast.

Despite the cruelty of the Fire Nation, they are the only military that includes women. They seem to not really struggle with the same gender roles the rest of the world does. They may be colonizers, but they're not misogynists. Zuko never looked down on his sister because she was a woman, nor did her father. It was always her propensity for cruelty that undid her. (They even send a team of highly skilled women to capture the Avatar!!)

This is a direct contrast to the teachings of the Water Tribe, which are entrenched in misogyny and gender roles. The men go off to war, the women stay behind. The men are strong, the women are weak. Can you imagine how much Zuko could have assisted Sokka in his development here? (blah blah directly paralleling Suki's role in Sokka's life blah blah blah)

In the Water Tribe, love and family comes before everything. We see that time and time again. Sokka's main priority, every time, is his sister and his tribe. They stick together. They love one another. They are united, with one person leading them as a group but not standing over them like a tyrant. "Ambition" seems like a mostly unheard of concept in their nation. The only ambition we ever really see from Sokka is when he's trying to protect his tribe (season one finale)!!

Can you imagine how much Sokka could have helped Zuko unlearn his constant prioritization of ambition?? Like, come on. All the things Zuko was left to stew with and angst over all on his own Sokka could have gently taken into his own hands and shown him the way. Like, it actually makes me go feral just thinking about it. Sokka could have helped Zuko so much!! (pushing the Ba Sing Se Zukka AU rn)

Consensus

Okay, let's recap. It looks like Zuko and Sokka are both direct parallels and contrasts, paralleling in the ways that allow them to understand each other but contrasting in the ways that help them heal one another. Like, it's actually insane. I really don't know if it was intentional or not but it's really just so perfect. They slot together perfectly as characters. I hope this all made sense😭😭

Could "Zukka" work in canon?

Now, this is tricky. Believe it or not I'm actually really glad they didn't make Zukka canon. ATLA had a huge problem with writing good romance, and in the canon we saw in the show, neither Sokka or Zuko were in a place to get together.

I've enjoyed my fair share of Zukka AUs where they get together before the end of the war, but you and I both know that would have been a hot mess. (Both of them just weren't ready, they were both in relationships, and sorry but they were kinda busy—Katara was right about the whole "there are other things to worry about.") If they were ever to get together in canon, it would have to be years after the war ended.

Let's address a few things that needed to happen before they could ever have gotten together:

Finally admitting that Maiko was just an extreme example of comphet

Zuko did not give a single shit about that girl. Like. He didn't even personally go get her out of prison WHEN SHE WAS LITERALLY ARRESTED FOR PROTECTING HIM😭😭 And then they try to play off their story as some big epic romance?? uhhhh no

(really, Mai was in long-time unrequited love with Ty Lee that was finally requited after Boiling Rock but idk if society is ready for that yet)

Not to mention, Azula literally forced both of them into that relationship, but if I get started with that I'll never stop so. Moving on.

Figuring out Sokka and Suki

Okay, so while there is a good chance that Sokka and Suki could have made it work in canon, there is also a good chance they would have broken up. They both had very different priorities: while they both did care about overall world peace, it was obvious from Suki's first introduction that her Kyoshi Warriors were her top priority every time, and Sokka's was his tribe, his found family (Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, yk yk), and world peace at large. You're telling me those don't conflict? Especially because they really seem like a Piper/Jason situation, where they found comfort and love in each other during wartime but wouldn't have known how to keep up the relationship without the constant threat of death.

Overall, in order for Zukka to work, Sokka and Suki would have had to break up, which would not have been difficult to arrange.

Sokka needed to go home and begin rebuilding the Water Tribe

No matter how much I adore fics where Sokka stays behind in the Fire Nation and helps Zuko rebuild, it just wouldn't work. Sokka's obvious priority had always been his tribe. The second the war was over (ignoring the comics bc that's a can of complicated worms i don't want to get into), he would've gone back with Katara to work on rebuilding their destroyed tribe. Only once the Southern Tribe could stand steadily on its own two legs could he have even considered leaving.

Anyways, that's really it. In order for Zukka to work, three plot points would have to be resolved: Maiko, Sukka, and the reparation of the Southern Water Tribe. Extremely doable, imo.

Personality-wise and just as characters, would it have worked?

I really think it would have! Like I said before, Sokka and Zuko are two characters that perfectly parallel and contrast at all the exactly right points to make them slot together flawlessly as a pair. (Whether that's romantic or not—doesn't matter.) Really, I genuinely think they are a real missed opportunity. I have genuinely never seen two characters that seem so different that actually work that well together, or even just characters that work that well together at all.

Like, I really mean it, they are perfect matches. It's genuinely scary. Like it or not, no one will ever be able to replicate the perfection of what Zukka could have been.

Anyone that says that it's "random" or "doesn't work" obviously hasn't been watching the same show or simply just hasn't been paying attention. People might ship it just because it's opposites attract or red and blue or even just the most accessible MLM ship in the fandom, but they really are perfect for each other.

alright, I think that's it! sorry for this monster of a post😭😭 genuinely did NOT expect that to happen. PLS SEND ME ANY ASKS YOU CAN THINK OF ABOUT THESE TWO!! i have spent a concerning amount of time thinking about them and these show has analysis potential for days, so. (and who knows, maybe i'll finally post the like three unfinished fics i have for them💀💀 god knows i should)

thanks for the ask, and have a great day <3

#atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #zukka #atla meta #atla ana #atla analysis #zukka nation #atla zukka #sokka x zuko #zuko #sokka #atla sokka #atla zuko

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i-am-the-avatar-of-idiocy · 7 months

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Hi hope you’re doing well <3

Can I request obey me brothers x younger sister MC .

So mc is the 8th sibling amongst the other brothers. This idea has been stuck in my head for the longest and I haven’t seen any post abt it. :(

Just some general headcanons abt MCs interactions w the brothers and stuff. Thank you!

part two

(in my mind, reader is a decent amount younger than the brothers and Lilith were and isn’t MC, it’s mostly set after the fall before MC but some of it they are there for, finally that that were all closer with Lilith- I hope you enjoy)

Prefall, you were Liliths shadow

wherever she was, you would only be a few steps behind her

you were adored, but cast out due to lucifers insistence to protect you

when the fall happened, Diavolo and barbatos had noticed you, sobbing over her body with lucifer, begging her to wake up

you still remember the inconsolable grief you felt, the wounds still wide open

you also felt that after Satan was created, he filled where she had been, a new ‘sibling’

you also noticed how hard they found it to look at you, given you looked so similar to the older sister they believed they had failed

your relationship with lucifer is like a father and child. You aren’t particularly fond of it, especially as you age however you know he wants to protect you like he couldn’t Lilith. He also treats you like her and you have to remind him you’re two different people and you aren’t her When he comes to accept this things are much better between the two of you but he can’t help but act in a relative paternal way with you

mammon is like a cool uncle. Even if he’s your brother, he acts like one. He will shower you with gifts when he can. You are also one of his highest priorities (if not his highest). If you’re disappointed in him, he’s sure he’s done something wrong. He is one of the best for not treating you like Lilith and acknowledges you as your person. Regardless, you love him and you have a really good relationship with him

levi couldn’t look at you for a solid few hundred years after the fall. He only saw your sister. When he wanted to reconnect to you, he really struggled and ending up asking for help from asmo and mammon. After this point, things are a lot better and if you like anime and gaming HES your man. He truly regrets the years he ignored you

After he was first created, you despised Satan with a passion. Why? You felt like he replaced your sister (Idk why but I bc she was the fourth oldest) also his anger infuriated you, how dare he be angry when he hadn’t lost anything. Later on, when he settles down, he tries and fails many times to build up a relationship with you. After many, many attempts he finally succeeds in his mission and you have a pretty good relationship with him but it’s definitely not as strong as your bond with the others and he wants to work on that

asmodeus will literally dote on you nonstop. You want a spa-day? He’s on it. You like that perfume? Let him get it for you. You cant decide between the blue and green top? Hell get you both. At first he tried to make you like Lilith but eventually came to the realisation he was damaging your relationship he had a deep conversation with you and offered a heartfelt opportunity. You can absolutely rant to him. He values you and your emotions. If you aren’t happy, then asmo isn’t

beelzebub blames himself for the death of Lilith and with your looks being so similar to hers he only sees his failure in you. He’s too ashamed to talk to you about how he couldn’t save everyone. You try to connect with him and after a while he lets you in. He lets you help him. You have an amazing relationship with him

belphegor is generally angry after the fall and you find yourself becoming slightly afraid of him and his sheer hatred against humans so you try to avoid him. After he’s put in the attic you regret the distance formed as you cant be with him. Post/during MC Hes much kinder. You can nap together and talk for hours and he’s so much kinder.

