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livsmessydoodles · 1 year

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thinking about this scene today

this scene alone convinces me that byler is endgame bc you cannot make will actively say that hes not gonna fall in love and then write a whole plotline abt him being in love with mike.... just for it to not be reciprocated???

will is the only party member who's completely unexperienced with romantic relationships, which of course has to do with the fact that he's gay in the 80's, but this is a TV show. all of this is fictional so they can take whatever route they want with these characters, and making will continue to stay alone and suffer through unrequited love would be awful storytelling, especially when people claim that will moving on from his feelings would bring character development and growth.

wills feelings for mike arent there just to "show his growth". weve seen this kid go through hell and back yet even with everything kicking him down he stays strong and kind. hes the most selfless character in the show and always puts others needs before his own. in s4, they put a lot of emphasis in these character traits of his, and they're always picturing his love for mike as something selfless and pure.

now if his feelings are not reciprocated, how does this teach will a lesson that leads to character growth?? he already doesn't expect anything. life has shown him time and time again that he always gets the short end of the stick, why would he think this is any different?? making him have feelings for his best friend just to get rejected would just be a nail in the coffin, reaffirming to him that no matter what hes not worthy of ever getting what he wishes. this isnt character growth at all.

but if his feelings ARE requited, that gives us a twist to the story we havent seen. we would get to see actual growth for will, him learning to give himself value and realize that he DOES deserve happiness!! instead of leading into the expected spiral of bad things keeping up the consistency with everything else that has happened to will so far, finally giving him one good thing leads to us seeing a shift in his whole nature, and wed see him dealing with things he hasnt dealt with before!!! GROWTH!!!

besides why would they make such an intricate complicated storyline.... just to lead to a rejection we all saw coming? the GA expects him to get rejected. his feelings not being reciprocated would not be any surprise. but twisting those expectations in a way to shock the GA AND give wills character the happiness he so deserves after being through so much..... now THAT would be world shattering and a satisfying ending to both the viewers and will himself!!

this scene establishes a clear subversion trope, making us aware of how will believes he's never finding love, just for the show to later on subvert expectations and reward will with the love he deserves and never thought hed get🫶

#long post wow sorry #i was just thinking about this scene and then remembered a thread id made on twt a couple months ago and. basically redacted it #i just think this is so important and its solid evidence that we often look past #the duffers have been setting this storyline for a while. the buildup is all there #i doubt theyd just push all of that aside to stay with the same ol boring het couple who honestly even the GA is tired kf #😭😭😭😭#ANYWAY #i like doing think pieces i might do more eventually #byler #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #byler analysis #st4 #stranger things 5 #mike wheeler x will byers #will byers x mike wheeler #will and mike get on the petri dish #liv rambles

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silverwhittlingknife · 1 year

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How do you feel about Jack Drake?? What are your thoughts on him and Tim’s relationship?

Anon, I hope you were interested in a novel, because look, I am fascinated by Jack Drake. He’s key to a whole lot of what I find compelling about Tim as a character, and if I were in charge of DC, I’d bring him back to life. This would make Tim unhappy but would IMO make for good plotlines.

Jack and Tim’s relationship is Complicated (TM)...

Jack and Tim hug in Nightwing 20 / Jack impulsively yanks a TV out of the wall in Robin 45 / Tim grieves in Identity Crisis

“I could tell the truth. But I don’t.” - Robin 66

...and it involves a whole lot of Tim lying, and feeling guilty about lying, and thinking about telling the truth, and choosing again and again to keep lying.

And I think that’s great.

Below the cut:

Shorter version - key points about Jack

Really long version - my gentler take (vigilantism is choir and Jack loves sports) vs. my harsher take (Jack has some major flaws)

Final thoughts

Shorter version - key points about Jack:

He’s a bad parent. He’s self-centered, he consistently prioritizes his own comfort and interests over his son’s, and when upset, he does things like order Tim off to boarding school.

But he’s never a bad parent in an actionable way. He’s not like David Cain or Arthur Brown, who are abusive monsters. Jack’s not a monster! He just...kinda sucks.

He genuinely loves Tim. If Jack’s aware that Tim’s disappeared or is in trouble, he’s always worried and upset. He periodically resolves to be a better dad, and IMO he’s always sincere.

And Tim loves him, a lot. Tim’s protective of him and worries about him when he’s kidnapped or in danger, and when they’re reunited, Tim’s really relieved and usually hugs him (and Jack hugs back!).

...But they have very little in common, and that’s a problem. Jack doesn’t value the things that Tim values, or respect the people that Tim admires, or care about the things that Tim’s interested in. Tim lies to him a lot, but that’s partly because he correctly guesses Jack wouldn’t respond well if he knew the truth of what Tim’s up to.

The Batfamily is a surrogate family that Tim’s drawn to because of the ways his real family doesn’t meet his emotional needs…but also he feels guilty about that and disloyal. (And to the extent that his dad recognizes what’s going on, he's jealous and resentful!)

Very long version:

(LISTEN I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS)

Okay! So first: Jack’s a character who IMO is pretty up for interpretation. You can interpret him very charitably, and make excuses for the bad behavior, and fill in the blanks sympathetically when situations are ambiguous; or you can interpret him uncharitably, and emphasize the bad behavior. I don’t think either approach is invalid - it depends on what kind of story you’re interested in! I have enjoyed Bad Dad stories and also stories that redeem Jack.

My personal take on canon is that Jack and Tim’s relationship is in a gray area. Jack's definitely neglectful, and he does prioritize other things over Tim, but he’s never so bad that Tim can easily reject him, and he's never so bad that Bruce could justify taking Tim away. He's just...not great. Tim loves him, and feels loyal to him, but it’s a very mixed-up complicated love.

I have a gentler take and a harsher one which I switch between as the spirit moves me. xD

My Gentler Take (tl;dr: vigilantism is choir and Jack loves sports)

Here’s the core conflict: Jack and Tim are very different people with different values. Tim idolizes Bruce and Dick and vigilantism, and secretly gets involved, knowing his dad will hate it. He gets increasingly wrapped up in his secret world and lies to his dad...because if his dad finds out, he’ll make Tim quit.

This is a great setup for an ongoing comic. It’s practical, because it provides endless potential for plotlines, and it’s nicely thematic, because it maps closely onto relatable real-life situations with extracurricular activities:

Tim the drama nerd whose dad thinks he’s playing football and not in the school play;

Tim the closeted-queer kid secretly getting involved in his school’s politically-active Gay-Straight Alliance;

Tim the choir kid whose dad only values making money and wants him to go into the family business (and Tim keeps promising himself he'll give up choir soon, definitely soon, but maybe he'll stay in just a liiiittle longer, because they need him, you see, the last tenor left town, so...);

Tim the computer geek with the sports-obsessed dad (this one’s just canon);

etc. etc.