BONUS: MC and you are really close. They are related to you but they are one of your closest friends. You cannot thank them enough for helping your family and just generally being them

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kiruyeen · 6 months

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listen if you go into g3 thinking it will be just like more episodes of g1 youre gonna be very disappointed. like yeah if I had to choose between them Id choose g1 as it cant be beat, but g3 has its own unique charm and is really good if you accept that the g3 cast isnt gonna be a carbon copy of the g1 cast. they arent meant to be! theyre new takes on their character, by definition, a new generation. yes I still have criticisms for it but also it did a lot of stuff better!

first off, a trans character IN a queer relationship. Ive always related to frankie but gen 3 especially does them so well and no matter what you say them and cleo's relationship is adorable. also I see a lot of you treat them like just a girl who uses they/them pronouns (or ignore that theyre non-binary at all) just because they dress femininely, and I am judging you. their relationship is trixic, not sapphic, and frankie is unlabeled and cleo is bi so theyre not lesbians either. frankie is not your theythem girl or theyfab or whatever. grow up. deuce is also theorized to be trans or intersex and is also canonically aromantic and I fucking love that as well. "b-but my nostalgia abt cleo and deuce" Im still nostalgic about them too and it was nice seeing the "mean girl" and her boyfriend have a healthy relationship but again this is a different take on their character, and I can happily say I could see their g1 versions identify this way as well if mattel wasnt such a coward back then.

next, lagoona. Ill be honest I was one of the biggest haters of g3 lagoona at first, pink skin, vsco girl ass fashion, "this aint my lagoona, she's way less edgier than the others AND g1" Id say, but she really grew on me, and as someone who frequently rewatches g1 as well, I notice she is a LOT more well developed than her g1 counterpart. g3 is fierce and is afraid of no longer being seen as such due to also having "cutesy" interests, and loves graphic novels and sometimes sees them as more true than real life. she also has anxiety and copes with them in an unappealing fashion (chewing). she makes up for her lack of edgy looks with her edgy personality. meanwhile g1 is just.... aussie and loves her boyfriend. g3 is still very sporty and cares for her friends (and crush) a lot, but now has personality past that, she can even find fault in her crush while still loving him, while g1 lagoona just saw gill as the perfect incarnate. g3 just overall, has more fleshed out monsters than g1.

more about deuce, I see a lot of people headcanon him as trans and I love that, but I personally believe he may be intersex. "but both of his parents and his sisters are female, there is no y chromosome in their heritage so how could he develop a y chromosome or testosterone" you may ask, but worry not for I have a biology special interest and am more than willing to explain! deuce's parents are a harpy (bird monster) and a gorgon(snake monster), and both birds and snakes are known to have NOT X and Y chromosomes to determine sex, but Z and W, and it works the other way around! meaning the offspring with zw chromosomes will be female while the offspring with zz chromosomes will be male! and due to deuce being out of the sex norms of both harpies and gorgons (having no males), he is considered intersex! again, I have nothing about his trans headcanons, but him being intersex makes more sense to me. and I LOVE it if thats the intention.

either way, even if I have my criticisms, I love g3, yes its not comparable to g1 but theyre different series!

#monster high g3 #monster high #monster high gen 3 #lagoona blue #deuce gorgon #frankie stein #cleo de nile #mh g3

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 8 months

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wibta if i held an intervention for my cousin?

strap in bc this is gonna be long, but first i need to introduce this little cast of characters: I (26f), my sister (23f) and my cousin (22f) are literally the only young ones in my family. my fathers siblings never married, and i have only my mother's sister (50sthF) who has married and also has a kid. so this made us kind of close since we were kids, especially my sister and my cousin (due to their close ages) were always together. we did live far from each other, and could only meet one or two times in a year.

my cousin and my sister have ocd. i have depression. we all have anxieties. my aunt and my mother both have anger issues, so we kind of can guess what kind of house my cousin is living in. and also from what we could see during our short visits. so yeah, we're all fucked up, but ever since i started therapy and forced my sister to go as well, things started to change. my cousin kept making excuses about money issues, and not really needing any therapy, but her ocd started spiraling down very quickly after her cat got sick last year (we'll get to that soon).

so here's where the problem lies: my cousin has ocd, and needs to constantly ask for approval. she also has severe separation anxiety, to the point that she cant even think about a family member or her cat dying. and see, i get that! we also had beloved pets who died and honestly it still fucks us up, but she is getting delusional about it. god forbid we mention that the cat is now an old lady, or say that shes not as sharp/agile as she was before—this makes her cry immediately. also her ocd is very focused on her cat: she thinks she can carry diseases to her cat, she gets hysterical if we change our clothes near the cats bowl, asks everyone repeatedly if sth unrelated might make the cat sick. shes also of the belief that if someone uses an insect spray, then the poison will stay there till she goes to that place and carries the poison to her cat and making her sick. we kept explaining to her that if the sprays would work like that then we wouldnt suffer from a serious ant infestation for the third year in a row, but as it goes with ocd, she just cant accept it. she only believes what her mother says, and well. her mother gets agitated Very Quickly and they start fighting which makes everything worse.

usually id interfere and tell my aunt to just get along with my cousin as shes going through therapy and medication, and i saw it first hand on my sister that it takes time for ocd to get calmer. its not like oh u started therapy? why arent u already performing like a mentally healthy person?? this is what i suffered from when i first started my therapy. but my aunts main issue isnt her ocd. the ocd is par for the course—the main problem is that my cousin never helps around the house.

we knew this, since we have been together forever, that my cousin never works. she complains a lot, even snaps if u ask her to do two things at once (even if its like hey check the kettle and btw put this glass in the sink as well). and my aunt has zero tolerance for her attitude, which leads to her doing the chore herself and well this kind of encourages my cousin to get away from the chores by complaining. she was like this ever since we were KIDS. she'd play with us and make a mess, but when we were supposed to clean everything shed either not do a thing (saying "i dont know how to" even to simple things like put the thing in the basket) or shed just. vanish. whenever we ate lunch or dinner, shed immediately go to the bathroom, and come out after everything was cleaned and washed. and before u say there might be sth else, it really wasnt. she even admitted to it later. she just didnt want to do a single shit. and well, now that shes older, its getting kind of upsetting. whenever she's alone at home she does NOTHING. and when my aunt comes back from her trip SHES the one who has to clean after my cousin, even tho she has just arrived home. this is why no matter how much she asks us to go stay with her when shes alone, we never go. bc we dont want to clean after her. or when she comes over to our house she just. barely does a thing.

this is taking a huge mental and physical toll on my aunt, bc shes physically disabled (severe migraines caused by a bubble in her head, and recently due to her bad workplace her right hand and arm are also not doing well), and even tho she kind of brought this on herself (but indirectly encouraging my cousins behavior), its still really upsetting. whenever we go to their house, my sister and i try to shoulder a part of chores, bc 1) our aunt shouldn't have to do everything by herself and 2) we were taught to help. my parents never had any tolerance for us slacking off.

cut to last week when we went to their house, and it was a huge war zone. my aunt kept shouting at my cousin for things that werent her fault (like her asking for approval or complaining about sth someone did), and on the other hand my cousin kept dodging the chores, and when my aunt asked her to do ONE thing she kept snapping at her and complaining like it was a huge deal (it really wasnt. example: my aunt asked her to put her clothes which she had already folded and put on her bed away. my cousin snapped at her that she would do it and she should get off her back and then kept complaining that her folded clothes arent bothering anyone and she shouldnt be forced to put them away. this is not an exaggeration.) i also realized that part of the problem with their relationship was how my cousin kept complaining about everything to my aunt, which makes my aunt go insane bc she needs a break from the negativity, but my cousin is very clingy and would call her multiple times a day just to bitch about sth. and hey, i also bitch about things to my mother, but i dont call her that much when shes/im away, and also i try to balance it with good fun stories. i know my cousin isnt like having a very bad life, she just likes to complain about everything. but this, coupled with her insistent need for approval, and her clinginess, makes for a bad recipe.

so, when i finally had a private moment with my cousin, i told her that she needs to do chores, and this would do wonders to the current tension! i said this very gently and very quickly bc i didnt want my aunt to overhear us, and my cousin started crying and nodding and said she would try. this made me feel a bit calmer about the whole situation, until the next fucking day when my grandparents came to my aunts house and my cousin, u guessed, did nothing to help my aunt. at one point my sister found her kissing her cat instead of setting the table, and it made us both extremely mad.

i think that gently talking with her wont do good, bc she'd probably do the same thing again. i feel like i need to be more stern and a little bit harsher to hammer the point home, bc apparently she doesnt understand anything unless its shouted at her. im not gonna shame her or anything, im just gonna say that she needs to a) continue her therapy (which she has dropped for 5 months) b) take her pills regularly (which she doesnt) c) enforce a clear boundary between herself and her mother no matter how close they and d) do the chores. if she doesnt do these stuff, then she wont be able to get any sympathy from me, and my sister. also cant complain about it anymore if she's not going to do any fucking thing to improve her situation.

so, wibta?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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spacedlexi · 3 months

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I am madly in love with your artstyle and its been a big big inspiration for me as of late. Also, what are your thoughts on Jane and Bonnie? Do you like them or not

AAA thank you so much thats so flattering to hear 🥺💕!!

my feelings on jane and bonnie are nuanced just like my opinion on many of twdg characters. but i love twdg for all its messy fucked up characters :) its fun :) so while i dont hate either of them they definitely still do things that piss me off

in janes case, i think her mentorship/sisterhood with clem came more from her guilt about her sister than actually wanting to have this 11 year old around. so while she would teach clem important survival skills, she was also always quick to leave or act selfishly (clems "i thought you believed in me 🥺" always makes me sad). and this is just solidified by her actions in her S3 flashbacks. i do think she TRIES to work with the group, but she just gets in her own way and is never able to fully integrate, especially since the S2 cast is a fucked up mess in and of itself so its understandable. her actions at the end of S2 are born of pure selfishness, leaving a newborn infant in a random freezing vehicle so she could "show clem what kenny was really like" when clem is WELL AWARE of the thread this madman is hanging on to (having already faced the brunt of his frustrations MULTIPLE times at this point, and is desperate not to lose anyone else). she wanted a fight and she got one. i think maybe she told herself it was about saving clem, but honestly i dont think that was really ever her goal. again i just think a lot of her motivation comes out of the guilt of leaving her sister behind, so she saw clem as a second chance to make things right. but depending on clems actions, she can end up on her own without either of them, and jane can be the sister left behind to die. its interesting to see clem kinda pick up janes personality in the first half of S3 now that shes also at a point where she has no one and trusts no one, and is deep down lonely and longing for community. the difference is clem is not selfish (while still caring about self preservation), and actually likes being able to help people when she can. shes more so just afraid of caring for people again to protect herself from what she sees is the inevitable pain of losing them, as opposed to janes "theyre all just gonna bring you down so you should be on your own instead" outlook. but i definitely saw jane (and luke) as a bigger mentor/big sister(/brother) figure to clem than kenny was to her. jane actually taught her how to take care of herself. kenny was just someone from her past she didnt want to let go of

in bonnies case, she can be really horrible to clem if she listened to luke and stayed back instead of trying to grab him, so i'll literally try to save luke just so i dont have to hear it 😭 but also i like the convo her and clem have on the steps if you tried to save him. its an important character moment for clem, being asked what SHE wants instead of what the people around her want, and that she should start thinking about that, which is formative to the decision she makes (or fails to make) at the rest stop. the way bonnie is initially dismissive of carvers behavior i think is supposed to mirror the way clem can be dismissive of kennys behavior after leaving howes. will they come to see the man they once respected is becoming someone unstable? (i used to be in the "kenny might be going crazy but he'd never hurt clem" camp UNTIL i picked the "lee shouldnt have tried to save me 😔" option in the car and kenny threatened to smack her for it AFTER giving it a moment of hesitation so he KNEW what he was saying there. my jaw was dropped. but kenny is just another interesting flawed character in a game of interesting flawed characters (although they Heavily backtracked on the kenny/carver parallels in the S3 flashbacks. you can make the argument hes happier now but idk he cant come back from the threat for me he MEANT that)). bonnie leaving with mike is fucked but understandable, and she can show real concern after clem gets shot before getting chased off by kenny. i hope her and mike are still out there somewhere i dont hate either of them, even tho it was horrible of them to steal ALL of their supplies when they knew they were leaving TWO children behind. like cmon. but overall i liked bonnie :) shes a bit of a mess but i like her for it

in the end i am a twdg woman character forgiver :) i do love all the fucked up ladies its refreshing let them do dumb shit and make mistakes!!! i love mess :)

#replies with lexi #plamglam #twdg #all the misogynists in this fandom GET BACK these female characters are refreshing for being so fucked up #if your fucked up fave men are “understandable” you can understand the fucked up women too 😐

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theaviskullguy · 4 months

Text

D&D Obey me- Lucifer, Mammon, + The Twins!

@trash-opposum here you go. seperate post so people can find it but here!

Disclaimer, if i do the rest, im going to avoid making EVERYONE a tiefling or aasimar, those are just for who i think are exceptionally appropriate/is how im playing them as my current dnd character is just Belphegor. If yall want me to make the others (Asmo, Levi, Satan, maybe Diavlo but who knows) let me know!

so let's GOOOOOOOO

Lucifer

Aasimar, the kind from Mordenkainen so no special extra type

Noble background, mainly cause i cant think of anything else

As for class, we have four potential options

Two varieties of Paladin, cleric, or warlock

First paladin variety- Oathbreaker

In this case he was probably originally Devotion before the revolution, and whoops! Oath Broken!

It'd either be a point of pride for him ("I fought for what I believe is right, and there is no shame in that") or he'd hide it from everyone

Second paladin- order of the Crown! obviously because of Diavlo. fellas is it gay to swear undying devotion to your future ki- *gets shot*

Cleric, then Order Domain. clerics are sworn to gods and not demons but shush his patron might still be Diavlo. in an actual D&D setting i can see him instead swearing to like Tyr or something.

he wont be healing. clerics are tanky he's out here ordering people to drop their weapons and then fucking murdering them

Warlock, gotta be fiend patron. im not sure if its possible to be your own patron but itd be funny as shit. worse case its fiend patron with some flavor homebrew as i call it to literally just be a fiend in his own right climbing the infernal ladder as he levels up

i promise the others wont be as long

Mammon

Earth Genasi as those are descended from the Dao, which are the greediest genie. Also, they just look rich with gem-like stuff growing in cracks on their skin you just know Mammon's one of them

Charlatan background. he is scamming people left and right and it works

Rogue, thief subclass. Honestly any subclass other than Arcane Trickster (hes not smart enough) or Scout (hes not equipped for the "outside of civilization" shit)

Unlike for Lucifer, the others have Backstory! Woo!

Mammon is the son of a Dao and a human. His human parent helped him escape from the Elemental Plane of Earth, but then he was left on his own

So. He quickly learned how to con people. At first it was for survival, and then greed.

He found Lucifer while running one of these cons. In particular, his "con" was a vanishing act. He claimed he could become "one with the earth" when really he was curling up on the ground and casting Pass Without Trace. Lucifer saw through this illusion and threatened to out Mammon as a conman, unless he joined him as his ally. So, he did.

Lucifer keeps him in check, but that's not to say Mammon isn't fully on the straight and narrow

Beelzebub

Tiefling!!! variant tiefling favored to have fly wings.

Outlander background, ill explain why in a sec

Barbarian. Need I say More?

actually i will- Totem animal, spirit of the bear. Since bear gets resistance to all damage (other than psychic) while raging and i feel that works with Beel more than anything

now for his backstory! he isnt canon in the campaign im playing belphie in but his backstory has the same catalyst. When he was five years old, the kingdom he lived in was caught in a rebellion against a tyrant. In which, Beel saw his older sister get killed by a royal guard. Belphie was going to be killed- but was protected by a tiefling in a knight's armor (my previous character who was killed. rip avi)

Beel, in his five-year-old mind, just ran. He took off without a second thought- a decision he now regrets deeply.

He ran into the surrounding woodlands. And gets an Atalanta-style backstory. For those who dont know, Atalanta was a princess who was abandoned in the woods and raised by bears

So Beel is raised by bears. Which is way better than being raised by wolves

They teach him how to hunt, gather, and its all well and cute. He sometimes entered the rebuilding kingdom to trade in leftover meat for clothes and weapons- and, to try and find Belphie. No luck.