The extracurricular metaphor works pretty well for Tim’s relationship to vigilantism. Tim's involved in his "extracurricular" because he genuinely thinks it's important and fulfilling, and he values it and wants to be good at it. He idolizes Bruce and Dick because they're good at it. He's been collecting information about it since he was a little kid, and hiding it from his parents because he knows they wouldn't approve. And mayyyybe there's also an element of low-key rebellion against his dad, and maybe that's secretly part of the appeal. And yet also as Tim gets more and more invested, he starts to daydream: maybe I could tell my dad and he'd be proud of me and supportive. But he doesn't, because actually he knows his dad would be upset and angry and make him quit.

And - again, just like with lonely kids and extracurricular hobbies - one of the things that happens is that Tim starts getting his unfilled emotional needs met ... by people he knows through this secret hobby. And people like Bruce and Dick start turning into a surrogate family. Which Tim feels guilty about. And also as Tim gets more and more wrapped up in their world, he has to lie to his dad even more, which means the distance between Tim and his dad gets bigger and bigger and more and more unfixable.

I love this dilemma. It's simple, it's recognizable, it provides endless sources for conflict, and there's no obvious solution! Tim can't tell Jack: he'll make Tim quit! And Tim doesn't want to quit, because he loves choir / art / theater / whatever. Yeah, it’s difficult, and there are challenges, and sometimes he has doubts...but at the end of the day, he cares about it a lot. And everything he values is there, and all the people he admires and cares about are there, and all he wants in the world is to feel like he's one of them and belongs there. So he has to lie, even though he doesn't want to lie, and he feels guilty about it...

...but also he ends up lying more and more.

(Sidenote: I think it's important that Tim chooses to keep lying - Tim's narration often glosses this as "I have to lie to my dad," and that's certainly how it feels to Tim, but this... isn't quite true. He has to lie to his dad, because if he doesn't, his dad will get mad at him and try to stop him, not because he literally has no choice about it.)

Other Reasons Why I Like The "Secret Extracurricular" Interpretation

(tl;dr it complicates not just Tim's relationship with his dad, but also all his other relationships)

Tim's problems have some obvious parallels to Steph and Cass, who both become vigilantes while rejecting their evil supervillain dads. But Jack isn't evil. And that means the Tim-and-Jack relationship is ambiguous and complicated in ways that I like. Steph and Cass can just leave their Bad Dads in prison, and say good riddance, and feel very righteous and triumphant about it! Tim’s more complicated. Tim gets into vigilantism ostensibly out of duty and altruism, but secretly, he's also involved for straight-up selfish self-fulfillment reasons. He's lonely, and bored, and his life feels pointless, but he thinks that Bruce and Dick are cool and amazing and he wants to be a part of the things that they do. When his dad gets jealous of Tim’s relationship to Bruce, and feels like Tim’s looking for a surrogate family, he’s... not wrong.

And the ways in which Jack is not Actionably Bad complicate things from Bruce's POV. If Jack was a straight-up villain, it’d be an easy call to keep in touch when Jack finds out and makes Tim quit...but he’s not a villain, not really. So what do you do? Do you try to surreptitiously stay in touch with Tim even though you’re ignoring his dad’s express wishes and thus forcing Tim to sneak around? Do you respect his dad’s wishes and stay away from Tim even though you have a years-long relationship at this point?

Again: a bit similar to the extracurricular analogy. Say you’re the choir director and you’ve built this whole relationship with a kid in the choir, and you’re an important mentor to him and you care about him etc. etc. etc.... and then right before a big performance, his dad finds out he’s been secretly involved, and yanks him out. How would you react? Well, maybe kind of in some of the ways Bruce reacts. You replace him. You’re annoyed with him. You miss him. You want him to come back. You’re also worried about him. You’re upset with his dad. But also... what should you do, exactly?

Bruce and Alfred and Dick care about Tim as if he were part of their family, but he’s not part of their family, and there’s a lot of interesting tension there.

My Harsher Take

Jack never hits his son. But his temper is a big deal.

In his worst moments, he takes out his anger on Tim’s stuff - wrecking his room, or ripping his TV out of the wall and confiscating it. When he’s worried about Tim, he usually expresses that fear by yelling at him / punishing him / sending him away - threatening to send him to boarding school in Metropolis in Robin III, or threatening to send him to military school abroad in Robin 92, or actually forcing him to go to an all-boys' boarding school post-NML.

This is bad behavior! It is Not Good!

And you can easily connect the dots to a bunch of Tim’s terrible coping mechanisms, like the constant lying and or the fact that Tim’s go-to methods for dealing with interpersonal conflict are 1) repress it and pretend it never happened (most of his fights with Bruce), 2) withdraw from the relationship until he can pretend the conflict doesn’t exist (when his friends get mad at him in YJ, he quits the team for a while), or 3) literally run away from home.

Also, Jack is a Manly Man with firm opinions about how men behave vs. how women behave, and he thinks boys shouldn’t be scared and thinks Tim should date hot girls and pushes Tim to work out and wants him to play football and expresses period-typical sexism, etc. etc. etc. ... and though obviously this wasn’t what the writers had in mind at the time, all of that is certainly interesting to read backwards in the light of Tim as a queer character.

More Disorganized Thoughts on Jack Drake

Tim’s our hero, so we’re naturally more sympathetic to him, but it’s also true that relationships are a two-way street, and Tim doesn’t value any of the things his dad values, either. Jack at various points is shown to care about grades, business, money, boarding schools, archeology, football, a kind of macho bragging-about-dating-hot-women ethos, and a very public and performative kind of caring. Tim tends to respond with discomfort or disinterest or even disgust. When Jack gets on TV to try to rally the government to save his son from No Man’s Land, Tim isn’t touched—he’s mortified. When Jack makes some bad investments and loses money, Jack’s deeply upset and his self-image is majorly impacted, and far from being sympathetic, Tim’s annoyed and kind of contemptuous of the idea that this is a problem. Jack thinks fishing in the early morning and going to tennis matches is a fun father-son activity; Tim finds it exhausting and tedious. And so on.

This means that Tim often longs to be closer to his dad in theory, but this longing is more tied to fantasy than to reality. He rarely seems to enjoy spending time with His-Dad-The-Actual-Person. So for example, when Tim’s deadly ill with the Clench, he has an extremely poignant fever dream about telling his dad the truth and getting hugged…even as he insists in real-life to Alfred and Dick that he does not want them to tell his dad what’s going on.