Eventually, Beel grows to be a powerful warrior. Hangry, sure, but his rage hold the rage of freaking bears. so keep him fed. please.

Anyways Lucifer and the gang (everyone minus belphie) encounter Beel in the woods, watching the cubs. Beel agrees to adventure with them. He says goodbye to bear mom and promises to visit- hopefully, with his twin, next time.

Belphegor

hehe its ME

Zariel Tiefling but i dont give a shit about the infernal legacy its just There. tail is a cow's tail he basically just looks like his demon form

Hermit background. again ill explain in a sec

Druid, circle of stars! to people about to scream "i just checked the wikidot why he no circle of dreams??" because that doesnt have to do with dreams and sleep as i wished it did. its the obligatory faewild subclass. i hate the faewild subclasses (other than the bard one that ones fun)

Currently n the campaign im in we're level 5, so his two wildshapes are wolf, and a bull. But he also has his three starry forms due to being circle of stars.

now. backstory! strap in this is Long

he's saved by my previous dnd character- Avi- and is taken in by him and his husband when the rebellion was over.

Except. due to seeing his sister die and not seeing his twin after that, Belphie assumed the worse and thought that Beel also died and he was the last one of his family

He fell into a pretty deep depression and had no motivation to do anything besides sleep, cry, and eat very tiny portions of meals.

eventually his adoptive dads start telling him stories. and. surprisingly. they seem to help! Belphie is still a shrinking violet but he eats more and can cook and do basic chores!

And Then Avi Goes Missing

His husband- Skull- asks the now 11 year old Belphie if he wants to come along to find him. Belphie declines, saying he needs to get in control of his life and some big quest is probably just gonna leave him with more trauma

Skull lets him stay home, and gives him one of his feathers. So if Belphie ever needs a hand, he can call Skull over and. well. have one of his dads at least

For five years, Belphie took to studying druidcraft, and the stars. He also enchanted his favorite pillow to float and be able to carry him. So he had a little more comfort when going out to buy groceries. He'd make detailed star maps to sell in return

When the sun rose on his 16th birthday, he left a note at home saying he felt ready to tackle his own destiny, and left.

He had a brush with Lucifer, but not Beel. so close, buddy.

Anyways he arrives at The Hunters Guild, finds his parents again, and takes residence in the observatory, where he studies his stars and druid magic again. But also, sleep and dreams.

and. yeah thats where we leave off! god that was long im sorry

#obey me!#obey me shall we date #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me belphegor #obey me beelzebub #im sorry this got So Long #also to people who dont follow me for obey im sorry about the sudden hyperfixation #but its my blog yall just visit here

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mistninja · 8 months

Note

When you get back online after watching opla PLEASE tell me your thoughts!!

OKAY SO. I have now watched two episodes and i have so much to say (long rambling post ahead, sorry)

Iñaqui is perfect. I was worried that he would not live up to the hype but he does. He captures luffy perfectly and manages to adapt luffy's personality to the new medium / the tone of the show. He is not just copying luffy, if that makes sense. Hes funny and silly and clearly having a great time which is exactly why he is the best possible casting. He just makes me smile so hard (btw my friend said he was his favorite character hehe)

I love Zoro, I wish he would smile more/be sillier but I think his sense of humor in the show works. I hope we see him call out some of his moves eventually, like, Get over youself and be silly!!!! But i love the actor and I loooove the zoro/luffy dynamic so far. I do have to say that i have mixed feelings about the change to Zoro joining the crew, i have always loved the moment when he calls luffy captain at shells town, but whatever its fine

(((Zolu shippers keep winning tho. i went insane over the "he believes in himself" bit)))

Nami.... im still not sold on the actress, she feels a bit stiff sometimes, but its better than what i was expecting based on the trailers. Not a fan of turning Nami into the "older sister" character :/ but im not surprised that they went with that angle. LOVED to see her fight alongside luffy and zoro, it is something that i wish we could see more of in the manga/anime. I love that they give her a lot more to do and we see her actually lock picks and be a thief! Im hopeful for the rest of the season and cant wait to see how they did Arlong Park. I really enjoyed her scene with Zoro when they are captured by Buggy, again i really miss seeing them interact in the original so it was nice

And that leads us to BUGGY. oh boy. I do like the costuming and his crew looked amazing, but hes too edgy for my taste. Maybe the actor is taking himself too seriously? Idk maybe i should reread the orange town chapters but i dont think buggy was ever this threatening and scary... he still had some goofy moments tho, so im hoping that as the show progresses he will be more like the buggy we know and love. My friend liked him a lot so ig it might have been the right call in order to bring in new fans.

I liked how they changed Alvida! It was totally the best way to handle her character (also, the actress is so hot, no one would have believed it if they called her ugy lol). I dont see why they took away Kobys big moment :/ I think it was a great disservice to his character

So far, I like the way they are condensing the plot. Obviously they would have to cut a lot, so im okay with how they are doing it. Orange Town felt a little rushed to me, but its okay.

LETS TALK ABOUT MR 7 THO. I fucking gasped. Did everyone already know that mr 7 was going to be on this? Cuz i didnt. It was such a good fight and i loved that they added that, they are clearly confident on getting a second season which makes ME more confident too. God i really hope we get Baroque Works.

The sets look amazing, i love the transponder snails SO MUCH, the fights are really cool and the CGI looks so good. The Devil Fruit looked too fake but eh, thats just a nitpick. The costumes are a mixed bag. I know namis orange skirt with the rings on the side is iconic but i think the actress looked silly with that outfit lol.

Okay im done HAHA sorry im going a bit insane. TLDR: I love it, im having a blast, i dont like some details here and there but im extremely positive about the show and cant wait to see the rest :)))) What did you think????

#twist 💞#asks #i was smiling and laughing and trembling with emotion the entire time. almost cried when shanks gave luffy his hat #i had so much fun #my friend also liked it so thats a bonus #i will watch the first episodes again with my family this weekend #but i want to keep watching with my friend so it will probably take me a couple weeks to watch all of it

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star-mum · 4 months

Text

Live Star Reaction - Yellow Jackets 1x1

The worlds most awaited installment of the series: “Yellow Jackets” (aka @fayesdiana finally gets what she deserves)

WE STARTING WITH ACTION OKAY

Oh not the snow, Ik what happens here

YEP DEAD

VERY GORY SHIT (Kinda love ngl)

“I mean that could’ve been me” AWFUL VIBES FROM THIS LADY

Is this a therapy session ???? Or like a documentary of some kind

1996 !! Soccer makes me so nervous, I do not have the coordination for that

Okay without knowing anything about anyone my faves are Jasmine’s character (cause I already know her <3) and the blondie with the mullet (she looks cool and my sister and I almost picked her the casting of her story)

STRAIGHT SEX ????? IN MY MURDER LESBIANS SHOW ???? Terrible, revolting even

Iconic wardrobe tho

I was about to go “more straight sex?” NO ! We win today !!

Shauna... that’s the girl who was with Jackie (?)

“That I’d say you’re lying” “Then you’re still in touch” GAGGED, she got you there

Natalie, that’s another one (I’ll learn all their names eventually)

NATALIE IS THE BLONDE WITH THE MULLET !!! OKAY !!!!

“Lets hear for the boys” BOOOOOOOO

who’s the girl with the glasses ? You know besides a huge fangirl

STATE SENATOR ??????? Okay Taissa/State Senator/Jasmine

Oh Laura Lee is either dying IMMEDIATELY when things go to shit or she’s KILLING A BUNCH OF BITCHES

THE BONE OUTTA THE LEG ??????? I literally let out a “CARALHO” and just sat there with my mouth open in shock for several minutes (holy fuck)

“He asked Jeff to ask me to ask if you were gonna be there” that’s kinda.... pathetic ...? Like maybe if they were middle schoolers that’d be cute or whatever but cmon dude

“lucy in the sky with diamonds” so... lsd (?) or cocaine (?)

“Cat fight” dude they’re gonna punch each other to death...

I’m glad they’re all lineup, maybe now I’ll learn all their names (I won’t)

“Also I like your Pilgrim hat” definitely lsd

Yeah not a great place (physically AND mentally) to try lsd for the first time, Nat... that’s how you go on a bad trip (trust me, I actually learned about this in class)

Uhhh I don’t feel good about letting your friend who’s WASTED in the car alone with a guy, Jackie.... cmon be smarter (oh that’s her bf, wHO FUCKING CARES)

WHAT ?????? AGAIN ?????

Well, I wasn’t talking about *that* danger but yEAH THAT TOO

Secret safe (??) OH ARE THOSE THE “LOGS” OF WHEN THEY WENT MISSING ???

Okay so the ones we know FOR SURE survived are Shauna, Taissa and Natalie

“I can’t believe your dad paid for a private plane” daaaaaamn Lottie

“And here, a good luck charm” Jackie that’s gay (I’d know)

“No signs of the others” WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT ?????

Heeeyyy Natty.... where you going with that fucking gUN?

Listen, okay yeah you’re stranding on an island with no way out... you’re GONNA start killing people... but exactly HOW quickly would it turn into a Cult? is my question

MISTY !!! OH MY GOR !!!! CHRISTINA RICCI ?????? WAS NO ONE GOING TO TELL ME CHRISTINA FUCKING RICCI WAS IN THIS SHOW ????

awwwwnn she’s an abusive nurse ;-; GODDAMIT, cAnt have SHIT in here

WAS THAT LAURA LEE ???? The one that fell off the plane ???? WAS I RIGHT ????

(Twas not, I was only confused by another blonde with straight hair, fORGIVE ME)

#live star reaction #yellow jackets

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lunarifie · 2 years

Text

Rewatching Ninjago

(With no context other than the episode)

Skybound 9-10

Jay (after falling from the sky): Ow…

Ed: its our son!

Edna: you mean our adopted son. Remember?

Ed: well of course I remember! But this is the second time he landed on our doorstep!

BJFJSJSNJSOSJ

I love them.

Ed and edna are probably my favorite side characters

Nya swatting Nadakhans crew as they force her into a dress is actually so funny

Ed: The worlds falling apart and hes here eating soup! Your liked by everyone who meets you! Youre telling a boy from a junkyard cant scrap together a few new friends to help him in a jam?

YOU TELL HIM ED

AAAAAA I LOVE SKYLERS NEW FIT

Ronin, captain soto, skyler, echo, and dareth.

Jay picked a weird fucking team

This actually would have been a fun way to show how all the other elemental master were doing and show that the ninja are still in touch with them.

Pirate assistants (trying to read Jays lips): uhhh bequeath, mamajamma…

Jay: mamajamma, silverdollar, peanut butter… Echo do I have to keep doing this or are they gone?

Nfsjnfjenrb

me after seeing Ronin catch Dareth out of the sky: Okaaaay, I see you ronin x dareth shippers 👀

Skylers so cool

Soto was able to take out one of the pirates. Jay. Your on a DRAGON.

Nadakhans so pressed. And for what.

Pre-wedding stress I guess

Its genuinely surprising how well Dareth and Echo are sneaking around

Jay: wow… you look, beautiful.

AWWWWWWW

Jay (outside the barred window): I WISH NADAKHAN WASNT A DJINN I WISH NADAKHAN WASNT A DJIN-

Nadakhan (somehow deaf in the ears): if you wont come willingly Nya….

Jay (still screaming): I WISH NADAKHAN WASNT A DJINN-

Nya (actually doing something useful): yeaaah, im totally gonna marry you and be delara now! You should leave your sword behind though. (They leave the room)

Jay: GODDAMMIT- oh look the sword!

Are they gonna put Jay IN THE SWORD?!?!?!?

Jay: okay, if we wanna do this, we gotta do this quickly. So! Who wants to strike me down!

Everyone: (raises their hands)

Jay: Am I really that annoying… ☹️

Okay but why are they acting as if Jay is the only one who can wish for Nadakhan to not be a djinn. I mean, we have like, 5 people who have 3 wish slots. Why can’t it be any of them????

KAI!!!!!!!!!

JAYS GOT KAI!!!!

Captain soto: a watering can!?!? What am i supposed to do with this!?!?

Ronin: I don’t fucking know?!?? Get creative.

Jay found everybody!!!!!

Ronin: (has a shovel)

Ronin: (looks at it)

Ronin: (uses it to cover the nadakhans pirates in dirt instead of hitting them with it)

FUCK YEAH THEYRE ALL BACK BABYYY

wait

Zane MET echo?!?!??

I thought he never did 😭

I love how Wu and Lloyd are on the same wavelength now

Ohhhh if they make Nadakhan powerless djinjago will crush ninjago.

That makes sense

Thats probably why jay doesnt make that wish later

Now its just the og five.

So much has changed 🥲

Nya: Jaaay, where are youuuu… 😁

Dogshank: she’s beautiful!

Flintlocke: and slower than molasses dripping uphill 🤨

Jay (casting a random pirate into eternal damnation in the sword): haha! I forgot it did that.

Clancy: And do you! Take him to be your lawfully wedded husband?

The ninja: (banging on the wedding halls doors)

Nya: uhhhhhhh ill think about it…? 😀

Shiiiiit. Nadakhans got all the wishes ☹️

Nadakhan (talking to an unconscious Nya): I finally have you all to myself…

Dont like that. Dont like that one bit.

WHY DOES LLOYDS VOICE ACTOR KEEP SLIPPING INTO A BRITISH ACCENT

BCJSNFJDNSJFNDN

Jumping on sky explosives to get to the ship/venom is very anxiety inducing

I cant get over the fact that Lloyds super old now

I KNEW IT I KNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWIT

Delara FUCKING possesses Nya

the ninja: what are we gonna do…

Jay: MMMMMM

Zane: (trying to take the gag off Jays mouth)

Kai: If only someone could tell us… so I can get my sister back 😢

Jay: AAAA. WE HAVE THE POISON. that rlly hurt…

Jay: You can still shoot, flintlocke!! Nadakhan didn’t have the power, WE did.

You know, I never really understood this part.

Like woooow the magic of believing in yourself ✨🤩

But how tf does that fight against actual magic?!?!?!?!?

Delara: You are all I’ve ever wanted…

Nadakhan: Thats all I’ve ever wanted to hear- (looks at the window) MY SHIP??!?!?

Jay: (crashes and obliterates Nadakhans ship AND temple)

God. Delara is such a BITCH.

Its so weird that Nadakhans wishes are physical and projectile now. Like he cant just wish it to happen, if its harmful he has to actually aim and hit his targets.

Nadakhan: I will squash you like bUuUuGsssssss

Why did he say it like that 😭

ZANE

YOU CANT JUST KILL HIM LIKE THAT

THAT WAS SO ANTI CLIMATIC

ZANE DESERVES BETTER THAN THAT

TO JUST BE TURNED INTO GOLD IS LIKE?????

WTF?????

KAI!!!!

COLE?!?!?

COULDNT COLE HAVE JUST GHOST PHASED THROUGH THE SPELL?????

Jay: Sorry Nya! I have to do this! (Fucking THROWS her)

LLOOOYD

theyre all just dead.

God this is traumatizing

Ok I knew the poison would weaken Nadakhan but I didn’t know it would EXPELL his power. I freaked out over the ninja dying for nothing!

Nya…

God I hate this part

Zane: The spider widow venom weakens him, but is fatal to her.

YES THANK YOU ZANE I CAN SEE THAT 😀

Nya: I never wanted to be a part of your boys club anyway…

Maam those are NOT your last words.

Jay watched her die…

Actually wait no. This is Kais SISTER. Why dont we ever explore that grief with him when something tragic happens with Nya????

Not the single tear drop.

This is what im talking about when I say Jay thinks outside the box.

Hes an INVENTOR

even when hes ridden with grief, when it seems like theres only two options. Stopping Nadakhan or saving Nya. He still invents a new way. A different option.

Love that about him.

I cant with the flashbacks.

This is it.

The rooftop.

The kiss.

Where it all starts.

And where it ends.

Ya know, bc, Jaya starts here, and the whole love triangle and weird Jay and Nya dancing around each other things stop… you get it.

Ik it seems like only Jay and Nya remember everything but the way Cole and Lloyd paused on their words, and felt a sense of deja vu makes me think that the other ninja at least remember bits of information.

Nya taking the initiative in the kiss is so in character I love it

Nya: I remember everything!

Jay: But how?!

Nya: Who cares!!!!

I care.

Id like to know how.