The same is true of Jack, who IMO genuinely wants to be closer to his son and is continually declaring that he’s going to turn over a new leaf and get closer to his son…and just as continually backs out of activities or loses his temper when faced with spending time with his actual son.

Tim and his dad sadly get along best—by far—in Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder situations. When Jack gets kidnapped or is in danger, Tim worries for him (and Tim grieves him deeply when he dies). When Tim disappears or runs away, Jack’s genuinely worried about him. So e.g. they have a really moving emotional reunion and hug when the earthquake hits Gotham, and Tim panics about his dad’s safety and comes running home (and meanwhile Jack’s been panicked about Tim’s safety!). It’s the day-to-day, regular life stuff where they don’t connect.

Jack's written quite differently by different writers. Mostly, Tim's parents are at their least likable in his early appearances and early miniseries (this is where you get, for example, Jack and Janet being nasty at each other while a pained employee looks on, and Tim disappointed to once again get news of where his parents are via postcard - "I guess that sums them up! Never know where they’re going to be–or when–or even how long!” - and Tim alone on school break, and Bruce and Alfred thinking there's something weird going on with Tim's parents, etc. etc.). Jack's more sympathetic but still often unlikable in most of Tim's Robin solo, and he's almost invisible (but positively treated if he does show up) in Tim's team books.

For obvious reasons, Jack's remembered way more sympathetically after his death. Tim's completely devastated by Jack's murder, which he arrives moments too late to prevent, and he basically never gets over it. We see him grieving Jack again and again in Robin, and also in Teen Titans, and also in Resurrection, and again in the Halloween Special, and again in Batman: Blackest Night, and all the way up to the end of Red Robin. Tim also grieves for an extended time over Janet - he hallucinates a happy reunion with her when he's feverish in Contagion, and hallucinates her in the final issue of Robin, and the reveal-your-buried-emotions song in Robin 102 brings up his grief for her too (meanwhile, other characters dance or laugh or otherwise get giddy). Tim’s grief over his parents’ deaths is intense and long-lasting.

I'm not going to clip comic panels because this is long enough, but if you're curious, here's a nice and fairly lengthy compilation of comic panels with Tim and Jack.

If you're interested in a Jack-centric story with a softer-but-still-recognizably-canon take on Jack, I really like the way Jack’s narration is written in the one-shots Heart Humble (set shortly before Jack dies) and Never a Hero (Ra's resurrects him during Brucequest, and Jack's archeology skills turn out to be unexpectedly useful).

#tim drake #jack drake #ask tag #i wrote this ages ago and now i can't remember what i was going to add to it so oh well draft amnesty? sorry for the long wait anon!! <333 #anyway i kept this carefully on topic and virtuously did not derail into talking about the other blorbo but tags are for disorganization SO #for me this kinda half-in half-out place where tim is with the batfamily is SUCH an interesting part of his relationship with dick #and i never stop turning it over in my head #he's kiiiinda replaced dick in that he's robin - but in a very real way he *hasn't* - he's NOT bruce's new son the way jason was #and early!tim makes a BIG POINT of how bruce is not his dad #and i think this relative distance from bruce is a huge factor in why dick is able to build a close relationship with tim at all #(because dick's still pretty estranged from bruce!)#and there's such interesting tension there when dick starts jokingly calling tim ''little brother'' or when villains call them brothers #because they're NOT. increasingly they would both LIKE to be brothers! but dick has zero official standing in tim's life #if tim got hit by a car in his civilian identity bruce and dick wouldn't even be able to visit him without his dad's permission #which jack would be pretty unlikely to give! jack doesn't like or trust bruce!#or like. this is morbid. but if tim died. dick wouldn't even be invited to the funeral you know?#and there's such interesting tension there for me in the contrast between this vigilante relationship that's very very close #but in their civilian lives no one would assume they're anything in particular to each other #anyway the 1st half of tim's robin solo has this thread of tension between tim's family life vs. his vigilante life (plus his mom's death)#and then the second half + red robin has the thread of struggling with grief in a world that's not fair + feeling lost/alone #and these two threads are a big part of my interest in tim as a character! jack's the backdrop that makes a lot of stories possible

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bonefall · 5 months

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As a big sibling with a lil sib with epilepsy, when they read TBC they Honestly thought if they got struck with lightning reciting the lord's prayer they'd be cured like Shadowsight is from their epilepsy. I had a discussion with them on how that's not how it works, but ge was so upset they took it away from Shadowsight that he hasn't picked the books back up and has stated that 'he hopes Ashfur wins and starts a new religion.,'

I do not even know how to respond to this besides saying that your little sibling is 100% right to be pissed and I now also hope Ashfur wins and starts a new religion.

#Legit I did not know that Shadow's epilepsy being taken away was so deeply upsetting to SO MANY people #I put it back because putting it back was just the right thing to do (even asked the small following I had at the time what type to portray #(they picked the full tonic-clonics. I would have just done localized or absence if they'd asked me to)#And I did all that research for one single anon who asked for an epilepsy herb guide #So holy cow I didn't know that SO MANY people were snubbed and upset by canon's choice to do that. I'm so sorry #Your little sib isn't missing anything btw they do just go on to confirm that Shadow no longer has seizures.#In book 4 of TBC they say that it was all Ash all along and that's what they've stuck with into ASC #I'm sitting on an essay about... That plot thread. The Ashfur Grooming one #But it's in my drafts because I was a bit afraid of controversy #because i think it was written poorly. Even on top of Book 4's pivot to retcon away Shadow's seizures #I know a lot of people like and are invested in the grooming subplot of TBC. But. I think it was executed AWFULLY #and its really telling that THIS is the plot they tout as grooming *by name* in-canon.--#--and that Shadow has to 'pay' for what he 'did' in some way as if there was ever a choice in the books they wrote--#--But seemingly didn't even seem to clock that what was happening in Spotted's H was grooming until there was intense backlash #and a big part of my contention is the way that Book 4 suddenly tries to retcon that Shadow was groomed from the time he was a child #when it was actually part of book 1 that Shadow was able to personally tell the difference between a real vision and Ash's suggestions--#--BECAUSE he didn't have an accompanying seizure #So like... just know it's also NOT just 'you' if you connected to the character that was epileptic. It WAS there. It was a BIG part of him #Book 4 retconned it so that his epilepsy was part of a long scheme when before that point it was part of him #''ohh ur destiny is to see into the shadows'' BULL SHIT!!#bone babble

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aheathen-conceivably · 12 days

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Ok so I read the post on your thoughts on Gio and the American Dream and I hate to say it … as an immigrant, I understand him.

I also come from a culture where women tend to their male partner's needs and I don't believe he wants to turn Jo into a subservient wife. He fell in love with a lively, free, and wild Jo and loves that aspect of her.