Ill take the power of love as an answer tho

Lloyd: im getting the weirdest sense of deja vu…

SEE

#ninjago #lego ninjago #Rewatching Ninjago #skybound

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butchhamlet · 1 year

Note

oh i want to tell you about my two favorite productions of midsummer, one that i’ve seen and one that i’ve been in. the one i saw was at my high school and because of the way it was cast, lysander was played by a woman —> lysandra. insane gay so good i loved it. it was set modern day but the fairies were all in like 70s outfits and there was a disco dance scene at the wedding. puck had a black glittery shawl and sparkle eyeliner and oberon wore hot pink platforms it was incredible

70s midsummer anon. anyway the one that i was in several years earlier was part of a middle school summer camp. because we had limited people, hermia and helena were played by twin sisters. they weren’t identical, but clearly siblings: they looked very alike, so our director decided to tweak a few words so that instead of lifelong friends hermia and helena were sisters.

oh man. the resentment. the “i cant believe you’re running away without me when you’ve fallen in love and i’m still left behind without having my love return my affections?” the sisters rivalry of it all. the sheer emotion in the fight scene. hermia watching lysander in love with helena? anguish. helena being confused but even borderline smug when the spell turns them in love because it’s something she has against her sister now. it was so good oughsgsgsg (i played puck. the playing puck in middle school —> being nonbinary pipeline is real)

I'M ENTHRALLED WITH ALL OF HTIS. woman lysander and disco fairies... and god i am partial to helena and hermia having a bit of a gay thing going on but making them sisters instead opens up an entirely different and equally effective avenue of pain. augh

#max.txt #asks #midsummer #also literally nonbinary people will play puck. shoutout to my irl friend who played puck

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readyforthegarden · 2 years

Note

can you do the first kiss prompt “you just cant help yourself, can you?” with sammy <33

You rolled your eyes, ignoring the sounds of drunken kiss noises that Jake was making towards you as Sam sat down next to you by the campfire. Ever since the band of brothers had helped you move (more like go through all of your things while you and Danny loaded the rented van) and found your seventh grade year book with a sparkly pink pen heart drawn around your best friend Sam’s photo, the second oldest Kiszka loved to rib you for it.

Sam leaned down, picking up a small pebble and flicking it at his brother, grinning when it thwacked him square in the forehead.

“One day, he’ll stop teasing you.” Sam said softly. You nodded, your fingernail scraping absentmindedly at the damp label on your beer bottle.

“Well it’s been two years now, so…” you trailed off with a shrug. Sam nodded, taking a swig from his own bottle, looking around the party. You watched the light from the flickering flames cast shadows and highlight his face as he moved. His long, slender nose leading a perfect ski slope to his plush lips. The way his hair had grown out again, shining healthily in the glow of flames. Truth be told, your crush on Sam, no matter how much you touted it was just a school girl thing, it was over that summer, you barely liked him that way anyway, had never stopped. In fact, it’d grown bigger since the seventh grade.

“Do you want to know an embarrassing Jake story? Finally make it even?” Sam quirked an eyebrow towards you. You nodded, scooting closer to him as he leaned in, holding up a hand to hide his lips as he started whispering. “Jake sneezed on stage so hard in Indiana, he had a huge trail of snot hanging down his nose to his lips. I think he thought it was sweat and he kept licking at it. Finally Josh saw it and told him, but it was a good half hour of loogie-face.” You giggled, imaging the suave Jake Kiszka with a gross string of snot on his face.

“That’s disgusting!” Sam laughed and nodded as you asked if that was the absolute truth. “Rockstars, they’re just like us, huh?”

“More than you know. How’s your new job going? My mom said she ran into yours at the store a few weeks ago, and she mentioned it.”

“It’s okay.” you nodded. You told him some small details, trying to make sure not to bore him with your average job. “Sorry it’s pretty boring to hear about.”

“No it’s not.” Sam shook his head. “I like hearing about your life any time I can.” your cheeks reddened and you could’ve sworn you saw Sam’s eyes flit down to your lips before coming back to your eyes. “I miss you…a lot. Sometimes I wish you knew how to play an instrument so we could’ve fit you in the band. Then I could be traveling the world with both my best friends.”

“It’d be cool, for sure.” you agreed, feeling deflated at him calling you just his best friend.

“Yeah, but then I think about how being that close to you, all the time, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you. We’d make everyone miserable, fighting making up, fighting again…”

“Wait, what?” You blinked rapidly at Sam as he smirked.

“You’re not the only one who drew hearts in their yearbook.” Sam winked. You felt so incredibly flustered, mouth opening and closing like a fish while your brain comprehended his words.

“I don’t believe you!” You gasped. “All this time I thought you thought of me as a sister, you broke my heart taking Jenny D. to the eighth grade formal, by the way.”

“I’m sorry. To be fair, she told me you were going with Mike S., so I only went with her because I thought you were going with him.”

“Yeah that was a mistake. He kissed me that night, my first kiss, and slobbered on me so badly I could still feel his spit on my chin after three washes.” you shook your head. “Man, you could’ve been my first kiss if we’d gone together…”

“Damn. I wish I had been. I at least wouldn’t have slobbered on you. Not until the third date, anyway.” Sam laughed, then paused, giving you a look that made it feel like everyone else around you both had disappeared. “We could still have a first kiss, though.”

“Sam, I think that boat sailed for both of us a long, long time ago.”

“Yeah but you and I have never kissed.” he smiled gently. “So if we kissed now, it would be a first.”

“Sam,” you breathed nervously.

“I know that after all these years, the first person I think of when I get home from tour is you.” he admitted. “My crush is still very much alive, is yours?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” and without another wasted moment, Sam leaned in, pressing his lips to yours. It was a small lingering kiss, but it was everything you had dreamed and imagined through the years. Fireworks in your stomach, tingles in your toes, a smile tugging at the corners of your puckered lips.

When you pulled apart, the firelight was being blocked by a figure, and you both looked up to see Jake smiling down at you both, his eyes hazy and unfocused.

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” He asked, winking at you. “Man that crush is getting out of control.”

“Get lost, Jake.” Sam laughed, trying to gently move him away.

“You get lost!” Jake grunted back, not liking getting sassed by his baby brother.

“You know what, we will.” Sam took your hand, tugging you up and leading you around the other young man.

“Where are we going?” You asked as Sam led you to his car.

“A date.” he grinned, fishing his key from his pocket. “We have just over a decade of them we need to catch up on.”

#writing prompt blurb #sam kiszka fluff #sam kiskza x you #sam kiszka x reader #sam kiszka #greta van fleet imagine

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xhiel · 1 year

Text

Finding Anastasia

She pushed open the doors to the Studium, finding who she sought by the signature red hair that hung well below her belt. Lia stood, talking, hushed emphatic tones on her voice. Xhiel stopped in her step, seeing who it was she spoke to.

The young woman had matched hair, pulled into a loose ponytail, cast slightly to one side as if it were made in haste. Her furrowed brow matched Lia's fiery demeanor, and the mismatched eyes, one blue and one green, told the story of who her sire was.

Anastasia, Xhiel's first born, her heir, her daughter, stood speaking with her wife, sharing the hushed tone.

"You need to speak with your Mother." Xhiel caught Lia's words, feeling the matronly admonishment in them, perhaps more than Anastasia did.

"Absolutely not. You two… the scions. You're ruining everything here for me." her daughter spoke through half grit teeth.

Xhiel took a breath, then, stepping forwards, arms folded in her robes, coming up next to Lia. "I have come at a bad time, then?"

Anastasia recoiled, shocked, staring wide-eyed at Xhiel. She was silent.

"Apologies for the lack of notice. And for our… missteps in your new home." Xhiel gave a cant of her head in acknowledgment.

"How…," Anastasia seemed unable to find words for a long moment. "How dare you?" she managed finally. "How dare you appear out of nowhere, no word, no warning, ruining my reputation and… and…."

"The reputation I ruin is my own. Sharlayan does not lay the sins of the parent upon their children." Xhiel's eyes went to the books in Anastasia's arms. "That is a collection of my published notes and papers."

"They keep several copies." Her daughter looked at her, speaking carefully, slowly, fighting the tears in her throat

"You continue your studies apace then." Xhiel said, nodding. "You will no doubt impress the staff here."

Anastasia didn't respond. She turned. She left.

Lia looked at her wife, then to the retreating Anastasia. "She's still tangled up…."

As was common for her age, Anastasia had come at odds with expectations set upon her. She was first born. An heir. She was a Lady… or was to be. She still might have been.

Xhiel had, as with all of her children, given Anastasia the choice. She could be Lady Anastasia White. Or she could abdicate, allow one of her sisters to take the title, and do as she pleased with her life.

The House of White might die then and there, if Xhiel were honest with herself. None of the girls seemed to be ones to head a house. And, contrary to what most might believe, Xhiel would be glad for it.

Lest they chose to take it up, trouble and all, she would rather her house vanish into history than force it upon her children.

Anastasia had not made the choice. She had run from it.

Several letters had been exchanged. Most of them an acquiesce on Xhiel's part for Sharlayan; supplies, secrecy, agreements. All so that Anastasia might live and study there. They had been small favors, in this mother's mind.

Now, meeting again, never a word exchanged between them for years, even between all the letters she had sent, Xhiel saw how her daughter had lived.

The name Xhiel White was known in scholarly circles, especially where alchemy and aetherology were concerned. Her work on Allagan technology was long published, as were several long papers on various aspects of Alchemy as a science. And, while she was never once foremost in the field, holding a summoner's soulstone made one a font of knowledge that scholars consulted.

Her name hung over her daughter's head.

Xhiel looked to Lia, then, "Our daughter needs her mother. And I cannot be that for her. Not while I am in bad standing with the Forum. Not while my name bears the weight of a crazed woman singing the end of days coupled with the weight of a woman whose footsteps she must follow in her studies."

"I'll find her… take her to The Last Stand, sit with her." Lia sighed, smiling sadly at her wife, "Children are my greatest joy."

***

Lia barely ate food. Her body required little else other than a constant supply of aether to sustain itself. And, given she was an aetherial conduit, she was never in short supply.

The oddity of being a homonculous, organic though she was, stood out in those small ways.

For others, she would have put on the show of enjoying the meal. For Annie? The lie would be insulting.

Still, the ice cream she had ordered for them both was undeniably delicious, and so she shared it with her daughter, sitting in silence for a time.

"You always get me ice cream when I'm upset." Annie said over the spoon in her mouth.

"Yeah. It works too." Lia laughed, sitting back in her chair. "Anything you wanna say?"

"No." Annie snapped. Lia looked at her, relaxed in her chair, returning none of that anger. She sighed. "Yes."

"She's nowhere within earshot. My collar is with her."

Annie eyed her mom a moment, eyes flicking to her neck, finding it barren. "Fine." She paused for a long moment, looking around trying to find where to start.

Lia, for her part, slid her spoon through the little mountain of ice cream, slipping the bite between her lips.

"I…," Annie looked towards Lia, patient eyes lacking admonishment there. "I'm sorry."

Lia blinked, shaking her head a little. "Ya know, not what I expected. But go on."

"I'm sorry I didn't… I'm sorry I just left. I'm sorry I made you do all that work. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She shut her eyes tight, fighting back tears.

Lia was quiet, still, and Annie looked up to see how she reacted. No anger, no matronly admonishment, nothing but understanding was in the sad little smile Lia wore.

Annie felt herself shake, then, teeth gritting. "You're supposed to be furious! You're supposed to wag your finger at me, tell me I'm too old for this! You're supposed to tell me it's time to make a decision, choose who I'm going to be!"

She slammed the table, drawing the attention of those who had not already started staring when she shouted. A stern look from Lia made those heads turn back away.

"If I were Xhiel, I might say something like, 'that would be unhelpful'. But I'm not… I'm your mom, not your mother. You… Annie," she caught herself in a little laugh, "You don't have to know those things, you know that, right? You're sixteen, sure. Old enough to be a Lady, if you choose. But old enough to not be a Lady."

Annie's shoulders shook as she sobbed, and Lia moved her chair, pulling her daughter into her arms. "I don't know," she whispered through her tears.

"You don't have to."

***

Harmonia fluffed the last of the pillows in the quarters the White family had been given in Sharlayan. Xhiel bade them come, made arrangements for them, when she had returned from the moon.

Knowing The Final Days were growing closer and closer, and that they might be boarding the Ark had put them all in a strange malaise.

And when Harmonia was stressed, she cleaned, made order out of chaos. Alexandria, the woman who had sewn her clothes since she was small, kept Lia company when Xhiel was away, had joined her. The two of them were easy friends in times like these, and the sheets still needed tucking, food still needed preparing, and someone had no doubt spilled something somewhere.

Gene sat in her chair, a stack of books next to her, peering through a telescope. All of them were her notes, started when her Mother had first been conscripted by the Scions. She watched the world carefully, wanting desperately to know if she could help. Now she watched the sky, poured over notes, looking for answers… anything that might make the difference.

Joan set a cup of tea down for her, not missing an opportunity to hug Gene before going back to managing her other sisters. Where Harmonia kept the house, Joan kept the peace.

Now, though, she gave comfort. Ruby and Angelica, normally at odds with one another, were quiet. Angelica laid in Ruby's lap, trying desperately to pretend to be asleep… but her breathing was too fast, Joan knew. She poured tea for them, too.

Laura sat with Alpha, the old War hound curled up as if to sleep. A ruse well trained into him, betrayed by how his ears sat back, and his tail flicked. Still, she laid on him, finding comfort in the big hound's fur against her skin. If she was with Alpha, she was safe.

Natasha looked at her sister curiously for a moment, waving a hand to get Laura's attention. "Does Laura want tea?" she signed, tilting her head to go with the question.

Laura looked at her silent sister a moment, and what was normally a very quiet girl, nearly as stone faced as her mother, shed a little tear, shaking her head.

Natasha's hands went to her face, miming shock where she could not gasp. "Natasha will stay with Laura." she signed, her movement emphatic, making a declaration, not asking a question as she sat with her sister, laying her head upon Laura's shoulder.

Anna paced. She paced and paced and paced. Kiki and Katarina watched her. She went between stomping her way across the room to tiptoeing. She was horrifically, unequivocally, bored. This city had nothing this excitable girl wanted to do. Books were something she could barely sit still to have read to her… unless she liked them, and this was a city full of books.

So she paced. And Kiki watched, puzzled and trying desperately to pay attention to her own busy work. She had brought a harp to try and learn to play, only to snap the strings several times. Of course, the Sharlayan musicians had been happy to help her with the repairs… the first three times. So now, she carefully tuned it, using her voice to find the notes for each string, despite the noise her sister made.

Katarina sat shyly with Kiki, watching her sister fiddle with her harp, anxiously watching as she tightened strings, holding her breath when she thought they might snap… but this time they didn't. The half attempts at music gave this a sense of home… something normal. She could help her sister with this, it was something she could hold onto.

Penny, for all of the heavy anxiety in their quarters, seemed not to notice. She was happily slapping her hands away at the paper Samantha had given her, guiding her, so much as she could, to learn to finger paint. She was the third youngest of them, and had taken to the new arrangement as if it were simply a visit to a far flung land they'd be returning from soon enough.

"That's… good." Samantha sighed, wiping the paint from her fingers, washing them, and retightening her braids. If it kept Penny distracted, kept her from asking too many hard questions, Samantha was happy to give her little sister some of her paints. Still… if she'd just use a brush… and not so much of them…. She could get more. She could get more. The schools here had supplies she could request.

The door swung open and all in the room flung their heads to look, as if waiting for those inevitable words.

Instead, Anastasia stood there, Luna in her arms, Rhie holding onto her hand. "I found these two wandering around in Labyrinthos…."

She was surrounded, suddenly, all her sisters crowding her. Harmonia and Alexandria gently took the twins, her sister not missing the opportunity to press a quick kiss into her cheek. Joan tugged girls into a controlled circle, guiding them to give their sister space.

Anastasia stood there, looking dumbfounded, hand going to where Harmonia had kissed her. They were as close to cribmates as could have been, given Harmonia was a year younger. Her first friend, her first sister. She… she didn't seem angry with her. Only happy to see her.

Those mismatched eyes looked around the circle of girls, seeing Harmonia, Alex, and Joan slip into it as they managed the chaos. Every face looked at her, smiles and tears.

"You're not…" Annie couldn't find the words.

Natasha was the one to speak, signing with wide arms, "We missed you. So much."

Anastasia felt her knees buckle, tears flowing freely, hands barely able to sign back, "I missed you too."

***

"Absolutely not." Xhiel's tone was as even as ever. "Where I go here, you cannot follow."