At the end of the day she loves him too so why would she leave? I understand she doesn't like to be dependent of him but where else would she go? There are no parties or glamour, which was her whole thing, anymore. At least the farm offers stability in the economic crisis.

Point is, I understand Gio as an immigrant, but don't understand Jo as a woman.

BABES! We’ve got another one…

(As in me being touched and having no other means to say how much I love y’all takes other than to give them a standing ovation in GIF form).

But you know…there’s a whole lot to break down here, friend, especially about Jo. I think you know what that means! Under the cut we go….

First and foremost, I very much appreciate you saying you understand that aspect of Gio. I did in part write him as a commentary on the immigrant experience in America (filtered through his own personality/character of course), and so to know that is relatable means a lot to me. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to tell y’all his journey is far from over, and you can already see the cracks in his outlook beginning to form. Whenever Jo is depressed he says this quite vividly:

Because you are very, very correct. This isn’t about molding Jo into some subservient housewife, or even eroding those exact qualities that he loves in her. This is about Gio attempting to square what he’s been taught/believes will bring his life happiness and meaning with his own experience and emotions. It’s about the myth of the American dream and the perfect housewife and the very real struggle of those things existing as actual, lived realities.

Because at the root of it, Gio is amalgamating an understanding of his own family unit and what he knows he doesn’t want in this country. He has seen another methods of “making it” in America, and so he thinks if only he can make the “right” choices, he can avoid that, and become the respected and happy man that he wants to be.

Now onto Jo, boy oh boy, Jo….

I think one of the core misunderstandings here is that Jo wants stability. This is kind of the crux built into her desire for control and her never-ending failure to achieve it. She wants to control her surroundings, to make sure nothing and no one can hurt her, but she also wants to feel in a way that is hard to find in a stable, heavily domesticated life. On the flip side, despite whatever imaginary dream Gio has, he’s the same way. They both want a life filled with excitement and new experiences, new people and rushes of emotions. This is one of the ways they differ heavily from Antoine and Zelda.

Now on one level, this is simply the way Josephine is. She’s high energy, fun loving, and insatiable. But on a deeper level, this is tied into her experiences not only as a woman, but as a daughter. She has a brief moment of clarity in that last post where she realizes:

Now I have chosen not to go too in-depth on Josephine’s trauma, but you can see her lay out the course of events here and also her deep hesitation to any of it here. Josephine is still only a teenager in that second post. Her mother not only told her things like that (“this is the weight that prejudice and expectation have placed upon us”) but also “what do you want to be then? Some glorified maid to a man?” (Which, frankly, I can write another Ted Talk about the juxtaposition here, but I think ya'll can pull some threads).

So when you see Josephine’s struggle with control, this is heavily rooted in bodily autonomy. Now all things considered, Josephine has managed to make great strides toward reclaiming this and reasserting not only her sexuality, but also her sense of self in her body. Gio knows this. We see him recognize and respect it quite clearly in that last post. He’s been part of that process for her, and that only adds another element of love, trust, and safety between them.

But on a fundamental level, neither Gio nor Josephine has made the connection between that trauma, her own personality, and why she hates her life now so much:

Here’s the issue right now: Josephine doesn’t feel like she’s living her own life. We have seen how she would like to live in the 20s not just in the parties and glamour, but when she was managing bands. She wants to be fulfilled professionally, through helping people/places she believes in and bettering her own life by bettering theirs. That’s how she gets her joy, and that’s what she would chose to do if given the chance.

And right now, she does not feel like she gets to chose. You’re correct in that part of that is coming from the current economic situation. Again, she sees that herself here. She knows what demons are waiting outside her window, and how easily poverty can make them rearise. That only makes it worse. It doesn’t make the smell of bread (domestic security) any better or more comforting. It makes it bitter, because she didn’t chose it. She was backed into a corner by circumstance (and, as she can sense, by the choices men made for her without telling her), and now she feels like she can’t say no. That’s her ultimate trigger.

Now whether or not that loss of control is simply perceived, or should be offset by how “lucky” she is to be in a stable position in such precarious economic times, we might all have different options on. Even more, I’m sure each of us would answer differently for ourselves in that situation. I know I would. But for Josephine? Not only is this a life she will never find joy in, because even without her trauma, she is an ambitious, restless, and outgoing person with different goals for herself; but that added memory and pain makes her reaction to it all the more volatile.

Perhaps most importantly, Jo feels as though her life is being controlled again, whether by Gio, the reality of the world outside her window, or by her own guilt/love that makes her feel beholden to the people around her (just like it did to her mother). Because you’re right, she does love him. She wouldn’t leave because she doesn’t. If she leaves now, it would leave because she panicked, because she feels like she’s lost all the autonomy she worked so hard to regain and she’ll never feel the fulfillment she felt when she was successfully independent ever again. That’s the element I hope we can understand, even if it’s not what we would do.

#okay THAT might be my longest Ted Talk yet 🤣#which if you’re actually reading you really deserve a tshirt let’s be real #and I’m so very sorry they’re so long #I try and infuse them into all the posts but like to condense it and write it all out clearly can be so helpful sometimes #for me too let’s be real #and like I want them to have a real solid base before we move into ~the great unknown~#anywho there’s a number of threads I could have touched on here that I didn’t for ~time~#but if you’d like to go through the #Josephine Duplanchier extra #tag there’s some good stuff there too 😉#Giorgio Mistretta extra #also #*ahem*#does it REALLY offer stability in the economic crisis?#y’all remembering what I’m remembering? 😬#ain’t a true American dream without a healthy serving of debt aint it

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adhdtsukasa · 18 days

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sorry for rambling about disband arc again the party ended 3 hours ago and he's still here (the disband arc just permamently altered my brain chemistry i'm so sorry) but PLEASE you have to hear me out on love distance long affair by deco*27 being emu coded if wxs actually parted ways in happy ending

rui would fit too basically. but it just hits more with emu

"it's not as though i can't breathe / i am alive, but though i'm alive i'm so lonely / and yet i'm alive. i'm alive and laughing even though you're not here" .... the peak summary of what would happen to emu if they disbanded methinks

(and if you squint, it can be assigned also to emu before meeting wxs after her grandpa passed away 😄👍)

#sorry i was in middle of looping the song and i started to have thoughts #i heart love distance long affair its one of my fav deco songs #older deco songs are so underrated METHINKS #i have actually a whole thread of assigning deco songs to proseka characters #and i actually gave love distance long affair to saki #because emu has yumeyume #however. i think we need to consider what i said here as well because it destroyed me completely during stimming #project sekai #prsk #pjsk #emu otori #ri says things the tag #also. you hate the disband arc because it was too long #i hate the disband arc because it made me cry for few months straight #we're not the same

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colorfulandblack · 8 months

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Marion's Starburst Scar is Not a Bleed Scar and Also the Case of the Missing Soul

Here's some theories and thoughts so buckle up

So, ok let me begin with comparing the scars and reviewing what we know about them.