They stood at the very center of the reason Labyrinthos had been built, the gateway to the Aitascope.

"I can. I will." Anastasia looked her mother in the eyes, standing firm.

Those words were something Xhiel had said to her daughter many a time when she had been defiant, when she had insisted Xhiel could not reprimand her or punish her for something she'd done to her sisters.

"While I respect your newfound determination, you are no seasoned combatant. You are a scholar of sixteen winters, nearing the end of her studies." her mother eyed her daughter, "You cannot follow me down this path."

"Yes I can. Just like I followed you down the path of alchemy. Just like I followed you down the path of aetherology." Anastasia stood firm, still.

"Not at the eleventh hour." Xhiel met here there. "You are as stubborn as ever, and while that has served you in your studies, in your pursuit of ever refining your skill, grit and determination are on the gravestone of every well meaning soldier."

Anastasia's mask broke, then, voice raising as she shouted at her mother, "I'm supposed to watch then? Sit here and stand with Krile while you go off, deep into the aetherial sea… maybe never… never…."

Lia rested a hand on Annie's shoulder, "We've been through worse."

She threw her shoulder, casting Lia's hand off, "That's worse! You have to know that! That… that I could've…." She curled over into herself, shaking and sobbing.

Xhiel knelt next to her daughter, a hand gently taking her chin, turning her to meet her mother's gaze. Annie found only a gentle understanding there, where she thought she might have found more of that stone faced admonishment.

"We leave you not behind us, but with the hope that you might continue forwards, with or without us." Xhiel's voice was rare and gentle, forehead resting against Annie's.

"And we will do everything to be with you on that path." Lia said, taking Annie's hand. "That's our place."

***

In the rise of the commotion, she'd slipped away and into the lift. The mechanism was simple enough, and she tossed the lever.

Anastasia watched the observers' platform vanish from sight in an instant, the lift falling fast as she turned to watch it venture downwards. She'd been content to trust in her mothers. She'd let them go, things left unsaid, trusting they would be back.

Now, though, communication had been lost. The last she knew, their way was barred and they were trapped between shades of the past.

Anastasia was no summoner. She had studied how arcanists used their magicks on the battlefield… and never once had she used it in practice.

Still, the Carbuncle at her feet stood poised and ready, and so she mirrored it as the doors opened.

This place was… quiet. She had expected more. But the path before her was eerie and still, letting sounds of distant battle echo back towards her. She took her first steps and found her foot falls were like drums amongst the silence. But there was only one way for her, now. Forwards.

***

The twisted thing made even Xhiel unsteady. The minor shades, fizzling tumults of emotion, echoes of souls left without recourse, were a small trouble by comparison.

This thing, this horrible visage, wore her mother's and sister's faces, spinning in a whirl of anger and hatred, reaching out for her with arms made of chain.

Titan caught them, the links wrapping about his body, the demi-primal roaring as he struggled against them, bursting with aether only to vanish into nothing when they wrapped tighter around him.

Ifrit fared no better, clashing against this violent shade and bursting into nothing but waisted aether as it broke against that twisted form. Garuda was fragile, and snapped in twain when the chains whirled upon her, leaving Xhiel in their path.

They wrapped about her, pulling her in, dragging her toward that tumult of pain and anguish, unheard cries of violent anger surrounding her, clawing at her, consuming her.

Light surrounded her, the thing’s unhinged jaw stopped by the agis, and it threw her in its frustrations. She felt herself tumble into another, falling into a half controlled crumple on the floor of this place.

She fought the urge to let her eyes close, fought her way to her feet… and felt a hand grasp her own, pulling her up.

Anastasia was there, looking as if she had seen the dead, clasped tight to Xhiel's hand. Xhiel laughed, the sound coming unbidden as she watched her daughter a moment, "Too stubborn by half."

A shot rang out, the familiar ring of a magazine ejecting from Lia's rifle following as she loaded another, pulling herself off the ground where she had caught Xhiel. That violent shade roared in its frustration, rounding on them again as it recoiled from the blast.

"Quips later. Monster now."

Xhiel turned, pulling Anastasia to face that thing with her, "You have an older sister."

"I-", Annie looked at Xhiel, stunned until another demi-primal breaking against the twisted visage brought her back. "How?"

"She died a year before you were born," Lia shouted over the cries of that terrible thing. "She's the reason I'm here. The reason you're here."

Titan caught the chains again, this time pulling them against his arms, wrestling with the shade. "She gave her life for Lia's… in a time not unlike this one," Xhiel seemed to struggle with her demi-primal, the aetherial construct failing, shattering.

"We hoped to see her here, if only for a moment," Lia looked back at Annie, smiling sadly.

Those chains found Lia in her brief distraction, and Annie snapped towards her, pointing her Carbuncle just as she had when her mother had been dragged in. The shield of light wrapped Lia up, and the monster slammed her down in its frustration.

"Mommy!" Annie burst from her place, anything else forgotten, kneeling next to Lia a moment later, aether channeling into her wounds.

The beast rose above them, and Ifrit caught its terrible arms, roaring back at those twin faces of rage, Xhiel's voice rising with it.

The demi-primal broke, vanishing like it had before, small in the face of that twisted rage. And it bore down on Anastasia.

"Help me… please." the plea came from her lips, said to someone nameless, someone she never knew. In this place, where the dead came to rest, Annie might reach her.

The thunder of those chains crashed down around her, and Anastasia looked up to find a girl there, standing over her, the beast's chains clattering uselessly against her back.

Xhiel was there with them, then, gathering Lia up in her arms. "She will be fine, but this is well out of your studies." the woman pulled something from within her robes, pressing it into Anastasia's hand. "Listen close, feel the memories. Heed them."

Annie looked in her palm and saw the little green stone, a summoner's horn etched into its surface. She looked up, seeing that beast thrash, impotent rage crashing against the back of that nameless girl. She saw that girl's hand extend, and Anastasia took it.

Among what it's forebears had laid in that soulstone, she found Xhiel's memories. In them was a name, one she'd never heard before. One she wished she'd known.

"Nadia." She said quietly, and her sister smiled, a hand reaching out and tapping her nose.

The great cry of Phoenix cut through the clamorous rage of the beast, the demi-primal soaring above it, diving in and whirling through its chains. That twisted thing cried out, lashed it's chains at the Phoenix, and it could not catch it.

The demi-primal rose above them, Anastasia willing it higher and higher. It rounded, another great cry echoing over them all as it folded its wings, and Anastasia bid it end the misery of that horrific beast.

***

"I'm sorry," Annie sniffled softly, sitting with her mothers, head hung low, feeling shame wash over her finally.

The two women looked at each other, then at their daughter. Xhiel reached forwards, tilting Annie's head up to meet them both. Smiles, full of pride, met her. She lunged at them, sobbing and shaking, holding them close to her.

"I wanted…. I wanted so bad…." She fought with her words.

"You cannot." Xhiel interrupted her. "You cannot be me."

Annie looked up, hurt clear in her face.

"You are Anastasia White. You will never be the Lady Xhiel White. And you should never be." Xhiel paused, looking at her daughter, "Lady or not, you will be Anastasia. No one else. Let the knife of my name down from over your head."

She sat back, hands wiping the tears from her cheeks, still sobbing. "I… yes. I'll… be…"

Both of her mothers took her hands, lacing thier fingers with their own, and Annie nodded.

Something caught her eye, and she looked up. Nadia was there, standing and rocking on her feet, a little grin on her face. Her sister leaned down and laid a little kiss on Annie's forehead, and then turned to look at their parents.

Lia reached out, and Nadia took her hand, clasping it in both of her own. "I-," Lia started, but Nadia shook her head, looking to Annie. "Of course. I have so much left to do...."

Nadia smiled nodded, and then was suddenly hugging Lia tight where she sat. The young woman froze for a moment before embracing her daughter, shaking with her sobs.

The moment would have never lasted as long as Lia wanted. And Nadia was with Xhiel, holding both her sire's hands, leaning in and pressing a simple kiss to her cheek.

Xhiel's eyes closed, and a slow breath came, a tear falling down where her daughter's lips had pressed. "We won't be too long," Xhiel said, and Nadia laughed. That was a terrible Lie.

Nadia laid herself across her mothers' laps, curled up and yawning. They laid their hands upon her, embracing her as she blew a little kiss to Annie, gently fading into aether once more.

#ffxiv oc #oc lore #contextless oc lore

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