A person gets a scar whenever they receive 4 marks in either body, brain or bleed. This also changes one's character.

We saw Howard's scar, might I add self inflicted, then Charlotte's scar and we saw how the fact that they got them changed their personalities ever so slightly but also what's notable is the difference of the body/brain scar to bleed one. Howard performed a tracheotomy on himself and Charlie arm is rendered useless.

However, Arlo Black, who entered the latest assignment with already one bleed scar which was a result of her sticking her hand into a portal and being exposed to the Flare. Because of this her next bleed scar expanded beyond her hand onto her side of the face and heightened her abilities as an ocultist. Whenever she is exposed to bleed she feels it in her hand.

Sound familiar, doesn't it?

Marion also entered the assignment with a scar. However it was never specified how he got it and which sort is it. Seems pretty certain it is a bleed scar but hear me out cos that's not necessarily the case in my opinion.

Based on previous observations (especially Arlo and the fact that they are both under Weird category) and the fact that the scar seems to soak on the bleed as the blue veins show a bit more each time Marion uses his abilities much like Arlos points to it being a bleed scar. And the fact that after receiving a (second?) bleed scar it expanded up his neck.

But what drives me insane is why the hell is it starburst shaped? How the fuck would that manifest as a sign of bleed or be an indicator that he was exposed to the bleed? Arlo's scar makes sense because her hand was exposed to another dimension/plane.

What if Marion's first scar was a result of body marks?

First of all the fact that it's starburst shaped, for me immediately brings an image of an explosive. Which makes sense as Marion was a soldier and mortars were flying left and right on the battlefield.

It is also not specified when his premotions manifested in terms of had he already have the scar or not? See it is possible that once he started getting those premotions he maxed out on bleed scars pretty quickly. But his abilities are not inherently a sign or result of bleed. He soaks up other people's marks and given the fact he saved Sean and Nathaniel probably several times his tally for body must have been full. They had not encountered bleed during the war!

Again because of the shape of his scar I imagine that it is possible that the last mark he took was a body from a bomb going off. Now that wouldn't just leave a scar, that just puts you in the ground.

Now this is when it gets interesting both based on facts and on my headcanons.

Have you noticed how Marion's "Medium" underneath his portrait looks like a toetag?

I mean it could be just a little note thingy that you attach to gifts or use as a bookmark as a stylistic/aesthetic choice but if the fact that Luis names his character Marion Collodi like the author of Pinocchio who's a MARIONette and sings how he doesn't have any strings left (while Spencer graphically described the Eldrich terror reaching for their soul strings and finding nothing) taught me anything is that NOTHING is random here.

So, here's the thing. Marion dies. Marion dies in an explosion. He dies because he soaked up that last body only it wasn't just a body mark. It was entire fucking life. His scar is a result of body marks being full.

And because it was an entire fucking life his starburst scar becomes the centre of the bleeds that starts to enter his life well before Candela. Because this life that he exchanged was a result of some powerful magik that in the world of Newfaire ways manifests in the form of bleed and therefore marked this spot as it's home and now whenever Marion uses his abilities the scar pulsates and grows.

That is also a reason WHY he hasn't got a soul, because he exchanged it, saving someone's life. I like to imagine it was Sean and they are literally soulmates, two people, one soul. I mean I don't know if their relationship will play out more romantically or platonically/brotherly but they do have an insane bond together and it would make more sense, based on the conversation between Marion and Sean in the metro tunnels alone that they would fight alongside more often that they would alongside (literally in close proximity) Nathaniel. Sean said that Marion would often call the shots, how to maneuver the battlefield and Nathaniel being the lieutenant would put him in more commanding position. I just don't imagine he would tag along Sean and Marion having entire troup to command.

Either way bleed has already entered Marion's body/soul before Candela or any previous contant with bleed and marked him and that's why the thing said that he's a perfect vessel already prepared for whatever evil plan the monster have.

This of course DOES NOT explain the definitely DELIBERATE choice on Luis part of naming his character Marion Collodi, as elaborated above and what the fuck does it mean but perhaps we will learn about it later on.

Or perhaps because Marion is a vessel, because he exchanged his soul for other person's life he will become possessed and become a plaything, a mariontte to some Eldrich terror puppetier. Like some sort of cruel cosmic joke that prays and exploits Marion's heart of gold and innate inability to take care of himself and just soaking those marks left and right.

#shit thats a loooonngg rant #sorry about that #just have a lot of feeling about this #none of my friends watch candela and i have noone to talk to #candela obscura #critical role #candela spoilers? its been long since chapter 1 but ig #candela spoilers #marion collodi #luis carazo #needle and thread #sean finnerty #brennan lee mulligan #spencer starke #nathaniel trapp #travis willingham

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kerizaret · 5 months

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Finally they're here as promised!!

☆ Hinamatsuri AU Leo/Need ☆

(Forgot to write it but Honami is based on her Musical Twilight Parade card )

Bonus interactions:

#hinamatsuri au #yes tenmas' thread is golden too and they can freely produce it from their sleeves #this took way too long omg im sorry. honami was really hard to figure out how to draw #at least good news is all this time let me plan out some more lore a bit better...#leo/need #l/n #tenma saki #shiho hinomori #ichika hoshino #honami mochizuki #guest appearance of tsukasa #prsk #prsk fa #prsk art #prsk au #kerizart

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supernovaofthoughts · 1 year

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BTS if they had a Pokemon Team

Before I start I just wanna point out the obvious : This is very unserious content, and of course it is only my opinion, so if this is offending to you, please do not take it seriously. You are of course free to disagree and I would be happy to hear your ideas about this ! It's just something I made for fun, and since I love Pokemon and adore BTS to death, this idea just popped up in my brain and I couldn't get rid of it.

Also I am so sorry but the picture quality might drop.

(I know they have more than 6 Pokémon but hey, 6 is too restricting XD)

Let's start with our favourite Leader, Namjoon ! In order, there are Mega Alakazam, Mega Venusaur, Mega Ampharos, Komala, Espeon, Reuniclus, Metagross, Braviary and Crawdaunt.

He posesses mostly Psychic Types for obvious reasons (my guy rocks his 148 IQ). Alakazam, Metagross and Reuniclus are said to be three of the most intelligent Pokémon out there, which sounded fitting. Venusaur represents Namjoons love for plants, and Komala his assigned emoji amongst the fandom. Then there is Crawdaunt, who stands for his interest in crabs (the amount of crabs this man has lifted up from the sand is unreal). Ampharos is said to emit light to guide other Pokémon to safety, like a lighthouse, which I thought sounded fitting to represent his leadership, guiding the other members and working with them through hardships to get into the "light". Metagross is also meant to represent his strength, both physically and mentally.

Also, I gave each member an Eeveelution, so for Namjoon I chose Espeon.

Next up is Jin ! For him, we have Milotic, Lovedisc, Vaporeon, Minior, Dedene, Empoleon, Nidoqueen, Chansey and Nidoking.

For Jin, I chose mostly Water types because I feel like this fits him well, most Water Pokemon are beautiful, almost ethereal, but also powerful and strong, so I think it suits Jin. Plus, it reminds me of his Photofolio, where his main theme was the Sea. Milotic and Empoleon are famously beautiful and elegant Pokemon, which, yes, I mean he IS World Wide Handsome. Lovedisc and Chansey stand for his iconic pink microphone while also expressing his loving, caring side for both his members and fans, Dedene stands for the mouse emoji mostly associated with him and Nidoqueen is also supposed to emphasize the nurturing "oldest" side of Jin. Minior represents his Solo Single "Astronaut" and Nidoking is supposed to irradiate the "Big Brother of the group" vibes.

And of course I chose Vaporeon as his Eeveelution.

Next is Yoongi ! In order we habe Obstagoon, Greninja, Umbreon, Litten, shiny Haxorus, Lillipup, Alolan Persian, Spheal and Hydreigon.

So for Yoongi, I primarely chose Dark type Pokémon, because I thought they would reflect his amazing hardcore rap skills the best. Obstagoon is a music related Pokémon, which felt fitting. Greninja is supposed to mirror the traditional aspect displayed in "Daechwita" (I knoow, Shinobis are Japanese, but Pokémon are a Japanese franchise, so finding traditional Korean Pokemon is practically hopeless XD). Hydreigon refers to Yoongis three personas (SUGA, Agust D and Yoongi himself) and then we have Litten and Alolan Persian, two cats that refer to the cat emoji we associate with him. Lillipup is a reference to his dog Holly, and together with Spheal is supposed to balance out the whole dark edgy vibe of teh other Pokémon with cuteness and softness that Yoongi also displays. Spheal is also supposed to evoque his beautiful, round shaped face. Finally Haxorus reflects both again traditional vibes (Samurai) that loosely link to "Daechwita", as well as Yoongis kind and protective nature, tough but loving on the inside (since Haxorus is described as being kind but very protective).

His Eeveelution is of course Umbreon !

Here we have Hobis Team ! So for Hobi, we have Volcarona, Meganium, Solgaleo, Pachirisu, Oricorio, Jolteon, Alolan Raichu and Vigoroth.

I chose mostly electric type Pokémon, which are meant to stand for his energetic, upbeat and bright nature. Oricorio represents of course Hoseoks Love for dancing, and Vigoroth (a Pokémon that can never stay in one place) his energy. Meganium stands for one of his favourite colours, green, as well as the healing power this man holds (depressions greatest fear is Hoseok !), since Meganium posesses healing powers. Volcarona stands for his burning passion, and Solgaleo illustrates his sunshine nature (i didn't want to give any of teh members a legendary because then everybody would have just legendaries XD, but I mean Castform is ugly and Hobi deserves better !). Pachirisu stands for his squirrel emoji. I wanted to include the more seriosu side he shows in 'Jhope in the Box" but couldn't really find a Pokémon that would fit in this team.

And his Eeveelution is Jolteon.

Here is Jimins team ! In order, Shiny Swanna, Togekiss, Hatterene, Primarina, Sylveon, Altaria, Alcremie, Shiny Ninetales and Gothitelle.

So I gave Jimin mostly Fairy types, because just like him, they are ethereal, pretty, elegant, graceful and charming. I've also given him flying types since his emoji is a little chick and his voice is so birdlike and enchanting ! Primarina and Altaria, two famous singing Pokemon, represent his amazing vocals, Swanna stands for his iconic "Black Swan" performance and Alcremie references his lost jams (lol) since it's also sweet food. Gothitelle stands a bit out of the team but it reminded me of these gorgeous pictures of Jimins Photofolio (god this black leather outfit was the death of me). Hatterene represents his very sensible side, as well as his beauty but also very mesmerizing, almost dangerous (at least to us Armies) side of him when he performs on stage !

His Eeveelution is Sylveon.

Ok, so this is Taehyungs team ! In order, there are Ursaluna, Mudsdale, Glaceon, Swampert, Flygon, Lycanroc and Aurorus.

It was kind of hard to choose for Taehyung because he is such an interesting person ! I went with motly rock/ground types, since they remind me of the beautiful earthy and vintage aesthetic he often displays. I wanted to give him a Tiger Pokémon, but ultimately decided to go with the Bear emoji and chose Ursaluna. Mudsdale references his Photofolio in which he rode a horse. Lycanroc represents his love for Yeontan, and Aurorius mirrors his ethereal beauty (as does Glaceon). Swampert stands for his strenght and Flygon for his duality : beauty on one side and dangerous while performing on stage !

His eeveelution is Galceon (which reminds me a bit of the pictures with jewels on his cheeks).

Last but not least, Jungkook is up next ! In order we have Machoke, Cinderace, Bunnelby, Flareon, Houndoom, Dragonite, Lucario and Bewear.

For Jungkook, I thought Fighting and Firetypes where the most fitting for him. Fighting because he is known to practice boxing and martial arts and because he has gotten quite buff over the years, and fire for his warmth and kind nature. Bewear and Dragonite are supposed to represent this duality, the "tough but sweet and loving" side of Kookie, and Bunnelby and Cinderace stand for his bunny emoji. Houndoom represents his dog Bam and Flareon for his warmth and passion (throwback to the "play with puppies" video).

His eeveelution is Flareon.

Also I know the Pokémon sizes are not accurate but I mean... it is pretty difficult to size them according to their official height.

That was it, I hope you enjoyed reading this. Again, this comes from a place of pure love and admiration for the boys, and I know these teams don't encapsulate them as a whole, but this was just something I made for fun.

Feel free to add your ideas ! :D

#BTS #Namjoon #RM #Jin #Yoongi #SUGA #Hoseok #Jhope #Jimin #Taehyung #Jungkook #Pokémon #Team #Brainrot #Stupid ideas #please bear with me #This is for fun #sorry for the long thread

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manslaught · 4 months

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@ladyintree / mikayla desousa and love have never been compatible, a fact she's known, grown up with, for as long as she could remember. her mother never gave her the chance to love her as a child, leaving before mikayla could even form a single memory of her, and her father grew to hate her instead— and even later on, she was taught that she was wrong for who she loved, nearly blinded for it, until it was ingrained in her that it was not allowed, that she would be forced to fake it her entire life, rather than let herself have what she really wanted.

and what she wanted was taissa— mikayla couldn't place when it started, exactly, but the longing was there for as long as she could remember. she ignored it as best as she could, choosing to hate her instead, deeming that as the safest option. until the plane crashed, and she was left to face her feelings, with no real place to run. and for some time, her perspective on love shifted; out there, it felt like something obtainable. like something she could keep, even though deep down, she knew that was just wishful thinking. it kept her alive out there, fueling her even when they had nothing to eat, even when it was so cold that her entire body ached. it was manageable, because she had tai. if she had tai, she could face anything, survive anything—

but then she lost her. the last real memory she had once they were rescued was pressing taissa's necklace back into her hand, her entire body trembling, because she couldn't keep it, not when she would be forced to face her father again. she would see her again, would find her again, as soon as she was safe— but safety came a month later in the form of his death, caused by her own hands, leading to her arrest. finding tai wasn't an option, so instead, mikayla waited for her to come instead, trusting that she would, that taissa would know she needed her, especially then.

that never happened. not during her time in prison, not after. once again, she was alone, without love, without anything to hold on to, having no choice but to grovel at her mother's doorstep for help, because if tai wanted to provide that for her, then she would have been there. having her mother in her life did nothing to help her self esteem, not when she knew aphrodite was only there out of obligation, guilt. none of it was real, the same way none of her father's love was ever real, despite the way he'd hugged her in front of the cameras, as if he cared that she was back home, as if he hadn't been praying for her death.

the only way to cope with losing tai was by convincing herself that their love wasn't real, either. mikayla knew hers was— there was no possible way to convince herself otherwise, but the longer she went without a single word from taissa, a single sign that she cared at all, the easier it was to believe that maybe tai's love wasn't real. that mikayla was just convenient, that there wasn't an abundance of options for taissa in the wilderness. and worse, that tai knew mikayla would kill for her, that she used that for her own survival, and once they were rescued, tai no longer needed her. the moment taissa had more options, the moment she was safe, mikayla meant nothing to her— it took years to convince herself of that, because for the longest time, it felt impossible that taissa didn't feel the same, that the love that kept mikayla alive could possibly one-sided.

but if tai loved her, where was she?

and so mikayla convinced herself she moved on. it took an embarrassingly long time, spending an entire decade hoping that tai would change her mind, even after learning of her engagement, her eventual marriage. but ten years of silence was finally enough to finalize it for her: taissa never loved her, she was never coming back, and mikayla had no choice but to move on. the absense was still there, but she no longer thought about why— likely because she didn't have to, the same way she didn't have to think about why she had the scars on her face, the scars on her hands. it became a part of her, that absence, and the ache that was once overbearing was now nothing more than mere background noise. there, but drowned out, so long as she didn't pay any attention to it.

meeting calypso helped distract her from it for a while— mikayla would be lying to herself if she claimed that the woman was anything like she imagined she'd end up with, because that was always taissa, but she convinced herself it was better. she was beautiful, she was kind, and most importantly, she loved mikayla. she would never know the entirety of mikayla, not when she couldn't talk about her time in the wilderness, not when she didn't want to talk about her father, but somehow, calypso managed to do what nobody else could and loved mikayla anyway, despite all her flaws. she never pushed, she never questioned her, and above all, she was disgusted when mikayla told her vague details about the love she had in the wilderness, the way that the first (the only) person she'd ever loved had felt absolutely nothing and discarded her the moment she wasn't needed. mikayla felt validated, for the first time in over ten years, and she could convince herself it was enough. she mistook the comfort, the safety net, that calypso provided for love. she knew that it was nothing like she felt for tai, but she didn't want to feel that way ever again— she didn't want to give the entirety of herself to anyone else ever again, only to realize she wasn't enough, she wasn't worthy of love. what she felt for calypso was safe.

so when misty told her about tai having a kid, it only made sense to marry calypso in response. she'd expected her to reject her proposal, to do what everyone in mikayla desousa's life had done before and rip their love away, but she said yes. and yet there was no happiness found in it, no sense of relief, because all she could think was that, somewhere out there, taissa was happy with someone else, building a life with someone else, meanwhile mikayla was left trying to catch up. they had a beach wedding, mikayla's last attempt at trying to pull a reaction out of tai, if she was paying any attention at all, but nothing happened, and so mikayla stopped thinking about her— she did her best to put as much of herself as she could into her work, her marriage, into anything but the only woman she'd ever loved, because she couldn't have that. because she never loved her back.

she'd convinced herself she could lead a decent life without taissa, because everything was working for a while. she was successful, though only with the help of her mother, she was married, she was loved. it should have been enough, but it never was, not really. at the end of the night, mikayla would still go to bed with the same emptiness she'd felt since her arrest, the overwhelming feeling that something was missing. and so when natalie called, it's not surprising that she didn't think about every single reason she shouldn't return to new jersey, because the idea of coming back made her feel something again— she told herself it was all for nat, because she cared about her, because there was an understanding between them that formed during childhood, an unspoken bond between two girls with fathers who didn't love them, who only damaged them instead, bound together by trauma even before their plane crashed years later.

it had to be for nat, because it couldn't be for taissa.

she'd thought she was healed, that she was over it, but seeing tai again had reopened the wound, had made her realize that it never healed at all, and instead, it was left infected, because she did nothing to actually treat it, hoping it would go away on it's own. even then, she did everything she could to ignore it, avoiding looking at her, although it did nothing to help, because it hurt anyway— hurt even more knowing that she was the only one to feel it, suspecting that nat and shauna were looking at her with pity, because they knew better and somehow, she hadn't.

mikayla should have rejected the ride from taissa, because she'd rather walk miles in the dead of night than deal with being alone with her for the first time in over twenty years, but her pride stood in the way— saying no would be admitting that she was still hurt, and she couldn't give tai that satisfaction, not when she already took so much from mikayla already. and so, in the passenger seat of tai's range rover, she's left to regret every single choice that's lead her here, wishing she'd just gone after natalie instead, that the fear of rejection didn't have such a chokehold on her still.

the silence between them is suffocating, because there's so much to be said, but mikayla doesn't know how to bring up any of it. she doesn't feel allowed, feeling like everything she'd wanted to say to her in the last twenty years means nothing, because tai doesn't care. in an attempt to ground herself, she looks down at her hands in her lap, right hand twisting her wedding ring around her finger, although reminding herself of calypso's existence does nothing to help, because mikayla feels like she's bleeding out from the inside, and the only person that ever made her feel better about anything is the very same person causing her this much pain in the first place. and she doesn't even care.

there's a lot she wants to ask about: tai's hand, if she's okay; the election, her marriage, how none of what they had in the wilderness meant anything to her, but mikayla doesn't know how. she needs to act like she's over it, like tai's abandonment didn't make her question her self worth all over again. “ we shouldn't have let her walk home alone, ” she says finally, choosing to focus on nat instead— the concern is genuine, which helps, especially since she knows what it feels like to lose the person you love, to be left with absolutely no answers. “ she needs someone right now, and we just— ” let her go, but too late, mikayla realizes how it almost sounds like she's talking about herself, trying to stand up for the version of her from twenty-three years ago, alone in her prison cell, left with nothing.

she doesn't want to, because she knows it's going to be like a knife to the chest, but mikayla forces herself to finally look at tai, to act like it isn't the most painful thing she's done in years. “ it might be easy for you to not give a shit, but— she has to be desperate, if she called all of us. ” she wishes that natalie hadn't, that she would have taken just a second to consider what she would be doing to mikayla by bringing her back here, with her, but she understands what heartbreak does to a person, how it blinds them to everything else. as much as she wants to be, she can't be mad. not at her, at least.

#ladyintree #ladyintree: 31.#thread.#yj: 2021.#so fucking LONG my next reply wont be................ sorry to everyone else #she's being a little petty......... good for HER #main.

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fuzzytrashbird · 7 months

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hello!!

for anyone who may have been keeping up with this long thread, my family (me, my mom, and our three cats) has been living in a hotel/motel room for the last almost 3 months after being kicked out of our last place for two months of rent nonpayment as we couldn't afford the raise in price with my mom's income (i do not have an income).

well, we have a place!!!!!! that we can afford with mom's income!!!!!!

with a small issue. unfortunately, we, of course, do not have funds to move in right now. it's $948.73 to move in on Sept 23rd, or $1,498 for Oct 1st. we cannot currently afford either of these obviously, but we really want to move in asap and get out of this room. i do believe my mom is applying for help with things, but i do not know details at the moment.

of course, we also need the money for a moving truck, and likely people to help us move, given the family that helped us move out of the last place can't help move in, BUT we are more worried about getting the money to pay for the deposit and rent for when we move in.

if anyone has the ability to help us, we will be eternally grateful. i have art commissions open! and will happily draw for you! you can either contact me via dms here to talk, or you can go through my kofi commissions!

i also have a goal set up on kofi for this!

thank you to everyone who has helped so far, and everyone who may help in the future! it means so much to us! <3

#artists on tumblr #open commissions #moving house #moving help #life update #art commissions #commissions #thank you to everyone who is helping #it means a lot #also i am planning to get a job so we have more income #or maybe disability will come through for me #who knows #and sorry if you've been keeping up with that thread #its too damn long

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savior-of-humanity · 1 month

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@hymns-across-the-stars -- continued from here!

Atreus was no stranger to being lost in a foreign realm, with little - if any - means of getting his bearings regarding just where exactly he was. It was something he was accustomed to, really, especially given how far he had traveled and how many sights he had seen in his journeys through the Nine Realms and beyond. It usually didn't take him long to adjust to a new situation, to learn how to navigate both geography and conversations with any local peoples that lived there. But the place he found himself in now was unlike anything he had ever seen in his entire life. In every direction that the Jotunn looked and traversed, Atreus was surrounded by a sprawling labyrinth of ancient, worn metal; expertly constructed, yet weathered from wind and time. Even beneath the plant life that seemed to grow from almost every single surface of the complex, he could tell that the architecture and craftsmanship was utterly alien to him. Not to mention, given just how far the tunnels and shafts that made up its depths went, no civilization he knew of could've made such a massive complex. And yet, there was no sign of any people living here...

...well, except for the creatures that called this maze home.

Many were just as alien as the labyrinth itself, though they held similarities to other creatures Atreus had seen before; multi-colored lizards the size of dogs, roving packs of spiders, enormous armored centipedes, and too many other little things to list off. He swore he saw a glimpse of what looked like some sort of enormous bird-like creature soaring above, but given the huge towers that reached up to the heavens and obscured the sky almost totally, it disappeared just as quickly as he'd spotted it. Survival wasn't too difficult, which was largely due to the relative abundance of both safe food and drinking water; but as the sun eventually began to approach the distant horizon, he knew he'd have to find shelter for the night. There was no telling what sort of nasty critters would come out in the dark, after all - but the abrupt noise of some distant commotion snapped Atreus out of his thoughts of finding a place to hunker down. Atreus paused and listened; normally, he'd avoid it entirely as it'd usually just be a scuffle between some big lizards, but there were no snapping jaws, guttural snarls, teeth digging into skin and flesh. What he could hear insisted solely of ghastly shrieks and what he could only describe as small explosions. Logic dictated that he should ignore it and keep looking for shelter while he still had daylight - but something about it urged him to go, to look. And look he would. It'd taken him a while given how long and winding the passages of the labyrinth's underbelly were, but eventually he'd crawl out of a vent overlooking a small ledge to spot the source of the once-distant battle. There were two creatures that were of immediate interest to Atreus; one was a huge, gaunt and avian-looking creature, much like the one he had spotted a glimpse of earlier in the day. Its hostile gaze was locked upon the other individual; a small red-furred creature resembling some strange cross between a mollusk and a cat. And, based on the way they not only held their body posture but also wielded a spear, Atreus immediately guessed that the little thing was not only intelligent, but also exhausted from a previous fight. He didn't hesitate to notch an arrow into the string of his bow, draw, and then send it flying straight at the tusked face of the bird-beast. In that moment, Atreus learned two things; the first was that the skull-like face of the "bird" was not a face but rather a mask. Through a stroke of luck, the arrow had hit at just the right angle to dislodge it from the creature's true face, sending it clattering to the overgrowth below. The second was that this also happened to piss it off. Severely.

He didn't wait for its response - already he had leapt from the ledge to the ground below, landing into a roll to minimize potential injury from the impact, before he jumped back to his feet and began to run like Hel to the closest semblance of safety. Which, coincidentally, happened to be in the general direction of the red-furred spear wielder. "GO!" He had no idea if they could understand him or if they could even speak, but he hoped that at the very least, the urgency and volume of his voice would spook the creature into fleeing as well. "RUN! RUN! I HAVE ITS ATTENTION!" He knew that because he could literally hear it coming after him with those huge beating wings. All he could really do was hope that he was faster than it was.

#rp thread #son of war; atreus #threads of fate; crossover verse #hymns-across-the-stars #AUGH sorry this is. so late....#also sorry that its long lmao i have a bad tendency of getting reaaally invested into describing scenes 😔

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